ÿþ<html> <head> <title>December 04 Archive</title> </head> <body bgcolor=ffffff text=000000> <b><font color=red size=3>December '04 Archive</font></b> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4136631.stm">12-31 - Two killed in Gaza missile strike</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31-2.htm">12-31 - Abbas takes election campaign to Gaza as death toll mounts</a> A Palestinian teenager was also shot dead by Israeli troops in Rafah. <br><br> <a href="http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/news/world/10538268.htm">12-31 - Uneven race may chill Palestinian turnout</a> <br><br> <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/6692BFBE-0FEF-4E2B-BD88-A165605E3A6E.htm">12-31 - Israeli railway to cross West Bank</a> The announcement on Friday was immediately criticised by Palestinian representatives and raised questions about Israel's intentions for the occupied territory<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31-3.htm">12-31 - Brazil Town to Honor Arafat With Statue </a> "We decided to build the memorial to demonstrate our solidarity with the Palestinian cause," <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31-6.htm">12-31 - Heavy Security Surrounds Abbas During Gaza Visit</a> Tens of thousands of Palestinians pledged support to front-running presidential candidate Mahmoud Abbas on Friday as he made his first visit to Gaza since the start of a campaign <br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/123104/pchr.htm">12-31 - PCHR: "Palestinian Civilians Pay the Price as the International Community fails to stop the continuous Israeli attacks" </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradenton/10539077.htm">12-31 - Israel's tsunami efforts get cool response</a> the sight of Israeli army uniforms might touch a raw nerve, particularly in countries with a large Muslim population<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31-4.htm">12-31 - Foreign sources say ... </a> The poison was intended to cause symptoms that would indicate he had died of a heart attack. <b><a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-03/10/content_313373.htm"> what happened to this guy always seemed a bit suspect</a>...</b><br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4138021.stm">12-31 - Bungled Israeli killing revealed </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31.htm">12-31 - Leaders Fear Probe Will Force Pro-Israel Lobby To File as 'Foreign Agent' </a> <b>Why the concern if this group has nothing to hide?</b><br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2005-01/01/content_2403799.htm">12-31 - France expresses concern over Israeli operations</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/hassen12312004.html">12-31 - We're Still Waiting for a Home of Our Own</a> A View from Syria on the Palestinian Right to Return<br><br> <a href="http://www.turks.us/article.php?story=20041231092752203">12-31 - US Applying "Israeli Tactics" in Felluce</a> Halid Ibrahim, 42, describes the situation as "humiliating" and says they are being treated like Palestinian refugees<br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/123104/anti-wall.htm">12-31 - Hundreds Join Anti-Wall Protest in Jayyous</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.valleystar.com/business_more.php?id=56192_0_16_0_M">12-31 - Mideast delegates visit to study water issues</a> To prepare for cooperative water use, delegations from the Israel-Palestinian Authority Transboundary Water Citizens Exchange Program have been visiting Texas to learn how the vital liquid is managed here<br><br> <a href="http://www.newsnet5.com/news/4038425/detail.html">12-31 - Iraqi Boy To Receive New Legs In Cleveland </a> The Palestinian Children's Relief Fund, based in Kent, is turning its attention to Iraqi children war victims.<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-31-5.htm">12-31 - Israeli army rabbi offers to resign over Gaza withdrawal</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=75103">12-31 - Miracle recipe of non-violence just might end the occupation </a> <br><br> <a href="http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/national/206060_worldyear.html">12-31 - Five who made news in the world in 2004</a> Yasser Arafat<br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-30-3.htm">12-30 - Israeli Troops Kill Nine Palestinians in Gaza Raid</a> After the raid, medics and witnesses said Israeli soldiers killed two 17-year-old youths, including one with Down's syndrome, watching clashes<br><br> <a href="http://www.deepikaglobal.com/ENG4_sub.asp?ccode=ENG4&newscode=87053">12-30 - Gaza militants detonate bomb near Israeli post</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1753">12-30 - Schools under Israeli fire : 7 Killed, Tens Wounded And Havoc Wrecked Schools in Tulkarem</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/123004/BTselem.htm">12-30 - B'Tselem: "Army killed 182 minors in 2004"</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-30.htm">12-30 - Official Seeks Larger West Bank Pullout </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-30-2.htm">12-30 - Israel Barrier to Include Palestinians</a> A section of Israel's West Bank separation barrier will leave 17,000 Palestinians on the Israeli side, hampering their access to the West Bank, settler and security officials said Thursday. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-30-6.htm">12-30 - Cabinet to see new fence route after PA vote </a> the fence will penetrate deeply into the West Bank in order to encompass the Gush Etzion settlements. The revised route will encompass 10 Israeli settlements with some 50,000 residents, and four Palestinian villages with some 18,000 residents. A sizable amount of Palestinian land in the Bethlehem area will also end up on the Israeli side of the fence.<br><br> <a href="http://thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1478262004">12-30 - Israelis braced for new tunnel attacks </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1381273,00.html">12-30 - Forgers 'tried to rewrite biblical history' </a> had been "trying to change history". Scholars said the forgers were exploiting the deep emotional need of Jews and Christians to find physical evidence to reinforce their faith<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-30-4.htm">12-30 - Peres deal ensures Gaza withdrawal</a> <br><br> <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200412/31/eng20041231_169264.html">12-30 - Fatah condemns escalated Israeli operations</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/31/content_2399336.htm">12-30 - Jordanian, Chinese officials hold talks on bilateral relations, Middle East peace process </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.vermontguardian.com/global/0904/Gaza.shtml">12-30 - Smoke rises in Gaza</a> A Palestinian student witnesses Israel's "days of penitence"<br><br> <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6398">12-30 - Israel violates Lebanon airspace for second day </a> The violation came a day after eight Israeli drones caused panic by staging mock raid over villages in south Lebanon <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/30/content_2395392.htm">12-30 - China raises Mideast peace proposal</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.realcities.com/mld/krwashington/10521410.htm">12-30 - Neo-cons can't escape responsibility for their Iraq miscalculations</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.zwire.com/site/news.cfm?newsid=13652811&BRD=1425&PAG=461&dept_id=154733&rfi=6">12-30 - Cause celebre: WSU orders, then removes pro-Israel literature from Arab artist's show</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.newkerala.com/news-daily/news/features.php?action=fullnews&id=52285">12-30 - Ties with Israel not at the cost of Arabs: Natwar: </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2004/december/12_21_1.html">12-30 - U.S. INCREASES INTEL AGAINST ISRAEL </a> The United States has increased intelligence operations against Israel as part of an effort to prevent a war in the Middle East.<br><br> <a href="http://foxsports.news.com.au/story/0,8659,11819174-23210,00.html">12-30 - Israeli takes Palestinian job</a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-29-7.htm">12-29 - Israeli Missiles Kill Three Palestinians in Gaza Raid</a> An Israeli drone fired two missiles into the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Thursday, killing two Palestinian militants and an 18-year-old youth<br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/291204/three.htm">12-29 - Three children wounded by an explosive left by Israeli army </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-5.htm">12-29 - Abbas Urges Israel to Tear Down Barrier </a> International opinion about the barrier, however, almost unanimously backs the Palestinians<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29.htm">12-29 - Abbas warns barrier will not bring Israel security</a> "Neither settlements, nor the wall will bring peace and security," <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1380831,00.html">12-29 - Israel stops Palestinians voting in Jerusalem </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-9.htm">12-29 - Sharon to visit China</a> The United States, which fears the military technology could be used to threaten Taiwan and endanger U.S. forces in case of war with China, torpedoed a $2 billion Israeli-Chinese deal in 2000. <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3465.shtml">12-29 - Release of children should be a priority</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/29/content_2392328.htm">12-29 - Two Israeli soldiers wounded in militant attack </a> <br><br> <a href="http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2002133322_rams29.html">12-29 - Israel's circuitous wall puts chokehold on Palestinians</a> Here is a map that tells a story few Americans know. <br><br> <a href="http://web.israelinsider.com/Articles/Diplomacy/4683.htm">12-29 - Stonewalling Defense official hints at gravity of crisis with U.S. and China</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.rense.com/general61/isre.htm">12-29 - Israeli International Anti-Terror Financing Law Approved </a> Under the international cooperation clauses, Israel will be able to confiscate property in Israel of persons or organizations declared terrorist by another country, even if the terror is not directed against Israel. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-6.htm">12-29 - 4 Indicted on Charges of Antiquities Fraud</a> Scholars said the forgers were exploiting the deep emotional need of Jews and Christians to find physical evidence to reinforce their beliefs<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-4.htm">12-29 - Summary: Artifacts Israel Says Were Forged</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-3.htm">12-29 - Israel Charges 'Jesus Box' Relics Ring with Fraud</a> "Had they pulled off this fraud, they would have succeeded in changing the history of the Jewish and Christian people," said Israeli police spokesman Gil Kleiman <b>Looks like they did pull it off for a time</b><br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-2.htm">12-29 - Sharon gives army carte blanche to respond to Palestinian rocket attacks</a> <b>Like they didn't have it already? ..</b><br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-29-8.htm">12-29 - Israeli dealers accused of antiquity fraud </a> The state has first claim on any finds and it is illegal to sell or export antiquities without the Antiquities <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1273812.htm">12-29 - Sharon orders zero tolerance for Gaza pullout disobedience</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.christiantoday.com/news/meast/248.htm">12-29 - Jerusalem Christian Leaders remain Faithful to Holy Land's Future</a> "All these works have also meant many Christian families have had their land confiscated from them," <br><br> <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42156">12-29 - Are freelancers running our Russia policy? by Patrick J. Buchanan</a> Are the neoconservatives and their neo-liberal collaborators in the global crusade for democracy pushing America into confrontation and a second Cold War with Russia? So it would seem. <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3463.shtml">12-29 - A parade of charlatans</a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/C797A584-FC28-44B8-A827-C847341BC565.htm">12-28 - Israel shells Palestinian refugee camp</a> A 13-year-old boy and a girl aged about 10 were among those injured by the shelling on Tuesday<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4129803.stm">12-28 - Israel targets Gaza 'mortar crew' </a> Hours later, an Israeli tank fired a shell in the centre of Khan Younis wounding at least four Palestinians, including a 13-year-old boy. <br><br> <a href="http://english.chosun.com/w21data/html/news/200412/200412290006.html">12-28 - Palestinian Minister Calls for US Election Observers </a> Mr. Erekat says it is important that Americans see that Palestinian voters are not operating in an independent state, but rather under Israeli occupation<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28-3.htm">12-28 - US hands over 20 million dollars in vote of confidence to Palestinians</a> A statement issued by the US embassy in Tel Aviv said the funds would be used for projects earmarked as priorities by the Palestinian finance ministry, including for electricity, water and sewage in the West Bank and Gaza Strip<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28-4.htm">12-28 - Abbas Vows Peace Push at Post-Arafat Election Rally</a> Emergent Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas drew cheers at his first election rally on Tuesday <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28-5.htm">12-28 - Abbas leans on Arafat legacy as he hits Palestinian campaign trail</a> "Our common enemy and our common foe is the occupation, the restrictions, the apartheid wall (Israel's West Bank separation barrier), the oppression, the killings, the assassinations, and we have to be united to put an end to this ugly occupation,"<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28.htm">12-28 - Sharon rejects European role in Mideast peace </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28-2.htm">12-28 - 'Not a glimmer of hope' for Palestinian state: Arab League head</a> "I do not see any change in the positions of Israel, the United States and their allies or that the situation is going to calm down. I don't see a glimmer of hope," <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3459.shtml">12-28 - Elections without Democracy</a> In short, for those who would receive the honor of being elected to a Palestinian democratic institution, there will be nothing to legislate, nothing to be legislated over, and no resources with which to legislate. This is the democracy Palestinians are b<br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/122804/Gush%20Shalom.htm">12-28 - Gush Shalom: "New settlements in the West Bank"</a> <br><br> <a href="http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041228/CPW/48664027">12-28 - Israeli parliamentary committee deals setback to Gaza withdrawal plan</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1725">12-28 - Israeli Occupation Troops Uproot Trees of a Local Palestinian Farmer</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-28-6.htm">12-28 - Palestinians give Israeli couple money to flee Thailand after tsunami disaster </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bostonherald.com/international/view.bg?articleid=60794">12-28 - Syria's foreign minister dismisses U.S. and Iraqi accusations it is aiding insurgents in Iraq</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_international&Number=293221148#Post293221148">12-28 - Who Is Israel's Yair Klein And What Was He Doing In Colombia And Sierra Leone? </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.catholicnews.com/data/stories/cns/0407066.htm">12-28 - This year, Christmas Eve in Bethlehem brings hope for some residents</a> "It is a special thing to realize there are a lot of Arab Christians." <br><br> <a href="http://www.wtnh.com/Global/story.asp?S=2740470&nav=3YeXUc64">12-28 - Senator sees improved American relationship with Palestinians</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/programmes/3755686.stm">12-28 - The Power of Nightmares: Baby It's Cold Outside </a> the neo-conservatives turned to fear in order to pursue their vision<br><br> <a href="http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?tabID=0&alias=Rainbow&lang=en-US&ItemID=703&mid=10400">12-28 - Palestinians, Israelis and Internationals to Replant Bulldozed Olive Trees in Jayyous Friday </a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=d881c4bcff7be595">12-27 - Fatah militant slain in West Bank </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/122704/students.htm">12-27 - Students used as human shields</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-27-2.htm">12-27 - Israel frees 159 prisoners but Palestinians dismiss move as PR gimmick</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-27-3.htm">12-27 - Israelis Arrest Palestinian Candidate in Jerusalem</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1380177,00.html">12-27 - Israel accused of obstructing Palestinian election in east Jerusalem </a> This election is a challenge to Israeli authority and they will fight it in every way they can. The reality on the ground is very different from the statements they are making to the media<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4128637.stm">12-27 - Israelis hold candidate Barghouti </a> Mr Barghouti was "detained for questioning because he has the right to transit through Jerusalem but not be in Jerusalem itself", a Jerusalem police spokesman <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-27-4.htm">12-27 - Palestinian Women Win Big in Elections</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-27.htm">12-27 - Israel army chief says professional failures behind Egyptians' deaths</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.tallahassee.com/mld/tallahassee/news/world/10508964.htm">12-27 - In Gaza City, graffiti artists take up democracy's cause</a> <br><br> <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041227-055623-3038r.htm">12-27 - Israeli foreign minister criticizes Abbas</a> "You cannot speak of 'continuing the struggle in all forms,' or to sell the illusion of the refugees, nor to speak of Jerusalem in that manner," Shalom argued. <br><br> <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200412/28/eng20041228_168889.html">12-27 - Tang Jiaxuan kicks off visit in Palestine </a> <br><br> <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200412/28/eng20041228_168908.html">12-27 - Senior Chinese official calls for UN-sponsored international conference on Mideast peace </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-27-6.htm">12-27 - Universal jurisdiction: Reflections on the 'Case of Ariel Sharon'</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.newsobserver.com/opinion/story/1966156p-8335799c.html">12-27 - One-sided pressure from Bush</a> Make no mistake, both democracy and development are important. But for Palestinians the major immediate issue is how to get out from under the boot of Israeli subjugation. <br><br> <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1104122539656">12-27 - US Senator Lieberman to visit region Tuesday</a> <br><br> <a href="http://antiwar.com/pat/?articleid=4214">12-27 - 'Staying the Course' Won't Do </a> by Patrick J. Buchanan<br><br> <a href="http://www.kansas.com/mld/eagle/10503911.htm">12-27 - Palestinian art exhibit to stand alone</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jinsa.org/articles/articles.html/function/view/categoryid/1701/documentid/2774/history/3,2360,655,1701,2774">12-27 - Israel Assists U.S., Forces, Shares Lessons-Learned Fighting Terrorists</a> "Fallujah Success Capitalized on IDF Know-How" <b>Iraqis must love knowing that. <A href="2004/12/12-27-5.htm">Falluja Returnees Angry, 'City Unfit for Animals'</a></b><br><br> <hr> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1673">12-26 - Israeli Troops Kill Three Palestinians, A Little Girl Dies of Wounds</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-26-2.htm">12-26 - Palestinian election favourite says abandon arms, Israel vows to aid ballot</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-26-4.htm">12-26 - First Jewish settlers agree Gaza move</a> With government assistance, they plan to rebuild their greenhouses and <u>continue</u> growing tomatoes, peppers and other salads for export to Europe <b>I thought Europe did not buy products made in illegal Israeli settlements in the Occupied Territories</b><br><br> <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6525">12-26 - Israel prepares for Gaza offensive before withdrawing</a> Israeli premier Ariel Sharon is preparing to launch devastating strikes on Gaza Strip before withdrawing soldiers and settlements, Israeli press sources said on Sunday.<br><br> <a href="http://www.imemc.org/headlines/2004/December/week4/261204/israel%20plans%20defacto%20borders.htm">12-26 - Israel Plans Turning Separation Wall into De Facto Borders </a> The Israeli security establishment revealed plans to hand crossings between Palestinian Territories and Israel, as marked by the separation wall, to civil authorities; a strategic move that creates de facto borders along the separation wall<br><br> <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/D6D9EEAE-ECC2-4C34-84C1-21204CCFEC4F.htm">12-26 - Palestine groups slam Blair conference</a> The revised nature of the meeting means that it will serve "American interests and the interests of [Israeli Prime Minister Ariel] Sharon's government," said the factions<br><br> <a href="http://www.larouchepub.com/pr/2001/011229bury_spy_story.html">12-26 - From 2001: Zionist Lobby Mobilizes to Bury</a> EIRNS has confirmed that Camera ("Committee for Accurate Middle East Reporting in America") has launched an e-mail, fax, and phone call campaign, to force Fox TV to drop its probe of the Israeli dope, spy, and terror scandal (indeed, Fox has removed the transcripts of the coverage from its website). <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-26-3.htm">12-26 - Israeli woman charged with 'collaborating with the enemy'</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4126373.stm">12-26 - Israel to lift curbs before vote </a> Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the whole world had to see that Israel would allow a free and fair poll. <br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1227/p06s01-wome.html">12-26 - Hamas gains grassroots edge</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-26.htm">12-26 - US-Israeli military ties uneasy</a> More broadly, the US and Israel have been at loggerheads over the sale of military technology to China because of US fears that the systems could be used against US personnel <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3460.shtml">12-26 - Gazan students' fugitive lives</a> In October, more than 130 men, women and children were killed by Israeli soldiers in Jabaliya. Last month five of Walid's family's neighbors were killed by Israeli gunfire <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/27/content_2383511.htm">12-26 - Israel to allow East Jerusalem Palestinians to vote in election</a> <br><br> <a href="http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=ec2ebb4aab97d6b6">12-26 - Intellectuals support end of Intifada </a> About 560 Palestinians, including Palestinian ministers, lawmakers and intellectuals signed on an appeal published on Sunday to end the intifada. <br><br> <a href="http://www.menareport.com/en/business/178615">12-26 - Palestine: health expenditure per capita amounts to US$138.4 per year</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.timesdispatch.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=RTD%2FMGArticle%2FRTD_BasicArticle&c=MGArticle&cid=1031779865442&path=!news&s=1045855934842">12-26 - Palestinian hopeful charged in U.S.</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4120639.stm">12-26 - Training for the 'war on terror' </a> He knows that in many parts of the Arab world the thought of Israelis training US guards who work in Iraq will not go down well<br><br> <a href="http://www.thestar.com/NASApp/cs/ContentServer?pagename=thestar/Layout/Article_Type1&c=Article&cid=1103802174241&call_pageid=968256290204&col=968350116795">12-26 - Glimmer of hope in Holy Land</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1227/p09s01-coop.html">12-26 - Palestinian elections: chance for a model democracy</a> In fact, elections considered free and fair by the international community were carried out by the Palestinian Authority in those 1996 elections, and it remains one of the handful of governments in the region with a democratically chosen head of state<br><br> <a href="http://www.kansas.com/mld/kansas/10503473.htm">12-26 - WSU art exhibit stirs some controversy</a> "The exhibition is not intended to give a complete background and history on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict," Butler said. "This is an art museum. We are presenting this as art. If you are going to treat this exhibition like that, then you have to provide the same opportunity for every exhibition and with every work of art that we show."<br><br> <hr> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1272257.htm">12-25 - Senior Palestinian militant killed</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1272268.htm">12-25 - Palestinian presidential contest begins</a> "What we want to achieve is an end to the whole occupation," he said. "We want a state on the lands of '67 and that means we will not concede Jerusalem," <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-25-3.htm">12-25 - Bethlehem Rings in More Hopeful Christmas</a> "The wall is being built eight meters (26 feet) high around Bethlehem. It's not easy for us to send a message of Christmas joy to the world when our town is being inexorably encircled by concrete, barbed wire and Jewish settlements," <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-25-2.htm">12-25 - Abbas Echoes Arafat in Campaign Kickoff </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/26/content_2380752.htm">12-25 - Israelis, Palestinians to sign deals to facilitate elections</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.menafn.com/qn_news_story_s.asp?StoryId=74447">12-25 - Japan to give $60m more to Palestinians: Envoy </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4121695.stm">12-25 - School breaks down Israeli barriers</a> Established in 1997, it was the first mixed school in Israel to host fully integrated classrooms teaching in both Arabic and Hebrew. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-25.htm">12-25 - UK cardinal laments wasted billions of M.East wars</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/main.jhtml?xml=/health/2004/12/24/hbeth24.xml&sSheet=/health/2004/12/24/ixhmain.html">12-25 - In Bethlehem, a child is treated...</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.palsolidarity.org/DesktopModules/Articles/ArticlesView.aspx?tabID=0&alias=Rainbow&lang=en-US&ItemID=699&mid=10564">12-25 - Israel Targets Humanitarian Workers </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.counterpunch.org/boyle12242004.html">12-25 - Another Christmas Under Occupation</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.freep.com/money/business/banks24e_20041224.htm">12-25 - Donations from 5 local banks are under fire </a> Some in metro Detroit's Arab-American community are wondering why five local banks recently donated to a nonprofit group that aids Israeli soldiers<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4124597.stm">12-25 - Police keep Vanunu in Jerusalem </a> He was taken into custody but freed again on Saturday<br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-24-2.htm">12-24 - Israel Kills Three Palestinian Militants -- Medics</a> The shootings occurred hours before Christmas celebrations were to begin in another West Bank town, Bethlehem, site of Jesus' birth<br><br> <a href="http://www.christiantoday.com/news/meast/245.htm">12-24 - Christmas Story as a Message of Hope amid Israeli Oppression</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1103858785765">12-24 - Enraged Gaza settlers block intersections, set tires alight</a> The settlers apparently beat one Palestinian woman who tried to prevent their entrance into the house, said settler spokesman Yigal Kirshenzaf of Neveh Dekalim. <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4124713.stm">12-24 - Bethlehem marks hopeful Christmas</a> Despite the air of hope, the Palestinians were mostly left to themselves for Christmas, without the tourists they need, says the BBC's James Reynolds in Bethlehem<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-3.htm">12-24 - Worshippers descend on Bethlehem, Fatah leads Hamas in local elections</a> The late Yasser Arafat was a regular guest at midnight mass after his return to the Palestinian territories in 1994 but was then confined by Israel since early December 2001 to his offices in Ramallah. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-6.htm">12-24 - Bethlehem holds its breath for peace as Christmas draws near</a> Muslims come from nearby villages joining Christian pilgrims from afar to celebrate the birth of Jesus Christ in his hometown. <br><br> <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200412/25/eng20041225_168620.html">12-24 - Peace needs Israel's full readiness: Abbas </a> <br><br> <a href="http://english.people.com.cn/200412/24/eng20041224_168538.html">12-24 - Palestine: no guns with militant groups after Israeli pullout</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24.htm">12-24 - Lara Croft actress visits Palestinian orphans in Lebanon </a> Hollywood actress and UN goodwill ambassador Angelina Jolie and her four-year-old adopted son paid a Christmas visit to Palestinian orphans living in refugee camps in Lebanon<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-5.htm">12-24 - Israel detains nuke whistleblower</a> Israeli nuclear whistleblower Mordechai Vanunu has been detained after he tried to enter the West Bank city of Bethlehem for Christmas in defiance of restrictions imposed after his release<br><br> <a href="http://www.religionnews.com/press02/PR122304.html">12-24 - PALESTINIAN CHRISTIAN GROUP SAYS THE CHRISTMAS STORY IS "GOD'S MESSAGE OF DEFIANCE" ANNOUNCING PEACE AND GOODWILL IN THE MIDST OF ROMAN EMPIRE AND MILITARY OCCUPATION AND CALLS FOR NONVIOLENT DEFIANCE AGAINST ISRAELI OCCUPATION </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4124077.stm">12-24 - Hamas makes mark in local polls </a> <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3457.shtml">12-24 - Living into Hope: Christmas in Zababdeh, Palestine</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-8.htm">12-24 - Jerusalem patriarch slams Israeli occupation in Christmas mass</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/worldlatest/story/0,1280,-4692348,00.html">12-24 - Children in Gaza Headed for Sweden </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/la-fg-palvote24dec24,0,5134026.story?coll=ny-leadworldnews-headlines">12-24 - Long Lines and High Hopes Greet Palestinian Municipal Elections</a> "We want the world to see us differently. They call us terrorists. We are not that. We want a state. We want something better for our people," <br><br> <a href="http://anglicanjournal.com/extra/news.html?newsItem=2004-12-24_xx.news">12-24 - Work of Bethlehem carvers saved from closure by church</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-4.htm">12-24 - Indian security delegation ends secret visit to Israel </a> Russia has recently demanded that India buy more weapons from Russia and threatened that if it won't, Russia will supply Pakistan with arms. Israel hopes that any worsening in relations between those two countries will make Israel an even bigger weapons exporter.<br><br> <a href="http://www.suntimes.com/output/novak/cst-edt-novak23.html">12-24 - Neocons pin Iraq on Rumsfeld </a> Kristol.. and the other neocons do not want to be blamed for what has become a very unpopular venture in Iraq. Thus, it is important to get the word out now that the war in Iraq has gone awry because of the way Rumsfeld fought it<br><br> <a href="http://www.azdailysun.com/non_sec/nav_includes/story.cfm?storyID=100594">12-24 - Peace on earth; good will toward men</a> the visitors screened a slide show about Palestine. It depicted the everyday life of Palestinians -- growing grapes, attending classes, blowing glass, worshiping together, getting married, dancing with joy, playing folk music, strolling down streets, laug<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-24-7.htm">12-24 - No immediate plans for new US sanctions on Syria, Iran</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.lsj.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041224/THINGS0206/412240307/1055/news">12-24 - Comedian takes her disability in stride</a> Zayid's stand-up earnings pay for an art program she runs for disabled and wounded children in Palestinian refugee camps <br><br> <a href="http://www.etruth.com/news/story/338024/">12-24 - Stop aid to Israel until it complies with conventions</a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1271522.htm">12-23 - Two killed in Gaza blast</a> Palestinian sources say the blast was caused by an Israeli tank shell<br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1271497.htm">12-23 - Palestinian teenager killed in Gaza</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-3.htm">12-23 - Some 15 Israeli youths attack Palestinian family in Jerusalem </a> <br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3452.shtml">12-23 - Religious tourism and freedom of movement denied in isolated Bethlehem</a> "The guides and tourists say when they come to Bethlehem, the soldiers at the checkpoints hold them up for such a long time that they think Bethlehem is unsafe," so they are afraid to sleep in Bethlehem and they immediately return to Jerusalem after visit<br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1379490,00.html">12-23 - Blair bowed to Israel, say Palestinians </a> They claimed the prime minister had proposed a peace conference but had scaled it back when Israel objected.<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4119925.stm">12-23 - Palestinians vote in council poll </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-7.htm">12-23 - UN Envoy Slams U.S., European Silence on Mideast</a> Top U.N. envoy Lakhdar Brahimi accused Europe and the United States on Thursday of turning a blind eye to alleged Israeli abuses of Palestinians' human rights<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23.htm">12-23 - Hope? Not in conditions like these, Mr Blair</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4111915.stm">12-23 - Battling against Israeli 'apartheid' </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1224/p01s04-wome.html">12-23 - In Bethlehem, a stronger feeling of Christmas this year</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=74037">12-23 - IDF Officials Breaking Silence on Ineffectiveness of Fence </a> The security fence isn't going to protect anyone, it is simply a way to abandon those living on the 'other' side.<br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/24/content_2374304.htm">12-23 - Israel should pay more for peace: US congressman</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-2.htm">12-23 - Grand jury query of AIPAC officials postponed until new year </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-4.htm">12-23 - Court erupts over expert's testimony on 'Arab mentality'</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-5.htm">12-23 - Israel, like Palestinians, may seek extra funds</a> Bush provided $20 million to the Palestinian Authority earlier this month, but on condition that the money be used to pay Israeli utility bills.<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-23-6.htm">12-23 - Right-wing Israeli MPs vow to disrupt Gaza pullout</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.thenation.com/doc.mhtml?i=20050110&s=kimmerling">12-23 - Israel's Culture of Martyrdom</a> The obsessive commemoration of the Holocaust and of Jewish victimhood has blinded much of the Jewish community to Israel's real position in the world and to the humanity of the Palestinian people<br><br> <a href="http://www.washtimes.com/upi-breaking/20041221-074429-8040r.htm">12-23 - Outside View: Israeli hubris vs. the U.S.</a> Clearly Israel has aroused the formidable bull and will be made to pay a price.<br><br> <a href="http://canadaeast.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20041223/CPW/74583033">12-23 - Israeli army promises its troops will be on best behaviour in Bethlehem</a> <b><a href="2004/12/12-21-6.htm">Bethlehem is ringed by illegal settlements</b><br><br> <a href="http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1103776318226">12-23 - EU to help Israel in UN, Dutch envoy says</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.registerguard.com/news/2004/12/23/d5.wa.movers.1223.html">12-23 - Movers convicted of extortion</a> Robert Leen, Deri's lawyer, said the three Israelis face deportation after serving their sentences<br><br> <a href="http://www.nola.com/newsflash/topstories/index.ssf?/base/national-36/110381634251880.xml&storylist=topstories">12-23 - Bowling alley to return Arafat investment</a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="http://dailytelegraph.news.com.au/story.jsp?sectionid=1274&storyid=2422820">12-22 - Four dead in Gaza violence</a> A fourth, unnamed Palestinian was shot dead by Israeli troops in a separate incident in the Beit Hanun region, north of Gaza City, medical sources said. Medics were prevented from reaching the man, who bled for several hours before dying of his wounds, th<br><br> <a href="http://www.chinadaily.com.cn/english/doc/2004-12/23/content_402616.htm">12-22 - Four Palestinians, Israeli killed in shootings</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-22-2.htm">12-22 - Third Palestinian killed by Israeli troops in Gaza</a> A Palestinian policeman was shot dead in the Khan Yunis region <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1379021,00.html">12-22 - Meanwhile, cycle of violence goes on in Gaza </a> "It's not just that we are losing our homes," said Umm Mohammad. "No children are getting an education. We are losing our future as well." <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-22.htm">12-22 - Blair builds 'bridge' on road map to peace</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1270847.htm">12-22 - Abbas sees Israel talks after Palestinian vote</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/12/23/wmid123.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/12/23/ixnewstop.html">12-22 - Palestinians dismiss visit as 'just another publicity stunt'</a> plans were almost complete for a new town of 55,000 residents, Givat Yael, to be built on a Palestinian village's land between Jerusalem and Bethlehem<br><br> <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041222-012332-1779r.htm">12-22 - 1,000 police redeployed in West Bank</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.christianaid.org.uk/news/stories/041222.htm">12-22 - Israel's land grab continues in shadow of Blair?s visit </a> Expansion of Israeli settlements in the West Bank is continuing unabated<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-22-3.htm">12-22 - Palestinian Students Need Army Escort </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.wfn.org/2004/12/msg00189.html">12-22 - Separation Wall Impedes Access to Medical Care Provided by LWF-run AVH</a> One example is Israel's plan to impose an "employer's tax" on the hospital, although the tax exemption status agreed in 1966 between the LWF and the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan after the Six-Day War was adopted by the state of Israel in 1967<br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1379061,00.html">12-22 - Blair visit secures London talks on Middle East peace </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0412/S00308.htm">12-22 - Jewish American Plans Put Israel's Wall On Trial</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-22-4.htm">12-22 - Iran says arrests atomic spies</a> Iran has arrested more than 10 people this year for spying on its atomic programme for Washington and Israel<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4118545.stm">12-22 - Iran 'will defend nuclear sites' </a> The US magazine Atlantic Monthly reported that the Pentagon had simulated a three-stage attack on Iran, beginning with operations against suspected nuclear bases<br><br> <a href="http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=a71d8c1a10cd9354 ">12-22 - Sudan accuses Israel of Darfur involvement </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.news.com.au/common/story_page/0,4057,11767051%255E1702,00.html">12-22 - UN Arab report 'won't be issued'</a> US pressure has prompted a UN agency to scrap a report on freedom and governance in the Arab world whose sections on Iraq and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict angered Washington<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-22-5.htm">12-22 - Don't return drones to China, U.S. tells Israel</a> <b>Feith and Wolfowitz attempting to make it look as if they put America first</b><br><br> <a href="http://www.madison.com/tct/news/stories/index.php?ntid=22054&ntpid=1">12-22 - UW grad in Israeli prison </a> she said she was arrested while filming a teenage boy being beaten by Israeli soldiers. <br><br> <a href="http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_international&Number=293208381#Post293208381">12-22 - Fifth Columnists</a> The first real case (Benedict Arnold aside) of Fifth Columnists inside America working for foreign interests are the neoconservatives<br><br> <a href="http://www.wnd.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=42053">12-22 - Scapegoating Rumsfeld</a> Nonetheless, when one considers all that Rumsfeld has done for the neocons, the depth of the betrayal astonishes <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1379058,00.html">12-22 - Road map to London </a> If other leaders made even half the effort that Mr Blair makes on the Middle East, the year would be ending amid rather greater international optimism than it actually is. <br><br> <a href="http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=war_israel_palestine&Number=293208442#Post293208442">12-22 - Imagining Palestine </a> I am a Palestinian. I say I am a Palestinian to express my solidarity and that of many silent Americans with a suffering people under Israeli domination<br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-21-8.htm">12-21 - Israeli Military Begins Operation in Gaza </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1583">12-21 - Israeli Troops Wound Palestinian Citizens, Raze Vast Areas of Lands</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21.htm">12-21 - West Bank barrier has made Bethlehem a 'giant prison': Jerusalem patriarch</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-6.htm">12-21 - U.N. Report: Bethlehem Is Isolated Town</a> Urban Bethlehem, with a population of about 61,000, is now surrounded by nine Israeli settlements, roads restricted to Israelis, a multitude of checkpoints, 78 physical obstacles, and an Israeli barrier nearing completion on two sides of the town to prote<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-7.htm">12-21 - World Bank Head Pushes Palestinian Reform </a> The World Bank has said the withdrawal from Gaza must be accompanied by Israeli moves to dismantle roadblocks and lift travel restrictions in the West Bank and Palestinian steps to reform their bureaucracy and end violence<br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/21/content_2364008.htm">12-21 - Israel imposes closure on Gaza coastal road </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1270157.htm">12-21 - PLO chief hails 'eternal' Arafat</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.timesonline.co.uk/article/0,,251-1411661,00.html">12-21 - No room at the inn, the shop or café in stranded Bethlehem</a> A few days before Christmas, Bethlehem, the birthplace of Jesus, has an air of despair as Christian families flee and the economy is strangled<br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1222/p08s03-comv.html">12-21 - Israel's Unsettling Settlers</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4114967.stm">12-21 - Gulf call for Palestinian state </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3911768">12-21 - Eyewitness Describes Gaza Shooting of British Student </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.thestate.com/mld/thestate/news/world/10469576.htm">12-21 - Hamas searches for direction as political winds shift</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-5.htm">12-21 - Target: The Temple Mount </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-3.htm">12-21 - Ha'etzni apologizes for comparing settler to Jesus</a> <b>He apologizes not for insulting Jesus or Christians, but for insulting the man he compared to Christ in a derogatory way. <a href="2004/12/12-21-4.htm">See original article here</a></b><br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-2.htm">12-21 - Israelis Compare Gaza Pullout to Holocaust </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.nola.com/news/t-p/frontpage/index.ssf?/base/news-2/1103612214176630.xml">12-21 - Slaying of woman baffles friends</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.scotsman.com/latest.cfm?id=3910969">12-21 - Bomb Detection Gift for Palestinians </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/elsewhere/journalist/story/0,7792,1378132,00.html">12-21 - A rare, hopeful calm </a> Tony Blair will find the most conducive climate in years when he arrives on a peacemaking mission in Israel today, writes Ian Black <br><br> <a href="http://www.ujafedny.org/site/News2?JServSessionIdr010=bi0pgoe262.app26a&page=NewsArticle&id=7930&news_iv_ctrl=1441">12-21 - Israeli President Unveils Plan For 'World Knesset'</a> The report was prepared by a newly-formed Jewish Agency think tank for global Jewish policy, chaired by the former American diplomat Dennis Ross<br><br> <a href="http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/969137.htm">12-21 - FBI Claims More Arab Prisoners Abused</a> Arab captives being humiliated with Israeli flags wrapped around them<br><br> <a href="http://www.christianpost.com/article/church/1767/section/lutherans.urged.to.pray.and.fast.for.the.middle.east/1.htm">12-21 - Lutherans Urged to Pray and Fast for the Middle East</a> Younan explained that in light of the ongoing conflict between Israel and Palestine, Christians must do more as the world?s peacemakers<br><br> <hr> <a href="http://www.aljazeera.com/me.asp?service_ID=6296">12-20 - Israeli soldiers batter Palestinian child visiting his jailed brother</a> Meanwhile, Israeli occupation soldiers shot a 16- year old Palestinian child last night in Halhol town to the north of Al-Khalil city<br><br> <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0412/S00288.htm">12-20 - Israeli Offensive: School Shelters 600 Families</a> two UN bodies have published a report on the devastating impact that Israeli policies have had on the little hilltop town, where according to the New Testament, Jesus Christ was born 2,000 years ago. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-2.htm">12-20 - Gaza settlers urge eviction resitance</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=517051">12-20 - World Bank president: Pullout is not enough </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=99401&Sn=WORL&IssueID=27276">12-20 - Hamas vows to avenge killings </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-3.htm">12-20 - Arafat cabinet chief says he knows when leader was poisoned</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-6.htm">12-20 - Israel to boycott Blair's peace conference</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.libertyforum.org/showflat.php?Cat=&Board=news_international&Number=293202012#Post293202012">12-20 - US up in arms over Sino-Israel ties</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20.htm">12-20 - UN report paints a dark picture of Bethlehem</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-4.htm">12-20 - Bush says may step up Syria pressure</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-5.htm">12-20 - Bush Backs Palestinian Conference But No Shortcuts</a> <br><br> <a href="http://service.spiegel.de/cache/international/spiegel/0,1518,333689,00.html">12-20 - "Foreign Troops Can't Do the Job"</a> Believe me, the Palestinians will get what they're entitled to. <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1377866,00.html">12-20 - Blair off to Middle East for Palestine and Iraq talks </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/main.jhtml?xml=/news/2004/11/21/wpow21.xml&sSheet=/news/2004/11/21/ixnewstop.html">12-20 - Powell 'pushed out' by Bush for seeking to rein in Israel</a> There is also the option that the US may tacitly back Israeli air strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities<br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/comment/0,10551,1377814,00.html">12-20 - Why Blair's trip will not succeed </a> The US is too partisan to see that the Palestinians cannot give more <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-20-7.htm">12-20 - Bush aide draws line on Jewish settlements</a> US President George Bush's top strategist on the Middle East conflict has told private gatherings of scholars and Jewish leaders that Jewish settlements outside Israel's controversial barrier through the West Bank will have to be dismantled<br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1221/p09s02-coop.html">12-20 - The 'olive branch' that ought to cross the wall</a> with new Israeli restrictions on access to the fields, Palestinian farmers now have to leave their families at home, and may never even get to their olive grove. <br><br> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=517044">12-20 - Right-wing faithful fight against the tide </a> American politicians who made appearances at ZOA's dinner: Senator Sam Brownback, a Kansas Republican, and Rep. Anthony Wiener, a New York Democrat<br><br> <a href="http://feeds.bignewsnetwork.com/?sid=387e4083554e1579">12-20 - Hamas refuses to surrender its weapons </a> He said Hamas will never drop our guns until the end of the occupation and until we will have secure borders for a Palestinian homeland<br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1221/p06s01-wome.html">12-20 - US and Iraqi officials have criticized Syria for not keeping fighters and funds out of Iraq.</a> But the influence of foreign fighters on the insurgency may have been exaggerated<br><br> <a href="http://www.counterpunch.com/avnery12202004.html">12-20 - Sharon the Con Man</a> Some of the atrocities committed by the army have shocked the Israeli public. Not one single settler has been removed. On the contrary, new settlers have still been arriving. <br><br> <a href="http://web.israelinsider.com/Views/4613.htm">12-20 - Is Ariel Sharon about to be "stung"?</a> Our choice then will be to stand up and fight the world alone, or lie back and enjoy the world's tender mercies<br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3448.shtml">12-20 - Somerville Divestment Failure is Bittersweet</a> the aldermen caved to pressure from powerful Jewish groups who blindly support Israel<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4108669.stm">12-20 - Peres role delays Israel accord </a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/19/content_2355393.htm">12-19 - Israeli aircraft fires missiles at northern Gaza</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/19/content_2355537.htm">12-19 - UN employees to return to Gaza</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19-2.htm">12-19 - Israel Approves Release of 170 Prisoners </a> Residents awoke Sunday to piles of broken furniture, clothing and household goods strewn throughout the destruction. Men used shovels to salvage belongings, while children stood watching, schoolbags on their backs<br><br> <a href="http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/1220/p07s02-wome.html">12-19 - Israeli peace overture follows Gaza destruction</a> After the operation, the Israeli army said in a press release that Palestinians ordered to leave their houses for their own safety were now free to return home. "What home?"<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19-4.htm">12-19 - Bush Confident of Israeli-Palestinian Peace</a> "I am convinced that, during this term, I will manage to bring peace,"<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19-6.htm">12-19 - Photographer for French TV denied press card for 'security considerations' </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1565">12-19 - Jordan Rejects Sharon's Remarks over West Bank Settlements</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2004/12/19/INGOPABFSR1.DTL">12-19 - Look for a future Palestine in the past Two generations later, Palestinians have hopes for their land </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news3.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/19/content_2355505.htm">12-19 - Seven candidates to run in Palestinian elections</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0412/S00279.htm">12-19 - Children Unable to Attend School Due to Military Curfew</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=516344">12-19 - Expert: Philadelphi route pullout ends occupation in int'l law </a> <br><br> <a href="http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/966232.htm">12-19 - Israel swoops on Iraq border lands</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19-5.htm">12-19 - Blair hopes to allay Israeli suspicions over peace talks</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19-3.htm">12-19 - Palestinian-Israeli Radio Aims to Unite </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-19.htm">12-19 - Report: Iran says it has uncovered spy ring for Israel</a> <br><br> <a href="http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/966343.htm">12-19 - Threatening Iran ? despite the evidence</a> <br><br> <a href="http://en.rian.ru/rian/index.cfm?prd_id=160&msg_id=5225037&startrow=1&date=2004-12-17&do_alert=0">12-19 - RUSSIA MAY BUILD SEVEN MORE REACTORS FOR IRAN-RUSSIAN ATOMIC ENERGY MINISTER </a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-18-2.htm">12-18 - Israeli Troops Kill Three Palestinians </a> The wounded included a Palestinian ambulance driver and five children under age 16<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-7.htm">12-18 - Palestinian toll rises to 11 in ongoing Israeli Gaza incursion</a> Israeli bulldozers razed houses in the camp, forcing hundreds of people to take refuge at a nearby stadium or with friends away from the frontline<br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4107391.stm">12-18 - Gaza incursion death toll rises</a> Hundreds of Palestinians who had evacuated their homes began returning on Saturday evening. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-6.htm">12-18 - Palestinian Refugees Left Without a Voice </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-3.htm">12-18 - Egypt warns Israel not to wreck post-Arafat efforts with Gaza raid</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-5.htm">12-18 - Hands off Iran, Mubarak warns US</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18.htm">12-18 - Amidror: Gaza will be shelter for Al-Qaida </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-8.htm">12-18 - Lebanon mulls reprisals against French, US media for Hezbollah TV ban</a> after a Paris court found it guilty of anti-Semitism, is now no longer available in North America and can only be seen in Europe on the Nilesat satellite<br><br> <a href="http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=515857&contrassID=1&subContrassID=7&sbSubContrassID=0&listSrc=Y">12-18 - Adalah: JNF lands come from state, not Jewish contributors </a> "The continued allocation of JNF lands to Jews only can cause a lot of damage to the Israeli public in general and to the Arab citizens in particular,"<br><br> <a href="http://www.gulf-daily-news.com/Story.asp?Article=99323&Sn=WORL&IssueID=27274">12-18 - State in 2008 says Mubarak </a> <br><br> <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/22BF513A-4544-4840-8836-E8A671A7980C.htm">12-18 - US threatening UN over Arab report</a> Washington is unhappy, Fergani said, with sections in the report on the US presence in Iraq and the activities of its ally Israel in the Palestinian territories. <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/19/content_2352849.htm">12-18 - Egyptian FM calls on Palestinians to stop armed uprising</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/correspondents/content/2004/s1268254.htm">12-18 - Israel's wall: what happens when the world isn't watching</a> I thought they had to do something violent to get a stun grenade thrown at you, or to have tear gas? I mean, it's not a huge crowd, and they weren't chanting, they weren't doing anything threatening, they were standing in a line. I didn't realise that the<br><br> <a href="http://mparent7777.blog-city.com/read/964689.htm">12-18 - Neo-cons on the path to treason?</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1268446.htm">12-18 - Syria pulls more troops out of Lebanon</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.mediamonitors.net/sherri47.html">12-18 - A Conversation to Remember </a> "We Know the Israelis Run Your Congress" <br><br> <a href="http://www.wfn.org/2004/12/msg00155.html">12-18 - Advent Letter from Jerusalem</a> The main historic street into Bethlehem is being completely cut off by a wall<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-4.htm">12-18 - Hezbollah TV station slams US for 'intellectual terrorism'</a> "The United States calling Al-Manar a terrorist organisation is only the beginning of a new era. That of reducing to silence, in the name of the fight against terrorism, of any voice or media that dares to criticise Israel and defend the Palestinian cause<br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3443.shtml">12-18 - The Writing on the Wall: Terry Boullata</a> "Why are you renovating the hotel, we're going to take it anyway." <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-18-9.htm">12-18 - Nearly one-half of Americans favour restricting Muslims' rights: poll</a> <br><br> <hr> <a href="2004/12/12-17.htm">12-17 - Israeli army kills 8 Palestinians</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.ipc.gov.ps/ipc_new/english/details.asp?name=1537">12-17 - Nine Palestinians Killed, 26 others Wounded and 25 Houses Demolished in Khan Younis</a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/18/content_2349793.htm">12-17 - Israeli Apache helicopters strike on Gaza</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1268093.htm">12-17 - Blair to meet Palestinian leadership in Ramallah</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-17-2.htm">12-17 - Palestinian Leader Contests Annexing Talk </a> "If the Israelis are ready to sit with us to negotiate implementing the road map, without any conditions, then we are ready to sit with them, because what we want is to implement the road map," Abbas said<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-17-4.htm">12-17 - Six Palestinians emerge unscathed from tunnel near Rafah: witnesses</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.antiwar.com/justin/?articleid=4178">12-17 - Israel's Fifth Column in Washington </a> The AIPAC spy scandal points to a massive undercover operation <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-17-3.htm">12-17 - EU justice commissioner to push law against anti-Semitism </a> "As democracies we have to draw a clear line" between legitimate right to criticize the policies of Israel and anti-Semitism<br><br> <a href="http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/FL18Ak02.html">12-17 - Neo-cons on the road to Damascus</a> key neo-conservative opinion shapers are calling on President George W Bush to take stronger measures against Damascus, possibly including military action. <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/americas/4106595.stm">12-17 - TV station put on US terror list </a> Anyone linked to the station could face action, the State Department warned. <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4104759.stm">12-17 - Israel forms new checkpoint force</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200412/s1268094.htm">12-17 - Israel declines to attend London conference</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-21-4.htm">12-17 - Settlers split over anti-Sharon campaign</a> "I will not support any act of violence," Goldstein said. ..... "His method of doing things is like the Christians and seeing him I begin to understand how Jesus came out of the Jewish people since he [Goldstein] is the worst of them all." Attorney Elyakim Ha'etzni<br><br> <a href="http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article3440.shtml">12-17 - Life stops at coastal road block</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.eubusiness.com/afp/041217083229.a36a7lnd">12-17 - Increase of aid to Palestinians planned: report</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-17-5.htm">12-17 - 11 new families settle in Gaza's Nissanit </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/12/17/opinion/edavenstrup.html">12-17 - Palestinian textbooks: Where is all that 'incitement'?</a> <br><br> <a href="http://washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041217-115521-5830r.htm">12-17 - Grand jury probes Marc Rich-Saddam link</a> Quoting unnamed sources, the Times said the panel is looking at whether Rich helped Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein reward the families of Palestinian suicide bombers<br><br> <a href="http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/world/20041217-0710-palestinians-us-elections.html">12-17 - U.S. election observers to monitor upcoming Palestinian poll </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.decaturdailydemocrat.com/articles/2004/12/17/news/opinion/editorial03.txt">12-17 - A fundamental problem of credibility </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/middle_east/4103363.stm">12-17 - Sharon foresees 'year of peace' </a> <br><br> <a href="http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/2004-12/18/content_2349567.htm">12-17 - Yearender: Mideast peace roadmap reaches dead-end in 2004</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.sfbayview.com/121504/cheguevaralives121504.shtml">12-17 - Che Guevara lives in Palestine </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.camera.org/index.asp?x_context=7&x_issue=35&x_article=824">12-17 - CAMERA Runs Full Page New York Times Ad on UN Bias Against Israel</a> <b>Pro-Israelis feeling the heat enough to take out full-page ads, are they? GOOD!</b><br><br> <hr> <a href="http://english.aljazeera.net/NR/exeres/670BCE0E-26D9-4C70-A5A7-1AF1C1A0F2EF.htm">12-16 - Palestinian fighters killed in clash</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-5.htm">12-16 - Israeli Tanks, Bulldozers Enter Gaza Camp </a> Also Thursday, 11 Israeli soldiers were slightly wounded when a mortar shell exploded in a nearby army base<br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1375672,00.html">12-16 - Sharon backs Blair's London summit plan </a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,2763,1374851,00.html">12-16 - Soldier who shot Briton admits lying </a> The Israeli soldier on trial for killing the British peace activist Tom Hurndall in the Gaza Strip has admitted he was lying when he said his victim was carrying a gun, but said he was under orders to open fire even on unarmed people <b>A must read</b><br><br> <a href="http://www.scoop.co.nz/mason/stories/WO0412/S00250.htm">12-16 - UN Aid Agency Replaces Palestinian Homes Destroyed In Israeli Raid On Jenin</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16.htm">12-16 - Egypt sees angry U.S. angering Middle East</a> The United States could solve half its problems with "terrorism" if it brought about a just settlement to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the minister said<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-2.htm">12-16 - U.S. man admits role in smuggling arms to Israel </a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-3.htm">12-16 - 2 Israelis said held in Jordan on suspicion of arms-smuggling </a> Two Israelis have been arrested in Jordan on suspicion of smuggling arms to Sudanese rebels<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-4.htm">12-16 - Abbas Says Any Gaza Talks Must Follow 'Road Map' </a> Mahmoud Abbas appeared on Thursday to reject coordinating with Israel on a plan that means quitting occupied Gaza while keeping large chunks of the West Bank. <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-6.htm">12-16 - U.S. accuses officials of spying</a> <br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-7.htm">12-16 - Israeli arms deals with China raise tensions with US</a> <br><br> <a href="http://www.abqjournal.com/north/273174north_news12-15-04.htm">12-16 - Palestinian Family Gets to Stay</a> A Palestinian family with six children, on the verge of being deported to the West Bank of Israel as illegal aliens, will instead enjoy a new year filled with hope<br><br> <a href="2004/12/12-16-9.htm">12-16 - Gaza Plan May Bring Palestinian State-Sharon Aide</a> Weisglass said a barrier Israel is building in the West Bank would link tens of thousands of Jewish settlers to Isra