Israelis
kill suspected militant, round up 25 in Gaza, West Bank
Chicago Tribune, December 11, 2002
JERUSALEM -- Israeli troops on Tuesday killed a suspected Palestinian militant
who had been accused of planning an attack on an Israeli town near the Gaza
Strip. They arrested 25 other Palestinians in sweeps there and in the West
Bank, an Israeli military spokesman said.
IMF:
Israel can cope without US aid
BBC, December 11, 2002
Israel could cope with its worst recession in 50 years without US aid, the
International Monetary Fund has said in its annual report on the country.
Leadership
Condemns Israeli Massacres, Calls For International Intervention
Palestine Media Center, December 9, 2002
Members of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee
and the ministerial cabinet, meeting with President Yasser Arafat, condemned
the Israeli massacres of Palestinian civilians, and called for international
intervention to put an end to Israel’s aggression.
UNWRA
appeals $94 million for Palestinians
MENA Report, December 11, 2002
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near
East (UNRWA) has appealed for $94 million to carry out emergency relief operations
in the occupied Palestinian territory during the first half of next year.
Top
doves quit Israel's Labour Party
BBC, December 11, 2002
Two prominent Israeli doves have left the Labour Party after faring badly
in party primaries on Monday.
Britain
Slams Israel Over Segregation Wall, Hebron ‘Judaization’ Plan
Begins
Palestine Media Center, December 11, 2002
As Israeli bulldozers began paving a road to link the Jewish enclave in the
Old City of Hebron and the nearby illegal settlement of ‘Kiryat Arba’,
and in effect preparing dozens of Palestinians’ houses for demolition,
the British Government on Tuesday slammed the so-called “security wall”
Israel has been erecting east of the ‘green line’ as “clearly
wrong”.
Report
shows up land bias in favor of Jewish communities
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
While residents of Arab local authorities make up 12.5 percent of the country's
population, the jurisdictions of those local authorities comprise only 2.56
percent of the state's territory. Consequently, the population density in
those communities - as in development towns - is as much as eight times greater
than in similarly-sized Jewish communities.
Israeli
censors ban new Palestinian film “Jenin Jenin”
Al-Bawaba, December 11, 2002
The Israel's censorship board has banned a movie produced by an Israeli Arab
Mohammad Bakry that depicts the Jenin Massacres.
Israeli
ministry of tourism to invest millions in Golan Heights
Alternative Information Center, December 11, 2002
Minister of Tourism Yitzhak Levy (Mafdal – National Religious Party)
conducted a visit to the Golan Heights, during which he noted the great tourist
potential of the area. Levy announced that his office intends to invest approximately
NIS 14 million in developing the Golan Heights in the coming years, in addition
to the NIS 25 million which the office already invested there from 1997-2001.
Palestinian
Court Clears PFLP Leader, Official Accused in Karine A Affair
Palestine Chronicle, December 10, 2002
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - The Palestinian high court has ordered
the release Tuesday of Fuad Shobaki, who was allegedly linked
to the Karine A smuggling affair, and cleared Ahmad Sa’adat,
the head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
(PFLP).
Islamic
Jihad activist shot dead near Nablus
Al-Bawaba, December 11, 2002
Israeli troops shot dead early Wednesday an Islamic Jihad activist and arrested
at least 12 in an overnight offensive throughout the West Bank, the Israeli
army and Palestinians said.
Tel
Aviv court sentences convicted Israeli Hizbullah spy to six years in jail
Al-Bawaba, December 11, 2002
Tel Aviv District Court Wednesday sentenced an Israeli man to six years behind
bars for providing information to Lebanon's Hizbullah movement.
Peace
Group Slams Israeli Plans to Demolish Hebron Houses
Palestine Chronicle, December 10, 2002
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM - The Israeli peace group Gush Shalom demanded that their
government halt plans to demolish dozens of Palestinian houses in the West
Bank city of Hebron, warning that it would constitute a “war crime”.
UN
Relief Body Launches Appeal to Prevent Human Catastrophe in Territories
Palestine Media Center, December 11, 2002
The world’s largest relief body has appealed Tuesday for $94 million
to alleviate the dire economic situation plaguing the occupied territories
and the “catastrophic impact” ongoing Israeli curfews and closures
have had on the Palestinian people.
Palestinian
Elections ‘ Impossible’ Unless IOF Withdraw: Parliament Speaker
Qorei
Palestine Media Center, December 11, 2002
Palestinian parliament speaker Ahmed Qorei said Tuesday it will be practically
impossible for the Palestinian people to go ahead with the scheduled January
20 presidential and legislative elections.
Quartet
Must Come out with United Stand: EU
Palestine Media Center, December 11, 2002
The European Union on Tuesday said that a December 20 meeting in Washington
of the Middle East ‘Quartet’ -- the EU, Russia, the United Nations
and the United States -- must come out with a united stand on resolving the
Middle East conflict.
Israeli
Mainstream Politics Becomes More Militant
Palestine Media Center, December 11, 2002
Israeli mainstream politics moved towards more militancy against the Palestinian
people and the peace process as the Labor party hawks Tuesday muscled their
way up the party's list of candidates for the Israeli general elections, a
day after Likud tilted further to the right.
Demolition
of home in East Jerusalem thwarted in court yesterday
Alternative Information Center, December 11, 2002
The threatened demolition of a four story structure in Beit Hanina on Tuesday
10 December was successfully challenged in Jerusalem Court by attorney Sami
Arashit. Apparently the demolition order had been signed by municipal employee
Danny Liebman, who was not authorised to sign demolition orders.
Hunger
in Palestine
Alternative Information Center, December 11, 2002
The world has grown used to the idea that hunger manifests itself only in
the hollow cheeks and distended stomachs of an African famine. But today in
the Gaza Strip and the West Bank, an insidious hunger has the Palestinian
people in its grip.
Israel
wins world's worst housing rights violators award
Alternative Information Center, December 11, 2002
The Geneva based Center on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) has identified
the countries guilty of most consistently abusing and defying
international housing rights law in 2002 for its new annual Housing Rights
Violators Award. Israel is among the ten states chosen to receive the award.
Israel,
USA in Top 10 for World’s Worst Housing Rights Violators Award
Center on Housing Rights and Evictions, December 10, 2002
For the first time the Centre on Housing Rights and Evictions (COHRE) has
identified the countries guilty of most consistently abusing and defying international
housing rights law and the United States is among ten nations chosen to receive
the award. The list includes Burma (Myanmar), Colombia, Croatia, Guatemala,
India, Israel, Nigeria, Pakistan, USA and Zimbabwe.
US
warns of nuclear response
BBC, December 11, 2002
Washington has said it is prepared to use nuclear weapons if necessary to
respond to any attack with weapons of mass destruction (WMD) against itself
or its allies.
UNRWA
launches $94m emergency appeal for Palestinians in territories
Jerusalem Post, December 10, 2002
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) launched a $94 million
emergency appeal this week to provide food, temporary jobs and homes for more
than one million Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza.
Hear
Palestine, December 11, 2002
NEWS: Israeli Army Commits New Cold Blooded Execution in Balata Refugee Camp
/ Israeli Soldiers Raid Local Government Ministry, Ramallah / Ongoing Curfew
in Qalqilya; Bulldozing Activities on Agricultural Land / Settlement Activities
and Collective Oppressive Measures in Bethlehem / Bulldozing Activities and
Arrests in Jenin / Arrests Elsewhere in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
FEATURES: Nablus: Horrifying Death of 25-Year Old Woman
Israel's
Labor Party Sidelines Its Peace Activists in What Critics Say Is Rightward
Turn
Florida Times-Union, December 11, 2002
JERUSALEM (AP) — Leading Labor dove Yael Dayan quit the party on Wednesday
after a primary vote assigned her and other peace activists virtually unelectable
places on the list of candidates for next month's general elections.
Group
pushes to rebuild homes in Mideast
The News-Sentinel, December 10, 2002
In a conflict that seemingly has only two sides -- pro-Israeli or pro-Palestinian
-- some say the only side worth taking is the one dedicated to rebuilding
lives and peace. And homes. Launched in June, the Global Campaign to Rebuild
Palestinian Homes invites people to throw a fundraising party to rebuild demolished
Palestinian dwellings in Israel. The fundraisers, symbolically, take place
inside homes.
High
Court orders army to halt work on 'worshipper's way' in Hebron
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
The army on Wednesday halted work to improve protection on the route known
as Worshipper's Way between Kiryat Arba and the Machpela Cave, following an
interim injunction issued by the High Court of Justice.
IDF
arrests wanted Tanzim operative in undercover operation
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
Security forces arrested four wanted Palestinians in Samaria Wednesday, one
in a daring daytime undercover raid.
Israel
claims Italy cuts contacts with Palestinian Authority
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
Italian Premier Silvio Berlusconi told Israeli President Moshe Katsav that
Italy has cut contacts with Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat and other Palestinian
officials since the killing of 29 Israelis in March, an Israeli official said.
Newspaper
poll gives Likud only 33 seats, Labor, 21
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
An opinion poll published today predicts the Likud Party as winning only 33
Knesset seats, as compared with a showing of 40 in earlier surveys, and Labor
winning 21 in the upcoming elections.
Israel
Bans Jenin Movie, Kills Palestinian Activist
Islam Online, December 11, 2002
OCCUPIED JERSUALEM, December 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) –
The Israeli censorship board has banned a movie produced by an Israeli Arab
on the attrocities commited by the Israeli army in the West Bank town of Jenin
in April.
Russian
oil giants try to beat US to Iraqi reserves
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
Russian oil companies are trying to secure new contracts with Baghdad in an
attempt to dominate Iraq's huge reserves and hold Washington to its promise
of respecting Moscow's economic interests in the event of a regime change.
Restriction
of Iraq arms tome 'unfortunate': UN chief
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
Kofi Annan, the UN secretary-general, has described as "unfortunate" the security
council's handling of a decision to withhold copies of Iraq's arms declaration
from its non-permanent members.
US
may use nuclear weapons against attack
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
The White House has again warned Iraq and other countries oppossing the United
States that it will use "overwhelming force" - including nuclear weapons -
if attacked.
Bush
approves $92m to train Iraqi militia to take on Saddam
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
President George Bush has formally approved $92m (£60m) to train a pan-Iraqi
militia to help fight a war against Saddam Hussein. Over the past few weeks
the Pentagon has been scouring countries looking for bases. A Nato airbase
in southern Hungary emerged yesterday as the favourite site.
Inspectors
step up number of visits
The Independent, December 11, 2002
The scale and pace of the United Nations arms inspections in Iraq moved to
a new intensive phase yesterday with a number of raids rising from the usual
two to 10.
Iraq
claims US used 'blackmail' to get uncut dossier shows lust for war
The Independent, December 11, 2002
Iraq accused America yesterday of "unprecedented blackmail" after Washington
forced the United Nations weapons inspectors to hand over an unedited copy
of the 12,000-page arms dossier provided by Baghdad.
U.N.
Council to Assess Iraq Arms Report
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - The United Nations' chief weapons inspector said he
hoped the five permanent members of the Security Council could give a preliminary
assessment of Iraq's weapons disclosure by the end of the week.
U.N.
monitors intensify inspections as Rumsfeld arrives in Qatar
Al-Bawaba, December 11, 2002
A newly reinforced corps of U.N. weapons monitors sent teams out across the
Iraqi countryside again Wednesday and made return visits to a large complex
where Iraq once worked on a nuclear bomb.
Saddam
vows to defeat enemies as Bush presses on Turkey to cooperate
Al-Bawaba, December 11, 2002
U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Tuesday that Security Council members
had criticized the United States for breaking ranks and grabbing Iraq's report
on its weapons programs, intended only for weapons inspectors.
Who
will blink first?
The Guardian, December 11, 2002
America's reasons for and against an early attack on Iraq grow ever more complex
-- The delivery of Baghdad's declaration on banned weapons represents a critical
moment of truth for a US president who has apparently become more hesitant
over the use of force as the prospect of war has drawn closer.
Protests
in Over 100 U.S. Cities, Towns Against War on Iraq
Islam Online, December 11, 2002
WASHINGTON, December 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Americans took
to the streets Tuesday, December 10, to protest a possible war on Iraq, with
100 people arrested during demonstrations.
Iraq
blasts US ‘blackmail’
Arab News, December 11, 2002
WASHINGTON/NEW YORK, 11 December 2002 — Iraq yesterday accused the US
of "unprecedented blackmail" after Washington forced the UN weapons inspectors
to hand over an unedited copy of the 12,000-page arms dossier provided by
Baghdad. At the same time, UN sources said the report appeared to contain
little new information.
U.S.
Blackmailing Russian Oil Firms to Finance Iraqi Opposition: Report
Islam Online, December 11, 2002
Tokarev said the U.S. was only after access to Iraq’s vast supplies
of cheap oil. -- MOSCOW, December 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - The
director of a state-owned oil company with interests in Iraq on Tuesday, December
10, accused U.S. companies of attempting to blackmail Russian oil majors into
financing Iraqi opposition parties in return for contract guarantees from
a post-Saddam Hussein regime.
Annan,
Papers Scold U.S. Over Iraqi Arms Declaration
Islam Online, December 11, 2002
UNITED NATIONS, December 11 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – U.N.
Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday, December 10, the decision allowing
the U.S. to take Iraq’s arms declaration from U.N. headquarters was
unfortunate, with Syria and Norway, both non-permanent members of the U.N.
Security Council, angered by the move.
US
troops in Kuwaiti sands ready for any war with Iraq
Arab News, December 11, 2002
UDAIRI RANGE, 11 December 2002 — The 19th Support Center, normally located
in tranquil Wiesbaden, Germany, never conducts defense training. But three
months ago, the logistical unit was ordered to move to Kuwait for live-fire
exercises.
UN
searches site revealed by dossier
BBC, December 11, 2002
United Nations weapons inspectors have reportedly begun searching a site identified
by the Iraqis in their weapons dossier, as well as sites once associated with
the country's nuclear and ballistic missile programmes.
Son
of murderer Baruch Goldstein on way to becoming combat pilot in Israeli air
force
Alternative Information Center, December 11, 2002
Pride in Kiryat Arba: ‘I,’ the son of the murderer Baruch Goldstein
(who massacred 29 Palestinians and injured dozens in the Hebron Mosque in
1994), successfully completed last week the jet plane section of pilots’
training school and his fellow cadets estimate that he will begin combat pilots’
courses soon. ‘I’ has been in pilots’ training school for
eight months already.
Landmark
ruling on Internet defamation
Arab News, December 11, 2002
SYDNEY, 11 December 2002 — In a landmark case, Australia’s highest
court yesterday gave a businessman the right to sue for defamation in Australia
over an article published in the United States and posted on the Internet.
Al-Seyasah:
Israeli warning to Syria
Arabic News, December 11, 2002
The Kuwaiti daily al-Seyasah said that the Israeli ambassador in Washington
had handed over the US Department Of State last Saturday an Israeli warning
to Syria calling in it to withdraw all sorts of anti- armored vehicles and
other equipment missiles and weapons which it had given to the Hizbullah party,
otherwise Syria will be responsible for the Israeli reactions over using these
weapons against Israel.
Rumsfeld
receives offer from Eritrea to use its bases in fighting terrorism
Arabic News, December 11, 2002
Eritrea's president Asyas Afourki has proposed to the US defense secretary
Donald Rumsfeld who arrived yesterday in Asmara, his first leg in the African
horn, putting his country's resources and potentials under the disposal of
the USA in the war it leads against terrorism.
Turkish
professor and changing the regimes in the region
Arabic News, December 11, 2002
Professor Dogo Arkil, member of the teaching staff in the political sciences
faculty at Ankara's University, announced that the American military operation
against Iraq will not be confined to Iraq only but will cover the region as
a whole, adding that a change will be made to the existing regimes and that
plans necessary for that have been drawn.
Hezbollah
added to Canada's terror blacklist
Toronto Star, December 11, 2002
OTTAWA—The federal government will announce today that it has added
Hezbollah to the list of terrorist groups banned in Canada, sources say.
Beilin,
Dayan to run on joint list with Meretz
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
Former justice minister Yossi Beilin, an architect of the Oslo Accords, and
lawmaker Yael Dayan plan to run for the Knesset on a joint list with the left-wing
Meretz Party.
Israeli
sentenced for spying for Hizbullah
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
Nissim Nasser, a Jewish immigrant from Lebanon who was convicted with spying
for Hizbullah by a Tel Aviv District Court in November was sentenced to six
years in prison.
Ashrawi
discusses road map with Powell
Jerusalem Post, December 11, 2002
Former Palestinian Authority minister Hanan Ashrawi met with Secretary of
State Colin Powell on Monday to discuss the upcoming December 20 meeting of
international negotiators regarding the road map for peace.
Russia
calls on Israel to avoid using heavy weapons in Palestinian areas
Jerusalem Post, December 10, 2002
MOSCOW - Russia urged Israel on Tuesday to refrain from using heavy weapons
in Palestinian areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and avoid wounding and
killing civilians.
Powell
to pledge backing for democratic reform in Arab world
Jerusalem Post, December 10, 2002
WASHINGTON - With peacemaking stalled, Secretary of State Colin Powell is
ready to offer Arab nations U.S. support in promoting democracy and adapting
to the modern world. Powell will outline the Bush administration's intentions
in a speech Thursday at the Heritage Foundation, a private 'research' group.
Ousted
Labor doves Beilin, Dayan given slots on Meretz list
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Leading Labor Party doves Yossi Beilin and Yael Dayan, who failed to win realistic
slots on the party's Knesset ticket in Monday's primaries, reached agreement
Wednesday afternoon with Meretz leader Yossi Sarid to fill the number 11 and
12 slots on the Meretz list.
Tanzim
man nabbed in W. Bank camp; Jihad man killed in Nablus
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Undercover IDF troops from the Duvdevan unit operating in the West Bank refugee
camp Askar, near Nablus, arrested Wednesday afternoon a member of the Tanzim
organization believed to have been linked to the murder of an Israeli two
years ago.
Police
question relatives of Mombasa suicide bombing suspect
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Kenyan and Israeli investigators are questioning the brother and mother of
a man believed to have bought the vehicle used in last month's suicide bombing
of a hotel crowded with Israelis - an attack that killed more than a dozen
people, police said Wednesday.
Background:
Slain Kahane runs from the grave
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Firebrand Rabbi Meir Kahane has been dead for more than a dozen years, but
as the deadline nears for submitting candidates to the Knesset, the heirs
to his radical ideology are fighting for the right to pick up his torch, and
carry it into the Knesset.
Labor
targets the center, attacks `hawkish' Likud
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
After the Labor Party's primaries election managed to elect a relatively balanced
list of doves and hawks - though some of its most prominent doves were sent
to the bottom of its list - party strategists, led by party Chairman Amram
Mitzna, decided last night to target the Likud's hawkish roster of nominees
as the key "soft spot" to target in the election campaign.
Two
Arabs in Meretz top 10
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
The most notable outcome of Meretz's internal election yesterday was that
two Arabs made the top 10 on its list, which was chosen by the Central Committee.
Issawi Freij, a 42-year-old accountant from Kafr Kassem, was elected to the
ninth slot, while current MK Hussniya Jabara received the tenth position.
A
lonely Beilin still cherishes his hopes
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
A few days before Labor Party members chose their Knesset slate on Monday,
Yossi Beilin had already begun to worry that he would find himself outside
the next Knesset.
Analysis:
A list even Sharon could lead
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
It would seem the Labor Party's list for the next Knesset, shaped by the votes
of tens of thousands of party members, is bad news for Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon and the Likud.
Israel
and PA agree on future transfer of funds
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Israel and the Palestinian Authority have finally agreed on a mechanism to
ensure the orderly transfer of tax revenues that Israel collects on the PA's
behalf to Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad.
Censor
bans movie on Jenin offensive
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
The censorship board has banned a movie produced by an Israeli Arab about
events in the West Bank town of Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield in
April, a board official said yesterday.
Mofaz
argues over NIS 6 billion gap in defense budget
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz said he would not be able to take responsibility
for Israel's defense if the government were to proceed with the proposed cut
in the defense budget, he told the Joint Defense Budget Committee yesterday.
EU
to push for Mideast 'road map' at Quartet talks
Jordan Times, December 11, 2002
BRUSSELS (R) — The European Union agreed on Tuesday to press for a Middle
East peace plan to be adopted by the “Quartet” of mediators at
a meeting on Dec. 20, despite US misgivings in the face of Israeli pressure.
Though
resourceful, refugee camp residents still fighting off poverty
Jordan Times, December 11, 2002
Second of a three-part series highlighting the FAFO report on living conditions
of the Palestinian camp population of Jordan -- AMMAN — A combination
of wages and other sources of income were found to be insufficient to sustain
refugee camp households above the poverty line, a recent report has concluded.
Shoe
scanner to start trials at B-G Airport
Ha'aretz, December 11, 2002
Ben Gurion Airport is to conduct a trial deployment of a new security system
that can identify explosives hidden in shoes without passengers having to
actually remove their shoes.
Occupation
Chronicle Events in Palestine, December 11, 2002
Palestine Media Center
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed two Palestinians in the West Bank and
the Gaza Strip while Israeli occupation soldiers conducted various raids in
cities and towns, detaining at least four citizens.
Israeli
soldiers patrol Bethlehem; violence stops Christmas preparations
Houston Chronicle, December 11, 2002
BETHLEHEM, West Bank -- Rain drips through the wooden roof of the ancient
Church of the Nativity, cold and empty except for a few monks and a couple
of children begging for change.
Gretta
Duisenberg Receives Human Rights Award in Belgium
Palestine Chronicle, December 10, 2002
BRUSSELS (PC) - On December 10, the day on which the Universal Declaration
of Human Rights was issued in 1948, the League for Human Rights, from Belgium,
awards a prize every year to someone, who has been actively involved in speaking
out against human rights violations.
An
Interview with Ma’eda Sawalha, the Mother of Assassinated Palestinian
Leader
Palestine Chronicle, December 10, 2002
JENIN (PC) - A month after the murder of the head of the Military Wing of
the Islamic Jihad Movement, Eyad Sawalha, droves of people to flood his family’s
home in Jenin.
Islamophobia
on the Rise in Europe: EU Report
Palestine Chronicle, December 10, 2002
BRUSSELS - The 11 September attacks in the US have brought about a greater
sense of fear of Islam and hostility towards Muslim across the EU. This is
one of the conclusions in a 116-page report by the European Monitoring Center
on Racism and Xenophobia (EUMC) presented to the press in Brussels Tuesday
afternoon.
