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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 a Palestinian Citizen in Nablus International Press Center 9/17/2003 NABLUS, Palestine, September 17, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli occupation forces (IOF) shot dead Tuesday overnight a Palestinian citizen in the West Bank city of Nablus, to the north of West Bank. Fadi Abu Zint, 21, of Nablus City was killed yesterday after being shot with live Israeli bullets, local Palestinian sources said. In the meantime, IOF arrested three Palestinain civilians in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata, near Nablus....Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent that IOF invaded Al Barahma area west of Rafah and demolished two houses, in addition to damaging a nearby brick factory by partially bulldozing it. Medical sources in Rafah said that one Palestinian citizen, Ramzi Al Ra'I, 24, was moderately wounded with shrapnel....In the West Bank city of Bethlehem, Israeli military bulldozers, backed with Israeli troops and armed Jewish settlers, razed about 50 dunums of Palestinian lands in the Jab’a village, west of Bethlehem. The said razed lands have been planted with olive, grapes and almond, and are owned by the Abu Lahlouh family....Meanwhile, Israeli occupation authorities in the occupied East Jerusalem, demolished yesterday three Palestinian-owned houses under the pretext of building without permissions. Israeli Soldiers Kill Palestinian Activist In Cold Blood Islam Online 9/17/2003 NABLUS, September 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Few hours after the U.S. vetoed a U.N. Security Council resolution condemning Israeli threats to expel Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, Israeli occupation forces stormed Wednesday, September 17, Casbah, the old city of Nablus, and killed a Palestinian activist in cold blood. Eyewitnesses told IslamOnline.net that Israeli soldiers broke into several houses in the West bank town, triggering a shootout with Palestinian resistance fighters. Identifying the new martyr as Fadi Abu Zant, a 17-year-old member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, the witnesses said Israeli soldiers shot him in the leg and then showered him with bullets while bleeding on the ground. Israeli Fence Threatens to Slice Through Palestinian University Palestine Monitor/Los Angeles Times 9/15/2003 On the verge of completing a law degree, Amjad Abu Asab is now learning a real-life legal lesson. Every day on the campus of Al Quds University, the college senior exercises his right to lawful protest, planting himself in a shady spot on a patch of brown, parched earth. Nearby is a basketball court and an open lot used as a soccer field — the only sports facilities the university owns, serving more than 6,000 students. But if the Israeli government has its way, even that small oasis of recreation will soon vanish, plowed under to make way for a security barrier that will slice the Al Quds campus in two. Palestinian resistance attack Zionist patrols in different areas Palestinian Information Center 9/17/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Palestinian resistance fighters attacked a number of Zionist patrols and settlers last night wounding one of the settlers near the village of Husan to the south of Bethlehem. In one of those incidents, a Palestinian young man fired at an army patrol in the village of Hawwara near Nablus but Zionist military sources claimed that the shooting did not result in any casualties. The sources added that Zionist forces combed the area in search of the attacker and arrested a Palestinian youth who was carrying a rifle. 3 settlers convicted for attempted bombing of Arab school Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Three residents of the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin were convicted Wednesday for their roles in the attempted bombing of a Palestinian girls' school in East Jerusalem some 17 months ago, Israel Radio reported. Shlomo Dvir, Yarden Morag andOfer Gamliel were all found guilty of attempted murder and illegal possession of arms by Jerusalem District Court, the report said. The three were said to have parked a explosives-laden trailer outside the main entrance to the school in the A-Tur neighborhood at 3:30 A.M. on April 29, 2002, and set the timer for 7:25 A.M., just as students would be arriving. Military Concentrates Force in Nablus International Middle East Media Center 9/17/2003 Early Wednesday morning an Al-Aqsa martyrs brigades activist was killed in a clash between Palestinians and Israeli military and special forces. Fadi Abu Zanat was being followed by Israeli forces and was allegedly wanted before being killed in this clash. Eyewitnesses in Nablus’ old city told IMEMC that Israeli forces started shooting toward a number of armed activists, and that a number of houses were temporarily occupied in an attempt to arrest wanted people. Palestinian agriculture sector suffers more than $1 billion losses during intifada Palestinian Information Center 9/17/2003 Gaza - Palestinian Authority minister of agriculture, Rafiq Al-Natshe, said that the Palestinian losses in the agricultural sector had reached more than one billion dollars during the past three years of the Aqsa intifada. Natshe told a press conference in Gaza that the Palestinian agricultural sector received the bulk of the Zionist destruction of Palestinian infrastructure. The minister described the devastation that targeted the agricultural sector in Palestinian areas as a “real massacre” of cultivated lands. East Jerusalem's Arabs Find Fence will Literally cut their lives in Half Palestine Monitor/Haaretz 9/15/2003 The deafening roar of bulldozers working on the Jerusalem separation fence overshadows, drowns out, everything that happens in Abu Dis, east of Jerusalem, including the words of Sheikh Qassem A-Surhi, who lives in the Abu Mrera neighborhood on the edge of the township. The sheikh, 78, who served as neighborhood mukhtar under the Jerusalem municipality, displays photographs in his living room of himself with former mayor Teddy Kollek, Yasser Arafat and a host of other public figures. He does not know the exact route of the fence, but the bulldozers are digging just beyond the foundations of his house to prepare for an eight-meter-high wall, fencing, a patrol road and surveillance cameras. UNRWA: Zionist occupation destroyed 1,176 houses in Gaza Strip Palestinian Information Center 9/17/2003 Gaza - The United Nations Relief and Works Agency has declared that Zionist occupation forces had completely or partially destroyed 1,176 houses in the occupied Gaza Strip since eruption of the Aqsa intifada three years ago till end of last month. UNRWA said that around 10,400 Palestinians were rendered homeless as a result of the Zionist practice that left those homes unfit for lodging. Don't abandon us, plead settlers The Telegraph 9/16/2003 West Bank community fears it will be on the wrong side of Israel's security fence, reports David Blair in Ariel. In their hilltop home, the Israeli settlers of Ariel enjoy amenities ranging from swimming pools to electronic learning centres via their own television station and broadband internet server. Ron Nachman, Ariel's mayor, compares his "city" to Singapore. With 18,000 people it is the second-largest settlement on the West Bank. But what it does not have is long-term security....If Ariel is left outside the fence, Mr Nachman predicts that many residents will leave, the flow of new arrivals will dry up and the settlement will suffer a slow death. IDF kills Hebron-area Jihad leader Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Israeli troops shot dead a senior Hebron-area Islamic Jihad leader yesterday, after he bolted from a house that had been surrounded. Israel Defense Forces soldiers surrounded the house, located in the West Bank village of Dura near Hebron, before dawn and ordered those inside to come out, according to Palestinian sources. A number of Palestinians exited, but Majid Abu-Dosh remained inside and then tried to flee wearing a bulletproof vest containing a grenade. He did not fire at the soldiers. Afterward, the soldiers fired anti-tank missiles at the house, on suspicion that other wanted suspects were still hiding inside. In the afternoon, the house was destroyed. 3 Israeli Settlers Convicted in Bomb Plot The Guardian 9/17/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - A Jerusalem court on Wednesday convicted three Israeli settlers for attempting to blow up an Arab girls' school in Jerusalem last year to avenge Palestinian attacks against Jews. Shlomo Dvir, Yarden Morag and Ofer Gamliel, all from the West Bank settlement of Bat Ayin, were convicted of attempted murder and illegal weapons possession in connection with the failed attack in the Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of A-Tur in April 2002. Sentences will be passed at a later date. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine September 17, 2003 Palestine Media Center 9/17/2003 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) shot dead two Palestinian men in Dura and Nablus, detained 22 more Palestinians and demolished 6 more houses. 130 dunums Confiscated.

Diplomacy..

Israel Spurns Palestinian Ceasefire Offer, Kills Jihad Activist Islam Online 9/16/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, September 16 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – While Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s top security advisor proposed Tuesday, September 16, a new ceasefire with Israel, the occupation army stormed the West Bank town of Al-Khalil and gunned down a member of the Palestinian resistance group Islamic Jihad. PNA Holds US Responsible for Consequences of Its Veto Palestine Media Center 9/17/2003 US Veto a ‘License’ for Israel to Kill Arafat: Palestinian Chief Negotiator -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) said Tuesday that the United States has lost credibility as an honest broker in the Middle East peace process and slammed the US veto, which aborted a draft resolution condemning Israeli government’s decision on Thursday to “remove” President Yasser Arafat, as a “US License” to Israel to kill the veteran leader. The PNA described Tuesday as a “Black Day” for the UN legitimacy. Flow of Saudis' Cash to Hamas Is Scrutinized New York Times 9/17/2003 RIYADH, Saudi Arabia, Sept. 16 — Nearly a year ago, Khalid Mishaal, a senior leader of Hamas, the militant Palestinian organization, attended a charitable fund-raising conference here where he talked at length with Crown Prince Abdullah, the de facto Saudi ruler. According to a summary of the meeting written by a Hamas official, Mr. Mishaal and other Hamas representatives thanked their Saudi hosts for continuing "to send aid to the people through the civilian and popular channels, despite all the American pressures exerted on them."....Today Mr. Mishaal, who was recently added to the United States Treasury Department list of what it calls terrorist financiers, controls a wing of Hamas that advocates violent confrontation with Israel, including suicide bombings. U.S. Cutting Loan Guarantees to Oppose Israeli Settlements New York Times 9/17/2003 The action was almost totally symbolic. -- WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 — The Bush administration announced today that it would reduce loan guarantees to Israel to meet Congressional restrictions on providing financial support to Israel's continued expansion of settlements in the West Bank and Gaza. The administration said it might further restrict the guarantees to protest Israel's construction of a barrier dividing what it considers its land from Palestinian territory....It came on the same day that Israel sold $1.6 billion of bonds on Wall Street, all backed by a guarantee of repayment by the United States government under legislation passed last spring that provides Israel with up to $3 billion in loan guarantees annually for three years. Bolton Criticizes Syria Washington Post 9/17/2003 Syria still is allowing militants to cross the border into Iraq and kill U.S. soldiers, the Bush administration alleged. Undersecretary of State John R. Bolton also told a House hearing that Syria continues to support Hezbollah; the Islamic Resistance Movement, or Hamas; and Islamic Jihad -- groups the United States considers terrorists. He repeated accusations that Syria continues to develop weapons of mass destruction, including "one of the most advanced Arab-state chemical weapons capabilities." Syria Pledges Willingness to Cooperate With US Arab News 9/17/2003 DAMASCUS, 17 September 2003 — Syria said yesterday it was ready to cooperate with “logical and realistic” demands from the United States, as the US Congress prepared to debate new measures against Damascus, accused of aiding militants fighting Israel and the US presence in Iraq. Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Shara, speaking at a press conference with visiting European Union external relations commissioner Chris Patten, was responding to a new warning by US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Arafat Dismisses U.S. Veto of Resolution The Guardian 9/17/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Yasser Arafat dismissed the United States' veto of a U.N. resolution against Israel's threats to expel him, saying Wednesday that the step will not ``shake us.'' Arabs expressed anger, saying Israel may see the veto as a green light to move against the Palestinian leader....Arabs were dismayed by the veto, with some saying the vote showed the United States had lost its credibility as an honest broker in the Middle East. Amr Moussa, secretary-general of the Arab League, said he hoped the veto doesn't mean the United States supports Israeli policies ``which are opposed by the whole world.'' PA official: Hamas signaling willingness to observe truce Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat offered a new truce to Israel on Wednesday in an interview on an Israeli TV station, after Palestinian officials said the militant group Hamas has signaled it might agree to stop attacks on Israelis. But Israeli leaders say they want to first see Palestinian action to take Hamas and other militant groups out of commission before considering a cease-fire....Interviewed by Israel TV's Channel 10, Arafat said contacts are underway with all Palestinian factions over a cease-fire. "Even the Islamic Jihad said they are willing to respect a cease fire, and we are continuing our contacts with Hamas," he said. New Palestinian Leader to Offer Truce The Guardian 9/17/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The incoming Palestinian prime minister said Wednesday he will offer Israel a comprehensive truce, and Palestinian officials said the militant group Hamas has signaled it might agree to stop attacks on Israelis. But Israeli leaders say they want to first see Palestinian action to take Hamas and other militant groups out of commission before considering a cease-fire....Palestinian Prime Minister-designate Ahmed Qureia said once he has formed a new government, he will ``call on the Israelis to agree to a mutual cease-fire'' to clear the way for a reopening of negotiations and progress on the stalled ``road map'' peace plan. Israel Rebuffs Palestinian Ceasefire Call Al-Hayat 9/17/2003 While Israel busied the world with its decision to "eliminate" Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, and while it refused the Palestinian offer for a permanent ceasefire, the occupation army pursued its practices that have been turning the lives of Palestinians into an "unbearable hell," as they say. It has been escalating its military operations and attacks against citizens' lands and houses, and pursuing its assassinations operations targeting leaders of the armed resistance, while preparing for a 'wild' operation in Gaza. PM aide: Saudis send $14 mil. annually to Hamas charities Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Islamic charities linked to Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza receive about $14 million a year from Saudi Arabia, an Israeli official said Wednesday. Dore Gold, an adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said it wasn't clear how much of the money was being funneled through the Hamas social network to fund terror activity. Much of the money comes from Saudi charities that are controlled by the Saudi government, said Gold, a former ambassador to the United Nations. Delegation to leave for U.S. to prevent loan guarantee cuts Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 An Israeli delegation is scheduled to meet Monday in Washington with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in an effort to convince the U.S. administration to avoid reducing loan guarantees to Israel over the construction of the security fence. The delegation includes Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau chief Dov Weisglass, the director general of the Defense Ministry, Amos Yaron, and the head of the strategic department at the IDF General Staff, Brigadier General Eival Giladi. Likelihood grows of separation fence set-off from US loan guarantees Globes 9/17/2003 The set-off may be the price for US backing over Arafat in the UN. -- Yesterday’s comments by the White House spokesperson strengthen assessments by Israeli and pro-Israeli sources in Washington that the Bush Administration will deduct the cost of Israel’s separation fence from the US loan guarantees. White House spokesperson Scott McClellan again confirmed yesterday that the administration will deduct money spent on Israeli communities in the territories from the guarantees.  Sharon: We may have to surrender Ron Arad Jerusalem Post 9/17/2003 In a recent meeting with the family of missing IAF navigator Ron Arad, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said "there may be conditions under which I shall have to make a difficult decision in your case," Channel 2 reported Wednesday. Sharon explained that, given the complex situation, and the ethical dilemmas it entails, he may have to agree to the release of senior Hizbullah officials Sheikh Abdel Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani, in exchange for St.-Sgts. Benny Avraham, Omar Sawayeed and Adi Avitan, and businessman Elhanan Tannenbaum. Hizb Allah expects prisoner swap Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 Hizb Allah Secretary General Sayyid Hasan Nasr Allah has said a prisoner exchange with Israel will include Palestinian detainees, the main stumbling block in their negotiations. A prisoner swap will also include Syrian and Jordanian detainees being held in Israeli prisons, said Nasr Allah on Wednesday in Beirut at the opening of a media conference in support of the Palestinians. “We are about to finish the stage of numbers to get into the names and criteria,” he said. Hamas Is Accused of Getting Saudi Money The Guardian 9/17/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Islamic charities linked to Hamas in the West Bank and Gaza receive about $14 million a year from Saudi Arabia, an Israeli official said Wednesday. Dore Gold, an adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, said it wasn't clear how much of the money was being funneled through the Hamas social network to fund terror activity. Much of the money comes from Saudi charities that are controlled by the Saudi government, said Gold, a former ambassador to the United Nations. Israel Postpones Decision on Barrier The Guardian 9/17/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Prime Minister Ariel Sharon postponed a decision on the path of a contested security barrier cutting through the West Bank, a Cabinet minister said Wednesday, a day after the United States warned Israel might forfeit part of a $9 billion loan guarantee package over the issue. In another development, the Islamic militant group Hamas offered to call another cease-fire with Israel in exchange for a halt to Israeli strikes against its leaders, a Palestinian official said. But Israel rejected the offer....Israeli government officials said John Wolf, a U.S. envoy to the Middle East, raised specific objections to a stretch of the barrier planned to cut into Palestinian territory south of the Jewish settlement of Ariel. Wolf told Amos Yaron, the director general of the Israeli Defense Ministry, that money spent on construction of that segment would be deducted from the loan guarantees. Washington [Debates] Syria Accountability Act Al-Hayat 9/17/2003 John Bolton, the U.S. Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security, announced yesterday that Syria was seeking to develop its nuclear and biological weapons program and accused it of sending military equipment and volunteers into Iraq. He invited Congress to use "every tool" at its disposal to deter it from pursuing this policy. Bolton was testifying before the House International Relations Committee, which is debating the ratification of the Syria Accountability Law. If Congress ratifies this law, this could pave the way for imposing sanctions on Damascus. Today, General Michel Aoun is set to testify before the Congress committee. US turns up WMD heat on Syria Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 The United States has stepped up its rhetoric against Damascus, reiterating allegations that it is developing weapons of mass destruction. US Undersecretary of State John Bolton told Congress on Tuesday that Washington must keep open the option of using “every tool” to dissuade Damascus. Syria has repeatedly denied the accusations. Al Sharaa: Al Assad Happy About Call With Arafat Al-Hayat 9/17/2003 Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Sharaa welcomed the visit of "any Palestinian official representing President Yasser Arafat," as he pointed out that President Bashar Al Assad was "pleased" about the phone call between Arafat and Al Sharaa two days ago.Answering Al-Hayat's question as to what steps would Damascus be taking next regarding Palestinian President Arafat, Al Sharaa replied, during a press conference he held with Europe's Foreign Affairs Commissioner Chris Patten: "I informed President Al Assad of the conversation I had with Arafat, and (Al Assad) was pleased with it." U.N. Envoy Urges Israel to Leave Settlements New York Times 9/16/2003 UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 15 — A scheduled Security Council meeting on the Middle East was transformed today by the events of the last few days into a series of speeches, many of which attacked Israel for its recent actions in the West Bank and most recently its decision to expel Yasir Afafat, the Palestinian leader. In addition to hearing a day's worth of debate on the Middle East, the Council also privately considered a draft resolution offered by Syria on behalf of the Palestinians that would condemn suicide bombings, what it called extrajudicial murders by the Israeli government of Palestinian figures and Israel's proposed deportation of Mr. Arafat. Israel ambassador: Arafat is the father of modern ``mega-terror'' San Francisco Chronicle 9/15/2003 Israel's U.N. ambassador, responding to criticism that his nation intended to kill Yasser Arafat, said it could have assassinated him at any time if it had wanted and called the Palestinian leader a founder of "mega-terror."..."Had Israel wanted to kill Yasser Arafat, it could have done so 3,000 times," Israeli U.N. envoy Dan Gillerman told the Security Council on Monday as it considered a resolution demanding that Israel drop its threat to assassinate Arafat or expel him from his West Bank compound. Arab world condemns US Arafat veto BBC 9/17/2003 Arab diplomats have condemned Washington's decision to veto a UN Security Council draft resolution denouncing Israel's policy of "removing" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. US Ambassador to the UN John Negroponte said the resolution was "flawed" because it did not include a "robust condemnation of acts of terrorism" by Palestinian militant groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad....BBC correspondent Greg Barrow at the UN said several diplomats feared that through the vote Washington may have inadvertently sent a message to the Israeli Government that its threats towards the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat will not be opposed. Analysis: Questions raised by veto BBC 9/17/2003 Various questions arise from the American veto of a Security Council resolution demanding that Israel drop its threat to expel or harm Yasser Arafat. One is why it happened and whether anything could have been done to avoid the veto. Another is whether the episode constitutes, as one senior Palestinian official put it, a black day for the United Nations and the abysmal collapse of the UN Charter and international law....Washington has refused to back the enforcement of historic UN resolutions calling on Israel to withdraw from occupied territory, and presides over an international system of double standards. The latest American veto has not changed any of that. Sharaa bristles at latest American accusations Daily Star 9/17/2003 But damascus is still willing to cooperate -- Syria’s foreign minister on Tuesday rejected renewed US accusations that Damascus was not fully cooperating in the “war on terror” and said his country was willing to meet “reasonable” US demands within the framework of international legitimacy. Foreign Minister Farouk al-Sharaa made the comments during a press conference with European Commissioner for External Relations Christopher Patten, hours before the US Congress was scheduled to begin a debate on an anti-Syrian draft law, known as the Syria Accountability Act. Jordan unblocks Hamas funds BBC 9/17/2003 Jordan's Central Bank has retracted a decision to freeze accounts belonging to leaders of Hamas, the radical Palestinian organisation. The bank had issued the same list of names that had been put out by the US administration in late August after a Hamas suicide attack in Jerusalem. Islamist groups in Jordan had reacted angrily to the freeze order, saying it was humiliating for Jordanians to see their country succumb to US pressures once more. Report: Sharon meets with Ron Arad's family Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon recently met with the relatives of IAF navigator Ron Arad, who has been missing since 1986, and told them that he would soon have to make a difficult decision concerning Arad, Channel Two reported Wednesday. According to the report, Sharon met with Ron's brothers, Chen and Dudu, and his wife Tami. He told them that it Israel might have to decide to release Sheikh Abd al Karim Obeid and Mustafa Dirani in a prisoner swap with Hezbollah in order to free Israeli businessmanElhanan Tannenbaum and to receive the bodies of three IDF soldiers, all of whom were abducted in 2000. Background/Fence divides Israel and U.S., Israeli and Israeli Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 The West Bank security fence that was to have kept Palestinian militants from crossing into Israel has come to delineate - and exacerbate - new divides, distancing Israel from its closest ally Washington, and dividing Israelis from one another. So sensitive has the fence issue become, that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon acted to head off frictions with the United States overnight by cancelling a long-scheduled meeting of the security cabinet.  Outcry over US veto of move to protect Arafat The Independent 9/18/2003 Palestinian leaders de-nounced the United States yesterday for vetoing a UN Security Council resolution barring Israel from harming Yasser Arafat or expelling him from the West Bank. Saeb Erakat, a former peace negotiator, told The Independent: "I hope this will not be seen by Israel as a licence to kill Arafat. This veto weakens moderates in this region and strengthens extremism." Israel rejects Rajoub's truce offer Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 Government officials yesterday flatly rejected a cease-fire proposal made by Palestinian national security adviser Jibril Rajoub, who called for an "unlimited cease-fire" between all the armed Palestinian groups and Israel, so the two sides could undertake peace negotiations. Later in the day, Saeb Erekat confirmed that the entire Palestinian leadership supported the proposal. Erakat: US’s Veto the Security Council Resolution is “a license to kill Arafat” International Press Center 9/17/2003 RAMALLAH , Sep 17, 2003, (IPC +Agencies)-- Saeb Erakat, chief Palestinian peace negotiator decried on Tuesday the American veto by saying “It’s a black day for the United Nations and for international law." “What happened in the UN Security council is tearing up all the international norms “Erakat said in an interview with the al jazeera television on Tuesday. He went into saying “the United States make protection available to Israel and treated it as a country above law.” Report: Prince Abdullah supports Hamas financially Middle East Online 9/17/2003 Report: Prince Abdullah supports Hamas financially - New York Times reports Hamas thanked Saudi crown prince for financial support despite US pressure. -- WASHINGTON - A senior leader of the Palestinian militant group Hamas personally thanked Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz last year for the financial support his group received, The New York Times reported Wednesday, quoting a document summarizing the meeting. 25 years of Camp David peace accords Middle East Online 9/17/2003 Israeli-Egyptian ties have hit rock bottom since Sharon became prime minister in March 2001. -- Twenty-five years after Egypt and Israel signed the historic Camp David peace accords, their strained marriage seems colder than ever. In addition, the broader regional peace that was to have been built on the keystone of Camp David appears more elusive than ever. "Egypt no longer has an ambassador in Tel Aviv, political ties are bad, economic exchanges are frozen and the Egyptian people are increasingly hostile toward Israel," Egyptian researcher Emad Gad said. Israel Rejects Cease-fire Proposal Extended by PNA Palestine Media Center 9/17/2003 As Israel's extra-judicial assassination of Palestinian resistance fighters persisted, the Palestine National Authority (PNA) extended its hand to the Jewish state with a new cease-fire proposal, which the latter rejected almost immediately. In spite of Israel’s vocal plans to “remove” Yasser Arafat — through exile or even murder — the democratically - elected Palestinian President voiced his readiness to revive the morbid peace process. “We say to the peace supporters in Israel that we extend our hand to you to revive peace,” he said on Tuesday as he addressed scores of Palestinians who poured into his battered Ramallah headquarters to express their solidarity. Middle East Resolution Blocked Washington Post 9/17/2003 UNITED NATIONS, Sept. 16 -- The United States vetoed an Arab-sponsored Security Council resolution calling on Israel to drop its threat to harm or expel Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat today, saying it failed to adequately criticize Palestinian extremists seeking to undermine the Middle East Peace process. Arafat unfazed by US veto Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 Palestinian President Yasir Arafat says he is unfazed by the US veto of a United Nations resolution demanding Israel not harm the veteran leader. "We are not shaken by a resolution from one place or another," said Arafat on Wednesday from his compound in the occupied West Bank city of Ram Allah. "We are more important than any resolution."...Palestinians, on their part, expressed concerns that Washington is turning its back on the "road map" aimed at ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict. US policy has become a "hostage" to Israel, said Palestinian cabinet minister Yasir Abd Rabbu. Jordan lifts Hamas bank freeze Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 Amman’s central bank has revoked a decision to stop banks from dealing with six leading Hamas activists and five charities allegedly linked to the resistance movement. The decision to order the freeze was taken unilaterally by the central bank without the knowledge of the government, “which learned about it through the press,” said Jordan’s Information Minister Nabil Sharif in a statement on Wednesday.

Human Rights..

Sabra, Shatila remember their dead Daily Star 9/17/2003 ‘We did not have one good day since the massacre’ -- BEIRUT: Flipping through the pages of an album full of pictures of a happy family that he lost 21 years ago, Mohammed Abu Rodaina says he will always hang on to the past. More precisely, he cherishes the days before Sept. 16, 1982, when Israeli-backed Lebanese militiamen rampaged through Sabra and Shatila camps killing more than 1,200 civilians. “This is my father when he was on pilgrimage … This is my mother before she had a stroke … This is my sister who was pregnant when she was killed,” he said Monday, on the anniversary of the massacre. Mohammed was only 5 when the massacre took place. Twenty-one years on, he says he is unable to overcome the loss of his loved ones. New report describes maltreatment of Palestinian prisoners in infamous Al-Naqab prison International Middle East Media Center 9/17/2003 A study conducted by the Palestinian Prisoners Society states that there are 1200 Palestinian prisoners in the notorious Al-Naqab prison, 400 out of which are administrative prisoners. 800 are under the age of 18, and 800 are convicted from 1 to 10 years. The study shows that many prisoners suffer bad health conditions, some have serious injuries, and some are even paralyzed. In addition, the study shows that most of the prisoners were injured during arrests conducted at their homes and interrogations, especially in the detention camps Huwara, Salem, and Etzion. The ill prisoners, numbering 130, are denied medical treatment. ISM Alert: Demolitions in Jenin and other reports International Solidarity Movement 9/16/2003 1) ALERT: Israeli Army Demolishes Two Family Homes in Jenin / 2) Stealing Everything and the Kitchen Sink_ Alex in Qalqilya /3) The Normality of Evil_ Susanne in Qalqilya -- September 16, 2003, Jenin - At 10am Monday, the Israeli Army demolished two family homes in Suatate, Palestine, a suburb of Jenin near Kadim settlement. The two families were given 10 minutes warning before their houses were demolished, leaving 12 people homeless. Afterward, the army informed families in three neighboring houses that their homes would also be demolished, claiming the houses are “too near the settlement”, which is about half a kilometer away. Case against Sharon reaches climax Daily Star 9/17/2003 Belgian court to rule whether Sabra and Shatila plaintiffs can proceed -- As hundreds of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps mark the 21st anniversary of a massacre there, the two-year legal drive to bring Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to account for the killings is reaching a climax. In a week’s time, a court in Belgium will rule on whether the case can proceed or not. But the lawyers for the 28 Palestinian and Lebanese plaintiffs are not optimistic. Dateline ACT Palestinian Territories 0203: Churches fight for Palestinian health rights ReliefWeb 9/17/2003 Jerusalem, September 17, 2003--The right of Palestinians to access quality health care continues to be impaired by the Israeli occupation of the Palestinian Territories, so hospitals supported by Action by Churches Together (ACT) International are reaching out in new ways to deliver health care to isolated and besieged communities. Dateline ACT Palestinian Territories 0303: Job training helps build healthy Palestinian society ReliefWeb 9/17/2003 Jerusalem, September 17,2003 - Ala Kleibo recently upgraded his skills as an auto mechanic, and his customers claim he's a whiz at keeping their cars in top shape. Yet Kleibo spends hours sitting in his shop in Bir Nabala drinking cardamom-laced coffee, his business suffering from the Israeli occupation of his West Bank town. "There are checkpoints everywhere, so it takes forever to drive from one place to another. I have lots of customers in Beit Hanina, which is less than five minutes away. But for the last two years it takes two hours each way to drive through the checkpoints. So even if I'm the best mechanic, they're going to look for someone closer. And many of my customers who live closer don't have jobs, so they can't even afford to drive their cars," Kleibo said. Water and Sanitation, Hygiene Monitoring Project - Weekly Report # 2, 29 Aug-17 Sep ReliefWeb 9/17/2003 Since the beginning of the Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene Monitoring Project (WaSH MP) in June 2002, 643 of the 708 communities defined by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) have been surveyed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. For the purposes of the WaSH MP, the total number of communities that will be monitored is 643, due to the fact that many of the PCBS-defined communities are considered part of a city, like Jerusalem, or are deemed seasonal living places (summer or winter). Dateline ACT Palestinian Territories 0103: "We are not alone" - Churches lend hope to Palestinians' struggle to survive ReliefWeb 9/17/2003 Jerusalem, September 17, 2003--As peace in the Middle East proves elusive once again, Action by Churches Together (ACT) International remains committed to accompanying people in the occupied Palestinian territories as they search for ways to survive the daily tribulations of Israeli occupation. Despite efforts by the international community to push the "road map for peace," Palestinians still face travel restrictions, unemployment, hunger, and the daily litany of humiliation under occupation. Yet they also can count on support from ACT members which have been working in Palestinian communities for decades, healing the sick, providing jobs training, and helping Palestinians build a new, functioning civil society.

Economy..

Israel raises $1.6b under loan guarantees Globes 9/17/2003 The interest rates were fixed at only 33-38 basis points above equivalent US bonds -- Israel yesterday raised $1.6 billion, using the US loan guarantees. Israel’s capital raising under the guarantees is expected to amount to $3 billion by the end of the year, out of a total framework of $9 billion. Deputy Accountant General Eldad Fresher led the issue, through a tender among 14 investment houses chosen as suitable bidders for competing for the lowest return on the issue. War-torn Palestinian economy needs to bridge relief and development, says UNCTAD report Electronic Intifada 9/17/2003 GENEVA - Protracted occupation and conflict have effectively transformed the occupied Palestinian territory into a "war-torn economy", with serious implications for Palestinian development prospects, says the United Nations Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) in a new report. The report, issued annually on UNCTAD's assistance to the Palestinian people, calls for a new policy framework to bridge relief and development efforts. Compounding the complexity of the tasks ahead is the economy's prolonged dependence on, and skewed integration with, the much more advanced Israeli economy. Snow: Difficult to limit Israeli budget deficit to 3% GDP Globes 9/17/2003 US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow: The US understands Israel’s economic problems, and its need for a budget deficit higher than planned. -- US Secretary of the Treasury John Snow said yesterday in Jerusalem that the US understood Israel’s economic problems, and its need for a budget deficit higher than originally planned. Snow added that in the present circumstances, it would be difficult for Israel to limit its budget deficit to 3% of GDP. At the same time, he advised the Israeli government to made a serious address the deficit problem, and reduce it as much as possible.  OPEC Fund extends US$930,000 grant to help finance social projects in Palestine ReliefWeb 9/16/2003 September 16, 2003, Vienna, Austria - The OPEC Fund for International Development today approved a grant of US$930,000 to help finance a series of social projects designed to address some of the most urgent needs of the poorest, hardest hit communities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Grant resources will be divided among seven organizations in support of projects covering a wide range of sectors.... Histadrut ready to strike, declares public sector work dispute Ha'aretz 9/17/2003 The Histadrut labor federation declared a work dispute in Israel's public sector on Wednesday. A Histadrut official said the strike at government offices could begin as early as next week. The work dispute in the public sector was sparked by the government's 2004 budget plan, which calls for the dismissal of some 2000 additional state workers. Also Wednesday, some 3,600 workers from Israel Military Industries are threatening to bring traffic to halt on the Geha highway, around the IMI facility in Ramat Hasharon.  $4.2b January-August trade deficit excluding diamonds Globes 9/17/2003 Israel had a trade surplus with the US, but its trade deficit with the European Union and Asian countries is still rising. -- Export of goods to the US have risen by an annualized 8.7% in the past two months, after remaining unchanged in June, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. On the other hand, exports of goods to the European Union (EU) fell by an annualized 6.8% in the past three months, after remaining unchanged in May, and exports to Asia dropped by an annualized 8% in the past five months, after a preceding 11% increase. Report: UNCTAD's Assistance to the Palestinian People (Acrobat format) United Nations Conference on Trade and Development 9/16/2003 By 2003, three years of continuous economic decline and widespread devastation had transformed the occupied Palestinian territory into a "war-torn economy". The economic legacies of war identified in comparative research on conflict economies are relevant in recognizing the true nature of the Palestinian economic predicament: structural deterioration and sustained negative growth; declining export capacity and emergence of an unsustainable trade gap; fiscal pressures as expenditures outpace revenues and the budget deficit widens; a shift towards non-traded activities and de- formalization of the econo my; and deterioration of real incomes, per capita consumption and savings, greater external dependence and extended poverty. Israel’s net external debt fell $2.8b in first half of 2003 Globes 9/17/2003 The Bank of Israel says the trend of falling net debts might change if Israel makes use of the $9 billion in US loan guarantees. -- Israel’s net external debt declined by $2.8 billion during the first half of 2003, continuing the trend seen in recent years, the Bank of Israel said today. Israel’s net external debt has been negative since the start of 2002, following a series of reductions in net debts versus markets overseas. The ongoing reduction in net extrenal debt has transformed the Israeli economy from a net borrower into a net lender to overseas markets, with the surplus standing at $6 billion at the end of June 2003.

People..

Sweeping Palestinian majority rejects closure of charitable societies Palestinian Information Center 9/17/2003 Nablus - An opinion poll conducted among various sectors of the Palestinian society in the West Bank and Gaza Strip has reflected a broad rejection to the closure of charitable societies. The poll, covering 2,787 males and females, indicated that 96.7% opposed closure of certain Islamic societies. Charity coalition, which is specialized in extending humanitarian and relief assistance to the Palestinian people and which groups a number of charitable societies in Palestine and outside it, declared results of the poll that was prepared by the “Vision” institution specialized in opinion polls and surveys on the coalition’s behalf. Remembrance of things past: Dance depicts role of women in war Daily Star 9/17/2003 Capital’s street festival stimulates and confuses in equal measure -- Two women in fluorescent pink dresses dancing around a turquoise baby carriage, doesn’t that look like a play about womanhood? When these women are tied with their sleeves to that same carriage, entangled in the sleeves of the other, isn’t that a clear image of the prison motherhood can be and perhaps how women put themselves into it?...If this takes place in Lebanon, though, it may be meant differently. Aida Sabra and Youmna Baalbaki, the two dancers and choreographers of the performance Wa Kaenno (As if it’s Like …) in Downtown Beirut on Monday night, wanted to make a statement about civil wars. Islam: How much do you know? BBC 9/17/2003 How much do you know about Islam? Try our quiz to find out how you score. Choose an answer for each question and then click results at the bottom of the page. Good luck!

International..

Syria And EU Close To Cooperation Pact Al-Hayat 9/17/2003 Syria and the European Union said on Tuesday they were inching closer to an economic and political cooperation pact, almost a decade after the start of bilateral negotiations. "We've been making recently, particularly since 2002, very good progress in our negotiations with Syria and I think we are now at the beginning of what I call the end game," EU External Relations Commissioner Chris Patten said. The move towards the agreement contrasts with relations between Syria and the United States, which accuses Damascus of supporting terrorist activity and failing to stop militants from crossing into neighbouring Iraq to kill U.S. forces. Syria has denied supporting terrorism. Arab Donations Exceed Those of Western States Arab News 9/17/2003 JEDDAH, 17 September 2003 — Development aid from Arab donors, estimated at 0.85 percent of the GDP, exceeds the assistance by Western donors, according to Prince Talal ibn Abdul Aziz, president of the Arab Gulf Program for United Nations Development Institutions (AGFUND). In a statement at a seminar to be sponsored by Arab Aid in Dubai on Sept. 20, the prince said Arab donors constituted one of the world’s largest donor groups. “Even today they consistently outstrip the recommended norms set by the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development in terms of official development assistance as a percentage of GNP,” he said. A chilling message to Muslims Toronto Star 9/16/2003 When Sajidah Kutty called the Star on Friday, she seemed more bewildered than frightened. Her family, frantic to find out what had happened to her father Ahmad, had finally received a phone call from him at 4:30 that morning. I'm all right, he told them. The Americans were holding him and fellow Canadian citizen Abdool Hamid in a Fort Lauderdale jail. And no, he didn't know why."You hear of this kind of thing happening to Muslims just because they are Muslims," Sajidah told me. "But you never really expect it to happen to you or your family." As it turned out, Kutty and Hamid were finally released and sent home after a bizarre 31-hour ordeal — a post-9/11experience you might say — that began when they landed in Florida last Thursday, climaxed with 16 hours of non-stop interrogation plus a night in jail, and ended with the two Canadians being escorted back to Fort Lauderdale's airport in handcuffs. Muslims Lament America Cutting Off Funds The Guardian 9/17/2003 JIDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) - A Saudi crackdown on cash donations to charities aimed at blocking the flow of money to terrorists has had one immediate effect: angering Muslim groups that help the poor, including one that expects contributions to drop by one-third. The disappearance of once-ubiquitous boxes at mosques and malls where Saudis could drop cash gifts to Islamic charities is the most public result of U.S. pressure on the kingdom to find ways to keep al-Qaida and other terrorist networks from siphoning off donations. Powell sued over Jerusalem's status BBC 9/17/2003 An American-Israeli couple are taking legal action against the US Government for not recognising Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. US-born Ari and Naomi Zivotofsky were angered by the refusal of the American embassy in Tel Aviv to register their son's country of birth as Israel after he was born in Jerusalem. Lawyers acting for the couple say the State Department is breaching a law passed by Congress last year which stipulates that Jerusalem must be referred to as the Israeli capital in official US documents. Speculative Journalism: The making of "The Death of Rachel Corrie" By Phan Nguyen, Electronic Intifada 9/17/2003 Mother Jones demonstrated how low it could set its standards for investigative journalism when it hired Newsweek reporter Joshua Hammer to surf the web and write a 7000-word feature story on Rachel Corrie and the International Solidarity Movement ("The Death of Rachel Corrie", Sept/Oct 2003) [alternative link]. Indeed fact-checking and verification was not a priority in the production of this article. Before I had even finished reading the article I had already discovered that Hammer had no shame in culling information from indiscriminate websurfing and no compunction against committing plagiarism. ISM ACTION ALERT! Write to Mother Jones Magazine International Solidarity Movement 9/16/2003 Some of you may have already caught the terribly-written article by Joshua Hammer, the bureau chief for Newsweek in Jerusalem, published in Mother Jones Magazine about the death of Rachel Corrie and the International Solidarity Movement. The article is ridden with inaccuracies, half-truths, and misrepresentations that seem to be the result of poor journalism, including the reliance on right-wing websites for information, and plagiarism. [See also, Speculative Journalism: The making of "The Death of Rachel Corrie", Electronic Intifada - Ed.] Exclusive: IDF training software to go to US forces in Iraq Jerusalem Post 9/17/2003 The US military has asked the Israeli army to translate its special educational software program that teaches soldiers how to behave in occupied territories, so US forces can apply it in Iraq, senior Israeli officers said Wednesday. The newly completed completed software teaches the IDF's code of conduct, which is based on 11 principles. These deal with such issues as how to behave at roadblocks, during arrests and searches and with rioters. All are common events soldiers face in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Women Called Mideast's Untapped Resource New York Times 9/17/2003 WASHINGTON, Sept. 16 — The World Bank said today that women remain a "huge, untapped" economic resource in the Middle East and North Africa, where more women workers are needed to transform economies that must depend increasingly on private-sector exports to compete worldwide. Alouni charged with links to 9/11 Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 A Spanish judge has formally charged 35 men, including al-Qaida leader Usama bin Ladin and Aljazeera TV journalist Taysir Alouni, with involvement in the September 11 attacks. As part of his investigation into an al-Qaida cell operating in Spain, High Court Judge Baltasar Garzon in a 700-page indictment on Wednesday called for Interpol to arrest bin Ladin and extradite him to Spain. He said there was evidence of the 9/11 plot being hatched in Spain. Iran may help in Iraq, says Jordan Al-Jazeera 9/17/2003 Jordan’s King Abd Allah says Tehran may be willing to cooperate with the United States and neighbouring countries to avoid a civil war in Iraq and a possible break up of the country. Abd Allah, who is on an official visit in Washington, said Iranians were seriously concerned that the current violence in Iraq could lead to civil war. “I think with us there is an agreement that a break up in Iraq would be a tremendous problem for all of us,” said the King in an interview on Tuesday with a US television station. FPM defends Aoun’s role in Washington debate Daily Star 9/17/2003 Ex-general adds to pressure on Syria -- Former army commander General Michel Aoun’s participation in a debate in front of the US Congress about the controversial Syria Accountability Act has created unnecessary concern, according to the Free Patriotic Movement (FPM). Following Tuesday’s hearing session in Congress over the Syria Accountability Act, Aoun, the head of the FPM, is scheduled to take part Wednesday in a debate session entitled The Syrian Threat. The session will include pro-Israeli commentator Daniel Pipes, a board member of the United States Institute of Peace who has been frequently criticized for his anti-Arab views, and Mark Ginsberg, a former US Ambassador to Morocco. The veto and how to use it BBC 9/17/2003 Since 1945, when the United Nations was founded, the Soviet Union and Russia have used their veto at the Security Council 120 times, the United States 76 times, Britain 32, France 18 and China only five. The word "veto" is actually never used in the United Nation's charter. For a resolution to be passed, it needs nine votes in favour from the 15 members of the council, five permanent and 10 non-permanent. These nine votes in favour must include the "concurring votes of the permanent members", the charter says....Eight of the last 10 vetoes at the Security Council have been by the United States, and seven of these have been of draft resolutions criticising the Israeli Government in some way.  Economic leaders to discuss choking flow of funds to terrorists Daily Star 9/17/2003 World bank, IMF meeting in Dubai will see Israeli participation -- Choking the flow of funds to terrorists, rebuilding Afghanistan and Iraq and bailing Argentina out of its worst economic crisis are among the major issues facing world economic leaders meeting in Dubai. World Bank President James Wolfensohn kicks off the annual meeting of the boards of the bank and its sister organization, the International Monetary Fund, with a news conference Friday. Technical committees will begin their deliberations as early as Wednesday.