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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..

Israel kills Palestinian woman in Gaza Al-Jazeera 1/21/2004 Israeli troops have shot dead a Palestinian civilian woman during a massive invasion into the occupied Gaza Strip's Rafah refugee camp. During Wednesday's invasion, another five civilians, including teenagers, were injured, according to witnesses and medical sources. Bilal Shahadah, 14, was shot in the head as he walked along a street in the vast impoverished camp on the border between Gaza and Egypt after an Israeli-imposed curfew, said witnesses. IOF Go on Rampage: Demolish 31 Houses, Wound 38 Workers Palestine Media Center 1/21/2004 Israeli Detention Spree Continues, Activist Detainee Deported to Gaza -- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Tuesday went on rampage to demolish a mosque and at least 30 Palestinian houses, wound 38 Palestinian workers and a “deaf” woman at a military roadblock, detain more anti-Israeli occupation Palestinians in the ongoing arrests spree and deport an activist detainee from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. Israel orders land seizures in Gaza Al-Jazeera 1/21/2004 Israeli occupation forces have issued land confiscation orders to 28 families in the town of Dair al-Balah. Located near the Jewish settlement of Kfar Darom in the Central Gaza strip, the total area subject to confiscation and eventual “fencing in” is approximately 1000 dunums – the equivalent of one square kilometre - according to the Central Area Governorate. Israeli warplanes strike Hizbullah bases in Bekaa Daily Star 1/21/2004 Army: destroyed bulldozer was 26 meters across border -- Israeli warplanes attacked Hizbullah bases in the Bekaa Valley following Monday’s rocket attack by Hizbullah on an Israeli military bulldozer that crossed into Lebanese territory, the Associated Press reported on Tuesday. President Emile Lahoud said on Tuesday that a UN investigation had found that an Israeli military bulldozer hit by a Hizbullah rocket attack was in Lebanese territory at the time of the strike. Enemy police arrest 60 Palestinians Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Jenin - Zionist police have arrested about 40 West Bank Palestinian workers at the pretext of working in the 1948 occupied lands without prior permits.The arrests were largely made in the Galilee area in north of occupied Palestine, the police declared. The police statement said that 20 other Palestinians inhabitants of the 1948 areas were arrested on charges of assisting and/or employing those workers. Occupation authorities bulldoze three Jerusalemite houses Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist municipality of occupied Jerusalem yesterday demolished three Palestinian houses in the Tal Al-Fool and Wadi Qaddoum suburbs in occupied Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses said that occupation troops accompanied a number of municipal bulldozers that besieged and razed the houses of the brothers Na’eem and Ismail Al-Rashaq in Tal Al-Fool area to the north of occupied Jerusalem. Settlers erect illegal outpost less than 24 hours after being demolished by Israeli troops International Middle East Media Center 1/21/2004 It just took some hours after the army demolished the illegal outpost of “Kahane College synagogue” Tuesday near the West Bank settlement of Tapuah, "There hasn't been one outpost evacuated by the army which has not been rebuilt," David Ivri, an extremist in the movement, told Israel Radio today. The outpost was demolished yesterday afternoon, but over night, more than 25 settlers gathered and erected the outpost which carries the name of the founder of the extremist division in Israel. Israeli removal of outpost called half-hearted St Petersburg Times 1/21/2004 JERUSALEM - Israeli troops tore down part of a synagogue at a West Bank settlement outpost Tuesday but made no attempt to move adjacent trailer homes, prompting accusations the government isn't serious about meeting U.S. demands to dismantle dozens of the outlawed sites. Demolition on a far greater scale took place in the Gaza Strip, where army bulldozers smashed 25 houses and flattened a mosque in a Palestinian refugee camp, leaving 400 people homeless, local officials said. Israel mulled striking Syria in response to Hezbollah attack Ha'aretz 1/21/2004 Israel considered bombing Syrian targets in response to a deadly attack by Hezbollah on an Israel Defense Forces bulldozer the day before, officials said on Tuesday.-- Military officials met for four hours on Tuesday to discuss Israel's response to Monday's attack, and though Israel holds Syria responsible for Hezbollah's actions, the officials decided against attacking the targets, believing that Damascus would almost certainly respond to such a strike, thus leading to a further escalation in violence on the northern border. Israeli soldiers and settlers injured in clash DeepikaGlobal.com 1/21/2004 Jerusalem, Jan 21 (UNI) Six settlers and three Israel Defence Forces (IDF) soldiers were injured during clashes that erupted when troops arrived to dismantle a Synagogue at the illegal West Tapuah outpost in the West Bank.Seventeen settlers were arrested yesterday in the scuffle, including a woman who pushed an IDF soldier off the roof of the structure. The troops cleared the structure of religious artifacts, and then demolished it, Army Radio reported. Occupation forces cement house of Qassam captive Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist policemen and special forces today cemented the house of Abdullah Adnan Al-Sharbati in the Wadi Al-Joz suburb in occupied Jerusalem.Family members said that large numbers of police, special units and border guards encircled the house at 8 am today then started to cement all entrances to the house’s first floor, which is inhabited by six individuals. IDF dismantles Tapuah West synagogue Jerusalem Post 1/21/2004 In what settlers and soldiers called a "pilot" of future outpost evacuations, the IDF caught the settlers of West Tapuah off guard Tuesday, quickly dismantling an illegal synagogue dedicated to the banned radical rightist group, Kahane Chai. It was the first evacuation of an illegal outpost since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke of unilateral withdrawal from parts of the West Bank and Gaza Strip a month ago. Eyewitness in Rafah: '..it was like an earthquake' Rafah Today 1/20/2004 During the past few days, it was full of attacks, incursions and crimes, from western Rafah to Eastern Rafah there is no house that has not somehow been affected by the Israeli crimes, from the north of Rafah and the south of it would be hard for you to understand what is happening.. it was like an earthquake, damaged houses here and there. Three days ago the Israeli Army demolished a part of Al Tawhid mosque, and today they demolished the rest of it. Two days ago, the IDF demolished three houses near the Morage settlements, and another few houses were demolished, leaving the children of Al Jaria and Al Malahay families without homes in the cold weather. They also demolished many olive trees and two other gardens of chickens and sheep in the same area.. Eyewitness in Gaza: New attack in Dier Al Balah Rafah Today 1/21/2004 Two Palestinians were arrested, and Abu Holi checkpoint was blocked for many hours. They invaded and checked many houses in Deir al Balah, and many Palestinians were injured, and other agriculture plot demolished. New attack in Dier Al Balah by a group of Israeli tanks and bulldozers forcing three families to leave their houses under the treat of weapons force, that three families are: Mahgmoud Saed, Khaled Mhamoud, and Akram Saed, as in the same time they shoot fir against people leaving a 65 years old injured Ali Abu Al Qasem.. That attack was under very massive shelling in addition to using their police dogs in which make fear against children and women. Outpost activists erect makeshift synagogue at demolition site Ha'aretz 1/21/2004 Only hours after IDF troops demolished the Kahane College synagogue building Tuesday in an illegal outpost adjacent to the West Bank settlement of Tapuah, settlers overnight erected a makeshift synagogue at the hilltop site, settlers said Wednesday. "There hasn't been one outpost evacuated by the army which has not been rebuilt," West Tapuah activist David Ivri told Israel Radio Wednesday. Hezbollah vows to defend Lebanon's sovereignty Middle East Online 1/21/2004 A day after Israeli raids on south Lebanon, the Shiite Muslim fundamentalist Hezbollah on Wednesday appeared to rule out a military escalation, but warned it would react to any new Israeli violation of Lebanese sovereignty. On the ground, Hezbollah guerrillas who are deployed along the volatile Lebanese-Israeli border kept a low profile as UN peacekeepers stepped up their patrols, correspondents in the region said. Israel attacks Southern Lebanon, admits bulldozer entered Lebanese territory International Middle East Media Center 1/21/2004 Israel Air Force fighter planes struck at targets in southern Lebanon early Tuesday evening. The attack targeted two locations for Hezbollah. No casualties reported of the attack. This attack followed an attack launched Monday by Hezbollah fighters at an Israeli bulldozer in which the driver of the bulldozer was killed. The bulldozer entered the Lebanese territories when it was hit by a deadly missile. A second soldier in the bulldozer was seriously wounded. Where day to day living has had its heart cut out The Guardian 1/20/2004 Fatina Zen stayed until the end, peering down her street through the lashing rain as towering concrete slabs were slotted into place one by one across the middle of the road. She wondered if her son might suddenly appear on the other side to wave goodbye but he never came. The 52-year-old grandmother finally left once the latest section of Israel's "security fence" - recently renamed the "terror prevention fence" to improve its image abroad - had bisected the street as it worms its way through the Jerusalem Arab neighbourhood of Abu Dis. Palestine: HISTORY and LAND THEFT in DEIR BALLUT IndyMedia Athens 1/10/2004 Before the Nakba of 1948, the village owned 40 000 dunums of land (or about 100 000 acres). Some families still have papers proving that they own orange groves which are now situated in 'Israel'. Salfit municipality has documents dating as far back as 1903 proving that the land belongs to Palestinians. In 1967, 20% more of Deir Ballut's land was confiscated into Israel. Israeli operation destroys 36 buildings in Gaza refugee camp - UN agency ReliefWeb 1/20/2004 Israeli armoured vehicles and bulldozers destroyed 36 buildings in a Gaza refugee camp during an operation that began in the early hours of this morning, according to the main United Nations agency helping Palestine refugees.The buildings housed some 81 families, or approximately 400 people, the UN Refugee Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) reported. Palestinians easily scale Israel's '$1.9 billion security fence' World Tribune 1/20/2004 TEL AVIV — Palestinian infiltrators have succeeded in breaching Israel's new security fence and barrier system. Israeli security sources said Palestinian infiltrators have scaled the four-meter high concrete fence by using a simple ladder. The Israeli project calls for the establishing of a 730-kilometer fence at a cost of $1.9 billion [Israeli govt estimates put the cost at at least $3.4 billion - Ed.]. Most of the project consists of a concrete wall or chain-link fence with sensors, cameras and military patrols. Israeli Military Plans to Extra-Judicially Execute Hamas Spiritual Leader International Press Center 1/20/2004 GAZA, Palestine, January 20, 2004 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Israeli Chief of Staff, Moshe Ya'loun, said yesterday that Sheikh Ahmad Yasin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), can be physically liquidated at any time.Ya'loun was speaking in an interview with the Israeli channel 2 TV, on Monday, confirming that Israel would not differentiate between the political or military leaders of Hamas. Arab teen sentenced for bomb plot Jerusalem Post 1/21/2004 "Only once a minor knows that he can expect a deterring punishment is there a chance to prevent cooperation with planners of terror attacks."-- The Haifa District Court on Tuesday sentenced a 16-year-old Arab citizen to eight years in prison for plotting to carry out a suicide attack. The Haifa boy was convicted, under a plea bargain, on charges of conspiring to aid an enemy. The youth told a Hamas activist he wanted to carry out a suicide attack.... Israeli occupation forces continue Rafah rampage, destroy more homes Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Occupied Jerusalem - For the second consecutive day, Israeli occupation forces went on the rampage in Rafah at the southern tip of the Gaza Strip, wreaking terror on Palestinian civilians and destroying five more homes.Palestinian sources said thousands of Israeli troops, backed by tanks and bulldozers, demolished five more homes at the Brzil refugee camp in Rafah, brining the number of homes destroyed in the past 24 hours to 35. Israeli Forces Demolish Gaza Houses Miami Herald 1/21/2004 JERUSALEM - Israeli forces demolished houses in Gaza's Rafah refugee camp early Wednesday for the second straight day in an anti-militant clampdown that has left 400 people homeless.A Palestinian woman standing near her home was fatally shot in the head during the operation, hospital officials said. An 11-year-old boy was critically wounded in the head when Israeli troops fired machine guns as cover for bulldozers demolishing houses, witnesses and doctors said. Palestinian woman killed in Israeli raid Middle East Online 1/21/2004 GAZA CITY - A Palestinian woman was killed and at least three people wounded during a massive raid by Israeli troops into the sprawling Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, witnesses and medical sources said. Muna Ahmad Ismail, 31, was shot in the head by Israeli fire, the sources said as the army embarked on the second day of an operation which has seen dozens of homes destroyed or damaged and left hundreds of people homeless. News Briefs: Army continues attacks in Rafah, Shoots woman dead, Uprooting trees in Hebron International Middle East Media Center 1/21/2004 The army continues its attacks in Rafah: Palestinian sources mentioned today that a Palestinian woman was shot dead after sustaining a gunshot in her head fired by the military south Rafah. Sources in Abu Yousif Al-Najjar hospital in Rafah said that Mona Ismail, 31 years old died today as a result of a gunshot injury in the head. / The Army continues uprooting trees in Hebron: The military Bulldozers today uprooted more than 100 fruitful trees in order to establish the separation wall in that area, it is worth mentioning that the uprooting of the trees today is a continuation for previous uprooting in the same area. / Troops demolish 30 houses in Rafah in three days: In a wide military attack against Rafah in the Gaza Strip, the army demolished more than 30 houses in Rafah in three days. Yesterday the military demolished more than 24 houses claiming that they have been used as shooting posts towards the army.

Diplomacy..

Abed Rabbo Slams Absence of ‘Roadmap’ in Bush Address Palestine Media Center 1/21/2004 'Ignoring the Palestinian Issue Gives a Green Light to Sharon’ -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) on Tuesday criticized the absence of any reference to the Middle East peace process and the “roadmap” plan in the US President George W. Bush’s “State of the Union” address, saying it gives a “green light” to the Israeli government to carry on with building its Apartheid Wall on occupied Palestinian land in the West Bank. Syria could negotiate with Israel from zero Middle East Online 1/21/2004 CAIRO - Syrian President Bashar al-Assad told his Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak he was ready to negotiate with Israel without conditions if the Jewish state did the same, a Mubarak confidant said Wednesday. The editor-in-chief of the Egyptian government magazine al-Mussawar, Makram Mohamed Ahmed, published an article reporting that Mubarak had sent such a message to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Bush chided for ignoring peace process Al-Jazeera 1/21/2004 Palestinian representatives have criticised US President GeorgeBush's push for democracy in the Middle-East in his state of the union address, while at the same time ignoring the Palestinian, Israeli conflict. "If he wants democracy in the Middle-East, the most ready area for elections in all forms, both regional and local, is Palestine", Palestinian minister of negotiations, Saib Uraiqat told Aljazeera.net."Why can't we begin with democracy in Palestine?",Uraiqat asked. PM Qurei' During Weekly Cabinet Meeting: No Peace with Apartheid Wall and Endangered Jerusalem International Press Center 1/20/2004 RAMALLAH, Palestine, January 20, 2004 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei' asserted during the Palestinian cabinet's weekly session that no peace can be achieved while the Apartheid Wall remains in its present state and while Jerusalem remains threatened by the Israeli colonial plans. Israel spying on ambassador – report Jerusalem Post 1/20/2004 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was informed of a recent meeting between Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei and opposition leader Shimon Peres at the home of the Norwegian ambassador via the use of electronic listening devices, Norwegian media reported Tuesday. "The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon knew all the details of a secret meeting at the home of Mona Juul, the Norwegian ambassador in Israel," Norway's TV 2 reported on its Nettavisen web site Tuesday. Sharon Lashes Out Against Jordan for Active Role in ICJ Apartheid Wall Campaign International Press Center 1/20/2004 GAZA, January 20, 2004 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, slammed Jordan yesterday for leading the Arab states in the campaign against the Israeli Apartheid Wall, being built by Israel around and through the West Bank. During a session with the Knesset foreign affairs and defense committee, Sharon warned that Jordan would damage the relations between both countries by leading or even joining the international campaign. Israeli minister not invited, says FO Dawn Group 1/20/2004 ISLAMABAD, Jan 20: Pakistan on Tuesday dispelled an impression that it had invited Israeli Agriculture Minister Israel Katz to visit Pakistan as part of the UN Food and Agricultural Organization (FAO) delegation. Foreign office spokesman Masood Khan told APP that there was a proposal by the FAO director-general to send a delegation to review Pakistan's food security programme but Islamabad expressed its inability to host the visit in March due to certain reasons. Quartet, Arab Summit Expected to Adopt Geneva Initiative: Abed Rabbo Palestine Media Center 1/20/2004 The Geneva Initiative is expected to be adopted both by the Quartet of the United States, the United Nations, Russia and the European Union, as well as the Arab League at its upcoming March summit in Tunis, the Palestinian co-author of the blueprint Yasser Abed Rabbo said in Paris following a meeting with French foreign minister on Monday. The UN Secretary-General “Kofi Annan has said that he will raise this question at the next meeting of the Quartet. This is very important. Other European leaders have taken a similar position,” said Abed Rabbo, member of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) and former culture and information minister, AFP reported. Syria Accepts Square-One Talks With Israel : Source Islam Online 1/21/2004 CAIRO, January 21 (IslamOnline.net) – Syria's President Bashar Assad was ready to re-start peace talks with Israel from scratch but Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon set several preconditions, a veteran Egyptian journalist close to President Hosni Mubarak told IslamOnline.net on Tuesday, January 20. Makram Mohammad Ahmad, the editor-in-chief of the semi-government Al-Muswar weekly, said Assad had told Mubarak during his latest visit to Cairo in December about his new position, provided that it would lead to a just peace. Qorei shows West Bank barrier to British parliamentary delegation ReliefWeb 1/21/2004 ABU DIS, West Bank, Jan 21 (AFP) - Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qorei met with a British parliamentary delegation on Wednesday and showed them part of the vast separation barrier that Israel is building through the West Bank. Qorei hosted members of the British Labour Friends of Israel (LFI) at his office in Abu Dis, a neighbourhood in occupied and annexed east Jerusalem, where a new concrete section of the separation barrier has just been erected. Poland to support Israel in EU Jerusalem Post 1/20/2004 Israel will have a new friend and advocate in the European Union on May 1, when Poland becomes a full member of the expanded EU. Polish Ambassador Jan Piekarski, appearing Tuesday as guest lecturer at the final seminar for this semester of The Mayrock Center Department of Russian and Slavic Studies at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem, indicated his country's desire to play a constructive role in the EU's Middle East policy. Jordan disregards Sharon's warning regarding its involvment against the Wall International Middle East Media Center 1/20/2004 Israeli PM Ariel Sharon reprimanded Jordan for its active involvement in the upcoming hearing of the International Court of Justice in The Hague to discuss the legality of the Separation Wall in the West Bank.He told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee in the Knesset, that Amman is leading the campaign against the Wall in the Arab World.He added, "Jordan's involvement is a departure from the relationship between the two countries who have strategic cooperation between them". Palestinian: Bush ignored us in speech Washington Times 1/21/2004 DOHA, Qatar, Jan. 21 (UPI) -- Palestinian representatives are angry U.S. President George Bush made no mention of the Arab-Israeli conflict in his state of the union address."If he wants democracy in the Middle East, the most ready area for elections in all forms, both regional and local, is Palestine," Saib Uraiqat, Palestinian minister of negotiations, told al-Jazeera.

Human Rights..

Palestinian detainees crammed in detention centers Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Bethlehem - Lawyers of the Palestinian prisoner’s club, Karim Hamoude and Mohammed Al-Shadfan, have quoted detainees in the Zionist jails of Atsion and Benjamin as complaining from increasingly harsh imprisonment conditions.The lawyers, who managed to visit those detainees recently, said that 63 captives were crammed in the Benjamin detention center including 13 minors. German MPs: Israel's Apartheid Wall Can Never be Imagined in Today World International Press Center 1/20/2004 QALQILIA, Palestine, January 20, 2004 (IPC+WAFA)-- Several German MPs observing Israel's Apartheid Wall in the West Bank city of Qaqlilia, expressed Tuesday astonishment at such a separation wall-off fence, being built by Israel around the West Bank including Qalqilia city.Dajmar Smedin, President of the German delegation, was quoted by WAFA News Agency as saying:" what we heard about the Apartheid Wall is different from what we have personally observed. Such a wall can never be imagined in any place in the universe in today world". Israeli forces demolish 25 homes in Rafah Electronic Intifada/PCHR 1/20/2004 Early this morning, 400 Palestinian families were forced by the Israeli occupation forces to evacuate their homes in Rafah during an Israeli military incursion into the area. A total of 25 civilian homes located on the border area with Egypt were destroyed. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at around 2:30am on Tuesday 20 January 2004, Israeli occupation forces, including tanks and heavy military bulldozers, entered 400 meters inside the Al-sha’er and Qishta quarters in Salah El-Din Gate area of Rafah, in the southern Gaza Strip. After subjecting the Palestinian residences in the area to heavy machine gun-fire, Israeli military bulldozers began demolishing civilian homes in the area, without allowing the residents an opportunity to remove their belongings. Israeli Occupying Forces at Erez Crossing Open Fire at Palestinian Workers Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/20/2004 25 Palestinians were injured this morning at the Erez crossing in northern Gaza when Israeli troops opened fire with live ammunition, rubber-coated metal bullets and tear gas canisters at thousands of Palestinian workers waiting at the crossing.According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, the incident at the Erez crossing began at 2am on Tuesday, 20 January 2004 when thousands of Palestinians were queuing to pass through the crossing to work in Israel.Without warning Israeli soldiers opened fire with live ammunition, rubber-coated bullets and tear gas, over the heads of workers’ as they were making their way towards the checking area. 25 workers sustained various injuries and were taken to Kamal Adwan and Al Awdah Hospitals in the northern Gaza Strip. Occupation authorities block travel of more pilgrims Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Bethlehem - Jordanian authorities yesterday returned to the West Bank Dr. Ali Tayeh who crossed into Jordan en route to offer Haj (pilgrimage) in Saudi Arabia.There was no explanation given for the Jordanian measure, which coincided with the Zionist authorities continued blocking of Palestinians wishing to offer Haj, an Islamic ritual that occur only once a year. Palestinian Refugee Property: Unlocking the File Protest.net/DC Indy Media Center 1/21/2004 The issue of Palestinian refugee property lies close to “ground zero” in the Arab-Israeli conflict. It has proven to be, and will remain, the most contentious of all the nearly intractable final status issues that divide Israelis and Palestinians. Michael R. Fischbach will explain the property question as it relates to the Road Map, the Geneva Plan, and even the U.S. occupation of Iraq....Fischbach's new book, Records of Dispossession: Palestinian Refugee Property and the Arab-Israeli Conflict, is the result of four years of research into archival documents in six countries and on three continents, including into the hitherto-unseen records of the United Nations Conciliation Commission for Palestine (UNCCP) locked away in the U.N. archives in New York. UNRWA Commissioner General seeks support for Palestine refugees in China, Japan and South Korea ReliefWeb 1/20/2004 Peter Hansen, Commissioner General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has completed a three-nation visit to the Far East to raise financial and political support for the work of the Agency. All three countries expressed support for the work of UNRWA and acknowledged the difficult conditions in which the Agency operates. Mr. Hansen provided an update on the humanitarian situation of Palestinian refugees in the region which was appreciated by officials in the People's Republic of China, Japan and the Republic of Korea. Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 08-14 January 2004 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 1/15/2004 3 Palestinian civilians killed by Israeli occupying forces / 1 of the victims was killed in an extra-judicial assassination / British peace activist died from an injury he sustained by Israeli troops in Rafah nine months ago / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip / Houses were raided and a number of Palestinians were arrested / Continued use of Palestinian civilians as human shields in Israeli military operations / 9 houses in Rafah refugee camp were destroyed / Construction of the “separation wall” in the West Bank has continued and more areas of Palestinian land were seized / Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued; a Palestinian civilian was killed and a number of others were injured / A Palestinian house in Hebron was 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 the right to freedom of religion, Israeli occupying forces prevented 386 pilgrims from the Gaza Strip from traveling to Saudi Arabia to attend the Hajj / Israeli occupying forces have continued to impose a total siege on the OPTs; a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested at military checkpoints and border crossings and a curfew was imposed on a number of Palestinian communities in the West Bank

Economy..

Remington Arms delegation to visit Israel for advanced security procurement Globes 1/21/2004 Headed by Remington COO Ronald Bristol II, the delegation will meet with dozens of Israeli security and civil defense companies. -- A delegation from US company Remington Arms will visit Israel next week to consider procurement of advanced security equipment. 2003 exports to US down 2% Globes 1/21/2004 High-tech exports to the US fell 8% to $2.8 billion in 2003, while food exports to the US rose 25%. -- The Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute reported today that exports to the US fell in 2003 for the third consecutive year. Exports to the US, excluding diamonds, declined 2% to $5.9 billion in 2003. Tourist exits by Israelis down 0.8% in 2003 Globes 1/21/2004 Tourist exits by Israelis by air fell by 4.9% to 2.689 million. -- 3.299 million tourist exits were made by Israelis in 2003, a negligible 0.8% increase compared with 2002, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. Tourist exits by Israelis fell by 8% in 2002. The stability in overseas trips by Israelis last year was mainly due to a 43% jump in trips by Israelis to Egypt and Jordan to 538,700. Israel to amend Companies Law to meet OECD requirements Globes 1/21/2004 The OECD published its draft of the revision of its Principles of Corporate Governance last week. -- Sources inform “Globes” that a special inter-ministerial committee has begun studying the Companies Law and other laws and regulations relating to the management and control of private and public companies. The committee intends to ultimately adapt Israeli legislation and regulations to Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) standards. Haredi employment in Jerusalem industry triples in three years Globes 1/21/2004 Over half of Jerusalem enterprises employ haredi (ultra-Orthodox) workers. -- Jerusalem Manufacturers Association chairman Moti Teperberg said yesterday that haredi (ultra-Orthodox) employment in Jerusalem industry was on the rise. The majority of employees in 42 enterprises in Jerusalem are haredim. Haredi employment in Jerusalem has tripled over the past three years to 1,400. Finance Ministry still opposing grant for Coca Cola Israel move to Ashkelon Globes 1/21/2004 The Ministry of Finance has appealed to acting Attorney General Edna Arbel to stop the grant -- Sources inform “Globes” that the Ministry of Finance yesterday appealed to acting Attorney General Edna Arbel to stop the Investment Promotion Center of the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor providing a grant to the Central Bottling Company (Coca Cola Israel) for moving its plant to Ashkelon. Carly Fiorina cancels Israel trip Globes 1/20/2004 Meetings with the Prime Minister, Minister of Finance and Minister of Industry were cancelled at the last minute. HP's CEO was to appoint a new CEO for Hewlett-Packard Israel. -- Sources inform “Globes” that Hewlett-Packard (NYSE:HPQ) chairperson and CEO Carly Fiorina cancelled her scheduled Thursday visit to Israel at the last moment.

People..

Mahatma Gandhi’s grandson preaches the message of non-violence to rapt AUB audience Daily Star 1/20/2004 It has been well over 50 years since the death of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi ­ better known as Mahatma Gandhi ­ but the lessons of his life are as important as they ever were.Perhaps more today in a world frequently characterized by increased polarization, military supremacy and widespread intolerance.That was the message that his grandson, Rajmohan Gandhi, delivered to an attentive audience at the American University of Beirut’s Issam Fares Hall on Thursday, demonstrating the relevance of his revered ancestor’s message in the modern Arab world. PA daily raps terrorists for recruiting teens, mothers Jerusalem Post 1/20/2004 A leading Palestinian columnist has launched a scathing attack on Hamas and Islamic Jihad for recruiting teenagers and mothers for suicide attacks against Israel, saying Palestinians are fed up with this "culture of death." Writing in the Palestinian Authority daily Al-Ayyam, Hasan al-Batal, a prominent columnist closely associated with the PA, praised families of suicide bombers who have spoken out against the phenomenon as courageous. Arab sector calls for separate education system Jerusalem Post 1/20/2004 The Follow-Up Committee on Arab Education said on Tuesday it intends to lobby for an separate Arab education system after a survey showed that 85 percent of those involved in education in the Arab sector are dissatisfied with the system. The year-long survey was conducted by Dr. Khaled Abu-Asbeh, director of Massar, an educational planning and policy consulting institute, and polled over 400 people across the country involved in Arab education, including teachers, parents, academics, education administrators, and representatives from local authorities.

International..

Saudis 'kidnap reformist prince' BBC 1/21/2004 A Saudi prince has accused his government of kidnapping him in Switzerland after he spoke out in favour of reform in Saudi Arabia.Prince Sultan bin Turki bin Abdel-Aziz says he was lured to a meeting in Geneva, where he was drugged before being flown back to the desert kingdom. The prince says he is currently under house arrest in the capital, Riyadh. Iranian Ministers, Vice Presidents Resign In Vote Crisis Islam Online 1/21/2004 TEHRAN, January 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A number of Iranian ministers and vice-presidents submitted their resignations in protest at the mass disqualification of candidates from next month's election, a top Iranian official confirmed on Wednesday, January 21.President Mohammad Khatami himself is ready to walk out unless the Guardian Council reviews the ban, Vice President Mohammad Ali Abtahi was quoted as saying by Agence France-Presse (AFP). 5 million on terrorism list RadioFree USA 1/21/2004 U.S. security agents have a master list of five million people worldwide thought to be potential terrorists or criminals, officials say. "The U.S. lookout index contains some five million names of known terrorists and other persons representing a potential problem," Brian Davis, a senior Canadian immigration official in Paris, said in a confidential document obtained by the Sun. Names on the list are compared against those applying for visas or on flights travelling to the U.S. Anyone whose name is on the list is questioned or banned from entering the U.S. -- as passengers were on two British Airways flights to Los Angeles two weeks ago. Iraq-based Palestinian pilgrims stranded at Saudi border Yahoo! News 1/21/2004 DUBAI (AFP) - Some 280 Iraq (news - web sites)-based Palestinians traveling to Saudi Arabia for the annual Muslim hajj pilgrimage have been stranded at the border for three days, a member of the group told AFP. "We are 300 Arabs, including 280 Palestinians carrying Iraqi travel documents, and we have been refused entry into Saudi Arabia for three days," Daoud Mahmoud Ziada said by telephone Wednesday from the Araar border post between the two countries. Syria uses sarin on Scud warheads Washington Times 1/20/2004 WASHINGTON, Jan. 20 (UPI) -- U.S. officials in Washington said Syria has completed chemical warheads for its arsenal of Scud-based missiles with help from North Korea. Syria has succeeded in designing and installing CW warheads for the Scud B, Scud C and Scud D missiles, which can reach distances up to 420 miles. Pope reaches out to Israeli rabbis Chicago Sun-Times 1/18/2004 VATICAN CITY -- Pursuing his goal of reconciliation among religions, Pope John Paul II received Israel's chief rabbis Friday and assured them of his commitment to Catholic-Jewish cooperation.The 35-minute Vatican audience, a first for Israel's top rabbis, was arranged in connection with a concert to promote solidarity among Christians, Jews and Muslims and came just a few days before a major Catholic-Jewish meeting in New York. Palestinian Refugees Fight Canadian Deportations Palestine Chronicle 1/18/2004 This past September more than 1,000 people marched through Montreal chanting Palestinian slogans and singing traditional songs. They demonstrated to demand that the Canadian government stop all deportations of Palestinians. Since then, the demonstrations have grown. Montreal has become the center of a political campaign organized by more than 100 Palestinian refugees who are fighting their deportation from Canada. These refugees have fled to Canada, claiming asylum from both the refugee camps of Lebanon and Palestine. Death penalty resumes in Lebanon BBC 1/17/2004 Lebanon has resumed capital punishment by executing three convicted murderers despite international protests.The three were executed in Beirut's Roumieh prison early on Saturday - two by firing squad and one by hanging. They were the first prisoners to face the death penalty in Lebanon since President Emile Lahoud came to power in late 1998. US on alert over Middle East shuffles Asia Times 1/22/2004 On January 6, Syrian President Bashar Assad began a landmark visit to Ankara. It was only six years ago that these countries were at the brink of a war when Ankara accused Damascus of sheltering Kurdish militants. This crisis was averted when Damascus expelled Abdullah Ocalan, the leader of the Kurdish guerrilla group known as the Kurdistan Workers' Party, after having offered him sanctuary for nearly two decades. This was one year after Turkey and Israel had signed a military cooperation agreement, and Syria wanted to avoid having two enemies on its borders. Since then, the two countries have been pursuing better diplomatic relations. Unveiled women anger Saudi cleric BBC 1/21/2004 Saudi Arabia's highest religious authority has issued a stern rebuke to women who appeared at a conference unveiled in the presence of men.Grand Mufti Sheikh Abdul-Aziz al-Sheikh said the women's behaviour was shameful and warned of "grave consequences". Erdogan Under Fire For Rejecting Common Islamic Market Islam Online 1/21/2004 ISTANBUL, January 21 (IslamOnline.net) – Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came under fire for his recent clear opposition to creating a common Islamic market, with press reports accusing him of backtracking on earlier positions. Addressing the Jeddah Economic Forum in Saudi Arabia on January 17-18, Erdogan said "economy does not have a religion, and efforts to base money on ethnicity will lead to negative results". JORDAN: Rise In Garment Exports BharatTextile News 1/21/2004 AMMAN: According to the latest figures provided by the Ministry of Industry and Trade the export of garment of the country has increased. Garment exports increased by 34.8 percent.Foreign trade rose during the first eleven months of 2003 by 8.6 per cent but the trade deficit widened by 14 per cent compared to that of the same period last year. Imports increased by 9.8 per cent, exports by 4.4 per cent and reexports by 14 per cent, the ministry's figures indicated. Mosque Places Imam on Leave Ohio News Network 1/21/2004 A Cleveland-area Islamic clergyman accused of concealing alleged links to anti-Israel militant groups has been placed on leave by his mosque. The allegations against Fawaz Mohammed Damrah stem from his application for U.S. citizenship. Trustees of the Islamic Center of Cleveland voted ten-to-five this week to put the man on a paid leave of absence while he defends himself against a federal indictment. Anti-Israel comments 'mar' King tribute Montreal Gazette 1/21/2004 Two Jewish leaders walk out in protest over editor's speech -- Israel's consul-general in Montreal walked out of an interfaith memorial service marking Martin Luther King Jr. Day to protest against a speech by the editor of an online Muslim news service.Marc Attali said yesterday he "deplored" the speech Monday night by Yahya Abdul Rahman, of the Montreal Muslim News Network. Two Zionists arrested on attempting to infiltrate Arab League Palestinian Information Center 1/21/2004 Cairo - Security apparatuses in the Arab League headquarters in Cairo yesterday foiled an attempt by two Zionists to enter the premises within a Spanish TV team, according to Egyptian press sources. The sources said that the Spanish team was scheduled to interview Amre Mousa, the Arab League secretary general. Mid-East regret at Bush address BBC 1/21/2004 President Bush's State of the Union address has elicited much comment in the Middle East, from politicians and media outlets.The Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei said it was "regrettable" Mr Bush had not mentioned the Middle East peace process, or road map. Official commentators in the Iranian media highlight what they call the "contradictory" nature of the President's remarks. Bush address makes no mention of Israel, Palestinians Ha'aretz 1/21/2004 U.S. President George Bush's State of the Union address Tuesday omitted any direct reference to Israel and the Palestinians, but Bush told the joint session of the House and Senate that movements threatening America would continue to exist as long as the Middle East remained "a place of tyranny, despair and anger." Sen. John Kerry's on his way, Jewish backers say Jerusalem Post 1/21/2004 Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry's surprising victory in Iowa Monday has led his Jewish supporters to predict that more members of the Jewish community will now back his campaign....While Solomont is heading up the fund-raising effort in Massachusetts, other Jews across the country are raising money for Kerry. Among them is Kerry's national finance chairman, Lou Susman, a financial services executive based in Chicago. Mark Gorenberg, a San Francisco venture capitalist, is scouting out donors on the West Coast. And in Colorado, Norm Brownstein, a Denver-based lawyer active in AIPAC, is raising funds. New song blames U.S. for 9-11  WorldNetDaily 1/20/2004 A new song released by a popular Egyptian singer claims the U.S. deliberately caused the destruction of the World Trade Center towers to make Arabs look bad. -- According to the published review, the song, which focuses on the Middle East road map peace plan, puts to music popular notions in Egypt about Israel, the Iraq war and September 11. The song describes how "America is the spitting image of Israel and it carries out its desires, making the world into a 'jungle.' But it does not stop at that point. Abd Al-Rahim goes on to boldly sing that the USA is the perpetrator of the September 11th attacks," reports the Cairo paper. In the Mideast, TV, Internet Spur Change but Losses Stalk Newsroom By Peyman Pejman, Antiwar.com 1/20/2004 Satellite television and the Internet have spurred Middle East media operations to become more critical and investigative but financial losses could catch up with some of the pioneers of this change, say regional media experts. "The Arab media have changed a lot in the past 10-15 years," says Hala Ghanem, a former information ministry official from Kuwait. "You can say there has been a revolution." While government-run newspapers and television stations remain largely unchanged, they are losing influence to the Internet and to competitors backed by private finance or funded but not directly controlled by governments.

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