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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 Wounds a Palestinian, Arrests Others, Razes Lands International Press Center 11/17/2003 TULKAREM, Palestine, November 17, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shot and wounded on Sundaya Palestinian citizen in the West Bank city ofTulkarem, arrested others andcontinued razing and seizing lands- under false pretexts- in other Palestinian areas. Palestinian security and medical sources told IPC correspondent that a Palestinian citizen was wounded and others were arrested when IOF troops raided the Ezbet Al Jarrar neighborhood in the city of Tulkarem and opened fire at citizens there Sunday evening....Meanwhile in Hebron, IOF bulldozers razed Sunday noon vast areas of arable Palestinian lands, usingsome of which to erect a military watchtower, west of the city of Hebron, according to WAFA news agency....Also, IOF military bulldozers also razed yesterdaylands in the town of Kofol Hares, in Salfit governorate....Elsewhere, eyewitnesses told IPC correspondent that IOF invaded the town of Al-Ram, north of the occupied Jerusalem, early on Sunday, while troops from the so-called notorious Israeli "border police" unit started imitating the sound of the Muslim prayer call throughout the town.... IDF kills two Palestinians in Rafah Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 Two Palestinians were killed and four Israeli soldiers were lightly injured in clashes yesterday morning in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip. The Israel Defense Forces arrested a Palestinian resident of Rafah, Bassem Abu Libdeh, who allegedly played a central role in smuggling arms across the Egyptian border. The two Palestinians were killed during the arrest operation. Palestinian youth killed in West Bank town Al-Jazeera 11/17/2003 A Palestinian man has been shot dead by Israeli occupation soldiers in the West Bank town of Tulkarem. Palestinian medical sources have named the man as Yusuf Talib, 22, who was hit in the chest and abdomen when Israeli troops entered the town, firing at a group of stone throwing Palestinians. Local people told Aljazeera.net that Israeli special forces entered the refugee camp in the town and assassinated the man....Meanwhile, the Aljazeera correspondent in the West Bank has said soldiers have invaded villages around the city of Nablus. IOF Kills a Palestinian Boy in Beit Foreek, Demolishes House in Al- moghraqa International Press Center 11/16/2003 BEIT FOREEK, Palestine, November 16, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Israeli occupying forces (IOF) shot dead a Palestinian child in the town of Beit Foreek, as IOF bulldozers tore down a house in the Al Moghraqa Town in Gaza Strip. Palestinian medical and security sources in Nablus City told IPC correspondent that IOF invaded Saturday the town of Beit Foreek, east of Nablus, while Palestinian citizens were heading for the main mosque for the night prayers, and opened heavy fire towards them, killing the 14-year old Ahmad Hannenni, who was escorting his father tothe mosque...Meanwhile, in the Gaza Strip, the Palestinian General Security Directorate said that IOF invaded Saturday night the town of Al Moghraqa, south of Gaza City, and demolished a house there....WAFA also reported that IOF invaded the city of Tubas and closed all its main entrances. Jewish Settler Kills Elderly Palestinian International Press Center 11/15/2003 HEBRON, Palestine, November 15, 2003 (IPC + Agencies) - - An elderly Palestinian citizen was killed Friday night as a Jewish settler ran over him with a truck and fled the crime scene, while the Israeli occupying forces continued its land-bulldozing campaign in the areas south of Gaza City. Palestinian medical sources at Hebron said that an elderly citizen, Hamdan Al Arameen, 81, arrived Friday to the Al Ahli hospital in Hebron City after being run over by a Jewish settler driving a truck. The old man was critically wounded and later died of his wounds. Palestinian Killed In Israeli Raid, 4 Soldiers Wounded Islam Online 11/16/2003 GAZA CITY, November 16 (IslamOnline.net) – Israeli occupation troops Sunday, November 16, shot dead a Palestinian man and injured an eight-year-old boy during a new incursion into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, while four Israeli soldiers were wounded in an resistance operation that targeted an Israeli tank. Accompanied by tens of armored vehicles, tanks and two Apache helicopters, Israeli troops besieged scores of Palestinian houses and imposed a curfew under the pretext of searching for wanted Palestinians. Zionist forces kill Palestinian old man, seriously wound child Palestinian Information Center 11/16/2003 Rafah Zionist terrorist forces today killed a 55 years old Palestinian man and seriously wounded an eight years old child in a fresh incursion into the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah. Medical sources in the city said that Hasan Abu Khatla was hit with several bullets in his chest and abdomen leading to his instant death. They said that the child Atef Abu Azera was hit with a bullet in the stomach and his condition was described as critical. Settlement Outposts Becoming Permanent Palestine Monitor 11/14/2003 It began with a single tent at a busy West Bank junction two years ago. Now, a playground with a Donald Duck ride and neat lawns between trailer homes give this settlement outpost an air of permanence. Israel has agreed to remove more than 100 such outposts as part of the U.S.-backed ``road map'' peace plan, but has taken little action. Instead, the government has quietly funded construction in some and plans to grant legal status to others. It has been Israel's declared policy for several years not to build new settlements. However, peace activists fear outposts like the one at Givat Assaf are growing into exactly that. Two Israeli soldiers imprisoned The Guardian 11/17/2003 An Israeli officer and a soldier have been handed short prison terms for abusing Palestinians in the West Bank, the army said yesterday. The officer, a deputy infantry battalion commander, was sentenced to 14 days in a military lockup for throwing a stun grenade at children near Hebron, in the West Bank. No one was hurt but he was relieved of his command. IDF troops kill Hamas militant in West Bank town of Tul Karm Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 Israel Defense Forces troops on Monday killed a 22-year-old Hamas man in the West Bank town of Tul Karm, Israel Radio reported. According to Itim, the militant opened fire on the soldiers as they were on patrol in the refugee camp located in the town. The troops returned fire, killing the armed Palestinian. No soldiers were wounded in the incident. On Sunday morning, two Palestinians were killed and four Israeli soldiers were lightly injured in clashes in the Rafah area of the southern Gaza Strip. Bomb wounds four Israeli troops in Gaza Strip, Two Palestinians shot dead Al-Bawaba 11/16/2003 Israeli forces on Sunday killed a Palestinian civilian, 55, Hasan Abu Khatleh, during an invasion of the city of Rafah, south of the Gaza Strip, Palestinian security directorate confirmed. Israeli sources said the incident took place after occupation forces surrounded the house of Bassam Abu Libdeh, well-known in the Rafah refugee camp as a weapons runner. Later, occupation forces demolished Abu Libdeh's house and he was arrested. Also in Rafah area, four Israeli soldiers were wounded early Sunday after a device exploded, according to Palestinian and Israeli sources. With no new outposts going up, settlers strengthen existing ones Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 The building of new illegal outposts in the territories has stopped for now. Behind the scenes, the settlers have reached a silent, temporary agreement with the defense establishment to stop building the outposts in return for a freeze on the evacuation of existing ones. American pressure to evacuate the outposts in the territories, combined with an acute budget crisis experienced by the local Jewish regional councils, the Amana settlement movement and the Yesha Council (the organization of Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria and Gaza) have forced a time-out in the building of new outposts. Israel Stages Biggest Air Incursion into Lebanon An Nahar 11/17/2003 As Gen. Yaalon was hurling his latest threat at Syria, 16 Israeli F-16 fighter jets staged the biggest air incursion into Lebanon in three years, crashing the sound barrier over several towns in South Lebanon and over the ancient city of Baalbek in east Lebanon's Bekaa valley, the Beirut media noted on Monday. Israelis target Gaza 'smugglers' BBC 11/16/2003 At least one Palestinian has been killed during an Israeli army raid on the southern Gaza Strip. The incident occurred when soldiers arrested a suspected arms smuggler, Bassam Abu Libdeh, at Rafah refugee camp, close to the Egyptian border. The Israeli army often enters Rafah to blow up tunnels used by Palestinians to smuggle weapons from Egypt into the Gaza Strip. The densely-populated refugee camp is home to more than 90,000 people. Bitter harvest in West Bank's olive groves The Guardian 11/14/2003 Jewish settlers wreck fruit of centuries of toil to force out Palestinian villagers -- Abdula Yusuf is too afraid to climb the rocky terraces beyond his village and see the damage for himself. "They'll kill me," he said, waving a hand at the container homes on the top of a neighbouring hill. "If they can do that thing to trees as old as the Roman times, they will not hesitate to do it to me."The annual olive harvest in the occupied territories has once again been rocked by Jewish settlers and their now routine assaults on Palestinian pickers to plunder their crop. This year, the settlers have gone to new lengths which have brought unusual denunciations from the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, and even criticism from the settlers' own leaders. Sharon's plans, made concrete Christian Science Monitor 11/14/2003 [Part 5 of 'Behind the Barrier' series] JERUSALEM – As a 13-year-old in 1930s Palestine, Arik Scheinerman sat through inky black nights armed with his own engraved Circassian dagger, helping to guard his village fields from Arab attack. "When you work for something," his father told him, "it's your duty to protect it."As an Israeli army commander after the 1967 Arab-Israeli war, Arik expanded on his father's advice, establishing a Jewish presence throughout the West Bank. "Survival ... depended on 'facts,' actually building on the land and actually defending it," he later wrote. Arik Scheinerman's name has changed - he's known today as Ariel Sharon - but Israel's prime minister still seems faithful to the lessons of his youth. Occupation forces arrest Canadian student Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2003 Rafah Zionist military sources have claimed that a 22 years old Canadian student, who was arrested two weeks ago in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, was suspected of involvement in hostile operations against the Hebrew state. Canadian press yesterday published news of the arrest of Jamal Akel, who is a student at the Windsor University in Canada. Akel was arrested on crossing the Rafah border into Egypt on his way back to Canada. His family members contacted relatives in the Gaza Strip when he did not arrive home and were shocked with news of his arrest.

Diplomacy..

Egyptian Mediator Meets Mideast Officials The Guardian 11/17/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank (AP) - The Egyptian intelligence chief met with Palestinian leaders Monday while trying to broker a Mideast truce, and officials said the success of his efforts depends largely on Israel's willingness to halt military operations. The intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, also met separately in Jerusalem with the head of Israel's Mossad spy agency and the U.S. ambassador, Egyptian officials said. Palestinian militants have told Egyptian mediators they are ready for a truce, provided Israel stops targeted killings of fugitives, incursions and arrest sweeps, an Egyptian official said on condition of anonymity. Ya'alon: We might attack Syria again Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon lashed out at Syria yesterday for supporting Palestinian terror organizations and Hezbollah, hinting Israel might again attack targets in Syria - as it did in early October - if Damascus does not desist from providing this support. "If Syria ignores the messages Israel has sent it, it may be necessary to send additional messages," Lieutenant General Ya'alon said during a lecture at Tel Aviv University's Dayan Center yesterday. Mossad head: Nuclear Iran is worst-ever threat to Israel Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 Mossad intelligence service chief Meir Dagan said Monday that the specter of nuclear weaponry in Iran was the greatest threat that Israel has faced since its founding in 1948, Israel Radio reported. Appearing before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee for the first time since assuming his post, Dagan said that Iran was close to the "point of no return" in developing nuclear arms. Contrary to news reports, he added, there were no prior warnings that terror organizations planned to attack synagogues in Istanbul prior to the bombings that killed 23 people. Sharon Says He'll Meet Palestinian PM The Guardian 11/17/2003 ROME (AP) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said Monday he planned to meet with his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qureia ``in the coming days'' - the first confirmation from the Israeli leader that new talks were planned. ``In the coming days, the Israeli prime minister and the Palestinian prime minister will meet and begin talks,'' Sharon told members of Italy's Jewish community during a state visit that began here Monday. Mubarak Envoy Optimistic On Truce After Meeting Arafat Islam Online 11/17/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank, November 17 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Egypt's intelligence chief Omar Suleiman expressed optimism about the prospects of securing a new Middle East ceasefire after talks Monday, November 17, with the Palestinian leadership. "Inshallah (God willing), there will be a truce and there will be dialogue," Suleiman told reporters after a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei which lasted more than an hour, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). U.S. administration will support the Russian resolution Jerusalemites 11/17/2003 The U.S. administration informed Israel that it plans to support the Russian resolution seeking United Nations Security Council endorsement of the road map peace initiative. U.S. administration officials said Washinton would try to change or modify the resolution, so as to stress the importance of direct negotiations between the two sides. With the establisment of the new Palestinian government the Americans have to work hard and not to keep postponing discussions on the Russian resolution as they did in recent months. The Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited Moscow two weeks ago trying to convince Russian president Vladimir Putin to refrain from raising the resolution in the Security Council. Israel rules out dismantling of settlements Middle East Online 11/17/2003 Israeli official says dismantling settlements now without first ensuring calm is restored will be seen as reward for terrorism. -- Israel on Monday ruled out any immediate dismantling of Jewish settlements despite growing US pressure and a charge by a watchdog that there were now more than 100 settlement outposts in the West Bank. Israel is obliged to dismantle all outposts under the terms of the US-backed Middle East "roadmap" peace plan which also stipulates a complete freeze on settlement activity. Abed Rabbo Calls for Palestinian Conference to Adopt ‘Geneva Accord’ Palestine Media Center 11/17/2003 Member of the executive committee of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Yasser Abed Rabbo called for convening a “Palestinian national conference” with the aim of adopting the so-called “Geneva Accord” and launching an unarmed popular resistance campaign against the Israeli Apartheid Wall. The PLO leader also called for an emergency Arab summit meeting to discuss the Wall’s regional threat, while at the same time urging the “allies” in the Israeli peace camp to carry their shovels to destroy it. “The ‘Geneva document’ leads to one direction, the Apartheid Wall leads to the opposite,” Abed Rabbo told Al-Quds daily in a lengthy interview on Sunday. Egyptian Calls for Nuclear Inspections in Israel Miftah/San Francisco Chronicle 11/15/2003 If it is serious about making the Middle East a region of peace, the United States should pressure Israel to sign the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and require the country to undergo nuclear weapons inspections, Egypt's ambassador to the United States says. In an interview with The Chronicle, Nabil Fahmy decried what he called a double standard in U.S. foreign policy and said the Bush administration must lean on Israel to the same extent it has on Iran, which agreed this week to inspections by the International Atomic Energy Agency. Settlements Endanger Israel's Future, US Diplomat Warns Miftah/Sydney Morning Herald 11/16/2003 Given the reality of Palestinian demographics, Israeli settlements imperil the future of Israel as a Jewish state and must end immediately, says the top US diplomat for the Middle East. In addition, Israel's construction of a controversial barrier in the West Bank will probably undermine any hope of reaching a permanent peace settlement with the Palestinians and achieving a two-state resolution to the conflict, the diplomat said. While stressing the necessity for Palestinians to end anti-Israeli violence, William Burns, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs, said Israel must accept the reality of the situation on the ground and do its part as well. Washington Seeking To Reduce Number of Anti-Israel Votes at U.N. Forward 11/14/2003 Diplomatic Effort Aims To Consolidate Resolutions, Restrict Funding for Palestinian Division of Secretariat-- UNITED NATIONS — The United States is embarking on the most comprehensive campaign in years to reduce the number of anti-Israel resolutions routinely passed by the United Nations General Assembly. Top State Department officials, including Secretary of State Colin Powell, have lobbied capitals, ministers and diplomats in recent months to reduce the number of votes in favor of such resolutions in the 191-member General Assembly. American officials and observers say the unprecedented effort is largely the result of a sustained effort by the American Jewish Committee....an insider said that in recent discussions with Latin American countries over a regional free trade agreement to be hammered out by the end of the year, American officials had made it clear that a change of attitude at the U.N. could entice Congress to be more receptive to voting in favor of a trade agreement. Israel's Sharon Pressing Italy's Support The Guardian 11/17/2003 ROME (AP) - Disturbed by what he sees as rising anti-Semitism in Europe, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon flew here Monday for talks with Italian leaders, hoping that their support for his government would help counter European critics of Israel. Sharon planned to spend three days in Rome, and will meet with Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi, an ally of Israel and the current president of the European Union. A recent EU poll showed that more than half the Europeans questioned believed Israel is a threat to world peace, contributing to the Israeli conclusion that anti-Semitism there is on the rise, Sharon adviser Raanan Gissin said Sunday. Bombings on Saturday that targeted two synagogues in Istanbul, Turkey and killed 23 people have added to the perception. Israeli leader visits ally Italy BBC 11/17/2003 Israeli Prime minister Ariel Sharon has begun a three-day visit to Italy, aimed at improving troubled links with the European Union.Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who holds the rotating EU presidency, has been a staunch supporter of Israel. The visit is overshadowed by Saturday's twin car bombings against synagogues in the Turkish city of Istanbul. Israel is concerned at what it sees as growing anti-Semitic attacks in Europe. Kurtzer: Road map is alive, but must be 'fleshed out' Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said Monday that the challenge facing Israelis and Palestinians was to begin to "flesh out the content of the road map." Addressing delegates of the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities meeting in Jerusalem, Kurtzer said that Washington was not opposed to the West Bank security fence per se, rather on the route of the project, which is projected to diverge from the pre-1967 war Green Line border eastward into West Bank territory. New prospect for truce with Israel Al-Jazeera 11/17/2003 Egypt's intelligence chief Umar Sulayman has expressed optimism about the prospects of securing a new Middle East ceasefire after talks with the Palestinian leadership. "Inshallah (God willing), there will be a truce and there will be dialogue," Sulayman told reporters in Ram Allah on Monday after a meeting with Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat and prime minister Ahmad Quraya which lasted more than an hour. He gave no further details, but sources had said earlier that Sulayman was expected to float proposals which would first see resistance groups such as Hamas declare a truce with Israel. Egypt's Intelligence head meets Arafat, Qurei to promote new truce as Israeli soldiers kill Hamas activist in Tulkarem Al-Bawaba 11/17/2003 Egypt's intelligence head, General Omar Suleiman, arrived in the West Bank city of Ramallah Monday for talks with Palestinian president Yasser Arafat and newly elected Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, also known as Abu Ala. According to Palestinian sources, Suleiman held a meeting with Mossad chief Meir Degan before his planned meeting with Arafat in Ramallah. Suleiman was to present several proposals to the Palestinian leadership in advance of Qurei's meetings with opposition groups in the Gaza Strip later this week. Arafat said on Saturday that Suleiman would arrive in the West Bank "with many ideas." If not now, when? Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 13 - 19 November 200 The contested status of Samir Al-Qontar in the Israel-Hizbullah prisoners exchange deal leaves outsiders wondering if months of negotiation will amount to nothing -- Samir Al-Qontar's supporters, along with family members and activists, held a candlelight vigil in downtown Beirut on Monday for the Lebanese man who has been jailed by Israel for some 24 years. His fate is now blocking a prisoners exchange deal between Hizbullah and Israel. Al-Qontar's family called on human rights groups, Lebanese institutions, and officials to join in a campaign to win his release as part of a German-mediated exchange. "We thank this man [Hizbullah Secretary- General Sayed Hassan Nasrallah] who possesses the wisdom and ability to free all the detainees and prisoners from this ruthless enemy, with Samir Al-Qontar on the top of the list," Al-Qontar's brother Bassam told the rally in Martyrs Square. Report: Hizbullah rejects Israel's terms for prisoner exchange Al-Bawaba 11/17/2003 Hizbullah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah has rejected Israel's terms for a prisoner swap deal over the Israeli government's refusal to agree to the release of PLO activists, Samir Kuntar, Lebanon-based Al Mustaqbal reported Monday, citing sources close to the negotiations. The newspaper conveyed that in addition to Kuntar issue, Hizbullah has reservations regarding the proposed list of Arab detainees to be released by Israel. Nasrallah dismisses Israeli threats Daily Star 11/17/2003 Hizbullah’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, dismissed Saturday Israeli threats against Lebanon and Syria. Speaking during an iftar, Nasrallah evaded the issue of the German-mediated prisoner swap between the party and Israel turning his attention entirely to Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s latest threats against Lebanon and Syria. “The resistance is this country’s best weapon against the enemy,” Nasrallah said, adding that the resistance has been the country’s defense mechanism in the past years. Hizb Allah insists on leader's release Al-Jazeera 11/17/2003 Armed resistance group Hizb Allah says it will agree to a prisoner exchange with Israel only if one of the group's leaders who has been in prison for more than 20 years is released. Hizb Allah chief Hasan Nasr Allah informed the German mediators working to secure the prisoner exchange that any deal would have to include the release of Samir Qantar. However, Nasr Allah added that the group was willing to negotiate on the release of key individuals. Qantar was jailed for life for killing three Israelis in 1979. Samaha slams Palestinian resettlement proposal Daily Star 11/17/2003 Minister blames US Zionist movement -- Information Minister Michel Samaha said on Saturday that Lebanon opposed the permanent resettlement of some 350,000 Palestinian refugees in this country and blamed the Zionist movement in the US for this proposal. Speaking on a radio talk show, the minister condemned international proposals aiming to resettle Palestinian refugees in their current host countries. Two resettlement proposals were made over the past few weeks. One was submitted by two European MPs and endorsed by the EU while the other was submitted by a US senator. They were roundly criticized not only by Lebanese authorities, but by the Palestinian refugees themselves. Berri stresses support for right of return Daily Star 11/17/2003 Speaker condemns EU Parliament report-- Speaker Nabih Berri said Saturday that the Lebanese government and public held tight to the Palestinians’ right of return and rejected plans of permanent resettlement in the refugees’ host countries. Berri said this commitment was the essence of the Lebanese consensus which ended the civil war in 1990. He also said the 1989 Taif Accord was against any form of permanent resettlement. Berri said that abiding by an EU report’s call for the assimilation of Palestinian refugees in their host countries “holds risks for Lebanon.” Israel reconsidering boycott of EU officials EU Observer 11/17/2003 Israel is reconsidering its boycott of European officials who maintain contact with Yassir Arafat ahead of the EU-Israel Association Council to be held in Brussels on Tuesday. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom is going to attend the meeting tomorrow (18 November). Due to added tensions, the EU and Israel are not expected to issue a joint statement after the meeting. Israel on road to ruin, warn former Shin Bet chiefs The Guardian 11/15/2003 Four former directors of Israel's Shin Bet security service have given unprecedented warnings that the prime minister, Ariel Sharon, is leading the country to catastrophe by failing to pursue peace with the Palestinians. The criticisms, which follow a warning by the army chief of staff, Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon, a fortnight ago that the government's harsh treatment of Palestinian civilians was "strengthening terrorist organisations", provide further evidence that confidence in Mr Sharon is crumbling in the security establishment. The former Shin Bet chiefs - Yaakov Perry, Ami Ayalon, Avraham Shalom and Carmi Gilon - made their criticisms in an interview with the Israeli newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth. Qorei upbeat on cease-fire, hammering out peace deal Daily Star 11/17/2003 Sharon softens criticism, hints at end to assassinations -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s Cabinet met Sunday to map out a strategy for expected talks with their new Palestinian opposite numbers as Sharon’s counterpart expressed confidence he could secure a new cease-fire. In a separate development, backers of an informal peace plan authored by prominent Israelis and Palestinians began a mass mailing of the document on Sunday. The authors of the so-called Geneva Accord hope to build public support for the plan. Meanwhile, violence continued in the Gaza Strip. Israeli troops killed two Palestinians ­ one armed and the other a 55-year-old civilian ­ during an operation to arrest a weapons smuggler in the Rafah refugee camp, the army and residents said. The smuggler was wounded and taken to an Israeli hospital. Sharon broke vow to Bush The Guardian 11/14/2003 The Israeli government has admitted in a secret memorandum that Ariel Sharon has failed to honour commitments to President George Bush to dismantle Jewish settler outposts in the West Bank. The memorandum, which originated in the Israeli foreign ministry and was leaked to Reuters, is an admission of duplicity by Mr Sharon, who gave face-to-face commitments to Mr Bush to dismantle the outposts to show good faith toward the US-led "road map" peace process. Groups Rebuke Powell, Annan for Endorsement Of Geneva Peace Plan Forward 11/14/2003 WASHINGTON — With American and international support building for an alternative Middle East peace plan opposed by Prime Minister Sharon, several Jewish groups stepped up their attacks on the initiative and its supporters. Both the Anti-Defamation League and the Zionist Organization of America publicly rebuked Secretary of State Colin Powell this week for sending a congratulatory letter to the architects of the of the so-called "Geneva Accord," former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo. U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan also drew sharp criticism from ADL for his public support of the plan. U.S. To Support Rare Israeli Resolution Forward 11/14/2003 UNITED NATIONS — The administration has indicated that it would vote in favor of the first resolution introduced by Israel to the United Nations General Assembly in 27 years. The resolution, which is on the protection of children, was to be formally introduced in the third committee of the General Assembly on Wednesday in response to an Arab resolution on Palestinian children that was adopted last week. While Washington voted against the Arab resolution, a State Department official said the U.S. would support the Israeli one. The resolution is very likely to be defeated since the Arab countries and their non-aligned allies have a majority of votes in the General Assembly and the Palestinian ambassador to the U.N. publicly called for the defeat of the resolution. PM Qurei’: A Ceasefire “The First Step” International Press Center 11/17/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, November 17, 2003, (IPC+MSNBC)_The Palestinian Prime Minister Ahamd Qurei’ , widely known as (Abu Alaa) made sure thathe could deal with President Yasser Arafat and Israel, he also appeared confident he would soon hold talks with Israeli prime minister Arial Sharon. In an interview with the weekly Newsweek magazine, PM Qurei’ believed the declaration of cease fire is a top priority “the cease fire would be the first step. The end should be a permanent status agreement. If the US wants to help, it should call for an international conference, “Qurei’ said. A Ceasefire: ‘The First Step’ Newsweek 11/24/2003 Ahmed Qurei wants peace talks with Ariel Sharon, and also American backing -- Nov. 24 issue —New Palestinian prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, better known as Abu Ala, appears to have lost out in a power struggle with Palestinian president Yasir Arafat. Last week, Arafat managed to consolidate control of the Palestinian security services under his own command, defying the wishes of the United States, Israel and many Palestinians. YET IN A LENGTHY interview with NEWSWEEK’s Lally Weymouth, Abu Ala insisted he could deal both with Arafat and Israel. Sitting in his office in Ramallah, he appeared confident that he would soon hold talks with Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon. Suleiman Arrives to Ramallah Monday for Truce Talks International Press Center 11/16/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, November 16, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- After the formation of the new Palestinian cabinet, headed by Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei', several news agencies spoke about a renewed ceasefire between the Palestinian resistance factions and the Israeli government, as the Palestinian premiere put the mutual implementation of the "Road Map" peace plan on top of his government's priorities. Palestinian President Yasser Arafat told reporters today in his Ramallah office that the head of the Egyptian intelligence service, Omar Suleiman, would arrive Monday to the Palestinian territories to kick off the renewed truce talks and put an end to the cycle of violence. EU Scolds Israel for Building the Apartheid Wall and Dismissing the EU’s Envoy International Press Center 11/16/2003 GAZA, November 16, 2003 (IPC + RUETRES)-- The European Union is due to assemble in the upcoming week to scold Israel over its schemes to build the Apartheid Wall (also called the separation barrier) as well as shunning the European envoy with whom the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat mettwo months ago. European Diplomats said that the EU will only rebuke without having any punitive actions, as it discords a great deal over its pursuit of Israel, especially after the controversial poll that showed that a majority of the Europeans labeled the Hebrew state as the biggest threat to the world peace. Hamas & IJ Agreed to Hold Truce Talks with Qurei International Middle East Media Center 11/15/2003 The founder and spiritual leader of Hamas, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, told reporters, on Friday, that his movement has no objection to dialogue with the new Prime minister and listen to what "he has got", but confirmed that "under the present circumstances, we have no room for a truce". In his first public appearance after surviving an Israeli air force assassination attempt in September, Yassin joined Hamas rally in Gaza City. Yassin reminded reporters that his movement "has given a cease-fire in the past, but it failed because Israel did not want peace or security for Palestinians as well" Initiators of Geneva accords take IBA to court over ad ban Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 The legal battle being waged by the initiators of the Geneva accords against the Israel Broadcasting Authority's refusal to allow them to air commercials promoting the agreements on IBA-controlled networks is becoming a fight in principle to annul regulations pertaining to the broadcasting of advertisements dealing with political disputes. Nasrallah to German Mediator: 'Kantar's Exclusion is Unacceptable' An Nahar 11/17/2003 The German mediator of a Hizbullah-Israeli prisoner swap has wound up three days of hushed up talks with Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah and left Beirut with a clear-cut rejection of Israel's exclusion of the longest-held Lebanese prisoner from the deal, the local media reported on Monday. Nasrallah told the unnamed mediator that Hizbullah would not give the approval nod to the exchange operation unless prisoner Samir Kantar is included. Kantar is serving a 542-year jail term for killing an Israeli settler and his two children in the coastal town of Nahariya in 1979. Turkey, Israel Say Blasts Haven't Shaken Ties Los Angeles Times 11/17/2003 The nations share a strategic relationship and common foes. Al Qaeda reportedly is behind the attacks on the two synagogues. -- ISTANBUL — The bombing of two synagogues here, purportedly claimed by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaeda network, focuses attention on Turkey's deep, lucrative relationship with Israel and raises questions whether Turkey is now paying the price for that friendship. A statement sent Sunday to the London-based Arab-language newspaper Al-Quds Al-Arabi claimed Al Qaeda carried out the attacks during Saturday prayers because it had learned that agents from the Israeli Mossad secret service were using the synagogues. Israel sends aid to Istanbul after synagogue blast The Independent 11/17/2003 Israel's Foreign Minister flew to Istanbul yesterday to deliver his government's condolences after an apparent twin suicide bombing that devastated two synagogues during Sabbath morning prayers, killing 23 people and wounding about 300. The bombers are thought to have died in their vehicles, each packed with about a ton of explosives. Six of the dead and about 80 of the wounded were members of Turkey's Jewish minority. They included an 85-year-old woman and her eight-year-old granddaughter, as well as a Jewish woman and her Muslim husband. The rest were Muslim passers by. Amr Mussa: Impose Sanctions against Israel, not Syria Palestine Chronicle 11/14/2003 DAMASCUS - Arab League Secretary General Amr Mussa, denouncing the US Senate for approving a legislation providing for tough sanctions against Syria on Tuesday, argued on Wednesday, that sanctions need to be imposed against Israel and not Syria. According to Syria’s official news agency SANA from Cairo, Mussa said, "Israel must be condemned and questioned for the long term occupation of the Arab nations` lands, state sponsored terrorism, genocide of the Palestinian nation, and imposing a serious threat against the regional and global security and stability." EU and Israel take seats in Association Council Electronic Intifada 11/17/2003 Today and tomorrow, members of the Association Council, the 15 members of the European Union and Israel will meet to discuss pending and new issues disrupting EU-Israel relations. This regular bilateral meeting will be used by the EU to express its concern over Israel's boycott of Marc Otte, the EU envoy, who since his meeting with the Palestinian president could not talk to Israeli officials. Of the Quartet's four special envoys, only the US’s Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern Affairs William Burns is welcome in the offices of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Silvan Shalom. Report: US officials blast Sharon government policies in occupied territories Al-Bawaba 11/17/2003 Ties between Washington and Israel were approaching a crisis due to the policy of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, Israeli army radio Monday quoted senior US officials. According to the sources, Sharon is not evacuating "unauthorized settler outposts" in the West Bank, is expanding settlements and is continuing with construction of the so-called "separation fence" along a route that is not logical. Syrian-Lebanese summit to be held amid escalating Israeli rhetoric Al-Bawaba 11/17/2003 Lebanon's President Lahoud will travel to Damascus Tuesday for summit talks with President Assad to coordinate a joint stance against Israel's escalating threats to Lebanon and Syria. It will be Lahoud's first state visit to Syria since Bashar al Assad took over the reins of power in July of 2000. The planned summit was disclosed by a communiqué from Lahoud's palace Sunday evening. Beirut newspaper reported Monday morning that talks would largely focus on Israel's threats that were lately dramatized by massive military maneuvers along the border with Lebanon and in Syria's occupied Golan Heights. FOURTH COMMITTEE, ENDING WORK FOR SESSION, REAFFIRMS ROLE OF PALESTINE REFUGEE AGENCY, CALLS FOR MAXIMUM POSSIBLE SUPPORT United Nations 11/14/2003 Other Texts Approved Seek to Stop Israeli Settlement Activity, Construction of Separation Wall and Human Rights Violations -- Concluding its work for the current session, the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) took action this morning on ten draft resolutions -- approving five texts relating to the work of United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and five on Israeli practices in territories occupied since 1967....Approving an orally revised draft resolution on assistance to Palestine refugees and support for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) by a recorded vote of 109 in favour to none against with 54 abstentions, the Assembly would reaffirm the importance of the Agency's operation for the well-being of the Palestine refugees and for the stability of the region. UN General Assembly approves resolution to assist Palestinian refugees MENA Report 11/16/2003 On November 14, 109 countries voted for a US-initiated United Nations (UN) General Assembly resolution providing assistance to Palestinian refugees. The passage of this resolution is the first such measure ever introduced by the United States, and notably was supported by Israel, reported Washington File.It addresses the operations of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA), which works to ameliorate the plight of Palestinian refugees in the fields of education, health, and social services.

Human Rights..

Facility 1391: Israel's secret prison The Guardian 11/15/2003 It has been removed from maps and airbrushed from aerial photographs. But Facility 1391 certainly exists - you just have to ask the Palestinians and Lebanese who have been imprisoned and tortured there. Chris McGreal reports -- The men under the black hoods all have the same question once the blindfolds and manacles are off: Where am I? A voice filtering through a narrow slit in the steel door told Sameer Jadala he was "in Honolulu", Raab Bader that he was "in a submarine" and "outside the borders of Israel", Bashar Jadala that he was "on the moon". None of them imagined it at the time, because only a handful of the political and security establishment knew such a thing existed, but they were prisoners in Israel's Guantanamo: Facility 1391. Israel Deprives Palestinians From Ramadan Umrah Islam Online 11/17/2003 NABLUS, November 17 (IslamOnline.net) - In an annually repeated manner, Israeli occupation forces deprived tens of Palestinian youths, women and elderly people from traveling to Makkah, Saudi Arabia to perform Umrah (Lesser Pilgrimage) during Ramadan, as a repressive collective measure targeting the besieged people. “The officer in charge of Al-Karama bridge told me that I should return as I am not allowed to travel without providing any justifiable reason,” said Nablus Mufti Sheikh Ahmed Shubash, who was refused to pass through King Hussein’s bridge. World Food Program Emergency Report United Nations 11/14/2003 Palestinian Territories: (a) Further to the Haifa suicide bombing on 05 October, the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) tightened movement restrictions in the Palestinian Territories (PT). The Gaza Strip was divided in four areas till mid-month with road barriers being opened at random for short periods. Heavy military incursions were conducted in the Southern city of Rafah added to air strikes attacks on the Strip. In the West Bank, temporary checkpoints were set up and security of permanent checkpoints was intensified. Several incursions were conducted in cities of Jenin, Nablus and Tulkarm.... PPS: Palestinian Prisoners in Israeli Jails Lack Medical Care and Food International Press Center 11/16/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, November 16, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The advocates of the Palestinian Prisoner Society (PPS) stressed that thousands of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails have been recently suffering from lack of proper medical care and food, Gaza Press website reported. Faten Alaseeby, an advocate of PPS, met with ten Palestinian prisoners out of 1,250 others being held at the Israeli desert detention camp of "Naqab". Those interviewed by Alaseeby have complained of the prison administration's measures, which included denial of food access during the current holy month of Ramadan. Zionist Jalama prison administration harasses detained Islamic leaders Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2003 Al-Khalil The Islamic Movement in the green line (Palestinian lands occupied in 1948) has charged the Zionist Jalama prison administration of harassing and intimidating detained Islamic leaders. The Movement, in a statement, said that Sheikh Ra’ed Salah, leader of the Movement, and his colleagues Dr. Sulaiman Ahmed, Nasser Al-Khaled, Tawfik Abdul Latif and Mahmoud Abu Samra, were banned from reading newspapers. It said that the detainees, now in their sixth consecutive month behind bars, demanded fixing the ceiling of their detention cells because rain fell on their beds but were faced with the answer “Wait till it stops raining!” Ethiopians protest Israeli racism Al-Jazeera 11/17/2003 Some 2000 Ethiopian Jews have protested in Jerusalem against what they see as racism by the Isreali government. The immigrants demonstrated on Sunday outside Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's offices as part of a campaign to persuade the government to allow their relatives to join them in Israel. The protesters carried photos of their relatives and demanded the lifting of immigration restrictions. Most of their relatives left behind belong to the Falash Mura community, Ethiopian Jews who converted to Christianity about a century ago and who are concentrated around Addis Ababa and the northeastern Gondar province. Bruce Groenveld NOT being deported International Solidarity Movement 11/14/2003 The latest on American ISM activist, Bruce Groenveld's arrest: Bruce has a hearing with the Ministry of the Interior today, at which it is expected that he will NOT be deported, but will instead be released on 5,000 shekels bail, with no conditions, and required to leave the country within 10 days.However, Bruce's lawyer is going to try to get this period extended. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Introduction) By Ida Audeh, Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 During its spring 2002 offensive to reoccupy territories under Palestinian Authority (PA) control, and as most of the West Bank was under round-the-clock curfew, Israel confiscated thousands of dunums of Palestinian land to build a wall. One year later, a 145-km-long segment of a much longer wall extends from the northern village of Zububa in the Jenin district to 'Azzun 'Atma in the Qalqilya district. When completed, the wall is expected to be at least four times as long and in many places twice as high as the Berlin Wall. But it is no ordinary wall; it is more accurately described as a system of control that includes concrete barriers, watchtowers, trenches on either side, military patrol roads, trace paths to register footprints, an electronic warning or 'smart' fence, and a concrete barrier topped with barbed wire. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Jenin District) Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 Personal testimonies by Palestinians about the impact of the wall in their lives: Zububa (population about 2,000) is located in the northernmost tip of the Jenin district. At least 70 trees were uprooted to make room for the wall, and in some places the wall is no more than 40 or 50 meters away from the closest house. The village has experienced gradual land confiscation since 1948, and villagers now fear that the rest of their land will be confiscated through the wall. Unemployment is high. As a result of the construction of the wall, villagers face environmental and water contamination. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Tulkarem District) Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 Personal testimonies by Palestinians about the impact of the wall in their lives: With the northern portion of the wall complete, Nazlat Isa (population 2,300) now falls in the no-man's-land between the wall and Israel proper. Since January 2003, more than 130 commercial buildings and 6 homes have been bulldozed. Residents fear that Israel's attacks against the commercial sector are designed to force them to leave. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Qalqiliya District) Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 Personal testimonies by Palestinians about the impact of the wall in their lives: The wall separates Azzoun (population 7,000) from its agricultural land, which now lies west of the wall. No gate in the wall allows residents access to their lands. As a result they must travel long distances---approximately 4 kilometers to a gate near Isla to the west, and 9 kilometers to another gate near Nabi Elias, where some land belonging to Azzoun is located. The main roads are often reserved for soldiers and settlers, and so Palestinians are forced to take even longer routes, often on foot, and cannot bring equipment to harvest their crops. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Bethlehem District) Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 Personal testimonies by Palestinians about the impact of the wall in their lives: The Bethlehem district is home to more than 170,000 Palestinians, concentrated mostly in the three towns Bethlehem, Beit Jala, and Beit Sahour. The wall surrounding the Bethlehem district is a 15-kilometer shackle that segregates 15,000 dunums of agricultural land, mainly olive trees. The wall around Bethlehem serves to isolate and annex the religious areas. Around Rachel's Tomb and the Bilal Ibn Rabah Mosque, hundreds will be isolated between two walls, further strengthening Israeli control of historic, religious, and deeply significant places and strangling the city economically. Living in the Shadow of the Wall (Jerusalem District) Electronic Intifada 11/16/2003 Personal testimonies by Palestinians about the impact of the wall in their lives: The 40-100 meter wide, 8-kilometer-long northern Jerusalem wall is designed to isolate the Palestinian community, not to encircle the city. About 800 dunums of land were confiscated from Palestinian owners to build that portion of the wall. QALANDIA: Qalandia, north of Jerusalem, is a major checkpoint between Ramallah and Jerusalem. The wall isolates 30,000 Palestinians in Kafr Aqab and Qalandiya who hold Jerusalem ID cards from the city as well as from family, workplaces, and social and public services.

Economy..

Blame Israel, says Red Cross as it ends food aid for West Bank The Independent 11/16/2003 The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) is ending its emergency food programme in the West Bank, saying the economic collapse there is the direct result of Israeli military closures and that Israel must live up to its responsibility as the occupying power for the economic needs of the Palestinians. The move comes as the Israeli media reported that François Bellon, the Red Cross representative, told senior Israeli generalsthat the Palestinian Authority was on the verge of an "explosion" that could lead to "the worst ever humanitarian crisis" in the occupied territories. Palestinian Authority and Israel Sign Energy Cooperation Agreements under EU Auspices Miftah 11/17/2003 The Palestinian Authority and Israel have signed an agreement aimed to regulate electricity sale and purchase agreements between Palestinian Distribution Companies and the Israeli Electricity Corporation. The agreement was reached on 30 October 2003 between representatives of the Palestinian Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and Palestinian Energy Distribution Companies and representatives of the Israeli Ministry of Infrastructure, the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Electricity Corporation (“IEC”)....Prior to the signing of these Agreements, Palestinians were paying among the highest amounts for electricity of any nation around the world as prices were imposed on a monopolistic basis, negatively affecting the development of the Palestinian electricity distribution sector. Red Cross halts West Bank relief BBC 11/17/2003 The Red Cross is ending two emergency aid programmes that support roughly 50,000 West Bank Palestinian families.The agency set up the aid programmes as temporary measures 18 months ago and cannot maintain them indefinitely, spokesman Florian Westphal said. The Palestinian economy has suffered severely under measures which Israel says are vital for its security. Mr Westphal urged Israel "to enable the Palestinians to take care of their own livelihood"...Mr Westphal said the last deliveries under the International Committee of the Red Cross rural relief programme and urban voucher programme would take place this week. Denmark tightens controls on Israeli goods Middle East Online 11/17/2003 COPENHAGEN - Denmark's customs agency said Monday it had tightened controls on Israeli goods to ensure that items produced in Jewish settlements in occupied Palestinian territories do not benefit from favorable trade conditions from the European Union. Denmark tightened controls following a request from the EU, as a reminder that the Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories are not recognized by the EU and are not accepted as an integral part of the state of Israel. Court orders end to ports strike Globes 11/17/2003 The National Labor Court also forbade the government to use Israel Shipyards as a commercial port. -- Last night, the National Labor Court ordered the port workers to end their strike, and also ordered the government not to use Israel Shipyards as a commercial port. The court was ruling on a petition brought by the Federation of Chambers of Commerce, and Manufacturers Association, and the Ports Authority. Paritzky: Gas negotiations with Egypt fruitless Globes 11/17/2003 The Minister of National Infrastructures says Israel should select British Gas as a natural gas supplier as soon as possible. -- A delegation of senior Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) executives, headed by IEC SVP finance and economics Joseph Dvir, recently returned from fruitless negotiations in Egypt for the purchase of natural gas, Minister of National Infrastructures Joseph Paritzky revealed on Friday....Paritzky's comments contradict recent comments by IEC executives that progress had been made and that a draft contract with Eastern Mediterranean Gas (EMG) already existed. EU wants to widen economic ties with Israel Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 The EU-Israel association council on Monday stressed the need to widen economic ties with Israel, a European radio station reported. The council convening in Brussels is attended by Foreign Minister Shalom Shalom and 25 European foreign ministers. The Radio Free Europe station quoted EU officials as saying that the bloc's ties with Israel are "wider and deeper" than with any other country in the region....Ahead of the meeting EU officials proposed to pressure Israel by threatening to harm the development of future relations with it, but the proposal was turned down, among others because of the intervention of German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer. Finance Ministry cleared to raise up to $2b in euro market in 2004 Globes 11/17/2003 The application was filed with the EU on September 10, but only approved today. -- The Ministry of Finance plans to raise hundreds of millions of dollars in independent bond issues on the euro market in 2004. This will be under a shelf prospectus filed in order to obtain EU approval for issues on the euro market. The shelf plan does not commit the government to raising a specific amount, or even making an issue at all. Threat of further sanctions on hold Ha'aretz 11/17/2003 The union representing government employees decided last night not to impose stepped-up work sanctions in government offices starting today. The union had originally planned to impose more sanctions, but a meeting yesterday between the Civil Service Commissioner, Shmuel Hollander, and the chairman of the government employees union, Ofer Eini, showed signs of a breakthrough in negotiations. The two agreed to meet again today to continue talks. Israeli firm awarded armored vehicle contract for Iraq MENA Report 11/16/2003 Arotech Corporation’s Israeli subsidiary MDT Protective Industries was awarded its first contracts for armored vehicles for operation in Iraq, with two of these vehicles for an embassy in Baghdad, stated a press release. Two other vehicles are being assembled for delivery to Iraq later this year. Invest in Israel, Sharon tells Jewish leaders Globes 11/17/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke at the opening ceremony of the General Assembly of the United Jewish Communities of North America. -- "Invest and help, especially in Jerusalem, the Negev and Galilee," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told the opening ceremony of the United Jewish Communities last night. Sharon's speech was twice interrupted by demonstrators calling for the release of Jonathan Pollard. The demonstrators, carrying placards and pictures of Pollard, were evicted from the hall after a few minutes. Zionist entity upgrading new giant drone Palestinian Information Center 11/17/2003 London Zionist aeronautics have produced a new pilotless jet plane that was called the “Giant” in view of its huge size and unique capabilities, according to an Arabic-Language daily published in London. ‘Ashark Al-Awsat’ said that the new plane weighs between seven to eight tons while the currently available planes weigh around 450 kilograms. The plane, which is similar in size to a Boeing-737, could carry 1,000 kilograms and fly at an altitude of 65,000 feet (20 kilome