The Palestine Chronology

The IDF imposes curfews on Salfit, 6 surrounding villages; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding a 10-yr.-old Palestinian girl inside her school; conducts arrest raids in Aida r.c.; seals a Palestinian home in East Jerusalem. Palestinians fire a mortar at Gaza’s Gadid settlement, causing no damage or injuries. A Palestinian prisoner who suffered a stroke in Israel’s Megiddo prison on 12/4 dies; the PA says that he was healthy when he entered prison, that Israel was negligent in delaying his transportation to a hospital. (VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; VOI 12/9 in WNC 12/11; PR 12/10; PCHR 12/11)

Palestinian factions end a round of cease-fire talks in Cairo, with the factions refusing to adopt a unilateral cease-fire but expressing a “general readiness” for a comprehensive cease-fire involving Israel. (MENA, QA, VOP, al-Zaman [London] 12/8 in WNC 12/10; AYM 12/8, al-Quds 12/9 in WNC 12/11; MM, WP 12/9; MM 12/10; QA 12/11 in WNC 12/16; QA 12/12, AYM, SA 12/14 in WNC 12/16; al-Quds 12/18 in WNC 12/23; MEI 12/19)

The UN General Assembly (UNGA) passes a nonbinding resolution calling on the International Court of Justice (ICJ) at the Hague to issue an advisory opinion on the legality of Israel’s separation wall. (HA 12/8; ITAR-TASS, VOP 12/8 in WNC 12/10; HA, MM, WP 12/9; JP 12/9 in WNC 12/10; PR 12/10; THWR 12/12 in WNC 1/16; MEI 12/19)

The IDF clashes with Islamic Jihad gunmen in, shells residential areas of Nablus and Balata r.c., leaving 1 IDF soldier dead, 3 buildings afire; fires on stone-throwing youths, killing 2 Palestinian boys ages 10 and 12, injuring 25; confiscates video footage of clashes fr. a Reuters cameraman. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Hebron, Gaza City (killing 1 Palestinian); conducts arrest raids in of Beitunia, Burkin, Hebron (reportedly detaining 5 mbrs. of a cell that has staged roadside bombings in the area), Qabatya, Tulkarm, al-Yamun; fires tank shells at residential areas of Gaza, leaving 1 Palestinian woman clinically dead (the IDF claims it was responding to mortar fire). In Ramallah, the IDF surrounds, fires shells a building where it claims some of the wanted Palestinians who hid in Arafat's offices during the siege are located; demands their surrender. (HA 9/30; HA, NYT, WP, WT 10/1; LAW, MM, PCHR 10/2; PCHR 10/3; MEI 10/11)

Bush signs the FY 2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, which requires the admin. to identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital. Bush says that he interprets the wording on Jerusalem as a "sense of Congress," not as binding on U.S. policy. The bill also urges the pres. to impose sanctions on the Palestinians if they do not comply with signed agmts.; withholds $10 m. of $35 m. in economic aid to Lebanon for failing to assert its authority over Hizballah; provides an additional $300 m. in aid to Israel, including $100 m. for munitions; rejects equivalent aid for Egypt. (Israel says the other $200 m. is going to be used to cover shortfalls in the defense budget.) (HA, JP, LAW, NYT, WP, WT 10/1; MM, NYT, PR, WT 10/2; Gulf Times [Doha], MENA, al-Quds 10/2 in WNC 10/3; MM 10/3; al-Quds 10/3 in WNC 10/4; AYM, MENA 10/4 in WNC 10/7; PR 10/9; MEI 10/11)