The Palestine Chronology

Arafat flies to Paris to discuss the status of the peace process with Pres. Chirac. (MM 4/27; al-Quds 4/27 in WNC 5/2) (see 4/25)

UN special envoy Larsen meets with PM Barak, FM Levy to discuss Israel's plans to pull out of s. Lebanon. (MM 4/27)

In Paris, the UN Comm. on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People (CEIRPP) opens a 2-day international conference on Palestinian refugees. It is a precursor to the CEIRRP's annual mtg. of NGOs on the question of Palestine, which begins in Paris on 4/28. (UN press release 4/27)

Syrian FM Shara` flies to Paris to hand Pres. Chirac a letter fr. Pres. Asad and to discuss Israel's planned withdrawal fr. s. Lebanon. (JP [Internet], MM 4/25; MM 4/27, 4/28; Le Monde 5/6 in WNC 5/10) (see 4/16)

King Abdallah of Jordan flies to Ramallah to meet with Arafat for talks on the PA-Israeli track of the peace process, bilateral relations. (MM 4/25; JT [Internet] 4/26; DUS 4/26 in WNC 4/27; NYT 4/27)

Israeli PM Barak phones Egyptian pres. Mubarak to discuss recent developments in the peace process. (MENA 4/25 in WNC 4/26)

UN special envoy Larsen arrives in Israel to meet with senior officials regarding Israel's withdrawal fr. s. Lebanon. (MM 4/25, 4/27)

In Tehran, 100s of university students at Khajeh Naseer Technical University cut classes to demonstrate against the Tehran court's crackdown on pro-Khatami newspapers. (NYT, WP, WT 4/26) (see 4/23)

King Abdallah of Jordan meets with PM Barak in Elat. Talks focus on bilateral issues. In an interview with Israel Television taped before the visit but aired afterward, the king calls for a dual capital solution for Jerusalem. (DUS 4/23 in WNC 4/24; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 4/24; MM 4/25; WJW 4/27)

Armed with a new press law that bans criticism of the constitution, the Tehran court, controlled by conservatives, orders 8 daily, 4 weekly newspapers that support reform-minded Pres. Khatami to cease publication immediately. 2 journalists are also arrested. (CSM, NYT 4/25; WP, WT 4/26; NYT 4/27; MM 4/28; MEI 5/5) (see 4/21)

In Issawiyya, he IDF demolishes at least 5 Palestinian homes, 21 tents, a water reservoir. (MM 4/25; LAW 4/26; MM 4/27) (see 4/18)

Barak for the 1st time says that Israel would not annex Palestinian villages nr. Jerusalem but would seek to annex most Jewish settlements in a final agmt.; says Israel might make a "down payment" on future land transfers, possibly handing over Palestinian villages nr. Jerusalem. (MM 4/10; Hatzofe 4/12 in WNC 4/13; AYM 4/12 in WNC 4/14; MM, NYT, WT 4/17; WJW 4/20; WP 5/4)

Another 4 senior Israeli officials confirm that under the right conditions, Israel would formally recognize a Palestinian state. The 5 officials who have made statements since 4/15 are Internal Security M Ben Ami, Regional Cooperation M Shimon Peres, M without portfolio Haim Ramon, Education M Sarid, Dep. DM Ephraim Sneh. (WP 4/17)

Israeli FM Levy arrives in Paris to meet with French officials. (Le Monde 5/6 in WNC 5/10)

Israel postpones the release of 13 Lebanese detainees after the family of IDF airman Arad files an appeal of the High Court's 4/12 ruling. (NYT, WT 4/17)

After a 6-wk. investigation, Israeli police recommend that Transportation M Mordechai be indicted on charges of having sexually assaulted 3 women over 8 yrs. Police say that the statue of limitations has expired on "several" other incidents. (NYT, WP, WT 4/17; JP 4/14; WJW 4/20) (see 3/7)

Immediately upon Barak's return fr. Washington, Israel says it will withdraw fully fr. s. Lebanon, evacuating all fortified outposts just inside Lebanon, across the Israel-Lebanon border, putting to rest any consideration of the IDF's Morning Twilight proposal. (MM 4/14; MEI 4/21) (see 3/12)

Israel's High Court rules (6-3) against the government in the case of 15 Lebanese men held without charge or after the completion of their terms, concluding that a 1979 emergency law does not authorize the taking of hostages who pose no risk to Israeli national security. The Israeli prison authority agrees to release the 13 detainees in its custody by 4/17 in compliance with the ruling. The IDF, however, refuses to free the 2 men it holds in military prisons: Shaykh `Abd al-Karim Obeid, a Hizballah spiritual leader kidnapped in 1989, and Mustafa Dirani, fmr. Amal security chief kidnapped in 1994. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/13; MM 4/14, 4/18; WP 4/19)

In Washington, Clinton holds 4 hrs. of talks with Barak on PA-Israeli final status talks, IDF withdrawal fr. s. Lebanon, the Syrian-Israeli negotiations, Israel's planned sale of AWACS technology to China. (MM 4/11; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/12; al-Anwar 4/12 in WNC 4/17; WJW 4/13; MM, WP 4/14; WJW 4/20; JP, MEI 4/21)

The U.S. State Dept. confirms receipt of a Syrian response to the proposals presented by Pres. Clinton in Geneva on 3/26. Secy. of State Albright says "there is not much give" in the Syrian position, "but I do think it's important that they responded." (MM 4/11; USIS Washington File 4/12; WP 4/14) (see 4/10)

Jewish settlers in the West Bank, angry over Israel's rejection of 60+n70 requests to authorize new settlement construction, say they will start carry out expansions illegally. They begin bulldozing on Olive Hill nr. Efrat, with a plan to build 230 housing units. (NYT 4/12; AYM 4/12 in WNC 4/13; NYT 4/13; MEI 4/21)

Jordan becomes a mbr. of the World Trade Organization. (NYT 4/12)

The donors' Joint Liaison Comm. and Local Aid Coordination Comm. both meet in Gaza. (World Bank press release 4/19, 5/4)

Israel releases Ghassan Dirani, nephew of Mustafa Dirani (see 3/13), to the Red Cross for repatriation to Lebanon. Lebanese Christian militia men kidnapped Dirani in 1986, hoping to could trade him to Israel, who they thought would want him as a bargaining chip in its efforts to find out what happened to IDF airman Ron Arad, who was downed over Lebanon earlier in 1986, allegedly by mbrs. of Mustafa Dirani's group. Israel took custody of Ghassan in 1990 and had since held him without charge. (NYT, WP 4/6; WT 4/20)

To protest the Israeli High Court's 3/29 decision allowing Palestinians to return to their homes nr. Yatta, Jewish settlers reoccupy the West Bank hilltop where the illegal outpost Havat Maon was dismantled in 11/99 as part of an agmt. btwn. PM Barak and the YESHA settlers council. (NYT 4/6)

The Jordanian air force intercepts the Italian plane that defied UN sanctions on Iraq on 4/3 on its return trip and forces it to land. The plane is impounded, the pilot arrested, and the EU official and Italian filmmaker deported. (MM 4/6, 4/7; JT 4/7 in WNC 4/11; DUS 4/23 in WNC 4/24) (see 4/4)