2 Palestinians killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes intensify slightly, leaving
2 Palestinians dead. (IsRN, MEZ 11/5;
LAW, NYT, WP 11/6; HJ 11/6 in WNC 11/7; AYM 11/6 in WNC 11/9)
The White House announces that Arafat, Barak
have accepted invitations to meet with Pres. Clinton in
Washington--Arafat on 11/9, Barak on 11/12. (XIN 11/5 in WNC 11/6; HJ, IRNA
11/5, AYM, DUS, al-Quds 11/6 in WNC 11/7; MM, NYT, WP 11/6)
Palestinians ambush a car outside Ma'ale Levona
settlement nr. Ramallah, injuring 2 Jewish settlers.
The NIHC issues leaflets in the West Bank and Gaza,
calling on Palestinians to focus their confrontation on IDF soldiers and
Jewish settlers, to form local committees to organize mass activities, to
boycott Israeli and U.S. goods. (HJ 11/6 in WNC 11/7)
At Fatima Gate, 100s of Lebanese throw stones across
the blue line at IDF troops, who fire warning shots in return, causing no
injuries. Rallies in support of the Palestinians are held in Ottawa, outside
Senate candidate Lazio's campaign headquarters in Babylon, NY. (AFP [Internet]
11/5, 11/10)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF withdraws to the outskirts of Qalqilya, keeping a closure on
the city, positioning itself to reinvade quickly if so ordered. The body of a
PSF officer, missing since 10/20, is found in the area evacuated by the IDF;
he had been shot 10 times. A Palestinian dies of injuries received on
10/21. Israel tightens Palestinian access to East Jerusalem,
deploying more border police, special forces units; placing new checkpoints nr.
the "Greater Jerusalem" boundary at Anata, Bayt Hanina, Jaba', Shu'fat; closing
the Bethlehem road checkpoint into the city; placing a closure on Azariyya.
IDF troops, under cover of shelling and heavy machine gun fire, enter Rafah,
demolishes 2 Palestinian homes, damage 2 others. The IDF also
reinforces troops in Jinin, Tulkarm; directs shells, heavy machine gun fire at
residential areas of Hebron, Tulkarm; digs a trench across the main
Jinin+nNablus road. Jewish settlers set fire to a Palestinian store,
vandalize several other shops in the Israeli-controlled section of Hebron;
shoot, wound a Palestinian teenager in Silat al-Dahir; stone Palestinian cars in
East Jerusalem. Egyptian officials say that 1,200 Palestinians are
trapped on the Egyptian side of the Rafah border, that Israel is only
allowing 200 Palestinians/day into Gaza. (AFP, HP, NYT, WP, WT 11/5; NYT, WP
11/6; al-Quds 11/6 in WNC 11/7; PCHR 11/8; MENA 11/19 in WNC 11/20)
On the sidelines of an Euro-Mediterranean economics conference in Brussels,
Arafat, Peres hold informal talks with EU reps. on the
Israeli-Palestinian situation. (AFP 11/5 in WNC 11/6; NYT, WT 11/6)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF makes an incursion into Rafah r.c., demolishing 3
Palestinian homes, directing shells and heavy machine gun fire at
residential areas, killing 2 Palestinian teenagers, injuring 12 others
(ages 14+n72); holds an amublance transporting an ill child at an army
checkpoint for 90 mins. (the child eventually reaches the hospital); bulldozes
66 dunams of land s. of Khan Yunis. additional land nr. the Egyptian border with
Rafah. 4 Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem plead guilty to direct
involvement in a series of bombings in the city, including the 7/31/02 Hebrew
University attack. (LAW, PCHR, PR, WP, WT 11/6; PRCS press release 11/10)
After failing to bring the right-wing National Uniton+nYisrael Beitunia
faction into his coalition, Sharon dissolves the Knesset, calls
early elections for 2/03. (HA, MM 11/5; al-Quds 11/5 in WNC 11/8; MM,
NYT, WP, WT 11/6; MEI 11/8; MA 11/8 in WNC 11/12; MM 11/9; JPI 11/15)
The IDF eases the encirclement (in place since the 9/9 suicide
bombings) of 6 major Palestinian cities, excluding Jenin and Nablus, in an
apparent bid to aid Qurai` in forming a cabinet; confiscates 424 dunams
of Palestinian land in the n. Jordan Valley for construction of the
separation wall; blows up a Palestinian home in Silwad (nr.
Ramallah); conducts arrest raids, house searches in Hebron, Qalqilya; fires on
residential areas of Khan Yunis, Rafah; shells a main water reservoir in Bayt
Hanun, cutting the water supply to the area. Palestinians who are allowed
to reach their olive groves for the 1st time since the harvest began report that
Jewish settlers have felled 100s of trees nr. Sawiyya (nr. Ely
settlement) outside Hawara (where a curfew remains in effect; see 11/4); the
IDF confirms the reports, also requests an additional NIS 20 m. fr. the
Finance Min. for the fortification of Jewish settlements. Jewish
settlers also beat up a Palestinian in East Jerusalem. (AFP, HA, MM
11/5; VOP 11/5 in WNC 11/7; NYT, PCHR 11/6; VOP 11/6 in WNC 11/8; MA 11/7 in WNC
11/11; PCHR 11/13)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, killing 2
Palestinian youths; fires on residential areas of al-Brazil r.c.,
al-Mughraqa; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Askar r.c., `Ayn Bayt
al-Ma' r.c., Bayt Rima, al-Khadir, Nablus. The IDF also issues a military
order prohibiting Palestinians fr. construction 300 m east and 100 m west of the
1948 truce line; moves a checkpoint fr. the Green Line in the n. Jordan Valley
south toward Bardala village, well inside the occupied West Bank, raising
suspicions that Israel is still actively considering construction of a wall
through the Jordan Valley. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron kidnap, hold for 12
hrs. 2 14-yr.-old Palestinians grazing animals nr. a settlement. (VOI,
VOP 11/5 in WNC 11/9; NYT 11/6; PRCS 11/11)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qabatya, fires on
stone-throwing youths who confront the troops, seriously wounding 6 boys ages
14–19; also conducts arrest raids, house searches in Dahaysha r.c., nr. Hebron.
(IMEMC, XIN 11/5; NYT, WP 11/6; PM 11/7)
Palestinians fire 2 rockets at an IDF post at Erez crossing on the
Gaza border, causing no damage or injuries. A 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy
shot in the head by the IDF on 11/3 dies of his injuries.
In Gaza, the IDF continues operations in n. Gaza, fatally shooting 2
Palestinian militants, 1 PA security officer in Bayt Hanun; expanding operations
in Jabaliya r.c., firing on residential areas. Palestinians fire some 10 rockets
fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no serious damage or injuries. In the West Bank,
the IDF searches homes in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus, firing on a PSF post, wounding
3 PSF officers; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Bethlehem, Nablus.
(NYT, WP 11/6; PCHR 11/9)
In the West Bank, the IDF imposes a
day-long curfew on `Azun (see 11/2) after Palestinian youths allegedly stone
Jewish settler vehicles in the area; conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Jenin and in Hebron, Nablus. In Jerusalem, Israeli police
impersonating an Israel TV (ITV) Channel 2 news crew arrest a
Palestinian wanted for making unspecified threats; ITV’s chmn. and Israeli
journalist associations condemn the police, saying the deception could endanger
real journalists. Nr. Hebron, a Palestinian boy is injured when he accidentally
triggers IDF UXO. The PA’s newly deployed Nablus policing unit
(see 11/2) makes an arrest raid on Balata r.c., clashing with wanted AMB mbrs., leaving up to 10 Palestinians wounded; the PA stresses that it undertook the
raid because the AMB was challenging its authority, not because of AMB actions against Israel. (AP, HA, NYT 11/6; OCHA 11/7; PCHR 11/8; NYT 11/14)
In Gaza, 1,000s of Palestinians stage a protest march to the
Rafah border to demand a lifting of the siege; ESF officers fire into
the air to keep the demonstrators fr. reaching the crossing.
1 Palestinian killed.
An Israeli air strike killed a member of Islamic Jihad and wounded three other Palestinians east of the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip, medical officials and witnesses said. An Israeli military spokesman confirmed the attack saying it was aimed at a group launching missiles at southern Israel. (DPA, Ma'an News Agency)
In East Jerusalem, Israel bulldozed two houses in the Shu'fat neighbourhood and a celebration hall in Beit Hanina, with more houses still being demolished in the Wadi Helwa and Al-Bustan neighbourhoods in Silwan village, south of the Al-Aqsa Mosque. Police said they were trying to disperse a violent protest by Palestinians trying to block the demolition. Police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld said authorities were in the area to take down a house that had been built illegally. A crowd gathered and began pelting the police with stones. Since 2004, Israel had levelled more than 300 homes in Jerusalem's Arab neighbourhoods. (Haaretz, WAFA)
Gaza Strip crossings had been closed until further notice, Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak said. (Ynetnews)
Militants in the Gaza Strip fired 35 rockets at the western Negev before dawn, in what they said was retaliation "for Israeli aggression in the central and eastern Gaza Strip which killed six and wounded dozens of civilians." Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the rockets. Hamas blamed Israel for operating in Gaza with the intention of thwarting Palestinian reconciliation efforts, and said that it had asked Egypt to help return calm to Gaza's border with Israel. Two rockets fell in Ashkelon, one of which hit a residential neighbourhood, sending three people into shock. Despite the outbreak of violence, both Israeli authorities and Hamas officials said they wanted to restore the calm that had largely prevailed over the past five months. (AP, Haaretz, The Jerusalem Post)
PA President Abbas congratulated US President-elect Barack Obama in the name of the Palestinian people. He hoped that Mr. Obama "will speed up efforts to achieve peace, particularly since a resolution of the Palestinian problem and the Israeli-Arab conflict is key to world peace," according to Mr. Abbas' aide Nabil Abu Rudeineh. (Ma'an News Agency)
Arab League Secretary-General Amre Moussa urged US President-elect Obama to act swiftly to try to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Mr. Moussa said Mr. Obama's call for change was needed in the Middle East to ease tensions between Arabs and Israelis and to resolve the nuclear standoff with Iran. He said Mr. Obama must bring "a policy of honest brokership" to the region. (AP)
Roy Dickinson, European Commission Head of Operations in Jerusalem, announced that the EU would donate €15 million to the PA towards the payment of salaries and pensions. "Through PEGASE, the European Union and its member States have worked closely with Prime Minister Salam Fayyad to help him insure that PA civil servants have been paid in full and on time every month for the longest uninterrupted period in PA's history," he said. (Ma'an News Agency)
The World Bank announced the launch of a new trust fund to encourage investors and to insure investments in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. The fund is co-sponsored by the European Investment Bank, the Government of Japan and the Palestinian Authority, and will be administered by the Multilateral Investment Guarantee Agency, the political risk insurance arm of the World Bank Group. (www.worldbank.org)