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NEWS FROM THE ARAB AND MUSLIM WORLD. SEPTEMBER. 2005. PART 1. EN ROUTE

TO READ AUGUST 2005 ARAB & MUSLIM WORLD NEWS

Arabs of 1948 Begin Visit to Syria. DAMASCUS, Syria, (SANA-Syrian News Agency). Head of the Palestinian delegation of 1948 Arabs hailed yesterday Syria's support to our steadfast folks under the brutal Israeli occupation. Sheikh Ali Maadi said while exchanging words with Minister of Islamic Trusts during a visit to the Omyyad mosque of Damascus that the visit to their second homeland Syria "has a great meaning," noting to the tough ordeal our folks in the occupied Arab territories are undergoing. Earlier in statements when the delegation arrived at the Syrian- Jordanian border point of Nassib, Head of the delegation said :" our visit to Syria poses as a challenge to the wall of siege imposed by the Israeli authorities that separates us from our folks in Syria and the whole Arab world." Deputy Minister of Waqf Mohammed al-Syyed said the visit came in these circumstances to confirm solidarity with Syria's pioneering position in keeping the rights and supporting the just and comprehensive peace. The delegation included 110 members who are visiting Syria for the first time since 50 years.

Syrian Anti-Terror Squad Raids a Terrorist Group. HASAKA, Northeast Syria,(SANA-Syrian News Agency). Syrian anti-terror units raided today a hideout of unarmed expiatory group at a house in Hasaka city, northeast Syria. A fire exchange was reported with members of the group where one of them was killed and one member of the anti-terror unites injured. The clash ended with the arrest of three members of the expiatory group and confiscation of their weapons while investigation started with them.

Pentagon Contract Announcement. (Source: US Department of Defense). Raytheon Systems dba Raytheon Systems Co., Tucson, Ariz., is being awarded a $17,140,440 ceiling-priced modification to a previously awarded firm-fixed price contract (N00019-03-C-0003) for 150 AIM-9M/9X tactical missiles, 30 spare guidance control sections, and eight guidance control system containers for the Government of Saudi Arabia under the Foreign Military Sales program. Work will be performed in Tucson, Ariz. (93 percent) and Andover, Mass., (7 percent), and is expected to be completed in December 2006. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. The Naval Air Systems Command, Patuxent River, Md., is the contracting activity.

Major General Mousa Arafat Killed and His Son Kidnapped by Gunmen

PCHR strongly condemns the assassination committed by unknown gunmen early this morning, which killed Major General Mousa Arafat, the Military Advisor of the Palestinian President. Arafat's son was also kidnapped by the gunmen who stormed the family's house in Gaza City. PCHR considers this crime an escalation of the state of security chaos in the Palestinian territories, which undermines the rule of law. According to preliminary investigations conducted by PCHR, at approximately 03:45 on Wednesday, 8 September 2005, dozens of gunmen armed with machine guns and anti-tank RBJ missiles and traveling in at least 20 vehicles stormed the house of Major General Mousa Arafat, 69, the Military Advisor of the Palestinian President and the former commander of the Military Intelligence, in Tal al-Hawa neighborhood in the southwest of Gaza City. They defeated the guards after exchanging fire with them. Three guards were injured and others were handcuffed by the gunmen. The attackers were able to break into the house. They took Aarafat out and shot him from close range. Then, they carried him towards a main street in the neighborhood and fired several live bullets again at his head. The gunmen also kidnapped Arafat's son, Manhal, 38, an officer of the Military Intelligence. The fate of the son is still unknown. PCHR strongly condemns this crime: 1. remains gravely concerned at the deterioration in the internal security situation and believes that this latest crimes constitutes a serious escalation of the state of security chaos. 2. asserts that regardless of the drive for this assassination, those responsible for corruption can be held accountable by legal bodies and the judiciary, and strongly rejects the use of violence and weapons which threaten the safety and security of the Palestinian society. 3. PCHR calls upon the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) to effectively investigate this assassination, uncover its details and bring the perpetrators to justice. PCHR calls upon the PNA to investigate the delay of arrival of security services at the scene even though the office of the Palestinian President is only 300 meters away from Arafat's house and the headquarters of the Preventive Security is also very close. 4. PCHR believes that such crimes undermine the rule of law.

President Abbas Cancels Journey to UN Headquarters Due to Withdrawal Preparations. GAZA, (IPC + WAFA) -[Official PA website] -
President Mahmoud Abbas canceled a journey to New York City to attend the meetings of United Nations General Assembly. Chief Negotiator Dr. Saeb Erekat said that the President canceled his journey, ahead of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and due to the security situation, especially following the assassination of his military advisor, Major General Mossa Arafat. Over and above, the presidency spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina illustrated that President Abbas decided to delegate the Foreign Minister, Dr. Nasser Al Kidwa, to attend the UN meetings on his behalf. Likewise, the Fateh movement's Revolutionary Council held its meeting yesterday, headed by President Abbas, and attended by Prime Minister Ahmad Queri, members of Fateh's Central Committee and members of Revolutionary Council. The meeting focused on the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, along with the upcoming legislative elections. In addition, the meeting included reports about the murder of Major General Mossa Arafat, President Abbas' military advisor and former head of the military intelligence service. A meeting of the movement's Central Committee preceded the meeting of the Revolutionary Council on Wednesday.

Kidnapped Manhal Arafat Released. GAZA, (WAFA-PLO News Agency)- Manhal Arafat, son of Major Gen. Mussa Arafat who was assassinated Wednesday by militant group, was released a few hours ago. Manhal was kidnapped by gunmen who shot his father's dead at his house in Gaza on Wednesday. Following his release, Manhal Arafat arrived at the Presidential
Headquarters in Gaza, accompanied by Ahmed Hellis and Samir al-Mash'harawi, members of Fateh Mobilization and Organization Bureau in Gaza.

PHRMG Condemns the Assassination of Former PA Security Chief, Moussa Arafat

The PHRMG laments the death of Former PA Security Chief Moussa Arafat at daybreak Wedneday, September 7, 2005.. Moussa Arafat was assassinated byPalestinian gunmen in his home. The PHRMG reiterates its strong condemnation for this act of assassination that is flaunted in the face of the world. According to Haaretz Newspaper, September 7,2005, dozens of gunmen stormed the house of chief Moussa Arafat before dawn and shot him dead in the street outside. Gunmen with rifles and anti-tank grenades battled the guards at Arafat's house for more than 30 minutes before storming in and pulling him outside. There is no immediate claim of responsibility for the killing yet. Moussa Arafat, 65, is the cousin of late PA leader Yasser Arafat. He was a founder of the ruling Fatah movement and was a senior official in the Fatah Revolutionary Council, a top policy-making body. Arafat was fired by the PA chairman, Mahmoud Abbas in the early 2005. He had been linked to corruption charges and had many powerful enemies, and it was thought that his killing was related to internal conflicts. In August 2003, Moussa Arafat escaped an assassination attempt after his office was blasted by a rocket-propelled grenade which injured at least 13 Palestinians. In addition, in October 2004, he survived a car bomb car bomb that exploded in his convoy. PHRMG strongly condemns the assassination and reiterates its call for the PA to immediately act to confront the misuse of weapons in the Occupied Palestinian Territories, which threatens the safety and security of Palestinian civilians. The PHRMG also calls for Mahmoud Abbas (Abu-Mazen) to take security measures and make reforms aimed at establishing and improving security in the Palestinian territories. The Palestinian Authority should start taking serious measures to question and punish those who are responsible for corruption and violation of law and should start prosecuting those who think they are above the law. The Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group (PHRMG) is a Palestinian, independent, non-governmental organization working to end human rights violations committed against Palestinians in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, and East Jerusalem, regardless of those responsible. The members of the Monitoring Group believe that the strength of democracy and civil society in Palestinian society will be determined by the Palestinian people, through their defense or neglect of human rights.

Recent SIS Poll Reveals 72 Percent of Palestinians Will Vote in Legislative Elections. GAZA, (IPC) -[Official PA website] - A recent public opinion poll conducted by the State Information Service (SIS) revealed that a majority of the Palestinian people would likely participate in the upcoming legislative elections, while more than half of them expressed optimism about the future. SIS poll, which was carried out between August 16-22, surveyed Palestinians' opinions about the latest political developments in the region. About their affiliations with regards to the elections, 38.6 percent of those polled said they would vote for Fateh movement's candidates, while 24.3 percent would vote for Hamas candidates, 21.1 percent for independents, 5.5 for leftist candidates and 10.5 percent for other. With regards to the current Intifada, 62.6 percent of the surveyed believed that the Intifada was still ongoing despite the peace talks, as 44.9 percent considered military struggle as beneficiary to the Palestinian interests more in case of a third Intifada or the current one continuing. 52.1 percent believed that Palestinians lost more than they gained in this Intifada. On the Palestinian government, 62.2 percent of the sample were in favor of the Vice President's post, while 41.5 percent of them evaluated Prime Minister Ahmad Qurei's performance as bad, with 40.8 percent saying it was mediocre. Also in evaluating the performance of the Palestinian Legislative Council, 51.1 percent of the polled said it was bad, while 54.7 percent said the performance of security services as bad. Only 37.6 percent of the sample viewed the performance of Palestinian factions as bad. As for the government's performance to uphold the rule of law, 56.4 percent of the sample viewed this performance as inadequate, while 59.5 percent evaluated the government's role in maintaining law and order as bad. In addition, more than half of those surveyed evaluated the current Palestinian government's performance on improving the economic situations, dealing with the prisoners' issue and backing the fight to halt the construction of the Apartheid Wall as inadequate. As for the Palestinian National Authority's priorities after the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, 31.5 percent said believed the first priority was to fight lawlessness and enforcing law and order. 50 percent of the polled said they were in favor of disarming Palestinian militant factions, as 74 percent expressed feelings of insecurity for themselves and their families, but 60.3 percent believed that the PNA should end weapon anarchy and armed displays in the streets, even by force. With respect to the refugees abroad, 56.2 percent believed that giving those refugees passports of the country they were in would make their lives easier and boos their capabilities, as opposed to 45.9 percent who believed receiving those passports would compromise their right to return. For the support of Palestinian national and Islamic movements, Fateh earned 35.5 percent of the support of the polled, followed by Hamas with 20.9 percent, Islamic Jihad with 3.6 percent, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) with 3.5 percent, Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine (DFLP) with 2.6 percent, the National Initiative with 1.6 percent, the People's Party with 0.9, and independents with 13.6 percent. The poll's sample included 1,758 individuals of all social and political spectra over 18 years of age, of them 724 in Gaza Strip and 1,034 in the West Bank. The error margin in the poll reached +/-3.5 percent.