The IDF continues Operation Vanguard in Jenin, arresting Islamic Jihad mbr. Fayiz Tubasi, wanted for plotting the 10/21 suicide bombing; conducts arrest raids in Ramallah, Tulkarm (where troops search a school); shells residential areas of Khan Yunis; razes 219.5 dunams of land nr. Bayt Hanun. IDF soldiers nr. Tulkarm bar an ambulance fr. transporting a patient to the hospital, search the vehicle, order paramedics to return fr. where they came. (HA 11/1; LAW, PCHR 11/6; PRCS press release 11/10)

After the mandatory 48 hr. waiting period, Labor party resignations take effect, leaving Sharon with a right-wing minority coalition of 55 of 120 Knesset seats. Sharon invites Likud party rival and fmr. PM Benjamin Netanyahu to take the position of FM, fmr. IDF chief of staff Shaul Mofaz to take the position of DM. (HA 11/1; NYT, WP 11/2)

The IDF arrests 2 Palestinians with explosives at an IDF checkpoint in the West Bank, apparently averting a suicide bombing; conducts arrest raids in Jenin; blows up a “suspicious looking” Palestinian car in al-Khadir; invades Mighraqa, destroying a number of electricity towers, cutting power to the village, bulldozing the roads inside the village, digging trenches across the main road, damaging the water network; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis. IDF soldiers at a checkpoint outside Jenin, break the windshield of an ambulance transporting patient to the hospital. (NYT, PM, WP 11/3; LAW, PCHR 11/6; PRCS press release 11/10)

The IDF opens fire on residential areas of Khan Yunis (killing 1 Palestinian), Rafah (killing a 2d Palestinian); demolishes 3 Palestinian homes, car repair shop, and a cattle pen in 3 villages n. of Jerusalem, killing 150 cows, razing surrounding land in the process; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Jenin; bulldozes 30 dunams of Palestinian land nr. Dayr al-Balah; bars an ambulance fr. transporting a dialysis patient to the hospital for treatment; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Ramallah (including arresting 4 PSF officer manning a security post in a hospital, 5 PSF officers guarding the Education Min.), Tubas. (Palestine Digest 11/3; LAW, PCHR 11/6; PRCS press release 11/10)

The IDF assassinates wanted Hamas mbr. Hamid Sidr, firing a missile at his car as it drives nr. Nablus, also killing his passenger, Hamas mbr. Firas Abu Ghazala, and injuring 2 bystanders; fires shells, heavy machine guns at a car traveling 800 m. fr. the border fence nr. Jabaliya, killing all 3 Palestinians inside; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes a hardware store, shelter, tour company parking lot for 50 buses in the al-Tur quarter of Jerusalem, 2 Palestinian homes under construction (1 in Yabad), 2 exisiting Palestinian homes (in Bayt Marsam, Dura), a 3-story building in the Nablus industrial zone, 67 dunams of agricultural land nr. Bayt Hanun; conducts arrest raids nr. Bethlehem. Jewish settlement security guards block Palestinians, international activists fr. picking olives in Falami, cut down 10+n15 olive trees as IDF soldiers look on. (GS, PM 11/4; NYT, WP, WT 11/5; Interfax, QA 11/5 in WNC 11/6; LAW, PCHR, PR 11/6; MEI 11/8; JPI 11/15)

Israel releases its annual poverty report, showing that the poverty rate has stayed steady at 17.7% for the past 5 yrs. Unofficial estimates show that of the nearly 320,000 poor families, an estimated 90,000 families are Arab. Nearly 50% of Arab families are below the poverty line, compared to 1 in 7 Jewish families; 50,000 of the 75,000 children in poverty are Arab. (MM 11/5)

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 conducts arrest raids, house-to-house searches in Dayr al-Balah, Silat al-Dahir. 2 junior IDF cmdrs. are sentenced to 28 days in jail for authorizing the use of Palestinians as human shields. Protesting the verdict, another IDF officer says that similar events have taken place in the past “and now soldiers are being tried for what once was permissible.” (HA, LAW, PCHR 11/6; JP, MM, NYT, WP 11/7)

The Israeli FMin. reports that Jewish settlers received $27.6 m. in income tax benefits in 2001. The government’s tax discount for settlers in the West Bank was 7%, in Gaza 10%. The average tax benefit per settler was $1,369 in the West Bank, $1,895 in Gaza. (HA 11/7; PR 11/13)

According to the IDF, soldiers foil a suicide bombing when they stop a Palestinian taxi at a checkpoint nr. Nablus to search passengers; one of the passengers emerges fr. the vehicle wearing an explosive belt, runs toward the checkpoint; soldiers fire on the man, detonating the belt, killing the bomber, another Palestinian passenger. The IDF bars an ambulance transporting a wounded Palestinian across a checkpoint, allowing the man to die; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at Palesthian schoolchildren on their way to classes in Jenin r.c., wounding 5; directs tank fire at a 12-yr.-old Palestinian boy playing in a field, seriously injuring him; bulldozes 15 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts arrest raids in Tubas. (HA 11/7; NYT, WP 11/8; PRCS press release 11/10; LAW, PHRC, PR 11/13)

The IDF fatally shoots a wanted Palestinian in Tulkarm in what may be an assassination; opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinians in Tal, killing a PSF officer; conducts arrest raids in, fires on residential areas of, demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Khan Yunis. (NYT 11/9; LAW, PCHR 11/13)

After 3 wks. of debate, the UNSC (including Syria, which is a rotating mbr.) votes unanimously for a tough resolution (UN Res. 1441) giving Iraq the “final opportunity” to disarm, allow inspectors in, an fully comply with all UN demands or face “serious consequences.” (MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/9; MENA, QA, al-Quds 11/9, JT, MENA 11/10, SA 11/11 in WNC 11/12; MM 11/12; JT 11/13 in WNC 11/14; MM 11/14; MEI 11/22)

The IDF assasinates Islamic Jihad military leader Iyad Sawalha in a predawn raid of his home in Jenin. In retaliation, Islamic Jihad detonates a roadside bomb nr. an IDF convoy in Gaza, killing 1 IDF soldier (a bedouin tracker), wounding a 2d. The IDF also conducts arrest raids in Dura, Nablus, al-Qarara; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus; bulldozes 19 dunams of land s. of Khan Yunis. (JPI, LAW 11/9; GS, NYT, WP, WT 11/10; LAW, PCHR 11/13; B’Tselem press release 11/14)

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)

Before dawn, IDF helicopters fire at least 8 missiles at a car repair shop in a crowded area of Gaza City, seriously damaging it but causing no injuries; conducts arrest raids, bulldozes 21 dunams of land in al-Qarara; fires on residential areas of Tal al-Sultan (killing a 2-yr.-old Palestinian child), Tulkarm r.c.; blows up a Palestinian home, fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Tulkarm city. Late in the evening, the IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah, killing a 3-yr.-old Palestinian chasing a balloon. An 8-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received during the IDF shelling of Rafah r.c. on 10/17. (MEZ, WP 11/11; MM, WT 11/12; LAW, NYT, PCHR 11/13; WT 11/14)

U.S. Dep. Asst. Secy. of State David Satterfield arrives in Israel to present a revised version of the U.S. draft road map to Israel and the PA, based on their comments on the plan. (HA, WP 11/11; HA, MM, WT 11/13; AYM 11/13 in WNC 11/14; JP, WP 11/14; MM, NYT 11/15)

In retaliation for the 11/10 AMB kibbutz attack, the IDF launches a predawn raid on Tulkarm town and r.c. and Nur al-Shams r.c., sending in at least 30 tanks and APCs, firing on residential areas, conducting house-to-house searches, arresting 2 Palestinians, blowing up 1 Palestinian home. The IDF also halts an ambulance at a checkpoint nr. Nablus, arrests a patient being transported to the hospital for heart trouble; bulldozes 1 Palestinian home, 3 dunams of land n. of Rafah; conducts arrest raids nr. Dayr al-Balah. (NYT, WP 11/12; LAW, NYT, PCHR, WT 11/13; PRCS press release 11/17)

Before dawn, in retaliation for the 11/10 AMB kibbutz attack, the IDF sends 150 tanks, APCs into Nablus and its surrounding r.c.’s (Askar r.c., `Ayn Bayt al-Ma’ r.c., Balata r.c.), conducts house-to-house searches, occupies schools and buldings as outposts, surrounds Nablus’s Old City, fires on residential areas of adjacent Balata r.c. In another predawn attack, IDF helicopters fire missiles at the same car repair shop targetted on 11/11, destroying it, killing a 2-yr.-old Palestinian child, damaging several surrounding homes. The IDF also arrests 30 Hamas mbrs. across the West Bank, 11 of them in Nablus, some in Birzeit; fires on residential areas of Tal al-Sultan. (LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR, PR, WP, WT 11/13; MM, NYT, WT 11/14)

Israeli atty. gen. Eliyakim Rubinstein announces that the government intends to press charges against Greek Orthodox spiritual head Father Theodosis Atallah Hanna for “unauthorized contact with the enemy,” meeting with “terrorists,” inciting violence for recent travels to Lebanon, Syria to visit Greek Orthodox communities there. Father Theodosis notes that the atty. gen. has not charged rabbis who visit Jewish comunities in Iraq, Syria, or Yemen. (Father Theodosis press release 11/13)

Before dawn, the IDF sends 50 tanks and APCs, backed by helicopters, into Gaza City, arrests a PSF officer, his 3 brothers before quickly withdrawing. The IDF also fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, Nablus, Rafah (killing 1 Palestinian); bulldozes 18 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Tulkarm. (WP, WT 11/14; HA, NYT 11/15; PCHR 11/20)

IDF undercover units assassinate senior Hamas mbr. Mahmud Obeid, arrest a 2d Hamas mbr. in Tulkarm; fire rockets at a workshop in Gaza City, destroying it; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Bayt Lahia; conduct arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah. During the 3d day of sweeps in Nablus, the IDF arrests another 14 suspected Hamas mbrs., fires on a group of stone-throwing youths, killing 1 Palestinian. (HA 11/15; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/16; JP, NYT, WP 11/17; HA, PCHR 11/20; MEI 11/22; see also HA 10/7)

In response to an Islamic Jihad ambush of Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) and settler security officers in Hebron on 11/15, the IDF sends tanks into Hebron, bulldozes 5 Palestinian homes and a 50-dunam olive grove btwn. Kiryat Arba and the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs, imposes a curfew, conducts arrest raids, detaining 40 Palestinians. Right-wing MK Benny Elon holds a prayer rally of Jewish settlers at the site of the ambush; afterward Jewish settlers briefly rampage through Palestinian areas (vandalizing homes with spray-painted messages such as “vengeance” and “every Arab killed--for me it’s a holiday”) until IDF soldiers stop them. The IDF also fatally shoots a Palestinian in Hebron; fires on Palestinians in Jenin, killing 1 Palestinian; shells, fires on residential areas of Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian; bulldozes 2 dunams (4 dunams = 1 acre) of Palestinian land, an electricity generator in al-Mughraqa; shells a workshop in Khan Yunis, destroying it; detains, searches a Palestinian Red Crescent Society (PRCS) ambulance for 5 hrs., holding the driver for failure to pay a parking ticket. (PM 11/16; NYT, WP, WT 11/17; MM 11/18; AN 11/18 in WNC 11/19; PCHR 11/20; MEI 11/22; PRCS press release 11/23)

Israeli PM Ariel Sharon visits Hebron, calls for the expanding of Jewish settlements in and around Hebron to create “settlement contiguity” btwn. 4 Jewish enclaves in Hebron, the outlying Kiryat Arba settlement, the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb of the Patriarchs site. In response, Jewish settlers declare a new settlement on the site of the olive grove bulldozed by the IDF on 11/16 and move in 3 shipping containers, tents, cisterns; the IDF constructs a 7-ft. concrete wall around the site. IDF undercover units attempt to assassinate Riad ‘Abd al-Ghani in Tulkarm, missing him, killing his brother, wounding a 2d brother. The IDF fires rockets, tank shells at the Palestinian Authority’s (PA) Preventive Security Force (PSF) headquarters complex in Gaza, sends troops in to set fire to 2 buildings, injuring 2 PSF officers, 1 Palestinian journalist. The IDF also fires on Palestinians in Gaza City, Nur al-Shams refugee camp (r.c.); bulldozes 8 dunams of Palestinian land in Bayt Lahia; blows up 2 Palestinian homes in Balata r.c.; detains for 2 hrs. a PRCS ambulance carrying Palestinians seriously injured in a car accident; fires on 2 ambulances outside a hospital in Gaza, nr. Shati` r.c.; detains, searches 6 ambulances, including 1 transporting a patient, for up to 70 mins. at checkpoints. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/18; MENA 11/18 in WNC 11/19; AFP 11/19 in WNC 11/21; PCHR 11/20; WJW 11/21; MEI 11/22; PRCS press release 11/23)

Israeli Arab passenger carrying only a pen knife that he does not wield attempts to hijack an El Al plane bound for Istanbul fr. Tel Aviv. He is quickly captured and detained, without injury to any other passengers; says that he intended to hijack the plane to protest Israeli actions against Palestinians, that he is not affiliated with any group. He is described by peers as frail, nervous, eccentric young man with a heart condition, who craves popularity and attention. (MM, NYT 11/18; ATL 11/18 in WNC 11/19; CSM, NYT, WP 11/19; NYT, WJW 11/21; NYT 11/26, 11/27; JPI 11/29)

The IDF occupies the Medical Relief Center in Jenin, destroys equipment; bulldozes 9 dunams of Palestinian land in Dayr al-Balah. (PCHR 11/20)

The IDF assassinates wanted al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade (AMB) mbr. Tariq Zaghal in Tulkarm, also killing 3 Palestinian bystanders; later IDF troops fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths protesting the assassination, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy. The IDF also fatally shoots 2 Palestinians outside Kefar Darom settlement in Gaza; demolishes 9 Palestinian homes in the Shaykh ‘Ajlin neighborhood of Gaza City; raids a clinic in Jenin, destroying medical equipment, barring dialysis patients fr. taking their treatments. In Hebron, Israeli border police ambush, hold at gunpoint a group of 15 Palestinian journalists, seriously beat 1. (NYT, PCHR, WP 11/20; NYT 11/21; REU 11/23; UPMRC 11/27)

The Labor party elects Haifa mayor Amram Mitzna as its candidate for PM in the 1/28/03 elections. Mitzna takes 54% of the vote over fmr. Israeli DM Benjamin Ben-Eliezer’s 38% and Labor mbr. Haim Ramon’s 7%. Mitzna says he will run on a platform calling for immediate, unconditional resumption of peace talks with the Palestinians, withdrawal of settlers from all of Gaza and some of the West Bank, and unilateral withdrawal fr. the West Bank if peace talks fail; says he would withdraw fr. Gaza by the end of 2003 if elected. (MM 11/19; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/20; MENA 11/20 in WNC 11/21; WT 11/21; JT, MA 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MA 11/22, SA 11/23 in WNC 11/25; JT 11/26 in WNC 11/27; JPI 11/29; AYM 12/13 in WNC 12/16)

The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Tulkarm, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian boy; destroys a 2d Palestinian home in Hebron; bulldozes 11 dunams of land n. of Rafah. Late in the evening, the IDF raids Abasan and Khuza, cuts electricity, demolishes 1 Palestinian home, fires on 3 ambulances (wounding 2 paramedics), raids the offices of Fatah and the Prisoners Rehabilitation Center (confiscating a computer, files), raids the fmr. offices of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP), vandalizing the vacant building. (PCHR, PM 11/20; NYT, WP 11/21; PRCS press release 11/23; PCHR 11/27)

After Jerusalem bomb, Sharon convenes his security cabinet; does not invite fmr. PM and current FM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is challenging him for the PM candidacy in the upcoming Likud primaries on 11/28. Fearing that Sharon will stage a major retaliatory attack, the PSF evacuates its offices in Bethlehem. After the mtg., Sharon spokesman Raanan Gissin states that in light of U.S. military intentions against Iraq, “We are not going to allow any kind of escalation.” The IDF shells a PA military intelligence post nr. Netzarim settlement, killing 1 PA intelligence officer; makes a predawn raid on 3 villages nr. Khan Yunis in s. Gaza, demolishing the home of a senior DFLP mbr., firing on residential areas, wounding 4 Palestinians; bulldozes 39 dunams of Palestinian land e. of Dayr al-Balah, 11.5 dunams and several structures nr. Bayt Lahia. (HA, MM, NYT, WP 11/21; ATL, Interfax 11/21 in WNC 11/22; MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/22; QA 11/22, MA 11/24 in WNC 11/25; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

The IDF retakes Bethlehem, which had had only a small troop presence since the IDF turned the security of city over to the PSF on 8/19/02; imposes a curfew; surrounds the Church of the Nativity to prevent armed Palestinians fr. seeking refuge there; conducts arrest raids, detaining 20 Palestinians; blows up the house rented by the family of the 11/21 bomber; encircles nearby Dahaysha r.c.; occupies 15 buildings, including a hospital, orphanage, 2 houses, 6 police stations, the local PSF headquarters; occupies as many as 30 Palestinian homes in al-Khadir nr. Bethlehem, expelling the families; raids the home of Israeli UNRWA worker Allegra Pacheco, holding her at gunpoint for 2 hrs., arresting her husband. Senior Irish UNRWA official Iain Hook is fatally shot inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound by an IDF soldier who mistook his cell phone for a grenade as an IDF operation unfolded nearby to capture wanted Islamic Jihad mbr. Abdallah Wahash, who is arrested; an 11-yr.-old Palestinian throwing stones at the troops is also shot dead. The IDF also raids, shells residential areas of, demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in al-Qarara; bulldozes 8 dunams of land in al-Qarara, 28 dunams s. of Dayr al-Balah; conducts house searches, arrest raids in Satar al-Sharqiyya (targeting Hamas mbrs.), Tulkarm. (HA, MM, NYT, PM, WP, WT 11/22; AFP 11/22 in WNC 11/25; AP, HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/23; NYT, WP 11/24; HA 11/25; NYT, WT 11/26; HA, LAW, PCHR 11/27; CSM, JP, WJW 11/28; HA 12/2; NYT 1/4)

Christian Coalition leaders end a wk.-long solidarity visit to Israel, saying they will use their “fact-finding mission” to help galvanize support for Israel in the U.S. (WT 11/27)

In Bethlehem, the IDF demolishes 5 Palestinian homes; continues arrest sweeps in Hebron, Bethlehem, al-Khadir, Tubas netting 22 Palestinians. A 15-yr.-old Palestinian dies of injuries received on 11/20. (AP, HA 11/23; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

The IDF fires on Palestinians waiting to cross an IDF checkpoint w. of Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian; conducts house-to-house searches, arrests in Aida r.c., Bayt Umar, Bethlehem, Jit, Tal, Tubas, Tulkarm; raids, fires on residential areas of Rafah, Nablus, Nur al-Shams r.c., Tulkarm; bulldozes 14 dunams of land s. of Dayr al-Balah; raids the al-Ihsan charitable society, Hebron University dean’s offices in Hebron, confiscating computers, files; forces at gunpoint a 24-yr.-old Palestinian to undress in the main street of Nablus, bark like a dog. Late in the evening, the IDF sends 10s of tanks, armored personnel carriers (APCs) into Qalqilya, imposes a curfew, raids Waqf offices, conducts arrest raids targeting Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) mbrs. The UN sends an envoy to the West Bank to investigate the 11/22 death of a UNRWA official, new charges (11/23) by Israel that Palestinian gunmen were firing from inside the UNRWA’s Jenin r.c. compound, prompting the IDF gunfire. (NYT, WT 11/25; WT 11//26; LAW, PCHR 11/27)

Under pressure fr. the U.S. to end its operations in the city quickly, the IDF pulls out of main areas of Bethlehem before dawn. The IDF also opens fire on 100s of Palestinian schoolchildren who defy the curfew in Nablus to go to classes, throw stones at troops, killing an 8-yr.-old Palestinian boy, wounding 13; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Tulkarm, injuring 4; surrounds the PA Supply Min. in Ramallah, orders the surrender of PSF officers, who are then arrested; raids the Muslim Society offices, school in Hebron, confiscating files; halts an ambulance in Qalqilya, arrests the patient; conducts arrest raids in Hebron, Sanur. (NYT 11/25; NYT, WP 11/26; LAW, PCHR 11/27; PRCS press release 12/2)

Israel asks the U.S. for $4 b. in new military aid to “defray the costs of fighting terrorism” plus $10 b. in loan guarantees to support its struggling economy. (HA, WP 11/26; MM, NYT 11/27; MEI 12/6; BBC 12/11)

Before dawn, the IDF raids Dayr al-Balah, demolishes 1 Palestinian home, fires on an ambulance, wounding a paramedic; sends 200 troops, heavy armor into Dahaysha r.c., conducting house-to-house searches, detaining at least 30 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids elsewhere in the West Bank, including Nablus, detaining at least 25 Palestinians. Israel also assassinates AMB Jenin leader Ala’ Ahmad Sabbagh and Izzeddin al-Qassam Brigades Jenin cmdr. Imad Nasharti, firing a rocket into a house in Jenin r.c., where they were staying; fires on other residential areas of Jenin r.c., Khan Yunis, Rafah, Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids, bulldozes 5 dunams of land in al-Qarara; conducts arrest raids, demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Tulkarm. (WP 11/26; HA, LAW, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 11/27; al-Quds 11/28 in WNC 11/29)

The Israel Project, a group of U.S. political consultants funded by American Jewish organizations and individual donors, sends a 6-page memo to pro-Israel leaders urging them to keep quiet while the U.S. pursues a possible war on Iraq. (WP 11/27)

Before dawn, IDF helicopters fire 5 missiles at a school in Khan Yunis, extensively damaging it; fatally shoots a Palestinian drummer going alley-to-alley in Askar r.c. nr. Nablus despite the curfew to declare the start of the day’s Ramadan fast (Ramadan began on 11/6), bars an ambulance fr. reaching him, allowing him to bleed to death. During the day, the IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian driving in Bethlehem; holds a Palestinian woman in labor at a Bethlehem checkpoint for 2 hrs., causing her baby to die; conducts arrest raids in Balata r.c., Nablus; raids an emergency clinic in Hebron, vandalizing patient files. (LAW, PCHR, PM, UPMRC, WT 11/27; HA, WP 11/28)

Israel’s Interior M Eli Yishai announces his decision to strip Israeli Arab Qays Obeid, now residing in Lebanon, of his Israeli citizenship for allegedly spying for Hizballah, marking the 2d time Yishai has stripped an Israeli Arab of his citizenship. (HA 11/27)

In Mombassa, Kenya, a previously unknown group called the Government of Universal Palestine in Exile+nArmy of Palestine, thought to be connected to al-Qa`ida, stages a dual attack marking the 55th anniversary of the 1947 UN partition res., firing 2 missiles at an Israeli charter jet carrying 261 Israeli tourists leaving Mombassa airport, missing the plane; simultaneously, 3 suicide bombers detonate a car bomb outside the lobby of an Israeli-owned hotel, killing 3 Israeli tourists, 10 Kenyans (an 11th dies on 12/18), injuring 80, causing extensive damage. Sharon convenes a security mtg. to discuss responses; once again does not invite Netanyahu (see 11/21). In Hebron, a 4-yr.-old Palestinian is fatally wounded by IDF gunfire in his home. The IDF also shells residential areas of Rafah r.c.; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara, Tulkarm. In a Tel Aviv court, Israeli Arab Nissim Nasser pleads guilty to spying for Hizballah in exchange for a reduced sentence. (AP, CNN, HA, MM 11/28; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/29; HA, NYT, WP, WT 11/30; AYM 12/2 in WNC 12/6, 12/9; LAW, PCHR 12/3; JT 12/4 in WNC 12/5; JPI, MEI 12/6; WT 12/7; JTA 12/18)

Likud primaries go on despite the day’s attacks, with Sharon winning (56% to 40%) over Netanyahu. (MM 11/28; HA, MM, NYT, WP, WT 11/29; NYT 11/30; MEI 12/6; AYM 12/13 in WNC 12/16)

The IDF imposes a curfew on Ramallah; blows up 2 Palestinian homes before dawn in Jalbun; conducts arrest raids targeting AMB, Hamas mbrs. in Nablus; safely detonates a roadside bomb found in East Jerusalem, in an area usually patrolled by Israeli police; safely detonates a 2d explosive device found nr. Baqa’ Sharqiyya; fires on residential areas of Bayt Hanun, Dayr al-Balah, Khan Yunis, Tal Zu’rub; conducts arrest raids in al-Qarara; bulldozes 5 dunams of Palestinian land outside Khan Yunis. Israeli police arrest 2 Jews for stabbing, wounding a Palestinian in Jerusalem in an apparent hate crime. (JTA 11/29; HA, NYT, WP 11/30; LAW, PCHR 12/3)

Bush simultaneously imposes and waives a congressionally mandated sanction to “downgrade” the PLO office in Washington for at least 180 days, citing the PA for noncompliance with its commitment to work against violence. (NYT 12/3; MM 12/4; WJW 12/5; HA, WT 12/6; MEI 12/20) (see Doc. D1)

Late in the evening, the IDF sends 30 tanks, APCs into Bayt Lahia and nearby Jabaliya r.c.; cuts electricity; demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Bayt Lahia, killing a 70-yr.-old Palestinian man inside 1 home, fatally shooting a 2d Palestinian driving nearby, wounding 14. The IDF also blocks n.+ns. roads linking Gaza City with n. Gaza towns; fatally shoots 1 Palestinian teenager, wounds another who travel too close to a Gaza border fence on their way home fr. school; shells residential areas of Rafah. (HA 11/30; NYT, WP, WT 12/1; AFP 12/1 in WNC 12/2; NYT 12/2; LAW, PCHR 12/3)