Chronological Review of Events/June 2000 – DPR review

Division for Palestinian Rights

Chronological Review of Events Relating to the
Question of Palestine

MONTHLY MEDIA MONITORING REVIEW 

June 2000

1

“YESHA Council” leaders said that according to information supplied by the Prime Minister’s Office,Israel would offer the Palestinians 92 to 95 percent of the West Bank in a final status agreement.The settlements are to be divided into three categories: settlements to be evacuated, including all in the “Gush Katif” block in the southern Gaza Strip and some in the West Bank; settlements to be placed under Palestinian sovereignty but with a connection to Israel; and settlements to be annexed to Israel. Settlers also noted that the IDF was working on scenarios that included the transfer of some areas in East Jerusalem to Palestinian sovereignty. The Prime Minister’s Office denied the assertions. (Foundation for Middle East Peace, Ha’aretz)

Israel was implementing orders, first issued in the period after the June 1967 war, for the expropriation of lands in East Jerusalem for “public purposes.” (Ha’aretz)

Israel’s Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert announced that the first of 2,000 housing units under construction in the “Har Homa” settlement (Jebel Abu Ghneim) would be ready for occupation within six months. He further asserted that the settlements planned for Ras al-Amud and Abu Dis would also be completed. Olmert stressed the importance of creating facts on the ground. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

A tender was published in Ma’ariv for the construction of 162 dwelling units in the “Pisgat Ze’ev” settlement in East Jerusalem. The paper reported that settlers from“ Nakhaliel,” north-west of Ramallah, had asked the IDF to provide them with 250,000 rounds of ammunition to enable them to withstand any possible attack by Palestinians until the IDF could be deployed in their defence. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

In remarks after a 90-minute meeting with Prime Minister Barak in Lisbon,President Clinton said a historic peace agreement between the Israelis and Palestinians was “within view now,” and urged both sides to make whatever compromises were needed to reach it.Mr. Clinton also announced that he was sending Secretary of State Albright to the Middle East next week in an effort to “work with both leaders on narrowing the gaps” between them, and that he would meet soon with Chairman Arafat, in Washington. Mr. Clinton was also prepared to convene a three-way Camp David-style summit meeting in Washington with Mr. Barak and Mr. Arafat, a senior administration official briefing reporters afterward said, adding that before that could happen, both sides would have to make substantial progress. (The New York Times)

A number of Palestinians were injured when IDF troops made an arrest. According to Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR), Israeli troops raided the Gaza airport transit hall and arrested Nabil Akl, injuring 20 bystanders. According to other sources, the clash took place at the Rafah border crossing, where twelve Palestinian security officers and residents were injured by Israeli bullets. (PASSIA, PCHR)

Following a 90-minute meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak in Lisbon, President Bill Clinton said Mideast peace “is within view now.” (WRMEA)

2

The “YESHA Council” decided to resume settlement construction in locations where such activity had been frozen by the Israeli Government in late 1999. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

At a Labour Party meeting Prime Minister Barak said: “If we reach a situation in which a framework agreement of final-status agreement, 80 percent and more of settlers will live under Israeli sovereignty; this is an historic, extraordinary event marking the achievement of the goal set by the settlement enterprise in Judea, Samaria [the West Bank], and Gaza.” (Foundation for Middle East Peace, PASSIA)

4

Israeli and PA final status negotiating teams, respectively led by Internal Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Palestinian Council Speaker Ahmed Qurei, ended their third round of final status talks in Stockholm. No details were released, but the gaps between the sides were reportedly still wide on major issues. Reacting to rumours that Israel had made major concessions to the PA in secret final status talks, Prime Minister Barak said that Israeli negotiators had been under strict orders not to discuss Jerusalem in talks with the PA Teams led by Oded Eran and Saeb Erakat also held talks on outstanding interim issues. Mr. Eran said Israel still intended to carry out its third redeployment from the West Bank by 23 June 2000, as stipulated by the Wye II Agreement. (The New York Times, Reuters)

5

Secretary of State Albright and Special Envoy Ross arrived in Israel for two days of meetings with Israeli and PA officials that the US hoped would pave the way for a summit meeting between Chairman Arafat, Prime Minister Barak and President Clinton by the end of June 2000. On her first Mideast visit in six months, Ms. Albright met in Jerusalem with Mr. Barak and scheduled a second meeting for the evening of the following day after a meeting with Mr. Arafat in Ramallah. Ministers and MKs from the governing coalition, led by Interior Minister Natan Sharansky, sent Mr. Barak a letter demanding that he convene an urgent meeting of the security cabinet to let them know what was really happening in the talks.A no-confidence motion in the Knesset, based on the concessions Mr. Barak was presumed to have made to the Palestinians in secret final status talks, was defeated (38-33, with 13 abstentions) (The New York Times, WRMEA)

In Ramallah, Chairman Arafat met German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, discussing the Middle East Peace Process and bilateral relations.Mr. Fischer reiterated Germany’s and the EU’s support to the peace process. (PASSIA)

6

Secretary of State Albright announced that Israeli and Palestinian negotiators would resume talks on a permanent peace accord on 12 June 2000 in the Washington area, and Chairman Arafat would meet with President Clinton there on 14 June. (The New York Times)

The first of 600 families moved into the “Tel Zion”settlement, adjoining the settlement of  “Kokhav Ya’akov,” south-east of Ramallah. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

73 leading Palestinians signed a petition calling for a national referendum to ratify any agreement to be reached with Israel and expressing support for Chairman Arafat in face of Israeli pressure to impose an unfair deal. (PASSIA)

7

Israel Radio quoted a senior military commander as saying that a decision by Israel’s Jerusalem municipality to grant permits for the construction of a Jewish quarter in Abu Dis was an act of provocation. Israeli settler activists attempted to establish a presence in the proposed settlement area of Abu Dis. In response, the IDF declared Abu Dis a closed military zone. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

The Ad Hoc Liaison Committee on Assistance to the Palestinian people (AHLC) opened a 2-day meeting in Lisbon, hosted by the EU, to review progress on the implementation of the Tripartite Action Plan (TAP). (AHLC press release)

The Knesset passed (61-48, with 11 absent) a preliminary motion to dissolve parliament and call new elections.The bill requires three more hearings to become law.(The New York Times)

Meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara’a, Secretary of State Albright said:“There is no higher foreign policy priority for the Clinton administration than an Israeli-Palestinian peace.” (WRMEA)

8

Israeli settlers from“Ma’ale Amos,”in preparation for expanding the settlement, confiscated some 2,000 dunums of land belonging to villagers from Arab Ar-Rashayida and Kisan south of Bethlehem. (PASSIA)

11

A new six-unit building was dedicated in the settlement in Hebron (population 550), the first such structure in 15 years. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

12

Karen Koning AbuZayd, an American with nearly two decades of experience with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), who has most recently directed refugee work in the US and the Caribbean, has been named appointed Director-General of UNRWA, to be based in Gaza. (The New York Times)

Due to a printers’strike in Israel, Yediot Ahronot has been publishing sections of the paper in the Palestinian-ruled West Bank, Ha’aretz reported. The paper is said to be using presses in Ramallah owned by Al-Ayyam. (Ha’aretz, The New York Times)

13

Israel announced it would sign the convention establishing the International Criminal Court, but would not accede to its jurisdiction, primarily because of the conventional definition of the establishment of civilian settlements in occupied territory as a war crime. (Ha’aretz)

Israeli authorities demolished a Palestinian house in the Jebel Mukabber neighbourhood of East Jerusalem, reportedly to make way for a road. This is the 13th house demolition in East Jerusalem this year. (Foundation for Middle East Peace, LAW, The Washington Times)

Israeli and PA negotiating teams opened two sets of talks near Washington, D.C.: final status issues at Andrews Air Force Base (AFB) and interim issues at Bolling AFB. (The New York Times)

14

The Palestinian Bureau of Statistics announced that 210,209 Palestinians resided in the annexed areas of East Jerusalem. By 2001,their population is expected to reach 228,200. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

The PA negotiating teams suspended talks in Washington, citing, first,Prime Minister Barak’s announcement that he had reduced the territory in the Abu Dis and Azariyya area to be transferred to full PA control and had decided to release only three Palestinian prisoners, and second, chief Israeli negotiator Oded Eran’s revival of Israel’s demand to implement the third redeployment in “the context of a final status agreement.”Palestinian negotiators demanded that Israel agree to release some 250 Palestinian prisoners and complete the transfer of West Bank territory mandated in earlier agreements. (IPS, The Washington Post, WRMEA)

Prime Minister Barak made a telephone call to President Clinton,urging him to press Chairman Arafat to agree to a three-way summit meeting soon after the 4 July holiday in the US. (The New York Times, The Washington Post) 

15

Four thousand settlers demonstrated outside Prime Minister Barak’s home to protest any future agreement with the Palestinians that would necessitate the evacuation of settlements or their transfer to Palestinian jurisdiction. The same day, the “YESHA Council” committee of rabbis called upon settlers not to employ violence against Israeli forces. (Foundation for Middle East Peace)

Chairman Arafat and President Clinton held a three-hour meeting in Washington, discussing final status issues. Mr. Arafat reportedly told Mr. Clinton he would resign before compromising on East Jerusalem, and he would not attend a summit until the third redeployment was implemented. After the meeting, the US side said Israel and the PA were still too far apart for a summit, and Mr. Arafat’s insistence on the third redeployment could jeopardize a final settlement. (The New York Times, The Washington Post)

During an inconclusive White House meeting, President Clinton admonished Palestinian President Arafat to “finish the job” of Mideast peace negotiations. Following the meeting Arafat promised to declare a Palestinian state by 13 September. “It is out of my hands,” he said. “The people want it.” (WRMEA)

Some 4,000 settlers demonstrated outside PM Barak’s home to protest any deal with Palestinians that includes evacuation of settlements or their transfer to Palestinian jurisdiction. (PASSIA)

17

PA-Israeli negotiations at the Andrews and Boiling US Air Force Bases, near Washington, D.C.,concluded.(The New York Times)

Israeli Chief of Staff Gen. Shaul Mofaz said the IDF would use all weapons at its disposal,including heavy artillery and warplanes, to confront and curb any new intifada in the Occupied Palestinian Territory. (PASSIA)

In the Gaza Strip, settlers from the “Gush Katif” settlement block bulldozed a 400-metre-long stretch of a Palestinian road near Al-Mawasi. (PASSIA)

19

Some 40,000 Israeli settlers demonstrated outside the Knesset against Prime Minister Barak’s Government, then marched to Mr. Barak’s residence to protest any further transfers of land to PA control. “YESHA Council,” which organized the protest, claimed that 80,000 people took part. Some 10,000 children were reportedly bused in from their schools in the West Bank settlements. MK Limor Livnat (Likud) declared: “When the Likud returns to government, it will not honour agreements and decisions made by the Barak government in connection with the future of the Land of Israel.” (Foundation for Middle East Peace, The New York Times)

More than a month after a Palestinian street uprising that demanded the release of prisoners, Israel,in what it called a good-will gesture, freed three Palestinian prisoners that Prime Minister Barak had decided to release on 14 June 2000. Palestinian officials called it “far too few too late,” with Chairman Arafat saying the release was “an insult.” (The New York Times)

Israel wants President Clinton to convene a “working summit” with Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat within a few weeks, Danny Yatom, Mr. Barak’s chief security adviser, told foreign reporters. Israel believes that White House-sponsored talks could produce a detailed outline for final compromises on a range of crucial issues, a senior official said. (The New York Times)

20

A roadside bomb explosion in Gaza injured one Israeli settler. The explosion took place as an Israeli convoy with an IDF escort travelled from the “Karni” border crossing to the “Netzarim” settlement. (Foundation for Middle East Peace, The Jerusalem Post, PASSIA)

Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erakat said that at President Clinton’s request, the PA would not insist on Israel carrying out the third redeployment by the 23 June deadline, in view of Prime Minister Barak’s coalition troubles. US State Department spokesman Richard Boucher would not confirm the move came as a result of a US initiative.(The New York Times, www.state.gov)

21

Prime Minister Barak said he would open a “continuous dialogue” with Israeli settlers, and called on his ministers and peace negotiators to visit settlements and listen to settlers’ concerns. (WRMEA)

22

US Special Envoy Dennis Ross arrived in Israel for a week-long visit in advance of the visit by Secretary of State Albright. Mr. Ross will meet Palestinian and Israeli negotiators to discuss possible compromises on final status issues that would bring the sides close enough together to make a three-way summit possible. (www.state.gov,The Washington Post)

IDF troops reportedly shot and seriously wounded Islamic Jihad member Radi Al-Safi outside the village of Beit Sahur, in Area “C,” near Bethlehem. Palestinian witnesses said Mr. Safi had been ambushed, while the IDF sources said he had threatened soldiers at an IDF roadblock with a gun. (The Jerusalem Post)

23

Israeli police reportedly had beaten and detained Palestinian human rights field worker Shafieh Shkirat in Jerusalem, when he intervened to stop officers’ harassment of a handicapped Palestinian. (IPS, LAW) 

Palestine National Council speaker Salim Zanoun said that the Palestinian State would be declared this year no matter whether a peace agreement was reached or not. (PASSIA)

The target date for the completion of the third Israeli withdrawal from Occupied Palestinian Territory, including three villages near Jerusalem, and the release of 230 Palestinian prisoners passed observed in the breech. (Foundation for Middle East Peace, PASSIA)

24

At a discussion in preparation of the PLO Central Council meeting in early July, Palestine National Council members decided that the PA must declare an independent Palestinian state as scheduled according to the signed agreements with Israel, i.e., before the end of the year 2000. Also debated was the role of the PLO after the Palestinian State was declared. (PASSIA)

25

Chairman Arafat and chief Israeli negotiator Ben-Ami held a five-hour meeting,discussing final status issues and a possible three-way summit with the US.(The New York Times)

Israeli settlers Neve Daniel and Eli Azar attacked Al-Khader village, destroying water wells and fences.
Israeli Housing Minister Yitzhak Levy approved construction of 400 housing units to expand the “Efrat” settlement. (PASSIA)

27

Secretary of State Albright arrived in Israel to meet Israeli and Palestinian officials to assess the possibility for a three-way summit. Israel strongly supported the idea, but the PA said the sides needed more time to prepare and Israel must first fulfil its interim obligations. (The Washington Post) 

28

In her second visit in a month, US State Secretary Albright continued her meetings with Israeli and Palestinian officials on a mission to determine whether there is enough common ground for a Camp-David style summit between Prime Minister Barak and Chairman Arafat to be convened by President Clinton. Reportedly, that the parties’ incompatible positions on issues such as the return to the pre-1967 border, Jerusalem and Israeli settlements may lead to a postponement of the proposed summit. Ms. Albright met in Ramallah with Mr. Arafat and in Jerusalem with Mr. Barak, saying afterwards that the time was not yet right for a summit meeting.President Clinton, speaking at a news conference at the White House, said nothing had been scheduled. But he added that he did not think the final, most difficult issues could be resolved unless the Israeli and Palestinian leaders “get together in some isolated setting and make the last tough decisions, or decide not to make them, as the case may be.” (AFP, Ha’aretz, The New York Times, Reuters, WRMEA)

Prime Minister Barak’s “peace package” to the Palestinians reportedly includes:

(Ha’aretz)

Yediot Ahronot reported that PM Barak had asked Secretary of State Albright to inform Chairman Arafat that Israel would annex territories if he unilaterally declared a Palestinian State on 13 September 2000. (PASSIA)

Secretary of State Albright said the US had announced a scholarship programme worth US$35 million for Palestinian students to study business and management in the US. (Ha’aretz, DPA)

Palestinians scuffled with Israeli police and Israeli extremists when the latter tried to march on the Al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem’s Old City. (AFP)

A young Palestinian police officer, Yousef Mahmoud Abu Nahel, who was critically injured in mid-May in an exchange of fire between Palestinian officers and Israeli soldiers in Ramallah, died in a hospital in Jordan. A military funeral was planned for him in Gaza later in the day. He was the seventh Palestinian to die as a result of the violence last month. (The New York Times)

29

Secretary of State Albright was expected to brief President Clinton on the outcome of her visit to the region. Initial suggestions to hold a three-way summit in the first week of July were reportedly abandoned. Palestinian officials were said to consider as a prerequisite for a successful summit another round of intensive talks between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, possibly to be held in Washington after 4 July. On her flight back to Washington, Ms. Albright indicated that even if the two sides missed the 13 September target for signing the final settlement agreement, there “was plenty of time to do what needs to be done” and that “our calculus is January 20,” the day Mr. Clinton leaves office. (AFP, Ha’aretz, The New York Times, The Washington Post)

In protest against Israel’s water distribution policy, activists from B’tselem and other human rights groups brought water containers to the West Bank town of Yatta, south of Hebron. During the summer months, this town of 47,000 people is divided into 14 districts, each of which gets running water for two to three days, and then gets no water for the next 45 days. An average of 30 litres of water a day is allocated to Yatta residents in the summer, whereas the corresponding average for the Palestinian territory is 70 litres and for Israel 270 litres. (Ha’aretz)

Israel’s Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein argued that Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 did not apply to the Palestinians because they had been passed over 25 years before the establishment of a Palestinian entity, and Palestinians were mentioned only with regard to the refugee problem. Further on resolution 242, he also said that the withdrawals from Sinai and Lebanon did not represent a precedent for Israel’s pull out from the entire Occupied Palestinian Territory.Chairman Arafat’s adviser Nabil Abu Rudeineh condemned Mr. Rubinstein’s comments. (PASSIA, Reuters)

Senior PA negotiator Saeb Erakat said that PA had complained to the US and the EU regarding Israel’s fortification of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, with tanks moving in to support the settlers. The IDF acknowledged only that for the past three months its troops had been undergoing low-intensity conflict training in case final status talks failed. (WRMEA)

30

Ministers participating in the annual meeting of the Organization of the Islamic Conference in Kuala Lumpur reaffirmed that the Palestinian question was “the foremost Islamic cause”. In their joint communiqué at the end of the four-day meeting they reiterated the Islamic World’s support for an independent Palestinian homeland with Al-Quds Al-Sharif (Jerusalem) as its capital; called upon the international community to recognize an independent Palestinian State upon its proclamation and to support its bid for full UN membership; urged the international community to exert pressure on Israel to halt its settlements on the occupied land; and called upon Islamic States, which have taken steps towards establishing relations with Israel in the framework of the peace process, to reconsider such relations until Israel complied with UN resolutions and with its pledges and commitments made in the framework of the peace talks. (AFP, DPA, Reuters)

_______