The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

Remaining members of British MNF contingent arrive, bringing total to 97; UNIFIL says IDF harassing its convoys.

Casualties:

3 injured, 14 houses damaged by bombs at Mieh Mieh refugee camp near Sidon.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Report of Commission of Inquiry concludes that only Phalangist forces carried out Sabra and Shatila massacre, provides evidence that Israeli military personnel knew of killings within one hour of Phalangists entering camps, says Israeli civilian and military leaders bear indirect responsibility, accuses Begin of indifference, recommends Sharon's resignation or dismissal, accuses Army Chief of Staff Eitan of breach of duty and dereliction of duty, censures Director of Military Intelligence Saguy, IDF commander in Beirut Yaron, and Northern Commander Drori; Sharon, in speech to 600 members of the Jabotinsky Lodge in Tel Aviv, praises four officers criticized in Report; co-chairman of the Council of Torah Sages says Report would be best ignored; Peres says Alignment faction will oppose Sharon continuing in any ministerial capacity; Israeli government plans to hand over to Muslim community additional Waqf assets frozen since 1948.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says Commission of Inquiry Report important but incomplete, calls for international court to investigate Israeli and American involvement; Wadi Haddad, senior advisor to President Gemayel, ends visit to Washington; Phalange party paper Al-Amal says that Sharon has ordered IDF troops to help Druze forces in Chouf; Lebanese investigator of Sabra and Shatila massacres, Assad Germanos, says his report will be ready in March or April but government will decide whether to publish it; Saad Haddad reported planning to double or triple size of his militia.

Arab Governments: Syria may be preparing third SA-5 missile site at al-Suwayda near Jordanian border.

US and Other Countries: Official US response to Commission of Inquiry Report is cautious, emphasizes that it is internal problem; State Department annual report on human rights says settlements in West Bank exacerbate human rights problems and expects that confrontation between the inhabitants of the territories and the occupation authorities is likely to remain at the same level as in recent years.

Military Action:

IDF ambushed in Tyre.

Casualties:

Some IDF wounded in Tyre; Ansar review committee recommends release of 150, 1,100 cases heard out of 5,400 detainees, review committee established under the Fourth Geneva Convention on civilians as Israel does not recognize detainees as POWs covered under Third Geneva Convention.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon, Shamir and chief negotiator David Kimche meet for 2 hours with Habib and Draper, discussion focuses on 3 main differences between US and Israel (surveillance stations, UNIFIL, role of Saad Haddad); Commission of Inquiry completes 3?/2 months of investigation covering 49 witnesses, 152 eyewitnesses, 65 hours of testimony, 17,703 pages of transcript, closing with oral arguments of lawyers for 9 senior officials (Sharon, Eitan, Drori, Yaron, Dudai and Mossad head); Begin meets with head of Association for Prevention of Emigration, agrees to consider setting up ministerial committee to combat emigration (now 200,000 Israelis in the US alone); Israeli Foreign Ministry paying $5,000 per month rent on Saudi-owned villa along Beirut-Damascus high-way as Lebanon headquarters; Education Ministry setting up a committee to review curriculum in Arab schools and examine educational, psychological and social causes for growing extremism among Palestinian Israeli youth; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Rakah) candidates win election of Arab student committees in Tel Aviv and Haifa universities; army uses tear gas and warning shots to disperse demonstrators in Hebron protesting arrest on Jan. 13 of 50 students, including entire student council, from Islamic University; Cabinet settlement committee votes to set up 2 new settlements in West Bank near Hebron, and 2 across green line in same area, approves referral center for prospective settlers.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Executive Committee, chaired by Arafat, meets in Damascus to plan for PNC; Walid Jumblatt criticizes compromise agenda in talks as concession to Israeli and US terms; Lebanese Forces Commander Fadi Frem urges Government to sign peace treaty with Israel to liberate Lebanon from psychological and political domination of Syria.

Arab Governments: Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmad Taleb Ibrahimi says Alteria purchased $20 million worth of arms direct from USSR for PLO in June, and later sent another 2 planeloads from Algiers; Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries reportedly removing British firms from list of eligible contractors due to dispute over PLO representative in Arab League delegation; Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah in Damascus for talks with Assad.