Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu begins talks with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party over a possible coalition, with the latter expected to present a lengthy list of demands. (HA 3/2)
Arafat, Barak, Clinton, Mubarak, King Abdallah, the UN's Annan, the EU's Solana meet in Sharm al-Shaykh. Talks continue for 16 hrs., stretching past midnight, without success. A separate, very...
Egyptian pres. Mubarak flies to Paris to consult with Pres. Chirac on PA-Israeli final status talks, Syrian-Israeli track. (MM 9/4; MENA 9/5 in WNC 9/7; al-Musawwar 9/8 in WNC 9/14) (see 8/...
Read more
Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu begins talks with Yair Lapid’s Yesh Atid party over a possible coalition, with the latter expected to present a lengthy list of demands. (HA 3/2)
Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erakat says that the PA will not return to negotiations until Israel stops settlement construction and releases Palestinian prisoners. He also says that there would be no EU initiative to resume peace talks without U.S. involvement. Meanwhile, PM Netanyahu’s aide Yitzhak Molho announces he will be stepping down from the Likud-Yisrael Beiteinu coalition negotiation team in order to remain as the PM’s special envoy for peace negotiations with the Palestinians. (JP 2/4; HA 2/3)
Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen off the Gaza coast nr. al-Waha, causing no injuries. The IDF also opens fire on Palestinians collecting gravel close to the border fence in the n. Gaza Strip, causing no injuries. In the West Bank, Nablus governor Jibril al-Bakri says that the IDF has reopened several roads in Nablus that had been closed for 13 yrs. The IDF patrols in Jenin in the morning, in 1 village nr. Qalqilya and 1 village nr. Jenin in the afternoon, and in 2 villages nr. Ramallah, 1 village nr. Jericho, 3 villages nr. Salfit, and 1 village nr. Qalqilya at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Silwan neighborhood in occupied East Jerusalem and 1 village nr. Nablus in the afternoon, and in Qalqilya, Nablus and 3 nearby villages, Bethlehem and 3 nearby villages, al-Bireh. Tulkarm, and Hebron and 3 nearby villages at night. The IDF detains 20 Hamas mbrs., including an individual involved in national reconciliation efforts. (MNA 2/3; AP 2/4; PCHR 2/7)
Israeli DM Ehud Barak tells a security conference in Munich that Israel means what it says with regard to threats to take preemptive action against its enemies. The comment is taken as hint of admission that Israel was behind the air strike in Syria. U.S. officials now say that the attack targeted a weapons shipment bound for Lebanon but also caused collateral damage to a nearby research center, an explanation for the discrepancy between accounts of the target (see 1/30, 1/31). Meanwhile, UK newspaper the Sunday Times reports that Israel is considering establishing a 10-mi. buffer zone inside Syria to protect itself from rebels. (AP, JP, WP 2/3)
Arafat, Barak, Clinton, Mubarak, King Abdallah, the UN's Annan, the EU's Solana meet in Sharm al-Shaykh. Talks continue for 16 hrs., stretching past midnight, without success. A separate, very heated mtg. is held among Secy. of State Albright, Israel's acting FM Ben-Ami, the PA's Local Government M Erakat, Egyptian FM Musa to draft an outline of the rules of disengagement. (MM 10/16; ITAR-TASS, MENA, RL 10/16 in WNC 10/17; al-Quds 10/16, JT 10/17 in WNC 10/18; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 10/17; AYM 10/17 in WNC 10/9)
Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue at the same level of the past few days, with most clashes occurring on the outskirts of Palestinian cities, which are encircled by IDF troops. 2 Palestinians are killed by Israeli gunfire; 1 Palestinian dies of illness after being denied access to medical treatment by the IDF for 2 days because of the internal closure; 190 Palestinians are injured. The IDF expands its Netzarim Junction base, begins clearing agricultural land along roads nr. Khan Yunis. (ADM, LAW 10/16; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 10/17; Globes [Internet] 10/25)
In Gaza, Fatah, Hamas stage demonstrations against Arafat's participation in the Sharm al-Shaykh talks. Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, hold similar protests in `Ayn al-Hilwa, Baalbek, Tyre. In Iran, 1,000s of students march to the local UN offices to urge UN support for the Palestinians, condemnation of Israel. Smaller rallies in solidarity with the Palestinians are held in Amman, Ankara, Tokyo. In the U.S., demonstrations are held in Madison, San Francisco. (UPI 10/16; ATL, RL 10/16 in WNC 10/17; JT 10/17 in WNC 10/18)
The UNGA, citing a rule that allows it to take up matters of international peace and security when the UNSC proves unable or unwilling to do so, begins preparing for an emergency session to debate a resolution condemning recent Israeli violence. U.S. Amb. Holbrooke protests. (WT 10/17; WP 10/18; WJW 10/19; MEI 10/27) (see 10/12)
Hizballah says that Tenenbaum, the 4th IDF solider taken captive, approached Lebanese contacts in Europe, claiming to be an intelligence agent for a country other than Israel. He was lured to Beirut, traveling on a fake passport, on the pretense of meeting with a Hizballah official. Israel does not comment. At the request of Shin Bet, the Israeli High Court imposes a ban on publishing information about the affair. (NYT, WP 10/17; WJW 10/19) (see 10/15)
Egyptian pres. Mubarak flies to Paris to consult with Pres. Chirac on PA-Israeli final status talks, Syrian-Israeli track. (MM 9/4; MENA 9/5 in WNC 9/7; al-Musawwar 9/8 in WNC 9/14) (see 8/28)
CIA Dir. George Tenet arrives in Israel fr. Cairo for 2 days of consultations with Barak, Arafat advisers on security and the peace process in advance of Clinton's mtgs. with Arafat, Barak at the UN millennium summit in New York. (MM 9/1)
U.S. special envoy Ross, back in the region, holds separate mtgs. with Arafat, Barak, and PA negotiators Erakat, Dahlan. (MM 9/1; WT 9/3)
A PA military court sentences Hamas mbr. Abu Hanud to 12 yrs. for forming, arming military cells. (LAW, NYT, WP, WT 9/2; WJW 9/7; HJ 9/7 in WNC 9/12; JP, MM 9/8) (see 8/26)
