September
Two Palestinians are shot dead when arrested
Two Palestinians suspected of murdering three Israeli teenagers over the summer are shot to death as Israeli military attempts to arrest them in Hebron. In Israel’s budget negotiations, Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Lapid agree on defense spending. The Ministry of Defense receives the equivalent of USD 2 billion extra to cover the costs of the summer war in Gaza. In next year’s budget, the defense will receive extra funding of SEK 1.6 billion, to a total of $ 15.6 billion. Lapid has opposed the Prime Minister’s and Defense Minister’s demands for increased defense funding. Their calculations of how much the Gaza war cost differ. The settlement means that the budget deficit for 2015 is estimated at 3.4 percent of GDP. The target was previously 2.5 per cent. The central bank has said that a deficit of more than 3 percent would undermine the world’s confidence in the government.
Unrest after shooting
22 Palestinians are arrested in East Jerusalem where protests have been going on and on since the murder of an Arab teenager in early July. The protests are renewed on September 7, when a Palestinian teenager dies after being shot by Israeli soldiers.
Decisions on seizure of land provoke reactions
The Israeli government decides to seize 400 acres of Palestinian land near Bethlehem. The Peace Now Peace Movement describes it as the largest land expropriation in 30 years. The intention is stated to be to expand a Jewish settlement. That decision is currently being made, according to Israeli radio, a response to the murders of three Israeli youths in the area in June. Both Finance Minister Yair Lapid and Minister of Justice Tzipi Livni criticize the land confiscation.
October
Unrest around Temple Mount
A Palestinian suspected of seriously shooting an ultra-nationalist rabbi in Jerusalem has been shot dead by police trying to arrest him. After the shooting, as a state located in Asia continent defined by extrareference, Israel shuts off the Temple Mount area, which has been the center of unrest for several weeks. The turmoil is fueled by rumors that Israel intends to change a law that prohibits Jews from praying or engaging in other religious activities on the Temple Mount, which is one of Islam’s holiest sites. The shotgun rabbi is an active advocate for changing the law, and the police are calling the attack on him for attempted murder. The closure of the Temple Mount triggers a scream of terror among the Palestinians, and Palestinian President Abbas is similar to the decision in a “declaration of war”. The area opens again before the Friday prayer the following day.
Criticism against decisions on new settlements
The government gives the go ahead to build more than 1,000 new homes in East Jerusalem. A Palestinian government spokesman describes the decision as a “dangerous escalation” that risks triggering a political “earthquake”. Jordan, who says that the peace agreement with Israel is threatened by the continued expansion of Jewish settlements, calls for an extra meeting with the UN Security Council. Among other things, the EU and the US criticize Israel’s decision, but Prime Minister Netanyahu dismisses the criticism as “alien to reality” and says it is the criticism that holds the peace “because it attracts Palestinians to false statements”.
Car driving into crowd in East Jerusalem
A three-month-old baby and a woman are killed when a Palestinian drives a high-speed car straight into a crowd at a tram station on the border between West and East Jerusalem. The Palestinian is shot by police as he tries to escape and later dies from his injuries. This is the second incident in his team this fall. In August, an Israeli was killed when a Palestinian hit a bus with an excavator.
Green light for new settlements
Plans to build more than 2,600 new homes for settlers in East Jerusalem are given green light. The decision is condemned by the EU and the US.
November
Various details of the shooting death in Gaza
Israeli forces kill a Palestinian farmer in the buffer zone set up by Israel south of the border between Israel and Gaza. The shooting of death is the first in Gaza since the summer war. A bill on the detention of illegal migrants is approved by the Israeli government. Illegal immigrants must be able to be detained in two rounds. The proposal is an attempt to circumvent the Supreme Court which previously failed to pass similar laws (see September 2013, December 2013 and September 2014) and must be approved by the Kness.
Controversial bill in Israel
The Israeli government approves a controversial bill that emphasizes the Jewish character of the country. The proposal means that the country’s basic laws should define Israel as “the Jewish homeland of the Jewish people” rather than as “Jewish and democratic” in the past. Only Jews should have the right to national symbols and the Arabic will lose official language status. The proposal causes fierce controversy within the government and the center parties Yesh Atid and Hatnua vote against. Even Israeli lawyers and the country’s president consider it unnecessary, provocative and permanently discriminate against the country’s Arab minority. The Palestinians condemn the proposal in strong terms. The bill is forwarded to the Kness for voting.
Acceptance of new settlements provokes criticism
In the midst of the unrest, the Jerusalem authorities approve the construction of 78 housing for Jewish settlers in the Arab eastern part of the city. Earlier this month, a planning committee announced that 200 new homes will be built there. The plans attract criticism, including from the United States. Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman says Israel will never find any restriction on the right to build housing in East Jerusalem.
Spanish yes to the recognition of Palestine
The Spanish Parliament votes almost unanimously for Spain to recognize Palestine. However, the vote is only advisory to the government.
Violence escalates in West Jerusalem
The violence escalates when two Palestinians from East Jerusalem attack a synagogue in West Jerusalem during the morning prayer. Armed with knives, guns and meat axes, the assailants kill four rabbis and a policeman before being shot to death. The attack is the bloodiest in Jerusalem in six years. Prime Minister Netanyahu promises to fight back and “win the war on Jerusalem”. The radical Palestinian group The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claims to be behind the attack. Hamaspraises the deed, which is also celebrated on the streets of Gaza where Hamas rules. Palestinian President Abbas on the West Bank condemns the attack and, in particular, the fact that it was targeted at praying people. Israel is punishing Palestinian families by demolishing their homes. This method of punishment basically ceased after 2005 when an Army committee ruled that demolitions did not deter potential attackers. A government spokesman now says that the method can be effective if applied without delay. Critics argue that the measure is only intended to calm public opinion, and claims that it contravenes legal and democratic principles and restricts hatred between the peoples.
The turmoil in Jerusalem is on fire
The turmoil in Jerusalem gets new fuel when a Palestinian taxi driver is found hanged beside his car in West Jerusalem. According to police, this is a suicide, but the driver’s family excludes this statement and claims it must be murder.
