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Killing in the Old City
An Ataret Cohanim settler was stabbed to death in the Old City of Jerusalem on May 6 by unknown assailants. In retaliation, settlers seized a two-dunam piece of land in the Burj al-Laqlaq neighborhood near Lion's Gate and a house at Herod's Gate which they claim is formerly Jewish owned property.
Settler Violence
23-year-old Ahmad Hamed from the village of Qaryout in the Nablus area was fatally wounded by settler fire on May 6. The settler from Eli settlement claimed that Hamed entered the settlement and proceeded to attack him. Hamed's brother, however maintains that Hamed only entered the settlement land in an attempt to bring back a stray lamb.
Congress Resolution
The United States Congress approved unanimously a non-binding resolution on May 6 which urges the Palestinian Authority to hand over Palestinians suspected of killing American citizens. The resolution, which was supported by 406 members with no objections, calls upon the PA to extradite the suspected perpetrators to the US so they can appear before a US court. The Congress claims that nine US citizens have been killed in Israel since the signing of the Israeli-Palestinian peace agreements in 1993.
Settler Drive-By
Settlers from Pisgat Ze'ev near the Jerusalem village of Hizmeh opened fire from their car on May 6 at the Awad house, injuring three members of the family Jamal, Jamil and Abu Ziad. The men were taken to a nearby hospital while the settlers escaped to the settlement. The house belongs to the personal guard of PA Preventive Security Chief Jibril Rjoub.
One Point for Hillary
US first lady Hillary Clinton shocked both Israelis and Palestinians with her statement supporting the establishment of a Palestinian state. Mrs. Clinton's words came across satellite while speaking with Palestinian and Israeli participants at a youth seminar in Switzerland. In response to one Israeli youth's rejection of the word "Palestine", Hillary Clinton explained that in the long-term interests of the Middle East as a whole for there to be a Palestinian state. Although her statement was welcomed by Palestinians and left-wing Israelis who showed their appreciation for Mrs. Clinton's support, it was condemned by the majority of Israelis and Jews and some administration officials brushed it off as "her personal opinion."
One Million March
The National Committee for Commemorating al-Nakba along with the coordinators of the One Million March are organizing mass marches for May 14 in all Palestinian districts. The unified program including all the marches, is to begin at 10:00 a.m., to be followed by a mourning siren sounded from the Voice of Palestine at noon. A one-minute period of silence in memory of the martyrs and victims who fell during the 1948 war will take place directly after and at 12:02 p.m., the Palestinian national anthem will be transmitted from loudspeakers. Palestinian president Yasser Arafat is scheduled to deliver a speech at 12:05 and finally an appeal by the Palestinian people will be read by renowned Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish.
Cleaning Up
The city of al-Tireh inside the Green Line is embarking on a mass campaign to expel informers who collaborated with the Israeli occupation authorities in the occupied territories over the past years. These collaborators were later settled in the muthalath neighborhood of al-Tireh by Israel for their own protection. The campaign includes a mass rally and demonstrations organized by al-Tireh in support of the decision by the municipality to expel the collaborators.
Take it Back
Palestinian journalists working for foreign news agencies issued a statement denouncing the remarks made by head of the Palestinian Human Rights Monitoring Group Bassem Eid and demanding a withdrawal from him. Apparently, while being interviewed by Israel Radio, Eid claimed that the Palestinian Authority plants its own people among journalists in international news agencies. The seven journalists who signed the statement maintain that the statement is not only untrue, but it endangers their lives and raises doubts regarding their credibility. The journalists warned that if Eid refuses to withdraw his statements, they will take him to court.
Breaking the Rules
Head of the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority, Brig.-Gen. Fayez Zeidan warned Israel against its repeated attempts to lift the international boycott imposed on Qalandiya Airport near Jerusalem, saying the endeavors are rejected at the Palestinian, Arab and international levels. According to Israel's Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert, Israel is planning to receive international flights at the airport in preparation for Bethlehem 2000. Olmert submitted his plan to the Israeli government demanding a US$65 million fund to develop the airport, including the diversion of the Ramallah-Jerusalem road into a tunnel underneath the airport tarmac.
Deja-Vu?
Eleven prisoners being held without trial in Ramallah prison went on hunger strike on May 8, protesting their status and the conditions under which they are being held. In solidarity with the prisoners, a sit-in and demonstration took place in Ramallah and al-Bireh on May 10 in which the families of the prisoners participated. Legislative Council member Hatem 'Abdel Qader also participated in the event, calling for the prisoners' release or their trial. 'Abdel Qader later met with officials in the Ramallah Governate to negotiate the situation after which he received promises from them to take the prisoners demands into consideration. The prisoners, all of whom are being held for political reasons, decided to suspend their hunger strike for five days to give prison authorities the opportunity to grant their requests.
Exchanging Prisoners
On May 11, the Constitution, Law and Judiciary Committee in the Israeli Knesset approved a draft law which attempts to prevent the release of any Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails. The law links Israel's release of Palestinian prisoners with the Palestinian Security handing over Palestinians currently in Palestinian jails who are wanted by Israel. The law sets the condition that the PA extradite 35 Palestinians to Israel in return for the release of Palestinians in Israeli prisons. According to Israeli law, the law must pass in its second and third reading in the Knesset before it goes into effect. So far, the PA has refused any form of extradition of prisoners to Israel, in accordance with the Declaration of Principles which stipulates that no Palestinian shall be extradited to Israel if he is detained in a Palestinian prison or was tried before a Palestinian court and is serving his sentence there.
EU Funds PA
The Palestinian Authority received US$40 million from the European Union during the donor countries' meeting in Brussels on March 11. According to European sources, the funding is to go towards financing several electriciprojects in the middle and southern regions of the West Bank including Bethlehem.