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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..

Rage over Syria raid Toronto Star 10/6/2003 JERUSALEM—Fears the Israeli-Palestinian conflict could sweep through the region were renewed last night after Israeli warplanes bombed Syrian territory for the first time in 30 years. The Israeli Air Force raid on a purported Palestinian training base near Damascus came in retaliation for a weekend suicide bombing that killed 19 people and wounded 55 in the Israeli port city of Haifa....Residents near the site told Associated Press the camp was abandoned by Palestinian militants decades ago. Ahmed Jirbril, head of the radical Damascus-based Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the camp belonged to his group and had been deserted for years. IOF Escalates Situations in Rafah, Wounds Five Workers International Press Center 10/6/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October6 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - The Israeli occupying forces took the situation in the border city of Rafah to a new level, after a series of arbitrary aggressions and attacks, which left five Palestinians wounded, one critically. Medical sources in Rafah told IPC correspondent that five Palestinian citizens were admitted to the "European" hospital, suffering from various shrapnel wounds. One of the citizens was transferred to the intensive care unit, due to a critical injury in the head.Security sources said that the five citizens were workers returning home among a group from "Sofa" crossing, and were waiting at "Al Omour" station when an Israeli tank fired a shell at the group, wounding those five....Earlier, IOF bulldozers razed five Palestinian houses in the Al Salam neighborhood in Rafah, WAFA reported.... As well, IOF bulldozers bulldozed nearly 100 dunums (100, 000 square meters) of arable lands on both sides of the Salaheddin main road, east of Rafah City, the Ministry of Agriculture mentioned in a press release. IOF Troops Rampage Jenin, Tighten Control on Tulkarem and Shell a House of Senior Official in Gaza International Press Center 10/6/2003 JENIN, Palestine, October6 ,2003, (IPC + Agencies)-- The Israeli occupation forces arrested three Palestinian civilians and gripped its tight on Jenin and Tulkarem, messed up scores of buildings and institutes in Jenin....Additional reinforcements have been witnessed in the area as well as IOF warplanes (US-made Apaches) were seen hovering on low altitude in the sky of the city. IOF troops invaded today a number of buildings and institutions in Jenin City and used dynamite to blast doors open, IPC Correspondent said. The soldiers have gone berserk on the Charity Fund Committee building, heart of the city, blew off its doors and messed up all the equipment, eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent. And, the Israeli soldiers blasted the doors of “gallery studio” before grossly vandalized it. Israeli Helicopters Attack Palestinian Town Palestine Chronicle 10/5/2003 "In Jenin, the occupation army demolished the family home of Hanadi Taysir Jaradat, the Palestinian trainee lawyer who carried out the self-bombing attack in Haifa yesterday .." -- OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - Israeli helicopters attacked the homes of two suspected Palestinian resistance fighters in Gaza early Sunday, inflicting heavy damage. Eyewitnesses said apache gunships fired several missiles at a home in the al-Bureij refugee camp, wreaking extensive damage in the entire vicinity. The home, which belonged to a suspected Islamic Jihad activist, was completely destroyed and electric supply to the camp was cut following two explosions. Earlier, Israeli gunships attacked another home in the Sheikh Ijlin area in Gaza, causing extensive damage. Why Did They Kill My Child: Palestinian Mother Islam Online 10/6/2003 KHAN YUNIS, October 6 (IslamOnline.net) - Seham El-Badrasawy embraced the picture of her martyr child and kissed it tenderly, wondering: Why did they kill him? He was still an18 -month old baby who hated nobody. Then she kept crying while supplicating to Allah to grant her patience. Women gathered around Mrs. Badrasawy in her house in this Gaza Strip city of Khan Yunis, in an attempt to calm her down and console her for the death of her youngest children. Public Relations director of Al-Shefaa hospital in Gaza city Dr. Gomaa El-Saqqa told IslamOnline.net that a Palestinian infant, Mostafa, died Saturday, October4 , after being injured by Israeli tank shrapnel on Thursday, October2 , while playing in front of his house. Hezbollah fires at IDF troops along northern border Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 Hezbollah guerillas opened fire Monday on Israel Defense Forces troops on the Israeli side of the Israel-Lebanon border, close to the town of Metulla, Channel One television reported. According to Israel Radio, the incident began when two cars on the Lebanese side approached the border fence and its occupants opened fire on the IDF troops on the other side. Lebanese security officials denied that the fire had come from Lebanon, saying that IDF troops had shot at a sedan and a passenger mini van on a road in the south of the country. IOF Kills Two, Including a Child, Air-raids Gaza Strip, Demolishes Two Houses International Press Center 10/5/2003 JENIN, Palestine, October 5,2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli occupying forces stepped up its onslaught on the Palestinian people, demolishing two houses in Jenin, while Israeli Apaches fired missiles on Gaza City and Al Bureij refugee camp and killed two Palestinians including a 9-year old child in Tulkarem. Israeli occupation forces (IOF) had dynamited Saturday overnight the house of Handy Jaradat in Jenin City of the West Bank, shortly after the Haifa’s attack, after having imposed a strict siege on the neighborhood, IPC correspondent said. Meanwhile, a massive contingent of the Israeli troops invaded Jenin City and its refugee camp, imposed a strict curfew until further notice at Sunday dawn where Jaradat lived, Palestinian security sources said. Two Citizens Die of Wounds, including a child International Press Center 10/4/2003 GAZA, Palestine, October 4, 2003(IPC+ Agencies)- - An 18- month-old Palestinian child, Mostafa Al-Badrasawi, died Saturday of wounds he sustained Thursday after being shot by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) in the Gaza Strip city of Khan-Younis, Palestinian medical sources said. The child Al-badrasawi, was critically wounded in his face with live ammunition on Thursday. He was receiving medical treatment at the Intensive Care Unit....Israeli soldiers, stationed at the watching tower of the illegitimate Jewish settlement of “Jani Tal” opened fire at the house of Al-Badrasawi. The child was shot in the head while his mother was carrying him and standing in the balcony, neighbors of Al-Badrasawi told IPC’s. In the meantime, Palestinian citizen, Said Sulaiman, 40, died of critical wounds he sustained last year after being shot with live ammunition in the village of ‘Ajja, south of Jenin, Palestinian medical sources said. An armed Jewish settler opened fire at Sulaiman and wounded him in the back. Sulaiman suffered paralysis for one year before his death, relatives of Sulaiman said. Army Scales Up Assassination Attempts and HomeDemolition International Middle East Media Center 10/5/2003 Following the Haifa bombing, and based on orders from Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz, the army has stepped up attacks against activists in West Bank and Gaza Strip. Two Gaza homes, a workshop and a store were destroyed by air-to-ground missiles, the home of the Haifa bomber in Jenin was blown up with dynamite and Fatah activists and a child were killed in Tulkarem. Warnings of Palestinian armed raid in Khadera Palestinian Information Center 10/6/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - The Zionist security apparatuses have claimed that warnings were recently received on a Palestinian armed operation in the Khadera city in the 1948 occupied lands. They said that intelligence information indicated that a Palestinian resistance commando had already left the West Bank on his way to Khadera to launch this raid. PM aide: Arafat's days numbered, no decision on when or how Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's days are numbered but Israel has taken no decision on when or how to "remove" him following the suicide bombing in Haifa, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday. Ra'anan Gissin said the attack which killed 19 people meant Israel was likely to act faster on a decision it took in principle last month to remove Arafat from power. Israel Bombs Alleged Terror Base in Syria The Guardian 10/6/2003 MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (AP) - Israel bombed a target inside Syria that it claimed was an Islamic Jihad training base, striking deep inside its neighbor's territory Sunday for the first time in three decades and widening its pursuit of Palestinian militants.....Jihad on Sunday denied having any training bases there. Syrian villagers near the targeted site said the camp had been used by Palestinian gunmen in the 1970s but was later abandoned - and was now only used by picnickers and other visitors to its spring and olive groves.....Undated footage said to be from the camp, taken from Iranian TV and released by the Israeli military on Sunday, shows a military officer conducting a tour of the camp. Hundreds of weapons, including grenades with Hebrew markings apparently captured from Israel, were displayed in one room.      IOF Kills One Citizen in Rafah International Press Center 10/5/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October 5, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupation forces killed Sunday one Palestinian citizen in the Gaza Strip while Israeli tanks were razing arable land, Palestinian security sources said. Said Azoom, 24, was killed Sunday afternoon with live ammunition in the city of Khan Younis, Palestinian medical sources said. Palestinian security sources said an Israeli tank opened fire at Azzom while an Israeli bulldozer was razing arable land between the two cities of Rafah and Khan Younis....Meanwhile, Israeli bulldozers, backed by armored vehicles, incurred the town of Al-Thahiriah, near Hebron, and razed arable lands. Thousands of Palestinians Turned into Homeless as Israel Builds a Separation Wall in Rafah International Press Center 10/4/2003 RAFAH, Palestine , October 4, 2003 (IPC Exclusive)-- Israel’s separation barrier being built on the southern part of Gaza Strip city of Rafah has so far inflicted 11$million to the Rafah city alone. These losses have included the complete devastation of 950 Palestinian houses as well as partial destruction of 300 others. The Palestinian National Information Center (PNIC) of the State Information Service in Gaza, reported that 3000 houses have been damaged worthy of 800$million, as the Israeli occupation have forced 7000 local Palestinian civilians out of their houses under the pretext of building such a separation wall. Hamas vows revenge for air strikes Sydney Morning Herald 10/6/2003 The leading Palestinian militant group Hamas today vowed to exact revenge against Israel for its air strike on what Israeli officials called a militant training camp in Syria. Hamas's armed wing, the Izz al-Deen al-Qassam Brigades, said in a statement faxed to Reuters that the targeted facility was a Palestinian refugee camp. "(Our) response to this serious escalation will be one of deterrence and it will happen soon in the depths of the criminal Zionist entity," it said. Israeli warplanes struck in Syria a day after a Palestinian suicide bomber killed 19 people in the Israeli port city of Haifa. Islamic Jihad, Hamas's close ally in a three-year-old revolt for statement, claimed responsibility for the bombing. Hamas says it fired 16 mortar shells at Gaza settlements Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 Hamas on Monday said it fired 16 mortar shells at Israeli settlements in the Gaza Strip overnight in retaliation for the Israeli strike in Syria. The IDF has not confirmed the claim, and there were no immediate reports of injuries. Meanwhile, security forces on Monday remained on high alert for terror attacks over Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar - which ends in the evening. Hamas also said it would carry out more attacks in Israel. "Any aggression against an Arab or Islamic country is an aggression against the Palestinian people and, God willing, our response to this aggression will be decisive," read a statement on a Hamas web site. Arabs set Jewish-owned car on fire in Jerusalem Jerusalem Post 10/4/2003 A Jewish-owned vehicle was set on fire in Jerusalem's mixed Abu-Tor neighborhood Saturday afternoon, police said. Three Arabs caught red handed by police at the scene of the attack, were placed under arrest. The car, which was parked on Rehov Gichon, was badly damaged in the blaze. The central Jerusalem neighborhood where the attack occurred is part Arab, and part Jewish. Tulkarem in Three Years: 174 Palestinians Killed, 24 Assassinated, 600 Arrested and 2763 House Demolished International Press Center 10/6/2003 Since the Al-Aqsa Intifada erupted on September 28, 2000 Tulkarem governorate has lost 173 of its citizens, including 23 children under 18 years of age, while 24 others were extra- judicially executed by the Israeli occupation forces, the last of whom was executed two days ago. Israeli Troops Wound Two Palestinians The Guardian 10/6/2003 GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli troops fired at Palestinians trying to bypass a checkpoint Monday, critically wounding one man and injuring a 14-year-old boy, a day after a similar incident in the same location killed one Palestinian, witnesses and hospital officials said. The Israeli military said troops fired warning shots and then shot toward the group, after the pedestrians ignored orders to halt....A 42-year-old man was in critical condition with a head wound, and 14-year-old boy was shot in the leg, hospital officials said. On Sunday, a 26-year-old man was killed and three others were wounded while trying to bypass the same checkpoint. Occupation forces wreak havoc in Jenin Palestinian Information Center 10/6/2003 Jenin - Zionist occupation forces today broke into a number of buildings and institutions in the West Bank city of Jenin blasting the entrances to a number of them. Eyewitnesses said that the Zionist soldiers stormed the Zakat (alms) committee in central Jenin, destroyed its doors and property and confiscated a number of files and computers. They also blasted the doors of the medical relief building and wrecked its belongings. Zionist strike of Syria adopted three weeks ago Palestinian Information Center 10/6/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - The Zionist government had agreed three weeks ago on striking Syria among a number of other decisions that also included “removing” Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat, Zionist political sources said. They added that Zionist war minister, Shaul Mofaz, had tabled a plan with the cabinet to strike a number of targets in Syria, which the cabinet endorsed. Haifa Bombing Took Place Despite Tight Closure & Separation Wall International Middle East Media Center 10/6/2003 Hanadi Jaradat, 29, an Islamic Jihad operative from the northern West Bank city of Jenin, left her home and arrived at Maxim restaurant in Haifa where she detonated a 20 Kg explosive belt wrapped around her body, killing at least 19 people and wounding nearly 45. The few cases in which female Palestinians launched attacks against Israeli targets, the attackers were mostly young teenagers; Hanadi presents a new profile of suicide attackers: a middle aged woman with a fairly promising career—she was a lawyer in training. In her case, the killing of her brother and a cousin by soldiers last June might have played a decisive role in her decision. ‘Camp guards’ wounded in Israeli raid Al-Jazeera 10/5/2003 Two guards were wounded in the raid by Israeli warplanes on a "facility" of a Palestinian group near the Syrian capital, a Palestinian official has said. He said it belonged to a wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP). An assistant of the official contacted by Reuters said it was used by a wing of the PLFP known as PFLP-General Command. The official described the camp as a facility, adding "there are no training activities there". He did not say what it was used for. Palestinian militants in Lebanon on alert for Israeli strike Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 Sidon, Lebanon - Palestinian guerrillas living in refugee camps across Lebanon were put Monday in a state of full alert following the Israeli air attack on Syria, Palestinian sources said. "It is very possible that Israel will strike Palestinian camps in Lebanon, so all our forces were put in a state of full alert in southern and northern Lebanon," Sultan Abu Al Aynian, head of the Fatah movement in Lebanon, told DPA. Armed Palestinian militants were setting up since the early morning hours positions for anti-aircraft machineguns across the Ain el Hilweh camp, which is located east of the port city of Sidon. Lebanon-Israel border could heat up Daily Star 10/6/2003 BEIRUT: The Lebanese-Israeli border, the traditional venue for Syria to settle scores with its arch enemy, was bracing Sunday for a possible flare-up of violence after Israeli jets bombed a Palestinian camp in Syria. The air strike, the first by Israel against targets in Syria since the October 1973 Arab-Israeli war, signals an alarming escalation in the long-simmering conflict between the two countries. Traditionally Syria and Israel settle their disputes in Lebanon using Lebanese and Palestinian proxies. But Israel has signaled a greater willingness in the past two years to militarily engage Syria directly, raising the risk of war. Israel Raid in Syria Alarms Arab World The Guardian 10/6/2003 MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (AP) - Israel bombed a target inside Syria that it claimed was an Islamic Jihad training base, striking deep inside its neighbor's territory Sunday for the first time in three decades and widening its pursuit of Palestinian militants. The airstrike - a retaliation for a suicide bombing Saturday that killed 19 Israelis - alarmed the Arab world and deepened concerns that three years of Israeli-Palestinian violence could spread through the region....Washington urged both sides to show restraint - but added pointed criticism of Syria, saying Damascus ``must cease harboring terrorists and make a clean break from those responsible for planning and directing terrorist action from Syrian soil.'' Suicide bomber was apprentice lawyer scarred by her brother's killing San Francisco Chronicle 10/4/2003 An Islamic Jihad suicide bomber who attacked a Haifa restaurant Saturday was days away from qualifying as a lawyer and was distraught over her brother's recent killing by Israeli troops, her family said. The militant group identified the assailant as Hanadi Jaradat, a 27-year-old woman from the West Bank town of Jenin. Jihad said the suicide bombing came in retaliation for the deaths of several of its leaders in Israeli raids. Israeli jets hit Syria camp in blast revenge The Guardian 10/6/2003 ...The Israeli government said the attack was a warning that "terrorists" could not hide in neighbouring countries, prompting concern abroad of a widening of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But some members of Ariel Sharon's cabinet were more concerned that the prime minister ordered the raid as an alternative to following through on the government's decision last month to exile or even kill Yasser Arafat if the suicide bombings continued....the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the camp was one of its deserted bases and that the only casualties were two slightly wounded guards. Report: Jenin Suffered 333 Martyrs, More Than 2000 Casualties and Wide Devastation by the Israeli Occupation Forces International Press Center 10/4/2003 During Al Aqsa Intifada, Jenin governorate- particularly its refugee camp- was exposed to tens of Israeli aggressive military operations supported by warplanes and tanks. Jenin City, its camp and its suburbs were invaded by the Israeli occupation for more than 374 times. Jenin had great human and material losses; however, its citizens showed a courageous resistance before the predetermined and continuous Israeli attacks. The Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, considered Jenin as a 'wasp nest', therefore, the Israeli attack on the district was one of the most cruel and brutal Israeli military campaigns. Jerusalem's growing web of walls Christian Science Monitor 10/6/2003 Israelis are erecting a network of barriers in East Jerusalem after years of deadly attacks. The barrier is changing lives on both sides. -- JERUSALEM – Jamal Dirawi jolted awake to the thunder of fists pounding his front door. 1 a.m. He shared a tired glance with his wife and got dressed. This had happened before. In the weeks to come, it would happen again. That July night, Israeli border police arrested Mr. Dirawi and 15 others in his village for entering Israel illegally. Dirawi was born here, just south of East Jerusalem. He was living here in 1967 when Israel declared the area part of greater Jerusalem. The villagers weren't told until 1992. 'Nuclear Blackmail' Spared Israel Complete Rout In 1973 Islam Online 10/6/2003 CAIRO, October 6 (IslamOnline.net) - The United States speedily established a direct air bridge with Israel during the October War in 1973 with Egypt after the Israeli army had threatened to use nuclear weapons to head off a complete rout by the Egyptian army, Israel's channel eight quoted a former ranking Israeli official as saying. The Israeli channel aired on Saturday night, October4 , a documentary on the 1973 war, in which the then Israeli defense minister Moshe Dayan said that the "Israeli nuclear blackmail" forced Washington to establish its air bridge in the battlefield. Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine October 5, 2003 Palestine Media Center 10/5/2003 Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) assassinated three Palestinian activists and killed 3 bystanders, including an 18-month-old baby, a 9-year-old boy and a 60-year-old elderly, and wounded 16, including 2 women, detained 35, and demolished 4 houses in the West Bank and Gaza Strip since October 2 as a bomber in her twenties blew herself in a Haifa restaurant. On October 3, the IOF imposed a full closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip until Monday night, ahead of Yum Kippur holiday.

Diplomacy..

Syria demands UN action on Israeli raid Financial Times 10/5/2003 Syria on Sunday demanded international action to halt a Middle East crisis after Israeli aircraft attacked an alleged Palestinian training camp near Damascus - the deepest air strike into Syria for 30 years. As Syria urged a UN Security Council emergency meeting to adopt a resolution condemning Israel's "military aggression", the country's foreign minister Farouq al-Shara accused Israel of attempting to export its internal crisis to the region...A spokesman for Islamic Jihad in Beirut said Israel had struck an abandoned camp of another Palestinian organisation and Arab governments denounced the Israeli raid as a dangerous widening of the conflict. Kofi Annan, UN secretary-general, issued a statement deploring the air strike and France and Germany called it "unacceptable". UN split on Israeli attack on Syria The Guardian 10/6/2003 Despite Syrian demands for immediate condemnation of an Israeli air strike near Damascus, the UN security council adjourned last night without a vote. The meeting broke up after the US objected that the Syrian resolution failed to condemn Palestinian terrorism. At an emergency meeting called at Syria's request yesterday, most security council diplomats spoke out against the Israeli attack on a purported terrorist training camp near the Syrian capital. The diplomats also condemned the suicide bombing in the Israeli port city of Haifa that killed 19 people and prompted Israel's retaliation. ...US ambassador to the UN, John Negroponte, focused his condemnation on the Haifa attack, while blaming Syria for harbouring terrorists. Bush Asserts Israel's Right to Defense The Guardian 10/6/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) - President Bush declined to criticize Israel Monday for its air strike deep inside Syria, saying Israel ``has got a right to defend herself.'' But Bush also said he had cautioned Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to try to avoid escalating tensions in the region....The president was asked if he could work with a [Palestinian] prime minister who would not use force against militants. ``We have not changed. Parties need to assume responsibility for their actions. In order for there to be a Palestinian state, the Palestinian Authority must fight terror and must use whatever means is necessary to fight terror,'' he replied.      Syria: U.S. Condones Attacks by Israel The Guardian 10/6/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Syria accused the United States on Monday of condoning Israeli attacks as Damascus pressed the U.N. Security Council to condemn Israel's airstrike against a purported terrorist training camp near Damascus. President Bush insisted Israel had the right to defend itself after a suicide bombing on Saturday that killed 19 people in the northern Israeli city of Haifa. The United States has made clear it opposes Syria's attempt to win U.N. condemnation. Arafat Renews Call for Palestinian - Israeli Cease-fire Palestine Media Center 10/5/2003 PNA: Haifa Bombing "Violation of National Consensus" -- President Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leadership, the PM-designate and the caretaker premier strongly condemned the “dangerous” bombing of an Arab-owned restaurant in Haifa, in which 20 Arab and Jewish Israelis were killed on Saturday, as a “violation of national consensus endangering the highest interests of the Palestinian people.” Meanwhile an 18-month-old baby and a 9-year-old boy were among five Palestinians killed by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) during a complete closure imposed by the Israeli military on the Occupied Palestinian Territory on Friday until Monday night. Lebanon Warns of Mideast Disaster from Israel's Widened Belligerency An Nahar 10/6/2003 Lebanon has warned the U.N. Security Council against a Middle East disaster emanating from Israel's widening belligerency. The warning was served as Hizbullah and 12 Palestinian refugee camps on Lebanese soil reportedly went on 'red alert,' bracing for a potential showdown with the Jewish state....Beirut buzzed with speculation that Hizbullah was certain to attack Israeli army positions across the Lebanese border to even the battlefield score on Syria's behalf. Israel could launch new attacks on Syria: Sharon spokesman Yahoo! News 10/6/2003 JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel could launch new attacks on Syria if the country continues to shelter "terrorist organisations who are preparing anti-Israeli attacks", Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites)'s spokesman said. "The attack carried out by our air force some 15 kilometres (10 miles) north of Damascus is a warning aimed at making Damascus understand that all those who abet and support terrorism no longer enjoy any immunity wherever they are," Raanan Gissin told AFP. Syria urges U.S. not to veto UN resolution on raid Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 Syria on Monday urged the United States not to block a UN Security Council resolution condemning Israel's air raid overnight Sunday on a Palestinian terror training base northwest of Damascus, saying Washington should help prevent escalation of tensions in the Middle East. "We hope that the United States does not use the veto and that it practices its role as a superpower in preventing aggression and escalation," an official Foreign Ministry source said. "We hope that the United States joins those who condemned this aggressive operation and those are the vast majority in the world community," the source said. Israel shrugs off Powell hint U.S. is weighing response to fence Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 In the most open criticism of the cabinet decision to proceed with the construction of the security fence along a contentious route, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell yesterday said the Bush administration is unhappy about the fence. In an interview with The Washington Post, Powell said the administration was engaged in "intense discussions" on how to respond to the barrier Israel is building in and around Palestinian territory. Powell said the State Department was reviewing the construction process, where it was being built and what U.S. obligations were under the law, among other issues. "If you want to put a fence on something that is a recognized border, the Green Line, then put a fence on your property line," Powell told the daily.  U.S. may cut $500 mil. from 2003 guarantees Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 Finance Ministry officials are concerned the U.S. administration will cut its loan guarantees for Israel by $250-500 million this year. Washington is considered likely to make the move in response to construction of the separation fence along what the U.S. government considers an unacceptable route, as well as tenders for the construction of 1,364 apartments in the territories. According to the loan guarantee agreement between the two governments, every dollar Israel invests in the territories will be deducted from the $9 billion in loan guarantees Israel can utilize in 2003-2006. Palestinian President Strongly Condemns the Explosion in Haifa International Press Center 10/5/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, October 5, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Palestinian President, Yasser Arafat, and the designated Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurea "Abu Alala", strongly condemned last night the explosion that took place yesterday in a restaurant at the city of Haifa, which resulted in the killing of Arab and Israeli civilians. In a statement published by WAFA, President Arafat said that "such an attack is considered by the leadership as going beyond the limits and against the Palestinian interest, as it will give the Israeli government an excuse to label Palestinians as terrorists, the thing that will hamper the exerted efforts to achieve peace in the Middle East." Watch out for the new Iraq Ha'aretz 10/3/2003 The American entanglement in Iraq could not only harm President Bush's re-election chances but also U.S.-Israeli relations. The two countries have contradictory interests. For Israel, it's good that American troops, and not Arab troops, are parked an hour's flight from Jerusalem, so Israel prefers a long-term American stay in Iraq. For the U.S., the goal is the opposite, to get out of Iraq as quickly as possible, after a strong enough regime is in place in Baghdad....The more America becomes entangled with casualties and expenses in Iraq, the more domestic pressure will grow to find "our own bastard" to make order in Baghdad and get out. The new ruler will seek Arab legitimacy and that's bought with hostility to Israel. Strike on Syria: World reaction BBC 10/6/2003 The Israeli air raid on Syrian territory has prompted concern and condemnation from many world leaders. Israel informed Washington of the raid only hours after it took place. US President George W Bush urged Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to avoid acts that would further aggravate hostility and set back peacemaking efforts. A White House spokesman said the two men "agreed on the need to continue fighting terrorism...They also agreed on the need to avoid heightening tension in the region at this time". AP: New Palestinian PM Hopes for Truce The Guardian 10/6/2003 ABU DIS, West Bank (AP) - Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia said Monday he hopes to negotiate a quick truce with Israel but will not use force against Palestinian militants under any circumstances - despite U.S. demands for a clampdown on armed groups. In setting policy, ``I will not listen to the Americans. I will listen to our national rights,'' Qureia told The Associated Press in an interview, just hours after being installed as the head of an eight-member emergency Cabinet by Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.  Erekat: "God help us all If Israel kills Arafat" Jerusalem Post 10/4/2003 "We condemn this act, these attacks do not serve the Palestinian interest and do not serve the policies of the Palestinian Authority", Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat told The Post. He said pointing the finger at PA Chairman Yasser Arafat was not helpful. Another PA source said it was obvious that Saturday's deadly terrorist bombing did not have the blessing of Arafat, since he knew that Israel was likely to take measures against him. "If the Israelis kill Yasser Arafat the whole thing (peace process) is over and God help us all - Israelis and Palestinians...that would mean the end of moderation and the rise of fanaticism ", Erekat warned. Iran rejects any links to missing navigator Arad Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 Teheran - Iran on Sunday again rejected any links to the missing Israeli navigator Ron Arad and further denied any swap plans. "There has never been any connection between Arad and Iran and there is not now either," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi said in a news briefing. The spokesman was referring to press reports that Germany would mediate in swapping Arad with one Lebanese and two Iranian militants.  Video: "No date has yet been fixed for the vote on the resolution" BBC 10/6/2003 The BBC's Susannah Price - "No date has yet been fixed for the vote on the resolution" Quotes on Israel's Strike in Syria The Guardian 10/6/2003 Comments after Israeli warplanes attacked deep inside Syria for the first time in decades. -- ``The United States believes that Syria is on the wrong of the side of the war on terrorism. We believe it is in Syria's interest, and in the broader interest of Middle East peace, for Syria to stop harboring and supporting the groups that perpetrate acts such as the one that occurred yesterday.'' - U.S. Ambassador to the United Nations John Negroponte.

Human Rights..

Israel accused of starving West Bank Miftah 10/6/2003 A United Nations report which blames Israel for causing starvation in Gaza and the West Bank has prompted a furious diplomatic row with the Israeli government of Ariel Sharon. The leaked report by Jean Ziegler, a Swiss sociologist and UN special envoy, blames Israel's security policies for "collective punishment" of the Palestinians. Ziegler spent 10 days in the occupied territories in July and was due to present his report to the UN General Assembly in New York on November 18. Furious Israeli officials, however, have denounced the report as "highly political", saying that Ziegler had gone beyond his mandate. With support from American diplomats at the UN, Israel has called for the report to be rejected before it reaches the floor of the Assembly, and asked the UN Human Rights Commission, for whom Ziegler was working as a food rights specialist, to discipline him. Media Alert: Jayyous Farmers To Pick Olives Near Israeli Settlement International Solidarity Movement 10/5/2003 A Simple Kind Of Courage: Jayyous Farmers To Pick Olives Near Israeli Settlement -- Beginning this week, farmers from the small West Bank village of Jayyous join dozens of other communities across Palestine in the annual olive harvest. This year, plagued by the confiscation of land by Israeli settlers and the construction of a "Separation Wall" running right through the village, farmers in Jayyous fear they may be unable to harvest olives from their own trees. On October 8th, the farmers of Jayyous will pick olives from trees within and around nearby Zufim, an Israeli settlement built in 1984 on land belonging to Palestinian families. Farmers have been harassed and threatened by settlers and Israeli military during past harvests, making even the work of picking olives from their own trees an act of nonviolent resistance to the Israeli Occupation. Hariri frowns on bid to allow Palestinian ownership Daily Star 10/6/2003 Prime Minister Rafik Hariri expressed dissatisfaction over a draft law submitted to Parliament Wednesday proposing the amendment of the real estate law in favor of giving Palestinians the right to own homes. Hariri said the draft law was proposed “at the wrong time and the wrong place.” On Wednesday, 10 MPs submitted the draft, which grants people without citizenship the right to own residential apartments, a move that has created controversy. Palestinian Prisoners Speak Out Inhuman Conditions in Solitary Ward of Al Ramlah Prison International Press Center 10/6/2003 GAZA, OCT6 ,2003 , (IPC) _A handful of Palestinian prisoners in solitary confinement inside "Al Ramlah" prison, northwest of occupied Jerusalem, had spoken out their beyond belief solitary situations. In the affidavit forwarded to the solicitor of Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS), Fahmi Al Ewewy, by Nasser Oweis, Mu’taz Hejazi and Mossa Dudeen, who disclosed the torture and maltreatment the Palestinian prisoners undergo. Affidavit of Mu’taz Hejazi, 21, from occupied Jerusalem: Prisoner Hejazi said that he lives in solitary confinement cell No. (11) in "Al Ramlah" prison, which is rife with perilous insects, sweltering heat and stench smells, besides, there're no windows for ventilation.

Economy..

Port talks stalled; cargo ships to stay anchored Tuesday Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 The port strike is expected to resume on Tuesday morning. No meeting on the ports was held last night, and no negotiations were underway to end the strike at government ministries. The meeting between Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, minister in the treasury Meir Sheetrit, Transport Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Histadrut labor federation chair Amir Peretz, Histadrut trade unions division chief Shlomo Shani, and Histadrut ports division head Haim Shai, ended on Friday afternoon with no results. State takes low road for 2004 tax target Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his officials have set the 2004 tax collection target at NIS 145 billion, 2.1 percent higher than the the NIS 142 billion updated target for 2003. If 2004 tax collection is higher than preliminary projections, the surplus will finance the construction of the separation fence and allow value added tax to be cut from 18 to 17 percent. Israel, Turkey to sign 20-year water agreement in November Ha'aretz 10/5/2003 The Israeli and Turkish energy ministers will sign an agreement at the end of next month for Israel to import Turkish water. Ministers Yosef Paritzky and Hilmi Guler met last week in Istanbul and the agreement in principal will be signed during Guler's visit to Israel in November. Israel will import one billion cubic meters of water over twenty years, with an additional twenty year extension option. The water price has not been determined but is expected to be in the 12-18 cent per cu.m. range.

People..

Father of suicide bomb victim on peace trail The Guardian 10/6/2003 Convoy aims to 'stop cycle of revenge' -- Amiram Goldin's friends warned him that he would not find much sympathy in Jerusalem. Sure enough, within a few minutes of settling in Zion Square, the shouting started. "We offered them everything and the terrorism is still going on," screamed one man. But Mr Goldin and a handful of companions, who have all lost children to a Palestinian bomb or an enemy bullet, refused to be dissuaded. An imam reaches out Ha'aretz 10/6/2003 As prayer leader of the Islamic Cultural Center of New York since just after Sept. 11, Omar Abu-Namus - who is from a Palestinian refugee family - has helped to initiate a dialogue with local Jews and to restore the Muslims' place in society -- ...Abu-Namus, who was already known for his conciliatory approach and the moderate views he espoused, is particularly well suited for New York as it tries to overcome the trauma, and for the Muslim community, which is seeking to recapture its legitimate place in the society - a place that Muslim Americans almost lost after the terrorist attacks. A place by the holy ark Ha'aretz 10/4/2003 All three came from secular backgrounds, were magnetized by Judaism and fought prejudice to become congregational rabbis. But maneuvering endlessly between motherhood and work on Sabbaths and holidays, coupled with frustration over inequality, is taking its toll -- In the decade since the ordination of Na'ama Kelman, the first woman rabbi in Israel, another 15 women rabbis from the Reform and Conservative Movements in Israel have joined her and her fellow-trailblazers, Kinneret Shiryon and Einat Ramon, who were ordained abroad back in the 1980s. Friends, family gather in Baalbek to honor poet Daily Star 10/6/2003 98-year-old Jawdat Haidar continues to impress with wisdom, insight -- Devoted friends, family members and acquaintances gathered in Baalbek to express gratitude, respect and affection to Jawdat Haidar, poet, writer and social activist. At the age of 98, Haidar still never fails to impress his guests. “It gives me great pleasure to receive this crowd of loving friends, sisters, nieces, nephews and grandchildren,” Haidar told The Daily Star. Among the guests were former Speaker Hussein Husseini, Sonya Franjieh al-Rasi, head of the Press Association Mohammed Baalbeki, Parliament members Hussein Hajj Hassan and Qabalan Issa Khoury, former ministers, poets, writers, university professors and artists. Israeli Airstrike on Syria Stirs Memories The Guardian 10/6/2003 MAJDAL SHAMS, Golan Heights (AP) - Each morning, Saqer Shaer walks to his balcony and looks beyond Israel's border fence at the sun rising over Syria, his former homeland. Stepping into the sunlight Monday was especially emotional for the 56-year-old Arab construction worker. It was the 30th anniversary of the surprise attack on Israel, when Syria unsuccessfully tried to reclaim the Golan Heights it had lost to Israel six years earlier. 'We have to get back to sharing this land' Toronto Star 10/4/2003 Bereaved Israelis launch peace bid - Seek to end war that cost each a child -- JERUSALEM—It was perhaps the loneliest sign of the times one will ever see. At Zion Square, in the very heart of often-bombed downtown Jerusalem, five small placards dared to offer Hebraic hope in stark, simple terms. "From deepest agony to peace" read one, remarkable not so much for its sentiment as for the men and women who held it aloft: Five Israeli parents on a mission to end a war that cost each of them a child. Amiram Goldin, the leader of these voices in the wounded wilderness, conceived this week-long peace convoy to coincide with the Days of Awe, the period of religious reflection between the New Year of Rosh Hashanah and the Jewish fast of Yom Kippur, which begins at sundown tomorrow. Australian ‘human shield’ for Arafat Palestine Media Center/The Australian 10/6/2003 AN Australian woman has joined a group of international peace activists acting as a human shield between the Israeli army and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Alice Springs-born Elaine Westblade is staying with 11 other activists at the Palestinian presidential compound in Ramallah, in a bid to stop any Israeli attack on the leader. The Israeli security cabinet has approved in principle Mr Arafat's removal. Ms Westblade, a 27-year-old social worker who lives in London, said she had been in the compound since Saturday night. She is a member of the International Solidarity Movement, a group of international peace activists opposed to Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. Vacationing at Arafat's battered HQ in Ramallah Toronto Star 10/6/2003 Hamilton man protects leader - Claims he's not a human shield -- RAMALLAH, West Bank—As vacations go, they don't get more exclusive than the one Henry Evans-Tenbrinke just began. The Hamilton, Ont., man is spending the month with Yasser Arafat. The facilities are less than four-star. Evans-Tenbrinke's home away from home is a dormitory-style cot in the east wing of Arafat's partially demolished Mukataa headquarters, where running water and electricity are presently available, but perhaps not for long.

International..

US and Turkey to hit PKK BBC 10/2/2003 Turkey and the US have agreed on an action-plan to eradicate the Kurdish paramilitary group, the PKK. The group is thought to have around 5,000 members living in northern Iraq. Ever since the US occupied Iraq, Turkey has been pressing Washington to crack down on the group which both countries designate as terrorist. Details of the plan are not clear, but a US official said any military action would be carried out by US troops. Turkey's Cabinet Approves Troops for Iraq The Guardian 10/6/2003 ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - Turkey's Cabinet agreed Monday to send troops to Iraq to help stabilize the country - a decision that could relieve U.S. operations in Iraq and help Turkey mend frayed relations with the United States. But the decision must be approved by Parliament, where many oppose any deployment. Lawmakers are likely to vote this week....The Cabinet decision came after Turkey received assurances from the U.S. State Department's counterterrorism chief, Cofer Black, last week that the United States would remove the threat posed to Turkey by Turkish Kurdish rebels of the autonomy-seeking Kurdistan Workers Party, or PKK, based in northern Iraq. Syria frees Canadian terror suspect Al-Jazeera 10/6/2003 A Canadian deported by the US to Syria where he was held on terror charges has been released after a year in jail. Mahir Arar was due to go on trial in Damascus on charges of having links to terrorism, but Canadian Foreign Minister Bill Graham told reporters on Sunday that Arar would be returning to Canada. "He was released into the custody of our consular officials today by the Syrian authorities," Graham said, adding that Arar was in good health. Jordan denies WMDs crossed its borders Jang Group 10/6/2003 AMMAN: Jordan denied on Sunday that weapons of mass destruction from Iraq have been moved across its border, as suggested by a US expert leading the hunt for the chemical and biological arms. "Everyone knows Jordan’s borders are very tightly sealed and it is surprising that this question is even raised," said Information Minister Nabil Sharif. When asked about the WMD movements before the US-led invasion of Iraq on Friday, the expert, Iraq Survey Group (ISG) head David Kay, said: "We have multiple reports from Iraqis of substances being moved across borders." "We’ve got information indicating movement to Iran, Syria, Jordan, essentially all states that border the north with Iraq, that’s not surprising those routes have been long used," he said. IAEA begins key Iran probe Middle East Online 10/6/2003 TEHRAN - An International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) team has begun a crucial round of inspections in Iran after reaching an accord with Iranian officials on a list of sites to visit, a top Iranian diplomat said Monday. "The experts from the IAEA presented us a list of sites, and we arrived at a bilateral agreement on the sites the inspectors wished to visit," Iran's representative to the IAEA, Ali Akbar Salehi, said. "The inspections have now begun," he added. Iran releases nuclear data BBC 10/6/2003 Iran has begun releasing details of components it imported unofficially for its nuclear programme. The country's envoy to the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, said it was supplying a list of parts supplied through third parties. Iran is under intense pressure to convince the UN this month that it has no plans to produce nuclear weapons.