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To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Sunday, February 20, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Sunday, February 20, 2000 / Adar Aleph 14, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. NEW MAP: SIX SETTLEMENT BLOCS TO REMAIN
   2. DETAILS OF THE SETTLEMENT-BLOC MAPS
   3. REACTIONS
   4. EGYPT INCITES AGAINST ISRAEL
   5. PROF:  MEDIA STEERING PUBLIC OPINION TOWARDS LEBANON WITHDRAWAL
   6. ARABS ACCUSATIONS SHOULD BE SEEN BY ISRAELIS, SAYS HENDEL

1. NEW MAP: SIX SETTLEMENT BLOCS TO REMAIN
Israeli security elements have prepared a rough draft of a permanent-status
map of Judea and Samaria, according to which only six settlement blocs in
Yesha will remain under Israeli sovereignty.  Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai
Huberman reports that the six are:

* Gush Etzion - including the communities of Efrat, Alon Shvut, Kfar
Etzion, and others;

* Northern Shomron - three communities very close to the Green Line;
* Western Shomron - Ariel, Karnei Shomron and neighboring communities, as
well as Peduel and Alei Zahav;
* Western Binyamin - Kiryat Sefer, Matityahu and Hashmonaim, as well as
Na'aleh, Nili, and others;
* Eastern Binyamin - Beit El and Ofrah;

* Eastern Har Hevron area - Susia, Carmel, Maon and others.
Some of the blocs will not be contiguous with the State of Israel.  Kiryat
Arba will not be included under Israeli sovereignty, according to the
proposed maps.

At the same time, Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh denies that he has
prepared a plan detailing the future evacuation of 21 Yesha communities.
The denial came in reaction to a report today on Galei Tzahal Army Radio
that the government intends such a plan.

2. DETAILS OF THE SETTLEMENT-BLOC MAPS
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that according to the new
maps and the Galei Tzahal report, there will be three types of communities:

"Those that will fully be annexed to and physically connected with Israel;
a new category of towns that will come under Israeli sovereignty but which
will have no territorial contiguity with the State of Israel; and those in
territory to be handed over to the Palestinian territory - these last will
be uprooted.

"The first group of settlements will simply be incorporated into Israel,"
said Huberman, " - in some cases by making simple border adjustments.  In
the northern Shomron, for instance, this group includes a bloc of
communities in close proximity to one another and to present-day Israel.
The same in the Modi'in bloc, in western Binyamin.  Other areas will be
connected to Israel by way of a narrow strip of territory, such as Ariel
and the Karnei Shomron towns.  Gush Etzion, too, south of Jerusalem, will
be connected to Israel via the current Tunnels Highway."

"Ofrah and Beit El," continued Huberman, "which Ehud Barak promised would
'remain Israeli forever,' will be incorporated into Israel, and will be
linked territorially by the Ramallah bypass road, as they currently are, to
northern Jerusalem.  At the same time, it is important to understand that
the government plans to hand over Jerusalem's northern neighborhoods, which
will effectively become subsumed in the Palestinian entity in the Ramallah
region."

An example of settlements to be included under Israeli sovereignty but with
no physical connection to Israel is the mid-western Binyamin bloc of Dolev
and the Talmons.  "Travelers to and from this bloc will have to pass
through Palestinian territory," Huberman said.  "They will be provided with
enough land in which to expand, such that they will not be limited...
Another bloc of settlements is in northern Binyamin, south of Tapuach:
Shilo-Eli-Ma'aleh Levonah-Shvut Rachel will remain a bloc, but the question
is whether they will be annexed and connected to Israel's Jordan Valley
area, or whether they will remain an enclave unto itself."  In Gush Katif,
Netzarim, Kfar Darom, and Morag are scheduled to be uprooted, according to
the plan, while the northern Gaza Strip towns of Nisanit, Dugit, and Elei
Sinai will be annexed to the Ashkelon area of Israel.

When asked about Deputy Defense Minister Sneh's denial - which was later
echoed by Prime Minister Barak - Huberman replied, "I know who my sources
are, and I know that this information is accurate.  It could be, though,
that Sneh is referring to the intention to uproot some of the towns,
because that is really not an army decision, but rather a political one.
The defense ministry people merely recommend that certain towns should
remain outside the final Israeli borders; what happens to them afterwards
is no longer in their realm of authority."

3. REACTIONS

* Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (National Religious Party):  "No
settlements will be uprooted, such that anyone preparing such maps is
simply wasting his time."

* Justice Minister Yossi Beilin (Labor) opposes the uprooting of
communities in Judea and Samaria; he is rather in favor of giving the
residents the option of remaining in place under Palestinian rule or
re-locating to Israel.  He says that Jewish communities in Gaza will have
to be uprooted, however.

* Professors for a Strong Israel notes that the uprooting of communities is
not "peace" but rather "transfer."

* The Yesha Council stated today that it is confident that a majority in
the government and the nation will not allow the minority that wishes to
uproot the Yesha settlement enterprise to do so.

* Gaza Regional Council Chairman Aharon Tzur says that the uprooting of
settlements would deliver a "mortal blow to Israeli society."  Tzur said
that he is convinced that the nation would prefer "internal peace among
Jews" rather than doubtful agreements with external enemies.

Binyamin Regional Council Head Pinchas Wallerstein, former Chairman of the
Yesha Council, does not accept the concept of settlement blocs.  "These
maps do not indicate blocs," he told Arutz-7 today, "but rather that
whichever settlements will remain will do so - if at all - in all sorts of
niches and enclaves.  If not, then why wasn't Kokhav HaShachar [between
Ofrah and the Jordan Valley] included in the eastern Binyamin bloc?...
This is not just a map of individual communities that will or will not be
uprooted, but rather a map of intentions by the government for the entire
Judea and Samaria and Jordan Valley.  For instance, the cession of Tapuach
is not merely significant for the people of Tapuach - it means that the
government of Israel has made a conscious decision that Ma'aleh Ephraim
["capital" of the Jordan Valley] will be cut off from the entire Tel Aviv
region.  There will simply be no Cross-Samaria Highway...  Similarly, there
was no reason to uproot Kokhav HaShachar unless there is a plan to give
large chunks of the Jordan Valley to the Palestinians."

His voice pockmarked with sighs and emotion, Wallerstein said, "Leaking
this list is a trial balloon of sorts, to see how the people of Israel will
react to hearing a list of names of settlements.  The expectation is that
many of them will say, 'OK, well, it's only the settlers.'  But it's really
much more than that - it's major portions of the Land of Israel, as well as
the tens of thousands of people who will be affected."

4. EGYPT INCITES AGAINST ISRAEL
Egypt, via its official radio, publicized a statement of support for
Hizbullah, prompting Foreign Minister David Levy to call on Egypt to "prove
its commitment to peace and to cease its incitement against Israel." An
Egyptian radio commentator said that Israel has adopted Nazi policies, and
has even out-done the Nazis in this regard: "Israel is creating a real
incinerator, according to the Nazi model, against our Lebanese brothers."

Prime Minister Barak sent his security aide Danny Yatom to Cairo this
afternoon, to explain Israel's Lebanon policy to Foreign Minister Amr
Mussa.  Likud MK Uzi Landau said that this is a mission of "kowtowing," and
that Israel would be better advised to lobby the U.S. to diminish its aid
to Egypt in light of the latter's hostile efforts internationally.  Other
Likud leaders said that the worsening diplomatic situation is a result of
the poor management of the situation by Prime Minister Barak;  Barak set
forth "great  expectations, and issued far-reaching promises, even though
he knew that he could not deliver on them." The Likud says that Barak must
make a personal accounting.

5. PROF:  MEDIA STEERING PUBLIC OPINION TOWARDS LEBANON WITHDRAWAL
The Israeli media are creating a public atmosphere demanding a speedy
withdrawal of troops from Lebanon, according to Prof. Gadi Wolfsfeld of the
Department of Political Science at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.  An
expert on the role of the media and wars, Wolfsfeld says that since the
elections last year, when Ehud Barak promised to withdraw from Lebanon, the
media have adopted his stand - "and have served to further and to
strengthen the idea among the public that there is no alternative other
than to withdraw from Lebanon."

According to Prof. Wolfsfeld, who released a statement on the topic, the
media is looking for stories which complement the line they have taken,
emphasizing the tragedy of Lebanon.  Examples he cites include interviews
with bereaved mothers and visual emphasis on the bloody costs of the
conflict.  An extensive platform is given to politicians vehemently
favoring withdrawal from Lebanon, he notes.  As opposed to this, he states,
the media do not show soldiers who are proud to defend the communities of
the north and who are positive about combating the Hizbullah.

6. ARABS ACCUSATIONS SHOULD BE SEEN BY ISRAELIS, SAYS HENDEL
Aryeh Stav, whose Ariel Center for Policy Research keeps tabs on
anti-Semitism in the Arab Press, sees nothing unusual in the latest
examples accusing Israel of Nazism.  "The Nazi caricatures are not new,"
Stav told Arutz-7 today. "These kinds of images accompany the media and
educational materials in several Arab countries, mostly Syria, Egypt and
Jordan, and even intensify following the signing of various 'peace'
treaties between Israel and her neighbors.  This began with Camp David,
continued with Madrid and Oslo, and reached a height when Israel signed a
deal with Jordan."

Stav also noted that the Arab accusations that Israel is exhibiting Nazi
tendencies "is ludicrous."  He said that the late Egyptian President Anwar
Sadat "was a Hitler sympathizer... and the Arab states fully backed the
Nazis in World War II.  Hitler's Mein Kampf has been released in countless
editions in Cairo, Damascus, and most recently within the Palestinian
Authority" - where it reached the best-seller charts.  The deeper reason
behind the using of the Nazi imagery in reference to Israel, Stav noted,
"is so that the Arab governments may prepare their respective populations
for the fateful day on which Israel will be destroyed once and for all.  By
denying the Jew his human essence, and by removing the legitimacy of the
Jewish state, the Arab world is looking for a moral license to eradicate
'the Zionist blight from its midst.'"

Stav concluded by observing that the Israeli public is not sufficiently
aware of the extent of open Arab anti-Semitism. "Our press does everything
it can to hide the facts from the public, especially the intense
anti-Israel rhetoric of Israeli-Arab citizens.  The facts are simply
outflanked by the all-encompassing mantra of peace."  Stav would therefore
probably welcome MK Tzvi Hendel's demand late this afternoon that the Arab
and Palestinian stations be included on the basket of cable TV stations
offered to Israeli viewers.  "Peace is made between nations," Hendel said,
"and it is therefore important that Israelis see what their neighbors in
Syria and the PA are viewing.  Only in this way can we prepare for a true
peace."

***********************************************************************
To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Monday, February 21, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, February 21, 2000 / Adar Aleph 15, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINE:

1. SHAS AGAINST BARAK'S JERUSALEM POLICY
Staffers in the Prime Minister's Office say that Barak is planning to
invest most of his efforts on this track, in light of the "dead end"
on the Syrian track and intelligence warnings of terrorist activities.
 Barak recently set a new May deadline for completing the final-status
framework talks - which the Palestinians announced today that they
would not accept. American envoy Dennis Ross is scheduled to arrive in
Israel today in an effort to speed up the diplomatic process between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority. 

Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh called several Yesha Council
leaders last night to deny yet again that he had formulated plans to
uproot some 20 settlements in Judea and Samaria.  The Council
expressed satisfaction with the denial, but plans to strengthen the
threatened communities in any event. 

Yesha leaders met today with Shas party leaders, and reported that
they had found an "attentive ear" and concern over government
intentions to uproot settlements in Yesha and turn over Jerusalem
neighborhoods to the Palestinians.  "If Shas continues in this way,"
said Yesha Council head Benny Kashriel, "there is no way that Barak
will be able to garner a majority in the coalition for the transfer of
A-Ram, Abu Dis, and Beit Hanina to the Palestinian Authority."  Shas
Minister Eli Yeshai requested today an urgent meeting of coalition
party faction leaders with Ehud Barak, in light of reports of Barak's
latest gestures to the PA, "and specifically those relating to the
transfer of Jerusalem suburbs."

************************************************************************

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, February 22, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Tuesday, February 22, 2000 / Adar Aleph 16, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. JERUSALEM BORDERS BILL GARNERS SUPPORT

***QUOTE OF THE DAY

1. JERUSALEM BORDERS BILL GARNERS SUPPORT
Jerusalem continues to be a matter of great concern in the Knesset.
MK Yehoshua Matza (Likud) has proposed that the borders of Jerusalem
be anchored in law, such that any change thereof would have to be
approved by at least 80 MKs.  Four coalition party whips have already
expressed their support of the bill, including the NRP, Shas, the
Centrist party, and Yisrael B'Aliyah - representing altogether 32
seats, or close to half of the coalition's Knesset members.  Matza
told Arutz-7 today that his bill differs from the Jerusalem bill
sponsored by MK Geulah Cohen some 20 years ago in that the latter
"declares the city as the eternal capital of Israel, and the like, but
did not set exact borders... My law will prohibit any transfer of
authorities in the city to a foreign body, and forbids a change in
borders, without the approval of 80 MKs."

The Knesset rejected two no-confidence motions in Prime Minister Barak
last night, despite the fact that eight Shas MKs - members of the
coalition - voted in favor.  The motion submitted by the Likud on the
background of the government's Jerusalem policy was defeated by a
44-28 vote.  Likud leader Ariel Sharon accused Barak of "already
dividing Jerusalem," and of acting with "deceit" in this matter
towards the citizens of the country.  Knesset Members of the National
Home faction - the new name of the joint National Union/Yisrael
Beiteinu factions - toured the northern Jerusalem area today,
including the neighborhoods of Ramat Shlomo, N'vei Yaakov and Pisgat
Ze'ev, which lay adjacent to areas demanded by Arafat.


QUOTE OF THE DAY:

 "...even the Baath Party, of which I have the honor of being a
 member,
understands that restoring Palestine in its entirety is a long-term
strategic goal, that cannot be achieved in one stage... The first
stage is the stage of restoring the occupied lands [of 1967] and of
guaranteeing the national inalienable right of the Palestinian Arab
people."  - Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shara, speaking to the
Arab Writers Association in Syria on Jan. 27, 2000

***********************************************************************

     Jerusalem Post - Internet Edition: February 22, 2000

               EU president tells Knesset: Palestinian
               state is inevitable
               By Nina Gilbert

               JERUSALEM (February 22) - European Parliament
               President Nicole Fontaine said yesterday that here and
               around the world it is known that a Palestinian state
               will be established.

               Fontaine, addressing the Knesset, said that the fate of
               the settlements in the territories to be handed over to
               the Palestinian Authority areas is also known.

               She cited the settlements and a Palestinian state as
               two difficulties in the talks, but said she is sure
               Israel can resolve within a short time the fateful
               issues it is dealing with in the peace process.

               Israel is right to believe that it can only obtain
               peace through direct negotiations with its neighbors,
               Fontaine said. The EU understands this, but at the same
               time believes that the agreements should be reached
               with the support of all of the important states in the
               UN Security Council. Moreover, she said, the EU can be
               a friend that can help in achieving peace.

               Regarding EU relations with Austria following the
               inclusion of Joerg Haider's Freedom Party in the
               coalition, Fontaine said the EU shares Israel's
               concerns. "We will do everything in the European Union
               to change things," she said.

               The EU voted overwhelmingly to reduce bilateral ties
               with Austria as much as possible, she noted.

               Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg said he expects the EU to
               take "bold steps against Austria and prevent it from
               joining NATO." Burg praised the EU for taking a firm
               stance and refusing to accept the presence of Haider's
               party in a democratic Austria.

               He also noted that surveys among youth in France and
               Germany show that 65 percent of Germans and 76% of
               French citizens have little knowledge on the Holocaust.
               The bright side is that they want to know more, he
               said.

*******************************************************************

           Jerusalem Post - Internet Edition: February 24, 2000

                  U.S. Reform movement readying to approve
                  rabbinical officiation at same-sex marriages
                  Yigal Schleifer / New York

                  (February 24, 2000) The Reform movement is on the
                  verge of accepting rabbinic officiation at gay and
                  lesbian marriages, but the issue threatens to be one
                  of the most divisive in the movement's history.

                  Senior members of the Central Conference of American
                  Rabbis, the Reform rabbinic organization, have told
                  the Report they expect a resolution endorsing
                  rabbinic officiation at commitment ceremonies
                  between gay and lesbian Jews to pass at the
                  movement's March 29 conference in Greensboro, North
                  Carolina. The resolution was submitted by the
                  Women's Rabbinic Network, an independent association
                  of Reform women rabbis.

                  Rabbi Charles Kroloff, president of the CCAR,
                  recently held a prenuptial aufruf ceremony for a
                  lesbian couple in the New Jersey synagogue where he
                  is rabbi, and later officiated at the couple's
                  commitment ceremony. "My appreciation for the
                  goodness and value of same-gender relationships
                  between two Jews grows from month to month," he
                  says, "as I meet more and more such couples. I
                  believe they are entitled to the support of Jewish
                  rituals."

                  Still, Kroloff acknowledges that "there are many
                  opinions on this within the Conference," and expects
                  a "vigorous" and "healthy" debate.

                  Opponents of the move are much less sanguine. "While
                  the resolution does not compel rabbis to perform
                  such ceremonies, it does say that the default
                  position of our movement is the sanctification of
                  such unions. Many rabbis are troubled by that," says
                  Rabbi Jeffrey Salkin, senior rabbi of the Community
                  Synagogue in Port Washington, Long Island.

                  The Reconstructionist movement is currently the only
                  one which allows its rabbis to officiate at
                  same-gender ceremonies. Although the topic has been
                  discussed for years within the Reform movement, the
                  CCAR has hitherto ruled against it.

                  "Many rabbis believe that while such unions are holy
                  to the people who hold them, they can't be described
                  as kadosh (sacred) according to Jewish tradition,"
                  adds Salkin.

                  Salkin also says some rabbis are concerned that this
                  move might hamper the Reform movement's efforts for
                  greater acceptance in Israel and might distance it
                  from the Israeli public. "It has the potential of
                  rupturing relationships and causing great darkness
                  within the ranks of the rabbinate," he says.

                  But Rabbi Shira Stern, co-president of the Women's
                  Rabbinic Network, says that after years of talking
                  about the issue it is time for passing the
                  resolution, calling it a "human rights" issue. "It
                  affirms the union between two Jews of the same
                  gender, to have their union recognized in some
                  sacred way," says Stern. "The language is broad
                  enough that each rabbi, according to his or her
                  conscience, can not do it at all or do it in a way
                  that's appropriate to them.

                  "We are not ready to back down and let this sit for
                  a while and maybe in five or ten years we will all
                  be ready for it," said Stern. "The time is right."

************************************************************************

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