Hebron Residents Describe an Israeli Reign of Beatings
New York Times, January 2, 2003
HEBRON, West Bank, Jan. 1 — Almost any young man walking the streets of this gritty Palestinian neighborhood on the eastern rim of the city can tell you the same thing: when the Israeli border police want to give someone a beating, they take him to the city's deserted industrial area after dark.

Four Palestinians killed in territories
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
Three Palestinians were killed yesterday by Israel Defense Forces troops near the settlements of Dugit and Elei Sinai in the Gaza Strip. The IDF believes that the men were terrorists on their way to one of these settlements. A fourth Palestinian who was carrying explosives was killed near Nablus.

Israel's human shields draw fire
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
Human rights groups return to court over army's use of Palestinian civilians -- Basem Maswadeh knew he was in trouble when an Israeli soldier pushed him into the barber's chair and reached for the clippers.

In a Further Escalation of Israeli Illegal Military Actions, 25 Houses Have Been Demolished in Rafah.
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, January 2, 2003
This Thursday morning, the second of January 2003, Israeli forces instigated another illegal action by destroying 25 refugee houses in the Rafah refugee camp rendering 85 families including 313 people, homeless.

New Year’s Strike: Palestinian prisoners refuse to attend court
LAW Society, January 2, 2003
LAW today has learned that Palestinian prisoners in Israeli prisons and detention centers are refusing to attend Israeli courts in an open-ended strike. The strike comes after Palestinian prisoners at the Ofer detention center complained of Israeli border police beating them while being transported from the detention center to the courts.

Human rights group says Israel holding 1,000 Palestinians without trial
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
Israel is holding 1,007 Palestinians in indefinite detention, without charges or trial, the largest number in more than a decade and a sharp increase from last year, an Israeli human rights group said Thursday.

Israel Expels Prominent British Rights Activist
Islam Online, January 2, 2003
When Zelter "tried to fight the deportation order, airport security wrapped her up in a blanket and she was forced onto a departing airplane," Leibowitz said. -- JERUSALEM, January 2 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - A British peace and human rights activist was expelled from Israel Thursday, January 2, under the pretext that her presence was a threat to national security, her lawyer said.

Palestinian minors maltreated in prison at IDF base, MKs claim
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Palestinian minors who are being held by the Israel Defense Forces at the Ofer base suffer from cold, hunger, faulty medical treatment and abuse by soldiers, three MKs who sit on a Knesset committee dealing with children's rights charged yesterday.

Barghouti ejected from courtroom as his trial resumes
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003 
The trial of Fatah Tanzim leader Marwan Barghouti resumed Thursday in Tel Aviv, with Barghouti being ejected from the courtroom at the beginning of proceedings.

International activists attacked by Israeli forces near Qalqilya; Palestinian journalist detained
Palestine Monitor, December 30, 2002
Peace activists from around the world were attacked by Israeli soldiers yesterday as they tried to get a closer look at the eight-meter high “apartheid wall” being built by Israel on Palestinian land.

Israeli troops raid refugee camps
BBC, January 2, 2003
The army says it killed three armed teenagers -- Israeli forces backed by helicopter gunships have entered refugee camps in Gaza, hours after they killed four Palestinians apparently on their way to attack Jewish settlements.

Israeli Troops Kill 3 Palestinians in Gaza
New York Times, January 2, 2003
JERUSALEM, Thursday, Jan. 2 — Israeli troops shot and killed three young Palestinians on Wednesday, military sources said. The Palestinians were trying to cross into Israeli settlements in the northern Gaza Strip, the sources said. Hours later, according to wire reports, Israeli tanks, bulldozers and helicopters entered southern Gaza, apparently to destroy the homes of suspected militants.

Israel kills 5 Palestinians, Including Three Boys
Islam Online, January 2, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, January 2 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israeli soldiers shot dead four Palestinians, including three teenaged boys, as a crackdown on Israeli Arab politicians sparked accusations that the Jewish state was violating democratic rules.

Arab Israeli MPs appeal against election ban
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
Israel's supreme court will hear an appeal today against a decision by the knesset to bar two Arab members from running in this month's general election on the grounds they threaten Israel's existence.

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories Dec. 26, 2002 -  Jan. 01, 2003
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
The International Community Remains Silent While the Israeli Human Rights Violations Continue in the OPT / 15 Palestinian civilians, including 5 children, were killed by Israeli forces / 4 Palestinians were killed in extra-judicial assassinations / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling / The Israeli retaliatory campaign continued against families of wanted Palestinians and those who carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets / Israeli forces used Palestinian civilians as human shields during military operations / A number of Palestinians were arrested / The strict siege of the OPT has continued and a number of Palestinians arrested at Israeli military checkpoints

Israeli Arabs may boycott election
Arab News, January 2, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 2 January 2003 — A boycott of the Israeli election by the country’s Arab minority loomed yesterday after the country’s electoral commission barred an Arab party and its leader from running for the Jan. 28 ballot. Azmi Bishara, an Arab Israeli member of Parliament, said the ban on him and his Balad party from running in the upcoming elections amounted to apartheid.

U.S. Asks Israel to Halt China Arms Sales
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - The United States has asked Israel to suspend sales of military equipment to China over concerns that the technology could be used to threaten Taiwan, officials and the media said Thursday. Israeli government officials were surprised...but had to comply in order not to jeopardize Washington's massive defense assistance program to Israel, the Haaretz daily said.

Israel freezes defense exports to China, at request of U.S.
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Israel has suspended all contacts on the export of arms and security equipment to China, in response to a U.S. request.

37 soldiers indicted for intifada-related crimes in last 2 years
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Indictments have so far been submitted against 37 Israel Defense Forces soldiers for alleged offenses committed in the territories since the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000, but of these, only two relate to incidents in which a Palestinian was killed.

Court attaches NIS211m of PA money
Globes, January 2, 2003
The Jerusalem District Court attached NIS 211.5 million of Palestinian Authority (PA) funds held by the Ministry of Finance. The five attachments were in favor of Israel Phoenix Assurance, Sahar Israel Insurance Co., Zion Insurance, Hadar Insurance and Bituah Haklai Central Cooperative Society.

Sharon signs his first pact with PA - on fund transfers
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003   
The Likud government led by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this week signed its first agreement with the Palestinian Authority led by Yasser Arafat. The accord spells out the conditions and supervisory mechanisms for the transfer to the PA of Palestinian tax revenues collected by Israel.

Fraud squad finds evidence to try five corruption suspects
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
The police fraud squad unit found sufficient evidence Thursday to try five people suspected of involvement with vote-buying in party primaries, including Labor MK Eli Ben Menahem.

Central Elections Committee votes to disqualify Mofaz from Likud list
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
The Central Elections Committee on Thursday disqualified Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz from running in the upcoming Knesset elections, saying he had not completed the required six-month cooling-off period since the end of his military service.

Body of missing man found; police suspect killed by terrorists
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Police and security forces searching for a 70-year-old Israeli man discovered his scorched body Thursday in a burned-out car in Wadi el-Naka in the northern Jordan Valley.

IDF ends Gaza incursion; two soldiers wounded in raid
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
IDF troops wound up an incursion in Gaza on Thursday morning, following an overnight search for militants in two refugee camps in the Strip that left two soldiers lightly wounded.

'Arms from Iraq caused blast at Hezbollah base'
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Western intelligence analysts believe that an explosion at a Hezbollah base in Lebanon's Bekaa Valley on Monday resulted from the use of weapons smuggled from Iraq.

Likud falls to 31 seats; Labor stays at 22
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
With less than a month to go before the elections, the Likud continues to lose ground: Two new surveys show the Likud winning only 31 seats in the Knesset, compared to 35 seats a week ago and 41 seats three weeks ago.

Chances of Iraqi attack on Israel low, defense officials say
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
The chances of an Iraqi attack on Israel - either with missiles or a "suicide airplane" carrying chemical or biological weapons - are extremely low, defense sources said yesterday.

CEC weighs hiring external counsel for appeals
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
The presidium of the Central Elections Committee met yesterday to debate a proposal to retain the services of an outside attorney to represent it at next week's High Court hearing of appeals against the decision to disqualify MK Ahmed Tibi and to allow the candidacy of Herut number two Baruch Marzel.

Palestinian killed in explosion while preparing bomb
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
A Palestinian man was killed Thursday in an explosion in the West Bank city of Ramallah in what both Israeli and Palestinian security sources said was a 'work accident.'

Hebrew editorials: Gov't neglect of Israeli Arabs radicalized their legislators
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
Hatzofeh argues that the "Central Elections Committee is actually a superfluous body' as every ruling is appealed to the Supreme Court."

IDF arrests 13 suspected terrorists overnight
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003 
IDF forces arrested 13 suspected Palestinian terrorists overnight in the West Bank, Israel Radio reported. Among those arrested were four members of Islamic Jihad.

New arbitrary measures against Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, December 30, 2002
Three detainees have been placed in administrative detention and a fourth deprived of contact with his lawyer -- Israeli occupying forces have maintained their arbitrary measures against Palestinian prisoners depriving them of their basic legal rights including access to legal consultation and their right to a fair trial.

US orders more troops to Gulf
BBC, January 2, 2003
The United States is sending another 15,000 troops to the Gulf as part of its build-up for possible military action against Iraq.

E-bombs could be used in Iraq war
Arab News, January 2, 2003
WASHINGTON, 2 January 2003 — Military experts say the Pentagon has developed a series of accurate and powerful new weapons, including a microwave bomb, that could be used in a war against Iraq.

Thousands more US troops head to Gulf
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
Donald Rumsfeld, the US defence secretary, has signed a directive authorising the deployment of thousands of troops in the Middle East as preparations for a widely anticipated war in Iraq intensify.

U.S. Determined To Topple Saddam by Force: Boutros Ghali
Islam Online, January 2, 2003
CAIRO, January 2 (IslamOnline) – The United States is determined to implement its military threats against Iraq in a matter of days or few months to topple the Iraqi regime and use Baghdad as a base to impose more hegemony on the Middle East, said a former U.N. secretary-general on Thursday, January 2.

Iraq Criticizes U.N. Limits on Imports
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq criticized the U.N. Security Council on Thursday for adopting a U.S.-backed resolution that tightens controls on imports to Iraq, saying the measure would inflict ``deliberate damage and harm to our people.''

Belgium: We won't participate in a war against Iraq
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
A high-level government official said Thursday Belgium would not participate in a war against Iraq under current circumstances and insisted there was no indication so far Saddam Hussein was producing weapons of mass destruction.

U.S. efforts to convince Turkey regarding Iraq
Arabic News, January 2, 2003
The United States gave vague answers about the status of Turkey's position regarding Iraq as the US held talks to provide financial assistance to Turkey. Here is the transcript of the statement of Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs Marc Grossman in Ankara on December 28.

Turkish minister to lead 150-member delegation to Baghdad
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
The Turkish minister in charge of foreign trade is planning to lead a 150-member business delegation to Baghdad, his office said Thursday, a trip that highlight's Turkey's opposition to any war.

Mubarak calls for settling the Iraqi issue according to UN resolutions
Arabic News, January 2, 2003
President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt has renewed his country's total rejection to any military act against Iraq or undermining its unity and territorial integrity. He warned that any attack against Iraq will inflect losses on the region as a whole.

Israel to launch new test of Arrow missile
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
Israel will soon conduct new tests on its Arrow missile interceptor in the hope that it can be perfected for use before a possible attack by Iraq, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said in comments published Thursday.

Arab League denies mediation over Iraq
Arabic News, January 2, 2003
The Arab League has denied news rumored on a mediation held by its secretary general Amr Moussa in collaboration with Arab foreign ministers in order to convince the Iraqi President Saddam Hussein to quit the authority.

Blair in talks with Egyptian president
BBC, January 2, 2003
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has held informal talks with Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak.

Lebanon bans programme on Saudi Arabia
BBC, January 1, 2003
The Lebanese government has cut the satellite service of a private Lebanese television station, NTV, to prevent the broadcast of a programme on Saudi Arabia.

The Latest Presidential Decree Appointing the Palestinian Attorney General is Unconstitutional
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, December 29, 2002
Recently, there have been many internal and external calls demanding genuine measures aimed at reforming the Palestinian Authority and its institutions.

Controversial Likud activist Shlomi Oz resigns from party
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Blumenthal aide threatens to 'expose Sharon's corruption'  -- Likud activist and former convict Shlomi Oz yesterday announced his resignation from both the party's central committee and the Likud branch in Ramat Gan.

Meretz MKs demand criminal investigation into PM's son Gilad
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Meretz MKs Yossi Sarid and Ran Cohen demanded Thursday that police open a criminal investigation into Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Gilad for reported bribery.

Analysis / Party politics debase Elections Committee
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003  
Decisions to bar two Arab MKs, and to allow an extreme right-wing candidate to run demonstrate once again that the conflict between law and politics is inevitable anywhere that politicians are entrusted with safeguarding basic democratic rights.

There's a party line; why read the evidence?
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
During the CEC debate over the fate of MKs Tibi and Bishara a number of people didn't read the evidence.

Thousands witness the rebirth of Shas
Ha'aretz, January 2, 2003 
The headline of the rally was "Who is on the Lord's side?" -- Any attempt to understand the past and present forces that drive Shas must examine Monday night's rally at the Yad Eliahu sports arena as a pivotal moment in the ultra-Orthodox party's history.

El Al required to report on every passenger in US
Globes, January 2, 2003
The requirement is designed to bolster US national security. The US administration is intensifying its tracking of potential terrorists. As of yesterday, El Al is required to report to the US authorities on every passenger it brings to the US, before the airplane takes off. A similar measure applies to passengers on flights from the US to Israel.

Israel marks new year by demolishing two Palestinian houses
Arabic News, January 2, 2003
Israel marks the new year by demolishing two Palestinian houses, incursions in the West Bank and Gaza as the year 2002 was catastrophic for the Palestinians with more than 8000 Palestinians getting detained by Israel.

Terror victim's son: He trusted the Palestinian
Jerusalem Post, January 2, 2003
Yaacov Alon, whose Moroccan-born father Makhsoud was found slain in the Jordan Valley area of the West Bank, said the man trusted the Palestinians and was never afraid to visit them, despite the ongoing violence.

Concern over persecution of Palestinian civilians
Khaleej Times, January 2, 2003
ABU DHABI - The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights has called upon international community to provide immediate and independent international protection for the Palestinians in the occupied Palestinian territories against the heinous crimes committed against them by the Israeli forces.

Israel in Secret Statehood Talks
New York Post, January 2, 2003
January 2, 2003 -- JERUSALEM - Israel is secretly negotiating with the top deputy of Yasser Arafat, and has discussed the creation of a Palestinian state on most of the West Bank, it was reported yesterday.
There was no confirmation or denial by Israel or Palestinian officials of the report in the influential Saudi newspaper al-Wattan, which was based on sources in Washington.

Turkish Signals Policy Change on Cyprus
The Guardian, January 2, 2003
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkish leader Recep Tayyip Erdogan has come out in opposition to Turkey's long-standing hardline policy on Cyprus and criticized the Turkish Cypriot leader for dragging his feet in reunification talks, news reports said Thursday.

Lebanon warns against the Israeli schemes
Arabic News, January 2, 2003
The commander of the Lebanese army Lt. Gen. Michael Suleiman has warned against Israel's exploitation of regional developments in order to launch an aggression against Lebanon.

Former Israeli Minister: “We’ve Become Barbarians”
Palestine Chronicle, January 2, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - A former Israeli cabinet minister and founder of the liberal-oriented Meretz party has castigated the current state of affairs in the Jewish state, saying Israeli Jews effectively have became barbarians in the year 2002.

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine January 2, 2003
Palestine Media Center
85-year-old Man Killed by Israeli Settler / Two Civilians Killed in North West Bank / Three Palestinian Boys Killed by IOF Gunfire in Gaza / Infant Dies After Prevented From Reaching Hospital / IOF Impose Curfew on Durra Town

Palestine Red Crescent Society, Weekly Press Release for the period 22-27 December 2002
Palestine Red Crescent Society, December 28, 2002
This week again witnessed continued Israeli army violations of the First and Fourth Geneva Conventions in Ramallah and Nablus. One PRCS volunteer was wounded during evacuation of injured.

Israeli checkpoints turn Ramallah-Nablus bus trip into marathon
Jordan Times, January 1, 2003
NABLUS (AFP) — Israel may have allowed a limited bus service to run between some Palestinian cities, but with roads littered with army checkpoints and security forces, a 45-minute journey has become a tortuous two-hour haul.

video
Ahmed Tibi, Arab-Israeli Knesset member: 'It was a black day for Israeli democracy'
BBC, January 2, 2003

video
Azmi Bishara, disqualified Knesset member: "Israel has to choose, either it is democratic or not"
BBC, January 2, 2003