The Palestine Chronology

Defying Secy. of State Albright's plea (9/11), PM Netanyahu anounces approval of plan to expand the West Bank settlement of Efrat by 300 units. State Dept. spokesman says that the decision is not "consistent with the environment [Albright] hoped to create." (MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/25; ITV 9/25, IDF Radio, JP 9/26 in WNC 9/30; CSM, NYT 9/26; YA 9/28 in WNC 9/30; MM 9/29; PR 10/3)

Egyptian pres. Mubarak returns fr. 3-day visit to Russia. (MENA 9/24 in WNC  9/25)

Turkish FM Ismail Cem, Israeli FM Levy meet in New York. Both men express concern over reports that Russia has agreed to sell Syria long-range S-300 missiles. (WT 9/24; Bayrak Radio [Nicosia] 9/25 in WNC 9/26)

PA arrests 20 suspected Hamas mbrs., tightens security around jailed Hamas activists. (WT 9/25; ITV 9/26 in WNC 9/30)

Attorneys report that the number of Palestinian administrative detainees at Israel's Megiddo prion has doubled to 400 in the last 2 mos. (LAW 9/24)

Turkish military offical confirms that 15,000 Turkish troops, with tanks, over 100 armored vehichles, entered n. Iraq over the past 4 days to attack PKK forces. (NYT 9/25; MM, WP 9/26; MEI 10/10) (see 6/19)

At the close of its 3-day mtg., the Arab League issues a final communiqué, praising efforts by Secy. of State Albright to restart peace talks; denouncing Israel's continued settlement expansion, particularly Ras al-Amud; ignoring Turkish-Israeli military maneuvers scheduled for 11/97; leaving it to individual mbrs. to decide whether to boycott the upcoming Doha econommic summit (see 9/13). FMs also vote to ignore UN sanctions against Libya. (CSM, MM, NYT, WT 9/22; al-Ittihad, MENA 9/23 in WNC 9/24; MM 9/25)

Palestinian owner of 1 Ras al-Amud house occupied by rabbinical students, Fuad Hadiya, returns from Romania to reclaim his property, asserting that he never sold it. Moskowitz claims that the Palestinian family willingly sold the building to Jews, who in turn sold it to him. (CSM, NYT 9/22; WT 9/24; PR 10/3) (see 9/18)

Israeli cabinet secy. Dani Nave leaves for Washington to prepare for FM Levy's mtg. with Arafat adviser Mahmud Abbas, Secy. of State Albright 9/28+n29. (MM, WT 9/22)

The Geneva-based World Council of Churches issues a letter condemning Israel's "intransignet" policies toward Palestinians, including collective punishment. (WT 9/22)

Israeli elite paratrooper, undercover units arrest nearly 100 of West Bank Palestinians in an extensive crackdown (concentrated in the area of Assira) on alleged Islamists. Until now, Israel has reported no leads in the 7/30, 9/4 suicide bombings. At the same time, IDF allows 4,000 Palestinian construction workers to enter Israel. 10,000 Palestinians were allowed entry last wk. (NYT, WT 9/22; WP 9/24; MEI 9/26)

Jordan releases Hamas spokesman Ghawshah. (MM 9/22; al-Quds 9/23 in WNC 9/25) (see 9/8)