November 24 2004

Dear Readers, I will have to stop my daily headlines for a few days. Due to new tasks coming at the time of exams, I will have to pause my daily compilation for next two weeks. Until then I would suggest you daily visit http://www.imemc.org
Best wishes,
Shadi

High Court allows construction of fence near J'lem to begin
The petition was made by residents of the Palestinian village Tzur Baher on the edge of Jerusalem where the fence is planned to cross through the center. The petitioners asked that the fence be rerouted further to the east since it would obstruct their daily life.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/505449.html


Wall's Revised Route Still Pending Sharon's Approval
Sharon is not yet decided on how the large settlement blocs in the West Bank will be fenced, and on what will be done with the enclave of four Palestinian villages - Battir, Walaja, Hussan and Nahalin. Defense officials, who prepared the revised route, left it for Sharon to decide whether to allow access to Jerusalem or to Bethlehem.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week4/112404/wall%20revised%20route.htm


Anger and Tears at Israel's Apartheid Wall, A Wound Slashing Palestine to the Bone
This wall, built illegally upon Palestinian land without compensation, will be over 450 miles long, 26 feet in height above its base and nearly 500 feet wide. It has consumed more than 10 percent of Palestine's most fertile and productive agricultural land, over a quarter of a million dunums already; when the wall is completed the figure will reach a million dunums.
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2004/0411010.html


Caterpillar dismisses calls to stop selling Bulldozers to Israel Army
"Caterpillar betrays its stated values when it sells bulldozers to Israel knowing that they are being used to illegally destroy Palestinian homes. Until Israel stops these practices, Caterpillar's continued sales will make the company complicit in human rights abuses" said Sarah Leah Whitson
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week4/112404/cater-pillar.htm


Arrested for being a witness
International Solidarity Movement activist Hannah James was singled out and arrested by the Israeli secret police, the General Security Services (GSS) as she took part in a peaceful demonstration against the expansion of illegal Israeli settlements.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?tabID=0&alias=Rainbow&lang=en-US&ItemID=640&mid=10423


Israeli officer: I was right to shoot 13-year-old child
An Israeli army officer who repeatedly shot a 13-year-old Palestinian girl in Gaza dismissed a warning from another soldier that she was a child by saying he would have killed her even if she was three years old. (Hopes to be as successful as Sharon through committing crimes)
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1358173,00.html


Book Review of From Oslo to Iraq and the Road Map: Essays by Edward W. Said
Among other things, Said clearly forecast how Oslo would not improve the lives of the Palestinians who suffered under Israeli occupation and who still endure daily attacks, checkpoints, roadblocks and searches by Israeli forces, supported by the U.S. government with its "two party monopoly." Said analyzes the propaganda of the Israeli lobby and America's corporate media.
http://www.lefthook.org/Reviews/Sandronsky112204.html


Israel Excludes Nonviolent Internationals Seeking to Protect Palestinians
Despite being threatened with force if she did not get on the plane, Petter asserted her right to legal process. While the Israeli judicial system considered her case, airport security held her in detention for 34 days, costing her $5,000 in unreimbursed legal fees and detention charges.
http://www.wrmea.com/archives/November_2004/0411016.html


3 Citizens Woundedand 3 Others Arrested in WB
Officials at Abu Hussein hospital mentioned that three Palestinian students wounded when Israeli soldiers wantonly fired rubber bullets and gas canisters towards schoolboys in Yatta town, south of Hebron city.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1883


Take action against the deportation of Ahmad Nafaa
STATELESS PALESTINIAN REFUGEE TAKEN TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 23RD BY CANADIAN IMMIGRATION AUTHORITIES: CURRENTLY DETAINED AT MONTREAL'S LAVAL DETENTION CENTER & FACING IMMEDIATE DEPORTATION
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3368.shtml


Israeli court sentences Canadian to four years
Gaza-born Jamal Akkal has maintained his innocence since his arrest more than a year ago.  He insists he was tortured into confessing, CTV's Janis Mackey Frayer reported from Jerusalem.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1101311186853_64/?hub=TopStories


Solidarity for Palestine
The 29th of November 1947 witnessed another step to implement the crime of the age, when the then United Nations General Assembly, controlled by the International Imperialist and colonialist powers was forced to approve the creation of Israel through the resolution of the partition of Palestine into two States.
http://www.dailynews.lk/2004/11/24/new22.html


Schools urged to link with Palestine pupils
Former Coventry journalist Vicky Wayman, currently working as a volunteer teacher in Palestine, would like to hear from schools willing to join her in a project. Speaking from Bethlehem, she said: "What would be nice is if a class - or youth group - would get together to write a letter, perhaps a series of questions and thoughts, and we could then do one back.
http://iccoventry.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0100localnews/tm_objectid=14907740&method=full&siteid=50003&headline=schools-urged-to-link-with-palestine-pupils-name_page.html


Israeli soldier shot wounded in central Gaza
According to the leaflet, the soldier was shot by a Palestinian sniper east of the central Gaza town of Deir el Ballah near the settlement of Kfar Darom while he was standing in an Israeli army lookout post.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/24/content_2257595.htm


Hamas militants shell southern Gaza settlement
The group said in a leaflet that its militants fired mortar shells at the settlement in eastern Khan Younis, a southern Gaza town. The group also vowed to pursue the path of resistance "till the enemy leaves our blessed lands."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/24/content_2257013.htm


Report: West Bank Students Humiliated at Israeli Checkpoints
Standing under the sun heat or the rains, detention and beating of Palestinian university students by the Israeli soldiers in Nablus, have become a part of the bitter reality the Palestinians are going through in the West Bank City of Nablus, a special report by the IPC revealed.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1129


Qurei doubts US would change position toward Israel
He reiterated the only side which is able to exert pressure onIsrael is "America", adding "I personally doubt that the United States would practice pressure on Israel to make it become committed to the peace process."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/24/content_2257748.htm


US renews Israel oil deal
US officials say they have renewed an agreement to supply Israel with oil in the case of a blockade. The agreement was initially signed following the controversial Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979. The deal led to Israel returning the Sinai peninsula and oilfields to Egypt.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B9ECD5DF-183A-46E2-81E4-D11595B849BD.htm


American Jews call on Condoleezza Rice to press for peace
Israel, they believe, should put an end to settlement activity, while the Palestinians should mount a genuine effort to prevent terrorism. They warn that "a crucial opportunity may be lost" if this is not done.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=505680&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Sharon cancels talks with Straw
Mr Sharon had been due to meet Mr Straw today to discuss steps to help Palestinians elect a successor to late President Yasser Arafat in January. "The prime minister is perfectly well, but he has lost his voice and the meeting (with Mr Straw) has been cancelled," the official told Reuters.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11490877%255E1702,00.html


Foreign Secretary Visits Israel and the Occupied Territories, 24-25 November 2004
In a press conference with the Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom today the Foreign Secretary explained that the basis for his visit was the five points set out by Prime Minister Blair and President Bush in their joint statement of 12 November, namely: – support for Prime Minister Sharon's disengagement plan;...
http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3799329


Observers OK'd for Palestinian Elections
Israel will allow international observers to monitor upcoming Palestinian presidential elections, fulfilling an important Palestinian demand, Israel's foreign minister said Wednesday. Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Wednesday that Israel would not stand in the way of such missions.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4635340,00.html


Hamas refuses to return to negotiations with Israel
Palestinian Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas) asserted on Wednesday its refusal to return to negotiations with Israel, considering that negotiations led the Palestinian people to its worst internal and political situations.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/24/content_2257027.htm


Israel bars Palestinians from using Ben-Gurion airport
"The policy on the exit of Palestinians through the Ben-Gurion International Airport is reviewed from time to time according to current security assessment and the circumstances of specific requests," the Shin Bet was quoted as saying.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/24/content_2257026.htm


Israel: Syrian offer of unconditional talks is 'nothing new'
Israel responded coolly to a Syrian offer for a resumption of peace talks Wednesday, saying that the offer, passed on by a United Nations envoy, was "nothing new."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/505786.html


Spreading color and hope in refugee camps
"We are not terrorists," says Mahmoud Halimi, a 17-year-old Palestinian refugee and a member of a newly formed Palestinian cultural club. "Our way to fight is not only through weapons, guns and bombs," he said. "We also know art, and we are talented enough to use art to make our voices heard."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=1&article_id=10347


Guest speaker Abunimah gives Arab view on Israel/Palestine conflict
Ali Abunimah recently compared the Israeli treatment of Palestinians to white control in apartheid South Africa and colonial American treatment of Native Americans. He said all three were aggressors who took land from indigenous people and then denied them equal rights.
http://www.midweeknews.com/local/articles/112404-abunimah.html


Blair may visit Israel to revive peace process
Downing Street responded with irritation last night, stressing that no final decision had been taken and that it would be for Number 10 rather than the Israeli government to make any announcement. Mr Blair wants to go to the Middle East as soon as possible
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1358070,00.html


Fallujah Refugees
"Doctors in Fallujah are reporting there are patients in the hospital there who were forced out by the Americans," said Mehdi Abdulla, a 33 year-old ambulance driver at a hospital in Baghdad, "Some doctors there told me they had a major operation going, but the soldiers took the doctors away and left the patient to die." He looks at the ground, then away to the distance.
http://electroniciraq.net/news/1733.shtml


Witnesses say US forces killed unarmed civilians
They said, in interviews with The Independent, that as well as deaths from bombs and artillery shells, a large number of people including children were killed by American snipers. US forces refused repeated calls for medical aid for injured civilians, they said.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=586045


Official statement Bellamy speaks out for children in Iraq
UNICEF today again expressed deep concern about the devastating impact the hostilities in Iraq is having on the overall well-being of the country’s children. “This protracted fighting and instability is wreaking havoc on Iraqi children,” UNICEF Executive Director Carol Bellamy said.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7532&s2=24

November 23 2004

Israel: Caterpillar Should Suspend Bulldozer Sales
“Caterpillar betrays its stated values when it sells bulldozers to Israel knowing that they are being used to illegally destroy Palestinian homes,” said Sarah Leah Whitson, Middle East director at Human Rights Watch. “Until Israel stops these practices, Caterpillar's continued sales will make the company complicit in human rights abuses.”
http://hrw.org/english/docs/2004/11/22/isrlpa9711.htm


World Bank: PA economic crisis due to Israeli closures
After four years of intifada, nearly 50 percent of Palestinians live below the poverty line, and 16 percent cannot afford even the basic necessities, according to a report to be published Tuesday by the World Bank.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/505196.html


IDF officer indicted for shooting 13-year-old girl
documentary show Fact broadcast Monday night the army communications tape recording of the real-time events, including videotape, in which R. is heard explicitly stating he "verified the kill." The tape showed that the soldiers at the outpost kept firing at the girl even after she had been identified by soldiers as "about 10 years old." (Child is Arab, No Criticism!)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504926&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Analysis / Absolutely illegal
the main question is why the company commander and his soldiers fired at the girl who was 100 meters away from the outpost, was not armed, was not a danger to the soldiers inside the protected outpost, and when at least some of the soldiers knew that it was a little girl. A soldiers is explicitly heard saying "it's a little girl," and that she is "scared to death."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504930&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Father and Son Wounded in Khan Younis
Mustafa Al Sumeiri, 42, and his 13-year-old son Yousef were shot and wounded... Eyewitnesses said Mustafa and his son were traveling in a car along with other civilians when the car came under heavy gunfire from an invading Israeli force.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1109


Wounded Palestinian barred from hospitalization out of the Gaza Strip
The family of Abu Rafee' said that it applied for permits to enter Israel several times, but in spite of providing the Israeli authorities with the needed medical reports and papers, the their applications were rejected. In a seperate incident, the Israeli authorities barred on Tuesday tens of Palestinian suffering from cardiac diseases, and cancer from crossing Eretz crossing
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week4/112304/hospitalize.htm


Israeli army arrests 9 Palestinians in W. Bank
In another development, Israeli troops arrested a 19-years-old Palestinian after storming the house of his family in Beit Gala. The young man's father and brother were arrested several months ago, according to local residents. they destroyed the house before arresting Abu Al Nawa, who was taken to an unknown place.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2252012.htm


Palestinian prisoners demand right to vote
"The prisoners are a part of the Palestinian people and have theright to vote and to participate at the elections," PLO's executivecommittee member Abed al Rahim Malouh, who was imprisoned two days ago, said in a statement on behalf of the prisoners.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2252173.htm


Middle East ; Israeli troops attack Palestinian charitable societies
Late on Monday the Israeli occupation forces attacked the society’s headquarters and confiscated some of its contents. In its statement, the society described the incident as an outrageous aggression and an Israeli attempt to hamper its charitable activities.
http://www.keralanext.com/news/?id=67893


Israel bars Italian woman from joining family in West Bank
How can an Italian citizen reunite with her Palestinian spouse and two children in Ramallah? Ezia Quagliozzi and her husband, Maher Sha'abaneh, have been trying for over a month to get together.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504877.html


Powell: `New attitude' in Mideast
Israeli officials said they also were considering ways to allow Palestinians living in east Jerusalem to vote, likely by mail. They have ruled out allowing polling places in the city.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=2027&e=1&u=/chitribts/20041123/ts_chicagotrib/powellnewattitudeinmideast


Powell wins poll assurance from Sharon
But Mr Powell disappointed the Palestinian leadership by declining to press an array of other issues, including the continued expansion of Jewish settlements and the revival of the road map to the creation of a Palestinian state next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1357482,00.html


Abbas: I won't give up demand for right of return of refugees
At a memorial ceremony for Arafat at the Palestinian parliament, Abbas said he would walk in the footsteps of the late Palestinian leader. "We promise you [Arafat] that our heart will not rest until we achieve the right of return for our people and end the tragic refugee issue," he said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/505214.html


PM rejects Russian proposal that Quartet advance peace talks
Sharon said the plan to disengage from the Gaza Strip and four settlements in the West Bank would lead to the implementation of the Quartet's road map to peace, according to the report.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504928&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


World Bank: Gazans should work in Israel beyond 2008
The World Bank is putting together a package of economic, security and diplomatic measures in an effort to rescue the Palestinian Authority's economy from its current crisis, Nigel Roberts, director of the bank's office in the territories, said Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504929&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Survey: Abu Mazen has support of 24 percent of Palestinians
When no candidate's name was mentioned, 34.3 percent said they would support Fatah, 11.5 percent expressed allegiance to Hamas, 12.9 percent favored an independent candidate, and 34.5 percent said they would decide on election day.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504368.html


Quartet to help PA pay for January elections
Members of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators have agreed to help the Palestinian Authority pay for their January 9 elections to choose a new chairman, United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan said Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504928.html


Fatah asks Fattouh to set date for legislative election
The mainstream Fatah movement on Monday asked Rawhi Fattouh, the interim chairman of the Palestinian National Authority (PNA), to set a date for holding the legislative election before mid-2005, the official WAFA news agency reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2248928.htm


Qurei, Abbas to meet Mubarak over peace process
"They will also discuss with Mubarak issues related to the Palestinian elections and recent Palestinian-US talks as well as ways to push forward the peace process and establish an independentPalestinian state.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2252086.htm


Quartet: Israel Must Ease Restrictions for Elections
Members of the Quartet of Middle East peace mediators urged Israel Tuesday to ease restrictions on Palestinians ahead of January elections to choose a successor to late President Yasser Arafat.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=564&e=2&u=/nm/20041123/ts_nm/mideast_dc_44


Annan: Theres an opportunity for Mideast peace
Annan made his remarks at the international conference on Iraq which has turned its focus to the Palestinian crisis. Annan, moreover, called for the support of Iraq elections to help create a "united and peaceful country".
http://www.aljazeera.com/cgi-bin/news_service/middle_east_full_story.asp?service_id=5671


Palestinians Open Voter Registration for one Extra Week
The committee said in a leaflet distributed Tuesday, that 1000 offices will be reopened in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The leaflet called the Palestinian residents to register stressing that voter registration is the way to guarantee their right to vote a prerequisite to vote and to run for election.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week4/112304/registration.htm


NII report: 1.5 million were below poverty line in 2003
"Israel is becoming poorer and poorer," said NII Director General Dr. Yigal Ben Shalom during the presentation of the report. In response to the report, the treasury reiterated its stance that employment is the way out of poverty. It also denied that cuts in benefits had increased the number of people living below the poverty line.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/504927.html


Israeli demolitions undercut an ancient cultural heritage
The destruction, intentional or otherwise, of such heritage - be it in the form of buildings, monuments, houses or places of worship - undoubtedly has adverse consequences on human dignity and human rights - and in the case of Palestine - the destruction has adverse consequences on peace.
http://dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&article_id=10324


Labor considers proposing no-confidence motion
The Labor Party will conduct a telephone survey on Wednesday among its MKs on whether to bring a no-confidence vote against the government over the poverty report set to be issued Tuesday by the National Insurance Institute.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/504861.html


16-year-old paralyzed Bedouin boy burnt to death in Negev
A 16-year-old paralyzed boy died on Tuesday after suffering critical burns all over his body. The boy was from the unrecognized Bedouin village of al-Karwan near the town of Arad in the south
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=505255&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Income Tax Authority probing Gilad Sharon
The Income Tax Authority has begun examining various Sharon family bank accounts to probe suspicions that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's son, Gilad, evaded taxes on millions of shekels' worth of income...
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/504862.html


Back to the argument of the 1967 lines
Sharon correctly reckoned that the Green Line would return to the political picture, despite the enormous efforts to erase it. To prevent that, he equipped himself with two constraints: One was the letter from President Bush promising no return to the "armistice lines" and consideration for the "Israeli population centers" in determining the border;
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504899.html


Iraq Conference Closes With No Pullout Timetable
The international conference on Iraq closed Tuesday, November 23, after adopting a declaration in support of the country's January election, but failed short of setting a timetable for the withdrawal of the US-led occupation troops.
http://www.unobserver.com/layout4.php?id=2019&blz=1


Powell meets Syria FM on Iraqi border security
US Secretary of State Colin Powell met Tuesday with the Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara on Iraq's border security on the sidelines of an international conference on Iraq held here.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2252847.htm

November 22 2004

Photostory: Hebrew University to displace Palestinian families
On Sunday, November 21 at 7:15AM, bulldozers and armed security guards hired by Hebrew University Properties, Ltd. arrived at the home of Al-Helou family in Jerusalem to announce that their land will be confiscated for the expansion of the university dormitories. (Nobody to condemn it, everyone is fine with such action!)
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3361.shtml


Documentary film review: "Mur" (Wall)
The documentary starts with the slow installation of concrete slabs, one by one, obliterating the view of landscapes and Palestinian villages, until there is not a chink of light remaining. The camera follows the gradual motion and stays fixed on the shot. We see Palestinians cut off from their land, and their olive groves, olives left to rot on the branch.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3357.shtml


Officer charged over 'confirmed killing' of Gaza girl, 13
"The accused stood in a similar way to before, when he shot her twice, pointed his weapon downward and shot, this time on automatic, approximately 10 bullets until he emptied his magazine," the indictment says. The officer, who has been suspended, was not identified. (not a life term, not even five life terms!)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504759.html


Arab lawmakers group calls for steps to protect Arab children
"Children are exposed to brutal bombardment in Iraq and to catastrophes in Palestine," said Nouridine Bouchkouj, the APU's secretary-general, at the opening of the first Arab lawmakers' meeting to discuss ways to protect the region's children.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504823&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Fire and Rain in Nablus: Three Reports on a Solidarity Action for Fallujah
For 10 to 15 minutes, Jabl-an-Naar (Mountain of Fire) was alight with the Arabic word "Falluja". The same message was displayed two days earlier, and repeated because of Nablus's appreciation of its success.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/palsolidarity/message/1090


Palestinian militants attack Israeli targets in Gaza
In a leaflet, the group said six mortar shells were fired at theGenital settlement near the southern Gaza Strip city of Khan YounisMonday morning. It also claimed responsibility for firing five mortar shells at Tal al-Zu'rub Israeli outpost located on the borderline with Gaza and Egypt.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2247778.htm


It can happen here
Anyone who was taken by surprise by the appalling testimonies published in Yedioth Ahronoth last Friday about the mutilation of bodies of Palestinian militants and of innocent victims, probably assumed that the Israel Defense Forces is the world's most ethical army. But the IDF is, in fact, like every other occupying force
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504403.html


Talks with UN, U.S. aim to define status of evacuated areas
Israel is seeking a "creative" formula that will diminish its responsibility vis-a-vis the Gaza Strip following its withdrawal from the area. Israeli officials have proposed creating interim stages, such as "a step toward ending the occupation," or the definition of "effective control of the area."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504407&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


EU to send election observation mission to Palestine
The decision is a concrete expression of the EU's effort to support the development of democratic institutions and stability in the Palestinian Territories. The presence of the EOM and the reporting of its observers will help to increase transparency and build confidence in the election process.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3362.shtml


PLO to press Powell on road map
Palestinian leaders will tell Colin Powell, the US secretary of state, who is visiting the occupied territories today, that they want the Bush administration to commit itself to the creation of a Palestinian state by the end of next year.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1356608,00.html


Moderate Abbas adopted as mainstream candidate to replace Arafat: minister
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat`s moderate number two Mahmud Abbas was adopted by the mainstream Fatah movement Monday as its candidate to succeed him in January polls, social affairs minister Intissar al-Wazir said.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=34314


PNA to invite Arab League to observe presidential elections: sources
"We need all these delegations, so Israel would not interfere inthe elections," the sources said. According to the sources, the Palestinian side is seeking to guarantee international attendance at the elections as the preceding elections were participated by 60 delegations headed by former US President Jimmy Carter.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2248301.htm


Powell hails peace opportunity ahead of Palestinian vote
"This is a moment of opportunity as we look forward to the Palestinian election," said Powell, shoulder-to-shoulder with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. "Terror must be ended, violence must be ended."
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/118504/1/.html


Powell Wins Israeli Pledge on Palestinian Election
But Israel stopped short of any commitment to pull back forces in and around West Bank cities in the run-up to the vote, as the Palestinians have demanded. "We do not trust these Israeli declarations," said senior Palestine Liberation Organization official Yasser Abed Rabbo.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6886939


PFLP condemns Israeli sentencing its leader
"Sentencing Mallouh shows how the Israeli government is using anarbitrary logic and neglecting the international law and pursuing its repressive policy and using its courts to sentence the Palestinian people," said the leaflet.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2244368.htm


Palestinian left-wing parties chose Barghouti as candidate for presidential elections
Palestinian official sources revealed Monday that the five left-wing parties have chosen Mustafa al Barghouti as their candidate for presidential elections.Al Barghouti, who has represented the stream of reformists in Palestinian mainstream Fatah movement (Xinhuanet is mixing between Mustafa Barghuti & Marwan Barghuti)
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/23/content_2248609.htm


Locust swarms push Israelis and Palestinians to common battle
Swarms of locusts threatening to devastate the Palestinian West Bank region of Jericho and already destroying grass and trees at luxury hotels in southern Israel have brought the two sides into unusual cooperation against a common flying foe.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041122/sc_afp/mideast_israel_041122150755


Palestinians: Arafat poisoned
More than 80% of Palestinians believe that veteran leader Yasser Arafat died as a result of poisoning and not from natural causes, a poll published on Sunday revealed. 80.3% of respondents said "yes", with 93% saying his medical report should be made public.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1624546,00.html


Yasser Arafat's nephew refuses to rule out poisoning
"Toxicology tests were made, and no poison known to the doctors was detected," said al-Kidwa. "We don't have proof that suggests there was poisoning. We don't have proof that there wasn't, in a definitive way," al-Kidwa said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504750.html


Sharon: 40-year-old Dimona nuclear reactor is safe
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told a Knesset committee Monday that Israel's 40-year-old nuclear reactor is safe, an Israeli lawmaker said, after charges that the facility could endanger its environs.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504825.html


Israel to collect weapons from settlers ahead of Gaza withdrawal
Israel is planning to collect weapons from Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip ahead of a planned withdrawal from the territory next year, a senior defence official revealed."We will try and do it through dialogue and cooperation with the community leaders."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=1&u=/afp/20041122/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_israel_gaza_041122151523


Soccer / Racism and hooliganism tackled at TA conference
Rifat Turk, an Israeli Arab who played for the Israeli national team in the 1980s, said the problem of racism is endemic to Israeli soccer. "Today there is no game where they don't curse Arabs, even if there aren't any on the field," he said. "People yell `Death to the Arabs' like its going out of style."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504379.html


Blood from a stone? Palestinians must make the most of every drop
However, should Israel implement the wise measures mentioned above and called for by so many, the onus will be on the Palestinians to ensure such gestures do not dissipate in the wind - they must nail them down and use them to develop a stronger internal political process.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&article_id=10301&categ_id=17


For sake of democracy include diaspora in Palestinian vote
Elections are on the agenda for the Palestinians: Their interim post-Arafat leadership says it plans to hold them Jan. 9. That's good news, but as of now there are no plans to include in this important vote the millions of Palestinians living in exile outside their homeland. Shouldn't that be changed?
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1122/p09s02-coop.html


We miss you, Mr. `There's-no-partner'
Where will they find a new "there's-no-partner," to whom Sharon refuses to talk? Who will rescue Bush from his road map peace plan, which promised that "a settlement negotiated between the parties" will result in a final status agreement that "will end the occupation that began in 1967"?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504388.html


The Panic
The opposition to the Presbyterian Church's decision to investigate selective divestment from companies doing business with Israel's occupation is growing. And support of them is growing. Meanwhile, Mustafa Barghouti has called for sanctions against Israel, and the Somerville, Mass. Board of Aldermen is debating divestment. It's a time that calls for clearheadedness.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3363.shtml


Anti-war group slams the BBC
"The broadcasts are simply a one dimensional justification of the assault. "There was a long cast of pro-war commentators, with no counter-balancing opinion to represent what is, according to all recent polls, the view held by 50 per cent of the British public who oppose the war in Iraq. "They did not show the results of the bombardment on the civilians living there."
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7484&s2=22


Up to 50,000 more US troops needed in Iraq: Senator McCain
When asked how many additional forces would have to be deployed, the maverick Republican senator answered "I would say at least 40,000 or 50,000 more," adding that it will likely also be necessary to increase the size of the army and the marine corps.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7473&s2=22


U.S. assault on Falluja incites new uprisings
And, as of Nov. 17, the big news out of Iraq was that the active armed resistance had spread to Mosul, Beiji, Baquba, Ramadi, Tikrit, Iskandariya, Samarra and Baghdad, with police stations overrun and arms captured by anti-occupation fighters. In Falluja itself, after nine days of battle, U.S. forces were still calling in air strikes.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7485&s2=22


Allawi's cousin freed as death toll rises
A source in Mr Allawi's office said Ghazi Allawi, 75, had been released nearly two weeks after a previously unknown Islamist group seized him, his wife and daughter-in-law in Baghdad. The women were released a week ago. The group had threatened to kill all three unless Mr Allawi's government called off the US-led assault on the rebel-held city of Fallujah.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=585381


Jackson fears Army will remain in Iraq for years
British troops will be sent to help the US in conflict zones anywhere inside Iraq, prompting fears that soldiers could be stuck in the most dangerous parts of the country fighting insurgents for years to come.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=585402

November 21, 2004

20 injured during West Wall protests
a large Israeli army force backed by tanks and jeeps moved into the area near the village of Beit Oula, west of Hebron, and began to bulldoze an area belonging to Palestinian farmers. Palestinian medics at al Ahli Hospital in Hebron said 20 Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli troops' gunfire, adding that many of them were shot in their chests and heads.
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041121-103818-7773r.htm


Fifteen Thousand in Rome against the Apartheid Wall and for Sanctions on Israel!
The protest against the Apartheid Wall demanded for its immediate dismantling. The 15 thousand strong demonstration was led by the Palestinian community living in Italy and co-organized by left wing parties and dozens of grassroots groups.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/808.shtml


An 800 Person Strong Demonstration against the Apartheid Wall in the Streets of Geneva!
Calling for the suspension of the Free Trade Agreement between Switzerland and Israel as well as any military collaboration between both governments, the demonstrators reminded the public and the Swiss Government of the decision issued by the International Court of Justice...
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/807.shtml


Nuclear whistleblower accuses Israel of apartheid
Vanunu, 50, said in an interview with the daily Eleftherotypia, in further defiance of a government gagging order, that he hoped the EU could "help the Palestinians to possess their own state and Israel to become a true democracy". "At the moment," he added, "There exists a Jewish apartheid. Europe must do something for Israel to become a democracy for everybody."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=4&u=/afp/20041121/wl_mideast_afp/israel_nuclear_vanunu_041121201607


Army may order officers to leave illegal outposts
A considerable number of career army officers are living in illegal outposts, including a deputy brigade commander in compulsory service. And while IDF commanders in the West Bank and civil administration officials have been aware of the situation for a long time, nothing has been done about it until now.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504221&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Court: Deputy IDF chief must clarify comment
Deputy Chief of Staff Major General Dan Halutz will submit to the High Court in the next two weeks his response to controversial statements attributed to him when he was serving as Air Force Commander in July 2002, after a one-ton bomb was dropped on the home of Salah Shehadeh, killing 14 people.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503576.html


Israeli troops wound three Rafah residents
Among the injured, a 14-year-old boy was critically wounded when he was sitting in his classroom at the al Barazil neighborhood near the borders. Residents said Israeli soldiers arrested three residents of al Qarara in central-southern Gaza and Israeli bulldozers razed wide areas of Palestinian-owned agricultural fields.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/21/content_2243549.htm


Israeli Troops Kill a Palestinian Citizen Near Deir Elbalah
Mohammad Khalil Shehada,20, from the Gaza Strip refugee camp of Nusairat, was shot dead by Israeli occupation troops early on Sunday morning to the south of Deir Elbalah City, middle of Gaza Strip.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1072


Troops kill three Fatah militants in West Bank
Sheikh was killed in the ensuing gunbattle, as were two other Palestinian men who were with him. Military sources said they too were Fatah members, though no weapons were found on their bodies.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=504306&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


UNRWA needs urgent aid of 186 million US dollars: official
In a statement, Hansen said the aid request would cover five programs, including building housing units after the Israeli army destroyed hundreds of Palestinian houses. Hansen met with representatives of several donor countries in east Jerusalem on Saturday
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2244325.htm


Arafat widow contests right of nephew to receive medical file
Without naming Arafat's nephew Nasser al-Qidwa, who arrived in Paris earlier Sunday from Cairo to pick up his uncle's medical records, lawyers Philippe Plantade and Jean-Marie Burguburu said there were no other eligible people to receive the files than Arafat's wife.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=732&e=1&u=/afp/20041121/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_france


Race to succeed Arafat begins
"There will be no election unless the residents of Jerusalem can take part," he said, urging the "international community, the United States in particular, to use its influence on Israel to allow free elections to be held". Nearly 250,000 Palestinians are believed to live in the territory, which was allowed to cast postal ballots in the 1996 vote.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=34238


Troop pullout may precede Palestinian poll
Sunday's announcement comes on the eve of a visit to the country by outgoing US Secretary of State Colin Powell. Palestinian election officials publicly urged Israel on Saturday to redeploy troops and curtail military operations for the 9 January... "If there is a formal request we will deal with it," a senior Israeli official said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/4220466F-7B9B-44E2-BF7E-E8D9A477FC1C.htm


Powell Arrives for Middle East Talks
Powell, who landed in Tel Aviv, was to meet Israeli leaders in Jerusalem and top Palestinians in the West Bank on Monday for talks on a Palestinian presidential election scheduled for Jan. 9 and a stalled peace plan known as the "road map." (Note: Road Map says nothing about Apartheid Wall)
http://wireservice.wired.com/wired/story.asp?section=Breaking&storyId=953252&tw=wn_wire_story


Powell to press Israel, Palestinians to facilitate PA vote
Arriving in Israel on Sunday, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell said he would encourage both Israeli and Palestinian leaders to take steps that will facilitate the January 9 Palestinian elections for a successor to Yasser Arafat.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503936.html


UN envoy proposes forming international team working for Mideast peace
"This program should be based on forming a group of international representatives including Israel, the Palestinians,Arab countries and the international community to push the peace process forward," said Larsen.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/21/content_2244126.htm


Fatah to announce nomination of Abbas for PA head Sunday
Abbas' nomination seems assured because of a concern among Fatah members that presenting additional candidates will split the movement, but as election activity moves into high gear in the territories, opposition to Abbas' candidacy is surfacing.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/503935.html


Legislative elections to be held by June, 2005: Palestinian FM
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said on Saturday that the Palestinian Legislative Council elections would be held maximum by next June.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/21/content_2241646.htm


former PLC member refuses to run for presidential elections
Abdul Shafi gave a final answer Saturday night and refused to run in the elections for health reasons, said Rabah Mhana, politburo member of Popular Front for Liberating Palestine (PFLP).
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/21/content_2243350.htm


Likud election pits PM against anti-pullout plan 'rebels'
By Sunday evening, over 80 percent of registered Likud voters had cast their ballot. The high turn-out is expected to mean a victory for Sharon's candidates for the senior posts.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504220.html


Syria reasserts support to Palestinians
Syria reasserted Sunday its support to the Palestinians to restore their legitimate rights and establish an independent state with Jerusalem as its capital, the official SANA news agency reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2244295.htm


Powell on new US peace push in Middle East
"(I want) to make sure that everybody I speak to clearly understands that President (George W.) Bush is determined to move forward now that this opportunity has presented itself," he told reporters on board his plane.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=1&u=/afp/20041121/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_041121193340


Beilin: U.S. Considering Sending Back Road Map Monitors
The U.S. administration believes Israel is meeting its obligations at this point and is waiting for progress in the disengagement process, according to Beilen. Beilin expressed willingness to extend Sharon a safety net to allow him to implement disengagement.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/112104/Beilin%20us%20considering.htm


Al-Kidwa in France for Arafat's Medical Dossier
Nasser al-Kidwa, who is also a nephew to Arafat, kept silent over when he would collect the dossier. Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said Sunday that al-Kidwa was in Paris "on behalf of the Palestinian leadership to collect the medical files of President Arafat."
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/112104/alkidwa%20in%20paris.htm


Who's Next? - By Uri Avnery
For four years, the mantra in Washington has been: Fighting International Terrorism. That suited Sharon fine, since he was riding on the “fight terrorism” horse anyhow. For the next four years, the new mantra in Washington may well be: Democracy for the Middle East. That will suit Abu-Mazen, who is riding the democracy horse.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uri_avnery/2004/nov20.html


No longer their pets
Feiglin and Karpel see the land of Israel as first and foremost a land of destiny - and only after that a land of refuge. In territorial disengagement, they see only a symptom of a much more serious disease: disengagement from values, faith, Jewish identity and justice.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503972.html


Egyptian students protest against Israel's killing of policemen
Thousands of students rallied across Egypt Sunday in the third straight day of protests over Israel's accidental killing of three Egyptian policemen on the Gaza border.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/504249.html


Falluja troops told to shoot on sight
On the eve of the assault on Falluja, the US military ordered troops to shoot any male on the street between the ages of 15 and 50 if they were seen as a security threat, regardless of whether they had a weapon. "You are killers, not murderers. You are warriors not war criminals. Don't cross that line."
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7462&s2=21


Militant groups control 60 percent of Fallujah: witnesses
Residents of Fallujah said the southern part of Fallujah, whichis still under control of the militant groups, constitutes the larger part of the city, and US troops only control the north andsmall eastern spots in the city.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/22/content_2244288.htm


Children Pay Cost of Iraq's Chaos
Acute malnutrition among young children in Iraq has nearly doubled since the United States led an invasion of the country 20 months ago, according to surveys by the United Nations, aid agencies and the interim Iraqi government. The new figure translates to roughly 400,000 Iraqi children suffering from "wasting,"
http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A809-2004Nov20?language=printer

November 20, 2004

Jordan Valley residents assist Palestinians with olive harvest
Two major Israeli youth movements, Hashomer Ha'tzair and the Working and Studying Youth Movement, plan to join in the olive harvest next week and assist villagers around the West Bank, according to Israel Radio. Attacks on Palestinians by West Bank settlers have continued during the course of the harvest.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503827&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Presbyterians Establish ‘Criteria' for Divestment
Four of the six criteria target the Israeli occupation directly, whiles the fifth identifies multinational corporations that promote or enable violence by either Palestinians or Israelis. The sixth criterion addresses the continued construction of the separation barrier between the two nations.
http://www.christianpost.com/dbase/church/1601/section/1.htm


Olive oil harvest continues to face challenges for Palestinian farmers
Each day during the olive harvesting season here in Palestine the media is full of stories of olive oil farmers and olive pickers being harassed, detained, robbed, violently attacked, critically wounded and in some cases even being shot and killed while attempting to harvest their olives on their own land.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3353.shtml


Two Palestinian boys killed by Israeli fire in West Bank
Two 15-year-old boys were shot and killed by Israeli fire for throwing stones in Nablus. According to WAFA, the incident took place in the Old City. According to medical sources, the two victims were identified as Montaser Hararah and Amer Binat.
http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=289234&lang=e&dir=news


Justice says Muslim holy sites are not given equal protection
Statistics tell a tale of discrimination against the Arab sector when it comes to protecting its holy places, Israel Supreme Court Justice Salim Joubran told the members of the Israel Public Law Association last weekend.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/503570.html


Fifteen years after the adoption of the CRC, Palestinian children are still denied their basic rights
although Article 2 of the Convention obliges State Parties to “respect and ensure the rights set forth in the present Convention to each child within their jurisdiction”, Israel has repeatedly tried to evade its responsibilities towards Palestinian children living in the occupied territories.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uncat/2004/nov/nov202.html


Olive Oil for Peace
Their new product – Olive Oil from the Holy Land – pays homage to Farouk's Palestinian family roots and the deep friendship possible between Jews and Arabs. Proceeds from the sale of Olive Oil from the Holy Land will go toward funding Neve Shalom/Wahat Al-Salom (Oasis of Peace), and their “School of Peace” program...
http://www.prweb.com/releases/2004/11/prwebxml180466.php


More than $185 million sought by UN agency to aid Palestinians in 2005
“The statistics of death, destruction and poverty in this appeal do little to convey the real suffering of the population of the occupied territory,” Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees told a meeting of donor representatives in East Jerusalem.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12586&Cr=palestin&Cr1=


Race to succeed Arafat begins
"There will be no election unless the residents of Jerusalem can take part," he said, urging the "international community, the United States in particular, to use its influence on Israel to allow free elections to be held".
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=5&u=/afp/20041120/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinian_vote_041120174447


Palestinian Presidential Contenders
Barghouti, according to polls the most popular Palestinian politician, is expected to run as an independent if Fatah nominates Abbas without holding a primary first. Barghouti seeks a Palestinian state alongside Israel, but also justifies attacks on Israeli settlers and soldiers in the West Bank and Gaza as legitimate resistance to occupation.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=514&e=6&u=/ap/20041120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/promise_of_democracy_candidates_1


Gush Shalom: Release Barghouti for elections
Yitzhak Rabin was, under the British Mandate, the leader of the prisoners in Rafah prison camp. Yitzhak Shamir was arrested as a terrorist and exiled to a prison camp in Eritrea. Menachem Begin was branded as a terrorist with a big prize on his head and blood on his hands... All three became later Prime Ministers of Israel...
http://www.fromoccupiedpalestine.org/node.php?id=1458


Palestinian factions seeking ways to form unity gov't
A restrained committee composed of representatives of all Palestinian factions has been formed in a bid to reach a compromise over the matter, the PLO chief said. Abdel Rahim said Abbas will run as the Fatah candidate in elections in strength of him being the PLO Chairman.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503370&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Palestinians Say They Want Democracy
Palestinians say they are eager and able to build the first real democracy in the Arab world, despite the dangers lurking on the road to Jan. 9 elections. "Now it's real competition, the possibility of winning is there," said pro-democracy activist Mustafa Barghouti, a physician considering a presidential bid.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=5&u=/ap/20041120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/promise_of_democracy


Musa Arafat, Dahlan hold reconciliation meeting
Muhammad Dahlan met Friday evening with his rival Gen. Musa Arafat, commander of the National Security Forces in the Gaza Strip, for a reconciliation meeting in PLO executive committee chairman Mahmoud Abbas's (Abu Mazen) office in Gaza.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1100844584110


Palestinians start choosing candidates for chairman election
The Palestinian central election committee began on Saturday registering candidates for the January 9 elections of a Palestinian Authority chairman to replace Yasser Arafat. The candidate registration will continue until December 1
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503926.html


U.K. to aid PA with security in Gaza in Arafat's death
The MI6 British intelligence agency and British police are setting up a state-of-the-art control center to boost security in the Gaza Strip, according to a report Saturday by the British newspaper The Telegraph.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503534&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Qurei urges US to be committed to roadmap
He slammed US President Gorge W. Bush's statements that a new time limit for establishing an independent Palestinian state would be for another four years, saying "this is tantamount to giving Israel more time to confiscate the Palestinian lands."
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/20/content_2240339.htm


U.S. Undersecretary of State to meet with PA leaders
A senior U.S. diplomat will meet PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas and other Palestinian leaders on the eve of U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit to the region, an American official said Saturday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503912.html


Bush's plan to aid Palestinians runs into opposition
But Tom DeLay, the powerful Republican leader in the House of Representatives, expressed "serious concerns" to the administration, a source close to the talks said. DeLay has been an outspoken supporter of Israel and critic of the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503633&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Egyptian FM delays trip to Israel
In an overnight statement published in Egyptian media Saturday, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry said minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had discussed with Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom "choosing a new date" for the Nov. 24 visit, which will now be "in the first half of December."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503908.html


Arafat widow given medical file
Earlier, a senior Palestinian said he expected Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Kidwa, to pick up the report from the French authorities. But a lawyer for Mrs Arafat said she received the document at 1545 (1445 GMT) on Friday.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4022969.stm


Palestinians to get Arafat's medical chart
Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie said after meeting the French Consul General in Jerusalem, Regis Koetschet, that a copy of Arafat's medical records would be given to Nasser al-Kidwa, Arafat's nephew and the Palestinian representative at the United Nations.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5353036


The Politics of Time and Dispossession
The movement towards a just peace will require the application of international law and international pressure, diplomatic pressure by the EU and the US and for Israelis and Palestinians to engage in mass non-violent resistance opposing the Occupation. The conditions for a just peace require nothing less.
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/11543/


Arafat 'ran $1.5bn network'
It said Bawag had later financed Arafat's private jet, a Challenger 604 make worth $23m registered in Austria. Format also alleged that Arafat had control over $800m in bank accounts in Austria, the Cayman Islands, Luxembourg and Switzerland.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10-1462_1624329,00.html


Bodies of 9 Iraqi Soldiers Found in Mosul
The four other bodies were found Thursday. Three of the bodies were found by the roadside in a northeastern neighborhood of Mosul, while the fourth was discovered in the southwestern part of the city, Hastings said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=2&u=/ap/20041120/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_mosul


Agreement reached to forgive 80 percent of Iraq's debts
Up to 80 percent of Iraq's 120 billion US dollars debts will bewritten off in three stages, they said. Finance ministers and chiefs of central banks of the Group of 20 major economies began meeting here on Saturday to discuss ways to solve global financial problems.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/20/content_2241111.htm


51 US soldiers killed in Fallujah
The US military says 51 US soldiers were killed in the 11-day fight in Fallujah, in Iraq. US and Iraqi forces ended bombardments against Fallujah on Friday and started a house-by-house search for remaining insurgents.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/20/content_2240022.htm


International Red Cross laments Falluja abuses
The ICRC said this week's killing of a wounded insurgent in Falluja - caught on video - and the execution of hostage Margaret Hassan were acts of "utter contempt" for human life and dignity that shocked the world. "For the parties to this conflict, complying with international humanitarian law is an obligation, not an option,"
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/10c3ce22-3a71-11d9-aa4d-00000e2511c8.html


The Horror of Fallujah
This is a strange time in Fallujah. They say the war is over, but there is no peace. Every day there is shooting, and there are still killings going on. There is very little left of the town now, everywhere there are buildings which have been destroyed. There is also a terrible smell. We know what it is - it is the smell of dead bodies.
http://www.counterpunch.com/abbas11202004.html


Iraq's hit-and-run insurgents outsmart understrength troops
The insurgent assault that destroyed part of the police force in the city of Mosul to the north last week also swept away all vestiges of government in the smaller towns of the Tigris valley to the south, forcing the US military to go in and rebuild Iraqi interim government control virtually from scratch.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/04cfb304-3a5a-11d9-aa4d-00000e2511c8.html


Polish woman hostage back home after being freed in Iraq
Her release, which sparked relief in Poland, a key US ally in the war which toppled Saddam Hussein, came just four days after British-Irish aid worker Margaret Hassan was feared to have been killed by her abductors in Iraq, triggering shock and outrage around the world.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=2&u=/afp/20041120/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_hostages_poland_041120182048

November 19, 2004

NOV9 :The wall must fall protests in UK
Seven activists were arrested and charged... They plan to use the court case to challenge the legality of trade with a company that deals in settlement goods, especially in light of the International Court of Justice Ruling which ruled that countries have an obligation not to not to render aid or assistance in maintaining the situation created by the construction of the wall.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/803.shtml


A cultural protest against the wall
The wall is not only violating Palestinians' right to freedom of movement and obstructing them from their source of income, but it is also blocking their view of natural sunrise and sunset. It is blocking the hope of a bright future and a just peace. History shows that building walls rarely solves conflicts or guarantees security.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3346.shtml


Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign Fact Sheet: Apartheid in Palestine-Definition, History up to the Wall, and Tool for Mobilization
This fact sheet focuses as well on the ties between the South African Apartheid Regime and the Israeli Apartheid Regime, and emphasizes the lessons to be learned from the successful solidarity movement that supported the South African struggle against Apartheid.
http://stopthewall.org/factsheets/805.shtml


Iman al-Hams' Family Agrees To Exhumation
Israeli military prosecutors have been given permission to exhume the body of a 13-year-old girl who witnesses say was repeatedly shot by an Israeli army commander as she lay wounded on the ground in the southern Gaza Strip. The family of the girl, Iman al-Hams, agreed to the request after some consideration.
http://www.world-crisis.com/news/1098_0_1_0_M/


British Cameraman's Family killed in Gaza to Sue Israeli Government
"Death in Gaza" was completed after Miller's death and features footage showing how he was killed by an Israeli soldier. Miller was earlier this month posthumously awarded a Rory Peck award for "Death in Gaza." "We will be issuing a civil action not only for my brother's murder but also for contributory negligence to our compounded grief,"...
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/111904/james-miller.htm


Ya'alon orders probe of claims soldiers abused bodies
Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Lieutenant General Moshe Ya'alon ordered Military Police on Friday to investigate claims that soldiers abused the bodies of dead Palestinians and took photographs with them. (No mentioning of DATE abuse took place)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503849&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Gaza's blocked arteries
It is a public holiday in Gaza - with Eid and the period of official mourning for Yasser Arafat - so there is no better time to sample what it is like for Palestinians travelling through the Israeli-occupied strip. After a certain point, every feature of landscape has been erased - bulldozed out of existence by the Israeli army.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4021095.stm


British-Palestinian artist wins prestigious Swiss prize
In Hatoum's work, everyday items - a bed, a chair, cooking utensils - turn from innocuous objects into threatening, often razor-sharp weapons which induce in the viewer an acute sense of being under threat, both physically and mentally. The dangers of life are all around us - as she demonstrates - and useful, perfectly harmless objects can be turned into threatening instruments.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=4&article_id=10253


Palestinians: Officer killed by IDF tank fire in Gaza
A Palestinian officer was killed by Israel Defense Forces fire east of the Jabalya refugee camp in the Gaza Strip on Friday evening, Palestinian sources reported. According to the sources, the officer was killed by tank fire. The army denied the claim
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503376&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Known by their Tattoos, Fast Shooting, Russian Snipers in Israel's Army
These recruits, according to the Israeli daily newspaper Ma'ariv, have been working in the Russian army and participated in attacks against the Chechnya. The snipers, known as "Foreign Birds" have been recruited to assassinate Palestinian resistance men, Ma'ariv said.
http://www.imemc.org/features/2004/november/russian-snipers.htm


From prison, a Palestinian eyes the presidency
Barghouti is the most prominent member of the rising generation of Palestinian leaders, fortysomething men who, unlike Arafat and his fellow exiles, grew up under Israeli occupation, learned Hebrew in Israeli prisons and came to admire aspects of Israeli democracy even as they resented their occupiers. Barghouti was a frequent critic of governance under Arafat.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/19/news/barghouti.html


Palestinian prime minister urges United States to stick to its original deadline on Palestinian statehood
The Palestinian prime minister urged the United States on Friday to stick to its original 2005 deadline for Palestinian statehood, arguing that President Bush's recent proposal to extend it by as much as four years will give Israel time to grab more land in the disputed West Bank.
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/19/international1543EST0588.DTL


Uraiqat: Peace only if both sides cooperate
Israel must stop building settlements; free prisoners and detainees; return the situation as existed on 28 September 2000; facilitate elections in line with the 1995 accord, that is, allow participation of all Palestinians from Jerusalem, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip; solve the refugee issue; and finally end the occupation, Uraiqat said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/8095DEDC-CFEB-4CB3-A4C6-84C894AA9BBB.htm


Palestinian leaders call for unity to end chaos
"This cooperation would achieve security for residents and help enforce law, justice and discipline," the statement said. It said the factional leaders, including those from the radical movement Hamas and the Islamic Jihad (Holy War), had positively responded to the call for cooperation.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/19/content_2236878.htm


Progress Sited in PA, Factions Talks
PLO new leader Mahmoud Abbas told Palestinian TV on Thursday, signaling a breakthrough in PA dialogue with opposition groups. Abbas also said that a committee composed of representatives of all Palestinian factions is looking into a compromise that would be accepted by all.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/111904/progress%20in%20pa%20factions.htm


Fatah suggests to merge president posts of PLO, PNA
Tayeb Abdel Rahim, member of the committee, read a statement after the meeting of the Fatah central committee held in Gaza that it was decided that the chairman of the executive committee of the PLO could also be the president of the PNA.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2235377.htm


Qureia: We will inform Palestinians of cause of Arafat's death
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told the Associated Press on Friday that there was no doubt that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's medical records - which French officials have refused to release publicly - would come to light.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503466.html


'Road map' sponsors will send foreign ministers to West Bank next week
Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath said British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw and Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov would come to the West Bank next week, after a visit Monday by U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. The Spanish and German foreign ministers are also expected in the coming weeks, Shaath said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=10231


Letter: What is the money doing there, anyway?
In the Somerville Journal article on Nov. 11, "Should we invest in Israel?," Erin Dower quotes me as saying, "She says her relatives are bound to violent Palestine because Israel denies them passports." Israel enforces the same Apartheid policies in Palestine against the indigenous people of Palestine and it's called a "complex situation."
http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/opinion/view.bg?articleid=128195


Bush's plan to aid Palestinians runs into opposition
Under pressure from key lawmakers, the Bush administration said on Thursday it would work with Congress on plans to resume direct U.S. aid to the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503633&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


U.S. Presbyterians on terror alert
The threat was apparently in response to a recent vote by the PCUSA's General Assembly to divest the church's assets from certain corporations that do business in Israel, such as Caterpillar -- whose bulldozers are used to level Palestinian settlements.(Something very new)
http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041117-041436-5170r.htm


On This Day 1977: Egyptian leader's Israel trip makes history
His presence in Israel breaks an Arab policy of not dealing publicly with the Jewish state created in 1948. President Sadat's overtures to Israel made him popular in the West - he and Menachim Begin were jointly awarded the Nobel Peace Prize in 1978.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/19/newsid_2520000/2520467.stm


Questions of chaos - By Azmi Bishara
In Palestine at present there is only one state: Israel. Democratising Israel can only mean one thing, which is to extend suffrage throughout the entire land of Palestine in the framework of a democratic secular state for all its inhabitants. But this is not what they intended. What they meant was democracy in the occupied West Bank and Gaza, and freedom of expression, no less.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/717/op2.htm


Reshaping history - By Noam Chomsky
Since the issue of Palestinian national rights in a Palestinian state reached the agenda of diplomacy in the mid-1970s, "the prime obstacle to its realization", unambiguously, has been the US government, with the NYT staking a claim to be second on the list. Meanwhile the NYT refused -- the word is accurate -- to publish the fact that through the 1980s, Arafat was calling for negotiations which Israel rejected.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/717/sc42.htm


Israel's democratic dilemma
"Israel and the US can't have their cake and eat it. Democracy is democracy and the Palestinians must be allowed to choose their representatives regardless of the political views of those representatives," says Ali Jarbawi, head of the Palestinian Election Committee and professor of political science at Bir Zeit University.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/717/sc5.htm


Funeral prayers for Egypt police killed by Israeli tankfire
The prayer ceremony was held at a military hospital in El Arish, near where the police were killed on the Gaza-Egypt border on Thursday, ahead of their burial in their respective villages later in the day.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=4&u=/afp/20041119/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_israel_egypt_041119131017


ICRC slams 'utter contempt' for humanity amid fierce fighting in Iraq
The International Committee of the Red Cross sharply criticized the "utter contempt" for humanity shown by all sides in Iraq amid fierce fighting between US forces and insurgents for control of the city of Fallujah.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=4&u=/afp/20041119/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_fallujah_aid_icrc_041119190947


U.S., Iraqi Troops Storm Baghdad Mosque
Iraqi forces, backed by U.S. soldiers, stormed a key Sunni Muslim mosque in Baghdad after Friday prayers, opening fire and killing at least three people, witnesses said... The raid came a day after the Iraqi government warned that Islamic clerics who incite violence will be considered as "participating in terrorism."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20041119/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq


Iraq War Topping $5.8 Billion A Month
The Pentagon is spending more than $5.8 billion a month on the war in Iraq, according to the military's top generals. That is nearly a 50 percent increase above the $4 billion-a-month benchmark the Pentagon has used to estimate the cost of the war so far.
http://www.military.com/NewsContent/0,13319,FL_cost_111804,00.html?ESRC=eb.nl


A war crime in real time - By Francis Boyle
The obliteration of Falluja continues apace. Article 6(b) of the 1945 Nuremberg Charter defines a Nuremberg War Crime in relevant part as the "wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages". According to this definitive definition, the George Bush administration's destruction of Falluja constitutes a Nazi war crime. There is nothing surprising about that.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/717/re4.htm


Last Australian aid agency in Iraq pulls out
The last remaining Australian aid agency in Iraq, World Vision, is pulling out of the country after the murders of its own head of operations and CARE Australia aid worker Margaret Hassan.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=17&u=/afp/20041119/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_australia_aid_041119064943


US angered by refusal of some in NATO to participate in Iraq mission: official
The United States is growing increasingly frustrated with the refusal of five NATO members, particularly Germany, to allow their military officers assigned to alliance bases to be deployed in Iraq, a senior US official said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=3&u=/afp/20041119/wl_mideast_afp/us_nato_iraq_041119203220

November 18 2004

Hebron: The Street
All access to the Old City was left to two checkpoints, creating a barrier from East to West. There are now plans to seize Palestinian rooftops and set up a new regulatory and permitting regime for residents of the Old City. The planned Wall through Hebron will connect with the Eastern Wall and will begin construction in 2005.
http://usa.mediamonitors.net/content/view/full/11469/


Reaping a dangerous harvest in the West Bank's olive groves
"The settlers threaten us with weapons. The year before last one came and told me: 'If you don't leave I'll bring bulldozers and destroy all your trees." He cannot, he says, risk planting 50 acres adjacent to the olive grove with wheat and barley, as he used to. "Not a human being, not a sheep can go in there," he says.
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=583989


Israel Wants to Exhume Body of Palestinian
Soldiers from the unit later told Israeli media that the officer walked up to the girl after she was hit and riddled her bleeding body with a burst of automatic fire... However, the family has so far refused the request. Autopsies are forbidden under Islamic law. "Also, the family does not have much faith in the army," said Tzemel.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=1312&e=10&u=/ap/20041118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_girl_shot_1


PM: PA must end anti-Israel propaganda immediately
The Palestinians must end anti-Israel propaganda and incitement in the media and in schools before the first phase of the road map to peace can be implemented, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told Likud activists on Thursday evening. (He is not joking!??)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503506.html


Hold elections to usher in a legitimate Palestinian order
They must clearly explain this strategy and organize Palestinians and allies everywhere to struggle for its implementation, starting with an effort to push for full realization of the International Court of Justice's decision on the West Bank separation wall.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=10194


Doctrine of stages
Netanyahu, who cannot transfer the funds directly from the Finance Ministry, was forced to agree, and thus, the Knesset voted this week on the allocation of NIS 42 million: NIS 21 million to the territories and NIS 21 million to struggling local authorities inside the Green Line. (Illegal Jewish Settlements?)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503073.html


Israeli Forces Arrest Civilians as Settlers Attack Them
Security sources and eyewitnesses confirmed that armed settlers ambushed several civilians near the Wadi Al Maleh road, and hurled stones and empty bottles at them. One of the victims said he miraculously survived the rain of rocks on his cars, pointing out that he might have died if he had stopped his car.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1037


Sell-by date of war crimes about to expire in Somerville, MA?
The Presbyterian Church and the National Lawyers Guild have already voted to divest and The Anglican Church is considering it. Companies targeted include Caterpillar, United Technologies, General Electric, Boeing, and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Caterpillar has been the target of numerous boycott campaigns since American Rachel Corrie was killed by a D-9 bulldozer driven by an Israeli soldier.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3332.shtml


Weekly report on Israeli human rights violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories 11 - 17 Nov 2004
Human rights violations perpetrated by IOF included willful killings, incursions into Palestinian areas, indiscriminate shelling, land leveling and total closure imposed on Palestinian communities. Israeli troops also prevented hundreds of Palestinian civilian from participating in the funeral procession of the Palestinian President Yasser Arafat.
http://www.reliefweb.int/w/rwb.nsf/6686f45896f15dbc852567ae00530132/254aa5d3fdcb212ec1256f50004c3c23?OpenDocument


International Solidarity Movement Call for Support in Difficult Times
We continue to receive activists on a weekly basis and need you help to train, provide support services, communication and transportation for our Palestinian led support system. Only with your financial contributions can we continue our work.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/palsolidarity/message/1089


Abbas reaches agreement with factions on ending chaos
"Abbas had a clear commitment to setting up democratic Palestinian institutions and condemning all kinds of internal fighting and the deterioration of security and the spread of guns," it said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2234714.htm


Rice, Hadley Appointments Cheered
Israeli officials and Jewish organizations in the United States were cheering President Bush's decision to make Condoleezza Rice the next secretary of state and elevate her deputy, Stephen Hadley, to the post of national security advisor.
http://forward.com/main/article.php?ref=staff200411171118


Israeli Prime Minister Sharon seeks re-election
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has announced that he would run again in Israel's next parliamentary elections, scheduled for 2006, despite strife within his right-wing Likud party over his Gaza pullout plan.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=623655&section=news


Senior Hamas political figure freed from Israeli prison
Sheikh Hassan Yussef immediately headed to the West Bank town of Ramallah to pay his respects at the grave of the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat after being freed from the nearby Ofer military prison.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=1&u=/afp/20041118/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_hamas_prisoner_041118140235


Palestinians Ask for Election Monitors
Palestinian officials appealed Thursday for international monitors to help with their presidential elections and urged Israel's unilateral plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip be folded into a stalled international peace plan.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=4&u=/ap/20041118/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_palestinians


Palestinians hold contacts with US, EU on election: Erekat
"The Palestinians asked the EU and the US to make sure that Israel would not obstruct the election," chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat told the Cairo-based voice of the Arabs radio.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2234333.htm


Fourth committee accepts request to postpone action on draft resolutions relating to Palestine refugee agency, Israeli Practices in occupied Arab territories
The Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) decided this afternoon to defer action on nine draft resolutions -- four relating to the work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and five on Israeli practices in Arab territories occupied since 1967.
http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2004/gaspd306.doc.htm


Palestinians to witness active diplomatic moves: Shaath
In addition, foreign ministers from Russia, Britain and Norway will visit the territories following Powell, he said. "The aim of their visits is to develop relationships with the new Palestinian leadership and urge Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip as part of the implementation of the roadmap peace plan," said Shaath.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2234663.htm


PM apologizes after IDF mistakenly kills 3 Egyptian troops
Mubarak told Sharon that Egypt accepts the apology and understands that the incident was a mistake, but the Egyptian Foreign Ministry condemned what it called irresponsible Israeli conduct and demanded an immediate investigation.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503304.html


Soldiers sign petition against evacuating settlements
A group known as Defensive Shield has collected the signatures of 3,000 soldiers, mostly reservists, who have declared they will not evacuate settlements under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=503078&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Al-Kidwa to get Arafat's medical records from Paris
Yasser Arafat's nephew, Nasser al-Kidwa, will head to Paris on Friday to obtain the medical records related to the Palestinian Authority chairman's death, a Palestinian official said Thursday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503466.html


Connecting Refugees: An interview with Karma Nabulsi
"It had been the accepted understanding up until now in the international community that you don't want to talk to the refugees; you don't want to hear what they have to say, because they are in the way; they are the obstacle to 'The Deal'".
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3339.shtml


Israel/Palestine Future Leaders Past Leaders
Yitzhak Rabin -was, under the British Mandate, the leader of the prisoners in Rafah prison camp. Yitzhak Shamir -was arrested as a terrorist and exiled to a prison camp in Erithrea. Menahem Begin -was branded as a terrorist with a big prize on his head... All three became later Prime Ministers of Israel and were ceremoniously received by Britain...
http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0411/S00203.htm


Palestinian elections unsettle Israel
"Now Arafat is dead, Israel should move forward toward the path of peace. "But this is unlikely to happen. Sharon and his government will fetch another red herring. The real issue is not this or that leader, but Israel's adamant refusal to come to terms with Palestinian rights.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/A1BEB6E4-E7FF-40F8-9C18-B875574A6786.htm


Meet the artist and have a chef guide
"The beachfront promenade has been extended to Jaffa, the refurbishing of the market is soon to be completed, and people feel there's a reason to come." Tourism had dropped in Jaffa, where tensions had run high; one-third of the city is Arab, two-thirds are Jewish.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/503050.html


The death of Arafat and the end of national liberation
Between the 1940s and the 1970s a great wave of anti-colonial liberation movements swept the world. European colonial rule almost vanished from the globe. Over a hundred new states were created. This was one of the most profound transformations the world political system ever experienced.
http://www.opendemocracy.net/debates/article-2-97-2234.jsp


Analysis: Israel hand seen in Ivorian clash
"Israeli mercenaries assisting the Ivory Coast army operated unmanned aircraft that aided the aerial bombing of a French base in the country on Nov.9," France's TF-1 television station reported Wednesday.
http://www.wpherald.com/Africa/storyview.php?StoryID=20041117-021251-9832r


Image-wary Israel seeks "ambassador" on reality TV
A new TV series called "The Ambassador" features 14 Israelis trying to outdo each other battling Israel's global image problem in the face of a 4-year-old Palestinian uprising. The prize: an all-expenses-paid year working as an Israeli public relations liaison in New York.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L18451721.htm


Forty-Seven Bodies Boycott Iraq Elections
They further said that the outcome of the election is settled in advance for the “collaborators” with the US occupation troops. The conference is organized by the Iraqi National Founding Conference, a coalition of Sunni, Shiite and independent Iraqi figures.
http://www.world-crisis.com/news/1089_0_1_0_M/


U.S. forces carry on with deadly airstrikes on Fallujah
U.S. forces launched a series of air strikes against Iraqi fighters still resisting in the war-torn western Iraqi city of Falluja. Sporadic gun fire and blasts were heard in south-central parts of Fallujah as U.S. soldiers were hunting fighters in the shattered city.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7301&s2=17


Fallujah fighting takes more lives as wave of violence engulfs Iraq
A US marine and an Iraqi soldier were killed in Fallujah, as 17 other people died in attacks elsewhere in Iraq and marine intelligence warned that the insurgency would grow despite massive offensives to crush the rebels.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=1&u=/afp/20041118/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_041118185142

November 17 2004

Brigadier general cleared of negligence in Jenin deaths
The company commander, who had been authorized to fire "deterrence fire," whose purpose is to frighten residents into clearing out of the street, used shells and machine gun fire instead, causing the death of a 53-year old civilian Hilal Shata and three children, Jamil and Ahmed Gazawi, brothers aged 13 and five, and a six-year-old girl, Sujud Turki. (No Comments)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502795&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Gaza Strip settlers may go to West Bank
Jewish settlers from the Gaza Strip and the northern West Bank will be able to use the compensation they receive from Israel to build homes in other West Bank settlements, the director of the agency responsible for evacuating settlers said yesterday.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/international/story/0,,1352889,00.html


Settlers attack Palestinian olive harvesters, clash with IDF
During the past several weeks in the northern West Bank, including in the Itamar area, settlers have stolen olives from Palestinian villagers on a number of occasions. According to an unconfirmed report, the Itamar settlers also attempted to steal olives during the Wednesday morning attacks. (Skipping the part Jewish before Settlers? So, they attacked!)
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/502842.html


NIS 2.8m approved for West Bank settlement construction
The Knesset Finance Committee approved on Wednesday the transfer of NIS 2.4 million for the constructions of public buildings in the Gush Etzion settlement area of the West Bank. Another NIS 380,000 was approved to fund security for Jewish settlers in east Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502883.html


British journalist, ISM activist deported
Last year, security officials said, Carson "was active in the West Bank on behalf of ISM with the goal of disrupting the activities of security forces in the area. Among other things, she shined a flashlight on IDF soldiers during a nighttime ambush
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502794&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Poll 'must include' east Jerusalem
"Elections must be held in Jerusalem. For us, this is a fundamental matter," he said, referring to east Jerusalem where Arab inhabitants took part in the last and only Palestinian elections in 1996.
http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11423361%255E1702,00.html


PLO Chief Vows Crackdown on Armed Chaos
Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas on Wednesday promised steps to halt the use of illegal arms to stem chaos in Palestinian areas and ensure calm ahead of a Jan. 9 election to choose Yasser Arafat's successor.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=574&ncid=574&e=1&u=/nm/20041117/wl_nm/mideast_dc_107


PLO leader tackles left-wing after failing to bring Hamas into fold
"We are against having just a presidential ballot without announcing a timetable for general elections because then we risk finding ourselves with obsolete institutions," said PFLP member Jamil Majdalawi. Saleh Zeidan of the DFLP also called for legislative and municipal polls by March at the latest.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=2&u=/afp/20041117/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_041117175717


Militants threaten to hang PA men suspected of corruption
Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades groups in the northern West Bank threatened Tuesday to establish "revolutionary courts" in order to try Palestinian Authority figures and Fatah officials who served under Yasser Arafat and are suspected of corruption.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502788&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Qurei's cabinet empowered with full executive power
Interim Palestinian President Rawhi Fattouh has authorized the cabinet and its Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei to exercise full executive power, Palestinian official sources said Wednesday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/18/content_2231333.htm


Palestinians wary of Rice
Condoleezza Rice, President George W. Bush's nomination to replace Colin Powell as U.S. secretary of state, is seen by Israel as a safe pro-Israeli bet, while the Palestinians hope she will carve out a more "balanced" policy.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=10171


France: Bush moving too slowly on Palestinian state
"I heard that President Bush says this will happen before the end of his term. I believe this does not need to wait until 2009. After all, the road map calls for the creation of a Palestinian state by June 2005," Barnier said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502876&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Palestinians Head to Paris to Probe Arafat's Death
The decision, which followed France's refusal to release Arafat's medical dossier to the Palestinian Authority, came as the French government insisted Arafat had not been poisoned.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6842772


The PLO is his life's work
"You have nothing to worry about, and you have nothing to be happy about. The Palestinian regime has a very strong foundation. It was established over the course of decades, and it has rules of its own. You will never be privileged to see a Palestinian civil war. Forget it. You will never see conflicts that you can exploit to harm Palestinian interests."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502532.html


With Arafat's passing, Israelis and Palestinians must advance peace - UN envoy
Mr. Roed-Larsen emphasized that "all these steps have to be taken in parallel." Striking a personal note as he delivered his final briefing as the Secretary-General's Personal Representative, Mr. Roed-Larsen paid tribute to his staff and all others working for peace and reconciliation in the Middle East
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12533&Cr=middle&Cr1=east


Sharon Hints Limited Coordination with PA in Implementing Pullout
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon affirmed the unilateral character of disengagement, insisting that it would be based solely on the Israeli-American agreement, but hinted limited coordination with the Palestinian Authority, in the event the PA engages in fighting "terrorism."
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/111704/sharon%20hints%20coor.htm


Zionist death squad plans to assassinate Palestinian leaders: sources
The group is comprised of members of the Gush Emunim organization, which is connected with extremist Israeli settlers. The operation is led directly by Israeli intelligence agency (Mossad) chief Meir Dagan, who is strongly opposed to the withdrawal of Israeli forces from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=11/17/2004&Cat=4&Num=020


Arafat loyalists view succession favourite with deep suspicion
Abbas, Arafat's one-time prime minister who is hot favourite to be voted the second president of the Palestinian Authority in a January 9 election, has established a reputation as a moderate by arguing that there can never be a military solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=14&u=/afp/20041117/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinians_041117123237


Death, Delusion and Democracy - By Robert Fisk
The Israelis, with their continued occupation, their continued illegal construction of colonies for Jews and Jews only on Arab land, their air strikes and helicopter executions and live-fire shooting at stone-throwing children, are not part of this equation. They are just innocently waiting to find a new "negotiating partner"
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article7300.htm


After his death, still the occupation
On the day that Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat died, five Palestinians were killed by Israel Defense Forces gunfire. Four of them were killed in the Gaza Strip: three in a dawn raid by tanks and helicopters on a section in southern Gaza, and the fourth because he was moving around
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502511.html


Colonial power predictability, native surprises
Due to stiff resistance, that had to be scaled back.  Then there was the massive Palestinian uprising of 1936-1939 against both British occupation and Zionist colonization.  This took the British empire by surprise.  The army put down the resistance brutally demolishing whole sections of towns and villages in the process.
http://www.qumsiyeh.org/onpredictabilityandsurprises/


Optimism unrestrained
Others might be sceptical, but he is now absolutely convinced that Bush is poised to dedicate the full might of the United States to the pursuit of Middle East peace. Fainter hearts may note that Bush has promised similar resolve before. In April 2003, the president came to Belfast and promised to "expend the same amount of energy in the Middle East" as Blair had in Northern Ireland.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1353098,00.html


Neoconservatives gain strength in new Bush team
Many are watching to see whether undersecretary of state John Bolton, a hard-liner on confronting Iran and North Korea, is promoted to the number two position at the State Department. Meanwhile at the Pentagon, Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz and undersecretary Douglas Feith, both key neocons, remain firmly in place.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N17415970.htm


US calls for Lebanon to send army into Hezbollah-controlled south
"It's the responsibility of the Lebanese government to exercise control over the border area. It's essential that this happens very quickly," Jeffrey Feltman told a press conference in the capital, adding that it was up to the government to "disarm the militias".
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=8&u=/afp/20041117/wl_mideast_afp/lebanon_syria_us_041117201939


Police Say 31 Iraqi Cops Were Kidnapped
The police officers were ambushed Sunday in the town of Rutba near the Jordanian border, said a police spokesman in the city of Karbala, south of Baghdad. "There was an attack on a hotel occupied by policemen coming back from training in Jordan," he said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=10&u=/ap/20041117/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_police_kidnapped


A Flame of Humanism Has Been Extinguished
Margaret Hassan has been murdered. That is the most probable conclusion from a video given to Al Jazeera yesterday. For one who met her and got to know her, even if just a little, it is hard to write and read that sentence. But Margaret Hassan--Umm Margaret--in Baghdad has been murdered.
http://www.counterpunch.com/oberg11172004.html


Shiites Seek to Ensure Win in Iraq Vote
The move by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani underscores the zeal with which the Shiite Muslim majority and its spiritual leader are embracing the January vote for a 275-seat assembly, whose primary task will be to draft a permanent constitution for this overwhelmingly Arab nation.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=17&u=/ap/20041117/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_preparing_for_elections


British inquiry finds 'every reason' to accept Gulf War syndrome
About 6,000 British veterans of the conflict are believed to be suffering from Gulf War syndrome -- a term that includes a range of illnesses including cancers, motor neurone disease, chronic fatigue, skin rashes, traumatic stress and aching joints. (Millions of Iraqis as well, but who cares about them)
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=12&u=/afp/20041117/wl_mideast_afp/britain_gulf_health_041117131656


Don't learn from the Americans
During the lecture, I asked if anyone knew how many people were killed or injured in the previous day's bombing. No one knew. Nor did they know about the casualties in another bombing. The American press does not draw as much attention to certain aspects of this conflict as it does to certain aspects of other people's conflicts.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502510.html


Terrorists Made in USA
According to the Western media, the same religious organizations and foundations from Saudi Arabia and the Gulf States which supported the Taliban and al Qaeda including "enemy number one", Osama bin Laden, are now supporting the "terrorists" in Iraq. These reports distort the nature of the Iraqi resistance movement.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=7272&s2=17

November 16 2004

Film screening in Montreal to denounce the Bantustanization of Palestine
as part of the 2nd International Week against the Apartheid Wall, the Solidarity for Palestinian Human Rights in Montreal, Canada, hosted Andrew Courtney (a freelance photographer that has visited Palestine over the course of 17 years) and Emily Perry, in McGill University, where they screened the film they had produced in their last trip to occupied Palestine in spring 2004.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/802.shtml


Interim PA chairman: No elections if no vote in East J'lem
If there are no elections for the Palestinian Authority chairman in East Jerusalem, Israel Radio quoted the interim PA leader as saying Tuesday, then there will be no elections at all.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501784&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Rights group blasts 'racist' US media
Don Imus, of the Imus in the Morning programme aired on weekends on MSNBC, referred to Arafat as a "rat" and called him "stinky" with "beady-eyes". Imus also said that "all Palestinians look like him". The racist comments continued with one of his guests who described the Palestinians attending the funeral as "animals" and joked about their hygiene.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FB53EB48-0428-473A-BA2C-6C9000AAFA22.htm


Through No Fault of Their Own:  Israel's Punitive House Demolitions in the al-Aqsa Intifada
Contrary to its argument before the High Court of Justice that prior warning is given except in extraordinary cases, B'Tselem's figures indicate that in less than 3% of the cases were occupants given prior notification of the IDF's intention to demolish their home. In addition to the punitive demolitions, Israel has demolished an additional 3,400 Palestinian homes...
http://www.btselem.org/English/Press_Releases/2004/041115.asp


A Baby between Two Worlds- and without Rights
A.B., about one month old, was born with a heart defect and needed a complicated life-saving surgery, however he was unable to receive one, since the Israeli authorities refused to register him as a resident in the Interior Ministry, and this since his father is an Israeli resident and his mother a resident of the Occupied Territories.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uncat/2004/nov/nov161.html


MK's daughter to be booted from nature reserve
The Israel Nature and Parks Authority and the Civil Administration ordered Yael Yisrael, daughter of National Union MK Uri Ariel, to leave her house in the heart of the Wadi Qelt nature reserve in the West Bank within 45 days. Yisrael and her family started occupying an old building owned by the Nature and Parks Authority five years ago.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502385.html


Israel army pulls back from Jenin
The Israelis also say that four militants suspected of carrying out recent attacks were also killed. Palestinian medic reports that nine people were killed and 25 wounded in the operation.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4012751.stm


France Won't Publish Arafat Medical Records
France's foreign minister indicated Tuesday that his country has no intention of publishing Yasser Arafat's medical records and will leave the decision about what to do with them up to his family.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=10&u=/ap/20041116/ap_on_re_mi_ea/france_arafat


Al-Aqsa opposes Abbas, prefers Barghuti as Palestinian leader
The militant Palestinian group Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades said it is opposed to Mahmud Abbas being elected president of the Palestinian Authority to replace Yasser Arafat and would instead back jailed West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghuti.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&ncid=1503&e=1&u=/afp/20041116/ts_afp/mideast_palestinian_vote_aqsa_041116125201


Fatah military wing vows not to hand over weapons
Al Zubeidi was quoted as saying that "so long as the Israeli occupation goes on, the resistance will continue, and the PNA's newpresident doesn't have the right to give up the Palestinian stables.""We are with democracy, but how to hold general elections under occupation? it's impossible," said al Zubeidi.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/16/content_2225529.htm


No candidates yet for Palestinian elections
After the announcement of the election date on Sunday, new Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) chief Mahmoud Abbas, or Abu Mazen, quickly denied reports that he has been chosen by the mainstream Fatah movement as its candidate for presidency.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/16/content_2222718.htm


Hamas asks Abbas to also hold elections for parliament
Abbas rejected this demand and told the Hamas representatives that their participation in the PLO or a united leadership would be made possible only after they - together with Islamic Jihad - would recognize negotiations with Israel as a method of recovering Palestinian lands.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502364.html


Larsen: “There is a new opportunity for peace”
“Israeli should refrain for activities which undermines trust between the two parties, especially settlements, and should take steps to improve the humanitarian situation in the Palestinian areas”, Larsen said. Larsen considered the separation wall in the West Bank as an obstacle which destroys the trust needed to restart any future negotiations.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/111604/Larsen.htm


Powell to go to Israel, Palestinian territories next week
Shalom, speaking from Washington, where he is on an official visit, said that Powell would "promote the electoral process, which will enable the emergence of a moderate and responsible Palestinian leadership."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1521&ncid=1312&e=1&u=/afp/20041116/pl_afp/us_powell_mideast_041116151522


Palestinians want more 'balance' from Powell's successor
"Mr Powell earned our respect from our meetings and communications with him. He was a strong man and a good man but the US policy is not about personalities," Erakat told AFP on Tuesday. "We hope that in the future, the United States and President (George W.) Bush will exercise balance with its policies in our region."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=20&u=/afp/20041116/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinian_us_powell_041116101720


Dahlan warns against ignoring Arafat's red lines
Answering the Xinhua question, Dahlan explained that the red lines were the issue of East Jerusalem that is the capital of a future independent Palestinian state, the fair solution to the Palestinian refugees issue, the land-for-peace principle and related UN resolutions.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/16/content_2225159.htm


Bassi: More than 25% of Gaza settlers asked for pullout info
The head of the Disengagement Administration, Yonatan Bassi, said Tuesday that between one quarter and one third of Gaza Strip settlers slated for removal under the terms of the disengagement plan have for information on the terms of the evacuation.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502404.html


Recession deepens; Netanyahu hints at cuts to public sector
Expenditures on individual consumption - the average amount an Israeli spends on basic goods - dropped by an annual rate of 0.8 percent. The current measure of such spending is also smaller than economists had predicted. One of the reasons for the drop in consumption is unemployment
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502393.html


After Arafat: refracted reflections
Indeed, the death of the man who long symbolized the Palestinian struggle for liberation, rights, and statehood gives rise to troubling reflections about Palestine itself, not only as an idea or a hope but also as a set of institutions. Even Palestinians who knew and loved Arafat will admit that he kept too much information and power to himself.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3325.shtml


I and the captain are losers
The Israelis want us to accept them as victors, and then the discussion can run smoothly. Equality annoys most Israelis, even in the debates between us and them, between our children and their children. Instead there is inequality in all ways of life between the stronger party Israel, and the weaker party, the Palestinians.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uncat/2004/nov/nov16.html


Analysis / Powell was just a figurehead, not a player
There were many instances in which Powell's State Department was critical of Israel while the White House was more forgiving. This was true regarding construction in the settlements and the outposts, assassinations of wanted terrorists and the separation fence. (Zionist language, translate)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/502024.html


Israeli PM Sharon weighed military coup in 1967
Stressing that no concrete plot was ever drawn up, Sharon confirmed that the then army chief of staff and future prime minister, Yitzhak Rabin, did not rule out the option after he discussed it with him.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=8&u=/afp/20041116/wl_mideast_afp/israel_sharon_army_coup_041116114136


Palestinian exhibit to go on in NY despite local criticism
The arts and crafts show, scheduled to go on display in a county-owned building this weekend, had prompted a protest from state Assemblyman Ryan Karben. Karbed urged the county to cancel the one-day exhibit, saying it was anti-Israel
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502290&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


CIA whistleblower sees 'long war'
Al-Qaeda's hostility stemmed from US government's "unqualified support for Israel" and desire "to manipulate the price of oil" in favour of Western consumers, he said. Al-Qaeda also views US-supported Arab regimes like Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Jordan as "Muslim tyrannies". (Mr W Bush, you're either with Dictatotship or you are against it)
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4012839.stm


Israel's Mossad rocked by internal crisis: report
Israel's spy agency Mossad has been rocked to the core by an internal crisis which has seen scores of resignations over the policies of its controversial boss Meir Dagan, according to a television report. Dagan, a close associate of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon...
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041115/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_israel_mossad_041115211923


Annan: U.S., U.N. Relationship Important
Relations between President George W. Bush's administration and the 191-nation world body plummeted over the U.N. Security Council's refusal to authorize the U.S.-led war against Iraq. At the height of the debate over the war, U.S. officials warned that the United Nations was destined for the dustbin of history and the fate of the League of Nations.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=14&u=/ap/20041116/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_us_relations


U.S. Marine filmed killing wounded, unarmed Iraqi prisoner
Controversy over the ongoing joint American-Iraqi military offensive in Fallujah has been fuelled by video footage showing a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded and unarmed Iraqi in a mosque in the city on Saturday. The U.S. military says it is investigating the killing.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=502371&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Falluja refugees tell harrowing stories
Cowering in their house with nothing to eat or drink as bombardments and firefights shook the neighborhood, Iyad al-Mashadani and his family dug a meter-deep hole in their yard and drank the brackish water. "We were sure that we would die," said Mashadani, 32, a car mechanic.
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/15/news/town.html


Aid convoy barred from 'starving' Falluja
The trucks laden with food, water and medical supplies will travel instead to villages around Falluja where tens of thousands of people have set up camp after fleeing the massive week-old offensive spearheaded by US marines, said Firdaus al-Ubadi.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7231&s2=16


US soldier shoots Bengal tiger in Baghdad zoo
It is Baghdad zoo. The "insurgent" in this case was a defenseless Bengal Tiger, locked up in its cage, shot dead by a drunken American soldier. What fun. What a brave soldier. (One of America's steps to bringing Democracy)
http://english.pravda.ru/mailbox/22/101/397/14569_tiger.html


Memories of war's horrors led to suicide
when Jeff returned to his parents’ home in July 2003 after serving six months in Iraq as a truck driver, there was nothing ordinary left about him. He started drinking too much. He became withdrawn, depressed and distant. In June, after what his parents describe as months of mental and emotional torment, the lance corporal went down to the basement and hanged himself.
http://www.marinetimes.com/story.php?f=1-292925-457287.php

November 15 2004

Valley of Fire
I immediately begin to think of the wounds left by attacking dogs on the body of a boy who was shot by Israelis. I think those Israelis, emotionally and mentally twisted by the torture they apply and enjoy, who set their dogs to attack the boy they wounded. I remember the boy's father telling us his story at Aida refugee camp and the boy showing his many scars -- the boy refusing to be interviewed because the bullet they shot in his brain left damage.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3326.shtml


B'Tselem: High Court 'rubber stamp' for IDF house demolitions
The Israeli human rights organization B'Tselem slammed the High Court of Justice on Monday, accusing it of acting as a "rubber stamp" for government policy regarding demolitions of Palestinian homes in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501940.html


Ariel Sharon Short Story Contest: Announcing the Winner!
The first prize winner in the first annual Ariel Sharon Short Story contest is Katherine Ludwig. The story is based on what happened to Rachel Corrie, although the story does not require the reader to know this for it to "work." The story moves at a clipped pace yet flows remarkably well, as it opens up space and time for a reader to reflect on "the event" at hand.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3323.shtml


Hussam: Israel uses hundred torture methods
The Palestinian Political Prisoners and Ex-prisoners Association (Hussam) accused the Israeli authorities of subjecting Palestinian prisoners to more than hundred torture methods. Recently, the Hussam organization reported that at least 900 Palestinian prisoners are suffering various chronic illnesses inside the Isralei jails.
http://www.tehrantimes.com/Description.asp?Da=11/16/2004&Cat=4&Num=003


Barghouthi
In the past few days, media sources reported a possible prisoners' exchange deal that might include Bargouthi and the jailed in Egypty Israeli spy Azam Azam. Few media sources even mentioned that Israeli spy Jonathan Pollard could be included in the reported deal.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week3/111504/barghouthi.htm


Hamas, Jihad tell Abbas they won't participate in elections
The radio quoted a Hamas spokesman who attended the talks as saying that the group would not participate in the election set for January, as the election had been announced without consulting Hamas.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501784.html


Palestinians request French medical report on Arafat's death
Palestinian leaders said Monday they had asked for a full report on Yasser Arafat's death in a Paris hospital last week, challenging French laws under which his widow has maintained a veil of secrecy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501973.html


France says Arafat medical file can be released to family
The medical files of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat can be released upon demand to eligible parties, such as his family, a French defence ministry spokesman told AFP.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=5&u=/afp/20041115/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_france_041115195155


Palestinians demand Israel's ease-up on election
In Paris, the Palestinian delegate Leila Chahid says the Israeli troops must withdraw from the occupied regions, to ensure the Palestinians' voting. She also indicates the Palestinians are seeking supports from the European Union and US for a fair and transparent election.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/15/content_2220866.htm


Israel reimposes ban on Palestinian troops bearing arms
Palestinian police are no longer allowed to bear arms as of Monday morning after the three-day mourning period for late leader Yasser Arafat, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported on Monday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/15/content_2221945.htm


Powell expected to visit Palestine
There was no immediate US confirmation of the talks, which would be Powell's first in Palestinian territories since May 2003, when he laid the groundwork for a US-backed peace "road map" that has since been shredded by Israeli-Palestinian violence.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B5DEC90C-4530-4B18-927C-546BC8877E91.htm


Powell to visit after Arafat death - Palestinians
U.S. President George W. Bush favours the creation of a Palestinian state on Israeli-occupied land through a peace "road map" he launched in mid-2003. The plan was derailed by further bloodshed Bush has blamed mainly on Palestinian suicide bombers. (Not mainly, but Only)
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L14513193.htm


Wave of arson attacks in Sderot; official's office destroyed
Last weekend, Peretz' car was torched outside his home. Arsonists also set fire to the car of Sderot Treasurer Nati Moshe. Sderot, close to Israel's border with the northern Gaza Strip, has borne the brunt of Hamas Qassam rocket and mortar fire directed at the Jewish state.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501894&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Panel okays NIS 35 million for disengagement
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan cleared a hurdle Monday as the Knesset Finance Committee approved the transfer of NIS 35 million for the implementation of the withdrawal, and early compensation payments for settlers who vacate their homes voluntarily.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501878.html


Israel holds out prospect of Gaza coordination
"We'll continue with disengagement but if we see a responsible government capable of getting gunmen off the streets we will reciprocate by renewing security coordination on disengagement steps we are preparing to take unilaterally," a senior Israeli official said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L15692860.htm


EU presidency 'very satisfied' with Arafat succession process
The EU presidency is "very satisfied with the tranquil and peaceful temporary transfer of power," Dutch Foreign Minister Ben Bot told reporters in The Hague.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041115/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_eu_041115151352


U.S. Presbyterians warned to change 'anti-Israel' stance
Special safety precautions were taken in Presbyterian churches throughout the United States on Sunday after leaders received threats that churches would be burned by Monday if they did not demand a reversal of what a letter writer called their "anti-Israel" policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501561&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Shaima' Waiting the Return of her Father
In Israeli detention camps there are more than 800 administrative detainees, among them 200 who have been in detention for more than two years. Sheikh Khaled, along with the other Palestinian detainees, live a life of suffering. It is also a life of steadfastness and hope; hope for a day of freedom, not personal freedom, but the freedom of an “imprisoned nation”.
http://www.imemc.org/features/2004/november/shaima-father.htm


Long walk to freedom
For more than 11 years he was kept in solitary confinement, initially in a two-metre by three-metre cell. "There was a lot of pressure, a lot of attempts at brainwashing," he says. "They would talk to me about the Holocaust and say that the Palestinians are terrorists or the Arabs want to destroy the Jewish state so they need an atomic bomb.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1351324,00.html


Support for Middle East elections
Bush said he would wait till after the elections in Palestine to see what help that the US will give. Does that mean that if the Palestinian people pick the wrong candidate, they will be in the same position that they are now? What if the Iraqis choose an Iranian-style government? Will the Bush regime accept it?
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1351477,00.html


Inflammatory legends
Many among the Palestinian public, and perhaps among its leadership as well, believe that the reason for Arafat's death was poisoning by Israeli secret agents. We apparently will never know the facts of the matter, because no autopsy was performed on Arafat, and it is doubtful whether the French hospital will give precise information on the subject.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501543.html


Time to implement Bush's vision
Yesterday's headlines would lead one to believe that President George W. Bush was about to stop playing golf and watching westerns, and was going to let the Iraq crisis ride in order to throw himself energetically into dealing with the Israeli occupation of the territories.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501542.html


'Israeli' jazz star praises Yasir Arafat
"It is clear that this man, this brave man, this hero, the biggest 20th century freedom fighter, went through a hell of a time," said Atzmon in a telephone interview from his North London home. But Atzmon is not your average Israeli. In fact he takes offence at even being called Israeli.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/EAEEE2FC-12E1-4A42-B32E-67B55CD2B1F9.htm


Foreign sub in Israeli waters thought gathering intelligence
It was discovered only after penetrating three miles into Israeli waters. Navy patrol and missile boats detected the submarine, and were ordered to close on and follow it. But the submarine slipped out of the area before they arrived.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501816.html


Arafat ‘guilty' of skimming $2m from gasoline trade
Former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat was guilty of ‘skimming' $2 million per month from the gasoline trade in the territories, a US media report said on Sunday, quoting people ‘familiar' with his financial dealings.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_full_story.php?content_id=74231


A War Crime in Real Time - By FRANCIS A. BOYLE
The obliteration of Fallujah continues apace. Article 6(b) of the 1945 Nuremberg Charter defines a Nuremberg War Crime in relevant part as the ". . . wanton destruction of cities, towns or villages. . ." According to this definitive definition, the Bush Jr. administration's destruction of Fallujah constitutes a war crime for which Nazis were tried and executed.
http://www.counterpunch.com/boyle11152004.html


Hungarian MPs vote to withdraw troops from Iraq by year-end
The Hungarian parliament voted to withdraw the country's 300 troops from Iraq by the end of the year, rejecting a government initiative that would have prolonged the deployment until March 2005.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=10&u=/afp/20041115/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_hungary_troops_041115192002


US has lost control of much of Mosul, say officials
American Marines from Falluja and Iraqi National Guard (ING) battalions from Kurdish autonomous region have deployed to Mosul to reinforce American and ING units based in the city, Kurdish and American military officials said. They said the local security forces had lost control of much of Mosul, Iraq's third largest city
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=582912


US Says Civilians in Fallujah Need No Aid
"There is no need to bring (Red Crescent) supplies in because we have supplies of our own for the people," said US Marine Colonel Mike Shupp. "Now that the bridge (into Fallujah) is open, I will bring out casualties and all aid work can be done here (at Fallujah's hospital)."
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7204&s2=15


Denial Of Water To Iraqi Cities
Water supplies to Tall Afar, Samarra and Fallujah have been cut off during US attacks in the past two months, affecting up to 750,000 civilians. This appears to form part of a deliberate US policy of denying water to the residents of cities under attack. If so, it has been adopted without a public debate, and without consulting Coalition partners.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7199&s2=15


Abizaid Warns Against 'Temporary Alliances of Convenience'
"The coalition and the Iraqi government will not tolerate temporary alliances of convenience," he said. "Once you align yourself with the insurgents, you've crossed the line and you go on the list. And the only way off the list is to be killed or captured."(Under Democracy we give you two choices)
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7216&s2=15


Saboteurs Attack Oil Pipeline in Iraq
Oil exports to Turkey, the outlet for Iraq's northern fields, was halted due to the blast, he said. It will take at least a week to repair the damage, he said. Later in the day, gunmen attacked a storage and pumping station in Ein al-Jahish area, about 60 miles south of Mosul.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=5&u=/ap/20041115/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_oil_attacks


Doctor is haunted by siege of Fallujah
Iraqi national guardsmen and U.S. Marines, the manager said, had entered the hospital, handcuffed the doctors and were forcing the patients out to the parking lot. The guardsmen "stole the mobile phones, the hospital safe where the money is kept and damaged the ambulances and cars," said Ghanim, an orthopedic surgeon who works at the hospital.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7221&s2=15

November 14 2004

Thousands protest in Europe against Israeli barrier, support Palestinians
In the French capital between 2,000 and 6,000 joined a rally called by leftist and aid groups. The demonstration was "part of an an international campaign against the construction of the wall" annexing Palestinian territory, said Christian Piquet, a leading figure of the Revolutionary Communist League (LCR).
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?ID=33627


ISM Update on the Deportation of International Activist
She and others were protesting the stealing of Palestinian land for settlement development and "military areas." Hannah was first charged with "not carrying her passport". However it was clear that this was not a regular arrest.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/palsolidarity/message/1086


Jailed Fatah leader to be 'kingmaker' in Arafat succession
With recent polls showing that, before Mr Arafat's death on Thursday, Mr Barghouti was the second most popular Palestinian politician after him. Mr Barghouti's wife Fadwa yesterday issued a pointed warning that the transitional Palestinian leadership should be "more aware of their need to have Marwan Barghouti standing beside them".
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/storydisplay.cfm?storyID=3610104&thesection=news&thesubsection=world


U.S.: E. J'lem Residents Should Be Allowed to Vote in PA Election
The same sources also said that Washington will not demand a full withdrawal of Israeli troops to the pre-September 2000 lines, but will ask Israel to withdraw troops from Palestinian cities and to ease Palestinian travel throughout the West Bank.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111404/us%20ej%20should%20be%20allowed.htm


Al-Aksa: New 'Yasser 1' rocket can reach Ashkelon
The Aksa Martyr's Brigades in the Gaza Strip announced that it has developed a new rocket called 'Yasser 1' capable of reaching the Israeli city of Ashkelon, Army Radio reported Sunday. The group described the new rocket as an improved version of the Kassam with a record firing range of 15 km.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1100405848248


Two killed as gunmen clash with Abbas' bodyguards in Gaza
One of the two killed in the shooting is believed to have been a bodyguard for Abbas. The second fatality has not been identified. The former prime minister, who was named earlier Sunday as Fatah's candidate for the Palestinian Authority chairmanship, was unhurt in the shooting; five other people were wounded.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501473.html


Dahlan denies assassination attempt targeting Abbas
The slogans accused Abbas of not following the same strategy adopted by late Arafat, said al-Jazeera. After the shooting incident, Abbas' bodyguards escorted him out of the tent to the Palestinian headquarters.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2218724.htm


Fatah picks Abbas to stand in Palestinian elections to succeed Arafat
PLO leader Mahmud Abbas was placed in pole position to succeed Yasser Arafat as Palestinian Authority president after being chosen as the dominant Fatah faction's candidate in upcoming elections.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1503&ncid=1503&e=3&u=/afp/20041114/ts_afp/mideast_041114152342


PLO Leader Abbas Denied He Was Chosen As Candidate For Palestinian Presidential Elections
Gaza. Leader of Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Mahmud Abbas denied the information that he was chosen as candidate for President of the Palestinian Authority, reported RIA Novosti. He said that it was too early to choose a candidate of Fatah.
http://www.focus-fen.net/index.php?catid=138&newsid=51835&ch=0&datte=2004-11-14


Palestinian PM named security council chief
The decision was taken by the Fatah faction, Arafat's party, and the executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) at a meeting in Ramallah in the West Bank, the official said. The decision means that Qorei will have for the first time the real security powers
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=4&u=/afp/20041114/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinian_security_qorei_041114134413


Hamas calls for general elections
"If the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is able to hold presidential elections, why not to hold general elections as well," said Abu Zuhri, who made the remarks at a mourning tent in Gaza for the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2217914.htm


U.S., allies drawing up plans to aid Palestinians
The United States also is talking to Israel about steps that would make it easier for the Palestinians to hold elections, officials said. Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom will meet with Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on Monday.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N14188034.htm


Sharon resists calls to change tack on Gaza pullout plan
"We are going to implement our unilateral disengagement plan," a source close to Sharon told AFP on Sunday. "We want to separate ourselves from the Palestinians and we hope that they will separate themselves from Arafat's terrorism heritage."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=5&u=/afp/20041114/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_israel_sharon_gaza_041114160100


Sharon may allow east Jerusalem Palestinians to vote in elections
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his Cabinet Sunday that he won't rule out the possibility of allowing Palestinians living in east Jerusalem to vote for the upcoming Palestinian elections, Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2218477.htm


Israel bans E. Jerusalem Palestinians from vote
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Sunday that Israel will not allow Palestinian residents of East Jerusalem to participate in the upcoming elections, Israel Radio reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2217807.htm


PNA wants international guarantee for holding elections: Dahlan
Former Palestinian internal security minister Mohamed Dahlan said Sunday that the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) is waiting for an international guarantee to hold presidential elections in January.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2217958.htm


Democracy crucial for viable Palestinian state: Blair
"You're not going to get a viable Palestinian state unless you have the democratic institutions in place, unless you have the economic development in place and unless you have the security infrastructure that means that we can bear down on the terrorism that threatens the process," Blair told NBC
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=6&u=/afp/20041114/wl_mideast_afp/us_mideast_blair_interview_041114162851


Presbyterian Church receives arson threat over Middle East policies
A church spokesman says the letter threatened to set churches on fire while people were inside in retaliation for "anti-Israel and anti-Jewish attitudes." The church's General Assembly decided in June to begin the process of selective divestment from corporations supporting the Israeli occupation of Gaza and the West Bank
http://www.kron4.com/Global/story.asp?S=2561665


IDF: PA cooperation now the best it has been in long time
While Ya'alon noted enhanced cooperation with the Palestinians, he denied published reports that Israel had granted Palestinian Authority security forces official permission to carry weapons throughout the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501402.html


The Passing of Arafat - With Him Goes the Two-State Solution
And when you are the reference point, you can afford to shift your position at will. More or less. That's why only Arafat was able to shake hands and sign less-than-just interim deals with Israeli leaders of all convictions -- including accused war criminals -- without being seriously accused of treason.
http://www.counterpunch.com/barghouti11132004.html


Play It Again Bush And Blair
It is said that one can fool some of the people, some of the time, but not all the people, all of the time. President Bush and Prime Minister Blair can't possibly believe Palestinians will fall for the same tricks that have been thrown at them for years now.
http://www.amin.org/eng/sam_bahour/2004/nov14.html


The Arafat succession scramble
Arafat's successor will need to juggle between negotiations with Israel, which will require concession on refugees' “right of return” to Palestine, and the aspirations of more than three million Palestinians who wish to come back to the homes from which they were expelled in the wars of 1948 and 1967.
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=story_12-11-2004_pg3_7


Why I fear for the dream of my life
My parents' abiding dream was to go back to the farm and mud-brick house in Ashoud, their sleepy home town on the Mediterranean. But they spent their lives in transit, waiting for this dream to come true. Their dream lives on in me and in my children, too.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1350958,00.html


Analysis / Elections are the focus now
Ariel Sharon's office always expected U.S. President George W. Bush to stand by his promises to the prime minister and reject British Prime Minister Tony Blair's demand for immediate talks between Israel and the Palestinians. And when they saw the joint press conference given by Bush and Blair on Friday, they were not disappointed: Bush took care of Sharon.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501158.html


Focus / Filling Arafat's shoes
There were those who saw this as a sign that the new leadership, headed by Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) and Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala), will have a tough time keeping control over the intifada activists, including members of their own movement.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501147.html


Neutrality on Mideast favoured, polls find
About 60 per cent of poll respondents believed the Palestinian Authority has connections with terrorists. What the pollsters found, however, was a basic lack of sympathy for the Israeli cause among Canadians, and widespread ignorance of the fact that Israel is a democracy.
http://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/ArticleNews/TPStory/LAC/20041112/ARAFATLOBBY12/TPNational/?query=poll%20canadians%20neutral


Iraqi Red Crescent presses US troops for full access to Fallujah
The Red Crescent said it fears that civilians are dying of starvation and a lack of medical equipment inside Fallujah, which has been the scene of a week of fierce fighting pitting US and Iraqi government troops against militants.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=11&u=/afp/20041114/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_fallujah_aid_041114164823


Three marines die in booby-trapped building in Fallujah: officer
Three marines have been killed in an explosion as they entered a booby-trapped building in central Fallujah, while another 13 were wounded in a firefight nearby, a marine officer said. Of the 13, 10 were seriously injured in the gun battle just south of the main road...
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7166&s2=14


54 US Soldiers Killed This Week
In a flurry of weekend press releases, the Department of Defense named another 23 US soldiers killed in Iraq. These deaths bring the total killed since November 8th to fifty four. Such facts contradict the "official numbers" released to the unquestioning media.
http://www.antiwar.com/ewens/?articleid=3977


Two female relatives of Iraqi PM freed -- TV
A militant group has freed two female relatives of interim Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi but is still holding his cousin hostage, pan-Arab al-Jazeera satellite TV reported Sunday.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2218740.htm


US to deploy hyper-missiles
The flight will be crucial in demonstrating the feasibility of hypersonic travel. Most media attention has focused on its commercial exploitation for jets that could travel from London to Sydney in two hours. The prime aim is to create hypersonic rockets that would replace current cruise missiles. ( Will Peace-Making get easier? )
http://www.guardian.co.uk/usa/story/0,12271,1350964,00.html

November 13 2004

Thousands of Europeans protest against Israeli barrier
Thousands of people have taken to the streets of Berlin, Geneva, Paris and Rome to protest against Israel's construction of a separation barrier and the situation of Palestinians on the occasion of Jerusalem Day.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1242971.htm


Palestinians look to future without Arafat
In stark contrast to Friday's scenes of mayhem in Ramallah, Arafat's successors and a stream of mourners gathered solemnly for prayers at his grave in the Muqataa compound that had been a virtual prison for the last years of his life.
http://www.iol.co.za/index.php?set_id=1&click_id=123&art_id=qw110034144034M323


Jailed Barghuti mulling bid for Palestinian presidency
Speaking to AFP at her Ramallah home, Fadwa said her husband -- widely regarded as the inspiration behind the Palestinian intifada -- was the "strongest candidate". But she said his candidacy would depend on Fatah, the main political faction of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=2&u=/afp/20041113/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinian_vote_barghuti_041113134823


Corrupt food and medical neglect in Atzion detention camp
Hasan Al-Sheikh, Lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoner Society, said that he visited a number of detainees in Atzion detention camp, and met with a number of detainees who told him that several detainees have suffered fatigue, fever, diarrhea and nausea after eating frozen meat, which apparently was expired and corrupt.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111304/Atzion.htm


Palestinians seek international help to ensure January polls
But the election committee said in a statement it would need international help to conduct voter registration in occupied and annexed east Jerusalem as Israel had previously blocked the process by arresting its staff and confiscating registration materials.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=14&u=/afp/20041113/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_palestinian_vote_041113115607


Israeli activist: Arafat wanted peace
Uri Avnery was one of the few Israelis to attend Arafat's burial in Ram Allah on Friday. "Contrary to the demonisation of Yasir Arafat by the Israeli government, we believe that he was the man who wanted to make peace," Avnery, who is a senior member of the Israeli Gush Shalom peace movement, said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FEE19C78-6469-409C-9C68-5C3F5D0DFA31.htm


Grief-stricken crowds turn out across Middle East
Barred from crossing Israel, an estimated 150,000 Palestinians in Gaza crowded the central Omari mosque for memorial prayers. A massive crowd, many holding pictures of Arafat, Palestinian flags and symbolic coffins, crammed the square mile area...
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=582473


Mystery lingers over cause of Arafat's death
"One cause of platelet deficiency is poison," said Kurdi, who examined Arafat in Ramallah two weeks ago. Although "not definitive, I believe the highest reason for Arafat's mysterious death is poisoning. Therefore, there should be an autopsy."
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=10154


Qurey: Restart the Peace Process
The Palestinian Minister responsible for the peace negotiations, Saeb Erekat, demanded a guarantee from Bush that they would be able to hold free and just presidential elections within 60 days.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20041113&hn=13823


Israeli Arab leaders disappointed by turnout at Arafat memorial
Some of the mourners criticized the Arab leadership, saying the leaders didn't do enough to get people out on the streets. Some of the marchers said that in any case, the procession was viewed as a vital and important move.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501078.html


Palestinians March for Arafat in Ramallah
Demonstrations held in the West Bank and Gaza Strip after the death of Yasser Arafat, the symbol of the Palestinian struggle, continued today. Thousands of Palestinians meeting in the Muqataa compound, where Arafat was buried, began a march through the streets of Ramallah behind a vehicle decorated with pictures of Arafat.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20041113&hn=13829


Israeli Arabs march in symbolic Arafat funeral
The Arabs who comprise about one-fifth of the population of the Jewish state feel closely linked to their Palestinian brethren in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, territories occupied by Israel in 1967.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L13349355.htm


Qurei, Solana discuss Palestinian elections
Solana, on his part, promised the European help for the coming Palestinian elections, but cautioned that the Palestinian authorities should achieve a better situation in order that the elections could take place.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/13/content_2214655.htm


Israeli Security: “Palestinian Presidential elections will be held soon, but not within two moths"
The website said that an Israeli military source said that “if the predictions reveal that the elections will be in favor of Mahmoud Abbas, Abu Mazin, the army will try to facilitate the elections procedures”.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111304/Pelection.htm


Bush and Blair stress Palestinian democracy
But Mr Blair, who came to Washington with a number of specific strategic initiatives in mind, appeared to have wrung little by way of concrete commitments from Mr Bush. Mr Bush left open the possibility of a future Middle East peace conference, even sounding ambivalent about the idea.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/30b721ec-34cd-11d9-978c-00000e2511c8.html


Israel FM set for first post-Arafat US visit
The visit comes in the wake of talks between British Prime Minister and US President George W. Bush in Washington on Friday after which the leaders said they had a golden chance to move the peace process forward with Arafat's passing...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=6&u=/afp/20041113/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_israel_us_041113181914


Arab League holds solemn ceremony to mourn Arafat
Permanent representatives to the Arab League (AL) met on Saturday at its headquarters here for an official session to pay tributes to late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, Egypt's official MENA news agency reported.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/14/content_2215311.htm


CBS News fires producer over Arafat special report
CBS News has fired the producer responsible for interrupting the last five minutes of a hit crime drama with a special report on the death of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, a network source said on Friday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501103&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Jordan, France call for U.S. pressure to implement road map
"Palestinians have lost a leader who kept their hope of independence alive for more than half a century," he wrote in a commentary for the International Herald Tribune. "Now, an opportunity exists to honor the best of that legacy, in a new drive for progress and peace."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/501081.html


Jailed leader may stand for president
He is held in isolation in Beersheva. His wife, Fadwa, said: "He spends 23 hours in his cell and one hour in a covered courtyard with his legs and hands chained. His health was bad before he went to prison and is worse now." His only contact with the world is speaking through a peephole to his lawyer, who takes messages to the family and political contacts.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1350443,00.html


Talking tough in Gaza
Until 1948, Gaza was part of British-run Palestine and was intended to be included in a new, contiguous Arab country under a UN plan for partition. That plan foundered in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948-49, and Gaza came under Egyptian control. More than 700,000 Palestinians fled or were ethnically cleansed from Israeli areas, and wound up in Gaza refugee camps.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348936,00.html


No compromising the compromise
The third major achievement Palestinians credit President Arafat with is his resistance, while under considerable pressure at the final status negotiations at Camp David in 2000, to sign any solution that involved compromising the legitimate rights of the Palestinian people as guaranteed by international law.
http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/pal1.php


The Dreamer Who Relied on Emotion and Failed to Protect His Own People - By Robert Fisk
Edward Said, that most brilliant of Palestinian scholars, was driven to distraction by Arafat's nonsense as well as by his vain, dictatorial rule; Arafat banned Professor Said's books and Palestinians who wished to read them had to purchase them in Israel. "The people loved him, of course," Professor Said told me.
http://www.truthout.org/docs_04/111304D.shtml


Corridors of Power / When opportunity knocks
Sharon explained that Israel would certainly be pleased to see a new Palestinian leadership setting the goal of fighting terror. Such a development would create a chance to change the situation, but this new leadership must first past the test of taking action.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500601.html


Unusual gathering of mourners
Most Arab countries, even those with which he had fallen out, sent someone. The US downgraded its representation to William Burns, an assistant secretary of state. Only Mr Arafat could have brought together such diverse mourners.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1350432,00.html


International Journalists Protest Vanunu Arrest
The International Federation of Journalists (IFJ) today accused the Israeli authorities of “a disgraceful abuse of democracy” in re-arresting nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu.
http://www.world-crisis.com/news/1066_0_1_0_M/


Hizbullah celebrates Jerusalem Day
"The drone will enable us - in addition to gathering information and breaching Israeli air - to respond whenever an Israeli aggression against Lebanon takes place," he said, adding that although the spy plane had not yet performed any military action, it was capable of doing so.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=10152


Hamas condemns US attack on Fallujah
The Movement said in a press release that the American aggression involved the most advanced weapons in attacking unarmed civilians at the pretext of tracking down what the Americans called “terrorists” who in fact were only resistance fighters demanding the withdrawal of US occupation soldiers from Iraq.
http://www.albawaba.com/news/index.php3?sid=288833&lang=e&dir=news


Red Crescent hits barrier as it struggles to bring aid to Fallujah
Fallujah general hospital, which was seized ahead of a US-Iraqi assault to gain control of the city. But wounded residents inside the battle zone were unable to enter the hospital, on the western outskirts, while US forces were forbidding the aid convoy from reaching them, Red Crescent spokeswoman Ferdus al-Ibadi told AFP.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=5&u=/afp/20041113/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_fallujah_aid_041113164122


US wounded in Falluja hits 412
A C-141 transport plane brought the 73 newest patients to the US Air Force's Ramstein base on Saturday morning. The 73 new patients at the US military's Landstuhl Regional Medical Centre pushed the number of arrivals this week to 412, nearly all of whom were injured in Falluja, according to a hospital spokeswoman.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/B712F91B-3B45-4A45-99FF-47B6E5CF6225.htm


Two Sunni Clerics Arrested in Iraq Raids
Yehia Saleh and Ibrahim Mohammed, members of the influential Association of Muslim Scholars, were detained late Friday during raids in Iskandariyah, according to Sheik Abbas Mohammed with the scholars group. He also said fourteen of their followers were arrested in the raid 30 miles south of Baghdad.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=9&u=/ap/20041113/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_sunni_arrests

November 12 2004

Arafat buried after mourners give him emotional farewell
"President Arafat would have wanted it this way, with exhilaration, feelings of loyalty, pain, sadness and love all at once," Palestinian legislator Hanan Ashrawi told The Associated Press. "The people reclaimed him. They wanted to say goodbye without distance."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=582330


Mandela: Arafat was 'outstanding freedom fighter'
South African anti-apartheid hero Nelson Mandela on Thursday hailed Arafat as "an icon in the proper sense of the word" and urged new commitment to a Middle East settlement. "Yasser Arafat was one of the outstanding freedom fighters of this generation, one who gave his entire life to the cause of the Palestinian people,"
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/500406.html


Arafat was only man who could have delivered peace: ex-Israeli MP
Veteran peace campaigner and former MP Uri Avnery, one of the few Israelis to attend Yasser Arafat's burial in Ramallah, said he came to pay tribute to a man who wanted and could have delivered peace in the Middle East.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=8&u=/afp/20041112/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_israel_041112180226


Arafat's Death Highlights Palestinian Divisions
Another name in the frame is jailed West Bank Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti. However, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom categorically ruled out any role for Barghuti in the Palestinian leadership following the death of Arafat. "Barghouti was convicted to life in prison and he will stay in prison until the end of his days...
http://www.dw-world.de/dw/article/0,1564,1393360,00.html


Bush Envoy Calls on Israel to Release Jailed Palestinian Leader
A Baker, the former U.S. secretary of state, who currently serves as the Bush administration's special envoy on Iraqi debt, called on the Israeli government to release Marwan Barghouti, the jailed Palestinian leader who is serving five life sentences in an Israeli jail...
http://www.villagevoice.com/issues/0445/fahim.php


The Palestinian Problem
"That it cannot adequately be described or narrated, that the Arabs say or do nothing in support of the [Palestinian] struggle, that the United States is so terrifyingly hostile, that the Europeans are ... so useless, all this has driven many of us to despair, I know, and to a kind of hopeless frustration," writes Said.
http://hartfordadvocate.com/gbase/Lifestyle/content?oid=oid:89206


Palestinian pollster: Arafat's death won't leave void
However, Shikaki warned, no elections were likely to confer legitimacy if Marwan Barghouti, who is currently serving five life sentences for murder in Israel, did not participate, as Barghouti commands the support of 20 to 25 percent of the Palestinian public.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/500592.html


Palestinian Youths Fight Israeli Police
Hundreds of Palestinian youths scuffled with Israeli police at a Jerusalem holy site Friday, after police barred them from prayers amid fear of riots and unrest during the funeral and burial of Yasser Arafat.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=18&u=/ap/20041112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arafat_israel


Shalom: Barghouti will not be released from prison
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom reacted Thursday to speculation that Israel would release jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti as a goodwill gesture to the new Palestinian leadership.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1100147299762


Arafat's Jordanian Physician Urges Autopsy
Yasser Arafat's Jordanian physician on Friday urged an autopsy be performed on the Palestinian leader because of the mystery surrounding his illness and death.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20041112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/jordan_arafat_s_doctor


Israeli Arabs respond minimally to death of Arafat
The mourning tent set up by the "Village Sons" movement in Umm al-Fahm was virtually empty. There were no mass processions in Nazareth to mark the death of the Palestinian leader. And less than 200 Israeli Arabs traveled to Ramallah to participate in Arafat's burial.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501078&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Bush pledges help to Palestinians
"We are going to develop a strategy so that once the (Palestinian) elections are over, we will be able to say: 'Here's how we will help you. If you want to be helped, here's what we're willing to do. If you chose not to be helped, if you decide you don't want a free, democratic society, there's nothing we can do,'" Bush said.
http://www.wpherald.com/Middle_East/storyview.php?StoryID=20041112-013415-7277r


Blair will press US president to make Middle East a priority
Mr Blair said he would work tirelessly for the creation of a viable Palestinian state alongside a secure Israel. "Peace in the Middle East must be the international community's highest priority," he said. "We will do whatever we can, working with the US and the EU, to help the parties reach a fair and durable settlement." But...
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1349556,00.html


Settlers threaten IDF refusal if pullout takes place
Gaza Strip settlers, declaring that the security forces have become a tool of "the dictator Sharon" have begun circulating a petition threatening that if the prime minister's disengagement plan is carried out, the settlers and their families would refuse to serve in the security forces.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500908.html


Doctor demands autopsy
Deceased Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat's longtime physician Ashraf al-Kurdy has called for a full autopsy, saying the Palestinian people had a right to know how their leader died. Dr al-Kurdy, who has attended to Arafat for more than 25 years, told Aljazeera the circumstances of his illness and death remained unclear.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/94300B85-6A5F-4489-9221-846F09564A54.htm


Yasir Arafat
It was the PLO, under Arafat's leadership, that restored Palestinian pride and helped to forge a nation out of a population that was geographically dispersed and politically divided. And it was Arafat who led the PLO, in the face of fierce internal resistance, into adopting the two-state solution in the mid-1970s. But his conciliatory peace offering at the UN General Assembly in 1974...
http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml%3Fi=20041129&s=editors2


Israel's death festival
Many Israeli politicians followed suit with insults directed at the dying Palestinian leader. Israeli comedians, who nowadays shy away from political satire directed at their own leaders, have been mocking Arafat with the most degrading impersonations. A festive atmosphere has taken over the country.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1349616,00.html


Arafat, father of the Palestinian cause - By Miguel Angel Moratinos
Under the difficult circumstances that the Palestinian people have endured and, indeed, are still suffering, some may opt for inertia, alleging their destiny to be inevitable. Such was not the case of Yasser Arafat. History should judge him with intelligence and with honesty. In his life, there was no shortage of action, or of vision or of political courage. Rest in peace...
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=582056


New York Times coverage of Arafat's death
What voices are missing? Palestinian ones. This is the recurring problem of American and European approaches to the Middle East. Arab voices are systematically undervalued, discounted, or actively suppressed -- not just by their own autocrats but also by Westerners claiming to be acting "in Arabs' best interests"...
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3315.shtml


Hezbollah says it has capability to bomb Israel from the air
The drone Hezbollah flew over Israel on Sunday "can be laden with a quantity of explosives, 40 to 50 kilograms and can hit any target, be it water or power plant, a military base or airport," Sheik Hassan Nasrallah told a mass rally in eastern Lebanon.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=501073&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Vanunu rearrested for talking to foreign press
In one of these he said: "There are still nuclear weapons materials in Israel, and I believe that during the past 18 years more have been built." He urged the United States to press Israel to give up the bomb. Police sources said yesterday: "Vanunu has flagrantly violated the conditions of his release. Something must be done to stop this."
http://news.independent.co.uk/world/middle_east/story.jsp?story=582013


Hamas leader in rare appearance at Arafat funeral
Israel's most wanted man, Khaled Meshaal, leader of the Islamic militant movement Hamas, made a rare public appearance at Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's funeral alongside US and other Western officials.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041112/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_egypt_041112154031


New rebel tactics emerge in Fallujah
After three days of measurable progress, American forces trying to take full control of Fallujah are confronting an insurgent force that has renewed energy. And as American and Iraqi forces spread their grip across the city, the constant skirmishes of close urban combat and burst-in searches door-to-door are revealing more about insurgent tactics, including sleeper cells.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1112/p01s02-woiq.html


Iraqi Gov't Warns Media About Coverage
The Iraqi government warned news organizations Thursday to distinguish between insurgents and ordinary civilians in coverage of the fighting in Fallujah and to promote the leadership's position or face unspecified action.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7076&s2=12


U.S. troops raid Baghdad mosque
U.S.-led troops have stormed a Sunni Muslim mosque in Baghdad and arrested its radical preacher who has urged Iraqi forces not to fight alongside Americans attacking the rebel city of Falluja. ( Only Pro-US DEMOCRACY acceptable? )
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=619651&section=news


US marines find underground prison, bodies in Fallujah
The prison was discovered in a house in the Jolan neighbourhood, considered the insurgent nerve centre in the city. Marines were clearing the building after it was shelled by the US military when they were alerted by screaming.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=16&u=/afp/20041112/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_fallujah_prison_041112182614


GIs Force Men Fleeing Fallujah to Return
Hundreds of men trying to flee the assault on Fallujah have been turned back by U.S. troops following orders to allow only women, children and the elderly to leave.
http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=246764


Rebels take fight to Mosul, as helicopter downed
A top police officer and two guards were killed in Mosul as US troops battled to restore order in Iraq's third city, where gunmen roamed the streets in response to a US-led assault on Fallujah.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=2&u=/afp/20041112/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_unrest_041112194422


Shiite Silence over Fallujah Assault Criticized
“The silence of Shiite leaders over the US military campaign on the Sunni city of Fallujah is dubious and weird,” Sheikh Mahdi El-Bedeiri, a Shiite scholar, told IslamOnline.net. El-Bedeiri suspected that Shiite scholars stopped short of condemning the strikes against the 300,000-populated Fallujah because of political reasons.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7092&s2=12


U.S. Seeks More Dutch Help in Iraq
State Department said Friday it is encouraging the Dutch government to continue contributing to Iraq's security beyond the scheduled March 15 departure date for Dutch troops.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=3&u=/ap/20041112/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_netherlands_iraq

November 11 2004

Yasser Arafat, 1929-2004
Today, Yasser Arafat, Chairman of al-Fatah and the Palestine Liberation Organization and elected President of the Palestinian Authority, died in Paris from complications stemming from a blood disorder at the age of 75. Born Muhammad Abd al-Ra'uf al-Arafat al-Qudwa, Yasser Arafat was related to the Husayni family and had strong family ties to Gaza and Jerusalem.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3288.shtml


Shimon Peres: Palestinians lose a father
Arafat is a difficult figure with whom to come to terms. He did more than any other leader to forge a unique and separate Palestinian identity. He was the voice and symbol of the Palestinian cause. His tireless efforts brought the Palestinian cause to the forefront of the international agenda and kept it there for four decades. (Peres: PM at time of Qana Massacre in South Lebanon)
http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/11/11/opinion/edperes.html


Turner nominee takes on Israel's Wall
Turner prize-nominated artist Catherine Yass is tackling the Israeli/Palestinian conflict with her new film Wall. Yass has spent the past year filming sections of the wall that divides Jewish and Arab territories in Baqa, Qalqilya and Jerusalem. It is, she says, a physical symbol of the conflict - "a manifestation for all those jammed-up negotiations".
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348209,00.html


Arafat's body flown to Cairo for funeral
Late on Thursday, a uniformed French honor guard carried Arafat's coffin, draped with the Palestinian flag, to a ceremony at a French military base. Marching slowly to the stains of a funeral march, the honor guard passed a weeping Sufa Arafat. A military band then played the Palestinian and French anthems, before the coffin was loaded onto a plane for the flight to Cairo.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499629.html


Prisoners say only heir is Barghouti
Palestinian security detainees are waiting to hear what prisoner Marwan Barghouti has to say: What is his position on the emerging leadership? Does he intend to contend in the planned elections? According to a lawyer who met with prisoners at Nafha prison this week, the security detainees, particularly those belonging to Fatah, speak of Barghouti as the Palestinian people's new leader.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500058.html


Fatah leader: Keep up intifada
"We must retain our national unity, our commitment to the intifada and our commitment to real democracy and the establishment of law and order." Barghuti, the man regarded as the inspiration behind the Palestinian uprising, or intifada, was handed five life terms for murder by an Israeli court on June 6.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,6119,2-10-1462_1619655,00.html


Militants vow post-Arafat attacks amid Israeli security clampdown
"I accuse Israel of having poisoned the blood of Abu Ammar (Arafat)," he told Arab satellite television Al-Jazeera. "By killing Arafat today, Israel has killed the peace process. It has killed he who created with it this process," added Meshaal, himself the target of an assassination bid by Israeli agents in 1997.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=7&u=/afp/20041111/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_security_041111175330


3 Citizens Killed in GS and WB
Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) killed Thursday three citizens, wounded three and arrested six others in different events in the West Bank (WB) and Gaza Strip (GS), Palestinian medical and security sources said.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1867


Israel plans posthumous anti-Arafat campaign
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said yesterday that after the funeral of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, Israel will launch a propaganda campaign against him. The political-security cabinet yesterday approved the proposed plans to bury Arafat in Ramallah.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500075.html


Palestinians 'facing humanitarian crisis'
"The Palestinians are not forgotten in terms of political interest but are largely forgotten as a deep humanitarian crisis," Jan Egeland, UN humanitarian aid chief, told the Financial Times. Unemployment has soared, health standards have fallen, malnutrition has increased, and 64 per cent are below the poverty threshold...
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/0e1106ec-338a-11d9-b07e-00000e2511c8.html


Humanitarian agencies appeal for $302 million to maintain their assistance to Palestinians
Closure has led to one of the worst recessions in modern history. Unemployment has increased to 34.3%, and poverty now affects 47% of the Palestinian population. 64% of Gazans are poor and around a quarter live in deep poverty, unable to meet adequately their food needs even with aid.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3309.shtml


Arafat and His Three Revolutions - By Uri Avnery
Arafat's (and Israeli) tragedy was that whenever he came closer to a peaceful solution, the Israeli governments withdrew from it. His minimum terms were clear and remained unchanged from 1974 on: A Palestinian state in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.
http://www.arabnews.com/?page=7&section=0&article=54342&d=11&m=11&y=2004


Army imposes tight closure over the Palestinian areas
According to the Israeli Newspaper, Yedioth Ahronoth, the Israeli Police said that it is studying procedures to limit the number of Palestinians who will be allowed to enter Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem to conduct Friday prayers, which is also the last Friday in the Holy Moslem month of Ramadan.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111104/tight-closure.htm


Palestinians pour out grief over Arafat's death
Palestinians streamed into the streets of the West Bank and Gaza Strip on Thursday in an outpouring of grief over the death of Yasser Arafat, the enduring symbol of their nationalist cause. "Arafat will never die, he is the leader, he is the father," proclaimed a taxi driver in the West Bank city of Ramallah
http://www.abs-cbnnews.com/NewsStory.aspx?section=World&OID=63234


Foreign dignitaries expected to attend Arafat's funeral
Egypt will host a military funeral for Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Friday before he is buried in Ramallah, officials said. The following is a list of world leaders and dignitaries who are expected to attend the funeral:
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500542.html


Israel 'dismayed' at Spanish reaction
"Arafat's charismatic personality, the international status that he gave to the Palestinian nation and his unrelenting fight for recognition for his people makes him one of the most relevant leaders of our time," the statement read.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1100147301827


Inheritance of Arafat is split three ways
In accordance with Palestinian law, Rawhi Fattouh, 55, the speaker of parliament, was sworn in as interim president of the Palestinian Authority for 60 days pending elections to choose a successor. Mr Fattouh, a secondary figure in the leadership, is not likely to be a candidate.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/285f9a56-340a-11d9-a728-00000e2511c8.html


New Fatah leader open to peace talks, ready to fight
"We are not saying we are capable of defeating the Israeli army. But this policy was set out by the PLO when the martyr, our brother Abu Ammar (Arafat), stood before the United Nations in 1974 and said 'I hold a rifle in one hand and an olive branch in the other. Don't knock the olive branch from my hand'...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500342.html


Swiss FM: No evidence of Arafat's money in Switzerland
Suspicions that the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stashed money in Swiss banks are apparently unfounded, Swiss Foreign Minister Micheline Calmy-Rey said Thursday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500561.html


U.S.: Israel must complete Gaza pullout after Arafat's death
The United States maintains that Israel is obligated to implement the disengagement plan even after the death of Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, State Department spokesman Richard Boucher told reporters Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499854&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


U.S. hopes Arafat death will lead to peace
The death, U.S. and Israeli officials hope, will restart the peace process between Israel and the Palestinians, and revive the "road map" plan put forward by the European Union, Russia, the United Nations and the United States. ( 'Road Map' with Unilateral Gaza pullout "COOL" ! )
http://www.wpherald.com/North_America/storyview.php?StoryID=20041111-125105-2113r


Downing Street plays down hopes on Middle East as Blair meets Bush
Mr Blair, President Bush's staunchest foreign ally, will have dinner with him tonight, talks and lunch tomorrow and a joint press conference as they try to shore up support for the military occupation of Iraq. ( To Trust or Not To Trust 'White House' )
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1348313,00.html


Arab nations mourn Arafat and call for Palestinian unity
The Arab world urged the Palestinians to stand united after the loss of their historic leader Yasser Arafat and declared official periods of mourning, as praise started to flow in.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=9&u=/afp/20041111/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_arabs_041111184236


Should we invest in Israel?
The Board of Aldermen held a meeting at City Hall to debate a proposed resolution that calls for the retirement board to stop investing in Israel and in companies said to contribute to human rights violations by Israelis against Palestinians.
http://www2.townonline.com/somerville/localRegional/view.bg?articleid=123517


Arafat to be recalled for leading Palestinians to accept principle of coexistence with Israel – Annan
Reacting to the death of President Yasser Arafat, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today said President Arafat will always be remembered for having led the Palestinians, back in 1988, to accept the principle of peaceful coexistence between Israel and a future Palestinian state.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12505&Cr=Palestin&Cr1=


History of a siege
Governments and peoples of the West, and indeed of most of the world, certainly since 11 September, believe that the use of violence against civilians as a means of pressuring a society's government falls squarely within the definition of terrorism. Not that this applies to Israel, which has long practiced collective punishment as a means to break the Palestinian will.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/716/re8.htm


Palestine Greater Than Arafat
The decades-long symbolism that Arafat embodied should not be underestimated. It is this symbolism that Palestinians are mourning. The substance of Arafat's symbolism has to do with how it has represented Palestinian nationalism and the five decade struggle for justice for a people that were dispossessed in 1948, militarily occupied in 1967, attacked while in exile...
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3311.shtml


Newborn Twins Named Yasser and Arafat
"I looked at my husband and I said, we will call them Yasser and Arafat," she told The Associated Press. "I'm so proud that the name of Yasser Arafat will be in my house every day, just as the name of Yasser Arafat will be in every Palestinian house forever."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=20&u=/ap/20041111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arafat_twins


Israeli nuclear whistleblower Vanunu arrested in Jerusalem
But he insists that he has no more secrets to reveal. Vanunu has said that he wants to leave Israel, where he is widely reviled as a traitor after not only lifting the lid on the country's nuclear ambitions but also converting to Christianity. "I don't like Israel. I don't want to live in Israel. I want to be free and to leave Israel," he said in July
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041111/wl_mideast_afp/israel_nuclear_vanunu_041111172412


Al Aksa now Arafat Martyrs Brigades
The armed wing of Fatah on Thursday announced its decision to change its name from the Aksa Martyrs Brigades to the Brigades of Martyr Yasser Arafat.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1100147302028


Human 'Disaster' Looms in Encircled Falluja
Fighting in Falluja has created a humanitarian disaster in which innocent people are dying because medical help cannot reach them, aid workers in Iraq said today. In one case, a pregnant woman and her child died in a refugee camp west of the city after the mother unexpectedly aborted and no doctors were on hand, Firdoos al-Ubadi, an official from the Iraqi Red Crescent Society, said.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7055&s2=11


Fighting Erupts in Northern City of Mosul
Insurgents launched attacks in Iraq's third-largest city Thursday, raiding police stations and political offices and battling U.S. and Iraqi forces for hours. An American official acknowledged it could take "some time" to secure the city.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=3&u=/ap/20041111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_mosul_attacks


Two U.S. Helicopters Shot Down in Iraq - Arabiya
Two U.S. Cobra helicopters have been shot down near the Iraqi city of Falluja, Al Arabiya television said on Thursday, quoting U.S. military sources. The Dubai-based Arabic satellite station gave no more details. U.S. forces are battling Iraqi insurgents in Falluja. Al Jazeera television also reported that two helicopters had been shot down.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=7049&s2=11


18 Americans Killed, 178 Hurt in Fallujah
Eighteen U.S. troops have been killed and 178 wounded in action since the start of the assault on Fallujah, the U.S. command said Thursday. Five allied Iraqi troops have also been killed and 34 wounded.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=6&u=/ap/20041111/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_casualties

November 10 2004

Non-violence frightens the army
Military Judge Adrian Agassi, on the other hand, does not think Awad is dangerous to public security. He ordered a cancelation of the administrative arrest order. But the military judge in the military appeals court, Moshe Tirosh, agrees that Awad is dangerous to the public. On November 3, he ordered a cancelation of the cancelation of the administrative arrest order. Awad, 42, is a high school teacher, father of six and one of the leaders of the Committee for the Popular Struggle against the Separation Fence
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499602.html


Knesset cmte. passes bill banning aid to terrorists' families
The Knesset Constitution, Law, and Justice Committee unanimously approved a bill Wednesday that states that an individual who gives money to terrorists? family members will be considered a terror financier, and could face seven-to-ten years in prison. (What's Terror? Anything to do with killing using High Tech or CAT?)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500024.html


Israeli Professor Promotes Empathy
She argued that if the conflict is to be resolved, peace discussions cannot take place between occupiers and occupied, nor between oppressors and oppressed. Rather, meaningful talks can only occur between groups that view each other as equals. Sharoni claimed that her political views have isolated her from her family and community.
http://www.thehoya.com/news/110904/news7.cfm


Israeli troops kill 3 Palestinians
The sources said that Israeli army troops opened intensive fire on demonstrated Palestinians in the city of Nablus and shot a 24-years-old Kadri Ashoor in the head and the abdomen where he died immediately, adding that another man was wounded at the shooting.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/10/content_2200360.htm


One Civilian Killed and Two Children Wounded by Israeli Forces
Eyewitnesses confirmed that Ashour was going to his home to have the fast-breaking meal when Israeli forces started shooting. The forces prevented ambulances from reaching him and evacuating him in time.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=963


Israel blocks care for Arab-Israeli baby
Israeli authorities are withholding treatment of a critically ill baby born to an Arab-Israeli father and Palestinian mother, over doubts about the baby's paternity, an international rights group charged Tuesday.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=10046


Israeli Settlers Terrorize Palestinian Schoolchildren
They are aged 6 to 12, all their goal every morning is simply to make it to school. This is taken for granted all over the globe. But in the occupied Palestinian territories - with Israel's separation wall and out-of-control settlers - the experience is a clear embodiment of “terror”.
http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=200411090642155


Abu Mayyala Family; victims of military violence and allegations
Dr. Jalal Al-Jabery, head of the Forensic Institute, in the College of Medicine at Al-Quds University, said that the child was shot dead while he was bending forward from a distance which is less than 30cm. The bullet went through his perineum, liver and centered in his heart, causing instant death.
http://www.imemc.org/features/2004/November/Mayyala%20family.htm


Urgent Alert PMRS Doctor forced to Strip in Public
Israeli occupation forces have once again shown complete disregard towards principals of medical neutrality when they forced a PMRS Doctor and member of the PMRS Administrative Council, to strip in a public street near Al Nohmaan village in Bethlehem.
http://www.miftah.org/Display.cfm?DocId=5450&CategoryId=16


Judge: U.S.-based Islamic charities must pay in lawsuit over teen's shooting in Israel
A federal judge Wednesday found two U.S.-based Islamic charities and an alleged fund-raiser for the Palestinian militant group Hamas liable for damages in the 1996 shooting death of an American teenager in Israel. A jury trial is set to start Dec. 1 to determine the amount of damages in the $300 million lawsuit filed by the parents of David Boim, 17...
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/10/national1336EST0594.DTL


Israel Negotiating Gaza Legal Status After Pullout
Israel is negotiating with the U.S. administration and the United Nations over how to define the legal status of the Gaza Strip once the disengagement is implemented. Israel is hoping to find a creative formula that would reduce its responsibility for the Strip under international law.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111004/israel%20negotiate%20legal.htm


Japan Assists UNRWA with $ 4,830,000
In a press release, the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed that it has decided to extend assistance to the UNRWA to support its three projects in the educational sector and to assist its general budget in educational sector and other general fields.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1849


Sha'ath says Arafat's liver, kidney have failed
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's brain is working only partially because of hemorrhaging, and his organs, except for heart and lungs, "are not functioning well," Palestinian Foreign Minister Nabil Sha'ath said Wednesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499629.html


PA envoy: Arafat fighting for his life, we're fighting the media
While Arafat was fighting for his life, she said, Palestinian officials were compelled to fight the Israeli media. She said the PA wanted to bury Arafat in Jerusalem, but could not do so because of the occupation. Palestinian officials chose Ramallah as Arafat's final resting place, Shaheed said, because it's the closest possible burial site to Jerusalem.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/500007.html


Arafat's powers to be shared by Qureia, Abbas and PLC chair
Arafat was described Wednesday as being in the "final phase" of his life at a Paris hospital. Palestinian law determines that in the case of the PA chairman's absence or death, the chairman of the parliament will take his place for 60 days, after which new elections will be held.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499854.html


Elections in 60 days, Not Possible, yet a Smart Political Maneuver
Firstly, Both Israel and the United Sates stood firmly against running presidential elections in the Palestinian Authority areas, and are not expected to change stance. It is obvious that without an Israeli approval it will be practically impossible to run elections. Secondly, Palestinians will not go for elections that exclude the participation of Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/111004/elections%20in%2060%20days.htm


PNA agrees on Arafat's funeral in Cairo
An Egyptian security official said the funeral would be held at the Cairo airport when the body arrived from Paris, adding prayers and military ceremonies would take place before the body was taken to Ramallah, via Jordan, for burial.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/10/content_2201069.htm


Suha Arafat rejects $2 million offer from Palestinian Authority
French officials who have been following Yasser Arafat's treatment were astonished to discover that Suha Arafat's constant companion and financial adviser was none other than Pierre Rizk, who headed the intelligence service of the Phalanga during the Lebanese civil war
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499631&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


The mystery of Arafat's money
"This was because what Arafat was doing at that time was deeply unpopular with his own Palestinian constituency and he needed to have the discretion to use political funds to buy political opposition off and to use money in a discretionary way." There was no proper accounting of the funds.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3995769.stm


PNA warns against Israeli exploitation of current situation
"All these will remain the basic criteria that control the political behaviors of the Palestinian leadership and people," he said. "The Palestinians will continue resisting the Israeli occupationas Israel attempts to break the Palestinian people," added the minister.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/10/content_2200580.htm


PM Prefers Silence – Appoints Media Spokespersons
As such, the prime minister has authorized four senior ministers to act as official spokesmen, instructing other members of the cabinet to refrain from speaking to the press. The four are Vice Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom, Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, and Justice Minister Tommy Lapid.
http://www.israelnn.com/news.php3?id=71881


Fearing misuse, panel delays vote on funding for settlements
MK Haim Oron (Yahad) asked for clarification on whether the settlers would not take use the money to fund demonstrations against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, which calls for the removal of all the settlements in the Gaza Strip, and four in the northern West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499960&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


US must be honest broker in Middle East: Arab League leader
"I would urge that a balanced policy be adopted by the (US) administration in building up peace between the two parties (Israel and the Palestinians). "That is what we need from the new American administration. There is no honest broker now. We need an honest broker," Mussa urged.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041110/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_041110175453


Refugees' hopes for return will outlive Arafat
There are more than 4 million refugees in the West bank and Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Jordan. Although they all face an uncertain future, life is especially tough for the 350,000 living in Lebanon’s 12 camps. Unlike Jordan, Lebanon denies them citizenship. Unlike in Syria, most jobs are off-limits to them.
http://msnbc.msn.com/id/6451026/


Analysis / A symbolic maneuver
If Arafat is buried in the Muqata, it will become a Palestinian pilgrimage site - even though the Palestinians will almost certainly declare that it is merely a temporary grave, meant to serve until their leader can be transferred to a permanent resting site on the Temple Mount.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499592.html


Sharon rival backs down
Mr Netanyahu, though still the likeliest successor to Mr Sharon as Likud leader, will have lost a lot of credibility with the right wing of the party for his failure to resign. He will also have lost outright a lot of the support he enjoyed from the settler movement.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1347494,00.html


Arab League head demands weapons free Middle East
"Security in the Middle East depends on an agreement among all members of that region to build a zone free of WMD (weapons of mass destruction), nuclear weapons, as well as other types of those destructive weapons," Mussa said during a visit to Madrid.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=7&u=/afp/20041110/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arab_arms_041110195633


‘Every town will become a Falluja'
Now, Karma's insurgents boast that this second offensive will spread their uprising even further. “Every Iraqi town shall become Falluja,” declares a masked insurgent called Abu Askar, who that morning returned from a trip to bring armour-piercing rockets into Falluja.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ad3f7d52-3295-11d9-8498-00000e2511c8.html


Red Cross Says Falluja Refugee Situation Dire
"There are thousands of elderly, women and children who need aid, including water, food, medical care and shelter," Red Cross spokesman Ahmad al-Raoui said. "They must be allowed to return home as soon as possible." He said the refugees were concentrated in the villages of Habbaniya, Amiriya and Saqlawiya, where there were an estimated 20,000 people alone.
http://reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6768408


Three Members of Allawi's Family Abducted
Gunmen abducted three members of Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's family from their Baghdad home, his spokesman said Wednesday, and militants said they would be beheaded in two days if the siege of Fallujah was not lifted.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=13&u=/ap/20041110/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_allawi_kidnapping


Many Insurgents May Have Fled Fallujah
The rapid U.S. push into Fallujah has come without the sort of fateful showdown that would break the back of the insurgency. In fact, advance U.S. and Iraqi government warnings gave the militants plenty of time to get out of town, and it appears many did just that.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20041110/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_disappearing_insurgents


Medicines and food scarce for trapped civilians
"The situation in Falluja is a tragedy," one resident, who gave his name as Ismail, told the Guardian by telephone. "People cannot reach the clinics or the hospital and there are many wounded people. Most people are staying inside their houses. The fighting is heavy."
http://www.guardian.co.uk/Iraq/Story/0,2763,1347490,00.html

November 09 2004

9th-16th November 2004 - 2nd International Week against the Apartheid Wall: Massive Mobilization in over 20 Countries Worldwide!
The 9th – 16th of November 2004 marks the 2 nd International Week against the Apartheid Wall called for by the Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and since then endorsed by various movements, groups, networks, and international civil society conferences , following last year's Palestinian and worldwide mobilization during the 1 st International Week against the Apartheid Wall (November 9-16, 2003)
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/800.shtml


Palestinian youngsters face daily 'Via Dolorosa' on way to school
Safiyya's 10-year-old brother, Tareq, started to cry. "What are you talking about - school, school, school?" a settler shouted mockingly. "Stop talking this rubbish about school!" Several Israeli soldiers including a representative of the DCO soon arrived at the scene and suddenly decided the previously authorized crossing should not go ahead.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=9962


Photostory: Olive harvest in Lower Yanoun
However, I will worry about Yanoun, upon realizing that the settlements, populated by religious extremists who openly espouse their platform of ethnic cleansing, form a ring around Yanoun. If the international house in Yanoun were not there, who knows what would happen to this beautiful little village and its inhabitants.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3301.shtml


PCBS: Cultivated Land Decreases in OPT
The reduce of the agricultural land comes as a result of Israeli Apartheid Wall which confiscates thousands of agricultural dunums in the West Bank. Thousand other dunums were razed by Israeli bulldozers since the beginning of al-Aqsa Intifada in September 2000.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1847


6 Wounded, Scores Arrested, House Demolished in WB, Military Escalation in GS
Elsewhere in the city, IOF soldiers stormed Khellet al-Eman neighbourhood, and broke into a number of houses, arresting around 50 citizens amid intensive interrogation procedures.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1846


2 unarmed Palestinians killed in northern Gaza
The Israeli side transferred bodies of two Gazans to the Palestinian side after shooting them dead in the northern Gaza Strip on Tuesday. The identities of the killed were still unknown, Palestinian security sources said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/09/content_2195133.htm


Criminalization of Human Rights Activists Continues
Human rights activist from the United Kingdom , Hannah, was arrested in Kufr Thulth on Sunday, November 7 while participating in a peaceful march organized by the village residents. Hannah remains in Hadera Detention Center as of Tuesday afternoon, November 9.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?TabID=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US&ItemID=606&mid=10400


Hamas claims shelling Jewish settlements
Israel Radio reported that two mortar shells slammed into the Gush Katif settlement in the southern Gaza Strip, adding that one of the shells landed next to a school and the other hit a house.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/09/content_2195090.htm


Palestinian unrest about Arafat puts Lebanon on alert
The overflights, which consisted of 11 aircraft and three reconnaissance drones, illustrate Israel's unease at the prospect of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon launching revenge attacks across the border should the ailing Palestinian leader die.
http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1109/p04s01-wome.htm


Arafat suffers brain haemorrhage
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is still alive and efforts are being made by his French doctors to stop the haemorrhaging of his brain, negotiations minister Saeb Erakat told reporters Tuesday.
http://iafrica.com/news/worldnews/389308.htm


FOURTH COMMITTEE TAKES UP REPORT ON ISRAELI PRACTICES IN OCCUPIED TERRITORIES
The freedom of movement continued to be gravely impacted by Israel's continued and unlawful construction of the wall, through which it expanded its network of illegal colonial settlements, she said, recalling that the International Court of Justice had concluded that the construction of the wall
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/b8bd5f360df26a9185256f460075b3b8!OpenDocument


Palestinian officials: Arafat to be buried in Ramallah
Palestinian officials Taib Abdel Rahim and Saeb Erekat, speaking in a press conference Tuesday evening in Ramallah, announced that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat will be buried in his Muqata headquarters in the West Bank city.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499525.html


Bush calls Chirac to inquire about Arafat's health
"President Bush inquired about the president of Palestinian Authority's health condition," Chirac's spokesman Jerome Bonnafontsaid, adding that his phone call to Chirac lasted some 20 minutes.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/09/content_2195322.htm


Netanyahu to stay, NRP set to quit
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon that he would remain in government, rescinding an earlier threat to quit. Orlev said he believes the NRP ministers' resignation from the coalition will lead to early elections.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499146&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


U.K. stresses need to bolster PA security apparatus
Foreign Secretary Jack Straw said the government had been in close touch with Palestinian officials both in Paris - where Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat was receiving medical treatment - and in the West Bank and Gaza.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/499516.html


Israeli, Jordanian tourism ministers meet after four year break
With the outbreak of intifada violence in September 2000, relations chilled between the two states and Jordan has not had an ambassador stationed in Israel since that time. However, about a week ago Jordan replaced its acting ambassador in Israel with Ali Al-Ayid
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499449&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


ElBaradei: Israel's nuclear arms blocking Mideast peace
"This is not really sustainable that you have Israel sitting with nuclear weapons capability there while everyone else is part of the non-proliferation regime," ElBaradei told The Sydney Morning Herald. ElBaradei said Muslims in the surrounding region resented Israel's nuclear arsenal and wanted it to be part of the non-proliferation program.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499424&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Harping on lethal myths at the New York Times
As usual, almost everything that has gone wrong and is going wrong for the last four years in the Occupied Territories and Israel, according to The New York Times, boils down to one thing and one action: Yasir Arafat and his "no" to Ehud Barak's "generous offers".
http://www.pmwatch.org/pmw/mediocrity/displayCall.asp?essayID=259


Palestinians to continue struggle
Asked whether he harboured any worries about the behaviour of the Palestinian opposition, especially Hamas, after Arafat's death, al-Louh said "not at all". "I assure you that the opposition is more disciplined and more committed to national unity than many people thought."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3304.shtml


Why I engaged Arafat over the years
To Arafat, the violence he frequently authorized was never terrorism but the lawful right of a people to struggle forcibly to evict an occupying power. Was he a terrorist? If so, the colonists who rebelled against King George in 1776 deserve the same label.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=9987


Ailing Arafat deserves fair judgment
Arafat was never the wisest of leaders. He was a rotten administrator, and was utterly incapable of delegation. But the man who brought his people to the very edge of statehood, deserves better than the opprobrium being heaped on him at the very edge of death.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1346300,00.html


Arafat's wife locks horns with leadership
The prime minister, Ahmed Qureia, and the acting head of the Palestine Liberation Organisation, Mahmoud Abbas, are seeking to discover whether the Palestinian leader is likely to recover from an as yet undiagnosed illness.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1346543,00.html


Pause to learn the lessons
The Palestinians are used to an American bias toward Israel; it's neither new, nor was it expected to be any different when Bush first came to power. But Bush and his administration went beyond just the ordinary US bias toward Israel and against the Palestinians--its traditional military, political and economic support for Israel. This administration sunk to new levels
http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/pal1.php


Iraq's universities face catastrophe
"That's proof of the fact they want to destroy Iraqi universities," said Issa, who now employs bodyguards. "The victims cover a wide spectrum of research interests, different politics and different religious convictions. The only common denominator is their excellence," said Bakaa.
http://www.middle-east-online.com/english/culture/?id=11281


Sunni Clerics Call for Elections Boycott
The group's director, Harith al-Dhari, said the election was being held "over the corpses of those killed in Fallujah and the blood of the wounded." In the past weeks, al-Dhari's Association of Muslim Scholars has been warning it would call such a boycott if a Fallujah offensive took place.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=15&u=/ap/20041109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_boycott


14 Americans die in Iraq in last two days
A total of 14 Americans have been killed in the past two days across Iraq - including five in an around Fallujah and nine others killed as guerrillas launched a wave of attacks in Baghdad and elsewhere.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=6967&s2=09


Iraqi insurgents mass in centre of Ramadi as US snipers withdraw
Rebel fighters massed in the centre of the restive Iraqi city of Ramadi after US military snipers withdrew from their positions following 24 hours of clashes, an AFP correspondent said.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&u=/afp/20041109/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_ramadi_seize&printer=1


UN says too many soldiers doing humanitarian work
Bellamy cited "multiple sides" in the Iraq and Afghanistan conflicts and the fact soldiers were performing relief work as major reasons that humanitarian workers were no longer being viewed as impartial.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=499354&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Fired Missile Closes Baghdad Airport
The C-130 plane dropped chaff defenses that diverted the shoulder-fired missile, the officials said. The airport was closed to civilian traffic Sunday under a state of emergency declared by the Iraqi government.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=9&u=/ap/20041109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_airport


U.S. Casualties Rise Quickly in Iraq
American casualties in Iraq are mounting as the U.S.-led offensive in Fallujah unfolds. Monday's death toll of 11 was among the highest for a single day in Iraq since last spring, though most were killed elsewhere in the country...
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=7&u=/ap/20041109/ap_on_re_mi_ea/us_iraq_casualties

November 08 2004

What Does The Wall Mean?
Everything after one year of building the Wall becomes a routine, but nothing is normal. More than 15,000 trees died behind the Wall in this area. More than 200 farmers lost their land and work. The amount of production reduced to the half in the past year. The time to reach land increased at least three times, and similarly for the distances.
http://stopthewall.org/communityvoices/797.shtml


Palestinian youngsters face daily 'Via Dolorosa' on way to school
For five Palestinian children living in the southern Hebron hills, the daily school run has become a nightmare because of the ritual harassment of Jewish settlers. Just over a month ago, Safiyya's cousin, 7-year-old Miriam Jundiyya was admitted to hospital after an adult settler hit her round the head with a stick, her family said.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=9962


First hearing Supreme Court in political speech case, Azmi Bishara
The two legal questions now before the Supreme Court are whether or not the Magistrate Court can legitimately proceed with the trial of MK Bishara without first deciding on the status of his parliamentary immunity; and what is the scope of an MK's parliamentary immunity regarding political speech.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3298.shtml


Israeli army arrests 10 Palestinians, wounds child in Gaza
They said more than 50 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles rolled into the area near the Jewish settlement of Morag before dawn. Several residential houses were demolished and two others were searched into, with 10 Palestinians arrested.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/08/content_2192137.htm


Four Civilians Killed in Jenin
Eyewitnesses said that an Israeli special force backed by more than 20 armored vehicles opened fire on a car driving down a street in the city, killing the four passengers inside. They were identified as Mohammed Masharqa, Ameen Abul Kamel, Fadi Eghbareyyeh and Mohammed Salah.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=926


The Guardian of Zionism: The "Liberal" Press and its Missing Contexts
Baram correctly states that "after the 1967 war it seemed consensual that almost any questioning of Israel's existence as a Jewish state was illegitimate. Israel's insistence that any discussion of the right of return for the Palestinian refugees was a threat to the state's existence had prevented such a discussion in the international media for many years to come."
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3299.shtml


PPS: 6 Palestinians Died in Prisons During Intifada
The report described the death as a war crime committed against Palestinian prisoners, adding that there are many prisoners who suffer from diseases such as chronic diseases, cancer, cardiology problems, and respiratory difficulties as well as spinal cord and back diseases.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1843


Settlers increase attacks against the residents in Hebron
A local source in Hebron said that settlers increased their attacks against the residents in Tal Al-Rmeida neighborhood, in the center of Hebron, south of the West Bank. The source added that settlers from Keryat Arba settlers, "Ramat Yeshai" and "Abraham Abino" settlement outpost, hurled stone at tens of homes and cars causing several damages.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week2/110804/Settler-H.htm


Hamas denies Qurei's request to stop armed attacks
Qurei also refused a call by Hamas and other Palestinian factions for a united leadership in the absence of the ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who remained in a critical condition in a military hospital outside Paris.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/08/content_2192280.htm


Arafat's condition stable - French doctor
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat's condition is stable, the doctor treating him in a French military hospital said on Monday. Arafat's condition limited the number of visitors he was allowed to receive, Estripeau said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/PAB001321.htm


Arafat's wife says deputies plotting
Israeli media said Israeli security officials assumed Arafat, 75, would be taken off life-support equipment after the three leaders, all seen as potential successors, had visited him in the hospital's intensive care unit.
http://www.swissinfo.org/sen/Swissinfo.html?siteSect=143&sid=5325046


Palestinian leaders to visit Arafat despite wife's bedside coup claim
But they later decided that they would go ahead with the visit, and would be joined by the speaker of parliament Rawhi Fattuh. It will mean that the five most senior members of the leadership will be out of the country at arguably the most delicate moment in Palestinian politics for half a century
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/116038/1/.html


Spanish FM makes lightning visit to Syria over Arafat successor: official
The newspapers ABC and El Mundo reported earlier he had flown secretly and stayed for only a few hours in the Syrian capital on Sunday to discuss a possible successor for Arafat, struggling for his life in a French hospital.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041108/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_spain_041108191646


Poll: 60% Palestinians believe PM Qureia can't run PA
A total of 59.8 percent of Palestinians do not think Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia is capable of managing the day-to-day affairs of the Palestinian Authority, according to a survey conducted last week by the An-Najah University Survey Institute in Nablus.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=498956&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


U.S. won't press Israel to remove outposts
The United States will continue to remind Israel of its commitments to evacuate illegal outposts and freeze settlement construction, and has no intention to give up on their implementation. However, government sources believe the administration will refrain from exerting heavy pressure in the near future as long as the disengagement plan is proceeding.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498614.html


What will happen to Arafat's millions?
Arafat has long resisted proper accounting for the funds, which include Arab payments to the PLO in the 1970s and 1980s, and Western aid to his self-rule government, the Palestinian Authority, after interim peace deals with Israel in the 1990s.
http://www.sanluisobispo.com/mld/sanluisobispo/news/world/10129646.htm


Hezbollah drone over Israel leaves air force red-faced
"The resistance (Hezbollah's armed branch) turned to this method because international protests have not succeeded in putting an end to Israeli violations of Lebanese airspace," Information Minister Elie Ferzli said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=9&u=/afp/20041108/wl_mideast_afp/israel_lebanon_hezbollah_041108195539


Netanyahu lifts resignation threat-Israel Radio
Israeli Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu decided on Monday to lift his threat to resign over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's refusal to put a Gaza pullout plan to a national referendum, Israel Radio said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L08688784.htm


NRP quits gov't to protest pullout plan
The National Religious Party governing body voted Monday night to quit the coalition in protest of the disengagement plan. Zevulun Orlev will resign from his position as labor and social affairs minister on Tuesday.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498899.html


After Arafat, an off-balance Gaza
The distress there is well known. It is much greater than that in the West Bank: In the Strip there is terrible unemployment, egregious poverty and widespread destruction of neighborhoods and agricultural lands in the northern part, in the area of the Jewish settlement of Netzarim, Khan Yunis and, above all, in Rafah.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498645.html


Palestinian dividends
His death was not declared by his physicians in Paris but by his successors in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, who convened on Thursday evening to start preparations for the funeral and to forge the new Palestinian leadership.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498285.html


A Note from Palestine - This Not the Time for Despair
Hope does not come easily here. With Ariel Sharon building the Separation Wall on confiscated land throughout the West Bank, more than 7,500 Palestinian political prisoners in Israeli jails, bombings, assassinations, and home demolitions, most days it is easier to succumb to feelings of powerlessness and despair.
http://www.counterpunch.com/peltz11082004.html


A chance for conciliation
Sharon also rejected the suggestion to allow Arafat's burial in Abu Dis on the outskirts of Jerusalem. Burying Arafat in the West Bank is also not practical, it is said, because of the absence of local security to safeguard the dozens of dignitaries expected to arrive from all over the world.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498294.html


A critical November
Sharon will be left without a parliamentary majority and with a coalition of only 55 MKs. He is still not in danger of falling - the Labor Party has undertaken to keep him in place as long as he advances the disengagement - but he is rapidly approaching a stage at which he will have to decide where he is heading.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498656.html


MEDIA LENS: THE BBC - LEGITIMISING MASS SLAUGHTER IN FALLUJAH
In the case of Iraq, it is of course vital that domestic audiences in the US and UK be persuaded that their governments are killing Iraqis with the support of, even on behalf of, Iraqis themselves. The possibility that Iraqis might be dying in their tens of thousands for Western power and profit must, of course, be kept so far out of sight that it is barely even thinkable.
http://www.unobserver.com/index.php?pagina=layout5.php&id=2000&blz=1


15 Iraqis killed, 25 injured in US bombardment on Fallujah
Us warplanes and artillery pounded the rebel-held city of Fallujah as battles continued on Monday between US-Iraqi forces and fighters who defend the city, killing 15 civilians and wounding 25 others, witnesses said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/08/content_2192525.htm


US marines launch full-scale offensive in Falluja
Intense air strikes and artillery fire rained down on the city as the Marines advanced at least four blocks into the Sunni Muslim city, 50 km (32 miles) west of Baghdad. Helicopters flew overhead. A little earlier the Marines unleashed a barrage of tank and machinegun fire on a nearby railway station, clearing the way for the ground assault.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/c555feac-315a-11d9-97c0-00000e2511c8.html


British Soldier Killed South of Baghdad
A British soldier was killed and two others were wounded Monday, apparently by a roadside bomb near the troops' new base in a violent region south of Baghdad, the Ministry of Defense said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=2&u=/ap/20041108/ap_on_re_mi_ea/britain_iraq


Allawi declares state of emergency ahead of Fallujah offensive
Under a state of emergency, Iraqi authorities have powers allowing them to impose curfews, ban meetings and tap communications, in moves which echo the authoritarian rule of toppled President Saddam Hussein's regime.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=9977


Men vs. "Civilians"
"U.S. Urges Civilians to Flee Targeted Falluja," reads a headline (Reuters dispatch, November 5). Not true, as the article subsequently indicates: "U.S. troops sealed all roads to Falluja and urged women, children and non-fighting age men to flee, but said they would arrest any man under 45 trying to enter or leave the city."
http://www.counterpunch.com/jones11082004.html

November 07 2004

Israeli Soldiers Force Palestinian Physician to Strip off before his Children
"I showed them my identity card which identifies me as a physician, yet they demanded to leave the car forcing me to strip off before my children and wife. They ordered me to stay naked for an hour before allowing me to leave", Awda added.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1841


The Children of Palestine in the Labour Market
The findings also showed that most of the younger children (80%) are still enrolled to school. This percentage decreases to reach 58% among children of age group (10-14 years) and steeply decreases to reach 9% among children of age group (15-17 years). It is noted that the majority of drop out children concentrates in the age group (15-17 years).
http://www.palestine-pmc.com/pdf/26-10-04.pdf


Ma'alot mayor bans school visit to '48 bombing victim's home
"The activity is tantamount to brainwashing the young children and poisoning their thoughts with regard to the future," Buhbut said, noting that he intervened to stop the tour in the wake of requests from the Education Ministry and the Shin Bet security service.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497290.html


Peaceful Residents of Kufr Thulth met with Israeli Army Violence
According to eye-witness reports, Israelis soldiers beat an Israeli journalist and broke his camera. They also beat two Israeli activists. All three sustained moderate injuries. Hannah, an activist from the United Kingdom, was arrested and taken to Ariel Police Station.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?TabID=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US&ItemID=599&mid=10400


300 Palestinian Children in Israeli Prisons
among the child prisoners, there are 30 sick children. The sick prisoners are denied access to medical care and at the same time the Israeli authorities do not medically serve them. The records show that 41.6% of theses diseases resulted directly or indirectly from the deteriorating unhealthy and inhuman incarceration conditions.
http://english.wafa.ps/body.asp?field=tech_news&id=1839


Zionist authorities deny medical treatment for 70-year-old Palestinian
Zionist occupation authorities have denied medical treatment for the 70-year-old Fawaz Sawalma, a resident of the Balata refugee camp in Nablus city, in an eye hospital in occupied Jerusalem.
http://www.palestine-info.co.uk/am/publish/article_8832.shtml


Palestinian Authority faces financial crisis
Fayyad told representatives of the donor nations that the authority has only $19 million on hand to meet payroll expenses of $225 million between now and the end of the year, and that other nonpayroll monthly expenses are running at an additional deficit of $135 million.
http://www.boston.com/news/world/articles/2004/11/06/palestinian_authority_faces_financial_crisis/


Palestinian Leaders Prepare Post-Arafat Security Plan
Palestinian leaders have agreed on a plan to provide security in Gaza and the West Bank as Yasser Arafat remains in serious condition in a Paris hospital. Palestinian political leaders and heads of militant groups have also called for unity in the event the ailing leader dies.
http://www.voanews.com/english/2004-11-07-voa16.cfm


French Foreign Minister Barnier says Arafat is 'alive'
"He's alive," Michel Barnier said in an interview with LCI television. "His condition is very complex, very serious and stable right now." Asked about reports that the 75-year-old leader is in fact brain dead, Barnier replied: "I wouldn't say that."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498295.html


Top Palestinian officials to visit Arafat in France
Three of Yasser Arafat's top lieutenants were due in Paris on Monday to visit the ailing Palestinian leader, who was battling for his life in hospital, French Foreign Minister Michel Barnier said Sunday.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=1&u=/afp/20041107/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_041107195716


Arafat diagnosed with liver failure
"His condition is not improving," the official, who declined to be named, said on Sunday. He said Palestinian officials were considering moving Arafat from Paris to Cairo for treatment, but any decision on this would have to be taken by the Palestinian leadership.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/62812CC2-D407-4671-85F8-EF291D987BA8.htm


Top aide denies Arafat has liver failure
Rudeina's denial came shortly after reports emerged which quoted an unidentified Palestinian official as saying that Arafat was suffering from a liver failure and his condition was not improving.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/07/content_2188200.htm


In Response to Abbas-Qurei Efforts, Israel Might Offer Humanitarian Gestures, But Sticks to Same Security Policies
"it seems the old guard has taken matters to hand, and it appears they are controlling the situation and have a desire to reach internal agreement on the day after Arafat dies. It appears they are calling for a united stance and an end to violence, however, there is no guarantee they will be successful." Mofaz said.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110704/israel%20response%20with.htm


Panel says referendum law will not pass without PM's backing
The panel presented its findings on Sunday, just one day before an ultimatum issued by Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to call a referendum expires. Netanyahu gave Sharon 14 days to decide on calling a referendum, or else he will resign
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498587.html


IDF confirms Hezbollah-dispatched drone flew over Israel
In a statement to the Associated Press, Hezbollah said a reconnaissance drone of the Islamic Resistance, the group's military wing, carried out its first flights over "occupied northern Palestine, flying over several Zionist settlements, reaching the coastal settlement of Nahariya and returning safely to its base."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498555.html


Blair wins talks with Bush on Middle East peace drive
Tony Blair will fly to Washington this week to launch a new Middle East peace initiative alongside George Bush, in a bid to show he can reap the rewards of the special relationship. The trip is a high risk one, since the Prime Minister's popularity at home drops every time he is pictured alongside the President.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1345582,00.html


?Palestinian factions to discuss in Cairo their own affairs
Eguyptian President Hosni Mubarak said on Sunday þthat his country will host a meeting that groups the Palestinian factions in þorder to discuss how to manage their own affairs, but denied comment on the þafter Arafat phase noting "he is still alive".
http://www.kuna.net.kw/English/Story.asp?DSNO=678458


A Man and his People - By Uri Avnery
Wherever he may be buried when he passes away, the day will come when his remains will be reinterred by a free Palestinian government in the holy shrines in Jerusalem. Yasser Arafat is one of the generation of great leaders who arose after World War II.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uri_avnery/2004/nov6.html


Focus shifts to what happens after Arafat death
Global attention remains focused on Yasser Arafat -- not so much on when he will die, but what will happen afterwards, including the contentious issue of his burial site, and the future of Mideast peace. "No one thinks he'll survive," a senior U.S. State Department official told CNN.
http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/1099833697611_2/?hub=TopStories


The re-election of Israel's enemy - By Gideon Levy
The headlines in the mass circulation papers here screamed, "The friend stays" and "Bush is good for Israel," but from Israel's point of view he is one of the worst presidents ever. An American president who will give Israel four more years of freedom to act as it pleases in the territories is not a friend of this country.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498284.html


The tyranny of disengagement
Even those who support disengagement in its present format and who think it is a wonderful plan should therefore feel pained and ensure the right of the evacuees to oppose the evacuation, even after the decision has been made. That is a legitimate part of the democratic right of protest.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498287.html


PLO symbol's legacy is mixed
But it has yet to answer the question of how a dispossessed, fragmented, occupied people -- its institutions in tatters, its towns and villages demarcated by roadblocks and the Wall, its children starving -- can bring any influence to bear on the sixth strongest military power in the world.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/opinion/198449_arafat07.html


Israeli MP backs Arafat burial in Jerusalem in exchange for end to attacks
Israel should allow the Palestinians to bury their leader Yasser Arafat in Jerusalem in exchange for a lasting halt to anti-Israeli attacks, opposition Labor MP Ofir Pines said.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=1312&e=8&u=/afp/20041107/wl_afp/mideast_arafat_burial_041107083558


Syria calls for dialogue to improve strained ties with U.S.
America must begin constructive dialogue with Syria to improve strained relations between both countries, a Syrian state-run newspaper said Sunday, adding that the recently re-elected U.S. president, George W. Bush, has the chance to reassess his nation's perceived pro-Israeli policies in the Middle East.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498566.html


US troops launch Fresh attack in Fallujah
Meanwhile, the US and Iraqi ground forces were moving towards the outskirts of Fallujah and warning the citizens to desert the city. Over half of the about 300,000 residents have so far fled.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/07/content_2187213.htm


Iraqi interim government declares martial law
Barely more than four months after he took over from Iraq's U.S.-British occupiers, Allawi's government announced a state of emergency for 60 days, but it was far from clear what impact this would have on a raging insurgency.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/399544de-30bc-11d9-a595-00000e2511c8.html


Iraqi gunmen kill three province officials
Jassim Mohammed, a governor's aide for refugee affairs, was killed along with Diyala provincial council members Shihab Ahmed and Dureid Mohammed, said Deputy Governor Ghassan al-Khadran. The three were attacked in the Mahmoudiya area, as they were heading to the holy city of Karbala for the burial of the mayor of the town of Hebheb
http://www.boston.com/news/world/middleeast/articles/2004/11/07/iraqi_gunmen_kill_three_province_officials/


21 shot dead in Iraq police station massacre
About 200 gunmen ambushed the main police station in Haditha, a town 200 kilometres, (120 miles) west of Baghdad, and another smaller station in the nearby village of Haqlaniya, said a local police officer. "The attackers disarmed the police, gathered them together and then shot them dead," he said of the Haditha raid.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=14&u=/afp/20041107/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_unrest_041107113613


Syria to sign security protocol with Iraq soon: Syrian minister
"The Iraqi and Syrian interior ministries have reached a protocol on cooperation between the two countries on border issues," Shara told reporters in Cairo after a meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=6&u=/afp/20041107/wl_mideast_afp/egypt_syria_iraq_041107195242


Kuwaiti playwright forced to change title of Fallujah love story
Authorities objected to the initial title of "A Kuwaiti in Fallujah" and producer-author Mohammed al-Rashood changed it to "Love in Fallujah"... The play is about a young Kuwaiti man who goes to Fallujah to marry his Iraqi cousin, but ends up being abducted by her Iraqi cousin who claims the right to marry her according to tribal traditions.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=9&u=/afp/20041107/wl_mideast_afp/kuwait_iraq_fallujah_041107194656

November 06 2004

Occupation Forces Continue Uprooting Olive Trees, Imprisoning Marda
Marda village is located in central Salfit District, with 2000 residents and an area of 9160 dunums. Of the village lands, 3600 dunums have been confiscated for the settlement of Ariel located on the south, southeast and southwest parts of Marda lands. Marda has become a big prison, encircled by Ariel settlement, bypass roads, and the Apartheid Wall.
http://stopthewall.org/latestnews/796.shtml


Is it a 'wall'? Is it a 'fence'?
For a country that flaunts it credentials of democracy, civility and human rights, Israel's image and credibility has been truly dented by the ICJ. Yet, before the ink could dry on the ruling its leadership announced that the United States would veto the matter when it reaches the Security Council.
http://nation.ittefaq.com/artman/publish/article_13628.shtml


Sudden Checkpoints, a daily nightmare
“Occupation, does not differentiate between women, men or even children, every day they try to humiliate as many residents, regardless of age or sex, in order to make us desperate, and willing to leave our country”, Nadia said.
http://www.imemc.org/features/2004/November/sudden-checkpoints.htm


IDF kills boy in Jenin
Palestinian residents and hospital officials said Ala Samara was unarmed and was standing near a group of stone-throwing youths when troops shot him. IDF officials said the youths threw a firebomb at the troops, and soldiers fired at a youth as he was about to throw a second firebomb. (IDF, did that first bomb fall on ground EVER?)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498228.html


Two Palestinians killed in Gaza Strip, teen killed in Jenin
The group said two of its members -- Omar Nufal, 26, and Ramzi al-Jaabir, 29 -- had been killed, while the fate of a third was unknown. Israeli military sources and witnesses said Israeli forces had launched a helicopter-launched missile at Palestinian gunmen engaged in a firefight with Israeli troops protecting the settlement.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=9&u=/afp/20041106/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_unrest_041106173021


Israeli army raids Palestinian areas
Meanwhile, more than 40 Israeli tanks and vehicles stormed the refugee camp of Yebna in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah, demolishing at least 10 houses and injuring five people, Palestinian medics said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/06/content_2185790.htm


Occupation forces ban thousands of worshippers from al-Aqsa, kill two children
The Israeli occupation forces tightened closure on the Palestinian territories on the fourth Friday of the holy month of Ramadan and prevented any Palestinian under age 50 from entering occupied Jerusalem. The Israeli occupation forces were deployed in large numbers in the surrounding of al-Aqsa mosque
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/041106/2004110601.html


Palestine: the assault on health and other war crimes
621 children (two thirds under 15 years) killed at checkpoints, in the street, on the way to school, in their homes, died from small arms fire, directed in over half of cases to the head, neck and chest-the sniper's wound. Clearly, soldiers are routinely authorised to shoot to kill children in situations of minimal or no threat. These statistics attract far less publicity than suicide bombings
http://bellaciao.org/en/article.php3?id_article=4174


U.S. says Mideast policy will not change if Arafat dies
The European Union promised Palestinians on Friday to press for the creation of an independent state with or without Palestinian President Yasser Arafat, while Washington said the president's death would not change U.S. policy toward resolving the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. (US will "find" a reason to ignore the next leader)
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=2&article_id=9943


Arafat has marked Kadoumi as his successor
Yasser Arafat has issued a political last will in which he appoints head of the PLO politburo Farouk Kadoumi as his successor, senior Palestinian officials claim. According to estimates, Kadoumi will accept the position of PLO chairman but will not serve as leader of the Palestinian Authority in light of his objection to the Oslo Accords.
http://www.maarivintl.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=article&articleID=11542


PA leaders begin to divide up Arafat's powers
Qureia, regarded as a moderate who wants peace talks with Israel, told reporters: "We are talking about unity in all forms and aspects." He did not elaborate. Qureia did say security commanders had committed to a "joint security plan ... to ensure security and order."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498235.html


Palestinian PM arrives in Gaza to meet factions
Qurei went to the headquarters of the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee in the Gaza Strip, the sources said, adding that he is scheduled to meet with leaders of security apparatuses and national and Islamic factions.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/06/content_2185804.htm


Annan hopes for smooth transition in Arafat's absence
"I think chairman Arafat embodied in his person the Palestinian aspirations for ... statehood," Annan said when asked about Arafat's importance. "He's been leader of his people all these years, and obviously is going to leave a gap amongst the Palestinians."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498070.html


'End the Occupation' conference in KC next weekend
Officials of the Jewish Community Relations Bureau/American Jewish Committee hope local media will ignore the gathering as insignificant and extremist, and they recommend local Jews do the same.
http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13304033&BRD=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154733&rfi=6


Sources: Arafat might be poisoned
Palestinian reports said that the Palestinian security forces are holding intensive investigation to find out whether the poison had been put into his food, adding that Arafat had escaped 13 times of assassinations, three of them were to poison him.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/07/content_2186480.htm


Chief Rabbi: Pressure Israel for Arafat's Burial in Jerusalem
Chief Rabbi Moshe Ari Friedman of the Anti-Zionist Jewish committee traveled to Paris from Vienna and said that Arafat should be buried in Jerusalem. Friedman said that Arafat spent his life fighting for the Palestinian cause. He stressed more international pressure on Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to allow Arafat to be buried in Jerusalem.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=international&alt=&trh=20041106&hn=13635


Blair, Bush to Meet as Middle East Issues Loom
British Prime Minister Tony Blair, who has pushed for progress on Middle East peace talks and is one of the United States' closest allies, will meet with President Bush next week, the White House said on Saturday.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=564&ncid=732&e=3&u=/nm/20041106/ts_nm/bush_blair_dc


Report: 'Arafat Opened His Eyes'
An Internet site linked to the Israeli daily Yediot Ahronoth says its report that Mr. Arafat "partially emerged" from his coma came from a senior Palestinian official who visited the 75-year-old leader's hospital room during the night.
http://www.voanews.com/english/CN017-ARAFAT.cfm


PLO Executive Committee holds urgent session
Meanwhile, General Secretary of the PNA al Tayeb Abed al Rahim announced that Abbas would be chief of the Executive Committee and Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei would be chief of the National Security Council. He added that the two men would be in charge of the authorities in Arafat's absence.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/06/content_2185783.htm


The truth is that Yasser Arafat died years ago - By Robert Fisk
He is a wearying man, not just in his repeated death but in life as well, a man who married the Revolution... And in the end, he became like so many other Arab leaders -- and as the Israelis intended him to be -- a little dictator, handing out dollars and euros to his ageing but loyal cronies, falsely promising democracy, clinging to power in his shambles of an office in Ramallah.
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=6585


On This Day 1956: Allied forces take control of Suez
President Abdel Nasser not only angered British and French companies by nationalising the Suez Canal, he also blockaded the Straits of Tiran - Israel's main outlet into the Red Sea. So Britain and France joined forces with Israel to take control of Suez, although this alliance was denied for years afterwards.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/6/newsid_3115000/3115888.stm


Reminiscences and regrets of 50 years
Talking about Israel's barrier along the West Bank, he got out a map and produced his glasses. He referred to it as the "Berlin Wall" and claimed it had eaten into about 58% of Palestinian land. He pointed to a favourite poster on his wall, a cartoon of the Three Wise Men unable to reach Bethlehem because of the barrier.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1344966,00.html


Death could pose problems for U.S.
The situation is so delicate and Palestinians are already so angered by what they see as U.S. inaction that U.S. officials are reluctant to speak even privately about plans for the period following Arafat's departure.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=2027&ncid=2027&e=5&u=/chitribts/20041106/ts_chicagotrib/deathcouldposeproblemsforus


Arafat must be buried in Jerusalem: senior Fatah figure
We said that Yasser Arafat have the pure right to be buried there, and Israel – if they will prevent Arafat to be buried there – they prevent him by the right of power, not the power of right. So, they should think about Yasser Arafat, not just Yasser Arafat as a person – he's a president for millions of Palestinians...
http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2004/s1236202.htm


Former U.S. envoys: breakthrough now possible in Mideast peace
"It still takes two to tango. And are the Israelis ready? That question is unanswered," said Richard Murphy, Assistant Secretary of State for Near Eastern and South Asian Affairs between 1983 and 1989. "And I'm not sure if Bush is ready to inject the prestige of the White House as Clinton did and as Clinton failed in the end."
http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/06/international1445EST0541.DTL


U.S. assaults Fallujah; dozens dead in car bombings
The fiercest U.S. air and artillery strikes on Fallujah in months destroyed a hospital, a medical warehouse and dozens of houses, dazed residents said after a sleepless night. Hospital staff said ambulances had been unable to go out as the city shook to explosions. Later they collected two dead and seven wounded civilians, among them women and children.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498221.html


Police targeted in deadly Samarra attacks
A health official said 23 people, including nine policemen, had been killed and 40 wounded, among them 17 policemen, in the first three bomb explosions in the city north of Baghdad. The fourth blast occurred at 12.30(0930GMT) when a bomber rammed a car into a police station, killing 10 Iraqi police officers and wounding five, police said.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/821893E2-0A34-4BC5-B96C-13EF4ACD74C4.htm


Twenty American soldiers reported wounded in Ramadi
American soldiers were wounded Saturday ''while conducting security operations'' in the insurgent stronghold of Ramadi west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=6871&s2=06


Navy uses new bomb first time
An F/A-18 squadron from the Jacksonville-based Kennedy, deployed in the Persian Gulf, dropped the first two 500-pound Joint Direct Attack Munitions or JDAMs for the Navy. They destroyed a target where insurgents were known to be operating in Iraq, according to the release.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=6858&s2=06


Falluja & Those Mass Graves
In the case of both documents and mass graves, U.S.-led coalition forces failed to secure the relevant sites at the time of the overthrow of the former government. They subsequently failed to put in place the professional expertise and assistance necessary to ensure proper classification and exhumation procedures, with the result that key evidentiary materials have been lost or tainted.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=2&p=6856&s2=06

November 05 2004

Residents of Kufr Thulth to March in Non-Violent Protest
Kufr Thulth invites all Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals who oppose the building of illegal settlements and the military occupation of Palestinians lands to participate in a non-violent act of resistance on Sunday, November 7. You are invited to assembly at the village council (Baladiyye)
http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?TabID=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US&ItemID=592&mid=10400


PHR-Israel Intervenes to Remove Shackles from Patient
Muhammad Adwan, 58 years old, from Jerusalem, has been held in Israeli jails for the past twenty years. For the past 5 years he has been held in the Prison Service Medical Center (“Marash”) due to his deteriorating health. About 13 days ago his condition worsened and he was taken to Assaf HaRofeh hospital.
http://www.unobserver.com/layout4.php?id=1993&blz=1


Succession politics in Palestine - By Daoud Kuttab
My barber, Abu Salah couldn't wait for me to come to his shop. He had been very concerned this week and wanted an answer to his question. He was searching hard in his mind for a solution to what he felt was a complicated problem: how could Marwan Barghouthi spring out from the Israeli jail he is kept in.
http://www.jordantimes.com/fri/opinion/opinion2.htm


Two Palestinian children said killed by IDF tank fire in Gaza
Palestinians reported on Friday morning that two children, aged 8 and 10, were killed by a tank shell fired at their house in the Al-Qarara area, east of the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498077.html


Chief of UN aid agency for Palestinians asks striking workers to return to jobs
Peter Hansen, Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) , voiced his growing distress over the effect the strike by 4,000 workers, which began 11 October, is having on the humanitarian situation for over 660,000 Palestinians.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12455&Cr=palestin&Cr1=


Israel Tightens Blockades in Palestinian Territories
An Israeli army spokesman said that male Palestinians under the age of 50 are banned from entering Israel even if they have permission, but that Palestinian women above the age of 35 are free to pass through to Israeli territory.
http://www.zaman.com/?bl=hotnews&alt=&trh=20041105&hn=13606


Was Arafat Poisoned?
The most popular story among Palestinians points to the possibility that Arafat was subject to gradual poisoning. The lack of information on the results of the week’s long medical checks is feeding the poisoning theory and creating more suspicions among Palestinians.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110504/was%20arafat%20poisoned.htm


Rival Palestinian factions meet in Gaza in show of unity
In a meeting of senior members of the PLO and the ruling Fatah movement on Thursday, Qureia received greater authority to deal with urgent financial matters. In Gaza City, representatives of 13 Palestinian factions, including Fatah and the two Islamic militant groups, met Friday at the parliament building to find ways to try to ensure calm during Arafat's absence.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498070.html


Arafat Stable, Hospital Says
"The state of health of President Yasser Arafat has not got worse. He is considered to be stable compared to the last health bulletin (24 hours earlier)," said Christian Estripeau, chief doctor at the Percy hospital where Arafat is being treated.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=6731248


Chirac refuses comment on Arafat's condition
Attending a European Union summit in this Belgian capital, Chirac told a press conference that he shook hands with Arafat when he visited the Palestinian leader on Thursday afternoon in the French military hospital where Arafat had been receiving treatment since October 29.
http://www.newindpress.com/Newsitems.asp?ID=IEH20041105094455&Title=Top+Stories&Topic=0


EU leaders react to latest deterioration in Arafat's health
Goeran Persson, the Swedish prime minister, said "it was too early to speculate" about the way forward in the Middle East. "We are very concerned," said Dutch Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende, the summit's chairman. "It is not proper to talk about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at a time when the health of Mr. Arafat is so bad."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=498073&contrassID=1&subContrassID=8&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Interfaith vigil a gesture of solidarity outside Arafat's hospital
Rabbi Yisroel Dovid Weiss said he had just arrived from the United States to show solidarity with Arafat and the Palestinians. Another Orthodox Jewish supporter who travelled from Vienna, Austria, shook hands with a Muslim prayer leader at a makeshift shrine set up outside the main gate of the military training hospital where Arafat is said to be in a coma.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1856&ncid=732&e=8&u=/cpress/20041105/ca_pr_on_wo/france_arafat_vigil


Hamas Eyes its Future Role
Hamas realises, as does the rest of the Palestinian political class, that the political diminution of Arafat, and certainly his death, signals the end of an era, with all the uncertainty that that involves. And it is the prospect of uncertainty that is forcing the movement to think in a more proactive manner and not leave anything to chance.
http://www.world-crisis.com/news/1035_0_1_0_M/


Ferzli (Lebanese FM) calls on Bush to use 2nd term to end 'massacre in Palestine'
Meanwhile, as far as residents of the Palestinian camp of Ain al-Hilweh are concerned, there was never any difference between Bush and his competitor Senator John Kerry. Most Palestinians interviewed by The Daily Star said Bush and Kerry were two faces of the same coin in their loyalty to Israel
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=9896


Palestinians want strong successor to Arafat
"Arafat did not concede on basic Palestinian rights like Jerusalem and the refugees," said 25-year-old policeman Saleem Eid. "Whoever would agree to negotiate for less than Arafat would be marked as a traitor and end in the garbage of history."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L05409561.htm


U.S. embassy guards get Israeli counter-terrorism training for Iraq
The guards were real, but Thursday's attack was a simulated training exercise in a course run by Israelis specializing in security duties in the Middle East. The participants hope lessons from Israel's conflicts will give them an edge both when facing real combat and in securing lucrative security contracts.
http://cbsnewyork.com/international/Israel-TrainingForIra-ai/resources_news_html


A tragedy and an opportunity
Talks also need to resume on all the West Bank issues, including the right of refugee return and the territory's final status. Otherwise Israel's attempts to turn the West Bank into a series of overcrowded bantustans without a functioning economy will continue unchecked.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1344289,00.html


Analysis: Rivalries among Palestinian factions may soon reemerge
Despite the fears of anarchy and chaos among the Palestinian leadership, it has conducted itself in a quiet and orderly fashion over the past few days. Nevertheless, it is clear that this is a temporary lull, and that differences of opinion and rivalries among factions and individuals are liable to reemerge quickly.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/498202.html


The Mountain Shakes
We all cannot sleep, this Friday early morning. Mary, Jara and I sit around the TV to watch the latest news about Arafat. The best news on offer is the announcement that he is not yet dead but in coma, a "reversible coma," it is said later on. Palestinian spokespersons in Ramallah and Paris were yesterday contradicting each other.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3293.shtml


Analysis: Israel must prepare for a new reality
The immediate danger is that if chaos erupts in the territories, demands will be raised to place an international force in the territories. In the new reality, Israel must set new rules of conduct and perhaps even a new policy.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=497837&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


The `Palestine presidency'
George W. Bush's second term in the White House could be the "Palestine presidency," in which he realizes his vision of an Israeli-Palestinian accord for two states living side by side in good, neighborly relations, with peace and security.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497852.html


Bush, America and the Middle East
Against this background, Bush has shifted the goal posts of the Palestine-Israel debate such that Likudist thinking is now viewed as centrist. This was demonstrated by Kerry's campaign which warmly endorsed Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's policies.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3291.shtml


Arafat Wants to Be Buried in Jerusalem
The Mufti of Jerusalem, Ikrema Sabri, said Arafat "willed to be buried in Jerusalem and from a religious perspective, we must and need to honor his will." Israel's justice minister, Yosef Lapid, however, said Israel would not permit a Jerusalem funeral, saying the city is "where Jewish kings are buried and not Arab terrorists."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=535&ncid=535&e=5&u=/ap/20041105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arafat_israel_6


IMI developing unique submachine gun for Shin Bet
The decision was made after the Belgian government imposed an embargo on selling "personal defense weapons" made by the Belgian company FN Herstal to Israeli security forces.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=498072&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Musharraf urges Bush to focus on resolution of Palestinian issue
"If the root causes of strife and terror were resolved in a meaningful and just manner, it would usher in an era of peace and harmony," Musharraf said in a congratulatory message to the US leader on his re-election.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1535&ncid=1312&e=1&u=/afp/20041105/wl_sthasia_afp/pakistan_us_mideast_041105160929


Exhibiting Politics: Palestinian-American Artist Emily Jacir Talks About her Work
What is it like for a Palestinian-American artist to make art when each day Palestinians are suffering at home because of the Israeli occupation and the current political situation? How can art help bridge borders and open peoples' eyes to the realities of the Palestinians?
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3292.shtml


U.N. Warns of Fallujah Attack Consequences
Interim Iraqi Prime Minister Ayad Allawi responded sharply, calling Annan's note "confused" and saying, "If he can stop the insurgents from inflicting damage and killing the Iraqis, then he's welcome, we will do whatever he wants."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20041105/ap_on_re_mi_ea/un_iraq_election


Prayers and tears in Falluja
If a big bomb lands somewhere nearby, you often hear crying and wailing afterwards. It is a very strange feeling because in between the screaming, there is the sound of more missiles flying. That is when I think - I could be next. Another sound you hear during the bombing is that of prayers. People pray loudly because they are so scared.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3986085.stm


EU to present aid deal to Allawi
EU leaders will present a reconstruction aid package to Iraqi Prime Minister Iyad Allawi today, as the bloc seeks a fresh start with U.S. President George W. Bush after bitter internal divisions over Iraq. But French President Jacques Chirac, a leading opponent of the U.S.-led invasion of Iraq, will skip a meeting between the European Union leaders and Allawi...
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=615732&section=news


US faces gap in 'intelligence war' in Iraq
The tenacious resistance highlights the persistent difficulties the US military faces in identifying and tracking down insurgent networks in what senior military officials are increasingly calling an "intelligence war." "The fact is, we [took] Baghdad in weeks, but we're going to be fighting an intelligence war there for a very long time,"
http://csmonitor.com/2004/1105/p02s02-usmi.html

November 04 2004

The Maestro
Edward Said wrote about important universal issues such as exile, politics, integration. However, the most surprising thing for me, as his friend and great admirer, was the realization that, on many occasions, he actually formulated ideas and reached conclusions through music; and, along the same lines, he saw music as a reflection of the ideas that he had regarding other issues.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/715/cu4.htm


DELEGATIONS EXPRESS WIDESPREAD SUPPORT FOR UN'S PRINCIPAL JUDICIAL ORGAN
The Court unanimously found that it had jurisdiction to give the said opinion and decided by a vote of 14 to 1 to comply with the request.  Then, before addressing the legal consequences of the construction of the wall, the Court considered the question of the legality of the construction of the wall.
http://domino.un.org/unispal.nsf/47d4e277b48d9d3685256ddc00612265/661ee2fdb69e427b85256f42006823e4!OpenDocument


Sick detainee dies at a hospital in Israel
Adwan was hospitalized is “Assaf Haroveh” in Rahovot, in Israel, after 14 days ago after a sever health setback; in spite of his bad health condition, his legs and hands were tied to his bed. Adwan was unconscious most of the time, suffering from heart and lung diseases, which made his body unable to pump blood to his brain.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110404/Sick%20detainee.htm


Army raids Jenin, one resident shot dead
A medical source in Jenin said that Qar’aawi sustained two gunshot injuries to the head and loin and was left bleeding for twenty minutes until he passed away. Moreover, a medical source in the Red Crescent Society said that soldiers barred the ambulance from reaching Qaraawi and held the medical team under gunpoint. (Not yet Condemned Act)
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110404/Jenin.htm


After a while, the settlements will annex the state
Oh so quietly, with support from the separation fence that twice crosses the territory to the east of "Nof Hasharon," the new settlement will be annexed to Nirit. The 50 families designated to purchase plots of land in Nof Hasharon will be linked to the 230 families living in the old section of the settlement, which was founded in 1981 inside the Green Line.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497346.html


Israeli tank fire kills three Palestinians
Three Palestinians have been killed by an Israeli tank shell in central Gaza according to Palestinian security sources. The incident took place near the al-Burij refugee camp late on Thursday, they said. There were no further details and their identities were not immediately known.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/FB178B6E-F21D-4A56-B124-47C3C5103B88.htm


Weekly Report: On Israeli Human Rights Violations in the Occupied Palestinian Territories
12 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 4 children, were killed by Israeli troops. On 3 November 2004, Israeli troops demolished 20 houses completely and 3 others partially.  They also demolished 15 shops and 4 sewing factories, and severely damaged a mosque. Israeli occupying troops have continued to construct the annexation wall inside the West Bank territory.
http://www.pchrgaza.org/files/W_report/English/2004/04-11-2004.htm


Paris hospital officials deny reports of Arafat's death
Sources at the French military hospital where Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has been receiving treatment on Thursday denied reports that the 75-year-old Arafat has died, but described his medical state as "complex."
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497284.html


Israel braces for possibility that Arafat near death
The security authorities, including Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and army chief Moshe Ya'alon, were to focus their weekly meeting on reports that Arafat's health had taken a sudden turn for the worse, officials said.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497696.html


Bush vows to seek Mideast peace, Palestinian state
Bush responded with kind words to reports -- quickly denied by a hospital spokesman -- of Arafat's death. "God bless his soul," Bush told a news conference. "We will continue to work for a free Palestinian state that's at peace with Israel."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N04284706.htm


Palestinian officials hope Bush changes Mideast policy
Palestinian officials expressed hope Wednesday that US President George W. Bush's second term in the White House will bring changes to his policy toward the MiddleEast and the Palestinians in particular.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/04/content_2176434.htm


Procedure for Palestinian Power Transfer
The Palestinians' Basic Law, similar to a constitution, says the speaker of parliament becomes acting president for a maximum of 60 days, until an election is held to fill a five-year presidential term.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=6&u=/ap/20041104/ap_on_re_mi_ea/arafat_succession_glance


PLO, Fatah to hold emergency meetings in Ramallah
The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Executive Committee and the Fatah Central Committee would hold emergency meetings on Thursday in the West Bank city of Ramallah over Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's health condition.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/04/content_2178603.htm


PA leaders to travel to Gaza to coordinate policies
Following reports that Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat's health took a turn for the worse on Thursday, PA Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and the Authority's Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath will travel to Gaza on Thursday night or early Friday to coordinate policies in the Strip and the West Bank.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497820.html


Palestinian PM takes over some of Arafat's powers
The executive committee of the Palestinian Liberation Organisation granted Qurie responsibility for urgent matters involving security services and government finances, the official said. Arafat had earlier been reluctant to cede any powers.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L04392954.htm


Israeli forces placed on state of alert in West Bank, Gaza
The decision was taken after a meeting between Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and the leaders of intelligence services in Tel Aviv. The army's chief of staff, General Moshe Yaalon, had also held a meeting with the senior commanders in charge of the Palestinian territories.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=4&u=/afp/20041104/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_israel_army_041104145603


Chirac rushes to 'critical' Arafat's bedside
French President Jacques Chirac on Thursday briefly visited Yasser Arafat in the Paris military hospital treating the gravely ill Palestinian leader and offered his wishes for a speedy recovery, officials said.
http://www.expatica.com/source/site_article.asp?subchannel_id=58&story_id=13610&name=Chirac+rushes+to+'critical'+Arafat's+bedside


Palestinian security services on alert
All members of the Palestinian security services have been placed on a state of alert to prepare for a possible outbreak of unrest in the event of President Yasser Arafat's death, Palestinian security sources say.
http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200411/s1235178.htm


White House: Bush will try to revive road map peace initiative
But for most of the two years since he began to ostracize Arafat, his administration has made only sporadic attempts to bring Israelis and Palestinians together. The White House said Bush spoke briefly to Sharon, who called to congratulate him on his election victory.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497794.html


On This Day 1995: Israeli PM shot dead
The gunman, named as Yigal Amir, was rapidly overpowered and arrested. He is believed to be one of the founders of an illegal Jewish settlement on the West Bank... Shimon Peres pushed on with Yitzhak Rabin's efforts to make peace with the Palestinians. But in an election in 1996 he lost to Binyamin Netanyahu who campaigned against the Rabin-Peres peace programme.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/november/4/newsid_2514000/2514437.stm


Pragmatic symbols - By Azmi Bishara
Even so the Zionist left managed to stomach him for many years -- he was a bitter pill, the swallowing of which required a great many glasses of water but they were willing to take the medicine because they believed he was the only instrument capable of persuading the Palestinian people to accept a settlement on Israel's terms.
http://www.amin.org/eng/azmi_bishara/2004/nov4.html


Arafat Died Three Times; Is Currently Alive
"This is really pissing us off." Stated Ariel Sharon, Israel's Prime Minister, "We keep starting our celebration and then stopping it because some one tells us that he is not dead. Then I hear on the news again that he died and we start our celebration again then another source says that he is not dead. I'm just sick and tired of this to be honest with you."
http://www.thedailyfarce.com/world.cfm?story=2004/11/world_arafatdiedthreetimes_11200400010


Looking beyond an ailing Arafat
Whatever happens to Mr. Arafat in the short run, one thing is certain: The radical group Hamas is likely to try to exploit the situation to its advantage. How it will all fit into the wider context of Israel's Gaza and West Bank withdrawal plans remains to be seen.
http://washingtontimes.com/world/20041102-082414-2579r.htm


Blair pins peace hopes on Gaza withdrawal
Tony Blair raised in the Commons yesterday his hopes that the planned withdrawal from Gaza next year by the Israelis could open the way to a Middle East peace process. George Bush had promised Mr Blair and other European leaders that he would deal with Israel and Palestine this time round.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1342901,00.html


Analysis / Bush and Sharon: Opposites that attract
Sharon was concerned that if John Kerry won, the "peace team" would be resurrected and the area flooded with envoys and political initiatives from Washington. Bush's reelection secures the prime minister's political flank. The president will continue backing up Israel's military moves in the territories and supporting Sharon's disengagement plan.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/497293.html


Life without Arafat
It is still too early to assess Arafat's contributions to the Palestinian march for freedom. It might take years before an accurate assessment is possible. The imperative now is to maintain the momentum of the Palestinian uprising and its ability to stand up to the awesome power of a rogue state.
http://www.amin.org/eng/uncat/2004/nov/nov4.html


Restitution negotiator tells Leumi: Pay back the money
The committee has held back its report for more than a year because of the ongoing campaign against it by the five big banks in Israel. The battle is being led by Bank Leumi, which has vehemently rejected demands that the money be returned to victims traced by the committee.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496551.html


Intimidating Columbia University
Indeed with this campaign against me going into its fourth year, I chose under the duress of coercion and intimidation not to teach my course this year. It is my academic freedom that has been circumscribed . But not only mine. The Columbia courses that remain are all taught from an Israel-friendly angle.
http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2004/715/op33.htm


Israeli warplanes violate Lebanese airspace
"As of 3:45 pm (1345 GMT), eight violations, involving 11 aircraft and three drones, were recorded," said a UN statement, adding that "there have been no reports of any ensuing anti-aircaft fire across the Blue Line."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=8&u=/afp/20041104/wl_mideast_afp/lebanon_israel_flights_041104183907


Three UK Black Watch troops killed in Iraq
Three British soldiers sent to reinforce American troops near Baghdad have been killed, the British government said on Thursday. The deaths will cause political havoc for Prime Minister Tony Blair, who dispatched the troops north from the comparatively quiet British-patrolled sector of southern Iraq last month.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/fc2f3a68-2e91-11d9-97e3-00000e2511c8.html


Two more states to quit Iraq coalition
The Dutch defence ministry said 1,350 soldiers going to Iraq on Thursday would leave in March and would be the country's last military contribution to the stabilisation effort. Ferenc Gyurcsany, the Hungarian prime minister, announced plans to withdraw 300 troops in March.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/4d233d40-2ddc-11d9-a86b-00000e2511c8.html


Evidence against Saddam probably lost: rights group
US-led forces compromised the case against Saddam Hussein and former Iraqi leaders by failing to safeguard official documents and secure mass grave sites, according to a leading human rights group.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=10&u=/afp/20041104/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_us_graves_saddam_041104162121

November 03 2004

Court annuls administrative detention of anti-fence activist
A military judge annulled Tuesday an order for the administrative detention of a Palestinian resident of the village of Budrus near Ramallah, saying that the order was instated as a result of the man's record of anti-separation fence activities. (Anti-Apartheid Wall is what Haaretz ment by "anti-separation fence")
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=496766&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


List of Planned Activities for the International Week Against the Apartheid Wall, November 9-16
The 9th – 16th& of November 2004 marks the 2nd International Week against the Apartheid Wall called for by the Palestinian Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign and since then endorsed by various movements, groups, networks, and international civil society conferences.
http://stopthewall.org/worldwideactivism/795.shtml


Israel and South Africa
It's not every Saturday in downtown Johannesburg that one sees a crowd of kaffiyeh-clad protesters shouting slogans about Palestinian liberation.  But then again it's not every day that South Africa's government of former freedom fighters plays host to a top official from what many now refer to as an “apartheid state”.
http://www.zmag.org/content/showarticle.cfm?SectionID=107&ItemID=6545


Internationals Protect Family in Askar Camp
The activists are from the United Kingdom, the United States, Denmark and Sweden. At 3:10AM, the Israeli Army entered the home, using Palestinians as human shields and forced the international activists up against the wall of the home as the activists formed a protective line around the father.
http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?TabID=0&Alias=Rainbow&Lang=en-US&ItemID=585&mid=10400


Palestinian Farmers Warily Harvest Olives
However, the farmers of Beit Furik have only picked olives close to their village, shunning their 1,500 trees near Itamar because of military restrictions and fear of settlers. On Oct. 17, 2000, Farid Nasasra, a 28-year-old farmer from Beit Furik, was killed and three villagers were wounded near Itamar as they harvested olives.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=1&u=/ap/20041103/ap_on_re_mi_ea/guarding_the_harvest


Israeli troops kill taxi driver in Gaza -witnesses
Israeli troops shot and killed a Palestinian taxi driver on Wednesday as he drove near an Israeli army post in a southern Gaza refugee camp, Palestinian witnesses said. The army said there had been troops in the area and it was investigating the report.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L03502037.htm


One killed, 3 wounded, 16 homes leveled in Rafah
A Palestinian security source said that soldiers killed one youth, wounded three others and leveled fifteen homes, in a wide-scaled operation in Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip initiated overnight.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110304/Rafah%20Raid.htm


Palestinian dies of wounds as Israel imposes closure in Nablus
General security administration said that Fadi Kafeesha was seriously wounded in al Basha street late Tuesday in Nablus when the Israeli army opened intensive fire at gathering Palestinians inthe area.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/03/content_2173853.htm


Militants fire mortars at southern Gaza
In another leaflet, the brigades also claimed responsibility for attacking two Israeli army bulldozers. The leaflet said the brigades fired anti-tank shells at two bulldozers during an Israeli operation in the Block O area in the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/03/content_2173877.htm


Israeli court rejects releasing a detainee suffering from Tumor
Raed Mahameed, lawyer of the Palestinian Prisoners Society, said that a military court in Al-Ramla rejected a motion to release Abdul-Rahman Saleh, 57 years old from Ramallah, suffering from heart disease and tumor in his back.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110304/Detainee.htm


UNRWA chief accuses Israel of inciting hatred against his work
The head of the UN agency that helps Palestinian refugees accused Israel on Monday of a smear campaign against his agency and crippling its work by destroying its property, blocking aid convoys, and keeping Palestinians from work.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/496324.html


2100 detainees held in “Ansar 3” detention camp
Palestinenet news website said that the number of detainees imprisoned in Ansar 3 detention camp in the Negev Desert, is currently 2100 detainee, which revealed that the number of detainees has multiplied in the past few months.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110304/2100.htm


Rafah crossing closure enters 4th day
The closure on the crossing, the only passage in and out of Gaza, has stranded thousands of Palestinians who wanted to travel to Saudi Arabia for pilgrimage during the holy Muslim month of Ramadan.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/03/content_2174250.htm


A Tunisian NGO donates USD 65,000 to schooling of Palestinian children in Jeninþ
The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) said þWednesday that a Tunisian non-governmental organization 'Children First' is þcontributing USD 65,000 to UNICEF in support of emergency education þactivities for Palestinian children in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT).
http://www.kuna.net.kw/English/Story.asp?DSNO=677437


Israeli MPs approve first reading of Gaza compensation bill
Deputies voted 64-44 in favour of the project, which also envisages a strengthening of Israeli control over larger West Bank settlement blocs. Its total budget of 900 million dollars also covers the cost of evacuating all troops who have occupied the Gaza Strip for 37 years.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1512&ncid=1512&e=5&u=/afp/20041103/wl_afp/mideast_gaza_israel_041103164855


Israel postpones 2005 budget vote amid rebellion
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, weakened by a party rebellion over his plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, postponed Wednesday's planned vote on the 2005 state budget, an official of his Likud faction said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L03658975.htm


Israel does not expect greater US pressure after election
"So far we have cooperated with all American administrations and we will continue to do so. I don`t think pressure will be necessary, Israel wants to advance on the road to peace," Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told army radio on Wednesday.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=32688


Sen. Kerry calls President Bush to concede White House race
U.S. Ambassador to Israel Daniel Kurtzer said Wednesday that pressure on Israel would not be part of the "next president's vocabulary," but that "unfinished business" remained on the agenda between the two allies and that "certainly, a lot of work remains to be done" on commitments made by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/497121.html


Arafat welcomes Bush victory
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Wednesday welcomed US President George W. Bush's re-election, saying he hoped it would help jumpstart the Middle East peace process, one of his aides told AFP.
http://www.channelnewsasia.com/stories/afp_world/view/115236/1/.html


MOSCOW AND ROME CONFIRM THEIR COMMITMENTS TO PROMOTE MID-EAST PEACE
Moscow and Rome confirm their obligations to promote the establishment of an equal, fair and comprehensive peace, which would put an end to the conflict in the Middle East on the basis of international law.
http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5046167&startrow=1&date=2004-11-03&do_alert=0


Former Palestinian PM to visit Arafat in Paris
The former premier has temporarily taken control of both the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) and Arafat's dominant Fatah faction during the veteran leader's absence.
http://news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&u=/afp/20041103/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_palestinian_france_041103150932


Official Web site recognizes Green Line
The Green Line on the map does not pass through Jerusalem, as it did prior to the 1967 Six Day War, but a gap is found in its place. The line also does not appear in "No-man's land" - the Latrun-Modi'in area where the border existed before 1967.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496791.html


Mubarak urges Bush to work with EU on Middle East
Mubarak, speaking at a news conference with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder after news of Bush's re-election broke, said: "We hope that Mr Bush's new administration, together with the European Union, can bring influence to bear to arrive at a peaceful development in the region."
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/L03696193.htm


Falling into an old trap
The main problem facing all parties to these debates, however, is that the plan has so far been, first vague, offering little detail to allow proper analysis, and second it has changed over time as a result of Israeli government infighting between supporters of the plan and those who oppose it.
http://www.bitterlemons.org/issue/pal1.php


Israel Closely Monitoring Arafat's Health
"We are tracking his condition very carefully," he told Israel Radio. "Our goal is to prepare for the day after, if and when he dies." Israeli intelligence was widely criticized after it was caught off guard last week when Arafat's health suddenly deteriorated and he was flown to Paris for treatment in a French military hospital.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=2&u=/ap/20041103/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_arafat


Israeli Parliament Clears Payoffs for Gaza Settlers
Right-winger Sharon only won with help from center-left opponents. In a sign of his political vulnerability, he postponed a separate vote on the 2005 budget that he could have lost without support from rebels in his ruling Likud party.
http://www.reuters.com/newsArticle.jhtml?type=topNews&storyID=6704245


Blair seeks new Bush relationship
Mr Blair will see the job through in Iraq, but try to switch the focus of his relations with the President to the Middle East peace process and away from the other "axis of evil" countries, Iran and North Korea. The Prime Minister has publicly committed himself to making the Israel-Palestine question a priority after the US elections.
http://icealing.icnetwork.co.uk/news/tm_objectid=14829500&method=full&siteid=53340&headline=blair-seeks-new-bush-relationship-name_page.html


Knowing how to intervene
The United States wants to show more involvement in the Israeli-Palestinian arena after the presidential elections, with the friendly encouragement of the Europeans and the Arabs. Even Jerusalem is bracing for an intensification of activity, especially if Yasser Arafat is no longer the ruler of the Palestinian Authority.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496817.html


Gunmen kill senior Iraqi oil official in Baghdad
Hussein Ali al-Fattal, director general of the oil by-products distribution company, was shot dead in Yarmouk district in western Baghdad after leaving his house heading to his work, Asim Jihad said.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/03/content_2173724.htm


CARE Hostage Faces Transfer to Al-Zarqawi
The kidnappers of aid worker Margaret Hassan threatened to turn her over to al-Qaida-linked militants notorious for beheading hostages unless Britain agreed within 48 hours to pull its troops from Iraq, Al-Jazeera television reported Tuesday.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=540&ncid=540&e=15&u=/ap/20041103/ap_on_re_mi_ea/iraq_hostage


Hungary to withdraw troops from Iraq by March 2005: Gyurcsany
"To stay there until the elections are held is our duty," Gyurcsany said Wednesday, referring to elections set for January in Iraq. "To stay there much longer is impossible. That is why by March 31, 2005, we are withdrawing our troops from Iraq."
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=5&u=/afp/20041103/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_hungary_troops_041103160017


Navy Seal says Iraqi who died at Abu Ghraib was roughed up
The Central Intelligence Agency interrogated and roughed up Iraqi prisoners in a "romper room," where a handcuffed and hooded terror suspect was kicked, slapped and punched shortly before he died last year at the Abu Ghraib prison, a U.S. Navy SEAL testified Monday.
http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/news/archive/2004/11/01/state1516EST0123.DTL

November 02 2004

Court annuls administrative detention of anti-fence activist
A military judge annulled Tuesday an order for the administrative detention of a Palestinian resident of the village of Budrus near Ramallah, saying that the order was instated as a result of the man?s record of anti-separation fence activities.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=496766&contrassID=1&subContrassID=5&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Campaign Poster – 2nd International Week against the Apartheid Wall
The poster summarizes the Campaign calls against the Apartheid Wall and against Racism, Colonialism and Occupation and for widespread popular boycott campaigns to pressure governments to impose sanctions on Israel and to Isolate Israeli Apartheid.
http://stopthewall.org/activistresources/791.shtml


Sticker: “Boycott & Sanctions on Israeli Apartheid!”
Get the new sticker of the Anti-Apartheid Wall Campaign! The call for sanctions and boycott on Israeli Apartheid is stamped on the image of the Apartheid Wall.
http://stopthewall.org/activistresources/792.shtml


Medical Relief accuses army of killing a wounded boy
The Palestinian Medical Relief Association accused the Israeli army of killing 14 years old boy after abducting him from one of its ambulances in Jenin.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110204/relief.htm


Settlers' assaults bar Palestinians from attending school
Some 20 Palestinian children from the south Hebron hills area cannot attend school due to continuing harassment and assaults by residents of the nearby outpost of Havat Maon.(Outpost = Illegal Settlements)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496259.html


On This Day 1917: THE BALFOUR DECLARATION
1. His Majesty's Government accepts the principle that Palestine should be reconstituted as the national home of the Jewish people. 2. His Majesty's Government will use its best endeavors to secure the achievement of this object and will discuss the necessary methods and means with the Zionist Organization.
http://www.wzo.org.il/home/texts/d152.htm


Amnesty International opposes the practice of administrative detention, and is calling for an end to the practice
Administrative detention is a procedure under which detainees are held without charge or trial. No criminal charges are filed, and there is no intention of bringing a detainee to trial. By the detention order, a detainee is given a specific term of detention. On or before the expiry of the term, the detention order is frequently renewed. This process can be continued indefinitely.
http://web.amnesty.org/pages/isr-action-detention


Israeli Troops Arrest Two Palestinian Teen Sisters
Samah Abdullah, 16 years-old, was arrested last on October 6, 2004 and then taken to the Israeli investigation center of Bitah Tekva, after breaking into her house and messing up with all the furniture inside including her own belongings. Six days later, mainly in October 12, the Israeli troops detained her sister Ayam, 20 years-old
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=833


UN still awaiting Israeli apology over 'rocket'
But within days, he heard from other governments -- which he did not identify -- that the Israeli government was making the rounds with a private briefing spelling out 29 additional allegations of UNRWA wrongdoing, he said. UNRWA had responses to all 29 allegations but had never been informed of the charges directly by Israel, he said.
http://www.alertnet.org/thenews/newsdesk/N01190092.htm


Prisoners in Israel "forgotten" in draft policy
The letter called on the state to work toward the liberation of Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, especially the longest-serving of them, Samir Qantar, and for resuming payment of compensation to former prisoners.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=1&categ_id=2&article_id=9804


Welsh campaigner detained in Israel
Mr Davies was stopped when he arrived at the airport late last night on his way to deliver donations from public collections in Cardiff and the Valleys, to Palestinian charities, nurseries, rehabilitation centres and hospitals in the West Bank. On arrest he was strip searched and repeatedly interrogated by six military police.
http://www.newswales.co.uk/?section=Politics&F=1&id=7504


Palestinian PM condemns Israeli raid in Nablus
Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei condemned on Tuesday Israel's operation in the northern West Bank town of Nablus, during which four Palestinians, including a child, were killed.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/02/content_2169992.htm


French doctors say Arafat improving, rule out leukemia
The statement, drawn up with doctors treating the 75-year-old Palestinian leader, said there had been a "general improvement" in Arafat's condition over the past 72 hours, including an improvement in his white blood cell count.
http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/496754.html


Bin Laden's 'October surprise?
Why might bin Laden ever throw the rope to a distressed Bush? The simple answer is, it takes two to tango. Bush and his neoconservative administration need such a personification of evil to justify their vision of and action for empire. Without bin Laden the whole scheme of dominating the world and spreading "freedom and democracy" would not convince...
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?edition_id=10&categ_id=5&article_id=9777


Between the Lines / Mazuz's new dilemma - to indict or not to indict
The Israel Police are convinced that they have enough evidence in the file for an indictment, not only against MK Omri Sharon and attorney Dov Weisglass but also against Sharon, Sr. The anticipated charge is a violation of the Parties Law (1992). But how will Mazuz rule on the case?
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496598.html


IDF intelligence chief: Old guard will succeed Arafat
Speaking before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, Ze'evi said the senior echelon, which includes Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and former prime minister Mahmoud Abbas, will be pressured to transform Israel's unilateral disengagement plan into a bilateral agreement.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496736.html


U.S. Elections / No election upset for Sharon
Most Israeli officials involved in Israel's relationship with the United States assumed over the past few months that President George W. Bush would beat his challenger, Sen. John F. Kerry, in the elections and win a second term in the White House.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496556.html


'US policy to Israel won't change'
If Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat exits the scene, however, the US may use the opportunity to "balance" its policy in the region, including seeking to get Israel's unilateral disengagement plan into the peace road map, Ze'evi said in a meeting with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1099371831829


Wanted: A serious American peace policy
Third, the asymmetry of power - negotiations succeed when they are based on a balance of interests, not on an imbalance of power. Despite the creativity and courage of the Oslo architects, the balance of interests was not found. Indeed, Oslo helped accentuate a skewed asymmetry of power that created a dysfunctional environment for negotiations.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496579.html


Arafat 'faces weeks in hospital'
Other aides, speaking privately, told the agencies it could take "three or four weeks" to treat Mr Arafat once the diagnosis was complete. Mr Arafat had been suffering stomach pains for more than two weeks before his condition worsened sharply on Wednesday last week, prompting doctors to recommend treatment abroad.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3975401.stm


Analysis / A signal to Abu Mazen
Journalists from East Jerusalem said that since Arafat was a unifying symbol for the Palestinian people, in his absence, every faction would try to emphasize its existence, inter alia by carrying out further attacks.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496566.html


Why we are still backing Arafat
Jerusalem and refugee rights. Since Arafat refused, Barak has never ceased to brand him a terrorist who wants the destruction of Israel, and blamed the continuing conflict on Arafat's refusal - rather than on Israel's failure to address any core issue, such as its increased settlement building during the Oslo years.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1341326,00.html


National Union to split into two parties
The reason for the split was based on polls presented Tuesday by National Union strategist Eitan Dor-Shav, which showed that the party could double its parliamentary strength and obtain 15 Knesset seats in the next election if it ran as two separate parties.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=496703&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


Israel about to close $230m. drone deal with India
Heron/Eagle is a Medium-Altitude Long-Endurance type unmanned aerial vehicle that can operate at a distance of more than 1,000 kilometers and at altitudes above 25,000 feet for more than 24 hours, providing real-time intelligence, according to IAI.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496638.html


US prepares for major Fallujah assault
American troops are gearing up for a major offensive in Fallujah. The order to launch the assault is believed to have come from Iraqi interim Prime Minister Iyad Allawi. On Sunday, he warned that his patience with negotiations was running thin.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/02/content_2169809.htm


Iraqis split over any US attack on Falluja
Any such attacks on rebel-held Sunni towns would be “as if someone shot his horse in the head to kill a fly that landed on it”. His remarks, in an interview with Al Qabas, contradict the views of Iyad Allawi, Iraq's interim prime minister and a Shia Muslim. They place US command in a difficult position as it prepares for a possible assault on Falluja.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/dbe8e0de-2c33-11d9-8339-00000e2511c8.html


'Distressing' new video of Iraq hostage Margaret Hassan: Irish PM
"It is a distressing video which was decided by the station, on humanitarian grounds, not to show this. But they did make available early this morning the text of what was on the video," Ahern said. Ahern told MPs the text of the latest video warns of "dangerous and serious timescales".
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=9&u=/afp/20041102/wl_mideast_afp/iraq_hostages_ireland_041102200221


Spectacular attacks hit Iraq oil flow
Saboteurs have mounted the biggest attacks yet on Iraq's oil infrastructure, blowing up three pipelines in the north and hitting exports via Turkey, oil officials say.
http://www.reuters.co.uk/newsPackageArticle.jhtml?type=worldNews&storyID=613931&section=news


Shia look to dominate a new Iraq parliament
Less than three months to go before planned January parliamentary elections, which the US reluctantly assented to under pressure from Mr Sistani, the elderly spiritual leader of Iraq's Shia Muslims is poised for the culmination of his strategy.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/983188e4-2cf3-11d9-8b8d-00000e2511c8.html


EU agrees support for Iraq ahead of Allawi talks
In pre-summit talks EU foreign ministers said they stood ready to disburse 30 million euros, already announced by the 25-nation bloc, "immediately" to support the election process before Iraqi polls planned for January.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=6&u=/afp/20041102/wl_mideast_afp/eu_iraq_041102183727


377 tons small part of absent Iraq explosives Missing prewar stockpiles may total 250,000 tons
From the deserts of the south and west to the outskirts of Baghdad, Iraq is awash in weapons sites — some large, others small; some guarded, others not. Even after the U.S. military secured some 400,000 tons of munitions, as many as 250,000 tons remain unaccounted for.
http://www.uruknet.info/?s1=1&p=6760&s2=02

November 01 2004

Settlers assaults bar Palestinian children from attending school
Some 20 Palestinian children from the south Hebron hills area cannot attend school due to continuing harassment and assaults by residents of the nearby outpost of Havat Maon. The case was revealed in a probe conducted by the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, Doctors Without Borders and the Ta?ayush group for Arab Jewish partnership.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496259.html


Israeli Bullets Deprive a Palestinian Child of Talking
Ahmad is as similar as many other handicapped children, but he is a unique one, as he lost his voice due to three Israeli bullets that had hit his head while playing with friends in front of his house in April 27, 2004.
http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=825


Prisoner Stories: Majdi Hasan Mousa
Israeli soldiers broke into the back of the family compound to pick Majdi up in the early hours of the morning a few months ago. He was sleeping in the same room as his mother, a room that also doubles up as a kitchen. He is now in Ofar awaiting a hearing scheduled for November 25th.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3266.shtml


Thinking beyond Arafat
As Sharon's senior adviser, Dov Weisglass, recently made clear, the Israeli government is determined to block any peace process, particularly the "road map" peace plan, so that it can keep its West Bank settlements and ensure that no viable Palestinian state can emerge west of the Jordan River.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3274.shtml


One child shot dead, two others wounded, in Askar refugee camp
A medical source in Nablus said that the child was identified as Bashshar Jabara, 12 years old, from Askar refugee camp; Jabara sustained a fatal injury to his neck. The source added that Fadi Ahmad Abu Zir, 12, and Sameh Hussein Arayshi, 14 years old; both sustained gunshot injuries to the lower parts of their bodies.
http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/November/week1/110104/One%20Child.htm


Four Palestinians killed in Israeli raid
Israeli occupation troops have killed four Palestinians during a raid on the West Bank city of Nablus. Witnesses and medics said three Palestinians, including a member of al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, an offshoot of Yasir Arafat's Fatah group, were killed on Monday by an Israeli special unit in the Old Town of Nablus.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/2C845D0E-6E35-4618-AABB-4EEBC447F395.htm


Palestinian teenager blows himself up in Tel Aviv market; 3 killed
A Palestinian teenager laden with explosives walked into a crowded outdoor market and blew himself up Monday, killing three Israelis, wounding 32 and scattering bloody vegetables and spices along the ground.
http://www.cbc.ca/cp/world/041101/w110148.html


Bomber's mother expresses shock
"Why didn't they send someone older? We are all ready to sacrifice ourselves for the motherland, but my son was little, he was just a baby," the mother sobbed. The boy had for the past week kissed her hand and forehead every day and asked her to pray for him.
http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/1FE566B4-E211-441A-8479-9FC79947A9FF.htm


Top UN officials condemn suicide attack in Tel Aviv market
A statement issued in Jerusalem for Terje Roed-Larsen said he "condemns in the strongest terms this terrorist act" Monday at the Carmel Market in Tel Aviv.
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12407&Cr=middle&Cr1=east


As 2 more Palestinian children killed, Annan says avoid civilian casualties
After two more Palestinian children were recently killed during Israeli operations in the occupied Palestinian territory, United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan today called on the Government to take steps to avoid civilian casualties. (Please compare the two statements "From UN")
http://www.un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=12406&Cr=palestin&Cr1=


Israel blast an 'enormous obstacle' to peace: Britain
Britain condemned a Palestinian "suicide" bomb blast in the heart of Tel Aviv, saying such acts provided "enormous obstacles" to the Middle East peace process. "Acts of violence like this present enormous obstacles to moving the peace process forward," he said in a written statement.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=13&u=/afp/20041101/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_unrest_blast_041101161253


165 Palestinians, including 50 civilians, killed in October
An inquiry by Haaretz found that 50 of those killed (30.3 percent) were civilians, including women, the elderly, children and teenage boys under age 16; 115 (69.6 percent) were killed in the IDF operation launched in the northern Gaza Strip... (Had no influence on PEACE)
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/495832.html


Ill Arafat condemns blast
Abu Rudeina said the frail Arafat, in France for treatment of what is believed to be a mystery blood ailment, has asked him to condemn the attack on his behalf. "He noted that he has always been against attacks targetting civilians, whatever their nationality or religion," the aide said.
http://www.news24.com/News24/World/News/0,,2-10-1462_1614054,00.html


Palestinian human rights institution supports Hansen
The institution asked the international community to reject the Israeli pressure against Hansen, demanding that all Arab and international human rights organizations write to UN chief Kofi Annan to support Hansen and the UNRWA. Meanwhile, a Palestinian children institution also showed its support to Hansen.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/01/content_2165865.htm


Palestine urges Arab countries to offer financial aid
Chief of the Finance Affairs Committee in the Palestinian Legislative Council, Sa'edi al Kronz, said that Arab financial aid would be used to pay salaries for PNA employees as well as to offer basic services for the Palestinian people.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/01/content_2165772.htm


Washington rejects Israel's list of illegal outposts
Israel had listed 23 outposts established since Sharon's government assumed office in March 2001. The Americans believe the number of outposts built during that period is much higher. Israel and the U.S. are now waiting for the report by Attorney Talia Sasson and the defense minister's advisor...
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=495881&contrassID=1&subContrassID=1&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y


PLC urges institutions to carry out duties
Chief of PLC Rawhi Fatouh said that existing law was adequate to cope with power vacuum left by Arafat's absence, therefore, no new legislation was needed.
http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-11/01/content_2165634.htm


Knesset opens debate on Evacuation and Compensation Bill
The Knesset opened a debate Monday on the Evacuation and Compensation Bill, which would provide legal and financial underpinnings to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/495795.html


Anti-disengagement protestors stage mass prayer in Jerusalem
Segregated groups of men and women turned toward the holy sites of Jerusalem's Old City to pray for the failure of the plan, under which Israel will pull out of Gaza and four West Bank settlements next year.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/496280.html


Arafat's condition improving, Palestinian officials say
"We are now more confident and assured of the president's health and we hope that within the next 48 hours, all the tests will be completed, now that we are sure that he is not suffering from any kind of cancer," the official added.
http://www.turkishpress.com/news.asp?id=32466


Top Hamas leader calls Arafat in Paris
The political chief of the radical Hamas movement, Khaled Meshaal, called ailing Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat at his sick bed in Paris to inquire after his health, a Hamas spokesman told AFP.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1514&ncid=1312&e=3&u=/afp/20041101/wl_mideast_afp/mideast_arafat_health_041101163302


Behind Arafat's mask
The left adopted with a sigh the version that at the moment of truth at the Camp David summit in July, 2000, it turned out that Arafat had not relinquished the right of return - meaning the destruction of the Jewish state.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/495857.html


World watch
And while it may be true that without the man Palestinians call Abu Ammar, Ariel Sharon and a re-elected George Bush would no longer be able to argue that there is no "partner for peace", the danger of factional fighting and warlordism in the disconnected territories of the West Bank, Gaza and the refugee camps of Lebanon and the wider diaspora will be very real.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1340723,00.html


The first feelers after apartheid
The meeting with Mandela, arranged at the last moment in the leader's Johannesburg home, represented a marked shift in South African policy toward Israel. Olmert was the first Israeli minister officially invited to visit South Africa since the African National Congress (ANC) rose to power in 1994 elections.
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/495871.html


Both Parties Are Getting Out the U.S. Vote in Israel
Israel may not have electoral votes, but it does have an estimated 100,000 potential American voters, including a large chunk from critical swing states like Florida, Ohio, Michigan and Pennsylvania. And an estimated 10,000 Palestinian-Americans living in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip are eligible to vote.
http://nytimes.com/2004/11/01/international/middleeast/01israel.html


Pro-Middle East, pro-Bush: an unusual anomaly
Others, say they are "ABB," an acronym for "Anything But Bush," and that their vote for John Kerry is not an endorsement of him, but rather a vote cast against George W. Bush. On Nov. 2, as Americans head to the polls, people from around the world will watch with interest - particularly those in the Arab and Muslim worlds.
http://www.dailystar.com.lb/article.asp?article_ID=9712&categ_ID=5&edition_id=10


Netherlands calls for Hezbollah to be placed on EU terrorism list
Hezbollah, "the Party of God," formed by Iranian Revolutionary Guards after the 1982 Israeli invasion of Lebanon, seeks the "liberation" of all occupied Arab lands, including Jerusalem.
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1515&ncid=1515&e=8&u=/afp/20041101/wl_mideast_afp/eu_netherlands_lebanon_041101195510


Iraqi leaders split over Falluja attack
“I absolutely disagree with those who believe a military attack [on Falluja] is necessary,” Mr Yawar told the Kuwaiti newspaper Al Qabas in an interview published on Monday. “The way the coalition is managing the crisis is wrong. It is as if someone shot his horse in the head to kill a fly that landed on it. The fly flies away and the horse dies,” he said.
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/dbe8e0de-2c33-11d9-8339-00000e2511c8.html


Top Baghdad official shot dead
Hatem Kamil Abdul Fatah was killed in a drive-by shooting in the southern Dora district of the capital, an interior ministry spokesman said. The attack came as efforts began to register voters for January's polls.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/3970619.stm


Robert Fisk: "Bin Laden's Vote is For George Bush"
I'm sure he realizes that further threats are more likely to help Bush than Kerry and what Osama Bin Laden wants now, of course, is a president to be elected who will further mire the country into the Middle East swamp, and cause, of course more American casualties, which Bush will surely do. So, I think that this is probably Osama Bin Laden's vote for George W. Bush.
http://www.democracynow.org/article.pl?sid=04/11/01/1513254