The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

Sniper fire continues around LAF base at Souq al Gharb; IDF position in Beqaa fired on from position near Kamed e-Loz; Israeli gunboats reportedly seize Cypriot ship bound for Tripoli, arrest 25 Palestinians on board.

Casualties:

Beirut airport reopens; MEA reports loss of $13.7 million during 32 days of airport closure; IDF bulldozes house of family of suspected guerrilla in Ain al-Hilweh camp; relief agency workers report 3 other houses destroyed in Burj alShemali camp near Tyre on September 12, average of 50 Palestinians arrested weekly by IDF.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Cease-fire security committee holds second meeting, agrees to avoid shelling of airport.

US and Other Countries: Senate approves resolution invoking War Powers Act and authorizing 18-month Marine deployment by 54-46 vote, House agrees to accept Senate bill by vote of 253-156.

Military Action:

US Marines begin carrying loaded weapons after intelligence reports warn of attacks; IDF construction of airport near Damour reportedly completed; gunmen wearing uniforms of Haddad's force stop Norwegian UNIFIL patrol, wound one, steal rifles and jeep.

Casualties:

Bomb destroys administrative offices of PLO production branch (Samed) in West Beirut.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Foreign Minister Shamir calls Reagan statement on F-16s regrettable, says US knew Israel entered Lebanon not to capture or occupy territory but to disperse and destroy PLO; Jerusalem Post public opinion survey on Kahan Commission, conducted among Israeli Jews, shows that 51.7% think conclusions too harsh, 31.4% just, 2.7% too lenient; Village League leader in Farhah, north of Jerusalem, found dead of bullet and stab wounds, the third Village League leader killed in 18 months; Israeliled local councils in Golan raise taxes by 200% following request from Interior Ministry.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Foreign Minister Salem says progress made in joint talks, other officials say gap has narrowed over extent of Israeli military involvement in South Lebanon after troop withdrawal.

US and Other Countries: US officials acknowledge there is no legal prohibition on transfer of F-16s (worth $2.7b and not due for delivery to Israel until 1985), as stated yesterday by Reagan, but approval of transfer now would violate spirit of the law and will be withheld until Israeli forces leave Lebanon; Senate sources make public text of July 15 State Dept. letter informing Congress that Israel's invasion of Lebanon may have involved substantial violations of Arms Export Control Act, which prohibits use of US supplied arms for offensive purposes; Secretary of State Shultz and senior State Dept. officials meet Habib to discuss US position on current status of Lebanon negotiations; State Dept. study shows Israel was most consistent backer of US in UN, voting 86.2% with US, UK second at 80.1 %; 8 prominent Soviet Jews issue statement critical of international Zionism for purporting to speak on behalf of Soviet Jews, call for formation of anti-Zionist committee of the Soviet public, State Dept. calls announcement anti-Semitic diatribe; South African Jews, numbering 120,000, make highest per capita contributions to Israel, second in total amount to US Jews, have emigration rate to Israel 5 times higher per capita than US Jews.

Military Action:

Explosion 400 yards from Lebanon Beach Hotel in.Khalde delays talks for 30 min., Israel charges was 107mm Katyusha rocket fired from behind Marine lines in Hay el-Sellom, Phalange says was rocket-propelled grenade, Lebanon state radio says was 120mm mortar, Lebanese Army says shell was detonated by explosives on the spot; IDF tries to use road under MNF jurisdiction.

Casualties:

1 IDF at checkpoint near hotel wounded; IDF detains 4 Lebanese in Khalde area, cuts off road.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Government defeats 2 no-confidence motions on social policies put forward by Labor and Democratic Front following release of survey that shows 300,000 Israelis live under poverty line; General Amir Drori criticizes US Marines for failing to prevent guerrilla infiltration from its sector; General Yaacov Even, IDF chief spokesman, says Marines are buffer for PLO's hit and run attacks, that since Dec. 22, 9 incidents near US lines resulted in 1 IDF killed, 25 wounded; Government denies reports that relations with Ethiopia have improved and Israeli advisers are now in Addis Ababa; week long Canal Founders Conference of Israel Bonds begins, attended by 200 Jewish leaders from US and Canada; security forces arrest 2 from Gaza who admit to Jan. 8 Tel Aviv grenade attack, say they are members of Fateh and were trained in Egypt.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: After 6 hours, negotiations stalled on Israel's demand to have IDF remain in security installations in Lebanon and nature of future relations, with Lebanon proposing protocol accord to regulate ties.

Arab Governments: King Hussein returns to Jordan from tour of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

US and Other Countries: State Department denies press reports that Reagan is prepared to sign document drafted by National Security Council, State and Defense Departments to cut off military aid to Israel; Reagan Administration says it is extremely concerned over slow pace of Lebanon negotiations, following Habib's return to US, with 2 stumbling blocks of normalization and surveillance stations; National Executive Committee of the Zionist Organization of America is told by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that Reagan Administration is not a mediator in the Middle East but coddles Saudi Arabia and entices King Hussein to peace table with airplanes and missiles, that it was never disclosed publicly that intelligence officials told the State Department that armed PLO members remained in Beirut; ZOA President Ivan Novick says Reagan Administration uses West Bank settlements to divide American Jews, but Jewish settlements are valid based on right to security and self-defense, historical connection, and according to international law Israel holds better title to this land; British press reports that secret documents accidently released recently indicate that Britain dissuaded Jordan, Syria and Iraq from concluding peace agreements with Israel in 1949.