The Palestine Chronology

At EU urging, the Quartet convenes a senior-level mtg. in Washington to discuss issuing a statement on how to jumpstart the peace process, but because of sharp disagreements over a draft prepared by the U.S. in consultation with Israel, the members fail to issue a statement. (AFP 7/11; AP 7/12; WJW 7/14; Foreign Policy [online] 7/22; WJW 8/5) 

Unidentified assailants attack Egypt’s natural gas pipeline to Israel and Jordan again (see 7/4). In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes a grocery store, sheep farm, and garage on land in al-Jib village nr. Jerusalem, strategically located between Givat Ze’ev and Givon settlements; declares a Palestinian olive grove in the Wadi Qana area nr. Salfit a closed military zone and uproots 600 trees; patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah, 2 nr. Salfit, and 1 nr. Jenin; conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin town and r.c. and in Qalqilya. The World Zionist Organization’s settlement division (newly transferred to Netanyahu’s control; see 6/19) allocates 54,000 d. of agricultural land to 21 Jewish settlements in Jordan Valley, nearly doubling the total farmland under their control to 110,000 d.; it also increases water allocations to Jewish farmers in the Jordan Valley. (JP 6/28; WP 7/12; PCHR 7/14; OCHA 7/15)

The Knesset passes (47-38) into law a bill that would sanction individuals and organizations that call for a boycott of Israel or its settlements, denying them tax breaks and barring them from working for the government. The Knesset’s legal adviser warns, however, that the measure is “borderline illegal” since it strays into the right to free political expression. Human rights groups plan to challenge the law in the High Court within days. (HA, JTA, MNA 7/11; JTA, WJW 7/14; JPI, WP 7/22)

Israel's State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg fines PM Barak's One Israel/Labor party $3.4 m. and places it under criminal investigation for allegedly carrying out a "systematic and massive" illegal fundraising scheme that netted more than $2 m. for Barak's spring 1999 campaign. In total, 12 of the 31 parties that took part in the 5/99 elections (and 10 of the 15 parties now in the Knesset) are charged with campaign finance violations. (MM 1/27; CSM, MM, NYT, WP 1/28; WP 1/29; WT 1/30; WJW 2/3; JP 2/4)

Israel rejects plans for construction of a new terminal for the joint Aqaba-Elat airport project with Jordan, citing environmental concerns. (JT 1/28 in WNC 1/31)

In Ankara, Turkey, Iran close a 2-day session of their joint economic commission, which focused on expanding trade ties, particularly in the energy sector. The sides sign a memorandum of understanding on construction of a natural gas pipeline. (ATL, IRNA 1/26 in WNC 1/27; ATL 1/27 in WNC 1/28)