The Palestine Chronology

Arafat returns to Washington to meet with Pres. Clinton, then briefs Egyptian FM Musa. (MM 9/29; MENA 9/29 in WNC 9/30; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/30; MM 10/1)

IDF places 2-day closure on occupied territories for Yom Kippur holiday. (NYT, WT 9/30; MM 10/1; PR 10/2)

1 Palestinian is killed, 2 are wounded in Beitunia, West Bank, when a bomb blows up in their car. PA police say the 3 alleged Hamas mbrs. had just collected a bag they believe to contain weapons, which detonated as they left the rendezvous. Later, the PSF arrests 4 Israeli Arabs in the Hebron area for selling arms to the men. (CSM, NYT, WP, WT 9/30; ITV 9/30 in WNC 10/2; PR 10/2, 10/9) (see 9/21)

PA security forces raid a suspected Hamas building in Hebron, find 640 lbs. of explosives. (ITV 9/30 in WNC 10/2; MM, WT 10/1)

Clashes btwn. Israeli Arabs, police in Umm al-Fahm continue for 3d day, spread to Nazareth (Israel's largest Arab city). Arabs throughout Israel strike to protest police brutality. Palestinians Bethlehem also hold solidarity protest, clash with IDF. (MM 9/29; NYT, WT 9/30; MM 10/1; MA 10/1 in WNC 10/2; MEI, PR 10/2; Shihan 10/3 in WNC 10/5; ITV 10/2, 10/3 in WNC 10/6; MM 10/5; JP 10/10; JTV 10/19 in WNC 10/21)

In Washington, Pres. Clinton meets with Netanyahu and Arafat, who agree on essentials of a 13% FRD but differ on "parallel" Palestinian actions to ensure Israeli security. Announce plans for another 3-way mtg. in the U.S. in mid-10/98 to finalize agmt. (MM 9/28; ITV 9/28 in WNC 9/29; HA [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/29; Les Echos 9/29 in WNC 9/30; CSM 9/30; al-Akhbar 9/30 in WNC 10/1; WJW 10/1; MEI, MM, PR 10/2; JP 10/3, 10/10)

Arafat returns to New York City to address the UNGA. Under pressure fr. the U.S., he does not mention declaring of a state in 5/99. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/29; CSM 9/30; MM 10/1; MEI, MM, PR 10/2; JP 10/10) (see 9/23)

Fmr. UNSCOM inspector Ritter reveals that for 4 yrs., Israel analyzed intelligence data on Iraq for UNSCOM. (MM 9/28; HA [Internet], WP 9/29; MM, WT 9/30; al-Thawra 9/30 in WNC 10/6; MM 10/1 WP 10/11, 10/12) (see 8/26)

In Umm al-Fahm, Israeli Arabs, Israeli security forces clash for 2d day, with some police firing live ammunition, leaving 11 residents wounded. Town observes general strike to protest police brutality. (MM 9/28; MM, WT 9/29; MEI, PR 10/2; MM 10/5; JP 10/10)

Israeli police free settler who killed a Palestinian boy 9/17. (MEI, PR 10/2) (see 9/19)

After a 2d round of separate mtgs. (see 9/26), Secy. Albright holds unexpected mtg. with PM Netanyahu and Arafat together to discuss FRD. Arafat to tone down his speech to the UNGA to "improve the atmosphere for peace-making." (IDF Radio 9/27 in WNC 9/29; NYT, WP, WT 9/28; MEI, PR 10/2)

100s of Israeli border police descend on Umm al-Fahm, nr. Haifa, to break up 3-wk.-old sit-in by Israeli Arab residents protesting an IDF confiscation of 62 acres of the town's olive groves for a firing range. After 10 hrs. of clashes in which more than 100 (maybe as many as 500) Israeli Arabs, 15 police are injured, the IDF agrees to allow residents to harvest the groves for another 6 mos. (JTV 9/27 in WNC 9/29; HA [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/28; JT 9/29 in WNC 9/30; MEI, PR 10/2; MM 10/5, 10/6; JP 10/10) (see 7/5)

The family of Alisa Flatow--awarded (3/11) $247.5 m. by a U.S. court in a case that found Iran liable in Flatow's death in an Islamic Jihad suicide bombing in Israel in 4/95--lobbies Capitol Hill to pressure the U.S. government to give them 12 Iranian properties (including the fmr. embassy building), other frozen assets to defray the settlement. (WP 9/27, MM 10/12; see also MM 9/18)