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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..

Three Palestinians Killed, Four Others Wounded in Fresh Israeli Raid, and Jewish settlers Abuse Farmers International Press Center 12/10/2003 HEBRON, December10, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Three Palestinians were killed in two separate incidents in the West Bank by the Israeli occupying forces (IOF) overnight and four others were wounded. In Hebron, at least two Palestinians were killed and four other were wounded on Tuesday evening in Tafouh Village, west of Hebron City during a helicopter raid on a Palestinian house....In another development, two Palestinians were wounded during an Israeli incursion by 20 tanks inside the PNA controlled area of Rafah in Gaza Strip on Wednesday morning, Palestinian security sources confirmed. Meanwhile, a mob of armed Jewish settlers of the illegitimate Jewish settlement of “Hagay”, annexed vastareas of Al Rihia Village of Hebron governorate on Tuesday....The Jewish settlers also summoned the Israeli soldiers, who arrested three Palestinians citizens and held them inside the "Hagay" settlement for more than three hours, during which they physically assaulted and threatened them of killing if they returned to their lands, the locals added. Israeli Troops Kill 2 Lebanese Hunters, Drag Bodies Across Border An Nahar 12/10/2003 Israeli troops have shot dead two Lebanese hunters who lost their way on the common border, charging on Wednesday that they could have been Hizbullah infiltrators on a hostage-taking or suicide bombing mission across the Blue Line. Lebanon deplored the shooting as an "unprovoked attack deliberately designed to introduce a new charge of tension" along the border. President Lahoud and Premier Hariri said in separate statements that Israel would have to take the responsibility for "the consequences of this grave aggression." UNIFIL chief meets Israelis over killings Al-Jazeera 12/10/2003 The commander of the UN Interim Forces in southern Lebanon (UNIFIL) is holding talks with Israeli military chiefs about the killing of two Lebanese men near the border. Indian Major-General Lalit Mohan Tewari flew across the border at around 11:00am (0900 GMT) on Wednesday in a UNIFIL helicopter for talks with the Israeli army northern command, said UNIFIL sources. On Tuesday, Israeli troops said they shot and killed two civilians carrying rifles who they claimed had entered northern Israel. But Lebanese authorities said the men were hunters slain on the Lebanese side of the border and later taken into Israel by their killers. Mother of 7 held in bomb plot Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 A 40-year-old mother of seven children from Nablus was one of three Palestinians arrested by soldiers and Shin Bet agents on Monday for attempting a suicide bombing in Rosh Ha'ayin, security sources said Tuesday. The concrete warnings received by the Shin Bet sparked a high alert in the Sharon, which was lowered after the capture of the suicide bomber and his helper. Occupation authorities demolish two Jerusalemite houses Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist municipality tractors yesterday demolished two Palestinian houses under construction in the Ashkariya suburb to the north of occupied Jerusalem at the pretext of lack of construction permit. Amran Jaber, who is the breadwinner of a 15-member family, and Salame Al-Kooz, who is the breadwinner of an eight-member family, own the two houses. Jaber’s house is 250 square meters while Kooz’s house is 180 square meters. Despite Mofaz Claims of Dismantling Outposts, Jewish Settlers Erect New Ones International Press Center 12/10/2003 GAZA, December 10, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The recent claims of the Israeli Defense Minister, Shaul Mofaz, about dismantling some of what he called "illegal outposts", referring to illegitimate Jewish settlement outposts, were met by utter rejection by the Jewish settlers, ministers in the Israeli government as well....Arab48 website mentioned that the armed Jewish settlers of the illegitimate Jewish settlement of "Yitzhar" bulldozed some of the village lands and uprooted hundreds of olive trees owned by the Palestinians to clear the way for establishing a new settlement outposts. Anonymous armed men fire at DFLP leader Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Nablus - A responsible source in the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine said in a statement a copy of which was made available to PIC that unknown armed men fired last night at one of the Front’s leaders in Nablus. The statement said that “suspicious elements” fired a number of shots at the car of “comrade Tayseer Khaled”, DFLP politburo member, but he was not harmed. PA security forces arrest assassination attempt suspect Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 Palestinian Authority security forces in Nablus on Tuesday arrested a local resident on suspicion that he was involved in an assassination attempt on the life of Taisir Khaled, head of the politburo of the Damascus-based Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP). Local sources said several shots were fired Monday night at Khaled's car outside his Nablus home. He was not in the car at the time of the attack. Jewish settler wounded in attack Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - A Jewish settler was injured last night when Palestinian youths threw stones at his vehicle near the West Bank city of Al-Khalil [Hebron]. Occupation forces arrest Aqsa Martyrs cell Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist security sources have claimed ability to foil a Palestinian attack on a Jewish settlement built on Ras Al-Ein village at the outskirts of the Lod city in central Palestine. Zionist security sources said that the Fatah Movement’s military wing in the West Bank city of Nablus was responsible for planning this operation. Zionist occupation troops keep up killing Palestinian civilians despite calm Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Israeli occupation troops continued to murder Palestinian civilians despite virtual calm on the Palestinians’ part. On Tuesday night, trigger happy Israeli soldiers shot and killed a 15-year-old boy at the Qalandya refugee camp north of Jerusalem. Eyewitnesses described the killing of Faris Ibrahim as a cold-blooded murder. The Israeli occupation army claimed Ibrahim was killed after he threw a stone on an Israeli tank. “He was shot in the head after throwing stones at Israeli soldiers.’ This week, the Israeli occupation army killed as many as 12 Palestinians, three of them children. Israel confronted by demographic realities Al-Jazeera 12/10/2003 The right-wing political establishment in Israel has been thrown into disarray with deputy-prime minister Ehud Olmert proposal that Israel carry out a unilateral withdrawal from the bulk of the West Bank in order to maintain its “Jewish majority”. Olmert, an erstwhile hawk, argued on 5 December that the “status quo” was “destroying Zionism”, and that Jews would have to make “hard and fateful decisions sooner than later because later could be too late.” News Briefs: PFLP claims bombing, Bethlehem mayor condemns IOF siege International Middle East Media Center 12/10/2003 A remote detonated bomb Explodes under a military Patrol near Rafah: Abu-Ali Mustafa Martyr Brigades, the military wing of the Palestinian Front for the Liberation of Palestine, announced today its responsibility of detonating a remote bomb under a military Jeep last Monday. / Hanna Nasser, Mayor of Bethlehem, condemns the siege on Bethlehem especially with Christmas approaching: The mayor of Bethlehem , Hanna Nasser, condemned the ongoing closure and military operations conducted by the troops in the West Bank and gaza. He mentioned that the situation affected tourism in the city Nativity, and reduced the number of tourists visiting the area. Arabs will be majority in Jerusalem by 2040, says mayor Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski expressed concern yesterday over the demographics of Jerusalem in 2040 when, according to population estimates, Arabs may constitute a majority in the city. "The Jewish people, who dreamed for generations to be in Jerusalem and to see it as its capital, must take action now," he said yesterday at the presentation of the report on an ambitious master plan for the capital in 2020. The plan has been more than a decade in preparation.

Diplomacy..

Sharon-Quraya peace summit on the cards Al-Jazeera 12/10/2003 The Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers could meet in the next few days to try to revive the moribund peace process. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said on Wednesday that Ariel Sharon and Ahmad Quraya would meet "if the Palestinians do not put any preconditions" on the encounter. Shalom was speaking immediately after a one-hour meeting with Egyptian President Husni Mubarak in Geneva. "It was a very good meeting... I'm very encouraged," he said of their talks, the first encounter between a member of the Israeli government and the Egyptian president since August 2002. Israel FM upbeat over Egypt talks BBC 12/10/2003 Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom says he is encouraged by Egyptian efforts to promote dialogue with the Palestinians.Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met Mr Shalom in Geneva, his first talks with a senior Israeli for more than a year. Mr Shalom said he hoped the Egyptians could promote a meeting between Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers. He added that there were also plans for President Mubarak to meet Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. In wake of Mubarak talks, Shalom meets with PA counterpart Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom held talks with his Palestinian counterpart, Nabil Sha'ath, in Rome on Wednesday afternoon, Israeli sources in the Italian capital said. The meeting comes hours after the foreign minister held talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Geneva. Shalom and Sha'ath said they are working to arrange a meeting between their prime ministers soon, but insisted it must be well-prepared. Int'l Court receives UN request to issue opinion on fence Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 The International Court of Justice has received a request from the UN General Assembly to consider the legal implications of the wall Israel is building along the border with and inside the West Bank, the court said Wednesday. A letter from Secretary-General Kofi Annan asks the UN's highest legal authority, also known as the world court, to urgently issue an opinion on any "legal consequences arising from the construction of the wall being built by Israel" in occupied Palestinian territory, including in and around East Jerusalem. Israel excluded from Iraq rehabilitation contracts Globes 12/10/2003 The Pentagon has also barred countries that opposed the Iraq war from tenders for rebuilding the country. -- Israel is not included on the list of countries eligible to participate in tenders for contracts in the rehabilitation of Iraq. The list was published by US Deputy Secretary of Defense Paul Wolfowitz. It seems that Israel's exclusion was intended to avoid criticism of the US administration from the Arab world, which in any case does not recognize the legitimacy of the US occupation of Iraq. Cooperation between Israel and the occupying forces in Iraq will remain cloaked in secrecy, and will mainly be restricted to security. Abu Marzouk: Fatah responsible for dialogue’s negative result Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Cairo - Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, deputy political bureau chief of the Hamas Movement, has held the Fatah Movement responsible for the negative conclusion of the inter-Palestinian dialogue in Cairo. He said that Fatah’s insistence on the Palestinian factions’ approval of authorizing the Palestinian Authority to embark on political activities on the basis of the roadmap settlement plan and on declaring a hudna or ceasefire had foiled the dialogue. Mubarak: Egypt wants to strengthen ties Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom in Geneva Wednesday that he has an interest in seeing Egypt's ambassador return to Israel. On the agenda was Israel's call for the Egyptians to return their ambassador to Israel, the fate of Israeli prisoner Azzam Azzam, Egypt's role in sabotaging an Israeli resolution at the United Nations General Assembly, the security fence, the settlement outposts, the Cairo talks dealing with an internal Palestinian cease-fire, and how to move the diplomatic process forward. Israel to block UN resolution on religious intolerance Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 NEW YORK – Faced with a new wave of anti-Israel and anti-Semitic activity at the United Nations, Israel's ambassador to the world body, Dan Gillerman, said Tuesday that he will block a UN resolution that condemns religious intolerance...."As a reaction to the total failure of he UN to deal with anti-Semitism, Israel will abstain on the resolution, thereby forcing the Irish ambassador to withdraw their resolution. Sharon: `Unilateral steps' could mean moving settlements Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is considering moving some settlements as part of unilateral steps Israel would take even before it reaches the conclusion that the road map has failed because the Palestinians are not interested in implementing it, he told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee yesterday. "It is possible that Israel will take unilateral steps that include moving some settlements," Sharon said. He was responding to a question by Likud MK Ehud Yatom, who asked if the unilateral steps, which Sharon said were meant to ease conditions for the Palestinians, would include moving settlements. Sharon replied, "at this stage there could also be some movement of settlements." Sharon has a Plan B for peace The Guardian 12/10/2003 Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, said yesterday that he was working on a "complex, difficult and controversial" peace plan that he would activate if the US-sponsored "road map" fails. He told a select committee of the Israeli parliament that he would take other unilateral measures to improve Israel's security. "Communities may be moved to improve our security situation," he said. The comments were the latest in a series that seem to promise that the government will evacuate some settlements in the West Bank, and or Gaza, though Mr Sharon has refused to elaborate. Palestinian PM weakened by failure of talks Financial Times 12/9/2003 Ahmed Qurei, Palestinian Authority prime minister, will keep trying to persuade militant factions to agree to a ceasefire with Israel, despite the failure of talks on declaring a truce in Cairo at the weekend. The refusal of Hamas and other radical groups to sign up to a comprehensive and unconditional ceasefire does not necessarily mean their attacks on Israeli targets will resume, although security forces went on alert in Israel yesterday after a tip-off of a bombing mission. It nevertheless weakens Mr Qurei's negotiating position as he prepares for a much-delayed meeting with Ariel Sharon, Israeli prime minister. Sharon vows to defend barrier at The Hague The Age 12/10/2003 Israel has said it will defend itself in the International Court in The Hague against accusations that its controversial barrier through the West Bank violates international law. The Israeli Government said it would participate in the case after the United Nations General Assembly voted on Monday to refer the issue to the International Court. The case is likely to spotlight Israel's policy of settlement and occupation in the territories it has controlled since the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. US state department encourages capitulatory settlement plans Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Zionist sources disclosed at dawn today that the USA was planning to hold meetings with Palestinian and Zionist groups within the few coming days to discuss other Middle East settlement proposals. The sources said that American secretary of state, Collin Powell, would meet former Zionist intelligence chief Amy Eilon and Palestinian rector of the Open Quds University Sirri Nesseiba on Friday. They said that both men would table their so-called “national statistics” plan that envisaged a two-state solution to the Palestinian-Zionist conflict with Jerusalem as capital for both states and the return of Palestinian refugees only to the state of Palestine. PNA, US Oppose Sharon’s Unilateral Steps Palestine Media Center 12/10/2003 ‘Peace Now’ Skeptical, Settlers Threaten ‘War’ -- The United States and the Israeli “Peace Now” watchdog of illegal Jewish settlements have doubted media reports about the “intentions” of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (a key architect of the settler movement) to dismantle some settlers’ outposts unilaterally. Meanwhile, the settlers’ “leadership” in the Occupied Palestinian Territory called for Sharon’s resignation and threatened his government it may have “a war on its hands.” Sharon on Tuesday told members of the Knesset’s (parliament) “Defense” and Foreign Affairs Committee he will remove some Jewish settlements as part of an emerging plan for Israel to impose a border in the West Bank without negotiations with the Palestinians, a participant at the meeting told AFP. Powell to meet Ami Ayalon Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Colin Powell is due Friday to meet in Washington with former Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon and Palestinian academic Sari Nusseibeh, who are working to garner grass-roots support in Israel and the Palestinian areas for a new peace initiative. The meeting will take place one week after Powell met with Yossi Beilin and Yasser Abed Rabbo, the drafters of the Geneva Accord, a separate initiative. U.S. wary of Sharon ideas on uprooting settlements Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 WASHINGTON - A U.S. official reacted coolly yesterday to Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's proposal to close some Jewish settlements, saying if it were a unilateral move to impose a peace deal it would not work. The official said it was not clear what proposals may have been floated by Sharon, who was quoted as telling lawmakers in Israel he might uproot unspecified settlements for security reasons regardless of peace-making with the Palestinians. Hague expected to move quickly on fence Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 LONDON - The International Court of Justice in The Hague is expected to move speedily to prepare an opinion on the legality of the separation fence between Israel and the West Bank, since it generally gives high priority to requests for opinions from the United Nations, sources connected with the court said yesterday.

Human Rights..

An occupier tells all - the story of Israeli brutality towards Palestinians Al-Bawaba 12/10/2003 Liran Ron-Forer is a war criminal. Don’t buy his book. Moreover, would someone in the District Attorney's office put him on trial?That's the opening sentence in a recent article published on Israel's Yediot Aharonot website entitled "A Sadist's book", which discloses the story of a new book written by Ron-Forer, 26, who was an Israeli soldier positioned during his military service at a Gaza checkpoint. In his book, Ron-Forer describes, in chilling details, how he and his friends tortured Palestinians - with declared pleasure – in various ways....It should be added, however, that many publishers in Israel, including the well-known Steimatsky bookstore chain refused to publish his book because of its criticism of Israeli military conduct. Palestinian journalists targeted for going to Geneva Jerusalem Post 12/10/2003 The Palestinian Journalist's Syndicate on Tuesday expressed deep concern at attacks on Palestinian journalists who attended the launching of the Geneva Accord in Switzerland last week. Several Palestinian journalists who traveled to Geneva have been condemned as collaborators and traitors. The allegations were made in numerous leaflets distributed in the West Bank and Gaza Strip in recent days. Some of the targeted journalists have complained to the syndicate against the incitement. International Human Rights Day - Adalah’s Ad Campaign: National Minority Rights are Human Rights Adalah 12/10/2003 As part of its ongoing campaign to advocate and promote human rights in general and Arab minority rights in Israel in particular, Adalah published a series of three ads in Ha'aretz (Hebrew Edition) under the heading: national minority rights are human rights. Palestinian women union deliver memo to Red Cross on female detainees Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Nablus - A delegation representing the union of Palestinian women in the Nablus district has delivered a memo to the Red Cross representative in the city explaining the sufferings of Palestinian female prisoners in Zionist jails. The memo elaborated on the Zionist prison authority’s torture methods and maltreatment in addition to depriving the detained students from completing studies. The memo further spoke of the deteriorating health conditions of those prisoners and the worsening state of the detained mothers. A Shaheed at Mabaar International Solidarity Movement 12/9/2003 8th December, 2003 - By Mohammed -- At about 8.00 am on Saturday 6th December, members of ISM Rafah were alerted to a situation at the Maabar border crossing into Egypt.They were informed that a young man had been shot and killed by Israeli soldiers near Mabaar and his family and an ambulance crew had attempted to recover his body but had been shot at from a tank which had parked next to his body. Three activists - one Swedish, one American and one Palestinian - went immediately to Mabaar.They arrived at the site and saw the tank present where the body was located.... Gaza legal center demands international investigation into martyrdom of captive Palestinian Information Center 12/10/2003 Gaza - The Gaza legal center has called for formation of an international investigative committee in cooperation with Palestinian human rights organizations to determine reasons for death of Palestinian prisoner Bashir Uweis in a Zionist jail. The center, in a statement yesterday, held the Zionist occupation authority fully responsible for martyrdom of Uweis since it was responsible for life of detained prisoners. 55TH Anniversary Of Human Rights Declaration…Israel Unleashes Its Violations Against The Palestinian People International Press Center 12/10/2003 GAZA, December 10,2003 (IPC)-Today on Wednesday, December 10, is the universal day for human right set by the united nation on December 1948; under the shadow of the unleashing brutality of the occupation state that contravening the basic rights credited by UN declaration for peace and security worldwide.

Economy..

Israel included in US gov't civilian procurement Globes 12/10/2003 Sales through the US General Services Administration on the US market will total $30 billion this year. -- Israeli exports to the US federal government market will reach $100 million in the next two years, compared with none at present. 40-50 Israeli companies will be included in US government civil procurement, through the US General Services Administration (GSA), Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute director Yechiel Assia said yesterday....Assia also said that sales through the US General Services Administration on the US market would total $30 billion this year, and are forecast to rise to $50 billion next year. Palestinians may receive future aid Jerusalemites 12/10/2003 International aid organizations and representatives of donor nations are in Rome attending a meeting in order to decide on future aid for the Palestinians. The amount can be of $ 1.2 bn and it will finance new projects and cover a deficit to run hundred of million of dollars. The Palestinian Authority will ask as well in this meeting to press Israel to lift restrictions on the Occupied Territories. The meeting will take place on Wednesday and will be attended by representatives of 14 donor nations as the World Bank. Peretz: Histadrut to ease sanctions next week Ha'aretz 12/10/2003 Histadrut labor federation chairman Amir Peretz said Wednesday that as of next week, the Histadrut would further ease ongoing public sector sanctions. In a Knesset speech, Peretz said that the Histadrut would respond to public calls, and that the nature of the respite would be decided in the coming days. Earlier Wednesday, the High Court of Justice ruled that the National Labor Court does have the authority to discuss a petition by the Histadrut labor federation against the Finance Ministry's controversial pension reforms. November “Globes” consumer confidence index up 9 points Globes 12/10/2003 Expectations for the economy have improved, and personal expectations are slightly more optimistic. -- The relative security calm in November and the official declarations of a possible end to the recession have significantly boosted the “Globes” consumer confidence index, after a steep two-month drop. The index climbed nine points to 66 points, but is still lower than the August level of 68 points. Trade deficit down 8.9% in January-November Globes 12/10/2003 The trade deficit this year is $5.29 billion, following a 6.9% rise in exports, and a 4% increase in imports. -- Israel’s trade deficit fell 8.9% in January-November 2003, despite rises in consumption and imports of raw materials and durable goods. The trade deficit reached $5.29 billion in this period, compared with $5.75 billion in the corresponding period in 2002, according to figures published today by the Central Bureau of Statistics.

People..

Ahmed Qorei: a master communicator, not warrior Daily Star 12/10/2003 Palestinian premier a skilled mediator -- JERUSALEM: To understand the agenda and direction of Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei’s government, it is crucial to consider his personality and analyze some of his past views. Qorei, also known as Abu Alaa, was long considered a professional technocrat, more involved in daily business than grand strategy. He joined Fatah’s “Old Guard” in 1983 and became head of the PLO’s Economic Department in Tunis, responsible for the organization’s major financial transactions. He never fought in combat nor did he hold a gun. He is however, an expert in facilitating communication among the various factions that comprise the Palestinian community, andas PLC Speaker he successfully mediated between Arafat and the other groups in the council.

International..

Manhunt in Iraq: Israel Trains U.S. Assassination Squads, interview with Seymour Hersh By Amy Goodman, Democracy Now! 12/9/2003 Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Seymour Hersh reveals how a new Special Forces group assembled to “neutralize” Iraqi resistance is working with Israeli commandoes to train in assassination and other tactics – comparable to the Phoenix Program in Vietnam. One of the key planners is Lt Gen. William Boykin who declared that Bush was not elected but appointed by God. [Includes transcript] AP: Iraq to Stop Counting Civilian Dead The Guardian 12/10/2003 BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraq's Health Ministry has ordered a halt to a count of civilians killed during the war and told its statistics department not to release figures compiled so far, the official who oversaw the count told The Associated Press on Wednesday. The order was relayed by the ministry's director of planning, Dr. Nazar Shabandar, but the U.S.-led Coalition Provisional Authority, which oversees the ministry, also wanted the counting to stop, said Dr. Nagham Mohsen, the head of the ministry's statistics department. ``We have stopped the collection of this information because our minister didn't agree with it,'' she said, adding: ``The CPA doesn't want this to be done.'' US denies Gaza inspired new tactics The Age 12/10/2003 The US military has adopted tough new tactics against guerillas in Iraq, arresting relatives of insurgents and destroying houses used to plan attacks against American troops. But US defence officials denied the move was modelled on tactics used by Israeli forces in Gaza and the West Bank, despite visits by US military officers to Israel this year to discuss urban combat with the Israel Defence Forces (IDF). One US official, who asked not to be identified, said: "In recent weeks, we have begun using a much-increased tempo of taking the fight to remnants of the former regime to prevent them from planning and carrying out attacks on our people." Anti-war camp excluded from Iraq contracts Middle East Online 12/10/2003 The United States has barred companies from France, Germany, Russia, Canada and other nations that refused to join the US-led coalition in Iraq from competing for billions of dollars in prime contracts to rebuild the country, a Pentagon memorandum made public Tuesday said. Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, in a decision dated December 5, cited "essential security interests" of the United States and the need to encourage countries to provide troops for Iraq as the reason for limiting competition for 18.6 billion dollars in prime contracts. Israel Making Gains From Anti-Semitism Claims: Analysts Islam Online 12/10/2003 CAIRO, December 10 (IslamOnline.net) –If there is a constant refrain now catching on in Europe it is anti-Semitism, courtesy of recent separate attacks on Jewish targets and a controversial European poll declaring Israel as the greatest threat to world peace. Depicting the incidents as deep-seated manifestations of anti-Semitism, Israel has gained much from the intensively-used cliché, analysts said. "It better fits the Israeli military agenda to keep eyes distracted from the horrendous scenes of aggression against the Palestinians, using allegations of anti-Semitism," said Stanley Cohen, an American activist and lawyer. Activists commemorate Intifada anniversary in four European cities Electronic Intifada 12/10/2003 On 9 December 1987 the first Intifada arose in Palestine. The AEL commemorates this event. Today a number of actions were organised by the AEL in reminiscence of the Intifada. These actions took place in Antwerp, Amsterdam, Brussels and The Hague. The first action took place around 3.45 pm on the public tribune of the Second Chamber in The Hague. Two AEL-activists hung out two Palestinian flags. The activists were removed from the tribune by the Chamber police and led outside. No arrests were made. Iran to sign nuclear protocol Financial Times 12/10/2003 TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's government has given the go-ahead for the country to sign an international protocol binding it to tough, snap inspections of its nuclear facilities. "The Foreign Ministry was given permission by the government to sign the Additional Protocol" to the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, Vice-President Mohammad Ali Abtahi told reporters on Wednesday after a weekly cabinet meeting. Abtahi and government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh declined to say exactly when Iran would sign the protocol. Qathafi meets Brazil's president in al-Azezeyah; Lula proposes an Arab- Latin American integration Arabic News 12/10/2003 Brazil's President Luiz Inacio Lula da Silva announced yesterday that the Arab- Latin summit which will be held next year in Brazil aims at fostering ties and political cooperation between the Arab states and the Latin American states, and to renew cooperation between them and create a new political geography for the world so that "the third world will have an important role in this world." Iranian ambassador tours South, praises resistance’s efforts Daily Star 12/10/2003 Kermanshahi visits Khiam and Nabatieh in bid to be better acquainted with area’s inhabitants -- Iranian Ambassador Massoud Edris Kermanshahi toured the South on Tuesday in order to “get better acquainted with the South’s inhabitants,” further adding his support to Hizbullah’s efforts in aiding Arab detainees in Israeli prisons. Accompanied by senior aides, the ambassador’s first stop was in Jibsheet, Nabatieh, where he visited the residence of the late Sheikh Ragheb Harb and was greeted by Hizbullah’s commander in the South, Sheikh Nabil Qaouq. Suspected Bomber Arrested in Lebanon The Guardian 12/10/2003 BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) - A Lebanese man carrying a suitcase of explosives, possibly to carry out a suicide attack, was arrested outside the U.S. Embassy in Beirut on Wednesday, Lebanese security officials said. The Lebanese man was seeking to enter the embassy when he was stopped by soldiers at an army checkpoint about 500 yards from the compound, a senior security official said. Germany Freezes Random Deportation of 10,000 Lebanese An Nahar 12/10/2003 Lebanon and Germany have reached an understanding to resolve the status of 10,000 illegal Lebanese residents, averting their mass deportation at random by Germany to Lebanon, As Safir reported on Wednesday. The tentative accord was negotiated by Lebanon's Security Department chief Brig. Gen. Jamil Sayyed with German authorities in Berlin last week, stopping Germany from carrying out the mass deportation operation imminently, the Beirut newspaper said. Germany has been insisting on a hasty deportation, contending that the humanitarian grounds for tolerating the illegal presence of the 10,000 Lebanese had ceased to exist after Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon in May of 2000. Documents Destroyed in Professor Case The Guardian 12/10/2003 TAMPA, Fla. (AP) - Trying to cut down on clutter, clerks at a federal courthouse accidentally destroyed search warrants in the case of a University of South Florida professor charged with aiding terrorists. The mistake was discovered last week when attorneys for Sami Al-Arian requested copies. The documents contained affidavits from federal agents that supported 1995 searches of Al-Arian's home and offices and were among thousands of documents shredded sometime between 1998 and 2002. The privatisation of war The Guardian 12/10/2003 $30bn goes to private military - Fears over 'hired guns' policy - British firms get big slice of contracts - Deals in Baghdad, Kabul and Balkans -- Private corporations have penetrated western warfare so deeply that they are now the second biggest contributor to coalition forces in Iraq after the Pentagon, a Guardian investigation has established. While the official coalition figures list the British as the second largest contingent with around 9,900 troops, they are narrowly outnumbered by the 10,000 private military contractors now on the ground. AIPAC Dinner Draws Peaceful Protest Antiwar.com 12/10/2003 "Who are we? AIPAC! What do we want? Apartheid! When do we want it? NOW!" - This was one of the most accusatory cries to be heard from the group of nearly fifty activists that gathered on Broadway in downtown Oakland, California Monday night to protest the American Israeli Public Affairs Committee at their Annual Northwestern Chapter Dinner. More commonly referred to as AIPAC, the organization's main purpose is to act as an advocate for the Israeli government, and it is one of the most powerful lobbies in America. According to Ken Galal and Heather Merriam of Tikkun (a peace group based on multi-faith spiritual solidarity), an organizer of the protest, AIPAC directly obstructs the hope for Middle East peace in three major ways: by lobbying Congress to adopt policies that are in line with the Israeli right (Likud) but not necessarily in the best interest of peace or American interests, by publicly supporting the President's "road map for peace" while trying to change it behind the scenes, and, most glaringly, by generally opposing and ignoring the Geneva Accord. Nobel winner blasts rights abuses BBC 12/10/2003 Iranian Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi has criticised states for infringing human rights "under the cloak of the war on terrorism". In a speech after accepting her award, Ms Ebadi, 56, said the events of 11 September 2001 in the United States had been misused for this end. She also said the fact she had won the prize would inspire masses of women striving to achieve their rights. Antiterrorism Training Camp Opens Tampa Tribune 12/10/2003 In a field in rural Hillsborough County on Monday, two sheriff's helicopters and an armored tank descended on a Boeing 727 airliner, and a loud explosion rocked the air. A dozen SWAT team members jumped from the tank and helicopters and stormed the plane with rifles and handguns drawn. They entered the aircraft in a flurry of activity and ran down the center aisle, pointing guns at about 50 ``passengers'' and ordering them to put their hands on their heads. Though the scenario was a training exercise, it demonstrated how prepared local law enforcement could be in the event of a terrorist attack or airline hostage crisis in the Bay area. Syria, Belarus agree to deepen bilateral ties Middle East Online 12/10/2003 DAMASCUS - Belarus President Alexander Lukashenko left Damascus on Wednesday after a two-day visit during which he held talks with his Syrian counterpart, Bashar al-Assad, and the two countries increased bilateral cooperation. The two nations signed seven cooperation agreements to deepen ties in the areas of economy, science, technology, tourism and health, state news agency Sana said. Paul Harvey Backtracks On Anti-Islam Comment Islam Online 12/10/2003 WASHINGTON, December 10 (IslamOnline.net) – After receiving hundreds of angry messages, the Chicago-based syndicated radio commentator Paul Harvey backtracked on earlier defamatory comments, praising Islam Tuesday, December 9, as a "religion of peace." The ABC Radio Network commentator, the most listened-to radio personality in the U.S. with 24 million weekly listeners, had infuriated Muslims by claiming, on air, that Islam "encourages killing."...In 1999, Harvey issued an on-air apology to Muslims for remarks suggesting that Islam was a "fraudulent religion."

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