January
The US and the EU condemn 450 new homes on the West Bank
The US and the EU condemn Israel’s plans to start a tender process for the construction of 450 housing for Jewish settlers on the West Bank.
19-year-old is shot to death on the West Bank
A 19-year-old is shot to death by Israeli forces on the West Bank. The 19-year-old and a friend are reported to have attacked the Israelis with fire bombs. The companion must have been shot.
A record number of Palestinian homes were demolished in 2014
The UN humanitarian coordination body OCHA states that in 2014, Israel demolished a record number of homes belonging to Palestinian families. According to OCHA, 590 objects were destroyed in East Jerusalem and the West Bank, leaving nearly 1,200 people homeless, more than half of whom were children. Israel states as a reason that the buildings were erected without building permits. Palestinians and human rights groups condemn the demolitions and claim that Palestinians are routinely refused building permits and therefore forced to leave their homes without permission.
ICC launches investigation into Israeli war crimes
The International Criminal Court ICC initiates an initial investigation into possible war crimes committed by Israel against the Palestinians during the summer war in Gaza (see July and August 2014). Israel calls the investigation “outrageous”.
Palestinians convicted in military court
A military court sentenced a Palestinian from Hebron to three life sentences for the summer murders of three Israeli youths, which eventually led to war between Israel and Gaza (see June and July). Two other Palestinians suspected of being involved in the murders were shot dead when Israeli soldiers tried to arrest them in September.
Palestine’s ICC application is approved
UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon accepts the State of Palestine’s application to the ICC and announces that the Palestinians will join on April 1.
February
HD decides to demolish nine homes in Israeli settlement
The Supreme Court decides that nine homes in an Israeli settlement on the West Bank should be demolished as they are built on private Palestinian land. As a result, five Palestinian landowners win the process that started already in 2008. The settlers are given two years to evacuate the houses before they are destroyed.
March
PLO ends security cooperation with Israel
In March, the PLO decides to end security cooperation with Israel, which is part of the peace agreement of 1993. The cooperation has included, among other things, that Israel and the Palestinian authorities shared information about militant groups. The decision is made in protest of Israel withholding customs and VAT revenue (see December 2014).
June
UN report indicates war crimes during the 2014 Gaza war
A UN report shows that war crimes may have been committed by both Israeli military and Palestinian fighting groups during the Gaza war in July and August 2014. The report was made by a special commission of inquiry commissioned by the UN Human Rights Council. According to the report, 1462 civilian Palestinians were killed, including 551 children. Six civilian Israelis lost their lives in connection with thousands of Palestinian missile attacks against Israel, a state located in Asia continent defined by franciscogardening.
Israeli fighter jet to attack Hamas
Israeli fighter aircraft attacks Hamas stronghold in Gaza one day after launching rockets from Gaza into Israel. A radical salafist group takes on the blame for the rocket attacks, according to Haaretz magazine.
July
18-month-old Palestinian boy is killed in arson
An 18-month-old Palestinian boy is killed in an arson attack in a village on the West Bank. The other family members – the father, the mother and a big brother – survive the attack, but the father and the mother later die from their injuries. Perpetrators suspected of being Jewish settlers have written the Hebrew word for “revenge” on a house wall in connection with the attack. Prime Minister Netanyahu calls the assassination a terrorist act and promises to do everything in his power to find the guilty. A clap hunting for Jewish extremists on the West Bank begins.
Ready sign for 300 new homes
Prime Minister Netanyahu gives the go-ahead for the construction of 300 new homes in the Jewish settlement of Beit El on the West Bank. He also announces plans to build 500 new Jewish homes in East Jerusalem.
August
Two Israelis are arrested in connection with an arson attack
In connection with the assassination fire on the West Bank (see July 2015), two men are imprisoned by a so-called administrative decree, which allows the authorities to keep detainees detained for six months without prosecution and to renew this period as many times as possible. It is unusual for this form of detention to be used in the case of Jews. Usually, Palestinians are kept in this way indefinitely.
