Jewish Group Uses Toys To Blast Palestinian Schools
Islam Online, April 26, 2003
The Israeli organization used toy-like explosives to guarantee a higher death toll -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, April 26 (IsalmOnline.net) - A radical right-wing Jewish group that claimed responsibility for recent explosions rocking a number of Palestinian schools used attractive toy-like explosive devices to cause large numbers of casualties, a Palestinian human rights organization said Saturday, April 26.

Troops shoot dead armed militant who fired at them in Nablus
Haaretz, April 26, 2003
Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed an armed militant who opened fire at them next to the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israel Radio reported. Wounded Palestinian gunman dies in hospital: A Palestinian wounded in a gunfight with Israeli soldiers last week died of his injuries on Saturday, hospital officials in the Gaza Strip said.

Five Citizens injured in Nablus and Vast Areas of Gaza Strip Lands Razed by Israeli Occupation Forces
International Press Center, April 26, 2003
NABLUS, Palestine, April 26, 2003, IPC--- Five Palestinian citizens were injured today afternoon by the Israeli occupation forces in Nablus city, IPC said. Palestinian medical sources reported that five citizens were shot and injured, of them one was critically shot in the neck, by Israeli occupation forces.

Israeli Forces Attack Palestinian Police Stations, Wound a Child
International Press Center, April 26, 2003
Qalqilia, April 26, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)-- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) stormed early Saturday a Palestinian police station and arrested two Palestinian policemen in the West Bank city of Qalqilia, Palestinian security sources said.

Two Palestinians killed, Bush talks of two states, invited Abbas to visit Washington
Arabic News, April 26, 2003
Two Palestinian students were killed and other 12 wounded by the Israeli occupation forces which opened fire at students of one Palestinian school in Ramullah, the West Bank, while they were at the school courtyard.

Activist's Parents Search for Answers - AP -- Detail Story
HiPakistan, April 26, 2003     
BEERSHEBA, Israel - Two weeks after a young British peace activist was shot through the head in the Gaza Strip (news - web sites) and left in a deep coma, his parents search desperately for answers and wait at his bedside as he clings to life.

Israel commits environmental genocide in Jenin
Palestinian Information Center, April 26, 2003
Jenin - The Israeli army has been committing what many Palestinians are referring to as an environmental genocide in this Palestinian city, long tormented by Israel. Last week, the Israeli occupation army seized more than 1800 dunams (180 hectares) of privately-owned Palestinian farmland just west of Jenin, along the former armistice line.  In the process, the Israeli army destroyed as many as 4500 grown olive trees. Another 20,000 olive trees were isolated behind the apartheid wall Israel is building inside the West Bank.

Mofaz expected to order removal of illegal settlement outposts
Haaretz, April 26, 2003
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz is expected to hold deliberations this week on the subject of removing illegal outposts in the territories. The final list of illegal outposts will be delivered to the Defense Minister on Sunday and defense ministry sources say that Mofaz will issue orders for their immediate removal.

Israel Bars Thousands of Worshipers From Attending Easter Ceremony
Palestine Media Center, April 26, 2003
In an unprecedented move, the Israeli Police on Friday drastically cut the number of Christian worshippers to be allowed at a Saturday Orthodox Easter ceremony in occupied east Jerusalem, thus preventing thousands of believers from attending one of Christianity’s holiest festive.

PA blocks German delegation’s visit to Sa’dat
Palestinian Information Center, April 26, 2003
Gaza- The Palestinian Authority yesterday barred the visit of a German delegation representing the international solidarity movement with the Palestinian people from visiting Ahmed Sa’adat, secretary general of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, in his Jericho prison.

Breaking News: Palestinian Dies of Wounds Inflicted By IOF
International Press Center, April 26, 2003 
19:00-- Khalid Mohamed Jarbou’, 24, from Rafah city, died of wounds he sustained on 20th of this month by the Israeli occupation forces, Directorate of Police said.

U.S. official says 'road map' could be released next week  
Haaretz, April 26, 2003 
The internationally-brokered "road map" to Middle East peace will be unveiled as early as next week, once the new reform-minded Palestinian prime minister and his cabinet are confirmed, a U.S. official said Saturday.

PLO Executive Committee Discusses the Latest Updates
International Press Center, April 26, 2003
Ramallah, 26 April, (IPC+WAFA)-- PLO Executive Committee chaired by President Yasser Arafat convened Thursday overnight a meeting in Ramallah city, West Bank, discussing the new political developments including the new Palestinian government.

Jewish terrorist groups use toy-bombs to kill, maim Palestinian children
Palestinian Information Cneter, April 26, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Messianic Jewish terrorists have been using toy-bombs to kill and maim as many Palestinian children as possible, according to a report published in the Ramallah-based al-Ayyam newspaper Monday. The report quoted an official from the Ramallah-based Jurist organization, Haq, as saying that the Jewish terrorist group, Niqema (Hebrew for revenge), has carried out several bombings in Jerusalem, Sur Baher, Yatta, Jenin and Hebron.

Israeli troops kill Palestinian, injures four near Nablus
Al-Bawaba, April 26, 2003
Israeli troops shot and killed an armed Palestinian who opened fire at them next to the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, Israel Radio reported.

Approaching midnight
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 24 - 30 April 2003
The dispute over Mahmoud Abbas's new Palestinian government sparked a full-blown political crisis. That is because it was not simply about government, reports Graham Usher in Ramallah.

U.S. Presses Mideast and Europe to Reduce Ties to Arafat
New York Times, April 26, 2003
WASHINGTON, April 25 — The Bush administration, seeking to bolster a newly emerging team of Palestinian leaders, is pressing Arab and European nations to cut back diplomatic contacts with Yasir Arafat and divert the financing of Palestinian activities away from his control, officials here said today.

Palestinian Killed as Powell Prepares for Mideast Trip
VOA News, April 26, 2003
Israeli-Palestinian violence has claimed the life of one Palestinian, as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell prepares to visit the Middle East. Israel Radio says Israeli troops shot dead an armed Palestinian near the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus, Saturday.

IRAQ & MIDDLE EAST: Israeli and US eyes on Abbas as he takes on premiership
Financial Times, April 25, 2003
Mahmoud Abbas, the incoming Palestinian prime minister, begins his first executive job with little popular support and under intense pressure from Israel and the US to deliver security and stamp out militant activity.

“Yediot Ahronot”: Merrill Lynch ranks TASE world’s no. 2 Q1 performer
Globes, April 24, 2003
Hebrew daily “Yediot Ahronot” reports that Merrill Lynch ranked the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) the world’s second-best performer among 45 stock markets worldwide in the first quarter of 2003.

Mahmoud Abbas: Could this man bring peace to the Middle East?
The Independent, April 26, 2003
Tony Blair rarely gives a speech or press conference these days without referring to Mahmoud Abbas – though he prefers to use the new Palestinian Prime Minister's Arabic nickname, Abu Mazen.

Long road lies ahead for Mideast 'road map'
Star-Banner, April 26, 2003
JERUSALEM - The "road map" to Mideast peace is backed by a rare global consensus neither Israelis nor Palestinians want to rebuff. But its prescription for ending 31 months of violence includes bitter pills for both sides, and there will likely be wrangling over who makes the first move.

Arafat Calls for Immediate Publication of ‘Roadmap’
Palestine Media Center, April 26, 2003
Parliament to Vote on New Cabinet Noon Tuesday  -- April 26, 2003 - Following a breakthrough in a deadlock over the formation of a new Palestinian government, President Yasser Arafat called for the immediate publication and implementation of the internationally-backed “roadmap” to peace in the Middle East... 

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine April 26, 2003
Palestine Media Center, April 26, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) wounded a Palestinian child in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. IOF also detained four Palestinians, including two policemen, in the West Bank towns of Qalqilia and Tulkarem.

Other Middle East News

Fury as explosion at weapons dump kills 40
Sydney Morning Herald, April 27 2003
As many as 40 Iraqi civilians were killed and many were injured in a series of blasts at an arms dump on Baghdad's outskirts yesterday, an Iraqi medic told Reuters near the scene. US troops blamed unidentified attackers who fired flares into the munitions store. But local people turned their anger on the Americans, shooting and forcing them back, soldiers said.

14 dead as Baghdad arms dump blast mars US-led reconstruction efforts
Yahoo! News, April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD (AFP) - A huge arms dump explosion in south Baghdad Saturday sent a hail of ordnance raining onto nearby homes, killing 14 people and sparking angry protests against US troops.

Six Iraqis Killed in Baghdad Explosions
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Attackers fired into an ammunition dump guarded by Americans on Baghdad's southeastern outskirts early Saturday, setting off thunderous explosions that killed six Iraqis and wounded four, the U.S. military said. One American soldier suffered a broken arm.

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In pictures: Baghdad arms blast
BBC, April 26, 2003

Fury Rages After U.S. Forces Display Iraqi Thieves Naked
Islam Online, April 26, 2003
Amnesty International criticized the U.S. forces' inhumane treatment of Iraqis -- BAGHDAD, April 26 (ISlamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The United States was at the center of a new human rights row after four alleged Iraqi thieves were paraded naked in a Baghdad park by U.S. occupation forces on Friday, April 25.

Fury As US Strips Thieves
Daily Moirror, April 26, 2003
AMERICA was at the centre of a new human rights row last night after four alleged Iraqi thieves were paraded naked in a Baghdad park by US troops. The degraded prisoners had the words "Ali Baba, Haram'' - "Thief, Unclean" - scrawled in Arabic on their chests.

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US Forces Strip Thieves Naked in Baghdad
Dagbladet, April 26, 2003
[Norwegian] Norway's Dagbladet newspaper broke the story.

UN heads for new rift over Iraq role
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
The Bush administration is preparing a draft security council resolution that would reduce the United Nations to a marginal role advising the US on running Iraq until the creation of a new government, diplomats and administration officials said yesterday.

Hoping to Speed Iraqi Weapons Hunt, U.S. Plans to Add to Teams
New York Times, April 26, 2003
The Bush administration, concerned about the failure to find unconventional weapons, is moving to triple the size of the crew searching for incriminating lethal materials in Iraq.

U.S. Says Turks Are Smuggling Arms Into Northern Iraq City
New York Times, April 26, 2003
KIRKUK, Iraq, April 26 — Turkish Special Forces soldiers were caught trying to smuggle grenades, night-vision goggles and dozens of rifles into this oil-rich city in northern Iraq earlier this week, American military officials said today. The officials said they believed that the weapons, which were hidden in an aid convoy, were bound for Turkmen living here.

Rumsfeld's rejection of Islamic state angers Shias
The Independent, April 26, 2003
Donald Rumsfeld, the US Secretary of Defence, will have won plaudits from his zealous friends by declaring that an "Iranian-style" Islamic government "is not going to happen" in Iraq. But his words fell on stony ground outside the al-Muhsen mosque in Baghdad yesterday.

UNEP Outlines Strategy for Protecting People and Environment of Iraq
United Nations News, April 24, 2003
GENEVA, 24 April (UNEP) -- A new report by the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) on environmental conditions in Iraq offers a preliminary assessment of the main environmental threats facing the country, and recommends actions for immediate relief and long-term recovery....Another priority activity should be conducting a scientific assessment of sites struck with weapons containing depleted uranium.  The report recommends that guidelines be distributed immediately to military and civilian personnel, and to the general public, on how to minimize the risk of accidental exposure to depleted uranium.

Bush on a revenge mission
The Independent, April 26, 2003
American anger at France over its refusal to support war in Iraq reached new heights yesterday when President George Bush took a direct swipe at President Chirac. "I doubt he'll be coming to the ranch any time soon," was Mr Bush's tart comment in an interview with NBC News, when asked about Jacques Chirac...

Iran: We Don't Seek Conflict With U.S.
Wilmington Star, April 26, 2003
Iran's government said Saturday it is neither seeking "friction" with Washington over Iraq's future government nor pushing for a religious administration in Baghdad.

We Will Join U.S.-Installed Government: Prominent Iraqi Scholar
Islam Online, April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD, April 26 (IslamOnline.net) - You are counted now in any U.S.-installed government. Take to the streets to make the Americans hear your voice and know your weight, the head of the society of Iraqi scholars, Dr. Ahmad al-Kubaissi, addressed a throng of Imams and scholars, who huddled together in an auditorium at the society's headquarters.

US closes on fugitives as Aziz held
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
The United States is confident of quickly capturing more senior Iraqis on its wanted list after Tariq Aziz, the best-known figure in the country after Saddam Hussein, was taken into custody.

Lantos: Syria Can Build on Saddam's Fall
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - The Iraqi regime's collapse has created a ``historic opportunity'' for a new U.S.-Syrian relationship, but first Damascus must stop hosting Hezbollah and other groups Washington regards as terrorists, a visiting U.S. congressman said Saturday.

U.N., U.S. Battle Over Iraq Sanctions
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - With feelings still raw from the bitter showdown over the war in Iraq, the Security Council is facing another bruising battle over a U.S. demand to lift sanctions now that Saddam Hussein has been overthrown.

U.N. Aide: Iraq Should Run Oil Fields
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The head of the U.N. oil-for-food program in Iraq is warning against foreign domination of Iraq's rich oil fields, saying the Iraqis have the ability to operate the industry and should control their own resources.

American to oversee Iraqi oil industry
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
The US is preparing to install an American chairman on a planned management team of the Iraqi oil industry, providing further ammunition to critics who have questioned the Bush administration's agenda in the Middle East.

U.S. Fulfills Some of Iraq's Power Needs
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - About half of Baghdad's electricity requirements are being met, but increasing needs in the summer will tax the power system, U.S. officials said Saturday.

Baghdad Schools Await Orders to Reopen
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Teachers reported to work in scattered schools across the Iraqi capital Saturday but found no students to instruct as administrators, wary of continuing lawlessness, awaited orders from a government that doesn't yet exist.

Syria, France for developing bilateral relations
Arabic News, April 26, 2003
Syria's minister of oil and mineral resources, Ibrahim Haddad, received in Damascus yesterday Chairman of the Arab- French Solidarity society Lucien Peterlein. Talks during the meeting dealt with latest developments in the region and means of boosting and developing relations of cooperation between Syria and France in all domains.

Indefinitely at war
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 24 - 30 April 2003
To avoid being dubbed an occupying force, the US administration has delayed declaring the end of the war, Khaled Dawoud reports from Washington. Two weeks after the fall of Baghdad and the ousting of former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein, US President George W Bush has not yet declared the war to be over. He is unlikely to do so in the near future. According to US officials and experts alike, such an official declaration would require the US to uphold the articles of the Geneva Conventions concerning the treatment of people under occupation.

'Cultural catastrophe' hits Iraq
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 24 - 30 April 2003
International experts meeting at UNESCO last week deplored the looting of Iraq's cultural heritage in the wake of the US-led invasion, calling upon the occupying forces immediately to secure Iraqi sites and institutions, reports David Tresilian from Paris.

Gingrich Re-Enters Political Firestorm
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Like a flashback to the 1990s, former House Speaker Newt Gingrich is pushing his way toward the center of the political debate, pugnacious as ever and spoiling for a fight.

Rumsfeld Said to Fire Army Secretary
The Guardian,  April 26, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld fired Army Secretary Thomas White, whose tenure as civilian chief of the military's largest service was marked by tensions with his boss, a Pentagon official said Saturday.

Iraqis pick up pieces to rebuild domestic media
Jang Group, April 26, 2003
BAGHDAD: Iraqi journalist Akram Kamir would like to finally report free from the all-powerful watch of Saddam Hussein's propaganda machine. But it's hard to broadcast from a studio that is now only a heap of rubble and ashes.

U.S. announces financial coordinators for iraq reconstruction
Arabic News, April 26, 2003
Former U.S. Deputy Treasury Secretary Peter McPherson has been named financial coordinator for Iraqi reconstruction, Treasury Secretary John Snow has announced.

U.S. immigration service launches online applications
Arabic News, April 26, 2003
Last year, the BCIS expanded its e-services by introducing "Case Status Online". Customers who have a receipt number for an e-filed application or an application or petition filed at a Service Center can check the status of their pending case online through the website www.bcis.gov and avoid prolonged waits on the phone or at a local office.

Ashcroft: Security Fears Merit Detentions
Yahoo! News, April 24, 2003
WASHINGTON - Most illegal immigrants can be jailed indefinitely without bond when national security risks exist, Attorney General John Ashcroft (news - web sites) has declared in a legal opinion. Immigration advocates are calling that an abuse of power in the name of fighting terrorism.

Manufacturing the news: New York Times report on Iraqi weapons of mass destruction
World Socialist Web Site, April 23, 2003
An article published Monday on the front page of the New York Times reports that a former Iraqi scientist who worked in a secret arms program led a US military team to material that proved to be “the building blocks” of banned weapons.

Iraqi official 'with al-Qa'ida links' in American custody
The Independent, April 26, 2003
Farouk Hijazi is not included in the Pentagon's "deck of cards" of 55 most-wanted members of the toppled regime of Saddam Hussein. Until the outbreak of war, the former senior intelligence operative was serving as his government's ambassador to Tunisia. But hopes were high in Washington last night that the diplomat may indeed become a source of important information on Saddam's rule.

Would-be US looters foiled by their own incompetence
The Independent, April 26, 2003
The moral of this story is quite clear: if you're not a professional bank robber, don't try robbing banknotes and expect to get away with it. As more details emerged yesterday of the botched attempt by US soldiers to steal hundreds of thousands of dollars recovered from an Iraqi government safe house, it became clear this was a dizzying tale of impulsive greed and colossal incompetence.