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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..

Israeli forces kill 3 and injure 19 civilians in latest extrajudicial assassination carried out in Gaza City Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/21/2003 On Thursday afternoon, 21 August 2003, Israeli occupying forces committed a new extra-judicial assassination, which left dead a prominent leader of the Hamas movement, Isma’il Abu Shanab and 2 of his bodyguards. In addition, 19 passing Palestinian civilians were wounded. PCHR condemns this latest extrajudicial assignation carried out by Israeli force as an indiscriminate use of force amounting to a war crime perpetrated against Palestinian civilians. IOF Shoot Dead Two Teenage Brothers, Raid Palestinian Cities Palestine Media Center 8/21/2003 Israel Allows Non-Muslims into al-Aqsa, Attacks Detainees in Megiddo prison -- Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead two Palestinian brothers, both in their mid teens, after raiding Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank on Wednesday when after Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ordered a series of attacks against Palestinian targets, while Isareli police allowed non-Muslims into al-Aqsa compound and attacked Palestinian detainees in Megiddo prison wounding dozens of them. In the northern West Bank, witnesses said Islam Ghanem, 16, was shot dead and his body was taken by the IOF raiding Tulkarem refugee camp. BREAKING NEWS: IOF shells Khan Younis, storm Qabatia  International Press Center 8/21/2003 21:00-- Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shells the Khan Younis West camp with heavy gunfire, as IOF troops station themselves at Al-Matahen roadblock. IPC / 20:00-- Israeli occupation forces storm the West Bank town of Qabatia, near Jenin, IPC correspondent reported. / 19:00 Israeli occupation forces close the Salah Eldin road, east of the illegitimate Jewish settlement of Nitsarim, south of Gaza, eyewitnesses told IPC.... Israeli forces invade medical aid office in Nablus Electronic Intifada 8/21/2003 At 3.30 am on Thursday the 21st of August, the Israeli occupying forces once again invaded the Palestine Medical Relief Emergency Clinic, in the old city in Nablus. Upon entering the clinic, the soldiers ordered all the staff to leave. Fortunately on this occasion, no one was injured and no equipment was destroyed. However, the soldiers did not allow Palestine Medical Relief staff to reenter the clinic until 9.30am, so for 6 hours, medical personnel were prevented from carrying out their essential humanitarian work. Israel Invades 3 Palestinian Cities, Carries Out Assassination Killing 3 in Gaza,& Annihilates West Bank Village Palestine Monitor 8/21/2003 As the Palestinian Cabinet met late into the night, heavily armed Israeli forces began a series of violent assaults into West Bank towns and cities vehemently escalating the currently volatile situation and damaging irreconcilably, the tenuous US sponsored Road Map to peace. As evening fell large numbers of Israeli tanks and armored vehicles began to amass on the outskirts of Ramallah, Nablus, Jenin, Hebron and Tulkarem. Special Sorrow for the Young Washington Post 8/21/2003 Israelis Lament Number of Children Killed, Hurt in Bus Bombing -- JERUSALEM, Aug. 20 -- At the first glimpse this afternoon of 11-month-old Shmuel Zargari's tiny corpse, swaddled in a cream-colored prayer shawl, an entire funeral hall broke down. Burly men clad in the black coats and hats worn by ultra-Orthodox Jews heaved with sobs, his grandmother wailed and collapsed on a bench and the police officers providing security mopped tears from their cheeks. Abu Shanab, a moderating voice in Hamas Middle East Online 8/21/2003 GAZA CITY - Ismail Abu Shanab, assassinated Thursday by Israel in retaliation for a suicide bombing carried out by his Hamas group, was considered a moderating voice in the hardline Islamist movement. Israel accused the 53-year-old Abu Shanab of directing "terror attacks" from Gaza, but Palestinians had a different view of the US-trained engineer and Islamic teacher who spent 10 years in Israeli jails. Slain Hamas Leader Pushed for Cease-Fire The Guardian 8/21/2003 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Ismail Abu Shanab, a Hamas political leader killed in an Israeli strike Thursday, had pushed the violent movement to call a temporary halt in its anti-Israeli attacks - though Israel says he was involved in suicide bombings, including this week's on a Jerusalem bus. Video: "Israel got its man, Abu Shanab has been killed" BBC 8/21/2003 Video: The BBC's James Reynolds: "Israel got its man, Abu Shanab has been killed" IDF: Operation in West Bank cities will last 3 to 4 weeks Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Israel Defense Forces officials said Thursday that the military operations taking place in West Bank cities would last three to four weeks. IDF troops and tanks moved into the casbah marketplace in the West Bank city of Nablus late Wednesday to search forPalestinian militants. ...A curfew was imposed in central Nablus after trucks and tanks rolled in, after the IDF had imposed a full closure on the West Bank and Gaza and decided to surround West Bank cities Wednesday. Israeli Army Fires At Palestinian Detainees, Injures 50 Islam Online 8/20/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 20 (IslamOnline.net) - Some 50 Palestinian detainees were injured, at least two seriously, when Israeli army forces used tear gas and rubber-coated bullets to break up a protest in the Israeli military detention campaign of Megiddo, detainees told IslamOnline.net Wednesday, August 20. "Israeli helicopters sprayed gas on the camp, and the situation further exacerbated when the injured were denied first aid and left to bleed," said one of the detainee by phone. 120 Palestinian Prisoners Wounded with Burns as Israeli Soldiers Crack Down on a Hunger Strike International Press Center 8/21/2003 MAJEDO, Israel, August 21, 2003 (IPC+WAFA-- 120 Palestinian prisoners were wounded Wednesday as one of the Majedo prison’s sections was set into flames. Section 5 of the Majedo Israeli prison, where hundreds of Palestinian prisoners are being jailed, was set into fire Wednesday as the Israeli prison’s authority cracked down on a hunger strike initiated by the prisoners in protest of their detention conditions. In a phone interview with WAFA Palestinian News Agency, a senior Palestinian prisoner inside Majedo prison, was quoted as saying in a condition of anonymity,” the number of those wounded, due to the flames, is 120 including 40 critical and moderate injuries as they all have been burnt slightly and severely”. Israeli tanks poised to hit back The Guardian 8/21/2003 Abbas risks Hamas confrontation with order to hunt down extremists who had hand in bus bombing -- Israeli tanks moved into the outskirts of Ramallah last night as the army prepared for a military assault against "terrorist targets" in the wake of the worst bus bombing of the past three years of intifada. Ariel Sharon's security cabinet met into the early hours of this morning to decide the extent of the response to a Hamas suicide bomber who struck a bus packed with ultra-Orthodox Jews on Tuesday, killing 20 people. The dead included six children, among them an 11-month-old baby, and five Americans. In pictures: Israeli strike BBC 8/21/2003 Witnesses said Abu Shanab's car was hit by up to five missiles in the centre of Gaza City Audio: "The Israeli army fired 5 rockets into Gaza this afternoon" The Guardian 8/21/2003 Assassination ends Middle East truce - August 21: Israel's killing of a senior Hamas leader marks the death of the seven-week ceasefire, and many people will blame the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, reports Chris McGreal from Israel. (2min 09s) Senior Hamas man Abu Shanab killed by missile strike on car Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Speaking after a senior Hamas official was killed Thursday in an Israeli missile strike in Gaza, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell called on Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat to help his Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and use security forces he controls to help stop attacks on Israel. He also warned both sides of the consequences of giving up on the U.S.-sponsored road map to Middle East peace. Ceasefire ends after assassination of senior Hamas political leader Al-Bawaba 8/21/2003 Senior Hamas political leader Ismaeel Abu Shanab was among three Palestinians killed Thursday afternoon by missiles fired by Israeli helicopters in Gaza, a Palestinian source confirmed to Al Bawaba. The attack took place in the Rimal neighborhood. Paramedics pulled three bodies out of the burning vehicle, those of Abu Shanab and his two bodyguards. Hamas Abandons Truce After Israeli Strike The Guardian 8/21/2003 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israel killed a senior Hamas political leader in a missile strike Thursday, retaliating for a suicide bombing of a bus that killed 20 people, including six children. Hamas vowed revenge and, along with Islamic Jihad, formally called off a truce declared eight weeks ago. Also, Israeli troops raided the West Bank towns of Nablus, Jenin and Tulkarem in search of militants. In the West Bank city Hebron, troops blew up the home of the Jerusalem bus bomber, a routine punishment intended as deterrent. Zionist occupiers use choppers to quell Palestinian detainees Palestinian Information Center 8/21/2003 Nablus - Zionist forces backed by army choppers used extensive teargas canisters to attack and quell Palestinian detainees in the Majeddo prison near Haifa. Prisoners said that fire broke out in all tents in the prison and more than 400 prisoners suffered from suffocation as a result of inhaling the teargas that was used in abundance by the Zionist soldiers. They said that the occupation forces fired 100 canisters per minute in the most violent confrontations in Zionist jails not witnessed for a long period of time. Israel kills senior Hamas leader in bus bomb revenge strike Middle East Online 8/21/2003 A senior leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas was killed in an air strike in Gaza City Thursday as Israel exacted revenge for a massive suicide bomb, hammering the final nail into the coffin of a floundering truce. Ismail Abu Shanab, often described as the group's third-in-command, died when an F-16 plane targeted his car in an attack which claimed the lives of at least two other people, Hamas officials and witnesses said. IDF in action against terrorists in West Bank and Gaza Jerusalem Post 8/21/2003 IDF Paratroopers, Golani and Nahal soldiers, accompanied by tanks moved into the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin early Thursday, searching for Palestinian militants following Tuesday's Jerusalem suicide bombing that killed 20 people, police and Palestinian officials said. The commander of the IDF's 101st Paratrooper brigade said his soldiers had arrested a Palestinian suicide bomber in Nablus on Thursday. The commander said that the terrorist was on his way to collect an explosives belt and take it inside Israel. Israeli troops Demolish 3 Palestinian homes in WB International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 Israeli troops demolished three homes in last night, one in Hebron, and two near Jenin. In Hebron, troops demolished the home of Raed Misq, who carried out the Jerusalem bus bombing attack.  Israeli Troops Invade 3 Palestinian West Bank Cities International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 Hours after the Israeli Cabinet approved military action against Palestinian militant groups, Israeli troops invaded three West Bank cities, killing one Palestinian and wounding five while searching homes and making a few arrests. Israeli troops invaded Nablus’ old city district Wednesday night. Local sources reported home-to-home searches and arrests. Israeli army sources reported that soldiers exchanged fire with Palestinian resistance activists and that three Palestinians were arrested. Major Military Operations in Nablus Focus on Old City International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 Israeli tanks invaded the West Bank city of Nablus early Thursday morning, accompanied by special units that spread all over the city. Israeli forces invaded the area from different entrances. They are conducting a house-to-house searches and are reportedly moving form one house to another through holes made in the walls of each adjacent house. Troops have occupied the Abu El-Hayyat family’s home in the old city as a strategic point because it overlooks the entire area. Seven young Palestinians were arrested after the army raided their houses in the northern mountain area. Israel Assassinates Abu Shanab, Hamas Ends Truce Islam Online 8/21/2003 GAZA CITY, August 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Israel assassinated senior Hamas political leader Ismail Abu Shanab on Thursday, August 21, drawing the group’s declaration of ending the truce proclaimed by the main Palestinian groups on June 29. Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards were killed in an Israeli air strike on his car in central Gaza City, the group and eyewitnesses said. The three died when an Israel F-16 swooped down on the city and fired a volley of rockets at Abu Shanab's station wagon, the office of Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmad Yassin said according to Agence France-Presse (AFP) Israel Killed Abu Shanab, Truce: Palestinian Factions Islam Online 8/21/2003 GAZA CITY, August 21 (IslamOnline.net) – Palestinian factions asserted that by assassinating a moderate Hamas political leader on Thursday, August 21, Israel has killed stone dead the three-month truce declared by the main resistance groups on June 29. Speaking to IslamOnline.net, Islamic Jihad leader Khaled al-Batch said that the assassination of Abu Shanab has "completely wiped out the truce." Israel Assassinates Prominent Hamas Leader In Gaza International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 Senior Hammas Leader in Gaza Ismael Abu Shanab was among the three Palestinians killed Thrusday afternoon by Israeli air-to-land missiles in Gaza city. Abu Shanab’s guards Moumin Albarod and Hani Abu Alumri were also killed in the attack. Israeli Apaches fired 4 missiles at a private car traveling in the Rimal neighborhood of Gaza city. Later, Palestinian paramedics managed to remove the three bodies from the remains of the burning vehicle. Palestinian Medical sources said that 10 other Palestinians were wounded to various degrees in the attack. Israeli forces and tanks enter Nablus, Jenin following suicide bombing Ottawa Citizien 8/21/2003 NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Israeli troops and tanks moved into the West Bank towns of Nablus and Jenin early Thursday, searching for Palestinian militants in the wake of a devastating suicide bombing earlier in the week, police and Palestinian officials said. A column of 13 tanks was seen lining up outside Ramallah, the town where Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarter is located. Palestinian cabinet ministers, PLO officials, Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and Arafat were meeting in Ramallah to discuss how to respond to the suicide attack, but the tanks did not move in. Israeli security officials indicated Arafat's compound would not be targeted, as it was in previous raids. IDF moves on Nablus; plans assassinations Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last night convened the security cabinet to approve Israel's response to Tuesday's Jerusalem terror attack. Ministers were presented with a plan of action against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The Israel Defense Forces last night deployed large numbers of troops in the Nablus area in preparation for military action in the city. Earlier yesterday arrests were carried out in Hebron, from where Tuesday night's suicide bomber left to carry out his attack in Jerusalem. Israeli army invades West Bank, kills two teenagers Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 Israeli troops killed Two Palestinian brothers: Islam Ghanem, 16, and his brother Saed, 15, during an operation in Tulkarem refugee camp in the northern West Bank late Wednesday. The incident occurred after around 12 Israeli tanks and jeeps pushed into Tulkarem city and its neighboring refugee camp, witnesses said. A special undercover unit of soldiers dressed as civilians pushed into the town and began firing inside the camp, leaving four wounded, among them an 11-year-old boy who was injured by a bullet to the leg. PNA Condemns Israeli Assassination of Abu Shanab International Press Center 8/21/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, August 21, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Palestinian National Authority (PNA) condemned Thursday the Israeli assassination of Ismail Abu Shanab, a senior political leader in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas). PNA’s statement regarded the assassination attempt as a mean action that ensures neither security nor peace but rather leads to further escalation and explosion of the situation. Truce ends after killing of Hamas leader Financial Times 8/21/2003 Hamas called off an eight-week-old ceasefire on Thursday after Israeli forces assassinated a senior leader of the Islamic militant group, plunging the fragile US-backed peace process into the worst crisis since it was launched in June. The smaller Islamic Jihad also announced it was abandoning the three-month truce declared on June 29.Ismail Abu Shanab, a founder of Hamas and one of its top three political leaders, was killed with two bodyguards when Israeli helicopters fired five missiles at his car in a busy Gaza street. Witnesses said women, children and construction workers at a nearby site were among dozens injured. Israel Assassinates Three Palestinian Citizens International Press Center 8/21/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 21, 2003, (IPC) - - Israeli fighter jets fired Thursday three rockets at a Palestinian vehicle in Gaza killing three citizens, including a top political leader of the Hamas movement, and injuring 17 others. Three citizens named as Ismael Abu Shanb, 53, Mo’men Baroud and Hani Abu Al Amrain were killed Thursday after being hit with missiles, Shifa hospital sources, reported in Gaza. The three bodies were burned. Seventeen others were wounded, some of them seriously, Shifa hospital added. IOF Kills Two Palestinians, Demolishes 3 houses International Press Center 8/21/2003 Additinal demolitions in Nablus, Al-Yamoun, Hebron, Jenin, Nazelt Essa -- TULKARIM, Palestine, August 2, 03, (IPC+WAFA)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed Thursday Two Palestinian brothers in the West Bank city of Tulkarem. Meanwhile three houses were demolished in two separated incidents in Hebron and Jenin. The brothers Said Ghanem, 15, and Islam Ghanem, 16, have been slain by Israeli occupation forces in Tulkarem, 6 were wounded and 5 civilians were arrested including a boy from Tubass. Besides, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) tore down three Palestinian houses including two houses in Jenin and one in Hebron belongs to Ra’d Abed Al Hameid Misk , who blew himself off in Jerusalem bombing, IPC Correspondent said. Palestinian militants call off ceasefire The Guardian 8/21/2003 Israel launches strike in Gaza · Hamas 'will respond with deeds' · Soldiers raid West Bank towns -- Palestinian militant groups have called off their ceasefire after Israel launched a helicopter strike in Gaza. Three people, including a political leader of Hamas, were killed. The attack followed a suicide bombing, in which 20 Jews died, on Tuesday. Hamas said that one of its senior figures, Ismail Abu Shanab, was killed, along with two of his bodyguards. The group swiftly vowed to avenge his death, proclaiming that the Israeli missile strike had freed it from its commitment to a truce agreed in May. Israel Allows Jews into Al-Aqsa Mosque as Muslims Outraged International Press Center 8/21/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 21, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Under the protection of Israeli police, over 150 Jews entered Wednesday morning the Al-Aqsa Mosque Compound, one Muslims’ holiest sites, slamming the ban enforced by the Islamic [Council]. Such Israeli decision to allow Jews and foreign tourists in the mosque, was taken by the Israeli security minister Tzachi Hanegbi who had pledged three months ago to allow Jews to pray inside the second holiest Muslim site around the world.

Diplomacy..

Background: Israel won't hold back, even at the cost of Abbas Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Should Israel take into account the continuation of Mahmoud Abbas' Palestinian government while carrying out military operations in response to Tuesday's deadly bombing in Jerusalem? Or should it jeopardize a government that hasn't fought terror or attempted to interfere with the militant groups Hamas, Islamic Jihad and Fatah? That is one of the central questions the security cabinet spent a long time debating on Wednesday. Palestinian militants call off truce BBC 8/21/2003 The Palestinian militant groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad have called off their ceasefire after an Israeli missile strike killed a Hamas leader in Gaza City. Helicopter gunships fired several missiles at a car, killing Ismail Abu Shanab, one of Hamas' best-known figureheads, and two of his bodyguards.  Abbas Vows to Catch Bombers as Israel Freezes All Contacts Arab News 8/21/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 21 August 2003 —Palestinian authorities vowed to capture militants behind a massive bomb in Jerusalem which led Israel to freeze all contacts and left US-backed peace efforts in their biggest crisis to date. “Orders have been issued to security forces to investigate and arrest those who are responsible,” Information Minister Nabil Amr told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah in the face of intensified demands from Israel and Washington that the Palestinians tackle hard-liners. PA Vows to Collect Arms International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 The expanded meeting of the PLO executive committee, the Palestinian cabinet, Fatah central committee, and representatives of Palestinian political factions resulted in a formal statement early Thursday morning condemning the Jerusalem bus bombing. The meeting headed by Palestinian Prisedent Yasser Arafat arrived at the following decisions... Palestinian cabinet pledges to rein in militants after blast The Independent 8/21/2003 The Palestinian cabinet voted unanimously last night to crack down against Hamas and Islamic Jihad, which jointly claimed responsibility for Tuesday night's Jerusalem bus bombing that killed 20 religious Jews and wounded more than 100. After an emergency meeting in Gaza, a senior official told The Independent that a "protracted campaign of political, security and operational measures" had been ordered against the two groups. Israel is tricking the world into believing that its army is pulling out of Palestinian towns Jerusalemites 8/17/2003 The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) began the construction last Sunday of two permanent fortified posts in the Hebron neighborhoods of Abu Sneina and Harat al-Sheikh (also known as Juneidi hill). The two hills are in an area of Hebron designated by the 1998 Hebron agreement to be under Palestinian control...."Israel is tricking the world into believing that its army is pulling out of Palestinian towns, as it has already tricked the world over the release of Palestinian prisoners," said Mohammad Al Hindi, leader of Islamic Jihad. Palestinians Urged to Break Up Terrorist Groups Washington Post 8/21/2003 Moving to Shield Peace Plan After Bombing, U.S. Toughens Rhetoric in Pressing Abbas to Act -- Seeking to salvage its Middle East peace plan from the wreckage of a devastating suicide bombing, the Bush administration called on the Palestinian Authority yesterday to act immediately to dismantle terrorist organizations that have claimed responsibility for the attack. Temple Mount is reopened to non-Muslims for two hours a day Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 About 350 Jewish and Christian local and foreign tourists yesterday spent two hours on the Temple Mount from 9-11 A.M., after Israeli police and the Waqf reached an informal agreement allowing non-Muslims to visit the site in the heart of the Old City. Officially, the Waqf denied it had reached any agreement with the police, calling it a unilateral move by the police. But Israeli and Palestinian sources said that the agreement was worked out over the past few days and was the culmination of a much longerprocess that included Jordanian and Palestinian Authority pressure on the Waqf to allow tourists back onto the site. Focus / Secrecy is the key on the Temple Mount Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 When it comes to relations between the Waqf and Israel regarding the status quo on the Temple Mount, a combination of secrecy, pretending and roundabout solutions seems to work best. Publicly, the Waqf and Israel are at total odds over openingthe Temple Mount to non-Muslim visitors, and there are plenty of Muslim clerics, including the mufti Sheikh Sabri, who deny Jews have any connection to the site. But behind the scenes, the Waqf has long been seeking a way to solve the issue, sorely missing the revenues that came from the tourist tickets sold to gain entry to the site, while facing pressure from both the PalestinianAuthority and Jordan, as well as Old City businessmen who want to see the tourists return. Hamas calls on Abbas to quit, leave Palestinian territory Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Senior Hamas official Ismail Abu Haniyah called on Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas to resign and leave the Palestinian territories Thursday, following an Israel Air Force missile strike on a fellow Hamas member. Speaking after he had identified the body of Ismail Abu Shanab, also a senior activist in the organization, Haniyah said that Abbas must quit if he wanted to end the intifada or wished to extend the temporary cease-fire called by militant groups at the end of June. Palestinian "Most Wanted" List Released, 35 Names International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 The Israeli Security Service published the names of the “most wanted" Palestinian activists. The published list includes 35 names, 22 from the West Bank and 13 from the Gaza Strip. Israeli security sources warned that if the Palestinian Authority fails to arrest those on the list, Israel will target them. Most of the published names are for activists who live in areas controlled by Israel. Abbas: Israel's strike against Hamas undermines peace efforts Jerusalem Post 8/21/2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said that Israel's killing of a top Hamas leader on Thursday would undermine Palestinian efforts to crackdown on militant groups. Israeli helicopters fired five missiles at a car in the Gaza Strip, killing Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab and two of his bodyguards. Speaking to reporters outside his office in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Abbas condemned the killing. "There is no doubt that what the Israeli troops carried out today is an ugly crime," he said. US administration backs Zionist enemy Palestinian Information Center 8/21/2003 Washington - The American administration has exercised intensified pressures on the Palestinian Authority through telephone and diplomatic contacts clearly warning that "Israel" would target the PA in the event it did not strike Palestinian resistance factions. American president George Bush is expected to telephone PA premier Mahmoud Abbas to inform him of this message.

Human Rights..

Palestinian towns have become large prisons, WCC says Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 The World Council Churches media relations office issued a statement last Monday saying "WCC and our member churches are extremely concerned about the creation of the so-called security wall," says the director of the World Council of Churches' Commission of the Churches on International Affairs (WCC/CCIA) Peter Weiderud. Speaking at a press briefing at the end of a 12-14 August World Council of Churches' (WCC) staff visit to Jerusalem, Weiderud was referring to the separation wall presently under construction in the West Bank. Supreme Court Denies Request of Attorney General and Municipalities for a Second Hearing in Arabic Language Case Adalah 8/18/2003 On 14 August 2003, the Supreme Court of Israel by Justice Eliyahu Matza, denied the request of Attorney General Elyakim Rubenstein and the Tel Aviv-Jaffa, Lod, Ramle, and Natseret Illit municipalities for a second hearing on a case involving the use of the Arabic language on all traffic, warning, and other informational signs in these mixed Arab-Jewish cities. Report: Uprooting Palestinian Trees And Leveling Agricultural Land Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/21/2003 The Nigh Report on Israeli Land Sweeping and Demolition of Palestinian Buildings and Facilities in the Gaza Strip, 01st July,2002 – 31st March, 2003 -- According to PCHR’s documentation, over the period under study, 1 July 2002 – 31 March 2003,[1] Israeli occupying forces razed 3135.5 donums[2] of Palestinian agricultural land and destroyed dozens of irrigation networks, water pumps, beehives, animal and bird farms and agricultural stores in the Gaza Strip. Also during this reporting period, Israeli occupying forces totally demolished 494 Palestinian houses and damaged hundreds of others in the Gaza Strip, rendering 4499 Palestinian civilians (about 642 families) homeless.[3] After a 20-month pursuit of justice, Israeli authorities rule to compensate Palestinian fishermen for destruction of boat Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/20/2003 In an unprecedented ruling since the beginning of the current Intifada, the compensation department of the Israeli Ministry of Defense ruled to award two Palestinians from Deir al-Balah - represented by PCHR – NIS 245,000 (approximately US$10,200) in compensation for the loss of their boat that was destroyed by Israeli occupying forces on 18 January 2002. Prisoners in Isolation Sections in Shata, B’r As-sab’ and ‘Iloul Announced Open Hunger Strike International Middle East Media Center 8/21/2003 Today, the isolated prisoners in Shata’s jails, B’r As-saba’ and Ailoul announced opened hunger strikes to achieve their just demands. In a letter sent to Jerusalem, the prisoners in isolation cells ensured that they decided to begin their protest to be released after the prison administration refused to listen to their demands. The prisoners said that their conditions are extremely poor and their situation complicated due to the systematic attack of the jail’s administration. The most recent attack was the torture of the prisoners Hani Jabber and ‘Ahmad Shukri, in addition to refusing them their legal rights. Abdelrazeq Criticizes Israeli Measures Against Palestinian Prisoners International Press Center 8/21/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 21, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)— Palestinian Minister for Prisoners Affairs, Hesham Abdelrazeq, criticized Thursday the Israeli oppressive measures against Palestinian prisoners in the Israeli prison of Mejedo, which led to the injury of 120 prisoners. Abdelrazeq was reported as saying “those 1,128 Palestinian prisoners who are being jailed in the Majedo prison have been exposed to oppressive punitive measures at the hands of Israeli army well-armed units, including tear gas, stun grenades and beatings.” Adalah Urges AG to Investigate Death of Individual While in Police Custody Adalah 8/19/2003 Yesterday, 18 August 2003, Adalah sent a letter to Attorney General (AG) Elyakim Rubenstein demanding that he order the opening of an investigation into the death of Mr. Hamad Dibsan, a 30 year-old Arab citizen of Israel, who died while in police custody. Following a middle of the night police search of Mr. Dibsan’s home in Rahat in the Naqab (Negev) on 14 August 2003, Mr. Dibsan was arrested and detained. Later that day, Mr. Dibsan’s family was told to bring clothes and shoes to the police station for him, which they did, however, they did not see him. At 3 a.m. on 17 August 2003, the police notified Mr. Dibsan’s family that he had committed suicide. Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 14–20 August 2003 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/21/2003 A Palestinian activist was killed in a new extra-judicial assassination perpetrated by Israeli forces in Hebron / In an apparent willful killing, Israeli forces killed a Palestinian child in Tulkarm / Indiscriminate Israeli shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip / A house in Rafah was destroyed by Israeli forces / A number of houses were raided in the West Bank and a number of Palestinians were arrested by Israeli forces / 3 houses in the West Bank were destroyed as Israel continued its campaign of retaliation against the families of wanted Palestinians and those who allegedly carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets / Israeli forces established 3 new observation towers in Khan Yunis / Israeli authorities once again instated a total siege on the OPTs

Economy..

Israel signs loan guarantee agreement with US Globes 8/21/2003 The US will adopt a flexible approach to offsetting expenditure in the territories. -- The $9 billion in US loan guarantees will be directed toward increasing growth and easing the public debt burden, not increasing the budget deficit, according to the detailed loan agreement between Israel and the US, signed last night. The legal-financial agreement stipulates the terms for the loan guarantees the US administration will provide for bond issues by Israel on US financial markets in 2003-06....The US loan guarantees will be for issues redeemable in 20-30 years. In other words, although the interest will be paid regularly, the principal, which is much greater, will only be repaid in 20 or 30 years, in 2023-26 and in 2033-36.   Imports from Israel amounted to $1400 million Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 Palestinian imports from Israel amounted to $1418 million compared to $358 million for exports to Israel in 2001, said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in a recent report on trade volume between the Palestinian areas and Israel. It said more than 75% of Palestinian trade is with Israel. Security escalation likely to slow interest rate reduction Globes 8/21/2003 The killing of a senior Hamas commander, and the Hamas announcement that the ceasefire had ended, have raised the shekel-dollar exchange rate. -- The security events of recent days are liable to affect Governor of the Bank of Israel David Klein’s decision on the key interest rate. Jerusalem sources believe that Klein is liable to slow the pace of the interest rate cuts in the wake of recent events, and their affect on the exchange rate and inflation expectations. $9m stick By Avi Temkin, Globes 8/21/2003 The loan guarantees give Israel breathing space, and Netanyahu extra clout. -- The final signing of the loan guarantees agreement with US comes at the right time for the Israeli economy. After a stream of negative economic and security news, the signing of the agreement reminds investors and the rating companies that the US is backing the Israeli economy, and is willing to guarantee $9 billion of credit over the next five years. The very signing of the loan guarantees agreement shows that Israel possesses a very important asset: US support. Industrial exports up 4.5% this year Globes 8/21/2003 Industrial exports totaled NIS 11.1 billion in January-July 2003. High-tech exports fell by 3.5%. Exports to Europe rose sharply. -- Industrial exports, excluding diamonds, totaled NIS 11.1 billion in January-July 2003, 4.5% higher than in the corresponding period last year, according to an analysis by the Ministry of Industry, Trade and Labor planning and economy division. Industrial exports, including diamonds, rose by 3.5% to NIS 14.4 billion. Palestinian Airlines inaugurates flights to Jordan, Egypt Jerusalem Post 8/21/2003 Palestinian Airlines inaugurated Thursday a thrice weekly flight between Jordan and Egypt as a temporary service until the international airport in the Gaza Strip can reopen. Airline spokesman Nafez Suleiman said Thursday's flight took off from the Jordanian capital Amman and flew to Egypt's Mediterranean port of al-Arish with 40 passengers aboard. The plane was a Canadian-made Dash 8.

People..

Muted feelings for 'martyr' with a grudge The Guardian 8/21/2003 When Arij Joubeh's family says she knew nothing of her husband's intentions as he left to blow up an Israeli bus carrying religious Jews, it is not hard to believe them. She was clearly not prepared for the carnage exacted by Raed Mesk - who disguised himself as an ultra-orthodox Jew so he could kill 20 people, including six children - or she would already have packed. Yesterday, at a wake in Hebron for the bomber, the family said Mrs Joubeh had heard the news of her husband's actions with alarm. Six months' pregnant, and with two children aged four and 18 months , she realised the first thing she had to do was to get out of her home in Hebron. The Israeli army routinely blows up the houses of suicide bombers. Soussi Studio: photographing South Lebanon Daily Star 8/21/2003 Craftsman captured the trials and tribulations of region on film -- In early March, Chafic Ahmed Soussi died peacefully in his sleep at the age of 82. His passing signaled both the end of a life and the end of a celebrated era in Sidon’s rich history. Soussi was a man whose enterprise, skill and initiative changed not only his own life, but also the lives of countless others, and whose 50-year career as a photographer marked a significant period in Lebanon’s historical landscape. Saddam no longer a joke for Syrian satirist The Guardian 8/21/2003 The Syrian Ba'athist regime is struggling to prevent a rising tide of agitation for across-the-board reform and democratisation from turning into a flood. For one of the last fraying Arab versions of the theoretically socialist, one-party state, repression is proving less and less effective. Censorship has always been at the heart of this struggle, exemplified by the story of the publisher Ali Farzat and his satirical weekly, Addomari. Farzat is a cartoonist of international repute who has won many awards. His work has appeared in the Paris daily Le Monde. 17 new immigrants from Iraq arrive in Israel late Wednesday Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Seventeen new immigrants from Iraq landed at Ben Gurion Airport late Wednesday night. The new immigrants are from two families of two sisters who lived in Iraq. They did not fly directly to Israel, but had stops on the way. Unlike the six elderly Jews from Iraq brought to Israel at the end of July, the group that arrived Wednesday are complete families and include children.The recent arrivals have relatives in Israel.

International..

Israel lowering profile on Iran's nuke plans Ha'aretz 8/21/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered a lowering of Israel's posturing over the Iranian nuclear weapons program, in order to allow American diplomacy to work on the issue. Against that backdrop, Gideon Frank, head of the Atomic Energy Agency, left for Washington this week to coordinate Jerusalem's position with the U.S. administration. On September 8, the board of governors of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) is holding a critical session in Vienna to hear a report by IAEA director Mohamed El Baradei on his inspections mission to Iran. Israel Envoy: U.N. Bomb Came From Syria The Guardian 8/21/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Israel's ambassador to the United Nations said Thursday that intelligence reports show the truck used in the deadly bombing of U.N. headquarters in Baghdad came from Syria. However, Ambassador Dan Gillerman said he had no evidence linking Syria directly to Tuesday's attack, which killed more than 20 people and injured more than 100. Sharon Will Not be Allowed to Step on Indian Soil: Raza Academy Palestine Chronicle 8/21/2003 NEW DELHI - A Muslim social organization, Raza Academy said it would not allow Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to step "on the sacred Indian soil," local press reported on Thursday. Reacting to the invitation extended by Indian Government to Israeli Prime Minister, the Academy general secretary Mohammad Syed Noori said, "by extending the invitation to Sharon, Indian government has committed the cardinal sin of bestowing honor on a war criminal, who is deeply detested by the vast majority of the global community because of this unsavory reputation." Canadian on trial for spying on Hizbullah bases Daily Star 8/21/2003 The Lebanese Military Court tried on Wednesday Canadian missionary Bruce Balfour, who was arrested in Beirut on July 10. Balfour was accused of spying on Hizbullah installations and of engaging in activities to the benefit of the Israeli government. He is currently facing life imprisonment with hard labor. When he was questioned at the military court ­ presided over by Brigadier General Maher Safieddine ­ Balfour denied the accusation and maintained that his visit to Lebanon was “of a religious and environmental nature.” He also said he deliberately favored the Jezzine area because of the substantial presence of cedar trees there. Bronfman letter on fence revives debate on Jewish criticism of Israel JTA 8/13/2003 NEW YORK, Aug. 13 (JTA) — An uproar over Israel´s security fence is provoking an unusual public scuffle in a major Jewish organization and reviving the longtime Diaspora debate on the propriety of publicly challenging Israeli policy. The spat between the World Jewish Congress´ president, Edgar Bronfman, and the group´s senior vice president, Isi Leibler, erupted last week when Leibler wrote a newspaper column demanding that Bronfman apologize or resign for urging President Bush to pressure Israel and the Palestinians to follow the "road map" peace plan. New Zealand is latest locale in Mideast editorial cartoon battle JTA 8/20/2003 SYDNEY, Australia, Aug. 19 (JTA) — Editorial cartoons seen as anti-Semitic have ruffled feathers in the Jewish community in the United States and Australia. Now a similar squabble has led to the firing of a prominent cartoonist in New Zealand. New Zealand´s major newspaper dropped award-winning cartoonist Malcolm Evans for the way he caricatured Jews in cartoons dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. Gulf War Veterans Sue Chemical Companies For Compensation Al-Hayat 8/20/2003 Blaming corporations for fueling former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein's chemical weapons program, U.S. veterans of the first Gulf War filed a lawsuit Tuesday seeking compensation for illnesses affecting more than 100,000 soldiers. "Anyone with eyes and ears knew Saddam was killing people with poison gas in the 1980s," lawyer Gary B. Pitts said outside federal court. "These companies have to be held accountable or they'll do this same thing in the future with some other tyrant." Petition to President Bush, The White House: RECOGNIZE PALESTINE NOW Council for the National Interest RESOLVED that it is now time for the U.S. to recognize Palestine immediately as a sovereign state, able to take her place in the world of nations and carry out her responsibilities.

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