The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

IDF in West Beirut coming under sporadic sniper fire, 1 Israeli officer is killed, 2 soldiers wounded; 6 IDF APCs close off street and interrogated suspects; 350 French troops disembark, take positions in port area and near Green Line (French officer asks Israeli unit at port to withdraw); Italian troops return to Cyprus from Beirut to protest IDF presence in Beirut.

Casualties:

Relief workers uncover another mass grave at Shatila containing 19 victims, all from one family, raising ICRC total to 317; Lebanese Prosecutor General Camille Geagea, heading an investigation, says 597 bodies found, 2,000 people still missing; unknown number of Palestinians arrested in Beirut sent to Israeli-run prison; accounts of IDF looting of houses belonging to Palestinians and Lebanese (including Saeb Salam's sister); Red Cross warns of danger of epidemics at Sabra and Shatila.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Habib meets Begin and Sharon, presses them on IDF withdrawal; head of IDF's Staff and Command College and director of the Israeli government Press Office resign to protest refusal to set up independent inquiry; Haaretz reports US intelligence survey received by Israeli officials estimates those killed in West Beirut alone at 4,000, another 22,500 wounded; head of Israeli Supreme Court refuses government request to undertake investigation; Sharon severely criticized, asked to resign at meeting of top army commanders and Eitan (officers reportedly fear government will blame army for massacre).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Prime Minister Wazzan submits his resignation, but Gemayel asks him to stay on as caretaker until new Prime Minister appointed; virtually all Muslim leaders but Murabitun greet Gemayel; Lebanese Army prosecutor Jermanos begins investigation into massacre, visits Sabra and Shatila; Fatah's Abu Saleh joins PFLP, PFLP-GC, Saiqa, and PPSF in rejecting the Fez plan's implicit recognition of Israel.

US and Other Countries: US says Britain and Netherlands may contribute to peacekeeping force; Jeane Kirkpatrick says UN should investigate massacre, and US is indirectly responsible; West Germany willing to consider Arafat visit to Bonn.

UN: UN-related International Atomic Energy Agency votes 41-39 to reject Israeli delegation's credentials (US says it will reassess US participation in agency, downgrades participation in meeting to "observer").

Military Action:

Last 700 PLO forces leave Beirut for North Yemen; Abu lyad and Abu Walid head last PLO group to leave Beirut; Arafat arrives in Greece to warm welcome by Papandreou.

Casualties:

Lebanese Army begins taking over Beirut security as stores open; relief agency officer estimates 20,000 wounded, 4,000 killed in war so far (Al-Nahar estimates 17,825 killed, 30,103 wounded); Amal militia release two Israel Radio workers who entered Burn al-Barajneh Monday.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli officials react angrily to Reagan proposals (Begin interrupts vacation to convene Cabinet meeting for tomorrow; Shamir says Reagan has departed from Camp David Accords; Tehiya Party members call for expanded settlements as answer to Reagan); Weinberger arrives in Israel, meets Sharon; Deputy Premier David Levy, dedicating new Jewish settlement, says government hopes to settle 100,000 Jews in West Bank during next 10 years; Shamir says Israel will never give up occupied territories; Begin meets Bashir Gemayel in secret meeting in Israel border town of Nahariya.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says US pledge to protect Palestinian refugees left in Lebanon "fundamental" to PLO agreement to leave Beirut (choice of Greece as first stop seen as snub to Arabs); Lebanese government orders all barricades removed inside Beirut, bans armed men from streets, seeks to abolish Green Line (Murabitun reportedly orders forces to comply); Lebanese Muslims oppose quick withdrawal of multinational force.

US and Other Countries: Reagan, in letter to Begin and address to US population, urges "self-rule" by Palestinians in entity linked to Jordan, asks for halt to new Jewish settlements in occupied territories; Senator Hatfield charges $4.5 m. diverted from humanitarian assistance to Lebanon to help pay for PLO evacuation from Beirut; Weinberger meets with Gemayel, Butros, Wazzan, Habib, and says US Marines should leave Beirut within a few days, shocking Lebanese Muslim, European diplomats.