HHMI Newsgroup Archives
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Re-send - Sunday, February 13,
2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.ArutzSheva.org>
Sunday, February 13, 2000 / Adar Aleph 7, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. OPINIONS ON A WITHDRAWAL
2. TALKS WITH SYRIA IN TROUBLE
3. BNEI MENASHE RETURN HOME AFTER 2600 YEARS
1. OPINIONS ON A WITHDRAWAL
Many government ministers are now in favor of a unilateral withdrawal from
southern Lebanon as soon as possible. These include One Israel Ministers
Peres, Ramon, Ben-Ami, Beilin, and Tamir, as well as Yeshai and Cohen
(Shas), Oron and Cohen (Meretz), Rabbi Levy, Sharansky, and Shachak.
Ministers David Levy, Shochat, Vilnai, Melchior, Suissa, and Sarid, as well
as Prime Minister Barak, insist that a withdrawal must be accompanied by an
agreement with Syria/Hizbullah. Barak said, during today's lengthy cabinet
meeting on the topic, that if by April or May no agreement has been
reached, "We will know what to do." Knesset Defense Budget Committee
chairman Avi Yechezkel (Labor) says that the defense establishment is not
built for a quick withdrawal logistically or budgetarily.
Opposition leader Ariel Sharon (Likud), writing in today's Ma'ariv, had
some stinging words about Prime Minister Barak and his policies. Sharon
wrote, "We have here a cynical, cruel game. The Prime Minister knows that
most of the nation is not willing to withdraw from the entire Golan up to
the shores of the Kinneret Sea, but he also knows that most of the country
wants to leave Lebanon. This is why he is linking the two. The Prime
Minister, who wants to leave the entire Golan, is basically telling every
mother and father and every citizen in Israel: I am willing to leave
Lebanon, but you must agree to give up the entire Golan in exchange."
Sharon suggested a different course of action, involving equal retaliation
for Hizbullah attacks on soldiers and civilians, the beginning of an
immediate withdrawal from Lebanon, and the end to "Israeli bootlicking of
the Syrian leaders."
Yisrael Beiteinu leader MK Avigdor Lieberman is against a withdrawal from
southern Lebanon at present. "A unilateral withdrawal is simply running
away, and will have serious, far-reaching ramifications." he told Arutz-7
today. "This not a political or ideological issue, but a security issue
alone... We expect the decision-makers to provide maximum support for the
army, without tying their hands, turning them into sitting ducks for
Hizbullah mortar attacks. Another major mistake is attending the 'Grapes
of Wrath' committee meeting. For the longest time, Israel did not speak to
terrorists, but fought them - now we speak of the 'Grapes of Wrath
understandings.' Understandings? You cannot have understandings with
terrorists!"
"We are simply asking the government to find a way to defend us, the
residents of northern Israel." So said Kiryat Shmonah Mayor Chaim Barbivai
today, referring to a newspaper report according to which local residents
are asking the government to consider arranging for their permanent
relocation. "If it requires an IDF withdrawal, then let's do it, and if it
demands an attack on Lebanon, fine. The bottom line is that we must be
protected... The U.S. government protects its citizens wherever they are
in the world. If our leaders feel that they cannot do that, they should
relocate
us - that is, if they don't see our presence here as essential."
Barbivai's tone became more determined: "We are here on a mission, to
provide Israel with territorial contiguity in the region. That's what we
were told by the country's leadership when Kiryat Shmonah was established.
Should we just pack our bags and head for Tel Aviv? Is this what Zionism
has come to? I hereby call on the residents of central Israel to leave
their houses and move north to be with us!"
Barbivai added that the IDF did not avenge the Hizbullah killing of Tzachi
Itach on Friday "because the government did not want to order us back to
the bomb shelters one day after we left. This goes against Barak's promise
that if our soldiers are fired on from within civilian village, there will
be retaliation. On Friday, another soldier was killed by such fire - and
the army didn't respond!"
2. TALKS WITH SYRIA IN TROUBLE
Those who were hoping for a quick resumption of talks between Syria and
Israel will not be encouraged by statements that appeared recently in the
Lebanese and Syrian press. On Friday, Lebanese Prime Minister Salim Al-Hus
expressed pessimism regarding the chances for peace between his eastern and
southern neighbors. "The negotiations have hit a real dead-end," he said.
"The positions of the two countries are far apart... We thought that
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak would give Syria that which is necessary
in order to achieve a just peace..."
Syria's official press condemned today what it called "Israel's aggressive
and condescending policy," and said that negotiations with Israel are
"nothing but a waste of time." The official Tishrin newspaper wrote that
if Israel wished to transmit a message via its bombing of Lebanon, "the
only message received was that the leaders of Israel are not interested in
the idea of peace."
3. BNEI MENASHE RETURN HOME AFTER 2600 YEARS
Thirty-seven members of the Bnei Menashe tribe in India - believed to be
descendants of the Ten Lost Tribes - arrived in Israel on Friday. The new
arrivals, many of whom have relatives in Israel among the 450 Bnei Menashe
who have arrived within the last five years, were brought to Israel under
the auspices of the Jerusalem-based Amishav organization. Amishav is
dedicated to locating descendants of the Lost Tribes and returning them to
the Jewish people. "This is a historic moment for the Jewish people," said
Amishav founder and chairman Rabbi Eliyahu Avichail, who has devoted his
life to finding and assisting the descendants of the Lost Tribes of Israel.
"After a lengthy and difficult separation, the Bnei Menashe are being
reunited with the Jewish people in the Land of Israel. This is a triumph
of faith. Their return to Zion marks the closing of a historical circle."
The Bnei Menashe, with a rich oral tradition tracing themselves back to the
Israelite tribe of Menashe, continue to practice many uniquely Jewish
customs. About 3,500 Bnei Menashe decided to formally return to the Jewish
people about 30 years ago, and began living a fully Jewish life to the best
of their ability in accordance with Jewish law. Rabbi Avichail learned of
their existence about 20 years ago, and began to investigate their claims
to Jewish ancestry. After making several visits there and carefully
studying their claims and the relevant history, Rabbi Avichail consulted
with leading rabbinical authorities and concluded that there is convincing
evidence linking the Bnei Menashe with the Jewish people. Among the
evidence, Rabbi Avichail notes their ancient tradition speaking of the
Patriarchs Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; their custom of circumcising male
children on the 8th day after birth; and their sacrificial ceremony on an
altar reminiscent of the Jewish Temple in which the Hebrew Biblical name of
G-d, Mount Sinai, Mount Moriah and Mount Zion are mentioned.
Upon arrival in Israel, the Bnei Menashe will engage in full-time study of
Judaism and the Hebrew language. To remove any doubts about their status,
they undergo formal conversion ceremonies performed by the Israeli Chief
Rabbinate, upon completion of which they are granted new immigrant status
by the Interior Ministry. Virtually all the members of Bnei Menashe in
Israel live in Kiryat Arba, Gush Katif, and Beit El.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, February 15, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Tuesday, February 15, 2000 / Adar Aleph 9, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. POPE AND ARAFAT ISSUE JOINT JERUSALEM DECLARATION
2. AGAINST LINKAGE
3. SYRIA ON THE HOLOCAUST, ZIONISM
4. THE KINNERET TODAY
1. POPE AND ARAFAT ISSUE JOINT JERUSALEM DECLARATION
Pope John Paul II and Yasser Arafat issued a joint condemnation today
of any unilateral decision that would "change the unique character of
Jerusalem," terming such a decision "legally and morally invalid."
The two, who met in the Vatican today, called for an international
status to be granted to Jerusalem. Prime Minister Ehud Barak
continues to refuse to include areas around Jerusalem in the upcoming
transfer of territory to the Palestinian Authority. He is, however,
apparently willing to make a change in the withdrawal maps and grant
territorial contiguity between several of the Palestinian-autonomous
enclaves. So reported Army Radio today.
2. AGAINST LINKAGE
The town council of the northern city of Kiryat Shmonah held a joint
meeting with its counterpart in the Golan "capital" of Katzrin
yesterday, cementing cooperation between the two beleaguered regions.
The two cities made a joint declaration against an Israeli withdrawal
from the Golan. Katzrin Mayor Sammy Bar-Lev said afterwards that he
"attaches great importance to the support from Kiryat Shmonah, which
proves that even the residents of the north place no stock in the
artificial linkage between Israel's presence in Lebanon and a peace
agreement with Syria."
MK Rehavam Ze'evi (National Union) opined the following on Arutz-7
today: "It's reasonable to assume that Barak is delaying the
withdrawal from southern Lebanon and linking it with an arrangement
with Syria, i.e., with a retreat from the Golan Heights. He is doing
so because a retreat from there is dependent on a referendum, and many
people support such a retreat simply because they want to get out of
southern Lebanon - such that if we leave Lebanon right away, there is
no longer any guarantee how they will vote in a Golan referendum.
Therefore Prime Minister Barak wants to force them to continue to
support a retreat from the Golan. If this is true, then this is a
horrific scandal, because delaying the withdrawal has a price in
blood... I said, 'if this is true,' but the fact is that I am having
a hard time disproving it..."
3. SYRIA ON THE HOLOCAUST, ZIONISM
Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) reports of
ever-increasing anti-Semitic statements and Holocaust denial in the
Syrian press. Comparisons between the Holocaust and "the Zionist
massacres" comprise a consistent thread running through the articles
of all the Syrian writers, according to a recent MEMRI release. As
examples, a Feb. 2 article in Al-Thawra by Fayez Al-Sayegh, a member
of the Syrian negotiating team at Shepherdstown and Director-General
of the Syrian News Agency, stated: "Israel... was established on Arab
land following the banishment of its original inhabitants, their
expulsion, and their murder in a series of horrible massacres... What
is the Holocaust in comparison with these massacres?" The article
referred to "the problematic historical nature of the Holocaust, whose
terrorizing spectacles and the stories about its magnitude have been
denied by writers and historians, including Israelis."
More directly anti-Semitic, Dr. Ali Aqleh Ursan, the Chairman of the
Arab Writers Association in Syria, wrote in Al-Usbu Al-Adabi, on Feb.
5: "The covetous, racist, and hated Jew Shylock, who cut the [pound
of] flesh from Antonio's chest with the knife of hatred, invades you
with his money, his modern airplanes, his missiles, and his nuclear
bombs. You must face a hard question: 'Do you, Christians and
Muslims, wish to live, survive and fulfill your convictions...? Or
are you Abraham's bleating lambs on the threshold of the Jewish altar,
who are led to be sent to the Hereafter?' You will always be the
'Goyim' [gentiles], that the sons of snakes [i.e. the Jews] despise
and permit their blood, their belongings, and their land..."
Recent samples of other Syrian press articles denying the existence of
the Holocaust and comparing Zionism to Nazism can be seen at the MEMRI
website at www.memri.org. In another Arab media
news item, the Middle
East Times of Egypt reported last week of a survey of Syrians on the
issue of a peace agreement with Israel. The paper reports that 51% of
respondents said they would vote against a peace accord that involved
a full Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights, while 25% would vote
in favor. Other items of interest from the Arab press can be read in
Arutz-7's weekly Arab Press Survey, at <a
href="http://www.a7.org/english/newspaper/arabpress/arab.htm">
www.a7.org/english/newspaper/arabpress/arab.htm
</a>.
4. THE KINNERET TODAY
The level of the Kinneret Sea today, as measured by the Mekorot
National Water Company, is 212.37 meters below sea level, some 90
centimeters higher than its lowest point this winter. Each centimeter
represents 1.7 million cubic meters of water; Israel's water supply is
still some 400 million cubic meters short. The rains of the past two
days have stopped, but are expected to resume tonight.
The Knesset Water Committee discussed Israel's water shortage
yesterday, and decided to recommend immediate importing of water from
Turkey. Committee Chairman Shalom Simchon told Arutz-7 today that this
would be a temporary solution to an acute problem. "Our water
problems will not be solved in the next couple of years," he said,
"and urgent measures are required." Water can be imported from Turkey
in two ways, Simchon explained: either by tanker, which can bring
between 50-100 million cubic meters at a time, or by a new method of
plastic pipes that pass under the ocean.
*********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, February 16, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, February 16, 2000 / Adar Aleph 10, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARAFAT'S VATICAN DIPLOMACY
2. ARAFAT'S MOROCCAN DIPLOMACY
3. PA WILL HELP DRAW UP MAPS
1. ARAFAT'S VATICAN DIPLOMACY
Foreign Ministry Director-General Eitan Bentsur summoned the
representative of the Pope in Israel to an urgent meeting this
morning, following yesterday's joint declaration of the Pope and
Yasser Arafat regarding the rights of other peoples to Jerusalem.
Bentsur told Archbishop Pietro Sambi that the "political preamble to
the agreement, and the specific article that deals with Jerusalem, are
not acceptable to Israel. Israel rejects the criticism implied in the
agreement regarding freedom of conscience and worship in Jerusalem and
regarding free access to the holy sites. Never have these principles
been respected in Jerusalem as they are under Israeli rule." Bentsur
protested the Pope's intervention in the Israeli-Palestinian talks,
and affirmed that "Jerusalem was, is, and will remain the capital of
Israel, and no declaration of various elements will change that."
Bentsur added that the agreement also conflicts with previous
understandings and agreements between Israel and the Vatican.
Minister of Diaspora Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior also criticized
the PLO-Papal manifesto. Speaking with an Italian television station
today, Melchior expressed his "deep regret that the Vatican is
continuing its 2,000-year-old monologue with Judaism at a time when we
are striving to begin a new era of dialogue, attentiveness and mutual
respect."
Arafat and Jordan's King Abdullah met this afternoon in Amman to
discuss the status of the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations. Upon his
arrival in Jordan, Arafat declared that he would also brief the King
on the details of the PLO-Papal manifesto, which Arafat said "marks an
important step in the furthering of the peace process, especially with
regards to all matters relating to Jerusalem holy sites." King
Abdullah later expressed his support for the initiative.
2. ARAFAT'S MOROCCAN DIPLOMACY
Earlier this week, Yasser Arafat told delegates of a conference in
Morocco that massive Muslim funds were needed to save "Arab East
Jerusalem" from what he called its "cancerous Judaization" by Israel.
Speaking to a meeting of Beit Mal Al Quds (the "Jerusalem Fund") in
Marrakesh, Arafat declared: "Palestinian-Israeli negotiations are
revolving in a vicious circle manufactured by the Israeli government.
This dangerous situation requires a universal stance that must tell
the Israeli government to take its hands off Jerusalem. Your support
is essential...to free Jerusalem and Palestine from this cancerous
Judaization." Some $42 million is expected to be poured into Arab
building projects in the Israeli capital. King Mohammed of Morocco
presided at the two-day meeting.
3. PA WILL HELP DRAW UP MAPS
Prime Ministerial security aide Danny Yatom confirmed this morning
that Israel would make changes in the maps of the upcoming withdrawal,
and would allow the Palestinians to take part in determining the
adjustments. The Yesha Council strongly condemned the move, saying
that Barak has given in to Arafat's threats of terrorism, and that
even the Rabin and Peres governments never agreed to include the
Palestinians in mapping out withdrawals. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai
Huberman reports that the Barak decision represents "another step in
the gradual breakdown of traditional Israeli positions. The move
stands in sharp contrast to the original Oslo agreement, according to
which Israel was to be the sole designator of what areas were to be
turned over to the PA. This right was reaffirmed in a letter which
Binyamin Netanyahu received from former U.S. Secretary of State
Warren Christopher; the latter also affirmed that Israel would
unilaterally decide the percentages of land to be handed over."
Huberman noted that the Barak concession "is a product of the latest
Arafat-initiated crisis. Arafat is well aware that each one of these
crises further erodes the Israeli position."
Huberman added that senior members of the defense establishment and
former IDF Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shachak - the head of the
ministerial map committee - were completely unaware of the policy
change. "They learned of it when they heard Danny Yatom on the
radio," Huberman said. "This is especially disturbing since all
changes in maps require consultations with security experts and the
like. One thing is clear: Given the current situation in Judea and
Samaria, even a small change of plans could harm another Yesha traffic
artery, or an additional security or national interest."
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, February 17, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, February 17, 2000 / Adar Aleph 11, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. IDF OFFICER STANDS UP (TO) ARAFAT-AIDE
2. RELIGIOUS-SOCIAL DEBATE
3. RABBIS' DECLARATION
4. MAJORITY AGAINST UPROOTING YESHA TOWNS
1. IDF OFFICER STANDS UP (TO) ARAFAT-AIDE
A high-level IDF officer cancelled his meeting with a senior
Palestinian Authority leader, after the latter compared Israel's
policies to Nazism. Brig.-Gen. Yosef Mishlav, Deputy Coordinator of
Activities in Judea and Samaria, called off a routine meeting
scheduled for next week with Arafat-aide Mahr al-Kurd, who said in
Ramallah last week, "Israel is turning Gaza into a concentration camp
and is implementing Nazi policy."
2. RELIGIOUS-SOCIAL DEBATE
MK Nachum Langental (NRP) explained today why he is planning to submit
for legislation a new bill that will create a new status-quo in
matters of public religious observance in Israel:
"The problem is that the status-quo that already exists is basically
non-existent. More and more stores are opening on Shabbat, and soon
people, including Jews who define themselves as 'traditional,' may
face tough choices, and may feel they have to choose between Sabbath
observance and making a living. The late Rabbi Moshe Feinstein wrote
about the catastrophic situation faced by Jews in the U.S. in the
early 1900's in this area. I have spoken to several very secular
Knesset Members, and they are willing to agree to a total ban,
anchored in Knesset legislation, on the opening of stores and
businesses and Shabbat. In addition, this law will stipulate that
conversions will be performed only in Rabbinical Courts, in accordance
with the Ne'eman committee recommendations; that Judaism will be
taught in all schools; and other things. In return, of course, we
will have to 'give' something, in the area of public transportation
and entertainment on Shabbat - which in any event is close to
impossible to stop - and the issue of those who can't be married
according to Jewish law." Former MK Alex Lubotsky later explained
that this refers not only to Jews who, for various reasons, are not
permitted to marry one another, but "for instance, to two Russian
immigrants who wish to marry, but both of their fathers are Jewish and
their mothers are not - the new law will recognize their relationship,
even if it doesn't call it marriage."
MK Rabbi Benny Elon, objecting to the above recommendations, explained
that one of the main problems is anchoring these proposals in law:
"Once you do that, you open the door to different interpretations, and
given the present Supreme Court, anything will be possible - they may
even recognize same-sex marriages under the 'relationship-recognition'
clause." In addition, Elon said, "even now we have trouble enforcing
the Shabbat laws - every time an inspector comes to stores that are
not allowed to be open and levies fines upon them, the press and the
Kibbutzim and everyone else is up in arms. So why does he [Langental]
think that we'll be able to enforce his new Shabbat laws?" Rabbi
Mordechai Eliyahu, former Rishon Letzion, was more critical of the new
plan, speaking yesterday of those who "think they have to correct the
Torah."
3. RABBIS' DECLARATION
Hundreds of rabbis of the religious-Zionist movement convened in
Jerusalem yesterday, and declared that the government has no authority
to relinquish parts of Eretz Yisrael. Former Sephardic Chief Rabbi
Mordechai Eliyahu said, "Who allows you [the government] to give of
this Land to others? And to whom are you giving - to a friend?
You're giving to one who was an enemy, is an enemy, and will remain an
enemy! Just yesterday, Esau and Yishmael walked together against
Jerusalem... What do they want? To throw us out of here!" Rabbi
Zalman Melamed said that a government that bought its way into power
has no ethical basis to make fateful and historical decisions.
4. MAJORITY AGAINST UPROOTING YESHA TOWNS
The Yesha Council apparently chose well, and its new slogan,
"Uprooting Settlement Will Tear the Nation Apart," has apparently
succeeded in effecting a change in public opinion. Whereas before the
beginning of the campaign, 54% of the public felt that the uprooting
of Yesha settlements would in fact cause a major rift in the nation,
that number now stands at 65%. There is a majority even among Barak
voters - 55% - for this position. 61% of the public feels that
uprooting the Golan settlements will cause a similar split in the
nation.
*************************************************************************
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, February
18, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Friday, February 18, 2000 / Adar Aleph 12, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. MERIDOR: OSLO IS BAD
2. ARAB ATTACKS CONTINUE
3. P.A. EXPERT REFUSES TO SIT WITH YESHA RESIDENT
1. MERIDOR: OSLO IS BAD
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee Chairman Dan Meridor
(Centrist party) fears that Israel and the Palestinians may be on the
verge of an armed conflict. In an interview published in today's
Yediot Acharonot, Meridor said that we "must attempt to prevent the
clash, but we should be prepared for it." Regarding the Oslo process,
Meridor said, "It was bad. A norm was set by which the Palestinians
do not fulfill agreements, and we suffice with shrugging our
shoulders... Further concessions by Israel will merely increase
Arafat's appetite." Turning to the Golan Heights, MK Meridor said he
objects to a withdrawal from most of the Golan under the present
circumstances: "It's been quiet up there for 25 years, and there is
no need to give the Golan to the Syrians in exchange for continued
quiet."
2. ARAB ATTACKS CONTINUE
Meanwhile, individual attempts upon Israeli targets by Palestinian
Arabs continue. On the Jordan Valley's Alon Highway, between the
Jericho junction and the Cross-Samaria Highway, several attacks
against Israeli cars have been carried out. A wire and a pipe were
stretched along the highway this past week, causing damage to two
cars. No one was hurt. Last night, concrete blocks were placed on
the road. IDF forces combed the area, and suspect that residents of
the Arab village Malek are behind the acts. Rocks have also been
thrown from Malek at cars traversing the route, which connects Ma'aleh
Ephraim with Jerusalem.
In Gaza, two Molotov cocktails were thrown over the past two nights at
IDF patrols near Rafiah. Both were thrown from within the autonomous
section of the city. O.C. Southern Command Maj.-Gen. Yom Tov Samiyeh
met with Palestinian Authority seniors, and told them of the gravity
with which the IDF sees these incidents.
3. P.A. EXPERT REFUSES TO SIT WITH YESHA RESIDENT
A Palestinian Authority environmental expert refused to share a podium
last night with his Israeli counterpart, simply because the latter is
a resident of Shomron. The events developed as follows: A segment of
a television series dealing with Jewish-Arab relations in Israel was
being filmed in Tel-Ad studios last night, and two experts on
environmental issues were scheduled to appear: Dr. Zhad Ish'chak and
Director of the Shomron Cities Association, Yitzchak Meir. When the
former saw his counterpart, he tore off his microphone and announced
that he refused to sit next to Meir. The producers spent 15 fruitless
minutes attempting to convince Ish'chak to change his mind, and then
decided to try another tack: They asked Meir to leave. Meir
protested, and refused to do so. In the end, the program was filmed
without either of the two experts.
********************************************************************
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