Israeli
Troops Kill Two Palestinians in the Gaza Strip
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
KHAN YOUNIS, Palestine, June, 2, 2003, (WAFA+IPC) -- the Israeli occupation forces
shot dead two Palestinians in Gaza strip cities of Khan Younis and Beit Hanoun.
In the early morning of Monday, a 22 years-old Mahmoud Ahmed
Abu Amra was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces at Kosofim area in Rafah
city of Gaza strip, Palestinian security sources said.
IOF
Closes Entrances of Nablus City
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
NABLUS, Palestine, June 1, 2003, (IPC + WAFA)— Israeli occupation forces
(IOF) stepped up Saturday its offensives on Palestinian properties in spite of
the Israelis pledge to ease restrictions on the Palestinians. The Israeli occupation
forces have dug Sunday morning Hewara-Beta main road and placed sand barriers
amid the road, resulted in the destruction of the main water network of Hewara
town, WAFA said.
Israel
eases Palestinian closures
BBC, June 1, 2003
Israel has eased restrictions on Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza
Strip ahead of a three-way summit with US President George W Bush. The Israeli
army said the total closure of the territories was lifted at midnight local time
(2100 GMT Saturday), allowing about 25,000 Palestinians with work permits to return
to their jobs in Israel.
Abed
Rabbo: Israeli Claims of Easing Restrictions “Baseless Lies”
Palestine Media Center, June 2, 2003
June 2, 2003 - The Palestinian Minister of Cabinet Affairs has refuted Israeli
claims that stringent restrictions have been eased in the occupied Palestinian
territory, and labeled them as “baseless lies, which will not deceive anybody....The
siege and closure imposed on all cities, villages and refugee camps are still
as they have been and are choking the entire Palestinian population.”
ISM
to receive Rachel Corrie Award
Palestine Monitor/The Palestine Right to Return Coalition - Al Awda, June, 2003
The Rachel Corrie Award for 2003 will be conferred upon the International Solidarity
Movement (ISM) at the annual convention held in Toronto June 20- 2 (see http://Al-awda.org).
US
Accepts Palestinian Cease-fire Plan: Shaath
Palestine Chronicle, June 2, 2003
RAMALLAH - The Palestine National Authority (PNA) said on Saturday that the United
States accepts a Palestinian plan to halt anti-Israeli attacks, as PM Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen) said he is confident of reaching an agreement with Hamas and
other groups within three weeks, ahead of a three-way summit with US President
Bush on Wednesday.
Bush
spurned in quest for Israeli promise to end occupation
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Ariel Sharon has rejected a request from George Bush to declare "an end to occupation"
at a forthcoming summit between the two men and the new Palestinian prime minister,
according to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.
Arrest
and detention: a measure of first resort for Palestinian children
International Press Center/Defence of Chidren International - Palestine, May 30,
2003
For International Children's Day, June 1: Palestinian Child Detention by Israeli
Forces -- Introduction: This international children's day, we would like to draw
the world's attention to the plight of the Palestinian child, particularly those
deprived of their liberty and locked away in Israeli prisons, which comprises
an increasing number of under-18’s in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
(OPT).
Settler
fury at Sharon 'betrayal'
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Settlers have put up yellow posters along the road into Ariel, bearing the words:
"The Road Map to Auschwitz." -- Ron Nachman angrily thrusts forward a 25-year-old
picture of Ariel Sharon standing beside him on a rocky hilltop that provided the
foundation for one of the largest Jewish settlements on the West Bank.
Ahmed
Yasin: We support justice and Peace in Palestine
Palestinian Information Center, June 2, 2003
Copenhagen - Hamas founder and spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yasin told a Danish
newspaper that Hamas would want to solve the conflict with the Jews in Palestine
peacefully if that guaranteed the restoration of Palestinian rights.
Jewish
Settlers Participate IOF in Attacking Palestinian Farmers and Crops
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
NABLUS, June 2, 2003, (IPC)—Israeli occupation forces (IOF) and armed Jewish
settlers participated Monday in assaulting Palestinian farmers and setting fire
to their crops in the West Bank. IOF set Monday fire to Palestinian owned arable
land in different villages near the city of Tubas, north of the West Bank, IPC
correspondent said.
American
Ammunition to supply bullets for IMI weapons
Globes, June 2, 2003
The agreement with American Ammunition should help Israel Military Industries
expand its business in the US. -- American Ammunition (OTCBB:AAMI) will supply
munitions for a range of Israel Military Industries’ (IMI) light arms. Miami-based
American Ammunition is a family owned firm.
Government
condemns hunger campaign by o’seas fundraisers
Globes, June 2, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon: There is poverty in Israel, but no hunger. -- The
government is strongly objecting to the campaign by overseas fundraisers to raise
donations from individuals and organizations by portraying Israel as a poverty-stricken
country.
Barghouti
quotes Sharon in defence
BBC, June 2, 2003
A Palestinian leader on trial for murder has quoted a recent statement by the
Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, in a challenge to the court. Marwan Barghouti
asked the court in Tel Aviv: "If your prime minister recognises there is occupation,
what do you expect people to do?"
Jewish
Settlers Attack Palestinian Farmers
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
TUBAS, Palestine, June 1, 2003, (IPC)-- Armed Jewish settlers attacked Sunday
afternoon Palestinian farmers and seized their crops in different villages near
the northern West Bank town of Tubas, IPC correspondent said. Jewish settlers,
armed with automatic machineguns, assaulted several Palestinian peasants in the
villages of Bardala and Inilbida, near Tubas, witnesses told IPC correspondent.
Member
of Fatah movement assassinated in Ein al-Helweh camp
Arabic News, June 2, 2003
A Palestinian source in Ein al-Helweh, Lebanon, announced yesterday that a member
in the Fatah movement, led by the chairman of the Palestinian Authority Yasser
Arafat, was killed on Saturday evening by bullets in Ein al-Helweh camp for the
Palestinian refugees.
Israel
kill three Palestinians, symbolic lift of closure on West Bank and Gaza
Arabic News, June 2, 2003
The Israeli occupation forces said, three days before the al-Aqaba summit which
will bring together the US President George W. Bush, the Palestinian prime minister
Mahmoud Abbas and the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon, that it had alleviated
blocking measures imposed on the Palestinian territories. This was in a step described
by the Palestinian authority as a public relations campaign, especially as the
Israeli forces continued their incursions in the West Bank and Gaza and killed
three Palestinians and demolished two positions for the Palestinian national security
and leveled agricultural lands.
A
Call For Arabs Not To Ignore Palestinian Detainees
Islam Online, June 2, 2003
GAZA, June 2 (IslamOnline.net) - The families of thousands of Palestinian prisoners
and detainees in Israeli jails gathered Monday, June 2, in Gaza in the courtyard
of the International Committee of the Red Crescent to denounce the Israeli Premier
Ariel Sharon’s decision to set free “only two Palestinian detainees”.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine June 2, 2003
Palestine Media Center
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed two Palestinians in the southern and northern
Gaza Strip and Israeli armed settlers attacked Palestinian farmers near the northern
West Bank town of Tubas. IOF Shell Khan Younis Neighborhood. IOF Raid Nablus,
Occupy Multiple-Storey Building.
Rallies
in Arab centers express solidarity with Islamic Movement
Palestinian Information Center, June 2, 2003
Nazareth - Hundreds of Islamic Movement supporters in the 1948 areas have taken
part on Saturday in sit-ins and rallies at main entrances and roundabouts of Arab
cities and villages in the Galilee, Triangle and Negev areas in solidarity with
Sheikh Ra’ed Salah.
80
Palestinians including 18 juveniles arrested in Al-Khalil and Bethlehem last month
Palestinian Information Center, June 2, 2003
Bethlehem - The Palestinian prisoner’s club has released statistics indicating
that the Zionist occupation forces had arrested 80 Palestinians in the West Bank
cities of Al-Khalil and Bethlehem during the past month of May including 18 juveniles.
ISM:
June 5 Demo / ISM volunteers freed from jail
International Solidarity Movement, June 2, 2003
On June 5, 2003, the thirty-sixth anniversary of the Israeli occupation of the
West Bank and Gaza, the community of Nablus, joined by members of the International
Solidarity Movement, will demonstrate at the Huwarra checkpoint to protest the
continuous violence perpetrated by the Israeli Occupation Forces [IOF] against
Palestinian communities and international human rights workers in Occupied Palestine. /
American ISM Volunteers Freed from Prison! -- Tulkarem, Radhika, 30 May 03 --
American ISM volunteers Mike Johnson, age 52, from Seattle, Washington, and Mateo
Bernal, age 22 from Louisville, Kentucky were released from Maaseyahu Prison today,
May 30 at approximately 4:45PM. The men have until June 7 to leave Israel.
Hear
Palestine, June 2, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Ramallah: Curfew Imposed on City; All Entrances Closed / Israeli Army Invades
Tulkarem; Tightens Imposed Closure / Nablus: Another Residential Building Confiscated;
Closure Tightened / Hebron: Campaign of Arrests / Khan Younis: Israeli Army Shells
Residential Areas East of City / Deir al-Balah: Agricultural Land Surrounded with
Barbed Wire FEATURES: Occupation Bullets Blow Up Children Balloons
/ 571 Palestinian Children Killed since beginning of Intifada / Qarawat Bani Zeid
Children Suffer Serious Psychological Problems / 102 Palestinians Arrested from
Hebron Last Month / Palestinians Open the Road to the Map
A
victim's case
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 29 May - 4 June, 2003
Along with over a hundred other innocent people, popular TV personality Salwa
Hegazi was killed when Israel shot down the civil aircraft she was on in 1973.
Thirty years later, her family has decided to sue.
Israel
Eases Closure of Palestinian Territories
Arab News, June 2, 2003
GAZA CITY, 2 June 2003 — Israel yesterday eased its closure of the Palestinian
territories three days ahead of a US-convened peace summit and amid expectations
the two sides could declare a long-sought truce. The army relaxed its blockade
of the West Bank and Gaza Strip overnight, as part of a package of measures to
ease the hardships on the Palestinians.
President
Bush Arrives in Middle East
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - President Bush arrived in the Middle East today,
stopping in Egypt ahead of a trip to Jordan for talks with Israeli and Palestinian
leaders. In his first personal foray into Middle East peace talks, President Bush
pledged Monday to ``put in as much time as necessary'' to achieve peace between
Israelis and Palestinians and help them live side by side.
Sides
Disagree on Israeli Settlements
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - Days before a summit with President Bush, a disagreement brewed
Monday between Israelis and Palestinians over the fate of more than 100 Israeli
settlement outposts set up in recent years in the West Bank.
NRP's
Eitam: would-be new settlers are also 'natural growth'
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
Vowing that settlement expansion will continue, Housing Minister Effie Eitam of
the settler-dominated National Religious Party said Monday that the concept of
"natural growth" as a benchmark for settlement expansion included new housing
not only for the children of existing settlers, but also for people who wished
to join settlements as residents.
Abu
Mazen: A truce with Hamas is underway to reach
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
RAMALLAH, Palestine, June 1, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)— Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abass (Abu Mazen) said Saturday, in an interview, with Al Jazeera correspondent
that an agreement with Islamic resistance movement (Hamas) concerning a full truce
in Palestinian territories is close to be fruitful.
Yesha
leaders suggest agreement to evacuating empty outposts
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
Senior Yesha Council leaders said unofficially Monday that they would agree to
the evacuation of empty or nearly empty outposts. The leaders of the councilre
presenting Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip said unofficially
that if there is an arrangement with the security establishment on the evacuation
of empty or nearly empty outposts, the council will recommend cooperation from
settlers.
U.S.
says Sharon sees occupation as 'unsustainable'
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Monday that Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon appears to believe Israel's hold on the West Bank and Gaza Strip is unsustainable,
adding he was upbeat about Middle East peace efforts.
PLO:
Measures Announced by Abbas, Sharon not Alternative to ‘Roadmap’
Palestine Media Center, June 2, 2003
The Palestinian leadership has stressed that the measures announced by premiers
Mahmoud Abbas and Ariel Sharon following their meeting on Thursday are not an
alternative to the stipulations of the US - backed and internationally –
adopted “roadmap” peace plan, which President Yasser Arafat offered
to implement “immediately.”
U.S.
ambassador in India touted as special road map envoy
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
The U.S. Ambassador to India, Robert D. Blackwill, is the leading candidate to
serve as President George W. Bush's special envoy to the Middle East, with special
responsibility for overseeing the implementation of the road map for peace between
Israel and the Palestinians.
Pat
Robertson: Road map will bring Israel's demise
Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2003
American Christian leader Pat Robertson has criticized US President George W.
Bush over the road map, saying the plan to create a Palestinian state "will be
the beginning of the end of the state of Israel as we know it."
Why
Bush, Sharon are close friends?
Middle East Online, June 2, 2003
A close personal relationship has emerged between US President George W. Bush
and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that has contributed to the marginalization
of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
Netanyahu
turns down invitation to Aqaba
Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2003
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, Justice Minister
Yosef Lapid and Industry, Trade, and Labor Minister Ehud Olmert will be part of
the Israeli delegation at the Aqaba summit on Wednesday.....Sources close to Netanyahu
said that he is opposed to a Palestinian state and will not attend a summit that
envisages the formation of such a state, reported Israel Radio.
PNA
Urges Israel to Deliver on its Promises
Palestine Media Center, June 2, 2003
US Accepts Palestinian Cease-fire Plan: Shaath -- June 1, 2003 - The Palestine
National Authority (PNA) said on Saturday that the United States accepts a Palestinian
plan to halt anti-Israeli attacks, as PM Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) said he is
confident of reaching an agreement with Hamas and other groups within three weeks,
ahead of a three-way summit with US President Bush on Wednesday.
Yesha
Council calls on right-wing parties to quit govt if 'road map' implemented
Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2003
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and the Gaza Strip (Yesha
Council) has called on the two right-wing political parties in the coalition government,
the National Religious Party (NRP), and the National Union to quit the government
if the 'road map' peace plan is implemented.
Palestinian
militants call for ceasefire
The Independent, June 1, 2003
Support for a hudna, or temporary ceasefire, in the Palestinian uprising against
Israel has been growing among activists held in Israeli prisons, boosting the
"roadmap" peace negotiations ahead of this week's summit with President George
Bush.
Focus
/ A problem, but also an opportunity
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
Not for no reason did the U.S. administration's envoys, Elliot Abrams and William
Burns, stress the importance of dismantling illegal settlement outposts during
recent talks in Israel. For the United States, the outposts represent both a serious
problem and a unique opportunity.
NRP's
Levy calls on party to quit coalition
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
Deputy Minister for Religious Affairs, Rabbi Yitzhak Levy, believes that the National
Religious Party should resign from the coalition, citing that the party cannot
go on supporting Prime Minister Ariel Sharon after he approved the U.S.-backed
road map for Middle East peace.
Archaeologists
ask for supervision of repair work at Temple Mount
Jerusalem Post, June 2, 2003
Renewed concern over unsupervised repair work on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, spurred
by the last week's entry of eight trucks laiden with construction materials to
fix the bulge on the southern wall, has led a non-partisan committee of archaeologists
and public officials to request an urgent meeting with the cabinet secretary.
Pension
dispute causes port strike
Globes, June 2, 2003
The strike at Haifa Port ended after only a few hours. The Ashdod and Eilat ports
go back to work tomorrow. -- At a meeting today between the port workers’
representatives and Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) representative
Haim Sheib, in charge of the port workers, the workers declared a strike at all
ports, to protest the harm to their pensions.
Muslim
solidarity on Israel, Iraq
BBC, May 31, 2003
Foreign ministers from 57 Islamic nations have accused Israel of practising repression
and state terrorism, and called for the speedy restoration of full Iraqi sovereignty.
A joint declaration was issued by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at
the end of three days of talks in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
Concluding
observations of UN ESCR committee concerning Israel
Alternative Information Center/UN Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights,
June 1, 2003
The Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights considered the second periodic
report of Israel on the implementation of the International Covenant on Economic,
Social and Cultural Rights..at its 17th, 18th and 19th meetings, held on 15 and
16 May 2003..and adopted, at its 29th meeting held on 23 May 2003, the following
concluding observations...
Many
Arab League Members Shun Israel
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
The U.S-backed ``road map'' for Middle East peace is based partly on an initiative
adopted by the 22-member Arab League last year, offering normalized relations
with Israel in return for Israeli withdrawal from Arab lands and acceptance of
Palestinian refugees' right of return. A look at the status of Israeli relations
with Arab League nations...
Army
denies it has altered policy on draft dodgers
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
The head of the Israel Defense Forces' Personnel Directorate, Major General Gil
Regev, said Friday that the army had not altered its policy on individuals who
chose to refuse conscription. "We examine every case," he told Haaretz in an interview.
"The goal is to get efficient and proper service out of every conscript."
Gov't
retracts decision to link children's supplements with army duty
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
The government has retracted its decision to link the amount of government supplements
allocated for children with the issue of whether their parents had either served
in the army or served the country under the national service program, State prosecutor
Edna Arbel informed the High Court of Justice on Monday.
IDF
goes on high alert in Jerusalem
Haaretz, June 2, 2003
Security services went on high alert in Jerusalem on Monday afternoon due to warnings
of terror attacks that Palestinians are planning in the capital. The Shin Bet
has received 57 warnings of terror attacks over the last few days. The Israel
Defense Forces closed the Qalandiyah checkpoint north of Jerusalem, have set up
several portable roadblocks in the north Jerusalem area, and are increasing their
patrols, Israel Radio reported.
Other Middle East News
U.S.
to Appoint Council in Iraq
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
Officials Decide Not to Allow Large Assembly to Pick Interim Leaders -- BAGHDAD,
June 1 -- The U.S. occupation authority has decided to handpick between 25 and
30 Iraqis to serve on an interim political council to advise U.S. officials on
day-to-day governance issues rather than convene a large assembly where Iraqi
delegates would debate the form and membership of their transitional administration,
a senior U.S. official said today.
Two
Iraqis Killed Near Baghdad Mosque
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A man on a motorcycle tossed a grenade at a U.S. armored
vehicle outside a Baghdad mosque, injuring two U.S. soldiers and sparking a firefight
that killed two Iraqi bystanders, witnesses said Monday.
US
gives up on plan for Iraqi congress
The Telegraph, June 2, 2003
Iraq's American occupiers last night abandoned plans to hold a national congress
to select an embryonic interim government. Instead the US will appoint a council
of 25 to 30 senior figures from across the religious and ethnic spectrum who will
shadow the current administration in preparation for taking power.
Iraqi
self-rule may be full year away
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
An Iraqi authority is unlikely to take power in Baghdad for several months, leaving
the US and Britain in charge of Iraq for far longer than first expected, according
to sources in the US-led administration and Iraqi political figures.
US
says its planes are being attacked in Iraq
Hindustan Times, June 1, 2003
The US-led coalition in Iraq said on Sunday its planes were coming under regular
fire when trying to land at airports across the country, especially in Baghdad.
"Many coalition planes carrying humanitarian aid to Iraqi cities, particularly
Baghdad, Mosul and Tikrit, are regularly shot at as they approach airports," it
said on its Baghdad radio station.
Baghdad's
airport is still exposed to attacks, Basra rejects appointed British ruler
Arabic News, June 2, 2003
Some, 5,000 Iraqis demonstrated yesterday in the downtown of al-Basra in protest
of the British army appointing of one of its army officers to run the area. Iraqi
and British soldiers were deployed around the headquarters of the governorate
yesterday where celebrations for the officer to assume responsibilities were held.
U.S.
Troops to Counter Baath Resistance
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Military commanders are calling on America's battle-hardened
3rd Infantry Division, which led the assault on Baghdad, to put down attacks by
apparent loyalists of Saddam Hussein's fallen regime in a troubled area west of
the capital.
Sacked
Iraqi Troops Protest for Pay
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
BAGHDAD-- Hundreds of former Iraqi soldiers protested Monday outside the office
compound of Iraq's U.S. occupiers, demanding pay for troops dismissed when the
American civil administrator abolished the country's military.
All
or nothing
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 29 May - 4 June, 2003
Prominent Iraqi political groups may once again take on the appellation "opposition"
-- The passing last week of a UN Security Council resolution formalising the US-UK
occupation of Iraq has left ripples of indignation in its wake. Restive Iraqi
political groups once collectively known as the Iraqi opposition responded with
a show of defiance, stepping up calls for the convening of a national conference
that would set up an interim Iraqi leadership.
Assault
and pillage
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 29 May - 4 June, 2003
With chaos reigning supreme in Iraq, the humanitarian crisis looms even larger
-- Almost two months have passed since the end of the military campaign in Iraq,
and Baghdad's hospitals are striving to get back into shape. "The overall situation
in Iraqi hospitals is not catastrophic, but critical," Nada Doumani, spokesperson
for the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) in Baghdad, told Al-Ahram
Weekly.
Iraqis
protest against new British ruler in Basra
Jordan Times, June 2, 2003
BASRA (AFP) — Five-thousand people took to the streets of Iraq's southern
capital here on Sunday to protest against the installation of a British officer
to rule the region, an AFP correspondent reported.
Iraqi
self-rule may be full year away
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
An Iraqi authority is unlikely to take power in Baghdad for several months, leaving
the US and Britain in charge of Iraq for far longer than first expected, according
to sources in the US-led administration and Iraqi political figures.
A
Tale of Two Baghdads
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
As U.S. Soldiers Perceive Warm Welcome, Residents Express Anger -- BAGHDAD, June
1 -- To the troops of Bravo Company, moving through a corner of this weary capital,
their morning patrol represents a benign presence. The American soldiers are here
to help the locals, then go home. "Everybody likes us," Spec. Stephen Harris,
a 21-year-old from Lafayette, La., said as the patrol moved through streets drenched
in sun.
Iraq's
Once-Privileged Sunnis Increasingly See U.S. as Enemy
Washington Post, June 1, 20023
"The first thing he did was provide us security," Saleh said. "At any hour, I
could wander anywhere in the province. When the dregs of society heard Saddam's
name, they were frightened. Now, they're in charge." -- In interviews this week
in this region, many Iraqis were quick to declare the United States the enemy;
its tanks and helicopters are the face of the occupation most often seen in these
towns.
Occupation
Forces Renew Food Rations
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
$2 Billion Effort Is Largest Ever by U.N. -- BAGHDAD, June 1 -- The national food-rationing
program introduced by Saddam Hussein because of international sanctions was reestablished
today by occupation authorities who concluded that Iraqis need the rice, cooking
oil and chickpeas to stave off hunger in a paralyzed economy.
Three
Arab States To Join Peacekeeping Forces In Iraq
Islam Online, June 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, June 2 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Informed Arab political
sources revealed that the Arab-U.S. Summit to be held in Sharm El-Sheikh Tuesday,
June 3, is to debate a proposal to send an international peacekeeping force to
Iraq, wherein Egypt, Saudi Arabia and Jordan will join.
Drug
Addiction, Dealing See Boom In Baghdad
Islam Online, June 2, 2003
BAGHDAD, June 2 (IslamOnline.net) - With a poor security situation, no central
government at the helm and a U.S. military inaction, addicting or trading in drugs
found a fertile breeding ground to boom in the Iraqi capital.
Top
UN Envoy for Iraq Arrives in Baghdad
Palestine Chronicle, June 2, 2003
BAGHDAD - The top United Nations envoy for Iraq arrived in Baghdad today pledging
to assist in the “critical efforts” to quickly establish a representative
Iraqi government, as UN-supplied food rations again began reaching the civilian
population.
Iraq
nuclear looters leave trail of anguish
Sydney Morning Herald, June 2, 2003
US officials are recovering barrels looted from Iraq's nuclear agency, buying
back containers that may be radioactive from people who were washing clothes and
storing food in them. Angry local residents said their children had fallen ill
after wearing clothes washed in barrels once used to store processed uranium at
the Iraqi Nuclear Energy Agency and which may still have had traces of radioactive
material.
IRAQ:
Working to restore public health system to help malnourished children
UNICEF, May 25, 2003
UNICEF recently conducted a rapid assessment survey to determine the current rate
of malnutrition among children under the age of five, with the results being released
10 days ago. The results showed that acute malnutrition among children had almost
doubled since before the war, jumping from 4 per cent to 7.7 per cent. Children
who are acutely malnourished are literally wasting away, and for severe cases
their condition can be fatal. Acute malnutrition sets in very fast and is a strong
indicator of the overall health of children.
Fear
of crime holds up US effort to disarm Iraq
Christian Science Monitor, June 2, 2003
Many people still say they feel a total lack of security in the country, and there
is little incentive to hand in the family firearms, considered important assets
in a time of disarray.
Iraqis
ignore gun amnesty
BBC, June 1, 2003
Weapons collection points have opened around the Iraqi capital, Baghdad, as part
of a gun amnesty aimed at restoring law and order after the US-led war. But the
initial response by Iraqis has been sluggish, and correspondents say not a single
weapon had been handed in at several police stations visited by them.
U.S.
to Screen Troops Returning From Iraq
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
The Pentagon has ordered health screenings for every U.S. service member deployed
for the Iraq war - from Army infantrymen and Marines who fought on the ground
to Air Force fighter pilots and Navy crews serving aboard aircraft carriers. Within
30 days of their homecoming, everyone will fill out a health questionnaire, review
it with a health provider and give a blood sample that will be kept in case the
person develops symptoms later.
Powell's
doubts over CIA intelligence on Iraq prompted him to set up secret review
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Fresh evidence emerged last night that Colin Powell, the US secretary of state,
was so disturbed about questionable American intelligence on Iraq's weapons of
mass destruction that he assembled a secret team to review the information he
was given before he made a crucial speech to the UN security council on February
5.
Government
defiant over Iraqi weapons
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Blair: dossier not doctored · Straw: threat was 'sufficient' · Cook: 'momentous
blunder' by PM --Tony Blair today said he stood "absolutely 100%" behind the intelligence-based
evidence the government published on Saddam Hussein's alleged weapons of mass
destruction before the Iraq war.
Transcripts
raise alarm across Nato
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Transcripts of a private conversation between Jack Straw and Colin Powell expressing
serious doubts about the reliability of intelligence on Iraq's banned weapons
programme are being circulated in western government circles where there is a
growing feeling that officials were deceived into supporting the Iraq war.
Proof
of WMD is Bush trailer trash
Sydney Morning Herald/Washington Post, June 3, 2003
In asserting that "we found the weapons of mass destruction" in Iraq, President
George Bush has presented a far less expansive estimate of Saddam Hussein's chemical,
biological and nuclear capabilities than the one he used for months to justify
the war....On March 30 on US television, the Defence Secretary, Donald Rumsfeld,
said of the prohibited weapons: "We know where they are. They are in the area
around Tikrit and Baghdad and east, west, south and north somewhat."
Rumsfeld
changes tack by insisting that WMD will be found
The Independent, May 31, 2003
Donald Rumsfeld, the US Defence Secretary, insisted yesterday that weapons of
mass destruction were still in Iraq as Washington and London rejected claims that
they used intelligence as "propaganda".
Iraqi
Scientist Links Weapons to 'Dual Use' Facilities, White House Says
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
The Bush administration says it has been told by an Iraqi scientist that Saddam
Hussein in past years decentralized the chemical and biological weapons programs
by putting production equipment within commercial facilities so that it would
not be discovered but could be used when needed to produce deadly agents. The
scientist, in a May 7 White House document made available to The Washington Post,
describes Iraq as having "carefully embedded its [weapons of mass destruction]
infrastructure in dual-use facilities" with chemical weapons production "on demand"
or "just in time."
Where
are Iraq’s WMDs?
Newsweek, June 9, 2003
The message was plain: Saddam’s weapons of mass destruction made war unavoidable.
So where are they? Inside the administration’s civil war over intel -- The
prospect of a serious inquiry hung uneasily over a small dinner party of top intelligence
officials, including Tenet, in Washington last week. The guests “were stressed
and grumpy,” reports a former CIA official who was present.
Truth
and consequences
U.S. News & World Report, June 9, 2003
New questions about U.S. intelligence regarding Iraq's weapons of mass terror
-- On the evening of February 1, two dozen American officials gathered in a spacious
conference room at the Central Intelligence Agency in Langley, Va. The time had
come to make the public case for war against Iraq.
Pentagon
Expanding Search for Weapons of Mass Destruction
New York Times, May 31, 2003
WASHINGTON, May 30 — The Pentagon announced today a "significant expansion"
of the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq. Stephen A. Cambone, the first
under secretary of defense for intelligence, said Maj. Gen. Keith Dayton of the
Army has been appointed to head a new team, the Iraq Survey Group, that will look
for chemical and biological weapons.
Foreign
envoys in Iraq no longer enjoy diplomatic status, immunity: US
Information Celaring House, June 2, 2003
WASHINGTON (AFP) - Foreign diplomats in Iraq no longer enjoy diplomatic immunity
or any of the privileges they were accorded under their accreditation to Saddam
Hussein's former regime, the US State Department said....Responding to reporters'
questions about a raid on the Palestinian mission in Baghdad and the arrest of
three Palestinian diplomats by US forces, Boucher first said that neither the
envoys nor the property held any diplomatic status.
Libya
Closes Down Embassy in Baghdad
Arab News, June 2, 2003
TRIPOLI, 2 June 2003 — Libya yesterday announced a break in diplomatic relations
with Iraq and the closure of its embassy in Baghdad following the US raid on the
Palestinian mission in the Iraqi capital.
Saddam's
daughters may seek UK asylum
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Two of Saddam Hussein's daughters plan to claim asylum in Britain after the collpase
of their father's regime, it was claimed last night. A cousin of the toppled Iraqi
president told London-based Arab newspaper Asharq al-Awsat that he was trying
to arrange an asylum application for Raghad, 35, and Rana, 33, who are now said
to be living in a humble safe house in Baghdad.
Labour
MP in Iraq ambush
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
The prime minister's human rights envoy to Iraq had a narrow escape today, when
the convoy in which she was travelling was ambushed by bandits. Ann Clwyd told
her office at Westminster that shots were fired but that she was no worse for
the incident near Kirkuk in the north of the country.
Pope,
Powell Discuss Iraq and Israel
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II and Secretary of State Colin Powell discussed
the reconstruction of Iraq on Monday during the highest-level U.S.-Vatican talks
since the pontiff voiced opposition to the war.
Russia
'halting Iran nuclear help'
BBC, June 2, 2003
Russia is to stop exporting nuclear material to Iran following its refusal to
sign up to an international protocol, a senior British official has said. The
official said President Vladimir Putin had announced to other leaders at the G8
summit in France that his country would halt "all nuclear exports" until Iran
signed up to tougher nuclear inspections.
Iran
Invites U.S. to Bid for Nuclear Contracts
Washington Post, June 2, 20023
TEHRAN, Iran -- Iran invited the United States on Monday to take part in building
its nuclear program, aiming to allay Washington's fears that Tehran is developing
a nuclear bomb.
Iran
countdown begins
The Scotsman, June 2, 2003
‘REGIME change’, the Bush administration’s euphemism for invasion,
is once more back on the lips of senior figures in Washington. This time the country
being singled out as ripe for special treatment is Iran. So far, the use
of the phrase has not found its way into public speeches. Officially, the US still
holds to its policy of cool detachment from Iran. However, the signals emanating
from high-level briefings make it clear that a head of steam is once more building
in Washington towards more drastic action.
Tehran
brushes off US concerns over nukes
Middle East Online, June 2, 2003
Iran on Monday rejected mounting international calls for it to sign an additional
protocol of the Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) that would allow tougher inspections
of its suspect nuclear programme.
Cook
alarmed by increasing US rhetoric against Iran
The Muslim News, May 28, 2003
Former British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook expressed his grave concern Wednesday
over the growing hostility coming from the US Pentagon against Iran. "I am very
alarmed by the escalating rhetoric coming from Washington against Iran," said
Cook, who resigned from his cabinet post as leader of the House of Commons in
protest against the British government joining the US war against Iraq.
Khatami
Refuses to Back Down Over Key Reform Bills
Arab News, June 2, 2003
TEHRAN, 2 June 2003 — Iranian President Mohammad Khatami yesterday signaled
his determination to push through two key bills aimed at limiting the powers of
hard-liners that were rejected by a constitutional oversight body.
Washington
wants change in Iran, says Rice
Sydney Morning Herald, June 2, 2003
The United States would like to see a different kind of regime in Iran, one that
would move away from "an aggressive agenda based on terrorism and weapons of mass
destruction", says the US National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice.
Iraq
War Critics Gather To Continue Their Fight
CommonDreams/Washington Post, June 1, 2003
Bush Policies Targeted at Crowded Teach-In -- One after the other, teenagers in
jeans and sneakers, retirees in slacks and shined shoes, denounced the war in
Iraq yesterday and said it was not over. The crowd overflowed the pews and packed
the aisles at the National City Christian Church on Thomas Circle, saying the
war is a long way from ending. Their own battle against what they called imperialistic
U.S. intentions is just beginning, participants said.
Muslim
solidarity on Israel, Iraq
BBC, May 31, 2003
Foreign ministers from 57 Islamic nations have accused Israel of practising repression
and state terrorism, and called for the speedy restoration of full Iraqi sovereignty.
A joint declaration was issued by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference at
the end of three days of talks in the Iranian capital, Tehran.
UK
to Forcibly Return Iraqi Asylum Seekers
Palestine Chronicle, June 2, 2003
LONDON - The British government is set to repeat the unprecedented example set
last month in deporting Afghan refugees, by forcibly return Iraqi asylum seekers
following the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's government.
Jordan
Court Jails Japanese Photographer
Arab News, June 2, 2003
AMMAN, 2 June 2003 — Jordan’s state security court yesterday sentenced
a Japanese photographer to 18 months in jail for an explosion that killed an airport
security guard as he was returning from Iraq, judicial sources said.
FBI,
Yemen Discuss Opening Up Office
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
SAN'A, Yemen (AP) - FBI Director Robert Mueller discussed counterterrorism efforts
Monday with the president of Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden and
site of the attack on the USS Cole that killed 17 American sailors.
Highway
to hell
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Heavy metal fans in some Islamic countries don't just fear noise complaints from
neighbours. They risk being imprisoned as devil worshippers -- There's no accounting
for taste, but if you want to wear a black t-shirt and listen to heavy metal music,
is it the government's business to stop you? If you get a piercing or a tattoo,
or dance like Michael Jackson, is the fabric of society going to be threatened?
U.S.
Tries to Block Moussaoui Witness
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Justice Department says terrorism suspects would gain the
advantage in criminal trials if al-Qaida loyalist Zacarias Moussaoui is allowed
to interview a former leader of the terrorist group.
