The Palestine Chronology

The U.S. strongly condemns Israel's recent incursions into Palestinian towns, calls for Israel's immediate withdrawal. The EU, Russia, UN, and U.S. send a delegation of senior envoys to meet with Arafat to urge him to "address Israel's security concerns," to make "absolutely certain" that the PA arrests those responsible for the Ze'evi assassination. (NYT, WP, WT 10/23; MA, QA 10/23 in WNC 10/24; AYM 10/23, MA, al-Quds 10/24 in WNC 10/25; MM 10/24; NYT 10/27)

Peres arrives in Washington for 2 days of consultations with senior U.S. admin. officials. Peres is accompanied by a dozen senior Israeli officials, IDF officers, who plan to brief U.S. officials, Jewish leaders on the Israeli-Palestinian situation. (NYT, WP 10/23; HA 10/26)

Meanwhile, the IDF has entered or surrounded and cut off every major Palestinian population center in the West Bank. Fighting is especially heavy in Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, a Palestinian opens fire on Jewish settlers in Talpiot settlement, wounding 4 before being shot dead by the IDF. In an apparent assassination, wanted Izzeddine al-Qassam mbr. Ayman Abu Halawih is killed, his 3 passengers are injured when his car explodes in Nablus. A 3d Palestinian is fatally shot by IDF troops nr. Tulkarm. A 4th Palestinian dies of injuries received on 10/21. A Palestinian woman in labor is denied passage through an IDF checkpoint to a Bethlehem hospital; she gives birth at the crossing, the baby dies. A Palestinian, detained since 10/18, dies in PA General Intelligence custody; the PA claims he committed suicide. The IDF bulldozes land in Rafah, demolishing 4 Palestinian homes, at least 9 stores. Israeli authorities also demolish 3 Palestinian homes in Jerusalem. (LAW, MEZ, NYT, WP, WT 10/23; PCHR 10/24)

In Jerusalem, nearly 100,000 Israelis demonstrate in favor of increased military attacks on the Palestinians, equating Arafat to Bin Laden, calling for the removal of Arafat and the PA. (NYT, WP 10/23; MM 10/24; JP 11/9)

Hizballah fires rockets at IDF positions in Shaba` Farms. Israeli warplanes, artillery strike Hizballah positions in response. No injuries are reported. The U.S. warns Hizballah, Israel against escalating tensions. (NYT, WP, WT 10/23; SAF 10/23 in WNC 10/24; SAF 10/24 in WNC 10/25; MM, WJW 10/25)

Palestinians fire another mortar at Nahal Oz kibbutz, causing no damage. The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian passenger in a taxi that passes a checkpoint without stopping. The IDF also shells residential areas of al-Khadir; bulldozes Palestinian trees btwn. Abu Dis and Jabal al-Mukabir; tightens the closures on Bethlehem, Nablus. Inside Israel, Israeli police arrest a Palestinian carrying a bomb. The body of a Palestinian suspected of collaborating with Israel is found in a West Bank village. Israel's Peres says that, although the PA is still not making a 100% effort to halt violence, evidence in recent days suggests that the PSF is taking action against renegade gunmen; Israeli security sources corroborate reports that Arafat has ordered the PSF place a number of wanted Palestinians in "protective custody" but say Israel considers this "insufficient." Peres also says that 15 illegal settlement outposts should be dismantled within 2-3 wks. (HA, HP 7/11; NYT, WP 7/12)

The Israeli government orders the demolition of 34 Palestinian homes in al-Midya, on the border of the Green Line, where Israel intends to create a buffer zone with the West Bank. The Jerusalem Municipality also orders the demolition of 2 more houses and 15 dunams of surrounding land in Shaykh Jarrah, East Jerusalem, for construction of a train line linking West Jerusalem with the Pisgat Ze'ev settlement. (Orient House press release 7/11; PMC 7/12)

In Jeddah, the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) calls on the U.S. to fulfill its international obligations to protect the Palestinians and to stop applying a double standard in favor of Israel, or turn the matter over to the UN. (MM 7/16, 7/20)

Israeli-Palestinian violence continues to escalate, leaving 2 Palestinians, 1 Israeli civilian. Fatalities include a critically ill Palestinian woman who dies at a checkpoint nr. Ramallah after being held there for 2 hrs. and denied passage to a hospital, and an Israeli fatally shot by a Palestinian in a West Bank market. The PFLP detonates 2 remote-controlled car bombs in Yehud, inside Israel; 4 Israelis are treated for shock. The IDF begins work on a new settlement bypass road nr. Bethlehem; bulldozes 100s of dunams of Palestinian land nr. Gush Etzion where a new settlement enclave was set up 1 mo. ago; confiscates 5 dunams of Silwad land for a helipad serving Ofra settlement; sets up a new checkpoint outside Jinin; tightens roadblocks around Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers set fire to 5 Palestinian cars in Hebron; burn olive trees nr. Ramin. (HP, MM 7/2; NYT, PMC, WP, WT 7/3; MM 7/4; MEI 7/13)

The U.S. convenes a special mtg. of the trilateral security comm.; reprimands the PA for not doing enough to rein in violence, Israel for resuming "targeted killings." (AP 7/2; NYT, WP, WT 7/3; NYT 7/5)

Palestinians fire up to 6 mortars, several grenades at an IDF post in Gaza, causing no damage. The IDF fires a shell at a Palestinian vehicle in Khan Yunis, injuring 5 Palestinians. Around 1,000 Palestinian demonstrators clash with IDF soldiers at a checkpoint outside al-Bireh. Another serious clash is reported in Tulkarm. The IDF also directs heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Bayt Sahur, Silat al-Dahir; bulldozes Palestinian land nr. Salfit; places a closure on Bayt Furik; tightens the closure on Dayr Istya, Qalqilya; sets up new blockades, checkpoints around Azun, Nablus, Qalqilya. Jewish settlers raise 10s of trees in Dayr Balut, cut of running water to 6 Palestinian villages nr. Nablus. (AFP [Internet], HP 6/29; HP, NYT, WP 6/30)

Around 100 Israeli, international peace activists attempt to reach the Palestinian village of al-Khadir, nr. Bethlehem, where they have planned to set up a "peace camp" with local Palestinians to protest ongoing Israeli violence. The activists are halted outside the village by the IDF, which says the area is a closed military zone, although settlers passes unimpeded. When the activists set up a nonviolent roadblock to settler vehicles, Israeli police arrest the organizers, forces the others onto their busses and back to Tel Aviv. Inside al-Khadir, 150 Palestinian participants also demonstrate, but the IDF disperses them with gunfire, wounding 4, and imposes a curfew. (Gush Shalom press release 6/29)

On the sidelines of a conference in Lisbon, Arafat, Peres hold talks on maintaining the cease-fire. (RTP Internacional TV [Lisbon] 6/30 in WNC 7/2; AFP [Internet], NYT, WT 7/1; MM 7/2, 7/5)

Hizballah fires rockets at an IDF post in Shaba` Farms, injuring 2 soldiers. Israel sends warplanes into Lebanese air space 5-6 times. (Daily Star [Internet] 6/30; al-Safir 6/30 in WNC 7/2; WT 7/1: MM, WP, WT 7/2; al-Safir 7/4, SA 7/5 in WNC 7/7; MEI 7/13)

In retaliation for the injury to a settler baby on 6/5, 100s of armed Jewish settlers torch several Palestinian homes in Luban al-Sharqiyya and al-Sawiya nr. Nablus. When Palestinians confront the settlers, IDF troops fire on them with rubber-coated steel bullets, seriously wounding several. 1,000s of settlers rally in Zion Square in Jerusalem to denounce Sharon, to demand he declare war on the Palestinians. Settlers also attack Palestinians, foreign journalists in Hebron; place 5 caravans on Khillat al-`Ayn hill nr. al-Khadir to establish a new settlement. The IDF confiscates 200 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Ramallah, bulldozes 1,000 olive trees in preparation for a new settler bypass road. Israel reopens the Egypt, Jordan border crossings to Palestinians, but not to goods; allows 2,000 Palestinians to return to their jobs in the West Bank, Gaza industrial zones on the borders with Israel. A Palestinian, last seen on 4/4 when he was taken into PSF custody, is found at an IDF checkpoint nr. Bethlehem, claiming to have escaped fr. the PA General Intelligence Service fearing he would be killed. (PMC, REU 6/6; MENA 6/6 in WNC 6/7; HA, HP, NYT, WP 6/7; MENA 6/7 in WNC 6/8; AFP [Internet], MM 6/8)

CIA Dir. Tenet meets with Mubarak in Cairo, with King Abdallah, Burns in Amman before heading to Israel and the PA areas to meet with Israeli, the PA officials. (MM, WP, WT 6/6; MENA 6/6 in WNC 6/7; WP 6/7)