The Palestine Chronology

During the day in Gaza, the IDF fires on Jabaliya r.c., seriously wounding a Palestinian woman inside her home. In the evening, Olmert convenes his security cabinet, which authorized the IDF to step up attacks on Hamas, Islamic Jihad. Soon after, the IDF makes an air strike targeting IQB cmdr. Samih Farwanah in Gaza City, who is at the home of Hamas-affiliated Change and Reform Palestinian Council (PC) mbr. Khalil al-Haya, assassinating Farwanah, killing 7 of Haya’s relatives, wounding more than 12; fires a missile at Hamas mbr. Nasser Hammuda, biking through Gaza City, wounding him in an apparent assassination attempt; makes an air strike on an alleged Hamas weapons factory in Gaza City, killing 1 Palestinian security guard, wounding 3 bystanders; makes an air strike on the home of an Islamic Jihad mbr., destroying it and a neighboring meeting hall, causing no injuries; shells residential areas of Bayt Lahiya, heavily damaging 2 homes, wounding 6 Palestinians. Palestinians fire at least 12 rockets, 2 mortars fr. Gaza into Israel, damaging 2 trucks on the Israeli side of the Qarni crossing but causing no injuries. In Rafah, an al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. is injured when explosives he is handling detonate prematurely. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Arub r.c nr. Hebron and in and around Bethlehem, Jenin town and r.c.; raids 4 TV and radio stations in Nablus seizing computers and broadcasting equipment; begins bulldozing 130 dunams (d.; 4 d. = 1 acre) of apricot and date orchards nr. Artas nr. Bethlehem to make way for the separation wall. Under IDF escort, Jewish settlers fr. Efrat nr. Bethlehem uproot Palestinian trees nr. the settlement. Jewish settlers fr. Karme Tzur nr. Hebron unleash an attack dog on a Palestinian farmer working his land nr. the settlement, injuring him. Meanwhile, Hamas, Fatah observe a ceasefire during the day; stores begin to reopen and residents venture out for the 1st time in a wk. (HA, IFM, NYT, PCHR, WP 5/20; HA, NYT, OCHA, PCHR, WP, WT 5/21; OCHA 5/23; PCHR 5/24)

Overnight, Lebanese police and soldiers raid several homes in Tripoli in an attempt to capture a group connected to the tiny militant group, Fatah al-Islam (FI), that was suspected of carrying out a bank robbery on 5/19. The raids spark gun battles that quickly spread throughout the city and to the outskirts of Nahr al-Barid r.c. (pop. 40,000), where FI is based. When FI forces leave the camp to ambush and capture nearby army positions, the Lebanese army fires tank shells, mortars into the camp, quickly precipitating massive clashes (including RPG, heavy weapons fire by FI) that continue throughout the day. In total, at least 27 Lebanese soldiers, 20 FI mbrs., and 9 Palestinian civilians inside the camp are killed and scores are wounded during the day. By nightfall, the army regains control of areas surrounding the camp, seals the camp to prevent militants fr. escaping; cuts water and electricity to the camp to urge a surrender. Syria closes several border crossings n. and w. of Tripoli in reaction. Separately, a car bomb explodes nr. a shopping mall in the Christian neighborhood of Achrifiyya in Beirut, killing 1 Lebanese woman, wounding 12; no group claims responsibility. (AP, NYT, REU, WP, WT 5/21; WT 5/24; NYT 6/20, 7/7)

Military Action:

PSP and LAF exchange heavy artillery fire around Suq al-Gharb; sporadic exchanges of artillery and RPGs around Baddawi, cease-fire holds generally; IDF patrol fired on north of Zahrani.

Casualties:

Car bombs kills 2 civilians in South Lebanon village of Tibnin; 6 Israeli POW held by PLO in Tripoli moved to safety.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: 5 Jewish civilians enter Dheisheh camp, under curfew, shoot and wound 3 Palestinian men after breaking into house, IDF says those responsible were border police in plain clothes on undercover operation; Arens, dedicating new settlement near Hebron, calls on "Arabs of Eretz Israel" to negotiate coexistence with Israel.

Arab Govenments: Assad taken to hospital in Damascus, reportedly has appendectomy, tomorrow's meeting with Gemayel postponed.

US and Other Countries: Special envoy Rumsfeld arrives on first visit to Beirut, meets Gemayel; McFarlane warns Syria US will respond to fire at US aircraft over Lebanon, cites Grenada as example of US resolve to protect American lives.

Military Action:

LAF and Druze exchange artillery and RPG fire around Souq al-Gharb; heavy fighting in Tripoli between pro- and anti-Syrian militias, Syrian artillery shells Islamic Unification Movement positions; IDF position near Tyre attacked with small arms fire.

Casualties:

6 LAF soldiers wounded at Souq al-Gharb; 47 killed, 70 wounded in Tripoli; Islamic Unification Movement [IUM] forces occupy most positions of pro-Syrian militia in Tripoli; 1 IDF soldier wounded near Tyre.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Cease-fire security committee fails to meet as Amal delegate protests LAF arrest of Shi'ite soldiers returning home; Gemayel announces talks will begin on October 20 at undisclosed venue.

US and Other Countries: Reagan signs legislation authorizing Marines to remain in Lebanon for 18 months, but disclaims any concession of the constitutional authority of a President to deploy troops without Congressional approval.

Military Action:

Relatively light exchanges of fire between unidentified gunmen and LAF in southern suburbs; sniper fire directed at Deir al-Qamar; IDF patrol attacked with light arms, RPGs east of Tyre.

Casualties:

1 civilian killed, 1 wounded in Deir al-Qamar.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says at least 2 Syrian brigades have surrounded his forces in Tripoli area; McFarlane returns to Beirut from Europe via Israel

Military Action:

Heavy fighting between rival militias in Tripoli as Syrian troops pull back from 7 positions in the city.

Casualties:

Christian villages near Sidon and Nabatieh hold demonstrations to protest IDF order that 3 Phalangist barracks and offices in South Lebanon be closed, IDF says only Kfar Falus base affected, Phalangist forces refuse to remove bases; truck loaded with fresh fish from Israel blown up in Beirut.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Arens, in Washington, says IDF move in Lebanon is contingent on nothing except Israeli security interests, will occur in one step rather than phases.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Artillery, RPG and machine gun exchanges continue between rival PLO factions near Shtawra.

US and Other Countries: Reagan meets Shamir, Arens; Shultz describes IDF redeployment as step in direction of total withdrawal, not part of effort by Israel to stay in Lebanon; US officials say IDF pullback does not comply with actual provisions of Lebanese-Israeli agreement but it is being accepted as consistent with its spirit.

Military Action:

IDF patrol attacked with RPGs near Zahrani River, WAFA reports joint Lebanese-Palestinian force responsible.

Casualties:

1 Border Policeman killed, 3 soldiers wounded in ambush near Zahrani, village of Arab Salim sealed; several residents arrested; 6 killed, 9 wounded as gunmen attack worshippers in Tripoli mosque.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Fateh rebels, supported by PFLP-GC and Syrian troops and tanks, overrun 8 loyalist positions in eastern Lebanon, take control of Palestinian positions along highway between Syrian border and Shtawra; commander of loyalist Yarmouk brigade reportedly held by Syrian Army; Arafat travels from Damascus to Tripoli, says he will not return to Damascus until Syria ends support of rebels; Syrian news agency SANA carries full text of rebel statement for first time.

Military Action:

Grenades, mortars, rockets fired in Tripoli fighting between Lebanese Communist Party rnilitia and Soldiers of God militia; land mine explodes near Khiyam; Italian MNF patrol attacked with RPGs near airport; remote-controlled bomb explodes near IDF vehicle outside refugee camp near Tyre, area closed and searched; IDF surrounds town of Barja, arrests 3 Lebanese suspected of involvement in ambushes.

Casualties:

2 killed, 7 wounded in Tripoli fighting, schools and shops closed in old quarter of city; 9 Italian MNF wounded in 2 Beirut attacks, 2 vehicles destroyed; Lebanese Army informs residents of Burj al-Barajneh camp in Beirut that government prohibits repairs of bombed-out roofs, arrests 15 on charges of abusive construction, threatens to arrest additional 34 tomorrow.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Defense Minister Arens orders drastic cuts in ministry's National Security Unit, expanded by Sharon to proportions of alternative general staff; Arens tells Knesset Foreign Affairs committee there is no need to freeze West Bank settlements to entice King Hussein to enter peace negotiations; Cabinet selects Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Moshe Levy to replace IDF Chief of Staff Eitan; Central Bureau of Statistics says inflation rate is 130% a year; 3 suspects in attempt to take over Temple Mount released on bail; Nazareth municipal employee sentenced to 3 months in jail for participating in illegal Land Day demonstration in 1982; two new Chief Rabbis elected for 10-year terms, say that West Bank and South Lebanon are part of Israel; Bedouins call off hunger strike after Agriculture Ministry official agrees to meet them; curfews remain in force in Halhoul, Dheisheh, Aida, Jalazon and Ein Beit Alma, new curfew imposed on Balata camp; IDF seizes house opposite al-Amari camp for lookout post; 5 Village League members armed with automatic rifles enter village of Nuba, threaten to destroy it unless alleged demonstrators are turned in, IDF later arrests 3 residents,on charges of calling Hebron Village League head a traitor.

Arab Governments: Syrian officials say troops will not be withdrawn from Lebanon if any Israeli-Lebanese agreement provides for Israeli troops in Lebanon and formal trade, tourist, or diplomatic ties; Egyptian and Israeli officials hold second round of talks in Cairo on reviving trade relations.

US and Other Countries: State Department announces progress after third day of talks between Shultz and Shamir, emphasizes proposals for increased US responsibility for security, including training and equipping elite Lebanese force to patrol border, expansion in size and responsibility of MNF, and creation of a joint Lebanese- Israeli-US military commission to oversee security zone in South Lebanon; US officials say incentives to Israel such as high aid levels and release of F-16s are likely to accompany agreement to troop withdrawal accord; in statement read to conference on Soviet Jewry, Reagan says plight of Soviet Jews who are denied right to emigrate will remain in forefront of US foreign policy and human rights concerns.

Military Action:

Three hours of machine gun and RPG battles in Tripoli between PFLP-GC and anti-Syrian Lebanese militia; Saad Haddad, accompanied by IDF, occupies Jubb Jannin, northern-most Israeli position in Bekaa valley; IDF increases patrols in Sidon area; IDF APC detonates mine near Khamed al-Luz in northern Bekaa, no injuries.

Casualties:

3 bodies found earlier this week in Sidon area; PLO says Israel has offered, through Austrian mediation, to release 800 prisoners for 8 IDF captured in Lebanon; IDF says it holds 293 Syrian prisoners, 5,099 Palestinians and Lebanese at Ansar.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Foreign Minister Shamir criticizes Reagan for use of word homeland with reference to resolution of Palestinian question, says it is not by accident that this term does not appear in the Camp David accords; 3 Israeli officers, including a Captain, and three soldiers are currently serving prison terms for refusing to serve in Lebanon; police detain 6 persons for harassing Peace Now demonstration on February 10; members of Ramallah area Village League to face charges of aggravated assault and illegal detention and interrogation as a result of complaints by Ramallah residents over incident occurring a year ago.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: 18th session of Lebanese-Israeli-US talks in Khalde results in initial agreement on security arrangements; Habib meets with President Gemayel and other Lebanese leaders.

Arab Governments: Jordanian Foreign Minister, after talks in Beirut with President Amin Gemayel, says Israel must first withdraw from Lebanon and agree to settlement freeze before comprehensive negotiations can take place; Saudi Arabia, principal export market for Lebanon, bans all imports to prevent flow of Israeli goods.

US and Other Countries: Defense Secretary Weinberger denies Israeli reports that US Marines ordered not to have direct liaison with IDF, but says current system of liaison through a military council is satisfactory; Weinberger also says number of Marines in MNF may have to be increased if withdrawal of Israeli, Syrian and Palestinian forces is achieved; Shultz rejects Israeli position, reiterated yesterday by Arens, that a Palestinian state and homeland exists already in Jordan; US Gallup Poll taken in January 1983 finds American public sympathy toward Israel has returned to level of July 1981, following sharp drop after Beirut massacre.

Military Action:

IDF bus in Kfar Sil ambushed by Lebanese National Resistance using rocket propelled grenades and machine guns, IDF returns fire into groves alongside road; artillery, rocket and hand-to-hand fighting in Tripoli.

Casualties:

21 IDF wounded in ambush, bringing total IDF casualties in 3 weeks to 25 wounded, 6 dead, and since Sept. 1, total IDF casualties are 104 killed, 203 wounded; one attacker killed by IDF; 19 killed in Tripoli fighting.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: MK Charlie Biton, at lunch hosted by PLO in New York, calls for Palestinian state on the West Bank, urges US to negotiate directly with the PLO, Israel to cut military spending; Bedouin whose herds were seized in December win order nisi from Israeli High Court calling for Defense Ministry, Chief of Staff and Nature Reserves Authority (Green Patrol) to give reason within 10 days why the herds should not be returned; Palestinian union activists, journalists, writers and poets from Nablus, Tulkarm and Hebron arrested and detained by military authorities now number over 300 in Fara'a prison.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat in Kuwait calls on Arab states to exert economic pressure on US, then goes to Damascus for celebration of 18th anniversary of Fateh; Lebanese and Palestinian women from Bourj al-Barajneh protest detention of relatives; 3-week training by US Marines of Lebanese Army air assault battalion completed with display of heliborne hit and run attacks; $10 million worth of US military equipment, including 24 APCs, trucks and spare parts, for Lebanese Army arrives at Beirut port.

Arab Governments: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tarik Aziz says Iraq is encouraging the PLO to negotiate with Jordan, and does not oppose peace negotiations between Israel, the PLO and Arab partners.

US and Other Countries: US expresses official concern to USSR over construction of SA-5 missile sites in Syria, as USSR Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin is called to the State Department to meet with Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lawrence Eagleburger; Senator Paul Tsongas (D-MA) meets with Begin, then Hussein, tells reporters if Syria is obstacle to peace and troop withdrawal from Lebanon, this obstacle must be removed, and that Begin told him he accepts Hussein in the peace process but will never freeze settlements

Military Action:

IDF bus attacked by rocket-propelled grenade, sprayed bus with gunfire in Aley area; dispute between US and Israel over presence of 2 IDF tanks south of the airport (IDF supposed to stay in Khalde, US calls it violation of latest agreement); French troops extend patrols into Ashrafiya as Lebanese Army sets up new checkpoints; fighting between pro- and anti-Syrian factions in Tripoli.

Casualties:

6 IDF soldiers wounded in Aley ambush; 5 killed, 15 wounded in Tripoli factional fighting; UNRWA begins clearing debris from South Lebanon camps to prepare for winter; (UNRWA plans tents for 60,000 homeless, Israel estimates only 30,000); Western diplomatic sources in Beirut accuse IDF of looting during occupation.

Political Responses:

Israel/Occupied Territories: Peres calls for opening negotiations based on Reagan plan; Shamir tells UN Secretary General of Israeli opposition to continued UNIFIL deployment; Deputy Foreign Minister Yehuda BenMeir says al-Ansar prisoners will be part of withdrawal agreement; Begin asks 4,000 fundamentalist Christians meeting in Jerusalem to help Israel retain control of the occupied territories; senior Israeli official confirms Israel makes its own cluster bombs.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Deputy to Phalange leader Elias Hobeika, on TV, says Phalange will always kill Palestinians; PLO declines comment on PLO withdrawal from Lebanon; Lebanese internal security police head Gen. Ahmed el-Hajj suggested as possible Prime Minister; Gemayel reintroduces capital punishment for convicted murderers, kidnappers; Arafat appoints Col. Mohammed Affani (Abu Mutasem) as chief-of-staff to replace Abu Walid.

Arab Governments: Habib meets Assad for 3 hours, leaves for US via Rome; Mubarak asserts Israel is "beating drums of war."

US and Other Countries: US officials indicate Marines could stay in Lebanon 4-6 months.