Home • Letters
Background • Links
What Can I Do?
Events • Cartoons
Search • Contact
About Us • Donate
E-Mail Us

Palestine Diaries

courtesy The Electronic Intifada

This webpage uses Javascript to display some content. Please enable Javascript in your browser and reload this page.

 

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.

Get Audio/Video Player
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..

IDF kills three Palestinians in southern Gaza Strip Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Three Palestinians believed to be armed were killed Wednesday night by Israel Defense Force troops in the southern Gaza Strip. Around 9 P.M. Israeli forces spotted two armed men crawling near the road linking the Kissufim crossing with the Gush Katif settlement area. IDF troops flooded the area and began chasing the two men, who were joined by another group of armed men. Israeli forces opened fire on a vehicle spotted fleeing the area in the direction of Dir el-Balah. The three occupants of the vehicle killed by the soldiers' gunfire are believed to be the armed militants....IDF arrests six militants... Israeli army kills Palestinian boy in Gaza Middle East Online 11/26/2003 Palestinian medical sources say nine-year-old boy dies shortly after being shot at head by Israeli army.-- GAZA CITY - A nine-year-old Palestinian boy died in the southern Gaza Strip Wednesday after being shot in the head by the Israeli army, Palestinian medical sources said. Hani Selim al-Rabayah, from Rafah, died shortly after arriving at the town's hospital at around 5:00 pm (1500 GMT), hospital director Ali Mussa said. Nablus mayor survives assassination attempt, brother killed; US cuts Israel loan guarantees Al-Bawaba 11/26/2003 Gunmen fired at a car carrying the mayor of the Palestinian city of Nablus on Tuesday evening in an apparent assassination attempt that left him unhurt but killed his brother, local officials said. The mayor, Ghassan Shaka, is a member of Fatah and the Palestinian parliament. Local officials told Reuters it was likely Palestinian gunmen carried out the shooting and noted that leaflets, recently distributed in the West Bank, accused Shaka of cooperating with Israeli authorities. The mayor's brother, Buraq Shaka, a businessman who was visiting from Jordan, was wounded in the attack and died later in a Nablus hospital. Youths wounded in Israeli raids Al-Jazeera 11/26/2003 Two Palestinian youths have been wounded by Israeli occupation soldiers who invaded the Hebron district of Yata. According to an Aljazeera correspondent in the town, Israeli forces on Tuesday besieged a house and opened fire. A youth, Muhammad Abu Aram, reportedly wanted by the Fatah movement, was wounded and later arrested. Another Palestinian teenager was also wounded in the town during a confrontation with the army. Earlier, Israeli forces launched a similiar attack in eastern Jenin city, opening heavy fire randomly. Palestinian boy, 9, killed by IDF gunfire near Rafah Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 A nine-year-old Palestinian boy was shot dead by Israel Defense Force troops early Wednesday evening near the Rafah refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources reported. According to Palestinians, the boy was killed when Israeli troops directed gunfire at targets adjacent to the Rafah camp on the Egyptian border. A seven-year-old Palestinian boy suffering from heart disease was brought on Wednesday afternoon to an IDF command center near the West Bank city of Qalqilyah. The boy, clinically dead, was treated by IDF and Magen David Adom doctors in an attempt to save his life. Israel fears Iran may supply improved rockets to Hezbollah Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Iran has recently made efforts to boost the range of the short- and medium-range rockets that it produces, sparking fears in Israel that Tehran may ship the improved rockets to Hezbollah for deployment in south Lebanon. The Fajr rockets in Hezbollah's current arsenal have a range of some 75 kilometers. If fired from locations near the northern border, they could hit targets as distant as Haifa and beyond. According to some assessments, Hadera could also be within the current range of the rockets.

Diplomacy..

Israel, US happy with loan guarantees cut Globes 11/26/2003 Israel will pay $3-6 million in interest, due to the decision to deduct $289.5 million for expenditures in the territories. -- Israel expects to lose $3-6 million a year in interest payments, due to the Bush administration decision to deduct Israeli expenditures in the territories from the US loan guarantees, Israeli sources in Washington told "Globes"....The Israeli sources said there was a 1-2% difference in the interest rates between the loans backed by the US guarantees and loans raised without the US guarantees. The difference amounts to $3-6 million on $289.5 million.....Unquestionably, the mutual effort to sugarcoat the bitter pill of the deduction was coordinated in advance, in order to avoid angering Israel supporters among broad sections of the Republican Party a year before the presidential elections. EU and Israel dispute labelling deal Al-Jazeera 11/26/2003 Israel and the European Union have issued contradictory statements about reaching a compromise over the issue of exports that originate from illegal Jewish settlements. Israeli Trade Minister Ehud Olmert claimed on Tuesday a deal has been reached with the European Union in a dispute over the labelling of exports produced in Jewish settlements. But the EU has firmly denied any such deal. Report: Powell may meet unofficial peace deal initiators Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 There were growing reports Wednesday that the Israeli and Palestinian formulators of two unofficial Middle East peace plans, both of which have met with harsh criticism from Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, will meet with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in December. A coordinator for one of the groups said U.S. officials invited the Israeli and Palestinian organizers of the People's Voice alternative peace plan to meet with Powell. Israeli media, in an unrelated report, claimed Powell would also meet with the backers of the much-publicized Geneva Accord, but an official source associated with the plan said no meeting had been confirmed. Palestinians expect to get cease-fire from militants Chicago Sun Times 11/26/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Palestinian officials plan to secure a pledge from militant groups next week to halt all attacks against Israel, which they will present along with a demand for full implementation of the U.S.-backed ''road map'' peace plan, the top Palestinian negotiator said Tuesday. The comments by Saeb Erekat, which were welcomed by Israel, were the latest sign of progress in efforts to halt three years of violence and resume full-fledged peace talks. Israel Shrugs Off U.S. Loan Cut Over Barrier Reuters 11/26/2003 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel brushed aside U.S. loan cuts imposed over a huge barrier and settlement expansion on occupied land -- the latest nudge from its main ally to revive a stalled peace plan, but a move Palestinians said was not enough. Momentum for more negotiations on the U.S.-backed peace "road map" has been building since a new Palestinian government took office earlier this month and after an unusually quiet spell during more than three years of conflict. Part of Tuesday's cut of nearly $290 million in a multibillion package of loan guarantees corresponded to the costs of building a barrier singled out by President Bush as unhelpful to peace negotiations. After Israeli Approval, U.S. Cuts Loan Guarantees Islam Online 11/26/2003 WASHINGTON, November 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Getting the Israeli green light, the United States decided to deduct $289.5 million from a loan guarantee package to Israel for its sprawling settlement activity in occupied Palestinian territories. The Israeli embassy said in a statement that the amount cut had been "suggested" by Israel, which does not affect Washington's direct aid for the Jewish state, the BBC News Online reported. Israel: Iran is now danger No. 1 Christian Science Monitor 11/26/2003 JERUSALEM – Even as the US and European nations press Iran harder to comply with international law on its nuclear program, Israel is moving ahead with its own program to check its powerful Middle Eastern neighbor. Israel is working on a wide range of measures to undermine Iran's nuclear program, with senior leaders hinting that Israel may take preemptive action if that is deemed necessary. Analysts here suggest that action may include a strike similar to Israel's 1981 attack on Iraq's Osirak reactor. The Israeli initiative includes political, military, and intelligence wings of government and dovetails with US efforts to contain Iran within the framework of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Egypt asks Israel to contribute to truce Middle East Online 11/26/2003 CAIRO - Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher asked Israel to do its part for a truce with the Palestinians when he spoke to his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom on Wednesday, the Middle East News Agency (MENA) reported. Maher made the remarks when Shalom telephoned him to offer Israel's wishes for the Muslim Eid al-Fitr holiday, which marks the end of the holy month of Ramadan, the state-run MENA said. The two ministers discussed "Egyptian efforts to reach a truce" and Maher stressed that "the Palestinians demonstrated they were ready for progress, but that requires that Israel contribute" to these efforts. 'Sign of bad faith' Gulf Daily News 11/26/2003 Palestinian President Yasser Arafat yesterday dismissed Israeli hints of unilateral moves if a peace plan failed as a sign of bad faith. "This means they don't want to make peace. It is against the road map," Arafat said after Israeli media said Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could uproot some isolated settlements and then draw borders of a truncated Palestinian state along the lines of a controversial barrier being built through the West Bank. Arafat doubts Sharon's seriousness, Hamas renews rejection of the truce Arabic News 11/26/2003 The Palestinian President Yasser Arafat considered the Israeli threats by the Israeli Prime minister of making unilateral moves if the Roadmap fails, shows that the Israeli prime minister is not serious about the roadmap. Arafat also renewed his doubts on Israel's commitment to the cease fire with the Palestinian groups if the Palestinian authority reached an agreement with it to this effect. Arafat stressed that for this agreement to be effective, it has to be given a strong impetus, noting that "if UN forces are not sent, there should be UN observers." The Palestinian president, on the other hand, performed Eid al-Fiter prayers in his residence in Ramullah city in the West Bank. He called on Israel to implement the Roadmap. Rightwing Israelis make a plan News24.com 11/25/2003 Jerusalem - Israel's right wing hit back on Tuesday with its own alternative peace plan which rules out the creation of a Palestinian state or dismantling any settlements, after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned there was no alternative to land for peace. Following on the heels of the internationally-backed "roadmap" peace plan and the "Geneva Initiative" which is being officially launched next Monday, the latest blueprint drawn up by rightwing MPs and settlers' groups rejects the principle of trading land for peace. Ben Tzvi Lieberman of the Settlers' Council, said that an alternative plan was needed as the roadmap and Geneva plans were "very bad solutions". Council speaker lashes out at Sharon Al-Jazeera 11/23/2003 Palestinian legislative council Speaker Rafiq Natshe has ruled out the possibility of any real breakthrough toward peace with Israel as long as Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon remains in power. Speaking during an interview with Aljazeera.net on 21 November, Natshe, who was recently elected as Speaker of the 88-member Legislative Council, described the Israeli premier as “having a mentality that is alien to peace”. “We are facing a racist, criminal and Nazi-like regime that flies in the face of international law. Therefore, there is no hope for any real breakthrough as long as this man (Sharon) remains at the helm of Israeli politics.” U.S. Reaches Out to Israel's Supporters to Pressure Sharon An Nahar 11/26/2003 WASHINGTON (AP) _ In a fresh attempt to forge a Mideast accord, the Bush administration is using some of Israel's strongest American allies both inside and outside the U.S. government as leverage to prod Prime Minister Ariel Sharon toward peacemaking. Mixing traditional and creative diplomacy, the administration's stepped-up efforts in recent weeks seem designed to take advantage of a lull in violence and the emergence of a new Palestinian prime minister....The administration also is pursuing more unusual lines of diplomacy, among them sending Elliott Abrams, who heads the Near East desk at the White House's National Security Council, to meet with Sharon last week while the prime minister was visiting Rome. Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz also recently met with Israeli Adm. Ami Ayalon and Palestinian professor Sari Nusseibeh and publicly praised a private peace petition campaign they are spearheading. Israel downplays loan package cut; PA: move not far enough Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Officials in Jerusalem downplayed Wednesday the American decision to cut almost $300 million of the loan guarantees it has granted to Israel, as a penalty for ongoing settlement activity in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The Bush administration has announced that it will trim $289.5 million from the $9 billion package, to cover the cost of construction in the territories, a move that Palestinian officials said was not stringent enough....The deduction could cost Israel more than $4 million a year in extra interest costs, said Ben-Zion Zilberfarb, a former director-general of the Finance Ministry. Israelis to undergo fingerprint testing to receive U.S. visa Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Every Israeli between 14 and 79 years old will from the start of December be forced to undergo fingerprint testing as part of his or her application for a visa to the United States, the U.S. embassy in Tel Aviv announced yesterday. The new requirement will be implemented in every country whose citizens need a visa to gain entry to the U.S. and will involve running the fingerprints of both hands through an electronic ink-free scanner during an applicant's standard interview for a visa. Analysis: Pressure on Sharon BBC 11/26/2003 The Palestinian Prime Minister, Ahmed Qurei, has urged his Israeli counterpart, Ariel Sharon, to take serious and significant steps to renew the dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians. Israeli press reports indicate Mr Sharon is contemplating a number of unilateral measures, including the uprooting of isolated Jewish settlements. But Mr Qurei said such measures would be significant only if they were part of the implementation of the "roadmap" - the peace plan both sides have accepted but which has yet to be implemented. Fini visit to Israel Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Italian Deputy Prime Minister Gianfranco Fini, the leader of Italy's National Alliance party, is in Israel for an historic official visit - the first time a leader of the former post-fascist party, associated with wartime dictator Benito Mussolini, is being received here with pomp and ceremony. The visit has not passed without criticism. Meretz lawmaker Yossi Sarid called Fini a 'facist creep,' while former Justice Minister Yossi Beilin said that the visit was 'a disgrace to Israel.' [List of stories on Fini and his visit follows.] Jordan gets 10 of its prisoners from Israel Arabic News 11/26/2003 A source at the Jordanian foreign ministry announced that ten prisoners will be released by the Israeli authorities in the context of negotiations with the Jordanian government have arrived in Jordan yesterday. This is in the context of negotiations with the Jordanian government on the fate of 81 Jordanians held by Israel. The official explained that a Jordanian bus will wait for them at the Israeli side of the border and take them to the Jordanian side, where they are completing their papers officially in order to be received by their families. Israel backs down in EU trade row The Guardian 11/26/2003 Israel has bowed to five years of pressure from the EU and agreed to drop labels claiming that goods produced in Jewish settlements and in the occupied territories are made in Israel. The Israeli government has resisted the move for years, fearing that a distinction between Israel, the settlements and the Palestinian territories would have political ramifications at home and abroad. The trade minister, Ehud Olmert, said Israel was backing down during a visit to Brussels this week. Some EU countries have imposed additional tariffs on exports from Israel because of the difficulty of determining their origin. In future all goods from Israel and the occupied territories will be labelled with the city or place of origin. US to deduct loan guarantees to Israel Al-Jazeera 11/26/2003 The United States will deduct $289.5 million from loan guaranteesto Israel over disagreements regarding Israeli activity in Palestinian territories. The Israeli Embassy in Washington announced late on Tuesday that the amount was "suggested" by Israel. "Israel accepts that the United States does not view some of the Israeli activities to date in parts of Judea, Samaria and Gaza as being consistent with US policy," the statement reads. PA welcomes US decision to cut Israel loan guarantees; Qurei to meet US envoy Al-Bawaba 11/26/2003 Palestinian officials on Wednesday welcomed a U.S. decision to deduct $289.5 million from loan guarantees to Israel, but said the penalty was not tough enough to force Israel to stop building a barrier or to end continued settlement activity. The deduction, taken from $9 billion in guarantees promised over three years, reflected the amount Israel is spending on parts of the barrier that cut into the West Bank, as well as other Israeli construction there, The AP reported.

Human Rights..

Aid gets political for Red Cross Christian Science Monitor 11/26/2003 In ending food aid for Palestinians, the group hopes to halt subsidy of Israel's occupation. -- HEBRON, WEST BANK – Jamal al-Absi, hollow-cheeked and grey-haired, doesn't understand the logic. The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) this month cut off the bulk of his food supply, partly because it says it can no longer provide humanitarian assistance that facilitates Israel's occupation of the Palestinian territories. But Mr. Absi, whose job in a Tel Aviv bakery disappeared shortly after the Palestinians uprising or intifada began more than three years ago, wonders just what he is supposed to do about the occupation, especially if he cannot feed himself and his family. "With your hand can you stop a knife?" he asks. RI Asks President Bush to Press Israel on Barrier and Civilian Access Refugees International 11/25/2003 President George W. Bush has identified Israel's placement of walls in the West Bank and its daily humiliation of the Palestinian people as deterrents to the Middle East peace process.RI agrees that action compatible with international humanitarian law and human rights law would go a long way and has asked President Bush, while condemning the Palestinian Authority for failing to stop attacks, to press Israel to honor its responsibility as an occupying power, halt construction of the barrier, and take steps to give civilians safe and timely access to jobs, education, medical services, and food.

Economy..

Netanyahu, Peretz hold last-ditch talks to end labor crisis Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Workers of the Tel Aviv municipality staged a wildcat strike Wednesday, walking off their jobs and leaving the city hall building at the stroke of noon. The strike came as Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz began at least 48 hours of marathon talks Wednesday, in what was termed a "decisions conference" to resolve outstanding differences and halt the wave of strike actions. Shai Agassi tops Time/CNN Global Business Influentials list Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 Israeli entrepreneur Shai Agassi has been named as number one on the Time/CNN annual Global Business Influentials list. Agassi, 34, works as chief technology developer of the world's largest business-software company, Germany's SAP, after founding a number of Israeli startups. One, Top Tier, was sold to SAP for $40 million. Agassi was followed on the Time/CNN Global Business Influentials list by McDonald's Corp president and COO Charlie Bell, Xerox's senior veep Ursula Burns. "Yediot Ahronot": Soros again interested in Israeli investments Globes 11/26/2003 George Soros's representatives said they were interested in participating in government-backed projects. -- Hebrew daily “Yediot Ahronot” reports that Anglo-Jewish financial tycoon George Soros is again interested in investing in Israel. Soros representatives recently participated in a Ministry of Finance and Association of Builders and Contractors in Israel (ACBI) conference in London. His representatives later met ACBI president Samuel Olpiner. IEC: Middle East Tube to carry out 20% of natural gas pipeline project Globes 11/26/2003 British company Chorus Energy won the $40 million tender. -- The Israel Electric Corporation (IEC) today announced that the steel pipes for the undersea section of the natural gas pipeline to be built by British company Chorus Energy would cost $40 million. An Israeli supplier will carry out 20% of the work. Volkswagen seeks Israeli nano future Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 German automobile manufacturer Volkswagen has begun a trial joint cooperation with Israeli start-up Nano Materials, which develops future materials for use in engines, gears and transmission systems. In particular, the materials would be used as lubricants so that oil would not need changing, and other parts would not need replacing so often, thereby making the vehicles of the future longer-lasting than those of today.

People..

Druse spiritual leader Halawi dead at 103 Toronto Star 11/26/2003 BEIRUT (AP) — The spiritual leader of the Druse, Sheik Abu Hassan Aref Halawi, died Wednesday at the age of 103, Druse officials said. An offshoot of Islam, the Druse have 300,000 followers in Lebanon and nearly half a million around the world. There are small Druse communities in Israel, Syria and other Arab states. Druse officials said Halawi, who was the sect's highest religious authority, underwent surgery two months ago, but they declined to specify his illness. Halawi was said to be a deeply spiritual person. He kept out of the public eye, rarely making public appearances or statements. Jerusalem Mufti Bars Muslims From Working On Israeli Wall Islam Online 11/26/2003 OCCUPIRD JERUSALEM, November 26 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - The top Palestinian Muslim official said Wednesday, November 26, that he had issued a religious decree which would bar Muslims from working in any capacity on the construction of Israel's West Bank controversial wall. The Grand Mufti of Occupied Jerusalem, Ikeremah Sabri, told Agence France-Presse (AFP) the barrier was being built on stolen land and therefore any financial gain from its construction would be immoral. The Israeli Holocaust Against the Palestinians Jerusalemites 11/26/2003 Book byby Michael Hoffman and Moshe Lieberman - Documents the horrendous atrocities which the Israeli state visits upon thePalestinians. An irrefutable dossier of Israeli war crimes in Palestine, profusely illustrated with harrowing photos of the death and destruction which the Zionist war machine has administered as collective punishment upon the entire Palestinian nation. One of the most explosive indictments of the Jewish state ever published, proving conclusively that the Israelis themselves are guilty of a holocaust. Gaza's artificial baby boom Al-Jazeera For the couple that longs to have children but cannot conceive, science has come a long way. This past June marked the 25th birthday of Louise Brown, the first baby to be conceived outside her mother's womb. In Vitro Fertilization (IVF), or the combination of the egg and sperm outside the womb in a laboratory, has become a commonplace practice in many parts of the world. It is still, however, considered a luxury for most....The average cost of an IVF cycle there is $12,400, not including the required drugs, according to the American Society of Reproductive Medicine, with couples usually requiring at least 2-3 trials. It might therefore come as a surprise to find that in the impoverished Gaza Strip, IVF clinics have boasted unprecedented success despite record high unemployment rates and the ongoing Intifada. Iraqi Baby Undergoes Surgery in Israel The Guardian 11/26/2003 JERUSALEM (AP) - Israeli doctors operated on an Iraqi baby girl Wednesday in a lengthy procedure intended to correct a potentially fatal heart defect. Bayan Jassem was born just over a week ago near Kirkuk in northern Iraq with the arteries to her heart reversed. An American military doctor with the occupation forces discovered the infant's problem and matched her parents up with the Israeli organization ``Save a Child's Heart.'' Waiting For Saladin Jerusalemites 11/26/2003 Waiting For Saladin is an ensemble, documentary portrait of Palestinian inhabitants of East Jerusalem who live under the rule of Israel's political regime. "I prefer fiction to documentary since it gives more scope for creativity. In my documentaries, I have attempted to be cinematic. Instead of just cut, cut, cut, I try to let the camera roll and the image develop the narrative." - director Tawfik Abu-Wael Pastor publicly forgives killer in Eilat terrorist attack Come And See 11/21/2003 One woman was killed and four other people were wounded yesterday when a terrorist opened fire at the Arava Yitzhak Rabin border terminal near Eilat. The victims were members of a Ecuadorean tourist group entering Israel from Jordan en route to Eilat. ....."Come and See" notes that the pastor who was leading the group was also wounded. In an interview with Israeli's Channel 10 news, he said that he wanted to say something to the shooter "I bless you ,love you and forgive you".

International..

IAEA condemns Iran's nuclear cover-up Al-Jazeera 11/26/2003 The UN nuclear watchdog has condemned Iran for hiding its nuclear activities over a period of 18 years, but it has stopped short of bringing the issue to the UN Security Council. The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei says the action is meant as a "a very serious and ominous message" for Iran to comply with international regulations" and failures in the future will not be tolerated. Had the issue gone to the Security Council sanctions against Iran could have been levied. Jewish tensions boil over Al-Jazeera 11/26/2003 Attacks on two synagogues and a school have caused various Jewish groups around the world to start blaming each other for deteriorating security. The spiritual leader of Israel's ultra-Orthodox Shas party for Sephardic Jews has accused Ashkenazi Jews of being the source of all evil, according to the Maariv daily on Wednesday. Rabbi Ovadia Yosef said during a lecture on the Torah in Jerusalem that "all evil stems from the Ashkenazis". The 80-year-old rabbi is not a representative of some fringe movement - Shas has 11 MPs in the 120-member Israeli parliament. Syrian PM says after bitter Iraq experience US not to launch new front against Syria Al-Bawaba 11/26/2003 Syrian Prime Minister Mohammed Naji Otri dismissed the possibility of a US front against Syria, noting that the Iraqi experience has dissuaded Washington. In an Egyptian weekly interview published Wednesday by Al-Mussawar, he said "The situation on the ground shows that the Iraqi experience is proving to be a bitter one for the United States, and it must get out as cheaply as possible before thinking about declaring another front." Congress Turns Up Heat on Riyadh to Cooperate in War on Terror An Nahar 11/26/2003 The U.S. Congress is tilting toward serving an ultimatum to Saudi Arabia to choke off the funding of organizations that could encourage, sponsor or train "terrorists," or risk isolation in an American-led war on terror that has given the superpower tight control over world affairs. In a dispatch from Washington, An Nahar reported Tuesday that Senator Arlen Specter last week presented to the Senate the Saudi Arabia Accountability Act – 2003. Draft bill 1888 already has earned the signatures of six senators, including Florida's leading Democrat Bob Graham. US senators seek Saudi sanctions Asia Times 11/26/2003 WASHINGTON - After targeting both Syria and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, some pro-Israel United States senators have tabled a bill in Congress that would impose sanctions on Saudi Arabia for its alleged ties to international terrorism. But some observers say the bill might not pass because of the special economic and strategic ties between Washington and the oil-rich Arab kingdom. The Saudi Arabia Accountability Act for 2003 was sponsored late last week by a group led by hawkish pro-Israel Republican Senator Arlen Specter, a senior member of the US Senate Judiciary Committee. Two other members of President George W Bush's Republican Party and four opposition Democrats also sponsored the bill. Cartoon of PM eating Palestinian baby wins top prize Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 A cartoon of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon eating the head of a Palestinian baby against the backdrop of a burning Palestinian city has won first prize in the British Political Cartoon Society's annual competition. There were 35 entries in the Cartoon of the Year competition, sponsored by the British Independent newspaper, from some of the country's leading cartoonists. European officials slam decision not to publish study into causes of anti-Semitism Ha'aretz 11/26/2003 LONDON - European Parliament officials have slammed a decision by the The European Monitoring Centre on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) not to publish its comprehensive study of the causes of anti-Semitism in Europe....The report on anti-Semitism in Europe was shelved by the EU's racism watchdog after it found that Muslims and pro-Palestinian groups were behind many of the incidents, the London-based Financial Times reported last week....The Financial Times reported that the EUMC decided not to publish the research after clashing with its authors over their definition of anti-Semitism, which included anti-Israel acts. Lebanon's dying coastline Al-Jazeera 11/25/2003 Bassam Bkeily says he has spent three-quarters of his life underwater, exploring the Mediterranean Sea along the Lebanese coast and watching what he described as the “slow and painful death” of his great love. The 56-year-old professional diver and instructor has campaigned for two decades to raise awareness about the destruction facing the sea’s flora and fauna. The sea off the Lebanese coast contains dangerously high levels of toxic pollutants, particularly heavy metals and pesticides, according to a 1997 Greenpeace study. Martin vows to get truth on Arar case Toronto Star 11/26/2003 Open to idea of a public inquiry - Calls deportation `simply unacceptable' -- OTTAWA—Paul Martin has vowed to "get to the bottom" of what happened to Maher Arar — even if it means holding a public inquiry that the current Prime Minister has adamantly rejected as unnecessary. "When I become prime minister, I am going to get all of the facts and I am going to make sure that this kind of thing doesn't happen again," the new Liberal leader said yesterday. He added he's "not closing the door" on a public inquiry. Khadr welcome to return, says Canada Toronto Star 11/26/2003 Ottawa doesn't care, says relative - Martin vows to investigate case -- WASHINGTON—Ottawa was told that Abdul Rahman Khadr was being released from the U.S. prison camp in Guantanamo Bay, the Pentagon confirmed yesterday. But officials would not say whether there were consultations as to where Khadr would be sent. The circumstances surrounding the release and whereabouts of the 20-year-old dual citizen of Egypt and Canada have raised more questions about the treatment of prisoners in the camp, labelled a "monstrous failure of justice" by a senior British judge yesterday. Khadr was let go nearly four weeks ago, according to his grandmother Fatmah Elsamnah, who called a press conference in Toronto to urge Ottawa to help repatriate her grandson. She said Khadr called her Sunday from the former Yugoslavia, saying money he had borrowed in Afghanistan — where the Americans sent him — had run out. Judge condemns US over Guantanamo prisoners The Age 11/26/2003 One of Britain's most senior judges today condemned the US for its "monstrous failure of justice" in holding prisoners at the US base at Guantanamo Bay in Cuba. Law Lord Johan Steyn will say in a speech in London, released to Channel 4 news, that the prisoners are being held illegally. "The purpose of holding the prisoners at Guantanamo Bay was and is to put them beyond the rule of law, beyond the protection of any courts, and at the mercy of victors," Steyn will say. Nine Britons and two Australians - David Hicks and Mamdouh Habib - are among 660 detainees being held without charge at Guantanamo Bay as "enemy combatants". Terrorist Sentenced to Four Years Deutsche Welle 11/26/2003 A Jordanian accused of plotting attacks against Jewish institutions was sentended to four years in prison. It is the first ruling against a member of the al Tawhid group, which officials say has links to al Qaeda....A Palestinian who was born in Jordan, Abdallah was arrested along with nine other Islamic extremists in April 2002 on suspicion of plotting imminent terrorist attacks in Germany. The 27-year-old was also charged with membership in a terrorist organization and falsifying passports. FBI Plans for Antiwar Movement Spur Opposition Antiwar.com 11/25/2003 A classified FBI intelligence memorandum, leaked to the New York Times last weekend, has raised concern among some civil-rights groups and lawmakers who worry that it reflects a growing tendency on the part of the Bush administration to promote security measures at the expense of key freedoms in the name of fighting terrorism. Among other things the Oct. 15 memorandum calls for local law enforcement officials to report any suspicious activities at protests to its counter-terrorism squads. The Times described it as "the first corroboration of a coordinated, nationwide effort to collect intelligence regarding demonstrations."

ISM News

Best viewed with Internet Explorer 5.0+ and Real player

Return to top of page