Israeli Troops Kill Nine-year-old Palestinian Girl
Islam Online, December 28, 2002
GAZA, December 28 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israeli troops shot a nine-year-old Palestinian girl dead Saturday, December 28, in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian medical and security officials said.

Americans to man Israeli defences
The Guardian, December 28, 2002
Bush assures Sharon that Washington will give better protection against Iraqi attack than it did in 1991 --- The United States has sent the first of what is expected to be a 1,000-strong force to Israel to bolster defences against missile attacks ahead of a possible war in Iraq.

Israel Razes Palestinian Homes After Attack
Washington Post, December 28, 2002
HEBRON, West Bank (Reuters) - Israeli destroyed the homes of two Palestinian militants in the West Bank city of Hebron on Saturday after gunmen shot dead four seminary students at a nearby Jewish settlement, military sources said.

Top PLO Body Urged to Meet on Peace, Reforms
Reuters, December 28, 2002
RAMALLAH, West Bank (Reuters) - The Palestine Liberation Organization's executive committee called on Saturday for its highest decision-making body to meet for the first time in two years to discuss peace and reforms.

Sharon Plans Permanent Reoccupation of All Palestinian Land: Erakat
Palestine Media Center, December 28, 2002
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is moving towards re-establishing a permanent reoccupation of all Palestinian land, top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erakat told AFP Saturday.

Two of the four victims of Otniel attack were soldiers
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002 
Two of the four victims of Friday night's shooting attack at the West Bank settlement of Otniel were soldiers, it emerged Saturday. Nine other people were wounded when an armed Palestinian militant infiltrated the settlement.

Gas masks for Israeli pets
The Mercury News, December 29, 2002
While Israelis fret about their pets, Palestinians in occupied villages of the West Bank are outraged that the Israeli Government has not issued them with gas masks. --- As war clouds gather over the Middle East, an Israeli vet has developed a gas mask for Tel Aviv's dogs and cats.

Occupation Soldiers Force Child to Act Like Suicide Bomber for the Camera
Palestine Chronicle, December 27, 2002
"They started beating him up brutally, despite his pleas and attempts to explain to them that he has an American passport with the number '701372809' .." --- NABLUS, West Bank - Occupation soldiers in Nablus City yesterday committed a racist crime against a child, who carries US nationality, forcing him to sit on the floor and to tie a head band that carries the sign of 'Al-Aqsa Brigades' (Fateh militant faction) and then taking pictures of him.

Hear Palestine, December 28, 2002
NEWS: Hebron: Ongoing Wide-Scale Attacks against Residents and Property / Gaza City: Occupation Army Shells Residential Areas / Deir al-Balah: Occupation Bulldozers Destroy Agricultural Land / Al-Mawasi: A Humanitarian Catastrophe Away from International Press / Bethlehem: Occupation Army Attempts to Invade Bethlehem University / Qalqilya: Occupation Army Shells Residential Areas Last Night / Nablus: Campaign of Arrests and Oppressive Measures / Ramallah: Several Villages Raided and Attacked   FEATURES: Jenin: Hamza Abu Al-Rub Knows No Surrender / Heated Campaign of Land Confiscations around 'Kfar Darom'

Palestinians: IDF kills 9-year-old girl in Gaza Strip
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002 
Palestinians sources said Israeli troops shot nine-year-old Hanneen Abu Suleiman in the head, as she played outside her home Saturday in the town of Khan Yunis.

Israel escalate acts of detention; Hamas vows resistance til occupation ends
Arabic News, December 28, 2002
In a new "suicide operation," a Palestinian youths yesterday broke into Oteil settlement in the city of Hebron and opened fire at Israeli settlers and this resulted in his killing together with other four settlers and other seven were wounded.

Overseas Activists Stage Ramallah Demo in Solidarity With Palestinians
Tehran Times, December 28, 2002
RAMALLAH, West Bank -- Some 350 anti-globalization activists staged a demonstration in this Israeli-occupied West Bank town Saturday in solidarity with the Palestinians.

Palestinians: 9-Year-Old Shot Dead
CBS News, December 28, 2002
(AP) Israeli troops shot dead a Palestinian child in the Gaza Strip on Saturday, Palestinian medical workers said, while in the West Bank soldiers fired rubber bullets and stun grenades at Palestinian university students.

Militant Warns of New Attacks on Israelis
Gainesville Sun, December 28, 2002
A Palestinian militant leader warned of new attacks as a month of relative calm ended with the slaying of four Israelis at a Sabbath dinner in the West Bank and a car explosion in the heart of Jerusalem's pub district.

Islamic Jihad claims settlement attack
Al-Bawaba, December 28, 2002
At least for Israelis were killed and six wounded Friday evening by an armed Palestinian who infiltrated the West Bank settlement of Otniel.

Palestinians to defy Israeli checkpoint to deliver food and medical supplies
International Solidarity Movement, December 28, 2002
Media Advisory: Tomorrow – Sunday, December 29, 2002 -- a group of Palestinians, on the initiative of the Palestinian Popular Refugee Committee in Rafah (Gaza Strip), will attempt to cross an Israeli Occupation Forces checkpoint at Mawasi in order to deliver emergency food and medical supplies to a village surrounded by illegal Israeli settlements.

Palestinian Land Defense Committees March Against Apartheid Wall
International Solidarity Movement, December 27, 2002 
Media Advisory: The National, Local and Land Defense Committees in Qalqiliah District of occupied Palestine are organizing a landmark “Day of Solidarity” with local people and farmers, who are suffering from the construction of Israel's so-called security fence, better known to Palestinians as the "Apartheid Wall". Sunday, December 29, 2002. Marches begin at 9am in both K. Jbarah (North of Qalqiliah District) and Hablah (South of Qalqiliah District), converging on Jayyous at approximately 12pm.

Israel Torpedoing Palestinian Ceasefire Efforts: Egypt
Islam Online, December 28, 2002
CAIRO, December 27 (IslamOnline & News Agencies) - Israel is torpedoing Cairo's efforts to get Palestinian resistance groups to calm their 27-month uprising, Egypt said Thursday, December 26, after the Israeli occupation army killed 9 Palestinians in the occupied territories, as the Israeli defense minister ordered his army to "turn up the heat" on the Palestinians.

PA: IDF actions show Sharon wants to reoccupy territories
Jerusalem Post, December 28, 2002
Chief officials in the Palestinian Authority on Saturday blamed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of leading an attempt to "reoccupy" the territories, Israel Radio reported.

Israel Confirms Expulsion of Eight Belgian Peace Activists
Palestine Media Center, December 28, 2002
The Israeli Interior Ministry confirmed Friday the expulsion of eight Belgian citizens who were planning to attend a conference in the reoccupied West Bank town of Ramallah.

Occupation Chronicle Events in Palestine, December 28, 2002
Palestine Media Center, December 28, 2002
Israeli Occupation Soldiers Raid Hebron Villages, Demolish Two Houses / Israeli Tanks Shell Khan Younis City / Israeli Occupation Troops Blow up Factory in Gaza City / IOF Detain Four Citizens in the Gaza Strip / Israeli Occupation Army Open Fire at Fishing Boats

Military Forces Ordered to Gulf
Washington Post, December 28, 2002
U.S. Beginning Final Buildup To Face Iraq --- Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has signed a deployment order to send "significant" ground forces, combat aircraft and logistics support to the Persian Gulf, a move that marks the beginning of a final buildup for a possible war against Iraq, senior defense officials said yesterday.

Turkey balks at joining war
Arab News, December 28, 2002
BAGHDAD/WASHINGTON — Baghdad and Washington continued their war of words yesterday as the prospect of real fighting got the cold shoulder from Turkey, home to strategic US air bases. Turkey said it was not convinced by US allegations that Iraq holds weapons of mass destruction and said it wanted UN approval for war before any action against Baghdad.

Turkey and the Iraqi oil
Arabic News, December 28, 2002
The Turkish daily Sabah said yesterday that Turkey informed the US officially that it wants a share of the Iraqi oil at a rate of 10%, noting that in case that Washington approves the said request, Ankara will get a 5.5 billion dollars of the oil revenues annually.

Lieberman Sees Gulf States Supporting United States
Washington Post, December 28, 2002
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Sen. Joseph Lieberman, visiting U.S. troops in the Gulf, Thursday said he was confident the leaders of Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Bahrain would support the United States if it waged war against Iraq.

U.S. Offers Aid to Turkey in Event of War
The Guardian, December 28, 2002
ANKARA, Turkey (AP) - The United States and its key ally Turkey have agreed on the shape of an aid package to help Turkey's struggling economy withstand a possible war in neighboring Iraq, a U.S. official said Saturday.

US Hawks Say We'll Get To Baghdad Within Two Days
The Truthseeker (reprinted from The Sunday Times, December 22, 2002)
American military planners are preparing airstrikes on Iraq of such unparalleled intensity that some senior Pentagon officials believe that a ground war could be won in two days.

Iraq Names Scientists Involved in Weapons
The Guardian, December 28, 2002
BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Baghdad complied with a key United Nations demand Saturday by delivering a list to weapons inspectors naming over 500 scientists linked to Iraq's nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs, a U.N. official said.

Iraq submits list of scientists; German FM: We might back war
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002 
The German foreign minister has said his country would not rule out possible support for military action in Iraq while serving on the UN Security Council, which Germany is to join in January. --- BAGHDAD - Iraq delivered a list to United Nations officials Saturday naming over 500 scientists who have worked on nuclear, chemical, biological and missile programs, a UN official said.

Insider gives UN details of Iraq arms
The Guardian, December 28, 2002
An Iraqi scientist interviewed by UN inspectors has given details of a military programme suspected of being part of a secret effort to build a nuclear weapon, a UN spokesman said yesterday.

Iraqi scientist gives 'key information'
BBC, December 27, 2002
UN weapons inspectors have said a key Iraqi scientist has given them details of a military programme that could be a "possible prelude to a clandestine nuclear programme".

Iraqi scientist denies giving UN secrets
BBC, December 28, 2002
An Iraqi scientist interviewed by United Nations weapons inspectors has denied providing them with details about a possible Iraqi nuclear programme.

Iraq oppostion says it is ignored
BBC, December 28, 2002
A leading Iraqi opposition group says it has been unsuccessful in trying to pass information on Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction to the United Nations.

Preferring Saddam's Iron Fist, Iraqi Kurds Refuse 'American Invasion'
Islam Online, December 28, 2002
ARBIL, Iraq, December 28 (IslamOnline) - Despite their fury at the practices of the central government in Baghdad, most Iraqi Kurds - living a continuous state of tension and anticipation - emphasized Saturday, December 28, that they would rather live under a national 'unjust' regime, than be under foreign occupation.

Arab League Chief: US and British accusations against Iraq are unfounded
Arabic News, December 28, 2002
Secretary general of the Arab League, Amr Moussa, told Moroccan TV channel "2M" accusations laid by the USA and Britain against Iraq are unfounded.

Archbishop warns against conflict
The Guardian, December 27, 2002
Church leaders across the western world warned the United States and Britain against war with Iraq in current circumstances, in a remarkable display of Christian unity during their Christmas messages.

Saddam deserves to be British citizen, say Today listeners
The Guardian, December 27, 2002
We may be about to go to war with Saddam Hussein, but listeners to the BBC Today programme have just voted him one of five foreigners "most deserving of honorary status as a British citizen".

Kuwait stages biggest mock missile exercise against Iraqi chemical attack
Jerusalem Post, December 28, 2002 
KUWAIT CITY - Fearful of a surprise Iraqi missile attack, Kuwait tested its readiness to cope with chemical weapons Saturday in the largest civil defense exercise ever staged here.

Group Demands Alleged U.S. Torture Probe
The Guardian, December 28, 2002
BAGRAM, Afghanistan (AP) - A human rights group demanded that Washington investigate reports the United States tortured prisoners at secret detention facilities overseas, including one in Afghanistan, allegations that the U.S. military denied Saturday.

US jails 'work shy' foreign students
The Guardian, December 27, 2002
At least six Middle Eastern students in Colorado have been detained in the past 10 days for failing to take as many classes as stipulated by their visas.

Lebanese Man Appeals Deportation Order
Washington Post, December 27, 2002
DETROIT, Dec. 27 -- The detained co-founder of an Islamic charity has appealed an order sending him and his family back to Lebanon, postponing their deportation for at least a couple of months, his lawyer says.

Odigo says workers were warned of attack
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002
Odigo, the instant messaging service, says that two of its workers received messages two hours before the Twin Towers attack on September 11 predicting the attack would happen, and the company has been cooperating with Israeli and American law enforcement, including the FBI, in trying to find the original sender of the message predicting the attack.

Gov't sources slam remarks made by Bank of Israel's Klein
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002 
Sources in the Prime Minister's Office, the Treasury and the Bank of Israel on Saturday harshly critized statements made by Bank of Israel Governor David Klein over the weekend that the collapse of a major bank in the near future was no longer a fictional possibility.

The octopus' and his friends
Ha'aretz, December 28, 2002 
Shlomi Oz. `If I detail my business dealings, it would destroy me.' --- Shlomi Oz and Omri Sharon became friends six months ago. Omri was beginning a takeover drive of the Likud by registering new members, a move that would lead to his father, Ariel Sharon's victory over Benjamin Netanyahu in the party primaries.

Yemeni opposition leader assassinated
Al-Bawaba, December 28, 2002
A top Yemeni opposition official was shot dead by a member of a rival opposition party in the middle of a party conference on Saturday, a government official said.

Russia, Iran to sign nuclear waste accord in January
Al-Bawaba, December 28, 2002
Moscow and Tehran will next month ink an accord over the return of nuclear waste from a power plant that Russia is constructing in southern Iran, Russia's Atomic Energy Minister Alexander Rumyantsev said.

Dissent in Sheinbein Case Has Md. Lawyers Talking
Washington Post, December 28, 2002
Sending Son to Israel Backed as 'Forum Shopping' --- Few in Maryland's legal community were surprised this month when the state's high court yanked the law license of Sol Sheinbein, the Montgomery County lawyer who spirited his teenage son to Israel rather than see him face murder charges in Maryland. But it was the dissenting opinion written in the case that still has defense lawyers buzzing. Two of the high court's seven judges called Sheinbein's actions not only acceptable but comparable to U.S. Attorney General John D. Ashcroft's decision to move the sniper suspects to Virginia for trial.

Syria refutes Sharon's allegations
Arabic News, December 28, 2002
Syrian Information Minister, Adnan Omran, has described the accusations of Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, regarding the transfer of Iraqi arms to Syria as lies aiming at covering the internal and external Israeli problems.

Egypt, the AL denounce Sharon's accusations against Syria, Iraq
Arabic News, December 28, 2002
The Egyptian foreign minister Ahmad Maher yesterday denounced recent statements made by the Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon in which he accused Iraq of transporting unconventional weapons to Syria.

Dreaming of Palestine, Teenager Writes a Novel
New York Times, December 28, 2002
MILAN — At first Randa Ghazy wrote the kind of prose that many teenage girls do, with characters who pined for romance or worried that they were not as pretty as they wanted to be.

China calls on Israel to withdraw army from Palestine-controlled area
Xinhuanet, december 27, 2002
BEIJING, Dec. 27 (Xinhuanet) -- China Friday called on Israel to withdraw its army from the Palestine-controlled area as soon as possible and condemned the Israeli army's operation in recent days that has caused new Palestinian injuries.

Guantanamo Bay Returnee Seeks to Sue U.S.
Islam Online, December 28, 2002
ISLAMABAD, December 28 (IslamOnline) - The only Pakistani prisoner to return home from U.S. detention center at Guantanamo Bay Cuba is seeking legal advice to sue the U.S. government for compensation against his “illegal and unlawful” detention at the U.S. facility for almost one year.