The Palestine Chronology

Overnight, IDF undercover units raid Yatta, assassinate wanted Hamas mbr. Muhammad Muhr. The IDF also fires tear gas into a girls primary school in Hebron, injuring 10s of children; demolishes a Palestinian home in Nablus, 2 buildings in Rafah refugee camp (r.c.); conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, Jenin, Rafah (targeting Islamic Jihad). Late in the evening, the IDF sends 40 tanks, helicopters, troops into Gaza City on a mission to demolish 4 Palestinian buildings, 1 of them a home, allegedly containing Hamas metal workshops, leaving at least 11 Palestinians dead, 25 wounded: 3 are bystanders killed when the IDF blows up one building causing the wall of an adjacent structure to collapse on top of them; 3 are PA general intelligence officers killed when the IDF fires rockets at their post; 1 is a Hamas mbr. who detonates a suicide bomb nr. a tank, causing no injuries; 4 are gunmen attempting to hold back the incursion. The IDF also announces plans to build a walled corridor surrounding Rachel’s Tomb in Bethlehem, linking it to Jerusalem and encircling 10s of Palestinian homes, businesses. The PA begins deploying 10s of unarmed security personnel in Nablus, called the Palestinian Authority–Joint Forces to handle traffic, civilian complaints; the PA says it has not coordinated with Israel regarding the force. (AP, HA, LAW 2/18; HA, MM, NYT, PR, WP, WT 2/19; AFP, al-Quds 2/19 in WNC 2/20; LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR, WT 2/20; MM 2/24; MEI 3/7)

Israeli, PA teams meet with Quartet reps. in London to discuss PA reforms, cease-fire talks, Palestinians’ humanitarian situation, next steps to adoption of the road map plan for resumption of negotiations. The Quartet’s International Task Force for Reform, the donors’ Ad Hoc Liaison Comm. meet on the sidelines. (WP 2/19; NYT 2/20; MEI 2/21; AYM 2/21 in WNC 2/27)

A day after Hamas detonated a roadside bomb under a tank, killing 4 Israeli soldiers, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) announces plans to crack down on Hamas in Gaza. In Gaza City, 6 senior Hamas mbrs. are killed, 3 bystanders are wounded when a car laden with explosives blows up; Hamas accuses Israel of remote detonating the device, assassinating the men. The IDF clashes with Palestinians in Nablus during a raid on an office building, leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 23 wounded; senior Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) mbr. and PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Taysir Khalid, three other Palestinians are arrested in the raid. The IDF also fires on Palestinians in Jabaliya, killing 2 Palestinians, wounding 9; conducts arrest raids in Beitunia (targeting Hamas), Tulkarm (targeting Islamic Jihad, the tanzim); bulldozes 42 dunams (4 dunams 1 acre) of Palestinian land, 3 structures nr. Aley Sinai settlement. The Palestinian Authority (PA) says that Palestinians in n. Bethlehem have received notices fr. the IDF that 14 dunams of their land, including the Rachel’s Tomb area and 40 Palestinian homes, will be annexed to Jerusalem as part of the security fence construction. (AP, HA, REU 2/16; VOI 2/16, AYM 2/17 in WNC 2/19; HA, MM, NYT, PM, WP 2/17; LAW, WT 2/18; HA, LAW, PR, WT 2/19; LAW, PCHR 2/20; MEI 2/21; MM 2/24, 2/25; HA 2/28)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue to escalate. In Rafah, the IDF assassinates Islamic Jihad activist Muhammad `Abd al-Al, firing wire-guided missiles fr. helicopter gunships at his truck. (2,000 Palestinians attend his funeral later in the day.) After an Islamic Jihad sniper kills an IDF soldier nr. Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem in retaliation, the IDF fires missiles, tank shells, machine guns, grenades at Palestinian residential areas of the city, damaging 15 homes and wounding 8 Palestinians, including a 2-yr.-old girl, 3-mo.-old baby. The IDF also eases open-fire regulations; shells residential areas of Aida camp, Bayt Jala, Nablus; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in al-Khadir, 1 in al-Tur. The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) detonates a car bomb nr. an IDF patrol outside Qeddumim settlement, causing no injuries. In Hebron, Jewish settlers blow up 4 Palestinian shops; afterward, the IDF bulldozes the buildings, surrounding area to create a buffer around the Abraham Avino settlement. Palestinians fire homemade mortars at the Qarni industrial zone. In Jerusalem, a Palestinian attacks, injures an IDF soldier, steals her M-16. (JP [Internet] 4/2; AFP, MA 4/2 in WNC 4/3; MA 4/2, QA 4/4 in WNC 4/5; HP, JP [Internet], LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/3; NYT 4/4; MEI 4/6; NYT 4/7)

In Washington, Mubarak briefs Bush on the Jordanian-Egyptian "nonpaper" (see 4/1), urges him to support the proposal and to become more involved in the peace process. Bush says the nonpaper ideas should be discussed; the U.S. can "facilitate" talks btwn. Israel, the PA, but it "can't force a peace." Bush also urges Egypt to return its amb. to Israel. (MM 4/2; MENA 4/2, JT, MENA, al-Quds 4/3, MENA, al-Ra'i 4/4 in WNC 4/5; JP [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/3; WJW 4/5; MEI 4/6; MENA 4/6 in WNC 4/9; MENA 4/11 in WNC 4/12; WJW 4/12)

The State Dept. certifies PLO compliance with the Oslo agmts. for the period 6/16/00+n12/15/00, saying PA security coordination with Israel was very high prior to 9/28/00, it is uncertain to what degree PLO or PA officials were actively involved in starting or encouraging violence after 9/28. (JP [Internet] 4/4; MM 4/10; MM 5/2)