U.S. Israeli-Palestinian Road Map for Peace
InfoImagination is working to bring greater security to American citizens, as well as to people around the world. In our opinion, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which has continued needlessly for fifty-five years now, represents the greatest threat to GLOBAL INSTABILITY.
We are asking you to get involved. One of the biggest challenges we face is a general lack of awareness about this complex issue. Therefore, we collected related stories, primarily direct quotes, from the Wall Street Journal [WSJ] international section between late June to October 2003. We selected this source due to their generally comprehensive coverage of the Mideast, and we believe their accounts are factually accurate. We hope this provides a baseline for future research for our readers.
Presently, American taxpayers provide Israel with over $10 billion/year in direct financial aid, military support, loan guarantees and other assistance. InfoImagination is not "anti-Israeli," but we work to "Save the Palestinian" people. We simplify our position as:
Before we begin, we ask you to consider "an opinion" from the less publicized side:
Do You Want to Reduce Terrorism? A Palestinian's Point of View
'ROAD MAP' BACKGROUND
June 29, 2003: Yasser Arafat, along with then Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, establish a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
The U.S.-led peace effort brought significant and positive negotiation activity, and the region enjoyed a relative period of calm for about four weeks. We begin our review in late July 2003.
July 28, 2003: Israel freed 100 prisoners and dismantled a roadblock near Ramallah ahead of Sharon's meeting with Bush tomorrow. Mr. Abbas harped on Israel's steadfast refusal to release some 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, a goal he said is key to the road map, even though it isn't specifically addressed in the plan. Abbas also complained about Israel's construction of a security fence near its border with the territories, which also isn't addressed in the road map. Both Bush and Israeli leaders continued their demands for dismantling the extremists groups, i.e., Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but so far Palestinian authorities have declined to confront the groups directly. [WSJ, 7.28.03, A1, A9]
July 29, 2003: Bush plans to press Sharon today on Israel's construction of a border fence before a peace deal with Palestinians is in place. An Israeli soldier who was abducted last week was found murdered in northern Israel. [WSJ, 7.29.03, A1]
July 30, 2003: Sharon said after a meeting with Bush that Israel will continue building a border fence to separate itself from Palestinian areas. The U.S. leaders said Israel must weigh the impact on the peace process. [WSJ, 7.30.03, A1, A10]
July 31, 2003: Israel proposed pulling out of two more Palestinian towns as the defense chief got set to meet with his Palestinian counterpart. Separately, a deal Palestinian boy's donated organs have saved four Israeli children. [WSJ, 7.31.03, A1]
August 1, 2003: Israel solicited bids to build new homes at a Gaza settlement, drawing a U.S. rebuke. Palestinians protested at Israel's new border fence as Israel put down a riot by Palestinian at a top-security prison. The Knesset passed a law, in effect for one year, barring Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in the Jewish state. Critics charge racism. [WSJ, 8.1.03, A1]
August 4, 2003: Four Israelis were wounded in attacks on cars near Bethlehem, and al Aqsa claimed responsibility. Israeli radio said a first batch of the 443 Palestinian prisoners approved for release will go free Wednesday. A Lebanon car bombing killed Hezbollah militant and another man in Beirut Saturday. The group blamed Israel, which declined to comment. [WSJ, 8.4.03, A1]
August 7, 2003: Israel released 334 prisoners, but Palestinian officials called that insufficient and said many were near the end of their terms anyway. An Israeli court ordered Sharon's son to turn over documents in a graft probe. [WSJ, 8.7.03, A1]
August 8, 2003: Palestinians militants executed a suspected collaborator in Ramallah's main square. [Colin] Powell toughened his stand against Israel's border fence, and said the U.S. pointed out planned parts it considers most troublesome. [WSJ, 8.8.03, A1]
August 11, 2003: The Israel-Lebanon border showed signs of re-emerging as a flashpoint as Israeli jets pounded Hezbollah positions after the shelling of a northern Israel town that killed one and wounded five. Friday, Israel posts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area were attacked for the first time in months. Two Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died in Gaza fighting on Friday. [WSJ, 8.11.03, A1]
August 12, 2003: Israel warned Syria it will be held accountable for any surge in Hezbollah attacks on Lebanon The U.S. urged all sides to show restraint. Israeli police detained a Jewish settler for making threats on Sharon's life. [WSJ, 8.12.03, A1]
August 13, 2003: Two bombing shattered six weeks of comparative Mideast calm. Two Israelis were killed in the suicide attacks by two 17-year-old Palestinians, one at a bus stop near a West Bank settlement, the other at a Tel Aviv suburb. Hamas claimed responsibility for the former, al Aqsa the latter. Hamas said the bombing was in revenge for Israel's killing of two of its operatives in a raid on the West Bank town of Nablus last week. An Al Aqsa leader said that the latest suicide bombing was an expression of frustration at the lack of progress on the road map. "We gave Israel the hunda [cease-fire], and what did they give us? Did they stop the assasinations? This wasn't just for [the deaths in] Nablus; this was revenge for all Israel's violations since the hunda." Both sides claim they are still committed to the cease-fire and road map. Prime Minister Abbas said Israeli raids into the West Bank only provoke more bloodshed. Israel's response to the bombings so far was a decision to postpone the release of 76 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom were already on a bus taking them from prison. [WSJ, 8.13.03, A1, A8]
August 14, 2003: Israel's defense minister accused Arafat of having a hand in Tuesday's suicide bombings that left two Israelis dead, using attacks to undermine Abbas. Israel demolished the family home of one of the bombers. [WSJ, 8.14.03, A1]
August 15, 2003: Israeli forces killed Islamic Jihad's [IJ] Hebron commander, wringing vows of revenge and fraying the U.S. peace plan. A planned meeting of defense chiefs went ahead, but the Palestinian condemned the action. Sheikh Bassam Sadi, IJ leader in the West Bank, called the killing a "grave crime" that the "occupation army, its soldiers and settlers will pay a heavy price for." The road map had stalled even before this most recent killing due to a dispute over what the Palestinian Authority [PA] should do about militant groups such as IJ and Hamas. Israel says it won't move ahead with implementing the plan until the PA starts disarming the extremists, a move PA officials say would lead to civil war. "It's naive to expect Palestinian security forces to achieve in a few weeks what the Israeli army has failed in three years of continuous fighting." There have been no breakthroughs on Palestinian demands that Israel pull its troops out of West Bank cities and release more Palestinian prisoners. [WSJ, 8.15.03, A1, A6]
August 18, 2003: Israel dropped insistence that Palestinians arrest militants, as long as attacks stop. Talks on ceding Israeli control of two West Bank town hit a late snag. Israel said it will pull out of Jericho and Qalqiliya as early as today. Some Palestinians were unenthusiastic about this offer, stating there is no Israeli military presence inside Jericho, and that even after pullout, Qalqiliya will still be surrounded on three sides by the separation fences being built between Israel and the West Bank. Arafat refused Israel's offer to visit his recently deceases sister's grave in Gaza, fearing he'll be barred from returning to Ramallah. Israeli jets flew low over a residence of Syria's Assad last week, a warning to put a leash on Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. [WSJ, 8.18.03, A1, A9]
August 19, 2003: Israel and Palestinian officials are still negotiating details of the proposed-hand over of the first of four West Bank towns. Talks are expected to conclude today. Dismantling of Israeli roadblocks is a sticking point. [WSJ, 8.19.03, A1]
August 20, 2003: A Jerusalem bomb blasted peace hopes, leaving at least 20 dead. Those slain in the suicide attack on a bus carrying Ultra-Orthodox Jewish worshippers home from prayers at the Western Wall included five children. More than 100 people were wounded, also including many children. It was one of the worst attacks in the nearly three years of carnage known as the second Palestinian intifada. Israel immediately cut off all contacts with Palestinian officials, criticizing Abbas inaction. Israeli officials put the blame on Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, saying Israel was paying the price of his failure to crack down on militant groups, as he is obliged to do under the road map. Islamic Jihad and Hamas issued rival claims of responsibility. In a separate development, Israel began the process of expropriating Arab land to extend a huge fence around Jerusalem that Palestinians fear will completely isolate the city from the West Bank. [WSJ, 8.20.03, A1, A9]
August 21, 2003: Israeli forces took up positions outside West Bank and Gaza towns after Sharon approved "targeted killings" of Palestinian militants from the three main hard-line groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, following Tuesday's Jerusalem bus bombing that killed 20. Israeli tanks also moved to take position round the West Bank town of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian government. Abbas, under U.S. pressure, ordered arrests of people suspected of direct roles in the bombings, but said a broader crackdown needed Arafat's approval. Abbas also broke off all contacts with Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the blast. Yet Israel said it would act against the hard-liners irrespective of what the Palestinian Authority does. The Hamas bomber was the latest to defy Israeli profiles of a typical suicide attacker. He was a 29-year-old doctoral student with a family, not a poor young man with little to lose. [WSJ, 8.21.03, A1, A8]
August 22, 2003: Israeli helicopters killed a Hamas leader and two bodyguards in Gaza as peace hopes hung by a threat after Tuesday's bus bombing killed 20 Israelis. The reprisal killings end a nearly eight-week period of calm (calm, really?). Mr. Shanab, the target of yesterday's missile strike, a "senior Hamas terrorist" who was "involved in building its infrastructure" and was responsible for "directing and approving military operations." Mr. Shanab, a U.S.-educated engineer, was from the political arm of Hamas and a relatively moderate voice in the organization. Mr. Shanab was also killed in Gaza, not the West Bank where the most recent suicide bombers resided. Israel says the political and military wings of Hamas are indistinguishable. Following Mr. Shanab's killing, officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade declared the moribund cease-fire dead. Powell urged Arafat to crack down on extremists, saying that the Mideast may be heading for a "cliff" if the U.S. peace plan fails. Hisham Ahmed, a professor of political science at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, said, "Abbas would do himself a big favor if he resigned. He has no respect, let alone credibility, among the Palestinian people. He's neither reduced their suffering, nor done what the Israelis want him to do. He's pleased no one." Israel and the U.S. signed a $9 billion loan-guarantee package requiring an accounting for funds spent on a border fence. [WSJ, 8.22.03, A1, A7]
August 25, 2003: Israel made good on vows of what army chief called "liquidation" of militants. Helicopter missiles killed four men in Gaza, two of whom were identified as Hamas fighters. There al Asqa men were shot and one killed in a West Bank hospital Friday. Palestinian leaders struggled for control of security forces. Bush Friday froze Hamas-linked assets. The Bush administration sees Hamas as an impediment to a Middle East peace pact, and has long campaigned in diplomatic circles for a tougher crackdown on the group. Bush said Hamas's own claim of responsibility for last week's bombing "reaffirmed that it is a terrorist organization committed to violence." Bush's directive to freeze assets linked to Hamas may affect the following organizations based in Europe: the French based Committee for Welfare and Relief for Palestine; the Palestinian Relief Association in Switzerland; the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, or Interpal, with headquarters in Britain; and the Palestinian Association in Austria. A fifth organization, the Sanabil Association for Relief and Development, is based in Lebanon. [WSJ, 8.25.03, A1, A4]
August 26, 2003: Arafat named his own security adviser, further undermining Premier Abbas in a struggle for power in the Palestinian Authority as full conflict with Israel appears set to resume. Hamas supporters marched in Gaza vowing revenge. Israel handed over bodies of two Hezbollah guerrillas in what may be prelude to a prisoner exchange across Lebanon border. [WSJ, 8.26.03, A1]
August 27, 2003: Three Hamas fighters survived an Israeli missile strike in Gaza that killed a bystander. Israeli troops arrested two wounded al Aqsa men in a West Bank hospital, wheeling them out in their beds. Palestinian militants reportedly are putting on disguises and throwing away cellphones. [WSJ, 8.27.03, A1]
August 28, 2003: Arafat called for a halt to attacks on Israel and a reinstated truce, but both Israel and the U.S. dismissed it as empty rhetoric. They want an end to infighting over Palestinian security forces and action against militants. [WSJ, 8.28.03, A1]
August 29, 2003: Israel killed a Hamas man with a helicopter missile in Gaza. Earlier Israeli soldiers entered the northern part of the strip after a Palestinian missile managed to reach the city of Ashkelon, a worrisome distance mark for the Qassam. Palestinian officials froze some Islamic charity accounts. [WSJ, 8.29.03, A1]
September 2, 2003: Israel rained attacks on Hamas, with weekend helicopter strikes killing three from the group. An Israeli settler was found killed Friday. A commission found bias and excessive use of force against Arab citizens in Israel. [WSJ, 9.2.03, A1]
September 3, 2003: Israel's defense chief said he favors expelling Arafat by year end as an obstacle to peace. Meanwhile, Israeli TV said the military has concluded that airman Ron Arad, shot down over Lebanon in 1986, is alive. [WSJ, 9.3.03, A1]
September 4, 2003: Abbas demanded Palestinian lawmakers choose between Arafat and him, but a vote that could bring his resignation was put off. Israeli jets attacked Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, the second raid in a month. [WSJ, 9.4.03, A1]
September 5, 2003: Abbas asked the Palestinian parliament to back him in his struggle with Arafat, but didn't seek a vote of confidence. Separately, Israel is set to sell India a radar system that may give it an edge over Pakistan. [WSJ, 9.5.03, A1, A7]
September 7, 2003: Arafat named parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia the Palestinian premier after Abbas resigned Saturday, dealing what looks like the fatal blow to the U.S. road map. Qureia, a banker, is also known as Abu Ala and is seen as a moderate. He was part of the team involved in the secret Oslo peace negotiations several years ago and retains friendships with some Israeli officials. Israel said it won't recognize any Arafat cronies and pressed attacks on Hamas with rocket strikes in Gaza. Sheik Yassin, the group's founder, vows revenge after he was hurt in a raid. Abbas explaining his decision to resign criticized Israel of not keeping its commitment to peace, as well as criticizing the U.S. "The Americans could have pressured Israel to lift the closures of our cities and allow people to move more freely, but they did nothing," stated Abdul Jawad Saleh, a Palestinian legislator. [WSJ, 9.7.03, A1, A3]
September 9, 2003: Ahmed Qureia accepted appointment by Arafat to be prime minister after receiving what one Palestinian official called "very strong" expressions of support from the U.S. and EU. He had demanded such backing, as well as pressure for Israel to ease up on military operations. Qureia added that Israel needed to lift its siege of Mr. Arafat, remove military checkpoints, and stop killing militants and destroying Palestinian home. [WSJ, 9.9.03, A1, A20]
September 10, 2003: Israel was rocked by two deadly suicide bombings. The Islamic militant group Hamas praised both of the attacks, which followed a wave of Israeli strikes against Hamas leaders and commanders. In Jerusalem, a man blew himself up at a cafe, killing at least six and wounding more than 30. The blast occurred just hours after another attack near an army base outside Tel Aviv that killed seven along with the bomber and wounded a dozen more. The bombings came as Sharon was visiting India. Militants have frequently carried out attacks during the prime minister's visits abroad. [WSJ, 9.10.03, A1]
September 11, 2003: Israel bombed a Hamas leader's home after two suicide attacks. The missile strike flattened the house of Mahmoud Zahar, who sustained light injuries. His eldest son and a bodyguard died. the military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for Tuesday's suicide bombings in Israel, which killed 15 and wounded dozens. Palestinian prime minister-designate Qureia said he intended to quickly form a government. Israel's Sharon was considering various possible option, such as forcing Arafat into exile or ordering an invasion of the Gaza Strip. Bush urged Qureia to crack down on militants and stressed that the U.S. hasn't abandoned its "road map" Mideast peace plan. [WSJ, 9.11.03, A1]
September 12, 2003: Israel's security cabinet voted to expel Arafat, but gave no timetable. The Palestinian leader struck a defiant pose in his Ramallah compound, where Israel has tested the limits of steps its allies will countenance; the U.S. warned expulsion isn't among them. The Palestinian premier-designate, Qureia, said he is holding up on forming a government. [WSJ, 9.12.03, A1, A9]
September 15, 2003: Sharon's deputy said killing Arafat is an option as last week's call to remove the Palestinian leader drew international denunciation and revived a career in twilight. Israel's action has reaffirmed Arafat's reputation as the undisputed Palestinian leader. Some argue the surge in Mr. Arafat's popularity could also undo efforts to revive the so-called road map to peace. Observers say a newly revitalized Mr. Arafat has reasserted control over Palestinian security forces, making it harder for the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, to crack down on militant groups such as Hamas, as the U.S. and Israel demand. Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated U.S. opposition to Mr. Arafat's expulsion saying, that, while Mr. Arafat is hindering progress on the U.S.-backed road map peace plan, removing him could set the process back even further. Meanwhile, Israel backed off a plan to build a border fence around some settlementsfar inside the West Bank. [WSJ, 9.15.03, A1, A19]
September 16, 2003: Israel stepped back from a threat to kill Arafat as the new Palestinian premier ceded much government control to Arafat's Fatah faction. Meanwhile, Bush will deduct some funds from a loan package over Israeli settlement activities, but hasn't yet decided on penalties for a border fence. [WSJ, 9.16.03, A1]
September 17, 2003: The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution demanding that Israel not harm or expel Arafat, saying the text didn't condemn Palestinian terrorist groups. Separately, an Israeli official said the U.S. won't deduct funds for a border fence from a $9 billion loan package as it did over the settlement issues. [WSJ, 9.17.03, A1]
September 18, 2003: Arafat reiterated his truce offer, which Israel rejected as a sham, saying Hamas is hinting it would end attacks. The Palestinian leader said he "is ready to be a 'martyr' and will resist if Israeli troops move to oust him." An Israeli official said Hamas charities in the West Bank and Gaza get $14 million a year from Riyadh. [WSJ, 9.18.03, A1]
September 19, 2003: Bush blamed Arafat for the "road map" breakdown, calling him a failure as a leader. The Palestinian is helping select a new cabinet. Israel killed a Hamas leader in a Gaza raid. The U.N. set a Mideast session today. [WSJ, 9.19.03, A1]
September 22, 2003: An Israeli delgation arrived to discuss the route of a border fence with Palestinian lands, a project Washington has criticized. Israel rebuffed Friday's U.N. General Assembly vote demanding it rescind a decision to remove Arafat. The U.S. had vetoed a binding Security Council resolution. An IMF official said an audit found $900 million of Palestinian funds has been diverted to an account run by Arafat. Israel has made like charges. [WSJ, 9.22.03, A1]
September 23, 2003: Qureria decried "chaos" brought by armed Palestinian groups, but the premiere-designate suggested he has no plans to try to disarm militants. Separately, talk of an imminent Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap surged. [WSJ, 9.23.03, A1]
September 24, 2003: Israel denied plans to free Palestinian militia chief Barghouti as part of any prisoner swap with Hezbolah. Israel hopes to boost tourism by soliciting pledges of visits during new year's services at U.S. synagogues. [WSJ, 9.24.03, A1]
September 25, 2003: Hamas's founder emerged from hiding to denounce calls for a truce by Palestinian leaders. Israel radio said 25 military pilots are refusing to take part in targeted killings. An army panel recommended ending the draft. [WSJ, 9.25.03, A1]
September 26, 2003: Israeli forces raided a West Bank city and a Gaza refugee camp, setting off battles that left four Palestinian gunmen and a soldier dead. [WSJ, 9.26.03, A1]
September 29, 2003: Qureria presented a proposed Palestinian cabinet filled with Arafat loyalists. Thousands in the West Bank marked the latest intifada's third anniversary. [WSJ, 9.29.03, A1]
September 30, 2003: Israel agreed to alter the route of a West Bank security barrier so it won't bisect the campus of Jerusalem's al-Quds University. Ex-Palestinian security chief Dahlan said the latest uprising has left Palestinians in a weakened sate, calling September 11 the "turning point of everything." [WSJ, 9.30.03, A1]
October 1, 2003: Israel is weighing a plan to extend a security barrier nearly 20 miles into the West Bank to include Ariel. The State Department said the U.S. won't reduce Israel loan guarantees this fiscal year but may do so in the future. [WSJ, 10.1.03, A1]
October 2, 2003: Israel's government voted to build the next phase of its secuity barrier deep inside the West Bank. The fence will wind around five big clusters of Jewish settlements and enclose as many as 60,000 Palestinians on the Israeli side. [WSJ, 10.2.03, A1, A14]
October 3, 2003: Israel announced plans to build 565 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Powell said the U.S. has "concerns" about the expansion. A Sharon adviser said Israel doesn't have to meet obligations under the "road map" if Palestinians aren't disarming militants. [WSJ, 10.3.03, A1]
Presently, American taxpayers provide Israel with over $10 billion/year in direct financial aid, military support, loan guarantees and other assistance. InfoImagination is not "anti-Israeli," but we work to "Save the Palestinian" people. We simplify our position as:
We believe Jewish people need a safe and secure home, yet not at the expense of an existing culture or civilization. We recognize the suffering of the Jewish population during WWII. Yet resolving the plight of the Jewish culture by displacing millions of other inhabitants only decreases the prospects for future peace.We need a better solution now! The Palestinian people must be granted historical, legal, moral and human recognition and redress in accordance with international law and the requirements of justice. And, the Israeli people must be able to live without fear of terror. You are the answer. Please get involved -- before additional instances of terror reach our shores...
Before we begin, we ask you to consider "an opinion" from the less publicized side:
Do You Want to Reduce Terrorism? A Palestinian's Point of View
'ROAD MAP' BACKGROUND
June 29, 2003: Yasser Arafat, along with then Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, establish a temporary cease-fire between Israel and Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade.
The U.S.-led peace effort brought significant and positive negotiation activity, and the region enjoyed a relative period of calm for about four weeks. We begin our review in late July 2003.
July 28, 2003: Israel freed 100 prisoners and dismantled a roadblock near Ramallah ahead of Sharon's meeting with Bush tomorrow. Mr. Abbas harped on Israel's steadfast refusal to release some 6,000 Palestinian prisoners, a goal he said is key to the road map, even though it isn't specifically addressed in the plan. Abbas also complained about Israel's construction of a security fence near its border with the territories, which also isn't addressed in the road map. Both Bush and Israeli leaders continued their demands for dismantling the extremists groups, i.e., Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but so far Palestinian authorities have declined to confront the groups directly. [WSJ, 7.28.03, A1, A9]
July 29, 2003: Bush plans to press Sharon today on Israel's construction of a border fence before a peace deal with Palestinians is in place. An Israeli soldier who was abducted last week was found murdered in northern Israel. [WSJ, 7.29.03, A1]
July 30, 2003: Sharon said after a meeting with Bush that Israel will continue building a border fence to separate itself from Palestinian areas. The U.S. leaders said Israel must weigh the impact on the peace process. [WSJ, 7.30.03, A1, A10]
July 31, 2003: Israel proposed pulling out of two more Palestinian towns as the defense chief got set to meet with his Palestinian counterpart. Separately, a deal Palestinian boy's donated organs have saved four Israeli children. [WSJ, 7.31.03, A1]
August 1, 2003: Israel solicited bids to build new homes at a Gaza settlement, drawing a U.S. rebuke. Palestinians protested at Israel's new border fence as Israel put down a riot by Palestinian at a top-security prison. The Knesset passed a law, in effect for one year, barring Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in the Jewish state. Critics charge racism. [WSJ, 8.1.03, A1]
August 4, 2003: Four Israelis were wounded in attacks on cars near Bethlehem, and al Aqsa claimed responsibility. Israeli radio said a first batch of the 443 Palestinian prisoners approved for release will go free Wednesday. A Lebanon car bombing killed Hezbollah militant and another man in Beirut Saturday. The group blamed Israel, which declined to comment. [WSJ, 8.4.03, A1]
August 7, 2003: Israel released 334 prisoners, but Palestinian officials called that insufficient and said many were near the end of their terms anyway. An Israeli court ordered Sharon's son to turn over documents in a graft probe. [WSJ, 8.7.03, A1]
August 8, 2003: Palestinians militants executed a suspected collaborator in Ramallah's main square. [Colin] Powell toughened his stand against Israel's border fence, and said the U.S. pointed out planned parts it considers most troublesome. [WSJ, 8.8.03, A1]
August 11, 2003: The Israel-Lebanon border showed signs of re-emerging as a flashpoint as Israeli jets pounded Hezbollah positions after the shelling of a northern Israel town that killed one and wounded five. Friday, Israel posts in the disputed Shebaa Farms area were attacked for the first time in months. Two Palestinians and an Israeli soldier died in Gaza fighting on Friday. [WSJ, 8.11.03, A1]
August 12, 2003: Israel warned Syria it will be held accountable for any surge in Hezbollah attacks on Lebanon The U.S. urged all sides to show restraint. Israeli police detained a Jewish settler for making threats on Sharon's life. [WSJ, 8.12.03, A1]
August 13, 2003: Two bombing shattered six weeks of comparative Mideast calm. Two Israelis were killed in the suicide attacks by two 17-year-old Palestinians, one at a bus stop near a West Bank settlement, the other at a Tel Aviv suburb. Hamas claimed responsibility for the former, al Aqsa the latter. Hamas said the bombing was in revenge for Israel's killing of two of its operatives in a raid on the West Bank town of Nablus last week. An Al Aqsa leader said that the latest suicide bombing was an expression of frustration at the lack of progress on the road map. "We gave Israel the hunda [cease-fire], and what did they give us? Did they stop the assasinations? This wasn't just for [the deaths in] Nablus; this was revenge for all Israel's violations since the hunda." Both sides claim they are still committed to the cease-fire and road map. Prime Minister Abbas said Israeli raids into the West Bank only provoke more bloodshed. Israel's response to the bombings so far was a decision to postpone the release of 76 Palestinian prisoners, some of whom were already on a bus taking them from prison. [WSJ, 8.13.03, A1, A8]
August 14, 2003: Israel's defense minister accused Arafat of having a hand in Tuesday's suicide bombings that left two Israelis dead, using attacks to undermine Abbas. Israel demolished the family home of one of the bombers. [WSJ, 8.14.03, A1]
August 15, 2003: Israeli forces killed Islamic Jihad's [IJ] Hebron commander, wringing vows of revenge and fraying the U.S. peace plan. A planned meeting of defense chiefs went ahead, but the Palestinian condemned the action. Sheikh Bassam Sadi, IJ leader in the West Bank, called the killing a "grave crime" that the "occupation army, its soldiers and settlers will pay a heavy price for." The road map had stalled even before this most recent killing due to a dispute over what the Palestinian Authority [PA] should do about militant groups such as IJ and Hamas. Israel says it won't move ahead with implementing the plan until the PA starts disarming the extremists, a move PA officials say would lead to civil war. "It's naive to expect Palestinian security forces to achieve in a few weeks what the Israeli army has failed in three years of continuous fighting." There have been no breakthroughs on Palestinian demands that Israel pull its troops out of West Bank cities and release more Palestinian prisoners. [WSJ, 8.15.03, A1, A6]
August 18, 2003: Israel dropped insistence that Palestinians arrest militants, as long as attacks stop. Talks on ceding Israeli control of two West Bank town hit a late snag. Israel said it will pull out of Jericho and Qalqiliya as early as today. Some Palestinians were unenthusiastic about this offer, stating there is no Israeli military presence inside Jericho, and that even after pullout, Qalqiliya will still be surrounded on three sides by the separation fences being built between Israel and the West Bank. Arafat refused Israel's offer to visit his recently deceases sister's grave in Gaza, fearing he'll be barred from returning to Ramallah. Israeli jets flew low over a residence of Syria's Assad last week, a warning to put a leash on Hezbollah fighters in Lebanon. [WSJ, 8.18.03, A1, A9]
August 19, 2003: Israel and Palestinian officials are still negotiating details of the proposed-hand over of the first of four West Bank towns. Talks are expected to conclude today. Dismantling of Israeli roadblocks is a sticking point. [WSJ, 8.19.03, A1]
August 20, 2003: A Jerusalem bomb blasted peace hopes, leaving at least 20 dead. Those slain in the suicide attack on a bus carrying Ultra-Orthodox Jewish worshippers home from prayers at the Western Wall included five children. More than 100 people were wounded, also including many children. It was one of the worst attacks in the nearly three years of carnage known as the second Palestinian intifada. Israel immediately cut off all contacts with Palestinian officials, criticizing Abbas inaction. Israeli officials put the blame on Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, saying Israel was paying the price of his failure to crack down on militant groups, as he is obliged to do under the road map. Islamic Jihad and Hamas issued rival claims of responsibility. In a separate development, Israel began the process of expropriating Arab land to extend a huge fence around Jerusalem that Palestinians fear will completely isolate the city from the West Bank. [WSJ, 8.20.03, A1, A9]
August 21, 2003: Israeli forces took up positions outside West Bank and Gaza towns after Sharon approved "targeted killings" of Palestinian militants from the three main hard-line groups, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, following Tuesday's Jerusalem bus bombing that killed 20. Israeli tanks also moved to take position round the West Bank town of Ramallah, seat of the Palestinian government. Abbas, under U.S. pressure, ordered arrests of people suspected of direct roles in the bombings, but said a broader crackdown needed Arafat's approval. Abbas also broke off all contacts with Hamas, which claimed responsibility for the blast. Yet Israel said it would act against the hard-liners irrespective of what the Palestinian Authority does. The Hamas bomber was the latest to defy Israeli profiles of a typical suicide attacker. He was a 29-year-old doctoral student with a family, not a poor young man with little to lose. [WSJ, 8.21.03, A1, A8]
August 22, 2003: Israeli helicopters killed a Hamas leader and two bodyguards in Gaza as peace hopes hung by a threat after Tuesday's bus bombing killed 20 Israelis. The reprisal killings end a nearly eight-week period of calm (calm, really?). Mr. Shanab, the target of yesterday's missile strike, a "senior Hamas terrorist" who was "involved in building its infrastructure" and was responsible for "directing and approving military operations." Mr. Shanab, a U.S.-educated engineer, was from the political arm of Hamas and a relatively moderate voice in the organization. Mr. Shanab was also killed in Gaza, not the West Bank where the most recent suicide bombers resided. Israel says the political and military wings of Hamas are indistinguishable. Following Mr. Shanab's killing, officials from Hamas, Islamic Jihad and al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade declared the moribund cease-fire dead. Powell urged Arafat to crack down on extremists, saying that the Mideast may be heading for a "cliff" if the U.S. peace plan fails. Hisham Ahmed, a professor of political science at Bir Zeit University on the West Bank, said, "Abbas would do himself a big favor if he resigned. He has no respect, let alone credibility, among the Palestinian people. He's neither reduced their suffering, nor done what the Israelis want him to do. He's pleased no one." Israel and the U.S. signed a $9 billion loan-guarantee package requiring an accounting for funds spent on a border fence. [WSJ, 8.22.03, A1, A7]
August 25, 2003: Israel made good on vows of what army chief called "liquidation" of militants. Helicopter missiles killed four men in Gaza, two of whom were identified as Hamas fighters. There al Asqa men were shot and one killed in a West Bank hospital Friday. Palestinian leaders struggled for control of security forces. Bush Friday froze Hamas-linked assets. The Bush administration sees Hamas as an impediment to a Middle East peace pact, and has long campaigned in diplomatic circles for a tougher crackdown on the group. Bush said Hamas's own claim of responsibility for last week's bombing "reaffirmed that it is a terrorist organization committed to violence." Bush's directive to freeze assets linked to Hamas may affect the following organizations based in Europe: the French based Committee for Welfare and Relief for Palestine; the Palestinian Relief Association in Switzerland; the Palestinian Relief and Development Fund, or Interpal, with headquarters in Britain; and the Palestinian Association in Austria. A fifth organization, the Sanabil Association for Relief and Development, is based in Lebanon. [WSJ, 8.25.03, A1, A4]
August 26, 2003: Arafat named his own security adviser, further undermining Premier Abbas in a struggle for power in the Palestinian Authority as full conflict with Israel appears set to resume. Hamas supporters marched in Gaza vowing revenge. Israel handed over bodies of two Hezbollah guerrillas in what may be prelude to a prisoner exchange across Lebanon border. [WSJ, 8.26.03, A1]
August 27, 2003: Three Hamas fighters survived an Israeli missile strike in Gaza that killed a bystander. Israeli troops arrested two wounded al Aqsa men in a West Bank hospital, wheeling them out in their beds. Palestinian militants reportedly are putting on disguises and throwing away cellphones. [WSJ, 8.27.03, A1]
August 28, 2003: Arafat called for a halt to attacks on Israel and a reinstated truce, but both Israel and the U.S. dismissed it as empty rhetoric. They want an end to infighting over Palestinian security forces and action against militants. [WSJ, 8.28.03, A1]
August 29, 2003: Israel killed a Hamas man with a helicopter missile in Gaza. Earlier Israeli soldiers entered the northern part of the strip after a Palestinian missile managed to reach the city of Ashkelon, a worrisome distance mark for the Qassam. Palestinian officials froze some Islamic charity accounts. [WSJ, 8.29.03, A1]
September 2, 2003: Israel rained attacks on Hamas, with weekend helicopter strikes killing three from the group. An Israeli settler was found killed Friday. A commission found bias and excessive use of force against Arab citizens in Israel. [WSJ, 9.2.03, A1]
September 3, 2003: Israel's defense chief said he favors expelling Arafat by year end as an obstacle to peace. Meanwhile, Israeli TV said the military has concluded that airman Ron Arad, shot down over Lebanon in 1986, is alive. [WSJ, 9.3.03, A1]
September 4, 2003: Abbas demanded Palestinian lawmakers choose between Arafat and him, but a vote that could bring his resignation was put off. Israeli jets attacked Hezbollah sites in southern Lebanon, the second raid in a month. [WSJ, 9.4.03, A1]
September 5, 2003: Abbas asked the Palestinian parliament to back him in his struggle with Arafat, but didn't seek a vote of confidence. Separately, Israel is set to sell India a radar system that may give it an edge over Pakistan. [WSJ, 9.5.03, A1, A7]
September 7, 2003: Arafat named parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia the Palestinian premier after Abbas resigned Saturday, dealing what looks like the fatal blow to the U.S. road map. Qureia, a banker, is also known as Abu Ala and is seen as a moderate. He was part of the team involved in the secret Oslo peace negotiations several years ago and retains friendships with some Israeli officials. Israel said it won't recognize any Arafat cronies and pressed attacks on Hamas with rocket strikes in Gaza. Sheik Yassin, the group's founder, vows revenge after he was hurt in a raid. Abbas explaining his decision to resign criticized Israel of not keeping its commitment to peace, as well as criticizing the U.S. "The Americans could have pressured Israel to lift the closures of our cities and allow people to move more freely, but they did nothing," stated Abdul Jawad Saleh, a Palestinian legislator. [WSJ, 9.7.03, A1, A3]
September 9, 2003: Ahmed Qureia accepted appointment by Arafat to be prime minister after receiving what one Palestinian official called "very strong" expressions of support from the U.S. and EU. He had demanded such backing, as well as pressure for Israel to ease up on military operations. Qureia added that Israel needed to lift its siege of Mr. Arafat, remove military checkpoints, and stop killing militants and destroying Palestinian home. [WSJ, 9.9.03, A1, A20]
September 10, 2003: Israel was rocked by two deadly suicide bombings. The Islamic militant group Hamas praised both of the attacks, which followed a wave of Israeli strikes against Hamas leaders and commanders. In Jerusalem, a man blew himself up at a cafe, killing at least six and wounding more than 30. The blast occurred just hours after another attack near an army base outside Tel Aviv that killed seven along with the bomber and wounded a dozen more. The bombings came as Sharon was visiting India. Militants have frequently carried out attacks during the prime minister's visits abroad. [WSJ, 9.10.03, A1]
September 11, 2003: Israel bombed a Hamas leader's home after two suicide attacks. The missile strike flattened the house of Mahmoud Zahar, who sustained light injuries. His eldest son and a bodyguard died. the military wing of Hamas claimed responsibility for Tuesday's suicide bombings in Israel, which killed 15 and wounded dozens. Palestinian prime minister-designate Qureia said he intended to quickly form a government. Israel's Sharon was considering various possible option, such as forcing Arafat into exile or ordering an invasion of the Gaza Strip. Bush urged Qureia to crack down on militants and stressed that the U.S. hasn't abandoned its "road map" Mideast peace plan. [WSJ, 9.11.03, A1]
September 12, 2003: Israel's security cabinet voted to expel Arafat, but gave no timetable. The Palestinian leader struck a defiant pose in his Ramallah compound, where Israel has tested the limits of steps its allies will countenance; the U.S. warned expulsion isn't among them. The Palestinian premier-designate, Qureia, said he is holding up on forming a government. [WSJ, 9.12.03, A1, A9]
September 15, 2003: Sharon's deputy said killing Arafat is an option as last week's call to remove the Palestinian leader drew international denunciation and revived a career in twilight. Israel's action has reaffirmed Arafat's reputation as the undisputed Palestinian leader. Some argue the surge in Mr. Arafat's popularity could also undo efforts to revive the so-called road map to peace. Observers say a newly revitalized Mr. Arafat has reasserted control over Palestinian security forces, making it harder for the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, to crack down on militant groups such as Hamas, as the U.S. and Israel demand. Secretary of State Colin Powell reiterated U.S. opposition to Mr. Arafat's expulsion saying, that, while Mr. Arafat is hindering progress on the U.S.-backed road map peace plan, removing him could set the process back even further. Meanwhile, Israel backed off a plan to build a border fence around some settlementsfar inside the West Bank. [WSJ, 9.15.03, A1, A19]
September 16, 2003: Israel stepped back from a threat to kill Arafat as the new Palestinian premier ceded much government control to Arafat's Fatah faction. Meanwhile, Bush will deduct some funds from a loan package over Israeli settlement activities, but hasn't yet decided on penalties for a border fence. [WSJ, 9.16.03, A1]
September 17, 2003: The U.S. vetoed a U.N. resolution demanding that Israel not harm or expel Arafat, saying the text didn't condemn Palestinian terrorist groups. Separately, an Israeli official said the U.S. won't deduct funds for a border fence from a $9 billion loan package as it did over the settlement issues. [WSJ, 9.17.03, A1]
September 18, 2003: Arafat reiterated his truce offer, which Israel rejected as a sham, saying Hamas is hinting it would end attacks. The Palestinian leader said he "is ready to be a 'martyr' and will resist if Israeli troops move to oust him." An Israeli official said Hamas charities in the West Bank and Gaza get $14 million a year from Riyadh. [WSJ, 9.18.03, A1]
September 19, 2003: Bush blamed Arafat for the "road map" breakdown, calling him a failure as a leader. The Palestinian is helping select a new cabinet. Israel killed a Hamas leader in a Gaza raid. The U.N. set a Mideast session today. [WSJ, 9.19.03, A1]
September 22, 2003: An Israeli delgation arrived to discuss the route of a border fence with Palestinian lands, a project Washington has criticized. Israel rebuffed Friday's U.N. General Assembly vote demanding it rescind a decision to remove Arafat. The U.S. had vetoed a binding Security Council resolution. An IMF official said an audit found $900 million of Palestinian funds has been diverted to an account run by Arafat. Israel has made like charges. [WSJ, 9.22.03, A1]
September 23, 2003: Qureria decried "chaos" brought by armed Palestinian groups, but the premiere-designate suggested he has no plans to try to disarm militants. Separately, talk of an imminent Israel-Hezbollah prisoner swap surged. [WSJ, 9.23.03, A1]
September 24, 2003: Israel denied plans to free Palestinian militia chief Barghouti as part of any prisoner swap with Hezbolah. Israel hopes to boost tourism by soliciting pledges of visits during new year's services at U.S. synagogues. [WSJ, 9.24.03, A1]
September 25, 2003: Hamas's founder emerged from hiding to denounce calls for a truce by Palestinian leaders. Israel radio said 25 military pilots are refusing to take part in targeted killings. An army panel recommended ending the draft. [WSJ, 9.25.03, A1]
September 26, 2003: Israeli forces raided a West Bank city and a Gaza refugee camp, setting off battles that left four Palestinian gunmen and a soldier dead. [WSJ, 9.26.03, A1]
September 29, 2003: Qureria presented a proposed Palestinian cabinet filled with Arafat loyalists. Thousands in the West Bank marked the latest intifada's third anniversary. [WSJ, 9.29.03, A1]
September 30, 2003: Israel agreed to alter the route of a West Bank security barrier so it won't bisect the campus of Jerusalem's al-Quds University. Ex-Palestinian security chief Dahlan said the latest uprising has left Palestinians in a weakened sate, calling September 11 the "turning point of everything." [WSJ, 9.30.03, A1]
October 1, 2003: Israel is weighing a plan to extend a security barrier nearly 20 miles into the West Bank to include Ariel. The State Department said the U.S. won't reduce Israel loan guarantees this fiscal year but may do so in the future. [WSJ, 10.1.03, A1]
October 2, 2003: Israel's government voted to build the next phase of its secuity barrier deep inside the West Bank. The fence will wind around five big clusters of Jewish settlements and enclose as many as 60,000 Palestinians on the Israeli side. [WSJ, 10.2.03, A1, A14]
October 3, 2003: Israel announced plans to build 565 homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. Powell said the U.S. has "concerns" about the expansion. A Sharon adviser said Israel doesn't have to meet obligations under the "road map" if Palestinians aren't disarming militants. [WSJ, 10.3.03, A1]
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