Palestinians:
Five killed in Gaza raid, including boy, 12
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Palestinians said that five Palestinians, including a 12-year-old boy, were killed
and seven others were wounded Thursday in an IDF incursion in a northern Gaza
Strip town. Major General Doron Almog of the Southern Command said Thursday afternoon
that the IDF would remain in Beit Hanoun for several days.
Breaking
News: Two More Palestinian Children Die
International Press Center, May 15, 2003
16:10--Two More Palestinian children, Zuhair Abu Jarad, 13, and Abed Abulkas,
16, were killed by IOF in Beit Hanoon City. The total number of martyrs in Beith
Hanoon risen to five, Palestinian medical sources said.
Netanyahu
warns he will legislate against right to strike
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned the Histadrut labor federation on Thursday
that he will move to legally prevent its ability to paralyze the country by striking,
after the labor federation continued with work sanctions despite progress in the
negotiations between the two sides over the disputed economic austerity plan.
Jerusalem
holy site tensions mount
BBC, May 15, 2003
The Islamic authority (Waqf) which administers the disputed Haram al-Sharif, or
Temple Mount, in Jerusalem has said it will continue to bar non-Muslims from praying
there. The director of the Waqf, Adnan Husseini, was responding to comments by
the Israeli Public Security Minister, Tzachi Hanegbi, who said Jews would soon
be allowed to pray at the site.
Israel
Will Allow Jews Into Al-Aqsa Mosque
Islam Online, May 15, 2003
The Israeli decision will likely provoke a Palestinian and Muslim outcry -- OCCUPIED
JERUSALEM, May 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The Palestinian Authority
warned Thursday, May 15, that Israeli Interior Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi
pledge to soon allow Jews to pray inside Al-Aqsa Mosque compound even without
an agreement with the Palestinians, would only set the region further ablaze.
Palestinian
Centre for Human Rights
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, May 14, 2003
In the context of the continued Israeli military onslaught against Palestinian
civilians, 26 Palestinian houses were totally destroyed and more than 30 others
partially destroyed in the Khan Yunis refugee camp. On Tuesday, 13 May 2003, in
a serious escalation in military activity, Israeli occupying forces invaded Khan
Yunis refugee camp reinforced with more than 100 heavy military vehicles and supported
by Apache gunships.
Sharon
criticises Blair for 'unnecessary intervention'
The Independent, May 15, 2003
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli Prime Minister, criticised Tony Blair and the British
Government in a newspaper interview yesterday, only hours before Silvan Shalom,
the Israeli Foreign Minister, flew to London for a visit that was supposed to
repair relations between Britain and Israel, which are at their most strained
for years.
A
Massive Rally in Gaza Marks the 55th Anniversary of Al-Nakba
International Press Center, May 15, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, May 15, 2003, IPC-- Thousands of Palestinian masses poured to
the streets of Gaza City Thursday morning to mark the 55th anniversary of the
1948 Al-Nakba. The participants constitutes all political streams, all in one
sound chanting slogan demanding their right of return and vowing never to give
up their rights of self determination and establishment of an independent Palestinian
statehood.
Shin
Bet now targets business with ties to Islamic Movement
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
The Shin Bet and the police, which on Tuesday arrested 15 activists of the Northern
Branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, are also investigating the operations
of Almanar, a business enterprise established a few years ago by Israeli Arab
businessmen, who are affiliated with the Islamic Movement.
MKs
in a huff over ISM peace activists
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Three International Solidarity Movement activists watched from the Knesset gallery
yesterday as right-wing MKs lashed out at the organization, calling them "warmongers"
who should be deported. The three women, one from Ireland and two from the U.S.,
were guests of MK Ahmed Tibi, who initiated the debate on "government policy to
deport foreign peace activists."
Zionist
occupation destroys vast areas of cultivated lands
Palestinian Information Center, May 15, 2003
Gaza - Zionist occupation authorities have destroyed 16,466 dunums of Palestinian
cultivated lands in the Gaza Strip in the period from September 2000 till end
of March 2003. A Palestinian legal report shed light on Zionist occupation forces’
aggressions and crimes on cultivated lands and houses in the Gaza Strip noting
that in that same period the occupation troops demolished 1,064 houses.
On
the 55th anniversary of al-Nakba
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, May 15, 2003
The Palestinian people call upon the international community for justice and immediate
implementation of international humanitarian law -- Today, 15 May 2003, is the
55th anniversary of Al-Nakba – the tragic uprooting and dispossession of
the Palestinian people. On 15 May 1948, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians
were forcibly expelled from their homes during large-scale Jewish attacks, using
warplanes, tanks and other weapons. Palestinians were also the victims of massacres
committed by Zionist gangs in Arab towns and villages.
Umm
al-Fahm funeral turns into a protest
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Thousands yesterday attended the funeral of Salah Suleiman Abu Shakra, father
of Sheikh Ra'ad Salah, the leader of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement,
a day and a half after police arrested the movement leader and 14 other activists
suspected of money laundering for Hamas.
Three
more Palestinians killed today…five yesterday
Palestine Monitor, May 15, 2003
In today’s invasion on the Beit Hanoun neighborhood in the northern part
of Gaza, three Palestinians were killed. Muhammad Zaanen, a 12-year-old Palestinian
boy was shot in the head. He was left unassisted to bleed for three hours since
Israeli troops prevented paramedics from reaching the scene.
Israeli
Army Kills 5 Palestinians in Gaza, West Bank
Arab News, May 15, 2003
GAZA, 15 May 2003 — Israeli forces shot dead five Palestinians in Gaza and
the West Bank yesterday, drawing Palestinian accusations that Israel was trying
to sabotage a new US-led peace initiative.
5
Palestinians Killed, including 2 Boys, in Nakba Anniversary
Palestine Media Center, May 15, 2003
IOF Use Women, Children as Human Shields -- May 15, 2003 - Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) killed five Palestinians, including two boys, in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip during the past twenty-four hours as Palestinians on Thursday marked
the 55th anniversary of their “Nakba” (Catastrophe), the loss of their
homeland to the new state of Israel.
Five
Killed As Israel Seizes Gaza Town
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli troops seized a Gaza town on Thursday and
five Palestinians were killed, as Palestinians marked the 55th anniversary of
the ``naqba,'' or catastrophe, their term for their displacement during the 1948
creation of Israel.
Three
Palestinians Killed, 9 houses demolished by IOF in north Gaza
International Press Center, May 15, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Palestine, May 15, 03, IPC+ Agencies-- Three Palestinian civilians
were killed and 10 others were wounded early Thursday as Israeli occupation forces
(IOF) swept into the cities of Beit Hanoun and Beit Lahia, north Gaza Strip. The
three killed were identified as Mohammed Al-Zaaneen, 12, Nidal Kareem, 22, Khalil
Karmoot, 33 and were shot with live ammunition on Thursday morning, Palestinian
medical sources said.
Israeli
tanks pour into Gaza
BBC, May 15, 2003
The Israeli army has launched a large-scale offensive in the Gaza Strip, in what
is being seen as a fresh blow to US efforts to push a new peace plan for the region.
About 50 tanks and helicopters entered the northern town of Beit Hanoun, leaving
four Palestinians dead - including a 12-year-old boy, according to Palestinian
witnesses.
Naqba
Day in Palestine: Four Palestinians shot dead in northern Gaza Strip
Al-Bawaba, May 15, 2003
Israeli troops raided a town in northern Gaza Strip early Thursday in one of the
largest operations in recent months. Four Palestinians were killed, including
Eid Al-Za’aneen, a 13-year-old boy who doctors said was left bleeding for
three hours because troops prevented paramedics from reaching the scene.
Netanyahu
threatening legal action against Histadrut
Globes, May 15, 2003
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu today said he was considering taking legal
action against the Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) if it persists
with its strike. “It is intolerable that the heads of seven workers committees
can paralyze the country and hold the public by its throat,” he said.
Cracks
are beginning to show in the `united' workers' front
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
About one month ago, representatives of the large labor organizations walked into
the office of Histadrut labor federation boss MK Amir Peretz to express their
solidarity with his intention to oppose the economic austerity plan and legislation
dealing with dismissals and salaries in the public sector.
Arafat
strengthens his grip on the PA
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Less than a week before the meeting between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian
Prime Minister Abu Mazen, Israeli security sources believe that Yasser Arafat
is strengthening his hold on the Palestinian Authority.
PM:
Vote on austerity plan will be next week
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
The second and third Knesset readings of the government's economic plan are slated
for next Thursday, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced yesterday during the
cabinet meeting, giving the treasury and Histadrut seven more days to reach an
agreement on the plan.
Muslim
authorities in Jerusalem vow to resist Israeli efforts to take over holy places
Islamic Association of Palestine, May 15, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem: 15 May, 2003 (IAP News) -- Muslim religious authorities in
Palestine have vowed to resist fresh Zionist efforts to usurp Islamic holy places
in East Jerusalem. Sheikh Ikrema Sabri, Mufti of Jerusalem, said Muslims in Palestine
would fight fiercely to thwart the latest Israeli designs to allow Jews entry
into the Aqsa Mosque for the purpose of establishing a right to pray within the
confines of the exclusively Islamic shrine.
Hanegbi:
Temple Mt. to open to Jews soon
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi last night said the Temple Mount would
soon be opened to Jews for visits and prayers. "It will be opened by agreement,
but if no agreement is reached, things will be done without agreement," he said.
Palestinians:
Decision to allow Jews on Temple Mount is "desecration"
Jerusalem Post, May 15, 2003
Both the Palestinian Authority and the director of the Muslim Waqf, Adnan Husseini,
condemned Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi's comment that the Temple Mount
would soon be opened to Jews for visits and prayers. Responding to the comments
made by Minister Hanegbi on Wednesday, Saeb Erekat, the Minister for Palestinian
Negotiation Affairs, said that the decision "constitutes a dangerous aggravation
and is totally rejected".
Europe
Rebuffs Sharon’s Attempts to Sideline Arafat
Palestine Media Center, May 15, 2003
Sharon Hits out at Blair, Straw as Shalom Arrives in London -- Israeli Minister
of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom arrived in London on an official visit amid a
brewing crisis in Israeli-European and British relations created by Israel’s
attempts to sideline President Yasser Arafat and its objections to the internationally-adopted
“roadmap” to peace in the Middle East, encouraged by its strategic
US ally’s support and protection.
Shalom
meets Qatari FM; travels on to UK for talks
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met openly with his Qatari counterpart, Sheikh
Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani, yesterday in Paris. This was Shalom's first meeting
with a minister from the Arab world. The two held a news conference following
the meeting.
Mofaz
blasts road map
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz yesterday blasted the road map, which he described
as "bad for Israel and not in keeping with Israel's security or national interests."
Speaking at the cabinet meeting's weekly security survey, Mofaz said: "We see
the road map as a framework for dialogue, not as instructions to be implemented
by the book. It is impossible to implement it as it is, and changes will be made."
Powell
Looks to White House on Mideast
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
BERLIN (AP) - Stymied in his efforts to wring concessions from Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon, a weary Secretary of State Colin Powell is looking to President
Bush to break the stalemate when he meets with Sharon at the White House next
week.
FM
Shalom in London in effort to reinforce bilateral ties
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
LONDON - Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, in London on Tursday for high-level meetings
after a somewhat rocky relationship between the two countries recently, referred
to Britain as a close friend, but said that it must do more to combat rising anti-Semitism.
Report:
The impact of Israel's separation barrier on affected West Bank communities
Relief Web/Humanitarian and Emergency Policy Group of the Local Aid Coordination
Committee, May 4, 2003
Executive Summary -- In summer 2002, in the context of continuing attacks on civilians
in Israel, the Government of Israel began construction of a separation barrier
("The Wall") - a complex series of walls, barriers, trenches, and fences - within
the western border of the occupied West Bank. The international community requested
a report on the Wall out of concern at the impact it could have on Palestinian
livelihoods and the viability of local economies, as well as on humanitarian assistance
and donor development projects.
World
Bank says security fence will damage interests of 95,000 Palestinians
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
A World Bank report warns that the security fence being built by Israel will have
far-reaching effects on the Palestinians living east of the Green Line in the
vicinity of the fence. The report was drawn up at the request of the United States,
Norway, the UN and the European Union.
Israeli
Arab Leaders' Arrests Spark Tension
Los Angeles Times, May 15, 2003
JERUSALEM — The leaders of Israel's largest and most powerful Arab organization
were arrested Tuesday on suspicion of disguising millions of dollars as charitable
donations from overseas, then slipping the cash to Hamas militants in the Gaza
Strip and West Bank.
2
Islamists released, but police still hold 13
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Police yesterday freed two of the 15 Islamic Movement activists arrested Tuesday
morning. One was released without restrictions, the other into house arrest for
five days.
Israeli
Arab leaders unite in protest over Islamic Movement arrests
Jerusalem Post, May 15, 2003
The monitoring committee of the Israeli Arab leadership is to organize the planned
mass demonstration in Umm el-Fahm on Saturday to protest against the arrest of
Islamic Movement northern faction leader Sheikh Raed Salah and 14 other branch
members.
Weekly
Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
08-14 May 2003
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, May 15, 2003
Israeli Occupying Forces Continue to Commit Violations of Human Rights in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories -- 15 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including
a woman and 2 children, were killed by Israeli forces. 2 of the victims were killed
in seperate extra-judicial assassinations and 2 of the victims bled to death /
Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied
by indiscriminate shelling / Israeli forces invaded Khan Yunis refugee camp, destroying
dozens of houses and injuring 20 Palestinian civilians / More...
Zionist-Arab
trade exchange dwindling
Palestinian Information Center, May 15, 2003
Tel Aviv - The “Israeli” institute for exports and international cooperation
yesterday issued statistics indicating that the trade exchange between Israel
and Arab countries had witnessed a downward trend since beginning of 2003.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine May 15, 2003
Palestine Media Center, May 15, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed three Palestinians, including a child,
in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun. IOF also killed another Palestinian
boy in Jenin and a man in Nablus in the northern West Bank.
Leftist
group asserts IDF jails fewer soldiers for refusing duty in territories
Jerusalem Post, May 15, 2003
The number of reserve soldiers jailed for refusing to serve in the West Bank and
Gaza Strip has dropped drastically, and a group representing them said Thursday
that the military has quietly softened its policy. A military spokesman denied
there was a change in regulations, and said soldiers were not being released from
serving in the Palestinian areas.
PA
offering salaries to Fatah's armed wing
Jerusalem Post, May 15, 2003
Members of the armed wing of Fatah have begun receiving monthly salaries from
the new Palestinian cabinet in an attempt to persuade them to agree to a lay [down]
their weapons. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, members of the Aqsa Martyrs
Brigades in the West Bank said they are each receiving $200 Dollars per month.
Palestinians
Adhere to Inalienable Right of Return as They Mark Al-Nakba
Palestine Chronicle, May 15, 2003
"Not so long ago, on this day, Palestinian parents and grandparents were forced
to flee the ruthless Zionist paramilitary militias to the nearby Arab states of
Jordan, Lebanon, Syria to name a few .." -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - For 55 years,
Palestinians at home and in exile have been marking the anniversary of Al-Nakba,
meaning catastrophe, on May 15 when thousands of Palestinians were forced to flee
their homes by Zionist paramilitaries.
Indian
American Seeks Power Through Right Wing Christians
Islam Online, May 15, 2003
WAHINGTON, May 15 (IslamOnline.net) - Bobby Jindal, a Republican candidate for
Governor of Louisiana, who has received more than 25 percent of contributions
from out of state, probably from the Indian American community, which is always
beaming with pride for the next generation, is really a Christian.
Analysis
/ Too soon to talk about growth
Haaretz, May 15, 2003
Despite the strike, the Central Bureau of Statistics produced an optimistic headline
yesterday - 2.5 percent growth in the first quarter of the year. Is the economy
finally shifting from recession to growth?
Iraqi
Kids Face Death From Malnutrition
Arab News, May 15, 2003
GENEVA, 15 May 2003 — More than 300,000 Iraqi children face death from acute
malnutrition, twice as many as before US and British forces invaded the country
in March, the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) agency warned yesterday.
Many of these — nearly eight percent of all Iraqi children under five —
could be saved if the occupation forces ensured that aid convoys could move around
freely and kept looters away from water plants and pipelines, it said.
U.S.
Takes 260 Prisoners in Iraq Raid
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
AD-DAWR, Iraq (AP) - Heavily armed U.S. Army forces stormed into a village near
the northern city of Tikrit before dawn Thursday, seizing more than 260 prisoners,
including one man on the United States' most-wanted list of former Iraqi officials.
Munitions
endanger Iraqi children
BBC, May 15, 2003
Children are most likely victims of unexploded munitions -- Children in Iraq are
endangering their lives on a daily basis as they strip dumped ammunitions for
copper to sell for food, according to aid agencies. At least six children were
killed and seven wounded while dismantling a rocket in Missan governorate, southern
Iraq, on Monday.
Port
'handed back' to Iraqis
BBC, May 15, 2003
The port of Umm Qasr in southern Iraq has become the first town to be handed back
to local people since the end of the US-led conflict. UK soldiers, who took control
of the strategic port seven weeks ago, have passed control to a temporary town
council of 12 professionals.
Remains
of toxic bullets litter Iraq
Christian Science Monitor, May 15, 2003
The Monitor finds high levels of radiation left by US armor-piercing shells. --
BAGHDAD – At a roadside produce stand on the outskirts of Baghdad, business
is brisk for Latifa Khalaf Hamid. Iraqi drivers pull up and snap up fresh bunches
of parsley, mint leaves, dill, and onion stalks. But Ms. Hamid's stand is just
four paces away from a burnt-out Iraqi tank, destroyed by - and contaminated with
- controversial American depleted-uranium (DU) bullets. Local children play "throughout
the day" on the tank, Hamid says, and on another one across the road.
The
Trail of a Bullet series: Depleted Uranium
Christian Science Monitor, May 15, 2003
Listing all CSM articles on DU: Depleted uranium is created as a by-product of
the processes used to convert natural uranium for use as nuclear fuel or nuclear
weapons.
Defense
Dept Secretly Tapped Halliburton Unit To Operate Iraq's Oil Industry In Nov.
Information Clearing House, May 13, 2003
05/13/03: (Information Clearing House) Months before the United States military
showered Iraq with bombs and missiles, the Department of Defense was secretly
working with Vice President Dick Cheney’s old company, Halliburton Corp.,
on a deal that would give the world’s second largest oil services company
total control over Iraq’s oil fields, according to interviews with Halliburton’s
most senior executives.
Putin
Agrees Iran Poses Nuclear Threat
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
SOFIA, Bulgaria (AP) - Edging closer to the Bush administration's view, Russian
President Vladimir Putin is registering concern about Iran's nuclear weapons ambitions
and there will be further discussion of the issue when Defense Minister Sergei
Ivanov holds talks in Washington next week, a senior U.S. official said.
US-Russia
split over Iraq
BBC, May 14, 2003
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has said America and Russia have not yet solved
differences over a draft United Nations resolution to end sanctions against Iraq.
"There are some outstanding issues and we will be working these issues in a spirit
of partnership and trying to come to a solution," Mr Powell told reporters after
meeting Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow on Wednesday.
Powell:
Iran not US military target ''at the moment''
Al-Bawaba, May 15, 2003
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Thursday that Washington had no plans
"at the moment" to take military action to stop Iran developing nuclear weapons.
The United States has been pressing Russia to end its support for Iran's nuclear
program, which Tehran says is for peaceful purposes.
Russia
Sets Terms to Lift Iraq Sanctions
Washington Post, May 14, 2003
MOSCOW - Russia's diplomatic point man on Iraq set out a pragmatic position for
the struggle in the U.N. Security Council over the U.S. effort to remove sanctions
on Iraq, saying Wednesday that Moscow wants all U.N.-approved Russian contracts
for trade with Iraq to be fulfilled or compensated.
The
truth about Jessica
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
Her Iraqi guards had long fled, she was being well cared for - and doctors had
already tried to free her. John Kampfner discovers the real story behind a modern
American war myth -- Jessica Lynch became an icon of the war. An all-American
heroine, the story of her capture by the Iraqis and her rescue by US special forces
became one of the great patriotic moments of the conflict.
US
accused of failing to protect mass grave
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
Rights workers fear lack of forensic evidence as relatives of the dead unearth
more than 3,000 bodies -- Human rights workers yesterday accused the US military
of failing to protect and properly excavate the largest mass grave discovered
in Iraq.
In
pictures: the mass grave at Hilla
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
Images from the site of a mass burial in Iraq, where the bodies of at least 3,000
Iraqis executed under Saddam Hussein's regime were discovered this week.
Powell
and Putin Say Iraq Rift Is Mended, and Then Disagree
New York Times, May 15, 2003
MOSCOW, May 14 — After weeks of pointed Russian protests over the war in
Iraq, President Vladimir V. Putin and Secretary of State Colin L. Powell declared
today that Russia and the United States had overcome their recent differences.
They then met in the Kremlin and failed to resolve some of the most contentious
of those, involving the future of Iraq.
Straw
retreats on finding banned weapons
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
Finding WMDs is not crucial because UN inspectors provided an overwhelming case
for war, foreign secretary says -- Britain back-tracked on the contentious issue
of Iraqi weapons of mass destruction yesterday when the foreign secretary, Jack
Straw, was forced to concede that hard evidence might never be uncovered.
Rice
Accuses Syria, Iran of Supporting “Terrorism”
Islam Online, May 15, 2003
WASHINGTON, May 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Adding to the
U.S. campaign against Syria and Iran, White House National Security Advisor Conoleezza
Rice renewed Wednesday, May 14, evening “warnings” to both countries,
accusing the two states of supporting “terrorism.”
So,
Mr Straw, why did we go to war?
The Independent, May 15, 2003
Jack Straw, 21 February 2003: 'Some of these weapons are deployable within 45
minutes of an order to use them' --- Jack Straw, 14 May 2003: Asked of the
need to find weapons of mass destruction... 'It's not crucial' -- The legal and
political basis for the war in Iraq was thrown into doubt yesterday when Jack
Straw declared that uncovering Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction was
"not crucially important".
Saudis
feel US wrath over bombs
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
The Bush administration gave Saudi Arabia a rare public dressing down yesterday,
accusing it of ignoring its earlier requests to step up security at the sites
of Monday night's bombings, while Saudi intelligence sources admitted that the
al-Qaida suicide cell involved in the attacks had been under surveillance for
nearly two months.
Bush
Pledges Full Support
Arab News, May 15, 2003
P.K. Abdul Ghafour, Arab News Staff JEDDAH, 15 May 2003 — US President
George W. Bush has pledged all-out support to the Kingdom to fight terrorism after
four suicide bombings killed 34 people, including seven Saudis and seven Americans
in Riyadh on Monday.
Bush
feels the heat after Riyadh bombings
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
The impact of the terrorist attacks in Saudi Arabia began to reverberate through
US politics yesterday as the Bush administration defended itself against charges
that it had taken its eye off the ball over al-Qaida because of its obsession
with Iraq.
Bomb
'ringleader' caught on video
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
Khaled al-Jehani, named by Saudi officials as leader of the cell that carried
out the Riyadh bombings, appears with his Kalashnikov in a video recovered from
a compound in Afghanistan belonging to Mohammad Atef, an aide to Osama bin Laden,
and made public at the beginning of last year.
Expatriate
Britons weigh risks of good life in Saudi Arabia
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
The 30,000 British expatriates in Saudi Arabia were debating the danger of remaining
in the country yesterday as the death toll mounted from Monday's terrorist attack
on three housing compounds for foreigners. Airlines were besieged with requests
for outward flights.
US
State Department Advises Diplomats’ Dependents to Leave
Arab News, May 15, 2003
Mohammed Alkhereiji & Raid Qusti RIYADH, 15 May 2003 — The US
State Department has ordered the departure of all non-emergency personnel and
family members of US Embassy and Consulates in Saudi Arabia following Monday night’s
suicide bomb attacks.
Lebanon
Foils Anti-U.S. Attack
Islam Online, May 15, 2003
BEIRUT, May 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Days after a triple bombing
attacks against residential compounds housing Americans and foreigners in the
Saudi capital Riyadh, Lebanon announced Thursday, May 15, smashing a network that
was preparing attacks against the U.S. embassy.
Lebanon
Says It Nabbed Terror Web Members
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - The Lebanese army said Thursday it has arrested members
of a terrorist network that planned to attack a Western embassy and other foreign
targets in Lebanon. The alleged conspirators were detained with the help of Syrian
forces in Lebanon, the army said in a written statement.
Lebanese
army 'foils attack on Beirut embassy'
The Guardian, May 15, 2003
The Lebanese army today said that it had foiled an attack on a key western embassy
in Beirut, but would not name the group responsible or the intended target. Soldiers,
working alongside Syrian intelligence forces in Lebanon, arrested members of what
the army said was a terrorist network.
NATO
to provide Poland support for Iraq peace mission: US diplomat
ProLog, May 13, 2003
MOSCOW, May 13 (AFP) - NATO will likely decide within the next two weeks to provide
logistical support to Poland as part of a multinational stabilization force in
Iraq, a top US diplomat said in Moscow Tuesday. Poland, due to be one of the three
overseers of the military peacekeeping force along with the United States and
Britain, has approached its NATO allies for support in logistics and intelligence,
the envoy said on condition of anonymity.
US
ruffled by India's growing ties with Iran
Financial Times, May 15, 2003
The US shrugged off as harmless an Indian parliamentary resolution last month
criticising the invasion of Iraq. The same cannot be said for India's rapidly
growing ties with Iran.
US
considers Iraq sanctions deal
BBC, May 15, 2003
The US says it may accept an initial suspension of UN sanctions against Iraq rather
than press for an immediate end to them, in what is seen as a concession to fellow
UN Security Council members. Several permanent, veto-wielding members of the council
have opposed lifting the sanctions until UN inspectors are allowed back to Iraq
and declare it free of banned weapons, the alleged existence of which was Washington's
main reason for launching a war.
UN
awaits Iraq amendments
BBC, May 15, 2003
US officials have promised amendments to a draft resolution on post-war Iraq that
would take into account some of the concerns raised by UN Security Council members.
The Council concluded its first round of consultations on a draft resolution on
Wednesday.
Terror
alert issued
BBC, May 15, 2003
The US has urged its citizens to leave Saudi Arabia -- The United States has warned
of possible terrorist attacks throughout East Africa and parts of south-east Asia
following the triple suicide bombing in Saudi Arabia. At least 34 people died
in the attacks in Riyadh, which the US and Saudi Governments have blamed on Osama
Bin Laden's al-Qaeda network.
Arabs'
support for Bush sours
Dettroit Free Press, May 15, 2003
Many critical of U.S. policies, cite discrimination, poll shows -- They loved
him in 2000. But now, Michigan's Arab Americans have soured in their support for
President George W. Bush, despite his triumph in Iraq. Only 34 percent have a
favorable view of Bush's job performance, a new poll shows. Forty-seven percent
said they voted for Bush in 2000; 17 percent said they voted for Democrat Al Gore,
according to the EPIC/MRA poll of 500 Arab-Americans, conducted May 8 to 13 mainly
in the metro Detroit area.
Professors'
group says Al-Arian's academic rights violated
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, May 15, 2003
Despite a former University of South Florida professor's indictment on terrorism
charges, a national group influential in higher education has concluded the university
violated the fired professor's academic rights.
A
Terror Tracking System By Any Other Name
Times, May 14, 2003
The Pentagon's Total Information Awareness program gets an image makeover
-- After attacks from civil liberties advocates on the left and the right, the
Pentagon is planning to change a controversial system now being developed to hunt
terrorists plotting attacks on the U.S. Change its name, anyway.
Lack
of Detainee Hearings Under Fire
Los Angeles Times, May 14, 2003
A federal judge in Los Angeles lambasted the Bush administration Tuesday for failing
to make good on its promise to hold military tribunals for more than 600 war-on-terror
detainees being held at the U.S. naval base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba.
