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CIAO DATE: 08/03
Chronology
16 November 2002 - 15 February 2003
Compiled by Michele K. Esposito
This section is part seventy-seven of a chronology begun in JPS 13, no. 3 (Spring 1984). Chronology dates reflect Eastern Standard Time. For a more comprehensive overview of events related to the al-Aqsa intifada and of regional and international developments related to the peace process, see the Quarterly Update on Conflict and Diplomacy in this issue.
16 November
In response to an Islamic Jihad ambush of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and settler security officers in Hebron on 11/15, the IDF sends tanks into Hebron, bulldozes 5 Palestinian homes and a 50-dunam olive grove btwn. Kiryat Arba and the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, imposes a curfew, conducts arrest raids, detaining 40 Palestinians. Right-wing MK Benny Elon holds a prayer rally of Jewish settlers at the site of the ambush; afterward Jewish settlers briefly rampage through Palestinian areas (vandalizing homes with spray-painted messages such as "vengeance" and "every Arab killed--for me it’s a holiday") until IDF soldiers stop them. The IDF also fatally shoots a Palestinian in Hebron; fires on Palestinians in Jenin, killing 1 Palestinian; shells, fires on residential areas of Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian; bulldozes 2 dunams (4 dunams = 1 acre) of Palestinian land, an electricity generator in al-Mughraqa; shells a workshop in Khan Yunis, destroying it; detains, searches a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance for 5 hrs., holding the driver for failure to pay a parking ticket. (PM 11/16; NYT, WP, WT 11/17; MM 11/18; AN 11/18 in WNC 11/19; PCHR 11/20; MEI 11/22; PRCS press release 11/23)
17 November
Israeli PM Ariel Sharon visits Hebron, calls for the expanding of Jewish settlements in and around Hebron to create "settlement contiguity" btwn. 4 Jewish enclaves in Hebron, the outlying Kiryat Arba settlement, the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs site. In response, Jewish settlers declare a new settlement on the site of the olive grove bulldozed by the IDF on 11/16 and move in 3 shipping containers, tents, cisterns; the IDF constructs a 7-ft. concrete wall around the site. IDF undercover units attempt to assassinate Riad ‘Abd al-Ghani in Tulkarm, missing him, killing his brother, wounding a 2d brother. The IDF fires rockets, tank shells at the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Preventive Security Force (PSF) headquarters complex in Gaza, sends troops in to set fire to 2 buildings, injuring 2 PSF officers, 1 Palestinian journalist. The IDF also fires on Palestinians in Gaza City, Nur al-Shams refugee camp (r.c.); bulldozes 8 dunams of Palestinian land in Bayt Lahia; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Balata r.c.; detains for 2 hrs. a PRCS ambulance carrying Palestinians seriously injured in a car accident; fires on 2 ambulances outside a hospital in Gaza, nr. Shati` r.c.; detains, searches 6 ambulances, including 1 transporting a patient, for up to 70 mins. at checkpoints. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/18; MENA 11/18 in WNC 11/19; AFP 11/19 in WNC 11/21; PCHR 11/20; WJW 11/21; MEI 11/22; PRCS press release 11/23)
Israeli Arab passenger carrying only a pen knife that he does not wield attempts to hijack an El Al plane bound for Istanbul fr. Tel Aviv. He is quickly captured and detained, without injury to any other passengers; says that he intended to hijack the plane to protest Israeli actions against Palestinians, that he is not affiliated with any group. He is described by peers as frail, nervous, eccentric young man with a heart condition, who craves popularity and attention. (MM, NYT 11/18; ATL 11/18 in WNC 11/19; CSM, NYT, WP 11/19; NYT, WJW 11/21; NYT 11/26, 11/27; JPI 11/29)
18 November
The IDF occupies the Medical Relief Center in Jenin, destroys equipment; bulldozes 9 dunams of Palestinian land in Dayr al-Balah. (PCHR 11/20)
19 November
The IDF assassinates wanted al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Tariq Zaghal in Tulkarm, also killing 3 Palestinian bystanders; later IDF troops fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths protesting the assassination, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians outside Kefar Darom settlement in Gaza; demolishes 9 Palestinian homes in the Shaykh ‘Ajlin neighborhood of Gaza City; raids a clinic in Jenin, destroying medical equipment, barring dialysis patients fr. taking their treatments. In Hebron, Israeli border police ambush, hold at gunpoint a group of 15 Palestinian journalists, seriously beat 1. (NYT, PCHR, WP 11/20; NYT 11/21; REU 11/23; UPMRC 11/27)
The Labor party elects Haifa mayor Amram Mitzna as its candidate for PM in the 1/28/03 elections. Mitzna takes 54% of the vote over fmr. Israeli DM Benjamin Ben-Eliezer’s 38% and Labor mbr. Haim Ramon’s 7%. Mitzna says he will run on a platform calling for immediate, unconditional resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians, withdrawal of settlers from all of Gaza and some of the West Bank, and unilateral withdrawal fr. the West Bank if peace talks fail; says he would withdraw fr. Gaza by the end of 2003 if elected. (MM 11/19; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/20; MENA 11/20 in WNC 11/21; WT 11/21; JT, MA 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MA 11/22, SA 11/23 in WNC 11/25; JT 11/26 in WNC 11/27; JPI 11/29; AYM 12/13 in WNC 12/16)
20 November
The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Tulkarm, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; destroys a 2d Palestinian home in Hebron; bulldozes 11 dunams of land n. of Rafah. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Abasan and Khuza, cuts electricity, demolishes 1 Palestinian home, fires on 3 ambulances (wounding 2 paramedics), raids the offices of Fatah and the Prisoners Rehabilitation Center (confiscating a computer, files), raids the fmr. offices of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), vandalizing the vacant building. (PCHR, PM 11/20; NYT, WP 11/21; PRCS press release 11/23; PCHR 11/27)
21 November
A Palestinian suicide bomber fr. Bethlehem detonates a device on a bus in Jerusalem, killing 11 Israelis, wounding 48 (8 of them seriously). Hamas, Islamic Jihad both take responsibility, but family, friends of the bomber say he supported Islamic Jihad. Sharon convenes his security cabinet; does not invite fmr. PM and current FM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is challenging him for the PM candidacy in the upcoming Likud primaries on 11/28. Fearing that Sharon will stage a major retaliatory attack, the PSF evacuates its offices in Bethlehem. After the mtg., Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin states that in light of U.S. military intentions against Iraq, "We are not going to allow any kind of escalation." The IDF shells a PA military intelligence post nr. Netzarim settlement, killing 1 PA intelligence officer; makes a predawn raid on 3 villages nr. Khan Yunis in s. Gaza, demolishing the home of a senior DFLP mbr., firing on residential areas, wounding 4 Palestinians; bulldozes 39 dunams of Palestinian land e. of Dayr al-Balah, 11.5 dunams and several structures nr. Bayt Lahia. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 11/21; ATL, Interfax 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; QA 11/22, MA 11/24 in WNC 11/25; LAW, PCHR 11/27)
22 November
The IDF retakes Bethlehem, which had had only a small troop presence since the IDF turned the security of city over to the PSF on 8/19/02; imposes a curfew; surrounds the Church of the Nativity to prevent armed Palestinians fr. seeking refuge there; conducts arrest raids, detaining 20 Palestinians; blows up the house rented by the family of the 11/21 bomber; encircles nearby Dahaysha r.c.; occupies 15 buildings, including a hospital, orphanage, 2 houses, 6 police stations, the local PSF headquarters; occupies as many as 30 Palestinian homes in al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, expelling the families; raids the home of Israeli UNRWA worker Allegra Pacheco, holding her at gunpoint for 2 hrs., arresting her husband. Senior Irish UNRWA official Iain Hook is fatally shot inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound by an IDF soldier who mistook his cell phone for a grenade as an IDF operation unfolded nearby to capture wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Abdallah Wahash, who is arrested; an 11-yr.-old Palestinian throwing stones at the troops is also shot dead. The IDF also raids, shells residential areas of, demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in al-Qarara; bulldozes 8 dunams of land in al-Qarara, 28 dunams s. of Dayr al-Balah; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Satar al-Sharqiyya (targeting Hamas mbrs.), Tulkarm. A Hamas sniper fatally shoots an IDF soldier on patrol nr. Gush Katif settlement. Palestinians detonate a roadside bomb nr. the Rafah-Egypt border, injuring 2 IDF soldiers. Late this evening, 2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonate their explosives-packed boat next to an Israeli naval patrol boat off the coast of Gaza, injuring 4 IDF soldiers. (HA, MM, NYT, PM, WP, WT 11/22; AFP 11/22 in WNC 11/25; AP, HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/23; NYT, WP 11/24; HA 11/25; NYT, WT 11/26; HA, LAW, PCHR 11/27; CSM, JP, WJW 11/28; HA 12/2; NYT 1/4)
Christian Coalition leaders end a wk.-long solidarity visit to Israel, saying they will use their "fact-finding mission" to help galvanize support for Israel in the U.S. (WT 11/27)
23 November
In Bethlehem, the IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes; continues arrest sweeps in Hebron, Bethlehem, al-Khadir, Tubas netting 22 Palestinians. A 15-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received on 11/20. (AP, HA 11/23; LAW, PCHR 11/27)
24 November
The IDF fires on Palestinians waiting to cross an IDF checkpoint w. of Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian; conducts house-to-house searches, arrests in Aida r.c., Bayt Umar, Bethlehem, Jit, Tal, Tubas, Tulkarm; raids, fires on residential areas of Rafah, Nablus, Nur al-Shams r.c., Tulkarm; bulldozes 14 dunams of land s. of Dayr al-Balah; raids the al-Ihsan charitable society, Hebron University dean’s offices in Hebron, confiscating computers, files; forces at gunpoint a 24-yr.-old Palestinian to undress in the main street of Nablus, bark like a dog. Late in the evening, the IDF sends 10s of tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs) into Qalqilya, imposes a curfew, raids Waqf offices, conducts arrest raids targeting Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mbrs. The UN sends an envoy to the West Bank to investigate the 11/22 death of a UNRWA official, new charges (11/23) by Israel that Palestinian gunmen were firing from inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound, prompting the IDF gunfire. (NYT, WT 11/25; WT 11//26; LAW, PCHR 11/27)
25 November
Under pressure fr. the U.S. to end its operations in the city quickly, the IDF pulls out of main areas of Bethlehem before dawn. The IDF also opens fire on 100s of Palestinian schoolchildren who defy the curfew in Nablus to go to classes, throw stones at troops, killing an 8-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 13; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Tulkarm, injuring 4; surrounds the PA Supply Min. in Ramallah, orders the surrender of PSF officers, who are then arrested; raids the Muslim Society offices, school in Hebron, confiscating files; halts an ambulance in Qalqilya, arrests the patient; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Sanur. (NYT 11/25; NYT, WP 11/26; LAW, PCHR 11/27; PRCS press release 12/2)
Israel asks the U.S. for $4 b. in new military aid to "defray the costs of fighting terrorism" plus $10 b. in loan guarantees to support its struggling economy. (HA, WP 11/26; MM, NYT 11/27; MEI 12/6; BBC 12/11)
26 November
Before dawn, the IDF raids Dayr al-Balah, demolishes 1 Palestinian home, fires on an ambulance, wounding a paramedic; sends 200 troops, heavy armor into Dahaysha r.c., conducting house-to-house searches, detaining at least 30 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids elsewhere in the West Bank, including Nablus, detaining at least 25 Palestinians. Israel also assassinates AMB Jenin leader Ala’ Ahmad Sabbagh and Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades Jenin cmdr. Imad Nasharti, firing a rocket into a house in Jenin r.c., where they were staying; fires on other residential areas of Jenin r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, bulldozes 5 dunams of land in al-Qarara; conducts arrest raids, demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Tulkarm. (WP 11/26; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/27; al-Quds 11/28 in WNC 11/29)
The Israel Project, a group of U.S. political consultants funded by American Jewish organizations and individual donors, sends a 6-page memo to pro-Israel leaders urging them to keep quiet while the U.S. pursues a possible war on Iraq. (WP 11/27)
27 November
Before dawn, IDF helicopters fire 5 missiles at a school in Khan Yunis, extensively damaging it; fatally shoots a Palestinian drummer going alley-to-alley in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus despite the curfew to declare the start of the day’s Ramadan fast (Ramadan began on 11/6), bars an ambulance fr. reaching him, allowing him to bleed to death. During the day, the IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian driving in Bethlehem; holds a Palestinian woman in labor at a Bethlehem checkpoint for 2 hrs., causing her baby to die; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Nablus; raids an emergency clinic in Hebron, vandalizing patient files. A PFLP suicide bomber detonates a car bomb nr. an IDF post in Gaza, killing himself but causing no other injuries. Palestinians fire 5 mortars at Gush Katif settlement, causing no damage or injuries. (LAW, PCHR, PM, UPMRC, WT 11/27; HA, WP 11/28)
Israel’s Interior M Eli Yishai announces his decision to strip Israeli Arab Qays Obeid, now residing in Lebanon, of his Israeli citizenship for allegedly spying for Hizballah, marking the 2d time Yishai has stripped an Israeli Arab of his citizenship. (HA 11/27) (see Quarterly Update in JPS 126)
28 November
In Mombassa, Kenya, a previously unknown group called the Government of Universal Palestine in Exile-Army of Palestine, thought to be connected to al-Qa`ida, stages a dual attack marking the 55th anniversary of the 1947 UN partition res., firing 2 missiles at an Israeli charter jet carrying 261 Israeli tourists leaving Mombassa airport, missing the plane; simultaneously, 3 suicide bombers detonate a car bomb outside the lobby of an Israeli-owned hotel, killing 3 Israeli tourists, 10 Kenyans (an 11th dies on 12/18), injuring 80, causing extensive damage. Hrs. later in Beit She’an in n. Israel, 2 AMB mbrs open fire on, toss grenades at a crowd of voters outside the local Likud polling station, killing 6 Israelis, wounding 20 before being fatally shot by Israeli police. Sharon convenes a security mtg. to discuss responses; once again does not invite Netanyahu (see 11/21). In Hebron, a 4-yr.-old Palestinian is fatally wounded by IDF gunfire in his home. The IDF also shells residential areas of Rafah r.c.; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara, Tulkarm. In a Tel Aviv court, Israeli Arab Nissim Nasser pleads guilty to spying for Hizballah in exchange for a reduced sentence. (AP, CNN, HA, MM 11/28; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/29; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/30; AYM 12/2 in WNC 12/6, 12/9; LAW, PCHR 12/3; JT 12/4 in WNC 12/5; JPI, MEI 12/6; WT 12/7; JTA 12/18)
Likud primaries go on despite the day’s attacks, with Sharon winning (56% to 40%) over Netanyahu. (MM 11/28; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/29; NYT 11/30; MEI 12/6; AYM 12/13 in WNC 12/16)
29 November
The IDF imposes a curfew on Ramallah; blows up 2 Palestinian homes before dawn in Jalbun; conducts arrest raids targeting AMB, Hamas mbrs. in Nablus; safely detonates a roadside bomb found in East Jerusalem, in an area usually patrolled by Israeli police; safely detonates a 2d explosive device found nr. Baqa’ Sharqiyya; fires on residential areas of Bayt Hanun, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Tal Zu’rub; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara; bulldozes 5 dunams of Palestinian land outside Khan Yunis. 2 Hamas gunmen open fire inside Dolah settlement in Gaza, wounding 2 Thai workers, 1 Jewish settler; 1 of the gunmen is shot dead. 2 IDF soldiers are lightly injured in an exchange of gunfire with a Palestinian nr. Neve Dekalim settlement. Israeli police arrest 2 Jews for stabbing, wounding a Palestinian in Jerusalem in an apparent hate crime. (JTA 11/29; HA, NYT, WP 11/30; LAW, PCHR 12/3)
Bush simultaneously imposes and waives a congressionally mandated sanction to "downgrade" the PLO office in Washington for at least 180 days, citing the PA for noncompliance with its commitment to work against violence. (NYT 12/3; MM 12/4; WJW 12/5; HA, WT 12/6; MEI 12/20) (see Doc. D1)
Chronology Source Abbreviations
ADL (Adalah, Shafa `Amr)
AFP (Agence France-Presse, Paris)
AN (Arab News, Riyadh)
AP (Associated Press [Internet])
ATL (Anatolia, Ankara)
AYM (al-Ayyam, Ramallah)
BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation World Service [Internet])
CNN (Cable News Network [Internet])
CSM (Christian Science Monitor, Boston)
DUS (al-Dustur, Amman)
HA (Ha’Aretz [Internet], Tel Aviv)
HP (Hear Palestine [Internet], Washington)
JP (Jerusalem Post [Internet], Jerusalem)
JPI (Jerusalem Post International Edition, Jerusalem)
JT (Jordan Times, Amman)
JTA (Jewish Telegraphic Agency [Internet])
LAW (Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, Jerusalem)
MA (Ma’ariv, Tel Aviv)
MEI (Middle East International, London)
MENA (Middle East News Agency, Cairo)
MM (Mideast Mirror, London)
NYT (New York Times, New York)
PCHR (Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Gaza)
PM (Palestine Monitor [Internet])
PR (Palestine Report, Jerusalem)
QA (al-Quds al-Arabi, London)
REU (Reuters [Internet])
SA (al-Sharq al-Awsat, London)
TJT (The Jerusalem Times, East Jerusalem)
UPMRC (Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees, Jerusalem)
USIS (USIS Washington File, Washington)
VOI (Voice of Israel, Jerusalem)
WJW (Washington Jewish Week, Rockville, MD)
WNC (World News Connection [Internet], Washington)
WP (Washington Post, Washington)
WT (Washington Times, Washington)
XIN (Xinhua-New China News Agency, Beijing)