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Palestine Diaries

courtesy The Electronic Intifada

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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.

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Video Archives
Audio Archives

VIDEO
BBC:
Gap Between CIA
And Bush Stories
posted 10/9/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Region As
Unsettled As It's
Ever Been
10/9/02

VIDEO
BBC:
"No compromise
here"
posted 10/8/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Another Gaza
Attack
posted 10/6/02

VIDEO
BBC:
PA's Erekat: We
Need International
Protection Now
posted 10/6/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Khalil Shikaki, CPR:
'Chances slim for
negotiation'
posted 9/28/02

PHOTOS
Islam Online:
Arafat HQ
Destroyed
posted 9/25/02

PHOTOS
Islam Online:
Nine Palestinians Killed In Gaza
posted 9/24/02

VIDEO
Konscious:
Metal of Dishonor
The Face of US
War on Iraq
posted 9/18/02

VIDEO
BBC:
Sabra & Shatila
Is Sharon A
War Criminal?
posted 9/13/02

VIDEO
CBC:
Israeli
Army Was
Embarrassed
By Release
of Video
released 3/18/02
posted 9/6/02

Video Archives

Conflict..

Israelis Worry About Terror, by Jews Against Palestinians New York Times 8/19/2003 HEBRON, West Bank, Aug. 17 — Two and a half years ago, a 10-month-old Israeli girl, Shalhevet Pas, was shot to death in her stroller by a Palestinian sniper here in Hebron, a city where the competing claims of Jews and Palestinians to the land, holy places and the past grind together with particular pain. Last month, her father, Yitzhak Pas, a settler who lives here, was arrested with almost 10 pounds of explosives in his car. B'Tselem: 43% of Palestinian Hebron residents have left Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 About 43 percent of the Palestinian residents of the three main streets of the Hebron marketplace, or casbah, have left their homes since September 2000, according to a report by Israeli human rights group B’Tselem that was released Tuesday. In addition, at least 2,000 businesses in the West Bank flashpoint city of Hebron have closed, and three schools, which served 1,835 students, were taken over by the Israel Defense Forces and closed, B’Tselem found. Thousands of Palestinians Hit by Jerusalem Segregation Wall Palestine Media Center 8/19/2003 IOF Confiscate More West Bank Land, Annex Parts of 5 Towns -- The Israeli government has issued land confiscation orders for a new segrgation wall, which confiscate and annex more Palestinian land to the unilaterally-declared capital of the Jewish state and will put some 50,000 Palestinians from the West Bank on the Israeli side of the barrier, thus leaving hundreds of thousands on both sides of the Wall cut off from relatives, schools and jobs on the other side. IOF Razes Areas in Bethlehem, Steps up Shootings in Gaza Strip International Press Center 8/19/2003 BETHELHEM, Palestine, August 19, 2003, (IPC+WAFA)_ Israeli occupation forces razed Monday vast areas of arable lands of Olive trees, Almond, Fig, and Grape in Habla town near Bethlehem city. Khaled Shakarna, a member of Nahalin farmers’ Union, said in a phone call with WAFA "the raze was conducted under the pretext that the targeted area is a natural expansion for the security of the illegitimate Jewish settlement of " Bitar Elite", were built on the Palestinian owned lands of Nahalin city. Three houses demolished in Jerusalem, five Palestinians detained Arabic News 8/19/2003 Israel yesterday alleged that there are strong differences between the army and the general security department "Shabak" over withdrawal from four Palestinian cities in the West Bank. A matter which draws suspicion on the possibility of completing this withdrawal over which security talks will be made today between the Palestinian and Israeli sides. Meantime, the occupation forces demolished three houses in eastern Jerusalem and arrested five persons from Jerusalem accusing them of trying to form a Palestinian security force in the city. Israeli Troops Continue to Shoot at Residential Areas in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2003 In the early hours of Tuesday morning, Israeli forces fired using heavy machine guns at Palestinian homes in Al-Amal neighborhood west of Khan Younis in the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses reported that Israeli soldiers positioned in the Military outposts near Gani Tal settlements opened fire at civilian houses causing a state of chaos and spreading fear especially among children. Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade martyrs one of its own, seriously injures another Jerusalem Post 8/19/2003 One Palestinian was killed and another seriously injured in an armed confrontation between rival Fatah gangs in Nablus Tuesday. Sources in the city said all those involved in the firefight were members of Fatah's armed wing, Aksa Martyrs Brigades. The sources said the clash erupted in the Nablus Casbah between a local gang and gunmen from the nearby Balata refugee camp. They said a young Fatah activist from Balata, known by his nickname al-Ishi, was shot dead during the clash. Five held for trying to reestablish Jerusalem PA security force Jerusalem Post 8/18/2003 Five Jerusalem Arabs were arrested early Monday on suspicion of undergoing military training in an attempt to reestablish the Palestinian Authority's dismantled Preventive Security Service in Jerusalem, police announced. The five suspects are members of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat's presidential guard, and were being paid directly from his Ramallah headquarters, Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said. PNIC’s Report: Despite International Consent, Israeli Violations of ‘Hudna’ Continue International Press Center 8/19/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 19, 2003 (PNIC)-- Despite consent shown by various Arab and international bodies regarding the Palestinian people commitment to a truce (Hudna), declared by Palestinian factions on June 30, 2003, Israel continued over the seventh week of Hudna, committing violations against the Occupied Palestinian Territories that totaled to 21 violations, increasing the overall violations to 146. Over half of settlements top natural growth rate Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 More than half of the 145 Israeli settlements in the West Bank and Gaza Strip grew by more than the 3 percent natural growth rate, while 30 settlements recorded an overall drop in population. A further 30 settlements grew, but by less than the natural growth rate. Interior Ministry figures published yesterday showed that growth at 76 settlements was higher than the natural growth rate, but that there was negative internal migration throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip settlements. Fence annexes 50,000 Arabs to capital Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israel has issued land expropriation orders for its "Jerusalem envelope" fence, which will put some 50,000 Palestinians from the West Bank on the Israeli side of the barrier while leaving tens of thousands of Arab residents of the capital cut off from relatives, schools and jobs. Most of the expropriation orders are for land inside the West Bank, but a few are for land inside parts of Jerusalem annexed by Israel. Hanegbi repeats: Temple Mount to be open to Jews this week Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi reiterated Tuesday his intention to reopen the Temple Mount to Jewish visitors by the end of the week, Israel Radio reported. Jerusalem police have been are preparing for renewed visits of Jews to the Temple Mount, following Hanegbi’s statement last week that the Temple Mount would open "to Jews, tourists and non-Muslim pilgrims next week, even if there is no agreement with the waqf." Israel insists on reopening Temple Mount to Jews Al-Bawaba 8/19/2003 Israel's Internal Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi restated Tuesday his intention to reopen the Temple Mount, Islam's third holiest site, to Jewish visitors by the end of the week, Israel Radio reported. Jerusalem police have been preparing for renewed visits of Jews to the Temple Mount, following Hanegbi’s statement last week that the Temple Mount would open "to Jews, tourists and non-Muslim pilgrims next week, even if there is no agreement with the Waqf (Muslim religious Trust)." Arab house demolished in Lod Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 A bulldozer demolishing a house in Lod, as part of the state's war on illegal construction in the Arab sector. The owner, Mohammed Dawada, had erected two buildings without a permit. Since the start of 2003, the state has razed more than 40 houses in Lod, all owned by Arabs; it has also destroyed 117 Bedouin houses in the Negev. Israel to Press Ahead on West Bank Walls Bradenton Herald 8/19/2003 JERUSALEM - Israel said Tuesday it would press on with construction of a barrier through the West Bank, confiscating Palestinian property near Jerusalem for a project that has drawn harsh criticism from the United States. Israel plans a series of massive cement walls, electronic fencing, barbed wire and trenches between the West Bank and Israel to prevent suicide bombers from launching attacks. BREAKING NEWS: Three more houses demolished in E. Jerusalem, more arrests in Hebron International Press Center 8/19/2003 13:10--Israeli occupation forces destroyed three houses in the neighborhood of “Jabal-Almokabbir” in the occupied East Jerusalem, (IPC) / 14:10--IOF arrested eight Palestinian citizens in the West Bank city of Hebron, Palestinian Prisoners Society sources said.... Israeli Bulldozers Demolishes 3 Palestinian Homes in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2003 Israeli Bulldozers demolished Monday morning three Palestinian homes in Jerusalem, local sources expects more homes to be demolished soon. In Ashqaria area of Beit Hanina neighborhood, Israeli bulldozers guarded by dozens of soldiers demolished the home of Salih Alrazam family, which includes 13 members. Temple Mount to be reopened by Friday Jerusalem Post 8/19/2003 Nearly three years after Jerusalem's Temple Mount was declared off limits to non-Muslims visitors, Internal Security Minister Tzahi Hanegbi reiterated Tuesday that the bitterly contested holy site will be reopened to Jewish and Christian visitors by Friday. "By the end of the week, the Temple Mount will be reopened as I promised," Hanegbi said Tuesday at a youth meeting with police in Jerusalem. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine August 19, 2003 Palestine Media Center 8/19/2003 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) wounded several Palestinians after opening fire at them in Badras village, near Ramallah city. IOF also detained two Palestinians in the southern West Bank city of Hebron.

Diplomacy..

Israel likely to hand over Qalqilyah, Jericho this week Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israel will probably hand over the West Bank cities of Qalqilyah and Jericho to Palestinian Authority security control this week, top security officials decided in a meeting Tuesday. Israel, which had wanted the Palestinian suspects in those cities to be held in Jericho, appears to have backed off its demand that the PA arrest the suspects in the cities due to be transferred. Sharon, Abbas may meet on Friday, say Palestinians Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israel and the Palestinian Authority are resuming stalled security talks today to try to solve the impasse over handing over Jericho and Qalqiliyah to Palestinian control. Palestinian sources, however, say talks are underway to set up a meeting between prime ministers Ariel Sharon and Mahmoud Abbas by Friday. Sharon is slated to meet today with top defense officials to discuss Israel's position with regard to the renewed security coordination sessions, which were routine before the intifada. PM Abbas: No Value in IOF Withdrawals without Removing Roadblocks Palestine Media Center 8/19/2003 Abed Rabbo: We Won’t Accept Turning Cities into ‘Ghettos and Detention Camps’ -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) on Monday held the United States responsible for the deadlocked implementation of the “roadmap” peace plan because it failed to pressure Israelis to end the “deception” in their policy and the “dishonesty” in “their modus operandi,” as the Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas confirmed that any withdrawal by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) “has no value” if the siege they impose on Palestinian reoccupied territories is not lifted. Shalom: Israel will agree to prisoner exchange with Hezbollah Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Tuesday that Israel is willing to engage in a prisoner-exchange swap with Hezbollah, but Hezbollah cannot demand a mass release of prisoners in return for information. Israel expects Hezbollah to ease its demands regarding the release of prisoners held by Israel, and to relinquish its hope for a mass release of Palestinian prisoners. Israelalso expects Hezbollah to provide information on the fate of Israel Air Force navigator Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986. President Arafat between the Israeli Elusive and a Trap of Leaving to Gaza International Press Center 8/19/2003 PALESTINE, August, 19,2003, (IPC Exclusive)-- So far, Israeli policy of persuading the world that President Arafat is irrelevant partner of peace, thus give reason to the entire world that Arafat has to be sidelined, is gibberish. Israel has been besieging President Arafat in his shattered compound in Rammallah City two years ago. To get rid of such predicament, Israel recently offered Arafat a trip to Gaza so as to see the grave of deceased sister but reiterated that he has no guarantee to come back again to compound in Rammallah. Lahoud: Peace deal should not neglect right of return Daily Star 8/19/2003 President Emile Lahoud said Monday any settlement of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict should not be at the expense of the right of return of Palestinian refugees to their homeland. Lahoud, who met with Palestinian Minister of State for Foreign Affairs Nabil Shaath, said Lebanon’s position remains firm in terms of its rejecting the resettlement of the Palestinians on its territory. Stop demolishing illegal Arab houses in Jerusalem, says US Jerusalem Post 8/19/2003 The US is demanding that Israel stop demolishing illegal Arab houses in Jerusalem under the pretext that such actions jeopardize the road map plan for peace in the Middle East. The Jerusalem Post has learned that diplomats from the US consulate met recently with Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski to express their deep concern at the increase in the number of house demolitions in Arab neighborhoods of the city. Accord reached on Israeli West Bank pullbacks Middle East Online 8/19/2003 Palestinian officials deny final agreement on Israeli pullback from Jericho, Qalqilya has been reached. -- JERUSALEM - Israeli media reported Tuesday an agreement on the pullback of Israeli troops from two West Bank towns this week but Palestinian officials denied a final accord had been reached. Public radio here quoted Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz as saying Israel was ready to hand over security control of the towns of Jericho and Qalqilya if the Palestinians fulfilled certain conditions. Report: Saudi Arabia sends message to Israel over transfer of funds to Hamas Al-Bawaba 8/19/2003 Saudi officials have recently sent a message to Israel, in which they asked to receive evidence that links Saudi government officials or Saudi businessmen to money transferring to Hamas, so that they could act against it, according to a report in an Israeli daily. On Tuesday, Maariv reported that a mediator had delivered the Saudi message to Israel's embassy in Washington. Sharon to juggle US, domestic pressure as next fence section to be approved ProLog.net 8/18/2003 JERUSALEM, Aug 18 (AFP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon faced internal dissent and international pressure Monday not to undermine future peace talks with the Palestinians as the next section of the controversial West Bank security barrier was about to be submitted for approval. The Haaretz newspaper said Monday that Sharon and Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz were to meet this week after differences emerged between them over the route of the fence. Infrastructures Ministry expects crisis with Tony Blair Globes 8/19/2003 The British PM in letter to Ariel Sharon: As you know, my Government has encouraged BG to continue to invest in... the emerging Israeli gas industry. -- Ministry of National Infrastructures officials warned today that a serious crisis could erupt between the Israeli government and British Prime Minister Tony Blair, following Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's decision not to buy natural gas from British Gas's fields off the Gaza coast. The sources said that Blair had strongly lobbied Sharon in recent months to buy from British Gas, saying it would strengthen bilateral relations. Israel claims success after Japanese envoy skips Arafat Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israel's effort to prevent foreign diplomats from meeting with Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat has had some success this week. Tatsuo Arima, special envoy of the Japanese government for the Middle East peace process, arrived in Jerusalem yesterday, after meeting with PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas. The Japanese official did not meet with Arafat. Palestinians expect checkpoint deal to clinch Israeli pullout from four West Bank cities The Guardian 8/19/2003 A deal for Israel to pull troops out of four West Bank cities is expected to be finalised today in a move to bolster a six-week-old ceasefire threatened by renewed violence. Negotiations ran into trouble in the early hours yesterday amid disagreements over Israel's attempt to maintain roadblocks on the edges of Qalqilya and Jericho, the first two cities it will withdraw from. But the Palestinian security minister, Mohammed Dahlan, said he expected that and other issues to be resolved today. Abbas admits Arafat undermining his authority Jerusalem Post 8/19/2003 Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas acknowledged Monday that PA Chairman Yasser Arafat is undermining his authority, US Senator John McCain (R-Arizona) said. McCain, who led a bipartisan delegation of senators and congressmen to Israel and the PA-controlled areas, recounted his exchange with Abbas in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. Hezbollah and Israel to talk soon over prisoner exchange Sydney Morning Herald 8/19/2003 Negotiations between Israel and Lebanese Hezbollah will begin soon over the exchange of prisoners, leader of the Shi'ite militant group Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said in remarks published in Riyadh. "Some contacts have already started and negotiations will begin shortly ... We are looking to see through the current mediation to a happy end to this issue," he told Saudi Arabia's al-Watan newspaper. He was referring to German efforts to mediate over an exchange of prisoners with Israel which Hezbollah insists must include all Arab detainees in Israel, not just Lebanese prisoners. Israel, U.S. have yet to sign accord on loan guarantees Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israel and the United States have yet to sign a final agreement for the loan guarantees, Haaretz has learned. The Finance Ministry has obtained all the permits and filed all the paperwork necessary for its coming bond issue in the U.S., which is based on the loan guarantees, but the final agreement on the guarantees is not in place....The officials firmly denied that Washington isdragging its feet in order to pressure Israel over the security fence. "Yediot Ahronot": Israelis spent $430m in US in 2002 Globes 8/18/2003 According to figures sent to US President George W. Bush as part of the struggle against the administration's stricter visa policy. -- Hebrew daily “Yediot Ahronot” cites figures sent to US President George W. Bush indicating that Israeli visitors to the US spent $430 million in 2002. The report was part of the struggle being waged by Travel Industry Association of America (TIA) against the administration's stricter visa policy. Ahead of Meeting with PA Officials, Sharon to Hold Special Security Meeting On Handovers International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2003 An Israeli media sources reported that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will hold an “extraordinary” security meeting Tuesday morning to discuss the terms for the handover of Jericho and Qalqilyah to the Palestinian Authority. The meeting, which will be attended by Israeli defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and top Israeli security officials, will precede security talks later in the day with Palestinian Authority security officials. Both meetings are scheduled in order to try to break the deadlock over the handover deal. Hezbollah, Israel, Negotiate an Exchange of Prisoners International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2003 Israeli political sources confirmed the resumption of negotiations with Hezbollah over the exchange of prisoners. Israeli official sources informed the Israeli news site Arab Ynet that negotiations with Hezbollah through a German mediator were resumed and intensified in the past few weeks. The same sources reported that Israeli General Ilan Biran visited Germany and met with the German mediator, who works in the German Chancellor office. Abbas, Removal of Check Points, More Important than Withdrawals from City Centers International Middle East Media Center 8/19/2003 In an exclusive interview with IMEMC correspondent in Ramallah Rashid Hilal, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said that talks with Israeli and American officials are ongoing over Israeli withdrawals from four Palestinian cities. Talks are around how? to what extent? and what a withdrawal includes?” Abbas said. Abbas confirmed that “removal of all military checkpoints and roadblocks around cities and those blocking movement in and out of the surrounding villages is more important than moving Israeli troops out of city centers”. Israel wary of Hezbollah prisoner swap talk Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Israeli security officials indicated last night that they will respond very cautiously to positive declarations made by Hezbollah Secretary General Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah about prospects for prisoner exchange negotiations. In remarks published this weekby the Saudi al-Watan newspaper, Nasrallah said that his organization has had "communications" about the possibility of negotiations, and that talks for a prisoner release with Israel will "start soon."

Human Rights..

Many Residents of the Casbah in Hebron Leave their Homes B'tselem 8/19/2003 B’Tselem’s new report, released today, shows that since the outbreak of the intifada, many Palestinians have left their homes in Area H-2 in Hebron (the area in which the settlers also reside). B’Tselem’s research indicates that since September 2000, some 43% of the residents of the three main streets in the Casbah have left their homes, at least 2,000 businesses have closed, and three schools in which 1,835 pupils studied were taken over by the IDF and closed. The report describes the primary reasons that Palestinians abandoned the Casbah: Violence by settlers and the lack of law enforcement: Despite the numerous cases of violence by settlers, some of which were clearly anticipated, there is almost no law enforcement on the settlers. A presentation made by the Civil Administration, which is included in B’Tselem’s report, states that, “The State of Israel has a very bad image as relates to law enforcement in Hebron” (emphasis in the original). Violence by security forces: IDF soldiers and Border Police officers commit acts of violence against Palestinian residents of the city. The report presents testimonies of such incidents, including several which occurred after the exposure of a series of violent acts by Border Police officers. Curfew and closing of businesses: The Israeli security forces do not allow Palestinians in Hebron to move about freely in the city, to study, to earn a living, and to meet their everyday needs. Since the beginning of the intifada, Israel has imposed hundreds of days of curfew on Palestinians living in Area H-2. Full Report: Many Residents of the Casbah in Hebron Leave their Homes - Acrobat format B'tselem 8/19/2003 Download the report in Acrobat (PDF) format Israeli law targets 'mixed' families Washington Times 8/19/2003 UMM AL-GHANEM, Israel — More than 20,000 Arab families face the agonizing choice of breaking up or leaving Israel after passage of a law banning Palestinian spouses of Israelis from obtaining citizenship or residence permits. The amendment to the national citizenship law, passed two weeks ago, mainly affects Palestinians who have married Arab Israelis and joined them in Israel without obtaining the proper papers from Israel's Interior Ministry, often for years or even decades. Israel to deport Scot who tried to stop soldiers demolishing house The Herald (UK) 8/18/2003 A SCOTS peace activist is to be deported from Israel after trying to stop soldiers blowing up and bulldozing the house of a Palestinian family at a refugee camp near Nablus. Andrew Muncie, 29, of Spean Bridge, Inverness-shire, who is with the International Solidarity Movement, chained himself to a pole in the house. He was arrested in the early hours yesterday by the Israeli defence force (IDF) who "blindfolded, handcuffed, and took him to the police station in Ariel", according to the solidarity group. It said he was due home today or tomorrow. Palestinians in Grip of Humanitarian Crisis, Swiss Charity Warns Palestine Media Center 8/19/2003 Conditions Will Deteriorate with Building of Israeli Roadblocks, Apartheid Wall -- Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians under Israeli occupation since 1967 are in a grip of humanitarian crisis despite a United States-backed peace plan, a Swiss charity warned, while UNRWA noted the Psychological Impact on children. Nathalie Chuard of Terre des Hommes, which is currently carrying out four projects in the West Bank and Gaza Strip returned from a two-month trip to both areas and warned the situation has deteriorated since the declaration of the second Palestinian Intifada or uprising against the 36-year old Israeli occupation. UN anti- racial discrimination committee condemns Israel Arabic News 8/19/2003 United Nations anti-racial discrimination committee unanimously condemned Israel yesterday in the UN headquarters in Geneva.All members announced that Israel is violating the International Convention on Human Rights and the committee demanded Israel to cancel the law it issued lately that prevents Palestinians who marry Arab Israeli women to live together in one place. A violation of the marriage vow and the civil rights of citizens Daily Star 8/19/2003 Critics take aim at residency ban on arabs married to israelis - ‘The state is making it impossible for us to be together,’ says frustrated couple -- JERUSALEM: Israel faced a stinging rebuke last week from a United Nations watchdog body for passing a law two weeks ago, days before the Knesset’s summer recess, that bans Palestinians who marry Israeli citizens from living together in Israel. The UN Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination called on Israel to revoke the law immediately, adding that it “raises serious issues” about whether Israel is violating an international human rights treaty it ratified in 1979. A Day of Demolitions International Solidarity Movement /ICAHD 8/19/2003 . . .The bulldozers then proceeded to the home of the Jabari family in Beit Hanina, home to nine persons, where Israeli and international activists have met daily in anticipation of the demolition. Although the Jabari home was built in an area zoned for building – where the Municipality claims it does not demolish – it was demolished nevertheless. Khader Jabari and his brother threatened to commit suicide if the house was destroyed, and they both cut themselves severely before stopped by the police. Jeff Halper and Linda Livni were arrested resisting the demolition; it remains to be seen if charges will be pressed. Sometimes There are Small Victories International Solidarity Movement 8/19/2003 Jenin, Greta -19 Aug 03 -- Today fourteen of us went to Berqeen, a small village just outside of Jenin. The Israeli army had pushed two 10-foot mounds of dirt and rocks across the road, forcing the villagers to travel an hour down back roads to Jenin, a town that was only 10 minutes away. Twice they have come to the village, shooting at random to keep people inside, then using bulldozers to push the road into ugly, unpassable hills of dusty rocks.....Suddenly, a huge roar bounced off the sides of the canyon where we were working, and around the corner came the most beautiful yellow bulldozer any of us had ever seen.

Economy..

19,000 more job-seekers in July than in May Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 The number of people seeking jobs through the Employment Service climbed by 19,100 from May to July, according to data due to be released Tuesday. The number of job seekers shot up to 207,500 in July, a 3.5-percent increase over June, which had 198,700 job seekers, according to seasonally adjusted Employment Service statistics. There were 188,400 job-seekers in May. GDP plunges 3 percent; standard of living falls 2.1 percent Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 Gross domestic product fell by 3.0 percent in the second quarter after rising 3.8 percent in the first three months of the year, bringing growth for the first half as a whole to only 1.0 percent, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported yesterday. Even this figure, however, represents an improvement over 0.6 percent growth in the second half of 2002 and a 0.1 decline in the first half of that year (all figures are in annual terms). It is also in line with the government's growth target for the year, which was set at 1.0 percent. Israelis spot business opportunities in post-Saddam Iraq Yahoo! News 8/19/2003 Israel has been looking to the installation of a US-backed regime as a chance to start a fresh relationship with Baghdad. -- JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli bosses are to gather at a conference this week to debate business opportunities in Iraq (news - web sites) with hopes that the post-war climate could enable them to build up exports worth 100 million dollars a year. The one-day conference in Tel Aviv on Wednesday, entitled "How to Make Business in Iraq", has been organised by Israel's Export Institute. Manufacturers: 12% jobless if no gov't turnaround Globes 8/19/2003 Manufacturers Association president Oded Tyrah: Without growth and jobs this year, there will be nothing left to cut in 2004-2005. -- "Unless the government reconsiders and creates growth, we’ll have 310,000 unemployed this year, and a 12% unemployment rate, compared with 270,000 last year,” Manufacturers Association president Oded Tyrah said in response to the number of jobseekers in July. 190,000 bank accounts blocked yesterday Globes 8/19/2003 Most were dormant accounts. -- 190,000 bank accounts were blocked yesterday as the prohibition on money laundering order came into effect. Account-holders who failed to sign the accounts without beneficiaries declaration, under the Prohibition on Money Laundering Law (5760-2000), were affected. The Banking Supervision Department stated that 60,000 private bank accounts that lacked vital data, such as the owners I.D. number or date of birth; 70,000 accounts of foreign residents; and 60,000 company accounts, whose owners had filled a controlling shareholders declaration were blocked. US tested IAI Hunter UAV as anti-tank platform Globes 8/19/2003 A $4.2 billion procurement was cancelled, due to breakdowns. The Hunter is also used for target acquisition. -- Sources inform “Globes” that the Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) Hunter Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV) has succeeded as an anti-tank platform, after the US earlier cancelled procurement of the Hunter, due to breakdowns and crashes. The Hunter was an operational success in the recent US campaign in Iraq, following earlier successes in US military operations in recent years. New anti-money laundering law blocks thousands of Israeli bank accounts Al-Bawaba 8/19/2003 Thousands of Israeli bank accounts were blocked yesterday as a consequence of the nation’s new anti-money laundering law, which came into effect Monday, August 18, 2003. Some 20,000 corporate bank accounts have been affected, reported Haaretz. Due to the concern that the state of Israel has become a base for widespread money laundering, the government established the Prohibition on Money Laundering Law in 2000. Analysis / An economy stuck in a rut Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 The first-quarter economic data released by the Central Statistics Bureau three months ago were so surprising that some optimists believed an end to the economic stagnation was just around the corner. A period of economic growth would begin forthwith, they predicted. That bubble of optimism burst yesterday, when the Statistics Bureau released results for the second quarter of 2003. Everything that rose during the first quarter, it turns out, fell during the second. This trend of decline applies togross domestic product, private consumption, exports and residential building. The only part of the economy that showed steady growth over the two quarters was public consumption, particularly in the defense field - and this fact is a cause for concern. State of the Economy Index unchanged in July Globes 8/19/2003 The State of the Economy Index has fallen 1.2% since January. -- Israel's economy is still stagnating. The State of the Economy Index was unchanged in July, the Bank of Israel reports. On the other hand, this is the first time since the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000 that the State of the Economy Index has not fallen. The index had been falling by 0.3-0.5% a month.

People..

Raising the ME Banner in Washington Arab News 8/19/2003 JEDDAH, 19 August 2003 — For over 21 years The Washington Report on Middle East Affairs magazine has focused on news and analysis from and about the Middle East and US policy in the region. Arab News spoke to the magazine’s news editor, Delinda C. Hanley, on the challenges facing the publication.... Jewish Film-Makers Tackle Israeli Occupation Daily Star 8/18/2003 US festival highlights works on conflict -- SAN FRANCISCO: The images of Palestinians forced to live under Israeli occupation are now all too familiar: overwhelming visions of humiliation, frustration and, ultimately, retaliation in the form of stone throwing. The consequence of economic hardships resulting from the Israeli government’s policies devastates families, who barely survive in conditions of squalor and destitution, and struggle daily with securing basic necessities. But these images, which are compellingly presented in at least five new documentary films, are unusual in at least one aspect: their point of view. The films four one-hour documentaries and one feature-length film were all made by Jewish directors, and screened during the 23rd Jewish Film Festival held in San Francisco recently. Beirut artists dampen Western fantasies at Venice Biennale Daily Star 8/19/2003 But shambolic organization at prestigious show hampers Lebanon’s underexposed talent - For these five Beirutis, plus Palestinian photographers Taysir Batniji and Randa Shaath, the Venice project grew out of curator Catherine David’s Contemporary Arab Representations project. -- I’ve never been to Beirut so I can’t say anything specific,” admits Francesco Bonami, the contemporary art curator in charge of this year’s prestigious Venice Biennale. Bonami may lack first-hand experience here, but he does know the city through a handful of its more internationally exposed artists. “I feel that (Beirut) is one of those places that can stir a kind of lay fantasy in the Western art world,” he says. Despair without bitterness: The siege of Ramallah chronicled Daily Star 8/15/2003 Journal of lawyer and human rights activist Raja Shehadeh explores the loss of faith and hope under unending occupation -- BELMONT, Massachussetts: On March 29, 2002, one day after Palestinian lawyer, human rights activist and author Raja Shehadeh made the first entry in her new journal, the Israeli Army invaded the West Bank town of Ramallah. That journal, comprising some 30 entries, has been published as When the Birds Stopped Singing: Life in Ramallah Under Siege. Israeli settlers who seek way out BBC 8/19/2003 In the second of a series of articles examining attitudes among Israelis towards the future of Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza, BBC News Online's Raffi Berg explores the views of secular settlers who want to leave. Sally and Eliezer Wider were seeking a better quality of life when they decided to move to the West Bank in 1990. Jordanian wins Arab 'Idol' BBC 8/18/2003 Jordanian fans poured into the streets and let off fireworks on Monday in honour of a teenage singer who won a televised Pop Idol-style contest that has gripped the Arab world. Jordan's Diana Karzon, 19, became a national celebrity by winning the Superstar talent show run by Lebanon's Future Television. Israeli scientists help fight fatal disease in Arab infants Israel21C 8/10/2003 Israeli researchers are playing an important role in identifying a defective gene that causes a rare and usually fatal disease in Arab infants. The study is the result of a unique arrangement in which an American scientist is coordinated the work of the Israelis at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, together with parallel research by Saudi Arabian and Kuwaiti scientists. This means that the Arabs were not actually "collaborating" directly with their Israeli colleagues, yet still allowed their findings to be pooled, which paved the way for the comprehensive understanding of the disease that led to the identification of the gene. Woman killed, 4 hurt by TA gangland bomb Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 One woman was killed and four other people were wounded by an explosion yesterday at the entrance to a Tel Aviv restaurant. The explosive device apparently was intended to harm a criminal figure, but its detonator malfunctioned and the bomb missed its mark, police said. The dead woman was identified as Sara Ben Edri, 56, of Tel Aviv. Bronze Age village uncovered in highway dig near Kiryat Gat Ha'aretz 8/19/2003 An archeological excavation ahead of advancing highway construction crews in southern Israel turned up an 8,000-year-old Bronze Age settlement and the remains of a first century C.E. Jewish homestead, the Israel Antiquities Authority said yesterday. Contractors working on a new trans-Israel highway asked the authority to carry out an exploratory dig at Ptora, in the archeologically rich region east of the town of Kiryat Gat, before earthmovers started ripping into the ground.

International..

Reuters Cameraman Killed For Filming U.S. Graves: Brother Islam Online 8/19/2003 "Mazen told me by phone few days before his death that he discovered a mass grave dug by U.S. troops to conceal the bodies of their fellow comrades killed in Iraqi resistance attacks," Nazmi said. "He also told me that he found U.S. troops covered in plastic bags in remote desert areas and he filmed them for a TV program. We are pretty sure that the American forces had killed Mazen knowingly to prevent him from airing his finding." -- AL-KHALIL, West Bank, August 19 (IslamOnline.net) - The brother of Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana said he was deliberately murdered for discovering mass graves of U.S. troops killed in Iraqi resistance attacks. "The U.S. troops killed my brother in cold blood," Nazmi Dana told IslamOnline.net in exclusive statements. US admits cameraman was shot dead at close range The Independent 8/19/2003 The American army admitted yesterday that its soldiers killed an award-winning Reuters cameraman. Mazen Dana, a Palestinian, was shot dead by a US tank crew at close range while trying to film outside Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison on Sunday, after a mortar attack on the prison. The Americans claimed that the soldiers mistook the camera Mr Dana was holding for a rocket-propelled grenade launcher - a claim that was immediately rejected by journalists who witnessed the killing. Fury at Death of Reuters Photographer Arab News 8/19/2003 BAGHDAD, 19 August 2003 — The shooting death of a photo journalist by US troops has shocked the hundreds-strong community of journalists covering the US operation in Iraq. The top US military spokesman yesterday offered condolences to the family of Mazen Dana, the 43-year-old Reuters television cameraman killed by American forces on Sunday, but said US troops would not fire warning shots when they felt threatened. Cameraman feared being shot by US soldiers Sydney Morning Herald 8/19/2003 Moments before being shot dead by US soldiers, a Reuters cameraman told a colleague that working within close distance to the American military was not a problem "as long as they don't shoot me". Mazen Dana, 41, was shot and killed by US soldiers while videotaping near a US-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad...."There were many journalists around. They knew we were journalists. This was not an accident," he said. Reuters quoted soundman Nael al-Shyoukhi, who was with Dana, as saying that the US soldiers "saw us and they knew about our identities and our mission. Top UN envoy killed in Baghdad blast BBC 8/19/2003 A huge bomb has devastated the Iraq headquarters of the United Nations in Baghdad killing at least 15 people, including top UN envoy Sergio Vieira de Mello. Scores of people were injured in the blast, which brought down three floors of the concrete building. A US military spokeswoman said the blast was caused by a truck or car bomb - possibly in a suicide attack. Israeli pits U.S. politics against 'road map' plan Washington Times 8/18/2003 Israeli tourism minister Benyamin Elon has embarked on a "Bible Belt tour" to exploit evangelical Christian enthusiasm for Israel, to lure Christian tourists back to Israel and to derail President Bush's "road map" to Middle East peace. Mr. Elon visited in Memphis, at the juncture of Tennessee, Arkansas and Mississippi, as his first stop. Some evangelical Christian leaders say the "road map," which they argue puts Israel at a disadvantage in the Middle East, must go if the president retains his Christian base in next year's presidential elections. FAA Clears Global Hawk For Routine Operation In US National Airspace Space Daily 8/19/2003 The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has granted a national Certificate of Authorization (COA) to the U.S. Air Force to routinely fly the Northrop Grumman-produced RQ-4 Global Hawk aerial reconnaissance system in national airspace. The certificate is the first national COA granted for an unmanned air vehicle (UAV) system. Lawmaker to Push Bill to Sanction Syria The Guardian 8/19/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - While praising a Middle East cease-fire, President Bush on Tuesday said a permanent peace can only be achieved by dismantling terrorist organizations that ``want to kill.''....Meanwhile, a New York House member said Monday he would push a bill to sanction Syria unless it stops helping Hezbollah guerrillas and ends its military occupation of Lebanon. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel endorsed U.S. economic and diplomatic pressure on Syria in a 90-minute conversation in his Jerusalem office, Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., said in a telephone interview. Watchdogs Demand US Inquiry into Palestinian Journalist’s Killing Palestine Media Center 8/19/2003 World Media Furious over Mazen Da’na’s Death in Iraq -- World media and human rights watchdogs demanded a public inquiry on Monday into the killing by US troops in Iraq of Reuters Palestinian television cameraman Mazen Da’na. Da’na’s body was being returned to his wife Suzan for burial this week near his Israeli-reoccupied West Bank hometown of Hebron, this week. He leaves four children. Palestinian journalists protested his killing Monday in Ramallah and Bethlehem. Political Cartoon Raises Ire in Philadelphia Forward 8/15/2003 A recent cartoon published in the Philadelphia Inquirer criticizing Israel's security fence is creating a tempest among Philadelphia's Jewish community and major Jewish organizations. Tony Auth, a Pulitzer Prize winner and staff editorial cartoonist for the Philadelphia Inquirer since 1971, illustrated a cartoon depicting Arabs cordoned into jail-like sections of a Jewish star. A number of readers and observers inferred a comparison between Israel's security fence and a concentration camp in the cartoon, with many offended by the use of a giant Star of David as a restrictive symbol — rather than its representation as the national symbol of Israel and the Jewish people. Arab League: accusations against Zayed Center are groundless Arabic News 8/19/2003 The spokesman for the secretary general of the Arab League, Hesham Youssef said yesterday that the American accusations of Zayed's international center for coordination as anti-Semitic "is absolutely baseless," noting that the Arab League has not received an official notification yet on UAE decision to give up this center. Iraqi Clerics Unite in Rare Alliance Washington Post 8/19/2003 U.S. Fears Shiite, Sunni Cooperation Will Bolster Resistance -- NAJAF, Iraq, Aug. 16 -- A popular Sunni Muslim cleric has provided grass-roots and financial support to a leading anti-American Shiite cleric, a rare example of cooperation across Iraq's sectarian divide that has alarmed U.S. officials for its potential to bolster festering resistance to the American occupation, senior U.S. and Iraqi officials say. US Muslim charity chief jailed BBC 8/18/2003 The leader of a Muslim charity in the United States has been sentenced to 11 years in jail after being convicted of fraud. Syrian-born Enaam Arnaout, 46, admitted diverting thousands of dollars from his Benevolence International Foundation to Islamic militants in Bosnia and Chechnya.

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