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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..

Palestinian suicide bomber kills 20 and shatters peace process The Guardian 8/20/2003 A Palestinian suicide bomber blew apart a bus in the heart of Jerusalem last night as it carried religious Jews from a visit to the Wailing Wall, killing at least 20 people, including children, wounding more than 100 and inflicting the most serious blow yet to the six-week-old ceasefire. Israel immediately called off a plan to withdraw from four Palestinian cities on the West Bank and said it was freezing all other negotiations with the Palestinians. "The talks are frozen, as is the handover," a government source said. Bus bomb carnage in Jerusalem BBC 8/20/2003 A suicide bomber has wrecked a bus in Jerusalem, killing up to 20 people and injuring about 80 others. The blast took place at about 2100 (1800GMT) in an ultra-Orthodox area - Shmuel Hanavi - near the old dividing line between east and west Jerusalem. The militant Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad both said they carried out the attack. Video: "People here are calling this the return to hell" BBC 8/20/2003 Video - BBC's Orla Guerin: "People here are calling this the return to hell" Palestinians Hold Meeting on Bus Bombing The Guardian 8/20/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, facing growing international pressure to clamp down on militants, convened an emergency Cabinet meeting Wednesday to decide how to respond to a Hamas suicide bombing that killed 20, including five Americans. Tuesday night's Jerusalem bus blast also wounded more than 100, including about 40 children, returning from the Western Wall, Judaism's holiest shrine. It was the deadliest Palestinian terror attack since the ``road map'' peace plan was unveiled three months ago by President Bush. PM Abu Mazen Condemns Jerusalem Bombing International Press Center 8/20/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 20, 2003 (IPC +WAFA)-- Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) condemned Tuesday the Jerusalem bombing and broke off talks with Palestinian Islamic jihad and Hamas. "I strongly condemn this act in Jerusalem," Abu Mazen told reporters in Gaza City. "It is a terrible act against the Israeli civilians and this is not helping the interests of the Palestinian people." Israel approves targeted military strikes, Palestinians report tanks moving into Ramallah Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 Israel decided Wednesday to carry out a number of pinpointed strikes against Palestinian terror suspects in response to a Hamas suicide bombing that killed 20 people, a security official said. The strikes will be carried out regardless of whether the Palestinian Authority decides to clamp down on the militant groups, said the official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Israel Berated For Allowing Jews Into Aqsa Compound Islam Online 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 20 (IslamOnline.net) - In a new brazen provocation, dozens of "foreign tourists" and Jews, escorted by Israeli guards, entered Al-Aqsa mosque compound, one of Islam's most holiest sites, Wednesday, August 20, drawing fire from Palestinian and Islamic leaders as well as Israeli peace groups. IOF Arrests Fifteen Palestinians in Jenin and Destroys Four Houses in Jerusalem International Press Center 8/20/2003 JENIN, Palestine, August 20, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)- - At least fifteen Palestinian citizens were arrested Wednesday by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the West Bank city of Jenin. Israeli soldiers, stationed at a checkpoint of Arrabeh village, east of Jenin, stopped a Palestinian vehicle and arrested seven passengers, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported....Earlier, IOF stormed the Sylat Al Harethia town, near Jenin and arrested four other citizens. IOF invaded the town under a cover of heavy random fire followed by a house-to-house search, seeking out anti occupation activists, witnesses told IPC Correspondent....In the occupied East Jerusalem Israeli bulldozers destroyed Wednesday two Palestinian houses.  2 prisoners, 9 soldiers hurt in Megiddo jail riot Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 A prison riot by some 100 of the 400 Palestinian inmates at the Megiddo military jail was quelled by security forces Wednesday. At least two Palestinian prisoners were injured inhaling tear gas as inmates at the prison were rioting. Nine IDF soldier were lightly injured by smoke inhalation due to a fire that broke out in the jail, located in the north of the country. IOF Arrests 8 Palestinians in Hebron, Demolishes 4 Houses in Jerusalem International Press Center 8/19/2003 Hebron, Palestine, August 19, 2003, (IPC + Agencies)- - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) arrested Tuesday 8 Palestinian civilians in the West Bank Governorate of Hebron. Tens of Israeli armored vehicles swept the neighborhoods of Dura and Awla and Al-Fawar Camp in Hebron and launched a campaign of house-to-house searching before arresting eight citizens, Palestinian Prisoners’ Society (PPS) sources , in Hebron, said. Repression Cycle Continues to Grind: Special Report from Jerusalem Palestine Chronicle 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (PC) - Once the sound of the wailing sirens had faded away, an eerie silence hung over Jerusalem. By 11.30pm last night all that could be heard were the cicadas chirping in the trees and the occasional helicopter hovering up above. Everyone was anxiously waiting for the Israeli army’s response to the suicide bombing which had killed 20 people. That began today when Gaza and the West Bank were completely sealed off, imprisoning hundreds of thousands of innocent Palestinians. Occupation authorities confiscate lands in Bethlehem Palestinian Information Center 8/19/2003 Bethlehem - The Zionist occupation authorities have passed a military order confiscating about 36 dunums of Palestinian lands in the West Bank city of Bethlehem. The decision, targeting the Qubat Rahel (Dome of Rachel) area, would isolate citizens from their lands that would be surrounded by barged wires and fences in addition to closing the city’s only tourist road to Jerusalem. The New “Berlin Wall” in Rafah Palestine Monitor 8/19/2003 Whilst attention remains focused on efforts to prevent completion of the Apartheid wall in the West Bank, residents of Gaza are afraid that there, the subtle construction of a similar structure will pass unnoticed. Already stretching a distance of seven kilometers and like the West Bank wall, reaching eight meters into the sky, the wall under construction in Rafah is the continuation of a gradual process initiated by agreements made between Israel and Egypt at Camp David. Israeli Minister Wants Arafat HQ 'Obliterated' Islam Online 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 20 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - An Israeli cabinet minister said Wednesday, August 20, that the ultimate blame for attacks on Israel lay with Yasser Arafat and that the Palestinian president's West Bank headquarters should be "obliterated." Meanwhile, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas decided early Wednesday to break off contacts with the two resistance groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad after claiming responsibility for Tuesday night's occupied Jerusalem bus attack, which killed 20 passengers and wounded another 130. Israeli Troops Invade, Vandalize, Search Buildings in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2003 Israeli troops backed by tanks and APCs rolled into the the west bank city of Nablus Wednesday morning in another invasion. The military caravan arrived at AlShhada’ circle at the city center and broke through the Anabtawi building and Arafat’s building. According to a local source, soldiers opened fire in the streets, used explosives to blow up the doors of the buildings, raided and searched the Islamic union center offices, and expropriated files and documents. Since the beginning of Intifada, 135 houses demolished in Jerusalem International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2003 Children are searching for their own property. This fact became a popular problem in many neighborhoods in Jerusalem after house demolitions which targeted houses on the basis that the owner did not have a permit for the development of the land....The law societies said that this August has been the worst month since the beginning of Alaqsa Intifada, with the highest record of demolitions, and alerts for the destruction of more than 120 more houses and buildings in Jerusalem. Israeli Planes flying over Mageddo prison International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2003 The Palestinian prisoners in Mageddo prison announced that they will begin a hunger strike on Monday, August 25 to demand their release. Today the prison’s administration planned to transfer 600 of them to different prisons to thwart the planned hunger strike. Prisoners refused to obey the transfer orders, and attempts to resolve the standoff that ensued failed....By the end of the 30 minutes, Israeli forces shot tear gas bombs inside the prison and started beating prisoners with their clubs. Israeli Governement to Allow Jews, Non-Muslims to Visit Aqsa Mosque, Furious Reactions Among Palestinians International Middle East Media Center 8/20/2003 After a security consultation done by the Israeli Police, the Israeli government announced their decision to allow Jews to visit the Aqsa Mosque in East Jerusalem after suspending access on August 9th, which marks the anniversary of the destruction of the temple according to Jewish beliefs....The Israeli Peace Now movement warned against this step and described it as an irrational idea that could have disastrous results. Peace Now accused Hanegbi of endangering lives of Israelis instead of improving security for them. Flashpoint Jerusalem site reopens BBC 8/20/2003 One of the holiest sites in Jerusalem, which has been closed to non-Muslims for most of the past three years, has reopened, causing tensions with Muslims leaders. On Wednesday morning, more than 150 Jews visited the contested site revered by Jews as the Temple Mount and by Muslims as Haram al-Sharif or the Noble Sanctuary. Analysis: Danny Rubinstein on PA response to J'lem bombing Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 Palestinian spokesmen said Tuesday night that everyone had expected a revenge attack by Islamic Jihad following Israel's killing of senior Jihad operative Mohammed Sidr last week - but now that the attack has come, and proven so deadly, they fear that it will mark the end of the cease-fire (hudna) and of attempts to implement the road map peace plan. On Tuesday night, the localHebron television station broadcast pictures of the terrorist who committed the attack, Raed Abdel-Hamed Mesk. Nevertheless, the local Hamas cell issued a competing claim of responsibility, saying that the attack was Hamas's revenge for the death of one of its Hebron operatives, Abdallah Qawasmeh, two months ago, and that it was carried out now to mark the anniversary of the fire in Al-Aqsa Mosque - which was set by an Australian Christian in 1969. Jerusalem police open Temple Mount to open to non-Muslims Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 Jerusalem police reopened the Temple Mount to Jewish and Christian visitors on Wednesday, as ordered by Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi. The site will be open to visitors every day between 9 and 11 A.M. Jerusalem police chief MickeyLevy refused to confirm whether a deal had been reached with the Waqf, and said that the decision was taken before Tuesday's suicide bombing. 5 Americans Killed in Israel Bus Bombing The Guardian 8/20/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Five of the 20 people killed in a suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus were American citizens, a U.S. Embassy official said Wednesday. Among those killed in Tuesday's blast were Mordechai Reinitz, 47, and his son, Yitzhak, 9. They were residents of the Israeli coastal town of Netanya and had dual Israeli-American citizenship, said the embassy spokesman, Paul Patin. Their hometown in the United States was not immediately known. 'It was a small piece of hell. You just don't know who to help' The Guardian 8/20/2003 The shadowy organisers of last night's slaughter chose their target with care before they dispatched their human bomb. The suicide attacker - homicide bomber, as the Israelis prefer to call them - was not in search of just any passing bus to blow up, as has so often happened in the past. He was directed to the Palestinian east of Jerusalem, to the edge of the old city where religious passions run even deeper than usual. There the number 2 bus carries ultra-orthodox Jews from one of their holiest sites, the Wailing Wall, back to the religious neighbourhoods just across the other side of the 1967 border, the green line. 20 Killed in Jerusalem Bus Attack Arab News 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 20 August 2003 — A Palestinian blew up a bus packed with ultra-Orthodox Jews, killing at least 20 people and wounding 80. Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility. Hamas said the attack was a response to “the occupation crimes” of Israel. “All Palestinian factions, Islamic and national, have said clearly they will answer any crimes or any terrorist activity that have been committed,” Hamas political leader Abdelaziz Rantissi said. 'We thought the ceasefire meant we could relax. How wrong we were' The Independent 8/20/2003 The sleek, green, double-length No 2 bus left the Wailing Wall, Judaism's holiest site, shortly before 9pm (7pm BST) on a sultry Jerusalem night. Packed with religious families returning from evening prayers, it was threading its way through a series of ultra-Orthodox neighbourhoods north of the city centre when a 29-year-old Palestinian suicide bomber blew himself up, taking 20 with him to the grave and sending a hundred more to the casualty wards. Ambulances were still removing the wounded half an hour later. 18 fatalities from Jerusalem bus bomb identified Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 The Institute of Forensic Medicine at Abu Kabir in Tel Aviv had by Wednesday afternoon identified 18 of the 20 fatalities in Tuesday night's suicide bombing on a bus in the heart of an ultra-Orthodox neighborhood of Jerusalem. So far, the names of eight of the victims have been released.... Israeli press shocked over bus bombing BBC 8/20/2003 Israeli newspapers on Wednesday were unanimous in their condemnation of the suicide bombing of a bus in Jerusalem, which killed about 20 people including several children. The papers ponder the impact that this latest attack will have on the future of the US-backed peace "roadmap", with several fearing it could now be on the brink of collapse. Video: "Many of the dead and wounded were children" BBC Video, the BBC's Chris Morris: "Many of the dead and wounded were children" Analysis: Ultra-Orthodox Jews reflect on first Haredi attack Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 "The bus was filled with people, mostly ultra-Orthodox. Many ultra-Orthodox travel to the Western Wall this time of year," 'TzuremDavidov' reported, referring to the yeshiva vacation. -- At 9:13 P.M. 'Plato 10' reported to the participants of the ultra-Orthodox Internet forum "Haredi Rooms" that an explosion had been heard in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Israel. 'Double Quotes' added that "many ambulances are leaving the Magen David Adom station, like in a terror attack, god forbid." 18 passengers dead, 120 wounded in massive Jerusalem bus blast Middle East Online 8/20/2003 A powerful suicide bomb tore through a bus in central Jerusalem on Tuesday, killing 18 passengers, wounding 120 people and blowing apart already shaky efforts to implement a US-backed peace plan. Israeli officials said they were suspending all contacts with the Palestinians after the evening blast, which left several children among the dead and about 40 youngsters among the wounded.

Diplomacy..

Road-map in tatters as Israel halts withdrawals The Independent 8/20/2003 On a day of bloodshed and horror elsewhere in the Middle East, yesterday's suicide bombing in Jerusalem threatened to undermine the so-called road-map promoted by the United States to find a settlement between Israel and the Palestinians. The White House said it deplored the attack - responsibility for which was claimed separately by two militant groups - and demanded that the Palestinian Authority crack down on terror against Israelis. Toughest test for roadmap BBC 8/20/2003 The suicide bombing of an Israeli bus on Tuesday that killed at least 20 people, including women and children, has put the latest peace process, and those committed to it, to their most severe test yet. The fallout from this atrocity, which was particularly gruesome even by the recent levels of violence in the Middle East, was immediate. Israel suspended all contact with the Palestinian leadership, sealed off the West Bank and Gaza Strip, and suspended plans to withdraw the army from more Palestinian towns. For its part, the Palestinian Authority broke off all contact with Islamic militant groups. Israel suspends all contacts with the PA Financial Times 8/20/2003 Israel on Wednesday told the Palestinian Authority to use an "iron fist" against the militant groups behind Tuesday's devastating bus bombing in Jerusalem or face the collapse of the peace process. The government of Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister, has so far held off from a military response to the bombing, which killed 20 people and wounded dozens more. Abu Mazen orders Israel blast arrests BBC 8/20/2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas - also known as Abu Mazen - has ordered his security forces to arrest those responsible for Tuesday's suicide bus blast in Jerusalem. The Palestinian Authority (PA) also broke off contacts with Hamas and Islamic Jihad - the Palestinian militant groups that both claimed responsibility for the bombing, which killed 20 people as well as the bomber and injured up to 100. Israel decides to retaliate as Palestinian factions urge Abu Mazen to resume dialogue Al-Bawaba 8/20/2003 Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided Wednesday that Israel will undertake military action in response to the Jerusalem suicide bombing which killed 20 people on Tuesday, if the Palestinian Authority fails to take action against Hamas. Sharon held a meeting Wednesday morning with security chiefs, in which it was decided that Israel will give the diplomatic process a chance in the long run, but in the short term will attack the perpetrators of the attack. Israel Resumes Indirect Contact With Hezbollah Arab News 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 20 August 2003 — Israeli officials confirmed yesterday that they have renewed indirect contact through Germany with the Lebanese militia Hezbollah about the possibility of prisoner exchanges. An official quoted in several newspapers said Hezbollah “had very slightly adjusted its demands” but was still “unrealistic” about the prospects of an agreement. Pressure builds on Abu Mazen to fight terror The Independent 8/20/2003 At the moment the suicide bomber blew himself up in Jerusalem last night the Palestinian Prime Minister, Abu Mazen, was in a meeting with leaders of Islamic Jihad and Hamas attempting to reinforce the fragile ceasefire. Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the attack in a phone call to al-Manar TV. Hamas also claimed responsibility. The attack was in response to the killing of the Islamic Jihad leader in Hebron last week and "the crimes of the Zionist occupation", in the words of Abdel Aziz al-Rantisi, a Hamas spokesman. Both militant organisations named the bomber as Raid Misk, from Hebron. US demands Abbas clamp down on terrorists Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 The United States demanded on Wednesday that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas clamp down on terror groups and backed Israel in postponing pullbacks on the West Bank. "The messages we are issuing to the Palestinians is that they must act on security," the State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said. Americans cancel meeting with Abbas Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 A delegation of American political and community leaders including three New York Democratic Party Congressmen that was scheduled to meet today with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, cancelled the meeting, following the bus bombing Tuesday night in Jerusalem....Proclaiming the death of the road map to peace as yet another initiative killed by the Palestinians, [Congressman] Weiner's message to Abbas was: "You have blood on your hands Mr. Prime Minister." India invites PA foreign minister ahead of Sharon talks Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 Trying to strike a balance in its Middle East policy, India has invited the Palestinian foreign minister to come here ahead of a landmark visit by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, news reports said Wednesday. Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath will visit the Indian capital, New Delhi, on Aug. 29, the Indian Express newspaper reported. Sharon will begin a three-day visit Sept. 9, it said. Israel, Hizbullah confirm indirect prisoner talks Daily Star 8/20/2003 Israeli officials confirmed Tuesday that they have renewed indirect contact through Germany with Hizbullah about the possibility of prisoner exchanges. An official quoted in several newspapers said Hizbullah “had very slightly adjusted its demands” but was still “unrealistic” about the prospects of an agreement. Reserve General Ilan Biran, who is in charge of efforts to secure the release of up to four Israelis held since October 2000, visited Germany two weeks ago for talks about the exchanges, Israeli television reported Monday night. Analysis: Aluf Benn on Israel's changed approach to talks Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 Tuesday night's terror attack in Jerusalem was a blow to the Israeli public's morale, which had basked in the quiet of a few weeks of relative quiet thanks to the hudna, and once again was exposed to the government's impotence when dealing with Palestinian terrorism....The attack was expected. Islamic Jihad promised to avenge the killing of its commander last week in Hebron. Clearly the organization won't limp along behind Hamas, which had already presented Israel with "mutually assured deterrence" - "an attack for every killing." Roadblocks, Fence And The List Of "Wanted" Headlines The Security Meeting Al-Hayat 8/19/2003 Following the hindered redeployment from Jericho and Qalqilya, due, according to Palestinian sources to "Israel's refusal to dismantle roadblocks at the entrance of the cities," a Palestinian-Israeli security meeting will be held today. The main points to be discussed are the roadblock, the "wanted" and the separation wall. In paralell, the Palestinian government is set to hold a meeting with the resistance factions in a bid to extend the truce, while the negotiations committee will hold a meeting headed by President Yasser Arafat. PM: Israel will respond to bombing if PA fails to move against Hamas Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 PM: Israel will respond if no PA move against Hamas; Sharon to Bush: PA inaction led to attack; Expulsion of Arafat put on hold. -- The head of the American delegation overseeing the implementation of the U.S.-sponsored road map to Middle East peace, John Wolf, has cut short his trip to Washington, and arrived in Israel late Wednesday, in light of the attack. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz decided Wednesday that Israel will only launch an extensive military response to Tuesday's suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus that killed 20 people, should the Palestinian Authority fail to take action against the Hamas organization. Three Palestinian Demands-Wishes From The Syrian And Lebanese Authorities Al-Hayat 8/19/2003 The head of Palestinian Salvation Front, Khaled Al Fahum told Al-Hayat that the Palestinian Minister for Foreign Affairs, Nabil Shaath had presented to Syrian and Lebanese officials "three demands" that would improve relations between Damascus, Beirut and the Palestinian Authority. Shaath met two days ago with his Syrian counterpart, Farouk Al Sharaa, to pave the way for the visit of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, planned for the first half of September. Egypt will supply gas to Israel, says Mubarak associate Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 A close associate of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, businessman Hussein Salam, last week told the heads of the Israel Electric Corp. that Mubarak has made a "strategic decision" to supply Israel with natural gas. Salam's statement to the IECchiefs was passed on to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky by Sharon associate Eli Landau, chairman of the Israel Electric Corp. The Salam statement was one of the cornerstones of the decision made this week to reject a British Gas offer to sell Israel gas from the offshore reserves owned by the Palestinian Authority and to buy the Egyptian gas instead. Immediate response to the attack, Israel froze all contacts with the Palestinian Authority Jerusalemites 8/20/2003 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is due to hold security consultations on Wednesday morning, to weigh Israeli responses to Tuesday night’s attack on a Jerusalem bus that killed at least 20 people. In the immediate aftermath of the attack, Israel froze security talks and the planned withdrawal of IOF troops from any more West Bank cities. Well-informed sources in Jerusalem said that all understandings reached with the Palestinians on the transfer of security control in West Bank cities were void. Israelis, Palestinians Need Courage to Stick to Roadmap Peace Plan: UN Official Palestine Chronicle 8/20/2003 'The terrible cycle of violence and revenge must not be allowed to again gather momentum,' Terk said, urging both parties to exercise maximum restraint and resist the urge to respond to provocation .." -- TEHRAN - Describing the situation in the Middle East as `fragile`, a senior United Nations official told the Security Council Tuesday that both Israelis and Palestinians needed `courage and determination to stay the course` and must not allow themselves to fall back into the senseless cycle of violence and revenge, according to a press release issued by the United Nations Information Center here on Wednesday.

Human Rights..

Gaza journalists honor their fallen Reuters colleague Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 Banned by Israel from the West Bank, Palestinian journalists in the Gaza Strip held a symbolic funeral yesterday for Mazen Dana, a Palestinian television cameraman working for the Reuters news agency and killed in Iraq on Sunday by U.S. troops. "Mazen is a hero, his killer is a zero," the journalists chanted outside a UN office in Gaza City as they walked in a procession behind an emptycoffin covered with pictures of Dana and a camera on a bier. Palestinian Journalists Condemn the “U.S.-Israeli Coalition Against Press” International Press Center 8/19/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 19, 2003, (IPC)- -Hundreds of Palestinian Journalists and officials participated Tuesday in a mock funeral for Palestinian cameraman of Reuters Mazen Dana who was killed by US occupation troops in Iraq two days ago. Participants in the demonstration chanted slogans strongly condemning the US and Israeli targeting of journalists in Iraq and the Occupied Palestinian Territories (OPT). Israeli human rights group slams Hebron settlers Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 B'Tselem (The Israeli Information Center for Human Rights in the Occupied Territories) released a report yesterday citing harassment by Jewish settlers for the exodus of some 400 Palestinians from the center of Hebron over the past three years. "Settler violence and the lack of law enforcement on settlers, the ongoing curfew and severe restrictions on movement in thearea that once was the commercial center of Hebron, and violence against Palestinians by members of the security forces have caused Palestinian families to pack up and leave the area," the report charges. Khiam prisoners group: Female ex-detainees being marginalized Daily Star 8/20/2003 A statement by Khiam Rehabilitation Center for the Victims of Torture Tuesday said that female detainees who had been released felt they were marginalized and victims of degraded opinions of women. The statement added that released female detainees said they would be freed when they are liberated from terror, violence, and torture. The secretary-general of the Follow-up Committee for the Support of Detainees in Israeli Prisons, Mohammed Safa, said female detainees who had been released were not given their moral and social rights despite their sacrifices for the country and called on them to confront violence, discrimination, and the marginalization of women, the statement said. Israeli rights group slams settler violence against Palestinians in Hebron Daily Star 8/20/2003 B’tselem says security forces doing nothing to prevent daily abuse - Thousands are deserting West Bank city’s old quarter in response to militancy from heavily guarded settlements -- An Israeli rights group said Tuesday that Israeli security forces in the West Bank city of Hebron were doing virtually nothing to protect Palestinian residents from “daily violence” by Jewish settlers. As a result, the B’Tselem human rights group said in a new report that thousands of Palestinian residents of Hebron’s old quarter, where three heavily guarded Jewish settlements are located, have moved out. Around 150,000 Palestinians live in the city, including 35,000 in the old quarter where around 500 militant Jewish settlers also reside.

Economy..

Industrial output down 1.1% in January-June Globes 8/20/2003 Industrial output declined by an annualized 4% in May-June, and employment and work hours were down. -- Economic activity is still falling more steeply than previously forecast. The Central Bureau of Statistics reports that industrial output declined by 1.1% in the first half of 2003. Seasonally adjusted figures show that industrial output slid 0.7% in May-June, amounting to an annualized 4%. Palestinian Airlines flights to Amman possibly beginning Thursday Jordan Times 8/20/2003 AMMAN — Flights between Amman and the Gaza Strip are very likely to resume Thursday, a senior government official said Tuesday. Flights will initially be handled by Palestinian Airlines, flying out of Al Arish Airport in Egypt (some 70km from the Gaza Strip) to Amman, according to the director general of Civil Aviation Authority, Hanna Najjar. Annualized inflation in April-July - minus 5.2% Globes 8/20/2003 The average interest rate on overdrafts has fallen from 16.1% to 14.2%. --srael's annualized inflation rate was minus 5.2% in April-July 2003, compared with 0.3% in December 2002-March 2003, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. Jordanian co propose technology cooperation with Israel in Iraq Globes 8/20/2003 The Jordanian company wants to urgently supply computerized communications systems. -- A Jordan security and services company operating in Iraq has contacted the Israel-Jordan Chamber of Commerce with a proposal for cooperation in the communications sector. The Jordanian company won a US Army tender to supply equipment to a large base in Iraq, and wants to urgently supply computerized communications systems. In addition to the specific request, the company is interested in broader collaboration with Israeli companies, including representing them in Iraq in the construction, security, and other businesses. OTI smart ID cards to power Israel - Palestinian border crossing Globes 8/20/2003 This is the first border control system to use contactless cards pre-programmed with hand and facial biometrics. -- Smart card developer On Track Innovations, Ltd., (OTI) (Nasdaq: OTIV; Prime Standard [Frankfurt]: OT5) announced today that it has completed another stage in the delivery of the infrastructure toward the installation of the Basel Project, a cross-border contactless access control system.

People..

Israel's settlement quandary BBC 8/20/2003 In the last 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 public opinion in Israel. At his food stand in the Jewish Quarter of the Old City of Jerusalem, Buddy Frankel, an Orthodox Jew from New York, serves up a hotdog as he gathers his thoughts. "I don't think there is any such thing as land for peace," he says in a broad Bronx accent.

International..

Website brings history of Shebaa Farms Daily Star 8/20/2003 Dispute to wider audience portal’s goal is to ‘present the facts’ - Occupied 25-square kilometer parcel of land remains a place ‘where the flames of the past can scorch the future’ -- The website’s mission statement says: “Our objective is to present the facts, which will lead to UN meditation and land liberation.” When words like “UN” and “land liberation” are in the same sentence, the only logical conclusion is that the site is talking about the Shebaa Farms, a 25-square kilometer piece of Lebanese territory seized by Israeli forces during the 1967 war. The area, consisting of 14 farms located south of Shebaa, is a Lebanese village on the western slopes of Mount Hermon. [For more information, log on to www.shebaafarms.org] Sharon gives backing to US bill seeking sanctions on Syria Daily Star 8/20/2003 WASHINGTON: With strong support from Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, a New York House member said Monday he would push a bill to impose sanctions on Syria unless it stops backing Hizbullah and ends its “military occupation” of Lebanon. In a 90-minute conversation with Sharon in his Jerusalem office, the prime minister endorsed US economic and diplomatic pressure on Syria, Eliot Engel, a Democrat, said in a telephone interview. Russia, EU condemn Jerusalem attack, call for restraint Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 Russian President Vladimir Putin sent Israel's leaders a telegram Wednesday expressing sympathy over the Jerusalem suicide bombing that killed 20 people, calling it a "villainous act of terrorism" but urging restraint and expressing confidence it won't stop the Mideast peace process. Arab-American arrested for sending drug money to West Bank Jerusalem Post 8/20/2003 A convenience store owner pleaded guilty to laundering drug money and sending the cash to cities in the West Bank. Alaa Odeh, 30, faces up to 30 years in prison at sentencing Sept. 26, although he will likely get far less under federal sentencing guidelines. Odeh was one of 67 people arrested in April as the United States and Canada said they had disrupted a major methamphetamine pipeline and seized tons of illegal chemicals. Tehran seeks additions to nuclear protocol Financial Times 8/20/2003 Iran is seeking to win some concessions before signing the additional protocol to the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, which would allow for enhanced inspections of nuclear facilities as demanded by the international community. Jordan, Lebanon exempt fruits, vegetables from customs duties Jordan Times 8/20/2003 AMMAN (Petra) — Prime Minister Ali Abul Ragheb stressed Tuesday the Kingdom's keenness to sustain and solidify ties of cooperation between Jordan and Lebanon. At a meeting with the Lebanese minister of agriculture, cooperatives and housing, Ali Hassan Khalil who is currently visiting Jordan, the premier expressed the Kingdom's aspirations to enhance relations with Lebanon, particularly in the agricultural field. Annan says UN staff to stay in Iraq Ha'aretz 8/20/2003 STOCKHOLM - United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan said on Wednesday U.N. staff would remain in Iraq despite the devastating bombing of the world body's headquarters in Baghdad. "We will continue our work...We will persevere, we have work to do. I am going back to New York and we will make a very comprehensive assessment of our present security arrangements and what needs to be done," Annan told a news conference during a stopover in Stockholm. "We will not be intimidated."

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