Woman sets out to open eyes about Mideast
'If Americans Knew' formed after journalist's trip to region of conflict
By Bethe Dufresne, The Day, August 15, 2002
Author and journalist Alison Weir talks about her nonprofit organization “If Americans Knew” and her experiences in the Middle East while in Mystic Tuesday: Groton, CT — Alison Weir insists she had no political agenda and no vested personal interest when she embarked on a trip to the Mideast's West Bank and Gaza in the spring of 2001, just a sense that somehow Americans weren't getting the full story.

Extension of terrorism by other means
By Nourah Abdul Aziz Al-Khereiji, Arab News
Is the vainglorious and headstrong United States taking the world to total destruction? Blind US actions against Arab and Muslim countries will undoubtedly halt global economic progress causing untold miseries the world over. If Afghanistan was the victim of wild US attacks yesterday, tomorrow it will be Iraq’s turn. Palestine has been writhing under US-backed aggression for a long time. The turn of each Arab and Muslim country will come according to the priority on the US hit list. Billions of dollars will be spent first for the destruction and then on reconstruction. The wounds in people’s hearts will remain unhealed. What does the US administration seek by its ostensible war on terror? Is it to rob Arab and Muslim countries of their fabulous resources in order to replenish US coffers, depleted by gross economic mismanagement and company scams?

The killing of the Palestinian children by Israel
By Patrick Johnston, Arab News
A recently released USAID funded nutritional assessment indicates that acute and chronic malnutrition rates of Palestinian children under 5 have reached disastrous levels, with 13.2% suffering from emergency levels of chronic malnutrition (stunted growth) and 1/5 suffering moderate and/or severe anemia. The study, designed by Johns Hopkins University’s School of Public Health, and carried out in conjunction with Al-Quds University and Global Management Consulting Group, surveyed nutrition levels, availability of food in the market and household consumption, and found that the factors affecting the dangerous rise in malnutrition directly relates to Israeli imposed roadblocks, closures and curfews and the dismal economic situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Hold him to his word
By Yoel Marcus, Ha'aretz, August 16, 2002
As if the warnings about West Nile fever, smallpox and radioactive fallout were not enough, Sharon is now threatening us with early elections. Everyone knows, of course, that this is just a trick to get his partners in the government to vote for the budget, lest Israel's credit ratings drop. But the more you think about this threat, which he doesn't actually mean to carry out, the more you see it's not such a bad idea. It's even in the public interest to hold him to his word, before he changes his mind.

Demolishing houses - tried and tested
By Zvi Bar'el, Ha'aretz, August 16, 2002
The Israel Defense Forces has already hastened to say that there is no way of totally preventing suicide terror attacks, and, therefore, there should be no complaints if after the demolition of five homes of Palestinians whose family members have taken part in such attacks, the bombings continue. There is also no reason to suspect the Director of Military Intelligence, Major General Aharon Ze'evi, of not speaking the truth when he reported to the Knesset that the demolition of houses had already prevented five suicide terror attacks. Even if it has prevented only one such attack, it is worth it.

Danger of lawlessness becoming the norm in occupied West Bank
By Daoud Kuttab, Jordan Times, August 16, 2002
MY 14-year-old son Bishara, and his cousin ran into trouble this week. They were loitering in Bethlehem's Manger Square during the few hours the curfew is lifted, when they were confronted by much older teens who wanted to shake them down for money. The incident ended peacefully, but the fact that it took place in the centre of Bethlehem in the middle of the day is telling of a much bigger problem now manifest in the Palestinian territories.