The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Reports about Israel's role in U.S. arms sales to Iran implicate senior Israeli officials, including P.M. Shamir, F.M. Peres, Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Director-General of Israeli For. Ministry David Kimche, and Israeli businessmen Al Schwimmer and Ya'akov Nimrodi, both involved in the nation's arms industry [WT 11/27]. Israeli officials state that Kimche and Amiram Nir, Peres' adviser on terrorism, are willing to cooperate in American investigation of the arms deal [LAT 11/28]. Former Armenian Bishop Shahe Ajamyan, accused of attempting to bribe the Jerusalem district commissioner, is released after 21 days in detention [FJ 12/5]. Social Improvement Association is established to protect Jerusalem's Arab residents [FJ 1/2].

Arab World: Saudi Arabian government denies 'Adnan Khashoggi organized U.S. shipment of arms to Iran [PI 11/28].

Other Countries: W. Germany expels 2 Syrian diplomats and 2 military attaches, delays replacing its ambassador to Damascus, but maintains diplomatic ties [WSJ 11/28].

Military Actions

Arab World: Israeli jets attack Palestinian bases near Sidon, killing at least 4 and wounding 3. (The Los Angeles Times reports 11 killed and 20 wounded in the raid.) Palestine National Salvation Front and Amal representatives rportedly have agreed to 9-point plan to end the fighting which has so far left 131 dead and 351 wounded [WP, LT 11/27; LAT 11/28]. PLO fighters in Lebanon reject the agreement [FJ 12/5].

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli magistrate's court in Haifa remands 10 Palestinians from inside the Green Line who are alleged to have been organized in the Palestinian resistance movement and to have killed an Israeli soldier in August 1984; some of the detainees have travelled to Cyprus and are alleged to have continued on to Syria for military training, as well as being members of the PFLP [FJ 4/25]. Yesh Gvul (There Is a Limit) organization holds press conference in West Jerusalem announcing their refusal to serve in the occupied territories [FJ 5/2]. Moshe Mendelbaum, governor of the Bank of Israel, states he will resign within 30 days; Giora Gazit, chairman of Bank Hapoalim, announces his resignation [WSJ, MG 4/22]. The number of West Bankers working inside the Green Line declined slightly last year to 47,000 each week, down from 50,000 weekly during the previous year; the number of Gazans working inside the Green Line increased from 41,000 to 42,000 weekly; the work force in the occupied territories reached 251,000 weekly last year, a 2% rise from 1984 [JP 4/21].

Arab World: PFLP announces 13 guerrilla organizations held a secret conference in Damascus last week and decided to escalate attacks against U.S. targets to avenge air strikes on Libya; the groups included the 6 Palestinian factions making up the Palestine National Salvation Front, as well as 7 unidentified "liberation movements," according to the source [JP 4/22]. Druze leader Walid Jumblatt denies meeting with Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhak Rabin in Geneva in February, as was reported by Agence France Presse [JP 4/22].

Other Countries: P.M. Peres meets in Paris with French Pres. Francois Mitterrand and P.M. Jacques Chirac for talks on terrorism and Peres' proposal for a M. E. Marshall Plan [JP 4/22]. U.S. Justice Dept. notifies Congress it does not plan to seek prosecution of Yasir Arafat for the murders of 2 U.S. diplomats on 5/2/73 [WP, BG 4/22]. U.S. State Dept. has appealed ruling by U.S. district judge allowing PLO Permanent Observer to the UN Zuhdi Tarzi to travel to Cambridge, Mass. for a debate despite State's travel ban on Tarzi, on grounds it would lend legitimacy to the PLO [BG 4/22].