Palestinians beaten for hours at Qalandiya checkpoint while Israeli attorney general was guarding there 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
Attorney General Elikim Rubenstein: "I didn't notice that they were bruised. I asked they be put in the shade and allowed to drink." Three Palestinians were badly beaten by soldiers at the Qalandiya checkpoint, near Ramallah. The judge at the magistrate court, who was shocked at their state, ordered t they be released and the incident investigated by the army. The beating happened on Wednesday (7 August). On this same day the Israeli Attorney General Elikim Rubenstein was serving his reserve military service at the checkpoint.

Soldier Shoots At Israeli Journalist
Guardian, August 12, 2002
JERUSALEM (AP) - An Israeli soldier in the West Bank opened fire on a taxi carrying a prominent Israeli journalist who said Monday the shots were fired without warning. The army said the soldier and an officer would be tried.

An officer and solider to be tried following shooting at Israeli journalists 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
An officer and soldier will be tried following the shooting at the cab in which the Israeli journalist Gideon Levy was riding in Tul Karem. So ordered the commander of the region, Colonel Dan Hefetz. This decision was taken after an investigation of the event disclosed faults in reporting movements of the cab to forces on the ground, in addition to handling of the event by the officer on the spot. Even before this decision the Israeli army spokesperson, Brigadier General Ruth Yaron, apologised for the incident.

Settlers evict Palestinians
Arab News, August 12, 2002
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 12 August — Armed Jewish settlers yesterday seized two Palestinian houses in a village close to a southern West Bank settlement where two Israelis were shot dead last week. The settlers, numbering around 100, forced out the families in the two houses on the edge of Luban Al-Sharqiyah. The village lies just west of Eli settlement.

Jenin: another extra-judicial execution 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
Early today, Israeli forces committed another extra-judicial execution in the village of Yamoun, west of Jenin. At 3 am, Israeli forces with tanks and armored personnel carriers and a unit of Israeli special forces raided the village and surrounded the home of Muhammad Freihat and forcibly evicted thirteen residents. Afterwards, the special unit searched the residents, their identity cards and took one of his sons, Ghazal Freihat (21) with them. When they reached approximately two meters from the home, Freihat's parents heard gunshots.

Israel kills Palestinian near Jenin; Palestinian groups discuss ceasefire agreement
Al-Bawaba, August 12, 2002 
Palestinian sources said Monday that in the Jenin area Israeli troops killed a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of Fatah. The man was identified as Ghazal Farahat, 23.

A-G demands security forces limit use of rubber bullets
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002  
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein has instructed security officials to limit the use of rubber-coated bullets. He wants the police and Israel Defense Forces to examine ways to replace rubber-coated metal bullets with rubber bullets without a metal core, which are less dangerous.

He pointed the finger and pulled the strings, but the protection ran out
Reviled collaborator whose treachery cost him his life
Guardian, August 12, 2002
Musa Rajoub died a traitor's death, dragged from a jail cell in the cold hours before dawn, shot, and strung up by his left foot from an electricity pylon in the centre of Hebron without an ounce of pity.

Mid-East economic woes deepen
Extra defence spending has hit Israel's economy
BBC, August 12, 2002
Public services in Israel have been hit by a three-hour strike by workers demanding an increase in wages in line with inflation. The action comes as the Israeli economy is in crisis after almost two years of conflict with the Palestinians. Meanwhile, a senior United Nations official is starting a mission to assess the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian territories.

Pope backs Mid-East peace force
BBC, August 12, 2002
Pope John Paul ll has lent his support to the creation of an international peacekeeping force to try to bring an end to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Palestinian sector 2001 budget was double its proportion of the population
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
Mosawa (the Advocacy Centre for Arab Palestinian Citizens of Israel) economist Amin Fares: After 50 years, much more money is needed to close the gap: The 2001 state budget for Israel’s Arab sector was almost double the sector's proportion of the country's population, says Prime Minister's Advisor for Arab Affairs Uri Borovsky. According to his figures, 11.65% of Israel's population lives in Arab villages, excluding mixed communities, regional councils and the Druze population.

Joint Israeli-Palestinian industrial park to be established near Tul Karem 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
The 'Peace Park' to be established at a cost of US $350 million and will cover 1,500 dunams of land: A joint industrial zone, to be called the 'Peace Park,' will be established on the seam near Tul Karem and the cross Israeli highway now being built. The park will be built on 1,500 dunams of land, on which 500,000 metres of building for industry, trade, meetings, medical centres and offices will be constructed at a cost of US $350 million.

Settlers took over a Palestinian home 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
Settlers took over a Palestinian home in the village of al-Luban ash-Sharqiye (Nablus district), which according to them was used as a hide-out for terrorists conducting shooting attacks.

Report: U.S. authorities investigating hundreds of Muslim, Arab small businesses to find terror links
Al-Bawaba, August 12, 2002  
U.S. authorities are quietly investigating over 500 Muslim and Arab small businesses across the United States to determine whether they are dispatching money raised through criminal activity in the United States to terrorist groups overseas.

Israeli ministry of interior opens investigation against Palestinian human rights organisation Adalah 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
The Associations Registrar of the Israeli Ministry of Interior has initiated an investigation against Adalah: The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, for alleged improper management and fears that political persons - connected to the party of MK Azmi Bishara - have taken over the organisation. Another charge being investigated is that the association exceeds it stated purposes.

Violent confrontation in Cairo airport between GSS agents, Palestinian citizens of Israel 
Alternative Information Center, August 12, 2002
A violent confrontation broke out over the weekend in the Cairo airport between General Security Services (GSS, Shabak) agents and Palestinian citizens of Israel, who were to return to Israel on an El Al flight. The confrontation broke out after the Palestinian travellers were informed they would not have time to complete the security check prior to takeoff. In the wake of this incident, members of the Egyptian parliament are demanding to close the El Al office in Cairo.

Small Scams Probed for Terror Ties
Washington Post, August 12, 2002
Muslim, Arab Stores Monitored as Part of Post-Sept. 11 Inquiry
Authorities are quietly investigating more than 500 Muslim and Arab small businesses across the United States to determine whether they are dispatching money raised through criminal activity in the United States to terrorist groups overseas.

Background / If truce gauntlet is thrown, will PM pick it up?
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002 
The militant Islamic Hamas and Yasser Arafat's Fatah may be close to curbing their deadly strikes against civilians in Israel, but with signs of early elections in the Jewish state and a hawkish image to burnish, will - or can - Ariel Sharon rise to the diplomatic challenge of a calming trend?

Airline: Pilot who denied seat to deputy FM Melchior followed procedures
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002 
CINCINNATI - A Comair pilot refused to fly Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Michael Melchior from Cincinnati to Toronto over a procedural matter, not because of his nationality, an airline spokeswoman said. Melchior was barred from the flight Thursday because the airline had to follow proper procedures, Comair spokeswoman Meghan Glynn said. She would not elaborate.

Egypt rebuffs claim Cairo 'interfering' in Israeli politics
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002 
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher rejected an accusation Sunday by Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar that Cairo was meddling in Israeli politics, dismissing the claim as "baseless."

Soldier hurt in W. Bank blast; Al-Aqsa man killed near Jenin
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002 
An IDF soldier sustained light to moderate wounds Monday, when he activated an explosive device in Kfar Anza in the West Bank. IDF soldiers shot dead Ghasal Israhat, a wanted member of the militant Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, during house-to-house searches early Monday in al-Yamoun village near the West Bank city of Jenin, the army and his family said.

IDF punishes officer, soldier involved in shooting at Ha'aretz's Gideon Levy
Ha'aretz, August 12, 2002 
The Israel Defense Force gave one soldier a suspended jail sentence and ordered another detained to base on Monday, after gunfire hit a bulletproof taxi carrying Ha'aretz journalist Gideon Levy in the West Bank.

UN Will Continue Dealing With Arafat: Annan
Palestine Chronicle, August 12, 2002
NEW YORK: Reacting to comments in the Middle Eastern media, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan last weekend clarified that the United Nations will continue dealing with the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, announced the United Nations Information Center here Sunday.

Peace Keeping Forces in Palestine Advocated By Rome
Palestine Chronicle, August 12, 2002
VATICAN CITY: Pope John Paul on Sunday called for peace in the Middle East, and dispatching international peacekeeping forces to the occupied Palestinian territories. "I ask the international community to commit itself with greater determination to be present on the ground, offering mediation to create the conditions for a fruitful dialogue between the parties that would accelerate peace," he said in his speech at Castel Gandolfo.

Jewish Charity Challenges Canadian Policy on Israeli-Palestinian Dispute
Palestine Chronicle, August 12, 2002
In 1997 the government revoked the charitable status of the Toronto Zionist Council after it was revealed that the Council channeled funds to the settlements. Unlike the Council, however, the CMDA appealed the CCRA decision to the Federal Court.
Members of the Canadian Jewish community are anxiously awaiting a decision by the Federal Court of Canada regarding a tax appeal launched by a Jewish charity. The decision, expected in the next few weeks, could mean that the Canadian Magen David Adom for Israel (CMDA) loses its charitable status for financing activities beyond Israel’s pre-1967 boundaries, in contravention of Canadian policy.

Al-Yehya Says Meeting With Tenet Serious, Constructive
Palestine Chronicle, August 12, 2002
RAMALLAH: The Palestinian interior minister, Abdel Razzak Al-Yehya labeled his meeting Saturday with CIA director, George J. Tenet, as "useful, serious and constructive", in a telephone conversation with the Palestinian daily, Al-Ayyam.

Minister Abed Rabbo: The Destruction of the Old City of Nablus is a War Crime
Palestine Chronicle, August 12, 2002
RAMALLAH (PMC): Yasser Abed Rabbo, Minister of Culture and information, condemned the latest Israeli efforts to cause irreparable damage to invaluable cultural and historical cites as war crimes and crimes against humanity, most notably in the Old City of Nablus; Al-Casbah.

Ben-Eliezer: Demolitions deter terrorists
Jerusalem Post, August 12, 2002
The demolition of the homes of suicide bombers is starting to reduce the number of people willing to carry out such acts, the cabinet said on Sunday. "We're seeing initial signs that this action has a certain deterrent effect," read a cabinet statement based on a briefing by Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer.

Palestinians allegedly beaten at checkpoint while A-G served there
Jerusalem Post, August 12, 2002
Attorney-General Elyakim Rubinstein, who served five days of reserve duty at the Kalandia checkpoint, north of Jerusalem, last week, said he was on duty on Wednesday, when three Palestinians were detained and ended up beaten and bleeding.

US consul in east Jerusalem on 'extended vacation'
Jerusalem Post, August 12, 2002
US Consul-General Ron Schlicher, Washington's main interlocutor with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, is on leave in the US until the first half of September, officials said Sunday. Schlicher left Jerusalem in mid-July, a few weeks after President George W. Bush said the US would no longer deal with the PA leadership.

Arafat Hails U.S. Talks, Erakat Cynical, Palestinian Resistance Skeptical
Shami: The visit aims to disunite the Palestinian society
Islam Online, August 12, 2002
RAMALLAH, West Bank, August 12 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Sunday, August 11, hailed as "very positive" security talks in Washington between Palestinian ministers and top U.S. officials, news agencies reported.

Sharon, Arafat trade charges
Scattered violence in West Bank and Gaza Strip
Jordan Times, August 12, 2002
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies) — Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat accused each other of stoking the Mideast conflict, and scattered violence Sunday left one Palestinian resistance fighter dead and three Israelis wounded.