5.10.95 The Israeli Knesset (Parliament) ratifies by a 61-59 majority the interim agreement with the Palestinians.

8.10.95 After 105 days in a Palestinian prison, Hamas leader Dr. Mahmoud Az-Zahar is released. On his release he expresses support for stabilizing the situa¬tion and improving relations between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Hamas. The two parties are working on a draft of an agreement between them, the main points of which are Hamas participation in minor tasks in the PNA, stop¬ping Hamas military activities in and from the territories under the rule of the Authority, the question of Hamas participation in the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) and the question of Hamas recognition of the agreement with Israel. Ideological differences of opinion on the future and the role of Hamas emerge during the discussions between the movement's leadership in the Diaspora and those in the territories. On 16.10.95 Sheikh Ahmad Bahar is released from prison as is Salameh Safadi on 26.10.95 - steps defined as "confidence¬building" between the deliberating parties.

9.10.95 Haidar Abdel- Shafi, one of the opposition leaders in the Gaza Strip and founder of the National Democratic Coalition, announces his intention to partici¬pate in the elections to the PLC and calls upon the Hamas movement also to par¬ticipate "like all the political organizations."

9.10.95 Israeli President, Ezer Weizman, and head of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Central Command, Ilan Biran, refuse to release four Palestinian women prisoners who had been convicted of murder. In protest, 22 other women prisoners refuse to be released from Israeli prisons. As determined in the interim agreement, Israel releases the first of three waves of prisoners, 1,000 in number. Contrary to hopes in the terri¬tories, only small numbers join protests on behalf of the women prisoners.

11.10.95 The IDF vacates four offices of the Civil Administration in the territories on the first day of.the process of Israeli redeployment in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

13.10.95 The head of the People's (former Communist) Party, Suleiman Najjab, announces that his party will participate in the elections to the PLC.

16.10.95 The then-Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, and the Chairman of the PNA, Vasser Arafat, announce the schedule for the redeployment of the IDF in the West Bank as well as the date of the elections to the Palestinian Legislative Council:
January 20,1996, before the Ramadan holiday.

17.10.95 In Jenin, a temporary municipal council is agreed upon, with the parti¬cipation of all the large Palestinian organizations, including the opposition.
The U.s.A. announces its decision to permit the Palestinians to export mer¬chandise to it without custom duties.

24.10.95 In America the two Houses of Congress confirm the bill to transfer the U.s. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. President Bill Clinton decides not to veto the law but announces that he will delay it "for security reasons."

26.10.95 Fathi Shikaki, leader of the Islamic Jihad, is murdered in Malta, on his way from Libya to Syria. Israel does not announce officially that it is not responsible for the attack. The Palestinian rejection front calls for revenge. On 28.11.95, following the mourning period for Shikaki, a Jewish businessman is murdered in Turkey. An unknown person announces that this is an act of revenge for the murder.

30.10.95 At the Amman Economic Summit, the establishment is announced of the Regional Development Bank in Cairo, with f capital of five billion dollars. It is also announced that the committee for supervision and coordination of regional economic activity will be located in Amman.

4.11.95 Israeli Prime Minister, Yitzhak Rabin, is murdered by an Israeli rightist during a rally in support of peace in Tel Aviv.
Tens of heads of states attend'the funeral in Jerusalem, including Egyptian President, Husni Mubarak, King Hussein of Jordan and representatives from Morocco, Oman and Qatar. After consulting with Israel, Arafat decides not to go to the funeral due to the controversy likely to ensue from his being in Jerusalem. On 9.11.95 he makes a condolence visit to Leah Rabin in her home in Tel Aviv.
In the wake of the murder, Shimon Peres takes over the position of prime minister.

13.11.95 The IDF completes its redeployment from Jenin and its surroundings. The evacuation, the transfer of rule to the Palestinian police and the start of joint patrols, all of which are carried out in full and close cooperation between the par¬ties, are described as "efficient and business-like."

29.11.95 Two Israeli Border Policemen are kidnapped in Jenin by men of the "Black Panther" unit, while the IDF surrounds a cafe in Qabatia where a wanted member of the unit garrisoned himself. Many hours later, the kidnappers hand the Israelis over to the Palestinian police who return them to Israeli officers. The kid¬nappers and the wanted man surrender to the Palestinian security forces. Several days later they are tried and receive prison sentences.
In the wake of this incident, more than 90 armed members of Fatah units in the Jenin area accept the proposal of the Palestinian security forces, relinquish their arms and join these forces.
Subsequently, Fatah activists in Nablus demonstrate their strength toward the entry of the Palestinian police, and in the disturbances, lDF soldiers open fire and wound more than 20 of the demonstrators.

9.12.95 The PNA delays the opening of registration of candidates for the elections to the PLC in the hope that Hamas representatives will decide to join.

10.12.95 The IDF hands Tulkarem, and its surroundings, and two days later Nablus, to the Palestinian Authority. The evacuation of Nablus is accompanied by demonstrations against the departing Israeli soldiers.

12.12.95 Arafat appoints a former senior Hamas official as head of "the office for national dialogue." Parallel to this, the official closes his paper, which was seen as the Hamas organ.
On the following day a delegation of Hamas leaders sets out for Cairo for talks with representatives of the PNA. The parties do not succeed in reaching an agree¬ment, but the Hamas movement announces that it will not instruct its followers to boycott the elections or to sabotage them.

15.12.95 From the roof of the former HQ of the Israeli military government in the town, Arafat addresses a mass rally in Nablus and announces his candidacy in the elections for president on January 20,1996.

16.12.95 The IDF evacuates Qalqilia. Learning the lesson from the evacuation of Nablus, the Palestinian police forbids the use of arms by citizens during the evacuation.
The U.N. General Assembly votes by a large majority for the right of self¬determination of the Palestinian people, stressing the need for Israeli withdrawal from all territories conquered in 1967.
Arafat, in his capacity as head of Fatah, approves the list of Fatah candidates that had been chosen in internal elections, for the elections to the PLC, but makes some changes. As a result, many of the former decide to run as independent can¬didates.

17.12.95 The leader of the "Fatah Hawks" in Nablus, Ahmad Tabouq, hands him¬self over to the Palestinian police following a long chase and siege. The Palestinian Authority announces it will put him and his C'rmed men on trial.

19.12.95 The Hamas movement announces that it will not participate in the elec¬tions as a party, but it is not out of the question for people identified with it to run in the elections with the "Islamic Salvation Party" which was established in Gaza.

21.12.95 The IDF hands over Bethlehem to the PNA.

26.12.95 The Palestinian police enters five villages in the vicinity of the town of Hebron. In one of those villages, Palestinian youngsters give flowers to the departing Israeli soldiers.

27.12.95 The IDF evacuates Ramallah, thus completing the transfer of the six big towns in the West Bank to the Palestinian Authority, as determined in the interim agreement. Hebron, the seventh town, will be handed over to the Palestinians in March 1996. This will complete the evacuation by the IDF of the West Bank. The evacuation was generally implemented in an orderly fashion, in full cooperation between the Palestinian police and the IDF.
In this period, in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, four Palestinians were killed by the Israeli security forces and one by an Israeli civilian. (All figures from B'Tselem.)