The Palestine Chronology

A Hamas suicide bomber (a Jenin resident) detonates a device on a bus in Haifa, killing 4 IDF soldiers, 4 Israeli civilians, wounding 14. In Jenin, the IDF bulldozes "whole stretches" of Palestinian homes in the area where 13 soldiers were killed on 4/9; unconfirmed reports accuse the IDF of burying bodies during the demolitions to hide evidence of a massacre. Villages around Jenin reportedly have taken in 1,000s of Palestinians fleeing the camp in recent days. In Nablus, medical workers say 11 Palestinians were killed in overnight clashes with the IDF, another 63 injured, bringing the toll since the incursion in the city began to around 60; the IDF destroys 4 alleged bomb-making factories, then pulls back fr. the old city market area, eases attacks in Nablus and nearby al-`Ayn r.c. (where 25 homes reportedly have been destroyed), calls on survivors to surrender. In Bethlehem, the IDF shoots, wounds an Armenian monk standing at the window of his room in the Church of the Nativity complex; shoots dead 2 Palestinians who attempt to sneak out of the church to get food, medicine for those inside. Israel rejects an appeal by the Vatican, Greek Orthodox Church, Armenians for a "safe conduct" agmt. to end the standoff. The IDF bars a UN relief convoy fr. bringing food, emergency supplies into Ramallah. A World Bank delegation says it obtained access to the PA Central Bureau of Statistics, PA Education Min. and found both ransacked, computers stripped of hard drives, files purged, safes blasted open, some $10,000 stolen. Late this evening, the IDF pulls out of Qabatiyya, Samua, Yatta. (AP, CNN, HA, JP [Internet], MM, PMC 4/10; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/11; al-Quds 4/11 in WNC 4/12; MEI 4/19; WP 4/20)

After 3 days of consultations with Arab leaders, Powell meets in Madrid with senior quartet reps. (EU foreign policy dir. Javier Solana, Russian FM Igor Ivanov, UN Secy.-Gen. Annan), who issue a statement fully backing his mission. (RMC 4/10 in WNC 4/11; MM, NYT, WP 4/11)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue for the 13th straight day, leaving 3 Palestinians dead, 185 injured. The most severe exchanges are outside Nablus, where a mosque is torched, allegedly by Jewish settlers, and Palestinians throw stones a funeral procession for a Jewish settler. IDF troops and helicopters escorting the funeral procession respond with gunfire, call in extra attack helicopters, tanks. The riot degenerates into a gunfight btwn. the PA police and IDF and armed Jewish settlers. The IDF also deploys attack helicopters against Palestinian gunmen nr. Bethlehem. In Hebron, 1 IDF soldier is shot, seriously wounded. Israeli border police prevent an ambulance fr. taking 4 seriously wounded Palestinians into Jordan for treatment. (ADM, LAW, REU 10/11; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/12; JT 10/12 in WNC 10/16; JT 11/9 in WNC 11/13)

International mediation efforts continue. UN Sec.-Gen. Annan extends his stay in Israel to meet again with Arafat, Barak. British FM Robin Cook, Russian FM Ivanov, the EU's Solana, Norwegian FM Thorbjoern Jagland also meet with Barak, Arafat. Solana then holds talks with Mubarak in Cairo, King Abdallah in Amman. Russian FM Ivanov goes to Damascus to meet with Syrian pres. Asad, FM Shara`. Mubarak phones Arafat, King Abdallah; receives calls fr. Annan, Turkish pres. Ahmet Necdet Sezer. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS, LPA, MENA 10/11 in WNC 10/12; MENA 10/11, ATL, LPA, al-Safir 10/12 in WNC 10/13; WP, WT 10/12)

Barak, Dep. DM Sneh present the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Comm. with a detailed "disengagement plan" to be implemented if Israel determines that the peace process has totally collapsed. (MM, YA 10/12)

In Ramallah, 1,000s of Palestinians take part in a candle-light vigil calling for a halt to the violence. In the U.S., rallies in solidarity with the Palestinians are held in Kalamazoo, New York. (ADM, LAW, REU 10/11)

Barak extends indefinitely his 48-hr. deadline for Arafat to halt Palestinian riots passes in light of international mediation efforts. Clinton, Albright spend the day on the phone, discussing with Arafat, Barak, Mubarak, various EU leaders ways of halting the violence. UN Secy.-Gen. Annan, Russian FM Ivanov meet with Barak in Tel Aviv, Arafat in Gaza. Arafat goes to Cairo to confer with Mubarak. (MM, NYT, WT 10/9; Interfax, IRNA, MENA 10/9 in WNC 10/10; Interfax 10/9, Le Monde 10/10 in WNC 10/10; MENA 10/9, DUS 10/10, MA 10/11 in WNC 10/12; HA [Internet], CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/10; WJW 10/12; MEI 10/13)

Meanwhile, Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue throughout the West Bank and Gaza and inside Israel. The IDF extends the West Bank-Gaza closure indefinitely, cancels all permits issued to Palestinians working in Israel. 100s of Israeli Jews fr. Upper Nazareth rampage through Arab Nazareth, firing automatic weapons and wielding clubs, injuring 50 Israeli Arabs, damaging homes and shops. Israeli police break up the ensuing riot, firing tear gas and rubber bullets. 2 Israeli Arabs are shot dead with live ammunition either by Jews or the police. In Tel Aviv, 500 Israeli Jews attack Arab apartment buildings, set Arab-owned stores on fire. In Jaffa, Israeli Jews set fire to 2 mosques, a number of Palestinian homes. In East Jerusalem, Jewish settlers attempt to vandalize the Latin Patriarchate Church. In the West Bank, 2 Palestinians are found dead, both apparently killed by Jewish settlers avenging the murder of a rabbi on 10/8 (1 is later judged by international experts to have died in a car accident). 2 Palestinians die of injuries received earlier. (Gush Shalom press release, MM 10/9; AYM 10/9, MA 10/10 in WNC 10/12; ADM, LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/10; WJW 10/12; MEI 10/13)

10,000 Kuwaitis rally in solidarity with the Palestinians. Smaller rallies are held in Canada, Egypt, Italy, and the UK, as well as in Chicago. (MENA 10/9 in WNC 10/10; MM, WP 10/10; MEI 10/13; MM 10/17)

On the 3d day of rioting, an effort to secure a cease-fire fails, and Palestinian-Israeli clashes spread to almost all Palestinian towns, most IDF checkpoints in the West Bank and Gaza, with the Israeli forces reportedly taking harsher actions than on 9/28 or 9/29. While only 8 IDF troops are lightly injured during the day, another 12 Palestinians are killed, more than 500 wounded. The worst fighting takes place outside Nablus, where 8 Palestinians, including 2 PA police officers are killed; and in Gaza, where 200 Palestinians are injured, and 12-yr.-old Muhammad al-Dura and an ambulance driver who tries to rescue him are shot dead. Telephone calls are exchanged among U.S. Secy. of State Albright, Arafat, Barak, Israel's Ben-Ami, Egyptian pres. Mubarak, U.S. special envoy Ross, CIA Dir. Tenet, Russian FM Igor Ivanov, EU officials. Arafat flies to Cairo to meet with Mubarak, EU special envoy Miguel Moratinos. (MENA, RL 9/30, IRNA, ITAR-TASS, JT, MENA, al-Quds 10/1 in WNC 10/2; NYT, WP, WT 10/1; CSM, NYT, WT 10/2; SA 10/2 in WNC 10/3; WJW 10/5; MA 10/6 in WNC 10/10; al-Quds 10/12 in WNC 10/16; MEI 10/13)

In `Ayn al-Hilwa refugee camp in Lebanon, 2,500 Palestinians demonstrate against Israeli actions in Jerusalem. In Cairo, Egyptian students block the train station in protest. (RL 9/30 in WNC 10/2)

In Cairo, Russian FM Igor Ivanov, Egyptian FM Musa discuss the peace process, bilateral and regional issues. Ivanov also meets with Pres. Mubarak in Sharm al-Shaykh, Arab League secy.-gen. Ismat `Abd al-Majid. (Interfax, MENA 3/4, ITAR-TASS, MENA 3/5 in WNC 3/6)

Some 100 prominent Palestinian diaspora figures issue a statement emphasizing the importance to the PA-Israeli negotiations of the refugee issue, the concerns of diaspora Palestinians. (MM 3/15, 3/22)

Hizballah shells an IDF outpost in s. Lebanon, wounding 1 IDF soldier. (WT 3/5)

In Moscow, U.S. Secy. of State Albright, Russian FM Igor Ivanov host the multilateral steering comm. session. Participants agree to resume working group mtgs. on refugees, water, economic development, the environment in 4/99 and 5/99. But Egypt refuses to convene the arms control group, of which it is chair, unless Israel agrees to open its nuclear program for inspection. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS 2/1 in WNC 2/2; ITAR-TASS, XIN 2/1, ITAR-TASS 2/2 in WNC 2/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/2; WJW 2/3; MENA, SA 2/3 in WNC 2/4; RL 2/4 in WNC 2/7; AYM 2/6 in WNC 2/10)

The IDF demolishes 1 Palestinian home, damages a 2d in East Jerusalem. (LAW 2/1)

Barak, Arafat hold generally positive mtg. on the sidelines of the Socialist International congress in Paris, but Barak sparks controversy afterward by saying that Israel no longer sees UN Res. 242, one of the bases of the Oslo process, as fully applicable to the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In his speech to the congress, Barak says that while Israel wants political separation fr. the Palestinian areas, "economic cooperation between us must and will continue"; calls on Syrian pres. Asad to resume bilateral negotiations. (MM 11/9; AFP 11/9 in WNC 11/10; AYM 11/9 in WNC 11/12; MM, WT 11/10; MEI 11/12)

Following the Socialist International mtg., Arafat heads to London to brief British PM Tony Blair on the status of the peace process. (LPA 11/9 in WNC 11/10)

In Paris, Egyptian pres. Mubarak holds talks on the peace process with Israeli PM Barak, condemns the PM's position on UN Res. 242. (MENA 11/9 in WNC 11/10; AFP 11/11 in WNC 11/12)

With the passage of the 2d deadline for the voluntary evacuation of 10 West Bank settlement enclaves, Israel announces that the IDF will forcibly evacuate the remaining occupied outpost, Havat Maon. Over the past few days, some 300 ultranationalist settlers have joined the 4 families originally encamped at the site, set up prefabricated houses in protest, hoping to make it impossible for the government to remove the settlement. A group of rabbis for the settlements issues a ruling forbidding the use of force against soldiers, but also calling the eviction a "crime against the Torah and the homeland." Barak cuts his trip to Paris short to return home to deal with the evacuation. (MM 11/9; NYT, WP 11/10; al-Quds 11/10 in WNC 11/12)

In Moscow, Russian FM Igor Ivanov discusses the peace process with EU special envoy Moratinos. Ivanov says Russia is willing to host a multilateral steering comm. mtg. whenever the parties agree that talks should resume. (Interfax, ITAR-TASS 11/9 in WNC 11/10)

After talks with Pres. Mubarak in Cairo, Russian FM Ivanov heads to Damascus, where he says relations with Syria are warm despite delay in finalizing arms deal. (MENA 4/24, ITAR-TASS 4/25 in WNC 4/27; WP 4/25) (see 4/11)

In Geneva, the UN Human Rights Commission passes (31-1, with 21 abstentions) resolution condemning Israel's "continued violations" in the occupied territories. The U.S. votes against. (Reuters [Internet] 4/23)

In Casablanca, Arab human rights groups open major 3 day conference on human rights conditions in the Arab world. It is the 1st international conference of the Arab Human Rights Movement. (INFOPAL 5/21)

Russian FM Ivanov meets with Arafat in Ramallah, then leaves for Egypt. (AFP, ITAR-TASS 4/23 in WNC 4/26; MENA 4/23 in WNC 4/27; MEI 5/7)

Jewish settlers set up new enclave on hilltop nr. Ma'ale Levona, nr. Ramallah. (AP [Internet] 4/24)

Hizballah detonates a roadside bomb in s. Lebanon, killing 1 SLA mbr., wounding a 2d. In an unrelated incident, the IDF shells a Lebanese army checkpoint n. of the self-declared security zone, injuring 3 civilians. (RL, VOL 4/23 in WNC 4/26; NYT, WP 4/24)

After more than a decade, Libya hands over to the UN 2 suspects in the Pan Am 103 bombing for trial in the Netherlands under Scottish law. UN immediately suspends sanctions on Libya, which were imposed in 1992. (CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/6; WT 4/7; MEI, MM 4/9; CSM 4/15; MEI 4/23) (see 3/19)

In Ankara, Arafat meets with Turkish pres. Sulayman Demirel, then heads to Moscow for mtg. with Russian FM Igor Ivanov. (NYT, WP, WT 4/6; Interfax 4/6 in WNC 4/7; PR 4/9; WJW 4/15)

Muslims in Nazareth observe general strike, call for mayor's resignation over project to build Christian pilgrimage site. (NYT, WP 4/6; WP, WT 4/7; MM 4/8; MEI 4/23) (see 4/4)

Arafat stops in Moscow for mtg. with Russian Dep. FM Igor Ivanov, says he is "deeply satisfied with the role Russia is playing" in peace process, invites Russian observers to oversee elections scheduled for 11/1. Ivanov briefs Arafat on Russian efforts on Syrian-Israeli track. (MM 9/15)

Salah `Abd al-Shafi, in charge of U.S. aid to Gaza, blames Arafat for economic delays, says "no one [in PNA] knows who is responsible for what, to the extent where foreign businessmen have to go directly to . . . Arafat . . . to make any progress with their plans." (La Tribune Desfosses 9/14 in FBIS 9/15)

French FM Alain Juppé criticizes Israeli PM Rabin's statements on Syria, Lebanon made 9/5, says "Lebanon must be the master of its destiny and sovereignty." (MM 9/14)

Arab League session opens in Cairo with speech by SG 'Ismat `Abd al-Majid praising Arab-Israeli negotiations, encouraging Israel to progress on Syrian, Lebanese tracks. (MENA 9/14 in FBIS 9/15)

PLO Political Dept. head al-Qaddumi meets with Arab FM's after Arab League opening, discusses PNA financing, Jerusalem, progress on self-rule; issues statement saying there have been no positive results in the past yr. except more Palestinians can return to their homes, occupation continues. (MENA 9/14 in FBIS 9/15)

Islamic Jihad welcomes Hamas' plan to set up Islamic party, says it will take part in elections, hinting Islamic party may become umbrella for all Islamist groups. (HA 9/16 in FBIS 9/20) (see 9/7)

Gaza military court sentences Palestinian policeman to 7 yrs. in jail for selling his M-16 rifle to a Palestinian civilian. (AFP 9/14 in FBIS 9/15)

Protests against Hebron massacre continue throughout o.t. after curfew lifted. 17- yr.-old shot dead by IDF in Jericho; 2 Palestinians, 19 and 18, killed in Hebron, 13 Palestinians wounded by gunfire. Among those wounded in Jericho is frmr. negotiator Sa'eb Erakat. (MM 3/2; NYT, WP, WT 3/3)

IDF orders 18 settlers to stay out of specified Palestinian towns, surrender army-issued weapons. (NYT 3/3)

Russian Dep. FM Igor Ivanov arrives in Israel to discuss resumption of Arab-Israeli peace talks. Move marks resumption of activist role by Madrid conference co-sponsor. (CSM, NYT, WP 3/3)

Israel releases 500 Palestinian prisoners in gesture to bring PLO back to negotiations. PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Samir Ghawsha calls action "cosmetic surgery." Exec. Comm., Palestinian negotiators continue consultations for 3d day. (CSM, NYT, WP, WT 3/2)

Israeli govt. says it will pay compensation to families of victims, but that final amount will be less than that paid to families of Israelis killed by Palestinians. Social security official Yosef Tamir says discrepancy due to lower standard of living in o.t. as compared to Israel. (NYT 3/2)

Israeli Police M Moshe Shahal says "less than 100" settlers targeted for disarming, administrative detention. (NYT, WP, WT 3/2)

IDF accidentally shoots dead Ariel settler nr. West Bank town of Bidya. (MM, NYT 3/2; CSM 3/4)

Secy. of State Warren Christopher, testifying to House Appropriations Comm. subcomm. on foreign operations, says PLO Chmn. Arafat "indispensable" to peace process, calls him "the flag and 'The Star-Spangled Banner' all wrapped up into 1 person" for Palestinians. Asst Secy. of State for Near Eastern Affairs Robert Pelletreau tells House Foreign Affairs Comm. subcomm. on Europe and Middle East Israel must go "beyond tokenism" in restraining militant settlers, terms settlements "a complicating factor," not "an obstacle to peace." (NYT, WP, WT 3/2)

PLO Chmn. Arafat meets Greek FM Karolos Papoulias, Russian Dep. FM Igor Ivanov to discuss international response to Hebron massacre. (MM, NYT 3/2)