The Palestine Chronology

3-days of elections talks close in Cairo. Sides agree PA will be in charge of maintaining security during elections, joint patrols will be used. PM Rabin says Palestinians fr. Jerusalem will not be allowed to run; Israel, not the PA, will carry out population census using 5,000 Palestinian teachers (see 4/28). A tripartite (EU, Israel, PA) comm. will be set up to discuss international monitors during elections. (AFP, IDF Radio, MENA, VOP 5/16, MENA 5/17 in FBIS 5/17; AFP, MENA, QY, VOP 5/17 in FBIS 5/18; PR 5/21)

2-day multilateral steering comm. mtgs on peace process open in Montreux, Switzerland. Syria, Lebanon boycott. Working groups on water, arms control, refugees, economic development, environment meet. (HA, QY 5/17 in FBIS 5/18)

For 1st time since 1990, U.S. vetoes UN resolution criticizing Israel. U.S. Amb. Madeline Albright calls veto "a matter of principle." Last-minute Russian proposal for UNSC presidential letter reproving Israel is rejected by U.S. as too strong, by PLO as too weak. Resolution would have invalidated Israel's 4/27 seizure of 134 acres of Arab-owed land in East Jerusalem. (MENA, VOP 5/17, MENA, QY, VOP 5/18 in FBIS 5/18; MM, NYT, WT 5/18; AFP, ITV, MENA, RE, RMC, VOP 5/18, MENA, VOP 5/19 in FBIS 5/19; MM, WT 5/19; MEI 6/9, 6/26) (see Doc. D7 in JPS 96)

PM Rabin says Israel would not object to having Syria deploy an early warning station on Israeli territory if Israel can maintain an equivalent system on Syrian soil. (MM 5/17)

60 of 80 mbrs. of the Jordanian parliament, incl. deputies who had approved the Jordan-Israel treaty, ask the government to freeze or cancel the treaty, recall Jordan's amb. to Israel, expel the Israeli amb. in protest over Israel's land confiscations. (MM 5/18; QY, RJ, SARR 5/18 in FBIS 5/18; SA 5/19 in FBIS 5/23; JP 5/27)

In Rabat, Arab League Secy. Gen. Ismat `Abd al-Majid talks with King Hassan on holding summit to discuss Israeli confiscations of Palestinian land in Jerusalem, leaves for Cairo to confer with Pres. Husni Mubarak. Mubarak, Syria's Pres. Hafiz al-Asad discuss plans by phone. (MKR, RE 5/18, RE 5/19 in FBIS 5/19; RMC 5/19, AFP, RMC 5/21 in FBIS 5/22)

PA police raid 5 Gaza mosques in search of "inflammatory material," tear pro-Hamas placards off walls; issue order banning "provocative actions in mosques." (QY 5/17 in FBIS 5/17)

MK `Abd al-Wahhab Darawshah, head of Israel's Arab Democratic Party (ADP), says Arafat has urged him to withdraw ADP's no confidence motion over the Jerusalem land confiscation. Arafat's office denies it, saying PA does not interfere in Israeli domestic affairs. (QY 5/17 in FBIS 5/17; QY 5/17 in FBIS 5/18) (see 5/15)

1 IDF soldier, 1 Hizballah mbr. are killed, 7 Hizballah mbrs, 3 IDF soldiers, 1 SLA mbr. are wounded in 2 clashes in s. Lebanon. (MM 5/17; CSM, MM 5/18; JP 5/27; MEI 6/9)

Israel and Jordan agree on draft agenda for negotiations with a formal peace treaty as the eventual goal, within the framework of a comprehensive Arab-Israeli settlement. This first mutual written agreement between Israel and the Arab side includes discussion of the Jordanian territorial demand, and construction of the "Red-Dead canal" between the two seas (see 10/22). (Jordan Times 10/29 in FBIS 10/29; WT 10/30; Educational TV [Israel], ITV 11/1 in FBIS 11/2; NYT 10/29, 11/2)

SHAS withdraws demand for Ed. Min. Shulamit Aloni's ouster, calling instead for her apology and pledge to abstain from religious exhortation, as well as expanded powers for its own dep. ed. min. MAPAM demands 4th cabinet portfolio for Meretz coalition, of which it is a part, calls for no capitulation to SHAS demands. (IDF Radio, Qol Yisra'el 10/28 in FBIS 10/29)

Israeli district court orders govt. to pay $62,000 in damages to family of unarmed Palestinian killed in 1988 by undercover IDF unit, $20,000 to family of Palestinian wounded in same incident. Precedent-setting ruling "basically" rejected Shin Bet claim that soldiers were on a military operation, an act of state with no liability. (WT 11/6; al-Fajr 11/9)

Knesset comm. decides not to revoke the parliamentary immunity ofMKs Naomi Chazan (Meretz), 'Abd al-Wahhab Darawsha and Taleb al-Sana (Arab Democratic Party), and Hashem Mahamid (HADASH) for meeting with top PLO officials recently, by vote of 8 to 6. (IDF Radio 10/28 in FBIS 10/29; WP 10/29)

"Tens of thousands" of Palestinians in Syria and Jordan demonstrate against the peace talks (see 10/26). (QPAR 10/28 in FBIS 10/29, 10/30)

King Hassan of Morocco meets with King Hussein in Amman. (MM 10/29)

Lebanese UN rep. lodges complain to UNSC over recent Israeli attacks, calls for implementation of UNSC Res. 425. (Radio Lebanon 10/29 in FBIS 10/29)