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From: Eddie Chumney
To:  heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Subject: Israel in the News: January 23 - February 6, 2000


TEMPLE MOUNT

INTERVIEW: DR. GABI BARKAY ON TEMPLE MOUNT EXCAVATIONS
Aaron Lerner Date: 24 January, 2000

IMRA interviewed archeologist Dr. Gabi Barkay of Bar Illan University, Land of Israel Studies
Department, in English, on 24 January.

IMRA: Do you have a sense as to how much damage was caused by the excavations at the
Temple Mount?

BARKAY: No I don't have.  Nobody knows what was destroyed there and that is the tragedy.
There was no recording and the dig was done clandestinely at night by heavy machinery and
trucks and nobody knows.  Only the result is there.

IMRA: I have spoken with people from the Wakf and they say that if you look at photographs
from 60 or 80 years ago that the area excavated didn't exist.  That the area being excavated was
basically modern landfill.

BARKAY: This is outrageous.  Totally incorrect.  The Temple Mount has never been touched
archeologically.  Its surface has not even been properly surveyed.  Nothing is known about the
Temple Mount and all the aerial photographs that we have since the beginning of photography all
indicate that that area did not change much since antiquity.  What was done there is destruction.

IMRA: Is there any indication of what was destroyed from the excavated material dumped in the
Kidron Valley?

BARKAY: By the way, the illegal dumping in the Kidron Valley that ruins the landscape there is
another violation.  It is very strange that nobody has done anything against the illegal activity of
the excavation or the dumping.

IMRA: Have you had a look at the excavated material now dumped in the Kidron Valley?

BARKAY: Yes, as have others.  I found pottery from many different periods in the dumped
material going back to the 8th century BC   First Temple Period and onwards.   I saw this pottery
with my own eyes.

IMRA: What information was lost by seeing the pottery only after it was dumped in Kidron?

BARKAY: Wherever you dig in Jerusalem has a mixture pottery and finds from different periods.
This is what tells us about the history of a particular place.  The exact position of the various
pieces of pottery vis-a-is each other and the earthen layers, which include the pottery are clues to
the history of the sight.  If this is eliminated then we don't have the history.

The Temple Mount is almost three times the size of the City of David and we know nothing about
it, as it was never excavated.  It is one of the most essential parts of the ancient story of
Jerusalem.  Anything we learn about it is new and here we had an opportunity.

Nobody said that there can't be a new entrance to a mosque built - just that it could have been
done more carefully, honoring the cultural values of the past of Jerusalem and honoring the law.

IMRA: What would you say about the work of the Antiquities Department?

BARKAY: Their job, by law, is to safeguard the antiquities of the country and they aren't doing it.
They have somebody having higher authority disturbing them.  Telling them what to do and about
what to be quiet.

THOUSANDS OF FAITHFUL MARCHED IN COLD IN OATH OF ALLEGIANCE TO
TEMPLE MOUNT
Murray Kahl 1/26/00

Carrying at least 5,000 demonstrators, convoys of dozens of vehicles from the Golan Heights and
northern Israel, Beersheba in the south, yesterday traveled to east Jerusalem to demonstrate
against the Muslim damage to the Temple Mount and against Israel's decision to concede control
of the Temple Mount.

The demonstration began from the Rockefeller Museum opposite Damascus Gate in east
Jerusalem.  The demonstrators carried torches, flags, and placards with slogans like "Temple
Mount -- Heart of the Nation," and marched to the Qidron Valley.  The demonstrators swore
allegiance to the Temple Mount, each taking away some soil from the waste removed by the
Islamic controlled WAKF from the Temple Mount to the Qidron Valley, and including soil
containing remains from the First and Second Temple periods.

The demonstration was organized by Moshe Feiglin, Zo Artzenu Chairman, who said that the
large turnout from all over the country, including leaders from the right and left of the political
spectrum, in the bitter Jerusalem cold, shows that the people of Israel are still loyal to Jerusalem
and to the place that is the heart of the nation, and "where the great past and future of the people
is buried."


JERUSALEM

2000 SET AS YEAR FOR JERUSALEM BY ARAB COMMITTEE
Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: Arabic News Jan 22, 2000

Concluding its 65th session, the permanent Arab information committee approved observing the
year 2000 a year for Jerusalem and to back the city's steadfastness and preserve its Arab identity
with confronting a growing Israeli danger threatening the holy city.  Their plans include:

1) having the Arab media to carry out activities against the Israeli settlement and Judaization
policy, 2) urging producuction of films demonstrating different aspects evidencing the national
charter of Arab Jerusalem, 3) protesting Israel's flagrant interference in the affairs of al-Aqsa
mosque in the holy city.

DOCUMENT SUGGEST DECLARATIONS OF PRINCIPLES ON JERUSALEM
Hamas News 1/26/00 Occupied Jerusalem:

A group of Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians, Egyptians, Americans and others have come up with
a document that set up guiding principles for the finding a final settlement on the status of al
Qods.  The document, dubbed as "Oklahoma University document," emanates from the
recognition that there is a historic opportunity for reaching a comprehensive peace between Arabs
and Jews in Palestine.  The document put forth a number of guiding principles for a final
settlement of the Jerusalem issue.  These include: Neither the imposition of annexation nor the
partition of Jerusalem could serve as a basis for the final status of the city.   Jerusalem is to be the
capital of both Israel and Palestine in Jewish west and Arab East of the City, respectively and on
equal footing.  Palestinians and Israelis shall be sovereign over their respective capitals as
stipulated in the first principle.  The unique religious, cultural, and historical importance of the
walled part of Jerusalem to both sides requires special arrangements for this part to be negotiated
by the parties.  The wholeness of Jerusalem should be upheld, with open access to Israelis and
Palestinians alike.  Governance of the city must be respected of Jerusalem's important pluralistic
and multicultural character.  The protection and preservation of the unique religious interests of
Christians, Jews and Muslims, must be guaranteed and freedom of worship and access to holy
places must be assured.  The status quo in the administration of holy places should be maintained,
and a coordination mechanism among the various religious authorities should be introduced.   No
unilateral steps that would affect the final status and boundaries of the Jerusalem, beyond the
1967 green line, should be taken prior to the final agreement.

ORTHODOX AND CONSERVATIVE RABBIS REJECT PROPOSALS FOR SHARED
JERUSALEM
January 27, 2000 NEW YORK (AP)

The leadership of Orthodox and Conservative rabbis have issued a rare joint statement rejecting a
proposal by other rabbis that Jerusalem be shared with Palestinians.  The Rabbinical Assembly,
representing 1,500 Conservative rabbis, and the Rabbinical Council of America, representing
1,100 Orthodox rabbis, on Tuesday called Jerusalem "the united and indivisible capital solely of
the State of Israel."  Reform leadership declined to sign the statement.

ISRAEL

SECURITY OFFICIALS WARNING OF MAJOR TERRORIST ATTACK
IsraelWire-1/23

Security forces operating throughout Judea, Samaria and Gaza have been ordered on high alert,
seeking to prevent terrorists from smuggling explosive devices into "Israel proper".  Security
officials relying on intelligence data report Islamic Jihad terrorists will continue efforts to carry
out an attack as part of its efforts to bring the negotiations between Israel and its neighbors to a
halt.

As reported earlier by ISRAELWIRE, security forces over the past weeks have arrested over 20
Islamic Jihad terrorists in Ramallah, Nablus and Jenin areas and are continuing efforts to thwart
another terrorist attack.  On Jan. 17, a pipe bomb exploded in Hadera injuring over 20 persons, an
attack believed to have been carried out by the Islamic Jihad.  Officials nevertheless believe that
this was not the large attack expected and are continuing efforts to apprehend the persons
planning additional attacks.

BARAK: ISLAMIC JIHAD IS PLANNING MASS ATTACKS
Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: Ha'aretz Jan 20, 2000

Prime Minister Ehud Barak interrupted last Sunday's Cabinet discussion on the governor of the
Bank of Israel to present ministers with serious warnings of terror attacks that are currently being
planned by the Islamic Jihad.  Barak asked for, and was granted the Cabinet's authorization to
instruct military retaliation in case of terror attacks without having to convene the Cabinet for this
purpose.  This authorization was important for Barak, who was expected to leave for the United
States to continue talks with the Syrians.

Chief of the Shin Bet security service, Ami Ayalon, told the cabinet that the Islamic Jihad was
intent on interrupting the peace process, and that the organization is planning a mass bombing
campaign in Israel as well as kidnapping soldiers or settlers.  The Islamic Jihad operates from
Damascus and enjoys massive support from Iran, Ayalon told the ministers.  The day after the
meeting, a bomb exploded in Hadera and the defense establishment pointed to the Islamic Jihad
and even published some of the estimates presented to the Cabinet.


KNESSET EXPLODES IN FIRST NUCLEAR DEBATE
Rancorous debate over national security policy divides MKs along ethnic lines
By Dalia Shehori Ha'aretz Correspondent - Ha'aretz 2/3/2000

Angry words flew in the Knesset yesterday as the first-ever public debate of Israel's nuclear
arsenal degenerated into an ugly confrontation between Arab MKs, who introduced the debate,
and Jewish MKs, who accused them of harming the country's security.  A claim by Arab MK
Issam Mahoul (Hadash) that Israel has up to 300 nuclear warheads sparked a walkout by most of
the Jewish members.

Military censorship has always forbidden reports in the local media about Israel's nuclear arsenal.
Mahoul's speech, broadcast live on television, gave Israelis their first opportunity to hear details
from one of their own, though Israel's nuclear weapons program is a frequent subject in foreign
publications.  The debate was raucous and bitter even by the standards of the unruly Knesset, and
created a rare public split down ethnic lines, with Jewish MKs from all political backgrounds,
including One Israel, opposing the Arab members.

Minister without Portfolio Haim Ramon responded to Mahoul by repeating Israel's well-known,
vague nuclear policy statement, and denouncing Mahoul's premise that the public has the right to
know.  Ramon said Israel would not be the first to introduce nuclear weapons into the Middle
East, a decades-old policy known as "ambiguity," implying that Israel has nuclear arms capability
but not actual bombs.

Jewish MKs interrupted with catcalls as Mahoul, presenting his motion, declared: "All the world
knows that Israel is a vast warehouse of atomic, biological and chemical weapons that serves as
the anchor for the Middle East arms race."  Some called him a spokesman for Arab terrorists.
"You are committing a crime against Israeli Arabs today," shouted coalition chairman Ophir
Pines-Paz (One Israel).

DEBATE OF NUCLEAR POLICY STIRS KNESSET STORM
By Nina Gilbert JERUSALEM (February 3) Jerusalem Post

The taboo against public debate on Israel's nuclear policies was broken yesterday when the issue
was placed on the Knesset agenda by Hadash MK Issam Mahoul, who blamed Israel for nuclear
proliferation in the region and endangering the public by keeping outside inspectors away from the
reactor in Dimona.  The discussion was marked by a barrage of attacks on Mahoul, including
from One Israel MKs.  Four Arab MKs who interrupted Minister Haim Ramon were removed
from the session, while Likud and Shas MKs walked out in protest.

Mahoul said that since the Sunday Times published its story on Mordechai Vanunu in 1986, the
number of atomic bombs in Israel's arsenal grew from 100 to "an insane number of between 200
and 300 bombs."  One Israel MK Elie Ben-Menachem asked in response: "Where are your figures
from?  Do you ask Saddam Hussein?"  "Everyone knows that Israel is a great stockpiler of
atomic, biological and chemical weapons that are the basis of the nuclear weapons race in the
Middle East," Mahoul added.

Coalition whip Ophir Pines-Paz condemned Mahoul for what he said was an "unprecedented
exploitation of his immunity," in which he "harmed state security and carried out an irresponsible
act that serves Israel's greatest enemies."  But Meretz whip Zehava Gal-On defended Mahoul's
motion, saying the "public has a right to know."  Turning to Ramon, Gal-On said that everything
that can't be discussed in the Knesset is on the Internet anyway.

Mahoul filed his motion following the publication of partial protocols of Vanunu's trial by Yediot
Aharonot with approval from the State Attorney's Office.  The topic was initially sent to the
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee out of security considerations, but Knesset Speaker
Avraham Burg reversed the decision after Mahoul petitioned the High Court of Justice, and the
government decided to drop its opposition to the discussion.  A vote on whether to hold a wider
debate on the issue or send it to the committee for a discussion will be held next week.


PEACE PROCESS

PALESTINIAN JOURNALIST SAYS ARAFAT'S MEETING WITH CLINTON WAS A
FAILURE
Hamas News 1/21/99 Occupied Jerusalem:

A noted Palestinian journalist has dismissed Palestinian Authority Chairman Yaser Arafat's
meeting with US President Bill Clinton Thursday as a big failure.  "Arafat received from Clinton
this time the same nice words he had received during his previous visits to Washington," said
Khalid Amayreh, a Hebron-based Palestinian journalist and writer.  Amayreh said Arafat's
description of the meeting as "fruitful and positive" stemmed from the Palestinian leader's
infatuation with symbols and lack of attention to substance.  "Arafat was accorded a presidential
treatment; he listened to nice diplomatic words about Clinton's commitment to the peace process
and perhaps some words about the Palestinian right to self determination," "But that is all, which
means Arafat came out with nothing, as usual," Amayreh said.  The Palestinian journalist said
Clinton actually sought blackmail Arafat into making "fundamental concessions to Israel."  "When
Clinton said he expected both sides (Israel and the PA) to make painful decisions and that neither
side would everything, he was actually urging Arafat to accept the partition of the West Bank and
come to terms with Israel's adamant refusal to give up East Jerusalem, in addition to settling
refugees in host countries."  "This means Clinton expects Arafat to surrender to Israel, otherwise
the peace process will come to an end."


PALESTINIANS SAY PEACE TALKS IN "CRISIS:"
GAZA CITY, Feb 3 (AFP)

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are in crisis following the failure of a summit Thursday between
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, a senior Palestinian official said.
"The meeting led to a crisis, not to an agreement," senior Palestinian negotiator Yasser Abed
Rabbo told reporters here.  Arafat abruptly left the summit at the Erez Crossing between Israel
and the Gaza Strip because of what Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said was a dispute over
the maps for a further Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank.

LEVY SAYS SUMMIT FAILS OVER WEST BANK WITHDRAWAL MAPS
EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip, Feb 3 AFP

Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy said Thursday that a summit between Prime Minister Ehud
Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat broke up over a disagreement over the maps for a
promised Israeli withdrawal from 6. 1 percent of the West Bank.  "There is an argument about the ... withdrawal of 6.1 percent with
the Palestinians demanding to be consulted on the areas, something that is not even hinted at in
the accord," Levy told journalists after the talks broke down.  After cancelling a planned joint
press conference with Barak, Arafat returned to Gaza City where Palestinian leaders are meeting
to debate a declaration of statehood.  The delayed interim withdrawal was originally scheduled for
January 20.  The Israeli cabinet approved the maps outlining the withdrawal Wednesday, which
did not include areas Palestinians had hoped to obtain near Jerusalem.

BARAK-ARAFAT SUMMIT ENDS IN DEADLOCK
By Paul Holmes EREZ CROSSING, Gaza Strip (Reuters) February 3

An Israeli-Palestinian summit meant to boost efforts to meet a peace deadline and clear the way
for a land transfer ended in deadlock Thursday with Palestinians declaring a crisis.   Israeli Prime
Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat cancelled plans for a joint news
conference at the end of their two-hour, 20-minute meeting at the Israeli-Gaza border.   Officials
for both sides agreed on one thing -- they were at odds over which land Israel would give
Palestinians when they finally completed the handover of a further 6.1 percent of the West Bank,
first scheduled for January 20.

``There is a crisis between us and the Israelis on the negotiations,'' Arafat's senior aide Tayeb
Abdel-Rahim told Reuters.  He said the exclusion of areas around East Jerusalem, claimed by
Palestinians as a future capital, ``angered the Palestinians -- and Arafat left the meeting in anger.''

But Israeli Foreign Minister David Levy told an impromptu news conference: ``This is not a crisis,
certainly not a hiatus in the process.'' He said: ``We are not severing contact and will carry out the
agreement and the withdrawal just as we committed to do.'' ``There is an argument about the next
withdrawal of 6.1 percent in which the claim of the Palestinians is to be consulted regarding the
areas, a thing which is not even hinted at in the agreement,'' Levy said.

Levy strongly hinted the sides would fail to meet a February 13 deadline for a framework accord
on a peace treaty due to be sealed by September under existing accords.  ``We don't see the 13th
-- and don't believe that they see it -- as a sacred date,'' Levy said.

ISRAEL REJECTS PA DEMANDS
IsraelWire-2/4

Following the abrupt termination of the meeting at Erez between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and
PLO Authority (PA) Chairman Yassir Arafat on Thursday, it was revealed that Israel has rejected
demands made by Arafat, prompting the PA leader to leave the meeting.

According to a Channel Two TV News report, Arafat has demanded that Abu Dis revert from
area "B", under PA civil and Israeli security control, to area "A", under total PA control.  Arafat
is also calling for direct US intervention in the ongoing talks as well as input in determining what
area will be included in land withdrawals.

Speaking to members of his Labor Party, Prime Minister Ehud Barak acknowledged that there
was "tension as well as a significant gap between the two sides"

Channel 2 reported that Arafat demanded that at least one area bordering the capital revert to area
"A", under total PA control.  The areas of Abu Dis, Aram and Azariya are currently designated as
areas "B", under Israeli security and PA civil control.

Israel remains firm in its position under the Wye-2 (Sharm el-Sheik) Agreement, namely that
Israel alone will determine what areas are to be included in land withdrawals, despite PA
insistence that it will have the last work.

It appears all but certain that the two sides will not reach an agreement leading to the
establishment of the framework agreement for the final status talks by the Feb. 13 deadline,
despite the continued marathon talks.


BARAK WORSE THAN NETANYAHU ON JEWISH SETTLEMENTS, ARAFAT CHARGES
CAIRO, Feb 6 AFP

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on Sunday accused Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's
government of quickening the pace of Jewish settlement building while doing everything to renege
on its peace agreements.

"Settlement building has expanded more under Barak's government than under (his right-wing
predecessor Benjamin) Netanyahu," Arafat told a press conference.  After briefing separately
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Arab League Secretary General Esmat Abdel Meguid,
Arafat said Israel was trying to "besiege" Palestinians by building more settlements.  He added it
was the most serious problem his people faced.  He also charged that "the Israelis are trying with
all their might to avoid carrying out their commitments under signed accords."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa said earlier that Arafat's report to Mubarak added to a
gloomy picture for the entire peace process, with deadlock on the Syrian track and reports Israel
wanted to retain some Lebanese land.  "Arafat described negotiations with the Israelis on all levels
as absurd and said the situation will not sort itself out under these circumstances," Mussa told
reporters after the Egyptian-Palestinian talks.  The Egyptians heard "an extremely negative report
on the current situation between the Palestinians and Israelis," Mussa said.   "Everyone must know
that Israel is clearly turning its back on the Palestinian track," Mussa said.   Mussa said the
problems on the Israeli-Palestinian track were "serious and will get more serious if there is no
immediate movement."

MOST ISRAELIS OPPOSED TO EAST JERUSALEM AS CAPITAL OF PALESTINIAN
STATE, POLL SAYS
Copyright   2000 Nando Media Copyright   2000 Agence France-Press JERUSALEM February
6, 2000

Two out of three Jewish Israelis are opposed to East Jerusalem becoming the capital of a future
Palestinian state, according to an opinion poll published by a newspaper on Sunday.   Sixty-six
percent said they did not want to see the Arab sector of the city as a Palestinian capital, "even if it
is the final obstacle to a peace accord," according to the poll in Haaretz.   Twenty-eight percent of
the 523 Jewish Israelis questioned were in favor, while 6 percent had no opinion.

The poll conducted by the Machov institute for Tel Aviv university also found that 51 percent
considered the fate of Jerusalem the key issue to be resolved in the peace talks with the
Palestinians.  Sixteen percent said the creation of the Palestinian state was the most important
question, followed by the fate of Jewish settlements (11 percent), Palestinian refugees (9 percent)
water-sharing (6 percent) and the future borders between Israel and a Palestinian entity (5
percent).

On Syria, 51 percent of those surveyed said they would vote against a peace accord that involved
a full withdrawal from the occupied Golan Heights, while 25 percent would vote in favor.   An
additional 23 percent said their decision would depend on the formulation of an accord, while 1
percent had no opinion.  The poll's margin of error was 4.5 percent.

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