The Palestine Chronology

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 conducts a predawn arrest raid in Nablus's Askar refugee camp, detaining at least 3 Palestinians, seizing 1 Palestinian apartment as an observation post, and exchanging gunfire with residents, leaving 1 soldier wounded. The IDF conducts another predawn arrest raid in Dayr al-Balah, shelling residential areas, occupying 2 Palestinian homes as observation posts. In Beersheba, 2 Hamas gunmen open fire outside an IDF base, killing 2 IDF soldiers, wounding 4 before being shot dead by troops. In response, the IDF F-16s drop bombs on a PSF headquarters in Gaza and Ansar 2 prison; helicopter gunships fire missiles on targets around Gaza City and Jabaliya, injuring 20 Palestinians, including employees of the UN Special Coordinator's Office (UNSCO), which is damaged in the attack. UNSCO protests. Later, Palestinians fire 2 objects fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no injuries; at least 1 of the devices leaves a 7-ft. hole, leading the IDF to suspect that it was a Qassam-2 rocket, rather than a mortar, which would mark the 1st time Palestinians have fired one of the homemade missiles. The IDF later reports it has confiscated 3 empty rocket launchers in Gaza. Jewish settlers severely beat a Palestinian teenager nr. Tal Rumayda; beat, rob another teenager nr. Nablus; bulldoze 12 dunams of olive groves nr. Antalia settlement. (MEZ, WP 2/10; XIN 2/10 in WNC 2/11; MM, NYT, WP 2/11; CSM 2/12; JT 2/12 in WNC 2/13; LAW, PCHR 2/13; MEI 2/22)

Sharon returns fr. the U.S., immediately calls for a mtg. of his inner cabinet to discuss how to respond to recent Palestinian attacks. (NYT 2/11)

The State Dept. confirms that Powell has received correspondence fr. Arafat regarding the Karine A affair, saying he was not involved but that as leader of the PA, he will take responsibility for the incident, punish those responsible. (WT 2/11; NYT 2/12, 2/14)

An IDF autopsy performed in the presence of a Palestinian doctor confirms that the 14-yr.-old Palestinian who died in Jerusalem on 2/8 was killed by an IDF bullet. (LAW 2/10, 2/13)