CIA Dir. Tenet, Arafat meet again. (MM 9/4,
9/6)
In Cairo, Arab League FMs open a 2-day mtg. focusing
on final status arrangements for Jerusalem. Arafat briefs FMs on
the Camp David summit, recent developments. (JT 9/10 in WNC 9/12; MEI 9/15)
Lebanon holds the 2d round of parliamentary elections,
covering seats allotted to s. districts. Candidates allied with fmr. PM Rafiq
Hariri (1992+n98) win 18 of 19 seats in Beirut Hizballah's parliamentary
bloc increases fr. 9 to 12 seats. (NYT, WP 9/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/4; MM, NYT, WT
9/5; MM 9/6, 9/7, 9/8, 9/11; MEI 9/15)
2 Palestinians killed.
Severe Israel-Palestinian clashes take place in Hebron, leaving 2
Palestinians dead, 22 injured; 2 IDF soldiers are injured by a small
bomb. In response, the IDF rockets, destroys a PSF office
in nearby Dura, injuring 3 Palestinians. (MM 9/3; LAW, MM, NYT 9/4; HA 9/7)
As debate on the text of the WCAR final statement continues, Israel,
the U.S. withdraw their delegations, saying the conference has been
"hijacked" by the Arab states and converted into a forum for extremist
diatribes against Israel. (MM 9/3; SAPA 9/3 in WNC 9/4; MM, NYT, WP, WT
9/4; AFP, MENA 9/4 in WNC 9/5; MM 9/5; AP, WJW 9/6) (see Peace Monitor)
The PFLP detonates 4 bombs
(2 in West Jerusalem, 2 in the settlements of Gilo, French Hill) lightly
injuring 5.
2 Palestinians killed.
IDF tanks fire shells at 2 Palestinians “moving suspiciously” near
Brakha settlement, killing them. The IDF raids a Palestinian radio
station in Nablus, confiscating all equipment; demolishes a Palestinian house
in Rafah without warning, while its residents are sleeping (6 are injured before
they manage to flee); fires on residential areas of Ramallah; raids, demolishes
an Islamic charitable society orphanage in Bayt Awla nr. Hebron that houses 300
children under 12. Jewish settlers seize a Palestinian house in
East Jerusalem, nr. Jabal Mukabir, claiming they own the structure, which
will be the basis of a new enclave. (JTA 9/3; LAW, PCHR, Radio Tariq al-Mahabbeh
[Ramallah], WP 9/4; MEI 9/13)
The Israeli High Court rules that the government can banish to Gaza
the West Bank relatives of Palestinians accused of staging attacks on Israelis
only in "extreme cases" where "that person, by his own deeds, constitutes a
danger to the security of the state." The ruling argues that such forced
transfer constitutes "assigned residence" under Articles 41+n43 of the Fourth
Geneva Convention, is therefore legal under international law. The court thus
upholds an 8/12 military court order to expel to Gaza for 2 yrs. the brother,
sister of senior AMB mbr. Ali Ajuri (assassinated 8/6/02) for allegedly
aiding in the staging of the 7/17/02 Tel Aviv bombing; overrules an order to
expel another Palestinian for lending a car, food to his brother, Naseer Assida,
without knowing he was (allegedly) plotting the 7/16/02 ambush of a settler bus;
Assida has not been captured. (HA, JP, MM 9/3; MM, NYT, WP, WT 9/4; MM, WJW 9/5)
1 Palestinian killed.
To support Abbas, Israel announces it has increased the number
of work permits for Palestinians fr. 10,000 to 18,000. The IDF raids
areas nr. Dayr al-Balah, bulldozing 38 dunams of agricultural land. A
Palestinian dies of injuries received on 8/28. (HA, PCHR, WT 9/4; PCHR 9/11)
2 Palestinians killed.
The IDF pulls out of Dayr al-Balah after demolishing another 3
Palestinian homes. The IDF also fires on 2 Palestinians approaching a
closed military zone nr. the Qarni crossing in Gaza, killing 1 Palestinian;
fires on 2 Palestinians who enter a closed military zone nr. Rafah Yam
settlement, killing 1 Palestinian, seriously wounding 1; severely beats a
Palestinian in Hebron; fires 3 missiles at a Palestinian warehouse (alleged
weapons factory) in Gaza’s Maghazi r.c., destroying the building, causing a
serious fire but no injuries; raids the al-Anwar library of Hebron’s Islamic
Charitable Society, confiscating 100s of books, 25 computers, documents,
equipment; sends troops into al-Fara' r.c., fires on stone-throwing Palestinians
who confront them; conducts arrest raids, house searches nr. Nablus and in
Hebron, Salfit, Thinnaba nr. Tulkarm, Tulkarm r.c. Jewish settlers
fr. Kiryat Arba fire on neighboring Palestinian homes, causing damage but no
injuries. (VOP 9/3, MA 9/5 in WNC 9/7; WP 9/4; PCHR 9/9)
Palestinians fire a
Qassam rocket at Sederot, causing no damage or injuries.
The IDF patrols in, fires on residential areas of Askar r.c.
overnight. (PCHR 9/8)
The IDF fires across the Israeli border into central Gaza, wounding 1
Palestinian inside his home; makes a helicopter rocket strike destroying a
Palestinian home in Jabaliya r.c. after warning residents to leave; sends
special forces into Khuza‘a village nr. Khan Yunis, searching greenhouses,
interrogating a 60-yr.-old farmer for several hrs. before withdrawing; bulldozes
agricultural land of unknown size southeast of Bayt Hanun. In the West Bank, the
IDF conducts arrest raids, house searches in and around Hebron (raiding and
searching a PA Preventive Security Forces [PSF] office in Tarqumiyya) and
Nablus, nr. Jenin (exchanging fire with Palestinian gunmen, wounding 1), in
Qabatya (firing on stone-throwing youths who confront them, wounding 3 with live
ammunition); issues military orders confiscating 152 d. of land nr. Bethlehem
for construction of the separation wall, a settler-only bypass road. (WT 9/4;
OCHA 9/6; PCHR 9/7)
In the West Bank, the IDF demolishes 4 Palestinian homes in and nr. East Jerusalem; conducts
arrest raids, house searches in Nablus (targeting Hamas; firing on
stone-throwing Palestinians who confront them, wounding 9) and nr. Bethlehem, Hebron, Jenin. (NYT, WP, WT 9/4; OCHA 9/5; PCHR 9/6)
The Lebanese army continues to
search Nahr al-Barid r.c. for fugitive FI mbrs., occasionally exchanging
gunfire with hold-outs; no casualties are reported. Journalists entering the
camp for the 1st time state that “shell blasts honeycombed nearly every
building.” (WT 9/4)
Islamic Jihad fires 7 rockets fr. Gaza into Israel, causing no damage or
injuries although 1 lands nr. a daycare center and school, causing panic;
public and government officials call for immediate school closures until the Israeli
government takes steps to halt rocket fire; Israeli officials urge cutting water, fuel, and electricity to Gaza or carrying out a massive military strike.
Israeli forces seized 10 Palestinians during raids in the West Bank. (Ma'an News Agency)
Palestinian security forces reported that five Palestinian security officers were arrested by Israeli forces for operating in the so-called area B of the West Bank, where Israel exercises security control. According to sources, Israeli soldiers stopped a Palestinian car near the Huwwara checkpoint outside Nablus, and the five men were detained after arresting a long-time suspect in Ramallah. The men were released a short time later, after an intervention by high-level Palestinian officials. (Ma'an News Agency)
Israel's Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the Al-Jazeera news channel. "Our basic position is that Jerusalem is the capital of Israel but that we can find a formula under which certain neighbourhoods, heavily populated Arab neighbourhoods, could become in a peace agreement part of the Palestinian capital that of course will include also the neighbouring villages around Jerusalem." On the issue of settlements, Mr. Barak said, "We are not expanding [settlements]. We didn't announce even a single new settlement; but there is a well-known dispute. We clearly believe that within Jerusalem we have the right to build as we need." He confirmed that the West Bank barrier would form the basis for the future border between Israel and the future Palestinian State. (Deutsch Presse-Agentur (DPA))
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's office said in a statement that the Israeli Government would discuss for the first time at the Cabinet meeting on 7 September a plan to compensate Israeli settlers who agree to voluntarily leave their homes in the occupied West Bank. The statement said that the issue will not be brought to a vote. The plan was proposed by Vice Prime Minister Haim Ramon (Reuters)
Lauren Booth, a British journalist and sister-in-law of former British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that she was trapped in Gaza because Israel had refused to let her leave the Palestinian territory. "This is a real Palestinian experience of being between the devil and the deep blue sea," Ms. Booth said. Gil Kari, spokesman for the Israeli military office in charge of liaison with Gaza, said that Ms. Booth's request to leave the Gaza Strip was rejected on the grounds that she did not enter legally when she and 43 other pro-Palestinian activists travelled by boat to the Strip in defiance of an Israeli blockade. (Reuters)
Hamas' senior leader Mahmoud Zahar said that talks on exchanging Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit for Palestinian prisoners had broken down because Israel would not meet the group's demands to release prisoners convicted of killing Israelis. Mr. Zahar also said that the talks had stalled because Israel and Egypt would not open their border crossings with Gaza. (AP)