In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at 2 Palestinian children near Yatta; no injuries were reported. 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Dura, Bayt Ula,...
Iraqi gov't says only state-run Iraqi Airways planes may land in Iraq; reaffirms that those people allowed to leave may do so only on these planes [LAT, WP 9/4; MET 9/11].
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli govt. sources state Israel and Jordan have agreed that Israel will attend int'l conference if Jordan will bring only...
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Govt. unity talks stall over issues of settlement & negotiations with Jordan. Actual foreign currency reserve losses in July...
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In the West Bank, Israeli settlers opened fire at 2 Palestinian children near Yatta; no injuries were reported. 5 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Dura, Bayt Ula, Sa‘ir, and Dheisheh refugee camp; during the raid in Dheisheh refugee camp, Israeli forces shot and injured 3 Palestinians with live ammunition. In Gaza, Israeli forces opened fire at agricultural lands east of Johor al-Dik; no injuries were reported. (WAFA, WAFA 3/11; PCHR 3/18)
PA health minister Mai al-Kaila said that the PA will receive a donation of 100,000 doses of Sinopharm COVID-19 vaccine from China. Health Minister al-Kaila also said she had urged COVAX to stand by its initial promise of providing vaccines for Palestinians. According to al-Kaila, COVAX had originally promised vaccines to arrive in mid-February but now they are scheduled for May, and the number of vaccines earmarked for the PA is reduced to 168,000 down from 240,000. A shipment of 40,000 Sputnik V vaccine doses arrived in Gaza donated by the UAE. The former Fatah politician Mohammad Dahlan claimed responsibility for the shipment as he is a close advisor to the UAE crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed. (HA, REU, WAFA, WAFA 3/11)
Israeli authorities banned PA governor of Jerusalem Adnan Ghaith from communicating with 50 Palestinians in the West Bank, including PA president Mahmoud Abbas and all members of the Fatah Central Committee. (WAFA 3/11)
PA president Mahmoud Abbas, in his capacity as leader of Fatah, ejected Nasser al-Kidwa from the Fatah party because al-Kidwa had announced he would run on his own electoral list in the upcoming Palestinian elections. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, YNET, WAFA 3/11)
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly canceled a trip to the UAE, where he was to meet with UAE crown prince Mohammed bin Zayed, because his wife Sara Netanyahu was hospitalized with appendicitis. Other reports suggested that Prime Minister Netanyahu’s trip was canceled due to a political conflict with Jordan over the cancelation of the Jordanian crown prince Hussein bin Abdullah’s visit to the Haram al-Sharif compound on 3/10, which was canceled because Israel and Jordan could not agree on security arrangement. In turn, Jordan is said not to have allowed Netanyahu to use Jordanian air space to get to the UAE. It was later reported that Netanyahu had ordered Israeli air space closed to Jordan in retaliation, but that the Israeli transportation ministry had stalled the order, which was eventually canceled. (AJ, ALM, AP, HA, HA, HA, JP, REU, REU, REU 3/11; WAFA 3/12; HA 3/14)
Prime minister of the Czech Republic Andrej Babiš and prime minister of Hungary Viktor Orbán visited Israel to discuss cooperation in vaccine research and development with Prime Minister Netanyahu. During the trip, Prime Minister Babiš also opened a diplomatic office in Jerusalem. The Czech Republic received a donation of COVID-19 vaccines from Israel earlier this month. The PA and the Arab League condemned the Czech Republic’s decision to open the office in Jerusalem. (REU 3/9; HA, HA 3/11; ALM 3/12; AJ, HA, WAFA 3/13; HA, WAFA 3/14)
The Israeli state-owned Israel Aerospace Industries and the UAE state-owned weapons maker EDGE announced that they would develop an advanced drone defense system together. (ALM, REU 3/11; HA 3/12; JP 3/13)
Israel said it had concluded a military drill with Greece, Cyprus, and France in the Mediterranean Sea. (AJ, ALM, AP 3/12)
The Wall Street Journal reported that Israel has attacked at least 12 Iranian ships carrying oil and other goods en route to Syria since 2019, according to U.S. sources. 1 of the U.S. sources said that the Trump administration had tacitly supported the attacks. (HA, WSJ 3/11; ALM 3/15; HA 3/20)
Representatives from the UN, EU, Egypt, Jordan, Germany, and France met to discuss reviving talks between Israel and Palestine after the 2 countries’ elections this year. (AP 3/11)
A Los Angeles judge ruled to deny pro-Israeli lawyer David Abrams’s request to publicize the list of 64 presenters at a 2018 conference sponsored by Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of California – Los Angeles (UCLA). Abrams, who works for the Zionist Advocacy Center, claimed he was looking for information related to “anti-Israel terrorists” but was ultimately not allowed to dox the pro-Palestinian activists. The UCLA police had concluded that none of the speakers were “terrorists.” (PalLegal 3/11; LAT 3/17)
Iraqi gov't says only state-run Iraqi Airways planes may land in Iraq; reaffirms that those people allowed to leave may do so only on these planes [LAT, WP 9/4; MET 9/11].
Iraq refuses landing rights to British, Swiss, and French charter flights that were to have brought women, children out of Iraq and Kuwait [LAT 9/1, 9/2; NYT 9/4].
Iraqi F.M. Aziz urges nations with many citizens in Iraq and Kuwait to supply food to Iraq, saying it could not be responsible for what happened to them as a result of shortages [LAT 9/4].
Chedli Klibi, longtime Sec.-Gen. of Arab League, abruptly resigns, giving no reason, but it was widely reported he was upbraided by Saudi and Syrian officials for not putting sufficient pressure on Iraq to withdraw from Kuwait [AFP 9/3 in FBIS 9/4; WT, MEM 9/4; NYT 9/5; CSM 9/6; MET 9/11].
U.S. official reports American combat aircraft have been deployed in Oman, Qatar, UAE, and Bahrain for first time [NYT, MEM 9/4].
Pres. Mubarak meets with U.S. delegation including 15 senators led by Claiborne Pell (D-RI) and 22 representatives headed by Richard Gephardt (D-MO) [MENA 9/3 in FBIS 9/5].
As part of Gulf tour, British foreign sec. Douglas Hurd arrives in Jeddah for 2-day working visit, meets with Saudi officials, including King Fahd [SPA 9/3 in FBIS 9/6].
In speech marking 1,000th day of intifada, Arafat says Palestinians can only take sides against "Zionism and its imperialist allies," confirms the PLO Gulf peace initiative calling for "withdrawal of occupation forces from Kuwait, Iraq, Iran, Palestine, Lebanon, and the Golan," and that occupation forces should be replaced by UN [MEM 9/3].
Over 10,000 people gather at rally in Amman to celebrate 1,000th day of intifada and show support of Iraq [MEM 9/4]; in W. Bank, stores usually closed remain open in celebration [WT 9/5; LAT 9/6; FJ 9/10].
Sec. of Economic Development Group in E. Jerusalem says lack of funds coming from Gulf states and lost jobs of Palestinians could harm "tens of thousands of families" in O.T.; adds drying up of funds could hurt "the future of a Palestinian state" [LAT 9/4]; other officials agree [CSM 9/6].
Jerusalem Post reports 18,800 immigrants arrived in Israel in August, including 17,500 from USSR-more than in any one month since 1951 [MEM 9/3].
Israel's gov't-run television and radio ban the use of Arabic names for Palestinian villages and towns, ordering journalists and broadcasters to use the biblical Hebrew names [NYT 9/5; FJ 9/10].
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli govt. sources state Israel and Jordan have agreed that Israel will attend int'l conference if Jordan will bring only Palestinians acceptable to Israel; understanding was worked out over the last month with mediation by U.S. and others [NYT, WP 11/11].
Other Countries: Israeli delegation to UN and Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations cosponsor seminar at UN on "Israel, Zionism and the United Nations"; Arab League permanent representative to the UN protests the seminar to UN Sec.-Gen. Perez de Cuellar as an "Israeli invasion" of the UN and a violation of all the regulations of the body. Seminar follows demonstration outside UN building against the "Zionism is Racism" resolution passed by UN on 10 November 1975. Pres. Reagan sends message to conference saying he supports any move to repeal the resolution [JP, WP 11/10; NYT 11/11].
Military Action
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli soldier Yosef Martin, 20, is stabbed and critically wounded near Damascus Gate in E. Jerusalem; attacker escapes, no arrests are made [JTA 11/13]
Social/Economic/Political
Occupied Palestine/Israel: Govt. unity talks stall over issues of settlement & negotiations with Jordan. Actual foreign currency reserve losses in July reportedly exceed $700 million; official $351 million figure created by bookkeeping maneuver [see 8/1]. Speaking at National Defense College, DM Arens charges communications media give "distorted" reports of S. Lebanon situation.
Other Countries: House Ways & Means Trade Subcom. members predict Congress will pass "free trade pact" with Israel before October. US Pres. Reagan tells World Jewish Congress leaders he will cancel US participation in Nairobi UN Conference on Women (1985) if it adopts measure equating Zionism with racism.
Military Aciton
Arab World: Israeli jets bomb supposed Palestine guerrilla camp E. of Bar Elias in Beqaa Valley; casualty reports contradictory; later, roadside bomb explodes near Jezzine, wounding 3 Israelis.
