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.
IOF Continues Arrests, Imposes Curfew on Hebron
International Press Center 8/9/2003
TOBBAS, Palestine, August 9, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)--Israeli occupation forces (IOF) incurred Saturday into the West Bank city of Tobbas and arrested five Palestinian citizens. More than ten armored vehicles incurred three neighborhoods in the city. Israeli soldiers stormed tens of houses and arrested five citizens, Palestinian security sources said....In the meantime, IOF imposed curfew on the old city of Hebron and arrested one Palestinian citizen....In the village of Zatara, near Nablus, Israeli soldiers arrested two residents and detained hundreds near a military checkpoint, WAFA reported.
"We Didn't Mean to Shoot Him" - Israeli Military Spokesperson
International Solidarity Movement 8/9/2003
Early morning yesterday, the Israeli Military invaded the Askar Refugee Camp in Nablus in a so-called "arrest" operation. During the invasion, four Palestinians were killed and two more are critically wounded. "We didn't mean to shoot him, we just wanted to arrest him." Yes, we clearly understand that it takes seven tanks, three jeeps, a helicopter and dozens of soldiers to arrest one man. The attack is yet another of Sharon's attempts to destroy the hudna and goad the Palestinians into another battle.
Palestinian Ambulance Driver, Arrests and Brutality can not intimidate us
International Middle East Media Center 8/9/2003
Red Crescent Ambulance first aid officer Mahmoud Bajawi, 33, was released Friday after two weeks of detention in Salem military detention camp. Bajawi, who immediately joined his medical team, told his story to IMEMC correspondent Ali Samoudi. Bajawi said that while he was driving the ambulance Saturday July 12, to transport a patient from the village of Araba to Jenin hospital, he was stopped at AlJanat military check post south of the city of Jenin.
Israel tells UN that Syria, Lebanon must rein in Hezbollah
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
UNITED NATIONS - Israel told the United Nations on Friday that raids on northern Israel by Hezbollah guerrillas in southern Lebanon threatened to stoke regional tensions and undermine Middle East peace efforts. The most recent attack - the third of the weekend - came Saturday evening, when the guerillas fired anti-aircraft missiles across the Israel-Lebanon border, damaging an apartment in Kiryat Shmona and leaving two people suffering from shock.
Hamas vows revenge after Israeli troops kill two militants
The Independent 8/9/2003
The five-week-old Israeli-Palestinian truce was in jeopardy yesterday after Hamas vowed revenge for the killing of two of its fighters by Israeli commandos in a Nablus refugee camp. An Israeli sergeant was also killed in the exchange of fire. A Hamas leaflet threatened to "teach the Zionist enemy a hard lesson". Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, the Islamist movement's political leader, said in Gaza: "The Zionist enemy bears responsibility for liquidating the ceasefire. They have struck it a fatal blow."
Mideast Calm Is Disrupted by Exchanges on 2 Fronts
New York Times 8/9/2003
JERUSALEM, Aug. 8 — After five weeks of relative calm, violence flared today on two fronts of the Middle East conflict. Three Palestinians, two of them suspected gunmen from the Islamic militant group Hamas, and an Israeli soldier were killed in a firefight and ensuing protest that erupted during what the Israeli Army called a hunt for bomb makers in the West Bank city of Nablus. Palestinian witnesses said one man was shot dead while throwing stones.
Jewish settlers on explosives charges
The Guardian 8/9/2003
Two Jewish settlers were charged with possessing explosives stolen from the army yesterday, allegedly in preparation for a "terrorist attack" on Palestinian civilians. Yitzhak Pas and Matityahu Shabo were arrested in mid-July but their detention was kept secret while they were interrogated. Mr Pas had a 10-month-old daughter, Shalhevet, shot dead by a Palestinian sniper in Hebron two years ago. Mr Shabo is his brother-in-law.
Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine August 9, 2003
Palestine Media Center 8/9/2003
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed four Palestinians after raiding the northern West Bank refugee camp of Askar. IOF also wounded three Palestinians after raiding the northern West Bank town of Jenin and detained five Palestinians in the town of Tubas.
Palestinians blast Israelis for Nablus raid
Middle East Online 8/9/2003
Palestinian officials accuse Jewish state of seeking to torpedo US-sponsored peace efforts, wreck truce. -- RAMALLAH, West Bank - Palestinian officials blasted Israel Saturday for its bloody raid on the West Bank city of Nablus and accused the Jewish state of seeking to wreck a truce and US-sponsored peace efforts. Their harsh words came as some 5,000 angry people turned out in Nablus for the funerals of three of four (eds: correct) Palestinians killed Friday in the raid on a suspected bomb factory. One body was still held by the army, sources said.
Israel says Syria behind latest border attack
Financial Times 8/9/2003
Israeli officials accused Syria of being behind a surprise attack on Friday by Hizbollah guerrillas on Israeli positions in a disputed area near the Lebanese border, the first since January. Israeli aircraft responded with air strikes on Lebanese border villages after Hizbollah attacked three Israeli posts in the Shebaa Farms area with mortars, rockets and machine guns. There were no confirmed casualties on either side.
Hizbullah hits back in Shebaa Farms
Daily Star 8/9/2003
US rebukes Lebanon, syria over ‘provocative escalation’ -- Hizbullah attacked Israeli military positions in the Shebaa Farms area Friday, drawing retaliatory air strikes and artillery fire. The attack was the second operation of its kind this year, and the first in almost seven months. The operation began at 9.45am and was carried out by groups named after Ali Hussein Saleh, the Hizbullah official who was killed last Saturday when a bomb tore his car apart. The resistance movement had blamed Israel for the attack.
Hezbollah Shells Lebanon Border Area
The Guardian 8/9/2003
BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Hezbollah guerrillas shelled Israeli positions in a disputed border region for the first time in eight months Friday, drawing Israeli airstrikes and artillery fire and a sharp rebuke from the United States. Hezbollah said its 2-hour attack was in retaliation for the killing of a Hezbollah security official Saturday south of Beirut. Hezbollah blamed Israel for killing Ali Hussein Saleh, who died when a bomb tore apart his car.
Lebanese resistance attack three Israeli positions in Shebaa farms; Israel raids southern Lebanese areas, using cluster bombs
Arabic News 8/9/2003
Groups of martyr Ali Hussein Saleh in the Lebanese national resistance yesterday attacked the Israeli positions in al-Radar, Rweisat al-Alam and al-Sammaqa in the occupied Shebaa farms, using direct weapons and missiles, direct hits were achieved....Lebanese security sources said the Israeli warplanes targeted the surrounding of the residential area in Kafer Shouba town and the area situated on Shebaa - Ein Ata road, the surrounding of Rashayya al-Fakhar, al-Habbareyah, Helta and Kafer Hamam where the Israeli forces used internationally banned cluster bombs.
Israel Shatters Calm
Arab News 8/9/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 9 August 2003 — Israel shattered weeks of relative calm in the region yesterday when its troops raided a West Bank Palestinian refugee camp and killed four people, two of them Hamas activists. One Israeli soldier was also killed. Hamas vowed to punish Israel over the raid. Palestinian medics in Nablus said that aside from the Hamas activists, two more Palestinians were killed, a man of 20 from bullet wounds after throwing stones at Israeli troops in a street protest over the raid and a 41-year-old bystander who inhaled tear gas sprayed by soldiers.
Hizbullah attacks Israeli Army positions in Shebaa Farms
Daily Star 8/9/2003
Operation response to murder of resistance member in Beirut -- Hizbullah guerrillas attacked Israeli positions in a disputed border area on Friday in retaliation for the death of a Hizbullah member bombed in his car six days ago in Beirut. The attack by the militant group, which is backed by Lebanon and Syria, was the first in the Shebaa Farms area since January. Israeli aircraft responded with strikes on the edges of nearby Lebanese villages while Israel warned Beirut and Damascus that they will face the consequences unless they restrain the group from further attacks.
Update on Mas'ha arrests / Action in Jenin
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.
Four suspected terrorists arrested in Tubas
Jerusalem Post 8/9/2003
An IDF post in Gaza came under mortar fire last night, a military source told The Jerusalem Post. "Two mortars fell last night in an open field inside Palestinian territory, just missing an IDF position near Gush Kativ. Our troops were on alert and were prepared to respond if there were further terror attacks," the source said.
Israeli, 4 Palestinians Killed in Raid
Washington Post 8/9/2003
Deadliest Day Since Cease-Fire Elicits Mixed Reaction From Hamas -- JERUSALEM, Aug. 8 -- Four Palestinians and an Israeli soldier were killed in the West Bank today after troops surrounded a house where local militants were believed to be assembling explosive devices, according to Israeli military and Palestinian security officials.
Israel Flares Violence: IOF Kill Four Palestinians, Raid Two Cities
Palestine Media Center 8/9/2003
PNA Confirms Commitment to Hudna, Calls for International Intervention -- Israel on Friday threatened the declared Hudna, or temporary truce, with a deadly blow, directed in practice as well to the government of PNA Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas, after its troops killed four Palestinians, two of them were Hamas activists, in two military incursions into an overcrowded refugee camp, near Nablus, and Jenin town, both in the northern West Bank.
Diplomacy..
Sharon wants India, Israel, US triad
Jang Group 8/9/2003
BRUSSELS: The structured agenda of talks between Israeli and Indian leaders during the Israeli Prime Minister's upcoming visit to India includes the issue of developing a "triad" or a "core alliance" of India, Israel and the United States, with a "commitment of evolving a joint strategy to fight international terrorism", a report on the proposed US-Israel-India "triad" or "axis", reveals. European defence officials engaged in analysing the report contend that Sharon's visit to India on September 9 may impact significantly the security of South Asia and the Middle East, the two most volatile regions in the world.
Arafat Criticizes Deadly Israeli Raid
The Guardian 8/8/2003
JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reacted angrily Saturday to an Israeli raid in the West Bank that killed three Palestinians, saying the violence threatens the peace process. Two of those killed in Friday's raid on a bomb lab by Israeli troops were members of the Islamic militant group Hamas. An Israeli soldier also was killed.
Rantisi: Hamas 'still committed to truce,' but will react to Nablus raid
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
Hamas leaders in Gaza Saturday warned Israel the group's armed wing would carry out an attack to avenge the deaths of two senior members of the group who were killed in an Israel Defense Forces operation the day before at the Askar refugee camp, in the West Bank city of Nablus. "We are still committed to the truce but we will react against the Zionist enemy crimes," senior Hamas leader Abdel Aziz Rantisi said. "Hamas's military-wing, the Izz el-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, has decided to react against the Nablus crimes," he added.
Kuwait snubs Abbas over Arafat's past Iraq ties
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
KUWAIT - Kuwait said on Saturday it had put off a key visit by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas because he would not apologize for Yasser Arafat's support of Iraq after it invaded in 1990. "There was supposed to be a joint declaration at the conclusion of Abbas' visit which would include a clear and frank condemnation by the Palestinian Authority of the occupation crime but they were reluctant to agree," Kuwaiti Prime Minister Sabah al-Ahmad al-Sabah told Saturday's al-Seyassah daily.
Bush promises full implementation of roadmap to Jordan
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
U.S. President George W. Bush promised Jordan's King Abdullah in a telephone call on Saturday that Washington remained committed to the international roadmap for peace in the Middle East, according to a Jordanian Royal Court statement. Washington was "determined to fully implement" the plan which envisages the creation of an independent Palestinian state by the year 2005, the statement said.
After Years of Closure, Israel Opens the Entrance to Y’abad Village
International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2003
Israeli forces, in coordination with the Palestinian District Coordination Office (DCO) removed Thursday the roadblocks around Y’abad City in Jinin, after a closure that lasted for three years. Residents said that the closure isolated them from the world around them.
Israel demands full compliance on UN Lebanon resolutions
Jerusalem Post 8/9/2003
Hezbullah's attacks across Israel's northern border must be halted by the Security Council in accordance with international law, Israel's Ambassador to the United Nations, Dan Gillerman, wrote in a letter to Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the UN's current council president and Hizbullah sponsor, Syria.
Israel tears down roadblocks to boost chances for peace
Jordan Times 8/8/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel dismantled more roadblocks in the West Bank Thursday in a bid to restore confidence in the troubled peace process after its release of hundreds of Palestinian prisoners failed to garner much credit. An occupation army spokesman said that two checkpoints in the Jenin area were being torn down "in a continuation of a series of efforts to ease conditions for Palestinians and to improve the daily lives" of some 70,000 locals. Local officials said that three posts had been removed, including one that had been in place since the start of the Intifada in September 2000.
Syria renews support for Hezbollah
Middle East Online 8/9/2003
Syrian Defense Minister accuses US, Israel, internal agents of exerting pressure on Syria to accept Israeli settlement. CAIRO - Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass renewed Saturday his country's support for Hezbollah despite a US demand that Damascus rein in the radical Lebanese movement after it attacked Israeli army positions. "Resistance is a legitimate right," Tlass told the Arabic-language daily Asharq al-Awsat. "We see the Lebanese national resistance, the Hezbollah and the uprising in Palestine in this perspective."
FM Shalom Seeks to Cancel Anti-Israeli UN Resolutions, Sees Farouk Kaddoumi a Problem
Palestine Media Center 8/9/2003
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is undertaking a diplomatic initiative meant to cancel anti-Israeli resolutions passed over the years by the UN and other international agencies, Ha’aretz reported Friday. The first targets are the 25 member states or candidate members of the European Union, since their votes are often decisive in international agencies. Shalom raised the idea with his European counterparts in Brussels two weeks ago. The US has also been drafted into the cause and is beginning to use its influence to seek changes in European votes, the Israeli daily said.
U.S. Warns Lebanon, Syria About Attack
Excite News 8/9/2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Bush administration responded angrily Friday to Hezbollah's shelling of Israeli positions in a disputed Lebanese border region. American diplomats told Lebanon and Syria that the administration was seriously concerned about what a U.S. official described as a "calculated and provocative escalation" by the extremist group and told the two Arab governments it was important to restrain further attacks.
Israel studies alternative routes for wall
Daily Star 8/9/2003
Israel said Friday it was exploring alternative routes for the next leg of a controversial West Bank separation barrier, while human rights experts warned that the wall imposed “unjustifiably severe” restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. The experts on the UN Committee on Human Rights also told Israel to halt “targeted killings” of terror suspects in the Occupied Territories, in written conclusions released here after examining the country’s recent civil and political rights record. It also called for a halt to the use of human shields in military operations in Palestinian territories and deplored the prolonged detention of suspects without contact with the outside world.
US warning over Hezbollah attack
BBC 8/9/2003
The United States has warned Lebanon and Syria over the first big attack by Lebanese Hezbollah fighters against Israel for several months. The State Department in Washington said it was in the interest of both Syria and Lebanon maintain calm in the border area.
Arafat Slams Israel for Raid, Hamas Vows Revenge
New York Times 8/9/2003
RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat accused Israel on Saturday of threatening peace by carrying out a raid against militants, as the Islamic group Hamas vowed to avenge the deaths of two comrades. Two top Hamas militants and an Israeli soldier were killed in a firefight between the militants and an elite army unit that surrounded a building they were holed up in during a raid in a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday.
Bush: Israeli Apartheid Wall Makes It Hard to Establish Palestinian State
Palestine Media Center 8/9/2003
August 9, 2003 - US President George Bush reiterated on Friday for the third time in two weeks that the Apartheid Separation Wall Israel is building on occupied Palestinian land “is a problem” because it “makes it awfully hard to develop a contiguous (Palestinian) state over time,” adding, “the Israelis are willing to work with us” to reroute it, but saying at the same time that the Wall “was built in reaction to terrorism”.
Saudi crown prince discusses with Abbas the Roadmap to peace
Arabic News 8/9/2003
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah Ibn Abdul Aziz yesterday in Jeddah discussed with the Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas latest developments concerning the Palestinian issue and the efforts made to implement the so-called Roadmap. Abbas had arrived on Thursday in Jeddah his first leg in an Arab tour which will lead him to the United Arab Emirates and Tunisia.
Abbas Skips Trip to Kuwait
The Guardian 8/9/2003
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas canceled a trip to Kuwait that would have been the highest-level visit since relations soured over Palestinian support for Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War, both sides said Saturday....A senior Palestinian official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the trip was called off because Abbas refused a Kuwaiti demand to apologize for and condemn the Palestinians' backing for Iraq during its 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which sparked the Gulf War.
Abbas to Visit Norway for Peace Talks
Arab News 8/9/2003
OSLO, 9 August 2003 — Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas will travel to Norway later this month to discuss the Middle East peace process, six weeks after a similar visit by his Israeli counterpart, the Norwegian government said yesterday.
Palestinian PM visit to Kuwait called off
Al-Bawaba 8/9/2003
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas was skipping a visit to Kuwait that was to be the highest-level visit by a Palestinian official since ties soured during the 1991 Gulf War, a Palestinian Cabinet minister said Saturday.
Government..
Dahlan: $250M, 3 years needed to rebuild police posts
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
Rebuilding Palestinian police posts destroyed by Israeli forces will cost $250 million and take three years, says Palestinian Minister for Security Affairs Mohammed Dahlan, according to a statement released Friday. A key element of a new U.S.-backed road map to Middle East calls for rebuilt and strengthened Palestinian security forces to dismantle the militant groups that have launched hundreds of suicide bombings and other attacks against Israeli targets during the past three years.
Dahlan announces merging of Gaza and West Bank security forces
Jerusalem Post 8/9/2003
Palestinian Authority Minister of State for Security, Muhammed Dahlan, announced Saturday that he has decided to merge the Preventive Security Service in the West Bank and Gaza Strip under one command. Since its establishment in 1994, the Preventive Security Service has operated as two separate bodies in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Islamic Jihad in Bethlehem reports 'understanding' with Authority
Jerusalem Post 8/9/2003
Muhammed Shehadeh, the head of Islamic Jihad's armed wing in Bethlehem, said over the weekend that his group has reached an agreement with the Palestinian Authority according to which the Palestinian security forces would not take any measures against Islamic Jihad members and offices in the city.
Israel seeks new high ground with drive to develop spy satellites
Daily Star 8/9/2003
‘We can’t survive without it,’ says space chief - As program gathers momentum, it raises questions about the future -- BEIRUT: It has always been a fundamental principle of warfare that whoever holds the high ground dominates the battlefield. Space is the new high ground and Israel, after years of dithering, now seems to be making a determined effort to control this emerging battleground hundreds of kilometers above the Middle East. For the moment, the plan is to place a constellation of small spy satellites in low-Earth orbit to maintain constant surveillance of hostile states such as Iran, Syria and Libya, which either have long-range ballistic missile programs or would like to, or are striving to develop nuclear weapons.
Teaching Arabic to Israeli cops requires its own kind of policing
JTA 8/6/2003
NETANYA, Israel, Aug. 5 (JTA) — About a dozen Israelis sit hunched over their desks in a picturesque beachfront setting, haltingly trying out their first sentences in Arabic....A short distance away, another Arabic course for beginners is getting under way. The students in this class, however, are learning sentences of a different nature. "Sit on this bench! You´ve got several options here and you´d better not make things difficult for us," one student reads from the text in his instructional booklet.
Advancing on peace front, Sharon is now threatened by investigations
JTA 8/6/2003
JERUSALEM, Aug. 5 (JTA) — At the height of his powers, skillfully conducting a complex process of negotiation with the Palestinians and enjoying widespread popularity, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could be forced to resign over a string of financial scandals in which he and his sons are principal players. That, at least, is the view of many Israeli pundits and politicians, some of whom already are gearing up for a post-Sharon era.
Achievements in the first 100 days of Abu Mazen's government
Miftah/Palestinian Ministry of Internal Security 8/8/2003
Palestinian officials expressed relief at the outcome of the latest visit to Washington by Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Minister of Internal Security, Mohammad Dahlan. According to Minister Dahlan, the US Administration, though did not accept the Palestinian stand on the question of prisoners release from Israeli jails, has accepted to a certain point the Palestinian stand on the defense wall that Israel is building in the West Bank and on the Jewish settlements.
Human
Rights..
UN Report Calls Israel to Revoke New Discriminatory Citizenship Law
International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2003
A UN report regarding Israeli implementation of the international treaty for political and civil rights, to be published Friday, calls Israel to revoke the new citizenship law denying citizenship to Palestinians who marry Israelis. The report states that the Israeli new citizinship law contradicts articles in the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights which Israel signed, particularly the ones related to family unification.
U.N. Chides Israel Over Separation Wall
Islam Online 8/8/2003
GENEVA, August 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – As U.S. President George W. Bush on Friday, August 8, admitted that the Israeli separation wall in the West Bank would hinder the creation of a Palestinian state, a U.N. human rights watchdog warned the wall imposes "unjustifiably" severe restrictions on the movement of Palestinians. The barrier clamps "additional and unjustifiably severe restrictions on the right to freedom of movement of, in particular, Palestinians in the Occupied Territories", the U.N. Committee on Human Rights said in written conclusions released after examining the country's recent civil and political rights record.
Marriage law divides Israeli Arab families
Christian Science Monitor 8/8/2003
Under new legislation, Arabs from the occupied territories may no longer join their spouses in Israel. -- JERUSALEM – Ibrahim Hawari says he is being forced by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government to make an impossible choice: his family or his home. Mr. Hawari, deputy mayor of the northern municipality of Ma'alot-Tarshiha, is one of thousands of Israel's Arab citizens who see themselves as victims of a law passed last week blocking their spouses from the occupied territories from gaining citizenship or residency in Israel.
ISM Activists Dismantles a roadblock at Silet El-Harthyeh Near Jenin
International Middle East Media Center 8/8/2003
Activists of the International Solidarity Movement, (ISM) Managed to remove the roadblocks at the entrance of Sielet El-Harthyeh village near Jenin, which the Israeli army established two years ago. Andrew, a British ISM coordinator said, “The ISM activists together with the people in the village opened all three major entrances of the village, these blockades turned the village into a jail and made the lives of people hard.” He added, “We worked together with the Palestinians to dismantle those barriers that turned the life of Palestinian into hell.”
Addition and long division
The Guardian 8/9/2003
The readers' editor on... fact, figures and terms of reference in the Middle East -- The Guardian's coverage of the Middle East has been questioned on two particular points this week. One is its reporting of the release by Israel of 339 Palestinian prisoners (the Israeli figure as I write is 334). The other is the name used for the structure being erected by the Israelis across Israeli and Palestinian territory and called by Israel the "security fence".
Palestinians Flock to New Shopping Mall
New York Times 8/9/2003
RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) -- Tugging impatiently at his mother's shirt, 5-year-old Rami Tubasi had only one thing on his mind: a few more laps around the go-cart track. Sawsan Tubasi, 30, was happy to hand over two shekels to give her son another ride. With its glossy new supermarket, food court, amusement arcades and entertainment center, the West Bank's first American-style shopping mall is a magnet for weary Palestinians yearning for a normal life after years of violence.
Ashrawi awarded 2003 Sydney Peace Prize
Middle East Online 8/9/2003
JERUSALEM - Palestinian MP and human rights activist Hanan Ashrawi won the annual Sydney Peace Prize on Friday, said a statement by the Sydney Peace Foundation. "The Sydney Peace Foundation recognized Dr. Ashrawi for her commitment to human rights, to the peace process in the Middle East and for her courage in speaking against oppression, against corruption and for justice," read the statement.
Prominent American Painter Alowayts in Solidarity with Palestinian People
Palestine Media Center 8/9/2003
Prominent American painter Mike Alowayts crossed thousands of miles to the Israeli-occupied territories to express his solidarity with the Palestinian people with his huge paintings and to voice his strong opposition to the Apartheid Separation Wall Israel is building on Palestinian- owned lands.
Activism through art
Ha'aretz 8/8/2003
After years of failed attempts to exhibit his collection of Palestinian posters in American art galleries, political activist Dan Walsh has decided to produce his own exhibit - on the Internet -- WASHINGTON, D.C. - When the Palestinians establish a national museum, the curators will find the largest collection of Palestinian political posters not in Ramallah, Nablus, Beirut or Tunis, but in Washington - and they will find it not in the Library of Congress or in one of America's national museums, but in a small private home out in the suburbs.
Haredi town's crime rate rises, and police are helpless
Ha'aretz 8/8/2003
Rosh Ha'ayin policemen describe the nearby ultra-Orthodox town Elad as "a hornets' nest of crime," brimming with growing domestic violence, vandalism, juvenile delinquency and traffic violations. The secular police of the neighboring town admit they have failed to penetrate the ultra-Orthodox community or gain its trust, making it impossible to deal with its rising crime rate.
Ready for two states?
The Guardian 8/9/2003
In this week's email exchange, Roman Bronfman, a member of the Knesset, and Israel Harel, a Jewish settler, debate Israel's options in the West Bank and Gaza.
Dr Hanan Ashrawi is jury’s unanimous choice for Sydney Peace Prize
Miftah/Sydney Peace Foundation 8/8/2003
The Sydney Peace Foundation is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2003 Sydney Peace Prize will be Dr. Hanan Ashrawi. Dr. Ashrawi is a Palestinian academic, human rights campaigner, spokesperson in the Madrid and Washington peace talks and member of the Palestinian Legislative Council. She is also the Director of the Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue & Democracy . The Sydney Peace Prize jury recognized Dr. Ashrawi for her commitment to human rights, to the peace process in the Middle East and for her courage in speaking against oppression, against corruption and for justice.
US Artist Views Palestinian Cause Through Poster Exhibit
International Press Center 8/9/2003
WAHINGTON D.C, August 9, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Driven by belief in the justice of the Palestinian cause and the will to expose the Palestinian culture to the American nation, a US graphics artist started Friday a journey of collecting posters depicting the Palestinian struggle and its cause. The journey started in Morocco and extended over 27 years....On his website, www.liberationgraphics.com, Walsh presented nearly 100, high-quality, scanned posters, which visitors can see and read the captions and articles explaining the symbolism behind each poster.
3 Israelis suspected of selling weapons in Central America
Ha'aretz 8/9/2003
The Guatemalan Justice Ministry ordered the arrest of three Israelis on Friday, on the suspicion that they illegally sold weapons in Central and South America. According to suspicion, the three sold weapons that were eventually acquired by the right-wing militia in Colombia. The three men - Ori Tzoler,Uzi Kislevitch, and Shimon Yelnik-Sharam - are employed by the Girsa factory.
America's Glossy Envoy
Washington Post 8/9/2003
State Funds Pop Magazine for Young Arabs -- The U.S. government has a message for young Arabs: Hi. Hi is a new magazine funded by the State Department, published in Arabic, targeted at Arabs ages 18 to 35 and sold on newsstands in more than a dozen countries. It costs consumers about $2 a copy. It will cost American taxpayers about $4 million a year -- minus whatever advertising revenues it can generate.
U.S. "Hi" Magazine Eyes Arab “Future Leaders”: Report
Islam Online 8/9/2003
WASHINGTON, Aug 9 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – The U.S.-funded Arabic-language "Hi" magazine has its eyes on young Arabs who will lead their countries in the future, a leading U.S. newspaper reported Saturday, August 9, quoting an American diplomat.
Not a Terrorist, but Still Doing 9/11 Time
Los Angeles Times 8/9/2003
Ansar Mahmood was swept up in a federal dragnet. Now a felon, he faces deportation. -- BATAVIA, N.Y. — Nearly two years after the Sept. 11 attacks, a time when most foreign detainees have been sent home, Ansar Mahmood is desperate to remain in America. A hard worker who delivered pizzas in upstate New York, he saved his money and supported his family in Pakistan. Like many immigrants, he found promise in the American dream. But then he became one of countless Muslim immigrants picked up in a sweeping government dragnet.
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