Map
of Israel's planned "security fence", adapted for clarity from Gush
Shalom map. Gush Shalom notes: The
Israeli government did not publish full, official maps of the wall. The path of
the Eastern wall was compiled by the Land Research Center
and the Palestinian Hydrology Group, based
on expropriation orders issued to Palestinian land owners.
PNIC: 854 Israeli Violations of Truce in One Month
International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2003
The Palestinian National Information Centre in the General Board of Information issued a report in which they revealed 854 truce violations committed by Israel in all the Palestinian areas during the past month of July 2003. The report shows: 299 Shell attacks and shootings at Palestinian residential areas / 46 additional Military check-post were built / 67 locations in which Israel restricted the movement of Palestinians / 60 Raids and invasions into Palestinian cities and towns / 47 Arrest campaigns were initiated....
Fatah gunmen kill man for allegedly collaborating with Israel
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Three masked gunmen shot and killed a Palestinian man they accused of collaborating with Israel in the center of Ramallah on Thursday, witnesses and doctors said. Palestinian intelligence sources said the man was one of 334 prisoners released by Israel Wednesday, but this could not be immediately confirmed.
IOF Continues Arrests in the West Bank
International Press Center 8/7/2003
RAMALLAH, Palestine, August 7, 2003, (IPC+Agencies) --Israeli occupation forces arrested Thursday a Palestinian woman in the West Bank city of Ramallah. Mai Al-Kaswani was arrested by IOF when several Israeli armored vehicles invaded the neighborhood of “Attahta” and stormed several houses, Palestinian security sources said. Seven Palestinian citizens were arrested Thursday by IOF in the governorate of Jenin. Palestinian security sources said. Israeli troops swept the villages of Jaba’, Maythaloon, and Hajja, near Jenin and arrested seven citizens, security sources affirmed.
IOF Arrests 15 Palestinians Allover the West Bank Cities
International Press Center 8/7/2003
OCCUPIED TERRITORIES, August 7, 2003, IPC-- Despite Israeli media acts of releasing Palestinian prisoners, more than 15 Palestinian citizens were arrested Wednesday by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. In Al Bireh Governorate, IOF rearrested Wednesday four Palestinian released prisoners minutes after releasing them as scheduled in the would be released list. Israeli occupation soldiers rearrested Rami Al Barghouti, from the village of Beit Rima, after he got in a bus- carrying released prisoners- was to drive home through Betonia checkpoint, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported.
Police block Likud MK Hazan from going up to Temple Mount
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Police officers physically blocked Likud MK Yehiel Hazan from going up to the Temple Mount twice on Thursday morning. The second time came after police spent half an hour explaining to him that he would be endangering himself as well as the people gathered to pray at the Western Wall, below the Temple Mount. Hazan said he remained unconvinced, but eventually left the area.
"Devout" Israeli lawmakers reveal pig-ignorance about Judaism
Electronic Intifada 8/7/2003
On your way to the Temple Mount, visit a library -- Likud MKs Inbal Gavrieli and Yehiel Hazan were put to shame on today's Cafe Telad morning show. Instead of making speeches about the intense [Jewish] emotional link to the Temple Mount, the two were presented with a pop quiz about its history. The results were not entirely satisfactory.
Palestinian home destroyed; Over 45 Human Rights Activists Detained
International Solidarity Movement 8/5/2003
[Occupied West Bank] At approximately 7am this morning, Palestinian, Israeli, and international human rights activists were detained while attempting to block the demolition of part of a Palestinian family’s home, near the village of Mas’ha. The building had been slated for demolition by the Israeli Military because it lay in the path of the Apartheid Wall that Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land.
Israeli Incitement Against President Arafat Intensifies Over July, 2003
International Press Center 8/7/2003
GAZA, Palestine, August 7, 2003 (IPC)-- Shortly after a Palestinian-Israeli understanding on prevention the mutual incitement in Israeli and Palestinian media outlets has been reached, as a step towards the implementation of the Road Map peace plan, Israeli media tactics changed. A pro- Israeli activists from Public Relation Frm Luntz Research Companies and Israel Project prepared a document titled, Wexner analysis : Israel communication priorities for 2003", proposing tactics for Israel to communicate.
Killing of Hizbullah man could revive undercover war
Daily Star 8/6/2003
More bombings, assassinations may be on the way -- The killing of Ali Hassan Saleh in the heart of Hizbullah’s Beirut stronghold could mark the beginning of an undercover war between the party and Israel, marked by bombings and assassinations and heightened tension along the Lebanon-Israel border. A series of bomb scares in the southern suburbs of Beirut at the beginning of the week led to several buildings being evacuated, underlining the tense security climate in Hizbullah’s key areas.
IDF keeping Hebron shops closed
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
The Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) has appealed to the Supreme Court to allow 18 shops in Hebron, closed down by the IDF last November, to reopen. ACRI lawyer Noa Stein told the court the closure of the shops, located along Shalala Street in Hebron's old city, was causing severe economic hardship to the store owners as well as to area residents, often unable to obtain basic goods because of curfews.
Eitam to direct grants to most settlements
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
The criteria defined by Housing Minister Effi Eitam indicate that most settlements in the territories will be included in the incentive plan designed to boost apartment sales. Haaretz has learned that the Housing Ministry intends to cover around half the cost from money generated by the sale of Amidar apartments. These funds were originally designed to help Amidar residents renovate their residences.
Build-up on border
Daily Star 8/7/2003
In its largest military move since it withdrew its troops from the South in 2000, Israel deployed Wednesday a battalion of armored personnel carriers on its northern border with Lebanon. At least 15 armored personnel carriers were stationed at Metula, an Israeli town just across the border from the Lebanese village of Kfar Kila. Locals said the roar of the carriers could be clearly heard in the early hours of Wednesday morning.
Israel detains 47 protesters at West Bank barrier
Sydney Morning Herald 8/6/2003
Israeli troops have detained 47 foreign and Israeli activists, who tried to block the construction of a security barrier through Palestinian land in the West Bank. The pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement said it held a sit-in protest at Masha village near Qalqilya in the West Bank to prevent the barrier - part wall and part fence with razor wire - from cutting into a Palestinian family's property.
Israel arrests fence protesters
BBC 8/5/2003
More than 40 people have been arrested for trying to stop Israel's construction of a "security fence" in the West Bank. The activists - most of them foreigners - had camped in front of the home of a Palestinian family they said would be isolated by the fence near the town of Qalqilya.
Hizbullah records 32 violations of sovereignty
Daily Star 8/6/2003
A press release issued by Hizbullah Tuesday said that the resistance group had recorded 32 Israeli violations of Lebanese sovereignty during the week from July 29 up to Aug. 4.
Egypt condemns IDF raid into Jericho
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher on Wednesday condemned Israel's morning raid into Jericho in which troops arrested 15 Palestinian Authority security personnel.
Mofaz: Terror groups strengthening in Gaza Strip
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said Wednesday that the decision to release Palestinian prisoners was not an easy one for the Israeli leadership. "It was a very difficult decision and was done so that progress could be made on the diplomatic track," Mofaz told a group of visiting US Congressmen at Defense Ministry headquarters.
Mortar fired at Gaza settlement; IDF catches fugitive
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
Palestinians fired a mortar at the Gaza Strip settlement of Neveh Dekalim Wednesday, just minutes after several hundred Palestinian prisoners were released into the Palestinian Authority. No injuries were reported in the incident. Earlier Wednesday, IDF troops arrested 14 Palestinians in the West Bank city of Jericho on suspicion of involvement in terror activity.
Haredi arrested for sexually assaulting single-mother protestor
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
Jerusalem police on Wednesday arrested a 22-year-old haredi city resident who is suspected of sexually assaulting a woman in the single-mother protest tent outside the prime minister's office overnight, police said. The suspect, who was apprehended near the Knesset Rose Garden, snuck into the tent after midnight, and then allegedly committed an indecent act on one of the women who was asleep at the time.
High Court rejects petition on plan to visit Temple Mount
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
The High Court of Justice on Wednesday rejected a petition by the Temple Mount Faithful against the police's refusal to allow members of the group to visit the mount on Thursday, Israel Radio reported. Thursday, Tisha B'Av, is the traditional Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the First and Second Temples.
Two Likud MKs vow to defy warnings and visit Temple Mount
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Likud MKs Inbal Gavrieli and Yehiel Hazan are determined to break through police lines to go to the Temple Mount today, despite warnings from Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi and Police Chief Shlomo Aharonishki that a visit to the site today could lead to severe rioting and bloodshed. MK Aryeh Eldad of the National Union Party said he would decide today if he will join the two MKs.
IDF: Would-be suicide bomber nabbed near Nablus last week
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
Israel Defense Forces sources said Wednesday that troops arrested a suicide bomber and his accomplice north of Nablus last week after a 30-hour manhunt. The two, members of Tanzim cells, were dispatched from Nablus to carry out attacks inside Israel. An RPG missile exploded Wednesday in the yard of a house in the Neveh Dekalim settlement in the southern Gaza Strip, Israel Radio reported. No injuries were reported, but there was some damage to the home.
Police detain youths for building tent along Hebron road
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
Police detained several dozen youths from the Jewish community in Hebron on Wednesday after they had illegally erected a tent and temporary structure along a main thoroughfare in the West Bank city. The youths built the structures along a narrow winding road known as 'Worshipers Way,' a shortcut from the Machpela Cave to the settlement of Kiryat Arba.
Security cabinet meets to discuss terror build up
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
The Security cabinet was meeting in Jerusalem Wednesday to hear IDF reports on the Palestinian terror infrastructure rehabilitation. The army will tell the ministers about the threat of a newly-improved Kassam rocket and the training of suicide bombers.
IDF nabs 14 in Jericho raid; missile hits Gaza settlement
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
The IDF raided the West Bank city of Jericho yesterday for the first time in many months, arresting 14 members of the Palestinian Authority's security forces, Palestinian sources said. The arrested men are suspected of involvement in a cell responsible for terror attacks and manufacturing munitions. A senior military source said the cell apparently acted on its own, without any instructions from senior members of their organization.
Internationals Released; 21 Israelis Arrested
International Solidarity Movement 8/6/2003
[Occupied Palestine] At approximately 2:00 this morning, all but one of the internationals detained yesterday were released from the Ariel settlement police station, after being coerced into signing a document stating that they would not enter the West Bank and Gaza. They signed this agreement after being told that the fate of the Palestinian activist and organizer of the Mas’ha Peace Camp, Nazih Shalabi, arrested yesterday, depended on the acquiescence of the internationals.
Take action against the Apartheid Wall in Palestine
Electronic Intifada 8/7/2003
Information made available by "The Apartheid Wall Campaign," a Palestinian initiative coordinated by the Palestinian Environment NGO Network (PENGON), a member of Habitat International Coalition (HIC)- Housing & Land Rights Network (HLRN), reports the urgent situation and grave housing rights violations arising from Israel's construction of its "separation fence," more popularly known as the "Apartheid Wall," in Palestine's West Bank. The PENGON appeal calls for an immediate stop to the wall's construction.
Jewish youths hurl rocks at Arab cars, injuring woman
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Dozens of Jewish youths threw rocks at Arab cars Wednesday night in the Ben-Gurion neighborhood of Upper Nazareth, lightly wounding one woman and damaging six vehicles.
Waqf Warns against Jewish Attempt to Force Way into Al Aqsa
Palestine Media Center 8/7/2003
The Palestinian Waqf, or Muslim religious trust, called Thursday on all Palestinians and Muslims in Israel to protect the Al Aqsa Mosque “from attempts of Jewish extremists to force their way into the compound." The Waqf's announcement, published in Palestinian media on Thursday, comes on the heels of a decision by the Israeli Likud MP Yehiel Hazan to visit the third holiest Islamic site on Thursday, which is “Tisha B'Av,” the traditional Jewish day of mourning for the destruction of the first and second Jewish temples.
Israel Deports Italian Activist For Protesting Against Segregation Wall
Palestine Chronicle 8/6/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israel deported an Italian peace activist and released 34 others who had been detained on Tuesday for trying to block the construction of the segregation wall near the West Bank town of Mashah, Israeli media sources reported. Those released were part of a group of 41 foreign activists and seven Israelis detained in a Palestinian family's garden in the West Bank town, through which the wall is set to pass.
Diplomacy..
Joy and anger as Israel frees 339
The Guardian 8/7/2003
Palestinian leaders cry foul as prisoners are reunited with families -- More than 300 Palestinian men walked free from Israeli military prisons yesterday to be snubbed by their own leaders but hailed by Ariel Sharon as evidence of Israel's commitment to peace. Mr Sharon released 339 security prisoners, convicted of crimes such as throwing stones and membership of banned organisations, and "administrative detainees" who rarely even know what it is they are accused of - only under pressure from the White House to bolster popular Palestinian support for the US-led road map to peace.
Our Happiness Incomplete: Released Palestinians
Islam Online 8/7/2003
GAZA, August 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - A number of Palestinian detainees, released by the Israeli occupation forces Wednesday August 6, have underlined that their joy and happiness for being released are incomplete, as they left thousands of fellow Palestinians behind bars. The release by Israel of a very limited number of Palestinian detainees has been described as a “major joke”.
Israel pleases few with prisoner release
Christian Science Monitor 8/7/2003
While hundreds of Palestinians were let go Wednesday, thousands are still in jail. -- TARQUMIYEH, WEST BANK – Their families waited for them for five hours in the beating sun, and when the freed Palestinian prisoners arrived, the men beat bongo drums and the women beat their tongues against the roofs of their mouths in joy. But as families here welcomed more than 100 of the 339 prisoners released by Israel Wednesday, what resonated most strongly was the debate among Palestinians over how to receive the confidence-building measure aimed at trying to prepare a path back to the road map to Middle East peace.
Arafat and Dahlan minimizing release, top officer complains
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
A senior officer in the IDF general staff yesterday complained that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and PA Minister for Security Mohammed Dahlan "did everything they could" to minimize the importance of Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners. "The process repeats itself: What's already been given to the Palestinians is perceived as self-evident and they immediately move on to demand new gestures," said the source.
Powell: Truce isn't enough, PA must act against terror groups
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Thursday said that the cease-fire declared by Palestinian militant groups was not enough and that the Palestinian Authority must make a concentrated effort against terror organizations. "We need to see a more concerted effort against the capacity for terrorist activity on the Palestinian side," Powell told reporters in Washington. "It's not enough just to have a cease-fire."
Rice: Security fence will not affect loan guarantees
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
U.S. National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice yesterday told Dov Weisglass, the prime minister's bureau chief, that deducting the cost of the separation fence from U.S. loan guarantees is not on the agenda. During a phone call from Rice to ask why Prime Ministers Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas were not meeting as scheduled, Weisglass asked about the loan guarantee deductions for the separation fence costs, as reported by Haaretz at the weekend....However, other sources in the U.S. administration reiterated yesterday that the U.S. is indeed considering deducting the costs of the fence from the loan guarantees Is an expression of U.S. displeasure with the fence's route through Palestinian areas.
In pictures: Israeli amnesty
BBC 8/6/2003
Photo eassy: On Wednesday, some 340 Palestinian detainees savoured the taste of freedom as Israel released them in a "goodwill gesture".
PA dismisses prisoner release as 'theatrical step to appease U.S.'
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
A senior Palestinian Authority minister dismissed Israel's release of over 300 Palestinian prisoners Wednesday afternoon as "a theatrical step to appease Washington." The prisoners were set free as part of what Israel described as a good-will measure and the PA termed "inadequate." The prisoners were handed over to the PA at four West Bank checkpoints and one in the Gaza Strip, where families gave them a somewhat muted welcome home.
Israel violates Road Map by extending Orient House closure
Electronic Intifada/PLO Negotiations Affairs Department 8/7/2003
The government of Israel violated the Road Map by renewing the closure of Orient House, the primary Palestinian institution in Occupied East Jerusalem. The renewal of the closure order, delivered by Israeli Public Security Minister Hanegbi, was issued officially on August 5, 2003 and extends Orient House's closure for another six months. The order also applied to four other Palestinian institutions in Occupied East Jerusalem: the Palestinian Chamber of Commerce, the Arab Higher Council for Tourism, the Palestinian Prisoners' Club and the Palestinian Center for Social Research.
Islamic Jihad Warns Against Targeting Its Activists
International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2003
Sheikh Sharif Tahaina, prominent Islamic Jihad leader said Thursday that his movement consider the latest arrest of 4 Islamic near jenin as a serious breach of the truce agreement.
Bush: W. Bank fence still problem
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
CRAWFORD, Texas - U.S. President George W. Bush said yesterday he still felt a barrier fence Israel is building through the West Bank is a problem. Bush did not say, however, whether he was prepared to pressure Israel on the fence by reducing some of the $9 billion that the U.S. Congress approved last spring in loan guarantees for the Israelis...."We're talking to Israel about all aspects of the fence," Bush told reporters as he prepared to eat lunch at a local restaurant with visiting Secretary of State Colin Powell.
Moscow, Washington share concerns over security fence
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Moscow and Washington share concerns about the separation fence around the West Bank, Russia's Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Fedotov said Thursday in a meeting with U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns. "These activities may seriously exacerbate the situation, and we believe that it's necessary to take every effort to solve this issue so that it doesn't hamper the implementation of the road map," Fedotov said at a briefing after the talks.
Dahlan: Sharon’s Only Interest is a Palestinian Civil War
International Middle East Media Center 8/7/2003
In an exclusive interview with IMEMC correspondent Rashid Hilal, Palestinian Minister For security affairs Mohammed Dahlan said that he hopes for the world to see the truth beyond the PR campaign Israel launched around the fake release of Palestinian Prisoners. Dahlan accused the Israeli government of playing smart by releasing mostly prisoners who would have finished their imprisonment terms within a month or two.
Palestinians Slam U.S. Reported Proposal As ‘Absurd’
Islam Online 8/6/2003
GAZA, August 6 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Palestinian resistance groups on Wednesday, August 6, rebuffed a reported U.S. proposal for releasing all of their detained members in Israeli jails in return for disbanding their armed wings. The proposal, published by the Saudi-owned Sharq Al-Awsat newspaper a day earlier, was dismissed by Hamas and Islamic Jihad as “rude and absurd”.
PNA Slams Israeli ‘Deception’ over Release of Detainees
Palestine Media Center 8/7/2003
IOF Arrest as Many Palestinians Since June 29 as the Number Freed: Ha’aretz -- The Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) arrested nearly as many Palestinians since the Hudna (truce) was declared on June 29 as the number of detainees Israel freed Wednesday and the Palestine National Authority (PNA) protested against the Israeli “deception” by not organizing official welcome ceremonies for those released.
Israeli Release of Palestinian Prisoners not Welcomed by Palestinians, Considered as "media act"
International Press Center 8/6/2003
TULKAREM, Palestine, August 6, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Scenes of celebration and happiness were not seen on the Al-Taybeh military roadblock in the city of Tulkarem, as a crowd of Palestinians gathered to receive the released Palestinian prisoners today. The very small number of prisoners released by the Israeli government, compared to the huge number of those left inside Israeli jails, took away the normal atmosphere of festivity and happiness, as it used to be when Israeli authorities released Palestinian prisoners in 1995, when jubilant parades roamed the streets of every Palestinian city, town, village and refugee camp, celebrating the freedom of their beloved ones.
Deducting Cost of Apartheid Wall From Israel’s Loans ‘Not on US Agenda’: Rice
Palestine Media Center 8/6/2003
Controversy Erupts Among Jewish Leaders Over Possible Deductions -- The US National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice denied Tuesday that deducting the cost of the Aparheid Separation Wall Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land from US loan guarantees is on the Adminisration’s agenda. During a phone call from Rice to ask why Prime Ministers Mahmud Abbas and Ariel Sharon were not meeting as scheduled, Dov Weisglass, Sharon’s bureau chief, asked about the loan guarantee deductions for the Wall costs, and Rice said that the deduction was not on US agenda, Ha’aretz reported. The White House confirmed Rice’s statement.
Palestinian Factions Commit to Truce in 'Positive' Talks with Abbas
Palestine Chronicle 8/6/2003
"After the talks with Abbas, spokesmen of the Hamas and Jihad demanded the release of all Palestinian detainees and said they did not discuss extending their truce because of Israeli violations .." -- GAZA CITY - Palestinian anti-Israeli occupation groups confirmed Tuesday their commitment to the truce the Palestinian leadership declared on June 29 in talks with Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas in Gaza, which both sides described as “positive,” as the Palestine National Authority (PNA) called for US involvement to avert “the development of a major crisis” after Israel rejected a Palestinian offer for a “permanent truce” last week.
PM Abbas to Visit Kuwait, Saudi Arabia, UAE and Tunisia
Palestine Media Center 8/7/2003
President Yasser Arafat received Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas in his battered headquarters in the West Bank city of Ramallah Wednesday ahead of a Palestinian premier’s Arab tour, which will take him to Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirate (UAE), Kuwait and Tunisia. Abbas, on his first visit to Saudi Arabia after becoming prime minister, will discuss the outcome of his recent visit to Washington with the kingdom's leaders, Palestinian representative to Saudi Arabia Mustafa Sheikh Dib told AFP.
Emotional Return for Palestinian Prisoners
Arab News 8/7/2003
BETUNIA, West Bank, 7 August 2003 — Hundreds of Palestinians held emotional reunions with their families yesterday after being released from Israeli prisons in a goodwill gesture that failed to garner much gratitude. Many could be seen flashing victory signs and kissing the ground as they were deposited at checkpoints dotted around the West Bank and Gaza Strip after finally leaving Israeli custody.
Israel defends prisoner releases
BBC 8/7/2003
The Israeli Government has rejected accusations by the Palestinians that the release of more than 300 Palestinian prisoners is nothing more than a public relations exercise to please the Americans. The Israeli Interior Minister, Avraham Poraz, told the BBC that the releases would continue, in recognition of the progress made by the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, also known as Abu Mazen, in reducing violence.
Analysis / The hudna is an Islamist balancing act
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Our persistence with our hudna (cease-fire) initiative reflects our morality as an Islamic movement that upholds its word. It does not signify weakness in the confrontation with the craven Zionist enemy. We therefore emphasize that our compliance with the initiative does not in any way repeal our right to respond to violations committed by the Zionist enemy." These words, included in a Hamas circular released on Sunday, attest to the organization's deep uncertainty regarding its course of action. Islamic Jihad and other militant groups are similarly wrestling about their choices.
American diplomat takes the driver's seat on road map tour
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
A computer program belonging to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State John Wolf, who heads the road map implementation team, ranks steps taken by Israel and the Palestinian Authority according to the three colors of a traffic light: red, yellow and green. Neither side has reached the top, green-colored level. Their failure to get a green light goes across the board, applying to each area examined by the American team. For now, the board is colored entirely in reds and yellows.
Report: Germany has no plans to resume mediation for Hizbullah-Israeli prisoners swap
Al-Bawaba 8/7/2003
Germany has relinquished its mediation for a Hizbullah-Israeli prisoners swap because it suspects that the three troops the Lebanese group kidnapped in a cross-border ambush in the Shabaa farms in late 2000 are now dead, the Beirut-based Al Mustaqbal newspaper reported on Thursday.
Palestinian Prime Minister begins Gulf tour in Saudi Arabia
Al-Bawaba 8/7/2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas is to visit Saudi Arabia Thursday at the beginning of a Gulf tour that will also take him to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Kuwait. Abbas, on his first visit to the oil-rich kingdom after becoming Prime Minister is expected to discuss the outcome of his recent visit to Washington with Saudi leaders. He is also expected to raise the issue of financial aid to the Palestinians.
Democrats meet Abbas, Sharon in Israel
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
A leading U.S. congressman on Tuesday accused Yasser Arafat of hampering peace efforts and told the new Palestinian prime minister he must take responsibility and strike a deal with Israel. House Minority Whip Steny Hoyer of Maryland, who is leading 29 House Democrats in a weeklong tour of Israel to discuss the Mideast peace process, made his comments after separate meetings with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Palestinians unimpressed by prisoner releases
Financial Times 8/6/2003
Israel on Wednesday began releasing scores of Palestinian prisoners but the move was dismissed as a "deception" by Palestinian Authority officials, who said many more should be let out of prison. Buses transported prisoners to staging areas, from which they were to be moved to check points in the West Bank and Gaza Strip later in the day. A high level meeting on advancing the US-backed "road map" for peace was abandoned on Tuesday as Palestinian anger mounted over the limits set by Israel on prisoner release.
Reluctant travellers along hard road
BBC 8/6/2003
The release of Palestinian prisoners by Israel will probably keep the roadmap to peace open for the time being but the travellers are reluctant and the road is long and hard. It is not clear at this moment whether the map will be furled up in due course and hostilities will resume as before.
US considers cutting Israel loan
BBC 8/6/2003
The United States says no decision has been made on whether to impose financial sanctions on Israel because of the permanent barrier it is building to separate Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank. But US officials have confirmed they are considering whether to reduce a recently approved package of $9bn in loan guarantees, in line with the money the Israelis spend on the barrier.
Palestinian prisoners head home
BBC 8/6/2003
Hundreds of Palestinian prisoners have been freed by Israel in a goodwill gesture aimed at bolstering the US-backed peace plan. Prisoners flashed victory signs and kissed the ground as they were reunited with relatives in the West Bank and Gaza. Israel says it freed about 340 "security prisoners" who have not been involved in fatal attacks on Israelis.
Israel releases hundreds of Palestinian prisoners
The Guardian 8/6/2003
Israel freed more than 300 Palestinian prisoners into the West Bank and Gaza today, but Palestinians dismissed the move as an empty gesture and cancelled a summit meeting in protest. Palestinian taxi carried the first group of men from Israel's Erez checkpoint into Gaza, where they were greeted by dozens of relatives waving flags and chanting "welcome" and "God is great".
Israel's fence draws threat of US sanctions
The Guardian 8/6/2003
The Bush administration is threatening to impose hundreds of millions of pounds in financial sanctions on Israel if it persists in pushing its security fence and wall in the West Bank deep into Palestinian territory. It said it would tell Israel soon that was considering reducing its loan guarantees by the amount Ariel Sharon's government spends on building the fence. Israel needs the guarantees to borrow money from American banks to revive its ailing economy.
Israel To Release Hundreds Of Prisoners, But Dissatisfied Palestinians Call For U.S. Intervention
Al-Hayat 8/6/2003
Israel planned to release several hundred Palestinian prisoners Wednesday, but Palestinians -- complaining that the list is not long enough -- canceled a summit and called for U.S. intervention to prevent a crisis in peace efforts. The Israeli government said it would release the prisoners at several West Bank and Gaza checkpoints at 2:30 p.m. (1130 GMT) Wednesday. Israel is holding about 7,700 prisoners, and Palestinians demand that Israel free thousands of them. Israel, however, has ruled out freedom for Palestinians involved in terror attacks.
US Mulls Cutting Aid to Israel Over Wall
Arab News 8/6/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 6 August 2003 — US officials were weighing whether to cut $9 billion in aid to Israel to pressure Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to halt construction of a security wall, The New York Times reported yesterday. Citing officials in US President George W. Bush’s administration, the newspaper reported the cuts would target loan guarantees for housing and commercial projects that were approved by Congress earlier this year.
Arafat tells Haaretz: `The wall is ruining the new Middle East'
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
Monday, August 4, was Yasser Arafat's 74th birthday and delegations of children dressed in their best clothes brought flowers to the chairman of the Palestinian Authority. There were times, in the heady days after the signing of the Oslo accords, when many Israelis too would have made a small pilgrimage to Arafat's office to offer him best wishes for his birthday.
Government..
Court rules PM's son must hand over papers in Kern affair
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court ruled Wednesday that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son Gilad must hand over to police key documents relating to the Cyril Kern loan affair, which he has so far refused to do. Presiding judge Daniella Sharizli ruled that most of the documents are "not personal or private in nature, their contents cannot be characterized as a confession or testimony [unlike a diary or intimate correspondence]." Sharizli stressed that Gilad Sharon had not claimed that the documents were personal.
State watchdog: PM was guilty of conflict of interest
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg yesterday reiterated his contention that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was guilty of a conflict of interest when he urged the Israel Lands Administration to alter a decision that affected agricultural lands, rejecting the host of new arguments that Sharon had raised after Goldberg's initial report was published.
Personal, political turmoil may mean early end to Sharon's run
Chicago Sun-Times 8/7/2003
JERUSALEM--His fans call him "Arik, King of Israel," calling him by the modern Hebrew nickname for Ariel, and with good reason. His political colleagues and staff refer to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as "the boss."....A highly placed party colleague predicted that "Sharon will not be able to remain in office if either or both of his sons undergo police interrogation or if they are put on trial." Sharon himself is due to be questioned, an experience that could force him to step down.
Police, 2 Likud MK's in standoff over Temple Mount entry
Jerusalem Post 8/6/2003
In an escalating war of words, Israel police chief Insp-Gen. Shlomo Aharonishky reiterated Wednesday that Jerusalem police will not permit any non-Muslims, including Knesset members, to enter the Temple Mount as the nation marks Tisha Be'Av Thursday, even as two freshman Likud Knesset members insisted throughout the day that they would indeed be visiting the site.
PM's son ordered to submit Kern documents by Monday
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
The Tel Aviv Magistrate's Court on Thursday instructed Gilad Sharon to hand over sensitive documents relating to the Cyril Kern loan affair to the court's secretariat by Monday afternoon, even though he is in the process of appealing a court injunction ordering him to hand the documents over. Judge Eliyahu Bachar decided that the documents will remain in a sealed envelope that will be opened only after the Tel Aviv District Court decides on the appeal of the prime minister's son.
Human
Rights..
Israeli government leaves Palestinian child detainees out of prisoner release
Electronic Intifada/Defence for Children International 8/6/2003
Defence for Children International/Palestine Section believes that there are only 13 child prisonersnames on the list of 344 Palestinian political prisoners due for release by the Israeli government this week as part of the roadmap to peace process. Nine of these children were on the list of 183 sentenced prisoners to be released and another 4 children were on the list of 161 administrative detainees.
Veteran inmates look on angrily
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
At 11 P.M. on Tuesday, an officer arrived at the Ketziot prison section where Ismail Al-Ahras was incarcerated with a list of names of the prisoners up for release. "At first we thought it was another of the prison management's tricks," Al-Ahras said yesterday. "They had already distributed a list of names once before, which later turned out to be false, just to play havoc with the prisoners' nerves and arouse suspicion among them. But then I realized this list was real. At first the most veteran prisoners were surprised to see I was on the list and were perhaps a little angry, but then they understood it was because I was getting out in October anyway. The anger at me was replaced with anger at the prison management and the Israeli government, who chose to disregard the veteran prisoners and choose, instead, prisoners who were being released in a few days anyway."
UN agency launches $18 million appeal for Palestinians affected by Israeli wall
United Nations News 8/6/2003
6 August – The United Nations development agency has called for immediate action to address the needs of Palestinian communities affected by Israel's Separation Wall, launching an appeal for $18 million in emergency assistance to address job needs and improve vital social, municipal and agricultural infrastructure requirements.
Addameer: Selection of Palestinian detainees to be released solely reflects Israeli criteria
Electronic Intifada/Addameer 8/5/2003
On the morning of 4 August 2003, the Israeli Prisons' Services published on their website a list of names of Palestinian prisoners and detainees expected to be released on Wednesday 6 August 2003. Of the 342 Palestinian prisoners slated for release, 159 are administrative detainees and 183 have been sentenced. Upon close examination of the published list, Addameer has observed the following...
Today We Have Made This Demonstration because We Want Freedom
International Solidarity Movement 8/7/2003
What the Children said to the Occupation Forces in Occupied Beit Furik -- In Beit Furik, a small village near Nablus, the days can be long and unbearably hot. No one understands this more than the Palestinian men who try to travel to the city in search of work. Everyday, they are captured by the Israeli military while trying to cross a nearby field, searched, interrogated and made to sit for hours underneath the blazing sun.
Free at Last... Free at Last
International Solidarity Movement 8/7/2003
Occupied Beit Sahour, August 7, 2003 14:55 -- Nazeeh Shalabi, the Palestinian man who had remained in the Ariel prison (in the illegal settlement of Ariel) was released on bail this morning. He was the last person to be released after border police and the Israeli Military stormed the peaceful protest on August 5 at Mas'ha, detaining 44 people, including internationals, Israeli peace activists and Palestinians. There were no conditions, but he will be expected to be available for questioning. At this writing, he has gone home to an overjoyed family in Mas'ha.
Economy..
Average monthly wage for May shrinks 3% to NIS 6,787
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
The average monthly wage shrank further in May 2003, to NIS 6,787 gross, according data released Wednesday by the Central Bureau of Statistics. That figure, which relates to Israelis, compares with NIS 7,008 in April. In January 2003, the average wage stood at NIS 7,144 a month, in gross terms. Since then, it has contracted by 5%.
Average wage falls NIS 526 this year, further drop likely
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
The average gross wage for a salaried worker in Israel fell by NIS 526 since the start of the year, representing a 7.2 percent drop, to NIS 6,787, the Central Bureau of Statistics said yesterday. The decline comes on the heels of a 6.1 percent cut in salaries in 2002. Nearly half that drop came in May, when the average wage lost NIS 221. Another large decline is expected in July because of an average cut of some 4 percent in the wages of 700,000 workers in the public sector.
Clalit hosptials and clinics to hold one-day strike on Thursday
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
Starting at 7 A.M. Thursday morning, there will be a one-day strike at hospitals and clinics run by the Clalit Health Maintenance Organization (HMO). The industrial action will encompass some 30,000 workers in the health care industry and will affect most medical and hospital activities.
People..
Bittersweet joy for released Palestinians
BBC 8/6/2003
Israel's release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners led to emotional scenes as families and friends were reunited after months or years. But for many Palestinians the joy was tinged with bitterness - many have been held without charge or trial and thousands more are still behind bars.
Cuban Jewish group makes first-ever visit to Israel
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
Ten Cuban Jews found themselves standing in awe at Judaism's holiest site on Thursday, after a year of tough negotiations to bring the first group of Cuban Jews to Israel. Israel and Cuba have had no diplomatic ties since Cuba severed relations following the 1973 Mideast war. The Cuban government was reluctant to give the Jews permission to make the trip, fearing they would not return.
International..
WJC president Bronfman urged Bush to oppose fence
Ha'aretz 8/6/2003
Israel's construction of the security fence in the West Bank is complicated and potentially problematic, because it undermines confidence building measures, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Edgar Bronfman, wrote in a letter to President Bush prior to the visit of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Washington.
Is your representative on this list?
International Solidarity Movement 8/7/2003
Thanks to the generosity of Israel along with American taxpayer expense, some of your congress-people are here in Israel as guests of the Israeli government. You can be sure that they will not have on their itinerary any of the horrors visited upon the Palestinians. They will not visit the Apartheid Wall. They will not visit the farms and orchards that have been cut in half by Israel's greed. They will not visit the hospitals and universities that are closed by order of the Israeli Military.
Anti-Globalization Supports Arab Causes: French Activist
Islam Online 8/7/2003
PARIS, Aug 7 (IslamOnline.net) - French anti-globalization activist Jose Bove asserted Thursday, August 7, that the world anti-globalization movement is rallying behind Arabs and the Palestinian people, dismissing as "a scandal" the construction of the separating wall by Israel.
German publisher halts book in anti-Semitism row
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
BERLIN - A German publisher has halted printing of a controversial book attacked for anti-Semitism and for defending Palestinian attacks against Israel. The publisher said "After the Terror", in which philosopher Ted Honderich says Palestinians have a "moral right to their terrorism" because of their treatment by Israel, crossed the boundary for legitimate discussion about controversial subjects. "We did not read the book carefully enough," a spokeswoman for publishing house Suhrkamp Verlag said on Thursday.
Heated Disputes over Separation Wall Within U.S. ME Circles
International Middle East Media Center 8/6/2003
U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said in a broadcast to Arab countries “A nation is within its rights to put a fence if it sees the need for one, …. In the case of the Israeli fence, we are concerned when the fence crosses over onto the land of others” Prior to the Visit of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s visit to Washington, President of the World Jewish Congress (WJC) Edgar Bronfman wrote in a letter to U.S. President George Bush “Israel’s construction of the security fence in the West Bank is complicated and potentially problematic, because it undermines confidence building measures.”
Islam Can Replace ‘Collapsing’ U.S. Empire: Garaudy
Islam Online 8/7/2003
PARIS, August 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As the United States would become a nosediving empire, Islam could be a substitute for the New World Order, said famed French writer and philosopher Roger Garaudy on Wednesday, August 6. “With its deep concerns over losing the grip on some areas of the world as well as the emergence of Europe and South East Asian countries as competitive economic powers, America could feel its slide into collapse,” Garaudy told IslamOnline.net in an exclusive interview. Garaudy sees the collapse of the world’s only super power country “could even be precipitated by an Arab-Islamic steadfastness” along with forming an Islamic-Christian alliance “to boycott and stand in the face of the U.S. and its close ally Israel”.
Bronfman: Jewish leaders are creating rift between Israel, U.S.
Ha'aretz 8/7/2003
NEW YORK - Certain Jewish figures and organizations are deliberately acting to cause a crisis between Israel and the White House in an effort to prevent the implementation of the road map, the president of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), Edgar Bronfman, told Haaretz yesterday. Bronfman said that his letter to President George W. Bush last month urging opposition to the separation fence expressed his concern for the future relations between Israel and the American administration.
Jordan's Premier Calls For End To Occupation Of Iraq
Al-Hayat 8/7/2003
Jordan's Prime Minister, Ali Abu Ragheb, called for "the withdrawal of foreign occupation troops from Iraq as soon as possible," and insisted during a speech he made yesterday before the parliament, which was to determine their vote of confidence, that the "Palestinian cause will always be Jordan's primary cause."
Democrats on mission for peace
Gwinnet (Georgia) Daily Post 8/6/2003
LAWRENCEVILLE — Freshman Democrats David Scott and Denise Majette will travel to Israel this week on a peace-keeping mission. Scott, whose south Atlanta district extends along the Interstate 85 corridor in Gwinnett and Majette, whose DeKalb County district includes part of the Norcross area, are part of a group of 29 Congressmen meeting with both Israeli and Palestinian leaders. “Israel is the centerpiece of our foreign policy,” said Scott, who is co-chairman of the Democratic Study Group on National Security. “I will be doing a lot of listening and observing and learning.”
Turkey Curbs Military Political Influence
The Guardian 8/6/2003
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - President Ahmet Necdet Sezer approved reforms Wednesday designed to reduce the influence of Turkey's military in politics, part of efforts to join the European Union. The reforms, which lessen the military's hold over a key forum grouping military and political leaders, have fueled bitterness between Turkey's generals and the Islamic-rooted government of Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan.
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