The Palestine Chronology

U.S. special envoy Ross arrives in Cairo for talks with Pres. Mubarak, on the 1st stop on a tour of the region aimed at resuming Syrian-Israeli negotiations, assuring Cairo Economic Summit will be held in 11/96. (WT 9/18)

IDF demolishes Palestinian home in East Jerusalem because a 2d story was added without a permit. (al-Nahar 9/18 in WNC 9/20; LAWE 9/19)

Palestinian land owners in Hebron receive IDF notification that 4 acres of their land nr. Kiryat Arba settlement have been seized for military use; owners have 10 days to evacuate. (PR 9/20)

Lebanese cabinet bans newscasts fr. unlicensed radio, television outlets (e.g., Hizballah media); orders state-owned media to give priority to news about the resistance in all their news casts. Unlicensed outlets may continue to transmit nonpolitical broadcasts until 11/30/96, by which date they must liquidate their assets. The board chmn. of state-owned Tele Liban, Fu'ad Nu`aym, resigns in protest. (MM 9/17; RL 9/18 in WNC 9/20; MM 9/19; Independent [London] 10/2 in WNC 10/3; MEI 10/4; CSM 10/21)

1st Netanyahu, Arafat mtg. is held at Erez. Netanyahu says he is prepared to negotiate a final peace, improve Palestinian economic conditions, allow 50,000 Palestinian workers into Israel (see 8/5). (MM 9/4; CSM, MM, WP, WT 9/5; VOA, YA 9/5 in WNC 9/6; al-Quds al-Arabi 9/5, RE 9/6 in WNC 9/9; MEI, MM, PR 9/6; JT 9/8 in WNC 9/10; MM 9/9, 9/10; PR 9/13; JP 9/14; MEI 9/20)

Arafat rejects new Hebron redeployment plan presented to the PA by Israeli Infrastructure M Sharon. The plan calls for expanding the area to be transferred to full PA control, decreasing the number of Palestinians left under Israeli control fr. 17,000 to 3,000; linking the Jewish enclave to the Tomb of the Patriarchs/ al-Ibrahimi mosque, Kiryat Arba settlement; erecting a wall btwn. the Arab, Jewish sections; permitting PA to increase police presence in Hebron within 6 mos. if security in the city is maintained. (YA 9/5 in WNC 9/6) (see 9/3)

Following Netanyahu-Arafat mtg., YESHA settlers' council holds emergency mtg.; announces it will no longer wait for permission fr. Netanyahu to undertake new housing construction in the West Bank, Gaza. (WP 9/6)

LAWE says there are currently some 320 Palestinian administrative detainees in Israeli prisons, 2/3 of whom were arrested after the Oslo II agmt. was signed 9/28/95. 1/4 are residents of area A, which is fully under PA control. (LAWE 9/4)

Iraqi air force twice challenge expanded no-fly zone in s. Iraq. U.S. responds by firing on a radar station. Pres. Clinton hints that there would be no further action against Iraq unless the U.S. senses a fresh provocation. (MM 9/4; CSM, WP, WT 9/5; JT 9/5 in WNC 9/6) (see 9/3)

In advance of the last 2 rounds of Lebanese elections (9/8, 9/15), Syria brokers election coalition agmt. btwn. Amal, Hizballah meant to increase the chances of success for Islamist candidates and undermine the alliance btwn. current speaker Birri, current PM Hariri. Syria does not want to excessively reduce the power of the Islamists, who experienced significant losses in the 8/18, 8/25, 9/1 rounds of voting. (MM 9/5; al-Nahar 9/13 in WNC 9/17; MEI 9/20)