Friday, January 10, 1997

Hamas holds rally at Birzeit University to mark the 1996 Yahya Ayyash assassination. (ITV 1/10 in WNC 1/14; WT 1/12)

The Israeli cabinet approves Roni Bar-On's nomination as atty. gen. Labor places an injunction against the appointment, saying Bar-On, an obscure Jerusalem lawyer known as a Likud activist, was selected for political reasons, not his abilities. (ITV 1/10 in WNC 1/14; JP 1/18; MEI 2/7) (see 12/4)

A Saudi Arabian Islamist group, the Islamic Movement for Change, says it carried out the Damascus bus bombing 1/2 in retaliation for Syria's execution of a mbr. of its group fr. participation in the 6/25/96 Khobar barracks bombing. Syria discounts the claim. (MM 1/10; AFP 1/10 in WNC 1/13; al-Nahar 1/10 in WNC 1/16; NYT 1/11; WT 1/12)

ILMG meets to discuss an Israeli complaint concerning the launching of a rocket into n. Israel 1/8; issues statement saying that 1 rocket was fired in violation of the 4/96 understanding, but that the group could not determine who fired it. (RMC 1/10 in WNC 1/13; RL 1/11 in WNC 1/14; IGPO 1/12) (see 12/16)

The Iranian Fencing Federation invites the Israeli Hadar Yosef fencing association to participate in a world cup competition in Tehran 2/12+n14. Although invitations to the international meet are traditionally sent by the host country, the invitation was sent with the knowledge of the Iranian government. (YA 1/12 in WNC 1/14)