CHRONOLOGICAL REVIEW OF EVENTS
RELATING TO THE QUESTION OF PALESTINE
Monitored from the media by the
Division for Palestinian Rights
3 March A bomb exploded on an Israeli bus in Jerusalem killing 19 people and injuring ten others. The suicide bombing occurred on bus line No. 18 a week after a similar attack on the same line, in which 26 people were killed. The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, reportedly, as the final retaliation for the assassination in January of its leader, Yahya Ayyash, known as the Engineer. (The New York Times)
4 March The fourth in a series of suicide bomb attacks took place in Tel-Aviv, killing 14 people and injuring 130 others, bringing the nine-day death toll to 61. The attack took place outside the Dizengoff Center, the biggest shopping mall in Tel-Aviv. The Hamas movement claimed responsibility for the attack. (The New York Times)
The Israeli Government met in an emergency session and declared war against the Hamas movement. It was reported that the Israeli authorities sealed off cities, towns and villages in the West Bank. Israeli soldiers also raided the Al Fawwar camp in the West Bank, where the bombers came from, confined residents of the camp to their homes, arrested Palestinian suspects, and sealed off the bombers houses. The announcement also banned the employment of Palestinians in Israel. (The New York Times)
5 March Israeli troops sealed off eight Palestinian houses with metal plates and imposed a curfew on the Burqa Village in the West Bank. It was also reported that more than 150 Palestinians from the West Bank were arrested by Israeli security forces. (The New York Times)
6 March The Israeli army sealed off 11 Palestinian houses belonging to suicide bombers and their accomplices and arrested 102 Palestinians in the West Bank. It was also reported that four institutions in the West Bank, including Hebron University, were closed by Israeli soldiers. (AFP)
The Gaza Strip ran out of rice and flour supplies after the Israeli authorities suspended trade with the Palestinian areas and prevented food supplies from entering. (Reuter)
7 March The Palestinian Legislative Council convened for the first time in Gaza City and declared the birth of a new democracy in the Middle East. Mr. Arafat, addressing members of the Council, called on Israel, the United States, and other countries to convene a high-level meeting on methods of confronting terrorism as a regional and international phenomenon. (The New York Times)
Israel deployed 2,000 troops and border guards along with tanks to the borderline with the West Bank as part of security measures to prevent a wave of suicide bombings. It was reported that it had been the first time that Israeli tanks were deployed in the area since the 1967 war. (AFP)
Israeli police shut down the Islamic Scientific and Cultural Association, an Islamic college in East Jerusalem, suspected of acting as an under cover institution for the Hamas movement. (AFP)
8 March Israeli soldiers demolished a house in a village near Nablus owned by the family of Raed Shaghnoubi who carried out the suicide bombing attack on bus 18 in Jerusalem on 3 March. It was the first such demolition since the latest wave of bombings began. (The Washington Post)
A special Israeli undercover unit operating in the West Bank arrested five Palestinians believed to be involved in the recent wave of suicide bombings in Israel. (AFP)
Palestinian women demonstrated in the West Bank town of Ramallah against Israel's closure of Palestinian areas. The demonstration was organized by the Women's Affairs Technical Committee to mark the International Women's Day. (Reuter)
9 March The Israeli authorities prevented Palestinian fishermen from the Gaza Strip from going out to sea. Mohammad Nashashibi, head of the Palestinian Authority Finance Department, denounced the act and accused the Israeli Government of causing starvation among Palestinians and violating the PLO-Israeli agreements. (AFP)
The PLO Executive Committee met in Gaza City and discussed the recent wave of suicide bombings in Israel and Israeli demands to remove certain clauses from the PLO charter. The meeting was attended by 11 members out of 18. (AFP)
The EU appealed to Israel to lift its closure of the Palestinian self-rule areas and to allow the delivery of aid from the EU. Italian Foreign Minister Susanna Agnelli said, after talks in Palermo on the EU's position concerning an anti-terrorism summit that while we must insist on giving every solidarity to Israel, we should also make it possible for the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to receive aid. (AFP)
The President of the Palestinian Authority, Mr. Yasser Arafat, met with Mr. George Tenet, the Deputy Director of the US Central Intelligence Agency (CIA), and his delegation and discussed security measures against suicide bombings. The meeting took place at the Erez crossing point between Israel and the Gaza Strip. (Reuter)
10 March The President of Turkey, Mr. Suleiman Demirel, visited Israel and the Palestinian self-rule areas for the first time and enlisted his country as a strategic and economic ally. President Demirel was accompanied by a 200-member delegation of political, business and religious leaders for a four-day visit. During his visit he met with Mr. Yasser Arafat in Gaza City. (AFP)
11 March A Palestinian baby boy from Qalqilya in the West Bank died after Israeli soldiers refused to allow his parents to cross the West Bank into Israel for a hospital treatment. (AFP)
12 March Israeli security forces arrested 15 Palestinians believed to be members of the Hamas movement, bringing the number of Palestinians arrested since late February to 265. (AFP)
Israeli and Palestinian officials resumed contacts for the first time since 25 February following the first suicide bombing attack in Israel. The talks involved officers from the military administration to discuss the measures to ease the hardship caused by Israel's closure of the self-rule areas. Both sides agreed to allow several truckloads of essential goods to enter the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Israeli soldiers prevented a Palestinian woman from Bethlehem from reaching a hospital in Israel to give birth. As result the babies, a set of twins, died after their birth at the crossing point. (AFP)
13 March Leaders of 27 nations attended a one-day Summit of Peacemakers in Sharm El-Shiek, Egypt, and discussed terrorism and peace in the Middle East. The summit was called for and co-chaired by US President Bill Clinton and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Syria and Lebanon boycotted the summit and called on world leaders to force Israel to implement UN resolution 425 which calls on Israel to withdraw from Lebanese territory. The participants agreed to cooperate in fighting terrorism and to continue both economic and political support for the peace effort with special attention to the current and pressing economic needs of the Palestinians. (The New York Times)
The Israeli authorities eased a nine-day closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and allowed a one-day delivery of food into the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers arrested 12 more Palestinians from the West Bank suspected of involvement in the latest suicide bomb attacks. (The New York Times)
It was reported that several medical emergencies took place at the crossing point between Israel and the West Bank, including a man collapsed after a heart attack at an Israeli checkpoint and died. (The Washington Post, The New York Times)
14 March US President Bill Clinton visited Israel and announced plans to provide the country with $100 million in aid and improved intelligence information to counter terrorism in Israel. (The Washington Post)
The Israeli authorities demolished the family home of Yahiya Ayyash, the Hamas member known as the engineer who was reportedly assassinated by Israel in January. (Washington Post)
Israeli security forces arrested 24 Palestinians from the West Bank believed to be involved in the recent suicide bombings in Israel. (Reuter)
15 March Israeli security forces arrested five Palestinians from Jenin in the West Bank. (AFP)
16 March The French Government granted the Palestinian Authority 85 million francs ($17 million) to develop the port of Gaza and launch water purification projects. The agreement was signed by French Economy Minister Jean Arthuis and his Palestinian counterpart, Mohammad Nashashibi. A separate sum of 23 million Francs ($4.6 million) was granted for cultural, scientific and technological aid. (Reuter)
A symposium on the future of Jerusalem was held at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris. Many Palestinians were not able to attend the symposium because of Israel's closure of the Palestinian self-rule areas. The Palestinian position was presented by Salim Tamari, head of Jerusalem's Institute for Palestinian Studies. (AFP)
The Palestinian Authority approved the opening of a branch of Cairo University and an Arab League technical college in the Gaza Strip. (Reuter)
17 March Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres proposed to establish a $100 million international fund to help create jobs for Palestinians. He also said that Israels closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip would continue indefinitely. (The Washington Post)
It was reported that following Israel's closure of the Palestinian territories, the unemployment rate in the Gaza Strip has reached 60 per cent of the work force with 22,000 workers barred from reaching their jobs in Israel. The financial loss from their wages was estimated at $1-$1.5 million a day. (Reuter)
The Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) held a two-day meeting in Saudi Arabia on the Middle East peace process and called for a new Madrid Conference to evaluate the results of the peace process and give it new impetus. The GCC also called on Israel to end its closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
The Israeli authorities closed the offices of the Islamic Salvation Committee in Nazareth in northern Israel and the Holy Land Foundation for Relief and Development in Beit Hanina in East Jerusalem. It was reported that the Israeli authorities accused the two organizations of illegally helping to finance Hamas. (AFP)
18 March The Israeli authorities arrested 29 Palestinians from the West Bank believed to be involved in the recent wave of suicide bombings in Israel. (Reuter)
19 March Mr. Yasser Arafat renamed the West Bank as the Northern District of the Palestinian self-rule area and the Gaza Strip as the Gaza District. According to Mr. Arafat's decree, the new names confer a greater sense of Palestinian control over the self-rule areas. (The Christian Science Monitor)
Israel's Supreme Court authorized the army to demolish seven homes in the West Bank belonging to four families of suicide bombers and three to Palestinians believed to be involved in providing transportation or explosives. (Reuter)
Mr. Hannu Halinen, a special rapporteur of the Human Rights Commission on the occupied territories, said that Israeli counter-terrorism measures violated the basic rights of Palestinians and could escalate tensions. He called on Israel and the Palestinian Authority to halt torture and investigate allegations of detainees being tortured. (Reuter)
20 March The United States Government pledged $500 million over five years to the Palestinian Authority, including $75 million a year in USAID managed funds and $125 million in loan guarantees administered by the Overseas Private Investment Corporation (OPIC). (AFP)
21 March A Palestinian Islamic group formerly associated with the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, announced that they had formed a new political party called The Islamic National Salvation Party (INSP). It was reported that the INSP shares Hamas broad ideology but rejects the use of violence. (Reuter)
The Palestinian Council held its second session under the shadow of a strict Israeli closure of the Palestinian self-rule areas which prevented one member residing in Nablus in the West Bank from reaching the meeting in Gaza City. (AFP)
Dozens of Palestinian doctors and teachers protested at the entrance to Bethlehem against Israel's closure of the Palestinian self-rule areas. Health workers from the Gaza Strip also protested at Erez, the crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Israel. Following the protest the Israeli authorities allowed 30 doctors from the West Bank to return to their work at hospitals in East Jerusalem. (AFP)
The European Commission announced emergency food aid to Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip to offset food shortages caused by Israel's closure of these areas. The aid was in the form of an immediate grant of 750 tonnes of wheat flour estimated at $364,000 which would be taken from stocks held by the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA). It was also reported that $611,000 was granted to the World Food Programme to import rice, sugar and additional wheat flour. (AFP)
22 March Israeli troops demolished the house of Majdi Abu Wardeh's family in the Al-Fawwar refugee camp in the West Bank, who carried out the first in a wave of suicide bombing attacks in Israel. (Reuter)
The Israeli army arrested three Palestinians from Hebron believed to be involved in the suicide bombings in Israel. (Reuter)
The Government of Norway pledged $10 million in emergency aid to the Palestinian Authority to help counter the effects of Israel's closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The aid was announced by the Norwegian Deputy Foreign Minister Jan England at a meeting with Mr. Arafat in Gaza City. (AFP)
25 March Israeli troops demolished two Palestinian houses one in Qaryut in the West Bank and the other in East Jerusalem. The houses belonged to two suicide bombers who carried out an attack in Jerusalem in August 1995. (The Washington Post)
The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics reported that Israel's population reached 5.6 million in 1995 with a 40 per cent growth since 1983. It was also reported that the number of Israeli settlers living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip was nearly six times the number in 1983 and now stood at 134,000. (Reuter)
Israel announced plans for a world emergency fund to create jobs for Palestinians made jobless by Israel's month-long ban on the entry of Palestinian workers into Israel. The plan is aimed at short work projects in building, farming and manufacturing and was formulated by US Ambassador to Israel Martin Indyk, U.N. envoy Terje Larsen, and Uri Savir, Israeli Foreign Ministry Director-General. (Reuter)
26 March Israeli security forces arrested 10 Palestinians from the Hebron area in the West Bank who were believed to be affiliated with the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas. (AFP)
Mr. Yasser Arafat met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo and discussed Israel's closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Mr. Arafat also visited the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for the same reason. The UAE called for international pressure on Israel to end its closure of the Palestinian territories. (AFP)
27 March Jordan pledged 10,000 tons of flour in urgent aid to the Palestinian Authority to alleviate starvation in the Palestinian self-rule areas. (AFP)
28 March The US government adopted an emergency plan to ease Israel's restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. The plan was announced by Secretary of State Warren Christopher at the opening of a two-day meeting of 27 nations held in Washington. The six-point plan was drawn up after consultations with Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and the President of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat. Accordingly, Israel would permit construction materials and Egyptian trucks to pass through checkpoints so that people in the Gaza Strip could return to their work. Citrus and other exports from the Palestinian territories would be shipped to the outside world from Israel and Jordan. (The Washington Post, AFP)
Israeli security forces arrested more than 370 Palestinian students mostly from the Gaza Strip studying at West Bank universities. The arrest came after Israeli security forces raided the villages of Beir Ziet, Abu Qash, and Abu Shukraydin. It was reported that 806 Palestinians had been detained since early March. (Reuter, The Washington Post)
The Israeli authorities postponed its planned partial withdrawal from Hebron. Israeli Foreign Minister Ehud Barak said that Israel would withdraw from Hebron only if they saw concrete results from the anti-terrorism efforts of the Palestinian Authority. (AFP)
30 March Mr. Yasser Arafat met with World Bank President James Wolfensohn in Gaza City and discussed steps to aid the Palestinian self-rule areas. Mr. Wolfensohn announced the granting of $20 million in immediate aid to the Palestinian Authority to overcome Israel's closure of the Palestinian territories. Mr. Arafat called on the World Bank to exert pressure on donor countries to meet financial pledges made to the Palestinian Authority. (Reuter)
31 March The Israeli cabinet met and decided to extend indefinitely the closure of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
The Government of Japan granted the Palestinian Authority $21 million in aid to improve health and education projects in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. (AFP)
