The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political:

Occupied Palestine/Israel: International Women's Day celebrations held in Palestinian towns, largest of which sponsored by Women's Work Com. in Jerusalem. Israeli military blockade refuses women access to Jerusalem. 9-mo. hunger strike at Neve Terza women's prison ends with some rights restored to inmates. In Knesset State Control Com. hearings, West Bank leaders Raja Shehadeh, Muhammad Nasser and Beit Jala mayor al-Araj accuse West Bank court system of corruption, citing hampering of legal process, confiscation of files, arbitrary transfer ofcases, and Israeli officials' lying to High Court of Justice. Supreme Court reduces Kach settlers' sentence from 39 to 30 mos. for firing on passing car driven by Yatta village resident. Leaders of segregationist MENA organization protest High Court of Justice ban on their anti-Arab demonstrations planned for Nazareth central square. Over 700 Grenada & Beirut-veteran Marines arrive in Haifa aboard USS Guam for 4-days of "R&R." Noting that bomb detonated on Ashdod bus (3/7/84) was IDF type, police spokesman Nitzav Caspi suggests bombing "not perpetrated by 'terrorists'."

Other Countries: US Joint Chiefs of staff Chrmn. Vessey holds mtg. with World Jewish Congress leaders.

Military Action: Occupied Palestine/Israel: Having already lost half their land to Israeli confiscations, Palestinian Druze residents of Beit Jann obstruct Israeli "nature reservists" destroying village road; 1 villager suffers head injuries, 1 young woman suffers broken arm when struck by Israeli with axe.

Arab World: Israeli private contractor employed by IDF ambushed and killed near Lake Karoun, S. Lebanon. [Defense Ministry now affords civilian workers military status in S. Lebanon, making surviving families eligible for increased pensions.]

Military Action:

US Marine captain with loaded pistol orders IDF tanks away from checkpoint in Beirut, the sixth incident between the two forces in past month; mortar explodes near US Marine position at airport; UNIFIL headquarters complains of IDF restrictions on their movements south of Beirut.

Casualties:

2 French soldiers wounded by gunfire from passing car; official IDF casualty figures to date for Lebanon war are 466 killed, 2567 wounded, from all causes; report on Ansar detention camp shows it has received 9200 detainees since out-break of war, with 5412 Palestinians and Lebanese still held, at a cost of IS lm. a day; 293 Syrian prisoners of war, of whom 24 are officers, also held at Ansar.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Socialist International mission meets Begin and Shamir and visits West Bank; Israel's foreign debt totals $20.1 billion, an increase of $2.2 billion in last year, while interest payments are expected to total $5.3 billion in the 1982-83 period; delegation of Lebanese Christian officials meets Sharon and other Israeli ministers in Tel Aviv; Village League head Mustafa Dudeen announces that the Palestinian Democratic Peace Movement will be formed at Hebron convention on February 12.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Leaflets distributed in Sidon area call on residents to deport strangers from Lebanon, no more Palestinians on Lebanon's land.

Arab Governments: Arab League delegation to Britain postponed for second time over question of PLO representation; President Mubarak meets PM Thatcher in London, seeks support for early withdrawal of Israeli forces from Lebanon.

US and Other Countries: Reagan tells 150 World Jewish Congress members that Israel should freeze settlements on the West Bank, rules out use of sanctions or pressure to force withdrawal from Lebanon, urges King Hussein to negotiate directly with Israel; Reagan to seek $250 million in emergency supplemental aid to Lebanon, of which $100 million will go to rebuild army; administration officials expect US Marines will remain in Lebanon for at least another year; Anti-Defamation League releases 100 page handbook on "Pro-Arab Propaganda in America"; Rev. Jerry Falwell, at National Prayer Breakfast in Washington, urges Christians to support Israel; Chinese Foreign Minister tells Shultz in Peking that US should pressure Israel to pull its troops out of Lebanon; chairman of foreign affairs committee of Dutch parliament says in Jerusalem that no solution can be found to the Palestine problem without the involvement of the PLO.