Naboth had a Vineyard
By Uri Avnery, Palestine Chronicle, October 25, 2002
TEL AVIV (PINA) - Had they been there last Saturday at sunset, most Israelis would not have believed their eyes. In the middle of Havarah, a small village south of Nablus, 63 Israelis, men and women, young and old, were standing together with dozens of Palestinian villagers. Jews and Arabs talked together, drank juice offered by the hosts, exchanged addresses and phone numbers. The local children were wearing stickers brought by the guests, showing the flags of Israel and Palestine. Nobody bore arms. All of them looked happy, and with reason: they had just finished a hard day’s work at olive picking. They had been together under the trees. They were together when the settlers opened fire.

Polls - When Measuring Is Manipulating
By Norman Solomon, Media Monitors Network, October 18, 2002
Before decisions get made in Washington -- and even before most politicians open their mouths about key issues -- there are polls. Lots of them. Whether splashed across front pages or commissioned by candidates for private analysis, the statistical sampling of public opinion is a constant in political life.

The strategic battle over the outposts
By Ze'ev Schiff, Ha'aretz, October 25, 2002
Somehow, the battle over the illegal outposts has been diverted into questions such as whether a government minister - in this case, National Infrastructure Minister Effi Eitam - is entitled to voice crude remarks about a cabinet colleague, or whether an army officer is entitled to instruct his soldiers to desecrate the Sabbath. However, the matter is a far more crucial one, and will affect the chances of achieving peace between Israel and the Palestinians, and the Arabs in general.

Loving the Jewish Community Means Supporting Justice
By Starhawk, Tikkun, September/October, 2002
Supporting justice in the current crisis in the Middle East is not easy. The issues are painful for any Jew to face. Criticizing Israel comes at a huge emotional cost for all of us who were raised to love her. And when we do, we meet a wall of denial, hostility, and rage. Yet if we truly love Israel and the Jewish people, we must speak and act against the policies of the Israeli government. The Israeli occupation of Palestine is a huge injustice. I have recently returned from spending time in occupied Palestine. I have witnessed the siege of the Balata refugee camp, seeing with my own eyes the level of ongoing repression and humiliation that the occupation entails. I could detail the abuses I saw, and what may be worse, the way the occupation is a constant, relentless assault on any sense of hope or safety, any possibility of normal life.

A government without Eitam
Editorial, Ha'aretz, October 24, 2002
A few hours after he hurled coarse insults at Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, National Infrastructure Minister Effi Eitam hastily apologized. This apology's validity expired quickly; soon enough, Eitam blasted Ben-Eliezer in media interviews. Prime Minister Sharon censured Eitam and demanded a vow from the National Religious Party minister that he will refrain from such statements in the future. Sharon also promised Labor ministers that he will hold the fiery-tongued Eitam in check, but whether Sharon's promises will be kept looks doubtful. Eitam represents a troublesome phenomenon in our public life. He was considered a controversial officer during his years of service in the Israel Defense Forces, and after the defeat of a High Court petition protesting his promotion to the rank of brigadier general, Judge Dalia Dorner put harsh criticisms of Eitam on the record in a minority opinion; it can be assumed that these statements influenced Eitam's superiors when they later decided not to promote him. In the end, Eitam quit military service in protest against his non-promotion to the rank of major general; he claimed that the real reason underlying his deferral was his political views. His character traits, however, did not prevent him from striding forward in the political sphere; they even helped him move ahead.

Short of a coup against Saddam, war this winter is inevitable
By Fergal Keane, The Independent, October 26, 2002
By putting the stress on the word 'disarm', the Americans and the British have laid a trap for Saddam Hussein: New York. This is the city where the most intense negotiations in the UN's history are taking place, but you wouldn't get any sense of that from watching American television. Instead, the networks and cable channels are obsessed with the private war of a sniper. Entirely understandable, you might say. If such a thing were happening in Britain we, too, would have wall-to-wall coverage. Even the lifts in my hotel are fitted with televisions so that the moronic voices of cable channel presenters, intoxicated with drama, can accompany us from floor to floor. But several blocks across town on the banks of the East River a drama of pretty astonishing proportions is being played out to remarkably little local attention.

Excuse Me? Israel's Justification for Killing Palestinians
By Kathleen Christison, Miftah, October 24, 2002
Yossi Alpher (former director, Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies, Tel Aviv University), "Violence and Non-Violence by Palestinians and Israelis: A Question of Definition," bitterlemons.org, October 7, 2002: Dear Dr. Alpher:  I have just read your article on non-violence in the October 7 issue of bitterlemons.org, and I want to express my dismay at your attempt to exonerate Israel for its actions since the intifada began, as well as your display of a selective morality that devises alibis for Israeli violence while condemning Palestinian violence. At the start, you label as "unique" the Palestinian view that the occupation itself and such actions as settlement construction and closures constitute Israeli violence. I would argue, on the contrary, that this Palestinian definition of violence is not at all unique but is entirely appropriate.

Yanun
Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre, October 22, 2002
The village of Yanun is located 3.5 km north west of Aqraba village, which is situated 17 km to the north east of Nablus city. Once home to 25 families every resident has already fled after four years of worsening attacks by Israeli settlers. The attacks have become increasingly frequent in recent months. "Our life here is more bitter than hell," Kamal Sobih said, as he packed his belongings in his little car heading to the neighboring village of Aqraba.