News Highlights:
- Extra-judicial assassinations by Israel continue, with 3 more Palestinians killed on Sept. 9 in Hebron including a 13 year-old boy.
- Two attacks inside Israel kill 13 following the weekend assassination attempt on Sheik Yassin, the Hamas’ spiritual leader.
- Ahmed Qorei replaces Mahmoud Abbas as Palestinian Prime Minister.
- Ariel Sharon visits India, amid large protests, reportedly to firm up arms deals.
- A live interview with one of the protesters from the picket against the Israeli Immigration Minister, who was speaking in Vancouver.
Feature:
An interview with Khalid Barakat, president of the Arab Palestine Association about the new Palestine Centre in Vancouver. Khalid explained the year and a half process leading up to the opening of the new centre, and emphasized how important the centre will be for the Palestinian community and the Palestinian support groups. He asked for donations as the centre has no government funding and relies on the community and its supporters, and encouraged people who thought they could help to email [email protected]. Khalid also spoke briefly about the discrimination faced by the Palestinian and Arab-Canadian communities, especially in the last two years.
Focus on Zionism:
Excerpts of an Amnesty International Press Release were read. On September 7, 2003, Amnesty International released a new report entitled “Surviving under Siege – The impact of movement restrictions on the right to work”, detailing how Palestinian civilians now face unemployment and poverty largely due to Israeli closures. The full report can be found at Amnesty International website.