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To:            arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Monday, March 6, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, March 6, 2000 / Adar Aleph 29, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. VIEWS ON THE WITHDRAWAL
   2. RUSHING TO WHERE?
   3. IN BRIEF

1. VIEWS ON THE WITHDRAWAL
Yesterday's government decision to quit Lebanon by July, with or
without an agreement, continues to make waves.  Foreign Minister David
Levy, appearing before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee today, said that he does not share the view that a
withdrawal from southern Lebanon will lead to an end to the fighting
in the north.  Feelings on the issue are mixed among those who stand
to be most directly affected by the withdrawal.

  Kiryat Shmonah city council member Herzl Ben-Asher, speaking with
Arutz-7 today, expressed concern:  "Over the last while, the only issue
being
debated is whether or not the IDF should remain in Lebanon - as if the
withdrawal was as an end in and of itself, without considering the
fact that we, the northern residents, will find ourselves in an
intolerable, even impossible situation!  Years ago, the army was
posted in Lebanon for a reason: to protect the northern communities -
and the army leadership continues to feel that such should be the
policy today.  But yesterday, the entire government suddenly voted in
favor of a withdrawal!  Our political leadership has not made a
security decision, but has capitulated to the Four Mothers and public
pressure!"

Arutz-7's Yigal Shok noted that Prime Minister Barak told the Cabinet
yesterday that Israel must "choose the lesser of two evils,' and that
he 'opts for an end to the burial of our sons.'"  Ben-Asher responded,
"We [Israel's northern residents] don't have to be given lessons about
what it's like to bury the dead of this terrible war and how to deal
with such pain.  Our point is that the government must make the right
decisions, and not just the 'convenient' or 'popular' decisions.  It
is unacceptable for the IDF to withdraw without some sort of
agreement, without any commitment from the other side, when terrorists
can simply cross over into Israel and slaughter us as they did years
ago...  The Hizbullah has not even promised to remain quiet after the
IDF leaves - the opposite is true, they threaten to come up on us from
behind [as we are retreating] - just like [the Biblical nation of]
Amalek!"

On the other hand, Four Mothers founder Rachel Ben-Dor welcomed
yesterday's government decision.  "But what if the worst happens and
Hizbullah continues to bomb northern Israel?" she was asked by
Arutz-7's Shok.  "We, the residents here in the north, will be the
ones to be affected the most," she said.  "Let's not forget that we
established our [pro-withdrawal from Lebanon] group after 20 years of
bearing the brunt of another mistake, which, right now, seems worse
than the alternative.  It seems to us that this new approach is the
correct one...  Let's hope that the government succeeds in bringing
about - and that we merit - a return to the way it was when we were
children, when we grew up here in peace and quiet..."

"But what will happen if Hizbullah continues to fire on us after the
withdrawal?" Shok persisted.  Ben-Dor: "First of all, we are being
fired on now.  And when the IDF - which, after all, is the best army
in the Middle East - is deployed in large numbers on the international
border, we will hopefully be able to prevent and respond to such
attacks...  What is happening now is that we are responding to them in
their own backyard, and we are playing into the hands of a couple of
hundred people - who, granted, are getting support from here and
there...  They are just small fry, sustained by the current situation
in which they can claim that they are merely 'struggling against the
conqueror'...  We thought that this plan would bring greater security
for northern residents, but this has not happened.  When they fire
katyushas, the north is completely silenced."

2. RUSHING TO WHERE?
IMRA reports that a Gallup Poll finds that 61% of Israeli Jews do not
think that Israel should hurry to sign a peace treaty with Syrian
President Assad, in light of his ill health.  Among citizens who voted
for Barak, over 52% feel that Israel should wait until Syria has a new
president before signing an agreement, while over 72% of Netanyahu
voters feel the same.  Analyst Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA explains that
the results indicate that the Israeli public does not accept the
argument being promoted by the Barak government that Israel should
quickly make a deal with the ailing Assad before he leaves office.
Israeli intelligence has learned that Syrian sources consider Assad
quite ill, and that his doctors feel that "he could live a day or two
years - probably closer to a day."

3. IN BRIEF
 Ismat Abdul Majid, Secretary of the Arab League, has called upon the
Arab nations to renew the economic boycott on Israel.  The Syrian Times
reports today that Majid said that if Israel does not withdraw from
the entire Golan Heights and Judea/Samaria, "it will be necessary to
create a Arab economic bloc to carry out sanctions against Israel."
Egyptian Labor Minister Ali Halil made similar comments...

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To:            arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, March 7, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Tuesday, March 7, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet, 5760
------------------------------------------------


TODAY'S HEADLINES:

SYRIAN TEXTBOOKS BODE ILL FOR PEACE
"The foundations of Syrian society must change for peace and
normalization to come to the Middle East."  So concludes a new study
by Dr. Meyrav Wurmser, Executive Director of the Middle East Research
Media Institute (MEMRI, www.memri.org), analyzing some 40 Syrian
schoolbooks.  The report notes that the education of children is both
"a gauge by which to assess the degree of change a society must
undertake and an accurate indicator of that society's prevalent view
of its adversary."  It is based on the study of books on many subjects
in state-run school courses from Grades 4 to 11.

Following are some of the themes stressed in the Syrian school
curriculum: * Zionism is totally negated, and youngsters are
inculcated with their moral obligation to take anti-Israel action. *
Zionism is colonialism, is based on fabrications, is similar to
Nazism, and is the ultimate racist movement inspiring Nazi thought and
action. * Zionism endangers the Arab world in its entirety, and is the
ultimate contradiction to Arab nationalism and the dream of Arab
unity. *Israel is an aggressive and expansionist enemy, singularly
responsible for the backwardness of the Arab world.  Syrians must act
to remove that threat to the Syrian state and obstacle to Arab unity
through "holy war" and martyrdom.

Dr. Wurmser adds that the Syrian educational system "expands hatred of
Israel and Zionism to anti-Semitism directed at all Jews.   That
anti-Semitism evokes ancient Islamic motifs to describe the
unchangeable and treacherous nature of the Jews.  Its inevitable
conclusion is that all Jews must be annihilated."

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To:            arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, March 8, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, March 8, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Adar Bet 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. COURT FORBIDS JEWISH-ONLY COMMUNITIES
   2. BARAK AND ARAFAT "ON VERGE OF BREAKTHROUGH"

1. COURT FORBIDS JEWISH-ONLY COMMUNITIES
The Supreme Court this morning issued a precedent-setting decision,
which Chief Justice Aharon Barak called "one of the hardest that I
have ever encountered."  The Court ruled that a Jewish community
association may not refuse an Arab citizen permission to buy land on
its property and live on it.  Justice Yaakov Kedmi, who wrote the
minority opinion, felt that the value of 'national security' overrides
that of 'equality,' and that it is therefore permitted for Arabs to be
indirectly prevented from receiving land in Jewish communities.  The
ruling also stipulates that the Jewish Agency must change its
regulations and charter before it can continue to distribute lands.

The Court's ruling was given in the case of an Arab couple that wished
to live in the Jewish community of Katzir, between Hadera and Afula -
a community which is partially funded by the Jewish Agency.  MK
Zevulun Orlev (National Religious Party) said that the Supreme Court
is detached from Israel's social and national problems, and does not
understand the significance of allowing mixed Jewish-Arab towns.  MK
Michael Kleiner (Herut) said that the ruling is "another nail in the
coffin of Zionism."  A Likud response:  "This ruling could mark the
end of the country as a Jewish State."  The NRP plans to propose a
bill allowing Jewish communities to determine their composition and
character.

Avraham Duvdevani, head of the Settlement Wing of the Jewish Agency,
spoke to Arutz-7 today about the significance of today's ruling:

 "This decision is unprecedentedly severe, and has smashed one of the
most important remaining ideals of Zionism - claiming the Land for the
Jewish People.  This ruling tells us clearly that the State of Israel
has decided to give up on every area - such as the Galilee, Negev, the
Triangle [a section of north-central Israel with several fair-sized
Arab towns, such as Taibe and Um el-Fahm] - that has a large Arab
presence.  In these areas, the Arabs can now buy any property they
want, even within Jewish communities, and thus take over the entire
area and turn it Arab - all without firing even one shot...  The
ruling sets the borders of Israel as basically along the coast from
Ashdod to Haifa, where there remains a massive Jewish majority...  The
new aspect of this ruling is that an Arab can go to a cooperative
association such as a moshav or kibbutz, and buy land.  Until now he
was always able to go into a city and buy land, but now he may do so
in these other communities as well.  The Arabs will now take the small
towns of the Wadi Ara area [between Hadera and Afula] - Mei Ami,
Katzir, and a couple of others - and neutralize them, thus forming an
Arab territorial contiguity between the Shomron and the Triangle.
This is also a tremendous security risk, and the Cabinet must
immediately take action to stop this."

Other reactions:

* "This is a clear statement against the Jewish National Fund and the
Jewish Agency, that they are anachronistic and discriminatory, and
should be disbanded." - Arab MK Ahmed Tibi * MK Yuval Shteinitz
(Likud) said that the Court's ruling is "undemocratic," in that it "is
a blow to the freedom to form communities in accordance with the
residents' ideals." * "This is one of the most important Supreme Court
rulings in the past 50 years, and the most important regarding equal
rights for Israeli-Arab citizens." - Atty. Dan Yakir, who represented
one of the petitioners, the Association for Civil Rights. * Dubi
Sandrov, head of the Katzir Local Council: "We are a law-abiding
community, and we will accept the Supreme Court decision.  But we have
to study the ruling.  As you know, it is long and complex and it
includes a minority opinion as well."

* Jewish Agency chairman Salai
Meridor warns that the Supreme Court decision is liable to harm Jewish
sovereignty in Israeli areas with high concentrations of Arab
populations, and called upon the government to hold an urgent meeting
on the matter.

2. BARAK AND ARAFAT "ON VERGE OF BREAKTHROUGH"
A meeting in Ramallah this afternoon between Prime Minister Ehud Barak
and Yasser Arafat - their second in less than 24 hours - has been
underway for at least four hours.  Also participating are Foreign
Minister David Levy, PA official Abu Mazen, and American mediator
Dennis Ross.  Ross, taking a mid-meeting break, told reporters that
intensive talks between the sides will resume ten days from now in
Washington.  Barak said earlier today, "We are on the verge of a
breakthrough in the negotiations with the Palestinians."  Barak and
Arafat will meet with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in Sharm
a-Sheikh, in the Sinai, tomorrow.

Ross, who returned to the region yesterday after a failed trip last
week, brought a new proposal to the effect that the final-status
principles will be signed in two months' time, and the final-status
agreement itself will be signed in September.  Barak and Arafat,
meeting in central Israel last night, reached agreement on some of the
outstanding issues.

The Likud today said that Prime Minister Barak "is on the verge of
carrying out the most grave diplomatic move since being elected, with
his intention to give away more than the 1% of Yesha decided upon by
the Netanyahu government in the third Oslo withdrawal."  Yesha
residents demonstrated at the Yosh Junction, south of Beit El - the
non-Palestinian controlled site closest to the Barak-Arafat rendezvous
- carrying placards that read, "Uprooting Settlements Tears The Nation
Apart."

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

To:            arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Thursday, March 9, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, March 9, 2000 / Adar Aleph 2, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. UNCERTAINTY AFTER SHARM
   2. COALITION TROUBLES WITH SHAS AND THE NRP
   3. MORE ON THE COURT DECISION

1.  UNCERTAINTY AFTER SHARM
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Foreign Minister David Levy met with
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Yasser Arafat in Sharm a-Sheikh
this afternoon.

  Attempts are being made to conclude the final-status principles of
an agreement with the Palestinians within two months, and the agreement
itself by September.  Analysts feel, though, that Barak's main goal at
present is an agreement with Syria.  An Arab-language paper in London
reports that the talks between Israel and Syria will resume in two
weeks in Washington. This report is bolstered by the fact that Syrian
President Assad has apparently agreed to accept Hamat Gader in place
of a foothold on the Kinneret Sea.  In addition, he is in the process
of replacing his entire government with a new one designed to work for
economic reform, embrace a peace treaty with Israel, and support his
son and heir-apparent, Bashar.

Foreign Minister Levy termed "delusions" the reports that there are
contacts with the Syrians.  On the other hand, Egypt's Mubarak said
today that there could soon be developments on the Syrian track.

MK Avigdor Lieberman, leader of the Yisrael Beiteinu party, said today
that the Sharm a-Sheikh summit today indicates that the government
plans to reach simultaneous agreements with the Syrians and the
Palestinians, and to combine the two in one referendum.  Lieberman
calls upon Shas, Yisrael B'Aliyah, and the NRP "not to close your
eyes, and to leave the government at once."

The Golan Residents Committee and the Yesha Council will hold protest
vigils in 250 main intersections throughout the country tonight.  They
will hold signs with their motto, "Uprooting Settlements Tears the
Nation Apart."

2. COALITION TROUBLES WITH SHAS AND THE NRP
The National Religious Party's days in the government appear to be
nearing their end.  Following the party's threat last week that it
will quit the government the day Barak presents a Golan-abandoning
agreement with Syria, party officials said today that the same will
happen if the government carries out its apparent intentions to give
away Arab-populated neighborhoods in the vicinity of Jerusalem.
Barak-aide Danny Yatom said today that he has no objection to
transferring to the Palestinians the "villages" of Abu Dis, Azariyah,
and A-Ram.  MK Zevulun Orlev (NRP), visiting Arutz-7's studios today,
said that this is a "red line" for the party, "as well as for Yisrael
B'Aliyah, and maybe even Shas...  Barak should listen closely -
because even I, who am known as a moderate, have some red lines which
simply cannot be crossed, such as the Golan and the Jerusalem
neighborhoods. "

Orlev also said that if the Likud files a no-confidence motion on the
matter of Meretz-party Education Minister Sarid's decision to include
Palestinian-nationalist poems in the high school curriculum, "we will
support it.  This is not the first time that Arab writers are in the
curriculum, but it is the first time that the Minister calls a press
conference and announces his personal dictates about the way the
curriculum should be run.  We will not agree that the Education
Ministry should become Meretz-ized."  Orlev served as Director-General
of the Education Ministry under the Netanyahu government.

Arab Palestinian sources, including MK Ahmed Tibi, have confirmed the
intention to grant them areas in the vicinity of Jerusalem.  United
Torah Judaism leader MK Meir Porush sent a letter to Barak, demanding
that he disassociate himself from Yatom's statements - although UTJ
members confirmed that Barak told them earlier this week of the
intention to give away areas close to the capital.  Shas leader
Minister Eli Yeshai said that his party would not support any move
that harms the status of Jerusalem.

Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef met this morning with a
leading member of the opposition, Likud MK Silvan Shalom - although
Rabbi Yosef has no similar plans to meet with Prime Minister Barak,
said Shas party leader Eli Yeshai this afternoon.  Shalom later said
that he came to thank the rabbi for Shas' support in last week's
referendum vote, and to "talk about continuing our cooperation in
future votes."  The Likud MK acknowledged that some people have told
him that Shas could simply be "using" him in its efforts to squeeze
coalition concessions from Barak, "but the fact is that on several key
votes on issues of principle over the past few years, Shas has voted
with us - Oslo II, for instance.  We hope that next week, too, in our
no-confidence vote on the Darwish issue, Shas will vote with us -
especially if the NRP votes with us."  It was later learned that both
Shas and the NRP plan to vote against the government if such a
no-confidence motion is submitted; see above.  He will, however, meet
with new U.S. Ambassador to Israel, Martin Indyk, later this
afternoon.

3. MORE ON THE COURT DECISION
The Chairman of the Jewish Agency for Israel, Salai Meridor, warned
yesterday that the Supreme Court decision allowing an Arab family to
buy property in the Jewish community of Katzir could endanger the
Galilee, the Negev, and the north-central Israel area known as the
Triangle "as integral parts of the State of Israel."  Meridor said,
"The subject at issue is not connected to the rights of an individual
or of one family.  We are in favor of equal rights for Arabs, and we
feel that an effort must be made to allocate land for this sector in
order to substantially improve their quality of life, living
conditions, services and education."   However, he emphasized,
"especially during this period, when an independent Palestinian entity
is being formed, a real danger arises for the future of the Triangle,
the Galilee and the Negev as integral parts of the State of Israel.
In the Triangle there is a clear Arab majority, which has demographic
continuity with the Palestinian entity and where the Jews constitute a
small minority."  Meridor said that the Court did not relate to the
reality that in the Triangle, where the Jews are the minority, a
situation could arise which would discriminate negatively against
Jews. The Jewish Agency head called upon the government to hold urgent
talks in order to ensure a Jewish hold on these areas.

Eliezer Avitan, whose request to live in a Bedouin village was turned
down by the Supreme Court six years ago, told Arutz-7 today that he
will study yesterday's decision, and will then decide whether to
appeal his case.

Atty. Mordechai Haller, speaking with Arutz-7's Ron Meir last night,
analyzed and criticized the Court's decision:

"There is no law that specifically prohibits discrimination in cases
such as this.  The Court simply decided that it doesn't like this
policy, calls it 'discrimination', and then strikes it down.  [But]
discriminating between Jewish and non-Jewish potential immigrants,
which the Law of Return as been doing for the past fifty years, is
also discrimination!  So is the concept of having a Jewish state,
aimed at benefiting Jews more than it benefits others.  I think that
the Court's decision really indicates almost a schizophrenia in its
thinking and its struggle to cope with the idea of Israel being both a
Jewish and a democratic state as the Knesset has defined it."

Haller said, "It's questionable as to whether that definition [of
Israel as a Jewish and democratic state] is really tenable.  I think
that this case illustrates that it's not necessarily tenable.  I think
that there are situations in which 'Jewish' and 'democratic' values
part ways.  The clear case is when we are talking about one of the
very many kinds of activities that the state carries out in order to
benefit Jews."

Meir then said, "In the synopsis of their decision, the justices write
that 'the Jewish character of the state does not allow for
discriminatory community acceptance policies.'  What you seem to be
saying is that there is sometimes a clear clash between the two sets
of values, and that the Court is not really addressing the heart of
the matter."

Haller:  "I'm glad you quoted that line - that not just the
democratic, but the Jewish nature of the state cannot accept a
discriminatory acceptance policy.  I think that that is a comment that
even George Orwell might have had trouble dreaming up!  Chief Justice
Aharon Barak believes that when Israeli jurisprudence speaks of the
state's Jewish values, it is referring to those Jewish values that are
in tune with democratic values. According to this definition, the word
'Jewish' doesn't mean anything more than democratic - so that when he
says that the Jewish values prohibit the discrimination in question,
he is just repeating what he said before - namely, that the democratic
values of the state do not permit such discrimination.  Why are the
Jewish values of the state given such preeminence in Israel's
constitutional legislation if not because Israel discriminates against
non-Jewish values. In order to resolve the schizophrenia, the court is
eliminating any real content to the term 'Jewish values.'"

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Sunday, March 12, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Sunday, March 12, 2000 / Adar Bet 5, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. ARAB LEAGUE ABSURDITY
  2. IDF AGAINST UNILATERAL WITHDRAWAL
  3. POPE APOLOGIZES

1. ARAB LEAGUE ABSURDITY
The Arab League concluded its meeting last night of 120 delegates from
20 Arab countries with a harsh declaration calling for a
"re-evaluation of relations with Israel in light of its recent attacks
on Lebanon."  Lebanese President Emile Lahoud warned Israel against a
unilateral withdrawal from his country, saying that it could lead to
war.  Lebanon's Prime Minister Salim Hoss similarly called for a
suspension of Arab ties with Israel if attacks against Lebanon
continue, and warned that an Israeli withdrawal without an agreement
may lead to violence.  Foreign Minister David Levy said in response,
"The anti-Israeli decisions made in Beirut today prove that the
extremists, who object to the peace process, are still in control at
the Arab League."

Yediot Acharonot editorialized today that the United Arab League
meeting in Beirut was "a theater of the absurd."  Referring to the
Arab threats made against Israel in the event that it withdraws
unilaterally from Lebanon, the editors comment that there have been
few cases in history in which a state has threatened an occupying
foreign army for declaring its intention to withdraw and return the
areas it occupies to its proper sovereignty. "But Lebanon is not
sovereign," writes the  paper.  "It is entirely subject to the selfish
interests of the Syrian regime in Damascus." 

The week's end saw heavy fighting in southern Lebanon.  Hizbullah
terrorists fired towards IDF and SLA outposts all along the security
zone, while Israeli jets bombed terrorist targets north of the zone
three times on Friday.  An SLA force discovered and safety detonated a
Hizbullah-planted roadside bomb yesterday.

Prime Minister Barak said today that it will be known within six weeks
whether the talks with Syria will resume or not.  He gave an extra two
weeks - two months from now - for it to be known whether there will be
an agreement on a withdrawal from southern Lebanon.  Syrian Foreign
Minister Farouk A-Shara told a prominent Lebanese paper today, "I
don't know of any proposal to resume [Israeli-Syrian] talks.  The
topic is not even on our agenda."

2. IDF AGAINST UNILATERAL WITHDRAWAL
IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul Mofaz and other leading generals
object to a unilateral withdrawal from southern Lebanon.  During a
meeting with Prime Minister Barak, they not only expressed their
displeasure at his tendency not to consult with them, but they also
stated that a unilateral withdrawal is likely to lead to escalated
violence in the north, would make it difficult to defend the northern
communities, and would lead to the abandonment of the soldiers of the
SLA.  Barak presented his withdrawal plan to the government today,
including continued ground and air attacks in Lebanon even after a
withdrawal, in light of expected continued Hizbullah offensives.  The
plan also calls for the paving of new roads to the northern towns,
such that the residents will be able to reach their homes out of sight
of Lebanese terrorist-snipers. 

Maj.-Gen. Rafi Noy (res.) told Arutz-7 today that the IDF's opposition
to the unilateral withdrawal is based on the feeling that the southern
Lebanon security zone provides the best method of defense for the
northern communities.  "The army would agree to a unilateral
withdrawal," Noy said, "if it could feel that it has the government's
go-ahead to freely and harshly respond to any subsequent terrorist
attacks on Israeli communities.

 This is the only way that the Syrian and Lebanese governments would
get the message that they must rein in the Hizbullah."  Maj.-Gen. Noy is
against, however, criticism by the army establishment against the
government for not accepting its views on the situation:  "The
government may the army and other departments for advice on how to
handle a particular issue, but is not obligated to follow their
advice."

Referring to yesterday's Arab League warning against a unilateral
Israeli withdrawal, Noy asked rhetorically:  "Have you ever heard of a
situation when an 'occupied country' object to an announcement by the
'occupier' that it intends to withdraw?  It could very well be that
behind the Lebanese and Syrian warnings is the fear of a new civil war
in Lebanon, or that Syria's occupying forces will be a new target of
Lebanese anger..."  

Middle Eastern affairs expert Dan Shiftan painted a grim picture of
Israel's deterrence capabilities as viewed by the Arab states.
Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Shiftan said, "Relative to this region's
Arab states, Israel has basically lost it deterrence capability.  The
Arab leaders believe that Israel is basically ready to accept pretty
much any Arab dictate.  The Arabs assume that the Israeli public is
not ready to fight, and is prepared for diplomatic deals with its Arab
neighbors pretty much at any price..  The question for the Arabs is no
longer where lies Israel's red line, but does it have such a line?"
He said that the atmosphere in Israeli-Syrian talks of the past few
years is as if "Israel was the one that had been defeated in the Six
Day War." 

3. POPE APOLOGIZES
Pope John Paul II apologized today for the sins of Roman Catholics
over the last 2000 years, including their treatment of Jews, heretics,
women and native peoples.  "We ask forgiveness for... the use of
violence that some Christians used in the service of the truth and for
the behavior of diffidence and hostility sometimes used toward
followers of other religions," the Pope said in the unprecedented
service.  The apology met with mixed reactions among Church leaders,
with some leading cardinals criticizing the move, while others offered
their own versions of the apology.   The prayer for forgiveness for
sins against Jews, which was read by a cardinal, said, "Let us pray
that, in recalling the sufferings endured by the people of Israel
throughout history, Christians will acknowledge the sins committed by
not a few of their number against the people of the Covenant...."

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

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