Free Sample Essays > Middle Eastern History
War on the Middle East
suspected militants. Later, Israeli helicopters fire rockets into Jabalya refugee camp in Gaza Strip. Forty Palestinians are killed.
March 9
Suicide bomb; shooting spree
A Palestinian suicide bomber blows himself up in a crowded Jerusalem cafe a short distance from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's residence, killing 11 and wounding some 50.
Hours earlier, Palestinian gunmen had gone on a shooting spree in the coastal town of Netanya, killing three and wounding dozens.
March 10
Suicide bomb
A suicide bomber in a Jerusalem cafe kills 11 and wounds more than 50.
March 11
Massive military assault
In the largest military offensive since the invasion of Lebanon two decades earlier, Israeli tanks and troops storm refugee camps in Gaza and invade Ramallah, occupying the city. At least 30 Palestinians are killed, along with several Israelis.
March 14-15
Tanks pull out
Under pressure from the U.S., Israeli tanks begin pulling out of Ramallah. The next day, Israelis pulls troops out of all West Bank towns except for Bethlehem.
March 20
Suicide bomb
A suicide bomber killed seven Israelis in a bus in Umm el-Fahm in central Israel. Islamic Jihad claims responsibility.
March 21
Suicide bomb
A suicide bomber blows himself up in a Jerusalem shopping center, killing at least two Israelis and wounding dozens of others. The Al Aqsa Brigades claimed responsibility.
March 26-28
Arab League Summit
At a summit meeting in Beirut, Lebanon, delegates from many Arab states endorse a plan for peace in the region proposed by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah. The plan calls for Arab nations to accept Israel as their neighbor if Israel withdraws from the all the occupied territories, accepts the creation of a Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip with East Jerusalem as its capital, and allows for the return of Palestinian refugees.
Arafat is notably missing from the conference, having refused to attend out of fear that Israel would not allow him to return to the West Bank. Also missing were Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, Jordan's King Abdullah II, and 10 other members of the Arab League.
March 27
Suicide bomb
A suicide bomber blows himself up in the lobby of the Park Hotel in Netanya as guests gather to celebrate the first night of Passover. The blast kills at least 19 and wounds around 100 others. The radical Islamic group Hamas takes responsibility, and a spokesman from the group is quoted in Israeli media as saying that the attack was timed to undermine the Beirut meeting of the Arab League.
March 29
Suicide bomb
A female suicide bomber kills two people and herself and wounds at least 20 others when she sets off explosives in a West Jerusalem supermarket. The Al Aqsa Brigades claim responsibility.
March 29
Israel storms Arafat headquarters in Ramallah and moves into other West Bank towns
Israeli sends tanks and bulldozers to attack Arafat's Ramallah compound. As of April 4, 2002, Arafat remains isolated in the compound, having vowed that he would die as a martyr rather than surrender. The [next page]