The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, Israeli forces shot and killed 1 Palestinian and injured 4 others during a raid in Aqabat Jaber refugee camp, including at least 2 who were fleeing the Israeli soldiers. Israeli forces also shot and injured 3 Palestinians with baton rounds and 10 with tear gas during a raid in Qarawat Bani Hassan. Elsewhere, Israeli forces raided Deir Abu Mash‘al and al-Walaja, causing tear-gas related injuries. Israeli forces also issued demolition notices for 2 residential structures, brick walls, a roof, and a bathroom in Khirbet Humsa and 1 agricultural structure in ‘Ain as-Sakout, and seized a bulldozer near Qalqilya. 14 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in Hebron, Surif, Ya’bad, Kafr Qoud, Nablus, and Tammun. In East Jerusalem, 4 Israeli settlers were injured in a car ramming and 1 Palestinian man was shot and killed by an Israeli settler after he allegedly hit the 4 with his car. Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. Israeli police assaulted worshippers at the Haram al-Sharif compound’s Bab al-Rahma prayer area and cut electricity to building. 2 Palestinians were arrested in Sur Baher. (AJ, AN, AP, BBC, HA, HA, IN, MEE, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, QDS, REU, REU, TOI, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 4/24; HA, WAFA 4/25; PCHR 4/27; UNOCHA 5/5)

The PA Foreign Ministry condemned the 3-day long Israeli blockades of Jericho and the Nablus area coinciding with the Eid al-Fitr celebrations. (WAFA, WAFA 4/24)

In Syria, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said that Israeli forces fired more than 20 artillery shells near Hader in Quneitra, allegedly targeting Iranian supported militants. (AA, ALM, HA 4/24)

Israeli foreign minister Eli Cohen said that Israel Aerospace Industries had sold 2 satellites to Azerbaijan coinciding with his recent trip to Baku. (ALM 4/24)

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)