Return to Arutz-7 IndexFrom: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Sent: Tuesday, September 2, 1997 1:01 AM To: Arutz-7 List Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: August 29 - Sept 1, 1997
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, August 29, 1997 / Av 26, 5757
Arutz Sheva News Service Friday, August 29, 1997 / Av 26, 5757 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday ---> See below for subscription instructions <--- =========<http://www.a7.org>==========
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. FOUR SOLDIERS KILLED IN LEBANON 2. POST-TRAGEDY OPINIONS 3. MINISTERS SEEK SITES 4. PA ENFORCES BOYCOTT, ON DUTY AT TEMPLE MT.
1. FOUR SOLDIERS KILLED IN LEBANON The four soldiers who died in the fire yesterday after a gunbattle with terrorists in southern Lebanon are: Staff-Sgt. Oren Zarif, 21, from Herzliya; St.-Sgt. Oshri Schwartz, 19, from Or Akiva; Sgt. Shimon Yedag, 21, of Sderot; and St.-Sgt. Ro'i Shukrun of Jerusalem. The latter three were buried today. Six others were hurt, including one critically and two who are listed in serious condition. According to preliminary reports, yesterday afternoon a Golani Brigade unit encountered a band of Amal Shi'ite terrorists, in a thickly vegetated valley on the border of the eastern sector of the security zone. After the soldiers killed four of the terrorists, IAF battle helicopters began to strafe the area to ensure there were no more Amal gunmen around. A blaze broke out in the area, but the soldiers did not feel themselves endangered until winds began to blow and the fire spread. At that point, they began to run, but several of them could not make it before the flames engulfed them.
Minister of Absorption Yuli Edelstein was among the hundreds who participated in the funeral of Sgt. Shimon Yedag, a new immigrant from the C.I.S. Shimon's commander eulogized him, saying that he was an outstanding soldier, and that his presence in the Golani brigade was an excellent example of the integration of new immigrants into the army. "He was able to overcome the terrorists, but not the flames," he said.
2. POST-TRAGEDY OPINIONS During the fighting yesterday, IAF warplanes struck Hizbullah targets accurately in the Jabal Shaffi region in south-eastern Lebanon, north of the security zone. Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, speaking before the IDF released news of the deaths of the soldiers yesterday, asked that army commanders do all they could to follow regulations and avoid accidents. Today he said that there is no other alternative in the war with Hizbullah other than that being taken by the IDF at present.
President Ezer Weizmann, visiting the wounded this morning in Rambam Hospital in Haifa, said that the tragedy yesterday was unavoidable. He criticized those who use the catastrophe as an excuse to call on the IDF to quit Lebanon. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu returned this morning from his visit to the Far East, and told accompanying reporters that if the IDF withdraws from the security zone in Lebanon, the Hizbullah terrorists will take up positions on the border of Israel.
Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi, assistant to the head of operations, has been appointed to head a committee to investigate the circumstances of the tragedy. The committee will question the Golani soldiers who were injured in the fire, as well as officers, soldiers, and air force crewmen who participated in the battle. Defense Minister Mordechai said the committee's conclusions and recommendations will be implemented immediately. Northern Command personnel claimed today that UNIFIL soldiers stationed in southern Lebanon prevented the passage of IDF rescue forces to the area of the fire, which delayed the administering of aid to the wounded. The argument between the Israeli rescue forces and the UNIFIL force almost became violent.
3. MINISTERS SEEK SITES Minister of National Infrastructures Ariel Sharon and Minister of the Interior Eli Suissa toured a portion of the Green Line today, in search of appropriate locations for new Jewish communities and two urban centers. They were accompanied by top aides from both offices.
4. PA ENFORCES BOYCOTT, ON DUTY AT TEMPLE MT. Palestinian Authority policemen are forcefully enforcing the boycott of Israeli goods announced by the PA a few days ago. An Israeli-Arab businessman submitted a complaint yesterday to the Joint Liaison Headquarters that Arab policemen had confiscated from him a shipment of Israeli goods worth thousands of shekels.
Palestinian Authority security personnel engage in the protection of senior Palestinian figures on the Temple Mount. Thus is stated in an official Israeli security document, as learned by Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman. The PA's "governor of Jerusalem," Jamil Otman, is among those protected by the PLO's Force 17. The document also states that the sole ruler over the Temple Mount is the Sheikh Akhrama Tsabari, who is supported by agents of Jibril Rajub. Tsabari's weekly sermons are characterized by extreme anti-Israel rhetoric, and are regularly broadcast over Voice of Palestine radio.
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, August 31, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service Sunday, August 31, 1997 / Av 28, 5757 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday ---> See below for subscription instructions <--- =========<http://www.a7.org>==========
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TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. PRIME MINISTER DENIES REPORT ON HAR HOMA FREEZE 2. PORAT AGAINST HAR HOMA HALT 3. EGYPTIAN COURT SENTENCES ISRAELI TO FIFTEEN YEARS 4. HITTING THE STREETS AGAIN 5. PORAT CALLS FOR OUTLAWING PUBLIC PEEPING 6. JEWISH CONFERENCE IN LATVIA
1. PRIME MINISTER DENIES REPORT ON HAR HOMA FREEZE A report in Maariv today claims that Israel will propose to temporarily cease construction in Har Homa, in return for a Palestinian agreement not to demand the second phase of the withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. According to the alleged proposal, recommended by the Prime Minister's special aide Atty. Shlomo Molcho, Israel will not proceed with Har Homa construction during the period of the upcoming holidays, for approximately five weeks, and may even freeze building in Yesha. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu denied today the veracity of the Maariv report.
The Palestinians recently demanded that the next withdrawal take place as early as September 7th. Israel's response was that even according to the original agreement, the next withdrawal need not take place before November, and that in any event Israel will not continue to implement the agreements until the PA begins to effectively fight against Hamas and other terrorist organizations. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is expected to arrive in the Middle East next week, amidst American words of restraint that "she is not a magician." Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh and Netanyahu's political aide Uzi Arad will depart this week for Washington in order to prepare for Albright's visit. The Prime Minister said that he spoke with Ms. Albright on the phone, and the two agreed that her visit would concentrate chiefly on the renewal of security cooperation with the PA.
2. PORAT AGAINST HAR HOMA HALT MK Chanan Porat (National Religious Party), speaking with Arutz-7 today, said that the idea of halting construction on Har Homa "even for one day" is totally unacceptable. "It is not a question of the pace of the work. If we agree to stop the construction there even for one day, it means that we are conceding that the Arab claim is partially legitimate. We must proudly bring Madeleine Albright to the site of Har Homa, and ask her, 'Is this not a part of [our] Jerusalem?'" Relating to the second phase of the withdrawal demanded by the Palestinians, Porat said, "The Oslo agreement is dying, and Arafat has clearly not changed his ways. As [IDF Intelligence Head Maj.-Gen. Moshe] Bugi Yaalon told me, a leopard cannot change his spots. We cannot afford to give away more territory to the PLO, which continues to see terrorism as a legitimate option by which to attain its objectives. We have made it clear to the Prime Minister that we will not be able to be part of a government that executes another withdrawal from Yesha. We also told him that as an excellent tactician, he will surely be able to avoid this threat, and that in fact he is totally justified in not making another move towards Arafat under the present circumstances."
3. EGYPTIAN COURT SENTENCES ISRAELI TO FIFTEEN YEARS "Fifteen years at hard labor" was the sentence handed down to the Israeli Druze Azzam Azzam in an Egyptian court this morning. He was convicted of spying for Israel. Another defendant in the case, Egyptian citizen Imad Abdul Hamid Ismail was sentenced to life imprisonment. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said that the sentence handed down against Azzam is "a very severe development.;" he called Egyptian President Mubarak this afternoon to express his concern. Assad Assad, Arab affairs aide to the Prime Minister, said that Israel will have to take diplomatic measures in order to secure Azzam's release. Azzam's brother, speaking on Arutz-7 today, said that the trial was unjust, that his brother is innocent, and that Israel must act to ensure that its citizen does not waste away in an Egyptian jail.
4. HITTING THE STREETS AGAIN 'Stop Oslo Now!' This is the theme of a series of rallies called for tomorrow evening at major intersections throughout the country. Groups such as Gamla will not Fall Again, Zo Artzeinu, Women in Green, and Mateh HaMaavak will participate in the rallies, which will be organized at the grass-roots level by the Matot Arim, i.e., local groups in various cities. Col. (res.) Moshe Leshem, head of Gamla will not Fall Again, told Arutz-7 today that his organization, one of the driving forces behind the rallies, has printed 50,000 stickers, an equal number of flyers, and 50 banners that are already being hung along the Jerusalem-Tel Aviv highway. The purpose of the demonstrations is to alert the government and the public of the dangers of continuing the Oslo process. The rallies will be held, beginning at 6:30 PM tomorrow evening, at 27 intersections, including the Checkpost outside Haifa, Latrun, Ashdod, the entrance to Jerusalem, and major junctions along the Tel Aviv-Haifa highway.
5. PORAT CALLS FOR OUTLAWING PUBLIC PEEPING In light of the death of Princess Diana in a car accident while being chased by photographers, MK Chanan Porat (NRP) proposes that the Knesset legislate a law guaranteeing public figures the preservation of their privacy. He said that if newspapers are forbidden to publish private-moment photographs of public figures, the "terrible crime of vulgar and disgusting peeking" will cease. "In Israel, we saw this base peeking concerning [the press coverage of] the Prime Minister and his children, and I say that from a Jewish and Halakhic point of view, we must make sure that this cannot occur," said Porat.
6. JEWISH CONFERENCE IN LATVIA 56 years after its two major synagogues were burnt down while filled with Jews, and after 30,000 Jews were shot to death in nearby forests, the city of Riga, Latvia, became the center - for three days - of the Second International Conference on Jews in a Changing World. The conference, which ended last Wednesday, attracted 50 lecturers and 300 participants from around the world. The forum was initiated by Russian-speaking Jews, and addressed various topics of importance to Russian and worldwide Jewry. Among the speakers were Latvian President Ulmanis, Prof. Herman Branover, Rabbi Dr. Moshe Tendler, Prof. Eliav Shochetman, and many others. There are today some 10,000 Jews in Latvia, approximately 70% of whom are intermarried.
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, September 1, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Monday, September 1, 1997 / Av 29, 5757
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. YESHA COUNCIL CONCERNED OVER REPORTS, HAPPY ABOUT NUMBERS 2. CABINET MEETING 3. ARABS AGAIN MAKE ATTEMPT ON JEWISH FARM 4. THOUSANDS EXPECTED IN HEVRON 5. EGYPTIAN SENTENCING OF AZZAM ANGERS PRESIDENT
1. YESHA COUNCIL CONCERNED OVER REPORTS, HAPPY ABOUT NUMBERS
Despite the denials of Prime Minister Netanyahu, members of the Yesha Council are concerned about the reports that he is considering temporarily freezing construction in Yesha settlements. The Council will convene early next week to discuss the matter. Council Chairman Pinchas Wallerstein warned this morning that "Binyamin Netanyahu will not be Prime Minister if he calls off construction in Yesha." Wallerstein later told Arutz-7, regarding another topic, of his happiness at the growth that the Binyamin regions has seen over the past four years: "In May 1993, there were 12,200 people here (not including Beit El, which is now a local council on its own, and will soon be a 'large city in Israel'), and there are now 19,568 - an increase of 60%. There are 51% more families here, and 1/3 of the families that live here moved in over the past four years." Regarding schools, Wallerstein said that there are 177 classrooms in the Binyamin region, of which 101 (!) are in caravans (temporary structures).
2. CABINET MEETING
The following items were discussed at yesterday's Cabinet meeting:
The Defense Minister and the GSS Director briefed the Cabinet on the situations in Lebanon and the territories. The Prime Minister briefed the Cabinet on his talks with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. He noted that Israel's basic demand is that the Palestinian Authority fulfill its commitments, first and foremost, in security matters, especially in the war against terrorism. He denied the report that his aide Yitzhak Molcho had formulated a secret proposal regarding Har Homa and settlements. Mr. Netanyahu related to the death of Princess Diana, and said that the government had sent its condolences to the British Royal Family and people. The Cabinet approved an agreement with Uzbekistan on cooperation in the areas of culture, science and education. It approved the appointment of Mr. Asher Ohana to the post of Director-General of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. The Ministers of Public Security and Communications raised the issue of the "Yemenite children." The Prime Minister agreed that the issue would be discussed at an upcoming Cabinet meeting. The Minister of Trade and Industry briefed the Cabinet on the opening of "Quality Week." He said that this is the first time that a quality index will be published in Israel, under the auspices of the Standards Institute.
The Cabinet authorized the Ministry of Transportation to coordinate the joint Israel-Jordan Eilat-Aqaba airport project. Implementation of the project will begin after the pertinent legal matters have been settled. In an experimental and temporary framework, incoming and outgoing flights will use the runways and facilities at Aqaba airport starting next month, in accordance with agreements reached with the Kingdom of Jordan. The Minister of Transportation will brief the cabinet on the project's progress.
3. ARABS AGAIN MAKE ATTEMPT ON JEWISH FARM
Some 200 Palestinian Arabs gathered today in what is known as the Yugoslavian Farm near the Jordan Valley of Masuah today. They did not disturb the Jewish workers working the fields, until the Palestinian Agricultural administrator, Abdul Juwad Salah, arrived, at which point, "things began to heat up," an eyewitness told Arutz-7. Within a few minutes, the police and security forces arrived, and evacuated the Arab intruders, arresting some of them in the process. It will be recalled that the Palestinians have made several attempts over the past several months to claim the area and even to physically overrun it. The farm is located some 30 kilometers north of Jericho and is leased out to Masuah members by the State of Israel in a long-term lease. The Palestinians claim that the land should be handed over to them, since the Interim Agreement provides for the PA to take over experimental farms. The IDF announced in January that the Yugoslav Farm is not an experimental farm, and is not subject to the clause at issue.
In a somewhat-related item, some 150 Arabs rioted and threw firebombs and stones at Israeli security forces in the Kalandia refugee camp outside Jerusalem last night.
4. THOUSANDS EXPECTED IN HEVRON
The Machpelah Cave in Hevron is open today, the day before Rosh Chodesh Elul, exclusively to Jews. Thousands of worshipers are expected to arrive. The Cave is generally divided between Muslims and Jews, with the Jews permitted in the Abraham and Isaac chambers, and the Muslims in the larger Isaac hall. Large numbers of Jews will also hold prayer services today on the Mt. of Olives, and the police will be deployed there in large numbers.
5. EGYPTIAN SENTENCING OF AZZAM ANGERS PRESIDENT
President Weizmann said that the conviction and severe sentencing of Azzam Azzam in the Supreme Egyptian Court for Security was a "severe miscarriage of justice." He said that the mistake that the Egyptians made yesterday will have a negative influence the peace process. He said that the evidence presented to the court and by which it found Azzam guilty was "totally baseless." Azzam was sentenced yesterday to fifteen years at hard labor for spying for Israel. According to Egyptian law, there is no chance for appealing a sentence of such a court, and only President Mubarak can reduce the sentence. There is no precedent for such a Presidential decree.
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