News Highlights:
- Dec. 27th – 159 Palestinian prisoners released by Israel, but most had almost completed their sentences and none of the children prisoners were included.
- Israel planning to establish large crossing terminals at points along the apartheid wall, creating a new defacto border; World Bank refuses to help fund such a project.
- Two-week election campaign kicks off Dec. 26th, as seven candidates in the running to succeed Yasser Arafat; two frontrunners are Mahmoud Abbas and Dr. Mustafa Bargouthi.
- Dec. 27 – Palestinian groups denounce British PM’s plan to turn London peace conference into meeting on Palestinian reform; Israel had said it would not attend conference.
Feature:
The Voice of Palestine collective did its annual year in review for 2004 and
a look ahead at 2005. The apartheid wall and the death of Yasser Arafat
were two of the top stories for 2004 and the impact of both were discussed.
The upcoming presidential elections on January 9th, 2005 were also analyzed in detail.
Focus on Zionism:
Highlights of a Dec. 27th press statement by three NGO’s about the conditions under which 350 Palestinian minors are being held in Israeli jails. None of the children prisoners, or female Palestinian political prisoners, were included in the recent prisoner release.