The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, an IDF jeep intercepts a car bomb, absorbing the blast before it can ram a settler school bus. IDF seals the Gaza Strip. Hamas claims responsibility. PA places Shaykh Yasin under house arrest, detains more than 100 alleged Hamas activists. (MM 10/29; AFP, IDF Radio 10/29 in WNC 10/30; ITV, JTV, QY 10/29 in WNC 11/2; MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 10/30; SA 10/30, JT 10/31, al-Ahram 11/2 in WNC 11/6; NYT 10/31; PR 11/6; JP 11/9; MEI 11/16)

In Ankara, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan, U.S., Uzbekistan sign a "political declaration of support" for construction of a Baku-Ceyhan pipeline. (Interfax 10/29 in WNC 11/2; MM 11/6) (see 10/22)

Pres. Clinton, King Hussein rejoin Wye talks. By evening, some agmts. have been reached, others are near. Over dinner, King Hussein gives an "impassioned speech," calling on Arafat, Netanyahu to keep making progress. Egypt's Mubarak phones Clinton to discuss the talks. (MM 10/22; VOA 10/22 in WNC 10/23; ITV, MENA 10/22 in WNC 10/26; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 10/23; JT, JTV, al-Ra'i 10/22, Shihan 10/24 in WNC 10/23 [dates as published]; JTV 10/22, IDF Radio 10/23 in WNC 10/26; NYT 10/25)

State Dept., White House meet with major U.S. oil companies to press them to build a pipeline to bring Caspian crude fr. Azerbaijan to Turkey, avoiding Russia, Iran. Oil companies do not believe the region can export enough oil in the nr. future to justify the $3.7-b. project, which the U.S. does not want to fund. (WP 10/28; MEI, WP, WT 10/30) (see 10/21)

An Israeli court orders 3 border policemen detained on suspicion of having shot at a Palestinian van 10/18. (WP 10/23) (see 10/21)

Israeli police arrest a mbr. of a right-wing Jewish group for carrying out 7 knife attacks on Palestinians in Jerusalem btwn. 11/97 and 5/98, killing 1. (AFP [Internet] 10/22)

U.S. announces plans to present a text outlining what it believes to be the points of accord btwn. Israel, the PA reached thus far, which could be signed as a partial agmt. Fearing an ultimatum, Netanyahu threatens to send his delegation home, holds conference call with Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations to mobilize its support in an anticipated public row with the White House. Clinton cancels plans to return to Wye, Albright suspends U.S. participation until Netanyahu agrees to resume security talks. After several hrs. of security talks involving CIA Dir. Tenet, Netanyahu agrees to stay. (MM 10/21; IDF Radio, ITV 10/21 in WNC 10/22; ITV 10/21 in WNC 10/23; al-Akhbar, ITV 10/21, Globes [Internet] 10/22 in WNC 10/23; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/22; ITV, al-Quds 10/22 in WNC 10/26; MM, WP 10/23; WP 10/24; NYT 10/25; MEI 10/30)

The U.S. asks Israel to investigate 2 incidents in 3/98 (3/10, 3/13) in which the IDF shot Palestinians, raising the issue for the 1st time under a U.S. law that can limit foreign aid when troops abuse human rights. (WP 10/22)

During morning rush hr., Jewish settlers block traffic at 3 major junctions in the West Bank to protest possibility of a compromise agmt. with the PA. (WP 10/22)

To block a rider on an unrelated issue, Pres. Clinton vetoes a bill that would pay $1 b. in late dues to the UN. Although a separate spending bill has been passed to pay the UN enough to allow the U.S. to keep its voting rights in the UNGA, UN Secy. Gen. Kofi Annan says that the UN feels "deceived," having carried out reforms demanded by Congress in exchange for payment of U.S. arrears. (NYT, WP 10/22)

Saying it impedes the ability of the pres. to conduct foreign policy in the interest of national security, Pres. Clinton signs a determination waiving legislation that allows property held by a foreign state to be subject to legal claim, blocking the Flatow's attempt to take possession of 12 Iranian holdings. (Federal Register 11/2) (see 9/27)

U.S. grants Turkey $823,000 in technical assistance to help plan its part of a proposed oil/gas pipeline linking Azerbaijan with the Turkish port of Ceyhan. (WP 10/23) (see 5/14)

In Washington, Secy. Albright, PM Netanyahu hold 2d day of fruitless talks aimed at restarting peace talks. Lower-level teams headed by U.S. special envoy Ross, Israeli Cabinet Secy. Nave will work over the weekend. Netanyahu spends rest of day making courtesy calls to mbrs. of Congress, attending lunch in his honor hosted by the Comm. on International Relations; does not lobby mbrs. to pressure administration to moderate its position. (MM 5/14; NYT, WP, WT 5/15)

100,000s of Palestinians across the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem turn out for 2-minute moment of silence, nonviolent "March of 1 Million" to mark 50 yrs. of dispossession (known as al-Nakba). Marches in several areas (including, Bethlehem, Gaza, Hebron, Jericho, Jerusalem, Jinin, Nablus, Ramallah) devolve into clashes with IDF, which fires live ammunition, rubber bullets, killing 5 Palestinians, wounding 200-400, making this the worst day of violence in the territories since 9/25/96. 20 Israeli soldiers, policemen and 2 civilians are also injured. Netanyahu calls demonstrations a PA "pressure tactic." (LAW, MM 5/14; IDF Radio, ITV 5/14 in WNC 5/15; NYT, WP, WT 5/15; JTV 5/14, Anatolia [Ankara], Corriere della Sera [Milan] 5/15 in WNC 5/18; LAW 5/18; WP 5/19)

50,000 Palestinians in Syria hold march in Yarmuk refugee camp to commemorate al-Nakba. (JP 5/23)

In Jerusalem, fire damages one of the wooden doors of the al-Aqsa Mosque compound. Israel police suspect Jewish extremists. (RJ 5/14 in WNC 5/15; WP 5/15)

In Ankara, Iran, Turkey hold talks on expanding ties. (IRNA 5/14 in WNC 5/18) (see 5/4)

In Ankara, Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey hold follow-up discussions on the Baku-Ceyhan pipeline project. (Anatolia [Ankara] 5/14 in WNC 5/15) (see 4/26)

IDF expels 3 Lebanese civilians fr. s. Lebanon security zone for celebrating release of relative fr. SLA custody. (AFP 5/14 in WNC 5/15; RL 5/15 in WNC 5/18)

U.S. special envoy Ross, Asst. Secy. of State Indyk discuss upcoming London mtgs. with Arafat in Gaza, hold 2d mtg. with PM Netanyahu. (ITV 4/26 in WNC 4/27; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/27; PR 5/1)

In Ankara, the presidents of Azerbaijan, Georgia, Turkey hold follow-up mtg. on transporting Caspian oil to Turkish ports, recreating a Eurasian transport corridor, spurring regional economic growth. (ITAR-TASS 4/26, Bakinskiy Rabochiy [Baku], Sabah [Istanbul] 4/28 in WNC 4/30; Milliyet [Ankara] 5/11 in WNC 5/13) (see 3/2)

In Jerusalem, PM Netanyahu hosts mbrs. of Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CPMAJO); calls on them to fend off expected U.S. government initiative to press Israel for an FRD. (MM 3/3; WT 3/4; WJW 3/12; MM 3/18) (see 2/28)

UNSC unanimously approves 2/22 agmt., warning Iraq it will face "the severest consequences" if it breaks the agmt. China, France, Russia refuse to include explicit threat of force. Council settles for deliberately ambiguous language. U.S. officials stress that resolution does not prohibit an attack. (CSM, MM, NYT, WP 3/3; MM 3/4)

At close of 2-day mtg., Azerbaijan, Georgia, Kazakhstan, Turkey, Turkmenistan express support for construction of a "Eurasian Energy Corridor" pipeline linking Baku, Azerbaijan, with Ceyhan, Turkey. (ITAR-TASS 3/2 in WNC 3/5; Interfax 3/13 in WNC 3/17) (see 12/28/97)

Sheinbein's atty. accepts Israeli judge's 2/25 proposal, but Maryland state atty. says it would consider deal only if Sheinbein agrees to plead guilty. State Dept. says it might agree if it had some control over sentencing. (WP 3/2, 3/5)