13 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
On the 4th day of Palestinian-Israeli clashes, another
attempt to secure a cease-fire fails, and rioting spreads to Israeli cities,
including Acre, Jaffa, Nazareth, Tel Aviv, and
Israeli Arab towns across the Galilee. In Umm al-Fahm, 1 Israeli
Arab is shot dead by Israeli police, sparking massive rioting. In the
West Bank and Gaza, the IDF rolls out heavy weapons--including tanks,
antitank missiles, attack helicopters, grenades--to combat stone-throwing
Palestinians, resulting in another 12 Palestinian fatalities, over 200
Palestinians wounded. The 1st IDF soldier is killed in street clashes
(see 9/29). Jewish settlers in Jerusalem open fire on a Palestinian car,
killing a toddler. The IDF places a 24-hr. curfew on Palestinians in Hebron. Israel
states that its troops have "exercised restraint," accuses the PA of
"orchestrating a campaign of spreading violence for political gain." Clinton
phones Arafat to urge him to halt the violence; says that once the
fighting stops, he will convene PA, Israeli security officials for a
fact-finding session "to figure out what went wrong." (PCHR 10/1; IRNA, MENA
10/1 in WNC 10/2; AFP 10/1, IRNA 10/2 in WNC 10/3; AP, CSM, MM, NYT, WP, WT
10/2; HA [Internet], MM, NYT 10/3; MEI 10/13)
On his 1st official visit abroad as head of state, Syrian
pres. Bashar al-Asad arrives in Cairo to meet with Pres. Mubarak.
Talks touch on bilateral relations, the peace process, Jerusalem. (MENA 10/1 in
WNC 10/2, 10/3)
The 1st confirmed incidents of Palestinians shooting at IDF
troops take place in Gaza and Ramallah, but no IDF injuries are reported.
In Amman, Jordanians, Palestinians demonstrate
against Israel's use of excessive force against Palestinians. (JT 10/5 in WNC
10/6)
The IDF direct shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Jinin, Rafah;
tightens the closure on Jinin, Khan Yunis, Ramallah, Tulkarm; bars teachers,
students fr. entering a school in Hawara; raids a 2d school in Nablus. Jewish
settlers severely beat 2 Palestinian children en route to school in Nablus;
bulldoze 350 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Mihula; raid Kafr Laqif village nr.
Qalqilya, attack several Palestinians, set fire to an olive grove. The IDF
bars a pregnant Palestinian woman in labor fr. crossing a checkpoint to
reach a hospital, forcing her to give birth at the crossing. (AP, HP 10/1; GS,
HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/2; MM 10/3; LAW 10/10; MEI 10/12)
Senior Israeli, PA security officials discuss cease-fire
implementation. Israeli DM Benjamin Ben-Eliezer authorizes the IDF to
remove roadblocks around Jericho, reopen the Rafah crossing into Egypt, ease
Palestinians' passage through checkpoints, withdraw tanks from areas "where
quiet is maintained." (Israeli DMin. press release, JP [Internet] 10/1; AYM 10/1
in WNC 10/2; al-Quds 10/2 in WNC 10/3)
Islamic Jihad detonates a car bomb in a parking garage in Talpiot
settlement in East Jerusalem, causing damage but no injuries.
Inside Israel, Israeli Arabs observe a general strike, stage protests
to mark the 1st anniversary of the 10/00 riots, which left 18 Israeli Arabs dead
(13 killed by Israeli police; 5 by Israeli civilians). Israeli police
keep a distance fr. demonstrators; no violence is reported. (MM 10/1)
IDF snipers occupy buildings overlooking Arafat's Ramallah
compound, including at least 1 Palestinian home and the PA Culture
Min.; Ben-Eliezer says the purpose is "to put [our] hands on all
those inside who are suspects if they try to come out." After allowing visits
twice in the past 2 wks., Ben-Eliezer orders the IDF to bar Jewish
worshipers fr. Joseph's Tomb in Nablus for safety reasons. (HA 10/1; NYT, WT
10/2)
2 Palestinians killed.
In an apparent assassination, IDF undercover units fatally shoot
Islamic Jihad mbrs. Rabah Abu Dakka, Mazin Badawi (whom the IDF attempted to
assassinate on 6/5/03), wound 4 Palestinians in a raid on a Tulkarm r.c. market.
The IDF also conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Jenin r.c. (capturing
senior Islamic Jihad mbr. Shaykh Bassam Saadi), Nablus, Ramallah;
blows up 12 Palestinian homes in Rafah, bulldozes 1 in Dayr al-Balah;
bulldozes 9 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah, 8 dunams in Khan Yunis; shells
residential areas of Dayr al-Balah. Israel also bars Palestinian
Reuters photographer `Abd al-Rahim al-Qawasini fr. traveling to France,
where his work is to be exhibited by the group Artists Against War; bars
Palestinian reporters Bashar Daraghima, Amin Abu Warda fr. going to Jordan
to take courses in international journalism. Another 2 nonactive Israeli
pilots sign onto the 9/24 pilots’ letter. (HA, MM 10/1; NYT, PCHR, WP 10/2;
al-Quds 10/2 in WNC 10/7; PCHR 10/9)
11 Palestinians killed.
The IDF launches Operation Days of Penitence, sending 3
brigades (ca. 2,000 troops) with 100 tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs),
armored bulldozers to cordon off the n. Gaza Strip, killing 8 Palestinians
(including at least 3 Hamas mbrs., 3 other armed Palestinians, 2
bystanders), wounding 17 in clashes during the day (some casualties, according
to hospital workers, were hit by internationally banned flechettes); 2
Palestinians (including 1 militant) die of injuries received in n. Gaza on
9/29, 9/30; the IDF also drops a bomb on a factory in Jabaliya r.c. The IDF
fatally shoots 1 Palestinian, captures 7 attempting to cross the
Israel-Gaza border nr. the Erez crossing; the AMB, Hamas say the 8
(who are wearing PA police uniforms, carrying 88 lbs of explosives) are their
mbrs. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Rafah; fires missiles at
a workshop in Gaza City, causing serious damage, no injuries. (HA 10/1; JAZ, VOI,
VOP 10/1 in WNC 10/5; HA, NYT, WP 10/2; PCHR 10/7)
Armed Palestinians build sand berms to block streets, lay booby-traps along roads
in Jabaliya, wounding 2 IDF soldiers with a roadside bomb. In Sakhnin,
Israel, 3,000 Israeli Palestinians hold a demonstration to commemorate
the 4th anniversary of the 10/00 riots, during which 18 Israeli Palestinians
died (13 killed by Israeli police, 5 by Israeli civilians).
The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, nr. Ramallah.
A Jewish settler injures an 11-yr.-old Palestinian boy in a hit-and-run
nr. Qalqilya. (IMEMC 10/1; PCHR 10/6)
The IDF sends troops, tanks, bulldozers into n. Gaza to occupy border areas
nr. Bayt Hanun (the Shurrab Farm area), Bayt Lahiya to deter Palestinian rocket
fire. In the West Bank, the IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Tubas.
The IDF completes its
withdrawal fr. Lebanon at 2:30 A.M. local time (8:30 P.M. 9/30 ET) but vows to
continue surveillance overflights of Lebanon until UN Res. 1701 is implemented
in full, including the release of 2 captured IDF soldiers and disarmament of
Hizballah. The UN says that the overflights constitute violations of the
cease-fire. (NYT, WP 10/1; NYT 10/2; see also NYT 9/27) (see 9/8, 9/19)
In Gaza City, Fatah-led protests demanding that the Hamas-led government pay
back salaries owed civil servants escalate dramatically, with some 3,000
Fatah-affiliated security forces attacking members of the predominantly Hamas
ESF, sparking clashes that leave 6 Palestinians dead (3 bystanders, 1 Force 17
officer, 1 PSF officer, 1 ESF officer), around 61 wounded; the ESF reportedly
uses grenades, antitank weapons, rifles to break up the demonstration and
arrests 25 protesters. During the day, demonstrations spread to Khan Yunis
(where Fatah-affiliated security officers clash with the ESF, leaving 26
wounded), al-Bureij r.c. (where Fatah, Hamas mbrs. exchange fire, killing 2
Palestinians), Ramallah (where AMB mbrs. demonstrate for the removal of the
Hamasled government and vandalize, partially burn the empty PC building and
adjacent building, vandalizing a Hamas newspaper office, temporarily occupying
the PA Education Min.), as well as in Askar r.c. (where Fatah, Hamas mbrs. trade
fire, wounding 1 Palestinian), Balata r.c. (where protesters attack a women’s
center, a youth center), Hebron (where Fatah protesters ransack, set fire to
offices of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs.), Nablus (where Fatah mbrs. ransack, torch
offices of Hamas-affiliated PC mbrs.; vandalize 2 Islamic private schools,
wounding 2 Palestinians; fire on the home of an al-Jazeera TV reporter), and
Salfit (where protesters attack the al-Nahda association offices). Late in the
evening in Gaza City, suspected Hamas mbrs. throw grenades at a group of PSF
protesters, killing 1 PSF mbr., wounding 30. Late in the evening, PA Interior M
Siyam orders the ESF to return to barracks to reduce tensions. Abbas, Haniyeh
appeal for calm. (AP, NYT, WP, WT 10/2; PCHR 10/5)
As a gesture to Abbas, Israel frees 57
Palestinian prisoners from the West Bank (mostly Fatah mbrs. but also
mbrs. of the DFLP, PFLP, and PA security forces) to mark
Ramadan; the release of 29 prisoners fr. Gaza to “encourage the moderates”
there is delayed until 10/2 after Israeli pres. Shimon Peres initially refuses
to sign the releases, citing captured IDF soldier Gilad Shalit’s
continued detention in Gaza, finally signing them late in the evening.
Meanwhile, the IDF on the Israeli side of the Erez crossing fires at a
crowd on the Palestinians side gathered to welcome home the prisoners, wounding a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Nablus, in Hebron, nr. Ramallah; removes Jewish settlers
fr. 2 unauthorized settlement outposts occupied on 9/30 as well as fr. 2 new sites
occupied today nr. Elon Moreh settlement nr. Nablus and Keddumim settlement nr.
Qalqilya. In Gaza, some 300 PFLP mbrs. stage a solidarity sit-in outside
the home of a UNRWA staff mbr. who was temporarily kidnapped, beaten by unknown assailants earlier in the day. (NYT 10/2; OCHA 10/3; PCHR 10/4)