The Palestine Chronology

The IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Ramallah, 3 in Jenin, a 3-story building in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya and nr. Hebron, Tulkarm. An IDF undercover unit driving a car with Palestinian plates enters Aida r.c., arrests 2 Palestinians. A Palestinian bystander wounded in the 2/4 IDF assassination of 3 AMB mbrs. in Gaza City dies. (PMC 2/8; PCHR 2/9, 2/16)

The Israel Lands Authority (ILA) bulldozes 2,500 d. of bedouin crops (classified as state lands) nr. Beersheba to dissuade the bedouin fr. staying in the area. In previous years, the ILA sprayed the land with pesticides but the Israeli High Court ruled against that practice in 2004. The ILA has offered to rent the land back to the bedouin for the duration of the growing season at a nominal fee, but the bedouin have refused, saying a lease would give legal backing to Israel’s claim that the land does not belong to the bedouin. (HA 2/9)

In n. Gaza, the PSF arrests the head of Islamic Jihad's military wing Shadi Muhana and his senior aide Mahmud Judeh. The IDF fires on a PSF checkpoint nr. Jinin, injuring 1 PSF officer, 1 Palestinian bystander; conducts an arrest raid in Gaza City. A Jewish settler driving nr. Qalqilya hits, seriously injures a Palestinian man. 1 Palestinian dies of injuries received on 12/11. (PMC, WT 12/23; PCHR 12/26)

Israel cuts off all contact with the PA; gives Shin Bet, the IDF the "green light" to step up assassinations. Some MKs say Sharon should banish Arafat fr. the West Bank, Gaza. The PA arrests 3 PFLP leaders, but says it has not identified Ze'evi's assassins, will not extradite them to Israel once it does. Israel says if the killers are not extradited, it will treat the PA as a sponsor of terrorism. (The State Dept. refuses to back Israel's extradition demand.) Sharon declares that "Arafat has 7 days to impose absolute quiet in the territories. If not, we will go to war against him. As far as I'm concerned, the era of Arafat is over." (HP, MM 10/18; MENA, XIN 10/18 in WNC 10/19; NYT, WP, WT 10/19; MM 10/23)

The IDF reoccupies areas A in Jinin, Nablus, and Ramallah, sending in tanks and troops, shelling buildings, killing 3 Palestinians. In Bethlehem, 3 Palestinians, including Fatah tanzim leader Atif Ubayyat, 1 of Israel's most wanted, are killed when an explosion destroys their car. The deaths, which Palestinians claim were an assassination, spark a serious gun battle around the city; Palestinians in Bayt Jala also fire a mortar at Gilo for the 1st time in 2 mos., causing no damage. Palestinian gunmen fire on a group of Jewish settlers hiking in the Jordan Valley, killing 1 Jewish settler, wounding 2. (HP, MM, PMC 10/18; AP, HP, NYT, WP, WT 10/19; WP 10/20; PCHR 10/24)