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Report criticises botched Israeli army investigations, lack of follow-up, in deaths of two journalists in Occupied Territories

30 July 2003

In a report issued today on the Israeli army’s enquiries into the fatal shootings of two journalists in the Occupied Territories in April and May, Reporters Without Borders accuses the military of acting with a flagrant lack of rigour and determination and calls for proper investigations that could lead to the prosecution and punishment of those responsible. 

Knesset passes racist law barring family unification of Palestinians married to Israeli citizens

31 July 2003


Today, by a vote of 53 in favor, 25 against, and one abstention, the Knesset passed a new law, introduced and supported by the government, which bars Palestinians from the Occupied Territories from obtaining citizenship or residency status in Israel by marriage to an Israeli citizen, thus prohibiting them from living in Israel with their spouses. 

Suffering in isolation - A report on life under occupation in the Mawasi areas in the Gaza Strip

5 August 2003


PCHR has issued a report, entitled “Suffering in Isolation: A report on life under occupation in the Mawasi areas in the Gaza Strip.” The report details the dire situation in the Mawasi areas in the southern Gaza Strip and includes an examination of the violations of international human rights and humanitarian law perpetrated by the Israeli belligerent occupation forces and Israeli settlers in the area from the beginning of Al Aqsa Intifada (September 2000) to the end of May 2003. 

Abbas to Bush: "Israel is Blocking the Implementation of Road Map"

Diana Buttu 4 August 2003


Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas came to his White House meeting with President George W. Bush carrying several messages, the most important being that the Palestinians have fulfilled the vast majority of their phase one road map obligation and that Israel was blocking further progress. Speaking at a 31 July 2003 Palestine Center briefing, Diana Buttu, a legal advisor to the Palestine Liberation Organization’s (PLO) Negotiations Affairs Department, said Abbas emphasized to Bush three issues that were impeding progress on the road map: Israel’s construction of an apartheid wall, Israel’s continued settlement expansion, and the incarceration of several thousand Palestinian political prisoners. 

Saddam lookalikes photo threatens politicians, entertainers

4 August 2003


U.S. troops hunted Saddam Hussein on August 1, 2003 armed with new pictures of how he might look in disguise, as a fresh audiotape purportedly made by the fugitive dictator urged Iraqis to drive out foreign troops. ‘Only the actions of the faithful who struggled and fought can evict the invaders,’ said the taped message aired on Al Jazeera television. ‘God will grant us victory.’ Altered images of Saddam released by U.S. Central Command are seen in this composite photo. 

Imprisoned until further notice

31 July 2003

Three villages Deir al-Hatab, Azmut and Salem are located on the eastern outskirts of Nablus. Since the last quarter of 2002 two deep trenches were dug by the Israeli army around the three villages totally preventing access. A joint expedition of the WHO, UN agencies, and human rights organisations points to severe impact of closures on health, sanitary conditions and environment. 

Theater Review: Jamil Khoury's "Precious Stones"

Maureen Clare Murphy 1 August 2003


When a playwright tackles the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, sexual identity issues, class issues, Arab-American community issues, and Jewish-American community issues (among others), in a 90-minute play, not much room is left for anything else — like character development and breathing room. And that’s the main trouble with Jamil Khoury’s Precious Stones. Maureen Clare Murphy reviews the play for EI. 

Police raid Palestinian cultural summer camp after accusations of incitement

1 August 2003

Israeli police stormed a summer camp for Palestinian youth yesterday, and arrested fourteen of the organizers, after the camp had been accused of incitement against Israel in a TV report on Wednesday. The camp was organized by the Al Balad Cultural Association in the Arab village of Kabul in northern Israel, and was due to end this Sunday. At a court hearing today, the police could present no evidence of incitement. The presiding judge declared that four of the arrested should remain in court until Monday, to allow police to find evidence for the case. 

4,200 Palestinians on Hunger Strike

Kristen Ess and Nada Khair 1 August 2003

Over 4,000 Palestinian political prisoners have just begun a hunger strike in Israeli jails including Shutah, Askalan, Majido, Ofer, and Nefah. A man being held without charge called yesterday from Nefah saying, “The Israeli Administration is treating us very badly.” He details human rights abuses, and adds quietly, “And sometimes they aren’t letting us go to the bathroom.” Kristen Ess and Nada Khair report from the West Bank and Gaza.