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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..

Gunman kills two Israeli soldiers in attack on West Bank checkpoint The Independent 11/19/2003 Two Israeli soldiers were killed in a Palestinian militant attack on a checkpoint in the West Bank yesterday, and nine Palestinians were injured, one of them critically, in an Israeli army incursion into Rafah in the Gaza Strip. In Brussels, the European Union demanded that Israel stop building its "separation fence" in the West Bank. After meeting Silvan Shalom, Israel's Foreign Minister, EU foreign ministers issued a harshly worded statement condemning Israel's military tactics in the occupied territories. The checkpoint incident was the first attack by Palestinian militants in almost a month. It came a day before talks to get them to agree to a ceasefire. Israeli Troops Kill a Palestinian, Wound 12 Others, Demolish a House International Press Center 11/18/2003 GAZA, November 18, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- A Palestinian citizen was killed and 12 others were wounded in separate incident in Tulkarem and Rafah. Eight Palestinian citizens were wounded, four critically, in an Israeli incursion Tuesday dawn into Rafah City, during which IOF knocked down a house, Palestinian medical and security sources indicated....Khaddar Abu Thiab, 21, was shot dead and four others were moderately wounded during the Israeli incursion Monday into Tulkarem refugee camp, IPC correspondent reported....In two separate incidents, two Palestinians were wounded, one critically, when the Israeli occupying soldiers opened a burst of machinegun fire towards a company of youngster demonstrators who hurled stones at the Israeli soldiers in Burqa Village of Nablus, IPC correspondent reported. Two others were also wounded in Al Tira Al Shamalia village of Jenin City, which is still under strict curfew for five days in a row, the same sources added....In Hebron, another swath of land owned by the citizen Abed Al Majeed al tumaizi from Ethna Town of Hebron was also razed by the Israeli military bulldozers, WAFA news agency said. Al-Aqsa Brigades claims West Bank attack Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 In a leaflet circulated in the Gaza Strip Tuesday evening, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility for the West Bank roadblock attack that claimed the lives of two Israel Defense Forces soldiers on Tuesday morning. The two soldiers - Sergeant Major Shlomi Belsky, 23, of Haifa and Staff Sergeant Shaul Lahav, 20, of Kibbutz Shomrat - were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman at around 6 A.M., as they were standing at a checkpoint on the Tunnel Road linking Jerusalem and the Gush Etzion settlement bloc. Palestinian opens fire at road block in Ramallah Jerusalem Post 11/18/2003 An IDF soldier was lightly wounded from shrapnel after Palestinian gunmen in Ramallah opened fire at soldiers checking Palestinians at the Surda roadblock. Israeli troops detain Palestinian militant leader China View 11/17/2003 GAZA, Nov. 17 (Xinhua) -- Israeli army forces raided the West Bank town of Tulkarem before dawn Monday and detained three Palestinians, including a leader of the Popular Front for theLiberation of Palestine (PFLP), Palestinian security sources said.Nayef Jaradat, a well-known leader of the PFLP political bureauin Tulkarem and in the West Bank, was arrested by the Israeli soldiers, the sources said. IDF: initial inquiry into roadblock attack reveals operational failures Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Following the attack, the military announced it was reintroducing some of the previously-lifted restrictions on the Palestinian populace in the area. -- An initial inquiry into Tuesday morning's attack on a West Bank roadblock in which two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed revealed operational failures in the conduct of the troops. According to the IDF, the position was manned by seven soldiers, only one of which opened fire on the attacker. The soldiers also failed to chase the shooter, and IDF sources admitted on Tuesday that the incident was an operational failure. Settlements continue to grow despite ‘roadmap’ Palestine Media Center 11/18/2003 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....Etkes, the Peace Now spokesman, said such construction is taking place in dozens of outposts. More than 100 Jewish settlement outposts in West Bank: Peace Now Palestine Monitor 11/17/2003 JERUSALEM, Nov 17-- A total of 103 settlement outposts, which were meant to be all torn down under the terms of the Middle East "roadmap" peace plan, are now dotted around the West Bank, the settlement watchdog Peace Now said Monday. Five out of eight of the outposts which were dismantled in a wave of publicity last summer after the internationally-backed peace blueprint was launched in the Jordanian resort of Aqaba have since been rebuilt, the group said in a statement. "There are 103 settlements, including 56 which have been established since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to power in March 2001," Peace Now said. Mossad has 40 terrorist alerts on Jewish targets abroad Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 The Mossad has received some 40 alerts of terror attacks planned against Jewish and Israeli targets in various places in the world, Mossad head Meir Dagan said Monday. Dagan spoke to the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Security Committee plenum in the first appearance of the Mossad chief before this forum in 18 years. Two Israeli troops die, nine Palestinians wounded as PA wants concrete results from Sharon-Qurei talks Al-Bawaba 11/18/2003 A Palestinian activists early Tuesday killed two Israeli troops standing at a checkpoint on a road, which links Jerusalem and settlements in Bethlehem area. Israeli forces were pursuing the Palestinian attacker, who fired from a driving vehicle, and was believed to have fled toward the city of Bethlehem. According to Israeli media reports, the shooter fled the scene on foot, but was picked up by a car, which took him to the nearby village of El Khader. Two Israeli soldiers shot dead Al-Jazeera 11/18/2003 Two Israeli soldiers have been shot dead at a roadblock near the occupied West Bank city of Bethlehem. A Palestinian resistance fighter shot the soldiers early on Tuesday near a road outside the village of Al-Khadir. Israel Radio confirmed the incident and the measures being taken to catch the assailant. Aljazeera’s correspondent says three Palestinians have already been arrested. Occupation forces have closed all gates to the village and are preventing locals from entering or leaving as they perform house to house searches. Gunman kills two Israeli soldiers BBC 11/18/2003 Two Israeli soldiers were shot dead by a Palestinian gunman at a West Bank checkpoint, Israeli authorites say. Israeli ministers responded to the shooting by casting doubt on Monday's suggestions that an Israeli-Palestinian truce might be within reach."Right now it looks like talks about a cease-fire are premature," Justice Minister Tommy Lapid told army radio. The incident came as the Israeli army began an incursion into the Rafah refugee camp, in the Gaza Strip....Israeli military sources said their forces were searching for tunnels on the outskirts of the Rafah refugee camp which they allege are used to smuggle weapons. Resistance Strikes, Killing Two Soldiers near Bethlehem International Middle East Media Center 11/18/2003 Resistance men shot dead Tuesday morning two soldiers as they were standing at the military check post that links Jerusalem with Gosh Itzion settlement block, known as the Tunnel road check post. Local sources identified the two killed as soldiers, while army sources reported that two Israelis were killed in the incident. It is a common practice from the side of the army to no [reveal] until later the identity of people killed in the occupied territories.

Diplomacy..

Powell attacks Israeli actions in territories Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell criticized Israel's actions in the territories during a Tuesday meeting with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom at a summit of European Union foreign ministers in Brussels. Powell said that the U.S. understands the security needs that have led to the building of the separation fence, but nevertheless disagrees with the barrier's route. Shalom: Sharon to meet Qorei in coming week Middle East Online 11/18/2003 BRUSSELS & RAMALLAH, West Bank - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is to meet his Palestinian counterpart Ahmed Qorei within the next week, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Tuesday. He said he had told US Secretary of State Colin Powell the date of the meeting, but did not disclose it to reporters. "I gave him the date of the meeting. We think we are going to have this meeting. It wasn't set up exactly but it will be in the next, coming week," he said after talks with Powell at a Brussels hotel. After Meeting President Arafat and PM Qurei', Suleiman Optimistic About Truce Talks International Press Center 11/18/2003 RAMALLAH, Palestine, November 18, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Egyptian chief of Intelligence, Omar Suleiman, noted positive signs about the possibility of a ceasefire, after meeting with both President Yasser Arafat and Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei' yesterday in President Arafat's Ramallah office. The meeting discussed the cease fire between the Israelis and the Palestinians, halt of the apartheid wall construction by Israel around the West Bank and the Israeli partial implementation of the first phase of the internationally- backed road map peace plan in advance of the due meeting between Sharon and Qurei’. Israel Says Egypt ‘Hostile Factor’ Islam Online 11/18/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, November 18 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The chairman of Knesset’s influential Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Tuesday, November 18, rejected Egypt’s mediation in clinching a new ceasefire with the Palestinians, labeling Cairo “hostile factor” to Israel and the peace process. "What's happening is particularly serious because a factor hostile to Israel has entered the Palestinian domain, and it is equally hostile, in my opinion, to the peace process and that is Egypt," said Yuval Steinitz, a deputy from the right-wing Likud party of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). Maher: Israeli charge against Egypt has no weight Middle East Online 11/18/2003 CAIRO - Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher dismissed anti-Egyptian remarks by a leading right-wing Israeli member of parliament as carrying "no weight." Maher told journalists that the remarks by Yuval Steinitz, a member of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party, amounted to "an isolated opinion which does not represent the general feeling in Israel." Steinitz, chairman of the Israeli parliament's foreign affairs and defense committee, rejected Egypt's mediation bid for an Israeli-Palestinian ceasefire because he alleged Cairo was "hostile" to Israel and the peace process. EU Criticizes Israel on Palestinians The Guardian 11/18/2003 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - The European Union warned Israel on Tuesday that its military actions and restrictive policies in the West Bank and Gaza were making life ``increasingly intolerable'' for Palestinians. In a sharply worded statement issued after meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, foreign ministers from the 25 current and soon-to-be EU countries said Israel had a ``right to protect its citizens.'' But they urged the Israelis to ``exert maximum effort to avoid civilian casualties.'' They asked Israel to abstain from assassinations and demolishing houses as ``punitive measures,'' and to stop trying to remove Yasser Arafat as the Palestinian leader. EU urges Israel to stop apartheid wall Al-Jazeera 11/18/2003 The European Union has called on Israel to stop building the so-called apartheid wall along the West Bank warning it would only worsen the plight of Palestinians. In a statement issued on Tuesday at annual "association council" talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, the EU has also condemned an Israeli ban on contacts with officials who hold talks with Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat. Shalom meanwhile said Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was due soon to resume top-level contacts with the Palestinians, by meeting his counterpart Ahmad Quraya in the coming days. Israel backtracks over EU envoy Al-Jazeera 11/18/2003 Israel has restored limited diplomatic access to the European Union's Middle East peace envoy, as clashes in the West Bank killed one Palestinian and injured four others. The Israeli foreign minister on Monday said the EU envoy, Marc Otte, would be allowed to meet a senior official at his ministry. But the gesture was not enough to placate the 15-state EU, whose foreign policy chief demanded he be given full access to officials in the region. Israel rules out dismantling settlements Pakistan Daily Times 11/19/2003 Sharon confirms plans to meet Qorei in coming days - Egyptian envoy seeks Israeli-Palestinian truce -- ROME: Israel will not dismantle Jewish settlements, a senior official travelling with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said on Monday, adding that such a move would be tantamount to a “reward for terrorism”. “Dismantling a settlement at this stage without first ensuring that calm is restored with the Palestinians would be seen as a reward for terrorism,” said the official. As part of a truce, the Palestinians want Israel to lift travel restrictions and halt construction of a massive barrier. Palestinians Said to Near Talks on Cease-Fire New York Times 11/18/2003 JERUSALEM, Nov. 17 — A senior Egyptian mediator reached agreement with Palestinian leaders on Monday to start cease-fire talks among militants within two days, Palestinian officials said. In a kind of parallel, the Israeli prime minister, Ariel Sharon, said in Rome on Monday that he might meet with the Palestinian prime minister, Ahmed Qurei, "in the next few days." The two leaders would be renewing top-level talks that halted in August, during the violence that ended a previous Palestinian cease-fire. PM to ask Berlusconi to help blunt EU scorn over fence Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, slated to hold talks in Rome Tuesday with his Italian counterpart Silvio Berlusconi, was expected to ask the Italian premier to help water down a pending EU condemnation of Israel's West Bank security barrier and its snubbing of EU Middle East envoy Marc Otte. It was announced on Tuesday evening that the press conference Berlusconi was to hold with Sharon at the conclusion of their meeting was cancelled due to a period of national mourning for Italian troops killed in Iraq. Pope condemns Israel fence Tiscali 11/18/2003 VATICAN CITY (Reuters) - Pope John Paul has condemned recent attacks in Turkey and Iraq as "evil acts of terrorism" and also criticised Israel for building a barrier snaking into occupied territories. Speaking at his Sunday noon address, the pope urged an end to a spiral of attacks and reprisals in the Middle East...."The construction of a wall between the Israeli people and the Palestinian people is seen by many as a new obstacle on the road to peaceful cohabitation," the pope said in his first comment on the controversial Israeli fence. "In fact, the Holy Land does not need walls but bridges," he said, reading from a window overlooking the square. Nasrallah, German envoy hold talks on prisoner swap Daily Star 11/18/2003 Deal is at ‘delicate stage’ -- Hizbullah’s leader said Monday he had met with a German envoy mediating a prisoner swap between the Lebanese militant group and Israel, but disclosed nothing about negotiations described as at a “delicate stage.”A statement issued by the resistance group’s secretary-general, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, said the meeting was “an attempt to find the required resolution to outstanding points” blocking a deal. Nasrallah: Talks on prisoner swap to continue in secret Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 The latest round of talks on a prisoner exchange deal between Hezbollah and Israel, with German mediation, ended yesterday with no tangible result other than the issuance of laconic statements to the media. Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah told reporters that his organization had "agreed with German mediators that the present stage of negotiations will be conducted secretly. This [secrecy] is needed to create a better atmosphere, and to attain positive, final results." Russia submits to UN revised resolution on Mideast roadmap China View 11/18/2003 UNITED NATIONS, Nov. 18 (Xinhuanet) -- Russia has presented a revised draft resolution to the United Nations Security Council to seek its backing of the staggering roadmap peace plan for the Middle East, a UN spokesman said Tuesday. The new draft, which contains minor changes in its language, was circulated at closed-door council consultations, spokesman Fred Eckhard told reporters. Council diplomats said the council could take action on the resolution within this week. Lapid: U.S. and Israel facing `war of civilizations' Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 "It is possible that [Iran's] first atomic bomb will fall on Tel Aviv," Justice Minister Yosef Lapid said yesterday morning in a discussion session at the GA in Jerusalem. "But then the second will explode in New York." Lapid, who joined U.S. Ambassador Dan Kurtzer and Nachman Shai, director-general of the UJC in Israel, for the session featuring a discussion of the road map, said that Israel and the U.S. are united by the "existential threat" posed by "fanatical Muslims." Ex-Shin Bet chief: no choice but to trust the Palestinians Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Avraham Shalom, the Shin Bet chief forced to resign in the 1980s because of the Bus 300 affair, made an unprecedented TV appearance Tuesday evening to tell Channel Two's Ilana Dayan that "if we can't learn to trust one another, there will only be chaos here and nobody will be able to live here." Ya'alon: Help us fight `lies of enemy' Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon called yesterday on delegates at the UJC's General Assembly in Jerusalem to help Israel counter "the lies and propaganda" disseminated by Israel's enemies. "The enemy's spin-masters are trying to attack us with stories such as the one about a `massacre' in Jenin," said the IDF chief. "These lies found their way to the media, who continue to propagate them. Don't let them get away with this." PNA Seeks ‘Concrete Results’ for a Successful Qurei – Sharon Meeting Palestine Media Center 11/18/2003 Hopefully, There Will Be Cease-fire,’ Egyptian Envoy Says -- The Palestine National Authority (PNA) on Monday said that dates have not been set yet neither for a meeting between Palestinian and Israeli premiers Ahmad Qurei and Ariel Sharon nor for Prime Minister Qurei’s meeting with Palestinian factions in Gaza, amid optimistic speculations that the mission of the Egyptian mediator Omar Sulaiman might culminate in a Palestinian – Israeli ceasefire agreement. Speaking to Jewish leaders in Italy on Monday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would meet his Palestinian counterpart, Ahmed Qurei, "in the coming days." It would be their first summit meeting since Qurei took office more than a month ago. Israel Refuses to Dismantle Settlement Outposts, Risking "Crisis" with US Palestine Media Center 11/18/2003 Israel will not dismantle illegal Jewish settlements in Palestinian land occupied in 1967, a senior official traveling with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told reporters. The official, who asked not to be named, explained that such a move would be tantamount to what he dubbed as a "reward for terrorism." All settlements built in the Israeli-occupied Palestinian territories, at least 162 permanent ones with more than 400,000 population of illegal settlers who are protected by the Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF), are deemed contrary to international law and considered illegal by the United Nations and United States. Indian foreign minister describes premier visit to Syria as 'very important' Arabic News 11/18/2003 India's Minister of External Affairs Shri Yashwant Sinha described the Indian Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's current visit to Syria as very important for developing the standing bilateral relations and an important step in the way of India's support to the Arabs in general and to Syria and the Palestinian people in particular....He renewed the Indian firm stance regarding the necessity for realizing just and comprehensive peace in the Middle East on the basis of the UN Security Council relevant resolutions and "land for peace formula." He also asserted the necessity for the Israeli complete withdrawal from the occupied Arab territories including Palestine. Beijing to hold international conference on Palestine issue HiPakistan 11/18/2003 BEIJING: Beijng will hold an international conference next month on the Palestine issue, said a spokesman of the Chinese Foreign Office. "The Chinese government had decided to hold the meeting in cooperation with the United Nations through December 16th to 18th. The theme for the meeting is "Mobilizing international support for a peaceful solution of the question of Palestine", he said. Irish reject Israeli inclusion of anti-Semitism on UN resolution Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 NEW YORK - An Israeli proposal to include an outright condemnation of anti-Semitism in a UN resolution against racism has encountered opposition from Ireland, one of the initiators of the resolution. The resolution, on the subject of religious intolerance, is expected to come to a vote some time this week. Ireland traditionally proposes such a resolution over the years for ratification by the Third World Conference on Racism. However, with the outbreak of anti-Jewish sentiment in European countries, Israel last week asked Ireland to add an element to the resolution condemning anti-Semitism. Background / Preaching the end of Palestine Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 As the first cracks appear in what was widely viewed as the wall-to-wall rightism of the Sharon government, settlers have mounted a counter-offensive, seeking to persuade Israelis that a single, Jewish state in Israel, the West Bank and Gaza Strip is their most viable option. In a series of striking advertisements in mass-circulation Israeli newspapers, right-wing academics have entered the battle for the Israeli mainstream, which opinion surveys have shown is still - three years into open warfare - overwhelmingly in favor of an eventual settlement with the Palestinians, on the basis of trading West Bank and Gaza Strip land for a peace agreement. Egyptian intelligence chief tries to broker cease-fire Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Egypt's intelligence chief, General Omar Suleiman, met yesterday in Ramallah's Muqata compound with Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ablu), in an effort to broker a major cease-fire agreement. Suleiman, who had visited the compound a few times earlier in the year, discussed with the PA heads a truce that would apply to all Palestinian organizations, including Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Report: U.S.-Israel relations "on verge of crisis" Israeli Insider 11/17/2003 Senior U.S. officials said that relations between the U.S. and Israel were "approaching a crisis" due to the policies of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's government, Army Radio reported today. According to the officials, the Bush administration is furious that Sharon is not evacuating unauthorized outposts in the territories, is expanding settlements and is continuing with construction of the security fence along a route that is not logical. The prime minister "isn't acting as a friend, isn't keeping promises and is ignoring the Bush administration's difficult situation in Iraq and the criticism of the president," the officials said, quoted by the radio. West Bank Barrier, Anti-Semitism Cloud Israeli Leaders' European Visit Deutsche Welle 11/18/2003 EU diplomats once again condemn the West Bank barrier--Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is in Europe at a time of acute tension between the two sides. The construction of the West Bank barrier and Europe's perceived latent anti-Semitism are major discussion points. Europe's foreign ministers demanded Tuesday that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon stop the construction of the West Bank barrier at a time when EU-Israeli relations are going through a rough period. Analysis / A new and improved hudna Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Ahmed Yassin and his people have been saying inthe last few days that they won't make the same mistake again of agreeing to a hudna without international guarantees, allowing the IDF to continue killing off its activists. "God willing, there will be a hudna," Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman said yesterday, as he left a meeting with Yasser Arafat and Ahmed Qureia at the Muqata in Ramallah. That is also the prevailing view in the Palestinian leadership. One such Palestinian leader said yesterday that Suleiman's brief one-day visit this time was like the visit of a beloved prince with whom everyone wants to find favor. Analysis / Trying to solve the Kuntar conundrum Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Hezbollah leader Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah delivered a long, detailed sermon yesterday for the Night of Power, laylat al-kadr, on which the Prophet Muhammad is believed to have received the first revelations of the Koran. Nasrallah spoke about the status of women, the obligations of faith, mercy and good deeds and about the after-life. It was not the sort of address that includes reference to deals, that is, to a prisoner exchange with Israel. Luring Jews to Israel proves difficult Al-Jazeera 11/17/2003 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has urged Jews, particularly in North America and Europe, to immigrate to Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Sharon's "invitation" is an attempt to offset what he calls the Arab demographic threat. Speaking in West Jerusalem on Sunday night before as many as 6000 delegates representing Jewish communities from around the world, Sharon said Jewish immigration to Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories would strengthen Israel and ensure its future.

Human Rights..

Israeli Soldiers arrest and threaten to kill farmer in Sulfit International Solidarity Movement 11/18/2003 Two minutes ago, the ISM Media Office received word that the Israeli Military had arrested a Palestinian farmer as he attmpted to harvest olives on his land in the West Bank town of Sulfit.They have since informed ISM activists on the scene that they intend to kill this man, today. The soldiers drove away with the farmer in their truck, and returned with a bulldozer following, and told activists and families present that they intended to destroy the orchard, and that if the family ever returned to it, they would destroy them and their home. Overhaul of conditions in prisons to begin in June 2004 Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Some seven years after the legislation of the Prisons Law, which protects the rights of all persons incarcerated in Israeli facilities, the Public Security Ministry is now committed to conducting a major overhaul of prison conditions. The belated compliance with the Prisons Law will begin in June 2004. The government's undertaking to implement the prison reform was disclosed to the High Court of Justice by Public Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi, in response to a petition submitted by the Israel Bar Association. Red Cross to End Emergency Aid Programs The Guardian 11/18/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - The international Red Cross is ending two emergency aid programs that provided food assistance to 50,000 Palestinian families, a spokesman for the aid group said Tuesday. The decision to stop the aid at the end of the month reflected growing impatience by international aid groups, charging that Israel is in control of much of the West Bank but is not providing assistance to the Palestinian population. The Israeli military adminstration refused to comment. Israeli Extrajudicial Executions In Three Years: 309 Citizens Killed in 157 Crimes International Press Center 11/18/2003 A recent human rights report about the Israeli extrajudicial execution policy over the three years of the Al Aqsa Intifada revealed that 309 Palestinian citizens were killed in 157 executions. Among the killed were 195 "targeted" by these executions, three of whomwere under 18 years of age, and 114 others were just passing by when the execution took place. The report, which was released by the Palestinian Center for Human Rights (PCHR) and IPC got a copy of which, pointed out that among the "untargeted" who were killed,were 38 children under 18 years of age, including a two-month old baby, 14 women and 16 elderly citizens. Palestinian High Court of Justice postpones consideration in charity accounts freeze for the fifth time Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 11/16/2003 For the 5th consecutive time, on Sunday, 16 November 2003, the Palestinian High Court of Justice postponed the consideration of a petition submitted by PCHR against the freezing of the funds of al-Salah Islamic Society.The next hearing is scheduled for 22 November 2003.PCHR submitted a petition to the High Court of Justice on 10 September 2003, requesting a temporary injunction on a memorandum circulated by the Palestinian Monetary Fund following a decision issued by the Palestinian Attorney-General.The memorandum demanded all banks working in Palestine to freeze the accounts of the al-Salah Islamic Society and other charitable societies and NGOs. One family’s sorrow International Solidarity Movement 11/17/2003 Gaza - Melissa - 17 Nov 03 -- As he put on his jacket he told his mother proudlythat he took care of his clothes well, he hadn’t broken the zipper. In the early hours of the morning, after finishing the sahour, Mahmoud set out to catchbirds in an open area a kilometre and a half from his house. Mahmoud’s brother Ali did not want to join him like he normally did because the night before he had a feeling that something bad would happen. However,Mahmoud was determined to go catch birds which he would sell in order to bring some money to his family. His father is unable to work because he is both mentally and physically disabled after being shot and beaten in the head during the first intifada. Being the eldest son, thirteen year old Mahmoud was responsible for providing the family of eleven withwhat little money he could. Curfew and vandals in Asira International Solidarity Movement 11/18/2003 Nablus - Aron - 18 Nov 03 -- 5 out of the 6 days soldiers and border police have imposed curfew in the town of Asira, north of Nablus. The soldiers and border police drive around in jeeps terrorising the 12,000 people who live there, occasionaly leaving their jeeps to do a foot patrol through narrower streets. People hide in their homes wondering how long the army wil remain, andwhen a silence descends and people think the jeeps are no longer there they begin to venture out, many to buy bread and food, some to disobey and break the curfew. Yesterday the soldiers weren’t here in the morning so people attempted to continue their lives, children went to school and people attempted to leave the village for work, etc, only to find the last remaining road leaving the village, which has recently been blocked with an earth and rock mound, maned by soldiers who will not allow people outof the village. Recent Field Reports... International Solidarity Movement 11/18/2003 Enclosed are links to a few recent (and a few not so recent) field reports from ISM activists.Apologies for those appearing late -- this week at least one hacker-type wrought havoc on the email system here in the office, and many reports were buried in various ways, and weren't sifted out of all the mess until the last day or so.Fortunately, the onslaught of SPAM and other nonsense seems to have abated. Humanitarian Appeal 2004 for occupied Palestinian territory ReliefWeb 11/18/2003 As Palestinians face a fourth year under an Israeli-imposed closure system, survival has become yet more difficult and hopes for peace are fading. With people prevented from moving throughout the West Bank and Gaza, the Palestinian economy has been devastated by the closures. Poverty rates have tripled. Some 60 per cent of people live below the poverty line; almost 2.5 million people live on under US$ 2 per day. People's coping mechanisms, such as relying on credit, selling assets, and reduced spending, are now collapsing....In this year's Appeal, the United Nations seeks to assist the Palestinian Authority to meet humanitarian needs on its behalf within the overall framework of its Economic Stabilization and Recovery Strategy. As the occupying power under International Humanitarian Law, Israel is under obligation to provide humanitarian assistance. Despite taking on this obligation, the United Nations has frequently been denied humanitarian access. LAW Society’s Weekly Roundup - November 6-12, 2003 Palestine Chronicle 11/17/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (LAW) - Israeli troops killed 14 Palestinians during the week covered by the roundup including 5 children; one Palestinian died of wounds during Israeli incursion into Ramallah; they are.../ Excessive use of force / Shelling / Detention and maltreatment / Collective punishment / Closure and siege / Land confiscation

Economy..

Israel Electric signs joint power venture with Palestinian Authority Al-Bawaba 11/18/2003 The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) has agreed in principle to supply electricity to the Palestinian Authority. The deal, approved by Israel’s Ministry of Infrastructure, was signed by an official of the IEC, PA electric distribution company representatives and the Italian Ambassador to Israel, Giulio Terzi di Sant'agata, reported Haaretz....According to the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics, some 13 percent of West Bank and Gaza localities do not have an electricity network. Unexpected 2.7% jump in Q3 GDP Globes 11/18/2003 Private consumption rose by an annualized 6.2%. Non-military public spending jumped 8%. -- Israel's GDP unexpectedly rose by an annualized 2.7% in the third quarter of 2003, after contracting by 1.7% in the second and 2.8% in the first. Private consumption rose by an annualized 6.2% in the third quarter, which translates into a 4.1% increase in per capita private consumption. Per capita private consumption rose 8.4% in the second quarter after falling 5.5% in the first. Is it real? By Avi Temkin, Globes 11/18/2003 The Q3 statistics could mean recovery, but they could just be "signs of oil". -- The third quarter figures from the Central Bureau of Statistics are good news for the economy. They are a result of recovery in domestic demand and in exports over the summer months. However, even after careful study of the data, it's hard to tell whether what we have here is a first indication of economic recovery and emergence from the recession, or whether it's just a matter of "signs of oil" that will quickly prove illusory....before we declare the recession over, it's worth recalling that consumer confidence has taken a turn for the worse in the past couple of months. Labor court issues injunction preventing strike for one week Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 The National Labor Court on Tuesday evening issued an injunction preventing the Histadrut Labor Federation from launching a general strike during the next week. The court instructed the Finance Ministry and the Histadrut to continue intensive negotiations between them regarding pension reforms. Netanyahu: 'the recession is behind us' Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday, reacting to the Central Bureau of Statistics’ (CBS) announcement that pointed to a 2.7 percent growth in Israel’s gross domestic product for the third quarter, said ‘economic growth will begin this year,’ adding that there was no doubt that ‘the recession is behind us.’ Progress in civil service sanctions negotiations Globes 11/18/2003 The progress in the talks has prevented an escalation in the labor sanctions. -- Civil Servants Union secretary general Ofer Eini and legal advisors will again meet tonight a Ministry of Finance team headed by Civil Service commissioner Shmuel Hollander. The parties will try to reach an agreement to end the civil service sanctions. Pension funds to sue Histadrut for NIS 441m Globes 11/18/2003 The Supervisor of Insurance has allowed the lawsuits that accuse the Histadrut of acts of exploitation and plunder to finance its operations. -- Sources inform “Globes” that Supervisor of Insurance Eyal Ben-Chelouche has allowed the six pension funds formerly managed by Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) to sue the Histadrut and three other parties affiliated with Hevrat HaOvdim. Israel to start transshipping Russian oil to Asia in 2 weeks Globes 11/18/2003 Washington Institute for Near East Policy: Transporting Russian oil via Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline will reduce global oil prices. -- Within two weeks, Israel will serve as a land bridge for transshipping Russian oil to Asia through the Eilat-Ashkelon Pipeline Co. (EAPC). A Washington Institute for Near East Policy working paper published yesterday states that this development will have a major impact on the global oil market. It will significantly reduce global oil prices, weaken OPEC and further strengthen Israel-Russia relations. Israel expects to earn tens of millions of dollars a year in user fees for the pipeline. U.S. charges Israel 7% on loan guarantees Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 The U.S. is charging Israel a fee of 7 percent on its bonds issued under the loan guarantee program. The charges were discovered in a Bank of Israel report on macroeconomic and political developments released last week. According to the report, 7 percent of the receipts from the Israeli government's bond issues is to be transferred to U.S. treasury in order to compensate it for the risk of the issue (known as scoring). This is considered to be a relatively high rate for bond issues. UJC's Blue Knot Israel to tie North American and Israeli tech communities Globes 11/18/2003 An alliance with the Net@ program for disadvantaged youth will be announced simultaneously in Israel and at COMDEX Las Vegas 2003. -- Blue Knot - The Jewish Tech Initiative, a national effort of United Jewish Communities (UJC) and the Jewish Federations of North America, will launch Blue Knot Israel tonight, as part of the 2003 UJC General Assembly in Jerusalem.Blue Knot Israel will link the North American and Israeli technology communities. It will also connect Israelis in the technology sector to each other, and is intended to enhance the link between the Israeli technology community and the global network of Jewish technology professionals. Kodak to buy Ra'anana-based Algotec for $42.5 million Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Eastman Kodak Co. is buying Israeli medical imaging systems provider Algotec Systems for $42.5 million cash, the film giant revealed on Tuesday. The acquisition of the privately held company is designed to improve its position in the market for managing and storing medical images and information, it said. Kodak, which has been shifting its focus away from its reliance on the languishing photo film business, said it expects to complete the acquisition of the privately held company by the end of the year

People..

Ramadan Festivities are Few in Gaza Palestine Chronicle 11/17/2003 GAZA CITY - When ammarideen and apricot paste, attayif pastries, dates, dried figs, hibiscus flower and carob seed syrup make their welcomed appearance in the souqs and supermarkets of the Middle East, it can mean only one thing: Ramadan has arrived. It is an anticipatory time for consumers and vendors alike. The former indulge their sweet tooth and show off their culinary skills at extravagant dinner parties, while the latter benefit from the season’s typical hoarding of goods. Mosques are frequented as often as fancy restaurants, with their special buffets and nightly entertainment. Yet in the Gaza Strip, the festivities of the holiest of months takes on a very different form. With the intifada in its fourth year and the persisting brutality of the Israeli occupation, Ramadan in Gaza has a subdued mood to it. [previously published in the Daily Star] Green activist warns of looming crisis Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 There are 1,100 air-pollution related deaths a year in the Tel Aviv area alone, environmentalist Eilon Schwartz told a crowd full of GA [General Assembly] delegates munching on cheese sandwiches yesterday afternoon. "That's far more than anyone dies of terrorist attacks," he said. Schwartz, who is the director of the Heschel Center for Environmental Learning and Leadership in Israel, was featured as part of a GA "lunch and learn" program focusing on Judaism and the environment. "Every fresh water source in Israel is polluted," he said. "We have third world population growth and first world consumption rates." Palestine rowers achieve Olympic recognition Al-Jazeera 11/16/2003 Rowing may long have been considered a sport for the elite, but in Gaza, it is bringing international recognition of Palestine and joy to dozens of children. The sport was first introduced to Palestine by the British, who ruled the Mandate from 1917 to 1947. Clubs were set up in calm bodies of water, such as Lake Tiberias and the Bay of Haifa. After the 1948 war, however, rowing all but disappeared as an active sport. Ghassan Haddad, a Palestinian American who took up rowing as a young adult, decided he wanted to change all that. Ancient Jewish village uncovered in Jerusalem Jerusalem Post 11/18/2003 The remains of a heretofore-unknown ancient Jewish village dating back nearly two thousand years has been uncovered on the northern rim of Jerusalem, the Antiquities Authority announced Tuesday. The first century Jewish community was stumbled upon in late May near the entrance to the present day Shuafat refugee camp, in the wake of infrastructure work which the city was carrying out at the site for the Jerusalem's light rail-system, which is still under construction. Book Review: The Future of Peace in Palestine and Beyond Palestine Chronicle 11/17/2003 Open any newspaper or watch the evening news and you will almost believe that the end of the world is near. Wars, biological weapons, suicide bombings, terror alerts, could it get any worse? Commentators point to the unending conflict in places like Palestine as proof that peace is unattainable. Against this back drop of bloodshed and fear, peace scholar and writer Scott A. Hunt presents a bold proposition in his book The Future of Peace: On the Front Lines With the World’s Great Peacemakers (HarperSanFrancisco, October 2002): “kindness is alive and well, and we have good reason to be hopeful about the future.”

International..

Powell Praises Iran on Nuclear Decisions The Guardian 11/18/2003 BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - Secretary of State Colin Powell said Tuesday that Iran ``seems to be moving in the right direction'' in disclosing details of its nuclear program but he was still not satisfied Tehran had abandoned all efforts to produce a weapon. Powell made the comments after talks with EU foreign ministers over whether to declare Iran in violation of the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty - a step that could lead to U.N. sanctions against Tehran. EU too soft on Iran says US Al-Jazeera 11/18/2003 US Secretary of State Colin Powell clashed with the European Union on Tuesday over Iran's nuclear programme, saying Washington was unhappy with a draft resolution proposed by the EU's three major powers. After what he called a "very candid discussion" with EU foreign ministers, Powell told a news conference in Brussels the text offered by Britain, France and Germany was not tough enough on Tehran's non-compliance with its treaty obligations. Clash on Iran Mars Powell's EU Fence-Mending Reuters 11/18/2003 BRUSSELS (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell and the European Union clashed on Tuesday over how to handle Iran's nuclear program, taking the shine off what was billed as a post-Iraq war fence-mending visit to Brussels. After what he called a "very candid discussion" with EU foreign ministers, Powell said a draft resolution on Iran proposed by the bloc's three major powers was not tough enough on Tehran's non-compliance with nuclear treaty obligations. Along with tension over steel trade and European prisoners held at the U.S. Guantanamo Bay jail in Cuba, the divide over how to deal with Iran marred determined efforts by both sides to put months of bitter wrangling over Iraq behind them. Lahoud, Assad hold talks amid US, Israeli threats Middle East Online 11/18/2003 DAMASCUS - Syrian and Lebanese presidents Bashar al-Assad and Emile Lahoud met here for talks Tuesday amid threats from Israel and the United States, the Syrian news agency SANA reported. The agency said that bilateral relations and regional affairs were on the agenda of Lahoud's first visit to Syria since Assad succeeded his late father Hafez in July 2000. No Cabinet change likely from Lahoud’s Syria trip Daily Star 11/18/2003 Officials say regional matters will top agenda -- President Emile Lahoud’s visit to Damascus on Tuesday, which comes amid deteriorating relations between himself and Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, is unlikely to result in a Cabinet change, according to ministerial sources. In a telephone interview Monday, Information Minister Michel Samaha who is relatively close to Lahoud denied that “internal tension” would take up a large chunk of the summit between Lahoud and Syrian President Bashar Assad, or that a Cabinet change was imminent. Turkey: Man who dispatched Istanbul bombers fled to Syria Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Turkish investigators are reportedly close to uncovering the full story behind the terror bombings of two Istanbul synagogues on Saturday morning in which 25 people were killed and over 300 wounded. Their probe has thus far revealed that the World Islamic Jihad was behind the attack. The bombings were apparently carried out in cooperation with Al-Qaida and other terror organizations. Baghdad's Palestinian refugees Al-Jazeera 11/13/2003 For the thousands of Palestinians who had come to regard Baghdad as their home away from home, Iraq's invasion and occupation has brought nothing but hardship. The Haifa Sports Club is a dirt football pitch that houses 1500 men, women and children in 400 tents. Palestinians have been living here since 20 April this year, all evicted from their homes. Dr Husain al-Shaikh manages the refugee camp, one of the many Palestinians to be born and raised in Iraq. Intellectual guns fire salute to Edward Said Pakistan Daily Times 11/19/2003 LAHORE: Edward Said was a profound visionary and true humanist who will be remembered for a long time, said speakers at an event in memory of the late intellectual at the Punjab University on Monday. Lectures on Said’s literary criticism, his advocacy of the Palestinian cause, and on his relations with Eqbal Ahmed were the highlights of a tribute arranged by The Friday Times and Punjab University’s English Department. Department faculty and students read out pieces of literature highlighting Said’s intellectual concerns and poems in tribute to him at the event held in the English Department. Americans turn Tikrit into Iraq's own West Bank The Independent 11/18/2003 It is the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but transported to Iraq. A town is imprisoned by razor wire. The entrance is guarded by soldiers, protected by sand bags, concrete barricades and a machine-gun nest. Only those people with an identification card issued by the occupation authorities are allowed in or, more importantly, out. "Hey, this is just like Gaza, isn't it?" a fiery-eyed young Iraqi policeman shouted at us from behind the chest-high, three-layer wire coils which separate his home from the rest of the surrounding dead-flat Iraqi landscape, Sunni Triangle heartland. "We're not happy. Not happy!" U.S. calls him a Qaeda pawn; ex-deportee calls himself a victim International Herald Tribune 11/17/2003 OTTAWA Maher Arar has been back from Syria for five weeks now, with his wife and two children in their simple apartment, earnestly pleading to all who will listen that he is an innocent casualty of the Bush administration's war on terror. As Arar tells it, U.S. officials detained him on circumstantial evidence during what was supposed to be a brief stopover at John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York on Sept. 26, 2002. Within days, they packed him off to Syria, where, he says, he was locked in squalor and tortured for nearly a year. Though he holds dual Canadian and Syrian citizenship, he had not lived in Syria for 16 years. Livingstone says Bush is 'greatest threat to life on planet' The Independent 11/18/2003 Ken Livingstone, the Mayor of London, launched a stinging attack on President George Bush last night, denouncing him as the "greatest threat to life on this planet that we've most probably ever seen". His provocatively timed comments, on the eve of Mr Bush's arrival in London tonight, threaten to create severe embarrassment for the Prime Minister. They also come with talks under way on whether to re-admit Mr Livingstone to the Labour Party before his five-year exile ends....Mr Livingstone, who is holding a "peace party" for anti-war groups in City Hall tomorrow, added: "I don't formally recognise George Bush because he was not officially elected. So we are organising an alternative reception for everybody who is not George Bush." North Americans tout aliyah, but few ready to make move Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 Over 5,000 people dressed in colorful garb, holding balloons and signs and waving American, Canadian and Israeli flags streamed through the streets of Jerusalem last night in the General Assembly's "Salute to Jerusalem" parade through the capital city's downtown district.....But despite a widespread expression of support in recent days for the concept of North American aliyah, participants in the GA appear to be leaving the act of immigrating to someone else. King Abdullah II dissolves Jordan senate Middle East Online 11/18/2003 AMMAN - Jordan's King Abdullah II on Monday dissolved the senate and appointed a new 55-member upper house, including seven women, in the largest female representation in the body to date, state television reported. The move had been expected since June 17 parliamentary elections for a new 110-member lower house, and before the ordinary session of the new parliament, due by the end of November or early December. Saban, Bronfman preparing to bid on Time Warner music Ha'aretz 11/18/2003 An investor group that includes media moguls Haim Saban and Edgar Bronfman Jr. is preparing a $2.5 billion bid for Time Warner Inc.'s music business, according to a source familiar with the situation. Los Angeles-based Saban, born and raised in Israel, has built an entertainment empire on the strength of such low-budget, high-profile television shows as the Power Rangers. Bronfman, an heir to the Seagrams distilling fortune, is a member of a Canadian family which has long taken a leading role in Jewish affairs.

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