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Conflict..
IDF clashes with protestors near W. Bank fence; ISM: 11 hurt
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Israel Defense Forces soldiers fired rubber bullets Friday at protesters who approached the fence the government is building to separate between Israel and the West Bank. The pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said that 11 demonstrators were wounded. The group said soldiers fired rubber bullets at about 300 Palestinians and 60 foreign supporters who dismantled a barbed-wire barrier in front of a section of the security fence near the northern West Bank city of Tul Karm. Among the wounded were three Palestinians and eight foreigners, the group said.
4,200 Palestinians on Hunger Strike
Electronic Intifada 8/1/2003
1 August, 2003 -- Over 4,000 Palestinian political prisoners have just begun a hunger strike in Israeli jails including Shutah, Askalan, Majido, Ofer, and Nefah. A man being held without charge called yesterday from Nefah saying, "The Israeli Administration is treating us very badly." He details human rights abuses, and adds quietly, "And sometimes they aren't letting us go to the bathroom."
Israeli Troops invade Bethlehem Villages, Arrests 25 Palestinians
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
Israeli troops invaded Thursday night the villages of Alkhas and Al-Nu’man north of Bethlehem, searched homes, and arrested 25 Palestinians. According to Palestinian sources, the military operation lasted until Saturday early morning hours. Earlier in the week, Israeli army officer told the residents of both villages that all of their homes are illegally built and ordered them to obtain the necessary permits from the Israeli civil administration headquarters in Beit Eil. As villagers built there homes prior to the Israeli occupation of the West bank, residents collectively rejected the army officer orders. Local source said to reporters that residents believe that last nights raid on the two villages was a punishment for not abiding to army orders.
Israeli Troops, Raids Student’s Residences, Arrests 4, injures 2 of them
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
Israeli troops raided Friday Morning student’s apartments of Al-Najah National University in Nablus and arrested 4 students. According to local sources, Israeli troops raided Al-Najah university student’s residential apartments, next to Kamal’s building in Al Makhfiah neighborhood. Soldiers broke into apartments using explosives to blow up doors and arrested 4 students. Army sources claimed that the two of them were wanted by Israeli security for belonging to Alaqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Ftaha. Eyewitnesses reported that students, who were arrested, were beaten by Israeli soldiers after their hands were tied and eyes blinded with a piece of cloth.
The Secret Plan of Israeli Housing Minister Evi Eitam
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
The Mifdal right wing Israeli housing minister Evi Eitam is preparing a plan to accommodate thousands of Jews in the Arab neighborhoods of East Jerusalem, especially Ras Alamoud and Wadi Aljoz areas. Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon is aware of the plan and prefers to keep silent. According to the Saturday edition of the Israeli newspaper Youdot Ahranot (latest news), Minister Eitam initiated a plan to move thousands of Israeli Jews to settle inside the Arab neighborhoods of east Jerusalem, especially Ras Alamoud and wadi aljoz.
Occupation forces assault Palestinian ambulance team
Palestinian Information Center 8/1/2003
Ramallah - Zionist occupation soldiers stationed at the Sarda roadblock today assaulted the crew of a Palestinian ambulance vehicle, Dr. Mustafa Barguthi, chairman of the Palestinian medical relief committee, said. He said that the soldiers manhandled the crewmembers and detained them in addition to handcuffing Dr. Khaled Abu Taha, one of the team members, and dismantl[ed] part of the vehicle.
Fencing Off The West Bank
The Guardian 8/1/2003
Interactive graphics report on the Wall
Solidarity march in central Gaza Strip
Palestinian Information Center 8/1/2003
Gaza - Sheikh Nafeth Azzam, one of the Islamic Jihad leaders in the Gaza Strip, has affirmed the importance of the immediate release of all Palestinian prisoners without any conditions attached. Azzam was speaking at a rally organized by his Movement in central Gaza Strip in solidarity with Palestinian detainees in occupation jails. He said that the question of detainees was a central and important issue for the Palestinian people and might lead to exploding the entire situation if not urgently solved.
One Palestinian Dies of Wounds, Five Wounded In Tulkarem
International Press Center 8/1/2003
GAZA, Palestine, August 1, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)- - One Palestinian citizen has died Friday from his wounds sustained 6 months ago after being shot by IOF in the Gaza Strip city of Deir El-Balah, Palestinian medical sources said....In the meantime, five Palestinian citizens and two members of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) have been wounded by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the village of Deir Lighsoon, near Tulkarem, Palestinian local sources said. IOF has fired rubber coated-metal bullets and gas canisters at tens of Palestinian citizens and ISM members gathered in Deir Lighsoon to protest against the establishing of the separation wall on the Palestinian lands in the West Bank, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported.
Terrorists arrested in West Bank; IDF patrols attacked
Jerusalem Post 8/1/2003
In overnight anti-terror security operations, the IDF arrested 6 Palestinians in the West Bank, a military source told The Jerusalem Post. "The men were arrested by Paratrooper, Tank and Nachal brigade forces in Hebron, Nablus, Tel Mond and Jenin. Four of the six suspects who were taken into custody were members of Fatah, Islamic Jihad and Hamas," the source said. The arrests were made without incident.
Israel to expand settlement despite roadmap
Jordan Times 8/1/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AP) — Israel announced Thursday it would build new housing in a Gaza Strip settlement, angering Palestinians and raising questions about implementation of the US-backed "roadmap" plan, after Israel's prime minister returned from a White House summit and top officials from the two sides had inconclusive talks about the next peace moves.
IDF: Rafah tunnels a growing threat
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The IDF Southern Command reports that the Palestinians are using the hudna in order to step up smuggling on the Israel-Egypt border near the Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Israel Defense Forces sources say that tunnels used in smuggling across the border have been rebuilt since the army destroyed them before the start of the temporary cease-fire three weeks ago.
Anger against Israel grows in Palestinian town walled in by security barrier
San Francisco Chronicle 7/31/2003
(07-31) 12:45 PDT QALQILIYA, West Bank (AP) -- Khaled Amer's family tilled their vegetable fields and guava groves for three generations -- until Israel cut their land in half with a security barrier it's building in the West Bank. Amer's story is no rarity in Qalqiliya: the town is walled off on three sides by a combination of concrete walls, fences, razor-wire and trenches that residents say is strangling their livelihood and feeding anger at Israel.
Arrest of Settlers On Terror Charges Inflames Hebron
Forward 8/1/2003
JERUSALEM — A pair of Jewish settlers from Hebron, arrested on suspicion of belonging to a terrorist cell, remain behind bars this week following legal maneuvers that have pitted many hard-line settlers against Ariel Sharon's government. Yitzhak Pass — father of Shalhevet Pass, the 10-month-old killed by a sniper's bullet in Hebron on March 26, 2001 — and his brother-in-law, Matityahu Shvu, were arrested July 17 on charges of "security crimes." The court issued a gag order on the details of the case. Their remand was extended by another week last Monday by Jerusalem Magistrate's Court Judge Noam Solberg, who cited both intelligence and "material evidence" as reasons for keeping them in jail.
Police Raid Palestinian Cultural Summer Camp after Accusations of Incitement
Electronic Intifada/Union of Arab Community Based Associations 8/1/2003
1 August 2003 -- Israeli police stormed a summer camp for Palestinian youth yesterday, and arrested fourteen of the organizers, after the camp had been accused of incitement against Israel in a TV report on Wednesday. The camp was organized by the Al Balad Cultural Association in the Arab village of Kabul in northern Israel, and was due to end this Sunday. At a court hearing today, the police could present no evidence of incitement. The presiding judge declared that four of the arrested should remain in court until Monday, to allow police to find evidence for the case.
Police disperse summer camp for alleged incitement
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Police arrested eight of the organizers of a summer camp in the Arab village of Kabul in the Galilee yesterday. The camp began to disperse, but it has not yet been closed down. The police may ask that the suspects be remanded today. Shfaram police came to the camp yesterday morning in response to reports that inciting programs were being held at the summer camp. At the camp the police officers found and confiscated PLO flags and other materials suspected of being used in inflammatory activities.
'Rubber bullets' fired at Palestinian protesters
The Guardian 8/1/2003
Israeli troops today fired rubber bullets at Palestinians and members of a pro-Palestinian group protesting about Israel's West Bank security fence. The shooting, in which three Palestinians and eight foreigners were injured, came after demonstrators dismantled a barbed wire barrier in front of a section of the fence near Tulkarem, the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said.
Israel injures 11 demonstrators protesting fence construction
Al-Bawaba 8/1/2003
Israeli troops fired rubber bullets Friday at protesters who approached the disputed "security fence" the Israeli government is building to separate between Israel and the West Bank. A protest group said 11 demonstrators were injured.
Clashes at Israeli security fence
BBC 8/1/2003
Israeli soldiers have fired rubber bullets at protesters who approached the controversial security barrier Israel is building around Palestinian areas. A spokesman for the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said at least seven foreign activists and two Palestinians were hit by bullets but were not seriously hurt....US Secretary of State Colin Powell warned on Friday that the West Bank barrier could undermine the peace plan, known as the roadmap.
Palestinians in jail hunger strikes
BBC 8/1/2003
Palestinian prisoners in four Israeli jails are staging a hunger strike in protest at Israeli prison conditions. Police used tear gas to put down a riot on Thursday at Shikma high-security jail in the southern Israeli city of Ashkelon by prisoners protesting at curbs on their visiting rights. "Prisoners in Beersheva, Nafha, Shatta and Hadarim decided to go on a one-day hunger strike in solidarity with their brothers in Shikma," said Issa Qaraqaa, head of the Prisoners' Club who contacted the inmates by telephone.
Nearly 600 prisoners refuse meals in protest
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Nearly 600 Palestinian security prisoners held a mini-hunger strike Friday, refusing the day's meals but drinking water, Prisoners Service commissioner Ya'akov Ganot told Israel Radio. Ganot said the prisons are under control and that the Prisoners Service is trying to prevent prisoners from passing messages between different prisons....Meanwhile, thousands of Palestinians held a rally in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, calling for the release of detainees in Israeli jails.
Israeli Forces Fire At Pacifists Protesting Separation Wall
Islam Online 8/1/2003
DEIR EL GHOSSOON, West Bank, Aug 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israeli occupation forces fired tear gas grenades and rubber bullets Friday, August 1, at more than 1,000 Palestinians and foreign peace activists who were demonstrating against the Israeli construction of a separation wall in the occupied West Bank, wounding eleven people.
Israeli Police Arrests Two More Settlers Suspected of Terror Acts
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
Israeli police arrested two more Israeli West bank settlers suspected of planting a bomb outside an Arab school in East Jerusalem in April 2002. Israeli police linked the arrests with the case of Yitzhak Pass and Matityahu Shabo who were arrested on July 18.
Detainee Abdullah Barguthi declares open-ended hunger strike
Palestinian Information Center 8/1/2003
Ramallah - Abdullah Al-Barguthi, 32, who has been detained for the past 150 days in solitary confinement in a Zionist occupation detention center, has started an open-ended hunger strike. Barguthi, from the West Bank village of Beit Reema, was protesting the fact that he was not moved to central prisons similar to other detainees.
Israeli Soldiers Clash with Activists at West Bank Fence
Palestine Chronicle 8/1/2003
"A spokesman for the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said at least seven of its activists and two Palestinians were injured in the incident .." -- JERUSALEM - Israeli soldiers have fired rubber bullets at protesters approaching the controversial security fence in the West Bank. Israeli army officials told Reuters news agency that soldiers took action Friday, after protesters attempted to vandalize the fence.
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Diplomacy..
PM: They must honor the entire road map
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Israel will insist the Palestinians honor every detail of their agreements with Israel, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in a speech at the National Security College yesterday. "Past experience teaches us that once a diplomatic agreement has been reached, the greatest mistake is to ignore seemingly minor violations in its implementation," he said. As examples, he cited Europe's willingness to overlook Nazi Germany's violations of agreements prior to World War II, as well as Israel's own experiences.
Palestinians Demand Israel Free Prisoners
The Guardian 8/1/2003
NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Thousands of protesters rallied Friday in the West Bank to demand the release of Palestinian prisoners in Israel. Earlier, Israeli soldiers fired rubber bullets at demonstrators near a disputed security barrier, reportedly injuring at least 11 people.
US says unclear what settlement freeze means
Jordan Times 8/1/2003
"There are very involved aspects to this, of funding, of so-called natural growth, so-called questions of children, questions of cousins, questions of schools, questions of perimeters, questions of land." - Richard Boucher, US State Dept. -- WASHINGTON (Reuters) — Three months after launching a Middle East peace plan, the United States said on Thursday it was still discussing with Israel the meaning of what Palestinians see as a crucial part of the first phase — an end to settlement activity in Palestinian territories. The peace plan or "roadmap," which Israel has accepted, says that by the end of May 2003 the Israeli government should have frozen "all settlement activity (including the natural growth of settlements)."
House's DeLay Bonds With Israeli Hawks
Los Angeles Times 8/1/2003
The visiting lawmaker assures Jewish state of continued U.S. support. His conservative audience, however, still sees cause for concern. -- JERUSALEM — He delivered his words with the rolling cadence of a tent revival. He slipped the West Bank's Ramallah into a string of cities that included Auschwitz, Pyongyang and Damascus. He invoked Moses and Anne Frank. He mixed Old Testament language into the American civics class lexicon of life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.
Arafat, Urgent Quartet Meeting to Discuss Israeli Escalation & Breaches
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, speaking at a meeting held in his Ramallah headquarters on Thursday called for an emergency meeting of the Quartet to discuss “the escalation in Israeli action.” Ahead of the meeting, Arafat’s close aid Nabil Abu Rudeineh said that the meeting was designated to “examine the Israeli escalation expressed through the lack of release of Palestinian prisoners, the continuation of the settlements, the refusal to withdraw from residential areas, and the construction of the separation wall”.
Serb minister seeks closer defense ties
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Israel's defense industries, eager to sell their weapons at almost any price and on any terms, swoop down on every visiting defense representative, arrange visits and arms exhibitions for him and offer him tempting deals. Boris Tadic, the visiting defense minister of Serbia and Montenegro (part of the former Yugoslavia), had just this experience. Tadic, who is leaving today after a few days' visit, signed a memorandum of understanding yesterday with Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz on security cooperation between the two states.
Defense Ministry orders evacuation of six West Bank outposts
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The Defense Ministry on Friday ordered the immediate evacuation of six illegal settlement outposts in the West Bank. On Saturday evening, the IDF will take preliminary action in the matter, although military sources say that some of the outposts slated for removal are involved a complicated appeal process, and as a result will not be dismantled immediately.
Shi'ite Jihad leader warns hudna has limits
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The hudna (cease-fire) will collapse if Israel continues to violate it and does not withdraw from Palestinian cities, evacuate the settlements and release the prisoners, warns Mohammed Abu Shehada, a senior member of Islamic Jihad. Abu Shehada is the most senior member of the Islamic Jihad organization in Bethlehem who is on Israel's wanted list - the only wanted Shi'ite in an organization that maintains an affiliation with Hezbollah and Iran.
Sharon did not give Bush petition calling for the release of Pollard
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not present U.S. President George W. Bush with a petition signed by 112 Knesset members, calling for the release of convicted spy Jonathan Pollard when the two leaders met in Washington this week. Chair of the Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee MK Michael Eitan (Likud), who initiated the petition signed by all MKs apart from the members of the Arab factions, told Haaretz that shortly after Sharon left for the U.S. on Sunday, people in the Prime Minister's Office informed him that he had not taken the petition with him.
Abbas, Jewish Leaders Talk About Peace
Financial Times 8/1/2003
WASHINGTON — A meeting between Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and about 50 Jewish community leaders in Washington last week left most of the activists convinced of Abbas's commitment to peace. The meeting also underscored the growing support for President Bush's Israeli-Palestinian peace initiative among the Jewish community and the growing influence, in the community, of staunch supporters of the "road map." Held at a Washington hotel July 24, the meeting with Abbas, who is also known as Abu Mazen, was followed by a meeting between a smaller group of Jewish activists and Abu Mazen's security chief, Mohammed Dahlan.
Austria turns down request for Kern probe
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Austrian law enforcers appear to have accepted Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's defense in the so-called Cyril Kern loan affair, saying they see no reason for an Israeli police investigation in Vienna. According to Austrian officials, there is also no basis for media reports that a deal was worked out whereby full diplomatic relations between the two countries would be renewed in return for Austria's refusal to cooperate in the Kern investigation.
Hizbullah chief offers carrot, stick
Christian Science Monitor 7/31/2003
Hassan Nasrallah hints group's military wing could be dismantled if a full Mideast peace is achieved. -- BEIRUT, LEBANON – The leader of Lebanon's Hizbullah has a warning for the United States: Any attempt to destroy the militant group could mean American interests being attacked around the world. But Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah also hinted that Hizbullah's military wing, which is poised along Lebanon's southern border with Israel, could be dismantled in the event of a comprehensive Middle East peace.
Nasrallah warns US not to seek Hizbullah’s end
Daily Star 8/1/2003
Secretary-general denies group involved in supporting Iraqi guerrillas -- BEIRUT: American interests around the world could come under attack from “supporters” of Hizbullah if Washington attempts to destroy the Lebanese resistance group, warned Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, Hizbullah’s secretary-general. But he also suggested that Hizbullah’s military wing may not be a permanent fixture along Lebanon’s southern border with Israel, hinting that a comprehensive regional peace deal could lead to the dismantling of the Islamic Resistance.
ME Peace Hopes Slip as Defiant Israel Digs In on Settlements
Arab News 8/1/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 1 August 2003 — Peace hopes slipped as Israel announced plans yesterday to build new homes at a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip in defiance of a US-backed peace plan, just a day after US President George W. Bush said the initiative was on track. The Palestinians said the announcement of a tender for 22 new homes in the Neweh Dekalim settlement was a blow to the peace road map and undermined efforts to rebuild trust after 34 months of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Lebanese- Israeli row over al-Wazzani, UN security council extends for UNIFIL
Arabic News 8/1/2003
The UN Security Council yesterday unanimously decided to extend the mission of the UN forces in south Lebanon for another 6 months, expressing "strong concern" over the "grave violations of the withdrawal lines through air, sea and land outlets."
Hezbollah: A Card Used When Necessary
Al-Hayat 8/1/2003
Robert Malley, former advisor to President Clinton on Arab-Israeli Affairs and head of the Middle East program at the International Crisis Group, said: "Hezbollah is always playing the role of a local and regional card, which is used every time it becomes necessary." This comment came in a report issued by the group, and which included a presentation of the way Hezbollah was affected by the war on Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, as well as by the mounting American pressures on Syria and Iran.
More than a 'problem'
Al-Bawaba 8/1/2003
The apartheid wall is contributing to the slow death of the roadmap -- The use by President George Bush of the word "problem" to describe the apartheid wall Israel is building in the West Bank drew some positive reactions this week and generated a modicum of encouragement and optimism among Palestinians. However, the continued building of the wall, notwithstanding American reservations, is effectively killing hopes for any just and equitable peace between Israel and the Palestinians.
'Only you, Mr president'
Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 8/1/2003
Ariel Sharon offered the Palestinians nothing during his eighth visit to the White House -- US President George W Bush knows how to please his White House guests. Standing next to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in the Rose Garden at the White House on Friday he confirmed his commitment to the establishment of a Palestinian state and improving living conditions in the occupied territories.
Abdullah: Abbas's talks in Washington show American's seriousness
Arabic News 8/1/2003
Jordan's King Abdullah II considered during his meeting with the two members of the US Congress Tom Delay and Ander Crenshaw who visited Amman yesterday that the talks held by the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas in Washington reveal the seriousness of the American administration to supporting the peace process.
Setback to Mid-East peace move
BBC 8/1/2003
Talks on transferring further control of the West Bank to the Palestinians have broken down. Officials on both sides said disagreement centred on which two towns should next be vacated by Israeli troops. The dispute clouded the first high-level talks since the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers paid separate visits to Washington over the past week to discuss the US-backed roadmap peace plan.
Dahlan: Disarming terror groups would lead to 'civil war'
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Palestinian Security Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan said Friday that disarming the main militant groups of Hamas and Islamic Jihad would lead to "civil war." Both groups, along with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, have announced a temporary cease-fire. Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas has expressed the same sentiment, also arguing that any attempt to dismantle armed groups, one of the demands in the first stage of the road map, would result in Palestinian civil war.
PM lands after 'painless' US visit
International Committee of the Red Cross 8/1/2003
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon arrived in Israel Thursday morning after a three-day visit officials in his entourage characterized as painless....Sharon told Bush that 22 outposts have been removed, those that went up in their place will also be dismantled, and that another 12 will be taken down in the near future....Before flying back to Israel on Wednesday, Sharon met with US Vice President Dick Cheney, and a group of leading US newspaper columnists.
U.S Official, Settlement Freeze Means no Expansion or Growth
International Middle East Media Center 8/1/2003
Following Israel’s decision to issue a tender to build 22 housing units in a Gaza Strip settlement, U.S. official said Thursday that his administration is still discussing with Israel the meaning of an end to settlement activities, as stated in the road map peace initiative. State Department spokesperson Richard Boucher said that discussions were underway with the Israeli government “to make sure that we have a common understanding that a freeze is a freeze, and it is not a freeze that results in continued expansion or growth.”
Sharon Says “Will Not Tolerate Roadmap Violations”
Islam Online 8/1/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, Aug 1 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In an apparent attempt to lessen the pressure his government is facing over its controversial separation wall, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned his government would not tolerate the slightest Palestinian violation of the roadmap for peace, the Israeli media reported Friday, August 1. "The experience of the past shows that the worst mistake, after reaching an agreement, is ignoring violations in implementation, even if they appear small," Sharon said in a speech to the national defense college Thursday, July 31.
Palestinians disappointed with Bush
Jerusalem Times 7/31/2003
Palestinians were disapointed with the US President George Bush for his tonning down his criticism against the Israeli security fence. Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas visit to Washington was successful, said Palestinian officials last Saturday. Abbas arrived in Washington late Wednesday and met US President George Bush at the White House on Friday. Abbas said that he ended a series of meetings with US officials having clarified the Palestinian position on a truce by Palestinian factions. The United States "has its approach to the matter. It wants us to dismantle the radical groups. We told them that if the truce remains in place, why should we use force against our own people?" Abbas said.
IDF begins dismantling check point at Netzarim junction
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The IDF yesterday began dismantling the reinforced position at the Netzarim junction in the Gaza Strip, one of the symbols of the intifada. It will be replaced with an IDF position 200 meters to the south of the busy road linking Khan Yunis and Gaza City. [end of report]
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Government..
Israel imposes 'racist' marriage law
The Independent 8/1/2003
Palestinian-Israeli couples will be forced to leave or live apart -- Israel's Parliament has passed a law preventing Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel. The move was denounced by human rights organisations as racist, undemocratic and discriminatory. Under the new law, rushed through yesterday, Palestinians alone will be excluded from obtaining citizenship or residency. Anyone else who marries an Israeli will be entitled to Israeli citizenship.
AG, Lapid slam PM's son for silence during police probe
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein said Friday that it is "not legitimate" to remain silent in the face of police questioning on issues in the public interest, as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Gilad did Thursday. Justice Minister Yosef Lapid also criticized Gilad Sharon for keeping silent, Channel Two Television reported Friday evening. Gilad Sharon's refusal to cooperate with police on the so-called "Greek island" affair is an example of a widening trend, Rubinstein said, and is particularly serious in this case because police are legally unable to conduct searches themselves. The prime minister's Sycamore Ranch in the Negev, where Gilad Sharon lives, is exempt from a search warrant.
Gilad Sharon again opts to stay silent
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Gilad Sharon, the son of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, yesterday exercised his right to remain silent during questioning by the police's International Crimes Unit on the so-called "Greek island" affair. The prime minister's other son, MK Omri Sharon, is also due to be questioned shortly about the affair. In media interviews yesterday, Omri said that since he is a public figure, if he is interrogated, "I will do what I believe must be done. It can be assumed that I will talk."
Labor Boss Finds Himself Kingmaker of the Israeli Left
Forward 8/1/2003
TEL AVIV — Amir Peretz, chairman of the Histadrut labor federation, is a hot commodity these days, to the apparent surprise of just about everybody but him. He's emerged as the main threat to Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's controversial budget reforms. His name is spoken with awe on the streets of Israel's urban slums and development towns. Politicians in Labor and the parties to its left talk about him as the white knight who will rescue them from oblivion.
Netanyahu, Shalom hold rare meeting
Jerusalem Post 8/1/2003
Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met with his former bitter rival, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, one-on-one for the first time in some four years on Thursday. Aides to the two ministers said they discussed diplomatic developments, economic policy, and their fare share of politics in a meeting that stretched to an hour and a half at the Mifgash Haesh restaurant in Jerusalem's Romema neighborhood.
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Human
Rights..
U.S. to check new citizenship law for discrimination
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The United States said Friday it would study an Israeli citizenship law before deciding whether it discriminates against Palestinians by denying them citizenship or residence if they marry Israelis. The Knesset on Thursday approved the second and third readings of the bill, which singles out Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Under Israeli law, other non-Israelis are eligible for citizenship or permanent residence when they marry Israelis.
Israeli law will split families, say critics
The Guardian 8/1/2003
The Israeli parliament passed a law yesterday that bars Palestinians who marry Israelis from living in Israel. The government justified the measure as necessary to fight terrorism but critics say it is intended to cut Palestinian immigration and to coerce Israeli Arabs into leaving the country. The legal centre for Arab minority rights in Israel, Adalah, was among several groups that denounced the law as "racist" because it applies only to Palestinian spouses.
Why nationality ban on Palestinian-Israeli marriages?
Middle East Online 8/1/2003
Nationality ban on mixed marriages reflects Israel fear over demography, erosion of Jewishness of state. -- The Israeli parliament vote to block Palestinians who marry Israelis from acquiring nationality or residency permits is the latest expression of a fear that the Jewishness of the state is being eroded. "Israel needs to protect its identity as a state," Israeli analyst Eitan Gilboa said, justifying the adoption by the Knesset on Thursday of a law proposed by the government and the security services. But the law, voted for a year by a majority of 53 to 25, sent shockwaves through the Israeli left-wing opposition and parties representing the Arab community, which accounts for 18 percent of Israel's population.
Artist barred from entering country
Jerusalem Times 7/31/2003
The Israeli occupation authorities in Lod Airport last week detained the Palestinian artist Marwan Abadu. He was expected to participate in an event within the activities of the "Jerusalem Festival-Songs of Freedom 2003". The Israeli authorities arrested him as soon as the plane he was in had landed coming from Vienna, where he is currently staying.
Human rights groups term new Israeli law against couples as ''racist''
Al-Bawaba 7/31/2003
Israel's parliament passed a measure Thursday that would force Palestinians who marry Israelis to live separate lives or move out of Israel. The Israeli government said the law was vital to prevent "terror" attacks, but critics called it racist. The law, to be in effect for one year, would prevent Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip who marry Israeli Arabs from obtaining residency permits in Israel.
Belgium puts an end to war crimes law
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
BRUSSELS - U.S. President George W. Bush and British Prime Minister Tony Blair will be able to visit Brussels without fear of arrest after Belgium voted to scrap a controversial war crimes law under strong U.S. pressure. A large majority of the lower house of parliament passed a bill late on Tuesday quashing the universal jurisdiction law, under which cases were launched against Bush, Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
ISM: Update August 1, 2003
International Solidarity Movement 8/1/2003
1. Report from Qalqiliya demo, by Steve Quester / 2. Summary of Tulkarem action / 3. "Big Prison, Small Victory" by Rumzi Araj / 4. Legal Update: David Watson and Michael Sheikh / 5. Op-ed from the Jerusalem Post by Radihka Saidath and Tom Wallace / 6. Op-ed from the Philidelpha by Patrick Connors
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Economy..
Officials: Cease-fire healing economy
Jerusalem Post 8/1/2003
Following the one month anniversary of the Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire, the Israeli economy is starting to show serious signs of improvement, senior government sources told The Jerusalem Post. "Early indicators such as lowered interest rates, a healthy stock exchange, Israelis going abroad and tourists coming in and the implementation of the emergency economic plan all point to positive movement," the source said.
Bank of Israel: Economy grew just 1.2% in Q1
Globes 7/31/2003
Compared with the first quarter in 2002. Central Bureau of Statistics: 3.6% growth in the first quarter, compared with the fourth quarter last year. -- GDP grew by an annualized 1.2% and business product by an anemic annualized 0.5% in the first quarter of 2003, compared with the first quarter in 2002, according to a Bank of Israel analysis of Central Bureau of Statistics data.
Olmert's offer fails to move single mothers
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
The group of protesting single mothers led by Vicki Knafo were disappointed by their meeting yesterday with Industry and Trade Minister Ehud Olmert. Ilana Azoulai, one of the leaders of the group, said after the meeting that the trade, finance and labor ministries' plan to send single mothers back to work "contains no good news, or anything new except a pledge to interfere in the labor market and create 13,000 employment opportunities by Rosh Hashana [Jewish New Year]."
Finance Ministry moots return to sloping fluctuation band
Globes 8/1/2003
The Ministry of Finance aims for shekel depreciation, wishes to force Bank of Israel Governor David Klein to stup up interest rate cuts to 0.8-0.9% per month. -- Senior Ministry of Finance sources wish to revert to a currency fluctuation band with a positive slope, in order to quicken the pace of the interest rate cuts, and cause the shekel to depreciate against the dollar.
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People..
Internet project reaches across borders to link refugees
Daily Star 8/1/2003
Online communication gains momentum between Palestinian camps in Lebanon, West Bank, Gaza -- An internet communication project for Palestinian refugees has had more than its fair share of hitches. The Across Borders Project internet centers in the Occupied Territories have been disrupted, and sometimes shut down by Israeli Army sieges and severed phone lines. Its Lebanon projects, often a lifeline of information on the intifada, have been hampered by electricity cuts and a shortage of funds. The scheme has, in the words of the project’s Lebanon coordinator Mona Abu Rayyan, been “frozen.” But now, partly as a result of the tentative cease-fire in the Occupied Territories, the ball is rolling again.
Israeli-Palestinian initiative to establish Voice of Peace radio
Jerusalem Times 7/31/2003
The Palestinian organization Biladi, publishing company of The Jerusalem Times, and the Jewish Arab Center for Peace ,Givat Haviva, signed an agreement Sunday to jointly open Voice of Peace radio station. Mussi Raz, the Deputy of the Director General of Givat Haviva and former MK for Meretz, said the radio will broadcast n Arabic, English and Hebrew. The radio station will recieve the musical library and the jingles of peace activists Abbie Nathan's Voice of Peace radio station which used to broadcast from a ship offshore in the Mediterinian, he added.
Theater Review: Jamil Khoury's "Precious Stones"
Electronic Intifada 8/1/2003
INTIFADA-THEMED PLAY INADVERTANTLY RAISES UNANSWERED QUESTIONS -- When a playwright tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sexual identity issues, class issues, Arab-American community issues, and Jewish-American community issues (among others), in a 90-minute play, not much room is left for anything else -- like character development and breathing room. And that's the main trouble with Jamil Khoury's Precious Stones.
Gaza militants hold memorial for slain sons of Saddam Hussein
Ha'aretz 8/1/2003
Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip offered prayers Friday for the slain sons of Saddam Hussein, praising the ousted Iraqi leader as an enemy of Israel and the United States. At a memorial tent festooned with portraits of Saddam and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, some 300 men drank black coffee and prayed for Saddam's sons Uday and Qusay, who were killed by U.S. troops in the northern Iraq city of Mosul 10 days ago.
Remembering Naji el-Ali
Jerusalem Times 7/31/2003
Internationalist in thinking, humanitarian in concern -- Naji el-Ali was one of the best-known political cartoonists in the Arab world. His works afford Westerners an insight into Arab public opinion, something that is needed now more than ever before. El-Ali was not a political or religious extremist and his works represent the widely held views of the Arab people. He was born in the Northern Galilee in Palestine and grew up in a refugee camp in Lebanon. When he was young, el-Ali was jailed several times for his political cartoons and his jail experiences further developed his artistic/political tendencies.
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International..
Dems Call Bush Soft on Saudis But Split on His Israel Stance
Forward 8/1/2003
Seizing on what they see as a rare opportunity to attack President Bush's foreign policy without appearing unpatriotic, Democrats and liberals are rushing to condemn the White House for its stance on Saudi Arabia — and in some cases, on the Middle East peace process. The attacks are opening up a rift within the liberal camp, however. While accusing Bush of softness on Saudi Arabia has nearly unanimous support among Democrats, the attacks on his policies toward Israel are drawing less support, pitting activist Middle East doves against an alliance of pro-Israel hawks and partisan Democrats.
AJCommittee Stands Alone on Controversial Nominees
Forward 8/1/2003
Agency Declines To Fight Conservative Judge, Supports Embattled Mideast 'Scholar' -- Two high-profile nomination battles have left the American Jewish Committee in a lonely position: out front on behalf of a Middle East 'scholar' condemned by Democrats and Arab groups and on the sidelines in the fight against one of President Bush's most controversial judicial nominees. Of the three so-called Jewish defense agencies, a list that also includes the Anti-Defamation League and the American Jewish Congress, the committee was the only group to issue a statement last week supporting the nomination of scholar Daniel Pipes to the U.S. Institute of Peace.
ADL backs Arab bigotry bill
Jerusalem Post 8/1/2003
The Anti-Defamation League is backing a congressional resolution condemning bigotry against Arab Americans and Muslims, the Jewish Telegraph Agency reports.
Will the US media whitewash, spin, or ignore latest Israeli Apartheid law?
Palestine Media Watch 8/1/2003
PMWATCH - August 1, 2003 -- When Israel is called an Apartheid state and when Zionism is equated with racism, howls and heckles are loudly raised that such talk is senseless, counterproductive "hyperbole", and that when all is said and done, Israel is and remains the only democracy in the Middle East that is respectful of human-rights and the rule-of-law.
Jordan Bans Entry to Saddam's Cronies
Sarasota Herald-Tribune 8/1/2003
AMMAN, Jordan -- Jordan has granted sanctuary to Saddam Hussein's two eldest daughters, but has been banning entry to the ousted leader's cronies to avoid Iraq's complex politics and assist U.S.-led efforts to restore law and order in the still unstable country, officials and analysts said Friday.
Without political change, Syrian economic overhaul doomed
Daily Star 8/1/2003
Much-touted reform drive appears to have stalled - Although minor measures have been implemented here and there, analysts say nothing significant has been achieved -- Beirut: When Syria’s 16th president, Bashar Assad, took the oath of office on July 17, 2000 and became the leader of the ruling Arab Baath Socialist Party, he promised that Syria would embark on an economic reform program that would integrate the country into the global economy and end four decades of isolation. Although government officials claim that economic reforms are progressing, local observers say the much-touted reforms appear to have faltered.
US Vows to Ensure Kingdom’s Sentiments Will Be Respected on WTO Accession
Arab News 8/1/2003
RIYADH, 1 August 2003 — In a boost to the negotiations for Saudi accession to the World Trade Organization, the United States has renewed its pledge to work with the Kingdom and the WTO to ensure that Riyadh’s religious and cultural requirements are respected by the WTO provisions and by its trading partners, particularly with regard to the treatment of goods such as pork and alcohol which are banned here.
US approves opening of Iraqi-Syrian railway despite sanction threats
Al-Bawaba 8/1/2003
Despite tense relations between the United States and Syria, the Coalition Provisional Authority (CPA) applauded the resumption of railway services between northern Iraq and the state labeled by the US as a supporter of terrorism. The train will run twice a week and take approximately 15 hours to reach Baghdad from the Syrian border.
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