The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political

Arab World: Jerusalem Post quotes Arafat in al-Akhbar interview as saying he would negotiate with Israel only under UN auspices [JP 9/26].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Refugee camps of Balata, 'Askar, and 'Ain Bayt al-Ma' are put under curfew while Israeli soldiers round up and harass male residents; several men are beaten and one injured by rubber bullets [FJ 9/271].

Other Countries: Three gunmen, identified as 2 Arabs and 1 Briton, named Ian Michael Davison, seize private Israeli yacht in Lamaca, Cyprus for 10 hours, demand release of 20 Palestinians captured by Israeli navy patrols in 2 recent incidents, kill 3 Israelis they hold as hostages. Anonymous phone caller in Jerusalem claims responsibility on behalf of Fateh's Force 17, but PLO denies responsibility for the action. PLO office in Nicosia denounces the killings [NYT 9/26; LT 9/27; CSM 10/9]. Bomb rips through British Airways terminal in Rome, wounding 14. Hasan 'Atab, 16, from Shatila refugee camp in Lebanon and a member of the Revolutionary Organization of Socialist Muslims, is arrested and allegedly confesses to the deed [NYT 9/26].