Chronological Review of Events/February 1999 – DPR review

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Chronological Review of Events Relating to the

Question of Palestine

Monthly media monitoring review

February 1999

 1

Palestinians clashed with the Israeli police following the funeral of Mr. Zaki Obeid, who was shot in the head when a crowd tried to prevent the demolition of two Palestinian homes last January 26.  On 31 January, Palestinians held a general strike in East Jerusalem protesting the demolitions that led to Obeid’s death.  (AFP, XINHUA) 

One hundred forty-six Israeli writers, artists and intellectuals issued a joint appeal in favour of the creation of a Palestinian State in all of the West Bank and Gaza.  The signatories also called for Jerusalem to be shared, with Palestinians establishing their capital in its eastern sector and Israel in the Jewish western part.  The authors said their aim was to spark “a serious debate in the election campaign” about how to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.  (AFP)

 2

In a poll taken by the Zogby International, 54.5 per cent of 1,011 Americans polled said that the US should recognize an independent Palestinian State, compared to 21.2 per cent who argued against recognition, and 24.3 per cent who were not sure.  The Arab American Institute commissioned the poll after two US representatives circulated a proposed resolution urging the Clinton administration to “unequivocally assert US opposition to the unilateral declaration of a Palestinian State.”   (Reuters)

 3

A survey conducted by the Tel Aviv University found that 68 per cent of those queried favoured further land concessions on the West Bank to achieve peace with the Palestinians.   Of these, 15 per cent believed Israel should withdraw from the entire territory, occupied since 1967, while 53 per cent backed a partial withdrawal, and 29 per cent opposed any concessions.  At the same time, 84 per cent of Israelis questioned opposed any Israeli withdrawal from East Jerusalem.  The poll did not take into account the opinion of Israeli Arabs who make up 18 per cent of the country’s population.  The survey was conducted among 504 people and had a margin of error of 4.5 per cent.  (AFP)

US Secretary of State Albright assured PA President Arafat of closer US-Palestinian relations, including increased trade and cultural exchanges.   State Department Spokesperson Mr. Rubin said a US-Palestinian Commission would reconvene in several weeks to explore way to improve trade, establish science and cultural exchanges, and generally to deepen ties with the Palestinian Authority.   (The Los Angeles Times, The Dallas Morning News)

Some 50 Palestinian and Israeli heads of over 20 committees met with the Palestinian Authority at the Grand Park Hotel in Ramallah to deal with civilian issues between Israelis and Palestinians.  The committees, which were set up under the Oslo Accords and reestablished under the Wye River Memorandum, would address topics such as environment, electricity, water, communications, transportation.  (AFP)

Israeli prosecutors charged three right-wing Israeli militants with assault for attacking Ahmed Tibi, a political adviser to PA President Arafat in a Jerusalem court.  Two of the militants are well-known former members of the Kach movement.  All three have been under house arrest since the incident and the police have asked that the detention order be extended until their trial, calling them a danger to the public.   (AFP)  

 4

The Israeli Army demolished two Palestinian houses near Hebron, one of them home to a family of ten.  Troops guarded the demolition crew as they razed the 18-month-old house of Fayez Jaber and his family.  The crew then destroyed an unoccupied home in the village of Beit Omar, north of Hebron.  (AFP)

 5

The World Bank hosted a meeting of some thirty countries and eight international organizations in Frankfurt to discuss financial support for the Palestinian territory over the next five years.  Some US$ 770 million in aid would be given to the Palestinians in 1999, in a first instalment of 3.3 billion US dollars pledged by donors.  World Bank Director Kemal Dervis said the financial support would come in the form of grants and concessional loans toward development activities.  (AFP)

8

A survey by the Nablus-based Center for Palestinian Research (CPRS) found that only 41 per cent of those queried backed armed operations against Israeli targets, down from 53 per cent in a similar poll a month earlier.  At the same time, 73 per cent of Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza expressed support for the peace process, compared to 66 per cent of the previous poll.  The earlier survey was taken in the wake of Israel’s freezing of the Wye River Memorandum.  The poll was conducted among 1,318 Palestinian adults between January 28 and 30, and has a margin of error of 3 per cent.  (AFP)

10

Belgian Deputy Prime Minister Elio Di Rupo, after a meeting with PA President Arafat in Gaza, stated that his country hoped that both Israel and the Palestinians would live in peace and security within the framework of an overall economic plan and work together to improve and develop their economies.   Mr. Rupo, who is also Minister of Foreign Trade, said Belgium would make available 500 million Belgian francs (roughly US$ 14 milllion) to develop infrastructure projects in the Palestinian territories.   (DPA)

11

An Israeli military tribunal sentenced Mohammad Saed al-Haj, 19, to eight years in prison for seriously injuring an army officer with a stone during a street protest.  Haj was one of a group of Palestinian youths who threw stones at a car carrying Lieutenant-Colonel Gal Hirsh, who was seriously wounded when the stone hit his head.  (AFP)

German Foreign Minister Fischer, who is representing the EU, met with PA President Arafat in Gaza.  Mr. Fischer said that they had open and friendly discussions and reiterated the EU’s support of the full implementation of the Wye River Memorandum.   Mr. Fischer had met earlier with government officials in Israel where the EU was accused of being biased in favour of the Palestinians.   Accompanied by EU peace envoy to the Middle East, Mr. Moratinos, Mr. Fischer visited UNRWA and the waste-recycling scheme in Deir al-Balah, in the southern part of Gaza, before flying out of the Gaza International Airport for Lebanon.   (AFP)

23

Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat urged the United States and Egypt to ask Israel to cancel its decision to legalize pirate settlers’ radio stations.  These stations, according to Mr. Erakat, would transmit programmes inciting violence against the Palestinians.  The Knesset passed the law, which legalized any pirate station operating for five years.  The two stations meeting this criterion included the settlers’ Arutz 7 and Shas’s Radio 2000.  (XINHUA)

24

The U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) launched a US$ 37 million project to improve Bethlehem’s infrastructure ahead of millennium celebrations.  The project was to upgrade roads and construct wells and water pipelines.  (Reuters)

25   

Israel offered Palestinians “partial measures” to revive the stalled Wye River Memorandum, not including a West Bank troop withdrawal.  The Israeli offer that was conveyed to the Palestinian side by a third party, included an offer to release Palestinian “civil” prisoners from Israeli jails, and an offer to open a “safe passage” from Gaza to the West Bank.  Palestinian negotiator, Mr. Saeb Erakat, said Palestinians would not accept any partial measures, stating that the exclusion of  a territorial component was to make the peace process meaningless.  (DPA, The Jerusalem Post)  

The Israeli Government has authorized the allocation of land for the creation of new industrial plants in the Jewish settlements of “Kedumim” for the manufacture of hats and agricultural equipment as well as “Maale Ephraim,” for a carpentry shop, book binding operation and marble masonry.  Mr. Moshe Merhavia, official of the Israeli Ministry of Industry and Trade, stated that the Ministry also approved an extension of the Israeli-controlled industrial zone at the Erez Crossing into the Gaza Strip, and that the projects would provide employment for Palestinians and Israelis alike.  (AFP)

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