King Muhammad of Morocco receives Israel's Ben-Ami
for talks on the Jerusalem issue. (MM 9/5)
In a surprise declaration at the close of their mtg. in
Cairo, Arab League FMs announce plans for heads of state to begin holding
a full Arab summit every March beginning in 3/01. FMs will meet again in 10/00
to prepare. (MM 9/4; al-Quds 9/6, JT 9/10 in WNC 9/12)
A Palestinian suicide bomber dressed as a Hasidic Jew detonates a
device in Jerusalem, killing only himself, wounding 15 Israelis, 1
seriously. No group takes responsibility. (MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/5; WJW 9/6)
The IDF transfers Intisar and Kifal Ajuri to Gaza (see 9/3),
giving them each around $215, a change of clothes, a bottle of water and leaving
them in a field, in a dangerous area nr. Netzarim settlement. The IDF
fires on residential areas, bulldozes 2 dunams of agricultural land in Dayr
al-Balah; conducts arrest raids in al-Yamun; fires on Palestinian residential
areas of Hebron. (HA, LAW, PCHR 9/4; WP, WT 9/5; MEI 9/13)
As a counterbalance to its "Victims of Terror" Web site honoring Israelis
killed in Palestinian attacks, CNN launches a "Palestinian Fatalities"
site with 10 pictures of Palestinian civilians killed since 8/29; all but
1 photo shows burial ceremonies, mass demonstrations, crowds around destroyed
buildings or cars, whereas the "Victims of Terror" site has 100s of portraits of
each Israeli. (PMWATCH press release 9/4)
1 Israeli killed.
The IDF fires on residential areas of Rafah; sends tanks into Bayt
Furik and Silat al-Harith, firing on stone-throwing Palestinians, wounding 3;
bulldozes 19 dunams of land in al-Mughraqa; conducts arrest raids in Salfit.
An Israeli court releases 2 Jewish settler terrorism suspects without pressing
charges; 13 others are still under arrest. (HA 9/4; NYT, WP 9/5; PCHR 9/11)
Palestinian gunmen ambush, fatally shoot an IDF soldier nr. Jenin;
AMB, Islamic Jihad both take responsibility. Palestinian gunmen
fire on an IDF patrol nr. Rafah, wounding 1 soldier.
Abbas convenes the Palestinian Council (PC) to present a report
on his 1st 100 days in office; asks PC mbrs. to affirm unequivocally his
policies (including unification of the PA security forces under his command) or
demand his resignation. Outside the PC session, at least 50 Palestinian
protesters (some reports say 200), including 5 masked, armed AMB mbrs.,
call on Abbas to resign. (BBC, HA, MM, NYT, WT 9/4; AFP, QA 9/4 in WNC 9/6; HA,
MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/5; MENA 9/5 in WNC 9/9; MEI 9/12)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF tightens checkpoints around Jenin; fires on residential areas
of Khan Yunis (damaging a hospital), Rafah; sends troops into Bayta and Salfit,
firing on stone-throwing youths who confront the troops; bulldozes a
Palestinian home, 1.5 d., a well in al-Mughraqa; conducts arrest raids,
house searches in Jayyus nr. Qalqilya, Nablus, Taysir nr. Jenin, Yatta. A
Palestinian dies of injuries received on 8/30. (PCHR 9/9)
The IDF fires percussion grenades at Palestinian homes nr.
Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Ma'on in Hebron knock down tents, kill 6
sheep, injure 10, vandalize Palestinian farms nearby; the IDF observes
but does not intervene. (REU 9/4; AP, IMEMC, NYT, WT 9/5; PCHR 9/8)
In Khan Yunis, 10s of unemployed Palestinians
demonstrate outside a municipal building demanding jobs and better living
conditions, scuffle with PA riot police. As part of a plea agmt., PC mbr.
Hussam Khadir (Ind.-Nablus), arrested by Israel on 3/17/03, pleads guilty in
Israeli court to helping finance AMB attacks on Israelis. Some
200 PA police block the Gaza coastal road, fire in the air in a
protest demanding higher wages.
In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around
Hebron and Jenin town and r.c., nr. Bethlehem (targeting the AMB; firing on
stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 2); raids an Islamic charity
in Tubas nr. Jenin, confiscating computers, files. The Israeli Housing Min.
issues tenders for construction (approved under the Sharon admin.) for
construction of 690 new settlement housing units in Beitar Ilit (342 units),
Ma’ale Adumim (348 units) in the E-1 area outside Jerusalem. (HA 9/4; NYT 9/5; REU 9/6; PCHR 9/7)
In Nablus, Fatah
gunmen enforcing the open-ended Government Employees Union strike (see 9/2) by
keeping children, teachers away fr. schools, shoot, wound a 12-yr.-old
Palestinian boy.
Israelis in
Sederot close schools, demand government action after Palestinians fire
3 more rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or injuries. Egyptian
border police demolish a smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border. In the West
Bank, the IDF raids, searches several Hamas-run charities in Nablus, confiscating documents, computers and sealing the offices; patrols in, fires on residential areas of `Azun nr. Qalqilya (also firing on stone-throwing youths who
confront them, wounding 2 children, ages 13 and 14), Sa`ir nr. Hebron
(seriously wounding 1 Palestinian); conducts arrest raids, house searches in
and around Nablus, in Qabatya nr. Jenin and Tulkarm r.c., and nr. Hebron. The Israeli High Court rules that the separation wall around Bil`in, site of weekly nonviolent protests, must be moved westward to prevent the de facto annexation
of more than half of the village’s agricultural land, rejecting the
government’s claim that a wide buffer zone was needed to protect nearby Mod’in
Ilit settlement and determining that the original route took into
consideration plans to expand the settlement “as much as possible”; the
decision gives the government a “reasonable period of time” to take down and
move portions of the wall, which is expected to return 250 acres of land to Bil`in
residents. (BBC 9/4; IFM, NYT, OCHA, WP, WT 9/5; PCHR, WT 9/6)
In Gaza City, the previously unheard-of Security Members Martyrs
Brigade took responsibility for detonating a bomb under the car of a
prominent Hamas mbr. in Gaza City, causing no injuries; the group is
thought to be made up of Fatah security officers still in Gaza who have been
underground since Hamas took over in mid-6/07. Suspected Fatah mbrs.
also fire on an ESF patrol, causing no injuries. In Rafah, ESF officers fire on Fatah mbrs. writing pro-Fatah graffiti, wounding 3.
IDF troops detained nine Palestinians during raids in the West Bank location near Bethlehem, Hebron, and Nablus. Another Palestinian, Wasim Akram Jaber, was hospitalized for injuries sustained when settlers from the "Kiryat Arba" settlement in Hebron threw stones at him. (Ma'an News Agency)
During a press conference at An-Najah University in Nablus, Quartet Representative Tony Blair said that Israeli checkpoints hindered the economy of the city. He said that up to $2 billion in investment could result from a follow-up economic conference that was planned to take place in the city in November 2008. Mr. Blair also praised the work of the Palestinian Authority's security forces, who were charged with restoring order to the city. He said that investors were prepared to put their money in the city and to demand freedom of movement in Nablus, which was surrounded by the Israeli military. Mr. Blair said that he was optimistic about the Palestinian-Israeli peace talks and that his presence in Nablus was a sign of progress. Palestinian businessman Munib Al-Masri said that 400 to 500 Palestinian, international and Arab investors were expected to attend the conference. (Ma'an News Agency)
Around half of Gaza's doctors, nurses and administrative medical workers had walked off the job since the previous week, according to the World Health Organization. Hospital workers carried out a similar strike last year when Hamas fired several senior doctors, who were never reinstated, and the slowdown fizzled after five days. The union had called for the strike the previous week to demand that Hamas reinstate workers that Fatah said had been fired for their political loyalties. The union also said that Hamas police had forced some essential staff to report to duty under the threat of arrest. The strike had strained medical services throughout the territory. Gaza hospitals were barely functioning because working doctors and nurses were putting in 12- to 24-hour shifts and running on skeleton staff, many only treating emergency cases while many clinics were closed. (AP)