0 2A -The Michigan Daily -Thursday, October 25, 2001 NATION/WORLD Israel attacks West Ba The Washington Post NABIL SALEH, West Bank - Undeterred by U.S. appeals for calm, Israel launched a predawn raid on a Palestinian village in the West Bank yesterday, killing at least six people and arresting about a dozen, including some it described as suspects in last week's assassination of an Israeli Cabinet minister. Palestinians said at least nine people were killed and dozens wounded in the raid, which they called a "criminal massacre." It wasn't possible to verify the extent of casualties because the Israeli army threw up roadblocks around the village, preventing journal- ists, ambulances and medics from entering all day. The incursion occurred hours after President Bush urged Israel to withdraw "as quickly as possible" from Palestinian areas it has seized since the killing of right-wing Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi on Oct. 17. Coupled with fierce fighting elsewhere in Palestin- ian areas; the raid on Beit Rama threatened to further strain already tense relations between Israel and its main ally, the United States. The Bush administra- tion is concerned that continued Mideast violence, and especially Palestinian bloodshed, will erode Arab and Islamic support for the U.S.-led coalition against terrorism. Israeli officers said they alerted Palestinian securi- ty forces in Beit Rama in advance, warning them to stay indoors. Israeli soldiers began massing in olive groves near the village Tuesday evening, where they were spotted by at least one resident from a nearby village who was fetching water. The assault began between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. yes- terday. Israeli tanks, armored vehicles, paratroopers, special forces, security agents and helicopter gun- ships descended on Beit Rima, a village of 4,000 inside Palestinian-controlled territory 20 miles north of Jerusalem. They swept into homes, interrogated dozens of residents and engaged in several brief but fierce firefights with Palestinian gunmen. There were no Israeli casualties. Yesterday evening, the army said it 'continued to search houses in Beit Rima for suspected militants and terrorists. About a dozen people were arrested, the army said, scores more were interrogated and residents were confined to their homes in a strict round-the-clock curfew. "I can't even raise my voice," said Abdel Salaam Rimawi, a Beit Rima resi- dent contacted yesterday afternoon by telephone. nk villages "The house is surrounded by soldiers ... If I look out the window I see soldiers on all sides." Aides to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said the raid on Beit Rima was carried out after Israel warned Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority repeatedly to arrest militants or face tough Israeli military action. "We didn't go to aggravate or upset the United States," said Raanan Gissin, a spokesman for Sharon. "We went because there was no other way to stop terrorist activity." Gissin dismissed U.S. requests for Israel's pullout from Palestinian areas, including Secretary of State Colin Powell's statement yesterday that it should "immediately" withdraw. "We will leave without the U.S. asking us to do it the minute Arafat complies with our demands that he stop terror," he said. "But to give a prize to Arafat and meanwhile have our capital fired on -that really doesn't make any sense." Elsewhere in the Palestinian territories yesterday, heavy fighting continued for the sixth day in Bethle- hem near Manger Square and the Church of the Nativity, believed to be the birthplace of Jesus. Near Hebron, south of Bethlehem, six Palestinian workers riding in a vehicle were shot by gunmen who the Israeli police said were probably Jewish militants. NEWS iN BRIEF HEADLINES FROM AROUND THE WORLD WASHINGTON House approves GOP stimulus package The House narrowly.approved a Republican $100 billion economic stimulus plan centered on tax cuts favored by President Bush. The plan was opposed by Democ- rats as politically partisan and too meager for average Americans. The 216-214 vote yesterday sent the bill to the Democratic-controlled Senate, where major changes are likely before a final package is approved. House GOP leaders said their approach would immediately boost an economy faltering since the Sept. 11 terror attacks. "We need to put our foot on the gas right now," said Rep. Bill Thomas (R-Calif.), chairman of the House Ways and Means Committee. Bush, appearing at a Maryland printing plant, said the tax relief at the center of the House plan would complement some $60 billion in spending already approved by Congress following the attacks. "Part of the war we fight is to make sure our economy continues to grow," Bush said. The president praised the House for moving forward with its plan and urged the Senate to move quickly as well. Democrats fiercely disagreed with the GOP bill. Rep. Martin Frost (D-Texas) said the package represented political payback for Republican business supporters left out of earlier tax cuts. WASHINGTON Pentagon to pick fighter jet design winner The Pentagon this week awards its richest contract in history - at least $200 billion - for a fighter jet designed to reach supersonic speeds, land vertically and meet the varied needs of the Air Force, Navy and Marines. For five years, Boeing Co. and Lockheed Martin Corp. have been designing, engineering and testing their entries in a competition that will have military, busi- ness and economic consequences for decades to come. The winner will be announced tomorrow. Lockheed is considered the favorite. "It's huge for us," said John Kent, a spokesman for Lockheed's Fort Worth, Texas- based division Lockheed Martin Aeronautics, which would make the planes. The Pentagon has said it wants up to 3,000 Joint Strike Fighter jets over the next 40 years. The plane is designed to replace the Air Force's F-16 and A-10, the Navy's F/A-18 and the Marine Corps' AV-8B Harrier, and be used by Britain's Royal Air Force and Navy, which want 150 of the planes. To do that, the plane must be able to take off quickly, land vertically and on carrier decks, throw off radar and provide all the high-tech cockpit gadgetry demanded by modern warfare. U U COLUMBIA UNIVERSITY SCHOOL OF INTERNATIONAL AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS With a dynamic faculty, curriculum, and resources 4 unsurpassed in diversity and scope, SIPA trains tomorrow's leaders to meet the challenges of the 21st century. Master of Public Administration Master of International Affairs * International Finance and Business " Human Rights " Media * Environmental Policy " Regional Studies " Social Welfare * Public Policy and Nonprofit Management " and other skill- and policy-based concentrations www.sipa. columbla.edu Complaint against Stabenow dismissed Complaints against Hillary Clinton, John Ashcroft also dismissed WASHINGTON (AP) - The Federal Election Commission dis- missed a fund-raising complaint against Sen. Debbie Stabenow's campaign, despite a finding by the agency's counsel that accounts established by the Democratic Party to benefit her campaign appeared illegal. The six-member commission also dismissed similar complaints against the 2000 campaigns of Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-N.Y.) and then- Sen. John Ashcroft (R-MO) FEC Acting General Counsel Lois Lern- er also had found they appeared illegal. "I said at the time of the filing that the lawsuit was baseless and frivolous," said Jim Jordan, execu- tive director of the Democratic Sen- atorial Campaign Committee. Jordan added that the FEC deci- sion "has confirmed that judg- ment." The leaders of Common Cause and Democracy 21 blasted yester- day's ruling. "The commissioners have given a green light for any candidate to get around the law, and shake down corporations, labor unions and wealthy people for unlimited con- tributions - as long as they bother to launder the money through a party committee," Common Cause President Scott Harshbarger said. The two watchdog groups filed complaints against Clinton and her then-Republican rival, New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, in April 2000. Lerner cleared the Giuliani cam- paign of wrongdoing. The FEC broadened the investi- gation to include Stabenow (D- Mich.) and Ashcroft, who also had set up joint fund-raising "victory" committees with the national par- ties. Such committees were set to allow candidates to simultaneously raise cash for themselves and the national party. Critics say the parties use them to funnel soft money to the candi- dates. Soft money is unregulated, unlimited contributions from unions, corporations and individu- al s. Such donations may be used for party-building activities and issue ads, but are not supposed to aid an individual candidate. Lerner found reason to believe that such issue ads actually were campaign ads for Stabenow, Clin- ton and Ashcrpft She also deter- mined that was evidence of coordination between the Senate candidates and the state parties that ran the ads. Such coordination is not permit- ted. The FEC gave no explanation for its decision. However, in an inter- view, Commissioner Scott Thomas said he made a motion to uphold the Lerner finding of wrongdoing but to take no disciplinary action. He said that would set a legal precedent without punishing candi- WASHINGTON Microsoft judge sells technology holdings The newly assigned judge who will determine the antitrust fate of Microsoft Corp. sold stock this year worth $45,000 to $165,000 in technol- ogy companies whose fortunes could be affected by her verdict. U.S. District Judge Colleen Kollar- Kotelly sold all her family's technolo- gy holdings between Jan. 1 and Sept. 28 to avoid potential ethical conflicts, she said in response to questions from The Associated Press. Kollar-Kotelly sold the shares in the midst of a serious slump in the technol- ogy sector - the Nasdaq composite index is down roughly 31 percent since January - but her losses would be less if she sold the stock early in the year. She did not specify whether she sold her shares before her appointment as the trial judge on Aug. 24 or the amount she received. By law, she doesn't have to report that until next year. NEW YORK DNA helps identify WTC attack victims Eight people lost in the World Trade Center attack became the first victims of the disaster to be identified through DNA in the biggest effort in history to use genetics to put names to the dead. Their identities were established via DNA on some personal belongings that had been supplied by their loved ones. The number of missing stood yester- day at 4,339. Of the 478 people whose 6 0 0 0 remains have been recovered, 425 have been identified. Authorities have said that because of the intense fire and the crushing weight of the rubble, many of the victims can only be identified through DNA. After the Sept. 11 attack, families of the missing rooted through their loved ones' personal effects. Investigators hope to use DNA from the toothbrush- es, hairbrushes, licked envelopes and other items to identify the body parts being taken from the smoking ruins. MIAMI Simpson acquitted on road rage charge O.J. Simpson was acquitted yester- day of grabbing another driver's glass- es and scratching the man's face in a road-rage argument the former foot- ball star insisted was started by the other guy. After the verdict, Simpson put his hand to his chest and mouthed, "Thank you" as he nodded toward the jury. He then hugged his lawyers. "I'm a little bit angry and a little bit happy - a lot happy," Simpson said as- he left the courthouse. The 54-year-old Simpson faced up to 16 yearsin jail had he been convicted of auto burglary and battery for last year's dispute with Jeffrey Pattinson in their suburban Miami neighborhood. The jury deliberated for about 90 minutes. Pattinson was not in the courtroom. He did not immediately return a tele- phone message, and has not spoken publicly since the incident. - Compiled from Daily wire reports. " The Michigan Daily (ISSN 0745-967) is published Monday through Friday during the fall and winter terms by students at the University of Michigan. Subscriptions for fall term, starting in September, via U.S. mail are $105. Winter term (January through April) is $110, yearlong (September through April) is $190. University affiliates are subject to a reduced subscription rate. On-campus subscriptions for fall term are $35. Subscrip- tions must be prepaid. The Michigan Daily is a member of The Associated Press and The Associated colle- giate Press. ADDRESS: The Michigan Daily, 420 Maynard St., Ann Arbor, Michigan 48109-1327. PHONE NUMBERS (All area code 734): News 76-DAILY; Arts 763-0379; Sports 647-3336; Opinion 764-0552; Circulation 764-0558; Classified advertising 764-0557; Display advertising 764-0554; Billing 764-0550. E-mail letters to the editor to daily.letters@umich.edu. World Wide Web: www.michigandaily.com EDITORIAL STAFF Geoffrey Gagnon, Editor in Chief NEWS Nick Bunkley, Managing Editor EDITORS: David Enders, Lisa Kolvu, Caitlin Nish, Jeremy W. 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