The Palestine Chronology

Gaza’s power plant is forced to shut 1 turbine for lack of spare parts, increasing rolling power outages across the Strip fr. 4–6 hrs./day to 8–12 hrs./day for 3 days until parts are allowed in for the repair. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts synchronized late-night arrest raids, house searches in villages around Hebron and Jenin; conducts additional late-night arrest raids, house searches in Silwad nr. Ramallah, nr. Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Kiryat Arba settlement seriously beat a Palestinian woman walking nearby; the IDF observes but does not intervene. A Palestinian prisoner dies of apparent torture in Hamas police custody in Gaza. (OCHA 3/17, 3/18; PCHR 3/19; OCHA 4/1)

Overnight and into the predawn hours, the IDF conducts at least 13 air strikes on n. Gaza, destroying a bridge outside Bayt Hanun, damaging roads, hitting a PA naval police building, injuring 2 officers. Israel allows the Palestinians to increase the hours of operation at the Rafah crossing fr. 4 hrs./day to 8 hrs./day. The IDF also exchanges fire with Palestinian gunmen in Nablus’s old city, wounding 2 gunmen; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Ramallah and in al-Khadir, Qabatya. An IDF undercover unit enters Burkin nr. Jenin, abducts, beats, detains a Palestinian. (IMEMC, PCHR 12/19; PCHR 12/22)

The IDF completes disengagement implementation, withdrawing its last troops fr. 4 West Bank settlements. IDF undercover units raid an auto repair shop in Bethlehem, detain 3 Palestinians, release 2 within several hrs. The IDF raids, searches, occupies the top floor of 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron as observation posts; later conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron and in nearby al-Arub r.c.; raids the campaign offices of 2 Palestinian municipal elections candidates in al-Khadir, ordering them to remove Palestinian flags and some campaign materials. (NYT 9/22; PCHR 9/22)

The IDF resumes disengagement in Gaza, completing the evacuation of Aley Sinai (est. 1983, pop. 407, size 488 d., hrs. to evac. 8), Atzmona (est. 1982, pop. 646, size 882 d., hrs. to evac. 8), Katif (est. 1985, pop. 404, size 2,000 d., hrs. to evac. 6) during the day; disengagement protesters who had moved back into Dugit in recent days are also removed. Atzmona settlers leave willingly when troops arrive. Katif settlers set up burning barricades at the entrance to their settlement but leave willingly after holding a final prayer service. In Aley Sinai, 30 remaining settler families leave willingly, but 200 disengagement protesters resist, forcing soldiers to remove them. The IDF also begins dismantling settler homes in Dugit, Nisanit, Pe’at Sadeh. A Palestinian gunman shoots, wounds an IDF soldier nr. Neve Dekalim. The Israeli cabinet approves (16–4) the next phase of disengagement for withdrawal fr. 4 West Bank settlements; the last residents of 2 of these, Ganim (est. 1983, pop. 172) and Qadim (est. 1983, pop. 169), evacuated voluntarily by 8/15. Sanur settlers complete handover of their weapons to the IDF. Outside Sanur, 100s of masked settlers scuffle with IDF soldiers, puncture tires of IDF vehicles; around 50 of them attempt to set fire to several nearby Palestinian homes. A Jewish settler fr. Alfe Menashe shoots, wounds a Palestinian outside his home, nr. a bypass road nr. Qalqilya. Meanwhile, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin. In Gaza City, at least 200 armed al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbrs. surround the PC headquarters, demanding jobs, accusing PA officials of corruption; they disperse when PA security forces intervene. (HA, IMEMC 8/21; IMEMC, NYT, WT, XIN, YA 8/22; PCHR 8/25)

Overnight, the IDF fatally shoots an armed DFLP mbr. en route to attack an IDF post; shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Hebron. During the day, the IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in Rafah. At a checkpoint outside Ramallah, 2 IDF soldiers reportedly steal more than $750 fr. 4 Palestinian commuters. In East Jerusalem, 2 Palestinians get into an altercation with, stab and wound 3 ultra-Orthodox Jews, escape. Jewish settlers fr. Susia settlement nr. Yatta attack Palestinians, Israeli peace activists working farmland the settlers believed was “too near the settlement”; IDF soldiers intervene, confiscate the Palestinians farm equipment. (HA 2/1; NYT 2/2; LAW, PCHR 2/5)

The IDF raids the offices and laboratories of Hebron, Palestinian Polytechnic Universities in Hebron (see 1/8); welds shut doors, gates; declared the schools closed on the grounds that they assisted in the “recruitment, training, and instruction of hundreds of militant activists,” including allegedly teaching students how to make bombs. The IDF also raids a West Bank branch of the Arab Bank outside Jerusalem, demanding the money fr. 4 accounts allegedly used by “terrorists”; reports differ as to whether the bank turned over the $7,000 in those accounts; fatally shoots a Palestinian bystander during an arrest raid in Qabatiyya; fatally shoots a 16-yr.-old Palestinian violating a predawn curfew in Tulkarm; opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths on their way to school in Tulkarm, killing a 2d 16-yr.-old Palestinian; bulldozes 4 Palestinian homes in Rafah, 3 in Bayt Hanun, 2 in Qabatiyya, 1 in Bayt Fajjar; searches, vandalizes another 9 homes in Rafah; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. In the 1^st anniversary of the PSF’s preventive arrest of PFLP Secy.-Gen. Ahmad Saadat, 100s of Palestinians (including mbrs. of the PLO and Fatah Exec. Comms.) attend rallies in Gaza and Nablus, demanding his immediate release. (LAW, PCHR, PR 1/15; NYT, WP 1/16; al-Quds 1/16 in WNC 1/17; Palestine Media Center 1/18; PR 1/22; LAW 1/29)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 1 Palestinian dead; a 2d Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. After Palestinians fire 3 mortars at Gaza's Gadid settlement, causing no injuries, the IDF shells the PA naval headquarters, military intelligence headquarters in Gaza, killing 1 PSF doctor at the naval clinic, wounding 18 PSF mbrs., destroying the clinic and an ambulance. Citing the rare daylight strikes on occupied buildings, the PA again refuses to attend a U.S.-brokered security mtg. with Israeli officials (rescheduled fr. 4/9). Sharon asks Israelis questioning his security strategy to trust him, saying, "We know exactly what we're doing. I have a very clear plan. The plan will be executed, and security will be restored." The IDF directs heavy machine gun fire at a Force 17 building in Jinin, destroying it. (AFP [Internet], AP, MM, PCHR 4/10; XIN 4/10 in WNC 4/11; HP, NYT, WP 4/11; MA 4/11 in WNC 4/12; QA 4/11 in WNC 4/16; LAW, WJW 4/12; JT 4/12 in WNC 4/13; NYT 4/13)

The PA, the Organization of the Islamic Conference warn Sharon not to allow Jews access to the Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount, saying it would be perceived as an attack on Islam and could precipitate a dangerous escalation in violence. 100 mbrs. of the Temple Mount Faithful, an ultranationalist Jewish group, attempt to force their way into the site but are blocked by Israeli police. (AP 4/10; MENA 4/10 in WNC 4/11; WT 4/11; JT 4/12 in WNC 4/13; MENA 4/13 in WNC 4/16; QA 4/26 in WNC 4/30) (see 4/5)

In Washington, Bush receives King Abdallah, who urges the U.S. to become more involved in the peace process, to actively support the Jordanian-Egyptian nonpaper. Bush reiterates that the U.S. will not become more involved in the peace process, that Israel and the PA must take parallel, reciprocal steps to halt violence before negotiations can resume. (MM 4/10; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/11; JT 4/11 in WNC 4/12; WJW 4/12; JT 4/13 in WNC 4/16)

As the IDF withdraws fr. s. Lebanon, Hizballah mbrs. enter vacated areas, Lebanese civilians arrive en masse fr. the north to celebrate and visit, SLA mbrs. desert or flee toward Israel seeking asylum. Israeli tanks and warplanes repeated fire close to crowds to halt their advance, killing 6 civilians, including aLebanese driver for BBC, and wounding lOs. Israeli planes also bomb IDF tanks, artillery, armored personnel carriers abandoned by the SLA. (MM 5/22; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 5/23; Interfax, al-Quds 5/23 in WNC 5/24; WP, WT 5/24; MEI 6/2, 6/30)

With cabinet approval, Barak orders an accelerated evacuation of IDF troops fr. the remaining half of s. Lebanon still under Israeli control and sends tanks and troops fr. deep inside Israel to reinforce the northern border. 1,OOOs of Israelis leave their homes in towns nr. the Lebanese border and stream south, fearing cross-border shelling fr. Hizballah. (MM 5/22; MA [Internet], MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA [Internet] 5/23; CSM, WP 5/24; AYM 5/24 in WNC 5/26)

To speed UN verification of Israel's withdrawal fr. Lebanon, UN Secy.-Gen Kofi Annan recommends that the UN immediately expand UNIFIL fr. 4,500 to 5,600 troops and draft aseparation line ("blue line") conforming to, but not constituting, the internationally recognized border. (MM, NYT, WP 5/23; MM, WT 5/24)

In Washington, Clinton holds talks with Arafat on final status negotiations, which the U.S. announces are set to resume after Passover ends on 4/27. The U.S. says there has not been enough progress in the Bolling sessions to meet the 5/13 FAPS target date, so all efforts will be directed toward the 9/13 deadline. At the request of both sides, the U.S. agrees to take a "more intensified role." (MM 4/20; XIN 4/20 in WNC 4/24; NYT, WP, WT 4/21; AYM 4/23 in WNC 4/26)

The UN says it may nearly double its the size of UNIFIL fr. 4,500 to 8,000 troops to prevent formation of a security vacuum in s. Lebanon following an IDF withdrawal. Secy.-Gen. Annan dispatches his special envoy Larsen to the region to coordinate plans with Israel, Lebanon, Syria. (MEI, WP 4/21)

Jordan opens the trial of 15 alleged Bin Laden associates charged with conspiring to attack Israeli, U.S. targets. (CSM, NYT, WP 4/21; MEI 5/19) (see 3/28)

U.S., Israel sign memorandum on military cooperation. (WP, WT 11/1; YA 11/1 in WNC 11/6; CSM, MM, NYT 11/2; al-Nahar 11/3 in WNC 11/12; JP 11/9)

Israel orders confiscation of 4,367 dunums of land fr. 4 Palestinian villages nr. Jinin for expansion of Hananit, Rihan, Shakid settlements. (al-Ayyam 10/31 in INFOPAL 11/1; PR 11/6)

Pres. Clinton signs nonbinding Iraq Liberation Act of 1998, which envisions takeover of the Iraqi government by opposition forces. U.S. must designate 1 or more groups as eligible for $97 m. in military, political aid within 90 days. (Washington File 11/2)

In a move unanimously condemned by the UNSC, Iraq halts all UN weapons inspections. U.S. National Security Council holds emergency mtg. to discuss possible military retaliation. (GIU, WP, WT 11/1; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/2; GIU, NYT, WP 11/3; MENA 11/2, RE, RJ 11/4 in WNC 11/6; MM 11/6)

200,000 Iranian troops hold military maneuvers on the border with Afghanistan. (WP 11/1) (see 10/14)