The Palestine Chronology

Despite Israel’s pledge (1/29) not to seal the occupied territories in the wake of the Jerusalem bombing, Israeli-Arabs seeking to enter Gaza with pre-arranged permits to celebrate Id al-Adha with relatives report that the IDF is blocking all entry to the Strip. The IDF assassinates senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Yasir Abu Aysh, firing missiles at his family’s home in Rafah, also killing Islamic Jihad mbr. Hussein Abu Aysh (Yasir’s brother), AMB Rafah leader Majdi Khatib, Hamas mbr. Baha’ Judah, wounding 3; Yasir Abu Aysh, who reportedly has been in hiding since he lost both legs and an arm in a mysterious explosion in 2002, had come out of seclusion to visit his family for Id al-Adha. The IDF also raids ‘Aida r.c. in search of Bethlehem Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades head Muhammad Abu Odeh, who fires on IDF soldiers, wounding 4, before being shot dead; the IDF then blows up his familyhome. In Ramallah, 2–3 armed AMB mbrs. reportedly storm the offices of al-Dar newspaper and al-Quds TV, destroying equipment, computers, archives. (HA, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; JP 2/8 in WNC 2/10; Independent 2/9; PCHR 2/12)

Sharon says that he has given orders to plan for the “relocation” of 17 of 20 Jewish settlements in Gaza and 3 Jewish settlements in the West Bank over the next 2 yrs., with “the assumption that in the future there will be no Jews in Gaza.” (BBC, HA, MM 2/2; AP, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/3; VOP 2/3 in WNC 2/5; NYT 2/4; WJW 2/5; JT, al-Ra’i 2/8 in WNC 2/10; AYM 2/8 in WNC 2/19; PR 2/11; CSM 2/12; JPI 2/13; AYM 2/17 in WNC 2/20; MEI 2/20) (see 11/23)

The IDF raids Tulkarm r.c., rounding up all inhabitants of 1 section of the camp for questioning, detaining 230 Palestinian men, allowing women and children to go after 10 hrs.; sends APCs into Rafah, shelling residential areas, wounding 3, demolishing 1 Palestinian home and 2 stores, severely damaging 5 homes; demolishes another Palestinian home nr. Hebron; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Anabta nr. Tulkarm, Asira nr. Nablus, Jaba’ nr. Jenin, Kubar nr. Ramallah, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tarqumiyya and Yatta nr. Hebron. Israel completes a section of separation wall cutting off Abu Dis fr. Jerusalem. Palestinians report that the IDF has bulldozed 24 dunams of agricultural land outside Hebron since 1/9, for construction of the wall. (ISM press release 1/12; WT 1/13; PCHR 1/15; WP 2/10)

Sharon makes a statement to the Knesset reiterating his intention to disengage unilaterally fr. the occupied territories if the Palestinians do not make concessions soon. The Knesset endorses Sharon’s statement byavote of 51-39. (AFP 1/12; MM 1/13; PR 1/14)