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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..

Rafah's Invasion Leaves 2000 Residents Homeless International Middle East Media Center 10/13/2003 The head of the UN agency for Palestinian Refugees Peter Hansen toured Sunday Rafah refugee camp to evaluate the damage caused by the latest military invasion.Hansen told reporters "we arrived at 120 homes that have been destroyed and still counting" Hansen estimated that around 2000 refugees are left homeless.Residents of Rafah refugee camp arrived their after being displaced from their original villages and town in 1948 catastrophe.... Rafah's operation presents a new level of escalation in the Gaza Strip, which is expected to trigger more revenge attacks. Rafah besieged and under constant attack Electronic Intifada 10/13/2003 The Israeli army invaded the Rafah Refugee camp last night in an operation that they said would go on for one week. The operation is an alleged search for tunnels, an excuse that has been used repeatedly in incursions into Rafah, and has resulted over the past 3 years in the destruction of hundreds of homes. Prior to this operation and for the past week Rafah town and refugee camp (pop. 140000) have been isolated and completely cut off other areas of the Gaza Strip. The whole of the Gaza Strip was also divided into 5 completely isolated areas by Israeli military checkpoints and roadblocks (including the permanently isolated Mawasi). IOF Troops Apprehend Tens of Palestinian Farmers For Eight Days International Press Center 10/13/2003 QALQELIA, October 12, 2003, (IPC + Agencies) - - For the eighth respective day, the Israeli occupying forces have held more than 50 Palestinian farmers of Jeoss Town near Qalqelia City, after being held under arrest while being in their farms located behind theSeparation Barrier constructed on vast areas of Palestinian confiscated lands.Fayez Saleim, chief of the rural council of Jeos, who was also apprehended with the farmers by the Israeli soldiers said in a phone call with WAFA that the Israeli occupation force denied them access back home in the town for eight further days.He went onto saying that a contingent of IOF soldiers hindered members of international protection committee to reach the area in order to solidify with the farmers and him by offering them basics needs.... The deputy of Bethlehem governor, Ismeal Faraj, stated in a press release that the Israeli occupying forces continued its strangulating siege on Bethlehem City, its villages and the neighboring refugee camps. Two Houses Destroyed, a Little Girl Critically Wounded and Dozens Arrested by IOF International Press Center 10/13/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October13 ,2003 , (IPC+Agencies)--Israeli occupation forces destroyed Monday two Palestinian houses in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. In the meantime at least twenty Palestinian citizens were arrested in separated incidents in the –under curfew- city of Jenin and Tulkarem. Earlier, Israeli soldiers shot and critically wounded a Palestinian child-girl in Al-Amal neighborhood of Khan-Younis.... In the city of Jenin Israeli occupation forces arrested 16 Palestinian citizens in three separated incidents, IPC correspondent said.IOF continues arresting in the –under curfew- district of Jeinin. Nine residents were arrested early morning while seven others were arrested last night in the village of Kofor Rai’i....In the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan-Younis, Israeli occupation soldiers intentionally opened fire at Palestinian houses in the Al-Amal neighborhood, and wounded a Palestinian little girl yesterday. IOF Burns House, Demolishes Wells in Gaza and Arrests Citizens in West Bank International Press Center 10/12/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October12 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli military helicopters opened its heavy machinegun fire at a house in the city of Rafah, burning it down, security sources said. The Palestinian General Security Directorate in Rafah said that Israeli military helicopters hailed Saturday afternoon the house of citizen Mahmoud Al Sha’er with heavy bullets, causing the house to go up in flames....Meanwhile, in the northern Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanun that an IOF bulldozer, backed by tanks and military jeeps, invaded Saturday the area northeast of Beit Hanun, and started demolishing three wells used by Palestinian farmers for irrigation, eyewitnesses said. Many farmers around the area depended on these wells for the irrigation of their crops.... Medical sources and locals in Hebron said that several Palestinian citizens were wounded when a gang of armed Jewish settlers of the “Kfar Etsion” colony attacked a number of Palestinian farmers while harvesting their olive crops. Israel Kills Ninth Palestinian In Rafah Incursion Islam Online 10/13/2003 GAZA CITY, October 12 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Israeli occupation forces pressed on with their raid on southern Gaza Strip, leaving a ninth Palestinian dead for the third straight day late on Sunday, October12 , as the United Nations said more than1 , 500people were left homeless after the large-scale incursion. Israeli and Palestinian sources were quoted by Agence France-Presse (AFP) as saying that Israeli soldiers shot dead a Palestinian activist in Khan Younis. An Israeli military source said the Palestinian was spotted near the Jewish Israeli settlement of Morag along with two others....The armed wing of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine named the dead man in a statement as Samir Al-Bayouk, its leader in the Khan Younis area. 2 children among 8 Palestinians killed in Rafah Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 Eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed during an Israel Defense Forces operation deep in the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip. At least 70 Palestinians, including women, children and elderly people, were 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. Twenty of the injured are in moderate to serious condition....The forces first cut off the electricity - by destroying the generators providing power to the camps' residents - as well as the telephone lines and water supply. Jordan kills two crossing into Israel Al-Jazeera 10/13/2003 Two people were shot dead and a further two wounded as they tried to cross the border illegally from Jordan to Israel. Jordanian border guards surrounded the men, who were attempting to cross the Jordan river valley on Monday. Local police said they discovered automatic weapons and a large amount of ammunition. “The vigilance of the border guards foiled their attempt by surrounding the infiltrators, who started to shoot at the guards,” Jordan’s Information Minister, Nabil al-Sharif, told reporters. IDF arrests suicide bomber in Nablus-area village Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Israel Defense Force units operating Monday morning in the West Bank village of Arabeh arrested a Palestinian man planning to carry out a suicide bombing attack in Israel.The man was arrested along with four other Palestinian terror suspects in the village, located southwest of Jenin.Itim reported troops arrested 15 Palestinian terror suspects villages in the Jenin area on Monday. The curfew on the northern West Bank city is now in its ninth day. Temple Mount Faithful to be barred from ceremony today Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 The Temple Mount Faithful group is seeking to conduct a ceremony on the Temple Mount this morning to celebrate Sukkot, but Jerusalem Police do not intend to allow this to take place. They will however permit the group to carry out a water ceremony (a traditional ritual for the Sukkot festival) at the Shiloah spring in East Jerusalem....Meanwhile, the police allowed hundreds of religious Jews to visit the Temple Mount yesterday in groups of several dozen each. News Briefs: 20 houses slated for demolition near Khan Younis International Middle East Media Center 10/13/2003 20 houses slated for demolition near Khan Younis / “Detention Camp” for Palestinian cars /Qurei told Monday the Qatar based Al-Jazeera TV that most likely he will resign office by the end of the emergency government term in less than a month. / Palestinain youths escorted an Israeli settler's family after they entered Qalandia Refugee Camp near Ramallah by mistake / Nablus farmers denied access to their land / more Breaking News: IOF troops assault taxi driver and block ambulance International Press Center 10/13/2003 15:10 Israeli occupying forces (IOF) invade the town of Western Bani Zaid, assault a Palestinian taxi driver and prevented an ambulance from going out and transferring a patient to the nearby city of Ramallah, WAFA / 15:00 Israeli occupying troops arrest four Palestinian citizens in the city of Nablus and Askar refugee camp, and lead them into an undisclosed location, IPC... PNA: Palestinian Civilians Slaughtered with US Acquiescence Palestine Media Center 10/13/2003 Peter Hansen: ‘There is a lot of fear, there is a lot of anger’ --The Palestine National Authority (PNA) accused the United States of encouraging Israel to slaughter Palestinian civilians as Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) on Sunday redeployed around the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah and the adjacent refugee camp of Yubna, following a two day invasion during which seven Palestinians were killed, and at least 70 wounded, mostly civilians, 120 houses demolished and more than 1,000 refugees made homeless according to UNRWA. Israel wouldn’t have embarked on the latest spare of killing and destruction in the Gaza Strip had it not been for “American acquiescence and connivance,” said President Yasser Arafat’s media adviser Nabil Abu Rudainah.....Separately, IOF troops shot dead shortly before midnight on Saturday Samir al-Byouk, 43, claiming he was trying to place a bomb in the southern Gaza Strip illegal Jewish settlement of Morag.In the West Bank, five International Solidarity Movement (ISM) volunteers were kidnapped by IOF at approximately 1230 hrs local time on Sunday, while harvesting olives with Palestinian farmers in the village of Awarta, near Nablus. Rafah.. New Nakba, More Refugees: Report Islam Online 10/13/2003 RAFAH, Gaza Strip, October 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – A Palestinian old man rocked his grandson to sleep outside a tent set up by U.N. Agency for Palestinian Refugees in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza, recalling the memories of the first Nakba (setback) in 1948 when Israel drove him out of his homeland. "The Arabs and the Muslims have abandoned us," murmured Abu Mohammad, 67 , balancing his grandson Wissam on his knees, told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Nine Palestinians were killed, including two children and two teenagers, and about80 injured during the Israeli raid that began on Thursday night, October 9 . Rafah declared disaster zone Al-Jazeera 10/13/2003 The governor of Rafah has declared the area a disaster zone just hours after Israeli forces pulled out of the town and camp in southern Gaza, following a major raid which killed eight Palestinians and left 1500 homeless. Palestinian security sources witnessed about 40 tanks pulling out of the area on Saturday night, but although an Israeli military source confirmed the withdrawal, he hinted it was only temporary.International condemnation of Israeli action followed after the full extent of the damage caused by the military invasion began to emerge. IDF Rafah operation leaves 2,000 homeless Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 The Israel Defense Forces yesterday completed the first stage of its operation to uncover arms-smuggling tunnels in Rafah, at the southern end of the Gaza Strip, and pulled its troops out of the refugee camp, redeploying along the Egyptian border. International aid organizations and UNRWA officials were then able to make an initial assessment of the damage: some 100 houses were destroyed, leaving about 2,000 people homeless. Eight Palestinians, including two children, were killed earlier during the 72-hour operation that began early Friday morning. Rafah counts its dead as Israeli tanks pull out The Guardian 10/13/2003 Raid on camp leaves hundreds of Palestinians homeless -- Israeli tanks and bulldozers pulled out of southern Gaza yesterday after one of the most destructive raids of the intifada, leaving hundreds of Palestinians without homes and eight dead, including two children. The army fought its way into Rafah refugee camp on Thursday night, ostensibly in search of tunnels under the border with Egypt which the military said were being used to smuggle heavy weaponry such as ground-to-air missiles. But by the time the raid was over 48 hours later, just three tunnels had been found, while more than 100 homes had been rocketed or flattened by bulldozers, about 1,500 people left homeless and two children killed after an Israeli helicopter fired a missile into a crowd.

Diplomacy..

Palestinians, Israelis condemn 'Swiss' deal Al-Jazeera 10/13/2003 Palestinian leaders from across the political spectrum have strongly condemned the so-called “Swiss Agreement” formulated in Geneva last week by a group of former Palestinian Authority officials and three Israeli opposition leaders. According the draft accord, published on Monday in the Arab and Israeli press, Palestinians would give up the right of return for refugees in exchange for a semblance of sovereignty over al-Haram al-Sharif compound, including al-Aqsa Mosque, one of Islam’s holiest sites....Yaqub Shahin, a high-ranking official in the PA information ministry, described the agreement as “public relations bubbles”. “This so-called agreement is just another public relations bubble to be added to the previous numerous bubbles. It shouldn’t be given more attention than it deserves.” Shahin denied that the agreement was signed with the knowledge and coordination of the Palestinian leadership. Yasser Abed Rabbo: PA endorses Geneva Accord Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Former Palestinian minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, involved in the formulation of the "Geneva Accord," told Israel Radio on Monday that the Palestinian Authority endorses the plan. According to Abed Rabbo, the document will aid both sides in implementing the road map peace plan.Sources close to former minister Yossi Beilin, the head of the Israeli negotiating team said that the office of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon had been updated on developments in the negotiations on the unofficial peace proposal, Army Radio reported Monday. But officials in the Prime Minister's Office dismissed Beilin's assertion, saying Sharon had not been updated. Palestinians At Odds Over 'Switzerland Accord' Islam Online 10/13/2003 NABLUS, West Bank, October 13 (IslamOnline.net) – Palestinians received Monday, October13 , with mixed reaction the unofficial peace treaty finalized by finalized by members of the Israeli opposition Labor Party and Palestinian politicians. While some Palestinian politicians roundly rejected the peace proposal, the Palestinian Authority is said to support it. Khaled al-Baatch, an Islamic Jihad leader, told IslamOnline.net that the Palestinians from every stripe rejected the so-called Switzerland Accord, which made more concessions to the Israeli government. Beilin-Abed Rabbo accord infuriates right Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 A concession on the right of return for Palestinian refugees in exchange for Palestinian sovereignty over the Temple Mount is the core of a draft peace agreement concluded by unofficial Israeli and Palestinian negotiators yesterday. Palestinian sources said that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat was updated on the talks and is aware of all the details of the agreement. On the Israeli side, however, all of the negotiators were members of the opposition, acting without the government's knowledge or approval; thus the draft has no official status. U.S. set to veto UN resolution on fence Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 The U.S. intends to veto a proposed Arab resolution condemning the construction of the security fence in the West Bank, unless the resolution includes a condemnation of terrorism and terror groups. There are currently two proposed resolutions condemning Israel at the Security Council. One deals with the Syrian proposal for the condemnation of Israel's air attack against a suspected terrorist camp near Damascus last week. The other deals with the Palestinian complaints about the security fence. Sources at the UN say the Syrians may withdraw their resolution because of difficulties in raising sufficient support at the Security Council. Ministers give PM go-ahead to finalize prisoner exchange Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 Negotiations between Israel and Hezbollah are nearing completion, and the talks will be wrapped up once the identities of 400 prisoners to be released are determined, Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah said onFriday.Top Israeli security officials stressed, however, this weekend that "despite the flurry of announcements on this matter, a prisoner-exchange deal has yet to be clinched." Azzam Azzam asks to be included in prisoner swap Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 In a message sent yesterday to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, Azzam Azzam, the Israeli citizen who has been jailed in Egypt for the past seven years on charges that he spied for Israel, asked to be included in the prisoner-exchange deal currently being negotiated with Hezbollah. During a meeting yesterday with Health Minister Dan Naveh that lasted over three hours and was also attended by Azzam's brother, Wafa, the prisoner spoke of the harsh conditions in which he was being held. Egypt Rebuffs Including Spy In Hezbollah Swap Deal Islam Online 10/13/2003 CAIRO, October 13 (IslamOnline.net) – Egypt roundly rejects to be involved in the prisoners swap deal between Israel and Hezbollah by releasing Israeli spy Azzam Azzam, who is currently serving a15 -year term in an Egyptian jail, well-placed Egyptian sources told IslamOnline.net Monday, October 13. Israeli newspapers claimed Monday that Israeli Health Minister Danny Naveh offered to Egyptian officials to have Azzam complete his jail sentence for espionage in an Israeli prison in return for the release by Israel of over 40 Egyptian prisoners. Iran warns Israel over reports of planned air strike Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 TEHRAN - The Iranian government issued a warning to Israel over reports appearing in a German news magazine Monday that Jerusalem was researching how to strike Iranian nuclear sites. "We are used to such foolish rhetoric from Israel and consider it not even worth replying, but still Israel knows not to mess around with us," government spokesman Abdullah Ramezanzadeh told journalists. According to the news magazine Der Spiegel, Israeli intelligence services were ordered two months ago to study ways of knocking out more than half a dozen nuclear sites in Iran. Analysis / Israel, Iran and the nuclear bomb Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 Heading off Iran's attempt to attain nuclear capability is one of the Mossad's main missions, and the foreign media is one of the most important instruments utilized in this effort. Mossad agents supply foreign journalists with information about Iran's nuclear efforts; such foreign reports, the Mossad expects, support the international campaign to thwart Iran's nuclear weapons program. Sometimes, the foreign media are used to deliver deterrence-oriented messages about Israel's capabilities and intentions. Mossad Involved In Leaks On Israel's Plan To Attack Iranian Nuclear Plants Al-Hayat 10/13/2003 Major Israeli commentators have confirmed that high-ranking Mossad officials are responsible for the proliferation of reports that have appeared over the past two days in a number of foreign newspapers, about Israel's plan to carry out "a decisive preemptive strike" against Iranian nuclear plants, and about modifications operated by the Israeli Navy on American ballistic missiles, allowing them to launch nuclear heads from submarines. The commentators have maintained that the leaks are designed to prompt the international community to exert strong pressure on Tehran to have it cease its nuclear program, which Israel considers as "the biggest threat to its existence." Experts scorn report on Israel's nuclear submarines Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Israeli and foreign defense experts yesterday dismissed a report that Israel had modified submarine-based missiles to carry nuclear warheads, saying such an alteration was technically impossible. The Los Angeles Times reported in its Saturday editions that Israel had modified some of its nuclear warheads to fit U.S.-made Harpoon cruise missiles and upgraded the missiles so they could hit targets on land in addition to maritime ones. The article quoted two U.S. officials and one Israeli official, all speaking on condition of anonymity. Court suspends release of details on Tannenbaum kidnapping Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 The Supreme Court ruled Monday that no information on the circumstances of the abduction by Hezbollah of Israeli citizen Elhanan Tannenbaum may be released before October 19.Haaretz and Channel 10 television station - who petitioned for the information to be released from a gag order - and the family of the missing Israeli may submit their responses to the ruling by that date. Sources: Nasrallah wants numbers, less interested in names Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Israel does not expect the emerging prisoner exchange with Hezbollah to be foiled by a dispute over which Palestinian prisoners Jerusalem will release, since it believes that the number of prisoners freed is more important to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah than their identity. Israel is expected to release some 400 Palestinians as part of the deal, but does not want to free anyone convicted of killing an Israeli. However, it will apparently free some Palestinians convicted of abetting attacks, and may even release senior members of the terrorist organizations' political leadership. Sharon missed huge diplomatic chance, charges Richard Perle Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon missed a major diplomatic opportunity following U.S. President George Bush's June 24, 2002, speech, according to Richard Perle, a leading Jewish-American neo-conservative...."This speech was very important, and Israel's leadership should have grabbed it with both hands," Perle said in an interview with Haaretz yesterday. Perle, who is visiting Jerusalem this week, added that Israel should have accepted Bush's speech in a manner that would have transferred all the pressure onto the Palestinians. Because this did not happen, diplomats began working on the road map, and Sharon accepted it, even though in many respects, "it does not accord with the Bush speech." Olmert: Let's draw borders unilaterally Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Israel should determine its border with the Palestinians unilaterally, based on its own demographic interests, rather than waiting for an agreement, Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said yesterday. "We are much closer to a unilateral process that will create irreversible facts than we are to an agreement [with the Palestinians]," Olmert said, speaking at the Jerusalem Summit. "We must decide what kind of country we want, with what kind of population composition." EU's Prodi: Fence is the wrong answer Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 CAIRO - European Commission President Romano Prodi on Sunday said he was pessimistic about prospects for Middle East peace and that a barrier being built by Israel roughly on its West Bank boundary was the wrong approach. The European Union has previously called on Israel to stop building the barrier on West Bank territory beyond its 1967 borders. Israel says the barrier is needed to keep out suicide bombers. Palestinians call the project a land grab. U.S. to come take closer look fence route Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 A delegation of American experts will be arriving in Israel in the near future to take a closer look at the route of the separation fence that Israel has plotted in the West Bank, according to U.S. Ambassador Daniel Kurtzer. The U.S. administration has voiced several objections to the planned routing of the fence, one of which pertains to two areas near Road 443 linking Modi'in to Jerusalem that will require residents of Palestinian villages in the area to travel through tunnels under the road. Pakistan: Phalcon deal is threat to region Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 Pakistan warned yesterday that the Phalcon cooperation agreement signed between Israel, Russia and India on Friday would endanger peace in the region. Pakistan vowed to take steps to maintain the strategic regional balance. Pakistani Foreign Minister Khurshid Kasuri accused India of threatening Pakistan's security when it agreed to purchase an advanced Phalcon airborne early-warning radar system from Israel, along with Russian-made Ilyushin-76 transport planes to carry it. "Balance is absolutelyessential for peace," he told reporters. Israelis, Palestinians meet in Jordan on draft of Beilin-Abed Rabbo peace proposal Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 A group of Knesset members, including the Labor Party's Avraham Burg and Amram Mitzna, went yesterday into the last day of talks in Jordan with prominent Palestinian politicians. The talks are expected to result in the signing of a draft peace agreement prepared by former justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. The Israeli delegation left Thursday evening for the three-day meet, which sought to reach compromises on thorny issues such as the return of Palestinian refugees, settlements, the borders of a future Palestinian state and the future status of Jerusalem. Israelis, Palestinians Finalize 'Unofficial' Peace Treaty Islam Online 10/13/2003 AMMAN, October 13 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – In what some observers see as a bid to bring down the right-wing government of Ariel Sharon, leading Israeli opposition figures and former Palestinian ministers have drawn up an "unofficial" draft peace treaty to replace the dying U.S.-backed roadmap for Mideast peace, which hit its lowest ebb ever.The so-called Switzerland Accord, which came to light after two years of in-camera meetings supported by rights activists and Swiss diplomats, had been already finalized over the weekend during a meeting in Jordan, the BBC News Online reported Monday, October13 . Main points of the Geneva Accords Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 * The Palestinians will concede the right of return. Some refugees will remain in the countries where they now live, others will be absorbed by the PA, some will be absorbed by other countries and some will receive financial compensation. A limited number will be allowed to settle in Israel, but this will not be defined as realization of the right of return. * The Palestinians will recognize Israel as the state of the Jewish people.... New 'peace deal' angers Israel BBC 10/13/2003 A draft peace agreement aimed at offering an alternative route to peace in the Middle East has been angrily attacked by Israeli ministers. The unofficial plan - known as the Geneva Accord - was finalised over the weekend during a meeting of Israeli opposition politicians and Palestinian representatives in Jordan. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the Jerusalem Post it was "not helpful" to make people think there might be something other than the international plan known as the roadmap. Mideast Talks Produce 50-Page Peace Deal The Guardian 10/13/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Two years of talks between former Israeli and Palestinian negotiators have produced a 50-page peace deal that could be the basis for eventual official negotiations, even though it has no formal standing, participants said Monday. Israeli leaders blasted the agreement as an irresponsible end run around the government, saying the Israeli participants, among them former left-wing Cabinet ministers, centrist generals and legislators allied with Israel's opposition, had no right to make concessions in Israel's name....Palestinian refugees would be mainly be resettled in Palestine and in third countries, or be offered compensation. The document makes no reference to a blanket ``right of return'' of Palestinian refugees to homes in what is now Israel...

Human Rights..

Israeli forces detained 70 farmers on the western side of the wall, opposite their village Electronic Intifada/PCHR 10/13/2003 The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) condemns the actions of Israeli occupying forces who are currently holding approximately 70 Palestinian farmers from the village of Jayous, northeast of Qalqilya, against their will. For the last nine days, the farmers have been detained on the western side of the Israeli separation barrier, opposite the village. Israeli occupying forces have denied the individuals the right to return to their homes in Jayous. Five ISM volunteers snatched by Israeli military International Solidarity Movement 10/12/2003 [AWARTA, Nablus]Five international ISM volunteers were snatched by the Israeli military at approximately 1230 hrs local time, while harvesting olives with Palestinian farmers in the village of Awarta, near Nablus.Two US citizens, one Briton, once Swede and one Irish national were standing on the side of the road, providing accompaniment to Palestinian farmers trying to harvest olives on their land despite the ban on Palestinian movement by the Israeli military, when they were taken. Farmers and Internationals Arrested For Harvesting International Solidarity Movement 10/9/2003 [JAYYOUS, Qalqiliya] Two Palestinian farmers and two Swedish peace activists were arrested this afternoon by Israeli soldiers in a campaign of harassment against farmers insisting on their right to access their land. This morning, after Israeli soldiers announced that they would again, for the fifth day in a row, not allow farmers to access their land, dozens of Palestinian farmers, joined by 40 international and Israeli peace activists, broke through the gate that divides the people of Jayyous from their farmland and poured into the olive groves to harvest. Coming out of their fields, every farmer was stopped, his/her identity card taken by heavily armed Israeli soldiers, and the farmer forced to wait. One of the farmers, Imad Abdelkader Khalid, who tried to explain to the soldiers that he was needed urgently at home was verbally and physically abused by a soldier, who after firing his M16 rifle over Imad’s head, put him on his knees, handcuffed and blindfolded him. Call to Action: Farmers Get Access To Land "5 Times per Year" - Events Oct. 14-16 International Solidarity Movement 10/13/2003 On Tuesday, October 14, Palestinian farmers from the West Bank village of Tora Shakir near Jenin and international activists will peacefully march to a gate in the "Separation Wall" dividing them from their agricultural land and demand that they be allowed access. At the gate they will then establish a Peace Camp, where Palestinians and internationals will stay for three days. On the following day, Wednesday, October 15, farmers will attempt to pass through the gate and harvest olives. UNRWA: Occupation Demolishes 114 Houses, Displaces 1,240 Refugees in Rafah During Three Days International Press Center 10/13/2003 RAFAH, Palestine, October 13, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - The United Nations Relief and Work Agency (UNRWA) teams working in Rafah City confirmed that the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) had destroyed 114 Palestinian homes during its three-day invasion, and that the demolition of these homes left 1,240 Palestinian citizens homeless. In a written press statement, the UNRWA said that the relief teams working in the city of Rafah, south of Gaza Strip, has completed its assessment of the number of demolished households in which Palestinian refugees dwelled between the period of October 9-11. UNRWA Commissioner Compares Havoc in Rafah With Earthquake International Press Center 10/13/2003 RAFAH, October13 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Peter Hansen, commissioner general of the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) described the great havoc caused by the Israeli occupation forces as if a severe earthquake hit the densely-populated Yebna refugee camp of Rafah City, south of the Gaza Strip, with up to 120 homes demolished. The UNRWA General Commissioner, who toured yesterday the battered camp following the Israeli forces redeployment around the camp, has voiced his pessimism over the Israeli practices against the Palestinian people. Israel Demands the Withdrawal of UN Food Report Holding It Responsible For “Deliberate Starvation Policy” in OPT International Press Center 10/11/2003 NEW YORK, October 12 , 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Mr. Jean Ziegler, the UN Special Rapporteur on the right to food, confirmed that he will not withdraw the report he submitted to UN Commission on Human Right, holding the Israeli security measures responsible for the humanitarian crisis the Palestinian people is going through in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. "The occupied Palestinian territories are on the verge of humanitarian catastrophe as a result of extremely harsh military measures," Ziegler said....“There can be no justification for harsh internal closures that prevent people from having access to food and water; otherwise the imposition of such military measures amount to what has been called a ‘policy of starvation’.." No secure home for Arab teenage girls in distress as last remaining facility shuts its doors Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 The only secure home for teenage Arab girls in distress, Ma'on Hagalil in Acre, was shut down at the end of May, after a little more than a year in operation. Consequently, many of the girls have no place to go and face violence or even death. Last week, three Arab organizations that protect Arab women from violence petitioned the High Court of Justice, demanding that it order the state to immediately open a secure home for Arab girls. There are two homes intended for the general population, but almost all the inmates are Jewish. The absence of a home for Arab girls infringes on their right to equality before the law, as judges cannot send them to a home and are often forced to send them to jail instead, said the petition presented by Adalah, the legal center for the rights of the Arab minority in Israel. Adalah Submits Petition to Supreme Court Demanding Shelter for Young Arab Women Adalah 10/13/2003 On 9 October 2003, Adalah submitted a petition to the Supreme Court of Israel asking the court to compel the Minister of Labor and Social Affairs to immediately open a suitable shelter for young Arab women. The petition was filed on behalf of three feminist organizations: Women Against Violence, Assiwar - The Palestinian Feminist Center in Support of Victims of Sexual Abuse, and Kayan - A Feminist Organization, and in Adalah's own name, by Adalah Attorney Gadeer Nicola. Updates for Rafah International Solidarity Movement 10/10/2003 By Laura: 1) RAFAH UPDATE - On Yom Kippur (to specify, October 6), the most holy day on the Jewish calendar, the day of atonement in which we are supposed to cease every form of work in order to pray and request forgiveness from God, the army began construction on a new permanent checkpoint in the Gaza Strip, another slice.2) RECIPE: DAAMAA (COOKING TOMATOES)3) INVASION - There is a tank parked outside of Om Essam's house, Mustafa Jabber's family's home two houses down from his own. To the people the army is saying no one will be permitted exit for five days. Curfew on Jenin enters second week Electronic Intifada/PCHR 10/11/2003 For the seventh successive day, Israeli occupying forces have imposed a strict curfew on Jenin and its refugee camps, prohibiting Palestinian civilians from obtaining food supplies, and abrogating their rights to movement, education and medical attention.Israeli forces moved into Jenin and its refugee camps after learning of the identity of a Palestinian bomber in Haifa on Saturday 4 October 2003. Israeli forces withdraw from Rafah, leaving 8 Palestinians dead and 2,000 homeless Electronic Intifada/PCHR 10/13/2003 Following an Israeli military incursion that left dead 8 Palestinians, Israeli occupying forces finally withdrew from Rafah refugee camp at midnight on Sunday, 12 October 2003. Israeli forces moved into the camp on Friday morning, 10 October 2003, in an operation that resulted in wide-spread destruction to the densely populated area and left over 2,000 Palestinians homeless.According to PCHR’s investigations, Israeli occupying forces completely or partially demolished 168 Palestinian houses without permitting residents to remove their belongings. Israeli forces used military vehicles, mortar shells, machine guns and missiles launched from fighter jets during the operation. Israeli Military Commander for the Gaza Strip transfers Palestinian prisoner to administrative detention Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 10/11/2003 The commander of the Israeli military forces in Gaza Strip, General Dan Harel,issued a military order yesterday to transfer prisoner, ‘Izz al-Deen ‘Atiah ‘Abdul Rahman al-Masree, 35, to administrative detention for a period of 6 months, beginning 10 October 2003.Al-Masry, who is from Khan Younis, works as a teacher and is a father of four....Despite requests by PCHR, no information has been provided as to why Al Masry has been subjected to an administrative detention order.PCHR is gravely concerned at the increasing use of administrative detention by the Israeli military against Palestinians.

Economy..

Histadrut, treasury agree to 100-day strike moratorium in ports dispute Ha'aretz 10/12/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut labor federation chairman MK Amir Peretz agreed on Friday afternoon to suspend for 100 days the dispute about plans to privatize Israel's ports. At least temporarily, the agreement brought to an end to a contentious and costly nine-day strike at the country's three ports. Labor Party chairman MK Shimon Peres mediated in the Tel Aviv meeting on Friday and helped to hammer out the 100-day moratorium. Histadrut, Finance Ministry talks fail to secure agreements Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Representatives of the Finance Ministry and the Histadrut labor federation failed on Monday evening to secure any agreements aimed at resolving the civil service labor dispute. The meeting between treasury wage director Yuval Rachlevsky, Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander and head of the Civil Servants Union, Ofer Eini, ended with both sides agreeing only to convene again later this week. Treasury seeks time to reach deal with strikers Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Histadrut labor federation and Finance Ministry officials will meet today and tomorrow in an effort to prevent a strike by some 50,000 civil servants from resuming after this week's Sukkot holiday. The talks will be conducted by the head of the Civil Servants Union, Ofer Eini, the head of the treasury's wages department, Yuval Rachlevsky, and Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander. European importers sue over tax on goods from territories Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Several French and British importers are planning on suing tax authorities in their respective countries over plans to impose tariffs on Israeli goods produced in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Financial Times reported on Sunday. Trade agreements with the European Union give Israel favored conditions - often tax free - for exporting goods to the European market. State Comptroller finds serious flaws in Pi Glilot deal Globes 10/13/2003 Fuel companies Sonol, Paz, and Delek received tracts of the most valuable land in the country. -- State Comptroller Eliezer Goldberg has prepared a draft report criticizing the land allocation at the Pi Glilot fuel depot to Sonol, Paz Oil Company, and Delek The Israel Fuel Corporation. Israeli diamond dealers who traded with Russia fear arrest Globes 10/13/2003 Following the arrest of Israel Diamond Exchange vice president Avraham Traub, they are worried that they might face arrest warrants issued by the Russian police. -- Israeli diamond dealers are deeply worried by the arrest of Israel Diamond Exchange vice president Avraham Traub in Hungary, reported by "Globes" yesterday. They are worried because other Israeli diamond dealers, as well as dealers of other nationalities, made a practice of taking rough diamonds out of Russia. Ports Authority to pay compensation for strike damage Globes 10/13/2003 The Ports Authority will grant a full exemption on storage charges for cargo delayed in the ports by the strike -- The Israel Ports Authority management will recommend to the Ports Authority council to compensate business damaged by the prolonged ports strike.

People..

Insight into Miraculous Survival of Palestinian Society An Nahar 10/13/2003 After his apartment was demolished by Israeli soldiers, Ahmed Abu Sair and his new bride found shelter in his father's home where eight people already shared two small rooms. His dad's bed was moved out onto the balcony. However, Abu Sair, 29, a security guard who can't afford a new place on a $125-a-month salary, won't remain in such cramped conditions much longer: his four-story apartment block is being rebuilt by neighbors who, though poor themselves, donated money and labor. Such informal support systems — neighborhood associations, clan welfare funds, mosque alms boxes — have helped keep Palestinian society afloat, along with foreign aid, during three years of fighting. 2 Christian conferences underway in 'capital' Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 Two major international conferences are taking place in Jerusalem this week. At the Jerusalem Summit, hosted by the Christian Coalition for Israel, some 100 opinion-makers from the U.S. and Europe, most of whose members are identified with the political right, are discussing various issues of peace in the Middle East in the post-Oslo era. Most of Israel's cabinet ministers will appear at the conference, held at the capital's King David Hotel. Among conference participants are the former U.S. undersecretary of defense Richard Perle, and President Bush's advisor on the Middle East, Prof. Daniel Pipes. Another large-scale gathering of support for Israel, held by the International Christian Embassy in honor of Sukkot, is underway at the International Convention Center in Jerusalem. Survey: 53% of Gazans optimistic about future Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 The Palestinians in the Gaza Strip are slightly more optimistic about the future than their compatriots in the West Bank, according to a World Bank survey of households and businesses in the territories. The survey was conducted in August and September, during the relative quiet of the hudna (cease-fire). Over 53 percent of the Gazans surveyed said they expect their lives to improve during the coming year: 49.6 percent of the sample said their situation will be "somewhat better" and 3.9 percent expect their lives to be "much better." 10,000 visitors celebrate Sukkot in Hebron Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 During the past two years, the Sukkot festivities organized by the Jewish settlement in Hebron have been marred by violence. In 2001, two women were injured when shots were fired from the Abu Snina hill at Jews celebrating near the Cave of the Patriarchs....Yesterday, despite this past experience, some ten thousand Jews came to Hebron to visit the Cave of the Patriarchs and visit the areas of Jewish settlement in the city. A large contingent of soldiers were deployed along the route to Hebron and on the city's rooftops to secure the event. Bereaved families demonstrate Ha'aretz 10/13/2003 A group of bereaved families...protest..as part of a campaign against what they regard as excessive restraint by the IDF..stirring public opposition to the refuseniks, and to the IDF ethical code,drafted by Prof. Asa Kasher. "The code states that we have to show mercy to enemy civilians, even at the price of our soldiers. This is not a Jewish ethical code."

International..

US Soldiers Bulldoze Farmers' Crops By Patrick Cockburn, Common Dreams 10/12/2003 Americans accused of brutal 'punishment' tactics against villagers -- [Dhuluaya, Iraq]US soldiers driving bulldozers, with jazz blaring from loudspeakers, have uprooted ancient groves of date palms as well as orange and lemon trees in central Iraq as part of a new policy of collective punishment of farmers who do not give information about guerrillas attacking US troops. Meetings on Arab Boycott of Israel Begin The Guardian 10/13/2003 DAMASCUS, Syria (AP) - Arab countries opened a five-day meeting on their weakened regional boycott of Israel on Sunday with plans to blacklist companies that do business with the Jewish state. The 18 attending states of the 22-member Arab League were also expected to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.N. Nuclear Agency Chief to Visit Iran The Guardian 10/13/2003 VIENNA, Austria (AP) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency chief will visit Iran this week to help persuade Tehran to meet an Oct. 31 deadline to prove it is not producing atomic weapons, a diplomat said Monday. The Vienna-based International Atomic Energy Agency said only that Mohamed ElBaradei had received a formal invitation. But a Western diplomat close to the agency told The Associated Press that ElBaradei had accepted and would head to Tehran on Thursday. Scepticism as Saudi announces elections Al-Jazeera 10/13/2003 Saudi Arabia is to hold its first ever elections in a move designed to show the world it is serious over political reform. The kingdom - which has no freely elected officials only appointees - announced on Monday its intention to organise an election to vote for municipal councils. The announcement by the cabinet followed growing demands by reformists on de facto ruler Crown Prince Abd Allah to allow wider political participation, elections and freedom of expression. Call to overhaul Arab economies Al-Jazeera 10/12/2003 The Union of Arab Banks (UAB) has called for a radical overhaul of the Arab world's economy. Addressing its two-day annual conference in Beirut on Thursday, UAB President Joseph Torbey underlined the need for restructuring the Arab world's global economic ties. He said the Arab world must face up to the challenge with "a global restructuring of our economies and closer links with the major economic blocs, such as the European Union and United States". Russia delays Iran nuclear plant BBC 10/13/2003 Russia says it has delayed plans to start up a nuclear reactor in Iran by a year but has stressed it is for technical reasons, not because of external political pressure. The construction of the controversial $800m Bushehr plant will now start in 2005, according to the Russian Atomic Energy Ministry. Russia has come under strong pressure from the United States and Israel to drop the project, as Washington accuses Tehran of secretly developing an illegal weapons programme. Malaysia Urges OIC To Act On Crucial Issues Islam Online 10/13/2003 KUALA LUMPUR, October 13 (IslamOnline.net) - Malaysia Monday, October13 , urged the Organization of Islamic Conference (OIC) to move away from its current state where it seems crippled by its inability to cope with the times, according to Malaysia’s Foreign Minister Datuk Seri Syed Hamid Albar at the Putrajaya Convention Center (PCC). “The organization is crippled due to its lack of political will to remove the constraints and deal with crucial issues,” said the Minister who was delivering his opening statement at the OIC Ministerial Preparatory Meeting at the PCC in the Malaysian capital. Mideast conflict sets stage at OSU The Plain Dealer 10/12/2003 Columbus - The raw nerve of the Middle East conflict will soon be exposed on the Ohio State University campus.Some Jewish groups have demanded that officials stop a pro-Palestinian conference scheduled for Nov. 7-9 at OSU. They say it will be an anti-Semitic hatefest featuring people who support terrorism and the annihilation of the Jews.Many Jewish groups support the right of the pro-Palestinian group to meet, even though they condemn its views.

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