IOF
Carry Massive Detention Spree in Hebron, Nablus, Kill Gaza Teen
Palestine Media Center, January 30, 2003
Israeli High Court Approves Deportation of Two Palestinians --
Israeli occupation troops, backed by tanks and bulldozers carried
out massive incursions into the West Bank cities of Hebron and
Nablus early Thursday and imposed a curfew on residents before
beginning house-to-house searches, Palestinian security officials
said.
Five
Palestinians killed as clashes spread in West Bank, Gaza
Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2003
Soldiers shot and killed five Palestinians today, including three
men who were preparing to launch a rocket at Israelis in the Gaza
Strip, and two terrorist suspects in the West Bank city of Tulkarm.
Israel
closes Palestinian police and TV stations
icWales, January 30, 2003
Israeli troops closed Palestinian police and TV stations in Hebron
early today as they searched homes and blocked off roads in a
crackdown on suspected militants.
Arafat
offers meeting, Sharon refuses
Al-Bawaba, January 29, 2003
Israel's Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon on Wednesday rebuffed an
offer by Yasser Arafat to resume peace talks.
Meretz
MK says IDF's account of militants' killing false
Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2003
"..Raz, who helped found the Peace Now movement in the early eighties,
said only one of the men killed was a wanted terrorist, while
the other man was innocent." -- Meretz elected MK Mosi Raz, who
is serving on reserve duty in the West Bank town of Tulkarm, said
Wednesday that an earlier statement by IDF Spokeswoman claiming
the IDF had killed two wanted terrorists in the town was false.
20
Palestinians wounded in West Bank raid
ABC, January 30, 2003
Twenty Palestinians were wounded on Thursday when Israeli forces
staged an incursion in the village of Tamun near Jenin, in the
northern West Bank, and opened fire on a crowd of stone-throwers,
the mayor said.
Sharon
to 'corner' Labor into joining government
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan is to use the coming weeks
"to corner" the Labor Party into being the party to blame for
new elections that Sharon is threatening if Labor does not join
his coalition.
EU,
US, Arabs Urge Re-elected Sharon to Opt for Peace
Palestine Media Center, January 30, 2003
As Israel welcomed the comeback of its hard-line Prime Minister,
whose infamous visit to the Haram Al-Sharif in September 2000
sparked the ongoing 28-month-old Intifada, governments from across
the globe called upon Ariel Sharon to opt for the choice of peace.
Hamas
blames Fatah for Cairo talks flop
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Hamas yesterday blamed Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's
Fatah faction for the failure of the Cairo talks, which were meant
to produce an agreement on a joint framework for conducting the
struggle against Israel, including the possibility of a moratorium
on attacks inside Israel.
Thirty-three
Palestinians killed in lead-up to Israeli elections
Palestine Report, January 28, 2003
ISRAELI ELECTIONS heralded a new era on January 28 championing
the supremacy of Israel's right wing. The Likud party, led by
Israel's sitting prime minister Ariel Sharon, doubled the Knesset
seats of its closest rival, the center left Labor party. But for
Palestinians, the last days of the election campaign were stained
in blood.
EU
closer to special inquest into how EU funds used by PA
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
BRUSSELS, Belgium - The European Union's Parliament moved closer
to setting up a special inquiry Thursday into whether millions
of euros in EU aid to Palestinians was being used to fund terrorism.
Mubarak
surprises PM with invitation for peace talks
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon yesterday won his first political
points after his election victory on Tuesday, when Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak surprised the Prime Minister's Office with a phone
call to congratulate the premier and invite him for talks after
the new government is formed.
EU
calls for action on `road map'
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
London - Now that the elections are over, the European Union and
Britain are calling on Sharon to promote the peace process and
implement the "road map" toward a Palestinian state.
Palestinians
say Blair to discuss observers and roadmap with Bush on Friday
Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2003
The US and Britain are considering sending observers to the territories,
either as part of the implementation of the US 'roadmap' for peace
or as an independent initiative to further a ceasefire during
a possible US-led campaign against Iraq, a well informed Palestinian
source told The Jerusalem Post Wednesday.
Yassin
says US war on Iraq will help Israel
Arab News, January 30, 2003
GAZA, 30 January 2003 — Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual
leader of the Hamas resistance group, said yesterday the United
States was planning war on Iraq to perpetuate Israeli control
of "the Palestinian homeland".
Palestinian
discord: To the trenches
The Economist, January 30, 2003
Palestinian leaders, having failed to agree, return to a threatened
Gaza -- ON THE same day that the Israelis went to the polls, the
Palestinian faction leaders, who had been meeting in Cairo, went
home, without agreement. In the West Bank, Palestinians were penned
even more tightly than usual into their towns, villages and refugee
camps.
‘Christian
Aid’ Blames US, Britain For Palestinian Poverty
Palestine Media Center, January 30, 2003
Humanitarian Crisis as Inflammatory to Conflict as Suicide Bombings
-- According to a recent report published by the Christian Aid
charity, Britain and the United States must share responsibility
for severe poverty plaguing Palestinians in the Israeli-occupied
territories, who live under devastated economic and living standards
due to the closure and reoccupation of their cities and towns
since June.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine, January 30, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a teenager and wounded
a dozen civilians in separate assaults in the Gaza Strip. IOF
also carried put several raids on Hebron and Nablus cities and
detained a number of citizens.
Weekly
Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories 23-29 January, 2003
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
The International Community Remains Silent While the Israeli Human
Rights Violations Continue in the OPTs: 25 Palestinians, mostly
civilians, including 3 children and a woman, were killed by Israeli
forces / 13 of the victims were killed during an Israeli incursion
into al-Zaytoun neighborhood in Gaza / Israeli forces
conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied
by indiscriminate shelling / Large areas of Palestinian agricultural
land in the Gaza Strip were razed / The Israeli retaliatory campaign
continues against families of wanted Palestinians and those who
carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets / A number of
Palestinians have been arrested / The strict siege of the OPT
has continued and hundreds of Palestinian pilgrims were prevented
from traveling to Saudi Arabia
Israeli
Forces Kill Two Palestinians in West Bank
ABC, January 30, 2003
TULKARM, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli soldiers killed two Palestinians
in a major West Bank raid on Thursday after Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon rebuffed a post-election olive branch extended by Yasser
Arafat.
LAW
challenges Israel’s RJ/5 and S/15
LAW Society, January 30, 2003
Israel’s Orwellian ‘Civil Administration,’ which
deals with zoning and planning laws in Area C, covering 73% of
the West Bank, tends to sit side-by-side with the municipal borders
of Palestinian villages and cities. Neighborhoods that have grown
outside of strictly defined Israeli municipal boundaries often
lie in Area C.
LAW
challenges Israel’s arbitrary destruction of land
LAW Society, January 30, 2003
Jamal Shamasni has delicate Ottoman papers over a hundred years
old, proving that his grandfather’s family owned a field
of olives near his village of Qatlana in the Ramallah district.
Those papers couldn’t defend him against Israeli bulldozers
through. On November 23, 2002, Israeli troops came with machinery
and completely destroyed eighty of his olive trees, and damaged
another 40.
Palestinian
children in Israeli jails face hardship and racism
LAW Society, January 30, 2003
This week, LAW’s lawyer Hanan Khatib visited the appropriately
named “Sharon” section of the Talmond Prison, where
65 – 70 Palestinian children between the ages 14 –
18 are detained. Palestinian children in Israeli jails are facing
brute physical violence from Israeli guards, denial of family
visits and communication with the outside world, a shortage of
clothing, appropriate medical attention, hazardous living conditions,
and extremely long prison sentences.
Israeli
Raids in Hebron After Sharon Rebuffs Arafat on Talks
New York Times, January 30, 2003
JERUSALEM, Jan. 30 — Israeli forces mounted a major incursion
into the West Bank city of Hebron today, demolishing a Palestinian
vegetable market and closing Palestinian police and television
stations.
ISM
Activists and Press Photographers Fired Upon in Jenin
International Solidarity Movement, January 28, 2003
2 Internationals and 2 Press Photographers Fired Upon in Jenin
-- Between 4 and 5 am today the Israeli Army entered Jenin with
a strong force which included tanks and APCs. Three Palestinians
have been killed so far. One was a member of the Palestinian
resistance. The two others were a non-combatant civilians
aged 18 and 12.
Israeli
forces kill four Palestinians and injure a journalist during invasion
of Jenin
Palestine Monitor, January 28, 2003
Four Palestinians were killed this morning and one journalist
injured when Israeli troops invaded Jenin. According to residents,
the invasion began at 1.30 am when Israeli soldiers entered the
Asharrki and Al Marrah neighborhoods in the eastern part of Jenin.
2
International captured and assaulted by Settlers then Arrested
by Army
International Solidarity Movement, January 29, 2003
At 11 am ISM activists Colin Kelsall (from the UK) and Satoshi
Itakura (Japan), staying at Yanoon in the Occupied West Bank,
were told by Palestinians that settlers from Itamar Settlement
had moved onto Palestinian farmland and were working the land
with tractors.
Colin
and Satoshi are Free!
International Solidarity Movement, January 30, 2003
Good news everyone. We got a call at about 11.30 last night from
Tel Aviv from Colin saying that both he and Satoshi are free.
When they were at the Police Station they were accused with breaking
into the Itamar Settlement.
Israeli
tanks raid Hebron, houses destroyed in Gaza Strip
Al-Bawaba, January 30, 2003
Israeli tanks streamed into the Palestinian city of Hebron Thursday
and soldiers started searching for activists, witnesses said.
The city was placed under a curfew.
Palestinians
report 17 casualties in Jenin-area clashes
Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2003
Palestinian witnesses reported 17 people were wounded in clashes
with IDF troops in the Jenin area, where troops have been conduting
search operations for terror suspects.
Israeli
Undercover Patrol Kills 2
The Guardian, January 30, 2003
HEBRON, West Bank (AP) - An Israeli undercover patrol shot and
killed two Palestinian militants in Tulkarem, including a militia
leader, and army bulldozers demolished a Palestinian vegetable
market and closed Palestinian police and TV stations in Hebron.
Israel
clamps down on Hebron
BBC, January 30, 2003
Israel has imposed a curfew on the divided West Bank town of Hebron
after sending in tanks and troops in its first big security operation
since Tuesday's election.
Sharon
warns Labour: join me or we vote again
The Guardian, January 30, 2003
Victory soured for prime minister as left's refusal to consider
coalition pushes Likud towards deal with far right --Ariel Sharon
yesterday threatened to call another election if the refusal by
the battered Labour opposition to join a coalition government
forces him into the arms of the far right and ultra-orthodox religious
parties.
Cafe
shootout in Jenin
ABC, January 30, 2003
Israeli troops with tanks and bulldozers have surged into the
West Bank city of Hebron, imposing a curfew on the residents before
beginning house-to-house searches.
Palestinian
Activists Arrested in West Bank
VOA, January 30, 2003
Israeli troops moved into the West Bank town of Hebron early Thursday
in search of Palestinian militants. Several activists are reported
to have been arrested.
Israel
Continues Hard-Line
CBS, January 30, 2003
Israeli army bulldozers demolished a Palestinian vegetable market
in Hebron Thursday and three homes and two important water wells
in Rafah in the Gaza Strip.
HP
selected to produce smart ID cards
Globes, January 30, 2003
Hewlett-Packard (NYSE: HPQ) has been chosen in the tender for
the new identity cards in Israel, which will be based on a smart
card.
IOF
Invades Jenin, Fires Upon ISM Activists and Palestinian Photographers
International Solidarity Movement, January 28, 2003
Between 4 and 5 am today the Israeli Army entered Jenin with a
strong force which included tanks and APCs. ThreePalestinians
have been killed so far. One was a member of the Palestinian
resistance. The other two were non-combatant civilian aged
18 and 12.
IDF
kills two Tanzim men in Tul Karm, three terrorists in Gaza
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Israel Defense Forces troops Thursday afternoon killed two Tanzim
militants in the West Bank city of Tul Karm, while a short time
later in the Gaza Strip three terrorists were killed by soldiers
as they were attempting to fire Kassam rockets near Beit Hanoun.
Two
Nazareth residents sentenced to 5 years for planning attack
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Nazareth Magistrates Court on Thursday sentenced two Israelis
to five years in prison for engaging in contact with a hostile
agent, attempting to smuggle arms and making plans to carry out
a suicide bombing in Afula.
Israeli
Left Punished for Oslo, Voters Firmly Reject Peace Camp
Palestine Media Center, January 30, 2003
The Israeli left suffered a historic defeat in the Jewish state’s
general elections, as the voters shifted to the right and firmly
rejected the peace camp on Tuesday by re-electing Ariel Sharon
as prime minister.
Mitzna
meets Lapid in bid to keep Shinui out of unity gov't
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Labor Party Chairman Amram Mitzna met Shinui leader Yosef (Tommy)
Lapid in a Tel Aviv hotel on Thursday afternoon to propose that
their two parties cooperate in opposition to the government to
be formed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Background:
Is Shinui really a centrist party as it claims?
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
The new Shinui Knesset faction, boasting a membership of 15, met
for the first time on Wednesday. The cheerful-looking group exuded
a sense of unity and vigor, unlike the image attributed to them
during the election campaign as the "anonymous midgets" of party
chairman Yosef (Tommy) Lapid.
Sharon's
in no hurry, counting on Labor to fold
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
One of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's close advisers yesterday
compared him to an old lion napping in the sun, waiting for his
prey to wander by before grabbing it for dinner. The prey is the
Labor Party and the napping in the sun is Sharon's deliberate
procrastination in the coalition talks.
Likud
wins 400,000 more votes than in '99
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
The Likud received over 400,000 more votes in Tuesday's elections
than it did in the ballot for the 15th Knesset in 1999. These
figures are based on a total of 3,033,115 counted votes.
Party
leaders fall on their swords as price to pay for preaching politics
of peace
The Independent, January 30, 2003
Israel's elections have already claimed two party leaders as victims.
The question now is whether they will claim a third: Amram Mitzna.
Mitzna
proposing cooperation with Lapid in opposition
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
As opposed to all expectations, "the day after" in the Labor Party,
which had threatened to shake the foundations of the party, passed
in near total quiet, without any special incidents, despite the
most dramatic loss in the party's electoral history.
President
to start coalition talks early next week
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
President Moshe Katsav will begin consulting with the various
Knesset factions on who they prefer to see as prime minister at
the start of next week, even before the official results of the
elections are published on Wednesday.
Prosecutor
suspended for Kern leak
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Justice Ministry Director General Aharon Avramovich yesterday
decided to suspend Liora Glatt-Berkovich, the prosecution whistle-blower
who allegedly leaked a ministry document to a Haaretz reporter
about a police investigation into Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's
son Gilad accepting a suspicious foreign loan used to pay back
illegal campaign contributions from a 1999 Likud primaries race.
AG
resumes police probes of politicians
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein yesterday informed the police
and the State Prosecution that the passing of the elections has
also brought an end to the moratorium he declared on political
investigations, and that he now expects all such probes to proceed
expeditiously.
The
abyss is widening between the Jewish and Arab parties
Ha'aretz, January 30, 2003
Tuesday's elections produced several new records in the relationship
between the state and its Arab minority: A record number of Arab
voters sat out the elections (37.7 percent); for the first time
since the state's establishment, none of the Zionist parties include
an Arab MK (though Likud has a Druze MK, Majali Wahaba); four
different slates, an all-time high, competed for the Arab vote,
along with a significant ideological movement for an election
boycott; and the Palestinian-national strain among the Arab parties
strengthened.
New
Knesset to have largest-ever number of women
Jerusalem Post, January 30, 2003
Female representation in the 16th Knesset will be the largest
ever in the country's history at 18 MKs, up from 17 in the previous
legisature. In the past, women have not fared very well in Israeli
politics, and only one has served as prime minister, Golda Meir.
Iran
releases dissident cleric
BBC, January 30, 2003
Iran's most prominent dissident cleric, Ayatollah Hussain-Ali
Montazeri, has been released after five years under house arrest.
cartoon
Iraq
Linked to Al-Qaeda?
Steve Bell Cartoon, The Guardian, January 30, 2003
Photo
CBS, January 30, 2003
A destroyed shop in a bullet-riddled building in the town of Rafah
on the Gaza Strip
