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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..

Bloody day in Gaza Strip Middle East Online Three Israeli soldiers killed by Palestinian raiders in Netzarim, four Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip flareup. -- Three Israeli soldiers and four Palestinians were killed, including an Islamic militant raiding a Jewish settlement and a child, as a flareup of violence swept the Gaza Strip on Friday. A poll, meanwhile, showed a majority of Israelis support air strikes in the Palestinian territories despite often heavy civilian casualties, while the Israeli government said Gaza had turned into a "centre of Islamic terrorism". Israel's new wall plan for the Jordan valley The Independent 10/25/2003 Israel is mulling plans for a security barrier that would cut off the Jordan valley from the West Bank. A senior official said the country's Defence Ministry had formulated the plan, which would connect the Jordan valley to Israel. The proposal has not yet been presented to the government for approval. Earlier this month, the government approved security barriers that would run through the West Bank, in most areas relatively close to Israel. The Jordan valley segment would be further to the east. The official said this segment would be the last to be built, depending on the security situation. Israeli Soldiers Slaughter a Palestinian Child, Three Citizens Die of Wounds International Press Center 10/24/2003 DEIR EL-BALAH, Palestine, October 24, 2003, (IPC + Agencies) - - An eleven-year-old Palestinian child was killed Friday by Israeli occupation soldiers in the middle of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security sources said. Israeli soldiers stationed at the Israeli (illegal) post of "Kisufim", shot and killed a child while he was near the building of Abu Nahia, east of Deir El-Balah City, in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical sources said Mohammed Hamaida was killed Friday after being shot in the abdomen by Israeli soldiers in Deir El-Balah. Three other citizens died Friday of their wounds they sustained after being shot by Israeli occupation forces, Palestinian medical sources declared....Later on Friday, two citizens were shot and wounded by IOF east of Gaza City. Israeli soldiers stationed at a military post east of Gaza opened their fire at a group of Palestinian farmers, wounding two, Palestinian security sources said. In the West Bank, ten Palestinian citizens were arrested during the Israeli incursion of the Al-Yamoon Town, near Jenin, Palestine News Agency (WAFA) reported. Two Internationals and Two Palestinian Boys Shot in Nablus    International Solidarity Movement 10/24/2003 [Balata Refugee Camp, Nablus] Earlier this evening two young Palestinian boys and two international peace activists were injured when Israeli soldiers drove into the Balata Refugee Camp randomly firing their weapons into the streets. Two Israeli military jeeps and a hummer entered the camp and began shooting at approximately 8:00PM. The two Palestinian boys were hit by rubber bullets; one of the boys was hospitalized and later released. Two volunteers with the International Solidarity Movement escorted a group of children to safety then stayed to observe. Mark (last name withheld), a volunteer from Colorado in the United States, sustained injury to his right thigh when a live bullet grazed his leg. Australian volunteer Jeremy (last name withheld), was shot through the leg, a live bullet passing through his left thigh and entering his right. Mark and Jeremy are currently undergoing treatment at Rafidia Hospital in Nablus. Three Israeli Soldiers, 4 Palestinians Killed In Gaza Islam Online 10/24/2003 GAZA CITY, October 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Palestinian gunmen killed three Israeli soldiers in an attack on a military base near a Jewish settlement in Gaza early Friday, October 24, claimed by two Islamic resistance groups, as the army said it killed one assailant and a "would-be" Palestinian infiltrator. The Israeli occupation army said two of the soldiers killed in the night-time raid on the heavily-guarded settlement were women and the third a male colleague. They were killed in their sleep in a caravan, according to military radio, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). IOF Demolishes Apartment Building in Jerusalem, Archimandrite Hanna Condemns Israeli Razing of Christian Archeological Site International Press Center 10/22/2003 JERUSALEM, October 22, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupying authorities demolished an apartment building in occupied east Jerusalem, under false pretenses. Israeli bulldozers, escorted by large Israeli forces, surrounded an apartment building still under construction in the "Al Salam" neighborhood, northeast of Jerusalem, and started demolishing it, eyewitnesses said. Israeli troops surrounded the area around the building and prevented citizens and journalists from entering the area and documenting the demolition....Meanwhile, Archimandrite Dr. Atallah Hanna condemned today the Israeli burial of a Christian archeological site in the city of Jerusalem. In a phone call, the Archimandrite described the destruction of this site as dangerous and aims to Judaize the Jerusalem area, and bury any evidences of a Christian or Islamic historical presence. Two Palestinians Killed and a House Demolished In Hebron Palestinians of East Jerusalem Harassed by Jewish Settlers International Press Center 10/23/2003 HEBRON, Oct 23, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- Israeli occupying forces tore down Thursday morning the house of Rafeeq Mohammed Al Kanibi in Hebron city, who was killed in fire and back fire with the Jewish settlers last night in Tel Al Rumeida illegal Jewish settlement in Hebron. Following the incident the Israeli occupying forces imposed a curfew on the adjacent Palestinian neighborhoods surrounding the Jewish settlement of Tel Al Rumeida....In a separate incident, in a cold blooded murder, the Israeli occupation forces had assassinated Wednesday dawn Abed Al Hadi Al Natsha in Hebron city. Al Natasha’s relatives accounted on that Al Natsha was shot andwounded in his foot before the Israeli soldiers arrested him, shortly after the soldiers executed him by shooting his head from a close distance....In occupied east Jerusalem, The Jewish settlers in theoccupied east Jerusalem impaired a number of Palestinian vehicles Thursday morning in Al Musrara neighborhood close to road No. (1) and smashed the glasses of others, IPC Correspondent said....In khan Younis city of Gaza Strip, the Israeli bulldozers had razed a brick factory and arable lands of Abu Marazeeq area, west of Al Qarara town of khan Younis, IPC correspondent said. 3 Israelis lightly hurt in Gaza attack Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Israeli Defense Forces troops shot and killed a Palestinian man who they say approached the fence of the Jewish settlement of Alei Sinai in the Gaza Strip late yesterday. Three Israelis were lightly wounded in a Palestinian shooting attack in the Gaza late yesterday, settlers and rescue services said. A Palestinian gunman was killed, settlers said. Shots were also fired at a car on a road near the Kissufim checkpoint between the Gaza Strip and Israel, a route used by Jewish settlers to reach their homes in southern Gaza. Two of the victims were women, the third was a young boy. According to settlers in the area, two gunmen opened fire on the vehicle and in the ensuing battle one of the gunmen was killed. One Killed In Nablus, Israeli Incursion Vandalizes Gaza International Press Center 10/23/2003 NABLUS, Oct 23, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- Ra’ed Saéd khaled, 23 aged, was killed in a nebulous explosion of “Fyat- Uno” car in Amman street crossed with Iraq Street in Nablus city. The car was carrying two others, named as Ragheb al Qadoumi and khaled Hamad whom are in critical conditions, IPC correspondent said. The car had exploded at 9:00 pm. of Wednesday after the inspections carried out by the Palestinian policemen, remnant of explosives and manual grenades were founded in the scene, which were disarmed immediately.....In Al Qarara town, north Kahn Younis city, two citizens were moderately wounded during the Israeli incursion into the town, Palestinian security sources said....Witnesses mentioned that the Israeli military bulldozers had razed 50 dunums of arable lands of citrus and olive groves owned by Al Astal and Al Agha families, besides, the irrigation networks were completely torn up. MK's wife unhurt after bomb explodes under her car Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 A small incendiary device exploded on Friday underneath a car belonging to the wife of MK Issam Makhoul (Hadash-Ta'al), which was parked outside their home on Haifa's Hanesi Boulevard. According to Makhoul, he and his wife, Su'ad, had been on their way out of the house when the device exploded. "My wife was sitting in the car, a Honda, which is the car I usually drive, and was planning to collect our 10-year-old twins from their school. The Honda was parked next to the Ford vehicle I was sitting in. Suddenly I heard a blast, I looked over and saw the car engulfed in flames. My wife managed to get out of the car unsctahed." Hamas, Jihad claim Gaza attack that killed 3 IDF soldiers Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Three Israel Defense Forces soldiers - two women and a man - were killed and two other soldiers were wounded in a Palestinian infiltration at an army base in the heavily guarded Gaza Strip settlement of Netzarim at around 4:20 A.M. Friday. The wounded troops, a man with moderate injuries and a woman hurt seriously, were airlifted to Barzilai Medical Center in Ashkelon for treatment....Later Friday in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians fired three mortar shells at a settlement in the Gush Katif bloc, and sappers defused a bomb discovered near the Kfar Darom settlement, Israel Radio reported. There were no injuries. Israel Plans to Extend Security Barrier The Guardian 10/24/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's Defense Ministry has formulated a plan to extend its security barrier into a new area of the West Bank, despite international pressure to stop construction, a senior Israeli official said Friday. Meanwhile, Palestinian gunmen killed three Israeli soldiers in a Gaza settlement. The new segment would cut off the Jordan Valley - a region on the eastern side of the West Bank where Israel has a number of settlements - and connect it to Israel. Israel plans 333 new homes in West Bank Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Since the beginning of the year, the Housing Ministry has issued tenders for the construction of 1,727 housing units in the territories, of which the lion's share - 1,326 units - are in the greater Jerusalem area. -- The Housing Ministry yesterday issued a tender for the construction of 333 new apartments in two West Bank settlements. A ministry official said that tenders were issued for 153 new apartments in Karnei Shomron, in the northern West Bank, and 180 in Givat Ze'ev, near Jerusalem. Since the beginning of the year, the Housing Ministryhas issued tenders for the construction of 1,727 housing units in the territories, of which the lion's share - 1,326 units - are in the greater Jerusalem area. Israel publishes map of fence that would cut off 70,000 Palestinians NewsCanada 10/24/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel published a detailed map Friday of its planned security barrier, which would encircle tens of thousands of Palestinians, cutting them off from the West Bank, and would keep about 80 per cent of Jewish settlers on the Israeli side of the fence. The snaking path of the fence, which slopes from flat land up into mountains, cuts deep into the West Bank and will likely inflame already fierce international opposition. Carnage in Gaza Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 23 - 29 October 2003 The end of a bloody week of destruction and terror in Gaza has left people dead, maimed and homeless, writes Khaled Amayreh -- Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles into a crowd of civilians in the Nuseirat refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Monday evening, 20 October, killing at least eight people and injuring and maiming as many as 100. A few minutes previously, Israeli warplanes fired missiles at "an unknown target" in the camp, which turned out to be a civilian vehicle. The two passengers, whom Israel initially claimed were "militants" but later admitted were civilians, were incinerated beyond recognition. One Palestinian and Three IOF Soldiers Killed in Gaza International Press Center 10/24/2003 GAZA, Palestine, October 24, 2003, (IPC) - - One Palestinian and three Israeli soldiers were killed and two others were wounded early on Friday in a fire exchange in an Israeli military outpost in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Palestinian local sources said two Palestinian freedom fighters attacked an Israeli military outpost adjacent to the heavily guarded illegal Jewish settlement of "Nitsarim" in Gaza. Israeli sources said three soldiers were killed in an attack carried out by two Palestinian gunmen. FBI unhappy with PA's help in probe of convoy bombing Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 The U.S. Federal Bureau of Investigations team that is probing a roadside bombing that killed three American security guards in Gaza last week is unhappy with the level of cooperation it has received from the Palestinian security services, American sources said yesterday. "The PA assisted in the investigation, but it could have done more," said one, explaining that while some of the Palestinian security services were helpful, others were less so. Gaza is Back to The Cycle of Attacks and Counter Attacks International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2003 According to a military source, two resistance men crossed Friday 4:20 am the exterior fence of Netzarim settlement in the Gaza Strip and opened fire, killing two settlers and wounding two others. The source said that one of the attackers was killed and that the search is underway for the other. Settlers were instructed to stay in door with lights extinguished. Hours earlier, soldiers shot dead a Gaza resident, claiming that he approached the fence surrounding Alei Sinai in the Gaza Strip....It is still not clear [whether] resistance groups decided to limit their attacks to military and settlers targets, or wither this is due to difficulties they face in launching attacks inside Israel. Tenders to Build More Homes in WB Settlements International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2003 Israeli housing ministry issued a tender Thursday for the construction of more than 300 new apartments in west bank settlements, 153 apartments in Karnei Shomron, near Nablus and 180 in Givat Ze'ev, near Jerusalem. Ministry spokesman Kobi Bleich said Thursday that the tender is in line with a decision taken by the government of Israel, affirming that his ministry builds all over Israel, including the West bank. The U.S. administration criticized the housing ministry move. U.S. State Department spokesman said Thursday that his administration believe that under the road map, Israel has made a commitment to stop settlement activities, noting that "sticking to that commitment is important". News Briefs: Soldiers Assault, Arrest Students Outside Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 10/24/2003 FBI: PA Could Have Done More to Assist / Soldiers Assault Jerusalemite Students / Arab MK Wife Escaped a bomb that Exploded under Her Car / Army invades Yamoun village, arrests 17 residents / Al-Qassam brigades shell Israeli settlements with Qassam Rockets / Old man dies of his wounds, and two injured east of Gaza Gunmen kill three Israeli soldiers The Guardian 10/24/2003 Three Israeli soldiers were today killed and two others wounded in a shooting attack in the Gaza Strip. A spokesman for the Israeli military said two Palestinian gunmen entered the Israeli Netzarim settlement at 4am local time (3am BST) and opened fire on an army outpost. Two of the dead soldiers were women and the other a man.Resident Eliahu Zan, part of a settler security guard squad, said that a call came over his radio warning that an attacker was in the settlement. Residents turned off house lights and prepared weapons. IAF report quickly dispels rumors on Gaza strike Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 [When is a lie not a lie? Ed.] "Any lie or distortion would quickly be noticed - and leaked." --- There is one document that, in some ways, offers even better testimony than do real-time photographs from a pilotless drone as to what the Israel Air Force command really knew about Monday's missile strikes in Gaza. It is an internal report on the operation sent by IAF headquarters to all air force units...."Summary: A. The results were very good. B. Planned terror attacks were prevented and many armaments were assaulted. C. Maximum precautions were taken, in both planning and execution, to avoid harming uninvolved persons."

Diplomacy..

U.S. raps Israel over tenders for new homes in settlements Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 The United States called on Israel to stick to its commitments under the road map Thursday, after the Housing Ministry issued a tender for the construction of more than 300 new apartments in two West Bank settlements. The road map calls for a freeze on all settlement activity, including construction for natural growth, as part of the first stage of the Israeli-Palestinian agreement. A ministry official said tenders had been issued for 153 new apartments in the Karnei Shomron settlement, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, and 180 others in Givat Ze'ev, near Jerusalem. Bush Drops Opposition To Building Of Barrier Forward 10/24/2003 Fence Gains Nod As Road Map Dies -- WASHINGTON — The Bush administration has abandoned its opposition to Israel's construction of a security fence in the West Bank, easing a major point of tension between Washington and Jerusalem in recent months, according to pro-Israel activists in Washington, Palestinian diplomats and sources close to the Bush administration. Until this summer, the administration had vocally expressed its opposition to the fence, warning that its construction could hinder America's "road map" peace plan. But with last month's resignation of Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, the administration now appears to accept not only the idea of the fence, but also its deep penetration into the West Bank. The White House thinks Israel is justified in erecting the fence and that the Palestinian Authority has brought the fence on itself by not cracking down on terrorism, administration officials recently told pro-Israel activists. Furthermore, administration officials indicated that the Bush White House accepts the principle that security considerations in some instances necessitate allowing the fence to veer into the West Bank, the activists said. PM Qurei’: Washington to Enhance its ‘Mediation Role’ International Press Center 10/23/2003 EGYPT, October 23, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmad Qurei’, said Wednesday that United States Undersecretary of State, William Burns, informed him that Washington is determined to enhance its role as a mediator between the Palestinians and Israelis to find a way out of current impasse. Minister Qurei’ was quoted as saying “the Americans want both Palestinians and Israelis to abide by all commitments but they also asserted their willingness to act as a broker and at present they are looking for a mean to inject momentum to break away from the standing predicament.” Bishara meets Syrian president Assad Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Balad chairman MK Azmi Bishara met in Qatar on Friday morning with Syrian President Bashar Assad and his foreign minister, Farouk A-Shara, to discuss the political situation in the Middle East and American pressure on Syria, said Bishara's aides. There is no law preventing Israeli citizens or Knesset members from going to Qatar, said officials at Bishara's office. The last time Bishara met with Syrian leaders was in June 2001, in Damascus. In August of that year, Bishara was charged with supporting a terror organization after he allegedly expressed support for Hezbollah's right to fight against the Israel Defense Forces. The case is ongoing. Bishara meets Assad in Qatar Middle East Online 10/24/2003 Arab Israeli MP, Syrian President have talks on regional situation, pressures exerted on Damascus. -- JERUSALEM - Arab Israeli deputy Azmi Bishara, repeatedly slammed in Israel for his "illegal" trips to Syria, met Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Qatar on Friday, his office said. During their meeting, also attended by Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shara, they discussed "the regional situation and pressures exerted on Syria to isolate her," the statement said. The meeting was an expression of solidarity with Syria in view of such "pressures," the statement added. Spanish royal visit puts emphasis on Syria Daily Star 10/24/2003 Juan Carlos makes very few foreign trips - On Israeli-Palestinian conflict: ‘Everyone understands we need to fight for this peace process and in the end we need 2 states’ -- DAMASCUS: King Juan Carlos’ visit to Syria this week offered a strong sign of Spanish support for the Arab country as it grapples with US threats of political and economic isolation, stemming largely from its differences with Washington’s Mideast policies. It also highlighted Syria’s central role in Middle East politics, despite US and Israeli attempts to marginalize President Bashar Assad’s government, Spanish officials insisted. “Let me be very frank: The message of this visit … is a very important one,” Spanish Foreign Minister Ana Palacio told The Daily Star as the monarch wound up his visit Wednesday. Portuguese President Sampaio praises Geneva Accord Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Portuguese President Jorge Sampaio met with Yossi Beilin in Lisbon on Friday and praised the Geneva Accord, Army Radio reported. Sampaio expressed concern over what he described as the despair presiding over the Middle East, as well as over the lack of public debate on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The Portuguese President expressed hope that the public interest sparked by the Geneva Accord would "urge Israeli and Palestinian believers in peace."...The High Court rejected Friday two petitions filed against the Israeli figures behind the Geneva Accord peace proposal. The petitions were filed by the Temple Mount Faithful and an attorney from Ramat Gan. Israeli, Palestinian politicians discuss alternative peace plan ReliefWeb 10/23/2003 GENEVA, Oct 23 (AFP) - Israeli and Palestinian politicians promoting an alternative peace plan for the Middle East have held a meeting in Geneva with Swiss facilitators, the Swiss foreign ministry said on Thursday.Former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin met in the western Swiss city late on Wednesday to discuss the next steps for the "Geneva Initiative", foreign ministry spokesman Simon Hubacher said. "It was an informal meeting", Hubacher told AFP, adding that diplomats from the European Union, Japan and Norway had also been present. Lebanese families pressure Hezbollah over swap Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Hezbollah is not willing to accept the terms Israel is presenting for the exchange of prisoners, especially those dealing with the Lebanese prisoners, the Lebanese daily Al-Sapir reported yesterday. The radical Shi'a organization is demanding that all prisoners from Lebanon, Syria, Jordan and Egypt be released. However, concerns are mounting in Lebanon that the deal may not be struck anyway in the end, particularly as a result of Israel's announcement that it does not intend to release prisoners with "blood on their hands." What Fate for Arafat? Sharon Decides To Trust Grim Reaper Forward 10/24/2003 JERUSALEM — The Israeli government apparently has given up plans to assassinate, deport or otherwise harm Yasser Arafat and is now relying on nature to take its course and remove the Palestinian leader from power, via his allegedly deteriorating health. Sources in Prime Minister Sharon's office told the Forward this week that Israeli intelligence believes Arafat is "critically ill" and may soon be incapable of maintaining his leadership. The sources conceded, albeit reluctantly, that the expectation of a deterioration in Arafat's medical condition was the main basis for Sharon's promise, in a Knesset speech this week, that the peace process could move forward "in just a few months." The lingering hope that God, fate and Arafat's advancing age will intervene on behalf of Sharon and his ministers appears to have evolved into a linchpin of Israeli policy, replacing any and all diplomatic initiatives. Report: ElBaradei says Israel open to nuke disarming Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 VIENNA - The head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog said that Israel, which has never publicly admitted to having atomic weapons, would be willing to get rid of any nuclear arms it may have if there was peace in the Middle East. Despite Israel's refusal to deny or confirm the possession of a nuclear arsenal, non-proliferation analysts estimate that the country has anywhere from 100 to 200 atomic weapons. Israel ignores international laws Al-Jazeera 10/24/2003 Israel has published tenders for building 323 new homes in two Jewish settlements in the West Bank, defying a US-backed peace plan for the second time in recent days. Earlier in October, Israel unveiled plans to build more than 600 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank, drawing international and Palestinian condemnation. A Housing Ministry official in Jerusalem on Thursday said tenders had been announced for building 143 new apartments in the Karnei Shomron settlement, near Nablus in the northern West Bank, and 180 in Givat Zeev, close to Jerusalem. European MPs seek `Moment for Peace' Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Some 150 European lawmakers will set out tomorrow on a four-day visit to the Middle East as part of the "A Moment for Peace" project initiated by the Med-Bridge Strategic Center. Med-Bridge, set up three months ago and headed by French Socialist Francois Zimeray, aims to create a bridge between Europe and the Mediterranean countries, and the Middle East in particular, in an effort to promote understanding between the regions.

Human Rights..

ISM: Press Alert - Prison Breakout! Palestinians demand an end to West Bank ghettoization. -- [Jbarra, Tulkarem Region] Palestinians, Internationals and Israelis will congregate on Saturday 25th October, 10.30 a.m. at a northern checkpoint of the Wall to take action against the imprisonment of Palestinian communities and demand an end to the policies of occupation that cage, choke and humiliate the Palestinian people.As Israel escalates action to create the world’s largest ghetto, Israeli citizens are becoming complicit in war crimes and the international community is silent in the face of a great crime against humanity. Palestinian and Israeli civilians, joined by peace activists from the international community will come together to challenge this violation of international law and human rights. Israel holds Lebanese man with no charges Daily Star 10/24/2003 An Israeli court said on Thursday that a Lebanese citizen has been held in administrative detention for the past year, after having served five years in an Israeli jail. The Israeli daily Haaretz reported that the judge enabled only partial disclosure of the details of the affair, leaving out information still regarded as classified. Ibrahim Abu Zeib, a Lebanese, was said to had been sentenced to five years in prison after being convicted of being a Hizbullah member. Sheikh Aruri’s detention extended Palestinian Information Center 10/24/2003 Ramallah - Zionist occupation authorities Wednesday extended the administrative detention of Sheikh Saleh Al-Aruri for the third time. Prisoners said that the extension was the second of its kind after his second imprisonment sentence expired over a year ago. He was to be released by end of this week.

Economy..

Sharp rise in September’s consumer price index Jerusalem Times 10/23/2003 Consumer price index (CPI) for the Palestinian areas for the month of September 2003 sharply increased following two straight months of decline, said the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics (PCBS) in its monthly report on inflation in the Palestinian areas. The index increased by 1.66% compared to the previous month and became 138.60 compared to 136.34 in August 2003.Prices in East Jerusalem increased by 2.37% mainly as a result of an increase in food prices by 4.20% and in education prices by 4.72%. Meeting between Netanyahu, Peretz ends without agreement Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 The meeting held Friday between Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the chairman of the Histadrut labor federation, Amir Peretz ended without agreement. The two sides were meeting in an attempt to avert the general public-sector strike that the labor federation is threatening to launch on November 3. Following the meeting, Peretz said that the treasury seemed less willing to compromise, that it appeared that thousands of public sector employees were to be fired, and that pension funds would be adversely affected. Histadrut threatens 'painful' strike as sides meet for talks Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz will meet today in another attempt to avert the general public-sector strike that the labor federation is threatening to launch on November 3. Yesterday's 40-minute meeting between the two men produced nothing but mutual recriminations, and sources close to the talks said they doubted that any progress would be possible without the intervention of a third party - either Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, opposition leader Shimon Peres or some other senior figure acceptable to both sides. Economy in brief Jerusalem Times 10/24/2003 Palestinians 9.3 million worldwide in 2002: The Annual Statistical Book published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said total Palestinian population worldwide at the end of 2002 was 9.3 million. It said 4.7 million live in the Diaspora, 3.6 million in the occupied Palestinian territories, that is the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and one million live in Israel....In addition, 205 localities do not have public water network (34%), of which 204 in the West Bank. The results reveal also that 42 localities were connected to public water network after 1998, of which 35 in the West Bank. It found out that 79 localities are not connected to public electricity network (13%), and 53 localities were connected to public electricity network after 1998. The results also revealed that 63 localities (less than 10%) are connected to public sewage system, of which 46 localities in the West Bank. In addition 545 localities use cesspit for wastewater disposal, 521 in the West Bank and 24 in Gaza Strip.

People..

Economy in brief - Palestine statistics Jerusalem Times 10/24/2003 Palestinians 9.3 million worldwide in 2002: The Annual Statistical Book published by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics said total Palestinian population worldwide at the end of 2002 was 9.3 million. It said 4.7 million live in the Diaspora, 3.6 million in the occupied Palestinian territories, that is the West Bank, including East Jerusalem, and Gaza, and one million live in Israel....there are 2,764 schools and kindergartens in the occupied Palestinian areas and there are 27.8 students for each teacher. The statistical book said literacy rate among Palestinians amounted to 91% for adults above 15 years of age distributed between 95.7% males and 86.4% females. The Palestinian areas also have 1705 mosques and 945 Quran teaching schools. They also have five museums, 50 cultural centers, four theaters and two movie theaters. In addition, there are 72 hospitals with 5000 beds. Infant mortality rate was put at 25.5 per 1000 births, while the rate was 28.7 for the period between 1995 and 1999. Life expectancy is 70.6 years for males and 73.7 years for females in 2002. Children of Oslo live in fear BBC 10/24/2003 Shortly after Simon Griver told his 10-year-old daughter, Sivan, that a man from BBC radio was coming to visit them, he found her playing a game of make-believe with her eight-year-old brother, David. Sivan was pretending to be a radio newsreader."Here is the news," she said. "We have just heard that there has been another suicide bomb in Jerusalem and David has been killed."...Taghreed Kishek has a 10-year-old daughter too. Her name is Merna and she lives with her mother and younger sister in the West Bank town of Ramallah. They too live in fear - not of suicide bombs - but of Israeli tanks and guns. Last year the Israeli army staged a major incursion into Ramallah, which is where the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has his headquarters. The memory of those terrifying nights of bombs and missiles has never left them. When I met Taghreed and her daughters at her parents' home in Ramallah, she told me: "One night, my daughter became so cold and pale from fright that I really thought she was going to die." IIFWP Delegation Visits Gaza Strip International Press Center 10/24/2003 A senior interreligious delegation, representing a wide range of religious groups and nations, visited the Gaza Strip today to have a first-hand view of the disastrous situations of the Palestinian people that are caused by the Israeli occupying forces. The delegation included Muslim, Christian and Jewish clergymen, former Knesset member and a senator in the United States Senate, all members if the Interreligious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWB). During the visit, which was organized by individual Palestinian initiators, the delegates visited the town of Beit Hanun, and witnessed the amount of destruction the Israeli war machine had left behind, and impacted thousands of families in this farming community.

International..

U.S. Indicts Prominent Muslim Washington Post 10/24/2003 Stanley L. Cohen, Alamoudi's attorney, said the indictment showed the government could not make a terrorism case.-- One of the nation's most prominent Muslim activists was indicted yesterday on money laundering and fraud charges hours after authorities unsealed an affidavit alleging that for years he helped fund al Qaeda and other terrorist groups. Abdurahman Alamoudi, whose efforts gave Muslim Americans unparalleled access to the White House and Congress, was not formally charged with supporting terrorism. Instead, the 18-count indictment accused Alamoudi of the less serious offenses of taking hundreds of thousands of dollars from Libya, designated a state sponsor of terrorism by the State Department, and attempting to hide its origin and purpose from U.S. authorities. Charges 'Personally Motivated' By Zionists: Amoudi Islam Online 10/24/2003 WASHINGTON, October 24 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Few hours after the U.S. Justice Department released an 18-count indictment carrying a maximum penalty of 105 years' imprisonment if convicted, prominent U.S. Muslim political activist dismissed the whole case as "politically and personally motivated". A prominent U.S. Muslim political activist, who helped the Pentagon set up its Islamic chaplain program, was charged Thursday, October 23 with having had financial dealings with Libya, the Justice Department said. The indictment was handed down by a federal grand jury in Alexandria, Virginia, said U.S. Attorney for the Eastern District of Virginia Paul J. McNulty. USS Liberty Crewmen call Israel’s attack intentional Daily Star 10/24/2003 WASHINGTON: In the latest development in the long, tragic saga of a USS intelligence ship, a retired Navy captain and a former Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman have challenged lawmakers to finally investigate the whys and wherefores of the June 8, 1967, incident. In it, 34 Americans were killed, and another 172 wounded when for over an hour, Israeli jets and torpedo boats attacked the vessel off the Sinai coast. The Liberty, armed with machineguns only, was fully marked and in international waters during the daytime assault. Lebanon seeks arrest of exiled Christian opposition leader over U.S. comments San Francisco Chronicle 10/24/2003 Lebanon issued an arrest warrant Friday for a leading Christian exile, saying Gen. Michel Aoun had not returned from France for questioning on a charge of harming Lebanon's foreign relations. The chief investigative judge of Beirut, Hatem Madi, issued the warrant after Aoun did not respond to a summons, judicial officials said. The warrant applies only in Lebanon. 70 protestors detained in Saudi Arabia Middle East Online 10/24/2003 Saudi security forces detained around 70 demonstrators as they put on a show of force across the kingdom Thursday to quell a wave of protests called for by an exiled opposition group. All of the arrests were in provincial towns. In the capital, a massive deployment by riot police prevented any demonstration by sympathisers of the banned London-based Movement for Islamic Reform in Arabia (MIRA). Syria, Long Ruthlessly Secular, Sees Fervent Islamic Resurgence New York Times 10/24/2003 ALEPPO, Syria, Oct. 19 — Two decades after Syria ruthlessly uprooted militant Islam, killing an estimated 10,000 people, this most secular of Arab states is experiencing a dramatic religious resurgence. Friday Prayers draw overflowing crowds. More heavily veiled women and bearded men jostle unharried among city pedestrians. Family restaurants on the outskirts of Damascus do not serve alcohol, and one fashionable boutique even sports a sign advertising Islamically modest bathing suits. Flirting with freedom Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 23 - 29 October 2003 Last week Saudi Arabia announced its first elections, broke up its firstever peaceful demonstration and hosted a three-day Human Rights Conference -- Hundreds of Saudis marched down the main avenue of Riyadh last week in an unprecedented demonstration timed to coincide with the opening of the kingdom's first Human Rights Conference and a day after the Saudi government announced that the kingdom will hold its first legislative elections. Seats on each regional council will be up for election in a step toward implementing reforms promised by King Fahd in May and long backed by the de facto leader, Crown Prince Abdullah. Arabs 'Balking' On Funds for Iraq Washington Post 10/24/2003 Saudis Seen as Reluctant to Take Lead -- MADRID, Oct. 23 -- A push by the Bush administration to win big commitments of funds from the Arab world to rebuild Iraq is being stymied by the reluctance of Saudi Arabia and other wealthy Persian Gulf states to lead the way with contributions, U.S. government sources said Thursday. Even the United Arab Emirates, one of the countries hosting a two-day donors' conference that opened here Thursday, has not yet signaled how much it will provide, the sources said. Israel Attacks Ramadan Series For 'Anti-Semitism' Islam Online 10/24/2003 CAIRO, October 24 (IslamOnline.net) - A new Arab miniseries on the evolution of Zionism and the creation of Israel has come under fire for alleged accusations of containing anti-Semitic remarks.A number of Jewish organizations are pressurizing Arab satellite channels into taking Al-Shatat (Diaspora) off the air during the holy month of Ramadan, read a statement by Lebanon's Al-Manar TV.Promoted as political drama, the miniseries traces back Zionism at all political, economic and religious levels, and unmasking ways used by the Jews to create their "fictitious" entity in Palestinian territories, said the statement obtained by IslamOnline.net Thursday, October 23....The first scene is of a British Jewish grandfather flanked at deathbed by his five sons, to deliver his will trusting them with seizing control of the world under the name of the secret world Jewish government. Scholar Blames Socio-Political Factors For Intolerance Islam Online 10/24/2003 CHICAGO , October 24 (IslamOnline.net) - A renowned philosopher and one of the most influential scholars of Islamic Theology in the West delivered the finale speech of the University of Chicago Divinity School 2003 Conference, but his comments and the dialogue it stirred, taking place over Thursday afternoon’s round table lunch, were as intellectually stimulating as his scripted keynote address. Seyyed Hossein Nasr, a professor of Islamic Theology at George Washington University in Washington D.C. , said that the relation between Muslims, Christians and Jews is witnessing a dramatic change never experienced before in Islamic history. Probe Demanded of Ford Foundation Funding Forward 10/24/2003 A recent investigative report on the Ford Foundation's funding of Palestinian groups is triggering calls for a federal investigation. Rep. Jerrold Nadler, a Democrat from New York, and the American Jewish Congress are urging a federal probe into the alleged financial ties between what might be the country's most prestigious foundation and anti-Israel Palestinian groups. The proposal drew tentative support from Malcolm Hoenlein, executive vice chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Harper Collins in Jerusalem U-turn Al-Jazeera 10/24/2003 A UK-based publisher which outraged Muslims by describing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel has changed its policy. Following a story by Aljazeera.net and a campaign by an Arab rights group, Harper Collins agreed on Thursday to take out the offending reference in its Mini Atlas of the World. Harper Collins, which is owned by pro-Israel media mogul Rupert Murdoch, told the Council for the Advancement of Arab British Understanding (CAABU) it had decided to add a footnote against Jerusalem in the atlas. International Gay Celebration Slated for Jerusalem Forward 10/24/2003 The second-ever global celebration of gay culture is going to be held in 2005 in Jerusalem, a religiously conservative city not known for its welcoming attitude toward gays and lesbians. Approved by a delegation of representatives meeting at the 22nd annual InterPride Conference last week in Montreal, organizers say they want religious institutions to show tolerance toward those who choose to fulfill their identities as gay individuals. The first WorldPride day was held in 2000 in Rome. Representatives argue that the venue choice is not an anti-religious statement; rather, they insist, they must take their message to the heart of the religious world because it is the source of so much discrimination toward homosexuals and because the city's diversity can speak to the participating organizations' pluralistic ideals. Canada assessing future of El Al's Toronto flights Ha'aretz 10/24/2003 OTTAWA - Canada said on Friday it was assessing the future of El Al flights to Toronto after one of the airline's planes was diverted twice because of an unspecified security threat. Officials would not say what Thursday's threat had been but security experts speculated that it might have involved a shoulder-fired missile. Canadian Transport Minister David Collenette said police and officials from his ministry were investigating the nature of the security threat to El Al flights headed for Toronto's Pearson airport. Grenada detainees still in jail, 20 years on The Guardian 10/24/2003 As Washington prepares special commissions to judge inmates at the Guantanamo Bay detention camp, 17 prisoners sentenced in controversial circumstances by a similar US-financed tribunal in nearby Grenada are marking two decades in jail. In a report published today, Amnesty International, said the prisoners were given an unfair trial, which had "startling" similarities with the military tribunals due to begin work early next year in Guantanamo Bay. The human rights group called for a judicial review of the convictions or for the 17 prisoners to be released. Clashes Led to Probe of Cleric Washington Post 10/24/2003 Flare-Ups Over Muslim Prisoners' Treatment in Cuba Are Cited -- Military authorities launched an investigation of Army Capt. James Yee, a Muslim chaplain at the Guantanamo Bay prison, after a series of confrontations between him and officials over the treatment of al Qaeda and Taliban detainees there, according to military officials and other informed sources. Yee, who ministered to the inmates at the U.S. Navy prison in Cuba, protested what he believed were lives of unrelieved tension and boredom experienced by his fellow Muslims in captivity, the officials and other sources said. Some interrogators at the prison complex objected after concluding that Yee's private, one-on-one meetings with inmates interfered with their attempts to fully control the prisoners' environment, numerous sources said. Protesters Try to Revive Antiwar Effort Washington Post 10/24/2003 Deep in a cluttered basement in Southeast Washington, the message comes to life. A 51-year-old courier from San Diego and a 24-year-old law student from New Jersey's Rutgers University crouched over a yellow banner yesterday, dipping brushes in black paint to complete the slogan that brought them both to Washington: "End the occupation of Iraq." "I think we're not going to solve this problem just at the voting booth," said David Tworkowski, who flew in from San Diego on Wednesday night to help with logistics and banners at an organizer's office in preparation for tomorrow's antiwar march. "We have to put people in the streets." CAMPAIGN CONFIDENTIAL: Fundraisers join 'exodus' from Lieberman campaign Forward 10/24/2003 Lieberman Defections: A number of fundraisers are joining the exodus of staffers from Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman's presidential campaign. Fundraisers Jaclyn Brot of his New York operation and Chad Fitzgerald and Colleen McCarthy of his Washington-area operation have left, campaign spokesman Jano Cabrera confirmed. Cabrera suggested the campaign was streamlining. Cheers, Jeers Greet Democratic Contenders Forward 10/24/2003 In a busy few days of events, both Jewish and Arab Americans had a chance to hear Democratic presidential candidates pander to them last weekend. On Friday, former Vermont Governor Howard Dean spoke to 27 Jewish communal leaders and Democratic activists at a synagogue in New York. That weekend, seven hopefuls, including Dean, Connecticut Senator Joseph Lieberman, Massachusetts Senator John Kerry and Missouri Rep. Richard Gephardt addressed a three-day confab of the Arab American Institute. Press reports highlighted the heckling of Lieberman and the applause received by Dean at the Arab-American parley, but Kerry, who spoke via satellite, may have made the most gains there....Dean, for his part, threw red meat to the Jews on Friday. He told those assembled at Manhattan's Lincoln Square Synagogue that he does not support giving East Jerusalem to the Palestinians, that the Bush administration has not cracked down enough on Saudi Arabia for supporting terrorism and that Yasser Arafat must be excluded from negotiations because he is an unrepentant terrorist, according to several participants. Primary concerns Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 23 - 29 October 2003 Democratic presidential candidates are courting Arab-Americans, in some cases unsuccessfully -- While Democratic presidential hopeful Howard Dean received a standing ovation from Arab- Americans who gathered in Dearborn, Michigan to coordinate their stand in the 2004 presidential elections, Senator Joseph Lieberman, another contender, was heckled and booed when he refused to describe Israeli practices against Palestinians as a form of terrorism. Two senior representatives of the Republican Party and eight out of the nine Democratic candidates seeking to win their party's presidential nomination were present at the conference organised by the Arab-American Institute (AAI), and which ended on Sunday.

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