18 May 2003
Israeli authorities are continuing to impose severe measures on internationals moving in and out of the Gaza Strip. As of today, 18 May 2003, with the exception of some United Nations staff and a small number of humanitarian workers, internationals are being prevented from entering or leaving the Gaza Strip. Read more about PCHR deplores Israel's unprecedented actions against internationals
19 May 2003
On 11 May 2003, the Israeli authorities closed the Erez crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip in both directions for internationals, except for holders of diplomatic visas or passports. The closure affects virtually all international staff of United Nations organisations, NGOs and other humanitarian and development agencies. Read more about 18 UN agencies and NGOs protest Gaza closure
4 March 2003
Israel, not Iraq, holds that distinction of being the first country in the region to use weapons of mass destruction with genocidal intent. Salman Abu-Sitta digs into a dark history. Read more about Traces of poison
18 May 2003
The soccer field at Haifa Sports Club was once full of the sounds of children playing. Now, this playground has been remade into a tent city for Palestinian families made homeless by war and prejudice. On the field stand 63 new, white tents set up by the Iraqi Red Crescent Society in order to lodge some 240 families left homeless since the collapse of the former government. Read more about Haifa Sports Club in Iraq: The Latest Palestinian Refugee Camp
17 May 2003
The Special Rapporteur on adequate housing of the United Nations Commission on Human Rights, Mr. Miloon Kothari, has expressed concern over the sharp rise in the destruction of property and land in the occupied Palestinian territory (OPT) since the build-up to the war in Iraq. Read more about UN Human rights expert slams Israel on violations of the right to housing
17 May 2003
On 8 May 2003, RSF called for the punishment of those responsible for the death of British freelance cameraman James Miller on 2 May. An autopsy revealed that the the only bullet to hit him entered his body from the front. The journalist was killed as he was filming troops in the Gaza Strip. Read more about Autopsy suggests British cameraman James Miller was shot by Israeli army gunfire
16 May 2003
Wars sometimes offer an opportunity for change, but often do so at the expense of the weak. This banal truth holds for Israeli-Palestinian affairs no less than for anything else. In the aftermath of the Iraq war, and faced with new and staggering forms of Israeli violence towards Palestinians in the occupied territories, we call on academics worldwide to join in an effort to make a difference. A number of times after WW II, campuses have been pivotal in campaigning against violence, oppression and ethnic injustice. Can this be taken up again regarding Palestinians and Israelis? This conference will explore these questions. Read more about Conference: Academia and a just peace in Israel-Palestine
16 May 2003
On Wednesday 14 May, British-Palestinian filmmaker Omar Al-Qattan and his two-member crew from Belgium, Olivier Pulinckx and Cosmas Antoniadis, were denied entry into Israel on grounds of “security.” No further explanation was granted. There have been many similar cases of arbitrary action by Israeli police in recent months, and particularly in recent weeks, targeting individuals and organisations working with Palestinian civil society. Read more about Palestinian filmmaker denied entry to Israel on "security" grounds
16 May 2003
“On May 9, 2003, at approximately 12:40 pm, the Israeli military entered the media office of the International Solidarity Movement (ISM) in Beit Sahour, Palestine. Present were myself — Kristin Razowsky (“Flo”) — an international from Austrailia who is working with Human Rights Watch, and a local Palestinian woman from Beit Sahour.” Kristin Razowsky reports on her arrest and deportation. Read more about ISM: Report of the Beit Sahour IDF raid from Kristin Razowsky
15 May 2003
“All the pipes and drums of political rallies and remembrance day parades; all the ink of history books, policy papers, executive summaries, and polemical tracts; all the solemn newsbytes, sturm und drang and spin of media coverage are pointless here at the edge of Gaza. Talk or yell, scream or rationalize, pontificate or analyze all you want, but it all boil down to this: A husband, a wife, and their three small children clinging to the vain hope of home and normalcy in a shattered neighborhood of demolished houses.” EI’s Laurie King-Irani asks you to follow the Road Map all the way to Rafah and take a good, hard look around. Read more about The edge of reason