The Palestine Chronology

Israel closes all Gaza crossing into Israel, reimposing the full seal on the territories (set on 3/11) for parliamentary elections; sends troops into al-Fawwar r.c. to conduct arrest raids and house searches, fires on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, wounding 6; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in Bethlehem, Nablus, Tubas. Israeli security contractors guarding the separation wall nr. Jerusalem shoot, wound a Palestinian who strays too close to the wall. Islamic Jihad fires a Grad missile (an Eastern European rocket with a range greater than a Qassam but less than a Katyusha) fr. Gaza towards Ashkelon, which lands unexploded causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba attack Palestinians, vandalize property in Hebron. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack Palestinian children on their way to school by a Palestinian road that passes near a settleronly bypass road. Inside Israel, 2 bedouin are killed in the Negev when they accidentally detonate an unexploded Palestinian rocket. (IMEMC, YA 3/28; VOP 3/28 in WNC 3/29; HA, MM, NYT, OCHA 3/29; PCHR 3/30; MM 4/7, 4/13, 4/21)

Israel holds parliamentary elections, with voter turnout at a relatively low 63%. The Kadima party, founded by Ariel Sharon and led by Ehud Olmert, wins 29 of the 120 Knesset seats (less than expected) compared to Labor with 19 seats, Likud (the biggest loser compared with its 38 seats last election) with 12, Shas with 12, Yisrael Beiteinu with 11, National Union–National Religious Party with 9, Pensioners’ Party with 7, United Torah Judaism with 6, Meretz with 5, and 3 Arab parties with a total of 10. (MM 3/28; HA, JP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/29; NYT, WT 3/30; WP 3/31; XIN, YA 4/3)

The PC approves (71–36, with 2 abstentions) the Hamas-led cabinet. (NYT 3/29; XIN 3/28 in WNC 3/29)

Israel says that Operation First Rain will continue despite Hamas’s 9/25 pledge to halt rocket fire and nearly 48 hrs. of Palestinian quiet. Overnight, the IDF continues major arrest sweeps across the West Bank. Before dawn, the IDF launches multiple missile strikes in Bayt Hanun, Gaza City, Khan Yunis against alleged weapons factories run by the AMB, Hamas, PFLP and in Rafah against the home of PFLP mbr. Hisham ‘Abid Rabbuh in what may be an assassination attempt, injuring 2 Palestinians (including his wife). Palestinians fire 1 mortar fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Jewish settlers in Hebron attack, beat an Israeli Palestinian and Jewish film crew recording a documentary on human rights abuses by settlers. The IDF reports that it has found outside Ramallah the body of a Jewish settler reportedly kidnapped in the city on 9/21, has arrested a Hamas mbr. in connection. (AFP, IMEMC, NYT, YA 9/26; HA, NYT, WT 9/27; REU 9/28; MEI, PCHR 9/29)

Sharon narrowly survives a challenge to his party leadership by Netanyahu when the Likud Central Comm. votes down (52%–48%, with 90% of the 3,000 mbrs. voting) a measure to hold early party primaries in 11/05, 6 mos. ahead of schedule. (NYT, WP, WT 9/27)