One
Palestinian Citizen Killed, 25 Wounded in Latest Israeli Raid on Gaza, Military
Escalation in West Bank
International Press Center, June 14, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, June 14, 2003, (IPC + Agencies)-- One Palestinian civilian was
killed late Friday and 25 others were wounded, when US-made Israeli combating
helicopters fired a number of missiles at a civilian car in the crowded neighborhood
of “Al Sabra” in Gaza City.
Palestinian
teen killed in Nablus; army says foils suicide attack
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
Palestinian sources said that a 19-year-old Palestinian was killed Saturday by
IDF fire after throwing stones at a tank in the Oskar refugee camp in Nablus,
Israel Radio reported. Three other teens were wounded in the incident.
Israeli
army fires on pedestrians in Tulkarm, Hebron, continues atrocities in Gaza
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Israeli occupation troops, backed by tanks, armored vehicles
and helicopter gunships, re-invaded the northern West Bank town of Tulkarm shortly
before dawn Saturday. The invading troops fired heavily and indiscriminately before
imposing house-confinement on the town’s inhabitants of 100,000 people.
PA
Ready For Security Responsibility, Pullout Talks Planned
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
Israelis want Dahlan to submit a detailed plan to combat "terrorism" --
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, June 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Few
hours after the Palestinian Authority announced readiness to assume security responsibility
in case the Israeli occupation forces should withdraw from occupied territories,
an Israeli official source said Israeli and Palestinian security officials are
expected to meet late Saturday, June 14, to discuss a partial withdrawal of Israeli
troops.
Mixed
response to Annan's call for Mideast peacekeepers
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
Israel rejected Friday a suggestion by United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan
that armed peacekeepers should be sent to the Middle East to act as buffers between
the two sides. Palestinian officials, however, responded positively to the proposal,
which has been touted in the past by the Palestinian Authority.
U.S.
Doesn't Condemn Strikes by Israelis
Washington Post, June 14, 2003
KENNEBUNKPORT Maine, June 13 -- President Bush's spokesman today said the administration
did not oppose Israel's strikes on Hamas militants in the Palestinian territories,
sharply reversing the president's criticism of such actions this week. "The issue
is not Israel," White House press secretary Ari Fleischer said at a briefing here,
shortly before Israel launched a new strike on Palestinian militants.
IDF
stops Israelis en route to help with Palestinian harvest
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
IDF troops on Saturday afternoon prevented a convoy of Israeli members of the
Ta'ayush Arab Jewish partnership from traveling to the West Bank to help Palestinians
with their harvest, Israel Radio reported. The Israelis were stopped enroute to
an area south of the Hebron Hills following threats from settlers living in the
vicinity. As a result, the harvest did not take place.
Israeli
soldiers use medical team as human shields
Palestine Monitor, June 14, 2003
Following on from yesterdays attack on the village of Deir Ghassaneh, where the
Israeli occupying army surrounded and entered the village, declared a curfew,
buried alive villagers, and shot and arrested other villagers, we now have an
update to the attacks. The Israeli occupying army stopped a Palestine Medical
Relief Ambulance at gunpoint. The soldiers got into the ambulance and forced the
team at gunpoint, to drive around the village.
The
second Israeli rocket attack on Gaza in 4 hours
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Gaza – Two apache gunships fired two rockets, Friday night at 11 PM, at
the home of Sheik Abu Imad Sarsor, who is close the Islamic Resistance Movement
(Hamas), which stands at the edge of the Sabra neighbourhood in southern Gaza
city.
Arafat
Exile Ready In Tunisian Suburb’; Source
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
PARIS, June 14 (IslamOnline.net) - The U.S. has decided to send Palestinian leader
Yassir Arafat into exile, as he failed to stop the Palestinian resistance operations,
considered by the Washington as "terrorism", a Tunisian source in Paris told IslamOnline.net
Saturday, June 14.
Quartet
to meet in bid to save road map
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
The members of the Quartert will convene for an urgent meeting in Jordan later
this month. Sources in Washington said the meeting, set for June 22 in Aqaba,
is intended to put the peace process back on track and "save the road map."
U.S.
road map delegation expected Saturday night
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
An American delegation headed by special envoy to the Middle East John Wolf is
due to arrive in Jerusalem late Saturday, in an effort to prevent further deterioration
of the situation between Israel and the Palestinians.
Stop
Attacks on the Village of Deir Ghassaneh
Palestine Monitor/Palestine Medical Relief, June 13, 2003
Palestine Medical Relief and Palestine Monitor have just received an urgent call
for help from the villagers of Deir Ghassaneh, near Ramallah in the West Bank.
At 3am this morning, the Israeli occupying army surrounded and blocked the village,
declaring a curfew. At 12pm some of the villagers heard cries for help. They discovered
that the army was burying alive three of the villagers who were seeking safety
in a cave.
Palestinian
prisoners on hunger strike
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Bethlehem - Palestinian prisoners in the Zionist detention center Qadomim have
gone on an open-ended hunger strike to protest the prison administration’s
provocative and repressive practices. Legal sources said that the 45 captives
in that military detention center were experiencing terrible imprisonment conditions.
UN
Official Says Israel Must Halt Construction of 'Segregation' Wall
Palestine Chronicle, June 14, 2003
"'By the end of July, 12,000 Palestinians in 15 villages could find themselves
wedged between the wall and the Green Line .. a further 138,000 Palestinians in
16 localities could be surrounded on three sides by the wall ..'" -- NEW YORK
(United Nations) - A senior United Nations official has stressed that Israel should
halt the construction of a unilateral separation wall it is currently building
east of the “Green Line” because of the devastating humanitarian impact
it is having on the Palestinian people and on the peace process itself.
Palestinians
demand right of worship in historical mosque
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Beer Sheba - Palestinians in the Negev city of Beer Sheba have demanded allowing
them to offer prayers in their city’s grand mosque that was turned into
a museum by the Zionist occupation authorities since 1953.
PNA
Welcomes US Proposal for Truce with Israel
Palestine Media Center, June 14, 2003
Abed Rabbo: Palestinians Ready to Assume Security Responsibilities -- June
14, 2003 - The Palestinian leadership welcomed on Friday a US proposal for a truce
with Israel that allows the resumption of negotiations to implement the US-backed
“roadmap” to Palestinian–Israeli peace and will resume Saturday
morning an emergency meeting to continue with the evaluation of the deteriorating
situation on the ground.
PA
Accepts Israeli Proposal for Controlling Security Conditions in Gaza Strip
International Press Center, June 14, 2003
GAZA, Palestine, June 14, 2003, IPC+Agencies-- after three days of hyper Israeli
military escalation against Palestinian targets of Hamas movement in Gaza Strip,
Israel proposed Friday that the Palestinian authority controls security in areas
from which Israel withdrew in Gaza Strip.
Palestinian
Anger At Killing Mounts
Washington Post, June 14, 2003
Israeli Strike on Car Kills 1, Wounds 22 -- JABALIYA, Gaza Strip, June 13 -- Angry
Palestinian mourners in this sprawling refugee camp buried their dead today after
five days of bloodshed. Hours later, Israeli helicopter gunships again struck
at suspected militants, firing three missiles at a car, killing one person and
wounding 22, including seven children, doctors here reported.
Israeli
pullout talks begin
BBC, June 14, 2003
Israeli and Palestinian security officials have begun meeting in the West Bank
town of Ramallah to discuss a partial Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip,
Palestinian sources say. Those thought to be attending include Palestinian security
minister Mohammed Dahlan, the co-ordinator for Israeli activities in the Palestinian
territories, General Amos Gilad, and representatives of Israel's Shin Bet intelligence
service.
Israel,
Palestinians May Get Peacekeepers
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - After a particularly bloody week in the Middle East, a growing
chorus of voices, led by U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, is calling for the
deployment of armed force to keep the warring parties apart so they can begin
implementing a new peace plan.
Israel,
Palestinians to meet Saturday for security talks
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
The Palestinian minister with responsibility for security, Mohammed Dahlan, will
meet Saturday evening for renewed security talks with Israeli officials, following
recent American and Egyptian pressure on the two sides.
Israel,
Palestinians Set to Resume Talks
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel offered to withdraw troops from parts of the Gaza Strip,
and the Palestinians expressed readiness to take up security control as the two
sides headed into new talks Saturday to patch up a U.S.-backed peace plan after
a week of violence.
Israel,
PA resume security talks; Hamas rejects cease-fire proposal
Al-Bawaba, June 14, 2003
Israel and the Palestinians are resuming top-level security talks, officials said
Saturday. On the table is a proposal that Israel withdraw from parts of the Gaza
Strip to positions held before the outbreak of fighting in September 2000, officials
on both sides said, according to AP. Despite the planned talks, Abdel Aziz Rantisi,
a Hamas leader, said Saturday his group would not halt its attacks against Israel.
"The word cease-fire is not in our dictionary," he said.
Hamas
man, wife, young children killed in 5th IDF missile strike in Gaza in 2 days
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
Seven Palestinians, including a Hamas militant, his wife and two children, were
killed yesterday afternoon by missiles fired from Israel Air Force helicopters
in Gaza City. The attack by two Apache helicopters was the third air-launched
missile strike against Hamas targets in 24 hours and the fifth in the last two
days. In a separate incident in the West Bank, Israeli forces killed two Palestinians
in Jenin last night.
Israel
broadens attacks, targets Palestinian political leaders
Arizona Daily Sun, June 14, 2003
JERUSALEM -- Despite appeals to break a cycle of attack and counterattack, Israel
broadened its campaign against Palestinian militants Friday, saying it will strike
political as well as military leaders who target Israel with terrorism. In new
attacks against Hamas on Friday -- the sixth and seventh in four days -- Israel
killed an operative of the group in a missile attack in Gaza City and three hours
later fired rockets at a building just a block from the home of Hamas founder
Sheik Ahmed Yassin.
Israel
defies restraint plea with new strike on Hamas
The Independent, June 14, 2003
An Israeli helicopter again fired missiles into a crowded area of the Gaza Strip
last night in an assassination of a Palestinian militant. Children were among
the 23 wounded by the missile strike. The killing came despite an opinion poll
published yesterday which found that 67 per cent of Israelis want the assassinations
to stop, at least temporarily, to give the peace process a chance.
Palestinians
Stage Huge Anti-Israel Rally
Arab News, June 14, 2003
BEIRUT, 14 June 2003 — Thousands of Palestinian refugees demonstrated in
camps across Lebanon yesterday, some urging more suicide bombings against Israelis
and tearing the US flag apart with their teeth. Some 20,000 Palestinian refugees
demonstrated yesterday inside their camp in the southern port city of Tyre, to
protest against Israel’s “massacres” against the Palestinians
in Gaza.
Israel
Turns Deaf Ear to Reason
Arab News, June 14, 2003
TEL AVIV, 14 June 2003 — Israeli helicopter gunships fired at least two
missiles yesterday at a car in Gaza City, killing one Palestinian and wounding
22, medical sources said.....Earlier, Palestinian leaders expressed concern that
the United States was giving a free hand to the Israeli military.
Mother,
Daughter Among 7 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Air Raids
Palestine Media Center, June 14, 2003
Israel Rejects, Palestinians Welcome Deployment of Peace Forces -- June
14, 2003 - At least seven Palestinians, including a mother and her baby daughter,
were killed and dozens others were wounded, in three Israeli assassination attempts
in the past 48 hours as Israelis rejected the UN Secretary General’s call
to immediately send armed international forces to the occupied Palestinian territory.
Israel
assassinates Hamas operative, Israeli soldier shot dead in Jenin
Al-Bawaba, June 13, 2003
Israeli attack helicopters Friday evening launched at least two missiles at a
car in Gaza City, killing at least one person and wounding 25 others, including
seven children, witnesses said. Hamas identified the dead man as Fuad Ledawi,
a member of its military wing and said that he had been an aide to Tito Massoud,
a Hamas operative killed in an Israeli missile strike earlier in the week.
Rabbis
demand expulsion of Palestinians to Arab countries
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem- The committee of rabbis in the council of Zionist settlements
in the occupied Palestinian lands has demanded the expulsion of Palestinian citizens
from what they called the “land of Israel”. The committee said that
the forced exodus of Palestinians (from their lands of their forefathers) would
take place according to Torah laws.
Occupier
takes “mediaeval measures” in Hebron, Palestinians shout “Gestapo”
at Jewish soldiers
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Al-Khalil - The Israeli occupation army (IOF) has been wreaking havoc on Palestinian
civilians in this southern West Bank town, destroying roads, wreaking water pipes
and vandalizing electricity grids and poles. At night on Thursday, Israeli army
bulldozers dug deep holes in the main streets and thoroughfares of Hebron, barring
traffic movement and paralyzing the flow of goods and services throughout the
town.
Hamas:
no truce with occupier
Palestinian Information Center, June 14, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - The Palestinian resistance group, Hamas, said it wouldn’t
halt its resistance to the Israeli occupation army as long Zionist forces remained
entrenched in Palestinian population centers. Non the less, Hamas leader Abdul
Aziz al Rantisi said during a television interview Saturday his movement would
examine favorably any suggestions for halting attacks on civilians from both sides.
"If they stop attacks on our civilians, we will reciprocate in likewise manner,”
Rantisi told the Pan-Arab satellite, al Jazeera.
Palestinian
Factions Oppose Truce, Seek End Of Occupation
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
“When the occupation ends, anti-occupation resistance would stop,”
Rantissi -- GAZA CITY, June 14 (IslamOnline.net) - Palestinian resistance groups
shrugged off Saturday, June 14, an Israeli proposal of a three-day truce whereby
Israel would stop its assassination policy while the factions would halt anti-Israel
attacks.
Weekly
Report on Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
June 5-11, 2003
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
A few days after the recent Aqaba summit, which was attended by both the Israeli
and Palestinian prime ministers in an effort to broker an agreement between the
two sides, Israeli occupying forces daramatically escalated hostile military actions
against Palestinians, especially extra-judicial assassinations. Israeli
occupying forces have also continued to conduct illegal actions and human rights
violations against Palestinian civilians, including collective punishment, shelling
of and incursions into Palestinian areas, house demolitions and agricultural land
leveling.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine June 14, 2003
Palestine Media Center, June 14, 2003
At least seven Palestinians were killed and dozens other were wounded, in three
Israeli Apache air raids on Gaza city. Meanwhile, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF)
raided the northern West Bank town of Tulkarem and its refugee camp and wounded
four Palestinians. IOF Demolish House in Rafah.
IOF
Continue Killing Civilians and Tighten their Siege on the OPT
Al Mezan Center for Human Rights, June 14, 2003
Breaching international law and the human rights standards, the Israeli Occupation
Forces (IOF) escalated their attacks on the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT)
during the last four days, particularly on the Gaza Strip. Since Tuesday, June
10, 2003, the IOF killed 25 Palestinians and wounded about 134 others in six extra-judicial
killings, which were carried out by helicopter gunships in the Gaza Strip alone.
PNA
Concerned US Giving Free Hand to Israeli Assassinations
Palestine Media Center, June 14, 2003
The Palestine National Authority (PNA) expressed concern on Friday that the United
States was giving a free hand to the Israeli extra-judicial assassinations against
suspected Palestinian operatives and activists against the 36-year-old Israeli
occupation.
From
Aqaba to Gaza
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 12 - 18 June 2003
At the Aqaba Summit there was a glimmer of hope that violence might end. It hasn't,
writes Graham Usher from Jerusalem -- Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) is not the first
Palestinian leader to realise that things viewed from the diplomatic peaks look
different in the valleys, especially when the depths are as killing as the occupied
territories.
Powell
Urges Syria to Stop Terror Groups
Fox News, June 13, 2003
WASHINGTON — Secretary of State Colin Powell (search) asked Syria on Friday
to help stem terrorism in the Middle East. Powell telephoned the request to Foreign
Minister Farouk al-Sharaa as he widened his appeal to Arab countries.
Jordan
says Israel must stop assassinations
Jordan Times, June 13-14, 2003
Muasher delivers King's message to Pope -- ROME (Agencies) — Israel
must stop its targeted assassinations before Palestinian resistance groups can
be persuaded to halt attacks, Foreign Minister Marwan Muasher said. Muasher, who
met Thursday with Pope John Paul II and Italy's foreign minister, added that the
Palestinian Authority's security forces had been too seriously weakened to stop
suicide bombings.
Al-Shara
speaks with Powell: Israeli occupation and assassinations are the problem
Arabic News, June 14, 2003
Al-Shara stressed that the continuation of the Israeli occupation and assassination
of the Palestinian leaders is the basic reason for the escalation of violence
in the region. -- Syria's Foreign Minister, Farouk al-Shara received in Damascus
today a phone call from the U.S Secretary of State, Colin Powell.
Mahathir,
Erdogan Back Mideast Road Map
Arab News, June 14, 2003
PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, 14 June 2003 — The Turkish and Malaysian Prime Ministers,
Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Mahathir Mohamad, agreed during talks here yesterday
on support for the road map for peace in the Middle East, a spokesman said.
The
right of return tests the practicality of roadmap
The Jordan Star, June 14, 2003
After the crucial summits in Sharm El Sheikh and Aqaba, Palestinians are concerned
over the lingering confusion that shrouds key issues in the Palestinian-Israeli
conflict -- JORDAN (Star) - After the crucial summits in Sharm El Sheikh
and Aqaba, Palestinians are concerned over the lingering confusion that shrouds
key issues in the Palestinian-Israeli conflict; mainly the fate of millions of
Palestinian refugees and their right of return.
Hariri
maintains diplomatic silence on ‘road map’
Daily Star, June 14, 2003
Prime Minister Rafik Hariri said Friday that the country could not approve or
disapprove a “road map” for Lebanon and Syria before any official
offer is made. “No country can give a position based on talks and without
a clear offer. Until now, we haven’t seen anything clear that we could judge,”
Hariri said in Paris, after a meeting of more than two hours with French President
Jacques Chirac.
Can
Abbas survive the crossfire?
Christian Science Monitor, June 13, 2003
A key player in peace road map, the Palestinian Authority prime minister fights
for relevance amid Israeli-Hamas attacks. -- JERUSALEM – During days that
were supposed to be a prelude to a new era of Middle East peace, it appears that
an all-out war is erupting between Israel and Hamas, the Islamic Resistance Movement.
Belgium
Sticks by War Crimes Law Despite U.S. Anger
New York Times, June 14, 2003
BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Belgium stuck by its controversial war crimes law on Friday
despite demands for radical change by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The law,
which empowers Belgian courts to try foreigners for serious human rights crimes
no matter where they were committed, has been criticized by several countries
but most vociferously by Washington.
Religion
causes a wedding daze
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
Do you live in Israel? Do you want a secular wedding? Then you'll need to go abroad
to get married -- Religion, not romance, drove Alon and Einat Bilu to get married
in a quaint little town in the Italian countryside.
Israeli
companies scope out business opportunities in Iraq
Al-Bawaba, June 11, 2003
Rumors have been circulating in Baghdad regarding the recent arrival of an Israeli
business delegation to the Iraqi capital. A group of Israeli industrial representatives
have seemingly made the trip in order to scope out business opportunities related
to the reconstruction effort, reported Al-Hayat.
ICRC
activities in Israel, the occupied and the autonomous territories, 26 May - 8
June
Alternative Information Center/International Committee of the Red Cross, June
13, 2003
In Israel, the Occupied and the Autonomous Territories (IL/OT/AT), the International
Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) works towards ensuring the faithful application
of International humanitarian law (IHL), and above all the Fourth Geneva Convention
relative to the protection of civilians in times of war and occupation.
Many
Evangelicals Side With Israel in Mideast Dispute
Fox News, June 14, 2003
WASHINGTON — An increasingly close alliance between the powerful pro-Israel
Jewish lobby and fundamentalist Christians has been warning President Bush against
withdrawing support from Israel and ceding too much to the Palestinians in his
peace-building efforts.
USF
Draws Criticism for Firing Professor
Aberdeen American News, June 14, 2003
TAMPA, Fla. - A national group influential in higher education condemned the University
of South Florida on Saturday for firing a professor charged with terrorism, but
stopped short of issuing a potentially damaging censure. The American Association
of University Professors passed the resolution at a meeting in Washington, condemning
university President Judy Genshaft for firing Sami Al-Arian without a hearing
before his faculty peers, said association spokeswoman Ruth Flower.
U.S.
Forces “Slaughter” Iraqis At Dawn: Eyewitness
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
RAWAH, Iraq , June 14 (IslamOnline.net) - American troops "slaughtered"
more than one hundred Iraqi civilians, most of them killed while asleep, at the
early hours of Friday, June 13, eyewitnesses told IslamOnline.net. The U.S. forces
deliberately opened fire from tanks and helicopter gunships at the houses of Iraqi
civilians in Rawah, 400 kilometer to the north-west of Baghdad, killing tens of
people, they charged.
U.S.
Accused of Killing 5 Iraqi Civilians
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
ELHEER, Iraq (AP) - Gathered in tents, Iraqi villagers wailed and recited Islamic
verses Saturday to mourn a 70-year-old farmer, three of his sons and another relative
- civilians they say U.S. forces mistakenly killed in their hunt for Saddam Hussein
loyalists.
U.S.
Starts Counterinsurgency Plan in Iraq
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
RAMADI, Iraq (AP) - The hardcore remnants Saddam Hussein's regime have moved from
taking potshots at American soldiers to tougher tactics - ambushes and drive-by
shootings - and in the process are drawing U.S. forces into a new counterinsurgency
war.
US
must empower Iraqis or face `serious' trouble — International Crisis Group
Jordan Times, June 13-14, 2003
AMMAN (AFP) — The International Crisis Group (ICG) think-tank warned Thursday
of serious trouble in Iraq unless the US-led administration takes immediate steps
to empower the Iraqi people and restore basic amenities.
The Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) is facing a “race against the
clock” in Iraq where it must restore “security, basic amnenities and
social welfare,” the ICG said in a statement received by AFP.
Many
of Wanted Iraqis Have Been Detained
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The U.S.-led coalition has detained more than half of its 55
most-wanted Iraqi leaders, but the fate of ousted President Saddam Hussein and
his sons remains unknown.
Iraqi
Leader Criticizes U.S.
Washington Post, June 14, 2003
Chalabi Says Countrymen Should Get More Responsibility -- The Bush administration
is making a mistake by refusing to give Iraqis more authority over their own country,
Iraqi National Congress leader Ahmed Chalabi said yesterday, warning that the
decision to limit Iraqi influence could spark increased opposition to the U.S.-led
occupation.
Widespread
landmines pose danger to returnees
Electronic Iraq, June 12, 2003
ERBIL - Twenty-year-old Nafis Tahir will never walk again. He will find it difficult
to find a job, and perhaps never marry. Two months ago, however, the picture was
very different.....At the NGO-run Emergency Surgical Centre for War Victims (Emergency)
in Erbil all the beds are occupied. Since 4 April, the NGO has assisted almost
470 mine victims.
Battles
rage across Saddam heartland where guerrillas resist US occupation
The Independent, June 14, 2003
American troops said yesterday that they had killed 27 Iraqis who ambushed a tank
with rocket-propelled grenades north of Baghdad, bringing to 97 the number of
"subversives" killed in two days of clashes. Seventy Iraqis were said to have
been killed in a US operation against an alleged terrorist training camp 90 miles
north-west of Baghdad, in a battle that started on Thursday.
Not
so fast!
Al-Ahram Weekly On-line, 12 - 18 June 2003
Iraqi opposition figures are unimpressed by US plans to appoint a political council
to assist in running the occupied country. Omayma Abdel-Latif reports -- It was
the first time Iraq's most prominent religious authority, Ayatollah Mohamed Ali
Sistani, went public with his views about the US presence in Iraq. "The American
campaign to put an end to Saddam's tyranny now looks like an occupation, not a
liberation. The occupation forces have committed grave mistakes.."
Bush
Defends Uranium Allegation Vs. Iraq
The Guardian, June 13, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on Friday stood by President Bush's assertion
that Iraq has sought uranium in Africa in recent years, saying that his allegation
in January was supported by more evidence than a series of letters now known to
have been forged.
Most
Britons Believe Misled Over Iraq’s WMDs: Poll
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
LONDON, June 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – British Prime Minister
Tony Blair lost the confidence of voters after a new poll showed Saturday, June
14, that most Britons believe London and Washington deliberately exaggerated
evidence that Iraq had weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in order to garner support
for the war.
Uneasy
calm on Tehran streets
BBC, JUne 14, 2003
The streets of the Iranian capital Tehran are quiet once more after a fourth night
of violence in which pro-democracy demonstrators clashed with hardline supporters
of the country's clerical leadership. Security forces and hundreds of vigilante
militia used tear gas, clubs, chains and iron bars to disperse the protesters.
US
nods approval as Iranian student protests explode onto the streets
Sydney Morning Herald, June 14, 2003
A third night of protests outside Tehran University's dormitories exploded early
yesterday into the surrounding middle-class neighbourhoods, with gangs of students
fighting running street battles against vigilantes armed with sticks and chains.
EU
Wants Free Access To All Iranian Nuclear Sites
Islam Online, June 14, 2003
BRUSSELS, June 14 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - European Union Foreign
Ministers will throw their weight behind an international pressure campaign to
force Iran to "urgently" sign a protocol that would allow UN inspectors to visit
all its nuclear sites, an EU source said Saturday, June 14.
Iran
warns hardliners following raids on Tehran student dorms
Haaretz, June 14, 2003
TEHRAN - Iran's police Saturday warned Islamic hardliners who attacked pro-democracy
demonstrations with clubs, knives and chains against taking the law into their
own hands and said they would arrest the militia ringleaders.
Gunfire
heard during clashes in Tehran
Financial Times, June 14, 2003
Gunfire was heard in central Tehran on Friday night as Iranian students and other
stone-throwing protesters clashed with security forces in a fourth night of anti-government
demonstrations. Responding to the worst unrest in the capital since student rallies
last November, Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani, Iran's former president, warned the US
to stop inciting the protests and enter instead into negotiations that he indicated
could help resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and contribute to stability
in Iraq.
Pro-Clergy
Militants Arrested in Iran
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) - Police on Saturday arrested dozens of pro-clergy militants
who smashed their way into university dormitories and beat up sleeping students
in a wave of violence aimed at putting down protests against Iran's Islamic government.
Iranian
students openly defy rule of the mullahs
The Independent, June 14, 2003
Thousands of Iranian students took to the streets of Tehran yesterday in the biggest
protests against the mullahs' rule since the huge demonstrations four years ago.
Students fought in the streets with hardline vigilantes on motorbikes who were
armed with chains, clubs and cattle prods.
Sacking
of Imams Not Linked to Riyadh Blasts, Asserts Ministry
Arab News, June 14, 2003
RIYADH, 14 June 2003 — The Ministry of Islamic Affairs, Call and Guidance
has denied that the sacking of some imams in the Kingdom was linked to the May
12 terrorist attacks in Riyadh, as was reported in the Western media. The ministry
said the dismissals were solely an administrative decision and that preachers
continued to carry out their activities around the country.
Qathafi
calls for fundamental economic reforms
Arabic News, June 14, 2003
The Libyan mass media said yesterday that Libya's Leader of the Revolution Colonel
Muammar al Qathafi urged for the implementation of fundamental reforms in his
country's economy, in order to reach what he called "people's capital," calling
for the abrogation of the public sector.
New
conditions for partnership between the executive and legislative authorities in
Syria
Arabic News, June 14, 2003
It is a well-established fact that the Syrian People's Assembly ( parliament)
has not been in the heart of the political and economic life in Syria since a
long time....However, there are indicators that there is an intention to formulate
a new form of "contract" between the two sides; the legislative authority and
the executive authority.
Iran,
Saudi Arabia Reproach US 'Unilateralism'
Palestine Chronicle, June 14, 2003
TEHRAN - Foreign ministers of Saudi Arabia and Iran here Saturday took US for
account for adopting a unilateral approach on world issues. The policy of unilateralism
cannot lead to constructive results on global security and peace," Saudi Foreign
Minister Saud al-Faisal said after arriving here on a one-day visit.
U.S.
Will Tighten Rules on Holding Terror Suspects
New York Times, June 13, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 12 — Federal authorities said today that they planned to
use stricter standards for identifying and locking up terrorist suspects in light
of concerns raised in a recent report that hundreds of illegal immigrants were
mistreated after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.
FBI
Vows Changes in Holding Immigrants
The Guardian, June 14, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Faced with a highly critical report, FBI Director Robert Mueller
on Friday promised changes in the handling of illegal immigrants suspected of
having links to terrorism. In a speech to an American Civil Liberties Union conference,
Mueller said the report last week from the Justice Department's inspector general
``did a very good job of pointing out areas where we can do better.''
