The Palestine Chronology

The IDF assassinates an Islamic Jihad military cmdr. Aziz Shami, firing a missile at his car as he drives through Gaza City, also killing a 12-yr.-old Palestinian walking to school, wounding 2 passengers in Shami’s car, 7 bystanders on the street. The IDF also fires on a group of Palestinians allegedly attempting to infiltrate Israel fr. Gaza nr. Bureij r.c., mortally wounding a Palestinian teenager, allowing him to bleed to death. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. an IDF convoy in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries. Hebron Jewish settlers attack local Palestinians with iron bars (seriously injuring 1), break the windows of 4 Palestinian homes to deter them fr. using a road linking al-Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs and Kiryat Arba settlement. (PCHR 2/7; VOP 2/7, MENA, VOP 2/8 in WNC 2/10; HA, NYT, WP, WT 2/8; PR 2/11; PCHR 2/12)

The PA hastily convenes a military tribunal to arraign 4 Palestinians in connection with the 10/15/03 Erez roadside bombing that killed 4 American security officers, charging them with possessing explosives and weapons, planting mines nr. the area of the bombing, but not charging them with the specific bombing that led to those deaths. (JP 2/7; HA, NYT, WP, WT 2/8; al-Quds 2/11 in WNC 2/13)

More than 350 Fatah mbrs. resign to protest corruption, mismanagement, lack of political direction within the movement. (REU 2/7; NYT, WP, WT 2/8; VOP 2/8 in WNC 2/10; MM 2/9, 2/10; NYT, WJW 2/12; SA 2/13 in WNC 2/18)

The IDF fatally shoots a “suspicious” Palestinian nr. Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Furik, al-Til. In a joint AMB-PFLP operation, 2 Palestinian gunmen attack an IDF post nr. Nablus, killing 2 IDF soldiers, wounding 1 before being shot dead. An Israeli Arab stabs, lightly injures an Israeli policeman in n. Israel before being shot dead by another officer. Based on information fr. the IDF interrogation of 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. capture in the West Bank today, Israeli police find an explosive belt in the washroom of a mosque in the Israeli-Arab town of Taibeh, which they remove and detonate. (MM, REU 2/6; VOI 2/6 in WNC 2/7; NYT, WP 2/7; HA, NYT 2/8; PR 2/12; PCHR 2/20)

Following up on the Sharon-Qurai` talks on 2/5, PA Interior M Hani al-Hassan meets secretly with Sharon chief of staff Dov Weisglass at the home of U.S. Amb. to Israel Dan Kurtzer to discuss possible resumption of Israeli-PA cease-fire talks. (HA, MM 2/10; JT, QA, al-Quds, SA 2/10 in WNC 2/11; HA, MM 2/11; PR 2/12; MEI 2/21)

The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in Maghazi r.c., killing a 65-yr.-old Palestinian woman who refused orders to vacate; raids a PSF office in Qalqilya, fatally shooting 1 PSF officer, wounding another; fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Nablus, killing a 17-yr.-old Palestinian, and in Tamun, seriously injuring a 13-yr.-old Palestinian; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, wounding 13 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids, demolishes stalls in the vegetable market in Hebron; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Awla, Bethlehem, Dayr Dibwan, Ramallah. Late in the evening, IDF helicopters open fire on a retirement home attached to a hospital in Gaza City, killing 2 Palestinian medical workers. Palestinians fire 10 mortars at Gush Katif settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (AP, HA, LAW, PCHR, REU 2/5; XIN 2/5 in WNC 2/7; LAW, NYT, WP, WT 2/6; NYT, PM, WP 2/7; DUS 2/7 in WNC 2/10)

Israeli Interior Min. inspectors demolish a mosque in Til al-Malah, an unrecognized bedouin village in the Negev. (HA 2/5)

Under “intense pressure from the American administration,” Sharon holds secret talks with PC speaker and senior PA negotiator Ahmad Qurai`, presents him with a plan for a gradual cease-fire and resumption of security coordination. (HA 2/8; WT 2/9; MM, NYT, WT 2/10; JT, QA, al-Quds, SA 2/10 in WNC 2/11; MM 2/11; AYM 2/11 in WNC 2/13; PR 2/12; MEI 2/21)

King Hussein dies. Crown Prince Abdallah is sworn in as King Abdallah II, appoints his half-brother Hamza as crown prince. Jordan declares a wk. of mourning. Syria, Egypt announce official 3-day mourning period. Syria also postpones 2/8 presidential elections. (IDF Radio, Interfax, IRNA, JTV, RJ, RL, VIRI 2/7 in WNC 2/8; AFP, Xinhua 2/7 in WNC 2/9; GIU, CSM, NYT, WP, WT 2/8; MA, SA 2/8 in WNC 2/9; CSM 2/9; WJW 2/11; JP, MEI, PR 2/12)

UN Secy. Gen. Annan reaches agmt. (signed 2/23) with Iraq on resuming unrestricted inspections under which UN Special Committee (UNSCOM) teams of technical experts will be accompanied by senior diplomats appointed by Annan to act as observers. The UNSC must approve the agmt. U.S. expresses cautious optimism. (RJ 2/22, ITV, MENA, RJ 2/23, al-Ahram, al-Ra'i, RL 2/24 in WNC 2/26; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/23; Le Soir [Brussels] 2/25 in WNC 3/3; MEI, PR 2/27)

Violent clashes continue in Ma'an, Jordan, for 3d straight day. (JTV, MBC, RJ 2/22, JT, JTV, RJ 2/23 in WNC 2/26; MM, WP, WT 2/23; WP 2/26; MEI 2/27) (see 2/21)

In Cairo, 15,000 students fr. `Ayn Shams, Cairo university demonstrate against U.S. policy toward Iraq. (MENA, RMC 2/22 in WNC 2/26)

3 Palestinians are injured when IDF breaks up "pro-Iraq" demonstration in Birzeit. Another protest is held at al-Najah University in Nablus. (ITV 2/22 in WNC 2/26; PR 2/27)

Jordan arrests 3 Jordanians for plotting attacks on Israeli targets, possession of explosives. (SA 2/23 in WNC 2/26)

EU Pres. Santer arrives in Damascus for 2 days of talks on the peace process, meets with Syrian pres. Asad. (SANA 2/11 in WNC 2/12; SATN 2/11 in WNC 2/15)

IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Hebron to make way for expansion of Israeli quarries. (LAW 2/17)

Ultraorthodox Jew is stabbed to death in East Jerusalem. Israel suspects Palestinian militants. (NYT, WP 2/12, PR 2/20)

In Amman, Jordanian police arrest youth attempting to throw molotov cocktail at British embassy to protest potential military strike on Iraq. (RJ 2/11 in WNC 2/12; MM 2/12; JT, SA 2/12 in WNC 2/15)

Iraq offers U.S. a Russia-brokered compromises for inspections at 8 presidential palaces over 2-mo. period. U.S. rejects plan, saying it is not up to Iraq to set conditions for inspections, Iraq must agree to inspections of all sites for indefinite period. (MM 2/11; WP 2/12; JTV 2/12 in WNC 2/17)

In Kuwait, GCC states hold emergency mtg. on Iraq crisis, say they prefer diplomatic to military solution. (U.S. Defense Secy. Cohen, who is in Bahrain today, says that all 6 states have agreed that Saddam Hussein should bear all responsibility for an attack if he does not fully comply with UN requirements.) (MM 2/11, 2/12)