The Palestine Chronology

Arafat says final status talks with Israel are deadlocked, accuses Israel of using talks as a cover for settlement expansion, urges U.S. intervention. (WP, WT 12/4) (see 12/2)

In Nablus, 100s of Palestinians rally in support of PC mbr. Masri, who was wounded by masked gunmen on 12/1. (WP 12/4; WJW 12/9)

Elsewhere in the West Bank, IDF troops clash with 200 Palestinians demonstrating against Israeli settlement expansion, leaving 4 injured. (NYT 12/4)

Israel submits to Jordan a proposal that would allow direct ("door-to-door") transportation of goods fr. Jordan to the West Bank as of mid-1/00. (JT [Internet] 12/4)

In Irbid, 100s of Jordanians participate in a rally organized by the Islamic Action Front to urge the government to reconsider its deportation of 4 Hamas leaders on 11/21. (JT 12/4 in WNC 12/6) (see 11/26)

Several high-ranking Iranian clerics traveling to Washington on special State Dept. visas to participate in a Georgetown seminar are halted by U.S. customs officials in New York, who fingerprint, photograph, and subject them to racist insults. The delegation returns to Iran in protest. The State Dept. says only that mistakes were made. (WT 12/4) (see 11/22)

Secy. of State Albright holds morning mtg. with Gulf Cooperation Counil (GCC) FMs in Abha, Saudi Arabia (see Doc. D2 for statement); then travels to Amman to meet with King Hussein. (JT, JTV 9/14, RJ 9/15 in WNC 9/16; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/15; MM 9/16; MEI 9/26)

PM Netanyahu announces plans to release half of the money Israel as withheld fr. the PA since the 7/30 suicide bombings, will ease internal closure as goodwill gesuture. (NYT, WP, WT 9/15)

Jordan, Israel discuss setting up free-trade zone in Irbid, Jordan. (al-Ra'i 9/15 in WNC 9/16; al-Ra'i 9/16 in WNC 9/17; JP 9/27)

PA says that it has arrested 123 suspected Hamas, Islamic Jihad mbrs. since Albright arrived in the region 9/10. (WT 9/15)

Hizballah detonates a roadside bomb in s. Lebanon, killing 3 mbrs. of the IDF's Golani Brigade, wounding 2. (WP 9/15; JP 9/27)