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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..

Israel Missile Strike Kills 1, Wounds 26 The Guardian 8/26/2003 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - An Israeli helicopter fired three missiles at the car of a Hamas fugitive Tuesday, killing a bystander and wounding at least 26, doctors and witnesses said. The target of the attack, a member of the Hamas military wing, managed to flee before the missiles struck the vehicle, witnesses said. At the time of the strike, the car was stuck in a traffic jam just north of Gaza City, near the Jebaliya refugee camp.  Israeli troops seize two wounded Palestinians from intensive care unit The Independent 8/27/2003 Israeli undercover troops stormed a Nablus hospital before dawn yesterday and snatched two wounded Palestinian gunmen from their beds in the intensive care unit. They imposed a curfew and transferred them by military ambulance to a Tel Aviv hospital, where they were being held under close guard....Soldiers disguised as vegetable merchants said they had come to deliver supplies. When a guard opened the main gate, other soldiers, accompanied by dogs, raced into the hospital. They smashed the door to intensive care. IOF Invades Nablus, Wounds Two Local Inhabitants in Khan Younis International Press Center 8/26/2003 NABLUS, Palestine, August 26, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupying forces (IOF) invaded early on Tuesday the West Bank city of Nablus, only few hours after redeploying around it, and abducted two Palestinians who were being hospitalized at a local hospital. Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent in Nablus that IOF, backed by tanks and military vehicles, invaded the city and imposed tight curfew....In the Gaza Strip, security sources in the city of Khan Younis declared that two Palestinian citizens were moderately wounded, when IOF tanks, stationed around the illegitimate Jewish settlement of "Neve Dekalim" fired some shells at "Al Nemsawi" residential neighborhood in the city....In another incident, Israeli military bulldozers, guarded by several tanks, bulldozed today dawn vast areas of Palestinian arable lands, east of Al Maghazi refugee camp, middle of Gaza Strip.  Israeli Forces Rescind Nablus Withdrawal International Middle East Media Center 8/26/2003 Similar to what happend in Jenin, Israeli troops raided the city of Nablus Tuesday morning after a few hours of announcing the end of its military operation in the city which had lasted for four days. Eyewitnesses reported that a large Israeli army force entered the old city, raided several homes, and blew up doors of commercial shops using explosives. IDF imposes curfew on Jenin due to terror threat Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 The Israel Defense Forces imposed a curfew on the West Bank city of Jenin on Tuesday due to warnings that terrorists could be coming out of the area to carry out an attack, Israel Radio reported. Earlier Tuesday, Israeli undercover1 troops snatched twowounded Palestinian gunmen from their hospital beds in the West Bank city of Nablus on Tuesday morning, arresting them andtransferring them to a hospital inside Israel....Palestinians fired 11 mortar shells and an anti-tank missile at settlements and army bases in Gush Katif, in the Gaza Strip, Tuesday morning, Israel Radio reported....There were no injuries in any of the incidents. 2 Waqf officials told to stay away from Temple Mt. for 2 months Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Two of three senior Waqf officials arrested Monday for trying to block non-Muslims from entering the Temple Mount were ordered Tuesday by the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court to stay away from the holy site for two months and were released on NIS 5,000bail. The third Muslim religious trust official was still in the midst of a hearing Tuesday afternoon. Three Qassam rockets fired from Gaza Strip land inside Israel Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Three Qassam rockets landed on Monday inside Israel near the Gaza Strip. The rockets landed near greenhouses at the moshav of Yesha, next to Ofakim. The rockets caused no injuries, and apparently no damage as well. IDF: Palestinian anti-tank missiles, mortars pound Gaza Jerusalem Post 8/26/2003 Palestinian terrorists fired six mortars and three anti-tank missiles at Israeli positions in Gaza within the last 10 hours, a military source told The Jerusalem Post. Two missiles targeted the Jewish settlement of Gush Katif, while another missile just missed an IDF post on the Israel-Egyptian border. The mortars exploded near an IDF base and 2 IDF posts. Israel Pushes ahead with Building Apartheid Wall in Occupied Jerusalem Palestine Media Center 8/26/2003 Two-Km Section of Gaza 7-Km long Wall Completed -- Israel pushed aside Monday Palestinian objections and United States reservations and pushed ahead with work on a new stretch of its Apartheid Segregation Wall (ASW), which Israeli officials prefer to call the “security fence,” deep inside Palestinian land in occupied east Jerusalem. Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) bulldozers cleared land east of Jerusalem Monday for the construction of a new segment of its ASW through the West Bank, shrugging off criticism from both the Palestinians and the US. Herds of Jewish settlers incinerate Palestinian olive trees Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 8/25/2003 Nablus - Citizens in the West Bank town of Salfeet have said that herds of Jewish settlers recently incinerated vast areas of cultivated farmlands in their town. They said that settlers from the nearby settlement of Ar’il, which was established on Salfeet lands, set fire to thousands of olive trees surrounding the settlement without any interference on the part of the occupation forces. Palestinian policeman found guilty of Ramallah lynch Jerusalem Post 8/26/2003 Rayed Mahmoud Jamil Sheik, a Palestinian policeman who participated in the lynching of two IDF reservists in Ramallah, was found guilty on two counts of murder on Tuesday. He will be sentenced on Wednesday. Rayed Mahmoud Jamil Sheik, 26, of the Gaza Strip, was captured last October 26. He was serving at the Ramallah police station on the day of the lynching, in which Sgt.-Maj. Vadim Norovitch and Sgt.-Maj. Yossi Avrahami were brutally murdered. Occupation authorities arrest Palestinian after releasing him! Palestinian Information Center 8/25/2003 Ramallah - The Palestinian Authority’s prisoners affairs ministry has said that Zionist occupation authorities had arrested a young Palestinian man only two weeks after releasing him. Lawyer Jawad Amawi, a representative of the ministry’s legal department, said that occupation forces had detained Hassan Sulaiman Khalilya at the Jaba village, Jenin district, for one month. He was imprisoned in Hawwara then moved to the Salem interrogation center where he was severely beaten and charged with taking part in planting an explosive device but was later set free. The lawyer added that apparently the young man, who is in his final secondary grade schooling, was released by mistake. Israelis uncover weapons cache at settler’s home Daily Star 8/26/2003 JERUSALEM: A West Bank settler was arrested Monday on suspicion of illegal weapons possession, Israeli police said. In a search of the man’s home in a settlement in the Binyamin region, police found military equipment including flak jackets, army uniforms, ammunition and grenades, according to police spokesman Gil Kleiman. The 27-year-old, who wasn’t identified, was being held for interrogation. Palestinian Militants Dodge Manhunt The Guardian 8/26/2003 NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Palestinian militants are shaving off their beards, slipping into women's robes and turning off their cell phones, forced to go deeper underground to try to escape after Israel warned that they are marked for death. Many gunmen, bombmakers and rocket builders have been on the run for much of the past three years of fighting, but now they are taking more dramatic steps in the face of Israel's intensified manhunt. During New Attempt of Assassination, Israeli Helicopters Kill a Palestinian Elderly International Press Center 8/26/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 26, 2003, (IPC)--A 70-year-old Palestinian man was murdered and 23 others were wounded, 4 in a critical condition, when Israeli helicopters hit a vehicle with three rockets north of Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said. Hassan Al-Hamalawi, 70, was instantly killed while 23 others were wounded, 4 in a critical condition, as Israeli helicopters fired several rockets on a vehicle Tuesday afternoon, Palestinian Ministry of Health told IPC in a phone call. “Al-Hamalawi was killed while he was riding his donkey. The donkey was also killed, Yousef Kollab,” eyewitness told IPC’s. Fatah family member injured in Lebanon grenade blast Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 BEIRUT - The daughter of a member of the mainstream Palestinian movement Fatah was injured when assailants threw a grenade at their house in the southern refugee camp of Ain el Hilweh, Palestinian sources said Tuesday. The grenade was thrown into the house of Ali Zubaidat in the Rass-al-Ahmar neighbourhood in the center of the shantytown, the sources said. Beer Sheba detainees on hunger strike Palestinian Information Center 8/26/2003 Nablus - The Palestinian prisoners in the Beer Sheba isolation cells have been on hunger strike for the past week to protest their harsh imprisonment conditions. The Palestinian prisoner’s club in Nablus said that the on-strike detainees had issued a statement protesting their isolation and demanding their transfer to other wards. They also complained of the Zionist jailers’ maltreatment, constant assaults and humiliations. Incursion in Jenin, Residents Clash with Army Over Curfew International Middle East Media Center 8/26/2003 After less than twenty-four hours since withdrawing, Israeli forces again invaded Jenin city and camp. The attack started when more than thirty Israeli military tanks and vehicles entered the area just after sunrise Tuesday morning. Failed Apache Attack in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 8/26/2003 Israeli forces launched another missile attack on Hamas members in Gaza. Reports from Gaza say that an Apache helicopter shot three missiles at a stationary car. The three sitting in the car, among them Hamas military wing member Wael Ekalan, fled after the first missile exploded in front of the vehicle. Hassan Hamlawi, a nearby shop owner, was killed in the attack. More than 20 were injured according to local sources, including an 8 year old child who is reportedly in critical condition. Bulldozers clear land for Jerusalem fence Jerusalem Post 8/25/2003 Bulldozers cleared land east of Jerusalem Monday as Israel moved ahead with the construction of a new segment of its barrier through the West Bank, shrugging off criticism from both the Palestinians and the United States. Israel began confiscating Palestinian lands for sections east of Jerusalem more than a week ago, and workers broke ground on the section east of Jerusalem on Friday, the Israeli defense ministry said. Small argument breaks out at Temple Mount Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Yesterday witnessed the first conflict between Muslim worshipers and Jewish visitors to the Temple Mount since the visits were resumed a few weeks ago. The mount was opened to visitors at about 7:30 A.M. yesterday. Shortly thereafter, a group of Muslims approached the Dung Gate, where the Jewish visits normally begin, and tried to prevent the Jews from entering the site by holding a prayer service there, thus blocking the entrance with their bodies. An argument then broke out between the Muslimsand the Israeli policemen accompanying the visitors, which ended with most of the Muslims leaving the Temple Mount compound. Rabbis discourage settlers from attacking Arabs, but some won't listen Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 ...During the evacuation of Havat Gilad, settler rabbis had little success in calming the angry youth who fought the IDF soldiers - although they were more successful during the later evacuation of Mitzpe Yitzhar. During the funeral of the Shvu family from Itamar, Rabbi Avi Ronsky was beaten and shoved on account of his comparatively moderate views; at about the same time, Yesha Council Secretary-General Adi Mintz had his tires slashed. Top Hamas men stay away from funerals Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 With the threat of assassinations hanging over their heads, Hamas leaders refrained yesterday from attending the funeral of four members of the Islamic organization killed by Israel in the Gaza Strip Sunday. Ahmed Shatiwi, 25, a senior operative for Hamas's military wing, and his partner, Walid Alhumas, 21, were buried in Gaza City following a funeral procession through the streetsthat included shots fired into the air and a military-like parade by the organization's activists. Bystander killed in failed IAF assassination attempt in Gaza Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Israel Air Force helicopters fired three missiles at a target north of Gaza City on Tuesday evening, killing at least one person and wounding around 26 others, according to hospital officials in the Gaza Strip. Resident Shadi Tayan, who owns a bookstore in the area, said "the people in the car jumped out and ran in two different directions" after one rocket landed near the front of the car. After the men fled, two more missiles hit.  Palestinians seized from hospital BBC 8/26/2003 Undercover Israeli troops have detained two Palestinian militants being treated in hospital in the West Bank city of Nablus, Palestinian sources say. The two had been admitted last Friday for treatment to wounds they received in clashes with Israeli forces. Israeli air strike kills one in Gaza BBC 8/26/2003 At least one person has been killed and 16 wounded in a missile strike by an Israeli helicopter gunship in the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian officials. Witnesses said helicopters fired three or four missiles at a car in the Jabaliya refugee camp north of Gaza City which was carrying members of the Hamas militant group. The occupants of the car managed to escape just before it was hit, but an elderly man, believed to be a bystander, was killed. Israeli Helicopter Fires at Car Near Gaza City Washington Post 8/26/2003 GAZA, Gaza Strip - Helicopter gunships fired missiles at a car carrying Hamas gunmen in the Gaza Strip Tuesday, killing an elderly bystander, as Israel pressed its hunts for militants. The strike, the third in less than a week, showed Israel's resolve to keep up attacks on Hamas after a suicide bombing on a Jerusalem bus killed 21 people, including six children, dealing a heavy blow to a cease-fire key to a U.S.-led peace plan. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine August 26, 2003 Palestine Media Center 8/26/2003 Israeli occupation Forces (IOF) kidnapped two wounded Palestinians after raiding Rafidiyeh hospital in the northern West Bank city of Nablus. IOF also wounded a Palestinian child in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. IOF Uproot, Set Fire to Trees. Three Senior Waqf Officials Arrested.

Diplomacy..

Israel said willing to drop demand for return of Ron Arad Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Israel is willing to waive any linkage between the return of missing IAF navigator Ron Arad to the continued imprisonment of Sheikh Abd al Karim Obeid, a Hezbollah leader captured in Lebanon in 1989, and Mustafa Dirani, a leader of the Amal militia who was captured in 1994, according to the Lebanese daily newspaper A-Sapir. The claim was made in an article covering the latestdevelopments in negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah on prisoner exchange. Israel gives up bodies of Hizbullah pair Daily Star 8/26/2003 Analysts see move as precursor to prisoner swap -- Israel on Monday handed over the bodies of two Hizbullah fighters who died battling the Jewish state in the South, in what analysts considered a precursor to larger prisoner exchanges. An Israeli security source said Israel would get information on Israeli captives held by Hizbullah in exchange for the bodies of the two men, who died in 1998 and 1999. Hundreds of relatives, some waving Hizbullah flags, received the bodies of two of the militant group’s members. Analysis / Cautious optimism on prisoner swap Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Israeli officers and attorneys who took part in previous exchanges of soldiers captured and killed in action with Hezbollah this week voiced for the first time a certain optimism about concluding the present negotiations with the Lebanese organization successfully. Negotiations on the release of prisoners is one of the most complicated transactions, especially when they areconducted with Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah, who is a wily and sophisticated adversary. U.S. criticizes Arafat decision to appoint security chief Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 ST. PAUL, Minn - The White House on Tuesday protested Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's decision to appoint a new national security adviser, saying it undercut reformist Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas and a U.S.-backed peace plan. "By blocking the consolidation of the Palestinian security services under Prime Minister Abbas, Yasser Arafat undercuts the fight against terrorism and further undermines the hopes of the Palestinian people for peace and for a Palestinian state that can live side by side with Israel in peace and security," White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan told reporters traveling with President George W. Bush. U.S. Mulls International Force for PA Middle East Newsline 8/26/2003 WASHINGTON [MENL] -- The United States has been examining the prospect of organizing an international force to stop the Israeli-Palestinian war. Officials said both the Bush administration and Congress have quietly discussed an effort to recruit at least one division of combat troops that would patrol the West Bank and Gaza Strip and enforce a Palestinian ceasefire with Israel. They said many in the administration and Congress have concluded that a Palestinian state can not be established without an international force that will impose a ceasefire in the region. Mediator visits Tannenbaum in Hezbollah captivity Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 A German mediator met a few days ago with kidnapped Israeli citizen, Colonel (res.) Elhanan Tannenbaum, who is being held by Hezbollah in Lebanon. The visit by the mediator, who reported to Israel on Tannenbaum's medical condition, is part of a deal in which Israel yesterday handed over to Hezbollah the bodies of two of the organization's members who were killed in southern Lebanon prior to the Israel Defense Forces withdrawal from the security zone in 2000. Al-Baz stresses the need of Israel's pullout from Arab lands Arabic News 8/26/2003 Egyptian President's Political Advisor, Usama Al-Baz stressed yesterday in Cairo the necessity for complete Israeli withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories to line of June 4th 1967, calling for progress on the Syrian and the Lebanese peace tracks in line with the international resolutions and "land for peace" formula. Lahoud calls for peace based on 'land for peace' formula Arabic News 8/26/2003 Lebanese President Emile Lahoud has stressed the necessity for achieving just and comprehensive peace based on the "land for peace " formula and the implementation of international resolutions. Israel prods Japan on Palestinian violence, Iran Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 TOKYO - Israel on Tuesday asked Japan to use its clout to persuade Palestinians to "dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist organisations" and raised concerns about a nuclear program by Iran, Tokyo's third-biggest oil supplier. "I asked that Japan use its influence on Palestinians to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorist organizations," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told reporters after talks with Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi. Arab MK Zhalqa: Israel Plans to Liquidate Palestinian Leaders International Press Center 8/26/2003 HAYFA, August 26, 2003 (IPC Exclusive) - - Israeli-Arab member of Knesset, Jamal Zahalqa, said Monday that Israel was not willing, from the very beginning, to go on with implementing the "Road Map" peace plan as Israel seeks giving the Palestinian people just 40% of the West Bank territories. Zahalqa, who was speaking on the phone with IPC, made clear that ”Israel is aware that the Palestinians reject such a solution, thus it is attempting to foil the 'Road Map' peace plan and hold the Palestinian side responsible for its failure.” Zionism, Israel Threat To Peace: Rabbi Weiss Islam Online 8/26/2003 CAIRO, August 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Trying to make his voice heard, after repeatedly being hushed by the Zionist-controlled media, Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss asserted in a three-hour live dialogue with IslamOnline.net audience on Monday, August 25, that can be no true peace "as long as Zionism and the state of Israel exist." "The tremendous injustice that is being done to the Palestinian people, which we cannot elaborate because of the space and time limit, subjugation, expulsion, pain, suffering, etc of the Palestinians, is all against the true roots and basics of Judaism," said rabbi Weiss. Israel and the Iraqi oil pipelines Arabic News 8/26/2003 Israeli sources disclosed that the Israeli minister of infrastructure Yosef Paritzki will discuss during his forthcoming visit to Washington the possibility of reopening the oil pipeline which used to link the Iraqi city of Karkouk to Haifa port before 1948. N.Y. Mayor Visits Israeli Bomb Survivors The Guardian 8/26/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg visited survivors of a suicide bombing on Tuesday and lit a candle at the spot where the blast tore apart a bus, saying Israelis have no choice but to ``stand up and fight back'' against terrorism. While Bloomberg toured Jerusalem surrounded by bodyguards and soldiers, an Israeli helicopter fired missiles at the car of a wanted Hamas militant in the Gaza Strip, killing one bystander and wounding at least 26.  Rice: Peaceful Change Could be Achieved if Israel Fulfills its Obligations International Press Center 8/26/2003 WASHINGTON, August 26, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - US National Security Advisor, Condoleezza Rice said Monday that if Israel wants to see a peaceful change in the region, it should fulfill its obligations towards peace. Rice played down the fallout from last week’s bus bombing in Jerusalem, stressing that “despite the horrific events in recent days, we have seen progress toward peace for Israelis and Palestinians.” She said Israel should fulfill its responsibilities to help achieving a peaceful change in the region, making clear that it is in Israel’s interest for Palestinians to govern themselves in a state being viable, peaceful, democratic and committed to fighting "terror". Israel trying to scuttle giant Iranian-Japanese business deal Jerusalem Post 8/26/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom lobbied Japan Tuesday to put a pending $2.2 billion business deal with Iran on hold as a means of pressuring Tehran not to produce nuclear arms. Shalom, the first Israeli foreign minister to visit Japan in six years, met separately Tuesday with Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi, and Japan's Foreign Minister Yoriko Kawaguchi. With bus bombing as backdrop, sides reconsider peace policies JTA 8/26/2003 ...Some critics, however, say the flaw is not in the failure to implement the road map but in the plan itself, and they are calling for a new approach. Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, never a fan of the road map, has revived his call for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Martin Indyk, a former U.S. ambassador to Israel, has reiterated his proposal for an American trusteeship over Palestine. For different reasons, both say the road map in its present form will never work. The dealmaker Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Ernst Uhrlau, the mediator between Israel and Hezbollah in the exchange deal for soldiers and civilians captured and killed in action, is the coordinator of the German secret services. Uhrlau, 56, entered office two years ago, replacing Bernd Schmidbauer, who is today a member of the Bundestag for the opposition.

Human Rights..

Elderly Woman Dies of Israeli Delay at Rafah, Five Wounded in West Bank International Press Center 8/26/2003 GAZA, Palestine, August 26, 2003, (IPC + Agencies)- - A 58-year-old Palestinian woman died at Rafah border crossing as Israeli soldiers delayed her from accessing to the Gaza Strip after coming from treatment trip in Egypt, Palestinian Ministry of Health stated. The woman has suffered from heart disease. She arrived at the border crossing at 08:00 morning but Israelis refused to allow her to pass the crossing till 11:00 o’clock, her health deteriorated that she died, the Ministry stated in a press release issued Tuesday. 97 patients -23 of them children- died at the Israeli checkpoints in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, Minister of health added. UN envoy condemns Israel's extra-judicial assassinations United Nations News 8/25/2003 25 August – The senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed- Larsen, today condemned Israel's extra-judicial assassination on Sunday of four Palestinians, when helicopter gun-ships fired missiles into a car in Gaza City, reportedly killing a Hamas militant and three Islamic University students. Mr. Roed- Larsen, the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, reiterated the world body's consistent and vocal opposition to such assassinations. Migrant workers in Israel: A contemporary form of slavery ReliefWeb 8/25/2003 Paris, Copenhagen, 25 August 2003 - An investigative mission report on the situation of migrant workers in Israel is released today. The report is the outcome of a joint investigative mission by the International Federation for Human Rights (FIDH) and the Euro-Mediterranean Human Rights Network (EMHRN)....The report draws attention to the alarming situation of 300 000 foreign workers - 60% of which are illegal. Many of the foreign workers start out as legal workers, but then lose their job or change employers. Since their work permit only allows them to work for one specific employer, they become illegal as a result. Illegal workers usually remain in Israel, because they cannot afford to go home. Full report, Acrobat format (PDF) Occupation authorities halt family visits to Palestinian detainees Palestinian Information Center 8/26/2003 Gaza - The Zionist occupation authorities in a fresh escalation against Palestinian detainees decided to stop the program of visits for relatives of those prisoners in occupation jails. The Mizan human rights center expressed utter dismay at the new Zionist escalatory decision and violation of the international laws. It issued a statement today saying that Tel Aviv had informed the Red Cross of its decision halting the program of visits. Swiss Aid Society To Sue U.S. Over Asset Freeze Palestine Chronicle 8/26/2003 GENEVA - A Swiss relief organization on Tuesday, August 26, repudiated U.S. allegations of having links with Palestinian political parties, vowing to take legal action against the U.S. administration recent decision to freeze its assets. "The Association de Secours Palestiniens (ASP) is not politically-oriented and cooperates directly with accredited aid and relief organizations in Palestine," ASP chairman Khaled al-Shouly told IslamOnline.net. Supreme Court: Education Ministry Must Prepare Suitable Classrooms for Hearing Impaired Arab Children Within One Week Adalah 8/25/2003 Yesterday, 24 August 2003, the Supreme Court ordered the Ministry of Education (MOE) to provide two appropriate classrooms for hearing impaired Arab children, citizens of Israel, within one week, before the beginning of the new school year. The children, who range in age from three to five years old and who live in the southern Triangle in Israel, did not attend their kindergarten classes for seven months in 2003, due to the unsafe, sub-standard facilities provided by the MOE. UN Senior Officials Condemn Israel’s Extra-judicial Assassination Palestine Media Center 8/26/2003 IOF Kidnap Two Wounded Palestinians From Hospital -- Senior United Nations envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed- Larsen, condemned Israel’s extra-judicial assassination on Sunday of four Palestinians in Gaza City stressing that Israel’s security cannot be restored by assassinations. In a new escalation of the extra-judicial killing of Palestinians, the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed four Palestinians by helicopter missiles Sunday in Gaza City.

Economy..

U.S. provides assistance to Palestinian women ReliefWeb/US Dept of State 8/26/2003 The U.S. government is channeling a substantial portion of its aid to the Palestinians towards women through micro-credit loans, educational programs, healthcare, and vocational training. According to a fact sheet released August 25 by the State Department's Office of International Women's Issues, the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) has granted more than 34,000 micro-credit loans worth over $13 million to Palestinian women entrepreneurs. Through the loans, thousands of Palestinian women have been able to "transform subsistence-based existences into sustainable, income-generating enterprises" that have facilitated their ability to receive further loans from Palestinian banks. Analysis / The interest rate and Klein's goat trick Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 Bank of Israel Governor David Klein is evidently very familiar with the story of the rabbi and the goat. When a Jew complained to his rabbi about how overcrowded his house was, the rabbi recommended that he bring his goat into the house. When the Jew returned and complained that the situation had become unbearable, the rabbi told him to put the goat back in the yard - and the Jew was delighted by how spacious his house now seemed. Finance Ministry planning NIS 6-7b cut in defense budget Globes 8/26/2003 Ministry of Finance: Money not cut from the defense budget would have to be cut from welfare, health, education and National Insurance allocations. -- The Ministry of Finance is considering a far-reaching plan to cut the defense budget by NIS 6-7 billion. Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu will submit the plan to Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz and IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen Moshe Yaalon at a special meeting with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.

People..

The road to division BBC 8/26/2003 Travelling from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, indeed for the entire journey from London to Jerusalem via Tel Aviv, one is repeatedly reminded of the sorry, tragic state of Israeli-Palestinian affairs. I am coming to Jerusalem for the third time in less than 18 months for BBC News Online's coverage of this region - but never have I arrived with the future looking so bleak.  Hebrew-Speaking Israeli Catholics to Get a Bishop Come And See 8/26/2003 News of John Paul II's appointment of an auxiliary bishop of the Latin patriarch for Hebrew-speaking Catholics has stirred considerable public interest in the Holy Land. Msgr. Gourion who was raised Jewish and became Catholic at the age of 23 denied information as if was in competition against Monsgr. Michel Sabbah making a political issue out of this appointment".

International..

US move against Hamas funding hits dialysis Daily Star 8/26/2003 Crackdown cuts off income to kidney failure unit - Section’s 61 patients depend on outside donations for bi-weekly treatment -- Lying in a hospital bed, 8-year-old Hanine Shehadeh looks with confused eyes at the dialysis machine that is connected to her body. The equipment could soon be taken away as a result of the recent US decision to shut down all Hamas-linked institutions....The United States government closed down a US-based Arab association that was financed by an American citizen of Palestinian origin, Hussein Tabari. Tabari has been transferring $10,000 monthly to the dialysis section through the association since 1996.  United States freezes assets of Sidon-based charity Daily Star 8/26/2003 Sanabel closed in June by local order -- A charity organization whose assets were frozen by Washington this week over claims that it supported a militant Palestinian group suspended its operations in June following a closure order by the Lebanese authorities. The Sanabel Endowments for Relief and Development organization was among five groups whose assets were ordered frozen by the United States on Friday over allegations that they were raising money for the Palestinian Islamist group Hamas. For AIPAC, congressional trips are effective way to boost Israel JTA 8/26/2003 WASHINGTON, Aug. 20 (JTA) — The next time Rep. Jim Langevin goes into the U.S. House of Representatives to vote on a matter concerning Israel, no background briefing will be as valuable as what he experienced earlier this month. Visiting Israeli towns that border the West Bank, the second-term Democrat from Rhode Island said he saw for himself how the controversial security fence Israel is building will prevent suicide bombers and other terrorists from entering Israel, making the country safer....Through its affiliate organization, the American Israel Education Foundation, AIPAC sent Langevin and 28 other congressional Democrats on a one-week trip to Israel earlier this month, the largest congressional contingent ever to visit the Jewish state.      Saudi Arabia deplores Israel's policy towards Palestinians, Arab rights Arabic News 8/26/2003 Saudi Arabia renewed today its condemnation of "the Israeli aggressive practices against the Palestinians." In a statement of the Saudi Cabinet headed by King Fahd bin Abdul Aziz, Saudi Arabia stressed that the Israeli assassinations, destruction and demolishing operations foil the implementation of the peace process and threaten security and stability in the region. Syria: government's reshuffle before the end of year Arabic News 8/26/2003 The notification made by President Bashar al-Assad recently to members of the Central Command of the National Progressive Front on that a governmental reshuffle will be made "in the coming phase" resulted into a heated dialogue on the form of the next government, its nature and the extent of reforms that should precede the new government. Issues facing the Arab common market Arabic News 8/26/2003 President of the Federation of Arab Chambers of Commerce, Industry and Agriculture (FACCIA), Khaled Abu Ismail said that President Mubarak's sponsoring the federation's 95th extraordinary session and his call for action to establish an Arab common market at this particularly sensitive time are crucial. In an interview with the Middle East News Agency (MENA), Abu Ismail said that the President's call for action will have a positive effect on the outcome of the meetings of the federation this round, which starts next Monday, which might be a turning point leading to the establishment of the Arab common market. US pushes for revival of Iraq-Israel oil pipeline MENA Report 8/25/2003 The US Department of Defense sent a telegram to the Israel Ministry of Foreign affairs last week, proposing the re-opening of the oil pipeline between Iraq and Israeli oil refineries in Haifa. The new oil channel would restore the pipeline that ran for hundreds of kilometers between Kirkuk in Iraq and the Haifa Port before the establishment of the Jewish state in 1948. After the end of the British mandate, Iraq stopped the flow of oil to Israel and the pipeline, only eight inches in diameter, was abandoned. Nuclear agency uneasy over Iran BBC 8/26/2003 The United Nations' nuclear watchdog says it remains concerned by Iran's nuclear programme. A leaked report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) said they were unable to confirm that Tehran is not enriching uranium, despite increased co-operation from the Iranian authorities in recent months. The report says IAEA inspectors found traces of highly enriched uranium in samples taken from the Natanz nuclear facility. Haaretz: Romanian president's allegations are baseless Ha'aretz 8/26/2003 President Ion Iliescu has lashed out at Haaretz saying it committed fraud when it quoted him as saying the Holocaust was not unique to the Jews - an accusation the newspaper rejected Tuesday as "ridiculous and baseless." The Romanian president's press office on Monday issued a statement accusing Haaretz of intentionally distorting the interview. The statement said Iliescu had been "firm and consistent" in his comments about "the Holocaust and the Jewish tragedy."      Bint Jbeil at heart of South’s attempts to rebuild after occupation Daily Star 8/26/2003 Social, cultural reconstruction facing many challenges - Some working for rejuvenation say those claiming credit for liberation are hindering freedom of movement and expression -- The three years since the Israeli withdrawal from the South have seen several social and cultural organizations returning to work in the area. However, the end of occupation has often brought other problems. More than 30,000 were killed, 120,000 were injured or disabled, there was massive damage to the infrastructure, and over half a million Lebanese permanently migrated ­ more than 42,000 from Bint Jbeil alone, according to many residents. ADL commends Bush for Pipes appointment Jerusalem Post 8/26/2003 The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) commended President George W. Bush for appointing Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes to the board of the United States Institute of Peace. ElBaradei Accuses US of Violating NPT Palestine Chronicle 8/26/2003 BERLIN- The head of the United Nations watchdog agency accused the United States of violating the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty (NPT) as a result of Washington’s secret efforts to develop so-called ‘mini-nukes’ -- nuclear weapons with an explosive force of less than five kilotons of TNT. "The US government demands other states not to own nuclear weapons. On the other hand it is perfecting its own arsenal," International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) chief Mohammad ElBaradei said Tuesday in an interview with the weekly Stern magazine, due to hit the newsstands on Thursday. Libyan payments put French brinkmanship to the test Middle East Online 8/26/2003 French authorities are still threatening to veto a UN lifting of sanctions on Libya after talks in Tripoli failed to agree over a final settlement for the families of the 1989 bombing of a French airliner. France's brinkmanship was put to the test as the families of the 170 killed in a 1989 bombing of a French UTA airliner over Niger came back empty-handed from Tripoli, where they had flown Thursday on a French government aircraft.

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