The Palestine Chronology

In the West Bank, 1 Palestinian succumbed to injuries sustained from Israeli forces in Jenin on 10/29. Israeli settlers vandalized Palestinian vehicles during a raid in Husan. Israeli forces attacked Tulkarm refugee camp killing 5 Palestinians, including 3 in a drone strike, and injuring 18. Israel also damaged water, electricity, and sewage lines, uprooted streets, and bulldozed a monument to Yasir Arafat. Israeli forces also shot and killed a Palestinian who allegedly tried to stab a soldier near Beit Einun. Elsewhere, Israeli forces punitively demolished the family home in ‘Urif of a Palestinian killed by Israeli forces after he allegedly killed 4 settlers near the Eli settlement on 6/20. 28 Palestinians were arrested during late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Qalqilya, Jenin, Nablus, and Bethlehem. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers toured the Haram al-Sharif compound. In Gaza, Israeli airstrikes killed at least 90 Palestinians in Khan Yunis and Gaza City, including at least 13 people in an airstrike on Khan Yunis. The number of fatalities was likely much higher since the Gaza Ministry of Health was unable to communicate with hospitals and civil defense members in northern Gaza. Israel said it had taken control of al-Shati refugee camp. Israel forces fired shots at al-Shifa Hospital. At the end of the day, Israel told the Gaza Ministry of Health that it will enter the hospital. Israel has bombed the vicinity of the hospital for days. 2 Israeli soldiers were killed and 4 seriously wounded in northern Gaza. Rockets were fired from Gaza, injuring 3 near Tel Aviv. In South Lebanon, Israel said it attacked Hezbollah sites in the Yiftah area. At the Red Sea, Israel said it intercepted a missile fired toward Eliat. The Houthi-led government in Yemen took responsibility. (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, HA, HA, NYT, REU, REU, REU, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, HA 11/15)

The Gaza Ministry of Health was not able to fully update the casualty figures due to a collapse in services and communications at hospitals in northern Gaza. However, it did say that at least 11,451 Palestinians have been killed, including 4,630 children and 3,130 women, and 27,490 have been injured in Israeli airstrikes on Gaza since 10/7. At least 3,250 people were missing in rubble, including 1,700 children. 187 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli forces and settlers in the West Bank and East Jerusalem since 10/7, including 47 children. More than 2,700 people have been injured. Israel reported that 1,200 Israelis and foreign nationals had been killed and 5,431 have injured since 10/7. 51 Israeli soldiers have been killed in Gaza since the ground invasion began on 10/27. Over 1.61 million Palestinians, around 70% of the population of Gaza, have been displaced since 10/7. There has been a complete electricity blackout in Gaza since 10/12 due to the Israel blockade. As of 11/6, at least 40,000 housing units have been destroyed and 220,000 have been damaged in Israeli airstrikes since 10/7, constituting 45% of all housing units. The Gaza Ministry of Health said 40 patients at al-Shifa Hospital have died in recent days. Hospital director Mohammad Abu Salmiya said 179 people had been buried in mass graves in the hospital compound, including 7 babies and 29 intensive care patients. The WHO said 22 out of 36 hospitals in Gaza were no longer operational. 15 medical workers and 91 truckloads of aid entered Gaza. An estimated 18,000 Palestinians fled from northern Gaza to the south. (AJ, AJ, HA, REU, UNOCHA, UNOCHA, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ 11/15)

Israeli military spokesperson Daniel Hagari said, “because of Hamas’s use of hospitals for military purposes, [the hospitals] will lose special protection in the international court.” Israel has presented animations, pictures of purported tunnels, and a video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital that it said was proof of Hamas’s presence at hospitals, all of which did not show any evidence to back Israel’s claim. In the video from al-Rantisi Children’s Hospital, Israel showed a piece of paper hanging on the wall that it claimed was a list of Hamas militants’ names. However, the list was merely a calendar with the names of the days of the week written in Arabic. The U.S. said it had intelligence that suggested a Hamas and Islamic Jihad presence at hospitals in Gaza, including al-Shifa. A U.S. national security council spokesperson said “[w]e do not support striking a hospital from the air and we don’t want to see a firefight in a hospital where innocent people, helpless people, sick people trying to get medical care they deserve are caught in crossfire.” Hamas called for the UN to inspect all hospitals in Gaza to debunk the Israeli and U.S. claims. Doctors at al-Shifa also rejected the claim that Palestinian militants were operating in the hospital. Human Rights Watch said Israel had not presented evidence “that would justify stripping hospitals of their special protections under international humanitarian law,” adding “international humanitarian law only allows attacking hospitals if room is made for safe evacuation.” (AJ, AJ, AP, HA, NYT, NYT, REU, REU, WAFA, WAFA 11/14; AJ, REU 11/15)

Israeli national security minister Itamar Ben-Gvir visited the prison facility where Israel is holding members of Hamas who were captured during Operation Al-Aqsa Flood, saying prisoners were “handcuffed in a dark cell, iron beds, toilets in a hole in the floor and the [Israeli] national anthem constantly playing in the background.” Ben-Gvir said he will promote the death penalty for the Palestinian militants. (HA 11/14)

A New York Times investigation into an attack on al-Shifa Hospital on 11/10 said it was likely an Israeli attack that killed 7 people at the hospital and not an errant missile fired from Gaza as Israel had claimed. (AJ, NYT 11/14)

Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich said he welcomed “the initiative of members of Knesset Ram Ben-Barak and Danny Danon on the voluntary immigration of Gaza Arabs to countries around the world. This is the right humanitarian solution for the residents of Gaza and the entire region.” Smotrich was referencing an op-ed written by Ben-Barak and Danon that was published in the Wall Street Journal on 11/13. The PA and Hamas condemned Smotrich comments. (AJ, AJ, HA, HA, HA, REU, WAFA 11/14)

U.S. president Joe Biden discussed efforts for a prisoner exchange with Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Shin Bet director Ronan Bar met with Egyptian officials in Egypt, discussing a prisoner exchange between Israel and Hamas. Nearly 100 members of the U.S. Congress watched a screening of a 43-minute video of the Hamas Al-Aqsa Flood Operation on 10/7. The screening was facilitated by the Israeli embassy. (HA 11/14)

Belize said it had withdrawn its accreditation for the Israeli ambassador-designate in the country, suspended activities at its consulate in Tel Aviv and the Israeli consulate in Belize, and withdrawn its request for accreditation for its consul to Israel, citing Israeli violations of international humanitarian law. (AJ 11/14)

Canadian prime minister Justin Trudeau said “I have been clear the price of justice cannot be the continued suffering of all Palestinian civilians. Even wars have rules. All innocent life is equal in worth …. I urge the government of Israel to exercise maximum restraint …. The world is witnessing this, the killing of women and children, of babies. This has to stop.” (HA, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

Reuters reported that Israel had approved the delivery of 6,340 gallons of diesel to Gaza. Haaretz later reported that the fuel was only for trucks used by the UN, not for hospitals. (AJ, AX, REU 11/14; HA 11/15)

Bloomberg News reported that in late October the U.S. quietly approved an Israeli request to send it laser-guided missiles, 155mm shells, night-vision devices, bunker-buster munitions, and new army vehicles. (AJ 11/15)

The Washington Post published an op-ed by King Abdullah II of Jordan, who said Israel has undermined the peace process for 2 decades by expanding settlements and allowing Israeli settlers to attack Palestinians. He called for a “concerted international effort to develop a regional architecture of peace, security and prosperity, built on a Palestinian-Israeli peace based on the two-state solution,” saying that Israeli violence will not grant it victory. (AJ 11/14)

German chancellor Olaf Schulz said Israel is a democracy that abides by international law and said it has “the right and duty to defend itself.” (AJ, HA 11/14)

Spanish minister for social rights Ione Belarra said 60 ministers from Europe and Latin America had signed a petition calling for the ICC to investigate Israeli leaders for genocide. (AJ 11/14)

More than 500 political appointees and staff members from 40 U.S. government agencies sent a letter to President Biden protesting his support for Israel’s war on Gaza. (NYT 11/14)

Tens of thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators rallied at the Mall in Washington D.C. Among the speakers was Christians United for Israel founder John Hagee, who in the past has blamed Jewish people for the Holocaust. The American Jewish anti-occupation organization IfNotNow called the rally “a pro-war, pro-Nakba rally.” (AJ, HA, HA, NYT, REU 11/14; AJ, AJ 11/15)

In the West Bank, Israeli forces arrested 33 Palestinians during daytime and late-night raids in and around Hebron, Ramallah, Bethlehem, Qalqilya, Jenin, and Nablus. Israeli forces also stopped work on a water tank in Kardala in the Jordan Valley. Israeli forces demolished a house in Bayt Umar In East Jerusalem, Israeli forces detained 2 Palestinian children and separately arrested 5 in Issawiyya. Elsewhere in East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers took over a Palestinian-owned building with 4 separate apartments in al-Suwana. The settlers were escorted by Israeli police. (WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA 7/8; WAFA 7/9)

The Israeli military claimed to have found a tunnel from Gaza to Israel during construction of a barrier that is said to prevent more tunnels from being dug. The Israeli military also claimed to have shot down a drone near the Gaza fence; it did not report whether the drone was privately-owned, Israeli, or Palestinian, nor the type of drone. (HA, HA 7/8)

A court in Jerusalem found that the PA was liable for damages for 17 incidents where Palestinians killed Israelis during the 2d Intifada in the early 2000s. Several incidents were not committed by PA personnel, nor did the PA have knowledge that they would be carried out. The judge ruled that the PA was retroactively responsible for the incidents because they explicitly or implicitly endorsed them after they happened. The judge ordered the PLO, PA, and Yasir Arafat’s estate to pay $1.6 million for the cost of the trial. A different judge will determine how much the 3 entities must pay in damages. (HA 7/9)

During an undisclosed operation in southern Gaza, undercover Israeli special forces open fire on Hamas fighters from a moving car in Khuza‘a, sparking an exchange of heavy fire; 1 Israeli soldier and 1 Hamas fighter are killed and another Israeli soldier is critically injured. While the Israeli special forces are still in Gaza, the Israeli Air Force targets armed Palestinian fighters near Khuza‘a with a number of air strikes, killing 6, including a senior member of Hamas’s military wing. After the strikes, unidentified Palestinians launch at least 17 rockets and other projectiles into southern Israel. Three are intercepted by the Iron Dome missile defense system; the rest land in open areas, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli artillery and aircraft then strike more than 50 sites across Gaza, causing dozens of Palestinian injuries and extensive damage. Separately, dozens of right-wing Israeli activists block the road leading to the Kerem Shalom border crossing, preventing trucks bearing basic commodities and fuel to enter Gaza for hours in protest of the violence at the border protests on 11/9. Off Gaza’s coast, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats near Rafah, causing no damage or injuries. In the West Bank, IDF troops violently disperse dozens of Palestinian students at a rally commemorating the late Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat in Hebron; there are no reported injuries. They also arrest 5 Palestinians and issue 1 arrest summons during late-night raids near Ramallah, Hebron, Tulkarm, and Bethlehem; deliver stop-work orders to a Palestinian school under renovation in Hebron; and patrol in and around Qalqilya and Hebron. (MNA, MNA, MNA, MNA, TOI, WAFA, WAFA, WAFA, YA 11/11; HA, HA, JP, JT, MNA 11/12; PCHR 11/15)

Off the coast of the Gaza Strip nr. Rafah, Israeli naval forces open fire on Palestinian fishing boats on 2 separate occasions, causing damage and injuring 2 fishermen. In the West Bank, IDF troops shoot and wound a Palestinian during a patrol in a village nr. Tubas. The IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Tulkarm, Hebron, and 1 nearby village at night; patrols in 3 villages nr. Qalqilya and 1 village nr. Tulkarm. In East Jerusalem, Israeli settlers and Palestinians clash in Silwan, causing no serious injuries. (MNA 11/9; PCHR 11/13)

Fatah officials in Gaza cancel the planned commemoration of Yasir Arafat’s death scheduled for 11/11. Hamas authorities confirm the cancellation, citing security concerns related to the series of explosions that targeted Fatah figures on 11/7. (AFP, MNA 11/9)

In the Gaza Strip, small explosive devices are detonated by unknown parties at the entrances of 15 Fatah mbrs.’ homes and under their cars, causing damage but no injuries. An additional blast occurs on a stage set up for a demonstration scheduled for 11/11 marking the commemoration of Yasir Arafat’s death (an event approved by Hamas authorities on 10/30). The attacks take place the day before a planned visit to Gaza by PM Rami Hamdallah, senior Fatah official Azzam al-Ahmad and Civil Affairs Minister Hussein al-Sheikhwe, but they cancel their trip as a result of the attacks. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Bethlehem; patrols in Hebron, 3 nearby villages, and Aida r.c. nr. Bethlehem. IDF troops violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli, and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements, and occupation in 2 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in and Nil‘in), and 1 village nr. Qalqilya (Kafr Qaddum). There are no serious injuries, except in Bil‘in, where 3 people are wounded by rubber-coated metal bullets. In East Jerusalem, Israeli security forces and Palestinians clash in Shu‘fat r.c., with no serious injuries reported. (HA, MNA, REU 11/7; PCHR 11/13)

Israeli PM Netanyahu orders the demolition of homes belonging to the families of the Palestinians who hit Israelis with their cars in Jerusalem in recent weeks (see 10/22 and 11/5). (AFP 11/7)

Palestinians across the West Bank rally after Friday prayers to protest the 2/23 death of Arafat Jaradat in Israeli detention, clashing with the IDF in many locations. IDF soldiers use live fire and rubber-coated metal bullets against protesters at Qalandia checkpoint (injuring 6 Palestinians, including 1 seriously) and outside the Ofer detention center nr. Ramallah (injuring fifteen) Israeli soldiers also open fire on Palestinian boys throwing stones nr. al-Jazloun r.c. north of Ramallah, seriously injuring 1. In Hebron, Palestinians demonstrate to mark the anniversary of the 1994 massacre of Palestinian worshippers by a Jewish settler at the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, leading to clashes with the IDF that leave 2 Palestinians injured. Meanwhile, IDF forces violently disperse Palestinian, Israeli and international protesters at weekly demonstrations against Israel’s separation wall, settlements and occupation in 4 villages nr. Ramallah (Bil‘in, al-Nabi Salih, Budrus, and Ni‘lin), 2 villages nr. Qalqilya (Jayyous and Kafr Qaddum), 1 village nr. Salfit (Burqin), 1 village nr. Bethlehem (al-Ma’sara), and on a road south of Hebron. There are 11 injuries total; 5 in Bil‘in, 4 in al-Nabi Salih, and 2 in Budrus. PA PM Salam Fayyad attends the protest in Bil‘in. The IDF patrols in 3 villages nr. Ramallah in the morning, in 1 village nr. Tulkarm and in the center of Hebron in the afternoon (clashes in latter, 1 wounded), and in 1 village nr. Ramallah at night; conducts house searches and arrest raids in Silwan, al-‘Arub r.c. nr. Hebron, and in 1 village nr. Hebron at night. In the Gaza Strip, IDF soldiers open fire on Palestinians picnicking close to the border fence nr. Jabaliya r.c., injuring 3. Later in the day, IDF soldiers open fire on Palestinians close to the border fence nr. Bayt Lahiya, injuring 1. (JP, MNA 3/1; PCHR 3/7)

U.S. Pres. Barack Obama phones Russian pres. Vladimir Putin, to discuss Iran and Syria. The White House says Putin and Obama agree to hold talks in 6/2013 on the sidelines of a meeting of leading industrial nations in Northern Ireland. (AP 3/1)

Palestinian prisoner Arafat Jaradat dies in Israel’s Megido prison, following a reported heart attack. Palestinian officials immediately call for an international investigation into the circumstances of his death. (MNA, REU 2/23)

PA Pres. Mahmud Abbas says in an interview with al-Arabiya TV that he and Hamas leader Khalid Mishal are in agreement about the need for a peaceful intifada. Pres. Abbas says that PA security forces in the West Bank are arresting Palestinians who smuggle weapons from Israel. Meanwhile, in an example of such a raid, Hamas says that PA security forces arrested 8 members of their organization in the West Bank. (JP, MNA 2/23)

Jewish settlers shoot 2 Palestinians in Kusra village in the northern West Bank, leaving one in serious condition. Clashes began when settlers entered village land. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers from Susiya nr. Hebron attack Palestinian farmers. When Israeli soldiers arrive, they declare the area a closed military zone and arrest 2 Palestinians. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in 2 villages nr. Jenin, and 1 village each nr. Jericho, and Qalqilya. At night, the IDF patrols 1 village nr. Ramallah and conducts house searches and arrest raids in 1 village nr. Qalqilya. West of Yatta nr. Hebron, Israeli soldiers violently disperse Palestinian and international activists protesting settlement expansion, causing no serious injuries. Off the north coast of the Gaza Strip, Israeli naval vessels open fire on Palestinian fishermen, causing no injuries or damage. (AP 2/23; PCHR 2/28)

Retaliating for the firing of Qassam-2s on 3/5, the IDF launches air, land, sea strikes on PA targets across the West Bank and Gaza, striking and partially demolishing Arafat's residence in Gaza City and a UNRWA school for the blind, among other sites. The IDF also shells the PA compound in Ramallah while Arafat is meeting with EU special envoy Miguel Moratinos; they are not injured. Sharon vows to continue the strikes "without letup" until the Palestinians stop attacking Israeli soldiers, civilians. During the day, at least 13 Palestinians are killed, including senior Hamas mbr. `Abd al-Nassar Ghazal in a possible assassination in Gaza, 4 PA naval police killed by IDF shelling in Gaza, 1 Palestinian shot dead nr. Nablus, 1 killed in a questionable explosion nr. Qalqilya, 4 who die of injuries received earlier. 2 IDF soldiers are killed in clashes in Khan Yunis and Rafah. F-16s bomb a Gaza police headquarters where PSF officers had been scheduled to meet, leading the PA to believe the attack was a failed assassination attempt against PSF chief Brig. Gen. `Abd al-Raziq Majayda. The IDF also makes arrest raids and demolishes at least 2 Palestinian houses in Gaza; fires on a Palestinian school in Silat al-Dahir, injuring 4 students; bulldozes Palestinian land in al-Khadir; maintains closure on Balata, Jenin. Over 20 Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar fire on a neighboring Palestinian village; attack IDF soldiers who intervene, beating them, puncturing tires on their jeeps. Jewish settlers also cut down 300 Palestinian-owned olive trees nr. Hebron; IDF troops reportedly fire warning shots at Palestinians who attempt to intervene. (AP, HP, MM 3/6; AFP, al-Quds 3/6 in WNC 3/7; JP [Internet], LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 3/7; MENA, RNE 3/7 in WNC 3/8; JP 3/15)

Early this morning, the Israeli inner cabinet orders the IDF to seal Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. The IDF also fatally shoots wanted AMB mbr. Khamis Abdallah in an apparent assassination in Nablus; fires a tank shell at 3 teenagers trying to sneak across the Gaza border into Israel to work, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 2. This evening, an AMB gunman opens fire with an M-16 on a bat mitzvah celebration in Hadera, Israel, killing 6 Israelis, wounding at least 25 before being beaten unconscious by the celebrants and then fatally shot by an Israeli policeman. In retaliation, the IDF sends 20 tanks, APCs, paratroopers into Ramallah to tighten the encirclement of Arafat's headquarters to within 100 yds., placing Arafat under de facto house arrest; sends F-16s to shell PA Interior Min., administrative, and security offices in Tulkarm, killing 2 PSF officers, injuring 61 officers and civilians, damaging 20 homes and 50 stores; reinforces troops nr. Jinin, fatally shooting 1 Palestinian. (AP 1/17; LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/18; AFP, Interfax 1/18 in WNC 1/22; CNN, WP, WT 1/19; MM 1/21; PCHR 1/23; WJW 1/24; JP, MEI 1/25; JP 2/1)

Overnight, IDF helicopters rocket a residential area of Khan Yunis, killing 4 Palestinians, wounding 21, destroying 2 Force 17 buildings. This evening, AMB, Hamas gunmen jointly detonate a roadside bomb nr. a Jewish settler bus outside Emmanuel settlement nr. Nablus, then open fire on the bus, 2 cars traveling with it, the medical workers who come to the scene, killing 9 Jewish settlers, 1 Israeli border police officer, wounding 30; 1 Hamas mbr. is run over, shot dead by the IDF. In Gaza, 2 Hamas suicide bombers detonate devices outside a Jewish settlement, wounding 4. Sharon severs all contacts with the PA, declares Arafat "irrelevant," says Israel will no longer wait for the PA to "wipe out terror networks" but will do the job itself. The IDF immediately begins F-16 air strikes on targets in al-Bireh, Gaza City, Jinin, Nablus, Qalqilya, Ramallah, and Tulkarm, killing 1 Palestinian; tightens its encirclement of major Palestinian population centers; enters Jinin's area A with tanks, injuring 19 Palestinians before withdrawing; fires on a funeral procession in Khan Yunis, injuring 3. The Israeli inner cabinet agrees to "rapidly deploy" the IDF for "massive and continuous" operations "in cities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." Arafat orders the closure of all Hamas, Islamic Jihad offices, schools, clinics. (AP, LAW, MEZ, PMC 12/12; AFP, AP, HA, HP, JP [Internet], MM, NYT, WJW, WP, WT 12/13; AFP, MENA, XIN 12/13 in WNC 12/14; ATL 12/13 in WNC 12/17; JP, JT [Internet], MM 12/14, 12/17, 12/18; JP, MEI 12/21)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 1 Palestinian dead. A 2d, ailing Palestinian dies at an IDF checkpoint after soldiers bar him fr. crossing to reach a hospital in Ramallah. The IDF directs shells, heavy machine gun fire on residential areas of Hebron, Qalqilya, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers bulldoze Palestinian land around Ashkalot settlement, place new caravans on the site. Settlers are also reportedly moving boundary fences, adding trailers, bulldozing Palestinian land around Beit Hagay, Gush Etzion, Karme Tzur, Nahal Najhout, Tene settlements. (HP 2/26; HJ 2/26 in WNC 2/27; LAW 3/1)

U.S. Secy. of State Powell meets with Sharon in Israel, PA head Yasir Arafat in Ramallah (marking only the 2d time Israel has allowed Arafat into the West Bank since 9/28/00); urges them to halt violence, resume security cooperation, improve Palestinian economic conditions in the West Bank, Gaza; ensures Sharon that the U.S. commitment to Israel's security will remain solid under the Bush administration. Powell then stops in Amman to meet King Abdallah of Jordan, heads on to Kuwait for celebrations marking the 10th anniversary of the end of the Gulf War. (AP, HA, REU 2/25; MM, NYT, WP 2/26; JT, MA 2/26 in WNC 2/27; AYM 2/26 in WNC 3/5; HA 2/27; MM 2/28; QA 2/28 in WNC 3/1; MA 3/1, SA 3/4 in WNC 3/5; JP, MEI 3/9)

Israeli-Palestinian clashes escalate, leaving 8 Palestinians dead, including senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Sa'ir al-Khruf, who is assassinated by the IDF. (1 Palestinian dies en route to the hospital when his ambulance is detained by the IDF for over 1 hr.) In Nablus, 20,000 Palestinians attend a funeral for 3 of the dead killed overnight. Israel allows a small number of West Bank, Gaza Palestinians over age 35 to attend Friday prayers at al-Aqsa Mosque. Those that are barred scuffle with Israeli police who respond with rubber bullets, stun grenades, tear gas. The IDF also placed curfews on Salfit, Qasrah to conduct an arrest sweep. IDF directed shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas in Aida, Aqbat Jabir camp, Bayt Jala (damaging an elementary school), al-Bireh, Dayr al-Balah, Nablus, Ramallah (damaging the PA Local Government Min.), Tulkarm; bulldozes Palestinian agricultural land across Gaza, in Qalqilya. In Rafah, the IDF fires a shell at a family protesting the bulldozing of their land, injuring 6 children. Jewish settlers attack Palestinian property around Qalqilya, shoot at Palestinians in Silt al-Thahir (wounding 1). (ADM, LAW 12/15; NYT, WP, WT 12/16; PCHR 12/18; NYT 1/17)

Israel's Ben-Ami meets with Arafat at Erez to discuss resuming peace talks, holds follow-up mtg. with PA Information M `Abid Rabbuh in Tel Aviv. The State Dept. says that midlevel Israeli, PA negotiators may come top Washington the wk. of 12/18. (NYT, WP 12/16) (see 12/10)

In Gaza, over 30,000 Palestinians attend a Hamas rally in support of continuing the al-Aqsa intifada no matter what stand the PA regarding negotiations with Israel. (MEI 12/22)

German FM Kinkel meets with Arafat in Gaza. On his return to Israel, IDF soldiers at Erez checkpoint demand to search his car to ascertain that no "extremist elements" are "using" his entourage to carry out attacks inside Israel, delay car for half hr. before letting it pass unchecked. Kinkel protests to the Israeli FMin. Israeli officials complain the diplomats "failed to show understanding for Israel's security problems." (QY 3/9 in FBIS 3/11)

PA security forces expand crackdown on Hamas, raiding Islamic organization, clubs, welfare organizations; confiscating equipment; detaining anyone on hand. PA says it has arrested over 600 individuals in Gaza alone over the last wk. (NYT 3/10)

Hamas spokesman in Lebanon says Qassam Brigades will not disarm or halt attacks on Israel. (AFP 3/9 in FBIS 3/11) (see 3/5)

In Qalqilya, IDF delays ambulance at checkpoint for 1 hr., allowing Palestinian infant to die. IDF officials say officer in charge will be tried. (NYT 3/14)

Hizballah attacks IDF, SLA positions in s. Lebanon, killing 1 IDF soldier, 1 SLA soldier; wounding 2 IDF soldiers. IDF, SLA fire back, killing 2 Hizballah mbrs. (NYT 3/11)

Third round of Syrian-Israeli "exploratory" talks convene in Maryland. (MM, WT 2/28; JP, MA, SARR 2/28 in FBIS 2/28; NYT 2/29; QY 2/29 in FBIS 2/29; MA, QY 3/1 in FBIS 3/1)

Arafat demands Islamists turn in unlicensed weapons, explosives before the PA security forces begin house-to-house searches 3/1 or risk 15-yr. sentences for possession. PA detains 70 more Hamas supporters in Gaza. (VOP 2/28 in FBIS 2/29; WP, WT 2/29; QY 2/29 in FBIS 2/29)

Arafat convenes military field court comprising the heads of Nablus security branches to try the Qalqilya PA Preventive Security Force (PSF) head Col. `Abd al-Rahim Abu `Awn, PA police head Col. Musa Jadallah for actions in violation of the Oslo agmts. for attending memorial rally for Yahya Ayyash. (QY, VOP 2/28 in FBIS 2/29)

Israel eases the closure on the West Bank, Gaza, allowing produce to cross the borders. (IGPO 2/28 in FBIS 3/1; NYT 2/29)

In Damascus, Iranian VP Habibi meets with Palestinian rejectionist leaders, incl. Hamas, Islamic Jihad officials. Habibi then heads to Beirut to meet with Lebanese Pres. Ilyas Hrawi, who tells him that Lebanon supports Hizballah, but Hizballah must conform to Lebanon's political stance. (MM 2/28; RL, VOL 2/28 in FBIS 2/29; MM 2/29; SARR 2/29, RL, SA 3/1 in FBIS 3/1; MENA 3/1 in FBIS 3/6)