Occupied Palestine and Israel: News and Articles
News
Israeli Troops Kill Two Palestinians
The Guardian 9/4/2004
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) - Israeli troops killed two Palestinians in two separate incidents Friday, and Israeli helicopters fired three missiles at a Gaza warehouse the army said was used for making weapons. The air strike in the Mughazi refugee camp in central Gaza set off a fire, but caused no injuries. The building's owner denied weapons were being made on the premises, saying he was storing wood for construction in the building.
EU's Solana urges Israel not to threaten Syria
Ha'aretz 9/3/2004
Egypt on Friday disputed Israeli allegations of Syrian complicity in the bus bombings in Be'er Sheva on Tuesday, in which 16 people were killed, and said it was illogical for Israel to threaten to retaliate against Syria. "There is no evidence of a link between the explosions which took place in Israel and Syria," Egyptian presidential spokesman Maged Abdel Fattah told reporters. "So we consider that these threats are beyond logic," he added, speaking after talks in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov.
Israel's informants fail to infiltrate Hamas
Middle East Online 9/3/2004
Israeli intelligence is struggling to get to grips with highly sophisticated Hamas in West Bank bastion. -- The city is under Israeli control and informants continue to supply information, yet Israeli intelligence still cannot infiltrate the Palestinian militant movement Hamas in Hebron, from where the suicide bombers behind this week's attacks in Beersheva came.
Prisoners adjourn hunger strike until Sunday
Electronic Intifada 9/2/2004
In an interview with Mandela's lawyer Buthaina Duqmaq at Ha Darim Prison on 2 September 2004, inmates Houssam Khader and Samir Qanttar affirmed negotiations with the Israeli Prison Authority have actually begun on day one of the hunger strike contrary to what Israeli media has been reporting. They asserted the popular and organized solidarity movement with the prisoners forced Israeli authorities into negotiations with the striking prisoners.
Update on Israeli Colonization
PLO Negotiations Affairs Dept 8/23/2004
Despite international condemnation of Israel�s colonization of the Occupied West Bank, Palestinian Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip, and calls for Israel to cease all colony activity, (including �natural growth�) Israel continues to pursue aggressive colonization policies:Israel has announced new housing tenders and has begun construction on new colonies; Israel continues to offer financial incentives to settlers, to lure them to Occupied Palestinian Territory and Israel continues to construct its Wall, well within Occupied Palestinian Territory in order to facilitate colony expansion.
Claiming victory, Palestinian security prisoners end 19-day hunger strike
Ha'aretz 9/3/2004
The Prisons Services announced there have been no talks with the prisoners, and that none of their demands were accepted. --Palestinian security prisoners ended their hunger strike yesterday as they declared their 19-day protest succeeded in achieving most of their demands. The leadership of the Palestinian Prisoners' Club in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank announced yesterday that the prisoners, being held in more than a dozen prisons, decided to end their strike after a series of discussions with prison authorities. In their statements, the leaders claimed that most of their demands had been met.
LA Times: Israel has long spied on U.S., officials say
Ha'aretz 9/3/2004
Contradicting Israel's contention that it does not spy on America, U.S. government officials say Israel secretly maintains a large and active intelligence-gathering operation in the United States, the Los Angeles Times reported Friday. The officials said Israel has long attempted to recruit U.S. officials as spies and to procure classified documents, according to the Times. The issue burst to the surface last weekend, when American media first reported that the FBI suspects Pentagon analyst Larry Franklin of funneling classified documents to Israel through the Jewish lobby AIPAC.
Israeli convicted for 'terrorism'
Al-Jazeera 9/3/2004
The Magistrates Court of Jerusalem convicted Shahar Dvir Zeliger of membership in a "terrorist organisation" which planned attacks on Arab civilians. The court's decision on Wednesday is considered a historic one by Israeli lawyers because it marks the first time an Israeli court has convicted an Israeli Jewish person of belonging to an organisation seeking to attack Palestinian civilians and infrastructure.
Syria not involved in Beersheva bombings
Middle East Online 9/3/2004
Israel army believes there is no direct link between Beersheva attack and HQ of 'terrorist' organisations in Damascus. -- JERUSALEM - Syria is not believed to have had direct involvement in the double suicide bombing at Beersheva in southern Israel earlier this week, Israel's military intelligence chief said. "We have not established any direct link between the Beersheva attack and the headquarters of terrorist organisations in Damascus," General Aharon Zeevi told journalists Thursday evening.
Weekly report on human rights violations
Electronic Intifada/PCHR 9/2/2004
During this week Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) continued their attacks against Palestinian civilians. The attacks included the killing of children, the elderly and women. These attacks were committed during incursions carried by IOF against Palestinian villages, towns and municipalities. The attacks included attempts at extra-judicial execution and random shelling. The week witnessed further closures and curfews being imposed on the Palestinian people as well as the continued construction of the "Annexation Wall". In the Gaza Strip, three civilians, including one child and one old man, were killed. On the 30th August IOF committed two acts of wilful killing involving the excessive use of lethal force. These two acts left a 14 year old child from Rafah dead and also killed another Palestinian civilian, from Khan Yunis.
IPI criticises British journalist's treatment
Electronic Intifada 9/2/2004
On 1 September, British freelance journalist Ewa Jasiewicz decided to return to the United Kingdom after discontinuing a legal action before the Israeli Supreme Court. Jasiewicz made the decision because, if the court had found against her, it would have created a binding legal precedent for other foreign journalists entering Israel.
Syria on offensive as Israel threatens to avenge bombings
The Guardian 9/3/2004
Israel's threats against Syria after the Beersheba suicide bombings would "exacerbate the deteriorating situation in the region," the Syrian foreign minister said yesterday. The threats lacked "the least degrees of credibility or evidence," Farouk al-Sharaa said, in remarks quoted by the official news agency, SANA. Israeli security officials said the military would answer Tuesday's bombings with a renewed assassination campaign against leaders of Hamas, the militant group behind the attacks, in both the Palestinian territories and abroad - an apparent reference to Syria.
Vicious circles
By Khaled Amayreh, Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 9/2/2004
Hamas's vowed, but long-delayed, retaliation for the assassination of Sheikh Yassin and Abdul-Aziz Al-Rantisi kills 16 Israelis and wounds scores -- Two Hamas bombers blew themselves up aboard two Israeli buses in the heart of the southern Israeli city of Beersheba (Beer Sabaa) killing at least 16 people and injuring many others. The bombing attack, which took place Tuesday afternoon, was the first in five months as Israeli political and security officials became increasingly confident of having crushed armed Palestinian resistance.
Groups Rally to Lobby's Side as FBI Intensifies Israeli Espionage Probe
Forward 9/3/2004
ADL's Foxman Calls for Federal Investigation Into Media Leaks -- WASHINGTON � As the FBI intensifies its investigation of Washington's pro-Israel lobby, Jewish organizations are charging elements of the government with orchestrating a borderline-antisemitic smear campaign against the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. The community's wall-to-wall defense of the pro-Israel lobbying powerhouse comes in response to media reports that the FBI is investigating the possibility that a Pentagon analyst passed classified material on to Aipac officials, who then handed the information over to the Israeli embassy in Washington.
Lebanon Rejects UN Resolution, Parliament Meets
Islam Online 9/3/2004
BEIRUT, September 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - Lebanon rejected Friday, September 3, a UN Security Council resolution demanding the withdrawal of foreign forces from the Arab country as the Lebanese parliament was to convene to discuss introducing constitutional amendments allowing Lebanese president Emile Lahoud to stay in office for three more years.
Israel to US: Now for Iran
Al-Jazeera 8/29/2004
Having succeeded in getting the United States to invade and occupy Iraq, Israel is now making efforts to instigate the Bush administration to deal with the "Iranian threat". This week, a high-ranking Israeli official urged the US "and the rest of the free world" to deal with the "Iranian threat before it is too late".
Testing Arrow
Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 9/2/2004
A quiet but determined effort to develop the joint American-Israeli Arrow antiballistic missile is a worrying reminder of the growing military and strategic collaboration between Washington and Tel Aviv -- While the world was distracted by events in the Middle East -- the escalating violence in Darfur, Iraq and the occupied Palestinian territories -- the US and Israel secretly tested the Arrow antiballistic missile. Conducted in California, away from the eyes of the media, the test proved a success in that it downed a Scud, although it failed to down another missile.
Lebanese Parliament extends pro-Syrian president's term
Ha'aretz 9/3/2004
BEIRUT - Lebanon's Parliament on Friday amended the country's constitution to extend pro-Syrian President Emile Lahoud's term in office by three years, turning their back on United Nations calls to hold an election to choose the head-of-state. The result, secured after Lahoud supporters mustered more than the two-thirds of votes needed, had been expected since neighboring Syria, the main power broker in Lebanon, has been widely backing Lahoud's bid to extend his six-year term, which was due to expire November 24.
Affair May Slow Push for Regime Change in Tehran
Forward 9/3/2004
The disclosure this week of an FBI investigation into the activities of a Defense Department official involved in Iran policy is being seen as a blow to advocates of regime change in Tehran. A key Pentagon supporter of such a policy, Lawrence Franklin, is reportedly under investigation for allegedly passing classified information about American policy on Iran to Israel through officials of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee. Analysts said the development could tilt the balance toward advocates of a softer approach to Iran, even if President Bush is re-elected.
Questions Raised Over Aipac's Tactics
Forward 9/3/2004
WASHINGTON � The FBI investigation of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee has cast light on the fine line that the organization walks between advocating a strong American-Israeli alliance and acting as the representative of a foreign government. Both activities are legal, but serving a foreign government requires registration with the Department of Justice and entails severe legal restrictions, not applied to pro-Israel groups, including Aipac.
Made in America, in Beirut
Daily Star 9/3/2004
Exhibition touts Us brands, ties to Lebanon - Despite regional political uncertainty, many firms say business is booming -- BEIRUT: Amid intense pressure on the Syrian government and its allies in Lebanon's ruling class, US Embassy officials here are celebrating "Made in America" with a cross-section of locals who turned out to support the long-standing - albeit tumultuous - trade relationship between the two countries.
Messianic Minister Offers To Mediate Presbyterian Talks
Forward 9/3/2004
With Presbyterian and Jewish communal leaders preparing for a high-level meeting to address the church's recent vote to divest from Israel, an unlikely candidate is offering his services as a mediator: Andrew Sparks, a messianic minister accused by critics of using deceptive tactics to attract Jews to his congregation. The religious leader of Congregation Avodat Yisrael in Philadelphia, Sparks told the Forward that his unique position as a Presbyterian minister and a Jew makes him the perfect bridge between the two battling faith groups at a scheduled September 28 session in New York.
Syria dismisses heavily amended UN resolution as a 'failure'
Daily Star 9/4/2004
Six Security Council members abstain from vote -- BEIRUT: Syria said Friday a US-French draft resolution targeting Damascus and Beirut was a failure, because it was heavily amended before being approved by the UN Security Council. Syria's envoy to the UN Fayssal al-Mekdad said Paris and Washington "failed dramatically" in their mission to pass the original draft of the resolution, because they were compelled to rewrite it to win its adoption at the Security Council.
American Authorities Ratchet Up Pressure on Hamas
Forward 9/3/2004
A recent spate of arrests, indictments and convictions of Hamas operatives is shining fresh light on the terrorist organization's presence in the United States, experts said. The legal moves against the Palestinian group are also the latest indication that the aggressive anti-terrorism policies put in place to track down Al Qaeda are also being applied to anti-Israel terrorist groups. By using a wide array of charges and new methods, law-enforcement officials have been able to revive old cases against suspected members of Hamas, as well as Hezbollah.
EU Slams Israel Over Threats to Attack Syria
Islam Online 9/3/2004
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, September 3 (IslamOnline.net & News Agencies) - EU foreign policy chief Javier Solana Friday, September 3, slammed an Israeli threat to attack Syria over the latest double bombing, as Israel's military intelligence chief dismissed earlier claims Damascus had direct links to the Beersheva bombings. "I don't think it's helpful to start talking about attacking new countries," Solana told reporters as he arrived in the Netherlands for informal talks with European Union foreign ministers, according to Agence France-Presse (AFP).
Protestors dare Americans to fight in Fallujah
Middle East Online 9/3/2004
Head of Mujahedeen consultative council challenged American troops to fight to death in Fallujah. -- FALLUJAH, Iraq - A Sunni Muslim insurgent leader in the strong Sunni bastion of Fallujah Friday challenged American troops to fight to the death as angry demonstrators protested the latest US air raid on the town. "This war will be over, only with their dead bodies or ours, and, if they want it like this, welcome to death," said Sheikh Abdullah Junabi, who heads the Mujahedeen (holy warriors) consultative council that effectively rules the town.
Judge, Citing Misconduct, Tosses Terror Convictions
Los Angeles Times 9/3/2004
The jurist in the Detroit case, echoing an internal Justice Department investigation, accuses prosecutors of 'pervasive' wrongdoing. --WASHINGTON � A federal judge in Detroit on Thursday threw out the convictions of two men accused of being in a terrorist "sleeper cell," saying that Justice Department lawyers, in their rush to convict, acted outside the Constitution and denied the defendants a fair trial.
Articles
Look again, Gandhi
By Jonathan Cook, Al-Ahram Weekly on-line 9/2/2004
Effective non-violent resistance is dependent upon conditions the politician-generals of the State of Israel systematically and consciously destroy -- "I am coming to speak about peace and non- violence," Arun Gandhi, Mahatma Gandhi's grandson, told the Jerusalem Post newspaper shortly before he arrived in the Middle East to preach a message of mutual respect, love and understanding to two conflict-weary publics, Israeli and Palestinian.
At his first rally in East Jerusalem last week, Gandhi led thousands of Palestinians, including Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, and a handful of Israeli peace campaigners on a march against the wall being built across the West Bank. Under the banner "No to violence, yes to peace", the protest was designed to promote the path of Palestinian peaceful resistance to Israel's military occupation.
After four years of armed Intifada, the US- based group that organised his visit -- Palestinians for Peace and Democracy -- believes that the philosophy of non-violent struggle can be exported to the West Bank and Gaza where it will mobilise the Palestinian masses to find new ways to oppose the occupation.
But what Gandhi and his supporters fail to understand is that a non-violent struggle requires specific conditions that are not present in this conflict.
Interview with Palestinian Justice Minister Nahed al-Rayyes
By Samah Sabawi, Electronic Intifada 9/2/2004
Palestinian Justice Minister Nahed al-Rayyes, who recently submitted his resignation, granted Samah Sabawi in Amman, Jordan this exclusive interview by telephone from his home in Gaza on 27 August 2004. -- Samah Sabawi: Mr. Al-Rayyes, you�ve submitted your resignation from your post as Justice Minister; what were your reasons for resigning?
Nahed al-Rayyes: The situation fell out of control and it became difficult for me to do my job. It became difficult for the Ministry of Justice to operate, especially after the Palestinian Cabinet passed a ministerial decision that further limited our ability to work within our legal channels to implement law and order.
Basically, the wording of the new orders was vague and didn�t clearly establish boundaries for different departments within the government to operate. It became impossible to work, hindered by all the interferences, the decline in the status of law, and the widespread presence of foreign interest in the field - namely Israel, the US and even some European countries.
Israel tallies up compensation claims by Iraq's Jews
By Michael R. Fischbach , Daily Star 9/3/2004
On May 6, 2003, the same day that Paul Bremer replaced Jay Garner as head of the US Office for Reconstruction and Humanitarian Assistance (ORHA) in Iraq, 16 American soldiers from the US Army's Mobile Exploration Team Alpha, along with personnel from ORHA and the Iraqi National Congress (INC), descended into the flooded basement of the bombed-out Iraqi Department of General Intelligence in Baghdad. Although the army team's job was to search for Iraqi weapons of mass destruction, that day they were seeking something quite different.
A former Iraqi intelligence official had tipped off the INC a few days earlier that an ancient copy of the Jewish Talmud lay deep within the General Intelligence headquarters. The INC then told the Americans, who decided that finding such a valuable cultural relic merited the diversion of the army search team from its normal task. Although the troops did not uncover the Talmud, they did discover something else: thousands of manuscripts, documents and books, some of them hundreds of years old, dealing with Iraq's ancient and once thriving Jewish community, which is now virtually extinct. What the troops had found were the archives of the General Intelligence's Israel-Palestine and Jewish Sections.
Blood on Whose Hands?
By Felicity Arbuthnot, Islam Online 8/31/2004
When the phone rang and Julia said, �Micah has been kidnapped,� there was little surprise�just an instant Iraq mode reaction: How does one reach the relevant people? Iraq is a village of twenty five million, and with tenacity, there is always a route.
Iraq has become a graveyard for journalists, with 39 killed since last year�s invasion. If it is not killing, kidnapping is rife.
And in Najaf, Iraqi police rounded up journalists on Wednesday �for their own protection,� finally releasing them just after two rockets landed behind the police headquarters.
Media victims of the US invasion include an Al Jazeera journalist, killed when the network�s headquarters was bombed by US forces (despite the US military�s having been given a grid reference of the building), a Reuters cameraman and a Spanish Telecinco cameraman, killed when a tank shot up the Palestine hotel (journalists headquarters in Baghdad), and the award-winning cameraman Mazen Dana, who was filming outside the Abu Ghraib prison, with US permission and visible credentials, and was shot by a US soldier.
More material available from Vermonters for a Just Peace in Palestine/Israel - www.vtjp.org
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