The Palestine Chronology

In Aqaba, Egypt's Pres. Mubarak, Jordan's King Hussein hold talks on the peace process. (RJ 5/24 in WNC 5/28; JT 6/5 in WNC 6/6)

In the 1st official criticism of corruption within the PA since self-rule began in 1994, a PA General Control Office (GCO) audit ordered by Arafat shows that the PA misused $326 m. in public funds in 1996, $223 m. thus far in 1997. (NYT, WP 5/25; MM 5/27; MM 6/4; CSM 6/18)

Israeli High Court rules that a sale of land in the Palestinian village of Silwan to the Jewish settler land acquisition company Elad was illegal, based on fraudulent documents; orders the property to revert to the Palestinian inheritors. (LAW 5/24)

Palestinian journalist Kuttab begins a hunger strike to protest his continued detention without charge. (WP, WT 5/25; WT 5/26; MM 5/27) (see 5/22)

Turkish military officials say that during the army's offensive into n. Iraq, 1,445 of the estimated 4,000 PKK mbrs. have been killed, 184 wounded, 121 captured. 10's of Turkish soldiers, at least 27 KDP mbrs. have also been killed. At least 25,000 and possibly more than 50,000 Turkish troops may now be in Iraq. (WP 5/26; AFP 6/13 in WNC 6/17) (see 5/20)

PA police detain al-Quds owner, Palestinian-American journalist Daoud Kuttab for airing live the Palestinian Council (PC) weekly session, focusing on PA corruption. (WP 5/21; LAW, NYT, WP 5/22; MM 5/27) (see 4/30)

Israeli dep. finance M David Magen submits his resignation for 2d time (see 5/2), citing disapproval of PM Netanyahu's policies; says he will not be dissuaded fr. quitting this time. (Globes [Internet] 5/20 in WNC 5/21)

After discussions with FM Levy, Oded Eran rescinds his resignation fr. his post as Israeli amb. to Jordan. (WP 5/21; JP 5/31)

In Amman, Jordanian police arrest 5 journalists while breaking up a demonstration against the new press law. Jordanian Council of Ministers says that there is no chance the law will be revoked. (MM 5/20; RJ, RMC 5/20 in WNC 5/21; MM 5/21; RJ 5/22 in WNC 5/23; RJ 5/22 in WNC 5/27) (see 5/18)

Turkey claims to have killed 1,300 PKK mbrs., captured 200 during the past wk. of its offensive. An estimated 20,000 Turkish soldiers are now in n. Iraq. (MM 5/20; Anatolia [Ankara], RMC 5/20 in WNC 5/21; NYT, WT 5/21; WP 6/12) (see 5/19)

U.S special envoy Ross returns to Washington after 9 days of unsuccessful talks. (ITV, al-Manar 5/17 in WNC 5/22) (see 5/16)  

In advance of Jordan's 11/97 parliamentary elections, King Hussein unveils a new press law that sets sweeping restrictions on reporting, stiffens fines for offenders, places crushing financial obligations on opposition-dominated weekly newspapers. (al-Ra'i 5/18, Star 5/22 in WNC 5/23; MM, WP, WT 5/19)

On the 4th day of its incursion into Iraq to suppress the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), Turkey says that it has killed 902 PKK mbrs., captured 141, lost 12 Turkish soldiers. (WP, WT 5/18; MM 5/19) (see 5/14)

U.S. special envoy Ross extends his stay in the region after Israel, PA agree to hold informal mtg. at Amb. Indyk's residence. Israeli team will be led by DM Mordechai, Netanyahu personal atty. Yitzhak Molho. PA side will be led by Local Government M and PISMC head Erakat, Culture M `Abid Rabbu. (MM 5/13; YA 5/13 in WNC 5/14)

In Amman, Norwegian FM Godal meets with King Hussein. (RJ 5/13 in WNC 5/14; JTV 5/13 in WNC 5/15)

Israeli amb. to Jordan Eran, quits after 8 days on the job because he was not informed about the 5/8 mtg. btwn. PM Netanyahu, King Hussein until 1 hr. before it happened; hopes that his resignation leads to improved relations btwn. Netanyahu's office, the FMin. (MM 5/13; JTV 5/13 in WNC 5/15; CSM 5/14; JP 5/24) (see 5/5)

Egyptian pres. Mubarak travels to Morocco for talks on the peace process with King Hasan. (WT 5/14)

Turkish PM Erbakan postpones indefinitely joint naval maneuvers with Israel. (Analtolia [Ankara], ITV 5/13 in WNC 5/14; MM 5/14; IGPO, SANA 5/14 in WNC 5/15; al-Nahar 5/14 in WNC 5/19) (see 5/1)

Labor party mbrs. vote down a proposal (37% for, 63% against) to create the post of party pres. for fmr. PM Peres, defer further debate until 9/97 (well after the new party leadership is selected 6/3). Decision heralds end of Peres's formal leadership of the party, is seen as victory for party rival IDF Chief of Staff Barak. (MM, NYT 5/14; YA 5/14 in WNC 5/15; JP 5/24)

In testimony before Congress regarding domestic and international terrorism, FBI Dir. Louis Freeh states that several Middle Eastern "terror groups" (including Hamas, Hizballah) "have placed supporters inside the U.S. who could be used to support an act of terrorism here." (WP 5/13)

In Amman, U.S. special envoy Ross discusses status of the peace process with King Hussein, FM Tarawnah. (al-Dustur, RJ 5/12 in WNC 5/13; MEI 5/16)

In Cairo, Norwegian FM Bjorn Tore Godal discusses with Pres. Mubarak ways of resuming PA-Israeli talks, then heads to Damascus to meet with Syrian FM Shara`. (RE 5/12 in WNC 5/13; SATN 5/12 in WNC 5/14)

In Amman, Gen. Binford Peay, cmdr. of U.S. forces in the Middle East, and King Hussein discuss U.S.-Jordanian military relations. (JTV 5/12 in WNC 5/14; WT 5/14)

A Jordanian soldier is killed in a clash in al-Mafraq, Jordan, nr. the Syrian border. 12 Syrians are arrested. PM Majali's office says the Syrians were smugglers, in the country illegally; there is no political dimension to the clash. (JT, SA 5/13 in WNC 5/14)

In s. Lebanon, 4 SLA mbrs., 1 IDF soldier are wounded in a Hizballah attack. At least 1 Hizballah mbr. also dies. (NYT 5/13; RL 5/13 in WNC 5/14)

U.S. special envoy Ross meets with Arafat in Gaza, then meets with PM Netanyahu, Pres. Weizman, FM Levy. (WJW 5/8; ITV, QY 5/8 in WNC 5/9; MM, WP 5/9; MEI, PR 5/16; JP 5/17)

Israel's PM Netanyahu, Jordan's King Hussein meet in Aqaba to discuss water issues, ways of resuming Israeli-PA negotiations. (MM 5/9; QY, RJ, YA 5/9 in WNC 5/12; JTV 5/9, RJ 5/10, JT 5/11, RJ 5/12 in WNC 5/13; NYT 5/10; JP 5/24) (see 5/6, Peace Monitor for details)

U.S. special envoy Ross, EU special envoy Moratinos meet in Israel to discuss the peace process. (IDF Radio 5/8 in WNC 5/9; AFP 5/9 in WNC 5/12; MEI 5/16)

Austrian FM Schuessel holds separate mtgs. with Israel's Netanyahu, PA's Arafat, EU's Moratinos. (Die Presse [Vienna] 5/9 in WNC 5/12)

Israeli cabinet secy. Nave admits that the intelligence transmission intercepted by the NSA in 1/97 was made. An unnamed Israeli intelligence official claims that "Mega" does not refer to a person but to something else. A 3d official claims "Mega" was a mistranslation of "Elga," the term used by Mossad for the CIA. U.S. declines to comment. (WP 5/9; MA, YA 5/9 in WNC 5/13; MM 5/13; YA 5/13 in WNC 5/14) (see 5/6)

Regarding the assertion concerning Mega (see 5/7), an unnamed senior U.S. official confirms that special envoy Ross read Netanyahu the U.S. letter of assurances to the PA but did not give him a copy to keep. (WP 5/8; CSM 5/9)

In Geneva, the UN Comm. Against Torture summons Israel for a 3-day extraordinary hearing to face accusations that its practices against Palestinian prisoners violate international conventions. (NYT, WT 5/8; IGPO 5/8 in WNC 5/13; NYT, WP 5/10)

Austrian FM Wolfgang Schuessel arrives in Israel on 1st leg of a regional tour to acquaint himself with the issues of the peace process in advance of his assumption of the EU presidency in 1998; meets with FM Levy, Labor mbr. Ehud Barak. (Neue Kronen Zeitung [Vienna] 5/8 in WNC 5/12)

Israeli inner cabinet holds mtg. on evacuation of settlers nr. Nablus 5/6. Ms Rafael Eitan, Zevulun Hammer, Ariel Sharon accuse PM Netanyahu of making a gesture to the PA, prompting Netanyahu to apologize for the evacuation. (IDF Radio 5/7 in WNC 5/8)

Jordan, Tunisia sign agmt. to form comm. to study the creation of a common free trade zone; discuss joint tourism, investment projects. (JT 5/7 in WNC 5/8)

In Beirut, Iranian FM Velayati meets PM Hariri. Velayati then goes to Damascus to discuss Israeli-Turkish military cooperation with Pres. Asad, FM Shara`; then heads to Yemen. (IRNA, RMC, VOL 5/7 in WNC 5/8; SATN 5/7, IRNA, RMC 5/8 in WNC 5/9; MM 5/8) (see 5/3)

ILMG meets to discuss Israeli complaint regarding 5/5 Hizballah attack, Lebanese complaint regarding 5/6 bombing. (RL 5/7 in WNC 5/8; RL 5/7, 5/8 in WNC 5/9)

PA Justice M Frayh Abu-Madayn announces that Palestinians who sell or facilitate the sale of land to Jews will face the death penalty. (NYT, WT 5/6; NYT 5/16; JP 5/17; IDF Radio 5/19 in WNC 5/21; WT 5/21)

U.S. says that it has repeatedly protested to Israel "at the highest level" over complaints Israel has threatened to take away the U.S. passports of Palestinians who do not give up claims of residency in Jerusalem, stresses that Palestinian Americans cannot lose their U.S. citizenship involuntarily. (WT 5/6) (see 5/4)

In Cairo, EU special envoy Moratinos discusses peace process with Arab League secy. Gen. Ismat `Abd al-Majid. (RE 5/5 in WNC 5/6)

Israel's new amb. to Jordan, Oded Eran, fmr. head of the Israeli delegation to the donor conferences, assumes his post in Amman. (RJ 5/5 in WNC 5/6)

U.S. releases Hamas political leader Abu Marzuq after 22 mos. in detention, flies him to Jordan. (AFP 5/5, JTV, al-Ra'i, RJ, RMC 5/6 in WNC 5/7; NYT, WT 5/6; RJ 5/6, JT 5/7 in WNC 5/8; MM 5/7; WJW 5/8; WP 5/9; SA 5/9 in WNC 5/13; mei 5/16; JP 5/17; al-Wasat 5/19-25 in WNC 5/21) (see 5/4)

PA policeman shoots, kills Palestinian at a checkpoint in Hebron. (WP 5/6; MEI 5/16)

IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Hebron's H2, saying they were constructed without permits. (LAW 5/6; WT 5/7; PR 5/16) (see 4/23)

Israeli court charges Manbar with assisting the enemy, providing information to an outside enemy with the intent of harming state security, providing Iran with means to manufacture chemical weapons in exchange for $16 m. (IDF Radio 5/5 in WNC 5/6; MA 5/7 in WNC 5/8; JP 5/17) (see 4/25)

Iranian FM Velayati arrives in Cairo on a 2-day visit to invite Pres. Mubarak to attend the upcoming (12/97) OIC conference in Tehran. This is the 1st high-level contact btwn. Iran, Egypt since Mubarak accused Tehran in 1995 of trying to have him killed. (IRNA 5/5 in WNC 5/6; NYT, WP, WT 5/6; IRNA, RE, SA 5/6 in WNC 5/7; MM 5/8, 5/9)

The Jordanian Popular Movement merges with the National Constitutional Party. (JT 5/6 in WNC 5/7; JT 5/7 in WNC 5/8) (see 2/28)

Hizballah detonates 3 roadside bombs in s. Lebanon, wounding 5 civilians, 2 SLA mbrs. (RL 5/5 in WNC 5/6, 5/7; WP 5/7)

Arafat arrives in Cairo, holds 2-hr. mtg. with FM Musa on the peace process. Possibility of a 4- or 5-way summit is not discussed. (RE 5/5 in WNC 5/6) (see 5/1)

In Damascus, EU special envoy Moratinos meets with Syrian pres. Asad, then heads to Israel to meet with FM Levy. (IDF Radio 5/4 in WNC 5/6 ; WT 5/5; JP 5/10)

Israeli Infrastructure M Sharon, Jordanian water and irrigation M Munthir Haddadin meet in Israel to discuss Jordan-Israel water sharing agmt. (MM 5/6, 5/7; SA 5/7 in WNC 5/8; MM 5/12; MEI 5/16)

At a news conference organized by the PSF, Palestinian Ibrahim Halabi says that he was recruited by Shin Bet to find Palestinian Islamists to carry out the 2 suicide attacks that occurred 4/1, that the bombs were rigged to explode prematurely. Israel calls the assertion "a ridiculous lie." (NYT 5/4; MEI 5/16; JP 5/17)

PA releases Gazan lawyer Jamil Salameh. (JP 5/17) (see 5/2)

Jordan says it has asked the U.S. for a written request for Jordan to grant asylum to Hamas's Abu Marzuq, will not accept him until letter is received. (JTV 5/4 in WNC 5/6) (see 4/25)