ISSUE:
#. 32. May 5, 2002
SPECIAL REPORT:
IRAQ, THE SANCTIONS & WEAPONS OF MASS DESTRUCTION
By Bill Weinberg
with David Bloom and Sarah Robbins, Special Correspondents
THE PALESTINE FRONT
1. Human Rights Watch: "Strong Evidence Of War Crimes In Jenin"
2. Annan Cancels UN Jenin Probe
3. Jenin Refugees to U.S. Aid Convoy: No Thanks
4. Church Of The Nativity Negotiations Continue
5. Twenty-Six Leave Church Of The Nativity
6. Two Explosions Rock Church Compound
7. Activists Break IDF Siege Line, Enter Church
8. Palestinian Misconduct In The Church?
9. Likud May Block Palestinian State
10. Bush To Meet Sharon, Abdullah
11. Powell Prepares Way For Peace Conference
12. Al-Aksa: No More Attacks Inside Green Line
13. Hamas: We Want "Good Neighborhood With Israelis"
14. Palestinians Intercept Would-Be Child Martyrs
15. Jewish Teens Held In Plot To Attack Arabs
16. Desmond Tutu: End Apartheid In Israel
17. U.S. Rep. Dick Armey: "The Palestinians Should Leave"
18. Leaflets Diss Dahlan, Rashid, Praise Rajoub
GLIMMERS OF HOPE
1. Activists Deliver Food To Beit Jala Area
2. Activists Bring Aid To Jenin
THE AFGHANISTAN FRONT
1. U.S. Hunts al-Qaeda In Operation Mountain Lion
2. British Hunt al-Qaeda In Operation Snipe
3. Canadians Hunt al-Qaeda In Operation Torii
4. Pakistani Dictator Wins In A Landside
5. Massoud For Nobel Peace Prize?
THE IRAQ FRONT
1. Saddam's Bid To Replay '73 Energy Crisis.
2. How Real Are The Sanctions?
3. Global Corporations Eat Into "Oil-For-Food" Funds
4. U.S. Guzzles Iraqi Oil
5. Saddam Riding Out Embargo With Narco Profits?
6. U.S. Forces Out Head Of U.N. Chemical Weapons Body
7. Wolfowitz Sicks CIA On U.N. Arms Inspector
8. An "Afghan Model" For Iraq?
9. Iraq Invasion Set For 2003
10. Iraqi Defectors Spill The Beans
11. Bush Wants Death In Iraq Spy Case
THE CAUCASUS FRONT
1. Chechens Confirm Khattab's Death
2. Chechens Dispute Basayev's Death
THE WAR AT HOME
1. Federal Judge: Material Witness "Unlawfully Detained"
2. Suspected Bin Laden Supporter Arrested In Chicago
3. Pipe Bombs In Mailboxes Terrorize Midwest
4. Palestinian Activist Incarcerated
WATCHING THE SHADOWS
1. Newsweek: Anthrax Terrorists Were Pros
2. FBI: No Anthrax Link To 9-11 Hijackers
3. FBI Fails To Turn Up 9/11 Paper Trail
4. Pill-Poppin' Osama
5. ADL Settles In Spying Suit
THE PALESTINE FRONT
1. HUMAN RIGHTS WATCH: "STRONG EVIDENCE OF WAR CRIMES IN JENIN"
Human Rights Watch, an American rights group the New York Times
described as being "generally considered fair-minded," released a
report on May 3 in which they concluded there is strong evidence that
the Israeli Defense Forces "committed grave breaches of the Geneva
Conventions, or war crimes" in its assault on the refugee camp of
Jenin. (HRW, May 3) The group dismissed the most inflammatory of
charges, saying "Human Rights Watch did not find evidence to support
claims that the IDF massacred hundreds of Palestinians in the camp."
Human Rights Watch said by its count, there were 52 Palestinian
deaths in the camp, including at least 22 civilians. The group said
that Israel committed violations of the Geneva Conventions that
warranted further investigation, and prosecution. These include the
use of Palestinians as human shields, summary executions, use of
disproportionate and excessive force, "willful killing" of
non-combatants, and failure to "ensure that the civilian population
had adequate access to food and medical supplies." This included
shooting at ambulances and blocking their way with tanks. The report
is also critical of the Palestinian combatants for endangering
"Palestinian civilians in the camp by using it as a base for planning
and launching attacks, using indiscriminate tactics such as planting
improvised explosive devices within the camp, and intermingling with
the civilian population during armed conflict, and, in some cases, to
avoid apprehension by Israeli forces." However, Human Rights Watch
found no evidence that Palestinian gunmen coerced Palestinian
civilians to serve as human shields during the attack. (NYT, May 3),
(Human Rights Watch, May 3)(David Bloom)
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2. ANNAN CANCELS UN JENIN PROBE
On April 28, the Israeli cabinet decided it would not cooperate with
the UN's Jenin probe, because the UN would not agree to elevate the
status of military and counter-terrorism experts traveling with the
fact-finding team to be full members of the team. (Haaretz, Apr.
29)(see WW3Report #31). On May 2, UN Secretary General Kofi Annan
disbanded the team AFP, May 3). On May 4, Arab states announced they
would call an emergency session of the United Nations General
Assembly, to back a resolution condemning Israel for war crimes. The
Arab states have drafted a resolution calling on Mr. Annan to produce
a report on the events in Jenin within two weeks. (BBC, May 4) (David
Bloom)
The Palestinian observer to the UN Nasser al-Kidwa said "Israel's
refusal to cooperate with the mission proves that its defense forces
committed unspeakable atrocities against our people in the Jenin
refugee camp." (BBC, May 4) But Major David Holley, an advisor to
Amnesty international who visited the Jenin camp, believes the
Israelis were right to challenge the make-up of the UN fact-finding
mission: "I think Israel has a very valid point. The UN team was
going to be made up of UN civil servants, and I think you would then
get a very one-sided view of what happened in Jenin." Holley said. "I
think it is important that you do have military men and
anti-terrorist experts on that UN commission. I think it is unfair
for a lawyer to go to Jenin to then build up a military picture of
what happened. You do need a soldier's perspective to say, well, this
was a close quarter battle in an urban environment, unfortunately
soldiers will make mistakes and will throw a hand grenade through the
wrong window, will shoot at a twitching curtain, because that is the
way war is." (BBC, Apr. 29)(David Bloom)
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3. JENIN REFUGEES TO US AID CONVOY: NO THANKS
Two trucks delivering US food, toys and tents to the Jenin refugee
camp were turned away by angry residents, Jenin's MP told AFP.
Palestine Legislative Council (PLC) member for Jenin, Jamal
al-Shaati, said that "the camp's inhabitants are refusing help
provided by the US because of its foreign policy concerning the
Palestinian question and because the camp was destroyed by US-made
weapons." A large crowd representing a cross-section of Palestinian
political factions tossed the aid back into the trucks, after it had
been unloaded. The trucks were emblazoned with the American flag and
the logo of the US Agency for International Development (USAID), who
sent the aid shipment. The trucks then left. But a spokesperson for
the US consulate in Jerusalem said that the incident was a
"mini-demonstration," and that "the trucks arrived in the camp and
their content was delivered to the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)
there." The spokesperson said US had received public thanks from
Jenin's governor. Shati contradicted this account saying the aid had
to be left "in an UNRWA school outside the camp," and that "The
residents just don't want US help, is that clear? Tell them [the
Americans] that the camp's youth will come and burn the goods if they
[UNRWA on behalf of USAID] attempt to get them into the camp." (AFP,
Apr. 25) (David Bloom)
[top]
4. CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY NEGOTIATIONS CONTINUE
On May 6, Israel presented a proposal to end the siege at Bethlehem's
Church of the Nativity. Under the proposal, approximately a
half-dozen of the armed militants inside the church would be exiled
to live in Italy, 35 would go to the Gaza Strip, and the remainder
would go free (NYT, May 6). The head of the Palestinian civil liason
in Bethlehem, Imad a-Natasha, handed a list of 123 names to
Palestinian and Israeli negotiators late May 4, the first major
breakthrough in negotiations to end the standoff at the Church of the
Nativity. The Shin Bet security service and the CIA have joined the
negotiations. Israel Radio has also reported the direct involvement
of Israeli Defense Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer and aides to
Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat. (Haaretz, May 5)
Twenty-five of those listed are classified by Israel as "the most
dangerous of terrorists." (NYT, May 3) The fifth round of
negotiations broke down earlier this week. On May 3, Palestinians
and Israelis agreed to allow food into the compound, but the deal
fell through when Israelis added the condition of identifying those
inside. (New York Times, May 4) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
5. TWENTY-SIX LEAVE CHURCH OF THE NATIVITY
On April 29, 26 Palestinians left the Church of the Nativity, the
largest group to leave since the start of the standoff. (Haaretz, May
2) They refused an IDF offer of food and drink, and boarded an
armored bus to be taken for further questioning. One man was carried
on a stretcher. (LA Times, May 1) On May 2, IDF soldiers shot at
three Palestinians killing one man and severely wounding the others.
(Haaretz, May 4) The
next day, four unarmed Palestinians, weakened from lack of food,
walked out of the church. One, who was carried out on a stretcher,
was taken to an Israeli hospital. The other three were questioned.
(Newsday, May 3; Haaretz, May 4) An Israeli sniper shot and killed a
Palestinian gunman who came out of the church on the morning of May
4, saying the man was a wanted terrorist and was armed. He died on
the way to the hospital. (NYT, May 5) At least five people have been
killed and more than nine wounded since negotiations began on April
23; one Israeli soldier has been wounded.(NYT, May 3) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
6. TWO EXPLOSIONS ROCK CHURCH COMPOUND
Earlier this week, two explosions rocked the area surrounding the
37,000 square foot Church of the Nativity compound. On May 1, a
45-minute gunfight caused a fire in three rooms of the church.
Franciscan spokesman Reverend ArtemioVitores said the damage was to
the Greek Orthodox convent on the fourth and fifth floors. The fire
did not reach the basilica, built on the site where Christians say
Jesus was born. (New York Times, May 3) On May 4, an explosive
device detonated 550 yards from Manger Square, blowing out the
windows of a nearby building. A sign outside the building identified
it as a medical clinic, but IDF troops called it a "bomb-making
factory," showing bags of gunpowder and Hamas paraphernalia to
reporters. (CBS, May 4) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
7. ACTIVISTS BREAK IDF SIEGE LINE, ENTER CHURCH
Activists from the International Solidarity Movement picked their way
through the barbed-wire barricade of the compound on the evening of
May 2. Running across Manger Square, 11 activists from the US,
Sweden, the UK and Ireland, including one journalist, managed to slip
into the church to deliver food to the Palestinians. The other 13
were detained by IDF troops. Israeli police spokesman Rafi Yasser
said May
4 that the detained were all in jail or on their way out of the
country, and that those who remain inside face deportation. (New York
Times, May 4) Most of the activists say they are not wearing
protective gear, an act of solidarity with Palestinian civilians
who have been unprotected since the Israeli offensive began in March.
According to Kristen Schurr of New York City, the group plans to
remain inside the compound until the Palestinians are able to leave
without arrest. (Indymedia Jerusalem, May 2) Listen to Kristen Schurr from inside the Church.(Sarah Robbins)
[top]
8. PALESTINIAN MISCONDUCT IN THE CHURCH?
Although many of those exiting the Church of the Nativity report a
feeling of solidarity in the compound, some claim otherwise. Israeli
sources say the people inside are hostages, while most Palestinians
maintain they're staying of their own free will.
(Haaretz, May 4) "The gunmen in the church are running the show,
and the people are definitely being held hostage," a reportedly
neutral source told Reuters. "The people inside are getting very
agitated, and it could get worse, even apocalyptic." (CBS, May 4) One
teenager who was evacuated from the compound on April 29, Omar Habib,
reported that Palestinian gunmen broke doors and looted church
valuables. Habib also said the gunmen dissuaded people from leaving
with threats and assertions that those who left were traitors to the
cause. (Christian Science Monitor, May 2) Three Armenian priests left
the church compound last week after one held up a sign with the
words, "Please Help," written in red paint. Later, the IDF released
an interview with one, Narcis Kanrasian, saying, "They opened the
doors one by one and stole everything," including prayer books and
crucifixes. (AP, April 24) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
9. LIKUD MAY BLOCK PALESTINIAN STATE
The Likud party Central Committee may vote "against any Palestinian
state between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean," According to
senior Likud ministers. While a vote in the Central Committee against
the possibility for the establishment of a Palestinian state would be
not be binding, it would still have serious ramifications. "The world
could interpret it as an unequivocal statement by a ruling party
against any chance for peace with the Palestinians in the present and
future," one minister said. "Because if the proposal is accepted,
none of Sharon's statement's about agreeing to the establishment of a
Palestinian state or 'painful concessions' for peace, will have any
meaning." (Haaretz, May 2)(David Bloom)
[top]
10. BUSH TO MEET SHARON, ABDULLAH
President Bush will meet separately this week with Israeli Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon and with King Abdullah of Jordan. Bush plans to
focus on internationally brokered peace negotiations and the
rebuilding of the West Bank and Gaza. Sharon is bringing his own
peace plan, which, according to recent statements, includes a system
of checkpoints and buffer zones on the West Bank and an "interim
agreement" to last several years, until final peace talks begin.
(Washington Post, May 5) Sharon's plan includes negotiations without
Yasser Arafat and a regional conference to "solve
problems." (Haaretz, May 5) Israel is campaigning to dismiss Arafat
as the leader of the Palestinian Authority--a stance supported by
recently found evidence that alleges Arafat presides over an
extensive terrorist network. (New York Times, May 5)
According to Bush aides, the U.S. president has called this assertion
a "very backward-looking" view. In a statement Thursday, President
Bush asserted that a
Palestinian state "cannot be founded on terror or corruption." He
asked Arab leaders to "put their thumbs on Arafat's forehead" to
insure he complies with his recent outcry against terrorism.
(Washington Post, May 5) Bush officials maintain that the recent
peace proposal by Saudi Arabia (see WW3REPORT#31) offers the best
possibility for peace. Sharon, however, declared that the plan,
which calls for Arab peace in exchange for Israeli retreat from the
pre-1967 borders, would "destroy Israel." (NYT, May 4) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
11. POWELL PREPARES WAY FOR PEACE CONFERENCE
After meeting with U.N., European, and Russian officials in
Washington on May 2, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell announced
plans for an early summer international peace conference to include
foreign ministers of Arab states as well as representatives from
Europe, Russia, Israel and the U.S. (AP, May 2) According to the New
York Times, Israel will request that Syria not be allowed to attend
because it harbors terrorists. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed
Mahrer said an international conference has no point until Israel has
completely withdrawn from Palestinian occupied territory. (Washington
Post, May 5) Israel also expressed concern for its own role in the
dialogue. "If the idea is to hold a sort of international
conference, where Israel finds itself sitting on one side of the
table with all the Arab governments, and Palestinians and different
Europeans with specific agendas in the Middle East and the
anti-Semitic atmosphere in some of those countries and the UN on the
other side, this is something Israel would reject." (UK Guardian, May
4) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
12. AL-AKSA: NO MORE ATTACKS INSIDE GREEN LINE
A commander of the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigades interviewed in Nablus by
the New York Times said his group would no longer conduct suicide
bombing attacks inside the 1967 borders of Israel. But the commander,
identified only by his nom de guerre Abu Mujahed, said the group
would continue its attacks in the occupied territories. Abu Mujahed
said that he regretted the loss of civilian life: "I am sorry for all
the civilians that died in this intifada, both Israelis and
Palestinians," he said."I want to fight whoever is in charge of the
government of Israel, not civilians." He also said he was concerned
the attacks in restaurants, on buses and in other public spaces was
hurting the cause of a free Palestinian state:"What was happening is
that we were delivering the wrong message to the world." Israel has
dismissed Abu Mujahed's statement as merely an adjustment to a cruel
and inhuman policy, and suggested that al-Aksa's infrastructure has
been damaged and is looking to make an excuse for a dimished level of
activity to come. The organization is known to be decentralized and
to operate in cells, and it is not known if all cells will adhere to
a change in policy. (NYT, Apr. 23)(David Bloom)
[top]
13. HAMAS: WE WANT "GOOD NEIGHBORHOOD WITH ISRAELIS"
Hamas moderate Ismail Abu Shanab told a San Francisco Chronicle
interviewer that if Israel withdrew to its pre-1967 borders, Hamas
would stop its attacks on Israel. Shanab, in an April 26 interview in
his Gaza home, said Hamas accepted the terms of the Saudi peace
proposal, and that if Israel withdrew in exchange for normal
relations with Arab states, it would "cease all military activities."
"That would be satisfactory for all Palestinian military groups to
stop and build our state, to be busy in our own affairs, and have
good neighborhood with Israelis," he said. He called the Hamas
covenant calling for "every inch of Palestine" from the Jordan River
to the Mediterranean Sea "theoretical." He added: "There has been
generation after generation (of war). Now there is a generation who
needs to live in peace, and not worry about their safety. So it is a
generation that wants to practice living in peace and postpone
historical issues. We speak of historical Palestine, and practical
reality."
Asked if that meant Hamas would give up its objective of destroying
Israel, Shanab said "When I speak of postponement, I mean that there
is a right for every generation to be satisfied with their condition.
Now, when Palestinians and Israelis live among each other in peace,
they may cooperate with each other in a way that everyone will be
satisfied." When asked if Hamas would make the right of return of
refugees an issue that needed to be solved before peace was possible,
Shanab replied: "We do not have to connect the issue. If Israel
returns to pre-1967 borders, we will stop the attacks and postpone
the right of return until later. If we have good will, we can solve
it. Gradually, patiently, openly, and in devotion to good relations."
He added that, "It is a complex issue and has 50 years of complexity.
So let's solve it, but not right away."
On the issue of Jerusalem, Shanab was adamant that all of East
Jeruasalem seized in the 1967 war with Jordan be a part of a
Palestinian state, but that the Palestinian state would respect an
international law granting free access to Jewish and Christian holy
sites: "Such a law could enforce access to worship for all the
world," Shanab said. "We would accept this. The Jews do not need to
worry about this. They will have free access and be welcomed to all
religious sites. We have nothing against the Jews, nothing against
the Christians."
When asked if he spoke for the entire Hamas organization, Snanab
replied in the affirmative. The Chronicle was unable to confirm this
with anyone in Hamas' military wing, the Izzedine Qassam Brigades.
(San Francisco Chronicle, Apr. 28) (David Bloom)
[top]
14. PALESTINIANS INTERCEPT WOULD-BE CHILD MARTYRS
Amin al-Hindi, chief of Palestinian General Intelligence issued a
statement that his men were on "high alert" after detaining about 20
children who wanted to become martyrs or "shaheed", according the
April 28 Sun- Herald. Hindi said, "I expect that no faction will
allow this to happen but we agreed that we all need to work ogether
in order to end the phenomenon." (Sun-Herald, April 28)
Three Palestinian teenagers attempting to conduct a suicide bombing
attack against the Netzarim settlement in Gaza were shot and killed
by Israeli soldiers on April 23. Posters of Hamas were prominently
displayed in one of the boys' bedrooms (see WW3REPORT#31). An
early-April report from Knight Ridder Newspapers included an
interview with a head of Islamic Jihad in Jenin, who said he taught
boys to fire M-16s and instructed a select few to strap grenades to
themselves. He stressed that Palestinian children have "no choice but
to become fighters," and emphasized a difference between suicide
bombings and committing suicide. In the same article was an account
of a former military chief for the Fatah political party in Southern
Lebanon, who organizes "shaheed" training camps, which take place
during breaks from school and last several weeks. "Children train
from 5 to 15 years old," he said. "But children of that age are not
sent off to suicide missions. They are not aware at that age. There
has to be awareness to go out on a suicide mission. They can go out
when they are at least 15 years old." (Knight Ridder Newspapers,
April 1)
"We are teaching the children that suicide bombing is the only thing
that makes Israeli people very frightened," said Islamic Jihad member
Mohammed el
Hattab, a teacher in another such training camp. "Furthermore, we are
teaching them that we have the right to do it. We are teaching them
that after the suicide attacks, the man who makes it goes to the
highest state in paradise." (BBC, July 18, 2001)
The most recent statement from Islamic Jihad, however, urges children
to take their focus away from these goals, if only temporarily. "The
battle with the enemy is still very long," said Abdullah al-Shami, an
Islamic Jihad leader. "Children have to be patient and wait until
they get older." (Sun-Herald, April 28) (Sarah Robbins)
[top]
15. JEWISH TEENS HELD IN PLOT TO ATTACK ARABS
Jerusalem Police have arrested two Jewish teenagers on suspicion of
plotting attacks on Arabs. A Jerusalem District Court upheld a
decision by the Shin Bet security service to prevent the two from
seeing their lawyer. Recently there has been increasing activity on
the part of radical violent Jewish groups. Two months ago, a bomb
exploded at an Arab elementary school in East Jerusalem.(see
WW3REPORT#24) A variety of Jewish terrorist groups have also taken
credit for the shooting deaths of seven Arab motorists in the West
Bank. (Jerusalem Post, May 1) (David Bloom)
[top]
16. DESMOND TUTU: END APARTHEID IN ISRAEL
In an April address to a conference called Ending the Occupation held
in Boston, Massachusetts, former Capetown, South Africa archbishop
Desmond Tutu appealed to the state of Israel to stop its oppression
of the Palestinian people. Noting that in the struggle against
apartheid in South Africa "the great supporters were Jewish people,"
Tutu said he was distressed by what he saw in his visit to the "Holy
Land," things that reminded him of apartheid. "I have seen the
humiliation of the Palestinians at checkpoints and roadblocks,
suffering like us when young white police officers prevented us from
moving about." While acknowledging Israel's security needs, Tutu said
what was not justified "is what it did to another people to guarantee
its existence." Tutu said: "I have experienced Palestinians pointing
to what were their homes, now occupied by Jewish Israelis. I was
walking with Canon Naim Ateek [the head of the Sabeel Ecumenical
Centre] in Jerusalem. He pointed and said: 'Our home was over there.
We were driven out of our home; it is now occupied by Israeli Jews.'
"Israel will never get true security and safety through oppressing
another people," Tutu told the conference. "A true peace can
ultimately be built only on justice. We condemn the violence of
suicide bombers, and we condemn the corruption of young minds taught
hatred; but we also condemn the violence of military incursions in
the occupied lands, and the inhumanity that won't let ambulances
reach the injured. The military action of recent days, I predict
with certainty, will not provide the security and peace Israelis
want; it will only intensify the hatred. Israel has three options:
revert to the previous stalemated situation; exterminate all
Palestinians; or - I hope - to strive for peace based on justice,
based on withdrawal from all the occupied territories, and the
establishment of a viable Palestinian state on those territories side
by side with Israel, both with secure borders."
"But you know as well as I do that, somehow, the Israeli government
is placed on a pedestal [in the US], and to criticize it is to be
immediately dubbed anti-semitic, as if the Palestinians were not
semitic. I am not even anti-white, despite the madness of that group.
And how did it come about that Israel was collaborating with the
apartheid government on security measures?"
"People are scared in this country [the US], to say wrong is wrong
because the Jewish lobby is powerful - very powerful. Well, so what?
For goodness sake, this is God's world! We live in a moral universe.
The apartheid government was very powerful, but today it no longer
exists. Hitler, Mussolini, Stalin, Pinochet, Milosevic, and Idi Amin
were all powerful, but in the end they bit the dust." (UKGuardian,
Apr. 29)(David Bloom).
See critiques of Tutu's remarks
[top]
17. US REP. DICK ARMEY: "THE PALESTINIANS SHOULD LEAVE"
On MSNBC's "Hardball", US Republican Majority Leader in Congress,
Dick Armey told host Chris Matthews that he did not look too
favorably on the establishment of a Palestinian State in the West
Bank:
Rep. DICK ARMEY (Republican Majority Leader): I--I'm pre--I'm content
to have Israel grab the entire West Bank. I'm also content to have
the Palestinians have a homeland and even for that to be somewhere
near Israel. But I'm not content to see Israel give up land for the
purpose of peace to the Palestinians who will not accept it and would
not honor it.
MATTHEWS: Well, where are you going to put the Palestinian state? In
Norway? Once the Israelis take back the West Bank permanently and
annex it, there's no place else for the Palestinians to have a state.
Rep. ARMEY: No, no, that's not--that's not at all the truth. There
are many Arab nations that have many hundreds of thousands of acres
of land and--and soil and property and opportunity to create a
Palestinian state. I happen to believe that the Palestinians should
leave.
MATTHEWS: Have you talked about this with the president? Have you
ever told George Bush, the president from your home state of Texas,
that you think the Palestinians should get up and go and leave
Palestine and that's your solution?
Rep. ARMEY: I'm probably telling him that right now.
Armey later released a statement clarifying his views: "in my
exchange with Chris Matthews tonight, I left the impression that I
believe peaceful Palestinian civilians should be forcibly expelled
from the West Bank and Gaza Strip. This does not reflect my views. I
was merely trying to convey my strong belief that Israel should yield
no further territory until its security is assured and that the
individuals who support terrorist acts may properly be exiled from
the area. Let me be clear: Israel is fighting the same war on
terrorism that we're fighting. I reaffirm my support for their right
to defend themselves and secure their peace and security."(CNBC, May
2)(David Bloom)
[top]
18. LEAFLETS DISS DAHLAN, RASHID, PRAISE RAJOUB
Two leaflets recently distributed in the West Bank denounce Gaza
Preventative Security Chief Muhamed Dahlan and Arafat economic
advisor Muhamed Rashid. The leaflets say that the two conspired to
have Arafat removed and the UN Jenin fact-finding mission scrapped.
The leaflets called on Arafat to exert better control over his aides.
One leaflet distributed in Ramallah titled "Warning to Rashid"
cautioned that "we will not let Rashid enjoy the money that he has
stolen from our people's bank accounts." A similar Fatah leaflet was
distributed denouncing Hisham Maki, head of the Palestinian
television authority, for corruption, shortly before he was murdered
in early 2000. Another of the leaflets praises West Bank Preventative
Security Chief Jabril Rajoub. The leaflets appear as Arafat is
preparing to reconsider the hierarchy of his security apparatus.
(Jerusalem Post, May 2) (David Bloom)
[top]
GLIMMERS OF HOPE
1. ACTIVISTS DELIVER FOOD TO BEIT JALA AREA
Several hundred activists delivered four trucks of food to Arab
villages in the vicinity of Bethlehem, according to Yulie
Khromchenco of Indymedia Israel. The activists, from the joint
Arab/Jewish non-violent direct action group Ta'ayush, delivered the
food to four distribution points: the refugee camps of Deheisheh and
Aeidah, the Red Crescent medical teams, and to the village of
El-Khader. The Mayor of Beit Jala and the local Fatah leader thanked
the activists for bringing the food: "Your being here gives us hope
that inside the dark tunnel that we are situated in, is a path of
light," said Abed Rabo, the Fatah leader. "We hope that a significant
number of the Israeli people will call on the Israeli government to
end the occupation and enable the creation of Palestinian state." On
their way to the villages, the activists traveled along a bypass road
built for Israeli settlers of the Gush Etzion block so that the
settlers can avoid driving through Arab villages along the way from
Israel to their homes. "The by-pass roads, for Jews only, are
apartheid roads." said Uri Pines, one the organizers of the
demonstration. "These by-pass roads prevent the Palestinians from
using their right to travel on their own land." (Indymedia Israel Apr.
28) (David Bloom)
[top]
2. ACTIVISTS BRING AID TO JENIN
On April 13, a convoy of 45 trucks brought food, water and medical
supplies to the Salem military checkpoint near Jenin. The convoy and
march of approximately 10,000 people was meant as a show of
solidarity with the people of Jenin. The marchers chanted slogans of
Arab-Jewish solidarity with the people of Jenin and called for peace
and an end to Israeli- perpetrated war crimes. The organizers and
participants held a non-violent march, to relay their conviction that
violence-can be resisted with non-violence. Once the marchers heard
that the trucks reached their destination, they disbanded and went
home. It was later revealed that only five of the trucks were
allowed into Jenin. (Indymedia Israel, Apr. 14)(David Bloom)
[top]
THE AFGHANISTAN FRONT
1. US HUNTS AL-QAEDA IN OPERATION MOUNTAIN LION
Operation Snipe is part of the larger US-led Operation Mountain
Lion. On April 30, US forces from the 101st airborne regiment,
along with British, Australian and Afghan forces, set out to the
border area of eastern Afghanistan with Pakistan, an operation which,
according to an Afghan official, will expand into a major offensive
to root out remaining al-Qaeda and Taliban forces. Hazrat Uddin,
Afghan chief of military intelligence, also claims that Osama bin
Laden, with a trimmed beard, and his top lieutenant Ayman al-Zawahiri
are in the area. According to Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf,
US troops are not operating in Pakistan, except for
"communications experts."(Newsweek, May 13) The operation is expected
to last through the summer, on both sides of the border (NYT, May
6)(David Bloom)
[top]
2. BRITISH HUNT AL-QAEDA IN OPERATION SNIPE
1,000 British-led forces, backed by US air power, have launched an
operation in Eastern Afghanistan near Pakistan to root out remaining
pockets of al-Qaeda and Taliban fighters. Operation Snipe is taking
place in a mountainous area southeast of the earlier fighting in
Operation Anaconda. The British are looking through previously
unchecked hideouts and have found 2,000 rounds of ammunition in one
cave. There have been no encounters with enemy troops as yet, but
villagers have been friendly and offered the soldiers food. (AFP, May
4) (David Bloom)
[top]
3. CANADIANS HUNT AL-QAEDA IN OPERATION TORII
Several hundred Canadian soldiers are taking part in Operation Torii
in an undisclosed location in eastern Afghanistan. The Operation is
separate from the US-led Operation Mountain Lion and the British-led
Operation Snipe. The Canadians took off in Chinook helicopters
escorted by American Apaches. The operation will take place in
difficult mountainous terrain, some 7,000 to 11,000 feet high. (AP,
May 4) Canadian Defense Minister Art Eggleton said Canadian soldiers
had no authority to cross the Pakistan border, but declined to
elaborate on their mission. (National Post, May 4) (David Bloom)
[top]
4. PAKISTANI DICTATOR WINS IN A LANDSIDE
Pakistan's military dictator General Pervez Musharraf won a
referendum allowing him to rule Pakistan for the next five years, a
move he said was necessary to bring democracy to Pakistan. "We want
democracy to come to Pakistan," Musharraf said. "We want sustainable
democracy that takes root. I mean every word of it." The referendum
contained only one name on the ballot-Musharraf's. Musharraf was
widely criticized for staging the referendum, in which the government
claimed more than 50% of the electorate voted, with 98% in favor.
Political parties were not allowed to hold rallies against the
referendum, and the government advertised extensively and bussed
voters to the polls. The balloting did not add to the legitimacy of
Musharraf's regime, and the only foreign country to congratulate him
was China. The US avoided criticizing the referendum. (NYT, May 5)
(David Bloom)
[top]
5. MASSOUD FOR NOBEL PEACE PRIZE?
A petition has been filed in Norway by a group of French nationals
suggesting the Nobel Peace Prize be awarded to slain Afghan Warlord
Ahmed Shah Massoud. The petition, initiated by two French
parliamentarians, was distributed over the Internet and has gathered
4,000 signatures worldwide, including those of Afghan Prime Minister
Hamid Karzai and Defense Minister Qasim Fahim. The prize cannot be
awarded posthumously, but 40 to 50 European parliamentarians have
written letters supporting the idea. (AFP, Apr. 30) In an April 28
ceremony, Massoud was made Afghanistan's "National Hero," for his
resistance against the Soviet Union, the Taliban and al-Qaeda. (AFP,
Apr. 28) A personality cult has risen around Massoud, whose pictures
adorn walls all over Kabul and whose grave is thought to have magic
powers (see WW3REPORT#28). Some question whether Massoud, who as
Defense Minister participated in internecine warfare that destroyed
much of the Afghan capital of Kabul, should get the prize: "Kabul was
destroyed because of his selfishness; crimes which were perpetrated
while he was in power were unprecendented in our history," said
Bashir Shekib, an ex-communist officer now living in Germany. (AFP,
Apr. 30) (David Bloom)
[top]
THE IRAQ FRONT
1. SADDAM'S BID TO REPLAY '73 ENERGY CRISIS.
On April 22 Iraqi President Saddam Hussein called on Arab oil
exporters to halt sales to the US and Israel and generally cut
exports in half. Saddam spoke in a national TV address weeks after he
announced he was cutting off Iraq's oil exports for 30 days or until
Israel withdraws from Palestinian territories--an announcement that
triggered an immediate increase in world oil prices. He called upon
Arab states to "immediately decrease the production of their oil for
export by 50 percent and...deprive the US and Zionist entity of the
other exported half." Many Persian Gulf states depend on oil revenues
for over two-thirds of government income, and have criticized
Saddam's notion of using oil as a "weapon." But Saddam challenged the
Persian Gulf states: "If oil is not a weapon while we have it, what
else can we use to face the ambitious powers? We should use oil as a
companion weapon and not as an alternative to other weapons."
The last time Arab nations used oil as a political weapon was in
1973, when a boycott in response to that year's Arab-Israeli war
caused a global energy crisis. Since then, the world's wealthiest
nations have created the International Energy Agency to provide a
cushion against any similar disruption. In Nov. 2000, Saudi Arabia
led a policy pledge by OPEC that oil would not be used as a political
weapon.
In his speech, Saddam also called on Arab workers at ports, airports
and rail depots to refuse to handle tankers, vessels and planes
carrying oil and goods to "hostile countries." Oil prices rose
briefly with Saddam's April 8 announcement that he was cutting his
oil exports in solidarity with the Palestinians, but the market
calmed as it became clear the move was unilateral. (AP, April 22)
[top]
2. HOW REAL ARE THE SANCTIONS?
In 1995, the New York Times reported that in the five years since
Desert Storm, "as many as 576,000 children have died as a result of
sanctions imposed against Iraq by the United Nations Security
Council, according to a report by the UN Food and Agriculture
Organization (FAO)." (NYT, Dec. 1, 1995) In response to this
statistic, then-US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright notoriously
said: "I think this is a very hard choice, but the price--we think
the price is worth it." (60 Minutes, May 12, 1996) Declassified US
intelligence documents indicate "the US government intentionally used
sanctions against Iraq to degrade the country's water supply" by
denying access to equipment and chemicals for purification and
pollution control, according to a recent report in The Progressive
(see WW3 REPORT #23)
But now the UN is considering rival proposals to relax the sanctions.
One, sponsored by the US and UK, would impose harsher weapons
restrictions on Iraq in exchange for easing trade restrictions, and
is opposed by the Saddam Hussein regime. A more lenient proposal is
being pushed by France and Russia. (Global Policy Forum)
In anticipation, trade and investment is starting to flow back into
Iraq--mostly from the Arab countries, and mostly via a gray market.
In an April 6 BBC report, "Baghdad is thriving, but Iraqis fear a US
attack," Rageh Omaar describes a surprising return to Iraq's capital
after 18 months. Vehicles were still dilapidated and spewing thick
diesel fumes, and imposing portraits and murals of Saddam Hussein
still lined the street. The surprise came at the Shorja market in the
heart of the city. Omaar was amazed to find it filled with "chocolate
of every description in bulk, crate upon crate of soft drinks; Fanta,
Pepsi. And what is this? Diet Coke? Grooming products--hair gel for
goodness sake"--all at prices affordable to middle-class Iraqis. "It
is a far cry from the Baghdad I knew at the height of international
sanctions--where the government here was almost completely isolated
from the rest of the world." Now there are trade fairs virtually
every week at the major hotels. New agreements are struck with
neighboring Arab countries who now export huge amounts of goods to
Iraq.
Meanwhile, in remote rural areas, conditions remain miserable. The
Iraq Water Project, a group organized by Veterans for Peace which
sends volunteer technical brigades to Iraq to rebuild sewage
treatment and potable water facilites, reports that even now "the
majority of patients in Iraq's hospitals are stricken with amoebic
dysentery, gastroenteritis and other waterborne diseases."
In an article entitled "Next Stop Iraq?", Kevin M. Pollack of the
Council on Foreign Relations wrote in the March/April 2002 edition of
Foreign Affairs that the sanctions have become an unenforceable
farce, with black market oil exports via Jordan, Syria, Turkey and
the Gulf states now double that of 1998. Pollack says that China even
built a national fiber-optic network for Iraq, destroyed by US air
strikes in 2001. He laments that "Ludicrous Iraqi propaganda about
how the economic sanctions are responsible for the deaths of more
than a million people since 1991 is now accepted at face value the
world over." But Pollack sees a solution: "The United States should
invade Iraq , eliminate the present regime and pave the way for a
successor prepared to abide by its international commitments and live in
peace with its neighbors."
[top]
3. GLOBAL CORPORATIONS EAT INTO "OIL-FOR-FOOD" FUNDS
Journalist Suzy T. Kane breaks down the UN bureaucratic mechanisms
which keep millions of Iraqis in misery in the March/April 2002
edition of the Non-Violent Activist, New York-based magazine of the
War Resisters League. Kane warns that global corporations are
exploiting the "war reparations" program imposed on Iraq--potentially
breeding a backlash like that in Germany after WW I.
After 1991's Operation Desert Storm, the UN Security Council set up a
commission to process claims against Iraq totaling more than $300
billion for damages suffered during the Persian Gulf War. The claims
totaled almost five times the cost of the war. A Compensation
Commission was established to oversee payments,
but Kane writes that the mission was akin to getting "blood from a
stone":
"Suffering under comprehensive economic sanctions dictated in August
1990 by UN Security Council Resolution 661, which exempted only food
and medicine, Iraq continually refused the terms of the Security
Council's offers (Resolutions 706 and 712) to sell limited amounts of
oil to meet its humanitarian needs. Finally, in December 1996, Iraq
agreed to the plan to do so spelled out in Resolution 986. With 30
cents of every dollar Iraq earned in oil sales for the next four
years going to the Compensation Commission, however, the oil-for-food
program could have been more honestly called the
oil-for-food-and-reparations program."
In Dec. 2000, the percentage of IraqÍs oil sales earmarked for reparations was reduced to 25%, with the newly freed 5% going to humanitarian relief. But the repair needs of IraqÍs war-crippled oil industry must also come out of its ñhumanitarianî allowance.
5,280 companies are seeking $80 billion in reparations from
Iraq--including 152 US companies claiming a total of $2.4 billion.
One US corporation whose $36 million claim has been approved is the
Halliburton Co. Halliburton's claim is a proverbial drop in the
bucket for the $15 billion oil services company--"but to an Iraqi
whose monthly earnings are the equivalent of several U.S. dollars,
the figure would seem astronomical." The stock and options
Halliburton gave its CEO Dick Cheney before he became Vice President
totaled $35.7 million--about the amount of Halliburton's claim
against Iraq. (Ironically, Halliburton subsidiaries still have
lucrative contracts in Sadam's Iraq, exploiting a loophole in the
sanctions. See WW3 REPORT #23)
To date, the commission has approved claims against Iraq for $36
billion, pending against a backdrop of Iraq's overwhelming
infrastructure reconstruction needs. Since December 1996, Iraq has
sold more than $50 billion worth of oil, or about $10 billion per
year. In 1990, the year before Desert Storm, its annual oil revenues
were $14.5 billion. With no ceiling currently in place on the amount
of oil Iraq may now sell this figure is set to expand. But when the
proceeds from Iraq's oil sales go into the UN's Iraq account, each
dollar is divided as follows:
* 25 cents to the Compensation Commission for reparations
* 13 cents for the humanitarian needs of the Kurds, in their northern
enclave where Baghdad does not even have control
* 2.2 cents to run the UN Office of the Iraq Programme, which
administers the oil-for-food program
* 0.8 cents to run the UN Monitoring, Verification and Inspection
Commission (UNMOVIC), charged with overseeing Iraq's compliance with
UN-imposed arms limits
* 59 cents for humanitarian and oil industry needs for the central
and south (actually under Saddam's control), where 87% of Iraq's
population lives.
Iraq's annual $10 billion in oil sales, then, really boils down to
$5.9 billion a year for Saddam's regime to meet the humanitarian
needs of its people--the ostensible purpose of the "oil-for-food"
program. (The full story is on-line)
[top]
4. U.S. GUZZLES IRAQI OIL
The Energy Department has released figures showing that the US is the
world's largest consumer of Iraqi crude oil, and that it depends on
Baghdad for some 9% of its oil imports. Valero Energy Corp. and
ChevronTexaco Corp. are the biggest US buyers of Baghdad's oil. US
oil firms purchased nearly 800,000 barrels per day of Iraqi crude oil
in 2001--nearly half of Iraq's crude sales under the UN supervised
oil-for-food program. US purchases of Iraqi oil in 2001 jumped almost
30% from year 2000. According to Reuters, the oil is usually sold
through intermediary companies to avoid embarrassment to both Baghdad
and Washington. The figures, from the Energy Information
Administration (EIA), do not include oil smuggled out of Iraq, which
some industry analysts say has reached 180,000 barrels per day or
more. (InTech Online, Feb. 28)
[top]
5. SADDAM RIDING OUT EMBARGO WITH NARCO PROFITS?
The hardships imposed by the embargo certainly haven't affected
Saddam Hussein or his inner circle. On Feb. 8, 1998, London's Sunday
Times reported that Saddam Hussein's son Uday had overseen multi-ton
air shipments of cocaine from Caracas to London and other European
cities for several years in the late 1980s and 1990s. The claim was
based on statements by Majid al-Samarrai, former Iraqi ambassador to
Venezuela, whose family is close to Saddam. Samarrai defected from
the regime and started spilling the beans on his former boss's dirty
deals to US and UK intelligence services. Detained at Heathrow
airport with a false Venzuelan passport, he was released to seek an
asylum claim after six weeks in custody, in which he presumably
negotiated his freedom with the CIA and its British counterpart, MI6.
His lawyers said he has documents detailing cocaine shipments and
secret bank accounts where the profits were stashed, and naming Uday
Hussein as the regime's pointman for the operation. Uday and his
brother Qusay are believed to run numerous contraband lines to
finance the regime and the Hussein family's lavish lifestyle. Turf
wars over the trade have been linked to the slaying of eight Iraqis
in Jordan in Jan. 1998. An anonymous "senior Iraqi opposition source"
told the Times that al-Samarrai had been recruited by the CIA in the
early 1990s--the same years for which he claimed to possess all the
accounting for Uday's Venezuelan coke deals. The source said he had
been ratted out to Saddam as a CIA asset after his wife found $40,000
and secret documents in his safe, forcing him to flee with his
Venezuelan mistress. When asked if he had worked for the CIA, he said
"I am an Iraqi diplomat and ex-ambassador. I came here to seek
asylum."
[top]
6. U.S. FORCES OUT HEAD OF U.N. CHEMICAL WEAPONS BODY
The head of the international body regulating chemical weapons
inspections was forced from his post April 22 following a US-led
campaign to oust him. Observers say Jose Bustani, a Brazilian, upset
the White House by his efforts to encourage Iraq to join the UN's
Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW)--wihch
would have made a US-led invasion more difficult. "I am out of a
job," Bustani said, after storming from a meeting at The Hague where
he lost a vote of no confidence by 48 votes to 7. The US delegation
said Bustani had mismanaged and undermined the credibility of OPCW,
established in 1997 to oversee the destruction of chemical weapons.
It said that if Iraq joined, any new weapons inspections would be too
soft. The US also accused Bustani of threatening inspections in five
unspecified countries "for political ends"--an accusation he
dismissed. (UK Independent, April 23)
[top]
7. WOLFOWITZ SICKS CIA ON U.N. ARMS INSPECTOR
Deputy Defense Secretary Paul D. Wolfowitz earlier this year asked
the CIA to investigate the performance of Swedish diplomat Hans Blix,
chairman of the new UN team charged carrying out inspections of
Iraq's weapons programs, the Washington Post reported April 15.
Blix's inspection organization--the UN Monitoring, Verification and
Inspection Commission--has inherited the mandate from the UN Special
Commission on Iraq, or UNSCOM. The new body is attempting to secure
an agreement from Saddam Hussein to allow inspectors back for the
first time since 1999.
Officials gave contradictory accounts of Wolfowitz's reaction to the
CIA report. The report was turned in to Wolfowitz in late January
with the conclusion that Blix, former chief of the International
Atomic Energy Agency, was competent to lead inspections of Iraq's
declared nuclear power plants. One former State Department official
said Wolfowitz "hit the ceiling" because it failed to provide
sufficient ammunition to undermine Blix and the new UN weapons
inspection program. A former member of the previous UN inspection
team said the Wolfowitz group is "afraid Saddam will draw us in to a
diplomatic minuet." The inspection issue has become "a surrogate for
a debate about whether we go after Saddam," complained Richard N.
Perle, an adviser to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld and chairman
of the US Defense Policy Board.
[top]
8. AN "AFGHAN MODEL" FOR IRAQ?
Pentagon military strategists are increasingly talking of an "Afghan
model" for Iraq, with the Kurdish guerilla armies that control the
north--under the protection of the US-enforced "no fly zone"--playing
the role of the Northern Alliance. The two rival Kurdish armies,
which have engaged in much internecine warfare since Desert Storm,
have recently stopped shooting at each other in a bid to convince
Washington they would make worthy proxies. "America is the best
friend of the Kurdish people, to help us get self-rule and a voice in
Baghdad," says Sheikh Jafar Mustapha, a senior commander of the
Patriotic Union of Kurdistan (PUK). "If America attacks Saddam...we
can help the US achieve success in that battle." Massoud Barzani,
leader of the Kurdistan Democratic Party (KDP), says, "We can't
photocopy the Afghan cause, but we can benefit from it." Kurdish
officials claim that they can muster between 60,000 and 70,000
ready-to-fight peshmerga (guerillas) to confront Iraq's 400,000
troops. (Christian Science Monitor, March 28) US Special Forces
troops are believed to be already operating in northern Iraq. (UK
Guardian, March 17)
[top]
9. IRAQ INVASION SET FOR 2003
A US air and ground assault on Iraq, involving as many as 250,000
troops--half the number used in the Gulf War--initially planned for
the fall, has most likely been postponed until early next year,
officials said. Planning for the attack includes the possible use of
bases in Turkey and Kuwait. If unable to utilize locations in Saudi
Arabia, Qatar might serve as a replacement. Other than British
troops, no other contributions to the allied forces are anticipated.
Officials also said the strategy used against the Taliban would not
work in Iraq. "The president has not made any decisions," a senior
Defense Department official said. "But any efforts against Iraq will
not look like what we did in Afghanistan." (NYT, Apr. 28)(WW3 REPORT Special Correspondent)
[top]
10. IRAQI DEFECTORS SPILL THE BEANS
In an interview published in Vanity Fair, an Iraqi defector claims
Iraq is developing "a new-generation long-range ballistic missile
system, equipped to deliver chemical, biological, and eventually
nuclear warheads." In 1998, after working on plans to acquire
equipment for the project, the defector was implicated by the
Mukhabarat (Iraq's intelligence agency) in a plot to topple Saddam
Hussein's government, and then interrogated, tortured, and after a
six-month incarceration fled Iraq. The missiles have been designed to
travel up to 700 miles, "far enough to hit Riyadh, Saudi Arabia;
Ankara, in Turkey; Cairo and Alexandria, in Egypt; Nicosia, in
Cyprus; and Tehran, capital of Iraq's historic enemy, Iran," he said.
( UK Guardian, Apr. 4) Other defectors, members of the dissident Iraqi
Officers' Movement (IOM), claim weapons from Eastern Europe are being
smuggled through Syria into Iraq. ( UK Guardian, Apr. 29)(WW3 REPORT Special Correspondent)
[top]
11. BUSH WANTS DEATH IN IRAQ SPY CASE
The Bush administration is seeking the death penalty for a former Air
Force master sergeant accused of selling secrets to Iraq and Libya.
It would be the first time the US has executed anyone for spying
since the 1950s. Prosecutors say Brian Regan, 39, wrote to Saddam
Hussein and Mummar Qaddafi, offering to sell them US intelligence
reports about their countries along with satellite photographs for
$13 million. (UK Independent, Apr. 21)
[top]
THE CAUCASUS FRONT
1. CHECHENS CONFIRM KHATTAB'S DEATH
Kavkaz Center, a non-governmental "Chechen international Islamic Internet agency," reported that Russian claims
of death of Chechen warlord and Bin Laden associate Khattab by
poisoning were true.( Kavkaz-Center , Apr. 29) Russia's FSB security
agency, successor to the KGB, claimed they had assassinated Khattab
by means of a poison letter, delivered by someone Khattab knew (AFP,
NYT, Apr. 30) The Russian network RTR on its evening news program
Vesti broadcast a videotape of Khattab's body taken by Chechen
rebels. (NYT, Apr. 27), Khattab, born in Saudi Arabia, fought in
Afghanistan where he fought alongside Osama bin Laden (NYT,Oct. 14
99). After seeing Chechen muhajadeen on CNN chanting "God is Great!",
Khattab decided to go to Chechnya in 1995 , where he rose to become
second-in-command and adopted brother of Chechen warlord Shamil
Basayev. In 1999 Basayev and Khattab attacked the neighboring Russian
province of Dagestan in an attempt to expand the Chechen Islamic
Republic, bringing the full force of the Russian military to bear
once again on Chechnya. (see WW3REPORT# 31)
Thomas de Wall, writing for the Institute for War and Peace
Reporting, says Khattab's death weakens the link between Chechnya and
al-Qaeda and may open the door to negotiation between Russia and
Chechnya. ( IWPR, May 2) (David Bloom)
[top]
2. CHECHENS DISPUTE BASAYEV'S DEATH
Russian Chief of Staff General Anatoly Khavshin was contradicted by
Chechen sources and Russia's FSB intelligence agency over his claim
that Chechen warlord Shamil Basayev had been assassinated, less than
a week after his associate Khattab had been eliminated.(ITAR-TASS,
May 3, Kavkaz-Center, May 1) Russia's military has made erroneous
claims about Baysev's death in the past. (NYT, May 1) (David Bloom)
[top]
THE WAR AT HOME
1. FEDERAL JUDGE: MATERIAL WITNESS "UNLAWFULLY DETAINED"
A ruling by a federal judge has put in doubt the use of a key tool
used by the government in the War on Terror. Judge Shira A.
Scheindlin has ruled that the Justice Department cannot imprison
as"material witnesses" people who the government believes may have
information for grand juries conducting terrorism investigations.
Perjury charges against Jordanian student Osama Awadallah, 21 were
dismissed by Schiendlin because the information leading to the
charges was obtained while he was "unlawfully detained" by the
government.
"If the government has probable cause to believe a person has
committed a crime, it may arrest that person," Scheindlin wrote. "But
since 1789, no Congress has granted the government the authority to
imprison an innocent person in order to guarantee that he will
testify before a grand jury conducting a criminal investigation."
Former US attorney Neal R. Sonnett said, "clearly, in the aftermath
of Sept. 11, the government was looking for ways to keep people in
custody and they seized upon the material-witness statute as a
vehicle for that kind of indefinite detention," and added that the
ruling puts the government "on notice that they can't use the
material-witness statute in that way." ( Washington Post, Apr. 30)
(David Bloom)
[top]
2.SUSPECTED BIN LADEN SUPPORTER ARRESTED IN CHICAGO
Syrian-born Enaam M. Arnaout, 39, director of the Benevolence
International Foundation, an Islamic charity in Chicago, was arrested
April 30 on charges of lying in court. The Justice department says
there is extensive evidence Arnaout's organization has in fact funded
terrorist training activity around the world, including Afghanistan,
Pakistan, the Philippines, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Georgia and Chechnya.
Arnout claimed in court the foundation was a "faith-based
humanitarian organization that engages in charitable work around the
world" and "does not engage in or fund terrorist activity."
A government affidavit claimed a folder found in the foundation's
office was a fundraising appeal in Arabic asking Muslims to
"contribute with your mujahedeen brothers to repel the
Crusader-Zionist attack on Muslim lands."
US attorney in Chicago Patrick J. Fitzgerald told reporters "the
Benevolence International Foundation was supporting violence
secretly." However, he noted "persons who gave money to the B.I.F.
were victims, not criminals. Today's charges seek to vindicate, not
frustrate, the noble intentions of the vast majority of donors,
mostly Muslim Americans, who thought they were giving help to needy
causes."
An informer told FBI Agent Robert Walker that the foundation withdrew
its money in cash so that "its use by Al Qaeda would be virtually
untraceable." The foundation would then "generate paperwork which
indicated that all the money was being used for charitable purposes
such as building mosques or schools, or providing food and clothing
for the poor."
Although Arnaout denies ever having met bin Laden, a March 19 raid of
the foundation's offices in Bosnia, which netted guns and military
manuals, also revealed photographs of bin Laden and of Mr. Arnaout
"handling rifles, a shoulder-fired rocket and an antiaircraft gun."
(NYT, Apr. 30) (David Bloom)
[top]
3. PIPE BOMBS IN MAILBOXES TERRORIZE MIDWEST
In what federal authorities are calling a case of domestic terrorism,
14 pipe bombs have been discovered in mailboxes in Illinois, Iowa,
and Nebraska. Six people, including four postal employees and two
elderly people, have been injured by the bombs. At least one of the
devices was accompanied by a note which indicated the bombs were
placed in the mailboxes by someone with anti-government views.
The note reads in part: "Mailboxes are exploding! Why, you ask?
Attention people. You do things because you can and want (desire)
to. If the government controls what you want to do, they control
what you can do." The note is signed by "someone who cares."(CNN, May
5) (David Bloom) The text of the note can be seen online.
[top]
4. PALESTINIAN ACTIVIST INCARCERATED
Faruk Abdel-Muhti, a New York-based Palestinian activist who has been
in the United States for 20 years, has been in prison for eight days
now, without a hearing. Under the Homeland Security Act, he can be
held for 90 days without a hearing. Abdel-Muhti was arrested on April
26 by FBI agents at his home, on immigration charges (see
WW3REPORT#31) According to his lawyer, Gilma Carmago, the charges
stem from a 1995 deportation order which she has not yet been shown
by the INS or FBI. She says Abdel-Muhti, being a stateless person,
has nowhere to be deported to. She contacted the authorities after
his first arrest on April 9 to say he would be available for
interrogation in the presence of an attorney, a common practice in
deportation cases that would have allowed the government ample
opportunity to pursue the case in a non-aggressive and civil manner.
Abdel-Muhti was beaten at 26 Federal Plaza in lower Manhattan, told
explicitly he was being held because of his political activities, and
asked to provide information on people in Palestine or in the Arab
community in the US. He was told that if he refused, he would be
handed over to Israeli intelligence. During Abdel-Muhti appearances on
WBAI's Wake-Up Call, he would make legal and political arguments for
Palestine, give his personal views on the situation there, make
announcements for demonstrations in front of the Israeli consulate,
and feature phone calls by members of the Palestine National
Authority. Although Abdel-Muhti has high blood pressure for which he needs
specific treatment, he has only been given aspirin in the prison
hospital. (David Bloom)
To demand Faruk Abdel-Muhti's immediate and unconditional release:
Write/Call/Fax :
Andrea J. Quarantillo
NJ District Director
INS Newark District Office
970 Broad St. Rm. 136
Newark, NJ 07102
Phone: 973-645-4421
Fax: 973-645-2304
[top]
WATCHING THE SHADOWS
1. NEWSWEEK: ANTHRAX TERRORISTS WERE PROS
Newseek reported in its April 15 issue that government sources say a
secret new analysis shows anthrax found in the letter addressed to
Sen. Patrick Leahy last year "was ground to a microscopic fineness
not achieved by US biological-weapons experts. The Leahy
anthrax--mailed in an envelope that was recovered unopened from a
Washington post office last November--also was coated with a chemical
compound unknown to experts who have worked in the field for years;
the coating matches no known anthrax samples ever recovered from
biological-weapons producers anywhere in the world, including Iraq
and the former Soviet Union. The combination of the intense milling
of the bacteria and the unusual coating produced an anthrax powder so
fine and fluffy that individually coated anthrax spores were found in
the Leahy envelope, something that US bio-weapons experts had never
seen." Newsweek says officials are now floating the theory that the
anthrax "came from a team of scientists with access to sophisticated
labs--the kind of team and labs that could be assembled only by a
government." Iraq is pointed as a likely possibility.
[top]
2. FBI: NO ANTHRAX LINK TO 9-11 HIJACKERS
Despite initial suspicions, FBI officials now say they believe the 19
Sept. 11 hijackers
never came into contact with anthrax, noting that authorities scoured
their cars, apartments and personal effects for traces of the deadly
bacteria. (See WW3 REPORT #24) "This was fully investigated and
widely vetted among multiple agencies several months ago," FBI chief
spokesman John Collingwood said in a statement. "Exhaustive testing
did not support that anthrax was present anywhere the hijackers had
been." (LAT, March 24)
[top]
3. FBI FAILS TO TURN UP 9/11 PAPER TRAIL
According to a May 1 BBC report, US intelligence agencies have failed
to find a paper trail leading to the September 11 attacks. FBI
Director Robert Mueller said agents have chased down hundreds of
thousands of leads and checked every record they could find,
including flight reservations, car rentals, and bank accounts.
After seven months of searching from caves in Afghanistan to credit
card bills in the US, they could find no hard evidence about the
September 11 attacks. The attackers thwarted detection by using
hundreds of cell phones, pay phones, and difficult to trace pre-paid
phone cards. They did not use laptop computers or leave information
on computer hard drives, and exchanged money by wiring it in small
amounts. What is known is the attacks were being planned starting as
long as five years ago, and that a similar attack could currently be
in the works.(BBC, May 1)(David Bloom)
[top]
4. ADL SETTLES IN SPYING SUIT
Pete McCloskey,a former Republican US Representative from
California, has been awarded $150,000 by the San Francisco Superior
Court in a judgment against the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) stemming
from a ten-year old domestic spying case. Two of the plaintiffs had
been targeted by the ADL for having pro-Palestinian views, and a
third for being an anti-apartheid activist (Arab News, Apr. 25) On
February 22, according to a story in the San Francisco Chronicle, the
ADL settled a separate lawsuit accusing it of spying on
pro-Palestinian and anti-apartheid activists. The damages of
$178,000 were divided amongst the remaining three plaintiffs in a suit
that was filed by nineteen people in 1993. At the time Israel was an
ally of the white supremacist South African government, and the ADL's
chief of intelligence in the San Francisco area, Roy Bullock, later
admitted to having been paid by the South African government to spy
on local anti-apartheid activists. The suit claimed the ADL was
helping to suppress domestic criticism of Israel by building files it
shared with law enforcement, the Israeli government and the group's
own supporters. The ADL denied supplying Israel with information and
claimed it was only involved in the legal monitoring of hate and
extremist groups.
After police observed Bullock and San Francisco police inspector
Tom Gerard speaking to South African agents in 1992, they seized more
than 10,000 files from the men and ADL offices in San Francisco and
Los Angeles. The files contained information on individuals and
organizations across the political spectrum. The ADL convinced the
court they had a right to protect their sources as a journalistic
organization, but the FBI and SFPD found that 75 percent of the
information had been obtained illegally, and that the plaintiffs had
a right to learn the sources of the documentation. (SF Chronicle,
Feb. 23) (David Bloom)
[top]
5. PILL-POPPIN' OSAMA
In an interview with the London-based Arabic magazine al-Majalla, one
of Osama bin Laden's four wives described him as a stressed and
ailing man who used tranquilizers to help him to sleep and became
enraged when she asked him who was behind the bombings of the US
embassies in East Africa in 1998. The woman was interviewed on
condition that her location remain a secret and that she be referred
to only by the initials AS--perhaps bin Laden's fourth and youngest
wife, Amal al-Sadah, said to be a 19-year-old Yemeni. She said that
in the months leading up to 9-11, bin Laden used to return to their
home in Kandahar late at night and lie on his bed for hours without
speaking. He never mentioned specifics, but spoke of a "big plan" to
confront the US. "Lately he looked continuously worried, exhausted
and tired because of his long nights awake. Most days, he used to
take tranquilizers and medicine to help him sleep." "AS" said that
she had not heard from her husband since Sept. 11, when she was holed
up in caves in southern Afghanistan. She was later moved to a secret
location in Pakistan by one of bin Laden's sons. Asked if she had any
regrets about marrying the accused terrorist mastermind, she said: "I
don't have any regret because this is God's will, and I don't
consider him to be a terrorist." (UK Independent, March 15)
[top]
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