January: Abu Mazen (Mahmoud Abbas) wins Palestinian presidential elections with 62- of the vote.

February: (1) A new Palestinian cabinet, comprised largely of technocrats, and led by Prime Minister Ahmed Quriea, is sworn in

(2)President Abbas and Prime Minister Sharon meet at Sharm-al-Sheikh in Egypt, where the first substantive talks between Israelis and Palestinians in five years take place
(3))Suicide bombing in Tel Aviv

March: (1) President Abbas travels to London
(2) Israel approves 3,500 new housing units in the illegal West Bank settlement of Ma’ale Adumim
(3) Also in March, the World Bank announces a controversial plan to provide money to Israel to “enhance conditions” at the many military checkpoints illegally set up by Israel in the West Bank.

April: (1) Sharon visits President Bush at his ranch at Crawford, Texas
(2) President Putin visits the region and holds talks with Abu Mazen

May: (1) 2 Palestinian children are shot dead by IDF troops in Beit Liqyame
(2) President Abbas goes to Washington
(3) Jerusalem municipality announces plans to demolish 88 Palestinian homes in Silwan, in east Jerusalem because they are “illegal”

June:  (1) Some Palestinian prisoners are released by Israel in keeping with the agreement negotiated at Sharm al Sheikh in February.
(2) Abbas and Sharon hold tense, and ultimately fruitless talks at Sharon’s house in Jerusalem..

July: (1) Suicide bombing in Netanya on (July 12, 2005 )
(2) American Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice visits Israel and Palestine on a trip that is viewed as largely symbolic and lacking in substance.

August- September: (1) The Israeli “disengagement” from Gaza dominated the headlines during August and September.

(2) Also in September, Palestinians turned out in large numbers to vote in local municipal elections held in various cities in the West Bank.

October: (1) October witnessed ugly clashes between various armed Palestinian groups, particularly in Gaza.

November: (1) Internal chaos in Fatah, centred around disagreements between the “young guard” and the “old guard” as to who should run the party.

(2) American Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice vists again, and this time brokers an accord between Israelis and Palestinians on opening the border crossings for the first time in Gaza.

(3) Also in November, Israel opens a new “terminal” which replaces the checkpoint outside Bethlehem and makes preparations for a similar terminal outside Ramallah

December:  (1) Fatah primaries are aborted and end in chaos; the “young guard,” led by imprisoned political activist Marwan Bhargouthi, announces a break-away electoral list under the name of “al-Mustaqbal.”
(2) Hamas sweeps municipal elections in key West Bank towns (Nablus, al-Bireh, Jenin)