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Conflict..
Two International Volunteers and Two Palestinian Boys Shot in Nablus
International Middle East Media Center 10/25/2003
Two young Palestinian boys and two international peace activists were injured Friday evening 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 unknown), a volunteer from Colorado in the United States, sustained injury to his right thigh when a live bullet grazed his leg.
American and Australian shot by Israeli army
Al-Jazeera 10/25/2003
Two international peace activists have been shot by Israeli soldiers at a Palestinian refugee camp near Nablus. Details of the shooting were released to Aljazeera.net within hours of the incident on Friday evening, but the identities of the injured are being witheld until their families can be contacted. The Australian and American men were both shot in the legs at the Balata refugee camp and were taken to Rafidia Hospital where they are now undergoing treatment. According to the representatives from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM), the two were shot after escorting Palestinian children away from Israeli soldiers who entered the camp.
Israelis raid West Bank hospitals
BBC 10/25/2003
Israeli troops have raided two West Bank hospitals, detaining two suspected Palestinian militants. Troops swooped on a Nablus hospital early on Saturday, seizing one man who was being treated in intensive care, Palestinian doctors said. Soldiers arrested another militant who was armed and using the hospital as a base, Israeli officials said. Israel accuses militants of hiding out in hospitals but Palestinians say the raids violate international laws. Troops pulled up in jeeps and ran into the two hospitals before dawn, kicking open doors in a room-to-room search, witnesses said.
Palestinians Killed Toll Records 7 in Last 24 Hours, IOF Storms a Hospital and Arrests a Critically Wounded Palestinian in Nablus
International Press Center 10/25/2003
GAZA, Palestine, Oct 25, 2003, (IPC+Agencies)-- The death toll of the Palestinians killed by Israeli occupation forces (IOF) during the last 24 hours estimated seven people, including a child and a mentally disordered citizen, as figured out by the Palestinian health ministry in a press release today. A mentally disordered Palestinian citizen, Ismael abed Allah abed Rabo, 23 aged, was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces as passing nearby the illegal Jewish settlement of Eli Sinai, were built on the Palestinian owned lands of Beitlahia , north Gaza Strip, Ministry of Health reported...An eleven-year-old Palestinian child, Mohammed Hamaida, was killed Friday by Israeli occupation soldiers in the middle of the Gaza Strip when Israeli soldiers stationed at the Israeli (illegal) post of "Kisufim", shot and killed a child while he was near “Abu Nahia building”, east of Deir El-Balah City, in the middle of the Gaza Strip. Three other citizens died Friday of their wounds they sustained after being shot by Israeli occupation forces, Palestinian medical sources declared....Earlier, on Friday, more than 17others were rounded up in al Yamoun town, west of Jenin city shortly after the Israeli occupation undercover commando infiltrated the town accompanied with Israeli troop and tanks.
IDF circles PA police station after attack on nearby Netzarim
Ha'aretz 10/25/2003
Israel Defense Forces troops surrounded a Palestinian police station in the Gaza Strip, witnesses said Saturday, the day after an attack on an army base at the nearby Netzarim settlement left three soldiers dead and two others wounded. The troops in tanks and jeeps opened fire on the police station and demanded that it be evacuated, the witnesses said.
Israeli Troops Arrest Militants in Raids
The Guardian 10/25/2003
NABLUS, West Bank (AP) - Dozens of Israeli troops wearing black ski masks and armed with assault rifles raided two West Bank hospitals before dawn Saturday, arresting two suspected Palestinian militants, including a critically injured patient, witnesses and the military said. Around 3 a.m., troops pulled up in jeeps and swept into the two hospitals in the city of Nablus, confining doctors and other staff to rooms for more than an hour as they kicked open doors in room-to-room searches, witnesses said. The operation followed several similar raids in recent weeks, including cases where soldiers arrested militants hiding in hospitals.
Israel Plans to Sandwich West Bank By Wall, Annex Jordan Valley
Palestine Media Center 10/25/2003
US: Israel Should Commit to Roadmap, Stop Settlement Activities -- The Israeli “defense” ministry announced Friday new plans for the “security wall” that would eventually cut off the Jordan valley from the West Bank, which would mean annexing the main food basket for Palestinians. A senior Israeli official said the Jordan River Valley, at the eastern edge of the West Bank, must remain under Israeli security control, and the plan for the wall that would cut the valley off from the rest of West Bank has been approved. However, no funds have yet been allocated for its construction, the official added. According to Israeli statistics, nineteen illegal Jewish settlements exist in the Jordan River Valley, all of them located between the Palestinian towns of Jericho and Jiftliq.
Israel publishes map of planned barrier
USA Today 10/25/2003
JERUSALEM (AP) — For the first time, Israel published a detailed map Friday of its planned security barrier, which would encircle tens of thousands of Palestinians, cutting them off from the rest of the West Bank, while keeping about 80% of Jewish settlers on the Israeli side of the fence. The fence's snaking path, sloping from flat land up into mountains, cuts deep into the West Bank and will likely enflame already fierce international opposition. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the military also was planning a final section of the barrier in the eastern area of the West Bank and would soon present it to the Cabinet. That section, which would cut Palestinians off from the Jordan Valley, would likely pass a few miles from the Jordan River, he said in a TV interview.
Two GIPP Peace Activists Wounded by IOF in Nablus
International Press Center 10/25/2003
NABLUS, Palestine, October 25, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Palestinian medical sources mentioned that two peace activists of the Grassroots International Protection for the Palestinians (GIPP) were moderately wounded with heavy machinegun fire by the Israeli occupation soldiers in the vicinity of Balata refugee camp of Nablus. The sources added that the two activists; American Mark Tourman, 24, was shot with a live bullet in the left foot, while Australian Joush Talf, 24, was wounded with shrapnel in the thigh, when a contingent of Israeli troops stormed the northern part of the refugee camp and opened indiscriminate hail of fire. Witnesses said that the Israeli soldiers cordoned off the area of “Al Maslakh Al Baladi”, north of Balata refugee camp and went berserk, insanely shot fire towards the civilians houses there....In a press release, The Israeli “coalition of picking up olive” said that armed Jewish settlers had attacked "Yamoun" Village of Nablus City and ravaged a Swiss TV personnel, who were filming the attacks on the peace activities. The settlers stole the video tape that documented the brutal assault.
Despite the ‘Road Map” Israel decided to build more than 600 new homes in West Bank
Jerusalemites 10/25/2003
Earlier in October, Israel made publicly know the plan to build more than 600 new homes in Jewish settlements in the West Bank. 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. The “road map” adopted by Israel and Palestinians freezes Jewish settlements activity. Nevertheless, a senior Israeli official said that all legal tenders within existing communities are not included in the road map according to their interpretation and their understanding.
Israeli PM Sharon Says a plan is ready to extend Separation Wall, a bid to build 300 housing units in two West Bank colonies
International Press Center 10/25/2003
TEL-AVIV, October 25, 2003 (IPC+ Agencies)-- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday a plan to build the final section of the separation wallin the eastern area of the West Bank and would be soon presented to the Israeli Cabinet. Sharon who was speaking in a televised interview Friday, made clear that section, which would cut Palestinians off from the Jordan Valley, would likely pass a few miles from the Jordan River "The route is being planned now. The moment it will be completed, it will be presented to the government.” An Israeli senior military source was quoted as saying that the separation wall’s plan for the eastern part of the West Bank has already been planned by Tel-Aviv, Aljazeera.net reported.
News Briefs: Islamic Jihad Leader Arrested, Troops Tear Gas Demonstration
International Middle East Media Center 10/25/2003
Prominent leader of Islamic Jihad arrested in Al-Biereh / Troops Kidnap a wounded Palestinian from the hospital / Troops use tear Gas bombs against the civilians at the Container checkpoint..
Sabri asks Muslims to protect Aqsa Mosque in face of Zionist desecration schemes
Palestinian Information Center 10/25/2003
Occupied Jerusalem - Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, Mufti of Al-Quds and Palestine, has appealed for Muslims in general and inhabitants of Jerusalem in particular to visit the holy Aqsa Mosque. He said that Muslims should maintain constant presence in the Aqsa Mosque during the month of Ramadan, Fridays and ordinary days. The Mufti pointed out that Zionist conspiracies and schemes were being daily hatched against the Mosque, opining that constant Muslim presence in the Haram would foil and obstruct such Zionist plots.
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 Diplomacy..
Israel under fire over plans to build new settlements
Jordan Times 10/25/2003
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (AFP) — Israel was accused Thursday of trying to kill off a US-backed peace roadmap with plans for hundreds of new homes for Jewish settlers in the West Bank, as backers of an alternative blueprint lobbied President Moshe Katzav for his support. Housing ministry spokesman Kobi Bleich confirmed that tenders had been invited to build 323 apartments — 143 at Karnei Shomron in the northern West Bank and 180 apartments in Givat Zeev, to the north of occupied Jerusalem. The decision prompted a furious reaction from the Palestinians with the Israeli government obliged under the terms of the roadmap to freeze settlement activity in the Palestinian territories.
King meets Qureia, US congressmen on Mideast peace
Jordan Times 10/25/2003
AQABA (Agencies) — His Majesty King Abdullah asked Palestinian Premier Ahmed Qureia Thursday to provide ideas to help stop the deteriorating situation in the occupied territories. During a meeting here, King Abdullah told Qureia that he will discuss such ideas with US President George W. Bush during a planned visit to Washington in December, the Jordan News Agency, Petra, reported. Agence France-Presse quoted a Royal Court official as saying that the King and Qureia discussed the US role in implementing the internationally-drafted roadmap to peace. King Abdullah said Israel must stop building the separation wall which he described as an “impediment” to peace. In parallel, the Palestinian government should assume its responsibility to solve the security situation, the King added.
U.N. Warns Israel's Air Forays Destabilize Blue Line
An Nahar 10/25/2003
The United Nations has deplored Israel's spiraling supersonic air forays into Lebanese skies, warning that the incursions and the subsequent shooting of anti-aircraft fire on the intruding jets were bound to destabilize the Lebanon-Israel border. A statement from the U.N. information center in Beirut expressed "grave concern" over Israel's nine violations of Lebanese airspace on Wednesday, which included sonic booms over Beirut and northern Lebanon.
Lahoud urges China to help revive peace process
Daily Star 10/25/2003
Chinese envoy backs Beirut, says Israel increasing tensions -- President Emile Lahoud urged China on Friday to contribute to reviving the Middle East peace process and to help halt the further deterioration of the regional situation, which he said was being caused by Israel’s aggression and violations of international law. Lahoud, who was speaking to Chinese Middle East peace envoy Wang Shi Jie on Friday, said that Israeli attacks against Lebanon and Syria aim at expanding confrontation, adding that such action “could not induce stability in the world.”
Israeli prisoner swap negotiator said preparing for trip abroad
Ha'aretz 10/25/2003
Israel Defense Forces Major General (res.) Ilan Biran, the head of Israel's negotiating team in prisoner swap talks with Hezbollah, is expected to travel abroad in the coming days, and may have with him a list of inmates Israel is prepared to release as part of the deal, Israel Radio reported Saturday. Biran returned from Germany over a week ago, but since then snags have delayed the progress in talks between Israel and Hezbollah. Israeli officials indicate the negotiations have continued longer than expected.
Ya'alon warns of Iran's nukes
Jerusalem Post 10/24/2003
Ongoing terrorism and the spread of nuclear arms to the region are existential threats to the State of Israel, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon said in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. He said the country enjoys a semblance of deterrence from both conventional and non-conventional attacks and this is why its enemies have chosen the path of terrorism. "I see a potential existential threat to the state from a combination of demographics and terrorism on the Palestinian front," Ya'alon said. "The conflict we are engaged in right now represents the non-recognition of the present Palestinian leadership of our right to live in a Jewish state."
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Government..
AG recommends top cop be dismissed over wiretapping of politicians
Ha'aretz 10/25/2003
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein is suggesting that Police Commander Moshe Mizrahi, head of the Criminal Investigations Department, be dismissed from his position over the transcription of wiretapped conversations of politicians. In a report given this weekend to Police Commissioner Shlomo Aharonishki and Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, the attorney general signals that Mizrahi be removed from his post.
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Human
Rights..
Israeli High Court issues temporary decision to halt the transfer of Palestinian detainees from the West Bank
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 10/25/2003
On Friday evening, 24 October 2003, the Israeli High Court issued a temporary decision stopping the transfer of Palestinian detainees from the West Bank to the Gaza Strip. The Israeli High Court accepted an appeal submitted by PCHR and Ad-Dameer Association for Human Rights (24 October 2003) on behalf of 2 of the 5 detainees and ordered the Israeli prosecution to provide a written response to the appeal against the decision taken by the Israeli Military Appeal Committee. The High Court ordered to halt the transfer and process of “assigned residence” pending a final decision on the case.
PA: IDF raids in Nablus hospitals violate international law
Ha'aretz 10/25/2003
Dozens of Israel Defense Forces troops wearing black ski masks and armed with assault rifles raided two hospitals in the West Bank city of Nablus before dawn Saturday, arresting two Palestinian terror suspects, including a critically injured patient, witnesses and the military said. Palestinian Authority minister Saeb Erekat slammed the raids, and accused Israel of violating international human rights laws. "This is a very grave measure by the Israeli army," Erekat said. "This is the most flagrant violation of the Fourth Geneva Convention when hospitals are not safe anymore from Israeli atrocities."
Night Hospital Invasion, Three Patients Arrested and Internationals Terrorized
International Solidarity Movement 10/25/2003
[Balata Refugee Camp and Rafidia Hospital, Nablus] -- The ordeal for those shot last evening in Balata continues. Two young Palestinian boys and two international peace activists were injured when Israeli soldiers drove into the Balata Refugee Camp last evening firing their weapons into the streets of the camp. One of the Palestinian boys, treated in Rafidia hospital, was released yesterday, the internationals were treated overnight, and consequently subject to a military invasion of the hospital.
Brother Of Israeli Refusenik Calls For Bi-National State
Palestine Chronicle 10/25/2003
MONTREAL - On Wednesday night Eric Ben Artzi spoke at Concordia University in downtown Montreal and provided a brief history of the unusual case of his brother, Yonatan (Yoni), who now has been in Israeli prison for the past 14 months and, in addition, called for a bi-national state consisting of Jews and Palestinians with equal rights. Yoni was jailed on Aug. 8, 2002 for refusing to serve the Israeli army in the occupied territories and insisting on alternative civil service. He remains imprisoned for what he has referred to as "my beliefs as a pacifist." Yoni is also joined by nine others Israeli youths, ranging from ages 18-20, who too are in prison, and who feel the same way as Yoni and are also refusing to serve in the Israeli army.
Islamic charitable societies distribute aid on Rafah families
Palestinian Information Center 10/25/2003
Rafah - The union of Islamic charitable societies in the Gaza Strip yesterday organized an Islamic conference for solidarity with owners of devastated houses in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Sheikh Mansour Abu Hamid, delivered a statement on behalf of the Islamic institutions in Rafah, urging the Palestinian Authority to unfreeze assets of charitable societies in order to expedite urgently needed relief to victims of the Zionist bloody incursions into the city and refugee camp of Rafah.
Palestinian olive farmers' tragic tale...
Al-Jazeera 10/25/2003
For tens of thousands of Palestinian olive farmers throughout the West Bank, there is more to worry about than just harvesting their crops before the advent of winter. Ever since the outbreak of the Palestinian uprising against the Israeli occupation more than three years ago, messianic Jewish settlers have been systematically terrorising Palestinian farmers, killing them, stealing their crops and burning or destroying their orchards. This year, farmers such Idris Abd al-Hamid of the village of Burin in the northern West Bank, are appealing to peace activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and Israeli peace groups such as “Gush Shalom” and “Peace Now” to accompany them to their orchards.
Jewish settlers usurp Palestinian water
Al-Jazeera 10/16/2003
In the West Bank village of Khursa, fresh water has become a scarce commodity. The 2000 inhabitants, who live 18km southwest of Hebron, were connected to the water supply grid nearly 10 years ago. But since that time, water has flowed for only two or three months. The water pipes have rusted and fallen into disrepair. Most of the villagers are forced to draw their water from the village’s ancient well which dates back to the Roman Empire....Some larger towns, like Hebron, Dura, Yatta and Halhul rotate the flow of water to various outlying villages as the amount of water received from the Israeli authorities, who control the water mains, does not meet the minimum needs of the population.
B’Tselem puts case against Israel’s separation wall
Daily Star 10/25/2003
Jerusalem-based human rights group says security is undermined, not augmented, by barricade - Georgetown University-sponsored forum looks at violations of Palestinians’ liberties, how Sharon government puts political goals first -- WASHINGTON: Does Israel’s construction of a separation barrier in the West Bank fill a security need or is it just a land grab? B’Tselem, an Israeli human rights organization, sought to address this question at a recent human rights forum in Washington DC, following nearly a week of meetings on Capitol Hill. Armed with a detailed PowerPoint presentation, Jerusalem-based B’Tselem executive director Jessica Montell explained to a group of about 50 how Israeli security was being undermined rather than augmented by the barricade’s construction.
Israeli Troops Raid Hospitals, Abduct Hamas Activist
Islam Online 10/25/2003
NABLUS, West Bank, October 25 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israeli forces swooped on two hospitals in the northern West Bank town of Nablus early Saturday, October 25, with the Palestinians reacting angrily to Israeli plans for the next stage of its separation wall in the occupied territory. Israeli troops raided Nablus's Anglican hospital in the early hours, detaining an activist from the resistance Hamas movement who was being treated in the intensive care unit, Palestinian medical and security sources told Agence France-Presse (AFP). Khaled Abu Hamad, 26, a member of Hamas's armed wing, Ezzedin Al-Qassam Brigades, was critically wounded along with two other Hamas fighters Wednesday when their car blew up in the eastern part of Nablus....Hamad was taken to the Anglican hospital, from where Israeli troops snatched him, taking him away in a military ambulance.
Settlements 1967-2003: A chronology
Jerusalem Times 10/23/2003
[note typographical errors in dates given] 1967 - The first public announcement, about two months after the war of June 1967, made by Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan, about the future of the occupied territories. “Israel will keep the territories until a peace agreement is signed,” declares Dayan. Yigal Alon, deputy Prime Minister, presents to the government his plan for finding a solution to the conflict, based on considering the River Jordan the eastern border of the State of Israel and giving the Palestinians self-government in the West Bank. Settlers waste no time, erecting the first settlement by the end of September. The effort involved the restoration of the settlement of Rishon Etzion, which was abandoned after the War of 1948. By the end of the year, the UN Security Council adopts Resolution 242, calling for peace and Israeli withdrawal from areas occupied in the June war. At the same time, the ‘Greater Israel’ movement is created, with a different purpose in mind: settlement across Israel....
Weekly Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 16-22 Oct. 2003
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 10/24/2003
21 Palestinians, mostly civilians including 2 children, a woman and a doctor, killed by Israeli forces / 11 of the victims were killed in 2 extra-judicial assassinations carried out by Israeli forces in the Gaza Strip / Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip / Israeli forces moved into Ramallah and al-Bireh and injured 12 Palestinian civilians / 5 Palestinians were killed and dozens of houses were destroyed during an Israeli military incursion into Rafah / 6 houses were destroyed by Israeli forces in Zo’rob area in Rafah / More areas of agricultural land were razed in the Gaza Strip / Indiscriminate shelling of Palestinian residential areas continued and Israeli fighter jets attacked a building in Gaza, injuring a number of Palestinian civilians / A house in Hebron was destroyed by Israeli forces as part of the continued campaign of retaliation against the families of Palestinians accused of involvement in attacks against Israeli targets / Construction of the “separation wall” in the West Bank continued / Continued siege on the OPT
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Economy..
Strike to heat up after Netanyahu, Peretz fail to reach deal
Ha'aretz 10/25/2003
The nation-wide strike by government employees is expected to intensify Sunday, after Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz failed to reach an agreement in pre-weekend talks. The labor federation is threatening to launch a general public-sector strike on November 3 if there is no resolution of differences over proposed changes to the structure of government offices, which the unions say will result in the dismissal of hundreds of workers and seriously harm pension plans.
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People..
Protesters slam Israeli atrocities
Daily Star 10/25/2003
Hundreds demonstrate in Ain Al-Hilweh - Crowds burn effigies of Bush and Blair while denouncing siege of Arafat -- Palestinian refugees burned effigies of US President George W. Bush, British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Friday during a demonstration in the Ain al-Hilweh camp. The demonstration was marked by condemnation of the atrocities inflicted against the Palestinians by the Israelis, and condemned the pro-Israeli bias of the United States and Israel and the tight siege on Palestinian President Yasser Arafat. The burning of the effigies and the flags of the United States and Britain reflected growing Palestinian anger at the United States and Britain.
"Neztarim Snare of Death" wins Silver Prize
Jerusalem Times 10/23/2003
“Netzarim Snare of Death” is the Palestinian documentary film that won the silver prize in the Festival of the Arab Radios and Television Federation that took place in Tunis recently. The film was produced by the Buraq Company for Media Production in Gaza and tells the story of the Jewish settlement in the Palestinian areas through the story of Hajin family, living in an area close to Netzarim settlement, south of Gaza city. The family has lost the majority of its members due to the shelling of the Israeli tanks to the family farm, abutting the settlement. The film presents influential scenes and live pictures of the massacre that the Israeli forces committed against the family and interviews with Palestinian human rights activists and experts in the issue of settlement.
Noble art of the date pit: Artist dreams of constructing church or mosque
Daily Star 10/25/2003
Former hairdresser has turned what began as an obsession into a living -- Talal Breik wants to build a church or a mosque someday. But not out of bricks and mortar, wood, glass, steel or any other material you might think of. The former hairdresser wants to build his temple out of, of all things, ajwet al-tamer, or date pits, by honing them into enamel using intricate patterns.In a tiny hut east of Beirut, Breik is turning what began as an obsession into an art form that has haunted him ever since he saw a movie in which a Pharaoh gave his queen a rosary made of dried date pits. "I have been working on transforming date pits into enamel for over eight years and just a year and a half ago I began work on my pieces,” the 33-year-old Breik recalls.“I thought if a few date seeds can make a rosary (then) what could a hundred pieces make?”
Black market remaining option for those wishing to watch Fairouz sing
Al-Bawaba 10/25/2003
Prominent Lebanese Fairouz kicked off her US tour around the United States of America on October 11, 2003, that so far has witnessed tremendous success. Thousands flocked to ticket centers to be part of what has been described by many as a once in a lifetime opportunity. The amount of people that have so far attended Fairouz’s concerts expressed that watching the legendary singer was more like a dream that they wished to keep reliving.
Awad: Concerned with history
Jerusalem Times 10/23/2003
The Palestinian novelist and literary critic Ahmed Rafiq Awad is dealing with history in a different way through his works although he is worried of this history, considering it a real plight for the writer.Awad has so far issued six novels: "The Virgin and the Village", "Qadaroun", "Lovers and Merchants", "The End of the Century", "Qurmuty" and "Akka and the Kings". He also published researches, essays, short stories and critical studies. He was interviewed by SAIDA SHARIF....
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International..
Gender bars topple in Jordanian government
Al-Jazeera 10/25/2003
Jordanian prime minister designate Faisal al-Fayez has formed a new government, with a record number of women getting portfolios. The ministers, who were to be sworn in before King Abdullah II, held an informal meeting on Friday in the southern resort of Aqaba to discuss with al-Fayez the policies of their new government. The meeting was described by one official as a "test of harmony"."All the candidates who have been chosen will become cabinet ministers once they are sworn in before the king on Saturday evening in Amman," the official added.
New Jordanian cabinet sworn in
Al-Bawaba 10/25/2003
A Royal Decree was issued on Saturday approving the formation of the new government led by Faisal Al Fayez, Petra news agency reported. The new government has pledged to fight poverty and unemployment and build political development, a source told AFP.
Jordan juggles ties with Israel, public bitterness
Daily Star 10/25/2003
AMMAN: Jordan finds itself in a catch 22 situation with Israel: keen to cement the strategic peace treaty it signed with the the Jewish state nine years ago, but obliged to do so without inciting popular anti-Israeli sentiment hardened by the intifada. The end result, as one commentator ruefully pointed out, is that Jordan often finds itself behaving like a spouse who is engaged in an extra-marital affair and trying hard to conceal it to maintain domestic harmony....For months, media blackouts in Jordan have been the rule rather than the exception when covering official talks with Israelis, both at home and abroad.
Warrant Posted for Aoun's Arrest at Lebanon's Air, Sea and Land Inlets
An Nahar 10/25/2003
Authorities have posted an arrest warrant for Gen. Aoun at Lebanese airports, seaports and border checkpoints, prompting the exiled opposition leader to suggest that Syrian-controlled regimes in Beirut would not be in existence by the next general elections in mid-2005. The absentia arrest warrant legally means that Gen. Aoun, who was banished to France for five years as of February 1991 would not be henceforth able to return to Lebanon except under arrest, An Nahar reported Saturday.
Aoun Says Syrian Regimes Won't Exist in Lebanon by 2005
An Nahar 10/25/2003
Gen. Aoun scoffed at the arrest warrant issued for his arrest at Lebanon's air, sea and overland inlets, calling it a proof that the judicial system in Beirut has been transformed into an instrument for political suppression. "Such a warrant is natural in a country where the judiciary has been transformed into a political suppression tool," Aoun said in an interview in Paris published by An Nahar Saturday. "What I have done in the U.S. is the duty of every Lebanese to recover Lebanon's sovereignty."
Lebanon drops ranking on press freedom Country down from 56 to 106
Daily Star 10/25/2003
In its second annual survey on press freedoms, Reporters Without Borders has downgraded Lebanon from the 56th place as ranked last year to 106th place out of the 166 countries surveyed. The international organization has also lowered Lebanon’s Middle East and North Africa regional ranking from first to third place, just behind Israel, which ranked 44th internationally, and Kuwait, which ranked 102nd. However, Israel and the US, are considered by the organization to be special cases. Both counties are ranked on two scales; one that reflects their press freedoms at home and another abroad. They are ranked 44th and 31st respectively with regards to respect for freedom of expression on their own territory, but they fall to the 146th and 135th positions with regards to their respect for freedom of expression beyond their borders.
Fraud probe causes French banks to refuse Israeli checks
Al-Bawaba 10/25/2003
French bank Societe Generale has informed Israeli financial institutions that it will not clear checks originating from the Jewish state. The decision is in response to a court case being prepared against the bank for alleged involvement in a plot to launder €70 million from Israel. Seven other French banks have been accused of participating in the scheme. The institutions named are Bred and Societe Marseillaise de Credit, French subsidiaries of the American Express Bank, Britain's Barclays, Israel's Leumi bank, Lebanon's Saradar bank, and the National Bank of Pakistan.
Ramadan Starts Monday: Islamic Centers In N.America
Islam Online 10/25/2003
CHICAGO, October 25 (IslamOnline.net) - Because American Muslims do not have a central Fatwa authority but rather a couple of umbrella organizations and hundreds of Islamic centers, there is no one specific day marked as the first day of fasting, yet the majority this year has decided to fast Monday, October 27, marking it as the beginning of Islam’s holy month.
Anti-War Rallies Today on Both Coasts
The Guardian 10/25/2003
WASHINGTON (AP) - Thousands of protesters huddled Saturday at the foot of the Washington Monument, demanding an end to the occupation of Iraq and the return of the 130,000 American troops there. Under a bright sun on a cool fall morning, protesters at the rally waved anti-war signs as they listened to songs of peace. Some placards read: ``Make Jobs Not War'' and ``Bush is a liar.'' The protest drew a diverse crowd - young, old, veterans, relatives with loved ones in the armed forces and American Muslims.
US Senator Equates Israeli Policies to Racism and Discrimination, Destruction in Gaza to a Hurricane
International Press Center 10/25/2003
GAZA, October 25, 2003 (IPC)-- A United States [state] Senator said the Israeli policies in the Palestinian territories resembled the segregation and discrimination that was practiced against the African-American community in the United States back in the fifties, describing the destruction that she saw in Gaza Strip “like that of a hurricane”. Senator Donzella James, Senator for the state of Georgia, was among a delegation representing the Inter-religious and International Federation for World Peace (IIFWP), who, despite the Israeli obstacles, managed to come to Gaza Strip and witness the enormous destruction there.
Thousands in Washington Protest Iraq Policy
New York Times 10/25/2003
WASHINGTON (AP) -- To chants of ``Impeach Bush,'' thousands of anti-war protesters rallied in the nation's capital Saturday and delivered a scathing critique of President Bush and his Iraq policy. Demanding an end to the U.S.-led occupation and the quick return of American troops, the demonstrators gathered on a sunny fall day at the Washington Monument to listen to speeches and songs of peace. The Rev. Al Sharpton, who's running for the Democratic presidential nomination, exhorted the crowd not to be content with the gradual withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq.
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ISM
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