Two
killed in fifth attack in three days
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
The fifth suicide bomber since Saturday struck in Israel yesterday evening, killing
two people outside a shopping mall and further damaging the already dim prospects
of ending the suffering on both sides.
Israeli
Troops Critically Wound A Civilian, Destroy 6 Houses
International Press Center, May 20, 2003
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, Palestine, May 20, 2003, (IPC+WAFA)-- Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) shot and critically wounded one Palestinian civilian in the southern
neighborhood of Tulkarinm City Monday night.
Bush,
Abbas hold first telephone conversation
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush telephoned new Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) on Tuesday and their first conversation was "friendly
and hopeful," White House spokesman Ari Fleischer said.
UN,
International Aid Groups Condemn Gaza Closure
Palestine Media Center, May 20, 2003
Israeli Policy Paralyzing Humanitarian Efforts -- May 20, 2003 - The United Nations
(UN) joined about a dozen International organizations in condemning “in
the strongest terms” the Israeli closure of the Gaza Strip, which they said
crippled their aid efforts for 1.2 million Palestinians and was in direct contravention
of international law.
Breaking
News: Israeli Troops Detain and Abuse TV Crew, Man Dies as Ambulance Blocked by
Troops
International Press Center, May 20, 2003
20:15 Israeli occupying troops detained and abused the crew of the satellite TV
channel "LBC" near Jenin, while they were covering IOF's harassments of the Palestinian
citizens. 17:40 A 65-year old elderly Palestinian died today of a heart attack,
due to the delay IOF troops caused the ambulance transporting him on a military
roadblock near the city of Jenin, IPC correspondent reported.
Zionist
occupation demolishes 812 homes in Rafah during intifada
Palestinian Information Center, May 20, 2003
Rafah - Zionist occupation troops yesterday leveled nine Palestinian homes in
the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah in addition to damaging surrounding cultivated
lands. Local statistics indicated that Zionist occupation forces had razed to
the ground 812 houses in Rafah since eruption of the Aqsa intifada in late September
2000 rendering 1,035 families consisting 6,002 individuals homeless.
Nablus
Incursions -Curfews
International Solidarity Movement, May 18, 2003
Saif reports from Nablus that tanks are moving into the city from the east and
west directions and from the Rojeeb area. Amman St is closed and 2 tanks are are
blocking the entrance to the Mohafada government building. The city of Nablus
has been separated, with no movement possible between east and west. Soldiers
are opening fire on anything that moves. 3 people are reported to have been injured.
NPOs
accuse immigration police of brutality, human rights violations
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
The report, to be issued today, accuses the Immigration Police of employing extreme
violence against foreign workers and depriving them of their legal rights. --
One month ago, Immigration Police broke into the Nassiya family's apartment in
Tel Aviv by smashing the door down with a hammer. Police found the father of the
family under the bed in which the two children, aged four and six, were sleeping.
According to Mr. and Mrs. Nassiya, the police then proceeded to beat them brutally
- with the children watching.
Israel
Considers Assassinating Arafat, Hamas Officials
Palestine Chronicle, May 20, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israel has already exhausted all of its military options
for ending Palestinian resistance against its occupation, with one of the only
remaining alternatives is to assassinate or deport Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat
and other senior members of his authority, Israeli officials said Monday, May
20.
Israel
puts squeeze on Arafat
BBC, May 19, 2003
Israel has increased the pressure on the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, following
Sunday's suicide attacks which left nine people dead in Jerusalem, including two
bombers. Foreign diplomats and visiting politicians will be banned from seeing
Israeli officials if they intend to meet Mr Arafat, the government said.
Israel
Plans to Expropriate 420 Dunums for Setting Fence-Off Wall
International Press Center, May 19, 2003
The projected extension of the fence-off wall will swallow two Palestinian towns
-- Three Israeli occupation soldiers were reportedly wounded in an attack carried
out by a Palestinian youth at their military jeep, Israeli radio reported....Elsewhere,
residents of Zabobia village, north west of Jenin city, are suffering from environmental
hazards, widespread of diseases and contamination in potable water caused by the
disposal of sewage water flooded from the Israeli military camp of “Salem
“...
Humanitarian
Situation in the Occupied Palestinian Territory - Update
International Press Center, May 19, 2003
Prepared and Submitted By: Department of Service to Palestinian Refugees, Middle
East Council of Churches -- Overview: As the International Community awaits the
Israeli acceptance of the "Road Map" which has been accepted by the Palestinians,
Israeli troops are escalating their attacks against the Palestinians; invading,
demolishing, shelling and killing Palestinians throughout the West Bank and Gaza.
Umm
al-Fahm mayor arrested
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
Dr. Sulieman Agbariya, mayor of the Israeli Arab town of Umm al-Fahm and a senior
member of the Islamic Movement's Northern Branch, was arrested yesterday morning
on suspicion of transferring money to groups affiliated to Hamas.
Histadrut
thrashes out deal with treasury to end strike
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
The treasury and the Histadrut labor federation reached a pre-dawn agreement yesterday,
bringing to an end - for the time being - the five-day public sector strike called
in protest at the government's emergency economic cutback plan.
Three
killed in Afula mall bombing
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
The fifth suicide attack against Israelis in 48 hours killed three and wounded
some 50 people, 13 seriously, when a suicide bomber was stopped by two security
guards at the entrance to Afula's Ha'amakim Mall yesterday afternoon.
Territories
sealed as 7 die in bus bomb
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
After four terrorist attacks in 24 hours, including a suicide bus bombing at French
Hill in Jerusalem in which seven were killed and 20 wounded, the government ordered
a total closure on all the territories, rescinding all the abatements it allowed
Palestinians last week at the request of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Bush:
''Road map still stands''
Al-Bawaba, May 19, 2003
President Bush vowed on Monday to push ahead with the Middle East peace "road
map" despite a wave of Palestinian bombings but admitted the path ahead would
be a bumpy one. "The road map still stands," Bush said. "The vision of two states
existing side by side is a real vision, and one that I will work toward."
Dozens
hurt in gas blast at TA restaurant
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
Thirty-two people were injured, one seriously, yesterday evening in a gas explosion
at the popular Tel Aviv restaurant Giraffe, on Ibn Gvirol Street two blocks south
of Rabin Plaza.
PNA
“Strongly” Condemns, Explosion in Afula Leaving Four Killed
International Press Center, May 19, 2003
RAMALLAH, May 19, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)--Palestinian National Authority strongly
condemned the explosion took place in the city of Afula, west north of Jenin.
“Palestinian leadership strongly condemns the explosion took place in the
city of Afula on Monday May 19,” the PNA said in an official statement issued
Monday by Palestine News Agency (WAFA).
Jenin
Islamic Jihad man expelled to Gaza
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
The Israel Defense Forces yesterday expelled the brother of one of the top members
of the Islamic Jihad's military wing from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. This
is the first time in more than six months that the army has resorted to this measure.
Security
forces bust Hamas J'lem cell
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
The Shin Bet and the Jerusalem police force's Gideon unit have arrested a Hamas
cell with eight members in a northern Jerusalem suburb. The eight, most with blue
Israeli residency cards, were nabbed eight days ago as they plotted to hijack
an Egged bus from Neve Ya'acov. The police believe the eight meant to take the
bus into the Palestinian Authority territories and demand the release of all Palestinian
prisoners in the Ashkelon Prison.
Fourth
Hamas Suicide Bombing in Two Days, as Israel Moves to Isloate Arafat
Washington Post, May 20, 2003
JERUSALEM –– A Palestinian riding a bicycle blew himself up near an
Israeli army jeep Monday in the fourth Hamas suicide bombing in two days, while
Israel decided to deepen Yasser Arafat's isolation in response to the latest violence.
Three soldiers were lightly hurt in Monday's bombing in the Gaza Strip.
Israel
on high alert as Bush wants to meet Sharon next week
Al-Bawaba, May 20, 2003
Israel was on high alert Tuesday after five Palestinian suicide attacks in 48
hours killed 12 Israelis. All police leave and training was cancelled and thousands
of policemen were deployed in town centres and around potential targets, including
bus stations and shopping malls.
Palestinian
extremists leave Damascus
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
Three prominent Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad leaders have left Damascus
in recent days. Khaled al-Fahoum, a former speaker of the Palestinian Legislative
Council and a close associate of the Syrian regime, said the organizations' offices
and that of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine-General Command
there have been closed.
Ze'evi:
Now is not the time to exile Arafat
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
All the heads of the intelligence services seriously oppose exiling Palestinian
Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Director of Military Intelligence Major General
Aharon Ze'evi (Farkash) said Tuesday.
Arab
press blasts roadmap delay
BBC, May 20, 2003
Arab newspapers accuse Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of blocking the road
to peace with the Palestinians. Some continue to express concern at the Riyadh
and Casablanca bombings. Others link the two issues, charging Israel with committing
comparable "terrorism" against the Palestinians.
Angry
Palestinians Lash Out at Militants
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Gaza Strip (AP) - Palestinian residents of a northern Gaza town demonstrated
Tuesday after Israelis destroyed buildings and farms there in a five-day invasion,
but in a rare twist, their wrath was directed at Palestinian militants for firing
rockets from their property, not at the Israelis.
Bush
Has 1st Talk With Palestinian Leader
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush made a direct appeal Tuesday to Palestinian Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas to clamp down on terror attacks on Israel while assuring
the new leader that the United States remains committed to establishing a Palestinian
state by 2005.
Hamas
and Fatah leaders affirm persistence of resistance
Palestinian Information Center, May 20, 2003
Gaza - Leaders of the Fatah and Hamas Movements in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank have asserted that Palestinian resistance would not stop and would strike
anywhere and anytime in retaliation to occupation crimes.
UK
Parliamentary Committee Criticizes Arms Sales to Israel
Palestine Chronicle, May 20, 2003
LONDON - The British government was condemned Tuesday by an all-party group of
MPs for supplying arms to Israel that was used against the Palestinians. The Quadripartite
Committee also expressed concern about the government approving arms parts for
sale to other countries, specifically to the US, which was then re-exported to
Israel.
Bush’s
Credibility Rides On Mideast Peace: U.S. Press
Palestine Chronicle, May 20, 2003
WASHINGTON - With postwar Iraq mired in difficulties and attacks threatening the
stability of Middle East, U.S. President George W. Bush must take some bold action
in the region if he wants to salvage his reputation, two leading U.S. dailies
said Tuesday, May 20.
EU-US
clash over the role of Arafat
EU Observer, May 20, 2003
US President George W. Bush on Monday threw his weight behind the latest Middle
East peace plan as the EU and US once again clashed over the role of Yasser Arafat.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine May 19, 2003
Palestine Media Center, May 19, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) sealed off the entire West Bank and Gaza Strip.
IOF also killed a Palestinian child and demolished eight Palestinians’ houses
in the Gaza Strip. IOF Deport Palestinian to the Gaza Strip.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine May 20, 2003
Palestine Media Center, May 20, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) demolished a house in the southern Gaza Strip
town of Deir al-Balah. IOF also detained a man and his wife in Tubas and wounded
a teenager in Tulkarem in the West Bank.
Arafat:
Israeli Propaganda Campaign Aims at Aborting Peace Efforts
Palestine Media Center, May 20, 2003
May 20, 2003 - President Yasser Arafat said that the escalating Israeli propaganda
campaign of accusations against him aims at reinforce the siege imposed on him
and at aborting serious efforts to achieve a real peace in the region, at a time
the PNA government asked President Hosni Mubarak to start an urgent Egyptian and
Arab effort to save Arafat’s life.
UN
human rights chief condemns suicide bombings against Israelis
United Nations News, May 19, 2003
19 May – The United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Sergio Vieira
de Mello, today condemned the weekend suicide bombings against Israeli civilians,
saying such acts “serve only to destroy innocent civilian life and demonstrate
the utterly repugnant nature of terrorism.'
Recent
developments give 'glimmer of hope' to Middle East peace process - UN envoy
United Nations News, May 20, 2003
20 May – Although living conditions in both Israel and the Palestinian areas
were worsening, there has been significant and historic political developments
in the Middle East peace process, providing a "ray of light and a glimmer of hope,"
the senior United Nations envoy for that region, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today.
UN
agencies, NGOs protest Israel's closure of Gaza border
United Nations News, May 19, 2003
19 May – United Nations agencies and non-governmental organizations (NGOs)
have called on Israel to immediately re-open the border into Gaza to all their
members, protesting "in the strongest terms" against a closure that they said
crippled their aid efforts for 1.2 million Palestinians and was in direct contravention
of international law.
Abu
Mazen- Sharon Meeting Fails as Israel Rejects ‘Road Map’
International Press Center, May 18, 2003
JERUSALEM, May 18, 2003, IPC+ Agencies -- Several Palestinians voiced concern
yesterday over the findings of Sharon-Abu Mazen meeting in Jerusalem as Israeli
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dismissed his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas
(Abu Mazen) demand to approve the US-proposed peace plan “road map’.
Week
of Solidarity with Palestinian Farmers Concluded
International Press Center, May 19, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, May 19, 2003 (IPC)-- In a concluding ceremony, the Week of Solidarity
with the Palestinian farmers issued yesterday a final communiqué, asserting the
following...
Body
identified as 'suicide bomber'
BBC, May 19, 2003
A body found in the seas off a Tel Aviv beach is that of a Briton suspected of
involvement in a suicide bombing Israeli authorities have confirmed. The identification
of Omar Khan Sharif, 27, from Derby, was made with the help of DNA samples provided
by his family.
Why
militants reject the roadmap
BBC, May 20, 2003
"These attacks will continue in all the territories of 1948 and 1967, and we will
not stop attacking the Zionist Jewish people as long as any of them remain in
our land." The words come from a statement issued on Monday morning by the
armed wing of the militant group Hamas. Hamas is prominent among the Palestinian
groups who have refused to have anything to do with the latest plan for peace
in the Middle East - the so-called roadmap.
Amir
Peretz said eyeing leadership of Labor Party
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
Histadrut labor federation chairman MK Amir Peretz may vie for leadership of the
Labor Party, sources at the Histadrut said yesterday. Labor leadership elections
will take place in March 2004, as proposed by MKs Ephraim Sneh, Avraham Shochat,
Matan Vilnai and Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, or in December 2004, in keeping with a
demand by MKs Avraham Burg, Haim Ramon and Dalia Itzik.
Netanyhu
declares victory as strike ends
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed satisfaction yesterday with the
agreement hammered out with the Histadrut last Saturday night, claiming at the
cabinet meeting yesterday that for the first time, the Histadrut had agreed to
wage cuts rather than wage increases during negotiations with the government.
Analysis
/ Abu Mazen needs his hudna
Haaretz, May 19, 2003
Abu Mazen is trying to renew talks with Hamas as quickly as possible, to achieve
a full cease-fire for a period of a full year. Abu Mazen believes he can get Hamas
to agree to a cease-fire in response to an Israeli undertaking to stop its raids
and targetted killings.
Analysis
/ A weak Abu Mazen is shaken by attacks
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
What has led to the current wave of suicide bombings? Are they organized actions
from above? Palestinian sources said yesterday they believed the outbreak was
not coincidental and that Hamas, Islamic Jihad and perhaps also Fatah's Al-Aqsa
Martyrs' Brigades are sending a clear message to the government of Mahmoud Abbas
(Abu Mazen) - and the government of Israel - that there can be no end to the violent
intifada without a suitable payoff.
Japan
gives another $1.2 million for Palestinian Road Map reforms
Al-Bawaba, May 19, 2003
Japan is adding $1.2 million to the $10 million it has already provided to United
Nations Development program (UNDP) to help reforms in the Palestinian Authority
in support of the Road Map for peace. During her recent visit to the region, Japanese
Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawguchi said the assistance will facilitate efforts by
newly-appointed Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to carry out the reform
agenda, reported a press release.
Treasury
retracts proposal to shut well baby clinics
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
The Finance Ministry has retracted its proposal to shut the Tipat Halav well baby
clinics and transfer their services to the responsibility of the health maintenance
organizations, Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told MK Gideon Sa'ar, the head
of the Likud faction, on Tuesday.
British
investors eye Bezeq control
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is looking again at a possible majority sale
of Bezeq, the state's domestic telephone company after being approached by British
investors headed by Lord Young who could buy 50 percent of the company.
Army
to cut reservists' duty from 32 to 25 days a year
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
The IDF is planning to cut reserve duty considerably for soldiers in field operations
in the territories. The army says the reason is budgetary. In the second half
of this year, reserve duty for such units will be cut from 32 to 25 days.
Background
/ Israel's dwindling anti-terror arsenal
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
Dispatching a squadron of human bombs to kill a dozen Israelis in five attacks
over 48 hours, the unrelenting Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) and the Al
Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades of Yasser Arafat's Fatah have rocked Israel to the ropes.
As Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government prepares its response, its policymaking
latitude has run into a fresh obstacle: the Israel military has all but exhausted
its list of remaining new options for battling terrorism.
Why
Netanyahu lost the battle to Peretz
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
The struggle between the treasury and the Histadrut labor federation ended with
a clear conclusion - on most of the items on which the battle was waged, the logic
presented by the Histadrut was accepted.
Poraz:
Conversion in Israel should not grant citizenship
Haaretz, May 20, 2003
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz (Shinui) on Tuesday requested the annulment of
the immediate granting citizenship, based on the Law of Return, for individuals
who convert to Judaism in Israel. According to his proposal, those converting
in Israel will be eligible for citizenship according to the Citizenship Law and
based on humanitarian concerns, the unification of families, the individuals'
identification with the Zionist cause, or for individuals who can contribute to
Israeli society, including scientists, artists, actors, or athletes.
'1,700
civilians died as US took Baghdad'
The Independent, May 19, 2003
A tally of Baghdad hospital records published yesterday suggested that at least
1,700 civilians died in the Iraqi capital during the US invasion and another 8,000
were injured. Several hundred other civilian deaths went undocumented because
of the chaos of the conflict and the destruction of some hospital records. As
many as 1,000 people are still missing, according to Islamic burial societies
and humanitarian groups.
Iraqi
politicians slam US civil administrator
Al-Bawaba, May 20, 2003
The Higher Council for Islamic Revolution in Iraq confirmed Monday the presence
of serious disputes between the various Iraqi political parties and the US civil
administrator in Iraq Paul Bremer, over the ongoing process of ‘transfer-of-autonomy’
to the Iraqis. The council threatened to organize massive demonstrations and protests
against the interim authority, which Bremer intends to impose on the country.
Shiites
Denounce Occupation
Washington Post, May 20, 2003
Clerics Say U.S. Has Not Involved Them in Postwar Planning -- BAGHDAD, May 19
-- Thousands of Shiite Muslims marched peacefully through Baghdad today in the
largest protest so far against the six-week-old U.S. occupation of Iraq, calling
on the United States to surrender power to an elected government and denouncing
the exiles and ethnic organizations that U.S. officials have courted to help form
a temporary administration.
U.N.
Atomic Chief Again Warns U.S. About Iraq
Washington Post, May 20, 2003
The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency warned the United States for
the third time yesterday of the danger of radioactive contamination in Iraq because
of looting at nuclear sites and called on the Bush administration to allow his
safety and emergency response teams to enter the country.
Iraqis
unite for anti-US march
BBC, May 19, 2003
Thousands of Shia and Sunni Muslims have marched through Baghdad protesting against
the US occupation, and demanding a say in the new Iraqi Government. Up to 10,000
people gathered in front of a Sunni Muslim mosque in northern Baghdad, then marched
across a bridge over the Tigris to the Kadhamiya quarter, home to one of Iraq's
holiest Shia shrines.
Iraqi
sanctions draft ready for Security Council vote
Al-Bawaba, May 20, 2003
US Ambassador John Negroponte presented the final draft of a proposed resolution
for lifting sanctions against Iraq to the United Nations (UN) Security Council
May 19, saying that he expected a vote to take place by the end of the week. The
draft text would end close to 13 years of UN economic sanctions on Iraq and phase
out the UN oil-for-food humanitarian program.
U.S.
Offers Concessions On U.N. Arms Inspectors
Washington Post, May 20, 2003
UNITED NATIONS, May 19 -- The Bush administration sought to broaden support in
the United Nations' Security Council for a resolution lifting sanctions on Iraq,
offering concessions today that would ensure the immediate financial survival
of the U.N.'s arms inspection agency and extend the U.N.'s authority to honor
billions of dollars in contracts for products approved under Saddam Hussein's
regime.
Security
council to discuss greater UN role in Iraq
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
The UN security council will today meet in a closed-door session to discuss the
third draft of a resolution lifting sanctions against Iraq.The new draft, proposed
by the US, Britain and Spain, gives the UN a clearly defined role in establishing
a democratic government and increases the stature of a UN envoy in Iraq.
US
ambassador warns France on trade relations
EU Observer, May 20, 2003
American ambassador to France, Howard H. Leach, has warned France that if there
is another confrontation in the UN, French trade relations with the US could suffer.
His words come as a new US-UK resolution on Iraq has been tabled in the UN, for
which America is expecting approval this week from France, amongst others.
Chirac
threatens to abstain in UN vote
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
President Jacques Chirac yesterday signalled that France would abstain from supporting
the American-sponsored resolution on postwar Iraq if the UN was not given a greater
role in the country.
India
pushes for Iraq deals
BBC, May 20, 2003
Indian companies are shrugging off any reticence about the pros and cons of the
US-led war in Iraq in favour of a concerted push for a share of the reconstruction
business. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) has set up a website to help
its members work out how to grab some of the subcontracts trickling down from
the US companies awarded billions to rebuild Iraq by the US government.
Metallica
is latest interrogation tactic
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
US military interrogators are using unorthodox musical techniques to extract information
about weapons of mass destruction of fugitive Ba'athist leaders from their detainees
- a fearsome mix of Metallica and Barney the Dinosaur.
Iraq
'first battle of a wider US war'
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
The invasion of Iraq was a "single campaign in a much larger war" against the
Bush administration's "axis of evil", the conference was told. "Iraq was not a
war, Iraq was a battle," said John Pike, director of globalsecurity.org, an American
defence policy research group.
Iraq's
landmine legacy
BBC, May 20, 2003
Hundreds of Iraqis are killed or injured each month by landmines -- Any country
suffers from the dangers posed by unexploded munitions after a war, but Iraq has
been through three major conflicts in the last 30 years and UN officials say it
is the most contaminated country they have ever worked in.
Coalition
set for long Iraq role
BBC, May 20, 2003
Occupying US and British forces are due to stay for a long-term role in Iraq,
British officials say. The top UK civilian in Baghdad, John Sawers, has said he
does not expect elections there to be held in under a year - and coalition troops
would continue to run the country until then.
Saddam
brother-in-law arrested; Former Iraqi generals say Saddam plans to return to power
Al-Bawaba, May 19, 2003
The U.S. military said Monday that Saddam Hussein's brother-in-law, an Iraqi intelligence
agent who is on a U.S. blacklist of former Iraqi officials, had been in U.S. custody
since Friday....Meanwhile, according to former Iraqi generals returned from exile,
Saddam is hiding in Iraq with a small group, probably including his sons, and
issuing orders to trusted supporters as he plots a return to power.
Iraqis
Killing Former Baath Party Members
Washington Post, May 20, 2003
U.S. Punishment Seen As Not Harsh Enough -- BAGHDAD, May 19 -- Iraqis have begun
tracking down and killing former members of the ruling Baath Party, doubtful that
the United States intends to adequately punish the mid-level government functionaries
who they say tormented them for three decades.
Saddam's
praise singer shot dead as revenge killings start
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
Two gunmen shot and killed a senior Ba'ath party official who appeared regularly
in uniform on Iraqi state television singing anthems praising Saddam Hussein,
the Guardian has learned. It was one of the first known revenge executions since
the fall of the regime.
Kurds
go it alone with international oil deals
The Independent, May 18, 2003
Local authorities ignore US administration and seek to lure major companies with
generous contracts -- Kurdish authorities in northern Iraq are offering hugely
lucrative oil deals to European and American companies without consulting either
the US administration in Baghdad or any other Iraqi groups. The move threatens
to raise new problems over the future ownership of Iraq's vast oil reserves.
Kurds'
Influence in Kirkuk Rises Along With Discord
Washington Post, May 19, 2003
Ethnic Power Struggle Plays Out Under U.S. Control -- KIRKUK, Iraq -- In cooperation
with U.S. occupation forces, two armed Kurdish organizations have moved swiftly
in recent weeks to gain a political hold on Kirkuk, a city in the northern Iraqi
oil fields that the groups have long coveted as a Kurdish economic and cultural
center.
Iraqi
Women Out of the Picture
Washington Post, May 17, 2003
Prominence in Public Life Disappears in Postwar Fear -- BAGHDAD -- Most of the
theatrical gowns designed by Feryal Kilidar over 32 years have gone up in smoke
-- burned by looters. Her studio had been located in the government-owned House
of Fashion, but that has become the headquarters of an upstart political party
called the Higher Council to Liberate Iraq.
More
Troops Deployed as New Iraqi Government Postponed
Washington Post, May 18, 2003
BAGHDAD, May 17 -- Alarmed by rampant crime and remnants of Iraq's vanquished
leadership, the United States has signaled its intention in recent days to use
a firmer hand in directing this country's political future and filling a worrisome
security vacuum that has undermined U.S. credibility here in the weeks since the
end of the war.
US
prepares to pay Iraqis
BBC, May 20, 2003
Previous mass handouts have caused chaos -- The US-controlled administration in
Iraq has promised to start paying more than a million Iraqi employees by next
week. Most Iraqis are desperately short of money after what has for most been
at least two months without pay, and interim handouts of $20 to some employees
and $40 to some pensioners have not gone far.
Glimmer
of hope for Iraqi street kids
BBC, May 20, 2003
Iraqi street children are beginning to see some signs of help after 12 years of
neglect on the streets of Baghdad. Until sanctions began following the first Gulf
War, the problem of street kids - homeless, hungry, often drug-addicted children
roaming the streets of Baghdad - was very small.
Terror
Threat Closes U.K. Riyadh Embassy
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
LONDON (AP) - The British government will temporarily close its embassy in Saudi
Arabia to the public because of an imminent terrorist threat, officials said Tuesday.
Attack
Threat Closes U.S. Saudi Missions
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - The United States and Britain said Tuesday they were
closing their embassies and consulates in Saudi Arabia for a few days because
of ``imminent'' terror threats.
Al
Qaeda Arms Traced to Saudi National Guard
Washington Post, May 19, 2003
3 Attackers Identified In Riyadh Bombings -- RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, May 18 -- Saudi
authorities are investigating suspected illegal arms sales by members of the country's
national guard to al Qaeda operatives in the country, U.S. and Saudi officials
said. The weapons were seized in a May 6 raid on an al Qaeda safe house and were
traced to national guard stockpiles, the officials said.
U.S.
Says More Saudi Attacks 'Imminent'
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
RIYADH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - U.S. diplomats said Tuesday more attacks in Saudi
Arabia were ``imminent'' and closed their embassy and consulates for a few days
in response.
Three
al Qaeda suspects arrested, US on high alert
New Zealand Herald, May 21, 2003
RIYADH - Saudi Arabian authorities have arrested three suspected members of Osama
bin Laden's al Qaeda network, security sources said, as the United States raised
its terror alert status to "high".
Khatami:
Iran-Croatia Coop Can Boost Peace in Mideast, Europe
Tehran Times, May 21, 2003
TEHRAN -- President Mohammad Khatami said during a meeting with Croatian Foreign
Minister Tonino Picula here Tuesday that cooperation between Tehran and Zagreb
will strengthen peace and stability in Europe and the Middle East, IRNA reported.
Iran
Is "Very Serious" Against Al-Qaeda: FM Spokesman
Tehran Times, May 21, 2003
TEHRAN -- Iran on Tuesday once again rejected the recent U.S. remarks on the presence
of Al-Qaeda operatives inside its territory, and refreshed vows to "seriously"
confront the terror network.
FM:
Iran wants Middle East free of WMD
Al-Bawaba, May 17, 2003
Iranian Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi said on Saturday Tehran supported a Syrian
proposal to rid the Middle East of weapons of mass destruction, and said his country
was free of such arms.
Buffalo
Terror Suspect Pleads Guilty
VOA, May 20, 2003
The last of the six Yemeni-American men from the Buffalo, New York area who were
accused last year of supporting terrorism, pleaded guilty on Monday. Mukhtar al-Bakri,
who attended an al-Qaida terrorist training camp, made his plea in U.S. federal
court.
Moroccan
Bombers Linked to International Terrorism
Tehran Times, May 20, 2003
RABAT -- The young suicide bombers who killed at least 29 people in Casablanca
last week were linked to international terrorism, Morocco said on Tuesday. A day
after FBI agents joined the investigation into the five almost simultaneous blasts,
Interior Minister Mustapha Sahel said the interrogation of two would-be attackers
who survived the blasts had established the link.
Lebanon's
'A-Team of terrorists' valued for social services
Christian Science Monitor, May 19, 2003
BINT JBEIL, LEBANON – Lebanon's Hizbullah organization may be ranked high
on the US list of terrorist organizations, but analysts and diplomats here believe
that Washington is seriously misguided in delivering sweeping demands for the
elimination of the group.
Jordanian
Released Pending Hearing
Washington Post, May 17, 2003
DENVER, May 17 -- A U.S. immigration judge today ordered the release of a Jordanian
woman who says that if she is deported her family will stone her to death because
they believe she committed adultery, an immigration official said. Nina Pruneda,
spokeswoman for the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement, said a judge
ordered 21-year-old Alissar Rawashdeh to be released pending a deportation hearing.
Detroit
Terrorism Trial Heading for Jury
The Guardian, May 20, 2003
DETROIT (AP) - The government's case against four Arab-Americans accused of operating
a terrorist sleeper cell was built on the lies of a self-described con artist,
defense attorneys said Tuesday as the trial headed for the jury.
