Wednesday, October 31, 2001

In a phone call with Powell, Sharon again refuses to withdraw troops fr. PA-controlled areas. Instead, the IDF overtly assassinates senior Hamas mbr. Jamil Jadallah Qawasmi, firing rockets at his Hebron home. In other apparent assassinations, the IDF fires tank shells at the car of Hamas mbr. Abdallah Jarushi, killing him; soldiers ambush a car nr. Nablus carrying 4 PSF officers, killing 2; IDF special forces units enter Qalqilya, attack a PSF post, killing 2 PSF officers, wounding 1. The IDF also directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Rafah, Tal al-Sultan; conducts arrest raids in Araba, shelling a PSF post (injuring 2 PSF officers), demolishing a Palestinian home, arresting 7 Palestinians, including 4 Islamic Jihad mbrs. allegedly plotting a suicide bombing. (HP, LAW, REU 10/31; NYT, WP, WT 11/1; AYM 11/1 in WNC 11/2; MM 11/2)

The Israeli government reaches an agmt. with Israeli Arab residents of al-Tira, Taybeh under which residents would be compensated with other land of equal value to the land to be taken for the highway project. (HA 10/31) (see 10/30)