The Palestine Chronology

In Gaza, the IDF opens Rafah crossing for departures only, opens Qarni crossing for imports only; makes late-night air strikes destroying a store, house in Jabaliya r.c. (warning the residents in advance to leave), damaging 3 nearby homes. In the West Bank, the IDF sends undercover units into Tulkarm in a car with Palestinian license plates, surrounds the home of a wanted Hamas mbr., fires on the home, arrests the wanted man when he surrenders; sends troops into Ramallah, occupying offices in the PA Public Works Min. as an observation post, surrounding an apartment building, ordering residents to evacuate, arresting 3 Palestinians, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians who confront the troops, wounding 1; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Aqabat Jabir r.c. nr. Jericho; issues military orders confiscating 8 d. of Palestinian land nr. Qalqilya for the separation wall. (OCHA 8/16; PCHR 8/17)

The IDF drops leaflets on Beirut warning residents of the capital to expect escalated bombing whose “painful and severe results will not be limited” to Hizballah targets, urging residents of 3 neighborhoods (Burj al-Barajneh, Hay Sullum, al-Shiyah) to evacuate immediately (the areas are vacant by the end of the day, with the government bussing residents without transportation to Juniyah); drops leaflets on n. Lebanon, warning truck drivers to stay off roads to Syria. Meanwhile, Israel asks the U.S. to speed delivery of M-26 artillery shells (short-range antipersonnel rockets armed with cluster munitions) along with other unspecified weapons for use against Hizballah. The IDF continues air and artillery strikes across Lebanon, including firing missiles at an unused radio tower in downtown Beirut; targeting traffic on roads nr. Tyre, destroying roads in the Biqa‘ Valley, killing at least 2 Lebanese. Ground operations continue in s. Lebanon, reportedly focusing on areas stretching fr. Marja’uyun to al-Khiyam (with the IDF claiming to have taken control of Marja’uyun) and fr. Aita alSha‘b to Bint Jubayl, leaving at least 1 IDF soldier dead, 2 wounded nr. Qlei‘a. Hizballah fires at least 140 rockets into n. Israel, hitting Acre, Carmiel, Dayr al-Assad (killing an Israeli Palestinian woman, her son and wounding 11), Haifa, Kiryat Shimona, Ma’alot, Nahariya, Safad. (WP 8/10; NYT, WP, WT 8/11; WP 8/13)

Overnight, the IDF pulls troops out of central Gaza; makes air strikes on the PA Economics Min. offices in Gaza City (causing no injuries), a factory in Gaza City (killing 1 Palestinian, wounding at least 9), a bridge nr. Bureij r.c.; fatally shoots an unarmed Palestinian who strays close to the Kissufim crossing. Palestinians fire several rockets into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts late-night arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. A Palestinian dies of injuries received during the IDF’s 7/6 failed assassination attempt on Zubaydi and Sadi. (NYT, WP 7/15; NYT 7/16; PCHR 7/20)

The IDF escalates its attacks on Lebanon, completing the naval blockade of the coast; making air strikes on Hizballah offices, homes of Hizballah leaders and a senior Hamas official; hitting scores of civilian infrastructure targets, particularly in pro-Hizballah neighborhoods in s. Beirut and s. Lebanon, and roads and bridges in e. and n. Lebanon (including destroying the last bridge on the Beirut–Damascus highway), also destroying numerous gas stations, fuel depots (including hitting Jiyeh terminal for a 2d day, creating a major oil slick), a major power plant s. of the capital; shelling ports in Amshit, Batrun, Beirut, Juniyah, Sidon, Tripoli, and Tyre and hitting a radar installation in the new Manara lighthouse in Beirut to disable Lebanon’s coast radar defenses. At least 16 Lebanese civilians are killed in an air strike on a civilian convoy fleeing Marwahin village in s. Lebanon after Israel warned residents to evacuate, bringing the estimated death toll since the start of the crisis to 92 Lebanese killed and at least 250 wounded, almost all of them civilians. Hizballah fires some 90 Katyushas at n. Israel during the day, hitting Tiberias for the 1st time, as well as Carmiel and Nahariya, lightly injuring at least 11 Israelis. Italy begins evacuating its citizens fr. Lebanon; Britain, France, the U.S. say they have plans to do the same. (HA, NYT, WP, WT 7/16; NYT 7/29; WP 8/1; NYT 8/3)

Military Action:

Heavy shelling by PSP militia, rockets and artillery fall in area from East Beirut north to Jounieh, and in airport area; Pentagon reportedly decides to keep battleship New Jersey stationed off Lebanon indefinitely.

Casualties:

5-7 killed, 30 wounded in East Beirut; LF militiamen kidnap Shi'ite civilians south of Beirut, Amal militiamen kidnap 60 Christian employees of MEA from buses on way to airport, later released; Beirut power station damaged, electricity rationing resumes.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: 36th anniversary of UN vote to partition Palestine marked by demonstrations and protests throughout West Bank; IDF disperses Nablus demonstration with teargas; large demonstration in support of Arafat at Birzeit; settler injured by stone near Beit Omar, Hebron, 6 suspects arrested; estimated 500 Jewish settlers hold protest march through Nablus under heavy IDF protection, settlers establish command post near Tomb of Joseph in Nablus, say they will remain there until IDF takes stronger measures against Palestinians, chief-of-staff Levy flies in for meeting; President Herzog says IDF prisoners released by PLO had surrendered shamefully, press and military personnel question enthusiastic reception given to returnees.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says he will leave Tripoli.

US and Other Countries: Reagan and Shamir end talks, agree on joint political-military committee, to begin meeting in January, to enhance Israeli-US cooperation, objectives include military planning, maneuvers, prepositioning of US equipment in Israel; other areas of agreement are: US willing to negotiate accord on duty-free trade and to permit $550 m. military aid to be spent on development of Lavi fighter, including $250 m. to be spent in Israel; US and Israel reaffirm commitment to May 17 Israeli-Lebanese troop withdrawal agreement; US reportedly will make cluster bomb technology available to Israel for production there, Shamir and Arens agree in principle not to use the weapons against civilians.

Military Action:

Shelling continues in Beirut's southern suburbs; PSP militia and LAF battle at Souq al-Gharb; Marine positions hit with small arms and artillery fire; shells fall near Jounieh port, north of Beirut; British MNF patrol fired on in Beirut; US jets buzz Beirut; Baddawi camp comes under rocket and artillery fire as heavy fighting continues, Arafat forces establish positions in Tripoli, shells land in city; head of IDF-backed militia in Nabatiyeh assassinated, fifth attack on militia leaders in two months.

Casualties:

1 civilian killed, unspecified number wounded in shelling in and around Beirut; 1 Marine, 1 LAF soldier wounded; Beirut airport closed to incoming flights; police estimate at least 200 killed, 300 wounded in past 4 days of fighting around Tripoli; oil storage tanks hit again by rocket fire, severe fuel shortage in Beirut, Tripoli; IDF permits limited pedestrian and vehicle traffic across Awali bridges, tension high as thousands of stranded persons wait to cross.

Political Responses:

Israeli/ Occupied Territories: Cabinet approves $2 b. budget cut, new austerity measures, including higher costs for education, health care, economists predict recession, rise in unemployment from current 4%o to 7%o; rallies, strikes, and official expressions of support for Arafat in East Jerusalem, West Bank towns and refugee camps, 1 boy wounded by IDF fire at Dheisheh; IDF announces test mobilization of forces, says it is routine and not meant as threat to Syria.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Resumption of Geneva talks among factional leaders postponed until at least November 20.

Arab Governments: Saudi envoy travels to Damascus to intervene with Assad over Tripoli fighting; Jordan declares support for Arafat; Syrian army, including reservists, mobilized.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Major Haddad, in testimony before Commission of Inquiry, denies his militiamen were involved in massacre, says three militiamen caught in fight involving IDF and Druze forces near Beirut at time were far from camps and in Beirut on private visit, says on Friday, September 17, he flew to Beirut on IDF aircraft to offer condolences to Gemayel family, visited Jounieh, then returned by car to Marjayoun, accuses Saeb Salam of covering up for Phalangists on orders from Saudi Arabia by blaming Haddad forces; Foreign Ministry official Hana Bar-On testifies he relayed US official's report on "irregularities" in Beirut camps to Begin's military secretary, Colonal Azriel Nevo, Friday evening, September 17; political storm rages over New York Times opinion piece that implies Labor Party leaders want US to reduce aid to Israel as means to pressure Begin but Peres denies Labor Party supports cut in US aid; two leaders of Gush Emunim settlement of Qiryat Arba charged with destroying possible clues to unsolved bombings that crippled two Palestinian Mayors in 1980, trial is set for December 9; 25,000 Israeli settlers now estimated living in occupied territories, is twice as many as in 1980, five times as many as in 1977; Knesset finance committee defers decision on funding 9 new settlements (Labor Party criticizes 8 planned for West Bank, and IDF outposts in territories being turned over to right-wing Kach).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Walid Jumblatt, in interview, accuses Phalange of planning massacres of Druze and says talks are useless; Phalange spokesman Hayek denies charge, says Phalange militiamen only seeking to return to their former villages in Chouf.

Arab Governments: King Hussein, ending Arab League delegation visit to France, accuses Israel of holding up peace process through continued West Bank settlements, refusal to consider Reagan peace proposals, says question of Israel's eventual borders remains major obstacle to peace; Syrian President Assad tells visiting US Congressional delegation that Reagan plan is "incomplete" solution.

US and Other Countries: Habib leaves several days early for Mideast in wake of cancellation of Begin-Reagan meeting, as State Department expresses concern at lack of progress on troop withdrawals; Shultz meets with Habib, Veliotes, Fairbanks, M. Charles Hill and Samuel W. Lewis to review lack of progress on peace plan; Britain announces Arab League mission planned to arrive next week has been postponed to December, and it will continue to refuse inclusion of PLO representative in delegation; West German Chancellor Helmut Kohl, in New York, tells US Jewish leaders he intends to strengthen West German relations with Israel, and supports Camp David process.