Off Gaza’s coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing damage to 1 boat. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of al-Bureij r.c. open fire on nearby...
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July 14, 2015
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April 8, 2015
Off the n. coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, injuring 1 fisherman with rubber-coated metal bullets. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian in a...
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December 23, 2014
In the Gaza Strip, Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for a 3d day in a row. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian’s workshop in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah. Later...
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November 16, 2014
In the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops stationed nr. the border open fire on an unarmed 10-year-old Palestinian boy, critically injuring him. Later, the IDF arrests 3 Palestinians...
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April 29, 2014
In the West Bank, IDF troops demolish a mosque and 3 houses nr. Nablus on the basis that they had been built without a permit, leaving 30 people homeless. The IDF shoots and injures 1 Palestinian...
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September 3, 2013
In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian fishermen nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries or damage to the vessels. IDF troops also conduct a limited incursion in land close to the...
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May 14, 2013
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Russia for talks with Pres. Vladimir Putin about the peace process and regional developments, including Syria. Netanyahu asks Putin not to supply S-300...
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January 1, 2013
In the West Bank, Jewish settlers attack Palestinian-owned vehicles in between Bethlehem and Hebron. Settlers also damage around 250 olive trees southeast of Nablus, and later cut down 12 olive...
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June 2, 2011
The Israeli DM announces that the 1st permanent section of a border fence between Israel and Egypt has been completed; Israel expects to finish the 135-mi. fence by mid-2012. In the West Bank, the...
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March 22, 2011
Israel makes 2 air strikes on Gaza targeting the launch site of 4 mortars fired into Israel minutes earlier (causing no damage or injuries), hitting a nearby residential area, killing 4...
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March 15, 2011
Uruguay recognizes an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 lines. (XIN 3/16)
Egypt completes repairs to its natural gas pipeline damaged during the 2/2011 Egyptian unrest (see...
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November 21, 1985
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Lod military court sentences 2 West Bank Palestinians to life for murder of Jewish couple near Jerusalem [WP, TS 11/22].
Arab...
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November 18, 1985
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: P.M. Peres tells Knesset committee Israel has agreed to substitution by U.S. of condition that PLO recognize Israel's right to exist...
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September 12, 1985
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel's High Court upholds the deportation orders against 11 West Bank Palestinians on the grounds they failed to prove residency. The...
Off Gaza’s coast nr. Gaza City, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, causing damage to 1 boat. IDF troops on the Gaza border e. of al-Bureij r.c. open fire on nearby agricultural land. In the West Bank, IDF troops confiscate and damage property on late-night raids and house searches in a village nr. Ramallah, sparking minor clashes with stone-throwing Palestinian youths; 1 Palestinian is injured. In East Jerusalem, right-wing Jewish activist Glick leads a protest in the Old City against the closure of Haram al-Sharif to non-Muslims during the final 10 days of Ramadan. (MNA, WAFA 7/14; PCHR 7/30)
The Israeli NGO Peace Now reports that Israel’s Civil Admin. recently allocated 300 dunams (around 75 acres) of land for the expansion of a settlement s. of Bethlehem. Meanwhile, 3 Palestinians who work in an Israeli industrial zone nr. Tulkarm file a complaint with the Israeli National Labor Court to recognize their right to share equal working conditions. The court will deny their request on 7/19. Currently Palestinians working in Israeli-controlled areas are subject to 1967 Jordanian law while their Israeli counterparts are subject to different labor laws. (MNA 7/14; JP 7/15)
Israeli PM Netanyahu reportedly says, “We cannot develop the settlements further, but rather need to preserve what we have,” in comments to a settler organization called the West Bank Regional Council (WBRC). The Yesha Council, a settler umbrella group including the WBRC, responds, saying “a govt. that does not build in Judea and Samaria loses its right to exist.” The Likud Party then denies that Netanyahu made any statement of policy regarding a settlement freeze. (TOI, YA 7/14)
In Vienna, the P5+1 and Iran reach a final, comprehensive agreement to limit Iran’s nuclear program in exchange for sanctions relief. U.S. pres. Obama calls Netanyahu to discuss the agreement, and he reportedly offers to hold talks on increasing military aid to Israel. Netanyahu refuses “at this juncture.” (AP, HA, JP, JTA, MNA, NYT, REU, TOI 7/14; HA, NYT 7/15)
Off the n. coast of Gaza, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats, injuring 1 fisherman with rubber-coated metal bullets. In the West Bank, IDF troops arrest a Palestinian in a village nr. Hebron and another in c. Hebron. Meanwhile, hundreds of Israeli settlers perform religious rites at Joseph’s Tomb outside Balata r.c. nr. Nablus, sparking clashes between IDF troops and Palestinians in the camp. Israeli forces seize around 1,000 dunams of land nr. Hebron for the expansion of a nearby settlement. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces assault 2 guards in Haram al-Sharif after they try to intervene in the arrest of a Palestinian woman in the sanctuary. (MNA, WAFA 4/8; PCHR 4/9)
PA PM Hamdallah confirms PA Pres. Abbas’s earlier announcement that the PA refused reduced tax revenues from Israel after PM Netanyahu’s office announced on 3/27 that it would be unfreezing the transfers. He also says that the Palestinians will lodge an official complaint about the freeze at the ICC. (WAFA 4/8)
As part of a reported deal with Israel’s COGAT, the PASF expands deployments in towns and villages nr. Jerusalem, in Area B. The PASF will begin by opening up police stations in the villages. (REU 4/8; AFP, MNA 4/9)
U.S. Pres. Obama calls Sens. Corker (R-TN) and Ben Cardin (D-MD), the 2 ranking mbrs. of the Senate Foreign Relations Comm., denouncing Corker’s proposed bill that would empower Congress to approve or disapprove of any final agreement made by Iran and the P5+1. The bill, the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, is set for a comm. deliberation on 4/14. Meanwhile, Secy. of State Kerry and Under Secy. Wendy Sherman meet with reps. of AIPAC, the American Jewish Comm. (AJC), the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), and other pro-Israel U.S. Jewish groups to argue in favor of the agreement with Iran and further diplomacy. (AP 4/8; TOI 4/9; JTA 4/12)
In the Gaza Strip, Egyptian authorities open the Rafah border crossing for a 3d day in a row. In the West Bank, Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian’s workshop in Jalazun r.c. nr. Ramallah. Later, Israeli soldiers violently disperse Palestinians protesting the occupation and distributing Christmas gifts in Bethlehem. IDF troops also arrest 1 Palestinian youth n. of Hebron and fire tear gas canisters at Palestinian students in c. Hebron, then close down a nearby checkpoint when the students throw stones. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in a village nr. Ramallah; patrols nr. Hebron. In East Jerusalem, dozens of rightwing Jewish activists enter Haram al-Sharif and tour the area. Meanwhile, the Jerusalem Magistrate’s Court indicts 8 Palestinians on charges relating to incitement, quoting material from their personal Facebook pages. (IMEMC, MNA, WAFA 12/23; PCHR 12/25, 12/31)
A Palestinian prisoner in a PA detention center in Qalqilya dies of complications related to a heart condition. (MNA 12/23)
Pres. Abbas says that the PA will “no more deal with the Israeli govt.” if the UNSC fails to pass the res. proposed on 12/17. Hamas opposes the res. and calls for its withdrawal. (IMEMC, JP, MNA 12/23)
Revoking its 2011 approval of the Delek Group-Noble Energy alignment, the Israeli Antitrust Authority recommends that the 2 U.S. and Israeli energy companies either sell off their shared stake in offshore natural gas fields or end their cooperation agreement. (TOI 12/23; JP, JTA 1/4)
In the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) troops stationed nr. the border open fire on an unarmed 10-year-old Palestinian boy, critically injuring him. Later, the IDF arrests 3 Palestinians who cross the border fence into Israel nr. the Kerem Shalom crossing. In the West Bank, Palestinians gather nr. ‘Askar refugee camp (r.c.) to throw stones at Israeli military vehicles, sparking clashes with the IDF that leave 1 Palestinian injured. IDF troops deliver demolition orders to 5 Palestinian families n. of Qalqilya and temporarily seal all entrances to ‘Azun village e. of Qalqilya; patrol nr. Bethlehem and Hebron. Late in the evening, the IDF conducts arrest raids and house searches in Bil‘in, detaining mayor Basil Mansur, sparking clashes with stone-throwing local residents; conducts arrest raids nr. Hebron and Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, 10s of Palestinian women refuse to submit their ID cards to Israeli security officers outside Haram al-Sharif, defying a new Israeli access restriction; Israeli security forces beat several of the women with rifle butts to disperse them. Meanwhile, Israeli security forces escort 30 right-wing Jewish activists into Haram al-Sharif. Separately, IDF troops conduct arrest raids and house searches in 3 other areas of East Jerusalem. At an Israeli cabinet meeting, Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu reiterates his pledge to maintain the status quo at Haram al-Sharif, meaning that he intends to respect Jordan’s custody of the area. In West Jerusalem, a Palestinian stabs a Jewish Israeli with a screwdriver, injuring him; Israeli police set up roadblocks around the area in effort to capture the assailant, but he escapes. Late at night, a Palestinian bus driver is found hanged in his bus in West Jerusalem. Israeli authorities allege suicide, but the man’s family believes that Israeli settlers killed him in retaliation for the earlier stabbing. Clashes between Palestinians and Israeli security forces break out in al-Tur, East Jerusalem, in response to the bus driver’s death. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA 11/16; AFP, IMEMC, JP, MNA 11/17; PCHR 11/20)
U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry calls Palestinian Authority (PA) Pres. Mahmoud Abbas and tells him the U.S. will veto any UN Security Council (UNSC) res. on ending the Israeli occupation within 2 years. Abbas has been circulating such a res. since his speech at the UN General Assembly (UNGA) on 9/26/ 2014. (AP 11/18)
Israeli justice minister Tzipi Livni postpones until 11/23 a debate in her comm. over a new “nation-state” bill, which would enshrine Israel’s status as the national homeland of the Jewish people in the Basic Laws. Netanyahu says that he may sidestep the comm. debate and introduce the bill in the Israeli cabinet. (JTA, REU 11/16)
In the West Bank, IDF troops demolish a mosque and 3 houses nr. Nablus on the basis that they had been built without a permit, leaving 30 people homeless. The IDF shoots and injures 1 Palestinian with live ammunition during clashes prompted by a routine patrol in Nablus. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in Hebron and 1 nearby village, 1 village nr. Bethlehem, and Jenin r.c. at night; patrols in 4 villages nr. Hebron and 1 village nr. Jenin at night. (MNA, REU 4/29; PCHR 4/30)
Jewish extremists vandalize a mosque and 20 cars in Furaydis, a Palestinian town in n. Israel. Separately, a church on the n. shore of Lake Tiberias is vandalized. Both “price tag” attacks are accompanied by racist graffiti. (JTA, WAFA 4/29)
PA Pres. Abbas tells a conference in Ramallah that an extension of negotiations with Israel would require the borders of a future Palestinian state to be defined. Meanwhile, Israel’s Economics and Trade Minister Naftali Bennett says that Israel would gradually annex Area C of the West Bank in light of the failure of negotiations, and declares that the “Oslo era is over,” in remarks made to reporters during a visit to the Gush Etzion settlement bloc s. of Jerusalem. (AFP, JP, WAFA, YA 4/29)
Turkish PM Recep Tayyip Erdogan says in an interview on U.S. television network CBS that Turkey and Israel could move toward reconciliation within days or weeks, and claims that an agreement has been reached regarding compensation (without specifying exactly what this entails). The Israeli PM’s office refuses to comment. (JP 4/29)
In the Gaza Strip, IDF troops open fire on Palestinian fishermen nr. Bayt Lahiya, causing no injuries or damage to the vessels. IDF troops also conduct a limited incursion in land close to the border fence nr. Khan Yunis before withdrawing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon and in 1 village nr. Hebron at night, and patrols in 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon and in al-‘Arub r.c., 1 village nr. Hebron, and in 2 villages nr. Jenin at night. In East Jerusalem, IDF troops clash with residents in Abu Dis after protests against the arrest of a cancer patient. Separately, Israeli police ban 10 Palestinians from attending prayers at al-Aqsa mosque when Jewish extremists plan to visit the compound. Police also arrest Shaykh Raed Salah, leader of the n. Islamic Movement in Israel, on suspicion of incitement. Salah refuses bail conditions that would keep him 30 km away from al-Aqsa for 30 days and remains in jail. (JP, MNA, WAFA 9/3; PCHR 9/5)
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators meet for a 5th round of peace talks in Jerusalem. PA FM Riyad al-Maliki tells the media that Abbas is seeking to arrange a meeting with U.S. Secy. of State John Kerry to express doubts about the nature of the talks and dissatisfaction at U.S. envoy Martin Indyk’s limited participation thus far. Meanwhile, Arab League Secy.-Gen. spokesperson Nassif Hetti tells reporters that an Arab ministerial delegation will meet Kerry in Rome on Sunday to discuss the peace process. (AFP, JP, MNA 9/3)
The U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Cmte. reaches an agreement on a draft authorization for the use of military force against the Syrian govt., with conditions narrower than those requested by Pres. Obama. The draft sets a 60-day time limit on any U.S. action with a conditional single 30-day extension possible. There is also a provision banning the use of ground forces. Speaking to the cmte., Defense Secy. Chuck Hagel says that the pres.’s national security team is now convinced that taking military action against the Asad regime targets would be the right course of action. Hagel also reveals that Obama approved plans in 1/2013 to give lethal aid to Syrian rebels, the 1st time such a decision has been made public. Meanwhile, pro-Israel Jewish community groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Cmte. (AIPAC) and the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations back the administration’s call for a strike on Syria, following a conference call with Obama’s security advisers. In another development, UN Secy.-Gen. Ban Ki-moon affirms that the use of force is only legal as self-defense or with UNSC authorization. (AP, Guardian, JTA, REU, WP 9/3)
An Egyptian military court in Suez hands down sentences ranging from 5 years to life to around 50 Muslim Brotherhood mbrs. convicted of violence against the army, in relation to the events of 8/14 (when security forces massacred anti-coup protesters in Cairo). Meanwhile, Egyptian helicopter gunships kill 8 suspected militants and wound 15 others in air strikes in the Sinai Peninsula nr. the Rafah border with the Gaza Strip. (AFP, AP, REU, NYT 9/3)
Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu arrives in Russia for talks with Pres. Vladimir Putin about the peace process and regional developments, including Syria. Netanyahu asks Putin not to supply S-300 anti-aircraft missiles to Bashar al-Asad’s regime. (HA 5/14)
The International Criminal Court’s prosecutor Fatou Bensouda says she will open a preliminary examination into Israel’s 2010 attack on the Gaza-bound Mavi Marmara aid flotilla, following a referral from Comoros, to which one of the vessels raided was registered. (REU 5/14)
Thousands of Palestinians hold Nakba Day rallies in cities across the West Bank; the IDF violently disperses protesters in al-Khader, causing no serious injuries. The IDF also patrols in al- ‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, injuring 1 Palestinian in clashes. Jewish settlers uproot around 150 trees south of Nablus and also set fire to Palestinian agricultural lands in Bayt Furik village nr. Nablus. There is also a ‘‘price tag’’ attack in in Umm al-Qutuf village in Wadi Ara, a Palestinian village inside the Green Line, in which suspected Jewish extremists vandalize a mosque and 3 vehicles. (JTA, MNA, WAFA 5/14; PCHR 5/16)
Fatah and Hamas representatives hold reconciliation talks in Cairo. Hamas official Moussa Abu Marzouq says the sides have pledged to complete formation of a long-anticipated unity government within 3 months (see QU 168 for details). (JP, MNA 5/14)
Egypt’s upper house holds a special session to discuss recent clashes (5/7) in al-Aqsa Mosque and demands the immediate expulsion of Israeli ambassador Ya’akov Amitai in protest, but the government takes no immediate action. (ToI 5/14)
In the West Bank, Jewish settlers attack Palestinian-owned vehicles in between Bethlehem and Hebron. Settlers also damage around 250 olive trees southeast of Nablus, and later cut down 12 olive trees in Basalta nr. Nablus. In the latter case, Palestinians throw stones at the settlers, who are subsequently protected by IDF soldiers, who fire rubbercoated steel bullets and injure 3 Palestinians. The IDF also opens fire with live ammunition and rubber-coated steel bullets on Palestinians in Tamoun village nr. Jenin during clashes sparked by an arrest raid, injuring 30. The IDF also opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths who challenge troops entering ‘Urif village nr. Nablus. The IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin and 1 village nr. Tulkarm in the morning, in 1 village each nr. Jenin and Tulkarm in the afternoon, and in 3 villages nr. Tulkarm and 2 nr. Jenin at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Hebron at night. (MNA 1/1, PCHR 2/1)
Israel’s High Court of Justice gives the state an extended deadline for the demolition of unauthorized settler outpost Amona in the c. West Bank, delaying removal until the end of 4/2013. The outpost was set up on the site of a previous outpost of the same name that was evacuated in 2006, and had been slated for evacuation in February. (ToI 1/1)
Israeli newspaper Ha’Aretz reports that around 50 residents of Issawiyya in East Jerusalem have been arrested over the last month in clashes with security forces. Tensions are linked to the hunger-striking Palestinian prisoner Samer Issawi, who comes from the village. (HA 1/1)
Reporters Without Borders (RSF) registers its opposition to the 12/27 Hamas-imposed ban on Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip working with the Israeli media. (Guardian 1/1)
Palestinians demonstrate in Nablus against a recent decision to end refugees’ exemption from electricity costs. Around 200 protesters clash with PA security forces, angry that a debt-exemption clause is not applicable to non-refugees. (MNA 1/1)
Senior Likud officials speak at a conference in Jerusalem on a ‘‘one-state solution,’’ including Min. Yuli Edelstein, who voices support for the annexation of Area C of the West Bank. Likud politician and Knesset candidate Moshe Feiglin outlines his plan to pay Palestinian families in the West Bank $500,000 each to emigrate abroad. (Guardian, ToI 1/1)
A report in JTA indicates that 2 major American Jewish groups—the American Israel Public Affairs Comm. (AIPAC) and the Reform movement—are in disagreement about how to respond to the Palestinians’ successful UN bid. AIPAC has supported 2 congressional bids to shut down the PLO office in Washington, D.C., while the Reform movement has urged Obama not to punish the Palestinians for the initiative. Both groups, however, are apparently waiting to see if the Palestinians will use their new status to bring Israel before the ICC before backing penalties. (JTA 1/1)
The Israeli DM announces that the 1st permanent section of a border fence between Israel and Egypt has been completed; Israel expects to finish the 135-mi. fence by mid-2012. In the West Bank, the IDF arrests Hamas-affiliated PC speaker Aziz Dweik (no location reported); patrols in 5 villages nr. Jenin, Salfit, and Tulkarm during the day, checking IDs and issuing 2 orders to appear for questioning. Some 200 IDF soldiers and Israeli border police demolish 4 structures at the unauthorized settlement outpost of Aley Ayin nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with Jewish settlers that leave 1 police car destroyed by fire and 6 Israeli border police and 5 settlers injured. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad nr. Qalqilya set fire to nearby Palestinian crops; when local farmers try to chase them away, the IDF intervenes, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets and beating the Palestinians, injuring 3. Israel’s Prawer Commission issues its final report on how best to implement the 2008 Goldberg Commission’s recommendation that Israel should legalize unrecognized bedouin villages in the Negev, so long as their territory does not overlap with existing land settlement plans for the benefit of the Jewish population. (HA, JTA 6/2; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10)
Israel makes 2 air strikes on Gaza targeting the launch site of 4 mortars fired into Israel minutes earlier (causing no damage or injuries), hitting a nearby residential area, killing 4 Palestinian civilians (including 3 children) and wounding 11 (4 critically); Netanyahu expresses regret for accidentally harming civilians but accuses Palestinian militants of using civilians as human shields to carry out rocket and mortar attacks (even while there was no rocket fire at the time of the strikes). In the evening, Palestinians fire a manufactured Grad rocket and several mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Later, the IDF carries out a 3d air strike, killing 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to launch a rocket into Israel. The IDF also makes a brief incursion into Gaza northeast of Gaza City to level lands and clear lines of sight. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishermen off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF makes a predawn raid on Awarta, imposing a curfew and arresting 9 Palestinians, possibly in connection to the 3/11 Itamar murders; patrols in 2 villages nr. Ramallah and Salfit. (IRM 3/22; NYT, REU, WP, WT 3/23; NYT, PCHR 3/24; OCHA 4/1)
The Knesset passes (37-25, with 58 abstaining or not voting) the “Nakba Law,” which allows state funding to be reduced to communities or groups that commemorate the Nakba, deny Israel is a Jewish state, question whether Israel is a democracy, or harm Israeli national symbols. It also passes (35-20, with 65 abstaining or not voting) the “Admissions Committee Law” allowing Negev and Galilee Jewish communities with fewer than 400 families to reject potential residents (i.e., Palestinians) who are “socially unacceptable.” (IsRN 3/23; JTA 3/24)
The IDF detains 2 Lebanese shepherds who accidentally crossed the Blue Line into Israeli territory and turns them over to the UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL). (DS 3/23)
Uruguay recognizes an independent Palestinian state on the 1967 lines. (XIN 3/16)
Egypt completes repairs to its natural gas pipeline damaged during the 2/2011 Egyptian unrest (see Quarterly Update in JPS 159) and resumes sending natural gas to Israel. The Israeli navy detains a ship, the German-owned and Liberian flagged Victoria, en route fr. Syria to Egypt, 200 mi. off the Israeli coast that Israel claims was attempting to deliver arms to Gaza fr. Iran, taking it to Ashdod for further inspection; Israeli authorities said the ship carried 4 crates holding some 70,000 rounds of ammunition for Kalashnikov rifles, 1,000s of mortars, 6 Chinese C-704 antiship missiles, and 2 radar systems. Iran denies smuggling arms. The IDF makes a brief incursion into c. Gaza to level lands e. of al-Bureij r.c. to clear lines of sight. On the Rafah border, 2 Palestinians are killed, 4 are injured in an explosion in a smuggling tunnel. The UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) reports that another 4 Palestinians have been killed in tunnel accidents since 3/2. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night patrols in Jenin and surrounding villages; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron. Jewish settlers attempt to enter Kafr Laqif village nr. Qalqilya but are prevented by the IDF and stone nearby Palestinian homes instead. In separate instances, Jewish settlers fr. Karnei Shomron and Keddumim settlements, both nr. Nablus, stone passing Palestinian vehicles. Across the West Bank and Gaza, 1,000s of Palestinians turn out for candlelight vigils calling for national reconciliation. Hamas security forces violently break up the biggest rally (as many as 100,000) in Gaza City, injuring 5 protesters. In the West Bank, PA security forces (PASF) fire tear gas at some 8,000 protesters in Ramallah, briefly dispersing them and injuring 20; some protesters return, vowing to stay in Ramallah’s Manara Square until the West Bank and Gaza are reunited (they stay until 4/17). Meanwhile, Hamas’s acting PM in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh invites Abbas to Gaza for reconciliation talks; Abbas responds favorably. Inside Israel, 2 cars owned by Israeli Palestinian students at Safad Academic College were torched during a campus event to promote Arab-Jewish dialogue. Anti-Arab graffiti also was sprayed on the wall of the college, saying: “Arabs get out,” “Death to Arabs,” and “Kahane was right.” (General Delegation of the PLO to the United States letter, IFM, National Public Radio 3/15; JAZ, JP, JTA, MNA, NYT, WP, WT 3/16; PCHR 3/17; OCHA 3/18; JPI 4/1)
In Bahrain, protesters ramp up demonstrations in response to Saudi Arabia’s incursion, while the king imposes a 3-mo. state of emergency, deploys the military, and closes schools and govt. offices. (NYT 3/16)
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Lod military court sentences 2 West Bank Palestinians to life for murder of Jewish couple near Jerusalem [WP, TS 11/22].
Arab World: Yasir Arafat and top aides, meeting in Baghdad, reiterate rejection of UN resolutions 242 and 338 [TS 11/22; MG 11/23].
Other Countries: Jonathan Jay Pollard, counterintelligence analyst for the U.S. Navy, is arrested by FBI on charges of spying and selling classified code information to Israel [NYT, WP 11/22].
Military Action
Arab World: Transmitters of the Christian Missionary Middle East Television station in S. Lebanon are blown up for second time in several months [JTA 11/25].
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: P.M. Peres tells Knesset committee Israel has agreed to substitution by U.S. of condition that PLO recognize Israel's right to exist with the condition that PLO agree to direct negotiations with Israel (1 of 3 U.S. conditions for PLO participation in talks; others are renunciation of terrorism and acceptance of UN resolutions 242, 338) [JP 11/19]. P.M. Peres states Israel would agree to Soviet participation in intl. M.E. peace conference if Moscow would allow free emigration of Soviet Jews to Israel [CT 11/19]. Former head of Israeli civil administration on the West Bank Menachem Milsen urges U.S. Jewish groups to establish aid programs for West Bank Palestinians to encourage moderate leaders there [JTA 11/19]. Israeli High Court rejects petition by MK Meir Kahane that he be allowed to table two bills which would limit rights of non-Jews and ban sexual relations between Jews and non-Jews [JP 11/19].
Other Countries: Four Palestinians accused of hijacking Achille Lauro are convicted, along with 5th man arrested in Genoa before the ship sailed, on preliminary charges of illegal possession of weapons and explosives [WP, LAT 11/19].
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel's High Court upholds the deportation orders against 11 West Bank Palestinians on the grounds they failed to prove residency. The 11 were among 600 prisoners released in the West Bank in the 5/20 prisoner exchange [NYT 9/13]. Administrative detention orders are issued against 7 more Palestinians, bringing the total to 70 [JP 9/13]. Two-week-old curfew on Hebron marketplace is lifted [JP 9/13]. The Palestinian who sold the apartment to Israeli settlers in Hebron's old market where MKs recently squatted has asked the military governor of Hebron to have his flat returned if the settlers' ownership is not recognized. The Palestinian, Muhammad Yunis Ja'abari, has been hiding in Rabbi Moshe Levinger's home to avoid retaliation [JP 9/13].
Other Countries: Sec. of State Shultz tells group of Jewish congressmen the administration plans to go ahead with projected arms sale to Jordan. Jabotinsky Foundation announces former U.S. Amb. to the UN Jeane Kirkpatrick and "Operation Moses," which brought 10,000 Ethiopian Jews to Israel, are corecipients of the 1985 Jabotinsky Prize-Defender of Jerusalem Award, worth $100,000 [JTA 9/13].
Military Action
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Rafat Subuh, 20, and Muhammad Rimawi, 20, both from Gaza, are shot by army patrol [FJ 9/20]. Israeli soldier opens fire on Palestinian bus north of Jerusalem wounding 5 passengers. Police question the soldier [JP 9/13; FJ 9/20].