The Palestine Chronology

Upon his return fr. the U.S. Sharon meets with his security cabinet, then his full cabinet to discuss how to respond to the 12/1+n2 attacks. The full cabinet votes to declare the PA "an entity that supports terrorism," adds Force 17 (Arafat's "presidential guard") to its list of terrorist groups, authorizes Sharon to escalate military action. FM Shimon Peres, other Labor MKs walk out of the cabinet mtg. in protest but do not formally withdraw fr. the governing coalition. (AP, CNN, HA, MM 12/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 12/4; MM, WJW 12/6; MEI 12/7; MA 12/7 in WNC 12/12; WP 12/9)

While the cabinet meets, the PSF continues to arrest mbrs. of Hamas and Islamic Jihad, risking confrontations with hostile Palestinian crowds. Arafat also orders the arrest of Hamas spiritual leader Shaykh Ahmad Yasin, but when PSF officers arrive around midnight, crowds of Palestinians force them to retreat. The PSF says it has arrested more than 100 Palestinians since 12/2. Arafat asks Peres for a 4-day grace period, during which he vows he would crack down on opposition groups. Israel refuses, dismissing the arrests as a "show for international consumption." The U.S. says the PA must "root out the infrastructure of the groups that support terrorists." (HA 12/3; NYT, WP, WT 12/4; AKH 12/4 in WNC 12/5; MEI 12/7; MA 12/7 in WNC 12/11; WT 12/10)

Soon after the cabinet mtg., the IDF launches air raids against Arafat's headquarters and other PA sites around Gaza City, destroying the PSF barracks, Arafat's 2 personal helicopters, injuring 12 Palestinians; sends tanks into Gaza airport to bulldoze runways; sends troops into Ramallah to surround the PA's West Bank headquarters, where Arafat is staying. In Jinin, U.S.-supplied F-16s destroy the Palestinian governate building, jail, PSF headquarters. The IDF also fatally shoots 1 Palestinian nr. Jinin; raids Beitunia, attacking several homes and arresting an Arafat adviser, several Islamic Jihad mbrs. In Bethlehem, Fatah mbrs. Rafat al-Bajali and Nidal al-Dirbani, both on Israel's wanted list, are killed in a mysterious explosion thought to be an IDF assassination. The White House spokesman Ari Fleischer says Israel "obviously has the right to defend itself. The president understands that very clearly." (AFP, AP, CNN, HA 12/3; XIN 12/3 in WNC 12/4; MENA 12/3, AN, MA 12/4 in WNC 12/5; HA, HP, NYT, WP, WT 12/4; HP, LAW 12/5; AYM 12/5 in WNC 12/7; AYM 12/6, al-Safir 12/7 in WNC 12/11; MEI 12/7; WJW 12/14; MEI 12/21)

The U.S. identifies 19 hijackers (fr. Egypt, Lebanon, Saudi Arabia, the UAE), including 7 trained pilots, who participated in the 9/11 attacks; 16 held valid U.S. visas, 12 had lived in Florida (some for yrs.), 2 were the sons of a high-ranking Saudi diplomat once posted to Washington, at least 3 had studied at the same college in Germany. (NYT, WP, WT 9/15; WP 9/18; CNN 9/21)

Asst. Secy. of State for Near East Affairs William Burns official meets with 15 Arab envoys, including the PLO rep., and tell them they must either declare their nations "mbrs. of an international coalition against terrorism or risk being isolated." Later, Arab envoys meet at the home of Saudi Arabian amb. Prince Bandar Bin Sultan to discuss U.S. plans. Egyptian amb. Nabil Fahmy warns the admin. to focus on finding and punishing those responsible for the 9/11 attacks and not to broaden the effort to include other geopolitical goals. (NYT 9/15; MM, WP 9/17; SA 9/17 in WNC 9/19)

Sharon rejects direct appeals by Bush, Powell to hold peace talks with the PA, which would facilitate U.S. efforts to form a coalition to strike at Bin Laden. Instead, he cancels tentative plans to hold an Arafat-Peres mtg. on 9/16, saying it would be "inappropriate" in light of the 9/11 U.S. attacks; tells Bush that Israel opposes the U.S. bringing the PA, Syria into its antiterrorism coalition. (AFP 9/14; AP, HP, NYT, WP 9/15; JP [Internet], WT 9/16; XIN 9/16 in WNC 9/17; WJW 9/27; JP, MEI 9/28)

Meanwhile, 3 Palestinians are killed by IDF fire in Gaza. Israeli authorities detain Mufti of Jerusalem Shaykh Ikrima Sabri following Friday prayers for several hrs. of questioning regarding his recent visit to Beirut. In Gaza's Nussayrat refugee camp, 100s of Palestinians protest against the U.S.'s threat to attack Afghanistan, fearing the U.S.'s "international campaign against terrorism" will be campaign against Muslims; undercover PSF officers confiscate reporters' film. Some 40,000 Israeli Arabs in Umm al-Fahm Israel hold a similar rally, denouncing the killing of American civilians but also condemning U.S. support for Israel. (HP, WP, WT 9/15; WP 9/16; WT 9/17; al-Quds 9/18 in WNC 9/19; WJW 9/20; LAW 9/29)

In the U.S., as many as 20 hijackers commandeer 4 commercial jets bound from east coast airports to California. Minutes apart, 2 planes hit the World Trade Center (WTC) in New York City, destroying the twin towers and killing possibly 1,000s of people. Within an hr., the 3d plane hits the Pentagon in Washington, killing up to 200 people, and the 4th plane crashes in w. Pennsylvania, killing all aboard. Bush vows retaliation, saying, "We will make no distinction between those who committed these acts and those who harbored them." Sen. Orrin Hatch (R-UT), a mbr. of the Senate intelligence comm. claims that the U.S. intercepted reports by associates of Saudi dissident Osama Bin Laden saying they had hit 2 targets; another intelligence official says, however, that the information was not so definitive. Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, the PA, Hamas, Afghanistan's ruling Taliban immediately condemn the attacks. (ATL, MENA 9/11 in WNC 9/12; JT 9/11, DUS, ITAR-TASS, JT, QA, al-Quds, al-Ra'i 9/12 in WNC 9/13; HP, MM, NYT, PR, WP, WT 9/12; AFP, HA, WJW 9/13; WP 9/15; MENA 9/16 in WNC 9/17; JP 9/21; JP, MEI 9/28)

Hopes for an Arafat-Peres mtg. fade as Israel steps up its attack on Jinin. Before dawn, IDF tanks encircle the town, cut electricity, shell residential areas of Jinin and a nearby refugee camp, killing 2 Palestinians. A 3d Palestinian is fatally shot when the IDF opens fire on a taxi in Gaza. The IDF also shells areas of Gaza City, hitting 2 factories, a PSF office. Palestinian snipers fatally shoot 2 IDF soldiers nr. Tulkarm. Israel's Jerusalem Municipality demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina, issues demolition orders for another 5 houses. (AP, BBC, LAW, MM, NYT, WP 9/11; MEZ, NYT, WP 9/12; LAW 9/20; MEI 9/28)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue to escalate, leaving 1 Palestinian dead. 5 Palestinian mortars fr. Gaza land nr. the town of Sederot inside Israel, only 4 mi. fr. Sharon's farm, causing no damage. Although Hamas claims responsibility, Israel says the PA is "undoubtedly" behind the manufacture of homemade mortars, which Palestinians have increasingly used since late 1/01. After a mtg. of Sharon's inner cabinet, the IDF carries out 4 hrs. of land, sea, air strikes against PA security posts across the Gaza Strip, hitting Gaza City's main police headquarters, at least 7 Force 17 posts in Dayr al-Balah, Gaza City, Rafah; 1 PSF officer is killed, 36 Palestinians are injured. IDF officials say they are preparing for a "rolling episode." The IDF sets up roadblocks dividing the Strip into 3 parts; closes the border with Egypt; bulldozes Palestinian land nr. Bayt Hanun (217 dunams destroying 11 Palestinian homes), Rafah; directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur, al-Khadir; occupies 2 Palestinian homes nr. Morag settlement as IDF posts. In the West Bank, the IDF shells residential areas in Aida refugee camp, Bayt Jala, Bayt Sahur, al-Khadir. The PA cancels a security mtg. with Israel in protest (see 4/11). (AP, MEZ, MM, NYT, WP 4/17; MM, NYT, WP, WT 4/18; WJW 4/16; LAW, MEI, NYT 4/20; JP 4/27)

At Israeli FM Peres's urging, Jordanian FM Khatib comes to Tel Aviv as planned (see 4/15). He presents Sharon, Peres with a formal, written version of the Jordanian-Egyptian nonpaper. Sharon tells Khatib the proposal a "nonstarter," but Peres says it will be studied. (AP, MM, NYT, WP 4/17; JT 4/17 in WNC 4/18; MM 4/19; MEI 4/20; Economist [Internet] 5/3; MEI 5/4)

The Israeli DMin. asks the Finance Min. to release a $936 m. supplement to the DMin. budget to cover the costs of the last 6 mos. of the al-Aqsa intifada. (HA 4/17)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 1 Palestinian dead--a youth killed in his sleep when an IDF shell strikes his home in Bayt Jala. The IDF says the shelling was a "preventive" measure to discourage Palestinian sniping at neighboring Gilo settlement. The IDF also demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Bayt Umar; shells residential areas of Bayt Sahur, Bethlehem, al-Bireh (extensively damaging a school for the blind). Jewish settlers place caravans on a new site nr. Kafr Dik, which has been the target of repeated confiscation attempts since the 1980s, and begin bulldozing the area. Israel allows fuel, newspapers into the West Bank, Gaza for the 1st time since it completely sealed the territories on 2/14. (REU 2/21; NYT 2/21; HP, NYT 2/22)

Outgoing PM Barak pulls out of a coalition deal with PM-elect Sharon, officially resigns as Labor party head. Barak blames Sharon for "political intrigue and maneuvering" for allegedly discussing giving Labor MK Shimon Peres the DM position behind his back, but nonetheless advises Labor to join a unity government. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 2/21; MM, NYT, WJW 2/22; MA 2/22 in WNC 2/23; MM 2/23; WJW 3/2; MEI 3/9) (see 2/16)