The Palestine Chronology

Israel shells, sends troops into Dahaysha; conduct air raids (including F-16s) against targets across Gaza and in Hebron, Nablus, Ramallah. The IDF continues operations in Bethlehem, coming within a mile of the Church of the Nativity; raids a village nr. Rafah, ordering Palestinian men age 15+n45 to surrender; makes incursions into Birzeit, Jifna. The IDF attempts to assassinate senior AMB mbr. Samir Awais, firing missiles a his car, killing his brother, the car's only occupant, by mistake. Late this evening, 2 AMB gunman open fire and throw grenades in the Israeli coastal city of Netanya, killing 2 Israelis, 1 Israeli Arab, wounding 24 before being shot dead. Hrs. later, a Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device in a Jerusalem cafe, killing 11 Israelis, wounding 50. The IDF reportedly has detained some 600 Palestinian men, teenage boys in Tulkarm r.c. since 3/8. (BDL, HP 3/9; NYT, WP, WT 3/10; JP [Internet], MM 3/11; LAW 3/13)

In Netanya, Israel, a Hamas suicide bomber kills 5 Israelis, injures 110. After dark, Israel sends F-16s to drop 1,100-lb. bombs on PA security targets in Gaza City, Nablus, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, killing 12 Palestinians, wounding 90--marking Israel's 1st use of warplanes against the Palestinian areas since the 1967 war. (Sharon makes the decision to use F-16s in a mtg. with FM Shimon Peres and DM Benjamin Ben-Eliezer; he has not met with his security cabinet in 3 wks.) An IDF officer is also killed when his car is ambushed in the West Bank. Britain, European Union (EU), Russia, the UN, the U.S. condemn the sharp escalation; urge PA, Israeli leaders to bring violence to a halt. (AP, BBC, HA, JP [Internet], MM, REU 5/18; AFP, Interfax 5/18, al-Quds 5/19, JT, MA, RMC 5/20 in WNC 5/21; LAW, PCHR, NYT, WP, WT 5/19; QA 5/19, El Pais (Madrid) 5/22 in WNC 5/23; HP, NYT, WT 5/20; al-Ra'i 5/20, MA 5/21 in WNC 5/22; MM 5/21 PCHR 5/24; LAW 5/25; MEI 6/1)

The UN Security Council (UNSC) accepts UN Secy.-Gen. Kofi Annan's 5/2 proposal for a staged reduction of UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) troops. (UN press release 5/18)