Prime Min. Shamir indicates he will head Israeli delegation to the peace conference, not FM David Levy. Invitations sent to the parties by the U.S., USSR had called for talks at the "ministerial...
After midnight meeting with F.M. Aziz in Moscow, Soviet leaders announce Baghdad has given "positive" response to Soviet peace plan; U.S. delays formal response until consultation with allies [NYT...
Israel reacts angrily to effort in UN Sec. Council to seek resolution condemning Israel for Haram al-Sharif shootings and to U.S. role; maintains it is the victim of Arab plot [NYT, LAT, WP 10/13...
Ethiopia has reportedly stopped issuing exit visas for Jews in attempt to compel Israel to send Ethiopian gov't. more weapons. Israeli advisors, weapons, and surveillance equipment are being used...
IDF enters Phalange-held areas of Beirut; Israeli jets make reconnaissance flights over city for first time in 3 days; sporadic fighting around Sidon; Israeli Cabinet...
Read more
Prime Min. Shamir indicates he will head Israeli delegation to the peace conference, not FM David Levy. Invitations sent to the parties by the U.S., USSR had called for talks at the "ministerial level," a diplomatic phrase usually interpreted to mean participation by officials holding rank of foreign minister or below. (NYT 10/24)
Arab foreign ministers representing Syria, Egypt, Jordan, along with representative of Lebanon's foreign ministry and head of PLO political department meet in Damascus to discuss strategies for peace conference. They were later joined by foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia, representing the Gulf states, and Morocco, representing North African states (except Libya). (MEM 10/23)
Strike called for 10/22 by three groups in o.t. partially observed in E. Jerusalem, elsewhere in West Bank, but not in Nablus, Jenin. Residents of Gaza city observe strike, but not those in the refugee camps. (MEM 10/25)
Members of the Jewish Ateret Cohanim seminary move into a house in the Muslim quarter of E. Jerusalem. Group claims the house was owned by Jews driven out by Palestinian rioting in 1929. Settlers occupying a building in Silwan seized 10/9 from Palestinian residents petition Israeli high court of justice to allow them to remain. Group also seeks permission to move into four other buildings from which they had been evicted by police. (MEM 10/24)
European Community official announces EC, Israel have reached agreement over long-standing dispute over status, place of residence of EC official who will be sent to monitor EC economic aid to Palestinians in the o.t. EC had sough to post the official in the territories; Israel objected, seeking to place the representativen Tel Aviv instead. The EC has set aside $100 million in aid for Palestinians in the o.t. (MEM 10/24)
Human rights organization Middle East Watch issues report on condition of 18,000-20,000 stateless Palestinians in Kuwait. The Palestinians, who were either born in Gaza during the British Mandate, during the period of Egyptian administration of Gaza (1948-67), or who are descendants of those born there, have lived in Kuwait for decades but do not hold citizenship in any country. They do not carry Israeli Gaza identity cards but merely hold Egyptian travel documents, and are thus unable to legally live anywhere. According to the report, Kuwait intends to expel these persons to Iraq 11/15. (MEM 20/24)
After midnight meeting with F.M. Aziz in Moscow, Soviet leaders announce Baghdad has given "positive" response to Soviet peace plan; U.S. delays formal response until consultation with allies [NYT, LAT, WP, WT 2/22].
Saddam Hussein delivers speech over Baghdad radio reaffirming Iraq's 2/15 proposal; says Iraq is ready for all-out war unless proposal is accepted [BADS 2/21 in FBIS 2/21; NYT, LAT, WP, MEM 2/22; MET 3/5].
U.S. Def. Sec. Dick Cheney says allied forces are braced for "one of the largest land assaults of modem times" as U.S.-Iraq clashes grow larger and more intense; U.S. command says allies have reached level of destruction specified by senior generals as minimum needed before ground offensive can begin [NYT 2/22].
SCUD missiles are fired at Saudi Arabia in 2 rare daylight attacks; Patriot missile intercept all; 9 American soldiers are killed in 2 helicopter crashes in Saudi Arabia [LAT, MEM 2/22; MET 3/5].
Kuwaiti gov't-in-exile contracts U.S. Army Corps of Engineers to help restore Kuwait's damaged water, power, and transportation systems after war. Contract runs for 90 days, valued at $45 million [LAT 2/22].
Saudi ambassador to U.S., Prince Bandar bin Sultan, warns that Yasir Arafat, King Hussein, and Pres. Saleh of Yemen will be made to pay dearly for supporting Iraq, signalling sharp break from Saudi prewar policy of trying to forge Arab consensus (cf. 2/26) [LAT 2/22].
Hours after long-disputed $400 million loan guarantees to Israel is approved, Israeli officials claim the amount is grossly insufficient; Immigration Min. Yitzhak Peretz says "In fact, it's a very small sum that only accounts for 3 or 4 percent of the overall figure" needed [NYT 2/22].
Amnesty International accuses members of allies of using war as pretext for human rights violations, citing Britain, Egypt, and U.S. for war-related abuses [MEM 2/21; LAT 2/22].
At Labor party bureau meeting MK Moshe Shahal expresses, for 1st time in public, support for creation of Palestinian state [IDF 2/21 in FBIS 2/22; MEM 2/22; JPI 3/2].
Israel reacts angrily to effort in UN Sec. Council to seek resolution condemning Israel for Haram al-Sharif shootings and to U.S. role; maintains it is the victim of Arab plot [NYT, LAT, WP 10/13].
Nonetheless, voting late, Sec. Council unanimously condemns Israel for shootings and calls for UN team to investigate incident, but contains no reference to need to protect Palestinians in O.T. (cf. 10/13) [WP 10/13; NYT 10/14; MEM 10/15].
Iraq warns USSR it could delay the departure of some of the 5,000 Soviet citizens still in Iraq if Moscow supplies Washington with information about Iraq's Soviet-supplied weapons and defense capabilities [NYT 10/131.
Morocco's King Hassan asserts there is a "moral linkage" between Iraq's invasion of Kuwait and the Arab-Israeli issues, and urges Iraq to leave Kuwait having made this linkage apparent [NYT 10/14].
Israel uses water cannons, curfews and roadblocks to keep thousands of Palestinians from attending prayer services on Haram al-Sharif [LAT 10/13].
Speaker of Egypt's Parliament and second-ranking official, Rifaat al-Mahgoub, is assassinated (cf. 10/27) [MENA 10/12 in FBIS 10/12; MEM 10/12, 10/13; NYT, LAT, WP 10/13].
Ethiopia has reportedly stopped issuing exit visas for Jews in attempt to compel Israel to send Ethiopian gov't. more weapons. Israeli advisors, weapons, and surveillance equipment are being used by gov't. against rebel guerrilla armies [WJW, WT 7/12; NYT 7/13, 7/14]; Washington Jewish Week says classified congressional memorandum confirms that Israel has supplied Ethiopia with cluster bombs, military trainers, etc. as part of deal [MEM 7/13; JDS 7/13 in FBIS 7/13].
Israeli Labor party's 150-member leadership bureau abandons its 7/5 position of not taking sides in party leadership struggle, backs Yitzhak Rabin over Shimon Peres on major issues; Labor's 1,400-member central committee will reach final decisions at 7/22 meeting [JDS 7/12 in FBIS 7/13; NYT, WP, WT 7/13].
West Bank settlers have set up "foreign office," called Foreign Relations Forum of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, whose task is to explain to foreign and domestic gov't. and media personalities the "needs and rights" of settlers [JPD 7/12 in FBIS 7/12].
Chrmn. of U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff, Gen. Colin Powell, arrives in Israel, meets with D.M. Moshe Arens [JDS 7/ 12 in FBIS 7/13].
In Moscow, Soviet-Arab dialogue continues as Soviet officials host delegation from Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Jordan, Libya, Palestine, Syria and Tunisia [IZV 7/14].
Military Action:
IDF enters Phalange-held areas of Beirut; Israeli jets make reconnaissance flights over city for first time in 3 days; sporadic fighting around Sidon; Israeli Cabinet agrees to extend 48-hour cease-fire requested by Habib; Syrians/PLO abandon airport terminal to shorten lines; PLO takes journalists on tour of defenses near airport; tension high in Beirut; Syrians reposition artillery near Lake Karoun.
Casualties:
In Sidon, main shopping district was oblit-erated and one quarter of city totally destroyed; bodies remain buried under rubble; still no electricity; water only 1 hour per day; Lebanese government says 1,100 killed in Sidon; IDF use Sidon informants to identify potential PLO suspects (suspicious Lebanese marked with black X on back, suspected PLO members with white, some Lebanese charge old grudges being settled by informants); many Palestinian refugees remain on Sidon beaches as they have nowhere to go; Tyre reported two-thirds destroyed, with port damage heavy.
Israel explores reviving bank, rail links in Lebanon; Israeli Trade Minister says 3 proposed banking and customs centers would aid Israeli exports to Lebanon; 4 Norwegians, 1 Canadian doctor released by Israel; Israel offers to help repair Sidon refinery.
Political Responses:
Israel/Occupied Territories: 4 Israeli professors attack invasion, ask Israeli soldiers to refuse to serve beyond Green Line in Beirut; Israel says invasion is open-ended and excludes negotiations with the PLO; Begin calls for international peacekeeping force in Lebanon with US troops; Sharon says Israeli aims will not be met until PLO headquarters in Beirut are eliminated; Begin says participants in multilateral force would have to make detailed, individual agreements with Israeli, Lebanese governments.
Palestinians/Lebanese: Lebanon's National Salvation Council, in first meeting, makes no progress-Gemayel, Sarkis, Wazzan, Butros reportedly demand PLO surrender, Jumblatt rejects; PLO asks for IDF pull-back, guarantees of PLO safety in return for allowing Lebanese Army to enter West Beirut.
Arab Governments: Syria rejects Sarkis' request for troop withdrawal, saying it is made under duress, instead suggests joint US/USSR peacekeeping force under UN auspices to get Israelis out; Iraq announces unilateral withdrawal from Iranian territory, following June 10 unilateral cease-fire; South Yemen demands strong Arab stand against US support for Israel; Mubarak supports idea of PLO government in exile, would allow it temporary home in Egypt, if it restricted itself to political activities; Kaddoumi in Geneva, says Egyptian offer not being considered now.
US and Other Countries: Weinberger says US investigating possible violations of US law by Israelis using US arms in Lebanon; Greeks show support for Palestinians with strike, protests, blood donations; Greece is the only EEC member to offer diplomatic recognition to the PLO.
