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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..

Israel announces Golan expansion The Guardian 12/31/2003 Israel announced plans today to double the number of Jewish settlers living in the Golan Heights, a disputed region captured from Syria in 1967. In a move which could derail talks with Damascus, the Israeli agriculture minister, Yisrael Katz, told the daily Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper that the government wanted to consolidate its hold over the region before opening any peace negotiations with Syria. About 17,000 Jewish settlers now live in the Golan Heights, which has high strategic value to Israel because it overlooks the sea of Galilee and has important water reserves. IOF Kills One Palestinian, Wounds Two in Khan Younis, as Another Boy Run Over by Jewish Settlers in West Bank International Press Center 12/31/2003 KHAN YOUNIS, Palestine, December 31, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)--The Israeli occupying forces (IOF) killed a Palestinian citizen and wounded two others in Khan Younis, while Jewish settlers ran over a Palestinian boy in Tulkarem, as IOF demolished a house in Jerusalem and arrested scores. Palestinian security and medical sources in the city of Khan Younis, south of the Gaza Strip, asserted that a Palestinian citizen was killed and two others were wounded in separate incidents in the city by IOF gunfire....Mustafa Hussein, 5, from the town of Baqa Al Sharqiya, north of Tulkarem City, was hit by a Jewish settler car that passed through the town's main road, leaving Hussein lying on the side of the road, with fractures and bruises all over his tiny body. Failed Israeli Assassination Wounds 13 Bystanders, 2 Critically Palestine Media Center 12/31/2003 Second Israeli among 17 Wounded in Anti-Apartheid Wall Protest -- An Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) US-made Apache helicopter fired two missiles at a civilian car wounding at least 13 bystanders, two of them seriously, in a failed extra-judicial execution late Tuesday, only hours after shooting dead a 22-year old Palestinian in the Gaza Strip, as their troops and military vehicles reinvaded the city of Nablus and its adjacent Balata refugee camp in the West Bank. The IOF also on Wednesday wounded at least 17 Palestinians and an Israeli peace activist west of Ramallah. Nablus still under siege Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Nablus - The West Bank city of Nablus was still under tight Zionist siege for the past two weeks coupled with curfews imposed on various city suburbs that witnessed increased occupation roadblocks. The barricades impeded the work of various medical teams and hampered health services to citizens. The Zionist measures also prevented schoolchildren from sitting to their final first term examinations. Meanwhile, a Zionist army roadblock yesterday detained an ambulance car for two hours near the settlement of Shafi Shimron. Israeli soldier sorry for not shooting Arab Al-Jazeera 12/31/2003 An Israeli soldier who three days ago mistakenly shot and seriously wounded a Jewish demonstrator in the northern West Bank has told interrogators he thought he was shooting a Palestinian, not a Jew. “I am sorry, I never thought I was shooting at Jews, I would never shoot a Jew,” the soldier reportedly said. The Israeli victim, Gil Nima’ati, was protesting against the construction of the so-called separation wall near the northern West Bank village of Mis-ha north west of Nablus, along with hundreds of Palestinians and international peace activists....Israeli chief of staff Ya'alon: “Soldiers feel threatened by Palestinians and open fire when they feel threatened. This is not the same when soldiers deal with Jews. Zionist forces demolish seven houses in Deir Al-Balah Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Gaza - Zionist terrorist forces leveled a house in Shawwa land to the east of Deir Al-Balah while constructing a road to the northeast of the Kfar Darum settlement. Local sources said that the occupation troops advanced to the northeast of the settlement backed by a tank and a huge tractor that was used to raze the Palestinian house and to destroy a water pump in the area. The sources also reported that other army units backed by armored vehicles and tractors headed to the south of Deir Al-Balah and demolished six other houses without allowing their owners to get anything out of them Zionist incursion ends up in arresting 13 citizens Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Ramallah - Zionist occupation troops late last night stormed the village of Kufr Malek to the east of Ramallah city amidst indiscriminate shooting at civilian houses. Local sources said that the invading force backed by armored personnel carriers and jeeps advanced into the village at 8 pm yesterday amidst random shooting spreading panic in lines of the villagers. Villagers said that occupation soldiers positioned in alleys and streets and arrested a number of youths while others ransacked citizens’ houses. Occupation forces arrest four Palestinians in Rafah Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Rafah - Zionist occupation forces arrested at dawn Tuesday four Palestinians in the Shoka area to the southeast of Rafah in the southernmost tip of the Gaza Strip. A Zionist army force backed by more than 30 tanks and armored vehicles stormed the area amidst intensive heavy machinegun fire at citizens’ houses. Israel Changes Route of West Bank Security Barrier VOA News 12/30/2003 Israel, acting under strong international pressure, says it is making changes to the route of its West Bank security barrier to try to make life easier for the Palestinians. Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, confirmed that they plan to alter the route of the controversial security barrier. Under the changes, Israel intends to widen the opening in the barrier that links the Palestinian town of Qalqilyah to the rest of the West Bank. Under the original plan, Qalqilyah was faced with being enclosed by the barrier from both the east and the west, making it an enclave. The motivation behind that version of the plan was to allow Jewish settlers free movement between their communities and in the direction of Israel. Sharon targets annexing 30% of the Strip Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - Well informed Zionist sources have affirmed that premier Ariel Sharon was not planning to evacuate the Gaza Strip but rather targeted annexing 30% of its area in any future “peaceful” settlement. The sources contradicted allegations voiced by Sharon’s aides namely that he was willing to pull his army out of the Strip. The Zionist interior ministry has recently released statistics indicating that the number of settlers in the Strip had soared by 50% during the reign of Sharon. Israel to tweak route of barrier under pressure Miftah 12/31/2003 Israel, under international pressure over a giant separation barrier being built in the West Bank, plans minor changes to the route it says will make life easier for Palestinians, security sources said on Tuesday. Israel says completed sections of the obstacle of razor wire and concrete are already stopping suicide bombers. Palestinians say the barrier annexes land occupied since the 1967 war and will deprive them of a viable, independent state. The changes will entail widening the existing opening that links the city of Qalqilya, shut within an enclave by the barrier, to the rest of the West Bank. They will also mean the village of Baka al-Sharkiya shifts from the Israeli side to the West Bank. "This change will not make life easier for Palestinians and this wall will destroy the peace process," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told Reuters. A Malicious Israeli Campaign at Nablus District Jerusalemites/Union of Health Care Committees 12/31/2003 Nablus City & its camps are still under cruel Israeli campaign since two weeks. The Israeli actions are seen in the severe curfew to the city & closure to all Nablus entrances whether the eastern or western parts; not to mention the spread of checkpoints in the city’s different neighborhoods. This hateful operation has disabled the work of medical teams in reaching patients throughout the city & it prohibited many students from getting to their schools to submit their final exams equally to their mates in other Palestinian districts. Unemployed tour guides sue Yasser Arafat, PA for millions Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Fifty-eight tour guides have filed damage claims of NIS 6 million against the Palestinian Authority and the PLO. Thirty-eight of these claims were filed in Jerusalem District Court in July 2003 and another 20 were submitted to the same court this month. These are personal damage claims, each ranging between NIS 100,000 and NIS 150,000. The plaintiffs say they lost almost all their income because of the intifada. One-kilo bomb found near Beit Shemesh Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 A small bomb was found yesterday near a gas station at the entrance to Moshav Mesilat Zion, near Beit Shemesh. The bomb was hidden on the Sha'ar Haguy-Beit Shemesh Highway, inside a milk carton wrapped in plastic bags. Police sappers defused the one-kilogram bomb as security forces searched the area for other explosive devices. Police said the bomb appeared to have been assembled in Palestinian territory rather than by Israeli criminal elements, but have refused to provide additional details as to the components of the bomb and the way in which it was put together. Jewish Settlers Vow to Resist Evacuation 'Unto Death' An Nahar 12/31/2003 Jewish settlers living in a cluster of trailers at Ginnot Arieh in the West Bank have vowed to 'resist unto death' a government decision to remove them in compliance with the U.S. road map peace plan that mandates evacuation of dozens of unauthorized settlements in that Palestinian region. One Israeli declared Monday that he would never leave Ginnot Arieh alive. IDF: Settlers can leave outposts - or pay evacuation cost Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 The evacuation order issued by the Israel Defense Forces against four illegal West Bank outposts contains a clause that stipulates, for the first time, that the settlers themselves will have to bear the cost of the operation if security forces are needed to be called in to evacuate them. The order relates to the one inhabited outpost, Ginot Aryeh, north of Ramallah, and to three uninhabited outposts. Professors petition High Court against evacuation of outposts Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 A group of professors petitioned the High Court of Justice on Wednesday to reverse a military decree enabling the evacuation of West Bank outposts and holding settlers financially responsible for any forcible evacuation. The petition, which was filed by a group called Professors for a Strong Israel, does not refer to any specific outpost, but claims that the Israel Defense Forces decree is illegal because it violates the outpost residents' basic human rights. Shin Bet questions terror suspects in Tel Aviv who set off police hunt Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 The Shin Bet was questioning Wednesday afternoon three people thought to be linked to a planned terror attack in Tel Aviv. The suspects, two Palestinians and one Israeli Arab, were caught near a Subaru found near the central bus station in south Tel Aviv, which had been the target of a police search, Israel Radio reported. The search began in the mid-afternoon after security forces received reports that Palestinians planning to carry out a terror attack had entered Israel. However, no explosive devices were discovered in the vehicle. Yassin: Israel will pay heavy price for assassination attempt Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Hamas spiritual leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin on Tuesday evening said Israel would pay a heavy price for its failed assassination attempt on Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip earlier in the day. "These massacres and crimes prove that Israel is seeking violence and not looking for peace, security and stability," he said. An Israel Air Force helicopter gunship fired two missiles at a car in the Strip, in what the Israel Defense Forces confirmed was an assassination attempt on Hamas militants. Haneyya: The assassination attempt proves Zionists still targeting Hamas cadres Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Gaza - Ismail Haneyya, one of the Hamas Movement leaders in the Gaza Strip, has affirmed that the Zionist assassination attempt yesterday proved that Tel Aviv did not halt targeting Hamas cadres. Haneyya, affirming that assassinations would not halt resistance or alter Hamas’ stands, said that the assassination attempt of a member of the Qassam Brigades, military wing of Hamas, exposed the ugly image of the Zionist enemy. He said that the new crime proved the false and deceptive statements of Zionist chief of staff Moshe Ya’lon who claimed that his army was not targeting Hamas at present. Sharon Increases Illegal Jewish Settlers in Palestinian Territory by 16% Palestine Media Center 12/31/2003 The Israeli Interior Ministry released figures on Tuesday showing that the number of the illegal Jewish settlers in occupied Palestinian Territory in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip has increased by 16 percent to 236,381 in the last three years since Prime Minister Ariel Sharon came to power in March 2001 — about double the number that existed when Israel signed the Oslo Accords in 1993. Brothers suspected of spying for Hezbollah Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Two brothers, Mohammed and Ahmed Shimali, from the northern village of Ghajar, are suspected of spying for Hezbollah, it was revealed yesterday, after Acre Magistrates Court lifted a gag order on their arrest. Police and the Shin Ben security service arrested the brothers, aged 22 and 24, for allegedly passing on information to Hezbollah in exchange for drugs. They are suspected of giving the organization information on an army post at the entrance to a divided Israeli-Lebanese village. IDF may change rules of engagement along route of fence Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 The IDF may change its orders on opening fire along the West Bank separation fence after last week's shooting of demonstrators, in which an Israeli and an American were wounded, IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon said yesterday. "This is an incident that had very serious consequences," Ya'alon said at a Knesset Foreign Affairs and Security Committee discussion on the shooting that seriously wounded left-wing Israeli activist Gil Na'amati from the Negev and lightly wounded an American tourist. "But in the IDF, there is no policy of shooting at protesters. IDF troops shoot only when life is endangered." Israeli troops wound 11 protesters Al-Jazeera 12/31/2003 Ten Palestinians and an Israeli have been wounded as troops used teargas and rubber bullets to break up a protest close to a controversial barrier in the West Bank. The Israeli troops also arrested Gustav Fridolin, a Swedish member of parliament who was among a group of protesters detained near the village of Budrus, close to Jenin in the northern West Bank. The incident was the second in five days in which Israeli troops opened fire at demonstrators near the wall. Israel Builds More Settlements In Occupied Golan Islam Online 12/31/2003 OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, December 31 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Israel announced Wednesday, December 31, a 40-million-dollar plan for building Jewish settlements on the occupied Syrian Golan Heights, a blow to hopes of any progress on the Israeli-Syrian chapter of the Middle East peace conflict. Israeli Agriculture Minister Israel Katz said some nine new settlements would be created in the region - which Israel occupied in 1967 and annexed 14 years later - in addition to expansion projects for existing settlements. "The aim is to send an unequivocal message: the Golan is an integral part of Israel and we will continue to develop the settlements," Katz was quoted by Agence France-Presse as telling the Israeli public radio. Israel Seals Off Nablus; Palestinian Killed in Gaza Arab News 12/31/2003 NABLUS, West Bank — One Palestinian was shot dead yesterday by Israeli soldiers in the Gaza Strip as soldiers sealed off large parts of the West Bank town of Nablus in an operation to round up wanted militants, sources said. Fadal Al-Najar, 22, suffered fatal injuries when he was shot in the chest in the Khan Yunis area of southern Gaza, Palestinian medical and security sources added. Israeli military sources said that troops had opened fire in the morning on a group of Palestinians “suspected of hostile activity” in the area. Eleven Palestinian Bystanders Wounded In Botched IOF Air Strike on Gaza International Press Center 12/31/2003 GAZA, Palestine, December 31, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- Eleven Palestinian citizens, mostly were bystanders, have been wounded after two Israeli helicopter gunships fired missiles at a car in Gaza City in an attempt to extra judicially execute a member of Hamas. Eyewitnesses said that an F-16 jetfighter flew overhead, followed by "Apache" warplanes and fired two missiles at a "Fiat" car, causing severe damages. One person inside the vehicle, believed to be a member of the armed wing of Hamas movement, Ezzeddin Al Qassam Brigades, was wounded in the attack on Tuesday evening....The first missile landed about 70 meters away from the vehicle in the Sheikh Radwan area of Gaza City. Israel affirms right to try Canadian Toronto Star 12/30/2003 JERUSALEM - An Israeli military court in the Gaza Strip today threw out a precedent-setting challenge to its authority to try a Palestinian-born Canadian charged in an alleged plot to kill Jews in North America. Military Judge Vered Orenstein accepted the prosecutor’s argument that the court had the power to try Jamal Akkal, 23, a former Gaza resident. Israeli Defence Force prosecutors accused Akkal of receiving unlawful military training by a terrorist organization whose acts endanger the lives and security of Gaza residents in areas under Israeli military jurisdiction. Breaking News: Four houses demolished in Gaza, Palestinians wounded near Ramallah International Press Center 12/31/2003 12:30-- Israeli occupying forces demolishes completely four Palestinian houses in al Amal neighborhood, west of khan Younis, IPC said. / 12:00-- Israeli occupying forces (IOF) held hundreds of the Palestinian citizens at Jesser Al Zawyia military checkpoint between Masha and Al Zawyia , in Salfeet district, WAFA reported. / 11:15-- 19 Palestinian citizens of Badrass village, west of Rammallah, were wounded by the Israeli gunfire during the IOF invasion of the village, IPC said.... Daily Situation Report - Acrobat format Palestine Media Center 12/28/2003 SUMMARY OF EVENTS - 08:00 27 December 2003 – 08:00 28 December 2003

Diplomacy..

Syria blasts Israeli expansion of Golan settlements Middle East Online 12/31/2003 DAMASCUS - Syria Wednesday condemned Israel's plan to expand settlements on the occupied Golan Heights, saying it proved Prime Minister Ariel Sharon did not want peace. "Sharon says he is for peace, but his statements are contradicted each time with the implementation of settlement projects in the Palestinian territories and the Golan," an information ministry official said. Sharon opposes peace, he is making matters more difficult," the official, who declined to be named. "His actions are evidence of an anti-peace policy and create more tension in the region." Saudi King Fahd receives Qurei' Arabic News 12/31/2003 Saudi Arabia King Fahd Bin Abdul Aziz yesterday received the Palestinian prime minister Ahmad Qurei' and members of the accompanying delegation and discussed with them latest developments concerning the Palestinian issue, bilateral relations, and Arab, Islamic and international affairs especially the Palestinian question, and the acts of killing and destruction practices against the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli forces. Likud Envoy to Syria Identified, Israel to Double Golan Settlers An Nahar 12/31/2003 Israel has approved a plan to spend at least US$56 million to double the number of settlers living on the occupied Golan Heights, aiming to strengthen Israel's hand ahead of possible peace talks with Syria, officials said Wednesday. The decision came as a Druze member of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud Party, Majli Wehbeh, was reportedly preparing to travel to Damascus to look into President Bashar Assad's recent call for the renewal of peace negotiations. Israel appeared to be sending mixed messages in response to Assad's overtures, first made in a New York Times interview. Retiring officer: In future war, IDF would take Damascus as fast as U.S. did Baghdad Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Brigadier General Eival Giladi raised eyebrows yesterday when he told listeners at a Tel Aviv University conference on "New Security Paradigms" that the next time Syria and Israel clash in a war, the IDF will reach Damascus with the same lightning speed American troops made it to Baghdad last spring. Giladi's statements about Syria and other security topics were delivered with a characteristic mix of insight and blunt candor, if not arrogance. The speech capped an influential career for the officer who announced his departure from the IDF with flair this week. PM Qurei’ Demands Revival of Peace Process International Press Center 12/31/2003 GAZA, Palestine, December 31, 2003 (IPC + Agencies)-- The Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei’ requested yesterday Saudi Arabian officials to intervene at the International Quartet to push ahead the peace process in the Middle East at a time Israel launched a fresh air strike on Tuesday wounding 11 Palestinians in Gaza City. On his part, Dr. Nabil Sha’th, the Palestinian Foreign Affairs Minister, told reporters in Al Riyadh that Prime Minister Qurei’ urged the Saudi officials to continue their efforts to press on the United States to play its pivotal role, in order to inject momentum into the peace process. Egypt’s ex-Defense Mininister’s letter to Sharon Palestine Media Center 12/31/2003 In an opinion article entitled "Another letter to Ariel Sharon" written for the London-based Dar al-Hayat daily on Monday, former Egyptian Defense Minister Amin Houwaidi launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Sharon, saying his letter was in response to "the letters Sharon sends to the 'Arab street', like Israeli Air Force strikes on [Islamic Jihad terrorist training] camps near Damascus and the continuing war on the peace-loving Palestinians." "This letter – which might not be the last – is to warn you that you arrived to the quagmire that we expected for you, although its timing was delayed a little", Houwaidi wrote. Syria-Israel War May Trigger a Middle East Apocalypse An Nahar 12/31/2003 Israel's top military strategist says Syria's chances to wage a surprise offensive against the Jewish state are zero because the Israeli army is capable of reaching Damascus with the same speed the Americans had reached Baghdad. But his contention is characterized as farfetched. "The Syrians are aware of this reality and therefore their chances to mount a surprise onslaught against Israel are nil, zero," senior-most Israeli army strategist Gen. Gelaadi said in an interview published by the Tel Aviv daily Haaretz on Wednesday. He noted that the presence of a massive American army in Syria's main Arab neighbor, Iraq, has placed Syria in an inescapable U.S.-Israeli military pincer. Arafat: Israeli government trying to scupper road map Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on Wednesday accused the Israeli government of doing all it could to scupper the internationally-brokered road map to Middle East peace, Army Radio reported. He charged that the government in Jerusalem was not interested in returning to the negotiating table, the report said.

Human Rights..

Failed Assassination Attempt by Israeli Occupying Forces results in 14 Civilian Injuries Palestinian Centre for Human Rights 12/31/2003 The Palestinian Centre for Human Rights (PCHR) strongly condemns an assassination attempt carried out by Israeli occupying forces yesterday evening, 30 December 2003, in Gaza City.The attack targeted a member of the ‘Ezziddin al-Qassam Brigade, the military wing of the Hamas movement.The targeted individual and 13 Palestinians civilians were injured.Two civilians sustained serious injuries.This attack comes as further evidence of an Israeli policy aimed at escalating tensions in the region.According to international law, extra-judicial assassinations and other attacks on Palestinian civilians, are war crimes. Media Alerts - Updates from Budrus and Jayyous International Solidarity Movement 12/31/2003 Continued Non-violent Resistance to Land Confiscation is Met with Violence - [Budrus, Ramallah] -- Early reports are that villagers from Budrus, and their Israeli and International supporters, made a peaceful march onto Budrus lands that are set to be destroyed for the construction of the Israeli Apartheid Wall. Protesters were met by the Israeli army who physically assaulted the men, women and children present and opened fire on the crowd with over 100 rubber bullets aimed at people's heads. Tear gas was also fired. There are many injuries and approximately 10 people have been taken to the hospital. At least 4 Israelis and 6 internationals have been detained and have been threatened with arrest. Military police arrest soldier who shot Briton in Rafah Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Military police this week arrested and questioned the Israel Defense Forces soldier suspected of shooting British civilian Tom Hurndall in Rafah last April, who suffered severe brain damage and lies in a vegetative state in England. Hurndall's family has begun proceedings allowing him to eventually be disconnected from respiratory and other life-support systems....The soldier suspected of shooting Hurndall, whose remand the Southern Command military tribunal extended Wednesday by seven days, initially claimed that he returned fire after an armed Palestinian shot at him. He later admitted to shooting at the unarmed British civilian with the intention of intimidating him. Beduoin Family Ordered Out of Their Home by the Israeli Army Islamic Association for Palestine/ISM 12/31/2003 [Jayyous, Qalqilia] -- Today, at 10:30 AM, Zarriffi, the mother and wife of the Abu Amar family reported that the Isreali army ordered them out of their home. The family was told that they must have a permit to live in their home because their home "is now located in Israel." After several hours of work with a human rights organzaition, the family was granted access back to their home. The family home of Abu Amar is located on the outside of the Israeli Apartheid Wall, opposite the village of Jayyous. They are the only family isolated from daily life there. The family attempts to pass daily through a gate in the Wall controlled by Israeli soldiers, but they are often harassed and denied passage. Prominent rabbi says Apartheid Wall “is killing people” Palestinian Information Center 12/31/2003 Occupied Jerusalem - A prominent Jewish rabbi living in a West Bank settlement has castigated the construction of the apartheid wall in the West Bank, saying it contravened the teachings of the Torah and “is killing people.” Speaking during an interview with the Israeli-state run radio “cal Yisrael” Wednesday, Rabbi Menahem Froeman, of the settlement of Tekou, south of Bethlehem, suggested that the Israeli government was deceiving the public by claiming that the wall would save lives. Lebanese fear losing citizenship after shura council ruling, Palestinian families may lose status Daily Star 12/31/2003 Palestinians families who became Lebanese citizens in 1994 fear that efforts to revoke their acquired citizenship might succeed, but it is likely that only a few will have their citizenship taken from them. “The fears are exaggerated because the ruling might result in the revocation of just a few cases,” according to Ghassan Abdullah, the executive coordinator of the Palestinian Human Rights Organization (PHRO). According to Farid al-Khazen, the chairman of the Political Studies Department at the American University of Beirut: “It is too late to do anything about the citizenship decree. The Shura Council should not have waited nine years to produce this ruling.” The Aggressive Campaign on the Palestinian Communities Jerusalemites/Union of Health Care Committees 12/29/2003 Nablus City & its camps particularly Balata Refugee Camp are under severe Israeli raid; Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) are present in all parts of the city; & since their arrival UHCC’s Medical teams has spread in those areas to offer medical aid to injured & wounded. Yesterday morning (Friday 26/12/2003) at Rafidia neighborhood a youngster got a rubber bullet in his feet, one of our paramedics was at the scene of event; “Rami Shamlawi” approached the youngster to aid him; but he was surprised to see an Israeli patrol full of soldiers (five including the driver) come near him, stepped out of the vehicle, & started beaten him up with their guns’ ends, hands, & feet allover his body, Rami was admitted to Rafidia Hospital for treatment.

Economy..

1.2% GDP growth in 2003 Globes 12/31/2003 GDP per capita fell 0.6%, private consumption increased by 2%, and the standard of living was unchanged. -- In another sign of economic recovery, GDP increased in 2003, after dropping for two years in a row. GDP grew by 1.2%, slightly more than expected, after falling 0.8% in 2002 and 0.9% in 2001. Business product growth was higher at 1.5%, after dropping 2.8% in 2002 and 2.9% in 2001, according to preliminary estimates for 2003 published today. Growth in the old economy (excluding start-ups) was higher 2%. Netanyahu cancels meeting with Perez after workers escalate sanctions Globes 12/31/2003 Histadrut: The government retracted already agreed on understandings. -- Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu last night canceled a meeting with Histadrut (General Federation of Labor in Israel) chairman MK Amir Perez (One Nation), scheduled for tonight. He made the announcement after the National Union of Government Employees decided to escalate its sanctions from this morning by discontinuing all operations by its exceptions committees. Tel Aviv 25 up 51% in 2003 Globes 12/31/2003 The Tel Aviv 100 index was up 60.7% for the year, and the Tel Tech index 128%. The Teva and Bezeq shares attracted the market’s biggest turnovers today. Trading was also heavy in Matav, while the banks continued northward. -- The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange (TASE) rose today. The Tel Aviv 25 index closed up 0.59% at 504.15 points, the Tel Aviv 100 index rose 1% to 534.39 points, and the Tel-Tech 15 index gained 1.79% to 375.24 points. Turnover totaled NIS 698 million. Unemployment up to 10.7%; wages down 3.7% Globes 12/31/2003 Productivity rose 2.2%. The monthly average of unemployed was 279,000 in 2003. -- Unemployment is rising and wages are falling. Unemployment in 2003 reached its highest level since 1994. The seasonally-adjusted monthly average unemployment level was 10.7% in 2003, up from 10.3% in 2002 and 9.4% in 2001.

People..

Palestinian population rises to 8.7 million in 2003 ReliefWeb 12/31/2003 RAMALLAH, West Bank, Dec 31 (AFP) - The number of Palestinians around the world reached 8.7 million in 2003, including 3.7 million in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, according to official figures published Wednesday. The total figure rises to 9.7 million with the inclusion of Israelis of Arab origin, the survey by the Palestinian Authority's bureau of statistics found. Of the 3.7 million inhabitants of the Palestinian territories, 2.3 million live in the West Bank and 1.4 million in Gaza. Israel's population growth only 1.7% in 2003 Globes 12/31/2003 The population of Israel grew by 116,000 in 2003, including only 23,000 immigrants. -- Israel’s population growth in 2003 was the lowest since 1990 1.7%. Israel’s population numbered 6.7 million, 81% of which was Jewish, according to Central Bureau of Statistics population estimates. Immigration hits 15-year low in 2003 Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 During 2003, Israel's population grew by 1.7 percent, or 116,000 people, its slowest pace since 1990, the Central Bureau of Statistics said on Wednesday. Immigration to Israel sank to a 15-year low in 2003, which, added to this low annual population growth rate, means that there will be 6,750,000 Israelis to see in 2004. The CBS said 23,000 people moved to Israel in 2003, down from 34,000 in 2002. More than half came from the former Soviet Union, 13 percent were from Ethiopia, eight percent from France and seven percent from the United States. Festival relives Bedouin heritage Al-Jazeera 12/29/2003 Somewhere between the dunes and oases of southern Tunisia, where urban life once seduced Bedouin nomads into settling down, a festival has been giving a glimpse of a not-so-distant past. The 36th International Sahara Festival, held 600km south of Tunis in the city of Douz over the weekend, drew locals and tourists alike for a cultural event that celebrates the region's heritage and desert peoples....Many of the artists and jockeys come from desert countries such as Algeria, Egypt, Kuwait, Niger and Sudan, although participants have also journeyed France, Italy, Belgium, Germany, Russia, and even South Korea. Photo story: Dancing towards freedom Electronic Intifada 12/29/2003 Comprised of teenagers from the Dheisheh Refugee Camp in the West Bank, the Ibdaa dance troupe performs internationally, has been featured in documentaries, and are no strangers to the press. And while to some this may seem like a glamorous lifestyle, to the performers it's anything but. Having to repeatedly communicate to American audiences the every day struggles that come with life under military occupation is disheartening when they return to the West Bank to find that the status quo of curfews and human losses continues unabated while the whole world watches. Israeli star saw dark side of the Good Samaritan The Guardian 12/31/2003 Conal Urquart in Jerusalem reports that women are ostracised for daring to marry outside one of the Holy Land's tiniest and most ancient communities -- The Samaritans won renown for kindness in the time of Jesus. But today they are ruthless in defence of the purity of their tribe, prepared even to shun their own daughters to preserve their lineage, a fate that has befallen one of Israel's most celebrated actresses. The ancient sect, which was celebrated in the Christian world through the parable of the Good Samaritan in Luke's gospel, now numbers only 600, divided between two communities - one near Tel Aviv in Israel and the other near Nablus in the West Bank. Israel's 'most wanted' terrorist deck Jerusalem Post 12/31/2003 Turns out, everyone's hunting for a royal flush. Hawks in the US have stacked the deck, literally, with a list of "most wanted" Iraqis. American doves can shuffle the faces of "war profiteers" on their own deck of cards. Hamas has posters showing top Israeli leaders on a deck of cards, including Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. Now Israeli gamblers can play their hand at politics, with a list of 52 terrorists wanted by the IDF....The "Game Over" cards can be purchased at stores in Israel for about NIS 20, or on-line at www.terrorists-playing-cards.com. They can also be found at the Internet auction site ebay. 2,000-year-old leper found in Jerusalem Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Two years ago, archaeologist Dr. Shimon Gibson, from the Albright Institute of Archaeological Research in Jerusalem, led a group of students to burial caves in Jerusalem's Hinnom Valley. During the outing, the participants noticed some broken shards from a sarcophagus...."Up until now, the oldest archaeological findings of leprosy were from the Byzantine period, in the fifth century C.E.," says Gibson. "This is the oldest archaeological finding of leprosy in the Middle East...."

International..

Assad to pay landmark visit to Turkey Middle East Online 12/31/2003 ANKARA - Syria's President Bashar al-Assad is to pay a visit to Turkey next week, Turkish diplomatic sources said Wednesday, confirming the recent thaw in relations between the two neighbours which were on the verge of war just five years ago. The sources said Assad was to start a three-day visit on Tuesday, including talks in Ankara with President Ahmet Necdet Sezer and a visit to Istanbul, Turkey's main business centre. Relations between Syria and Turkey have improved markedly in recent weeks, with the signing of a security agreement in Ankara on December 17. Saudi women ask for greater rights Middle East Online 12/30/2003 MANAMA - More than 300 women from across Saudi Arabia, most of them professionals with university degrees, have petitioned Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz, for greater rights. In the petition, the women list eight demands centred on recognition of their contribution to civil society, without the need for "judicial guardianship or support". Calling for a supreme council to oversee women's affairs, the petition also presses women's rights to "education and jobs ... without needing permission" from a guardian. Kuwaiti parliamentarians warn government against changing the curricula Arabic News 12/31/2003 Kuwaiti parliamentarians have warned the government against being subjected to the American and western "blackmailing" to change schools curricula, with the aims of removing subjects believed to be encouraging extremism and terrorism. Islamic parliamentarians in particular warned against changing the Islamic principles in the school books, stressing that Kuwait's school curricula do not " encourage extremism nor generate terrorists." AMW summary of BBC Radio 4 coverage of Israel/Palestine Palestine Media Center 12/30/2003 A summary covering the week of December 15-21, compiled by Judith Brown, a member of Arab Media Watch's executive committee. -- There seems to be a different method of presenting the Palestinian/Israeli conflict since the BBC linked up again with Israel. The items tend to be shorter and they use Israeli spokesmen less, and Palestinians have been excluded from any comment – they have been used before, including spokesmen from Hamas. The Middle East conflict items are on earlier than they were before on the Today programme, often before 6.30am. 'Saudi counterterrorism officials appear to be targets of militants' Jordan Times 12/31/2003 RIYADH (AP) — Militants appear to have changed tactics, targeting senior members of the Saudi security services instead of foreign residents, said a Western diplomat on Tuesday. The target of Monday night's explosion in Riyadh was a top official of the Saudi equivalent of the FBI, the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity. The official has not been identified, but he worked for the Mabahith branch of the interior ministry. Baradei meets Qadhafi, lauds Libyan cooperation Jordan Times 12/31/2003 TRIPOLI (Reuters) — UN nuclear weapons chief Mohammad Al Baradei met Libyan leader Muammar Qadhafi on Monday and praised Tripoli for cooperating with teams conducting the first-ever inspections of its atomic weapons programme. "Libya has shown a good deal of cooperation, a good deal of openness," said Baradei, the head of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). "This is a country that appears fully committed to cooperating." 4 countries agree to exempt U.S. from int'l court prosecution Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 CRAWFORD, Texas - President Bush George W. Bush announced agreements with another four countries to exempt Americans from prosecution by the International Criminal Court, which it staunchly opposes. The 1998 Rome Statute establishing the International Criminal Court has been ratified by 90 countries, but the court faces opposition from the United States. Bush administration officials fear that Americans, particularly soldiers abroad, could fall victim to politically motivated prosecutions. The Bush administration has signed bilateral treaties with more than three dozen countries that have agreed not to hand over American citizens to the court. The latest, according to a statement released by the White House on Tuesday, are Belize, the former Yugoslav Republic of Macedonia, Panama and Fiji. U.S. students responsive to Israel campaign Ha'aretz 12/31/2003 Jesse Gabriel, 22, will complete his B.A. in Political Science this year at the University of California, Berkeley. Many of the instructors on his campus articulate extremely critical positions toward Israel and its policies in the territories. Student support for the Palestinians is widespread....In fact, Israel supporters have gained the upper hand in Berkeley's debates about the conflict. "We've learned how to operate, and we are winning today," he says. "Anyone who visits the campus today will see far more Israeli flags than Palestinian ones."...Scrapping this combative approach, students developed new tactics. One is the publication of special journals on Israel...."The idea is to present Israel as a pluralistic country that is similar to the U.S.," explains one Yale student. 'Aid Will Not Restore Iran-US Ties' Arab News 12/31/2003 KERMAN, Iran, 31 December 2003 — President Mohammad Khatami said yesterday US aid to earthquake victims in Iran, while welcome, would not alter the state of relations between the two arch foes who broke off ties nearly a quarter century ago. “I don’t think this incident will change our relations with the United States,” Khatami told a news conference in the capital of southeastern Kerman province where officials say up to 50,000 people were killed in a quake that struck on Friday. Who Owns Nukes? Islam Online 12/31/2003 Islam Online Interactive: The world's 'nuclear club' Al-Shara confers with Austrian parliamentary delegation Arabic News 12/31/2003 Syria's Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara received in Damascus Tuesday Speaker of the Austrian Parliament Andres Khol and an accompanying delegation on Syrian-European relations, particularly the Syrian-Austrian ones. Talks also dealt with issues of mutual concern and with Syria's initiative submitted to the UN Security Council regarding freeing the Middle East from weapons of mass destruction WMD. Emergency meeting for Arab FMs on improving the Arab League Arabic News 12/31/2003 The assistant secretary general of the Arab league AL Nour Eddine Hasshad announced on Sunday that the Arab foreign ministers will hold an emergency meeting in Cairo in February 2004 to discuss the file of developing the Arab League. Hasshad told journalists that the AL general secretariat handed over "since days the Arab League a complete file on the development of the AL, and that the Arab League will by its turn send final answers by the end of January 2004 to discuss it in the emergency meeting." Mujahid: 'They told me that I was a Jordanian terrorist' CNN 12/31/2003 CNN) -- One of two Americans arrested in the Philippines and accused of having ties to al Qaeda said Tuesday he and his brother are innocent of the allegations and instead are the victims of an overzealous war on terror. James Stubbs Jr., 56 -- also known by his Muslim name of Jamil Mujahid -- and Michael Ray Stubbs, 55, were arrested December 13 in Tanza, south of Manila, in a joint operation by the Philippine Navy, Philippine Marine Corps and the Bureau of Immigration and Deportation. CNN anchor Soledad O'Brien discussed the case with Jamil Mujahid. Solidarity rally to be held this evening Jordan Times 12/31/2003 AMMAN (JT) — The [Jordanian] National Coalition, grouping opposition parties, professional associations and independent figures, announced plans to stage a number of public events over the coming weeks in solidarity with Iraqis and Palestinians facing US and Zionist occupation. The first of these events is a public rally entitled “Victory and Liberation of Iraq and Palestine,” to be held at the Professional Associations complex this evening. The terror threat at home, often overlooked Christian Science Monitor 12/29/2003 HOUSTON – It began as a misdelivered envelope and developed into the most extensive domestic terrorism investigation since the Oklahoma City bombing. Last month, an east Texas man pleaded guilty to possession of a weapon of mass destruction. Inside the home and storage facilities of William Krar, investigators found a sodium-cyanide bomb capable of killing thousands, more than a hundred explosives, half a million rounds of ammunition, dozens of illegal weapons, and a mound of white-supremacist and antigovernment literature. "Without question, it ranks at the very top of all domestic terrorist arrests in the past 20 years in terms of the lethality of the arsenal," says Daniel Levitas, author of "The Terrorist Next Door: The Militia Movement and the Radical Right." But outside Tyler, Texas, the case is almost unknown. In the past nine months, there have been two government press releases and a handful of local stories, but no press conference and no coverage in the national newspapers. US trade sanctions delay upgrades of Syria’s internet Daily Star 12/31/2003 Syrian web infrastructure in need of American technological support - New American restrictions set back trade, net development for at least a year, complicated requests for export licenses -- DAMASCUS: The US-authored Syria Accountability Act imposing trade sanctions on the country could delay the upgrade of Syria’s internet infrastructure which is in need of American technological equipment, the Syrian Telecommunication Minister Mohammed Bashir al-Mounajed said.

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