The Palestine Chronology

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Tel Aviv newspaper Davar reports Moshe Arens recently held meetings with prominent Palestinian leaders from the O.T. [FBIS 8/22].

Arab World: PLO Chairman Arafat arrives in Amman for talks with King Hussein and senior Jordanian officials [FBIS 8/21].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: 15-year-old Palestinian is killed, 12 are wounded in clash with IDF forces in Jabaliyyah camp. Commercial strike held in Ramallah [FBIS 8/ 21]. 3 Palestinians are wounded by gunfire while collecting magnetic ID cards in Jabaliyyah camp [FBIS 8/23]. In Jerusalem, Israeli soldier is stabbed by Palestinian youth, who is later arrested; the soldier was slightly injured [MET 8/29].

Social/Economic/Political

Arab World: PLO chairman Yasir Arafat calls on Israeli Arabs to "push forward the peace process" by voting in Israel's upcoming elections [LAT 10/24]. Pres. Mubarak of Egypt and Arafat fly to Baghdad, meet with Saddam Husayn [LAT 10/24].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Troops wound 9 Palestinians during protests in the occupied territories [NYT 10/24]. Clashes occur in Nablus, Jenin, Ramallah, Jabalya, Rafah, Beach, Sa'ir [FJ 10/30].

Arab World: Between 4 and 6 PFLP guerrillas are killed by Israeli troops in south Lebanon [NYT 10/24]. Israeli troops arrest "several" others in south Lebanon in connection with 10/19 car bombing [NYT 10/ 24, WP 10/25]

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Military orders all government schools in W. Bank closed for 2 days [LAT 12/21; FJ 12/27]. Israeli cabinet discusses violence in the occupied territories, defends army's handling of disturbances [LAT 12/21]. Davar reports police investigation into death of 'Awad Hamdan, Palestinian who died while in police custody, had uncovered evidence suggesting 1of 3 Israeli interrogators was involved in Hamdan's death; other interrogators will be reprimanded for lying to Landau Commission [FJ 12/27]. Israel orders Hebron U., Abu Dis College, and al-'Asriyyah Community College closed for 1 month because of recent student protests [FJ 12/27]. Umm al-Fahm residents protest Israeli measures in occupied territories, call for end to occupation [FJ 12/27]. In meeting with Pres. Herzog, Italy's Pres. Cossiga expresses concern about events in occupied territories [FBIS 12/22].

Arab World: Egypt delivers formal protest of Israel's handling of occupied territory disturbances to Israeli ambassador, the 5th such protest in 12 days. Hani al-Hassan, aide to PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat, arrives in Egypt for talks [NYT 12/21]. In Sidon, 7,500 Palestinian and Lebanese Muslim protesters join in anti-Israel march [CSM, LAT 12/21].

Other Countries: Pope John Paul II appeals for peace in Holy Land, expresses support for Palestinian people [WP 12/21].

Military Action

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Violent disturbances continue in W. Bank and Gaza Strip; at least 6 are shot, wounded in clashes with Israeli troops, 4 of them during large demonstration in West Bank's Far'ah refugee camp [LAT 12/21]. Curfews are imposed on Far'ah and 'Askar refugee camps [NYT 12/21]. Soldiers clash with large demonstration in Ramallah, and Am'ari, Jalazun, and Qalandiya refugee camps [FJ 12/27]. Protesters burn, destroy Egged bus carrying workers from Rafah [FJ 12/27].

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: F.M. Peres reveals he met with Yugoslavian Pres. Lazar Mojsov in Geneva earlier this month [VP 7/28]. During speech in Netanya, Deputy Defense Minister Michael Dekel says U.S. and other Western countries have "moral and political" duty to oversee transfer of Palestinians from W. Bank to Jordan [NYT 7/31]. Al-Shabibah wins all 11 seats in al-Najah University student council elections [FJ 8/2]. Israeli military court in Ramallah acquits Nasir Nimr Iyad of Qalandiyyah refugee camp of security charges [FJ 8/2]. Nazareth's 12th voluntary work camp ends after completing 68 projects [FJ 8/2]. Knesset votes to approve "Galilee law," which would establish a council to oversee and finance increased Jewish development in the Galilee [FJ 8/2].

Arab World: PLO Chairman Yasir Arafat meets with Egypt's Pres. Mubarak in Ethiopia [FJ 8/2].

Other Countries: U.S.S.R. issues Israel its 3d waming of the week pressing Israel to abandon deployment of nuclear-armed Jericho II missile [NYT 7/29; WP 8/1].

Military Action

Arab World: Israeli troops land on S. Lebanon shore, kill 7 Nasserite Popular Liberation Army soldiers in battle near Sidon [WP 7/28]. 

Military Action:

Lebanese National Resistance Front explodes booby trapped car near IDF checkpoint outside Nabatiyeh, some injuries; unidentified gunmen in car fire at and wound PLO official in Beirut.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Youths stone Israeli vehicles in Nablus, injure 1 soldier, 3 boys arrested; 3 men arrested in Nablus for telling school girls to leave classes for demonstration; boys and girls secondary schools in Ramallah closed for 30 days; stones thrown near Jalazon and al-Amari camps; hand grenade thrown at Israeli car on Jenin-Nablus road, no damage or injuries; border policeman disciplined for having used unreasonable force against Peace Now demonstrator on February 10; Deputy Agriculture Minister says between 20 and 30 private companies building settlements on West Bank, demand for houses is high, there should be 100,000 Israelis living there by 1985; Foreign Minister Shamir says Israel liberated 1967 territories from the countries that conquered them in 1948, these areas are parts of Eretz Yisrael and what is part of your country you do not annex; Finance Minister Aridor arrives in Johannesburg to discuss with senior South African officals investment, trade and arms deals.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat, visiting Sudan, says he will visit Egypt in near future but will only normalize relations if Egypt disentangles itself from the Camp David accord; Lebanese government announces sweeping measures against illegal trade, asks for MNF assistance to take over "illegitimate" ports of Pier 5 in Beirut and Dbayeh harbor in north Beirut, both controlled by Phalange militia since 1975-76 civil war; PM Wazzan reported to have told four Italian senators recently that Lebanon intends to expel all Palestinians in Lebanon, mentioning a figure of 500,000; Lebanese government cancels invitation to NY Mayor Koch after he enters the country from Israel via IDF helicopter.

Arab Governments: Egyptian-Israeli talks begin on Taba border dispute.

US and Other Countries: Former President Carter meets Mubarak and Habib in Cairo.

Military Action:

Artillery duels between Druze and Phalange militia near Baabda.

Casualties:

5 killed, 9 wounded in Druze-Phalange fighting.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan says Israel may face 100 years of terrorism, that in practice the war in Lebanon has not ended, and one cannot solve all the problems of terrorism in one war, that if the IDF remains in Lebanon for long it may have to mount an intensive campaign to root out terrorist cells as was done in the Gaza Strip after the 1967 war; Defense Minister Sharon flatly rejects any PLO participation in future peace talks with Jordan, and dismisses Iraq's declaration of recognition of Israel's security needs as merely effort to get US arms for war against Iran; Israeli Foreign Minister legal adviser Elyakim Rubenstein says the recall of Egypt's Ambassador to Israel is a violation of the Camp David accords; Avid Kedar, head of Foreign Ministry's Egypt Department, says contacts between Israel and Egypt frozen since Peace for Galilee Campaign; Sgan Nitzav Albert Hayut, new director of Beersheba prison announces 500 security prisoners to be moved to new maximum security prison, equipped with latest electronic monitors, near Nablus; attorney Nissim Shakar of the Committee for Jaffa's Arabs says they will appeal proposed law that non-Jews must close shops on Yom Kippur as well as own religious holidays, and not transport goods on Saturday and Jewish holidays; Israeli officials announce requests by Palestinians to visit relatives in Lebanon decline due to security situation, 5 Israeli Palestinians disappeared recently in Lebanon; bomb near Zedekiah's Cave outside Jerusalem's Damascus Gate critically wounds a Palestinian worker; military authorities surround Najah University, effectively closing the campus, prevent Israeli Association for Civil Rights representative from entering, detain 9 student council members; in Nablus students stone troops who use tear gas and close off market area; rock throwing incidents in Ramallah, al-Bireh aid Dheisheh camp, now defined as District of Binyamin, also in jenin where placards and leaflets are found attributed to National Liberation Movement denouncing as treasonous Arafat's and Hussein's attempt to reach accommodation with Israel.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat goes to Moscow; 5 Palestinian leaders and Lebanese Communist Party meet in Tripoli.

Arab Governments: King Hussein tells local leaders that he has a letter from Reagan commiting the US to pressure Israel to restore Arab rights in the occupied territories, and that time is running out for achieving a unified Arab approach by March; Moroccan Foreign Ministry announces agreement with Britain on Arab League delegation to include non-PLO Palestinian; Egyptian Socialist Labor Party poll of 1,486 persons shows 82% want Israeli ambassador expelled, 76To want to sever relations with Israel.

US and Other Countries: State Department says Israeli settlement promotion campaign is unfortunate and counterproductive; Administration officials say US is counting on King Hussein to declare his readiness to join talks on basis of Reagan plan if the PLO and Saudi Arabia support it, if progress is made on troop withdrawals from Lebanon, and if Israel temporarily halts settlement activity; Secretary of State Shultz meets for 2 hours with 14 members of Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and leading Jewish Republicans, tells them of growing fears that Israel and Syria have tacit agreement to keep status quo in Lebanon, they tell him they want US to support Israel's demand for normalization of relations with Lebanon; delegation of Conservative MPs from Britain meet with Begin, give him message of support from Prime Minister Thatcher; European Parliament calls for establishment of a Palestinian state as a factor in a Middle East settlement, direct PLO-Israel dialogue, immediate halt to settlements in the West Bank, Israeli withdrawal from occupied territory, recognition of PLO as representative of Palestinian people if it drops from its charter all paragraphs calling for Israel's destruction, and sovereignty of all states in the region; Habib arrives in Israel.