| News from aljazeerah.info, May 2002 News Updated several times a day | |||
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Gallery of the Israeli Occupation of Palestine
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Events and developments of the past 24 hours on the Palestinian arena Ramallah May 29th 2002 Wafa; Below is a brief of the major events on the past 24 hours on the Palestinian area:
A suicide bomb, in Petah Tikva, kills 3 and injures 27 in the Israeli neighborhood of Tel Aviv ... Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announces its responsibility A member of Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade detonated his suicide bomb killing himself, two Israelis, and injuring 27 others. The explosion destroyed parts of the market in Petah Tikva, a Tel Aviv neighborhood. This came as a continuation of the Israeli-Palestinian war that has been escalating since March 29, 2002. Israeli occupation forces have not stopped invading, occupying, and reoccupying Palestinian cities, villages, and refugee camps. Israelis have been assassinating Palestinian leaders, killing Palestinians indiscriminately at checkpoints and inside their homes, and arresting thousands of them. It is estimated that 8,500 Palestinians have been arrested, about 3,500 are still in Israeli prisons. Arrests are conducted indiscriminately. The objective is getting as much information from Palestinians as possible, in order to identify activists and assassinate them. Suicide bombing has become the main way for Palestinians to show their ability to penetrate Israeli security lines. The violence cycle continues because Israelis continue to oppress the Palestinian people, defying the whole world and denying Palestinians their national and political rights (Abu Dhabi TV, MBC TV, 5/27/02). Arabian Gulf research conference: the US constantly seeks to create enemies ... plans to invade Afghanistan were ready before September 11 An Arab research conference about September 11 attacks and their consequences was held in Dubai, UAE. One paper expected that if America attacks Iraq, there will be serious disruptions in the entire Gulf region. Another paper emphasized that the US constantly seeks to create enemies as a way to boost its economy. The US plans of invading Afghanistan, for example, were ready before the September 11 attacks, the paper mentioned (alquds al-arabi, 5/26/02). Ramallah May 26th 2002 Wafa; Below is a brief of the past 24 hours events and developments on the Palestinian arena: Israeli tank fire burns a Palestinian mother and her daughter alive and prevent ambulances from approaching them
Israeli tanks, assisted by helicopters reinvade Bethlehem and fire at residential buildings
Israeli occupation forces surround Jenin, using sound and light bombs to intimidate Palestinians there
Israeli occupation forces shell Khan Younis, kill a Palestinian in Tulkarem, and reinvade Qalqilia ... arresting more Palestinians indicriminately
A Pentagon study: attacking Iraq would place pressure on soldiers and affect US presence elsewhere A computer simulation game, conducted by the Pentagon experts, showed that expanding the war on "terrorism" to include Iraq would place hard pressures on American soldiers and cause a serious shortage of critical weapon systems. Military experts estimated that about 200,000 troops would be needed to launch the war on Iraq and that this cannot happen before winter (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Rishon Letzion suicide bomber was 16 year old from Bethlehem Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades announced that the suicide bomber who attacked Rishon Letzion on Wednesday was a Palestinian 16-year old young man, from Al-Dihi, near Bethlehem (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Israeli tanks raid on Gaza, blow up several Palestinian factories Israeli tanks raided on Gaza city on Friday, destroying three factories and a metal workshop. This happened in the middle of the city, in Zaytoon neighborhood. The explosion that destroyed the factories damaged the neighborhood houses. The Israeli army claimed that the workshop was used to make Qassam missiles (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Syrian Foreign Minister rejects classifying his country as supporter of terrorism The Syrian Foreign Minister, Farook Al-Shar'a, rejected the US classification of his country as a supporter of terrorism. He was commenting on the Terrorism report issued by the US Department of Stat. He added that Palestinian and Lebanese organizations resist the Israeli occupation. As a result, they are not terrorist organization. They resist a foreign occupation of their countries. He also said that superpowers tend to create enemies to achieve political means, and they do not care much about values and principles (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Two-thirds of Israelis approve of Sharon's performance The Israeli newspaper, Ma'arive, published results of a poll it conducted among Israelis by Gullop. About 48% of the polled Israelis prefer Sharon as a prime minister to Netanyaho, who got 23%. About 64% of the polled Israelis said that they approved of Sharon's performance. About 28% of them disapproved, and about 8% had no opinion. Almost the same people approved of Sharon's dismissal of Shas ministers from his cabinet and objected to a early elections. About 48% of Israelis still support the establishment of a Palestinian state as a final solution to the conflict, while 40% do not support that (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Rafsanjani happy for Bush's inability to convince Russians and Europeans to be hostile to Iran The former Iranian President, Ali Akbar Hashmi Rafsanjani, and the editor of Iran News expressed their relief that the European tour of President Bush has not led to persuading Europeans and Russians to take a hostile position toward Iran. He could not sell his idea that Iran is a supporter of terrorism, they said (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Algerian election campaigns highlight the differences between the two major parties Although there are serious differences between most political parties competing for parliamentarian elections in Algeria, the differences between the two big parties became clearer than ever before. The Democratic National Gathering, the opposition, accuses the National Liberation Front, the ruling party, of all the economic, political, and military problems of Algeria. The ruling party candidates accuse opposition of being an elite representing a minority of intellectuals (alquds al-arabi, 5/25/02). Bush-Putin talks: unprecedented cooperation between the US and Russia
Amnesty International calls on Israel to allow investigation of the arrest and torture of 8,500 Palestinians Amnesty International called on Israel to allow an investigation of the arrest and torture of about 8,500 Palestinians, who were arrested by Israeli occupation forces between February 27 and April 20, 2002. The statement said that these arrests were illegal and baseless. They were indiscriminate and were accompanied with mistreatment, humiliation, and torture. The statement included testimonies of victims, who said there were no accusations, no due process, and no attorney allowed. Amnesty International called on the Israeli government to try the investigators who committed these crimes. It also called on the Israeli government to abolish a military directive used since April 5, 2002, by which Palestinians are arrested for 18 days, renewable to 90 days without any due process, or meeting with attorneys or family members. Amnesty International concluded that this military directive violates international conventions and should be abolished immediately (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/24/02). Nato leaders meet in a military base for fear of terrorist attacks The Italian Prime Minister, Parlasconi, announced that the Nato-Russia summit will be held in a military base, near Rome, for fear of terrorist attacks. Leaders of 19 countries will meet to sign an agreement between Nato and Russia that will open a new era of cooperation, instead of confrontation, between the two parties. About 14,000 soldiers and 48 jet fighters and surveillance planes will be used to protect the leaders from a potential attack on the meeting. (Alittihad, 5/24/02). Bush received with protests in Germany for his plans to attack Iraq About 20,000 Germans demonstrated near the hotel that President Bush stays in. They were protesting the US foreign policy, particularly the US plans to attack Iraq. Forty-four people were injured and fifty were arrested during the protests. Although protests started peacefully, they turned violent directly after burning American flags (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Bush promises to consult with Europeans before attacking Iraq In his speeches in Germany, President Bush has promised to consult with Europeans before any US attacks on Iraq. He also asked support from America's European allies. However, Germans like other Europeans, think that the Bush administration takes unilateral positions without consulting with Europeans. Some examples are the US withdrawal from the Kyoto Treaty, withdrawal from the International War Crimes Tribunal, blind support for Israel, the intention to attack Iraq, and the new tariffs on steel imports. Schroeder was unusually clear in his objection to an attack on Iraq that aims at changing the Iraqi leadership by force (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). 10 soldiers and a policeman killed in Algeria An armed group assassinated ten soldiers and injured seven others in Algeria. This happened in a surprise attack in the mountainous area of Tablat, 70 kilometers west of the capital, Algiers. Previously, 15 Algerian soldiers were killed in a similar surprise attack, in April 15, 2002. A policeman was also killed in Batna, 430 kilometers east of Algiers. The Algerian Minister of Interior announced that these attacks aim at disrupting the Algerian elections that will be held on May 30. However, the government will do every effort possible to conduct elections in time (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Spanish-Moroccan relations deteriorating because of immigration problems The Spanish-Moroccan relations have been deteriorating lately as a result of immigration problems. Spain has become the first leg in the journey of Moroccan illegal immigrants to other European countries. The Spanish and Moroccan foreign ministers met in Greece, while attending a Mediterranean conference. They agreed that their deputies meet to discuss the issue. Spain intends to put the issue on top of the agenda of the European Union summit, next month. Spain wants European assistance to Morocco attached to the efforts of the Moroccan government to stop illegal immigration. Moroccan government accuses the Spanish government of singling out Moroccan immigrants for arrests and deportation while not doing the same toward other illegal immigrants (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Israelis kill a Palestinian civilian, injure five, and blow up houses in Rafah A Palestinian man, Bassam Qishta (33), was killed when Israeli soldiers opened fire from their tank, in a residential area, in Rafah, on the border between Palestine and Egypt. Qishta was standing in front of his house before he was shot dead. Eyewitnesses mentioned that the Israeli fire was unprovoked. Palestinian sources said that three Israeli bulldozers protected by eight tanks demolished three houses. As a cover, Israeli tanks fired at civilians in the area, injuring five of them, one of them is in serious condition. Ten other stores in the area were damaged before Israeli tanks had withdrawn (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Palestinian resistance attempt to blow up Israel's central gas reserves A Palestinian truck, loaded with explosives blew up prematurely in the Glilot gas reservation near Tel Aviv, Israel, in what appears to be an attempt to destroy Israel's central gas reserves. The truck exploded next to major gas and gasoline silos, which are highly flammable. If the the gas silos caught fire, everyone within half a kilometer radius would have died. About 50 percent of the people within a kilometer would have died, and many more in the radius of 2-4 kilometers. The truck was filled with explosives, and blown up by use of a cellular phone from a distance (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02, Pravda, 5/24/02). Israeli embassy in Paris: burned completely Paris police sources said that a fire burned the Israeli Embassy in Paris completely. Early reports said that the fire was caused by electric malfunction. Nobody was killed or injured inside the embassy as the fire occurred early in the morning before the arrival of the embassy employees. Eight firemen were injured while putting the fire out (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Khatami: The revolution aimed at establishing an Islamic republic, not a dictatorship In a speech he gave yesterday, the Iranian President, Muhammed Khatami, announced that the pioneers of the Islamic revolution aimed at the establishment of an Islamic republic that depends on people's support through elections. They did not want an Islamic dictatorship, he said. He added that when people govern themselves, they maintain high morale and acquire respect of other nations (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Mulla Omar: Taliban not responsible for attack on the French in Karachi The Taliban leader, Mulla Omar, sent a letter to France Press, saying that Taliban is not responsible for the killing of 11 French and 2 Pakistanis, in Karachi. The letter was written with the Qandahar dialect and it confirmed that both Omar and Bin Laden are still alive and well. But the letter was not independently verified (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Iraq strengthens its commercial ties with other Arab states The Iraqi Vice President, Taha Yassin Ramadhan, told a visiting delegation from the United Arab Emirates that Iraq wanted to uplift the relations between the two Arab states into the highest levels possible. He said that Iraq looks for total Arab integration in all aspects, not just commerce. The UAE delegation wanted to increase cooperation to include commercial, industrial, media, health, and youth aspects. Ramadhan said that free trade and lifting tariffs are just two ways to speed up integration. The head of the UAE delegation, Minister Bin Khirbash, announced that the UAE-Iraq commercial dealings reached about $1 billion (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Iraqis lose their Iraqi citizenship temporarily, if they acquire another The Iraqi Foreign Ministry announced that Iraqis who acquire another citizenship will lose their Iraqi citizenship temporarily. They can reacquire their Iraqi citizenship if they return to Iraq and stay there for a year, then they apply to reacquire it (alquds al-arabi, 5/24/02). Israel assassinates 3 Palestinian leader in Nablus ... A suicide bomb kills 3 and injures 40 in Israel ... Israeli forces kill 3 other Palestinians near Jenin, Bethlehem, and Gaza bomber The Israeli government has continued its aggression against the Palestinian people. It has not withdrawn its forces from the Palestinian areas. It has resumed assassination of Palestinians. Today, Israeli occupation forces assassinated three Palestinians in Balata refugee camp, near Nablus. Israeli surveillance planes were able to identify them, then Israeli forces attacked them with missiles and artillery shells. The three belonged to Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades. These were Mahmood Al-Titi, Imad Al-Khatib, and Iyad Abu Hamdan. Few hours later, a Palestinian suicide bomber detonated his bomb in Rishon Letzion, south of Tel Aviv, killing himself, two Israelis, and injuring about 40 others, about 10 of them with serious conditions. The area was a scene of a previous suicide bombing two weeks ago. Israeli occupation forces also killed three other Palestinians in Jenin, Beithlehem, and Gaza. They killed a Palestinian young man claiming that they suspected that he was a suicide bomber. They killed another Palestinian man in a checkpoint between Bethlehem and the Israeli illegal settlement of Gilo. They claimed that he did not lift his arms up when soldiers ordered him to do so. No information about how the third Palestinian was killed. News Commentary: Even Israeli commanders started to suspect that Israeli soldiers kill Palestinians at convenience, then they claim that they were dangerous. What is happening in occupied Palestine is a continuous massacre of the Palestinian people. The Israeli military occupation, assassinations, and killing at checkpoints are driving Palestinians to continue suicide bombing. The world silence toward the continuation of the Israeli occupation is the major encouragement for Israeli crimes and the Palestinian retaliation. President Bush in Europe, talking about Iran and Iraq President Bush leaves Washington in a week-long visit to Europe, in which he will visit Germany, Russia, France, Italy, and the Vatican. On Friday, he will sign a new treaty with Putin to decrease the number of nuclear heads in the US and Russia. Within the following ten years, the two countries will decrease their arsenals to 1,700-2,200 nuclear heads, instead of the present levels of 5,000-6,000 nuclear heads. President Bush will discuss with President Putin the ways through which Russia can prevent proliferation of weapons of mass destruction to Iran. In particular, Bush will try to make sure that the Russian-Iranian cooperation in building a nuclear power plant in Bushahr will not be used for military purposes. The Russian Foreign Minister, Igore Ivanov, announced that the US will promise not to use its proposed anti-ballistic missile shield (star war) to threaten Russian strategic interests. However, the US denied any intention to give that promise. A spokesman for the German Chancellor, Schroeder, announced that the Chancellor is anxious to know about President Bush's plans for Iraq. He added that the US side will deal with the topic as a central issue in the talks. The President's National Security Advisor, Condi Rice, in an interview with a German TV network, called on Germans to support Washington in its efforts against Iraq. Yesterday, Tuesday, thousands of Germans demonstrated in downtown Berlin against Bush's visit and his anti-Iraq policy. Some demonstrations lifted signs saying, "No Blood for Oil." A German, Martin Harnak (52), said this demonstration is against the war, not against America and Americans. The demonstration was organized by the Peace Axis, which is composed of 243 peace and environmental organizations (alquds al-arabi, 5/22/02). Israeli Torture and mistreatment of a Palestinian member of Parliament Marwan Barghouti Khader Shkirat, General Director of LAW, and Hassan Jabareen, General Director of Adalah, visited yesterday, member of the Palestinian Legislative Council Marwan Barghouti, who was arrested on April 13, 2002 in Ramallah and taken to the interrogation and detention center at the Russian Compound ('Moscowbiya') in Jerusalem. Yesterday, Marwan Barghouti was taken to the prison clinic. He suffers from pain in his back and hands, caused by position abuse. Barghouti's hands and legs are shackled to a small chair, angled to slant forward so that he cannot sit in a stable position. Due to nails sticking out of the chair on which is he is forced to sit for prolonged hours his back is bleeding. This position abuse, also known as 'shabeh' is the most common method of physical abuse applied by the Israeli General Security Service ('Shin Bet'). Barghouti is held in solitary confined and is deprived of sleep for twenty hours a day since he was transferred to the Russian Compound. Like abusive body positioning, sleep deprivation is a common torture used by the Israeli General Security Service, it undermines a detainee's concentration and self-control. Israel is a signatory to the key human rights covenants that address torture and ill-treatment, the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (article 7) and the Convention against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment. Israel is therefore legally bound by these prohibitions. Israeli law prohibits torture and the introduction into evidence of tainted confessions and provides that public servants who use or direct the use of force against persons for the purpose of extorting a confession of an offense or information relating to an offense are liable to imprisonment. Barghouti's interrogators have threatened him by saying that his son is held in detention in Ashkelon and that they are going to kill him. They have also threatened him with unspecified abuses by saying that they will use a 'new strategy' and that they will kill him politically and physically. They also told him that there was a decision from the Prime Minister that he has to confess. They also told him that they will put more pressure on him and that they will make him appear as a 'terrorist'. Threats against Palestinian detainees are routine. They are practiced with apparent impunity, despite their illegal nature. Israeli law strictly forbids the use of threats by interrogators. On Sunday, May 19, 2002, the military court in the illegal settlement of Beit El, extended Barghouti's detention with twelve days. Barghouti was arrested in Ramallah by Israeli occupation forces on April 13, 2002 and taken to the interrogation and detention center at the Russian Compound ('Moscowbiya'). Since then, Barghouti is being interrogated by the Israeli General Security Service ('Shin Bet'). In light of the above, LAW, The Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, calls for the immediate release of Marwan Barghouti and request immediate international intervention to safeguard him from further physical and psychological abuse. He is an elected member of the Palestinian Legislative Council and has parliamentary immunity. The methods applied by the Israeli General Security Service during the interrogation of Barghouti constitute methods of torture and ill-treatment. LAW calls for an end to the systematic use of torture and ill-treatment (Wafa, 5/22/02). Ramallah 22nd May 2002 Wafa; Below is a brief of the major events on the Palestinian area, during the past 24 hours:
Netanya suicide bomber: A young man from Asker refugee camp, near Nablus The Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) disclosed the name of Netanya suicide bomber. His name is Usama Adel Bishkar, an 18-year old young man from Asker refugee camp, near Nablus. The media quickly went to interview his family members. His father said that Usama was an average young man. He would pray before he left to work in a program designed to provide some work for the unemployed. The whole family wept and grieved for hours. His father added that Usama was so committed to the family that he left school and worked in carpentry to help in meeting the family expenses. When Israel closed the borders with the Palestinian occupied territories, he became unemployed like the majority of Palestinian young men. One thing was remarkable about him, his extraordinary courage. When Israeli tanks invaded Nablus, and its Askar refugee camp in April 2002, he would climb a tank and try to damage it while Israeli soldiers are inside. The family was evicted from its original town, Bisan that the Israelis call it now Beit Shan. (This happened during the 1948 war, which resulted in evicting most Palestinians from their lands, and replaced them with Jewish immigrants who became Israelis). Usama's father told the media interviewing him that he is against suicide bombing. He wishes if his son Usama is still alive and he believes that suicide bombing has always led to more Israeli massacres against the Palestinian People (alquds al-arabi, 5/22/02). US Terrorism Report includes Cuba and excludes Israel !!! The US Department of State issued its annual report about terrorism that included seven countries that support terrorism. Four of these are Arab and Islamic countries: Iraq, Syria, Libya, and Sudan. One is an Islamic country, Iran, and the remaining two, Cuba and North Korea, are neither Arab nor Muslim countries. The report pointed to Iran as the primary supporter of "terrorism." However, it mentioned that Libya and Sudan made progress toward less support of "terrorism." The report was clear in considering the Palestinian struggle to end the Israeli occupation as "terrorism." Cuba was considered a supporter of terrorism because it has given refuge to dissident from central and south America. The report did not specify why is North Korea listed as a supporter of terrorism (alquds al-arabi, 5/22/02). News Commentary: The report is an evidence of the Israeli influence on the US foreign policy. Israel is the most terrorist state in the world. It has not stopped the killing of Palestinian civilians, destroying their property, occupying their areas, and terrorizing them by all means. Yet, it was not listed as a terrorist state. At the same, the Palestinian organizations that resist the Israeli occupation are listed as terrorist organizations. Iran, Syria, and Iraq are listed as supporters of "terrorism," because of their support for Lebanese and Palestinian resistance against the Israeli occupation. The most strange part of the report is including North Korea and Cuba as supporters of terrorism while they have not done anything that may classify them as such. They are not involved in any conflict and they do not support any group fighting anywhere in the world. It is so sad that the US Department of State is still influenced by Israel. There should be clear distinction between terrorism and resistance to foreign military occupation. Until this happens, the world will continue looking at the Untied State foreign policy representing the interests of Israel, not the interests of the United States. Assassination of the son of a Palestinian leader in Beirut Algerian President releases 5,100 prisoners The Algerian President, Abdul Aziz Boutafleeqa, pardoned 5,100 prisoners. These are the prisoners that have to serve less than six years. Other prisoners had their terms decreased. The pardon came in the anniversary of the Prophet Muhammed's birthday, which will be on May 24 (12 Rabi' Awwal). The pardon did not include prisoners convicted of terrorism or those who rebelled in prison. This is also part of the national rehabilitation program of Algerian prisons. Algeria has 145 prisons that house about 42,000 inmates. About 100 of these prisons are more than a century old. Poor prison conditions triggered disturbances last month that left about 50 inmates dead (alkhaleej, 5/22/02). Iraq proposes an Iraqi-Saudi free trade Zone The Iraqi Minister of Industry and Mining, Muyasser Shallah, announced after returning to Iraq from a visit to Saudi Arabia that he suggested to the Saudi Government the establishment of an Iraqi-Saudi free trade zone. Shallah was the first Iraqi cabinet member to visit Saudi Arabia in order to show Saudi officials the agreements Iraq signed with nine other Arab government about free trade zones. The Saudi government started to allow Saudi businesses to re-export non-Saudi products that they import from other countries. Several Saudi companies won contracts worth of about $64.7 million part of the oil for food program. The Iraqi Commerce Minister, Muhammed Mahdi Salih, announced that Iraqi purchases from Saudi Arabia exceeded $1 billion (alquds al-arabi, 5/21/02). The Iraqi Vice President, Taha Yassin Ramadhan, criticizes the UN Security Council The Iraqi Vice President, Taha Yassin Ramadhan, criticized the UN Security Council because the new changes will complicate the oil for food program. He added that the US was behind the new changes, which aim at expediting the process of purchases of civilian commodities. The new system excludes commodities that have dual usage (military and civilian). The list of these items is about 300 pages, which would complicate the future purchases. Iraq demands the complete lifting of sanctions and the embargo, but the US and Britain insist that Iraq comply with the basic UN condition, which is allowing inspectors to return to the country in order to certify that Iraq does not have weapons of mass destruction (alquds al-arabi, 5/21/02). Sharon fires 5 members of his cabinet for voting against his economic plan In an interview with Abu Dhabi TV, the Arab-Palestinian member of the Israeli Parliament, Ahmed Al-Tibi, said that the Israeli Prime Minister, Ariel Sharon, had fired five of his cabinet members. These belong to the Shas religious party, which has 17 seats in the Parliament. Shas, thus has joined opposition against the Sharon government, Which is supported now by 65 seats out 120 seats of the Parliament. The Sharon economic plan targeted Arab and Jewish religious families by reducing health care benefits to families whose members do not serve in the military. In essence, Sharon wanted to extend his campaign to include Palestinians in Israel, in addition to Jews who do not serve in the military for religious reasons. Al-Tibi said that Sharon will either try to ask the Shinoi secular party to join his coalition or he will have no choice but to go for early election. Anyway, the vote against Sharon's plan today was a big blow to his coaltion (Abu Dhabi TV, 5/20/02).
US military advisers in Georgia A team of 50 US military experts arrived in Georgia, part of the US campaign on "terrorism." They will help the previous Soviet republic to fight the Muslim rebels, who are referred to by the Georgian government as "terrorists." Russia did not like the Georgian decision to ask for US help, particularly because the rebels fight in Chechnya too. The rebels have declared independence in Abkhazia for about ten years, but no country recognized their independence (alquds al-arabi, 5/20/02). US military experts: It is impossible for Israelis to defeat Palestinians A group of US military experts studies the April 2002 Israeli military campaign in the Palestinian occupied territories. They have come to the conclusion that it is impossible for Israel to defeat the Palestinian people, no matter how much military power or how many troops it uses. The US Deputy Secretary of Defense announced these results adding that his conclusions are also based on the conclusions of Israeli military commanders, who told him that their forces could achieve a short-term tactical success. However, a strategic success should come through a political settlement. An American military experts mentioned that the Israeli military commanders committed grave mistakes, such as the destruction of civilian Palestinian infrastructure, civilian loss of life, and destruction of civilian private property. These mistakes have proven that the Israeli army has not been prepared to fight in cities. Israelis blew up houses just to pass, and in order to avoid booby traps. This was a stupid method, in comparison with the goals of just reaching parts of the neighborhoods. He added that if the Israelis wanted to teach the Palestinian civilian population a lesson to be more accepting of the Israeli military presence, they have committed a grave political mistake. The have also failed to destroy the military infrastructure of Palestinian organizations, he said (alquds al-arabi, 5/20/02). China to send a man to space by 2005 The Beijing Morning Post mentioned that China intends to install its own station on the Moon, in order to exploit its resources for the benefits of humanity. Before that, China intends to send a man to the outer space by 2005, followed by installing a space station. Right now, China has 12 trained astronauts ready to go to space. This year, China sent the third unmanned space craft, which orbited earth 108 times before returning safely (Alittihad, 5/20/02). Israeli newspaper: Israeli soldiers find it easy to kill Palestinian The Israeli newspaper, Ydiot Ahranot, mentioned that some military commanders are worried that many Israeli soldiers find it easy to kill Palestinians. Israeli soldiers fired at and killed four Palestinians just this week, because of suspicion. They killed a 47 year old Israeli Arab woman, a Palestinian doctor from East Jerusalem, a 7 year old child in front of his house in Nablus, and a deaf mute person in Nablus, who was shot dead because he did not stop when the Israeli soldiers told him to stop (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/20/02). Iraq agrees with Bahrain and the UAE on launching sea lines for carrying passengers and cargo Iraq agreed with Bahrain and the UAE to launch a sea line of six ships that carry passengers and cargo between them. At present, there are five ships working between Dubai and Um Qasr. The sixth ship will be Bahraini, working between Bahrain and the Iraqi port of Um Qasr (alquds al-arabi, 5/20/02). Iraqi official criticizes the UN resolution: medicine still in shortage The Iraqi Assistant Minister of Health, Ali Al-Janabi, said that the UN imposed system of "oil for food" program has been responsible for shortages in food and medicine in Iraq, in the previous six years. The only solution, he said, is lifting the embargo altogether. He added that during this period, Iraq received only 46 percent of its food and medical needs, because of the restrictions imposed on Iraqi imports. This has resulted in the death of about one million and six hundred thousand Iraqis of various ages. In particular, he mentioned that the UN 661 Committee has restricted the import of cancer and blood diseases medicine. The average number of Iraqi deaths, as a result, has reached about 15,000, about 7,000 of whom are children under 15 years old. He ended saying that it is the US-British control over the Committee that is responsible for these restrictions (alquds al-arabi, 5/20/02). New cars for Iraqi military personnel The Iraqi Ministry of Commerce announced that it would distribute new cars to military personnel, within few days. This is the second time the government provide the serving military personnel with cars, as the first was during the Iran-Iraq war, in the 1980s. Most of the cars are French, German, Japanese, and Malaysian (alquds al-arabi, 5/20/02). Israel: Palestinian elections may revive hopes for peace The Israeli Justice Minister, Mier Shetrit, expressed his hopes that next Palestinian elections result in replacing President Arafat with another more serious and more rational leader. Only then, there may be a possibility of reaching peace between Palestinians and Israelis. News Commentary: Such statements from Israeli leaders demonstrate that they are still out of touch with reality. They still do not want to admit that their military occupation of the Palestinian territories is the source of hostility and the obstruction of peace. They still wish that one day Palestinians may accept Israeli military rule. Until they realize this truth, they will keep blaming hostilities on Palestinian leaders. A Palestinian cabinet member denounces Israeli plans of dividing the Palestinian territories into 8 isolated areas The Palestinian Media Minister, Yassir Abed Rabbo, announced that the Palestinian Authority will ask the UN Security Council to interfere in ending the Israeli plan of dividing the Palestinian territories into eight isolated areas. He said that Israeli forces prevent Palestinians to move from one area to another unless they apply for a permission, which reminds us of the South African Bantustans during the racist regime time. He added this is an application to the Israeli government real position, which is against the establishment of a Palestinian state (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/20/02). A suicide bomb kills 3 and injures 59 in Netanya, Israel A suicide bomber blew himself up in Netanya, north of Tel Aviv. The explosion resulted in killing three people, including the bomber. It also injured 59 other Israelis, about seven of whom were in serious conditions. The bomber seems to have used public transportation to reach the Israeli city (Abu Dhabi TV, 5/19/02). News Commentary: It seems that Palestinians want to convey a message to the Israelis that their military campaign has failed in breaking the will of the Palestinian people in resisting the Israeli military occupation of Palestine. It is likely that the Israeli government will retaliate, killing more Palestinians and causing more Palestinian destruction. But it is also likely that Palestinians will counter-retaliate, and the vicious cycle of violence continues. All this is because Sharon has no interest in peace with the Palestinian people. He thinks that he can subjugate Palestinians by force and there is no need for peace between Palestinians and Israelis. Ahmed Yassin: Hamas leader offers to stop suicide bombing if Israel stops its daily incursions in the Palestinian territories Shaikh Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of Hamas, offered to stop suicide bombing if Israel stops its incursions in the Palestinian territories. He added that Israeli forces kill Palestinian civilians on daily basis. When Israel is willing to stop killing civilians, Hamas will do the same (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/19/02). Bin Laden: had a surgery, following his injury, during Tora Bora bombing ... He will appear in a new video shortly The London-based Arabic newspaper, alquds al-arabi, has just received a report about Bin Laden's health condition. He was injured in his left shoulder during the Tora Bora bombing. As a result, he had a surgery, few weeks ago, in which a bomb metal piece was removed from his shoulder. The report said that the December video tape showed that Bin Laden did not move his left arm, then, but he is in good health now, and he will appear in a new video shortly. The report also confirmed the death of Muhammed Atef and the family of Ayman Al-Dhawahiri, during the same attacks. It added that Abu Zubaida was captured after a fire exchange that left him with injuries in his jaw, leg, and arm. The report denied rumors about any Bin Laden's kidney failure. Al-quds Al-Arabi newspaper concluded that it is more likely that Ayman Al-Dhawahiri was the doctor who conducted Bin Landen's shoulder surgery (alquds al0arabi, 5/17/02). Afghanistan: 300 British soldiers sick in stomach The British military sources in Bagram base announced that 333 British soldiers were placed in a medical quarantine inside the base, as a result of contracting a stomach fever. Eighteen of them were in serious conditions, suffering from diarrhea, vomiting, and appetite loss. It is believed that this was caused by eating local foods. Two soldiers were transported to Germany and Britain for treatment, and six more soldiers will be transported to Britain, and six others are placed under medical supervision in the base. The importance of the news is that about 1,700 British soldiers participate in the battles against Al-Qaeda and Taliban, right now (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). India and Pakistan: border clashes and and explosion in Srinagar An explosion in Srinagar, the summer capital of Kashmir, resulted in killing one person and injuring 12 others, Indian police sources said. The explosion targeted a fire-fighting station. This came following the killing of 35 people on Tuesday, when a bus and a military base were attacked. On Friday, Indian and Pakistani forces exchanged fire along borders between the two countries in Kashmir (alquds al-arabi, 5/18/02). Artillery fire exchange has continued for the second day between forces of the two countries. This resulted in tens of deaths and injuries, on both sides. Civilians on both sides of the border left their villages to safer areas and India asked the Pakistani Ambassador to leave the country (Alittihad, 5/19/02). Northern Iraq: Israeli agents active in preparation for attacking Iraq Several diplomatic and media reports mentioned that Israeli intelligence agents increased their activities in Iraqi Kurdistan, working in disguise as charity groups cooperating with the UN. Members of a group called MIG, who work in the field of removing land mines, have been observed using sophisticated cameras and other surveillance equipment. They have been using the heights of Shikh Nasser, Hassan Bek, and Haj Omran, to gather information about Syria and Iran. British and US intelligence activities have been also noticed on the increase, lately. US military personnel have been sent to train Kurdish troops, in preparation for using them as the northern alliance in Afghanistan was used to throw out Taliban (alquds al-arabi, 5/18/02). Israel: Labor Party debates Palestinian- Israeli separation Following the Likude Party conference, the Israeli Labor Party held its own conference to discuss Palestinian-Israeli relations. Benyamin Bin Eliezer, the Party Chair and the Defense Minister, spoke first. His plan includes three stages. First, fighting Palestinian resistance that he called "terrorism," but without destroying the Palestinian Authority. Second, security separation between the two peoples, through minimizing contacts between them. Third, keeping the door open for negotiations through a clear plan. In explaining his plan for negotiations, Eliezer said that the negotiations should end in establishing a Palestinian state on the vast majority of the occupied territories. Isolated settlements should be evacuated and big settlement blocks should be traded with Israeli lands in other areas. However, Eliezer rejected the right of the Palestinian refugees to return to their lands, according to the UN resolutions. Concerning Jerusalem, he proposed that Greater West Jerusalem be the Israeli capital, while East Jerusalem be under Palestinian control. Eliezer said that if the Labor Party approves his plan, he would present it to the coalition government for approval. If it does not get approved, then the Labor Party leaves the government. Initial reactions to the plan were favorable except for Haim Ramon, who criticized it as giving in much to the Palestinian side (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/17/02). Israel: an American arrested for his charity activities Israeli security forces arrested Riadh Abdel Karim, who is an American medical doctor. Abdel Karim was arrested because of his association with the Holly Land Foundation, a US charity whose assets were frozen for suspicion of links with the Palestinian Hamas group. The Foundation has been prohibited in Israel since 1997, in an attempt by the Israeli government to control the flow of financial resources to the Palestinian occupied territories (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). Palestine: Legislative Council proposes elections in six months and reform of security institutions The Palestinian Legislative Council voted for holding municipal elections before the end of this year, and presidential and parliamentarian elections at the beginning of next year. President Arafat promised to sign it into a law. The law will limit the term for security chiefs not to exceed four years and that they should not interfere in politics. They should not hold contacts with the Israeli government unless they are asked by the political leadership. The law will also open the door for the trials of those who mismanaged the government financial resources. It also recommends the cancellation of the "State Security Court," and replace it with a civilian court whose sentences are appealed. The Council voted against a bill that calls for the creation of a Prime Minister's position because it is against the basic law of the Palestinian Authority (Al-Hayat Al-Jadedah, 5/17/02). Spain: Extreme right wing fever spreads to Spain, too. The Spanish government is cracking down on immigration, in an attempt to deny the extreme right wing the opportunity to criticize its immigration policies. The first hard hit have been Moroccan immigrants, who have been the target of scrutiny. The rise of Le Pen in France represented an encouragement to the rise of the extreme right wing trends in European politics, including in Spain. It is not a surprise, therefore, that the coordinator of the Spanish right is a French, Alan Lefredi, who was sent by Le Pen to recruit followers in Spain. His work, so far, has been focused on uniting the two right wing organizations: Spain 2000 and National Democracy, under an anti-immigration platform. The two organizations pride themselves of the physical attacks on immigrants (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). Jordan: A setback for democracy: Sentencing the first female legislator for 18 months in prison, for criticizing the government The Jordanian State Security Court sentenced Tujan Al-Faisal, the first female member of the Parliament, to 18 months in prison. The Court said that Al-Faisal's statements in the written and electronic media encourage civil disobedience and hurt the reputation of the country. Her attorney withdrew in protest for not enabling him to do his job. Among the most important reasons for her conviction, Al-Faisal criticized the Prime Minister, Abu Al-Raghib, for not showing a solid support for Iraq. She also criticized the Jordanian judiciary of corruption (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). News commentary: The 18 month-sentence will deprive Tujan Al-Faisal the opportunity to run for election to regain her seat. She was elected as the first woman in the Jordanian Parliament during its 1993-1997 period. Algeria: The second man in the Islamist opposition is killed Algerian government sources mentioned that one of the two killed in Bilaida University, two days ago, could be the second man in the Islamist opposition group, Call and Fighting. They were killed while trying to steal communication equiment. The group killed 15 soldiers this month, kidnapped seven, and takes the Qabail area forests as its base (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). Iraq: UN resolution accepted officially but with reservations Iraq has announced officially that it accepts the UN Security Council resolution 1409, which has eased some aspects of the economic sanctions imposed on Iraq since 1990. The Iraqi Media Minister, Muhammed Al-Sahaf, said that Iraq "would deal with the resolution." The resolution will make it easier for the Iraqi government to import civilian goods than before. However, a meeting of the Iraqi cabinet together with the Revolutionary Command Council discussed the resolution and issued a statement that called for lifting the embargo completely and stopping the US-British imposed no-fly zones in northern and southern Iraq. Iraqi media also criticized the resolution for keeping the embargo and the no-fly zones (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02, Alittihad, 5/18/02). Israeli occupation: Israelis kill 3 and arrest 61 Palestinians, and conduct raids on Nablus and Ramallah Israeli occupation: 5 Palestinians killed, 8 injured, 50 arrested, houses demolished
Israeli occupation: mistreatment of Palestinian female political prisoners Fifteen Palestinian female political prisoners in Ramleh Prison, in Israel, told the attorney of the Palestinian Prisoner Club, Alegra Patchico, that they are mistreated in the prison. They are forced to be strip-searched whenever they leave prison to the court, or even whenever they leave their cells. If one of them refuses to be strip-searched, she will be searched by force. In particular, the prison administration canceled the canteen, confiscated personal electric appliances, and denied prisoners the daily walk in the prison's court. Moreover, the fifteen prisoners are crowded in four rooms only (alquds al-arabi, 5/17/02). Italy: An Italian medical delegation visits Ramallah on May 18-23 The
Italian delegation will be as follows: Dr.
Ilja Gardi, Director General, San Salvatore Hospital Trust, Pesaro. Prof.
Guido Lucarelli, Scientific Director, The International Thalassemia Project. Ing.
Federico Albertini, Project Co-ordinator, The International Thalassemia Project and &
Consultant to Executive Management. During
the five day trip, the delegation will be meeting with the Italian
Ambassador in Tel Aviv and the Italian Consulate General in Jerusalem in
order to organise the distribution of medical supplies to the Thalassemic
associations in Ramallah.
They will also be meeting with Palestinian Thalassemic associations
in Ramallah, from where they will collect the patients and their families
for transfer to Italy.
During the trip it is also planned that the delegation will be
meeting Palestinian officials. The
Italian delegation will then return to Italy together with the first group
of Thalassemic children and their families, accompanied by Palestinian
officials who will be staying in Pesaro for a few days in order to define
further operative details of the collaboration (Jan
Mohabull, Azienda Ospedaliera ‘San Salvatore’, Pesaro, Italy, May 18,
2002). Palestinians observe the 54th anniversary of their calamity Palestinians observed the 54th anniversary of their calamity by rallies and demonstrations that called for more national unity and the continuation of resistance until ending the Israeli occupation. Yesterday was the 54th anniversary of their calamity, which was the destruction of Palestine on May 15, 1948. On that day and during the war that followed, their country disappeared and most of them became refugees. At the same time, Jewish immigrants declared the State of Israel on the ruins of Palestine, depriving the Palestinian People all their human rights, evicting them from their lands, and forcing them to live in refugee camps ever since. All Palestinian political parties and organizations issued statements confirming the rights of the Palestinian people for an independent state, and for return to their lands, according to UN resolutions (alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). The Italian President visits Morocco The Italian President, Carlo Champi, arrived in Morocco for three-day visit. Relations between Morocco and Italy have improved following a cooperation and friendship agreement between the two countries, which was signed in 1991. Italy has become the seventh exporter to Morocco and the fourth importer of from the North African Arab country. Trade between the two countries reached about Euro 1.18 billion, in 2000. The Moroccan King, Muhammed VI, visited Italy, in April 2000 (alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). 5 killed, 30 injured, in an explosion in Algeria Five people were killed and thirty were injured in Tazmalt, Algeria, yesterday, as a result of an explosion in the town, which is about 280 kilometers to the east of the capital. The bomb exploded in the weekly marketplace to cause as many casualties as possible. The explosion comes as part of anti-elections campaign that influential families in the Qabail area oppose. The coming elections will be held on May 30. Earlier, three policemen were killed, then on Wednesday, two Islamist activists were killed by the police, near Albilaida University. Four corpses of military personnel were found in a forest near Tizi Uzu, in the Qabail area. These were kidnapped earlier by an Islamist group, led by Hassan Hattab (alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). The US may relieve Russian debts to stop Russian-Iranian cooperation Addressing the Council on Foreign Relations, Richard Pearle, who is a Pentagon advisor, suggested that the US and its Western allies should consider relieving Russia of the $43 billion in Soviet debts. He said that this should be an inducement for the Russians to stop their cooperation with Iran, particularly in the development of weapons of mass destruction and missiles (alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). News commentary: Its seems that pro-Israel experts, like Richard Pearle, have nothing in their mind but preventing Arab and Muslim countries from developing weapons of mass destruction. At the same time, they do not say a word about Israel's arsenal of nuclear, biological, and chemical weapons, or its missile capabilities. They even pressure Western governments to relieve Russia of all its debts in order to deny Muslims and Arabs any unconventional deterrence. The objective is keeping Israel as the Middle East regional superpower, so that it can continue its dominance on the region. Blair expects an attack on Iraq even after the return of UN inspectors In an interview with the BBC, the British Prime Minister Tony Blair announced that he would not rule out an attack on Iraq even if the Iraqi government allows UN inspectors to return to the country to make sure that it has no unconventional weapons. He emphasized that the Saddam Hussain regime should be thrown out by all means possible. He added that he had concluded that the Iraqi people would be better off without their President, Saddam Hussain (alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). News commentary: What Tony Blair did not mention is the British oil interests in Iraq. An invasion of Iraq may lead to dividing Iraqi oil among Western oil companies. He also failed to mention that any more destruction of Iraq is more relief to Israel, as it will remove the only remaining Arab regime that still opposes its hegemony in the area and its continuous oppression of the Palestinian people. Arafat calls for change and reform In a televised speech before the Legislative Council, yesterday, the Palestinian President Yassir Arafat announced his intention to introduces major changes and reforms to the Palestinian Authority. He called for parliamentarian and municipal elections to be held this fall. He also called for restructuring of administrative and security institutions. He also called for the separation of the judiciary, legislative, and the executive branches of the government. He emphasized that these changes are necessary for the Palestinian people to continue their struggle until achieving their goal of an independent Palestinian state and getting their rights, according to UN resolutions (Al-Ayyam, Alquds, Alquds al-arabi, 5/16/02). The Israeli aggression continues in the West Bank and Gaza Strip The Israeli terrorist war waged against the Palestinian defenseless people is still escalating in many districts, where the Israeli occupation forces are invading the villages and the refugee camps, setting barriers and roadblocks blocking the access of the Palestinian citizens to their work, schools, universities and other targets, while the Israeli soldiers use all means to humiliate the citizens in an abusive collective punishments. The West Bank: The cities of Nablus, Bethlehem and Hebron are still under Israeli tight siege where the Palestinian citizens are not allowed to attend their work, schools, and other places within the Palestinian controlled areas mark “A”. The Israeli occupation forces performed an incursion into the center of the City of Hebron, using several tanks, armored personnel carriers and jeeps, invading the citizens’ houses ransacking them and arresting many, and wounding others, while other occupation military groups invaded official offices destroying their contents and looting valuables and stealing computers and other hardware. Several houses were reported damaged. The Gaza Strip: The entire Strip is still under air, land and sea siege where the Israelis are intensifying their forces by mobilizing their reserve armed forces, bringing more tanks and other military equipments in preparations for a mass invasion. The Israeli monstrous military bulldozers protected by land and air military cover, have bulldozed 60 acres of agricultural crops, 10 acres of olive trees and destroyed 5 greenhouses; they also exploded one civilian house and bulldozed another leveling it to the ground, in Rafah, without enabling the owners to salvage any items, this criminal act was conducted without any reason. The Israeli occupation forces are still conducting their atrocities against the Palestinians, despite the International repeated calls to the Israeli Government to stop its aggression, ceasefire and withdraw its forces from the occupied cities, villages and refugee camps (Wafa, 5/16/02). Risk of epidemics in Palestinian villages because Israel prevents health care providers to reach them The Palestine Red Crescent Society (PRCS) is very concerned about the deteriorating health conditions in the Occupied and Autonomous Palestinian Territories, especially in villages which remain totally cut off. "Medical crews have no free access there," says Dr. Younis Al-Khatib, the president of the PRCS. "Our health services have reached their lowest level ever, to the point that we can now say there are no longer any health services in the villages." Following the destruction of homes and infrastructure caused by recent Israeli military actions in the territories, hundreds of people are homeless and have had no access either to emergency care or to regular, public health care in hospitals or clinics. Israeli checkpoints continue to severely restrict travel. The immunization program, which provided 12 types of vaccinations for new-born babies and children, has been stopped. This situation could lead to an increased mortality rate for children and cause epidemics, especially among the young. Additionally, elderly people with chronic diseases are suffering from shortages of medicine. Another concern is the lack of decent hygienic living conditions in several cities where garbage collection was not carried out for some time. This raises another potential threat of epidemics. Numerous Israeli occupation checkpoints and blocked roads remain a severe difficulty for PRCS ambulances. "When they can move, an ambulance may take three hours to get to a patient and three hours to get back to the medical centre" says Al-Khatib. Since the Israeli offensive began at the end of March, 36 women have delivered babies at checkpoints, three women died there in childbirth and four infants died. Over the past weeks, PRCS medical personnel have been arrested. Five PRCS emergency rescue members are still detained. According to the PRCS, they were handcuffed, beaten and blindfolded by Israeli soldiers when arrested and one of them was used as human shield. Al-Khatib has urged the Federation and the ICRC to intervene on their behalf with Israeli authorities to have them released (Wafa, 5/16/02). 1 Palestinian Killed, 1 injured, Jerusalem stock exchange trading rose up Ramallah May 16th 2002 Wafa; below is a brief of the major events and developments in the Palestinian arena:
Carter in Cuba: Diffusing a New Crisis, Or Opening Door for Policy Change? Read today's (5/15/02) editorial. Sharon continues assassination of Palestinians: Extra-judicial killing in Halhoul Yesterday morning, Israeli occupation forces have killed two Palestinian security officers in yet another extra-judicial execution. According to the Palestinian Legal Organization, LAW Society, findings, Israeli special forces entered Halhoul, located north of Hebron, at 1.00 am and besieged the Palestinian security office. As Khaled Abu al-Khayran (38) and Ahmad Za'mara (26) left the office in a car, Israeli special forces opened fire. Eyewitnesses said that one of the two men was hit and injured, after which members of the Israeli special forces beat him for thirty minutes. He died of his wounds after the Israeli special forces withdrew from the town. In a previous Israeli incursion into Halhoul on February 12, 2002, Israeli forces demolished Za'mara's two-story home. According to LAW's findings, at least 80 Palestinians have so far been killed in extra-judicial executions committed by Israel. LAW emphasizes that extra-judicial executions constitute willful killings, which are a grave breach of the Fourth Geneva Convention and as such constitute war crimes subject to universal jurisdiction. Under Article 8 of the Rome Statute of the International Criminal Court, these grave breaches constitute war crimes. Whatever policy the Israeli government chooses to implement, it must be within the limits imposed by international humanitarian and human rights law. Extra-judicial killings cannot be reconciled with the Fourth Geneva Convention, which seek to protect the lives of protected persons, and violate human rights norms that affirm the right to life and the prohibition on execution of civilians. The circumstances under which most extra-judicial executions are carried out, suggest complete disregard for the risk involved to the lives of bystanders. According to LAW's findings 26 bystanders have been killed so far. Israel's ongoing human rights violations further illustrates the need for the immediate deployment of an international protection presence to prevent violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention and to protect Palestinian protected persons within the Occupied Palestinian Territories. Moreover, to prevent further human rights violations, LAW calls for a thorough, independent, and effective international investigation into violations of the Fourth Geneva Convention in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, including war crimes, and calls for those found responsible for such actions to be tried before an international court (Wafa, 5/15/02). Israeli soldiers imprisoned for refusing to take part in human rights violations On the International day of the Conscientious Objector on 15 May Amnesty International draws attention to the rising number of Israeli soldiers and reservists imprisoned for refusing to perform their military service in the Occupied Palestinian Territories. This rise is the result of a growing concern of conscripts, soldiers and reservists about some of the actions taken by the Israeli Forces in the Occupied Territories. "Israel must recognize the right to refuse military service on grounds of conscience as recognized under the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights to which it is a party," Amnesty International said. "We call on the Israeli Army to take the concern of its own reservists, soldiers and conscripts seriously. It is a message to halt actions which breach human rights standards and international humanitarian law." A total of 460 reservists have so far signed a letter issued in January 2002 stating: "We shall not fight beyond the 1967 borders in order to dominate, expel, starve and humiliate an entire people." An earlier open letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in September 2001 was signed by 62 school students approaching the age of conscription. In explanation of their refusal to perform military service the letter said: "We strongly resist Israel’s pounding of human rights. Land expropriation, arrests, executions without a trial, house demolition, closure, torture, and the prevention of health care are only some of the crimes the state of Israel carries out, in blunt violation of international conventions it has ratified." One of the signatories, Igal Rosenberg (18), has just started a fifth prison sentence for refusing military service. He served a first 21-day prison sentence from 3 to 21 February; then a 28-day sentence from 26 February to 22 March; then a 14-day prison term from 10 to 22 April 2002; on 29 April he was sentenced to another 14 days. On 13 May 2002 he received a fifth prison sentence of 14 days. Conscientious objectors in Israel are imprisoned for weeks and sometimes months, normally after unfair trials. In many cases they serve multiple prison sentences. Since the beginning of the Intifada at least 114 conscientious objectors have been imprisoned with about 20 of them serving prison sentences at present. First Sergeant Rafram Haddad (26), a reservist with the military police, was sentenced on 29 April 2002 to 28 days imprisonment for refusing to serve as a guard at Megiddo Military Prison, where Palestinians are held for long periods of time without trial. Rafram Haddad is an active member of the Jerusalem peace community. On 25 April 2002, Shay Biran, Yiftah Admoni, Alon Dror and Tomer Friedman received prison sentences of 28 days after refusing to serve as guards at the Ketziot Prison (also known as Ansar III) in the Negev desert, recently reopened to hold hundreds of Palestinians detained during the recent occupation forces operations in the Occupied Territories. All four serve in the Nahal Brigade, which consists mainly of youth movement graduates. Shay Biran and Tomer Friedman had previously seen active combat duty in the Occupied Territories. Each of the soldiers defended his decision in detail. Amnesty International calls on the Israeli government to release immediately and unconditionally all those who have been imprisoned because they refused to serve in the Israeli army for reasons of conscience or profound conviction. Background: A person who for reasons of conscience or profound conviction arising from religious, ethical, moral, humanitarian, philosophical, political or similar motive refuses to perform armed service or any other direct or indirect participation in wars or armed conflicts and is imprisoned as a result of his/her refusal to serve is considered by Amnesty International to be a prisoner of conscience unless such a person has also refused to perform alternative civilian service of comparable length. There is no such alternative civilian service in Israel (Wafa, 5/15/02). Israeli agents carry explosives in Washington Fox news network reported that the police of Seatle, Washington, found traces of TNT and another explosive material in a truck leased by two Israelis, last week. The truck was stopped for speeding in Oak Harbor, near a naval base. Although the two Israelis said that they were carrying furniture, they were arrested for immigration violations, as they were staying in the US illegally. When the truck was examined by police dogs, traces of two explosive materials, TNT and RDX, were found on the steering wheel and on the gear (alquds al-arabi, 5/15/02). Iraq criticizes Security Council resolution for not lifting sanctions ... a US-Russian deal behind it Iraqi newspapers criticized the "smart sanctions" UN resolution for not lifting the sanctions altogether. Instead, it still required Iraqi oil revenues to be kept in a UN special fund, which supervises Iraqi purchases. The new thing in the resolution is that it allows Iraq to export and import civilian commodities without restrictions. However, the dual use commodities, as well as military equipment, have to be approved by the UN sanctions committee. The resolution could not have passed without Russian approval, which was secured by giving Russia two US concessions in nuclear disarmament and NATO-Russian relations. Because Russia has a vested interest in lifting the embargo imposed on Iraq, the US has given Russia these concessions in order to keep Iraqi revenues under control (alquds al-arabi, 5/15/02). Khatami visits Afghanistan shortly The Afghani Embassy in Tehran announced that the Iranian President, Muhammed Khatami, would visit Afghanistan shortly. The Embassy added that the visit is expected before June 10, when the Afghani Council of Notables (Parliament) will meet for the first time in decades. Iran has been known as enemy to the Taliban regime, and an ally to the assassinated Afghan leader, Ahmed Shah Massoud. Iran has also hosted about 3.2 million Afghan refugees, who started to return to their country in April (alquds al-arabi, 5/15/02). Tense election day in Holland after assassination of right wing candidate ... Christian Democrats win elections Dutch voters voted today for candidates competing for the 150 seats in the Dutch parliament. This year's elections are different due to the assassination of the right wing candidate, Pim Fortuyn. Apparently, his followers benefited from his assassination, not only by entering the parliament but also by becoming a major political party. They won 26 seats, just after a few months of their existence as a political group. Their platform opposes immigration, asylum, family reunions, and the European agreement that allows free travel among European countries. Fortuyn was assassinated by pro-environment Dutchman, on May 6. His followers have achieved a great success in municipal elections, in March, when they won majority of seats in Rotterdam. Until this election, the Dutch government has been a coalition between the Labor, Liberal, and Reform parties, since 1994. The Labor party was the loser of the day and declared that it would not enter in a coalition with Fortuyn's followers, in any future governments (alquds al-arabi, 5/15/02). The big winner of the elections was the Christian Democratic Party, which won 43 seats, a gain of 15 more seats than before. The Party leader, Jan Peter Balkenende, who was a philosophy professor, will be the new Dutch Prime Minister, succeeding the defeated Labor Party leader, Wim Kok (CNN, 5/16/02). Apparently, Holland has followed France in shifting toward the right of the middle, which is caused by fear of the utlra right wing. Peter Arnett visits Baghdad and meets with Iraqi journalists The American journalist, Peter Arnett, is visiting Baghdad this week. He has met with Iraqi journalists and talked to them about his experience as an American journalist in Iraq during the 1991 Gulf War. He said that President Bush Sr. personally wanted him out of Iraq, together with other Western journalists, so that the American people would not be informed of what was happening inside Iraq. He said that the Bush administration was particularly unhappy about his coverage of bombing areas where civilians died like Al-Amiriya shelter, the baby formula factory, and Al-Falouja marketplace. He also talked about how various American administrations influence American media to take their position (alquds al-arabi, 5/13/02). Crown Prince Abdullah: “Arabs would not accept a partial Israeli pullout” Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdulaziz said in an interview published here yesterday that Israel would have to withdraw from the occupied Arab territories, including East Jerusalem, as the price for real peace with the Arab world. The prince, told Asharq Al Awsat newspaper that Arabs would not accept a partial Israeli pullout and Israel had to return all Arab land it occupied in 1967, and allow the return of Palestinian refugees. "A withdrawal is not enough, there must be a return to the pre-1967 aggression lines and an end to the occupation of Jerusalem so that it becomes the capital of Palestine," said Prince Abdullah, the architect of a Middle East peace initiative. "The return of refugees is also a must," he told the London-based paper. Prince Abdullah praised Mr. Bush for supporting the long-standing Arab demand for the creation of an independent Palestinian state. "I must say that President Bush has played an active role...by insisting on the necessity of the creation of a Palestinian state at a time the Israeli forces tried to annul the Palestinian Authority," the paper quoted him as saying. The kingdom was ready to pay a price for achieving peace in the Middle East, Prince Abdullah said. "Syria's Golan Heights and what remains of Lebanon must also be returned," he said. "If this can end the plight of five million Palestinians, restore territories of three Arab countries and guarantee stability in the region, wouldn't this deserve a price for peace," he said. Prince Abdullah said that during his visit to the USA, he explained to US President George W. Bush the situation "and gave him some pictures and videotapes about the oppression on our Palestinian brothers. "President Bush dealt with what we gave with humanitarian feeling. He appeared affected by the oppression on the Palestinians," said Prince Abdullah (Wafa, 5/13/02). In another racist measure, the Israeli government freezes reunification of Arab families The Israeli government yesterday retroactively approved Interior Minister Eli Yishai's April 1 freeze on all family reunifications between Israeli Arabs and West Bankers and Gazans, to prevent Palestinians from the territories gaining Israeli citizenship.
An American activist held in an Israeli jail has collapsed nine days into a hunger strike protesting his detention, his lawyer said. Trevor Baumgardner from Seattle, Washington, was among a group of pro-Palestinian activists who attempted to enter the Church of the Nativity compound in Bethlehem on May 2. Ten made it into the church in defiance of Israeli troops. Thirteen other members of International Solidarity Movement - a group devoted to focusing attention on the Palestinian suffering - were arrested, nine of whom have been deported. The remaining four, all U.S. citizens, are on a hunger strike in an Israeli jail. Allegra Pachecco, an American-Israeli human rights lawyer who was representing the group, identified the three American activists imprisoned with Baumgardner as Thomas Koutsoukos from Lake Forest, Illinois, Nathan Musselman from Roanoke, Virginia and Nathan Muegher from Spokane, Washington. On Saturday, her clients informed her that Baumgardner, who has refused to drink water since Tuesday, had collapsed. Georgina Reeves, a spokeswoman for the group, said three activists from the group arrested Friday have already been deported (Wafa, 5/13/02). Arafat in Jenin and Bethlehem, for the first time out of Ramallah after the Israeli military offensive Thousands of whistling and cheering Palestinians surged the manger square in Bethlehem today to welcome President Yasser Arafat who arrived to the city, the first stop in his trip today to three of the hardest-hit areas in the ongoing Israeli military offensive, biblical Bethlehem, the heroic Jenin refugee camp and the city of Nablus. Shortly after his arrival here, President Arafat toured the Christianity's holiest shrines in the world, the Church of the Nativity which had been targeted by the occupation troops during its occupation to the city. In Ramallah and before getting on the Jordanian air force helicopter - which the President is using in his tour, President Arafat denounced a decision by Ariel Sharon's Likud Party early Monday to oppose the creation of a Palestinian state. "This is the destruction of the Oslo agreement," President Arafat said of the vote. The Oslo agreements are a set of interim peace accords between Israel and the Palestinians negotiated in the mid-1990s. Today’s trip, is the first official one to President Arafat since the occupation army lifted its siege of his office complex in Ramallah. President Arafat last left the Palestinian territories on Nov. 25 - 2001. In early December, his helicopters were destroyed in Israeli occupation air strikes. On his part Jenin's governor Zuhair Manasrah told Wafa "This is a very important visit after what happened in this camp." President Arafat compared last month's the resistance in the Jenin refugee camp to the devastating World War II battle of Stalingrad that destroyed the former Soviet city and killed more than 600,000 people. "Jenin has turned into Jeningrad, instead of Stalingrad. Remember something like that, Stalingrad? Now, Jeningrad," the President told CNN shortly after the occupation troops lifted their siege of his Ramallah office. Israeli occupation troops had staged a barbaric massacre in Jenin during their on going war on the Palestinian people (Wafa, 5/13/02). Israelis stole and destroyed Palestinian privately-owned media equipment, fromTV & radio stations, newspapers, magazines, and news bureaus During the Israeli incursions into the Palestinian territories, the destruction caused by the Israeli military included all of the PNA ministries, educational institutions, commercial complexes and houses in Ramallah and Al Bireh. The Israeli army also attacked and pillaged many Palestinian television and radio stations. These private investments were built in the early 1990s and continued to function through much perseverance and effort, the Jordan Star reported. The Jerusalem-based Al Quds newspaper recently published a report about the destruction of these stations by the Israeli military. It noted Palestinian losses are in the millions of dollars. The last Israeli offensive against these media organizations took the livelihood of many Palestinians who worked there. Director-General of Amwaj (Waves) radio and television Hani Arafat narrated the details of the Israeli break-in. In the first three days of the Israeli incursion, the soldiers stormed the station. They blew up its gates and locked up its employees in one room, for hours. "The soldiers threw out more than 3,500 CDs in the street and started broadcasting pornographic and anti-Arab and Palestinian movies," Arafat added. He estimated his losses at $1 million. "The Israeli attacks on the Palestinian media institutions were carried out to prevent them from broadcasting Israeli barbarous practic |