The Israeli army arrested early Monday Palestinian parliamentarian and Fatah leader Hussam Khader at his Balata refugee camp home in Nablus, according to family members.

Relatives told Deutsche Presse-Agentur dpa that Khader, 41, was at his home when an army unit raided the camp on the outskirts of Nablus, opening fire at Khader's home and neighbouring houses in the crowded camp. Two neighbouring young girls were lightly injured from shrapnel, said the sources.

The army blew down the door to Khader's house and rushed in to arrest him. They destroyed almost everything in the house and confiscated computers, pictures and files, said Khader's brother Ghassan.

With Khader's arrest, Israel now has two members of the Palestinian interim parliament, the Legislative Council, in prison. The other is Marwan Barghouti, who, like Khader, is a leader of Yasser Arafat's ruling Fatah movement.

Khader has been an outspoken critic of Arafat's Palestinian Authority accusing its members of corruption and treason.

He has been in hiding since Israel reoccupied the Palestinian cities, including Nablus, in June and has not participated in any of the Legislative Council meetings. dpa mak pw

Copyright 2003 Deutsche Presse-Agentur  
Deutsche Presse-Agentur

Early Monday, Israeli forces arrested a Palestinian legislator, Hussam Khader, in the Balata refugee camp next to Nablus, residents said. Khader, from Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement, is the first lawmaker to be detained since April, when Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti was arrested.

Before daybreak Monday, about 30 Israeli tanks and armored vehicles entered the Nusseirat refugee camp in central Gaza, residents said. A 17-year-old Palestinian was killed and five wounded in an exchanges of fire, they said. The Israeli military had no immediate comment.

Near the Gaza-Egypt border on Sunday, the American protester was trying to block a huge Israeli bulldozer from tearing down a Palestinian structure, but the military machine ran her over, killing her.

Rachel Corrie, 23, from Olympia, Washington, was among eight protesters at the site -four American and four British, activists said. Israeli military spokesman Capt. Jacob Dallal said Corrie's death was an accident. The military said soldiers were looking for weapons and arms-smuggling tunnels - routine operations in that area. The military said that because of the small windows in the gigantic, armored bulldozer, the driver could not see the protester.

Groups of international protesters have gathered in several locations in the West Bank and Gaza, setting themselves up as "human shields" to try to stop Israeli operations there. Members of the pro-Palestinian group back Palestinian claims to the territories and consider Israel's presence there illegal.

Corrie was the first member of the group, called "International Solidarity Movement," to be killed in the conflict. Several have been arrested in previous clashes with Israeli forces, and Israeli authorities have deported dozens of members.

In November, three group members were arrested while trying to prevent Israel from building a security fence between Israel and the West Bank, charging that Israel was taking Palestinian land for the project.

In May, 10 activists raced past Israeli soldiers into the Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem, where dozens of Palestinians were holed up in a standoff with Israeli soldiers outside.

During an Israeli siege of Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's headquarters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, several members of the group sneaked past Israeli soldiers into the building.

On Monday, the Palestinian parliament was to meet to give final approval to a bill creating the position of prime minister, considering changes Arafat requested to limit the premier's authorities.

Under intense international pressure, Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat agreed to appoint a prime minister to take over some of his powers. Israel and the United States had demanded that Arafat be sidelined, charging that he has not done enough to stop attacks against Israelis.

The Palestinian parliament approved creation of the new position on March 10, leaving Arafat in command of security forces and with the final word on peace negotiations, while handing the new premier authority over the Cabinet.

Now, Palestinian officials say, Arafat is asking for amendments that would allow him to convene the Cabinet and might give him the final say over its makeup.

If Israel or the United States determine that the changes make the prime minister dependent on Arafat, that could derail attempts to restart Middle East diplomacy. U.S. President George W. Bush said Friday that he would present a peace plan known as the "road map" if the Palestinians install a powerful premier.

Israel and the United States refuse to allow their officials to deal with Arafat and were hoping that Arafat's choice for premier, his longtime deputy Mahmoud Abbas, would have enough authority to justify resuming official contacts.

Palestinians reject the Israeli and U.S. attempts to replace Arafat, noting that he is their elected leader. Arafat, 73, has run the Palestinian movement virtually unopposed for nearly four decades and is a symbol of Palestinian aspirations for independence.

The "road map" itself appeared to be running into obstacles. It calls for creation of a provisional Palestinian state in the second of a three-stage program. However, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported on Sunday that Israel proposes removing all references to an "independent" Palestinian state and would refuse to dismantle settlements, even those considered illegal by the Israeli government, from the West Bank during the crucial second stage. Israeli officials refused to comment.

The United States, European Union, United Nations and Russia have been working on the "road map" plans for several months but have not presented the plan to the two sides. First the plan was delayed by Israel's Jan. 28 election, and now, the tension over Iraq has put it off again.

The Palestinian Legislative Council is considering stripping one of its members of his parliamentary immunity as a first step towards bringing him to trial for slander, Palestinian sources said Thursday.

The sources said several lawmakers have filed complaints accusing Husam Khader, a legislator and Fatah leader from the Balata refugee camp near Nablus, of making derogatory remarks against the Palestinian Authority and the PLC.

This is the first time since the PLC was elected in 1996 that it is contemplating stripping one of its members of his parliamentary immunity. The sources told The Jerusalem Post the PA has put a lot of pressure on the council to take action against Khader, a charismatic outspoken critic of corruption who has fearlessly branded PA Chairman Yasser Arafat and his top lieutenants a "mafia."

"Arafat is sick and tired of him," a Palestinian source said. "His statements have defamed the PA and caused severe damage to its reputation. He wants to see him out."

PLC member Muawiyah al-Masri said Thursday the council has received 30 complaints from legislators, ministers, and senior officials accusing Khader of libel.

Masri said most of the complaints are about statements made by Khader soon after the new PA cabinet won the confidence of the PLC in a vote two weeks ago in Ramallah. In a series of interviews with Arab satellite TV stations, Khader described many of his colleagues as corrupt businessmen who allowed themselves to be bought with money.

Legislators said PLC Speaker Ahmed Qurei was so outraged by the accusations that he asked the PA general- prosecutor to consider taking action against Khader. Qurei demanded that the general-prosecutor officially ask the PLC to remove Khader's immunity in order to put him on trial.

One legislator described Qurei's request as "absurd and undemocratic."

Other legislators defended the intention to remove Khader's immunity, saying he has crossed all redlines by making baseless accusations against many of his friends.

"He's gone too far and he knows that," one legislator said Thursday night. "If he thinks the PLC is so corrupt and inefficient, why doesn't he quit? His accusations are being exploited by the enemies of the Palestinian people to distort our image."

PA Minister of Social Welfare Intisar al-Wazir told the PLC that Khader had described her as "corruptive and corrupt."

"If Khader has any evidence to back up his charges, he should put them on the table," she said.

Masri said he is opposed to lifting Khader's immunity just because he expressed his opinion about the PLC and the PA.

"I'm against lifting his immunity just because of his criticism because this would be mouth-gagging. We will study the complaints and see if there is room for taking any measures against him," he said.

Khader, who refused to attend the PLC session in Ramallah, said the voting for the new cabinet was a disaster for Palestinian democracy.

"It was not a victory at all, it was a loss and a defeat to the Palestinian national stream which leads the intifada," Khader said, adding that the new cabinet is not going to make any difference because it has not been completely changed.

"Arafat has changed one corrupt cabinet with another corrupt one," Khader said. "The PA is functioning as a mafia and its leaders are only interested in making more money."
Khader was one of one of eight Fatah activists from Balata deported in 1986 to Lebanon. He returned to the West Bank in 1994, after the signing of the Oslo Accords.

Copyright 2002 The Jerusalem Post  
The Jerusalem Post

The debate came against a background of violence in the Gaza Strip, where Israeli forces killed 10 Palestinians, including a three-year-old girl. It also followed the arrest by Israeli forces early Monday of Arafat's most persistent legislative critic, Husam Khader. Soldiers blew off the doors of Khader's home in the Balata refugee camp, in Nablus, and took him away in his pajamas, his family said.

Khader, a member of the rising generation of Fatah leaders, was a thorn in Arafat's side, accusing him of appointing corrupt, anti-democratic ministers and hogging power. It was a sign of the Palestinian leadership's annoyance with Khader that his arrest was barely mentioned here Monday.

Israel accused Khader of financing and directing attacks on Israelis. In several interviews over the last year, Khader described himself as a purely political leader. He said he opposed Palestinian violence outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip, but, like most Palestinians, he supported attacks on Israelis soldiers and settlers in the occupied territories, regarding that as legitimate resistance.

Israel considers all such violence to be terrorism.

The legislature approved a series of boilerplate additions and changes to the powers it outlined a week ago. But legislators balked at a few words that Arafat's allies sought to insert into the description of the prime minister's responsibilities for forming and dissolving cabinets and replacing ministers. The change would have required the prime minister to present his appointments to Arafat.

Copyright 2003 International Herald Tribune  
The International Herald Tribune

It also followed the arrest by Israel early this morning of Mr. Arafat's most persistent critic in parliament, Husam Khader. Soldiers blew off the doors of Mr. Khader's home in the Balata refugee camp, in Nablus, and took him away in his pajamas, his family said.

Mr. Khader, a member of the rising generation of Fatah leaders, has been a thorn in Mr. Arafat's side, accusing him of appointing corrupt, antidemocratic ministers, and hogging power. He once sarcastically introduced a bill to declare the Palestinian leader "the God of Palestine."

It was a sign of the Palestinian leadership's annoyance with Mr. Khader that his arrest was barely mentioned here today. "Every day we were hearing from Arafat, 'You have to shut him up,' " a senior legislative aide said.

Israel accused Mr. Khader of financing and directing attacks on Israelis. In several interviews over the last year, Mr. Khader described himself as a purely political leader, saying he opposed Palestinian violence outside the West Bank and Gaza Strip. But he has said that he, like most Palestinians, supports attacks on Israelis soldiers and settlers in the Palestinian areas, regarding that as legitimate resistance. Israel considers all such violence terrorism.

Mr. Khader was a supporter of the creation of an empowered prime minister, his family said.
Another legislator missing today from the parliament, which has 88 members, was Marwan Barghouti, a young Fatah leader jailed by Israel for almost a year on charges of terrorism, which he denies.

Even legislators who opposed the measure said they expected the prime minister to consult with the president on the appointment of ministers. But they said that, by writing the requirement into law, Mr. Arafat's allies were trying to ensure that they would retain ministries under the new prime minister. "All our hard work is to get rid of any possibility to blackmail the prime minister," said Abdul Karim Abu Salah, a Fatah member and the head of the parliament's legal committee.

Despite having tendered his resignation during the debate, Mr. Abu Salah pronounced himself delighted with the proceedings. "This assures that we are the lords over ourselves," he said. "I'm proud it looked like a battle."

Copyright 2003 The New York Times Company  
The New York Times

One of his most outspoken critics, Palestinian legislator Husam Khader, was detained by Israeli troops near the West Bank town of Nablus on Sunday, the army said. Khader, a critic of Palestinian corruption, was expected to vote against Arafat's proposed amendments.

Last year, he called Palestinian Cabinet ministers a "bunch of thieves." It was unclear why the army detained Khader.

In the West Bank village of Baka al-Hatab, meanwhile, Israeli soldiers hunting for militants shot and killed Nasser Asida, 27, a top commander of Hamas' Qassam Brigade, the army said. Asida was hiding in a cave when a gun battle broke out, witnesses said. He was on Israel's most-wanted list for allegedly masterminding attacks on Jewish settlements, the army said.

In a separate incident Tuesday, Israeli troops killed Hamas leader Ali Alian, 27, in a village near Bethlehem. One soldier was also killed and another injured in the gun battle.

Alian was accused of planning at least three attacks on Israelis in the last four months, including one in Haifa on March 5 that killed 16 Israelis and one American, the army said. He was held in Israeli jails between 1994 and 1999.

In Gaza, an 11-year-old boy was critically injured at a funeral when mourners began shooting into the air, as is customary, and Israeli troops opened fire. The shooting occurred near the Israeli settlement of Neve Dekalim in Khan Yunis.

Also in Gaza, Israeli troops fired tear gas at about 300 activists from the Palestinian-backed International Solidarity Movement and Palestinian non-governmental organizations who were honoring an American woman killed Sunday by an Israeli bulldozer.

Rachel Corrie, 23, from Olympia, Wash., was trying to block the bulldozer from demolishing a building in a refugee camp when she was killed.

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