The Palestine Chronology

IDF troops on the n. Gaza border fire on Palestinians collecting scrap metal nr. the border fence, wounding 4. The Israeli navy fires on Palestinian fishermen w. of Rafah, damaging some boats but causing no injuries. The AMB fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Also in Gaza, Palestinian haulers hold a 1-day strike to protest new Israeli restrictions barring the passage of specific types of trailers through the Qarni industrial crossing. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in ‘Askar r.c., Nablus, Qalqilya, al-Walaja nr. Bethlehem. Inside Israel, Israeli police demolish Israeli police demolish 17 homes in the unrecognized village of Twayyil in the Negev. (Palestine Information Center, Palestine Times [London] 12/6; MM, PCHR 12/7; IMEMC 12/12; OCHA 12/13; PCHR 12/14)

The IDF sends troops, bulldozers back into Bayt Hanun, digging trenches across several main roads; opens fire on stone-throwing youths in Qarawat Bani Zaid, killing 2 Palestinians; imposes a curfew on Bayt Furik, raids a mosque, confiscating computers; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Dayr al-Balah, 1 in Nablus; conducts arrest raids in Askar r.c., Hebron, Jenin, Tubas. Israel also demolishes 2 bedouin homes in the unrecognized village of Wadi al-Na‘im. (HA, HP 5/21; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, WT 5/22; MEI 5/30)

In Washington, National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Asst. Secy. of State for Near East Affairs William Burns hold separate mtgs. with Sharon chief of staff Dov Weisglass, PA Finance M Salam al-Fayyad to try to reach an agmt. on actions to reduce tensions and start talks. (HA, NYT 5/22; al-Quds 5/23 in WNC 5/27; HA 5/24)