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Conflict..
Five Foreign Activists Injured In Anti-Israeli Fence Protest
Islam Online 2003-07-28
JENIN, West Bank, July 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Five foreign peace activists were wounded when Israeli forces used live ammunition to disperse protestors against Israel's security fence in northern West Bank Monday, July 28. The army opened fire when a crowd of some 500 Palestinians led by a group of 100 activists from the International solidarity Movement (ISM) tore down a gate in the fence near the village of Aneen, a spokesman for the activists told Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Police say motive for murder of soldier was nationalistic
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
The body of IDF soldier, Corporal Oleg Shaichat, who has been missing for a week, was found on Monday buried in an olive grove between the Arab villages of Kafr Kana and Mashad, northeast of Nazareth in the north of Israel, police announced. According to the initial police investigation, Shaichat, 20, was abducted at the Beit Rimon Junction and was then taken to a nearby field where he was murdered.
Witnesses refute police claim that Bedouin tried to run down officer
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
At least three eyewitnesses, including an Israeli Jew and a Palestinian, have come forward to refute Border Police claims that Bedouin Nasser Abu al Qia'an was shot dead last week because he tried to run over a Border Policeman at the Shocket junction in the Negev....A Jewish cab driver said: "The most infuriating aspect of the entire incident was how the Border Police were so happy after the shooting. One came and patted the shooter on the back."
Israeli Ruling Party ‘Incites’ for Expulsion of Palestinians from Jerusalem
Palestine Media Center 2003-07-28
In a new Israeli violation of the US-sponsored “roadmap” peace plan, which prohibits incitement by both Palestinians and Israelis, the extreme Moledet party, a member of PM Sharon’s ruling coalition and of the National Union bloc with seven MPs, presented to Knesset a draft bill calling for the expulsion of more than 200,000 Palestinians from occupied east Jerusalem. Moledet party proposed that Israel hold a referendum to decide whether to “evacuate” the “Arab” (native Palestinians) districts of east Jerusalem, a party spokesman told AFP.
Israeli Troops Impose Curfew on Jalboun as Jewish Settlers Assault Civilians in Hebron
International Press Center 2003-07-28
JALBOUN, Palestine, July 28, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)--Israeli occupation forces (IOF) imposed Monday a curfew on the West Bank village of Jalboun as Jewish settlers assaulted on local Palestinian inhabitants in Hebron. Local sources in the Jalboun village, to the east of Jenin city, told IPC correspondent that scores of Israeli military vehicles, invaded Monday afternoon the village and imposed a tight curfew, using loud speakers.Earlier in the day, Israeli troops stormed the West Bank village of Biet Foreek and arrested at least seven Palestinian civilians. Eyewitnesses said that a contingent of Israeli occupation forces including dozens of tanks and military vehicles, blockaded the village then swept into it under a barrage of heavy gunfire.
West Bank Segregation Wall Swallows 48,000 Dunums of Jenin Lands
International Press Center 2003-07-28
JENIN, Palestine, July 28, 2003 (IPC+Agencies)-- Palestinian Local Government Directorate of Jenin City declared Sunday that the segregation fence-off wall, Israeli government continues to construct on Jenin lands is intended to create a new reality on the ground, with 48 kilometers length starting from Daher Al Abed area to the west of the city till Jalboon village in the east. The fence-off wall area including , streets, tunnels and barbed fences has so far swallowed more than 48,000 dunums [12,000 acres] with width reached in some areas to 300 meters, the Directorate added.
Israeli Colony Activities continue despite the latest understanding
Applied Research Institute Jerusalem 2003-07-28
The Israeli Government allocates U$ 5,116,279 dollars to support colonies in the Palestinian territories (Yediot Ahranot, July 2003). Money will be invested for the development of Israeli colonies in Hebron and Gush Katif in Gaza as well as Rimmonim Kokhav haShahar and Mizpe Yeriho. In the same time, the Israeli Ministry of tourism with help from the Jewish National Fund organization will set an implementation plan for the establishment of a private park for colonists over a confiscated Palestinian land in Ramallah district.
Judiazing East Jerusalem; IOF Expropriates 182 Dunums for the "segregation wall"
International Press Center 2003-07-27
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, July 27, 03 (IPC+Agencies)-- Sharon’s government appears to be slamming all underway efforts to further the US-backed Road Map peace plan, as its policy to judaize the holy Jerusalem is persistently going on the ground. In effect, the so-called Israeli military commander of the West Bank issued a an order mandating the Israeli occupation forces to expropriate 136 dumums of lands owned by Palestinians in the Soor Baher village in the renowned area of Wadi Al Hemss , south of the Occupied East Jerusalem for military purposes.
Settlements showed largest population growth in 2002 - 5.7%
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Israel's population grew by 122,000 last year, reaching 6,631,000 at the end of 2002, for a 1.9 percent growth rate over the year. The greatest area of growth was in the settlements of the West Bank, which saw a 5.7 percent spurt in growth - mostly in the Haredi settlements.
BREAKING NEWS: Settlers set house afire in Hebron
International Press Center 2003-07-28
20:00 -- Jewish settlers of Kiryat Arba’ illegitimate settlement in Hebron city, set into fire the house of inhabitant Said De’na, WAFA reported. / 19:00 -- Israeli troops blocked the Naby Saleh village’s entrance near the West Bank city of Ramallah, WAFA reported.
'I can't imagine anyone who considers himself a human being can do this'
The Guardian 2003-07-28
On Friday a four-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by a soldier - the most recent child victim of the Israeli army. Chris McGreal investigates a shocking series of deaths -- Nine-year-old Abdul Rahman Jadallah's promise to the corpse of the shy little girl who lived up the street was, in all probability, kept for him by an Israeli bullet. The boy - Rahman to his family - barely knew Haneen Suliaman in life. But whenever there was a killing in the dense Palestinian towns of southern Gaza he would race to the morgue to join the throng around the mutilated victim.
Bedouin youth march to J'lem to protest house demolitions
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
A group of Bedouin youth from unrecognized villages in the Negev, set off yesterday on a march to Jerusalem to protest the destruction of their houses. They are set to join the single mothers' protest camp opposite the treasury in Jerusalem. The youths, who gathered at the Shoket Junction in the south to commence their march, belong to families whose houses were demolished by Interior Ministry inspectors on the grounds that they had been built without permits. Their families plan to join them in the protest tent.
Body of missing Israeli soldier found buried near Arab villages
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-28
Israeli police found the body of a soldier who had been missing for a week, reports said Monday. Police suspected the soldier had been kidnapped by Palestinians, but Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz refused to speculate on the circumstances of his death.
Shin Bet foils weekend double suicide bomb plot
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Kamal Ghanem, a Fatah activist hiding in Yasser Arafat's Muqata offices in Ramallah, allegedly orchestrated an Iranian-financed attempt to send two women suicide bombers into Israel this weekend, a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office in the name of the Shin Bet security services said yesterday.
Visiting Jerusalem's holiest site
BBC 2003-07-27
One of the main reasons the Waqf, the Muslim trust which runs the area has forbidden non-Muslims to enter, is because so many Palestinians are still denied access. -- Palestinian officials including Yasser Arafat have voiced outrage at an Israeli decision to allow small groups of non-Muslim tourists to visit Jerusalem's Temple Mount, known to Muslims as Haram al-Sharif - the Noble Sanctuary. At the police station opposite the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem's Jewish quarter, a friendly officer called Joseph explained how to visit the forbidden plateau.
Youth stone cops, photographer after Bedouin funeral
Ha'aretz 2003-07-27
A handful of Bedouin youth threw stones at a passing police car and a car driven by a Haaretz photographer er after the Friday morning funeral of a Bedouin man killed on Thursday by Border Police at the Shoketjunction in the Negev.
Teenager released after being held by Israelis for 4 days
Daily Star 2003-07-28
A [Lebanese] teenager has been released four days after Israeli forces arrested him near the eastern section of the border between the two countries, the police said Sunday. Mohammed Hussein Zahra, 16, was picked up Wednesday by Israeli troops before being released Saturday, police told Agence France Presse. It was the second time the Israelis had arrested him in a week, after he and another teenager were detained and questioned by for three hours the previous Wednesday.
Jenin Action Summary/Qalqiliya Call to Action/Frederik Lind Returns Home
International Solidarity Movement 2003-07-28
Outside 'Anin today, north of Jenin, a group of approximately 300 Palestinians, 30 ISM activists, and 20 Israeli activists, succeeded in dismantling a gate in the fence that has blocked access for the villagers of 'Anin to their fields. Holes were cut in the Apartheid Wall by bolt-cutter-wielding Israelis. This victory did not come without cost: the Israeli army, on the far side of the fence, responded with the usual methods of dealing with non-violent demonstrations: tear gas, sound grenades, and bullets. 6 ISM activists were wounded by being struck with rubber-coated steel bullets and shrapnel from riccochets and sound grenades. Several Israelis were also lightly wounded.
Four Jerusalem Arabs arrested for cyclist stabbing
Jerusalem Post 2003-07-28
Four Jerusalem Arab teenagers who are suspected of stabbing an Israeli resident in his back last week as he made his way home by bicycle are under arrest, police said Sunday. The four suspects from the city's northern Shuafat refugee camp, who range in age from 15 to 17, were apprehended Friday.
IDF arrests 7 Palestinians in West Bank, patrol attacked in Nablus
Jerusalem Post 2003-07-28
The Israel Defense Forces arrested 7 suspected terrorists near Nablus in the West Bank last night, a military source told The Jerusalem Post. "In continuing with our anti-terror operations, Paratroopers arrested 7 Palestinians in Beit Foriq. The men were taken into custody at around 3:30 am without incident or injury to any of our forces," the source said. "About a half hour later, another Paratrooper force on patrol was attacked by terrorists firing automatic weapons from a building in Nablus. The troops did not return fire as they did want to harm any civilians," the source said.
PNA: Ministry of Cabinet Affairs - Israeli Incitement Against Palestinians
Palestine Media Center 2003-07-28
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS [FAQ]: "[Israel and the PA] shall seek to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and shall accordingly abstain from incitement, including hostile propaganda, against each other". Article XXII of Oslo II Agreement IS ISRAEL OBSERVING THE PALESTINIAN-ISRAELI ACCORDS’ PROVISIONS ON HALT OF INCITEMENT? Though the Israeli anti-Palestinian incitement didn’t stop during Oslo period, “incitement” strongly returned to the Israeli lexicon after the outbreak of the Palestinian Al-Aqsa Intifada....
IOF Arrests Six Palestinians, Denies Civilians Access into West Bank Cities
International Press Center 2003-07-27
WEST BANK, Palestine, July 27, 2003 (IPC)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Saturday more than six Palestinian civilians in the West Bank Cities of Nablus and Hebron. Four Palestinian civilians were arrested Saturday as IOF swept into Salem Village, eastern Nablus City and besieged a number of civilian houses. Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent Israeli occupation soldiers stormed the village houses and inflicted grave damages, a while before they arrested four civilians whom they led into Hawara Israeli detention camp, to the south of the city.
Israeli soldiers attack peaceful demonstration
Palestine Monitor 2003-07-28
A peaceful demonstration organised to protest against the continued construction of the Israeli “security fence” has been attacked by scores of heavily armed Israeli soldiers. The protest was held at the fence in the northern West Bank at ‘Anin, near Jenin. Members of the Popular Committees Against the Wall, the Palestinian National Initiative, The International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and the Israeli coexistence group Tayyoush participated in the demonstration, held in front of one section of the two meter high electrified fence.
Racist fence deprives Palestinians of water
Palestinian Information Center 2003-07-28
Ramallah - Palestinian inhabitants of the West Bank have been increasingly suffering from water shortage especially after the Zionist construction of the racial segregationist fence. Palestinians have been inventing ways of limiting water consumption especially in the arid southern West Bank areas.
Israeli Cops Use Tear Gas on Protesters
The Guardian 2003-07-28
JERUSALEM (AP) - Police fired rubber bullets and tear gas at Palestinian demonstrators protesting an Israeli security barrier in the West Bank on Monday, and police found the body of a soldier they suspect was kidnapped and killed by Arabs....About 200 people - 140 Palestinians and 60 foreign supporters - protested at the security fence 10 miles west of the West Bank town of Jenin on Monday.
Settlers provide a mountain to climb
The Guardian 2003-07-28
The battle of Mitzpeh Yitzhar gave just the backdrop Ariel Sharon desired for his terse meeting with US secretary of state Colin Powell last month. A thousand Israeli soldiers grappled for hours with dedicated Jewish settlers for control of a barren, rocky hilltop in the heart of what may become a Palestinian state.
Israeli troops fire on activists during protest against the construction of West Bank fence
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-28
An International Solidarity Movement activist present at the scene said that three of the injured were members of the organization -- Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday to break up a protest against Israel's construction of the so-called "security fence" in the West Bank, wounding five pro-Palestinian activists, witnesses said. An American protester was hit in the leg at close range during the clash near the West bank village of Anin and was taken to a hospital, Haaretz reported.
IDF troops open fire to stop fence protest, injuring five
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired tear gas and rubber bullets on Monday to break up a protest against Israel's construction of a security fence in the West Bank, wounding five pro-Palestinian activists, witnesses said. An American protester was struck in the leg at close range during the clash near the West Bank village of Anin and was taken to a hospital, Israeli demonstrator Yonatan Pollak said.
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Diplomacy..
210 Hamas, Jihad prisoners to be freed
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Israel plans to release 210 Palestinian Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners this week, senior government sources in Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Washington entourage said yesterday. In all, the officials said, Israel will free 540 prisoners, including 210 from Hamas and Islamic Jihad, 210 from Fatah and 120 convicted for criminal rather than terrorist offenses. However, the prisoners will be freed only toward the end of the week, as the ministerial committee on prisoners plans to meet again after Sharon returns from Washington to finalize the list.
IDF dismantles two W. Bank checkposts
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
The army yesterday began implementing a number of goodwill gestures to the Palestinians to coincide with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's trip to Washington, where he is expected to face pressure from the U.S. to ease humanitarian conditions in the territories. Two key checkpoints in the Ramallah area, Surda and Ein Arik, were removed. Surda is to the north of Ramallah and leads to Nablus, linking the Palestinians' main commercial and political hub with more than 100 Palestinian villages.
Analysis / They were all ears, but no actions
Ha'aretz 2003-07-27
"They listened to us in all earnest, but we didn't get any real promises," sources in Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas's delegation said yesterday at the end of their visit to Washington. The Palestinian leadership is now waiting for the outcome of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to the U.S. capital this week to see if progress can be made on the road map peace plan.
Hamas-Jihad belittle Zionist release of captives
Palestinian Information Center 2003-07-28
Gaza - The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad Movement have described the Zionist government’s approval to release around 100 of their prisoners as “not enough”....Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi, one of the Hamas prominent political leaders, has explained that his Movement had set a clear condition (for the truce) namely the release of all prisoners. “We did not ask for the release of scores or hundreds of detainees that the Zionist enemy detains as hostages to be released on such occasions,” he said in an apparent reference to Sharon’s visit to the USA.
PNA Cautiously Optimistic About Israeli Willingness To Release Detainees
International Press Center 2003-07-28
WASHINGTON, July 28, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Diplomatic sources, accompanying Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to Washington said Monday that Israel agreed to release 210 Palestinian prisoners affiliated with Islamic factions, as part of the 540 prisoners they agreed to release yesterday.
Sharon Arrives for White House Talks
The Guardian 2003-07-28
WASHINGTON (AP) - Bearing a package of goodwill offerings toward the Palestinians, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon prepared for talks with President Bush aimed at finding an elusive peace. Just hours before Sharon's arrival Sunday in Washington, the Israeli Cabinet approved the release of Islamic militants from prison and tore down some troublesome West Bank roadblocks in what were seen as an attempt to counter Palestinian charges of Israeli recalcitrance in peacemaking.
Interview: Abbas To Al-Hayat: Bush Sympathizes With Our Demands
Al-Hayat 2003-07-28
In an interview with Al-Hayat following his talks in Washington with President Bush and senior members of his administration and of Congress, the Palestinian Prime Minister, Mahmoud Abbas, said that he felt the American president sympathized with the humanitarian, political and economic demands of the Palestinians, and hoped this sympathy would be translated into facts.
Hezbollah Leader Gives Israel "Last Chance" To Exchange Prisoners
Al-Hayat 2003-07-28
Hezbollah has threatened to capture more Israelis if the Jewish state rejects "a last chance" to negotiate an exchange of prisoners being held by both sides. "We will give the negotiations on the issue of prisoners and detainees a last chance," Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said during a rally Sunday in the southern Lebanese village of Jibsheet.
Israel offers to 'withdraw' from unoccupied cities
The Independent 2003-07-27
Israel has announced new measures to improve the humanitarian situation of Palestinians, ahead of Ariel Sharon's trip to Washington on Tuesday for talks with President George Bush. Israel says it will "withdraw" from two more Palestinian cities in the West Bank and dismantle some roadblocks. However, the Israeli army's "withdrawal" from Bethlehem three weeks ago was purely cosmetic, since soldiers were not inside the city, and did little to change the lives of Palestinians.
Jordan, Egypt agree to return their envoys to Israel, but not yet
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
AMMAN - Jordan said yesterday it had agreed with Egypt there was no objection to the return of their ambassadors to Tel Aviv, but the timing could only come with more progress in Middle East peace. It was the first time the two countries had said they were ready to consider reinstalling their envoys since withdrawing them in 2000.
Israel, Austria set to restore full relations
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Israel and Austria are expected to announce a resumption of full diplomatic relations tomorrow when FM Benita Ferrero-Waldner arrives on the first official visit in the three years since Israel reduced contacts with the Austrians to low-level officials.
Rivlin: PM foresees Palestine on more than 42% of West Bank
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin, until recently a close political confidante of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said Monday that the future Palestinian state foreseen by Sharon will have borders larger than the 42 percent of the West Bank currently under nominal Palestinian Authority control...."We are not talking about 42 percent here, and whoever thinks that the Americans will agree to 42 percent, doesn't know what he's talking about," Rivlin told Army Radio.
Fatah official: Abbas to be 'redeemed' only if Arafat siege lifted
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
"Abu Mazen will be redeemed on his return from the U.S. only if he arrives at [PA Chairman Yasser] Arafat's bureau and tells him that the Americans promised that the siege on the Muqata would be lifted," a senior Fatah official in the West Bank said Sunday. According to the official, if Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas will not bring Arafat the news of his imminent release, "the smile that was on his face at the press conference would cost him dearly," in light of the battle waged by Arafat against him.
Sharon to push Bush for Pollard pardon
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will use his meeting at the White House tomorrow to present U.S. President George W. Bush with a petition signed by 112 Knesset members, calling for the release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard.
FM Shalom meets his Moroccan counterpart
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
LONDON - Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom held an unscheduled meeting with his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Benaissa, at the Moroccan Embassy in London yesterday, and the two agreed that diplomatic ties between the two countries should be strengthened. The meeting was kept secret until after it occured for fear that the Moroccans would cancel it at the last minute. Morocco also refused an Israeli request to allow photographs of the meeting.
Israel Removes 3 Checkpoints
Washington Post 2003-07-28
Israel removed three military roadblocks in the West Bank Sunday and announced that it would release an estimated 100 Islamic militants from jail, moves officials said were meant to strengthen Prime Minister Ariel Sharon two days before he meets with President Bush in Washington.
Sharon Sets Stage for White House Talks
Washington Post 2003-07-28
WASHINGTON - The White House welcomed on Monday a decision by Israel to release hundreds of Palestinian militants in a policy reversal designed to placate Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. Having already decided to reduce the number of checkpoints that delay Palestinians' travel, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was setting conditions for a relaxed White House meeting Tuesday with President Bush.
Sharon holds traditional pre-Bush meeting with Rice
Jerusalem Post 2003-07-28
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met Monday afternoon with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, in preparation for his meeting Tuesday with President George W. Bush....The officials added that part of the government's strategy in its talks with the Bush Administration is to ensure that Israel will not be blamed if the Palestinians end their unilateral ceasefire, and the violence flares again.
Removing Few IOF Roadblocks ‘Peanuts Measures,’ Say Palestinians
Palestine Media Center 2003-07-28
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Sunday allowed only a few of more than 150 major roadblocks in the mostly reoccupied West Bank to be lifted, as part of a public relations campaign by the Israeli government ahead of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to Washington....The Governor of the central West Bank city Mustafa Issa (Abu Faras) said there are ten roadblocks isolating the city from scores of villages depending on it for commercial, administrative, medical and social services.
UN set to extend UNIFIL mandate
Daily Star 2003-07-28
UNIFIL’s mandate renewal in Lebanon is expected to be achieved smoothly during a Security Council meeting on Thursday. UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has given his approval to extend the mandate by another six months, starting on Aug. 1 and ending on Jan. 31, 2004. However, according to an informed source, the mandate renewal would amount to extending the existing status quo on the border, which has prevailed since the Israeli formal withdrawal from the South in 2000.
Sharaa rips Israelis for sabotaging relations with America
Daily Star 2003-07-28
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa on Sunday accused Israel of seeking to sabotage [Syria's] relations with the United States, saying Israeli pressures led to Washington repeatedly reneging on promises it made to Arab countries. Sharaa also said complying with a US request to dismantle Hizbullah would revive Israeli interference in Lebanon’s internal affairs and condemned the US administration of President George W. Bush as “stupid and violent.” “The United States does not want to have good relations with Syria because of Israeli pressures,” Sharaa told Syrian journalists in Damascus.
Mofaz: Lebanese prisoners' families pressuring Nasrallah
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Monday that Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah's statements on Israel stalling prisoner exchange negotiations were caused by pressure from families of Lebanese prisoners held in Israel, in light of Israel's decision to release Palestinian prisoners.
Al-Shara briefs on middle east developments
Arabic News 2003-07-28
Syria's Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara has stressed Syria's readiness to work with all sides concerned with disarming the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction and with realizing just and comprehensive peace on the basis of the international resolutions, land for peace formula, Madrid terms of reference and the Arab peace initiative.
Nasrallah warns of more kidnapings
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Lebanon's Hezbollah militia will resume capturing soldiers if Israel rejects "a last chance" to negotiate an exchange of prisoners held by both sides, its leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah said yesterday. He warned that if Israel did not act soon, Col. (res.) Elhanan Tennenbaum would become "a prisoner whose fate is unknown" like the other three Israelis in Hezbollah hands and now presumed dead.
Pressure on Sharon for change
BBC 2003-07-28
The Israeli and Palestinian travellers trudging the route marked "Middle East roadmap" are at least not trying to push each other off the cliff for the moment. Whether they continue along the narrow path leading to the mountain top or plunge into the ravine remains unclear. Perhaps US President George W Bush, a born-again Christian, will try to rally the travellers by quoting Psalm 121: "I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills."
Sharon seeks support in Washington
BBC 2003-07-28
The Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, is due to begin talks in Washington following his announcement that hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are to be released. Mr Sharon will meet US President George W Bush's National Security Adviser, Condoleezza Rice, ahead of his meeting with Mr Bush on Tuesday.
Background/ With Sharon at White House, unrest brews
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
In the complex calculus of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the zero-sum equation is elegant in its simplicity: The more effort that Ariel Sharon expends in shoring up the rule of Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, the less strength he can expect from his political palace guard, the senior echelon of the Likud party. Adding to the endless debate within Israel over the extent to which Sharon is serious about making peace with the Palestinians, the prospect of rightist unrest within Sharon's political fortress could undermine progress toward an accord. Alternatively, it could serve Sharon'sinterests, were he seeking a shield against American pressure to make diplomatic progress.
Israel ‘May Release Barghouti’
Arab News 2003-07-28
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 28 July 2003 — Israel could consider the release of jailed West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti, Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said yesterday in an interview on public television. “If the peace process continues and if we actually reach peace, we can start considering the release of political leaders such as Marwan Barghouti,” a chief of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat’s Fatah group, Lapid said.
Romanian premier: Holocaust comments taken out of context
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
BUCHAREST - Romania took steps Monday to mend ties with Israel, three days after the Romanian president outraged Israeli officials when he was quoted as saying that "the Holocaust was not unique to the Jews." On Friday, president Ion Iliescu was quoted in an interview with Haaretz as saying that "the Holocaust was not unique to the Jewish population in Europe. Many others, including Poles, died in the same way." The comments outraged the Israeli government, which officially protested to Romania.
Hizbullah threatens to kidnap more Israelis
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-27
Hizbullah fighters will resume operations to capture Israelis if Ariel Sharon's government rejects "a last chance" to negotiate an exchange of prisoners being held by both sides, the Lebanese movement's chieftain said Sunday.
Guarded welcome for Israeli moves to relax grip on the occupied territories
The Independent 2003-07-28
As Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime Minister, prepared to fly to Washington for talks with George Bush, his cabinet voted yesterday to free 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners as well as 400 from the mainstream Al Fatah movement still awaiting release. The army began dismantling roadblocks and easing trade and traffic in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Israeli cabinet OKs release of 100 Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners; Rantisi: Decision - “ineffective”
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-27
...On their parts, Hamas and Islamic Jihad movements have downplayed the Israeli approval. They described the Israeli decision as “ineffective” and reiterated the need to release all the prisoners. Hamas leader Abdel Aziz al Rantisi views the decision as ineffective. He told Al Bawaba via telephone “the condition set by Hamas for the truce was for the release of all the Palestinian prisoners. The Israeli decision is just an attempt to elude us and work around our condition.”
Sharon sways cabinet into freeing prisoners
The Guardian 2003-07-28
Ariel Sharon yesterday cajoled his reluctant cabinet into agreeing to release more than 200 Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners in an attempt to stave off pressure for further concessions when he visits the White House tomorrow. But Hamas warned that unless substantial numbers of the 1,000 jailed Islamists from the two organisations were freed it would not extend a three-month ceasefire which has seen a sharp decline in violence since the end of June.
U.S. welcomes concessions as PM arrives for top-level talks
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
The White House responded favorably Monday to Jerusalem's decision to release 540 Palestinians held in Israeli jails, saying that such steps "facilitate progress toward peace." The cabinet voted 14-9 to approve Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal to free Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners, hours before Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took off for Washington for talks with President George W. Bush and senior administration officials. Diplomatic sources accompanying Sharon to Washington said Israel was planning to release 540 Palestinian prisoners in the coming week, including 210 Hamas and Jihad activists, 210 Fatah activists and 120 Palestinians jailed for criminal offenses.
Video: Sharon arriving in the United States
BBC 2003-07-28
Israel Allegedly Eases Restrictions on OPT
International Press Center 2003-07-28
“Our people did not fight for three years to remove a checkpoint here or there, or to release a few scores of prisoners. These measures are only sprinkling dust in Palestinian eyes." -- OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, July 28,03 (IPC)-The Israeli government goes too far in taking moves that would eventually torpedo the US-backed Road Map peace plan in spite of the cosmetic steps; the removal of three military checkpoints in Ramallah, It appears that these new measures are designed to bolster the Israeli Prime Minister's position prior to his talks with Mr. Bush.
Palestinians Refuse Israeli Discrimination in Releasing Palestinian Prisoners
International Press Center 2003-07-27
JERUSALEM, July 27, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Just an hour ago, the Israeli cabinet approved the release of up to 100 Palestinian prisoners, affiliated with Islamic factions, as well as 420 prisoners from other factions, considering it a "gesture of good will" towards the Palestinian side....However, senior figures among the different Palestinian factions were dissatisfied by the current Israeli decision, and reiterated their demands of releasing the 7,700 prisoners in Israeli jails.
USA to study re-anchoring sixth fleet at Haifa
Palestinian Information Center 2003-07-28
Tel Aviv - The USA was currently studying re-anchoring vessels of its sixth fleet in the Mediterranean Sea at the Zionist port of Haifa, according to Hebrew media yesterday. The Hebrew radio said that the American secretary of state, Collin Powell, had promised his Zionist counterpart Sylvan Shalom to study his request to re-anchor those vessels in Haifa.
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Government..
Finance panel okays NIS 745 M for building security fence
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
The Knesset Finance Committee on Monday approved a request by the Finance Ministry to slash NIS 1.1 billion from the state budget for 2003, NIS 470 of which will come out the defense budget. The treasury's request also included the transfer of NIS 745 million to build the separation fence between Israel and the Palestinian areas in the West Bank, NIS 123 million for yeshivas, NIS 28 million for cultural projects and various cuts to other government ministries.
Katsav criticizes government's economic policies
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
President Moshe Katsav blasted the treasury's economic policies Monday, and urged the government to convene a state sponsored public committee that will work to minimize poverty levels in Israel. In a speech given during a swearing-in ceremony for new judges, Katsav said that "unfortunately there is a perception in Israeli society that places the blame for economic hardships on the shoulders of the weaker sectors."
PM's son Gilad refuses to hand over key documents to police
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Gilad Sharon, son of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, refused Monday to hand over to police important documents relating to the Cyril Kern loan case, being investigated by the fraud squad. The State Prosecutor petitioned the Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Monday, to hasten proceedings which will compel Sharon to release the documents.
Attorney General Rubinstein announces he will leave office on January 15
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein surprised the cabinet yesterday when he announced that he intends to resign on January 15. The surprise was not his desire to resign - that, along with his desire for a seat on the Supreme Court, has been known for some time - but rather the timing: half a year before his term expires.
Neeman panel set to formulate constitution within six months
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
The government yesterday approved the establishment of the Neeman Committee, which will formulate within six months the Basic Laws required for the completion of Israel's constitution.
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Human
Rights..
Islamic Movement protests remands
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
A few hundred supporters of the Islamic Movement demonstrated yesterday opposite the Kishon lock-up near Tivon to protest the remand of five senior members of the movement's northern faction, including its leader, Sheikh Ra'ad Salah, and Umm al Fahm Mayor Dr. Suleiman Agbariyeh.
Poraz to grant Black Hebrews permanent residence
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz yesterday said he has accepted the recommendations of an interministerial committee to grant members of the Black Hebrew community in Dimona permanent residence in Israel. The community numbers 3,000-4,000 but the exact number is not known since there is no proper registration of births and deaths in the community.....Although they have been here since the 1970s, the Interior Ministry has not granted them citizenship for fear of creating a precedent for thousands of others to follow in their footsteps.
PLF launches campaign to secure release of Palestinian prisoners
Daily Star 2003-07-28
The Palestinian Liberation Front (PLF) launched Sunday a campaign in support of the release of Palestinian detainees in Israeli prisons and of the front’s secretary-general, Mohammed Abul-Abbas from a US prison in Iraq. The campaign was launched from Lebanon’s biggest Palestinian refugee camp, Ain al-Hilweh, to mark 100 days of Abul-Abbas’ arrest.
Comments Regarding Israel's Second Periodic Report to the UN Human Rights Committee
Alternative Information Center 2003-07-28
Updated information submitted by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights and Al Haq, July 2003. -- PCHR and Al Haq submits this briefing to the Human Rights Committee during the Committee’s review of Israel’s Second Periodic Report on its implementation of the ICCPR, July 2003. We note with concern that Israel has continued to violate a wide range of the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR) with respect to its application and implementation in the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPTs).
Human Rights Committee Condisers Israel's Second Periodic Report on Compliance with International Covenant
United Nations 2003-07-25
GENEVA, 25 July (UN Information Service) -- The Human Rights Committee this afternoon concluded its consideration, carried out over three meetings, of the second periodic report of Israel on how that country implements the provisions of the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. Introducing his country's report, Yaakov Levy, Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Israel to the United Nations Office at Geneva, said that the Government, the Supreme Court and the Israeli parliament were closely and intensively promoting and maintaining human rights in his country in a variety of ways. The concept and values of human rights had been legislated in the form of basic laws on human dignity and liberty, he added.
UN-backed meeting to prepare for Arab forum on Palestine rehabilitation
United Nations 2003-07-28
28 July – United Nations agencies have teamed up to organize a preparatory meeting for an international forum next year that would aim to keep the social and economic issues and needs in the occupied Palestinian territories on the agenda of the international community, in spite of the lack of stability in the region.
ISM: Updates July 27, 2003
International Solidarity Movement 2003-07-27
1) Palestinian family isolated behind separation wall_ACTION Monday in Jayyous / 2) Small acts of courage, by Renae and Ben / 3) Impressions: chats & scars, by Neal Cassidy
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Economy..
Bank of Israel cuts interest rate by 0.5 percent
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
Bank of Israel Governor David Klein announced Monday afternoon that the central bank was reducing the interest rate for August by 0.5 percent. The central bank governor lowered lending rates on central bank sources by 0.5 percent, in line with most expectations, to 7 percent. Prime interest will stand at 8.5 percent.
Number of Palestinians allowed to enter Israel from Gaza raised to 20,000
Globes 2003-07-28
The number of entry permits for Palestinians from the Bethlehem area was increased to 4,000. -- The "Itim" news agency quotes senior Israeli sources as saying today that the number of Palestinians allowed to enter Israel from Gaza has been raised to 20,000. The sources said 18,000 entry permits were granted to Palestinians to work inside Israel and 2,000 permits were granted to merchants arriving at the Karni checkpoint and inside Israel to do business.
Palestinian business leader: As stability returns, we'll trade with Israel again
Globes 2003-07-28
There are reports about initial positive trends in commercial activity in Palestinian towns, following the hudna (truce) and calmer security situation, but no significant change in economic indicators. "Palestinians made the hudna, but Israel is reaping most of the benefits," Palestinian Federation of Industries chairman Mazen Sinokrot told "Globes". At the same time, there is a willingness to resume economic relations with Israel's private sector.
Bedouin regional R&D center to be set up
Globes 2003-07-28
At a recent meeting, MK Taleb El-Sana (United Arab List) asked Minister of Science and Technology Eliezer Sandberg to consider establishing a regional R&D center for the Bedouin community. He based the request on a cabinet decision in October 2000 to develop Arab communities and establish regional R&D centers.
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People..
Nonviolence and art: Life emerging from the rubble
By Mohammad Daraghmeh, Al-Hayat 2003-07-28
In April 2001, six months after the start of the Intifada, a group of Palestinian artists, poets and writers began an initiative to revive the popular nature of the Intifada. The group decided to organize a different kind of march to the military checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem. It was a march restricted to artists in which they carried the tools of their trade: various musical instruments, paintings, books, pens and pencils, and cameras. The artists and intellectuals, about 500 total, entered the military checkpoint from both sides. The scene was weird and confusing for the soldiers, who were used to other types of confrontation with the Palestinians during the preceding six months. In the middle of the confusion, groups of musicians, drummers, and photographers entered the checkpoint from both sides, merged together, and unleashed a wave of singing, chanting and music. Artist Walid Abdessalam, a prominent singer and theatre producer who was at the forefront of those at the checkpoint, describes the scene: The soldiers were totally confused facing us. We arrived carrying instruments of music and art, not stones. We didn't set fire to rubber tires, we sang. They were so confused that we managed to pass through their checkpoint. According to Abdessalam, the message carried by the artists and intellectuals on that day was this: All sectors of our society can express their rejection of the occupation in all possible nonviolent forms, without resorting to stones or weapons.
Zionist Peace Activist Opposes Israeli Fence
Arab News 2003-07-28
WASHINGTON, 28 July 2003 — The Washington media overlooked an informative briefing on Capitol Hill this week. This was perhaps due to the fact that, coincidentally, the Israeli foreign minister held a press briefing at the Israeli Embassy. This Capitol Hill forum featured an Israeli and a Palestinian, who together briefed congressional staffers on why a two-state solution is a necessary good for both countries.
Peace activists to revive Voice of Peace radio station
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
A joint Israeli-Palestinian initiative will see the re-establishment of the Abie Nathan's Voice of Peace radio station. Yesterday, Israeli and Palestinian peace activists signed an agreement to begin the new broadcasts on November 4, the anniversary of the assassination of former prime minister Yitzhak Rabin. The station will use archive material of the original Voice of Peace station; and in order to refrain from breaching Israeli law, it will split its operations: The station's studios will be located in East Jerusalem, while its transmitters will be positioned in the West Bank town of Bitunia, near Ramallah.
Poll: 69 percent of Palestinians support hudna
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
According to a recent poll, 69 percent of Palestinians support the hudna, the temporary truce on terror attacks declared by militant Palestinian factions. But 51 percent of those polled believed that Israel will not implement its part of the road map for Middle East peace.
Hope Idles at West Bank Roadblock
New York Times 2003-07-28
RAMALLAH, West Bank, July 26 — Ahmed al-Awawdeh is a poor man who was hoping to lose his job today. Mr. Awawdeh earns about $12 a day driving a horse-drawn cart that shuttles Palestinians several hundred yards between two Israeli military checkpoints on the edge of Ramallah, in the West Bank....If the Israeli soldiers were gone, along with the huge cement cubes that blocked the road in two places, Palestinians could zip past in cars and taxis. They would no longer require Mr. Awawdeh and his white horse to travel between the checkpoints. It was a prospect that gladdened his heart.
Retired missionaries ask Baptist leaders to cease anti-Muslim statements
Come And See 2003-07-28
Ninety-five retired Southern Baptist missionaries who served in the Middle East and North Africa recently signed a resolution calling for Christian leaders in America to refrain from making inflammatory statements about the faith of the people in the mostly Muslim area.
Residents cheer as bulldozers tear down checkpoint near Ramallah
Daily Star 2003-07-28
Traffic flows again on route blocked since 2000 - ‘I feel I have found part of my freedom again. We have suffered so much in the past year, and we just want to be allowed to live’ -- Palestinians cheered and sounded car horns in a noisy celebration on Sunday as an Israeli Army bulldozer tore down a key West Bank checkpoint and opened a road leading to dozens of villages.
"We Are the Children of the Camp": A Palestinian Song
Islam Online 2003-07-06
"Her eyes and the tattoo on her hands are Palestinian, / Her name, Palestinian, / Her dreams and sorrow, Palestinian, / Her kerchief, her feet and body, Palestinian, / Her words and her silence, Palestinian, / Her voice, Palestinian, / Her birth and her death, Palestinian." -- Those verses of the great Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwich were the words Al- Rowwad Theatre Group used as an introduction to all their performances in Cairo last week.
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International..
Syrian PM: Regional states should resist US bid to reshape the Middle East
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-28
Syrian Prime Minister Mustapha Miro said in remarks published Monday that regional countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria should strengthen their relations in order to resist US attempts to reshape the Middle East. “The whole world knows about America’s policy to establish a new order in the Middle East,” Miro told the Turkish daily Sabah on the eve of his visit to Ankara.
Iran denies Khatami's Belgium visit cancelled
Middle East Online 2003-07-28
Foreign ministry dismisses last week's press reports as totally unfounded, says president's visit not yet fixed. -- TEHRAN - Iranian President Mohammad Khatami has not cancelled a planned visit to Belgium despite press reports last week, the foreign ministry said Monday.
Eight killed in Saudi shootout
Middle East Online 2003-07-28
RIYADH - At least six people on the run from Saudi authorities and two policemen were killed Monday in a shootout in the northern region of Qasim, an interior ministry spokesman said. Security forces, which have stepped up a crackdown on Islamic militants in Saudi Arabia, came under gunfire and grenade attack during a raid on a farm in Ayun al-Jawa where the fugitives were hiding out, the spokesman said.
Egypt unveils reforms for Arab League
Middle East Online 2003-07-28
Cairo wants Arab security council, Arab court of justice, Arab parliament to strengthen Arab League. -- CAIRO - Egypt unveiled a package of reforms Monday to strengthen the Arab League, the 58-year-old organisation which has been in crisis since the US-led war on Iraq.
Official: Iran should agree to tougher inspections of nuclear facilities
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-27
A top Iranian official was quoted on Sunday as saying Tehran should agree to tougher inspections of its nuclear facilities to ease international pressure on the Islamic Republic. In an interview with the state-run Iran newspaper, the country's envoy to the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) Ali Akbar Salehi said he hoped Tehran would take steps to satisfy international concerns about its nuclear ambitions before the IAEA's next board of governor's meeting in September.
Opposition leaders call to fire Lebanese Interior Minister
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-27
A violent tremor has shaken Lebanon's ever-turbulent political arena as armed gunmen stopped a motorcade of prominent opposition leaders from reaching the Metn town of Btighrin, the powerbase of President Lahoud's in-laws from the Murr clan. According to Lebanese media reports on Sunday, the incident, which that took place on Saturday, has escalated the so-called "war of the two brothers" to yet a higher peak in the Metn since the June 2, 2002 by-elections collision.
On-line petition counters US media blitz against UAE President
Al-Bawaba 2003-07-28
An Arab on-line petition has been recently launched to counter a highly visible public relations and media campaign against United Arab Emirates President Sheikh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahyan. In the United States, the Jewish lobby has recently mounted a campaign against the UAE President and his reputation, demanding that the prestigious Harvard Divinity School return a generous $2.5 million gift for the creation of a chair in Islamic studies, contributed by the UAE leader.
The American doves are back in action
Ha'aretz 2003-07-28
WASHINGTON - Fifty smiling Jews left the conference room at the luxurious St. Regis Hotel in downtown Washington last Thursday. These were prominent leaders of most of the large Jewish organizations in the United States, who had just concluded their meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen). The expressions "balanced" and "moderate" recurred in the descriptions of the meeting and it was evident that Abu Mazen had succeeded in captivating them.
9/11 report advises U.S. spy chiefs to learn from Israel
Ha'aretz 2003-07-27
WASHINGTON - American intelligence services should take a leaf out of Israel's book and cooperate with its security services to learn how to acquire intelligence from human sources, says the report from the U.S. congressional inquiry into the events of September 11, 2001.
Military Wife Rebuked for E-Mail
Washington Post 2003-07-27
Susan Peacock thought that the 400th Military Police Battalion Family Readiness Group was there to provide solace and support for spouses of soldiers shipped to Iraq. But when she read her e-mail July 15, she was appalled at what she saw. Group leaders were playing what one later called "hardball" with the Columbia mother of two and other 400th family members. "OK this has gone far enough!" they wrote. The message said that "certain people are getting their soldiers in trouble" and that the unit's e-mail list had been sent to the Pentagon "for possible security violations and will be closely monitored."
Poll: American Jews and Arabs strongly support road map
Ha'aretz 2003-07-27
But both groups express less satisfactory opinion of Bush -- WASHINGTON - A poll published in the U.S. on Friday shows a high level of support for the road map among American Jews and Arab Americans. At the same time, the poll showed a certain degree of criticism of the performance of President George W. Bush with regard to the Middle East.
Syria warns against US efforts to reshape Mideast
Middle East Online 2003-07-28
Syrian PM calls on regional countries to join forces against US to avoid what has been done to Iraq. -- ANKARA - Syrian Prime Minister Mustapha Miro said in remarks published Monday that regional countries such as Turkey, Iran and Syria should strengthen their ties in order to resist US efforts to reshape the Middle East.
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