The Palestine Chronology

Hamas gunmen fire on a vehicle driving nr. Ofra settlement, killing 1 Jewish settler, wounding 3. A bicycle laden with explosives explodes nr. an IDF checkpoint in central Gaza, causing no damage or injuries; soldiers find, disarm a larger roadside bomb nearby. The IDF fatally shoots a mentally disabled Palestinian woman nr. Morag settlement in s. Gaza, later admitting the shooting was a mistake; demolishes a gas station, bulldozes 8 dunams of land nr. Khan Yunis; razes 1 Palestinian home, a poultry farm, 1 dunam of land in Dayr al-Balah; conducts arrest raids in Hebron. Jewish settlers reestablish an unauthorized settlement outpost nr. Neve Tzuf that was evacuated earlier in the wk. (HA, JP 6/20; NYT, WP, WT 6/21; PR 6/25; PCHR 6/26)

En route to a Quartet mtg. and a World Economic Forum conference in Jordan, Powell stops in Israel to meet with Sharon, then in Jericho to meet with Abbas. (HA, MM 6/20; AYM 6/20, MENA, NHR, SA 6/21, Der Spiegel [Hamburg] 6/23 in WNC 6/24; NYT, WP, WT 6/21; MM 6/23; MM, PR 6/25; MEI 6/27; THWR 6/27 in WNC 7/29)

U.S. announces that both Jordanian and Palestinian delegates will each be able to deliver a 45-minute opening speech at peace conference. Israel, Lebanon, Egypt, and Syria will also talk for 45 minutes. Israel protests to Washington that this violates conditions for Israeli attendance by treating the Palestinians as a separate delegation. (NYT 10/29)

London-based Mideast Mirror publishes list of Syrian delegates (MEM 10/28)

Demonstrators for, against peace conference clash at anti-conference rally in Amman. (MEM 10/29)

West Bank gunmen open fire on a bus carrying Israeli settlers from Shilo to an anti-peace conference rally in Tel Aviv, killing two and injuring five, bringing total number of Israelis killed since beginning of intifada to 74. (NYT, WP 10/29)

German authorities state police in Hamburg discovered 14 Soviet T-72 tanks aboard an Israeli ship destined for Israel. The tanks, formerly belonging to the E. German army and subsequently handed over to the German secret service BND, were to be delivered to Mossad, the Israeli intelligence service, which sought to learn more about the tanks' design. (NYT, WP 10/29)

Israeli, South Lebanon Army forces launch artillery barrages directed at area surrounding Nabatiyya, S. Lebanon. Attacks continue into early morning hours of 10/29. (MEM 10/30)

Social/Economic/Political

Occupied Palestine/Israel: Prisoners at Fara'a prison petition High Court to intervene to stop torture used there. Central Elections Commission votes 18- 17 to ban Arab-Jewish "Progressive List for Peace" from July ballot. Israeli police detain British and Italian military attaches on espionage charges for photographing Tel Hof airbase. At ZOA conference in Jerusalem, PM's advisor Hurwitz confirms Israel's welcome for support from militant US fundamentalist Christians.

Arab World: 4-man military com. begins work on plan to reunite Lebanese army.

Other Countries: Meeting in Hamburg, Universal Postal Union defeats [73-32, 15 abst.] Arab bloc initiative to expel Israel for violation of UN resolutions.

Military Action

Arab World: In gunfire exchange in Nabatiya, IDF shoot 7-yr.-old boy.