Arafat says he is healthy despite the uncontrollable trembling of this lower lip, which an Israeli doctor has said may be a sign of Parkinson's disease. (WP 11/20; MEI 11/21; 11/30 in WNC 12/9)...
PM Netanyahu decides not to fire Amb. to the U.S. Ben-Elissar. Instead he appoints his long-time personal friend Leonard Davis, fmr. head of AIPAC's Jerusalem office, to be the embassy's no. 2 man...
Multilateral talks end in Moscow. Participants establish five working groups to discuss various topics in April and May in several venues. Groups and venues are: economic development, in Belgium;...
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Arafat says he is healthy despite the uncontrollable trembling of this lower lip, which an Israeli doctor has said may be a sign of Parkinson's disease. (WP 11/20; MEI 11/21; 11/30 in WNC 12/9)
Israel agrees to allow 250 civilian PLO employees to take up permanent residence in the West Bank/Gaza.(al-Dustur 11/19 in WNC 11/21; PR 11/21)
Israel court jails for 5 yrs. a PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) officer convicted of abducting an Arab informer for Israel fr. Jerusalem, taking him to Jericho, torturing him. (WP 11/20)
Israel places Gaza resident Ashraf Atta Ahmad Kandil under administrative detention in an Israeli prison for 6 mos. He is the only Gazan under administrative detention, along with 600 West Bank Palestinians. (PCHR 1/15)
Russia's minister of science and technology arrives in Israel for mtg. of the joint Russian-Israeli Economic Comm. to discus ways of increasing cooperation. (Globes [Internet] 11/19 in WNC 11/21)
Facing the erosion of its efforts to isolate Iran economically, U.S. announces new policy of pushing for a "Eurasian transportation corridor" (fr. Azerbaijan to Turkey) to bring Caspian oil to the West; pressuring Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan to shelve proposal for pipeline through Iran to the Gulf. U.S. Energy Secy. Federico Peña says U.S. has no plans to help finance the Eurasian corridor project. (NYT, WP, WT 11/20; MM 11/26)
Hizballah detonates roadside bomb in s. Lebanon, injuring 1 South Lebanon Army (SLA) mbr. (VOL 11/19 in WNC 11/21)
PM Netanyahu decides not to fire Amb. to the U.S. Ben-Elissar. Instead he appoints his long-time personal friend Leonard Davis, fmr. head of AIPAC's Jerusalem office, to be the embassy's no. 2 man. Davis, a dual citizen who has never held a diplomatic position or worked with the FMin., will give up his U.S. citizenship. (WT 5/30) (see 5/19)
Jordanian PM `Abd al-Salam al-Majali announces plans to open a Human Rights Unit under his office. (RJ 5/29 in WNC 5/31) (see 11/30/96)
Al-Azhar head, Shaykh Muhammad Sayyid Tantawi sanctions the death penalty against those who sell Palestinian land to Jews. (VIRI 5/29 in WNC 5/31)
U.S. intelligence says that Egypt hopes to buy advanced SAM missiles fr. Russia, which would give Egypt the best tactical anti-ballistic-missile capability in the world, very good antiaircraft and anti-cruise-missile defenses. Congress is concerned Egypt will use its U.S. military aid to purchase the SAMs, which would be illegal. 90% of U.S. aid is tied to purchases of U.S. goods. (WT 5/30)
Brother of the Hamas suicide bomber who carried out the 3/21 attack, Omar Ghanimat, who has been detained without charge since the bombing, appeals to the Israeli High Court to stop his interrogation, charging that Shin Bet agents have tortured him. The High Court rejects the appeal, orders the Justice Min. to investigate. (WP 5/30; LAW 6/1)
UN Interim Force in Lebanon (UNIFIL) complains that 7 Hizballah gunmen halted and damaged a UN vehicle in s. Lebanon, performed mock executions on the 2 UNIFIL soldiers. In a separate incident nr. Tyre, 5 Hizballah gunmen stop, interrogate 2 UNIFIL soldiers driving in a marked UN truck. It is the 1st time in 10 yrs. that Hizballah has harassed UNIFIL soldiers. (AFP, RL 5/30 in WNC 6/2)
Multilateral talks end in Moscow. Participants establish five working groups to discuss various topics in April and May in several venues. Groups and venues are: economic development, in Belgium; environment, in Japan; arms control and security, in Washington; refugees, in Canada; water resources, in either Turkey or Austria. Palestinian delegates send request to U.S., Russia, to create additional working groups on Jerusalem and human rights. (MM 1/29)
Secy. of State Baker meets with Faisal Husseini, Hanan Ashrawi, tells them U.S. and Russia will support expanded Palestinian participation in working groups in which Palestinians have a clear and important interest. (WP 1/30)
India, Israel announce establishment of diplomatic relations. (NYT 1/30)
Amnesty International issues report documenting Israeli torture practices in o.t. to UN Commission of Human Rights in Geneva. (MM 1/30)
Labor, Likud negotiators agree to hold elections 6/23; decision is subject to final approval but appears certain. Decision comes after three parties recently resigned from government, depriving it of a parliamentary majority. (IDF Radio 1/29 in FBIS 1/30)
Jerusalem mayor Teddy Kollek suggests Jerusalem could be divided into boroughs to accommodate Palestinian desire for increased self-rule. However, Kollek stresses that such a plan would not provide for full autonomy. (MM 1/30)
German navy intercepts German ship transporting 16 Czech-made, Soviet-designed T-72 tanks to Syria near Strait of Gibraltar, forces it to return to Germany, where investigation will be launched to determine whether or not German laws governing shipment of military materiel were violated. Syria and Czechoslovakia finalized deal involving 320 tanks in September 1991; U.S. and Israel later pressured Czechoslovakia to cancel the deal, but it refused. (WP, MM 1/31)
New York judge sentences Egyptian-born al-Sayyid Nusayr to 7 1/2 to 22 years in prison. Nusayr was acquitted 12/21 of murdering Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York, but convicted of several lesser charges. (WP 1/30)
