The Palestine Chronology

At the UN in New York, EU officials discuss but fail to reach consensus on U.S., Israeli requests that Israel be allowed to join the UN's Western Europe regional group. (NYT 12/3)

Arafat orders prices reduced on essential goods, sets maximum prices on several items, orders investigation into phone rates. Strikes, protests begun on 11/25 end. (MM 11/29; AYM 11/30 in WNC 12/2; PR 12/1)

Israel approves construction of 1,026 new housing units in Efrat settlement nr. Bethlehem. (WT 12/1)

The Muslim Brotherhood holds a rally in Amman to urge the Jordanian government to allow the Hamas leaders deported 11/21 to return to the kingdom. (JT 11/27 in WNC 11/29) (see 11/23)

In Rabat, Iran, Morocco discuss expanding bilateral political, economic, cultural relations. (IRIB Television, IRNA 11/27 in WNC 11/29; IRNA 11/30 in WNC 12/1)

Donors' Joint Liaison Comm. meets in Gaza. (AYM 9/16 in WNC 9/21)

PA gives Israel a list of names of its 30,000 police officers, fulfilling a Wye obligation. Israel wanted the list to make sure that none of the security forces are involved in anti-Israeli acts. (MM, WP 9/16; JP 9/24)

Arafat appoints Local Government M Erakat to head the team to oversee Wye II implementation and issues arising fr. the interim agmts., passing him over for the job of chief negotiator for final status talks. (AFP 9/16 in WNC 9/17)

The new PA Administrative Reform and Development Comm. (ARDC) sets up 5 technical comms. to investigate PA ministries and government offices for duplication of duties, impediments to independent and efficient functioning. (HJ 9/16 in WNC 9/21)

Israeli police question fmr. PM Benjamin Netanyahu in connection with allegations that a contractor carried out private work for him, billed the government. (MM 9/15; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/16; JP 9/24; MM 9/28)

PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) arrests popular television talk show host Maher al-Disouqi on incitement charges after a guests on his show, the mothers of Palestinians imprisoned by Israel, criticize the PA, denounce Arafat for failing to secure their sons' release. (LAW 9/16, 9/20; JP 10/1; NYT 10/14)

Walt Disney Corp. meets with reps. of the Arab League, officials fr. the UAE, Morocco, and Arab American groups to discuss Israel's plans to host an exhibition entitled "Jerusalem, Capital of Israel" at Disney's Epcot Center. Arab states have threatened to boycott Disney products if the exhibition takes place. (NYT, WT 9/18; al-Quds 9/18, IRNA, Tehran Times 9/19 in WNC 9/21) (see 8/12)

After 2-wk. delay, U.S. Secy. of State Albright arrives in Morocco on her 1st tour of the Middle East since the 5/17 Israeli elections. State Dept. bills the tour as a "taking stock" trip, with no specific goals. (WP 9/1; NYT, WJW, WP, WT 9/2; MM 9/3)

In Jerusalem, Erakat, Sher continue prisoner release talks. The PA is now demanding that Israel release 400 prisoners, while Israel is saying that it would release no more than 350. Midday, Barak announces that, in his opinion, the talks have ended in failure. Later, he allows talks to continue, apologizes to Arafat by phone for the statement. Arafat cuts short a trip to Holland to go to Alexandria to meet with Mubarak. At the end of the day, Erakat says that the sides have agreed to begin final status talks on 9/10. (MM 9/1; MENA 9/1 in WNC 9/2; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 9/2; al-Istiqlal 9/2 in WNC 9/9)

In Damascus, Jordanian, Syrian trade officials agree to expand the list of tax-exempt goods traded btwn. their countries, increase overall volume of trade. (Petra-JNA 9/1 in WNC 9/2)

In s. Lebanon, 1 Hizballah mbr. is fatally wounded by IDF shelling. (VOL 9/2 in WNC 9/3)

The Israeli cabinet releases a statement saying that "in the absence of agreed-upon changes, the countdown for implementation of the [Wye] agreement will begin on September 1." Arafat welcomes Israel's plan to resume implementation in 9/99, but still does not approve of Barak's plan to draw out the Wye schedule. (CSM, MM, WT 8/9; CSM 8/10)

At the request of Israeli PM Barak and after consulting with Arafat and Asad, Secy. of State Albright postpones her trip to the Middle East, which was to start next wk. (IDF Radio 8/8 in WNC 8/9; MM, WP, WT 8/9; MM, NYT, WP 8/10; WJW 8/12; JP 8/13) (see 8/6)

Shaykh Hamad Bin-Khalifa al-Thani, emir of Qatar, meets with Arafat in Gaza, making him the 1st Gulf leader to visit the occupied territories since the PA was established. The emir is on a regional tour, which will also take him to Lebanon (8/8-9), Algeria (8/9-10), Morocco (8/11). (RL 8/8 in WNC 8/9; al-Quds 8/9, MAP [Rabat], TT 8/11 in WNC 8/13)

In Damascus, the PFLP briefs 8 Syrian-based opposition groups on its reconciliation talks with Arafat in Cairo 8/1-2; some groups recommend halting contacts with the PFLP if it holds further mtgs. Fatah, the PA. DFLP is not invited to the briefing; it has been banned fr. opposition mtgs. since Nayif Hawatimah shook hands with Israeli pres. Weizman at King Hussein's funeral in 2/99. (AFP, MBC, 8/9 in WNC 8/10) (see 8/6)

IDF lifts curfew on Palestinians in the Israeli-controlled sector of Hebron. (LAW 8/8) (see 8/4)

PA announces that it has arrested 3 Hamas leaders in Gaza. Israel has pressured the PA to crack down on Hamas since the Qassam Brigades claimed responsibility for shooting 2 Jewish settlers in Hebron on 8/3. (WP 8/9) (see 8/7)

In the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron, unidentified assailants shoot, wound 2 Jewish settlers. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 8/4; JP 8/13)

PA police release Hamas spokesman `Abd al-Aziz Rantisi, who has been detained without charge for 15 mos. (AFP 8/3 in WNC 8/5) (see 4/9/98)

Iraqi pres. Saddam Hussein gives his youngest son, Qusay, legal authority to act as pres. in an emergency. (NYT, WP 8/4; GIU 8/25)

In Rabat, Malcolm Hoenlein, exec. vice-chmn. of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations (CPMAJO), meets with King Muhammad, who says that Morocco hopes to speed normalization with Israel now that the peace process is getting back on track. (JP 8/13)

Multilateral Refugee Working Group begins 5 day gavel mission to refugee camps in Jordan. (JT [Internet], Petra-JNA [Internet] 6/17)

At the close of 2 days of mtgs., the Egyptian-Moroccan Joint Comm. issues a communiqué calling on Israel to implement the Oslo, Wye agmts. and resume peace talks quickly. (MKR 6/13 in WNC 6/14; RE 6/14 in WNC 6/15; MM 6/16)

Israel bans the return to Ramallah fr. Amman of fmr. PLO guerrilla and current Palestine National Council mbr. Muhammad Oudeh who publicly admitted (5/3) to planning hostage-taking of Israelis at the 1972 Munich Olympics. Oudeh, who has lived in Ramallah since 1996, says that Israel's move contradicts an Israel-PA agmt. not to prosecute violent acts that predate the Oslo peace accords. Germany also has issued a warrant for Oudeh's arrest. (RMC 6/13 in WNC 6/14; NYT, WP, WT 6/14; JT, SA 6/14 in WNC 6/15; JT 6/26 in WNC 6/28)

In Morocco for a 3-day conference on the future of Jerusalem, Arafat backs away fr. vows to declare a Palestinian state on 5/4, saying that the PA is working on a "formula" for statehood. Orient House head Faisal Husseini says PA has accepted "in principle" U.S., EU calls to delay declaration. (AP [Internet] 2/23)

Turkey charges Ocalan with treason, rejects EU request to send observers to the trial. (AFP 2/23 in WNC 2/24; NYT, WP, WT 2/24)

Some 1,200 Palestinian doctors, nurses, health administrators in the West Bank strike to protests PA's failure to implement civil service law passed in 5/98, which would increase their salaries. (AP [Internet] 2/23)

Overnight, Hizballah mbrs. intercept elite IDF commando squad operating n. of Israel's self-declared security zone, killing 3, wounding 5. (MM 2/23; VOL 2/23 in WNC 2/24; MM, NYT, WT 2/24; AFP 2/25 in WNC 2/26; MEI, MM 2/26; MEI 3/12; WT 4/14)