Two
Elderly Palestinians Killed in Gaza
International Press Center, June 3, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, June 3, 2003, IPC + Agencies-- One Palestinian citizen was shot
dead late yesterday night and the other died of his wounds, medical sources in
Gaza announced, meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) continue to impose
a curfew on Ramallah and invade Jenin for the second day on a row.
IOF
Impose Strict Curfew on Ramallah, Kill Palestinian Police Officer
Palestine Media Center, June 3, 2003
June 3, 2003 - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) have escalated their military aggression
against the Palestinian people, shot dead a Palestinian police officer, imposed
a strict siege and curfew on Ramallah and totally closed the cities of Jenin,
Tulkarem and Nablus, only two days ahead of a US-Palestinian-Israeli summit meeting
in Aqaba.
Eight
Wounded in Nablus, One House Destroyed in Tulkarim
International Press Center, June 3, 2003
NABLUS, Palestine, June 3, 2003, (IPC)-- Eight Palestinian civilians were wounded
Monday afternoon, of them one critically after being shot with live ammunition
by Israeli occupation soldiers in the city of Nablus, Palestinian medical sources
said. Israeli soldiers, stationed on the roofs of Palestinians’ houses in
the down town of Nablus, opened fire on a group of Palestinian citizens tried
to protest the over the occupation of the said houses.
Abbas
to call for end to armed intifada
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
Israeli government sources who have seen the draft of the speech planned by Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas for the end of tomorrow's Aqaba summit say they are
disappointed that instead of addressing the need to uproot terror, Abbas will
say the armed intifada must end and Palestinians should resort to "peaceful methods."
No
signs of eased conditions in West Bank
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
The picture that emerged yesterday after a day of driving up and down and back
and forth across the West Bank is of tens of thousands of people who have seemingly
been thrown back into the Middle Ages, when the only mode of transport was by
foot. Nobody is allowed to take a vehicle from a village to a city.
Longest-Held
Palestinian Prisoner Freed
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - After almost three decades behind bars for a deadly
bombing, the oldest and longest-held Palestinian prisoner in Israel was freed
Tuesday and returned triumphantly to the West Bank to clasp hands with Yasser
Arafat and reunite with his family.
Bush
hails progress on 'road map' to peace
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
The US president, George Bush, today said that the latest push for peace in the
Middle East was making steady progress, following a major summit with Arab leaders.
In a press conference with the Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak, following this
morning's talks, Mr Bush praised the Arab states' pledge to crack down on violence.
Bush
locks Europeans out of Middle East process
The Independent, June 3, 2003
George Bush travelled from Evian to the Middle East yesterday, determined to deny
the Europeans a role in monitoring progress along the international road-map to
a Palestinian state....European diplomats have been excluded. An Israeli official
told The Independent yesterday: "There will be no Europeans involved in the monitoring
process. This has been a clear understanding between Israel and the United States."
IDF
chief sees Palestinian cease-fire within days
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
A ceasefire agreement will be achieved within days between the Palestinian Authority
government and terror organizations, IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon told the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee on Tuesday. But Ya'alon added that
it was unclear how long the truce would hold.
Bush
tells Israel to 'deal with' settlements
Financial Times, June 3, 2003
US President George W. Bush on Tuesday pressed Israel to "deal with" its settlements
so as to make way for a self-contained and fully connected Palestinian state...."Israel
must deal with the settlements. Israel must make sure there is a continuous territory
that the Palestinians can call home," Mr Bush said at a meeting of Arab leaders
on the shores of the Red Sea on Tuesday. The White House later clarified that
the president meant to say "contiguous".
Israel
Continues Building Settlements Despite Road Map Summit
International Press Center, June 3, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, June 3, 2003, IPC+ Agencies-- Israeli Housing Minister, Effi
Eitam declared yesterday Israeli government’s intention to keep on building
illegal Jewish settlements throughout the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT),
whilst a peace summit on the American-proposed road map is due today in Sharm
Al-Sheikh.
Yesha
Council seeks deal to keep highly populated outposts
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
The Yesha Council of settlers is trying to reach an agreement with the government
under which only some settlement outposts, most of them unpopulated, would be
dismantled, while large outposts with sizable populations would remain in place.
Palestinian
Agricultural Sector is Going Through Israeli Crisis
International Press Center, June 2, 2003
Mr.Rafeeq Al Natshe, Palestinian minister of agriculture, said the direct agricultural
losses caused by the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) since the beginning of Al
Aqsa Intifada till the end of last April reached nearly one billion dollars.
Israel/PA/United
States: Roadmap Needs Rights Component
Human Rights Watch, June 3, 2003
"Every serious effort at conflict resolution has a human rights component. There's
no reason why the Israeli-Palestinian conflict should be any different." -- (Jerusalem,
June 3, 2003) Wednesday's summit among U.S. President George W. Bush and Prime
Ministers Mahmud Abbas and Ariel Sharon should insert human rights protection
into the "roadmap," Human Rights Watch said today.
A
love under fire
The Guardian, May 31, 2003
It is a romance intertwined with the formation of the International Solidarity
Movement (ISM) on the West Bank. Both were born in the US: she is Palestinian,
he is Jewish. As the ISM has come into the firing line, so their affair has endured
hunger strike and deportation. -- I first saw Adam Shapiro and Huwaida Arraf on
April 18 2002, by the steps to the souk in the centre of Bethlehem.
ISM
Demands Israeli Retraction and Apology over Mike's Place Bombing Allegations
International Solidarity Movement, June 3, 2003
The International Solidarity Movement demands a retraction of statements made
by the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and a full apology....The Ministry
of Foreign Affairs states that "ISM members take an active part in illegal and
violent actions against IDF soldiers. At times, their activity in Judea, Samaria
and the Gaza Strip is under the auspices of Palestinian terrorist organizations."
Palestinians
See No Change In Israeli Attitude
Islam Online, June 3, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, June 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas’ expected meeting with his Israeli counterpart
raised hopes for clinching a peaceful settlement, the situation on the ground
did not witness a similar apparent improvement with continued Israeli incursions
Tuesday, June 3.
Israel
tighten siege measures, hold hundreds of people at check points
Arabic News, June 3, 2003
The Israeli occupation forces yesterday tightened the siege imposed on the cities
and towns of the West Bank and Gaza and intensified its measures on check points
which cut and divide the Palestinian areas, in contradiction to reports already
published on alleviating siege measures and providing facilitation to the Palestinians.
Palestinians
protest against Mideast summits
Middle East Online, June 3, 2003
Hundreds demonstrate in Gaza City against roadmap as Sheikh Yassin says it will
only serve Israeli-US interests in region. -- GAZA CITY - Hundreds of Palestinians
demonstrated Tuesday in the streets of Gaza City to protest against the roadmap
for peace with Israel and the US-sponsored Middle East summits in Egypt and Jordan.
Solidarity
sit-in with detained cancer patient
Palestinian Information Center, June 3, 2003
Jenin - The Palestinian prisoner’s committee today organized a solidarity
sit-in with the detainee Asmaa Abul Haija, 42, who is imprisoned in the Zionist
Talmund jail for women under cruel detention conditions.
The
end of history
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Conflict in the Middle East is destroying many of the world's greatest buildings.
-- Dan Cruickshank had long been concerned about the fate of the great historical
monuments of the Holy Land, which have been taking a battering in recent years,
and so he decided to go out to Israel to see the damage for himself.
Occupied
Houses in Nablus
International Solidarity Movement, June 3, 2003
Nablus, Euridice, 3 Jun 03 -- Early in the morning of Tuesday, June 3rd several
houses located in Askar Refugee Camp, (Nablus) were occupied by IOF forces. Members
of ISM Nablus were able to visit three of these houses in order to assess the
situations of the families involved.
Hear
Palestine, June 3, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Beit Hanoun: Resident Killed in Israeli Fire / 16-Year Old from Tulkarem
Dies of Injuries / Al-Maghazi Resident Dies of Injuries / Nablus: 12 Civilians
Wounded in Israeli Fire; Military Reinforcements / Tulkarem: Home Demolished;
Entrances to Villages Closed / Ramallah: Ongoing Curfew; Random Arrests / Hebron:
Campaign of Raids and Arrests; Yatta under Curfew / Bethlehem: Israeli Army Enters
City; Imposes Curfew / Jenin: Closure Tightened with Heavy Military Presence /
Jerusalem: Tight Israeli Military Measures in City Suburbs / Salfeet: Tight Military
Siege Imposed / Khan Younis: Resident Wounded in Attacks on Refugee Camp
FEATURES: 75 Palestinians Killed, Including 21 Children Last Month / Wounded Youth
Arrested from Ambulance
Bush
Says Terror 'Must Be Defeated'
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
SHARM EL-SHEIK, Egypt (AP) - Arab leaders, meeting with President Bush as he plunged
into the labyrinth of Mideast peace talks, pledged on Tuesday to fight terror
and violence and called on Israel to ``rebuild trust and restore normal Palestinian
life.''
Rivlin:
Sharon will evacuate 17 West Bank settlements
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon intends to evacuate 17 settlements in the West Bank
as part of a political agreement with the Palestinians, Knesset Speaker Reuven
Rivlin, MK (Likud), said yesterday. In an interview with Haaretz, Rivlin said
the settlements to be removed are those breaking the territorial contiguity of
the future Palestinian state.
Israel
Frees Prisoners Ahead of Summit
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
AL KHADER, West Bank (AP) - Israel released about 100 prisoners on Tuesday into
the arms of their waiting relatives, a goodwill gesture ahead of a Mideast peace
summit with U.S. President George W. Bush.
Bush
Pledges Full Commitment on Eve of Mideast Talks
Washington Post, June 3, 2003
New Team to Track Efforts By Sides to Keep Promises -- SHARM EL-SHEIKH, Egypt,
June 2 -- President Bush pledged today to commit "as much time as necessary" to
helping Israelis and Palestinians work out a peace agreement, beginning with two
days of talks that open in this resort on Tuesday with meetings between the president
and Arab leaders.
Bush
Sticks to the Broad Strokes
Washington Post, June 3, 2003
President Bush, who today begins his first high-profile effort at Middle East
peacemaking, is convinced that Israel must accept a Palestinian state to ensure
its survival, according to current and former aides who have heard him discuss
the subject. But they say he has shown little interest in the details of the complex
disputes in the region and remains skeptical of intervening deeply in the negotiating
process.
Bush
Kicks off Peace Summit, Arab Leaders Stand by Arafat
International Press Center, June 3, 2003
SHARM AL-SHEIKH, Egypt, June 3, 2003, IPC + Agencies-- In his first visit to the
Middle East since he took office in January, 2001, US President George W. Bush
arrived Monday to the Egyptian sea resort of Sharm Al-Sheikh, to start off the
long-awaited peace summit, that would officially mark the beginning of the "Roadmap"
peace plan.
The
unrecorded meeting at the heart of Bush's talks
Financial Times, June 3, 2003
President George W. Bush's meeting with Arab leaders in the Egyptian resort town
of Sharm el-Sheikh took an unscripted - and unrecorded - turn on Tuesday. Egyptian
president Hosni Mubarak ushered Mr Bush into an ante-room for what turned into
90 minutes of private conversation with fellow heads of government from the Middle
East.
Arabs
hesitant at US plea to speed up normalization with Israel
Middle East Online, June 3, 2003
Arab FMs support comprehensive rather than separate Arab moves to normalize relations
with Israel. -- US Secretary of State Colin Powell asked his Arab counterparts
here to speed up the normalization of ties with Israel but was met with a hesitant
response, Arab participants said Tuesday.
Arabs
to Stand by Arafat Despite His Absence at Summit
Arab News, June 3, 2003
SHARM EL-SHEIKH, 3 June 2003 — Arab leaders will stand by Yasser Arafat
as the “legitimate” Palestinian leader despite his absence at a summit
here with US President George W. Bush, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said
here yesterday.
Saudi
Cabinet Asks Israel to Implement Mideast Road Map in Full
Arab News, June 3, 2003
JEDDAH, 3 June 2003 — Saudi Arabia yesterday called on Israel to implement
without delay and in full the road map for Middle East peace before two decisive
summits scheduled by US President George W. Bush and Arab and Israeli leaders
this week.
ME
Summits Serve Israel, Target Resistance: Palestinians
Islam Online, June 3, 2003
AL-KHALIL, June 3 (IslamOnline.net) - Palestinian politicians and analysts were
doubtful Tuesday, June 3, that the twin summits of Sharm El-Sheikh and Aqaba would
come up with any results serving the Palestinian cause, noting that they would
only reaffirm U.S. bias towards Israel.
Ranteesi:
Detainees question tops list of Hamas priorities
Palestinian Information Center, June 3, 2003
Gaza - Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi, political bureau member of the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas, has affirmed that his Movement was exerting all possible efforts
to ensure release of Palestinian detainees in Zionist occupation jails.
CIA
supervises training of PA intelligence agents
Palestinian Information Center, June 3, 2003
Tel Aviv - Palestinian Authority’s intelligence agents are currently training
in the West Bank city of Jericho on means of combating “terrorism”,
according to Hebrew press reports.
Hamas:
Summits to blackmail Palestinians
Washington Times, June 3, 2003
GAZA, June 3 (UPI) -- Leaders of Islamic resistance movement Hamas said Tuesday
that the U.S.-Arab and U.S.-Israeli-Palestinian summits this week are aiming at
blackmailing both Arab and Palestinian leaders.
Muslim
Brotherhood: Road-map deceptive
Palestinian Information Center, June 3, 2003
Cairo - The Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt yesterday urged the Arab leaders not to
take part in the American-“Israeli” conspiracy aimed at quelling the
Palestinian Aqsa intifada at the hands of Palestinian Authority officials.
HRW
Backgrounder: The "Roadmap": Repeating Oslo's Human Rights Mistakes
Human Rights Watch, May, 2003
The publication of the latest plan to end Israeli-Palestinian violence, the "Roadmap"
may be an important step in achieving a negotiated settlement in the Israeli-Palestinian
conflict. Sponsored by the United States, Russia, the European Union, and the
United Nations (the "Quartet"), it may have the potential to end the violence
that has wrecked Palestinian and Israeli civilian lives.
Disingenuous
approval
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 29 May - 4 June, 2003
Israel's conditional acceptance of the roadmap ups the pressure on the Palestinians.
-- While welcoming the Israeli government's formal approval on Sunday of the roadmap,
Palestinian officials strongly rejected the 14 "reservations" that Sharon said
were conditional to his acceptance of it. Describing the reservations as "irrelevant",
PA Information Minister Nabil Amr said the Palestinian Authority "is not and will
not be bound by any Israeli objections, reservations or amendments to the plan".
Peace
hopes lie heavy on new force
The Guardian, June 2, 2003
Concluding our look at prospects for the Middle East road map, we examine Israel's
demand for Palestinian police to help end terror attacks -- Munjed Zydan laughs
at the sudden interest in turning his doubtful young recruits into another front
in the war on terrorism. The commander of the new Palestinian security force training
camp in the West Bank town of Jericho does not put it in those terms, but the
Israelis do and he knows they are defining the mission. Now the CIA has arrived
to ensure the new policemen get their priorities right.
A-G
considers calling police probe of double voting
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein is considering calling for a police investigation
of Likud Knesset members' double voting for the economic austerity plan passed
by the Knesset last week. He discussed the issue with Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin
on Tuesday.
250
Christian women arrive for Pentecost
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
A group of 250 women from Aglow, the largest international pro-Israel Christian
organization, arrived from the United States yesterday for Pentecost. Aglow is
an interdenominational organization, representing some 15 million believers in
151 nations and operates about 3,500 groups called Lighthouses, over 1,400 of
them in the U.S.
Israeli
kids flunk international literacy exam
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
The Education Ministry decided yesterday that second grade pupils will be required
to pass a reading comprehension test. The decision came following yesterday's
report of the poor performance of Israeli fourth graders in an international literacy
test. The fourth grade pupils ranked 23rd out of 35 in literacy tests held by
the Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) of the industrialized
states.
Mike's
Place terrorists got a lift into Israel with Italian reporter
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
The terrorists who committed the suicide bombing at Mike's Place on April 29 crossed
from Gaza into Israel with the aid of an Italian journalist, according to details
of the investigation that were revealed yesterday when a court-imposed gag order
was lifted.
Port
workers go on strike in pension campaign
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
As port workers took wildcat strike action yesterday in protest at the government's
pension reforms, the Histadrut warned that similar actions would follow, daily,
in pursuit of their campaign. Every morning the federation will determine where
protest action would take place that day.
Sharp
rise in security alerts ahead of Sharm, Aqaba summits
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
There was a sharp rise in security alerts Tuesday, with the Shin Bet security
service counting at least 63 specific alerts and the IDF attributing the tension
to the terror organizations wanting to disrupt the Sharm el-Sheikh and Aqaba summits.
Voting
ends in Haifa, Jerusalem and Or Akiva local elections
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
Polling stations in the municipal and mayoral elections in Jerusalem and Haifa
closed at 10 P.M. on Tuesday, with an extremely low voter turnout in both cities
- a trend that, in the capital, was expected to help acting Jerusalem Mayor Uri
Lupolianski become the city's first ultra-Orthodox mayor.
Richard
Gere visits Palestinian territories
Middle East Online, June 3, 2003
Hollywood heartthrob holds brief meeting with Palestinian culture minister, expected
to return to region in November. -- RAMALLAH, West Bank - Hollywood heartthrob
Richard Gere became Tuesday the latest US celebrity to meet with officials involved
in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Seeking
healing at a place of pain
Come and See, June 2, 2003
A Greek Catholic priest from Nazareth felt the need to lead a group of Arabs and
Jews to Auschwitz to understand each other. He says:"We can't understand our conflict
without understanding the history of the Jewish people, the Holocaust, and how
it lives today," he said. "We cannot make peace until we understand the pain."
Messianic
movement in Israel is flourishing
Come and See, June 3, 2003
"The Holy Spirit is bringing together all the diverse members of the body, and
through overcoming by our faith in the Lord Jesus and His finished work on the
cross, we – Jewish, Arab, and other national believers – are being
made one for the sake of the truth of who Yeshua is, and who we are to Him and
in Him." - Howard Bass,leader of Beer Sheva Messianic Congregation
New
Group Offers Alternative To AIPAC
Washington Post, June 3, 2003
"This is the first attempt to build a national organization that is an alternative
to AIPAC," said Michael Lerner..an organizer of the four-day conference.
-- On the same day that President Bush holds a summit with Arab leaders in Cairo,
about 500 activists will visit 160 Capitol Hill offices today with the message
that some supporters of Israel believe its security depends on creating a viable
Palestinian state.
UK
activist returns from Israel in coma
The Guardian, May 30, 2003
May 30: A young British peace activist in a coma after being shot in the head
by an Israeli soldier flew back to Britain yesterday. The family of Tom Hurndall,
21, do not think he will ever recover consciousness.
Rival
tried to kill me, says Jerusalem patriarch
The Guardian, May 31, 2003
The Christian community in Jerusalem is renowned for its regular spats over seemingly
mundane matters. But despite anger aroused by the battles over tiny patches of
floorspace in the Church of the Holy Sepulchre, the traditional site of Christ's
crucifixion, the priests have restrained themselves to fisticuffs - until now.
'Dumb'
bombs used to topple Saddam
The Age, June 3, 2003
More than 240,000 cluster bombs were dropped on Iraq, the report shows. -- A third
of the bombs dropped on Iraq were old-style "dumb weapons" - despite suggestions
from the Pentagon that 90 per cent of munitions used would be precision-guided....There
were 10 authorised strikes against "media facilities", including the Baghdad office
of the Arabic TV news channel al-Jazeera, in which a reporter died.
Protesters
decry launch of 'model' local council
The Age, June 3, 2003
British occupation forces in Basra have tried to put a new local governing council
in place, but thousands of residents who were angry that it was handpicked by
the British poured into Basra's streets in protest.
Texan
to Lead Forces in Iraq
Washington Post, June 3, 2003
Command to Be Consolidated -- BAGHDAD -- Maj. Gen. Ricardo S. Sanchez, who is
about to become the top U.S. military commander in Iraq, began life on the poor
side of a small town in the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas....Originally a tank
officer, in the 1991 Persian Gulf War he commanded a battalion in a unit that
was attached to then-Maj. Gen. Barry McCaffrey's 24th Mechanized Infantry Division.
Iraqi
Tribesmen Slam Hollow U.S. Promises
Islam Online, June 3, 2003
BAGHDAD, June 3 (IslamOnline.net) - A pall was cast on a tempestuous meeting held
Monday, June 2, between U.S. officials and Iraqi tribesmen, who were irked by
remarks made by an adviser of U.S. civil administrator of Iraq Paul Bremer that
the U.S. troops in Iraq were an occupying and not liberating power.
Basra:
British Forces Fail to Provide Security
Human Rights Watch, June 3, 2003
(New York, June 3, 2003) Nearly eight weeks after British forces entered Basra,
they still have not addressed basic security needs in Iraq's second largest city,
Human Rights Watch said today. In a 23-page report released today, "Basra: Crime
and Insecurity Under British Occupation," Human Right Watch charged that U.S.
and British authorities failed to plan for or provide adequate forces to carry
out their international legal obligation as the occupying power.
Anger
sweeps tribes; Sheikh and former Iraqi soldiers
Arabic News, June 3, 2003
The Iraqi groups yesterday retaliated to the decision of the American occupation
to form a "consultation" political council that will help in ruling the country.
They stressed yesterday clinging to convening a national conference, while anger
increased in the lines of the Iraqi tribes chieftains who left a meeting they
had in Baghdad with a high ranking American official.
Two
boats carrying four American soldiers disappeared in Gulf waters
Arabic News, June 3, 2003
The American navy said yesterday that two small boats carrying four American soldiers
and at least 3 civilians disappeared on Sunday in the waters to the north of the
Gulf. The US fifth fleet announced the two boats were missed while they were on
their way to Shat al-Arab passage coming from the Iraqi al-Baker port.
Ex-Army
boss: Pentagon won't admit reality in Iraq
USA Today, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON — The former civilian head of the Army said Monday it is time
for the Pentagon to admit that the military is in for a long occupation of Iraq
that will require a major commitment of American troops.
U.S.
Soldiers, Civilians Held Overnight by Iranians
Washington Post, June 3, 2003
Four U.S. soldiers and five civilians in two boats were detained by Iranians,
blindfolded and interrogated Sunday before being released yesterday, the U.S.
Central Command said. Two of the civilians were still being held.
G8
leaders pledge to rebuild Iraq
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
World leaders at the summit meeting of the Group of Eight major industrialised
states, whose body language and statements were scrutinised for signs of divisions
over the Iraq war, today announced they had reached a unified position on the
country's future.
Nuclear
warning for 'rogue states'
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
The leading industrial states last night sharply stepped up the pressure on North
Korea and Iran to abandon covert nuclear weapons programmes when they instructed
the two alleged "rogue states" to comply with the global drive against terrorism
and weapons of mass destruction.
Sacked
By U.S., Iraqi Officers Become Sellers, Drivers
Islam Online, June 3, 2003
BAGHDAD, June 3 (IslamOnline.net) - With the Iraqi army dissolved by the U.S.
occupation power, the once-proud 400,000 uniformed members are now struggling
for life in tough conditions afflicting the war-torn country.
Saddam's
soldiers struggle to feed their children
Middle East Online, June 3, 2003
Dissolved Iraqi army, still in shock at total defeat, bitterness, desperate to
find jobs to fight for survival. -- With the Iraqi army abolished, the once-proud
soldiers of Saddam Hussein are today struggling to survive in a harsh climate
of total defeat and bitterness.
Iraq's
parched marshlands returning to life
The Age, May 31, 2003
Local communities, starved of water, are reclaiming this precious resource. --
The Mesopotamian marshlands are returning to life as locals tear down earthworks
and open floodgates allowing spring waters to surge on to land drained by Saddam
Hussein.
US
Senate inquiry into how case for war was made
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
The Bush administration faces a major test of its credibility from a Senate committee
investigation into whether officials misused intelligence to make the case for
a war on Iraq.
Kucinich
Seeks Videotape of Lynch Rescue
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Rep. Dennis Kucinich called on the Defense Department on Tuesday
to release the unedited footage of the rescue of Pfc. Jessica Lynch from an Iraqi
hospital and to answer questions about her injuries.
Blix
report fuels doubts on weapons of mass destruction
Financial Times, June 2, 2003
US and British leaders were on Monday scrambling to explain why they had so far
failed to find evidence of Iraq's weapons of mass destruction as United Nations
weapons inspectors reported that Baghdad was handing over fresh information just
hours before the US-led air strikes that began the war.
'Last'
Blix report raises questions
BBC, June 3, 2003
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has submitted what is likely to be his last
report on the hunt for weapons of mass destruction in Iraq before leaving the
post later this month. Although UN teams returned to Iraq last November after
a four-year absence, their mission was halted and they were withdrawn just before
US-led forces invaded Iraq in March.
Iraq
repercussions trouble top advisers
The Mercury News, May 31, 2003
Raionale for invasion challenged -- WASHINGTON - Some of President Bush's top
advisers, who had hoped the war in Iraq would be the turning point in the battle
against terrorism and the centerpiece of the president's re-election campaign,
fear it is instead becoming a political, diplomatic and military mess.
Nato
works on healing Iraq rift
BBC, June 3, 2003
Nato foreign ministers are trying to put Iraq war divisions behind them at a summit
in Madrid, focusing on the alliance's role in fighting international terrorism.
The two-day meeting, opened on Tuesday by Secretary-General Lord Robertson, is
reviewing plans for Nato to take charge of peacekeeping in Afghanistan, and will
offer backup to Polish peacekeepers in Iraq.
Iraq
'virtual heritage' archive planned
BBC, June 3, 2003
A US university is hoping to create a virtual archive of Iraq's historical treasures.
The University of California at Berkeley is trying to raise $5m (£3m) for a project
which would chronicle the war-torn country's museums and archaeological digs.
Containing
chaos
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 29 May - 4 June, 2003
With two summits in the region next week Arab diplomacy has moved into overdrive
-- A limited Arab-American meeting in Sharm El-Sheikh, hosted by President Hosni
Mubarak and expected to take place on Wednesday, will bring together US President
George W Bush together with the heads of state of Bahrain, Jordan, Morocco and
the crown prince of Saudi Arabia. The following day King Abdullah of Jordan, together
with the prime ministers of Palestine and Israel, will meet with the US president
in Aqaba.
Syrian
intellectuals urge Assad for reforms
Haaretz, June 3, 2003
DAMASCUS - Nearly 300 Syrian intellectuals, engineers, lawyers and political activists
have asked President Bashar Assad for comprehensive reforms to ostensibly buffer
the country from American criticisms.
Gender
and development: A bid to encourage and enable gender- responsive program development
Arabic News, June 3, 2003
Gender issues have for long been given top priority as a heated debate with efforts
concentrated to explain its various concepts regarding gender roles; gender training,
gender equality and gender planning. Highlighting this issue on the need to increase
the capacity for the integrated efforts of both man and woman for developmental
partnership. UNICEF's Damascus office has organized 3 workshops to Gender sensitize
the officers from various walks of life and to provide knowledge on gender mainstreaming.
Rid
Mideast of WMDs: Abdullah
Arab News Staff, June 3, 2003
JEDDAH, 3 June 2003 — Saudi Arabia has urged G-8 leaders to settle the Arab-Israeli
conflict and eliminate weapons of mass destruction from the Middle East region.
“I emphasize the importance of making serious efforts to end the Arab-Israeli
conflict,” Crown Prince Abdullah, deputy premier and commander of the National
Guard, told the G-8 summit on Sunday.
Saudi
oil minister defends OPEC cartel
Middle East Online, June 3, 2003
BAKU - Saudi Arabia's oil minister Ali Al-Naimi warned on Tuesday it would be
"folly" to leave the market to determine oil prices, in a vigorous defence of
the OPEC oil cartel. His comments come at a time when oil industry insiders believe
the United States may be seeking to use Iraqi oil, newly freed from United Nations
sanctions, to challenge OPEC's stranglehold on world oil prices.
Survey
Says Support for U.S. Fades
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The war in Iraq has sent support for the United States to new
lows in Muslim countries and significantly damaged the standing of the United
Nations in those nations and elsewhere, according to a survey released Tuesday.
For
Jailed Immigrants, a Presumption of Guilt
New York Times, June 3, 2003
The Sept. 11 terror attacks not only turned the nation upside down, but they also
inverted the foundation principles of the American legal system. The report issued
yesterday by the Justice Department's inspector general said the nation's law
enforcement authorities ceased being consumed with prosecuting violations of the
law and tried to put a lid on every possible type of terrorist activity.
U.S.
Report Faults the Roundup of Illegal Immigrants After 9/11
New York Times, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 2 — The Justice Department's roundup of hundreds of illegal
immigrants in the months after the Sept. 11 attacks was plagued with "significant
problems" that forced many people with no connection to terrorism to languish
in jails in unduly harsh conditions, an internal report released today found.
Report:
The September 11th Detainees - Acrobat format
US Department of Justice, Office of the Inpsector Genreal, April,. 2003
A Review of the Treatment of Aliens Held on Immigration Charges in Connection
with the Investigation of the September 11th Attacks
FCC
Puts Democracy on Mute
CommonDreams, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON - June 2 - Common Cause, MoveOn.org and Free Press today condemned
the FCC's 3-2 vote in favor of relaxing media ownership rules that favor corporate
monopolies at the expense of local news outlets and diversity. The groups vowed
to continue fighting to take back America's public airwaves by going to Congress
and the courts to restore limits on what media giants can own.
Islamic
School Makes History In Minnesota
Islam Online, June 3, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 3 (IslamOnline.net) - The three high school students who graduated
May 31 from Al-Amal School in Fridley, MN, became the first to graduate from an
Islamic school in Minnesota, turning a new chapter in the state's rich tradition
of religious education, said the Islamic Schools' League of America, a national
advocacy group.
Two
Convicted in Detroit Terror Trial
The Guardian, June 3, 2003
DETROIT (AP) - Two of four Arab immigrants were convicted Tuesday of conspiring
to support Islamic extremists plotting attacks in the United States and the Middle
East. A third was found guilty of a fraud charge, and a fourth was acquitted of
all counts.
