The year 2003,
The Goal for 2003: Road Map
First phase - A truce and troop pullback - Nov. 2002 to April 2003, yeah right,
Second phase - Creation of a Palestinian state with temporary borders - May-Dec. 2003, yeah right,
New Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abba's has a turbulent four months in office, due to power struggle with Arafat,
Israel plans to build a wall between the Palestinians,
United States presents 'road map' peace plan Phase I to both sides to chew on,
Israeli and Palestinians both accept road map,
Abbas and Sharon meet with President Bush at summit, Arafat still shunned,
Militant groups agree to a cease-fire for three months,
Suicide bombings still continue, Israel may deport Arafat if he continues to undermine peace,
Israel continues to build settlements, Abbas has not disarmed militant groups,
Israel releases Palestinian prisoners, and removes six Jewish outpost in the West Bank,
Arab countries want resolution so they can get in on the economic openess and free trade like the rest of the world,
Israel strikes back at terrorist in Lebanon, and suicide bomber's home and militant groups,
Israel gives back four towns to Palestinians,
Arafat ask militant groups to halt attacks,
Abbas resigns in power struggle with Arafat, who now has the road map endorsed, rebuilds Cabinet to his liking.
Israel tries to kill Hamas founder, head of the snake, and wants to remove Arafat,
Suicide bombings and retaliation strikes return,
United Nations condemn Israel's actions against Arafat, thus giving Arafat his world stage to get his foot back in the door,
Road map peace plan is stalled in a cycle of violence and blame-fixing,
Israel OKs extension of security barrier,
Israel plans to build West Bank homes,
Bomber kills 19 bystanders in Haifa,
Israel hits terror site in Syria,
Bush says Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorists,
New Palestinian leader says he'll seek truce,
Israeli forces raid Gaza refugee camp,
Syria says it has right to self-defense if Israel attacks,
Palestinian prime minister plans to quit over latest Arafat clash,
Arafat appoints new security chief,
U.S. Embassy Convoy bombed in Gaza Strip,
Israeli stage deadly attacks,
Israel rejects U.N. call to remove West Bank wall,
Israel releases map of West Bank fence it's building,
Israelis respond to attacks by razing buildings,
Israel denies plans to kill Arafat as road map falters,
Palestinian prime minister plans a two-stage truce,
Arafat says he is ready to talk peace with Israel,
Arafat blocks formation of Cabinet,
U.S. pushes Mideast democracy,
Arafat maintains control of security forces,
Israel OKs prisoner swap with Hezbollah,
Ex-security chiefs urge Israel to make peace with Palestinians,
Palestinians may halt attacks if Israelis join cease-fire, too,
Israeli, Palestinian premiers to meet 'in the coming days',
Palestinian groups agree to truce talks,
Sharon: Israel will make concessions for peace,
Palestinian deadlock dims hope of full-scale truce with Israel,
U.S. envoy pushes for revived talks in Mideast,
Sharon unveils his 'disengagement plan',
Death toll in Mideast violence down sharply this year,
Sharon's disengagement plan critizied,
Bomber kills four in Israel,
Hamas, Israel end attacks on each other,
Israel reportedly will vacate four West Bank settlements.

• 3/19/2003 - Pressured by Washington and Israel, Yasser Arafat names Abbas, his deputy in the Fatah movement, as first Palestinian prime minister.
• 3/22/2003 - Abbas meets with Fatah leaders to discuss possible candidates for the Cabinet.    Considers former Gaza security chief who resigned in dispute with Arafat for powerful job of interior minister.    Arafat opposes choice of Mohammed Dahlan.    Abbas keeps post for himself, appointing Dahlan as his security chief.
• 3/24/2003 - Israel considers plans to wall off more land by Paisley Dodds, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israel is considering two plans to extend a barrier (electronic fences) separating Israelis from Palestinians, in order to protecct Israel and Jewish settlements from attacks by Palestinian militants.    Both would likely claim more land for Israel and muddy progress on a U.S.-backed plan for Palestinian statehood.    Palestinians accused Israel of trying to sabotage peace efforts while the world's attention is on the war in Iraq.
• 4/29/2003 - After days of wrangling with Arafat over Abbas' choice for the Cabinet, Palestinian lawmakers approve new government.
• 4/30/2003 - Abbas takes office as prime minister hours after suicide bombing kills three people in Tel Aviv.
• 5/1/2003 - U.S.-backed "road map to peace presented to both sides; Palestinians immediately accept it.
• 5/11/2003 - Palestinians hope state won't stay so small by Karin Laub, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- A "Palestinian state with provisional borders" is a centerpiece of the new Mideast peace plan, perhaps the one idea that makes this prescription for ending the Israeli-Palestinian conflict different from its many predecessors.
      International mediators, who wrote the "road map" plan, optimistically envision the mini-state by as early as the end of this year.    They hope it will give Palestinians a sense of progress toward real independence - they'd get international recognition and perhaps U.N. membership - and reassure Israel that it has nothing to fear from Palestinian sovereignty.
      It appears to be an enticing offer.    But many Palestinians fear a "little Palestine" will become permanent (trapped at that stage) - allowing the world to forget about their plight and Israel to keep the rest of the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
      Israel has not agreed to the provisional state until the Palestinians scrap some extreme demands.    The provisional state is an "option," but saying Phase II would focus on setting it up, with plans of this being formed by the end of 2003 by an international conference.
      One proposal says the Palestinians would need at least 68 percent of the West Bank and all of the Gaza Strip to set up a viable interim state.    That would require removing about 20,000 Jewish settlers from 50 settlements.
• 5/11/2003 - Powell asks Mideast to 'get on with' peace process by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Secretary of State Colin Powell began a new push for Middle East peace that has been bolstered by a change in Palestinian leadership on April 30.    Powell will press Israel to ease economic restrictions on Palestinians and deal with settlement activity.    The blueprint, or "road map," for peace prescribes a freeze of construction of homes for Jews on the West Bank and Gaza and a cut in Israeli outposts in those areas.
• 5/17/2003 - Abbas meets with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to discuss peace moves in first Israeli-Palestinian summit since talks in 2000 collapsed.    In further talks with Sharon, Abbas fails to win large-scale release of thousands of Palestinian prisoners or troop pullouts from West Bank.
      Abbas refused to crack down on militants, as required by peace plan, for fear of sparking civil war.    He later opens negotiations with miltant leaders to halt attacks on Israel.    Hours after first summit, suicide bombing kills seven people in Jerusalem; another bomber blows up on city's outskirts, killing only himself.
• 5/25/2003 - Israel's government conditionally accepts road map.
• 6/4/2003 - Abbas and Sharon meet President Bush at summit in Aqaba, Jordan.
• 6/11/2003 - Attack on Jerusalem bus kills 17.
• 6/19/2003 - Bombing at West Bank, grocery store kills one Israeli.
• 6/28/2003 - In rare display of emotion, Abbas promises demonstrators in West Bank town of Ramallah that he'll work harder to get Israel to free Palestinian prisoners.
• 6/29/2003 - Evangelical Christians have own 'road map' - Few support Bush's plan - by Jason Keyser, The Associated Press.
      Ariel, West Bank -- Digging into the West Bank soil, Christians from Denver planted seedlings in a vineyard as a blessing for the 18,000 Jews who have built a town here on land the Palestinians claim for their state.
      The congregation that supports this settlement believes the Old Testament obliges them to support the Jewish people's return to the lands from which they were exiled 2,000 years ago.    Christians from America's evangelical Protestant churches (i.e. Jerry Falwell and the Rev. Pat Robertson) are among the most outspoken opponents of a new U.S.-backed peace plan.
      The Israelis do not want the support and take offense at the theological scenario envisioned by some evangelicals of a final, apocalyptic battle between good and evil in which Jesus returns and Jews either accept him or perish.
      About 220,000 Israelis have settled in the occupied lands since 1967.    Many evangelicals take literally God's biblical promise to Abraham to give the Jewish people the Holy Land.
• 6/29/2003 - Palestinian leaders want more militant groups to join cease-fire - Hama, Islamic Jihad to announce truce - by James Bennet, New York Times News Service.
      Jerusalem -- Militant Hamas and Islamic Jihad groups and Arafat's Fatah declare immediate suspensions of attacks against Israel.    Israel begins pulling troops out of Gaza.
      The Palestinian truce agreement calls for a "suspension of military operations against Israel occupation" for three months.
• 7/7/2003 - Suicide bombing of central Israel house kills Israeli woman.
• 7/8/2003 - In largely symbolic gesture, Abbas steps down as deputy head of Fatah Central Committee, the movement's top executive body, reflecting split within main Palestinian political group over negotiations with Israel.    Committee refuses to accept resignation.    On same day, Abbas threatens to resign as prime minister unless party backs his tactics in talks with Israelis.
• 7/13/2003 - Israel may deport Arafat if he undermines peace by Jill Lawless, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israeli Prime Minsiter Ariel Sharon urged Europeans leaders to cut off ties with Yasser Arafat, and Israel would consider deporting the Palestinian leader if he continued trying to "scuttle the peace process."
      Of course the Palestinians believe it is Sharon who is endangering peace moves with his "incitement" against Arafat, who is waging something of a power struggle against his moderate, U.S.-backed prime minister, Mohamoud Abbas.
• 7/23/2003 - U.S. urged to pressure Israel.
      Jerusalem -- Palestinians believe that the Uninted States should press Israel for a firm schedule of peace moves ahead of White House talks between Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and President Bush.    Bush is expected to take steps outlined in the road map, which foresees a Palestinian state by 2005.
      Israel has not frozen settlement construction and removed West Bank outpost.    Abbas has not disarmed militant groups, and militants who declared a three-month moratorium on attacks which they will resume unless Israel releases thousands of Palestinian prisoners.
• 7/25/2003 - Abbas gets red-carpet welcome by Barry Schweid, The Associated Press.
      Washington -- President Bush is registering his faith in Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, a moderate who is determined to end violence and promote reform with the Palestinian movement.    Whereas for 2 ^1/2 years, he has shunned Arafat, who he viewed as a failed leader entwined in corruption and terror.
• 7/26/2003 - Bush calls Palestinians' Abbas man of peace by David Stout, The New York Times.
      Washington -- President Bush called Abbas a man of peace who is committed to bettering the lives of his people.    Bush announced the creation of a Joint Palestine Economic Development Group, to be made up of U.S. and Palestinian officials who will investigate ways to create more jobs and ease the poverty among Palestinian people.    Bush has recently approved a grant of $20 million to the Palestinian Authority.
• 7/28/2003 - Israel approves release of low-risk Palestinian captives by Steve Weizman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israel's Cabinet voted to release (540 within a week) jailed Islamic militants, partially satisfying a Palestinian demand in peace talks and strengthening Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's hand ahead of a meeting with President Bush.
      Palestinians have been calling for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners, arguing that at least 3,000 of the 7,700 in Israeli jails present no security risk.    Israel still contends that the Palestinians must first disarm militant groups, as called for in the road map.
• 8/1/2003 - Israel goes against peace plan.
      Jerusalem -- Israel announced it was accepting bids to build (22 homes) new housing in a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, even though the U.S.-sponsored "road map" for peace bars such activity.
• 8/3/2003 - Israel orders removal of more settlement outposts by Jill Lawless, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israel ordered police and soldiers to remove six unauthorized Jewish outposts in the West Bank and evict their occupants as a step toward complying with a U.S.-backed peace plan.
• 8/7/2003 - Israel releases 339 prisoners; Palestinians demanding more - Squabble putting peace effort at risk - by Molly Moore, The Washington Post.
      Jerusalem -- The Israeli government released 339 Palestinian prisoners, a move hailed by Israel as a good-will gesture and assailed by Palestinians as a public relations sham.
• 8/8/2003 - Transforming the Middle East by Condoleezza Rice, Security Adviser to the President.
      America and our friends and allies must commit ourselves to a long-term transformation in the Middle East.    A region of 22 countries with a combined population of 300 million, the Middle East has a combined GDP less than that of Spain, population 40 million.    It is held back by what leading Arab intellectuals call a political and economic "freedom deficit."    A sense of hopelessness provides a fertile ground for ideologies of hatred that persuade people to forsake a good life and aspire instead to blow themselves up, taking as many innocent lives with them as possible.
      These ingredients are a recipe for regional instability, and pose a continuing threat to America's security.    Our task is to work with those who seek progress toward greater democracy, tolerance, prosperity and freedom.
      As President Bush stated, "The world has a clear interest in the spread of democratic values, because stable and free nations do not breed ideologies of murder.    They encourage the peaceful pursuit of a better life."
      Palestinian leaders understand that terror is not a means to Palestinian statehood but instead the greatest obstacle to statehood.
      Regional leaders have spoken of a new Arab charter that champions internal reform, greater political participation, economic openess and free trade.
• 8/11/2003 - Israel hits back at terrorists in Lebanon - Teen killed in shelling; warplanes respond - by Gavin Rabinowitz, The Associated Press.
      Shlomi, Israel -- Israeli warplanes attacked suspected Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon, hours after the group shelled northern Israel, killing a 16-year-old and wounding five others, including an infant.
• 8/12/2003 - Sharon, Arafat blame each other for continued Mideast conflict.
• 8/12/2003 - Bombings at bus stops near West Bank settlement of Arie and in Israeli town of Rosh Haayin kill three Israelis.
• 8/13/2003 - Israel demolishes suicide bomber's home, warns that Palestinians must dismantle militant groups by Ian James, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israeli troops demolished the West Bank home of a teenage suicide bomber, after two bombing attacks prompted Israeli warnings that peace moves will fail if the Palestinians do not start dismantling militant groups.
• 8/16/2003 - Israel to hand over four towns by Lara Suktian, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israel agreed to withdraw from four more West Bank towns, ending weeks of deadlock with the Palestinians over security issues and putting a troubled U.S.-backed peace plan on track.    Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan reached the deal at a time when the "road map" peace plan seemed in jeopardy.    Israel will withdraw from the West Bank towns of Jericho and Qalqiliya next week and remove some military roadblocks.    Then a withdraw from the towns of Ramallah and Tulkarem in the last week of August, provided there are no shooting and bombing attacks and the Palestinian security forces begin dismantling militant groups.
• 8/19/2003 - Hamas suicide bombing on Jerusalem bus kills 22 people, causing Israel to intensify campaign to crush Palestinian miltants.
• 8/21/2003 - Palestinian militants call off two-month unilateral cease-fire after Israeli missile strike kills senior Hamas political leader.
• 8/23/2003 - Israel plans more militant assassinations by Stephen Graham, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant and wounded two others at a West Bank hospital as Israel vowed to hunt down and kill militant leaders unless Palestinian authorities rein in the armed groups.
• 8/25/2003 - In power struggle with Abbas, Arafat appoints Jibril Rajoub, former West Bank security chief, to vacant post of national security adviser.    Rajoub is rival of Abbas' security chief.
• 8/28/2003 - Arafat calls on militant groups to halt attacks by Stephen Graham, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Yasser Arafat asked militant groups to halt attacks on Israelis, the Palestinian leader's first public attempt to restore calm after the collapse of the armed groups' unilateral truce.    Israel, which tried to sideline Arafat from the peace process. dismissed his appeal as empty rhetoric and said the army would keep rounding up terror suspects and hunting down their leaders.
      The United States is pressing the Palestinians to act against militants, a key requirement under the "road map" peace plan.
• 9/1/2003 - Israel: Ousting Abbas will derail peace - Move would hurt 'road map' - by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- The Israeli foreign minister warned that the U.S.-backed "road map" to peace would be derailed if Mahmoud Abbas is ousted as the Palestinian prime minister.    "Israel will not negotiate with a new government formed under the instructions and the influence of Arafat," Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said.    Arafat has resisted giving Abbas full control of security forces for a crackdown on militants.
• 9/2/2003 - Israel defense minister: Arafat must 'disappear' by Karin Laub, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said that Arafat must "disappear from the stage of history," and added that the Palestinian leader's fate - most likely expulsion - may be decided before the end of the year.
• 9/4/2003 - Abbas no-confidence vote could topple administration.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Abbas asks parliament to support him or strip him of his post, saying infighting is keeping him from making progress on peace plan.
• 9/6/2003 - Abbas steps down by The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Abbas, weakened by power struggle with Arafat, submits resignation after four months.
• 9/7/2003 - Israel tries to kill Hamas founder after Abbas quits - Events in Mideast could push sides to escalate violence - by James Bennet, New York Times News Service.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Mahmoud Abbas submitted his resignation as Palestinian prime minister which was accepted by Yasser Arafat, president of the governing Palestinian Authority.
      Hours later, Israel tried to kill the spiritual leader and founder of Hamas, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, with an airstrike in Gaza City, as Bush's Mideast peace appears to be disintegrating.    Israel used a 550-pound bomb to strike at Hamas terrorist meeting with him (i.e. the "head of the snake"), which they deem necessary if there is to be peace in the Middle East.
      Any one who tries to stand up to Arafat will be seen as a pawn of the United States and Israel.    The Bush administration has not been too involved with the peace process till after the Iraq war.    The road map was not endorsed until after someone could be appointed prime minster and supplant Arafat as the representative in talks.
• 9/8/2003 - Arafat seeks new premier by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qureia won recognition for secret talks with Israel that led to the famous handshake on the White House lawn in 1993 between Yasser Arafat and Israel's Yitzhak Rabin - the birth of the peace process.    Arafat asked Qureia to take over as prime minister following the resignation of Abbas.    Qureia, No. 3 in Arafat's Fatah movement, has long been considered a possible successor to Arafat, and has credibility with Palestinians.
• 9/9/2003 - Palestinian nominee urges Israel to comply - Qureia has not officially accepted prime minister post - by Lara Sukhtian, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Qureia said that Israel must comply with its obligations under the "road map" peace plan, or he will face the same impossible situations that felled Abbas.    He warned unless Israel changes its attitude toward Arafat, there is no point in appointing a Palestinian prime minister.
      The U.S. sees Arafat who has been an obstacle to peace before; and he's an obstacle to peace now.
  
• 9/10/2003 - Twin suicide bombings kill at least 14 in Israel - Violence underscores the apparent collapse of U.S.-backed talks - by The Associated Press.
      Rishon Letzion, Israel -- Twin Palestinian suicide bombings - one at a bus stop crowded with soldiers near Tel Aviv, the second five hours later at a popular Jerusalem nightspot - killed at least 14 Israelis and wounded dozens as the region grappled with a new wave of savage bloodletting.
      The Islamic militant group Hamas, has carried out most of the roughly 100 suicide bombings against Israelis over the past three years.
• 9/11/2003 - Hamas leader's home struck in response to deadly attacks - Israel considers invasion of Gaza, expulsion of Arafat - by Ibrahim Barzak, The Associated Press.
      Gaza City, Gaza Strip -- Israel bombed the home of a Hamas leader (Mahmoud Zahar) in retaliation for two suicide bombings.    Sharon is considering forcing Palestinian leader Arafat into exile or ordering a large-scale invasion of the Gaza Strip.
      Palestinian prime minister Qureia said he would move quickly to form a government to head off a wide-scale Israeli attack.    President Bush said "The road map is still there.    The fundamental question is whether or not people, peaceful people, will be on the road."
• 9/13/2003 - As world decries threat, Israelis pledge they will remove Arafat - Leaders say critics don't understand the risk he poses - by Ian James, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israeli leaders shrugged off condemnation of their decision to "remove" Arafat whenever they choose, saying the Palestinian leader should have been ousted long ago and the world has no right to judge a nation facing constant suicide bombings.
      The whole world condemned that action, even the U.S., mostly in not giving Arafat a stage to promote from.
• 9/14/2003 - Arafat calls for talks on Oslo Accord anniversary.
• 9/16/2003 - Israel backs off threats to kill Arafat by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israel backed off from threats to kill Arafat, while the incoming Palestinian prime minister ceded control over many Cabinet appointments to Arafat's Fatah party.
• 9/17/2003 - Israel rejects Palestinian cease-fire proposals by Dan Perry, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Israeli officials rebuffed Palestinian proposals for a comprehensive cease-fire, saying the miltary would not halt strikes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip until Palestinian security forces begin dismantling militant groups.
      Meanwhile, the United States vetoed an Arab-backed U.N. resolution (pressed by Syria) demanding that Israel halt threats to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from the West Bank, because it did not contain a condemnation of terrorist groups (i.e. Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade).
      Eleven of the 15 Security Council nations voted in favor of the resolution, while Britain, Germany and Bulgaria abstained.
• 9/18/2003 - Arafat offers new truce to Israel; Hamas may agree to end attacks by Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Arafat offered a new truce to Israel after the militant group Hamas has signaled it might agree to stop attacking Israelis.    Israel wants to see the Palestinian Authority begin disarming Hamas and other militant groups before it would consider a new truce.
      To date 2,468 people have died on the Palestinian side and 858 on the Israeli side in three years.
      Palestinian Prime Minister Qureia said once he forms a new government, he will call on the Israelis to agree to a mutual cease-fire to clear the way for re-opening negotiations and making progress on the stalled "road map" peace plan.
• 9/21/2003 - Israel dismisses resolution; Arafat praises U.N. nations by Lara Sukhtian, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Arafat told supporters that a U.N. vote condemning an Israeli decision to remove him is an important sign of international support for the Palestinians.
      Israel dismissed the U.N. General Assembly resolution, which passed 133-4 with 15 abstensions, and said the Palestinians should focus their energy on fighting terrorism.    Israel insisted that the new government formed by incoming Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia cut links to Arafat.    Arafat is tainted by terrorism, and continues focusing their energies on rhetoric instead of fighting terrorism.
  
• 9/22/2003 - Israelis begin Washington visit to discuss security barrier route by Matthew Rosenberg, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- An Israeli delegation will visit Washington to present proposed routes for a hotly disputed security barrier between Israel and the West Bank.    Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel's threat to "remove" Arafat have been effective, leading Arafat to take steps against terrorism, a rare positive comment from Sharon.
      The West Bank barrier is supposed to prevent Palestinian suicide bombers and other attackers from infiltrating into Israel, but the suggested route cuts into the West Bank in several places.    Israel has completed about 90 miles of the barrier and wants to speed up construction after two suicide bombings.    When finsished it would run more than 360 miles.
• 9/23/2003 - Israel and Lebanon said to be near deal on prisoner swap by Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Palestinian source said that Israel has agreed to in principle to free hundreds of prisoners.    Israel has refused to release anyone who participated in terror attacks.    Separately, Israel and the Lebanese militia Hezbollah have been in direct contact about a possible prisoner swap for many months.
• 9/23/2003 - Threats boost Arafat's standing among Palestinians - Bush, Sharon inadvertently aid his popularity - by Alan Cowell, The New York Times.
      Gaza City, Gaza Strip -- President Bush called him a failed leader, and Israel said he should be removed or even killed.    Despite efforts to sideline him, Arafat has reemerged to claim support among Palestinians.    Both Washington and Israel blame Arafat for failing to rein in the Islamic militants of the Hamas movement who are behind the wave of suicide bombings.
      Comment: Anyone can see that Arafat let Abbas get the road map going, forced him to resign, so that he could push himself back in the headlines, and push his pity party on the world.    He is fooling no one, anyone who is in favor of him, most likely just wants stability to come to the area so that it benefits themselves.
• 9/24/2003 - Settlements said to cost Israel at least $560 million a year by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- The Israeli government spends at least $560 million a year on subsidies, infrastructure and education for 220,000 Jewish settlers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.    The figure does not include military spending in those areas.    Since capturing the West Bank and Gaza in 1967, Israel has spent at least $10.1 billion on settlements.    This is a tense issue, since Israel is suffering from a deep economic crisis at present.
• 9/25/2003 - Hamas chief rejects truce, disarmament.
      Gaza City, GazaStrip -- Hamas will not disarm or accept a truce with Israel, the leader of the militant group, Sheik Ahmed Yassin, said in his first public appearance since Israelis forces tried to kill him with an airstrike.    This will undercut efforts by incoming Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, to negotiate a cease-fire with Israel without confronting the militants.
• 9/27/2003 - Sharon determined to remove Arafat by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- Ariel Sharon is determined to remove Arafat, even at the risk of harming the Palestinian leader.    Palestinian leaders said Sharon was undermining peace efforts and his statement was a clear sign Israel was planning to kill Arafat.
      Israel tightened its security because of the two-day Jewish New Year holiday, banning all Palestinians from entering Israel.
• 9/27/2003 - Two marking Jewish New Year are killed by Palestinian gunman by The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem -- A Palestinian gunman broke into a Jewish settlement in the West Bank and opened fire in a home where a family was marking the Jewish New Year, killing a man and a toddler and shattering Israel's efforts to maintain calm over the holiday.
• 9/28/2003 - Israelis, Palestinians trapped in violence - 3,337 dead as latest intefadeh approaches its third anniversary - by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- After three years, Israelis and Palestinians are trapped in a cycle of stalled peace initiatives, violence and blame-fixing.    Israelis live in fear of suicide attacks and Palestinians suffer army raids and the humiliation of Israeli roadblocks.    As the latest intefadeh, or uprising, reaches its third anniversary today, with 2,477 dead on the Palestinian side and 860 on the Israeli side, few hold out hope for a change.
      At present the "road map" peace plan is stalled.
• 9/28/2003 - Cabinet approved by Arafat faction by Lara Sukhtian, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Arafat's Fatah faction approved a new Palestinian Cabinet that included several longtime allies of the Palestinian leader but not a key security official who Israel and the United States had hoped would rein in Palestinian militants.
• 9/29/2003 - After three years, Palestinians seek to continue violence against Israel by Lara Sukhtian, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank -- Palestinians marched to support Arafat as they marked the third anniversary of the latest violent uprising, or intefadeh, which began on Sept. 28, 2000, and has claimed thousands of lives.
      If the violence continues, the result could be a complete collapse of the Palestinian Authority.    The Islamic militant group Hamas pledges to continue the uprising nonetheless, and are more interested in the right to resist the occupation.
• 9/30/2003 - Ousted Palestinian official says attacks on Israel a mistake by Ibrahim Barzak, The Associated Press.
      Gaza City, Gaza Strip -- The ousted Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan said his people were better off before they launched their armed uprising.    Dahlan has been left out of the emerging Cabinet of premier-designate and replaced by Ahmed Qureia.    Arafat has blocked the efforts by outgoing Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his security chief Dahlan to implement the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan by disarming militant groups.
      Dahlan in an interview said the Palestinians misread the implications of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks in the United States.    "Nine-eleven was the turning point of everything," he said.    "We did not understand 9-11 in a correct and substantial way, in order to ... bring back the international legitimacy for our (Palestinian) Authority and for our president (Arafat)."
      Abbas has said that the uprising, suicide bombings and shootings weakened the Palestinians' international standing at a time when the West was becoming increasingly sensitive to the threat of terrorism.
      Dahlan said before the current uprising, "we were in a better position than we are now, politically and internationally."    Israeli premier Ehud Barak was proposing a Palestinian state in all of Gaza and more than 90 percent of the West Bank, with a foothold in Jerusalem.    Israel's economy was growing at 6 percent annually, and Palestinian peace hopes were on the upswing.    All this changed because Sharon visited a contested Jerusalem holy site known to Muslims as Haram as-Sharif and to Jews as the Temple Mount (i.e. the place to rebuild the third temple) on Sept. 28, 2000.    Deadly clashes broke out the next day.
• 10/1/2003 - Israel OKs extension of security barrier.
      Jerusalem - Israel's Cabinet approved an extension of a security barrier east of Ariel that would swing around Jewish settlements deep in the West Bank, but would have large gaps for now to address U.S. concerns.    Palestinians officials demanded that the United States stop the construction, as a deliberate attempt by Israel government to sabotage President Bush's vision of a two-state solution, to undermine the peace process and to destroy the road map peace plan.    The United States wants the barrier to run close to the Green Line, the frontier between Israel and the West Bank before the 1967 Mideast war.    U.S. officials have threatened to reduce Israeli loan guarantees if the fence veers too far into the West Bank.    Israeli officials say the fence will eventually surround and enclose about 2 million Palestinians and is designed to stop Palestinian suicide bombers from entering Israel proper.    About one-quarter of the 400-mile fence, a 60-yard wide complex of ditches, 25-foot-high walls, electronic sensors, roads and steel fences.
• 10/3/2003 - Israel plans to build West Bank homes.
      Jerusalem - Israel announced it would build 565 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, violating a U.S.-backed peace plan and angering Palestinians already seething over plans to build a security barrier deep into the West Bank.    The "road map" peace plan requires a freeze in construction in about 150 Jewish settlements throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which Israel seized in the 1967 Middle East war.    Israel said it did not have any responsibility to meet its obligations until Palestinians crack down on militant groups, claimed Zalman Shoval, Israeli Prime Minister.
• 10/5/2003 - Bomber kills 19 bystanders in Haifa by Peter Enav, The Associated Press.
      Haifa, Israel - A Palestinian woman wrapped in explosives blew herself up inside a seaside restaurant at lunchtime popular with both Arabs and Jews, killing 19 bystanders, including four children, injurying 55, and ending a month of relative calm.    The bombing prompted new calls for Israel to act on threats to expel Yasser Arafat, since this bombing came on the Jewish Sabbath a day before the start of Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish Calendar.
• 10/6/2003 - Israel hits terror site in Syria - Air strike is first such raid in 30 years.
      Jerusalem - Israel launched a predawn surprise air strike deep in Syrian territory outside of Damascus, bombing what it called a Palestinian terrorist training camp to retaliate for a suicide bombing from Islamic Jihad in northern Israel the day before.    The first Israeli air strike inside Syria in 30 years ago today, will probably widen the conflict to neighboring Arab states.    Syria denied that the bombed site, Ein Saheb camp was a terrorist camp, and Jordan and Egypt condemned the attack.    Israel is emphasizing Syria's role in supporting radical groups.
      Syria urged the U.N. Security Council to condemn the strike as blatant military aggression, while Israel defended the attack and accused its neighbor of harboring terrorists.    U.S. Ambassador John Negroponte stated that "The United States believes that Syria is on the wrong side of the war on terrorism.    We believe it is in Syria's interest, and in the broader interest of Middle East peace, for Syria to stop harboring and supporting the groups that perpretrate acts such as the one that occurred yesterday."    Britain, China, Russia and the European Union was critical of Israel.
      Yasser Arafat installed an eight-member emergency Cabinet with Ahmed Qureia as prime minister, an apparent attempt to deflect possible Israeli action against him after the suicide bombing.
      Since Syria is listed as a state sponsor of terrorism since three decades ago, the U.S. has done nothing toward Israel attacks on Syria or Lebanon, thus enlarging the conflict, or reign in the militant groups.    This is a definite message to Syrian President Bashar Assad.
• 10/7/2003 - Bush says Israel has the right to defend itself from terrorists by Terence Hunt, The Associated Press.
      Washington - President Bush declined to critisize Israel for its air strike deep inside Syria, saying Israel "has the right to defend herself."    But Bush also cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to try to avoid escalating tensions in the region, and stated the Palestinian Authority must do more to fight terror.    In order for there to be a Palestinian state, they must fight terror.
• 10/7/2003 - New Palestinian leader says he'll seek truce by Karin Laub, The Associated Press.
      Abu Dis, West Bank - A quick push to reach a truce with Israel, but no crackdown on militants despite U.S. pressure - that's how Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia summed up his agenda after taking office.    Qureia's basic approach differs little from that of his predecessor, Mahmoud Abbas, who resigned, with no formula for the deadlock.    The Hamas and Islamic Jihad will not lay down their arms, and no security plan is in place.
• 10/11/2003 - Israeli forces raid Gaza refugee camp - Land and air strike kills at least eight, injures about 50 - by John Ward Anderson, The Washington Post.
      Jerusalem - Israeli tanks and attack helicopters stormed the Brazil refugee camp near Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip, sparking intense gun battles with Palestinian militants and destroyed three buildings used by them.    Israel believes they are targeting tunnels also used to smuggle weapons from nearby Egypt.    Rafah is a slum of more than 90,000 people and has become a prime location for smugglers, and more than 70 tunnels were dsicovered there.
• 10/11/2003 - Syria says it has right to self-defense if Israel attacks by Donna Abu-Nasr, The Assocaited Press.
      Damascus, Syria - Syria's military of 320,000 troops is no match for Israel's modern, well-trained army, and President Bashar Assad has no effective military option in response to Israel.
      I guess Syria should quit protecting terrorist.
• 10/13/2003 - Palestinian prime minister plans to quit over latest Arafat clash by Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank - Interim Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said he intends to give up his post, dampening hopes of reviving a stalled U.S.-backed peace plan.    Arafat and Qureia disagree over the amount of control the Palestinian leader will retain over Palestinian armed forces, as well as procedural and personal issues.
      Israel and the United States insist Arafat hand over authority, charging he is tainted by terrorism.    Arafat's 1996 term as the elected president has expired.    If Queria quits, he would be the second in five weeks to resign overs disputes with Arafat.    Therefore he is interfering with any acceptable negotiation with Israel and preventing the creation of a Palestinian state by 2005.
      The new nine-member Palestinian cabinet also plans to resign in 3 weeks.
• 10/13/2003 - Arafat appoints new security chief by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Yasser Arafat appointed Hakam Balawi, a senior official from his ruling Fatah party, as acting security chief.
• 10/16/2003 - U.S. Embassy Convoy bombed in Gaza Strip by Imbrahim Barzak, The Associated Press.
      Beit Lahiya, Gaza Strip - A remote-controlled bomb tore apart an armored vehicle in a U.S. diplomatic convoy, killing three American security guards in the first attack on a U.S. target in the Palestinain territories.
• 10/21/2003 - Israeli stage deadly attacks - 11 killed in Gaza - by Washington Post and Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Israeli military aircraft staged several attacks against Palestinian militants and their weapons strorehouses in the Gaza Strip at the Nusseirat Refugee Camp, killing 11 people and wounding more than 20.    Israel claims the Palestinians are using their population to hide behind.    The day before Palestinian militants fired eight homemade rockets into southern Israel.
• 10/23/2003 - Israel rejects U.N. call to remove West Bank wall.
      Jerusalem - Israel rejected a call by the United Nations to dismantle a massive barrier being built in the West Bank.    The U.N. vote was 144-4, and the United States was one of the opposed.
• 10/25/2003 - Israel releases map of West Bank fence it's building by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - The detailed map shows a planned security barrier, which would cut off 70,000 Palestinians from the rest of the West Bank, while keeping 80 percent of Jewish settlers on the Israeli side of the fence.
• 10/26/2003 - Israelis respond to attacks by razing buildings by Ibrahim Barzak, The Associated Press.
      Gaza City, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces retaliated for a deadly attack by militants on the Netzarim Jewish settlement, blowing up three large, empty 12-story buildings after evacuating 2000 Palestinians from their homes.    Palestinian militants used these buildings as lookout points to attack.
• 10/28/2003 - Israel denies plans to kill Arafat as road map falters - Sharon plans to provide services to eight outposts - by Josef Federman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said for the first time yesterday that Israel has no plans to kill Yasser Arafat, even as he accused the Palestinian leader of continuing to orchestrate attacks on civilians.    Sharon and Israel confirmed plans to begin providing services to eight settlement outposts in the West Bank.    This dealt another blow to the faltering U.S.-backed peace plan, known as the "road map," which calls for a construction freeze in Israel settlements and removal of outposts erected since 2001.    Israel said it will take no further action on the road map until the Palestinians begin dismantling militant groups, as required by the plan.
• 10/30/2003 - Palestinian prime minister plans a two-stage truce by Mark Lavie, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said he has a two-stage strategy for a cease-fire to end three years of Mideast violence -- negotiate a truce with militant Palestinian groups and then ask the Israeli to match it.    The new truce would replace one that collapsed in the summer from June 29 till about six weeks.    The European Union officials plan to set aside $7 million to support the so-called Geneva peace plan, reached by former Israeli and Palestinian peace negotiators, which calls for Israel to return almost all the land it captured in the 1967 Mideast war in exchange for peace with the Palestinians.    Israel expresses opposition to the EU initiative.
• 11/3/2003 - Arafat says he is ready to talk peace with Israel.
  
• 11/5/2003 - Arafat blocks formation of Cabinet - Palestinian leader rejects premier's security chief - by Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat delayed the formation of a new Cabinet by blocking his premier's choice for security chief, which will slow efforts to restart peace talks with Israel after a three-month freeze in contacts.    Arafat refuses to relinquish control over some of the security services.    Qureia's candidate, Gen. Nasser Yousef, seeks broad powers.    Israel and the United States refuse to deal with Arafat, who they charge is tainted by terrorism.    Arafat wants Hakam Balawi, a senior official from his ruling Fatah party in the post.    This is the only issue holding up formation of the government.
• 11/7/2003 - U.S. pushes Mideast democracy - Bush: Backing change will take decades - by New York Times.
      Washington - President Bush said America must be committed to promoting democracy in the Middle East "for decades to come."    He prodded Saudi Arabi and Egypt to lead Arab nations toward democracy.    Lots of rhetoric.    Most regimes there are prone to totalitarianism and fanaticism, and to assume that the Arabs will reform themselves is a long shot.
• 11/9/2003 - Arafat maintains control of security forces - Palestinian leader wins power struggle with prime minister - by Mohammed Daraghmeh, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank - After a meeting with Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia, Arafat came out the clear winner, maintaining his ultimate hold on security forces by placing them under the command of a 12-member national security council of which he is chairman.    He also placed his handpicked confidant in the post of interior minister.
• 11/10/2003 - Israel OKs prisoner swap with Hezbollah - Lebanese warn against deal collapse - by Peter Enav, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Israel's Cabinet narrowly approved a prisoner swap with Hezbollah after debates.    Under the deal, about 400 Palestinians and several dozen prisoners from Lebanon, Syria, Morocco, Sudan and Libya will be released in exchange for Israeli businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three Israel soldiers.    More than 7,000 Palestinians are held by Israel.
• 11/15/2003 - Ex-security chiefs urge Israel to make peace with Palestinians by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Four former Israeli security chiefs called on Israeli government to withdraw from the West Bank and Gaza Strip for their own survival, even if it leads to a clash with some 220,000 Jewish settlers who live there.
• 11/16/2003 - Palestinians may halt attacks if Israelis join cease-fire, too - Truce could help revitalize 'road map' peace plan - by Ravi Nessman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Palestinian militant groups are willing to halt suicide bombings and other attacks if Israel promises to stop military operations in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• 11/18/2003 - Israeli, Palestinian premiers to meet 'in the coming days' by Mark Sherman, The Associated Press.
      Ramallah, West Bank - Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would meet his Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Qureia, "in the coming days."    Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman met with Israeli officials as well as Qureia and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.    A cease-fire is considered an essential first step toward progress along the "road map" which leads to a Palestinian state in 2005.
• 11/21/2003 - Palestinian groups agree to truce talks - Officials optimistic the conference will be successful - by Mark Lavie, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Palestinian militant groups have agreed to attend truce talks in Cairo, Egypt.
• 11/28/2003 - Sharon: Israel will make concessions for peace - Premier warns Palestinians time for agreemnet short - by Dan Perry, The Associated Press.
      Tel Aviv, Israel - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel will be forced to make territorial concessions as part of future peace efforts, but warned Palestinians that time was running out for them to reach a negotiated settlement.    Palestinians reacted with anger at Sharon's warning that Israel might seize land if peace negotiations fail.    Palestinians have still ignored their requirement that they dismantle the terrorist groups that have killed hundreds of Israelis in suicide bombings and shootings.    Palestinians will not honor the meeting if continued construction of the barrier, which is threatening the prospects for peace.
• 12/7/2003 - Palestinian deadlock dims hope of full-scale truce with Israel by Lara Sukhtian, The Associated Press.
      Cairo, Egypt - Hopes faded for Palestinians to offer a full-scale truce to Israel as the militant Hamas and Syrian-based factions said that they would accept only a narrow cease-fire halting attacks on civilians inside Israeli territory.    Hamas and Islamic Jihad would only agree to a limited truce, ending attacks on civilians in Israel but not on Jewish settlers or Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
• 12/14/2003 - U.S. envoy pushes for revived talks in Mideast by Steve Weizman, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - A U.S. envoy, with David Satterfield, a senior State Department official, met Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia on a visit to the region that is meant to help restart the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.    He has arranged a three-way meeting to try to break the impasse over the terms of an Israeli-Palestinian summit.
• 12/19/2003 - Sharon unveils his 'disengagement plan' - Israeli leader gives Palestinians months to reach peace deal - by Dan Perry, The Associated Press.
      Herzliya, Israel -Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that Israel was willing to move some Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip but delivered an ultimatum that Palestinians had only a few months to make peace or Israel would impose its own solution.    Palestinians, Israeli doves and Jewish settlers criticized Sharon's long-awaited policy speech.    The White House credited Sharon with taking significant steps toward peace but opposed any go-it-alone moves by Israel that would undercut negotiations on a U.S.-backed "road map peace plan to create a Palestinian state by 2005.
      Key points in new policy.
  • Israel will disengage unilaterally, even if Palestinians do not dimantle terror groups.
  • Israel will relocate some settlements to reduce friction.
  • Israel will speed up construction of a temporary border security barrier along the West Bank.
  • Israel will ease travel restrictions in the West Bank to allow Palestinian civilians to resume normal life.
  • Israel will remove unauthorized settlement outposts.
  • Israel will coordinate its moves with the United States.
• 12/20/2003 - Death toll in Mideast violence down sharply this year by Jason Keyser, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - The death toll in the third year of Israeli-Palestinian violence fell to about half the previous year's (Palestinians 658/Israeli 241).    Palestinians said they had fewer attacks because of hopes over the past year for an end to the violence, while Israeli analyst cited the construction of a massive barrier complex in the West Bank and other security measures that have severely disrupted Palestinian daily life.    Altogether, 2,583 people have died on the Palestinian side and 898 on the Israeli side from the fighting that began Sept. 28, 2000.
• 12/20/2003 - Sharon's disengagement plan critizied - Settlers see it as 'a surrender' to Palestinian terror - by Gavin Rabinowitz, The Associated Press.
      Ganei Tal, Gaza Strip - Jewish settlers, Israeli doves and Palestinian leaders critizied Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon's plan for Israel to draw its own boundary with the Palestinians if peace efforts don't progress rapidly.
      In Jerusalem the Israeli, and Palestinian leaders express a desire to meet to renew peace efforts at a summit.    An Egyptian dignitary, Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, is schedule to meet with Israel today, and the Palestinian officials next week.
• 12/26/2003 - Bomber kills four in Israel - Violence returns with Gaza strike - by John Ward Anderson and Molly Moore, The Washington Post.
      Bnei Brak, Israel - A Palestinian detonated explosives at a bus stop in this Tel Aviv suburb, killing himself and four Israelis in the first suicide bombing inside Israel in three months.    Ten minutes earlier, Israel helicopter gunships fired at a car in Gaza City and killed six people, including a senior Islamic Jihad official.
• 12/27/2003 - Hamas, Israel end attacks on each other - Full cease-fire may come soon, Israeli official says - by Laurie Copans, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Hamas, the Islamic group responsible for most suicide bombings, has called off attacks in Israel, and a full cease-fire could come in a matter of weeks, Israel's military chief Shaul Mofaz said.    Israel will hold off targeting Hamas leaders.
• 12/29/2003 - Israel reportedly will vacate four West Bank settlements by Gavin Rabinowitz, The Associated Press.
      Jerusalem - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon appointed a prominent military officer to oversee his unilateral disengagement plan, required by the three-stage U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan.    All four settlements are in the West Bank and are inhabited.    The first stage calls for "dismantlement" of violent Palestinian groups and the removal of outposts established since March 2001, along with a freeze in construction in older settlements.
  

Last updated June 19, 2004.