The Palestine Chronology

The IDF continues to shell the n. Gaza no-go zone; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dayr al-Ghusun nr. Tulkarm, Jenin town and r.c. (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront troops, wounding 9), al-Til, Yatta; removes without incident 3 unauthorized settlement outposts nr. Beit El, Kiryat Arba, Shvut Rachel. Some 100 PA policemen occupy the Rafah border terminal to protest the death of a policeman on 12/29; EU monitors shut the crossing, leave the area for several hrs., until the demonstration breaks up. In Gaza City, a Palestinian clan attacks a PA police station, trades gunfire with police for a 2d day in an attempt to force them to free a jailed relative; a 14-yr.-old Palestinian is fatally shot in the crossfire. During the day, the AMB, Hamas hold separate rallies in Gaza protesting the kidnapping of 3 Britons on 12/28; the Britons are released late in the evening; just before freeing them, a group calling itself the Brigades of the Mujahiddin (reportedly connected to Fatah) issues a videotaped statement claiming responsibility, calling on Britain to take a harder line with Israel. (IMEMC, JAZ, YA 12/30; NYT, WP, WT 12/31; HA 1/1; PCHR 1/5)

In keeping with the agmt. brokered by Rice on 11/15, Israel allows the PA to open the Rafah crossing under EU monitoring for 4 hrs./day; only foot traffic will be allowed until vehicle scanners are installed; Egypt will require men age 18–40 to obtain an entry visa. The IDF also tightens restrictions on Palestinian movement in Hebron; fires teargas at stone-throwing Palestinians outside a polling station in Aida r.c. nr. Bethlehem being used for the Fatah primaries in advance of the 1/25 elections; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Bethlehem, Hebron. Palestinians report that a private contractor for a Jewish settlement nr. Bil‘in recently uprooted 100s of the village’s olive trees located on the western side of the separation wall despite IDF pledges that villagers would be given access to the trees to harvest them. (JTA, REU, YA 11/25; IMEMC, NYT, WP, WT 11/26; PCHR 12/1)

Extremist Jews attack a busload of Israeli Palestinians in Shafa ‘Amr nr. Jerusalem, injuring 8 Palestinians. (IMEMC 11/26)