6 Palestinians killed. 1 Israeli killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 5
Palestinians, 1 Israeli Arab, 1 IDF soldier dead, 300
Palestinians injured. More than 50 IDF shells fall in the Ramallah area,
hitting the PA civil administration building, the PA Central Bureau of
Statistics headquarters, the Islamic Elementary School, several
apartment complexes and homes. IDF tank, heavy machine gun fire are reported in
and around Hebron, Jinin, Khan Yunis, Nablus, Qalqilya, Salfit. The IDF also
bulldozes agricultural lands nr. Qalqilya. Jewish settlers uproot
Palestinian olive trees nr. Ramallah, assault Palestinians in several locations
around Nablus. Israel again restricts Palestinian access to al-Aqsa Mosque for
Friday prayers. Egypt reports that Israel is barring medical
goods, 30 ambulances donated by Saudi Arabia fr. entering Gaza via the
Rafah crossing. (ADM, LAW 11/10; MENA 11/10 in WNC 11/13; NYT, PCHR, WP 11/11;
HJ 11/15 in WNC 11/27)
UNSC resumes talks on an international buffer force for
the West Bank, Gaza. Arafat lobbies for the UN to send 2,000 troops to
the West Bank, Gaza, Jerusalem. The UK, U.S. vow to block the
proposal as long as Israel disapproves. (XIN 11/10 in WNC 11/13; NYT, WP,
WT 11/11; HJ 11/13 in WNC 11/15)
Following the funeral for Fatah cmdr. Ubayyat
(attended by 10,000 Palestinians), a Palestinian sniper fires on IDF
troops outside Rachel's Tomb nearby, killing 1 soldier, wounding another. A
small bomb explodes in East Jerusalem, slightly injuring an Israeli
border policeman.
In Amman, Jordanian security forces peacefully
disperse 1,000 Jordanians attempting to march to the Israeli emb. 100s
of Lebanese, Palestinian refugees demonstrate at Fatima Gate on the
blue line. The IDF shoots across the border, wounding a Lebanese truck
driver approaching the border with a load of stones. (AFP [Internet] 11/10;
DUS 11/10 in WNC 11/13; MEI 11/24)
The IDF sends tanks, bulldozers into the PA-controlled village of
al-Arqa nr. Jinin to arrest 12 Palestinians, uproot an olive grove; bulldozes
agricultural land in al-Mawasi area. Jewish settlers raid the Palestinian
village of al-Sawiyya nr. Nablus, set a car on fire. (PMC 11/11; PHRC 11/15)
The new UNGA session, postponed fr. 9/24 because of the 9/11 attacks,
opens in New York. (Arafat attends; Peres, who is in town, does
not because of the Jewish Sabbath.) In his address, Bush notes that the
U.S. is working "toward the day when two states--Israel and Palestine--live
peacefully together," marking the 1st time a U.S. pres. has used the word
"Palestine" to refer to the future Palestinian state. He also warns against
"trying to pick and choose . . . terrorist friends" in reference to his repeated
calls on the PA to crack down on violence. At a closed-door diplomatic lunch
hosted by Secy.+nGen. Annan, Bush refuses to greet or acknowledge
Arafat. (HA 11/10; AP, WP 11/11; DUS 11/11 in WNC 11/20; AFP, MM, NYT, WP
11/12; AYM 11/12 in WNC 11/14; MM 11/13; NYT 11/15; MENA 11/18 in WNC 11/19; MEI
11/23)
In Nazareth, 1,500 Israeli Arabs demonstrate against the Knesset
decision to lift MK Bishara's immunity. (AFP 11/10) (see 11/6)
5 Israelis killed.
The IDF pulls back to the outskirts of Jenin, ending its 2-wk.-old
Operation Vanguard (see 10/25); bulldozes 8 Palestinian homes in
Rafah; directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at residential areas of Khan
Yunis, al-Qarara, al-Rabwat al-Gharbiyya, Rafah, Tal al-Sultan; bulldozes 7
dunams of land s. of Khan Yunis. (GS, MEZ, MM, PM, NYT, WP, WT 11/11; Interfax 11/11 in WNC
11/12; MM, WP 11/12; LAW, PCHR 11/13)
Just inside Israel nr. Hadera, an IDF
patrol halts a suspicious Palestinian vehicle; the 2 occupants, apparently en
route to stage a suicide bombing, detonate an explosive device in the car,
killing themselves. In the same area late in the evening, an AMB gunman
sneaks into a kibbutz in n. Israel, fires on residents, killing 5 Israelis
before escaping.
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF expels West Bank administrative detainee Idris to Gaza
(see 10/14); arrests PA High Court Justice Shaykh Taysir al-Tamimi, 4
other Palestinians as they leave al-Aqsa Mosque after prayers, charges
them with being in Jerusalem without permits; fires on residential areas,
demolishes 23 Palestinian homes, 5 commercial properties in Rafah; fires
on residential areas of Rafah, wounding 3; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c.,
Nablus, Nur al-Shams r.c., villages around Ramallah. A 15-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received
on 11/9. (BBC, HA, PRCS 11/10; MM, PCHR 11/11; PCHR 11/13)
A Palestinian
attempts to stab an Israeli police officer in Jerusalem but is arrested
without harming him.
3 Palestinians killed.
The IDF reinforces troops around, further restricts Palestinian access
to East Jerusalem; raids, kills 2 Palestinian gunmen in an exchange of
fire nr. Bayt Hanun; fatally shoots a Palestinian swimming in a
prohibited zone off the coast of Gaza; bulldozes 50 d. nr. Khan Yunis. (HA, VOI, VOP 11/10 in WNC 11/12; PRCS, WP 11/11)
At 9:30 p.m. EST (3:30 a.m. on 11/11 local time), Arafat dies in a
Paris hospital. The PA declares a 40-day mourning period; immediately begins
preparations to hold a state funeral in Cairo on 11/12, followed by his
"temporary" burial in his Ramallah compound (the Muqata) later in the day.
Earlier this afternoon, in anticipation of Arafat's passing, the PLO Exec.
Comm., the PA national security council, Fatah Central Comm.,
senior PC mbrs. meet in Ramallah to discuss leadership transitions,
intentions to hold elections within 60 days of Arafat's death, in keeping with
the unratified Basic Law. (MM 11/10; AFP, JAZ, MENA, VOP 11/10 in WNC 11/12;
BBC, CSM, HA, JAZ, MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/11; AFP, ATL, DS, Interfax, IRNA,
ITAR-TASS, JAZ, JT, MENA, VOI, VOP, XIN 11/11 in WNC 11/13; NYT, WP 11/12; PCHR
11/18; JPI 11/19)
Palestinians fire 3 mortars at Neve Dekalim, causing no damage or
injuries.
The IDF conducts arrest raids in villages around Hebron; patrols
in Qabatya, temporarily occupying a Palestinian home as an observation post;
begins construction of a new segment of the separation wall in East
Jerusalem nr. Azariyya; bulldozes land in Kafr Haris nr. Nablus for an
observation tower. (IMEMC 11/10; PCHR 11/17)
Vice PM Peres loses the Labor party primaries to Histadrut labor
union leader Amir Peretz, who ran on the promise to end Labor's
participation in a coalition government with Likud (to protest Likud's cuts to
economic spending and increased privatization) and to push for early elections
if he won. (BBC, NYT, WP, WT 11/10; HA, WP, WT, YA 11/11; CSM, HA, JTA 11/14)
1 Palestinian killed.
In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron. A
Palestinian wounded in the 11/8 artillery strike on Bayt Hanun dies. (WP, WT
11/11; PCHR 11/16)
The UN presents Lebanese PM Siniora with a proposal to set up a war crimes
tribunal to prosecute suspects in the 2/05 Hariri assassination. (WP 11/11)
1 Palestinian killed.
IDF troops
on the Gaza border e. of Gaza City fire a surface-to-surface missile at an
unmanned rocket launcher, striking nr. a civilian vehicle driving in the area, killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 6. (PCHR 11/15)
Lebanese PM Siniora postpones
presidential elections a 3d time, until 11/21—3 days before Pres. Lahoud
must step down. (WP, WT 11/11) (see 10/22)
Israeli forces arrested 11 Palestinians in Hebron, Bethlehem and Jenin. In addition, three workers from the Nablus area were beaten with stones by Israeli soldiers and suffered broken bones. (Ma'an News Agency, WAFA)
Border crossings between the Gaza Strip and Israel had remained closed since 5 November. Defense Minister Barak announced that Israel had decided to keep the crossings closed, including for the fuel shipments to Gaza. In addition, no journalists were being allowed to enter the Gaza Strip. The Foreign Press Association in Israel said that the restrictions were a "serious violation of press freedom". (AP, BBC, Haaretz, IMEMC, The Jerusalem Post, WAFA, Xinhua)
The French Presidency of the European Union firmly criticized Israel and expressed "deep concern" at the demolition of Arab-owned houses in several parts of East Jerusalem carried out in recent days. The European Union "recalled that these operations, which seriously affect the life of the residents of these areas, are illegal under international law and called on the Israeli authorities to put an end to them as soon as possible." The European Union urged Israel "to refrain from all unilateral measures that may prejudge the result of the final status negotiations, particularly in Jerusalem." (DPA, Ma'an News Agency)
The Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Amre Moussa, called for an emergency meeting of Arab Foreign Ministers to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, also questioning a statement by the Quartet that the talks were "promising" despite "gaps and obstacles". He wanted to know what that meant. The same day, outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Olmert stated, during a commemoration of the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, that if "we are determined to maintain a Jewish and democratic Israel, we must concede parts of the homeland we have prayed for and dreamt of for generations, as well as Arab neighbourhoods of Jerusalem, and return to the State of Israel in 1967 with amendments." He cautioned that time was running out for a two-State solution. (AFP, The Jerusalem Post, Reuters, Ynetnews)
At least three Qassam rockets fired from the Gaza Strip landed in the western Negev, two on the outskirts of Sderot, causing no casualties or damage. (The Jerusalem Post, Xinhua, Ynetnews)
The European Commission announced that it would allocate €1.5 million in humanitarian aid for the most vulnerable Palestinian communities, including Bedouins, farmers, shepherds and marginalized communities in Area C of the West Bank. The funding package would help meet the vital needs of some 100,000 Palestinians who have been affected by severe climatic conditions that destroyed between 70 and 100 per cent of open fields and have caused extreme water shortages in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (WAFA)