Chronological Review of Events/November 1998 – DPR review

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Chronological Review of Events Relating to the

Question of Palestine

Monthly media monitoring review

November 1998

 1

Palestinian Authority (PA) President Yasser Arafat and other leaders of the Palestine National Council (PNC) confirmed a four-week timetable for revising the Palestinian Charter, as required under the Wye River Memorandum. (AFP)

Militant Jewish settlers installed six mobile homes on a hill near the village of Halat Abalut, located between Hebron and Bethlehem, in a bid to establish a new settlement. (AFP)

 2

Prime Minister Netanyahu said the Wye River Memorandum would come into force only after the Knesset approved it. (AFP, DPA, Reuters, XINHUA)

Prime Minister Netanyahu pledged to continue expanding Jewish settlements in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip.  The same day, work continued on the expansion of the settlement of “Kiryat Arba”, near Hebron.  Settler leaders said a new neighbourhood comprising a total of 200 apartments would be constructed.  Work also continued at Ras el-Amud in East Jerusalem, as bulldozers cleared the ground for the construction of permanent homes. (AFP, DPA, Reuters)

The US State Department said the PA had fulfilled its commitment to show the US a work plan to combat extremist violence. (Reuters)

According to Peace Now, Israel's draft 1999 budget contains provisions for a 50 per cent rise in funding to settlers in the occupied territories.  Peace Now calculated that the total budget allocated by Prime Minister Netanyahu's Government to settlers is 1.5 billion shekels (about US$350 million) (AFP)

 3

Prime Minister Netanyahu said he had suspended plans to hold the cabinet session on the Wye River Memorandum until Israel was provided with all the details of a Palestinian work plan on security. (AFP, DPA, Reuters)

According to a poll conducted, at the end of October among 506 Israeli Jews, by the Modiin Mizrahi Institute on behalf of Tel Aviv University's Center for Peace Research, seventy per cent support the Wye River agreements, while 24 per cent opposed it.  The remaining six per cent did not express an opinion. (AFP)

 4

Jewish settlers set up 17 mobile homes as part of an expansion of the “Avney Hefetz” settlement, south of Tulkarm. (AFP)

Prime Minister Netanyahu, for the third time in a week, delayed cabinet approval of the Wye River Memorandum demanding "clarifications" to the work plan to combat Palestinian extremists.  The request was rejected by Palestinian security officials. (AFP, Reuters)

A quarter of Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are subsisting beneath the poverty line, according to a report issued by the PA Ministry of Planning and International Cooperation and drawn up in cooperation with UNDP.  The proportion of Palestinians living in poverty rises to 38 per cent in the Gaza Strip (51 per cent in the south) compared to 16 per cent in the West Bank. (AFP)

 5

Prime Minister Netanyahu submitted the Wye River Memorandum for approval by his Cabinet. (AFP, AP, DPA, XINHUA)

 6

Following a car bombing in West Jerusalem that killed two and wounded over 20, the Israeli Cabinet decided to suspend its consideration of the Wye River Memorandum. (AFP, AP, Reuters)

 9

Jewish settlers created at least five new outposts in the West Bank in response to the Israeli government plans to turn more of the territory over to Palestinian control.  The settlers set up mobile homes or other structures outside five settlements – “Dolev”, “Talmonim”, “Shiloh” and “Eli” near Ramallah and at “Allon Shevut” north of Hebron.  Peace Now cited other new footholds near the settlements of “Alfei Menashe”, “Avney Hefetz” and “Bracha” in addition to several mobile homes set up earlier outside “Efrat” near Bethlehem. (AFP)

10

The Israeli army has drawn up a multi-million dollar plan to boost defences around Jewish settlements near areas to be turned over to Palestinian control under the Wye River agreement.  The plan calls for digging anti-tank ditches around some settlements, building armoured guard posts equipped with heavy machine-guns and erecting security walls and electric fences.  The initial cost of the security measures was put at around US$11 million and does not include the cost of building bypass roads for settlers (AFP)

The PA signed an agreement, under which the European Union would contribute about US$23 million to finance municipality projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip towns over a four-year period. (XINHUA)

11

The Israeli Cabinet ratified the Wye River peace agreement by a vote of eight to four, with five abstentions, but only after attaching conditions to the decision.  The Cabinet also approved maps of the West Bank zones to be turned over to Palestinian control under the agreement.  Mr. Netanyahu said the third and last troop withdrawal from the West Bank would cover only one per cent; the PNC should remove from the PLO charter passages seen as hostile to Israel; and the Palestinians should refrain from proclaiming an independent State next May.  Otherwise, Israel would annex the West Bank territories still under its control.  Israel would open the Palestinian airport in the Gaza Strip at the beginning of next week, and would start the agreed release of 750 Palestinian prisoners. (AFP, DPA)

Foreign Minister of Austria Wolfgang Schüssel said he would lead an EU mission to the Middle East, on 12 November, to push for rapid implementation of the Wye River agreements. (Reuters)

12

Ha'aretz published a tender issued by the Israel Land Authority and the Ministry of Construction and Housing for the construction of 1,025 housing units for Jewish settlers at Jabal Abu Ghneim, south of East Jerusalem.  Israel plans to build 6,000 housing units at the hilltop site with the first ready for occupation by 2000. (AFP, Reuters)

Palestinian and Israeli authorities conducted a final training exercise to prepare for the planned opening of the Gaza International Airport. (AFP, DPA)

13

After meeting Israel’s Foreign Minister in Jerusalem, Austrian Foreign Minister Wolfgang Schüssel expressed strong European support for a meeting of aid donors to be held in Washington, D.C. (AFP)

Palestinian prisoners detained in Israeli jails sent a letter to President Clinton asking him to make every effort to secure their release. (AFP)

15

Clashes broke out in the West Bank as Palestinians tried to prevent an Israel bulldozer from starting work on a by-pass road for Jewish settlers, on land confiscated from the West Bank village of Al-Khader, near Bethlehem.  Soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets and tear-gas at the protesters. (DPA)

16

Prime Minister Netanyahu announced that he was suspending the Israeli troop withdrawal in the West Bank until the Palestinians publicly retracted warnings of renewed armed struggle.  He insisted that PA President Arafat withdraw remarks made in a speech on 15 November, in which he said the Palestinians were ready to defend their claim to an independent State with East Jerusalem as its capital. (AFP, AP, Reuters, XINHUA)

US Commerce Secretary William Daley met with PA President Arafat on a visit to promote the establishment of a joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park.  Both attended an opening ceremony for a US-funded water treatment plant in the industrial zone located at this crossing between the Gaza Strip and Israel. (AFP)

Israeli Foreign Minister Sharon urged Jewish settlers to “grab more hills” in the West Bank to prevent the land from falling into Palestinian hands.  Following Mr. Sharon’s remarks, a group of some 30 settlers from different parts of the West Bank set up two mobile homes on the hill near the settlement of “Kedumim”, west of Nablus. (AFP, DPA)

The Catholic Church in the Holy Land unveiled its plans to celebrate the year 2000 but said it was still not clear whether the millennium festivities would be crowned with a visit by Pope John Paul.  The Latin Patriarch of Jerusalem, Michel Sabbah, said the Pontiff's health and political uncertainties in the region meant that a papal visit remained in doubt. (Reuters)

17

Israel began fortifying several Jewish settlements in the West Bank ahead of the Israeli redeployment from the West Bank. (Reuters)

The Knesset ratified the Wye River Memorandum by a vote of 75 in favour, 19 against, with nine abstentions.  Seventeen members did not take part in the vote. (AFP, AP, DPA, Reuters)

18

Israeli Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian negotiator Mahmoud Abbas met at Israel's Foreign Ministry to discuss an agenda for the resumption of the permanent status talks expected to begin by the end of the month. (AFP, AP, DPA)

19

The Israeli Cabinet approved the first stage of Israeli further redeployment from the occupied West Bank scheduled for later in the day and to be completed by Friday, 20 November.  Seven of 17 ministers voted in favour, five against and three abstained.  Two ministers were absent.  In the first stage, 2 per cent of the West Bank, or 44 square miles, will be transferred from Israeli control to joint jurisdiction.  In addition, 7.1 per cent of the land, 160 square miles, will be moved from joint jurisdiction to Palestinian control.  No army bases or Jewish settlements will be dismantled.  Instead, the IDF  will move black-and-yellow road markers to demarcate the new lines of division. (AFP, AP, DPA, Reuters, XINHUA)

According to reports by Maariv and Israel Radio, Israeli authorities are rushing to declare some 50,000 hectares (125,000 acres) of the occupied West Bank land as "state land" so as to allocate the area for the expansion of existing Jewish settlements or the creation of new settlements. (AFP, DPA)

20

Israeli and Palestinian officials signed a protocol completing an Israeli troop redeployment from parts of the occupied West Bank.  The redeployment was held up for two hours because the Palestinian side expressed concern about last-minute changes introduced by Israel in the redeployment maps.  The Palestinian police took over 28 small towns, villages and hamlets.  The work on demarcating the new border between the Israeli and Palestinian controlled areas has also begun. (AFP, AP, DPA, Reuters)

Israel released a first group of 250 Palestinian prisoners due for release under the Wye River Memorandum.  Many of these released were common criminals. (AFP, Reuters)

Israel and the PA signed a protocol allowing for the opening of the international airport in the southern Gaza Strip.  The protocol was signed by Fayez Zeidan, Head of Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority, and Israeli aviation officials. (AFP)

Japan's Prime Minister Keizo Obuchi said his country would give US$200 million in aid to the Palestinians to help the Middle East peace process. (AFP)

22

Israeli Finance Minister Yaacov Neeman left for the United States to discuss an Israeli request for US$1.2 billion to help finance the Israeli military redeployment from the West Bank. (AFP, Reuters)

Israeli settlers in the West Bank called for the settlements to adopt drastic measures, including the stockpiling of weapons, to ensure security following the withdrawal of Israeli troops. (AFP)

Palestinian police took control of eight more West Bank villages following the Israeli redeployment. (AFP, Haaretz)

24

The Gaza International Airport at Rafah opened with the arrival of an inaugural commercial flight from Egypt. (AFP, AP, DPA, Reuters, XINHUA)

Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops in Hebron following the funeral of a young Palestinian woman allegedly murdered by Jewish settlers on 22 November. No injuries or arrests were reported. (AFP)

Israelis and Palestinians postponed the formal opening of the permanent status negotiations until early December. (AFP)

25

UNRWA's funding had fallen US$60 million short of its planned 1998 budget of US$320 million to finance services ranging from schools and clinics to small business promotion and emergency relief aid, Ron Wilkinson, the Agency’s head of information said. (AFP)

26

British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook announced the United Kingdom would donate aid worth 100 million pounds (US$165 million) over the next three years to the Palestinians.  He said the aid would be given by London directly to the PA, rather than via international organizations and the European Union. (AFP)

Seven Palestinians were injured by Israeli troops during protest against construction of a road for Jewish settlers near Salfit, in the northwest of the West Bank.  Two Palestinians were injured in a clash with Israeli soldiers at a road junction near Jenin during a march for the release of Palestinian prisoners. (AFP)

Fifteen Palestinian female students in Hebron were admitted to hospital suffering from tear gas inhalation and bruises, after clashing with Israeli settlers and soldiers, Palestinian witnesses said.  The students were harassed by settlers while on their way to the Qurtuba school for girls in the Israeli-controlled part of the city.  The witnesses said a fight had broken out between the students and the settlers, leading to intervention by Israeli soldiers, who beat up the Palestinians. (DPA)

27

Israeli soldiers fired rubber-coated bullets to force Palestinians to back down in a confrontation with Jewish settlers in the centre of Hebron, witnesses said.  The incident began when about 20 Jewish settlers, mostly women, demonstrated against an army decision to reopen a Palestinian vegetable market that was closed down two months ago after a Palestinian threw a hand grenade at an army patrol in the area. (AFP)

Haaretz reported that Shin Beth, Israel’s domestic intelligence agency, had urged the Government to reverse its policy and free Palestinian militants jailed for political violence.  Shin Beth warned that continued refusal to free the prisoners was undermining support for the peace process even among moderate Palestinians. (AFP)

28

Violent clashes broke out across the West Bank as Palestinians held a number of demonstrations calling for the release of prisoners from Israeli jails.  Israeli police stopped a march in Jerusalem by between 200 and 300 Palestinians, and mounted policemen.  Fighting then continued in the streets as protestors threw stones and bottles at the police, who responded with rubber-coated metal bullets.  A dozen demonstrators and a journalist were injured, as well as nine Israeli policemen.  In Bethlehem, Israeli troops fired bullets and tear gas at rock-throwing demonstrators, leaving three Palestinian protesters slightly wounded. (AFP)

29

More than 100 Palestinian civilians forced a group of settlers to abandon a home they had seized the previous week between the West Bank village of Ein Yabrud and the settlement of “Beit El”.  The Palestinians clashed briefly with about 100 settlers who rushed to the scene from “Beit El”, but the Israeli army intervened and made both groups leave. (AFP)

30

The final results of a nearly two-year Palestinian census shows that nearly three million Palestinians live in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.  Hassan Abu Libdeh, Head of the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, said the final count was 2,895,683 Palestinians – 5,000 more than in an initial count released last February.  Around 1.9 million people live in the West Bank and 1.02 million in the Gaza Strip.  The census estimated the Palestinian population in Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem at 210,209.  Forty-seven percent of the population were found to be less than 15 years old, while 3.5 per cent were aged 65 or more. (Reuters)

Representatives from some 50 countries pledged more than three billion dollars to build infrastructure and increase economic development in areas controlled by the PA.  The exact figure promised at the Donors Conference for Middle East Peace and Development held in Washington, D.C. was not immediately available, but US Secretary of State said she believed it was more than three billion dollars. (AFP, DPA, Reuters)

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