2 Palestinians killed.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes continue, leaving 2 Palestinians dead.
In what the IDF says is an effort to silence shooting at its positions,
Israeli paratroopers, border police in armored personnel carriers
and under cover of IDF tank and machine gun fire enter PA-controlled Bayt
Jala and al-Khadir, where they fire on Palestinian homes for several hrs.,
killing 1 Palestinian, injuring 23. The IDF also briefly enters and
shells residential areas of Tulkarm, killing 1 Palestinian, wounding 9;
bulldozes 17 dunams of Palestinian land in Bayt Hanun. Israeli DM Ben-Eliezer
says he has given IDF field cmdrs. greater freedom to launch ground
attacks into areas under PA control to suppress Palestinian gunfire. (LAW, NYT 5/7; al-Quds 5/7 in WNC 5/8; WP, WT
5/8; PCHR 5/10; LAW 5/11)
In Petah
Tikva, Israel, a bomb explodes in a trash bin nr. a bus station, lightly
injuring 1 Israeli.
4 Palestinians killed.
Under U.S. pressure, Arafat authorizes an agmt. to end the
siege of the Church of the Nativity under which 13 wanted Palestinians
inside the church will be exiled to Italy, another 26 will be "exiled" to
Gaza. The remaining civilians, clergy inside the church will be allowed to go
after their identities are confirmed. The IDF also lifts the curfew on
Bethlehem for 4 hrs.; fatally shoots 4 Palestinians in 2 separate
incidents in Gaza. (ANSA 5/6 in WNC 5/7; NYT, WP, WT 5/7; WP 5/8)
The IDF arrests 2 Palestinian fishermen who stray into a closed
military zone off the coast of Gaza, blows up their boat “as a precautionary
measure”; shells residential areas of Khan Yunis. An Israeli court
upholds an IDF order to demolish 120 newly built Palestinian homes in
Bayt Sahur; the Palestinian Christian group Arab Orthodox Housing Project,
which constructed the houses, appeals to the Israeli High Court. (ICHAD, JP 5/6;
PCHR 5/8)
Bush names career diplomat Paul Bremer as presidential envoy to
Iraq to serve as civilian administrator of Iraq, with seniority over
Garner. Bush made the change to elicit more financial assistance fr.
countries that had been withholding support out of discomfort over the “military
hue” of U.S. reconstruction efforts. Since retiring fr. government in 1989,
Bremer has worked with Henry Kissinger’s consulting firm. (NYT, WP, WT
5/7)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF fatally shoots a Palestinian in Hebron who allegedly
attempts to grab a soldier’s weapon; fires on stone-throwing Palestinian youths
nr. Nisanit settlement, wounding 5; conducts house searches, arrest raids in
Anabta, Kafr Dik, Qalqilya, Tubas; occupies a Palestinian home in Husan as an
observation post; begins construction of a fence along the Kissufim–Katif Bloc
road in Gaza, designed to prevent Palestinian attacks on Jewish settler
vehicles. (AFP, MM 5/6; VOI 5/6 in WNC 5/8; VOI 5/9 in WNC 5/12; PCHR 5/13)
Responding to Bush’s 4/14 endorsement of Sharon’s plan, the UN General
Assembly passes (140-6) a res. affirming the Palestinians “right to
self-determination and sovereignty over their territory.” Israel, the
U.S., 4 Pacific Island nations vote against. (HA 5/6; ITAR-TASS, MENA 5/7 in
WNC 5/11; PR 5/12; MEI 5/14)
The IDF imposes a curfew on Silat al-Dahir, searches Palestinian
vehicles; conducts arrest raids, house searches in al-Rashayda nr. Bethlehem.
2 Jewish settlers fr. Halamish uproot olive trees on nearby Palestinian
land, fire in the air and beat a Palestinian who attempts to stop them; the IDF
brings the settlers in for questioning later, but releases them. In Rafah, 8
Palestinians are injured in fist-fights and stone-throwing exchanges btwn.
Fatah, Hamas supporters over claimed irregularities in the 5/5
municipal elections. (IMEMC 5/6, 5/7; VOP 5/8 in WNC 5/9; PCHR 5/12)
1 Palestinian killed.
The IDF closes Gaza’s Qarni commercial crossing for the day; shells n. Gaza, killing a 65-yr.-old Palestinian farmer, wounding 4 working a field nr. Bayt Lahiya and wounding a Palestinian outside his home in Bayt Hanun; sends troops back into Nablus and nearby refugee camps to patrol, search several stores and homes, occupy an UNRWA school as a staging post; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Jenin, Tulkarm. Jewish settlers fr. Tal Rumayda in Hebron beat 2 international and 1 Israeli peace activist, set fire to 3 Palestinian cars; the IDF intervenes to disperse the settlers. Also in Hebron, Jewish settlers vandalize a Palestinian home. Jewish settlers fr. Ma’on attack a group of Palestinian children returning from school, escorted by Israeli peace activists, injuring 5 children. (AFP, REU 5/6; HA, WT 5/7; OCHA 5/10; PCHR 5/11)
Palestinian teachers at 5 schools in Hebron cancel classes and some 1,000 PA officials in Nablus protest the PA’s failure to pay salaries for a 2d mo. In Rafah, some 150 Palestinian women, children rally to criticize the government’s failure to ease growing economic hardships.
In the West Bank, the IDF sends
troops into Jenin town and r.c., firing on residential areas and stone-throwing
youths who confront the troops, wounding 5 Palestinians; conducts arrest raids,
house searches in and around Hebron and in al-Khadir. Jewish settlers fr. Karme
Tzur and Kiryat Arba set up a tent on a hill northeast of Halhul, later leave
but vow to establish a new settlement on the site; the IDF observes but does not
intervene. Jewish settlers fr. Einav nr. Tulkarm set fire to 80 d. of
Palestinian olive, almond trees nearby. (Jerusalem Post 5/6; NYT 5/7; OCHA
5/9; PCHR 5/10; AHR 5/15)
Palestinians fire some 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, hitting a gas station
in Sederot, lightly injuring 2 Israelis. An Islamic Jihad mbr. is injured when
explosives he is handling detonate prematurely.
Nr. Ramallah, Palestinian gunmen fire on
a convoy delivering gas to a Jewish settlement, wounding an Israeli security
guard. Some 70 Palestinian protesters thought to be aligned with the Army of
Islam throw stones, possibly fire at Fatah lawmaker Majid Abu Shamalah as he
leaves an end-of-the-school-year celebration at a Rafah UNRWA school, prompting
his bodyguards to open fire, killing 1 of their own and leaving 2 teachers, 2
protesters, and 2 schoolchildren (ages 9, 14) wounded; the attack on the school
comes days after the Army of Islam warned the school against holding the
celebration, which they condemned for involving “the mixing of adolescent boys
and girls, which is forbidden in Islam.” Unidentified gunmen fire on a Fatah
base in Bureij r.c., causing no injuries. A Palestinian possibly affiliated with
the Army of Islam orders UNRWA employees off an agency minibus in Rafah before
tossing a hand grenade inside, damaging it.
In the West Bank, the IDF sends an
undercover unit into Nablus in cars with Palestinian license plates to arrest 2
Palestinians drinking tea outside a home; conducts late-night arrest raids,
house searches in and around Hebron, in Jenin town and r.c. Jewish settlers
fr. Kiryat Arba beat a local Palestinian. (OCHA, WP, WT 5/7; PCHR 5/8)
The Lebanese government declares
illegal a private telephone network covering s. and e. Lebanon run by Hizballah,
calling it a threat to national security; also removes Brig. Gen. Wafiq
Shuqeir as security chief at Beirut International Airport for his alleged
Hizballah sympathies. (BBC 5/7; Independent 5/8; Paul Salem, “Hizbollah Attempts
Coup D’Etat,” Carnegie Endowment for International Peace, May 2008; Hizballah spokesman
Haj Hussein Khalil press conference, al-Manar TV [Beirut] 5/12; Asia Times
5/13)
The PA’s new Jenin
security force makes a predawn incursion into Qabatya, an Islamic Jihad
stronghold, clashing with local gunmen, critically wounding a Palestinian
student with a gunshot to the head and shooting 2 Islamic Jihad mbrs. in the
legs.
1 Palestinian killed.
Israeli soldiers killed a Palestinian at the entrance to the Tomb of the Patriarch [Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi] in Hebron. According to an initial investigation, border police troops stationed in the area opened fire on the man during an arrest procedure when he refused to heed their orders to stop. (Haaretz)
Four Palestinians were injured in two Israeli air strikes on tunnels on the Egypt-Gaza border. Director of Ambulance and Emergency Services Mu’awiyah Hassanain said injuries ranged between slight and moderate. Earlier, Israel had said that a home-made projectile launched from the Gaza Strip landed near the beach at the Israeli city of Ashkelon. (Ma’an News Agency)
In a statement, Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Office said that he would head a high-level committee that would work on developing the Palestinian economy and improving the quality of life in the West Bank. The committee would include Israel's Finance and Defense Ministers and would soon begin work on several development projects in the West Bank. The official spokesman of the PA Presidency, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, commented by saying, "Without moving on the political track ... it will not lead to peace or solutions… on the contrary, it will make things worse." (AP)
At UN Headquarters, Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon and Israeli President Shimon Peres discussed the report of the United Nations Board of Inquiry into incidents affecting the world body’s personnel, premises and operations during the recent conflict in Gaza, UN spokesperson Michele Montas said. (UN News Centre)
At a news conference with visiting King Abdullah II of Jordan, German Chancellor Angela Merkel said that a two-State solution was the only path to peace in the Middle East and urged the new Israeli Government to move quickly to begin talks with the Palestinians. Ms. Merkel was speaking ahead of a visit to Berlin the following day by Israel’s Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman. She described the coming months as "decisive" and said progress between Israel and the Palestinians was essential for the success of western efforts to reach a deal with Iran over its nuclear programme. King Abdullah II said the goal was to get Israel and the Palestinians to sit down at the negotiating table in the coming months. (Haaretz)
PA President Abbas said that Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and his Government would stay on in their posts with a “few new additions”. Speaking after a meeting with President Mubarak, President Abbas said that this decision would not interfere with the planned national dialogue set to take place in Cairo on 16 May. Mr. Abbas said his meeting with President Mubarak included coordinating positions vis-ŕ-vis the Israeli Government and further peace talks. ”We discussed what we are going to say to the Israeli Government especially about the Road Map and efforts by the Israeli and Palestinian side,” he said. (Ma’an News Agency)
In a statement, the Izz ad-Din Al-Qassam Brigades, the armed wing of Hamas, said that it had fired four mortar shells at an Israeli infantry unit, which entered the area of Wadi Abu Qatron, east of Al-Bureij [refugee] camp in the central Gaza Strip, contradicting Israeli Army Radio, which reported that the shells had landed across the border in Israeli territory. (Ma’an News Agency)
The United Nations International Meeting in Support of Israeli-Palestinian Peace, organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People, opened in Nicosia. The theme of this two-day event is “Action by European, Arab and other parliamentarians and their umbrella organizations for Israeli-Palestinian peace”. The objective of the organizers is to emphasize the important role played by national parliaments and inter-parliamentary organizations in shaping public opinion, formulating policy guidelines and upholding international legitimacy in support of a comprehensive, just and lasting settlement of the question of Palestine. It will discuss ways in which lawmakers and their organizations can be instrumental in helping the parties resume and strengthen the political dialogue and in promoting and applying the principles of international law to efforts aimed at resolving the conflict. Participants will assess the current situation on the ground and modalities for peace, discuss prospects of mobilizing parliamentary action in support of Israeli-Palestinian peace, and encourage coordination of the efforts undertaken by parliamentarians and their national, regional and international organizations. Opening statements were made by George Iacovou, Presidential Commissioner and representative of the President of the Republic of Cyprus; Marios Garoyian, President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus; Paul Badji, Chairman of the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People; Elissavet Papadimitriou, Vice-President of the Hellenic Parliament and Vice-President of the Inter-Parliamentary Union; and Abdullah Abdullah, Member of the Palestinian Legislative Council, representative of Palestine. Tayé-Brook Zerihoun, Assistant Secretary-General, delivered a message to the Meeting from the UN Secretary-General. (UN press release GA/PAL/1119, GA/PAL./1120)