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Palestine Diaries

courtesy The Electronic Intifada

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Map of Israel's planned "security fence", adapted for clarity from Gush Shalom map. Gush Shalom notes: The Israeli government did not publish full, official maps of the wall. The path of the Eastern wall was compiled by the Land Research Center and the Palestinian Hydrology Group, based on expropriation orders issued to Palestinian land owners.

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Video Archives
Audio Archives

VIDEO
BBC:
Gap Between CIA
And Bush Stories
posted 10/9/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Region As
Unsettled As It's
Ever Been
10/9/02

VIDEO
BBC:
"No compromise
here"
posted 10/8/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Another Gaza
Attack
posted 10/6/02

VIDEO
BBC:
PA's Erekat: We
Need International
Protection Now
posted 10/6/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Khalil Shikaki, CPR:
'Chances slim for
negotiation'
posted 9/28/02

PHOTOS
Islam Online:
Arafat HQ
Destroyed
posted 9/25/02

PHOTOS
Islam Online:
Nine Palestinians Killed In Gaza
posted 9/24/02

VIDEO
Konscious:
Metal of Dishonor
The Face of US
War on Iraq
posted 9/18/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Sabra & Shatila
Is Sharon A
War Criminal?
posted 9/13/02

VIDEO
CBC:
Israeli
Army Was
Embarrassed
By Release
of Video
released 3/18/02
posted 9/6/02

Video Archives

Conflict..

Israeli troops kill four in Nablus Al-Jazeera 1/3/2004 Israeli occupation soldiers have killed four Palestinians in an ongoing invasion of the northern West Bank city of Nablus. The latest fatality came after Israeli forces opened fire on a group of mourners marching at the funeral on Saturday of three Palestinians killed earlier in the day by Israeli fire, Aljazeera's correspondent reported....Earlier, soldiers fired on Palestinians throwing stones at an Israeli "patrol", killing three of them....Media reports stated occupation troops had dismantled roadblocks and tanks had been withdrawn [from Jenin], opening up routes between the city's eight entrances and surrounding villages. However, residents painted a different picture. "They have been moving their soldiers and tanks into Jenin all night, the number of troops in the city has increased." IOF Bulldoze Palestinian History in Nablus, Reoccupy Jenin Palestine Media Center 1/3/2004 PNA Appeals to UNESCO, UN to Save Palestinian Heritage -- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Friday embarked on dynamiting and bulldozing the archeological heart of the Qasaba (old city) of the northern West Bank city of Nablus, claiming that “wanted” Palestinian activists are hiding in tunnels underneath, and killed a teenager, while reoccupying Jenin hours after declaring they were ending an 18-month siege of the town. Nablus, especially its Qasaba, has been under curfew for the past eight days. The IOF dynamited and bulldozed the wreckage of Al Sha’bi house, next to the more than 500 old Qassre Al Abdul Hadi in the Qasaba, thus threatening the archeological heart of Nablus. Israel To Dig New Tunnel Under Aqsa Mosque Islam Online 1/3/2004 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, January 3 (IslamOnline.net) – Israel is planning to dig a new tunnel under Al-Aqsa mosque – Islam’s third holiest site – with eight million dollars donated by a Jewish American millionaire, a Palestinian organization revealed Friday, January 2. The tunnel is designed to tighten the grip of the Israeli occupation forces on the sacred compound, protect Jews who visit it and Judaize the Old City, said Al-Aqsa Foundation for Reconstruction. Despite Israeli Propaganda: Jewish Settlers Expand the would-be Dismantled Settlements International Press Center 1/3/2004 GAZA, January 3, 2004 (IPC + Ydeoth Ahranot)-- Despite the recent Israeli propaganda speaking about dismantling several illegitimate Jewish settlements in the West Bank and the halt in settlement activities, a recent aerial tour organized by an Israeli peace group revealed that the settlement activities have been ongoing and never stopped, and that the settlements earmarked for dismantling have been actually expanding! Two Palestinians wounded in explosion of Zionist leftovers Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Rafah - Two Palestinians were wounded yesterday when an explosive object blasted while they were trying to lift it off the road to the east of Rafah city. Samer Al-Najjar, 17, and Manar Al-Najjar, 19, were trying to set aside an object leftover by the Zionist terrorist forces in the area when it went off wounding both of them. Zionist forces arrest citizens in Badors to check protests Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Ramallah - Zionist occupation forces arrested at dawn today two Palestinians in the village of Badors to the west of Ramallah city in a bid to check the protests that have been raging over the past few days in that small town against the Zionist separation fence. Local sources said that the troops arrested secretary of the Fatah Movement in the village, Naeem Ahmed Marar, one of the most prominent activists against construction of that racist fence. Three Palestinian girls wounded in Zionist shooting Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Deir Al-Balah - Zionist occupation troops advanced into the Wadi Al-Salaqa in central Gaza Strip at dawn today and arrested nine members of a Palestinian family. Eyewitnesses said that Zionist armored vehicles stormed the valley at the early hours today and broke into the houses of Abu Maghasib family before arresting nine of its members. Expanding A Settlers’ Outpost Slated for Dismantling International Middle East Media Center 1/3/2004 The Israeli Military Commander of the middle region in the West Bank Moshe Kiblanski signed an order to dismantle a settlers’ outpost known as Ginot Arieh, near Ofra settlement north of the West Bank. The outpost accomodates 15 families. This order is based on the government’s intention to remove four settlements outposts the government regards as “illegal”. Israeli source revealed information that this site is being expand not removed. According to ArabYnet, their correspondent was flying over the region on a trip organized by the Israeli Peace Movement “Peace Now” saw the preparation for more mobile houses and maybe for permanent ones. She also revealed information about a road being built to link this outpost with Ofra settlement. Palestinian al-Jihad movement vows to continue resistance Arabic News 1/3/2004 Palestinians sources stressed that the Israeli occupation forces did not ultimately lift the siege imposed on the city of Jenin, in the West Bank. News reports said that the Israeli army removed the mobile barriers but continue blocking the northern entrance, and kept several barriers and iron gates at the entrance of towns and villages. The reports said that the withdrawal is a mere formal measure and an Israeli propaganda, as the sufferings of the Palestinians continue in Jenin. Earlier, the Israeli occupation army announced lifting the siege imposed on Jenin since August 19, 2003. Zionist army commits 33 massacres in lines of Palestinian civilians in 2003 Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Gaza - The Zionist occupation forces have committed 33 massacres in the Palestinian territories in the course of the past year of 2003 killing in each one of them more than three Palestinians. The Quds Press’ annual statistics revealed that the massacres led to the slaughter of 224 civilians out of the total of 698 Palestinians murdered at the hands of Zionist terrorist forces in 2003. New Year and new Palestinian victims of the Israeli policy Jerusalemites 1/3/2004 Israeli troops opened fire on stone throwing demonstrators and wounded two Palestinians in Nablus on Friday. One of the youth was hit by rubber bullets and is in moderate condition. Another one, Majdi Qullab, 21 was hit in the stomach, arm and leg by live gunfire. The shooting took place near the city’s old quarter. The Israeli troops continued operations in the West Bank although the media said that the Israeli occupation forces (IOF) has lifted blockades and closures from Palestinian cities, the reality is another one. Breaking News: Troops Arrest Palestinian Seekling Treatment, Nine Arrested in Dura International Press Center 1/3/2004 17:40 Israeli occupying troops arrest a Palestinian patient from Tulkarem governorate as he was traveling to Jordan for treatment. The citizen was taken into an undisclosed location, WAFA / 17:00 Israeli occupying troops arrest nine Palestinian citizens during raiding and search campaigns in the town of Dura, southwest of Hebron, Palestinian security sources, IPC / 3:30-- At least five Palestinian civilians have been wounded by Israeli troops in the West Bank city of Nablus, IPC correspondent reported.... Aqsa foundation warns of Zionist continued demolition of mosques Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Um Al-Fahm - The Aqsa foundation catering for Islamic holy shrines in the green line (Palestinian lands occupied in 1948) has renewed warning of the continued “Israeli” policy of demolishing mosques in those areas. The foundation said that the Zionist policy currently focusing on the Negev area was “irresponsible” and would not weaken the foundation’s determination to serve the holy shrines. It noted that “Israeli” tractors escorted by policemen, border guards and special forces demolished Al-Salam mosque in Far’a village on 29/12/2003 along with 12 residential houses. IOF Kills Three Palestinians, Including a Child, Demolishes Historical Buildings in Nablus and Re-invades Jenin International Press Center 1/3/2004 NABLUS, Palestine, January 3, 2004 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Israeli occupying forces (IOF), and as a part of its military campaign on the city of Nablus, dubbed "still waters", killed today three Palestinian citizens, including a child, by sniper fire, and demolished several historical ruins and monuments in the city, at a timeIsraeli tanks re-invaded Jenin hours only after lifting the tight curfew on it....As well, eyewitnesses asserted that the IOF demolished several historical buildings and ruins in the old town part of Nablus, including the famous Abdel Hadi historical building, which was bombed by several missiles, not to mention other historical monuments that were blown up by explosives planted by the Israeli soldiers. 4 Palestinians Killed, Israeli Golan Plans Denied Islam Online 1/3/2004 NABLUS, West Bank, January 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – FourPalestinians, including two teenagers, were killed Saturday, January 3, by Israeli gunfire in the West Bank city of Nablus, while Israeli cabinet number two Ehud Olmert denied that Israel planned settlement expansion in the occupied Syrian Golan Heights....An Israeli military source said soldiers on patrol in Nablus had opened fire on a group of Palestinians "after they were attacked with stones". "One Palestinian was hit," the source said, adding that the soldiers had fired because they "felt themselves in danger". News Briefs: Three Palestinians Killed in Nablus; Israeli Sources: Outposts Expanding International Middle East Media Center 1/3/2004 The military kills three Palestinians in Nablus: Troops killed three Palestinians in Nablus today, in clashes erupted in the city, Amjad Al-Masry, 15 years old was killed today when the troops shot him during clashes in the city, military sources claim that he was shot in the chest when the army fired towards a group of stone throwers. / Israeli sources: “Illegal settlements are being expanded instead of dismantled”: Israeli sources revealed yesterday that some illegal settlement outposts are being expanded instead of dismantled after the commander of the middle area in the Israeli army signed an order to dismantle all illegal settlement outposts. / The military arrests 14 Palestinians in the West Bank this morning and invades several cities: In what became a daily event in which tens of Palestinians have been arrested, the army arrested today 14 Palestinians and different areas in the West Bank. Four Palestinians killed by IDF in incidents in Nablus, Gaza Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 Israel Defense Forces soldiers shot dead three Palestinians on Saturday in the bloodiest confrontation in at least two weeks in the West Bank city of Nablus while a fourth Palestinian was killed in the Gaza Strip. A fifth Palestinian, a 17-year-old pallbearer, was pronounced clinically dead in Nablus, after soldiers shot him in the head as he helped carry the coffin of his 15-year-old cousin, one of the three killed by the army....Palestinian witnesses said Amjed el-Masri, 15, was shot in the chest by a sniper as he threw stones at an Israeli armored vehicle from a rooftop in the old city area of Nablus.

Diplomacy..

Olmert: No 'approved plan' to increase Golan population Jerusalem Post 1/3/2004 Speaking to the BBC on Friday, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert denied that Israel was implementing a national plan to increase the population of the Golan Heights. "There is no program, there is no policy, there is no expansion of Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights," Olmert said on the BBC's 'HardTalk' program. The plan's announcement by Agriculture Minister Yisrael Katz earlier in the week embarrassed the government as it appears to be a bad faith response to Syrian President Bashar Assad's recent conciliatory overtures. Syria: Israeli Golan settlement plans undermine peace Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 Syria accused Israel on Saturday of seeking to abort any chance for peace through an apparent drive to double the number of Jewish settlers in the occupied Golan Heights. The accusations followed statements by Agricultural Minister Yisrael Katz regarding Israeli plans to expand settlements and double the number of Israeli residents on the Golan Heights. Egyptian Intelligence Chief in Ramallah for Ceasefire Talks International Press Center 1/3/2004 RAMMLAH, Palestine, January 3, 2004 (IPC+Agencies)-- Egyptian intelligence service chief Omar Suleiman is scheduled to visitRamallah on January 6 to hold talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei’(Abu Alaa), helping to start a new round of inter-factional talks to reach a cease fire “ Hudna”. Well-informed Palestinian sources said that calling the Palestinian factions once again to meet in Cairo is out of the agenda of the visit. Arafat Says Sharon Blocking Peace Progress Palestine Media Center 1/3/2004 Protests Persist Against Israel’s Apartheid Wall As IOF Kill 3 Palestinians -- In a televised address delivered on the Palestinian National Day, commemorating the 39th anniversary of Fatah, President Yasser Arafat blamed Israel for the stalled peace process and claimed that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not want to see any progress. Meanwhile Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead three Palestinians in Nablus, including a teenager, as protests persisted against Israel’s Apartheid Wall. "Our hand is still extended for a peace of the brave, we strongly believe in this peace and this belief will not wane despite the grief and suffering endured by our people,” the veteran leader of the Palestinian people said in a televised address, as thousands of supporters took to the streets of Gaza City to mark the 39th anniversary of Fatah movement on New Year Eve. USAID blackmails Palestinian institutions Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Gaza - The official USAID development agency has linked its financial assistance to any institution with an affidavit to be signed by those institutions declaring that they did not and would not extend any form of assistance or resources to terrorist organizations or individuals. Issam Younis, director of the Mizan human rights center, said that the campaign, which the American agency started last year, was designed to de-legitimize Palestinian institutions. He described the American institution’s condition as a “cheap blackmail” meant to incriminate any Palestinian private endeavor. Iran's foreign minister: Israel should forsake nuclear weapons Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 DAMASCUS, Syria - The world should put pressure on Israel to forsake nuclear weapons, Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said Saturday. Kharrazi was speaking to reporters after he held talks with Syrian President Bashar Assad in Damascus. Syria has proposed that the United Nations Security Council should declare the Middle East a zone free of nuclear weapons. "International pressure should be applied to Israel to eradicate its weapons of mass destruction, as this would be in the interest of the whole region," Kharrazi said. Israel in Golan U-turn Al-Jazeera 1/3/2004 Israel's deputy prime minister has said there are no plans to expand Jewish settlements in the Golan Heights. His comments have contradicted a fellow minister whose remarks had outraged Syria and the United States. "There is no programme, there is no policy, there is no expansion of Israeli settlements in the Golan Heights," Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said in an interview with the BBC. Israel seized the Golan Heights from Syria in 1967 and annexed them in 1981, a move that was condemned internationally. Palestine Mufti questions Zionist sincerity regarding peace Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Occupied Jerusalem - Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, Mufti of Al-Quds and Palestine, has ridiculed Zionist allegations of seeking peace and castigated Zionist colonialist plans in Palestine and the occupied Syrian Golan heights. Sheikh Ekrema, addressing the Friday congregation in the Aqsa Mosque yesterday, said that those who claim to be peace-mongers were calling for an international day for peace. “What peace do they advocate while war threats were daily escalating against countries in the region,” he wondered. Egypt to help press for end to attacks on Israel Daily Star 1/3/2004 Egypt will send its intelligence chief to the Palestinian areas next week in a renewed effort to press militant groups to halt attacks on Israel, Palestinian officials said Friday. On the ground, meanwhile, the Israeli military lifted a more than four-month-long blockade on the West Bank city of Jenin on Friday, allowing residents to travel in and out of the town, the army said. But as the Israeli Army loosened the noose around Jenin, it continued house demolitions elsewhere in the West Bank. Syria: Settlements harm peace prospects Al-Jazeera 1/3/2004 Syria's vice-president has accused Israel of deliberately undermining Middle East peace initiatives after it announced it was stepping up Jewish settlements in the occupied Golan Heights. "Aborting any peace initiative in the region is part of Israeli policy," Abd al-Halim Khaddam told reporters. "This measure and the assassination of Palestinian leaders in the occupied territories shows that Israel remains hostile to peace and that it is pressing ahead with the Zionist project against the interests and future of the Arab nation," he said after talks with a delegation of Iraqi tribal leaders.

Human Rights..

From Nablus: Resistance Under Occupation International Solidarity Movement 1/3/2004 Ringing in the New Year -- In the midst of an already month-long invasion, the sheikhs announced over the mosques for everyone to yell from their windows and their roofs "Allahu akbar" (god is great) together for an hour. It began with the voices from the mosques, together, "Allahu akbar" again and again, the voices growing louder and prouder with each chant. Then, a chorus began from the old city, and then the mountains and the camps. Thousands of different voices, in different rhythms and tones, yelling and chanting together, their sound almost drowning out the noise of the tank fire around them. Israeli Occupying Forces Implement Illegal Transfer Order against 18th Palestinian Detainee in Two Months Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/3/2004 PCHR is gravely concerned by the policy of unlawful transfers Israeli occupying forces continue to implement against Palestinian civilians.On 31 December 2003, Israeli occupying forces transferred a Palestinian detainee from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip.Thus, the number of Palestinians transferred by Israeli occupying forces from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip in November and December 2003, increased to 18.Such transfers stand as stark violations of international humanitarian law, principally the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949. Anti-fence demonstrations continue Palestinian Information Center 1/3/2004 Ramallah - Inhabitants of the Badors village to the west of Ramallah along with scores of foreign activists continued to demonstrate against the Zionist separation fence construction in their village. Mayor of the village, Mohammed Khaled Ulayan, said that the occupation forces threatened the town inhabitants that anyone participating in those peaceful demonstrations would be arrested and that live ammunition would be used against violators. He said that a number of citizens and foreign activists were injured in yesterday’s demonstration after inhaling the teargas fired in abundance by the Zionist troops at the marchers. West Bank Town of Budrus Becomes Center of Protest Against the Barrier Arabic Media Internet Network 1/2/2004 For the past three consecutive days, hundreds of Palestinians, Israelis and internationals protested the building of the separation barrier near the West Bank town of Budrus. Protests began when the military started destroying parts of the town’s olive groves on December 30. Tens of people were injured by teargas, rubber bullets, and beatings by soldiers. Several people were also arrested or taken into custody, including a Swedish parliamentarian. In Budrus, which is northwest of Ramallah, the separation barrier will cut through agricultural land and abut the town on two sides. Another barrier is also planned several kilometers to the east of Budrus, such that Budrus and eight other villages will be encircled and separated from Ramallah and the rest of the West Bank. Israel Government Shuts Down Indymedia-Israel Palestine Media Center/Scoop 1/3/2004 The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) states in a letter to the Attorney General of Israel: ''The investigation against Indymedia Israel has turned into intimidation, harming Freedom of Speech on the Internet.'' -- Police investigators are attempting to throw responsibility on Indymedia Israel’s operators, for publications appearing in the “open publishing zone” of the website. This is done illegally and against the recommendations of a professional committee of the Israel Ministry of Justice. The Indymedia Israel website provides a free and open stage for surfers on the Internet. Approximately three weeks ago, a surfer outside of Israel published a caricature in the open publishing zone of the website, in which the Israeli Prime Minister is portrayed passionately kissing the leader of Nazi Germany. Hurndall's mom: 'the truth needs to come out' Jerusalem Post 1/2/2004 On New Years day, Jocelyn Hurndall held her son Tom's hand as he lay in a vegetative state in a London hospital and told him that the IDF soldier who shot him, had finally confessed. She did not expect any response from Tom, 22, a British photography student, who has been in a coma since he was shot in the head on April 11, in the Rafah refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip. Witnesses said he was pushing children out of the line of IDF gunfire, when a bullet hit him in the forehead. Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 25-31 December 2003 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/3/2004 8 Palestinian civilians were killed by Israeli forces / 5 of the victims were killed during an extra-judicial assassination in Gaza city / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into the West Bank and Gaza Strip / More areas of agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip/ 7 houses and a school were demolished in the Gaza Strip / Houses were raided and a number of Palestinians were arrested / Construction of the “separation wall” in the West Bank has continued / Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued and 2 Palestinian civilians were killed and dozens were injured / 3 Palestinian houses in Nablus were destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continuing campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians accused of involvement in attacks against Israeli targets / In violation of international law and humanitarian law, a Palestinian detainee was transferred from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip / Israeli settlers attacked Palestinian civilians and property in Hebron / Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs / A number of Palestinian civilians were injured or arrested by Israeli soldiers at military checkpoints and 2 newly-born twins died at an Israeli military checkpoint

Economy..

Sanctions to continue despite Histadrut, treasury deal Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 Labor sanctions are expected to continue on Sunday, despite the fact that Histadrut and Finance Ministry officials on Friday signed a draft agreement ending their dispute over structural changes in government offices. Treasury budget director Uri Yogev informed the Knesset Finance Committee of the breakthrough on Friday morning. Under the draft agreement, no employees at ministries or state-run entities will be fired in 2004. Selling Israel Globes 12/31/2003 Joey Low founded Israel at Heart to give Israel a positive PR spin. His next move: Israeli products on US shopping channels. --American evangelist Pat Robertson has congregations across the country and his own television station, with an enviable rating. He looks his viewers in the eye and says, "These roses," referring to some red, dew-laden flowers behind him, "are grown in a kibbutz." His pronunciation comes out as "Kubbutz". "They are put on an El Al flight at two in the morning, and arrive fresh. You should buy them. Joey Low watches in delight. "I couldn’t pay enough money to do this. I was stunned when I saw it."

People..

Extreme peace: enemies go to the ends of the earth to forge future for a land divided by hatred The Independent 1/3/2004 Antarctica is a long way to go to prove a point. But yesterday four Israelis and four Palestinians were crossing the treacherous waters of the Drake Passage on small boats to get there. They are on an expedition that sounds as if it comes from the pages of a Tintin adventure. They are sailing some of the roughest seas in the world to reach their objective. When they arrive in Antarctica, they will walk for two to three days across the ice, roped together for safety, dragging their supplies on snow-sleds. Then they plan to climb a mountain that has never been conquered; it does not even have a name. Who are we? Matrix of Lebanese emigrants’ identity tackled by US professor  Daily Star 1/3/2004 Akram Fouad Khater’s lecture examines roots of confusion surrounding expatriates’ sense of self-- Who are the Lebanese? Ask this question of any native and you will likely hear various answers: “We’re Arab;” “we’re Phoenician;” “we’re European.” Why is Lebanese identity today such an intangible concept? What are the roots of this discord, and how long have we suffered from this crisis? These are all questions that Middle East historian Akram Fouad Khater tried to answer during his hour-and-a-half talk at the City University of New York on Dec. 11. Famous clairvoyant predicts gloomy year for Lebanon Daily Star 1/3/2004 The next year does not look good for Lebanon. A bridge will collapse, the Maronite Patriarch Cardinal Nasrallah Butros Sfeir will fall ill and Israel will invade once again. This is, at least, what renowned clairvoyant Michel Hayek sees happening. Planned sabra-S. African town fails to attract olim Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 The South African Jewish community came under fire last month when President Moshe Katsav blamed their educational framework for failing to encourage immigration to Israel. -- South African Jews contemplating aliyah are not exactly swarming to buy homes in a part-sabra, part-new immigrant community being planned for them inside the Green Line, according to activists involved in the project. Indeed, not one family of potential immigrants from South Africa has as yet purchased a home in the planned community of Tzur Yitzhak, which is to be located near Kochav Yair and is designed to be home to 2,500 families. Orthodox rabbis break ground in discussion on homosexuality Ha'aretz 1/2/2004 Fear and denial have always characterized the relationship of the Orthodox and ultra-Orthodox community toward homosexuals within their midst. However, during the past two years, there have been signs that the communities are more willing to recognize and come to terms with the phenomenon. One of these signs is that for the first time, Orthodox rabbis convened in Jerusalem yesterday to discuss their attitude to homosexuality. People Talking from the Heart Jerusalem Times 1/1/2004 ERIC FINGERHUTof the Washington Jewish Week describes the scene at a recent dialogue session held at Georgetown University between Jewish, Arab and Muslim students.The dialogue was led by Len Traubman, a co-founder with his wife Libby of the Palestinian-Jewish Living Room Dialogue Group in California, and Mohammed Al-Attar, a participant in a similar dialogue group in San Antonio, Texas.The openness of these two leaders helped the students open up as well so that, by the end, "[b]oth Jewish and Arab students said that the dialogue helped to humanize each other and promoted respect." [If unable to access this page, go to: http://www.jerusalem-times.net- then enter or paste this address: http://www.jerusalem-times.net/article/news/details/detail.asp?id=4581 - Ed.]

International..

Syria, Lebanon set schedule for talks  Daily Star 1/3/2004 Officials from both countries prepare for a series of parleys -- A series of meetings will be held between Syrian and Lebanese officials in the next few days to pave the way for a possible meeting of the Syrian-Lebanese Higher Council in the next few months. The meetings are apparently intended to reinforce the image of complete cooperation between the two countries. Iran rejects US proposal to send Dole Daily Star 1/3/2004 Iranians, sharply split over the American aid to the Bam earthquake victims, have rejected another gesture from Washington, which proposed sending US Senator Elizabeth Dole to deliver more relief supplies. Tehran said it prefers that the US proposal be “held in abeyance” because of the current situation on the ground in Iran, US State Department spokesman Adam Ereli said. The US proposal was submitted Tuesday through UN channels, and the reply was received Friday. al-Zamman: Iraqi, Lebanese, Jordanian agreement to return one billion dollars to Iraq Arabic News 1/3/2004 The Iraqi minister of finance, Kamel al-Keilani, announced that the Iraqi ministry of finance reached an agreement with Lebanon and Jordan to restore back frozen assets worth one billion dollars, noting that there are negotiations with Syria to this effect. Middle East tour for Baker to alleviate Iraq's debts Arabic News 1/3/2004 The US President George W. Bush said that his special envoy for canceling the Iraqi debts, James Baker, will shortly head for the Middle East. Bush said following a lunch with Baker on Thursday that his special envoy will head for the Middle East. Bush added that Baker informed him on the results of his two visits to Japan and China, and described the two visits as very positive. He commended the efforts made by the American envoy in his Euro-Asian tour in order to alleviate Iraq's debts. US delays lifting sanctions on Libya Middle East Online 1/3/2004 WASHINGTON - The United States said Friday it would not be hurried into lifting sanctions on Libya despite a reminder from the country's prime minister that millions of dollars in compensation for families of the victims of the Lockerbie bombing are at stake. The State Department said US sanctions on Libya would not be lifted until Tripoli meets the requirements for their removal and not before. "As far as the subject of lifting sanctions goes, our focus is on Libyan actions and Libyan performance," deputy spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters. Saudis warned not to alter textbooks Al-Jazeera 1/3/2004 Some 150 Saudis, including judges and university professors have signed a document warning the kingdom against changing its Islam-based school curricula. The warning, which was obtained by Reuters on Saturday, was signed on 1 January, a day after Saudi intellectuals, clerics and prominent personalities recommended educational reforms at the end of a conference held to address "militancy". Gunmen attack Egyptian police car near Rafah Arabic News 1/3/2004 Egyptian security sources said yesterday that unidentified gunmen attacked an Egyptian police car, near the Egyptian Rafah, and opened fire at it, and one policeman was injured as a result. The sources said that a force from the Egyptian police was on duty in al-Barath village in Rafah, area near the borders with Israel, and while interrogating certain persons over suspicion, a small truck carrying five men started to open fire at it indiscriminately. Jewish leaders accuse European Commission of anti-Semitism Ha'aretz 1/3/2004 Two Jewish leaders accuse the European Commission of encouraging anti-Semitism by releasing a "flawed" poll accusing Israel of being the most perceived threat to world peace and then by failing to release a report on the involvement of Muslim minorities in anti-Semitic incidents. In a piece to be published Monday in the Financial Times, World Jewish Congress President Edgar Bronfman and European Jewish Congress President Cobi Benatoff said, "Anti-Semitism can be expressed in two ways: by action and inaction. Remarkably, the European Commission is guilty of both." France seeks inquiry into plane crash Al-Jazeera 1/3/2004 France has asked prosecutors to open a preliminary inquiry for manslaughter following the crash of a plane in the Red Sea that killed 148 people, most of them French. The Justice Ministry said on Saturday the request "does not prejudge in any way the causes of the catastrophe", but simply provides a legal framework for French and Egyptian investigators as they conduct their probe....Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Mahir categorically ruled out terrorism. "The incident is absolutely not the result of a terrorist act, but is linked to a technical failure of the plane," Mahir told journalists. Rebranding Bush as man of peace The Guardian 1/3/2004 The White House has retreated from its doctrine of regime change and pre-emptive military action and is returning to traditional diplomacy in an effort to repackage George Bush as a president for peace. Signs of the new strategy that have emerged in the past few weeks include:- North Korea, where authorities yesterday agreed to allow US inspectors to visit its nuclear complex next week. - Iran, where the US proposed, through UN channels, sending a high-level humanitarian mission after last week's earthquake - although Tehran last night asked for any visit to be delayed. - Libya, where the US welcomed Muammar Gadafy's surprise decision to give up weapons of mass destruction....

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