MIDDLE EAST NEWS EXPRESS

 

 

An Israeli ex-soldier who killed UK peace activist Tom Hurndall in the Gaza Strip has been jailed for eight years. Ex-sergeant Taysir Hayb was convicted of manslaughter at an Israeli military court in June for shooting Mr Hurndall, of north London, in April 2003. He was sentenced to seven years for manslaughter and one year for obstruction of justice.

Photo: Tom Hurndall died nine months after falling into a coma.

 Mr Hurndall, 22, was involved in protests against the Israeli military in the Palestinian town of Rafah. He died nine months after the shooting. Hayb's conviction follows a lengthy campaign by Mr Hurndall's family. His sister, Sophie Hurndall, said that while she welcomed the verdict it would not bring her brother back. "It's a huge landmark, it's a milestone, it's the first time that a soldier's been convicted of manslaughter since the first intifada and it's obviously been a long time coming. "It's been two years of us all working very hard at this."

Photo: Taysir Hayb tried to attack journalists as he left court in June.

His mother, Jocelyn Hurndall, said: "Eight years is really very little if one takes international law into account." She told the ITV News Channel the family was considering a civil claim. "From the very beginning we have experienced a lack of willingness to get to the truth, which has been deeply shocking. "Undoubtedly this sentence brings a level of closure from a legal point but from a personal point of view I am not sure I believe in the concept of closure. I am sure this will go on forever," Mrs Hurndall said. UK Foreign Office minister Ian Pearson said the government welcomed Hayb's conviction. He said: "We hope that the Hurndall family will draw some comfort from the conviction and sentencing of Hayb today for the unlawful death of their son." Mr Hurndall, a Manchester Metropolitan University journalism and photography student, was in the Gaza Strip with the pro-Palestinian International Solidarity Movement, which aims to oppose Israeli occupation of Palestinian territories by non-violent means. According to witnesses, Mr Hurndall was shot in the head as he acted as a human shield, escorting children away from gunfire. The court heard Hayb fired at him from an Israeli army watchtower, using a sniper rifle with a telescopic sight. Family's 'determination': Amnesty International's Kate Allen said that while the person responsible for Mr Hurndall's death had been brought to justice, it was "striking that this was almost entirely due to tireless campaigning by his family". "The strong suspicion is that if Mr Hurndall's family had not shown utter determination to uncover the truth of their son's death, then no-one would ever have faced justice for what happened to Tom," she said. The Israeli army initially disputed this account. But, under pressure from Mr Hurndall's family and the British government, it ordered a full investigation which led to Hayb's indictment. As well as manslaughter, Hayb was found guilty of obstruction of justice, incitement to false testimony, false testimony and improper conduct. Captain Hilla Gorni of the Israeli army said the jail sentence would send out a warning to other soldiers. "This is the harshest sentence so far that was given to a soldier who was convicted of any violent action over the events of the last few years. "It does give a strong message that this kind of behaviour will not be tolerated."

Settlement of Nissanit becomes a virtual ghost town ahead of Gaza withdrawal

NISSANIT, Gaza Strip- One of Israel's largest Gaza Strip settlements was a virtual ghost town Thursday. With less than a week before the Israeli pullout begins, most residents have cleared out of Nissanit, leaving rows of abandoned homes and lawns littered with discarded furniture and garbage. Israeli officials urged the thousands of settlers who remain to follow suit and leave their homes before soldiers come to remove them.

Photo: Palestinians hold Fatah-movement flags and olive trees during a planting ceremony in Rafah, Gaza Strip, near the fence of the Israeli settlement of Rafah Yam Thursday as part of the celebrations ahead of Israel's planned withdrawal from the Gaza.

Tens of thousands of anti-pullout demonstrators gathered Thursday in Tel Aviv to denounce the impending withdrawal, the last in a series of large-scale protests in recent weeks. President George W. Bush endorsed the withdrawal in an interview broadcast Thursday on Israel TV. "The disengagement is, I think, a part of making Israel more secure and peaceful," he said. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon repeatedly has said he will not back down from his plan to remove about 9,000 Jewish settlers from 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the northern West Bank in a massive military operation scheduled to begin Wednesday. Nissanit, a community of about 1,100 people at the northern edge of the coastal strip, was nearly deserted. The furniture, windows and even the red roof tiles had been removed from many of the houses, leaving them empty shells, their yards filled with boxes and broken hunks of plastic furniture. A small pink bike lay abandoned next to one house. Two women hugged and cried in the middle of the street. A few people filled pickup trucks with the last remaining boxes and chairs they needed to move. Israeli flags, small signs of protest, flew over many of the empty houses, each marked with small "x" by the army. "Sharon is garbage; you destroyed our lives," read graffiti on one house. "It looks awful. It hurts my heart to see the houses like this," said Yossi Elus, a 30-year-old electrician from the settlement, as he removed air conditioners for his neighbours. A small group of people who recently moved here to protest the pullout said they planned to stay until troops force them out. Israeli officials do not expect strong resistance from the residents of Nissanit. Settlers in some of isolated settlements in central Gaza and the Gush Katif cluster of settlements further south are expected to be more problematic. The military commander in charge of the pullout appealed Thursday to all the settlers to leave their homes quietly. "After the 17th, the only thing left will be for them to fight with the army," Brig. Gen. Dan Harel said. In Neve Dekalim, with 2,700 residents the largest settlement to be evacuated, many of the stores in the town square were closed and the supermarket shelves were half empty. The town's post office was closed and a sign on the door read: "The post office is closed in anticipation of redemption." The settlement's residents are Orthodox Jews. A few people were packing their belongings, but most were expected to defy the deadline. The settlement was crowded Thursday with hundreds of teenagers, many of them reinforcements from outside Gaza. Police estimate that 2,000 pullout opponents have infiltrated Gaza in recent weeks and settler leaders have said thousands more were on the way. To prevent this, the army on Thursday banned all visitors from entering Gaza. Israeli and Palestinian officials also are concerned that Palestinian militants will attack soldiers during the pullout to give the impression they are driving Israel out. The Islamic group Hamas agreed to co-operate with the Palestinian Authority in ensuring a smooth transition during the withdrawal, officials said Thursday. Also Thursday, Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ordered Palestinian security forces to protect foreigners in the Gaza Strip, a statement from his office said. By Ravy Nesman.

Israeli Arab leaders vented their outrage Saturday over the Jewish security

Photo: An Israeli soldier guards Jewish settlers enjoying the beach in the Jewish settlement of Shirat Hayam, in the southern Gaza Strip, Friday.

JERUSALEM, Israel- Israeli Arab leaders vented their outrage Saturday over the Jewish security establishment's failure to prevent an extremist from slaying four members of their community with his army-issue weapon. Although they advocated a non-violent response to the attack, the potential for friction was inherent in one group's call for a mass turnout at a Jerusalem shrine that is a flashpoint in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The four were killed Thursday when the soldier - who deserted the army to protest Israel's mid-August withdrawal from the Gaza Strip - opened fire on a bus in the northern Arab town of Shfaram. Angry hordes from the town beat him to death. For months, Israeli security has said extremists might try to sabotage the mid-August pullout from Gaza and four small northern West Bank settlements by attacking Arabs to aggravate tensions and divert evacuation forces. Hundreds of Arab leaders from across Israel met in Nazareth on Saturday to discuss how their angry and frustrated community should respond to the slayings. They agreed to hold a mass demonstration of Arabs from across the country, but did not set a date. Legislator Mohammed Barakeh, who attended the meeting, told The Associated Press that the mood among Israeli Arabs was grim, but they "don't want to respond in an incendiary way." Ibrahim Sarsur, a leader of the Islamic Movement, called on the Palestinian militant group Hamas, which has threatened retaliation for the attack, to "mind its own business and let the (Israeli) Arab public handle the matter," the Haaretz newspaper reported. Barakeh and others faulted the government for not anticipating the attack. "Many leaders feel that there are ultra-nationalists wandering around, some ticking bombs," he said. "This man's name was known to the (secret police), and the army didn't let police know he had deserted. . . . He had a uniform and a gun, and was wandering free. Why?" Barakeh said the Islamic Movement issued a statement urging Israeli Muslims to turn out in force at the Temple Mount - or Haram as-Sharif - compound on Aug. 14, a Jewish holy day when many observant Jews are expected to visit the site to pray for the derailment of the pullout. Barakeh said the Islamic Movement called on Muslims to go there "to defend Al Aqsa Mosque," Islam's third-holiest shrine. The shrine is a religious and political tinderbox, and Israeli security forces have been on alert for months for pullout-related violence that could complicate the withdrawal. Muslim prayers there Friday proceeded without incident. Aug. 14 is Tisha B'Av, a day commemorating the destruction of the Jewish biblical temples that once stood at the compound. The forcible evacuation of resistant settlers in Gaza and four small northern West Bank settlements is to begin three days later. More than 10,000 Muslims, Christians and a small group of Jews joined the funeral processions in Shfaram on Friday for the two Muslim sisters and two Christian men killed in the shooting. Many Shfaram residents said they work closely with Jews and that it was not the local "mentality" to turn violent. But their anger was clear, as many asked why Israel's security services, known for its ability to stop Palestinian attackers, failed to prevent the shooting. By Amy Tebel.

Police gird for possible rioting over attack on Israeli Arabs

Photo: Friends and relatives cry Friday on the coffins of Hazar and Dina Turki, two Israeli Arab girls who were killed in the Thursday bus shooting.

SHFARAM, Israel- This northern Arab town was deep in mourning on Friday as it buried four townspeople gunned down by a Jewish soldier opposed to Israel's impending Gaza Strip pullout. Mourners heaped flowers and lit candles Friday on a makeshift altar fashioned from window frames ripped from the bus where 19-year-old Eden Natan-Zada opened fire, killing the driver and three passengers, and wounding more than 20. An enraged mob beat Natan-Zada to death, and prevented police from removing his body from the bus for hours. Thousands of police fanned out across northern Israel and Jerusalem on Friday to prevent possible rioting. Hamas militants in Gaza ratcheted up the potential for violence by threatening retaliation for the attack. Natan-Zada's body was being held in a morgue after the military, his hometown of Rishon Lezion and the extremist settlement where he recently moved refused to bury him. For months, Israeli security has been warning that extremists might try to sabotage the mid-August pullout from Gaza and four small northern West Bank settlements by attacking Arabs and diverting forces. Natan-Zada's father said his son deserted his army unit after he was ordered to help prepare for the pullout, and moved to the West Bank settlement of Tapuah. In Shfaram, thousands of Muslims, Christians and a small group of Jews turned out for a quiet funeral procession from the home of two sisters killed in the attack to the cemetery where they were buried. Dozens of women in the march chanted mournfully, "Someday we hope to die this way as martyrs, as martyrs," and flashed victory signs. Townspeople lit hundreds of candles and placed hundreds of flowers on the impromptu altar at the site of the attack. Melted candle wax seeped onto high-heeled shoes, flip-flops, door handles, seat frames and other objects taken from the bus where the victims met their death. A fire burning in a small drum stood at the head of the altar. Behind it, children and adults held up banners in Hebrew and Arabic reading, "We are fed up with racism," "Search me, I'm an Arab," and "Bring those who allow racism to justice." At a protest against the killings in Gaza City, Hamas leader Nizar Rayan served notice to "wait for our response." Wearing the skullcap, beard and sidelocks of an ultra-Orthodox Jew, Natan-Zada boarded a bus bound for Shfaram, a city of 35,000 Muslims, Christians and Druze. When the bus entered a Shfaram neighbourhood, he opened fire on the driver, killing him instantly, witnesses said. The bus rolled on for 50 metres, until it hit a parked car and ground to a halt in front of a grocery store. Natan-Zada continued shooting inside the bus, emptying a magazine. When he tried reloading, he was tackled and disarmed. Several people were involved in stopping the attack, including Husam Elian, a former soldier from Shfaram who was driving in a car directly behind the bus.

"I was driving when I heard rapid gunfire," Elian said. "I pulled out my gun, because I am a security guard, and went toward the bus. Someone told me there was a man, an Israeli soldier, with a gun, and then I saw him, and he started shooting at me and my neighbours." "I saw some friends, and they ran with me onto the bus. And just as he was changing magazines, that's when we grabbed him." Elian said his friend shouted at Natan-Zada, "Do you know Israeli soldiers could be on this bus?" Natan-Zada replied, "There are Arabs on this bus." Elian said he and his friends tried to shield Natan-Zada, but there weren't enough police officers to keep hordes from boarding the bus. "Getting him out was impossible," he said. The gunman's body lay on the bus floor, his head covered with a black plastic bag, for hours Thursday night until the crowd was subdued. His shirtless upper torso was heavily bruised and bloodied. The windows of the bus were shattered by bullets and by rocks the mob threw at him. Blood stained bus seats, and rocks covered the vehicle's floor. Police commissioner Moshe Karadi cautioned that the attack could trigger additional violence. Forces were sent north, and in Jerusalem, ahead of Muslim Sabbath prayers on Friday, police raised their alert to the highest level and assigned SWAT teams and cavalry to the Old City, in anticipation of possible rioting. The prayers concluded without incident. Three juveniles from Tapuah, aged 15 to 17, were arrested in connection with the attack, Channel 2 TV reported. The settlement is dominated by followers of U.S.-born Rabbi Meir Kahane, who advocated expelling Arabs from Israel and the West Bank. Kahane was assassinated in New York in 1990. Military chief Lt.-Gen. Dan Halutz said he was "definitely worried that people on the fringes are going too far." Prime Minister Ariel Sharon issued a statement condemning the attack as "a despicable act by a bloodthirsty terrorist." It was the bloodiest such incident in Israel since 1990, when an Israeli opened fire at a bus stop where Palestinians gathered for job placements, killing seven. In 1994, Baruch Goldstein, an American-born Jewish settler, entered a holy site in the West Bank city of Hebron and opened fire on Muslim worshippers, killing 29 - the bloodiest attack by a Jewish extremist against Palestinians. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas called on Israel to prevent Jewish settlers from carrying weapons, "because they (the settlers) are dangerous to the security and peace between the two people." Many Jewish settlers have army-issue guns to protect them from Palestinians. Israeli Arabs make up about 20 per cent of Israel's population of 6.9 million. Though they are full citizens, they have suffered from discrimination by Jewish-dominated governments. Many of their towns and villages lack basic infrastructure, and Arab localities usually top of Israel's unemployment lists. By Christen Steven.

 

Four more U.S. marines killed in Iraq.

Photo: U.S. Marine inspects the remains of a vehicle destroyed by a roadside bomb, killing 14 Marines and a civilian interpreter, in Barwana, near Haditha, Iraq.

BAGHDAD, Iraq .The U.S. military said Thursday that four more American service members died in Iraq, including one in Euphrates River valley where 14 marines were killed in the worst roadside bombing targeting American forces in the Iraq war. A car bomb also hit members of a radical Shiite militia in northern Iraq as attacks nationwide killed at least 11 people Thursday. Three U.S. soldiers were killed Wednesday night in a roadside bombing in Baghdad, the U.S. military said Thursday. The statement identified them only as members of the army's Task Force Baghdad. However, officials in Georgia said they were assigned to the 48th Brigade of the Georgia National Guard. The 48th has lost 11 soldiers since arriving in Iraq in May. The latest marine casualty was in Ramadi, the capital of Anbar province 110 kilometres west of Baghdad. The marine was killed by small-arms fire Wednesday _ the same day 14 marines and an Iraqi civilian translator died when a huge bomb destroyed their lightly armoured vehicle near Haditha. The latest death brought to at least 24 the number of marines killed over the last week in the Euphrates Valley in one of the bloodiest periods for U.S. forces in months. In all, at least 48 American service members have died in Iraq since July 24 _ all but two in combat. Delaware Senator Joseph Biden, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, called the Iraq campaign a tough situation "that's going to get tougher before it gets easier.'' "The truth of the matter is that we've made some pretty significant miscalculations in term of policy from the outset, and we leave these marines in a very, very tough spot,'' Biden said Thursday on CBS's The Early Show. The U.S. command, meanwhile, said soldiers from the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment killed five insurgents who attacked Iraqi police Wednesday in the northern city of Tal Afar. There were no American casualties. Elsewhere, gunmen attacked an Iraqi army patrol Thursday in Dujail, 80 kilometres north of Baghdad, killing four Iraqi troops, Brig. Ali Kadhim said. Two Iraqi soldiers from the elite Wolf Brigade also were killed in a car bombing near a Shiite shrine in Daquq, 30 kilometres south of the oil-rich city of Kirkuk. The brigade members were accompanying a delegation from the Mahdi Army of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr back from Tal Afar, where they delivered supplies to beleaguered civilians. The delegation had stopped at the shrine when the blast occurred. Two clerics from al-Sadr's group also were killed, according to police Col. Mohammed Saleh Abbas. He said tensions in the area were running high after the blast. In Baghdad, al-Sadr aide Sheik Abdul-Hadi al-Darraji blamed the U.S.-led coalition for failing to protect anything except the Green Zone and warned "if the government cannot confront terrorism, there are popular organizations that can,'' referring to armed militias such as the Mahdi Army. Three other policemen were killed in a drive-by shooting in Kirkuk earlier Thursday, officials said. In Baghdad, an aide to Iraqi Deputy Prime Minister Ahmad Chalabi was assassinated at his home early Monday. Police said gunmen broke into the home of Haider Mohammed Ali al-Dujaili, head of the public-relations department in Chalabi's office, and shot him to death. One of Chalabi's security guards was killed in an ambush Sunday south of Baghdad. Chalabi, a former Pentagon favourite, was not in the convoy. Violence is on the rise in Iraq despite plans by U.S. President George W. Bush to begin withdrawing American forces next year and gradually hand over security to the Iraqis. The bombing that killed the 14 marines occurred near Haditha, 225 kilometres northwest of Baghdad, along a major infiltration route for foreign fighters entering the country from Syria. A marine officer, speaking on condition of anonymity for security reasons, said the troops were travelling in an armoured amphibious vehicle to assault insurgent positions near the Haditha dam when a thunderous blast flipped the vehicle over and set it afire.

Bush called the attack a "grim reminder'' that America is still at war. U.S. leaders have been hoping that political progress toward a constitution and broadly elected government will dampen an intransigent insurgency. At least 1,822 members of the U.S. military have died since the Iraq war started in March 2003, according to an Associated Press count. As part of the political strategy, the Interior Ministry announced that a nationwide security operation was underway to protect voter registration centres for October's constitutional referendum and December's general election. Minister Bayan Jabr said the monthlong operations began Aug. 1 but gave no details. As of Wednesday, 544 registration centres were opened throughout the country so 16 million voters could register, he said.

King Of Jordan  Receives Israeli Defense Minister.

AQABA, Jordan. (Petra), Jordan News Agency: His Majesty King Abdullah II affirmed, during a meeting with the Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz in Aqaba on Thursday, the importance of continuing and ensuring the success of peace process after the Israel withdrawal from Gaza strip, scheduled to take place after two weeks. His Majesty said that the implementation of the roadmap, which  provides for the Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza strip, is the only way to achieve peace that guarantees the rights of all parties, and establishes security and peace in the region. "The Israeli withdrawal from Gaza should be a successful beginning and a prelude for an Israeli withdrawal from the West Bank and the establishment of a viable Palestinian state," the King  added. His Majesty's meeting with the Israeli Defense minister comes after a meeting with the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas. It also comes within Jordan's efforts to follow up the process of the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza and within preparations of the Palestinian Authority to assume responsibilities their after the withdrawal and guarantee the continuation of the peace process in accordance with the principles of the road map. King Abdullah held talks yesterday with the Palestinian president focusing on measures taken by the Palestinians to spread its control over the Gaza Strip following the Israeli pullout. During the meeting, which was attended by the king's Advisor for Security Affairs and Director of National Security, Field Marshal Saad Kheir, His Majesty urged Israel to fully cooperate with the Palestinians to ensure the success of the Israeli withdrawal. The King called on Mofaz, who arrived in Aqaba on a brief visit, to coordinate with the Palestinian side, which expressed readiness to ensure a smooth pullout." Assisting the Palestinian security apparatus, and providing it with the necessary equipments to ensure the success of its mission, in addition to improving the living and economic conditions of the Palestinians, are important step to enhance security and stability in the Palestinian territories," His Majesty said. The Israeli Defense minister for his part briefed His Majesty on steps that had been taken by Israel to withdraw from the Gaza Strip, indicating that his country will continue implementing the  withdrawal process in accordance with the plan put for this purpose.

Al-Qaida's deputy threatens more attacks

Photo: Ayman al-Zawahri appears in this image taken from videotape.

CAIRO, Egypt- Al Qaida's No. 2, Ayman al-Zawahri, threatened more destruction in London, saying in a videotape broadcast Thursday that British Prime Minister Tony Blair would be to blame. Al-Zawahri also threatened the United States with tens of thousands of military dead if it does not withdraw its troops from Iraq immediately. The tape, aired on the pan-Arab satellite channel Al-Jazeera, was delivered exactly one month after the July 7 bombings in London that killed 56 people, including four suicide attackers. In the excerpts aired by Al-Jazeera, al-Zawahri did not directly claim that al-Qaida carried out the July 7 or July 21 attacks. But he brought the July 7 attacks under al-Qaida's wing and depicted the terror network as still capable of delivering strikes around the world despite arrests in Europe and blows against its leadership in Pakistan and Afghanistan. He presented the attacks as a result of Blair's decision to deploy troops in Iraq. "Blair has brought to you destruction in central London, and he will bring more of that, God willing," al-Zawahri said in the broadcast excerpts. In London, Blair's Downing Street office declined to comment on the broadcast. Al-Zawahri, an Egyptian doctor who merged his militant faction with that of al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan in the late 1990s, spoke with a Kalashnikov rifle propped up behind his right shoulder against a plain background. He has been in hiding since the United States invaded Afghanistan in late 2001. It was at least the sixth videotape or audiotape released by al-Zawahri since the Sept. 11 attacks blamed on al-Qaida. In June, Al-Jazeera broadcast a videotape of al-Zawahri disparaging the U.S. concept of reform in the Middle East and saying armed jihad was the only way to bring change in the Arab world. The Saudi-born bin Laden last appeared in a video in October. The latest videotape showed al-Zawahri positioned in front of a woven cloth that moved with the wind and showed the sunlight, indicating it appeared to be made outdoors. He was wearing a white robe and a black turban and emphatically wagged his finger at the camera while speaking. Taahir Hoorzook, of the media relations department in Al-Jazeera, said Al-Jazeera received the tape Thursday. "It was left at one of our offices and we got it from there," he said, refusing to say which office received it. The network aired about 10 per cent of the five-minute tape, he said. The parts that weren't broadcast were "the usual rhetoric, speaking about the occupation of Islamic lands and other things that we did not find newsworthy," he said. In the excerpts, al-Zawahri warned the United States it could expect significantly more casualties from its military campaigns in Iraq and Afghanistan. "As for you, the Americans, what you have seen in New York and Washington, what losses that you see in Afghanistan and Iraq, despite the media blackout, is merely the losses of the initial clashes," he said. "If you go on with the same policy of aggression against Muslims, you will see, with God's will, what will make you forget the horrible things in Vietnam and Afghanistan." He said the Bush administration was repeating the "same lies they said in Vietnam ... that they are bringing freedom." "There is no way out of Iraq without immediate withdrawal, and any delay on this means only more dead, more losses," he said. "If you don't leave today, certainly you will leave tomorrow, and after tens of thousands of dead, and double that figure in disabled and wounded." He suggested there would be more attacks against other Western countries who have contributed troops to the U.S.-led multinational force in Iraq. He said those nations had ignored a three-month "truce" that bin Laden offered European nations in April 2004 to give them time to withdraw their troops from Iraq. "Hasn't Sheik Osama bin Laden told you that you will not dream of security before there is security in Palestine and before all the infidel armies withdraw from the land of Muhammad?" al-Zawahri said. "Instead (of accepting the truce), you spilled blood like rivers in our countries and we exploded the volcanoes of wrath in your countries." He did not name any countries apart from Britain, but he appeared to be referring to the terror attacks in Madrid, Spain, last year that were linked to al-Qaida. Those train bombings killed 191 people. "Our message is clear: you will not be safe until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil and wealth and stop supporting the corrupt rulers," al-Zawahri said.  By Mamoun Yousef.

Israel to expand West Bank settlement even as it quits Gaza Strip

JERUSALEM- Israel announced plans Thursday to expand a settlement near Jerusalem, its latest effort to consolidate control over parts of the West Bank even as it prepares to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. The plan to build 72 housing units in the Beitar Illit settlement are liable to put Israel on a collision course with the U.S. government, which opposes settlement expansion. The announcement immediately angered Palestinians, who claim the West Bank as part of a future state. Meanwhile, Jewish settlers in Gaza have begun handing in weapons ahead of the Israeli withdrawal from the coastal strip later this month, in a bid to head off possible confrontations with soldiers carrying out the evacuations, settler representatives said Thursday. Residents of the Gan Or settlement, who belonged to a rapid response unit, handed back their M-16 rifles and emptied ammunition from their pouches Wednesday night . A second settlement, Netzer Hazani, was due to hand in its arms later Thursday, said the community's security director, Yoram Sror. Housing Ministry spokesman Kobi Bleich said there was a consensus in the Israeli government to expand Betar Illit, a settlement on the outskirts of Jerusalem that is home to 20,000 people. The announcement came just two weeks before Israel is to pull out of the Gaza Strip, removing all 21 settlements there as well as four isolated enclaves in the West Bank. About 9,000 settlers are to be uprooted from their homes. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon says his plan will help Israel consolidate control over large settlement blocs where the vast majority of the 240,000 Jewish settlers live. U.S. President George W. Bush has acknowledged that Israel likely will hold on to the major blocs under a final peace settlement. But during a meeting with Sharon this year, Bush said he opposed any new settlement construction, even in existing communities, as a violation of the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan. Asked why Israel was defying the United States, Sharon aide Asaf Shariv replied: "This is an existing area that will always be part of Israel." Both American and Palestinian officials have said the Gaza withdrawal should be the first step toward reviving the peace plan, which envisions an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. The plan has been stalled since its launch in mid-2003. In the Red Sea resort of Aqaba, Jordan, King Abdullah told Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz that Israel must proceed with the peace plan after its withdrawal "to garner peace and guarantee the rights of all parties to ensure peace and stability in the region," according to a Royal Palace statement. Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Samir Huleileh said the construction does not bode well for hopes the Gaza pullout would jump-start peace negotiations. "The decision affirms that Sharon's step in withdrawing from Gaza doesn't mean coming back to the negotiating table and implementing the 'road map,' " Huleileh said. "On the contrary, his strategy is to consolidate settlement construction." He called for further American pressure on Israel to reverse its decision. U.S. officials were not immediately available for comment. But while the rhetoric against construction has been unequivocal, the United States has not threatened to punish Israel for its defiance. This year, the Housing Ministry has issued tenders to build 235 housing units in settlements, most in the Jerusalem area, Bleich said. It also has revived a plan to build 3,650 new units in Maaleh Adumim, Israel's largest settlement, just outside Jerusalem. Construction of that project has not begun, but Israeli officials deny settler allegations that U.S. pressure is responsible. Jewish settler groups and their allies staunchly oppose the upcoming Gaza withdrawal, which is set to begin in two weeks. Settlers who do not leave their homes by Aug. 17 are to be removed forcibly by police and soldiers. Settler leaders staged a mass protest against the pullout in southern Israel on Wednesday, but police barred them from marching into Gaza's main bloc of settlements, Gush Katif, to reinforce opposition to the evacuation. About 200 pullout opponents managed to slip into Gaza overnight in defiance of a military ban, but most were quickly detained, police said. The protest, like one last month, fizzled in its second day. Settlers said Thursday they would continue their protests on a lower level over the weekend and prepare for mass demonstrations again next week. "There will be fewer people here now. It is like a wave, ebbing and flowing, but next week the wave will swell again," settler spokesman Hilik Navon said. "But all the time we will push to get to Gush Katif, that is our goal." Settlers and their supporters, having failed to block the pullout through the courts and parliament, have resorted to infiltrations and rallies as their main means of protest. So far, the protests have proceeded without violence, but security forces are bracing for possible clashes before and during the withdrawal. Some residents, wanting to avoid any confrontations, have begun surrendering their weapons, issued by the government for defence against Palestinian militants. Residents of the Gan Or settlement handed back their army-issue M-16 rifles and emptied ammunition from their pouches Wednesday night. A second settlement, Netzer Hazani, is due to hand in its government-issued arms later Thursday, settlement security director Yoram Sror said. The effort did not affect privately held weapons. Meanwhile, some 10,000 Palestinians, hoisting Palestinian flags and dancing in the streets, rallied at the parliament building in Gaza City on Thursday to celebrate Israel's upcoming Gaza withdrawal. "After 38 years of ugly occupation, they are leaving and they will never come back," Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia told the crowd. Qureia urged restraint during the withdrawal. "The world is watching us to see how we are going to behave," he said. "We promise to convey a civilized image for our people." The celebration Thursday coincided with what would have been the 76th birthday of longtime Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, who died in November. By Amy Taibel.

2 Britons, 7 Iraqis are killed in bomb attacks in Baghdad

Photo: Surrounded by concerned friends, Suhaib Thamir, is treated for wounds sustained in a mortar attack outside of a Sunni mosque.

BAGHDAD, Iraq- Bombs killed two British contractors in southern Iraq and seven people in the heart of the capital Saturday as framers of the new constitution were pessimistic they could meet an August deadline for parliament to approve a draft. The two Britons, who worked for the security firm Control Risks Group, were killed when a roadside bomb exploded alongside a British consulate convoy in Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, 550 kilometres southeast of Baghdad. Two Iraqi children were wounded seriously when a second device exploded five minutes after the convoy was targeted, police Capt. Mushtaq Kadim said. Britain has some 8,500 troops in Iraq, mostly in the south. Its military headquarters is based in Basra, where Britain also has a consulate general's office with about 20 employees. The bombing follows the kidnap-slayings of three Muslim diplomats - two from Algeria and one from Egypt - and the attempted kidnappings of a Pakistani and a Bahraini envoy this month. The attacks were claimed by "al-Qaida in Iraq," which is not believed active in heavily Shiite Basra. In Baghdad, a car bomb exploded Saturday afternoon near the National Theatre in the city's Karradah district, killing seven people, including three policemen, police and witnesses said. The blast also wounded 25, including three policemen, a mother and her two young children, they said. The children did not appear to be seriously hurt. Several nearby cars were set on fire. Also Saturday, a roadside bomb exploded near a U.S. convoy in Baghdad's southern Dora district, hurling a Humvee off the highway. A suicide bomber attacked an American patrol in Ramadi, Iraqi police said. There were no reports of U.S. casualties in either attack. The United States hopes that a new Iraqi constitution will help calm the insurgency by encouraging the country's disaffected Sunni Arab community to abandon the conflict and join the political process. Sunni Arabs form about 20 per cent of the population but are the core of the insurgency. A committee with Shiite, Kurdish and Sunni representatives is working to finish the document in time for parliamentary approval by Aug. 15. Voters will decide whether to ratify the charter in a mid-October referendum. Committee members say more than 90 per cent of the document is complete. But the toughest issues, including federalism, the role of Islam and even the country's name remain in dispute. Some committee members said Saturday it's unlikely the issues will be resolved before the August deadline. A major hurdle is the role of Islam. Shiites, who make up about 60 per cent of Iraq's estimated 27 million people, want Islam to be the main source of legislation. Kurds want it to be one of the sources - as it is in the interim constitution approved before the Americans restored Iraqi sovereignty in June 2004. "The Americans and the British are demanding that the constitution be done on time and we are asking the Americans and British to put pressure on the Kurds," said Jawad al-Maliki, a member of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari's Dawa party.

Sunni Arabs also are reluctant to accept Kurdish demands for a federal state, fearing that will lead to the breakup of Iraq and deprive them of Iraq's oil riches, located in heavily Shiite and Kurdish areas. Those differences have sharpened in recent months because of Sunni allegations of discrimination and abuse since the new government was announced April 28. Sheik Khalaf Elaayan, head of the National Dialogue Council, said he escaped assassination Saturday when gunmen wearing military uniforms fired on his car in south Baghdad. Elaayan's bodyguard was wounded in the attack, which took place near an Iraqi army checkpoint, he said. The National Dialogue Council is a Sunni political group with members on the constitutional drafting committee. "I was surprised that the soldiers did not react or come to help us although the checkpoint was less than 100 metres from where the attack took place," Elaayan said. The attack against the sheik followed the government's decision to fire a top Sunni Arab official, who has urged fellow Sunnis to join Iraq's political process. Adnan al-Dulaimi was dismissed July 24 as head of the Sunni Endowment, the government agency in charge of the upkeep of Sunni mosques and shrines, al-Jaafari's office said. Al-Dulaimi said he was fired for defending Sunnis. "I think that the reason behind my dismissal is that they want to silence a voice that is speaking against unjustified practices against Sunnis such as arrests, torture in the prisons, and also for my calls to release innocent detainees and to save Iraq from sectarianism, insecurity and divisions," al-Dulaimi said. Meanwhile, a Sunni woman who was fired from a top post in the Iraqi Ministry of Health was kidnapped in downtown Baghdad by gunmen in three cars, police said. Iman al-Dabbagh had served as director general of the engineering projects department until her dismissal. Colleagues said she was fired because she was a Sunni. Dozens of bodies - blindfolded, bound and shot - have been discovered around Baghdad and central Iraq, many of them Sunnis. By Basam Mourouwe.

 

Police and Egyptian government supporters beat dozens of opposition activists and smash rally

Photo: Egyptian plain clothes police officers arrest a pro-reform activists Saturday, during a protest in central Cairo against President Hosni Mubarak.

CAIRO, Egypt - Police and Egyptian government supporters beat dozens of opposition activists with batons, sometimes kicking them as they lay on the ground, during a protest Saturday against President Hosni Mubarak days after he announced his bid for re-election promising greater democracy in Egypt. Several hundred men and women were still gathering to begin their march toward Cairo's main square when men in plainclothes descended on them, swinging billy clubs and assaulting the demonstrators. Circles of burly government supporters surrounded activists sprawled on the pavement, kicking them in the head and ribs and tearing at their clothes. Others lifted protesters in the air by the arms and legs, hauling them off to police trucks. One elderly man wandered in a daze, his head bleeding. "Down with the rule of the dog Mubarak," one young man yelled as he was being clubbed. Opposition groups called the march to protest against Mubarak's announcement in a nationally televised speech Thursday that he will run for re-election in Sept. 7 elections. The vote is the first in which Mubarak - in power for 24 years - will face an opponent and his government has been touting the vote as a launching pad for greater democracy in the longtime U.S. ally. The clashes came in the wake of similar violence in May during a constitutional referendum, when government supporters attacked and sexually assaulted several women during a protest. The violence brought criticism from the United States, which has been pressing Egypt to ensure the September election is fair and democratic. During a June 20 visit to Egypt to press for reform, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice condemned the referendum assaults, saying the Egyptian government must "make certain that people can associate and can peacefully petition." Leaders in Mubarak's National Democratic party have been promising - as recently as Thursday - that such violence would not be repeated. But the assault Saturday was swift and heavy. The opposition had called for the demonstration to take place in Cairo's Tahrir - or Liberation - Square, the most prominent square in the capital, near the governing party headquarters. The Interior Ministry said the demonstrators gathered illegally and after refusing warnings to disperse threw stones at police. Security forces dispersed the gathering, arresting 20 people, who were still being held, the ministry said in a statement. Others were detained at the scene and released. Protesters denied any stones were thrown and past protests - even ones with a heavy police presence - saw no stone-throwing. UP to 20 people were beaten. Two reporters from Associated Press Television News were also beaten. Activists ran, some weeping. Others staggered away from being assaulted, their pants and shirts torn open. One activist, Karim al-Shair, was seen being dragged by his hair. "I was running fast but I was surrounded by about 15 people who started beating me hard and they tried to take off my clothes," al-Shair, 24, said afterward. Samar Mohammed, 27, said the attackers tore off her headscarf and knocked her and a number of her friends to the ground, hitting them. Under the pile of people, "I wasn't able to breath and when they saw I was almost fainting, they took me away and told me to leave," said Mohammed. "Today is far worse than the referendum. Today they're killing us not just beating us," Mohammed said. It was not known whether the plainclothed attackers were members of the security forces or civilians. But it was clear they were working in co-operation with riot police, who were lined up blocking the square and sometimes joined in the beatings. "It's very clear that the orders today are slaughter," said another activist, Wail Khalil. Just as he said this, a large man in a white T-shirt and a gun came up with several men, surrounded Khalil and took him away. Among those arrested were Ayman Barakat - the lawyer of Ayman Nour, Mubarak's most prominent opponent in the upcoming election - and George Ishaq, a 66-year-old leader of the Kifaya movement, one of the most vocal anti-Mubarak organizations. Both were later released, as were several other Kifaya leaders. "What happened today erases all the reform promises Mubarak made" in his speech Thursday, Ishaq said afterward at the Journalists Syndicate, where many of the protesters fled. "This despotic regime is so intolerant, it has gone over the edge but we're going on with our movement." Most major opposition groups are boycotting the September election, calling Mubarak's move to open the vote to multiple candidates a sham. The 77-year-old Mubarak is expected to easily win the vote.

PA Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said: "The Palestinians have devised a detailed plan for maintaining calm during the withdrawal..."

Photo: A Palestinian masked gunman of the Ahmed Abu Alrish Brigades, a militant group with ties to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah movement, holds a rocket propelled grenade launcher during a rally in Gaza City,

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Palestinian security forces are in desperate need of better weapons and military equipment, but are prepared to ensure quiet during Israel's upcoming withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, a Palestinian official said Saturday. Interior Ministry spokesman Tawfiq Abu Khoussa said: "The Palestinians have devised a detailed plan for maintaining calm during the withdrawal, and the shortage of arms will not prevent forces from carrying out the plan. We are planning to take control of Gaza after the withdrawal to ensure a smooth and quiet and safe withdrawal, even if we have to use clubs," he said. "Having proper equipment will enable us to do our job in a better way, and a lack of ammunition and arms will weaken our capacity. But we are determined to do our job as much as we can," he added. Israel has threatened harsh action against the Palestinians if settlers or soldiers are attacked by militants during the withdrawal, which is set to begin in mid-August. At the same time, it has been cool to allowing more arms to reach the Palestinians, fearing the weapons could be used against Israeli targets, as has happened in the past. Khoussa said Palestinian forces are woefully ill-equipped in all major areas, including arms, ammunition, transportation and communications. His comments followed an independent report last week that found Palestinian forces are poorly armed, overstaffed and corrupt. The Palestinians said the report failed to take into account recent reforms, and said they are still trying to rebuild forces severely weakened by four years of fighting with Israel.

Abu Khoussa said the Palestinians have repeatedly made requests to Israeli and American officials for better arms and equipment. Israeli defence officials say they are considering the Palestinian requests, but haven't made any decisions. U.S. officials, including Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, have been raising pressure on Israel to step up co-operation with the Palestinians. The Americans say a successful withdrawal is crucial for future peace efforts. Dov Weisglass, a top aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, was set to travel to Washington later Saturday for meetings with Rice, though Israeli officials said the arms issue wouldn't be on the agenda. Abu Khoussa said all security forces will be on "high alert" during the withdrawal. "The entire security apparatus will be involved in ensuring a safe withdrawal," he said. The plan is to include sending Palestinian police into abandoned Jewish settlements to prevent looting, stationing other forces outside the settlements, while also placing units into open areas to prevent militants from firing rockets at Israeli targets. He said the plans have been shared with officials in Israel and Egypt, which share a border. Under the withdrawal, Israel is planning to uproot all 21 settlements in Gaza and four small communities in the West Bank. Roughly 9,000 settlers will be uprooted from their homes. Despite numerous meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials over co-ordinating the pullout, almost every major issue over the future of Gaza remains undecided. They include the fate of abandoned settlers' homes, which Israel plans on demolishing, the border crossing with Egypt and the movement of Palestinian exports. Former World Bank President James Wolfensohn, a special international envoy on the Gaza withdrawal, met with Palestinian leaders in the Gaza Strip on Saturday to discuss co-ordination efforts. Wolfensohn said he expected an agreement in the coming days over what to do with the rubble. "Much of the rubble, the cement and the bricks, can be reused in Gaza. It's not something that hurts Gaza or the private sector. It's something that's an opportunity for the Palestinians," Wolfensohn said. Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian cabinet minister in charge of co-ordinating the withdrawal, said the Palestinians are willing to assist Israel in removing the rubble, but will not allow any of it to be buried in their land. "We are looking into how to make use of this rubble. If there is a use for some it, we will use it, and if there is no use for it, we will get rid of it, remove it from the Gaza Strip," he said after talks with Wolfensohn. Wolfensohn said despite the continuing distrust between the sides, he believes co-ordination is improving. "Practically, you're getting a better exchange of information, you're getting technical committees working together, you're having open discussions on the tough issues," he said. By Ibrahim Albarzak.

DIRECTLY FROM THE UNITED NATIONS NEWS WEBSITE Report of the Secretary-General on recent events in Jenin and other Palestinian Cities
Report of the Secretary-General prepared on the request of the UN General Assembly Choose other languages Arabic Chinese French Russian Spanish Press release - SG/2077 Choose other languages Arabic Chinese French Russian Spanish Remarks to the press by Secretary-General Kofi Annan - (UN Headquarters)
Related links and documents	Edward Mortimer, Director of Communications in the Secretary-General's Office, discusses the report. Listen Map of the region
General Assembly resolution A/RES/ES-10/10   Assembly condemns Israeli attacks, refusal to cooperate with Jenin mission Members of Jenin fact-finding team leave Geneva after Annan disbands group Annan's letter to Security Council details reasons for disbanding Jenin team It’s ‘very urgent’ that Jenin fact-finding team goes in, Annan says UN officials meet with Israeli delegation on Jenin fact-finding mission Jenin fact-finding team set to be in Middle East by week's end - Ahtisaari Secretary-General announces members of fact-finding team Security Council backs Annan's plan on Jenin fact-finding, adopts resolution 1405

EGYPTIAN DIPLOMAT KIDNAPPED IN IRAQ. EGYPT GOT THE NEW "HIT LIST" OF AL QAEDA. By Peggy North, World Jewish News Agency Senior Foreign Correspondent.

BAGHDAD. Four  gunmen kidnapped Egypt's top envoy to Iraq in a challenging  showdown to discourage any Arab country from collaborating with the United States. In addition to the kidnapping of the Egyptian official, insurgents killed four Iraqi policemen, one secret service agent  and critically wounded two American soldiers. The International Herald Daily News and AP reported that  Mr Ihab al-Sherif, 51 year old, chief of the Egyptian diplomatic delegation to Iraq who had been in the country since June 1, was pistol-whipped and forced into the trunk of a car as the assailants shouted that he was an "American spy," the witnesses said on condition of anonymity. In Cairo, the Egyptian Foreign Ministry confirmed the diplomat was missing and said contacts were underway with the Iraqi government "and all other sides" to win his release. One of Iraq's most prominent Sunni Muslim political organizations, the Iraqi Islamic party, quickly condemned the kidnapping and demanded al-Sherif's "immediate release." Al-Sherif is the highest-ranking foreign official to be kidnapped in Iraq, although a lower-ranking Egyptian diplomat was held briefly by insurgents last year. He was freed after Egypt reaffirmed it would not send troops to Iraq. Washington has been urging Arab countries to resume full diplomatic relations with the Iraqi government and al-Sherif's abduction appeared to serve as a warning against responding favourably to such overtures.  The abduction occurred hours before  United States Attorney General nominee Mr Gonzales paid a surprise one-day visit to Iraq, where he praised the country's commitment to democracy, despite sustained and deadly attacks by insurgents.  Mr Gonzales said: " "We are doing a lot to promote democracy and the rule of law," Gonzales said. 

Egypt Ministry of foreign affair senior official told the World Jewish News Agency in Cairo that "ambassador al-Sherif diplomatic mission itinerary included a visit to Israel and the United States." Asking him  about Egypt's  measures of precaution against possible future terrorism against Egyptian diplomats elsewhere  and kidnapping special envoys to the region, the Egyptian senior official said: " We have put our hand on a hit list written by operators of Al Qaeda and Al Tanzeem group in Iraq. The list included the names of top Iraqi and Egyptian politicians, as well as former informers of a neighboring Arab country known for its support for violence against American businessmen and companies in Iraq."

BEFORE MEETING SHARON, ABBAS AND HIS MEDIA ISSUE LIST OF "DO'S" AND "DON'TS", By Michael Widlanski

A few hours before his scheduled conference Tuesday  with Israel's prime minister,     Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and his state-controlled media issued a list of things he will demand of Israel and things he will refuse to give Israel: The lists of demands were promulgated following two Palestinian terror operations carried out by Abbas's own Fatah organization:  a woman suicide bomber  who tried to smuggle a bomb into an  hospital, and a joint Fatah-Jihad attack that killed an Israeli soldier in Gaza. In its broadcasts Tuesday morning, Voice of Palestine radio and
Palestinian television declared that the lists are:

    *--Release from Israeli jails  of all convicted Palestinian prisoners-several thousand-including those convicted of  bombing , shooting and stabbing Israelis-what the Israelis call "men with blood on their hands";

     *--Release from British custody in Jericho of  Fouad Shoubaki, the "money-man" of  Yasser Arafat, who arranged a huge arms  transfer from Iran to the Palestinians aboard the transport ship 'Karinne A' that Israel intercepted in 2002;

     *--Release from British custody in Jericho of Ahma'ad Saadat, leader of the PFLP terror group that committed and admitted murdering  Israeli cabinet minister Rehav'am Ze'evi in Jerusalem in 2001;

     *--And removal of all road blocks around Palestinian cities, as well as turning over the Gaza airport and seaport to complete Palestinian control.

For the third day in a row, Palestinian television replayed, at the top of the news, an interview with Dr. Abbas in which he reiterated that he, for his part, was not willing to lift a finger to try and disarm gun-men in Hamas, Jihad or his own Fatah party. "We will not enter into a civil war for the sake of seizing weapons," declared Abbas, in the interview that has been repeated for three days in a row. According to previous agreements, Israel has already released 900 Palestinian prisoners in the last few months, several of whom immediately returned to carrying out terror operations including planned suicide attacks in Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Abbas has not personally condemned any attacks on Israelis, including the Feb. 25 nightclub attack which left five Israelis dead and 20 wounded, but has made general calls for "not attacking civilians on either side." Dr. Abbas has called for an end to growing internal Palestinian violence or "weapons anarchy," stating also that attacks on Israel "are not in the Palestinian interest" at the moment. The Abbas regime has steadfastly refused to arrest members of the Islamic Jihad organization, which carried the February suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and was thwarted in trying to carry out two more bombings there and in Jerusalem last month. Dr. Abbas released two Jihad terrorists from jail in Jericho this month, and he has demanded the release from British custody of the high-profile  prisoners Shoubaki [the arms merchant] and Sa'adat [the head of the Popular Front for  the Liberation of Palestine].

 

LEBANON'S NEW LEADER AOUN: " I WANT TO MAKE PEACE WITH ISRAEL"

In his July 3, 2005  interview on Dubai Television network, former Lebanese MP General Michel Aoun  discussed the possibility of  peace with Israel.  In a second interview given to Al-Arabiya TV, the Aoun explained in detail why Lebanon should sign a peace treaty with Israel. He gave examples of how other leading Arab countries sought peace tries with Israel including Egypt and the PLO. The TV interviewe asked the Lebanese new leader: "Do you want to make peace with Israel? Michel Aoun replied: Let me finish. King Abdullah or Jordan... and Jordan made peace with Israel. They have all made peace, and the peace process continues, whether we like it or not. Lebanon, which has been resisting for 35 years, cannot continue to resist Israel all by itself. It cannot go against the general Arab trend. It cannot tolerate this anymore. The Arab countries, if we sum up the two wars - the Six-Day War and the 12 or 14 day war of 1973 - fought for 20 days. We have suffered from instability from 1937 [sic] to this day. There is no stability or peace on our border. We are paying the price with continuous economic damage, because we are taking the path of resistance. We no longer have the right to make decisions on behalf of all the Arabs, and on behalf of all the Muslims, about the liberation of Jerusalem and Palestine. We want more solidarity. Why should we be the only ones... I'm not calling for peace. We will be the last to sign a peace agreement with Israel. We will be the last to sign a peace agreement with Israel, but the war will not depend upon us alone."

VICTORY FOR THE ANTI-SYRIA ALLIANCE IN LEBANON. By  Arlette Lagrange and Ben Zorab, World Jewish News Agency Foreign Correspondents

Beirut, Lebanon- Christian Maronites, Muslims Sunnis and Druzes are rejoicing their "claimed" victory against Syria.. The National Lebanese Coalition Against Syria and  opponents of Syrian domination claimed a total victory in the last round parliamentary elections of Lebanon on Sunday night. Crowds were cheering in the streets of Beirut, Jounieh, Zgharta and Tripoli  and chanting the Lebanese national anthem. Their electoral victory echoes their disdain for the previous Syrian domination  of Lebanon for almost 30 years. Political analysts described the crowds reaction as a strong demonstration against Syria, Hammas and pro-Syrian militias stationed in Southern Lebanon and the Bekaa Valley. The mass demonstration was also described by nationalists as a rebellious movement caused by Syria's assassination of the former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. The massive  anti-Syrian alliance  was led by Mr Saad Hariri, son of the late Rafik Hariri ,  a 35 year old Sunni Muslim, educated in France. Mr Saad Hariri won  22 of  the 28 seats in northern Lebanon, thus giving him  a majority in the Lebanese Parliament. This marks the return of democracy to Lebanon which was decimated by Syria's Hafez Al Asaad who took control of Lebanon around 1975, allegedly by an official presidential request by Suleiman Franjieh, former president of Lebanon in the seventies.

Joseph Maalouf told us: "Finally,  Lebanese are reunited again. Muslims, Christians, Druzes and Jews are now one big family. We love Bush and Condoleezza Rice. Viva the United States."

It is ironic and equally refreshing to see Christians, Muslims and Druzes celebrating their victory against the Syrian dictatorialship and domination of their country.  Ahmad Tamer, a Muslim Lebanese told the World Jewish News Agency :"We knew that soon or later, Bush will be on our side and see what Syria did to our country. The Syrians are barbaric. They  ruined our lives and desecrated our national pride." Joseph Maalouf told us: "Finally, Lebanese are reunited again. Muslims, Christians, Druzes and Jews are now one big family. We love Bush and Condoleezza Rice. Viva the United States." Andre Habib and Boutros Harb, two Christian Lebanese from Jounieh and supporters of  Mr Saad Hariri told the World Jewish News Agency: "We have a complete victory. Syria is out for good. The Syrians stole enough, they killed enough and destroyed enough." However, cautious Christian politicians warn the Lebanese public against future Muslim domination of Lebanon under the directorate of fanatic Muslims financed by Iran.  Syria's supporters in Lebanon claim that the outcomes of the election is not a real victory, since, the current President of Lebanon, Emile Lahoud a strong ally of  Syria is still in power.

THE JEWS ARE SAFE FOR NOW IN LEBANON

Photos from L to R: #1. Lebanese crowds protesting against Syria and celebrating their electoral victory in Beirut. #2. Saad Hariri, the big winner.

All indications lead to believe that the Jewish community is safe for now in Lebanon. The World Jewish News Agency learned that approximately 250 Lebanese Jews who used to live in the  Jewish district of Wadi Abou Jmil in Beirut returned home this week.  Their shops are open, the synagogue will go under intense repair and renovation, the small Jewish market will open next week and an official meeting between the new leaders of the Jewish community of Wadi Abou Jmil will meet next week with the Maronite Bishop in Acharafiyeh and the Muslim Mufti in Bastah, Beirut. Hariri's victory is the dawn of a new democracy in Lebanon and the beginning of healing wounds caused by the ravaging civil war of Lebanon which lasted 25 years. The savage civil war of Lebanon  was created and fueled by the PLO, Fatah and the direct leadership of Yasser Arafat who took complete control of  Beirut in 1975 with the military help of Syria's Hafez Al Assad and the feared "Al Sahi'Ka" joint military forces of Syria, Iran and the Palestinians. More than 357,000 Lebanese died on the hands of the Palestinians and the Syrians between 1975 and 1991.

Abbas-Sharon Summit Concentrates on Four Topics, By Dr. Aaron Lerner


June21, 2005, Official PA Statement-Tuesday afternoon's summit meeting between the president Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in Jerusalem focuses on four topics, a second meeting between the two leaders since Abbas took the office in late January. In preparation of the today summit, a Palestinian delegate headed by chief negotiator Sa'ab Erakat met yesterday overnight with an Israeli delegate headed by Sharon's bureau chief Dov Wiessglass in west Jerusalem. Dr. Erakat said that summit will focus on the issues of Sharm Al Sheikh understanding issues including asserting the calming down, completion the Israeli pullout from the Palestinian areas before 28 Sep 2000, the release of the prisoners, resolving the deportees and wanted peoples issue Erakat said the second point is the Israeli settlement activities, the apartheid wall, Jerusalem and the demolition of the Palestinian houses in Selwan neighborhood in Jerusalem. Speaking to al Ayam newspaper, Erakat delved to the third axis the disengagement from Gaza Strip as a part of the road map plan not a substitute, while the fourth one the fate of the two detainees Ahamd Sa'ad, secretary general of popular front for liberation of Palestine and Fouad Al Shobki, PNA official. "Several potential questions requires an answer from the Israelis including the control over Rafah border crossing, re-operating of the sea and airports the passage way between Gaza Strip and West Bank and others," Erakat was speaking about the required details over the Israeli pullout from the Strip. About the Israeli decision to destroy the Jewish settlements that Israel is intended to evacuate, Dr. Erakat asserted the position of the Palestinian National Authority from the outset, viewing the Jewish settlements illegal and the burden of the Israeli settlement demolition must be afforded by Israel. "Our position is in accordance with the international law and Fourth Geneva convention cited that imposing facts on the ground by the occupying power is uncommitted and Israeli government is responsible for the demolition," Erakat revealed. Earlier the president Mahmoud Abbas asserted that the release of the prisoners inside the Israeli jails is a paramount on the Palestinian leadership agenda. Sharon was expected to concentrate on security during the summit. Officials said he would ask Abbas to explain how the Palestinian Authority planned to prevent fighters from attacking Jewish settlers and soldiers as they evacuate Gaza. He also will ask Abbas more crackdowns on the Palestinian fighters