Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. Another ailing Palestinian dies en route to a Nablus hospital when her family's car is turned back fr. an IDF checkpoint, forced to take a longer route to the hospital. A group of IDF soldiers in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron assault a 14-yr.-old Palestinian whom they thought was making fun of him, beating him for 30 mins., leaving him unconscious. The IDF shells residential areas in Khan Yunis and Rafah, nr. Netzarim settlement, along Gaza's Salah al-Din road (destroying a Palestinian gas station); bulldozes 55 dunams of Palestinian agricultural land in Bayt Lahia to build a new settler bypass road linking the settlements of Dugit, Aley Sinai. (MEZ, WP 1/29; al-Ahram [Internet] 2/1; LAW 2/3; ADM 2/5)
At the World Economic Forum in Davos, Arafat gives a speech condemning Israel's military action against Palestinians. In Israel, Barak, angry over Arafat's words, vows there will be no further talks with the PA before elections. (AFP 1/28 in WNC 1/29; MM, NYT, WP, WT, YA 1/29; al-Quds 1/29 in WNC 1/30; NYT, WP 1/30; al-Quds 1/30 in WNC 2/1; AYM 1/30 in WNC 2/5; al-Nahar 2/1 in WNC 2/13) (see 1/27)