IOF Kills Two Palestinians, Wounds Three in the West Bank and Gaza
International Press Center, April 17, 2003
TULKAREM, Palestine, April 17, 03, IPC-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed Thursday a Palestinian child in the West Bank city of Tulkarem, IPC correspondent reported. Yousef Al-yahia, 15, was instantly killed on Thursday after being shot with four live bullet in his back, Thabet Thabet hospital in Tulkarem official said.

Israeli troops kill a Palestinian in Nablus after giving up his arms
LAW Society, April 17, 2003
On Tuesday morning, April 15, 2003, Israeli troops killed a Palestinian in Nablus after giving up his arms and sought refuge in a dormitory.

Arafat, Abu Mazen reach agreement on most cabinet posts
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and his Prime Minister designate Abu Mazen have thrashed out an agreement over the composition of the new PA cabinet, following a lengthy meeting on Thursday night. The only issue still under dispute appears to be the role of former Preventive Security forces commander in Gaza, Mohammed Dahlan, Israel Radio reported Friday.

Zionist occupation uses 50 schoolchildren as human shields
Palestinian Information Center, April 18, 2003
Tulkarm - Zionist occupation troops yesterday forced a school bus driver to stop his vehicle in the middle of the main road leading from the West Bank city of Tulkarm to the northern village of Shuweika, according to eyewitnesses.

Sharon plans to meet Abu Mazen
Al-Bawaba, April 18, 2003
Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet with the new Palestinian Prime Minister once the latter has officially been sworn in. The meeting will be part of Israel's efforts to implement several confidence-building measures it has told the United States it is planning, Israel Radio reported Friday.

Israel lists steps to follow Abu Mazen swearing-in  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet with the new Palestinian Prime Minister once he has officially been sworn in. The meeting will be part of Israel's efforts to implement several confidence-building measures it has told the United States it is planning.

Palestinians Mark Prisoner Day With Protests
Islam Online, April 17, 2003 
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, April 17 (IslamOnline.net) - The families of Palestinians held prisoners by Israeli occupation forces marked the Palestinian Prisoner Day Thursday, April 17, with massive protests in different Palestinian cities.

US, UN Urge Israel to Ease Travel, Work Restrictions on Palestinians 
Palestine Media Center, April 17, 2003
April 17, 2003 - The United States and the United Nations are pressing Israel to withdraw its troops from reoccupied Palestinian cities and ease restrictions on travel and work as a prelude “to get the peace process going again,” while the UN and Russia urged the publication of the “roadmap” for a Middle East settlement as soon as a new Palestinian government is formed.

Israel to pull back troops
Globe and Mail, April 18, 2003
Jerusalem — Israel is preparing to pull back troops from some Palestinian areas and release prisoners when the first Palestinian prime minister takes office, perhaps early next week, an Israeli official said Friday. The measures were discussed with U.S. officials during a meeting with a top aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this week in Washington, said Raanan Gissin, a Sharon spokesman.

Four Border Policemen suspected of killing Hebron youth
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
The Jerusalem Magistrates Court extended the remand of four Border Policemen by one week on Friday, who are suspected of involvement in the killing of a Palestinian youth in Hebron some four months ago. An autopsy of the man linked his death to the four arrested policemen.

Blair invites Sharon, no date set 
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
British Prime Minister Tony Blair has invited Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to London, but a date for the visit has not been set. A British Embassy spokesman in Tel Aviv yesterday said Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles had sent a letter to Sharon's bureau, mentioning the invitation Blair sent recently.

Senators, Congressmen put pro-Israel stance in writing  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
The letter, already bearing the signatures of 75 senators and 250 members of the House of Representatives..." -- WASHINGTON - While the U.S. administration is receiving Israel's and the Palestinians' comments on the road map for peace in the Middle East first hand, Capitol Hill is also witnessing persuasive efforts among members of Congress.

Arafat assures congressmen he'll delegate
Seattle Times, April 18, 2003
JERUSALEM — Three members of the U.S. Congress met with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and the newly appointed Palestinian prime minister yesterday. The talks were not sanctioned by the State Department.

U.S. Presses Syria To Kill Anti-Israel Resistance: DFLP
Islam Online, April 17, 2003
CAIRO, April 17 (IslamOnline.net) - The current American and Zionist pressures on Syria are aimed at bringing to a cessation all forms of support rendered by Syria to Arab movements resisting the Israeli occupation, particularly Hezbollah, Secretary General of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) Nayeef Hawatma told IslamOnline.net Thursday, April 17.

Hamas: Abu Abbas arrest suggests intifada heads targeted  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
The founder of Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Thursday the arrest of Palestinian terror leader Abu Abbas by U.S. forces in Iraq suggested U.S. forces were now targeting leaders of a Palestinian uprising against Israel.

ISM: Two More Palestinian Children Shot for being in their Homes
BBS News, April 18, 2003
BBSNews - 2003-04-18 -- Rafah, Gaza Strip - April 17, 2003 - At 18:00 today Israeli army parked a tank in front of the Mosque in Rafa and began firing two bursts of machine gun fire down the street. They shot 7 year old Alva Omar in the shoulder while he was inside of his home and 17 year old Ahmed Radwan who was standing in the doorway of his house.

Israeli troops kill 17 year old boy
Palestine Monitor, April 17, 2003
Hospital in Tulkaram surrounded and access denied -- In the early hours of this morning witnesses in Tulkaram report 12 Israeli military vehicles entered the West Bank city, imposed a curfew and surrounded the Tulkaram Government Hospital.

Two Palestinians die; US congressmen meet Arafat
Al-Bawaba, April 17, 2003 
Israeli troops killed a Palestinian man in the West Bank city of Tulkarem on Thursday, Palestinian witnesses said. They said Yusuf Yahya, 21, was shot several times after being spotted on a Tulkarem street by Israeli forces.

Occupation troops besiege West Bank Hospital  
Islamic Association of Palestine, April 17, 2003
Israeli occupation troops on Thursday besieged the Thabet-Thabet hospital in Tulkarm on suspicion that a Palestinian “fugitive” was inside. Sources in Tulkarm said hundreds of Zionist occupation soldiers, backed by tanks, were taking positions outside the hospital and threatening to storm it unless the administration handed the alleged "Palestinian fugitive" over to the occupation soldiers.

Israeli Occupation Expropriates Six Dunums in Hebron
International Press Center, April 18, 2003
HEBRON, Palestine, April 18, 2003, IPC + News agencies-- Israeli occupation authorities issued yesterday an order for the expropriation of six Dunums of land owned by the Dana family near Kiryat Arba, Palestinian dailies reported.

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine April 17, 2003
Palestine Media Center, April 17, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian teenager in a raid on the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem. Meanwhile, three Palestinians were wounded by IOF gunfire in Deir al-Balah town in the Gaza Strip, while a Palestinian civilian died of wounds he sustained earlier by IOF gunfire.  / IOF Shell Rafah

Airports Authority recommends that Karni stay closed  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
Director-General of the Airports Authority, Gabi Ofir, suggested Friday that Transportation Minister Avigdor Lieberman keep Gaza Strip’s Karni checkpoint closed until an agreement could be reached between Israel and the Palestinian Authority over tightening the security on the Palestinian side.

IDF thwarts two Passover bomb plots  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
In an operation in Tul Karm early yesterday morning, the IDF shot a Palestinian and arrested five militants planning suicide bombings during Passover week. According to Palestinian sources, IDF paratroopers shot Yusuf Yahya, 21, after being spotted on the streets of Tul Karm, under curfew like all other cities and towns in the territories. The Palestinians say that Yahya had no link with Palestinian militants.

ISM: Rafah, Tulkarem, Small gathering for Rachel
International Solidarity Movement, April 17, 2003
Rafah: Two More Palestinian Children Shot for being in their Homes / Tulkarem: Israeli Army Kills 15 year Old Boy and Continues it’s Terror in Tulkarem / West Jerusalem: Small Group Honors One Month Aniversary of Rachel Corries Death

Arafat close to agreeing cabinet choice
Financial Times, April 18, 2003
Yassir Arafat, president of the Palestinian Authority, is close to reaching agreement with Mahmoud Abbas, the designated prime minister, over the composition of a new government they hope will be unveiled within days, officials said on Friday.

EU: No road map changes; Americans meet Arafat, Abu Mazen  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
The European Union said Thursday the "road map" plan for peace in the Middle East would be published without any changes as soon as the new Palestinian government is sworn in.

U.S. believes it can indict Abul Abbas 
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
The United States believes it can indict captured Palestinian leader Mohammed Abbas (better known as Abul Abbas) for murder, and that his immunity under the Oslo Accords applies only in Israel and the PA, not in the U.S.

PNA Says Abbas’ Arrest Illegal, Demands His Immediate Release
Palestine Media Center, April 18, 2003
US, Israel, Italy Reject Palestinian Argument  -- April 17, 2003 - The Palestinian leadership described the arrest of the Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) leader Mohammed Abbas, better known as Abu Abbas, by US forces in Baghdad as an “illegal” act and a direct assault on the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), which includes Abbas’ PLF faction.

Christians Mark Good Friday in Jerusalem
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - A thinned flock of Christian pilgrims singing hymns and carrying wooden crosses walked along the cobblestone alleys of Jerusalem's walled Old City, retracing Jesus' steps toward crucifixion in a Good Friday procession.

Americans lean on Israel to make concessions
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Sharon told he may not tinker with the 'road map' to peace -- The Bush administration is putting pressure on Israel to make concessions in an attempt to restart the Middle East process after the Iraq war, diplomats and officials said in Washington yesterday.

UN Commission on Human Rights Condemns Israel
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, April 17, 2003
The Commission on Human Rights has adopted two further resolutions condemning Israel's violations of the human rights of the Palestinian people.  The Commission, which meets each year in Geneva for a five week period, adopted this week one resolution specifically condemning the illegal Israeli settlements, and a second more general resolution condemning a range of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.

US Now Targets Uprising Leaders, Yassin Says
Arab News, April 18, 2003
GAZA, 18 April 2003 — The founder of Palestinian resistance group Hamas said yesterday the arrest of a Palestinian activist leader in Iraq suggested US forces were now targeting leaders of a Palestinian uprising against Israel.

Israeli caves yield ancient coins
BBC, April 18, 2003
Israeli archaeologists have discovered coins they believe date back to a failed second-century Jewish rebellion against Roman rule.

Archbishop of Canterbury spends Palm Sunday in Jerusalem
Come And See, April 16, 2003
Archbishop of Canterbury Rowan Williams spent Palm Sunday with the Christians in Jerusalem, issuing a pastoral letter to Christians in the Middle East and preaching at the Anglican Cathedral of St. George the Martyr in Jerusalem.

Sharing the pain in the Holy Land  
Huddersfield Daily Examiner, April 18, 2003
MAKING an emotive and sombre front page for the current issue of the Church Mission Society's magazine Yes is a photograph by Henry Longbottom, formerly of Crimble. It shows an elderly Palestinian woman and a young boy pictured against a stark wall bearing the graffiti of a far right-wing Israeli organisation.

Stonewalled  
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
After 14 years of activism, the Women of the Wall are down but not out. -- The policewoman at the entrance to the Western Wall Plaza examined the contents of the bag with excessive zeal. She riffled through notebooks, opened wallets and used tissues, immersed in her work, oblivious to anything going on around her.

What hope now for Mideast peace?
CNN, April 18, 2003
Israelis and Palestinians are waiting to see how the next weeks and months unfold -- JERUSALEM (CNN) -- As the U.S.-led military campaign against Iraq nears an end, a common refrain on the streets from Tel Aviv to Ramallah is what will the Iraqi war means for Middle East peace and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. On a West Bank road, as Palestinians waited to pass through an Israeli military checkpoint, pessimism filled the air.

What We Saw In Palestine More Than Disgusting
Islam Online, March 6, 2003  
CAIRO, March 6 (IslamOnline.net) – They have decided not to sit in the audience seat any longer and to take their case to the occupied Palestinian territories, where they can stand witness to unbridled Israeli aggressions on Palestinian cities and help defend the unarmed Palestinians in their uphill struggle against the armed-to-the-teeth Israeli occupation troops.

Analysis / Has Sharon crossed the line?
Haaretz, April 18, 2003
On the eve of Passover, Ariel Sharon crossed the line he has so far refused to step over and publicly spoke about evacuating settlements. "Genuine peace requires concessions," he said in a holiday interview to Yedioth Ahronoth. "It is possible that there will be towns that we will need to evacuate," said Sharon, reinforcing his message in a Haaretz interview earlier in the week.

Group’s CD sales to aid Palestinians
Daily Hampshire Gazette, April 18, 2003
Friday, April 18, 2003 -- EASTHAMPTON - A local group of organic farmers and social activists is selling a 12-song compact disc to generate funds to assist Palestinian families and children who are suffering in their war-torn region. Touchstone Farms co-director George "Shaker" McNeil produced the "Peace CD" in the farm's recording studio to benefit the Union of Palestinian Medical Relief Committees.

Special Report on the Occasion of Palestinian Prisoners Day
Palestine Media Center/Addameer, April 17, 2003
As we mark Palestinian Prisoners Day this Thursday, 17 April, Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails are being subjected to harsh and repressive conditions within central prisons, detention centers and military camps run by both the Israeli Prisons Authority and the Israeli military, while Palestinians outside prisons continue to suffer from repeated violations of their basic human rights by Israeli occupying forces.

PCHR: On Palestinian Prisoners' Day
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, April 17, 2003
On Palestinian Prisoners' Day, PCHR reiterates it call to the international community to confront Israeli systematic violations of the rights of Palestinian prisoners.

Al Ramla prison opens a new section
LAW Society, April 17, 2003
Thursday, April 17, is the anniversary of the Palestinian Prisoner’s Day. Palestinian prisoners and detainees have gone on hunger strike to mark this day and to demand better detention conditions.

Press Release, Palestinian Prisoners’ Day
International Press Center, April 17, 2003
Ramallah, Palestine, On April 17, 2003, the anniversary of the Palestinian Prisoners’ Day, Treatment and Rehabilitation Center for Victims of Torture, Ministry of Ex-detainee and the Palestinian Prisoners’ Club organized a successful workshop commemorating this event at the TRC’s premises in Ramallah.

European Parliamentarian Describes Gaza as a “Big Genocide Camp”
International Press Center, April 17, 2003
SPAIN, April 17, 2003, (AGENCIES)--A member of European Parliament strongly criticized the Israeli violations against Palestinian people by describing the Gaza Strip as a ‘genocide camp”.

Ofar prison is unbearable conditions
International Press Center, April 12, 2003
“Ofar”, a famous name of an Israeli prison located in Betonia just a few kilometers to the West of Ramallah City. It is originally a military camp at which a detention center has been formed.

8000 Palestinians in Zionist detention camps
Palestinian Information Center, April 18, 2003
Ramallah - Some 25,000 Palestinian civilians have been arrested by  Israel since the beginning of the Palestinian intifada againt Zinist occupation and domination 30 months ago, and some 8,000 are  still behind bars, according to Palestinian sources.

Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 10-16 April  2003
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
10 Palestinians, mostly civilians, were killed by Israeli forces / 4 of the victims were killed in 3 assassinations / 6 Palestinian houses were demolished in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas / The Israeli retaliatory campaign continues against families of wanted Palestinians and those who allegedly have carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets, demolishing 3 more houses in the West Bank  / Israeli forces continued to use Palestinian civilians as human shields in military operations / Continued Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas / Israeli forces raided houses and arrested more Palestinians / Another volunteer of the International Solidarity Movement was wounded by Israeli forces / The imposition of total closure on the Occupied Palestinian Territories

LAW Weekly Roundup 10 April - 16 April 2003
LAW Society, April 17, 2003

Other Middle East News

Occupying powers responsible for grave humanitarian crisis in Iraq
PeaceUK.net, April 16, 2003
Urgent statement and appeal by Medical Aid for the Third World -- As medical doctors, we cannot remain silent in the face of the enormous suffering of the Iraqi civilian population, brought about by the US-British bombings, invasion and occupation. We have seen hundreds of civilians, including many children, injured and killed, often by prohibited weapons such as cluster bombs. We have seen how ambulances and civilian cars have been hit by US troops.

Thousands demonstrate against US
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Ba'ath party leader captured · Chalabi: I believe Bush · Former oil minister held · 'Last footage of Saddam' aired · Arab ministers hold Iraq talks -- Tens of thousands of Iraqis demonstrated against the US occupation of Iraq in central Baghdad today after religious leaders spoke out against America. Meanwhile, the head of the Iraqi National Congress, Ahmad Chalabi, who some in Washington want as a new Iraqi leader, made his first public appearance in Baghdad.

UN aid en-route to Baghdad 
Al-Jazeera, April 18, 2003 
The United Nations stepped up the tempo of its aid deliveries to Iraq on Thursday, bringing 100 trucks of food into the stricken country from Turkey and opening up a new supply route from Jordan.

Iraq food aid faces delays
BBC, April 18, 2003
The UN says half of Iraqis will run out of food by the end of April -- The first major United Nations food aid is expected to arrive on the outskirts of Baghdad on Friday - but it faces a further delay before it can be handed out. A convoy of 50 trucks has crossed into Iraq from Jordan, carrying 1,400 metric tons of wheat flour - enough to feed 100,000 people for one month. But the aid will have to be stockpiled in warehouses on the outskirts of the city until the area can be declared safe.

Abu Dhabi TV airs images, speech of Saddam from April 9th
Al-Bawaba, April 18, 2003
Abu Dhabi television aired pictures Friday of what it said was Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein in the streets of Baghdad last week being greeted by a cheering crowd, then later played the audio of a purported speech by the toppled leader.

Jordanian volunteers: Baghdad's fall was a ‘deal'
Al-Bawaba, April 17, 2003
Testimonies recently heard by Al Bawaba from homebound Jordanians who fought in Iraq as volunteers [Mujahideen] revealed some aspects of a possible ‘deal’ that may have been concluded by the Iraqi commander of the Republican Guard General Maher Al Tikriti, and the US forces.

Saddam Sealed Betrayal Deal: Iraqi Diplomat
Palestine Chronicle, April 17, 2003
PARIS - The U.S. occupation of Baghdad is the result of eight-hour tough negotiations held by the members of the Iraqi regime, who decided to give up Baghdad to the U.S. in return for providing safe haven for the Iraqi president and his top aides, an Iraqi diplomat in Paris told IslamOnline.net, but refused to be named. “The Americans ensured the safety of Saddam Hussein and helped him leave Baghdad,” the diplomat said.

Voices in the Wilderness Banned from Palestine Hotel in Baghdad by U.S. Military
Common Dreams/Voices in the Wilderness, April 17, 2003  
BAGHDAD - April 17 - Less than 24 hours after issuing a press release (below) highlighting the failures of the U.S. Military's attempts to oversee humanitarian intervention in Iraq, Voices in the Wilderness was banned from meeting with the U.S. Civil Military Operations Center, or international journalists, working out of the Palestine Hotel in Baghdad (see attached picture). 

U.S. Use of Clusters in Baghdad Condemned
Common Dreams/Human Rights Watch, April 16, 2003     
NEW YORK - April 16 - The U.S. Central Command should respond publicly to evidence that U.S. forces used cluster munitions in a populated area of Baghdad, Human Rights Watch urged today. According to a report in yesterday’s Newsday, a Central Command spokeswoman has anonymously confirmed that U.S. forces have hit urban areas of Baghdad with cluster munitions, stating that they were aimed at Iraqi artillery and missile systems located inside the city.

Scientists Urge Shell Clear-Up to Protect Civilians
Common Dreams/The Guardian, April 17, 2003     
Royal Society spells out dangers of depleted uranium -- Hundreds of tons of depleted uranium used by Britain and the United States in Iraq should be removed to protect the civilian population, the Royal Society said yesterday, contradicting Pentagon claims it was not necessary.

US troops continue to face sporadic resistance
Al-Jazeera, April 18, 2003 
Sporadic resistance continues in Iraq, even as United States-led forces attempt to consolidate their hold over the country. The invading troops came under attack in northern and southern Iraq on Thursday, killing several Iraqis, capturing 100 others and seizing weapons, the US Central Command said.

Regional leaders meeting in Saudi Arabia over Iraq
Al-Jazeera, April 18, 2003 
Iraq’s neighbours, wary of Washington’s intent to stamp its indelible print on a post-war Iraq, opened talks in Riyadh on Friday to try and put a national government in place in Baghdad and hasten the withdrawal of US forces. Opening the conference, Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal of host Saudi Arabia said: "We categorically reject the recent threats against Syria," which was present at the meeting.

Charity's anger as US halts aid plane
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Save the Children yesterday accused the US military of allowing children to die after it refused to grant permission for a plane loaded with medical supplies to land in northern Iraq.

Bombs silent, but the children still suffer
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
A five-year-old boy blinded when he picked up a cluster bomb while he played with friends is just the latest victim as the agony goes on -- Children lying on dirty vinyl mattresses, desperate mothers clutching whimpering infants, harassed doctors signing prescriptions that they barely have time to read - a week after the guns fell silent the scene at the Central Children's hospital in the Iraqi capital is still one of war-related chaos, relieved only by tireless improvisation by dedicated staff.

'I can't go to school any more because I don't have arms'
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Ali Ismail Abbas, the 12-year-old Iraqi boy who lost both arms in a US missile attack, felt well enough yesterday to request one of his favourite meals - a shish kebab.

Bush's cultural aides quit over sack of Baghdad's treasures
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Two senior cultural advisers to President Bush have resigned in fury at the US military's failure to prevent the looting of antiquities from Baghdad's national museum.

EU and US clash on trade with Iraq
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
The possibility of a new diplomatic standoff cast its shadow over the last day of the EU summit yesterday, following a call by President Bush for the lifting of sanctions on Iraq - a move that Russia and the EU suggested they would resist unless it came with guarantees of a central UN role in any postwar administration.

Bechtel wins contract prize
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
An engineering firm with close links to the Bush administration won the main contract for the reconstruction of Iraq's infrastructure last night, sealing a deal worth up to $680m (£432m) to rebuild the country's electrical, water and sewage systems.

US sends in its own weapons inspectors
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
The US is preparing to intensify its efforts to find weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, sending in 1,000 scientists, intelligence analysts and others, straining further the international disagreement over who should verify that the country is WMD-free, it was revealed yesterday.

Powell plans Mid-East trip
BBC, April 18, 2003 
The US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said he plans to travel to the Middle East soon as part of efforts to restart the peace process involving Israel and the Palestinians. As part of the trip, Mr Powell also intends to go to Syria to press the Syrian Government not to harbour fleeing Iraqi leaders.

Muslim League warns Christian body over Iraq relief
Come And See, April 17, 2003
The Muslim World League warned that "non-Muslim organisations," a term used for Christian missionaries, were preparing to work in Iraq under the cover of providing humanitarian aid. "Non-Muslim organisations are preparing to enter Iraq to start their activity under the cover of providing humanitarian aid, as they normally exploit crises, wars and tragedies," Secretary General Abdullah al-Turki charged.

Another Top Baath Official Caught in Iraq
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Another top aide to Saddam Hussein on the U.S. most-wanted list has been taken into custody, the U.S. Central Command said Friday. In Baghdad, thousands protested the U.S. military presence in Iraq, while the head of the Iraqi opposition predicted an interim government would be running the country within weeks.

More Than 900 Iraqi War Prisoners Freed
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - American forces released more than 900 Iraqi prisoners, beginning the process of sorting through the thousands detained in the month-old war, a U.S. defense official said Friday.

Chalabi Expects Iraq Interim Leaders Soon
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi opposition leader Ahmad Chalabi, in his first public appearance in Baghdad, said Friday he expects an Iraqi interim authority to take over most government functions from the U.S. military in ``a matter of weeks rather than months.''

Israeli Commandoes In Iraq To Assassinate 500 Scientists
Islam Online, April 18, 2003
OCCUPIED JERSUALEM, April 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Some 150 Israeli commandoes are currently inside Iraq on a mission to assassinate 500 Iraqi scientists, a retired French general told the French TV Channel 5 on Friday, April 18. He asserted that Israel was seeking to liquidate 500 Iraqi armament scientists who were involved in the country’s biological, chemical and nuclear weapons, reported the Israeli Maariv newspaper which carried the news.

US Should Be Embarrassed For Not Finding WMDs: Ex-CIA Agents
Islam Online, April 18, 2003
WASHINGTON, April 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As the United States is sending a 1,000-strong force to Iraq to “hunt” for alleged weapons of mass destruction (WMD), retired intelligence officials said Thursday, April 17, that the US government should be embarrassed over the apparent failure to uncover weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Cashing in on reconstruction
Al-Jazeera, April 18, 2003
The controversial agency in charge of rebuilding Iraq’s shattered infrastructure has awarded a contract worth up to $680 million to a US company, Bechtel Group Inc. Worth $34.6 million initially but expected to include repair of airports, ports and possibly work on hospitals, schools, other government buildings and irrigation systems, the contract is the biggest awarded to date by the US Agency for International Development in its Iraq portfolio.

UN snubs Blair plea for envoy to Iraq
The Independent, April 17, 2003
PM left isolated by White House stance -- Tony Blair was rebuffed yesterday when he attempted to persuade Kofi Annan, the United Nations secretary general, to appoint a special representative to Baghdad.

Power struggle rages in Saddam hometown
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Members of ousted dictator's clan 'literally trying to beat people to death' as American forces struggle to restore order to Tikrit -- Gangs of armed Iraqis loyal to Saddam Hussein's clan are still operating in his hometown, Tikrit, American military officials admitted yesterday.

Arabs face evictions as Kurds take revenge
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Once-repressed group say they are only reclaiming what is theirs -- Iraqi Arabs claim they are being forcibly expelled from homes and villages in and around the northern city of Kirkuk by Kurds who are bent on undoing years of their own forced expulsion at the hands of the Iraqi regime.

Old guard faces crisis as heat turns on Syria
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Europe believes Damascus should be cajoled, not bombed, but does the US agree? -- At the moment when American forces swept into Baghdad and Iraqis began attacking the symbols of Saddam Hussein's rule, Syrian television interrupted its live coverage of the war to bring viewers a programme about Islamic art and architecture.

Damascus may expel Saddam regime fugitives
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Syria may be preparing to quietly expel some members of Saddam Hussein's regime who have sought refuge inside its borders, US officials said last night.

Iran attacks US and braces for nuclear dispute
The Guardian, April 17, 2003
The Iranian president Mohammad Khatami yesterday lashed out at America for its aggressive stance, stating that Tehran would not recognise a US-installed administration in Iraq and warning Iran would support Syria were it attacked.

Police fire tear gas in clashes with anti-war protesters
The Independent, April 17, 2003
Greek police fired tear gas as anti-Iraq war protesters hurled Molotov cocktails during violent clashes close to the venue of the EU summit in Athens yesterday.

Surrender of Iranian group creates dilemma for U.S.
Salaam, April 17, 2003
The MKO, an Iranian terrorist group, long protected by Saddam Hussein's regime has agreed to surrender to U.S. forces, raising a difficult question about whether its members will be sent back to Iran. Branded as "terrorists" by the State Department, the MKO has been supported by many US legislators, and now Iran's request for their extradition will test the US's resolve on combating terrorism regardless of its origins.

New Workhorse of U.S. Military: A Bomb With Devastating Effects
Newhouse, 2003
WASHINGTON -- It will fall silently and unseen from the distant sky, a cigar-shaped steel capsule hurtling down at 300 mph with a single deadly purpose. In the final moments, there might come a brief, chilling whir as tiny gears adjust its tail fins to nudge it closer to its target.

Blair: I was ready to quit over Iraq
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
Tony Blair was ready to quit his job as prime minister if he had lost a crucial Commons vote over the war with Iraq, he revealed today.

Saddam's fall will reignite the revolutionary debate
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
The dispute in Iran about Islam's political role will now shake Iraq -- When Ayatollah Khomeini was arrested in the Iranian Shi'ite centre of Qom and packed off by the Shah to Ankara on a cargo aircraft, it was a transfer of a revolutionary personality arguably as important as that of Lenin on the famous sealed train.

Australia criticised for troops pullout
The Guardian, April 18, 2003
The early withdrawal is believed to be in defiance of US wishes that some soldiers be kept in place to maintain order. -- Australia is to pull the bulk of its troops out of Iraq within two months and has no plans for a substantial peacekeeping commitment, John Howard, the prime minister, announced yesterday.

Rumsfeld: Iraqis should lead US forces to WMD; Blix urges return of UN inspectors
Al-Bawaba, April 18, 2003
The US military's search for chemical and biological weapons is unlikely to succeed until Iraqis lead American forces to them, Donald Rumsfeld, the defense secretary, said Thursday.

Hariri forms new government in Lebanon
Al-Bawaba, April 17, 2003
Lebanon said Thursday Prime Minister Rafik al-Hariri had formed a new Cabinet that retained economic policymakers but left out key Christian opposition figures.

US forces arrest Saddam half-brother; Report: American forces to try grab Saddam if he hides in Syria
Al-Bawaba, April 17, 2003
U.S.-led special forces in Baghdad captured Saddam Hussein's half-brother Barzan, a former head of Iraqi intelligence, on Thursday, a U.S. general said.

Iraqi Jews turn down Sharon's immigration offer, prefer to stay in Iraq
Al-Bawaba, April 17, 2003  
The few tens of Iraqi Jews who are still in Iraq have turned down an offer by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to immigrate to Israel.

Syria Says ‘No’ to UN Arms Inspection
Arab News, April 18, 2003
CAIRO, 18 April 2003 — Syria will not allow inspections of its military arsenal or its territory to refute US accusations that it possesses chemical weapons, Foreign Minister Farouk Shara said here yesterday.

Iraqi Styles Himself Baghdad Governor
Arab News, April 18, 2003
BAGHDAD, 18 April 2003 — Iraq’s confused postwar administrative landscape became even more blurred yesterday as US forces denied sanctioning the appointments of two Iraqis claiming to be the governor and mayor of Baghdad.

Confusion over Baghdad 'vote'
BBC, April 17, 2003
A US marine spokesman in Baghdad has downplayed reports that an Iraqi has been elected to govern the city. The officer was responding to news that Mohammed Mohsen Zubaidi had announced his "election" by local people and was liaising with the US military.

'Mass grave' found in Iraq
BBC, April 17, 2003
Kurdish officials say they have found a series of mostly unmarked graves that contain about 2,000 bodies outside the northern Iraqi city of Kirkuk. They say the area was used by the Iraqi army to bury Kurds they killed in the late 1980s.

Human Shield To Bear Witness To U.S. Crimes In Iraq
Islam Online, April 18, 2003
BAGHDAD, April 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - After a month sitting at a Baghdad power plant, Sergio Sahara has packed his bags. The Argentine human shield did not prevent the United States from invading Iraq, but he has no regrets, and is even angrier than the day he arrived, Agence France-Presse (AFP) said.

Mosul Still Violent as Locals Reject US Rule
Arab News, April 18, 2003
MOSUL, 17 April 2003 — Deadly gunfire broke out in Mosul for a second day yesterday, and some of the wounded said they were shot by American troops deployed to restore order in Iraq’s third-largest city.

Arab leaders debate war aftermath
BBC, April 18, 2003
Foreign ministers from the countries neighbouring Iraq are holding talks in the Saudi Arabian capital to discuss how to influence the post-war situation in the region. The Riyadh talks - the first such meeting since the start of the war - are to address the reconstruction of Iraq and the issue of how to deal with a future US-led administration in Baghdad.

Blix seeks UN role in Iraq
BBC, April 18, 2003 
Blix says his mission in Iraq was brought to a premature end -- Chief United Nations weapons inspector Hans Blix says his teams could play a key role in helping British and US forces in their search for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq.

Hunt on for Iraqi art
BBC, April 18, 2003 
A massive hunt has been launched for the numerous artefacts - some of which date back 10,000 years - looted from Baghdad's museum. Interpol plans to send an art recovery team to Iraq to try to locate the items, which were taken away in the lawlessness following the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime last week.

Al-Shara in Egypt: U.S. didn't succeed politically and lost morally in its military act against Iraq
Arabic News, April 18, 2003
Syria's Foreign Minister, Farouk Al-Shara, has underlined that Syria, after her initiative in the UN Security Council, will not allow any inspection, and would participate with the Arab states and all of the countries of the world in turning the Middle East into a region free of weapons of mass destruction, nuclear, chemical and biological.

New bank scandal evidence against family of leader in waiting
The Guardian, April 17, 2003
Fresh evidence emerged yesterday of banking scandals involving the family of the Pentagon's preferred candidate for a political role in post-war Iraq, Ahmad Chalabi. Mr Chalabi's brother Jawad, who lives in Wimbledon, confirmed that Jawad and another brother, Hazem, had been convicted by the Swiss authorities of false accounting in connection with the collapse of Socofi, an investment company in Mr Chalabi's widespread financial empire.

Iraq: EU wants key role for UN
BBC, April 17, 2003
European Union leaders have said the United Nations must play a central role in rebuilding Iraq. A statement issued at a summit in Athens also says that US-led troops have a responsibility to restore stability, and reaffirms that European countries are ready to help to play a significant role in Iraq's reconstruction.

Syria permits the entry of split Baathists from Iraq
Arabic News, April 18, 2003
Syria yesterday permitted the families of a group of political members who split from the Iraq Baath party who were stuck at the Iraqi-Syrian borders to enter the country after they were expelled from their houses in Baghdad following the collapse of the Iraqi regime of Saddam Hussein.

World waits to see which way US will jump
The Guardian, April 17, 2003
The Blair government believes that in the next few weeks it will be clear how the Bush administration has been influenced by its military victory in Iraq, and what kind of superpower it wants the United States to be in the post-war world.

Any theory trying to justify clash of cultures a product of ignorance, ALECSO chief
Arabic News, April 18, 2003
Any theory trying to justify a "clash of cultures" or a "conflict of civilizations" is merely the result of passion or a product of ignorance, director general of the Arab League Educational, Cultural and Educational Organization (ALECSO), Monji Bousnina, said.

US Mosaic Foundation donates us $800.000 to arab micro-credits programs
Arabic News, April 18, 2003
US Mosaic Foundation disbursed on Wednesday US $800.000 to fund micro-credits programs in Arab states, through the Grameen Foundation USA.

Iraqi Christians look ahead to uncertain future
Come And See, April 16, 2003
Christians in Iraq say their prayers for peace had been answered, but what comes after the fall of Saddam Hussein is what worries them now. Christians feel they have something to lose now that Saddam has been ousted from power and U.S. forces promise democracy in a largely Muslim country.

Anti-War Activists Speak in Marin 
Common Dreams/Marin Independent Journal, April 17, 2003     
DANIEL ELLSBERG, outspoken anti-war activist who will lecture here April 28, is convinced that America's next military target is Syria, though he says the reasons for such an attack would obviously be spurious.

"This is Our American Liberation!" An Art Center Left in Ashes 
Common Dreams/New York Times, April 17, 2003       
BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 16 — Amal al-Khedairy stood amid the ruins of her elegant waterfront home and cursed the people who had rained the bombs on her. This was a full-throated, almost lunatic fury, sharpened by the Western-educated voice that carried it. For years, Ms. Khedairy ran Baghdad's most luminous artistic center, one that flourished in the face of the dictator, a place dedicated to bringing the worlds of Occident and Orient together.

They survived fifty years of persecution. Now Baghdad's last Jews have some hope
The Independent, April 18, 2003
In their poor, crumbling house of blackened walls and floor tiles soiled by pigeons, Yacob Youssef and his two nieces were planning their usual evening meal, consisting of little more than rice.

Gangs who looted historic treasures had keys to vaults
The Independent, April 18, 2003
Highly organised gangs of looters were able to escape with some of Iraq's most historical treasures because they had keys to the vaults and safes of the country's museums.

Fighting breaks out over food in Tikrit
The Independent, April 18, 2003
American troops struggled to restore order yesterday as looting, ethnic fighting and clashes between rival factions ­ and with US forces ­ broke out across Iraq.

Lebanon unveils most pro-Syrian cabinet ever
Middle East Online, April 18, 2003
Lebanese Prime Minister Rafiq Hariri formed a new government Thursday, the most pro-Syrian yet since Damascus imposed its will on its smaller neighbor more than a decade ago, and amid US threats against Syria.

Lifting of sanctions is an aim which we have supported for a long time: Chirac
Middle East Online, April 17, 2003
ATHENS - French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday the United Nations must decide exactly how sanctions on Iraq should be lifted, after the collapse of Saddam Hussein's regime.

Myers: Way too early to talk about war on Syria
Middle East Online, April 18, 2003 
WASHINGTON - The top US general said Thursday it was "way too early" to talk about military action against Syria but warned it to stop harboring fugitive Iraqi leaders and sending foreign fighters to battle US and British forces in Iraq.

Signs of Hope Amid Horrible Picture in Baghdad, UN Local Staff Say
Palestine Chronicle, April 18, 2003
Even as the United Nations pressed ahead today with its first relief lifeline into Baghdad along what could become its most important aid corridor into Iraq, UN local staff today painted a “horrible” picture on the ground, yet with highlights of hope and humanitarian heroism.

Annan Calls for Joint UN-EU Action to Heal Rifts Caused by Iraq War
Palestine Chronicle, April 18, 2003
Addressing the assembled leaders of the 25 states of the enlarged European Union (EU), United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said today it was vital to heal the rifts in the international community caused by the war in Iraq, declaring that the EU and UN must work together for the good of the world.

Society of American Archivists' Statement on Destruction of Iraqi Archives
Palestine Chronicle, April 18, 2003
The Society of American Archivists (SAA) is deeply concerned by several recent news reports that suggest that contemporary and historical records in Iraq are threatened as a result of the current conflict in that country.

Heavy-handed & Hopeless: The U.S. Military Doesn't Know What its Doing in Iraq
Palestine Chronicle, April 18, 2003
Voices in the Wilderness representatives met today with the U.S. Military's Civil Military Operations Center (CMOC) in their headquarters at the Palestine Hotel to discuss the emergency, humanitarian crisis facing Baghdad. Trash removal has not occurred for a month.

U.S. Plans Continue to Meet Stiff Resistance In Iraq, Middle East
Yellow imes.org, April 18, 2003
TORONTO (NFTF.org) -- Al Jazeera sources say that Basra is facing a dire water shortage and that the city is on the verge of a humanitarian disaster. Meanwhile, Said Abbas, a Shiite cleric in Kut, Iraq, has declared that he is the de facto city leader. U.S. Marines trying to reach the town square and search for weapons and Fedayeen were turned back by the cleric's 1200 unarmed supporters.