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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..

Israeli troops kill Palestinian fighter Al-Jazeera 9/16/2003 Israeli occupation troops on Tuesday killed a Palestinian fighter affiliated with the Islamic Jihad resistance group in Dura in the southern West Bank. Eyewitnesses said troops, backed by tanks and at least one helicopter gunship, killed 28-year-old Majid Abu Doash as he was leaving a home in the eastern outskirts of Dura, 10km south of Hebron. An eyewitness described the killing as “resembling an extra-judicial execution." “I saw the soldiers open fire on Majed from a short distance, they could have arrested him very easily, he was unarmed. It was a cold-blooded murder,” said Iman Amr, who lives 50 metres away. Israeli soldiers shoot and kill Palestinian boy running from them Palestine Monitor 9/15/2003 12 year old Ahmed Abu Latifa was shot and killed on Sunday night when Israeli soldiers opened fire on a group of boys congregated near the Qalandiya check point north of Jerusalem. Having been caught up in the wave of protests which swept the West Bank over the weekend in support of Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, the young boys were at the fence of Atarot airport attempting to join in a peaceful march. Israeli Troops kill a Palestinian Civilian in Hebron, Arrest Two others in Nablus International Press Center 9/16/2003 HEBRON, Palestine, September 16, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- Musa Abu Doss, 25, was reportedly killed today morning by the Israeli occupation forces in Singer neighborhood of Doura town in Hebron, Palestinian medical sources said. Eyewitnesses told WAFA News Agency that an Israeli troop cordoned off a Palestinian three-storey house owned by Ahemd Fayadd Nassar in the early morning of Tuesday....In the meantime, Israeli troops arrested Tuesday two Palestinian civilians in the West Bank city of Nablus, local sources said. The sources added that a contingent of the Israeli occupation forces stormed the Haifa street, under a barrage of heavy gun fire and broke into the house of Iyad Abu Zahra, arresting Iyad and his brother. Occupation forces still on the rampage in Rafah Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Rafah - Zionist occupation forces last night advanced into Al-Barahma area near the Egyptian-Palestinian borders in Rafah to the south of the Gaza Strip damaging cultivated lands in the process. Palestinian Information Center’s correspondent in the city said that ten Zionist armored vehicles and two tractors advanced into the area under intensified gunfire and besieged a number of houses. Zionist settler seriously wounded in Palestinian ambush Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Nablus - Zionist security sources have said that a Zionist settler was seriously wounded when his car came under heavy gunfire near the West Bank city of Nablus. The sources said that the incident took place last night near Tibwah crossing, which is 10 kilometers to the south of Nablus. IOF Destroys Two Houses in Rafah, Uproots Olive Trees in Jerusalem International Press Center 9/16/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, September 16, 2003 (IPC +Agencies)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) destroyed Tuesday two Palestinian houses in the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Rafah, Palestinian security sources said. Israeli troops invaded early morning the southern part of the city and blew up a house owned by Fathi Barhoom. Israeli tanks have intensively opened fire at the civilians’ houses preventing any attempt of protest. One more house was partially damaged, security sources told IPC correspondent. In the city of Jenin, IOF arrested 16 university students of the American-Arab University, Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel reported....Israeli bulldozers uprooted hundreds of fruitful olive trees and razed vast areas of arable land in the neighborhoods of Sawahra and Wadi Alnar, south of the holy Jerusalem city, eyewitness, Mohamed Mash’hor told WAFA. According to the Palestinian National Information Centre (PNIC), at least 53656 houses were destroyed while 940313 trees were uprooted by Israeli occupation forces since the outbreak of Al-Aqsa Intifada 36 months ago. Minister of Agriculture: The Agricultural Losses Amount More than Milliard USD International Press Center 9/16/2003 GAZA, Palestine, September 16, 2003, (IPC)- - Palestinian Minister of Agriculture, Rafeeq Al-Natsheh, said Tuesday the amount of the agricultural losses due to the Israeli aggression has reached more than milliard USD during the last three years. In a press conference held in the IPC, State Information Service, Gaza, Natsheh that agricultural sector has been strongly affected during the Israeli destroying the infrastructure of the Palestinian economy in the last three years. People and Politics / Actually, it's called Spartaheid Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 The "secondary fence" method, which is turning Palestinian communities into corrals, has not skipped the "Jerusalem envelope" plan. -- There have been innumerable stories in recent months about how the separation fence has cut off Palestinian parents from their children, and farmers from their land. In the case of Baka al-Garbiyeh, which is inside Israel and the village to its east, Nazlat Issa, which is in the West Bank, there's no need to ask the residents what they think about the fence. Just take a gander at the state's response to a petition by a resident of the area against the fence, because his land was going to be expropriated for a "secondary" fence east of Nazlat Issa, between it and Baka al-Sharkiya, the West Bank town. Zionist forces demolish two houses in Jenin Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Jenin - Zionist occupation forces last night demolished the house of the Palestinian woman Zuhrya Turkman to the east of Jenin adjacent to a Zionist settlement at security pretexts. She said that the occupation forces encircled her house at night and asked her to evacuate it within five minutes then flattened the 145 squarer meters house, which used to provide shelter for seven individuals. Occupation army claims failure of second attempt on life of Sheikh Yassin Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - A Hebrew daily yesterday said that the “Israeli” army had planned a second attempt on life of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Hamas Movement, but called it off at the last moment due to the presence of Zionist journalists in the same area. Palestinian sources expressed doubts over authenticity of that story since the occupation authorities barred the entry of any Zionist into Gaza fearing they might be either liquidated or kidnapped. The Hebrew daily ‘Ma’ariv’ said that the army knew the whereabouts of Sheikh Yassin on Sunday 7/9/2003 [Sept 7] only one day after the failed attempt on his life. Senior Jihad fugitive killed in village near Hebron Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 IDF troops in the West Bank village of Dura shot dead a senior Hebron-area Islamic Jihad leader Tuesday, after he bolted from a house that had been surrounded and fired upon by the Israeli soldiers. Later Tuesday, Palestinians hit and lightly wounded an Israeli woman with stones they were throwing on a road near the West Bank settlement of Betar Illit, Army Radio reported. After the troops killed the Palestinian militiant, they continued to fire missiles at the house, believing that another militant may have remained inside the structure.  BREAKING NEWS: Naturei Karta condemns Arafat 'exile' plan, more homes demolished International Press Center 9/16/2003 15:00--The International Jewish movement “Natori Karta” strongly condemned the Israeli “plan” to exile President Arafat, (WAFA) / 14:10--Israeli bulldozers demolished three Palestinian houses in the neighborhood of Shofat, north east of the occupied East Jerusalem, (IPC)...

Diplomacy..

U.S. Vetoes U.N. Arafat Resolution The Guardian 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States vetoed an Arab-backed U.N. resolution Tuesday demanding that Israel halt threats to expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat from the West Bank, because it did not contain a condemnation of terrorist groups such as Hamas. Eleven of the 15 Security Council nations voted in favor of the resolution and three abstained: Britain, Germany and Bulgaria. Arafat aide proposes truce with Israel Al-Jazeera 9/16/2003 A top aide to Palestinian President Yasir Arafat has proposed an indefinite ceasefire with Israel. In the event of such a ceasefire, the Palestinian leadership would ensure that the peace deal is respected if Israel halted all its attacks and closures of the Palestinian territories. Colonel Jibril al-Rajub, who is the Palestinian leader's security adviser, told Israeli state radio on Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership would ensure that resistance groups, including Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, would respect such a ceasefire. Israel Rejects Palestinian Cease-Fire Offer New York Times 9/16/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) -- Yasser Arafat wants to reach a truce with Israel, his national security adviser said Tuesday, but Israeli officials brushed aside the offer and demanded that the Palestinian Authority crack down on militant groups. Arafat himself struck a conciliatory tone, but stopped short of making a specific cease-fire offer. ``We say to the peace supporters in Israel that we extend our hand to you to revive peace,'' Arafat said in a speech to about 2,500 Palestinians at his battered West Bank headquarters....Palestinian officials have said they were given to understand by the United States that it backs the idea of a mutual truce, provided it is followed by some action against the militants, such as a weapons roundup. Death threat rebuke for Israel The Guardian 9/16/2003 Foreign Office summons ambassador in Arafat row -- Britain yesterday gave the Israeli government a fierce dressing down, warning that any Israeli plan to assassinate Yasser Arafat was unacceptable. The Foreign Office minister, Lady Symons, also told the Israeli ambassador to London, Zvi Shtauber, that Mr Arafat should not be expelled, after Mr Shtauber was summoned to the Foreign Office on the orders of the foreign secretary, Jack Straw. The Israeli deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert, told Israel Radio on Sunday that "killing [Arafat] is definitely one of the options" under consideration by prime minister Ariel Sharon's government. Israeli officials dismiss Arafat truce proposal as 'deception' Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 Senior Palestinian official Saeb Erekat said Tuesday that the entire Palestinian leadership supports a proposal made earlier in the day for a comprehensive and unlimited cease-fire with Israel, Israel Radio reported. Jibril Rajoub, Yasser Arafat's national security advisor, was the first to issue the offer earlier in the day, but Israeli officials brushed the offer aside as "deception," demanding instead that the Palestinian Authority crack down on militant groups.  U.S. Reducing Loan Guarantees to Israel The Guardian 9/16/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - The United States will reduce loan guarantees to Israel for expanding construction of homes for Jews on the West Bank, the State Department announced Tuesday. Under law, the guarantees may only support activities in areas Israel held before the 1967 Mideast war, deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said. The construction is ``inconsistent'' with the objectives and understandings reached between the United States and Israel, he said....The threatened reduction is likely to come out of future installments. U.S. considering whether to deduct money spent on fence from loan guarantees Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 The White House confirmed Tuesday that it will be deducting money Israel spends on settlements from its $9 billion loan guarantee package, and said it has not yet decided whether to also deduct the money spent on the West Bank separation fence. White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan said Tuesday that talks on the fence issue were ongoing. However, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Tuesday that cuts were not related to the 600 kilometer (400 mile) West Bank fence, of which 150 kilometers (90 miles) have so far been completed....Israeli sources said the U.S. accepts Israel'sargument that the first section of the fence, which has already been built, doesn't deviate from the Green Line and so the money spent on it shouldn't be cut from the loan guarantees. Larsen: Israeli Occupation is the Obstacle; Arafat is now far from irrelevant International Press Center 9/16/2003 NEW YORK, September 16, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- United Nations Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process, Terry Rod Larson, stressed Monday that the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian territories is the obstacle in the path of peace. Larson was speaking yesterday in the UN Security Council deliberations on the latest developments in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, mainly the Israeli decision to expel President Yasser Arafat. "Mr. Arafat is democratically elected, and as such, the legitimate leader of the Palestinians. He embodies Palestinian identity and national aspirations. He is now far from irrelevant." U.S.: Syria supporting terror groups, developing WMD Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 Undersecretary of State John Bolton on Tuesday vehemently attacked Syria and said it was a rebellious country, like Iran, North Korea and Libya. Bolton told a congressional hearing that Syria is developing weapons of mass destruction and supporting terror organizations, and that the combination poses a serious threat to both U.S. and international security. Bolton said that the UnitedStates must keep open the option of using "every tool" - code for the remote possibility of military action - to dissuade Syria and others from pursuing chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. Hezbollah leader says prisoner swap talks continue Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 BEIRUT - The head of Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrillas said on Monday negotiations for a prisoner swap with Israel were continuing actively and could yet bear fruit. "The negotiations are ongoing, active and, God willing, will solve the issue of theprisoners and detainees," Hassan Nasrallah told thousands of Hezbollah supporters at a rally in the southern suburbs of Beirut, a stronghold of the Shi’ite Muslim group. U.S. Alleges Syria Is Seeking Banned Arms The Guardian 9/16/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - Syria is allowing militants to cross its border into Iraq to kill U.S. soldiers and is aggressively seeking to acquire and develop chemical, biological and nuclear weapons, a senior Bush administration official said Tuesday. In addition, he said Syria continues to support organizations the United States lists as terrorist groups. John Bolton, undersecretary of state for arms control, told a House hearing the United States was trying to change Syria's behavior through diplomatic means and urged lawmakers to let the effort run its course before passing trade restrictions and other measures. Syria says will help in Iraq if timetable set for U.S. withdrawal Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 DAMASCUS - Syria said on Tuesday it would help to stabilise and reconstruct Iraq if the U.N. Security Council set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S.-led forces. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara made the overture at a news conference one day afterU.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell accused Syria of not doing enough to end what he said was its support of "terrorist activity", including cross-border infiltration bysaboteurs into Iraq. Swap of Jordanian prisoners for return of Jordan's ambassador mooted Jerusalem Post 9/15/2003 Israel is "checking" reports of Jordanian interest in returning their ambassador to Israel in exchange for dozens of Jordanians being held in Israeli jails, a senior foreign ministry official said Monday. Last month a number of Jordanian professional unions demonstrated in Amman on behalf of these prisoners, and the issue was raised in the Jordanian parliament. At the time, Jordanian Foreign Minister Marwwan Muasher said some 81 Jordanians were being held in Israeli prisons, including 36 held on criminal charges, 18 on security offences and 15 who have not yet been brought to trial. The rest are believed to have been arrested for being in Israel illegally. Jordan Recants on Freezing Hamas Accounts The Guardian 9/16/2003 AMMAN, Jordan (AP) - Jordan's Central Bank has retracted a day-old decision to freeze the bank accounts of six leaders of the Hamas militant group and five charities that allegedly funnel money to the group, a minister said Tuesday. Information Minister Nabil Al-Sharif told The Associated Press he did not know why the Central Bank changed its mind. ``This is the Central Bank's decision,'' he said. He would not comment further. Hamas pleads for help from Arab world Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 Last week, two days after the failed attempt by Israel on the life of Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Hamas sent an official plea to the Arab world for help. The request was disseminated on the organization's Internet site, by telephone and other forms of communication throughout the Arab world at one of the most critical points in Hamas' history. Hamas, Islamic Jihad warn occupation against harming Arafat Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Beirut - The Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad Movement have warned the Zionist entity that they would not stand arms folded in the event any harm was done to Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat. Osama Hamdan, Hamas representative in Beirut, commenting on the Zionist deputy premier’s statement that liquidating Arafat was an open option, said that Hamas and other resistance factions would not remain arms folded in the event Tel Aviv embarked on such a step. Sadat Remembered for Camp David Accord The Guardian 9/16/2003 CAIRO, Egypt (AP) - Anwar Sadat is certainly remembered in Egypt - both by those who spit out his name with anger and by those who accompanied him on his first steps toward peace with Israel a quarter century ago. His opponents say the late Egyptian president's peace was their disaster - a betrayal of the Arab cause. But they can't ignore him. The treaty he signed with Israel endures and has reshaped the politics of the region. Israel Details $9B U.S. Loan Package The Guardian 9/16/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - The United States will not deduct money Israel spends on Jewish settlements and a West Bank security fence from the first installment of a $9 billion loan package, an Israeli official said Tuesday. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said deductions for settlement spending would be made from later installments....The official said there would be no deduction from the initial installment of $1.6 billion in guarantees, only from future installments and the cuts were not related to the 400-mile West Bank barrier, of which 90 miles have so far been completed. Arafat urges UN to back resolution RTE Interactive 9/16/2003 The Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, has urged the United Nations Security Council to vote for a resolution condemning Israel's plan to 'remove' him. The vote, which was delayed yesterday, is scheduled to take place later today. The resolution not to harm or deport Mr Arafat is backed by Arab nations. However, the US has said it is not prepared to support the draft in its present form and is expected to use its veto. Solana: Killing Arafat is beyond Imagination International Middle East Media Center 9/16/2003 European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana said Monday that he could not imagine that Israel would try to kill Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. “I do not believe anything of that nature can take place” Solana told reporters. He added that he had no assurances that Arafat would not be harmed. Israel Dismisses a PA Proposal for an Open Ended Cease-fire International Middle East Media Center 9/16/2003 Israeli officials dismissed a PA proposal Monday for a mutual, open-ended cease-fire, saying that it failed in the past and that the government stood by its decision not to agree to a further truce, which cannot substitute the dismantling of Palestinian resistance groups. Jibril Rajoub, Arafat’s national security advisor told reporters on Tuesday that the Palestinian leadership stands prepared to declare an immediate, general cease-fire to end all acts of violence, provided that Israel agrees to halt military attacks, freeze settlement activities, freeze the construction of the separation wall, and end the blockades over Palestinian areas....According to an informed PA source, the new government, headed by Ahmed Quareia (Abu Ala), is expected to include 15 ministers from the Fatah movement and 8 others from other active Palestinian political factions. Reports indicated that Taisir Khaled, a member of the political bureau of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) will join the government. This is the first time since the establishment of the PA that DFLP has decided to join. U.S. Not Satisfied With Arafat Resolution The Guardian 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States said Tuesday it is not satisfied with a revised draft resolution demanding that the United Nations ensure the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and a quick vote was unlikely. Syria had intended to push for a vote after a daylong open Security Council meeting Monday on the Middle East, but was persuaded to amend it and delay the vote for a day....America's U.N. Ambassador John Negroponte said on Monday he would not support the resolution unless it contained a ``robust condemnation of terrorism'' and specifically mentioned groups like Hamas and the Al-Aqsa Brigades. Quick Security Council Vote on Israel Unlikely New York Times 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) -- The United States said Tuesday it is not satisfied with a revised draft resolution demanding that the United Nations ensure the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, and a quick vote was unlikely. Syria had intended to push for a vote after a daylong open Security Council meeting Monday on the Middle East, but was persuaded to amend it and delay the vote for a day. But U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham told reporters Tuesday after seeing the new text that more consultations were needed. Fractious UN set for Arafat vote BBC 9/16/2003 The United Nations Security Council is due to vote later on Tuesday on Israel's decision to "remove" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The vote comes a day after Israeli and Palestinian diplomats traded bitter insults during a debate on the issue. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Dan Gillerman, denounced the Palestinian leader as a "professional terrorist", prompting the Palestinian representative to walk out of the session....Ahead of the vote, Israel has dismissed an offer by Mr Arafat's security adviser of an indefinite ceasefire. U.S. to Withhold Money for Israel Washington Post 9/16/2003 But in recent days, Israeli officials appear to have backed off from building the fence deep into the Palestinian territories [a blatant falsehood - Ed.], averting a confrontation with the Bush administration. -- The Bush administration has decided to withhold some money from $9 billion in loan guarantees for Israel because of continued settlement construction in Palestinian areas, but has backed away from a confrontation over Israel's building of a barrier fence separating Israelis and Palestinians in the West Bank, administration officials said yesterday. Officials declined to say how much money is being withheld, but said it was consistent with legislation establishing the loan guarantees, which are designed to help Israel weather a fiscal crisis. U.S. Will Veto U.N.'s Arafat Resolution The Guardian 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United States said Tuesday it will veto a Palestinian-backed draft resolution demanding that the United Nations ensure the safety of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat because it would be seen only as a condemnation of Israel. U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham said he told the Security Council that the United States was not satisfied with a revised text of a Palestinian-backed resolution introduced after Israel threatened to deport Arafat from the West Bank. The council agreed to meet again Tuesday afternoon, but Cunningham said no negotiations were taking place to try to find a compromise. U.S. to veto UN resolution on Arafat Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS - The United States will veto a Palestinian-backed draft resolution demanding that the United Nations ensure the safety of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat because it would be seen only as a condemnation of Israel, council diplomats said Tuesday. U.S. deputy ambassador James Cunningham told reporters Tuesday morning after seeing the new text that more consultations were needed to win U.S. approval....The draft resolution had the support of many other council members, some who cited its balanced language, for example expressing "grave concern" at the recent escalation inboth "extrajudicial executions and suicide bombings." Security Council Focus Meeting Becomes Stage for Broader Resolution [Debate] International Middle East Media Center 9/16/2003 In his speech before the Security Council on Tuesday, United Nations envoy to the Middle East, Terry Larson, criticized Israel, saying that it didn't execute the road map agreement completely. The talk was held in a special session of the Security Council to deal with the resolution regarding Israel’s demands to exile Arafat. Larson added during the session that Palestinians are right in their desire to end the occupation and establish an independent state. He also upheld Israel’s right to defend its residents and state, but said that Israel must also abide by international resolutions regarding statehood.

Human Rights..

Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 4 - 10 September 2003 Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 9/11/2003 11 Palestinians, including 2 children, were killed by Israeli forces / 3 of the victims killed in extra-judicial assassinations / 2 failed assassination attempts carried out by Israeli forces against the founder and 2 other senior leaders of Hamas movement / Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued leaving dead 2 Palestinian civilians and injuring dozens of others / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip / Houses were raided and a number of Palestinian civilians were arrested / More than 100 donums[1] of agricultural land were razed and 1 house was demolished in the Gaza Strip / 2 houses in the West Bank were destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continued campaign of retaliation against the families of wanted Palestinians and those who allegedly carried out armed attacks against Israeli targets / Construction of the separation wall in the West Bank continued / Israeli forces have imposed a comprehensive closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip Palestinian High Court of Justice Demands Explanation for PA Freeze Order on Gaza-Based Charity Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 9/16/2003 On Tuesday, 16 September 2003, the Palestinian High Court of Justice issued a decision ordering the Palestinian Attorney General to explain the reasons for freezing the bank accounts of the Gaza-based charity, al-Salah Islamic Society. The Attorney General was given eight days to provide the explanation. This decision follows a complaint submitted to the Palestinian High Court by the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights, which included a request for a temporary injunction on the order and an explanation from the Palestinian Attorney General. New shelters for Khan Younis homeless Electronic Intifada 9/15/2003 The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) today handed over 83 new shelters to families from Khan Younis refugee camp in the south of the Gaza Strip. The new development will allow UNRWA to re-house some of those whose shelters have been destroyed by Israeli forces during the last three years. Al-Arabiyya offices attacked Committee to Protect Journalists 9/15/2003 The Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) condemns the recent raid on the Ramallah offices of the Dubai-based Arabic satellite news channel Al-Arabiyya. Al-Arabiyya producer Qassem Al-Khateeb told CPJ that on the evening of Saturday, September 13, five masked and armed men entered the building where Al-Arabiyya is housed and asked whether it was the office of Al-Arabiyya. Al-Khateeb responded that it was, and the assailants immediately ordered him and the two other employees at the station at gunpoint to go the editing room. PCHR Condemns Attacks on Offices of al-Arabiya Satellite Channel and al-Ayyam Newspaper Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 9/16/2003 PCHR condemns the recent attacks on the offices of al-Arabiya Satellite Channel in Ramallah and al-Ayyam newspaper in Gaza city. PCHR considers these attacks an assault against freedom of the press and the freedom of expression and to receive and impart information. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian Authority and the Palestinian Authority Attorney General to initiate an investigation and bring the perpetrators of these attacks to justice. On Saturday, 13 September 2003, a number of masked persons armed with machine guns, sticks and swords broke into the offices of al-Arabiya Satellite Channel in Ramallah. They threatened and insulted the staff. They forced 3 staff members into one room while they began to destroy office equipment. The attackers, who claimed to be members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the military wing of the Fatah movement, did not give any reason for this attack. Gays complain of police brutality in TA park Ha'aretz 9/15/2003 The Association of Gay Men, Lesbians, Bisexuals and Transgender in Israel is collecting affidavits from homosexuals who claim they were brutally attacked by police in Tel Aviv's Independence Park last week. The association plans to submit the testimonies to the police investigations unit (mahash). Stealing everything and the kitchen sink International Solidarity Movement 9/14/2003 The Effects Of The Israeli Apartheid Wall On Palestinian Life - The following article is prepared by myself Alexander F. and is based on my own experiences and observations travelling in the occupied West Bank. -- Maa’rouf Zahran is a busy man. As the major of Qalqilia, a ghetto town in the West Bank with a population of 39000, he has the unenviable task of trying to keep the civil administration running in extraordinarily difficult circumstances. Mr Zahran made time for us in his busy morning schedule inviting us to a meeting in the town hall where we sat in a pleasant air conditioned room and were served delicious sweet Arabic coffee. At the head of the room stood a collection of framed technical drawings of the problem facing Qalqilia and its people. The Normality of Evil International Solidarity Movement 9/14/2003 Qalqilia - Susanne K. - 14 Sep 03 -- "What can we do?" "There is nothing we can do!" " We are at their mercy." When asked about their daily lives under Israeli occupation, this is the reply most of the Palestinians gave. I have been here in Palestine for not much more than one week now, but the humiliation and discrimination that the Palestinians have to suffer every day is obvious. The Israeli Occupation Force (IOF) procedures of oppression monitor and register every movement of Palestinians. The perception we have in Europe is that controls of identities by the IOF particularly and Israeli interference into the Palestinian society generally only a takes place at the border between Israel and Palestine. Nothing could be further away from the reality on the ground. Palestinian detainees complain of Zionist harassment Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Nablus - Palestinian captives in the Zionist occupation prison of Ofer have complained of the prison administration’s intentional negligence of internees suffering from chronic diseases. Detainees told the Palestinian prisoner’s club in a statement that 50 serious conditions in prison were only receiving sedatives while many of them needed surgeries but were not carried to hospitals.The internees said that some of those cases were seriously wounded and others suffering from heart diseases, diabetes or hemiplegia.

Economy..

Israeli economists tell US Treasury Secretary deficit blowout likely Globes 9/16/2003 US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow expressed particular interest in the budget and Israel's ability to control its deficit. -- Top Israeli economists and businesspeople told US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow today that there was a very high probability that Israel would not meet the deficit target of 4% of GDP. The cabinet approved the target under the 2004 budget last night. Israel to raise $1.5b this week in bond issue in US Globes 9/16/2003 Ministry of Finance director general Ohad Marani tells Reuters: Israel will issue about $1.5 billion in 20- and 30-year bonds. -- Israel’s Ministry of Finance said it was planning to begin issuing bonds in the United States this week using $9 billion in loan guarantees provided by the US government, Reuters reported today. July 2003 jobless rate remains unchanged at 10.6% Ha'aretz 9/16/2003 The number of jobless remained unchanged in July 2003 versus the second quarter of the year, at 10.6% of the workforce or 274,000 people, the Central Bureau of Statistics said today. That said, the figure is higher than the line of the trend data. Unemployment in July 2002 was running at 10.4%. Joint Zionist-Jordanian factory in Aqaba Palestinian Information Center 9/16/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - The Hebrew radio today said that a joint Zionist-Jordanian factory to produce plastic wires was established in the Jordanian Red Sea port of Aqaba. The broadcast said that the factory would market its products in Iraq and the Gulf countries. It said that a Zionist industrial delegation would visit Aqaba this week to explore the possibilities of opening other factories in that resort town. First half foreign investment doubles to $2b Globes 9/16/2003 The current account shows a $600 million surplus for the first half of 2003. Overseas investment by Israelis plummeted. -- Israel’s current account showed a $600 million surplus for the first half of 2003, compared with a $500 million deficit for the second half of 2002, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported.

People..

Audio: Interview with the Secretary-General of Neturei Karta in Jerusalem CKUT (Monteral, Qu Canada) 8/11/2003 This is a taped telephone interview by Radio Station CKUT, Montreal, Quebec Canada with the Secretary-General of Neturei Karta, a Jewish group opposed to Zionism, in Jerusalem.

International..

Iran to pay for Hamas blast Al-Jazeera 9/16/2003 A US court has ruled that Iran must pay more than $420 million to 12 US victims of a 1997 human bombing in Jerusalem carried out by the Palestinian resistance group Hamas. The court awarded $ 123.34 million for physical and emotional damages to the plaintiffs, four of whom were not present at the bombing but whose relatives were affected. It also awarded $300 million in punitive damages against the government of Iran, court papers indicated. Saud Warns of Gulf in Saudi-US Ties Arab News 9/16/2003 WASHINGTON, 16 September 2003 — Foreign Minister Prince Saud Al-Faisal warned of an “insurmountable gulf” in relations developing between the United States and his country if US misconceptions about Saudi Arabia persist. Prince Saud told Time magazine that “if these misconceptions continue to rise, they build a gulf that is insurmountable.” “We try to fight that gulf. We are finding a hard time on the other side of the ocean,” Prince Saud said. Iran says it will stick to nuclear treaty The Guardian 9/16/2003 Iran declared yesterday it was fully committed to the nuclear non-proliferation treaty and appeared to rule out breaking off cooperation with UN inspectors. Under unprecedented pressure over Iran's nuclear ambitions, the head of the country's atomic energy organisation, Gholamreza Aghazadeh, gave the strongest signal yet that Tehran would abide by the nuclear non-proliferation treaty (NPT). Turkey may hold early election Al-Jazeera 9/16/2003 Turkey's ruling party will call an early general election if a court rules a Kurdish Party has won votes illegally in a recent poll. Foreign Minister Abd Allah Gul said on Tuesday polls would be held if an appeal by the Democratic People's Party (DEHAP) against convictions for forging documents is rejected. If the court upholds an earlier decison to rule the votes invalid, a centre-right grouping would enter parliament and alter the political balance of power. Raid foils neo-Nazi 'Kristallnacht' plot The Guardian 9/16/2003 Arrests of 10 people accused of planning bombing at inauguration of Munich synagogue alert Germany to rise of far-right terrorism -- Otto Schily said the attack, which was due to take place on November 9, the anniversary of Kristallnacht, the Nazis' infamous anti-Jewish pogrom in 1938, demonstrated a "new quality of terror". "There have been hints that rightwing extremists are really a great potential danger for our society, and that has been dramatically confirmed," he said.....Günther Beckstein, the Bavarian interior minister, said detectives found a hit list of other targets in Mr Wiese's flat, including several mosques and a Greek school. UAE hoists Israeli flag Al-Jazeera 9/16/2003 The Israeli flag has gone up in Dubai for the first time as the city state hosts the annual joint meeting of the World Bank and International Monetary Fund next week. The flag has been stuck on the wall among others inside the 6000-seat conference hall at the International Convention Centre. Another has been hung in the media centre....Israel’s Binyamin Netanyahu will not join other finance ministers in Dubai, said his office on Tuesday. Instead, the country's delegation will be led by Bank of Israel Governor David Klein, a relatively less controversial figure than the former prime minister. Iraq to Attend OPEC Meeting New York Times 9/16/2003 BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq has been invited to attend a meeting of the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries for the first time since occupation by U.S. forces, the cartel said Tuesday. Founder member Iraq's attendance at OPEC will bring further international credibility to Baghdad's U.S.-backed Governing Council, particularly in the Arab world. It will also alleviate concerns in OPEC that an eventual sovereign Iraqi government, under U.S. influence, might exit the cartel and its system of output restraints, raising production from the world's second-largest reserves and undermining oil prices in years to come. Algerian pilot sues US over 9/11 Al-Jazeera 9/15/2003 An Algerian pilot falsely accused by the United States of training the September 11 hijackers is suing the US authorities. Lotfi Raissi, 29, the first person accused of participating in attacks on the World Trade Centre and Pentagon, has filed for damages against the US department of Justice and the Federal Bureau of Investigation. Raissi, who was detained by the British for five months following the attacks, says his life has been ruined by the trauma he was put through. Fears for Iran's political prisoners BBC 9/16/2003 Reformist leaders in Iran have been expressing renewed concern for the conditions of political prisoners in the country and especially for Abbas Abdi. Mr Abdi was given a four-and-a-half year jail sentence last year after being charged with selling information to Iran's enemies. His family say they have been allowed no contact with him recently and that he is currently going on hunger strike to protest against his conditions and those of other political prisoners. Mr Abdi had conducted opinion polls which indicated that a large majority of Iranians would like to see talks with the United States on restoring relations. Press Review: Yasser Arafat The Guardian 9/16/2003 The Israeli deputy prime minister, Ehud Olmert, admitted on Sunday that his government has not ruled out assassinating Yasser Arafat, the chairman of the Palestinian Authority. "His expulsion is an option, his liquidation is another option. It is also possible to confine him to prison-like conditions," he told Radio Israel. Haaretz, the left-leaning Israeli daily, said that the government's attitude toward Mr Arafat - there were also calls last week from within the cabinet for Mr Arafat to be exiled - was "sheer stupidity"..... FPM loses by-election but gains a seat at the table Daily Star 9/16/2003 Poor druze turnout puts pressure on Jumblatt -- With an unexpectedly high number of votes for Free Patriot Movement candidate Hikmat Deeb, and a poor Druze turnout in Sunday’s by-election poll in Baabda-Aley, a question mark hovers over the political future of the area. Exiled former Army Commander Michel Aoun proved that he is not to be taken lightly, as his candidate only lost by 3,000 votes to a candidate backed by all the major political forces in the country. Hariri runs out of options as IMF readies final report Daily Star 9/16/2003 Budget deficit remains too high -- As the International Monetary Fund (IMF) prepares its final report on Lebanon this month, the government of Prime Minister Rafik Hariri seems to be running out of options to bring down the budget deficit to acceptable levels. The government has pledged to reduce the deficit spending to 25 percent at the end of this year from 41 percent in 2002. But recent statistics by the Finance Ministry clearly indicated that the 25 percent target is far from realistic....Privatization is a key element in Hariri’s efforts to reduce the $32 billion public debt. Opposition Stalls Reforms in Saudi Arabia The Guardian 9/16/2003 JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - Political reform, desired by many in Saudi Arabia and publicly championed by the kingdom's de facto ruler, is stalled by powerful forces. The Muslim religious establishment has traditionally resisted granting freedoms that Saudis might use to debate the country's ultraconservative version of Islam. And some in the Saudi royal family seem to equate democracy with surrendering power and privilege. Syria Bill A Step Closer to Vote American-Arab Anti Discrmination Committee 9/16/2003 Issue: Representatives Eliot Engel (D-New York) and House International Relations Subcommittee on Middle East Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) introduced on April 12 the "Syria Accountability Act and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act" (H.R. 1828). Senators Barbara Boxer (D-California) and Rick Santorum (R-Pennsylvania) introduced similar legislation on May 1 called the "Syria Accountability Act"(S. 982). A hearing before the House International Relations Committee on H.R. 1828 is scheduled for September 16 and 17. This scheduled hearing increases the possibility of the Syria Accountability Act coming before the House and Senate for a vote. US Congress mulls Syria sanctions BBC 9/16/2003 The US Congress has begun debating whether to impose sanctions on Syria. It is examining proposed legislation that accuses Damascus of supporting terrorism and developing weapons of mass destruction, and condemns its military presence in Lebanon. Known as the Syria Accountability and Lebanese Sovereignty Restoration Act, the legislation would require Damascus to change its behaviour or face American sanctions. Villagers try to block Athens mosque plan The Guardian 9/16/2003 It was meant to showcase Athens as a modern, multi-ethnic city in the year that it stages the Olympic Games. Instead, a plan to erect the first mosque serving the capital since the end of Ottoman rule has unleashed a row pitting the reform-minded government against the Greek Orthodox Church. The rumpus has highlighted the fact that Athens is the sole EU capital without a proper Muslim place of worship. EU formally blacklists all branches of Hamas Daily Star 9/16/2003 Banks across Europe instructed not to deal with organization’s assets -- The European Union formally added all branches of Hamas to its blacklist of terrorist organizations Monday, as Jordan’s Central Bank reportedly instructed banks nationwide not to deal with the assets of six of the militant group’s leaders, turning up the heat on the Palestinians’ perceived anti-peace activists. In addition, Jordan banned five charities linked to the Islamic movement. The EU decision freezes the funds of all parts of Hamas across the 15-nation bloc, formalizing an agreement in principle by European foreign ministers reached last week. Brussels urges shakeup of 'medieval' WTO The Guardian 9/16/2003 The European Union yesterday urged a radical overhaul of the World Trade Organisation after the embarrassing collapse of trade liberalisation talks for the second time in four years. With Washington threatening to extend its "go it alone" strategy in global politics to trade deals, Pascal Lamy, Europe's trade commissioner said that although the break down in Cancun, Mexico, did not mean the negotiating round was dead, it was in need of "intensive care".

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