The Palestine Chronology

Israel DM Mofaz says the comprehensive closure on the West Bank, Gaza that has been in place since the 3/22 Yasin assassination will be in place until early 5/04. The IDF closes the only entrance to Qalqilya, sets up several new checkpoints on the Qalqilya–Nablus road; raids Tulkarm r.c., fatally shoots wanted Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Khalid Kharwish in an apparent assassination, wounds 10 others, raids a hospital emergency room to arrest a critically wounded Palestinian militant; fatally shoots 3 unarmed Palestinian laborers who were apparently attempting to sneak across the Gaza border fence into Israel to find work; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem; raids, shuts down the Arab Women’s Care Society in East Jerusalem, arresting several employees, confiscating records, seizing its bank accounts on the grounds that the group, licensed by the Israeli Interior Min. as a charitable society in 1994, is run by Hamas; blows up a Palestinian home in Tulkarm r.c.; bulldozes an area of land nr. Hebron, erects a new observation tower; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Hebron, al-Khadir, Nablus. The IDF also begins work on a 2-km stretch of the separation wall btwn. Dahiyat al-Barid checkpoint n. of Jerusalem and the Qalandia checkpoint s. of Ramallah that will isolate, prevent the expansion of Dahiyat al-Barid and al-Ram. (al-Arabiyya TV 4/4 in WNC 5/7; WT 4/5; VOP 4/5 in WNC 4/7; NYT 4/6; PR 4/7; PCHR 4/8)

The PLF names Omar Shibli (Abu Ahmad) as secy.-gen., succeeding Muhammad Abbas who died in U.S. custody in Iraq on 3/9. (Daily Star 4/3; PR 4/7)

The IDF blows up a 3-story Palestinian home in Rafah suspected of hiding a smuggler’s tunnel; conducts major predawn arrest raids, house searches in Nablus, detaining 29 Palestinians. (WT 4/4; PCHR 4/8)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah. Palestinians throughout the territories, Israeli Arabs inside Israel hold demonstrations to mark the 28th anniversary of Land Day, when Israeli forces confiscated 5,500 acres of land fr. Arab villages in the Galilee for the construction of Jewish enclaves, sparking clashes in which 9 Israeli Arabs were killed, 96 were injured, 300 were arrested; IDF troops clash with demonstrators in Beitunia. Palestinians fire an antitank rocket at IDF forces outside Gaza’s Neve Dekalim settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A group of 81 prominent Palestinians (mostly veteran leftists, some Fatah mbrs.) issue a call for nonviolent protest similar to that made on 3/25, but also warning that Palestinian violence will not cease until Israel halts its attacks on, oppression of the Palestinians. (AFP, MM, XIN 3/30; PR, WT 3/31; YA 3/31 in WNC 4/2; PCHR 4/1; MEI 4/2)

The IDF reinforces roadblocks in East Jerusalem; demolishes the Palestinian home in Rafah that American ISM activist Rachel Corrie died defending on 3/16/03; fires on residential areas of, bulldozes some land in Rafah; fires on, wounds a Palestinian construction worker at the same UNRWA school site where a worker was wounded on 3/23; conducts arrest raids in Askar r.c., Husan, Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Harsina nr. Hebron uproot a stand of 300 grapevines owned by nearby Palestinians. (VOP 3/30 in WNC 4/1; PCHR 4/1)

The IDF sets up a new checkpoint outside Qalqilya; raids Balata r.c., fires on stonethrowing youths, trades gunfire with Palestinian militants; a 6-yr.-old Palestinian is killed inside his home during the exchange, but the source of the gunfire is in question. The IDF also raids Sabastia nr. Nablus, evacuates 2 secondary schools, imposes a curfew; shells residential areas of Rafah, bulldozes tracts of already demolished homes; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba rampage through Hebron for 18 hrs., harassing Palestinians, throwing stones and bottles at Palestinian homes, setting up mobile homes on Palestinian land. (WP, WT 3/28; PR 3/31; PCHR 4/1)

The IDF fires on stone-throwing youths in Dahaysha r.c., killing 1 Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah (wounding a Palestinian playing soccer), conducts arrest raids in Anabta nr. Tulkarm, Bayt Sahur, Jenin, Salfit. In Nablus, an AMB mbr. dies when his car mysteriously explodes in what may be an assassination. UN officials note that nearly all food and other humanitarian aid to Gaza has ceased since Israel closed the Erez crossing on 3/15, warn that a humanitarian crisis could ensue if Israel does not ease restrictions. On the 1st Friday after Yasin’s assassination, 10,000s of Palestinians protest across the West Bank and Gaza. (VOP 3/26 in WNC 3/30; NYT, WT 3/27; AFP 3/30; PR 3/31; PCHR 4/1)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Hamas mbrs. attempting to infiltrate Gaza’s Tal Katifa settlement fr. the sea; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Khan Yunis completely, 10 partially; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin and in Balata r.c., Nablus, Qabatya nr. Jenin, Salfit; imposes a curfew, fires on residential areas of Burqa. 71 prominent Palestinians issue a public call for nonviolent protest against the Yasin assassination, renunciation of violence; the AMB, Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades denounce the statement. 3 Palestinians (fr. Gaza City, Hebron, Rafah) die of injuries received earlier. (VOP 3/25 in WNC 3/27; MM, NYT 3/26; VOP 3/26 in WNC 3/30; MA, NYT 3/27; PR 3/31; PCHR 4/1; MEI 4/2; PR 4/7)

The IDF catches a 16-yr.-old Palestinian boy wearing a suicide bomb at a checkpoint s. of Nablus, defuses the bomb, detains the boy; the Balata r.c. AMB takes responsibility, angering many Palestinians. The IDF also sends 25 tanks, bulldozers into Khan Yunis to raze 5 farms, 7 Palestinian homes that allegedly “provided cover” for Palestinian gunmen, also demolishing a main road and effectively dividing the town in half; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Hebron (wounding 8), residential areas nr. Qalqilya; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c., ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’a r.c., Balata r.c., Dahaysha r.c., Jayyus, Nablus, Tubas nr. Jenin; temporarily occupies a Palestinian home nr. Nablus as an observation post. Palestinian gunmen fire on an IDF patrol outside Gaza’s Gadid settlement, lightly injuring 1 soldier; also fire on IDF soldiers nr. Ramallah, nr. Netzarim settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 2/11. (BBC, HA, REU, WT 3/24; VOP 3/24 in WNC 3/26; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/25; AYM 3/26 in WNC 3/30; PR 3/31; PCHR 4/1; MEI 4/2; PR 4/7)

In Washington, Weisglass, Eiland present U.S. officials (including Rice) Sharon’s “preferred plan” for unilateral disengagement fr. Gaza plus 6 settlements in the West Bank (Ganim, Hermesh, Homesh, Mevo Dotan, Qadim, Sa-Nur). (MM 3/24; MM 3/26; HA 3/28)

The IDF discovers, disarms a bomb underneath a truck with Israeli license plates at a checkpoint outside Nablus; fatally shoots 2 armed Palestinians attempting to infiltrate Morag settlement; fires tear gas to disperse a group of Palestinians in Hebron demonstrating against the Yasin assassination, causing an elderly Palestinian to suffocate, die; fires on stone-throwing youths outside al-Fawwar r.c. nr. Hebron, on residential areas of Rafah (wounding a Palestinian construction worker at an UNRWA school site, a Palestinian inside her home); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jayyus nr. Qalqilya; bulldozes 62 dunams of Palestinian land in al-Qarara. In the Hebron area, Palestinians throw stones at IDF troops, Jewish settler vehicles on bypass roads, causing no injuries but forcing the IDF to close the bypass routes temporarily. The Israeli navy fires on a “suspicious object” in the water 2 mi. off Gaza’s shore; Palestinian fishermen say they were targeted. Palestinian gunmen fire at a Jewish settler bus nr. Ofra, causing no injuries. Palestinians also fire a mortar at Gush Katif settlement, an antitank rocket at an IDF patrol in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries in either incident. In Israel, 1,000s of Israeli Arabs in Nazareth march in protest of Yasin’s assassination. A Palestinian dies of injuries received in the IDF missile attack on Rafah on 3/17. (AFP, AP, HA 3/23; HA, WT 3/24; PCHR 3/25)

Hamas names hard-line spokesman ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Rantisi as acting political head in Gaza and Hamas politburo chmn. Khalid Mishal, currently in exile in Damascus, acting head of the whole movement. (HA, MM 3/23; VOP 3/23 in WNC 3/25; al-Arabiyya TV [Dubai] 3/23 in WNC 4/27; HA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/24; IDF Radio, LBC, MA, al-Quds, SA, VOI 3/24 in WNC 3/26; WP, WT 3/25; AYM 3/25, al-Quds 3/26 in WNC 3/30)

The IDF assassinates Hamas spiritual leader and founder Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, firing 3 internationally banned flechette missiles at him as he leaves a Gaza City mosque after morning prayers, also killing 3 bodyguards, 4 bystanders, wounding at least 17 Palestinians, including Yasin’s 2 sons. Immediately, 100,000s of Palestinians take to the streets throughout the territories to protest the assassination. The IDF seals Gaza; clashes with Palestinian demonstrators in Balata r.c. (killing an al-Najah Radio correspondent in Balata r.c., apparently thinking his mobile phone was a weapon), Bethlehem, Dayr al-Balah, Hebron (fatally shooting 1 Palestinian watching fr. his balcony), Jenin, Khan Yunis (killing 3 Palestinians), Nablus; fires on residential areas of Rafah, Qalqilya, Tal Zu’rub; imposes a curfew on areas around Jenin, fires on residential areas; temporarily occupies a Palestinian home as an IDF post nr. Dayr al-Balah. 100s of Palestinian youths in East Jerusalem gather at checkpoints to throw stones at IDF soldiers; Palestinian prisoners in 2 Israeli jails riot. Palestinians fire Qassam rockets, mortars, antitank rockets at Gush Katif and Netzarim settlements, nearby IDF posts, the western Negev, damaging 2 apartments in Netzarim but causing no injuries. An ax-wielding Palestinian fr. the West Bank village of Bidiyya wounds 3 Israelis outside an army base in Tel Aviv before being arrested. An unidentified assailant said to be Arab stabs, lightly wounds 3 Israelis on a Jaffa bus. 4 Palestinians are arrested for beating up a Jewish settler in East Jerusalem. Jewish settlers detain, beat a Palestinian man in the Jordan Valley. An estimated 200,000 Palestinians, including reps. of all Palestinian factions, take part in Yasin’s funeral services later in the day, with 21 PSF officers forming an honor guard for Yasin’s coffin, Gaza churches ringing their bells, mosques broadcasting Qur’anic verses. Meanwhile, Israeli defense chiefs meet, agree to target the entire remaining Hamas leadership immediately, without waiting for another Hamas attack. Israel also announces that it will close the only mental health clinic serving East Jerusalem Palestinians (1,200 patients) because of “security concerns.” (AP, BBC, CSM, HA, MA, MM, NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/22; AP, ATL, ITARTASS, MNR, MENA, IDF Radio, IRNA, ITARTASS, JP, VIRI, VOI, VOP, XIN 3/22 in WNC 3/24; al-Arabiyya TV [Dubai], Syrian Arab News Agency 3/22 in WNC 4/27; AFP, BBC, CSM, HA, JT, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/23; AFP, AYM, DUS, HA, al-Hayat al-Jadida, JT, MA, MENA, al-Ra’i, THWR, TSHR, VIRI, YA 3/23 in WNC 3/25; MM, NYT, PR, WP 3/24; ATL, ITAR-TASS, Izvestiya, JT, al-Ra’i, SA, VOP, XIN 3/24 in WNC 3/26; AYM 3/24 in WNC 4/3; JT, MM, PCHR, WJW 3/25; ITAR-TASS, MENA, NHR, VIRI 3/25 in WNC 3/27; MM 3/26; MNR 3/27 in WNC 3/30; AYM 3/30, VOP 3/31 in WNC 4/2; MEI 4/2; PCHR 4/15)

In Washington, Shalom holds further talks on Sharon’s disengagement plan with VP Dick Cheney, Powell, Rice. (WP 3/23)

The IDF raids Abasan nr. Khan Yunis in pursuit of wanted Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades mbr. Basim Kadih, fatally shooting him in an apparent assassination, also killing his wife, sparking an exchange of gunfire in which 3 Hamas mbrs. are killed (including 1 who is run over by an IDF jeep, then executed by an IDF soldier, who gets out of the jeep, shoots him in the head), wounding 10 others (at least 6 of whom are hit with live ammunition in the head and chest). The IDF then demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Abasan, including Kadih’s, and bulldozes 4 dunams of land. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians nr. the Kissufim crossing; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Dahaysha r.c.; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; fires on Palestinian, Israeli demonstrators protesting against the separation wall nr. Kharbata northwest of Ramallah, wounding at least 5 people, including a 9-yr.-old Palestinian boy, an Israeli hit in the eye; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Nablus. 2 Palestinians die of injuries received earlier. (PCHR, XIN 3/21; VOP 3/21 in WNC 3/23; HA, WP 3/22; PCHR 3/25)

The IDF sends tanks, troops into Rafah in search of smugglers’ tunnels; comes under heavy fire from Palestinians but sustains no injuries; demolishes 31 Palestinian homes completely, 18 partially, damages 46 others; pulls out late in the evening without finding any tunnels. During the incursion, IDF helicopters fire missiles at 2 groups of Palestinian militants who approach soldiers, killing 2 Palestinians, wounding at least 7; fires a missile at a group of Palestinian children, killing 2 Palestinian teenagers, injuring 3; 8 other Palestinian bystanders are wounded during the day. Palestinians in Jabaliya r.c. barricade the camp in expectation of a major incursion. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 3 Palestinian homes nr. Nablus, Ramallah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids in and around Bethlehem and Hebron, on the al-Najah University campus in Nablus, in Bayt Laqia and Qalqilya. PSF officers at a newly installed PSF checkpoint in central Gaza City attempt to stop, search a carload of Hamas mbrs., who toss grenades, open fire on the officers, killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 17 (more than 10 of them PSF officers). (HA, MM, REU 3/17; IDF Radio, PSCT, VOI, VOP 3/17 in WNC 3/19; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP 3/18; UNRWA press release 3/19; PR 3/24; PCHR 3/25)

Overnight, the IDF destroys the educational studies campus of Gaza City’s al-Aqsa University, blowing up 2 buildings and bulldozing the 5.5 dunam campus, 30 dunams of surrounding agricultural land. During the day, IDF helicopters fire missiles at the home ofIslamic Jihad leader Muhammad al-Hindi in Gaza City, missing him but assassinating Islamic Jihad mbrs. Nassir Yasin and Husni Sarafiti, wounding at least 7 bystanders. IDF helicopters also fire missiles at the Rafah home of PRC leader Faraj Abu Jarrar, assassinating him, killing fellow PRC mbr. Mahmud Abu Nahal, wounding at least 6. The IDF also demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Nablus, 1 nr. Ramallah, 1 in Tulkarm r.c.; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Bireh, Hebron, Jenin, al-Maghazi, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Carmiel nr. Hebron, accompanied by IDF soldiers, bulldoze more than 10 dunams of nearby Yatta agricultural land. Jewish settlers fr. Mafdal Oz nr. Hebron seize, raze 13 dunams of nearby Palestinian agricultural land; Jewish settlers fr. Itamar nr. Nablus beat, threaten to kill a Palestinian fr. nearby Awarta village. Late in the evening, large formations of IDF armored vehicles gather outside the main entry points to the Gaza Strip in apparent preparation for a major incursion; Israeli security officials say that Sharon has authorized the IDF and Shin Bet to “act without limitations against top figures from all terror organizations.” (HA, MM, PCHR 3/16; PSCT, VOP 3/16 in WNC 3/18; HA, NYT, PR, REU, WP 3/17; NYT, PCHR, WP 3/18; PR 3/24)

An AMB mbr. and a Hamas mbr., both fr. Gaza’s Jabaliya r.c., stage a double suicide bombing inside Israel’s Ashdod port, some 30 mi. north of the Strip, killing 11 Israelis, wounding 20, and marking the 1st suicide bombing inside Israel staged fr. Gaza and the 1st targeting civilian infrastructure. Hamas, AMB issue a communiqu´e stating that “joint, qualitative operations” involving various factions will be their practice in the future. In response, the IDF launches air strikes against 3 metal foundries, a printing press (alleged weapons factories) in Gaza City, wounding 1 Palestinian. The IDF also fatally shoots 3 armed Palestinians attempting to infiltrate Netzarim settlement; fatally shoots a Palestinian during an arrest raid in Rafah; fires on Palestinians playing soccer on a field nr. Neve Dekalim settlement, wounding 1; fires rubber bullets, stun grenades at Palestinian, Israeli, international demonstrators protesting the separation wall nr. Mod’in Ilit settlement, wounding 10; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., al-Qarara and nr. Nablus, Qalqilya. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’ale Shomron nr. Qalqilya bulldoze 150 dunams of adjacent Palestinian land. Jewish settlers fr. Asfar nr. Hebron confiscate 60 dunams of nearby Yatta village land (see 3/6). (BBC, HA 3/14; VOP 3/14 in WNC 3/16; MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/15; MM 3/16; QA, al-Quds 3/16 in WNC 3/18; MM, PR 3/17; HA, PCHR, WJW 3/18; MEI 3/19; JPI 3/26; WP 4/1)

The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Palestinians who enter a closed military zone along the Gaza border with Israel; fatally shoots a mentally handicapped Palestinian nr. Nablus; raids, evacuates, closes a secondary school in Ya‘bad nr. Jenin; fires on residential areas of al-Qarara, wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian outside his home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus. (VOP 3/13 in WNC 3/16; WP 3/14; PCHR 3/18)

The IDF raids a high school nr. Nablus, arrests a 10th grader; raids a mosque in al-Bireh, arresting 1 Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a man on his roof; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Nablus, Rafah. In implementation of a new security plan (Quarterly Update), the PA deploys large numbers of PSF officers on the streets of Gaza City. (MM 3/11; HA 3/14; PR 3/17; PCHR 3/18)

The U.S.’s Abrams, Burns, Hadley arrive in Israel for further consultations on Sharon’s disengagement plan. Meanwhile in Washington, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz briefs U.S. VP Dick Cheney, Powell on Israel’s latest thinking regarding evacuating settlements, maintaining security control in Gaza postwithdrawal. In Cairo, Israeli FM Silvan Shalom meets with Egyptian pres. Husni Mubarak and FM Ahmad Maher, who provide assurances that Egypt would secure its border with Gaza following an Israeli pullout. (AFP, HA, JP, MM, NYT, REU 3/11; MENA 3/11 in WNC 3/13; MM, WP 3/12; MA 3/12 in WNC 3/16; PR 3/17; MEI 3/19)

The IDF raids Jenin, fatally shooting a Palestinian woman hanging laundry on her roof, wounding an Agence France-Press (AFP) photographer; places a closure on Qalqilya; fires on residential areas in Khan Yunis, nr. Qalqilya and Ramallah; conducts arrest raids nr. Jenin and in Balata r.c., Bayt Furik, al-Bireh, Dahaysha r.c., Nablus, Tulkarm r.c.; reimposes a curfew on Husan (see 3/6). Rafah PRC head Kulab’s pregnant wife, injured during his 3/4 assassination, dies. (JTA, MM 3/9; PR 3/10; LAW, PCHR 3/11; HA 3/18)

Palestine Liberation Front (PLF) leader Muhammad Abbas (alias Abu Abbas), responsible for the 1985 Achille Lauro hijacking in which 1 American died, dies in U.S. custody in Iraq, where he was captured by U.S. forces in 4/03. (BBC, NYT, PR 3/10; WJW 3/11; NYT 3/12; PR 3/17; al-Majallah 3/21 in WNC 3/30)

The IDF lifts the seal on the West Bank, Gaza imposed on 3/4; fires on Palestinians working their fields in s. Gaza who stray too close to Morag settlement, killing a Palestinian teenager; fires on the boy’s funeral procession later in the day, wounding 1; fatally shoots a Palestinian grocer in Salfit during an arrest raid; fires live ammunition, rubber-coated steel bullets, tear gas at Palestinian, Israeli, international demonstrators holding a peaceful protest against the separation wall nr. Bayt Laqia, injuring 10s; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, and in Nablus, al-Qarara; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah. A Jewish settler beats up a young Palestinian woman in Hebron; IDF soldiers observe but do not intervene. A 16-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received when he was deliberately run over by a Jewish settler in East Jerusalem a wk. ago. (MM 3/8; VOP 3/8 in WNC 3/12; BBC, WP 3/9; PR 3/10; PCHR 3/11; MEI 3/19)

The IDF sends troops into Ramallah to surround Arafat’s headquarters, check identities of anyone going in or out; tightens roadblocks around al-Ram and the n. Jordan Valley; reinforces troops in, fires on residential areas of Rafah; fires on residential areas of Jaba’ nr. Jenin, seriously wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian playing outside his home; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Bethlehem, Nablus, Qalqilya. A 10-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received in the IDF assassination of 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. on 2/28. Jewish settlers in Hebron uproot 150 Palestinian trees along the road fr. Kiryat Arba to the al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs. (VOP 3/5 in WNC 3/12; WT 3/6; MM 3/8; LAW, PCHR 3/11; MEI 3/19)

An IDF helicopter fires missiles at a car driving outside Gaza City, assassinating 3 senior Hamas mbrs. Tarad Jamal (local military cmdr.), Ibrahim Dayri, Ammar Hassan; fatally shoots an AMB mbr. brandishing an assault rifle who approaches an IDF patrol in Tulkarm. The IDF also transfers a West Bank administrative detainee to Gaza; raids Hebron University, damages an exhibit on Palestinian culture; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis (seriously wounding a 6-yr.-old Palestinian inside his home), Rafah, Tulkarm r.c.; conducts arrest raids in Husan and al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Tulkarm. Palestinians toss an explosive device at a Jewish settler vehicle nr. Hebron, lightly wounding 1 Jewish settler. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during the separation wall protest at Biddu on 2/26. (HA, PR 3/3; LBC, VOP 3/3 in WNC 3/5; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 3/4; PCHR 3/11)

The IDF announces plans to “intensify our antiterror operations” in Gaza, saying the aim is to “eliminate as many terrorists as possible” before a unilateral Israeli pullout fr. the Strip. IDF troops raid Yatta, fatally shoot an unarmed Palestinian outside his home when he allegedly fails to obey orders to halt, begin to bulldozes his house, then suddenly leave, raising suspicions that the man killed was not the man the soldiers intended to target. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah, Tulkarm; conducts house searches in Bayt Hanun; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. Jewish settlers install 6 mobile homes at Einav e. of Tulkarm. (HA, WT 3/3; VOP 3/2 in WNC 3/4; PCHR 3/4)

The IDF fires on residential areas of Gaza City; fires on stone-throwing youths in Burqa nr. Nablus. Unidentified gunmen assassinate Arafat’s close adviser Khalil Zabin, shooting him 12 times as he leaves his Gaza City office. Jewish settlers fr. Tekoa nr. Bethlehem seize, bulldoze 20 dunams of land in neighboring al-Rashayda. (VOP 3/1 in WNC 3/3; BBC, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/2; VOP 3/2 in WNC 3/4; CSM, PR 3/3; PCHR 3/4; PR 3/17)

In Washington, Sharon chief of staff Dov Weisglass, Israel’s National Security Adviser Giora Eiland meet with U.S. Secy. of State Colin Powell, U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice to discuss “practical steps” to carry out Sharon’s disengagement plan. (WT 3/1; MM, NYT 3/2; WP 3/3; MM 3/5; HA, MM 3/10)

In an apparent assassination, the IDF raids Balata r.c., fatally shoots wanted AMB mbr. Muhammad Oweiss, allows him to bleed to death. At Oweiss’s funeral later in the day, the IDF fires on mourners outside the mosque, killing wanted AMB mbr. Rihad Abu Shallah, wounding 3 bystanders. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus. Israel’s High Court orders a 1-wk. halt to construction of the separation wall, while it considers a petition fr. the Israeli-Palestinian group, Popular Comm. Against the Wall. In Gaza City, 1,000s of Palestinians take part in the funeral of Islamic Jihad military leader Judah, assassinated on 2/28. In Yatta nr. Hebron, Jewish settlers seize Palestinian land, begin constructing concrete platforms for mobile homes. (NYT, WP 3/1; PCHR 3/4; Gush Shalom press release 3/6)

The IDF assassinates Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Muhammad Judah, firing missiles at his car as he drives through Jabaliya r.c., also killing his 2 passengers, Islamic Jihad mbr. Amin Daduh and his brother Ayman Daduh (not a mbr. of the group), wounding 11 bystanders (including 3 children). The IDF also fires on Palestinian schoolchildren nr. Nablus, seriously injuring an 11-yr.-old boy; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; conducts house searches, fires on residential areas, damages vehicles in Surif nr. Hebron. In Gaza City, 20 Palestinian gunmen raid the PA Land Authority offices, demanding that property be transferred to their names. In Khan Yunis, 40 AMB mbrs. raid the Palestinian Broadcasting Company offices in what they say is a protest against economic conditions, demand jobs in the PA. (AFP, NYT, WP, WT 2/28; LBC, PSCT, VOP 2/28 in WNC 3/2; NYT, PR 3/3; PCHR 3/4)

An AMB suicide bomber fr. Husan detonates a device on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 8 Israelis, wounding 50. Israel says that the attack is proof that Israel needs to build the separation wall. The IDF immediately sends troops into Husan, seals nearby Bethlehem. The IDF also bars an ambulance fr. crossing a checkpoint to reach a Hebron hospital, allowing an ailing Palestinian woman to die; fires in residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aida r.c., Balata r.c., Bethlehem; issues orders expropriating 27 dunams of Palestinian land until 12/05 for construction of a security fence around Gaza’s Netzarim settlement. A Hamas mbr. dies in Khan Yunis when a missile he is trying to fire prematurely explodes. Palestinians report that the IDF has recently begun barring Palestinians under age 35 fr. crossing checkpoints around Nablus. On the eve of the International Court of Justice hearings on the wall, Israel begins dismantling a 5-mi. stretch of the barrier running east of the n. West Bank village of Baqa‘ al-Sharqiyya; the wall running west of the village will remain; Israel also reportedly plans not to build a 12.5 mi. stretch of wall cutting Jenin off fr. the Jordan Valley, not to dig deep trenches around Ben-Gurion Airport, to remove 2,953 feet of wall in the Qalqilya area. Palestinians across the territories begin holding demonstrations against the wall to coincide with the hearings. Jewish settlers throw rocks, bottles at Palestinian cars in East Jerusalem. (AFP, NYT, WP, WT 2/22; VOP, XIN 2/22 in WNC 2/24; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/23; AFP, MENA 2/23 in WNC 2/25; al-Quds 2/23 in WNC 2/26; AP 2/25; PCHR 2/26; MM 3/12)

The IDF conducts arrest raids in Bayt Sahur, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, and nr. Dayr alBalah; bulldozes 8 dunams of olive groves, 4 greenhouses in Dayr al-Balah; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at an IDF patrol in Gaza, lightly injuring 2 soldiers. Palestinians also fire a mortar at an IDF patrol outside a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. In Hebron, 3 IDF soldiers are wounded in a friendly fire incident. Nr. Qalqilya, 100s of Jewish settlers block the IDF fr. removing a caravan fr. an unauthorized settlement outpost. (VOP 2/20 in WNC 2/24; HA 2/21; LAW, PCHR 2/26)

In an incident in Dayr al-Balah, IDF soldiers grant permission to an international delegation, including 3 UN staff members, to visit and question a local Palestinian family, provided they stay only 30 mins. and not enter the family’s home; the delegation complies, but as it is leaving, an IDF soldier deliberately shoots the 15 yr. old son of the family fr. a distance of 20 m., hitting him in the back, partially paralyzing him; the international team transports the boy to a Gaza City hospital. IDF also fires on residential areas of Brazil r.c., wounding an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy; bulldozes 15 dunams of land, demolishes a Palestinian home nr. Jenin, 1 in Salfit nr. Nablus, a poultry farm in Dayr al-Balah; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Hanina, Gaza City, nr. Jenin. Armed Jewish settlers attack a Palestinian neighborhood in Hebron, seriously beating a 13-yr.-old Palestinian girl. In Jenin, unidentified assailants open fire on Palestinian Authority (PA) health minister Jawad al-Tibi, Palestinian Economic Council for Development and Reconstruction head Muhammad Ishtiyya during a visit to inaugurate a new hospital; neither is injured. (VOP 2/18 in WNC 2/20; PCHR 2/19; VOP 2/19 in WNC 2/21; LAW, PCHR 2/26; HA, DUS 2/28)

U.S. National Security Council Middle East Adviser Elliott Abrams, Dep. National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley, Asst. Secy. of State William Burns arrive in Israel for3days of talks with senior Israeli, Palestinian officials on Israeli PM Ariel Sharon plan for unilateral disengagement fr. Gaza. (MM 2/18; VOP 2/18 in WNC 2/20; BBC, HA, MM, WT 2/19; VOP 2/19 in WNC 2/21; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/20; HA 2/22; WP 2/26; Forward 2/28)

The IDF blows up a Palestinian home nr. Jenin; bulldozes a 150 m stretch of land inside a Khan Yunis cemetery, destroying the property boundary wall, several gravesites; conducts arrest raids nr. Jenin; tightens roadblocks around Ramallah, Nablus. In Bethlehem, a Palestinian child grazing animals is injured when he accidentally triggers unexploded IDF ordnance. (PCHR 2/19)

The IDF raids Qabatiyya in search of a suspected car bomber, opens fire on a car driving in the vicinity, killing an innocent Palestinian; fires on, wounds, detains 2 Palestinians who stray too close to the Green Line southwest of Hebron; fires on residential areas of Tubas; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron, Nablus. Unidentified assailants believed to be Palestinian set fire to the car of the Palestinian newspaper al-Hayat al-Jadida’s Gaza bureau chief. (VOP 2/13 in WNC 2/18; NYT 2/14; PR 2/18; PCHR 2/19)

The IDF stages a major raid on Gaza City (reportedly in response to recent attacks on nearby Jewish settlements that caused no injuries), sparking an intense exchange of gunfire with Hamas, Islamic Jihad gunmen, leaving 12 Palestinians (5 Hamas mbrs., 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 2 PSF officers, 3 bystanders) dead and 60 (33 of them children) wounded; no IDF soldiers are injured. In an apparent assassination during the raid, the IDF surrounds the home of wanted Hamas mbr. Ashraf Abu Hassanain; orders his family to evacuate; shoots into the home, killing Abu Hassanain and 2 other Hamas mbrs.; blows up the home atop their bodies. In response, Palestinians fire 2 mortars at Karnei settlement, 2 Qassam rockets toward Sederot, causing no damage or injuries. The IDF also stages a major incursion into Rafah, fatally shooting 3 Palestinians, wounding 17 (including 10 children), demolishing 24 Palestinian homes and 3 schools; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, seriously wounding a 9- yr.-old Palestinian inside his home; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bayt Sahur, in Tulkarm, nr. Nablus; demolishes a Palestinian home in Wadi al-Silqa. Later in the day, 1,000s of Palestinians attend the funeral for 1 of the Hamas mbrs. killed today, senior military cmdr. Hani Abu Shukayla, who had survived 2 previous Israeli assassination attempts. An IDF warplane malfunctions, crashes outside Hebron, causing no damage or injuries; the pilot ejects safely. (BBC, HA, MM, PR 2/11; IDF Radio, VOI, VOP, YA 2/11 in WNC 2/13; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 2/12; al-Hayat al-Jadida, al-Quds 2/12 in WNC 2/18; PR 2/18; PCHR 2/19; MEI 2/20)