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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..

Palestinian Toddler Wounded in Khan Younis and Scores Arrested in West Bank International Press Center 10/8/2003 KHAN YOUNIS, Palestine, October 08 , 2003(IPC + WAFA) - - Two Palestinians were wounded noon today including a toddler with gunfire opened by the Israeli occupation forces deployed at the Salah al Din main road, linking the south and north of Gaza Strip, IPC said. Palestinian medical sources at the European hospital stated that Mohammed Al Aqad,2 , was wounded with a live bullet in the chest while Fadi Rahal,22 , was wounded with shrapnel in the thighs.... The arrested citizens [from Jayous Town, Qulqelia] were trying to reach their farms across the western gate that was set up by IOF after seizing Palestinian lands to construct the separation barrier. A set of Israeli soldiers blocked the farmers' way and arrested them without an apparent warrant, WAFA reported. IOF Wounds Citizens, Demolishes a House and Razes Land in Palestinian Territories International Press Center 10/8/2003 BEIRZEIT, Palestine, October8 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shot and wounded two Palestinian citizens in the town of Beirzeit, north of Ramallah and ElBireh governorate. Palestinian medical confirmed that two Palestinians arrived at the Palestinian Red Crescent Society clinic in Beirzeit. One of them was wounded with a bullet in the leg, while the other was shot with a rubber-coated bullet in the hand.... Eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent that the occupying troops imposed curfew on the town and started a massive house-to-house search campaign, during which many houses were broken into and vandalized, especially the student dormitories of Beirzeit University... In the Gaza Strip city of Rafah, the Israeli arable land bulldozing operations continued, as IOF bulldozers razed another 160 dunums (160, 000square meters) of arable land, located in the area of Msabbeh, north of Rafah. IOF Besieges Gaza for the Fourth Day: Palestinian Living and Health Conditions Expected to Deteriorate International Press Center 10/8/2003 GAZA, Palestine, October8 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupying forces (IOF) continue to impose full closure on the Gaza Strip and divide it into four isolated parts for the fourth consecutive day. This closure caused a complete paralysis of all life aspects in the Strip, which depends completely on the contiguity of its southern and northern parts.... Dr. Faisal Abu Shahla, Director General of hospitals in the Ministry of Health, warned of a major collapse in the performance of medical services due to the Israeli closure, which might jeopardize citizens' health as well as affect the condition of the wounded and chronically sick....The people of Al Atatra and Um Al Nasser neighborhoods, both near the illegitimate Jewish settlement of "Morag", launched an urgent appeal to the international community and the International Committee of the Red Cross and all those with a living conscience to help uplift the hardships on them, in the shadow of the severe lack of food supplies and drinking water. Both neighborhoods are under complete closure and strict curfew for four days, by the occupying forces who are stationed around these neighborhoods and open fire at anyone who tries to move or leave his or her house. Three IDF soldiers wounded in West Bank shooting attack Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Three IDF soldiers were wounded Wednesday evening in a shooting attack on the their vehicle in the Beita Hawara area of villages, south of the West Bank city of Nablus. Two of the three sustained light wounds, the third in is moderate condition. The three were being treated at the scene, Israel Radio reported. Three residents of East Jerusalem were recently arrested on suspicion that they are linked to fatal suicide bus bombings on the capital in which 40 people were killed, it was released for publication Wednesday. Army Rings Palestinian Camps to Snuff out War Risk with Israel An Nahar 10/8/2003 Israel is rushing troops and armor onto the border with Lebanon as Ariel Sharon bluntly warned Arab neighbors that he would hunt down Israel's enemies "wherever they are," adding dark shades to the looming specter of a 4th Middle East war, media reports said on Wednesday. Tension heightened as Israeli airforce jets crashed the sound barrier over Beirut and Tripoli on Wednesday. Sonic booms caused traffic jams in Lebanon's two largest cities as motorists sped off the streets to seek cover. the army command called the air incursions an aggression. BREAKING NEWS: IOF Shoots 12-year-old east of Khan Younis International Press Center 10/8/2003 20:30 Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shot and wounded a Palestinian boy, Ammar Abu Asi, 12, in the area of Bani Sheila, east of the city of Khan Younis, Palestinian security sources said, IPC. / 18:05 Israeli occupying forces (IOF) imposes curfew on the village of Arbouna, northeast of Jenin, and arrests three Palestinian citizens. The citizens were taken into an undisclosed location, WAFA.... UN official says Katyusha rocket killed Lebanese boy Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 BEIRUT - The United Nations Interim Forces in Lebanon (UNIFIL) has concluded the explosive that killed a five-year-old Lebanese boy Tuesday in the village of Houla was a Katyusha rocket, a senior UN official said Wednesday. That assessment would effectively dispel initial claims by Lebanese police that the projectile was fired by the Israeli military. The five-year-old was killed and his twin brother wounded when a projectile struck their family house in Houla. Israeli soldier’s death seen as work of Palestinians Daily Star 10/8/2003 The shooting incident Monday night in which an Israeli soldier was killed is being interpreted by analysts as a rogue operation probably carried out by Palestinian militants possibly without the knowledge of Damascus. Syria has nothing to gain from heating up the Lebanon-Israel border while conducting negotiations with the United Nations Security Council for a strongly worded condemnation of Israel’s air raid against an alleged Palestinian training camp near Damascus, analysts said. Israel Forces Grip Its Control, Rampage on the Palestinian Territories International Press Center 10/8/2003 PALESTINE, Oct 8, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-The Israeli occupation forces (IOF) blockaded overnight Tuesday all Palestinian cities in the West Bank and tightened a full closure. The Gaza Strip was also cut into four sections. The Israeli defense minister Shaul Mofaz approved the call-up of reservists to the West Bank and Gaza Strip under the pretext that their top “security” priority during the Sukkot holiday, which begins Friday night, the same Israeli sources said.... Furthermore, the Israeli occupation forces had uprooted vast arable lands of olive and almond groves in the vicinity of Al Mugheira village, nearby Rammallah and Al Birah city, IPC correspondent said. IDF to hold back on action in North Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Israel will refrain from harsh military steps on the northern border as long as attacks on Israeli troops from Lebanon do not resume, the government decided yesterday after consultations with the defense establishment. The Israel Defense Forces' Northern Command believes that Syria is not interested in long-term escalation, and that the two incidents on the Lebanese border this week - the killing of an Israeli soldier by a Hezbollah sniper and the firing of rockets and mortars at the IDF's Tsiporen outpost, apparently by Ahmed Jibril's organization - will therefore be the end of the current round of tit-for-tat. Israel Explains Cause of Empty Syria Base The Guardian 10/8/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - A suspected Islamic Jihad training camp in Syria, hit in an Israeli airstrike, was almost empty because its forces were out on maneuvers, Israel's defense minister told a Cabinet meeting Wednesday, according to a government official....The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, could not say if the strike was deliberately timed for when the camp was empty. Cautious calm prevails in South Daily Star 10/8/2003 4-year-old victim of cross-border fire laid to rest -- A cautious calm prevailed Tuesday in the Southern regions bordering Israel in the wake of the cross-border fire exchange overnight that led to the killing of a child and the wounding of his twin brother in the village of Houla and the killing of an Israeli soldier. The escalation came in the wake of an Israeli air strike deep into Syria on Sunday, which targeted an alleged Palestinian training camp near Damascus. A note from under curfew in Jenin FromOccupiedPalestine.org 10/7/2003 We are writing from behind the locked green steel doors of an internet cafe in Jenin, a city under 24-hour curfew since the bombing in Haifa three days ago that was carried out by a 27-year old women who was a lawyer in this city. The roar of tanks is consistent, and gunshots crackle in the distance (and closer) at regular intervals. House demolitions have been a nightly affair, some 17 in the past four days, including the homes of the entire extended family of the bomber. Tragedy of Yassin Twins Blamed on 'Erroneous' Hizbullah Missile An Nahar 10/8/2003 Ali Nader Yassin, the 4-year-old boy killed in a daybreak Israeli air raid on the Lebanese border town of Kfar Kila on Tuesday, was buried in a massive funeral in the afternoon, while his twin brother Ahmed was rushed from a southern clinic to the American University Hospital in Beirut for brain and leg surgeries, the Beirut media reported on Wednesday. The Brazilian-born twins, who were visiting with their grandparents in Kfar Kila, were originally believed hit at the house by an air-to-ground missile fired from a helicopter gunship. But a later Beirut newspaper report said the "death projectile" was fired erroneously from a Hizbullah anti-aircraft position. IDF to call up four battalions of reservists after Sukkot Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Israel Defense Forces chief of staff Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon, decided Wednesday to call up four battalions of reserve infantry soldiers after the Sukkot holiday, to be deployed in the Gaza Strip and along the Green Line border between Israel and the West Bank in the Jenin, Tul Karm, Qalqilyah and Ramallah sectors. The reservists will be deployed in order to boost troops already on high alert for terrorist attacks and in some cases will replace regular army units whose training had been cut short due to the high alert. Overnight Tuesday, the IDF blockaded all Palestinian cities in the West Bank and clamped a full closure on the area. The Gaza Strip was also cut into four sections. Israel Adds Troops to Palestinian Areas Fayetteville Register-Herald 10/8/2003 JERUSALEM - Israel dispatched troop reinforcements to the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Wednesday and weighed a call-up of reserves, citing new warnings about planned attacks by Palestinian militants. The military also extended a two-week lockdown on Palestinians' travel within the West Bank and Gaza in what it said was a bid to prevent further attacks. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz ordered the troop reinforcements and canceled training courses for soldiers. Israel mobilises reserve troops BBC 10/8/2003 Israel is mobilising troops to be deployed to the West Bank and Gaza Strip after new alerts that Palestinian militants are planning attacks.Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has reportedly authorised the rapid call-up of two infantry reserve battalions of 800 troops each. He has also ordered the reinforcement of defensive positions and extended travel restrictions on Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.

Diplomacy..

Bush: Israel Air Strike 'Essential' Washington Post 10/8/2003 WASHINGTON -- President Bush on Tuesday said that Israel's air strike in Syria was part of an "essential" campaign to defend the country, and drew a parallel between U.S. policy on terrorism and the actions being taken by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Bush's supportive remarks toward Sharon, similar to comments he made Monday, also came with a caution. He said he would continue to press Sharon to be wary of creating "the conditions necessary for" increasing, rather than reducing, the violence. White House stops blocking Syria bill USA Today 10/8/2003 WASHINGTON — Two days before Israel bombed an alleged Palestinian terrorist training camp in Syria, the Bush administration gave Congress the go-ahead to approve new U.S. penalties against the Damascus regime. Rep. Eliot Engel, D-N.Y., the chief author of the Syria Accountability Act, says he was told on Friday that the legislation had been put on the calendar for a vote Wednesday by the House International Relations Committee. The measure has support from a majority in both the House of Representatives and the Senate. Syria tones down threats to retaliate if Israel continues raids Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Syria's ambassador to Spain said Wednesday that Damascus would respond militarily if Israel continued to carry out attacks in Syrian territory but his statement was later moderated in an official Syrian statement. Israeli warplanes Sunday bombed a suspected terrorist training base near Damascus, in the deepest Israeli strike on Syrian soil in 30 years...However, Syria later said on Wednesday that the remarks by its ambassador to Spain on possible military action against Israel represented "his personal understanding" of the country's official stance. Tel Aviv rejects Quraya olive branch Al-Jazeera 10/8/2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Quraya has proposed a ceasefire with Israel, but a cabinet minister immediately rejected his offer. Quraya said he was ready to start talks with Israel immediately, with the aim of pushing forward the US-backed “road map” aimed at ending the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, in an interview with Israel’s Maariv newspaper on Wednesday. But Israeli Labour Minister Zevulun Orlev dismissed the proposal, saying his country does not have to give Quraya a chance. “He needs to prove himself through action and not through pleasant words,” said Orlev, a member of the right-wing National Religious Party. Report: Prisoner swap deal with Hezbollah within 3 weeks Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 A prisoner swap deal between Israel and Hezbollah could be completed within three weeks, sources from the militant group told a United Arab Emirates newspaper. Israel Radio reported on Wednesday that the sources said that the sides are now waiting for Jordan to agree to the deal and that a contingent would soon leave Amman for Israel. Ivanov Calls for UN Security Council Approval on Road Map International Press Center 10/8/2003 NEW YORK, October08 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Russia's Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Tuesday that Russia believed in the imperative need to a call for convening an international conference to allow all concerned parties to discuss the elements of the peace process in the Middle East, including the ties between Israel and Syria. Ivanov was quoted by Interfax news agency as saying that the UN Security Council have to pass on the internationally-backed “Road Map” peace plan, to end the Palestinian–Israeli conflict and render it resolutely obligatory. Syrian envoy causes alarm as Israel cuts short military leave The Independent 10/8/2003 Damascus slaps down ambassador as tension rises across region and fears grow for Palestinian leader -- A senior Syrian diplomat warned yesterday that Damascus would respond militarily if Israel were to carry out another raid on its territory. The remarks by Syria's ambassador to Spain, Mohsen Blial, were down played as his "personal understanding" of the country's stance, while the official view - expressed in letters to the United Nations urging that Israel be condemned - was unchanged....But there are concerns there could be something more to the plans from the Israeli Defence Minister, Shaul Mofaz, who reportedly pushed them through despite opposition from the army. Gillerman: "Dangerous developments" inside UN Security Council Jerusalem Post 10/8/2003 As Israel lobbies against a United Nations Security Council draft resolution that condemns its Sunday morning missile strike in Syria, new, more "dangerous developments" are taking place inside the council, Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman said yesterday. A Palestinian-backed, Syrian-sponsored draft resolution demanding that Israel halt construction of its security fence may be introduced into the council in the coming days, and an additional resolution urging the parties to implement the road map is in the works, Gillerman said during a conference call with the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. The road map, currently a US-led initiative of the international quartet, could become a UN plan if the resolution is adopted. Bush signals backing for Syria sanctions The Guardian 10/8/2003 A bill to impose new economic sanctions on Syria will begin its passage through the US Congress today after the Bush administration gave the measures a green light to signal its frustration with Damascus. Congressional staffers said the sanctions would sail through the House of Representatives this week, and would probably be passed by the Senate too, unless the administration changed its mind.  Arab fury at Israel's 'terror acts' The Guardian 10/8/2003 Senior Saudi Arabian officials yesterday delivered a sweeping attack on Israel, accusing it of a series of terrorist acts - the latest being Sunday's bombing of an alleged Palestinian base in Syria. In extremely sharp comments on the Israeli government's policies and its prime minister Ariel Sharon, sources described what they called the "steady colonisation" of land in Palestine as terrorism. "Collective punishment [of Palestinians], building a wall, are all terrorist actions," added one senior Saudi source. Bashar Al Assad: The End Of The American Predicament In Iraq Depends On The End Of The Occupation And A Balanced Role For The UN Al-Hayat 10/7/2003 Al-Hayat asked President Assad the most important questions about the following issues: Iraq, Palestine, relations with the U.S. and change in Syria, in addition to Lebanon, which currently preoccupied with presidential elections, even they are relatively far away, and talk of the possibility of extending the mandate of the actual president. Although the situation in the Middle East is hot, yet, the President did not change his calm way of reading the events in order to preserve both the regional and international situations. Following is the transcript of the interview. Damascus must save face Financial Times 10/8/2003 Syria's ambassador to Spain vowed on Wednesday that his country would retaliate militarily if it came under renewed Israeli attack. But the Syrian foreign ministry said the ambassador's comments were his own understanding of the official position. "If Israel attacks Syria one, two and three times, of course the people of Syria and the government of Syria and the army will react to defend ourselves," said Mohsen Bilal, the ambassador. Syrian ambassador promises military response to further attacks The Guardian 10/8/2003 A Syrian ambassador today said that his country would respond with military action if Israel carried out any more attacks on Syrian territory. Mohsen Bilal, Syria's ambassador to Spain, told Reuters: "If Israel attacks Syria one, two and three times, of course the people of Syria and the government of Syria and the army will react to defend ourselves." "If Israel continues to attack us ... of course we shall react to the attacks in spite of the fact that we are fighting for peace." Israel today dismissed the threat, saying that it did not seek an escalation of tensions with Syria. Syria declares readiness to fight Israel Al-Jazeera 10/8/2003 Syria's ambassador to Spain has said Damascus would respond militarily if Israel were to go on carrying out attacks in Syrian territory. “If Israel attacks Syria one, two and three times, of course the people of Syria and the government of Syria and the army will react to defend ourselves," was Ambassador Mohsen Bilal’s clarification of recent statements that Syria had the right to defend itself. Kissinger gave Israel tacit approval to flout 1973 truce: documents ProLog.net 10/7/2003 WASHINGTON, Oct 7 (AFP) - Former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger gave Israel tacit approval to violate a US-Soviet brokered truce in the 1973 Yom Kippur War, according to newly declassified documents released Tuesday on the 30th anniversary of the start of the conflict. The documents indicate that Kissinger secretly conveyed to the Israelis that Washington would understand if they took a "slightly longer" time in observing a deadline for the UN-backed truce which was due to take effect on the evening of October 22, 1973. His comments appear to have emboldened the Israelis, who were complaining of truce violations by their Arab foes, to allow their troops to encircle and trap the Egyptian Third Army, according to the documents compiled by the National Security Archive, a private research group at the George Washington University.      US may reconsider stance on Arafat Gulf News 10/8/2003 A Palestinian official said the United States will reconsider its stance on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat after it failed to sideline him. "There are strong messages from the Europeans that assert the American Administration is now convinced Arafat is an important figure in the Middle East and you can't talk to the Palestinian people except through him," the official told Gulf News. Documents - U.S. let Israel stretch truce at end of 1973 war Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 WASHINGTON - The United States gave Israel the green light to keep fighting Egypt and Syria after the official time for a cease-fire in the 1973 Yom Kippur War and even encouraged it to do so, according to U.S. government documents released on Tuesday....The timing was important because Israeli forces were advancing at the time on Egypt's Third Army on the east bank of the Suez Canal. The National Security Archive, which released the documents, said Israeli forces launched a major attack on the night of October 22 and surrounded the Third Army. Hamas Sent FBI-funneled Money To Charities: Agent Islam Online 10/8/2003 WASHINGTON, October 7 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A former FBI operative in the occupied Palestinian territories revealed that Palestinian groups had given U.S. money funneled to them under the guise of donations to charitable organizations and not used them for "terrorist activities," a leading U.S. newspaper reported Tuesday, October 7...."I assume they used it for charitable purposes…These people were hungry; they were nearly out of food," the daily quoted him as saying, adding that Abu Shanab did not want the money for himself.

Human Rights..

Report: Refugee homes demolished in the OPT Electronic Intifada/Refugees International 10/7/2003 Over the last three years, the Israeli army has demolished or made unliveable the homes of nearly 13,000 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza. This tactic is part of Israel's strategy to prevent Palestinian attacks in Israeli cities, on new settlements, or where security forces are situated. As Palestinians resisting Israeli occupation continue to use the tactic of suicide bombings to kill and demoralize Israeli civilians, the army steps up house demolitions to punish the families of suicide bombers, to intimidate families of suspected militants, and to clear space for military operations. Yes to Life and No to Killing Miftah 10/8/2003 We the Palestinian Working Woman Society for Development are part of the forum of civil society organizations to combat violence against women, add our voices of condemnation of the two criminal incidents in which two girls in the Gaza Strip took the life of a small innocent girl. We are observing the situation anxiously and are worried about the level of aggravation that is the situation that our society has reached. We are worried about the exploitation of the outlaw during this acute point in time that our people are going through and their disrupting of the security of the whole country and society as well. IAF sacks highest-ranking pilot to sign refusal letter Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Reserve IAF Brigadier General Yiftah Spector, the highest ranking of the 27 air force pilots who signed a letter declaring their refusal to fly missions in the territories on grounds of conscience, said Wednesday that he had been stripped of his position as an instructor in the air force flight training academy. Spector spoke after a meeting Wednesday with IAF commander Major General Dan Halutz. Bronfman aide sent to brig for refusing to serve in W. Bank Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Paratrooper medic Sergeant (res.) Dan Goldenblatt was sentenced Tuesday to 28 days in the brig Tuesday for refusing to obey orders to serve reserve duty in the territories. Goldenblatt was a Knesset candidate for the Green Leaf party in the last elections and has lately been a parliamentary aide to Meretz MK Roman Bronfman.

Economy..

Treasury, Histadrut in war of words as port strike heats up Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Histadrut labor federation Chairman Amir Peretz sent a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday calling on him to intervene personally in the seaport labor crisis and to prevent a further deterioration in contacts between laborers and the Finance Ministry. Peretz told Army Radio that he decided to turn to the prime minister after losing faith in Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. "I have no faith in the finance minister. Once you are able to lead us on with lies, but you can't do it a second time. I don't believe him." Histadrut to strike airports, fuel, hospitals Globes 10/8/2003 Histadrut chairman MK Amir Perez fiercely attacked the government this morning - "Netanyahu is playing God." -- The Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) has decided to escalate its strike, adding more sectors to those on strike or carrying out labor sanctions. The escalation may begin tomorrow, but in any event will take place after the Knesset votes on the Ports Authority structural changes.  Strum considers declaring Ports Authority a monopoly Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 Antitrust Commissioner Dror Strum is considering declaring the Ports Authority a monopoly. This would ease the government's plans to incorporate the state-owned ports of Eilat, Ashdod and Haifa as separate units, introducing competition into the field. The issue has reared its head recently, as the port workers have taken industrial action, holding up the loading and unloading of cargo, to protest the government's plans. Israel’s reputation for business honesty declines Globes 10/8/2003 Transparency International’s 2003 survey put Israel in 21st place, compared with 18th place in 2002. -- The Transparency International (TI) Corruption Perceptions Index 2003 found that Israel’s global reputation for business and public honesty had declined. The survey, published yesterday, rated Israel three places lower for the honesty of its business and public institutions, based on evaluations by the global business and academic community. Date farmers expect $14m in sales Globes 10/8/2003 This year's date harvest is estimated at 2,500 tons, 60% of which will be exported and 40% sold in the domestic market. -- The date harvest in the Jordan Valley [occupied West Bank] is now underway and date farmers expect $14 million in sales. The Jordan Valley is Israel's main date-growing region, with 2,500 dunam (625 acres) of date palm plantations, 95% of which are the high-quality Medjoul (Medjool) variety in great demand in Israel and overseas.

People..

Israelis question logic of attack on Syria SpaceWar.com 10/8/2003 Israeli politicians and commentators questioned Tuesday the logic of the weekend air strike on Syria in the wake of a suicide attack in Haifa without judging it illegitimate.Ofir Pines, general secretary of the left-wing opposition Labour party, voiced fears that the raid on a suspected training camp for Palestinian militants northwest of Damascus would further inflame a volatile situation."This action could have extremely dangerous consequences and provoke an uncontrollable escalation," he told AFP.An editorial in the top-selling Yediot Aharonot said the attack early Sunday had achieved the opposite of its objective and highlighted the government's lack of options. Breaking the Ice — Can Palestinians and Israelis do it in the Antarctic? Jordan Times 10/8/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM — The Antarctic may seem an unlikely place to seek Middle East peace, but a team of four Palestinians and four Israelis are trying to do just that — Breaking the Ice, the project is organised by Extreme Peace Missions, a charity that aims to bring people together through extreme sporting endeavours will see the eight climb a hitherto unscaled mountain in the Antarctic, in a bid to prove that despite extremely adverse conditions it is possible for the two peoples to overcome together. Palestinians Cannot be Defeated: Ex-Israeli Ambassador Palestine Chronicle 10/8/2003 BERLIN - Former Israeli ambassador to Germany, Avi Primor, lashed out at his country’s continued occupation of Palestinian territories, urging Israel to compromise and restart peace talks, DPA reported Wednesday."One cannot defeat an occupied nation like the Palestinians," the ex-envoy said.He called on Israel to make compromises towards a fair and just peace with Palestinians. Pastor of Latin Church: Palestinian Christians and Muslims Live Side by Side in Palestine International Press Center 10/8/2003 The Pastor of the Latin Church in Palestine, Father Emanuel Musallam, asserted that Al-Aqsa Mosque, the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and the Church of Nativity are of the most eminent and holy places all over the world."The presence of such sacred places in the land of Palestine gives it a special homage and holiness," Musallam said.... “We (Christians) live in the Holy Land with all our rights protected, no one oppresses us in Palestine,” Musallam mentioned."What the Western media, controlled by the Zionist Lobby in America, broadcasts about the oppression of Christians by Muslims in Palestine is `a big lie and unrealistic," he further added.

International..

Iran offers up nuclear secrets The Guardian 10/7/2003 Iran said yesterday it would give the UN nuclear watchdog a list of components imported for enriching uranium, which Washington claims are the heart of a secret atomic weapons programme. But the country's ambassador to the International Atomic Energy Agency, Ali Akbar Salehi, said Tehran, which has been given until October 31 to disprove the claims about its atomic aims, could not say exactly where the parts came from. ‘Cairo should free gay Lebanese’ Daily Star 10/8/2003 A Lebanese group that advocates human rights urged the Egyptian government on Tuesday to free Wissam Abyad, a Lebanese citizen arrested earlier this year because of his sexual orientation. Speaking on behalf of Hurriyat Khassa (Personal Liberties), lawyer Nizar Saghieh told The Daily Star that Abyad was sentenced to 15 months on charges of “practicing and encouraging debauchery.” Lebanon tops region for corruption Daily Star 10/8/2003 New index says country is worse than Syria, Egypt and Jordan -- Rampant corruption in Lebanon has earned it the very low rank of 78 out of 133 countries perceived corrupt in a 2003 index released by the non-governmental anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International Tuesday. Corruption in Lebanon is worse than in other 11 Middle East and North Africa (MENA) countries ranked in the 2003 survey, which included Lebanon for the first time since the watchdog started publishing its Corruption Perceptions Index in 1995.      Pakistan conducts second missile test in less than a week Ha'aretz 10/8/2003 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan on Wednesday test fired a medium-range, nuclear-capable missile, the second such test in less than a week, the army said. The army said it successfully fired off the Hatf-4 missile, also known as the Shaheen 1, in the early morning hours. The missile has a range of 700 kilometers, meaning it can hit most major targets in rival India. Guantanamo Detainees Tortured: Australian Lawyer Islam Online 10/8/2003 CANBERRA, Australia, October 8 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Threatening to take the case to international tribunals, an Australian lawyer accused the United States of using "old-fashioned" torture techniques to force confessions out of prisoners at the Guantanamo military camp. "They are engaging in good old-fashioned torture, as people would have understood it in the Dark Ages," said Richard Bourke, a U.S.-based Australian lawyer who has been reprsenting for almost two years dozens of detainees at Camp X-ray at Guantanamo Bay. Arab-Western Media Lock Horns Over War Coverage Palestine Chronicle 10/8/2003 DUBAI - Arab and western media heavyweights locked horns on Tuesday, October 7, in the Arab emirate of Dubai over the coverage of the U.S.-led war on Iraq, with Arab reporters accusing their western peers of promoting the agenda of the U.S. administration. The media behemoths huddled together in the Arab Media Summit, which opened Tuesday under the theme of "War and The Media" at Madinat Jumeirah Resort, trading charges over visions of a "responsible" media versus the "cowboy: if it bleeds, it leads," reported Agence France-Presse.

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