Three
Palestinians shot dead in Gaza Strip
Al-Bawaba, March 30, 2003
Israeli troops killed two Palestinian
fighters who infiltrated into Israel
from the Gaza Strip on Sunday evening,
Israel Radio reported. The troops,
aided by an Israeli helicopter,
killed the Palestinians after surrounding
them at an orchard in the nearby
Kibbutz Erez.
Palestinian
Teenager Killed; Palestinians Mark
'Land Day'
Palestine Chronicle, March 30, 2003
NABLUS - A Palestinian teenager
was killed and seven others were
wounded when Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) raided the northern
West Bank town of Nablus Sunday,
which marks the 27th anniversary
of “Land Day”—an
event representing the strong Palestinian
bond with their occupied homeland.
Suicide
bomb a 'gift to Iraq'
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
A suicide bomber in the Israeli
coastal town of Netanya injured
58 people yesterday when he blew
himself up among a group of off-duty
soldiers as a "gift" to the people
of Iraq.
Palestinian
Group Threatens More Attacks
The Ledger, March 31, 2003
Islamic Jihad will step up attacks
in Israel as a show of support for
Iraq, the militant group said Monday,
a day after dispatching a suicide
bomber who wounded 49 Israelis outside
a packed cafe.
Israeli
Occupation Forces Kill One Palestinian
in Nablus
International Press Center, March
30, 2003
Palestinian Resistance Destroy an
Israeli Tank in Gaza -- NABLUS,
March 30, 2003, (IPC)- - Israeli
occupation forces (IOF) shot dead
one Palestinian civilian and injured
two others, one critically, in the
refugee camp of Askar, near Nablus
City, Palestinian official sources
said.
Bush,
Blair Excommunicated: Church Of
The Nativity
Islam Online, March 31, 2003
The warmongers are barred from ever
entering Christians’ most
sacred place -- BETHLEHEM, March
31 (IslamOnline.net) - Spokesman
of the Orthodox Church in the Holy
Lands, archimandrite Attallah Hanna
declared that U.S. President George
Bush, his Defense Secretary Donald
Rumsfeld, British Premier Tony Blair,
his Foreign Minister Jack Straw
have all been deprived from visiting
the Church of Nativity in Bethlehem.
Powell
to AIPAC: Israeli settlements not
part of two-state vision
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
WASHINGTON - United States Secretary
of State Colin Powell on Sunday
said that settlement activity conducted
by Israel was not in line with U.S.
President George W. Bush's vision
for the Middle East. "Settlement
activity by Israel is inconsistent
with President Bush's two-state
vision," he said.
Erekat
Considers Powell’s Remarks
As Further Backing to Israel’s
Policy Line
International Press Center, March
31, 2003
Gaza, Palestine, March 31,2003,
(Sawt Al Huryia)---In a phone interview
with the Sawt Al Huryia “voice
of freedom” local Palestinian
radio , Dr. Sa’b Erekat, palestinain
local governmnet minister, commented
today morning on the remarks siad
by the US Secretary of State Colin
Pawell before AIPAC in Washington.
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad refuse part in new
Palestinian government
Arabic News, March 31, 2003
The Palestinians Islamic resistance
movement ( Hamas) and the Islamic
Jihad announced yesterday their
rejection to take part in any new
Palestinian. government.
Israelis
strike over cut-back plan
BBC, March 31, 2003
Unions hope labour unrest will mount
-- Israeli public-sector workers
are intensifying an indefinite strike
in protest at austerity plans, which
the government says is vital to
rescue the stagnant economy. Some
100,000 municipal workers joined
the strike on Monday, adding to
50,000 ministry employees who walked
out on Sunday.
'Bomb-making'
factory found in Israel
BBC, March 31, 2003
Israel's security service, Shin
Bet, says it has arrested three
Israeli Arabs after the discovery
of an explosives laboratory - the
first to be found inside Israel.
NRP
won't quit coalition over freezing
of Sabbath inspectors
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
`We have decided to return to cooperating,'
statement says -- The National
Religious Party won't quit the coalition
over the decision to "freeze" the
work of Sabbath inspectors, it was
announced yesterday.
Infrastructure
Minister Paritzky dreams of Iraqi
oil flowing to Haifa
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
National Infrastructures Minister
Joseph Paritzky has requested an
assessment of the condition of the
old oil pipeline from Mosul to Haifa,
with an eye toward renewing the
flow of oil in the event of friendly
post-war regime in Iraq.
Rights
group complains of Palestinians
held in poor conditions
Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2003
Fourteen of the 60 Palestinians
held at the Fawara detention camp
in the West Bank suffer from a variety
of illnesses and are not receiving
proper medical attention, a lawyer
has told the Public Committee Against
Torture in Israel.
Starbucks
agrees to close Israel operations
Globes, March 31, 2003
Starbucks joint venture with Delek
Group will be cancelled effective
April 4, 2003. -- Starbucks Coffee
International and Israel’s
Delek Group today announced they
had reached an agreement to end
their joint venture in Israel, and
that the Starbucks chain in Israel
would close.
Riots
as Bakri cousins get 9 life terms
for aiding suicide bomber
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Riots broke out in Haifa District
Court on Monday, as two young Israeli
Arabs were each given nine life
sentences, for aiding a suicide
bomber who blew himself up on a
Haifa bus in August 2002, killing
nine and wounding 51.
Israeli
Troops Kill Two Palestinians Near
Beit Hanoun, Arrest Several Others
In West Bank Cities
International Press Center, March
31, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Palestine, March 31,
2003 (IPC+Agencies)--Two Palestinian
residents were reportedly killed
Sunday overnight as Israeli occupation
forces (IOF) shot them dead near
the northern Gaza Strip city of
Beit Hanoun.
IDF
kills two armed Palestinians trying
to infiltrate from Gaza
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Israel Defense Forces soldiers killed
two armed Palestinians who tried
to cross into Israel yesterday evening
from the northern Gaza Strip. A
third Palestinian was killed earlier
in the day, close to the Netzarim
settlement, also in the strip.
ISM:
Action alert / Soldiers attack children
/ Human connections
International Solidarity Movement,
March 30, 2003
1) Rachel Corrie resolution in Congress:
ACTION ALERT for US citizens_ISM,
2) Israeli soldiers attack children
in Bethlehem, by Kristen Ess,
3) Human Connections, by Mary
Rafah:
Successful Start to Anti-Terror
Campaign in Tel e-Sultan
International Solidarity Movement,
March 30, 2003
This evening 9 international activists
(from the US and the UK) began a
campaign against a curfew that the
Israeli Army of Occupation has imposed
upon the Tel e-Sultan area of Rafah
for the last three weeks.
Islamic
Jihad: Netanya cafe bomb a `gift'
to the Iraqis
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Islamic Jihad's "Jerusalem Brigade"
yesterday claimed responsibility
for a suicide bombing outside a
mid-town Netanya cafe, calling it
"a gift" to the Iraqi people.
Shin
Bet uncovers explosives lab in Jaljulya
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Three Israeli Arabs residents of
town of Jaljulya were arrested Monday,
after the Shin Bet security service
uncovered an explosives lab in the
northern Israel town. The lab was
run by the Islamic Jihad and the
three men are said to belong to
the militant organization.
Palestinian
teenager playing with toy M16 shot;
lightly wounded in Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2003
A Palestinian teenager holding a
toy gun was shot and lightly wounded
in the hand Monday afternoon near
Jerusalem's Olive Tree hotel.
Court:
Foreign Minister must decide on
PA immunity
Globes, March 31, 2003
The decision refers to 15 claims
for compensation filed by various
entities with the court against
the Palestinian Authority. -- Minister
of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom
must decide if the Palestinian Authority
(PA) has immunity from compensation
claims, the Jerusalem District Court
ruled yesterday in a majority opinion.
Islamic
Jihad rejects participation in PA
government
The Palestinian Information Center,
March 31, 2003
Gaza- Palestinian Authority’s
premier-designate Mahmoud Abbas
(Abu Mazen) has continued meetings
with various Palestinian factions
in the Gaza Strip within his efforts
to form a new PA government.
Hamas
leaders exchange views with Abu
Mazen on Palestinian affairs
The Palestinian Information Center,
March 31, 2003
Gaza- A number of Hamas Movement
leaders in the Gaza Strip last night
conferred with the Palestinian Authority’s
premier-designate Mahmoud Abbas
(Abu Mazen) on a number of issues
of concern to the Palestinian street.
DFLP
accepts joining new PA government,
PFLP refuses
The Palestinian Information Center,
March 31, 2003
Gaza- The Democratic Front for the
Liberation of Palestine has declared
readiness to participate in the
new Palestinian Authority government
after meeting its premier-designate
Mahmoud Abbas in the Gaza Strip
yesterday.
BREAKING
NEWS, March 31, 03
International Press Center, March
31, 2003
13:25--Israeli occupation forces
and intelligence members invaded
the neighborhood of Swaikeh, south
of Tulkarem, and arrested three
Palestinian civilians...10:40- -
Israeli bulldozers, backed by tanks,
razed vast areas of arable land
in the village of Wad Rahal, near
Bethlehem, (IPC).
Jenin
plaza named for bomber of US troops
Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2003
Palestinians in the refugee camp
of Jenin have named their main square
after the Iraqi army officer who
carried out the first suicide attack
against the US Army in Iraq.
Gov't
position on PA damage suits must
be clarified, court rules
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Israeli courts can only hand down
rulings on damage suits against
the Palestinian Authority once the
foreign minister presents his, and
the government's, position on this
issue, the Jerusalem District Court
ruled yesterday.
UN
envoy condemns suicide bombing in
Israel
United Nations News, March 31, 2003
31 March – The senior United
Nations envoy for the Middle East
peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen,
has strongly condemned the suicide
bombing over the weekend in the
Israeli town of Netanya, calling
it an “outrageous and cowardly
act.”
Local
authorities workers join strike
against economic plan
Globes, March 31, 2003
Starting this morning, garbage collection
was halted, parking tickets were
not handed out, municipal fee collections
ceased, and kindergarten assistants
stayed home from work.
Israeli
cabinet in tussle over policing
of Sabbath work
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
Ariel Sharon's shaky coalition government
appeared to have survived its first
crisis yesterday after ultra-orthodox
parties refused to attend a cabinet
meeting in protest at a de facto
lifting of the ban on working on
the Sabbath.
Land
Day protests turn into pro-Iraq
rallies
Haaretz, March 31, 2003
Demonstrations to mark the 27th
anniversary of Land Day in a number
of Arab towns and villages in the
Galilee and the south yesterday
turned into protests against the
on-going war in Iraq.
Palestinians
Say “No to War” on Land
Day
Palestine Media Center, March 31,
2003
Bush, Blair Not Welcome in Church
of Nativity -- March. 31,
2003 - Palestinians all over the
occupied territory and inside Israel
proper gathered in masses on Sunday
to commemorate the annual “Land
Day”, which turned into a
massive show of support for Iraq
and protest against the US-led war
on neighboring Iraq.
Land
Day, a Remarkable Event in the Life
of Palestinians
International Press Center, March
30, 2003
RAMALLAH, Palestine, March 30, 2003
(IPC+ Agencies) – The Palestinian
National Council (PNC) commemorated
Sunday the Palestinian Land Day
in which Palestinians defended Israeli
confiscation of vast areas of their
lands.
Palestinian
Land Day 2003
BADIL, March 29, 2003
The commemoration of Palestinian
Land Day (March 30) this year coincides
with the ongoing Israeli reoccupation
and military siege of Palestinian
cities, villages, and refugee camps
in the 1967 occupied Palestinian
territories and the US-UK led war
against Iraq.
Colin
Powell's speech to the American
Israel Public Affairs Committee
- Full text
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
The US secretary of state made this
speech to the American Israel Public
Affairs Committee's annual policy
conference in Washington yesterday.
Analysis:
Israel's 'road map' manoeuvres
BBC, March 31, 2003
UK Prime Minister Tony Blair has
made it clear that commitment to
getting rid of Iraqi President Saddam
Hussein should be accompanied by
a commitment to ending the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict.
Bush
'roadmap' still sees violence as
roadblock
Star-Telegram, March 31, 2003
WASHINGTON - Secretary of State
Colin Powell said Sunday night that
President Bush will soon present
his "roadmap to peace" between Israelis
and Palestinians that would require
"hard choices and sacrifices from
both peoples."
Peres
holds secret talks with Palestinians
Jerusalem Post, March 31, 2003
Former foreign minister Shimon Peres
is holding secret contacts with
figures in the Palestinian Authority
with the aim of working toward a
resumption of Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations, media reports said.
Doubtful
of US Statements, Palestinians Don’t
Expect Political Breakthrough
Palestine Chronicle, March 30, 2003
RAMALLAH (PMC) - The new Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen) visited the Gaza Strip on
Saturday for the first time since
his appointment, as part of efforts
to form a newcabinet, and emphasized
that he seeks a unified Palestinian
authority “empowered to make
the decision on war and peace.”
Palestinians
Skeptical of U.S., British Motives
in Iraq War
Washington Post, March 31, 2003
What do Palestinians think of the
war in Iraq? After all, they figure
prominently in the goals of the
United States and the United Kingdom.
UNDP,
USAID collaborate to combat unemployment,
poverty in Gaza
Alternative Information Center/United
Nations Development Programme, March
30, 2003
As part of their rigorous effort
to combat the rising levels of poverty
and unemployment in the occupied
Palestinian territory, The United
Nations Development Programme/Programme
of Assistance to the Palestinian
People (UNDP/PAPP), and USAID inaugurated
an extensive programme for employment
generation in Gaza worth US. $2.6
million.
Human
costs of non-compliance with 4th
Geneva convention
Refugees International, March 19,
2003
The humanitarian situation in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories
(OPT) continues to deteriorate.
The World Bank reports real per
capita incomes are now half their
September 2000 level and unemployment
stands at 53 percent of the workforce.
The food program of the UN Relief
and Works Agency for Palestinian
Refugees (UNRWA) has grown from
serving 11,000 individuals to 700,000,
or more than half of the Palestinian
population of the territories.
ICRC
activities in Israel, the occupied
and the autonomous territories,
17-23 March 2003
Alternative Information Center/International
Committee of the Red Cross, March
30, 2003
In Israel, the Occupied and the
Autonomous Territories (IL/OT/AT),
the International Committee of the
Red Cross (ICRC) works towards ensuring
the faithful application of International
humanitarian law (IHL), and above
all the Fourth Geneva Convention
relative to the protection of civilians
in times of war and occupation.
UNHR
commission takes up debate on situation
in occupied Arab territories, including
Palestine
Alternative Information Center/UN
Commission on Human Rights, March
30, 2003
The Commission on Human Rights began
consideration this afternoon of
its agenda item on the "question
of the violation of human rights
in the occupied Arab territories,
including Palestine", hearing from
its Special Rapporteur on the topic
and from several countries directly
concerned.
U.S.
Refuses Request to Free Pollard
Middle East Newsline, March 31,
2003
JERUSALEM [MENL] -- The United States
has refused an Israeli request to
release Jonathan Pollard, sentenced
to life for passing classified information
to the Jewish state.
Abbas
builds new cabinet for Palestine
eTaiwan News, March 31, 2003
The new Palestinian prime minister
visited the Gaza Strip on Saturday
for the first time since his appointment,
meeting leaders of Yasser Arafat's
Fatah movement as he works for form
a Cabinet.
Palestinian
militants split on attacks during
Iraq war
USA Today, March 31, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) — Islamic Jihad
will step up attacks in Israel as
a show of support for Iraq, the
militant group said Monday, a day
after a suicide attack wounded 49
Israelis outside a packed cafe....However,
the leader of a second Palestinian
militia, the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade
linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah
movement, said Monday he has ordered
a halt to all attacks on Israelis
for the duration of the Iraq war.
225-mile
wall symbolizes Mideast enmity
San Francisco Chronicle, March 31,
2003
Israel building barrier to Palestinians
-- Jerusalem -- Abdel al Samra,
an Arab builder, perched on the
wall that will one day separate
him and fellow Palestinians who
live in the West Bank from Israelis
who live on the other side.
LAW
demands investigation into the death
of Mohammad Saadeh
Islamic Association for Palestine/LAW,
March 31, 2003
When Mohammad Saadeh’s mother
saw LAW’s press release, “LAW
to investigate the killing of Maher
al-Jizmawi (17)” on January
29 2003, she turned to LAW’s
lawyer in Tulkarem, adv. Khaled
Yassin. Her son, Mohammad Saadeh
(19) was also killed in the same
extra-judicial assassination.
Al-Arian
moved to federal prison
March 31, 2003
For Sami Al-Arian, an already bad
situation took a turn for the worse
Friday...Al-Arian, who was arrested
Feb. 20 after an indictment alleged
he is the North American head of
the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, will
face conditions substantially more
difficult than those in a county
jail. He is reportedly being kept
in solitary confinement...Al-Arian's
hunger strike, which he began the
day of his arrest, reportedly continues.
The
physically disabled detainee Anan
Abd Al-Fatah Labadeh
Public Committee Against Torture
in Israel, March 27, 2003
Anan Abd Al-Fatah Labadeh, a physically
disabled detainee, confined to a
wheelchair, was allowed to meet
with counsel following an appeal
filed on March 20, 2003 by the Public
Committee Against Torture in Israel
(PCATI) to the High Court of Justice.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine March
31, 2003
Palestine Media Center
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
killed two Palestinians in the Gaza
Strip after opening fire at them
near the town of Beit Hanoun. IOF
also detained dozens of citizens
in overnight raids in the occupied
territory, including three children.
Iraq
War News
Baghdad
hit by new air strikes
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
· US Marines raid 'Chemical Ali'
base · British soldiers condemn
'cowboy' US pilot · Three US troops
die in helicopter crash -- An artillery
barrage today opened up on the outskirts
of Baghdad as warplanes launched
bombing raids on the Iraqi capital.
Generals
dig in for long war
The Times, March 31, 2003
Assault on Baghdad put off for weeks
-- AMERICAN troops were digging
deep trenches south of Baghdad last
night as Pentagon chiefs signalled
that they would not advance on the
city for weeks. Plans to assault
the Iraqi capital have been postponed
until reinforcements arrive on the
US front line and coalition bombers
have tried to wear down Republican
Guard units.
U.S.
Forces Rounding Up Civilian Suspects
Washington Post, March 31, 2003
Some Detainees May Be Sent to Cuba
-- MARINE COMBAT HEADQUARTERS, Iraq,
March 30 -- U.S. forces have started
rounding up Iraqi men in civilian
clothes suspected of being involved
with paramilitary squads that have
been attacking them in southern
Iraq and may ship some of them to
the detention center at the U.S.
naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba,
military officers said today.
U.S.
military takes Israeli urban warfare
tips to Iraqi cities
Tuscaloosa News, March 31, 2003
JERUSALEM | With U.S. forces in
Iraq coming up against suicide attackers
and wary of ambush by hostile forces
mingling with civilians, the military
has been listening closely to Israeli
experts and picking up tips from
years of Israeli army operations
in Palestinian areas and Lebanese
towns.
Agencies
ask President Bush to place Iraqi
relief under UN direction
Refugees International, March 28,
2003
Letter to President Bush -- The
task of meeting the humanitarian
needs of the Iraqi people is growing
more complex and costly every day.
Refugees International and 12 other
relief and advocacy agencies told
President Bush that the UN, not
the coalition military or the Pentagon's
Office of Reconstruction and Humanitarian
Assistance, is the agency best qualified
to address the food, water, medical
and refugee problems caused by the
current war in Iraq.
Baghdad
Rejects New UN Oil-for-Food Resolution
Arab News, March 31, 2003
BAGHDAD, 30 March 2003 — Iraq
yesterday rejected a new Security
Council resolution renewing the
seven-year-old oil-for-food program
under sole charge of UN Secretary-General
Kofi Annan. “Only Iraq can
administer this program,”
Information Minister Mohammed Said
Al-Sahhaf told a press conference
in response to the resolution adopted
by the council unanimously yesterday.
Peace
activists witness collateral damage
The Olympian, March 31, 2003
Bombs could drive some Iraqis to
'put up the fight of their lives'
-- WASHINGTON -- Kentucky pacifist
Doug Johnson writes to say he is
overwhelmed and tired. For three
days, he has visited Baghdad hospitals
and neighborhoods to record war's
collateral damage.
Expelled
Peaceteam members in car accident
near border with Jordan
Electronic Iraq/Christian Peacemaker
Team, March 30, 2003
Amman Jordan -- A three vehicles
convoy started out early Saturday
morning (29 March 2003) heading
for the Amman Jordan on the road
that runs through the Western Iraqi
desert from Baghdad to the Jordanian
border....As the group headed west
in the early morning light, there
was ample evidence of the effects
of US/British bombing. There were
the downed bridges, the destroyed
gas stations, and the blackened
shells of destroyed military and
civilian vehicles by the side of
the road.
IPT:
Bagdhad home hit by possible anti-personnel
fragmentation bomb; Three civilians
wounded
Electronic Iraq/Iraq Peace Team,
March 28, 2003
BAGHDAD. After 11PM on Tuesday,
March 25 what may have been an anti-personnel
fragmentation bomb exploded in a
Baghdad residential neighborhood
adjacent to a secondary school.
The blast primarily hit a private
home at #74, Street # 3, District
317, in Al Tujjaar, in the Al Shaab
area of North Baghdad. The house
is next door to the Balquis Secondary
School for Girls.
U.S.
Arms Dealer To Run Iraq’s
‘Humanitarian Relief’
Palestine Chronicle, March 30, 2003
LONDON - Although the overwhelming
majority countries agree that the
U.N. must be at the heart of the
reconstruction and administration
of post-war Iraq, the U.S. once
again challenged the will of the
international community and appointed
a retired U.S. arms dealer - whose
company helps the U.S. bomb Baghdad
- to oversee “humanitarian
relief and rebuilding of Iraq”.
Three
British soldiers sent home after
protesting at civilian deaths
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
Three British soldiers in Iraq have
been ordered home after objecting
to the conduct of the war. It is
understood they have been sent home
for protesting that the war is killing
innocent civilians.
Iraqis
Bring Aid to Basra
Sky News, March 31, 2003
Crowds of Iraqi civillians forced
their way through Coalition checkpoints
on the outskirts of the embattled
southern city of Basra on Saturday
to bring food and water to desperate
relatives.
My
journey across a desert of destruction
The Independent, March 31, 2003
He left his job in Poole, Dorset,
to join peace protesters in Baghdad,
but last Thursday Phil Sands, 25,
was declared a security risk and
ordered to leave Iraq. This is his
diary.
Growing
resentment at British 'liberators'
in Basra
The Independent, March 31, 2003
Signs of resentment against British
forces surrounding Basra are bubbling
to the surface as Iraq's second
city seethes under bombing and shell-fire.
IraqWar.ru
Report
Iraqwar.ru, March 29, 2003
March 29, 2003, 0924hrs MSK (GMT
+4 DST), Moscow - During the past
day the situation on the US-Iraqi
front remained largely unchanged.
The US is continuing reinforcing
the attack group near Karabela for
a thrust toward Baghdad. By the
morning of March 29 up to 20,000
coalition troops were massed in
the area of Karabela.
Israeli
tactics will not work in this conflict
The Telegraph, March 31, 2003
Israel has developed techniques
to deal with suicide bombers at
army checkpoints - but none of these
has any place in a campaign designed
to win the hearts and minds of the
local population.
Eyewitness:
Basra's endless human tide
The Independent, March 30, 2003
On the Al Zubayr bridge on the outskirts
of Basra the endless human traffic
flowed both ways – thousands
of people desperate to get into
the city, and thousands desperate
to leave.
Iraqis
borrow suicide bomb tactics from
Palestinian militants
The Independent, March 30, 2003
The killing of four American soldiers
in a suicide bombing in central
Iraq yesterday came after it emerged
that the US military has asked for,
and received, advice from the Israeli
army on tactics used in Palestinian
cities.
Analysis:
U.K. troops avoid U.S. tactics
UPI, March 30, 2003
LONDON, March 30 (UPI) -- "Which
part of 'No' don't you understand?"
Lt. Col. Tim Collins asked the Iraqi
who was attempting to get back into
his battered pickup truck, with
parts apparently stolen from an
oil wellhead. As the Iraqi tried
to ignore him -- according to press
reports reaching London -- Collins
took out his pistol and shot out
all four tires of the truck.
Suicide
bombers 'arrive in Iraq'
BBC, March 31, 2003
A militant Palestinian group has
declared that its first wave of
volunteer suicide bombers has arrived
in Iraq. Al-Quds Brigades, the military
wing of Islamic Jihad said in a
statement that it "brings to our
people and nation the good news
of the arrival of its first martyrdom
(attackers) to the heart of Baghdad."
Peace
Observers Report Confusion in Baghdad
Reuters, March 31, 2003
LONDON (Reuters) - As U.S. and British
forces bear down on Baghdad, international
peace observers report that far
from "shock and awe," Iraqi civilians
feel bewildered and confused. "People
just ask why? They stress the point
that they are not criminals and
never wanted to attack the United
States. It doesn't make logical
sense to them," said Kathy Kelly,
head of a group of activists who
have been in Baghdad since October.
UN
urged to hold a General Assembly
meeting on Iraq
Arabic News, March 31, 2003
The whole world was vociferous in
opposition to war, but no action
was taken to stop it, despite attempts
by some nations to obtain a resolution
from the UN General Assembly on
the illegality of the US-led attack
against Iraq. Meanwhile, the US
is doing its utmost to block a General
Assembly meeting.
Islamic
group decide to take Iraq crisis
to UN General Assembly
Arabic News, March 31, 2003
Members of the Organisation of Islamic
Conference (OIC) in the UN held
a meeting to consider the latest
developments of the Iraq crisis
and efforts within the world body
to halt the US-led aggression on
Iraq.
US
peace activists expelled from Iraq
angry over 'senseless' war
Jordan Times, March 31, 2003
AMMAN (AFP) — American grandmother
Peggy Gish spent five months in
Baghdad in solidarity with the Iraqis,
but was expelled by the authorities
and sent to Jordan on her way home,
her heart full of grief for the
“senseless” US-led war
on Iraq.
Turks
Stone U.S. Military Convoy
Reuters, March 30, 2003
MARDIN, Turkey (Reuters) - Turks
hurled stones at a convoy of trucks
carrying U.S. military equipment
on Sunday, in the second such attack
on the U.S. military in two days,
the Anatolian news agency said.
Refugees
hurl abuse and stones at the Desert
Rats
The Times, March 31, 2003
SHAKING his fist at the British
armoured column speeding past him,
Abdiraza Jeri and his friends spat
out a volley of insults as others
in the weary trail of refugees threw
stones at the Desert Rats.
'Dangerous'
US wants to take over Arab world
— Belgian PM
Jordan Times, March 31, 2003
BRUSSELS (AFP) — Belgian Prime
Minister Guy Verhofstadt, whose
country is fiercely opposed to the
war on Iraq, slammed the United
States as "very dangerous" Sunday,
saying it wanted to take over the
whole Arab world, the Belga news
agency said.
Iraq
claims thousands of foreigners are
joining 'jihad'
The Independent, March 31, 2003
The Iraqi military threatened more
suicide attacks yesterday, and claimed
that at least 4,000 volunteers from
across the Arab world were making
their way to Baghdad to join a jihad,
or holy war.
Arabs
Sneer at 'Iraqi Freedom' Label for
War
Macon Area Online, March 31, 2003
AMMAN (Reuters) - From street protests
to newspaper columns, many Arabs
in the Middle East say the only
liberty they see so far in "Operation
Iraqi Freedom" is that of the United
States and Britain to wage war at
will.
Missteps
With Turkey Prove Costly
Washington Post, March 28, 2003
Diplomatic Debacle Denied U.S. a
Strong Northern Thrust in Iraq --
Under the original Pentagon war
plan, a powerful force of Army tanks
and tens of thousands of troops
now would be bearing down on Baghdad
from northern Iraq as other heavily
armored troops converged on the
capital from the south.
Advisers
Split as War Unfolds
Washington Post, March 31, 2003
One Faction Hopes Bush Notes 'Bum
Advice' -- The first 11 days of
the war have brought back with a
vengeance the deep splits that have
long existed within the Bush administration
and the Republican Party over policy
toward Iraq.
Channel-Surfing
Carnage of War, Saudis' Anger At
U.S. Grows
Washington Post, March 30, 2003
With Protests Prohibited, Emotions
Flare in Private -- RIYADH, Saudi
Arabia, March 29 -- The bloodied
bodies in morgues and lifeless hands
sticking out from the rubble of
flattened buildings are distant
from the comfort of Leila and Mohammed's
den, yet the Gold Star television
set there makes them seem close
and immediate.
Jordanian
Journalists Unite in Protest
Arab News, March 31, 2003
AMMAN, 31 March 2003 — A peaceful
anti-war walk sponsored by the Jordanian
Press Association turned into a
pro-Saddam anti-US rally yesterday
here in the Jordanian capital.
Halliburton
out of Iraq rebuild
BBC, March 31, 2003
The company once headed by US vice-president
Dick Cheney, Halliburton, is out
of the running for a $600m (£381m)
US government contract to rebuild
Iraq. The US government's Agency
for International Development (USAID)
has confirmed the company was not
one of two short-listed.
A
Boy Who Was 'Like a Flower'
Washington Post, March 31, 2003
'The Sky Exploded' and Arkan Daif,
14, Was Dead -- BAGHDAD, March 30
-- On a cold, concrete slab, a mosque
caretaker washed the body of 14-year-old
Arkan Daif for the last time.
Outrage
Spreads in Arab World
Washington Post, March 30, 2003
Civilian Deaths in Baghdad Market
Called a 'Massacre' -- CAIRO, March
29 -- A shuddering sense of outrage
at President Bush and the United
States fell over the Arab world
today as television networks and
newspapers reported a U.S. air assault
that Iraqi officials said killed
58 people at a vegetable market
in Baghdad.
Search
for smoking gun draws a blank
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
US and Britain's case for war undermined
by special forces' failure to find
illegal arms at 10 suspected sites
-- Britain and the United States
suffered a fresh blow last night
when their main justification for
war was undermined by reports that
special forces have failed to find
any weapons of mass destruction
in Iraq.
Global
Anti-War Protests Persist Unabated
Palestine Media Center, March 31,
2003
March. 31, 2003 - From Moscow to
Cairo, to the US to Berlin, thousands
of people from all walks of life
and different faiths united on Sunday
in expressing an unequivocal message
to officials in Washington and London:
‘No’ to the ongoing
war on Iraq.
Tribal
chiefs vow to fight to the death
for Saddam
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
The tribal chieftain in the fawn
cloak was decades past his prime,
but his fighting spirit was undiminished
by age. "If we catch a British man
we are going to tear him to pieces
with our teeth," he said. Given
the experiences of US and British
forces in the 11 days since the
war began, the threat was not entirely
empty.
Arabs
enraged by SAS role
Hearld Sun, April 1, 2003
AUSTRALIAN special forces were now
a target for Palestinian suicide
bombers because they had destroyed
Iraqi missile sites, from which
missiles could have hit Israel,
a leading analyst warned yesterday.
US
forces target key town
BBC, March 31, 2003
The United States is sending thousands
more troops to secure the town of
Nasiriya on the vital supply route
to Baghdad. Special forces soldiers
as well as marines are being deployed
to the area where coalition forces
have come up against stiff resistance.
Bombed
villagers find liberation a mixed
blessing
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
Missiles drive out Islamists but
hit homes -- Where Ashraf Sadak's
house had once stood there was yesterday
merely a large crater.
The 2,000lb American bomb had landed
directly on it, reducing the three
rooms where he and his family used
to live to a heap of rubble. The
mosque next door fared little better.
Speaking
a different language - but we've
got the Phrasealator
The Guardian, March 31, 2003
Yesterday afternoon a man in glasses
and a large helmet stood by a ditch
in Iraq, trying to communicate with
a group of farmers...Unfortunately,
the only language thf an eggbox
called a Phrasealator...Cooper,
a major in the military's civil
affairs department, didn't have
an interpreter, exactly. He had
a handheld black plastic device
the size of an eggbox called a Phrasealator.
Egyptian
Suspect in U.S. Truck Incident -
Kuwait
Reuters, March 31, 2003
KUWAIT (Reuters) - An Egyptian electrician
is the main suspect in an incident
in which a truck slammed into a
group of U.S. soldiers in Kuwait
on Sunday, injuring 15, the Kuwaiti
interior ministry said on Monday.
Baghdad
loyalty fails to waver
BBC, March 31, 2003
Each casualty boosts the Iraqi regime's
call for resistance -- Hundreds
of civilians have been killed, according
to Iraqi figures, and there has
been no revolt against President
Saddam Hussein - his image still
appears hourly on Iraqi television.
In the poor Shia neighbourhood of
Shaab in Baghdad last week, I stood
in the ruins of a house that had
just been bombed and spoke to a
woman whose 60-year-old mother was
killed in the explosion.
U.S.
Warnings Sharpen Syria's Iraq Dilemma
Reuters, March 31, 2003
CAIRO (Reuters) - Sharp U.S. warnings
to Syria to abandon its support
for Iraq and "terrorism" have heightened
the dilemma facing President Bashar
al-Assad.
Tehran
claims it is staying out of the
war but suspicions
