The Palestine Chronology

A Hamas suicide bomber detonates a device on a bus in Tel Aviv, killing 5 Israelis, injuring more than 50. Sharon convenes his cabinet, which unanimously decides to launch Operation Matter of Time to "isolate” Arafat, calls for the immediate extradition of around 20 wanted Palestinians (including Force 17 head Mahmud Damara, PA General Intelligence chief Tawfiq Tirawi) allegedly among the 200 Palestinians hiding in Arafat's offices (8 surrender in the evening). The IDF immediately reimposes 24-hr. curfews on all West Bank areas except Hebron; sends tanks into Ramallah to surround Arafat's offices (1 tank fatally shoots a 10-yr.-old Palestinian boy 6 times; troops shoot, wound 2 Arafat bodyguards in the PA headquarters compound); fires on "Palestinian schoolchildren challenging the army's attempt to impose a curfew" in Amari r.c., killing a 11-yr.-old Palestinian; shells residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Hanun (where an IDF tank runs over a roadside bomb, injuring 2 soldiers), Jenin r.c. (blowing up 1 Palestinian home), Nablus, Qalqilya, the Tulkarm area; bulldozes 19 dunams of agricultural land nr. Kefar Darom settlement. Jewish settlers open fire on a Palestinian taxi nr. Tulkarm, seriously injuring the driver. (AP, HA, JTA, LAW, MM, PM 9/19; ATL, ITAR-TASS 9/19 in WNC 9/20; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/20; Interfax, MA, Radio Monte Carlo 9/20 in WNC 9/23; MEZ, NYT 9/21; AYM 9/23 in WNC 9/25; LAW, PCHR, PR 9/25; MA 9/25 in WNC 9/26; WJW 9/26; MEI 9/27)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 5 Palestinian dead, including senior DFLP mbr. Firas Qasim Saba'na, who is assasinated by IDF troops in Jinin. A 6th Palestinian dies of injuries received earlier. In Gaza, clashes erupt when the IDF attempts to remove a roadblock outside Khan Yunis. When the IDF responds to stone throwers with heavy weapons, PA police and Palestinian gunmen fire back, killing 1 IDF soldier. The IDF also shells a Palestinian hotel in Bethlehem "to flush out gunmen." Palestinian gunmen fatally shoot a Jewish settler in the West Bank. The IDF bulldozes 18 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Kefar Darom settlement, 35 dunams nr. Netzarim settlement. For the 7th straight wk., Israel bars Palestinians under 45 fr. attending Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. The IDF says that since 11/22, it has arrested 119 West Bank Palestinians suspected of throwing stones, Molotov cocktails. (AP, LAW 11/24; LAW, NYT, WP, WT 11/25; IsraelWire [Internet] 11/26; PCHR 12/18)

Arafat and Barak agree to resume security coordination during a 3-way phone conversation arranged by Russian pres. Vladimir Putin. Arafat, who is in Moscow on a 1-day visit to meet with Putin, suggests Russia convene a Madrid-style international conference on the peace process, but Barak rejects the idea. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS 11/24, ITAR-TASS 11/25, HJ, SA 11/26 in WNC 11/29; NYT, REU, WP, WT 11/25; AFP [Internet], MA [Internet] 11/26)

This evening, senior PA and Israeli security officials hold more coordination talks, agree to allow PSF officers back into DCOs. (AYM 11/24, HJ 11/26 in WNC 11/29)