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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..

A Palestinian Child Killed, a House Dynamited By Israeli Occupation International Press Center 9/15/2003 WEST BANK, September 15, 2003, (IPC + Agencies)-- 14-year-old Ahmed Abu Lateifa was shot and killed Sunday by an Israeli occupation sniper manning the military checkpoint of Qulandia, south of Rammallah City, Palestinian sources said. Palestinian medical sources stated that the child Abu Lateifa was fatally shot in the heart as having presented in the vicinity of Qulandia airport abutting the Israeli military checkpoint. He was evacuated to Rammallah hospital where he emitted the last breath told IPC correspondent. Meanwhile, a contingent of Israeli occupation troop invaded Monday Nablus city and Balata refugee camp, Palestinian security sources said.....Later on, massive troop of the Israeli occupation forces thrust Monday into Qulqelia city of the west bank as the sprinkle of shots echoed everywhere in the city and confined its residents to their houses under curfew, IPC Correspondent said....A Palestinian security source of Qulqelia said that the Israeli occupation forces carried out clearances in the western part of the city adjacent to the “separation barrier “to pave a road, which stretches from Al Tyba military checkpoint in the north to Jaljolia checkpoint , in the south of the city with 5 kilo meters length. An Israeli Tank Wounds Ten Palestinian Teen Boys International Press Center 9/15/2003 DIER ELBALAH, Palestine, September 14, 2003 (IPC+WAFA)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot and wounded Sunday ten Palestinian teen boys in the middle Gaza Strip city of Dier Elbalah. Ten Palestinain teens sustained this afternoon moderate and light injuries, mainly in the lower parts of their bodies as they have been shot with live heavy Israeli bullets, apparently fired from a tank, a hospital official at the Al-Aqsa Martyrs local hospital told IPC correspondent...a more critical [case] was transferred to the central hospital of Alshifa in the Gaza city...Meanwhile, local Palestinian sources in the West Bank city of Hebron said that Israeli troops demolished Sunday several Palestinian houses and agricultural buildings under the pretext of building without permission. Local Palestinian inhabitants in the Wadi Houra neighborhood, southeast of Hebron, accounted that a number of Israeli military bulldozers, backed with scores of tanks and military jeeps, demolished 6 houses, 10 apartments and 4 agricultural buildings along with several live stock pens. Besides, Israeli bulldozers demolished as well two other houses and one live stock pen in the Wadi Almoghair neighborhood, east of Hebron, local sources confirmed....In the West Bank city of Ramallah, IOF imposed earlier in the day a strict security closure on the city, declaring the area as a closed military zone, WAFA News Agency reported. Israeli Bulldozers Destroy Fourteen Houses in Rafah International Press Center 9/14/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, Sep 14, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- Israeli bulldozers completely destroyed on Sunday seven houses and partially damaged seven others in the refugee camp of Rafah in the south of Gaza Strip, IPC correspondent said. Witnesses said that 15 armored convoys supported by 3 tanks advanced, from the border line with Egypt about 250 meters in the Al Barhma neighborhood in Rafah , under a barrage of indiscriminate shootings. locals said that the Israeli bulldozers wrecked and devastated their belongings; seven houses were fully flattened to earth as well as seven more others were partially damaged....the spate of houses demolition in Rafah area has been recurrent over the past four days, as 16 houses have been already demolished....Meanwhile, Israeli occupation forces rounded up Saturday evening scores of Palestinian civilians from Jaba’ village, close to Jenin city in the West Bank, IPC correspondent said. Israel makes arrests, demolishes Palestinian homes Sydney Morning Herald 9/15/2003 The Israeli army arrested a number of Palestinian militants and destroyed houses overnight in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, Palestinian and Israeli security sources said. The army dynamited the two-storey family home of Islamic Jihad follower Bashar Shawarna, at Silat al-Harithiya, near the West Bank town of Jenin, they said yesterday. It also arrested a member of the Islamic group Hamas, Ali Hassan Faradjeh, in a West Bank town, just north of Jerusalem. Ariel to remain outside planned route of separation fence Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The West Bank settlement of Ariel will remain outside the planned route of the separation fence Israel is building between itself and the territories, according to defense ministry plans. The fence will run close to the Green Line in the area around Ariel. While the major route of the fence will not run close by, and protect, various settlements in the West Bank, "local solutions" involvingbarriers and short fences will protect these settlement enclaves....On Friday, Yaron outlined areas marked off for the fence in a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer. The two reached an understanding that should prevent future disagreements about the fence, according to Israeli security officials. These source said Israel and the U.S. are not in total agreement about the fence project, but each side "can live with" the other side's reservations. Peaceniks `broke the law' by visiting Arafat Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 Police say a Gush Shalom delegation broke the law on Saturday when it went to the Muqata in Ramallah to express solidarity with Yasser Arafat and to mark the 10th anniversary of the Oslo accords. The delegation, led by veteran peace activist Uri Avnery, and including MKs Ahmed Tibi and Issam Mahoul, Meretz activists and others, promised Arafat they would organize a "humanshield" to protect him from government threats to "remove" the PA leader....Police say the peace activists' trip to theMuqata, where they also met Palestinian prime minister-designate Ahmed Qureia, violated an order issued by the Central Command two years ago. Shots fired at Palestinian hosting his Israeli girlfriend Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 A Palestinian man was wounded by gunshots Monday evening in the West Bank village of Kablan, near Nablus. When several of the village residents found out that the man's Israeli girlfriend was visiting him, they opened fire on his home. The Israel Defense Forces has begun investigating the fatal shooting of a Palestinian child on Sunday evening near the Atarot airport on the northern edge of Jerusalem. Dozens of Palestinians infiltrated into the airport after cutting open the outlying security fence. Soldiers attempted to disperse the demonstrators and opened fire at the legs of one of them. The 10-year-old boy, named by hospital officials in Ramallah as Ahmed Abu Latifa, was killed by the gunfire. Israeli planes draw Hizb Allah fire Al-Jazeera 9/14/2003 Israeli warplanes have violated Lebanese airspace, repeatedly breaking the sound barrier and triggering Hizb Allah retaliation. Jets roared over southern, northern and eastern sectors of the country on Sunday. Residents said the planes swooped in pairs and broke the sound barrier over Tyre in the south, and flew as far north as the city of Tripoli. In response, Hizb Allah fired anti-aircraft rounds, but made no hits. The Bedouins: Israel’s forgotten victims Al-Jazeera 9/13/2003 Salem Abu Nadi was making the final preparations for his wedding last month when an Israeli bulldozer, escorted by some 10 army and border police jeeps, suddenly descended on his village of Abu Tallul outside the southern Israeli city of Bir Shiva.An Israeli helicopter gunship hovered ominously overhead. Within minutes, the bulldozer had levelled his four-room apartment, smashing the new furniture he had just bought and ravaging all his dreams. The young Bedouin’s ordeal is only one example of the chronic plight haunting tens of thousands of Bedouin Arabs in Israel. Gunmen raid Al-Arabiya office in Ramallah, threaten staff Reporters Without Borders 9/14/2003 Reporters Without Borders today condemned last night's raid by gunmen on the bureau of the pan-Arab television news network Al-Arabiya in the West Bank city of Ramallah and called on the Palestinian Authority to do everything possible to identify and punish those responsible. Five masked men armed with M-16 assault rifles, clubs and knives burst into the Al-Arabiya bureau at around 9:30 pm, herded the three employees present into one room, threatened them and smashed computer and office equipment. Israeli sword hangs over Arafat Christian Science Monitor 9/15/2003 A series of threats of exile has fanned the Palestinian leader's popular appeal. -- RAMALLAH, WEST BANK – Despite a weekend of international outcry, Israel appears committed to its decision to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, although the meaning of the term remains unclear. Israel's deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert, indicated Sunday that Israeli resolve hasn't been dimmed by the opposition to Mr. Arafat's removal, which most observers interpret to mean sending him into exile. Not Mr. Olmert, a prominent Israeli hawk. "Killing [Arafat] is definitely one of the options," he told Israel Radio. Lebanese forces put on high alert to prevent Arafat's expulsion Gulf News 9/14/2003 The Lebanese Army and Coast Guard have been reportedly put on highest alert in order to prevent any Israeli attempts to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat to Lebanon, some senior Lebanese sources were quoted as saying yesterday. The sources stated that the army and coast guard were reported yesterday to have been placed 'ready-to-act' to prevent Israel from deporting the Palestinian President to Lebanon, or at least to try to head off such banishment, quoted the Lebanese-based website www.naharnet.com. Israeli Troops Arrest 3 Palestinians near Jenin International Middle East Media Center 9/14/2003 Israeli troops surrounded Saturday evening the village of Jaba near the West bank city of Jenin, searched homes, and arrested 3 Palestinians. Local sources reported that the three were arrested at an army check post at Bourin intersection when soldiers stopped a private vehicle forced them out of the car, arrested them and moved them to an unknown destination....The village of Jaba is repeatedly subject to incursions and home searches, Israeli security claim that the village shelters many Palestinians wanted by Israeli security. Villagers deny Israeli claims and accuse the army of repeated harassment to force villagers to leave and allow nearby settlers to take over the land. Special Forces arrest Al-Aqsa martyrs brigades' activist in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 9/15/2003 Special Israeli forces arrested Sunday afternoon Bashar Tabila (37), form Al-Yasmeeneh area, suburb of Nablus city, wanted by the Israeli security forces calimed to be an activist of the Aqsa Martyr Brigades in Nablus. The special unit came with a mini bus, disguised in civlian clothes. They broke into his house, searched it, then arrested him. Bashar's wife, confirmed to IMEMC, that the Israeli forces severly beat her husband and ransacked the house and destroyed some of the furniture when searching the hosue. They claimed they found a gun in the house, then blind folded and hand cuffed him and took him to an unknown destination. Zionist authorities arrest lawyer calling on his client Palestinian Information Center 9/15/2003 Ramallah - Zionist occupation authorities yesterday arrested Palestinian lawyer Mousa Makhamra at the Ofer prison near the West Bank city of Ramallah while visiting a number of clients. The Palestinian Authority's prisoners' affairs ministry said that the Zionist authorities arrested Makhamra because he was carrying a camera! Palestinian youths strip Zionist soldier of his weapon Palestinian Information Center 9/15/2003 Al-Khalil - A number of Palestinian young men last night attacked a Zionist soldier at a roadblock to the south of the West Bank city of Al-Khalil and beat him up then fled away with his weapon, according to Zionist security sources. The sources added that the unspecified number of Palestinian youths wounded the soldier who was later hospitalized. Zionist court opens trial of Hamas spokesman in Tulkarm Palestinian Information Center 9/15/2003 Tel Aviv - The Zionist central court in Tel Aviv today opens a public trial of Abbas Al-Sayyed, the Hamas Movement spokesman in the West Bank city of Tulkarm, after 13 months of interrogations. The Zionist authorities accused Abbas of planning a number of operations for the Qassam Brigades, the military wing of the Hamas Movement, especially the Park Hotel explosion carried out by the martyrdom commando Abdul Basset Odeh that left 30 "Israelis" dead and 159 others injured at the beginning of 2002. Small Town on West Bank Stands as an Epitaph to Dashed Dreams New York Times 9/14/2003 ABU DIS, West Bank, Sept. 13 — There was a moment, a brief one, when this rutted, dust-choked hamlet was glimpsed as a beacon for a new Middle East. Abu Dis broke into the news again this week, a week of Palestinian suicide bombings and political disintegration, of Israeli threats and airstrikes, because the new Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei, lives here, and it was his base as he struggled to fill the Palestinian leadership vacuum....Now, Israel has already built a six-foot concrete barrier to sever Abu Dis from Jerusalem, and the bulldozers are at work clearing a broad path for a far more formidable barrier of fencing and concrete, more than 20 feet high in places and flanked by roads for Israeli military vehicles. Israeli Troops Kill Palestinian Child near Qalandiah Check Post International Middle East Media Center 9/15/2003 Israeli troops shot dead Sunday evening a Palestinian child at Qalandiah military checkpoint, near Atarot airport at the northern edge of Jerusalem. According to Israeli army reports, dozens of Palestinian kids managed to cut open the airport security fence and infiltrate to the inside. “Soldiers opened fire at their legs to disperse them,” but Ahmed Abu Latifa, 10, was hit in the heart by a high velocity bullet and died immediately. An Army spokesman expressed sorrow over the incident and said that a full investigation into the case will be opened. Palestinian boy killed ; 7 teens hurt in Gaza Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 Israeli forces killed a 14-year-old Palestinian youth yesterday evening at the Atarot Airport, on the northern outskirts of Jerusalem. The incident occurred as dozens of Palestinians cut through the fence and infiltrated the grounds of the airport,which has fallen into disuse in the wake of the intifada. The dead youth was identified as Ahmed Abu Latifa. According to the Israel Defense Forces, soldiers tried to ward off the insurgents by firing shots at their legs. In the Gaza Strip yesterday, seven Palestinian high school students were injured in a confrontation with the IDF near the Kfar Darom settlement. The students marched out from Dir al-Balah in support of Yasser Arafat and were fired upon by soldiers as the procession approached Kfar Darom. Israeli troops shoot schoolboy Al-Jazeera 9/15/2003 Occupation soldiers have shot dead a 14-year-old Palestinian boy in the occupied West Bank. The boy was killed overnight on Sunday near the Qalandiya checkpoint south of Ram Allah, reported our correspondent. He was shot in the heart during a demonstration in support of Palestinian President Yasir Arafat, according to Palestinian medical sources. Army Bulldozers Level to Ground 7 Homes in Rafah International Middle East Media Center 9/14/2003 Israeli army bulldozers, accompanied with tanks and APCs leveled to ground Sunday early morning hours 7 Palestinian homes and damaged 7 more to various degrees in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip. Local sources reported that more than 15 army vehicles incurred into Albarahma area south of the city of Rafah and destroyed the homes of Sha’ath, Alnajdi, Awaja, AlJamal, Barhoum, Abu Hasanin, Aljazar, Abu Alnajar, and Alhims families. In addition, bulldozers destroyed the fence around the local girls school (Raba Aladawiah) and caused damage to the electricity and water grids. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine September 15, 2003 Palestine Media Center 9/15/2003 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead a 13-year old Palestinian north of Jerusalem, wounded at least 8 students in Deir el-Balah and demolished 8 houses in Gaza Strip. 4 Detained in Qalqilya, Nablus.

Diplomacy..

Sharon Aide Says Israel Is Considering Killing Arafat New York Times 9/14/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank, Sept. 14 — Israel's vice prime minister said today that killing Yasir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, was one of several options now under government consideration. His remarks came as a beaming Mr. Arafat soaked up the cheers of supporters who descended on his compound for a fourth consecutive day. "Arafat can no longer be a factor in what happens here," the vice prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told the Israel radio. "The question is: How are we going to do it? Expulsion is certainly one of the options, and killing is also one of the options." Israel Prepares To Remove Arafat in Stages International Middle East Media Center 9/14/2003 Israel rejected Saturday a UN security council warning not implement its threats to exile Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, claiming that it is a national security issue. The council will resume the discussion of a Palestinian drafted resolution on Monday.According to Israeli senior source, the security cabinet decision was a step to prepare the ground for the removal of Arfat by stages. “just like the world public opinion got used to the idea of reoccupying area A territories, it will get used to the removal of Arafat” the source said. Shalom says killing Arafat is not Israeli gov't policy Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 Israel has not adopted a formal decision to kill Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Monday, in an apparent attempt to soften remarks made by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that "killing [Arafat] is definitely one of the options" under consideration by the Israeli government. "We are trying to eliminate all the heads of terror, and Arafatis one of the heads of terror," Olmert told Israel Radio on Sunday. "In my eyes, from a moral point of view, this is no different from killing others who were involved in ... acts of terror. It's only a practical question. What is the benefit? What will the reaction be? What circumstances will allow this?"...Meanwhile, the United Nations Security Council was set to vote on Monday on a resolution to forbid Israel from deporting Arafat from the territories. The United States is expected to abstain from the vote. Roed-Larsen: Peace process has broken down Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The chief UN envoy to the Middle East declared Monday that the Israeli-Palestinian peace process has broken down and said he fears even worse bloodletting lies ahead. "The recent cycle of terror attacks and extra-judicial killings has broken the Palestinian cease-fire and brought the process to a standstill," UN Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen told the Security Council at the startof an open meeting to discuss the troubled region....Roed-Larsen stressed that Arafat was the democratically elected Palestinian leader who "embodies Palestinian identity and national aspirations. He is now far from irrelevant." Carter Scolds Israelis Over Arafat Threat The Guardian 9/15/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - Former President Carter on Monday criticized Israeli threats to kill Yasser Arafat, saying they send ``a wave of increasing animosity not only through the Palestinians but the entire world.'' Carter told The Associated Press that statements by Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and other Israeli officials are ``totally contrary to the position of the U.S. government'' and U.S.-backed road map for peace in the Middle East even rules out a threat to exile the Palestinian leader. In face of new violence, UN Middle East envoy calls for speeding up Road Map ReliefWeb/United Nations 9/15/2003 Declaring that the Middle East now stood at the crossroads between recommitment to peace and descent into major bloodshed, the senior United Nations envoy for the region, Terje Roed-Larsen, today called for determined international engagement and a bold acceleration of the Road Map process to jump start efforts to resolve the crisis. "I wish to note that the Road Map contains provisions for acceleration or slowing down of the process," Mr. Roed-Larsen, UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, said at the outset of an open meeting of the Security Council, referring to the plan put forward by the UN, European Union, Russian Federation and United States that calls for parallel and reciprocal steps by Israel and the Palestinians leading to two states living side by side in peace by 2005. Arafat Renews Call to Peace, Despite Israeli Incitement to Kill Him Palestine Media Center 9/14/2003 Quartet’s Foreign Ministers to Meet in New York Late September -- Ten years after the signing of the historic Oslo peace accords, which goals were never achieved, President Yasser Arafat said Saturday the Palestinian – Israeli conflict is facing its most difficult point since, and he urged Israel to return to negotiations following its decision to “remove” him, while the five permanent members of the UN Security Council called for continued efforts to implement the Middle East peace “roadmap” plan. Assad Supports Arafat, Powell Rejects His Exile or ‘Elimination’ Palestine Media Center 9/15/2003 Nazism Did not Dare take a Decision Like Sharon’s: Abed Rabbo -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) on Sunday blasted the Israeli government’s decision to “remove” President Yasser Arafat as an unprecedented, racist and immoral measure that Nazism did not dare to take. Meanwhile the US Secretary of State reconfirmed that his country does not support either the elimination or the exile of the besieged veteran Palestinian leader whom the Syrian President sent him a message of support on Saturday. The Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara telephoned Arafat with a message of support from President Bashar al-Assad on Saturday, Arafat's top aide Nabil Abu Rudeina and the Syrian official SANA news agency said Sunday. NAM To Discuss Israeli Decision On Arafat At U.N. Islam Online 9/14/2003 KUALA LUMPUR, September 14 (IslamOnline.net) - The Non-Aligned Movement (NAM) is planning a special meeting on the fate of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat at the U.N. Security Council Monday, September 15, after Israel's adamancy to comply with warning from world countries not to expel the veteran leader. Malaysia's Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar said on Saturday, September 13, that the meeting, coordinated by Malaysia's Permanent Representative to the U.N. Rastam Mohamed Isa, was made possible after a decision by NAM troika, Malaysia, South Africa and Cuba, reported Bernama news agency Sunday, September 14. Security Council, Arab League Meet On Arafat Islam Online 9/15/2003 GAZA CITY, September 15 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Amid mounting world criticism, the U.N. Security Council and the Arab League hold separate meetings Monday, September 15, to address the Israeli government decision to expel, or assassinate, Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The Security Council, which began Friday discussions on a resolution condemning Israel, resumes meetings Monday to hear a report from U.N. Mideast envoy Terje Roed-Larsen, followed by a debate open to all U.N. members, reported the BBC News Online. El-Baz: Egypt to resume cease-fire efforts Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 CAIRO - Egypt will soon resume talks aimed at persuading Palestinian militants to resume a cease-fire in Israel, a senior adviser to President Hosni Mubarak said yesterday. Osama el-Baz told The Associated Press that lines of communication between Egypt and the Palestinian groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad remained open and "we will contact them in the near future" for talks on ahudna, or truce. Powell says Syria not doing enough on terrorism Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 KUWAIT - U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accused Syria on Monday of not doing enough to end what he said was its support of "terrorist activity," including cross-border infiltration by saboteurs into Iraq. Powell told a news conference during a brief stopover in Kuwait on his way home from Iraq that the U.S. Congress would debate a Syria Accountability Act on Tuesday due to its deep concern over Syria's lack of cooperation. "So far the Syrian leadership has not responded as forcefully and asthoroughly as I would have liked and thus Congress is debating the act tomorrow," Powell said. US Treasury Secretary arrives in Israel today Globes 9/15/2003 US Secretary of the Treasury John W. Snow: I will stress the measures needed to improve the lives of both peoples -- US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow stated he would stress on his visit to Israel today the measures Israel and the Palestinians need to take to improve the lives of both peoples. Snow said, "Obviously, the issues of security and conflict make economic cooperation more difficult. This is unquestionably the reason why peace and security must be the basis for everything else." Arafat talks to Syrian foreign minister Al-Jazeera 9/15/2003 Palestinian President Yasir Arafat and Syrian Foreign Minister Faruk al-Shara spoke on the phone on Sunday, signaling a rare bonhomie between the two sides. The Syrians said it was Arafat who made what was the first such call in years to a top Syrian official. But Palestinians hinted it was the other way round. The phone call was significant, particularly since relations between the Palestinians and the Syrians had been chilly and the two sides have had little high-level contacts over the years. U.S. Expected to Abstain From Security Council Vote to Forbid Israel to Expel Arafat International Middle East Media Center 9/15/2003 The United Nations Security Council is set to vote Monday on a resolution, drafted by Arab States, to forbid Israel from deporting Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. According to Israeli diplomatic sources, the U.S. representative is expected to abstain from the vote and quoted the American representative as saying “the resolution was moderate and restrained, and includes nothing the Americans cannot live with”. Powell: Harming Arafat would inflame the entire Muslim world Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday firmly rejected deputy prime minister Ehud Olmert's suggestion that Israel should kill Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, saying it would cause the region to erupt in rage. Powell's comment, made ininterviews from Baghdad with U.S. television networks, was the latest move in high-stakes diplomatic maneuvering between the United States and Israel over the course of the tattered Middle East peace "road map." Jordan stops financial dealings with Hamas leaders Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The Jordanian government has bowed to U.S. pressure and instructed commercial banks in the country "to refrain from dealing" with six Hamas leaders and five Palestinian societies suspected of extending aid to the fundamentalist organization, bankers said Monday. The instruction came in a letter signed by the Central Bank of Jordan's Governor, Umayya Touqan, and addressed tochairman of the Banks Association Zuhair Khouri, they added. IAEA to debate Israel's nuclear program Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 VIENNA - The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) was set to discuss Israel's nuclear program during its general conference Monday to Friday, reports said. A debate on the presumed atomic weapons power Israel was on the agenda along with Iran, Iraq and North Korea. Observers said they expected heated altercations among the 136 member-states of the IAEA.Arab states have frequently complained that the IAEA has been silent so far about Israel.  Gaza shifts to a new solution The Guardian 9/15/2003 Palestinians search for options as chances of two states recede -- ....International pressure may prevent Israel from carrying out its threat but its policies in the West Bank and Gaza, according to Palestinian and Israeli analysts, are slowly strangling any prospect of Arafat's dream, a viable Palestinian state, becoming a reality. Ghassan Khatib, the Palestinian Minister of Labour, said that as each mile of the separation fence and each new settlement house was built, 'the viability of a two-state solution is less and less. A large number of Palestinians realise that a Palestinian state is no longer practical'....growing numbers of Palestinians and Israelis are realising that a point may have been reached where it is impossible for Israel to disengage from the West Bank and Gaza and leave room and resources for a viable Palestinian state. UN to debate threat to Arafat BBC 9/15/2003 The United Nations Security Council is due to debate the deteriorating situation in the Middle East, amid widespread criticism of Israel's decision to remove Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The decision was announced at a cabinet meeting last week, and on Sunday Israeli Vice-Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said his government had not ruled out killing the Palestinian leader. Foreign Ministry to fight plan to close 6 overseas missions Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The Foreign Ministry plans to fight the scheduled closure of six additional consulates and embassies this year due to budgetary constraints. Six ministry offices were already closed last year as part of the spending cutback. Israel plans to close offices this year in La Paz, Sao Paulo, Minsk, Mumbai, Kinshasa and at UNESCO. Many of the countries to be affected by these plans have reacted angrily and even threatened to cool relations with Israel in return. India has protested the plan to close the Israeli consulate in Mumbai, the country's economic capital. Lahoud calls on Arab states to restore unity Daily Star 9/15/2003 President blames Sharon for crisis -- resident Emile Lahoud called on Arab countries Saturday to regain the initiative and restore unity to Arab ranks. “What is taking place in Palestine and Iraq should spur Arab unity and prevent any Arab country from being singled out, as is the case today,” the president said. Addressing a delegation representing a group calling itself the Gathering of Arab and Muslim Forces, he recalled how “solidarity between Lebanon and Syria played a key part in the liberation of a significant part of the South.” Erekat: Israeli Government’s Actions Resemble those of Mafia International Press Center 9/15/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, September 15, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Palestinian chief negotiator, Dr. Saeb Erekat, commented Sunday on the Israeli threats to kill or exile President Yasser Arafat by saying they resemble the actions of a Mafia organization rather than “ a responsible government”. Erekat as speaking to reporters yesterday in front of the presidential headquarters in Ramallah City. He was quoted as saying :” the Israeli government's decision and later statements by its ministers, describing President Arafat as the "head of terror" and threatening to either kill him or exile him, are not the actions of a government, but those of a Mafia”. Security developments force Zionist war minister to cancel trip to Washington Palestinian Information Center 9/15/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist war minister Shaul Mofaz has cancelled his scheduled visit to the USA this week in view of the deteriorating security conditions, according to a ministry statement. Press reports said that the minister decided to call off his trip in the light of the security conditions in the Hebrew state in the wake of the Palestinian martyrdom operations last week that left 15 Zionists killed and more than 100 others injured. Egypt Would Resume Truce Efforts International Middle East Media Center 9/15/2003 Egypt will soon resume efforts to convince Palestinian resistance groups to accept a cease-fire with Israel. Osama El-Baz, a senior advisor to the Egyptian President Husni Mubarak, told the Associated Press that Egypt kept the lines of communication with Hamas and Islamic Jihad open and that the Egyptian leadership intends to “contact them in the near future” to resume talks on a Hudna (Truce). Arafat addresses Rashidieh crowd by phone Daily Star 9/15/2003 Palestinian President Yasser Arafat addressed by telephone a crowd of 20,000 in the main square of the Rashidieh refugee camp in South Lebanon Sunday. Barricaded in his West Bank headquarters, Arafat thanked demonstrators for their support and vowed to thwart Israeli efforts to expel him. “Any attempts to get our people to capitulate will fail, as … we will not kneel down,” he told the crowd. Demonstrators applauded and proclaimed their “allegiance” to Abu Ammar, Arafat’s nom de guerre. Arafat thrives under pressure Daily Star 9/15/2003 Expulsion threat brings out throngs of supporters - "How come the Americans and Israel brag about democracy and at the same time they want to kill the Palestinian people’s choice?’ -- Yasser Arafat is in fine spirits for someone facing expulsion or assassination, flashing victory signs and relishing the support of tens of thousands of Palestinians who rushed into the streets to reaffirm his status as undisputed leader and national symbol. For a fourth straight day, hundreds of Arafat supporters streamed into his Ramallah compound Sunday, chanting that the 74-year-old leader “is a mountain that the wind can’t shake.” U.S. treasury's Snow starts 10-day Mideast trip in Israel Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 U.S Treasury Secretary John Snow arrived in Israel on Monday to promote among Israelis and Palestinians a vision of economic opportunity as an alternative to conflict, U.S. officials said. A surge in violence that has battered a U.S.-backed peace plan and Israel's threat to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat were likely to weigh heavily on Snow's mission. Officials with Snow said he would be unable to meet Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qureia as he had hoped. They gave no further details. Israel Backs Off Killing Arafat Option The Guardian 9/15/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel has not adopted a formal decision to kill Yasser Arafat, Israel's foreign minister said Monday, in an apparent attempt to soften remarks by the vice premier who said that assassination was an option....Last week, Israel's security Cabinet decided in principle to ``remove'' Arafat, but did not say what, or when, action would be taken. On Sunday, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert said killing Arafat is a possibility, along with expulsion and isolation. However, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom appeared to play down Olmert's statement. ``It (killing Arafat) is not the official policy of the Israeli government. It was never before, and we don't speak about any killing. We didn't speak about it before, and we don't speak about it today,'' Shalom told reporters Monday. Arafat Rejects Israel's Threat of Exile Washington Post 9/14/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank, Sept. 13 -- Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat condemned Israel's threat to exile him as a bid to block Palestinian independence, and he appealed for international intervention. Tens of thousands of Palestinians rallied in support of Arafat in the occupied territories, shooting guns into the air in Gaza City and forming a human chain at his battered headquarters in Ramallah, vowing to sacrifice their lives. Powell Criticizes Israel Posturing on Arafat Washington Post 9/14/2003 Israel would incite rage not only among Arabs but also Muslims everywhere by exiling or executing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Secretary of State Colin Powell said Sunday. Powell, speaking from Baghdad during a visit to Iraq, also said that Israeli politicians are not helping the U.S.-sponsored peace process with such statements as vice prime minister Ehud Olmert's comment Sunday that "killing (Arafat) is definitely one of the options" under consideration by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government.

Human Rights..

The Separation Wall (Acrobat format) Office Of The President of the Palestinian Authority August 2003 The Nature of the Wall: The Separation Wall, from the physical point of view, is a system of means and equipment to serve a double function: to prevent infiltration and to warn of any attempt of infiltration. The wall consists of an electronic fence, to the east there is a service road and another fence, in addition to a canal to prevent breaking through the fence by a vehicle. There is a plan to build three roads to the western part of the wall: one for tracking, another for patrolling and the third for heavymilitary vehicles. Near the last road, another fence will be erected. (See map # 1). The average width of this system is [60] meters, but due to topographic needs, the width could reach [100] meters in some cases. To the east of the sections, where the wall agrees with the Green Line, another obstacle called the “Depth Barrier”, will be established. The main factor of the depth barrier is a deep trench and a fence. In several areas, the main barrier would be forged with a fireproof wall or another type of barrier. A number of gates will be built along the wall for persons and goods. Gush Shalom activist Uri Avnery to act as human shield for Arafat Electronic Intifada 9/14/2003 "I am willing to put myself at risk and serve as a human shield, in order to foil Prime Minster Sharon's intention to murder the leader of the Palestinian People. So are many of my my fellows in the Israeli peace movement" declared the veteran peace activist Uri Avnery of Gush Shalom (the Israeli Peace Bloc) upon his arrival at the Presidential Compound in Ramallah. Palestinian Journalists Lambaste Incarceration of Alouni Palestine Chronicle 9/15/2003 "Al-Jazeera demanded immediate freedom for Alouni, accusing the Spanish judge of acting on false information from Israel and the United States .." - A Spanish judge, Balthasar Garzon decided to keep Alouni in detention indefinitely -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Hundreds of Palestinian journalists on Monday castigated the continued detention by the Spanish Authorities of al Jazeera correspondent Tayir Alouni. The journalists issued a statement denouncing the arrest of Alouni, calling it “illegal and unethical.” “We believe the continued internment of Taysir Alouni is illegal and unethical, illegal because no evidence what so ever has been produced against him, and unethical because hounding a journalist for his views or ideology flies in the face of human rights and democratic ethics.” Zionist prison authority isolates prisoner for delivering Khutba Palestinian Information Center 9/15/2003 Askalan - The Zionist prison authority of Askalan in southern occupied Palestine has isolated Palestinian detainee Mohammed Barakat after delivering a Friday Khutba (sermon) in the jail. The prison administration claimed that Barakat touched on political questions in his Khutba. It further alleged that his address contained incitement.

Economy..

Histadrut readies for all-out public sector strike Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The Histadrut labor federation threatened yesterday to launch a nationwide strike if the cabinet approves Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's 2004 austerity budget plan. The cabinet is due to start debating the proposals today. The Histadrut decided "to ready itself for a strike that will include all 700,000 public sector employees, in protest at the government's budget plan for 2004." Health Ministry: Cuts will cost lives Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The Health Ministry warned yesterday that treasury demands to reduce NIS 250 million from its budget "will lead to people's deaths." Senior Health Ministry officials said, "if the Finance Ministry wants to reduce NIS 250 million from the health servicesbasket, it should have the decency to present a list of cancer patients who will cease receiving treatment and be condemned to die." Klein: Gov't will probably miss 2004 deficit target Globes 9/15/2003 Governor of the Bank of Israel David Klein: We won't discuss a moratorium on the government's debt to the Bank of Israel at all. -- Governor of the Bank of Israel David Klein believes that there is little chance of the government meeting its 2004 deficit target of 4% of GDP. At the cabinet meeting today on the budget, Klein said the figures presented indicated a low probability that the 2004 deficit target would be met. Klein rejected interpretations that the budget and deficit targets were only valid at the time of the cabinet decision, but not during the implementation stage. Marani warns against higher deficit, new taxes Globes 9/15/2003 Ministry of Finance director general Ohad Marani: The greatest threat to Israel today is economic, not military. -- Ministry of Finance director general Ohad Marani warns against new taxes and raising the deficit target, following the decision to reduce the cut in the defense budget. "If that happens, Heaven help the economy," he said. Marani said it was impossible to raise the deficit beyond 4% of GDP, due to the government's commitment to the US in exchange for receiving the loan guarantees. Household spending slips 1.6% in 2002 to NIS 10,450 Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 As the economy continued to sputter last year, the average Israeli household cut its monthly spending to NIS 10,450, 1.6 percent lower in real terms compared to 2001, according to the Central Bureau of Statistics. It was the first time this index has registered a real decline since the annual survey of household spending began in 1997. Without factoring in housing and automobiles, the average spending dropped by 2.7 percent in 2002 compared to the previous year. August CPI rises 0.2%; annual inflation at -1% Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 Consumer prices rose 0.2% in August 2003, roughly as expected. The August figure ends a four-month streak of sagging consumer prices. Including the August data, inflation this year is running at minus 1%. The Central Bureau of Statistics commented Monday that the August CPI increase is mainly due to dropping fresh produce prices, and that of footwear and clothing. But health and holiday costs climbed, as did housing, gasoline and fuels.  Export Institute: Agricultural technology exports to Africa, Asia to double in 5 years Globes 9/15/2003 30 agricultural ministers and 25 business delegations from 47 countries will visit Israel this week for the 15th International Agritech Exhibition. -- Agricultural technology exports to Africa, Eastern Europe, South America, and Asia will double for $500 million per year within five years, Israel Export Institute chairman Shraga Brosh predicted yesterday. He said that 150 Israeli agricultural technology companies were operating in these continents.

People..

Are the wrong people trying to solve the Middle East crisis? The Guardian 9/15/2003 Esther Addley meets a group of campaigners with a simple, radical idea - include women in the peace talks -- Two of the women are Jewish Israelis, two are Palestinians from the West Bank and one is a Palestinian living inside Israel, and they have come together to argue for a new way of peacemaking in the region. "The very fact that we are here in a joint delegation advocating for justice and agreeing on most things, surely that in itself is a cause for hope," says Amneh Badran, a Palestinian from east Jerusalem. It is a sign of the paucity of good news from that part of the world that she is right. Majority of Israelis are opposed to intermarriage, survey finds Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 Around 60 percent of all Israeli Jews are against intermarriage, according to a survey carried out by the Geocartography Institute for the New Family organization. But among respondents who call themselves as secular, only 35 percent object to intermarriage, compared to 68 percent of those who say they are traditional and 95 percent of those who are religious....The vast majority of respondents, 87 percent, said their answer would be the same if the non-Jewish spouse was a foreign worker. Asked how they would react if their child married a non-Jew, 39 percent said they would prefer the non-Jewish spouse to be white. Dahaf poll of Settlers Palestine Media Center 9/15/2003 The following is the result of a poll of 500 illegal Israeli settlers in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip (that do not settle in what is termed by Israelis "consensus communities” such as Maaleh Adumim, Pisgat Ze'ev and Ariel or ultra-orthodox settlements located near the Green Line) carried out recently by Dahaf for Yediot Ahronot. Statistical error +/- 4.5 percentage points. Results published in Yediot Ahronot on 12 September... The Tabboun: Arab Community Insider By Ray Hanania, Palestine Chronicle 9/15/2003 For the week of Monday, Sept. 15, 2003 - community insider column on events, personalities and facts -- "ArabianFest was first launched in Milwaukee in 1998 and was steadily growing when September 11th terrorist attack took place and anti-Arab hatred in America increased .." - COMEDY COMEDY COMEDY: Laughter is not a new phenomena, but Arab American stand-up comedy is. And as one of only a handful of Arab comedians in the United States, I am enjoying not only performing but the enormous positive reaction coming not only from American audiences, but audiences of Arab Muslims and Christians, and also Jewish American audiences....

International..

Administration attempts to silence student speech at behest of pro-Israel lobby; Attempts to cancel student conference New Jersey Solidarity 9/12/2003 NEW BRUNSWICK - (September 12, 2003) - Dean Marie Logue of the Department of Student Affairs at Rutgers College; Rutgers University today announced to several student representatives of student Palestine advocacy organization New Jersey Solidarity that the administration has deemed that "logistics" forbid students to proceed with a national Palestine solidarity conference scheduled for October 10-12, 2003; the student organization is determined to continue, saying they will hold the conference "wherever we must." This decision comes the day University President Robert McCormick is scheduled to appear at a dinner sponsored by Rutgers Hillel, a Zionist group on campus. Rutgers University Officials Cancel Palestine Conference Al-Awda News/PSM 9/12/2003 Statement from the Organizing Committee of the Third National Student Conference on the Palestine Solidarity Movement at Rutgers University -- Today, Rutgers University officials have CANCELLED the Third National Student Conference on the Palestine Solidarity Movement, scheduled for October 10-12, 2003 at Rutgers University. Yet, the students at Rutgers Univ