A Chronology of U.S.-Middle East Relations

November 7:

The White House acknowledged that it had coordinated secret discussions with Iran to free U.S. hostages in Lebanon.

November 9:

The Israeli Government acknowledged that Mordechai Vanunu is under detention in Israel. The former Israeli nuclear plant technician had vanished from London after revealing to the Sunday Times that Israel has built up to 200 sophisticated nuclear weapons in a secret underground installation in Dimona.

November 9:

Amid Egypt's continuing economic problems, President Hosni Mubarak appointed Atef Sedki to replace Ali Lufti as Prime Minister.

November 10:

After Great Britain urged Common Market countries to isolate Syria for its alleged support for international terrorism, the European Economic Community voted to ban arm sales to Syria and suspend high-level diplomatic visits to and from Damascus.

November 12:

A Palestinian youth was killed by Israeli soldiers in the West Bank and a Jewish student was stabbed to death in Jerusalem's old city.

November 13:

Israel bombed pro-Arafat Palestinian targets in Sidon, Lebanon in retaliation for the previous day's attack in Jerusalem. It was the 14th Israeli raid into Lebanon this year. Two guerrillas were killed and two civilians were injured.

November 16:

Two Palestinian civilians were killed in Burg al-Barajneh refugee camps outside Beirut in clashes between Shiite Amal militiamen and Palestinian fighters.

November 17:

Israeli helicopters fired on the Palestinian camp of Ein Hilweh. Four people were wounded.

November 19:

Chadian Government soldiers loyal to President Hussein Habre were joined by opposition forces led by Goukhouni Woddei against incursions of the Libyan Army. The alliance marked the first united drive by Chadians against a foreign aggressor in 20 years.

November 19:

President Reagan in a nationally televised news conference denied a mistake was made in the decision to authorize secret arms sales to Iran.

November 20:

Israeli authorities revoked the work permit of a Palestinian-American university professor who published a poll of West Bank residents that showed widespread support for Yassir Arafat and his mainstream PLO group, Al Fatah.

November 21:

Iran named Ahmed Destalmjian as the new Iranian Ambassador to Lebanon. As Iran's first Ambassador to Lebanon is more than four years, Destalmjian is expected to tighten control over Moslem fundamentalists in Lebanon.

November 21:

The United Nations General Assembly passed a resolution introduced by the Soviet Union and Arab states condemning last April's US air attack against Libya. The vote of 79-28 with 18 abstentions in the General Assembly followed a veto of a similar resolution by the US in the UN Security Council.

November 25:

Three Americans were sentenced by a Federal Judge for shipment of weapons to Iran. Pedro Quito and David and Virginia Wheeler were all convicted of a plot to smuggle spare parts to Iran but were considered minor figures in illegal weapons sales to the country.

November 25:

Iraq used US-supplied F-4 Phantom warplanes to bomb the previously unattacked Iranian Larak Island oil shipping facility. The attack was the longest mission of the six-year war.

November 25:

President Reagan announced the resignation of his National Security Advisor, Vice-Admiral John Poindexter, and the dismissal of NSC aide Oliver North over the arms-for-hostages deal with Iran.

November 26:

The Israeli Government admitted selling US-made arms to Iran but denied any connection to funneling a portion of Iranian payments to the US-backed Nicaraguan contra rebels.

November 26:

Palestinian fighters attacked Syrian-backed Shiite Amal Militiamen near the Ein Hilweh refugee camp in South Lebanon. Mainstream PLO forces of Yassir Arafat were supported by members of formerly dissident Palestinian groups in repulsing Shiite advances in the continuing "battle of the camps" in Beirut and South Lebanon.

November 27:

Iran recalled its Ambassador to Rome and ordered three Italian diplomats to leave the country because of satirical portrayals of the Ayatollah Khomeini on state-run Italian television.

November 28:

Israel formally charged Mordechai Vanunu with treason for the sale of information about Israel's nuclear capabilities to London's Sunday Times. The former nuclear technician is accused of "collaboration with the enemy in wartime" and could receive the death penalty.

December 3:

More than 400 persons were reported killed and another 1000 wounded in 10 days of heavy fighting in Beirut and Southern Lebanon between Shiite Amal forces and Palestinian fighters.

December 3:

President Reagan named Frank Carlucci, a former Deputy Director of the Central Intelligence Agency and Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense, is his fifth National Security Advisor.

December 3:

Congressional investigators disclosed that profits from the arms sale to Iran had been deposited into a Swiss bank account managed by the CIA. This bank account had also been used to funnel money to the anti-Soviet rebels in Afghanistan.

December 3:

In a speech in Washington, Vice President George Bush defended the Reagan Administration's attempt to "open a dialogue" with Iran, saying that it "would be irresponsible to ignore its geopolitical and strategic importance."

December 5:

Two Palestinian students were killed and 11 were wounded when Israeli troops fired on demonstrators at Bir Zeit University, in one of the most violent confrontations between students at the University and Israeli occupation forces in the past three years.

December 5:

The Jerusalem Post reported that Israel's involvement in the arms-for-hostages affair stemmed from an approach by the United States in early 1985 after a direct request from President Reagan to then-Prime Minister Shimon Peres. The report coincided with an Israeli government spokesman's confirmation that Israel is "gathering information" in anticipation of an official request from Washington for cooperation in US inquiries into the affair.