The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

Numerous attacks on IDF in Sidon announced by Lebanese National Resistance Front.

Casualties:

16 IDF soldiers wounded when military bus triggers mine near Kfar Mishki in southern Bekaa; at least 10 IDF soldiers reportedly killed or wounded in Sidon attacks.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Chief of Staff Levy issues new, more explicit and restrictive IDF guidelines for dealing with West Bank and Gaza Palestinians; 15 Israeli women from Parents Against Silence group join vigil outside Prime Minister's house calling for IDF withdrawal from Lebanon; Nazareth police chief bans meeting between Ibna al-Balad, other nationalist organizations and Israeli Communist Party; Sharon releases Lebanon security plan, says Haddad's role must be streng- thened, Lebanese Army must displace Druze and PLO forces in Chouf, UN troops in South should be redeployed as buffer between IDF and Syrians, Shultz plan should be scrapped and replaced by realistic diplomacy, Syria will not leave Bekaa Valley because it would lose $500m a year in taxes levied on hashish trade; January-April trade deficit in Israel up 35% over same period last year.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese-Israeli-US meeting at Netanya to review text of withdrawal agreement; PLO officials in Damascus say negotiations with Lebanon for withdrawal of PLO forces must settle question of security for Palestinian civilians; PLO Chairman Arafat makes first visit to Lebanon since August last year, travels from Damascus to Bekaa Valley to deal with dissident PLO officers.

Arab Governments: Syrian Foreign Minister says Syria rejects the withdrawal agreement in form and substance, calls it a grave danger to Syria's security; Syrian envoys meet with former Lebanese President Suleiman Franjieh, and former Prime Minister Rashid Karami reportedly to establish national front in opposition to withdrawal agreement.

US and Other Countries: US Defense Secretary Weinberger says there is no reason why US-Israel memorandum of agreement cannot be revived, expects Reagan Administration will provide all technological information Israel requests for its development of the Lavi fighter; Secretary of State Shultz says Syrian position on troop withdrawal agreement is not a rejection; largest British film and TV union general council modifies its position on members working in Israel, will allow members to work there but will provide union backing to those who decide to boycott.

Military Action:

MNF units assist Lebanese Army and civil defense forces in rescue operations for civilians trapped by severe blizzard, responsible for at least 38 deaths.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Secret Appendix B to Commission of Inquiry Report said to detail Sharon visit to Gemayel family after assassination of Bashir, including discussion on need for the Phalangists to take revenge; Jerusalem police arrest three men on charges of harassing Peace Now demonstrators during February 10 march.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat, in speech to PNC, supports endorsement of Fez plan, says Reagan plan is not enough but to turn it down flatly would deprive the PLO of its links with the US and of sources of badly needed financial aid; PNC Political Committee decides that Reagan plan is not acceptable as basis for just solution of Palestine problem, endorses Fez plan, gives no mandate to Jordan to negotiate on behalf of PLO, approves concept of eventual confederation between independent Palestinian state and Jordan, approves contacts with democratic and progressive forces in Egypt and with Mubarak government, and with democratic and progressive Israelis advocating establishment of an independent Palestinian state, decides to merge all PLO armed forces into single PNLA with unified command structure.

Arab Governments: Arab League mission to visit Britain around mid-March; King Hussein, in UK on private visit, has working lunch with Prime Minister Thatcher.

Military Action:

First contingent of 22 British troops arrives to join MNF, will patrol road south of airport.

Casualties:

17 killed, 34 wounded as artillery duels continue in the Aley and Chouf areas; 7 murdered in Sidon area as Phalange pursues campaign to force Palestinians to leave area or concentrate in Ain el-Hilweh camp.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Begin in Knesset rejects Reagan plan and says settlements cannot be frozen; Israel Aircraft Industries signs contract to repair and maintain helicopters for US Army in Europe.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese-Israeli-US negotiating teams meeting in Netanya step up frequency of meetings, disagree over Israeli demand for 28 mile deep security zone; Phalangists reported to agree in principle to President Gemayel's plan to extend control of regular army into East Beirut and surrounding suburbs; Prime Minister Wazzan meets Arafat in Tunis regarding withdrawal of PLO; Pierre Gemayel accuses Israel of trying to partition Lebanon and divide Muslims and Christians

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: US envoy Habib and Prime Minister Begin hold 90 minute meeting during which Habib presents Begin with letter from Reagan; Defense Minister Sharon postpones departure to Zaire, takes 100 Herut Party members on tour of Israeli military positions in Lebanon, Sharon meets Saad Haddad in Marjayoun, says any peace agreement will have a role for Haddad as he is trustworthy friend of Israel; Sharon holds afternoon press conference in Kiryat Shemona, simultaneously with official press conference announcing agreement on Lebanon talks agenda, creating tension with Foreign Minister Shamir, Sharon notes de facto normalization has preceded diplomatic normalization, that since Nov. 15, 12,000 people and 1,100 vehicles have entered Ilsrael from Lebanon and 1,100 Israeli vehicles transported goods to Lebanon; Labor Party political bureau approves Histadrut companies involvement in construction of settlements in occupied territories; Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai urges strong posture on US pressure, says control of Judea and Samaria is vital for security; Civil Administration declares as state land 20,000 dunums in Dahariya, south of Hebron, gives Palestinians 21 days to appeal, area planned for land reserve along 1967 green line; 30 Kach members break into Hebron home of Moshe Levinger, demanding that Meir Kahane's Kach settlement nearby receive support and services from Kiryat Arba as does Levinger's group in Hebron.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat in Moscow press conference releases communique that Soviet Union shows understanding of the PLO position on confederation on the basis of voluntarity between an independent Palestinian state and Jordan; following Habib-Begin meeting, Israel and Lebanon, in talks held in Kiryat Shemona, agree on agenda for talks (including concurrent discussion on "termination of the state of war; security arrangements; framework for mutual relations, including issues such as liaison, ending hostile propaganda, the movement of goods, products and persons, communications, etc.; program of complete withdrawals, conditions for Israeli withdrawal, within the context of the evacuation of all foreign forces; possible guarantees"); Lebanese Parliament delegation visits Amman seeking Jordanian support in talks with Israel.

Arab Governments: Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, at non-aligned conference in Nicaragua, says Syria will resist any agreement which does not call for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and does not recognize inalienable rights of Palestinians.

US and Other Countries: Pentagon refuses to sign draft agreement on US access to Israeli military data due to unreasonable restrictions; secret plan revealed for mini-Rapid Deployment Force in Jordan to guard internal stability, respond to emergencies in friendly Gulf States, and possible use in inter-Arab wars; Henry Kissinger says Lebanon crisis has consequences helpful to prospects for peace, shows USSR can supply arms but not solutions, rout of PLO restores US military credibility; Representative Council of French Jewry protests French Middle East policy, says Foreign Minister Cheysson's recent statements show anti-Israel bias, asks government to close PLO Paris office and expel PLO representative Ibrahim Suss.

Military Action:

Artillery duels between Druze and Phalange militia near Baabda.

Casualties:

5 killed, 9 wounded in Druze-Phalange fighting.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan says Israel may face 100 years of terrorism, that in practice the war in Lebanon has not ended, and one cannot solve all the problems of terrorism in one war, that if the IDF remains in Lebanon for long it may have to mount an intensive campaign to root out terrorist cells as was done in the Gaza Strip after the 1967 war; Defense Minister Sharon flatly rejects any PLO participation in future peace talks with Jordan, and dismisses Iraq's declaration of recognition of Israel's security needs as merely effort to get US arms for war against Iran; Israeli Foreign Minister legal adviser Elyakim Rubenstein says the recall of Egypt's Ambassador to Israel is a violation of the Camp David accords; Avid Kedar, head of Foreign Ministry's Egypt Department, says contacts between Israel and Egypt frozen since Peace for Galilee Campaign; Sgan Nitzav Albert Hayut, new director of Beersheba prison announces 500 security prisoners to be moved to new maximum security prison, equipped with latest electronic monitors, near Nablus; attorney Nissim Shakar of the Committee for Jaffa's Arabs says they will appeal proposed law that non-Jews must close shops on Yom Kippur as well as own religious holidays, and not transport goods on Saturday and Jewish holidays; Israeli officials announce requests by Palestinians to visit relatives in Lebanon decline due to security situation, 5 Israeli Palestinians disappeared recently in Lebanon; bomb near Zedekiah's Cave outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate critically wounds a Palestinian worker; military authorities surround Najah University, effectively closing the campus, prevent Israeli Association for Civil Rights representative from entering, detain 9 student council members; in Nablus students stone troops who use tear gas and close off market area; rock throwing incidents in Ramallah, al-Bireh aid Dheisheh camp, now defined as District of Binyamin, also in jenin where placards and leaflets are found attributed to National Liberation Movement denouncing as treasonous Arafat's and Hussein's attempt to reach accommodation with Israel.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat goes to Moscow; 5 Palestinian leaders and Lebanese Communist Party meet in Tripoli.

Arab Governments: King Hussein tells local leaders that he has a letter from Reagan commiting the US to pressure Israel to restore Arab rights in the occupied territories, and that time is running out for achieving a unified Arab approach by March; Moroccan Foreign Ministry announces agreement with Britain on Arab League delegation to include non-PLO Palestinian; Egyptian Socialist Labor Party poll of 1,486 persons shows 82% want Israeli ambassador expelled, 76To want to sever relations with Israel.

US and Other Countries: State Department says Israeli settlement promotion campaign is unfortunate and counterproductive; Administration officials say US is counting on King Hussein to declare his readiness to join talks on basis of Reagan plan if the PLO and Saudi Arabia support it, if progress is made on troop withdrawals from Lebanon, and if Israel temporarily halts settlement activity; Secretary of State Shultz meets for 2 hours with 14 members of Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and leading Jewish Republicans, tells them of growing fears that Israel and Syria have tacit agreement to keep status quo in Lebanon, they tell him they want US to support Israel's demand for normalization of relations with Lebanon; delegation of Conservative MPs from Britain meet with Begin, give him message of support from Prime Minister Thatcher; European Parliament calls for establishment of a Palestinian state as a factor in a Middle East settlement, direct PLO-Israel dialogue, immediate halt to settlements in the West Bank, Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory, recognition of PLO as representative of Palestinian people if it drops from its charter all paragraphs calling for Israel's destruction, and sovereignty of all states in the region; Habib arrives in Israel.