1 Palestinian killed. 1 Israeli killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue. 1 Palestinian dies of
injuries received earlier. The IDF halts an ambulance carrying a wounded
Palestinian to a hospital in Ramallah, forces the ambulance to drive to an IDF
post where the soldiers arrested the wounded man, detained him for 2 hrs. before
transporting him to a hospital inside Israel. (LAW 12/21; WP 12/22; LAW 1/30)
Israel, the PA begin direct negotiations at Bolling AFB. The PA
team walks out of talks when Ben-Ami begins talking about Israel annexing
10% of the West Bank in a final agmt. whereas he had earlier said 5% but agrees
to continue talks after conferring privately with Ross. This evening,
Clinton phones Egypt's Mubarak to brief him on the talks. Mubarak,
Arafat then speak by phone. (REU 12/21; HJ, MENA 12/21 in WNC 12/26; WP, WT,
YA 12/22; WT 12/23; WT, YA 12/24)
1 Jewish settler is shot dead in a drive-by
shooting in the West Bank.
Hamas agrees in writing to suspend suicide bombings in
Israel, mortar attacks on Israeli targets for the sake of Palestinian unity (see
12/19). Islamic Jihad also agrees to a temporary halt to suicide
bombings. Meanwhile in Gaza, 100s of Palestinians attend the funeral for
an Islamic Jihad mbr. killed on 12/20. As the funeral procession passes, the PSF
headquarters in Jabaliya, masked Islamic Jihad mbrs. smash a police car,
open fire on PSF officers, sparking a riot involving 1,000s of
Palestinians and an exchange of gunfire that leave at least 6
Palestinians (all civilians) dead, more than 80 injured. Tonight, 60 of
Gaza's local leaders hold an emergency mtg. to discuss arrangements to prevent
further intra-Palestinian clashes. Following Friday prayers in Ramallah, reps.
of all Palestinian factions, followed by 100s of Palestinians,
stage a peaceful unity march on occupying IDF tanks, but the march turns
violent when a few demonstrators throw stones at the tanks, the IDF fires
rubber-coated steel bullets on demonstrators, injuring 2. (AFP, HA 12/21; MA,
VIRI 12/21, AYM 12/22, 12/24 in WNC 12/26; LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/22; WP
12/23; NYT 12/24; SA 12/26 in WNC 12/27; AYM, SA 12/27 in WNC 12/28)
3 Palestinians killed.
A 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl is killed by stray IDF gunfire on
the way home fr. school in Rafah. The IDF shoots, wounds a 3d Palestinian
who ventures too close to Kefar Darom settlement; fires on a Palestinian vehicle
driving nr. Dayr al-Balah, injuring the driver. (NYT, WT 12/22; LAW, PCHR 12/25)
A PSF officer is shot,
wounded by an Islamic Jihad mbr. when he stops the Jihad mbrs. car nr.
Bayt Hanun, suspecting it was heading to the border to shoot a mortar into
Israel.
3 Palestinians killed.
The IDF conducts an overnight raid of Nablus, detaining
regional Hamas spokesman Adnan Asfur; continues house-to-house searches in
Balata r.c. for the 6th day, during which a 5-yr.-old Palestinian playing
in his yard is killed by stray gunfire, a 53-yr.-old Palestinian dies fr.
tear gas inhalation during a raid on his home; demolishes 7 Palestinian homes
in Rafah, also firing on residential areas; begins implementing an order to raze
3,000 dunams of land in and around Tarqumiyya nr. Hebron for Jewish settlement
infrastructure; bulldozes 14 dunams of land in Wadi al-Silqa nr. Dayr al-Balah.
A Palestinian teen dies of injuries received on 12/16. 13 reservists
of the IDF elite commando unit Sayaret Matkal sign an open letter to
Sharon refusing to serve in the occupied territories, stating, “We have long
ago crossed the line between fighting a just cause and oppressing another
people.” (HA, REU 12/21; IDF Radio 12/21 in WNC 12/23; HA, MM, NYT, PM, PRCS,
WP, WT 12/22; MM 12/23; PR 12/24; PCHR 12/25)
The IDF seals Jericho for the day; closes the Gaza coastal and the
Jenin–Nablus roads to Palestinian traffic; makes an incursion into Shaykh Ajlin
neighborhood in Gaza City, shells residential areas, bulldozes 69 d. of
agricultural land; fires on Brazil r.c.; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis;
conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin, and in Hebron,
Nablus, and Nur al-Shams r.c. nr. Tulkarm. (JTA 12/21;
VOP 12/21 in WNC 12/23; PCHR, WP 12/23)
A West Bank Palestinian sneaks
across the Green Line, fatally stabs an Israeli woman outside her home in
Moshav Nehusha, 1 mi inside Israel; no word on whether he is arrested or
escapes. Palestinians fire an antitank missile at a Jewish
settlement in Gaza, damaging a synagogue but causing no injuries.
1 Palestinian killed.
Two IDF undercover units riding in vehicles with Palestinian
plates raid Jenin, fatally shoot a Izzeddine al-Qassam Brigades cmdr. Zayid
Musa in an apparent assassination; open fire on Palestinians who gather to
protest the killing, wounding 5; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Alar,
Qalqilya and nr. Bethlehem, Nablus, Ramallah Israel warns that Israel may
cut off Gaza's electricity supply if rocket attacks continue. (IMEMC 12/21; JAZ, NYT, PCHR
12/22, 12/29)
In Gaza, the
principal and vice principal of the American International School (1
Australian, 1 Dutch) are kidnapped, held for 8 hrs., released unharmed by
PFLP mbrs. seeking the release of PFLP leader Ahmad Saadat, who has been
jailed by the PA at Israel's request since 4/02.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF patrols in Tulkarm town and r.c.; conducts arrest raids, house
searches nr. Bethlehem, Hebron. A Palestinian dies of injuries
received when the Israeli navy fired on the Rafah coast on 12/13. (MM 12/22;
NYT, WT 12/23; OCHA 12/27; PCHR 12/28)
Palestinians fire 6 rockets fr. Gaza into
Israel, lightly injuring a 2-yr.-old Israeli boy.
In the West Bank, the IDF fires
rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at Palestinian,
Israeli, international activists taking part in nonviolent demonstrations
against the separation wall in Bil`in (injuring 5) and al-Ma`sara
(injuring 3). (NYT 12/22; OCHA 12/26; PCHR 12/27)
An Israel helicopter hit eastern Gaza City with two air-to-ground missiles, wounding three Palestinian militants and one child, Palestinian security sources said. (AP, Xinhua)
The top candidates to become Israel's next prime minister, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and Likud Party chief Benjamin Netanyahu, vowed to topple Hamas in the Gaza Strip. The statements followed a cabinet meeting in which outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cautioned against rushing into a large-scale ground operation in Gaza in response to escalating rocket fire by militants. The Israeli military still carried out air strikes against rocket launchers but military sources said the air force now had a green light to go after other Hamas targets as well. (Reuters)
Head of the Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency Yuval Diskin warned Israel's Cabinet that Hamas now had rockets that could reach the larger city of Ashdod farther north on the Mediterranean coast and even the outskirts of Beersheba, 30 miles (50 km) to the east. (AP, Reuters)
Some 27 rockets and mortars were fired from the Gaza Strip into Israel. One rocket hit a house in Sderot, scattering rubble and furniture inside. (DPA, Haaretz)