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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 a Palestinian Senior Man in Nablus International Press Center 9/13/2003 NABLUS, September 13,2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- An elderly man has been shot and killed Friday dawn by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the old town of Nablus city in the West Bank, IPC correspondent said. Palestinian medical sources of Raphedia hospital stated that Fathi Mahmoud Hussein Bulbul, 85, was instantly killed when hit with several shrapnel in the upper side of his chest as lying stay inside his house. IPC Correspondent reported the Israeli occupation forces opened a burst of heavy fire towards the civilians’ houses during their incursion into the old town that resulted in the gory killing of the senior man....Last night Friday the Israeli occupation forces had rounded up 14 Palestinians in Tulkarem, Palestinian sources reported. In the mean time, IOF arrested four citizens in the village of Zababda, near Jenin. Palestine News Agency (WAFA) said IOF thrust in Zababda and arrested four citizens during a house-to-house search. Israel Demolishes 26 Houses in 11 Days, Leaving 40 Families in the Streets International Press Center 9/13/2003 Back to the Demolition Wave in Rafah - Assassination by Demolishing Houses - House Demolition by Helicopters - A Legal Perspective -- As part of its collective punishment policy and use of excessive force, the Israeli government gave the green light to its occupying forces to target populated Palestinian houses, besiege them and evict all the families out of them prior to their demolition, turning behind dozens of Palestinians, mostly women and children, without shelters in the streets. Report: Elite unit has been ready to snatch Arafat since April 2002 Jerusalem Post 9/13/2003 According to reports on Israel Radio, an elite IDF unit has been ready for over two years to 'remove' Yasser Arafat, should the political echelon give it the order to do so. The report claims that the unit had prepared, and was in place to snatch Arafat from his Muqataa headquarters during "Operation Defensive Shield" in March-April 2002. Zionist occupation confiscates vast areas of lands for fence construction Palestinian Information Center 9/13/2003 Ramallah - A survey conducted by the Palestinian Authority central statistics department has revealed that the Zionist occupation authorities had confiscated around 165,000 dunums of Palestinian lands for the sake of building the segregationist fence. The department had surveyed Palestinian residential areas in which that fence was passing in Jenin, Tulkarm, Qalqilya, Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Salfeet during the month of August 2003. Rantees under fourth day of curfew Palestinian Information Center 9/13/2003 Ramallah - Zionist occupation forces are imposing a tight curfew on the Rantees village to the west of occupied Ramallah city for the fourth consecutive day. Palestinian sources said that the troops besieging the village were banning traffic in and out of that town. They added that the occupation forces had banned the villagers from offering the Friday congregation yesterday and barred vehicles loaded with vegetables and supplies from entering the village. Ignoring U.S. Opposition, Israeli DM Will Submit Separation Wall Plans for Cabinet Approval International Middle East Media Center 9/13/2003 Israeli defense Minister Shaul Mofaz will ask the cabinet, in its Sunday meeting, to approve the finalized plans to construct the southern section of the security wall. The plan sets Ariel settlement west of the wall, ignoring U.S. reservations. The plan suggests conducting the construction in stages, starting with the section between Elkana and Jerusalem. Israeli sources said that Mofaz is not concerned by the Knesset dispute over funding and that he believes that the United States will eventually agree to the proposed plan, which brings the wall deep into the West bank. Aqsa Martyrs Brigades warn of war of annihilation Palestinian Information Center 9/13/2003 Ramallah - The Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the military wing of the Fatah Movement, issued a statement threatening a war of annihilation against “Israel” in the event it carried out its decision to expel Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat. “We tell the criminal Sharon that your people will pay a very dear price … a series of martyrdom commandos will destroy each and every living creature in “Israel” and even will blast the entire region and there will be no peace or stability,” the statement, a copy of which was sent to AFP, warned. Palestinians ready to act as 'human shields' to defend Arafat Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Palestinian activists keeping a vigil at Yasser Arafat's headquarters settled down for a third straight night Saturday, pledging to sacrifice themselves as human shields if Israel tries to carry out a threat to forcibly expel the Palestinian leader. A group of about two dozen men, ranging from university students to construction workers, put up two tents next to Arafat's bullet-pocked, sandbagged office in what remains of his headquarters compound, largely destroyed in previous Israeli raids. Israeli forces kill an aged Palestinian in Nablus; Invasion of the old city International Middle East Media Center 9/13/2003 Fathi Mahmoud Al-Bulbul, 82 years old, from the old city of Nablus, was shot dead by Israeli soldiers after they invaded the old city in the early hours of Saturday morning. Clashes erupted between the forces and the resistance fighters in the invaded area.His son said the soldiers shot at his father while he was in his room. The bullets hit him in the heart and the neck, which proves that he was shot deliberately. Israeli forces occupied several houses and searched and ransacked them. Israeli soldiers also prevented the ambulances from evacuating the wounded man, and he was left to bleed for more than half an hour. 3 explosive belts found in E. J'lem; man, 80, killed in Nablus Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Israel Defense Forces soldiers pursued Palestinian militants through the narrow alleys of the old quarter of the the West Bank of Nablus early Saturday, setting off intense gun battles that killed an elderly man who watched the fighting from a window, Palestinian witnesses said. The IDF said a patrol searching for fugitives was fired on and fired back with rifles. The military had no information about any dead or wounded.

Diplomacy..

Arafat Calls for Return to Peace Talks The Guardian 9/13/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - On the 10th anniversary of an ambitious peace accord whose goals were never achieved, Yasser Arafat on Saturday urged Israel to return to peace talks - days after Israeli leaders threatened to send him into exile in response to Palestinian suicide bombings. As thousands of schoolchildren rallied outside his battered, sandbagged headquarters, Arafat told visiting foreign diplomats that the Palestinians were facing their most difficult moment since the Oslo Accords were signed Sept. 13, 1993, on the White House lawn. UN Security Council warns against expulsion of Arafat Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Israel rebuffed Saturday a United Nations Security Council warning not to go through with its threat to exile Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, saying its national security was at stake. The UN Security Council's 15 member-nations warned Israel on Friday against implementing the decision to remove Arafat, setting an open debate on the crisis in the region for Monday...."With all due respect, Arafat is a master terrorist. We will not abjure our right to self-defense," said a source close to Sharon on Saturday. UN’s Big ‘5’ Refuse Israel’s Decision to ‘Remove’ Arafat Palestine Media Center 9/13/2003 De Villepin on Friday called for an international force to help ease the tensions between Israelis and Palestinians. - France, after Russia, Calls for Int’l Intervention -- The United Nations Security Council five permanent members were in the forefront of a worldwide objection to the Israeli government’s decision on Thursday to “remove” President Yasser Arafat as an “obstacle” to peace. The Israelis sounded shocked surprise at the international protesting outcry. "In the early hours of this morning the phones rang from all over the world," Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Friday. "They're asking us to do nothing against Yasser Arafat. Has the world turned on its head?" Israeli threat of exile strengthens Arafat's hand The Guardian 9/13/2003 Palestinian president revels among the Ramallah wreckage as US puts immense pressure on Sharon to row back on threat to banish him -- The United States led a barrage of international pressure on Israel yesterday not to carry out its threat to exile Yasser Arafat or otherwise remove him as an "obstacle to peace". The US secretary of state, Colin Powell, telephoned his Israeli counterpart, Silvan Shalom, to warn that banishing the Palestinian president would strengthen Mr Arafat's hand at a time when both countries have been trying to isolate him, and would undermine hopes of a peace deal. PM Sharon ´s Confidante: PA State - Not in this Generation Arutz Sheva - Israel National News 9/13/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has changed his mind about the establishment of a Palestinian state. At least so writes his good friend and confidante, journalist Uri Dan. After returning from the official visit to India with Sharon early this morning, Dan wrote in Maariv today that he has the impression that "in India, the State of Palestine was buried" (based on Theodore Herzl's statement, "In Basel [at the First Zionist Congress], I established the Jewish State")...Dan, who has never been known to criticize a position taken by Sharon, wrote that the events of the past few days have convinced the Prime Minister that the PA must "disappear from the map." Quartet calls for 'empowered' Palestinian prime minister Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Envoys of the Quartet of Middle East peace-brokers agreed Saturday that a new Palestinian government with an empowered prime minister must be installed to break the cycle of violence. But Palestinian Prime Minister-elect Ahmed Qureia said Saturday that the establishment of a new government depended on a change in Israel's approach, Israel Radio reported. Arafat supporters warn of abyss if he is harmed, expelled Middle East Online 9/13/2003 We must kill Yasser Arafat, because the world leaves us no alternative: Jerusalem Post. -- Supporters of Yasser Arafat warned Thursday against any bid to expel the veteran Palestinian leader, as Israel's foreign minister said most of his colleagues now supported such a move. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was convening a meeting of his security cabinet the same day in which the fate of Arafat was due to be considered. Maher calls on Powell to translate Washington's rejection of Arafat's expulsion into action Arabic News 9/13/2003 Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher has stressed the risks of the Israeli government's decision to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat from the occupied territories. He said in a telephone conversation with Secretary of State Colin Powell from Rome that the US statement objecting Arafat's expulsion should be translated into action. Israel fumes as Arafat basks in international limelight The Independent 9/13/2003 While Yasser Arafat staged his latest show for worldwide television at his Maqata headquarters in Ramallah yesterday, Israeli eyes were watching, unseen, from the eighth floor of an office block 400 yards away, across a rubble-strewn wasteland. Just before 1.30pm - less than 24 hours after the Israeli Cabinet had vowed to "remove" him - the Palestinian Authority President walked down the steps outside his sandbagged, half-demolished office and slowly walked the 40 yards to Friday prayers in the compound's meeting room in a crush of aides, acolytes and, above all, camera crews. Never mind that he had reportedly stormed out of this very room the day before, after being told by General Nasser Yusef, Gaza's former security chief and newly nominated as the Palestinian Authority's Interior Minister, that he was "the most incompetent revolutionary leader in history". Palestinian source: Egypt pressing Hamas for new cease-fire Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Egypt is exerting heavy pressure on senior Hamas officials in the territories and abroad in an effort to prevent an explosion in the region as a result of the continuing terror attacks against Israel, according to a senior Palestinian source. The source said that Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is directing contacts with the Hamas leadership, with the goal of achieving a newcease-fire that would lend support to the actions of Palestinian Prime Minister-elect Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala). Arabs urge UN action on Arafat BBC 9/13/2003 Arab and non-aligned nations have asked the United Nations Security Council to stop Israel from carrying out its threat to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The Council met in emergency session - and described the Israeli decision as "unhelpful". But it did not formally discuss a draft resolution circulated by Palestinian UN envoy Nasser al-Kidwa. It will reconvene on Monday to hear a report from the UN envoy for the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, followed by a debate open to all UN members. Pakistan Condemns Israel’s Decision to Expel Yasser Arafat Arab News 9/13/2003 ISLAMABAD, 13 September 2003 — Pakistan yesterday expressed deep concern over Israel’s decision to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat and said it would undermine the peace process in the Middle East. “President Arafat is duly elected head of the state of Palestine and the decision to exile him from his own country is condemnable,” a foreign office spokesman said. Russia wants ‘Quartet’ to mull Arafat’s fate Daily Star 9/13/2003 Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Yuri Vidotov said Friday that his country is in favor of a meeting of the “Quartet” at a ministerial level to discuss the latest Israeli decision to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Speaking in Beirut after talks with Foreign Minister Jean Obeid, the Russian diplomat said his country was “greatly concerned” with this decision. “If it is implemented, it would amount to a knock-out strike against the regional peace process,” the Russian envoy said. Ain al-Hilweh comes out in solidarity Daily Star 9/13/2003 Protesters slam Israeli moves against Palestinian leader -- Palestinian refugees in the Ain al-Hilweh camp outside of Sidon led Arabs in a chorus of condemnation Friday against Israel’s threat to expel Yasser Arafat, saying the move will cause more bloodshed unless the international community, particularly the US, intervenes. Annan, Security Council call on Israel not to expel Arafat United Nations News 9/12/2003 12 September – United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan and the members of the Security Council called on Israel today not to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, warning that such a move would dangerously exacerbate tension and instability in the region. "The Secretary-General strongly urges the Israeli Government to reconsider the Security Cabinet's decision in principle to expel President Yasser Arafat," said a statement issued by a spokesman for Mr. Annan. "The forcible transfer of President Arafat is dangerous and counterproductive in a situation of tension and instability in the region. Hizbullah could end up on EU terrorist list Daily Star 9/13/2003 Decision to add Hamas could pave way for Resistance -- The decision by the European Union to brand the political wing of Hamas as a terrorist group could pave the way for the full inclusion of Hizbullah on the EU’s list of terrorist organizations, diplomats say....“We might be getting close to adding Hizbullah, especially as its support for Hamas and Islamic Jihad could make the link between Hizbullah and terrorism,” a European diplomat said. Other diplomats said there are no concrete steps under way at present to add Hizbullah to the list, “although that needs the caveat that everyone is keeping a very close eye on the Blue Line,” said one, referring to the UN-delineated line that corresponds to the Lebanon-Israel border. “But I sense no great pressure to change the list.” Camps in Lebanon, Jordan back Arafat Daily Star 9/13/2003 BEIRUT: Palestinian refugees in Lebanon and Jordan expressed varying reactions Friday to Israel’s decision to deport Palestinian President Yasser Arafat but unanimously agreed that expelling the veteran leader would backfire on Israel. “No one can expel Arafat,” said Abu Mahmoud Mustafa, a resident of the Shatila refugee camp in southern Beirut. Labor MK Abraham Bourg: Israel Shares Responsibility to Terror International Middle East Media Center 9/13/2003 Israeli Labor MK lashed Friday at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and the decision of his security government to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. Bourg called the security cabinet decision a “childish” one provoked by a “childish behavior.” Bourg told Friday Israel radio that the security cabinet decision caused a strategic damage to Israeli vital interests. He called Sharon “an American toy” moved by White house instructions. Bourg added that Sharon is an obstacle to peace and that it is the duty of Israelis to replace him. ‘Ureikat: Israel ignores the Palestinian authoritySheikh: the Israeli threats should be taken seriously International Middle East Media Center 9/13/2003 'Ahmmad 'Abd Ar-rahman, the adviser of the foreign affairs, ensured the failure of all Israeli attempts to exile Palestinian president Yasser Arafat. In a special interview with IMEMC, Abd Ar-rahman stressed the importance of supporting the Palestinians by the Palestinian leadership. He added that Arafat is in a good shape and sends his greetings and prayers to his people. Discussing the Israeli plans of expulsion, Abd Ar-Rahman meant that Sharon lost his mind. Pakistan: "Indo-Israel nexus extremely threatening" Jerusalem Post 9/13/2003 Pakistan has reacted harshly to recent reports of Indo-Israeli defence cooperation according to which a number of new agreements for the sale and purchase of weapons technology and increased security cooperation between the two nations was pledged. The Pakistani reaction comes amid reports that Israel has offered to develop state-of-the art attack submarines and unmanned aerial vehicles to New Delhi. Israeli Decision to ‘Remove’ Arafat Proves Counter-productive Palestine Media Center 9/13/2003 Israeli Incitement to Kill Arafat Continues - IOF troops earlier Thursday set up positions on two tall buildings overlooking Arafat’s headquarters, and F-16 warplanes repeatedly flew overhead. Israeli occupation troops seized the top floor of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) Culture Ministry building on Thursday, overlooking Arafat's Mukata compound in Ramallah. -- An Israeli government’s decision on Thursday to “remove” Palestinian President Yasser Arafat has within hours proved counter-productive, as it massively rallied the Palestinian people around their veteran leader and raised a worldwide outcry against it while Arafat defiantly announced that the Israelis “can kill me...but I will not leave.” Arafat revives spirit of Oslo Al-Jazeera 9/13/2003 Palestinian President Yasir Arafat has said an Israeli threat to exile him is meant to eradicate the self-rule Palestinians won in peace deals a decade ago. "The danger here concerns Israel's determination to cancel the Palestinian partner and the Palestinian Authority," Arafat told visiting diplomats at his battered headquarters in the West Bank city of RamAllah.

Human Rights..

PPS: 1200 Prisoners Suffer in an Desert Israeli Prison International Press Center 9/13/2003 GAZA, Palestine, September 13, 2003, (IPC)-- Palestinian Prisoners Society (PPS) said 1200 Palestinian Prisoners, including 80 under 18-year-old, are still suffering at Israeli desert prison of EL Naqab. In a study conducted and published on Saturday the PPS said 400 of the said 1200 prisoners are under extrajudicial arrest, 80 mine detainees, and 800 others sentenced between 1-10 years. The study shows that the prisoners' condition at EL Naqab prison one extremely harsh. Holding back the water Jerusalem Times 9/11/2003 Fadhel Kaoush, vice president of the Water Authority, assured that the Israeli side refuses to supply the Palestinian territories with additional quantities of water agreed upon previously. He said that Israeli allegations that water available in Palestine is sufficient are untrue and explained that despite all official communication with Israel about water scarcity in Palestine, the Israeli side insists on refusal. Kaoush stressed the importance of implementing the agreement reached regarding water, explaining that the task of technical committees is to implement the agreement, not renegotiate it. Kaoush demonstrated the water conditions in various districts in the West Bank. [Includes detailed review of water conditions in the OPT] While Israel Control’s 80% of Palestinian Water, the Mekorot Company Severely Limits Water Supply Palestine Water For Life Campaign August 2003 ...Political constraints and physical limitations imposed by Israel on water supply to the Palestinians rendered their water use as the lowest among the countries in the Jordan River Basin. They currently using almost 8.2% of the total available water resources in the Basin of 2.8 billion cubic meters. In the mean time Israel is using 57.1% and Jordan is using 34.7%.... Water and Sanitation, Hygiene Monitoring Project (West Bank and Gaza Strip) Impact of the Current Crisis Weekly Report # 1 Palestine Water For Life Campaign August 16 - 28 2003 The importance of the WaSH MP [Water and Sanitation, Hygiene Monitoring Project] originates from the fact that it is almost the only source of updated information on the impact of the current crisis on water, sanitation and hygiene in West Bank and Gaza Strip for all local and international agencies working in the sector. During the first phase of the project, detailed information have been gathered from different localities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Such information have been analyzed and stored in a locally designed database. Furthermore, 7 monthly reports have been published and the database can be accessed through the project website on the following address www.phg.org/campaign [Acrobat version of this report] Former Israeli Minister: Israeli Assassination Similar to Nazi Courts International Press Center 9/13/2003 GAZA, Palestine, September 13, 2003, (IPC+WAFA)-- Israeli former leftist minister , Sholamit Aloni, said Friday Israeli assassination of Palestinians are similar to the Nazi courts in Germany against Jews. “The German used to think who he to be burnt while Sharon and his government carry out public polls whom to kill,” Aloni said in an interview with Palestine News Agency (WAFA), while heading to Nierenberg to participate in a conference on Human Rights. “The Israeli government lost the compass and does not know what to do but to kill.” Aloni said. Palestinian refugees wait and remember By Nicholas Blanford, Daily Star 9/13/2003 With Arafat, bloodshed topping agenda, right of return still a distant dream -- AIN AL-HILWEH, South Lebanon: It took Hassan Issa four days to walk the from his home in Hittin on the shores of the Sea of Galilee to the border with Lebanon. Within weeks, the 21-year-old was living in a tent 3 kilometers outside the southern Lebanese port city of Sidon in a lush landscape of banana groves and orange trees known as Ain al-Hilweh (the Spring of Sweet Water.) That was in 1948. Fifty-five years later, Issa is still living in Ain al-Hilweh, although today there is little that can be described as “sweet” in the Palestinian refugee camp’s filthy, cramped passageways with its mood of crushing despair and futility.

Economy..

Unemployment drops in second quarter 2003 Jerusalem Times 9/11/2003 The Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) said in a recent report on labor force in the Palestinian areas that unemployment has dropped in second quarter 2003 compared to first quarter of the same year. Number of persons who do not work but were nevertheless seeking or not seeking employment decreased from 336,000 in the first quarter 2003 to 302,000 in second quarter of the same year. This figure, nevertheless, is still almost double what it was on before the outbreak of the Palestinian Intifada in late September 2000, said the PCBS.Unemployment rate was therefore 37.9% of the total labor force, based on the relaxed definition of unemployment. Palestine's Economy in Brief Jerusalem Times 9/11/2003 Tulkarm economic losses exceed $565m: Tulkarm Chamber of Commerce estimated that the total commercial, industrial, agricultural and tourism losses as a result of the continuous Israeli incursions and closures since October 19, 2002 more than $565 million.... / Emergency food aid arrives: More than 530,000 Palestinians affected by closures and curfews are expected to receive a $10 million in-kind contribution from USAIDÕs Office of Food for Peace (FFP) toward the United Nations World Food Program (WFP) Emergency Appeal (EMOP) for the Palestinian Territories, said a press release issued by USAIDÕs West Bank and Gaza program on September 2.... Oil traces found east of Kfar Sava Ha'aretz 9/12/2003 There could be reservoirs of 100 million barrels of oil at the Meged-4 well east of Kfar Sava, exploration company Givot Olam said yesterday in announcing the findings of geological studies. Givot said the analysis indicated reservoirs of oil at depths of 4,800 meters in rocks dating to the Lower Cretaceous Period (50 million years ago), and the oil-bearing layer could be 20 meters thick....Based on a recovery rate of 50-60 percent, then the value of the find would be around $1.4-$1.6 billion. Market analysts doubt it is possible to produce economically viable amounts of oil from the Meged-4 site. First half apartment sales down 34.4% Globes 9/11/2003 The increase in the number of unsold apartments continued. -- Belying various reports, the construction industry is not recovering. The supply of privately-built apartments under construction fell 16.4% in the fist half of 2003, compared with the corresponding period last year, according to a Bank of Israel analysis of Central Bureau of Statistics and Ministry of Housing and Construction figures. Banks regulator to tighten rules on household credit Globes 9/11/2003 Supervisor of Banks Yoav Lehman has begun to collect data on household credit and the banks' policies on credit allowances in their reports. -- Sources inform “Globes” that Supervisor of Banks Yoav Lehman is asking the banks for detailed information about consumer credit retail credit for households....In his most recent survey of Israeli banking, Lehman wrote, “The repayment ability of the household sector has been eroded, but this erosion has not yet been reflected in the banks’ financial statements.”

People..

Hard times for village of the departed Daily Star 9/13/2003 In some respects, things were better before liberation -- The tiny mosque on the road from Maroun al-Ras to Yaroun needs paint. The villa 200 meters down the road does, too. Workers are carrying stones to the mansion. It could become a Swiss country castle, though one more reminiscent of the Hollywood idea of Swiss architecture. But the sand stones the workers are moving suggest that it’ll get a Lebanese covering, fitting in with the villas down the road. The mosque, not much bigger than a shrine, however, does not fit in. Dirt covers the yellow front, and the wooden door shows splits. The village of Yaroun, 15 minutes by car from Bint Jbeil, lays right at the Israeli border ­ a border that needs no fence here to recognize it. On this side, the land looks arid; Israel is where the trees and fields start. Report: Arafat… Decades Of Struggle, Crises Islam Online 9/13/2003 RAMALLAH, September 12 (IslamOnline.net) - After more than 4 decades of struggle and crises, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat proved to be a man of hard mettle and unique defiance in what seems as irreconcilable conflict. Few hours after Israel decided in principle to expel him Thursday, September 11, the 74-year-old leader, seen as a symbol of Palestinian resistance, remained steadfast. [Review of Arafta's career] Israelis back Sharon as Arafat appeals for international help The Independent 9/14/2003 Liav Tzioni, 27, was unmoved yesterday by the international pressure on Israel not to fulfil its threat to expel Yasser Arafat. This, after the double suicide bombing which killed 15 people last Tuesday at a bus stop at the Tzirifin military base and at a busy Jerusalem café. In response to the UN's call not to move against Mr Arafat an Israeli government source declared: "If they tell us not to react after a big bomb, people here are going to say: 'fuck the sons of bitches.'" Yet Mr Tzioni, enjoying a coffee at the Aroma Café, with his girlfriend, isn't some ultra-rightwing fanatic. Thousands Throng to Defend Arafat Against Exile Arab News 9/13/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank, 13 September 2003 — Surrounded by cars crushed in past raids by Israeli tanks, a group of young Palestinians spent the night on the doorstep of Yasser Arafat’s battered office vowing to protect him from Israeli expulsion. “The Israelis will have to kill us to get at Abu Ammar — over our dead bodies,” said Juma’a Abu Shousha, 19, using the Palestinian president’s nom de guerre.

International..

U.S. Supreme Court justice: U.S. can use Israeli terror lessons Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 NEW YORK - The United States could learn from compromises Israeli courts have struck to balance terrorism and human rights concerns, Supreme Court Justice Stephen G. Breyer said Friday. Israeli judges have adopted what Breyer called "intermediatesolutions" that acknowledge the security risks the country faces, the justice told an audience at Columbia Law School. "There are many solutions that ... solve nothing to everyone's satisfaction but are not quite as restrictive of human rights as an extremesolution, nor as dangerous as some other extremes," Breyer said. Swedish FM Dies Of Stab Wounds After Attack Islam Online 9/12/2003 STOCKHOLM, September 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, a key advocate of the Palestinian cause and boycott of Israel, died of hear wounds on Thursday, September 11, a day after she was stabbed by unknown assailant in Stockholm....Lindh was known for her criticism of Israeli oppressive practices against the Palestinians, and had earlier blasted the Israeli army's extrajudicial executions of Palestinians. Palestinians are humiliated daily at Israeli roadblocks," she said in a statement, sparking the Israeli government’s scathing condemnation of her situation. Archives: Israeli Aggressions Draw World Fire - Swedish FM Lindh blasts 'extrajudicial executions' Islam Online 3/15/2003 ...In another criticism of Israeli oppressive practices, Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh blasted the Israeli army's "extrajudicial executions" of Palestinians. "Extra-judicial executions continue unabatedly. Building demolitions have become increasingly common. Palestinians are humiliated daily at Israeli roadblocks," she said in a statement. "Israel must realize that injustices and confrontation do not lead to security," she said, noting that 72 Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been killed as a result of the Israeli offensive in Gaza and the West Bank in the past month. "It is only through negotiation and an end to the occupation that Israel can be guaranteed a peaceful future," she said.  Archives: Lindh’s Criticism of U.N. Jenin Report Draws Israeli Fire Islam Online 8/5/2002 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, August 5 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The Israeli foreign ministry issued a scathing condemnation of Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh Sunday, August 4, for her criticism of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan's report on the Israeli army incursion into West Bank refugee camp of Jenin. Archives: Swedish Public Figures Urge Israeli Boycott Islam Online 1/18/2003 The call has been earlier made by many prominent figures here, one of whom was Swedish Foreign Minister Anna Lindh. Lindh, a member of the Social Democrats, called on the European Union member states in their April meeting in Brussels to cut relations with Israel in protest to the repressive practices of its occupation forces against the Palestinians. -- STOCKHOLM, January 18 (IslamOnline) – A group of Swedish luminaries and public figures called for a boycott of Israeli goods produced in occupied Palestinian territories, in a show of protest at the Jewish state's policy of continued aggressions against the innocent Palestinians. Swedish police have photograph of suspected FM murderer Ha'aretz 9/13/2003 Stockholm - Swedish police have a photograph of the man suspected of murdering Foreign Minister Anna Lindh, a spokesman told Swedish radio Saturday. The spokesman Mats Nylen said that the picture had been found in an analysis of video tapes from the NK department store in downtown Stockholm, the scene of Wednesday's stabbing attack on Lindh. She had been shoppingwithout bodyguards and in the company of a friend. Post-Freudian functionalism comes to Beirut Daily Star 9/13/2003 Philippe Starck discusses upcoming boutique-hotel project -- As the sun went down Wednesday evening, French “rock star” designer Philippe Starck was railing against cynical marketers and targeted consumers. Standing on a stage that was not an altar, in an assembly hall that was not a chapel, Starck jumped around in front of a rapt crowd as the room fell gradually into darkness. Then, as if on cue, Starck’s microphone snapped and popped in the middle of his anti-consumerism rant, causing the famous figure to jump suddenly and tilt his head heavenward. “OK, OK, we shall consume,” he cried with arms outstretched....Starck has been in Beirut for the past week on a sort of mini publicity blitzkrieg in support of his latest project, a grand plan for a boutique hotel right here in Wadi Abu Jamil. Otri continues consultations to form the new Syrian government Arabic News 9/13/2003 Syria's Parliament Speaker, Naji Otri, who was asked to form a new government, resumed talks with several educational, economic and cultural activities in the framework of a series of consultations for forming a new government. Al-Jazeera accuses US, Israel of inciting Spain to incriminate Alluni Al-Jazeera 9/13/2003 Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite channel is standing by its star reporter Tayssir Alluni, who faces charges in Spain of links with Osama bin Laden's Al-Qaeda terror network. Insisting that Alluni is innocent, Al-Jazeera on Friday accused the United States and Israel of inciting Spain to incriminate him. "This dramatic development is the product of the messages received by Spanish security services from several counterparts, including those of Israel and the United States," said spokesman Jihad Ballout. Egypt cracks down on Islamists before universities reopen Middle East Online 9/13/2003 Muslim Brotherhood leaders surprised that arrests taking place at time ‘when everything is calm’. -- The Egyptian authorities have launched a new crackdown on the Muslim Brotherhood to thwart any protests they may stir up among university students returning to campus, Islamists and analysts say. A college professor and six other leading Brotherhood members were arrested Monday, while last month, 11 student members of the movement were arrested, including two distributing pamphlets after Friday prayers in Port Said. Israeli Body Wants A Dutch Islamic Website Banned Islam Online 9/13/2003 THE HAGUE, September 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - An Israeli Intelligence body has called upon the Dutch government to ban an Islamic website under the pretext that it encourages the minority Muslim youth in Holland to join Al-Qaeda terror network a day after Qatar's Al-Jazeera satellite channel accused Israel of putting pressure on Spain to detain its star reporter Tayssir Alluni....[Head of the Israeli Center Ronny Naftalin] has also indirectly called upon the Dutch authorities to prevent the Muslim youth from joining the Dutch army when he warned of “the risks of ignoring the second Muslim generation who join training courses for weaponry use.” Malaysian backing for suicide bombers BBC 9/13/2003 The leader of Malaysia's main opposition party has expressed support for the actions of suicide bombers in the Middle East and Chechnya. Abdul Hadi Awang made the remarks at a party conference on the eve of being confirmed as the new president of Malaysia's hard-line Islamic party, PAS. Abdul Hadi said PAS would continue to support the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. ‘No Saudi Pilots Barred From US’ Arab News 9/13/2003 JEDDAH, 13 September 2003 — A source at Saudi Arabian Airlines has said the information in a Sept. 11 New York Times article saying that five Saudi pilots from the national carrier were barred from flying to the United States is “dated, and occurred over a year ago.”

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