All Content

Israeli government leaves Palestinian child detainees out of prisoner release

6 August 2003

Defence for Children International/Palestine Section believes that there are only 13 child prisonersnames on the list of 344 Palestinian political prisoners due for release by the Israeli government this week as part of the roadmap to peace process. Nine of these children were on the list of 183 sentenced prisoners to be released and another 4 children were on the list of 161 administrative detainees. 

The village of Yanoun: a microcosm of the destructiveness of Zionism

Mick Napier 6 August 2003


We had a great reception from the wonderful people of Yanoun, most of whose land has been confiscated for the nearby Jewish settlement of Itamar, and who endure frequent beatings and shootings from these same fanatical settlers who want to ‘redeem’ the rest of the land by driving out the remaining Palestinians. Yanoun shows the destructiveness of Zionism in a microcosm. Heavily-armed settlers march through the village regularly, usually on their Sabbath, intimidating and beating up villagers. Any villager who strays over invisible lines, perhaps to retrieve a stray sheep, risks a severe beating or worse. Mick Napier writes about his experiences during a visit to Yanoun on behalf of the Scottish Palestine Solidarity Campaign. 

Israeli hesitance on 'Road Map', building of separation wall among concerns raised in Palestinian Rights Committee

5 August 2003

Israel’s hesitance in implementing the Middle East “Road Map” and insistence on continuing with the building of the “separation wall” were among the concerns raised by the Permanent Observer for Palestine, as he briefed the Committee on the Inalienable Rights of the Palestinian People this morning. 

Addameer: Selection of Palestinian detainees to be released solely reflects Israeli criteria

5 August 2003

On the morning of 4 August 2003, the Israeli Prisons’ Services published on their website a list of names of Palestinian prisoners and detainees expected to be released on Wednesday 6 August 2003. Of the 342 Palestinian prisoners slated for release, 159 are administrative detainees and 183 have been sentenced. Palestinian prisoners’ rights organisation Addameer examines the details. 

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.