3 Palestinians killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes abate further due to heavy
rains, cold weather. During the day, 2 Palestinians are killed; a 3d dies
of injuries received earlier. Barak sends top security aide Yossi
Ginnosaur to Gaza to discuss security coordination with PSF head Dahlan.
The IDF shells areas around Bayt Jala, Hebron, Jericho, Rafah, and
Tulkarm, severely damaging more than 6 Palestinian homes, killing 1 man,
wounding at least 8. The IDF uproots Palestinian olive groves nr.
Netzarim Junction. IDF tanks in Psagot settlement fire into al-Bireh camp
outside Ramallah in response to sniping. Barak allows Jewish settlers
to go back to Mitzpe Hagit, one of the illegal settlement enclaves evacuated in
1999. (Gush Shalom press release 10/24; LAW, NYT, WT 10/25)
Pres. Clinton phones Arafat to urge him to halt
Palestinian demonstrations, arrange a time to come to Washington to discuss
resuming peace talks. Arafat gives no assurances. The White House says Clinton
also phoned Barak, to urge Israeli restraint and invite him to a separate
mtg. in Washington, but the leaders were "unable to speak." (MM, NYT, WT 10/25;
NYT, YA 10/26; AYM 10/26 in WNC 10/30)
In Washington, Pres. Clinton, King Abdallah of
Jordan sign a free trade agmt. (AP, BBC, MM 10/24; WJW 10/26; WP 10/27; JT
10/30, 10/31 in WNC 11/1; JT 11/8 in WNC 11/9; JT 11/9 in WNC 11/13; WP 11/10)
In a coordinated event, groups of West Bank Palestinians,
10,000s of Jordanians fr. across the kingdom march toward Jerusalem in a
nonviolent demonstration of support for the right of return. While Palestinians
are stopped at IDF checkpoints, the Jordanians are halted nr. Allenby Bridge by
Jordanian riot police and security forces, with helicopter
support. The Jordanian authorities beat back marchers with batons, water
cannons, and tear gas, injuring 100s. (AP, BBC, MM 10/24; WJW 10/26; WP 10/27;
JT 10/30, 10/31 in WNC 11/1; JT 11/8 in WNC 11/9; JT 11/9 in WNC 11/13; WP
11/10)
100s of Yemenis march to the UN offices in Sana' to
protest Israeli violence against the Palestinians. In the U.S., a
rally in solidarity with the Palestinian people is held in Chicago.
(Bernama-IINA [Internet] 10/24)
11 Palestinians killed.
In a predawn raid on Bayt Rima (area A), the IDF kills at least 5
Palestinians, wounds 10s, arrests 11, invades homes, interrogates residents,
imposes a curfew, and seals the village, barring medics, ambulances, journalists
fr. entering. 1 of the Palestinians bleeds to death awaiting medical treatment.
The IDF cmdr. admits that at least 2 of those killed were armed but not firing
and were attempting to flee. Soldiers bulldoze 2 Palestinian homes in the
village; a 3d is destroyed by fire during the raid; 5 others are occupied by
troops. Israel confirms it has arrested 2 of 4 Palestinians whom it is certain
were involved in the 10/17 Ze'evi murder, but says 2 trigger men are still at
large. Another 5 Palestinians are killed elsewhere in the West Bank in
clashes with the IDF. Israeli attacks intensify in Bethlehem and nearby
Aida, Aza refugee camps, which have been surrounded by IDF tanks, armored
personnel carriers (APCs) for several days. The IDF demolishes shops at
the entrance to Aza to ease the entry of tanks, APCs; deliberately fires tank
shells at a Palestinian home in Aida destroying it. In an apparent
assassination outside Bethlehem, an IDF tank and APC corner, open fire on
a Palestinian car, killing Issa Jiryis Elali. Jewish settlers open
fire on a Palestinian vehicle nr. Hebron, wounding 6 Palestinians. (AP, BBC, HP,
NYT, PCHR, PMC 10/24; AYM 10/24 in WNC 10/25; JT, LAW, MM, NYT, WP, WT 10/25;
MM, NYT, WP 10/26; see also AYM 10/23 in WNC 10/25; MA 10/25 in WNC 10/26)
3 Palestinians killed.
The IDF opens fire on stone-throwing Palestinian youths in Jenin,
killing a 16-yr.-old Palestinian, seriously injuring 2 others; fires on
residential areas of Rafah, killing 1 Palestinian in his home; demolishes
4 Palestinian homes in Bayt Hanina; conducts arrest raids in Bayt Jala
(arresting wanted Hamas mbr. Fawaz Amru), Qalqilya. A 3d Palestinian dies
of injuries received on 10/13. Israel formally
charges 1 of 10 bedouin IDF soldiers arrested on 9/12 for allegedly spying for
Hizballah, stressing that he was motivated by greed, not nationalism.
(HA, MM 10/24; WP, WT 10/25; MM 10/29; LAW, PCHR 10/30)
A PA security court sentences a
Palestinian to death for collaborating with Israel.
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF fatally shoots an 11-yr.-old Palestinian in Dayr
al-Balah; fires on residential areas of Balata r.c., wounding 2 Palestinian
children, 2 ISM volunteers. 2
Palestinians die of injuries received in Rafah a wk. ago. In Haifa, the
wife of Israeli Arab MK Issa Makhoul is unhurt after a small explosive
device detonates under her car; no group takes responsibility. (AFP, HA 10/24;
NYT 10/25; PCHR 10/30, 11/5)
Palestinians fire 3 mortars at a
Jewish settlement in Gaza, causing minor damage but no injuries.
8 Palestinians killed.
During the day, the IDF fires on the funeral procession for the Abu
Mustafa brothers killed late on 10/23, wounding a 15-yr.-old Palestinian;
conducts arrest raids, house searches in Anata, Askar r.c., al-Bureij, Hebron,
Yatta. Late in the evening, the IDF launches a massive raid on Khan
Yunis, citing some 30 mortar attacks on nearby Jewish settlements since the
10/21 Gul assassination; fires missiles fr. pilotless drones at 2 groups of
Palestinians, killing 2 PA policemen, wounding 6; conducts several
air strikes, killing 5 armed Palestinians and 1 unarmed Palestinian,
wounding 5 armed Palestinians and 4 bystanders; demolishes 3 Palestinian
homes. Jewish settlers
in Hebron vandalize a Palestinian elementary school nr. the Ibrahimi Mosque/Tomb
of the Patriarchs. (VOI, VOP 10/24, 10/25 in WNC 10/26; NYT, PRCS, WP 10/25;
PCHR 10/28)
A car bomb explodes nr. an IDF jeep in Nablus, causing
damage but no injuries; no group claims responsibility.
3 Palestinians killed.
Overnight, the IDF raids, imposes a curfew on Nur al-Shams r.c. and
Tulkarm, fatally shoots Islamic Jihad West Bank military cmdr. Luay Saadi,
Islamic Jihad mbr. Majid Askar in an apparent assassination; hrs. later,
Islamic Jihad fires 5 rockets fr. Gaza into s. Israel, causing no
damage or injuries. The IDF responds with air and artillery strikes on
open areas used for rocket launches in n. Gaza, causing no injuries; shelling
fr. naval vessels at PA security forces sites in n. Gaza, causing no damage or
injuries; ongoing mock air raids over Gaza, breaking the sound barrier to harass
the population; closure of the Erez, Qarni crossings. During the day, the IDF
also demolishes 2 stores nr. Jenin, claiming that they "could be used" to
manufacture explosives; conducts arrest raids, house searches around Hebron for
a 3d night, as well as nr. Jenin. (NYT, WP, WT 10/25; HA 10/25; PCHR 10/27)
A Palestinian gunman fires on an IDF
post nr. Halamish settlement nr. Ramallah, causing no damage or injuries; the
IDF returns heavy fire, killing a Palestinian bystander standing outside his
home in neighboring Nabi Salih.
1 Palestinian killed.
In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Hebron,
Jenin, Nablus. Jewish settlers fr. Hebron attack Palestinians harvesting their
olive grove outside Hebron; the IDF arrests the Palestinian family for
threatening the settlers, releases them but bars them fr. accessing their land.
A Palestinian wounded by the IDF in Bayt Hanun on 10/23 dies. (NYT 10/25; PCHR 11/2)
The German Defense Min. reports an incident btwn. its naval vessels off the
Lebanese coast and the IDF in which 2 Israeli F-16s fired twice and released
antimissile flares over a German ship. Israel denies the report, saying that
jets were dispatched when a helicopter took off fr. a German boat without
identifying itself, but as soon as Israel realized the mistake, the jets broke
off. (NYT 10/26)
In Gaza City, unidentified Palestinian gunmen kidnap Spanish Associated Press
photographer Emilio Morenatti, release him quickly after Abbas’s intervention;
no details of the terms of release are given.
2 Palestinians killed.
After PRC members fire more
than 20 rockets into Israel (causing no damage or injuries) to protest
the 10/23 assassination of PRC head Hasanat, Israeli DM Barak authorizes
the IDF to cut electricity for several hrs. to parts of Gaza fr. which rockets were fired.; Dep. DM Matan Vilnai says that targeted power
cuts will increasingly be used to punish the Palestinians as long as rocket
fire continues and that he expects electricity to be cut by two-thirds in the
coming weeks. In the evening, IDF fires a surface-to-surface missile at
a suspected rocket-launching site e. of Gaza City, killing 2 Palestinian
boys (ages 14, 17), wounding 2 other Palestinians; sends troops into Abasan, where they clash with armed Palestinians, wounding 2. A Hamas mbr. is killed when a
smuggling tunnel on the Rafah border collapses. In the West Bank, the IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Bethlehem and Hebron, and in Jenin r.c. Jewish settlers fr. Yitzhar nr. Nablus prevent local
Palestinians fr. harvesting their olive groves. (PCHR, WT 10/25; OCHA 10/31; PCHR 11/1)
Armed Palestinians fire
on a bus stop outside Ariel settlement, wounding 3 Jewish settlers. ESF officers storm and occupy a Fatah office in central Gaza; no injuries or
arrests are reported. Some 5,000 Hamas supporters stage marches in n. Gaza camps in support of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.
Some 300 Palestinians and Israeli activists arrived at the West Bank village of Bi'lin to protest against the construction of the separation wall in that area. Protesters said that IDF soldiers and Border Guards fired tear gas at members of the group who were conducting prayers prior to the protest. Israeli police said protestors threw a Molotov cocktail and stones during a confrontation. No injuries were reported. (Ma'an News Agency, Ynetnews)
Israeli authorities ordered a stop in the construction on an agricultural project near Hebron. Soldiers also confiscated equipment from the site. The project was funded by the European Union. (Ma'an News Agency)
The PA awarded contracts worth over €2.8 million, provided by the European Union through PEGASE, to improve the road networks the West Bank. (WAFA)
Mental health experts from around the world plan to gather in Gaza City for a conference on the crisis in Gaza on 27 and 28 October, with support from the World Health Organization. (Ma'an News Agency, www.who.int)