A day before he leaves office, Clinton issues open letters to Israeli,
Palestinian people lecturing each side on its responsibility to continue
pushing toward a comprehensive peace agmt. (WP, WT 1/20; WJW 1/25) (see Doc.
D???)
Israel resumes construction of a security fence along the blue line with
Lebanon. (MA 1/19 in WNC 1/22; MEI 2/9)
The IDF continues to reinforce blockades around major
Palestinian cities, towns. Palestinians in Ikrama report some 70 IDF tanks
moving toward Tulkarm. Arafat appeals to the international community to
intervene with Israel, warning the situation in the territories is
extremely dangerous. (WT 1/20)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF fires on, shells residential areas of Hebron, Khan Yunis,
Nablus; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Lahia; conducts arrest
raids in Jenin. 100s of Jewish settlers rampage through Hebron for a 3d
day, setting fire to Palestinian cars, smashing windows of homes, attacking
journalists, smashing their cameras; at least 10 cars, 25 homes have been
damaged since 1/17. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on 1/11. (HA,
JP 1/19; NYT, WP 1/20; NYT 1/21; LAW, PCHR 1/22; HA 1/27)
The IDF issues confiscation orders for 700 dunams of Palestinian land
(including 10 Palestinian homes) in Dayr al-Balah nr. Kefar Darom
settlement; for no apparent reason, fires on Palestinians waiting to go through
the Erez crossing, wounding 25; fires on residential areas of Rafah, seriously
injuring 1 woman outside her home; fires on, seriously wounds a deaf-mute
Palestinian woman who strays too close to the separation wall nr. Qalqilya;
conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Nablus, Qalqilya, Tulkarm.
(PCHR 1/20; VOI, VOP, YA 1/20 in WNC 1/22; LAW, PCHR 1/22)
The IDF sends a bulldozer into Lebanese territory to clear mines laid
by Hizballah along the de facto border. Hizballah shells the bulldozer
when it crosses the demarcation fence into Lebanon, killing 1 IDF soldier,
wounding 2. (HA 1/19; LBC, MNR 1/19 in WNC 1/21; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 1/20; IDF
Radio, MNR 1/20 in WNC 1/22; MM 1/21; IRNA 1/21 in WNC 1/23; MM 1/22, 1/23; NYT
1/29)
3 Palestinians killed.
The IDF fatally shoots 2 Palestinians allegedly planting a
roadside bomb in n. Gaza; demolishes a 3-story Palestinian building, severely
damages 7 Palestinian homes and 10 shops in Nablus; fires live
ammunition, tear gas on a group of Palestinians who approach the closed Abu Huli
checkpoint holding white flags and seeking special permission to pass, leaving 3
Palestinians seriously wounded; fires on residential areas of Dayr al-Balah,
Rafah; finds a smugglers' tunnel in Rafah; conducts arrest raids nr. Tulkarm. An ailing
Palestinian stranded on the Egyptian side of the Rafah crossing dies,
reportedly bringing to 6 the number of Palestinians who have died at the
crossing since it was sealed by Israel on 12/12. (AP, UPI, XIN 1/19; VOI, VOP
1/19 in WNC 1/20; NYT, PR 1/20; VOP 1/20 in WNC 1/21; PCHR 1/27)
Sharon convenes his security cabinet to discuss possible
military action in Gaza, approves plans for a large-scale invasion of northern
Gaza if Abbas does not bring Palestinian violence under control quickly. In
light of Abbas's efforts, the security cabinet unanimously agrees to
allow Israel to resume security contacts with the PA. Israeli, PA
security officials immediately meet to discuss Abbas's plan to deploy
security forces along the Gaza-Israel border. (AP 1/19; VOI 1/19 in WNC 1/20; HA
1/20; NYT, WP, WT 1/20)
Hamas mbrs. fire on an IDF patrol near the n. Gaza border, wounding 3
soldiers. Palestinians fire a mortar at a Jewish settlement in s.
Gaza, causing no damage or injuries; detonate a roadside bomb underneath an
IDF bulldozer, causing damage but no injuries.
Abbas meets with his Gaza security cmdrs. and advisers, orders
PA security forces to deploy along the Gaza borders within 2 days to prevent
rocket fire into Israel. (A PA security official speaking on condition of
anonymity expresses concern that the security force may not have enough manpower
to take adequate action.) Abbas also meets with Islamic Jihad leaders,
who agree to continue discussions on a cease-fire. (AP, JTA, UPI 1/19; JAZ,
Jordan Times, MENA, al-Quds, VOP 1/19 in WNC 1/20; FT, NYT, PR, WP,
WT 1/20; VOI 1/20 in WNC 1/21; see also JTA 1/14)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian throwing a Molotov cocktail at
troops in Hebron; arrests Fatah candidate fr. Jerusalem Ahmad `Abd al-Rahim
at a campaign rally in Shu`fat, East Jerusalem; raids, seals an office in East
Jerusalem linked to Change and Reform campaigning, confiscating
computers, documents; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes nr. Jenin for
construction of the separation wall; conducts arrest raids, house searches in
and nr. Hebron, nr. Ramallah, and in Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Tubas.
(AP, IMEMC, JTA 1/19; HA, NYT, IMEMC, WP, WT 1/20; WT 1/21; PCHR 1/26)
An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber fr. Nablus detonates a device in a Tel
Aviv restaurant, killing only himself, wounding 24 Israelis (1 critically). The
PA accuses Islamic Jihad of trying to derail the 1/25 elections.
Palestinians fire a rocket fr. n. Gaza towards Israel, but it lands
in Bayt Lahiya, damaging a Palestinian home, lightly injuring a 7-yr.-old girl.
In Gaza, IDF troops at Erez crossing fire on Palestinians collecting scrap
metal nr. the border, wounding 1; troops on the n. Gaza border nr. Bayt Hanun
fire 2 tank shells at Palestinian farmers who stray nr. the border fence,
causing no injuries. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house
searches in ‘Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ (blowing up the home of a wanted Palestinian), Bayt
Sahur, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Ramat Yishai throw stones a Palestinian
family in nearby Tal Rumayda. (OCHA 1/24; PCHR 1/25; AIC 2/13)
In
the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in `Aqraba,
nr. Hebron; patrols in, fires on residential areas of Nablus, causing no
injuries; fires rubber-coated steel bullets, percussion grenades, tear gas at
Palestinians holding a nonviolent demonstrations against the separation wall
in Zabbuba nr. Jenin, injuring 1, arresting 3. Dozens of Jewish settlers
fr. Kiryat Arba rampage through Palestinian neighborhoods of Hebron,
vandalizing homes, beating at least 6 Palestinians (including a journalist
covering the incident), damaging 10s of homes; the IDF observes but does
not intervene. (PCHR 1/19; NYT 1/20; OCHA 1/23; PCHR 1/24)
Palestinians
fire 3 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries.
No air strikes, rockets or fighting was reported by either side in and around the Gaza Strip for the first time since Israel's massive assault was launched
on 27 December. Israeli officials said Israel planned to pull all of its troops out of the Gaza Strip by US President-elect Barack Obama's inauguration on 20
January, only if Hamas militants held their fire. Thousands of troops had left Gaza since Israel's declaration of its intention to unilaterally halt fire.
Large contingents of Israeli soldiers kept close to the border, prepared to re-enter the territory if violence re-ignited. (AP)
OCHA reported that 1,314 Palestinians had been killed, of whom 412 were children and 110 were
women, according to figures of the Palestinian Ministry of Health as of 1600 hours on 19 January. The number of Palestinian injuries was 5,300, of whom 1,855
were children and 795 were women. (www.ochaopt.org)
Emir Sheikh Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah opened the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait with a demand for collective Arab measures setting
out "practical steps to stabilize the ceasefire" in the Gaza Strip. He said that the Israeli offensive on Gaza was a "war crime and a crime against
humanity," calling for those responsible to be held accountable. Seventeen Arab heads of State were attending the two-day summit, while another five
countries were represented by senior officials. Sheikh Sabah said that the Arab Peace Initiative still formed the "clear foundation for the Arab position"
for a durable settlement to the Palestinian cause. He also said that his country would donate $34 million needed by UNRWA for its relief work in the Gaza
Strip. (AFP)
Arab nations accused Israel of blasting Gaza with ammunition containing depleted uranium and urged the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) to
investigate reports that traces of it had been found in victims of the shelling, in a letter sent by Saudi Ambassador Prince Mansour Al-Saud on behalf of Arab
ambassadors accredited in Austria. In the letter, they urgently requested IAEA Director General Mohamed ElBaradei to "carry out a radiological and physical
assessment in order to verify the presence of depleted uranium in the weaponry used by Israel … in the Gaza Strip." (AP)
Briefing the press, Under-Secretary-General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator John Holmes said a total of 50 UN facilities had been
damaged in the fighting. On the medical side, 21 medical facilities had been damaged. The Al-Quds Hospital, damaged by shelling, was still closed. During
the conflict, 13 health personnel had been killed and 22 injured, while on duty. (UN News Centre)
Amnesty International said, "The Israeli army used white phosphorus, a weapon with a highly incendiary effect, in densely populated civilian residential
areas of Gaza City, according to indisputable evidence found by an Amnesty International fact-finding team which reached the area last Saturday." Donatella
Rovera, Amnesty International's researcher on Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territory, said: "Its repeated use in this manner, despite evidence of its
indiscriminate effects and its toll on civilians, is a war crime," she said. (www.amnesty.org)
The Egyptian state news agency MENA reported that Egypt had invited Israeli and Palestinian officials for separate meetings on 22 January to discuss
an Egyptian initiative for an extended truce in Gaza. (AFP)
Addressing the Arab Economic, Social and Development Summit in Kuwait, PA President Abbas stressed the need for all-faction talks in Cairo so a long-term
agreement over the Gaza Strip and unity government could be reached soon. He said, "What we need now is a temporary national government that can take upon
itself the duty of facing this humanitarian disaster" and will then conduct presidential and legislative elections simultaneously. He also said, "We have not
heard until now any rational voice that understands (Israel's) motives" for the war in Gaza." He added, "Those who do not have words of support for Gaza,
it's better to keep silent." Mr. Abbas rejected any talk of abandoning the Arab initiative, saying the only option that Arabs had was to make peace with
Israel. "The Arab Peace Initiative did not carry the seeds of its demise. … It was our shortcomings," Mr. Abbas said. (AFP, AP, Ma'an News Agency)
At the Kuwait summit, Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah said in his speech: "Israel has to understand that the choice between war and peace will not always stay
open and that the Arab Peace Initiative that is on the table today will not stay on the table." King Abdullah said his country would donate $1 billion to a
proposed Arab fund being set up to rebuild the Gaza Strip. Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa told the summit that Arab countries would have to come
up with an alternative if they decided to abandon the initiative. "The situation cannot take just freezing or suspending (the initiative)," Mr. Moussa said.
(AP)
In his address to the Kuwait summit, United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon said, "The key challenge before the leaders gathered here today is to do
all possible to make sure that this tragedy does not occur again. … I look to you all to come together to prevent further violence, help the people of
Gaza in this hour of desperate need, and restore stability. … The first step is a durable ceasefire. Hamas must cease firing rockets. Israel must
withdraw its troops from Gaza. A durable ceasefire needs an open functioning system for the crossings in and out of Gaza, one that will immediately allow
full access for humanitarian goods and personnel, and that will also ensure that we return, sooner rather than later, to the conditions reached in the
Agreement on Movement and Access," Mr. Ban added. (UN News Centre)
Sources close to French President Nicholas Sarkozy said if a Palestinian unity government was established, Europe would be willing to recognize the
Palestinian leadership, and would consequently lift the sanctions it imposed on Hamas. A day earlier, the leaders of six key EU States (France, Germany,
Spain, Italy, United Kingdom and the Czech Republic) voiced their commitment to helping prevent Hamas from replenishing its weapons stocks. (Haaretz)