Timeline Palestine (B) 2001- 2003
Return to home
2001 Jan 1, In
Israel a car bomb wounded at least 40 people in Netanya and gunfire
killed 4 Palestinians in the West Bank.
(SFC, 1/2/01, p.A1)
2001 Jan 2, Pres. Clinton met
with Yasser Arafat and coaxed Arafat to curb the Middle East
violence.
(SFC, 1/3/01, p.A1)
2001 Jan 3, Yasser Arafat
accepted "with reservations" Pres. Clinton’s outline for an
Israeli-Palestinian settlement.
(SFC, 1/4/01, p.A8)
2001 Jan 4, It was reported
that Saddam Hussein had sent moral support and distributed some 270
checks for $10,000 each to the families of Palestinians killed in
clashes with Israelis since Nov.
(SFC, 1/5/01, p.A17)
2001 Jan 8, Palestinian’s
rejected Pres. Clinton’s formula for a permanent Mideast settlement.
(SSFC, 12/30/01, p.D2)
2001 Jan 13, The Palestinian
Authority executed the 1st 2 Palestinians ever convicted of
collaborating with Israel.
(SSFC, 1/14/01, p.D1)
2001 Jan 15, The Palestinian
authority offered amnesty to suspected collaborators with Israel.
(SFC, 1/16/01, p.A9)
2001 Jan 17, Hisham Miki (54),
head of Palestinian TV, was shot to death by 3 masked men in Gaza
City.
(SFC, 1/18/01, p.A13)
2001 Jan 18, Ofir Rafum (16) of
Israel was murdered in the West Bank after being lured over by a
woman via an internet relationship.
(SFC, 1/20/01, p.A11)
2001 Jan 19, The US and Israel
signed an agreement to phase out economic aid by 2008. Half the aid
would be replaced by military aid. Separately $80 million was
pledged to a UN relief agency for Palestinian refugees.
(SFC, 1/20/01, p.A11)
2001 Jan 20, In Israel Prime
Minister Barak agreed to a Palestinian proposal for a fresh round of
peace negotiations in Taba, Egypt.
(SSFC, 1/21/01, p.D3)
2001 Jan 20, In the West Bank
Israeli soldiers captured Mona Najar (25), suspected in the Jan 18
luring and murder of Ophir Rakhum.
(SSFC, 1/21/01, p.3)
2001 Jan 22, Israeli and
Palestinian negotiators met in Taba, Egypt.
(SFC, 1/23/01, p.A12)
2001 Jan 25, Israel and
Palestine continued talks in Egypt as an Israeli motorist was killed
in an ambush by the "Thabet Thabet Brigade."
(SFC, 1/26/01, p.A12)
2001 Jan 27, Israel and
Palestine ended 6 days of talks in Egypt. They failed to reach a
peace accord but declared that they were never closer.
(SSFC, 1/28/01, p.A18)
2001 Feb 9, In Israel Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon asked Ehud Barak to serve as defense minister.
A Palestinian shepherd was killed by an Israeli bullet.
(SFC, 2/10/01, p.A10)(SSFC, 2/11/01, p.C5)
2001 Feb 10, Israel said it
would not cooperate with the newly arrived UN human rights mission
for a fact-finding tour of Palestinian areas.
(SSFC, 2/11/01, p.C1)
2001 Feb 12, Israeli soldiers
shot and killed 2 Palestinians in the West Bank and dozens of
Palestinians were wounded in a gunbattle in the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 2/13/01, p.A10)
2001 Feb 13, Israeli gunships
killed Massoud Ayyad (57), a Palestinian security official, with
anti-tank missiles fired at his car in Gaza.
(SFC, 2/14/01, p.A14)
2001 Feb 14, Khalil Abu Olbeh
(35), a Palestinian bus driver, drove his bus into a group of
Israelis in Tel Aviv and killed 8 people. The dead included 3 male
and 4 female soldiers and 1 civilian woman. Olbeh, was later
sentenced to eight life terms.
(SFC, 2/14/01, p.A14)(SFC, 2/15/01, p.A12)(AP,
2/14/02)
2001 Feb 19, In the West Bank
Mahmoud Madani (25), a Hamas activist, was shot to death from long
range.
(SFC, 2/20/01, p.A9)
2001 Feb 23, Palestinians
demonstrated against the visit of Colin Powell and one was killed in
clashes with Israeli security forces.
(SFC, 2/24/01, p.A10)
2001 Mar 1, In Israel a
Palestinian in a taxi detonated a bomb that killed one passenger,
injured 9 and blew off his own legs.
(SFC, 3/2/01, p.A17)
2001 Mar 4, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and 3 Israelis in Netanya.
(SSFC, 3/4/01, p.A27)
2001 Mar 12, Israel sealed off
the city of Ramallah, the unofficial seat of the Palestinian
Authority.
(SFC, 3/13/01, p.A15)
2001 Mar 15, Israel arrested 3
members of an elite Palestinian security force who allegedly planned
a bomb attack on Israeli West Bank military headquarters.
(SFC, 3/16/01, p.A14)
2001 Mar 18, Palestinians first
used mortars on Israel proper and hit the army base near Nahal Oz
kibbutz.
(SFC, 4/10/01, p.A10)
2001 Mar 26, In Hebron a
Palestinian sniper shot and killed a 10-month-old Jewish girl. A
15-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and wounded in Gaza.
(SFC, 3/27/01, p.F1)
2001 Mar 27, Two bombings in
Jerusalem wounded some 35 people.
(SFC, 3/28/01, p.A10)
2001 Mar 28, Two Israeli
teenagers were killed by a Palestinian suicide bomber. Israeli
gunships followed up with missile strikes at Arafat’s personal
security forces and at least 3 Palestinians were killed.
(SFC, 3/29/01, p.A10)
2001 Mar 30, Israeli Arabs
observed Land Day with peaceful marches. Israeli soldiers shot to
death 6 Palestinians and wounded over 100.
(SFC, 3/31/01, p.A10)
2001 Apr 2, An Israeli
helicopter rocketed a truck and killed an Islamic Jihad militant. In
Bethlehem a sniper killed an Israeli soldier.
(WSJ, 4/3/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 3, Israel fired
rockets at 4 Gaza Strip targets after a 10-year-old boy was injured
in a mortar assault on a Jewish settlement.
(SFC, 4/4/01, p.A10)
2001 Apr 5, Iyad Hardan, head
of Sarai al-Quds, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad, was killed
in the explosion of a booby trapped pay phone in the West Bank.
(SFC, 4/6/01, p.A16)
2001 Apr 11, Israel sent tanks
and bulldozers into the Khan Yunis refugee camp and demolished over
2 dozen homes. 2 Palestinians were killed and 25 injured in ground
fighting.
(SFC, 4/12/01, p.A12)(WSJ, 4/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 16, Israeli warplanes
struck deep in Lebanon and attacked a Syrian radar site. 3 Syrians
were killed. In the evening Israeli helicopters hit Palestinian
positions in Gaza in retaliation for a mortar attack on an Israeli
town. Bulldozers were sent to tear up farmland near Beit Hanoun, the
suspected source of the mortar fire.
(SFC, 4/16/01, p.A9)(WSJ, 4/16/01, p.A1)(SFC,
4/17/01, p.A8)
2001 Apr 17, Israeli tanks,
bulldozers and ground troops seized Palestinian territory but
withdrew under US pressure after 18 hours.
(SFC, 4/18/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 18, Israel raided
southern Gaza and leveled a Palestinian police station in response
to mortar attacks.
(SFC, 4/19/01, p.A10)
2001 Apr 19, Israel removed
road blocks to Palestinian travel in the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 4/20/01, p.A15)
2001 Apr 20, Yasser Arafat
proposed that he and Ariel Sharon simultaneously call for an end
Israeli-Palestinian violence.
(SFC, 4/21/01, p.A12)
2001 Apr 22, In Israel a
suicide bomber killed himself and an Israeli physician at a bus stop
in Kfar Sava. 40-50 others were wounded.
(SFC, 4/23/01, p.A8)(WSJ, 4/23/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 23, In Gaza a
12-year-old Palestinian boy was shot and killed during the funeral
of a Palestinian police officer. 11 others were wounded. Near Tel
Aviv a 3rd bomb blast in 2 days injured 4 people.
(SFC, 4/24/01, p.A10)
2001 Apr 24, Israel promised to
ease restrictions on Palestinian towns in exchange for Palestinian
efforts to prevent violence. Fighting left 2 Palestinians dead.
(SFC, 4/25/01, p.A12)(WSJ, 4/25/01, p.A1)
2001 Apr 25, In Gaza an
explosion killed 4 Palestinian police.
(SFC, 4/26/01, p.A14)
2001 Apr 30, Five Palestinians
were killed in bomb blasts in Gaza and the West Bank.
(SFC, 5/1/01, p.A10)
2001 May 1, In the West Bank
Assaf Hershovitz (31), a Jewish settler, was killed when his van was
hit by 27 bullets outside Ramallah.
(SFC, 5/2/01, p.A8)
2001 May 2, Israeli bulldozers
demolished 20 houses in the Rafah refugee camp in Gaza and killed
one teenager during the predawn operation.
(SFC, 5/3/01, p.B1)
2001 May 4, Sen. George
Mitchell, head of the US-led mission on Israeli-Palestinian
fighting, issued a report and said Israel should freeze settlement
constructions.
(SFC, 5/5/01, p.D1)
2001 ` May 5, In the West Bank
Ahmed Khalil Assad (37), a Palestinian militant, was shot to death
in front of his 2-year-old niece, who was injured. In Jericho
Israeli soldiers rocketed a Palestinian police base and 17 people
were injured.
(SSFC, 5/6/01, p.A14)
2001 May 7, Israeli tank fire
killed Iman Hijo, a Palestinian 4-month-old baby in Khan Yunis. A
Palestinian police officer in the West Bank was also killed.
(WSJ, 5/8/01, p.A1)(SFC, 5/8/01, p.C5)
2001 May 9, In the West Bank 2
Israeli teenagers, Koby Mandell (13) and Yossi Ishran (14), were
stoned to death and found in a cave.
(WSJ, 5/10/01, p.A1)(SFC, 5/10/01, p.A16)
2001 May 10, Israel retaliated
for a roadside bomb that that killed 2 Romanian workers. Rockets
were fired at Palestinian police headquarters and Fatah offices in
Gaza.
(WSJ, 5/11/01, p.A1)
2001 May 11, In Gaza Israeli
bulldozers flattened a police station and 5 homes. Tanks fired at
the Jabaliya refugee camp. Surface to air missiles hit downtown Gaza
City.
(BS, 5/12/01, p.9A)(SFC, 5/11/01, p.A16)
2001 May 12, In the West Bank
Moutasem Sabaa (26), a Palestinian militant, and Ala’a Jaloudi, a
Palestinian policeman, were killed in an Israeli helicopter attack.
3 members of the Tanzim militia escaped.
(SSFC, 5/13/01, p.A13)
2001 May 13, Israeli
helicopters rocketed Palestinian police compounds in the Gaza Strip.
Navy ships fired shells at the Palestinian navy office in the
Nusseiraqt refugee camp.
(SFC, 5/14/01, p.A9)
2001 May 14, Israeli forces
gunned down 5 Palestinian police officers (18-29) at a checkpoint in
Beitunia, a suburb of Ramallah. Israel later admitted that the men
killed were mistaken for members of Force 17.
(SFC, 5/15/01, p.A9)(SFC, 5/17/01, p.A10)
2001 May 15, On Israel’s 53rd
birthday Israeli troops shot and killed at least 4 Palestinians and
over 200 were wounded. An Israeli woman was also killed in the West
Bank.
(SFC, 5/16/01, p.A10)(WSJ, 5/16/01, p.A1)
2001 May 15, Tens of thousands
of Palestinians packed town squares in the West Bank town of
Ramallah as they marked what they called the day of "catastrophe" in
1948, when they were uprooted and the state of Israel created.
(AP, 5/15/02)
2001 May 18, In Israel a
suicide bomber killed 7 others and wounded over 100 women and
children at a shopping mall in Netanya. Israeli F-16 jets retaliated
and killed at 10 Palestinian security personnel in 3 Palestinian
cities. Near the Neve Tzuf Jewish settlement Yair Nebentzal (22) was
killed by sniper fire.
(SFC, 5/19/01, p.A1)(WSJ, 8/31/01, p.A1)(AP,
5/18/06)
2001 May 21, Amid escalating
Middle East violence, an international commission submitted a report
calling for end to violence, but it was never implemented.
(AP, 9/6/03)
2001 May 23, An Israeli
contractor was killed in an ambush in the West Bank. 38 Palestinians
including 15 children were wounded in a firefight at the Rafah
refugee camp in Gaza.
(SFC, 5/24/01, p.A14)
2001 May 24, The Israeli Air
Force shot down a small plane off the coast and killed a Lebanese
student pilot (43). Israel sent tanks into the Gaza Strip and 2
people were killed.
(SFC, 5/25/01, p.A14)(WSJ, 5/25/01, p.A1)
2001 May 25, Three Palestinian
suicide bombers attacked in Hadera and Gaza but only killed
themselves.
(SFC, 5/26/01, p.A8)
2001 May 28, Israel and the
Palestinians agreed to resume talks on security cooperation.
(SFC, 5/29/01, p.A12)
2001 May 29, In Israel and the
West Bank 3 Palestinians and 3 Israelis were killed.
(SFC, 5/30/01, p.A10)
2001 May 31, In Israel a Jewish
settler was killed in the West Bank and Palestinian (17) was killed
during a clash in Ramallah. Since Sept. 483 Palestinians have died
and 88 Israelis including 24 settlers.
(SFC, 6/1/01, p.D6)
2001 May 31, Faisal Husseini
(60), a Palestinian leader, died in Kuwait of a heart attack. He was
a member of the PLO’s 18-strong executive committee and head of the
Fatah on the West Bank.
(SFC, 6/1/01, p.D5)
2001 Jun 1, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed 21 young people at a Tel Aviv
disco. At least 80 people were injured in the Hamas attack.
(SFC, 6/2/01, p.A1)(SFC, 12/30/01, p.D3)
2001 Jun 2, In the West Bank
Yasser Arafat announced that he would make every effort to bring
about an unconditional cease-fire.
(SSFC, 6/3/01, p.A1)
2001 Jun 4, As Israeli soldiers
and Palestinians exchanged fire in Rafah, Hamas said that it would
join the cease-fire.
(SFC, 6/5/01, p.A12)
2001 Jun 9, Israeli tank shells
killed 3 Palestinian women, Nessra Malaha (65), Salimia Malaha (46)
and Hikmet Malaha (17), in the Gaza Strip.
(SSFC, 6/10/01, p.A15)
2001 Jun 12, Israel and the
Palestinians agreed to a cease-fire following 6 days of mediation by
US CIA director George Tenet.
(SFC, 6/13/01, p.D2)
2001 Jun 13, Israel eased
travel restrictions into the West Bank and Gaza as the armistice
went into effect. Under the agreement Israel had 48 hours to pull
tanks and troops back and Palestinians were due to start arresting
militants planning attacks.
(SFC, 6/14/01, p.A14)
2001 Jun 14, In Israel Lt. Col.
Yehuda Edri (45) was killed by a Palestinian man, who was then
killed by Edri’s bodyguard. Another Palestinian man was killed in a
driveby shooting in the West Bank and Jewish settlers were suspect.
(SFC, 6/15/01, p.A18)
2001 Jun 17, Israeli soldiers
shot and killed Ali Abu Shaweesh (5) when they
fired on Palestinian demonstrators near Jewish settlements in Gaza.
(SFC, 6/18/01, p.A10)
2001 Jun 22, In Israel settlers
blocked West Bank roads and scuffled with soldiers in a 3rd day of
right-wing violence. A Palestinian suicide bombing killed 2 Israeli
soldiers.
(SFC, 6/23/01, p.A8)
2001 Jun 24, In the West Bank
town of Nablus Osama Jawabri (29), a Palestinian activist, was
killed by a bomb planted in a public phone.
(SFC, 6/25/01, p.A8)
2001 Jul 1, Israel hit a Syrian
radar site in Lebanon. In the West Bank Israeli helicopters rocketed
a car with 3 Islamic Jihad members. Israeli infantry killed 2 Hamas
members.
(WSJ, 7/2/01, p.A1)(SFC, 7/2/01, p.A8)
2001 Jul 2, An Israeli was
killed while shopping near the West Bank and a Palestinian was
killed by Israeli troops. The US scrambled to salvage the
cease-fire.
(WSJ, 7/3/01, p.A1)(SFC, 7/3/01, p.A7)
2001 Jul 7, In the Gaza Strip a
Palestinian boy was shot and killed and 2 others injured by Israeli
soldiers. Palestinian militants were said to have been shooting in
the Raffah refugee camp area.
(SSFC, 7/8/01, p.A13)
2001 Jul 8, Israeli agents in
Hebron abducted Ayoub Sharawi, a member of Hamas. In Gaza
Palestinians and Israelis exchanged gunfire in Rafah.
(SFC, 7/9/01, p.A8)
2001 Jul 8, Israeli wrecking
crews destroyed 14 Palestinian homes in East Jerusalem at the edge
of the Shuafat refugee camp.
(SFC, 7/10/01, p.A7)
2001 Jul 10, Israel destroyed
at least 10 Palestinian structures in Rafah in the Gaza Strip and
ignited a fierce gun battle.
(WSJ, 7/10/01, p.A1)(SFC, 7/11/01, p.A7)
2001 Jul 11, An Israeli soldier
shot and killed a Palestinian woman after her taxi evaded a
roadblock. Israeli police in Afula captured a Palestinian would-be
suicide bomber.
(SFC, 7/12/01, p.A12)
2001 Jul 12, Israeli tanks
shelled police posts in Nablus after Palestinian gunmen wounded
Israeli motorists. One Palestinian police officer was killed.
(SFC, 7/13/01, p.A14)
2001 Jul 13, In Gaza and the
West Bank 2 Islamic Hamas militants were killed. Israeli soldiers
shot and killed one in Tulkarm. Fawaz Badran (27) was killed when
his car exploded.
(SFC, 7/14/01, p.A10)
2001 Jul 15, In Israel PM
Sharon and his Cabinet decided to build new towns in the Halutza
Sands region of the Negev Desert. Shimon Peres met with Arafat in
Cairo and a gunbattle in Hebron left 20 Palestinians wounded.
(SFC, 7/16/01, p.A8)
2001 Jul 16, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and 2 Israelis at a bus
stop north of Tel Aviv. The bombing was believed to be an effort to
mar the opening of the Macabiah, the Jewish Olympics in Jerusalem.
Israel retaliated by shelling Palestinian police posts in 2 West
Bank towns.
(SFC, 7/17/01, p.A6)(WSJ, 7/17/01, p.A1)
2001 Jul 17, An Israeli
helicopter fired missiles at a hut in Bethlehem and 4 Palestinians
were killed. A few hours later Palestinians fired a mortar shell
into a Jewish neighborhood of Jerusalem.
(SFC, 7/18/01, p.A12)
2001 Jul 19, The US joined
major powers in calling for 3rd parties to monitor a cease-fire
between Israel and the Palestinians.
(SFC, 7/20/01, p.A14)
2001 Jul 19, In the West Bank
Jewish extremists, who identified themselves as the Committee for
Road Safety, killed 3 Palestinians including a 3-month-old girl, in
a drive-by shooting near Hebron.
(SFC, 7/20/01, p.A14)
2001 Jul 20, In the West Bank
an explosion leveled the office of Yasser Arafat in Hebron and Rajai
Abu Rajab, an activist in the Tanzim, was found dead. Israel denied
firing any missiles.
(SFC, 7/21/01, p.E1)
2001 Jul 23, Israeli police
killed a Palestinian who drove a would-be bomber toward Haifa. In
Gaza Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian teenager.
(WSJ, 7/24/01, p.A1)
2001 Jul 25, Israeli troops
killed Salah Darwazeh, a Hamas militant, with antitank rockets as he
drove near Nablus. Informant Ahmed Abu Issah, father of nine, was
paid $50 for information on Darwazeh and was later condemned to
death by a Palestinian court.
(WSJ, 7/26/01, p.A1)(SFC, 8/11/01, p.A1)
2001 Jul 26, An Israeli youth
was killed in a drive-by shooting and 3 bombs went off in the West
Bank with no injuries.
(WSJ, 7/27/01, p.A1)
2001 Jul 28, An Israeli
helicopter attack in the Gaza Strip destroyed a workshop making
munitions and was followed by armed clashes.
(SSFC, 7/29/01, p.A18)
2001 Jul 30, In the West Bank 6
Palestinian Fatah activists were killed in an explosion near the
Al-Fara refugee camp. Israeli helicopters soon after rocketed a
weapons storage center in Gaza and at least 7 Palestinian police
officers were wounded.
(SFC, 7/30/01, p.A6)(WSJ, 7/30/01, p.A1)(SFC,
7/31/01, p.A6)
2001 Jul 31, In the West Bank
Israeli gunships killed 8 people in Nablus including 2 Hamas
leaders, Jamal Mansour and Jamal Salim, and 2 children.
(SFC, 8/1/01, p.A1)(SFC, 8/2/01, p.A7)
2001 Aug 1, Israeli troops
killed a Palestinian man in heavy fighting in Hebron.
(WSJ, 8/2/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 2, Palestinian judges
sentenced 4 Palestinian men to death for helping Israel’s army carry
out lethal attacks. 3 Palestinian men, suspected of collaboration,
were recently gunned down in the streets.
(SFC, 8/3/01, p.A12)
2001 Aug 3, Yasser Arafat’s
news agency called for a halt to armed attacks against Israel.
(SFC, 8/4/01, p.A6)
2001 Aug 4, The Israeli army
fired missiles at a convoy carrying the Palestinian West Bank leader
Marwan Barghouti.
(SSFC, 8/5/01, p.A12)
2001 Aug 5, In Israel a
Palestinian gunman shot into a crowd of soldiers in Tel Aviv and
injured 10 people before he was fatally shot. In 2 other incidents
an Israeli woman was killed in a drive-by shooting and a Palestinian
attempting to plant a bomb in Tulkarm was killed by Israeli troops.
(SFC, 8/6/01, p.A1,A10)
2001 Aug 7, Two Israelis were
shot dead on the West Bank. Israel gave its soldiers a freer hand to
fire on Palestinians.
(WSJ, 8/8/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 9, In Jerusalem a
Palestinian suicide bomber, Izzadine Masri, killed himself and 15
others at the Sbarro pizzeria. 90 people were wounded. Hamas claimed
responsibility. Ahlam al-Tamimi (21) of Jordan chose the target of
the attack and guided the bomber there. In 2017 Jordan's highest
court blocked her extradition to the US.
(WSJ, 8/10/01, p.A1)(SFC, 7/24/02, p.A14)(AP,
8/9/06)(AP, 3/23/17)
2001 Aug 10, Israeli forces
took over 9 buildings in East Jerusalem in retaliation for the
suicide bombing that killed 15 people.
(SFC, 8/11/01, p.A8)
2001 Aug 12, In Israel
Palestinian suicide bomber Muhammad Nasser (28) blew himself up at
the Wall Street Café in Kiryat Motzkin near Haifa. 21 other people
were injured. In Hebron a Palestinian girl died in a clash with
Israeli troops.
(SFC, 8/13/01, p.A1)(WSJ, 8/13/01, p.A1)(AP,
8/12/02)
2001 Aug 14, Israeli tanks
rolled into Palestinian-controlled Jenin. Bulldozers destroyed a
Palestinian police station and Israeli forces took back with them
some 70 Palestinians, who had been jailed in Jenin for collaboration
with Israel. In Nablus Shadi Affori (19), a Fatah member, was killed
in an explosion at his home.
(SFC, 8/14/01, p.A1)(SFC, 8/15/01, p.A6)
2001 Aug 15, Israeli undercover
troops in Hebron killed Emad Abu Sneiheh (25), an activist in the
Tanzim militia.
(SFC, 8/16/01, p.A9)
2001 Aug 19, In the West Bank
Israeli troops killed Mohammed Abu Arrar (14) at Rafah and Muin Abu
Lawi (38) near Nablus. Samir Abu Zaid and his 2 sons were killed
when their house was shelled in Rafah. Palestinians blamed Israeli
missiles, while the Israelis blamed Palestinian mortar rounds.
Israel later said Zaid and his children were killed by a bomb he was
making.
(SFC, 8/20/01, p.A8)(WSJ, 8/21/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 21, Yasser Arafat
agreed to truce talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
(SFC, 8/22/01, p.A10)
2001 Aug 22, Israeli forces
killed 7 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
(SFC, 8/23/01, p.A8)(WSJ, 8/23/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 23, Israeli forces
raided Palestinian neighborhoods in Hebron following the shooting of
2 young Jewish brothers. One Palestinian was reported killed and a
dozen wounded. In Gaza Israeli forces killed Mahmoud Zourab (11), a
Palestinian boy throwing stones.
(SFC, 8/24/01, p.A16)
2001 Aug 25, Palestinian
commandoes killed an Israeli officer and 2 soldiers in a pre-dawn
raid in Bedolah, Gaza Strip. 2 commandoes of the Al Aqsa Martyrs
Brigade were killed a 1 escaped. Palestinian gunmen north of
Jerusalem killed 3 members of an Israeli family in a car ambush. 2
children were wounded.
(SSFC, 8/26/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 26, Israeli jets
flattened the Palestinian Gaza City police headquarters in
retaliation for the shooting ambush of a settler family. Other
Palestinian police buildings and checkpoints were bombed.
(SFC, 8/27/01, p.A6)
2001 Aug 27, Israeli
helicopters fired missiles into the offices of Mustafa Zibri, chief
of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in El Bireh.
Zibri was killed and thousands of Palestinians began protests.
(SFC, 8/28/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 28, Israeli force
occupied parts of Beit Jala in the West Bank.
(SFC, 8/29/01, p.A1)
2001 Aug 29, Four Palestinians
and 1 Israeli were killed in ongoing violence.
(SFC, 8/30/01, p.A8)
2001 Aug 30, Israeli forces
began pulling out of Beit Jala. 3 Palestinians were killed in
gunbattles with Israeli troops. One Israeli was killed in a
Palestinian village in a restaurant that he helped a friend
establish.
(SFC, 8/30/01, p.A1)(SFC, 8/31/01, p.A14)
2001 Aug 31, Israeli troops
battled Palestinian gunmen and 19 Palestinians were wounded.
(SFC, 9/1/01, p.A6)
2001 Sep 1, In Gaza Col. Tayser
Khattab (52), Palestinian intelligence aide, was killed by a car
bomb. Near Tulkarem a Palestinian woman (22) was killed from a blast
in a taxi.
(SSFC, 9/2/01, p.A20)
2001 Sep 3, In Jerusalem 4
bombs exploded on the streets and Israelis fired missiles into a
Palestinian security building. Two Palestinians were killed during
fighting in Hebron. In Jerusalem a suicide bomber, dressed as an
Orthodox Jew, blew himself up on the Street of the Prophets.
(SFC, 9/4/01, p.A8)(SFC, 9/5/01, p.A8)
2001 Sep 6, Israel’s PM Sharon
said he was considering a buffer zone to foil terrorists. Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres said he would meet with Yasser Arafat next
week. Israeli gunships killed 2 Palestinian men. In an apparent
reprisal an Israeli soldier was shot dead and an Israeli woman
seriously wounded along the "green line."
(SFC, 9/7/01, p.A14)
2001 Sep 7, In Gaza City Yasser
Arafat was reported to be in discussions with Hamas on a
power-sharing proposal.
(SFC, 9/8/01, p.A8)
2001 Sep 8, Israeli helicopters
fired missiles at offices of the Fatah in Ramallah. Palestinian
police said a 13-year-old boy was killed by Israeli gunfire n Rafah.
(SSFC, 9/9/01, p.A18)
2001 Sep 9, In Nahariya,
Israel, an Israeli Arab, Muhammad Saker Habashi (55), killed himself
and 3 others in a suicide bombing. At least 71 other people were
wounded. 4 other people were killed in the West Bank and Gaza.
(SFC, 9/10/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 10, Israeli forces and
Palestinians exchanged gunfire in Jenin and Gaza and 3 Palestinians
were killed.
(SFC, 9/12/01, p.C3)
2001 Sep 11, Israeli tanks
moved into Jenin and tore down the Palestinian police headquarters.
This prompted fighting that killed 2 Palestinians.
(SFC, 9/12/01, p.C3)(WSJ, 9/12/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 11, World leaders
expressed outrage at terrorist attacks in NYC and the Pentagon and
pledged solidarity with the US. In the West Bank town of Nablus,
some 3,000 people celebrated the attacks and chanted "God is great."
Later the estimates of the WTC dead dropped to 4,396. In 2004 the
count was reduced to 2,749.
(SFC, 9/12/01, p.A14)(SFC, 11/3/01, p.A3)(SFC,
11/21/01, p.A2)(USAT, 10/30/03, p.7A)(WSJ, 1/26/04,
p.A1)(www.youtube.com/watch?v=I1M4eH9Kk7I)
2001 Sep 12, An Israeli woman
was killed by a Palestinian shooting ambush in the West Bank.
(SFC, 9/13/01, p.A12)
2001 Sep 13, Israeli forces
entered Jenin and Jericho and Palestinian officials reported that 10
people were killed.
(SFC, 9/13/01, p.A12)
2001 Sep 14, A Palestinian
attack wounded 2 Israeli policemen.
(SSFC, 9/16/01, p.A28)
2001 Sep 15, Gunfire between
Israelis and Palestinians in Gaza and Jerusalem left 3 Palestinians
dead and 2 Israelis wounded.
(SSFC, 9/16/01, p.A28)
2001 Sep 16, Israeli forces
invaded Palestinian territory at Ramallah. One Israeli soldier and 1
Palestinian security officer were killed. Many people were wounded.
(SFC, 9/17/01, p.A18)
2001 Sep 17, Yasser Arafat
ordered his forces to observe a cease-fire as Israel began to
observe its Jewish New Year, Rosh Hashana. In clashes 1 Palestinian
was killed and 15 wounded, while 4 Israelis were wounded.
(SFC, 9/18/01, p.B10)
2001 Sep 18, Pres. Yasser
Arafat declared "a cease-fire on all fronts" and Israel responded by
suspending military operations against Palestinian targets and
withdrawing from Palestinian-ruled areas.
(SFC, 9/19/01, p.B2)
2001 Sep 20, An Israeli woman,
Sarit Amrani (25), was killed in a drive-by shooting by the Al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades. A Palestinian man was killed in Gaza following a
grenade assault. Another Palestinian police officer was killed,
possibly by militants he was trying to restrain near Hebron. The
violence threatened the recent truce.
(SFC, 9/21/01, p.D2)
2001 Sep 23, PM Sharon
cancelled talks with Yasser Arafat after Palestinians fired 3 mortar
shells in the Gaza Strip, 2 of which hit Jewish settlements and the
3rd fell inside Israel. There were no injuries.
(SFC, 9/24/01, p.B1)
2001 Sep 26, Israel’s Shimon
Peres and Yasser Arafat met for peace talks. They pledged a new
drive for peace and agreed to resume cooperation between their
security forces as Palestinian gunmen and Israeli troops exchanged
gunfire. Gaza fighting left a Palestinian youth dead.
(SFC, 9/26/01, p.C2)(SFC, 9/27/01, p.A11)(WSJ,
9/27/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 27,
Israeli-Palestinian fighting left 5 Palestinians dead. Israel
demolished some houses in a Gaza camp in response to a Hamas attack.
(WSJ, 9/28/01, p.A1)
2001 Sep 28,
Israeli-Palestinian security officials met to work out details for
ending the bloodshed as fighting left at least 3 Palestinians. 1
Palestinian apparently blew himself up in Hebron while making a
bomb. Another 3 Palestinians were later killed while planting a mine
in Rafah.
(SFC, 9/29/01, p.B1)
2001 Sep 29, Tens of thousands
of Palestinians marched in Gaza and the West Bank to support their
uprising against Israel. 3 Palestinians were killed in
confrontations with Israeli troops.
(SSFC, 9/30/01, p.A17)
2001 Sep 30, Israeli troops
killed 3 Palestinians in the West Bank. The Palestinian death toll
reached 18 since the cease-fire pledge last week.
(SFC, 10/1/01, p.A8)
2001 Oct 2, Palestinian gunmen
attacked an Israeli settlement in Gaza and killed a teenage couple.
At least 15 others were wounded. 2 gunmen were killed by Israeli
sharpshooters.
(SFC, 10/3/01, p.A11)
2001 Oct 3, Israeli forces in
Gaza cleared a half mile buffer zone and killed 6 Palestinians when
tank shells ripped their cars.
(SFC, 10/4/01, p.C2)
2001 Oct 4, In Israel PM Sharon
warned the US that it risked appeasing the Arab nations: "Do not try
to appease the Arabs at our expense." A Palestinian posing as an
Israeli soldier killed 3 Israelis in Afula. A Palestinian was killed
during a 2nd day of fighting in Hebron.
(SFC, 10/5/01, p.D4)(WSJ, 10/5/01, p.A1)
2001 Oct 5, In Israel PM Sharon
ordered the largest military assault in a year and 5 Palestinians
were killed in Hebron.
(SFC, 10/6/01, p.A11)
2001 Oct 7, A Palestinian
suicide bomber, Ahmed Daraghmeh (17), killed himself and 1 Israeli
near the settlement of Kibbutz Shluhot.
(SFC, 10/8/01, p.F1)
2001 Oct 8, A Palestinian rally
turned violent as police forces attempted to quell some 2,000
students supportive of Osama bin Laden. 2 students were killed.
(SFC, 10/9/01, p.A10)
2001 Oct 11, A Palestinian
militant blew himself up while trying to plant a bomb along a West
Bank road used by Israelis.
(SFC, 10/12/01, p.D3)
2001 Oct 12, Israeli and
Palestinian officials resumed peace talks. Thousands of Palestinians
held marches in the West Bank cities of Ramallah and Nablus.
(SFC, 10/13/01, p.A13)
2001 Oct 14, An Israeli sniper
shot and killed Abed Rahman Hamad, a Hamas leader, hours before the
government announced that it would withdraw troops from Hebron and
ease Palestinian travel restrictions.
(SFC, 10/15/01, p.E2)
2001 Oct 15, Britain’s PM Tony
Blair said his country favors "a viable Palestinian state, as part
of a negotiated and agreed settlement" during a news conference with
visiting Yasser Arafat.
(SFC, 10/16/01, p.A8)
2001 Oct 16, In Israel PM
Sharon said he would accept the creation of a Palestinian state if
Israeli security needs were met.
(WSJ, 10/17/01, p.A1)
2001 Oct 17, Rehavam Zeevi,
Israeli tourist minister, was shot dead at the Hyatt Regency in East
Jerusalem. The PFLP claimed responsibility and Yasser Arafat
promised to hunt down the perpetrators. Hambi Quran, Basel al-Asmar,
Ahmed Gholmy and Majdi Rimawi were later convicted for the murder.
Ahmed Saadat, head of the radical Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine, was imprisoned in Jericho. In 2007 Hamdi Quran was
sentenced to 100 years in prison for gunning down the minister as
well as bombing and shooting attacks against Israelis. In 2008
Bassel Asmar was sentenced to life imprisonment for murder,
attempted murder and belonging to a terror organization.
(SFC, 10/18/01, p.A1)(SFC, 4/30/02, p.A16)(AP,
3/7/06)(AP, 2/6/08)
2001 Oct 18, Atef Abeiyat, a
militia commander in Arafat’s Fatah, was killed with 2 others when
their car exploded near Bethlehem. 3 other Palestinians were killed
by Israeli fire including an 11-year-old school girl.
(SFC, 10/19/01, p.A1,18)
2001 Oct 19, Israeli troops and
tanks invaded Bethlehem and left 6 Palestinians dead. A Palestinian
fighter was killed in Ramallah.
(SFC, 10/20/01, p.E1)
2001 Oct 20, Israeli tanks and
troops seized control of Kalkilya and Tulkarm and moved into the
heart of Bethlehem. At least 8 Palestinians were killed.
(SSFC, 10/21/01, p.A19)
2001 Oct 21, Israeli forces
continued to occupy West Bank territory and 3 Palestinians were
killed including Johnny Thaljieh, a 16-year-old Christian.
(SFC, 10/22/01, p.B1)
2001 Oct 22, Israeli forces
held on to Palestinian territory despite US demands for withdrawal.
3 Palestinians were killed as fighting spilled into Lebanon.
(SFC, 10/23/01, p.A13)
2001 Oct 23, Israel rejected a
request by Pres. Bush to withdraw from Palestinian territory as the
violence continued.
(SFC, 10/24/01, p.C3)
2001 Oct 24, Israeli forces
stormed into Beit Rama and killed at least 5 more Palestinians. 11
were arrested including 2 who allegedly helped kill an Israeli
Cabinet minister on Oct 17.
(SFC, 10/25/01, p.A15)
2001 Oct 25, Israel withdrew
from Beit Rama and pledged phased withdrawals if demands for a total
cease-fire were met. Three Palestinians were killed in Bethlehem.
(SFC, 10/26/01, p.D2)
2001 Oct 26, Israel agreed to
pull back from Bethlehem and Beit Jalla as a test of Palestinian
guarantees of security.
(SFC, 10/27/01, p.A9)
2001 Oct 27, Israel called off
a planned withdrawal from Palestinian territory citing a handful of
shooting attacks.
(SSFC, 10/28/01, p.A16)
2001 Oct 28, Israel pulled out
of Bethlehem and Beit Jala. In Hadera suspected Palestinian gunmen
sprayed gunfire and killed 4 women along a main boulevard before
they were shot dead by police. Drive by shooters killed an Israeli
soldier near the northern West Bank frontier.
(SFC, 10/29/01, p.A9)
2001 Oct 29, Israel said it
would leave Palestinian territory if the cease-fire is maintained.
(SFC, 10/30/01, p.A11)
2001 Oct 30, In Israel Shimon
Peres reportedly prepared a peace initiative with plans to dismantle
Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip and the creation of a
Palestinian state.
(SFC, 10/31/01, p.C3)
2001 Oct 31, An Israeli
helicopter missile in Hebron killed Jamil Jadallah, a senior Hamas
member. 5 other Palestinians were also killed in West Bank attacks.
(SFC, 11/1/01, p.A13)
2001 Nov 1, Israeli helicopter
missiles killed 2 Palestinians in a taxi in the West Bank. Yasser
Asideh was identified as a suicide bomber being driven to a target
by Fahami Abu Eisha.
(SFC, 11/2/01, p.D2)
2001 Nov 2, The Bush
administration imposed stringent financial sanctions on Hamas,
Hezbollah and 20 other suspected terrorist groups.
(SFC, 11/3/01, p.A5)
2001 Nov 4, In Israel Khatem
Shweili (24), a Palestinian gunman, fired an M-16 at a school bus in
Jerusalem and killed Shoshana Ben-Yisgai (16) and a boy (13-14). The
Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
(SFC, 11/5/01, p.A12)
2001 Nov 5, Israeli tanks
pulled out of Qalqilya and soon after a bomb exploded at the Jewish
settlement of Shaked, 6 miles west of Jenin. The Islamic Jihad
claimed responsibility.
(SFC, 11/6/01, p.A13)
2001 Nov 6, Israeli troops
pulled out of Ramallah. 5 Palestinians were killed along with 1
Israeli soldier in an attack on an Israeli army post and a car bomb
blast.
(SFC, 11/7/01, p.A13)(WSJ, 11/7/01, p.A1)
2001 Nov 7, Israeli lawmakers
lifted Parliamentary immunity from Azmi Bishara, a representative of
the Arab party Balad, for statements that allegedly threatened
Israeli security. Israel ended its occupation of Ramallah and
Israeli forces killed 2 Palestinians.
(SFC, 11/8/01, p.A19)(WSJ, 11/8/01, p.A1)
2001 Nov 8, Israeli border
police stormed a building in Baka al-Sharkiyeh where a suicide
bomber killed himself and wounded 2 commandos.
(SFC, 11/9/01, p.A18)
2001 Nov 9, An Israeli settler
was shot and killed in her car and a Palestinian was shot and killed
as he approached an Israeli army position. In Gaza a 12-year-old
Palestinian boy was wounded and died 3 days later.
(SFC, 11/10/01, p.A12)(SFC, 11/13/01, p.A14)
2001 Nov 12, Israeli tanks and
troops raided the West Bank village of Tel and killed Muhammed
Reihan (25), a Hamas member. 45 residents were detained.
(SFC, 11/13/01, p.A14)
2001 Nov 15, Israeli troops
raided a Gaza Strip refugee camp and a West Bank village. One
Palestinian was killed and 14 were wounded.
(SFC, 11/16/01, p.A23)
2001 Nov 22, In the Gaza Strip
5 Palestinian boys (6-14) were killed when a bomb exploded beneath
them as a walked to school.
(SFC, 11/23/01, p.A17)
2001 Nov 23, Israeli helicopter
gunships near Nablus killed Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, a senior Hamas
leader, along with 2 assistants.
(SFC, 11/24/01, p.A1)
2001 Nov 24, Tens of thousands
of Palestinians marched in the West Bank and Gaza city to protest
the Israeli killing of Mahmoud Abu Hanoud and 2 assistants. A
Palestinian mortar attack killed one Israeli soldier.
(SSFC, 11/25/01, p.A14)(SFC, 11/26/01, p.A9)
2001 Nov 25, Israeli soldiers
shot and killed a 13-year-old Palestinian youth during a clash in
the West Bank. Israeli forces carried out missile strikes in the
Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 11/26/01, p.A9)
2001 Nov 26, A Palestinian
suicide bomber sd’d (self destructed) at an Israeli checkpoint on
the edge of the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 11/26/01, p.A9)
2001 Nov 27, Two Israelis were
killed in Afula by 2 Palestinian gunmen, who were killed by police.
Another Palestinian gunman killed an Israeli woman near a Jewish
settlement in the Gaza Strip and he was killed by Israeli soldiers.
(SFC, 11/28/01, p.A4)
2001 Nov 29, A bomb attack in
northern Israel and shootings in the West Bank left 4 Israelis and 3
Palestinians dead.
(SFC, 11/30/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 1, In downtown
Jerusalem 2 Palestinian suicide bombers self-destructed and killed
11 others. A car bomb detonated shortly after and another dozen were
injured. Hamas claimed responsibility.
(SSFC, 12/2/01, p.A1)(SFC, 7/24/02, p.A14)(AP,
12/1/02)
2001 Dec 2, The weekend’s 3rd
Palestinian suicide bomber, Maher Habashi (21), sd’d in Haifa and 15
bus passengers were killed. Hamas took responsibility. Israel warned
Arafat of his regime’s annihilation. Arafat condemned the attacks
and declared a "state of emergency" in Palestinian territories.
(SFC, 12/3/01, p.1,3,11)(WSJ, 12/3/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 3, Israel struck the
West Bank and Gaza Strip and destroyed 3 Palestinian Authority
helicopters. In the wake of bombings that killed 26 Israelis, PM
Ariel Sharon declared war on terror. Arafat was effectively confined
to Ramallah after Israel destroyed his helicopters.
(SFC, 12/4/01, p.A1)(AP, 12/3/02)(SFC, 11/11/04,
p.A18)
2001 Dec 4, Israeli troops
moved into Palestinian-controlled territory in Ramallah and Nablus
and closed off 7 West Bank cities. Israeli warplanes and helicopters
bombed at least 8 targets in 5 cities and towns including a police
building near Arafat’s headquarters. A police officer and a
15-year-old boy were killed.
(SFC, 12/4/01, p.A12)(SFC, 12/5/01, p.A1,16)
2001 Dec 5, In Jerusalem
another suicide bomber sd’d outside a hotel and 2 people were
injured. Sharon gave Arafat a 12-hour reprieve to arrest those
responsible for the attacks.
(SFC, 12/6/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 6, Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat continued a roundup of Hamas militants based on a list
of 36 suspects provided by Israel. His crackdown on Islamic
militants met angry resistance as 1,500 Hamas supporters battled
Palestinian riot police outside the home of the group's leader.
Israeli warplanes bombed a Gaza police station and 15 Palestinians
were wounded.
(SFC, 12/7/01, p.A3)(WSJ, 12/7/01, p.A1)(AP,
12/6/02)
2001 Dec 7, Israeli helicopters
fired missiles at a Palestinian security compound in Gaza. Arafat
said his forces had arrested 17 of 33 militants wanted by Israel.
(SFC, 12/8/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 9, A suicide bomber
injured 9 Israelis in Haifa. Israeli troops killed 4 Palestinian
police officers in their cars. Israeli soldiers also killed a
Palestinian taxi driver trying to enter Jenin, which was sealed off.
30 suspected militants were arrested in Israeli raids.
(SFC, 12/10/01, p.A3)(WSJ, 12/10/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 10, Israeli
helicopters fired missiles at a car in Hebron. 2 boys aged 3 &
13 were killed and 7 people were wounded.
(SFC, 12/11/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 11, Israeli helicopter
attacks in the Gaza Khan Younis refugee camp killed 3 people and
wounded 20.
(WSJ, 12/12/01, p.A1)(SFC, 12/12/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 12, Palestinian
militants detonated bombs beneath an Israeli bus in the West Bank
and gunned down passengers as they fled. 10 people were killed.
Police killed 1 of 3 militants. 2 Hamas suicide bombers sd’d near an
Israeli settlement in the Gaza Strip and injured 4 others.
(SFC, 12/13/01, p.A1,17)
2001 Dec 13, The Israeli
government broke off contact with Yasser Arafat and began hitting
targets in the Gaza Strip and West Bank. Israeli forces destroyed
Palestinian TV and radio transmission facilities and divided the
Gaza Strip into 3 parts. In Ramallah Israeli soldiers seized the
home and family of a Palestinian militia commander.
(SFC, 12/13/01, p.A1)(SFC, 12/14/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 14, Israeli troops
raided four Palestinian towns and villages in the West Bank, killing
eight Palestinians and arresting dozens of suspected militants.
(AP, 12/14/02)
2001 Dec 15, Anthony Zinni, US
envoy to Israel, left after his 20 days in the region failed to
produce a cease-fire.
(SSFC, 12/16/01, p.A14)
2001 Dec 15, Israeli forces
swept into Beit Hanoun in the Gaza Strip and bulldozed houses and
police outposts. 6 Palestinians were killed and 50 injured from
fighting.
(SSFC, 12/16/01, p.A14)
2001 Dec 16, Yasser Arafat
appealed for a halt of armed activities and suicide bombings. He
accused PM Sharon of waging a "brutal war" against Palestinians.
(SFC, 12/17/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 17, Israel continued
military sweeps as Hamas and the Popular Front rejected Arafat’s
call to end attacks.
(WSJ, 12/18/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 18, Yasser Arafat
closed 6 Hamas offices in a crackdown on militant groups. Israeli
forces arrested 10 Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 12/19/01, p.A4)
2001 Dec 20, Following a 3-day
lull Palestinian police in Gaza clashed with Hamas supporters and
one Palestinian was killed. Another died in a gunfight with Israeli
troops in the West Bank.
(SFC, 12/21/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 21, Six Palestinian
teenagers were killed in skirmishes with the Palestinian Authority.
Hamas called a halt to suicide bombings and mortar attacks.
(SFC, 12/22/01, p.A1)(SSFC, 12/23/01, p.A12)(AP,
12/21/02)
2001 Dec 23, In Israel Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres and Ahmen Qureia, speaker of the Palestinian
parliament, drafted a new Middle East peace plan that called for
Israel to recognize a Palestinian state within 8 weeks.
(SFC, 12/24/01, p.A1)
2001 Dec 23, Israel barred
Yasser Arafat from making his annual Christmas Eve visit to
Bethlehem, the traditional birthplace of Jesus.
(AP, 12/23/02)
2001 Dec 27, Israeli troops
raided Palestinian territory for a 2nd day and arrested 7 suspected
militants.
(SFC, 12/28/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 28, Israeli troops
killed a suspected Palestinian bomber in the Gaza Strip. The
blockade of Bethlehem was eased. The body of a Jewish settler,
missing for over a week, was found in a West Bank cave near the
village of Jaba.
(SFC, 12/29/01, p.A3)
2001 Dec 30, Israeli forces
killed 6 Palestinians in 2 incidents in the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 12/31/01, p.A3)
2002 Jan 3, Israel seized a
ship, Karine A, in the Red Sea carrying 50 tons of advanced weapons
allegedly for the Palestinian Authority. Most of the equipment was
from Iran. Operation Noah’s Ark was not reported until the next day
when US envoy Gen. Zinni arrived to promote peace talks. Hezbollah
helped broker the deal and it was reported to have been overseen by
Fuad Shubaki, a close aide to Arafat. Captain Omar Akawi, a member
of Fatwah, said he was in contact with Adel Awadallah, an alias for
Adel Mughrabi, a weapons buyer for the Palestinian Authority.
(SFC, 1/5/02, p.A1,9)(SFC, 1/7/02, p.A3)(SFC,
1/8/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 9, In Israel 2 Hamas
gunmen attacked a military post and killed 4 Israeli soldiers.
Israel halted work on a mosque next to the Christian Basilica of the
Annunciation.
(SFC, 1/10/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 10, Israel demolished
dozens of Palestinian homes in Rafah.
(SFC, 1/11/02, p.A3)
2002 Jan 10, Israel demolished
dozens of Palestinian homes in Rafah. The Islamic Jihad said it
would resume attacks as Palestinian police arrested 2 of its members
(SFC, 1/11/02, p.A3)(WSJ, 1/11/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 11, Israeli tanks and
bulldozers plowed up runways at the Gaza Int’l. Airport. Palestinian
police detained 2 Palestinian officials suspected of smuggling arms
into Gaza.
(SFC, 1/11/02, p.A3)(SFC, 1/11/02, p.A6)
2002 Jan 12, Israeli missile
boats hit a Palestinian fuel depot in a 4th day of reprisals.
(SSFC, 1/13/02, p.A20)
2002 Jan 14, An Israeli bomb in
the West Bank killed Raed Karmi (27), a Palestinian militia leader.
A short time later a Palestinian gunmen killed an Israeli and
wounded another in a roadside ambush.
(SFC, 1/15/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 15, Palestinian gunmen
killed 2 Israelis in separate attacks in the West Bank and near
Jerusalem. Avi Boaz (71) was abducted and killed after visiting with
a Palestinian family. The Palestinian Authority arrested Ahmed
Saadat, sec. gen’l. of the PFLP.
(SFC, 1/16/02, p.A7)(SFC, 1/17/02, p.A11)
2002 Jan 16, In the West Bank a
Palestinian killed another Palestinian, who was mistaken for an
Israeli.
(SFC, 1/17/02, p.A11)
2002 Jan 17, In Hadera, Israel,
a Palestinian gunmen opened fire at a bat mitzvah party and killed 6
people before he was beaten and killed. 30 more were wounded.
(SFC, 1/18/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 18, Israeli forces
bombed the Palestinian town of Tulkarm and at least 2 Palestinians
were killed. Israeli troops took up positions in Ramallah.
(SFC, 1/19/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 19, Israeli forces
blew up the Voice of Palestine radio station in Ramallah.
(SFC, 1/19/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 21, Israeli forces
took control of Tulkarem in the West Bank and soldiers arrested
dozens of suspected militants.
(SFC, 1/21/02, p.A7)
2002 Jan 21, Israeli forces
invaded Nablus, killed Palestinians and arrested 9 suspected
militants. PM Sharon decided to reopen the Temple Mount to
non-Muslims. The Waqf clerical trust imposed a ban on non-Muslims in
Sep, 2000.
(SFC, 1/22/02, p.A7)
2002 Jan 22, Israeli troops
killed 4 Hamas militants in Nablus. Yousef Soragji (42), mastermind
of several suicide bombings, was among the dead.
(SFC, 1/23/02, p.A6)(SFC, 1/24/02, p.A7)
2002 Jan 22, In Israel a
Palestinian gunman killed 2 women in Jerusalem and wounded 14 others
before he was killed by police.
(SFC, 1/23/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 24, Israeli troops
killed a Palestinian intelligence officer and 2 others died in what
looked like a failed suicide mission.
(WSJ, 1/25/02, p.A1)
2002 Jan 25, A Palestinian
suicide bomber sd’d in a Tel Aviv neighborhood and at least 25
people were wounded following an Israeli missile attack in the Gaza
Strip that killed a senior Hamas commander. Separately 2 Hamas
members were killed by Israeli troops.
(SFC, 1/26/02, p.A6)
2002 Jan 26, The Palestinian
Authority again called for an end to all bombing and shooting
attacks against Israel. Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian
passing through an army checkpoint and militants were hit by an tank
shell when they tried to lay an explosive near a border fence.
(SSFC, 1/27/02, p.A18)
2002 Jan 27, A Palestinian
woman, Wafa Idris (28), exploded herself on Jaffa St. in Jerusalem
and killed one other Israeli man. Over 150 others were injured.
(SFC, 1/28/02, p.A1)(SFC, 1/31/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 28, Israeli police
killed a Palestinian man as barreled through an army checkpoint in a
stolen car.
(SFC, 1/29/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 29, Israeli troops
raided the Palestinian village of Artas and arrested Mohammed Eyosh
(31), a local Jihad leader. 4 others were wounded in gunfire.
(SFC, 1/30/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 30, A Palestinian
suicide bomber, Murad Abu Asal (23), killed himself and wounded 2
Israeli Shin Bet officers near Taibe.
(SFC, 1/31/02, p.A8)
2002 Jan 31, An interview was
published in which Israeli PM Ariel Sharon said that he regrets that
Israel failed to take the opportunity to kill Palestinian leader
Yasir Arafat in Lebanon 20 years ago.
(EB, 2002, p.11)
2002 Feb 1, In Israel over 100
reserve combat officers denounced the army for immoral behavior
toward Palestinian civilians and placed ads in newspapers including
Haaretz: "We will no longer fight beyond the Green Line with the aim
of dominating, expelling, starving and humiliating an entire
people."
(SFC, 2/2/02, p.A7)
2002 Feb 3, In Israel the
Cabinet backed PM Sharon for initiating talks with Palestinian
officials.
(SFC, 2/4/02, p.A4)
2002 Feb 4, In the Gaza Strip 5
Palestinians were killed when their car exploded. Israeli military
said the men were carrying an explosive device that went off early.
5 Palestinians died in a Gaza helicopter attack.
(SFC, 2/5/02, p.A5)(WSJ, 2/5/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 5, In Jenin, 3
Palestinians members of the Kameel clan were killed by a mob after a
court sentenced them to 15 year jail terms for the murder of another
clan member.
(SFC, 2/6/02, p.A9)
2002 Feb 6, The PLO issued a
17-page document that listed their actions to stop terrorism.
Meanwhile, Hamas gunman, Mohammed Ziad Khalili (26), killed 2
Israelis in Hamra, a mother and daughter, before he was killed by
commandos. Israel responded with 2 missiles shot at a Palestinian
prison and government complex in Nablus.
(SFC, 2/7/02, p.A10)(SFC, 2/8/02, p.A8)
2002 Feb 7, Pres. Bush met with
Israel’s PM Sharon and said he would continue to press the
Palestinian Authority to crack down on terrorism. Bush rebuffed a
plea to sever ties with Arafat.
(SFC, 2/8/02, p.A8)(WSJ, 2/8/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 8, In Israel at least
2 Palestinians were killed when a bomb exploded prematurely. In
Jerusalem an Israeli woman was stabbed to death while strolling in
the Peace Forest. Police caught 4 Palestinians and one died
following his arrest.
(SFC, 2/9/02, p.A7)
2002 Feb 10, Two Palestinian
Hamas gunmen attacked Israeli soldiers at Beersheva. 2 soldiers were
killed before the gunmen were slain.
(SFC, 2/11/02, p.A3)
2002 Feb 11, Israel bombed the
Palestinian security headquarters in the Gaza Strip for a 2nd day in
response to the use of a Kassam-2 rocket by Hamas.
(SFC, 2/12/02, p.A8)(AP, 2/11/03)
2002 Feb 13, Israeli troops
seized 3 Palestinian towns and a refugee camp in Gaza Strip from
where rockets and mortars were fired and at least 5 people were
killed. 3 Palestinian police officers were killed in Deir al-Balah
where 3 police posts were destroyed.
(SFC, 2/13/02, p.A9)(WSJ, 2/14/02, p.A15)
2002 Feb 14, Militant
Palestinians attacked an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip and 3
soldiers were killed.
(SFC, 2/15/02, p.A10)
2002 Feb 14, Palestinian Abu
Zubaydah (30) was identified as the new chief of operations for al
Qaeda and was believed to be organizing al Qaeda remnants for new
attacks against the US.
(SFC, 2/14/02, p.A10)
2002 Feb 15, An Israeli
commando leader was killed by a falling wall as his troops
demolished a Palestinian militant’s home in the West Bank. Israel
fired rockets at PLO offices in the Jabalija refugee camp and one
security officer was killed. Israeli Sgt. Lee Nahman Akunis (20) was
killed by Fatah gunmen outside the West Bank village of Skurda.
(SFC, 2/16/02, p.A9)(SSFC, 2/17/02, p.A12)
2002 Feb 16, Some 20,000
Israelis rallied for peace in Tel Aviv. 2 Israelis were killed when
a Palestinian suicide bombed sd’d in a pizza restaurant in the West
Bank settlement of Karnei Shomron. In Jenin Nazih Abu Sabaah, a
Hamas leader, was killed by a car bomb. In the Bureij refugee camp 3
Palestinians were killed in gunfire with Israeli troops.
(SSFC, 2/17/02, p.A12)
2002 Feb 17, Israeli police
foiled an attempted suicide bombing near Hadera. One man was shot
and killed and another killed when his stolen car exploded. The Al
Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed the 2 dead as its members.
(SFC, 2/18/02, p.A9)
2002 Feb 17, Saudi Crown Prince
Abdullah presented a Middle East peace plan to NY Times columnist
Thomas Friedman. It included Arab recognition of Israel’s right to
exist if Israel pulled back from lands that were once part of
Jordan, including East Jerusalem and the West Bank.
(SFC, 2/26/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 18, A Palestinian
militant ambushed a settler’s convoy, shot 3 people dead and blew
himself up. A car bombing outside Jerusalem killed an Israeli
policeman along with the bomber. 2 Palestinian gunmen attacked a
settlement in the Gaza Strip and one was killed.
(SFC, 2/19/02, p.A6)
2002 Feb 19,
Israeli-Palestinian fighting left 15 people dead. 6 Israeli soldiers
died at a checkpoint.
(SFC, 2/20/02, p.A8)(SFC, 2/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 20, Israeli forces
fired on Palestinian police compounds and killed 12 security
officials including 4 guards at Gaza police compounds and 6
policemen in Nablus.
(SFC, 2/20/02, p.A8)
2002 Feb 21, Israeli tanks and
troops pushed into Gaza City and destroyed a broadcast facility. 6
Palestinians were reported killed. Yasser Arafat repeated a call to
halt violence and his security forces arrested 3 suspects in the Oct
17 assassination of Israeli Cabinet minister Zeevi. PM Sharon called
for buffer zones and the disarming of Palestinians.
(SFC, 2/21/02, p.A1)(SFC, 2/22/02, p.A9)(WSJ,
2/22/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 24, A Palestinian
woman (27) gave birth after being shot by Israeli troops as she was
being driven to a hospital.
(SFC, 2/26/02, p.A11)
2002 Feb 25, Two women, Israeli
(Tamar Lifshitz) and a Palestinian (Maysoun Hayek), gave birth after
being shot in separate incidents. The Palestinian’s woman’s husband
was shot to death as they drove to a hospital in Nablus. The Israeli
woman’s father was killed in an ambush along with another man. 4
Israelis were killed at a bus stop in Jerusalem by a gunmen who was
killed.
(SFC, 2/26/02, p.A11)(WSJ, 2/26/02, p.A1)
2002 Feb 27, Israeli troops
killed 4 armed Palestinians and a Palestinian worker killed an
Israeli factory manager. A Palestinian woman killed herself and
wounded 4 others at a road block in the West Bank.
(SFC, 2/28/02, p.A8)
2002 Feb 28, Israeli troops
assaulted 2 West Bank refugee camps. One Israeli soldier and 12
Palestinian fighters were killed.
(SFC, 3/1/02, p.A13)(WSJ, 3/1/02, p.A10)
2002 Mar 1, Israeli troops
swept through refugee camps in Jenin and Nablus looking for terror
suspects. One solder was killed along with 6 Palestinians fighters
and a 10-year-old girl.
(SFC, 3/2/02, p.A7)
2002 Mar 2, In Jerusalem a
suicide bomber killed himself and 9 others including several
children. In the West Bank gunmen opened fire on Israeli motorists
and killed 9 people.
(SSFC, 3/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 3, Israel used jets
and helicopters to strike Palestinian targets. 4 Palestinians were
killed.
(SFC, 3/4/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 4, Israeli forces
killed at least 14 Palestinians including the wife of an Islamic
militant and their 3 children.
(SFC, 3/5/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 5, In Tel Aviv a
gunmen killed 3 people at a restaurant in the early hours and
wounded 31 other before he was killed. A suicide bomber blew himself
up at the Afula bus station and 1 Israeli was killed. In Dura a
Palestinian police officer was killed and 4 wounded during a
gunfight with Israeli soldiers.
(SFC, 3/5/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 6, Israeli forces
struck Palestinian targets by land and sea. 13 Palestinians and 2
Israelis were left dead.
(SFC, 3/7/02, p.A6)(WSJ, 3/7/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 8, A gunman killed 5
Israelis in Gaza. Israeli forces attacked Palestinian positions and
killed 36 including Maj. Gen. Ahmed Mefraj. This was the deadliest
day in 17 months of fighting.
(SFC, 3/8/02, p.A11)(SFC, 3/9/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 9, A pair of
Palestinian gunmen tossed grenades and opened fire at a seafront
hotel in Netanya and 3 people were killed including a baby. A
Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up in a Jerusalem café and
killed 11 others. Israeli forces destroyed Arafat’s office building
in Gaza and left 6 Palestinians dead including a 15-year-old girl.
Hamas claimed responsibility.
(SSFC, 3/10/02, p.A1,16)(SFC, 7/24/02, p.A14)
2002 Mar 10, Israeli
helicopters destroyed Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's office in
Gaza City, hours after 11 Israelis were killed in a suicide bombing
in a cafe across the street from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
residence in Jerusalem.
(AP, 3/10/07)
2002 Mar 11, Israeli forces
swept into the Jabaliya camp in Gaza and 23 residents were killed in
heavy fighting. PM Sharon announced that Arafat was free to resume
traveling about the West Bank and Gaza.
(SFC, 3/12/02, p.A6)(WSJ, 3/12/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 12, Israeli forces
took control of Ramallah. 35 Palestinians were killed in the last 24
hours along with 7 Israelis.
(SFC, 3/13/02, p.A1)(WSJ, 3/13/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 12, The UN Security
Council endorsed a Palestinian state for the 1st time and called for
an immediate cease-fire.
(SFC, 3/13/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 13, Palestinians set
off a bomb next to an Israeli tank escorting a convoy in Gaza and 3
Israelis were killed. 2 Palestinians stabbed an Israeli husband and
wife in Nachliel.
(SFC, 3/14/02, p.A6)
2002 Mar 14, The Bush
administration demanded that PM Ariel Sharon order a withdrawal from
Palestinian controlled areas.
(SFC, 3/15/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 14, PM Ariel Sharon
announced a staged withdrawal from Ramallah ending the 2-week
"Operation Vital Security" and met with US envoy Anthony Zinni.
(SFC, 3/15/02, p.A1)(SFC, 3/16/02, p.A7)
2002 Mar 15, Adm. Zinni, US
envoy, met with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah and demanded that he reign
in militants and enforced a cease fire.
(SFC, 3/16/02, p.A7)
2002 Mar 17, Israeli and
Palestinian officials met to prepare for a cease-fire following
meetings with US envoy Adm. Zinni. A Palestinian gunman opened fire
in Kfar Saba. He killed an Israeli high school student (18) and was
shot dead. A suicide bomber detonated himself in Jerusalem.
(SSFC, 3/17/02, p.A1)(SFC, 3/18/02, p.A3)
2002 Mar 18, Israel withdrew
some forces from Palestinian-ruled territory as VP Cheney arrived to
help with peace talks.
(SFC, 3/19/02, p.A1)(WSJ, 3/19/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 20, In Israel a
suicide bomber blew himself up on a crowded bus and 7 people were
killed. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility.
(SFC, 3/20/02, p.A1)(SFC, 3/21/02, p.A9)
2002 Mar 21, In Jerusalem
Mohammed Hashaika (22) blew himself up on King George St. and killed
3 Israelis. Truce talks were cancelled.
(SFC, 3/22/02, p.A9)(WSJ, 3/22/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 22, Israelis and
Palestinians resumed cease-fire negotiations despite another suicide
bombing outside Jenin. Only the bomber was killed.
(SFC, 3/23/02, p.A10)
2002 Mar 24, Israeli troops and
tanks entered the Rafah refugee camp and 3 residents were killed. 2
more Palestinians were killed as they tried to throw a grenade at a
military post near Dugit. Clashes between Israelis and Palestinians
left at least 9 Palestinians dead along with 2 Israelis. US envoy
Zinni presented a cease-fire proposal to Israeli and Palestinian
negotiators.
(SSFC, 3/24/02, p.A14)(SFC, 3/25/02, p.A8)
2002 Mar 25, The US pushed for
Ariel Sharon to allow Yasser Arafat to attend an Arab summit in
Beirut.
(SFC, 3/26/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 26, Yasser Arafat
declared that he would not attend the Arab league conference in
Beirut due to restrictions imposed by PM Sharon. Israeli security
forces stopped a car that exploded with 2 men inside.
(SFC, 3/27/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 27, A Palestinian
Hamas suicide bomber killed 28 Israelis gathered at the Park Hotel
in Netanya for the Passover Seder.
(SFC, 3/28/02, p.A1)(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A11)(SFC,
4/15/02, p.A12)
2002 Mar 28, A Hamas attack
left 4 Israelis dead in a West Bank settlement. Arafat said he was
ready to call for a cease-fire.
(WSJ, 3/29/02, p.A1)
2002 Mar 28, In Beirut the Arab
League committed to accepting Israel as a neighbor under conditions
that included the creation of an independent Palestinian state and
Israel's full withdrawal from war-won lands, an offer that Israel
did not accept.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A15)(AP,
3/28/03)(www.mideastweb.org/saudipeace.htm)
2002 Mar 29, Israel declared
Yasser Arafat an "enemy" and sent troops and tanks to isolate him in
his Ramallah headquarters in Operation Defensive Shield. 5
Palestinians, possibly executed, and 2 Israelis were killed in the
takeover. In Jerusalem a suicide bomber, Ayat Akhras (18) killed
herself and 2 Israelis. In the Gaza Strip a Palestinian man stabbed
to death 2 elderly Israelis and was shot to death by soldiers.
(SFC, 3/29/02, p.A1)(SFC, 3/30/02, p.A1,11)(SSFC,
3/31/02, p.A18)(AP, 9/6/03)
2002 Mar 30, The United States
joined other U.N. Security Council members in adopting a resolution
calling on Israel to withdraw its troops from Palestinian cities,
including Ramallah, where Yasser Arafat headquarters was under
siege.
(AP, 3/30/03)
2002 Mar 30, A suicide bomber,
Mohannad Salahat (22), struck in Tel Aviv and 32 people were
injured. Israeli troops sealed Arafat in his Ramallah compound.
(SSFC, 3/31/02, p.A1)(SFC, 4/1/02, p.A1)(SFC,
7/24/02, p.A14)
2002 Mar 31, Israeli forces
entered Qalqilya and Bethlehem. 2 Palestinians were killed after
they fired on Israeli soldiers. Some 40 European and American peace
activists joined Yasser Arafat. Israeli PM Ariel Sharon vowed to
smash Palestinian militants in a broadcast speech that came the same
day as a suicide bombing in Haifa that killed 15 Israelis. In 2009
Shimon Shiran died of wounds suffered in the bombing that also
killed his daughter Adi (17).
(SFC, 4/1/02, p.A1,10)(AP, 3/31/07)(AP, 4/12/09)
2002 Apr 1, Israeli forces
expanded their hunt for militants and terrorists to included ranking
officials of Arafat’s Palestinian Authority. Israeli tanks and
bulldozers rumbled into more Palestinian towns and massed on the
edge of Bethlehem in an expansion of a West Bank offensive. A sniper
killed an Israeli in Har Homa. A bomber blew up in his car in West
Jerusalem and killed the Israeli police officer who stopped him.
(SFC, 4/2/02, p.A1)(AP, 4/1/07)
2002 Apr 2, The Israeli army
attacked the headquarters of Jibril Rajoub, security chief of the
Palestinian Authority. The Israeli Army said it found a letter in
Arafat’s compound that detailed money requests for building bombs.
PM Sharon offered Yasser Arafat a one-way ticket to exile and
battles with Palestinian militiamen continued and at least 13
Palestinians were killed.
(SFC, 4/2/02, p.A1)(SFC, 4/3/02, p.A1,10)(WSJ,
4/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 2, Israel seized
control of Bethlehem; Palestinian gunmen forced their way into the
Church of the Nativity, the traditional birthplace of Jesus, where
they began a 39-day standoff.
(AP, 4/2/03)
2002 Apr 3, Israeli tanks
entered the Wet Bank cities of Jenin, Salfeet and Nablus. At least 1
Israeli soldier and 12 Palestinians were killed. Gunners from
Lebanon’s Hezbollah exchanged artillery and mortar fire with Israeli
troops. Scores of Palestinian gunmen were holed up in the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem. The Egyptian government announced a
cutoff of official contacts with Israel. Syria shifted 20,000 troops
in Lebanon toward the Lebanese-Syrian border reportedly in accord
with the 1989 Taif agreement.
(SFC, 4/3/02, p.A1)(SFC, 4/4/02, p.A1,13)(WSJ,
4/4/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 4, Israeli officials
made public 2 documents signed by Arafat that authorized payments to
Palestinian militants wanted for attacks on Israel.
(SFC, 4/5/02, p.A15)
2002 Apr 4, Israel continued
for a 7th-day its offensive titled Operation Defensive Shield. Tanks
entered Hebron house-to-house fighting with Palestinian gunmen in
the Jenin refugee camp. 3 Israeli soldiers were killed. Guerrilla
fighters fired 9 rockets into Israel.
(SFC, 4/5/02, p.A16)
2002 Apr 4, Pres. Bush demanded
that Israel withdraw from West Bank cities and end settlement
activity in occupied territories. He blasted Arafat and other Arab
leaders for abetting terrorism and dispatched Sec. of State Colin
Powell to push for a political settlement.
(SFC, 4/5/02, p.A1,14)
2002 Apr 5, US mediator Anthony
Zinni met with Yasser Arafat in Ramallah as Israeli forces continued
their offensive. At least 35 Palestinians were killed.
(SFC, 4/6/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 6, Pres. Bush repeated
his call for Israel to "withdraw without delay" from West Bank towns
it had occupied since launching an offensive after a string of
suicide attacks. Bush also demanded the Palestinians call "an
immediate and effective cease-fire."
(SSFC, 4/7/02, p.A3)(AP, 4/6/03)
2002 Apr 6, Arab League
ministers in emergency session denounced the Bush administration’s
handling of the Middle East conflict. Some 15k Jordanians marched in
Ibrid. Over 20k marched in Paris and another 20k marched in Rome.
(SSFC, 4/7/02, p.A7)
2002 Apr 6, Israeli troops
intensified their assault on West Bank towns and refugee camps. Over
20 thousand Jews and Arabs marched in Tel Aviv demanding that the
government withdraw from the West Bank and resume talks.
(SSFC, 4/7/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 7, Israeli forces
continued Operation Defensive Shield and news reporters were kept
away. 12 Palestinians were killed in Nablus with stiff resistance in
the Jenin refugee camp. Worldwide protests included a march in
Morocco by a half million people and in Brussels by some 10,000.
(SFC, 4/8/02, p.A1,8)(AP, 4/7/03)
2002 Apr 9, Sec. of State Colin
Powell met with Pres. Mubarek in Egypt and stated that he would meet
with Yasser Arafat.
(SFC, 4/10/02, p.A18)
2002 Apr 9, The 12 day Israeli
offensive continued and dozens of Palestinians were reported dead in
the fiercest fighting to date. An explosion in the Jenin refugee
camp killed 13 Israeli soldiers. PM Sharon declared Israel to be in
a struggle for survival.
(SFC, 4/10/02, p.A1)(WSJ, 4/10/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 10, In Ramallah Manal
Sofran, a Palestinian housewife, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers.
(SFC, 4/12/02, p.A17)
2002 Apr 10, Sec. of State
Colin Powell stopped in Spain to gather EU support in the Middle
East conflict. He again called for an immediate end to Israel’s
military operations.
(SFC, 4/11/02, p.A14)
2002 Apr 11, US Sec. of State
Colin Powell arrived in Israel to push for peace talks. Israel sent
tanks and troops into 2 more Palestinian villages. A Palestinian
suicide bomber died when his explosives blew up prematurely.
(SFC, 4/11/02, p.A1)(SFC, 4/12/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 12, Arab militant
groups including Hezbollah, Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood issued
a manifesto declaring that Arab governments had betrayed the
Palestinians and called holy war “the religious duty of every
Muslim.”
(SFC, 4/17/02, p.A14)
2002 Apr 12, Colin Powell
arrived in Israel as another suicide bombing killed 6 people in
Jerusalem at the Mahane Yehuda market. Powell failed to PM Sharon to
set a timetable for withdrawal from West Bank cities. Powell
postponed a meeting with Arafat and demanded that Arafat condemn the
latest attack. Estimates of Palestinian dead from Israeli operations
in Jenin reached 100-200. An elderly Palestinian couple were rescued
after being buried for 7 days by an Israeli bulldozer in Jenin.
(SFC, 4/13/02, p.1,13)(SFC, 4/15/02, p.A11)
2002 Apr 13, Yasser Arafat
issued a statement condemning terrorism and planned to meet with
Colin Powell the next day. Hamas declared it had no intention of
halting attacks.
(SSFC, 4/14/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 14, PM Sharon’s peace
plan was outlined and included 2 West Bank security zones, border
controls, a demilitarized Palestinian state, and economic
development assistance. Colin Powell met with Yasser Arafat and
later with PM Sharon, but made little headway on a cease-fire or
Israeli withdrawal. Some restrictions on reporters in the West Bank
were lifted.
(SSFC, 4/14/02, p.A12)(SFC, 4/15/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 15, Israeli forces in
Ramallah seized Marwan Barghouti, a top Arafat lieutenant and
alleged leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Two Palestinians
were killed in fighting near Bethlehem and 2 of some 200
Palestinians surrendered at the Church of the Nativity Israeli
forces played high-decibel sounds around the clock.
(SFC, 4/16/02, p.A1,10)
2002 Apr 17, Colin Powell ended
his Middle East mission and returned to the US as fighting
continued. Pres. Mubarak cancelled their meeting in Cairo. Israel
commemorated its independence.
(SFC, 4/18/02, p.A1,13)
2002 Apr 18, Omar Abu Selmia
(15), wired with grenades, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers
as he tried to enter a Jewish settlement in Gaza.
(SSFC, 4/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 19, Israel announced
that "Operation Defensive Shield is over" and their forces
completed withdrawal from Jenin. Israeli military reported the
capture of Husam Ataf Ali Badran, a Hamas leader, near Nablus. 2
Palestinians were reported killed by Israeli gunfire in Gaza. A
suicide bomber blew himself up in central Gaza. 3 Palestinians were
reportedly killed by Israeli fire in Gaza. The UN approved a
fact-finding mission into Israeli actions at Jenin.
(SFC, 4/19/02, p.A20)(SFC, 4/20/02, p.A1,14)
2002 Apr 20, Eiman Judeh, a
Palestinian gunman, was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers at the
Erez Checkpoint, Gaza, after he killed border guard, Uriel Ben
Maimon (21).
(SSFC, 4/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 22,
Israeli-Palestinian fighting left 7 Palestinians dead in the West
Bank and Gaza along with 1 Israeli soldier. A leader of the al Aqsa
Martyrs Brigade was killed in an Israeli helicopter attack.
(SFC, 4/23/02, p.A10)(WSJ, 4/23/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 24, Israeli tanks
rolled into Hebron. 3 Palestinian boys (14) were killed as they
tried to attack a Jewish settlement.
(WSJ, 4/25/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 25, A Palestinian
military filed court sentenced 4 Arafat followers to prison terms
for their roles in the 2001 slaying of Israeli minister Rehavan
Zeevi. Israel called the trial a sham.
(SFC, 4/26/02, p.A20)
2002 Apr 26, Israeli forces
moved into Qalqilya and 3 smaller settlements. Raed Nazal, a
Qalqilya leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, was killed and 16 militants were captured. Fighting took
place in Ramallah and 4 Palestinians surrendered at the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem. Ismael Abu Shanab, a Hamas spokesman,
said Hamas has accepted the terms of the Saudi peace proposal.
(SFC, 4/27/02, p.A14)(SSFC, 4/28/02, p.A15)
2002 Apr 27, A UN team
scheduled to arrive in Israel for an inspection at Jenin was
postponed for a day over differences in the teams objectives.
(SFC, 4/27/02, p.A13)
2002 Apr 27, Palestinian gunmen
attacked the Israeli settlement of Adora and killed 4 people
including a 5-year-old girl. 3 gunmen escaped but one was later
found and killed in a nearby village.
(SSFC, 4/28/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 28, The Israeli
Cabinet approved a deal to lift the siege of Arafat’s compound in
Ramallah after promises that US and British jailers would guard the
terrorist suspects held there. The Cabinet refused to allow a UN
team to investigate charges of a massacre at Jenin. Israeli troops
had surrounded the compound in Ramallah demanding Arafat turn over
the six men who had sought refuge inside. Five of the men, including
Ahmad Saadat, leader of the Popular Front for the Liberation of
Palestine, were implicated in the 2001 assassination of Israeli
Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi. The sixth, Fuad Shobaki,
masterminded an illegal weapons shipment to the Palestinian
Authority on a ship called the Karine A. President Bush brokered a
deal with Israeli PM Ariel Sharon that sent the six men to a
Palestinian prison in Jericho, where they were guarded by US and
British monitors. In return, Israeli troops pulled back from
Arafat's West Bank compound.
(SFC, 4/29/02, p.A1)(AP, 3/15/06)
2002 Apr 29, Israeli forces
went into Hebron and at least 9 people were killed and dozens
arrested. It was a retaliation for the Apr 27 attack.
(SFC, 4/30/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr 30, Israel blocked the
UN proposed fact-finding mission to Jenin. Israeli forces pulled out
of Hebron and 26 Palestinians emerged from the Church of the
Nativity in Bethlehem.
(SFC, 5/1/02, p.A1)
2002 Apr, Israeli police
arrested 2 Jewish settlers for planting a bomb at a Palestinian
girl’s school. 4 more were later taken into custody including Noam
Federman, head of the outlawed Kach movement. A bomb attack on an
Arab boy’s school was also recently foiled.
(SSFC, 5/19/02, p.A10)
2002 Apr, Rageb Jaradat killed
8 people and injured 22 when he blew himself up on a bus between
Jenin and Haifa.
(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A7)
2002 May 1, Israeli forces
withdrew from Ramallah and Yasser Arafat, under siege since Mar 29,
emerged from his West Bank compound. 6 wanted Palestinian men were
driven to Jericho under US and British supervision.
(SFC, 5/2/02, p.A1)
2002 May 2, Yasser Arafat
emerged from his West Bank headquarters, hours after Israeli troops
withdrew from his compound and released the Palestinian leader from
months of confinement.
(AP, 5/2/03)
2002 May 5, Middle East
negotiations over the siege of the Church of the Nativity in
Bethlehem approached agreement with a deal to send some of the
Palestinians into exile and others to the Gaza Strip for trial.
Startled Israeli soldiers killed a mother and 2 children (4&6)
near Jenin.
(SFC, 5/6/02, p.A1)
2002 May 7, Pres. Bush met with
PM Ariel Sharon. They called for sweeping changes to Palestinian
governing institutions and a new Palestinian security service but
they failed to agree on many other issues.
(SFC, 5/8/02, p.A18)
2002 May 7, In Israel a Hamas
suicide bomber killed 15 people in a pool hall in Rishon Lezion.
Hamas claimed responsibility.
(SFC, 5/8/02, p.A1)(SFC, 7/24/02, p.A14)(AP,
5/7/03)
2002 May 8, In Israel a suicide
bomber detonated himself prematurely. Israeli sappers used a robot
to drag the man, still alive, across a road for inspection.
(SFC, 5/8/02, p.A12)
2002 May 10, Arab leaders
pressed Yasser Arafat to stop suicide bombings as Israel delayed a
strike into Gaza.
(SFC, 5/11/02, p.A8)
2002 May 10, In Jerusalem 120
Palestinians left the Church of the Nativity following complex
negotiations and 39-day standoff. 13 senior militants faced
deportation to Cyprus and 26 were transferred to the Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 5/10/02, p.A1)
2002 May 11, In Tel Aviv,
Israel, some 50,000 protested for peace. A military attack on Gaza
was put on hold. Israel pulled out of the West Bank town of
Tulkarem, leaving Palestinian-run territories free of Israeli troops
for the first time in six weeks.
(SSFC, 5/12/02, p.A10)(AP, 5/11/03)
2002 May 12, In Israel PM Ariel
Sharon's Likud Party, led by Benjamin Netanyahu, voted to never
allow the creation of a Palestinian state. The Palestinian Authority
told 26 men transferred from the Church of the Nativity that they
could have jobs in any government bureaucracy including positions in
Gaza's Tanzim militia.
(SFC, 5/13/02, p.A1,12)(AP, 5/12/03)
2002 May 15, In Palestine
Yasser Arafat conceded mistakes and proposed new elections and
political changes.
(WSJ, 5/16/02, p.A1)(SFC, 5/16/02, p.A6)
2002 May 15, In Israel Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer, the defense minister, proposed a peace package that
called for sharing Jerusalem with the Palestinians and granting them
most of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(SFC, 5/16/02, p.A6)
2002 May 16, Yasser Arafat
agreed to revamp his cabinet and hold elections within 6 months.
(SFC, 5/17/02, p.A1)
2002 May 17, Yasser Arafat
changed his previous day’s remarks and said balloting would only
take place if Israel withdraws from occupied territory.
(SFC, 5/17/02, p.A1)
2002 May 19, Sanabel Al-Fararja
(15) and Kayan Al-Saify (16), West Bank teenagers, ended an 8-week
trip in the US where they crossed the country and spoke on behalf of
peace in Palestine.
(SFC, 5/16/02, p.A13)
2002 May 19, In Israel a
suicide bomber killed himself, 3 Israelis and wounded over 50 in a
market in Netanya.
(SFC, 5/20/02, p.A1)
2002 May 20, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and Israeli troops in
Tulkarem arrested a women who planned a suicide attack. It was also
reported that a Palestinian plan to bomb the twin 50-story towers in
Tel Aviv had been thwarted 3 weeks earlier.
(SFC, 5/21/02, p.A1)
2002 May 20, In Lebanon a car
bomb killed Jihad Jibril (38), head of local military operations for
the PFLP-GC. He was the son of Palestinian guerrilla leader Ahmed
Jibril who headed the Syrian-based Popular Front for the Liberation
of Palestine-General Command, founded in 1968. In 2008 a retired
Lebanese police officer and a Palestinian were indicted for
allegedly working with Israeli intelligence to assassinate Jibril.
(SFC, 5/21/02, p.A16)(AP, 6/18/08)
2002 May 22, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and 2 Israelis in Rishon
Letzion, a Tel Aviv suburb. Some 3 dozen people were injured. A
Ukrainian Christian woman, previously misidentified, and her
Palestinian husband drove the suicide bomber to the site. Irena
Plitzik said she did not know about the suicide mission. A 2nd
bomber, Tauurya Hamamra, backed out.
(SFC, 5/23/02, p.A10)(WSJ, 5/23/02, p.A1)(WSJ,
5/31/02, p.A1)(SFC, 5/31/02, p.A10)(SSFC, 6/2/02, p.A11)
2002 May 25, Israeli troops
seized Bethlehem and surrounded the house of Muhammed Shehade, a
leader of the Islamic Jihad. A Palestinian woman and her daughter
(13) were killed by Israeli fire on a farm in the Gaza Strip.
(SSFC, 5/26/02, p.A13)
2002 May 26, Israeli forces
moved into Bethlehem for the 2nd time in 2 days.
(SFC, 5/27/02, p.A3)
2002 May 27, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bomber killed himself and 2 Israelis, a toddler
and her grandmother, at a mall in Petah Tikva near Tel Aviv.
(SFC, 5/28/02, p.A6)
2002 May 28, A Palestinian
gunmen attacked an Israeli settlement near Nablus and killed 3
students at an Orthodox high school. The gunman was killed.
(SFC, 5/29/02, p.A8)(WSJ, 5/29/02, p.A1)
2002 May 30, Israeli forces
entered Nablus and raided Hebron and Jenin.
(WSJ, 5/31/02, p.A1)
2002 May 30, Yasser Arafat
signed the Basic Law package that granted his people basic rights
and regulated government operations.
(SFC, 5/31/02, p.A10)
2002 Jun 1, Israeli forces
detained hundreds of Palestinians in 4 West Bank cities. Tareq
el-Kharaz (24), who defied a curfew to pray in a mosque, was killed
in Nablus.
(SSFC, 6/2/02, p.A11)
2002 Jun 2, Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat offered Cabinet posts to Hamas and other militant
groups as part of his government reshuffle.
(SFC, 6/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 3, US CIA director
George Tenet met with Israeli leaders as Israel stepped up seizures
of Arab land for use as security buffer zones.
(SFC, 6/4/02, p.A7)
2002 Jun 5, In Israel a car
bomb went off next to a bus near Megiddo and at least 17 people were
killed.
(SFC, 6/5/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/6/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 6, Israeli forces
attacked Yasser Arafat's compound in Ramallah in response to a
Palestinian suicide attack on a bus that killed 17 Israelis. 2
Palestinians were reported killed.
(SFC, 6/6/02, p.A1)(SFC, 6/7/02, p.A10)(AP,
6/6/03)
2002 Jun 7, Palestinian gunmen
attacked the Karmei Tsur settlement in the West Bank and killed 2
Israelis. 1 attacker was killed, a 2nd escaped.
(SFC, 6/8/02, p.A12)
2002 Jun 8, Palestinians
entered a Jewish settlement in the West Bank early Saturday and
killed three Israelis in a shooting attack, the military and
paramedics said. Three Israelis and seven armed Palestinians were
killed.
(AP, 6/7/02)(AP, 6/9/02)
2002 Jun 8, Pres. Bush met with
Egypt’s Pres. Hosni Mubarek, who said Middle East violence would
continue until Israel withdraws from Palestinian territory and hope
for a future is restored to the Palestinian people.
(SSFC, 6/9/02, p.A12)
2002 Jun 10, Israeli tanks and
troops charged into Ramallah before sunrise Monday, surrounding the
compound of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and arresting 20
suspected militants in searches throughout the city.
(AP, 6/10/02)(SFC, 6/10/02, p.A1)
2002 Jun 10, A bomb exploded
near an armored bus in the West Bank, injuring three teenaged
students from a religious seminary at a nearby Jewish settlement on
their return from picking cherries.
(Reuters, 6/11/02)
2002 Jun 12, Israeli troops
shot and killed five armed Palestinians and a 9-year-old boy in
separate incidents near a Jewish settlement, while a Palestinian
suicide bomber blew up a fast food restaurant in a Mediterranean
resort town, killing a 15-year-old Israeli girl. Israeli forces
pulled out of the West Bank town of Ramallah, lifting their latest
blockade on Yasser Arafat's office, as Secretary of State Colin
Powell raised the idea of a provisional Palestinian state.
(AP, 6/12/02)(AP, 6/13/02)
2002 Jun 13, Pres. Bush met
with Saudi Prince Saud al-Faisal and indicated that he would support
the creation of a Palestinian state.
(SFC, 6/14/02, p.15)
2002 Jun 15, Four Israelis were
injured, two critically, when at least one Palestinian opened fire
at a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip.
(AP, 6/15/02)
2002 Jun 17, A Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up on Israel's frontier with the West
Bank, shortly after Israel angered the Palestinians by starting work
on a security fence between the two territories.
(Reuters, 6/17/02)
2002 Jun 18, A Palestinian man,
Muhammad al-Ghoul (22), detonated nail-studded explosives on a
Jerusalem bus crowded with high school students and office workers,
killing himself and 19 passengers in the city's deadliest suicide
attack in six years. Fifty-five people were wounded in the Hamas
attack.
(AP, 6/18/02)(SFC, 6/19/02, p.A10)(SFC, 6/19/02,
p.A10)
2002 Jun 19, Israel launched
Operation Determined Path and announced it will gradually reoccupy
Palestinian areas until terrorism stops in a major policy change
prompted by a deadly bus bombing. Israeli troops raided three West
Bank towns from which dozens of terror attacks have been launched.
Seven Israelis were killed when a Palestinian suicide bomber blew
himself up at a crowded bus stop in northern Jerusalem. About 50
people were injured. Hamas declared a war on buses.
(AP, 6/19/02)(AP, 9/6/03)
2002 Jun 20, Palestinian gunmen
killed 5 Jewish settlers at the Itamar settlement in the West Bank.
The 2 assailants were killed. The mother of the family and three of
her children were murdered. Another two children were seriously
injured and a local security official was shot to death as he tried
to help.
(SFC, 6/21/02, p.A1)(AP, 3/12/11)
2002 Jun 21, Israeli tanks
opened fire on the market in the northern West Bank town of Jenin,
killing 4 Palestinians, including 3 children, hospital officials
said. The Israeli army said soldiers had mistakenly fired on a group
of curfew violators. Israelis from the West Bank settlement of
Itamar returning from funerals killed a Palestinian during a rampage
in the village of Hawara.
(AP, 6/21/02)
2002 Jun 24, Israeli forces
killed six Palestinians in a helicopter missile strike on a car
carrying Islamic militants in the Gaza Strip on Monday and
surrounded Yasser Arafat in his headquarters in the West Bank.
(AP, 6/24/02)
2002 Jun 24, Pres. Bush
outlined his blueprint for peace in the Middle East. His statement
included a call on Palestinians to replace Yasser Arafat with
leaders "not compromised by terror" and adopt democratic reforms
that could produce an independent state within three years.
(SFC, 6/25/02, p.A1)(AP, 6/24/03)
2002 Jun 25, Israeli soldiers
stormed the fortress-like Palestinian headquarters in the city of
Hebron, occupying the seventh of eight main West Bank centers.
Palestinian security officials said four policemen were killed.
(AP, 6/25/02)
2002 Jun 26, The Palestinian
Authority, under pressure from President Bush to dump Yasser Arafat
as its leader, announced that presidential elections will be held in
mid-January.
(Reuters, 6/26/02)(SFC, 6/27/02, p.A8)
2002 Jun 27, Israel's army
urged Palestinians holed up under fire for a third day in a West
Bank compound to surrender Thursday, warning it will overrun the
battered Hebron government complex if those inside refuse to come
out. Helicopter gunships fired missiles into the Hebron complex.
(AP, 6/27/02)(SFC, 6/28/02, p.A10)
2002 Jun 27, In Khartoum,
Sudan, representatives of 57 Muslim nations pledged support for
Palestinians in a resolution that made no mention of President
Bush's call for Palestinians to elect a new leadership. In 21 months
of violence, 1,739 people have been killed on the Palestinian side
and 564 people on the Israeli side.
(AP, 6/27/02)
2002 Jun 28, The Israeli army
smashed through an outer wall of the Palestinian Authority
headquarters in Hebron to try to flush out suspected militants. An
Israeli military court sentenced a 16-year-old Palestinian from the
militant Hamas movement to life in prison for trying to blow himself
up when confronted by Israeli police, the first time a would-be
bomber was brought to trial.
(Reuters, 6/28/02)(AP, 6/28/02)
2002 Jun 29, The Israeli army
ended a four-day siege of a Palestinian police headquarters by
blowing up the hilltop compound where about 15 suspected militants
had taken refuge. 2 Palestinians died in clashes with Israeli
soldiers.
(Reuters, 6/29/02)(SSFC, 6/30/02, p.A14)
2002 Jun 29, Israel’s Defense
Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer called for the immediate dismantling
of 10 illegal outposts in the West Bank.
(AP, 6/29/02)(SSFC, 6/30/02, p.A14)
2002 Jun 30, An Israeli tank
shelled a house in Nablus and killed Mohammed Tahir, a local Hamas
leader and bombmaker, along with an aide.
(SFC, 7/1/02, p.A3)
2002 Jul 4, The Palestinian
police chief Ghazi Jabali decided to resign and run for president
following a controversy over whether Yasser Arafat had tried to oust
both him and security commander Jibril Rajoub.
(Reuters, 7/4/02)(SFC, 7/5/02, p.A7)
2002 Jul 4, An explosion
shattered a white Mercedes, killing two people including Jihad
Amerin (38), a Gaza leader of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades.
Palestinian police said their initial suspicions were Israeli agents
had planted a bomb.
(AP, 7/4/02)(SFC, 7/5/02, p.A7)
2002 Jul 6, Randi Hindi (44), a
Palestinian woman, and her 2-year-old daughter were shot to death
while riding in a taxi in the Gaza Strip. Palestinians claimed
Israeli troops were responsible. But the Israeli army said its
soldiers did not fire anywhere in the area.
(AP, 7/6/02)(SSFC, 7/7/02, p.A9)
2002 Jul 9, A Palestinian
gunman opened fire on Israeli police officers just outside the
walled Old City of Jerusalem, wounding one, and a passer-by was
killed in the ensuing gunbattle.
(AP, 7/9/02)
2002 Jul 10, Palestinian gunmen
shot and killed an Israeli army lieutenant on patrol in the southern
Gaza Strip, and Israeli troops fatally shot a 19-year-old
Palestinian in the West Bank.
(AP, 7/10/02)
2002 Jul 12, Palestinian
free-lance photographer Imad Abu Zahra died of a gunshot wound in
the northern West Bank, and a fellow photographer said the shots
came from a machine gun on an Israeli tank July 11. 2 Palestinians
were killed in an exchange of gunfire in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 7/12/02)(SFC, 7/13/02, p.A9)
2002 Jul 14, A
Palestinian man, on trial for allegedly collaborating with Israel,
was killed by Palestinian militants after an Israeli airstrike
disrupted court proceedings. Israeli aircraft fired missiles and
destroyed a building in the southern Gaza Strip, injuring about 10
Palestinians.
(AP, 7/14/02)
2002 Jul 16, In the West Bank
Palestinian gunmen ambushed a bus at the Emmanuel settlement left 8
Israelis dead.
(SFC, 7/17/02, p.A1)(WSJ, 7/18/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 17, In Israel 2
bombers blew themselves up in Tel Aviv and injured over 40 people.
(WSJ, 7/18/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 19, Israel introduced
collective punishment on the family of Ali Ajouri, following his
role in the July 17 suicide bombing.
(AP, 8/8/02)
2002 Jul 20, A car exploded
near a mosque in an Israeli Arab neighborhood of Tel Aviv, killing
the driver.
(AP, 7/20/02)
2002 Jul 22, Israeli troops
killed 2 Islamic Jihad members in a clash near the Gush Katif
settlement.
(SFC, 7/23/02, p.A10)
2002 Jul 23, An Israeli F-16
warplane dropped a one ton bomb that flattened a Gaza City apartment
building, killing Salah Shehadeh, the leader of Hamas' military
wing, and at least 14 other Palestinians, including nine children.
Shehadeh was at the top of Israel's most wanted list. The dead
included Shehadeh’s wife and 3 kids. In 2009 a Spanish judge began
an investigation into seven current or former Israeli officials over
the 2002 bombing. In 2011 an Israeli inquiry ruled the air strike
legal and blamed faulty intelligence for the civilian deaths.
(AP, 7/23/02)(SFC, 7/23/02, p.A1)(AP,
1/29/09)(SFC, 2/28/11, p.A2)
2002 Jul 25, Israeli police
said an Israeli policeman has been arrested on suspicion of selling
ammunition to Palestinians, raising to ten the number of suspects
detained in the case.
(AP, 7/25/02)
2002 Jul 25, Palestinian gunmen
shot dead a Jewish rabbi settler in what militants called the first
response to an Israeli air strike that killed 15 Palestinians
including a top militant.
(Reuters, 7/25/02)
2002 Jul 26, Israel sent tanks
and troops into Gaza City. Troops fatally shot a Palestinian man as
he stood in his kitchen in Qalqiliya. Palestinian security officials
said Israeli soldiers were firing live ammunition as they searched
houses, and that the man had been hit in the head.
(AP, 7/26/02)
2002 Jul 26, Palestinian gunmen
waiting in ambush fired on two passing Israeli cars near a Jewish
settlement in the southern West Bank, killing four people and
injuring two children before fleeing.
(AP, 7/26/02)
2002 Jul 28, Jewish settlers
went on a rampage as they returned home from the funeral of an
Israeli soldier, shooting dead a 14-year-old girl and wounding
several other Palestinians.
(AP, 7/28/02)(SFC, 7/31/02, p.A12)
2002 Jul 29, Thousands of
Palestinians defied the Israeli army's around-the-clock curfew for
the second straight day, and took to the streets of Nablus as shops
and banks opened to accommodate them.
(AP, 7/29/02)
2002 Jul 30, A Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up at a central Jerusalem fast-food
stand popular with police, wounding four Israelis. In the West Bank,
gunmen killed two Israeli settlers who had entered a Palestinian
village.
(AP, 7/30/02)
2002 Jul 31, In Israel a bomb
exploded in a crowded cafeteria at Hebrew University during
lunchtime, killing 7 people including 5 Americans and wounding more
than 70. Hamas claimed responsibility.
(AP, 7/31/02)(SFC, 8/2/02, p.A1)
2002 Jul 31, An Israeli man,
his hands and feet bound, was found shot and killed in his factory
office near the West Bank town of Tulkarem.
(AP, 8/1/02)
2002 Aug 2, The Israeli army
blew up two buildings with explosives labs and arrested at least 50
Palestinians in house to house searches as troops took control of
Nablus, a city Israel called "the main factory of suicide bombings."
Israelis killed 3 people in Nablus and 3 Palestinians in Gaza
including a woman (85) and a girl (9).
(AP, 8/2/02)(SFC, 8/3/02, p.A1)
2002 Aug 4, In northern Israel
a Palestinian suicide bomber blew apart a bus during rush hour,
killing at least nine people, wounding dozens. 3 more people died in
a gun battle outside the Damascus Gate. 7 Arabs with Israeli
citizenship were later arrested for assisting the bomber.
(AP, 8/4/02)(SFC, 8/5/02, p.A1)(SFC, 8/27/02,
p.A10)
2002 Aug 5, Israel announced a
"total ban" on Palestinian travel in much of the West Bank and
sealed off a chunk of the Gaza Strip with tanks in response to
Palestinian attacks on Israelis that killed 13 people over 24 hours.
Israeli helicopters fired missiles at a suspected weapons factory in
Gaza City.
(AP, 8/5/02)(AP, 8/5/07)
2002 Aug 6, Israeli troops
killed the suspected mastermind of a Tel Aviv suicide bombing, while
U.S. diplomats said the United States was considering moving
consular offices out of traditionally Arab east Jerusalem due to
security concerns.
(AP, 8/6/02)
2002 Aug 7, About 30 Israeli
tanks firing heavy machineguns raided the northern Gaza Strip in a
sweep for militants and troops shot dead a Palestinian policeman.
(AP, 8/7/02)
2002 Aug 7, The Palestinian
Cabinet accepted Israel's proposal for a troop withdrawal from some
areas of the West Bank and Gaza Strip in exchange for Palestinian
security guarantees, even as Israeli troops hunting terror suspects
killed five Palestinians in three raids.
(AP, 8/7/02)
2002 Aug 8, Israeli troops and
tanks briefly swept into a town in the northern Gaza Strip for the
second time in two days, killing a youth and wounding three others
in a clash with Palestinian stone throwers. Negotiators failed to
reach agreement, but scheduled more talks on a gradual Israeli troop
pullback from some Palestinian areas.
(AP, 8/8/02)
2002 Aug 10, Israeli soldiers
shot dead a Palestinian electricity department worker as he sat in
his city-owned truck and the army expressed its sorrow and said it
had opened an investigation. Gunfire in a Jordan Valley settlement
killed a suspected Palestinian militant and an Israeli woman.
(AP, 8/10/02)
2002 Aug 11, Israeli troops
shot and killed Basil Naji (22), a Palestinian gunman, after he
opened fire on Israeli road workers in the northern Gaza Strip,
wounding one of them.
(AP, 8/11/02)(SFC, 8/12/02, p.A10)
2002 Aug 12, Palestinian
factions met to create a "national unity leadership" to include all
major groups, including militant ones such as Hamas. They endorsed a
continuation of their uprising and rejected language to end attacks
on civilians inside Israel.
(AP, 8/12/02)
2002 Aug 14, Israel's military
intelligence chief told parliament that Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat has amassed a personal fortune of about $1.3 billion.
(AP, 8/14/02)
2002 Aug 16, Sabri al-Banna,
aka Abu Nidal (65), Palestinian guerrilla commander and head of the
Fatah-Revolutionary Council, died from gunshot wounds in his Baghdad
home. Iraqi officials said he killed himself.
(Reuters, 8/19/02)(WSJ, 8/20/02, p.A18)(AP,
8/21/02)
2002 Aug 18, Israel agreed to a
partial withdrawal from Palestinian territory in exchange for
reduced tensions in the areas.
(SFC, 8/19/02, p.A1)
2002 Aug 20, Palestinian police
were back on the streets of Bethlehem after Israeli forces left the
town as part of a trial that could lead to further Israeli
withdrawals in the West Bank.
(AP, 8/20/02)
2002 Aug 20, An Israeli soldier
was killed by a Hamas sniper. Hamas vowed to undermine the new
security agreement.
(WSJ, 8/21/02, p.A1)
2002 Aug 21, Israeli troops
blew up two apartment buildings in a Gaza Strip refugee camp, just
hours after undercover forces killed the brother of a radical
Palestinian leader during an arrest raid in the West Bank. Israeli
security officials announced the breakup of a Hamas cell in East
Jerusalem.
(AP, 8/21/02)(SFC, 8/22/02, p.A7)
2002 Aug 24, A Palestinian
militia shot and killed a Palestinian woman suspected of
collaborating with Israel, then dumped her bullet-riddled body on a
street in the West Bank town of Tulkarem. The next day her son said
that Palestinian gunmen tortured him until he invented a story about
his mother's involvement.
(AP, 8/24/02)(AP, 8/26/02)
2002 Aug 26, Israeli troops
arrested Jamal Abdel Salam Abu el-Heijah, leader of Hamas in the
Jenin region in a West Bank raid as Israel's defense minister said a
security deal to ease violence was still in force.
(AP, 8/26/02)
2002 Aug 29, Israeli tank
shells slammed into a Bedouin encampment in Gaza, killing four
members of a Palestinian family and wounding four others.
(AP, 8/29/02)
2002 Aug 29, Hezbollah
guerrillas shelled Israeli positions in a disputed border area,
wounding 3 soldiers and drawing fire from Israeli warplanes and
artillery.
(AP, 8/29/02)
2002 Aug 31, Israeli soldiers
arrested Hasan Yousef, the Islamic militant group Hamas' top
political leader, in the West Bank town of Ramallah. An Israeli
helicopter fired three missiles at a Palestinian car, killing three
men inside and two children standing nearby.
(AP, 8/30/02)
2002 Aug 31, A Palestinian
gunman opened fire in a Jewish settlement in the West Bank,
seriously wounding two people before being shot dead.
(AP, 8/31/02)
2002 Sep 1, Israeli troops shot
dead four Palestinians not far from a Jewish gravesite near the West
Bank city of Hebron, adding to an already bloody weekend in which
seven other Palestinians, including two children, were killed.
(AP, 9/1/02)(SFC, 9/2/02, p.A3)
2002 Sep 3, Israeli tank shells
killed Bahir Eid (22) and Hussein Najar (22) residents of the
village of Burin, a West Bank village.
(AP, 9/3/02)
2002 Sep 5, Palestinian
fighters blew up an Israeli tank in Gaza, killing the driver
instantly. Another Palestinian, linked to the Al Aqsa Martyrs
Brigade, killed an Israeli officer and wounded another soldier
before he was shot dead.
(SFC, 9/6/02, p.A14)
2002 Sep 6, Israel
attacked a factory in the Gaza Strip with missiles fired from
helicopters after a Palestinian "mega" bomb attempt was thwarted a
day earlier.
(AP, 9/6/02)(SFC, 9/6/02, p.A14)
2002 Sep 11, The 21-member
Palestinian Cabinet resigned after Yasser Arafat lost a showdown
with parliament, the most serious challenge to the Palestinian
leader since he returned from exile in 1994.
(AP, 9/11/02)
2002 Sep 13, Four Palestinians
were killed in Gaza, including three in an explosion at a home
believed to harbor a bomb workshop. Elsewhere, a Palestinian gunman
died in a firefight with Israeli soldiers.
(AP, 9/13/02)
2002 Sep 13, Iraq will pay up
to $5,000 each to Palestinians whose home is demolished in the
Israeli campaign against suspected militants, a pro-Iraqi group said
Friday, hinting also that Iraq is supplying weapons to the
Palestinians.
(AP, 9/13/02)
2002 Sep 17, The United States
and its key global partners in Middle East peacemaking agreed to try
to establish a provisional Palestinian state next year.
(AP, 9/17/02)
2002 Sep 18, A Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up at a bus stop in the Arab-Israeli
village of Umm al-Fahm in northern Israel, wounding several people.
(AP, 9/18/02)
2002 Sep 19, A Palestinian blew
himself up on a crowded bus in downtown Tel Aviv, killing at least
five other people and wounding 49. It was the second suicide bombing
in two days after a six-week lull.
(AP, 9/19/02)
2002 Sep 20, Israel tightened
its siege on Yasser Arafat, using tanks to destroy a stairwell in
his compound, digging a deep trench and running coils of barbed wire
around his offices.
(AP, 9/20/02)
2002 Sep 21, Explosions rocked
Yasser Arafat's compound, including one that showered him with
debris, as the Israeli army systematically blew up or bulldozed
nearly every building around him in the Palestinian Authority's
headquarters.
(AP, 9/21/02)
2002 Sep 22, Thousands of
Palestinians, many defying military curfews, poured into West Bank
and Gaza streets to protest Israel's assault on Yasser Arafat's
headquarters, and 5 demonstrators were killed by army fire.
(AP, 9/22/02)(WSJ, 9/23/02, p.A1)
2002 Sep 23, A defiant Yasser
Arafat dug in at his besieged West Bank compound, rejecting Israel's
demand to hand over the names of all those holed up inside.
(AP, 9/23/03)
2002 Sep 23, A Palestinian
gunman opened fire on visitors attending Jewish holiday celebrations
In Hebron, killing a man and wounding three of his sons.
(AP, 9/24/02)
2002 Sep 24, Israel
defied a U.N. Security Council demand to end its six-day siege of
Yasser Arafat's devastated West Bank headquarters. 9 Palestinians
were killed in an Israeli strike against alleged munitions factories
and other targets in Gaza City. Israeli troops demolished three
houses of Palestinian terror suspects, while Jewish settler leaders
inaugurated a new Jewish settlement near the Palestinian city of
Nablus.
(AP, 9/24/02)(AP, 9/25/02)
2002 Sep 26, Israeli helicopter
gunships fired missiles into Gaza City, killing two Palestinians in
an escalation of violence. The attack was bid to kill Hamas bomb
maker Mohammed Deif.
(AP, 9/26/02)(WSJ, 9/27/02, p.A1)
2002 Sep 29, Israel withdrew
forces from Yasser Arafat's headquarters compound Responding to U.S.
pressure, but said the hunt for men inside whom it accuses of
terrorism would continue. Some 250 Palestinian militiamen were
granted conditional freedom.
(AP, 9/29/02)(SFC, 9/30/02, p.A3)
2002 Oct 5, Israeli soldiers
enforcing a curfew shot Amer Hashem, a 15-year-old Palestinian boy
in Nablus, during clashes with stone-throwing protesters. It was the
eve of an international round of peace diplomacy.
(AP, 10/5/02)(SFC, 10/5/02, p.A8)(SSFC, 10/6/02,
p.A18)
2002 Oct 7, Israeli forces
killed 16 Palestinians in Gaza that included a missile strike that
killed 11. Hamas vowed revenge attacks.
(SFC, 10/7/02, p.A1)(SFC, 10/8/02, p.A1)(WSJ,
10/9/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 8, Israeli forces
entered Hebron following a sniper attack that wounded 4 Israelis.
Israeli tankfire killed a Palestinian girl in the Gaza Strip.
(WSJ, 10/9/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 13, Israeli troops
backed by tanks and a helicopter entered the Rafah refugee camp
hunting for tunnels used to smuggle weapons and drugs into the Gaza
Strip. Two Palestinians were killed and 28 wounded.
(AP, 10/13/02)
2002 Oct 13, A Palestinian
militant, whose clan has been targeted previously by Israeli
security forces, was killed when a public telephone exploded in his
hand. He was one of six Palestinians to die in a day of violence.
(AP, 10/13/02)
2002 Oct 17, Israeli tanks
fired artillery shells and machine guns after coming under attack by
anti-tank missiles, killing at least 6 Palestinians and wounding
more than 40 in the southern Gaza town of Rafah.
(AP, 10/17/02)(SFC, 10/18/02, p.A18)
2002 Oct 21, A bus bombing near
Hadera killed 14 Israelis, along with two attackers. Israel held off
on immediate retaliation, but troops next day destroyed the homes of
a suicide bomber and a suspected militant.
(AP, 10/22/02)(SFC, 10/22/02, p.A1)
2002 Oct 27, A Palestinian
suicide bomber blew up as Israeli soldiers were shooting him,
killing three people and himself at a gas station just outside
Ariel, one of the largest Jewish settlements in the West Bank. The
18 people injured included several soldiers. Hours later, Israeli
troops shot and killed two armed Palestinian militants in the nearby
Palestinian city of Nablus
(AP, 10/27/02)
2002 Oct 29, The Palestinian
parliament approved the new 19-member Cabinet of Yasser Arafat.
(AP, 10/29/02)
2002 Oct 30, A Palestinian
gunman killed two teenage girls and a woman in a Jewish settlement
in the West Bank before being shot dead in a firefight with soldiers
and residents.
(AP, 10/30/02)
2002 Nov 4, Two Palestinians,
including a Hamas militant wanted by Israel, were killed when their
car exploded in the middle of the street in the West Bank city of
Nablus.
(AP, 11/4/02)
2002 Nov 5, Israeli soldiers
came under fire and responded by killing a Palestinian and injuring
16 others in the southern Gaza Strip.
(AP, 11/5/02)
2002 Nov 6, A Palestinian
laborer opened fire in a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip where
he worked, killing his employer and another Israeli before being
shot dead.
(AP, 11/6/02)
2002 Nov 9, Iyad Sawalha, a
senior member of the militant Islamic Jihad group, was killed in an
overnight army operation in the West Bank.
(AP, 11/9/02)
2002 Nov 10, A car carrying two
Palestinians exploded as Israeli police moved to stop the vehicle
near Israel's border with the West Bank.
(AP, 11/10/02)
2002 Nov 10, A Palestinian
gunman crawled under a security fence at the Kibbutz Metzer communal
farm, burst into a home and shot dead a mother and her two children
as she was reading them a bedtime story. The gunman then killed two
more Israelis before escaping in the dark.
(AP, 11/11/02)
2002 Nov 14, Israeli troops
captured the alleged mastermind of a shooting attack on an Israeli
kibbutz in his West Bank hideout, and seized suspected weapons
makers in the deepest raid into Gaza City in two years.
(AP, 11/14/02)
2002 Nov 15, Palestinian
militants raked Israeli troops and settlers with gunfire in an
ambush, killing 12 Israelis in Hebron.
(AP, 11/15/03)
2002 Nov 16, Israeli troops
retook control of Hebron blindfolding Palestinian suspects and
herding them into army buses, after militant gunmen ambushed a
procession of Jewish worshippers, killing 12 Israelis, mostly
security forces.
(AP, 11/16/02)
2002 Nov 17, Tawfiq Fukra (23),
an Israeli Arab accused of trying to hijack an El Al Airlines
flight, wanted to copy the September 11 suicide attacks on the
United States and fly the aircraft into a public building in Tel
Aviv.
(Reuters, 11/18/02)
2002 Nov 19, Five Palestinians
died when Israeli soldiers swept through the West Bank town of
Tulkarem, one a leading militant and another a teenager who had
climbed on top of an Israeli armored vehicle.
(AP, 11/19/02)
2002 Nov 20, Israeli troops
shot and killed Amr Qudsi (15), a Palestinian teenager in a
confrontation in Tulkarem.
(AP, 11/20/02)
2002 Nov 21, A Palestinian man
wearing a bomb belt blew himself up on a Jerusalem city bus packed
with high school students and soldiers, killing 11 passengers and
wounding dozens in a morning rush hour attack. Four of the victims
were aged 8 to 16.
(AP, 11/21/02)
2002 Nov 22, A senior U.N.
official from Britain was shot and killed during an exchange of fire
between Israeli troops and Palestinian gunmen in the West Bank
refugee camp of Jenin.
(AP, 11/22/02)
2002 Nov 23, Two Palestinian
suicide bombers blew up an explosives-laden fishing boat close to an
Israeli patrol craft, wounding four sailors, in the first such
attack since the start of the Palestinian uprising.
(AP, 11/23/02)
2002 Nov 25, Israeli troops
shot and killed an 8-year-old Palestinian boy in Nablus as hundreds
of youths ignored a curfew and threw stones at soldiers on their way
home from school. Israeli troops and armored vehicles pulled out of
Bethlehem.
(AP, 11/25/02)
2002 Nov 26, Israeli aircraft
attacked a building in Jenin’s refugee camp and killed 2 Palestinian
militants.
(WSJ, 11/27/02, p.A1)
2002 Nov 28, A shooting attack
in northern Israel killed 6 Israelis. Two Palestinian gunmen opened
fire on a Likud Party office crowded with voters casting ballots in
a leadership race and also attacked passengers at a nearby bus
terminal in northern Israel.
(AP, 11/28/02)(SFC, 11/29/02, p.A1)
2002 Nov 29, Israeli troops
blew up the homes of two Palestinian gunmen who attacked an office
of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party during a primary vote,
killing six Israelis and wounding more than 20.
(AP, 11/29/02)
2002 Nov 29, Tens of thousands
of people demonstrated across the Middle East in a day of solidarity
with Palestinians in the annual Jerusalem Day, which marked the 1947
UN partition of Palestine.
(AP, 11/29/02)
2002 Nov 30, A 16-year-old
Palestinian boy was shot and killed on his way home from school east
of Gaza city, and another was wounded.
(AP, 11/30/02)
2002 Nov 30, Israeli troops
shot dead one Palestinian and a second Palestinian man died under
the rubble of one of the three homes the soldiers demolished in an
overnight operation in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 12/1/02)
2002 Dec 2, Israeli troops shot
dead a Palestinian gunman trying to enter a Jewish settlement in the
Gaza Strip, and a Palestinian teenager was killed when a mob of
stone throwers clashed with troops in the West Bank town of Jenin.
(AP, 12/2/02)
2002 Dec 3, An Israeli soldier
in Ramallah shot and killed a 95-year-old Palestinian woman as her
taxi tried a back road to go around an Israeli checkpoint.
(SFC, 12/4/02, p.A14)
2002 Dec 6, Ten Palestinians,
including two U.N. employees, were killed in chaotic battles that
erupted when Israeli troops, tanks and helicopter gunships poured
into a Gaza Strip refugee camp, searching for a fugitive militant
allegedly involved in a fatal bombing.
(AP, 12/6/02)
2002 Dec 8, Israeli soldiers
killed a Palestinian woman and wounded her 3 children at the Tel
sultan refugee camp near the settlement of Rafiah Yam.
(SFC, 12/9/02, p.A12)
2002 Dec 9, Israeli soldiers
killed Basem Kou (28), a mentally handicapped Palestinian near Beit
Lid. At Nablus Israeli soldiers fired on a taxi and killed Rehaneh
Hesham Kilani (25) and injured 2 other passengers.
(SFC, 12/10/02, p.A8)
2002 Dec 11, Israeli troops
killed a suspected Palestinian militant in a West Bank refugee camp
as he tried to escape.
(AP, 12/11/02)
2002 Dec 11, Israeli troops in
Gaza shot and killed 5 unarmed Palestinians trying to penetrate a
security fence.
(SFC, 12/13/02, p.A22)
2002 Dec 12, Israeli troops
near Hebron shot and killed 2 armed Palestinians in separate
incidents.
(SFC, 12/13/02, p.A22)
2002 Dec 13, Hamas marked its
15th anniversary with a rally that drew some 30,000 supporters in
southern Gaza.
(SFC, 12/14/02, p.A6)
2002 Dec 15, Israel barred
Palestinian Pres. Yasser Arafat from visiting Bethlehem for
Christmas and decided to keep its army in the West Bank city over
the holiday.
(Reuters, 12/15/02)
2002 Dec 16, Israeli soldiers
killed three Palestinians, including two armed Hamas fighters, and
troops also destroyed 16 shacks, leaving more than 200 people
homeless in confrontations in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 12/16/02)(SFC, 12/17/02, p.A13)
2002 Dec 21, An 11-year-old
Palestinian girl died of a gunshot wound in the Gaza Strip, where
Israeli troops reinforced a blockade.
(AP, 12/21/02)
2002 Dec 23, Israeli troops
killed two Hamas activists, including a leading militiaman, as the
men rode a tractor near the West Bank town of Jenin.
(AP, 12/23/02)
2002 Dec 24, Israeli soldiers
killed a Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 12/24/02)
2002 Dec 25, Israeli troops
killed a member of the militant Hamas group and arrested another in
the West Bank city of Nablus.
(AP, 12/25/02)
2002 Dec 26, Israeli soldiers
hunting militiamen in the West Bank killed 9 Palestinians in
separate clashes across the West Bank and Gaza.
(AP, 12/26/02)(SFC, 12/27/02, p.A12)
2002 Dec 27, Palestinian gunmen
killed 4 Israelis at the Otniel religious community near Hebron.
(SFC, 12/28/02, p.A9)
2002 Dec 28, Israeli troops
clashed with Palestinian university students, a day after four
Israelis died in a Palestinian attack on Jewish seminary students.
(AP, 12/28/02)
2002 Dec 29, Israeli soldiers
fired toward Palestinian protesters in the West Bank and Gaza Strip,
killing an 11-year-old boy and wounding a cameraman on assignment
for AP TV News.
(AP, 12/29/02)
2002 Dec 30, Israeli soldiers
killed three Palestinians, including a gunman, while Israel's
Supreme Court ruled that reserve soldiers have no right to refuse
service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Border policemen Shahar
Botbeka and Denis Alhazov and 2 others abducted several Hebron
residents, among them 17-year-old Amran Abu Hamadiya, and took them
for a ride in their jeep. They abused the men and beat them with
truncheons and rifles. They hurled Abu Hamadiya out of the moving
vehicle, causing his death. In 2008 Botbeka and Alhazov were
convicted of manslaughter for their part in the kidnapping and
wrongful death of Hamadiya.
(AP,
12/30/02)(www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1017498.html)
2002 Israel closed to
Palestinians the West Bank section of Route 443 linking Jerusalem
and Tel Aviv, after militants shot at Israeli vehicles on the
highway and killed several motorists.
(AP, 12/30/09)
2002 A stone ossuary, looted
from a Jerusalem cave, was found by a French scholar with an Aramaic
inscription that read "James, son of Joseph, brother of Jesus." In
2003 the stone ossuary was declared a fake. In 2008 Nina Burleigh
authored “Unholy Business: A True Tale of Faith, Greed & Forgery
in the Holy Land.” In 2012 antiquities collector Oded Golan was
acquitted of forging the box. A judge ruled that it was impossible
to unequivocally prove the artifacts were forged.
(WSJ, 10/20/08, p.A17)(SFC, 3/15/12, p.A2)
2003 Jan 1, In Gaza 3
Palestinian boys were shot and killed by soldiers after scaling a
fence around Jewish settlements. Thousands of Palestinians marched
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip to mark the 38th anniversary of the
founding of Arafat’s Fatah movement.
(AP, 1/2/03)(SFC, 1/2/03, p.A5)
2003 Jan 2, A Palestinian
gunman was killed several hours after he tried to shoot an Israeli
couple and then holed up inside their house in the Israeli village
of Maor.
(AP, 1/2/03)
2003 Jan 5, In Israel 2
Palestinian suicide bombers blew themselves up minutes apart in a
central Tel Aviv area crowded with foreign workers, killing 23
bystanders in the bloodiest attack in six months.
(AP, 1/5/08)
2003 Jan 7, Israeli troops
exchanged fire with Palestinian militiamen for 4 hours, killing 3
gunmen before withdrawing from the outskirts of a refugee camp. The
Israeli government put new restrictions on travel by Palestinians.
(AP, 1/7/03)(SFC, 1/8/03, p.A11)
2003 Jan 12, Three missiles
fired from an Israeli helicopter missed their apparent target,
Islamic militants riding in a car, and killed two 15 year-old
Palestinian boys, seriously wounding another teen. In Israel 7
Palestinians, two other Arab attackers and two Israelis were killed
in raids and infiltrations.
(AP, 1/13/03)(SFC, 1/13/03, p.A3)
2003 Jan 13, Two Palestinians
threw grenades at an Israeli bus in the Gaza Strip and were shot
dead by Israeli troops, and an Islamic Jihad activist was killed in
an explosion in the West Bank.
(AP, 1/14/03)
2003 Jan 15, Israel shut down
two Palestinian universities in the divided town of Hebron, while
Israeli soldiers shot and killed three Palestinians in West Bank
clashes.
(AP, 1/15/03)
2003 Jan 17, Two Palestinian
gunmen infiltrated the Jewish settlement of Kiryat Arba, killing an
Israeli man as he opened the door of his home and wounding three
other people. One gunman was shot and killed in the attack.
(AP, 1/17/03)
2003 Jan 21, Israel razed 62
shops and market stalls in a Palestinian village Tuesday as troops
clashed with protesters.
(AP, 1/21/03)
2003 Jan 18, Israeli soldiers
tracked and killed a 2nd Palestinian assailant who fled after an
attack on a Jewish outpost in the West Bank. The two slain
Palestinians had earlier killed one Israeli and injured three others
the previous night.
(AP, 1/18/03)
2003 Jan 23, Hamas gunmen
opened fire on a vehicle south of the West Bank city of Hebron and
three Israelis were killed. Retaliatory raids wounded 6 in Gaza.
(AP, 1/23/03)(SFC, 1/24/03, p.A11)
2003 Jan 24, Israeli soldiers
killed at least 12 Palestinians as helicopter gunships hit Gaza City
with 11 missiles.
(SFC, 1/25/03, p.A5)(SSFC, 1/26/03, p.A16)
2003 Jan 28, An explosion
leveled a Gaza City house, killing three Palestinians, including a
teenage brother and sister, and wounding 11. In Jenin four
Palestinians were killed in battles with Israeli troops.
(AP, 1/28/03)
2003 Jan 30, An Israeli
undercover unit shot dead two Palestinian militants in Tulkarem,
including a militia leader. Army bulldozers demolished a Palestinian
vegetable market and closed Palestinian police and TV stations in
Hebron.
(AP, 1/30/03)
2003 Jan 31, Israeli undercover
troops killed a fugitive Islamic militant and a Palestinian night
watchman in a two-hour gun battle at a Jenin firehouse.
(AP, 1/31/03)(SFC, 2/1/03, p.A11)
2003 Feb 3, Israeli tank fire
killed two Palestinian farmers in the Gaza Strip on Monday, and
soldiers arrested a leader of Yasser Arafat's Fatah group on the
West Bank.
(AP, 2/3/03)
2003 Feb 5, The Israeli
military demolished the home of a Palestinian militant in the Gaza
Strip, killing an elderly woman inside. Israeli troops killed a
total of 5 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
(AP, 2/5/03)(WSJ, 2/7/03, p.A1)
2003 Feb 9, Three Palestinians
were killed when their explosives-laden car blew up outside an
Israeli army post after crashing into a cement block barrier. In
secret talks last week Israel offered the Palestinians a gradual
cease-fire.
(AP, 2/9/03)(SSFC, 2/9/03, p.A22)
2003 Feb 10, Israeli troops
killed 2 suspected Palestinian militants, including an unarmed
fugitive, in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(AP, 2/10/03)
2003 Feb 11, Israeli troops
killed an armed Palestinian in the Gaza Strip, and Israel imposed a
blanket closure on the Palestinian areas during the Muslim Hajj
because of warnings of possible attacks. Israeli soldiers killed an
8-year-old boy in the West Bank and an Israeli was killed by a
Palestinian gunman in Bethlehem.
(AP, 2/11/03)(SFC, 2/12/03, p.A13)
2003 Feb 15, A roadside
bomb exploded next to an Israeli tank in the Gaza Strip, killing all
four soldiers inside. Hamas claimed responsibility.
(AP, 2/15/03)(SSFC, 2/16/03, p.A10)
2003 Feb 16, Yasser
Arafat affirmed in a letter to Britain’s Tony Blair that he will
honor a pledge to appoint a prime minister. 8 Palestinians were
killed, 6 in a mysterious explosion in Gaza City and 2 by Israeli
army fire in the West Bank.
(AP, 2/16/03)(SFC, 2/17/03, A3)
2003 Feb 17, Israeli
soldiers killed a top Hamas fugitive in a roadside ambush. In
another operation they raided a stronghold of the militant Islamic
group, shooting dead 2 Palestinians and blowing up the house of a
suspected bombmaker.
(AP, 2/17/03)
2003 Feb 18, At least 40
Israeli tanks headed for Gaza City, accompanied by bulldozers and
attack helicopters.
(AP, 2/18/03)
2003 Feb 19, Israeli
tanks and soldiers battled Palestinian militants in the streets of
Gaza City before dawn in violence that left 11 Palestinians dead,
including a suicide bomber who tried to blow up a tank. Hamas fired
4 Qassam rockets into Sderot in retaliation.
(AP, 2/19/03)(SFC, 2/20/03, A6)
2003 Feb 20, Israeli
soldiers killed a Palestinian and carried out house-to-house
searches in the West Bank and divided the Gaza Strip into three
parts, restricting the movement of more than 1 million Palestinians.
(AP, 2/20/03)
2003 Feb 21, Israeli
troops killed 2 Islamic militants during separate attempts to attack
an army post and a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 2/21/03)
2003 Feb 22, Israeli
troops opened fire on a crowd in Nablus after clashes erupted while
soldiers were searching door to door for militants. 2 Palestinians
were killed in the gunfire.
(AP, 2/22/03)
2003 Feb 23, Israeli
troops raided Beit Hanoun in Gaza, blew up five homes of suspected
militants, battled masked gunmen and shot from tank-mounted machine
guns toward dozens of stone throwers. Six Palestinians were killed
and 28 wounded. 2 more Palestinians were killed elsewhere in Gaza.
(AP, 2/23/03)
2003 Feb 25, Israeli
soldiers shot and killed a Palestinian teenager in the Gaza Strip,
and a Hamas activist was critically wounded in an explosion in his
home.
(AP, 2/25/03)
2003 Mar 2, Israeli
troops backed by tanks and helicopters raided a Gaza Strip town,
killing two Palestinians in fierce fighting and demolishing an
apartment building and the exterior wall of a hospital.
(AP, 3/2/03)
2003 Mar 3, Israeli
troops raided a Gaza refugee camp and arrested Hamas co-founder
Mohammed Taha. He founded Hamas in 1987, along with the group's
spiritual leader, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, and three other senior
clerics. Israel released Taha 14 months later. 8 Palestinians, among
them a pregnant woman, were killed in clashes in the camp.
(AP, 3/3/03)(AP, 3/3/08)
2003 Mar 4, Israeli
troops killed one Palestinian and wounded another in an shootout at
an Internet cafe in the West Bank.
(AP, 3/4/03)
2003 Mar 5, In Israel a
Palestinian suicide bombing, the 1st in two months, tore apart a
packed Israeli bus in the port city of Haifa, killing 14 Israelis
and an American teenager, and wounding about 55.
(AP, 3/5/03)(AP, 3/5/08)
2003 Mar 6, Israeli
troops hunting Islamic militants after a deadly suicide bombing
stormed the Jabaliya refugee camp in Gaza in a raid that left 11
Palestinians dead and 110 wounded.
(AP, 3/6/03)
2003 Mar 8, An Israeli
helicopter missile strike killed Ibrahim Makadmeh (51), the top
commander of Hamas' military wing and three other militants in a car
in the Gaza Strip. Hamas vowed revenge; the Israeli army promised to
strike the militants again.
(AP, 3/8/03)(AP, 3/8/08)
2003 Mar 10, The
Palestinian parliament approved the new position of PM as part of
reforms sought by the US, Europe and Israel to curb Yasser Arafat’s
near absolute powers. Mahmoud Abbas became PM without control of the
security forces or peace talks. Abbas had a doctorate in history and
his books included "The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between
Nazism and the Zionist Movement."
(AP, 3/10/03)(WSJ, 3/11/03, p.A1)(SSFC, 7/13/03,
Par p.2)
2003 Mar 11, Israeli
troops fired a tank shell at a 3-story apartment building, then
razed it, killing a Palestinian gunman who several hours earlier had
attacked an Israeli army patrol.
(AP, 3/11/03)
2003 Mar 14, Pres. Bush
promised to reveal a US "road map" to Middle East peace. It was
contingent on the confirmation of a Palestinian prime minister with
real authority.
(SFC, 3/15/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 16, In the Gaza Strip
Rachel Corrie (23) of Washington State was crushed to death by and
Israeli Army bulldozer as she tried to block the demolition of
Palestinian homes. On Aug 28, 2012, an Israeli court cleared the
military of any responsibility for her death.
(SFC, 3/17/03, p.A1)(AFP, 8/28/12)
2003 Mar 17, Israeli forces
invaded 2 communities in the Gaza Strip and gun battles left 10
Palestinians dead including a 4-yer-old girl.
(SFC, 3/18/03, p.AA6)
2003 Mar 18, The Palestinian
parliament established the post of prime minister. It gave Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen), the new PM, control of domestic affairs and
internal security issues.
(SFC, 3/19/03, p.A3)
2003 Mar 18, Israeli forces
killed 2 Hamas militants in West Bank clashes. One Israeli solder
was killed.
(SFC, 3/19/03, p.A6)(WSJ, 3/19/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 19, In Palestine
Mahmoud Abbas accepted the new post of prime minister.
(SFC, 3/20/03, p.A13)
2003 Mar 20, The Palestinian
Authority broke up a Hamas training session and a firefight followed
that killed one militant.
(SFC, 3/21/03, p.A15)
2003 Mar 24, Israeli forces
near Hebron shot dead Ahmed Abahreh (14), who was throwing stones at
an Israeli armored vehicle.
(SFC, 3/25/03, p.A6)
2003 Mar 25, Israeli troops
killed 2 wanted Hamas militants. Sprayed bullets also killed a girl
(10). A West Bank boy (14) throwing stones was shot dead.
(SFC, 3/26/03, p.A1)
2003 Mar 27, In Israel Israeli
forces killed 3 Palestinian police officers in Beit Hanoun, Gaza.
(SFC, 3/27/03, p.A10)
2003 Mar 29, Israeli troops
shot a killed a 17-year-old Palestinian throwing stone at troops
near Nablus.
(SSFC, 3/30/03, p.A9)
2003 Mar 30, In Netanya,
Israel, Rami Ghanem (20), a Palestinian suicide bomber, exploded
near the London Café and at least 30 people were injured. The
Islamic Jihad called the attack "Palestine's gift to the heroic
people of Iraq."
(SFC, 3/31/03, p.A1)(AP, 3/30/04)
2003 Mar, In 2007 British media
reported that Iran had offered to cut off aid and support for the
Lebanese Shiite militia Hezbollah and the Palestinian group Hamas,
and promised full transparency on its nuclear program in a secret
letter to the US soon after the 2003 invasion of Iraq. Iran also
offered to use its influence to support stabilization in Iraq, and
in return asked for a halt in hostile American behaviour, an
abolition of all sanctions, and the pursuit and repatriation of
members of the Mujahedeen Khalq (People's Mujahedeen MKO). Lawrence
Wilkerson, former chief of staff to Colin Powell, said: “As soon as
it got to the Vice-President's (Dick Cheney) office, the old mantra
of 'we don't talk to evil' ... reasserted itself."
(AFP, 1/18/07)
2003 Apr 2, Israeli forces
raided Gaza and 6 Palestinians were killed.
(SFC, 4/3/03, p.A12)(WSJ, 4/3/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 3, Israeli forces
evicted some 1,500-3,000 Palestinian men from their homes in the
Tulkarem Refugee Camp and told them to stay out for 3 days. Several
Palestinians were killed in Gaza and West Bank raids.
(SFC, 4/4/03, p.A8)(WSJ, 4/4/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 4, Israeli troops
uncovered an explosives lab and arrested Anwar Alian (22), a senior
Islamic Jihad militant, during a sweep of Tulkarem.
(SFC, 4/5/03, p.A9)
2003 Apr 5, In Israel Brian
Avery (23), a peace activist from Albuquerque, NM, was wounded when
Israeli troops opened fire in Jenin.
(SSFC, 4/6/03, p.A8)
2003 Apr 6, Israeli troops in
the Gaza Strip killed a Hamas gunman and a 14-year-old boy.
(SFC, 4/7/03, p.A8)
2003 Apr 7, Israeli soldiers
shot and killed a Palestinian man who approached the fence of a
Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip overnight. In Tulkarem, Israeli
troops arrested Maslama Thabet, a member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs'
Brigades.
(AP, 4/7/03)
2003 Apr 8, An Israeli AH-64
Apache helicopter fired a missile at a car in Gaza City after
sundown, killing at least 6 people, including Saed Arabeed, a
Palestinian militant, and 2 boys aged 4 and 15.
(AP, 4/8/03)(SFC, 4/9/03, p.A3)
2003 Apr 9, Israeli forces in
the Gaza Strip killed 5 Palestinians following rocket fire on
Sederot.
(SFC, 4/10/03, p.A10)
2003 Apr 10, An Israeli missile
strike in Gaza City killed Mahmoud Zatme, an Islamic Jihad
commander, and injured 12 bystanders. In Tulkarem Israeli troops
fired on a car carrying members of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. The
driver was killed and 4 others were injured. 2 gunmen shot 2 Israeli
soldier dead in the Jordan Valley and were themselves killed.
(SFC, 4/11/03, p.A1)(WSJ, 4/11/03, p.A1)
2003 Apr 11, Israeli troops
critically wounded Thomas Hurndall (21), a British peace activist,
as he tried to remove 2 children from a line of fire outside the
Rafah refugee camp.
(SFC, 4/12/03, p.A6)
2003 Apr 13, Israel’s PM Ariel
Sharon in a published interview said Israel will hand over some
Jewish settlements for peace, but the Palestinians must give up
their demand that refugees be allowed to return to their former
homes.
(AP, 4/13/03)
2003 Apr 15,
Israeli-Palestinian clashes in Gaza and the West Bank left 6 people
dead.
(SFC, 4/16/03, p.A7)
2003 Apr 19, The Israeli army
killed 5 Palestinians and wounded around 70, many of them civilians,
in a raid on the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Near the West
Bank city of Qalqilya, soldiers shot dead a Palestinian who threw a
petrol bomb at them.
(Reuters, 4/20/03)
2003 Apr 19, Nazeh Darwazeh
(45), a cameraman with Associated Press TV News, was killed while
covering skirmishes between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians who
were throwing rocks and firebombs. He died of a bullet wound to the
head and Palestinian witnesses said he was shot by an Israeli
soldier.
(AP, 4/19/03)
2003 Apr 24, A Palestinian
suicide bomber killed a guard in a rush-hour attack at an Israeli
train station.
(AP, 4/24/03)
2003 Apr 29, The Palestinian
parliament approved Mahmoud Abbas as prime minister, clearing the
final obstacle to the launch of a U.S.-backed "road map" to peace.
(AP, 4/29/04)
2003 Apr 29, A Palestinian
suicide bombing killed 3 Israelis in a crowded Tel Aviv nightclub.
The bomber, Asif Hanif (21), grew up in Britain. A 2nd bomber
escaped.
(AP, 4/30/03)(SFC, 5/2/03, p.A8)
2003 Apr 30, Mahmoud Abbas took
office as Palestinian prime minister.
(AP, 9/6/03)
2003 Apr 30, US Ambassador Dan
Kurtzer met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to present him
with an internationally backed Mideast peace plan, that envisioned
Palestinian statehood within three years. Mediators presented
Israeli and Palestinian leaders with a new Middle East "road map," a
U.S.-backed blueprint for ending 31 months of violence and
establishing a Palestinian state.
(AP, 4/30/03)(AP, 4/30/04)
2003 May 1, Israeli troops
raided a Hamas stronghold and exchanged fire with dozens of masked
gunmen. At least 13 Palestinians were killed, including two boys
ages 2 and 13. 2 Palestinian militants were killed in the West Bank.
(AP, 5/1/03)(SFC, 5/2/03, p.A8)
2003 May 2, James Miller (34),
a British journalist filming a documentary in the southern
Palestinian city of Rafah, was shot and killed during an exchange of
fire between Israeli soldiers and Palestinians. In 2006 a British
jury ruled that the shooting was an act of murder. In 2009 Israel
agreed to pay about $2 million to the family Miller.
(AP, 5/2/04)(AP, 4/6/06)(AP, 2/1/09)
2003 May 7, In Israel a Hamas
militant was killed when a bomb exploded in his West Bank apartment.
In northern Gaza a Hamas member was killed near a Jewish settlement.
In the southern Gaza Strip a Palestinian toddler was killed from
Israeli gunfire.
(SFC, 5/8/03, p.A17)
2003 May 8, Israeli helicopters
fired 3 missiles at a car in northern Gaza, killing a senior Hamas
militant.
(AP, 5/8/03)
2003 May 11, A Palestinian
gunmen killed an Israeli motorist in the West Bank and Israeli
troops raided a Palestinian town. Palestinian leaders put
aside reservations to parts of the US-developed plan for peace and
PM Mahmoud Abbas said Israel was ready to get started on it.
(AP, 5/11/03)
2003 May 12, Israel sealed the
Gaza Strip, imposing the most sweeping restrictions in years, and
its troops killed three Palestinians in clashes there.
(AP, 5/12/03)
2003 May 14, An Israeli
helicopter fired a missile into a crowd in a refugee camp in the
Gaza Strip, wounding 30 people and killed three Palestinian
policemen, after 10 Israeli soldiers were wounded nearby in a mortar
attack.
(AP, 5/13/03)
2003 May 15, Israeli troops
killed 5 people including 3 youths during a raid at Beit Hanoun
aimed to stop Palestinian fighters from firing rockets into Israel.
(SFC, 5/16/03, p.A10)
2003 May 17, A Palestinian
suicide bomber blew himself up in the West Bank city of Hebron,
killing an Israeli man and his pregnant wife.
(AP, 5/17/04)
2003 May 18, A Hamas suicide
bomber killed seven passengers on a Jerusalem bus, while a second
bomber blew himself up on the city's outskirts. Israeli PM Ariel
Sharon postponed a trip to Washington. Israeli troops in the Gaza
Strip shot and killed a Palestinian man. On June 3, 2010, Steve
Averbach (44), who had been hit by shrapnel on the bus and paralyzed
from the neck down, died as a result of complications from his
wounds.
(AP, 5/18/03)(AP, 6/4/10)
2003 May 19, A Palestinian
riding a bicycle blew himself up near an Israeli army jeep. A female
suicide bomber detonated at the entrance to a shopping mall in Afula
and killed 3 others in the 5th suicide bombing in 48 hours.
(SFC, 5/20/03, p.A1)(AP, 5/19/04)
2003 May 21, Israeli troops
shot to death 2 Palestinians including a mother of 8 during a clash
at the West Bank village of Qarawat Bani Zeid.
(SFC, 5/22/03, p.A3)
2003 May 23, Israel's PM Ariel
Sharon agreed to work with a US-backed peace plan to end 32 months
of fighting and to set up a Palestinian state.
(AP, 5/23/03)
2003 May 24, Israeli troops
shot and killed a Palestinian man near Beit Hanoun in northern Gaza.
(AP, 5/24/03)
2003 May 25, Israel's Cabinet
approved a US-backed Middle East peace plan, recognizing for the
first time the Palestinians' right to establish an independent state
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
(AP, 5/25/03)
2003 May 26, PM Sharon said
Israel must end its occupation of Palestinian lands. Sharon declared
in a speech to his Likud Party that he was determined to reach a
peace deal and end 36 years of rule over the Palestinians.
(SFC, 5/27/03, p.A1)(AP, 5/26/08)
2003 May 27, Israeli troops
shot and killed a 16-year-old Palestinian boy and critically wounded
two children, ages 7 and 9, during confrontations.
(AP, 5/27/03)
2003 Jun 1, The Israeli
military eased travel restrictions and allowed thousands of
Palestinian workers to enter the country in an effort to lower
tensions and build goodwill.
(AP, 6/1/03)
2003 Jun 3, Israel released
about 100 prisoners, a goodwill gesture ahead of a Mideast peace
summit with U.S. President George W. Bush.
(AP, 6/3/03)
2003 Jun 4, In Jordan Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon pledged to dismantle illegal settlements
in Palestinian areas, while the new Palestinian leader renounced all
terrorism against Israel. Both steps were sought by President Bush
as he brought the two sides together in a bid to advance Middle East
peace.
(AP, 6/4/03)(SFC, 6/4/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 8, Three Palestinians
disguised as Israeli military sneaked into an army post and killed 4
soldiers before being killed by troops in the first major attack on
Israelis since last week's Mideast summit. Another Israeli soldier
was killed in Hebron. 6 Palestinians died in the violence.
(AP, 6/8/03)(SFC, 6/9/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 10, Israel launched a
rocket attack in Gaza and wounded Abdel Aziz Rantisi, a Hamas
spokesman. Israeli counterfire to Hamas rockets killed 3
Palestinians.
(WSJ, 6/11/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 11, A Palestinian blew
himself up on a Jerusalem bus and killed 16 other people. Israel
retaliated with 2 rocket strikes that killed 11 Palestinians in Gaza
City.
(AP, 6/11/03)(AP, 6/11/08)
2003 Jun 12, Israeli
helicopters fired rockets at two cars carrying Hamas activists in
Gaza killing seven people, including a young child, and wounding
29. The first strike killed two low-level Hamas activists,
ages 22 and 24, from a unit that guards city streets.
(AP, 6/12/03)
2003 Jun 13, Israel decided to
target top Hamas leaders, including founder Sheik Ahmed, saying it
would strike political as well as military leaders who targeted
Israel with terrorism. An Israeli helicopter attack killed one Hamas
member and injured 22 Palestinians including 8 children.
(SFC, 6/14/03, p.A1)(AP, 6/13/08)
2003 Jun 18, Israel agreed to
curb its "track-and-kill" operations against Palestinian militants
in a deal struck with US officials to help them salvage a new peace
plan torn by violence.
(AP, 6/18/03)
2003 Jun 20, Secretary of State
Colin Powell met separately with the leaders of Israel and the
Palestinian Authority, praising the Israelis for efforts toward an
eventual peace settlement and urging speed on the Palestinians.
(AP, 6/20/04)
2003 Jun 21, The Israeli army
killed Abdullah Kawasme, a local Hamas leader, in the West Bank town
of Hebron.
(AP, 6/22/03)(SSFC, 6/22/03, p.A9)
2003 Jun 24, Israel arrested
more than 130 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Hebron,
targeting Hamas as the Palestinian government awaited word on
whether the Islamic militant group would agree to a cease-fire.
(AP, 6/24/03)
2003 Jun 25, Three Palestinian
militant groups agreed to halt attacks on Israel for 3 months.
(BS, 6/26/03, 1A)
2003 Jun 27, Israeli and
Palestinian leaders agreed for Israel to begin withdrawing forces
from areas of the Gaza Strip and returning security control to
Palestinian officers. In 33 months of the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict, 2,414 people have been killed on the Palestinian side and
806 on the Israeli side.
(AP, 6/27/03)(SFC, 6/28/03, p.A1)
2003 Jun 28, An Islamic Jihad
leader announced that the group accepted a conditional three-month
halt to attacks on Israelis — the first open confirmation of the
deal from a militant leader.
(AP, 6/28/03)
2003 Jun 29, The militant Hamas
and Islamic Jihad groups agreed to suspend attacks against Israel
for three months.
(AP, 6/29/03)
2003 Jun 30, Israeli and
Palestinian commanders shook hands, bulldozers dismantled
checkpoints and Palestinian traffic flowed freely in the Gaza Strip.
A Palestinian shooting killed a Romanian truck driver in the West
Bank.
(AP, 6/30/03)
2003 Jul 1, At a summit,
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas
rededicated themselves to peace efforts and spoke of a shared future
for their peoples.
(AP, 7/1/04)
2003 Jul 2, Palestinian police
moved into the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the second area handed
over by Israel under a U.S.-backed Mideast peace plan.
(AP, 7/2/03)
2003 Jul 8, Palestinian PM
Mahmoud Abbas resigned from a top post in the Fatah movement.
(AP, 7/8/03)
2003 Jul 9, The US cleared $20
million in direct aid to the Palestinians.
(WSJ, 7/10/03, p.A1)
2003 Jul 20, The Israeli and
Palestinian prime ministers held a two-hour meeting, kicking off 10
days of international diplomacy aimed at solidifying a fragile
Mideast cease-fire.
(AP, 7/20/03)
2003 Jul 25, An Israeli soldier
fired a tank-mounted machine gun at a pickup truck carrying a
Palestinian family, killing a 4-year-old Palestinian boy and
wounding two other children.
(AP, 7/25/03)
2003 Jul 25, Palestinian PM
Mahmoud Abbas met with Pres. George Bush in Washington DC. Abbas
thanked Bush for his efforts in pursuit of a peaceful Middle East
and for a recent grant of $20 million in direct aid to the
Palestinian Authority.
(AP, 7/26/03)
2003 Jul 27, The Israeli
Cabinet voted to release up to 540 jailed Palestinians.
(SFC, 7/28/03, p.A1)
2003 Jul 31, The Israeli
parliament voted to block Palestinians who marry Israelis from
becoming Israeli citizens of residents. The legislation was enacted
for one year. In 2006 the Supreme Court rejected petitions to
overturn the law.
(SFC, 8/1/03, p.A20)(Econ, 5/20/06, p.47)
2003 Aug 6, Israel freed 334
Palestinian prisoners in a bid to jump-start peace efforts, but the
gesture fell flat among Palestinians.
(AP, 8/6/04)
2003 Aug 8, A West Bank raid on
a bomb lab by Israeli troops killed 2 members of the Islamic
militant group Hamas. An Israeli soldier also was killed.
(AP, 8/9/03)
2003 Aug 12, Two teenage
Palestinian suicide bombings less than an hour apart killed at least
2 Israelis at a shopping plaza in Israel and a bus stop in the West
Bank.
(AP, 8/12/03)
2003 Aug 14, Israeli troops
killed Mohammed Sidr, a top Islamic Jihad commander, in a gun battle
at his hideout in Hebron.
(AP, 8/14/03)(WSJ, 8/15/03, p.A6)
2003 Aug 18, Israel delayed
plans to hand over Jericho and Qalqiliya, two West Bank towns to
Palestinian control.
(AP, 8/19/03)
2003 Aug 19, A Hamas bus
bombing in Jerusalem killed 22 people, including as many as six
children.
(AP, 8/20/03)(AP, 8/19/04)
2003 Aug 21, Israel killed
Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas political leader, in a missile
strike, retaliating for a suicide bombing of a bus in which 20
people died including six children. Abu Shanab was widely
regarded as a moderate in the group, and served as a liaison with
Abbas during the prime minister's efforts to persuade Hamas to halt
attacks. Palestinian militants abandoned a two-month-old truce after
Israel killed the Hamas leader.
(AP, 8/21/03)(AP, 8/21/08)
2003 Aug 22, Israeli troops
killed a Palestinian militant and wounded two others in a shootout
Friday at a West Bank hospital.
(AP, 8/22/03)
2003 Aug 24, Palestinian
militants carried out their deepest rocket strike against Israel. A
Qassam-2 rocket, a makeshift weapon produced by the militant Islamic
group Hamas, landed near a lifeguard station on Zikim beach with no
damages or casualties. Israeli missile fire killed 4 Palestinian
militants in Gaza City.
(Reuters, 8/24/03)(SFC, 8/25/03, p.A1)
2003 Aug 30, An Israeli
helicopter gunship fired several missiles at a Palestinian car
driving through a refugee camp in the central Gaza Strip, killing
two Hamas militants.
(AP, 8/30/03)
2003 Sep 5, Israeli commandos
killed a Hamas bombmaker in a firefight and pulverized the West Bank
apartment building in which he had been hiding.
(AP, 9/5/04)
2003 Sep 6, An Israeli missile
strike on Gaza City lightly wounded Hamas founder Sheik Ahmed
Yassin, the highest-ranking member of the militant group to be
targeted by Israel in recent weeks.
(AP, 9/6/03)
2003 Sep 6, Palestinian Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas, whose support was considered essential to
any prospect of peace success, submitted his resignation.
(AP, 9/6/03)
2003 Sep 6, The European Union
said it will declare all wings of the militant Palestinian group
Hamas a terrorist organization and freeze its assets after dozens of
deadly attacks in Israel.
(AP, 9/6/03)
2003 Sep 7, Palestinian Pres.
Yasser Arafat tapped the parliament speaker, Ahmed Qureia, to take
over as prime minister following the resignation of Mahmoud Abbas.
(SFC, 9/8/03, p.A1)(AP, 9/7/08)
2003 Sep 8, Palestinian
parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia said he will accept the prime
minister's job only if Washington guarantees Israeli compliance with
a US-backed peace plan, including a halt to military strikes.
(AP, 9/8/03)
2003 Sep 9, Israeli troops
killed three Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, in an arrest
raid in the West Bank city of Hebron, as Israel signaled both
reluctant acquiescence and disapproval of the Palestinians'
candidate for prime minister. In Jerusalem twin suicide bombings, 5
hours apart, killed 16 Israelis. One suicide bomber chose a
nightspot packed with young Israelis, the other a bus stop where
soldiers were waiting for their ride homes.
(AP, 9/9/03)
2003 Sep 10, Israeli warplanes
flattened the home of senior Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar with a
half-ton bomb, wounding him and killing his eldest son and a
bodyguard, in retaliation for twin suicide bombings that killed 15
Israelis a day earlier.
(AP, 9/10/03)
2003 Sep 11, The Israeli
security Cabinet decided in principle to authorize the expulsion of
Yasser Arafat. The Cabinet also decided that the construction of the
security fence between Israel and the West Bank will be accelerated.
(AP, 9/11/03)(SFC, 9/12/03, p.A3)
2003 Sep 12, The Palestinians
urged the UN Security Council to demand that Israel not expel Yasser
Arafat and halt any threats to his safety.
(AP, 9/12/03)
2003 Sep 16, The US vetoed a UN
resolution demanding that Israel not harm or expel Arafat.
(WSJ, 9/17/03, p.A1)
2003 Sep 25, Israeli troops
killed 4 Islamic militants, including a senior fugitive, in
gunbattles in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. One soldier was killed
and six were wounded in the fighting.
(AP, 9/25/03)
2003 Sep 25, Edward Said,
Palestinian American journalist, critic and author. His books
included "Orientalism" and "Culture and Imperialism."
(SSFC, 12/28/03, p.E9)
2003 Sep 26, A Palestinian
gunman killed 2 people including a baby girl in an Israeli
settlement outside Hebron.
(SFC, 9/27/03, p.A8)
2003 Sep 27, A Palestinian
militant was killed when a bomb he was making blew up on as Israel
maintained a high alert over a New Year holiday weekend.
(Reuters, 9/27/03)
2003 Sep 28, Israeli and
Palestinian fatalities over the last 3 years totaled some 3,277 with
860 on the Israeli side and 2,417 Palestinian dead. An additional 60
Palestinians were killed by militants for informing to Israel.
(SSFC, 9/28/03, p.A14)
2003 Oct 4, In Haifa, Israel,
Hanadi Taysser Darajat (29), a female Palestinian lawyer, blew
herself up in a crowded Mediterranean beach restaurant, killing 21
people including 4 children. A brother and cousin, Jihad terrorists,
had been killed in June. Her suicide inspired a piece of
installation art in 2004 at the Stockholm Museum titled "Snow White
and the Madness of Truth."
(SFC, 10/11/03, p.A7)(WSJ, 1/22/04, p.D6)(AP,
10/4/04)(LSA, Fall/06, p.32)
2003 Oct 5, Israeli warplanes
bombed the Ein Saheb base northwest of Damascus, Syria, in
retaliation for a suicide bombing at a Haifa restaurant. Israeli
military called it an Islamic Jihad training base. Residents later
told the Associated Press the camp was abandoned years ago.
(AP, 10/5/03)(AP, 10/6/03)
2003 Oct 7, Yasser Arafat swore
in new Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and a skeleton
emergency Cabinet.
(AP, 10/7/03)
2003 Oct 10, Israel sent dozens
of tanks into a Gaza refugee camp to destroy tunnels allegedly used
by Palestinians to smuggle weapons. Israeli forces killed seven
Palestinians, including an eight-year-old boy, in the Gaza Strip.
(AP, 10/10/03)(Reuters, 10/10/03)
2003 Oct 11, Israeli forces
killed a Palestinian and razed dozens of homes in a Gaza Strip
refugee camp as Israeli opposition politicians and Palestinian
officials sought to revive peace talks.
(AP, 10/11/03)(Reuters, 10/11/03)
2003 Oct 15, In the Gaza Strip
a remote-controlled bomb exploded under a US diplomatic convoy,
ripping apart an armored van and killing three Americans.
(AP, 10/15/03)
2003 Oct 16, Palestinian police
arrested 7 suspects in Jebaliya for a deadly attack on US diplomats,
briefly exchanging fire with the militants during a nighttime raid.
The suspects were members of the Popular Resistance Committees, a
group of dozens of armed men from various factions, former members
of the security forces and disgruntled followers of Yasser Arafat.
(AP, 10/16/03)(WSJ, 10/17/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 18, In southern Gaza
Israeli forces looking for smuggling tunnels killed 3 Palestinians,
including a senior member of the violent Islamic Hamas group, and
wounded 10.
(AP, 10/18/03)(SSFC, 10/19/03, p.A11)
2003 Oct 19, Palestinian gunmen
attacked an Israeli army foot patrol near a West Bank village,
killing three soldiers and wounding a fourth.
(AP, 10/19/03)
2003 Oct 20, Israeli
helicopters and warplanes unleashed a string of missile strikes in
Gaza City. At least 11 people were killed and over 90 wounded.
(AP, 10/20/03)(SFC, 10/21/03, p.A1)
2003 Oct 21, The U.N. General
Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution demanding that Israel
tear down a barrier jutting into the West Bank.
(AP, 10/21/04)
2003 Oct 22, Israeli troops
shot and killed 2 suspected Palestinian militants in the West Bank.
(AP, 10/22/03)
2003 Oct 23, Masked Palestinian
gunmen killed two men suspected of being informers for Israel, then
displayed their bodies in the central square of the Tulkarem refugee
camp.
(AP, 10/23/03)
2003 Oct 24, Palestinian
militants cut through a fence and crept up on the army base inside
the Netzarim settlement in Gaza. The militants entered the barracks
and shot soldiers as they slept, killing three including two women,
and wounding two others.
(AP, 10/26/03)
2003 Oct 26, In the largest
demolition of Palestinian Authority buildings in Gaza in 3 years,
the Israeli army blew up 3 apartment towers in retaliation for a
deadly settlement attack.
(AP, 10/26/03)
2003 Oct 28, It was reported
that Forbes Magazine had estimated Yasser Arafat's fortune at some
$300 million, with much of it controlled by adviser Mohammed Rachid.
(SFC, 10/28/03, p.A3)
2003 Nov 2, More than 6,000
Palestinian laborers crossed into Israel from the Gaza Strip on as
Israel slightly eased restrictions that had prevented them from
reaching their workplaces for more than a month.
(AP, 11/2/03)
2003 Nov 3, A suicide bomber,
Sabih Abu Saud (16), blew himself up near an army checkpoint in the
West Bank, killing himself but causing no other casualties.
(AP, 11/3/03)(SFC, 11/4/03, p.A10)
2003 Nov 9, Palestinian PM
Ahmed Qureia announced the formation of a Cabinet and said he will
present it to parliament this week. It left Yasser Arafat in control
of security forces.
(AP, 11/9/03)
2003 Nov 12, Palestinian leader
Yasser Arafat swore in a new Palestinian Cabinet.
(AP, 11/12/08)
2003 Nov 13, Palestinian and
Israeli officials said they expect their leaders to meet for peace
talks, possibly within 10 days.
(AP, 11/13/03)
2003 Nov 14, In Israel 4 former
security chiefs warned that the country is headed for disaster
unless PM Ariel Sharon reverses course and moves to settle the
conflict with the Palestinians.
(AP, 11/14/03)
2003 Nov 17, An Egyptian
mediator reached agreement with Palestinian leaders to start
cease-fire talks among militants within 2 days.
(SFC, 11/18/03, p.A3)
2003 Nov 18, A Palestinian
gunman, his rifle wrapped in a prayer mat, walked to a West Bank
checkpoint and killed two Israeli soldiers at close range.
(AP, 11/18/03)
2003 Nov 30, Some 200
Palestinians attacked Palestinian negotiators traveling to Geneva
for the signing ceremony of symbolic deal, reached by former Israeli
and Palestinian negotiators, that would establish a Palestinian
state with unprecedented concessions by both sides.
(AP, 11/30/03)
2003 Nov 30, A Gaza Strip car
explosion in Rafah killed Yusuf Matar, an Islamic Jihad activist.
(SFC, 12/1/03, p.A3)
2003 Dec 1, Dignitaries from
around the world, including former Pres. Jimmy Carter, gathered in
Geneva to sign a draft peace accord, called the Geneva Accords,
drawn up between Israeli and Palestinian activists.
(SFC, 12/1/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 1, Israeli troops
launched a sweeping raid on Ramallah, killing a 9-year-old boy and 3
Hamas gunmen and leaving 60 people homeless after blowing up their
apartment building.
(AP, 12/1/03)
2003 Dec 2, Israeli troops
killed an armed Palestinian trying to flee in the West Bank town of
Jenin.
(AP, 12/2/03)
2003 Dec 4, Palestinians opened
formal talks in Egypt aimed at forging a cease-fire they hope will
induce Israel to halt its attacks on militants and lead to renewed
peace negotiations.
(AP, 12/4/03)(WSJ, 12/5/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 5, Israeli military
allowed a market in the divided West Bank city of Hebron to open for
the first time in more than a year.
(AP, 12/5/03)
2003 Dec 5, The Israeli
military shot and killed two Palestinians, armed with grenades and
an explosive device, crawling toward a security barrier separating
the Gaza Strip from Israel.
(AP, 12/6/03)
2003 Dec 7, Palestinian
militants rejected a comprehensive truce offer to Israel despite
intense pressure from Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and Egypt to sign
onto a deal.
(AP, 12/8/03)
2003 Dec 12, Fadwa Toukan
(b.1917), Palestinian poet, died in Nablus at age 86.
(SSFC, 12/14/03, p.A31)
2003 Dec 13, Israeli troops
fired on a taxi that drove through a West Bank checkpoint, killing a
female passenger.
(AP, 12/13/03)
2003 Dec 14, Palestinians fired
a barrage of mortars at Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and
Israeli troops killed a fugitive from the Islamic Jihad group in the
West Bank.
(AP, 12/14/03)
2003 Dec 15, Israeli soldiers
shot dead 2 Palestinians in Gaza.
(WSJ, 12/16/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 18, Israel's PM Sharon
said that if talks with Palestinians failed, Israel would
unilaterally withdraw from some settlements in order to establish a
more defensible border.
(SFC, 12/19/03, p.A17)
2003 Dec 20, The third year of
fighting between Israelis and Palestinians saw a decline in the
number of people killed, according to an AP count. Violence claimed
nearly 800 lives in 2003.
(AP, 12/20/03)
2003 Dec 21, Israeli troops
conducted a series of raids in the West Bank city of Nablus,
arresting Hamas leader Adnan Asfour and killing a 5-year-old
Palestinian boy.
(AP, 12/21/03)
2003 Dec 22, Egyptian Foreign
Minister Ahmed Maher (68) was attacked by Islamic extremists at the
Al Axsa mosque in Jerusalem. He said the incident would only
strengthen his country's resolve to settle the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
(AP, 12/23/03)(SFC, 12/23/03, p.A3)
2003 Dec 23, An Israeli raid on
the Rafah refugee camp killed 9 Palestinians and left over 40
wounded in the worst violence in the Gaza Strip in two months. Hours
earlier Israel lost its first two soldiers in a month of relative
calm.
(AP, 12/23/03)(AP, 12/24/03)
2003 Dec 25, Israeli troops
shot and killed a Palestinian man carrying explosives toward a
Jewish settlement in Gaza.
(AP, 12/25/03)
2003 Dec 25, Israeli helicopter
gunships killed a senior Islamic militant and at least four other
people in a missile strike on a car in Gaza City.
(Reuters, 12/25/03)
2003 Dec 25, A suicide bombing
killed four Israelis near a bus stop outside Tel Aviv. The victims
were identified as 3 soldiers and a 17-year-old Israeli girl. At
least 13 other people were wounded. The PFLP identified the bomber
as Said Hanani (18) from the village of Beit Furik.
(AP, 12/26/03)(SFC, 12/26/03, p.A1)
2003 Dec 26, Hamas, the Islamic
group responsible for most suicide bombings in three years of
violence, called off attacks inside Israel. In response, Israel will
hold off targeting Hamas leaders but will still go after other
Palestinian militants.
(AP, 12/27/03)
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