The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli Atty. Gen. Yosef Harish opens police investigation against Faisal Husayni for suspected incitement [FBIS 1/17].

Arab World: Egyptian F.M. Ismat Abd-alMajid arrives in Washington, meets with Sec. Baker. Abd-al-Majid's trip coincides with Washington talks between Bush administration and Israeli D.M. Rabin [FBIS 1/16; NYT, WP 1/17].

Arab Cooperation Council opens meetings in Baghdad [FBIS 1/17].

Other Countries: New York Times op-ed piece by Senate minority leader Robert Dole suggests 5% of U.S. foreign aid to Israel, Egypt, and others be redirected to E. Europe and Panama [NYT 1/16, 1/17; WP 1/17].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Military closes 6 Gaza Strip schools for rock throwing [FBIS 1/17].

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israel cuts medical spending in O.T. by 33% in response to tax strike [MET 2/28]. MK 'Abd alWahab Darawshah announces that he met with PLO leader Yasir Arafat in Cairo in January [FBIS 2/17].

Arab World: In Baghdad, Egypt, Jordan, North Yemen, Iraq form Arab Cooperation Council, an economic union [NYT 2/17].

Other Countries: U.S. sec of state James Baker says time is not right to push for Arab-Israeli negotiations [LAT, NYT 2/ 17]. F.M. Moshe Arens meets with British officials in London [FBIS 2/17].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Israeli troops shoot, kill 25-year-old Palestinian in Nablus; 8 others are wounded. In Jerusalem 4-year-old Palestinian dies from burns received 2/13 from unknown device [LAT 2/17]. At least 6 other Palestinians are shot, wounded in Gaza [FBIS 2/17].