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Taking active steps towards resolving the Palestinian-Israeli conflict may reward the Palestinian Authority in more ways than one, according to a report in the New York Times Thursday. The United States together with European and Arab countries have proposed a potential doubling of pecuniary aid to the struggling Palestinian Authority, should the PA prove it are cooperating towards reducing the bloody conflict between the two nations, American and Palestinian officials told the New York Times. The aid package would amount to $6 billion to $8 billion, to be allotted over four years, contingent on smooth chairmanship elections on January 9...

Three polls published Monday revealed growing support for jailed terrorist Marwan Barghouti, revealing a desire of the Arab public for a less moderate-appearing PLO president. Two polls showed that Barghouti is tied with PLO Fatah candidate Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), and a third poll put Abbas in the lead. Abbas held an overwhelming lead in the polls towards the Jan. 9 election until Barghouti last week announced his candidacy. The Fatah party Monday threatened to expel Barghouti from the movement if he doesn't drop out of the race, but his strength will pressure the PA to put on a more...

Translation from Hebrew to English by me The Bush Administration is planning, as part of its tries to restart the peace process in the region, to transfer aid at the amount of 20 million dollar directly to the Palestinian Authority. Sources in the administration have said that committees in Congress have already received the message about this plan, and in the coming first meeting of the Sec. of State, Collin Powell, with officals in the Palestinian Authority this step will be announced.

Pyongyang, November 11 (KCNA)- In connection with the death of Yasser Arafat, president of the State of Palestine, chairman of the Executive Committee of the Palestine Liberation Organisation and head of the Palestine National Authority, due to illness on November 11 the Government of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea decided to set the period from Nov.15 to 17 as a mourning period and fly flags at half mast at some institutions in this period. A close friend of the Korean people, President Yasser Arafat visited the DPRK six times from October 1981 to June 1993. He was awarded the...

(IsraelNN.com) In this evening’s press conference held in France, PA Foreign Minister Dr. Nabil Shaath admitted Yasser Arafat is in a deep coma and is no longer expected to recover, explaining he now is suffering from intercranial bleeding. Shaath added that doctors reported to him that Arafat’s brain, heart, and lungs continue to operate, so “he is not dead”. He added that as Muslims, they do not believe in euthanasia and therefore, there is no discussion of “unplugging Arafat”, adding at this points, “it depends on his body’s ability”. He called thoughts of euthanasia “ridiculous”. Shaath went on the explain...

Video shops in Gaza are selling a new DVD featuring the recent beheading of an American in Iraq. The gruesome video, priced at NIS 15, is apparently selling like hotcakes. "When I saw the DVD I started to worry about our future," said Muhammad, a young Gazan father of three who works for the Palestinian Authority. It was so cruel. I couldn't watch. I only looked at the still shots." Muhammad bought the DVD "out of curiosity," he said. "Of course I did not bring it home to my children. I watched it in my office." The clip starts with...

Further evidence emerged Monday of the direct link between the armed wing of Fatah, Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, and the Palestinian Authority. Obituary notices distributed in the West Bank town of Salfit by Fatah and the PA's General Intelligence Force revealed that the local commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades, who was killed on Sunday when his M-16 rifle exploded, had doubled as a security officer. Jihad Hassan, who is also known as Abu Naaim, was the commander of the Aqsa Martyrs Brigades in Salfit and has been wanted by Israel for the past two years. Residents said Hassan purchased two...

Tuesday, September 14, 2004 PMW: PA religious leaders call for genocide of Jews Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin September 14, 2004 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH phone: 972- 2- 625-4140 fax: 972-2- 624-2803 visit our website, click here: www.pmw.org.il for further information, contact PMW Director, Itamar Marcus material may be quoted, citing PMW as the source subscribe free to PMW reports, details below Twice in three days on PA TV: PA religious leaders call for genocide of Jews By Itamar Marcus & Barbara Crook Introduction Twice in three days, PA religious leaders have openly called for the genocide of Jews. Broadcast on...

Palestinian Media Watch Bulletin September 7, 2004 PALESTINIAN MEDIA WATCH phone: 972- 2- 625-4140 fax: 972-2- 624-2803 visit our website, click here: http://www.pmw.org.il for further information, contact PMW Director, Itamar Marcus material may be quoted, citing PMW as the source subscribe free to PMW reports, details below Palestinian Authority: Terrorist/murderer Samir Quntar is a "hero", "leader" and "model of a brilliant warrior" By Itamar Marcus and Barbara Crook Introduction Societies measure their heroes in different ways. Some societies honor athletes or performers. Others celebrate caregivers and humanitarian workers. The Palestinians, on the other hand, have consistently chosen to honor murderers...

The United States believes that Syria has acquired centrifuges for the enrichment of uranium through the network of Pakistani nuclear chief Abdul Kader Khan, the Canadian news website Middle East Newsline reported Thursday. According to the report, the US intelligence community has assessed that Syria became a costumer of smuggled Pakistani P1 nuclear centrifuges in 2001 through Firas Tlas, the son of Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlas. Khan was arrested by Pakistani intelligence officers in January 2004 and admitted to secretly selling nuclear know-how to Iran. Iraq and North Korea are believed to have been clients of Pakistani nuclear scientists....

Translation from Hebrew to English by me: snip The Chairman of the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Arafat said today that all Palestinians are willing to be shadeeds (martyrs). Arafat said this in response to the Israeli minister of Internal Security, Zachi Hanegbi, who said he could care less if all the terrorist prisoners died or were hurt during their hunger strike.

IDF troops apprehend Palestinian boy, 14, carrying 900 bullets, at roadblock between Nablus and Tul Karm

Palestinian terrorists shot and killed a 15-year-old Arab boy in Beit Hanoun this morning, after he and his family objected to the placing of Kassam rocket launchers outside their home. The boy and other members of his family, seeing the terrorist cell arrive, "greeted" them with sticks and stones in an attempt to banish them. The terrorists responded with gunfire that killed the teenager and also wounded five others. After the murder, the terrorists loaded up their weapons and fled the scene. PA sources first accused Israeli forces of having killed the boy. The Israeli Defense Forces recently circulated an...

WASHINGTON - Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is blocking an investigation to find the killers of three American security guards attacked in the Gaza Strip last year, a senior U.S. official said on Tuesday. The United States has persistently complained the Palestinians have failed to investigate fully the bombing of a U.S. diplomatic convoy but officials had not directly blamed Arafat for the handling of the probe before. "There has been no satisfactory resolution of this case. We can only conclude that there has been a political decision taken by the chairman [Arafat] to block further progress in this investigation,"...

The Palestinian Authority is appealing to the international community to put pressure on Israel to end its massive military operation in the southern Gaza Strip, Palestinian Negotiations Affairs Minister Saeb Erekat said Tuesday. The Arab League, responding to Palestinian appeals, convened Tuesday in Cairo and said the Israeli operation was aimed at "ethnic cleansing." The League also said it would start taking judicial steps to bring Israelis to trial for war crimes. After a day of military build-up and the isolation of Rafah from the rest of the Gaza Strip, the Israel Defense Forces launched an operation early Tuesday in...

Bush to send Condoleezza Rice to Berlin in coming weeks where renewing talks with Abu Ala will be on agenda (Israel Radio)

The Palestinian Authority has released funds it froze in August last year belonging to Hamas-affiliated charity organizations. Nine months after the money was sequestered by the PA, it was transferred over the weekend to the organizations' bank accounts in the Gaza Strip. Official records show the organizations provide aid for tens of thousands of needy Palestinians in the Strip. Palestinian sources on Monday said the transfer was a one-time gesture to help the families cope with the harsh economic conditions in the Palestinian areas. They said it did not indicate a general release of the millions of dollars belonging to...

Gaza Palestine Satellite TV Channel in Arabic, official television station of the Palestinian Authority, carries at 0950 GMT on 30c April 2004 a live sermon from Shaykh Zayid Al Nuhayyan mosque in Gaza. Shaykh Ibrahim Mudayris delivers the sermon that he devotes to the prophet's birthday. But, he also alludes to the predicament of the Palestinians and blames Arabs and Muslims for not making a single move. The imam continues with the same theme in the second sermon. He praises the prophet and Islamic message, saying: "We are advocates of peace. We do not fight for the sake of fighting....

The United States on Sunday repeated a $5 million offer for information on those responsible for a Gaza Strip bombing that killed three Americans last October - the latest sign of U.S. disappointment with the Palestinian investigation into the attack. The offer, published in two Palestinian newspapers, was made due to the Palestinian Authority's slow-moving investigation into the bombing, an American official said on condition of anonymity. Palestinian authorities still haven't charged anyone in the attack, which killed three American security guards. It was at least the third time this year the Americans have publicized the reward, another U.S. official...

www.sana-syria.com/english/headlines/1-5/assad-interview.htm President Bashar al-Assad gave an extensive interview broadcast tonight by the Qatari TV. space Channel ,AlJazeera . On the president's look to the Arab general situation , the president indicated that there is a state of frustration and despair prevailing most of the Arabs due to the current situation. He added that the Arab leaders bear the most part of responsibility which is a natural thing. He pointed out that there are two current in the Arab world and both are present in the governments and among the people. The first current calls for surrender , despair , and...