The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

Druze and Phalange militia exchange fire in Chouf; US Marines on full alert and deploy in firing positions as IDF patrol confronts Marines at checkpoint near Lebanese University; IDF armored car backs into barbed wire fence at another Marine checkpoint; US Embassy expresses concern over incidents to Israeli Government.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Following week of meetings in Tripoli, Libya, PFLP, DFLP, PFLP-GC, Saiqa and PSF statement rejecting Fez and Reagan plans and any form of recognition or negotiation with the expansionist Zionist entity, adherence to armed struggle to liberate Palestine and all the occupied Arab territories; Lebanese- Israeli-US negotiators, meeting for 51?2 hours at Khalde, discuss ending state of war and security zone, make enough progress to turn issues over to subcommittee of Antoine Fattal, Eli Rubenstein, Christopher Ross, and form another subcommittee to deal with timetable for withdrawal of troops.

Arab Governments: Egyptian President Mubarak says Arabs must act on Reagan plan by end of year, PLO Chairman should recognize Israel, unilaterally if necessary; Syrian Foreign Minister Khaddam tours Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar; King Hussein returns to Jordan from talks with King Fahd in Saudi Arabia.

US and Other Countries: Habib and Draper will divide responsibilities to accelerate the peace process; State Department refuses to qualify last week's statement suggesting possibility of shortening the autonomy period; US says USSR has sent 90 aircraft, mostly MiG-21s, and 12 SA-5 missiles to Syria, which would be particularly effective against E2-C Hawkeye surveillance aircraft used by Israel in Lebanon war; 2 US soldiers in multinational force in Sinai wounded in mine explosion near Ofira; former Presidents Carter and Ford, in joint article, say that Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza is a major obstacle to any moderate Arab initiative for peace in the Middle East, and urge King Hussein to join autonomy talks; West German Foreign Minister Genscher attacks Israeli settlement policy, does not recognize the PLO or support an independent Palestinian state, but supports the June 1980 Venice Declaration that the PLO be involved in the peace process.

Military Action:

IDF in West Beirut coming under sporadic sniper fire, 1 Israeli officer is killed, 2 soldiers wounded; 6 IDF APCs close off street and interrogated suspects; 350 French troops disembark, take positions in port area and near Green Line (French officer asks Israeli unit at port to withdraw); Italian troops return to Cyprus from Beirut to protest IDF presence in Beirut.

Casualties:

Relief workers uncover another mass grave at Shatila containing 19 victims, all from one family, raising ICRC total to 317; Lebanese Prosecutor General Camille Geagea, heading an investigation, says 597 bodies found, 2,000 people still missing; unknown number of Palestinians arrested in Beirut sent to Israeli-run prison; accounts of IDF looting of houses belonging to Palestinians and Lebanese (including Saeb Salam's sister); Red Cross warns of danger of epidemics at Sabra and Shatila.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Habib meets Begin and Sharon, presses them on IDF withdrawal; head of IDF's Staff and Command College and director of the Israeli government Press Office resign to protest refusal to set up independent inquiry; Haaretz reports US intelligence survey received by Israeli officials estimates those killed in West Beirut alone at 4,000, another 22,500 wounded; head of Israeli Supreme Court refuses government request to undertake investigation; Sharon severely criticized, asked to resign at meeting of top army commanders and Eitan (officers reportedly fear government will blame army for massacre).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Prime Minister Wazzan submits his resignation, but Gemayel asks him to stay on as caretaker until new Prime Minister appointed; virtually all Muslim leaders but Murabitun greet Gemayel; Lebanese Army prosecutor Jermanos begins investigation into massacre, visits Sabra and Shatila; Fatah's Abu Saleh joins PFLP, PFLP-GC, Saiqa, and PPSF in rejecting the Fez plan's implicit recognition of Israel.

US and Other Countries: US says Britain and Netherlands may contribute to peacekeeping force; Jeane Kirkpatrick says UN should investigate massacre, and US is indirectly responsible; West Germany willing to consider Arafat visit to Bonn.

UN: UN-related International Atomic Energy Agency votes 41-39 to reject Israeli delegation's credentials (US says it will reassess US participation in agency, downgrades participation in meeting to "observer").