February 2003

Helpless Britons appeal to France for "regime change"

28 February 2003


A group of British dissidents has appealed to France to invade the United Kingdom and bring about regime change. According to a spokeswomen at the Elysee Palace, French President Jacques Chirac received the request in a letter from a group of British exiles and “pro-democracy activists” calling themselves the “Free United Kingdom Movement” or FUKM, for short. BNN obtained a copy of the appeal in full. 

Jerusalem under snow

Diaa Hadid Ram, Palestine 27 February 2003

“It’s dark now, and outside of my office, most of the snow has disappeared under gritty car tracks. But I think for the first time since I’ve been here, happiness came from the skies,” writes Diaa Hadid. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 27 February 2003

This week, Israeli forces killed twenty Palestinians, mostly civilians, including eight children, a woman and an old man. Israeli forces conducted a series of incursions into Palestinian areas, accompanied by indiscriminate shelling. They continued to use Palestinian civilians as human shields. Israeli forces continued destroying homes and property and arrested a number of Palestinians. The siege has not been lifted. 

Letter from Jenin

Annie Higgins Jenin, Palestine 26 February 2003


On the twenty-eighth of January, young men were letting out triumphant whoops and jumping up and down in a victory dance. Campaign headquarters in Tel Aviv? No, Faisal Street, a main artery in downtown Jenin. The Army snipers on the roof of a commercial building are congratulating one another on their ‘victory’ over an unarmed Palestinian policeman in civilian clothes, Rashad al-‘Arrabi, wearing no protective vest or helmet, and having no tank or airborne defense. Annie Higgins writes from Jenin. 

Snow-covered Rubble

Sam Bahour and Michael Dahan Ramallah, Jerusalem 26 February 2003

The snow will soon melt and the destroyed homes, bullet riddled walls, tank-rippled roads will re-appear, only to jog the collective memories of those Palestinians that remain the victims of this thirty-six year man- made tragedy called Israeli occupation. 

The case of Fareg Ibrahim: symptomatic of a slow process of ethnic cleansing

Shamai Leibowitz 14 April 2003


Almost a year ago, in May 2002, the Israeli Minister of Interior decided to deport Fareg Ibrahim, an Arab-Egyptian married to an Arab-Israeli woman, and father to a two-month-old baby, Camela. Since June 2002, Mr. Ibrahim has been held in custody, without being accused of any crime. has been held in custody, without being accused of any crime. The Tel Aviv District Court denied his requests to be released on bail. Usually, foreign residents, are interrogated and released on bail. However, Israeli judges decided to keep him in detention. 

On its second anniversary, the Electronic Intifada looks ahead

The Electronic Intifada 27 February 2003


Above: The Electronic Intifada team “These are crucial days, days that will determine the trajectory of the Middle East’s future in profound ways. More than regimes will be changed in the coming months. Life chances of the region’s most vulnerable—women, children, and the elderly—will certainly change for the worse. We, in response, must change our tactics and increase our efforts to safeguard human rights and uphold international law. EI and affiliated websites will be part of that change.” As EI marks its second anniversary, its founders look back at past successes, but mostly ahead at pressing challenges. 

"The news from Palestine is so bad, it makes me want to be there"

Nick Pretzlik London, United Kingdom 25 February 2003

“Seasoned with announcements of house demolitions and human rights abuses, the news is doubly hard to read from London. I know from my experience in Palestine that reports which reach the media represent only the tip of the iceberg of catastrophes visited on the Palestinians. It was easier for me by far to be on the spot, to be immersed in events.” Nick Pretzlik reflects on his recent visit to Palestine and the steadfastness of those living under occupation. 

Nablus: "Do you hear me?"

Amer Abdelhadi Nablus, Palestine 24 February 2003

Due to the fact that the world is busy with the American war against the Middle East for no other reason other than to dominate the area, I thought I should enlighten those who have been making one excuse after another for Israel, which is lead by the so-called “a man of peace” by US President George Bush. “Do you hear me?” asks Amer Abdelhadi. 

Immediate threat of 'transfer' of Daba'a due to Israel's apartheid wall

The Palestinian Environment NGO Network (PENGON) 24 February 2003

The Daba’a Municipality has yesterday for the first time
this week been able to access village lands near the village residential area, where they found some 250 explosives, placed some 3 meters deep, that will be used to clear the rocky landscape in the area to make way for Israel’s apartheid wall. The explosives are located an average of 50 meters away from the village’s residential area, and whose blasts will cause the complete damage of a number of homes and partial damage to others, says the Palestinian environmental network PENGON. 

Israel commences plans and war crimes prior to expected war on Iraq

Al Mezan Center For Human Rights and Al-Haq 24 February 2003

Israel’s acts during the last 55 days constitute alarming indications of the possible situation should a war with Iraq be initiated in the region, warn human rights organizations Al Mezan and Al-Haq.  There is fear that the OPT may witness an unprecedented increase in human rights violations. 

Surreal times before war

Diaa Hadid Ram, Palestine 23 February 2003

The tragedy at hand is the reality of virtually no West Bank or Gazan having gas masks, the even more real fear that the war on Iraq, as it has already, will be used to carry out more willful killings, more extra-judicial assassinations, more home demolitions, more arrests, more closure, more curfew, more, always more of the same. Diaa Hadid reports about the surrealism surrounding the pre-war. 

What they say

Annie Higgins Jenin, Palestine 23 February 2003

“As we are settling onto our floor-level mattresses for the night, Raghda kisses me on the four diamond-points of my face, ‘That’s how you kiss a shahid on the bier!’ She has experience with a number of family members.” Meanwhile, the Middle East Editor of an American-based international newspaper derides the experiences of Palestinians. Annie Higgins writes from occupied Jenin. 

Angry Bedouin find loyalty to Israel goes unrewarded

Conal Urquhart 22 February 2003

“Bassim Jrafat, an imam in Zarzir, said 60 per cent of the town’s residents no longer agreed with serving in the IDF. He feels it is wrong for Bedouin to serve in the Israeli army and was dismissed by the Ministry of Religion when he refused to lead prayers at the funeral of a Bedouin soldier.” The Observer’s Conal Urquhart reports from the Negev on rising Bedouin dissatisfaction with their role and status in Israeli society. 

Nablus: "What are the reasons?"

Amer Abdelhadi Nablus, Palestine 21 February 2003

For everything that we do, there is a reason. For every aggression there should be a reason but what possible reason there could be for attacking Nablus the way it is being targeted now is totally puzzling. Amer Abdelhadi ponders recent Israeli violence in Nablus. 

Weekly report on human rights violations

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 20 February 2003

In the past two weeks, Israeli occupying forces have escalated their illegal military actions against Palestinian civilians and property, using various kinds of weapons.  The Israeli military perpetrated more illegal actions and human rights violations against Palestinian civilians, including willful killings, shelling of and incursions into Palestinian areas, house demolitions, and agricultural land leveling.  In the past two weeks, 32 Palestinians, mostly civilians, including 6 children and a woman, were killed by Israeli forces, and 6 others were killed in a mysterious explosion which the Israeli army is suspected of being involved in. 

Israel seeks to counter Belgian war crimes ruling

Marc Perelman 19 February 2003

“Israel is seeking to mobilize American and Jewish support for a diplomatic battle with Belgium after the Belgian Supreme Court upheld a law that would allow the prosecution of Israeli officials — including, eventually, Prime Minister Sharon — for war crimes related to their role in the Sabra and Shatila massacre two decades ago.” The Forward’s Marc Perelman provides a thorough overview of the judicial, political, and diplomatic repercussions of a landmark ruling by the Belgian Supreme Court last week. 

Israeli raid kills 11 Palestinians, dozens wounded

Palestinian Center for Human Rights 19 February 2003

Israeli occupying forces last night killed 11 Palestinians, including two brothers and their cousin whose bodies were removed from the ruins of a house. In addition, 5 civilian facilities were destroyed and raided and a school was damaged, when the Israeli forces, reinforced with heavy military vehicles and helicopters and covered by intense shelling, invaded areas of Gaza City. 15 Palestinians, including a physician, were injured by Israeli shelling. 

Sharon Trial: 12 February 2003 decision of Belgian Supreme Court explained

International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila 19 February 2003

The following background to the Belgian Supreme Court’s landmark decision explains the 12 February 2003 ruling. The Court drew a clear distinction, however, between Ariel Sharon and the rest of the accused. For the former, being Prime Minister of Israel, enjoys procedural immunity from prosecution under international customary law so long as he holds that position. The others accused do not, however, enjoy immunity, and their trial can go forward. Prepared by the legal team for the survivors and Laurie King-Irani. 

Bedouins of the Negev: Israeli ctizens or punishable trespassers?

Maha Qupty 18 February 2003

Bedouins are famous for their generosity. It is well known that Bedouins will graciously host strangers for days without asking their name, the reason for their visit, or the length of their stay. Today, Bedouins of the Negev, who have experienced 50 years of systematic human rights abuses, threats of transfer, land confiscations, and house demolitions, are facing renewed pressures from discriminatory planning maps and Israel’s Green Patrol — which Bedouins call the “Black Patrol.” A community many had forgotten is growing angrier and more vocal. Maha Qupty reports on the challenges confronting Bedouin Palestinian citizens of Israel. 

UN worker Iain Hook shot in back, autopsy shows

18 February 2003

“Mr Hook suffered a single gunshot wound to his abdomen and died in an ambulance on his way to hospital. A new UN report, handed to the New York Times, claims he was shot in the back from at most 30 yards away. Peter Hansen, commissioner general of UNRWA, said the UN report also found that contrary to some claims by the Israeli government, no Palestinian militants were in the UN compound at the time of the shooting.” The latest news on the investigation of the killing of Iain Hook in the pages of The Evening Star. 

Suffering of Palestinians, Israelis can end only through political solution, UN envoy says

United Nations 18 February 2003

The suffering of Palestinians and Israelis - the deaths and injuries, the economic devastation, the profound insecurity - can end only through a political solution, a top United Nations envoy in the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, said today at a meeting in London. 

Do not sit under the olive tree

Roy Brad Asira, Palestine 16 February 2003

Suddenly there is the sound of footsteps, we turn and see four Israeli soldiers, guns trained on us. The sergeant starts yelling at us in Hebrew. I tell him that I only speak English, and ask him what the problem is. He demands that we lift our jackets. I repeat that I am from England, and why does he want me to lift my jacket. He asks what I am doing here, and I say walking with a friend. “You came all the way from England to go for a walk?” 

Living war on day 242

Amer Abdelhadi Nablus, Palestine 16 February 2003

Palestinians in Nablus today lived through a real war. A war you expect to see only in movies. Only difference here: we get to see it and watch for real. Amer Abdelhadi writes on day 242 from Nablus. 

Belgium's Challenge to War's Ancient Calculus

Laurie King 17 February 2003

“After nearly two years of reversals of fortune and near-death moments, the landmark case lodged by survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacres was resurrected and revitalized last week, offering renewed hope to human rights activists and victims of state crimes throughout the world and posing challenges to those who have enjoyed impunity for far too long.” Laurie King-Irani, an EI founder and the North American Coordinator of the International Campaign for Justice for the Victims of Sabra and Shatila, looks at the implications of a decision by the Belgian Supreme Court last week. 

3,000 Jews, Arab demonstrate in Tel Aviv against Iraq war

Alternative Information Center 16 February 2003

On Saturday February 15th, over 3,000 Jews and Arabs demonstrated against the war on Iraq in Tel Aviv Museum’s square. The demonstration was held in partnership with a Palestinian demonstration held in the center of Ramallah and simultaneously with over 600 demonstrations worldwide. The following press release from the AIC offers more details. 

Photo of the Day

Nigel Parry 15 February 2003

Photo of the Day is a BNN feature which offers a photograph on a day, and calls it “Photo of the Day”. This is not to imply that this is a regular feature, nor that this photo is truly the mother of all photos for the day in question. Usual disclaimers apply. 

Putting Sharon on Trial: Why Belgium is doing the right thing

Ali Abunimah 14 February 2003


WANTED FOR WAR CRIMES The decision of the Belgian Supreme Court that Israeli prime minister Ariel Sharon can stand trial under that country’s “universal jurisdiction” law for war crimes, once he is no longer in office, has caused a storm of outrage in Israel. The case was brought by survivors of the 1982 massacre of thousands of unarmed Palestinian refugees in Israeli-occupied Beirut, carried out by Israeli-armed and trained gangs, under Israeli army protection, and in which Sharon is deeply and personally implicated. EI’s Ali Abunimah responds to the arguments of those who say Belgium has no right to do this, and who seek continued impunity for war criminals. 

The pseudo-boycott of Israeli universities

Monique Chemillier-Gendreau 14 February 2003

The Israel-EU Association Agreement is founded on the basis of a respect for human rights. Recent calls by French universities for this agreement to be suspended do not constitute a “boycott,” but rather a moral and correct response to Israel’s human rights abuses. Writing in Le Monde, Monique Chemillier-Gendreau responds to the critics who have attempted to label such actions as “anti-Semitism,” and who have failed to recognize the moral consequences of inaction. 

Open letter to Netanyahu from massacre survivors' legal team

13 February 2003

“As Minister of Foreign Affairs of Israel, you should not accuse the Belgian Supreme Court of legitimizing terrorism simply because it accepts the principle that Belgian courts have universal jurisdiction over perpetrators of war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity. Your country was the very first country in the world to endorse universal jurisdiction for such crimes in its national legislation.” Lawyers representing survivors of the Sabra and Shatila massacre, who received a positive — and landmark — ruling from the Belgian Supreme Court yesterday, issue a public demand that Israeli Foreign Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apologize for his statements yesterday. 

Israel's continued domination and destruction in the Bethlehem area

Kristen Ess Bethlehem, Palestine 13 February 2003


Photo by Musa Al-Shaer. For weeks Israeli soldiers have been invading and reinvading the Bethlehem area, holding the residents captive in their homes. In the past two nights Israeli soldiers abucted 20 Palestinians from the Bethlehem area, adding them to the approximatly 9,000 Palestinian political prisoners being held, largely without charge, in Israeli jails. Normal life, as people outside the country understand it, has not existed for some time. Kristen Ess outlines the misery of daily life for Palestinians under Israeli occupation. 

Israel's demolition policy strikes hard

Laura King 12 February 2003

On almost any given day, somewhere in the West Bank or Gaza Strip, the ritual begins with Israeli soldiers knocking on the door. A Palestinian family snatches up a few possessions before being herded out into the predawn chill, then sappers painstakingly fit explosives to walls and foundations. The Los Angeles Times’ Laura King investigates Israel policy of house demolition in the Occupied Territories. 

Belgium's landmark ruling: Sharon to be sued for war crimes

Fabrice Randoux 12 February 2003

“Today’s ruling clears the way for Sharon to be tried once he ceases to be prime minister, regardless of whether he is in Belgium or not. It also enables a war crimes trial of Israeli General Amos Yaron, who oversaw the Beirut sector in 1982.” Fabrice Randoux reports for Australia’s Sunday Times from Belgium, a country that has given teeth to the legal principle of Universal Jurisdiction. 

Belgium Supreme Court rules that Ariel Sharon can be tried for genocide

12 February 2003

Belgium’s supreme appeals court has ruled that a genocide lawsuit against Ariel Sharon could go ahead once his term as prime minister of Israel ends. The ruling opens the way for survivors of a 1982 massacre of Palestinian refugees to press their case against the Israeli leader, who they hold responsible for the deaths of hundreds of their kin in Israeli-occupied Beirut. Breaking news from ITV. 

Life in Palestine

Lucy Mair Jerusalem 11 February 2003

How do I describe what life is like here - of the sadness in the eyes of my colleagues, of the exhaustion that results when every daily action requires an extraordinary effort, when perseverance is no longer enough and futility and despair fight for a place on the proud faces carrying bags and babies and the burden of poverty through checkpoints, over dirt piles, past soldiers and tanks and the bombed-out shells of buildings. 

Letter from Bethlehem

Toine van Teeffelen Bethlehem, Palestine 10 February 2003

We had this week two curfewed days, Friday and Saturday, while sometimes the nights are open and sometimes not. In the morning, people get used to carefully listen at 5:00 whether today there’ll be a curfew or not. People sometimes even recognize the creaky loudspeaker voice: “Oh, that is the Druze, you can’t hear well what he says.” 

First prize for freedom of media to Israeli and Palestinian journalists

Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig 6 February 2003

In 2003, the Leipzig “Prize for the Freedom and Future of the Media” goes to Israel and Palestine. As the Media Foundation of the Sparkasse Leipzig announced on Thursday, the first Prize of 15,000 Euro goes halves to Gideon Levy who works for the prestigious paper Ha’aretz at Tel Aviv and Daoud Kuttab, Director of the Institute of Modern Media at the Palestine Ramallah. 

Aid for Palestinians suffers due to focus on Iraq

United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East 10 February 2003


Mr Peter Hansen, Commissioner General of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) has issued an appeal to the international community not to let the West Bank and Gaza slide down its list of priorities as the world focuses on a potential conflict in Iraq. 

Palestinians subject to Israeli 'torture lottery'

Justin Huggler 11 February 2003

Israeli security forces in Hebron have allegedly forced Palestinians to submit to a macabre “lottery”, in which the victim had to choose their own “punishment” by picking a slip of paper out of a pile. On the pieces of paper were written various acts of violence, including having a hand or leg broken, and, Palestinians say, being beaten to death. The Independent’s Justin Huggler reports. 

Mideast Standoff At U-M

Don Cohen 3 February 2003

At first glance, the fact that the Michigan Student Zionists and the campus chapter of the American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee (ADC) cooperated to bring two spokesmen on the Israeli-Arab crisis to the University of Michigan in Ann Arbor appeared to be a positive sign. However, those attending the Michigan Union debate Jan. 21 between Morton Klein, the Philadelphia-based national president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), and Chicagoan Ali Abunimah, co-founder of the Electronic Intifada Web site, didn’t see understandings reached or bridges built. 

Ninja in Nazareth

Goel Pinto 9 February 2003

“When people ask me if the film is about the occupation of the Palestinian people, I say right away that this isn’t a film about anything. If it has to be reduced to one subject, I say it’s a film about occupation in the world as a whole — it focuses on Israel only because Israel serves as a kind of microcosm.” Elia Suleiman, director of the award-winning film “Divine Intervention,” which has just opened in Israel, talks to Goel Pinto of Ha’aretz about the ideas behind the film. 

Visa delay will prevent massacre survivors from testifying before Belgian court

Hala Kilani 9 February 2003

Survivors of the 1982 Sabra and Shatila massacre won’t be able to testify against Israeli Prime Minister Sharon at the Belgium Supreme Court on Wednesday, as the Belgian Embassy didn’t grant them “emergency” visas. The embassy told the victims’ lawyer, Chibli Mallat, that there “wasn’t enough time” to get the visas ready before their date of departure. The Beirut Daily Star’s Hala Kilani reports on the good news and the bad news about the case against Sharon and others in Belgium. 

Bush and Sharon nearly identical on Mideast policy

Robert G. Kaiser 9 February 2003

“The Bush administration’s alignment with Sharon delights many of its strongest supporters, especially evangelical Christians, and a large part of organized American Jewry, according to leaders in both groups.” The Washington Post’s Robert G. Kaiser offers an in-depth analysis of the political and ideological dimensions of the Bush-Sharon worldview, and the role of pro-Likud neoconservatives in shaping the Middle East map. 

Israel's Slippery Moral Slope

Neve Gordon 31 January 2003

Following my last military reserve duty, I was kicked out of my unit, the educational corps of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF). There was a surrealistic dimension to the whole experience. I had driven a few hours to a base located near the Egyptian border after having been asked to lecture about “leadership” to 60 soldiers from the Givati infantry brigade who were about to begin an officers’ training course. These young men are the military’s future commanders, its elite. Neve Gordon, writing in In These Times notes that, “When the end justifies the means, then everything is permitted.” 

The Israeli military kills four Palestinians a day

Kristen Ess Bethlehem, Palestine 7 February 2003

How can Palestinians resist the brutality of the Israeli military government. How can they survive it? One Palestinian journalist, a friend for the past year told me, “We chose non-violence and they occupied our kitchens.” Since Sharon was re-elected Israeli soldiers have killed 28 Palestinians. This is just in the past eight days. Kristen Ess wrotes from Bethlehem. 

Bush seeks Israeli advice on "targeted killings"

Ori Nir 7 February 2003

“The Bush administration has been seeking Israel’s counsel on creating a legal justification for the assassination of terrorism suspects, the Forward has learned. Legal experts from the United States and Israel have met in recent months to discuss the issue, and are considering widening the consultation circle to include representatives of America’s closest allies in the war against terrorism.” Ori Nir reports on some chilling examples of US-Israel bi-lateral cooperation in the pages of New York’s The Forward. 

Famous comedian Jackie Mason incites genocide of Palestinians

Ali Abunimah and Nigel Parry 6 February 2003


World-renowned American stand-up comedian Jackie Mason has published an astonishing demand that Israel threaten the Palestinian people with genocide. Mason and co-author Raoul Felder wrote: “We have paralyzed ourselves by our sickening fear of World Opinion, which is why we find it impossible to face one simple fact: We will never win this war unless we immediately threaten to drive every Arab out of Israel if the killing doesn’t stop”. EI calls on activists to respond. 

Mosque destroyed in Israel as Ariel Sharon's Judaization project for the Negev begins

Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages of the Palestinian Bedouin 6 February 2003

“The State of Israel today perpetrated an act of enmity against a mosque considered holy by Muslims. This act runs contrary to all international treaties which uphold the right to freedom of religion. The demolition inflamed the feelings of our people because it is the first time that the State has demolished a mosque in the Negev.” The Regional Council for the Unrecognized Villages of the Palestinian Bedouin in the Negev condemns the demolition of a mosque in the unrecognized village of Tel Al-Mileh, and warns it is just the beginning of Ariel Sharon’s plan to Judaize the Negev. 

While Israel Voted...

Saree Makdisi 6 February 2003

Surely the most remarkable thing about last week’s election in Israel was the fact that, even as Israeli citizens were enjoying their right to vote, their army was enforcing a lockdown that kept over 3 million Palestinians confined to their homes for three days, writes Saree Makdisi for EI. 

Review: 'Palestine' By Joe Sacco

Charles Shaar Murray 4 February 2003


Buy Sacco’s Palestine from Amazon.com “In 1991-2, Sacco, having “heard nothing but the Israeli side”, toured the occupied territories, seeking to immerse himself in Palestinian existence. The fruit of his labours emerged as a mini-series of nine comics, now a single set with an introduction by one of Sacco’s primary influences, Edward Said. Sacco is formidably talented. A meticulous reporter, he scrupulously interprets the testimonies of dozens of victims of the Israeli regime into cartoon form. He is also a gifted artist whose richly nuanced drawings tread a delicate path between cartoonishness and naturalism. His layouts shift in style to match the material: stories told to him emerge in symmetrical panel grids, while incidents in which he is involved, or engage his emotions, are rendered in a far looser style, in which images and captions slide across the page. ” Charles Shaar Murray reviews Palestine in the Independent. 

Academic boycott: In support of Paris VI

Tanya Reinhart 4 February 2003

In April 2002, following the Israel’s “operation” in Jenin, first calls for institutional academic boycott of Israeli universities appeared in England and in France. The British petition called to freeze European Union contracts with Israeli university as long as Israel continues its present policy. What started as the individual voice of concerned academics, has become lately a formal resolution of a French university. Israeli academic Tanya Reinhart comments. 

Lawyer for massacre victims calls for implementing justice throughout Middle East

Maha Al-Azar 3 February 2003

“Without justice there will be no peace in the region, and as long as people like Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Iraqi President Saddam Hussein — both believed to be responsible for crimes against humanity — remain in power, the region’s problems will not be solved.” These are arguments put forth by leading international legal expert Chibli Mallat, who is also behind two initiatives aimed at bringing justice to the region. Maha Al-Azar reports in Beirut’s Daily Star. 

"Transfer" is nothing more than ethnic cleansing

Jews Against the Occupation 1 February 2003

“As a group that has faced ethnic cleansing in the recent past, we, as Jews and as members of Jews Against the Occupation, feel the need to speak out in order to prevent similar inhumane acts from being perpetrated on another people in our name.” An important statement from Jews against the Occupation suggests actions to prevent the transfer of Palestinians under cover of a war in Iraq.