Hundreds Rounded Up in UNRWA Schools as IOF Raid Tulkarem
Palestine Media Center, April 2, 2003
14-year-old Boy Shot by IOF Dies of Wounds -- April 2, 2003 - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) manning a column of tanks, backed by Apache gunships, raided the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem on Wednesday, imposing a curfew and rounding up more than one thousand citizens in local refugee schools.

IDF launches counter-terror raid in Tul Karm refugee camp  
Haaretz, April 2, 2003 
IDF troops rounded up at least 1,000 Palestinians in the Tul Karm refugee camp on Wednesday in a fresh crackdown on suspected militants and prohibited them from returning to their homes for three days, Israel Radio reported.

Breaking News: 14-year old dies of wounds
International Press Center, April 2, 2003 
10:10--  A 14-year-old Palestinian child, Omar Mattar, died of wounds he sustained after being shot in the head and neck by Israeli occupation soldiers in Qalandia City Last Friday, Palestinian medical sources said.

Congress c’tees pass supplementary appropriations bill
Globes, April 2, 2003 
The Senate and House appropriations committees passed the supplementary appropriations bill in separate votes. The bill includes a $1 billion military grant and $9 billion in loan guarantees to Israel.

Hezbollah shells northern border
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
Hezbollah fired antiaircraft shells along the length of the northern border yesterday . One of the shells, which didn't explode, fell in Kiryat Shmona, close to the Danziger High School. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

Israel detains Hamas commander in Hebron
UPI, April 2, 2003
A special Israeli army force arrested on Wednesday night the commander of the armed wing of Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas, in the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian and Israeli security sources reported.

Israeli tanks storm outskirts of Nablus
Palestinian Information Center, April 2, 2003
Nablus - Three Israeli tanks stormed the eastern outskirts of Nablus and Balata refugee camp last night. They heavily strafed Palestinians homes in the area.

Shalom: Road map needs to be changed
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
Israel is requesting changes to the internationally endorsed road map for Middle East peace, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said yesterday following talks with U.S. President George W. Bush and other senior White House officials.

99 Palestinians Killed by Israelis in the Month of March
Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group, April 2, 2003
With a heavy heart, PHRMG reports that 99 Palestinians were killed by the Israeli army in the month of March.  28 of these unfortunate deaths are that of Palestinian children. Also in the 31 days of March, 17 Israeli civilians (9 children) and 5 Israeli military personnel were killed.

PNA: “ US Department of State’s Annual Report is Biased To Israel”
International Press Center, April 2, 2003 
RAMALLAH, Palestine, April 2, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) viewed Tuesday the United States Department of State’s annual report on human rights worldwide as biased for Israel.

US withdraws rights report
News24.com, April 2, 2003
Washington - The US state department has quietly withdrawn all CD-ROM copies of its annual human rights report due to a one-word error that was thought to overstate the extent of Israel's rights abuses, officials said on Tuesday....In the report on the CD-ROM Israel is cited for committing "numerous, serious human rights abuses" in the Palestinian territories....The revised, final version of the Israel section omits the word "numerous" from the sentence.

Minister scraps policy of revoking citizenship of Arab-Israelis accused of terrorism
Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2003
Israel will stop revoking the citizenship of Arab-Israelis accused of involvement in terrorism, the new interior minister said Wednesday. Avraham Poraz took office with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's new government last month. He said his predecessor, Eli Yishai, was acting against international law and common sense when he instituted the policy last year.

US Marines Learn Israel’s Bloody Ways 
Palestine Media Center, April 2, 2003
April 2, 2003 - As Palestinians brace themselves for the first commemoration of the Israeli invasion of the West Bank’s most devastated refugee camp, word is out that an Israeli expert has theoretically guided US Marine Officers through the putrid alleyways of Jenin’s refugee camp to give them a sense of what street fighting will be all about in Baghdad.

American soldiers training for urban warfare near Hebron
Palestinian Information Center, April 2, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Palestinian villagers in the Hebron region have reported seeing American soldiers training for urban warfare in the hilly areas west of the city.

All churches in Palestine reject receiving Bush and Blair
Palestinian Information Center, April 2, 2003
Nazareth- All Christian sects in the Palestinian lands (Orthodox, Catholic and Anglican) have declared their refusal to receive American president George Bush and British premier Tony Blair for not heeding the churches’ call not to launch war on Iraq and again their refusal to stop it.

Israel juggles budget strike threat
BBC, April 2, 2003
Israeli labour groups threaten to extend a strike if the government does not alter its austerity budget.

Israeli troops detain about 2,000 Palestinian men and boys
ABC News, April 2, 2003
Israeli troops have detained about 2,000 Palestinian men and boys for questioning, following a raid using tanks, armoured cars, and helicopters on the Tulkarem refugee camp in the occupied West Bank.

Israel Conducts Mass Roundup of Palestinians
Reuters, April 2, 2003
TULKARM, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops rounded up at least 1,000 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Tulkarm on Wednesday in a fresh sweep for wanted militants after a suicide bomber from the region struck a nearby Israeli town.

Israeli Troops Invade Tulkarem
International Press Center, April 2, 2003 
TULKAREM, April 2, 2003, (IPC)-- Tens of Israeli tanks and armored personnel carriers (APC), backed by Apache helicopters, invaded Wednesday morning the West Bank city of Tulkarem and its camp,  imposing  curfew and storming tens of houses, Palestinian security sources said.

Israeli occupation army interns hundreds of Palestinians at refugee camp
Islamic Association for Palestine, April 2, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem: 2 April, 2003 (IAP News): Israeli occupation forces, backed by US supplied tanks and helicopter gunships, on Wednesday attacked the Tulkarm refugee camp in the northern West Bank.

Israelis, Palestinians reportedly meet for security talks as army arrests 11 suspected militants
San Francisco Chronicle, April 2, 2003  
Israeli troops backed by gunships and tanks rounded up hundreds of men in the West Bank town of Tulkarem on Wednesday and demolished the home of a jailed Palestinian accused in a string of attacks.

Israeli army arrests 11 suspected militants
Toronto Star, April 2, 2003
Palestinian prime minister continues talks to form cabinet -- JERUSALEM — Israeli troops backed by gunships and tanks rounded up hundreds of men in the West Bank town of Tulkarem today and demolished the home of a jailed Palestinian accused in a string of attacks....All but seven of those detained were later released. Four other suspected militants were arrested elsewhere in the West Bank.

Israel Attempts to Foil Abu Mazen’s Efforts to Form Gov’t
Palestine Media Center, April 2, 2003
Abed Rabbo: Israel Seeks Gov’t With Sole Authority on Peace Process -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) accused Israel on Tuesday of trying to undermine Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas’ mission to form a new government, with the aim of foiling international efforts towards releasing and implementing the so-called “roadmap” to peace in the Middle East.

IDF razes home of Netanya bomber
Haaretz, April 2, 2003 
The IDF yesterday demolished the homes of five Palestinian militants, including the suicide bomber who blew himself up in Netanya on Sunday.

2 illegal Arab buildings demolished in East Jerusalem
Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2003 
Jerusalem municipality bulldozers on Wednesday demolished two illegally built structures in the northern Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Hanina, the city said.

Rights group asks court to reconsider legality of 70-year-old Press Ordinance
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
The Supreme Court will today hear a petition filed by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel against a law empowering the Interior Ministry to close down a newspaper. The Press Ordinance - a remnant from the time of the British mandate - was originally passed in 1933, and was reaffirmed by Amendment 94 to the Hagana's emergency regulations in 1945.

Paritzky threatens to pull the plug on illegal West Bank outposts  
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
National Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky said yesterday that he is considering disconnecting illegal outposts in the territories from water and electricity grids. The ministry is looking into the legal issues involved.

East J'lem gym teacher gets 18 years for setting up terror cell  
Haaretz, April 2, 2003 
The Jerusalem District Court yesterday sentenced Malek Bakhirat, a 24-year-old physical education teacher at a private school in East Jerusalem, to 19 years in prison for establishing and commanding a terror cell.

Court Dismisses the Indictment Against MK Azmi Bishara in the Syria Visits Case
Adalah, April 1, 2003
Today, a three-judge panel of the Nazareth Magistrate Court unanimously decided to dismiss the indictment currently pending against Member of Knesset (MK) Azmi Bishara. The indictment charged MK Bishara with violating the Emergency Regulations (Foreign Travel) (1948) for assisting Palestinian citizens of Israel to visit their relatives in Syria, from whom they have been separated for over fifty years. The Court refused, however, to dismiss the indictments pending against MK Bishara's two parliamentary assistants, Mr. Ashraf Qurtam and Mr. Musa Diab, who were also charged with this alleged offense.

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine April 2, 2003
Palestine Media Center, April 2, 2003
A 14 year-old boy died in Ramallah hospital after days of suffering from severe wounds he sustained earlier by IOF gunfire. Meanwhile, IOF raided Tulkarem town and demolished a house in Hebron city. Child Dies of Wounds in Ramallah / IOF Invade Tulkarem / IOF Demolish House in Hebron / IOF Raid Ramallah Village

Two West Bank homes destroyed; 15 Palestinians arrested
Al-Bawaba, April 1, 2003
Israeli troops early Tuesday destroyed the house of the suicide bomber who carried out the attack outside a Netanya cafe on Sunday, wounding some 60 Israelis, Palestinians said.

Weekly Review of the Arab Press in Israel, 25 - 31 March, 2003
Arab Association for Human Rights
The 27th Anniversary of Land Day -- The Palestinian citizens in Israel and in the Occupied Territories commemorated the 27th anniversary of Land Day (March 30) with different huge protest demonstrations, in Arab towns and villages. The Higher Follow-Up Committee on Arab Affairs called a general strike on March 30, to protest against the ongoing discriminatory policies of the government towards its Arab citizens, such as the ongoing expropriation of land and unresolved claims to housing and property restitution.

Belgium's war crimes law set to be curtailed following criticism
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
A decade after Belgium's universal war crimes law was approved, Dr. Alain Destexhe's initial delight as a humanitarian campaigner has turned into bitter disappointment as a politician.

IDF General Gilad: No Israeli troops in western Iraq
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
Gilad: "There has been no reduction in terror as a result of the Palestinian Authority." -- Contrary to media reports stating that IDF commandos entered western Iraq weeks prior to the outbreak of war, and that they were continuing to hunt for Scud launchers at present, Major-General Amos Gilad said Wednesday that there were no Israeli forces in Iraq, and that Israel was standing by a pledge to the United States to stay out of the war.

Study finds severe pollution in coastal aquifer
Haaretz, April 2, 2003
Many parts of the coastal aquifer in the greater Tel Aviv metropolitan region are badly polluted with organic materials and heavy metals, according to the conclusions of a three-year study by the Water Commission. The study covers the site of an Israel Military Industries factory as well as a broader area stretching from Ramat Gan in the north to Bat Yam in the south.

Gov't considers delaying vote on economic plan
Haaretz, April 2, 2003 
The Finance Ministry is considering postponing Monday's first reading of its economic emergency program in exchange for the Histadrut's calling off strikes. The possible delay comes as demonstrations against the plan spread across the country yesterday.

Turkey: Water deal with Libya would preclude future exports to Israel 
Haaretz, April 2, 2003 
A Libyan delegation recently arrived in Turkey for discussions on the import of 100 million cubic meters of water annually to the North African country. Sources in the Turkish Energy Ministry say if an agreement is reached on the export of Turkish water to Libya, it will preclude the possibility of exporting water to Israel.

Ministers opposes giving gas pipeline project to IEC
Globes, April 2, 2003
The social economic cabinet wants private sector bids. Negotiations may be opened with Russia’s Gazprom. -- The social economic cabinet provided a new twist in the natural gas pipeline saga last night. The newly comprised cabinet held its first meeting under Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu.

Lapid: US drug cos keeping Israel on priority watch list blacklist
Globes, April 2, 2003 
Ministry of Justice: Israel is being discriminated against. Countries that violate intellectual property rights more severely are on the less severe watch list. -- The US pharmaceutical lobby is urging the Office of the US Trade Representatives (USTR) to keep Israel on its priority watch list of countries in violation of intellectual property rights.

New Jewish chapter is critical of Israel policies
Hampshire Gazette, April 2, 2003
Wednesday, April 2, 2003 -- Local Jewish people seeking an avenue to support Israel even as they criticize its government's policies have organized a chapter of a new group, Brit Tzedek v'Shalom. The Northampton group, whose name translated from Hebrew means the Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace, formed last spring and has met monthly since the fall.

Two plays try to distill Israeli-Palestinian war 
International Herald Tribune/New York Times, April 2, 2003
NEW YORK In the last few years, the struggle between Israelis and Palestinians has stirred the imagination of several leading playwrights. Arguably, no one distilled its essence more skillfully than David Hare did several seasons ago with his "Via Dolorosa," a one-man show that grew out of his travels through Israel and the territories forming the nascent state of Palestine.

Islamic Charities in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
Reuters, April 2, 2003
International Crisis Group (ICG) - Belgium -- Amman/Brussels, 2 April 2003: The concern that Palestinian Islamic social welfare activism and political violence by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) are connected raises genuine policy dilemmas. On the one hand, these charities are critical to Palestinian life as roughly two-thirds of Palestinians in the occupied territories live below the poverty line. At the same time, they are suspected of playing a vital role in supporting Hamas - which has conducted a series of devastating armed attacks, particularly against Israeli civilian targets - by illicitly financing and recruiting for the organisation.

Foreign Investment, Remittances Outpace Debt As Sources of Finance For Developing Countries: World Bank - Middle East and North Africa
The World Bank Group, April 2, 2003
Capital Flows to Middle East and North Africa modest, region remains affected by geopolitics  -- WASHINGTON, April 2, 2003 - Foreign direct investment and migrant workers sending part of their paycheck back home have become more important sources of finance for developing countries than private lending. In 2002 payments on private debt were again larger than new loans, so private debt flows were a net negative for developing countries, according to a new World Bank report, Global Development Finance 2003.

Justice Ministry apologizes for racist statement on Ethiopian-Israelis
Jerusalem Post, April 2, 2003 
The Justice Ministry on Wednesday apologized and said it would correct its response to a lawsuit filed against the Education Ministry by an Ethiopian family whose son was barred from learning in a Hadera state religious elementary school because of his ethnic background.

A Call for Peace - A Joint Palestinian - Israeli Appeal
MIFTAH, April 1, 2003
By Israeli and Palestinian Activists -- A Call for Peace - and Joint Action - was recently drafted by a group of Israeli and Palestinian activists. We joined together as Individuals and not as representatives of any organizations. A partial list of the initial Palestinian and Israeli supporters follows the text of the appeal.

PA asks local media to lower coverage of popular support for Iraq
Palestinian Information Center, April 2, 2003
Bethlehem- The Palestinian Authority has asked representatives of a number of local media institutions to lower the tune of their coverage of Palestinian popular support of Iraq.

Strict legal constraints still hampering growth of free media
Jordan Times, April 2, 2003   
AMMAN (JT) — Self-censorship and stringent legal constraints continue to hamper the development of free media in Jordan, the Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) said in an annual survey released yesterday.

Iraq War News

Children killed in US assault
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Dozens of Iraqi villagers were killed and injured in a ferocious American air and land assault near the Iraqi city of Babylon, hospital officials in the town said yesterday.

Baghdad hospital bombed
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
US aircraft hit a Red Crescent maternity hospital in Baghdad, the city's trade fair, and other civilian buildings today, killing several people and wounding at least 25, hospital sources and a Reuters witness said.

Children killed and maimed in bomb attack on town
The Indpendent, April 2, 2003
At least 11 civilians, nine of them children, were killed in Hilla in central Iraq yesterday, according to reporters in the town who said they appeared to be the victims of bombing.

Fifteen members of family killed in Apache attack in Iraq: witness
ABC News, April 2, 2003
Fifteen members of a family have been killed when their pickup was blown up by a rocket from an Apache helicopter near Hilla south of Baghdad, the sole survivor of the attack said.

Beyond Baghdad
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
As the assault on the Iraqi capital looms, machinations about the country's future are already under way, writes Brian Whitaker -- The battle for Baghdad is about to begin in earnest, according to numerous reports this morning. The invasion forces are said to be "poised" and a massive ground offensive is "imminent".

The battle for Baghdad looms
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
George Bush has given the green light to the American commander in the Gulf, Tommy Franks, to launch the battle for Baghdad.

Straw: UK will not attack Syria or Iran
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Britain would have "nothing whatever" to do with military action against Syria or Iran, the foreign secretary, Jack Straw, signalled today.

The end of civilisation
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Iraq is one huge world heritage site, a unique storehouse of art and archaeology. Now the war threatens to destroy it all -- This week, B52s were circling the holy city of Najaf, emptying, we are told, their payloads on to the Medina division of the Republican guard. They know all about slaughter in this city of half a million people now surrounded by the tanks of the US Seventh Cavalry, Custer's old devil-may-care outfit.

New Iraq should be shaped by UN talks, says Blair
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Tony Blair is determined to show he has not lost control of the post-war agenda to hawks in the Bush administration by promoting the concept of a UN-sponsored conference for all groups in Iraq to start reshaping their country's future after the fall of Saddam Hussein.

European leaders to press Powell for key UN role in rebuilding Iraq
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, will be urged to give the UN centre stage in the reconstruction of Iraq when he meets European leaders for the first time since the fighting began.

Blair Against U.S. Running Post-war Iraq
Islam Online, April 2, 2003 
"Iraq should be run for the first time in decades by the Iraqi people," said Blair -- LONDON, April 2 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In what seems to be a new show of division between the two war allies, British Prime Minister Tony Blair stressed Wednesday, April 2, that Iraq must be governed by Iraqis, not Americans, as soon as the war is over.

Turkey agrees to border access for US troops' resupply line
ABC News, April 2, 2003
The Turkish Government has agreed to give passage to the US to resupply its forces through Turkey's south-east border with Iraq. The agreement was announced in a joint news conference with visiting US Secretary of State Colin Powell and Turkey's Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul.

Amnesty demands US for inquiry into Iraqi civilian killing
Xinhuanet, April 2, 2003
LONDON, April 1 (Xinhuanet) -- The London-based Amnesty International on Tuesday urged the United States to start an independent and thorough inquiry into the killing of seven women and children at a US military checkpoint at Najaf, 150 kilometers south of Iraq.

Send in the bulldozers: what Israel told marines about urban battles
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
As troops close on Baghdad, Pentagon takes notes on house-to-house fighting in Jenin -- US army officers have observed Israeli units at first hand in Jenin and Bethlehem. Martin van Creveld's advice to the US marines on what lessons to draw from Israel's bloody urban battle in Jenin was precise: Forget the helicopters, invest in armoured bulldozers.

US admits checks more aggressive
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
US troops manning checkpoints have become more "aggressive" to deal with potential suicide bombers, central command admitted yesterday.

Mosul Bombing Kills 21 Civilians, Wounds 75
Islam Online, April 2, 2003
MOSUL, April 2 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Twenty-one Iraqi civilians were killed and 75 wounded in U.S.-British bombing of the Bartalah region, east of Mosul, Al-Jazeera reported Wednesday, April, 2.

Protecting the most vulnerable
UNFPA
War or no war, more than 2,000 Iraqi women give birth every day. Like all expectant mothers, these women need adequate nutrition and access to vitamins, medicines and antenatal care to deliver safely. Even in the best of circumstances, more than 300 of these women would need emergency obstetric care. Reproductive health indicators for Iraq: Total population in millions: 1989 = 17.3, 2002 =  24.2 /  Maternal Mortality Ratio (per 100,000 live births): 1989 = 160, 2002 = 370  /  Infant Mortality Rate (per 1,000): 1989 = 52, 2002 = 108

War images stay with children fleeing Iraq
Reuters, April 2, 2003
RUWEISHED, Jordan, April 2 (Reuters) - Images of war are not far away for Abdel-Kadim, a 10-year-old Somali boy who fled conflict in Iraq with his family to a desert camp in Jordan. "It's an American plane. It's a U2," he said on Wednesday, describing his drawing of one of the planes being used in the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Hospitals in Iraq amid Increasing Civilian Casualties and Continuous Anglo-American Raids
International Press Center, April 2, 2003
With the war on Iraq entering its second week, Iraqi civilian death toll rockets with each passing day, despite the promises and reassurances by the US and British governments when this war began, that they would not harm civilians. In the middle of all that, the Iraqi health care services are suffering from a lot of obstacles that further hinder their duties.

US Bombs Hit Iraqi Hospital, Casualties -Witnesses
Reuters, April 2, 2003
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - U.S. missiles hit a Red Crescent maternity hospital in Baghdad and other civilian buildings on Wednesday, killing several people and wounding at least 25, hospital sources and witnesses said.

Arabs Warn U.S. Not to Use Iraq to Pick New Fights
Reuters, April 2, 2003
CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab commentators and officials warned the United States on Wednesday that its war on Iraq was widening its circle of enemies in the Middle East and urged Washington to refrain from picking new fights.

United States Attempts to Block United Nations Peace Bid
Common Dreams/Greenpeace, April 1, 2003  
NEW YORK - April 1 - Greenpeace today called on all members of the United Nations to reject moves by the US to block a resolution in the UN General Assembly condemning the invasion of Iraq and calling for a ceasefire and withdrawal of US and British armed forces. In a communication, obtained by Greenpeace, the United States urges countries to vote against or abstain from supporting a General Assembly meeting to discuss the war, adding it would be considered "unhelpful and directed against the United States." They further threaten that invoking the Uniting for Peace resolution will be "harmful to the UN."

Iraq Denies Destruction Of Republican Guard Division
Islam Online, April 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, April 2 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - An Iraqi military spokesman on Wednesday, April 2, repudiated claims about the destruction of the Baghdad division of the elite Republican Guard, as propagated by the U.S. Central Command.

Antiwar protesters in a PR fix
Christian Science Monitor, April 2, 2003
In the battle to influence public opinion, the antiwar movement's worst enemy may prove to be the television. Daily reports from the front lines put the troops foremost in American thought - an omnipresence that makes it easier for taxi drivers and hairdressers, white-collar workers and televangelists, to sympathize with the servicemen and -women, and to argue that protesters should be supporting those fighting in Iraq instead of holding rallies to oppose the war.

Egypt Denies Expelling Iraqi Diplomat
Islam Online, April 2, 2003 
Maher ruled out intention to expel any Iraqi diplomat -- CAIRO, April 2 (IslamOnline.net & news Agencies) – The Egyptian Foreign Ministry categorically denied Wednesday, April 2, reports of expelling the first secretary at Iraq's embassy Riyad Jabeir el-Ani.

Germany renews Mideast destabilisation concerns
Times of India, April 2, 2003
BERLIN: Anti-war Germany voiced anew its concerns that the conflict in Iraq could destabilise the Middle East, as Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer prepared to meet on Wednesday with his British counterpart, Jack Straw.

Arab moderates face moment of truth
Times of India, April 2, 2003
AMMAN: Is the US winning the war and losing the peace? Yes, say moderate Arabs once considered pro-American and who are moderate no longer, UPI reports. Ninety-nine of Jordan's most prominent personalities, including former prime ministers, army chiefs and heads of intelligence, have petitioned King Abdullah to declare the US war on Iraq illegal.

Coalition claims of Iraqi `terrorism' not seen as so clear-cut by local analyst, expert
Jordan Times, April 2, 2003
AMMAN — American administration attempts to mar the face of the Iraqi regime by denouncing recent guerrilla warfare tactics have many experts and observers pointing to weaknesses in the US-UK campaign, with coalition claims only serving as cover for the intensifying conflict.

Reconstruction Planners Worry, Wait and Reevaluate
Washington Post, April 2, 2003
Experts from Treasury are deciding how best to scrap the Iraqi currency -- featuring likenesses of Hussein -- and replace it, at least temporarily, with the U.S. dollar. -- KUWAIT CITY, April 1 -- This was the scenario: Baghdad has fallen after several days of urban combat. Corpses litter the streets and homes are damaged by bombing. Electricity and water are scarce. There are "pockets of resistance," and parts of Baghdad are still in flames when retired Army Lt. Gen. Jay M. Garner and his team arrive to start running the country.

Rows dog general waiting to take over
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
"There is no argument among Arab opinion formers, who with rare unanimity have been condemning his appointment as another sign of American contempt for Iraqi feelings." -- It is probably most accurate to call him Iraq's president-elect. The moment Saddam Hussein falls, Jay Garner will take over, with the kind of sweeping power over the whole of Iraq that even President Saddam has been unable to exercise for the past few years.

We don't understand Iraqis, admits US officer
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Regime not about to collapse, war planner concedes -- Two weeks into the war in Iraq, some senior military commanders are beginning to admit that American understanding of the Arab world is limited and that they still have to convince the Iraqis that they are liberators, not occupiers.

To the south of the city, battle lines are drawn for the final showdown
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Civilians at risk as Saddam waits to lure US into street fighting -- In the Pentagon, they are calling it the battle of Kerbala gap, after the 19-mile stretch of dry land between Razzaza lake and the Euphrates river.  For the headline writers, however, it may become better known, from the ancient ruins on the river's east bank, as the Battle of Babylon.

IraqWar.ru Update
IraqWar.ru, April 1, 2003
April 1, 2003, 1404hrs MSK (GMT +4 DST), Moscow - As of the morning of April 1 active combat operations continued along the entire US-Iraqi front. The town of Karabela – one of the key points in the Iraqi defense – is subjected to a continuing artillery barrage. The town outskirts are being attacked by the coalition aviation. However, so far the US forces made no attempts to enter the town. Available information suggests that after evaluating Karabela’s defenses the US command made a decision to delay storming the town. Orders were issued to the coalition troops to move around the town from the east and to take control of the strategic Al-Hillah, Al-Khindiya, and Al-Iskanderiya region.

'Iraq could be a Vietnam'
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
The Anglo-American forces are losing the battle to build trust -- Press editorial review.

Iraq TV Says Saddam Chairs Meeting with Sons
Reuters, April 2, 2003
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraqi President Saddam Hussein on Wednesday chaired a meeting of top officials, including his two sons Uday and Qusay, Iraqi television reported. No footage of the meeting was shown and there was no independent confirmation that it had occurred.

The lost rebellion
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Southern Iraq's Shias are being urged to rise up against Saddam. But Dan De Luce hears how the US failed them in their hour of need 12 years ago -- The column of Iraqi army soldiers looked exhausted and broken. They were in retreat, making their way north from a humiliating rout in Kuwait.

New Saddam statement urges Iraqis to fight
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Declaring that "victory is at hand", the Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, issued a new statement urging Iraqis to fight on and defend their towns, according to a broadcast today on Iraqi satellite television.

US smashes Baghdad defence positions
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
US forces today claimed to have broken through Iraqi lines at two key points south of Baghdad, seizing a strategic bridge across the Tigris and "destroying" a division of Saddam Hussein's elite Republican Guard.

Iraq: Situation Center
United Nations

photos
Iraq Heritage
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Iraq is one huge world heritage site, a unique storehouse of art and archaeology. Below we present a few of the country's extraordinary monuments, all threatened by the current war.

cartoon
Checkpoint alert
The Guardian, April 2, 2003
Cartoon: Steve Bell's view of US soldiers' jitters after a suicide bomb attack.