The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli settlers verbally and physically assault Palestinians gathering in central Hebron in solidarity with Palestinian minors imprisoned by Israel; there are no serious injuries. Israeli forces demolish a Palestinian home under construction in Bayt Dajan village near Nablus and 2 EU-funded schoolrooms in a Bedouin village near Jerusalem. IDF troops arrest 14 Palestinians during late-night raids in and around Ramallah, Hebron, Jenin, Bethlehem, and Qalqilya; and patrol near Hebron and Salfit. In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces arrest 1 Palestinian during a raid in Shu‘fat refugee camp. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. (MNA, WAFA 2/4; EI 2/6; PCHR 2/8)

The Israeli cabinet unanimously approves a proposal to establish a new settlement for the residents of Havat Gilad, the illegal settlement outpost of the settler killed by Palestinians on 1/9. DM Lieberman is authorized to explore the relocation of the residents to a new settlement and to evacuate Havat Gilad. (HA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, YA 2/4)

IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian youths gathering along Gaza’s border near al-Bureij refugee camp to protest U.S. pres. Trump’s 12/6 recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital; 1 Palestinian is killed and 3 are injured. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Jabaliya refugee camp, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops shut down a checkpoint between Tell village and Iraq Burin village near Nablus in the context of the ongoing search for the perpetrators of the 1/9 deadly shooting. The shutdown sparks protests and later clashes between the Israeli troops and Palestinians in the area; 1 Palestinian is killed and 4 are injured. Meanwhile, IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian protesters gathering outside Qalqilya; 1 Palestinian is injured. They also arrest 5 Palestinians and confiscate NIS 17,400 (approximately $5,100) during late-night raids near Nablus and Tulkarm, and patrol near Tulkarm, Salfit, and Hebron. (HA, JP, TOI, WAFA, YA 1/11; PCHR 1/18)

Israeli PM Netanyahu instructs the Defense Ministry to connect the illegal settlement outpost Havat Gilad to the West Bank’s electricity grid. The move comes 2 days after the killing of an Israeli settler who lived in Havat Gilad. (JP, TOI 1/11)

Unidentified Palestinians fire 1 Qassam rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 4 villages nr. Ramallah and 1 nr. Jenin in the morning; 1 nr. Qalqilya in the afternoon; and in Jenin and 1 nearby village, Tulkarm and 1 nearby village, and 1 village each nr. Jericho, Qalqilya, and Ramallah late at night. The IDF also conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad nr. Qalqilya uproot 35 nearby Palestinian olive trees. (JP 3/3; PCHR 3/8; OCHA 3/9)

The IDF patrols in ‘Ayn al-Sultan r.c. nr. Jericho early in the morning, in 2 villages nr. Qalqilya and 2 nr. Ramallah in the afternoon, and 1 nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Tulkarm late at night. Jewish settlers fr. Gil’ad settlement nr. Qalqilya vandalize Palestinian homes in nearby Far‘ata village; the IDF intervenes, removing the settlers. In response to the 9/23 Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, Jewish settlers erect racist banners against Arabs at several crossroads, IDF checkpoints, and entrances to Palestinian communities across the West Bank. In Gaza, 2 Palestinians are killed, 7 are injured when gas canisters they were smuggling through a tunnel on the Rafah border explode. (PCHR 9/29; OCHA 9/30)

The Israeli DM announces that the 1st permanent section of a border fence between Israel and Egypt has been completed; Israel expects to finish the 135-mi. fence by mid-2012. In the West Bank, the IDF arrests Hamas-affiliated PC speaker Aziz Dweik (no location reported); patrols in 5 villages nr. Jenin, Salfit, and Tulkarm during the day, checking IDs and issuing 2 orders to appear for questioning. Some 200 IDF soldiers and Israeli border police demolish 4 structures at the unauthorized settlement outpost of Aley Ayin nr. Nablus, sparking clashes with Jewish settlers that leave 1 police car destroyed by fire and 6 Israeli border police and 5 settlers injured. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad nr. Qalqilya set fire to nearby Palestinian crops; when local farmers try to chase them away, the IDF intervenes, firing tear gas and rubber-coated steel bullets and beating the Palestinians, injuring 3. Israel’s Prawer Commission issues its final report on how best to implement the 2008 Goldberg Commission’s recommendation that Israel should legalize unrecognized bedouin villages in the Negev, so long as their territory does not overlap with existing land settlement plans for the benefit of the Jewish population. (HA, JTA 6/2; PCHR 6/9; OCHA 6/10)

Britain upgrades the status of Palestinian representation in London to a mission. (AP 3/7; JTA 3/8)

Israeli naval vessels fire on fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them back to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts daytime patrols in 4 villages nr. Jenin and 1 nr. Tulkarm; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in Tulkarm and nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Yish Ad settlement outpost nr. Nablus attempt to uproot Palestinian olive trees in nearby Qusra village, sparking a clash in which at least 7 stone-throwing Palestinians (including 2 children) are wounded by settler and IDF gunfire and 3 are beaten. Israel’s Yedi’ot Aharonot reports that the 3 structures at Havat Gilad outpost demolished on 2/28 have been rebuilt, along with 4 new structures. (REU, YA 3/7; NYT 3/8; PCHR 3/10; OCHA 3/18)

IDF troops on the c. Gaza border fire on armed Palestinians operating e. of Dayr al-Balah, wounding 1. The IDF makes a day-long incursion into Khuza‘a village in s. Gaza to level lands and clear lines of sight. Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the s. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts morning arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin; raids Hebron in the evening to arrest local human rights activists Issa ‘Amru on charges of incitement and affiliation with an illegal organization (the Youth Commission against Settlement in Hebron); conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron and late-night patrols in villages nr. Jericho and Ramallah. In reaction to the IDF’s removal of 3 structures at Havat Gilad outpost on 2/28, Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar implement their “price-tag doctrine” of retaliating against Palestinians for any action to curb settlers, throwing a Molotov cocktail at a Palestinian home and smashing the windows of 7 Palestinian cars nr. Nablus. (WT 3/2; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/4; WJW 3/10)

By this date, rebel forces in Libya have set up a provisional govt. in Benghazi and today call for international intervention (imposition of a no-fly zone, air strikes, supply of weapons but not ground forces) to topple Qaddafi. Analysts say the country looks poised for a “long and bloody stalemate.” Fierce fighting continues nationwide and more than 100,000 Libyans and foreigners have fled the country. The international community is meeting intensively to discuss options. (NYT, WP, WT 3/2; WP 3/3; NYT, WP, WT 3/4–8; NYT 3/9; WP, WT 3/11; NYT, WP 3/12)

Israeli officials announce that PM Benjamin Netanyahu, in consultation with DM Ehud Barak and Israel’s atty. gen. Yehuda Weinstein, have asked Israel’s High Court to respond to 15 petitions filed by Peace Now demanding the immediate removal of Israel’s unauthorized settlement outposts by ordering the dismantling of outposts built on privately owned Palestinian land before the end of 2011 (with the exception of a house owned by a fallen IDF officer) but authorizing the legalization of those built on state land. This would mean that 6 outposts would be removed, of which 5 are inhabited (47 homes), while more than 100 others would be legalized. In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 3 structures at the Havat Gilad unauthorized settlement outpost; Jewish settlers stone Israeli border police overseeing the demolition, who respond with tear gas and rubber bullets, leaving 15 persons lightly injured and 17 settlers under arrest. Afterward, Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement nr. Nablus exact their “price-tag doctrine” attack in nearby Hawara village, fire-bombing a house, injuring 2 children, and damaging other property. Separately, Jewish settlers fr. Halmish nr. Ramallah block a road leading to Nabi Salih and stone passing Palestinian vehicles; the IDF observes but does not intervene. Later, Jewish settlers fr. Gilad occupy a plot of Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya, setting up tents and mobile homes, but are evacuated by the IDF later in the day. The IDF also patrols in 4 villages nr. Hebron, Jenin, and Qalqilya; enters Kafr Laqif village nr. Qalqilya and fires stun grenades, claiming local youths stoned passing Jewish settler vehicles; no injuries are reported. In Gaza, the IDF shells the abandoned Dahaniyya airport site in s. Gaza, wounding 1 Hamas mbr. and destroying a nearby vacant home. IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire warning shots at Palestinians scavenging for construction materials in the fmr. settlement sites, killing 1 Palestinian. IDF troops on the c. Gaza border shell open areas e. of Jabaliya, forcing farmers in the area to leave their plots but causing no injuries. Hamas authorities arrest 4 of 20 Palestinians responding to an online call by Palestinian student groups to rally in Gaza City for national unity. (MNA 2/28; HA 3/1; JP, WT 3/2; PCHR 3/3; OCHA 3/4; AFP 3/7; JTA 3/8; UNIS 3/22)

Israeli naval vessels fire on Palestinian fishing boats off the n. Gaza coast, forcing them to return to shore. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Ramallah, Salfit. Jewish settlers level 7 d. of land nr. Hebron. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad settlement nr. Qalqilya harvest and steal the olives fr. a nearby Palestinian grove. (PCHR 10/14; OCHA 10/15)

The Israeli cabinet approves (22-8) submission of a bill to the Knesset that would require a loyalty oath as Netanyahu proposed on 10/6, but clarifying that Israeli Palestinians would not be required to make the pledge to maintain citizenship. (NYT, WP 10/11; NYT 10/19; JPI 10/22)

Unidentified Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Late in the evening, the IDF carries out air strikes on smuggling tunnels on the Rafah border in retaliation, causing no reported injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Qalqilya; conducts late-night patrols inside Jenin town. Jewish settlers stone Palestinian vehicles traveling on the Nablus–Qalqilya road nr. Havat Gilad settlement. The UN reports that in the previous wk., 2 Palestinian militants were killed mishandling explosives, and 1 Palestinian was killed and 1 injured in a smuggling tunnel collapse on the Rafah border. (Jewish Telegraphic Agency 11/23; OCHA, PCHR 11/25)

The IDF makes an incursion into c. Gaza and searches farmland nr. al-Bureij r.c., arresting 3 Palestinians. (PCHR 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF arrests a Palestinian nr. Pdu’el settlement; conducts latenight raids, house searches nr. Ramallah and Jenin, arresting 3 Palestinians (including a woman). More than 30 Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar settlement set fire to a field in Far‘ata village nr. Nablus. In a separate incident, Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar shoot at 2 Palestinian shepherds nr. the settlement, wounding 1. (OCHA, PCHR 9/17)

In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Sarra village nr. Nablus, then fires on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 1; patrols in, temporarily seals Dayr Abu Mash‘al village nr. Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad outpost nr. Qalqilya attack Palestinian farmers working their land nearby; the IDF intervenes, firing rubber-coated steel bullets to disperse the groups, injuring 2 Palestinians, 2 settlers. In Dayr al-Balah, gunfire erupts btwn. rival Islamic Jihad factions, wounding 2; Hamas-affiliated police bring the situation under control. (OCHA 6/4; PCHR 6/5)

In Dimona in s. Israel, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a device in a mall, killing 1 Israeli, wounding 11; an off-duty Israeli policeman identifies, fatally shoots a 2d bomber who allegedly planned to set off a 2d device as rescue workers gathered. (For discussion of the dispute over the bombers’ identities, see Quarterly Update.) At the Rafah crossing, Egyptian border police try to block about 700 Egyptians and Palestinians attempting to cross the border in both directions; travelers throw stones at policemen who respond with tear gas and by firing in the air; as the riot escalates, Hamas mbrs. inside Gaza apparently fire on the Egyptian troops to force a retreat, wounding around 20. In Gaza, the IDF makes an air strike on Bayt Lahiya, assassinating PRC mbr. ‘Amr Qarmout, wounding 1 bystander. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai in Hebron throw stones, empty bottles at a Palestinian father and his 12-yr.-old son, moderately injuring them. Jewish settlers fr. Havat Gilad outpost nr. Qalqilya uproot 200 Palestinian olive trees in nearby Jit. (HA, IFM, JAZ, REU 2/4; OCHA 2/6; PCHR 2/7)

The IDF attempts to assassinate, wounds Hamas political leader and chief spokesman ‘Abd al-‘Aziz Rantisi, firing missiles at his car as he drives through Shati‘ r.c., killing a bodyguard and a Palestinian woman walking nearby, wounding 27. In a rare acknowledgment, Israel confirms it targeted Rantisi, saying it took the decision after Rantisi called off Hamas cease-fire talks with the PA. Later in the day, IDF helicopters fire missiles at a 2d car in Jabaliya, allegedly targeting 2 Palestinians who fired 5 Qassam rockets at Sederot earlier, causing no damage or injuries; 3 Palestinian bystanders are killed, 30 (including the 2 targets) are wounded. Abbas condemns the Rantisi attack as a “terrorist attack in the full meaning of the word,” saying it was aimed at sabotaging the road map; Hamas says it is a “declaration of war,” vows to “commit operations that will shake Israel.” The IDF also fatally shoots wanted Palestinian Issam Ibrahim in Jenin in what may be an assassination; fatally shoots 2 Palestinians in s. Gaza; fires on, wounds a Palestinian nr. Morag settlement; fires on residential areas of Hebron, Khan Yunis; bulldozes 5 dunams of land in Jabaliya; conducts arrest raids in Battir, Bayt Iba, Dura, Haris, Hebron, Jericho, Nablus (targeting Hamas), Qatanna, Tulkarm, al-Walaja, Yatta; dismantles another 5 unauthorized settlement outposts, all of them uninhabited. The Israeli High Court blocks the removal of 1 occupied outpost, Havat Gilad, which Israel attempted to dismantle in fall 2002. Jewish settlers rebuild 1 outpost taken down on 6/9. (BBC, HA, LAW, MM 6/10; ITAR-TASS, VOI, MENA 6/10 in WNC 6/12; MM, NYT, PR, WP, WT 6/11; AFP, AKH, DUS, HA, IDF Radio, JP, JT, MA, MENA, NHR, QA, al-Quds, VOI, YA, XIN 6/11 in WNC 6/13; JPI, LAW, PCHR, WP 6/12; AYM, JP 6/12 in WNC 6/14; PR 6/18, 6/25; MEI 6/27; MEI 7/11)

An IDF undercover unit assassinates senior Hamas mbr. Asim Sawafta in Tubas. The IDF also shoots a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy in the head in Tubas, seriously wounding him; shells residential areas s. of Gaza City, in and around Khan Yunis; conducts arrest raids in Aqraba, Khirbat Karma; blows up 1 Palestinian home in Jenin r.c.; detains 2 ambulance workers in Jenin town. A Palestinian gunman infiltrates the West Bank settlement of Hermesh, opens fire on residents outside their homes, killing 3 Jewish settlers (including 2 teenage girls), injuring 2 before being shot dead. Jewish settlers begin rebuilding the Havat Gilad site. A PA security court sentences a Palestinian to death for collaboration with Israel. (JTA 10/29; al-Quds 10/29 in WNC 11/5; LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR 10/30; WP 10/31; MEI 11/8)

Arafat announces the make up of his new cabinet. Although most PC mbrs. angrily criticize Arafat’s failure to remove old EA mbrs. accused of corruption, they approve (56-18) the new cabinet. (AP, HA 10/29; MM, NYT, PR, WP, WT10/30; ITAR-TASS 10/30 in WNC 10/31; MM 10/31; AYM 10/31 in WNC 11/1; QA 10/31, 11/1 in WNC 11/5; MEI 11/8)

The IDF fatally shoots a 16-yr-old Palestinian boy in Tulkarm r.c.; halts an ambulance outside Jenin, detains 2 Palestinian dialysis patients returning fr. treatment (1 blind; 1 paraplegic, wheelchair bound) on suspicision of being wanted men, releases them after 10 hrs.; fires on Palestinian nr. Bayt Hanun, wounding 2; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes (1 in Jenin, 3 in Jenin r.c., 3 Rafah); bulldozes greenhouses in Rafah; raids a school in Jenin, arresting a school guard for not having an ID (confiscated by IDF in 6/02); digs trenches around Jenin, Nablus to prevent Palestinians fr. leaving or entering except through 3 IDF checkpoints. Palestinians fire a rocket fr. Gaza into Israel, causing minor damage outside a school, no injuries. Jewish settlers at Havat Gilad attack and chase off nearby Palestinian olive pickers, steal what olives they have picked, harvest the grove for themselves. Late this evening, the IDF raids, shuts down Havat Gilad outpost again (see 10/25). (JTA 10/28; MA 10/28 in WNC 10/29; NYT, WP, WT 10/29; LAW, NYT, PCHR 10/30; HA 11/2; HA 11/6)

Labor leader Ben-Eliezer says he would vote against Sharon’s proposed 2003 budget unless $150 m. in funds for Jewish settlements are shifted to social services. Sharon accuses Ben-Eliezer of cynically maneuvering to win reelection as Labor party head in party voting on 11/19; threatens to dismiss Labor party MKs fr. the coalition government, force early elections if they vote against. (NYT 10/29; NYT, WT 10/30)

The IDF launches Operation Vanguard in response to the 10/21 Hadera bombing, sending 100s of troops (including 90 snipers), heavy vehicles into Jenin town and r.c., where the bombers lived. Troops occupy 50 buildings; conduct house-to-house searches, arrest raids; meet some resistance in the r.c., exchanging gunfire with residents, leaving 6 Fatah mbrs. seriously wounded. The IDF says the incursion is expected to last several days, troops are prepared to stay indefinitely. The IDF also shells residential areas nr. Erez crossing; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 23 dunams of olive groves in Dayr al-Balah; begins construction of a new IDF post nr. Netzarim; makes a limited pullout fr. Palestinian areas of Hebron; eases curfews in Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Palestinian residents of Yanun harvesting their olive groves are chased off by Jewish settlers just 2 days after the IDF promised them protection. Jewish settlers complete rebuilding Havat Gilad. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 10/25; NYT, WP, WT 10/26; MENA 10/27 in WNC 10/28; WP 10/28; LAW, PCHR 10/30)

Outside Hadera, 2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonate a car bomb next to a bus, killing 14 Israelis, wounding 40. The IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinians nr. Kefar Darom; bulldozes a Palestinian home in Qabatya, some agricultural land nr. Aley Sinai settlement; conducts arrest raids in Bethlehem, Qalqilya; bars an ambulance fr. crossing an IDF checkpoint, allowing an ailing Palestinian to die. Another Palestinian dies of injuries received on 12/10/01. Palestinians reportedly fire a mortar in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. At Havat Gilad, Jewish settlers again try to rebuild sites demolished by the IDF. Jewish settlers fr. Shvut Rachel attack Palestinians harvesting olives nr. Nablus, setting 7 Palestinian cars and 50 trees afire, uprooting another 54 trees; in response, some 200 Palestinian start marching toward the settlement, but the IDF turns them away. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo fire on Palestinian farmers n. of Ramallah, wounding 4. (HA, MM, WP 10/21; Interfax 10/21 in WNC 10/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/22; AFP, ATL, ITAR-TASS 10/22 in WNC 10/23; LAW, MM, PCHR 10/23; WJW 10/24; MEI 10/25)

The IDF redeploys fr. 2 Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; confiscates 2,600 dunams of Palestinian land in Izbat Salman and Izbat Jilad for construction of the security fence; bulldozes 200 olive trees in Qalqilya for the security fence, 31 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah, 7 dunams in al-Mughraga in s. Gaza (also destroying 3 cars, partially demolishing 2 Palestinian homes); raid the al-Sultan Cultural Center in Hebron, arresting 1 employee, photocopying the center’s files; bars Palestinian fire trucks fr. fighting a blaze nr. Askar r.c. The IDF clashes with some 1,000 Jewish settlers who refuse to evacuate Havat Gilad, leaving 8 soldiers injured; troops clear the area, dismantle trailers, but 100s of settlers return after dark to reoccupy the site. In Gaza, Palestinians reportedly fire 2 antitank grenades at an IDF convoy nr. Netzarim, several mortars at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. (HA, MM, NYT, WT 10/21; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/22; LAW, PCHR 10/23)

Across the U.S., evangelical Christian churches observe a day of prayer for Israel. (WP 10/21)

The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Jenin, Nablus; bulldozes 35 dunams of land in Bayt Hanun. As IDF troops enter Jenin, Palestinians detonate roadside bombs, causing no injuries. At Havat Gilad, IDF soldiers continue dismantlement work, scuffle with Jewish settlers, leaving 30 settlers, 12 soldiers lightly injured; after dark, settlers begin re-erecting trailers on the site. Jewish settlers fire in the air in an attempt to scare off Palestinians, Israeli peace activists harvesting olives nr. Aqraba; the IDF intervenes, forcing the olive pickers to move to another grove to "reduce tensions." A PA security court sentences a 2d Palestinian, also a fmr. Hamas mbr., to death for collaborating with Israel (see 10/17). (GS 10/19; NYT, WP 10/20; al-Quds 10/20 in WNC 10/21; MM, WP 10/21; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/23; LAW, PCHR 10/23; WJW 10/24; JPI 11/8)

After a yr. of gunfire, stone-throwing, physical assaults, vandalism by local Jewish settlers, 150 Palestinian residents of Yanun in the West Bank evacuate their village, move to neighboring Aqraba, marking the 1st time that harassment by settlers has forced out an entire village; Yanun's mayor says he has protested settler violence to the Israeli authorities for 4 yrs. without results. The IDF withdraws to the outskirts of Jenin; sends tanks, bulldozers into Gaza City to demolish the Gaza harbor offices, a road linking Gaza City to the central Gaza Strip; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes 10 dunams of Palestinian land nr Aley Sinai settlement, 2.5 dunams in Dayr al-Balah. A Hamas mbr. detonates a roadside bomb, throws grenades at an IDF post nr. Dugit settlement in Gaza, injuring 2 IDF soldiers before being shot dead. Some 200 Jewish settlers return to Havat Gilad, which the IDF has begun dismantling; troops to do not attempt to disperse them. Jewish settlers uproot 92 olive trees in al-Khadir. (HA 10/18; AP, GS, HA, NYT 10/19; NYT, PM 10/21; AYM 10/21 in WNC 10/23; MA 10/21 in WNC 10/25; LAW, PCHR, PR 10/23; MEI, MM 10/25)

The IDF directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Rafah r.c., killing 6 Palestinians (including 2 women, 2 teenagers, a 9-yr.-old girl) and wounding 50; the IDF says it was responding to Palestinian gunfire on an IDF bulldozer working build an observation tower with an overview of the camp, causing no injuries. The IDF also bulldozes 2.5 dunams of Palestinian land and an irrigation system nr. Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids in Tal; shells, destroys a closed Palestinian summer resort nr. Aley Sinai settlement. The IDF removes Jewish settlers, trailers fr. Havat Gilad; late in the evening, some 300 Jewish settlers retake the site. Settlers voluntarily leave a 2d enclave, allowing the IDF to dismantle it, bringing to 22 the number of enclaves removed in recent days. Jewish settlers assault Palestinians, Israeli peace activists attempting to harvest olives nr. Yasuf village; the IDF presses settlers to leave the area, allow harvesting to continue. Jewish setters nr. Hebron confiscate 90 dunams of Palestinian land. A PA security court sentences 1 Palestinian, a fmr. Hamas mbr., to death for collaborating with Israel. (REU 10/17; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/18; AFP, al-Quds 10/18 in WNC 10/21; WP 10/19; LAW, PCHR 10/23; MEI 10/25; JPI 11/8)

A fmr. U.S. defense official corroborates rumors that Israeli special forces recently conducted a covert reconnaissance mission in w. Iraq to determine Iraq's capacity to strike Israel with Scud missiles. Military analyst and fmr. Pentagon official Anthony Cordesman says that Baghdad is estimated to have only 12+n25 Scuds; by comparison, during the 1991 Gulf War, Iraq fired 39 Scuds at Israel alone. (WP 10/18) (see 9/29)

The IDF directs machine gun fire at residential areas of Rafah r.c. to disperse stone throwing youths, hitting several homes and a school, killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 14, including 9 children; conducts arrest raids in Hebron; bulldozes 100 dunams of olive groves s. of Hebron. Some 2,000 Jewish settlers gather at Havat Gilad to protest the IDF's removal of the unauthorized settler outpost, the 1st inhabited enclave (2 families) to be removed by the IDF in the past wk.; 10s of settlers throw stones at, slash tires of reporters vehicles, Palestinian vehicles, a PRCS truck but do not assault soldiers; most settlers leave in the evening, saying the IDF agreed to allow settlers to stay at the site during daylight hrs. (LAW, MM, PCHR 10/16; HA, NYT, WT 10/17; HA, MM 10/18)

            In Washington, Bush receives Sharon for talks on Iraq, the Palestinians; gives Sharon a U.S. draft road map for creation of a Palestinian state that the U.S. plans to submit to the Quartet as an alternative to the EU draft discussed on 9/17. (HA, MM 10/16; AP, HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/17; AYM 10/17 in WNC 10/21; HA, MM 10/18; HA 10/19; al-Quds 10/20 in WNC 10/22; MM 10/22; MEI 10/25)