Home • Letters
Background • Links
What Can I Do?
Events • Cartoons
Search • Contact
About Us • Donate
E-Mail Us

Palestine Diaries

courtesy The Electronic Intifada

This webpage uses Javascript to display some content. Please enable Javascript in your browser and reload this page.

 

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.

Get Audio/Video Player
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 mounts attacks in West Bank, Gaza Al-Jazeera 9/3/2003 An Israeli helicopter attacked an area near the Blata refugee camp in the occupied West Bank following clashes with Palestinian resistance fighters. Palestinian activists tossed an explosive device at an Israeli tank in al-Quds street near the camp, located near the city of Nablus, said our correspondent. There were no casualties on either side.In the town of Bait Farikh, also near Nablus, Israeli gunfire seriously injured two Palestinian schoolboys aged 12 and 14....Occupation forces also attacked a Palestinian security site late on Tuesday in Dair al-Balah in the occupied Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian security officials. Sheik Tahaineh hold Israeli responsible of the crime New details about the assassination on of the Islamic Jihad leaders International Middle East Media Center 9/3/2003 Israeli soldiers assassinated an activist from the Al-Quds brigades, the military wing of Al-Jihad Islamic movement, after arresting him near Jenin city on Wednesday. Ash-sheik Sharif Tahaineh, an Al-Jihad leader and eyewitness to the events told IMEMC that Israeli soldiers stopped a white Opel Astra at a military checkpoint near Az-zawia village at the crossroads of Nablus and Jenin road. They detained two young men who were in the car and searched them. Eyewitnesses said the Israeli soldiers ordered the detained men to raise their clothes and suddenly began shooting at them directly....After four hours, the Israeli forces gave a body identified as ‘Abd Al-Qadir Mohammad Subhi Ad-Da’ameh, 20, from Tulkarm to the DCO. The body had bullets in the face, the chest, and the head. Three Palestinians Die of Israeli Fire International Press Center 9/3/2003 GAZA, Palestine, September 3, 2003, (IPC)- - Three Palestinian citizens, including a little girl, died Tuesday in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. One Palestinian citizen died Tuesday night of wounds he sustained two days before after being injured when Israeli helicopters shot four rockets at two vehicles in the Gaza City, Palestinian medical sources said. Riad Sbaih, 29, was critically wounded with shrapnel in different parts of his body during the Israel bombardment of Gaza two days before, Al-Shifa hospital, in Gaza, sources said....“...Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed Tuesday afternoon one Palestinian citizen and critically injured another one in the West Bank city of Jenin....The two passengers left the car while they were raising their hands, then a soldier ordered them to uncover their waists, when they raised their clothes he opened fire from M16 gun ,” eyewitness, Abed Alkilani, told IPC correspondent. Four injured in Beit Furik, Invasions Continue in Balata and Nablus International Middle East Media Center 9/3/2003 Tuesday evening the Israeli army invaded Nablus from the east, approaching from the entrance of the Balata refugee camp. Israeli soldiers moved through the city opening sparse fire at civilian houses. The invasion was backed up by two Israeli helicopters that hovered over the camp and shot into the neighboring valley. No injuries were reported. At the same time, Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for planting a bomb that blew up near an Israeli Jeep near the butcher house of east Nablus city...The Mayor of Beit Furik, Mr., Atef Hanani said to IMEMC, “There wasn’t any kind of provocation when the army opened fire. It was an arbitrary shooting. Moreover, they did not allow the ambulances to evacuate the injured for more than an hour and a half.” Abductions in Qbatia and Reckless Destruction in Barqin Valley International Middle East Media Center 9/3/2003 Sheik Sharif Tahayneh, a leader in the Al-Jihad Islamic movement, reported that Israeli forces abducted 6 residents on Tuesday, among them a wanted man from Al-Quds Brigades in Qbatia city in south Jenin. Tahayneh told IMEMC that the manhunt was aimed at twenty six year old Ra'd Abu Gharah, whom Israeli security services claim is a wanted man. He has been chased down by the security service and his house raided a number of times....Following the events of Tuesday, Israeli tanks destroyed electric poles and the garden walls of a number of houses in Barqin alley - the Martyr's neighborhood of west Jenin. Missile attack On Gaza Settlement, Palestinian Child and Man Died of Wounds from Previous Attack International Middle East Media Center 9/3/2003 Palestinian resistance fired five anti-tank missiles at a settlement in the Gaza Strip overnight. According to an Israeli army source, the missiles landed Tuesday night in Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip causing damage to a building; no injuries were reported. Also Tuesday, Ahead Subeih, 24, died in Al Shifa hospital in the city of Gaza of wounds he suffered in the Monday missile attack in which two Palestinians were killed and around 20 others wounded. A Palestinian Teen Boy Dies of Wounds, Israeli Troops Storm Azzoun International Press Center 9/3/2003 BALATA, Palestine, September 3, 2003 (IPC)-- An 18-years old Palestinian teen boy of the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, died Wednesday of wounds he sustained four days ago when the Israeli troops shot and wounded him, local Palestinian medical sources said. Ali Esleem, 18, of Balata refugee camp, near Nablus city, died today in the governmental local hospital of Ramallah in the West Bank city of Ramallah, after sustaining critical wounds for four days, the sources added....Scores of Israeli military vehicles broke early on Wednesday dawn into the Azzoun town and imposed a tight curfew, then searched several houses in the town, forcing dwellers out, local Palestinian sources told IPC correspondent....Meanwhile, IOF shot and wounded yesterday night three Palestinian teen boys in the West Bank village of Biet Foreek, an outskirt of Tulkarem city. In Pictures: Building a barrier through Abu Dis BBC 9/3/2003 Israel is building a 225km fence in the West Bank. It says the structure is for security, but opponents fear it is an attempt to define borders. Terry Boulata, a Palestinian mother and schoolteacher living in Abu Dis, east Jerusalem, showed BBC News Online's Martin Asser the effects of the barrier on one Palestinian community. Israel and Hezbollah trade fire on northern border Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Israeli fighter jets attacked a Hezbollah base in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, destroying the artillery position which hours earlier had fired anti-aircraft shells in the western section of the northern border. An IDF source, speaking on condition of anonymity, said about five shells landed in open areas near Zar'it on Wednesday. A statement issued by Hezbollah in Beirut said its air defense unit fired at "Israeli enemy planes which violated Lebanese sovereignty." Quds Brigades threaten Zionist leaders Palestinian Information Center 9/3/2003 Gaza - The Quds Brigades, the military wing of the Islamic Jihad Movement, today warned that the “Israeli” leaders would pay dearly for their crimes against the Palestinian people and Mujahideen. The Quds Brigades, in a statement a copy of which was made available to the Palestinian Information Center, said that occupation forces had murdered one of the military wing’s Mujahideen in cold-blood near the West Bank city of Jenin yesterday. Israeli Jets Attack Suspects in Lebanon The Guardian 9/3/2003 BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Israeli warplanes attacked suspected Hezbollah positions in southern Lebanon on Wednesday, hours after Hezbollah-fired shells in response to Israeli overflights landed in northwestern Israel, Lebanese security officials said. Israeli warplanes fired at least three air-to-surface missiles on the hills near the village of Bayada on the outskirts of the southern port city of Tyre, the officials, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, said. There was no immediate word on casualties. BREAKING NEWS: Teen arrested near Jenin, another dies of wounds International Press Center 9/3/2003 19:30-- Israeli occupation forces arrest a 19-years old Palestinian teen boy in the West Bank town of Kufer Ra’y, near Jenin city, (WAFA) / 19:00-- Ali Esleem, 18, of the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, dies of wounds he sustained four days ago when Israeli troops shot and wounded him, medical sources said. / 18:00-- Israeli occupation authorities in the Occupied East Jerusalem has demolished 49 Palestinian-owned houses since the beginning of current year, LAW Society for Human Rights Affair’s report said.... Wanted Hamas man killed in West Bank Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Israel Defense Forces troops killed a wanted Islamic Jihad operative south of Jenin yesterday. Military sources said that Abdal-Qadar Da'ana, 21, was shot during IDF operations near the village of Pachma. The soldiers had set up a roadblock in thearea and stopped a vehicle in order to check it when one of the passengers got out of the car and drew a gun. IDF's guidelines for field officers in the territories: Respect Palestinian civilians and use common sense Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 ...In addition to the wave of assassinations in Gaza and arrests in three key regions of the West Bank - Jenin, Nablus and Hebron - the Israel Defense Forces are also threatening the Palestinians with the possibility of a ground operation in Gaza....The JAG's office has also formulated 11 rules for operations in the territories, based on both Israeli and international law. These do not appear in a written document, but are conveyed orally in all the lectures given to commanders at Tzrifin and thus form a sort of "guidebook" for IDF behavior in the territories. The rules are as follows... Israel allowing 10,000 Palestinian laborers to enter from Gaza Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Israel is allowing 10,000 Palestinian laborers and 1,000 merchants from the Gaza Strip to enter Israel through the Erez crossing Wednesday morning, Israel Radio reported. Overnight Tuesday, Palestinians fired five anti-tank missiles at a Gush Katif settlement in the Gaza Strip, Army Radio reported. One man was in shock as a result of the firing and a building in the area was damaged. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine September 3, 2003 Palestine Media Center 9/3/2003 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed four Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and West Bank since August 31. The occupation troops also seriously injured a teenager on Tuesday near Jenin and demolished three Palestinian houses in and near occupied Jerusalem. Palestinian Dies of Wounds, Another Declared Clinically Dead. IOF Shoot Palestinian Dead on Roadblock. Teenager Seriously Injured in Beit Fureek.

Diplomacy..

US wants "clarification" of Mofaz comments on Arafat expulsion Jerusalem Post 9/3/2003 The US has asked for a clarification following comments by Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz that Yasser Arafat may be expelled, Army Radio reported. Mofaz yesterday said Arafat's fate, possibly expulsion, may have to be decided before this year's end. An official at the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, speaking on condition of anonymity, told the Associated Press Arafat is considered "part of the problem, not the solution," but that Washington does not want him expelled. Yasser Arafat must "disappear from the stage of history," Mofaz said Tuesday... Arafat: Israeli Aggression Killed ‘Roadmap’ and US Let it Die Palestine Media Center 9/3/2003 Washington Seeks Israeli Clarifications on Mofaz’s Remarks -- President Yasser Arafat told CNN Tuesday that the United States let the “roadmap” for peace and a Palestinian state die and the plan was dead only because of Israeli aggression, which has escalated militarily and politically with Israel’s renewed calls for “expulsion” of the veteran Palestinian leader, a development that Washington has so far rejected and on Tuesday was reportedly seeking clarifications from Tel Aviv. "The road map is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks," Arafat said, according to CNN’s website. Arafat also told CNN that the United States had let the plan die. Israeli Incitement Against Arafat Doubled in August International Press Center 9/3/2003 GAZA , Palestine, September 3, 2003 (IPC Exclusive) Media Watch Department of the State Information Service (SIS) issued Wednesday a report on the Israeli incitement drive against President Yasser Arafat on August 15-31, 2003. The report pointed out that the Israel government and media doubled their incitement campaigns against President Arafat during the said period of time, holding his Excellency responsibility for the so-called “terrorist operations”. Mofaz Regrets Not Expelling Arafat, Promises No Later Than End Of The Year International Middle East Media Center 9/3/2003 Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz stepped up the attack Tuesday against Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, saying he regrets not expelling him and calling him a “significant obstacle to the road map and to Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas’ efforts.” In an interview with Israeli Army radio, Mofaz said "Arafat never wanted to reach an agreement with us, I believe that he needs to disappear from the stage of history. The State of Israel made a historic mistake by not expelling him some two years ago and we had more than a few opportunities to do this ... As for the future, I believe that we will need to address this matter in a relatively short space of time, very possibly even this year." Russian ambassador stresses ‘road map’ Daily Star 9/3/2003 Russian Ambassador Boris Bolotin said Tuesday that his country was deploying every effort to implement the “road map,” which is the only way to achieve peace in the Middle East. Speaking after a 40-minute meeting with Foreign Minister Jean Obeid, Bolotin said Russian diplomacy was intensifying contacts with concerned parties and that Russia’s special envoy to the Middle East, Andre Vidovine, was in the region and in contact with the Palestinian leadership. IDF: Battered Hamas turns to PA, Egypt in bid to renew truce Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 The Israel Defense Forces believe that if Hamas could live the last two weeks over again, it would skip the deadly suicide bombing in Jerusalem that sparked the current wave of assassinations. Over the last few days, Hamas leaders have sent messages to both the Palestinian Authority and Egypt in an effort to revive the cease-fire. The answers they have received sound almost like Israel's demands: First they must agree to disarm, and then it will be time to talk about a cease-fire. EU Voices ‘Deep Concern’ Over Arafat-Abbas Row Arab News 9/3/2003 RAMALLAH, 3 September 2003 — The European Union has expressed “deep concern” about the power struggle between Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and Premier Mahmoud Abbas, officials in the two leaders’ ruling Fatah party said yesterday. EU foreign policy and security chief Javier Solana called Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qurei on Monday and expressed his concern that the power struggle could harm the peace process with Israel. Israel sees Morocco as mediator BBC 9/3/2003 Israel has suggested Morocco could act as a mediator between it and the Palestinians. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom made the announcement on Tuesday during a visit to the country. "Morocco can be the bridge between the Israelis and the Palestinians and with other countries," he said before talks in the northern city of Tetouan with his Moroccan counterpart, Mohamed Benaissa. Palestinians accuse Moroccan King of betraying them, Aqsa Mosque Palestinian Information Center 9/3/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Palestinian political and civic leaders on Wednesday castigated Morocco for intending to resume and upgrade relations with Israel despite the latter’s unrelenting rampage of murder and terror in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. On Tuesday, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom met with King Hasan VI in the Moroccan city of Tatwan and, according to Israeli sources, the monarch promised Shalom to resume full relations with Israel “very soon.” “Is this Morocco’s present to Palestine, al-Qods and the Aqsa Mosque,” asked Muhammed Hasan, a high-ranking Muslim Wakf official in Jerusalem, referring to the Moroccan decision. Al-Assad receives Solana, regional issues discussed Arabic News 9/3/2003 President Bashar al-Assad received yesterday High Representative for European Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solona and an accompanying delegation. Talks during the meeting dealt with the situation in the region, the complicated situation in Iraq and the peace plan "Roadmap" between Palestinians and Israelis which is in deadlock. Both sides called the EU and United Nations to play a role in order to help the Palestinian and Iraqi people get out of their ordeal and to achieve security, stability and peace in the region and the world. Al-Shara: Israel shows no concrete signs of wanting peace Arabic News 9/3/2003 Syria's Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara and High Representative for European Common Foreign and Security Policy, Javier Solana held yesterday in Damascus a joint press conference. Solana expressed his concern over the dangerous situations in the occupied territories stressing the necessity for exerting more efforts to achieve peace. He pointed out that EU, through its membership in the Quartet Committee, is working on this framework ( peace ) calling Israel to halt the acts of killing against the Palestinians. Israel tries to halt critical UN resolutions Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 NEW YORK - Israel has launched a campaign to get the United Nations to declare a moratorium on all resolutions that denounce Israel or demand that it change its policies without parallel denunciations or demands regarding Palestinian terrorism. Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Gillerman presented the idea yesterday at a special meeting with the UN ambassadors of 25 European states who either are, or are slated to become, members of the European Union. Gillerman was accompanied by David Granit, the Foreign Ministry's deputy director-general for international organizations, who flew in from Jerusalem for the meeting. Dudu Arad: Ron must be part of any deal with Hezbollah Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 The brother of Ron Arad demanded Wednesday that the missing Israel Air Force navigator be included in any prisoner swap deal being hatched with Hezbollah, now that a special committee has determined that there is no available information to refute the defense establishment's working assumption that Arad is still alive. Arafat Faces Threat of Deportation Arab News 9/3/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, 3 September 2003 — Yasser Arafat should be removed from the Palestinian leadership and Israel may have to decide by year’s end whether to expel him if he continues to get in the way of a US-backed peace plan, Israel’s defense minister said yesterday. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz issued the warning as Arafat and his Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas remained locked in a bitter power struggle. Arafat: US let roadmap die News24 9/3/2003 Washington - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reportedly said on Tuesday that the United States-backed "roadmap" toward peace and a Palestinian state was dead because of Israeli aggression. "The roadmap is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks," he said in an off-camera interview with CNN, according to the network's website. The interview took place in the West Bank town of Ramallah. Arafat also told CNN that the United States had let the plan die. Arafat says Israeli military action killed the road map Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Recent Israeli military action against Palestinian militants has killed the U.S.-backed Mideast road map to peace, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat told CNN in an off-camera interview on Tuesday. Arafat said there was no prospect of Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas resuming a declared cease-fire with Israel. "The road map is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks," he said. The interview took place in Ramallah in the West Bank. President Arafat: Road Map is Dead Due to Israeli Military Offensive International Press Center 9/3/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, September 3, 2003 (IPC)-- President Yasser Arafat stated yesterday that the US-backed Road Map peace plan is dead because of continued Israeli military offensive against the Palestinian people. Speaking to the CNN American TV Network in an off-camera interview Tuesday, President Arafat was quoted as saying “the Road Map is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks.” Arafat stressed that the United States has not done enough to keep the peace plan alive. Arafat Blames Israel, U.S. For "Dead" Roadmap Islam Online 9/3/2003 RAMALLAH, September 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Palestinian President Yasser Arafat blamed incessant Israeli aggressions and the Bush administration’s preoccupation with Iraq and presidential elections for the "dead" roadmap. In an off-camera interview with CNN Tuesday, September 2, from his Ramallah headquarters, Arafat stressed the "roadmap is dead, but only because of Israeli military aggression in recent weeks."

Human Rights..

Palestinian Health Ministry: Israeli Occupation Forces Impede Medication of Palestinian Patients International Press Center 9/3/2003 GAZA, Palestine, September 3, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)-- For the sixth day consecutively, Israeli occupation forces (IOF) denied Wednesday access of a number of Palestinian patients to hospitals in both Israel and the Occupied East Jerusalem. Kamal Alsherafi, Palestinian Health Minister, said that since August, 28, 2003, IOF have been preventing access of Palestinian patients into Israeli and Arab hospitals inside the Green Line (Israel). Israeli jail hell of peace activists Al-Jazeera 9/3/2003 Two international peace activists have been deported for trying to prevent Israeli soldiers from demolishing a Palestinian home in a refugee camp. Scottish man Andrew Nuncie was held in a tiny, windowless cell with fellow activist Andreas Konenik of Sweden for 10 days before they were kicked out of the Jewish state. Nuncie, 29 and Konenik, 20 were arrested last month in the Balata refugee camp near the West Bank town of Nablus and held in a nearby jail. The Europeans said their cell was tiny and cramped and conditions were harsh, but the treatment of Palestinian prisoners was even worse, with up to eight being held in similar sized cells. Quds University pitches sit-in tent Palestinian Information Center 9/3/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - The Quds University has pitched a huge sit-in tent to protest Zionist occupation authorities’ confiscation of varsity lands in the Abu Dees village to the east of occupied Jerusalem. Local and foreign solidarity delegations visited that tent pitched on the University’s playgrounds that are threatened of confiscation. The Zionist occupation authorities plan to build part of the segregationist fence through those playgrounds, which would mean dividing the varsity campus into two sections and wiping out its sports playgrounds and installations. Arab Families Want Israeli Compensation Palestine Chronicle 9/3/2003 CAIRO - Arab families who lost relatives when Israeli war planes shot down a commercial aircraft that had wandered over Israeli-held territory say they want to take Israel to court, three decades after the attack. The families say they have been inspired by an emerging global determination not to let attacks on civilians, even those long in the past, go unpunished. But lawyers say the 28 Egyptian families and two from Libya who want to sue, face significant hurdles. Security prisoners smuggle phones into detention camp Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Security prisoners jailed in IDF’s Ketziot detention camp in the Western Negev have smuggled more than 100 cell phones into the remote desert facility, and have sabotaged efforts by the camp command to disrupt telephone transmissions, Army Radio reported Wednesday. In order to disable the army’s jamming equipment, inmates have caused short-circuits in the power lines leading to it, which are attached to their residence tents as well.

Economy..

Consumer price index in July down by 0.90% Jerusalem Times 8/28/2003 Consumer price index (CPI) for the Palestinian areas for the month of July 2003 went down by 0.90% compared to the previous month’s index, said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in its monthly report on inflation in the Palestinian areas. The index rate became 136.85 in July compared to 138.03 in June 2003.

People..

Obituary: Issam Nashashib Jerusalemites 9/3/2003 Born in Jerusalem, Issam Nashashibi grew up celebrating Christmas and Easter and the main Islamic holidays. As a Palestinian activist in the United States, he urged groups he led to emphasize the similarities between American and Arab cultures. He was a board member of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, which has 1,500 members in its Georgia chapter. Nationwide, he was director of Deir Yassin Remembered, which erects monuments to honor the Palestinian villagers killed by Jewish para-military soldiers in 1948, said his wife, Margaret Nashashibi of Dawsonville.  Sounds of occupation Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Edward Said and Daniel Barenboim unite music and politics in Spain. -- SEVILLE - Politics and music, oppression and music, morality and music - these are the main themes taken up by the guests at the tranquil Lantana youth hostel, not far from the Spanish city of Seville. Over 80 young musicians from Egypt, Jordan, Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Syria, Lebanon and Spain were there last month, preparing for a series of joint chamber and symphony concerts in Spain, Germany and other countries in Europe, as well as Morocco. Corruption, frustration pushing Arab youth into arms of Islamists Middle East Online 9/3/2003 Islam is on the rise; no statistics, but signs showing everywhere. -- Young Arabs are increasingly drawn to conservative Islamist ideas in the hope of securing a better future, wearied by rampant corruption in their countries and economic hardship. "Many people would like the Muslim Brotherhood to succeed. There will be order and peace. Businessmen would not be allowed to steal the banks," said Ahmed, touching on Egypt's multi-billion dollar bad-loan crisis. A Summing Up By Jeff Halper, Israeli Committee Against Home Demolitions 9/3/2003 Work Camp Concludes Successfully -- ICAHD’s work camp in the Palestinian town of Anata, where several hundred Israeli, Palestinian and international volunteers worked over two weeks to rebuild the demolished home of Salim and Arabia Shawamreh and their seven children, reached its conclusion on August 21st. On that day the Beit Arabia Center for a Just Peace was inaugurated in a festive atmosphere – laced, however, with anxiety over the future of the building....Micha Yachin, a building inspector who had supervised the previous four demolitions...ordered the confiscation of a generator and other construction equipment from the site on the grounds that they were being used for “illegal activities.” He also informed Deborah Brous, the camp’s director, that the house would be demolished yet again. Designer’s Lebanese motifs expose unexpected prejudice Daily Star 9/3/2003 A funky line of Arabic-themed handbags from a Melbourne-based fashion guru has drawn more than a few boorish comments Down Under -- Imagine you’re young and hip and in possession of a vitally cool new messenger bag. You’re walking down the street or sitting on a train with the bag slung over your shoulder in resplendent red, Arabic script in a mod font slinking up the thick black strap and across the front flap, where it meets a retro graphic of a funky old car. These bags ­ created in a limited edition by an Australian design collective known as TOW ­ carry both a pop sensibility and a conceptual approach....But instead of comments like “cool bag,” or “nice find,” wearers of the bags have lately confronted a rather more suspect series of questions: “What does that say, ‘Kill all Americans?’” “Is that an Osama bin Laden bag?” “Is there a bomb in the bag?” Israeli scientists come up with drug to combat West Nile fever Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 Two Israeli scientists have come up with a revolutionary new drug which they believe will slow down the spread of West Nile fever among those already infected by the virus. The drug - Omr-IgG-am - was developed jointly by Professor Bracha Rager, former Health Ministry chief scientist and senior staff member at the Health Science Faculty's Department of Microbiology andImmunology at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev in Be'er Sheva, and David Ben-Natan, of the Nes Tziona Biological Institute.

International..

Pollard court hearing adjourns without new ruling Jerusalem Post 9/3/2003 The US District Court in Washington adjourned Tuesday without ruling on whether convicted spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard should be enabled to continue his long-term bid to have his life sentence reduced or wiped out....Judge Thomas Hogan did not rule on that request or the request to see the classified documents, saying he would take time to consider other legal cases submitted by the prosecution and the defense. A decision could take several weeks. Saudi Arabia won't move fighter-bombers from base near Israel Jerusalem Post 9/3/2003 Saudi Arabia doesn't want to move its advanced F-15-S fighter-bombers away from the Tabuq airbase, which is near Israel, in apparent violation of US assurances to Israel when the US-made aircraft were sold to the Saudis in 1991, Army Radio is reporting. Nasrallah accuses Israel of involvement in Najaf bombing Daily Star 9/3/2003 Hizbullah chief warns of Shiite-Sunni conflict -- Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, gave an address on the assassination of Mohammed Baqer al-Hakim Monday night, accusing the Israeli Mossad of the explosion that killed the Iraqi cleric and some 83 people at the Imam Ali shrine in Najaf, Iraq. Nasrallah also said it was possible that the blast could have been arranged by Saddam Hussein or by Sunni extremists, but he emphasized the regional equation that Israel and America stand to benefit the most from the death of al-Hakim, and suggested Iraqis to examine the possibility of such an action by the Israelis. Libya Cuts Diplomatic Ties With Lebanon BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - Libya has decided to sever diplomatic ties with Lebanon after coming under pressure to reveal the fate of a missing Lebanese Shiite cleric, a Libyan Embassy official said Wednesday. Hussein al-Sharif, the charge d'affaires at the Office of Arab Fraternity, as the Libyan Embassy is called, said the decision was made after recent statements by Lebanese Parliament Speaker Nabih Berri and Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah. Mossad Delegation Visits Baghdad And Coordinates With U.S. On Terrorism Al-Hayat 9/3/2003 A Kurdish official revealed that an Israeli security delegation visited Baghdad on August 22 and 23, in order to coordinate with U.S. intelligence on the issue of terrorism. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, informed Al-Hayat that the mentioned delegation carried out a field tour in Baghdad, and an air tour in a U.S. helicopter above Mosul, Tikrit and Ramadi. Saudis move closer to WTO BBC 9/3/2003 Saudi Arabia has signed a deal with the European Union that could help it join the World Trade Organisation (WTO) as early as next year. Pascal Lamy, European trade commissioner, said the deal could pave the way for a network of similar pacts across the Middle East, a region so far under-represented in global trade policy-making. Russia, Saudi Arabia to Combat Terrorism The Guardian 9/3/2003 MOSCOW (AP) - Russian and Saudi officials agreed Wednesday to coordinate their anti-terrorism efforts as part of a landmark visit to Moscow by the Arab kingdom's leader. Moscow has said Saudi charities have provided financial support to Chechen separatists, who in the eyes of many Muslim fundamentalists are fighting to free an Islamic people, but who are considered terrorists by the Russian government.      Separate talks for Arab countries at WTO Daily Star 9/3/2003 The Arab League, which had applied for observer status in WTO, will also not be represented at the Cancun meeting...Two non-Arab countries blocked the move by insisting that WTO accept the League application’s and all other regional blocs applying for observer status. -- Arab countries attending next week’s World Trade Organization (WTO) meeting in Mexico will hold separate talks with the US trade representative for the first time in the organization’s history, a WTO official said Tuesday. “No US Trade Representative has ever met with the Arab group (in WTO) as a whole in its entire history,” WTO trade policy specialist Samer Seif Yazal said on the sidelines of a seminar in Beirut. US Rounds Up Immigrants For Another Mass Deportation: Debate Between Immigrant Advocates & the INS By Amy Goodman, Dissident Voice/Democracy Now! [Transcript of Democracy Now! radio program, August 27, 2003] -- Last week the Bureau of Immigration and Customs Enforcement chartered a flight to deport over 20 immigrants including nine Palestinians. The deputy director of BICE, the agency formerly known as the INS, defends its practices in a debate with Ann Benson of the Washington Defenders Association Immigration Project and Subhash Kateel with Families for Freedom in New York City. Report: Mossad team visited Iraq for anti-terror efforts Ha'aretz 9/3/2003 A Mossad delegation visited Baghdad last month in order to coordinate its anti-terrorism efforts with U.S. forces in Iraq, according to a report in the Arab-language Al-Hayat newspaper. Basing its report on comments made by an anonymous Kurdish official, the newspaper claimed that the delegation held carried out a field tour in the Iraqi capital and aerial tours in a U.S. military helicopter above Mosul, Tikrit and Ramadi. Star attacks US culture of fear The Guardian 9/3/2003 "I live now in a lot less fear, now I have turned off my TV" -- The American actor Tim Robbins broke his silence yesterday after being attacked for putting US troops "in danger" by speaking out against the invasion of Iraq. Robbins, whose partner and fellow actor, Susan Sarandon, has also been criticised for her anti-war stance, said the cold shouldering they received had been "a gift" which had rallied liberals to the cause of free speech.      Court acquits Canadian of espionage charges Daily Star 9/3/2003 But judges ban re-entry for 5 years -- The Military Tribunal has acquitted Canadian missionary Bruce Balfour, 52, of charges of spying for Israel that were punishable by 15 years in jail. However, he was found guilty of the charge of inciting sectarian sentiment and was sentenced to one year in prison and a LL100,000 fine. According to the ruling, handed down late Monday night, Balfour was banned from entering Lebanon for five years. The tribunal reduced Balfour’s sentence to 36 days, which was the time he spent under arrest, and ordered his immediate deportation after he pays his fine.

ISM News

Best viewed with Internet Explorer 5.0+ and Real player

Return to top of page