Israel tightens closure of Ramallah
Alternative Information Center/Al-Ayyam, March 26, 2003 
For the second day in a row the Qalandya check point, the only entrance which links Ramallah and Al-Bera with East Jerusalem, is closed. Thousands of Palestinians were prevented from reaching their homes and places of work.

Two Palestinian Children Killed, Three Extra-Judicially Executed in Bethlehem
International Press Center, March 26, 2003
BETHLEHEM, Palestine, 26 March,2003, (IPC)- - Five Palestinian civilians including two children have been  killed Tuesday by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Palestinian medical and security sources said.

IOF Kill Girl in Bethlehem, Critically Wound her Family
Palestine Media Center, March 26, 2003
3 Children Killed in the Occupied Territory in 2 days -- March. 26, 2003 - Sadness and shock hit the Sa’ada family in the city of Bethlehem after they lost their 10-year-old daughter, who was shot dead by a special Israeli army unit, which also seriously wounded the girl’s father, mother and sister.

West must show Mid-East 'resolve'
BBC, March 26, 2003
UK Foreign Secretary Jack Straw has said it is hypocritical for the West to demand Iraqi compliance with UN Security Council resolutions while appearing to hesitate over resolutions concerning the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. He told the BBC that he himself had been guilty of double standards "to a degree" but he promised that a new international peace plan, the so-called "roadmap", was close to realisation.

Chirac Calls Arafat as UK, US Confirm New Delay in ‘Roadmap’ Release
Palestine Media Center, March 26, 2003
March. 26, 2003 - President Yasser Arafat has received a phone call from French President Jacques Chirac Wednesday as the Palestinian PM-designate Mahmoud Abbas denied he was informed by British PM Tony Blair that the release of the Quartet’s final draft of the “roadmap” to peace in the Middle East was postponed.

Israel certain US won’t press Quartet plan
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Israel has so far avoided to give a final answer regarding the so-called Quartet plan, formulated by the United States, Russia, the European Union and the United Nations, and repeatedly delayed by the American administration for a variety of reasons, mostly having to do with pressures from the powerful Jewish Lobby in Washington...Earlier, the Israeli state-run radio quoted “reliable sources” at Sharon’s office as saying that the Bush Administration was not serious about the plan..and..recent statements by the US state department...didn’t reflect reality.

Democrats from state back U.S. probe of activist's death
Seattle Times, March 26, 2003
WASHINGTON — U.S. Rep. Brian Baird, D-Vancouver, was expected to introduce a congressional resolution last night calling for an investigation into the death of 23-year-old Rachel Corrie, who died March 16 during a protest in the Gaza Strip. Five Washington state Democrats are co-sponsoring the resolution: Jay Inslee, Norm Dicks, Adam Smith, Jim McDermott and Rick Larsen. Five other congressional Democrats joined them.

PMO slams Halevy's political initiative
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
Officials in the Prime Minister's Office yesterday criticized a political initiative for a settlement with the Palestinians that was formulated by the head of the National Security Council, Ephraim Halevy, at the request of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz.

Surveys: Religiosity not a factor in Arab attitudes to democracy, Israel
Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2003 
According to a University of Michigan study, religious Arab Muslim men and women are just as likely as less religious individuals to favor compromise with Israel and support democracy.

Breaking News: Palestinian Shot in Hebron
International Press Center, March 26, 2003
17:40- - One Palestinian civilian, Radwan Abu Snaineh, 18, was shot and injured in the leg by Israeli occupation forces in the city of Hebron, (IPC)

Conditions of the Palestinian Prisoners in the Israeli Jails
International Press Center, March 26, 2003
These conditions are in clear violation of international human rights standards and the domestic laws, the administration of the Israeli prisons does not provide for the basic needs of prisoners. -- Report by Al-Haq Organization, 26/03/03, As part of its mandate Al-Haq, Law in the Service of Man has always made and efforts to visit Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails.

Intifada damage in 2002 estimated at NIS 15 billion
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
Product losses as a result of the Al Aqsa Intifada violence in the year 2002 were between 3.1 and 3.8 percent - between NIS 14.6 billion and NIS 17.9 billion, the Bank of Israel estimated Wednesday.

Netanyahu's new economic plan: US administration conditions support on privatisation, end of welfare state
Alternative Information Center, March 26, 2003 
Furthermore, Netanyahu warned that the U.S. administration has conditioned the granting of $9 billion in loan guarantees to Israel on acceptance of his program. -- The Israeli government approved on Tuesday, March 25 the emergency economic plan. The ministers voted for the plan, proposed last week by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, by 21 to two.

Zionists drafting peace settlement abolishing right of return
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem- A Zionist security team headed by defense minister Shaul Mofaz was currently drafting a new security-political settlement with the Palestinian Authority to replace the American road-map plan, according to the Hebrew radio.

Zionist military court asks Knesset to endorse capital punishment
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Ramallah- The Zionist military court in Beit Eil to the north of the West Bank city of Ramallah has asked the Zionist parliament to pass a law allowing capital punishment against Palestinian combatants convicted of killing “Israeli” soldiers or settlers.

Israel uses Anglo-American invasion of Iraq to gang up on Palestinians
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - The Israeli occupation army continued to kill and maim Palestinian civilians during the first week of the Anglo-American invasion of Iraq despite a marked reduction in Palestinian resistance to Israel’s colonialist occupation of the Palestinians’ homeland.

Israel Kills 6 Palestinians, Including 2 Children
Islam Online, March 26, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, March 26 (IslamOnline.net) – Exploiting world preoccupation with the ongoing U.S.-led war of aggression on Iraq, Israeli occupation forces Tuesday, March 25, killed six Palestinians, including a ten-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy, in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

Blair, ahead of Bush war summit: Mideast solution is vital
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, addressing parliament before leaving for a Camp David "war summit" Wednesday with President George Bush, declared that he and Bush believed it vital to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, calling it the one issue that most divides the pan-Muslim world from the West.

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine, March 26, 2003
Palestine Media Center, March 26, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed five Palestinians in the past twenty-four hours, including a 10 year-old girl and a 14 year-old boy in Bethlehem and Jenin. IOF also detained 21 Palestinians in overnight raids. IOF Kill 3 Palestinians, including Girl in Bethlehem / Boy Dies of Wounds in Jenin / IOF Kill Citizen in Gaza / IOF Detain 21 Palestinians

Democratic Front studies joining PA government
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Gaza- The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine has said that it was following up consultations held by Palestinian Authority premier-designate Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) with various forces.

Despite the aggression: Iraq distributes donations to families of martyrs
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Gaza- The Arab Liberation Front yesterday distributed the Iraqi president’s grants to families of Palestinian martyrs in Khan Younis, south of Gaza Strip, despite the ongoing aggression on that Arab country.

Israeli cabinet approves sharp cutbacks
BBC, March 26, 2003
Netanyahu is trying to keep coalition partners onside -- Israel's cabinet has overwhelmingly voted in favour of sharp cutbacks in public services to try to revive the country's battered economy. The decision, which could mean 10,000 sackings of public sector workers, a 10% cut in civil servants' salaries and cutbacks in public pensions, opens the door for $10bn of additional US aid.

Health basket to be expanded by only NIS 20 million in 2003 
Haaretz, March 26, 2003
The basket of subsidized health services will be expanded by NIS 20 million in 2003, Health Minister Dan Naveh said yesterday. The association representing health consumers in Israel said this was the equivalent of a 0.3-percent increase every two years, instead of the 1 percent annually that is needed to get the basket to reflect actual needs.

Finance Committee hikes security outlay for Jewish areas of E. Jerusalem
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
The Knesset Finance Committee yesterday approved a request from the Housing Ministry and treasury to allocate an additional NIS 8.5 million for security measures in the Jewish neighborhoods of East Jerusalem.

PCBS report: almost 3,000 martyrs during Intifada, including 426 children
Alternative Information Center/Al-Quds, March 26, 2003 
The Palestinian Center for Statistics published a report which includes statistics of the main Israeli violations and aggressions against the Palestinian people between 29/9/2000 and 28/2/2003.

Settler violence near Hebron
Alternative Information Center, March 26, 2003 
The Israeli Supreme Court ruled that permanent structures built on Hill 26, a settlement outpost near Kyriat Arba, were illegal. In accordance with this ruling, the Israeli army destroyed three small buildings erected on the spot around midnight on Sunday night, 23 March 2003. In the morning, two Palestinian-owned cars were found torched in the vicinity of Hill 26. The owners, residents of Hebron, suspect that settlers were behind the arson attacks.

25 March - daily updates from the occupied Palestinian territories 
Alternative Information Center, March 26, 2003 
Following is a short summary of today's (25/3/03) events in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

Remove Physical Barriers from Villages in the Nablus Area
Association for Civil Rights in Israel - ACRI, March 26, 2003
ACRI and Physicians for Human Rights (PHR) file supreme court petition: More than 10,000 palestinians in the Nablus area have been held under total closure for over one year: medical supplies depleted; ambulances delayed; deprivation and poverty prevail.

“Regrettable Mistakes”
Association for Civil Rights in Israel - ACRI, March 18, 2003
Translation of ACRI`s notice published in the leading Hebrew daily Haaretz on 14.03.03 demanding investigations of the spate of killings of innocent Palestinian civilians.

Foreign Ministry slams British PM's linkage of Iraq, Intifada
Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2003
Officials in the Foreign Ministry voiced criticism statements made by British Prime Minister Tony Blair Wednesday they said created 'linkage' between the situation in Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

IDF arrests 7 wanted Palestinians
Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2003 
The IDF arrested seven Palestinian men wanted for questioning in the West bank town of Nablus Wednesday morning, the military said. Earlier, police said more than 2,800 Palestinian men and women have been arrested in the West Bank for alleged terrorist and/or security-breaching operations during 2002, a rise of 130% from 2001.

Work on `bulge' in Temple Mount wall begins
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
The fourth and nearly final stage of a major repair of the southern wall of the Temple Mount compound, during which most of the stones in the bulging part of the wall will be replaced, has finally begun.

Israel censors news sites
Journalism.co, March 24, 2003
Israel's News and Media Censorship Office has warned all online publishers not to print any home security details during the war on Iraq. In what is thought to be a first, Israel's chief military censor has apparently written a letter telling web magazine Scoops Forum that it must not publish any details of missile landing locations, missile types, any cabinet discussions relating to the war, or any information on Israeli army operations in any sector.

American Jews tread softly on 'road map' during war in Iraq
Haaretz, March 26, 2003
WASHINGTON - Around 3,000 Jewish activists are expected to go to Capitol Hill next Tuesday to try persuade their Congress representatives to continue supporting Israel. It will mark the culmination of the annual conference of America's pro-Israel lobby, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), which is held each year in Washington and is attended by senior U.S. administration officials and members of Congress, as well as numerous Israeli representatives.

Background / The other Mideast moment of truth
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
As the hour of decision draws near in Iraq, a separate Middle East moment of truth for George Bush and Tony Blair - a battle to implement the "road map" for Israeli-Palestinian peace - may also be close at hand.

Attorney general's new directive denies citizenship to Jews who converted in Israel 
Haaretz, March 26, 2003
People who move to Israel and convert here are no longer eligible to receive citizenship under the Law of Return, according to a new directive formulated by Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein in December.

New bill defines status of SLA veterans
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
Labor MK Isaac Herzog presented a bill before the Knesset Interior Committee yesterday aimed at defining the status and rights of South Lebanon Army (SLA) veterans who took refuge in Israel following the Israel Defense Forces' withdrawal from southern Lebanon nearly three years ago.

Palestinian NGO denounces its past mishandling of funds
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment (LAW) yesterday issued a press release denouncing any misappropriation of funds by the non-governmental organization's previous management.

Kinneret pumped to aquifer for first time in decade
Haaretz, March 26, 2003 
Thanks to the abundant rainfall this season, the Mekorot Water Company is pumping water from Lake Kinneret (the Sea of Galilee) at an accelerated rate and - for the first time in a decade - is channeling some of this fresh water into the coastal aquifer.

Analysis: Israel, The Next Target-II
UPI, March 26, 2003
SKOPJE, Macedonia, March 25 (UPI) -- This is the third year of recession: the Israeli economy contracted by 1 percent last year and by 0.9 percent in 2001. Nor is it over yet. Business Data Israel, a forecasting consultancy, reckons that the damage to Israel's economy of a short war in Iraq would amount to $1 billion, or 1 percent of gross domestic product.

Witnesses: Al-Arian Peaceful Muslim Community Leader
The Ledger, March 26, 2003
TAMPA -- Sami Al-Arian and three others are the "braintrusts" of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad in the United States and should remain behind bars until tried for aiding a murderous terrorist organization, federal prosecutors argued Tuesday.

Iraq War News

IraqWar.RU Update - March 25, 2003
IraqWar.RU
March 25, 2003, 1230hrs MSK (GMT +3), Moscow - ..Already the supply of heavy cruise missiles like the "Tomahawk" has been reduced by a third and, at the current rate of use, in three weeks the US will be left only with the untouchable strategic supply of these missiles...According to [Russian military] intelligence Pentagon made a decision to significantly reinforce the coalition. During the next two weeks up to 50,000 troops and no less than 500 tanks will arrive to the combat area from the US military bases in Germany and Albania. By the end of April 120,000 more troops and up to 1,200 additional tanks will be sent to support the war against Iraq...There will be an increase in the use of conventional high-yield aviation bombs, volume-detonation bombs and incendiary munitions...This means that Washington is resorting to the "scorched earth" tactics and carpet-bombing campaign.

Halliburton Makes a Killing on Iraq War
Corpwatch.com, March 20, 2003
Cheney's Former Company Profits from Supporting Troops -- As the first bombs rain down on Baghdad, CorpWatch has learned that thousands of employees of Halliburton, Vice President Dick Cheney's former company, are working alongside US troops in Kuwait and Turkey under a package deal worth close to a billion dollars. According to US Army sources, they are building tent cities and providing logistical support for the war in Iraq in addition to other hot spots in the "war on terrorism."

Halliburton Handed No-Bid Iraqi Oil Firefighting Contract
Common Dreams, March 25, 2003
WASHINGTON - The US army said it gave the main Iraqi oil well firefighting contract to a unit of Halliburton Co., a firm once run by Vice President Dick Cheney, without any bidding. Kellogg, Brown and Root, a unit of Houston, Texas-based Halliburton, was handed the contract by the Army Corps of Engineers, which has been placed in charge of fighting the blazes.

Saudi Arabia Backs Away From Peace Plan
The Guardian, March 26, 2003
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Saudi Arabia backed away Wednesday from an announcement that it had made a peace proposal to the United States and Iraq, saying only that it had offered ``general ideas'' about ending the war and not a formal initiative.

Iraqi exiles put patriotism first as they return home to fight invaders
The Guardian, March 26, 2003
Young Iraqi exiles are rushing home to defend their country in growing numbers, even though many strongly oppose Saddam Hussein's regime.
A fatwa issued by the highest religious leaders of Shia Islam, calling on Iraqis to "fight the aggressors and stand against the invasion", will accelerate an already strong trend for young Iraqi exiles to go home to defend their country.

Leave After War, Iraqi Opposition Tells US
Arab News, March 26, 2003
TEHRAN, 26 March 2003 — The leader of Iraq’s main Shiite opposition group warned Washington yesterday that US troops would face armed resistance if they stayed in Iraq once President Saddam Hussein was toppled.

Amnesty Fears Humanitarian Disaster
Arab News, March 26, 2003
LONDON, 26 March 2003 — Amnesty International said yesterday it feared the spread of humanitarian crises in Iraq such as the situation in the besieged southern city of Basra, whose residents have been without water since Friday. “We are concerned that the situation in Basra may be mirrored in other cities and regions in Iraq,” Amnesty said in a press statement released in London.

War Bars Refugees From Crossing to Jordan: UN
Arab News, March 26, 2003
RUWEISHED, Jordan, 26 March 2003 — The UN refugee agency chief in Jordan said yesterday that no Iraqis had yet arrived in the country, contrary to expectations, saying they could be prevented both by the war and Iraqi authorities.

Fakes Back Iraq N-Arms Claim, UN Official Says
Arab News, March 26, 2003
VIENNA, 26 March 2003 — A few hours and a simple Internet search was all it took for UN inspectors to realize documents backing US and British claims that Iraq had revived its nuclear program were crude fakes, a UN official said.

NYSE Ban of Al-Jazeera Reporters Prompts Outcry
FOX News, March 26, 2003
NEW YORK  — Media watchdogs criticized the New York Stock Exchange's decision to revoke the credentials of Arab TV network Al-Jazeera, calling it outrageous and shortsighted.

More Mideast nations seeking trade agreements with U.S.
USA Today, March 26, 2003
WASHINGTON — Spurred by the success of a recent U.S.-Jordan free-trade agreement and the Bush administration's desire for closer economic ties with Muslim nations, a number of Mideast governments are pushing for trade pacts with the United States. (Related story: Business of rebuilding holds big risks, rewards)

Arab governments struggle to control protests against US
The Independent, March 26, 2003
Popular fury over the war and continuing noisy street protests are threatening the stability of many autocratic governments in the Gulf region that rely on US support.

US general with Iraq role linked to hardline Israelis
The Independent, March 26, 2003
The retired general named as civilian governor of occupied Iraq has visited Israel on a trip paid for by a right-wing group that strongly backs an American military presence in the Middle East.

Russia warns US against "information war"
Jerusalem Post, March 26, 2003 
Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov on Wednesday sternly warned the United States away from unleashing an "information war" against Russia and poured scorn on the war in Iraq.

Robert Fisk: In the long hours of darkness, Baghdad shakes to the constant low rumble of B-52s
The Independent, March 26, 2003
All night, you could hear the carpet-bombing by the B-52s. It was a long, low rumble, sometimes for minutes. The targets, presumably the Republican Guards, must have been 30 miles away but, each time that ominous, dark sound began, the air pressure changed in the room where I'm staying near the Tigris river.

Bush slates billions for Iraq coalition allies
SABC News, South Africa, March 26, 2003
It can pay to be a member of George W. Bush's coalition against Iraq. Wrapped into the $75 billion war budget the US president proposed to Congress grants and loans worth billions of dollars for what he called "partners and friends" in the Middle East, including Israel, Jordan and Egypt.

Protesters Lay On 5th Ave., Halt Traffic
Newsday, March 26, 2003
NEW YORK -- Sixteen people protesting the Israeli military and the U.S.-led war with Iraq lay down in a busy Fifth Avenue intersection on Wednesday, halting traffic for blocks before being carried into police vans. The protesters, chained together by handcuffs, doused themselves in mock blood and chanted the refrain, "Occupation is a crime, free Iraq and Palestine," unfazed by the honking buses and jeering spectators crowded around the corner of 47th Street and Fifth Avenue.

U.S. Boycott Gaining Momentum In Asia
Islam Online, March 26, 2003
KUALA LUMPUR, March 26 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S.-led war of aggression on Iraq is giving momentum to the already strong drive to boycott U.S. products, including soft drinks and fast food chains like Kentucky Fried Chicken (KFC) and MacDonald’s, in South East Asia.

U.S. Officials, Chicago Muslims Discuss Hate Crimes
Islam Online, March 26, 2003
CHICAGO, March 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Several officials representing U.S. law enforcement authorities and federal agencies met with leaders from Arab American and Muslim American communities on Tuesday, March 25, to discuss the backlash and potential rise in hate crimes against Arabs and Muslims in light of the continuing U.S. military invasion of Iraq.

World Protestors Rally Against U.S. War, Products
Islam Online, March 26, 2003 
WORLD CAPITALS, March 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – With anti-war demonstrations continuing for the seventh day in a row, violent clashes erupted Wednesday, March 26, between police and protesters during a student-led rally in Sydney , where police officers were pelted with a hail of golf balls and other “missiles”.

Belgium Scrambles To Change Law Before Potential Bush Indictment
CNSNews.com, March 26, 2003
London (CNSNews.com) - Belgian lawmakers are working to amend a law that could be used to indict President George W. Bush -- a law that already has been used to file a complaint against U.S. officials for alleged war crimes committed during the 1991 Gulf War.

Walker's World: Waiting for Friday
UPI, March 26, 2003
KUWAIT CITY, March 26 (UPI) -- Friday is the big day when the battle for Baghdad is likely to come to a decisive head, suggest Kuwaiti military sources who have been in close touch with British and French planning staffs...Noting with alarm the increasingly strident reaction to the war of the Arab media and the violent demonstrations that have rocked cities like Cairo and Amman, they are getting nervous about the impact of this Friday's sermons in the mosques across the Arab world if the war still rages and the Iraqis still fight.

British forces support Basra 'uprising'
The Guardian, March 26, 2003
"..al-Jazeera's reporter inside [Basra] said there was no sign of any uprising at all." -- News of a battlefield victory and a 'popular uprising' yesterday came just at the right time for prime-time news bulletins in the US and Britain, writes Brian Whitaker.

Although some water facilities in Basra on-line, quality remains poor, citizens remain in danger
Jordan Times, March 23, 2003
AMMAN — The water network in Basra, halted temporarily by damage to a main power station from coalition bombardments, is now resuming its flow to approximately 40 per cent of the population, an International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) official said.  The restoration of the water network by ICRC and local engineers from the Iraqi water board is far from alleviating a potential humanitarian crisis in the southern city, however.

Ranteesi: American leaders in chaos
Palestinian Information Center, March 26, 2003
Gaza- Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi, renowned Hamas Movement leader in the Gaza Strip, has predicted that the American-British coalition against Iraq would be defeated in the end.