Ha 08:14 26/09/2001Last update - 10:08 27/09/2001
U.S. officials weigh proposal to halt all civilian aid to Israel
By Ora Coren, Ha'aretz Correspondent
American officials are reviewing a proposal to end all civilian aid to Israel immediately, in the context of a general review of America's foreign aid priorities, according to a senior Western diplomat.
However, the Bush administration has not yet formulated its stance on this question, the diplomat said.
The diplomat explained that America's foreign aid policy will have to change following the September 11 terrorist attacks in New York and Washington, and one possibility is phasing out civilian aid to Israel sooner than planned.
However, he added, the increase in military aid to Israel that was slated to accompany the reduction in civilian aid would not be affected.
Under a deal reached with the U.S. government three years ago, civilian aid to Israel - then $1.2 billion a year - was to decline by $120 million a year for 10 years, until it was eliminated completely.
Over the same period, military aid would increase by $60 million a year, rising from $1.8 billion to $2.4 billion at the end of the 10-year period. Thus this year, Israel is slated to receive $840 million in civilian aid and $1.980 billion in military aid.
Thursday, September 27, 2001
Tuesday, September 25, 2001
Ha'aretz - Article
Wednesday, September 26, 2001 Tishrei 9, 5762Israel Time: 04:42 (GMT 2)
Last update - 01:45 26/09/2001
Two Odigo workers received messages predicting WTC attack
By Yuval Dror, Ha'aretz Correspondent
Odigo, the instant messaging service, says that two of its employees received messages two hours before the Twin Towers attack on September 11 predicting the attack would happen. The company has been cooperating with Israeli and American law enforcement, including the FBI, in trying to find the original sender of the message predicting the attack.
Micha Macover, CEO of the company, said the two employees received the messages and immediately after the terror attack informed the company's management. Management immediately contacted the Israeli security services, which brought in the FBI.
"I have no idea why the message was sent to these two workers, who don't know the sender. It may just have been someone who was joking and turned out they accidentally got it right. And I don't know if our information was useful in any of the arrests the FBI has made," said Macover. Odigo is a U.S.-based company whose headquarters are in New York, with offices in Herzliya.
بعد ان يختفي الدخان في نيويورك وواشنطن
سيظهر حجم الخسائر السياسية لاسرائيل
واشنطن - من وفيق رمضان:
بعد اسبوعين تماماً من تفجيرات نيويورك وواشنطن، لا يزال الدخان يتصاعد من الموقع الذي كان يقوم عليه برجا مركز التجارة العالمي، والغبار يغطي معظم مدينة نيويورك ومحيط "البنتاغون" في واشنطن. ولكن عندما يتوقف الدخان ويزول الغبار سيظهر ان اسرائيل هي من بين خسائر ذلك الثلثاء الشهير الذي هز الولايات المتحدة والعالم.
بالنسبة الى يهود الولايات المتحدة، وعاصمتهم نيويورك لأن فيها من اليهود اكثر من عدد سكان اسرائيل، فانهم اختاروا الاختفاء قليلاً، ولا يظهر منهم الا رجال دين مع ممثلي جميع الاديان والمعتقدات في الولايات المتحدة في احتفالات تأبين، وعدد قليل من "المحللين" السياسيين في برامج التلفزيونات الاميركية التي انفتحت على تغطية الاحداث طوال الليل والنهار.
مضى اسبوعان على التفجيرات و12 يوماً منذ طلب الرئيس جورج بوش من رئيس الوزراء الاسرائيلي ارييل شارون ان يجتمع موفدون اسرائيليون مع موفدين فلسطينيين للتوصل الى اتفاق لوقف النار، علماً ان الفلسطينيين اعربوا لوزارة الخارجية الاميركية بعد الاتصال الاول بين بوش وشارون عن استعدادهم لعقد اجتماع مع اي مندوب اسرائيلي.
وبحسب مصادر عدة، بدا بوش غاضباً جداً آنذاك، وكذلك في الايام التي تلت والتي اجرى فيها اتصالات عدة مع شارون وخصوصاً بعدما جمع حوله اكثر الدول العربية والاسلامية ووعدها بأنه "سيضغط" على شارون للاجتماع مع الفلسطينيين ووقف القتال.
وأظهر تسلسل الاتصالات التي أجراها بوش ووزير الخارجية كولن باول وسفير الولايات المتحدة لدى اسرائيل، ان شارون استخف بـ"ضغط" بوش عليه. وبدا الرئيس الاميركي من خلال اتصالاته مع زعماء دول عربية واسلامية محرجا، بسبب مقاومة شارون لما طلبه منه لأن سياسة ادارته الابتعاد عن النزاع الاسرائيلي - الفلسطيني (حتى لا نكرر القول بانحيازها اللفظي اليها)، انهارت فجأة وصار على بوش ان يدفع أكثر في اتجاه شارون، لئلا يصاب التحالف الدولي الذي يأمل في تشكيله ضد الارهاب، بصدع نتيجة موقف شارون، او ما قد يقوم به عند بدء العمليات العسكرية التي تعد لها الولايات المتحدة.
ونظرا الى عدم وجود عملية سلام في الشرق الاوسط، يمكن ان تلزم الاسرائيليين او الفلسطينيين شيئا، وجد بوش نفسه فجأة من دون نفوذ او "لوبي" في اسرائيل يؤثر على رئيس وزراء دولة صغيرة دافع عنه منذ دخل البيت الابيض، ويقول اميركيون كثر ان تفجيرات 11 ايلول هي نتيجة دفاع بوش عن شارون.
ولجأ بوش الى حلفائه الاوروبيين ليتدخلوا في منطقة الشرق الاوسط بعدما كان كل تدخل اوروبي مثار سخرية الادارات الاميركية الواحدة تلو الاخرى. وطلب من رئيس الوزراء البريطاني طوني بلير عندما كان في واشنطن الاسبوع الماضي ان يرسل وزير الخارجية جاك سترو الى المنطقة. وكان ما كان في المشكلة التي اثارتها اسرائيل احتجاجا على تصريحات لسترو.
كل هذا يقلق بوش وادارته الى ابعد حد، خصوصا ان اميركيين كثيرين قالوا علنا في الصحف او الاذاعات او التلفزيونات ان عدم الانتباه الذي ابداه بوش حيال النزاع الاسرائيلي الهب المشاعر.
وامس ايضا تحدث باول هاتفيا مع وزير الخارجية الاسرائيلي شمعون بيريس الذي لا ينظر اليه الاميركيون غالبا نظرة الاحترام ويصفونه بأنه "خاسر دائم"، كما اتصل بعرفات وشارون. ولكن لم يظهر دليل بعد على تغيير في موقف شارون الذي كان بدوره يعتبر دائما شخصا "غير مرغوب فيه" لدى مسؤولين اميركيين سابقين ويعتبرونه "شخصا معاديا لاميركا".
كان بوش طلب من شارون ان يجتمع بيريس وعرفات في 14 ايلول، لكن شارون كان يقدم كل يوم حجة جديدة مثل: مرور ساعة من الهدوء الكامل قبل حصول هذا الاجتماع.
واعتبر الاميركيون ان ما اعلنه بيريس عن نيته اخذ اجازة اذا لم يعقد الاجتماع بينه وبين عرفات، اداة ضغط من ممثل حزب العمل الضعيف في الائتلاف الحكومي الذي يقوده "الليكود".
وامس، طلب شارون من الجانب الاميركي "هدوءا كاملا" و"جدد اتفاق وقف النار" لفترة لم يحددها، لكن الاميركيين كانوا في اقصى الغضب ضده، خصوصا انهم اعتبروا شرطه السابق اي "48 ساعة هدوءا" علامة ايجابية منه.
Tuesday September 25 9:13 AM ET
Text of Saudi Break With Taliban
By The Associated Press,
Text of Saudia Arabia's announcement that the kingdom has severed ties with Afghanistan (news - web sites)'s Taliban regime, released by the official Saudi news agency. Message opens with a reference to the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s:
The kingdom of Saudi Arabia stood with all of its ability beside the Afghani people while they were struggling for their independence, which gave Afghanistan a special status in the hearts of those who champion nations' rights of freedom and independence, until Afghanistan regained its independence.
It is unfortunate to see that the Taliban have used that special status for Afghanistan not for building the ties of brotherhood and for building and development and enforcing the lofty aims which Islam represents, but has made its land a center for attracting, training and recruiting a number of gullible men from different lands, especially citizens of the kingdom, in order to carry out criminal acts that violate all faiths and creeds, besides continuing to reject handing over those criminals to justice.
In spite of what happened and what is happening, the Taliban government is still continuing to use its land to harbor, arm and encourage those criminals in carrying out terrorist attacks that horrify those who live in peace and the innocent and spread terror and destruction in the world. (It) leads to defaming Islam and defaming Muslims' reputation in the world.
Since the Taliban have ignored all of the contacts and the attempts by the kingdom to persuade them to stop harboring criminals and terrorists and training them and inciting them and making its land a refuge and haven for them, (since) it did not respond to all exerted efforts and attempts in that concern, the last of which is the Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's call to the Taliban government, the government of the kingdom announces it is cutting all of its relations with the Taliban government while affirming that it will keep standing by the Afghan people and will continue its support for everything that will achieve security, stability and prosperity for Afghanistan.
Monday, September 24, 2001
أفاد تقرير أعدته المنظمة الفلسطينية لحقوق الإنسان أن عدد الصبية الفلسطينيين دون الـ 18 الذين استشهدوا في العام الأول من الانتفاضة بلغ 140 شهيدا. وأضاف التقرير أن العدد الإجمالي لشهداء انتفاضة الأقصى حتى أمس وصل إلى 560 شهيدا.
وشمل التقرير الأولاد الذين سقطوا بنيران قوات الاحتلال إبان انتفاضة الأقصى من 29 سبتمبر/ أيلول عام 2000 وحتى 23 سبتمبر/ أيلول عام 2001. وأوضح التقرير أن عدد الشهداء ينقسمون إلى فئتين الأولى تشمل الرضع من يومهم الأول حتى سن الـ 15 حيث سقط من هذه الفئة 59 طفلا.
والفئة الثانية تشمل الصبية من سن 15 حتى 18 وعددهم 81 شهيدا. وأشار التقرير إلى أن عددا كبيرا من الأولاد الذين شملتهم قائمة الشهداء لم يشاركوا في المواجهات مع قوات الاحتلال عندما أصيبوا إصابات قاتلة.
وأضافت المنظمة الفلسطينية أن إسرائيل تزعم بأنه يمكن للفلسطينيين دون سن 18 عاما أن يشكلوا تهديدا على الجنود الإسرائيليين وبالتالي فإنهم يعتبرون أهدافا شرعية. وبحسب اتفاقية الأمم المتحدة الخاصة بحماية حقوق الطفل التي تم اعتمادها في 20 نوفمبر/ تشرين الثاني 1989 وصدقت عليها معظم دول العالم بما فيها إسرائيل يحدد سن الرشد بـ 18 عاما.
ومن جهة أخرى أكد التقرير أن عدد الفلسطينيين الذين استشهدوا إبان الانتفاضة على أيدي قوات الاحتلال بلغ 560 بينهم 88 من عناصر أجهزة الأمن الفلسطيني و26 قتلوا في عمليات استشهادية ضد إسرائيل. ولا يشمل الرقم الإجمالي ضحايا التفجيرات الغامضة التي لم تتضح ملابساتها ويعتقد الفلسطينيون أن جزءا منها كان عبارة عن عمليات اغتيال وسقط نتيجتها 51 شهيدا.
وأكد التقرير أن 16 فلسطينيا استشهدوا برصاص المستوطنين الإسرائيليين في الضفة الغربية منذ اندلاع الانتفاضة.
وأشار التقرير إلى زيادة عنف وجرائم المستوطنين إبان انتفاضة الأقصى. وأوضح أن روايات شهود العيان أكدت أن مرتكبي الجرائم هم نفس الأشخاص من مناطق الخليل وبيت إيل ونابلس, مما يدل على وجود تنظيم سري أو تنسيق في ارتكاب الاعتداءات ضد المواطنين الفلسطينيين. وترتكب هذه الجرائم تحت سمع وبصر الجيش الإسرائيلي دون أن يحرك ساكنا, وأحيانا يتولى الجيش حماية المستوطنين.
A row has broken out between Israel and the UK ahead of Foreign Secretary Jack Straw's historic visit to Iran.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry issued an official statement expressing concern over remarks made by Mr Straw that have been published in the Iran press.
They include the words: "One of the factors which helps breed terrorism is the anger which many people in this region feel at events over the years in Palestine".
The term "Palestine" implies an element of statehood which Israel does not recognise.
But a BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says that what has really upset Israeli officials is the implication that Mr Straw blames Israel's policies for attacks on Israelis.
Mr Straw's tour of the Middle East is designed to help revive the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and to win Iran's support of a global fight against terrorism in the wake of the US attacks.
He has already made a brief stopover in Jordan, where he had talks with King Abdullah II and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whom he congratulated for the ceasefire statement he made four days ago "and the action which he and the Palestine authority have taken since to secure so far as possible, as they see it, a much greater degree of calm".
The foreign secretary, who is visiting Israel on Thursday and Egypt later in the week, has said he will seek ways to help revive Middle East peace negotiations.
'Abominable'
But his remarks in the Iranian press have already brought sharp criticisms from the Israeli media and politicians.
Israel Transport Minister Ephraim Sneh called his remarks "abominable" on Israel radio.
"The journey of the foreign minister who made these statements and is making the trip with the concurrence of the United States, to Tehran, the capital of Iran, is a stab in the back for Israel," Mr Sneh added.
The British Foreign Office later issued a clarification, saying that there can never be any excuse for terrorism, but the Israeli Government said that offence had been taken.
However they affirmed that Britain remains a key ally and Mr Straw's visit will go ahead as planned.
The foreign secretary's visit to the region was sensitive even before the row in Israel.
Iran and the UK have a history of rocky relations and Mr Straw, who is due to arrive in Tehran late on Monday, will be the first UK foreign secretary to visit the country since the Islamic revolution of 1979.
Many reformists in Iran welcomed the visit as a step towards a thaw in relations with the west.
But others believe Mr Straw is simply on a mission on behalf of the US, which still lists Iran as a state that sponsors terrorism and has no official diplomatic links with it.
Mr Straw will hold talks on Tuesday with Iran's President Khatami and Foreign Minister Kamal Kharazi.
Wednesday, September 19, 2001
Ha'aretz - Article Israel protests BBC coverage of Pal. reaction to U.S. attacks
By Sharon Sadeh, Ha'aretz Correspondent
The Israeli Embassy in London wrote to the British Broadcasting Corporation three days ago to protest what it calls, "the British network's caving in to the scare tactics of the Palestinian Authority." The letter criticizes the network's reporters in Israel for stressing a number of times that the images of Palestinians celebrating following the terror attack in the U.S. last week "did not reflect the general opinion of the majority of the Palestinian public."
The criticism is based on reports that the PA threatened foreign reporters, demanding that they not carry any reports of Palestinian celebrations. The embassy's press secretary David Schneeweiss says in the letter that Israel wants to verify whether the BBC's efforts to influence the viewers was the result of caving in to Palestinian pressures or a freely-made decision to act as the PA's propaganda apparatus.
This the third letter Israel has written to the BBC in the past year related to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. In May Israel demanded that the BBC take action against one of its reporters in Gaza that expressed his support of the Hamas. In October the embassy complained about the BBC's coverage of the Al Aqsa Intifada.
Iran Wants 'Terrorists' Severely Punished TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi told his Pakistani counterpart Wednesday that he wanted those behind the attacks in the United States ``tracked down and severely punished,'' Iran's IRNA news agency reported.
``The terrorists must be tracked down and severely punished,'' Kharrazi told Pakistan's Foreign Minister Abdul Sattar in a telephone conversation, referring to the deadly attacks in New York and Washington last week.
Iranian leaders have strongly condemned the attacks and offered deep sympathy to the United States in ways unprecedented since the 1979 Islamic revolution which led to a break in their diplomatic ties.
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Mullah Mohammed Omar, supreme leader of Afghanistan's ruling Taliban, told a meeting of clerics in Kabul on Wednesday that the United States was using the case against suspected terrorist Osama bin Laden as a "pretext" to destroy the "Islamic" (mojo:??????) system the Taliban has established.
Read more!"Nimda" worm strikes Net, e-mail - Tech News - CNET.com
A computer worm that spreads to both servers and PCs running Microsoft software flooded the Internet with data Tuesday, prompting the FBI to create a task force to investigate the attack, sources said.
Known as "Nimda" or "readme.exe," the worm spreads by sending infected e-mail messages, copying itself to computers on the same network, and compromising Web servers using Microsoft's Internet Information Server (IIS) software.
"It is extraordinary how much traffic this thing has created in a couple of hours," said Graham Cluley, senior security consultant for antivirus company Sophos. "As far as we can see, it doesn't seem to be using any psychological tricks because it's all automated."
Mailing lists for the security community quickly generated news of the worm, as infected servers scanned the Internet for vulnerable servers.
Sources in the antivirus community told CNET News.com that the FBI has set up a "task force" to study the virus. The FBI held conference calls three times Tuesday night with antivirus experts to discuss the investigation, sources said.
"There was a task force set up today, and there were a lot of things discussed," said Vincent Gullotto, director of antivirus research at security software firm Network Associates.
Reports of Suspicious Trading Probed CHICAGO (AP) - The world's largest options market is investigating reports of unusual trading activity before last week's terrorist attacks in New York and Washington.
The statement Tuesday from the Chicago Board Options Exchange comes amid widespread international efforts by investigators and regulators to determine whether terrorists tried to profit from stock and option trading ahead of the Sept. 11 attacks.
In the days before the attacks, unusually high numbers of put options were purchased for the stocks of AMR Corp. and UAL Corp., the parent companies of American Airlines and United Airlines, which each had two planes hijacked. There was no such trend involving other carriers.
A put option is a contract that gives a holder the right to sell an asset at a specified price before a certain date.
On Sept. 6-7, when there was no significant news or stock price movement involving United, the Chicago exchange handled 4,744 put options for UAL stock compared with just 396 call options - essentially bets that the price will rise. On Sept. 10, an uneventful day for American, the volume was 748 calls and 4,516 puts, based on a check of option trading records.
On Monday, the first day of trading following the attacks, shares of AMR fell 39 percent and UAL stock plunged 42 percent. Other airline shares also were sharply lower and most rebounded modestly Tuesday.
Yalla! Your Lebanese Portal Egyptian Born Business Man in US Is the Third Victim of Deadly Attacks Against Muslims
(19-09-2001)
The murder of an Egyptian born businessman in the Los Angeles suburb of San Gabriel is the latest in a series of attacks on US Muslims, prompting denunciation from US President George W. Bush.
Bush said during a visit to the Islamic Center in Washington, “Those who feel like they can intimidate our fellow citizens to take out their anger don’t represent the best of America. They represent the worst of humankind, and they should be ashamed”.
The FBI in conjunction with the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department confirmed Sunday it considered the attack on grocer Adel Karas, 48, to have been motivated by religious hatred.
Washington’s Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) has recorded more than 350 incidents of anti-Muslim harassment, threats, discrimination and violence since last Tuesday
Collateral Damage by Robert Wright
Collateral Damage
By Robert Wright
Posted Monday, Sept. 17, 2001, at 10:30 a.m. PT
This is war. On that everyone seems to agree—or, at least, they agreed for a while. In the immediate aftermath of Sept. 11, not just politicians but many pundits joined President Bush in declaring "war" on terrorism. But now, with the aid of some critical distance, a few observers have started asking whether that word doesn't obscure more than it illuminates.
After all, a conventional war—a conflict between states or groups of states—is pretty straightforward. There is a clear-cut objective (control the other guy's territory) and a clear-cut methodology (kill the other guy's soldiers—who, conveniently, are often dressed in distinctively colored uniforms). Once you've obtained the objective, you can relax: Your enemy surrenders, and the game is over.
That none of this is true of a "war" on terrorism has started sinking into the national consciousness. ("What Would 'Victory' Mean?" asked a headline in yesterday's New York Times.) But I think the most dangerously misleading thing about the "war" metaphor still hasn't dawned on many people. We by and large haven't reckoned with the possible new meaning of the phrase "American casualties."
Suppose that, as part of our metaphorical war against terrorism, we declare an actual, literal war on Afghanistan. The average American will realize that, this being war, the enemy will fight back, and American soldiers will come home in body bags. But the average American might not realize that the enemy could also fight back by parking truck bombs in American cities—that Americans who are already home may wind up in body bags.
A recent ABC News/Washington Post poll illustrates this blind spot. How many Americans favor responding to the terrorist attack by taking military action? 93 percent. And what if this means war? 86 percent. And what if it means civilian casualties abroad? 77 percent. And what if it means large numbers of U.S. troops getting killed? 69 percent. And what if it means large numbers of American civilians getting killed?
That's the question the pollsters didn't ask. They're still thinking about "war" in the conventional sense of the word.
Admittedly, President Bush has stressed that this is a new kind of war. Still, he has singled out our men and women in uniform as the ones who must gird themselves for combat. So when he stresses that this war could go on for years and involve great national sacrifice, pretty much everyone imagines the "greatest generation" kind of national sacrifice: Troops go off to die, and the rest of us plant victory gardens—and arrive at airports three hours before scheduled departure. Almost no one is imagining America turning into Israel, a place where every loud noise scares you to death. But it could well happen if our "war" on terrorism sufficiently inflames Islamic radicals.
I can hear the replies to this column now: Don't you understand? They're already killing American civilians. That's why we have to stop them!
Yes, we do have to try to stop them, and this may well mean taking military action. But note that this whole line of rhetoric—they're already killing us, and we must stop them—is itself a warped byproduct of war-think. It uncritically assumes the binary nature of conventional war. In a conventional war, once the killing begins, the enemy is fully committed to your destruction, so there's no need to worry about further antagonizing him. And completely stopping the enemy—winning the war, once and for all—is plausible. Neither of these things is true today.
Radical Islamic hatred of the United States is a variable that can go up or down. The commitment of the "enemy" to killing us isn't now anywhere near its theoretical maximum, and it may never reach zero. So one of our main jobs, for years and probably for decades, is to manage that variable. As we proceed on the various fronts we must now proceed on—including the military front—we have to keep radical Islamic hatred as low as possible.
It may sound like we've reached the reductio ad absurdum of my argument. I seem to be talking about fighting a war while trying to avoid antagonizing the enemy! But I submit that this is the weird new reality we face. And if the language we're using to describe that reality makes it seem inconceivable, then it's time to find some new language.
German Composer Stockhausen Apologizes German Composer Stockhausen Apologizes
HAMBURG, Germany (AP) - German composer Karlheinz Stockhausen apologized for calling last week's attacks on the United States a ``work of art'' - words that prompted the cancelation of four concerts in this northern city.
The 73-year-old Stockhausen, one of Germany's best-known postwar composers, had described the attacks as ``the greatest work of art one can imagine.''
Organizers of a music festival in Hamburg promptly canceled four concerts of Stockhausen's music.
The composer has since apologized for the comments, which he made Sunday during a press conference, Hamburg's top culture official Christina Weiss said Tuesday.
Friday, September 14, 2001
إسرائيل تحفر خنادق
في القدس الشرقية
القدس المحتلة رويترز يتعين على ياسمين زاهر أن تتخطى خندقا للوصول إلى منزلها في القدس الشرقية وهي تمسك بطفلها في يد ورضيعها في اليد الأخرى.
فإسرائيل حفرت خنادق عبر طرق القدس الشرقية كجزء من إجراءات تقول إنها ضرورية للحيلولة دون وصول منفذي عمليات التفجير الاستشهادية إلى المدينة المقدسة بعد سلسلة من التفجيرات.
وتعني الخنادق الجديدة التي يصل عمقها إلى متر وعرضها الى مترين ببساطة خلق المزيد من المشكلات اليومية لياسمين وجيرانها الفلسطينيين الذين أصبح لزاما عليهم السير للوصول إلى منازلهم.
وقالت ياسمين، وهي تحاول مساعدة ابنتها التي لم تتجاوز عامين لعبور الخندق، <<هذه سياسة تمييز عنصري ضد الفلسطينيين في القدس الشرقية>>.
وعزلت الخنادق والكتل الصخرية الطرق الرئيسية قرب القدس التي غالبا ما يستخدمها فلسطينيون في مناطق منها العيزرية، وهي مدينة في الضفة الغربية تقع على حافة القدس. وستخلق هذه الخنادق مشكلات أيضا للحجاج المسيحيين الذين تقلصت أعدادهم منذ اندلاع الانتفاضة الفلسطينية ضد الاحتلال الإسرائيلي قبل عام لأنها حالت دون وصول السيارات الى عدد من الأماكن المقدسة.
وضايقت تلك الخطوة نحو 300 ألف فلسطيني يعيشون في القدس الشرقية التي احتلتها إسرائيل عام 1967 وضمتها في خطوة لا يعترف بها المجتمع الدولي، ويخشى الفلسطينيون من محاولة إسرائيل عزل القدس الشرقية عن باقي مدن الضفة الغربية.
وقال المتحدث باسم الشرطة الإسرائيلية شموئيل بن روبي ان الهدف من تلك الخنادق هو منع منفذي التفجيرات من استخدام الطرق الخلفية للعبور إلى القدس. والطرق الرئيسية مغلقة بالفعل بنقاط التفتيش التي يقيمها الجيش الإسرائيلي.
وبرغم تلك الإجراءات فجر فلسطيني نفسه في القدس الأسبوع الماضي مما أسفر عن جرح نحو 15 شخصا. وقتل آخر 15 شخصا حينما فجر نفسه في مطعم الشهر الماضي.
Bin Laden right-hand man, wanted in Jordan, has asylum in Britain
AMMAN, Sept 14 (AFP) -
Omar Abu Omar, a right-hand man of the prime suspect of the US terror strikes Osama bin Laden, lives in London where he enjoys political asylum and is wanted in Jordan, a security source said Friday.
Abu Omar, who also goes by the name of Abu Kutada, "is a right hand man of Osama bin Laden who is chiefly responsible for financing terrorist operations," the source said on condition of anonymity.
He was arrested in London in February along with five others, accused of terrorist activities, but was released on bail a few days later.
A Jordanian of Palestinian origin, Abu Omar left Jordan for Pakistan in 1989 and from there went on to Afghanistan, where he spent two years as a close associate of bin Laden.
"He then travelled to Britain where he asked for and obtained political asylum, after claiming he had been persecuted in Jordan for his religious beliefs and his Palestinian origins," said the source, a terrorism expert.
"Abu Kutada is one of bin Laden's most trusted aides and plays a key role in setting up (terrorist) networks across the world, providing them with funds and recruiting members," the expert said.
The Jordanian authorities want him in connection with a group of Islamic militants, linked to bin Laden's military network Al-Qaeda (The Base), who were arrested in 1999 and accused of plotting terror attacks
Thursday, September 13, 2001
Ha'aretz - Flash news
French Ambassdor: 'Cannot compare terror in U.S., Israel'
France's ambassador to Israel, Jacques Huntzinger, told reporters yesterday that there could be no comparisons drawn between the act of terror perpetrated in the United States and Palestinian terrorism in Israel.
Speaking at a Rosh Hashanah reception held at the official residence of President Moshe Katsav, the French ambassador said: "First of all, we don't know who is responsible for the terror attack in the U.S. tragedy. We don't know whether this is an action committed by a state or individuals."
"Secondly," Huntzinger added, "here [in Israel], there is terror activity, and we denounce it. But terror here is connected to the Israeli-Palestinan conflict, which will not be resolved quickly, and it's an entirely different situation. We cannot confuse the Israeli-Palestinian situation and the tragedy that occurred in the United States."
Huntzinger added: "You [Israelis] are making the comparison. There is no comparison between the situation here and the very tragic one in the United States. It is completely irresponsible, politically, to make such a comparison."
While Arafat was committed to take firm steps against Palestinian terrorists, Huntzinger said, it was also true that Israel and the Palestinian were locked in a political conflict that had to be resolved by diplomatic means.
Wednesday, September 12, 2001
نعوم تشومسكي: هدية لليمين الشوفيني
تشومسكي نعوم
هجمات اليوم تشكل فظائع كبرى. بالنسبة لعدد الضحايا لم يصل الى مستوى فظائع اخرى كقصف بيل كلينتون للسودان. على سبيل المثال، حيث دمّر نصف امدادات البلاد بالادوية الامر الذي ربما ادى الى مقتل عشرات آلاف الاشخاص (لا احد يبالي، طالما ان الولايات المتحدة منعت التحقيق الذي كان من المفترض ان تجريه الامم المتحدة). هذا من دون الحديث عن حالات أسوأ بكثير ترد الى الذهن بسرعة. لكن ما جرى جريمة مرعبة من دون شك. فالضحايا الأول هم، كالعادة، العمال: البوابون والسكرتيرات ورجال الاطفاء، الخ.
وستكون هذه الهجمات على الأرجح ضربة ساحقة للفلسطينيين وغيرهم من الشعوب الفقيرة المضطهدة. وستؤدي على الاغلب الى اتخاذ اجراءات امنية مشددة مع امكان فرض قيود تزعزع الحريات المدنية والحرية الداخلية.
وتكشف الاحداث بصورة مأساوية غباء الافكار عن <<الدفاع الصاروخي>>. فكما اعلن تكراراً عدد من المحللين الاستراتيجيين وكما اصبح جلياً، فإن من يريد ان يلحق اضراراً هائلة بالولايات المتحدة بما في ذلك عبر استخدام اسلحة الدمار الشامل، فعلى الأغلب لن يشن هجوماً صاروخياً مخاطراً بدمار فوري (للمهاجم).
وهناك العديد من الاساليب الابسط التي يمكن وقفها عملياً. لكن احداث امس تزيد مع ذلك الضغوط الرامية الى اقامة انظمة الدفاع الصاروخي ووضعها قيد العمل.
ويشكل <<الدفاع>> غطاء رقيقاً لخطط عسكرة الفضاء، ومن خلال اللجوء الى حملات العلاقات العامة، سيعطى بعض الوزن لأكثر الذرائع ركاكة وسط الجمهور المذعور.
باختصار، جاءت هذه الجريمة كهدية الى اليمين الشوفيني المتطرف الذي يأمل باستخدام القوة للسيطرة على مجالات مصالحه. بل انها تمد بالذخر الاعمال الاميركية المقبلة التي ستؤدي بدورها.. الى هجمات مشابهة لهذه التي وقعت وربما أسوأ.
ان الآفاق المستقبلية اشد سوداوية مما كانت تبدو قبل الفظائع الأخيرة.
(12/9/2001)
(عن موقع <<زد ماغ>>)
Tuesday, September 11, 2001
Kadhafi condemns "terrible" attacks in United States Kadhafi condemns "terrible" attacks in United States
TRIPOLI, Sept 11 (AFP) -
Libyan leader Moamer Kadhafi on Tuesday condemned the "terrible" attacks on the United States and said his country was ready to send aid to the American people, the official JANA news agency reported.
"Different policies and the conflicts with America shouldn't be a psychological obstacle to sending humanitarian aid to the American people and all people in America who were profoundly affected by these terrible attacks," Kadhafi said.
The spiritual leader of the Islamic militant group Hamas denied Tuesday that Hamas had any connection with the attacks that destroyed the World Trade Center towers in New York and struck the Pentagon (news - web sites) in Washington.
``We in Hamas, our battle is on the Palestinian land. We are not ready to move our battle out of the occupied Palestinian territories,'' Sheikh Ahmed Yassin told reporters in Gaza City.
He said U.S. policies against the weaker peoples of the world were to blame for the aircraft attacks on two major U.S. cities.
He urged the United States to change its policy toward the world's less fortunate countries.
``America plants injustice and hatred in the hearts of the weak people so it reaps what it plants,'' he said. ``The U.S. policy is racist and does not lead to justice, and the absence of justice leads to such problems.''
Afghanistan's hardline Taliban rulers condemned the devastating terrorist attacks in New York and Washington on Tuesday and rejected suggestions that Osama bin Laden could be behind them.
``We never support terrorism. We too are targets of terrorism,'' Abdul Hai Muttmain, the Taliban's spokesman in the southern city of Kandahar, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview.
``What happened in the United States was not a job of ordinary people. It could have been the work of governments. Osama bin Laden cannot do this work, neither us,'' a Taliban spokesman, Abdul Hai Mutmaen, told Reuters from the southern city of Kandahar.
``We are not supporting terrorism. Osama does not have the capability. We condemn this.
``This could have been the act of either internal enemies of the United States or its major rivals. Osama cannot do this work...,'' he added.
``We do not allow Osama bin Laden to use the soil of Afghanistan against any other country,'' he said.
``He has no facility to carry out such activity,'' Zaeef said.
Asked if the Taliban feared a U.S. attack on Afghanistan after Tuesday's attacks, he said: ``We do not expect it from America to take such a speedy and tragic action without completing the investigation.''
NEW YORK/WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Three hijacked planes crashed into U.S. landmarks on Tuesday, destroying New York's mighty twin towers and plunging the Pentagon in Washington into flames in an unprecedented assault on key symbols of U.S. military and financial power.
Loss of life was expected to be catastrophic from the collapse of the giant towers of the World Trade Center where some 50,000 people work. The two 110-story towers collapsed one at a time in a huge cloud of smoke and fire two hours after the initial impacts.
Wednesday, September 05, 2001
السنغال تستدعي سفيرها في ليبيا
استدعت السنغال سفيرها في الجماهيرية الليبية احتجاجا علي محاولة فاشلة قامت بها عصابة تعمل في الدعارة الجنسية لترحيل مئة امرأة سنغالية عن طريق الجو إلي العاصمة الليبية
وقالت الحكومة السنغالية إنها بصدد تخفيض عدد العاملين في سفارتها في طرابلس وستفرض قيودا علي منح الليبيين تأشيرات دخول إلي السنغال
وقد وجه في داكار الاتهام رسميا لثلاثة أشخاص فيما يتعلق كما تقول السلطات السنغالية بمحاولة جرت يوم أمس الاثنين لنقل شابات سنغاليات علي متن طائرة مستأجرة إلي الجماهيرية الليبية ومن هناك إلي أوروبا للعمل في الدعارة الجنسية
وتقول الجماهيرية الليبية إنها لا يد لها فيما حدث بغض النظر عما تدعيه الشابات السنغاليات والشرطة السنغالية
Tuesday, September 04, 2001
Separate overhead roads for Jews and Arabs in Gaza Strip Separate overhead roads for Jews and Arabs in Gaza Strip
Sept 4 (AFP)
Israel will soon build two flyovers in the Gaza Strip to allow Jewish settlers and Palestinians to drive along different routes, an Israeli official announced on Tuesday.
"The construction of the two structures is part of measures taken by the government to make life easier for Palestinian inhabitants," the top official, requesting anonymity, said.
6,500 Israeli settlers occupy around 15 percent of the Gaza Strip, among a hostile and poor population of around one million Palestinians.