The Palestine Chronology

Military Action:

2 Katyusha rockets fired from Lebanon land near kibbutz Zarit in northern Israel; IDF receives order from Sharon not to cross Marine lines, even in pursuit of Palestinian guerrillas.

Casualties:

Lebanese security forces chief Hisham Shaar says 4 killed in 10 days by IDF reconnaisance by fire.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Shamir reiterates Israeli rejection of Reagan plan, says only Camp David accords are acceptable; panic selling on Tel Aviv stock market with 40% fall in one week, paper loss of $500 million, following Government announcement of new regulation on mutual trust funds; head of Najah Univ. Student Council says he and other detained student leaders were subject to daily interrogations and beatings during 2 weeks of detention; Mayor Freij, in Cairo, meets with Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali, urges PLO to negotiate with Israel on basis of Reagan plan.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: President Gemayel and representatives of MNF countries discuss ways to stop Israeli provocations against Marines.

US and Other Countries: US officials say Begin's visit to US delayed until agreement on troop withdrawal from Lebanon.

UN: Secretary General Perez de Cuellar, at press conference, says Middle East conflict can be settled through compromise formula of Reagan, Fez and Franco-Egyptian plans, that UN could provide framework for negotiations once a plan is agreed on.

Military Action:

Explosion 400 yards from Lebanon Beach Hotel in.Khalde delays talks for 30 min., Israel charges was 107mm Katyusha rocket fired from behind Marine lines in Hay el-Sellom, Phalange says was rocket-propelled grenade, Lebanon state radio says was 120mm mortar, Lebanese Army says shell was detonated by explosives on the spot; IDF tries to use road under MNF jurisdiction.

Casualties:

1 IDF at checkpoint near hotel wounded; IDF detains 4 Lebanese in Khalde area, cuts off road.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Government defeats 2 no-confidence motions on social policies put forward by Labor and Democratic Front following release of survey that shows 300,000 Israelis live under poverty line; General Amir Drori criticizes US Marines for failing to prevent guerrilla infiltration from its sector; General Yaacov Even, IDF chief spokesman, says Marines are buffer for PLO's hit and run attacks, that since Dec. 22, 9 incidents near US lines resulted in 1 IDF killed, 25 wounded; Government denies reports that relations with Ethiopia have improved and Israeli advisers are now in Addis Ababa; week long Canal Founders Conference of Israel Bonds begins, attended by 200 Jewish leaders from US and Canada; security forces arrest 2 from Gaza who admit to Jan. 8 Tel Aviv grenade attack, say they are members of Fateh and were trained in Egypt.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: After 6 hours, negotiations stalled on Israel's demand to have IDF remain in security installations in Lebanon and nature of future relations, with Lebanon proposing protocol accord to regulate ties.

Arab Governments: King Hussein returns to Jordan from tour of Kuwait, Bahrain, Qatar and Oman.

US and Other Countries: State Department denies press reports that Reagan is prepared to sign document drafted by National Security Council, State and Defense Departments to cut off military aid to Israel; Reagan Administration says it is extremely concerned over slow pace of Lebanon negotiations, following Habib's return to US, with 2 stumbling blocks of normalization and surveillance stations; National Executive Committee of the Zionist Organization of America is told by Senator Carl Levin (D-MI) that Reagan Administration is not a mediator in the Middle East but coddles Saudi Arabia and entices King Hussein to peace table with airplanes and missiles, that it was never disclosed publicly that intelligence officials told the State Department that armed PLO members remained in Beirut; ZOA President Ivan Novick says Reagan Administration uses West Bank settlements to divide American Jews, but Jewish settlements are valid based on right to security and self-defense, historical connection, and according to international law Israel holds better title to this land; British press reports that secret documents accidently released recently indicate that Britain dissuaded Jordan, Syria and Iraq from concluding peace agreements with Israel in 1949.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Shamir says purpose of surveillance station in South Lebanon is to prevent return of PLO terrorists, if other means are available Israel will study them but so far none have been presented; Sharon at Cabinet meeting says Lebanon must pay a price for having allowed Palestinians to operate at will in previous years, that US must change position on future arrangements and security in Lebanon or Israel will consider other ways of obtaining an agreement with Lebanon, that Saad Haddad must play a role in security along border, and that survelliance stations will be military bases manned by a company each; Begin, Shamir and Sharon meet for 90 min. with Habib who then returns to US; Bethlehem Mayor Freij dismisses Deputy Mayor George Hazboun then leaves for Amman and Cairo for 3 week trip, saying there must be peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians and a halt to West Bank settlements.

Arab Governments: Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali meets with Israeli Ambassador Moshe Sasson in Cairo; ministers of Syria, Iran and Libya meet in Damascus, agree to support Lebanon financially and materially to end Israeli occupation.

Military Action:

IDF moves into Chouf to disengage Druze and Phalange forces after all night artillery exchanges. Casualties: 4 dead, 7 wounded in Bsada, Maroufieh, Dhour Schweir, bringing to 100 total casualties in 9 weeks in Chouf.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon says Israelis will not become involved in any fighting while in Zaire, Israel hopes to expand ties with Zaire to include economy, diplomatic cooperation and agriculture; Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai announces planned 800 megawatt hydro-electric plant at Dead Sea will be postponed, but construction of Med-Dead canal will continue, that Israel plans coaland nuclear-powered plants in the Negev; security forces arrest Najah University lecturer Sami Kilani, still hold 9 student council members, impose curfew on Nablus market area after protests over effective closure of Najah by daily roadblocks.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat meets with King Hassan in Marrakesh; Lebanese Government agrees to US troops in surveillance stations in South, seeks to end current border anarchy of Israeli goods entering Lebanon; Saad Haddad tells Lebanese press he's willing to withdraw if it's in best interests of Lebanon.

Arab Governments: Syrian Chief of Staff Gen. Hikmat Chehabi goes to Saudi Arabia with message from Assad for King Fahd; Syrian budget reportedly $4.6 billion, of which 54% or $2.6 billion goes to Ministry of Defense; President Mubarak, Prime Minister Kamal Hassan Ali, Undersecretary Osama el-Baz meet with Habib in Cairo; King Fahd meets with Habib in Riyadh.

Casualties:

Lebanese and Palestinian prisoners interviewed in Ansar prison camp say at first life was hell, then improved, now have kerosene heaters in tents, 10 cigarettes per day, English and Arabic newspapers from Israel, but they believe they are being misused for political pressure, and are not permitted to see lawyers; IDF reportedly restoring old synagogue in Sidon.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Recent meeting reported between IDF and Druze in Chouf, in which Druze complain of kidnapping by Phalange, but Phalange return charge; Israeli Energy Minister Modai says Israeli energy development priorities in next decade are doubling oil exploration, building a nuclear power plant and coal conversion.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat meets with Israeli journalist Amnon Kapeliuk in Tunis.

Arab Governments: Arab League foreign ministers meet in Morocco to decide whether or not to visit London.

US and Other Countries: Habib meets with Begin, Shamir and Sharon, fails to get Israeli agreement on security arrangements in South Lebanon, then flies to Beirut and holds long talks with President Amin Gemayel; Defense Secretary Weinberger says he is worried that isolated confrontations between IDF and Marines could grow into something more serious; Alexander Haig's spokesman Sherwood Goldberg denies assertion by unidentified State Department officials that Haig gave Israel green light for Lebanon invasion through winks and nods and failure to communicate Reagan's opposition, after several State Department officials confirm that Haig met with Sharon more than once in days before invasion, with no record of their conversation, and that at May 25 meeting Haig was instructed to tell Sharon of Reagan's opposition to invasion, but he did not say so forcefully, and later Reagan sent direct message to Begin, bypassing Haig, clearly opposing invasion but message arrived in Israel on June 8.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: IDF receives instructions to avoid contact with multi-national force in Beirut; following eighth round of Lebanese-Israeli-US negotiations in Kiryat Shemona, Lebanon says Israel will not be permitted to operate electronic surveillance stations on Lebanese soil, all agree to forming 4 subcommittees for timetable of withdrawal, security arrangements, future Israeli-Lebanese relations, guarantees to final agreement, with subcommittees to meet 2 days per week in Khalde and Herzliya; public opinion poll shows, if Knesset elections today, Likud would win 52 seats against 42 with a Labor list headed by former President Navon; Matti Peled, Uri Avnery and Yaacov Arnon, members of the Israeli Council for an Israeli-Palestinian Peace, announce meeting with PLO Chairman Arafat last week; Israel lodges formal complaint that 2 Egyptian tractors crossed into no-man's-land near disputed Taba region of Sinai; Sheikh Kamal Maade of Yarka announces Israeli Druze fundraising campaign for Lebanese Druze will be renewed; Israeli intercommunal committee to foster peace between Druze and Christians in Lebanon calls on IDF not to withdraw until a reconciliation is reached in the Chouf; Defense Minister Sharon leaves Zaire after signing a series of military agreements; documents presented at courtmartial of Israeli soldiers show Chief of Staff Eitan recommended punishment by expulsion to curb unrest among Palestinians in the West Bank, also suggested detention/exile camp, such as the one for teenage detainees built at Fara'a, near Nablus.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Prime Minister Wazzan blames Israel for the near-stalemate in talks, rules out monitoring station in South with either Israeli or US personnel; Phalange official tells Western diplomats and journalists that suspected assassin of Bashir Gemayel, Habib Shartouni, was manipulated by Nabil Alam of pro-Syrian Syrian Social National Party (PPS), but results of official inquiry into Bashir's death not released.

Arab Governments: Egyptian Government withdraws tractors, saying it was an accident they strayed into disputed Taba territory; Syria condemns Lebanese-Israeli-US talks, complains to UN that Israel is threatening to attack.

US and Other Countries: US contacts Israel through diplomatic channels to express concern over incidents involving IDF and Marines in Beirut, total of 5 such incidents in January.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Shamir denies press reports that Israel will let US troops man surveillance stations in South Lebanon, saying Israeli crews will cooperate with the Lebanese Army, keeping a temporary presence until a peace treaty is signed, or for a defined number of years; Shamir continues discussions with Habib, with members of IDF participating; Sharon visits Zaire's Shaba province to inspect 12,000-man Kamanyola brigade; High Court issues order nisi to Attorney General Yitzhak Zamir to show why he does not prosecute Matti Peled for treason for holding press conference with PLO in July; Zamir replies he will not prosecute for there are no grounds to show that Peled intended to aid the PLO; military tribunal in courtmartial of Major David Mopaz presented documents showing that West Bank Commander Col. Yaacov Hartabi and Chief of Staff Eitan ordered harassment and harsh treatment of Palestinians, including punitive action against parents, heads of villages, collective punishment; Histadrut delegation ends visit to Scotland and England, finds British trade unionists hostile to Israel's West Bank policy; Civil Administration sets up roadblocks around Birzeit University to check for foreign passports, orders 30 foreign teachers at Birzeit, 4 at Islamic University in Hebron to stop teaching or sign work permit with anti-PLO pledge.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Foreign Minister Elie Salem says future relations with Israel should be governed by 1949 Armistice Agreement, that Lebanon is not willing to sign peace treaty and have normal relations with Israel, that Syria and the PLO have given assurances that they will withdraw; Lebanese Forces (Phalange) expanding its presence in South Lebanon, now has standing militia of 6,000 with 15,000 reservists and $189 million annual budget from taxes through illegal ports, reported to have bought $15 million worth of captured Palestinian arms from Israel, including 50 tanks, APCs, howitzers, 130mm and 155mm artillery.

US and Other Countries: Weinberger and Italian Defense Minister Lelio Lagorio meet in Washington, agree to maintain peacekeeping force in Beirut as long as necessary and in accordance with the desire of the Lebanese Government; Arthur Goldberg says he personally will assure provision of necessary $100,000 for 2 years to continue American Jewish Commission of the Holocaust, disbanded on Jan. 3; Zaire President Mobutu announces Israeli military advisers will undertake a 5 year plan to restructure Zaire's armed forces; USSR paper lzvestia responds to State Department comment on SA-5s, saying US has sham concern for peace, only wants Israeli military superiority.

Military Action:

Phalange and Druze militia exchange artillery and rocket fire during night and morning in Shweifat, Baabda, Aley and Bhamdoun; lDF sets up checkpoints on Beirut-Damascus highway to divert traffic from areas of fighting.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Chief of Staff Eitan tells Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that 117 IDF were killed in western Lebanon, 8 in Beirut, that Begin denied Eitan's request during war for 2 more hours to cross Beirut-Damascus highway and destroy Syrian T-72 tank group, that critics such as Yossi Sarid and Shulamit Aloni harmed the war effort by talking about number of Palestinian homeless and refugees; Shamir and Kimche meet for 2'h4 hours with Habib and Draper; Sharon arrives in Zaire; 1DF spokeswoman confirms 10 Israeli Druze soldiers were jailed for defying orders in South Lebanon; Knesset votes 46-44 not to censure Kiryat Arba Council for destroying 4 of Hebron municipality's electricity pylons; Elias Freij and Rashad Shawa say they are willing to be members of a Palestinian-Jordanian delegation in peace talks with Israel.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: After 3 days of meetings in Damascus, PLO Executive Committee does not give Arafat support for alliance with Jordan; Lebanese Government insists end to state of war must be linked to complete Israeli withdrawal; Foreign Minister Elie Salem says another month or 2 of intensive discussion necessary to clear differences with Israel, he is confident Syrian and Palestinian forces will leave when Israelis leave, Lebanon is prepared to guarantee it will never again be base of operations against Israel, calls for multinational force and UNIFIL to double in size; Prime Minister Wazzan asks Justice Minister Roger Shikhani to investigate missing persons and to speed up interrogation of hundreds of detainees.

US and Other Countries: State Department says that Carter and Ford rightly focus on settlements as obstacle, but they are not the major obstacle to peace, and refuse to call settlements illegal; Weinberger and French Defense Minister Charles Hernu hold talks in Washington, Hernu says France will increase its contingent in Lebanon and take on more responsibility after the withdrawal of Syrian, Israeli and Palestinian forces, providing US and Italy do the same.

UN: Security Council votes to extend mandate of 5,800 UNIFIL troops for another 6 months; Israeli Ambassador Yehuda Blum says UNIFL has outlived its usefulness; US delegate says UNIFIL is a positive element in the negotiations.

Military Action:

Druze and Phalange militia exchange fire in Chouf; US Marines on full alert and deploy in firing positions as IDF patrol confronts Marines at checkpoint near Lebanese University; IDF armored car backs into barbed wire fence at another Marine checkpoint; US Embassy expresses concern over incidents to Israeli Government.

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Following week of meetings in Tripoli, Libya, PFLP, DFLP, PFLP-GC, Saiqa and PSF statement rejecting Fez and Reagan plans and any form of recognition or negotiation with the expansionist Zionist entity, adherence to armed struggle to liberate Palestine and all the occupied Arab territories; Lebanese- Israeli-US negotiators, meeting for 51?2 hours at Khalde, discuss ending state of war and security zone, make enough progress to turn issues over to subcommittee of Antoine Fattal, Eli Rubenstein, Christopher Ross, and form another subcommittee to deal with timetable for withdrawal of troops.

Arab Governments: Egyptian President Mubarak says Arabs must act on Reagan plan by end of year, PLO Chairman should recognize Israel, unilaterally if necessary; Syrian Foreign Minister Khaddam tours Bahrain, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, UAE and Qatar; King Hussein returns to Jordan from talks with King Fahd in Saudi Arabia.

US and Other Countries: Habib and Draper will divide responsibilities to accelerate the peace process; State Department refuses to qualify last week's statement suggesting possibility of shortening the autonomy period; US says USSR has sent 90 aircraft, mostly MiG-21s, and 12 SA-5 missiles to Syria, which would be particularly effective against E2-C Hawkeye surveillance aircraft used by Israel in Lebanon war; 2 US soldiers in multinational force in Sinai wounded in mine explosion near Ofira; former Presidents Carter and Ford, in joint article, say that Israeli occupation of West Bank and Gaza is a major obstacle to any moderate Arab initiative for peace in the Middle East, and urge King Hussein to join autonomy talks; West German Foreign Minister Genscher attacks Israeli settlement policy, does not recognize the PLO or support an independent Palestinian state, but supports the June 1980 Venice Declaration that the PLO be involved in the peace process.

Military Action:

IDF ambushed in Tyre.

Casualties:

Some IDF wounded in Tyre; Ansar review committee recommends release of 150, 1,100 cases heard out of 5,400 detainees, review committee established under the Fourth Geneva Convention on civilians as Israel does not recognize detainees as POWs covered under Third Geneva Convention.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon, Shamir and chief negotiator David Kimche meet for 2 hours with Habib and Draper, discussion focuses on 3 main differences between US and Israel (surveillance stations, UNIFIL, role of Saad Haddad); Commission of Inquiry completes 3?/2 months of investigation covering 49 witnesses, 152 eyewitnesses, 65 hours of testimony, 17,703 pages of transcript, closing with oral arguments of lawyers for 9 senior officials (Sharon, Eitan, Drori, Yaron, Dudai and Mossad head); Begin meets with head of Association for Prevention of Emigration, agrees to consider setting up ministerial committee to combat emigration (now 200,000 Israelis in the US alone); Israeli Foreign Ministry paying $5,000 per month rent on Saudi-owned villa along Beirut-Damascus high-way as Lebanon headquarters; Education Ministry setting up a committee to review curriculum in Arab schools and examine educational, psychological and social causes for growing extremism among Palestinian Israeli youth; Democratic Front for Peace and Equality (Rakah) candidates win election of Arab student committees in Tel Aviv and Haifa universities; army uses tear gas and warning shots to disperse demonstrators in Hebron protesting arrest on Jan. 13 of 50 students, including entire student council, from Islamic University; Cabinet settlement committee votes to set up 2 new settlements in West Bank near Hebron, and 2 across green line in same area, approves referral center for prospective settlers.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Executive Committee, chaired by Arafat, meets in Damascus to plan for PNC; Walid Jumblatt criticizes compromise agenda in talks as concession to Israeli and US terms; Lebanese Forces Commander Fadi Frem urges Government to sign peace treaty with Israel to liberate Lebanon from psychological and political domination of Syria.

Arab Governments: Algerian Foreign Minister Ahmad Taleb Ibrahimi says Alteria purchased $20 million worth of arms direct from USSR for PLO in June, and later sent another 2 planeloads from Algiers; Saudi Arabia and other Arab countries reportedly removing British firms from list of eligible contractors due to dispute over PLO representative in Arab League delegation; Saudi Crown Prince Abdallah in Damascus for talks with Assad.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Navon returns from US visit; Shamir says Reagan plan is only set of ideas and US policy will change in time; 1,000-2,000 Peace Now members occupy for a day unfinished West Bank settlement of Efrat, south of Bethlehem, blocking main road, putting up signs demanding halt to settlement, money to slums, no annexation, simultaneously stage successful diversionary demonstration in Elkana settlement near Nablus.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese leaders meet all day with US envoys Habib and Draper; President Gemayel sends special envoy Jean Obeid to Syria, where President Assad tells him Syria will not allow Israel to reap political or military gains from its invasion.

Arab Governments: King Hussein, Prime Minister Nudar Badran, and Chief of Staff Zaid Ben Shaker go to Baghdad for talks with Saddam Hussein.

US and Other Countries: US Marine Corps Commander General Robert Barrow says he's anxious to get 1,200 Marines out of Lebanon to avoid any incident such as a shootout which might discourage enlistment into the force, and Marine spokesman says there is a professional concern for the Marines' safety; Pentagon official says there are plans to send another battalion of Marines to Lebanon; Defense Security Agency Director Lt. Gen. Philip C. Gast in Beirut to assess ability of Lebanese military to absorb equipment already in the country or on its way.

Casualties:

IDF new appeals committee in Ansar prison in South Lebanon, has considered 1,000 cases, recommended release of 50 which must be approved by Northern Commander General Amir Drori; bulldozers begin removing rubble from Martyr's Square in downtown Beirut in $450 million first stage of 5 year rehabilitation plan.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Interior Ministry stops issuing permits for Israeli tourists to visit Lebanon due to security situation, Lebanese citizens may enter Israel without restrictions, but Palestinians need special permit as some have visited relatives and not returned to Lebanon; Central Bureau of Statistics publishes 1982 inflation rate at 131.5%, second highest ever, and trade deficit at $3 billion, an increase of 18%o; head of Israeli Olympic committee and Hapoel Games Iaaac Ofek says athletes from Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Venezuela, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Kenya, Ivory Coast, and Zaire will participate in Hapoel Games in May; Tourism Minister Avraham Sharir at Israel Bonds meeting in Paris says invasion of Lebanon prompted to prevent nonaggression pact PLO sought with Israel through US diplomatic channels, amends statement to cease-fire rather than nonaggression after controversy arises in Israel and Sheli Party demands resignation of Government, but Likud MK Benny Shalita confirms IDF said before invasion that PLO wanted non-aggression pact.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat goes to Iraq to talk with Saddam Hussein; US envoy Habib arrives in Beirut to speed up negotiations, suggesting first stage of withdrawal of troops to begin on Feb. 12.

Arab Governments: Arab League Secretary General Chedli Klibi in Bonn meeting with Chancellor Helmut Kohl and Foreign Minister Hans Dietrich Genscher, calls on West Germany and its European allies to recognize the PLO and press for the establishment of a Palestinian state. US and Other Countries: Angolan news agency ANGOP says Israeli experts are training UNITA troops in northern Namibia.

UN: Secretary General Perez de Cuellar says Lebanon seeks to expand role of UNIFIL, calls for renewal of UNIFIL mandate, (UNIFIL troops now excluded from Sidon and Tyre), expresses concern over $152 million shortfall in UNIFIL financing.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: US envoy Habib and Prime Minister Begin hold 90 minute meeting during which Habib presents Begin with letter from Reagan; Defense Minister Sharon postpones departure to Zaire, takes 100 Herut Party members on tour of Israeli military positions in Lebanon, Sharon meets Saad Haddad in Marjayoun, says any peace agreement will have a role for Haddad as he is trustworthy friend of Israel; Sharon holds afternoon press conference in Kiryat Shemona, simultaneously with official press conference announcing agreement on Lebanon talks agenda, creating tension with Foreign Minister Shamir, Sharon notes de facto normalization has preceded diplomatic normalization, that since Nov. 15, 12,000 people and 1,100 vehicles have entered Ilsrael from Lebanon and 1,100 Israeli vehicles transported goods to Lebanon; Labor Party political bureau approves Histadrut companies involvement in construction of settlements in occupied territories; Energy Minister Yitzhak Modai urges strong posture on US pressure, says control of Judea and Samaria is vital for security; Civil Administration declares as state land 20,000 dunums in Dahariya, south of Hebron, gives Palestinians 21 days to appeal, area planned for land reserve along 1967 green line; 30 Kach members break into Hebron home of Moshe Levinger, demanding that Meir Kahane's Kach settlement nearby receive support and services from Kiryat Arba as does Levinger's group in Hebron.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat in Moscow press conference releases communique that Soviet Union shows understanding of the PLO position on confederation on the basis of voluntarity between an independent Palestinian state and Jordan; following Habib-Begin meeting, Israel and Lebanon, in talks held in Kiryat Shemona, agree on agenda for talks (including concurrent discussion on "termination of the state of war; security arrangements; framework for mutual relations, including issues such as liaison, ending hostile propaganda, the movement of goods, products and persons, communications, etc.; program of complete withdrawals, conditions for Israeli withdrawal, within the context of the evacuation of all foreign forces; possible guarantees"); Lebanese Parliament delegation visits Amman seeking Jordanian support in talks with Israel.

Arab Governments: Foreign Minister Abdel Halim Khaddam, at non-aligned conference in Nicaragua, says Syria will resist any agreement which does not call for Israeli withdrawal from all occupied territories and does not recognize inalienable rights of Palestinians.

US and Other Countries: Pentagon refuses to sign draft agreement on US access to Israeli military data due to unreasonable restrictions; secret plan revealed for mini-Rapid Deployment Force in Jordan to guard internal stability, respond to emergencies in friendly Gulf States, and possible use in inter-Arab wars; Henry Kissinger says Lebanon crisis has consequences helpful to prospects for peace, shows USSR can supply arms but not solutions, rout of PLO restores US military credibility; Representative Council of French Jewry protests French Middle East policy, says Foreign Minister Cheysson's recent statements show anti-Israel bias, asks government to close PLO Paris office and expel PLO representative Ibrahim Suss.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Prime Minister's office reacts angrily to reports that US may postpone Begin's visit if no progress is made in Lebanon peace talks; Eitan is criticized by Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for comments on Lebanon yesterday; former military intelligence chief Shlomo Gazit, now President of Ben Gurion University in Beersheba, says Arafat's success is the large number of men Israel keeps mobilized to prevent terrorism, that security forces should not be kept on alert in the West Bank; El Al airlines resumes operations after 4 month strike over issue of flights on Sabbath and Jewish holidays; Minister for Science and Development Yuval Ne'eman, acting chair of Cabinet settlement committee, issues communique that settlements in West Bank, Gaza Strip and Golan Heights will continue despite US criticism; Israeli military experts reported organizing Zairian army; military roadblock around Najah University effectively implementing Order 854 which requires students from other districts to have special permit to attend university; Civil Administration says it is not involved in land dispute over Hebron municipality electricity pylons torn down by Kiryat Arba residents, that IDF is responsible; military authorities declare Hebron closed military area to prevent 50 Peace Now members from assisting Hebron residents re-erect and guard electricity pylons.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat meets with CPSU Secretary-General Yuri V. Andropov and Foreign Minister Andrei A. Gromyko, Arafat and Andropov declare that US shares full responsibility for Israel's criminally aggressvie actions because it gives Israel all the assistance it needs; Lebanese Government states preference for expanded role for UNIFIL throughout Lebanon after withdrawal of Israeli, Syrian and Palestinian forces; Dany Chamoun visits Saad Haddad in Marjayoun and Christian notables in Klea.

Arab Govemnments: King Fahd confers in Riyadh with Walid Jumblatt; Morocco retracts announcement on Arab League delegation, saying no decision will be made until Arab foreign ministers meet in Marrakesh; President Assad tells visiting Arab news agencies' directors that Syria rejects current Middle East peace plans, but would attend an Arab summit to map out collective action.

US and Other Countries: 500 at United Jewish Appeal luncheon addressed by Israeli President Navon, who says both Labor and Likud parties agree that a return to 1967 borders is not acceptable, PLO is a terrorist organization, a West Bank Palestinian state would be a security threat to Israel and base for Soviet intervention in the region, that Jerusalem is the undivided capital of Israel, but he says that Israel would take into consideration any change in the PLO covenant; Italian General Confederation of Labor meets with leaders of Rome's Jewish community to formulate plans to combat anti-Semitism.

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.

Military Action:

Druze-Phalange militia gunbattles in Maarufiye-Bsada region, near Baabda; Lebanese internal security forces deployed in areas of Tripoli to monitor cease-fire.

Casualties:

Government offices, banks, shops and many schools reopen in Tripoli.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli officials say Government is prepared to allow UNIFIL a 2 month extension, to operate around Palestinian refugee camps above 25 mile security zone, do not want UNIFIL within security zone; MK Yitzhak Rabin says war in Lebanon was illegal use of IDF for far-reaching political goals; Defense Ministry informs Umm al-Fahm residents that 15,000 dunums of their land is declared a military zone and cultivation must cease; troops raid Najah University, remove Palestinian posters and flags; military authorities close Kadri Tukan high school after border police injured by stones following celebration of 18th anniversary of Fateh in Nablus; all Nablus and neighboring Balata camp under undeclared curfew; Israeli traffic stoned in Ramallah and Bethlehem, with total of 5 settlers injured during week; Ministry of Labor and Social Affairs spokesman Avraham Hoffmann says $150,000 promotion campaign will encourage Israelis to settle in West Bank, and provide clearing house for information on available housing, World Zionist Organization goal is 100,000 settlers by 1985, current number is 25,000.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat meets with Jordanian Prime Minister Mudar Badran, holds press conference in Amman in which he praises the Reagan plan for calling for a settlement freeze, and criticizes plan for denying Palestinian right to independent state; Abu lyad says meeting of Fateh Central Committee in Kuwait on 6 January rejected the Reagan plan; Lebanese-Israeli-US talks held in Khalde deadlocked over agenda as US compromise proposals are unacceptable, but new proposals submitted.

US and Other Countries: US State Department confirms several encounters between IDF and Marines in Beirut; Special Envoy Habib confers with Reagan, Shultz and Bush before leaving for Middle East, amid growing Administration frustration that delay in Israeli and Syrian troop withdrawals impede Jordan's involvement in peace negotiations as proposed in Reagan Plan; B'nai B'rith Anti-Defamation League releases report that anti-Semitic violence in US decreased by 15% in 1982, to 829 incidents, mostly in New York, California, New Jersey and Massachusetts; New York City Mayor Koch presents key to city to President Navon, pledges support of Israel, Navon tells Yeshiva University students to settle in Israel; Italian Defense Minister Lelio Lagorio, in Beirut, announces Italy considering sending another battalion to Lebanon, bringing total troops to 4,000.

UN: Senegal, Fiji, Norway, Ireland, Holland, Ghana, Finland, France, Sweden and Italy will keep troops in UNIFIL; Nigeria will remove troops from UNIFIL.

Military Action:

Marines prevent IDF from entering Bourj-al-Barajneh for second time, but IDF moves into Lailaki using random anti-tank grenades and machine gun fire to search area; after fourth encounter between IDF and Marines in 1 week, US Embassy in Beirut expresses concern; truce in Tripoli policed by PLO because Lebanese security forces refuse to patrol area so long as opposing forces maintain positions.

Casualties:

1 PLO member killed, 3 wounded in Tripoli.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli Government rejects US-proposed compromise on agenda for Lebanon negotiations; at Cabinet meeting Begin promises Deputy Premier David Levy and Communications Minister Mordechai Zipori, both Herut Party critics of Sharon, that Cabinet will hold special debate on Lebanon; Young Guards of Labor Party elects as chairman Moshe Cohen, a political centrist who will seek to end leftward lurch of party, to terminate Labor's alignment with Mapam and a rapprochement with religious parties; all police units launch anti-terrorist drive following attack on bus, reveal several bomb incidents since summer, including 280 kg bomb in car in Negev defused, bomb under bench in Herzliya which wounded 4, 4.5 kg bomb in Jerusalem defused, security forces played down and withheld information on incidents; Israeli trade with Lebanon valued at $8 million each for November and December; Peace Now group demonstrates outside Prime Minister Begin's office; dozens of Palestinians arrested in Tel Aviv after yesterday's grenade attck, 2 molotov cocktails thrown at police station in Dheisheh refugee camp, no injuries, security forces seal area, search but no arrests; 10 Najah University students arrested, charged with incitement; Kiryat Arba residents pull down Hebron municipality electricity poles for second time, and Acting Mayor Mustafa Natshe says he received threatening letter from Kiryat Arba council demanding removal of the utility poles; Elon Moreh settlers fire shots into Nablus Dal al-Tafel kindergarten and its bus, military authorities seal off Nablus market area.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat holds talks with King Hussein in Amman, also attending are members of Joint Committee, as Hussein tells Arafat his talks with Reagan were positive and successful; Lebanese Director General of Internal Security Forces Hisham Shaar says conscription may be necessary to keep balance of Christians and Muslims in police force; reports circulating in Beirut that AUB President David Dodge, kidnapped during war, may be alive and held in Bekaa Valley; Internal Security Chief Hisham Shaar and Syrian Deputy Chief of Staff General Ali Aslan meet in Tripoli, agree to patrols there by Lebanese security forces.

Arab Governments: Egyptian President Mubarak calls on Hussein and Arafat to negotiate on the basis of the Reagan plan, before US presidential elections and more settlements make it too late to reach agreement, says that only thing that bothers him about US foreign policy is US Congress' decision to increase aid to Israel; Egyptian Foreign Minister Kamal Hassan Ali says Egyptian ambassador to Israel will return to his post as soon as agreement is reached on Israeli withdrawal from Lebanon; Saudi King Fahd holds series of meetings with Walid Jumblatt, Moroccan Foreign Minister Mohammed Boucetta, Fateh Executive Committee member Abu Mazen.

US and Other Countries: Senator Charles Percy (R-IL) states support for Israeli position that withdrawal from Lebanon should be accompanied by business-like relations; columnist Jack Anderson publishes opinion poll of the world's worst leaders with Menahem Begin ranking fifth after Khomeini, Qaddafi, Mobutu and Duvalier; 1,500 New York area Jews who have applied for aliya attend speech by Israeli President Navon in synagogue.

Military Action:

IDF advances toward Bourj al-Barajneh from .Khalde, sets up new positions near airport; after overnight lull, fighting resumes in Tripoli.

Casualties:

5 killed, several wounded in Tripoli; Lebanese security forces say 25,000 homeless in Tripoli; 6 IDF prisoners held by PLO, shown on Jordanian TV, say their health is satisfactory, that the Red Cross has visited 4 times in 4 months.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Hand grenade thrown at bus in Tel Aviv injures 12, police arrest 86 Arabs in the area; Shinui Knesset group urges Begin to freeze settlements and invite Hussein to Jerusalem for negotiations; military authorities set up roadblock at Najah University to prevent delegation from Tel Aviv University from entering campus, but delegation takes back roads to reach campus; at 1 AM Israeli armored vehicles enter Jalazon camp to break up pre-election meeting of camp club, and by sunrise, checkpoints erected at all exits where residents must register ID as they leave for work; Nablus youth stone border patrol, burn tires, soldiers fire tear gas to disperse protest.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Prime Minister Wazzan goes to Damascus, talks with Assad for 3 hours, returns to Beirut with Assad's agreement that Lebanese security forces enter Tripoli to police cease-fire.

US and Other Countries: University professors in Boston are told by Israeli President Navon that if they are going to criticize Israel's security policy, they should go live in Israel, are reminded that the Labor government initiated settlements in the West Bank.

Military Action:

IDF bus in Kfar Sil ambushed by Lebanese National Resistance using rocket propelled grenades and machine guns, IDF returns fire into groves alongside road; artillery, rocket and hand-to-hand fighting in Tripoli.

Casualties:

21 IDF wounded in ambush, bringing total IDF casualties in 3 weeks to 25 wounded, 6 dead, and since Sept. 1, total IDF casualties are 104 killed, 203 wounded; one attacker killed by IDF; 19 killed in Tripoli fighting.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: MK Charlie Biton, at lunch hosted by PLO in New York, calls for Palestinian state on the West Bank, urges US to negotiate directly with the PLO, Israel to cut military spending; Bedouin whose herds were seized in December win order nisi from Israeli High Court calling for Defense Ministry, Chief of Staff and Nature Reserves Authority (Green Patrol) to give reason within 10 days why the herds should not be returned; Palestinian union activists, journalists, writers and poets from Nablus, Tulkarm and Hebron arrested and detained by military authorities now number over 300 in Fara'a prison.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: PLO Chairman Arafat in Kuwait calls on Arab states to exert economic pressure on US, then goes to Damascus for celebration of 18th anniversary of Fateh; Lebanese and Palestinian women from Bourj al-Barajneh protest detention of relatives; 3-week training by US Marines of Lebanese Army air assault battalion completed with display of heliborne hit and run attacks; $10 million worth of US military equipment, including 24 APCs, trucks and spare parts, for Lebanese Army arrives at Beirut port.

Arab Governments: Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Tarik Aziz says Iraq is encouraging the PLO to negotiate with Jordan, and does not oppose peace negotiations between Israel, the PLO and Arab partners.

US and Other Countries: US expresses official concern to USSR over construction of SA-5 missile sites in Syria, as USSR Ambassador Anatoly Dobrynin is called to the State Department to meet with Undersecretary for Political Affairs Lawrence Eagleburger; Senator Paul Tsongas (D-MA) meets with Begin, then Hussein, tells reporters if Syria is obstacle to peace and troop withdrawal from Lebanon, this obstacle must be removed, and that Begin told him he accepts Hussein in the peace process but will never freeze settlements

Military Action:

IDF moves 2 convoys of tanks, APCs, heavy armor, from South Lebanon to cease-fire line in Bekaa; Lebanese Army seals off and searches southern Beirut suburbs from Bourj al-Barajneh to Lailaki; fighting continues in Bab Mohsen and Bab el-Tabbaneh areas of Tripoli.

Casualties:

9 killed in Tripoli; 40-50 detained by Lebanese Army.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli, Lebanese and US negotiators meet at Kiryat Shemona, fail to agree on draft agenda proposed by US delegate Draper; Chief of Staff Rafael Eitan says Soviet SA-5 missiles in Syria are not a military threat, but of major political significance, as could be manned by Soviet personnel, and confirms that Syria is undergoing intense military expansion to have 2 additional armored divisions by 1984, all its artillery self-propelled, most tanks to be T-72s, more commando battalions; President Navon in Washington, says consensus within Israel is opposed to Palestinian state and returning to 1967 borders; Yesh Gvul ("There's A Limit") demonstration in front of Defense Ministry demands rights for conscientious objectors and freedom for those in jail; Costa Rican Minister of Public Security Angel Edmondo Solano Calderon and wife visit Israel as guests of Defense Minister Sharon; Kiryat Arba local council tears down 4 electricity poles providing electricity to 25 Palestinian families, claiming land is allocated to Givat Harsina settlement; military authorities close Nablus technical school for I week; American Principal of Ramallah Friends Girls School summoned by military governor, but refuses (along with 4 US teachers) to sign work permit containing anti-PLO clause.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says in interview he will set up government in exile once the US recognizes the Palestinians' right to self-determination; Lebanese militia and political leaders meet in Tripoli to try to stop fighting.

US and Other Countries: Actress Elizabeth Taylor in Israel on a mission of peace and understanding decides not to go to Lebnon as Lebanese Government cannot guarantee her security, but Saad Haddad goes to Tel Aviv to meet Taylor.

Military Action:

Israeli truck driver kidnapped and killed near Damour, bomb thrown at IDF near Hadath, Lebanese National Resistance claims responsibility; artillery and gunfire resume in Tripoli one hour after 3 PM cease-fire announced by Rashid Karami.

Casualties:

2 IDF wounded near Hadath; press reports indicate 23 psychological injuries for every 100 casualties in IDF during Lebanon war, of which 2/3 do not return to combat.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Sharon urges patience and perseverance on demand for normalization with Lebanon; High Court rejects petition of Negev Bedouin families to remain on land near Dimona designated a military area; Israeli papers publish photos of special jeeps equipped with army-supplied radios and 2 armed settlers used by Gush Etzion regional council to search for illegal Arab buildings.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Assad Germanos, Military Prosecutor heading Lebanese investigation into massacre, says he has made 3 visits to Sabra and Shatila, and hopes to finish his report by March or April; Rashid Karami, returning from Damascus, says Syrian Deputy Defense Minister Ali Aslan is in Tripoli to arrange cease-fire.

Arab Governments: Qatar, UAE and Oman call off visit of British Foreign Secretary Pym, causing him to cancel his trip.

US and Other Countries: President Reagan receives Israeli President Navon at White House, affirms that security of Israel is inescapably connected to peace in the Middle East; Reagan announces Special Envoy Habib will return to Middle East.

Military Action:

After day of quiet, renewed artillery exchanges in Tripoli, coastal road cut 20 miles south of city; IDF announces 4 Katyusha rockets found in South Lebanon.

Casualties:

UNRWA asks IDF for protection from Palestinian refugees in Sidon protesting delay in distribution of kerosene heating stoves, cement and winter clothing; 16-tent school operating in Ain el-Hilweh; 625 building plots cleared and allocated by UNRWA, 590 plots cleared by refugees, 850 plots allocated in Tyre; 40 killed, more wounded, large sections of Tripoli without electricity, water, telephone and basic food, hospitals short of supplies, many civilians living in shelters. 

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: IDF spokes-man announces Syria is building 2 bases for Soviet SA-5 missiles, warns USSR not to deploy missiles in Syria; President Yitzhak Navon begins 2 week visit to US, will meet Reagan with Shultz, Kissinger, AFL-CIO, Jewish groups; Mapam MK Elazar Granot introduces motion in Knesset that Sharon be removed as Defense Minister and be replaced in Lebanon negotiations because of his leak about a separate agreement with Lebanese leaders and distortion of the facts of the war from its beginning; Foreign Minister Shamir charges that Lebanese Muslim leaders opposed to normalization with Israel are agents of foreign interests, and reiterates commitment to Eretz Israel, calling on international convention delegates to invest all efforts in aliya; Moshavim Herut and Mismeret will close illegal camps for Arab workers who will have to return to Gaza to sleep; Yitzhak Rabin, touring settlements, says Labor Party firmly opposed to any withdrawal to 1948 green line, that Camp David accord includes change in frontier to incorporate Jerusalem and Jordan Valley; Peace Now distributes document of military government which says Science and Technology Minister Yuval Ne'eman and his assistant MK Hanan Porat helped establish supervisory teams of settlers to guard state lands and may be used to deport Palestinians; Peace Now charges that Kiryat Arba council intends to pressure and persuade Arab shop-owners to leave Hebron; at his courtmartial, IDF paratrooper and Deputy Commander of Judea District Major David Mofaz, one of seven defendants, excuses his beating of Palestinian students at Hebron's Islamic University by charging that District Commander Lt. Col. Shalom Lugassi instructed soldiers to beat, pester and break watches of demonstrators, that Sharon said Arab rioters should have their testicles ripped off; West Bank Military Commander Yaakov Hartabi testifies soldiers acted properly and according to written and oral orders.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Prime Minister Shafik Wazzan calls Syrian Prime Minister Abdel Raouf al-Kassem, appealing for security measures to end fighting in Tripoli; Rashid Karami goes to Damascus; local Tripoli leaders Mohammed Ali Dannawi of Muslim Salvation Front and Farouk Mokaddam of October 24 Movement call for withdrawal of Syrian troops from Tripoli.

US and Other Countries: US Special Envoy Philip Habib summoned from vacation to Washington as President Reagan prepares a new initiative to break Lebanon stalemate.

Military Action:

IDF announces 5 Katyusha rocket launchers discovered 3 miles from border in South Lebanon on December 31.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: IDF reservist, member of Yesh Gvul ("There's a Limit"), sentenced to 21 days in military prison for refusing to serve in Ansar; Circassian soldier sentenced to 1 year with 7 months suspended, for refusing to serve in Lebanon; Foreign Minister Shamir confirms direct negotiations with PLO on release of prisoners (held in Vienna between Arieh Eliav and Issam Sartawi beginning in October); official population statistics for 1982 released as 4,055,000 of which 12,000 in Golan, and 689,000 non-Jews, 13,000 immigrants; Druze notables from Aley reported waiting for 2 weeks to see Defense Minister Sharon; Histadrut decides to permit its holding companies to build homes for settlers in occupied territories, although contrary to Labor Party policy, in order to keep jobs for workers, and despite opposition by members of Mapam and Independent Liberal party; military authorities make arrests in Jalazon camp.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Third round of Lebanese-Israeli-US negotiations held in Khalde with no agreement on agenda, as Lebanon stresses troop withdrawal, Israel focuses on normalization, and US suggests waiving agenda and beginning substantive talks.

US and Other Countries: Private commission of US Jews, including rabbis, jurists and political leaders, set up to examine role of US Jewish organizations during World War Ii, disbands divided over draft report which says US Zionist organizations focused on postwar plans and creation of a state, not on rescuing Jews from Nazism.

Military Action:

IDF attacked twice in Sidon; fighting continues in Tripoli.

Casualties:

Tripoli death toll for weekend is 17.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli Cabinet discusses fighting in Chouf, is briefed on Lebanese negotiations by Foreign Minister Shamir and David Kimche, hears of new security measures to be taken to reduce Israeli casualties in Lebanon; 3 members of Committee Against the War in Lebanon on trial for breach of peace after distributing leaflets in Haifa; Government agrees to 12% wage increase for public employees, averting general strike; official statistics show GNP did not increase in 1982, while real wages declined 3%; Begin's adviser on Arab Affairs Ben-yamin Gur-Arye says Begin will see if evacuation of Negev Bedouin families can be postponed; Bedouin township of Rahat forms labor council, the first in the Negev; Commission of Inquiry completes hearing of testimony, allowing Sharon to submit written answers instead of appearing for questioning; Moshe Reich, Israeli builder on West Bank, acquitted of blackmail, assault and threatened assault based on charges by Palestinians that he tried to force them to sell land; Jenin military governor warns Attorney Zuhair Jarrar not to complain to press about December 29 cut off of his electricity and water ordered by Israeli-appointed mayor Shihab Sanouri; Theodore Mann, chair of National Conference on Soviet Jews, announces 2,600 exit visas issued in 1982; PM Begin meets with relatives of Israeli prisoners, promises them no withdrawl of IDF from Lebanon until release of prisoners; Jerusalem police report series of raids on Jerusalem bookstores, seizing Palestinian flags, cassettes, T-shirts and other pro-PLO material.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Rashid Karami appeals to Syria to send envoy to stop fighting in Tripoli.

Arab Governments: Saudi Arabia says British Foreign Secretary Pym not welcome to visit after Thatcher government refuses PLO representative in Arab League delegation; Iraq announces that Saddam Hussein told Congressman Stephen Solarz (D-NY) on August 25, he accepts Israelis' need for security.

Military Action:

IDF vehicle ambushed near Kfar Sil; shelling between Aitat and Souk el-Gharb in morning, sniping during afternoon between Druze and Phalange forces, which IDF makes no attempt to stop; rocket, artillery and rifle exchanges in Tripoli between pro and anti-Syrian forces.

Casualties:

2 IDF wounded in ambush; 30 killed in Tripoli; heavy rains cause flooding in Beirut refugee camps.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Some Negev Bedouin from Tel Malhata remain past December 31 deadline for evacuation from their land due to proposed new air force base of Nevatim; restriction order on Ibrahim Dakkak, chair of the West Bank Engineer's Association, renewed for third 6 month period; year-old restriction order on Abed Abu Diab of the Jerusalem Electric Company, renewed another year; art exhibit opens in west Jerusalem, featuring prominent Palestinian and progressive Israeli artists.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: 18th anniversary of Fateh celebrated in Algiers; Palestinian women and children place wreaths on graves in cemetery in Beirut and march through camp; Lebanese Army harasses journalists trying to cover march; Walid Jumblatt and Nabih Berri demand disarming of Phalange.

US and Other Countries: Cardinal Terence Cooke celebrates mass with US Marines in Beirut.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli negotiators meet with Cabinet in attempt to find wording to bypass deadlock on agenda.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Gemayel, in New Year's eve radio broadcast, says talks will serve to consolidate national sovereignty, notes $3.5 b. treasury deficit and $2.5 b. in losses suffered because of the invasion, projects $10.5 b. on development projects, announces establishment of national reconstruction fund, and asks Lebanese emigrants in particular to contribute.

Military Action:

Heavy fighting in Tripoli, artillery, rocket, grenade attacks are so intense many wounded are left in streets.

Casualties:

In two refugee camps, small groups of Palestinian women stage demonstration marches celebrating founding of PLO on January 1, 1965, Lebanese Army harasses journalists trying to cover event; Tripoli residents panic, stockpile food.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Second round of negotiations begins at Qiryat Shemona as Israelis and Lebanese continue to disagree on agenda.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat says PLO is willing to pull its forces out of Lebanon if that secures a full IDF withdrawal from Lebanon.

Military Action:

IDF kills two guerrillas in Bekaa near Syrian lines.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: IDF tries to exclude Israeli military correspondent from press conference for reporting on soldier disaffection in Lebanon (other military correspondents support fellow journalist); Commission of Inquiry takes testimony in secret from head of military intelligence.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese officials meet with Draper to discuss moving toward agreed agenda; senior Lebanese official claims Israel hardens its position on normalizing relations.

Arab Governments: Egypt says Israel releases 10 Egyptians captured in Lebanon invasion and plans to free remaining 21.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Ethnic conflict between Ashkenazi and Sephardic Jews explodes after fatal shooting by policeman in slum area of Tel Aviv, Sephardic Jews spray-paint swastikas and slogans against Ashkenazim on cars and walls, including Jerusalem home of Interior Minister Burg; direct cost of Lebanon invasion put at $1.1 billion, based on assumption that IDF will stay in Lebanon through end of February 1983.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: First Israeli-Lebanese negotiations since 1949 begin at Khalde, 40-minute opening ceremony followed by 4 hours of secret talks, deadlock reporter over Israeli insistence on talking about political and security arrangements before details of withdrawal.

US and Other Countries: Kreisky of Austria indicates he is mediating exchange of prisoners between PLO and Israel at request of families of POWs.

UN: Britain informs UN it will contribute 80 ment to peacekeeping force.

Military Action:

IDF military bus machine-gunned near Ghazieh in South Lebanon; IDF and Lebanese Army cordon off Khalde beach hotel to secure meeting place, ensure no clashes; IDF tanks seize surrounding hills to stop nearby fighting in Shouweifat, Kfarshima; fighting continues in Aley and two other villages.

Casualties:

Police estimate 18 killed, 27 injured in fighting in Chouf area; 1 IDF soldier wounded near Sidon; 2 IDF soldier killed, 7 wounded in bus attack.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Haaretz poll indicates 53 percent of Israeli public opinion supports immediate withdrawal, 24 percent support staying in Lebanon; Israel sends to Lebanon 6-man team headed by Israeli Foreign Ministry Secretary-General David Kimche; public testimony of Commission of Inquiry resumes as lawyers for some officials cross-examine witnesses (Reuven Gai sharply cross-examined by lawyer for Sharon aide Dudai, Dudai also testifies in private).

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Arafat meets Austrian Chancellor Kriesky in Austria; Wazzan, following meeting with Gemayel, names 6-man negotiating team, headed by retired diplomat Antoine Fattal, including Antoine Baroud, lbrah, Kharma, 3 Army officers led by General Abbas Hamdan.

US and Other Countries: US State Department stresses importance of focussing negotiations on getting speedy withdrawal of all foreign forces, not getting bogged down in efforts to force normalization between two countries (status of Haddad forces seen as problematic); 14 of 17 Senate Foreign Relations Committee members send letter to Reagan expressing concern over continued US Marine presence in Lebanon

Military Action:

Israeli Governor's residence in Sidon attacked, curfew imposed on city; gunfire hits IDF convoy north of Sidon; fierce artillery barrages rage around Beirut, sporadic shelling resumed around Khalde, fighting spreads into Chouf villages of Fawara, Brih, Wadi Alcet, Mtaileh, Aley; Phalange headquarters in Sidon badly damaged by explosion.

Casualties:

4 IDF soldiers killed, 8 wounded in and near Sidon, several dead and wounded in Chouf.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israeli Cabinet announces negotiations will begin Tuesday at Khalde, continue Thursday at Qiryat Shemona stresses talks will focus on normalizing relations with Lebanon, creating security zone in South Lebanon; Sharon claims "working paper" includes proposal to retain "warning station" staffed by IDF in South Lebanon; Israeli Press Council bans photos of mourners at funerals of military casualties as encroachement on privacy, but state broadcasting authority disagrees, says public has a right to participate in grieving.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese officials stress negotiations aimed at getting IDF to withdraw from Lebanon; Wazzan denies there are blueprints for the talks

Military Action:

Sectarian fighting at Khalde, near airport, sends bullets near US Marines; fighting, including heavy artillery and rocket shelling, around Shuweifat, Aramoun, Bhamdoun; IDF ambushed near Aley with bazooka and light arms fire; President Gemayel makes surprise Christmas visit to US, French and Italian troops to thank them for playing stabilizing role.

Casualties:

3 wounded at Khalde and in mountains; bullet-riddled bodies of 4 Druze young men found near Damour; 2 IDF soldiers wounded near Aley (1 later dies).

Political Responses:

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Wazzan, the Gemayel, confer with Draper on withdrawal efforts as first meeting of negotiators is set for Wednesday in Khalde; Lebanese official again claims IDF is provoking Christian-Druze clashes to delay talks and prolong occupation.

Militarv Action:

Artillery and rocket barrages south and southwest of Beirut; four young Druze men abducted in Niha, 10 miles southeast of Beirut; two explosives primed to go off found by Italian troops in 2 UN-sponsored schools for refugees in Burj al-Barajneh.

Casualties:

13 killed in fighting in Beirut suburbs; UNRWA says 164 of its workers (all Palestinians) have been detained by IDF since June 76 and 83 are still being held at Ansar camp.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Ocucpied Territories: Sharon visits Beirut to ensure talks will begin following week, seeks but fails to gain formal ratification from Lebanese he had negotiated with, though they reportedly assure him they will abide by content of "working paper."

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Gemayel cancels traditional Christmas celebrations at presidential palace because of prevailing conditions; Wazzan says procedural problems delaying talks; Lebanese Foreign Minister Salem asks Draper to ascertain status of Israeli plans

Military Action:

Bomb explodes near military outpost close to Ain el-Hilweh; PRG grenade fired at Israeli civilian vehicle near Aley.

Casualties:

2 IDF soldiers killed, 1 wounded, 2 Lebanese wounded near Ain el-Hilweh.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Begin's office announces talks will begin next week on troop withdrawals, but questions grow over whether Lebanese government backs "negotiating" draft; Israeli tourism way down during traditionally busy Christmas season; goodwill delegation of Israeli religious dignitaries leave for Lebanon hoping to arrange reconciliation between Druze and Christians in Chouf; curfew reimposed on Balata refugee camp near Nablus, second high school ordered closed after students allegedly participate in rock-throwing.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Ousted Mayor Milhem of Halhoul, in Amman, says PLO must approve any negotiators who speak for the Palestinians.

Arab Governments: King Hussein leaves US for home; Arab League and PLO foreign minister to meet January 21 to assess efforts to promote Mideast peace plan.

US and Other Countries: Reagan optimistic but cautious after second meeting with King Hussein; White house officials later say in next 2-3 weeks Hussein will publicly announce whether or not he will join peace talks; Israeli consulate, Jewish club bombed in Sydney, Australia.

Military Action:

Artillery, rocket clashes in IDF-controlled towns of Khalde, Aramun, Kfarshima and Shuweifat, south of Beirut as Gemayel holds consultations there on negotiating IDF pullback, following discovery of bodies of 5 Phalangists; IDF reports a bomb exploded south of Beirut airport as IDF vehicle passed by, two other bombs found in area; fighting continues in Tripoli where gunmen open fire on Syrian army truck.

Casualties:

7-story apartment building, damaged by IDF bombardment, collapses while being repaired, 5 feared dead, several others injured; Lebanese Army tries to rescue hundreds of schoolchildren trapped in schools in towns south of Beirut; 6 killed in fighting in that area; 1 killed, 3 wounded in Tripoli.

Political Responses:

Israel/ Occupied Territories: Israel and Lebanon agree to start face-to-face talks on troop withdrawal in few days; Sharon says Israel will not compromise on Taba; attorney for General Amos Yaron, in memo to Commission of Inquiry, defends his client's not passing on unsubstantiated rumors of a massacre.

Palestinians/ Lebanese: Lebanese officials will seek, in negotiations with Israel, troop pull-back by all forces by February 15.

Arab Governments: King Hussein, in Washington, discusses military requests with pentagon officials, meets Joint Chiefs of Staff, later gives Reagan list of seven preconditions for Jordanian participation in Mideast peace process.

US and other Countries: Habib, after reporting to Reagan, announces agreement on talks (locale as yet undetermined); Belgium and Portugal indicate willingness to send peace-keeping troops but, because of economic troubles, can only do so if US pays for them.