The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, a Palestinian teenager succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces last week in Anabta. Israeli settlers assaulted a Palestinian man and threatened to demolish his family’s home in the Masafer Yatta area. Israeli settlers also rammed a Palestinian vehicle in Ras Karkar, opening fire at the driver and passengers, injuring 3, including 2 with live ammunition. Elsewhere, Israeli settlers set fire to a Palestinian home in Talfit and vandalized 10 vehicles in Beit Iksa. Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians in Ras Karkar. 51 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and Jenin, including Hamas member Adnan Hamarsheh. In East Jerusalem, Israeli authorities closed the Haram al-Sharif compound for Muslim worshippers, allowing Israeli settlers to tour the compound. Israeli forces also demolished a house in Jabel Mukaber and a commercial structure in Sur Baher. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed 704 Palestinians, including 305 children. Israel said that its military has attacked 400 sites in Gaza and assassinated 3 members of Hamas. Rockets were fired at Israel, causing damage. Israel said it killed 10 militants who had tried to enter Zikim by sea. In Syria, Israeli forces fired artillery at what it said were militants near the Golan Heights. (AJ 10/23; AJ, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 10/24; WAFA 10/25)

The Gaza Ministry of Health said as of 5.pm. at least 5,791 Palestinians had been killed, including at least 3,600 women and children, and 16,297 had been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. It is estimated that 1,500 were trapped in rubble. In addition, Israeli media reported that 1,500 Palestinian militants have been killed near Gaza. 95 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 27 children. More than 1,833 have been injured, including at least 360 with live ammunition. Israeli officials recorded no new fatalities, leaving the Israeli death toll at around 1,400 Israelis and foreign nationals; 5,431 have been injured since 10/7. The UN reported that over 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half the population in Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7 and that since 11 p.m. on 10/12 there has been a complete electricity blackout due to the Israeli blockade. At least 27,781 housing units have been destroyed and 150,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7. At least 45% of all housing units have been either destroyed or damaged in Israeli airstrikes. The Indonesian Hospital, the largest hospital in northern Gaza, lost power for a period of time overnight. 8 trucks carrying aid, including 5 with water, 2 with food, and 1 with medical supplies, entered Gaza (AJ 10/23; AJ, AJ, HA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 10/24; AJ 10/25)

25-year-old Palestinian Arafat Hamdan died in the Ofer Prison, a day after Omar Daraghmeh died at the Megiddo Prison. Hamdan was arrested by Israeli forces on 10/22. The Palestinian Human Rights Organizations Council urged the Red Cross to visit the 2 Israeli prisons and investigate the deaths. (AJ 10/23; HA, WAFA 10/24; WAFA, WAFA 10/25)

PA health minister Mai al-Kaila said hospitals in Gaza were no longer able to receive new patients, saying 12 hospitals were no longer operational due to Israeli airstrikes or lack of fuel and that 65 doctors and nurses have been killed by Israel since 10/7. (AJ 10/23)

Israel dropped leaflets in Gaza saying Israel will provide security and monetary rewards for information on where Israeli and foreign captives are being kept. (AJ 10/23; HA 10/24)

Israeli attorney general Galia Baharav-Miara approved an emergency regulation to allow Israel to detain members of Hamas for 90 days without access to a lawyer. (HA 10/24)

The New York Times published an investigation into what Israel called evidence that an errant rocket caused the explosion at al-Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza City on 10/17, finding that the Israeli-presented video did not prove that a rocket fired by Islamic Jihad caused the explosion. The Times suggested that the video footage pointed to a projectile fired from the Nahal Oz area of Israel at Gaza as the cause. (NYT 10/24)

French president Emmanuel Macron visited PA president Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah, who called for an immediate end to the Israeli aggression. Macron had visited Israel earlier in the day, meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Macron called for the international coalition fighting ISIS to also fight Hamas and said that 30 French nationals were killed by militants during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood. (AJ 10/23; AJ, AP, HA, WAFA 10/24; AP 10/25; HA 10/26)

Chinese foreign minister Wang Yi spoke with PA foreign minister Riyad al-Maliki and Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen, urging steps be undertaken to prevent further escalation and establish a lasting peace. (AJ, WAFA 10/24)

U.S. president Joe Biden spoke with Prime Minister Netanyahu, urging him to not interfere with humanitarian aid for Gaza. Biden also spoke with Saudi crown prince Mohammed bin Salman. National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby said the U.S. is not calling for a ceasefire as a “ceasefire right now really only benefits Hamas.” (AJ, HA 10/23; HA, NYT, REU 10/24)

UN secretary-general Antonio Guterres said the Hamas operation did not happen in a vacuum, referring to “56 years of suffocating occupation” and that the Hamas operation did not justify Israeli “collective punishment of the Palestinian people.” Israeli UN ambassador Gilad Erdan called on Guterres to resign. Foreign Minister Cohen canceled a meeting with Guterres. Israel also said it would refuse visas to UN officials. (AJ 10/23; AJ, AJ, HA, HA, NYT, WAFA 10/24; AJ, REU, WAFA 10/25; AP, WAFA 10/26)

At the UN Security Council, Foreign Minister al-Maliki called on the council to act to stop Israeli massacres of Palestinians, labelling them savage and systematic. Iranian UN ambassador Saeed Iravani said the U.S. was exacerbating the conflict by providing “unwavering support for the [Israeli] occupation.” Egyptian foreign minister Sameh Shoukry said the governments that remain silent on Israeli attacks on civilians are “participating in the crimes.” Saudi foreign minister Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud called for an immediate ceasefire and for Israel to lift its siege on Gaza. Foreign Minister Cohen rejected calls for a ceasefire. (AJ 10/23; HA, NYT, WAFA, WAFA 10/24; AP, AP 10/25)

NBC News reported that 24 U.S. soldiers suffered minor injuries in attacks on U.S. bases in Syria and Iraq on 10/18. (AJ 10/24)

Florida governor, and republican presidential candidate, Ron DeSantis, banned the group Students for Justice in Palestine, falsely claiming it supports terrorism. (HA 10/24; AJ 10/25)

The Council on American-Islamic Relations called the Biden administration’s refusal to call for a ceasefire “unacceptable.” (AJ 10/23; HA 10/25)

Palestine Legal said it has responded to 260 incidents of people in the U.S. being targeted for supporting Palestine, including people being fired and losing job opportunities. (AJ 10/24)

Japan donated $10 million in humanitarian aid to Gaza, including $7 million to UNRWA and $3 million to the International Committee of the Red Cross. (WAFA 10/24)

After the funeral in Hebron of 1 of the 3 men killed 4/8, 1,000s of Palestinians throw stones and molotov cocktails at IDF soldiers, who firing rubber bullets, tear gas at protesters, injuring 31. PA police form cordons, block streets with trucks, man rooftops to prevent riot fr. spreading. 3 IDF soldiers, 2 PA policemen are also injured. (MM 4/9; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 4/10; PR 4/11)

Israeli officials release on bail the 2 yeshiva students who shot, killed a Palestinian man 4/8. PA Local Government M Erakat accuses Netanyahu of giving "the green light to settler terrorism." (WT 4/10)

Birzeit University holds student council elections. Fatah wins 22 of 51 seats; Hamas wins 20 seats, PFLP-Palestine People's Party lists wins 8 seats; Islamic Jihad wins 1 seat. (MEI, PR 4/18; JP 4/19)

Iraq defies the southern U.S. no-fly zone by transporting a planeload of elderly pilgrims to Saudi Arabia to perform the Hajj. (RMC 4/9 in WNC 4/10; MM 4/14; WT 4/23; MEI 5/2)

Israel, Hungary sign anticrime cooperation agmt. (MTI (Budapest) 4/9 in WNC 4/10; Kossuth Radio [Budapest] 4/9 in WNC 4/11)

2 SLA mbrs. are wounded in an explosion in s. Lebanon. (RL 4/9 in WNC 4/10)

Before Congress, Sec. Baker says U.S. and allies might help rebuild post-war Iraq, and outlines elements of post-war settlement; Baker also says that continued U.S. military role in region may be inevitable [LAT, NYT, WP, WT 2/7].

Sec. Baker says that U.S. has not moved forward with $400 million in loan guarantees for Israel to house Soviet Jews because Israel has yet to provide settlement information; Israel reacts angrily, saying information has been provided. Earlier this week, Israel said between 1,500 and 3,000 Soviet Jews settled in o.t., which would be as much as 17% of all Jewish settlers [NYT, WP 2/8].

Iraqi POWs report that more than 1/4 of positions in Iraq's regular army in Kuwait are deserted or undermanned, raising questions about Iraq's ability to defend against ground assault [LAT 2/7].

Allied planes shoot down 2 Iraqi fighter jets headed for Iran; bringing total air-combat (dog-fight) losses to 33 Iraqi planes, 0 allied planes [LAT, NYT 2/7].

Military sources revise estimates to say about 120 Iraqi planes have landed in Iran [LAT, WT 2/7].

Iraq announces that it is severing all re- maining diplomatic relations with 6 leading members of coalition: U.S., Britain, France, Italy, Saudi Arabia, and Egypt. Warplanes from all those nations, except Egypt, have attacked Iraq (cf. 2/7) [INA 2/6 in FBIS 2/7; MEM 2/6; LAT, NYT, WP, WT 2/7].

In nationwide address, King Hussein describes Gulf war as effort by outsiders to destroy Iraq and carve up Arab world; that war was against all Arabs and all Muslims, not just Iraq; he calls on Arab and Muslims to "make the alliance accept a cease-fire" (cf. 2/7, 2/8, 2/10) [ADS 2/6 in FBIS 2/7; LAT, NYT, WP, WT, MEM 2/7].

Saudi F.M. Prince Faisal arrives in Cairo for meetings with Pres. Mubarak [MENA 2/6 in FBIS 2/7].

Lebanese Army regulars move into positions in S. Lebanon for 1st time since 1975; the 2,500 troops are within sight of Israel's "security zone"; Israeli army again shells Pal- estinian positions in S. Lebanon [MEM 2/6; LAT, NYT, WP 2/7].

Allied bombers attack 10-mile column of thousands of Iraqi troops and as many as 1,000 vehicles as they move in southern Kuwait; allied command says it is not apparent whether Iraqis are regrouping or massing for attack [WP, NYT 2/1].

Saudi and Qatari forces, backed by U.S. artillery retake Saudi border town of Khafji, capture 167 Iraqi soldiers [WP, NYT, LAT 2/1].

Envoys from France, Algeria, Yemen, and Iraq arrive in Iran on separate diplomatic missions designed to end Gulf war; Iran tells Iraq it will hold on to Iraqi airplanes until end of war [WP, NYT, LAT 2/1].

Israeli F.M. David Levy outlines possible 5-point post-war plan, linking Israel's discussion of Palestinian issue with simultaneous bilateral peace talks with Arab nations [WP 2/1].

Pres. Mubarak affirms that 45,000 Egyptian soldiers would not be used to attack Iraq [LAT 2/1].

Rocket and artillery clashes between Israel and PLO fighters in S. Lebanon continue; radio stations call it "mini-war"; Israel says PLO is trying to open 2d front in war [NYT, LAT 2/1].

Iraq fires SCUD missile at Israel; it disintegrates in flight, falling debris lands in West Bank [NYT, LAT 2/1].

State Dep't. official says that about 70 acts of terrorism have been committed against U.S. and allied interests outside U.S. since Gulf war began; most are small property damage [NYT, LAT 2/1].

Red Cross convoy carrying 19 tons of emergency medical supplies for Iraqi civilians crosses from Iran into Iraq; 1st such mission since war began [LAT 2/1].

War toll according to allies includes: 30,000 sorties flown; 23 allied planes lost, 18 in combat; 11 Americans killed in action; 161 Iraqi prisoners; 59 Iraqi planes destroyed. Iraq claims to have shot down 180 allied aircraft; captured 20 prisoners; and that 320 civilians and 90 soldiers have been killed [LAT 2/1].

More than 1,000 foreigners, including 163 Americans, fly out of Iraq; more flights are scheduled for 12/10 and 12/11 [NYT, LAT, WT, WP, CSM 12/10].

Citing Defense Dep't. and White House officials, New York Times reports Pentagon may have to ask Congress for additional $10 billion to $20 billion in spending authority to cover rising costs of Gulf deployment [NYT 12/10].

Sec. Baker says U.S. will not stand in way of talks between Iraq and Kuwait once Iraq complies with UN resolutions, leaving the 2 countries to negotiate anything, including fate of Bubiyan and Warba islands [MEM 12/10].

Jordan's King Hussein proposes Gulf peace plan that calls for compromise, talks among Arabs, and linking Palestine question to Gulf crisis [LAT, WP 12/10].

Former D.M. Yitzhak Rabin says "We must now recognize the fact that coexistence with the Palestinian population of the territories in one political framework has no chance," as New York Times reports that many Israelis are beginning to believe that only solution to Palestine question is permanent separation [NYT 12/10].

U.S. soldier in Saudi Arabia is killed when tractor-trailer truck overturns; he is 52d casualty of Operation Desert Shield [LAT 12/10].

Israeli soldier is killed, 2 are wounded when bombs explode outside military headquarters in Bethlehem; Palestinian is shot dead in Gaza after allegedly attacking soldier; Palestinians celebrate beginning of 4th year of intifada, despite being under curfew for 3d consecutive day [JDS 12/9 in FBIS 12/10, 12/19; LAT, WT, WP, MEM 12/10; CSM 12/11; BVP 12/11 in FBIS 12/12; JPI 12/15; MET 12/18].

Annual report issued by 'Uvda, the settlers' information center in Hebron, argues that number of incidents in o.t., such as stone throwing and placing barricades on roads, almost doubled in 3d year of intifada, rising from 39,411 incidents in 1989 to 71,754 in 1990 [HAA 12/10 in FBIS 12/13].

In Stockholm, retired lawyer Felicia Langer receives "Right Livelihood Award" for defending Palestinians in Israeli courts for more than 20 years [MEM 12/10]

In testimony to House Armed Services Committee, CIA Dir. William Webster says Iraq's military could maintain its current combat readiness for no more than 9 months-the air force only 3 months-if sanctions continued to hold [NYT, WP 12/6].

Saudi Arabia promises Egypt $1.5 billion to offset losses from Gulf crisis while Cairo prepares to commit more troops and armor to the multinational coalition [NYT, WT 12/6].

Israeli F.M. David Levy warns U.S. and al- lies not to stray from what Israel sees as one of coalition's original goals: to dismantle Iraq's military threat [NYT, WT, WP 12/6].

U.S. officials say Syria has been paid roughly $1 billion for participating in Gulf coalition, and is trying to use money to buy advanced military weaponry [LAT 12/6].

Renzo Embeni, head of EC delegation currently visiting Israel, says there is substantive disagreement between EC and Israeli gov't., noting particularly Israel's opposition to international peace conference, rejection of PLO as negotiating partner, and what Embeni calls Israel's lack of respect for international law [JDS, IDF 12/5 in FBIS 12/6].

UN Sec. Council votes 14-1 to impose embargo on air traffic to and from Iraq and Kuwait. The sole "nay" vote is cast by Cuba [NYT, LAT, WP, WT 9/26; MET 10/9]; in hard-hitting speech at Gen. Assembly, Soviet F.M. Shevardnadze suggests Moscow would support military operation against Iraq if sanctions fail, and warns war may be imminent if Saddam does not leave Kuwait [WP 9/26; NYT 9/26, 9/27; MEM 9/26; CSM 9/27].

In 75-min. speech broadcast in its entirety on CNN (excerpts on major networks), Saddam tells American television audience that Iraq is the victim of conspiracies [INA 9/26 in FBIS 9/26; NYT, WP, WT, MEM 9/26].

U.S. House Appropriations Committee shelves Pres. Bush's request to cancel Egypt's military debt to U.S. after being told it faced certain defeat (cf. 9/30) [MEM 9/26].

After 4 days of talks in Teheran, Pres. Asad and Pres. Rafsanjani declare "full agreement" on opposition to Iraq's invasion of Kuwait [MEM 9/25; NYT 9/26].

Asad is credited with bringing Iran into anti-Iraq camp, persuading Iranian leadership to recast call to jihad against West as measure to be taken only if West stays on after Iraqi withdrawal from Kuwait [NYT 10/11].

Saudi Arabia expels 12 more diplomats from Jordanian consulate and embassy; Jordan recalls its ambassador in protest [NYT 9/26].

Israel's Supreme Court rules army can raze Palestinian houses and shops around area where IDF soldier was killed on 9/20. Court says demolitions are urgent military need, and can proceed if homeowners are given compensation [WP, LAT, WT 9/26; FJ 10/6; MET 10/9].

After visit to Bureij refugee camp, UNRWA commissioner general expresses concern about demolition of houses and shops, says there is a disproportion between the 9/20 killing and Israel's response [JDS 9/26 in FBIS 9/27].

Israeli think tank Jafee Center issues annual report "Intemnational Terrorism 1989" attributing to Middle East groups only 8.9% of 406 incidents recorded; report states Fateh helped Western security agencies curb terror and that Palestinian attacks outside Israel declined sharply [MEM 9/26].

Iraq's Revolutionary Command Council issues statement threatening to attack oil fields in Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries and Israel if U.S.-led blockade begins to "strangle" Iraq, for 1st time raising possibility of preemptive strike [NYT, LAT, WP, MEM 9/24; CSM 9/25; MET 10/2].

New York Times prints excerpts from transcript provided to ABC news by Iraqi gov't of 6/25 meeting between U.S. ambassador to Iraq and Saddam Hussein [NYT 9/23].

Asked about document at press conference, Sec. Baker calls suggestion that U.S. contributed to Iraq's aggression "ludicrous," defends his dep't against congressional accusations that it had misled Iraq on U.S. response in event of invasion [LAT, WP, WT, MEM 9/24].

Iraqi F.M. Aziz says he will boycott UN Gen. Assembly's 45th session because U.S. has barred his gov't-owned airplane from landing in New York. (Iraq's UN ambassador will replace him.) State Dep't told Iraq's embassy in Washington last week that Aziz would have to use commercial flight to come to U.S. [LAT 9/24, 9/25].

Palestinians clash with IDF troops conducting house-to-house search in Bureij refugee camp in search of people who stoned and burned auto, killing IDF soldier on 9/20 [NYT 9/24].

Iraq outlaws use of Kuwaiti currency; Kuwaiti dinars must be exchanged for Iraqi dinars at 1 to 1 rate. Before invasion 1 Kuwaiti dinar was worth 12 Iraqi dinars [BADS 9/23 in FBIS 9/25; LAT, CSM 9/25].