Sunday, October 1, 2000

On the 4th day of Palestinian-Israeli clashes, another attempt to secure a cease-fire fails, and rioting spreads to Israeli cities, including Acre, Jaffa, Nazareth, Tel Aviv, and Israeli Arab towns across the Galilee. In Umm al-Fahm, 1 Israeli Arab is shot dead by Israeli police, sparking massive rioting. In the West Bank and Gaza, the IDF rolls out heavy weapons--including tanks, antitank missiles, attack helicopters, grenades--to combat stone-throwing Palestinians, resulting in another 12 Palestinian fatalities, over 200 Palestinians wounded. The 1st IDF soldier is killed in street clashes (see 9/29). Jewish settlers in Jerusalem open fire on a Palestinian car, killing a toddler. The 1st confirmed incidents of Palestinians shooting at IDF troops take place in Gaza and Ramallah, but no IDF injuries are reported. The IDF places a 24-hr. curfew on Palestinians in Hebron. Israel states that its troops have "exercised restraint," accuses the PA of "orchestrating a campaign of spreading violence for political gain." Clinton phones Arafat to urge him to halt the violence; says that once the fighting stops, he will convene PA, Israeli security officials for a fact-finding session "to figure out what went wrong." (PCHR 10/1; IRNA, MENA 10/1 in WNC 10/2; AFP 10/1, IRNA 10/2 in WNC 10/3; AP, CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/2; HA [Internet], MM, NYT 10/3; MEI 10/13)

On his 1st official visit abroad as head of state, Syrian pres. Bashar al-Asad arrives in Cairo to meet with Pres. Mubarak. Talks touch on bilateral relations, the peace process, Jerusalem. (MENA 10/1 in WNC 10/2, 10/3)

In Amman, Jordanians, Palestinians demonstrate against Israel's use of excessive force against Palestinians. (JT 10/5 in WNC 10/6)