The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Govt. assures US that recent Ethiopian Jewish immigrants will not be settled in occupied territories; states those in Kiryat Arba are not recent immigrants [JP 3/12]. Palestinian students at Haifa U. strike to protest police action during 3/10 sit-in [FJ 3/15].

Military Action

Arab World: IDF raid Zrariya, N. of new defense line; 34 killed, 7 wounded, over 100 arrested including at least 10 Lebanese Army soldiers who tried to resist; 11 homes destroyed; IDF fire upon Intl. Red Cross ambulances attempting to enter town [NYT, MG 3/12]. IDF extend 2/26 travel ban on cars with fewer than 2 passengers to all areas under Israeli control (previously applied only to predominantly Shi'ite areas in which IDF had been attacked in the past) [JTA 3/12].

Military Action:

Fighting continues southeast of Beirut between LAF and PSP, and in southern Beirut suburbs between LAF and militiamen; car bomb explodes near Reuter news agency in Beirut; PLO rebels advance within half mile of Arafat's HQ in central Tripoli, cut off loyalist forces still holding ground at Baddawi; Islamic Unification Movement fighters deploy alongside PLO loyalists in Tripoli; 12-hour unilateral cease-fire declared in Tripoli by PLO rebels is broken by exchanges of rocket fire in evening; 3 ships carrying supplies to loyalist PLO forces reportedly captured by Israeli navy off Tripoli.

Casualties:

Unspecified civilian casualties in southern Beirut suburbs; contrary to initial claims, French air raid near Baalbek last Thursday did little or no damage to military targets, casualties reported at 2 dead, 7 wounded; Red Cross estimates 60% of Tripoli's 500,000 to 600,000 residents have fled; 8 killed, 97 wounded today in Tripoli, 392 killed, 1869 wounded in fighting since November 3; IDF allows limited flow of commercial traffic across Awali bridge after weekend ban, private vehicles cross only with IDF issued permits.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: 4 petrol bombs thrown at IDF position in Tulkarem, curfew on nearby refugee camp; Council of Jewish Settlements in West Bank and Gaza holds emergency meeting at Kiryat Arba, demands severe action by IDF against Palestinians, settlers threaten to take law into their own hands; 17-year-old boy from Balata sentenced to 6 months in prisoni, IS 30,000 fine for participating in demonstration at Askar camp on November 8; committee representing Dheisheh camp residents releases statement rejecting government plan, announced yesterday, to resettle Palestinian refugees outside camps, details raids, road and school closures, fines, curfews and other measures used against camp residents in recent period.

Palestinian/ Lebanese: Arafat's conditions for leaving Tripoli include security for his supporters, both Palestinian and Lebanese, his right to return to Tripoli, and withdrawal of rebel forces; PFLP and DFLP call for democratic dialogue between fighting PLO forces.