The Palestine Chronology

Despite another attempt to secure a cease-fire, Israeli-Palestinian clashes in Israel and throughout the West Bank and Gaza continue, leaving 10 Palestinians, 7 Israeli Arabs, 1 IDF soldier, 1 Jewish settler dead and some 300 Palestinians injured; 3 Israeli Arabs wounded on 10/1 also die. Israel closes roads in n. Israel, the West Bank, Gaza to civilian traffic. Around 30 exchanges of gunfire btwn. Israeli security forces and armed Palestinian civilians and police are reported. Nr. Tulkarm, Palestinians set afire an industrial plant owned by Jewish settlers. Nr. Hebron, Jewish settlers fatally shoot a Palestinian. The IDF dep. chief of staff Moshe Ya'alon warns that if Palestinians do not stop attacking troops guarding Joseph's Tomb in Nablus, the IDF will move in even though the area is under full PA control; the IDF has taken up positions around areas A but has not crossed into them. Barak authorizes his forces to use "all necessary means" to protect Israeli lives, quell riots. (AP, MM 10/2; AFP, ANSA, EFE [Madrid], Interfax, RL, XIN 10/2 in WNC 10/3; RL, SAPA [Johannesburg] 10/2, JT, HJ, al-Quds, SA 10/3 in WNC 10/6; CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/3; HJ, al-Quds, Sabah 10/3, MA 10/6 in WNC 10/10; MM 10/9)

The IDF claims that Muhammad al-Dura, the 12-yr.-old killed at Netzarim Junction on 10/1, had been throwing stones at soldiers before he was shot, contradicting widely broadcast footage of the incident recorded by France 2 TV showing the boy and his father pinned down by gunfire for 45 minutes. The pair were returning from errands and had been dropped off by a taxi, which refused to take them across Netzarim Junction because of heavy IDF fire. (Age [Melbourne], HA [Internet], MM, WP 10/3; MA 10/6 in WNC 10/10)

U.S. secy. of state Albright announces that she will meet with Arafat, Barak in Paris on 10/4 to discuss the clashes, the peace process. All 3 will then meet with Mubarak in Sharm al-Shaykh on 10/5. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/3; Radio France International 10/3 in WNC 10/6)

In Amman, Arafat, King Abdallah discuss the Israeli-Palestinian clashes, call on Israel to pull back forces to restore calm, and urge Arab states to convene an emergency summit. In Cairo, Mubarak, Syrian pres. Asad also call for an Arab summit. Massive rallies protesting Israeli actions are held in Amman, Cairo, Damascus, refugee camps in Lebanon, Yemen. Protests are also held outside Israeli embassies and legations in many European and North American cities, including Ann Arbor, Austin, Brussels, Chicago, Detroit, Houston, London, Los Angeles, Montreal, New Haven, New York, Ottawa. (AP, BDL, UPI 10/2; MENA 10/2 in WNC 10/3; MENA 10/2, JT, MENA 10/3, JT 10/4 in WNC 10/6; NYT, WP, WT 10/3; AYM 10/3 in WNC 10/12; MM, WT 10/4; WJW 10/5; HJ 10/5, al-Quds 10/7 in WNC 10/10; JP 10/13)

In Paris, PA Planning M Shaath briefs French pres. Chirac on the ongoing clashes. Chirac calls on both sides to deescalate the violence, calls for an international inquiry into the clashes. (AFP 10/2, 10/3, Le Monde 10/4 in WNC 10/6)

In New York, the UNSC begins closed-door mtgs. on several draft resolutions regarding the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli clashes. Britain, the U.S. lobby against issuing a resolution, saying, at most, a statement should be read. (UPI 10/3; HA [Internet] 10/4; WJW 10/5)

In retaliation for Hizballah rocket attacks on n. Israel 5/4, the IDF carries out airstrikes on Lebanese power stations, shells the Beirut+nDamasucs highway, strikes Hizballah targets. At least 1 Lebanese civilian is injured. Large areas of Beirut and n. and e. Lebanon are left without power. The repairs on the 2 power stations caused by Israel's last airstrikes in early 2/00 were just completed a wk. ago. Hizballah fires a 2d round of rockets at n. Israel, but Israel decides not to respond. (WP 5/5; NYT, WP, WT 5/6; al-Quds 5/7 in WNC 5/10; MM 5/8; JP 5/12; MEI 5/19)

Iran holds run-off parliamentary elections. Initial results show reformers allied with Pres. Khatami taking 52 of the 66 remaining open seats, giving them a total of around 200 of the 290 seats. (NYT 5/6; NYT, WP 5/7) (see 2/18)

Turkey elects reformist judge Necdet Sezer as its new pres. He will take office when outgoing pres. Demirel's term ends on 5/16. (MM 5/5; ATL 5/5 in WNC 5/8; WP 5/6)

PA police detain Omar Assaf, head of the Palestinian teachers' union in the West Bank, and close Love and Peace Radio in Ramallah for airing an interview with him on 5/3. (Workers Advice Center [Ramallah] press release 5/5; LAW 5/8; JT [Internet] 5/11) (see 5/3)

After another mtg. btwn. Arafat and Barak in Ramallah, this time attended by U.S. special envoy Ross, Ross announces that Israel, the PA will resume negotiations in the U.S. after Id al-Adha holiday ends on 3/20. The sides still aim to conclude a full final status agmt. by 9/13. Ross says there have been "constructive" talks on interim issues. (MM 3/8; NYT, WP, WT 3/9; ITAR-TASS 3/9 in WNC 3/14; al-Quds 3/9, DUS 3/11 in WNC 3/13; CSM 3/10)

Lebanese pres. Lahoud says Lebanon would guarantee security along the s. border after the IDF withdraws, but only as part of an overall Middle East settlement; warns that Palestinian guerrillas opposed to Arafat might attack n. Israel fr. s. Lebanon if the refugee issue is not solved. (XIN 3/8 in WNC 3/9; CSM, WP 3/9; NYT 3/12; Le Monde 3/17 in WNC 3/20)

Israel's High Court rules (4-1) that an Israeli Arab family cannot be barred fr. living in a cooperative Jewish community. Although the decision affects the 1 family only, the court's determination that separate Arab and Jewish communities are "inherently unequal" and discriminate against Arabs sets legal precedent that may be used in future cases. (NYT, WP 3/9; WJW 3/16; JP 3/17)

In s. Lebanon, 2 SLA mbrs. are killed in a clash with Hizballah. (MEI 3/10)

Israel carries out 1 airstrike against a Hizballah base in n. Lebanon, wounding 2 Hizballah mbrs., before halting its attacks. IDF chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Shaul Mofaz notes that Israel's latest airstrikes mark the 1st time in the 18-yr. conflict that the IDF has targeted Lebanese infrastructure in response to army deaths rather than civilian casualties in n. Israel. Barak says the new retaliation policy will hold. (MM 2/10; IRNA, MENA, RL 2/10 in WNC 2/11; CSM, MM, NYT 2/11)

In Khazira village, West Bank, a car bomb explodes, killing 1 Palestinian, severely injuring another. PA, Israeli police think the men were Hamas mbrs. plotting an attack on Israelis. (WJW 2/17; JP 2/18)

Israel carries out airstrikes on Lebanon for 3d day. Israeli FM Levy warns that if Hizballah responds by firing rockets into n. Israel, "the soil of Lebanon will burn. . . . Vital interests of Lebanon will go up in flames, and it will take many years to restore them." Disputing Barak's 2/8 claims, UN monitors in s. Lebanon say they observed all but 1 of the recent Hizballah strikes on IDF/SLA targets and none was staged fr. a civilian area. UN cmdr. Goksel says that "it looks to me that [the Israelis] are creating an atmosphere to do what they wanted to do already." (AFP, RL, SA 2/9 in WNC 2/10; CSM, NYT, WP, WT 2/10; MM 2/11; JP 2/18)

Israel releases the summary of an official report that says that during the intifada, Shin Bet interrogators committed systematic abuses against Palestinian detainees. The report was submitted to the Knesset subcomm. on intelligence in 1995 but was kept secret until the High Court ordered it to be released. (NYT 2/10; LAW 2/11; Guardian Weekly 2/17)