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2002 - The daily Intifada
Summary of the most importent events of the year
March 2002 - Saudi Peace Initiative
Crown
Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia proposed a Saudi peace initiative in
March 2002 that formally changed the Arab world's position on
Israel. The proposal, endorsed by the Arab League, asked Israel to
withdraw to the 1949 borders and establish an independent and
sovereign state of Palestine with East Jerusalem as its capital. It
stipulated that displaced
Refugees should either be allowed to return to their homes or be
compensated for their loss of property. In return, the Arab states
would consider the Arab-Israeli conflict over, sign comprehensive
peace treaties with Israel, and normalize relations. The proposal
was received with skepticism by Israel and had little practical
effect. But
the indecency of negotiations of the world of Islam with the Zionist
regime was wiped out and thus the Arab world was prepared to show
more flexibility against Israel.
13.03.2002 - U.N. Resolution 1397
The
U.S. pushes through the passage of U.N. Resolution 1397 by the
Security Council, demanding an "immediate cessation of all acts of
violence" and "affirming a vision of a region where two states,
Israel and Palestine, live side by side within secure and recognized
borders". The U.S.
tried to pretend it favored while infact the United States acted in
a way profitable for Israel.
14.03.2002 - Ramallah under attack
Israeli forces continue the raid on Ramallah and other West Bank
towns. Many
Palestinians were killed in these attacks.
29.03.2002 - Palestinian cities under attack
Israeli
forces begin Operation Defensive Shield, Israel's largest military
operation in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War. Within
twenty-four hours, the Israel Defense Forces had issued emergency
call-up notices for 30,000 reserve soldiers, the largest such
call-up since the 1982 Lebanon War. The stated goals of the
operation as claimed by Israel government (as conveyed to the
Israeli Knesset by Prime Minister
Ariel
Sharon on April 8, 2002) were to "enter cities and villages which
have become havens for the resisting forces; to catch and arrest
resisting forces and, primarily, their dispatchers and those who
finance and support them; to confiscate weapons intended to be used
against Israeli citizens; to expose and destroy the resisting forces
facilities and explosives, laboratories, weapons production
factories and secret installations. The orders are clear: target and
paralyze anyone who takes up weapons and tries to oppose our troops,
resists them or endanger them.
By April 3, the IDF was conducting major military operations in all
Palestinian cities with the exception of Hebron and Jericho. The
major points of conflict were, Bethlehem, Jenin, Nablus, Ramallah.
During the operation, strict curfews were placed on at least six
major Palestinian cities, resulting in complaints by human rights
groups that essential medical attention was being denied to sick and
elderly Palestinians, as well as complaints that Israel was
practicing collective punishment, which is prohibited under the
Fourth Geneva Convention. In some cities, there were scheduled
breaks in the curfews. In others, curfews continued uninterrupted
for a week or more.
Throughout the two weeks of fighting in Jenin and for a few days
afterward, the city and its refugee camp were under curfew.
12.04.2002 - Jenin refugee camp massacre
The
Massacre of Jenin took place in April 2002 in Jenin's Palestinian
refugee camp as part of Operation Defensive Shield, a large-scale
military operation conducted by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), the
largest conducted in the West Bank since the 1967 Six-Day War.
In spite of great news censorship, the news of this massacre was
spread out.
In this massacre
more than 200 Palestinians were martyred, 300 were
wounded and thousands of others were captured by Israeli forces.
The
massacre attracted widespread international attention because
journalists reported that a massacre of Palestinians had taken place
during the fighting, and that hundreds, or even thousands, of bodies
had been secretly buried in mass graves by the IDF.
June 2002 - Israeli apartheid separation wall
Israel
begins construction of the West Bank Wall. The Israeli West Bank
barrier is a physical barrier being constructed by Israel consisting
of a network of fences with vehicle-barrier trenches surrounded by
an on average 60 meters wide exclusion area (90%) and up to 8 meters
high concrete walls (10%). It is located within the West Bank.
The barrier (I) is an illegal attempt to annex Palestinian lands
under the guise of security (ii) violates international law (iii)
severely restricts Palestinians who live nearby, particularly their
ability to travel freely within the West Bank and to access work in
Israel, thereby undermining their economy.
22.07.2002 - The assassination of Salah Shahade
IDF
assassinated a top Hamas leader Salah Shahade, 14 others were also
killed in the missile strike on the apartment building, including 9
children.
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