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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..

Palestinian officer shot dead BBC 11/28/2003 A Palestinian security services officer has been killed by Israeli troops, Palestinian sources say. Sayad Abu Safra was said to be trying to stop a mentally retarded man approaching a Jewish settlement in the northern Gaza Strip when he was shot. The Israeli army said a Palestinian man had been killed as troops tried to disperse a crowd of Palestinians. The area is off limits to Palestinians to prevent militants from infiltrating the Nissanit settlement, it said. Israel Kills Four Palestinians, Legalizes Settlements Islam Online 11/27/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, November 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – While four Palestinians, including a 9-year-old boy, were killed by Israeli gunfire overnight, the Israeli government announced Thursday, November 27, plans to legalize several settlements in the West Bank. Three Palestinians were shot dead when Israeli occupation forces opened fire on a civilian vehicle in the Gaza Strip Wednesday, November 26, Palestinian security sources told IslamOnline.net....In another development, Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim told the Israeli army radio Thursday that the process of authorizing several Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank was almost complete, despite earlier assurances given by his government to the U.S. Israel to 'legalise' settlement outposts Middle East Online 11/27/2003 JERUSALEM - Several Jewish settlement outposts in the West Bank are about to be authorised by the Israeli government, Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told army radio Thursday. "Illegal settlement outposts were created over the past three years and the procedure engaged for their legalisation are about to be completed," Boim said. The internationally-sponsored roadmap for peace urges Israel to freeze settlement activity and dismantle all outposts established since Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took power in March 2001. South Lebanon's struggles continue Al-Jazeera 11/27/2003 The people of southern Lebanon have had their fair share of hard times, even by Lebanese standards. In addition to the broader civil war that devastated the country from 1975-1990, the south also endured an Israeli occupation from 1978-2000. The occupation effectively isolated the region’s inhabitants from the rest of the country by imposing strict travel restrictions on movement beyond the 20km strip that was the former occupation zone. Today, almost four years after liberation, the political, social and economic ramifications of the Israeli pullout are still reverberatingthroughout the south as people try to rebuild their lives and livelihoods. Palestinians killed in Israeli blunder Al-Jazeera 11/27/2003 The Israeli army has admitted that three Palestinians who were shot dead by soldiers late on Wednesday were unarmed, retracting earlier claims that the troops had killed two gunmen. A new statement on Thursday said that while Israeli troops were pursuing "a group of armed gunmen" who were believed to be planning an attack in the Gaza Strip, they had fired on a car in which they thought the men were fleeing the area. While the army admitted that three occupants of the car who were killed were in fact unarmed, it said two of them were members of the Islamic Jihad resistance movement. Occupation terrorist forces blast head of Palestinian child Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2003 Rafah - Zionist terrorism forces apparently not content to pass a day without Palestinian funerals especially on the Eidul Fitr last night fired and blasted the head of a nine years Palestinian child in Rafah refugee camp to the south of the Gaza Strip. Eyewitnesses said that occupation forces stationed at the observation posts overlooking the area suddenly opened indiscriminate fire at the civilian inhabitants of the area killing the child on the spot while playing with his friends. Israelis battle to stop Palestinians continuing intifada from behind bars Islamic Association for Palestine 11/28/2003 HADARIM DETENTION CENTRE, Israel, Nov 28-- Housed three to a cell and denied any physical contact with their next of kin, the pent-up rage of the rapidly expanding Palestinian prisoner population is leaving Israeli authorities with a growing security headache. Little more than three years after the start of the Palestinian intifada, a total of 2,941 "security prisoners" are now housed in Israeli jails -- a 272 percent increase on the 802 total since the first year of the uprising in 2000. Around 3,400 other Palestinians are held in Israeli military detention. Barrier cuts into Palestinian olive harvest Jordan Times 11/28/2003 JAYYOUS, West Bank — “My olives are withering on their branches because the Israelis won't let me through this fence,” said Palestinian farmer Mahmoud Khorushi, peering sadly at his vines on a terraced slope beyond. Olives are a major Palestinian cash crop and the vines a symbol of continuity on land tended by families for generations. Harvests used to be joyous occasions for family reunions, with relatives coming from far and wide to help out until Israel imposed a military clampdown on the West Bank and Gaza Strip in response to a Palestinian uprising. Palestinian officer killed by IDF fire in Gaza Strip Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 A Palestinian officer was killed on Friday by Israel Defense Forces troops in the northern Gaza Strip. Palestinians claim that the soldiers fired at a crowd near the settlement of Dugit when the officer was hit and killed. The IDF said it was investigating the incident. On Friday evening, the IDF uncovered and performed a controlled-explosion of a 30 kilogram charge that was found near the settlement of Ganei Tal in the southern Gaza Strip....Palestinian sources reported Thursday that three residents of the West Bank city of Jenin were wounded in a military operation there, Israel Radio reported. Israeli troops shoot Palestinian serviceman Al-Jazeera 11/28/2003 A member of the Palestinian security services has been killed by Israeli troops in the northern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical and security sources said. Sayad Abu Safra, 35, was trying to prevent a mentally deranged individual from approaching the northern Jewish settlement of Dugit on Friday when the soldiers opened fire, the sources said. His death raised to 3626 the number of people killed since the September 2000 outbreak of the Palestinian intifada, including 2706 Palestinians and 854 Israelis, according to a count by news agency AFP.

Diplomacy..

Sharon goes back on settlements pledge The Guardian 11/28/2003 Ariel Sharon has gone back on a personal commitment to George Bush to dismantle illegal Jewish outposts in the West Bank by saying he would allow some to remain for security reasons. Israel's prime minister offered contradictory signals about his intent while speaking to journalists yesterday, as he once again said he was prepared to make painful concessions for peace. But he threatened to impose a solution on the Palestinians if they did not meet his demands...."The Palestinians should have understood by now that what they haven't gotten today, they won't be given tomorrow." Palestinians Angry With Sharon Warning The Guardian 11/28/2003 TEL AVIV, Israel (AP) - Palestinians reacted with anger at Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's warning that Israel might seize land if peace negotiations fail, though Sharon also said Israel must give up territory for peace. ``You do not have unlimited time,'' Sharon told a news conference on Thursday, addressing the Palestinians. He added that if he feels the Palestinians are not serious about negotiating a peace deal, he may take unilateral steps. ``Maybe (the Palestinians) can get things now that they won't be able to get then.''...``This is an unprecedented, arrogant statement. It is rude and it lacks any vision,'' Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said.` Sharon Warns Palestinians: Make Peace or Risk Losing Land New York Times 11/28/2003 JERUSALEM, Nov. 27 — Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of Israel warned Palestinians on Thursday to become more conciliatory or risk losing permanently some of the land they want for a state. As he has in the past, Mr. Sharon hinted at possible but unnamed territorial concessions in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, saying, "Obviously, ultimately we will not be in all the places that we are in today." But speaking at a news conference in Tel Aviv, he said he might make the decisions about territory unilaterally if he decides the Palestinian leadership is not serious about peace. "They do not have unlimited time at their disposal," Mr. Sharon said. "While I am against setting artificial timetables, ultimately there is also a limit to our patience." Annan: Israel Violating U.N. Resolution The Guardian 11/28/2003 UNITED NATIONS (AP) - Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday that Israel is violating a General Assembly resolution to halt construction of barrier that juts into the West Bank and to dismantle the 90-mile section already built. In a report to the assembly, Annan said the barrier - a network of fences, walls, razor wire and trenches - violates international law and ``could damage the longer-term prospects for peace,'' including those offered by the U.S.-backed ``road map'' plan. London road map meeting was cover for high-level talks Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The meeting in Britain between Israeli and Palestinian officials, which began Wednesday, is actually a cover for a meeting between Likud MK Omri Sharon, one of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's closest confidants (and his son), and an envoy of Yasser Arafat. Meanwhile, another meeting between Israeli and Palestinian officials is set to begin in Madrid, Spain, Israel Radio reported on Friday. The conference, which also includes American, European and Jordanian officials, will be discussing an international solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. U.S. lawmakers urge Bush to adopt unofficial peace plans Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The resolution's sponsors include two Jewish senators, Frank Lautenberg and Dianne Feinstein, as well as veteran senator Patrick Leahy.-- A group of 18 American congressmen and five senators submitted a draft resolution in both houses of Congress yesterday, urging President George Bush to adopt and promote two initiatives for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement formulated by members of the Israeli opposition and Palestinian interlocutors. The two initiatives are The Peoples' Voice, launched by Ami Ayalon and Sari Nusseibeh, and the Geneva Understandings, drafted by Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo. Annan slams Israel's wall Al-Jazeera 11/28/2003 UN Secretary General Kofi Annan has said Israel's controversial West Bank barrier is a setback for the peace process and is seriously harming the Palestinian people. In a 12-page report released on Friday, one day after Israel said it would speed up the building of the barrier, Annan said that he recognised Israel's "right and duty" to protect its people. "However that duty should not be carried out in a way that is in contradiction to international law," he said, saying that its construction was a blow to hopes for a two-state peace plan being pushed by the United Nations. Kofi Annan calls on Israel to take down security wall CNN 11/28/2003 JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israel's construction of a security barrier thwarts the peace process in the Middle East, U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Friday, and the expansion of the barricade should stop and be reversed. The barrier's route stretches north to south, much of it inside the Green Line -- the pre-1967 border between Israel and the West Bank, which was part of Jordan at the time of the Six Day War -- but it juts into the West Bank in places. Israel urged to destroy nuclear arms The Age 11/28/2003 The head of the International Atomic Energy Agency, Mohamed ElBaradei, wants Israel to dismantle its nuclear weapons arsenal and believes all Middle East nations would benefit from ridding the region of nuclear weapons. Israel has not signed the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty and has never officially admitted to having nuclear weapons. Non-proliferation analysts estimate that Israel has up to 200 such weapons. Asked about a meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom last week, Dr ElBaradei hinted that Israel should sign the treaty - the global pact designed to stop the spread of nuclear weapons. Israel pulls doomed UN resolution BBC 11/27/2003 Israel has withdrawn its first United Nations draft resolution in nearly 30 years in the face of strong opposition. The Israeli draft, which called for the protection of Israeli children from terrorism, mirrored one on Palestinian children passed earlier this month. But mostly Arab opponents of the text introduced changes Israel could not accept, ambassador Dan Gillerman said. He said the UN was telling Israeli children "that your lives are worth less than Palestinian children". Sharon Unilateral Positive Package Turned into Threats International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2003 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon threatened, in a news conference on Thursday, Palestinians, saying "you do not have unlimited time, ….. There is a limit to our patience" and warning that unless Palestinians moderate their demands he might take permanent hold of some land. Sharon, who looked nervous and angry, admitted that Israel can not hold on to all of the West bank and Gaza. In response, Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath described Sharon's statement as "unprecedented and arrogant", adding that "he should instead commit to the road map and implement Israeli commitments as stated,.." No proof of aid diversion to Palestinian bombers Middle East Online 11/28/2003 BRUSSELS - EU anti-fraud investigators said Thursday they have found no proof that EU funds may have been channelled to the Palestinian Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades militant group. The OLAF agency said in a statement that "on the basis of information currently available... there is no evidence that funding provided by the European Commission to projects involving immigrants within the EU has reached Al-Aqsa." Sharon eyes West Bank annexations Middle East Online 11/28/2003 JERUSALEM - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering the annexation of large West Bank settlement blocs and the evacuation of isolated settlements in the Gaza Strip, Maariv newspaper reported Friday. "Sharon is considering a unilateral measure of evacuating settlements from the Gaza Strip in conjunction with applying Israeli law to one or more settlement blocs in Judea and Samaria (West Bank), if negotiations with the Palestinians over the roadmap fail," the newspaper said. The paper, quoting political sources, said the premier could decide to annex the settlement blocs of Gush Etzion and Maale Adumim, in exchange for withdrawals from Gaza Strip communities. Palestinians still far from united in support of Geneva Accord Daily Star 11/28/2003 Jerusalem, right of return remain issues of contention - Refugees’ advocate: ‘I advise those who sign the agreement to rethink it, because they still have a chance to do so before it is too late’ -- RAMALLAH: The debate among Palestinians over the Geneva Accord has heated up days before the agreement’s architects are set to fly to Switzerland for the official announcement of the peace proposal. The accord was drafted by Palestinian political figures and members of the Israeli leftist opposition, spearheaded by former Palestinian Minister Yasser Abed Rabbo and former Israeli Minister Yossi Beilin, one of the architects of the Oslo Accords 10 years ago. While some Palestinians view the understandings more positively than the “road map” peace plan, others argue that it adds to the concessions Palestinians are giving to Israel. Survey: Majority of Israelis, Palestinians support peace proposal International Crisis Group 11/24/2003 Washington/Houston, 24 November 2003: In a public opinion poll jointly sponsored by the James A. Baker III Institute for Public Policy at Rice University in Houston and the International Crisis Group released today, majorities among both Israelis and Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza expressed their support for a peace proposal that would resolve the key issues of borders, Jerusalem, refugees and the role of the international community. Full Report: Majority of Israelis and Palestinians Support Peace Proposal - Acrobat format International Crisis Group 11/24/2003 View the full report as a PDF file in A4 format. This document is also available in MS-Word format at http://www.intl-crisis-group.org/home/getfile.cfm?id=1027&type=word Israelis, Palestinians Step Up Contacts Islam Online 11/28/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, November 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israel and the Palestinians were stepping up contacts Friday, November 28, one day after Prime Minister Ariel Sharon vowed to expedite the construction of the controversial separation fence and take further unilateral measures against the Palestinians. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei's bureau chief Hassan Abu Libdeh was due to meet with Sharon's own top adviser Dov Weisglass next week, to pave the way for a first meeting between the two Premiers, Agence France-Presse (AFP) reported. Feinstein Leads Charge in Senate for Geneva Initiative Forward 11/28/2003 WASHINGTON — Five U.S. senators introduced a resolution Tuesday applauding private Israeli-Palestinian peace initiatives and calling on President Bush and Israeli and Palestinian leaders to embrace them. A similar resolution is expected to be introduced in the House of Representatives early next month, following the symbolic signing ceremony in Geneva of a "virtual" peace accord negotiated recently by a group of Israeli opposition leaders and senior Palestinian politicians. The architects of the Geneva Understandings, former Israeli justice minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian information minister Yasser Abed Rabbo, will visit Washington next week. PM: Road map best bet for PA Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The Palestinians would be better off reaching an agreement with Israel on the basis of the road map than waiting for the unilateral measures Israel is considering, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon warned yesterday. Sharon's statement appeared to be an effort to balance the impression created by numerous media reports of his plan to evacuate isolated settlements. The statement indicates that Sharon views the undefined "unilateral measures" he spoke of last week as an attempt to dictate a unilateral solution based solely on Israeli interests in the event that the road map collapses. University heads to form panel to combat academic boycott Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 Israeli academics will set up a new forum to fight the international academic boycott of Israel, the heads of the country's universities decided at a meeting yesterday with Minister for Diaspora Affairs Natan Sharansky. At the meeting, the university presidents warned that the boycott, though still sporadic, was steadily worsening. An Uphill Road for Bold Mideast Peace Plans Washington Post 11/27/2003 Palestinians Fahed Abu Elhaj and Saleh Balut walked down the street of this besieged town and cajoled residents to sign a petition calling on Palestinian and Israeli leaders to make peace. It was a hard sell. "I'll sign, and what will happen in the meantime?" said Nasir Zaydan, 65. "They'll take more land and build more settlements." On trendy, secular Shenkin Street in central Tel Aviv, Israeli signature collectors Judy Duaniss and Ofry Levy confronted similar problems with their countrymen. "All the territories are ours!" diamond merchant Yossie Kube, 32, yelled at them. "The greater land of Israel!" "I have sympathy for the Palestinian people," said Rona Hirschon, 60, an English teacher who refused to sign. "All they have to do is stop the terror." Sharon turns up heat on Palestinian govt Middle East Online 11/27/2003 A tough-talking Ariel Sharon turned up the heat on the Palestinian government Thursday, vowed to press on with his West Bank separation barrier and slammed the new Geneva peace initiative as harming Israel's interests. Speaking to Israeli reporters here, the prime minister dismissed criticism of his policies towards the Palestinians, whom he accused of failing to crack down on armed groups and threatened with unilateral steps. "We do not see the slightest attempt by the Palestinian Authority to take action against terrorism. That is why Israel has got to do what it's got to do," Sharon said. Sharon Slams Geneva Initiative, To Speed Wall Building Islam Online 11/27/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, November 27 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) – Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday, November 27, slammed the new Geneva peace initiative as damaging to Israel and vowed to expedite the construction of the widely-criticized separation wall in the West Bank. "Today, we are speeding up the construction of the fence and we will not stop, it is vital for the security of the state and it is our responsibility," he told Israeli reporters. Sharon also dismissed the criticism against the controversial barrier and pledged to press on with his tough line, reported Agence France-Presse (AFP). Less than two days after the U.S. took a rare punitive measure against Sharon’s settlement policy and the wall construction, many analysts see the statements as a challenge to the international community. Ranteesi: Dialogue not to endorse hudna Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2003 Gaza - Dr. Abdul Aziz Ranteesi, one of the prominent Hamas Movement leaders in the Gaza Strip, has affirmed that the inter-Palestinian dialogue scheduled to open in the Egyptian capital early December would not endorse hudna with the Zionist enemy. Ranteesi, who was delivering the Eidul Fitr Khutba (sermon) on Tuesday before around 10,000 Palestinians in the Sabra suburb in Gaza city, said that the dialogue would study past experiences including Oslo, roadmap and Switzerland document. Sheikh Yassin urges for Muslim support on advent of Eidul Fitr Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2003 Gaza - Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has urged the Muslim Ummah to restore past glory and to support Mujahideen in Islamic countries. Sheikh Yassin, speaking to reporters on the occasion of Eidul Fitr, said that Jihad for the cause of Allah was the only path towards ridding the Muslim Ummah of colonization. He noted that Eidul Fitr this year was coupled with bleeding wounds in the Muslim Ummah. He advocated cooperation and solidarity to confront challenges facing the Ummah. Yassin: Time inappropriate for hudna Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2003 Gaza - Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, founder and spiritual leader of the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, has asserted that hudna with the Zionist enemy at present was inappropriate unless occupation forces withdrew from Palestinian lands. A German paper quoted the Sheikh as saying that there was no chance for reaching a hudna unless “Israel” withdrew from the occupied Palestinian territories. Yassin, in an interview with ‘De Velt’ published on Tuesday, said that as long as the Zionist entity continued to target Palestinian civilians then Zionist civilians would remain victims of similar reciprocal attacks. Settlements Cost Israel $290M in Guarantees Palestine Monitor/Financial Times 11/26/2003 The US and Israel agreed on Tuesday that Washington would deduct nearly $290m (E240m, £170m) from $3bn in loan guarantees this year because of Israeli settlement activities in the occupied West Bank and Gaza Strip, officials said. The Bush administration had held long negotiations with the Israeli government over the sum to be deducted and agreement was reached in talks between Condoleezza Rice, US national security adviser, and Dov Weisglass, adviser to prime minister Ariel Sharon....In effect the reduction in loan guarantees could make it slightly more expensive for Israel to raise money on the international market. US sends warning to Israel by cutting loan guarantees The Independent 11/27/2003 In the clearest signal yet of Washington's displeasure with Israel's policies in the West Bank and Gaza, the Bush administration has cut $290m (£170m) from US loan guarantees to the Jewish state, an amount similar to spending on new settlements in the occupied Palestinian territories. Palestinians have criticised the sum as too small to exert real pressure on the government of Ariel Sharon. Direct US aid to Israel of $3bn a year is not affected. Even so, it is seen as evidence that after several months, the White House is responding to pressure from allies in Europe and the Middle East to "re-engage" in the region. UN: Israel violating resolution on fence Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 UNITED NATION - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan found Israel in violation of a General Assembly resolution demanding that Israel halt construction of the West Bank separation fence and dismantle the section already built. In a report to the assembly released Friday, Annan said the construction of the barrier - a network of fences, walls, razor wire and trenches - was in violation of international law and "could damage the longer-term prospects for peace." Sharon talks tough before Geneva meeting Daily Star 11/28/2003 Premier: Qorei not respecting ‘road map’ before inking of unofficial peace plan -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon took a tough line Thursday ahead of the unveiling of an unofficial peace plan, saying he would speed up the building of the controversial West Bank barrier and threatening the Palestinians with unilateral steps. In the Gaza Strip, the Israeli Army admitted to a blunder when it shot dead three unarmed Palestinians from the same family who were returning from celebrations marking the end of Ramadan. In London, senior Israeli and Palestinian officials ­ including Sharon’s son Omri and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat’s security adviser Jibril Rajoub ­ met to discuss peace issues at an informal seminar. Annan Says Israeli Barrier Blow To Peace Islam Online 11/28/2003 UNITED NATIONS, November 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan on Friday reiterated that Israel’s controversial West Bank separation wall is a setback for the peace process, saying that the barrier is a “deeply counterproductive act” in violation of International Law. In a 12-page report released one day after Israel said it would speed up the building of the barrier, Annan said that he recognized Israel’s “right and duty” to protect its people. "However that duty should not be carried out in a way that is in contradiction to international law,” Annan said in the report carried by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

Human Rights..

Israeli Occupying Forces Kill Three Unarmed Palestinians in Central Gaza Strip Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 11/27/2003 In the latest attack on civilians, three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli soldiers yesterday evening in central Gaza Strip.Contrary to claims made by the Israeli military, the three men, all from the same family, were unarmed and were shot as they drove a car to visit relatives for the Eid holiday. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 8:45pm yesterday evening Israeli soldiers infiltrated on foot the Abu Shar neighbourhood of Wadi Salqa, east of Deir-El Balah, in the central Gaza Strip.Israeli soldiers took up positions on farm land in the area. Israel army warned by UN for shooting at aid workers The Independent 11/28/2003 The United Nations and other international relief agencies have warned that they may have to cease operating in the occupied territories unless Israel eases the closures that severely restrict their movement through the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The aid agencies have complained bitterly to Israel about soldiers firing on their relief workers, even when traffic has been co-ordinated in advance. "Several organisations are now seriously considering whether they should continue to work at all under these circumstances," they said. Israeli Military Invades Jenin Refugee Camp During Eid Holiday International Solidarity Movement 11/28/2003 Jenin - Ben J. - 28 Nov 03 -- On Thursday, Nov.26, the Israeli military invaded the Jenin Refugee Camp in the early pre-dawn hours and placed Jenin and Jenin Camp under illegal curfew. Starting between 4:30 and 5:30 AM, at least two dozen Israeli military vehicles poured thru Jenin and into the Camp. We visually confirmed a column of 11 APC {Armed Personnel Carriers} and three Humvees right before dawn. There were also many other tanks, APCs, jeeps and Humvees in the city and Camp, as well as helicopters overhead. On this, the last day of the Islamic holiday of Eid, a day for visiting family, curfew was initiated throughout Jenin and the Camp. Two Jenin ISM activists walked thru the empty city streets and entered the Camp around 8 AM, where we found a very large and aggressive Israeli military presence. We heard many {unconfirmed} reports that three people had been shot and wounded, with one of them arrested. More than 400 Palestinians stranded at Iraq border with Jordan Islamic Association for Palestine 11/28/2003 Deutsche Presse-Agentur - 28 November 2003: Geneva-- The United Nations refugee organisation UNHCR expressed concern in Geneva on Friday about the fate of more than 400 Palestinians stranded in camps on the Iraqi and Jordanian border. The 427 refugees, previously living in exile in Iraq, join an estimated 1,800 refugees - mostly ethnic Kurds who fled Iraq's Al Tash refugee camp - in eastern Jordan. The UNHCR warned that Jordan's capacity to absorb more refugees is reaching its limit, while appealing to Egypt and Lebanon to grant permission for re-entry to Palestinians holding travel documents. Admit Palestinian refugees, urges UN Al-Jazeera 11/28/2003 The UN refugee agency has called on Middle Eastern nations to admit more than 400 Palestinian refugees who were forced from their homes in Iraq. The 427 men, women and children have been living in refugee camps in eastern Jordan but their situation is deteriorating as winter approaches, said Kris Janowski, spokesman for the UN High Commissioner for Refugees. "While we are trying to ready these sites for the rigors of the winter cold and winds, the refugees will remain sheltered under canvas tents and will have to rely on simple cooking and heating stoves for warmth," he told reporters. UN & Int'l Agencies Warn To Halt Activities Due to Closure Policy International Middle East Media Center 11/28/2003 The heads of UN and international agencies operating in the territories recently warned Israel that they may stop their activity in the Palestinian territories if Israel continue with its closure policy. International agencies' directors said in an official letter to the Israeli authorities that o security measures in the West Bank and Gaza strip are making it impossible to provide humanitarian relief, and that they find this unacceptable. Groups warn of halt to work in territories Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The heads of UN and international agencies operating in the territories recently warned Israel that they may stop their activity in the territories unless Israel alters its closure policy. In a letter to the Israeli authorities, the directors said Israel's recent security measures in the West Bank and Gaza Strip are making it impossible to provide humanitarian relief, and many agencies find this unacceptable. Israeli Women's Group Monitors Soldiers at Checkpoints Palestine Monitor 11/26/2003 BEIT UMAR CHECKPOINT, West Bank, Nov 26 (Reuters) - A Palestinian taxi driver, his keys confiscated by Israeli soldiers at an army checkpoint, looked with weary eyes for help from an Israeli woman observing the scene. Neta Efroni, a retired television director, belongs to "Machsom (Checkpoint) Watch", a group of Israeli women who monitor soldiers at checkpoints and try to persuade them to smooth the way for Palestinians hoping to pass. Trying to help the stranded taxi driver, described by the army as suspicious, Efroni turned to the soldier and told him: "The driver didn't understand you." The soldier, speaking in even tones, replied: "He understood me. We will give the keys back in two hours." Universities return to aptitude exams to keep Arabs out Ha'aretz 11/27/2003 There's no politically correct spin to put on it, and the facts speak for themselves: As soon as Israel's top university administrators noticed that the big winners from admissions policy changes were not Jewish youngsters from low-income towns, but rather Arabs, they reverted back to the old admissions system. This year, the universities instituted a policy change - the abandonment of psychometric aptitude tests as a requirement for admissions. However, once university officials realized that the main beneficiaries were Arabs, they decided to reinstate the exams. British trade unionist, detained at checkpoint: `IDF treats people like dirt' Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 Chairman of the British Trade Union Friends of Israel said this week he was "shocked" by the conduct of IDF soldiers at internal checkpoints in the West Bank, where both he and general secretary of the Palestinian General Federation of Trade Unions Shaher Sae'd were refused passage this week. Roger Lyons, who is president of the Trade Union Congress (TUC) and general secretary of the Amicas union in the UK, said his experience of being delayed at a checkpoint on Monday was "a reflection of how the IDF treats ordinary people - like dirt." High Court delays sealing of house Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The High Court of Justice is delaying a military order to seal up the house in Wadi Jos of a man charged with driving a suicide bomber into Jerusalem. Home Front Commander Major General Yair Naveh issued an order four days ago to seal up the house of the Sharbati family, built by the son Abdallah, 22, who allegedly drove the suicide bomber to Jerusalem in August. The blast on the Number 2 bus killed 23 Israelis.

Economy..

Treasury-Histadrut talks to restart Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 Treasury and Histadrut labor federation officials are due to resume talks on Sunday following the breakdown of negotiations in Ramat Gan in the early hours of the morning on Friday, Israel Radio reported. The breakdown was the second in two days, during which no agreements have been reached on any of the issues discussed. The two-day talks were held in an effort to end the wave of strikes and sanctions in the public sector over planned structural reforms to government offices. Strike talks resume after civil servants walk out Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 Negotiations on the Finance Ministry's planned structural reforms in government offices were renewed last night at the Kfar Hamaccabiah hotel in Ramat Gan, a few hours after the civil servants walked out of talks with Civil Service Commissioner Shmuel Hollander, claiming that the treasury withdrew previously agreed-upon issues. Histadrut labor federation chief MK Amir Peretz convinced the unions to renew the talks following a request by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. 55% of jobless haven't worked in 12 mos Globes 11/27/2003 The number of those unemployed for at least 12 months has reached a record 154,500. -- Unemployment in Israel is getting worse. The number of jobless who have not worked in the past 12 months surged to a new record of 154,500 in the third quarter, according to a report by the Bank of Israel research division, based on Central Bureau of Statistics figures. The proportion of jobless who have not worked in the past 12 months has reached 55.2% of all those unemployed, 8.5% higher than the 46.7% proportion at the beginning of 2002. Foreign investment in Israeli real estate up 71% in Jan-Oct Globes 11/27/2003 Foreign investment in Israeli real estate totaled $329 million, compared with $192 million in all of 2002. -- Foreign investment in Israeli land and residential real estate rose 71% in January-October to $329 million, compared with $192 million in all of 2002. Bank of Israel figures show that since the outbreak of the intifada in September 2000, foreign investment in Israeli real estate has totaled a net $688 million. Foreign investment in Israeli real estate has totaled a net $1.48 billion in the past seven years. Tourism Ministry: 46% more tourists in October Globes 11/27/2003 Particularly large increases were from France (up 80%) and the US (up 78%). -- 46% more tourists entered Israel in October 2003 than in October 2002, the Ministry of Tourism announced today. Israel, Jordan to jointly market Red Sea brand Globes 11/27/2003 Egypt has been marketing the brand without cooperating with Eilat or Aqaba. -- Minister of Tourism Binyamin (Benny) Elon met Governor of Aqaba Akel Biltaji during his first visit to Jordan. Elon and Biltaji agreed that Eilat and Aqaba would jointly market the Red Sea brand....Elon and Biltaji also toured Aqaba Airport. The Jordanians told Elon that there was no need to build a new international airport for Eilat. They proposed that Israel use Aqaba International Airport, only a few hundred meters from Eilat. Elon replied that Israel needed its own international airport in Eilat.

People..

Hany Abu Asad: Telling the truth ­ with humor Daily Star 11/28/2003 Palestinian director focuses on the lighter side of these dark times -- LONDON: Over the last three years the predominant images of the Palestinians throughout the media have been those of suffering, violence and destruction. With the ongoing conflict with the Israelis and the lack of political progress, it has been all too easy to focus on the negative and undeniably heartbreaking plight of the long suffering people. Beneath the headlines, however, there are signs of a rich, vibrant cultural scene growing from the rubble. One of the luminaries of this movement is film director Hany Abu Asad. Having directed two critically acclaimed films since the outbreak of violence ­ Rana’s Wedding and Ford Transit ­ the director spoke at length to The Daily Star about the effects the current bout of violence has had on Palestinian society, as well as his own hopes and aspirations for the future. Wife of Abu Shanab: We will celebrate Eid despite wounds Palestinian Information Center 11/27/2003 Gaza - Wife of Ismail Abu Shanab, one of the Hamas Movement leaders assassinated on 21st August 2003 at the hands of Zionist occupation forces, has said that the entire family missed him but would still celebrate Eid despite wounds. She said that her kids experienced hard times during the holy month of Ramadan due to the absence of their beloved father....Um Hasan, whose elder son Hasan is studying engineering in the USA, said that the Palestinian people had been suffering profound wounds for over a half century but continued to celebrate feasts despite those grievances. Fatwa bars Muslims from working on barrier Middle East Online 11/26/2003 JERUSALEM - The top Palestinian Muslim official said Wednesday that he had issued a religious decree which would bar Muslims from working in any capacity on the construction of Israel's West Bank separation barrier. The Grand Mufti of Jerusalem, Ikeremah Sabri, said the barrier was being built on "stolen" land and therefore any financial gain from its construction would be immoral. "The wall is built on stolen land and whatever is built on stolen land is illegal and the participation of anyone in building this wall - whether they are contractors or owners of heavy machinery - should be forbidden," he said. No One Need Cry Video from Jenin International Solidarity Movement Within days after the Jenin massacre in April, 2002, when U.N. observers were denied access, when most journalists were kept away, one filmmaker began documenting what had just happened (and was to some extent still happening).She interviewed camp residents and filmed what they found as they returned. The result is "No One Need Cry," a powerful 34-minute documentary of scenes not shown on the nightly news, despite the rule that "if it bleeds, it leads."Without narration, the Palestinian victims tell their own story, and the camera sees what they see.I have seen it numerous times, but my emotions still overcome me each time.This is the footage no one was ever supposed to get, effectively edited into a coherent and chilling tale. Muslim Feminist Manji Wows Crowd in Toronto Forward 11/28/2003 TORONTO — Prominent Israeli personalities such as novelist A.B. Yehoshua and strategic analyst Barry Rubin were among the speakers earlier this month at the Toronto Jewish Book Fair. The biggest draw, however, was a Muslim Canadian author calling for an Islamic Reformation that would purge the Muslim world of antisemitism. Irshad Manji, a Toronto broadcaster and self-described observant Muslim, delighted a sell-out crowd of some 600. Heavy security, including her personal Israeli bodyguard, accompanied the slim, 34-year-old woman as she explored the themes of her new book "The Trouble With Islam: A Wake Up Call for Honesty and Change." A best seller in Canada, the book has been published in six other countries and is scheduled to go on sale in the United States in January....The Koran includes harsh commentaries on Jews, she said, "but it also reminds us of the Jews' 'exalted nationhood' and validates the sovereign role of Jews in the Holy Land." Festival offers eclectic movie mix Daily Star 11/28/2003 10th annual European event rolls into town tonight at UNESCO Palace -- Lebanon’s obsession with film and film festivals is unquenchable. Already this year the country has had the Beirut International Film Festival, Docudays ­ the documentary film festival, the Ne a Beirut festival, and the Homeworks Forum featuring homegrown movies. And tonight the popular European Film Festival opens at UNESCO Palace for the 10th consecutive year and continues nightly all next week at Empire Sofil in Achrafieh.

International..

Resignations from Egypt's 'Ibn Khaldoun center' due to US finance controversy Arabic News 11/28/2003 Five Egyptian politicians and intellectuals submitted their resignation from the membership of the board of "Ibn Khaldoun Center For Developmental Studies " in protest of reports that the center will receive a part of the annual aid provided by the USA to Egypt. The Egyptian mass media talked since weeks about the center, which is run by Saad Eddin Ibrahim, will get part of the aid estimated that Egypt receives annually, estimated to be about 2 billion dollars. A matter which was denied by Ibrahim, who considered it as part of the "government continued campaign against him." Syrian PM criticizes U.S. presence in Iraq Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 The prime minister also warned Israel that if it attacks Syria again, as it did in an air strike on a Palestinian Islamic Jihad camp last month, the response would be "painful."-- CAIRO, Egypt - The threatened U.S. sanctions will have no effect on Syria, and the Syrian government will never endorse the American presence in Iraq, Prime Minister Naji al-Otari said in remarks published Friday. In his first major interview since taking office in September, the Syrian prime minister told the Egyptian magazine Al-Mussawar the Iraqi fight against the U.S.-led occupation was a "liberation movement." U.N. Adopts Protocol On ‘Sleeping Killers’ Islam Online 11/28/2003 GENEVA, November 28 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Representatives of 92 countries Friday, November 28, adopted a protocol aimed at forcing governments to clear up unexploded weapons left behind after conflicts around the world, according to diplomats. The protocol on "explosive remnants of war", which have been dubbed "sleeping killers", is due to come into effect once at least 20 countries have ratified it, they added, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP). It sets out an international obligation for governments to clear up unexploded bombs, shells, missiles, grenades and other munitions, which kill several thousand people, mainly civilians, long after wars have ended, according to aid agencies. Students scuttle address by Israeli envoy Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 A scheduled lecture by Israel's ambassador to Spain has been canceled because of threats voiced by students at Carlos III University of Madrid. Ambassador Victor Harel was slated to lecture graduate students of political science, sociology and history on Monday. The subject of the lecture, the date for which was set two months ago, was the Israeli-Palestinian conflict from the Israeli point of view. Letters: A new anti-semitism? The Guardian 11/27/2003 "Europe may well be in the grip of the worst bout of hatred since the Holocaust (The 'new' anti-semitism, November 25). If this is the case, European governments must ensure such attitudes remain anathema to mainstream society." / "If criticism of the policies of Israel amounts to anti-semitism, then there are a lot of anti-semitic Jews throughout the world and in Israel itself - Gush Shalom, The Other Israel, Rabbis For Human Rights, B-Tselem, Yesh Gvul, The Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions and many others, including all those who refuse to serve in the occupied territories and are prepared to go to jail." EU anti-racism body defends decision to withhold report Ha'aretz 11/28/2003 VIENNA - The Austrian-based E.U. Monitoring Committee (EUMC) on racism and xenophobia strongly rejected claims made earlier in the week that it withheld a report on anti-Semitism, reports said Friday.....Chair of the EUMC Management Board, Bob Purkiss on Friday indicated that the report was inadequate and stressed that his organization was "not in the business of stigmatizing whole communities on the basis of the actions of racist individuals". The Management Board, said Purkiss, considered "the work undertaken by the contractors to be of poor quality and lacking in empirical evidence". Powell: no quick deal on Guantanamo The Guardian 11/28/2003 US needs more time to decide if Britons held in Cuba are dangerous, secretary of state says -- The US military authorities at Guantanamo Bay have not finished interrogating seven of the nine British detainees and have yet to decide whether "they have done something wrong", Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, said yesterday, nearly two years after the prison camp was set up in Cuba. Mr Powell's remarks, in an interview with the Guardian and three other European papers in his state department office, appear to dash hopes of a swift resolution to the fate of the British inmates. Brazilian president to tour the Middle East Arabic News 11/28/2003 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula Da Silva, and the chairman of the representatives of the Mercosur southern American common market, Edwardo Dohaldy, will pay a visit to the Middle East next week in a tour which will cover Syria, Lebanon, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt and Libya, respectively in order to sign trade agreements and others. Dohaldy said the tour aims at "opening markets" for the southern American common market. Senate Critic Undeterred by Ford Apology Forward 11/28/2003 WASHINGTON — Congressional Republicans say they plan to push forward with efforts to scrutinize the overseas activities of the Ford Foundation, despite the foundation's promise last week that it would no longer fund Palestinian groups advocating violence or denying Israel's legitimacy. "It is still appropriate for there to be ongoing oversight" of the foundation by Congress, Republican Senator Rick Santorum of Pennsylvania told the Forward this week. Santorum is pressing the Senate Finance Committee, of which he is a member, to conduct a review of the Ford Foundation's overseas funding practices and determine whether the foundation had violated its tax-exempt status. Specter Launches New Sanctions Push Forward 11/28/2003 WASHINGTON — Emboldened by the overwhelming congressional vote this month to impose sanctions on Syria, Middle East hawks on Capitol Hill are pushing similar legislation targeted at Saudi Arabia. At the same time, most observers say the Bush administration appears unlikely to act against either country. Senator Arlen Specter, a Pennsylvania Republican, recently introduced a Saudi sanctions bill modeled after the Syria Accountability Act. The bill aims "to halt Saudi support for institutions that fund, train, incite, encourage, or in any other way aid and abet terrorism." The White House opposes Specter's bill. The administration has dropped its earlier opposition to the Syria legislation and the president is expected to sign it when it reaches his desk, but he is widely expected to invoke a waiver allowing him to defer sanctions against Damascus. U.S. Peace Coalition Rejects Unofficial Israeli-Palestinian Pact Forward 11/28/2003 One of the country's largest anti-war coalitions has voted against endorsing an informal diplomatic effort to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict — a move that perplexed some Jewish groups in the coalition. The November 16 vote by the Palestine Working Group of United for Peace and Justice reflected the belief among some members of the coalition that the Geneva Understandings fail to serve Palestinian interests. That position angered some Jewish groups, which see the initiative as perhaps the last, best chance for ending the conflict. Warer...The Secret of Life and Crises Islam Online According to the UN, 20% of the world's population face severe water shortages. This is expected to rise to 30% by 2025. -- Web interactive on the growing world water crisis

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