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December 2002
78
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11
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7
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78 palestinians killed by israeli action this month
5 israelis killed by palestinian action this month
Despite low palestinian activity, Israel steps up its assassinations and bloody invasions killing 78 palestinians this month. On December 6th, IDF sends 40 tanks, troops into Bureij refugee camp, fires on residential areas, killing 10 Palestinians, including 2 UNRWA workers. UNRWA chief Peter Hansen condemns Israel’s “indiscriminate use of heavy firepower in a densely populated area,” but IDF officials say soldiers followed orders limiting their use of heavy weapons.
Israeli attorney gen. Elyakim Rubinstein asks the Central Elections Comm. to bar MK Azmi Bishara’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) from participating in the 1/03 elections on the grounds that it advocates that Israel should be a state for all its citizens, which implicitly contradicts Israel’s founding principle as a Jewish state, and because it "supports armed attacks against Israel". The Israeli Central Elections Comm. decides to follow Atty. Gen. Rubinstein’s advice to disqualify Israeli Arab MK Ahmad Tibi (Ta’al) fr. running in 1/03 elections on the grounds that he does not support the Jewish character of the State of Israel, supports armed attacks against it (a charge he denies); turns down a similar request to bar MK `Abd al-Malik Dahamshe and his United Arab List; rules that Herut mbr. Baruch Marzel, the fmr. head of the outlawed Kach movement who placed 2d on Herut’s slate of MK candidates, can participate in the 1/28 elections. The Knesset bans mbrs. of Kach, which advocates the deportation of Arabs fr. Israel and the occupied territories, from holding parliamentary office.
US President George W. Bush meets with Quartet representatives (EU, Russia, UN, US) at the White House. The Quartet reaffirms its call for creation of a Palestinian state by 2005, completes “99.5%” of the revisions to the draft road map, but the US overrules calls by other members to finalize and endorse the road map.
The Israeli Housing Min. issues tenders to construct 232 new housing units in the ultra-Orthodox West Bank settlement of Emmanuel.
Israeli actions |
Negotiations |
Palestinian actions |
Every
is one palestinian killed by israeli action |
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Every
is one israeli killed by palestinian action |
1 DECEMBER
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The IDF attempts to assassinate Islamic Jihad’s Jabaliya military
cmdr. Imad al-Barqawi, a 2d Islamic Jihad mbr. who flee their vehicle
before it is destroyed by a helicopter gunship; fires on residential areas of
Rafah, a Palestinian car nr. Khan Yunis (seriously injuring 1 Palestinian
woman); conducts arrest raids in Dayr al-Balah, Yabad; bulldozes 7 dunams of
land, 2 wells in al-Mughraqa. (NYT, WT 12/2; LAW, PCHR 12/3; PR 12/4)
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The IDF opens fire on a Jenin market full of children on their way to
school, fatally shooting an 18-yr.-old Palestinian, wounding 23; fires on
a group of Palestinians throwing stones, Molotov cocktails at APCs patrolling
central Tulkarm in search of wanted AMB mbrs., killing 1 Palestinian
bystander, wounding 18; fires on Palestinians firing a mortar at Nisanit
settlement (no damage), killing 1 Palestinian bystander, wounding 9;
fatally shoots an armed Islamic Jihad mbr., dressed in an IDF uniform,
attempting to infiltrate Netzarim settlement; searches, blows up a clearly
marked UN World Food Program (WFP) warehouse in Gaza, containing 500
metric tons of food to feed 38,000 needy Palestinians for 1 mo.; bars a
Palestinian heart-attack victim fr. reaching a hospital in Azariyya,
allowing him to die. In Hebron, the IDF announces that it plans to
demolish 15 Palestinian homes to create a bypass road, protective wall
linking Kiryat Arba settlement to the Cave of the Patriarchs/al-Ibrahimi Mosque
(see 11/17); soldiers search several homes in the area to see if they are
inhabited. (LAW, WFP press release 12/2; LAW, MM, NYT, PCHR, WP, WT 12/3;
al-Quds 12/3 in WNC 12/4; PR, USIS Washington File 12/4; MEI 12/6; AP 12/10;
MEI 12/20)
YESHA settlers council chmn. Bentzi Liberman says that settlers are
planning to set up new neighborhoods (15+n50 units each) in 14 settlements,
expand construction in 10s of settlements in the run-up to 1/28/03 elections.
The expansions will be funded by the Housing Min., a private developer.
(MA 12/3 in WNC 12/4)
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3 DECEMBER
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IDF soldiers halt a taxi-van in Ramallah, smash its windows, spray it
with gunfire, killing a 95-yr.-old Palestinian woman, wounding a 2d
passenger; claim the taxi was moving in a closed military zone. The IDF
also closes two District Coordination Offices (DCOs), liaisons btwn. the
IDF and PSF, in Jenin and Ramallah; demolishes a PSF outpost in
al-Qarara; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis. In Hebron, 4 IDF
soldiers detain 5 Palestinians at a barbershop, forcibly shave the
heads of 2 of them, use 3 as human shields, standing behind them and firing over
their shoulders at stone throwers (LAW, PCHR 12/3; NYT, WP, WT 12/4; WT 12/31;
WP 1/1; SA 1/13 in WNC 1/14)
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The IDF assassinates senior Palestinian Resistance Comm. (PRC) mbr.
Mustafa Sabah, firing 5 missiles at his building in Gaza City; the IDF says
Sabah is the inventor of the large roadside bombs used on 3 occasions to disable
Merkava tanks. The IDF also fatally shoots Islamic Jihad mbrs. Sami
Shawer, Ahmad Srour in an exchange of gunfire nr. Hebron; demolishes a
Palestinian home in Dura; bulldozes 3 dunams of land s. of Khan Yunis;
shells residential areas of Tulkarm; fires on a PSF outpost in Khan
Yunis, causing no injuries; conducts arrest raids, house searches in Qalqilya,
Tulkarm. (NYT, WP, WT 12/5; LAW, PCHR 12/11)
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5 DECEMBER
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The IDF demolishes a Palestinian home in al-Mughraqa; shoots a
deaf and dumb 15-yr.-old Palestinian in Nablus, paralyzing him; conducts arrest
raids in Dayr al-Balah, Hebron, Tulkarm; fires on residential areas of Tulkarm;
shells residential areas nr. the Egyptian border in Rafah, damaging a PRCS
office. (NYT 12/5; LAW, PCHR 12/11)
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Before dawn, the day of Id, the IDF sends 40 tanks, troops into Bureij
r.c., cuts electricity, conducts house-to-house searches aimed at capturing
local PRC leader Ayman Shishniyya, fires on residential areas, shells and
destroys Shishniyya’s house and 2 other Palestinian homes, killing 10
Palestinians, including 2 UNRWA workers (both Palestinians; 1 shot 3
times inside her home), wounding at least 10; Shishniyya is not captured; 1,000s
of Palestinians attend the funerals for Bureij victims later in the day.
UNRWA chief Peter Hansen condemns Israel’s “indiscriminate use of heavy
firepower in a densely populated area,” but IDF officials say soldiers
followed orders limiting their use of heavy weapons. The IDF also delays
a Palestinian woman in labor fr. reaching a Jenin hospital, causing her baby
to die; fires on residential areas of Tulkarm; conducts arrest raids in Hebron,
Tulkarm. (HA, MM, WP, WT 12/6; AFP 12/6 in WNC 12/7; NYT, WP, WT 12/7; AFP, DUS,
MENA 12/8 in WNC 12/9; LAW, MM, PCHR 12/11; PM 12/18)
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7 DECEMBER
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The IDF assassinates Islamic Jihad mbr. ‘Abd al-Hadi Omar nr.
Jenin, also wounding 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs., 2 bystanders; conducts arrest raids
in Jenin, al-Til; disarms, arrests a would-be suicide bomber wearing a 33
lb. explosives belt nr. Tulkarm; finds, safely defuses a 110 lb. bomb planted by
the Gush Katif security fence. (HA, NYT 12/8; LAW, PCHR 12/11)
A day before the UN deadline, Iraq turns over a 12,000-page
declaration on its biological, chemical, nuclear weapons programs, asserting
that it has no weapons of mass destruction. (WP 12/7; NYT, WP, WT 12/8; MM
12/11)
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The IDF fires on what it initially claims is a group of “Palestinian
militants [trying] to infiltrate a Jewish settlement” nr. Khan Yunis, killing a
Palestinian woman, wounding her 3 children. The IDF says it will
investigate the incident, stresses that the area is a closed military zone. The
IDF also bars an ambulance fr. transporting a Palestinian heart
attack victim to a hospital in Nablus, allowing him to die. (HA 12/8; NYT, WP,
WT 12/9; WP 12/10; LAW, PCHR 12/11; PRCS press release 12/15)
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The IDF fatally shoots a mentally disabled Palestinian riding a
donkey nr. Tulkarm when he refuses orders to halt; the man had been detained,
released by IDF soldiers in the area on numerous occasions. Asked why they fired
on someone known to be mentally handicapped, the soldier says, “That’s not our
problem. We told him to stop and he didn’t.” The IDF also fires on a taxi
driving nr. Nablus after dark, during a curfew, killing a Palestinian woman,
wounding her husband, 3d passenger; fires on an UNRWA school bus,
injuring 1 Palestinian student; fires rubber-coated steel bullets at
Palestinians waiting to cross the Qalandia checkpoint, the Abu Hualy roadblock;
demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah r.c; conducts arrest raids,
searches in Bayt Furik, Bayt Rima, Khan Yunis, al-Qarara, Tulkarm. A 3d
Palestinian dies of injuries received on 9/24/02. (NYT, WP 12/10; LAW, PCHR,
PR 12/11)
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The IDF fatally shoots wanted Hamas mbr. Yasin al-Agha in Khan
Yunis and wanted Palestinian Usama Badra in Balata r.c. in what may be
assassinations, also demolishing Agha’s house; bars a Palestinian woman in labor
fr. reaching a hospital in Nablus, allowing her baby to die; conducts
arrest sweeps in Jenin, Nablus, Qalqilya, al-Qarara, Ramallah; bulldozes 45
dunams of land in al-Qarara. Israel says it will not allow PA head
Yasir Arafat to attend Christmas celebrations in Bethlehem this yr.; Sharon
spokesman Gissin says Arafat’s presence at Christmas Eve ceremonies would
be “an offence to humanity and a slap in the face to Christianity.” (AP 12/10;
al-Quds12/10 in WNC 12/12; LAW, NYT, PCHR 12/11; PM, PR 12/18)
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11 DECEMBER
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The IDF fires on residential areas of Ramallah; conducts arrest
raids in Nablus, Tulkarm. The IDF reports that Palestinians throw
grenades at troops in Gaza throughout the day, causing no injuries. A
Lebanese-born Israeli Arab is sentenced to 6 yrs. in prison for having
contact with Hizballah. The
Israeli High Court bars the IDF fr. starting construction of a
settler bypass road linking Kiryat Arba settlement with the Tomb of the
Patriarchs/Ibrahimi Mosque. (JTA, LAW, PCHR 12/11; NYT 12/12)
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The IDF fires flechette shells, live ammunition at 5 unarmed
Palestinian laborers attempting to sneak into Israel nr. the Qarni border
crossing, killing them; the IDF says it thought they were attempting to
infiltrate Israel to stage an attack. The IDF also fires on 2 PFLP
mbrs. attempting to infiltrate a Gush Katif settlement, killing 1, allowing
the other to escape; fatally shoots an armed Palestinian attempting to
infiltrate a kibbutz in Israel; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Rafah
r.c.; bulldozes 3 unoccupied Palestinian homes, 4 dunams of land in
al-Mughraqa; conducts an arrest raid in Qalqilya. (REU 12/12; MM, NYT, WP 12/13; NYT 12/14; MM, PM 12/16; LAW, NYT,
PCHR, PR 12/18; MEI 12/20)
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Palestinian gunmen
fatally shoot 2 IDF soldiers in Hebron, nr. the cite of the 11/15 Islamic
Jihad ambush. |
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The IDF breaks into a home in Nur al-Shams r.c., assassinates
Hamas's Tulkarm military cmdr. Tariq ‘Abid Rabbuh, also wounding 5
Palestinian bystanders; assassinates Hamas mbr. Jadallah Shuka nr.
Bethlehem; demolishes 5 Palestinian homes in Hebron, 2 nr. Bethlehem, 1
in Bayt Kahil; bulldozes 5 dunams of land, several roads, the main water network
in al-Mughraqa; bulldozes some 2.5 dunams of land in Dayr al-Balah; conducts an
arrest raid in Qarawat Bani Zaid. An explosion in Bureij r.c. kills a wanted
Islamic Jihad mbr., wounds another; the PSF suspects the men were
preparing a bomb. (JTA 12/13; HA, NYT, WP 12/14; LAW, PCHR 12/18)
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Some 30,000 Hamas supporters rally in the Gaza Strip
marking the 15th anniversary of the founding of the movement. |
14 DECEMBER
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The IDF imposes a curfew on Nablus, closes local al-Najah
University, sparking clashes with local students that leave 9 Palestinians
injured; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes nr. Netzarim settlement;
bulldozes 41 dunams of land in al-Mughraqa; uproots 150 trees at an al-`Arub
agricultural center; conducts arrest raids in al-Bireh, Birzeit, Jenin, and
Qarawat Bani Zaid, targeting the tanzim, arresting at least 14
Palestinians. (HA 12/14; LAW, PCHR, PR 12/18)
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15 DECEMBER
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The IDF captures 2 armed Hamas mbrs. originally fr. Gaza
attempting to sneak into Israel across the Egyptian border, plotting to kidnap
an IDF soldier, take him to Gaza, hold him hostage for the release of detained
Hamas cmdrs.; fatally shoots a Palestinian in Khan Yunis when he leaves
his home during curfew to tend to a donkey wounded by IDF shelling; bulldozes 14
Palestinian homes, 7 greenhouses in Rafah; fires on residential areas of
Brazil r.c., seriously injuring 2 Palestinian girls; detains for 5 hrs. 6
Palestinian journalists working for foreign news agencies covering a clash
in Nablus btwn. IDF soldiers, stone-throwing Palestinians; conducts arrest raids
in Bethlehem, Jaba, Nablus. In East Jerusalem, 5 Jewish settlers attack,
beat a Palestinian shop owner, threaten to occupy his store. An Israeli court
convicts 4 East Jerusalem Palestinians for participation in 8 Hamas
attacks, including the 7/02 Hebrew University bombing; 3 other East Jerusalem
Palestinians are indicted on charges of plotting attacks on Israelis,
including downing a helicopter nr. the Knesset. (HA 12/15; NYT 12/16; LAW, PCHR
12/18; HA 12/24)
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The IDF fatally shoots 2 armed Hamas mbrs. attempting to cross
the border fence into Israel; fatally shoots a Palestinian farmer who
strays too close to Gush Katif settlement; fatally shoots a mentally ill
Palestinian who approaches an IDF patrol nr. the Egypt-Gaza border; shells
residential areas of Khan Yunis; sets up barricades, digs trenches around
al-Naqura, occupies 1 Palestinian home as an outpost, further hindering
travel btwn. Nablus and Jenin, Tulkarm; bulldozes 5 dunams of olive trees nr.
Arrabe; conducts arrest raids in Arrabe, Bethlehem, Jenin, Ramallah. Israel
announces that Palestinians may resume bus service btwn. West Bank towns for the
first time since the start of the al-Aqsa intifada. Buses will operate fr. 6:00
a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will only transport passengers to the crossing point outside
the next city (e.g., a Palestinian would have to take 5 buses to travel the 40
mi. fr. Jenin to Ramallah). (NYT, WP 12/17; LAW, NYT, PCHR, PR 12/18; TJT 12/19;
JT 1/1)
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17 DECEMBER
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The IDF shells residential areas of Khan Yunis, killing a
17-yr.-old Palestinian inside his home; demolishes 6 Palestinian homes,
fires on residential areas in Rafah; fires on stone-throwing students returning
fr. school in Nablus during break in the curfew, injuring 9; conducts arrest
raids, house searches in Burqa, Dayr al-Balah, Jenin, al-Khadir, Tubas, Tulkarm;
searches dorms at Birzeit University. (LAW, NYT, PCHR 12/18)
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18 DECEMBER
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The IDF opens fire on a group of Palestinian youths in Rafah who
refuse to disperse, killing a 15-yr.-old Palestinian; fires on
stone-throwing students returning fr. school in Nablus during break in the
curfew, injuring 8; bulldozes 6 Palestinian homes, 5 dunams of olive
trees in Rafah. (JTA, LAW, PCHR 12/18; WP 12/19)
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The IDF fatally shoots an 11-yr.-old Palestinian girl in her
home; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian children in Qalandia r.c., injuring 2
bystanders; conducts arrest raids in Jenin. Under pressure fr. the U.S.,
the IDF also evicts 200 Jewish settlers fr. a new enclave
established in Hebron on the site of the 11/15 Islamic Jihad attack; settlers
vow to reestablish the site. An IDF APC deliberately rams a Palestinian
van nr. Maithalun, killing 1 Palestinian, injuring a 2d. (MM 12/19; WP
12/20, 12/21; LAW, PCHR 12/25; WJW 12/26; PM 12/27)
Israeli atty. gen. Elyakim Rubinstein asks the Central Elections
Comm. to bar MK Azmi Bishara’s National Democratic Alliance (NDA) fr.
participating in the 1/03 elections on the grounds that it advocates that Israel
should be a state for all its citizens, which implicitly contradicts Israel’s
founding principle as a Jewish state, and because it supports armed attacks
against Israel (a charge Bishara, NDA deny). Section 7(A) of the Basic Law: The
Knesset allows the barring of candidates and political parties that deny “the
existence of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.” (JTA l2/19;
ADL 12/21)
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The IDF sends tanks into Dayr al-Balah in search of a
wanted AMB mbr., fatally shoots 1 Palestinian during the raid;
demolishes 3 Palestinian homes in Dayr al-Balah, 8 in nearby Wadi
al-Silqa; blows up 1 Palestinian building in Nablus that the IDF claims
was used as a bomb-making lab; fires on residential areas of Rafah; conducts
arrest raids in Jalbun, Tulkarm, al-Yamun. A Palestinian dies of injuries
received on 7/12/02. (AP 12/20; NYT, WP 12/21; WT 12/22; LAW, PCHR 12/25)
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U.S. Pres. George W. Bush meets with Quartet reps. (EU, Russia, UN,
U.S.) at the White House. The Quartet reaffirms its call for creation of a
Palestinian state by 2005, completes “99.5%” of the revisions to the draft road
map, but the U.S. overrules calls by other mbrs. to finalize and endorse
the road map. (CNN, MM 12/20; NYT, WP 12/21; AYM 12/22, 12/24 in WNC 12/31; MM
12/23; JP 12/29)
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Islamic Jihad gunmen fatally shoot a Jewish settler rabbi
driving in Gaza. Israeli police find a package
bomb in a mall in Netanya, in n. Israel. |
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A 12-yr.-old Palestinian girl is killed by stray IDF gunfire on
the way home fr. school in Rafah. The IDF shoots, wounds a 3d Palestinian
who ventures too close to Kefar Darom settlement; fires on a Palestinian vehicle
driving nr. Dayr al-Balah, injuring the driver. (NYT, WT 12/22; LAW, PCHR 12/25)
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A PSF officer is shot,
wounded by an Islamic Jihad mbr. when he stops the Jihad mbrs. car nr.
Bayt Hanun, suspecting it was heading to the border to shoot a mortar into
Israel. |
22 DECEMBER
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The IDF shells residential areas of Rafah; fires at stone-throwing
children in Khan Yunis, wounding 1; fires tear gas into an elementary school in
Tulkarm while classes are in session; demolishes a Palestinian home nr.
Hebron; makes arrest raids in Tulkarm. (LAW, PCHR 12/25)
Israel’s Interior Minister Yishai closes the Voice of Truth and
Freedom, a newspaper published by the northern branch of the Islamic
Movement, on the grounds that it is an “almost certain” danger to national
security, saying the move “is part of our effort in the war on terror." (HA
12/22, 12/23)
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23 DECEMBER
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The IDF assassinates wanted Hamas mbrs. Shaman Subuh, Mustafa
Baqash in Jenin; demolishes 8 Palestinian homes, 3 brick factories, a
dairy farm and damages 18 other homes in Rafah; demolishes 1 home, 3 blacksmith
shops in Hebron; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis; bulldozes part of the
Silwan Sports Club in East Jerusalem; makes arrest raids in Anabta, Nablus.
Israel lifts the curfew on Bethlehem for Christmas, says it will provide
free public transportation to any Christian Arabs in Israel or the
territories who want to visit the city in the next few days. (HA 12/23; LAW, NYT
12/24; AFP 12/25 in WNC 12/26; LAW, PCHR 12/25)
The Israeli Housing Min. issues tenders to construct 232 new housing
units in the ultra-Orthodox West Bank settlement of Emmanuel, even though the
settlement is losing residents at the rate of 5% a year. Housing Min. figures
show that 1,688 (75%) of the 2,178 tenders for public construction issued
between 1/02 and 9/02 were for housing in the territories. Tenders for 28 units
in Beitar Ilit, 102 units in Efrat's Givat Hazayit, 76 new units in Ariel, all
in the West Bank, were also issued recently. (HA 12/24)
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The IDF fires a tank shell at a group of Palestinians btwn. Erez,
Qarni checkpoints, killing a 14-yr.-old Palestinian, injuring 3 other
youths; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Khan Yunis, injuring 1
with live ammunition; shoots, injures a 12-yr.-old Palestinian in Wadi
al-Silqa for no apparent reason; bulldozes 2 Palestinian homes in Hebron.
(HA 12/24; MENA, XIN 12/24 in WNC 12/26; LAW, NYT, PCHR, WT 12/25)
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In what may be an assassination, the IDF fatally shoots wanted
senior Hamas mbr. Talib Abu Hawash during a raid in Nablus, allowing him to
bleed to death over several hrs. while denying access to ambulances. The IDF
also fatally shoots a Palestinian who strays too near Netzarim
settlement; demolishes a Palestinian home in Bayt Hanina, 5 cow pens in
Ramallah. (LAW, PCHR 12/25; HP, WP, WT 12/26; HA 12/27)
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Palestinians fire grenades at IDF outposts nr. Gush
Katif, Rafah, causing no injuries. |
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The IDF reoccupies Bethlehem following Christmas celebrations,
reimposes a 24-hr. curfew on residents; assassinates local AMB head Jamal
Yahya in Tulkarm; assassinates Hamas mbr. Bassam Ashqar, ambushing
his car in Ramallah, also killing a Palestinian bystander; raids
Qabatiyya, assassinating local Islamic Jihad leader Yusif Abu Rub,
demolishing his family house, arresting local Izzeddin al-Qassam
Brigades head Natzir Nazal, senior Hamas mbr. Talal al-Baz; sends
undercover units into a hospital in Ramallah, fatally shooting wanted
Palestinian Samir al-Shamali, who was working there as a guard, in what may
be an assassination, sparking demonstrations, clashes with local residents that
leave 1 Palestinian stone thrower dead; fatally shoots 2 Palestinians
“approaching” Netzarim settlement; fires on demonstrators protesting the curfew
in Nablus, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 20; raids a village n. of
Ramallah, firing stun grenades, causing an elderly Palestinian to suffer
a fatal heart attack; imposes a curfew on Beitunia, sends 30 tanks into the
town; conducts house-to-house searches, arrest raids in Qalqilya; fires on
residential areas of Khan Yunis. The IDF also announces that it has begun building
300-yd.-wide buffer zones around several Jewish settlements in the West
Bank. This evening, Israeli DM Shaul Mofaz orders the IDF to step up pressure on
militant groups in the territories. (HP, LAW, PCHR, PM 12/26; HA, NYT, WP, WT
12/27; AYM, Interfax, ITAR-TASS, al-Quds 12/27, De Standaard 12/28
in WNC 12/31; NYT, WT 12/28; LAW, PCHR 1/1)
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Palestinians fire 2
mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing damage but no injuries.
The PA accuses Israel of stepping
up attacks on Palestinians in an effort to scuttle Fatah-Hamas talks in Cairo.Palestinians fire 2
mortars at a Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing damage but no injuries. |
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The IDF arrests an
Israeli Jewish truck driver at Qarni checkpoint, attempting to smuggle
weapons, ammunition into Gaza; fires on residential areas of Khan Yunis, setting
fire to a farm, killing several sheep, chickens; conducts arrest raids in Askar
r.c., Tubas. An IDF gunboat opens fire on Palestinian fishing vessels
off the Gaza coast, severely damaging 3 boats. (HA 12/27; HA, NYT, WP, WT 12/28; HA 12/30; LAW, PCHR 1/1)
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Retaliating for the assassination of Islamic Jihad’s Abu Rub on 12/26, 2
Islamic Jihad gunmen infiltrate Otniel settlement nr. Hebron, fatally
shooting 2 Jewish settlers, 2 IDF soldiers, wounding 9 (mostly
soldiers), before being shot dead by the IDF; the IDF imposes a curfew on
Hebron, surrounding area; angry Jewish settlers rampage through
Palestinian areas of Hebron, attacking cars, houses. Up to 40,000 Hamas
supporters attend a Hamas rally in Gaza City, marking the 15th anniversary
of the movement. |
28 DECEMBER
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The IDF fatally shoots an 8-yr.-old Palestinian girl in Khan
Yunis; fires flechette shells at 2 unarmed Palestinians who stray too near the
Israeli border nr. Bayt Hanun, seriously injuring them; fires rubber bullets,
stun grenades at Palestinian students protesting in Bethlehem; demolishes 2
Palestinian homes in Dura; bulldozes 10 dunams of land nr. Dayr al-Balah. (HA
12/28; BBC, WP, WT 12/29; WP 12/30; LAW, PCHR 1/1; HA 1/14)
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A car bomb explodes prematurely in East Jerusalem, lightly injuring the
East Jerusalem Palestinian driver, who is arrested. Hamas mbrs. for
the 1st time fire a rocket-propelled grenade (RPG) at an IDF patrol in
Gaza, destroying an armored car, seriously injuring 2 IDF soldiers. |
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The IDF fires on stone-throwing Palestinians in Tulkarm, killing an
11-yr.-old Palestinian boy; bars a Palestinian heart attack victim
from reaching a hospital in Ramallah, allowing him to die; fires on nonviolent
protest march on an IDF checkpoint by 150 Palestinian, European demonstrators
in Gaza, wounding a Palestinian cameraman working for the Associated
Press; demolishes 2 Palestinian homes in Dura. (BBC, HA, NYT, WP, WT
12/30; LAW, PCHR 1/1)
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The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian involved in a traffic
altercation with an IDF jeep nr. Jenin; occupies 2 medical clinics in Nablus,
firing fr. the facilities on stone-throwing Palestinians, killing 1
Palestinian; fires on 3 Palestinians allegedly attempting to infiltrate the
Israeli border fence in the Negev, killing 1 Palestinian (2 others
escape); fatally beats a 17-yr.-old Palestinian for violating the curfew
in Hebron; demolishes 1 Palestinian home in Dura; denies an ailing
Palestinian woman passage through a checkpoint to a clinic, allowing her to
die; conducts arrest raids nr. Tulkarm. Israeli courts sentence an
Israeli Arab taxi driver to 15 yrs. for driving 2 suicide bombers to Tel
Aviv, an East Jerusalem Palestinian to 6 yrs. for providing Palestinian
militants with information used to carry out attacks on Israelis. (HA, JTA
12/30; NYT, WP, WT 12/31; LAW, PCHR, WP 1/1; NYT 1/2; PRCS press release 1/5)
The Israeli Central Elections Comm. decides to follow Atty. Gen.
Rubinstein’s 2/19 advice to disqualify Israeli Arab MK Ahmad Tibi (Ta’al)
fr. running in 1/03 elections on the grounds that he does not support the Jewish
character of the State of Israel, supports armed attacks against it (a charge he
denies); turns down a similar request to bar MK `Abd al-Malik Dahamshe
and his United Arab List; rules that Herut mbr. Baruch Marzel, the
fmr. head of the outlawed Kach movement who placed 2d on Herut’s slate of
MK candidates, can participate in the 1/28 elections. The Knesset bans mbrs. of
Kach, which advocates the deportation of Arabs fr. Israel and the occupied
territories, from holding parliamentary office. (HA 12/30, 12/31; ADL, HA, MM
1/2; DUS 1/2 in WNC 1/3; MA 1/3 in WNC 1/6; WT 1/8; JPI, NYT 1/10)
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31 DECEMBER
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The IDF fatally shoots 1 Palestinian nr. Neve Dekalim
settlement; fires on residential areas of Rafah; demolishes 1 Palestinian
home outside Nablus. (REU 12/31; HA 12/31 in WNC
1/2; LAW, PCHR, WT 1/1)
The Israeli Central Elections Comm. decides to follow Atty. Gen.
Rubinstein’s advice to disqualify Israeli Arab MK Bishara, his NDA
list fr. running in 1/03 elections. (HA 12/31; WT 1/1; ADL, MM 1/2; DUS 1/2 in
WNC 1/3; MA 1/3 in WNC 1/6; PR, WT 1/8; JPI 1/10)
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In Gaza City, 10,000s of Palestinians attend a
rally marking the 65th anniversary of Fatah. |
Abbreviations
IDF
Israeli Defense Forces
PA Palestinian Authority
Chronology Source Abbreviations
ADM (Addameer--Prisoners Support and Human Rights Association, Ramallah)
AFP (Agence France-Presse, Paris)
AIC (Alternative Information Center, Jerusalem)
AP (Associated Press, Internet)
ATL (Anatolia, Ankara)
AYM (al-Ayyam, Ramallah)
BDL (BADIL Resource Center, Bethlehem)
DUS (al-Dustur, Amman)
FAV (Free Arab Voice, Internet)
HA (Ha'Aretz, Tel Aviv)
HJ (al-Hayat al-Jadida, Ramallah)
HP (Hear Palestine, Washington)
HUR (Hurriyet, Istanbul)
IRNA (Islamic Republic News Agency, Tehran)
IsRN (Israel Radio News, Internet)
JP (Jerusalem Post International Edition, Jerusalem)
JT (Jordan Times, Amman)
LAW (Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, Jerusalem)
MA (Ma'ariv, Tel Aviv)
MEI (Middle East International, London)
MENA (Middle East News Agency, Cairo)
MENL (Middle East Newsline, Internet)
MEZ (al-Mezan Center for Human Rights, Jabaliyya)
MM (Mideast Mirror, London)
NYT (New York Times, New York)
PCHR (Palestinian Center for Human Rights, Gaza)
PR (Palestine Report, Jerusalem)
QA (al-Quds al-Arabi, London)
REU (Reuters, Internet)
RL (Radio Lebanon, Beirut)
RMC (Radio Monte Carlo, Paris)
SA (al-Sharq al-Awsat, London)
UPI (United Press International, Internet)
WJW (Washington Jewish Week, Rockville, MD)
WNC (World News Connection [Internet], Washington)
WP (Washington Post, Washington)
WT (Washington Times, Washington)
XIN (Xinhua+nNew China News Agency, Beijing)
YA (Yedi'ot Aharonot, Tel Aviv)
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