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Israeli
couple killed in suicide bombing in Hebron
Haaretz, May 17, 2003
An Israeli couple was killed when a suicide bomber blew himself up at around 7:30
PM Saturday next to homes belonging to Jewish settlers living in the West Bank
city of Hebron. The woman, who was taken to Hadassah University Hospital, Ein
Karem, later died of her wounds.
Israeli
Troops Kill a Palestinian Civilian in Nablus, Arrest Others In Bethlehem
International Press Center, May 17, 2003
NABLUS, Palestine, May 17, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Mahmoud Ali Abdo 27, of Nablus
City was shot dead early Saturday by the Israeli occupation soldiers, IPC correspondent
said. IPC correspondent in Nablus City reported that Ali was instantly killed
near an Israeli checkpoint in the Beit Amreen village.
Breaking
News: Palestinian Shot Dead in Beit Hanoun
International Press Center, May 17, 2003
20: 00 – Dr. Hassanein, director of emergency department at Al-Shifa hospital
in Gaza stated that: 25-year-old citizen Khaled Azaq, from the neighborhood of
Al-Sheja'ia, Gaza, was shot dead in the heart by Israeli troops in Beit Hanoun.
17:30--- The Palestinian General security stated:” Three Israeli vehicles,
backed by two military bulldozers stormed today afternoon in the village of Abbasan,
north of Khan Younis, Gaza Strip and bulldozed some olive orchards. 17:20--- Israeli
bulldozers demolished 3 houses belong to Palestinian families in Al-Moghraqa region
south of Gaza-strip.
Abbas-Sharon
Meeting To Dismantle Resistance: Sources
Islam Online, May 17, 2003
Sources said Erekat resigned because Abbas intends to break the resistance infrastructure
to get Sharon to accept roadmap -- CAIRO, May 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies)
– The dismantling of the infrastructure of Palestinian resistance movements,
chief among which Hamas, will be the core of the meeting between Palestinian Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas and his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon on Saturday, May
17, well-informed Palestinian sources told IslamOnline.net.
Erekat
offer to quit accepted
BBC, May 17, 2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has accepted the resignation of leading
negotiator Saeb Erekat. Culture Minister Ziad Abu Amr said the decision was taken
at a cabinet meeting, only hours before key talks between the Palestinian and
Israeli prime ministers.
Settlements
Top the Agenda As Bush, Sharon Meet in D.C.
Forward, May 16, 2003
JERUSALEM — The issue of Jewish settlements in the territories is the main
obstacle awaiting Prime Minister Sharon when he meets with President Bush at the
White House next Tuesday, according to informed sources here.
Beit
Eil’s Jewish Settlers Grab the Lands of Dura Al Kare’ Village
International Press Center, May 17, 2003
Reports from the municipal council of Beit Eil revealed that the Jewish settlers
decided to establish a new settlement on “Egrteez” mountain, they
called it “Ginout Beit Eil“. -- RAMALLAH, Palestine, May 17,
2003, IPC-- Ten days ago Palestinian residents of Dura Al Kare’ village
thought that the thunderous explosions heard over their village, were part of
Israeli missiles that used to strike both the cities of Al Bira and Ramallah.
Israel
to Deport Palestinian Detainee to the Gaza Strip
Palestine Media Center, May 17, 2003
IOF Kill Palestinian in Rafah, Raid West Bank Town -- May 17, 2003 - Israeli
occupation authorities on Friday ordered the deportation of a Palestinian detainee
to the Gaza Strip in a move described by his family and lawyer as “illegal”
and “unfair”.
Médecins
du Monde-France suspends activities in the Gaza Strip
Palestine Red Crescent Society, May 13, 2003
The new restrictions of access, imposed by the Israeli authorities on all international
humanitarian agencies, have obliged Médecins du Monde - France to suspend its
medical activities in the Gaza Strip. Since Monday total closure has prohibited
all Palestinians and foreign nationals from entering or leaving the Gaza Strip.
On May 9th, the Israeli authorities distributed a waiver to internationals entering
the Gaza Strip absolving the Israeli Government from any responsibility in case
of death, injury or material damage related to military activities and prohibiting
access to different areas in the Gaza Strip.
Report:
Al-Qaeda to stun US, Israel
Middle East Online, May 17, 2003
DUBAI & NEW YORK - Osama bin Laden's al-Qaeda terror network has threatened
to deliver devastating blows to the United States and Israel, a Saudi-owned weekly
reports. "The next strikes will stun the Americans and Israelis," Abu Mohammad
al-Ablaj, "coordinator of the al Qaeda-affiliated Mujahedeen Training Center,"
said in an email published by London-based Al-Majallah on Friday.
Arafat
Stresses ‘Right of Return’, Palestinian Strategic Peace Option
Palestine Media Center, May 17, 2003
In commemoration of the 55th anniversary of Nakba, the Palestinian memorial marked
on May 15, President Yasser Arafat on Thursday stated that Palestine “is
our country, to which every Palestinian refugee has the right to return.”
“On this day of mourning, the Israeli state was founded as a result of a
colonial conspiracy and was established on Palestinian land whose residents were
expelled and massacred,” said Arafat.
Palestinian
woman prisoner on 15th day of hunger strike
Palestinian Information Center, May 17, 2003
Bethlehem - Palestinian woman prisoner Etaf Ulayan has entered her third week
of hunger strike in the Zionist occupation Ramle prison protesting imprisonment
conditions. The Palestinian prisoner’s club sources said that Ulayan’s
health condition was constantly deteriorating due to the 14 days of consecutive
strike.
Israeli
strike rages as talks stall
BBC, May 16, 2003
Israel's public sector strike has spread to banks and the stock exchange after
the finance ministry delayed talks with the Histadrut labour federation. Histadrut
officials said they were furious at finance Minster Binyamin Netanyahu's decision
to postpone a meeting with their chairman Amir Peretz from Thursday evening to
Friday morning.
Israel
denies Muslims access to Mosques in Jerusalem
Palestinian Information Center, May 17, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Israel on Friday barred thousands of Muslims from accessing
the al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest places. Israeli soldiers and
police were seen scuffling with young Palestinians on their way to the Golden
Islamic Shrine for the Juma’a congregational prayers.
Beitawi
to fanatic Jews: You are playing with fire
Palestinian Information Center, May 17, 2003
Nablus - Sheikh Hamed Al-Beitawi, head of the Palestine Scholars League, has described
as “very serious” the Zionist minister of internal security’s
decision allowing Jews to pray in the Aqsa Mosque soon. Beitawi, in his Friday
sermon yesterday at the Balata refugee camp to the east of Nablus city, said that
the Palestinian Authority and people should defend the holy Aqsa Mosque with all
available strength.
Katsav:
Unwise to allow Jews on Temple Mt. without consent
Haaretz, May 17, 2003
It would be unwise to allow Jews to enter Temple Mount without the consent of
the Muslims and the Waqf Muslim religious trust, President Moshe Ktsav said in
an interview broadcast Saturday on Israel Radio. "There is no urgency in the matter
and it is best to act with reason and caution," Katsav said.
Suicide
Bomb Attack Near Hebron Hurts 2
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - A Palestinian suicide attacker disguised as an observant Jew
blew himself up in a West Bank square crowded with Israeli settlers Saturday,
killing himself and an Israeli man, military officials said. Another Israeli was
in critical condition, paramedics said.
Fatah
activist shot dead in Lebanon
Al-Bawaba, May 17, 2003
An activist of Fatah was shot dead overnight in the Palestinian refugee camp in
Lebanon, Palestinian sources reported Saturday.
Abu
Mazen and Sharon to Meet in Jerusalem
International Press Center, May 17, 2003
JERUSALEM, Palestine, May 17, 03, (IPC+ Agencies) -- Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and his Israeli counterpart; Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
are due to meet Saturday evening in Jerusalem, the highest- level meeting since
two years ago.
Bush
under pressure on road map
Financial Times, May 16, 2003
Israeli and Palestinian leaders meet on Friday night ahead of a visit to Washington
next week by Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, that will test the Bush
administration's commitment to the Middle East "road map"....But already the US
Christian right and other pro-Israel lobbies are campaigning hard for President
George W. Bush to ditch the US-backed plan.
Erekat
quits ahead of Sharon-Abu Mazen meeting
Haaretz, May 17, 2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, accepted the
resignation of negotiations minister Saeb Erekat during a Cabinet meeting in Gaza
City, Erekat told The Associated Press.
Hope
ebbs away in the Middle East
BBC, May 17, 2003
The road from Jerusalem to Jericho can be a crazy, scary ride. From the shining
heights of Jerusalem, you wind and plunge your way down to the lowest point on
Earth. Of course when US Secretary of State Colin Powell took the road last weekend
they closed most of the route for the motorcade.
EU
pushes for Mid-East roadmap
BBC, May 16, 2003
EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana has been leading an intense round of diplomatic
activity to promote the so-called roadmap towards peace in the Middle East. He
has met the new Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas - more commonly known
as Abu Mazen - and the Palestinian leader, Yasser Arafat.
Analysis:
Slim hopes for peace
BBC, May 16, 2003
The Palestinian and Israeli prime ministers are due to meet on Saturday evening
for the highest-level talks between the two sides for more than two years. It
will be the first meeting between Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas, also known as
Abu Mazen, since the new reformist Palestinian prime minister took office last
month.
Mapping
dead ends
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 15 -21 May 2003
Colin Powell's first visit to Israel and the occupied territories in over a year
failed all Palestinian expectations, writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem -- Colin
Powell arrived in West Jerusalem on 10 May hailing the "momentous opportunity"
afforded by the defeat of Saddam Hussein's regime in Iraq, the installation of
a new prime minister at the helm of the Palestinian Authority and the publication
of the roadmap, perhaps the most concerted international attempt to end the Israel-Palestinian
conflict since the 1991 Madrid Conference.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine May 17, 2003
Palestine Media Center, May 17, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian man and wounded a boy in
the Gaza Strip. Meanwhile, Israel is to deport a Palestinian detainee to the Gaza
Strip. IOF Raid Deir Abu Mish’al Town. IOF Detain 3 Palestinians Near Bethlehem.
Poll
Shows Israelis Not Ready For Peace
Palestine Media Center, May 17, 2003
Survey: Israel a Democracy in Form More than in Substance -- May 17, 2003
- A recent poll published by Ma’ariv showed that a solemn one out of three
Israelis support the internationally-endorsed “roadmap” to peace in
the Middle East, which is a three-phased blueprint aimed at ending the 31-month-old
conflict.
Old
box contains Palestinian refugee's dream
Jordan Times, May 16, 2003
BALATA REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank — Whenever elderly Palestinian refugee Jamileh
Abu E'bayya gets homesick for the house of her childhood, she looks at an old
wooden box full of yellowing documents. The documents, bearing stamps from
the times of the Ottoman Empire, show she owned a house in Sidna Ali, the village
near Tel Aviv where she was born 76 years ago.
On
Nakba Day, Palestinians Adamant On Right Of Return
Palestine Chronicle, May 16, 2003
GAZA CITY - Commemorating the 55th anniversary of al-Nakba (the loss of Palestine
and creation of Israel) on Thursday, May 15, Palestinians vowed continued resistance
against the Israeli occupation forces and reiterated commitment to the right of
return.
The
tale of two cities
Haaretz, May 17, 2003
Israelis and Palestinians look at what Jerusalem can learn from the once-divided
city of Berlin -- As they looked out over the Old City, the four men - two
Israelis and two Palestinians - were all in agreement: The one thing Jerusalem
does not need is a dividing wall. The four are all members of the Jerusalem Berlin
Forum, where two teams of urban researchers and planners - one from Berlin, comprising
former East and West Germans, and the other made up of Palestinians and Israelis
- have been meeting on a regular basis for over a year.
'Why
I would not kill in war'
BBC, May 17, 2003
On International Conscientious Objectors' Day, four men explain the very different
reasons why they refused to fight in four very different conflicts. -- ISHAI MENUCHIN:
"You're 18 and a paratrooper. You're learning new things and meeting interesting
people. You're an officer, commanding others. It's an adventure. You think that
what you are doing is defending Israel, but soon find what you are really doing
is occupying another country."
Greenhouse
Gas Might Green Up The Desert Says Weizmann Institute
Space War, May 15, 2003
Missing: around 7 billion tons of carbon dioxide (CO2), the main greenhouse gas
charged with global warming....The Weizmann team found, to its surprise, that
the Yatir forest is a substantial "sink" (CO2-absorbing site): its absorbing efficiency
is similar to that of many of its counterparts in more fertile lands.
U.S.,
Britain Shelve Interim Iraqi Government
Islam Online, May 17, 2003
BAGHDAD, May 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Showing their true
face, the United States and Britain decided to put the formation of an interim
Iraqi government on the back burner, a leading U.S. newspaper reported Friday,
May 16.
In
Reversal, Plan for Iraq Self-Rule Has Been Put Off
New York Times, May 17, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq, May 16 — In an abrupt reversal, the United States and Britain
have indefinitely put off their plan to allow Iraqi opposition forces to form
a national assembly and an interim government by the end of the month. Instead,
top American and British diplomats leading reconstruction efforts here told exile
leaders in a meeting tonight that allied officials would remain in charge of Iraq
for an indefinite period, said Iraqis who attended the meeting.
Oil
boss paid $1m a year by contract bidder
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
America braced for criticism over rebuilding plans and claims of human rights
abuse -- The US-led effort to rebuild Iraq was facing more criticism yesterday
after the Texan businessman installed to run the country's oil industry admitted
having financial links to a company bidding for reconstruction work.
Iraqi
PoWs tell Amnesty they were tortured
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
Former Iraqi prisoners of war have accused British and American troops of torturing
them in custody, blindfolding them before kicking and beating them with weapons
for long periods. Investigators for the human rights group Amnesty International
said statements taken from 20 former detainees even included one claim, made by
a Saudi man, that he had been subjected to electric shocks by his US captors.
Iraqi
Detainees Claim Abuse by British and U.S. Troops
New York Times, May 17, 2003
BASRA, Iraq, May 15 — Muhammad al-Tamimi wants the British soldier who he
says kicked him in the ribs and hit him over the head with the butt of his gun
to endure what he endured — a long detention. Mr. Tamimi is one of about
two dozen detainees who have come forward recently with complaints of mistreatment
by allied forces in southern Iraq. Amnesty International, the London-based human
rights group, which has been conducting interviews with the complainants, said
today that some of the acts described could be considered torture.
Campaigners
count bodies to ensure US compensation
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
The US government is now legally obliged to account for the thousands of Iraqi
civilians killed or injured in the war, and those who had their homes destroyed,
and give them financial compensation. -- When the first American tanks rolled
past Hassan Karim Hassan's house he ran with his friends to peer over the fence
at the end of the street and watch the army finally advance into Baghdad. Although
unarmed...Qasim Ali was shot dead, ..Ali Jawad, was hit by a bullet in his left
arm...
US
needs to export Iraq's oil to avoid storage problems: Pentagon
SpaceWar, May 17, 2003
US officials are eager to ramp up Iraqi oil production, but are stymied by the
problem of finding somewhere to store it all, a top Pentagon official said Thursday.
"Iraq cannot produce much more oil or refine much more gasoline without approaching
its maximum limit of storage," Douglas Feith, undersecretary for defense policy,
said at a hearing of the House of Representatives' Committee on International
Relations.
U.S.
Advisor Suggests Iraq Should Break OPEC Quotes
Islam Online, May 17, 2003
BAGHDAD, May 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The U.S. “adviser”
to Iraq’s oil ministry suggested it would be better for Iraq to export as
much oil as it could without being limited to OPEC quotas, a step European analysts
expect would undermine heavyweight oil producers Saudi Arabia, Kuwait and Iran,
a leading American newspaper reported Saturday, May 17.
U.S.
Ban On Baathists Illegal, Unfair: Experts
Islam Online, May 17, 2003
CAIRO, May 17 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S. occupation authorities’ decision
to ban 30,000 members of Saddam Hussein’s Baath Party from holding government
jobs is an unfair and illegal, human right activists and international law experts
agreed Saturday, May 17.
'40
dead' in Morocco bombings
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
At least 40 people were killed and about 100 wounded in a series of coordinated
bomb attacks in Casablanca last night, according to a Moroccan government official.
The targets included a Jewish community centre, the Belgian consulate, and a Spanish
club and restaurant in the centre of Morocco's biggest city and economic capital.
UK
warns of increased terror threat in six more African countries
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
A specific al-Qaida terrorist threat against British planes to Nairobi led to
the suspension of flights between the UK and Kenya, the east African country's
national security minister said yesterday...In another development the Foreign
Office last night upgraded its travel advice to warn of a "clear terrorist threat"
in six neighbouring east African countries.
U.N.
Holding Out for Bigger Role in Iraq
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - If Secretary of State Colin Powell wants a unanimous Security
Council vote to lift sanctions against Iraq, the United States will have to make
major concessions to Russia, China and France - giving the United Nations a bigger
role in postwar Iraq.
More
conflict at UN over Iraq
Miidle East Online, May 20023
Russia, China want serious changes to Washington's resolution to lift sanctions
against war-torn Iraq. -- UNITED NATIONS - Fresh conflict brewed among UN Security
Council members over Washington's resolution to lift sanctions against Baghdad,
as a leading Shiite cleric in Iraq issued an effective death sentence against
prostitutes.
Draft
on Sanctions Gets Mixed Reaction at U.N.
New York Times, May 17, 2003
UNITED NATIONS, May 16 — Security Council members were polite but cautious
today in their reactions to the latest draft of a resolution circulated by the
United States to lift economic sanctions on Iraq and give broad powers to the
Americans and British to run the country.
US
makes progress on UN postwar accord
Financial Times, May 16 2003
Gerhard Schroeder, the German chancellor, said on Friday that he supported America's
desire to remove United Nations sanctions against Iraq. His remarks gave a further
boost to US efforts to win backing for a UN Security Council resolution that would
lift restrictions on Iraq's oil exports and set the framework for Iraqi reconstruction.
They followed a meeting with Colin Powell, US secretary of state, which was also
attended by Germany's foreign minister Joschka Fischer.
Northern
Iraq Oil City to Get New Council
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The northern oil city of Kirkuk will become the latest community
in Iraq to edge toward democracy next week when it installs a new municipal council,
the U.S. military commander in the region said Saturday.
Lieberman
Seeks Iraq Contracts Hearings
The Guardian, May 17, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. Joe Lieberman, a hopeful for the Democratic presidential
nomination, is urging Senate hearings on the Bush administration's limited competition
for contracts to rebuild Iraq.
Pakistan
asked to join Iraq peacekeeping force
Financial Times, May 16 2003
Pakistan is considering a request from the US and UK to contribute troops to a
multinational peacekeeping force in Iraq, as Washington steps up efforts to develop
a Muslim military contingent alongside proposed Nato peacekeepers.
Ex-Top
Cop Gets Iraq Post
New York Times, May 16, 2003
WASHINGTON, May 15 — Bernard B. Kerik, the former New York City police commissioner,
has agreed to become a senior policy adviser in Iraq's reorganized Interior Ministry,
Pentagon officials said today. Mr. Kerik, 47, was tapped by the White House to
work with L. Paul Bremer III, who arrived in Iraq this week to take charge of
the reconstruction and administration.
Iran
dissident rejects retrial
BBC, May 17, 2003
A leading Iranian reformist, Hashem Aghajari, has refused to attend the first
day of his retrial for blasphemy in the north-western city of Hamedan. Mr Aghajari,
a university professor, also said he will not allow his lawyer to present his
defence unless a Supreme Court ruling to open proceedings to the public is adopted.
Religious
Minorities ‘Scapegoat’: European Study
Islam Online, May 17, 2003
BONN, May 17 (IslamOnline.net) - An official annual study about the ethnic status
in the European Union (EU) countries warned Saturday, May 17, the Muslim and other
ethnic and religious minorities in Europe were turning into a “scapegoat”
to justify the problems existing within the EU societies.
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