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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..

IOF Kills Palestinian in Nablus, Arrests Three in Bethlehem and Destroys House in Tulkarim International Press Center 8/23/2003 NABLUS, Palestine, August 23, 2003 (IPC)-- A Palestinian civilian was killed and others were wounded while a house was demolished as Israeli occupation forces swept into Nablus City Friday. Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent that violent confrontations took place when Israeli occupation forces (IOF) stormed Rafidia hospital in the city, opening fire at the people there, due to which Khaled Al Namrooty was killed and others were wounded, including two in a critical case. IOF kidnapped one of those wounded and led him into an unknown place. Meanwhile, IOF surrounded Rafidia hospital and denied patients’ access from into the hospital. A tight curfew is still imposed over Nablus. In a separate incident, Israeli occupation forces stormed Friday a mosque and a church in Nablus City, leaving behind grave damages. Israel to continue targeting militants The Guardian 8/23/2003 Israel says it will kill other Hamas leaders if the militant group retaliates for the assassination of Ismail Abu Shanab and that it will target them anyway if the Palestinian Authority does not confront "terrorist organisations". Israeli officials said the army had held off from further attacks on militant leaders for a brief period to give the Palestinian Authority time to move against Hamas and Islamic Jihad. But the Israelis say they have little expectation that the Palestinian prime minister, Mahmoud Abbas, will do so. Sixteen Palestinians injured in clashes with IDF in Nablus Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 Most of the injured Palestinians were under 20, and the youngest was 11, hospital officials said. -- Israel Defense Forces troops fired rubber bullets Saturday into a crowd of stone-throwing youths and men in Nablus, leaving at least 16 injured, hospital officials in the Palestinian West Bank city said. Most were shot with rubber bullets and had only light injuries, while two were hit in the legs by live bullets and one was wounded in the hand by shrapnel, hospital officials said. At Gaza Funeral, Arab Anger Boils Up; Israel Tightens Checkpoints New York Times 8/23/2003 GAZA, Aug. 22 — Thousands of enraged Palestinians at the funeral here of a slain Hamas official vowed today to take sweeping revenge against Israel, which signaled that it would continue to hunt down the leaders of militant groups. As tension built throughout Israel, the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Israeli troops opened fire on three Palestinian militants on the rooftop of a hospital in Nablus, on the West Bank, according to witnesses and the Israeli military. For the fourth day, Curfew is still imposed in Hebron and some residents injured International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2003 The Israeli forces imposed curfew on Hebron city and its suburbs since four days. The old city of Hebron and Bab Al-Zawyeh, the main entrance of the city are still under a strict curfew. Rattles of tanks and military vehicles invaded the city today in the early morning hours supported by Apaches in several areas of the city. Eyewitnesses said, Israeli soldiers shot tear gas at residential areas injuring a civilian in his head and other kids chocked from the Gas where some of them fainted and were all taken to the hospital for treatment. Jewish terror suspect allegedly already carried out attacks Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 The remand of Jewish terror suspect Shahar Dvir-Zeliger was extended by six days Friday by a Jerusalem court. It was released for publication that Dvir-Zeliger is suspected of weapons violations, attempted murder, and planning and carrying out terror attacks against Arabs that took place in recent years. Israeli Authorities denied a Swedish Delegation entry to the country International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2003 The Israeli authorities at Ben Gurion Airport denied entry to a Swedish delegation from a Cultural institute. The delegation was supposed to take part in a workshop in Bethlehem about cultural exchange between Palestine and Sweden. The workshop was planned to be between 21 – 28 August in the Peace Centre in the city. Israeli Military Operation Inside Nablus Is Ongoing International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2003 Israeli troops continued with their military actions inside the old section of the West Bank city of Nablus for the third consecutive day. Military activities are taking place in the old city, the Northern Mountain area, Alshekh Muslem area, and Alhebla town. Israeli soldiers occupied several homes in the old city and erected few military check posts. Many families were looked inside one room while soldiers occupied the rest of the home and the rooftops. IMEMC correspondent reported that the 9 members of Badran’s family in the old city were looked inside one room while soldiers took over the rest of their home. Palestinians vow revenge as they bury Hamas leader The Independent 8/23/2003 The funeral of Ismail Abu Shanab, the Hamas leader assassinated by Israel on Thursday, turned into a massive show of Palestinian solidarity in Gaza yesterday. All the Palestinian militias, in battle fatigues, masks and martyrs' headbands, paraded their rifles and rocket launchers, brandishing their flags and vowing revenge. BREAKING NEWS: Curfews on Hebron, Jenin, home demolitions continue International Press Center 8/23/2003 12:30 -- Israeli occupation forces imposed, for the forth consequent day, a restrict military curfew on Hebron City, isolating it from the outer world, Palestinian security sources / 12:00 -- Israeli occupation forces conducted house-search camping in Al Qasaba neighborhood of Nablus City, arrested a number of civilians, IPC...  Israel Kills Three Palestinians, Splits Gaza Into Three Palestine Chronicle 8/23/2003 NABLUS – Israeli occupation forces killed three Palestinian activists in the West Bank city of Nablus on Friday, August 22, few hours after ejecting a roadblock on the main highway through the Gaza Strip splitting it into three parts. Israeli forces shot the room of three Palestinian fighters sheltering in a small rooftop room of Rafidya hospital in Nablus, killing all of them, reported the Israeli Haaretz newspaper. Palestinian sources identified the three as members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Fatah movement, said the Israeli daily. Video: "Hamas has vowed it will avenge blood with blood" BBC 8/23/2003 Video: The BBC's Roland Buerk: "Hamas has vowed it will avenge blood with blood" Revenge Promised at Funeral Arab News 8/23/2003 NABLUS, West Bank, 23 August 2003 — Israeli troops shot and killed two Palestinians inside a West Bank hospital yesterday, extending a new spiral of violence that has smashed a cease-fire vital to the US-backed road map peace plan. The killings came as tens of thousands of angry Palestinians calling for revenge marched in the funeral of Ismail Abu Shanab, a US-educated Hamas leader who was assassinated by an Israeli helicopter missile strike in Gaza City on Thursday. Palestinian groups called off a seven-week-old cease-fire after Israel killed Abu Shanab in an attack that followed a Hamas bombing — a relapse into tit-for-tat bloodshed that doomed previous peacemaking efforts. Israelis, Palestinians both vowing violence Toronto Star 8/23/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) — Israeli troops killed a Palestinian militant and wounded two others in a shootout today at a West Bank hospital as Israel vowed to hunt down and kill militant leaders unless Palestinian authorities rein in the armed groups. In the Gaza Strip, tens of thousands of Hamas supporters buried a militant leader killed in an Israeli missile strike Thursday and vowed revenge. The group's defiant leaders said they did not fear death and a new generation was ready to take their places.

Diplomacy..

Bush Orders Move to Freeze Assets of Hamas Charities New York Times 8/23/2003 BURBANK, Wash., Aug. 22 — President Bush ordered the Treasury Department today to block and freeze the assets of six top leaders of the militant Palestinian group Hamas and five charities based outside the United States that administration officials said help finance Hamas. Mr. Bush said he was taking the action in response to Hamas's claim of responsibility for the bus bombing in Israel on Tuesday that killed 20 people....In Washington, a senior administration official conceded that the organizations had few if any assets in the United States....European officials were reluctant to comment on the matter today, but no European nation has publicly endorsed the freeze.  Palestinians call on Israel to sign up to new truce Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 A senior Hamas official said Saturday the militant group was ready to discuss a new truce despite Israel's killing of a senior political leader which he said had led to the collapse of the three month cease-fire declared by militants on June 29. "I think in political work it is possible to talk about a political step... The leadership of the movement will study any political step presented," Hamas' Lebanon head Usama Hamdan said. Asked if the organization would discuss a possible new truce, he said: "We are ready to discuss any political ideas. But we are not ready to take positions before we know all the details." Official: Israel won't agree to any more 'hudnas' Jerusalem Post 8/23/2003 Israel will not agree to any more 'hudna' type security arrangements with the Palestinians and will stick to its demand that the PA dismantle the terror organizations, a senior official said Saturday. The official said that dismantling Hamas, Islamic Jihad and other extremist groups will become the starting point for any future security arrangement with the PA, Israel Radio reported.  Armitage to arrive in region; Hamas leaders' assets frozen Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell will send his deputy, Richard Armitage, to tour several Middle East countries in an effort to save the road map peace plan, as well as to discuss the situation in Iraq, Israel Radio reported Saturday. The report did not state which countries Armitage would visit. Armitage called on Arab states to pressure PA Chairman Yasser Arafat to give Palestinian PM Mahmoud Abbas and Security Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan full control over the Palestinian security apparatus, the radio said. Palestinian leaders call for new truce with Israel Al-Bawaba 8/23/2003 Palestinian leaders said Saturday they would try to broker a new halt to attacks by Islamic and other groups and urged Israel to stop killing top activists. Chances for a new cease-fire looked remote, however, and top Palestinian officials said privately they were unable to stop what looked set to be an all-out war between Israel and armed Palestinian groups. Palestinians Try to Halt Militant Attacks The Guardian 8/23/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - Facing a fresh storm of violence, Palestinian leaders said Saturday they would try to broker a new halt to attacks by Islamic and other extremist groups and urged Israel to stop killing top militants. Chances for a new cease-fire looked dim, however, and top Palestinian officials said privately they were unable to stop what looked set to be an all-out war between Israel and Palestinian militants. Sha’ath: El-Baz is working for a New Truce to be honored by Israel International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2003 At the end of his Friday meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, the Advisor of the Egyptian President and his special envoy Usama El-Baz said that if Israel gives the Palestinian Authority more time to put pressure on Hamas and Islamic Jihad, it will be possible to see how serious the Palestinians are. El-Baz affirmed that Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and His Security Affars Minister Mohammed Dahlan were serious in taking actions to restore law and order in the Palestinian Authority controlled areas. American Assets Freeze Ineffectual: Hamas Islam Online 8/23/2003 CAIRO, August 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Palestinian resistance movement Hamas downplayed Saturday, August 23, U.S. President George W. Bush's decision to freeze the assets of six of its top leaders and five Europe-based pro-Palestinians charities. The new American decision was also ridiculed by one of the five relief organizations. "Bush's decision will have no effect on Hamas at all because the movement does not have assets in the U.S., Europe or even Arab countries," Abdul Aziz Al-Rantisi, a senior Hamas leader, told Al-Arabiya news channel. PNA: US Allowed for Israel to ‘Negotiate Roadmap’ Instead of Implementing It Palestine Media Center 8/23/2003 Bush to Stay Very Much Engaged, but Shows No Sign of Major Intervention -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) criticized US Administration of allowing for Israel to “negotiate” the roadmap plan instead of “implementing” it, which contributed to the currently deteriorating security situation on the ground as Israel is launching an all-embracing war on the Palestinian people with the aim of offsetting the successes of Prime Minister Mahmud Abbas government and derailing the peace process away from implementing the Quartet-adopted Middle East peace plan. Hamas calls on EU to rebuff US demands for freezing of funds Jerusalem Post 8/23/2003 Europe should reject U.S. demands that it freeze the funds of Hamas officials and pro-Palestinian charities, the Lebanese representative of the Hamas militant group said Saturday. "We call on the countries that the Americans are trying to pressure not to respond to the pressure," Osama Hamdan said in a statement. He added the "American decisions ... are based on Israel's interests." A similar call was issued by one of the charities named by the U.S. government, the Sanabel Endowment for Relief and Development, which denied Saturday having any links to Hamas and expressed "astonishment at the unjustified" freeze. Road map sowed seeds of ceasefire's destruction The Guardian 8/23/2003 US plan called on Palestinian PM to rein in violence, while at the same time declaring war on Hamas and Islamic Jihad -- The trap laid for the ceasefire, which brought a few weeks of hope after almost three years of intifada, was sprung by the peace plan it was supposed to help, the widely scorned road map. At the heart of the first part of the road map was a fatal contradiction. It required the Palestinians to call a ceasefire while disarming and dismantling "terrorist organisations". Powell Invites Arafat To Help Abbas Al-Hayat 8/23/2003 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell considered that the end of the Roadmap, which calls for the creation of a Palestinian state alongside Israel, would represent an abyss into which both (Israeli and Palestinian) parties would fall. During a press conference held following his meeting with UN Secretary General Kofi Annan, Powell said that the only alternative to the Roadmap was further death, destruction and the triumph of terrorism coupled with the failure to establish a Palestinian state, which is unacceptable. Middle East sides appeal to US BBC 8/23/2003 Both the Palestinians and Israelis have appealed to America after a week of bloodshed engulfed the US-backed roadmap peace plan. A Palestinian Authority (PA) official called on Washington to take a strong line in stopping Israeli "escalation" as moves began to secure a new, broader cease-fire. An Israeli official called on the US to bring the message home to the PA that it had to keep Palestinian militant groups in check itself. Palestinians Put Ball in U.S. Court Over 'Road Map' Reuters 8/22/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The Palestinian Authority said it would crack down on militants only if Israel halted military action in Palestinian areas, brushing aside U.S. demands and putting the onus on Washington to save a peace plan. After cabinet talks with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Friday, the Authority called for the United States to send monitors to help get the peace "road map" back on track after a cease-fire was smashed by a new spiral of violence. "We hold the U.S. government responsible for developments in the coming hours," cabinet minister Yasser Abed Rabbo said after the meeting in the Israeli-occupied city of Ramallah. Ambassadors spar over role of Hizbullah Daily Star 8/23/2003 Battle, Abboud agree to disagree - US envoy labels group ‘terrorist,’ but representative to Washington terms it a political party with broad support -- A debate over US-Lebanese bilateral relations between the US ambassador to Lebanon, Vincent Battle, and Lebanon’s ambassador to Washington, Farid Abboud, has seen the two agree on many issues and differ on that of Hizbullah. Late on Thursday, in an event organized by the American University of Beirut’s Alumni Association, Battle stood his ground on all fronts declining to respond to two questions only. When asked why a couple of months ago Deputy Prime Minister Issam Fares and Finance Minister Fouad Siniora were denied entry visas to the US, Battle told an amused audience that he couldn’t answer because he was forbidden by law. NEWS ANALYSIS: The Illusions of Progress New York Times 8/23/2003 JERUSALEM, Aug. 22 — "Great and hopeful change is coming to the Middle East," President Bush declared on June 4, as he stood with the Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel, and Mr. Sharon's Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas. Appearing at a summit meeting in Aqaba, Jordan, they presented a picture of shared determination to achieve lasting peace. Since then, the image the Palestinians have sought to project has been of a unilateral halt to violence. For the Israelis, it has been of earnest concessions, including troops withdrawn and prisoners released. Analysis / With the road map clinically dead, a new approach Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 The security cabinet's decision Wednesday on the response to the previous day's deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem indicates a change in the Israeli strategy in the conflict with Palestinians. In the past, Israel saddled the Palestinian Authority with the responsibility for keeping the peace, and acted against the PA even when the people who attacked Israelis were from Hamas, Islamic Jihad or the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. Israel targeted PA apparatuses as part of a 50-year-old Israeli policy of damaging the honor of the Arab sovereign so that Israel will be the one to reign in the terrorists. Video: Egyptian Envoy Meets With Arafat New York Times 8/23/2003 Video: Egyptian Envoy Meets With Arafat Egypt Brokering New Truce, Seeks End Of Assassinations Islam Online 8/22/2003 CAIRO, August 22 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Egypt launched a new diplomacy drive Friday, August 22, to contain the explosive situation in the occupied Palestinian territories after the Israeli assassination of Hamas political leader Ismail Abu Shanab, but stressed that must stop assassinating Palestinian activists. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's top adviser Osama al-Baz made an impromptu visit to Ramallah for talks with Palestinian officials aimed at crafting a new truce by resistance groups raging with anger over the assassination of Abu Shanab in a Gaza raid.  Mubarak’s Envoy El-baz and other World Leaders Broker Calm between Palestinians and Israelis International Press Center 8/23/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, August 23, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Egyptian President’s senior advisor, Osama Albaz, met yesterday with Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and his Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, in an effort to contain further deterioration of the situation in light of Israeli assassination of Ismael Abu Shanab, a senior Hamas political leader. Israel Paralyzes ‘Roadmap’ Peace Plan, Kills Truce Palestine Media Center 8/23/2003 Annan: Israel Has No Right to Resort to Extra-judicial Measures -- The fragile, US-sponsored “roadmap” peace plan has been paralyzed and is in danger of complete collapse in an all-embracing war Israel is launching on Palestinian people and national authority, following the collapse of the Hudna (truce), which was unilaterally declared by Palestinians on June 29, due to Israel’s policy of what UN chief Kofi Annan called “extra-judicial” killing of anti-occupation activists. Bush Imposes Financial Blockade On Hamas Al-Hayat 8/23/2003 President George W. Bush escalated his campaign against Hamas and imposed a financial blockade on the group. This is the first of such step, which could negatively affect Egyptian and European diplomatic efforts aiming to stop the deterioration, renew the truce and save the Roadmap. Yesterday, amidst a mood of tension and calls for revenge, Gaza witnessed one of its largest demonstrations with more than 100,000 Palestinians participated in the funeral Hamas leader Ismail Abu Shanab and his two companions, whom Israel assassinated two days earlier. US freezes Hamas accounts BBC 8/23/2003 The United States is freezing the assets of six top figures in the militant Palestinian organisation Hamas, including its spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. President George Bush said the action was a response to Tuesday's suicide bombing by a Palestinian militant that killed 20 people on a Jerusalem bus. The US administration is taking similar action against five groups alleged to have provided support for Hamas.

Human Rights..

National committee Formed to Support Prisoners Hunger Strike International Middle East Media Center 8/23/2003 The Palestinian prisoners Society issued a leaflet announcing the formation of a National committee to support the prisoners’ hunger strike that started few days ago to demand prisoners’ unconditional release. The leaflet defined the role of the established committee as to work to provide public, media, and political support for Palestinian prisoners in their struggle for freedom. Large scale demolition nr Tulkarem/Re-invasion of Nablus International Solidarity Movement 8/23/2003 1. Large scale demolition near Tulkarem / 2. Re-invasion of Nablus'Old City / 3. Media Co-ordinator's note -- August 21, 2003- Early Friday morning, 15 heavy-duty earth moving machines rolled into Nazlat'Isa accompanied by a large number of soldiers, border police and Israeli workers. By afternoon, they had demolished four houses and 120 shops which were mostly building/industrial supply stores and parts of markets. Friday, 22nd August, 2003 - In the eary hours of Thursday morning, Israeli Occupation Forces re-occupied the Old City of Nablus, with the supposed intention of finding bomb making facilities and weapons stores. This re-occupation involved curfew and the occupying of Palestinian homes and offices within the Old City. Currently at least twenty homes are being - or have been - occupied by the IOF. Appeal For Support of the ISM Legal Fund International Solidarity Movement 8/23/2003 Dear Friends: As our movement grows we continue to challenge the Israeli occupation on multiple fronts. One front is the Israeli legal system. It is not possible to expect justice from a system that serves as the legal stamp for Israeli occupation, but it is possible to use it as a stage from which to expose aspects of the Israel apartheid system. We need funds for ongoing battles and in order to be prepared should any activist require legal assistance in the near future. Police expect quiet at Islamic Movement rally on Temple Mount Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 The Islamic Movement is expecting thousands of participants to attend an event to be held Saturday afternoon on Temple Mount, on the backdrop of the arrest of the movement's leaders and the reopening of the site to non-Muslim visitors. The event, "The Al Aqsa Children Fund Festival" is expected to begin at 4:30 P.M, and will be the first mass gathering held by the movement since April, which is not directly connected to the arrest of its leader Sheikh Ra'ad Salah. The police made no special preparations for the event, and expects the rally to proceed in a quiet manner.

Economy..

The Hurvitz cure Globes 8/18/2003 Teva's chairman speaks his mind on bad economic management and what to do about it. -- In Teva's (Nasdaq: TEVA; TASE:TEVA) financial report, published in late July, CFO Dan Suesskind stated that the company's market cap was NIS 65 billion. He adds, "We haven’t yet reached the size of the state budget, but we're getting there." The man behind this shining success story is Teva chairman Eli Hurvitz. He has recently made trenchant criticisms of the government's budget management, policies, strategy, and in general, compared Israel to a "failing company". The fundamental failure, he says, is the civil service bureaucracy that runs the country behind the scenes.

People..

Children's author faces Jewish wrath The Guardian 8/23/2003 Tale of boy's life in West Bank prompts pressure groups to call for withdrawal --Jewish pressure groups are calling on a publisher to withdraw a children's book about a Palestinian boy growing up amid the intifada on the West Bank. A Little Piece of Ground, by the multi-award-winning author Elizabeth Laird, is a fictional account of how a 12-year-old called Karim - whose family's olive groves have been confiscated by settlers - copes when his father is stripped and humiliated by Israeli troops.  Barenboim heads to Rabat for first ever concert on Arab land Middle East Times 8/22/2003 Argentine-born pianist and conductor Daniel Barenboim was planning to take his West-Eastern-Divan orchestra of Arab and Israeli musicians to Rabat for a concert on Sunday that will be the ensemble's first date in an Arab country. Barenboim, born in 1942 in Buenos Aires to Russian Jewish parents, will conduct the 80-strong group in the Muhammad V Theater as they perform Beethoven's Third Symphony and Mozart's Concerto for Three Pianos. High school pupil invents device to detect counterfeit currency Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 Mumen Odeh, 17, of Khan Younis, was recently able to invent a device that utilizes a metallic strip in paper money to detect counterfeit currency. But Odeh is not the only young inventor in Palestine; Imad Al-Farra, 17, invented a crib that shakes automatically once the baby starts to cry, and Ahmed Al-Sirr, also 17, invented a fan that starts automatically when the temperature rises and stops when the temperature falls. Those young inventors are members of the Science Club in Kahn Younis, founded by the Ministry of Higher Education to hone the skills and abilities of students. Thalassemia wing opened at Nablus National Hospital Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 An opening ceremony was held recently at the National Hospital in Nablus to launch the Thalassemia treatment facility completed in cooperation with the Thalassemia Patients' Friends Foundation, the Palestinian Health Ministry, and the British Consulate in Jerusalem. Dr. Anan Al-Masri, deputy assistant health minister, delivered the speech of the ministry, indicating the importance of the new facility and praising the support of the British Consulate. Women in media and the elections Jerusalem Times 8/21/2003 The idea of establishing a media center for women prior to the elections scheduled to take place in January has gained wide approval in various women’s sectors, which have called for hastening the establishment of such a center in order to broaden the role of women, not just in the electoral process, but in all social activities. Some of the women asked for new women’s leaderships, some stressed the need to cater to leaderships already in existence, and others called for refraining from excluding men from certain activities. No longer given the brush-off Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 The presence of Palestinian artists is now being felt in the world of Israeli art. And it seems these Arab creators prefer to speak for themselves rather than a national collective -- At the Sommer Contemporary Art Gallery in Tel Aviv, Manal Mahamid is showing rows of black buckets on shelves, in which there are hundreds of red roses.  Shahin torn between rage at US politics, youth in California Middle East Online 8/23/2003 Egyptian film maker Yussef Shahin is toying with a title for his latest film as he grapples with his anger at current US foreign policy and nostalgia for two golden bygone years spent in California. "The film will be ready in November so I still have time to find a title," the 76-year-old director, known to his friends as Joe, said in his home, which also serves as an office and a bar in a dusty building on Cairo's Champollion Street. So far Shahin is trying to make up his mind whether to call his new film "Anger", "Rage" or "Alexandria-New York" -- in honour of his Mediterranean hometown and for the US city where he shot many of the scenes. Summer lovin' – Arab Gays, Lesbians coming out of the closet...? Al-Bawaba 7/8/2003 At times, due to immense attention focused on political developments taking place in the Middle East, a variety of social and cultural phenomena fail to receive the right amount of attention they deserve. This is not to say they are ignored, but rather, not exposed properly or enough. Besides the aforesaid factor about not being “political” enough, the issue of homosexuality in the Arab world is extremely controversial, and encompasses a wide range of moral, psychological and religious dilemmas, which constitute yet another factor in the lack of media coverage it receives.  Spain reenacts Christian-Muslim clash Middle East Times 8/22/2003 A 1,000-strong assembly gathered last week on a sun-baked plain south of Madrid to reenact one of the turning points in Spanish medieval history, the Battle of Consuegra, which in 1097 pitted the forces of Alfonso VI, King of Leon and Castile, against the Almoravids, a Berber dynasty under emir Yusuf Ibn Tasufin. By then, most of Spain had already spent more than three centuries under Muslim rule and only in 1492 would the last Muslim kingdom in Spain, at Granada, fall to Christian forces.

International..

Bush appoints anti-Muslim to peace role The Guardian 8/23/2003 A Middle East expert who has written dismissively of diplomacy and holds views to the right of the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, was yesterday named to the board of the US Institute of Peace. The largely honorary appointment of Daniel Pipes, a gift of President George Bush, has outraged Democratic senators, American Muslims and Arabs, liberal Jews and a large portion of the academic community, who say his opinions are not conducive to peace. US sanctions on Syria 'could come soon' Middle East Times 8/22/2003 Bush administration opposition to a bill that would impose sanctions on Syria seems to be fading, raising hopes the legislation could soon come into force, a key US Congressman said. Eliot Engel, a key sponsor of the bill, said that he had received strong support for the legislation from Ariel Sharon after meeting the Israeli Prime Minister in Jerusalem. Journalists Find "Calm" When Only Palestinians Die Axis of Logic/FAIR 8/22/2003 The deadly bus bombing in Jerusalem on August 19 was foreshadowed by a pair of suicide attacks a week earlier which killed two Israeli civilians. While U.S. media tended to portray these attacks as a return to violence after a relatively peaceful period, there were numerous killings in the weeks leading up to the suicide bombings that underscore the lack of evenhanded attention given to loss of life in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. Demonstration in al-Azhar in support of the Intifada, against Iraq's occupation Arabic News 8/23/2003 Hundreds of Egyptian worshippers in al-Azhar mosque gathered following Friday's prayers yesterday to take part in a demonstration of protest against the American occupation of Iraq and in support of the Palestinian resistance. New York City Mayor Bloomberg to visit Israel on Monday Ha'aretz 8/22/2003 NEW YORK - Mayor Michael Bloomberg will visit Jerusalem on Monday to "show that the people of New York stand united with the people of Israel against terrorism," he said at a vigil for the victims killed in Middle East attacks this week. Iranian official calls for speeding up accession to WTO Payvand 8/23/2003 An Iranian customs official said on Saturday that speedy actions should be taken for accession to the WTO since the organization has an 80 percent share in global trade and 90 percent of Iran`s transactions are with the Organization members, IRNA reported from Mashhad, Khorassan province. Arab economists, analysts meet in Alexandria for economic integration talks Arabic News 8/23/2003 Egpt's Prime Minister, Atef Ebeid, opens on Monday the General Conference of the Arab Union of Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture in Alexandria under the auspices of President Hosni Mubarak. Arab Economic Integration has become top priority on the joint Arab action and the call of President Hosni Mubarak to set up the Arab common market to face the challenges on the international arena. Egypt arrests 37 militants for attempt to revive Islamic group Ha'aretz 8/23/2003 CAIRO - In a new crackdown on Islamic militants, Egypt's state security has arrested and detained 37 suspects for involvement in reviving the al-Gamaa al-Islamiyya extremist group, a police official said Saturday. Egypt's general prosecutor ordered 15-day detentions pending further investigations for the suspects, who were arrested last week in Cairo, Giza, Qallubaia, and Ismailiyaprovinces, said the police official, speaking on condition of anonymity. Prosecutors Are Urged To Press Congress Washington Post 8/22/2003 Opponents of Patriot Act Are Targeted -- The Justice Department has urged U.S. attorneys to contact congressional representatives who voted against a key anti-terrorism provision of the USA Patriot Act, part of a broad-based publicity campaign on behalf of the law, according to internal department documents. An Aug. 14 memorandum from Guy A. Lewis, director of the executive office for United States Attorneys, encourages federal prosecutors "to call personally or meet with...congressional representatives" to discuss "the potentially deleterious effects" of an amendment approved in the House last month that would cut off funding for "sneak and peek" warrants in terrorism cases. Bush Names Anti-Muslim To Peace Think-tank Islam Online 8/23/2003 WASHINGTON, August 23 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Bypassing the U.S. Senate, now in recess, President George Bush appointed an outspoken anti-Muslim scholar, Daniel Pipes, to the board of a government-funded think-tank, the U.S. Institute of Peace which concentrates on foreign policy. The appointment was strongly opposed by Democrats on the Senate Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Committee who had forced a delay to the vote.

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