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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..

IOF Kills Three Palestinians, Including a Child and a Senior Citizen International Press Center 11/10/2003 JENIN, Palestine, November 10, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Three Palestinian citizens died yesterday of wounds they sustained during different invasions of the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) throughout the West Bank and Gaza Strip. In Nablus City, Palestinian medical sources declared Sunday that a Palestinian child from Jenin refugee camp died today of wounds he sustained during an IOF invasion of the camp last Saturday. 12-year old Ahmad Mar'ei was shot with several live bullets all over his body when IOF tanks and military vehicles overran the refugee camp last Saturday. Day of Israeli Aggression Leaves 6 Dead Scoop/Al-Manar Television 11/10/2003 Another Day of Israeli Aggression Leaves 6 Palestinian Martyrs, Several Injured, 6 Houses Demolished -- Israeli occupation troops killed five Palestinians, including two youths and injured several others during a massive aggression against Jenin and a nearby area in the West Bank. Occupation forces arrested Amjad al Obeidi a leader of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, and demolished six houses. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians Muatez Amouri 16 and Riyad Massad 30 as the troops penetrated deep into the village of Birkin near Jenin. Palestinian Death Toll Rises to Thirteen in 48 Hours Palestine Media Center 11/9/2003 Two Palestinians died on Saturday and Sunday of wounds sustained earlier by Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) gunfire, a day after four other compatriots were shot dead and a father of six was announced killed by occupation troops in separate incidents in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, which raises the Palestinian death toll to thirteen in 48 hours. Samer Abu A’sab, 22 from Balatah refugee camp, died in a hospital in the northern West Bank city of Nablus of wounds sustained during an IOF military incursion into the camp a week ago, the official Palestinian news agency WAFA reported Sunday. Palestinian attempts to stab police officer in Jerusalem Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 A Palestinian youth attempted to stab a police officer adjacent to Jerusalem's Old City police station on Monday afternoon. The officer, who was not wounded, succeeded in overpowering the youth and detained him for interrogation. The Palestinian youth, a resident of the city's Silwan neighborhood, told police investigators he was attempting to prove to his fellow villagers that he was not collaborating with Israeli authorities. IDF troops arrested 15 wanted terror suspects Sunday night in the West Bank. Six detainees, most of them Fatah activists, were arrested just north of Ramallah. Palestinians: IDF surrounds 3 Nablus buildings Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Large numbers of Israel Defense Forces troops surrounded three buildings in the center of the West Bank city of Nablus on Monday evening, apparently in a search for suspects, Palestinian sources told the Itim news agency. The IDF imposed a curfew on the city prior to surrounding the buildings, the sources said. Also Monday, Israel expelled a Palestinian from the West Bank to Gaza, charging that he was involved in attacks against Israelis, the first expulsion in a year. President Arafat: Israel Used Depleted Uranium to Suppress the Palestinian People International Press Center 11/10/2003 RAMALLAH, November 10,2003 (IPC + WAFA)-- Palestinian President Yasser Arafat asserted that Israel used depleted uranium against the Palestinian people, which was evidently verified by American and European assertions as well as the cancer rate among Palestinians has risen similar to that caused in “Hiroshima”. Arafat’s remarks came following his reception of a delegation involving Christian, Jewish and Muslim figures headed by Mitchell Koal on Sunday in his office in Rammallah. Separation fence to include wide area east of Jerusalem Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 The route of the separation fence east of Jerusalem will include a wide swath of territory extending to the Alon Road and cliffs of Wadi Kelt, according to a plan prepared by the defense establishment. In addition to the West Bank city of Ma'aleh Adumim, the fence will encompass the Mishor Adumim industrial area, the Kfar Adumin settlement and Palestinian villages such as Hizmeh and Anata. Ibrahimi Mosque Calls For Help On Massacre Anniversary Islam Online 11/10/2003 GAZA CITY, November 10 (IslamOnline.net) – Now that more than nine years have elapsed since the massacre of Al-Haram Al-Ibrahimi, when a Jewish terrorist rained worshippers with bullets, Palestinians scholars urged Muslims Sunday, November 9, to stand up firmly to Israeli policies aimed at turning the holy mosque into a Jewish synagogue and forcing Palestinians to leave their homes in the old town of Al-Khalil (Hebron). Sheikh Hamid Al-Bitawi, head of Palestine's Scholars League, said Israel wants Palestinians to give up their inalienable rights in this piece of sacred land. Capture of Islamic Jihad Leader Sparks Clashes in Mideast Washington Post 11/9/2003 JERUSALEM, Nov. 8 -- Israeli soldiers shot and killed as many as four Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Saturday, an Israeli military spokesman and Palestinian security officials said, bringing to at least nine the number of Palestinians killed by Israeli security forces in the past two days. The Israeli military spokesman said that the capture of the top Islamic Jihad leader in Jenin on Friday led to rioting and firefights in the West Bank town, 45 miles north of Jerusalem, in which at least one Palestinian was killed. Army Intensifies Assaults Against Gaza and Jenin International Middle East Media Center 11/9/2003 Palestinian sources reported Saturday afternoon that troops operating inside the town of Burqeen, near the West bank city of Jenin opened fire at a crowd of residents, killing Muataz Alamoudi, 15, and wounding 4 others, including a women. Medical sources reported that Alamoudi was hit by many high velocity bullets all over his body and that two of the wounded were in critical conditions. Earlier in the day, soldiers operating in the western part of the city of Jenin shot dead Mohamad Salah, 19, and moderately wounded three children aged 7, 10, and 11 years old. Palestinian shot dead near Nablus, another Palestinian dies of wounds Al-Bawaba 11/9/2003 A butcher from the Palestinian Balata refugee camp was shot dead due to his apparent refusal to close down his shop during a funeral procession. A Fatah activist is suspected of killing the local butcher Saturday afternoon after the latter refused to close his shop as a funeral procession of another Fatah activist was taking place in the Balata refugee camp near Nablus....Currently, the Fatah group is trying to settle the crisis by exerting efforts to hand over the killer to the Palestinian Authority. Syria dusts off maps of Golan Heights battlefields following Israeli attack The Guardian 11/10/2003 Brian Whitaker hears talk in Damascus of a strategy to put the focus on a dangerous area -- They call it Shouting Valley - a remote spot in the Golan Heights where Syrians go to meet their relatives on the opposite side. Across the valley they can see each other and wave, but it is not easy to talk. Those with strong voices shout, while others use loudhailers, because they are kept apart by coils of razor wire, a 300-metre minefield, and an electrified fence. The Syrians on the other side - who nowadays number about 24,000 - have been living under Israeli occupation since 1967. Israeli Arab charged with transporting Haifa suicide bomber Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 An Israeli Arab from the northern town of Umm al-Fahm was charged Monday with having driven the female suicide bomber to the crowded Maxim restaurant in Haifa last month, where she later blew herself up, killing 21 people. According to the indictment, Jamal Mahnaje, 47, was arrested by police and Shin Bet security service agents hours after the attack at the popular seaside Maxim Restaurant, allegedly confessing to investigators that he drove the bomber from the border of the West Bank to the eating place, even dining with her prior to the bombing. Officers of elite IDF unit to be demoted over October killings Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 An investigation into an October Palestinian ambush that killed three IDF soldiers in a village near the West Bank city of Ramallah includes recommendations to demote officiers of the elite Dukefat infantry unit, Army Radio reported Monday. The results of the probe are to be submitted to army chief Moshe Ya'alon later on Monday. The officers to be disciplined in the wake of the incident are of junior rank, and not senior commanders, Israel Radio said. Video: Imperial Geography Free Speech TV/Infopal Video: Documentary of the imperial settlement policies in Gaza and the West Bank. Courtesy Free Speech TV. 28-minutes

Diplomacy..

Cabinet narrowly okays prisoner swap Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 The cabinet approved the planned prisoner exchange with Hezbollah by a narrow 12-11 margin yesterday, following a tense seven-and-a-half-hour meeting. However, security sources predicted that it would be another few weeks before the swap actually takes place, since several details remain to be finalized: Hezbollah must give Israel DNA samples from the three Israel Defense Forces soldiers whose bodies are to be returned as part of the deal so that their identities can be confirmed, and Israel must finalize the list of 400 Palestinian prisoners that it will release. Nasrallah: No prisoner swap without Samir Kuntar Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, responding Monday to a Hezbollah demand that a proposed prisoner swap would go forward only if Israel freed jailed terrorist Samir Kuntar, declared that Kuntar "is not on the list" of hundreds of prisoners Israel has agreed to release. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Monday said that the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, narrowly approved in a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, would not be carried out without the release of Samir Kuntar, jailed in Israel since a 1979 attack in Nahariya, in which he murdered three members of the same family and an Israeli policeman. Shalom: We won't free Kuntar Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, responding Monday to a Hezbollah demand that a proposed prisoner swap would go forward only if Israel freed jailed terrorist Samir Kuntar, declared that Kuntar "is not on the list" of hundreds of prisoners Israel has agreed to release. Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah on Monday said that the prisoner exchange deal with Israel, narrowly approved in a cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday, would not be carried out without the release of Samir Kuntar, jailed in Israel since a 1979 attack in Nahariya, in which he murdered three members of the same family and an Israeli policeman. Mofaz hints Israel may try to abduct Nasrallah Al-Bawaba 11/10/2003 Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, has hinted that his country was ready to stage a massive hostage-taking campaign against Lebanon that could include the abduction of Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Israeli newspapers said Monday the mood of Ariel Sharon's cabinet is one of wresting the abduction initiative from Hizbullah by kidnapping scores of Lebanese figures, including high-ranking Hizbullah leaders, if Nasrallah rejects the last-minute terms the Israeli cabinet has added to the swap deal. U.S. critical of new Palestinian government Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 The United States criticized on Sunday Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's newly appointed Palestinian government, which left security control under the charge of PA Chairman Yasser Arafat. "The prime minister must have control of all of the security forces and Washington insists that terrorists and military organizations not under the control of the Palestinian Authority be disarmed and dismantled," U.S. State Department spokeswoman Amanda Batt said Sunday. Qurie Seeks Pledges of Result Before Seeing Sharon Reuters 11/10/2003 RAMALLAH (Reuters) - Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said Monday he would meet Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon if assured of moves to revive a U.S.-backed peace plan stymied by intractable violence. Aides to Qurie, whose new cabinet is set for a parliamentary confidence vote Wednesday, said he wanted pledges from Israel before a meeting to lift blockades on Palestinian towns and observe a truce he seeks to secure from Palestinian militants. "For the meeting with Sharon to occur, it must be well prepared for in advance and we must agree on (what) will result from that meeting in advance, so we can break the current peace deadlock," Qurie told Reuters. Nasrallah lays out bottom line on prisoner swap Daily Star 11/10/2003 All Lebanese have to be freed’ -- Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said over the weekend that his party would refuse any prisoner swap deal with Israel unless it included all the Lebanese detainees. “Any exchange that excludes any Lebanese prisoner will not be accepted,” Nasrallah said, adding that German mediators had informed Hizbullah of an Israeli agreement to release all Lebanese detainees. Israel seen likely to open dialogue with new Qureia cabinet Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Israel is likely to open a dialogue with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia's new government once it is sworn in, despite the fact the cabinet's composition leaves Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat in charge of the PA security services, government sources in Jerusalem predicted yesterday. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said yesterday that the new Palestinian government "will be judged by its actions," but added: "Leaving security authority in Arafat's hands is not promising." Finance Minister Netanyahu off to U.S. to visit Congress, business leaders Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu set off last night on a three-day visit to New York and Washington where he plans to meet business leaders, investment houses, and members of Congress. Mofaz heading to U.S. to promote renewal of PA talks Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz left Sunday night for the United States and hopes to renew American interest in pushing forward talks with the Palestinians in line with President George W. Bush's vision. Mofaz is scheduled to hold meetings with his counterpart Donald Rumsfeld, with National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice, with Vice President Richard Cheney and with Secretary of State Collin Powell. He will also attend next Friday's unveiling ceremony for the latest fighter aircraft, the F16-I, at the Lockheed Martin site in Fort Worth, Texas. The planes are scheduled for use by the Israel Air Force. Shimon Peres calls on Palestinians to help stop terrorism Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 THESSALONIKI - Opposition leader MK Shimon Peres called on Palestinians Sunday to help stop terrorism if they hope to reach a peace agreement with Israel. The former prime and foreign minister also said a car bomb attack in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, showed how important it was all for countries - as well as Arabs and Muslims - to work together in fighting terrorism. In 14th Anniversary of Removal Berlin Wall, Swiss FM: The Wall Contravenes with the International Law International Press Center 11/9/2003 GAZA, November 09, 2003 (IPC+Agencies)-- Foreign Affair Minister of Swedish Lalia Frifalds voiced on Saturday that the Jewish colonial settlements and the construction of the apartheid wall by Israel, contravening with the international law and have not assured the security of Israel. “The Israeli occupation has to be ended,” Lalia Frifalds said in an article published by the Swedish Svenska Dagbladet daily”. In the same bracket, about 10,000 campaigners poured into the streets of Rome protesting against the construction of the apartheid wall, in abide to a bid made by the leftist union and organizations in Italy. Israel prisoner deal 'not enough' BBC 11/10/2003 The leader of Lebanese militant group Hezbollah appears to have rejected Israel's offer of a prisoner exchange. Hassan Nasrallah said he stood by his demands for all Lebanese prisoners held by Israel to be released. The Israeli cabinet narrowly approved an exchange over the weekend, but ruled out releasing those convicted of killing Israelis. Mr Nasrallah said any prisoner exchange had to include Samir Kantar, jailed for 24 years for killing an Israeli family. Israel Okays 'Conditional' Hizbullah Prisoner Swap Islam Online 11/10/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, November 9 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The Israeli cabinet on Sunday, November 9, approved a "conditional" prisoner swap with the Lebanon-based resistance movement Hizbullah by a slim majority, Israeli public radio and television reported. Following several months of German mediation, the exchange was approved by the narrowest of margins with 12 ministers voting in favor and 11 against. But Housing Minister Effi Eitam told public radio that Samir Kantar, the longest-held Lebanese prisoner, was excluded from the deal, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). Analysis / Will Kuntar's status foil the agreement? Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Will Israel's refusal to release Samir Kuntar foil the planned prisoner exchange with Hezbollah? According to Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah, Kuntar, who murdered three members of the Haran family in 1979, heads the list of those he wants freed. In other words, Nasrallah's prestige now depends not only on fulfilling his pledge to free all the Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, but also on Kuntar's release in particular. Yet if he calls off the deal, he will destroy his greatest political achievement to date... Lebanese doubtful about chances of clinching deal Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 There was confusion in Lebanon yesterday as the Israeli cabinet made its decision on the prisoner exchange. The estimate in Lebanon is that the deal is not yet wrapped up, and there will be further negotiations, with the ball firmly in Israel's court. The major debate is over the release of all Lebanese prisoners held by Israel, without exception. The A-Nehar newspaper reported yesterday that a German defense delegation had visited Lebanon last week to prepare for the prisoner exchange. U.S & Israel Unhappy with Arafat’s Increased Power, but Open for Talks with New Cabinet International Middle East Media Center 11/10/2003 In reaction to the formation of the new Palestinian cabinet, the U.S state department spokeswomen Amanda Batt said “the prime minister must have control of all security forces and Washington insists that terrorist and military organizations not under the control of the Palestinian Authority be disarmed and dismantled.” Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom expressed Sunday concerns over leaving security authority in Arafat’s hands, but added that the new Palestinian cabinet “will be judged by its actions”, indicating that Israel is w[i]lling to resume talks with Qurei’s government. Prisoners’ Swap deal Halted over Release of Kuntar International Middle East Media Center 11/10/2003 In its Sunday meeting, Israeli cabinet approved with a slim majority the terms proposed by Prime Minister Sharon for the prisoners’ swap deal with Hezbollah. The terms included accepting to release 20 Lebanese prisoners, excluding Samir Kuntar, who took part in a 1979 attack on the northern town of Nahariya in which three Israelis were killed, and some 400 Palestinian prisoners. Earlier on Sunday, Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nassralah said that his organization will not accept any change on the negotiated terms, which states that all Lebanese prisoners would be released with no exceptions. Sharon's prisoner swap with Hizbollah splits his cabinet The Independent 11/10/2003 By the narrowest of margins, 12 votes to 11, Ariel Sharon persuaded the Israeli cabinet yesterday to approve a prisoner swap that is bound to provide fodder for moral philosophers and conspiracy theorists for years to come. The Prime Minister is now free to conclude a deal with the Lebanese guerrilla group Hizbollah to release about 20 Lebanese and 400 Palestinian prisoners in exchange for one live Israeli civilian, Elhanan Tannenbaum, and the remains of three soldiers abducted on the Israeli-Lebanese border three years ago. Swap Deal in Peril as Israel Threatens to Kidnap Nasrallah An Nahar 11/10/2003 The prisoners swap brokered between Hizbullah and Israel by Germany was shrouded in gloom Monday as Israel threatened to stage a massive hostage-taking campaign against Lebanon that could include the abduction of Hizbullah Secretary-General Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah. Tel Aviv newspapers said Monday morning the mood of Ariel Sharon's cabinet is one of wresting the abduction initiative from Hizbullah by kidnapping scores of Lebanese notables, including high-ranking Party of God leaders, if Nasrallah rejects the last-minute terms the Israeli cabinet has added to the swap deal. Ex-Mossad chief: operations to free Ron Arad took place Jerusalem Post 11/10/2003 Former Mossad head MK Dani Yatom (Labor) said Monday that during the late 1980's Israeli security force members had died trying to secure the release of Missing IAF navigator Ron Arad. Yatom would not specify the nature of the security operations or where they took place. According to the Winograd Committee report into the fate of Ron Arad, the Israeli defense establishment believes the navigator was alive and being held in an Iranian jail as late as 2000.

Human Rights..

Hundreds Of Palestinians, Activists Protest Israel's Wall Islam Online 11/10/2003 JENIN, West Bank, November 9 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - As the world marks the 14th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall, hundreds of Palestinians joined by Israeli and foreign peace activists demonstrated Sunday, November 9, in several West Bank cities and villages against Israel's separation wall, just one day after several thousand people marched through central Rome to protest against the controversial barrier. In the village of Zabuba, at the northernmost tip of the West Bank, some 600 people staged a protest and a group of foreign activists from the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) cut a hole in the fence, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). Palestinians, Israelis demonstrate against wall Daily Star 11/10/2003 Thousands promote peace in west bank, jerusalem, tel avivProtesters believe - Separation barrier aims to cut off Palestinian communities -- JERUSALEM: Thousands of Palestinians and Israelis drew to the streets to at the weekend in various marches in the West Bank as well as Jerusalem and Tel Aviv, to protest what they call the “apartheid” wall being built by the Israelis, and promote the cause of just peace. In the village of Zabuba, at the northernmost tip of the West Bank, some 600 people staged a protest Sunday and a group of foreign activists from the International Solidarity Movement cut a hole in the fence. Amnesty: Israel must immediately stop the construction of the fence/wall through the West Bank Scoop/Amnesty International 11/10/2003 Amnesty International is adding its voice to worldwide protests (Starting Sunday) against Israel's construction of the fence/wall in the Occupied West Bank. The organization calls on the Israeli authorities to stop the construction of the fence/wall in the West Bank that is affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. Israeli, Palestinian and international organisations are participating in or supporting the "Stop the Wall Campaign" which has declared 9 November "the International Day of Action against the Wall". "This is Sharonistan" - report anti-Wall events Scoop/Gush Shalom 11/10/2003 At the rendezvous point in the Liberty Bell Park. A hitch developed: the Jerusalem Ta'ayush people, who took upon themselves to organize the morning event, had underestimated the number of people. As more and more activists arrived from Tel-Aviv, Haifa and Jerusalem itself, it turned out that there weren't enough buses to transport everybody to the demonstration site in Sawahre, and the whole action was delayed for an hour. The mostly young organizers stayed remarkably calm: "It is very good that many came." Int. Day Against The Israeli Apartheid Wall Scoop/International Solidarity Movement 11/10/2003 On Sunday, starting at 11:30am in Zububa, Palestinians from the Western villages of Jenin, will lead a non-violent direct action against the apartheid wall. The villagers demands include respect for human rights, the upholding of the Geneva convention and the immediate dismantling of the wall. The Palestinian villagers, who will be accompanied by members of the National Defense Committee Against the Wall, International Solidarity Movement (ISM) and Israeli peace activists are protesting the illegal construction of the wall. Their demands include dismantling wall inside the West Bank, so Palestinians can return to their land, and an end to the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank (including East Jerusalem). Wall Petition Palestine Monitor 11/9/2003 Dear Sir/Madame, On June 23rd 2002, Israel started the construction of what it calls a “security fence,” but what the world overwhelmingly recognizes as a “separation or colonization wall.” This wall is to be built in three phases and by the time it is finished, 55% of the West Bank would be captured. The West Bank which includes east Jerusalem makes up 22% of historical Palestine and along with Gaza is intended to form a future viable and independent state for the Palestinians is accordance with President Bush’s June 2001 vision of two states living side by side in peace. Click to read more and sign the petition... Israel's Supreme Court orders state to explain amendment to citizenship law Electronic Intifada/Adalah 11/9/2003 Israel's Supreme Court issued an interim order today compelling the government the explain its decision to amend the citizenship and prevent the unification of families by prohibiting the granting of residency or citizenship status to Palestinians who are married to Israeli citizens. The court ruling was in response to a petition by Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, the Association for Civil Rights in Israel (ACRI) and Knesset members from Meretz and the Arab factions.

Economy..

Israeli drive causes $5b loss to Palestine economy MENAFN.com/Bahrain Tribune 11/10/2003 THE continuous Israeli aggression targeting economic infrastructure of the Palestinian Authority has caused over $5 billion losses to the Palestinian state infrastructure. This was stated by Dr Rafeek Al Hussaini, Deputy Director-General of Palestinian Cooperation Establishment, a non-profit organisation based in Jordan and providing medical and humanitarian assistance to the needy and displaced Palestinians. Palestinian Cooperation Establishment was founded in Geneva and, head quartered in Jordan, has become one of the major non-political organisations in Palestine offering humanitarian assistance and medical aid to the Palestinians as well as to refugees. Netanyahu to foreigners: Invest in Israel now Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 "I promise you that if you don't invest in Israel, you'll be losing a lot of money," Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told foreign investors at a Go 4 Europe conference at Tel Aviv's Hilton Hotel yesterday. "Israel is an amazing investment. Anyone who failed to listen to me half a year ago has already lost out on a 50 percent gain on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange and will continue to lose out if they do not invest now," Netanyahu stated with confidence. Histadrut submits its list of pension demands to Finance Ministry Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 The Histadrut labor federation yesterday submitted a detailed list of demands regarding changes in the government's pension reforms. The list is being used in National Labor Court-sponsored talks between the Histadrut and the Finance Ministry in efforts to avoid a general strike. The treasury, meanwhile, announced yesterday that due to industrial action held in parts of the public sector last month, workers' monthly wages were docked by NIS 2.4 million. Industrial exports to US up 2% in January-September Globes 11/10/2003 Food exports rose 25%, but high-tech exports rose only 1%. -- Industrial exports to the US rose 2% in January-September 2003 to $4.3 billion, after falling steadily for two years, the Export Institute reported today. Food exports to the US rose 25% in this period to $57 million, mainly thanks to campaign to increase sales of kosher food to the American-Jewish community. Pharmaceutical exports rose 13% to $586 million. Intel plans $600 mil. upgrade to Negev plant Ha'aretz 11/10/2003 Chipmaker Intel plans to invest up to $600 million in upgrading its Kiryat Gat manufacturing facilities. Intel will submit an application for $120 million in grants - 20 percent of the planned investment - to the Industry and Trade Ministry's Investment Promotion Center. The package of benefits Intel is seeking from the state fits the profile of a factory in a national priority A area according to the capital investment encouragement law. Steadicopter's prototype pilotless helicopter stolen The helicopter was stolen a few days after the completion of its test program and final test flights -- Sources inform “Globes” that Steadicopter's pilotless helicopter prototype was stolen on Saturday-Sunday night. Unknown parties broke into Steadicopter's Kfar Maccabi plant, and stole the helicopter, but not its computer software or the money in the office. Steadicopter is collaborating with Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) on the project. Steadicopter claims its pilotless helicopter is the first of its kind in the world. Intel buys Israeli mobile device chip co Mobilian Globes 11/10/2003 Sources say the Israeli start-up, which raised $70 million during its lifespan, was sold for a "negligible sum". -- Intel (Nasdaq:INTC), the world's largest chip maker, announced on Friday that it will acquire Israeli start-up mobile device processor developer Mobilian. Intel did not disclose any details or the amount of the deal. Industry sources believe that Mobilian, which had raised $70 million during its lifespan, was sold for a "negligible sum", after earlier suspending all activities.

People..

Protests Against the Apartheid Wall Continue Worldwide International Press Center 11/10/2003 GAZA, November10, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli-Palestinian peace groups organized Sunday a protesting march at Zabobia Village of Jenin City, demonstrating the Apartheid wall built by Israel around the West Bank, seizing hundreds of acres of the Palestinian lands in the village. The indigenous dwellers of the Palestinian villages and towns swallowed by the Apartheid wall said that the wall turned their areas into one big jail. Also, the "Washington Alliance with the Palestinians", composed of a number of Arab and Palestinian organizations, inaugurated a replica of the Apartheid wall that was installed, not so far of the White House in Washington DC, as a form of a protest on such an Israeli step. George Soros: Bush, Sharon policies inflame European anti-Semitism Globes 11/10/2003 George Soros: Bush, Sharon policies inflame European anti-Semitism - American-Jewish organizations are infuriated by his remarks. -- Jewish billionaire and philanthropist George Soros has said that the policies of the Bush administration and Sharon government are partly responsible for the outbreak of anti-Semitism in Europe. Soros added that he too bore some responsibility for what he called "the new anti-Semitism." Palestine hospital work to start soon Gulf Daily News 11/10/2003 CONSTRUCTION work on a $5 million (BD1.89m) children's hospital in Palestine, which is being funded by money raised in Bahrain, will start early next year. It will take about 20 months for the project to be completed and another six months before the hospital receives its first patient. The multi-disciplinary Bahrain Children's Hospital is being established in Ramallah by the Palestinian People's Support Committee - an off-shoot of the Bahrain Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It will provide free treatment to children of all ages and is being developed alongside the Welfare Association, a non-governmental organisation (NGO), which is registered in Geneva and has an office in Jordan. Khayat’s Bookshop: a window into the old Beirut Daily Star 11/10/2003 Bliss Street store’s owners stock mementos of pre-war Lebanon and like to reminisce about better days-- The postcards still sold in Khayat’s Bookshop in Bliss Street are all about nostalgia. Be they the black and white postcards of Beirut and its surroundings from the 1940s or the colored postcards with the deep blue skies and the banners that say “Greetings from Beirut” from the 1960s and 1970s the past is as present as the smell is musty. Shop owner Habib Abujaudeh likes to give them away to friends....“This was an imported war,” Habib Abujaudeh says.“My relatives died abroad,” he explains. “If we had all left Lebanon, the same thing would have happened to us as to the Palestinians!” It’s still a hot topic of conversation for the couple. “So that’s why you made an entire family suffer,” his wife objects. “And now our daughters don’t have a future here.” 1st Palestinian Rowing Championship in Gaza; Fighting to Make Dreams Come True International Press Center 11/9/2003 GAZA, November 9, 2003 (IPC)-- The Palestinian Rowing Federation (PRF) held a ceremony Saturday night to honor its junior players who participated in the PRF's first national regatta, under the auspice of Fédération Internationale des Sociétés d’Aviron (FISA). Mr. Ghassan Haddad, chairman of the PRF, said that they organized a race for young Palestinian boys and girls, in which 13 girls and eight boys participated...."The competition was held indoors, using special rowing machines called ergometers...."

International..

Iran 'suspends uranium programme' BBC 11/10/2003 Iran says it is temporarily suspending uranium enrichment, and is handing a letter to the UN agreeing to sign the so-called Additional Protocol. The protocol allows closer inspections of Iran's nuclear facilities, which the United States says are being used to develop nuclear weapons. The announcement was made in Moscow by Hassan Rowhani, secretary of Iran's Supreme National Security Council. NLG Releases Briefing Paper On Illegality Of Israeli Wall Scoop/US National Lawyers Guild 11/10/2003 This Sunday, November 8th, marks the anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Ironically on this anniversary US taxpayer dollars are being used to assist Israel to construct a separation wall that is illegal under international law. To make matters worse the wall has not been on the long established 1967 "Green Line" but instead constructed on some of the best Palestinian agricultural lands some distance within the borders of the promised Palestinian state. This arbitrary location affects some 100-200,000 Palestinians who need to work the land and live in villages near the wall and it stands as a visual scar on the land that most security experts agree it will have no impact on the problem of suicide bombers. Jumblatt urges Arabs to open borders for attacks on Israel Daily Star 11/10/2003 PSP general assembly hears fiery words - Re-elected party president says US is in no position to lecture on democracy -- Chouf MP Walid Jumblatt demanded Sunday that Arab countries open their borders for anti-Israeli operations and criticized the US occupation of Iraq, saying America was not in a position to give the world lessons in democracy. “We are all happy when an American soldier is killed (in Iraq), not because he is American, but because he represents an imperial country dominating the world,” Jumblatt said during the Progressive Socialist Party’s (PSP) general assembly, which saw his re-election to its presidency for a three-year term. Riyadh on alert for fresh attacks BBC 11/10/2003 Security has been stepped up in the Saudi capital Riyadh following Saturday night's suicide attack. At least 17 people died when bombers attacked a residential compound housing mainly Arab foreign workers. Western embassies and residential compounds are now adding to their defences against a similar attack. The United States embassy remains closed to the public and diplomats say it is likely to stay shut until Wednesday at the earliest. Middle East oil: Delhi’s new gamble Daily Star 11/10/2003 Indian firm eyes in iranian energy sector - Regional petroleum business has new key player as Asian country seeks to bolster ties with major producers -- TEHRAN: A new player has come, rather unnoticed, to Iran’s huge dusty Farsi oil and gas fields. It is India’s ONGC Videsh Limited (OVL), which was formed to raise the country’s hydrocarbon reserve base through global acquisitions....And when the Indian Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee visits Syria on Nov. 14, he will most likely be accompanied by top petroleum officials. OVL has also finalized a contract in Syria for the exploration, development and production of petroleum with a Syrian company. Quietly but in a significant way India ­ a country of more than a billion people and the world’s eighth largest consumer of oil ­ is stepping into an area recently considered the preserve of multinational oil giants. 11 Egyptian MPs quit for dodging draft Bahrain Tribune 11/10/2003 CAIRO: Eleven Egyptian MPs submitted their resignations yesterday after being threatened with expulsion for having avoided military service, parliamentary sources said. They resigned three days before the parliament, or People’s Assembly, was scheduled to vote on their fate, as well as that of four others who avoided their obligatory military service. The 15 are all members of President Hosni Mubarak’s National Democratic Party, which controls 410 of the 454 seats in parliament. Critics condemn U.S. torture by proxy Toronto Star 11/8/2003 Rights group alarmed by deportations - `Renditions' considered useful tool -- When Ottawa computer expert Maher Arar arrived back in Canada this week after a year of captivity, his account of torture in Syria and Jordan shocked many. Arar, who was seized by American officials in New York during a flight back from a family visit, has called for a full investigation of Canada's role in his ill-treatment, which he said included confinement in a dark, filthy cell, beating and psychological abuse....But for the U.S., deportation of suspects to countries where torture is conducted by proxy — "rendition" as it is known in American intelligence circles — is part of a larger pattern that is causing alarm, and critics say it's damaging America's image in the international community Lebanon Takes the Brunt of S. Arabia's Terrorist Bombing An Nahar 11/10/2003 The final casualty toll of the terrorist bombing in Saudi Arabia's capital of Riyadh stood Monday at 17 killed, among them seven Lebanese, and 122 injured, among them 53 Lebanese, the Saudi interior ministry reported. The dead included five children, among them three Lebanese. They also included four Egyptians, one Saudi and one Sudanese. Police are still trying to pin the identity of the four other fatalities from Sunday's bombing of Riyadh's posh residential district of Al Mohaya. Justices to Decide Guantanamo Detainees' Appeal Reuters 11/10/2003 WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Supreme Court said on Monday it would hear appeals by Afghan war detainees challenging their incarceration at a U.S. military prison in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, the first time the justices will decide a case on the Bush administration's anti-terrorism policy. The justices agreed to review a ruling that U.S. courts lack jurisdiction to consider claims by a group of detainees held without access to their families or to lawyers, and held without any charges brought against them. Arab-Americans make headway on campaign trail Daily Star 11/10/2003 Community takes stock of what should be done to bring a different perspective to public office in the United States -- WASHINGTON: At a time of unprecedented tense relations between the United States and many countries in the Middle East, this past year has witnessed a notable increase in Arab-American political candidates elected, including a state senator and a city mayor. The trend spurred one television report to herald the emergence of “a new voting block … which may have an impact in local elections this year and in the presidential race next year.”

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