Two
West Bank Shootings During Cease-Fire
The Guardian, June 30, 2003
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli and Palestinian commanders shook hands Monday,
bulldozers dismantled checkpoints and Palestinian traffic flowed freely in the
Gaza Strip - significant steps toward ending 33 months of bloody fighting.
A Palestinian shooting killed a Bulgarian truck driver in the West Bank, and gunmen
opened fire on workers near the border with Israel, suggesting some armed bands
had not been brought into line with the day-old cease-fire called by militant
groups.
Israel
withdraws from northern Gaza
The Guardian, June 30, 2003
Israel today relinquished control of much of the Gaza Strip's main motorway as
it continued to withdraw its forces from Palestinian territories under the peace
road map. The motorway is now under the authority of Palestinian police and Palestinians
can travel freely on it for the first time in two-and-a-half years. The first
Palestinian car on the road today was a taxi loaded with seven passengers, witnesses
said.
Police
letting Jews visit Temple Mount, without Waqf consent
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Israeli police in recent days have begun to allow non-Muslim members of the public
to enter the Temple Mount grounds in the Old City of Jerusalem, under police
escort, despite the fact that the Muslim Religious Trust (Waqf) has not agreed
to the move.
Israeli
forces pull out of Beit Hanoun
MIFTAH, June 30, 2003
Headlights brightened the night sky as approximately 50 armored vehicles rumbled
out of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun on Sunday night. The Israeli army
has occupied and isolated the city for over two months....There was no celebration
in the street like there was in 1994 when troops withdrew from Gaza after the
Oslo decision.
Havoc
and Losses Reign in Beit Hanoun
International Press Center, June 30, 2003
BEIT HANOON, Palestine, June 30,2003 (IPC)-- Following the Israeli troops withdrawal
from the northern parts of Gaza Strip (Beit Lahia and Beit Hanoon) on Monday,
the Northern Governorate Information Bureau released a press statement massing
the havoc left behind the Israeli troops.
Israel
to pull out of Bethlehem on Wednesday
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Israeli and Palestinian officials finalized details Monday for the withdrawal
of IDF troops from the West Bank city of Bethlehem, which is to begin Wednesday.
"We met Israeli security officials in Jerusalem today and agreed Israeli troops
will pull out from Bethlehem on Wednesday," said Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian
minister in charge of security affairs, who negotiated the pullout with Major
General Amos Gilad, the IDF coordinator of government activities in the territories.
Militants
reject Mid-East truce
Herald Sun, June 30, 2003
THE Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine- General Command (PFLP-GC) today
firmly rejected any ceasefire with Israel, following truce declarations by five
other Palestinian factions. "We are not bound by the unilateral truce and it does
not influence us at all," the Damascus-based Palestinian militant group said in
a statement received here.
Israel
dismisses intifada truce
The Guardian, June 30, 2003
Militant Palestinian groups accused of trickery, but soldiers and tanks begin
to withdraw from Gaza -- Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Yasser Arafat's Fatah
movement yesterday formally declared a ceasefire in the intifada against Israeli
occupation that has lasted nearly three years and claimed more than 3,000 lives.
Hours later, the Israeli army began to pull its forces out of most of the Gaza
Strip under American pressure to alleviate the plight of Palestinian civilians
and bolster support for the US-led road map to peace.
Israeli
acknowledges running 'secret jail'
MIFTAH, June 30, 2003
JERUSALEM (AP) -- Israel's Shin Bet security agency has held Palestinian prisoners
incommunicado for weeks at a time at a secret detention center, The Associated
Press has learned. Prisoners say they are blindfolded and kept in black, windowless
cells. When they ask where they are, they are told: ``On the moon.''
Rice
asks Sharon to `rethink' fence route
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice yesterday asked Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon to reconsider with `greater sensitivity' the planned route of the
separation fence between Israel and the West Bank. Sharon agreed to the request,
but the issue was at the center of clash between Rice and members of the security
cabinet at a meeting later in Jerusalem.
Israeli
Withdrawal 'Not Real': Hamas, Islamic Jihad
Islam Online, June 30, 2003
"This Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip is not enough and is not real," Hanieh
-- GAZA CITY, June 30 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Senior officials
of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad (IJ) groups said Monday, June 30, Israel's pullout
of the northern Gaza Strip overnight was not enough, as Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades
shot at a settler vehicle, killing a foreign worker.
U.S.
urges PA crackdown, says peace plan 'entering new era'
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
The Bush administration is considering boosting financial aid in Palestinian areas
as part of an effort to marginalize the militant group Hamas, diplomats said on
Monday. Hamas has gathered grass-roots support in part with a network of schools
and welfare services that fill gaps left by inefficient Palestinian Authority
institutions.
Sharon
to meet Abbas on Tuesday, despite shooting attack
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will meet his Palestinian counterpart, Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas, on Tuesday to discuss a U.S.-backed peace plan despite new violence,
Abbas's office said on Monday. "The prime minister will meet with Mr Sharon on
Tuesday to discuss the implementation of both sides' commitments under the road
map," a spokesman for Abbas told Reuters.
Palestinians
Declare Truce
Palestine Chronicle, June 30, 2003
"'I will repeat what Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said two hours ago to US National
Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice — this cease-fire is a ticking bomb because
it actually maintains terror ..'" -- GAZA - Palestinian groups Hamas Islamic Jihad
and Fatah declared a three-month cease-fire with Israel yesterday, a move which
Israel immediately dismissed. Israeli Foreign Ministry deputy director-general
Gideon Meir said the Palestinian groups’ plan was simply to regroup.
US
Generals to arrive to monitor dismantling of Hamas
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Heeding Israeli concerns that the three month intra-Palestinian cease fire (hudna)
may be used by Hamas to regroup and re-arm, the US is dispatching two generals
here to monitor Palestinian Authority action to dismantle the terrorist organizations.
EU
rejects American demand to halt Hamas funding
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Leaders of the European Union have rejected a key U.S. demand to cut off funding
to Hamas, and to include the civilian-political wing of the organization in the
EU's list of terror organizations, along with its military branch.
Israeli
Troops Wound and Arrest Several Palestinians in Hebron
International Press Center, June 30, 2003
HEBRON, Palestine, June 30, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- A number of Palestinian civilians
were wounded and others were arrested Monday as Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
opened fire on Palestinian civilians in Hebron City.
IOF,
Jewish Settlers Forcefully Seize Lands in Ramallah, Uproot Trees near Jerusalem
International Press Center, June 29, 2003
RAMALLAH AND EL-BIREH, Palestine, June 29, 2003 (IPC + WAFA)- - Tens of armed
Jewish settlers, escorted by a large force of the Israeli occupation soldiers,
forcefully seized today about 500 dunums (500,000 square meters) of the arable
lands of the village of Senjel, north of Ramallah and El-Bireh governorate.
Israel
Continues Aggression in the First Day of Hudna
International Press Center, June 30, 2003
BEIT HANOUN , Palestine, June 30, 2003, (IPC)-- ...Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
arrested Monday four Palestinian civilians in different aggressions in the West
Bank and imposed curfew on the village of Yaa’bad, near Jenin....In the
city of Hebron, IOF stormed tens of houses and arrested one citizen. Israeli soldiers
launched campaign of searching in houses and stores, witnesses said.
Israeli
military commander in the Gaza Strip uses administrative detention order to evade
judicial procedures
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, June 28, 20032003
The Israeli military commander in the Gaza Strip issued a military order placing
a Palestinian detainee, Ahmed Isma'il Abu Rouk, 30, from Khuza'a village in Khan
Yunis, under a 6-month administrative detention. PCHR is concerned that
this order is being used to halt military court proceedings initiated against
Abu Rouk by the Israeli military prosecution for fear of a probable acquittal.
Israel
Severs Ties With BBC Over 'Secret Weapon'
Islam Online, June 30, 2003
TEL AVIV, June 30 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israel decided to cut
off ties with the BBC over a repeat broadcast of a documentary named "Israel's
Secret Weapons" on Saturday, June 28, which showed pictures of the Dimona nuclear
reactor and the biological institute in Nes Tziona, with the narrator saying,
"Which country in the Middle East has not declared the nuclear and biological
weapons in its possession?", a leading Israeli newspaper reported Sunday, June
29.
Israel's
Lethal Weapon of Choice
Washington Post, June 29, 2003
As Assassinations of Militants Increase, Citizens' Uneasiness Grows -- JERUSALEM
-- Nazih Abu Sibaa, 35, died seconds after he opened the trunk of his booby-trapped
car. Abdel Rahman Hamad, 33, was shot dead by a sniper as he sat on his roof reading
the Koran. Mohammad Abayat, 27, was killed when he picked up the receiver of a
pay phone that blew up outside a hospital where he was visiting his sick mother.
Palestinians
React To Truce With Mixed Feelings
Islam Online, June 30, 2003
Palestinians hope truce would end their suffering under Israel's daily aggressions
-- GAZA, June 30 (IslamOnline.net) - Recalling the failure of similar earlier
initiatives to end the daily Israeli aggressions, Palestinian people responded
to the truce declared by Palestinian factions on Sunday, June 29, with mixed feelings.
Foreign
worker killed in northern West Bank
Middle East Online, June 30, 2003
JERUSALEM & WASHINGTON - A foreign worker driving a truck near the northern
West Bank town of Jenin was shot dead Monday by Palestinian militants, settler
sources and Israel public radio reported.
Palestinian
group shoots worker dead 24 hours after ceasefire
The Independent, June 30, 2003
A Romanian construction worker was killed today in a Palestinian shooting attack
in the West Bank, a day after the three largest Palestinian factions said they
would observe a temporary truce, the Israeli military said.
Huge
risks for Romanian illegals
BBC, June 30, 2003
When their contracts are up, they are sent back to their own countries, with only
a fraction of the money they are owed. -- Ioan Lupascu starts to cry in his front
room in a Bucharest suburb, as he tells me about his return journey, from Israel
to Romania, seven years ago. He had just been handed $1,040 of more than $10,000
he says was owed to him, for a year's construction work. He hadn't eaten for days,
so he spent $40 on food at the airport.
EU
adds fund-raising group Al Aqsa Netherlands to terrorist blacklist
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
The European Union announced Monday it has added the Islamic fund-raising group
Al Aqsa Netherlands to its blacklist of terrorist organizations. The decision,
which was taken behind closed doors last Wednesday, means that all its assets
will be frozen across the EU under anti-terrorist laws adopted by the 15-nation
bloc after the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks in the United States.
Former
Israeli soldiers return to occupied territories to give aid
The Independent, June 29, 2003
Thousands of Israeli military conscripts and reservists have spent time in the
occupied territories, especially since the beginning of the current intifada 33
months ago. Many are disturbed by what they see while in uniform. But only a handful
do what Moti Kimtel has done - return as aid workers.
Court
delays hearing on Adei Ad outpost
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
The High Court of Justice has postponed for a day a hearing on a settlers' petition
against the evacuation of the unauthorized West Bank outpost of Adei Ad North.
Adei Ad North is located next to the Shvut Rachel settlement between Ramallah
and Nablus. The hearing was postponed from yesterday when settlers filed a revised
petition to the court.
Border
Police unit disbanded after troops indicted for killing Palestinian
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Border Police Commander Major General David Tzur yesterday decided to disband
a Border Police company serving in Hebron after four of its members were indicted
in the killing of 18-year-old Palestinian Imran Abu Hamdiya last December. Others
in the company are suspected of looting, vandalism and harassment of Palestinian
residents.
Analysis
/ Up against the fence
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice came to Jericho and Jerusalem to strengthen
the fragile cease-fire and to revive the road map. She handed out tasks to everyone.....But
with respect to the issue of the separation fence the visitor found herself disagreeing
with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his cabinet, spoke out strongly against the
project and urged changes.
Academic
rejects student because he is Israeli
The Guardian, June 30, 2003
June 30: An Oxford University professor is facing disciplinary action after rejecting
an Israeli student's application to work with him because he had a "huge problem"
with his country's "abuses on the Palestinians", it emerged yesterday.
Four
Palestinian Civilians Wounded and Several Others Arrested by IOF
International Press Center, June 29, 2003
QALQILIA, Palestine, June 29, 2003 (IPC + WAFA)- - Four Palestinians were wounded
and others arrested by Israeli occupation forces overnight in separate incidents
in the Occupied Palestinian Territories.
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad declare truce
Palestinian Information Center, June 30, 2003
Occupied Jerusalem - The two Palestinian Islamic resistance groups, Hamas and
Islamic Jihad, on Sunday formally announced a three-month afunilateral cease-fire
with the Israeli occupation army.
PA
offers jobs for Fatah combatants to give up their arms
Palestinian Information Center, June 30, 2003
Ramallah - Security apparatuses of the Palestinian Authority have offered jobs
for fighters of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, military wing of Fatah, in return for
giving up their resistance.
Zionist
forces arrest AFLP spokesman
Palestinian Information Center, June 30, 2003
Ramallah - Zionist occupation forces yesterday arrested the spokesman of the Arab
Front for the Liberation of Palestine in the West Bank city of Ramallah at an
ambush in Shurafa suburb in the neighboring city of El-Bireh.
Occupation
forces arrest resistance commander
Palestinian Information Center, June 30, 2003
Jenin - Zionist occupation troops last night stormed the village of Eliamon to
the west of Jenin and imposed a curfew before breaking into several houses to
arrest one of the Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades’ commanders.
Pakistani
president: We must weigh opening ties with Israel
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf yesterday said that his country should seriously
consider recognizing Israel and establishing diplomatic relations with it. Israeli
officials stressed that Musharraf is unlikely to follow through on this opening
unless he musters significant public backing for such a step.
Israel,
PA agress on security transfer
Middle East Newsline, June 30, 2003
GAZA CITY [MENL] -- Israel and the Palestinian Authority have agreed on a withdrawal
and transfer of security responsibility. The agreement arranged by the United
States calls for an Israeli withdrawal from PA-controlled areas of the Gaza Strip
and and the West Bank city of Bethlehem. In exchange, the PA has agreed to assume
security responsibility over these areas.
Questions
unanswered
Financial Times, June 29, 2003
Sunday's ceasefire announcement by the Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic
Jihad poses as many questions as it answers. First, the ceasefire is hedged around
with conditions so severe - "the total cessation of all forms of Zionist aggression
against our people" - that it effectively allows the groups to resume the violence
at will. Secondly, the al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, a third militant group which
has claimed responsibility for a series of suicide bombings against Israeli targets
over the last 33 months, did not sign the document released on Sunday.
Gadaffi's
proposal for Middle East peace
Financial Times, June 29, 2003
Muammer Gadaffi , the Libyan leader, on Friday denounced the "road map" for peace
in the Middle East as he premiered his own solution in his new book Israteen.
Speaking live via satellite to an audience at the School of Oriental and African
Studies in London, Colonel Gadaffi outlined his proposals for a one-state solution
in which Palestinians and Israelis would live side by side and share a proportionally-elected
government.
Sharon
and Abbas to meet after truce gains
Financial Times, June 30, 2003
Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, and Mahmoud Abbas, his Palestinian counterpart,
are due to meet on Tuesday in Jerusalem to discuss further progress in the US-backed
"road map" designed to end nearly three years of violence.
On
Gaza's Main Road, a Wary Return to Honks and Hope
New York Times, June 30, 2003
MAFRAK AL-SHOHADAA, Gaza Strip, June 30 — A delicate double-stranded telephone
wire connected Israeli soldiers to Palestinian police at a new post along the
road here today, as Israel released direct control of almost all of Gaza's main
north-south artery for the first time in 33 months of fighting.
Palestinians
wary of Gaza withdrawal
BBC, June 30, 2003
People in Gaza are happy that the Israeli's have withdrawn, even if it is only
a partial pull-back. Many are hoping that it is the first step in a broader peace
process. But they are still sceptical and even suspicious of Israel.
Palestinians
move freely in Gaza
BBC, June 30, 2003
Palestinian police have been taking control of northern and central parts of the
Gaza Strip, after a crucial Israeli troop withdrawal. The Israeli army removed
the main checkpoints on the main north-south highway, allowing Palestinians free
movement along it for the first time in more than two years.
Egypt
Played Key Role in Truce
Arab News, June 30, 2003
CAIRO, 30 June 2003 — Egypt for the last year has played a low-profile role
in trying to broker a deal among Palestinian factions to suspend their attacks
against Israel and give moribund peace negotiations a new lease on life.
Rice
Meeting with PM Abbas Described as "Very Positive"
International Press Center, June 29, 2003
JERICHO, Palestine, June 29, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)- - In an effort to further
advance the US-backed Road Map peace plan, the US National Security Advisor, Condoleezza
Rice, met Saturday evening with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen) and several senior Palestinian officials in the West Bank city
of Jericho.
Rice
criticises construction of Israel's security fence
ProLog, June 29, 2003
JERUSALEM, June 29 (AFP) - US national security adviser Condoleezza Rice on Sunday
criticised the Israeli government's continued construction of a security fence
between Israel and the West Bank, a government source said. Speaking after a meeting
with Israeli ministers in Jerusalem, Rice said Washington saw the construction
of the fence as "problematic" because it would "create a fait accompli" and could
be perceived as the precursor to an international border between the two territories.
Palestinians
back trial ceasefire
The Observer, June 29, 2003
Militants agree to temporary peace settlement as Condoleezza Rice arrives in Middle
East -- There was cautious optimism that the Middle East's road-map to peace has
found a tentative way forward yesterday as three Palestinian militant groups prepared
to formally announce a three-month ceasefire.
Sharon
asks for list of potential prisoners for release
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his Likud Party's Parliament faction on Monday
that he is willing to release only Palestinian prisoners under so-called administrative
detention, and not any of those convicted of killing Israelis.
Sharon:
Gaza pullout won't limit our security operations
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday that Israel's troop withdrawal from the
northern Gaza Strip would not limit the ability to take action necessary to protect
Israeli security. Sharon told Parliament's Likud faction that "there is no limitation
on operations for the sake of security," despite the pullback of forces from Beit
Hanoun on Sunday evening.
Powell:
'We want the terrorists disarmed'
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
The Palestinian people should "invest their future" in the leadership of Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas and shun terrorist groups, Secretary of State Colin Powell
said Monday. "We want the terrorists disarmed, and Prime Minister Abbas recognizes
that he cannot be the prime minister of a Palestinian state based on democratic
principles" if terrorist groups continue to thwart the peace process, he said.
Shalom:
Israel won't release Barghouti for Azzam
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
The Palestinians recently made an attempt to obtain the release of Fatah-Tanzim
leader Marwan Barghouti by asking Egypt to take part in a deal in which it would
hand over Azzam Azzam to Israel, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom revealed to the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Monday.
Labor
Party angry over Rice snub
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Labor Party officials blamed the Prime Minister's Office for failing to allow
a meeting between its leaders and US National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice
when she visited here on Sunday.
Palestinian
journalists call for independent Palestinian TV
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Palestinian journalists and writers in the Gaza Strip on Monday lashed out at
the Palestinian Authority for maintaining a tight grip over Palestine TV. They
also criticized the station's poor administrative and professional standards.
Israel
pulls back after ceasefires
Financial Times, June 30, 2003
Palestinian security forces have begun taking back control of the northern Gaza
strip after Israeli troops moved out of the town of Beit Hanoun and handed over
the territory's main highway, which has been closed to Palestinians since September
2000.
EU,
USA Welcome Israeli Pullout from Northern Gaza Strip
International Press Center, June 30, 2003
Palestine, June 30,2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Israeli occupation troops started late
Sunday overnight withdrawing from the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoun,
as part of a deal aimed at implementing the US-backed peace "roadmap," Palestinian
security sources said.
PLO
Blesses Truce, Urges Israeli Commitment to ‘Roadmap’
Palestine Media Center, June 30, 2003
IOF Redeploy in Northern Gaza, Prepare for Withdrawal from Bethlehem --
June 30, 2003 - The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) on Sunday welcomed
the declaration by Palestinian factions to stop all military acts “in accordance
with the Egyptian initiative,” which reportedly proposed a six-month truce,
as the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) began their withdrawal from reoccupied
areas in the northern Gaza Strip.
Israel
pullback begins as truce declared
Jordan Times, June 30, 2003
GAZA (Reuters) — Israel began a troop pullback in Gaza on Sunday and three
leading Palestinian groups declared a three-month suspension of attacks on Israelis
in breakthroughs for a US-backed peace plan. Witnesses said Israeli armour rumbled
out of the northern Gaza town of Beit Hanoun towards the Israeli border as part
of a withdrawal from areas reoccupied in the Gaza Strip during a 33-month-old
Palestinian uprising for statehood.
The
full texts of the cease-fire statements
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
The texts of the statements released yesterday by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad
groups in Gaza City and by Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement in the West Bank, declaring
the beginning of a truce to halt attacks against Israelis.
Analysis
/ Optimism among the pessimists
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
There were some encouraging signs on the first day of implementing the security
agreement in the Gaza Strip. There was the historic hudna announcement by Hamas
and Islamic Jihad which, even if it contains no good will, is certainly a turning
point.
Palestinian
factions declare cease-fire
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
After several hours delay, Hamas and Islamic Jihad yesterday announced they are
suspending terror attacks against Israel for a period of three months, although
the word "cease-fire" does not appear in the text of the announcement. Instead,
the statement speaks of a limited suspension of the groups' paramilitary activities.
Background/
Arabs, Israelis drag their leaders toward a truce
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Never has a window of opportunity been so entirely tarred in official scorn, skepticism,
and outright dismissal. Influential hardliners on both sides have worked overtime
to turn the back of their hand to a hudna, or temporary truce, in Holy Land.
Analysis
/ The Palestinian public is gloomy
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Members of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's government were reveling
in a feeling of victory yesterday after Hamas and Islamic Jihad announced a hudna,
or cease-fire. Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Amer announced that essentially
all the Palestinian organizations, including the two left-wing fronts, which have
not formally joined the hudna, have accepted the principles embodied in the agreement
on a three-month truce.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine June 30, 2003
Palestine Media Center
Armed Israeli settlers seized about 500 dunums (500,000 square meters) of agricultural
land near Ramallah. Meanwhile, Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) raided the northern
West Bank town of Tulkarem and detained at least 8 citizens in Hebron city.
Palestine
Chronicle Weekly Roundup: 22-28 June 2003
Palestine Chronicle, June 30, 2003
The following is a partial list of numbers and events in Palestine this week.
It is by no means exhaustive. Sources are the Palestine Media Center (PMC), the
online, English edition of the Israeli daily Ha’aretz (H), Agence France
Press (AFP), Associated Press AP), Reuters, and Asharq Al Awsat.
Israel
boycotts BBC
MIFTAH, June 30, 2003
Media reports announced that the Israeli government will impose sanctions on the
British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC) after a documentary aired this weekend
revealing Israel’s possession of nuclear weapons.
Israel
likens BBC programme to Nazi press
Jordan Times, June 30, 2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AP) — An Israeli government official said Sunday that
a BBC programme charging Israel with secretly stockpiling nuclear and chemical
weapons demonised Israel in a way reminiscent of anti-Semitic tracts published
in Nazi Germany.
Israel
freezes out BBC over 'biased' reporting
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
Israel said on Monday it had severed contacts with the BBC over what it termed
coverage akin to the worst "Nazi propaganda", but Britain's state broadcaster
can still report from the Jewish state. Israeli officials have criticized BBC
coverage of a 33-month-old Palestinian uprising for statehood and one official
described as the "last straw" a documentary called "Israel's Secret Weapon" on
alleged nuclear and chemical arms programs.
Obstruction
of International Humanitarian, Development and Human Rights Workers
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, June 2003
PCHR has become increasingly concerned regarding the progressively restrictive
measures imposed on internationals seeking access to Israel and the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, and the Gaza Strip in particular. Restrictions have been arbitrarily
imposed on internationals employed by international and national humanitarian,
development and human rights organizations seeking to conduct their work throughout
the OPTs.
World
Bank: Protectionism threatens Mideast economies more than violence
MENA Report, June 29, 2003
The countries of the Middle East and North Africa (MENA) could ward off a major
unemployment crisis in the coming years by expanding trade and private investment
and generating millions of new jobs according to a recently released World Bank
report, ‘Engaging with the World: Trade, Investment and Development in MENA’.
Bank
of International Settlements offers Israel membership
Globes, June 30, 2003
The Bank of Israel said the invitation reflected an appreciation of Israel’s
'economic development'. -- The Bank for International Settlements (BIS), which
is based in Basel, Switzerland, today announced it had invited the Bank of Israel
and five other central banks to become BIS members....The Bank of Israel noted
that by joining the Bank of International Settlements, Israel was extending its
already close ties with leading financial institutions overseas, such as the IMF
and the World Bank.
Airbus
rejects IAI participation in A380 project
Globes, June 30, 2003
Sources inform “Globes” that Airbus Industrie has rejected Israel
Aircraft Industries’ (IAI) proposal to manufacture fuselage parts for the
future A380 super-jumbo jet....Aviation industry sources told “Globes...the
EU poor relations with Israel over its conflict with the Palestinians were a factor
in the rejection. A second reason was El Al’s (TASE:ELAL) purchase of new
Boeing planes. Lobbying by the US administration on Boeing’s behalf has
been noteworthy in recent tenders, including El Al’s.
International
seminar on the Palestinian struggle and globalisation
Alternative Information Center, June 29, 2003
The Alternative Information Center is organising an international seminar to discuss
and analyse the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the framework of the military
globalisation - to look for common strategies of resistance to war and oppression.
We are looking for a convergence between Palestinian, Israeli and international
activists to make a future without wars possible in the Middle East.
“Yediot
Ahronot”: Netanyahu to press for 4.5% interest rate
Globes, June 30, 2003
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu: The Bank of Israel should adopt a different
mode of thinking. -- The “Yediot Ahronot” Hebrew daily reports that
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu will recommend that the Bank of Israel
cut the interest rate more rapidly, until it reaches 4.5%. The Bank of Israel
rate is currently 7.5%, and Netanyahu wants it cut by 0.5% every three weeks,
or 0.8% a month.
Netanyahu
to attempt sale of Bank Leumi this year
Globes, June 30, 2003
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu ordered officials to expedite work on the
privatization of Bank Leumi, with the aim of selling the bank via the Tel Aviv
Stock Exchange this year, the Ministry of Finance said today in a statement.
Industrial
wages down 4.6% in real terms in Q1
Globes, June 30, 2003
The average industrial wage was NIS 9,208. High-tech wages fell the most, at 6.6%.
-- Industrial wages continued to erode in the first quarter of 2003. The average
industrial wage fell 4.6% in real terms, compared with the first quarter in 2002,
to NIS 9,208, according to a Manufacturers Association analysis of industrial
wages.
Economic
plan goes into effect tomorrow
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
The government's emergency economic plan, which won final Knesset approval in
late May, takes effect tomorrow, July 1. This means, for example, that public
sector salaries for July (paid at the beginning of August) will be lower and child
allowances paid by the National Insurance Institute in July will be reduced.
Fraud
squad questions UTJ's Litzman in double-vote probe
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
United Torah Judaism MK Yaakov Litzman refused Monday to reveal the name of the
lawmaker who voted in place of Likud MK Inbal Gavrieli during the ballot on the
government's economic austerity plan last month. Litzman has admitted to seeing
who voted in place of Gavrieli, but said that Jewish law prevents him from being
an informer.
Amnesty
International: U.S. Iraqi Detentions Violate Law
CommonDreams, June 30, 2003
BAGHDAD, Iraq -- Amnesty International said Monday it has gathered evidence that
points to U.S. violations of international law by subjecting Iraqi prisoners to
"cruel, inhuman or degrading" conditions at its detention centers here. The report
coincides with a two-day United Nations conference on human rights that began
in Baghdad on Monday. The conference, which focuses on abuses committed during
the rule of Saddam Hussein, will coordinate investigations into the regime's alleged
killings of some 300,000 Iraqis.
Amnesty
accuses Arab governments of misusing war on terror
Jerusalem Post, June 30, 2003
Arab governments are taking advantage of the war on terrorism to crack down on
Islamist opposition and are violating human rights in the process, according to
a regional human rights organization. The Arab Organization for Human Rights said
countries in the region, particularly the Gulf states which were hit the hardest
by terrorist attacks, are abusing "the rights of individuals and groups."
U.S.
Returns Wounded Syrian Border Guards
The Guardian, June 30, 2003
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - The United States returned five Syrian border guards wounded
during a U.S. assault on the Syrian-Iraqi border, officials announced Monday,
the latest move to repair strained U.S.-Syrian ties.
Syrian
preparations to joint the WTO
Arabic News, June 30, 2003
Syria's Minister of Economy and Foreign Trade, Ghassan Rifaee, met on Saturday
with participants at the training course which was organized to qualify the team
which is assigned to negotiate Syria's future joining the World Trade Organization.
Aquifers
in danger, despite wet winter
Haaretz, June 30, 2003
While public attention has been focused in recent months on the Kinneret, slowly
being filled by the winter rains, those responsible for Israel's water supply
have been keeping a worried eye on the coastal aquifer and the western mountain
aquifer.
Lebanese
forces support resistance
Palestinian Information Center, June 30, 2003
Beirut - The Islamic and national forces in Lebanon yesterday organized a rally
under the slogan “No to the Road-map” in the presence of a number
of religious scholars, deputies and representatives of ministers, parties and
Palestinian factions.
Syria
signs oil contracts with Shell, Petro Canada
New Jersey.com, June 30, 2003
DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) -- Syria on Monday authorized an agreement with Royal Dutch/Shell
and Canada's Petro Canada oil companies to search for new oil wells and develop
old ones.
Syria
Wants Good US Ties, Dialogue on Border Raid
Arab News, June 30, 2003
ALEPPO, Syria, 30 June 2003 — Syria said yesterday it wants its ties with
the United States to improve and was hoping “quiet diplomacy” would
resolve a recent incident involving US forces at the Arab country’s borders
with neighboring Iraq.
Iraqi
Kurds seek reversal of 'ethnic cleansing'
Jordan Times, June 30, 2003
SULAIMANIYA, Iraq (Reuters) — A Kurdish official has said that for peace
to prevail in Iraq the “ethnic cleansing” of Kurds must be reversed
in the oil-rich town of Kirkuk, scene of Arab-Kurd tension since the US led war.
Hizbullah
holds government responsible for deprivation
Daily Star, June 30, 2003
Hizbullah’s deputy secretary-general, Sheikh Naim Qassem, on Sunday held
the government responsible for settling the issue of deprivation in the Baalbek-Hermel
area, saying that that developmental services should not be provided for the purpose
of popularity votes.
Lawrence's
1920 report eerily topical
Financial Times, June 30, 2003
"The people of England have been led in Mesopotamia into a trap from which it
will be hard to escape with dignity and honour. They have been tricked into it
by a steady withholding of information." Thus began an article in the Sunday Times
of August 22, 1920, by one T. E. Lawrence - the famed Lawrence of Arabia.
