4 Palestinians killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue unabated, leaving
4 Palestinians dead, more than 60 injured, mostly in Gaza. The IDF
bars an ambulance fr. taking a seriously wounded Palestinian into Jordan
for treatment. Jewish settlers fr. Beitar Ilit assault Palestinians
harvesting their olive grove; the IDF intervenes, forcing the
Palestinians to leave. (ADM, LAW 10/21; NYT, WP, WT 10/22; JT 11/9 in WNC 11/13)
In Cairo, Arab League opens a 2-day emergency session
on the recent Israeli-Palestinian violence, the peace process. (WT 10/21; NYT,
WP, WT 10/22; MM 10/23; MENA 10/24 in WNC 10/25; MEI 10/27; MM 11/7) (see Peace
Monitor)
1,000s of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon,
Syria stage demonstrations calling on Arab leaders to sever all ties with
Israel. Demonstration in solidarity with the Palestinian people are held in
Italy, Kenya, the UK, Yemen. In the U.S.,
rallies are held in Austin, Miami Beach, San Francisco. Israeli Jews,
Arabs fr. the mixed community of Neve Shalom host a peace rally in Haifa,
but barely 1,000 Israelis attend. (UPI 10/21; WP 10/22; WJW 11/9)
5 Palestinians killed.
The IDF reinforces positions inside Bethlehem, where IDF
shelling kills 3 Palestinians nr. a hospital; a 4th Palestinian is
fatally shot while harvesting olive outside Jinin; a 5th Palestinian dies
of injuries received earlier. Other IDF shells land within 50 yds. of the Church
of the Nativity, injuring 2 Palestinians. The IDF also fires on a UN
ambulance in Bethlehem, seriously injuring the driver; rockets a power
station in Tulkarm; occupies 2 Palestinian homes in Qalqilya, 1 in Khan
Yunis; reinforces positions in Ramallah and al-Bireh, destroying a Force 17
office. Sharon says the PA must meet 3 conditions for a return to
talks: a complete halt to "terrorism and incitement," the arrests of
"terrorists" and the disbanding of their organizations, the extradition of those
involved in the Ze'evi assassination. (AP 10/21; MENA 10/21 in
WNC 10/22; AP, LAW, NYT, PMC, WT 10/22; MM 10/23; SA 10/23 in WNC 10/24; PCHR
10/24; HA 10/27)
The Labor party threatens to quit the governing coalition if Sharon
expands the reoccupation of PA-controlled territories. (AFP 10/21; MM,
WP, WT 10/22)
The PA outlaws the armed wing of
the PFLP, detains another 13 PFLP mbrs.
4 Palestinians killed. 14 Israelis killed.
The IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinians nr. Kefar Darom; bulldozes a Palestinian
home in Qabatya, some agricultural land nr. Aley Sinai settlement; conducts
arrest raids in Bethlehem, Qalqilya; bars an ambulance fr. crossing an IDF
checkpoint, allowing an ailing Palestinian to die. Another Palestinian
dies of injuries received on 12/10/01. At Havat Gilad, Jewish
settlers again try to rebuild sites demolished by the IDF. Jewish
settlers fr. Shvut Rachel attack Palestinians harvesting olives nr.
Nablus, setting 7 Palestinian cars and 50 trees afire, uprooting another 54
trees; in response, some 200 Palestinian start marching toward the settlement,
but the IDF turns them away. Jewish settlers fr. Shilo fire on
Palestinian farmers n. of Ramallah, wounding 4. (HA, MM, WP 10/21; Interfax
10/21 in WNC 10/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/22; AFP, ATL, ITAR-TASS 10/22 in WNC
10/23; LAW, MM, PCHR 10/23; WJW 10/24; MEI 10/25)
Outside Hadera, 2 Islamic Jihad suicide bombers detonate a car
bomb next to a bus, killing 14 Israelis, wounding 40. Palestinians reportedly fire a
mortar in Gaza, causing no damage or injuries.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF raids Ramallah, imposes curfew, surrounds a mosque after
evening prayers in search of wanted Hamas mbrs., fires on a crowd of 100s
of stone-throwing youths, wounding 16; no arrests are made. The IDF also
conducts arrest raids in al-Bireh. A Palestinian dies of injuries
received in 2002. (ATL, VOP 10/21 in WNC 10/23; HA, PR, WT 10/22; PCHR 10/23)
4 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
During the day in Gaza, the IDF assassinates Izzeddine al-Qassam
Brigades 2d in command `Adnan al-Gul (a founding mbr. of Hamas whom Israel
considers responsible for the development of Qassam rockets and whom it has
tried to assassinate on at least 4 previous occasions), firing 2 missiles at him
as he leaves a building in Gaza City, also killing senior field cmdr. Imad
Abbas, wounding 4 bystanders; attempts to assassinate PRC military cmdr.
`Abd al-Rahman Qarmut, firing a missile at his home in Jabaliya r.c.,
wounding him and his child; fatally shoots 2 armed Palestinians (1 AMB,
1 Islamic Jihad) who attempt to infiltrate Israel nr. the Nahal Oz
crossing outside Gaza City; conducts 2 raids into Rafah, shelling residential
areas, demolishing 7 Palestinian homes, bulldozing 9 d. In
Hebron, the IDF raids 2 mosques during evening prayers, interrogates and
checks IDs worshipers; raids a university, checks students' IDs; raids, occupies
a Palestinian home. In Qalqilya, the IDF demolishes 2 Palestinian
homes. Jewish settlers
attempt to steal olives fr. a grove in al-Mughayyir; Palestinians confront and
scuffle with them; 1 settler opens fire, injuring 1 Palestinian; the IDF
intervenes, detains the gunman. (VOI, VOP 10/21 in WNC 10/23; BBC, NYT, WP, WT 10/22; AFP, VOP
10/22, HJ, VOI 10/23 in WNC 10/26; PR 10/17; PCHR 10/28)
In Rafah, an
IDF soldier investigating a smugglers’ tunnel is killed by an
explosion, possibly fr. a booby trap; Hamas claims responsibility. Palestinians fire a Qassam rocket at Sederot, a
mortar at Gush Katif, causing no damage or injuries. Islamic Jihad mbrs. stop the car of PA
military intelligence officer Hajij al-Sirhi in central Gaza, seize the car
and 2 rifles; Sirhi reportedly impounded the car fr. Islamic Jihad mbrs. several
mos. earlier.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians
outside Surif; conduct late-night arrest raids, house searches in Hebron and nr.
Nablus, Ramallah. Jewish settlers fr. Elon Moreh cut down another 200
olive trees in Salim (see 10/20). (HA 10/21; HA, NYT, WP 10/22; PCHR 10/27)
An AMB gunman fires on, damages an IDF jeep in Tulkarm, is
killed by return fire.
The IDF demolishes 12 Palestinian homes in Rafah, a house and workshop in
Bayt Hanun industrial zone. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids in
Jenin town and r.c. (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, wounding 2), in
and around Hebron, nr. Qalqilya. ESF, Fatah mbrs. exchange fire in al-Bureij
r.c., wounding 2 ESF mbrs. (OCHA 11/1; PCHR 11/2)
1 Palestinian killed.
IDF troops
on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun fire a surface-to-surface missile at 4 Hamas
mbrs. nearly 1.5 mi. inside the border, wounding 1. Gaza hospitals
announce that they have suspended surgeries because Israel is blocking
the import of anesthesia drugs. In the West Bank, the IDF deliberately
fires on, disables an electricity network in Sa`ir nr. Hebron; conducts arrest
raids, house searches in and around Nablus. A Jewish settler fr. Ariel
kills a 40-yr.-old Palestinian man in a deliberate hit-and-run nr. Kafr Qasim.
Jewish settlers fr. Beitar nr. Bethlehem attack a Palestinian passing
nr. the settlement. (Deutsche
Presse-Agentur 10/21; OCHA 10/24; PCHR 10/25)
In Rafah, an Islamic Jihad mbr. shoots, wounds a Hamas mbr. outside his home. Later in Rafah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad mbrs. exchange heavy fire (including RPGs), leaving 1 Islamic Jihad
mbr. dead and 12 Palestinians injured; the leaderships of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and the PRCs intervene to end the fighting. In Gaza City, 100 Palestinians
stage a sit-in outside the Palestinian Council headquarters to protest the PA’s
halt to issuing passports and travel documents for Gazans.
In the village of Kafr Qaddum in the northern West Bank Israeli forces arrested three Palestinian journalists from Watan TV who were filming settler attacks on Palestinian farmers. (Ma'an News Agency)
Two Palestinians were arrested by Israeli authorities for alleged incitement during a visit by Jews to the Al-Haram Al-Sharif (Temple Mount) in East Jerusalem. (Haaretz)
Militants from an organization calling themselves "Hezbollah-Palestine" took responsibility for firing a Qassam rocket towards Israel from the northern Gaza Strip. It landed in an open area near the Yad Mordechai kibbutz in the Negev desert in Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Israeli Defense Minister Barak ordered the closing of all border crossings between Gaza and Israel. (Haaretz, IMEMC, Ma'an News Agency, Reuters, WAFA, Ynetnews)
Hamas voiced tentative approval of an Egyptian draft plan for unity. "We will agree to the draft of the agreement and will not reject it, but there needs to be guarantees that what is agreed upon will be implemented," Hamas spokesperson Fawzi Barhoum said. He added, "Hamas will work towards the success of the Egyptian effort to reach a national reconciliation that protects our principles, preserves our blood and unites our people … The draft contains positive elements, but also has some points that need to be modified and some points that need clarification from the Egyptian leadership. (Ma'an News Agency)
The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) expressed approval for the Egyptian proposal for Palestinian unity. PFLP Central Committee member Jamil Mizher said," We appreciate and applaud this Egyptian effort even though the PFLP made its own notes on that draft regarding government, resistance, security systems, elections and PLO issues." (Ma'an News Agency)
Hundreds of Palestinian business leaders met in Istanbul for talks on business cooperation with the Diaspora. Forum spokesperson Ziad Al-Aloul said that the forum "aimed at building cooperation between those [business] leaders and to encourage investment in Palestine." The forum was expected to attract more than 300 businesspersons from around the world, along with a number of ministers, deputies and heads of Turkish ministries. (Ma'an News Agency)