The Palestine Chronology

British helicopters fly Red Cross officials into the "no man's land" in southern Lebanon to evacuate 17 Palestinians: 4 who are sick, 13 deported by mistake (11 of whom to be returned to jail). There are now 396 left. (NYT, WT 1/24)

Pres. Clinton telephones PM Rabin, expresses hope that the deportees issue will be solved as soon as possible. (NYT 1/29)

Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Jordanian ambs. to the U.S. brief Asst. Secy. of State Edward Djerejian on the Arab League position on deportees. (Saudi Arabian TV 1/23 in FBIS 1/26)

IDF shoots Palestinian dead near Ramallah. (Qol Yisra'el 1/24 in FBIS 1/26)

Roadside bomb wounds 1, kills 2 IDF soldiers in "security zone"; Israel shells Hizballah target villages 25 mi. south of Beirut. (NYT, WT 1/24; MM 1/25

Chmn. Arafat, PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Yasir 'Abd Rabbuh, advisor Nabil Shaath meet with Pres. Mubarak in Cairo. (MENA 6/24 in FBIS 6/25)

Jordan formally rejects U.S. "Aqaba Plus" plan to station UN inspectors in the Gulf of Aqaba and along the Jordanian-Iraqi border to monitor compliance with UN sanctions against Iraq. (MM 6/25; Jordan Times 6/25 in FBIS 6/25)

Asst. Secy. of State Edward Djerejian delivers first official U.S. reaction to Israeli elections, addresses other topics in testimony before House subcomm. on Europe and the Middle East. Secy. of State James Baker calls for quick resumption of peace talks once the Labor-led govt. takes power. (MM, NYT 6/25)

Syrian Pres. Hafiz al-Asad invites PM Mahmud al-Zu'bi to form new govt. after accepting resignation of current govt. (MM 6/25)

Israeli jets overfly Sidon, nearby camps at low altitude in S. Lebanon. (VOL 6/24 in FBIS 6/24)

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: DM Rabin indicates at least 21 IDF troops committed suicide in Lebanon since 1982 invasion [PI 5/8]. Gen. Comm. of Govt. School Teachers in W. Bank calls for short (2 class periods) strike protesting deteriorating work conditions [FJ 5/3]. State Attorney's office drops one charge against Jewish underground defendant Ya'akov Heineman [JP 5/8].

Arab World: PLO, Jordan reported tohave agreed on list of joint Palestinian-Jordanian negotiating delegation; US State Dept. spokesman Edward Djerejian indicates US willing to meet with delegation provided it has no PLO members; Jordanian officials await official response to list from State Dept. official Richard Murphy [CSM 5/7, NYT 5/8]. Chmn. Arafat arrives in Amman for talks with King Hussein [JP 5/8].

Other Countries: US Congress ratifies US-Israel free trade agreement [NYT 5/8].