6 / 15150 Results
  • January 1, 2009

    As OCL enters day 6, Israel announces that it will allow 443 foreign passportholders living in Gaza (mostly the spouses and children of Gazan Palestinians, including U.S., Russian, Moldovan,...

    Read more
  • February 8, 2002

    In Jerusalem, a group of Palestinian teenagers fatally stabs an Israeli woman. Israeli police shoot at, captured 4 of the teenagers, 1 of whom dies at the scene. Police say the 14-yr.-old boy...

    Read more
  • December 20, 2001

    IDF forces pull back fr. parts of Nablus, Ramallah but reenter them later in the day. In Tal, IDF soldiers fire on protesters who assemble to block tanks fr. reentering Nablus, killing 1...

    Read more
  • April 29, 2001

    Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a car bomb nr. a Jewish settler school bus in the West Bank, killing himself but causing no other injuries...

    Read more
  • August 20, 1997

    In Gaza, Arafat opens 2-day national dialogue mtg., meets with Hamas leader `Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, warns that Israeli actions in response to the 7/30 bombings could lead to another uprising....

    Read more
  • April 11, 1988

    Social/Economic/Political

    Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel deports 8 Palestinians, including Gazan Islamic Jihad leader 'Abd al-Aziz 'Awdah, to S. Lebanon security zone. Expulsion orders...

    Read more

As OCL enters day 6, Israel announces that it will allow 443 foreign passportholders living in Gaza (mostly the spouses and children of Gazan Palestinians, including U.S., Russian, Moldovan, Ukrainian, Turkish, and Norwegian passport-holders) to leave on 1/2, raising concerns that a major ground incursion into Gaza is imminent.

Israeli actions: The IDF continues air strikes and naval bombardment of Gaza, hitting at least 70 targets and carrying out at least 40 air strikes. Primary targets include the PA parliament building, Justice Min., Education Min., the headquarters of the PA presidency in Gaza City, homes of several other Hamas and PRC cmdrs., tunnels on the Rafah border, suspected weapons depots, 2 mosques in Jabaliya r.c., a fishing harbor w. of Khan Yunis, a water reservoir in Bayt Hanun. Target areas include Abasan, Bani Suhayla, Bayt Hanun, al-Bureij r.c., Gaza City, Jabaliya, Khan Yunis, al-Maghazi r.c., Nussayrat, al-Qarara, Rafah, Tal al-Za‘atar. By day’s end, the Palestinian toll is at least 412 dead.

Palestinian actions: Palestinians fire 59 rockets (at least 10 of them fired by Islamic Jihad) and 1 mortar into Israel, with 1 longrange rocket hitting an apartment building in Ashdod (causing heavy damage but no major injuries) and 3 in open areas outside Beersheba (causing no damage or injuries). Beersheba municipal official Shimon Krief says that city emergency workers received only 18 calls from concerned citizens during incoming rocket warnings today, stating “People are relaxed.” Beersheba hospital reports that since the city first came under rocket fire on 12/30, it has treated 10 Israelis for moderate physical injuries and 154 for stress, adding that “with each attack, we’ve gotten significantly fewer patients.”

Humanitarian notes: Israel allows 60 trucks of humanitarian aid into Gaza. The International Comm. of the Red Cross (ICRC) warns that humanitarian needs are growing sharply despite the limited entry of aid, noting severe shortages of water, cooking gas, electricity. Israeli human rights groups issue an appeal to DM Barak to restore fuel shipments to Gaza to allow proper functioning of hospitals, water services, and so on.

Of note: Air strikes today include an attack on the home of Hamas’s Nizar Rayyan, a cleric and chief liaison btwn. Hamas’s political and military wings, in a densely populated residential area inside Jabaliya r.c., assassinating him and killing his 4 wives and 11 of his 12 children, causing heavy damage to surrounding buildings; Rayyan is the most senior Hamas official to be killed since Israel assassinated Abd al-‘Aziz Rantisi in 2004 and one of the only Hamas figures who has not gone into hiding since OCL began. (AFP, AP, BBC, HA, IDF, REU 1/1; Bloomberg, HA, ITV, NYT, REU, WP, WT 1/2; IDF 1/3; NYT, WP 1/4; MM, QA 1/6; IFM, PCHR 1/8)

The IDF seals the West Bank through 1/3, citing unspecified security concerns. IDF troops at Ni‘lin checkpoint fire rubbercoated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at mbrs. of a funeral procession that refuses to lower a Palestinian flag while going through the crossing, injuring 2 Palestinians; 1 tear gas canister lands inside a nearby Palestinian home, sparking a fire that guts the 1st floor. (IDF 1/2; PCHR 1/8)

In Jerusalem, a group of Palestinian teenagers fatally stabs an Israeli woman. Israeli police shoot at, captured 4 of the teenagers, 1 of whom dies at the scene. Police say the 14-yr.-old boy dropped dead of no apparent cause; witnesses say he was beaten, perhaps shot by soldiers. In n. Israel, a car mysteriously explodes killing 2 Palestinians; the IDF claims they were Islamic Jihad mbrs. en route to stage a car bombing. The IDF again fires tear gas, rubber-coated steel bullets at demonstrators nr. Arafat's Ramallah headquarters, injuring 6; conducts arrest raids in Birzeit and in Tamun, where troops detain 7, wound 10 with live ammunition, occupy 12 Palestinian homes as IDF outposts, uproot 150 olive trees. The PA again calls for adherence to Arafat's cease-fire. At a pro-Hamas rally in Jabaliya attended more than 10,000 Palestinians, Hamas spokesman Rantisi vows more suicide attacks against Israel, says that anyone who seeks to stop the intifada "wants to tear us apart." The NIHC organizes a separate protest march fr. Shati` to the PC building in Gaza City, denouncing the U.S.'s biased policy, calling on Arab states to take a strong, unified stand on the Palestinian situation. (AYM 2/8 in WNC 2/11; NYT, WP, WT 2/9; LAW, PCHR 2/13; MA 2/15 in WNC 2/19)

IDF forces pull back fr. parts of Nablus, Ramallah but reenter them later in the day. In Tal, IDF soldiers fire on protesters who assemble to block tanks fr. reentering Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian. The IDF also shells residential areas of Nablus, causing 1 Palestinian to die of a heart attack; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Karawat Bani Zayd. In Gaza, the PSF again attempts to take Hamas spokesman Rantisi into custody but clashes with 100s of Hamas mbrs. and supporters, leaving 15 rioters and PSF officers injured. Israel says attempts to arrest Rantisi were designed to fail. Late tonight in Gaza, the PSF fires on a group of Islamic Jihad mbrs. preparing to launch a mortar at a Jewish settlement, killing 1 Palestinian. (AFP, MM 12/20; NYT, WP, WT 12/21; AYM, al-Quds 12/22 in WNC 12/26; PCHR 12/26)

In Washington, Zinni briefs Powell on his talks with Israel, the PA. Afterward, the U.S. says it will Zinni back to the region once it sees "sustained and decisive" action by both sides toward halting violence, noting that the PA in particular must do more to "combat terror and violence." (USIS Washington File 12/20; MENA 12/21 in WNC 12/26)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. A Palestinian suicide bomber detonates a car bomb nr. a Jewish settler school bus in the West Bank, killing himself but causing no other injuries. Palestinians also fire 2 mortars at a Kefar Darom settlement in Gaza. Inside the Green Line, Israeli police find, safely detonate a bomb in Netanya. The IDF shells a PSF office in Gaza, residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes Palestinian land in Khan Yunis; conducts an arrest sweep in Jalazun. Jewish settlers set fire to a Palestinian olive grove in Salfit, destroying 50 trees. (WP 4/30; LAW 5/4)

Arafat orders the popular resistance comms. to disband and their mbrs. (most of whom are Fatah mbrs., some of whom are PSF officers) to "return to their original security positions," calls senior PSF officer Yasir Zanun (a Fatah mbr. and a leader of the resistance comms.) in for questioning, has the PSF arrest Hamas spokesman `Abd al-`Aziz Rantisi for statements accusing Arafat of treason for resuming security talks with Israel. Fatah tanzim leader Barghouti, Hamas, Islamic Jihad, the PFLP strongly oppose disbanding the resistance comms. (WP 4/30; AYM 5/1 in WNC 5/3; WJW 5/3; SA 5/3 in WNC 5/4; MEI 5/4 WP 5/7; MEI 5/18)

Israeli FM Peres presents Israel's response to the Jordanian-Egyptian proposal to Mubarak in Cairo, Jordanian FM Khatib in Amman. Egypt, Jordan say they will study Israel's reservations and proposed changes, but they are not willing start a new process of "talks about talks." (MENA 4/29 in WNC 4/30; HA, NYT, WP 4/30; HA, MM 5/1; AYM 5/1 in WNC 5/3; MM 5/2; MEI, MM 5/4)

In Gaza, Arafat opens 2-day national dialogue mtg., meets with Hamas leader `Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, warns that Israeli actions in response to the 7/30 bombings could lead to another uprising. Islamic Jihad mbrs. also attend. (CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/21; RMC 8/21 in WNC 8/22; MM, NYT, PR, WT 8/22; RE 8/22 in WNC 8/25; PR 8/29; CSM 8/30, 9/8) (see 8/16)

In Amman, a 2-day "popular conference for the defense of Jerusalem" opens. (al-Dustur, JT 8/21 in WNC 8/22; JT 8/23 in WNC 8/26)

In Bethlehem, PA police beat Palestinian Salih Musa during a traffic dispute, take him to Bethlehem hospital. 6 policmen are later arrested in connection with the incident. Bethlehem is still under the internal closure imposed by Israel following the 7/30 bombings. (LAW 8/21)

In retaliation for Hizballah's 8/19 shelling, Israeli air force (IAF) strikes far n. of the self-declared security zone, hitting a Hizballah base, an area nr. the Lebanese army unit that took part in the 8/18 shelling, a power station, injuring 2 Lebanese civilians. ILMG holds an emergency mtg. to discuss the deteriorating situation. Israel says that strike on power station was meant to show the Lebanese government that "a situation in which Israeli citizens cannot live peacefully while the Lebanese continue to live their lives normally will not be tolerated." (MM 8/20; AFP, RL, VOL 8/20 in WNC 8/21; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/21; WT 8/25)

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel deports 8 Palestinians, including Gazan Islamic Jihad leader 'Abd al-Aziz 'Awdah, to S. Lebanon security zone. Expulsion orders are issued to 6 Bayta residents and 6 other Palestinians from occupied territories [WP 4/12; CSM 4/13]. In response to charges brought by Israeli civil rights group, Israeli High Court decides army should give at least 48 hours' notice before demolishing more homes in Bayta. Maj. Gen. Ehud Barak, deputy chief of staff, states 1 of 13 Bayta homes may have been demolished mistakenly, says 4,800 Palestinians activists are being held in Israeli prisons, including 900 in administrative detention. [WP 4/12].

Other Countries: At World Court in the Hague, UN argues that U.S. attempt to close PLO's observer mission to UN is violation of U.S. treaty obligations [WP, NYT 4/12]. In speech before Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Democratic presidential candidate Michael Dukakis blames Arab leaders for continued violence in Middle East, states support for Shultz peace initiative [WP 4/12]. In Cyprus, PLO officials negotiate with hijackers of Kuwaiti airliner in effort to free hostages in exchange for refueling plane [NYT, WP 4/12].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Palestinian is shot, killed in clash with Israeli troops in Kafr al-Ra'i, near Jenin; Palestinian sources report 3 killed, 5 injured [WP 4/12; FJ 4/17]. Curfews are in force in Balatah and 'Ayn Bayt al-Ma' camps. At least 2 protesters are seriously wounded by army gunfire in Gaza Strip clashes [FJ 4/17].