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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..

Two Palestinians Killed and Six Others Wounded By Israeli Troops International Press Center 10/28/2003 PALESTINE, October 28, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Two Palestinian citizens were killed on Monday in two separate incidents by the Israeli troops in Gaza and Nablus cities and scores were wounded, one in serious condition, Palestinian medical sources said. Palestinian medical sources told IPC correspondent that Kareem Al Kafarna, 28, was shot dead by the Israeli occupation forces while he was hunting birds, east of Jabalyia refugee camp, north of Gaza strip. Four other citizens were wounded and arrested....Meanwhile, Jamal Al Kadous, 39, from Boreen Town of Nablus, died of wounds he sustained when the Israeli soldiers chased him on the dirt road of Boreen–Tel and fired several bullets at him in his lower back two days ago, Nablus governorate declared. A contingent of Israeli troops swept scores of the Palestinian houses in Rass Al Ein neighborhood and the old town of Nablus City, IPC correspondent said....witnesses told IPC correspondent that the Israeli occupation authorities tightened its control over Nablus City, closing Hewara military checkpoint, the southern entrance of the city and banning the citizens from approaching it after firing tear gas canisters. Al-Aqsa militant shot dead by IDF at Tul Karm refugee camp Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Israel Defense Forces troops killed a member of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, which is linked to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, outside a refugee camp in the West Bank city of Tul Karm on Tuesday, witnesses and the IDF said. Witnesses said Ibrahim Na'nish was shot dead by soldiers who drove up to him in an unmarked car.car and shot him....Shortly after the incident, a second militant opened fire, the army said. Soldiers fired back and hit him. The wounded militant was taken to a Tul Karm hospital....Meanwhile, Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has decided to accept an IDF recommendation and was to announce Tuesday that the tight closure on the territories will be relaxed in several areas. Wall that breaks Rafah's heart Al-Jazeera 10/28/2003 The view from the top of one of Rafah’s many partially demolished houses is as strikingly beautiful as it is incongruous. Arid agricultural land, now completely flattened, stretches out for miles amidst the hazy horizon, all the way into the Egyptian border. Yet, disrupting the picture perfect image and serving as a constant reminder of the reality of Israeli occupation, is a rusty iron barrier, winding its way through the heart of this troubled southern town. It is the Rafah separation wall, the lesser known counterpart of the now infamous apartheid wall tearing the West Bank apart. Moreover, the havoc wreaked on its behalf could be a foretaste of what is to come. Israeli war planes hit Hezbollah after militia shells border positions Yahoo! News 10/28/2003 Israeli warplanes bombed Hezbollah positions after their forces came under fire from the Lebanese Shiite militia in the disputed Shebaa Farms border area. "The IDF (Israeli Defense Forces) returned fire at Hezbollah targets and the sources of fire," an Israeli military source told AFP. "Israeli aircraft were used in the operation," he added without giving details about the numbers of planes involved. Another Israeli source described the ongoing exchanges between the two sides as "pretty intense", raising fears of a new spiral of violence in the region after a period of relative calm. Israeli, Hezbollah, Exchange Accusations and Shellings International Middle East Media Center 10/28/2003 During a visit to Nitzarim settlement in th Gaza Strip, Israeli Defense minister Shaul Mofaz said Tuseday that Hezbollah might be planning a large scale attack in northern Israel. Hezbollah fired Monday rockets and artillery rounds at the two army positions in the Har Dov area named "Gladiola" and "Hadas," near the border between Lebanon and Israel, witnesses and security ources said. Hezbollah also fired an anti-tank missile at an army base outside of the Har Dov region, for the first time since April 2002. Hezbollah consider the area, named Shaba’ Fields, as a stilloccupied Lebanese territories which Israel refused to evacuate as it withdraw its army from southern Lebanon. Rabbis attacked by armed settlers Al-Jazeera 10/28/2003 A group of rabbis from a peace group in Israel have been attacked by armed settlers. Rabbis from the peace group Rabbis for Human Rights (RHR) were attacked by five armed settlers. Some of the men had their faces covered when they threatened to attack the rabbis with clubs. The attack took place near the settler out post of Mitzpeh Yutzahr, which is connected to one of the most hard-line settlements of Yitzahr, near Nablus. Rabbi Arik Ascherman, executive director of RHR, was beaten by a settler as he went to show solidarity with Palestinian villagers who were preparing to harvest their olives in a few weeks. Israeli Government Turns Illegitimate Settlement Outposts into Townships International Press Center 10/27/2003 TEL AVIV, October 27, 2003 (IPC + Ha'aretz)-- The Israeli Defense Ministry has granted several illegitimate Jewish settlements, including some outposts not even recognized by Israelis, the status of townships. The Israeli army radio reported that the document, signed by the Israeli Defense Minister's settlement advisor, Ron Shechner, instructs the Israeli government of granting several illegitimate Jewish settlements and outposts the status of permanent townships, which enables them to receive education and infrastructure budget, in addition to the already over-the-line security budget allocated to them. Occupation forces storm central Nablus Palestinian Information Center 10/28/2003 Nablus - Zionist army troops stormed at dawn today the old quarters of the West Bank city of Nablus and its western suburbs in a futile attempt to arrest intifada activists. Eyewitnesses said that a large Zionist army force had besieged Ras Al-Ein suburb and the old town then started indiscriminate storming of houses. Occupation soldiers also stormed Al-Makhfiyya suburb where hundreds of Al-Najah college students live...Meanwhile, scores of Palestinian Muslims were forced to eat their Iftar (breakfasting) at Zionist roadblocks where soldiers blocked them from returning home at 5 pm yesterday. Soldier injured in Hezbollah attack Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 One soldier was lightly injured yesterday when Hezbollah attacked Israel Defense Forces outposts in the Har Dov region with anti-tank missiles. The IDF responded with artillery fire and air strikes. However, the army does not believe that the brief hostilities will affect talks with the organization over a prisoner exchange. Police to launch investigation into Jewish militia Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 State Prosecutor Edna Arbel and the head of the special operations department in the prosecution Talia Sasson, decided Tuesday to launch a police investigation into a Jewish militia operating in the territories. The investigation was initiated by a letter sent by Shinui MK Reshef Chayne to Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, in which Chayne said he had received information according to which members of the extreme-right wing Kach movement, headed by Yekutiel Ben-Yaakov, had set up an armed force that operates in the territories unconcealed and unhindered, calling itself the "Jewish legion." Police fire at vehicle that ran roadblock, wounding two Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Two people suffered moderate wounds Tuesday evening when police opened fire on a GMC truck driven by an Israeli and carrying eight Palestinians who entered Israel without legal entry permits. Police reported that the driver ran through a roadblock south of Beit She'an in the northern Jordan Valley. The driver ignored police orders to stop and a police vehicle began chasing him. The truck ran through two additional roadblocks. Police said they first fired warning shots in the air and then shot directly at the vehicle, fearing it was laden with explosives. Tensions High Again On Israeli-Lebanese Borders Islam Online 10/28/2003 TEL AVIV, October 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Raising fears of a new spiral of violence in the region after a period of relative calm, Israeli troops and Hezbollah fighters exchanged fire late Monday, October 27, drawing U.N. condemnation and U.S. concerns. The U.N. coordinator for the Middle East peace process, Terje Roed-Larsen, condemned the attacks along the Israel-Lebanon border in the Shebaa Farms border area, occupied by Israel since 1967. The envoy "strongly deplores the latest violation of the Blue Line which took place earlier," he said in a statement, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP)....The Israeli military Tuesday, October 28, while putting the blame on Hezbollah, threatened to use “very, very strong force”. Two Palestinian boys arrested on suspicion of planning to stab Jewish settlers Palestinian Information Center 10/28/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist security sources yesterday said they had received 42 warnings on Palestinian resistance factions’ intention to attack Zionist targets. The sources claimed that the daily warnings had increased with the advent of the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan....The sources said that an army force arrested the two boys in the town of Alezariya to the east of occupied Jerusalem for intending to stab two settlers near the settlement of Ma’leh Adomim established on Palestinian lands in Alezariya. NIS 126 million approved for settlements Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 The Knesset Finance Committee yesterday approved the treasury's request to transfer NIS 126.7 million to settlements and communities near the confrontation line. "The government has money for the settlements, but not for education, culture, single-parent families or health," protested MK Haim Oron (Meretz). Of the sum approved yesterday, NIS 33.75 million is earmarked for rural construction, part of which is in the territories, and NIS 93 million for subsidizing the development of infrastructures in national priority areas. Some of the funds will be used to build 136 housing units, 100 of them in the territories. Qassam Brigades fire nine mortar shells at Zionist targets Palestinian Information Center 10/28/2003 Gaza - The Qassam Brigades, military wing of the Hams Movement, today declared responsibility for firing nine mortar shells at a Zionist settlement and Arabeyya occupied area yesterday. Israel Violates Roadmap Again, Authorizes “Rogue” Settlements Palestine Media Center 10/28/2003 In yet another violation of the “roadmap” plan, Israel said it will provide services to eight “unauthorized” West Bank settlements, which it had previously pledged to dismantle as stipulated in the US-backed peace blueprint. The Israeli government’s defiant decision comes at a time when its prime minister Ariel Sharon reiterated his country’s determination to go ahead with the unilateral separation wall it is building on Palestinian land, dismissing all American and international pressure. “The security fence is not a political border,” Sharon said as he addressed a group of European parliamentarians in Jerusalem. “The fence is an additional means of preventing terror. We will continue building it,” he further stressed. Four Palestinian female detainees in solitary confinement Palestinian Information Center 10/28/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - A reliable source has said that Zionist Ramle prison authority last night moved four Palestinian women prisoners to solitary confinement. The prison authority claimed that the four prisoners had assaulted one of the female jailers while chanting Allahu Akbar (God is Great). Israel, U.S. to fund laser that shoots down rockets Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Israel and the U.S. are to spend at least US$57 million for development of a laser cannon that can shoot down short-range missiles, an Israeli legislator and security officials said Tuesday. A recent Israeli delegation successfully lobbied Congress to approve the new funding package for the joint U.S.-Israeli Nautilus laser weapon project, said Israeli lawmaker Yuval Steinitz, who was part of the delegation. Israel wants the Nautilus to help protect its northern border towns from Katyusha rockets, fired by the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah during Israel's 18-year occupation of southern Lebanon that ended in 2000. Israel claims that Hezbollah now has 11,000 rockets aimed at Israel. 9 life sentences for Hamas man who planned Meron bombing Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 A military court in the West Bank on Monday sentenced a Hamas activist to nine consecutive life sentences and a further 50 years in jail for planning a suicide bombing on a bus at Meron Junction in August 2002, in which nine people were killed and 46 others were wounded. Mazen Fukha, a resident of the West Bank city of Jenin, admitted involvement in dispatching suicide bombers but said during his trial that he had dispatched a different, unsuccessful suicide bomber on the day of the attack, and that the Meron bomber had been sent by another Hamas activist. Hizbullah hits Israeli posts in Shebaa Daily Star 10/28/2003 Resistance attacks 3 positions, draws artillery barrage in response -- Hizbullah launched a heavy bombardment of Israeli outposts in the Shebaa Farms Monday, signaling business as usual despite the party’s anticipated agreement with Israel on an exchange of prisoners. The Israeli outposts of Rweisat al-Alam, Jabal al-Sammaqa and Ramtha were hit with mortars and short-range 107mm Katyusha rockets at 3.30pm. Israeli artillery guns along the border shelled the area around Kfar Shuba facing the targeted outposts and the outskirts of Kfar Hamam, Rashaya al-Fakahr and Halta. Thirty minutes later, Hizbullah fired further rockets and mortar rounds at the positions. Israel Orders Army to Standby for Action Against Lebanon An Nahar 10/28/2003 Israel said Tuesday its army was ordered to standby for a retaliation to Hizbullah's latest cross-border attacks "so severe that the Lebanese will wish they are citizens of Israel, not Lebanon." The alert was ordered by Israel's northern front commander Lt. Gen. Benny Ganz following three hours of air and land hostilities in the disputed Shabaa farms border zone at the foothills of Mount Herman along the southern flank of Syria's Golan Heights. The Israeli army said one Israeli soldier was lightly wounded and one Hizbullah military vehicle was destroyed by F-16 fighter-bombers, which staged four bombing runs behind a massive tank canon bombardment targeting the environs of the southern Lebanese town of Kfar Shouba.

Diplomacy..

Qureia Seeks Hamas-Israel Truce, Sharon Reluctant An Nahar 10/28/2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia says there are contacts with militant groups about a new truce to stop attacks against Israelis, but Israel said it is interested only in a crackdown on the violent groups, not a cease-fire. Qureia has spoken at least once in recent days with Khaled Mashaal, the Hamas leader in Syria, a Palestinian source said. The new truce would replace one declared unilaterally by militants June 29. It lasted about six weeks before collapsing in a spate of Palestinian bombings and Israeli retaliation. Palestinian PM 'plans Hamas talks' BBC 10/27/2003 Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei has proposed meeting members of the militant group Hamas to discuss a new ceasefire with Israel, reports say. Hamas spokesman Ismail Haniya told the Israeli online newspaper Haaretz that Mr Qurei had sent a letter to the group expressing his wish for discussions. "There is no reason not to meet with [Mr Qurei] and preparations are already being made," Mr Haniya told the paper. Yassin: Hamas ready to discuss cease-fire with PA's Qureia Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Hamas spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on Tuesday said that the group was willing to discuss a possible cease-fire, adding that contacts were underway with Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia to arrange a meeting between representatives of the two sides. Yassin added, however, that Hamas would keep the right to respond to "Israeli crimes," and rejected earlier reports according to which Egypt had demanded that the group agree to a cease-fire. Shalom derides hudna Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom yesterday said he strongly opposes a cease-fire with the Palestinians because it "would be used by the terrorist organizations to arm themselves, to smuggle weapons for training and to prepare for another bout of terror attacks." Sharon accused of settlement lie Al-Jazeera 10/28/2003 Israel has been accused of breaching the terms of the Middle East "road map" for peace after granting "permanent settlement" status to at least five outposts in the West Bank. One of the biggest critics is an Israeli settlement monitoring group which says the move is totally illegal. Peace Now says it proves Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon lied to Washington earlier this year when he promised to remove dozens of small, isolated outposts under the peace plan. U.N. Urges Lebanon to Curb Hizbullah, U.S. Urges Restraint An Nahar 10/28/2003 The United States has urged Lebanon, Syria and Israel to harness violence along their common borders in keeping with their commitments to the U.N. Security Council to help the cause of peace in the Middle East. The Bush administration's behest was made in Washington by State Department spokesman Richard Boucher in response to questions about the U.S. stance on the Hizbullah-Israeli clashes across the U.N.-drawn Blue Line Monday. Speculation About New Syrian Army Redeployment out of Lebanon An Nahar 10/28/2003 President Lahoud has accused Israel of seeking to pressure Lebanon and Syria into "changing their positions and convictions" toward the Middle East peace process, "which is never going to happen." Lahoud made the remarks during a meeting with a high-powered Syrian military delegation headed by Gen. Hassan Turkmani, Syria's army chief of staff, who made a daylong visit to Beirut on Monday, the local media said Tuesday. Israel Lashes at Switzerland for Hosting Unofficial Peace Talks An Nahar 10/28/2003 The Israeli Foreign Ministry summoned a senior Swiss diplomat to protest Switzerland's backing for an informal Mideast peace plan reached by former Israeli and Palestinian negotiators, an official said Tuesday. Foreign Ministry spokesman Jonathan Peled said Switzerland's acting head of mission, Claude Altermatt, was summoned on Monday. Peled said Israeli officials expressed "misgivings about the Swiss involvement in promoting" the peace plan. Altermatt said he stressed during the meeting that Switzerland had only been a facilitator and that the negotiators were responsible for the final document. Hezbollah says can't bear stalling on prisoner swap Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Hezbollah's leader said on Tuesday it would not tolerate more stalling by Israel on a possible prisoner swap and added it was committed to bringing home its prisoners. "Our message is clear. Time is passing. I want to say clearly that Hezbollah will not bear more procrastination," Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah told followers in Beirut. "We reiterate and stress our decisive and final commitment in the file of returning these dear prisoners to their families and homes by negotiations or else without negotiations," he said. Ex-US president Jimmy Carter expected at launch of Mideast peace initiative Yahoo! News 10/28/2003 GENEVA (AFP) - Former US president and Nobel peace prize laureate Jimmy Carter will attend the launch of an unofficial Middle East peace initiative by Israeli and Palestinian politicians next month in Geneva, one of the instigators of the move said. "The idea is to organise a cultural ceremony with international personalities. Jimmy Carter has confirmed he will come," Alexis Keller, a professor at Geneva University, told the Swiss news agency ATS. Diplomats have credited Keller with bringing about the informal meetings between Israeli opposition figures and prominent Palestinians about two years ago. Israeli PR should focus more on peace hopes, visiting European lawmakers say Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Israel's public relations effort has failed because it focuses too much on fighting terrorism and too little on hopes for peace, visiting European parliamentarians said yesterday. "Israel PR has failed in Europe because it focuses solely on the war on terror and not on the need to find a solution, or even on hope," said a senior official of Med-Bridge, the group that organized the three-day mission to Israel and Jordan by 170 European parliamentarians from 27 countries. Egyptian FM: Israel choosing road to disasters, not road map Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 MOSCOW/CAIRO - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said Tuesday Israel was choosing the "road to disasters" over the route to peace by continuing construction of fence Israel says is needed to keep out Palestinian attackers. The fence cuts into the West Bank and through Palestinian villages. Maher, speaking to reporters, also said the fence was being built to "capture more Palestinian territories" and would not contribute to the so-called "road map" peace plan endorsed by the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States.

Human Rights..

Rights groups seek probe into Palestinian civilian death Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Israeli human rights groups have appealed to the Supreme Court to compel the military to investigate all incidents where Palestinians civilians are killed by the army, a spokesman for one of the groups said Tuesday. The petitioners, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and B'tselem, charge that the killing of civilians is rarely investigated and almost never leads to charges being brought. In three years of Israel-Palestinian violence, 2,527 people have been killed on the Palestinian side, and the army has acknowledged that at least 200 were civilian noncombatants. However, Palestinians and human rights groups place the number much higher. Israel Continues to Imprison A Palestinian Minor, Detains Activists' Wives as Hostages International Press Center 10/28/2003 ELBIREH, Palestine, October 28, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Palestinian Prisoners Affair ministry condemned yesterday the continued imprisonment of a Palestinian child in the Israeli jails, as the Israeli occupying forces started detaining Palestinian resistance activists' wives to use them as hostages. In a written press statement, the Ministry expressed deep concerns over the life of 12-year old Rakan Nusseirat, from Jericho governorate, who has been imprisoned in "Ofer" detention camp under harsh detention conditions. "Under extreme psychological pressure and threats by the Israeli jail administration, Nusseirat attempted suicide for the third time, by drinking several medicines and chlorine...." ...Meanwhile, the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) started adopting a new pursuit to apprehend Palestinian resistance activists; arresting their wives and using them as hostages....IOF soldiers broke into the family house, arrested Tamam and took her to the military jeeps waiting outside, not caring about her four children, including a seven-month old infant. Israeli military commanders hope that, by using such an immoral pursuit, to extort Palestinian resistance activists into turning themselves to the Israeli forces in exchange for the release of their wives. World Food Programme says situation continues to deteriorate in the occupied Palestinian territories Electronic Intifada 10/28/2003 Christaine Berthiaume of the World Food Programme said that she had been in the occupied Palestinian territories last week. The situation in that region continued to deteriorate. A WFP study showed that more than 50 per cent of the inhabitants of the occupied territories lived below the poverty line. WFP was preparing a study on the "mechanisms of survival" and its results would be out at the end of November. Preliminary results showed that the people in the occupied Palestinian territories had run out of survival mechanisms. Israeli forces destroy three apartment buildings in al-Zahra Electronic Intifada 10/26/2003 In an attempt to prevent the demolition of the three buildings, at approximately 23:50 on Saturday, 25 October 2003, PCHR submitted a petition to the Israeli High Court.As they have numerous times in the past, the Israeli prosecution claimed that the three buildings were to be demolished on grounds of security necessities. At approximately 02:00 on Sunday, 26 October 2003, the Israeli High Court rejected PCHR's petition, permitting the demolition of the three buildings and at approximately 02:20, Israeli occupying forces demolished the three buildings. Army Finally Agreed To Investigate Its Self on the Killing of A British Peace Activist International Middle East Media Center 10/28/2003 The spokesman of the British Embassy in Israel said Monday that the Israeli defense ministry finally agreed to launch an investigation into the shooting of British peace activists Tom Hurandall, who lies clinically dead in a London hospital after being shot by soldiers in the Gaza Strip. The same source said that the investigation will be headed by military controller general Menachem Finkelstein and hoped for it to be completed as soon as possible. Tom's family members welcomed the news, but said it fell short of the family call for an independent investigation. The family accuses that their son was shot deliberately and are seeking prosecution of the soldiers involved. Palestinian prisoners clash with Zionist jailers following provocative search Palestinian Information Center 10/28/2003 Ramallah - Palestinian prisoners in the desert prison of Beer Sheba yesterday clashed with their Zionist jailers who summoned reinforcements to quell the detainees. Zionist prison authority said that the confrontations started after jailers broke into prisoners’ cells and searched their belongings at the pretext of searching for mobile phones.

Economy..

Netanyahu-Peretz meeting fails; general strike likely Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 A general public-sector strike looks likely to begin next week after the third meeting in five days between Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz failed to produce any progress Monday. No further meetings between the two sides have been scheduled. The Histadrut is threatening to launch the general strike Monday unless the government agrees to freeze three major components of its economic program: plans to reorganize and merge several government agencies, plans to dismiss several hundred public-sector workers, and a pension reform law enacted by the Knesset in May. Finance Ministry digs in for long strike Globes 10/28/2003 The Civil Service Commission and the Government Companies Authority are already preparing back-to-work orders. -- The Ministry of Finance is preparing for a long, difficult strike, which it estimates will last between one week and one month. The ministry fears that the strike will include all infrastructure companies, and totally paralyze the economy. Number of families under poverty line tripled 1988-2001 Globes 10/28/2003 Bank of Israel: National Insurance allowances rose substantially in that time. -- The Bank of Israel published the results of a general study of poverty indices in Israel in 1988-2001, including the contribution of National Insurance allowances in reducing poverty. The study investigated poverty by sectors (haredi (ultra-Orthodox) Jews, non-haredi Jews, and non-Jews), family size (small up to three children, and large four or more children), and the age of family heads (young women up to age 60 and men up to age 65, old). Economy shows faint signs of recovery Globes 10/28/2003 Retail sales and industrial production are up, but exports are down. -- The gradual improvement in economic activity is continuing. Retail sales, industrial production, and imports of investment goods and raw materials are slowly rising. Wholesale sales rose by an annualized 1% and industrial production rose by an annualized 2% in August-September, the Central Bureau of Statistics reported today. However, only a few sectors are improving. The Central Bureau of Statistics therefore warns that it is premature to declare that the recession is over. D&B predicts 60,000 business closures by year-end Globes 10/28/2003 D&B Israel classified 18.1% of all businesses as very high risk of closure in October, 0.3% more than in September. -- D&B Israel today revised its assessment of Israel's business climate, and now expected 60,000 business closures by year-end. D&B Israel predicted 50,000 business closures in its September business risk survey. In its October business risk survey, D&B Israel classified 18.1% of business as very high risk, compared with 17.8% in September, 17.7% in August, and 17.3% in July. The proportion of businesses at very high risk of closure rose by 0.3% in October. The proportion of businesses classified as very high risk has increased by 1.6% since January, and now stands at 48,000. Projected GDP for 2003 up 1.1 percent Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 According to the 2003 national accounts, gross domestic product will increase 1.1 percent this year, compared to decreases in the past two years. GDP net of start-ups will rise 1.4 percent. Per capita GDP will be NIS 74,600 in 2003 - a 0.7 percent drop against per capita GDP for 2002. In 2002, GDP fell 0.8 percent, after a 0.9 percent drop in 2001. The government growth target for 2003 is 1.0 percent, meaning actual growth is very close to on target, but still lower than estimates released in recent months by senior Finance Ministry officials. Orlev: Bank of Israel responsible for unemployment, poverty Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Minister of Labor and Social Affairs Zevulun Orlev on Tuesday said one of the major reasons for the growing poverty statistics in Israel was the high-interest policy of the Bank of Israel. Orlev was referring to a Bank of Israel survey published earlier the same day, according to which the number of Israeli families living below the poverty line tripled from 1988 to 2001. The central bank is one of the factors that have caused damage to the workforce, increased unemployment and caused many families to cross the poverty line, Orlev said. Treasury plans tax hikes to finance low earners' supplement Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 Contrary to Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's explicit promise not to raise or impose new taxes in 2004, the treasury plans to raise taxes on diesel and cigarettes and to revoke Eilat's VAT exemption. Analysts believe that the tax hike is intended to cover the finance minister's plan to increase the net wages of lower and average income earners by NIS 100 to 150 a month, which is estimated to cost about NIS 2 billion. Expired “Israeli” food products marketed in northern Iraq Palestinian Information Center 10/27/2003 Baghdad - “Israel” has sold large quantities of expired food products in the northern Iraqi city of Mosul and other areas there worth around 50 million dollars on the eve of the holy Islamic fasting month of Ramadan. Iraqi sources told the Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) that validity of most of the “Israeli” products’ was expired especially those marketed in Mosul. Dr. Mohammed Abdul Jabbar, an expert at the Mosul research and nutrition institute, has warned citizens against consuming those “Israeli” goods, which arrived in Iraq through neighboring countries. PM says it's not true, but ministry cites 2,500 homeless here Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 "There are no homeless people in Israel," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told a group of 170 European parliament members yesterday. However, according to the Social Affairs Ministry, at least 2,500 people are registered as homeless. "Apparently it's been a long time since Sharon read the Central Bureau of Statistics figures or been briefed by the housing and absorption ministers about the endless line of immigrants seeking work and adequate housing," human rights activist Ran Melamed, assistant director of an umbrella organization for social action groups, said yesterday. Citibank Israel general manager: Regulator doesn't restrict us Globes 10/28/2003 Gus Felix: Citibank Israel has extended over $2.5 billion in credit to 275 large Israeli companies. -- "Citibank Israel extends credit to 275 major Israeli companies. That's a very large number. We've extended over $2.5 billion in credit to these companies, and that's just the credit recorded in Citibank's books," Citibank general manager and CEO for Israel Gus Felix told "Globes". Citigroup (NYSE:C), the world's largest banking group, was the first foreign bank to operate in Israel....Commenting on competition with Israeli banks, Felix said, "Citibank has a very large capital base compared with the local banks. Another important factor is that we don't have the problems facing the local banks arising from Supervisor of Banks Yoav Lehman's new credit restrictions. Our credit work is therefore easier."

People..

Poet’s legacy is one of breaking down barriers between East and West Daily Star 10/28/2003 Jawdat Haydar, at 98, is a contemporary icon in Lebanon and is also well known in the United States -- When Jawdat Haydar was a little boy he liked to buy sweets from the store the British had set up in his village in the Bekaa. He thought to himself, “If I could just speak English I would certainly get all the sweets I want from them.” That was before World War I when European powers were stationed in Lebanon to overlook the functionings of the fading Ottoman Empire. Today, Haydar is 98 years old and one of the most renowned poets of Lebanon. His poem, The Temple in Baalbek, is part of the official curriculum for the baccalaureate program in public schools. Nashashibi's 'From Country to Country' By Muna Al-Qawasmi, Jerusalem Times 10/23/2003 "When Egyptian media giant Ali Ameen insisted that I return to writing, 'otherwise rust will accumulate on your pen,' I told him about the last ten books I wrote in the past four years, which were thrown on a shelf waiting for a publisher. "I lived the wounds of my country with my pen, and neither the wounds nor the pen left me. Others wrote for the world, while I wrote for myself. My writings were prayer that only God understands, and I believe the skies accept prayer....That was a sample of the writing of Palestinian author Nassereddin Nashashibi, taken from the introduction of his book 'From Country to Country', one of his most recent works. At the end of October, Nashashibi's latest book, 'Before Al-Aqsa Disappears', will be published.

International..

Visiting professor accused of ties to Hamas St. Petersburg Times 10/26/2003 JUPITER - The State Department is investigating a pro-Israeli think tank's allegations that a visiting professor at Florida Atlantic University's Honors College is linked with a Palestinian militant group, the school said Saturday. Mustafa Abu Sway, a Fulbright professor from Israel, was accused of ties to Hamas in an opinion piece published Monday in the New York Post. "We're waiting for word from the entities who have the abilities to thoroughly research the allegations," FAU spokeswoman Aileen Izquierdo said. "We don't have the tools to do it; the State Department does. So, we're waiting for the experts to let us know if we need to be concerned." The opinion piece was written by Daniel Pipes, who heads the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum. Pipes quoted an unidentified Israeli government source alleging Abu "is known as an activist" in Hamas, but gave no further evidence. Jumblat Infuriates U.S. by Calling Wolfowitz 'Germ' An Nahar 10/28/2003 Druze leader Walid Jumblat has sparked uproar with remarks lamenting the failure to kill Paul Wolfowitz, a perceived anti-Arab, anti-Islamic U.S. deputy secretary of defense, in a rocket barrage against Baghdad's famed Al-Rasheed Hotel this weekend. The embassy demanded in a statement an official public condemnation of Jumblat's remarks, which were aired on Future TV Monday. Jumblat, Mount Lebanon's kingpin, said he hoped that next time, the Iraqi rockets would be "more accurate and effective in ridding us of this germ, his esteemed entourage and their likes in Washington," noting that Wolfowitz was the "architect of the embargo and destruction of Iraq and a sincere friend of Ariel Sharon." Syria says cannot stop militants entering Iraq MSNBC 10/28/2003 LONDON, Oct. 25 — Syria cannot stop militants entering Iraq to attack U.S. forces, Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara said in an interview with a British Sunday newspaper. The comments are likely to fuel tensions between Washington and Damascus, already strained over a vote in the U.S. Congress to impose sanctions on Syria. ''They are very determined and many of them dream of seeing an American tank,'' Shara said of militants who cross the border into Iraq. ''We are doing everything we can,'' he told the Sunday Telegraph. ''We have tightened our checkpoints and are turning people back. But the border is long and we cannot cover it all. ''If America, a rich superpower cannot stop Mexicans crossing into the United States, then how can we, a poor country, be expected to stop Palestinians getting into Iraq.'' Iran reformists denounce judges BBC 10/28/2003 A commission of the reformist-dominated parliament in Iran has called for a judicial investigation into the Tehran prosecutor's role in the case of Zahra Kazemi, a Canadian-Iranian journalist who died in July from a blow to the head after being arrested in June. The case has stirred bitter recriminations between the hardline judiciary and reformist bodies. Although it has gone to trial, President Mohammed Khatami has publicly criticised the way the case has been handled by the judiciary. Maryland business delegation in Israel next week Globes 10/28/2003 Maryland is an important US center for high tech and biotechnology. -- A delegation of businesspeople, government officials, and community leaders from the state of Maryland, headed by Governor Robert Ehrlich, is scheduled to visit Israel for five days, staring on November 4.....Sibel added that the visit would enable Maryland to bolster its economic relations with Israel, and launch a number of cooperation plans, particularly in biotechnology and security. U.S. complains about Arab TV series Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 WASHINGTON - The United States has complained to the Lebanese and Syrian governments about a television series that a Jewish group has described as anti-Semitic, the State Department said on Tuesday. Beirut-based al-Manar Television aired on Monday the first episode of a Syrian-made mini-drama it advertises as portraying the history of the Zionist movement. Al-Manar, which is affiliated with Lebanon's Hezbollah guerrilla group, will air the series "al-Shatat" - Arabic for the diaspora - in daily segments on the station during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan, when television audiences peak. U.S. sees credible aviation terror threat in Saudi Arabia Ha'aretz 10/28/2003 RIYADH - The United States said Tuesday it had credible information of a threat of further terror attacks including on Western aviation interests in Saudi Arabia. It also said Americans should defer non-essential travel to the Gulf Arab state. The U.S. embassy in Riyadh had earlier warned its nationals of possible attacks during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan in the kingdom, birthplace of Al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden, but the new advisory was the first to discourage travel. Former officials rip Bush’s approach to region at Washington confab Daily Star 10/28/2003 Middle east institute hosts eye-opening discussion - Iraq war has weakened America because ‘the world sees the limits on US power’ -- WASHINGTON: US policy in the Middle East was dealt a severe drubbing by the two featured speakers at the annual conference of the Middle East Institute, a flagship think-tank which has been established for over half a century. It was noted in the welcoming statement that “the outlook for both America and the region is fraught with peril.”In the keynote address, Clyde Prestowitz, founder and president of the Economic Strategy Institute, declared that US policy has “for a long time” given a “trump card” to Palestinian terrorists “because we keep saying that no progress can be made until the terrorist attacks stop.” France 'to aim nuclear arms at rogue states' The Telegraph 10/28/2003 France is to enact a historic shift in military strategy by targeting its nuclear missiles on "rogue states" that have weapons of mass destruction, it was reported yesterday. In the longer term, the strategy will "take into account" China as a potential threat, according to the newspaper Libération. It said the new doctrine - the fruit of several years of reflection by the defence ministry, will be announced in the next few weeks. Oxford Suspends Professor Rejecting Ex-Israeli Soldier Islam Online 10/28/2003 LONDON, October 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - An Oxford professor was suspended from academic duties without pay for two months after he rejected an Israeli student because he had served in the Israeli army, press reports said on Tuesday, October 28. Professor Andrew Wilkie, Nuffield professor of pathology, told Amit Duvshani, a graduate student at Tel Aviv university, there was "no way he would accept someone who had served in the Israeli army". Wilkie, writing in an email, had told the Israeli student that he would not agree to his request to work in his laboratory because the professor had a "huge problem" with Israeli treatment of Palestinians.

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