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Palestinian goes on hunger strike

Audrey Gillan 20 January 2003

A Palestinian who had been tortured before his arrival in Britain has gone on hunger strike after having been held for 13 months without charge. Mahmoud Abu Rideh is detained under anti-terrorism provisions. He was transferred from Belmarsh high security prison to Broadmoor high security mental hospital last August under the orders of a judge, because he was seriously mentally ill. Audrey Gillan outlines his situation in The Guardian. 

Sharon derides EU peace efforts

Chris McGreal 20 January 2003

Ariel Sharon yesterday dismissed European peace efforts as anti-Israeli and said only the US matters in deciding the fate of the Palestinians. The prime minister’s comments followed an interview with Newsweek magazine released yesterday in which he was asked about the efforts of the Quartet - the US, UN, EU and Russia - to map out a road to peace. “Oh, the quartet is nothing! Don’t take it seriously! There is [another] plan that will work,” he said. Chris McGreal reports in the Guardian. 

For a nuclear-free Middle East

Karen Asfour 20 January 2003


The wheels of war roll on and it appears the world is getting closer to some type of armed conflict in the Middle East. In this environment, Israel’s nuclear, chemical and biological weapons present a real but often overlooked threat to the region. In this contribution to EI, Karen Asfour assesses Israel’s weapons of mass destruction programs and argues that Israel’s refusal to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty is a key obstacle fuelling instability in the region, and preventing movement towards a nuclear-free Middle East. 

Video Petition Project on Exhibit at Chicago's Museum of Contemporary Art

Artist Emergency Response 18 January 2003

As part of the show entitled “War (What is it Good For?)”, the Artist Emergency Response collective will present the first version of its ongoing Video Petition Project. An hour and a half long, this video documents the first 200 petitioners who gave face and voice to the growing number of North Americans who oppose the Israeli Occupation of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. An AER press release offers more information 

Swept Clean

Annie Higgins Jenin, Palestine 18 January 2003

The idea of Sharon with broom in hand is comical enough, but the suggestion that he sweep the rooms of the Islamic Center that his soldiers left in shambles made me laugh. My friend, who conducts Qur’anic study sessions, always manages to find humor in the midst of the bleakest conditions. Her laughter itself is a resistance against the gravity of oppression. Annie Higgins writes from Jenin. 

Universal Jurisdiction in Belgium: The Trial Continues

Michael Young 17 January 2003

“Israelis have scoffed at Prime Minister Ariel Sharon�s war crimes trial in Belgium, but, despite it all, the legal process continues. Indeed, on Tuesday it received a valuable shot in the arm.” The Daily Star’s Michael Young examines the legal and political background of a possible resumption of the war crimes case against Sharon and others in Belgium 

Collective punishment is a war crime

Daoud Kuttab 17 January 2003


The long line at the Qalandia checkpoint last week was one of the first signs of the added collective punishment that the Israeli army was now instructed to impose on the Palestinian population. When my turn finally arrived, I drove up to the soldiers, hoping finally to be allowed into Ramallah. Daoud Kuttab writes from occupied Jerusalem in the Jordan Times.