IOF
Invades Ramallah and Jenin, Wounds One in KhanYounis
International Press Center, July 17, 2003
JENIN, Palestine, July 17, 2003, IPC-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) imposed
Thursday dawn a tightened siege on President Arafat’s headquarters “Al
Moqataa” in the West Bank city of Ramallah. At 03:20 am, tens of armored
vehicles and tanks invaded Ramallah and stationed around the headquarters of President
Arafat. Israeli soldiers stormed several high buildings around the HQ and stationed
on the roofs. They withdrew two hours after their incursion, Palestinian security
sources told IPC’s.
Israeli
Troops Wound a Woman in Rafah, Impose Curfew on Tulkarim
International Press Center, July 17, 2003
PALESTINE, July 17, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF)
wounded Thursday afternoon a Palestinian woman in the Gaza Strip city of Rafah
and imposed curfew on the West Bank city of Tulkarim. Feryal Qeshta 53, of the
Albarazil neighborhood, on the Palestinian-Egyptian borders, just south of Rafah
city was moderately wounded in her left thigh after being shot with an Israeli
live bullet, local hospital officials said.
Palestinians
Demonstrate Against Violence
Washington Post, July 17, 2003
NABLUS, West Bank - Hundreds of Palestinians demonstrated in Nablus against violence
by armed men after gunmen shot and killed a young mother and a teenager died in
an explosion. Demonstrations against fellow Palestinians are rare in the West
Bank and Gaza Strip, though marches and rallies protesting Israeli occupation
take place almost daily.
Terror
group to Arafat: Dismantle Abbas government
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
The Hamas and the Islamic Jihad have condemned Palestinian Prime Minister Mahnoud
Abbas for planning to visit US President George W. Bush while Yasser Arafat's
movements are still curtailed by Israel, and Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade has called
on Arafat to dismantle Abbas' government.
Hamas
Rejects PA Proposal to Extend Truce
International Middle East Media Center, July 17, 2003
Palestinian sources reported that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen) proposed to Palestinian factions to make the cease-fire agreement permanent.
Ismael Haniah, a promenant Hamas leader said on Wednesday that Hamas’s position
is clear “a cease-fire for a limited period of three months.”
Zionist
authorities block entry of Palestinian mother into hospital
Palestinian Information Center, July 17, 2003
Nablus - Zionist authorities have refused to allow the Palestinian woman Theba
Mohammed Nassar access into the green line to undergo an urgent surgery at the
pretext that one of her sons was a resistance commando. Theba was seriously injured
after a Jewish truck driver hit the woman near her village of Madma, Nablus district.
Defense
officials: J'lem separation fence to be built by July 31
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
Security officials said Thursday that the separation fence being constructed around
Jerusalem will be completed by the end of July. The 21-kilometer segment is being
built in the northern and southern outskirts of the capital, in an attempt to
prevent the infiltration of Palestinian terrorists from the West Bank.
ISM:
Israel to Deport Eight International Peace Activists
International Solidarity Movement, July 17, 2003
Today Tel Aviv District Court Judge Nissim Yeshaya upheld the deportation orders
of eight International Peace activists who were working with the International
Solidarity Movement (ISM). Of the eight activists,...four were arrested on July
9 while at a camp on Palestinian land in the village of Arrabony near Jenin slated
to be confiscated by Israel for the building of the separation wall, and four
on July 10 while helping to remove roadblocks near the city of Nablus calling
attention to the restrictions on Palestinian freedom of movement under the occupation.
House
move threatens road map aid
Salaam UK/Financial Times, July 16, 2003
The US House of Representatives on Wednesday approved legislation that would block
US aid to the Palestinians unless the Palestinian Authority entered into a binding
peace agreement with Israel and dismantled all terrorist groups. The provision,
opposed by the White House, would set a possibly insurmountable hurdle for US
efforts to use economic aid to push forward President George W. Bush's road map
for peace with Israel.
Sharon
and Abbas may meet for talks today
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
Aides to Prime Minister Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas were working
on arranging a meeting between the two either today or tomorrow. Abbas hopes to
hear from Sharon that Israel will immediately begin releasing prisoners from Israeli
jails, according to sources in Abbas' office.
Knesset:
West Bank, Gaza Strip Not Occupied
Islam Online, July 17, 2003
The majority of Israeli MPs, including Sharon’s son, voted in favor of the
Likud draft -- RAMALLAH, July 16 (Islamonline.net & News Agencies) - Dealing
a strong blow to peacemaking efforts rekindled by the roadmap plan and the truce
declared by Palestinian resistance groups, the Israeli Knesset ratified late Tuesday,
July 14, a draft legislation claiming the West Bank and Gaza Strip were not territories
occupied by Israel.
Knesset
Denial Of Palestinian Occupation Destroys Peace: Ivanov
Islam Online, July 17, 2003
"Russia believes that any decision or action of this sort destroys the basic principles
of the peace process," Ivanov -- Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov hit out
Thursday, July 17, at Israeli MPs' adoption of a draft legislation denying the
occupation of the Palestinian territories, saying it undermined the Middle East
peace roadmap.
PNA
faces $228m gap in 2003 , says IMF
Jerusalem Times, July 17, 2003
The International Monetary Fund said that if the Israeli payments of tax revenue
to the PNA remain low, the PNA will face a gap in income of about $228 million
in the current year. The IMF indicated that one of the reasons behind the low
payments are cuts made into the payments, at the request of the PNA, to pay off
debts the PNA owed the Israeli public sector in exchange for services afforded
Palestinian municipalities.
EU
shelves moves to outlaw Hamas political wing
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
BRUSSELS - The European Union has shelved moves to outlaw the political wing of
the Palestinian militant group Hamas, despite pressure from the United States
and Israel, after it accepted a cease fire, diplomats disclosed on Thursday. EU
ambassadors agreed in early July to halt steps to add Hamas to the bloc's blacklist
of banned terrorist organizations, which would have led to the freezing of its
assets and possible prosecution of its activists.
Sharon
May Free Some Islamists, Israeli Sources Say
Reuters, July 17, 2003
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering releasing
some Islamic militant prisoners to advance a U.S.-backed "road map" to peace with
the Palestinians, Israeli diplomatic sources said Thursday.
Court
extends remand of five Islamic Movement leaders
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
The Haifa District Court extended Thursday by six days the remand of five leaders
of the Islamic Movement's northern branch, including its head Sheikh Ra'ad Salah.
The court will decide next week whether to keep the remand in place for the entire
length of criminal proceedings.
IOF
Mass Troops Around Arafat’s Headquarters
Palestine Media Center, July 17, 2003
Israel Continues Raids, Detentions in West Bank in Violation of Truce -- July
17, 2003 - Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) massed troops near and around the presidential
headquarters in Ramallah city early Thursday, according to Palestinians security
sources, which also said that IOF have detained more than a dozen Palestinians
in the past forty-eight hours in the West Bank, mostly reoccupied last year.
Abbas
to Washington to Discuss Prisoners’ Release, Settlement Freeze
International Middle East Media Center, July 17, 2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) said Wednesday that he will
visit Washington and meet with U.S. President George Bush on July 25th. In an
official statement issued in Ramallah, Abu Mazen said that freezing construction
of Israeli settlements and prisoners release are top on the meeting agenda.
Foreign
ministry launches campaign against Israel bashing at UN
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
Palestinian incitement against Israel needs to end not only on PA television and
radio, but also on CNN and in the UN General Assembly, senior foreign ministry
official David Granit said Thursday. According to Granit, this will be one of
the key messages Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will deliver in a speech Monday
to the foreign ministers of the enlarged EU, and will also be one of the key topics
of his discussions later in the week in Washington.
Palestinians
expelled after Nativity siege may be allowed home
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
Israeli sources said yesterday they would not oppose the return of 28 Bethlehemites
who were expelled to Gaza in June 2002 in a deal worked out between Israel and
the Palestinian Authority's Yasser Arafat that ended the siege of the Church of
the Nativity in Bethlehem.
Palestinians
seek to extend truce
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
The Palestinian Authority is seeking to persuade terrorists to extend indefinitely
a temporary halt to attacks on Israelis, a Palestinian official said Wednesday...."We
have a plan to transform the (cease-fire) from a limited one to one that is for
an indefinite period of time," [Amr] told The Associated Press.
Islamic
Movement leaders remanded for another six days
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
Sheikh Raed Salah, Umm el-Fahm mayor Dr. Suleiman Agbariya and three other leading
members of the Islamic Movement's northern branch were remanded in custody for
a further six days by the Haifa district court on Thursday.
IWL
warns of Jewish attempts to wipe out Islamic landmarks in Jerusalem
Palestinian Information Center, July 17, 2003
Jeddah - The Islamic World League has accused Zionist radical organizations of
carrying out hostile schemes aimed at forcing mass departure of the inhabitants
of Al-Quds. Abdullah Al-Turki, secretary general of the Jeddah-based IWL, said
in a statement yesterday that indigenous people of the holy city were expelled
from their homes before demolishing them in order to allow the construction of
new houses for Jewish immigrants.
Officials
seize 155 cellphones from security prisoners
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
Some 155 cellular telephones have been confiscated from security prisoners during
the period January-July, according to a report from the Prisons Service. Just
yesterday, eight security detainees were found in possession of cellular phones.
U.S
Government Signs Direct Assistance Agreement with the PNA
International Press Center, July 16, 2003
BIET HANOUN, Palestine, July 16, 2003 (IPC)- - In a press conference held in the
northern Gaza Strip town of Biet Hanoun, Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayad
, representing the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Acting U.S. Consul
General Jeffrey Feltman, representing the U.S government, signed Tuesday a direct
U.S assistance to the Palestinian people worth $20 million.
Palestinian
Summer Camps: Joyful Moments Away From Israeli Occupation Practices
International Press Center, July 17, 2003
PALESTINE, July 17, 2003 (IPC Exclusive)-- Excited innocent angels, dressed in
white shirts, with the Unicef slogan printed on them, play far away from the bombing,
destruction, and shooting. This is the image you see once you pay a visit to one
of the Palestinian summer camps.
IDF:
Palestinians didn't help in rescue of taxi driver
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
The IDF Central Command Maj. Gen. Moshe Kaplinsky yesterday said the Palestinians
did not provide any information that helped to locate and rescue kidnapped taxi
driver Eliyahu Gurel, who disappeared on Friday night and was rescued just before
midnight on Tuesday.
Human
Rights Lawyer: Peace without Prisoners Release Not Complete
Palestine Chronicle, July 17, 20003
Peace in the Middle East has no chance of becoming a reality unless the debate
surrounding Israel’s 6,000 Palestinian prisoners is resolved. But the argument
about their future only serves to highlight the chasm that still exists between
what residents in the Occupied Territories want and what Israeli Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon is willing to give them.
LAW
Says Oppressive Israeli Measures Have not Been Eased
International Press Center, July 17, 2003
ALBIEREH, Palestine, July 17, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)—In a its weekly report
released Thursday, LAW, a local Palestinian Institution for Human Rights,
based in Albiereh city, emphasized the fact that the oppressive Israeli
measures against the Palestinian people including the strict siege imposed on
the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT) have not been eased.
Turkish
FM Gul to visit Arafat Soon: Shaath
Palestine Media Center, July 17, 2003
Turkish Foreign Minister Abdullah Gul will visit Ramallah soon for meetings and
talks with President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, the Palestine
National Authority (PNA) Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said in Ankara Wednesday.
Oldest
Palestinian prisoner calls upon Israel, Egypt, and Hizbollah to release all prisoners
International Middle East Media Center, July 17, 2003
President Arafat Adviser for prisoners’ affairs Ahmad Abu Al-Sukkar called
upon Israel, Egypt, and Hizbollah (The Lebanese resistance Party) to release all
the prisoners and to close this file once and for ever. Abu Al-Sukkar, who was
released lately after spending 25 years in Israeli jails, confirmed his readiness
to devote most of his time and energy to achieve this goal.
'I'm
no terrorist' - Israel detainee
BBC, July 17, 2003
A Northern Ireland man who was held for questioning by authorities in Israel has
arrived home to Belfast. On his arrival at Belfast City Airport, Sean O Muireagáin,
42, said he was delighted to be home. Speaking at a news conference in Belfast
on Thursday, Mr O Muireagáin said he was "flabbergasted" at being questioned about
bomb making.
Arab
League deplores Israel's decision on Gaza, West Bank as unoccupied territories
Arabic News, July 17, 2003
The Arab League has denounced the Israeli Knesset decision to consider Gaza Strip
and the West Bank as unoccupied territories. In a statement in Cairo yesterday,
the League stressed that this decision is a violation to the international law
stipulating Israeli complete withdrawal of the occupied lands including the Gaza
Strip and the West Bank.
Islamic
World society deplores Israeli practices
Arabic News, July 17, 2003
Islamic World society has warned against the Zionist plans and aggressive practices
aiming at displacing the Palestinians in Jerusalem in order to seize it and eliminate
its Islamic and Arab character.
Palestinian
Folklore Day
Jerusalem Times, July 17, 2003
The Battle for Cultural Identity -- July 1, 2002, coincided with the annual anniversary
of the Palestinian Folklore Day; the folklore that distinguishes the Palestinian
national identity on the Palestinian land. This folklore confirms that Palestine
is for the Palestinians wherever they are. Palestine is the land, history and
folklore.
Three
Court Decisions Obtained: Demolition Order Cancelled & Two Demolition Orders
Delayed
Jerusalem Center for Social & Economic Rights, July 15, 2003
The Jerusalem Center for Social & Economic Rights (JCSER) has obtained three
decisions from the Jerusalem Municipal Court in Jerusalem: one decision to cancel
the demolition order issued recently against Ibrahim Ziadeh, a Palestinian resident
of Shu’fat, north of Occupied Jerusalem; and two decisions to temporarily
prevent house demolitions pending study of the cases.
Banking
sector burdened by debts
Jerusalem Times, July 17, 2003
Ameen Haddad, governor of the Palestinian Monetary Authority, said that despite
the growth in the banking sector in way of extent of facilities extended and size
of deposits, the sector was affected greatly by the current intifada, burdened
by $355 million in debt, triple the size before the intifada.
Mideast
campaigners tread another path to peace
Financial Times, July 16, 2003
While the world's attention is focused on the US-backed road map for peace in
the Middle East, Israeli and Palestinian campaigners are pressing a more radical
solution. Their proposals would see Israel withdrawing to its 1967 borders and
Jerusalem enjoying the status of an open city divided into areas of Palestinian
and Israeli control. To compensate, Palestinians would surrender the right of
return of refugees, one of the most sensitive issues in their demands, and possibly
some parts of the West Bank and Gaza strip - albeit only on a strict 1:1 basis
for land inside Israel.
Two-day
UN Seminar on Assistance to Palestinian people concludes its work
Electronic Intifada/United Nations, July 16, 2003
A two-day United Nations Seminar on Assistance to the Palestinian People, which
was organized by the Committee on the Exercise of the Inalienable Rights of the
Palestinian People, today concluded its work after a thorough discussion on the
prerequisites of Palestinian economic recovery and the role of the international
community.
"The
Christian Coalition is highly supportive"
Come and See, July 17, 2003
Parts of an interview with a racist minister who his biggest supporters are Pro-Israel
Evangalicals in the US - From the Jerusalem Post, July 15, 2003 -- In Israel,
Tourism Minister Benny Elon is considered too extreme, so he complains that he
cannot get his ideas through "since the media here is closed to me. From the other
side, when I go to the Congress and meet with Tom Delay or Sam Brownback, and
these men take me seriously. The Christian Coalition is highly supportive. I am
closely tied to Pat Robertson and Gary Bauer. And they have a lot of power".
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine July 17, 2003
Palestine Media Center
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) massed troops around the battered presidential
headquarters in Ramallah. Meanwhile, IOF detained eight Palestinians in Nablus,
Tubas and Jenin and wounded a Palestinian young man in the southern Gaza Strip
town of Khan Younis.
Hear
Palestine July 17, 2003
Hear Palestine
NEWS: Israeli Army Invades Tulkarem, Detains Hundreds of Residents / Rafah: Resident
Wounded in Israeli Fire / Hebron: Settlers Confiscate Land, 3 Arrested in Arroub
/ Jenin: Israeli Army Invades City at Dawn; Arrests / Ramallah: Military Reinforcements
around Arafat Compound FEATURES: Shu'fat Residents Complain about Municipality
Work / Haj Abdallah Can See his Figs but Cannot Taste Them
UN
envoy praises roadmap progress
BBC, July 17, 2003
United Nations Middle East envoy, Terje Roed-Larsen, has given the UN Security
Council an upbeat assessment of progress towards the implementation of the roadmap
for peace between Israelis and Palestinians. But he warned that both sides needed
to take steps to build trust and confidence.
Arafat
‘Blesses’ Abbas - Bush Meeting in Washington July 25
Palestine Media Center, July 17, 2003
Norway Rebuffs Sharon’s Request to Boycott Palestinian Leader -- July 17,
2003 - President Yasser Arafat fully authorized Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas’
meeting with the US President Bush in Washington on July 25 and chaired a meeting
of the Higher Committee of Negotiations (HCN) in his battered headquarters in
Ramallah, hours before Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) surrounded the presidential
compound early Thursday, as the Palestinian PM denied that a date has been set
for a meeting with Israel’s counterpart Ariel Sharon.
Abbas
To Visit U.S., Disappointed Sharon Returns From Europe
Islam Online, July 17, 2003
TEL AVIV, July 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas said Wednesday, July 17, that he would meet U.S. President
George W. Bush in Washington next week, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon mulled
an unsuccessful trip to persuade European leaders to sideline President Yasser
Arafat.
Abbas
Plans Visit to Bush in Hopes of Pressing Israel
New York Times, July 17, 2003
JERUSALEM, July 16 — The Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, plans
to make his first visit to President Bush in Washington on July 25, to press for
Israeli concessions to advance the new Middle East peace plan, Palestinian officials
said today.
Abbas
to be given White House welcome
Financial Times, July 17. 2003
The US administration will attempt to bolster Mahmoud Abbas, the embattled Palestinian
prime minister, when it gives him an unprecedented welcome in Washington next
week.
Isolated
Arafat calls for help - but is anybody still listening?
The Guardian, July 17, 2003
In his ruined compound, a weary Palestinian president sees opportunities melting
away -- He sits like a schoolteacher, peering through thick glasses at documents
on a lectern, occasionally marking them with a red pen before passing them to
an aide. Yasser Arafat looks old and frail in his office in the Muqata in Ramallah,
one of the few remaining buildings of the Palestinian government compound.
Fateh
dispute "solved"
Palestine Report, July 16, 2003
AFTER MANY tense hours behind closed doors, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and President
Yasser Arafat announced on July 14 that the dispute between the two had subsided.
The two met that day following a week of icy communication and internal strife
within Fateh, the largest Palestinian faction, and the party to which both Abbas
and Arafat belong....But even if Arafat and Abbas are no longer officially at
odds with each other, various other Palestinian factions still have their bones
of contention to pick.
Report:
Assad says ready to resume direct peace contacts with Israel
Al-Bawaba, July 16, 2003
Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is ready to resume peace talks with Israel that
broke down in 2000, according to an Israeli newspaper report on Thursday. The
Tel Aviv-based Maariv daily quoted Assad as telling UN Middle East envoy Terje
Roed-Larsen earlier this month "We are intrested in (peace) negotiations with
Israel, bilateral talks...with US brokerage."
Larsen:
Assad quotes in report are completely wrong
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
A spokesman for Terje Roed-Larsen on Thursday said quotes the Maariv daily attributed
to Syrian President Bassar Assad during a meeting with the UN envoy were "absolutely
wrong." "Mr. Roed-Larsen does not usually comment on what happens in diplomatic
meetings," the spokesman, Mark Dennis, said. "But the quotes in Maariv today are
absolutely incorect. The quotes attributed to President Assad about the whereabouts
of the Israeli MIAs... are not true."
UN
denies Ma'ariv report that Assad ready to talk peace
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
A United Nations spokesman denied a report in the Ma'ariv newspaper Thursday that
Syrian President Bashar Assad had told UN Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen that
he was ready to renew peace talks with Israel and to intervene in the case of
four Israelis missing in Lebanon.
Lahoud
implores Ivanov to lean on Sharon
Daily Star, July 17, 2003
President repeats opposition to resettlement of Palestinians here -- [Lebanese]
President Emile Lahoud on Wednesday called on the “Quartet” group,
including Russia, to help overcome obstacles facing a Middle East settlement due
to Israel’s “intransigent position” and seek the implementation
of UN resolutions.
Russia
hopes to sell Israeli-Syrian talks, Iranian nuclear power plant
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
During a brief visit to Beirut, Russian Middle East envoy Andrei Vdovin called
for renewal of peace talks between Israel and Syria and Lebanon. Syria has stated
repeatedly in recent weeks that it wants talks to be held concurrently with the
'road map' process with the Palestinians, reiterating its unusual demand that
talks must continue at the point where they unilaterally left them.
US
official reiterates continuing UNRWA support
Jordan Times, July 17, 2003
AMMAN (JT) — Visiting US Assistant Secretary of State for the Bureau of
Population, Refugees and Migration Arthur “Gene” Dewey said Wednesday
that the US administration was committed to supporting UNRWA's continued services
to Palestinian refugees until a final and comprehensive solution is reached on
the Palestine issue.
Budget
crisis halts hospital treatments
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
The finance and health ministers were meeting late last night, trying to resolve
a budget emergency in the health system as a key medicine supplier halted deliveries
to seven state hospitals, and the Health Ministry demanded that the treasury immediately
transfer over NIS 200 million - half the ministry's present deficit.
Single
moms refuse to attend c'tee meeting, want to see Netanyahu
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
A public committee funded by the treasury that will decide which single-parent
families merit additional financial support will not convene Friday as planned
because representatives of single mothers are refusing to attend, Israel Radio
reported.
A
marching mom puts Israeli pols on defensive
Christian Science Monitor, July 17, 2003
JERUSALEM – Victoria Knafo gathered together an Israeli flag, a change of
clothes, two bottles of water, and her mobile phone. Then she spent a week walking
the 120 miles from her town in Israel's Negev Desert to Jerusalem.
Labor:
PM should urge his son to answer police questions
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
Labor Party Secretary-General Ophir Pines-Paz on Thursday criticized the fact
that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Gilad exercised the right to remain silent
during police questioning on the front companies that funded his father's bid
for party chairman in the 1999 Likud primaries, and said that he expected the
prime minister to urge Gilad to respond to questions posed by the police.
Intel
Israel CEO: Our products are central to Intel
Globes, July 17, 2003
Intel is raising its 2003 R&D budget by $200 million to $2.4 billion -- “The
development centers in Israel are in Intel’s mainstream. That means that
the products leaving here are key products, and integrated with the heart of the
company’s future strategy.”
US
Senate Appropriations Committee raises “Arrow” budget by $90m
Globes, July 17, 2003
If the budget is passed, the US will inject $155 million into the project in 2004.
-- “For many Congressmen, the Arrow is the flagship of Israel-US strategic
cooperation.” -- The US Senate Appropriations Committee last week increased
US participation in the “Arrow” missile program in the 2004 fiscal
year by $90 million. If the decision survives both houses of Congress, the US
administration will inject $155 million into the Arrow next year.
Israelis
doubt Netanyahu’s growth promises - survey
Globes, July 17, 2003
71% say the economic plan is unfair. There’s not much faith in the peace
process either. -- The single mothers’ protest, spreading like a wildfire
from the spark lit by Vicki Knafo, has grabbed the public’s attention in
recent days. The latest Globes-Smith survey covers the protest, in addition to
two major topics heading the public agenda: the cease-fire agreement with the
Palestinians and the Ministry of Finance economic plan.
Poll:
Many Baghdadis believe Iraq was invaded 'to help Israel'
Jerusalem Post, July 17, 2003
Baghdadis have their own theories. An astonishing 41% believe the main reason
the coalition went to war was "to help Israel". -- In a survey of 800 Baghdad
residents conducted by British pollster YouGov for The Spectator and Channel 4,
exactly half of the respondents expressed a belief that "America and Britain's
war against Saddam's regime" was right. Twenty-seven percent thought it was wrong,
23% did not know.
UN
gives Palestinians official refugee status in Iraq
Haaretz, July 17, 2003
BAGHDAD - The United Nations yesterday started giving Palestinians refugee status
in Iraq, including hundreds who have been crammed into tents since their eviction
from houses after the war that ended Saddam Hussein's rule.
French
and Jewish extremists unite on Net against Arabs
The Independent, July 17, 2003
Extreme-right and neo-Nazi groups in France have formed an anti-Arab and anti-Muslim
alliance on the internet with extremist Jewish groups, a report published yesterday
said. Since the French far right is known for its visceral anti-Semitism, the
alliance has puzzled and disturbed anti-racism campaigners and mainstream Jewish
organisations.
Murr
accuses Palestinian Islamists in FTV attack
Daily Star, July 17, 2003
A rocket attack on Prime Minister Rafik Hariri’s Future TV building last
month was the work of Palestinian Islamic militants, Interior Minister Elias Murr
said. In an interview published in Wednesday’s leftist daily As-Safir, Murr
said that the June 15 attack was planned by members of Esbat al-Ansar, a Palestinian
extremist group on the US list of terrorist organizations.
Special
Force: Hizbullah fights back in politicization of computer games
Daily Star, July 17, 2003
Software is just another in a series of ideologically weighted shoot-em-ups --
.. As reported in The Daily Star..Feb. 16 [Hizbullah] launched its first computer
game, Special Force. And successfully so, according to Bilal Zeyn, who works for
the Hizbullah Internet Bureau that developed the game: So far some 12,000 copies
have been sold in Lebanon, Iran, the Gulf and some countries in Europe as well
as in Australia.
Dollars
out for Mid-East TV
BBC, July 17, 2003
The US House of Representatives has approved funds for the creation of a radio
and television network in the Middle East aimed at promoting American views. "This
new network will... greatly contribute to an enhancement of our efforts to combat
the misinformation and propaganda that contribute to the rising anti-American
sentiment in the region," said House International Relations Committee Chairman
Henry Hyde.
Ann
Arbor Man Deported To Lebanon
Council on American Islamic Relations, July 16, 2003
(David Shepardson, Detroit News) - DETROIT - An Ann Arbor man who co-founded an
Islamic charity and was detained by the federal government for 19 months on suspicion
that he supported terrorism was deported to his native Lebanon on Monday, officials
said.
Analysis:
Politics of terrorism mature
UPI, July 16, 2003
[A]t the heart of their agenda is another goal: to gain greater American support
against Palestinian-sponsored terrorism in Israel and Kashmir insurgency-related
terror in India. -- WASHINGTON, July 16 (UPI) -- A coalition of Jewish and Indian-American
special-interest groups has started lobbying Congress for recognition that U.S.
foreign policy must treat terrorism consistently around the world.
Israeli
Airline Security Decried By Passenger
Council on American Islamic Relations, July 16, 2003
(Philip Mascoll, Toronto Star) - A Toronto woman who was criticized by some fellow
Muslims when she organized a scholarship to honour murdered Jewish American journalist
Daniel Pearl says she was "humiliated" by Israeli security officers and staff
of El Al, Israel's national airline. Ronna Syed's trip to the Middle East for
a six-week university course in Arabic was a two-day nightmare of suspicion, delays,
bad treatment and prejudice, she said in a telephone interview from Ramallah in
the West Bank.
