Israeli
Forces Kill Palestinian Girl, Demonstrations in Nablus
Islam Online, December 19, 2002
GAZA CITY, December 19 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) – An 11-year-old
Palestinian girl was killed when Israeli occupation troops opened fire Thursday,
December 19, in the southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah, Palestinian security
sources said.
Sharon
hit by votes-for-cash scandal in Likud
The Guardian, December 19, 2002
PM forced on defensive after police launch inquiry -- Israel's prime minister,
Ariel Sharon, has been drawn into a scandal in the ruling Likud party - involving
organised crime, vote buying and sex - amid questions about his son's selection
as a candidate in next month's general election.
Hundreds
of Muslim Immigrants Rounded Up in Calif.
New York Times, December 19, 2002
LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - Hundreds of Iranian and other Middle East citizens
were in southern California jails on Wednesday after coming forward to comply
with a new rule to register with immigration authorities only to wind up handcuffed
and behind bars.
Victims
of Israeli prevention of access to medical treatment
Palestine Monitor, December 17, 2002
Israeli soldiers prevent medical treatment – two newborn babies die
as a result: Adla Abdel Jaber As-Sayyefi, 37 years old, went into labour
at around 3am on the morning of December 10th. Her husband rushed to his parent’s
house concerned because Adla was due to go hospital to have an operation as
it was going to be a breech birth, but she went into labour too early.
Israel
holding about 5,000 'terror' prisoners
Tri-Valley Herald, December 19, 2002
"At one prison, Israeli guards had three identical clubs -- nicknamed Jesus,
Moses and Mohammed -- and asked prisoners which they wanted to be hit with,
Fares said. 'For us, this was Israeli democracy -- choosing the club you were
beaten with,' he said." -- RAMALLAH, West Bank -- During months in the West
Bank, Israel's army has detained more than 5,000 Palestinian men in roundups
that have slowed, but not halted, attacks on Israel. About 1,000 of those
prisoners face indefinite detention without trial -- a status easily renewed
every six months.
IDF
tank runs into Palestinian minibus, killing passenger
Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2002
An IDF tank ran into a Palestinian minibus near the West Bank town of Jenin
Thursday evening, killing one of the passengers.
Palestinian
Farmers bulldoze Apartheid Wall to reclaim Orange Groves
International Solidarity Movement, December 19, 2002
[Qalqilya] Assisted by activists from the International Solidarity
Movement, Palestinian farmers from the villages of Zeta and
Atil today bulldozed 8 roadblocks erected around the foundations
of the new Apartheid Wall which separates them from their farmland.
The removal of the roadblocks enabled more than 50 farmers to
harvest their crops for the first time in weeks.
Over
800 American Academics Join Israeli Colleagues In Warning Against Ethnic Cleansing
Professors of Conscience, December 18, 2002
We, American academics and intellectuals, applaud our courageous Israeli colleagues
for their recent letter warning of the possibility of ethnic cleansing in
Israel and the Occupied Territories. The 187 Israeli signatories express concern
that the "fog of war" [against Iraq] "could be exploited by the Israeli government
to commit further crimes against the Palestinian people, up to full- fledged
ethnic cleansing."
No
Mideast Plan Until Israel Holds Elections, Powell Says
New York Times, December 18, 2002
WASHINGTON, Dec. 18 — Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, rejecting
another urgent appeal from European leaders, said today that a negotiated
"road map" to create a Palestinian state could not be adopted this week, as
they wanted, but would have to wait until after Israeli elections early next
year.
The
Wreckage is Removed, But Jenin is Yet to be Rebuilt: Special
Report
Palestine Chronicle, December 18, 2002
"Saed Hamdan owned a two-story building. He rented out a few
shops in the building. He once made a good living. 'But I left
the camp with tattered clothes. I lost everything, even my i.d.
card. I am trying to put my life together, but how?'" -- JENIN
REFUGEE CAMP, West Bank (PC) - The homeless residents of the
Jenin refugee camp are running out of money, and out of hope
that their destroyed homes will be rebuilt.
Network
of Ditches: Newest Form of Siege
Palestine Monitor, December 18, 2002
The occupation army finished lately the digging of the ditch along 3 km to
completely isolate a group of northern villages from the city of Nablus. In
order to prevent anyone from sneaking through the dug ditches, the occupation
army used bulldozers to transfer wastewater coming out of Nablus towards the
east to this ditch. This ditch is part of a large network of ditches. The
occupation army digs these around the various residential gatherings north
of the West Bank, with an aim of isolating them from one another.
Beit
Amin Fears the Metal Gate as “Security Wall” Expands
Palestine Chronicle, December 18, 2002
BEIT AMIN, West Bank (PC) - With growing concern, the residents of a small
Palestinian village gaze at an Israeli “security wall”, hastily
being erected on their land. The village of Beit Amin is located in the northern
part of the West Bank, sandwiched between the West Bank city of Tulkarm and
the Israeli border.
Mass
arrests of Muslims in LA
BBC, December 19, 2002
Families protested against the detention of relatives -- US immigration officials
in Southern California have detained hundreds of Iranians and other Muslim
men who turned up to register under residence laws brought in as part of the
anti-terror drive.
Thousands
Protest New Immigration Policy
New York Times, December 19, 2002
LOS ANGELES (AP) -- Thousands of Iranian-Americans demonstrated against the
arrest of Middle Eastern immigrants who had voluntarily registered with the
federal government under a new anti-terrorism program.
ACLU
Calls Immigrant Registration Program Pretext for Mass Detentions
American Civil Liberties Union, December 19, 2002
"According to media reports...up to 700 Middle Eastern and Muslim men and
boys were arrested in Southern California by federal immigration authorities
after they voluntarily complied with a new program..." -- WASHINGTON –
In a development that confirms the American Civil Liberties Union’s
initial fears about a controversial immigrant fingerprinting and registration
program, the Immigration and Naturalization Service is apparently using the
program as a pretext for the mass detention of hundreds of Middle Eastern
and Muslim men and boys.
President
Arafat: Israel is Violating Freedom of Worship
Palestine Chronicle, December 18, 2002
RAMALLAH - President Yasser Arafat stressed, following a meeting Tuesday with
a Christian delegation at his headquarters in Ramallah that the Israeli government
continues to violate freedom of worship, calling upon international community
to pressure the Jewish state into allowing the Palestinian people to celebrate
Christmas.
Five
men from one family killed in Gaza – All in the name of “security’
Palestine Monitor, December 16, 2002
On the 12th of December, Israeli soldiers in a tank fired a missile directly
at five men. The tank which probably weighed around 60 tons (if it was a Merkava),
has special "spaced armor” protection, is approximately 2.7 meters high
and 8.7 meters long and is big enough to carry a small Infantry squad internally
under complete armored protection , fired a missile at five unarmed men. The
outcome was fairly predictable – all five men were killed instantly.
IDF
troops destroy home of Kibbutz Metzer terrorist; arrest 20
Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2002
IDF troops on Thursday morning destroyed the home the terrorist who carried
out the deadly attack on Kibbutz Metzer in November, Israel Radio reported.
IOF
Soldiers Kill 16-year-old, Persist in Detention Spree
Palestine Chronicle, December 18, 2002
"A 10-year-old Palestinian girl was also wounded Tuesday when the Israeli
army demolished three houses in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah .."
-- GAZA CITY - A 16 year-old Palestinian boy was killed and two other persons
were injured, when a shell fired by an Israeli tank, slammed into a house
in the Gaza Strip city of Khan Younis, Palestinian security and medical sources
reported Tuesday.
Likud
braces for public fury; vows to back police
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Despite an enormous lead that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon holds personally
over Labor's leader Amram Mitzna in the popularity polls, the Likud party
appears to be hemorrhaging votes, and the trend is not stopping, despite efforts
to remain calm in the Likud campaign headquarters.
Ha'aretz
poll: Likud loses some ground to Labor
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
According to a poll conducted Tuesday evening for Ha'aretz by the Dialogue
company, under the direction of Camil Fuchs, the Likud would win 35 Knesset
seats in an election, down from 41 according to the previous survey, conducted
one week ago. Labor would receive 23 Knesset seats, up three from last week.
AG
requests disqualification of Azmi Bishara's Balad list
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein asked the Central Election Committee to
disqualify the Arab list Balad (National Democratic Alliance) from competing
in the Knesset elections because its goals contradict the Jewish-democratic
nature of the state of Israel and because it supports organizations fighting
against Israel.
Palestinians:
11-year-old girl killed in Gaza
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Metzer attacker's home demolished -- Palestinian sources reported Thursday
that an 11-year-old Palestinian girl was shot to death In the Gaza Strip town
of Rafah during a gunfight between IDF troops and armed Palestinian militants.
The Israeli army said it was checking the report.
Seven
settlers arrested as IDF removes illegal Hebron outpost
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Seven settlers were arrested and several soldiers injured during the evacuation
of the illegal "Giborei Hebron" outpost on Thursday morning. The outpost was
established last month on the road leading to the Tomb of the Patriarchs,
at the spot where 12 soldiers were killed in a terrorist ambush.
Israeli
Forces Raze Settler Post, Palestinian Home
New York Times, December 19, 2002
HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli troops forcibly removed an outpost in
Hebron Thursday which Jewish settlers erected to stake a claim to land near
the site of a Palestinian attack which killed 12 settlers and security men.
IDF
poised to evacuate illegal Hebron outpost
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The Israel Defense Forces was deploying large numbers of troops in the area
of Worshipers Way in Hebron last night in preparation for the evacuation of
an illegal outpost of settlers.
U.S.
intervention spared Bethlehem home at the last minute
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Rada Issa of Bethlehem says she is from a "peace-loving" family. Her late
father, Hussein, was known to many in Israel and countries overseas as a worker
for peace, and the school which he headed won the support of the U.S. Embassy
in Israel, and the U.S. government.
One
killed, nine hurt in Nablus clashes
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
A 16-year old Palestinian youth was shot dead yesterday in Nablus after IDF
soldiers fired when they saw him trying to throw a Molotov cocktail. Nine
other Palestinians were wounded, as were two soldiers, who were lightly wounded,
during clashes between army troops and youths protesting against the curfew
in the city.
Court
extends order banning demolition of Hebron homes
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The High Court yesterday extended a temporary injunction against the Israel
Defense Forces' demolishing Palestinian houses along the planned "promenade,"
which is to run between Kiryat Arba and Hebron's Cave of the Patriarchs.
IDF
chided for Palestinian prisoner conditions
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The High Court yesterday rejected petitions submitted by human rights organizations
regarding conditions at Ketziot and Ofer prisons, saying there have been improvements
there. However, the court did criticize the condition of the two prisons,
where Palestinians have been detained since Operation Defensive Shield.
Barghouti
loses appeal to cancel punishment for talking to media
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The Tel Aviv District Court yesterday rejected Marwan Barghouti's appeal to
cancel the punishment imposed on him for giving an "indirect" interview to
the AP news agency, via his lawyer, without the Prison Service's permission.
Knesset's
last law gives courts right to ban publication of suspects' names
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The last law promulgated by the 15th Knesset allows courts to decide to ban
publication of the name of a suspect who has been remanded but not yet charged,
if the judges believe preserving the suspect's privacy outweighs the public's
right to know.
US
puts brake on Mid-East plan
BBC, December 19, 2002
The EU had hoped to launch the plan on Friday -- The United States has called
for a new "road map for peace" for the Middle East to be postponed until after
Israel's general election on 28 January.
Israeli
Troops Kill Girl, 11, in Gaza - Witnesses
New York Times, December 19, 2002
GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli army gunfire killed an 11-year-old Palestinian girl
in the Gaza Strip on Thursday as she opened a window in her house in an area
where soldiers and gunmen do battle daily, her relatives said.
Netanyahu
dampens Blair's Palestinian talks plan
Reuters News, December 19, 2002
ROME (Reuters) - Israeli Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday
a British proposal for talks on Palestinian reform was futile as long as Yasser
Arafat was leader of the Palestinian Authority.
Hear
Palestine, December 19, 2002
NEWS: 11-Year Old Girl Killed in Random Israeli Military Attack in Rafah /
Tulkarem: Occupation Army Invades Refugee Camp, Demolishes Home / Jenin: Occupation
Army Invades City and Refugee Camp at Dawn / Hebron: Israeli Supreme Court
Postpones Looking into Home Demolition Cases / Nablus: Palestinian Youths
Take Down Metal Gate Dividing the City / Bethlehem: Israeli Soldiers Attack
Journalists Near Church of Nativity / Salfeet: Campaign of Raids and Arrests
/ Ramallah: Child Wounded in Qalandya; Tightened Military Measures in BirZeit
FEATURES: The Busses: Nothing New Under the Rain / The Resident Al-Qudra:
We Have No Choice But to Stay
Amnesty
Int'l slams Mofaz over imprisonment of refuseniks
Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2002
Amnesty International on Thursday wrote to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz expressing
concern about the imprisonment of regular and reserve soldiers who refuse
to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Movement
for Quality Government seeks barring of Likud, Labor lists from election
Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2002
The Movement for Quality Government in Israel on Thursday petitioned the High
Court of Justice, requesting it order the Central Election Committee not to
authorize the Likud and Labor parties' candidate lists for the upcoming Knesset
election, Israel Radio reported. In lodging its petition, the movement cited
suspicions of bribery and irregularities in both parties' preliminary elections.
U.S.
to Say Iraq Violates U.N. Resolution
New York Times, December 19, 2002
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Secretary of State Colin Powell was expected to say
on Thursday that Iraq's weapons declaration contained omissions that amount
to a violation of a U.N. Security Council disarmament resolution, U.S. officials
said.
US
military chiefs break ranks to say war 'will be bloody'
The Independent, December 19, 2002
Marine Corps and Army generals distance themselves from Pentagon as inspections
chief prepares to brief UN -- The senior commanders of the US forces most
directly involved in the ground part of any war with Iraq are said to fear
the campaign could be a more protracted and bloody affair than some in the
Pentagon's civilian leadership expect.
Iraq's
Shortage of Medicine May Grow More Severe
Washington Post, December 19, 2002
U.S. Proposal to Tighten Sanctions Would Restrict Antibiotics, Other Goods
With Potential Military Use -- BAGHDAD, Iraq -- The infant lay sleeping on
a bed, an intravenous tube disappearing beneath the worn gray blanket as her
mother dabbed at tiny bubbles around the baby's mouth.
U.S.
Sets January as Target Date for Decision on Iraq
Washington Post, December 19, 2002
The Bush administration has set the last week in January as the make-or-break
point in the long standoff with Iraq, and is increasingly confident that by
then it will have marshaled the evidence to convince the U.N. Security Council
that Iraq is in violation of a U.N. resolution passed last month and to call
for the use of force, officials said yesterday.
Projection
on Fall Of Hussein Disputed: Ground Forces Chiefs, Pentagon at Odds
Washington Post, December 18, 2002
With war possible soon in Iraq, the chiefs of the two U.S. ground forces are
challenging the belief of some senior Pentagon civilians that Iraqi President
Saddam Hussein will fall almost immediately upon being attacked and are calling
for more attention to planning for worst-case scenarios, Defense Department
officials said.
Iraq
accused of UN violation
BBC, December 19, 2002
The United States has accused Iraq of being in "material breach" of a United
Nations Security Council resolution over its weapons declaration.
Israel,
Turkey and US to conduct joint Naval exercise
Jerusalem Post, December 19, 2002
Joint search and rescue maneuvers between the Naval forces of Israel, the
US and Turkey are scheduled to take place on January 1 in international waters
off the coast of Israel, the IDF said Thursday.
Iraqi
Children Ask: Isn’t America Fed Up With Killing Yet?
Islam Online, December 19, 2002
BAGHDAD, December 19 (IslamOnline) – The long drawn-out sanctions the
United States has imposed on Iraq have already wiped away the children’s
smiles, and now with a proposed U.S. war looming on the horizons, fear lurks
in every family home, and can especially be seen on the children’s faces.
US
support for Iraq action falls: Poll
Arab News, December 19, 2002
LOS ANGELES, 19 December 2002 — More than 70 percent of American voters
do not believe the Bush administration has made the case for war against Iraq,
according to an opinion poll released Tuesday showing a significant diminution
in US public support for military action since the resumption of United Nations
weapons inspections.
Blix
to Say Iraqi Arms Declaration Has Gaps
New York Times, December 19, 2002
UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - Chief U.N. inspector Hans Blix is set to tell the
U.N. Security Council on Thursday that Iraq has left questions unanswered
in its 12,000-page new weapons declaration, diplomats and U.N. officials said.
IAEA
Tells UN Nothing New in Iraq Nuke Declaration
New York Times, December 19, 2002
VIENNA (Reuters) - The U.N. nuclear watchdog agency told the Security Council
on Thursday that Iraq's declaration on its nuclear program contained nothing
new compared to its last statements to nuclear inspectors in 1998.
Syria
to Boycott UN Meeting on Iraqi Arms Dossier
New York Times, December 19, 2002
DAMASCUS (Reuters) - Syria said on Thursday it had instructed its representatives
at the United Nations in New York to boycott Security Council talks on Iraq's
arms declaration in protest against receiving an excised copy of the text.
No
new information in Iraqi dossier
The Guardian, December 19, 2002
The UN's chief weapons inspector, Hans Blix, said today that Iraq's arms declaration
contains little new information about its weapons of mass destruction capability.
Iraq
to Meet Kuwait, Saudi Arabia on War Missing
New York Times, December 19, 2002
BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq said Thursday it would hold talks with its Gulf War
foes Kuwait and Saudi Arabia next month on the fate of hundreds of people
who went missing during 1990-1991 Iraqi occupation of Kuwait.
Iraq's
'unaccounted for' weapons
BBC, December 19, 2002
Chief UN weapons inspector Hans Blix has said Iraq's new declaration contains
little information that had not been declared by Baghdad before 1998 when
UN arms experts were last in Iraq.
Russia
and China 'broke Iraq embargo'
BBC, December 19, 2002
Russian and Chinese firms exported military equipment and know-how to Iraq
despite a United Nations ban on arms sales, a German newspaper has reported.
American
University Students Protests U.S. War On Iraq
Palestine Chronicle, December 18, 2002
CAIRO - Around 150 students and professors of the American University in Cairo
(AUC) staged a peaceful demonstration Wednesday, December 18, protesting a
possible U.S.-led war on Iraq and showing support of the Palestinian people.
Canada
gets set for war in a big way
Toronto Star, December 19, 2002
WASHINGTON—Canada's military is making contingency plans for a significant
contribution to a possible U.S-led war against Iraq, built around the navy
and air force, federal government sources say.
Iraq
Not Worried About U.N. Assessment
The Guardian, December 19, 2002
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - The United States - and not Iraq - should be concerned
about the U.N. assessment of Baghdad's weapons declaration, Saddam Hussein's
science adviser said Thursday.
Economic
officials: Iraq war likely to ignite Israeli economy
Globes, December 19, 2002
Economists said the war would improve chances of receiving special aid, but
also warned of inflationary pressure. -- Senior economic officials in
Jerusalem said a war in Iraq might be the best thing possible for the Israeli
economy, after 30 months of recession and the conflict with the Palestinians,
provided Israel is not a party in the war, and avoids direct involvement in
the fighting.
Health
Ministry: Few side effects in smallpox vaccine drive
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The Health Ministry's smallpox vaccination of 15,000 emergency workers in
preparation for a possible U.S.-led war on Iraq caused few side effects, a
ministry spokesman said Thursday.
Eitan
to propose nixing Tibi's Knesset bid
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
Deputy chair of the central election committee, Likud MK Michael Eitan, will
today submit a proposal to disqualify MK Ahmed Tibi (Ta'al - Arab Movement
for Renewal) as a candidate in the upcoming elections.
Hamad
will stay away from summit
Arab News, December 19, 2002
DUBAI, 19 December 2002 — King Hamad of Bahrain yesterday
announced that he was staying away from the GCC summit in Qatar.
Like Saudi Arabia, Bahrain is also sending its foreign minister
to the decision-making Gulf Cooperation Council talks. Omani
sources said the attendance of Sultan Qaboos was also in doubt.
University
screening of `Jenin' gets past censor
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
The film "Jenin Jenin," directed by Mohammed Bakri, which was
banned for commercial broadcast by the Film Censorship Board
last week, was screened yesterday to law students at Tel Aviv
University.
British
ambassador briefs Sharon on Syrian president's visit to London
Ha'aretz, December 19, 2002
UK Ambassador Sherard Cowper-Coles met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon last
night and briefed him on the results of the meetings Syrian President Bashar
Assad held in London this week, and on British Prime Minister Tony Blair's
invitation to Palestinian and other Arab leaders to visit London for discussions
about how to advance the peace proces.
JMCC
Public Opinion Poll On Palestinian Attitudes Towards the Palestinian Situation
in General
Jerusalem Media and Communication Centre, December 2002
Pope
Decries Abuse of Authority in Middle East
New York Times, December 19, 2002
VATICAN CITY (AP) -- Pope John Paul II decried abuse of political authority
in the Middle East, writing in a message released Tuesday that the region
needs leaders who will carry out policies based on respect for human rights
and dignity.
Hamas
leader, wife, brothers indicted on terror charges
Sarasota Herald-Tribune, December 19, 2002
DALLAS -- The leader of an Islamic militant group, his wife and five brothers
who work at a Texas company were indicted on charges of money laundering and
sending computers to Libya and Syria, Attorney General John Ashcroft said
Wednesday.
Arafat
legitimate leader of Palestinians: British official
The Peninsula, December 19, 2002
DOHA: The British government has appointed a spokesman to address public opinion
in the Middle East region, especially on major issues such as the Iraq crisis
and the Palestine-Israel conflict. The spokesman, Mark Sedwill, is based in
Amman, Jordan. Speaking to the media yesterday, Sedwill, who was on a brief
visit to Doha, said his duties include projecting the British opinion and
influencing the Arab public.
Roadmap
insists Israel commit to State
The Peninsula, December 19, 2002
AMMAN: A much-awaited “roadmap” to a Middle East settlement calls
on Israel to commit itself “unequivocally” to an independent Palestinian
state, according to the latest draft of the document obtained yesterday by
Agence France Presse.
Bashir:
US becomes Jordan's second largest trading partner
Jordan Times, December 19, 2002
AMMAN (JT) — Industry and Trade Minister Salah Bashir told leading US
industry and trade experts attending the Detroit Economic Club's 37th Annual
Economic Outlook meeting last week that the US has grown to become the second
largest trading partner with Jordan, and soon will become the first.
Weekly
Report On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories,
12-18 December , 2002
The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights
12 Palestinian civilians, including 2 children and a mentally
handicapped young man have been killed by Israeli forces /
5 Palestinian civilians from one family, including 2 brothers,
killed by Flechette shells / Israeli forces conducted
a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied by
indiscriminate shelling / Israeli forces demolished 21 houses
in Rafah / A new extra-judicial assassination, Palestinian
killed / Continued Israeli retaliatory campaign against families
of wanted Palestinians and those who carried out armed attacks
against Israeli targets / Israeli forces use Palestinian civilians
as human shields during military operations / A number of Palestinians
arrested / Continued strict siege of the OPT and a number of
Palestinians arrested at Israeli military checkpoints
