The Palestine Chronology

U.S. Amb. to Israel Edward Djerejian resigns after 6 mos. in office to direct Baker Institute at Rice University, named for frmr. Secy of State James Baker.  Djerejian had been asst. secy of state for Near East affairs, amb. to Syria. (WP, WT 5/20)

PM Rabin calls Arafat's explanation of "jihad" remarks "far-fetched," denies Arafat's claim of Israeli letter of assurances on Jerusalem.  (Qol Yisra'el 5/19 in FBIS 5/19; MM 5/19; NYT 5/20)

Independents and Fateh figures, including Central Comm. mbrs. Hani al-Hasan and `Abbas Zaki, announce plans to form "Palestinian National Independence Party" to contest Palestinian elections.  (TJT 5/27)

PLO security official Amin al-Hindi, barred fr. earlier PLO-Israel talks because of his role in 1972 murder of Israeli Olympic athletes, enters Gaza Strip at Rafah border crossing.  (Qol Yisra'el 5/19 in FBIS 5/20)

U.S., Israel sign authorization for Israeli purchase of 21 F-15I Eagle fighter-bombers fr. McDonnell Douglas. Deal is worth $2 b.  (JP 5/28)

Jordan's King Hussein, Israeli PM Rabin meet secretly in London.  (NYT 7/31)

Norwegian FM Johan Jorgen Holst, 56, who brokered Israel-PLO agreement, dies in Oslo after suffering 2d stroke in 2 mos. (WP, WT 1/14)

Edward P. Djerejian, frmr. U.S. amb. to Syria and asst. secy. of state, begins term as U.S. amb. to Israel. (MM 1/13; CSM 1/14)

PLO Econ. Dept. DG Ahmad Qurai' announces in Tunis creation of Palestinian Development Bank, with initial capital of $250 m., to channel aid to autonomous areas. (MM 1/13)

50 anti-DoP Palestinian inmates at Qetziot ("Ansar 3") prison camp launch hunger strike organized by PFLP, DFLP. (MM 1/14)

PLO Exec. Comm. releases official statement approving DoP. (Algiers VOP 9/12 in FBIS 9/13)

PLO Chmn. Arafat arrives in Washington for signing of PLO-Israel Declaration of Principles, 1st visit to U.S. since address to UN in New York in 1974. Arafat is greeted by Asst. Secy. of State Edward Djerejian on behalf of U.S. govt. (NYT, WP 9/13)

Islamic Jihad claims fatal attack on 3 IDF soldiers in Gaza, Israeli bus driver in Israel. Other sources place responsibility on Hamas. Attacks also mounted on Israeli bus in West Bank. Pres. Clinton calls upon PLO Chmn. Arafat to condemn attacks. 3 Palestinians die in other incidents. (RMC 9/12 in FBIS 9/13; MM, NYT, WP 9/13; CSM 9/14)

EC FMs meeting in Belgium approve 5- year, $604 m. Palestinian aid package. (NYT 9/13)

Pres. Clinton meets with King Hussein in Washington. (NYT, WP, WT 6/19)

U.S. appoints Edward Djerejian amb. to Israel, Dennis Ross special Middle East coordinator. Ross had previously been designated head of Washington Institute for Near East Policy, to replace Martin Indyk. (MM 6/21)

British helicopters fly Red Cross officials into the "no man's land" in southern Lebanon to evacuate 17 Palestinians: 4 who are sick, 13 deported by mistake (11 of whom to be returned to jail). There are now 396 left. (NYT, WT 1/24)

Pres. Clinton telephones PM Rabin, expresses hope that the deportees issue will be solved as soon as possible. (NYT 1/29)

Syrian, Egyptian, Lebanese, and Jordanian ambs. to the U.S. brief Asst. Secy. of State Edward Djerejian on the Arab League position on deportees. (Saudi Arabian TV 1/23 in FBIS 1/26)

IDF shoots Palestinian dead near Ramallah. (Qol Yisra'el 1/24 in FBIS 1/26)

Roadside bomb wounds 1, kills 2 IDF soldiers in "security zone"; Israel shells Hizballah target villages 25 mi. south of Beirut. (NYT, WT 1/24; MM 1/25

Knesset votes 39-20 to revise 1986 law to legalize contacts with all factions of the PLO. (MM 1/13, 1/19; NYT, WP 1/20)

U.S. State Dept. releases its annual human rights report, noting 62% rise in IDF killings of Palestinians during 1991. (MM 1/20)

Pres.-elect Clinton transition team announces Edward Djerejian will retain his post as Asst. Secy. of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs; Dennis Ross, of Policy Planning, will become a consultant to the State Dept. on the peace process; Martin Indyk, exec. dir. of AIPAC-affiliated Washington Institute for Near East Policy, will become chief advisor on Arab-Israeli issues at the Nat'l. Security Council. (NYT 1/19)

Settlers open fire on Palestinian youths stoning their car, killing a 12-year-old boy, in Gaza City. Since 1/14, 5 Palestinians under the age of 15 have been killed in the Gaza Strip. (MM 1/19)

Kyrgyzstan's Pres. Askar Akayev, during a visit to Jerusalem, calls for "independence for the Palestinians." He is the 1st Muslim head of state to visit Jerusalem since Anwar Sadat. (MM 1/20)

Chmn. Arafat, PLO Exec. Comm. mbr. Yasir 'Abd Rabbuh, advisor Nabil Shaath meet with Pres. Mubarak in Cairo. (MENA 6/24 in FBIS 6/25)

Jordan formally rejects U.S. "Aqaba Plus" plan to station UN inspectors in the Gulf of Aqaba and along the Jordanian-Iraqi border to monitor compliance with UN sanctions against Iraq. (MM 6/25; Jordan Times 6/25 in FBIS 6/25)

Asst. Secy. of State Edward Djerejian delivers first official U.S. reaction to Israeli elections, addresses other topics in testimony before House subcomm. on Europe and the Middle East. Secy. of State James Baker calls for quick resumption of peace talks once the Labor-led govt. takes power. (MM, NYT 6/25)

Syrian Pres. Hafiz al-Asad invites PM Mahmud al-Zu'bi to form new govt. after accepting resignation of current govt. (MM 6/25)

Israeli jets overfly Sidon, nearby camps at low altitude in S. Lebanon. (VOL 6/24 in FBIS 6/24)

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: DM Rabin indicates at least 21 IDF troops committed suicide in Lebanon since 1982 invasion [PI 5/8]. Gen. Comm. of Govt. School Teachers in W. Bank calls for short (2 class periods) strike protesting deteriorating work conditions [FJ 5/3]. State Attorney's office drops one charge against Jewish underground defendant Ya'akov Heineman [JP 5/8].

Arab World: PLO, Jordan reported tohave agreed on list of joint Palestinian-Jordanian negotiating delegation; US State Dept. spokesman Edward Djerejian indicates US willing to meet with delegation provided it has no PLO members; Jordanian officials await official response to list from State Dept. official Richard Murphy [CSM 5/7, NYT 5/8]. Chmn. Arafat arrives in Amman for talks with King Hussein [JP 5/8].

Other Countries: US Congress ratifies US-Israel free trade agreement [NYT 5/8].