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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 Slaughtered, Including Two Children in West Bank Refugee Camp International Press Center 12/22/2003 NABLUS, Palestine, December 22, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The death toll of the Palestinian citizens killed on Sunday climbed to three, including two children in Balata refugee camp, east of Nablus City, and the third suffocated by the tear gas canisters during the sixth day of Israeli military onslaught on the camp. Palestinian medical sources of Nablus City declared Sunday evening that Zuheir Ewaiss, 46, suffocated to death after intensive tear gas canisters were fired at the citizens’ houses in Balata refugee camp by the Israeli occupying troops....Meanwhile, the Israeli occupying forces rounded up Monday morning 11 Palestinian citizens from Hebron, Nablus and Ramallah, led them all to an undisclosed destination, the local “Al Hurriys Voice” radio station said. As well, the Israeli occupying soldiers invaded the Rafah refugee camp, south of the Gaza Strip. Israeli D-9 military bulldozers demolished five homes in the camp and leveled 20 others that were destroyed earlier, Al Jazeera satellite channel reported. Israeli invasion shakes Jenin Al-Jazeera 12/22/2003 Three Palestinians have been wounded, one seriously, during a major Israeli military invasion of Jenin on Monday. The occupation troops entered the northern West Bank town with 20 military jeeps and tanks backed by two Apache helicopters which opened fire, witnesses said. A local man who only wanted to be identified by his first name for fear of reprisals from the Israeli military told Aljazeera.net that tanks and the Apaches entered Jenin in the morning and opened fire on the house of a 29 year-old-man in Haleimah Al-Sadaia, eastern Jenin. "Apache helicopters were used to target the house of Aysar Abu Sroor, his pregnant wife and two children were in the house when the army started shooting from above. No warning was given to the family, so that they could leave the house", said Yousef. Israeli troops kill Palestinian boy, 5, arrest prominent Hamas leader Daily Star 12/22/2003 Jewish settlers vow to fight any government attempts to remove them -- Israeli troops killed a 5-year-old Palestinian boy and arrested a Hamas leader during a series of raids in the West Bank city of Nablus Sunday amid Egyptian efforts to salvage a teetering Middle East peace process. Also Sunday, an Israeli Army force destroyed five houses in the Rafah refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. The latest violence came a day ahead of a visit to Israel by Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher, in what he has said is an effort to persuade the Israeli government to push forward with the “road map.” We're here to stay, say the front-line settlers The Telegraph 12/22/2003 Sheltered by the porch outside the Moyal household, home of one of Netzarim's 63 settler families, is a Hanukka menorah. At the start of the festival of Hanukka, when the candles of the menorah are lit, the scene is reminiscent of any Jewish house in Israel. But a week ago, the Moyal porch was hit by an improvised mortar fired by Palestinians from outside the settlement's perimeter. The Moyals' house has long been on the front line of the Middle East conflict. After a speech at Herzliya by Ariel Sharon, the Israeli prime minister, last Thursday it was also placed at the centre of the latest battleground in Israeli politics. Occupation forces storm two captives’ houses Palestinian Information Center 12/22/2003 Ramallah - A Zionist army unit yesterday stormed the town of Silwad to the north of the West Bank city of Ramallah and broke into the houses of two Palestinian detainees. Local sources in the town said that ten border guards’ patrols accompanied by a number of Zionist intelligence officers broke into the houses of Ahmed Mustafa Al-Najjar and Khaled Mu’ezuddin Hamed. News Briefs: IOF re-invades Balata camp, three UNWRA workers wounded in Gaza International Middle East Media Center 12/22/2003 Troops reinvade Balata refugee camp, a few hours after withdrawing: The army repeated its invasion to Balata refugee camp east Nablus around 10 this morning, sever exchange of gunfire was reported at the entrance of the camp between the resistance and the troops. / Three UNRWA workers wounded in Gaza: Palestinian sources mentioned today that three Palestinians working with the UMRWA were wounded this morning in Khan-Younis south Gaza. The three men were fixing water lines which have been destroyed one week ago after the military supportted bymany tanks invaded that area, and demolished 18 houses. / Troops impose curfew on a village near Jenin, and invade Jenin's refugee camp: Today, the army imposed curfew in Sanour village near the city of Jenin at the north of the West Bank . According to the army, this procedure came after the military chased a car which the say that it contained a group of the Al-Aqsa Martyr Brigades. Hamas Figure Arrested, 7 Homes Demolished Islam Online 12/21/2003 NABLUS, December 21 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) –Hamas spokesman in the West Bank was detained by the Israeli occupation forces in the early hours of Sunday, December 21, as Israel continued its controversial policy of pulling down Palestinian houses. The U.S. President, meanwhile, renewed his call for getting rid of the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. Dr. Muhammad Ghazal, from Hamas' Nablus political command, told IslamOnline.net that Adnan Asfur, a prominent Hamas political leader and the official spokesman of the movement in the West Bank, was detained in a new Israeli incursion in the West Bank city of Nablus. IOF Detain 200 Palestinians in Week, 2 Die of Wounds Palestine Media Center 12/21/2003 Israeli Onslaught Continues in Nablus, Balatah Refugee Camp -- Two Palestinians, including a teenage boy, died early Sunday of wounds sustained earlier by Israeli Occupation Forces’ (IOF) gunfire in Nablus and Qalqilya. IOF also detained more than 200 Palestinian activists in the West Bank in the past week and continued their siege of Nablus and the Balatah refugee camp in an invasion launched on December 16 dubbed “Operation Calm Waters.” Rafah: Every day the effects of the Israeli occupation shows more and more Rafah Today 12/21/2003 Every day the effects of the Israeli occupation shows more and more.. It seems Israeli soldiers will not comforted if they stay for only one night without shooting. That is what's clear in Rafah where local human rights centers consider Rafah as the worst place which has received the most attacks. Gaza Strip has the professional Israeli soldiers who demolish houses while people are sleeping in them. Israeli Apache pilots shell houses while their inhabitants are sleeping in them, and that was yesterday’s incursions which came only few days after the last attacks where International Israeli Bulldozers demolished on of the mosques in Al Brahama area in Rafah. PFLP military wing attacks Zionist patrol Palestinian Information Center 12/22/2003 Gaza - The Martyr Abu Ali Mustafa Brigades, the PFLP military wing, declared today responsibility for attacking a Zionist occupation army foot patrol in the Beit Hanon city in the Gaza Strip yesterday. The communiqué said that the operation along with similar other attacks were the natural retaliation to the Zionist occupation’s fascist crimes in lines of the Palestinian people. Two children killed in Balata Al-Jazeera 12/22/2003 Two children have been killed by Israeli occupation troops in the besieged Balata refugee camp, which is experiencing its sixth day of a massive Israeli military invasion. Aljazeera correspondents in the West Bank reported that a five-year-old boy was killed on Sunday when Israeli soldiers opened fire in the refugee camp. The five-year-old has been named as Muhammad Naim Tesrida who was shot in the chest while playing near his house in Balata. Medics reported that Tesrida died shortly after he was shot. Israeli invasion of Balata continues Al-Jazeera 12/21/2003 The Israeli occupation army has stepped up the five-day military invasion of the Balata refugee camp in the West Bank. Local residents told Aljazeera.net that soldiers have occupied two new houses inside the camp and are firing rounds of teargas into residents homes. This is the fifth day of a major army invasion into the refugee camp and surrounding city of Nablus. Palestinian sources, including the Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) say this is one of the biggest invasions that the occupation army has launched in recent times in Balata. Israeli army makes two West Bank incursions Middle East Online 12/22/2003 JENIN, West Bank - Nine Palestinians were wounded Monday as Israeli troops carried out two incursions in the northern West Bank to arrest Palestinian militants, Palestinian medical and security sources said. In the northern West Bank town of Jenin, troops arrested a senior militant from the hardline Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, an armed offshoot of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement....Further south, clashes erupted in Balata refugee camp in Nablus, with locals throwing stones at an army patrol, medical and security sources said. The soldiers opened fire, injuring five people moderately. One of them was injured by live gunfire, while the rest sustained rubber-bullet wounds. Palestinian factions condemn arrest of Hamas spokesman Palestinian Information Center 12/22/2003 Nablus - The coordination committee of the Palestinian factions in the Nablus district has denounced the Zionist arrest of Hamas Movement’s spokesman in the West Bank Adnan Asfour. A committee statement said that the Zionist arrest of the Hamas spokesman, who is also a member in the committee, fell in line with Sharon’s declared war on the Palestinian people and their cadres and political leaders. Three Palestinians killed in Nablus as soldiers of elite Israeli unit refuse to serve in occupied territories Al-Bawaba 12/21/2003 A six-year-old Palestinian child was killed by Israeli fire in Balata refugee camp outside this northern West Bank city. Mohammad al-Araj was hit in the chest after being caught out in the street by exchanges between stonethrowing demonstrators and Israeli troops, Palestinian medics said Sunday....Overnight Saturday, Israeli troops demolished two buildings in the outskirts of Rafah, near the border between Israel and Egypt. Israeli security sources said that the buildings were used as a starting point for an underground tunnel that last week took Palestinians close to an Israeli outposts, where they detonated two explosive devices. Hamas leader Mashal: Iraqi resistance inspires Palestinians Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 BEIRUT, Lebanon - The Iraqis fighting the U.S.-led forces of occupation are an inspiration to the Palestinians, a leader of the militant Palestinian group Hamas said Sunday. Speaking in the Lebanese capital to mark the anniversary of Hamas' founding in 1987, Khaled Mashal said that the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq in March and the early stages of the occupation that began April constituted a "point of weakness and a threat to the (Islamic) nation....But now we can deal with it as a point of strength, and a point of weakness for the American-Zionist plan in the region," he said. Shin Bet, MI at odds over Hamas terror strategy Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 The Israel Defense Forces' Military Intelligence division believes that over the last 100 days, Hamas has refrained from carrying out terror strikes against Israeli civilians west of the Green Line. Hamas's last attack within the Green Line, according to MI, took place at Cafe Hillel in Jerusalem, on September 9, 2003. Over the past three and a half months, Hamas has focused its attacks and attempted attacks on soldiers - both in the territories and in Israel - and settlers....The Shin Bet security service, however, does not share this assessment put forward by MI. According to data in the hands of the Shin Bet, Hamas activists have participated in numerous attempted terror attacks against Israeli civilian targets in recent weeks. Breaking News: Two UNWRA workers among wounded in Khan Younis International Press Center 12/22/2003 12:00-- IOF soldiers wound three Palestinian citizens, two are UNRWA’s workers, in the refugee camp of khan Younis. The soldiers fortified inside a military post at the Al Tufah barrier and in the vicinity of colonial Jewish settlement “Neve Dekalim” opened their gunfire indiscriminately towards a group of UNRWA worker trying to fix up a water pipe ripped by the Israeli bulldozers, WAFA said./ 11:45-- Two Palestinian citizens have been wounded during an Israeli fresh incursion into Jenin city of the west bank, WAFA said. Drawing a line Sydney Morning Herald December 2003 Map and graphic of Israel's "separation barrier"

Diplomacy..

Egypt's Maher Assaulted in Jerusalem's Old City Reuters 12/22/2003 JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Radical Muslim worshippers assaulted Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher in the al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem's Old City Monday and he was rushed to hospital, witnesses, police and security guards said. Initial reports said Maher, 68, was beaten and taken unconscious to hospital but witnesses and police later said he was accosted, jostled and possibly struck several times by a hostile mob shouting "Allahu Akbar" (God is Great)....Israeli medics said Maher, who had just completed talks on Middle East peace issues with Israeli leaders, was treated for shortness of breath and was in good condition. Egyptian FM Arrives in Israel to Revive Stalled Peace Process International Press Center 12/22/2003 GAZA, Palestine, December 22, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher arrived in Israel on Monday in a brief visit, to inject momentum into the deadlock between the Israelis and the Palestinians. Maher will hold, in his brief visit, talks with the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, his counterpart Silvan Shalom and the Israeli President Moshe Katsav. Maher’s visit likely comes in the course of Cairo’s efforts with the Palestinian Authority to revive the internationally-backed “Road Map” peace plan. Israel planning Iran attack Al-Jazeera 12/21/2003 Israel is considering a military strike to destroy the nuclear programme of Iran, now regarded as Tel Aviv's number one enemy. The Israeli daily Haaretz cited defence minister Shaul Mofaz as telling Israel radio's Persian service last week that if a decision was made to destroy Iran's nuclear capability, "necessary steps will be taken so that Iranian citizens will not be harmed". Since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's rule in Iraq, Israel has come to regard the Islamic government in Tehran as its number one enemy. Iran warns Israel against striking nuclear sites Middle East Online 12/22/2003 TEHRAN - Israel "will dig its own grave" if it attacks Iranian nuclear sites, the head of the Iranian air force General Seyed Reza Pardis told a news agency close to the Islamic regime's hardliners. "The threats of the Zionist regime hold no value for us," Pardis was quoted as saying by Mehr news agency in reaction to statements by Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz. Bush declares: "We must get rid of Arafat" Yahoo! News 12/21/2003 US President George W. Bush told an Israeli journalist that "we must get rid of" Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, the mass-circulation Yediot Aharonot daily has reported. Bush's comments came in a brief exchange with the paper's correspondent during a Christmas drinks party in Washington, several hours after a keynote speech by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon Thursday in which he outlined plans for unilateral disengagement from peace negotiations with the Palestinians. PNA Denies Statements Attributed to Bush on Arafat Palestine Media Center 12/22/2003 Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said Sunday several official US sources indicated to him that the statements attributed to President George W. Bush by the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot’s, concerning President Yasser Arafat, were “untrue.” US President George W. Bush reportedly told an Israeli journalist that “we must get rid of” Arafat, the Israeli daily reported Sunday. “We have made several contacts with our (US) friends who informed President Arafat that the statements attributed to President Bush are untrue,” Shaath told Al Quds daily on Monday. Report: Qatar mediated between US, Hamas Al-Bawaba 12/21/2003 Qatari mediation efforts brought about the Hamas' decision to respond in favor to a request from the United States and to declare a halt last month against attacks on civilians, the Palestinian Al-Ayam daily reported Sunday. It added that currently, the US is demanding a complete cease-fire, but the Hamas has a list of claims it is asking for, in exchange. The Hamas' announcement last month with regards to a halt on attacks against civilians in exchange for an end to Israel's assassinations of the movement's leaders is the result of mediation efforts between the United States and the Hamas, initiated by Qatar, the Palestinian daily, quoting "reliable sources," said. PM's plan will keep out Palestinian workers Ha'aretz 12/21/2003 The government will seek to reduce Palestinian economic dependence on Israel and to strengthen economic ties between the territories and the neighboring Arab states of Jordan and Egypt. These are the foundations of the economic chapter of the "disengagement plan" touted Thursday by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the Herzliya Conference. Under Sharon's initiative, in the event of a failure to move forward with the U.S.-backed road map, and the implementation of the "disengagement plan," Palestinians from the territories will be prevented in the future from entering Israel to work. Mofaz: No casualties if we strike at Iranian nukes Ha'aretz 12/21/2003 An operation to destroy Iran's nuclear capabilities if necessary is under consideration, according to Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz. Speaking in Persian last week on Israel Radio, Mofaz said that if the need arises to destroy Iran's nuclear capability, "the necessary steps will be taken so that Iranian citizens will not be harmed." The bombing of the Iraqi nuclear reactor near Baghdad in 1981 was carried out on a local holiday when it was assumed that the facility would be empty or nearly empty, and one person, a French technician, was killed in the attack. Israel protests Egyptian spy drones Jerusalem Post 12/21/2003 Israeli officials are expected to protest Egyptian drones, being used to spy on Israeli defense facilities, when Foreign Minister Ahmad Maher El Sayed visits this week. Amid growing military tensions, Israel reportedly threatened to shoot down the unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), which have been detected in recent weeks over the nuclear research facility at Nahal Sorek and the missile test site at Palmahim, south of Tel Aviv. The flights contravene the 1979 peace treaty with Egypt and are said to be fuelling the growing distrust between Israel and Egypt over a military build-up. Bush chided for Arafat rebuke Al-Jazeera 12/21/2003 US President George Bush has been berated for comments calling for Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat to be removed from power. "President Arafat is the elected leader of the Palestinian people and the US and Israel must respect that", chief Palestinian negotiator, Saib Uraiqat told Aljazeera.net. He was reacting to Bush's remarks to an Israeli journalist that "we must get rid of" Arafat....Palestinian NGOs were even more critical of Bush saying "any interference by the US and Israel to try to get rid of Arafat will be met with confrontation by the Palestinian people". UN satellites eye Israeli barrier BBC 12/22/2003 The UN is keeping a close eye from space on the path of Israel's controversial West Bank barrier. It is using satellites to take images of the 700km (435 miles) barrier which cuts across Palestinian territory. The aim is to offer clear geographical data on a politically-charged issue. "It is evident by looking at this wall on the satellite imagery to see the damage done to Palestinian villages that are getting trapped," said Alain Retiere of the UN's satellite agency. Jerusalem's Patriarch urges Palestinians, Israelis to make peace SpaceWar 12/22/2003 Jerusalem's Latin patriarch called on Palestinians and Israelis to work together for peace in a traditional pre-Christmas address Monday, saying the unofficial Geneva Initiative peace plan proved reconciliation was possible. "Nobody, neither Israeli nor Palestinian, wants war and bloodshed. Israelis are in seach of their security and Palestinians are in search of their land and liberty," Michel Sabbah told a press conference at his Jerusalem headquarters. Sharon: Israel will respond positively to truce Middle East Online 12/22/2003 Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Egypt's foreign minister here Monday that he remained committed to the US-backed roadmap peace plan and would respond in kind if Palestinian factions declared a truce. "I have heard a commitment by Israeli officials to the roadmap, according to which steps have to be taken in parallel by both sides," Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher said after talks with both Sharon and his Israeli counterpart Silvan Shalom. Turkey Accuses Israel of Buying Oil from Kurdish Iraq Middle East Newsline 12/22/2003 ANKARA [MENL] -- Turkey has accused Israel of purchasing oil from Kurdish controlled areas of northern Iraq. Turkish officials said the government of Prime Minister Recep Erdogan has been alarmed by reports that Israel has purchased oil from the Kirkuk area. They said the oil being traded by Kurdish groups was meant to be exported to Ankara via the Kirkuk-Ceyhan pipeline. Mid-East call on Israel to disarm BBC 12/21/2003 Several states in the Middle East have responded to Libya's pledge to abandon weapons of mass destruction programmes by demanding that Israel do the same. Egypt urged Israel to eliminate any banned weapons, while Iran said the Israelis should be forced to follow Libya's example. Similar sentiments were expressed by the Gulf states of Qatar and Bahrain. Israel has never confirmed that it has nuclear weapons, but is widely believed to possess dozens of nuclear warheads. PA wants Quartet to push Israel Ha'aretz 12/21/2003 The Palestinian Authority yesterday called on the Quartet, which consists of representatives from the United States, United Nations, Russia, and the European Union, to take measures that will bring about Israel's implementation of the road map peace initiative. The PA also called on the Quartet to intervene against the plan for unilateral disengagement, proposed by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon at the Herzliya Conference. PM Qurie' Declares Willingness to Meet Sharon International Press Center 12/21/2003 Jerusalem, Palestine, December21, 2003. (IPC+ Agencies)-- Ahead of his talks with the German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer at his office in the Palestinian village of Abu Dies near Jerusalem city, the Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei' declared his willingness to meet his Israeli counterpart Ariel Sharon when conditions required for such a meeting are ripe. "We still did not set a date for the meeting yet, a meeting will be held between the Palestinian chief negotiator Saeb Erekat, the director of our office Hassan Abu Lubada and the director of PM Sharon's office Dov Weisglass to prepare for the prospective meeting between us and the Mr. Sharon." Palestinian PM Ahmed Qurei' told journalists. Israeli defence head in India for talks on military cooperation SpaceWar 12/22/2003 The director general of the Israeli defence ministry held talks Monday with Indian officials on arms procurement and other cooperation, an Indian defence ministry source said. Major General Amos Yaron met with the chiefs of the Indian army, air force and navy. "He is leading the Israeli side in the delegation level talks. The meeting is focusing on arms procurement, joint military research and industrial cooperation in the defence sector," the source told AFP. Ghassan Tueni Zeros In on "Lebanese, Palestinian, Syrian Peace Triangle" An Nahar 12/22/2003 Lebanon is at a perplexing crossroad, which has nothing to do with a bridge completed on time, or a tunnel equipped with proper ventilation, Ghassan Tueni opined, referring to President Lahoud's recent interest in infrastructure works. His advice to Lahoud is to shift to broader politics and to capitalize on Syrian President Bashar Assad's offer to resume negotiations with Israel to turn Lebanon into "a bridge between war and peace." Hamas questions Sharon's commitment to peace Al-Jazeera 12/22/2003 The main Palestinian resistance group Hamas has poured scorn on comments by the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he remains committed to the international "road map" for peace. Sharon also told the visiting Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Mahir on Monday that Israel would halt its attacks against Palestinian resistance activists. A source close to Sharon said the prime minister had told Mahir that Israel would hold back from major military action if Egyptian efforts to persuade Palestinian resistance factions to lay down their arms succeeded. Maher lightly injured by Palestinians who heckled, shoved him Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher was lightly injured Monday after being assaulted by young Palestinians during a visit to Jerusalem's Temple Mount. According to some witnesses, Maher was assaulted by Muslim extremists who attempted to strangle him. Other witnesses reported that he was shoved and heckled, and that items were thrown at him for climbing the mount via the Mugrabi Gate, which is generally an access route for non-Muslims. According to Channel 1 television, Maher suffered from shortness of breath, and was led to a Magen David medical service station in the vicinity for initial treatment by a doctor. Egyptian FM rushed to Israeli hospital with light injuries after being attacked in Al Aqsa Mosque Al-Bawaba 12/22/2003 Egyptian Foreign Minister, Ahmed Maher was rushed to an Israeli hospital Monday afternoon with slight injuries after being attacked during a visit to al Aqsa Mosque, Israel Radio reported. Earlier, Maher, was meeting Monday with Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. He arrived in Israel on Monday for the first time in two years. Sharon extended an invitation to Jerusalem to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, and welcomed Maher's visit. Israel warns Iran on N-weapons The Guardian 12/22/2003 The Israeli defence minister, Shaul Mofaz, has warned Iran that Israel may take military action to destroy its nuclear capabilities.Speaking on Israeli radio in Farsi to an Iranian audience, the Iranian-born Mr Mofaz said that if the need arose to destroy Iran's capability, "the necessary steps will be taken". Iran has been trying to develop a nuclear capability for about 18 years and scientists believe that next year it will reach the point where it can manufacture a nuclear weapon without outside assistance. Egypt and Israel stick to roadmap BBC 12/22/2003 The Egyptian and Israeli foreign ministers have reaffirmed their commitment to the roadmap peace plan. Egypt's Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher is on his first visit to Israel for two years, aimed at reviving stalled Israeli-Palestinian peace talks. At a joint press conference, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom thanked Egypt for its recent mediation efforts.

Human Rights..

13 elite reservists refuse to serve in territories Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Thirteen reservists serving in the elite Sayeret Matkal unit of the Israel Defense Forces yesterday signed a letter declaring their refusal to serve in the territories. The letter - signed by 10 soldiers and three officers - was delivered to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's office late last night. Among the 13 signatories are nine who still do reserve service in Sayeret Matkal while the most senior is an officer with the rank of major. "We say to you today, we will no longer give our hands to the oppressive reign in the territories and the denial of human rights to millions of Palestinians," reads the letter to Sharon, "and we will no longer serve as a defensive shield for the settlement enterprise." Report: Restriction of movement harming Palestinians' health Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 According to a report published Monday by the human rights groups B'Tselem and Physicians for Human Rights, Israel's siege policy and restriction of Palestinians' movement is disrupting every aspect of Palestinian daily life and especially harms people seeking medical treatment. According to the report, at least 38 Palestinians, including 14 minors, have died after IDF soldiers delayed or denied them passage at checkpoints. Seven of the deaths were of newborns whose mothers were prevented from reaching the hospital in time. Medical Personnel Harmed - The Delay, Abuse and Humiliation of Medical Personnel by Israeli Security Forces B'tselem 12/22/2003 Israel's siege policy that has been implemented in the Occupied Territories over the last three years has unquestionably altered the lives of hundreds of thousands of Palestinians. As of early November 2003, the IDF had established fifty-six staffed checkpoints in the West Bank, as well as 607 physical roadblocks that prevent the passage of motor vehicles, 457 dirt piles, 94 concrete blocks and 56 trenches. These restrictions on movement impede the functioning of an emergency medical system. As a result of the physical roadblocks, ambulances must travel along winding, make-shift roads and patients must make their own way over mounds of dirt or be carried on stretchers to the other side. The absence of soldiers at these physical roadblocks makes it impossible for the sick to even explain the urgent nature of their medical problem. [Includes links to full report] Ya'alon: Refusal letter signatories could be thrown out of army Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Thirteen members of a top commando unit who announced their refusal to serve in the Palestinian areas will be kicked out of the army if they do not back down on their decision, the IDF Chief of Staff said Monday. The letter - signed by Sayeret Matkal soldiers and officers - was delivered Sunday to the Prime Minister's Office, which refused to comment on the content of the letter. Palestinian Female Prisoners Call Arab Satellite Channels to Prepare Programs about Their Plight International Press Center 12/22/2003 GAZA, December 22, 2003 (IPC)-- The Palestinian female political prisoners at "Al Ramlah" lodged an appeal to all the Arab satellite channels, especially the Al Manar, Al Jazeera And Abu Dhabi channels, to address their harsh detention conditions inside the Israeli jails with special programs, after the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) officers have been prevented from visiting them inside the jails. DFLP escalates campaign accusing UNRWA of neglect Daily Star 12/22/2003 Medical, educational budget reductions blasted -- The Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine pursued on Friday its campaign against the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), accusing it of reducing its budget for medical and educational assistance to Palestinian refugees in the country. More than 50 people staged a protest near the offices of the camp’s UNRWA director-general, Richard Cook, raising banners to communicate their suffering and need for medical and educational aid. Shehadeh bomb victims sue Israeli government Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Twelve Gaza residents are suing the government of Israel for damages allegedly suffered during the bombing of the house of senior Hamas activist Salah Shehadeh. In July 2002, an Israel Air Force fighter jet dropped a one-ton bomb on the house, located in the A-Daraj neighborhood of Gaza, killing Shehadeh, his wife, his daughter, another Hamas activist, and ten civilians and wounding 78....The legal action of the twelve Gaza residents is one of the first suits for damages by Palestinians in the present conflict. Nablus Press Release Jerusalemites/Union of Health Care Committees 12/6/2003 On the past two days Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) at Beit-Ieeba checkpoint near Nablus did not allow medical teams to go to their clinics & medical centers under pretence of “law allows only the passing of an ambulance that carries a patient, one paramedic, & one doctor”. We as a health institution runs number of clinics & medical centers in the Palestinian countryside & remote areas, as there are not enough medical crews in those villages or any ones near by. Therefore medical teams from the nearest cities are sent to offer medical services at those areas, as this is considered the only possible mean to do so. Israeli forces forbid patients from crossing the checkpoints unless they were in ambulances; & at the same time the numbers of ambulances are little & can not cover the increase number of patients. Palestinian Prisoner Cut off From the Outer World at “Eretz” Crossing International Press Center 12/21/2003 NABLUS, December 21, 2003 (IPC) - - The family of the Palestinian prisoner Mustafa Abed, 39, who remained imprisoned in Beit Hanoon crossing ”Eretz” facility for two months, appealed for the relative legal and humanitarian societies to move immediately to salvage their son. The prisoner’s brother told IPC correspondent that his brother is currently living in a solitary confinement cell at "Eretz" in a worsening health condition of the severe cold weather there. Occupation authorities move Sheikh Hassan Yousef to Hadarim prison Palestinian Information Center 12/22/2003 Al-Khalil - Zionist occupation authorities have moved Sheikh Hassan Yousef, the detained Hamas Movement leader, to the Hadarim prison a few days ago in line with those authorities’ policy of denying Palestinian prisoners any feeling of stability. Relatives of the Sheikh said that the occupation forces continued to prevent them from visiting him. Israeli army refuseniks condemned BBC 12/22/2003 Senior Israeli officials have sharply criticised a group of army commandos who have refused missions in the Palestinian territories. Thirteen reservists from the elite Sayeret Matkal unit wrote to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon saying they would not be part of a "rule of oppression". Deputy Defence Minister Zeev Boim told public radio the group should "face judgement", AFP news agency reported. 13 Israeli Elite Commandos Join the "Refuseniks" International Press Center 12/22/2003 GAZA, December 22, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- In a new gesture of refusal of the Israeli oppressive policies in the occupied Palestinian territories, 13 soldiers of an elite Israeli military unit signed Sunday evening a letter refusing to serve in the Palestinian territories and objecting to their government's policies there. The thirteen reservist soldiers and officers, of the Israeli "Sayeret Matkal" unit -the Israeli General Staff's elite special operations unit- signed a letter Sunday evening and delivered it to the Israeli Prime Minister's Office, in which they refused to serve in the Palestinian territories and continue to be a shield for the Jewish settlers there, reported Haaretz online edition. 13 Israeli reservists from elite unit refuse to serve the occupation Electronic Intifada 12/21/2003 Full text of the letter from the thirteen reservists: To: Prime Minister Ariel Sharon; We, citizens who serve in active reserve duty, soldiers and officers, Sayeret Matkal veterans, have also chosen to join the front guard in the way we have been trained. With grave concern for the future of Israel as a democratic Zionist and Jewish state, and with concern for her moral image – we can no longer stand aside....

Economy..

Retail sales up 1.4%, food sales down 2% in November Globes 12/22/2003 Sales by retail chains and stores fell 2.4% in January-November and sales of perishable goods fell by 1.4%. -- Seasonally adjusted sales by retail chains and stores rose by 1.4% in November, while food sales fell by 2%, according to figures obtained by "Globes" today. The recovery in retail sales began in October. Seasonally adjusted sales by retail chains and stores rose by 4.6% in August-November. Food sales rose by 3.4% in August-October, but fell by 2% in November. Gasunie unexpectedly withdraws from gas pipeline project Globes 12/22/2003 Dutch company Gasunie Trade and Supply opposes the authorization granted Yam Thetis to operate its own pipeline. -- Nederlande Gasunie NV subsidiary Gasunie Trade and Supply has unexpected notified the Ministry of National Infrastructures that it wishes to withdraw from Israel’s natural gas pipeline project, in which hundreds of millions of dollars will be invested over the coming years....Sources inform “Globes” that Gasunie, which has been involved in the project for several years as a special advisor to the Ministry of National Infrastructures, decided to withdraw from the project after learning that part of the project would be based on the US standard, not the Dutch standard. 300 objections filed against gas pipeline Globes 12/22/2003 Ministry of National Infrastructures director general Eli Ronen: Not all the security problems have been solved. The pipeline will be ready only in late 2008. -- 300 objections have been filed to date against the overland section of the natural gas pipeline, according to a document by Ministry of National Infrastructures director general Eli Ronen. The pipeline will cost $400 million to build. Netanyahu, Peretz to meet today, but few expect deal Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Histadrut labor federation chief MK Amir Peretz (One Nation), are due to convene this afternoon at the Kfar Hamaccabiah hotel in Ramat Gan for a "decisive meeting" to finalize an agreement to end labor sanctions by public sector workers. Netanyahu and Peretz will try to reach a compromise on the treasury's controversial pension reforms. Truckers and haulers block off Ashdod port, set to snarl traffic Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 Truck drivers blocking the entrance to the Ashdod port yesterday. The truckers and haulers union yesterday decided to strike, paralyzing all deliveries and transportation work around the country from tomorrow, following an emergency meeting in Tel Aviv with the taxi drivers' union. Only goods destined for the military will be delivered. E-commerce up 15-20% in 2003 Globes 12/22/2003 500 Israeli vendors of food, textiles, cosmetics, office equipment, paper and other products sell online. -- Israeli e-commerce grew 15-20% in 2003, said Israeli Barcode Association chairman Yossi Shostak in advance of the association's general meeting tomorrow. He was referring to 500 Israeli vendors of food, textiles, cosmetics, office equipment, paper and other products who sell online.

People..

Cooperative founded by land mine survivors celebrates 1st birthday Daily Star 12/22/2003 Members are involved in producing eggs, honey and herbs -- The Development Cooperative of Jezzine celebrated the first anniversary of the launching of its B-Balady eggs label Thursday. The cooperative was formed by land mine survivors, and has grown considerably in the two years since it was formed. “Our initial group of 21 participants has grown to a healthy 112 members,” said Butros Bou Mansour, head of the cooperative, during the celebration at the Gefinor Rotana Hotel in Beirut. Migron settlers say they feel abandoned Ha'aretz 12/21/2003 Yesterday, the residents of the outpost of Migron, in the Judean desert about 20 minutes from the Jerusalem neighborhood of Pisgat Ze'ev, had some peace and quiet. The last of the media crews had left just before the Sabbath, and the next arrived a few minutes after it ended. Last night, residents lit Hanukkah candles at home with their families, but tonight, the lighting of the candelabra will be more public....Many residents of outposts said this week that they would not stay against government directives. Ivri agrees with this view. "I represent the state in the settlement of the land of Israel. I have no interest in being here if the government doesn't want me here. It's nice to be here, but it's not nice to be here alone. We are not law-breakers." Lebanese women hungry to be admitted to Order of the Freemasons Daily Star 12/22/2003 Discrimination in the modern age called an anachronism - Some trace the origins of the Masonic Order to the construction of King Solomon’s temple in the 10th century BC -- What if you were a married man and you recently discovered that your wife was a member of a secretive sorority, but you could never join the group with her or know what it was all about … what would your reaction be? A number of women in Lebanon have strongly criticized the Masonic Order, a secret society of men that now allegedly has mainly a social function, because it continues to exclude women. They argue that this sexual discrimination is unjustified in the modern world. Going back to the heart of the matter: Al-Bourj Daily Star 12/22/2003 Actor Rafik Ali-Ahmed opens new book store with a celebration of the glorious past of Downtown Beirut -- Al-Bourj, Martyrs Square, Place des Canons: all different names for the same place, Beirut’s downtown area, its nerve center, its heart. In the middle of it all, a new bookstore has just opened. Located at the back of the new An-Nahar building, it carries the name of the square it overlooks: Al-Bourj. Proud of its name and what it evokes in people’s minds either through personnel memory or folkloric tales of old Beirut, the manager of the bookstore, Chadia Tueni, decided to express this pride on its opening night. Internet use in Israel soars Globes 12/22/2003 The TNS Teleseker TIM Internet survey found rising Internet use, including online shopping. Israel now has 2.5 million Internet users aged 13 and above. -- Israel now has 2.5 million Internet users aged 13 and above, up from 2.2 million in February 2003, according to the TNS Teleseker survey (TIM) for November 2003. The survey also found that 74% of Internet users go online daily, compared with 68% in February. Ossuary may not be a fake, says expert Ha'aretz 12/21/2003 The heated controversy over the authenticity of the inscription naming Jesus on an ancient burial box discovered a year ago is flaring up again. American geologist James Harrell now claims that the Israeli findings, dismissing the inscription on a small 2,000-year-old limestone ossuary as a forgery, were flawed. Harrell published his opinion on Friday in the Biblical Archaeology Review (BAR)....Harrell, a geologist at the University of Toledo and a member of the Association for the Study of Marble and Other Stones in Antiquity, did not examine the ossuary, but only the IAA report.

International..

Libya Opens Nuke Programs to Inspections The Guardian 12/22/2003 VIENNA, Austria (AP) - Libya has agreed to open its nuclear activities to pervasive inspection by the U.N. atomic agency as early as next week, a key step toward honoring a promise to scrap its nuclear weapons program, the agency's chief said Monday. Also Monday, Pakistan acknowledged that some scientists participating in its nuclear program may have been involved in the proliferation of sensitive technology to countries including Libya. Libya spies' secret deal to reveal terrorists The Guardian 12/22/2003 Libya provided detailed intelligence on hundreds of al-Qaeda and other Islamic extremists as part of a deal to end its isolation as a pariah nation, The Observer can reveal....Musa Kousa, the head of Libya's external security organisation, was an enemy of Britain and America until the events of 11 September 2001 made Libya a useful ally in the war on terror....Last Tuesday, however, Kousa was negotiating the final details of the plan to bring Libya in from the cold in the Travellers' Club in Pall Mall with senior figures from the Foreign Office and MI6. ....London-based dissidents last night feared for their future and expressed their horror that Musa Kousa was allowed to enter the country. Key Arab summit postponed Al-Jazeera 12/22/2003 A key North African summit due in Algiers on Tuesday and Wednesday has been postponed due to regional disagreements. Algerian Foreign Minister Abd al-Aziz Bilkhadim said on Monday the much-awaited five-nation Arab Maghreb Union (AMU) summit, the first to be held since 1994, was postponed at the formal request of Libya. A senior Arab diplomat earlier told Reuters the summit had been indefinitely shelved due to the long-running dispute between neighbours Algeria and Morocco over the mineral-rich territory of Western Sahara. Now, Syria is in Washington's sights for alleged weapons programme SpaceWar 12/21/2003 With Libya's renunciation of weapons of mass destruction and Iran's acceptance of tough new inspections of its nuclear programme, Syria finds itself more than ever in Washington's sights for its own alleged weapons programme. Since the fall of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein in April, the United States has been honing in on the regime of President Bashar al-Assad, putting pressure on Syria to fall into line with the new regional order created by the war in Iraq and the presence of some 135,000 US troops in Syria's eastern neighbour. Kurds, Not U.S. Captured Saddam: Report Islam Online 12/21/2003 LONDON, December 21 (IslamOnline.net) – Ousted Iraqi President Saddam Hussein was not captured by U.S. forces, but rather Kurdish troops, who drugged the former leader and handed him over to the Americans later after negotiating a deal, a British newspaper revealed Sunday, December 21. Turning the U.S. exaltation at Saddam capture into a Pyrrhic victory, the Sunday Express quoted unnamed senior British military intelligence officer as saying that Saddam fell into the hands of Jalal Talabani's Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). ‘Kurdish forces nabbed & drugged Saddam’ The Statesman 12/21/2003 LONDON, Dec. 21. — Ousted Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein was captured by Kurdish forces, then drugged and handed over to the American forces as a revenge against the rape of a tribal chief’s daughter by the tyrant’s psychopathic eldest son Uday, a media report said today. The full story of the fallen dictator’s capture last Saturday in a “spider hole” near his birthplace of Tikrit exposes the version peddled by Americans as incomplete. According to the report in The Sunday Express, Saddam had already been handed over to Kurdish forces, who then brokered a deal with US commanders. He was drugged and abandoned, ready for the American troops to recover him. Iraqi trade union target of US occupation forces Daily Star 12/20/2003 Premises have been attacked -- LONDON: An international trade union delegation called on Friday for support for Iraq’s nascent trade union movement ­ once a target of the deposed Iraqi dictator, Saddam Hussein; now, apparently, a target of the US occupation forces....On Dec. 6, according to the Iraqi Federation of Trade Unions (IFTU), dozens of US troops in 10 armored vehicles attacked IFTU headquarters in Baghdad, temporarily housed in the premises of the General Union of Transport Workers. Without giving any reason, IFTU said, the troops smashed windows and smeared black paint over the unions’ names. They tore down union banners and posters that condemned acts of terror and removed documents including minutes of union meetings. Khatami: US can't attack Iran, Syria Al-Bawaba 12/22/2003 Iran's President Mohammad Khatami on Monday brushed aside speculation about a likely US attack against Iran and Syria, while he laughed off Israeli defense minister`s revelation about the his country`s plan to destroy Tehran`s nuclear capabilities. "He made a damn mistake," the Iranian president retorted with a smile, when asked to comment on the statements made by Shaul Mofaz, who had been quoted as saying that 'the necessary steps will be taken if a decision is made to destroy Iran`s nuclear capability.' According to IRNA, Khatami added "America is not in a position to realize its threats against Iran and Syria." Critics dismiss link to Iraq war The Guardian 12/22/2003 The government yesterday tried to reap a political windfall from its role in persuading Libya to abandon ambitions to attain a nuclear bomb. The defence secretary, Geoff Hoon, linked the toppling of Saddam Hussein with Libya's unexpected decision to come clean about its weapons programmes. "I don't think you can separate out the relevance of military action in Iraq from the decision the Libyans have taken," he told Sky News.....But Joseph Cirincione, the director of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace's nonproliferation project, said: "The president is trying hard to portray this as a victory for his strategy. But when you look at this, it's almost the opposite of the Bush doctrine." U.S. Accepts no Syrian Alibis to Remain in Lebanon An Nahar 12/22/2003 The United States is determined to get Syria out of Lebanon, shunning any compromise with the Assad regime over its tiny western neighbor and would not in retrospect forge a deal with Lebanon's Christians against Syria. "The era of Syrian alibis to stay on in Lebanon is over," as far as the Bush administration is concerned, wrote An Nahar's political analyst Nicholas Nassif in an editorial that hit the Beirut newsstands on Monday. Nassif quoted unidentified sources familiar with the U.S. foreign policy as saying the White House is asserting to the Syrians that the U.S. would not make any concessions in connection with the 'hands off Lebanon' stance. Court sentences 25 in bombings Daily Star 12/22/2003 Attacks on western targets in Beirut, Tripoli wounded 5 -- A military tribunal issued sentences ranging between six-months to life imprisonment for 25 members of a terrorist group on charges of forming a terrorist network with the aim of carrying out bombings against Western targets and harming the country’s reputation. Two of the defendants, Khaled Ali and Mohammed Kaaki, the leaders of the terrorist group, were acquitted of plotting to attack the US Embassy and assassinate the US ambassador, according to verdicts posted on a court bulletin board late Saturday. Colombian rebels lead tourists to release point Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 BOGOTA - Rebels from the Colombian ELN (National Liberation Army) group are expected to release the five kidnapped tourists, including four Israelis, on Monday.At dawn, (around noon Israeli time) a military helicopter will pick up Benny Daniel, Ido Guy, Erez Altawil, Orpaz Ohayon and Briton Mark Henderson, and fly them to a military airport, where they will be welcomed by their families and embassy representatives. Afterwards they will be flown to Bogota. Islamists call for GCC countries' reform Al-Jazeera 12/22/2003 Islamic groups have urged Gulf Arab leaders meeting in Kuwait to introduce drastic political reforms and oppose the presence of US military bases in the region. Amid tight security, leaders of the oil-rich Gulf Cooperation Council opened their annual summit in Kuwait on Sunday for two days of talks. "Our view on reforms calls for upgrading the pace of popular participation in the government and resources without delay to achieve a real Shura (consultation) system that guarantees peaceful rotation of power," the Kuwaiti-based Islamic Constitutional Movement (ICM) said. U.S. kept Israel in the dark about Libya weapons talks Ha'aretz 12/22/2003 The United States did not let Israel in on its secret talks with Libya over the past few months that led to Libya's declaration last weekend of its intention to stop the development of weapons of mass destruction, according to senior political sources in Jerusalem. The sources say that about 10 days ago, Israel received intelligence information regarding "certain occurences in Libya," but that it was not briefed by the Americans on their talks with Libyan ruler Muammar Gadhafi.