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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..

One More Citizen Killed and Eight Others Wounded Including Children International Press Center 10/11/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October11 ,2003 , (IPC+Agency)- - Israeli occupation forces (IOF) killed Saturday one Palestinian citizen and wounded eight other citizens, including an old and two children, in the refugee camp of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip....Israeli tanks randomly opened heavy fire at Palestinian houses in “Block (C)” killing Al-Shareef and injuring others. The old-man Al-Sarafandi was wounded when an Israeli bulldozer demolished his house while he was in the house. Two children and and an18 -year-old girl, Ghada Al-O’qor, were shot and wounded in (Block “B”) of Yebna Camp, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported. IOF Tears Down 20 Houses in Rafah, Arrests Scores in West Bank International Press Center 10/11/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October 11, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Israeli invasion continued in the city of Rafah for the second day, where IOF tanks and bulldozers demolished more than 20 homes in several neighborhoods of the battered city. Eyewitnesses and security sources told IPC correspondent that 20 Palestinian homes in the neighborhoods of Al Barazil, Tal Al Sultan and Yebna refugee camp were completely destroyed early this morning by the Israeli occupying forces (IOF), using either explosive charges or large D-9 bulldozers.More than 50 families who dwelled in these houses were thrown out in the open air, without being given a chance to remove any of their belongings from these houses. In pictures: Rafah raid BBC 10/11/2003 Photos: Civilians in Rafah refugee camp ran for cover on Saturday, as Israel continued its large operation Gaza homes razed in tunnel search BBC 10/11/2003 The Israeli army has demolished up to 10 Palestinian homes in the Rafah refugee camp as it presses on with its search for weapons-smuggling tunnels, Palestinian sources say.Another Palestinian is reported to have been killed in the Gaza Strip operation, which was launched on Thursday night by dozens of Israeli troops backed by tanks and helicopter gunships. Seven Palestinians - including two boys aged eight and 15 - were killed during the first day on Friday and more than 50 have been injured. Two Children, Teenager among 7 Palestinians Killed in Israeli Invasion Palestine Media Center 10/11/2003 20 Seriously Wounded among 51 in Reoccupation of Refugee Camp -- At least two children were among 7 Palestinians killed and eight children were among more than 51 wounded when around midnight Thursday Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) launched a massive military invasion of the Yubna refugee camp, home to thousands of Palestinians who were forced out of their homes in Israel in 1948, adjacent to the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah. Up to 100 IOF tanks and armoured vehicles, supported by attack helicopters, thrust deep into the densely populated refugee camp near the border with Egypt in an offensive dubbed “Operation Root Canal,” for what Israel claimed was a search for arms-smuggling tunnels. Zionist forces imposing curfew on Jenin for seventh day Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Jenin - The Zionist occupation forces continues to impose a curfew on the West Bank city of Jenin and its refugee camp for the seventh consecutive day.The Zionist oppressive measure has paralyzed all walks of life in the city and blocked the transfer of patients to hospitals. Zionist soldiers stop and search ambulance cars at the pretext of looking for wanted activists.... Citizens said that main food supplies in the city have started to run out since the occupation forces blocked the entry of such supplies into the city for the past month. Breaking News: Wells demolished in Beit Hanoun, Palestinian farmers attacked by Jewish settlers International Press Center 10/11/2003 17:05- - Israeli bulldozers demolished three wells in the northern Gaza Strip city of Beit Hanoon, (IPC) / 16:15- - Apache helicopters opened heavy fire at Palestinian house owned by Mahmood Al-Shaer, north of Rafah, (WAFA) / 14:40- - Several Palestinian farmers were injured as armed Jewish settlers assaulted them while they were picking up olive in the village of Jaba’, near Hebron, (IPC).... Security forces hunting suspected terrorist in Wadi Ara area Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Security forces launched a manhunt Saturday afternoon for a suspected terrorist believed to have infiltrated into Israel in the area of the Katzir community, in the Wadi Ara region. Residents of the area have been instructed to remain inside their homes.A unit of Border Police officers spotted the man, who is apparently armed, close to the village of Barta on Saturday afternoon. Damage on Temple Mount Could Bring Deadly Results Forward 10/10/2003 Failing To Supervise Construction at Holy Site, Israel Risks Violence If Structures Collapse -- JERUSALEM — Another damaged structure on the Temple Mount is raising fears once again that a serious international crisis could be just a burst water pipe away. Two weeks ago, a section of a wall that is part of the Islamic Museum on the Temple Mount collapsed, leaving a gaping hole of dirt about 120 square feet, located just to the right of the Mugrabi Gate. The hole is visible from the Western Wall plaza.The collapse is another in a series of instances of structural damage that critics say have resulted from the Israeli government's decision to yield to the Waqf, the Palestinian Authority-appointed Islamic religious authority that has day-to-day control over the Temple Mount. Ranteesi: Zionists will not be secure while our children are slaughtered in Rafah Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Gaza - Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi, one of the prominent Hamas Movement leaders, has urged all Palestinian resistance factions to unite their ranks in the resistance trench to repel the Zionist aggression on the Gaza Strip that started in the Rafah district. Ranteesi in press statements today said that the occupation forcers’ bloodbath in Rafah was fully backed by the USA and Europe. US spy satellite identified Syrian camp Sydney Morning Herald 10/12/2003 American spy satellites showed that the Syrian target attacked by Israeli warplanes last weekend had been the site of recent construction, possibly to prepare it for use by the Palestinian militant group Islamic Jihad, United States officials claim.The officials, some of whom had been sceptical of Israeli claims that the target was a terrorist camp,said the site, about 20 kilometres north-west of Damascus, had been used for training in the past six months by two smaller, less active, Palestinian militant groups.But the new construction, which was detected by US spy satellites, backed by human intelligence reports suggesting that Islamic Jihad might use the site, had been seen as particularly worrying. Southerners sick of taking the brunt Daily Star 10/11/2003 Gunmen on border ‘fired rockets and then ran away leaving us to face Israel’-- Nidal Yassin is an angry and bitter man. “I blame everyone,” he said. “First of all I blame the government. They must take responsibility here … If Israel fires a rocket into Syria, why does the game have to be played here? We have been played enough in Lebanon. If some party wants to send a political message to Israel, they should not write it in the blood of children.”....Early Tuesday morning, a short-range 107mm Katyusha rocket struck a bedroom window sill on the first floor of Yassin’s house on the edge of Houla. The blast, which tore gaping holes in the plaster walls of the room, killed his nephew Ali, 5, and badly wounded Ali’s twin brother Ahmed. 7 Killed in Gun Battle After Israel Raids Gaza Los Angeles Times 10/11/2003 GAZA CITY — Israeli forces thrust into a packed Palestinian refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, sparking a fierce and protracted gun battle with militants early Friday that killed seven Palestinians, including an 8-year-old boy, and wounded dozens of others.Witnesses described predawn pandemonium in the Rafah camp, the darkness punctuated by bursts of machine-gun fire, blasts from grenades, the roar of helicopters and the shouts of frightened residents as Palestinian gunmen battled Israeli soldiers. 8 Palestinians killed in Rafah; IDF: raid to last a few more days Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Eight Palestinians, among them two children aged 12 and eight, were reportedly killed during an Israel Defense Forces operation deep in the Rafah refugee camp in the sourthern Gaza Strip. At least 60 Palestinians were reported wounded in the ongoing operation, most of them when a helicopter fired a missile at a crowd. The IDF said the missile targeted a group of gunmen....Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's spokesperson Nabil Abu Rudeineh called the operation a "war crime and a human tragedy." As the Death Toll Arrived at 8, Army to Continue Operating in Rafah International Middle East Media Center 10/11/2003 Military operation in Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip continued for the second day and according to military sources, is expected to last for few more days. While Palestinian sources reported that 8 people were, so far, killed, including two children aged 8 and 12, army insists that soldiers fired at Palestinian gunmen.At least 50 Rafah residents were, so far, wounded to various degrees. Most of the causalities resulted from an air-to-ground missile fired at a crowd of people in the early hours of the military operation. Army claims to have fired at a crowd of gunmen, Palestinian sources reported that it targeted a crowed of civilians. Zionist army admits Palestinian ferocious resistance, demolishes 30 houses Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Rafah - The Zionist occupation army has admitted that it was facing ferocious Palestinian resistance during its incursion into the southern Gaza Strip district of Rafah. Zionist military sources said that large numbers of infantry and armored vehicles were combing the city of Rafah since midnight Thursday and would remain doing so for the few coming days.

Diplomacy..

Israelis, Palestinians meet in Jordan on draft peace proposal Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 A group of Knesset members, including Labor's Avraham Burg and Amram Mitzna, went into the last day of talks Saturday in Jordan with prominent Palestinian politicians on a peace proposal known as the "Swiss agreement."The summit is expected to result in the signing of the draft peace plan, which was prepared by former justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. Annan condemns Israeli action in Gaza Al-Jazeera 10/11/2003 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has condemned Israeli military action in a Gaza refugee camp which saw the deaths of Palestinian children.The killing and maiming of innocent Palestinians continued for a second day in the camp which was surrounded by Israeli tanks and army snipers on Saturday.The Israeli army pressed ahead with a deadly raid on the Gaza Strip for a second straight day Saturday despite strong criticism from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan of the seven Palestinians killed, two of them children. Source: U.S. to veto UN resolution against security fence Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 The United States has told Israel that it would veto the United Nations Security Council draft resolution proposed by the Palestinians against the separation fence if its current wording is not changed to more balanced language, a senior diplomatic source in Jerusalem said Saturday.The council on Friday postponed the discussion on the barrier to Tuesday at Syria's request, marking the first time the UN has addressed the issue of the fence. Israel Adds Subs to Its Atomic Ability Los Angeles Times 10/11/2003 Officials confirm that the nation can now launch nuclear weapons from land, sea and air. The issue complicates efforts to rein in Iran. --TEL AVIV — Israel has modified American-supplied cruise missiles to carry nuclear warheads on submarines, giving the Middle East's only nuclear power the ability to launch atomic weapons from land, air and beneath the sea, according to senior Bush administration and Israeli officials.The previously undisclosed submarine capability bolsters Israel's deterrence in the event that Iran — an avowed enemy — develops nuclear weapons. It also complicates efforts by the United States and the United Nations to persuade Iran to abandon its suspected nuclear weapons program. Israel Threatens More Attacks on "Afghanized" Syria American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee 10/11/2003 Israel has unleashed new threats to stage added attacks on alleged Palestinian bases in "Afghanized" Syria, as President Assad renewed his charge that Ariel Sharon was scheming to kindle a 4th Middle East War. "The Americans have to apply the same tactic they had employed in Afghanistan as far as Syria is concerned," one Sharon government official was quoted as telling the Israeli media. He said the weekend air raids on an alleged Islamic Jihad training base near Damascus was a "message that Syria's territory has become part of the game." He said Hizbullah bases in Lebanon and Iran itself would also be potential targets for Israel. Report: IDF planning to attack nuclear sites in Iran Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Israel is prepared to launch an attack on Iran's nuclear sites in order to paralyzed them and prevent them for being operational, the German weekly magazine Der Spiegel reported Saturday.The paper said that Israeli security officials fear that the Iranian capabilities of manufacturing nuclear arms have reached an advanced stage, and that the Mossad believes that Iran is already able to manufacture weapons-grade uranium. According to the report a special Mossad unit received orders two months ago to prepare a comprehensive and detailed plan for the attack. Berlin Refuses to Comment on Criticism of Arms Exports to Israel Palestine Chronicle 10/11/2003 BERLIN - The German government refused to comment on the latest criticism by German churches, which urged Berlin to halt arms export to Israel. "We don’t see a need whatsoever to react or act upon the accusations...," a German economic ministry spokeswoman said during a news conference. German churches Thursday called on the government to halt its arms exports to Israel, saying it would run counter to international peace efforts in the troublesome region. Chirac: France opposes sanctions against Syria Middle East Online 10/10/2003 FEZ, Morocco - French President Jacques Chirac said Thursday that his country opposed moves by the United States to slap sanctions on Syria because of its alleged support for terrorism. "France, as a general rule, is very reserved, not to say hostile, with regard to sanctions procedures, since history has shown us that they were not effective and created more problems than they solved," Chirac said in the eastern city of Fez. Al Qedwa Warns US Veto Will End “The Two-State Solution” International Press Center 10/11/2003 NEW YORK, Oct 11,2003, (IPC+Agencies)--Nasser Al Qedaw, Palestine Permeennet Observer at United Nationwarned Washington on Fridaythat the Middle East peace process would be collapsed If American veto allows Israel to continue the construction oftheApatheid Wall around the west bank. ”If Israel is allowed to continue construction, "this will mean the end of the two-state solution, and that will take us to either a more drastic and radical solution or perpetual conflict. It should be looked at that seriously," Al-Qedwa said. Israeli Left, PA, Once Again, Developing a Final Status Agreement International Middle East Media Center 10/11/2003 Israeli left leaders and Palestinian Authority officials are in the final stage of formulating a final status agreement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Prominent leaders from Labor, Meretz, Shinu, and Shahar are engaged in a dialogue with PA ex-ministers and supporters of Jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouthi in a process sponsored by Switzerland and supported by many other European countries and the government of Japan.Both sides reported remarkable progress in finalizing the agreement. An Israeli delegation crossed the Jordan River Thursday for an additional meeting with their Palestinian counter partners in Amman. Delegations representing Jordan and Egypt are expected to join the meeting. Syria says has right to self-defense Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Syria has the right to exercise self-defense if Israel strikes its territory again as its warplanes did last weekend, a Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman said on Saturday. "In case of a repetition [of an Israeli strike] Syria has the right to exercise self-defense," spokeswoman Bushra Kanafani told a press briefing in Damascus.Asked if her remarks suggested military action, Kanafani said: "I am talking aboutself-defense and self-defense has its meaning so I don't have to clarify its meaning." Nasrallah: Hostage-swap deal with Israel in final stage Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Hezbollah spiritual leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah said Friday night that negotiations with Israel on an exchange of prisoners were in their final stages, but were being held up by what he decribed as an internal Israeli problem. "[Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon and his government are at an impasse. The Israeli army is in an impasse. If Sharon tries to get out of his internal impasse [by attacking] Lebanon and Syria, this will lead him to the abyss," Nasrallah told a Hezbollah rally south of Beirut. Downed Israeli 'alive in Tehran' Al-Jazeera 10/11/2003 Israeli navigator Ron Arad, missing since his plane came down over Lebanon in 1986, is alive and being held in a prison near Tehran, three exiled Iranian officials have claimed.The controversial allegation appeared in an interview published in the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot on Friday. The newspaper said it was not able to verify the reports, which come at a sensitive time in negotiations for a prisoner exchange between Israel and the Tehran-backed Lebanese militia Hizb Allah. But Iran has consistently denied any connection to the missing israeli navigator. Proposed UN Security Council resolution declaring Israel's construction of apartheid wall "illegal" United Nations 10/10/2003 Text of resolution US veto threat hangs over new UN resolution on Israeli barrier ProLog.net 10/11/2003 WASHINGTON, Oct 10 (AFP) - The United States on Friday said it opposed a new Arab-proposed UN Security Council resolution declaring Israel's construction of a controversial West Bank security barrier "illegal," setting the stage for a likely US veto next week.Despite Washington's own objections to the barrier -- which will result in deductions from US loan guarantees to Israel -- the State Department said the new resolution was "unbalanced" as it does not address violence committed against Israelis.In addition, department spokesman Richard Boucher said the proposed resolution was objectionable for the same reason the United States opposes the barrier: it pre-judges the outcome of any future Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. Malaysia Says U.S. Leaders are Held Hostage by Jewish Vote An Nahar 10/11/2003 Malaysia's outspoken Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad blasted Israel on Saturday for allegedly trying to spark a Middle East war by launching an airstrike in Syria and said U.S. politicians would have to support it for fear of antagonizing their Jewish voters."Israel has been urging America to invade Syria, and Americans seemed to be reluctant, so in order to force the hand of America, Israel invades Syria," Mahathir said."Now, the Americans will have to support it. Otherwise, the candidates for the presidency in the United States will lose Jewish votes." Israel's Security Barrier Finishes Off Palestinian Statehood An Nahar 10/11/2003 Unless Israel stops building a barrier which cuts into the West Bank, there will be no possibility of two states _ Israel and Palestine _ living side by side in peace and the region will plunge into perpetual violence, the Palestinian U.N. observer warned.The U.N. Security Council scheduled an open meeting Tuesday to debate the barrier, which Israel insists is essential to prevent suicide bombings.Palestinian envoy Nasser Al-Kidwa said Friday he will demand a vote at the end of that meeting on a resolution calling the barrier "illegal" and demanding that construction be halted and the 150-kilometer (90-mile) section already built be torn down. Hizbullah Threatens Sharon with 'Counter-Madness' to Shield Syria An Nahar 10/11/2003 Hizbullah has threatened Israel with "counter-madness should Ariel Sharon pursue his madness" against Syria, calling the recent Israeli air attack on an alleged Palestinian training camp near Damascus a "development of an enormous magnitude." "If Sharon goes mad, there are other people who are ready to go mad, too" Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah said in a mass rally in south Beirut Friday evening, which was played up by the local press Saturday. "Sharon's madness is certain to be confronted with counter-madness." Syria and Israel in war of words Al-Jazeera 10/11/2003 A war of words between Syria and Israel escalated after Syria said it had the right to defend itself against any further Israeli strikes. Israel responded provocatively within minutes insisting it had the option to attack any country harbouring “terrorists”.“In case of a repetition (of an Israeli aggression) Syria has the right to exercise self defence," spokeswoman Bushra Kanafani told a press briefing in Damascus on Saturday. Syria, Israel Engaged In War Of Words Islam Online 10/11/2003 DAMASCUS, October 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Syria and Israel were engaged in a war of words Saturday, October11 , with Damascus saying it reserves the right to retaliate Israeli attacks and Tel Aviv arguing that countries "harboring terrorist organizations" are legitimate targets.A week after an Israeli strike deep inside its, Syrian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Bushra Kanafani stressed that "Syria reserves the right to retaliate by all means at its disposal." PA says US encourages Israel to slaughter Palestinian civilians Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - The Palestinian Authority has asked for a speedy international intervention to stop “Zionist massacres against our civilian population.” “The Palestinian Authority urges the international community to step in to stop these massacres which target innocent people, including women and children,” said Palestinian spokesman Nabil Abu Ruedina. He told the Palestinian news agency that Israel was indulging in wanton killings of Palestinian civilians and destruction of their property.

Human Rights..

Report: The Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier on Affected West Bank Communities: The "Jerusalem Envelope" - Acrobat format Local Aid Coordination Committee 10/11/2003 Key Findings: The barrier is dividing communities and families and threatens to seal Jerusalem off from the rest of the West Bank. Palestinians along the barrier's alignment face land loss and severely restricted access to jobs, markets, and essential social services. - Acrobat (PDF) format Latest donor update on the impact of Israel's separation barrier Electronic Intifada/OCHA 10/11/2003 The co-chairs of the Local Aid Coordination Committee (LACC) – the group of international donors to the Palestinians -- today released a report on the rapid expansion of Israel's "separation barrier" around East Jerusalem.The report, The Impact of Israel's Separation Barrier on Affected West Bank Communities: The "Jerusalem Envelope" (PDF), focuses on the economic, social and humanitarian consequences for tens of thousands of Palestinians living in the affected area. It provides detailed information on the barrier's trajectory (with two maps) and reviews its economic and social consequences as well as the process of requisitioning land for construction. Aqsa Foundation: Zionist occupation turned Al-Khalil into a big settlement Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Nazareth - The Aqsa Foundation catering for Islamic shrines in Palestinian lands occupied in 1948 has called in a statement today for confronting the Zionist occupation’s schemes against Islamic holy shrines in Al-Khalil and in various Palestinian cities. The Foundation said that Zionist occupiers had turned the Ibrahimi Mosque into a Jewish synagogue and a place for immoral celebrations. It charged that the Zionist authorities had actually turned the old quarters of Al-Khalil, which comprises the Mosque, into a big Jewish settlement. Nafha prison administration imposes high fines on Palestinian detainees Palestinian Information Center 10/11/2003 Ramallah - Zionist prison administration in Nafha has imposed heavy fines on Palestinian prisoners at the pretext of finding mobile phones in their cells. Prisoners said that Zionist jailers search their cells on a semi-daily basis searching for hideouts used by prisoners to conceal those phones. They pointed out that the prison administration imposed around 250 dollars on each prisoner in the cells where mobile phones were found and deprived the whole lot of them from visits for two months.

Economy..

Economic and other activities continue to decline Jerusalem Times 10/10/2003 A recent survey by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) on economic activities in the Palestinian areas said revenues for 2002 amounted to $2001.5 million, a drop of 14.2% when compared to 2001 figures. The survey said 67,058 economic enterprises existed in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, excluding occupied and Israeli-annexed East Jerusalem. It said 21.1% were in industry, 0.5% in construction, 58.3% in domestic trade, 19.4% in services and 0.7% in transportation, storage and telecommunications. Economy in brief: Aid to wall victims, Al-Aqsa Fub, UNRWA to slash aid to Palestinian refugees Jerusalem Times 10/10/2003 IDB launches $20 million initiative to aid victims of Israeli separation wall - Saudi Arabia contributes additional $5 million to Al-Aqsa Fund - UNRWA says it will slash aid to Palestinian refugees -- The Islamic Development Bank (IDB) and the Al-Aqsa Fund have launched a $20 million special initiative to provide urgent humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian victims of the “separation wall” being constructed by Israel in the West Bank.IDB President, Ahmad Mohammed Ali, announced the special initiative at Dubai 2003, the meeting of the boards of governors of the World Bank and the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Local authorities, utilities threaten to strike after Sukkot Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 The utilities and the local authorities yesterday threatened to join the public-sector strike after Sukkot, as the Knesset's approval in first reading of a bill to create competition in the ports raised the unions' fury to new heights. As of press time last night, a six-way negotiating session aimed at trying to resolve the 10-day-old port strike was entering its seventh hour, but no progress had been reported. India, Israel, Russia sign $1bn defence deal Jang Group 10/11/2003 NEW DELHI: India signed a $1 billion deal on Friday to buy Russian surveillance planes outfitted with Israeli-made radar systems, a purchase that rival Pakistan warned would upset the balance of power in South Asia.The deal, finalised during the visit to India last month by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, was signed on Friday morning, Indian Defence Ministry spokesman Amitabha Chakrabarti told The Associated Press.Price negotiations are still in progress for the deal, estimated to be worth about $1 billion, said an Indian Defence Ministry official speaking on condition of anonymity. The Israelis are to buy the Russian-made Ilyushin-76 transport planes from Uzbekistan. They will be sent to Russia for installing a new high-powered engine after structural modification, said the official. Ashkelon offshore gas find could prove commercial Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Tests this week could portend commercial quantities of natural gas off the coast of Ashkelon. Initial results of production tests are encouraging for Isramco's Nir 2 gas exploration site; and according to industry sources, there is a reasonable chance that the gas finds are of commercial quantities. During the production test Wednesday, the site released large quantities of natural gas at constant pressure, for a period of 10 hours. The gas was ignited, and the beacons could be seen from Ashkelon, some 17 kilometers away.

People..

Pent up fury Ha'aretz Friday Magazine 10/10/2003 Following publication of the pilots' letter against participating in missions in the territories, some of the nation's top writers have joined the fray with their own different, but generally supportive petitions. Who signed what - and why.The debate over the combat morality of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), which erupted once more in the wake of the letter of nearly 30 air force pilots declaring that they would not fly combat missions in the territories, has sparked a rash of initiatives and disagreements among some of Israel's leading writers, who are identified with the peace camp. Witness for the prosecution Ha'aretz Friday Magazine 10/10/2003 Playwright Joshua Sobol has decided to support the petition of the pilots against flying combat missions in the territories. Cautious of drawing historical analogies, he sees dangerous signs of fascism in the Israeli public's chorus of support of militantism...."I became convinced that the Israeli government is not offering any alternative to the use of force. It took me time to reach that conclusion. Three years is no little time. But at the end of three years I found that the policy of this government is war. This government has no policy other than war." Splendors on the verge of extinction Jerusalem Times 10/10/2003 The Center for Traditional Palestinian Architecture, Ruwaq, recently published a new book titled 'Manateer, Farm Mansions in the Palestinian Countryside,' prepared by Suad Al-Ameri and Firas Rahhal. The 120-page book addresses, in text and picture, what is known as manateer, one of the most beautiful styles of Palestinian architecture, which, like other styles, is threatened to disappear. Manateer (singular mintar) are built with random stones collected from land being resurrected and turned into farmland. The construction, and then use, of these monuments had a close connected with the grape and fig seasons and therefore are found only in areas where the crops are grown, such as Ramallah and southern Hebron. Muslim judges, Jewish petitioners Ha'aretz 10/11/2003 Book Review: "Yehudim Beveit Hamishpat Hamuslami" ("Jews in the Moslem Religious Court: Society, Economy and Communal Organization in the 19th Century - Documents from Ottoman Jerusalem") by Amnon Cohen, with Elisheva Ben-Shimon-Pikali and Eyal Ginio, Yad Ben Zvi, 785 pages, NIS 116 -- Stored in the Muslim court archives are hundreds of volumes of manuscripts in Arabic and Turkish recording the rulings of Muslim judges, among them many decisions on Jewish issues brought before them. The oldest volumes in the archive date back to the first years of Ottoman rule in Jerusalem - that is, 500 years ago. The genealogy of morals Ha'aretz Friday Magazine 10/10/2003 The dean of Israeli writers, S. Yizhar, is against refusal to serve but supports the refusenik pilots, is against war but says there is no choice but to go on fighting until peace is achieved in negotiations. A conversation with someone who has seen all of Israel's conquests and yet still rubs his eyes in disbelief. StopTheWall.org Site Launched by the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign Electronic Intifada 10/10/2003 After months of anticipation, the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign formally announces the new website for mobilizing to Stop the Wall in Palestine, at StopTheWall.org. The Stop the Wall site comes at a time when the Apartheid Wall's pace is accelerating daily throughout the West Bank, making momentum and solidarity around the Campaign urgent.The website will be a pivotal means for the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign to encourage and support solidarity around the Campaign declared International Day Against the Wall, November 9th. Flunking School Jerusalem Times 10/10/2003 The Palestinian Ministry of Education and Higher Education is continuously implementing and enforcing directive constructive measures concerning the violence against the students in schools, such as by way of striking them, neglecting or depriving their needs, in which strict orders were distributed on the Palestinian schools in the West Bank and Gaza to prevent violence directed towards students. The programs are based on studies and analysis of different psychiatrists and educational researchers showing what kind of negative psychological effects exerted on students that preventing them from continuing their education, besides the negative reflections on their behavior too.

International..

Investment meet draws big crowd to Jordan Daily Star 10/11/2003 Business leaders, financiers to discuss deals - Amman is marketing itself as a major ‘gateway’ for international firms seeking a share of post-war reconstruction in Iraq -- AMMAN: Hundreds of Arab investors, financers and business leaders are set to meet here Sunday and Monday to discuss Jordan’s investment opportunities, buoyed by four years of economic reforms and its potential as a gateway for reconstruction in Iraq. Delegates at the Jordan Economic Forum, viewed by organizers as the Arab world’s equivalent to the Davos-based World Economic Forum (WEF), will rub shoulders with Jordan’s King Abdullah II, Lebanese Premier Rafik Hariri, Syrian Trade Minister Ghassan Rifai and top officials from Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, and 19 Arab and foreign states. OIC Urges 'Eviction' Of Occupation Troops From Iraq Islam Online 10/11/2003 PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia, October 11 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) opened their conference Saturday, October11 , opened with a call for "the eviction of foreign forces from Iraq". "Islamic nations should commit themselves to the eviction of foreign forces from Iraq, allowing the U.N. to administer Iraqi affairs," OIC Secretary General Abdelouahed Belkeziz was quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying. Egyptians protest against Israel, US Middle East Online 10/10/2003 CAIRO - Nearly 3,000 Egyptians protested against the recent Israeli raid on Syria and the US occupation in Iraq, gathering after Friday prayers at the Al-Azhar mosque, a police source said.Worshippers gathered within the walls of the mosque in central Cairo, chanting slogans vilifying Israel and the United States, the source said. The demonstrators denounced the "barbaric" Israeli raid launched Sunday on Syrian territory, the Egyptian press agency MENA reported. Dems Stand With Bush on Syria Attack Forward 10/10/2003 The top Democratic presidential candidates, who have differed sharply with President Bush over his conduct of the Iraq war, are registering their agreement with him over his support for Israel's bombing of a terrorist target in Syria.The president called the airborne attack, which hit what Israel described as a training camp of Islamic Jihad in retaliation for Sunday's bloody bombing of a Haifa restaurant, an "essential" part of a campaign to defend the country. "We would be doing the same thing," he added, according to The Associated Press...."This was an attack on terrorism, not on Syria," Rep. Richard Gephardt of Missouri told the Forward in a telephone interview. World Bank: MENA facing unprecedented employment challenge Jerusalem Times 10/10/2003 The Middle East and North Africa region (MENA) must double today's employment levels by 2020, creating 100 million additional jobs, says a new World Bank report released on the eve of the World Bank/IMF Annual Meetings in Dubai. As the region's increasingly-educated and young populations complete their schooling, its already strained labor markets, with unemployment rates averaging 15 percent and a labor force growing at more than 3 percent annually, are facing a daunting test. U.S. Lists Web Sites as 'Terror' Groups Washington Post 10/11/2003 WASHINGTON -- The United States has added Web sites to its list of "foreign terrorist organizations" for the first time, under the category of aliases for conventional groups, a State Department official said Friday.A list published in the Federal Register includes newkach.org, kahane.org, kahane.net, kahanetzadak.com as aliases for the Jewish group Kahane Chai or Kach, which is suspected of organizing attacks on Palestinians. FBI revokes its service award from Arab leader Centre Daily 10/9/2003 (KRT) - After pressure from a pro-Israeli group and columnist, the FBI rescinded an award it had planned to give to a prominent Arab-American leader this week and raised questions about his connections with men the government wants to deport.Imad Hamad, who heads the local branch of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, had been scheduled to receive a prestigious service award today in Washington, D.C., for his work with law enforcement after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.Local conservative columnist Debbie Schlussel and the Zionist Organization of America - one of the oldest pro-Israeli groups in the nation - led a spirited attack last month against Hamad, charging in letters and articles that he is sympathetic to terrorists and unworthy of such an honor. American Muslims warn of new government crackdown Jang Group 10/11/2003 WASHINGTON: Muslims in the United States say that the way they are now being treated here qualifies them to be characters in Arthur Miller’s famous novel, ‘The Crucible’, a classic story of innocent villagers accused of crimes and sins they did not commit.Set in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692, ‘The Crucible’ tells the story of villagers preoccupied by a fear of the devil due to their severe Puritan belief system. In the story, because of mass hysteria brought about by the witchcraft scare, 19 innocent people are hanged on the signature of a deputy governor, who has the authority to try, convict, and execute anyone he deems sinful. "This novel represents deeply and honestly the plight of Muslim and Arab rights and liberties in the United States at present," said a press release from the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) on Wednesday. Is a Fair Trial Possible for Sami Al-Arian? Council on American-Islamic Relations 10/6/2003 After a brief "vacation" at the Orient Road Jail in Tampa (where he was allowed to see some of the evidence), Sami Al-Arian has been moved back to the federal prison at Coleman, Florida. Coleman is not designed to hold pretrial detainees. All the prisoners except Sami Al-Arian and co-defendant Sameeh Hammoudeh have been convicted of serious crimes. Al-Arian and Hammoudeh are held in the maximum security wing along with the most serious offenders and people with psychological problems. Normally, prisoners are there for a maximum of a few weeks, but Al-Arian and Hammoudeh have already been there for SIX months. Army Chaplain in Guantanamo Case Is Charged Los Angeles Times 10/11/2003 Capt. James Yee, who served Muslim detainees at the camp, is accused of disobeying orders. --WASHINGTON — A Muslim chaplain who ministered to detainees at the U.S. naval base on Guantanamo Bay was charged Friday with disobeying orders by taking classified material home, becoming the third staff member to face criminal charges in a widening investigation into security breaches at the prison in Cuba.Army Capt. James Joseph Yee, who served at Camp Delta starting in November, also faces a second charge of "wrongfully transporting classified material without the proper security containers or covers."

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