PASSIA: Jerusalem Chronology

1996

1996 Jan. 3: Haaretz reports plans for a new settlement with 1,100 housing units near Beit Hanina, to strengthen the North-Jerusalem settlement belt and link Pisgat Zeev and Neve Yacov settlements as well as Road no. 13 and Road no. 1.
Jan. 8: Shufat villagers confront WJM bulldozers paving a road on their land; the road plan foresees the destruction of 17 Arab houses and 380 dunums of lands.
Jan. 13: Israeli forces force participants of a meeting on the elections at the East Jerusalem football stadium out and into the YMCA.
Jan. 14: Israeli army prevents Hanan Ashrawi and Zahira Kamal - candidates for the Jerusalem constituency - from entering the city; arrest Ashrawi's driver and two aides.
Jan. 15: The Likud Party plasters East Jerusalem with posters warning Palestinians in Hebrew and Arabic not to vote in the upcoming elections or to lose their residency rights
Jan. 17: Israel redeploys from Abu Dis. Ahmed Qrei'a raises the Palestinian flag, declares the city freed.
- During his visit to Orient House, Dutch FM Kok confirms his country's position that Arab Jerusalem is an integral part of the OPT.
Jan. 20: First Palestinian elections take place - Israeli army threatens and hassles voters in Jerusalem.
Jan. 1996: LAWE begins creating a file on Palestinian property in West Jerusalem, perhaps to be used by Palestinian negotiators in the final status talks.
- Israeli settlers digging under "absentee's property" in Silwan damage the base of a house.
- Israeli bulldozers start construction of a road in Shufat/Beit Hanina. The plan swallows 100 acres and 17 houses and prevents Palestinian building in the area.
Feb. 12: Israel imposes a total closure across Palestinian territory until the end of Eid al-Fitr (22 Febr.).
- During a meeting with Faisal Husseini, FM Helene Fallen reaffirms Sweden's position on East J’lem as inseparable part of the OPT.
Feb. 25: A suicide bomb attack on Jerusalem bus no.18 leaves over 20 people dead and dozens injured. "Yahya Ayyash Unit" claims responsibility. Israel imposes a total closure on the territories.
Feb. 26: A Palestinian-American gunned down by settlers after running into a bus stop near French Hill, used by Israelis, killing one and injuring 20.
March 3: A suicide bombing on bus no. 18 in Jerusalem leaves 20 dead and many injured. PM Peres announces a halt in the peace negotiations and declares Hamas war.
March 6: IDF Central Command Ilan Biran orders to close the Colleges of Islamic Da'wa & Religious Affairs and of Science & Technology in Abu Dis.
March 7: In Beit Hanina, the Israeli police closes the Sciences and Islamic Education Congress.
March 10: First Israeli police station in East Jerusalem opens in the post office building in Salah-Eddin St.
March 12: Turkey's President Suleiman Demirel visits Al Aqsa Mosque
March 17: Israeli police raid and close the Holy Land Assistance Fund in Beit Hanina.
March 20: The IDF destroys the house of Muheddin Sharif, suspected of being involved in the recent bus attacks, in Beit Hanina.
- In preparation for demolition the IDF seals the Abu Dis family home of imprisoned Ayman Abdel Majid Sidr, accused of being involved in the August (Nahalat Shiva) and December 1994 (Binyaney Ha'uma) bombing attacks in Jerusalem.
March 21: Israeli police prevent a NGO conference on "Jerusalem on the Eve of the Final Status Negotiations: Toward a Strategy to Defence the City", organised by AIC from being held at Ambassador Hotel.
March 22: Israeli army raid Ambassador Hotel, arrest 15 West Bank workers without permit.
March 31: During Palm Sunday processions Israeli police attack Palestinian Catholic Scouts, injure 7.
March 1996: Israel begins withdrawing ID cards of Palestinian Jerusalemites living outside the city.
- Knesset passes first reading of a bill presented by the Likud ordering the closure of Orient House.
April 7: Israeli forces raid a mosque near A-Ram and order it to close, as well as the Islamic kindergarten and the elementary school.
April 8: Some 90 Israeli settlers allowed to enter Al-Aqsa compound for Pessach prayers; 15 Jewish extremists arrested when attempting to enter the compound forcefully; 1,200 Israeli forces deployed in and around the Old City.
May 16: Right-wing Israelis march through East Jerusalem to celebrate "Jerusalem Day".
- Israel renames Mujahadeen Road (leading to the Old City via Stephen's gate) "Mordechai Gur Road" (Israeli commander whose troops first broke into the Old City during the 1967 War), and erects a memorial wall for him on Muslim property in the Yusufiyeh cemetery.
May 20: Israeli forces destroy the house of Abdul Malik Zaru in Qaddoum Valley (Silwan), home to 14, for being renovated without permit.
May 24: Right-wing Israelis rampage through the Old City, smash shop windows, attack by-standers and damage Palestinian cars.
May 28: Israeli High Court decides to evict the Jahalin bedouins from their site, offer resettlement near the Izzarieh rubbish dump.
May 30: Israeli officials try to evacuate Khalil Malhi from his house in Wadi Hilweh, Silwan, claiming that the house was sold to an extremist Jewish group.
May 31: Jahalin bedouins hold a demonstration in protest of Israeli plans to evict them.
June 2: Israeli bulldozers begin to pave a road to service the new Har Homa settlement and to link Abu Ghneim hill with Route No. 160, separating Bethlehem from J’lem.
June 6: An Israeli undercover unit kills Daoud Yacoub Shweiki ouside his house in Ras al-Amud.
June: Israel settlers attack several houses in Silwan.
- Palestinian land in Beit Safafa is sold in an auction to Israeli companies on the grounds that the owners had failed to pay property tax.
- Israel confiscates 350 acres in Nabi Samuel on the pretext to build a nature reserve.
- Izzariyeh Village Council receives demoltion orders for 20 houses.
July 4: WJM halts construction on a "recreational" area at Bab al-Rahma after parts of the nearby cemetery collapse.
July 18: Israeli High Court ruling allows Israeli extremists to enter Al-Aqsa compound.
July 25: A group of Jewish extremists try to enter Orient House.
- Extremist Jews enter the Dome of the Rock Mosque after an unprecedented Israeli High Court decision to allow the Temple Mount Faithful to observe the commemoration of the Second Temple's destruction.
July 30: PLC member Abdul Qader opens an office in his Beit Hanina home to serve his constituents.
July 1996: Saudi Arabia grants $30 mill to the PNA; $10-12 mill for Hebron, the rest for Jerusalem.
- French FM de Charette reconfirms the position of France and the EU on Palestinian rights in Jerusalem.
Aug. 2: PLC member Hatem Abdul Qader is given 24 hours to close his office with reference to the law forbidding PA activity in Jerusalem.
Aug. 12: The WJM destroys two houses in Kufr Aqab and one each in Hizma, Jabe' and Anata.
Aug. 13: The WJM destroys two houses in Issawiyeh.
Aug. 14: The WJM destroys the the Sweiyat family home in Sur Baher.
Aug. 25: PA reportedly closes three offices in Jerusalem (Youth & Sports Club,PALGRIC, Palestinian Association for Vocational Training) under Israeli pressure and as concession to reactivate the peace talks.
Aug. 26: Israeli forces raid the home of Hatem Abdul Qader, seize furniture due to unpaid arnona tax.
Aug. 27: Israeli forces demolish Burj al-Laqlaq Centre for Handicapped in the Old City for being built without license.
Sept. 17: Israeli forces destroy the house of Ayman Yaghmur, home to 7, inside Jaffa Gate for being built unlicensed.
Sept. 19: A group of settlers breaks into the Rashid family's home in Nablus road after Ateret Cohanim illegally purchased the house from a family member living in the UK.
Sept. 24: At dawn,the Israeli government inaugurates a tunnel under Haram al-Sharif compound (linking the Wailing Wal and Via Dolorosa). Palestinian protestors are apprehended by Israeli forces who arrest 30.
Sept. 25: In the wake of the news of the tunnel opening, clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces break out in Jerusalem; Israeli forces attack protestors incl. PNA Ministers and PLC members. Jerusalem observes a commercial strike.
Sept. 27: Israeli soldiers invade Al-Aqsa compound, fire at worshippers, killing three and injuring 125. Subsequent protests faced tear gas and rubber bullets.
Sept. 1996: 48 Palestinian homes are earmarked for take-over by settlers after being bought by Ateret Cohanim and El-Ad.
Oct. 9: IDF shoot at Palestinian Jerusalemite students who tried to get to Bethlehem University to attend their classes.
Oct. 13: Shufat residents get confiscation orders for 75 acres of land (Um al-Amad area) needed to construct a road linking Rekhes, Pisgat Zeev & Ramot Eshkol settlements.
Oct. 1996: Israeli Infrastructure Min. Sharon announces new railroad from Jerusalem to Tel Aviv, at least half of which will be built on Palestinian land.