Israel
Kills 4 Palestinians in Gaza Missile Strike, Gunbattle
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
GAZA CITY - Israeli helicopter missiles and ground forces killed four Palestinians
in the Gaza Strip on Wednesday, June 25, further damaging efforts to engineer
a cease-fire in support of a peace plan fraying only three weeks after its launch.
Hamas
Says Israeli Truce Deal Not Final
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - Islamic militant groups signed an agreement to halt attacks on
Israelis for three months, a senior official of Yasser Arafat's Fatah faction
said Wednesday - a possible breakthrough for the U.S.-backed peace plan.
Bush:
Hamas, militant groups must be completely dismantled
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
WASHINGTON - U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday demanded that Hamas and
groups like it be taken out of business, saying that only then will there be "a
chance for peace." The president also reacted skeptically to the reported agreement
of Palestinian militants to halt attacks on Israelis for three months. "I'll believe
it when I see it," Bush said.
Jews
Can Go Ahead With Settlements: Sharon
Islam Online, June 25, 2003
“Let them build without talking”; Sharon -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, June
24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - In another clear violation of U.S.-backed
“roadmap” peace plan, Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon said he would allow
construction in Jewish settlements to continue, a leading Israeli daily reported
Monday, June 24.
IOF
Wounds Critically a Child and Four Others in Tulkarim
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
TULKARIM, Palestine, June 24, 2003, IPC+ WAFA-- Five Palestinian civilians were
wounded including a child critical Monday evening when Israeli occupation forces
(IOF) broke into Nour Shams refugee camp, eastern Tulkarim City.
IOF
Wounds a Palestinian Woman in Khan Yunis, Expels Five Civilians, Conducts a Wide-Scale
Arrests Campaign
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
KHAN YUNIS, Palestine, June 25, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)-- A Palestinian woman was wounded
late Tuesday as Israeli occupation forces raided an area to the west north of
Khan Yunis City, southern Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent, Israeli
occupation forces, stationed at the illegitimate Jewish settlement of “Jani
Tall”, opened heavy fire on the Palestinian neighborhoods of
Al Rabwat Al Gharbia and Al Amal, using tanks and machine guns.
New
Zionist attacks on Rafah
Palestinian Information Center, June 25, 2003
Gaza - Zionist occupation forces continue their atrocities against the Palestinian
people in an incursion this morning into the Salam area in Rafah. Palestinian
sources stated that occupation forces backed by 2 large bulldozers and 3 personnel
carriers reached 200 metres inside the area under random shooting and helicopter
cover and bulldozed 9 Palestinian houses.
Occupation
forces attack Jalboon
Palestinian Information Center, June 25, 2003
Jenin - Zionist occupation forces stormed the village of Jalboon (east of Jenin)
this morning and imposed a curfew through loud speakers; furthermore, the forces
gathered a large number of residents inside the area and placed them in the main
village square for interrogation.
Bush
Urges Europe to Stop Supporting Hamas
New York Times, June 25, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 25 — President Bush met with leaders of the European Union
today and signed several small agreements intended to show that trans-Atlantic
relations were improving, after two years of unusually intense ill will....Even
as they did, however, President Bush urged Europe and the rest of the world to
cut off financing and support for Hamas, the Islamic fundamentalist organization
responsible for the greatest number of suicide bomb attacks in Israel.
U.S.
mulls sending CIA's Tenet here to push road map
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
The American administration may send CIA chief George Tenet to the region to help
formulate security arrangements between Israel and the Palestinians. Tenet has
more experience than any other top American official in mediating between Israel
and the Palestinians.
Two
Hundred Palestinians Detained as IOF Launches a Campaign of Arrests in Hebron
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
HEBRON, June 24, 2003, (IPC)- - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), backed by helicopters,
launched a wide campaign of arrests Tuesday, detaining more than two hundred Palestinian
citizens in the West Bank city of Hebron. Hundreds of Israeli armored vehicles
and soldiers invaded different neighborhoods of Hebron (Abu Snaineh, Horayya).
U.S.
Silent on Israeli Move
New York Times, June 24, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 24 — The Bush administration said today that it would not
comment on the arrest by Israel of 130 Palestinians in Hebron until American experts
could inquire about who had been detained and what evidence led Israel to make
the arrests.
Five
Islamic Movement officials indicted
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Indictments were read out in Haifa District Court yesterday against five Islamic
Movement northern branch officials - including its leader, Sheikh Ra'ad Salah
- and two nonprofit organizations run by the movement.
Palestinian
child arrest figures top 2,000 in 2nd Intifada
Palestine Monitor/Defence of Children - Palestine, June 26, 2003
Political prisoners and Detainees in Israel -- An estimated 2,000 Palestinian
children will have undergone the trauma of arrest by Israeli military forces over
the course of the second Intifada from September 2000 to end-June 2003*. The high
number of arrests reflects the ongoing Israeli crackdown in Palestinian areas
which began during the invasions of March-April 2003, and the use of repressive
tactics against the civilian population, even minors.
Palestinian
Detainee Undergoes Surgery Without Anesthesia
Palestine Chronicle, June 24, 2003
NABLUS - Palestinian detainees lastly broke their silence and spoke about their
"unspeakable" conditions inside the Israeli jails in a rare telephone conversation,
which revealed how merciless the Israeli jailers were.
Israel
Sabotages Medical Mission of Gretta Duisenberg
Palestine Chronicle, June 24, 2003
At Tel Aviv airport, doctors belonging to Gretta Duisenberg’s Medical Fact
Finding Mission Palestine, have been denied entrance to the country. Mrs. Duisenberg
gave the following statement to the press: “We the Medical Fact Finding
Mission Palestine, declare that we have not only been informed, but have now even
experienced, that the Israeli state is conducting a policy of deliberate obstruction
of both foreign and Palestinian medical workers.
Police,
Bedouin try to calm Negev after clash leaves ten wounded
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
Police and Bedouin sheikhs in the Negev were trying to calm things down after
a police attempt to catch an 8-year-old Bedouin boy who was throwing rocks at
passing cars turned into an all-out brawl that wounded 10 people in Tel Arad.
Five of the casualties came from the boy's clan and five were policemen.
IOF
Kills Four Palestinians and Demolishes Four Houses in Gaza Strip
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Palestine, June 23, 2003 (IPC+Agencies)-- Four Palestinians were
shot dead and three others wounded late Sunday by Israeli occupation forces
(IOF) in Beit Hanoun city, northern Gaza Strip. Palestinian security sources
said, four Palestinians were killed when an Israeli occupation tank shelled a
Palestinian house in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun.
Palestinian
prisoners suffer harsh regime, prisons chief says
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Israeli jailers have imposed tough security measures to try to prevent Palestinian
prisoners from carrying on militant activities behind bars, setting back prison
conditions 20 years, the outgoing Prisons Service director said yesterday.
Two
terrorists with 10-kg bomb arrested in Kafr Qasem
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Security forces on Wednesday arrested in Kafr Qasem two Tanzim militants, one
of whom was carrying a bag containing a powerful explosive device weighing 10
kilograms and packed with shrapnel intended to harm those nearby.
Two
Palestinians, Including a Woman, Slaughtered in New Raid on Khan-Younis
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
KHAN-YOUNIS, June 25, 2003, (IPC)--Two Palestinian civilians, including a women
were slaughtered and more than 15 others were wounded Wednesday afternoon by US-supported-
Israeli Apache helicopters in the Abassan Town, east of Khan-Younis, Palestinian
official sources said.
Israeli
Troops Kill Two Palestinians in Northern Gaza
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
BEIT HANOUN, Palestine, June 25, 2003, IPC-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot
dead Wednesday afternoon two Palestinians in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit
Hanoun, Palestinian sources said. Al-Shifa hospital officials in Gaza said Saied
Mohaisen 23 and Eyad Al-Masry 20 were shot dead Wednesday morning as Israeli occupation
forces opened fire on them near Beit Hanoun.
Palestinians:
Two people killed in Israeli strike in Gaza
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Palestinians say attack was assassination attempt; military source says strike
was against Hamas cell launching Qassam rockets -- Two people were killed and
another 16 were hurt in an Israel Air Force helicopter strike in the Gaza Strip
on Wednesday evening, Palestinian sources said. According to the sources, a car
near the town of Khan Yunis was hit in the attack, killing a man and woman.
Israeli
Raids, Killings Draw Palestinian Anger
Palestine Media Center, June 25, 2003
Israeli Rabbis Refuse ‘Roadmap’ -- June 25, 2003 - Palestinians
condemned the mass detentions carried out by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in
Hebron and Nablus cities as an attempt to sabotage efforts to reach a truce declaration
by the Palestinian factions to help push forward the peace process.
Hamas
leader Rantisi denies reports of three-month truce
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi on Wednesday evening denied earlier reports stating
that top leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad had agreed to halt attacks against
Israelis for three months. An Islamic Jihad official also denied the reports,
calling them "all lies."
Yassin:
Hamas still studying truce
Palestinian Information Center, June 25, 2003
Gaza - Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance
Movement, Hamas, has said that his Movement was still studying an offer to cease
resistance operations in specific areas.
Ayalon,
ex-PLO official Nusseibeh launch joint peace drive
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Former Shin Bet chief and commander of the Israeli navy, Ami Ayalon, and the president
of Al-Quds University and former senior official in the Palestinian Liberation
Organization, Sari Nusseibeh, launched their own peace intiative Wednesday.
High
school refuseniks testify to IDF court
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
High school seniors arrested for refusing to be inducted into the Israel Defense
Forces began giving testimony at the Jaffa military court yesterday. A total of
five twelfth-graders have served several months in military prisons for refusing
to serve in the army on grounds of conscience, requesting instead to perform alternative
national service.
Sharon
accused of blocking ceasefire by raiding Hamas seized
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
The Israeli army rounded up about 130 alleged Hamas activists in raids on Hebron
and Nablus yesterday, prompting a further accusation that Ariel Sharon is trying
to to scupper the group's promise of an imminent ceasefire.
IDF
troops evacuate outpost adjacent to Givat Haharsina
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Israel Defense Forces troops on Wednesday evening evacuated an outpost established
earlier in the day at Givat Haharsina, between Hebron and Kiryat Arba, in the
West Bank, settlers said. IDF troops destroyed three tents in the area, and confiscated
various equipment. The outpost had been destroyed earlier, and was reestablished
on Wednesday morning.
Two
new outposts set up in West Bank
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Since the meeting between Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and the Yesha Council two-and-a-half
weeks ago, Peace Now has reported the establishment of nine new outposts. -- Two
new outposts have been built in the territories over the last few days, reports
from both Peace Now and the settlers indicate.
Iraq
says pipeline to Israel no longer exists
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
BAGHDAD - An oil pipeline between Iraq and Israel - disused for decades - is in
a state of ruin, Iraq's U.S.-appointed de facto oil minister said yesterday. Thamir
Ghadhban said the Mosul-Haifa pipeline had been disused since Israel was created
in 1948 and most of its parts inside Jordan have been unearthed. Other parts have
been used for pumping water.
Hezbollah
acts as a buffer against Israel, Assad says
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Hezbollah's presence in Lebanon bolsters Syria's deterrence efforts against Israel,
Syrian President Bashar Assad admitted recently, contradicting Damascus' official
stance that the organization's only purpose is to reclaim all Lebanese territories
ostensibly held by Israel.
PM:
Irrespective of hudna, Israel will hit 'ticking bombs'
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Even if there is a cease-fire announced by the Palestinians, Israel will continue
striking at "ticking bombs," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Knesset Foreign
Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday. "We are fighting terror and there will
be no negotiations as long as terror rampages," he said.
IDF:
PA's security demands in Gaza 'recipe for disaster'
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
[A]nother obstacle now threatens negotiations between Israel and the PA. That
is the dispute over Tancher Road, the north-south route that connects Gaza, Khan
Yunis and Rafah -- There were new signs last night that the Palestinian Authority
and the main terror organizations were finally approaching agreement on a cease-fire.
Israel Military Intelligence now says it expects an agreement for a three-month
hudna - cease-fire - to be signed within a few days.
Five
Arab Israelis Indicted with Solidarity with Intifada
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
June 25, 2003 - The Haifa District Court on Tuesday charged the leaders of the
largest political organization among Arab Israelis with funneling cash to the
Islamic Resistance Movement “Hamas” in the occupied Palestinian Territory,
and having contacts with an Iranian agent in Lebanon, in a move the main defendant
Sheikh Raed Salah described as “meant to silence the entire Arab community”
Hamas
wins hearts by saving lives where Arafat fails
The Guardian, June 24, 2003
How Islamic resistance movement has built up support with potent mixture of welfare
and religion -- The letter from the Palestinian Authority's health ministry said
Soad el-Dairy's husband was urgently in need of drugs to treat a heart condition
but the ministry could not help. Mrs Dairy passed the letter to the man behind
the desk, and after a few questions it was agreed that she would receive 100 shekels
(£14).
Analysis
/ Hunting the elusive hudna
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
The Hamas movement and the Islamic Jihad want to give the honor of declaring the
hudna to the Egyptian spokespersons headed by General Omar Suleiman and his people
who worked long and hard for months to achieve the cease-fire agreement.
U.S.
envoy Wolf, Palestinian PM Abbas meet in Gaza City
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
John Wolf, head of the U.S. delegation overseeing the implementation of the road
map peace plan, and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas were meeting Wednesday
in Gaza City, Israel Radio reported.
Court
Orders Obtained in Favor of Palestinian Jerusalemites
Jerusalem Center for Social and Economic Rights, June 22, 2003
The Jerusalem Center for Social & Economic Rights (JCSER) has succeeded in
obtaining the Interior Ministry’s approval to issue a family reunification
permit to Mohammed Jamjoum, despite the Israeli government’s decision of
May 2002 to ‘freeze’ action on Palestinian residents’ family
reunification applications.
Survey
of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons 2002
BADIL Resource Center, June 20, 2003,
The new annual Survey of Palestinian Refugees and Internally Displaced Persons
2002 provides an overview of one of the largest and longest standing unresolved
cases of refugees and displaced populations in the world today. It is estimated
that one in three refugees today is Palestinian.
Israel
kills two Hamas members in Gaza Strip, claims to foil bombing attack near Tel
Aviv
Al-Bawaba, June 25, 2003
Two Palestinians, members of Hamas, were killed Wednesday in a clash with Israeli
troops in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun. Two Israeli soldiers wounded
in the incident. Israeli and Palestinian Authority security officials will meet
again Wednesday evening as efforts continue to reach an arragenment for the Palestinians
to take security responsibility for the northern Gaza Strip and the West Bank
city of Bethlehem, Israel Radio reported.
`Road
map is a life saver for us,' PM Abbas tells Hamas
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
Selected minutes acquired by Haaretz from one of last week's cease-fire negotiations
between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and faction leaders from the
Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular and Democratic Fronts, reveal some ofthe
factors at play behind the scenes in the effort to achieve a hudna.
Arabs
boycott Israel at Special Olympics
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
The Israeli delegation to the Special Olympics has lodged an official protest
with the organizers in Ireland after Arab teams boycotted competitions in which
Israel was taking part.
ISM:
Media Alert and Call for Action - LA Times
International Solidarity Movement, June 25, 2003
Martin Peretz's June 23 Los Angeles Times Commentary "Travelling with Bad Companions"
includes a number of SIGNIFICANT factual distortions relating to THE INTERNATIONAL
SOLIDARITY MOVEMENT (ISM) that grossly misrepresent ISM activities, goals and
volunteers.
Palestinian
prisoner’s condition worsens after 25 days of hunger strike
Palestine Monitor, June 23, 2003
A Palestinian prisoner entering his 26th day of a hunger strike in Ramle prison
has been transferred to the prison hospital due to his deteriorating condition.
Twenty seven year old Ahmad Talab Barghouthi began his hunger strike on May 31,
in protest at the conditions of his incarceration.
Sha’th:
“Israeli Escalation Aims to Abort the Road Map”
International Press Center, June 25, 2003
Al-Birah, Palestine, 25 June, 2003 (IPC+AGENCIES)-- Dr. Nabil Sha’th, Palestinian
Foreign Affairs Minister asserted that the Israeli escalation in the Palestinian
territories is intended at aborting the Road Map and foiling the exerted
efforts to reach a truce with the Palestinian factions.
Last
Week in Palestine, 14-21 June 2003
Palestine Chronicle, June 24, 2003
The following is a partial list of numbers and events in Palestine last week week.
It is by no means exhaustive. Sources include the Palestine Media Center (PMC)
and the online, English edition of the Israeli daily Ha’aretz (H).
Hear
Palestine, June 25, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Beit Hanoun: 2 Residents Killed in Israeli Fire / Rafah: Demolition Activities
during Wide-Scale Invasion / Ramallah: Kufer Malik under Curfew; Amwaj Raided
and Vandalized / Jenin: Occupation Army Imposes Curfew on Jalbon Village / Hebron:
Israeli Settlers Attack Residents; Ongoing Curfew and Arrests / Nablus: New Settlement
Outpost in Qaryout Village / Jerusalem: Building under Construction Demolished
in Beit Hanina / Salfeet: Curfew Imposed on Jama'in / Qalqilya: Azoun Village
under Curfew / 7 Residents Arrested from Tulkarem and Nablus FEATURES:
Rafah: Will Life Come Back to Salah al-Din Street? / Hebron: 150 Residents Arrested
in Widest Home Raid Campaign / Israeli Military Measures Also Apply on the Dead
/ Nablus: Suffering at Military Roadblocks Increases Daily
Hear
Palestine, June 24, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Largest Arrest Campaign since Beginning of Intifada - The Israeli army arrested
250 Palestinian residents, including women and children, in the past 48 hours
from Hebron, Ramallah and Bir Zeit / Nablus: Ongoing Military Measures Following
Invasion / Jenin: Occupation Army Blows Up Home; Imposes Curfew on Villages /
Rafah: New Military Tower Established South of City / Bethlehem: Tight Military
Siege and Arrests / Israeli Soldiers Hold Dozens of People in Al-Ram / Heavy Settlement
Activities around Toubas / Qalqilya: Israeli Army Intends to Bulldoze More Olive
Trees FEATURES: The Palestinian Wedding: Obstacles Always on the Road
/ 190 Women Killed until Yesterday Morning
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine June 25, 2003
Palestine Media Center, June 25, 2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead two Palestinians in the northern Gaza
Strip town of Beit Hanoun. IOF also detained twenty Palestinians in the West Bank
and expelled five detainees, three to Jordan and two to Jericho.
Abed
Rabbo Blasts Sharon’s Advice to 'Proceed Quietly' with Settlement Building
Palestine Chronicle, June 24, 2003
"Sharon on Sunday told his Cabinet that settlement construction in the West Bank
and Gaza Strip should 'proceed quietly,' a senior cabinet official quoted the
prime minister as saying .." -- RAMALLAH - The Palestine National Authority (PNA)
blasted yesterday Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s “advice”
to his cabinet ministers to “proceed quietly” with the illegal construction
of Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territory as a “political
scandal.”
Israeli
Human Rights Lawyer Criticizes 'Divide and Rule' Policy
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
RAMALLAH –(PC) - The brutality of life under occupation is increasing day
by day, a leading Israeli human rights lawyer told the Palestine Chronicle. Tamar
Pelleg-Sryck claimed the Israeli Government was tightening its grip on the West
Bank and Gaza while telling the world it wanted peace.
Powell's
frustration as Israel executes another Hamas leader
The Indpendent, June 23, 2003
Colin Powell, the US Secretary of State, publicly rebuked Israel yesterday for
killing a leading Palestinian militant, saying it could be an "impediment" to
the peace process. But the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, called the killing
of Abdullah Kawasmeh "successful and very important".
Palestinian
Refugees Face New Nakba in Iraq
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
"Janowski told reporters the Palestinians refugees have gone back to live in tents
provided by the UN agency .." -- BAGHDAD - The United Nations refugee agency
said that thousands of Palestinians have been expelled from their homes in the
Baghdad since the end of the US-British war on Iraq and the fall of the Iraqi
capital, a few months ago.
Iraqis
Grapple With Fears Of Israeli Infiltration
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
BAGHDAD - Reports were rife in the Iraqi capital Baghdad that Israeli companies
and intelligence elements were being housed in the famous Baghdad Hotel which
was rented by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and some American reconstruction
firms.
Belgium’s
Universal Jurisdiction Law Under Threat
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
"Gloating over his success at forcing Belgium’s compliance with US designs
and demands today, Rumsfeld condescendingly stated that: 'Belgium has learned
its lesson: there are consequences to its actions ..'" -- In an unprecedented
example of interference in a sovereign state’s judicial and political processes,
the US government forced the Belgian government to give in to its demands by using
heavy-handed tactics.
Irish
FM to skip Israel to protest ban on meeting Arafat
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
Irish Foreign Minister Brian Cowen yesterday advised the Israeli government he
is leaving Israel off his Middle East itinerary in protest at its practice of
boycotting foreign officials who meet Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat.
Intelligence
chief keeps mum on eavesdropping in Knesset
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
The head of the Israel Police's intelligence department, Major General Ilan Franco,
refused yesterday to comment on whether conversations of ministers and MKs had
been tapped over the last decade. "I cannot address specific cases," Franco said
to a question from MK David Tal (One Nation) during a discussion in the Knesset
Constitution, Law and Justice Committee.
MKs
want charges brought against `extremist' rabbis
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee will hold a special meeting
next week on the halakhic rulings and statements issued by the 500 rabbis of the
Federation for the People of Israel and Land of Israel.
Israel
to expel Chinese journalist who advised foreign workers on how to avoid deportation
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
By the time you read this, Chinese journalist Choo Xsin may very well be on a
plane from Israel back to her homeland. But if her flight home is suddenly delayed
or canceled all together, Xsin will not be surprised. The past week has seen her
almost put on a plane twice - only to be taken off at the last minute following
intervention by Interior Minister Avraham Poraz.
Israel
checks out website run by Russian racists
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
The Israeli attorney general has launched a criminal investigation into a local
neo-Nazi website that jokes about gas chambers, advocates shooting Palestinians
and denies that the Holocaust happened.
Klein
cuts interest rate by 0.5 %
Haaretz, June 24, 2003
Bank of Israel Governor David Klein yesterday reduced the central bank's key lending
rate by 0.5 percentage points, to 7.5 percent. Despite pressure from the Finance
Ministry, Klein decided against a faster rate reduction.
U.S.
Supreme Court ruling infuriates Jewish leaders
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Congressmen and Jewish leaders from California have expressed consternation over
the U.S. Supreme Court's decision to strike down a California law aimed at helping
Holocaust survivors locate lost insurance policies.
Rabbi:
Women allowed to read from the Torah
Haaretz, June 25, 2003
Women can perform the act of aliyah la-Torah and even read from the Torah, says
Professor Rabbi Daniel Sperber, an Orthodox rabbi who is also the chairman of
Hemed, the public council that advises the Education Ministry about national religious
education....Although Sperber is careful not to refer to his article as a ruling,
this is apparently the first time an Orthodox rabbi permits women to perform the
act of aliyah.
Six
British soldiers dead, eight hurt as a fragile peace fractures
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
Puzzle over death of military policemen in Iraq -- Six military police officers
were killed and eight other soldiers wounded in two attacks in southern Iraq yesterday
in the biggest setback to British forces since the war was declared officially
over.
UK
forces step up hunt for soldiers' killers
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
Local leaders get 48-hour ultimatum · UK may deploy extra troops · MoD names six
dead -- UK forces have given civilian leaders in a southern Iraqi town 48 hours
to hand over the gunmen who killed six British military police officers, a municipal
official said today.
Killed
British Soldiers Provoked Iraqis: Witness
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
"We are a Muslim country and we cannot accept the British entering and searching
our houses with dogs" -- AL-MAJAR AL-KABIR, Iraq - Infuriated by British soldiers
who stormed their houses with dogs allegedly looking for resistance fighters or
weapons, Iraqi residents battled the occupation soldiers killing six soldiers
and loosing four civilians, eyewitness confirmed Wednesday, June 25.
Violence
spreads south as forces of the rump regime get ever bolder
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
British targeted after spate of attacks on US troops blamed on Saddam loyalists
-- At first sight, the town of Amara looks like trouble. Since the end of the
war, there have been five checkpoints on the way into the town, manned by heavily
armed, grizzled guerrillas from a hardline Islamist group, Hizbullah of Iraq.
But the appearance of danger turned out to be deceptive - until yesterday.
Veil
of Secrecy Around Village Hit in U.S. Raid
New York Times, June 25, 2003
MUGER ADDIB, Iraq, June 24 — On a desolate panorama of hardtack desert along
the Syrian border here, the United States military has cordoned off part of this
village, evicted five families whose houses were bombed six days ago and refused
to say what is going on. Two villagers were killed, a young woman, Hakima Khalil,
and her infant daughter, Maha, in an aerial assault that began just after 1 a.m.
Thursday.
US
cluster bombs still destroying lives
Daily Star, June 25, 2003
Clean-up operation lacks resources -- BAGHDAD: Cluster bomb injuries are nothing
new to Dr. Anwar Salam al-Awawdeh. Sitting in a back room of his Baghdad clinic,
he produces a list of 27 patients mutilated by the US bombs since the war was
declared over by US President George W. Bush.
U.S.
Punishes People With Power, Water Cut-Offs: Iraqis
Islam Online, June 25, 2003
BAGHDAD, June 25 (IslamOnline.net) – With darkness shrouding the Iraqi capital
once again and turning it into a city daunted by fear, Iraqis charge that the
U.S.-led occupation authority deliberately cut off electricity and water as a
collective punishment in retaliation for mounting resistance attacks, which have
become more organized as recently admitted by U.S civilian administrator Paul
Bremer.
Expert
Said to Tell Legislators He Was Pressed to Distort Some Evidence
New York Times, June 25, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 24 — A top State Department expert on chemical and biological
weapons told Congressional committees in closed-door hearings last week that he
had been pressed to tailor his analysis on Iraq and other matters to conform with
the Bush administration's views, several Congressional officials said today.
U.S.
Official Pressed To Tailor WMDs' Intelligence: Report
Islam Online, June 25, 2003
WASHINGTON, June 25 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A ranking U.S. State
Department expert on weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) said he had been pressed
to "tailor" his analysis on different issues to match the views of the U.S. administration,
a leading U.S. newspaper revealed Tuesday, June 24, according to several Congressional
officials.
Blair
Aide Admits Mistake on WMD Report
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
LONDON (AP) - A senior aide to Prime Minister Tony Blair acknowledged Wednesday
that the British government made a mistake by including material from a graduate
thesis posted on the Internet in a government dossier on Iraq's weapons capability.
Gen.
Confident Iraqi Arms Will Be Found
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush's nominee to oversee U.S. forces in Iraq told
a Senate panel Wednesday that he is perplexed that Saddam Hussein's weapons of
mass destruction have not been found, but is confident they will be.
Blix
Criticizes US Propaganda Over Iraqi WMD
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
"'It is sort of fascinating that you can have 100 percent certainty about weapons
of mass destruction and zero certainty of about where they are ..'" -- New
York (IRNA) - The United Nations arms inspector Hans Blix said in a think tank
meeting on Monday that he was critical of Washington's assertion about Iraqi WMD
capability.
Suspicions
grow of Paris-Tehran deal on terror
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
Iran may have struck a more cooperative tone over the al-Qaida suspects in its
custody in return for France cracking down on exiled opposition groups, Tehran
newspapers reported yesterday.
Iran
Slams Blair's Statements on Unrest as 'Irresponsible'
Tehran Times, June 25, 2003
TEHRAN -- Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid Asefi here on Tuesday characterized
statements by the British Prime Minister Tony Blair as 'irresponsible' and 'outside
the norms of mutual understanding and respect'.
Jordanian
accused of terror plot
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
A Jordanian suspected of being a bodyguard to Osama bin Laden went on trial in
Germany yesterday accused of helping to plot terrorist attacks in Germany.
Palestinian
Refugees Face New Nakba in Iraq
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
"Janowski told reporters the Palestinians refugees have gone back to live in tents
provided by the UN agency .." -- BAGHDAD - The United Nations refugee agency
said that thousands of Palestinians have been expelled from their homes in the
Baghdad since the end of the US-British war on Iraq and the fall of the Iraqi
capital, a few months ago.
Iraqis
Grapple With Fears Of Israeli Infiltration
Palestine Chronicle, June 25, 2003
BAGHDAD - Reports were rife in the Iraqi capital Baghdad that Israeli companies
and intelligence elements were being housed in the famous Baghdad Hotel which
was rented by the U.S. Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) and some American reconstruction
firms.
U.S.
NGOs Feel the Squeeze from Bush Administration
Council on American-Islamic Relations, June 24, 2003
Three of the five organizations have reached agreements that require them to seek
clearance from USAID before they have dealings with the media -- WASHINGTON,
June 24 (Reuters) - The Bush administration is wielding its financial clout to
make charitable relief organizations that receive U.S. government money serve
the interests of U.S. foreign policy, the organizations say.
Washington
holds out free-trade carrot to Arab world
Daily Star, June 25, 2003
Powell outlines ‘road map’ to economic development; Americans tell
World Economic Forum that countries will benefit from commercial agreements if
they ‘fight terrorism’ -- SHUNEH, Jordan: The United States will help
Arab countries join the World Trade Organization (WTO), increase Arab exports
and help repatriate Arab capital through its proposed US-Middle East Free Trade
Zone, the US Trade Representative Robert Zoellick announced Monday.
Hamade
fears America will use globalization to impose its will
Daily Star, June 25, 2003
Smaller nations with limited resources are concerned they will be deeply hurt
-- The United States wants to mold all countries according to its own political
and economic thinking, Economy and Trade Minister Marwan Hamade warned Friday.
“The US wants to force the American way of life on us. Those countries that
resist the new principles will be punished,” Hamade told participants in
a two-day conference entitled Globalization and Regional Economic Integration.
Extradition
agreement eases strain between Europe and US
The Guardian, June 25, 2003
The EU and the US will sign an extradition agreement in Washington today allowing
terrorist suspects to be handed over to the US authorities. The agreement is the
centrepiece of the first EU-US summit since the Iraq war, and both sides will
be trying hard to accentuate the positive, despite rows about trade, global warming,
GM foods and other issues.
