[imra] Daily digest - Volume: 2 Issue: 1344 (15 messages)

imra Mon Mar 6 00:21:44 2006 Volume 2 : Issue 1344

In this issue of the imra daily Digest:

Open the Iraq Files
MEMRI:Tunisian Reformist Researcher on
Discrimination Against Christians in Egypt
Sign of the times: Mattot Arim calls for volunteers
for national camp election campaign
Sign of the times: Hotel Association list
3,000 rooms left for Passover in country
Olmert to seek international support for West Bank
withdrawal [clueless on vacuum]
Nato may help US airstrikes on Iran
- Israel's special forces said to be operating inside Iran
5 Qassams fired at western Negev Sunday morning
CABINET COMMUNIQUE
[(oops!!!) rise in the scope of terrorism since retreat]
Armed Palestinian Groups Storm Public Institutions
Continuing Incidents of Palestinian Misuse of Weapons
Acting PM Olmert Speaks With Russian President Putin-
Israel's position very different from Russia's
Hamas' Delegation Ends Official Visit to Moscow,
Reiterating no Recognition with Israel
Fateh Revolutionary Council Likely to Agree
Fateh's Lawmaker Recommendation [not to join government]
Textbook of American school in [UAE]
capital seized over 'smell of racism'[praise Israel]
Excerpts: Election case delayed again.
Extradition of US citizen questioned.5 March 2006

----------------------------------------------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Open the Iraq Files

Open the Iraq Files

Wall Street Journal REVIEW & OUTLOOK
March 3, 2006
http://online.wsj.com/article/SB114134648187988163.html

When the 9/11 Commission bullied Congress into creating the Directorate of
National Intelligence, we doubted that another layer of bureaucracy on top
of the CIA would fix much of anything. Our skepticism has since been largely
reinforced -- most recently by the DNI's reluctance to release what's
contained in the millions of "exploitable" documents and other items
captured in Iraq and Afghanistan.

These items -- collected and examined in Qatar as part of what's known as
the Harmony program -- appear to contain information highly relevant to the
ongoing debate over the war on terror. But nearly three years after Baghdad
fell, we see no evidence that much of what deserves to be public will be
anytime soon.

For example, if it hadn't been for the initiative of one Bill Tierney, we
wouldn't know that Saddam Hussein had a habit of tape recording meetings
with top aides. The former U.N. weapons inspector and experienced Arabic
translator recently went public with 12 hours (out of a reported total of
3,000) of recordings in which we hear Saddam discuss with the likes of Tariq
Aziz the process of deceiving U.N. weapons inspectors and his view that
Iraq's conflict with the U.S. didn't end with the first Gulf War.

In one particularly chilling passage, the dictator discusses the threat of
WMD terrorism to the United States and the difficulty anyone would have
tracing it back to a state. With the 2001 anthrax attacks still unsolved,
that strikes us as bigger news than the DNI or most editors apparently
considered it.

In another disclosure, the Weekly Standard's Stephen Hayes was told by about
a dozen officials that Harmony documents describe in detail how Saddam
trained thousands of Islamic radicals in the waning years of his regime. So
much for the judgments of many in the intelligence community -- including
Paul Pillar, the latest ex-spook to go public with his antiwar message --
that the secular Saddam would never consort with such religious types.

To its credit, the DNI did bless the recent release of about two dozen
documents from Afghanistan as part of a West Point study painting a portrait
of al Qaeda's organizational structure. They show that al Qaeda functioned
like a corporation in some ways, with fixed terms for employee benefits such
as family leave, and seem to vindicate the once-controversial decision to
move quickly to destroy al Qaeda's base of operations in Afghanistan.

But these tantalizing tidbits represent only a fraction of what's in U.S.
possession. We hear still other documents expand significantly on our
knowledge of Saddam's WMD ambitions (including more on the Niger-uranium
connection) and his support for terrorism, right down to lists of potential
targets in the U.S. and Europe. Former Assistant Defense Secretary Richard
Perle accuses the DNI of "foolish restraint" on releasing information that
could broaden understanding and bolster support for a war that is far from
won. Representative Pete Hoekstra (R., Mich.) echoes that criticism. And
after chatting with the Congressman and with someone we agreed to describe
as a "senior intelligence official familiar with the program," we largely
agree.

The intelligence community has a point that some caution must be exercised.
For example, the senior intelligence official pointed out, some documents
describe in detail rapes and other abuses committed by Saddam's regime --
details that could still haunt living victims in such an honor-bound society
as Iraq. But while it would seem to make sense to screen the documents for
such items -- and perhaps terrorist recipes such as ricin -- we still can't
understand how that justifies the current pace and method of making
information public.

And our alarm bells really rang when the intelligence official added another
category of information that's never slated to see the light of day: "We
cannot release wholesale material that we can reasonably foresee will damage
the national interest." Well, what exactly does that mean and who makes the
call? The answer, apparently, is unaccountable analysts following State
Department guidelines.
But consider just one hypothetical: Is it in the "national interest" to
reveal documents if they show that Jacques Chirac played a more substantial
role in encouraging Saddam's intransigence than is already known? No doubt
some Foggy Bottom types would say no. But we'd strongly disagree. The
"national interest" exception is so broad and vague that it would end up
being used to justify keeping secret the merely embarrassing.

What's more, according to Mr. Hoekstra, the DNI release plans don't call for
making any documents publicly available per se, but only through scholars in
the manner of the West Point study. As he puts it, the decision to move
everything through analysts and carefully chosen outsiders is an "analog"
method in a "digital" age, when we could be calling on the interpretive
wisdom of so many by putting much of it on the Internet.

Yesterday Mr. Hoekstra introduced a bill to require the intelligence
community to be more forthcoming with the Iraq and Afghanistan documents.
"I'm beginning to believe the postwar intelligence may be as bad as the
prewar intelligence," he says. Another person who sees vast room for
improvement is Iraqi scholar Kanan Makiya, who founded the Iraq Memory
Foundation. While he shares the DNI's concerns about potential damage to
some people mentioned therein, he also says the U.S. government has gone too
far and needs to find better ways to grant access to this information.

America went to war in Iraq and Afghanistan because we believed that the
truth about the regimes in those countries justified it. Why should so much
of that truth now be deemed so sensitive?

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: MEMRI:Tunisian Reformist Researcher on
Discrimination Against Christians in Egypt

Special Dispatch - Reform Project/North African Reformist Thinkers
March 1, 2006
No. 1103

Tunisian Reformist Researcher on Discrimination Against Christians in Egypt

Reformist Tunisian researcher Dr. Amel Grami from Manouba University in
Tunis is a member of a joint international Muslim-Christian research group.
She has published books on various Islamic topics such as freedom of faith
in Islam and riddah (relinquishing the Muslim faith) in Islamic thought, as
well as many articles in Arabic, French and Italian on reform in Islam, the
status of women, and dialogue between Christianity and Islam.

In November 2005, she participated in a conference held in Washington, D.C.
for advancing the rights of Copts in Egypt; the conference was also attended
by other reformists and human rights activists from across the Arab and
Muslim world.

At the conference, she presented a paper which included criticism of the
persecution of the Christian Coptic population in Egypt and suggested ways
of dealing with the issue.(1)

The following are excerpts:

"A Country's Policy of Discrimination is One of the Most Central Factors in
Harming Those of a Different Faith"

"Anyone who examines the persecution, the exclusion, and the marginalization
that the Copts have suffered in recent years will find that the rejection of
the other who belongs to a different religion has taken many forms - such as
revulsion, contempt, defamation, curses, and public difficulty in tolerating
the existence of the other. In some cases, the situation has reached the
point of revoking the other's right to freedom, to expression, and to
existence, and has even [led] to his elimination.

"It is clear that a country's policy of discrimination is one of the most
central factors in harming those of a different faith... Whoever follows the
words of the senior [Egyptian] officials discovers that they ceaselessly
boast about the rules [set out in Koran 9:29] that oblige the ahl al-dhimma
to pay jizya [poll tax] 'with willing submission,' and that they never stop
praising the contracts that restrict non-Muslims in the areas of housing,
external appearance, performance of their religious rituals, and upkeep of
their houses of worship. It is no wonder, then, that the laws setting out
worship continue to be handled as was customary hundreds of years ago, and
that they differentiate between the rights of the 'majority' and the rights
of the 'minority'...

"The state's insistence that the construction, renovation, and decoration of
churches are activities that require a [government] permit means that the
state is incapable of accepting the changes of history and modern culture -
including [the principle of] respecting the citizen's right to choose his
faith and to worship... It seems that the decision to prevent [free worship]
reflects nothing but the desire of the 'majority' to be prominent at the
expense of the 'minority' - which is forced to reduce its presence if [this
presence] worries, embarrasses, or intimidates [the majority]...

"Accordingly... [the reality in Egypt is] that there are very few churches
but many mosques; [Christian] houses of worship tend to be ramshackle, with
dim lights and faded colors, in contrast to the lofty mosques that [are
built to] seem ever-enduring, since 'Islam,' after all, 'is supreme over
others and others are not supreme over it.' Thus, the state controls the
physical symbols that express religious identity... The Copts' demand that
the state enable them to establish and maintain churches is received [by the
Egyptian public] as proof of their desire to compete with the Muslims... [as
if] these are pesky demands aimed only at embarrassing members of the
regime...

"[But] in a country in which there are monasteries, and in which the voice
of the muezzin reverberates along with the sound of the bell calling to
prayer, one cannot brandish the motto 'Islam is the solution' or call for
the return of the 'Islamic caliphate' - and it is inconceivable for the
constitution to set out that the state is Islamic.

"Harassment Has Increased and the Discrimination Between Muslims and
Christians has Gotten Worse"

"The second example of the violation of the Copts' religions rights is
manifested in religious coercion, that is, in pushing women, particularly
underage girls, to convert to Islam under pressure... In this framework,
there are cases of young girls abducted and forced to convert to Islam...

"The [Egyptian] state favors one group at the expense of the other, and its
various apparatuses have become entangled in acts of violence... Egypt has
not managed to be objective [regarding all its citizens], and, like the
other Arab countries, it has failed to secure the sovereignty of law and the
implementation of social agreement among all [elements of its society]. This
is because, in the eyes of the politicians and the decision makers,
governing means repression, coercion, and punishment of those who do not
obey. This is a clear violation of one of the most important articles of the
Human Rights Convention...

"It appears that the state does not recognize an individual's right to enjoy
religious freedom that includes not only the right to choose a faith and a
religion, but also the right to change his religion - or not to believe at
all. Conversion to Islam cannot be by violence, since faith cannot be
induced through compulsion and coercion... The state's intervention in the
question of faith is proof of its responsibility - whether conscious or
unconscious - for spreading [the accusation] of abandoning Islam [riddah,
the penalty for which is death]... This means that the expropriation of
religious freedom and the persecution and elimination of anyone who is
different apply not only to the Copts, but also to Muslims who have a
different view of the religion, or who seek to adopt another religion...

"State Institutions Employ a Policy of 'the Visible and the Hidden'"

"Today, the 'majority' allows an individual who believes in a different
religion to have a place in society, but [only] while reminding him that his
value is not equal to that of a Muslim, and while constantly giving him the
feeling that he is not a useful element [in society] and that he lacks the
necessary qualifications. As we know, the required qualifications are not
scientific qualifications, but religious ones. [Even] if the official [i.e.
state] discourse claims that this is not the case, how [else] can we explain
[the fact that] the Copts are being distanced from decision-making posts?
And what does it mean when a state does not permit a Copt to hold a high
position in society?...

"The various state institutions employ a policy of 'the visible and the
hidden.' Publicly, they imply that the state does not reject the Copts -
that it condemns their persecution and never stops submitting important
recommendations to all apparatuses on how to handle the crisis wisely. And
indeed, in recent years the media has highlighted some [Coptic] history that
in the past had been marginalized. Various works of art have stressed the
coexistence that once prevailed between Muslims and Christians, and the
scope of the Copts' contribution to the national struggle has been revealed.
The number of encounters between Pope Shenouda III... and the official
Islamic establishment represented by the sheikh of Al-Azhar has doubled, and
political statements have multiplied regarding the fraternal relations that
prevail between the members of both religions, and regarding the realization
of national unity in Egypt.

"But anyone who follows the events and the facts of daily life has noticed
what the official discourse hides. Harassment has increased and the
discrimination between Muslims and Christians has gotten worse... The state
has not lifted a finger [to stop] the escalation in the discourse of the
extremists, who support the Islamist movements and control the various
institutions - particularly the media institutions...

"A Not Inconsiderable Number of Copts... Would Rather Submit to the Powerful
Regime Than Fight it"

"Whether the Copts admit that they are being persecuted, deny it, or
downplay the importance of the attacks against them, there is no doubt that
fundamental human rights are being violated in Egypt and in other Arab
countries, just as persecution of 'minorities' is a fact of life that cannot
be denied - even if some Copts claim that they are satisfied with their
situation and that they are against 'escalating [the struggle].' But isn't
[their very] insistence on concealing the religious discrimination [against
them] a sign of the restrictions and pressure that they are subject to, and
[a sign of] the threats that they receive so that they will not reveal this
local secret? Isn't the downplaying of the incidents in which churches were
looted and destroyed, and Christian blood was spilled, evidence of the siege
against 'the minority?'

"Feebleness, fear, and a sense of oppression and helplessness have
infiltrated the souls of a not inconsiderable number of Copts, and they
would rather remain silent than reveal the secret. They would rather submit
to the powerful regime than fight it. This oppression has led them to accept
the deeds of the ruling class, and to submit to the reality that is accepted
as 'natural' in the society of the majority...

"The Copts are divided in opinion not [only] with regard to the appropriate
time to deal with this matter, but also with regard to the [appropriate] way
of defending [themselves],... and with regard to terminology: Is it
permissible to talk of 'persecution,' 'discrimination,' and 'violation [of
rights],' or is it necessary to use expressions like 'being ignored' and
'neglected' by the state, or '[the state] turns a blind eye?' Similarly,
they disagree on the methods of struggle against discrimination... and
whether the issue of the Copts should be presented as a problem of a
'minority that is persecuted and besieged' or else considered within the
broader framework of the lack of democracy in Egypt and the violation of
fundamental human rights?...

"Defense of Religious Freedom Cannot Be Isolated From Defense of the Rest of
the Fundamental Freedoms"

"Defense of religious freedom cannot be isolated from defense of the rest of
the fundamental freedoms. It is important that every person in society,
regardless of gender, color, race, and religion, enjoy the rights he
deserves - such as the right to freedom, to respect, and to protection of
his physical, mental, and spiritual wellbeing... The common denominator that
must unite all levels of society is citizenship. Some of the backbones of
citizenship are: equality in rights and obligations, and equality of all
before the law... [Likewise,] one of the merits of the democratic state is
that it does not consider people according to their faith, and does not
assess them according to their affiliation with one religion or another, or
according to their piousness. The goal that the state must pursue is for the
individual to be capable of playing an active role in society while
maintaining mutual constructive relations with others..."

Suggestions for Solving the Problem of Discrimination Against Christians in
Egypt

In summary, Dr. Grami stated: "Global and local circumstances no longer
allow the situation to continue as it is... and even though some elements
have objected to raising the Coptic issue at the present time, public debate
on this most sensitive Egyptian issue cannot be put off any longer."

Dr. Grami added that there is already public discourse regarding a number of
practical solutions to the problem, and enumerated some of them: "Building a
truly democratic government in which rule of law will prevail instead of
tribal rule, in which national and human affiliation will replace the focus
on religious affiliation, with a separation between religion and state;
changing the constitution and the laws so that they guarantee full equality
for all...; implementing social justice by providing work opportunities and
through [fair] distribution of resources among all [citizens]...;
encouraging modern education... and curricula capable of developing a
critical sense...; ending the hegemony of the religious establishment in all
areas of life...; opposing the extremist religious movements that carry out
acts of coercion and violence and do not respect freedom of religion;
discarding the criteria of religious affiliation in order to establish a
collective awareness that can unite the
efforts of all in the service of the homeland... ; and reexamining the
foundations for the operation of the media... The media establishment must
spread the values of modernity and reflect the wealth of the cultural
system..."

Endnote:
(1) This is the second report in MEMRI's recently launched project: North
African Reformist Thinkers. For more, see the first report of the series:
"French Moroccan Progressive Author on 'The New Islamic Thinkers,'"
http://memri.org/bin/articles.cgi?Page=archives&Area=ia&ID=IA26406 .

*********************
The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization that translates and analyzes the media of the Middle
East. Copies of articles and documents cited, as well as background
information, are available on request.

MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be used with
proper attribution.

The Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI)
P.O. Box 27837, Washington, DC 20038-7837
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-Mail: memri@memri.org
Search previous MEMRI publications at www.memri.org

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Sign of the times: Mattot Arim calls for volunteers
for national camp election campaign

Elections!!
Mattot Arim
Sunday, 05 March, 2006

Elections R coming: work, work, work! Call people or visit homes. Below
are coordinators for each area. If you can't contact your rakaz or he
doesn't give you, within 24 hours, a specific well-organized task to do,
please contact sddym@bezeqint.net and we will send you a job - please
indicate what phonebook you happen to have at home.

Please print this email & hang in yr shul. Thank you.

List of coordinators

South

Ofakim 050-7276471
Eilat 057-7338053
Ashkelon 050-7598088
BeerSheva 052-4714411
Dimona 050-8756009
MizpeRamon 050-8529248
Netivot 054-2250907
Arad 052-5666915
Kiryat Gat 052-2703449
Kiryat Malachi054-5442753
Sderot 057-7700485
Elsewhere 054-7987684

Central

Bar-Ilan U 050-2138981
Or Yehuda 054-6713933
Elkana 050-8750895
Ariel 052-5665956
BneiBrak 054-6713933
Givatayim 0506-384547 0504-088754
GivatShmuel 054-6713933
Herzlia 054-4879297
Yahud 054-6713933
KfarSaba 054-4879297
Lod 052-5666620
Petah Tikva 050-5711960
RoshHaayin 03 9321497
RishonLeZion 052-8333406
Rehovot 089471273
RamatGan 0506-384547 0504-088754
Ramle 052-5666620
Raanana 054-4879297
Shoham 054-6713933
TelAviv 0506-384547 0504-088754

Jerusalem

Gilo 052-6767648
Maaleh Adumim 0504652047 3
Kiryat Moshe 0522-987566
Elsewhere 050-8767353

North

Galilee 050-6323735
Hadera 0577-709160
Haifa 052-4627118
Meron 0545-269909
Maalot 0545-269909
Krayot 057-3303888 054-7710153
Elsewhere 052-4627118

Youth 052-6051212

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Sign of the times: Hotel Association list
3,000 rooms left for Passover in country

Sign of the times: Hotel Association list 3,000 rooms left for Passover in
country

Dr. Aaron Lerner 5 March 2006

Israel Radio reported this morning that the Israel Hotel Association has
posted a list of the 3,000 hotel rooms still available for Passover in the
entire country on their website:

www.israelhotels.org.il/index.cfm

The list is only on the Hebrew version of the website.

The Association decided to put together the list after many Israelis
complained that it was no longer possible to find a hotel room for the
holiday.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Olmert to seek international support for West Bank
withdrawal [clueless on vacuum]

Olmert to seek international support for West Bank withdrawal
By Aluf Benn, Haaretz Correspondent 5 March 2006
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/690026.html

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert is planning to enlist international
support for a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from parts of the West Bank, if
he wins the elections. Olmert believes that the first objective of the next
government will be to create a supportive international environment for
implementing Israel's national goals: setting its borders and ensuring a
Jewish majority.

Olmert will try to persuade the American administration and the key players
in the international community that unless Hamas alters its positions, they
must support a unilateral Israeli move to determine the border in the West
Bank. In his view, Israel has managed to muster broad international support
for the conditions it imposed on the Hamas government, and this must be kept
up until after the elections. Only then will it begin to promote the
unilateral initiative.

Since the Hamas victory in the Palestinian legislative elections, Olmert has
been referring less and less to the "road map" peace plan. Some of his
advisers told him to stick with that plan, which enjoys American support and
is accepted in the international community as the basis for an
Israeli-Palestinian agreement. But Olmert thinks he would make a fool of
himself were he to continue talking about the road map, as though the
political circumstances had not changed following the Palestinian polls.

The United States is beginning to rethink its Middle East policy, in the
wake of the blow the administration sustained in the Palestinian elections:
the Americans pressured Israel and PA chairman Mahmoud Abbas to hold the
elections as scheduled, and thus brought about Hamas' rise to power. U.S.
support for a unilateral Israeli move could be construed as a necessary
correction of the mistake made with the elections.

The new American thinking comes across in Sunday's column by Jim Hoagland,
The Washington Post's chief foreign policy commentator. According to
Hoagland, in view of Hamas' victory, the Bush administration should
concentrate for now on attainable goals - first and foremost, support for an
Israeli withdrawal from 90 percent of the West Bank, along the lines of
Ariel Sharon's disengagement from the Gaza Strip.

Hoagland suggests setting "de facto frontiers for a two-state solution,"
based on the Clinton plan from late 2000 (which talked about Israel annexing
settlement blocs in exchange for land, and about dividing Jerusalem on an
ethnic basis). He calls on the Bush administration to push for a solution of
this sort, in which the separation line would be close to the 1967 borders.

Hoagland cites former U.S. secretary of state George Schultz, who told him
it is necessary to acknowledge the Oslo and Camp David failures and correct
them. According to Schultz, "the only thing the Palestinians have at this
point to offer the Israelis is a willingness to participate in constructing
a secure environment. But if the Palestinians won't commit to that and the
Israelis can produce that outcome themselves through security barriers and
other means," negotiations become pointless.

"There are times when it is best not to try to get people to agree on a
finality," Schultz said.

According to senior political sources, in return for the next disengagement
in the West Bank, Israel will ask the U.S. to recognize the withdrawal
line - apparently to be based on, but not identical to, the separation fence
route - as an international border. This would mean U.S. recognition for
annexing the settlement blocs of Ma'aleh Adumim, Gush Etzion and Ariel,
based on President Bush's letter of April 2004, which acknowledged the
"facts on the ground" created by the settlement blocs.

Olmert thinks that besides the blocs, Israel should control the Jordan
Valley and Jewish holy sites. The senior sources ventured that the American
administration would refuse to give Israel guarantees on the matter of
Jerusalem, considered the most sensitive topic in any permanent agreement.

The defense establishment is in favor of a unilateral move that would
include completing the Israeli disengagement from the Gaza Strip and another
pullout in the West Bank.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Nato may help US airstrikes on Iran
- Israel's special forces said to be operating inside Iran

Nato may help US airstrikes on Iran
Sarah Baxter, Washington and Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv
The Sunday Times [UK] March 05, 2006
www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,2089-2070420,00.html

WHEN Major-General Axel T�ttelmann, the head of Nato's Airborne Early
Warning and Control Force, showed off an Awacs early warning surveillance
plane in Israel a fortnight ago, he caused a flurry of concern back at
headquarters in Brussels.

It was not his demonstration that raised eyebrows, but what he said about
Nato's possible involvement in any future military strike against Iran. "We
would be the first to be called up if the Nato council decided we should
be," he said.

Nato would prefer the emphasis to remain on the "if", but T�ttelmann's
comments revealed that the military alliance could play a supporting role if
America launches airstrikes against Iranian nuclear targets.

The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) will tomorrow confirm Iran's
referral to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanctions.

Iran insists it is developing peaceful nuclear energy, a claim regarded as
bogus by America and Britain, France and Germany, which believe it wants to
develop nuclear weapons. President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's remarks about
wiping Israel "off the map" have added to fears.

America and Israel have warned that they will not tolerate a nuclear-armed
Iran. If negotiations fail, both countries have plans of last resort for
airstrikes against Iran's widely dispersed nuclear facilities.

Porter Goss, the head of the CIA, visited Recep Erdogan, the prime minister
of Turkey, a Nato country, late last year and asked for political,
logistical and intelligence support in the event of airstrikes, according to
western intelligence sources quoted in the German media.

The news magazine Der Spiegel noted: "Washington appears to be dispatching
high-level officials to prepare its allies for a possible attack."

Nato would be likely to operate air defences in Turkey, according to Dan
Goure, a Pentagon adviser and vice-president of the Lexington Institute, a
military think tank.

A former senior Israeli defence official said he believed all Nato members
had contingency plans.

John Pike, director of the US military studies group Globalsecurity.org,
said America had little to gain from Nato military help. "I think we are
attempting to bring the alliance along politically so that when all
diplomatic initiatives have been exhausted and we blow up their sites, we
can say, 'Look, we gave it our best shot'."
A senior British defence official said plans to attack Iran were pure
speculation. "I don't think anybody has got that far yet," he said. "We're
all too distracted by Iraq."

Israel's special forces are said to be operating inside Iran in an urgent
attempt to locate the country's secret uranium enrichment sites. "We found
several suspected sites last year but there must be more," an Israeli
intelligence source said. They are operating from a base in northern Iraq,
guarded by Israeli soldiers with the approval of the Americans, according to
Israeli sources.

The commander of Israel's nuclear missile submarines warned Iran indirectly
in a comment to an Israeli newspaper last week that "we are able to hit
strategic targets in a foreign country".

The Israelis fear Iran may reach the "point of no return" - at which it has
the capacity to enrich uranium to bomb-grade purity - in the next few
months. The Americans are more interested in the point at which Iran is
close to developing an actual bomb, thought to be at least three years away.

Two Iranian opposition groups claimed this weekend that Iran had increased
its production of Shahab 3 missiles, which have a range of 1,200 miles,
sufficient to reach Israel.

Diplomatic efforts to contain Iran are likely to proceed slowly, given
Russian and Chinese opposition to punitive action. A Foreign Office official
said although the IAEA would refer Iran to the security council, any
sanctions would be a "strictly step-by-step process".

Additional reporting: Tom Walker

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: 5 Qassams fired at western Negev Sunday morning

5 Qassams fired at western Negev Sunday morning

Sderot's Red Dawn alert system goes off Sunday morning after Palestinians
launch rockets at Israel. Two rockets fall in sea, north of Gaza Strip;
other three land near border fence
Shmulik Hadad YNET 03.05.06

Residents of the southern town of Sderot woke up Sunday morning to the
sounds of the Red Dawn alert system, which identified the launching of two
Qassam rockets toward the town at 7:30 a.m.

Defense establishment officials estimated that the rockets landed in the
sea, north of the Gaza Strip. There were no reports of injuries.

About half an hour later, two more rockets were fired from the Strip toward
Israel, landing near the border fence in the southern Strip. There were no
injuries or damage in this incident as well.

Another rocket was fired at Israel about two hours later, also landing near
the border fence. There were no injuries, but the fence suffered damage.

On Friday, the Islamic Jihad fired a Qassam rocket , which landed in a
strategic facility in southern Israel. One employee was treated for shock by
Magen David Adom emergency services. The facility suffered slight damage.

Two other Qassams landed in the communities of Karmiya and Yad Mordechai.
There were no injuries, but the rocket that hit Karmiya landed at a cemetery
and caused damage to a tombstone.

The IDF fired artillery shells in response toward the area in the northern
Gaza Strip from where the rockets were launched. In the afternoon, the air
force launched a strike at two launching sites in the northern Strip.

Days of rockets

Israel has been under ongoing Qassam fire in the past few days. On Thursday
night, the IDF's alert system identified the launching of

a Qassam rocket from the Gaza Strip toward the western Negev, but the exact
falling spot was not located. There were no reports of injuries or damage.

About two weeks ago, a Qassam rocket hit the strategic facility south of
Ashkelon. One woman was lightly wounded and the facility suffered light
damage. The Islamic Jihad claimed responsibility for the fire and said that
rocket was of a new al-Quds brand with a particularly long range and was
targeted at Ashkelon.

On Thursday morning, five Qassam rockets were launched from Gaza toward
Israel. The rockets landed in open areas near the southern town of Sderot
and western Negev kibbutzim. There were no reports of injuries or damage in
the incidents.

One of the rockets fell near the Sderot cemetery. A number of residents who
were at the cemetery heard the loud blast and notified the police. The
rocket was later found near the cemetery.
The rockets were fired from the area of the town of Beit Hanoun. The IDF
fired artillery shells toward the northern Gaza Strip in response.

Another ten rockets were fired at Israel throughout the week, at least half
of them landing on Israeli territory. IDF officials said that Islamic Jihad
and Fatah groups were behind the fire. Hamas, on the other hand, continues
its policy of not taking part in firing rockets.

Hanan Greenberg contributed to the report

First Published: 03.05.06, 09:02
Latest Update: 03.05.06, 09:44

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: CABINET COMMUNIQUE
[(oops!!!) rise in the scope of terrorism since retreat]

CABINET COMMUNIQUE(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

At the weekly Cabinet meeting today (Sunday), 5.12.2004:

1. The Cabinet discussed last Friday's incident at the Church of the
Annunciation in Nazareth. Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra and Israel
Police Commissioner Moshe Karadi briefed ministers on events at the Church
and in the city of Nazareth itself, including the actions of the Israel
Police. Deputy Social Welfare Minister Avraham Ravitz briefed ministers on
the treatment and care received by the Havivi family from the welfare
authorities.

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said: "The State of Israel, since its
founding, has scrupulously upheld freedom of worship and freedom of religion
and full toleration towards the institutions of the religions active in the
country. This is our faith, this is our way, thus we have acted and thus we
will continue to act. We are in a delicate period in which there is always
the temptation to exploit events of this sort for purposes that are not
relevant. I call on all elements to show restraint and responsibility and
not to drag this regrettable incident, which we are pleased has ended
calmly, into scenes of religious-based conflicts that have no relation to
what happened."

2. Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz and Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni briefed
ministers on current security and diplomatic matters.

Defense Minister Mofaz said that there has been a rise in the scope of
terrorism, especially shooting and stabbing attacks in Judea and Samaria and
rocket fire from the Gaza Strip. He referred to the increase in threats
against the Gaza Strip crossings and noted that it was against this
background that the Karni crossing has been closed. The Defense Minister
said that while it is Israel's policy to allow the Palestinian population to
receive its humanitarian needs, when there is a conflict of interests
between the lives of Israeli soldiers and civilians and humanitarian needs,
especially when there is an alternative and temporary solutions at other
crossings, the security of Israeli soldiers and civilians is paramount. It
is important to inform the international community that there are temporary
alternatives regarding the passage of humanitarian aid via the Kerem Shalom
crossing and that the Palestinians are rejecting this for reasons that are
not substantive. The Palestinians are responsible for the worsening
humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip even as the terrorist organizations
view attacking the crossings as a goal despite the price being paid by the
Palestinian population.

In Palestinian affairs, Hamas's dominance and Palestinian Authority (PA)
Chairman Abu Mazen's weakness have been prominent. Hamas is working to
formulate a diplomatic platform that stresses its founding principles and
regards Abu Mazen's guidelines as non-binding "advice."

Defense Minister Mofaz discussed Iran's actions ahead of the upcoming IAEA
Board of Governors meeting and the international effort to prevent its
enrichment activities, with the focus being the negotiations on a
Russian-Iranian agreement-in-principle and Tehran's continuing efforts to
prevent the issue from being transferred to the UN Security Council.

In the north, tensions continue against the background of the efforts to
oust Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and to weaken Syrian influence in
Lebanon.

Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni briefed ministers on her visit last week to
Austria, France and Great Britain. The visit was held immediately after
European Union Foreign Ministers decided to transfer EURO 122 million to the
Palestinians and noted that the next financial transfer would be conditioned
on the PA government fulfilling the three basic conditions determined by the
international community. Foreign Minister Livni emphasized that the
European countries are currently in a policy formation stage, hence the
importance of her visit. If Israel wants to influence Europe, it must act
forthwith. The Foreign Minister briefed her European hosts on the Israeli
government's clear position against the international community's financial
transfers to the Hamas government or any other body. She said that since we
are committed to preventing a humanitarian crisis in the PA, the funds must
be channeled through international humanitarian organizations only. The EU
countries accepted the demand not to transfer funds to the PA as long as it
has not met the EU's basic conditions.

Foreign Minister Livni noted that other objectives of her trip included
assuring the continuation of the European position on dealing with the
Iranian issue, anti-Semitism in France following the murder of Ilan Halimi,
claims against Israeli officers and putting Hezbollah on the European list
of terrorist organizations.

Foreign Minister Livni informed ministers that she had spoken with Vatican
Secretary of State Angelo Cardinal Sodano regarding the incident at the
Church of the Annunciation in Nazareth and had reassured him regarding the
Government's policy of continuing to maintain and protect the holy places.

3. The Cabinet discussed the creation of an independent Patents Authority in
the Justice Ministry. See http://tinyurl.com/kesbv for details.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Armed Palestinian Groups Storm Public Institutions

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Attacking Public Institutions and Officials

Field Update
5 March 2006

Armed Palestinian Groups Storm Public Institutions

Over the past 2 days, scores of armed Palestinians stormed a number of
public institutions in Nuseirat, Rafah, and Gaza City. Under gunfire, they
forced staff out of their offices, and prevented them from carrying on with
their work.

PCHR's preliminary investigations indicate that at approximately 02:00 on
Sunday (5 March 2006), a group consisting of about 40 gunmen, some of them
masked, stormed the Directorate of Education in Nuseirat refugee camp. They
were protesting the nonpayment of their salaries by the Palestinian National
Authority (PNA). In a statement signed by "Fatah Members in the Central
Area," they demanded the payment of their salaries like other members of the
movement. The incident lasted nearly 7 hours, during which the gunmen
prevented staff from entering their offices. The crisis was resolved at
about 9:00 in the morning.

At approximately 11:30 on Saturday, 4 March 2006, a group of 30 masked
gunmen stormed the Rafah municipality building. They fired their guns
discriminately outside and inside the building, and attempted to assault
some staff members. The assault lasted about one hour. The attackers
distributed a statement signed by "Members of Military and Security
Branches," in which they indicated that the attack is a result of the
decision by the Ministry of Finance and Rafah municipality to deduct 200-300
New Israeli Shekels a month from their paychecks, to pay their late dues for
the municipality.

At approximately 11:45 on Saturday, 4 March 2006, ten gunmen from Al-Aqsa
Martyrs Brigades stormed the departments of "Health Insurance" and
"Treatment Abroad" in the Abu Khadra governmental complex in Gaza City. They
fired a few shots in the air, forced all staff to leave their offices, and
ordered them to close them. PCHR information indicates that the attack came
to protest the Palestinian Cabinet decision to stop providing some health
services for uninsured citizens. The two departments remained closed till
the end of the day, and resumed work the next day.

PCHR is concerned about the continuation of these dangerous attacks, which
constitute a continuum of the state of security chaos in the Occupied
Palestinian Territory. The Centre calls upon the PNA, represented by the
Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks, and to bring the
perpetrators to justice.

Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
-----------------------------------
If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to
request@pchrgaza.org
and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Continuing Incidents of Palestinian Misuse of Weapons

PCHR
Palestinian Centre for Human Rights

Security Chaos and Proliferation of Small Arms
Misuse of Weapons by Armed Groups and Security Personnel

Field Update
5 March 2006

Continuing Incidents of Misuse of Weapons

Over the past 4 days, the Gaza Strip witnessed a series of security chaos
incidents that included:
- Injury of a citizen in a clan dispute in Bureij refugee camp;
- Injury of 3 citizens, while locally-manufactured explosive
charges were being handled;
- Detonation of an explosive charge outside the house of a citizen
in Gaza City; and
- Kidnapping and beating of a citizen in Nuseirat.

PCHR's preliminary investigations indicate that at approximately 10:30 on
Sunday, 5 March 2006, Mohammad Abu H'jayer (20 years old and a resident of
Bureij refugee camp) was admitted into Al-Aqsa Hospital in Deir El-Balah.
He was suffering from gunshot wounds to his left forearm and his condition
was classified as stable. An argument had broken out between him and his
father, who subsequently shot his son.

At approximately 12:05 on the same day, unknown assailants detonated an
explosive device in front of a 5-storey residential house, belonging to the
Muheisin clan in the El-Daraj area of Gaza City. The entrance of the house
and commercial shops in the ground floor suffered damage. The motive of the
attack is not known and the police have started an investigation into the
incident.

At approximately 10:30 on Saturday, 4 March 2006, Majdi Abed Rabbo, a
19-year-old resident of Izbit Abed Rabbo in Jabalia, was injured in the back
by a bullet fired during a clan dispute. He was taken to Kamal Odwan
Hospital, where his condition was classified as moderate.

At approximately 17:00 on Friday, 3 March 2006, Ibrahim Zaqzouq, a
19-year-old resident of Jabalia, was injured in the feet by shrapnel
resulting from the explosion of a home-made grenade. He was taken to a
hospital, where his condition was described as moderate.

At approximately 21:30 on Thursday, 2 March 2006, Mo'ayed Shaban Naser, a
19-year-old resident of Jabalia, was injured in the thighs by shrapnel
resulting from the explosion of a home-made explosive device.

At approximately 21:00 on Wednesday, 1 March 2006, an armed group kidnapped
Majdi Amer Abu Yousef, a 30-year-old resident of Nuseirat refugee camp, who
works as a staff sergeant in the Palestinian Military Intelligence
Apparatus. The kidnapping took place on the coastal road, opposite El-Zahra
City. He was released after one hour, during which time he had been
severely beaten and his weapon taken. He was taken to Al-Aqsa Hospital in
Deir El-Balah for treatment. The reason behind the incident is not known.

PCHR is concerned about the continuation of internal violence that includes
the use of arms in personal and clan disputes. These acts are a
continuation of the state of security chaos in the Occupied Palestinian
Territory. The Centre reiterates its call upon the PNA, represented by the
Attorney-General, to investigate these attacks and to bring the perpetrators
to justice.

Public Document
**************************************
For more information please call PCHR office in Gaza, Gaza Strip, on +972 8
2824776 - 2825893
PCHR, 29 Omer El Mukhtar St., El Remal, PO Box 1328 Gaza, Gaza Strip.
E-mail: pchr@pchrgaza.org, Webpage http://www.pchrgaza.org
-----------------------------------
If you got this forwarded and you want to subscribe, send mail to
request@pchrgaza.org
and write "subscribe" in the subject line.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Acting PM Olmert Speaks With Russian President Putin-
Israel's position very different from Russia's

Acting PM Olmert Speaks With Russian President Putin
(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)

Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke this afternoon (Sunday), 5.3.06,
with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who telephoned in order to update him
on Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov's recent talks with Hamas leaders
in Moscow.
Russian President Putin emphasized several times that Russia would not take
any step directed against Israeli interests and would not harm Israel's
security. He said that during the talks in Moscow, Russia's representatives
had presented the Quartet's demands to Hamas. He explained the Russian
position that supports holding contacts with Hamas and said that
negotiations are always held with interlocutors whose positions are harsh
and complicated.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert said that Israel's position was very different
from Russia's and added that Israel would not negotiate with a terrorist
organization such as Hamas. He said that it was a mistake to meet the Hamas
leaders before the organization committed itself to accepting the three
principles approved by the Quartet, of which Russia is a member. He said
that Russia's contacts with Hamas would only encourage the organization not
to make the changes that the international community is demanding of it in
order for it to become a partner for dialogue.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert said that when a Hamas-led government is
established, it will be impossible to make the artificial distinction
between the Palestinian Authority government and the Hamas-controlled PA
parliament, and PA Chairman Abu Mazen.

Acting Prime Minister Olmert and Russian President Putin also discussed the
Iranian issue and agreed to be in continuous contact in order to deal with
regional challenges.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Hamas' Delegation Ends Official Visit to Moscow,
Reiterating no Recognition with Israel

Hamas' Delegation Ends Official Visit to Moscow, Reiterating no Recognition
with Israel
www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=14162

GAZA, Palestine, March 5,2006 (IPC+ Agencies) [Official PA website] - - Top
officials of Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, said that the movement will
not recognize Israel despite the Russian pressure during a visit by Hamas
delegation to Moscow, slated to end toady Sunday.

The Exiled Politburo of Hamas ,Khaled Mishaal, affirmed that his Movement
wasn't enthusiastic to have another temporary truce with Israel as the
latter had proved that it wasn't working for peace when it failed to
reciprocate a 9-month-long calm observed by the Palestinian resistance
factions in 2005, and intensified its military aggressions instead.

Mashal also elaborated that his movement refused proposal by the Russian
foreign affair minister that Hamas has to dissolve its military wing Ezz Al
Din Al Qssam and incorporate its activists into the Palestinian Police
Forces.

He demonstrated the Russians that the military wing of Hamas is a militant
group fighting the occupation and defends lands and has nothing to do with
the Palestinian internal situation

As for recognition of Israel , Mashal spelled out a number of conditions,
including the Israeli pullout of all the 1967-occupied Palestinian lands,
submission to the right of return to millions of Palestinian refugees driven
to live in Diaspora at hands of armed Jewish gangs in 1948, freeing
unconditionally all Palestinian prisoners in its prison, and recognizing the
occupied city of Jerusalem as the capital of the future Palestinian state
among other demands before any talk about negotiations with Israel.

On his part, Mohammed Nazal, key leader of Hams in exile and member of the
delegation to Moscow announced that the movement will not announce its
stance over Israel unless Israel recognizes a sovereign Palestinian state
and the rights of the Palestinians.

Nazal refused to reply any of the reporters' questions about the right of
Israel to exist. He also denied that Russian has demanded Hamas to recognize
Israel saying "we did not refuse the Russian demands and Russia did not ask
us to recognize Israel."

Speaking to the Associated Press News Agency, Nazal said "this visit is a
momentous breakthrough."

He said further "the American administration is seeking to isolate Hamas and
besieged us politically; this visit to Russia is the first of its kind and
inspire to hold good ties between Hamas and Russia."

Speaking to the Reuters news agency, Hamas deputy political leader Mousa Abu
Marzouq said that recognition by Hamas of Israel would "negate the
Palestinian people and their rights" including property, Jerusalem and the
right of return.

Abu Marzouq also drew a rebuke to the previous signed agreement with Israel
as all the agreement has no mention about exact border line of Israel.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Fateh Revolutionary Council Likely to Agree
Fateh's Lawmaker Recommendation [not to join government]

Fateh Revolutionary Council Likely to Agree Fateh's Lawmaker Recommendation
[not to join government]
www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=14155

RAMMALLAH, Palestine, March 5,2006 (IPC+ Agencies) -[Official PA
ebsite] -Fatah's 134-member revolutionary council began yesterday its first
session in the Presidency compounded in Rammallah, a first meeting after
Hams swept victory in 25 January's PLC elections.

In his opening address, the President Mahmoud Abbas said "we made faults and
we have to re-correct our mistakes."

He also added " we have to thing how to overcome such dilemma," asserting
that the Palestinian people are in favor with Fateh's platform " Fateh won
in fact 15% of electorate votes but the movement lost 22 seats because some
members of Fateh registered in the electoral list as independents.

The president underscored that Fateh's position over the participation in
the new government based on Hamas's acceptance to the principles outlined in
inauguration session of the Palestinian legislative Council.

In a related development, Lawmakers of Fatah party have decided to reject an
invitation to join a governing coalition led by the Islamist Resistance
movement, Hamas.

Fatah's legislators met on Saturday to decide on Hamas's invitation to join
their government, and tabled a recommendation to the party's revolutionary
council to decide not to take part in the government.

The revolutionary council is likely to approve the PLC's deputy
recommendation not to share new cabinet.

The Palestinian National Security Advisor, and member of Fateh Revolutionary
Council, Jibreel Al Rojoub asserted that the council has been handed a
written recommendation on the issue.

Al Rajoub told Al Jazeera Satellite Channel TV elaborated that Fateh's
lawmakers demonstrated in the recommendation their reasons, asserting that
master of the decision is the revolutionary council

Among the reasons mentioned in the memo clarifying Fateh rejection join
government is Hamas' refusal to recognize Israel and the previous agreement
with Israel signed by Fateh-led Palestinian National Authority as well as
Fateh as a party is in a need to rebuild itself after the strong defeat in
the latest PLC voting.

Hams officials, who are currently, visiting Moscow said that even though
they prefer Fateh's partnership, the 74 seats they won PLC in addition to
the backing of 4 independent deputies is enough without Fateh participation.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Textbook of American school in [UAE]
capital seized over 'smell of racism'[praise Israel]

Textbook of American school in capital seized over 'smell of racism'
By Anjana Sankar

Khaleej Times [UAE] 27 February 2006

www.khaleejtimes.com/DisplayArticle.asp?xfile=data/theuae/2006/February/theuae_February883.xml&section=theuae&col

ABU DHABI - Close on the heels of the cartoon controversy raging across the
Muslim world, it is the turn of an upscale American school in Abu Dhabi to
ruffle Muslim sentiments by teaching lessons that allegedly ''smell of
racism.''

Over 100 copies of the social studies text book, 'World Cultures' taught to
the sixth grade children were confiscated by the Ministry of Education
yesterday, for allegedly presenting Islam and the Muslim countries including
Gulf states in a negative light while glorifying Israel on the other hand,
Khaleej Times has learnt.
It has been accused that chapter 25 of the book running from page 599 to 614
contains a deluge of derogatory remarks against Islam and the Muslim world,
for example, dubbing Middle East as one of the most dangerously explosive
areas in the world and the Muslim conquest of India as the most bloodiest in
the world history, to mention a few.

The sub chapters clubbed under the title 'North Africa and the Middle East'
also elaborate on the religion and life-style of Israel with pictures.
"Israel is one of a few democracies in North Africa and the Middle East
today. Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Morocco are all kingdoms; the country of
Syria has sponsored terrorism by giving aid to radicals in the Palestine
Liberation Organisation, known as the PLO," read excerpts from page 610 of
the book, copies of which Khaleej Times possess.

Juma Salami, Assistant Undersecretary to Foreign Private Education said that
the book published by Silver Burdett Ginn has a racist tone and is insulting
to the country's religion and culture. "It is not a community school and a
good number of Muslim and Arab children are studying there. By incorporating
the book in the syllabus, the schools have failed to show respect to the
religious sentiments of the host country."

Accusing the book of promoting a hate culture, the Asst. Under Secretary
said the "World Cultures' is least objective and balanced in its political
and social content and hence is unfit to be taught in schools.

"While there are clamour for change in the Middle East, one has to
understand that these are the books coming from the so called 'free world'.
This is a typical
example of how textbooks are used to manipulate the thoughts of young
minds," affirmed Juma.

On the question how the text book made it through the approval formalities
of the Ministry and education zone, the Asst. Undersecretary held that
though the ministry's role cannot be denied, the ultimate responsibility
lies with the school to ensure that they respect the sensibilities of the
country they are in.

"We will delve into the details of the text and will take appropriate
action, including circulating the name of the publisher among all people
concerned. The book will be withdrawn from the syllabus, for sure," added
Juma.

When this reporter contacted the school, the director said that the school
had been following 'World Cultures' for a couple of years and did not face
any problems.

"Today, the ministry officials came to our classes and checked the books.
They took away all copies as they found contents that were considered
inappropriate and insensitive."

"We do our best to follow the ministry guidelines and send the copies of all
our books. To the best of my knowledge, this book was also sent for
approval. We normally take care to delete materials or replace text books
that carry sensitive content. But the the reality is that in a school of
this size, there are new books coming in every year, and there are hundreds
and thousands of pages to be checked. So chances are there that we might
have missed out on something," maintained the school director.

Rigorous Monitoring System

A more rigorous monitoring system to keep an eye on the private schools and
the so called embassy schools in the country would be implemented, Dr.
Haniff Hassan Al Qassimi, Minister of education has said.

Dr. Haniff noted that the ministry will exercise control over the content
that is being taught in the private schools as they are offering their
services in the country.
The syllabus followed in each country differs as some incorporate more
nationalistic content, while others concentrate on something else. By
monitoring the educational content, the aim is to bring the private and
embassy schools more closer to the society in which they operate, noted the
minister.

"UAE is a multi-cultural society where so many nationalities live in close
harmony. This should be reflected in the curriculum taught in the UAE
schools, Dr. Haniff told Dubai Television in an interview.

------------------------------

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Excerpts: Election case delayed again.
Extradition of US citizen questioned.5 March 2006

Excerpts: Election case delayed again.Extradition of US citizen questioned.5
March 2006

+++ARAB NEWS (Saudi) 5 Mar.'06:"Hearing in Election Case Postponed for Third
Time"Ebtihal Mubarak

QUOTE FROM TEXT:
"Shortly after the election, the defeated candidates formed a coalition
to challenge the results in court. They argued that the endorsement by
certain religious scholars ensured that theiropponents would win the
first-ever local council elections in the country."
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
EXCERPTS:
JEDDAH, 5 March 2006 - A group of defeated candidates from last year's
municipal elections here lost their day in court once again ... . For a
third time, the hearing has been rescheduled - this time for March 25.
The Court of Grievances accepted a request from the Ministry of Municipal
and Rural Affairs to postpone a hearing that was scheduled for Feb. 28 in
order for the ministry's appeals committee to formulate a response based on
the facts , ... the third delay in the hearing over a lawsuit disputing the
outcome of the elections in April 2005.
Shortly after the election, the defeated candidates formed a coalition to
challenge the results in court. They argued that the endorsement by certain
religious scholars ensured that their opponents would win the first-ever
local council elections in the country.
[IMRA: Some elections. Half of the seats were elected and half
appointed by government. In effect, the government runs the municipal
councils."
"The approval of certain religious scholars gave the candidates more
publicity. That is not fair to other candidates," said Ehab Al-Solemani, the
spokesman for the plaintiffs.
The first hearing was scheduled for Sept. 19, but representatives of the
ministry's appeals committee failed to appear. The hearing was rescheduled
for Nov. 15, and, again, nobody from the committee showed up. The ministry
argued that the court was not qualified to look at the case. The court
responded by rescheduling the hearing to last Tuesday. This time, the
ministry asked the court to grant more time for the appeals committee to
formulate a proper response. The hearing was then rescheduled to late March.
. . .

+++THE JORDAN TIMES 5 Mar. '06:"MPs seek answers in deportation of dual
US-Jordanian citizen", by Mohammas Ben Hussein
QUOTE FROM TEXT:
"Several deputies signed a letter demanding answers from the
government for deporting to the US a man with dual American and Jordanian
citizenship accused of plotting attacks against American targets."
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
FULL TEXT:
AMMAN - Several deputies signed a letter demanding answers from the
government for deporting to the US a man with dual American and Jordanian
citizenship accused of plotting attacks against American targets.
[IMRA: Part-time US citizen?]
Deputies want to know if the government had the right to deport one of its
citizens to the US, or any other country, without a court order, explained
Mustafa Amawi (Irbid Third District), who instigated the petition signed by
27 deputies.
On Feb. 19, security forces arrested Mohammad Amawi, a 26-year-old computer
specialist, and immediately sent him overseas without notifying his family
or his lawyer, according to deputy Amawi.
"Deporting [Mohammad] Amawi in that manner was wrong. One moment he was with
his father doing paper work at a government department, the next his family
saw his picture posted on CNN as a suspect in connection with terrorism
related charges," the MP said.
American authorities say Mohammad Amawi, along with Wassim I. Mazloum (of
Lebanese origin) and Marwan Othman Al Hindi (also of Jordanian origin) have
been charged with conspiring to kill Americans and providing or concealing
support to terrorists.
The FBI says the three men belong to a group called Kind Hearts, which
planned to use a training video to teach two operatives in Chicago how to
construct a suicide bomb vest.
The video lesson shows how to pack the vest with explosives, lace the device
with steel pellets and wear it.
The group is also accused of financially supporting the Islamic Resistance
Movement, considered a terrorist group by the US.
The American press quoted federal agents as saying that the suspects - who
are being held in different detention facilities in the US - devised an
elaborate coded language that they used when discussing the plot.
For instance, when they wanted to order a chemical explosive, according to
authorities, they would call it a pillow. A solid chemical weapon was a hard
pillow, while liquid chemical was a soft pillow, according to American news
reports.
All three men have pleaded not guilty to all charges. If convicted, they
could be sentenced to life in prison.
They have been denied bail and currently face trail in Cleveland, Ohio.
The government spokesperson told The Jordan Times yesterday that Amawi "is
an American citizen and entered Jordan with his American passport. He is
accused of criminal charges in the US. He was deported on this basis."
However, Amawi's lawyer, Fathi Daradkeh, said this "is a stark violation of
the extradition treaty between Jordan and the United States and an
infringement of the Constitution."
Daradkeh, who plans to challenge the deportation, added that government
"overlooked several legal procedures when it decided to extradite Amawi,
such as obtaining a court order.
Deputies and civil society activists said they were "shocked" by the move,
"which comes as a blow to the government's drive to improve the political
climate in the country and its human rights record," according to Ali Abul
Sukkar (Zarqa Second District), one of the deputies who signed the petition.
Noting that the Constitution bans the deportation of Jordanians, Abul Sukkar
said: "If Amawi was wanted for criminal charges, he should have been put on
trial in Jordan, not in the US."
Saleh Armouti, head of the Jordan Bar Association, echoed Abul Sukkar and
Daradkeh's remarks on the legality of extradition and said deporting Amawi
is "frightening" because a court did not order the deportation.

Dr. Joseph Lerner, Co-Director IMRA

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End of [imra] Daily digest - Volume: 2 Issue: 1344 (15 messages)
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