Friday, February 23, 1996

IDF lifts closure on West Bank, Gaza imposed 2/12. (QY, VOP 2/23 in FBIS 2/23; MM, WP 2/26)

Israeli FMin. says that Israeli diplomat deported fr. Russia 2/6 will been given a senior government post. (YA 2/23 in FBIS 2/23; HA 2/27 in FBIS 2/29)

Lt. Gen. Hussein Kamel, his brother and fellow defector Lt. Col. Saddam Kamel Hassan, their brother and father are gunned down in Baghdad. 2 attackers, 3 bystanders are also killed in the shoot out. Iraqi government claims angry family mbrs. killed them. (NYT, WP, WT 2/24; JT, RJ 2/24, JT 2/25 in FBIS 2/26; NYT, WT 2/25; MM, WP 2/26)

Hizballah says it has the bodies of 2 IDF soldiers missing for the past decade, offers to trade them for Hizballah mbrs. in detention, incl. Shaykh `Abd al-Karim Obeid, detained in 7/89, and Mustafa al-Dirani, taken by Israeli commandos 5/21/94. Israel refuses. (VOL 2/23 in FBIS 2/23; VOL 2/23, 2/24 in FBIS 2/26; NYT, WT 2/24)

Amal, IDF clash in s. Lebanon, leaving 3 Amal mbrs. wounded. Particularly heavy IDF shelling is reported throughout the Israeli self-declared security zone. (QY, RL, VOL 2/23 in FBIS 2/26)

Nation of Islam's Farrakhan returns to the U.S. without incident. House Rep. Peter King (R-NY) calls for an congressional inquiry into the legality Farrakhan's trip. (WP 2/24)