The Palestine Chronology

The IDF fatally shoots a 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl in Khan Yunis; fires flechette shells at 2 unarmed Palestinians who stray too near the Israeli border nr. Bayt Hanun, seriously injuring them; fires rubber bullets, stun grenades at Palestinian students protesting in Bethlehem; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Dura; bulldozes 10 dunams of land nr. Dayr al-Balah. A car bomb explodes prematurely in East Jerusalem, lightly injuring the East Jerusalem Palestinian driver, who is arrested. Hamas mbrs. for the 1^st time fire a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an IDF patrol in Gaza, destroying an armored car, seriously injuring 2 IDF soldiers. (HA 12/28; BBC, WP, WT 12/29; WP 12/30; LAW, PCHR 1/1; HA 1/14)

An 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl is killed by stray IDF gunfire on the way home fr. school in Rafah. A Palestinian attempts to infiltrate Morag settlement in Gaza, throws grenades at a IDF troops, injuring 1, before being shot dead. The IDF shoots, wounds a 3d Palestinian who ventures too close to Kefar Darom settlement; fires on a Palestinian vehicle driving nr. Dayr al-Balah, injuring the driver. A PSF officer is shot, wounded by an Islamic Jihad mbr. when he stops the Jihad mbrs. car nr. Bayt Hanun, suspecting it was heading to the border to shoot a mortar into Israel. (NYT, WT 12/22; LAW, PCHR 12/25)

Islamic Jihad gunmen fatally shoot a Jewish settler rabbi driving in Gaza. The IDF sends tanks into Dayr al-Balah in search of a wanted AMB mbr., fatally shoots 1 Palestinian during the raid; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Dayr al-Balah, 8 in nearby Wadi al-Silqa; blows up 1 Palestinian building in Nablus that the IDF claims was used as a bomb-making lab; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Jalbun, Tulkarm, al-Yamun. Israeli police find a package bomb in a mall in Netanya, in n. Israel. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 7/12/02. (AP 12/20; NYT, WP 12/21; WT 12/22; LAW, PCHR 12/25)

U.S. Pres. George W. Bush meets with Quartet reps. (EU, Russia, UN, U.S.) at the White House. The Quartet reaffirms its call for creation of a Palestinian state by 2005, completes “99.5%” of the revisions to the draft road map but the U.S. overrules calls by other mbrs. to finalize and endorse the road map. (CNN, MM 12/20; NYT, WP 12/21; AYM 12/22, 12/24 in WNC 12/31; MM 12/23; JP 12/29)

The IDF shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, killing a 17-yr.-old Palestinian inside his home; demolishes 6 Palestinian homes, fires on residential areas in Rafah; fires on stone-throwing students returning fr. school in Nablus during break in the curfew, injuring 9; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Burqa, Dayr al-Balah, Jenin, al-Khadir, Tubas, Tulkarm; searches dorms at Birzeit University. (LAW, NYT, PCHR 12/18)

The IDF breaks into a home in Nur al-Shams r.c., assassinates Hamas's Tulkarm military cmdr. Tariq ‘Abid Rabbuh, also wounding 5 Palestinian bystanders; assassinates Hamas mbr. Jadallah Shuka nr. Bethlehem; demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Hebron, 2 nr. Bethlehem, 1 in Bayt Kahil; bulldozes 5 dunams of land, several roads, the main water network in al-Mughraqa; bulldozes some 2.5 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; conducts an arrest raid in Qarawat Bani Zaid. An explosion in Bureij r.c., kills a wanted Islamic Jihad mbr., wounds another; the PSF suspects the men were preparing a bomb. Some 30,000 Hamas supporters rally in the Gaza Strip marking the 15^th anniversary of the founding of the movement. (JTA 12/13; HA, NYT, WP 12/14; LAW, PCHR 12/18)

The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Mughraqa; shoots a deaf and dumb 15-yr.-old Palestinian in Nablus, paralyzing him; conducts arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah, Hebron, Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Tulkarm; shells residential areas nr. the Egyptian border in Rafah, damaging a PRCS office. (NYT 12/5; LAW, PCHR 12/11)

The IDF attempts to assassinate Islamic Jihad’s Jabaliya military cmdr. Imad al-Barqawi, a 2d Islamic Jihad mbr. who flee their vehicle before it is destroyed by a helicopter gunship; fires on residential areas of Rafah, a Palestinian car nr. Khan Yunis (seriously injuring 1 Palestinian woman); conducts arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah, Yabad; bulldozes 7 dunams of land, 2 wells in al-Mughraqa. (NYT, WT 12/2; LAW, PCHR 12/3; PR 12/4)

The IDF imposes a curfew on Ramallah; blows up 2 Palestinian homes before dawn in Jalbun; conducts arrest raids targeting AMB, Hamas mbrs. in Nablus; safely detonates a roadside bomb found in East Jerusalem, in an area usually patrolled by Israeli police; safely detonates a 2d explosive device found nr., Baqa’ Sharqiyya; fires residential areas of Bayt Hanun, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Tal Zu’rub; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara; bulldozes 5 dunams of Palestinian land outside Khan Yunis. 2 Hamas gunmen open fire inside Dolah settlement in Gaza, wounding 2 Thai workers, 1 Jewish settler; 1 of the gunmen is shot dead. 2 IDF soldiers are lightly injured in an exchange of gunfire with a Palestinian nr. Neve Dekalim settlement. Israeli police arrest 2 Jews for stabbing, wounding a Palestinian in Jerusalem in an apparent hate crime. (JTA 11/29; HA, NYT, WP 11/30; LAW, PCHR 12/3)

Bush simultaneously imposes and waives a congressionally mandated sanction to “downgrade” the PLO office in Washington for at least 180 days, citing the PA for noncompliance with its commitment to work against violence. (NYT 12/3; MM 12/4; WJW 12/5; HA, WT 12/6; MEI 12/20)

Before dawn, the IDF raids Dayr al-Balah, demolishes 1 Palestinian home, fires on an ambulance, wounding a paramedic; sends 200 troops, heavy armor into Dahaysha r.c., conducting house-to-house searches, detain-ing at least 30 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids elsewhere in the West Bank, including Nablus, detaining at least 25 Palestinians. Israel also assassinates AMB Jenin leader Ala’ Ahmad Sabbagh and Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades Jenin cmdr. Imad Nasharti, firing a rocket into a house in Jenin r.c., where they were staying; fires on other residential areas of Jenin r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, bulldozes 5 dunams of land in al-Qarara; conducts arrest raids, demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Tulkarm. (WP 11/26; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/27; al-Quds 11/28 in WNC 11/29)

The Israel Project, a group of U.S. political consultants funded by American Jewish organizations and individual donors, sends a 6-page memo to pro-Israel leaders urging them to keep quiet while the U.S. pursues a possible war on Iraq. (WP 11/27)

The IDF fires on Palestinians waiting to cross an IDF checkpoint w. of Nablus, killing 1  Palestinian; conducts house-to-house searches, arrests in Aida r.c., Bayt Umar, Bethlehem, Jit, Tal, Tubas, Tulkarm; raids, fires on residential areas of Rafah, Nablus, Nur al-Shams r.c., Tulkarm; bulldozes 14 dunams of land s. of Dayr al-Balah; raids the al-Ihsan charitable society, Hebron University dean’s offices in Hebron, confiscating computers, files; forces at gunpoint a 24-yr.-old Palestinian to undress in the main street of Nablus, bark like a dog. Late in the evening, the IDF sends 10s of tanks, armored person-nel carriers (APCs) into Qalqilya, imposes a curfew, raids Waqf offices, conducts arrest raids targeting Popular Front for the Lib-eration of Palestine (PFLP) mbrs. The UN sends an envoy to the West Bank to investigate the 11/22 death of a UNRWA official, new charges (11/23) by Israel that Palestinian gunmen were firing from inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound, prompting the IDF gunfire. (NYT, WT 11/25; WT 11//26; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

The IDF retakes Bethlehem, which had had only a small troop presence since the IDF turned the security of city over to the PSF on 8/19/02; imposes a curfew; surrounds the Church of the Nativity to prevent armed Palestinians fr. seeking refuge there; conducts arrest raids, detaining 20 Palestinians; blows up the house rented by the family of the 11/21 bomber; encircles nearby Dahaysha r.c.; occupies 15 buildings, including a hospital, orphanage, 2 houses, 6 police stations, the local PSF headquarters; occupies as many as 30 Palestinian homes in al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, expelling the families; raids the home of Israeli UNRWA worker Allegra Pacheco, holding her at gunpoint for 2 hrs., arresting her husband. Senior Irish UNRWA official Iain Hook is fatally shot inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound by an IDF soldier who mistook his cell phone for a grenade as an IDF operation unfolded nearby to capture wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Abdallah Wahash, who is arrested; an 11-yr.-old Palestinian throwing stones at the troops is also shot dead. The IDF also raids, shells residential areas of, demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in al-Qarara; bulldozes 8 dunams of land in al-Qarara, 28 dunams s. of Dayr al-Balah; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Satar al-Sharqiyya (targeting Hamas mbrs.), Tulkarm. A Hamas sniper fatally shoots an IDF soldier on patrol nr. Gush Katif settlement. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. the Rafah-Egypt border, injuring 2 IDF soldiers. Late this evening, 2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonate their explosives-packed boat next to an Israeli naval patrol boat off the coast of Gaza, injuring 4 IDF soldiers. (HA, MM, NYT, PM, WP, WT 11/22; AFP 11/22 in WNC 11/25; AP, HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/23; NYT, WP 11/24; HA 11/25; NYT, WT 11/26; HA, LAW, PCHR 11/27; CSM, JP, WJW 11/28; HA 12/2; NYT 1/4)

Christian Coalition leaders end a wk. long solidarity visit to Israel, saying they will use their “fact-finding mission” to help galvanize support for Israel in the U.S. (WT 11/27)

A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. Bethlehem detonates a device on a bus in Jerusa-lem, killing 11 Israelis, wounding 48 (8 of them seriously). Hamas, Islamic Jihad both take responsibility, but family, friends of the bomber say he supported Islamic Jihad. Sharon convenes his security cabinet; does not invite fmr. PM and current FM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is challenging him for the PM candidacy in the upcoming Likud primaries on 11/28. Fearing that Sharon will stage a major retaliatory attack, the PSF evacuates its offices in Bethlehem. After the mtg., Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin states that in light of U.S. military intentions against Iraq, “We are not going to allow any kind of escalation.” The IDF shells a PA military intelligence post nr. Netzarim settlement, killing 1 PA intelligence officer; makes a predawn raid on 3 villages nr. Khan Yunis in s. Gaza, demolishing the home of a senior DFLP mbr., firing on residential areas, wounding 4 Palestinians; bulldozes 39 dunams of Palestinian land e. of Dayr al-Balah, 11.5 dunams and several structures nr. Bayt Lahia. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 11/21; ATL, Interfax 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; QA 11/22, MA 11/24 in WNC 11/25; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

The IDF occupies the Medical Relief Center in Jenin, destroys equipment; bulldozes 9 dunams of Palestinian land in Dayr al-Balah. (PCHR 11/20)

In retlatiation for the IDF assasination of its military head Sawalha on 11/9, Islamic Jihad gunmen ambush a detail of IDF soldiers, border police, Jewish settler security officials nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs in Hebron, killing 4 IDF soldiers, 5 border police, 3 settler guards, injuring 15 soldiers, police, guards in what the IDF terms a “well planned ambush” that included positioning snipers on nearby hilltops; during the 3 hr. exchange of gunfire at least 3 Islamic Jihad mbrs. are also killed. The IDF, Israeli government initially claim that all of those killed and injured were civilian worshipers en route fr. Sabbath prayers at the holy site; later admit that the group targetted was all military or paramilitary, that Islamic Jihad mbrs. allowed the group of Jewish worshipers to pass without incident mins. before the ambush. The attack comes barely 5 wks. after the Shin Bet warned (10/7) that tensions were high around the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, that a cell of 15+n20 Jewish settlers might be preparing an attack on Palestinians similar to the 1994 Baruch Goldstein shooting at the site; among those warning of a new Goldstein was IDF Hebron cmdr. Col. Dror Weinberg, killed in today’s attack. IDF undercover units assassinate senior Hamas mbr. Mahmud Obeid, arrest a 2d Hamas mbr. in Tulkarm; fire rockets at a workshop in Gaza City, destroying it; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Bayt Lahia; conduct arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah. During the 3d day of sweeps in Nablus, the IDF arrests another 14 suspected Hamas mbrs., fires on a group of stone-throwing youths, killing 1 Palestinian. (HA 11/15; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/16; JP, NYT, WP 11/17; HA, PCHR 11/20; MEI 11/22; see also HA 10/7)

Before dawn, the IDF sends 50 tanks and APCs, backed by helicopters, into Gaza City, arrests a PSF officer, his 3 brothers before quickly withdrawing. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus, Rafah (killing 1 Palestinian); bulldozes 18 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Tulkarm. (WP, WT 11/14; HA, NYT 11/15; PCHR 11/20)

In retaliation for the 11/10 AMB kibbutz attack, the IDF launches a predawn raid on Tulkarm town and r.c. and Nur al-Shams r.c., sending in at least 30 tanks and APCs, firing on residential areas, conducting house-to-house searches, arresting 2 Palestinians, blowing up 1 Palestinian home. The IDF also halts an ambulance at a checkpoint nr. Nablus, arrests a patient being transported to the hospital for heart trouble; bulldozes 1 Palestinian home, 3 dunams of land n. of Rafah; conducts arrest raids nr. Dayr al-Balah. (NYT, WP 11/12; LAW, NYT, PCHR, WT 11/13; PRCS press release 11/17)

According to the IDF, soldiers foil a suicide bombing when they stop a Palestinian taxi at a checkpoint nr. Nablus to search passengers; one of the passengers emerges fr. the vehicle wearing an explosive belt, runs toward the checkpoint; soldiers fire on the man, detonating the belt, killing the bomber, another Palestinian passenger. In Khan Yunis, 4 masked Palestinian gunmen kidnap German International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) rep. Nikolai Panke as he is distributing food to Palestinians; Panke is released unharmed 11 hrs. later; 1 of the kinappers reportedly is a fmr. PSF officer who was “frustrated” over the loss of his job, wanted to be rehired. The IDF bars an ambulance transporting a wounded Palestinian across a checkpoint, allowing the man to die; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at Palesthian schoolchildren on their way to classes in Jenin r.c., wounding 5; directs tank fire at a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy playing in a field, seriously injuring him; bulldozes 15 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Tubas. (HA 11/7; NYT, WP 11/8; PRCS press release 11/10; LAW, PHRC, PR 11/13)

A Hamas gunman opens fire in Gush Katif settlement in Gaza, killing 2 Jewish settlers, injuring 1 before being shot dead. The IDF conducts arrest raids, house-to-house searches in Dayr al-Balah, Silat al-Dahir. 2 junior IDF cmdrs. are sentenced to 28 days in jail for authorizing the use of Palestinians as human shields. Protesting the verdict, another IDF officer says that similar events have taken place in the past “and now soldiers are being tried for what once was permissible.” (HA, LAW, PCHR 11/6; JP, MM, NYT, WP 11/7)

The Israeli FMin. reports that Jewish settlers received $27.6 m. in income tax benefits in 2001. The government’s tax discount for settlers in the West Bank was 7%, in Gaza 10%. The average tax benefit per settler was $1,369 in the West Bank, $1,895 in Gaza. (HA 11/7; PR 11/13)

The IDF opens fire on residential areas of Khan Yunis (killing 1 Palestinian), Rafah (killing a 2d Palestinian); demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, car repair shop, and a cattle pen in 3 villages n. of Jerusalem, killing 150 cows, razing surrounding land in the process; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Jenin; bulldozes 30 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Dayr al-Balah; bars an ambulance fr. transporting a dialysis patient to the hospital for treatment; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Ramallah (including arresting 4 PSF officer manning a security post in a hospital, 5 PSF officers guarding the Education Min.), Tubas. (Palestine Digest 11/3; LAW, PCHR 11/6; PRCS press release 11/10)

The IDF continues Operation Vanguard in Jenin, conducting arrest raids, house-to-house searches, blowing up 4 Palestinian homes; fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian who strays too close to the Rafah border fence; fires on Palestinians who stray too close to Beit El settlement, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2; fires on Palestinians waiting at a Khan Yunis checkpoint (injuring 1), residential areas nr. Neve Dekalim settlement (injuring 8, including 1 woman, 4 children), a group of children at the entrance to Tulkarm r.c. (injuring 1), Palestinians outside the Qabatya municipal buidling (injuring 4, 3 of whom are detained for several hrs. without medical attention); conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Tulkarm; demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Kefar Darom settlement; bulldozes13 dunams of land nr. Aley Sinai settlement. In Gaza City, 3 Hamas mbrs. are killed in an explosion; Hamas spokesman `Abd al-`Aziz Rantisi acknowledges the men were probably making a bomb. Hamas mbrs. attack journalists who arrive to cover the scene, destroying 2 cameras, lightly injuring a Reuters cameraman and reporter; the main Palestinian journalists union in Gaza orders a boycott of coverage of all Hamas activities in protest; Hamas apologizes. Some 22 Jewish settlers attack the Za’tara mayor, municipal surveyor, an a surveying team, destroying their equipment, maps, documents. A Jewish settler confiscates Palestinian land nr. Dayr al-Balah, razes the area, sets up greenhouses. (HA, NYT, WT 11/1; LAW, PCHR 11/6; PR 11/13)

The IDF launches Operation Vanguard in response to the 10/21 Hadera bombing, sending 100s of troops (including 90 snipers), heavy vehicles into Jenin town and r.c., where the bombers lived. Troops occupy 50 buildings; conduct house-to-house searches, arrest raids; meet some resistance in the r.c., exchanging gunfire with residents, leaving 6 Fatah mbrs. seriously wounded. The IDF says the incursion is expected to last several days, troops are prepared to stay indefinitely. The IDF also shells residential areas nr. Erez crossing; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 23 dunams of olive groves in Dayr al-Balah; begins construction of a new IDF post nr. Netzarim; makes a limited pullout fr. Palestinian areas of Hebron; eases curfews in Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Palestinian residents of Yanun harvesting their olive groves are chased off by Jewish settlers just 2 days after the IDF promised them protection. Jewish settlers complete rebuilding Havat Gilad. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 10/25; NYT, WP, WT 10/26; MENA 10/27 in WNC 10/28; WP 10/28; LAW, PCHR 10/30)

Outside Hadera, 2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonate a car bomb next to a bus, killing 14 Israelis, wounding 40. The IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinians nr. Kefar Darom; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Qabatya, some agricultural land nr. Aley Sinai settlement; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, Qalqilya; bars an ambulance fr. crossing an IDF checkpoint, allowing an ailing Palestinian to die. Another Palestinian dies of injuries received on 12/10/01. Palestinians reportedly fire a mortar in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. At Havat Gilad, Jewish settlers again try to rebuild sites demolished by the IDF. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel attack Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Nablus, setting 7 Palestinian cars and 50 trees afire, uprooting another 54 trees; in response, some 200 Palestinian start marching toward the settlement, but the IDF turns them away. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo fire on Palestinian farmers n. of Ramallah, wounding 4. (HA, MM, WP 10/21; Interfax 10/21 in WNC 10/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/22; AFP, ATL, ITAR-TASS 10/22 in WNC 10/23; LAW, MM, PCHR 10/23; WJW 10/24; MEI 10/25)

The IDF redeploys fr. 2 Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; confiscates 2,600 dunams of Palestinian land in Izbat Salman and Izbat Jilad for construction of the security fence; bulldozes 200 olive trees in Qalqilya for the security fence, 31 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah, 7 dunams in al-Mughraga in s. Gaza (also destroying 3 cars, partially demolishing 2 Palestinian homes); raid the al-Sultan Cultural Center in Hebron, arresting 1 employee, photocopying the center’s files; bars Palestinian fire trucks fr. fighting a blaze nr. Askar r.c. The IDF clashes with some 1,000 Jewish settlers who refuse to evacuate Havat Gilad, leaving 8 soldiers injured; troops clear the area, dismantle trailers, but 100s of settlers return after dark to reoccupy the site. In Gaza, Palestinians reportedly fire 2 antitank grenades at an IDF convoy nr. Netzarim, several mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MM, NYT, WT 10/21; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/22; LAW, PCHR 10/23)

Across the U.S., evangelical Christian churches observe a day of prayer for Israel. (WP 10/21)

After a yr. of gunfire, stone-throwing, physical assaults, vandalism by local Jewish settlers, 150 Palestinian residents of Yanun in the West Bank evacuate their village, move to neighboring Aqraba, marking the 1st time that harassment by settlers has forced out an entire village; Yanun's mayor says he has protested settler violence to the Israeli authorities for 4 yrs. without results. The IDF withdraws to the outskirts of Jenin; sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza City to demolish the Gaza harbor offices, a road linking Gaza City to the central Gaza Strip; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes 10 dunams of Palestinian land nr Aley Sinai settlement, 2.5 dunams in Dayr al-Balah. A Hamas mbr. detonates a roadside bomb, throws grenades at an IDF post nr. Dugit settlement in Gaza, injuring 2 IDF soldiers before being shot dead. Some 200 Jewish settlers return to Havat Gilad, which the IDF has begun dismantling; troops to do not attempt to disperse them. Jewish settlers uproot 92 olive trees in al-Khadir. (HA 10/18; AP, GS, HA, NYT 10/19; NYT, PM 10/21; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/23; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/25; LAW, PCHR, PR 10/23; MEI, MM 10/25)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., Wassim Saba'na and Muhammad Musa, in Nablus in what is likely an assassination; shoots at a "suspicious figure" nr. a Jewish settlement nr. Nablus, wounding 1 Palestinian; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Jenin; fires on a Birzeit University dormitory; shells residential areas of Bayt Hanun, Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Jenin, Rantis; lifts curfews on Nablus, Tulkarm, Ramallah for several hrs. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Dayr al-Balah, bulldozes 2.5 dunams of agricultural land. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF APC in Nablus, another device nr. Qalqilya, neither causing damage. In Hebron, Jewish settlers assault Israeli police investigating complaints of settler violence on 10/12. Following the funeral in Bethlehem for Muhammad Ubayyat, assassinated by the IDF on 10/13, several mourners seriously beat Fatah prisoner's club head Issa Qaraqa', toss a grenade into the home of Bethlehem mayor and new elections comm. head Hanna Nassir; Fatah says it considers the attacks an assault on Fatah itself. (HA 10/14; NYT, PM, WT 10/15; LAW, PCHR, PR 10/16)

The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian farmer and demolishes a chicken farm, irrigation system in Abasan; bulldozes 6 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Kefar Darom; uses an amublance carrying patients as cover for firing on stone-throwing Palestinians in Nablus. In Hebron, Jewish settlers bar the muezzin at the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs fr. giving the call to prayer; invade Waqf offices, vandalizing equipment, making a bonfire out of documents (including deeds to all Waqf property in the city); break into a local Palestinian school, spray painting walls with "Death to Arabs," Stars of David. Jewish settlers fire on Palestinians harvesting olive nr. Nablus, causing no injuries; the IDF intervenes, arresting 6 Palestinians, barring others fr. continuing the harvest. Jewish settlers set fire to an olive grove nr. Ramallah, destroying around 2,000 trees. (HA, MM 10/14; LAW, PCHR 10/16)

The IDF fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Muhammad Yaghmur in nr. Hebron in an apparent assassination; shells residential areas of, conducts arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah, Jenin. 100s of Palestinians defy curfews in West Bank cities to hold peaceful marches marking the 2d anniversary of the al-Aqsa intifada. In Gaza City and Khan Yunis, 1,000s of Palestinians protest against the 9/26 IDF missile strike targeting Dayif. The IDF fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets at stone-throwing youths in Khan Yunis (seriously injuring a Palestinian boy), Ramallah. Israeli police arrest 3 Israeli Arabs in Ramla on suspicion of plotting an attack for Hamas; bar Palestinians under age 40 fr. attending Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. (NYT, WP 9/28; LAW, PCHR, PR 10/2; HA 10/7)

U.S. Amb. to Israel Daniel Kurtzer delivers a personal message fr. Bush to Sharon, asking the PM to quickly end the IDF siege on Arafat's Ramallah offices, noting that Israel's continued defiance of the 9/24 UNSC res. is hurting U.S. efforts to build a coalition against Iraq; Secy. of State Colin Powell, National Security Adviser Condoleeza Rice follow up with phone calls. Sharon sends his bureau chief Dov Weisglass to Washington for low-key mtgs. with Powell, Rice. (HA 9/27; WP 9/28; WT 9/29; NYT 9/30; MM 10/2; MEI 10/11)

A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device on a bus in Tel Aviv, killing 5 Israelis, injuring more than 50. Sharon convenes his cabinet, which unanimously decides to launch Operation Matter of Time to "isolate” Arafat, calls for the immediate extradition of around 20 wanted Palestinians (including Force 17 head Mahmud Damara, PA General Intelligence chief Tawfiq Tirawi) allegedly among the 200 Palestinians hiding in Arafat's offices (8 surrender in the evening). The IDF immediately reimposes 24-hr. curfews on all West Bank areas except Hebron; sends tanks into Ramallah to surround Arafat's offices (1 tank fatally shoots a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy 6 times; troops shoot, wound 2 Arafat bodyguards in the PA headquarters compound); fires on "Palestinian schoolchildren challenging the army's attempt to impose a curfew" in Amari r.c., killing a 11-yr.-old Palestinian; shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Hanun (where an IDF tank runs over a roadside bomb, injuring 2 soldiers), Jenin r.c. (blowing up 1 Palestinian home), Nablus, Qalqilya, the Tulkarm area; bulldozes 19 dunams of agricultural land nr. Kefar Darom settlement. Jewish settlers open fire on a Palestinian taxi nr. Tulkarm, seriously injuring the driver. (AP, HA, JTA, LAW, MM, PM 9/19; ATL, ITAR-TASS 9/19 in WNC 9/20; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/20; Interfax, MA, Radio Monte Carlo 9/20 in WNC 9/23; MEZ, NYT 9/21; AYM 9/23 in WNC 9/25; LAW, PCHR, PR 9/25; MA 9/25 in WNC 9/26; WJW 9/26; MEI 9/27)

The IDF occupies 3 apartments in a Palestinian building in Ramallah; fires on residential areas of Jenin, Tulkarm; bulldozes 4 small olive groves nr. Kefar Darom settlement. (PCHR 9/18)

Before dawn, 60 IDF tanks encircle and raid Bureij r.c., Dayr al-Balah, Nussayrat r.c. in Gaza, demolishing 2 workshops, a Palestinian home belonging to a suspected militant. The IDF also bulldozes more than 100 dunams of agricultural land in al-Fukhari nr. Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Asira Shamaliyya. Israeli police announces that 3 wks. ago, they arrested 3 alleged Hamas mbrs. fr. East Jerusalem on charges of planning to poison food at a Jerusalem café. (WP 9/9; LAW, PCHR 9/11; MEI 9/13)

Israel's Interior M Yishai strips the citizenship of Israeli Arab Nihad Abu Kishak, accused of aiding a suicide bomber and membership in Hamas, the 1st time such a measure has been taken against an Israeli accused of a security offense. (HA 9/9; NYT 9/10; LAW, MM 9/11; MEI 9/13; PR 9/18)

In Ramallah, Arafat opens the 1^st full session of the Palestinian Council (PC) since 5/15/02 with an address restating the PA's recognition of Israel, commitment to the peace process, condemnation of suicide bombings, opposition to "all types of terrorism, whether it is state terror or individual terror." (Gazan PC mbrs. attend by video link after Sharon bars 12 fr. traveling to Ramallah for "security reasons," citing their "involvement in terror.") Israel dismisses the statement, saying he did not specifically condemn suicide bombings for harming civilians, did not call for a complete halt to violence. The U.S. say the speech as weak, "we've seen remarks like that before," the Palestinians deserve a better leadership. (AP, HA, MM, WP, WT 9/9; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/10; AYM, al-Quds 9/10 in WNC 9/11; AP, MM 9/11; MEI 9/13; JT 9/13 in WNC 9/16; MEI 9/27; Globe and Mail 11/12)