The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fatally shoots 2 Hamas mbrs. who attempt to attack an IDF outpost in Gaza; fires missiles at a culture and art center affiliated with Islamic Jihad in Khan Yunis, damaging the building but causing no injuries; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, 25 bedouin shacks and livestock pens in Anata nr. Jerusalem; bulldozes 1 d. of land in Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem and in Marda nr. Nablus, Qarawat Bani Zayid and Rantis nr. Ramallah, Yabad nr. Jenin. An IDF soldier is killed, a 2d is injured when a smugglers’ tunnel they are investigating on the Rafah-Egypt border collapses. (VOI 11/29 in WNC 12/1; WP 11/30; PCHR 12/2)

Senior Hamas mbr. Shaykh Hassan Yusuf says that Hamas will halt all attacks on Israelis during the PA election campaigns, would consider a cease-fire agmt. if Israel agrees to reciprocate by releasing Palestinian prisoners, withdrawing fr. occupied land, halting assassinations. The AMB also says it is considering a ceasefire. (AP 11/29; WP, WT 11/30; al-Ahram 12/3)

The IDF raids Nabi Salih village nr. Ramallah, rounding up and detaining the 500 residents outside in the rain for 2 hrs., searching homes, photographing and fingerprinting all men before releasing all residents, withdrawing; conducts a similar but smaller operation in Burqa village nr. Nablus, rounding up residents, firing on homes, arresting 1 man. The IDF also erects signs around Qalqilya warning that “any Israeli who enters” the city will be fined $780; imposes a curfew on, conducts arrest raids in al-‘Arub r.c., Nablus; bulldozes 2 dunams of land in Khan Yunis. Jewish settlers attack Palestinians in Hebron, injuring 5. (LAW 1/25; LAW, PCHR 1/29)

Hamas leader ‘Abd al-Aziz Rantisi proposes a 10 yr. truce with Israel in exchange for Israel’s withdrawal to 1967 borders, stressing that the deal would not include Hamas’s recognition of Israel or an end of the conflict. (REU 1/25; VOP 1/25 in WNC 1/27; HA, WP 1/26) (see 1/7)