Occupied Palestine and Israel: News and Articles
News
IDF kills 2 Palestinians; 5 soldiers wounded in Gaza
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
Palestinian sources say Israel Defense Forces troops shot and killed a Palestinian man on Wednesday in Rafah refugee camp in southern Gaza. The army said it was investigating. Another Palestinian was killed near the West Bank town of Jenin when the army opened fire on a group of gunmen trying to flee from an ambush, Palestinian witnesses and military officials said. The Palestinians identified him as Rayid Quran, 29. Earlier Wednesday, five IDF soldiers were wounded, two moderately, in separate incidents in the Gaza Strip.
One killed, 3 wounded, 16 homes leveled in Rafah
International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2004
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. A medical source in Rafah said that Rafat Sameer Al-Hamss, 29 years old, was shot dead near Salah Ed-Deen Gate, in addition to other residents who was moderately shot wounded to his stomach. The source added three two other youths, including a 12 years old child, where shot wounded as soldiers centered in a military camp near Salah Ed-Deen Gate fired at tens of homes in the area.
Israel Parliament OKs Settler Compensation
The Guardian 11/3/2004
JERUSALEM (AP) - Israel's parliament moved to give generous compensation packages to 8,800 Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip and West Bank for leaving their homes, in a boost for Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's drag-down fight to withdraw from Gaza after nearly 40 years of occupation. The compensation bill sailed comfortably through the Knesset in a preliminary vote with the help of the opposition Labor Party, but the 64-44 vote reflected the deep division within Sharon's own camp and the fierce opposition of the politically influential settler movement.
Abbas visiting Arafat as health deteriorates
Ha'aretz 11/4/2004
Former Palestinian prime minister Mahmoud Abbas flew to Paris before dawn Friday to visit Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, whose health is apparently deteriorating, Israel Radio reported. Arafat's condition worsened suddenly Wednesday evening in the private hospital outside Paris where he is being treated, Palestinian officials said. However, some Arafat aides denied any setback. Arafat was placed in intensive care at the military hospital where he was brought for treatment Friday.
2100 detainees held in Ansar 3 detention camp
International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2004
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. In a phone call with a number of detainees in Ansar 3, Palestinenet revealed that the number of detainees in Ansar 3 is currently 2100; 370 detainees under administrative detention, and 1370 sentenced to different periods of executive detention.
Israeli court rejects releasing a detainee suffering from Tumor
International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2004
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. Mahameed said that Saleh is in a bad health condition and that his health is continuously deteriorating as a result of the lack of medical care and treatment.
Child detainees highly fined and sentenced
International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2004
Department of Youth and children in the Ministry of Detainees and Ex-detainees affairs said that military court sentenced several children to different term in addition to imposing high fines against them. The ministry accused the army of using the detainee as a source of income to the government by imposing high fine of them. A study conducted by the ministry revealed that army sentenced during 2004 several child detainees to different terms; Two children were placed under administrative detention. 23 were fiend and detained for 2-4 months. 18 were sentenced to 5-6 months and fined. 4 children sentenced to eight months. 4 children sentenced to one year. 4 children sentenced to 14-16 months and fined. 8 children sentenced to 18-24 months. 4 children sentenced to 26-30 months. 1 child sentenced to 34 months. 1 for nine years.
Press Review: 'The situation is deteriorating'
The Guardian 11/3/2004
International press review -- 'The suicide bomb in Tel Aviv marks a departure'
Authorities find Katyusha rocket fired at western Galilee last week by Palestinian group
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
Authorities in the western Galilee found a Katyusha rocket Wednesday that had landed in the area last week. The rocket was the first fired at the region since the withdrawal of Israel Defense Forces troops from southern Lebanon in May 2000. Military sources believe that a Palestinian organization, rather than Hezbollah, launched the rocket.
Rafah crossing closure enters fourth day
ReliefWeb 11/3/2004
GAZA, Nov 3, 2004 (Xinhua via COMTEX) -- General security administration in Gaza said Wednesday that the Israeli army continued its closure on Rafah crossing for four consecutive days citing security concerns. 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.
Blair pledges to reinvigorate Middle East peace process
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair on Wednesday pledged to work with Washington to reinvigorate the Middle East peace process. He declined to comment on the U.S. presidential race, but stressed he would work with the whoever wins the White House to push forward the so-called "road map" to peace between Israel and Palestinians.
Olive oil production thrice last year's
Globes 11/3/2004
This year's olive harvest for oil was expected to total 53,000 tons. -- Israel's olive oil production will be three times higher in 2004 than in 2003, said olive board general manager Amin Salah. He made the comment at this year's gala opening of the olive pressing in Acre, in the presence of Minister of Agriculture and Rural Development Yisrael Katz. Salah said this year's olive harvest for oil was expected to total 53,000 tons, compared with only 12,000 tons in 2003, and that this year's olive oil production would reach 8,000 tons.
Likud MK Hazan to be indicted for 'double-voting' in Knesset
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
Likud MK Yehiel Hazan will face criminal charges of aggravated forgery, fraud and breach of trust, after he allegedly voted twice when the Knesset considered the Emergency Economical program bill in May 2003, the Jerusalem district of the State Prosecutor's Office announced on Wednesday. Hazan has been a leading figure among Likud "rebels" opposed to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan.
Official Web site recognizes Green Line
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
The Israeli government's official Internet site, entitled Israel Government Gateway, directs surfers to a map service in which the Green Line - the 1949 cease-fire line that separated Israel from the West Bank until 1967 - is marked. 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.
HRW: Stop use of children in suicide bombings
ReliefWeb 11/3/2004
(New York, November 3, 2004) - Palestinian armed groups should immediately end all use of children in military attacks, Human Rights Watch said today, following a Tel Aviv suicide bombing by a 16-year-old that killed three Israeli civilians Monday.Most Palestinian armed groups claim to disavow the use of children in military activities, but at least 10 children have carried out suicide attacks in Israel and the Occupied Territories since October 2000.
Palestinian killed in Rafah raid
Al-Jazeera 11/3/2004
Israeli occupation troops have shot and killed a Palestinian taxi driver as he drove near an Israeli army post in a southern Gaza refugee camp. Witnesses said Rafat al-Hams, 27, was heading away from the Israeli post in the Rafah refugee camp when he was hit. Israeli troops rolled into the camp on Gaza's southern border before dawn, demolishing some homes, witnesses and medics said.
November 3, 2004
International Middle East Media Center 11/3/2004
One resident held south of Bethlehem / Military Apaches shell homes in Beit Hanoun / One resident shot dead in Jenin / Curfew imposed over Al-Khader / Five soldiers wounded in the Gaza Strip / Al-Qassam shells a settlement in the Gaza Strip / Army breaks into two Hospitals in Nablus / Two shells fired at Ghadid settlement / Six residents held west of Ramallah / Medical team barred from entering a village near Tulkarem / Army closes Al-Hamra checkpoint, east of Tubas / Two women shot wounded in Rafah / Army: 12 held in the West Bank, 103 workers held in Israel / Army raids neighborhoods south of Rafah
Speakers in 4th Committee express support for UNRWA's humanitarian work, call for adequate funding, ease of Israeli restrictions
ReliefWeb 11/2/2004
Fifty-ninth General Assembly - Fourth Committee - 21st Meeting (PM) -- Speakers continued to express strong support for the humanitarian work of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) and called for the alleviation of its budgetary problems, as the Fourth Committee (Special Political and Decolonization) continued its consideration of the Agency's annual report.
Agriculture Min. confirms presence of locusts in central Israel
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
The Agriculture Ministry confirmed on Wednesday that they had spotted "desert locusts" in the Palmahim, Tel Aviv and Holon areas. The officials believe that there are only tens or hundreds of locusts in the area, but teams of experts will be sent to the areas to examine the situation more thoroughly. The Agriculture Ministry announced on Tuesday precautions for a locust invasion. Swarms of the suspected desert locust landed recently in Lebanon and western Cyprus, where crop damage has been reported.
45,000 small businesses closed so far this year
Globes 11/3/2004
Israel Association for the Self-Employed chairman Zeev Weiner: 65% of small businesses have overextended their credit. -- 45,000 small businesses have closed since the beginning of the year, compared with 58,000 in the corresponding period last year, according to figure from the Israel Association for the Self-Employed and Israel Small and Medium Enterprises Authority obtained by "Globes". Small business are defined as businesses with up to 70 employees at a sales turnover of up to NIS 22 million.
Arafat's condition improves
The Guardian 11/3/2004
An aide to Yasser Arafat said yesterday that the Palestinian leader's condition was improving after treatment by doctors in Paris. Leila Shahid, the Palestinian envoy to France, said: "For the past 48 hours, he has been able to converse with his doctors and close relatives, colleagues and heads of state. "President Arafat's condition has improved sufficiently for him to undergo tests that would not have been performed upon admission."
Middle East concern over Bush victory
Al-Jazeera 11/3/2004
As US President George Bush headed for a second term in office, the American election produced mixed reactions in the Middle East. Most countries in the region opted for caution after the White House claimed victory for the incumbent and challenger John Kerry conceded defeat. The Palestinian Authority's envoy to France admitted that veteran leader Yasir Arafat, who is being treated in Paris for a serious but undiagnosed illness, was "worried".
U.A.E. picks Sheikh Khalifa as president
Daily Star 11/4/2004
World leaders join Emiratis to bury Sheikh Zayed -- The United Arab Emirates appointed Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nahyan as its president Wednesday, hours after burying his father, the much-loved Sheikh Zayed, in a funeral that drew dozens of Arab and Muslim leaders and thousands of grieving Emiratis. The succession was decided by the Supreme Council, which comprises the leaders of the seven constituent emirates, their brothers and their crown princes, the official news agency WAM reported.
Maronite Bishops lash out: Rigged elections 'inevitable'
Daily Star 11/4/2004
Council demands international monitors -- BEIRUT: The Maronite Bishops' Council lashed out at the new Lebanese Cabinet Wednesday, saying it is bound to produce a rigged electoral law and demanding international monitoring for the May elections. It seems that most of the 30 ministers have expressed the will to run for the upcoming (parliamentary) elections. They will have an inevitable influence on the electoral process, an influence which will ruin the results," Monsignor Youssef Tawq said after the bishops' meeting.
American Palestinians lament 2000 Bush vote as `mistake'
Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
"The war in Afghanistan didn't change anything as far as I'm concerned," Ali Ahmed, an American citizen of Palestinian extraction, said yesterday. "I always thought that Afghanistan needed sorting out, and the mujahideen there was inciting groups all over the world to carry out terror attacks. Similarly, I never had any particular sympathy for Saddam Hussein's regime, but when Bush started talking about a `crusade' and the `axis of evil,' I realized that I made a big mistake when I voted for him in 2000. It was important for me not to repeat that mistake this year."
Articles
Only Arafat Can
By Uri Avnery, Arabic Media Internet Network 10/31/2004
Suddenly, the tone has changed. Millions of words have been written in the past few years about Yasser Arafat, not one percent of which was positive. A totally evil man, the ultimate villain, a despicable murderer, corrupt, and other epitaphs. He must be driven out (meaning: he must be killed) as quickly as possible! If only the Americans would allow us...
And now, suddenly, when the possibility of his passing away has become concrete, they change their tune. Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben Ami, who had been spreading the poisonous "We Have No Partner" doctrine, has suddenly become lyrical: "Arafat is the soul of the Palestinian People". Others, less poetical, started thinking seriously of a world without Arafat - and grew frightened. For a good reason.
Yossi Beilin of the Meretz/Yahad Party talks of the rise of "pragmatic Palestinians". Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom dreams of "A new leadership that will fight terrorism". How easy to dream, when you don't know the Palestinian reality.
Blue shirts are back
By Avirama Golan, Ha'aretz 11/3/2004
Among the tens of thousands who came to Rabin Square last Saturday evening - a bit tired and somewhat disappointed in the anemic event and the blurring of the point - for a memorial gathering marking the ninth anniversary of the assassination of prime minister Yitzhak Rabin, one group stood out because of its uniform dress.
....Ten years ago, the movement - and the whole blue-shirt phenomenon - was eulogized nostalgically, on the assumption that the youth movements had played their role and were now a thing of the past....
....Yet now, at the end of 2004, at a time when the Education Ministry budget for all the youth movements has been slashed by almost 50 percent, the veteran Working and Studying Youth movement has more than 100,000 members in 678 branches around Israel - Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Circassians, secular, religious and traditional. Hashomer Hatza'ir has also registered an impressive membership increase, and Mahanot Ha'olim, which was always the smallest of the three but sported its own ideological cast, is experiencing a reawakening, too.
It is more than a reawakening, really. The three movements are not idling away the time with childish matters. By means of involvement in the community, by examining and discussing ongoing events, through political activity that responds immediately to social, economic and political developments, they are succeeding in forging an ideological agenda in the vacuum created by the depleted left.
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