HHMI Newsgroup Archives

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Monday, March 27, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, March 27, 2000 / Adar Bet 20, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. THE GOLAN IS OURS!
  2. ATTENTION TURNS TO PALESTINIANS

1. THE GOLAN IS OURS!
"Guarded happiness" is the mood in the Golan Heights today, following the
abrupt end of yesterday's Clinton-Assad summit in Geneva and the
announcement that the cessation of talks between Israel and Syria would
continue until further notice.  "This time, Assad has really gone too far,"
said American officials, referring to his insistence on a corridor to the
Kinneret Sea.  Neither did Assad show flexibility on security arrangements
and normalization.  A disappointed Clinton left Geneva last night, despite
having planned to meet again with Assad this morning.  Even Education
Minister Yossi Sarid blamed Assad for the failure of the talks.

The National Religious Party expressed satisfaction at the news of the
failed talks.  The Likud party said that Assad continues to humiliate Barak
by remaining firm in his stands while Barak makes more and more
concessions.  The opposition party called upon Barak to finally understand
that he should not try to entice Assad with further capitulations.

Absorption Minister Yuli Tamir (One Israel) told Arutz-7 today that despite
the failure of yesterday's summit, "the government has not abandoned its
willingness to make peace, and will therefore not announce that we have
given up..."  Tamir even opined that the failed talks showed the world
"that Israel has its own red lines, which, if they are rejected by the
other side, will not permit negotiations to go ahead.  If Assad does not
show flexibility, there won't be a deal."  She stressed that not only did
Israel stand firm on border issues, but on matters relating to
normalization and security arrangements as well.  "The outcome shows those
who felt that everything was already agreed upon, and that only an official
signing ceremony was lacking, were mistaken.  We have conducted hard
negotiations on issues that are critical for Israel and the future of the
Middle East..."

Yehuda Harel, long-time leader of the struggle for the Golan, told Arutz-7
today that the fight is far from over. He said that whenever one of the
Syrian peace initiatives, involving a withdrawal from the Golan, fails,
"the Israeli government doesn't give up.  Between a month and 2-3 years
later, they try to start again.  The only time I will be able to be
confident that this [attempt to give away the Golan] will not happen is
when we have 50,000 or 100,000 people [as opposed to the 18,000 residing
there now].  It is incumbent upon us to make every effort to ensure that
more people move to the Golan." 

2. ATTENTION TURNS TO PALESTINIANS
Prime Minister Barak is now planning, following the apparent collapse of
the talks with Syria, to devote full attention to the Palestinian track.
The final-status framework talks in Washington continue, though not without
difficulties; Arafat has accused the Israelis of "hardening their
positions."  The Yesha Council will convene today to discuss its concern
that in light of the Syrian dead end, Barak may now make more concessions
to the Palestinians.

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, March 28, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Tuesday, March 28, 2000 / Adar Bet 21, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. FREEZE IN YESHA
  2. MISSIONARY MOVIE HIDES BEHIND "THE RABBI"
  3. SYRIA BLAMES ISRAEL FOR RESISTING SYRIAN CONQUEST

1. FREEZE IN YESHA
Yesha Council leaders maintain that in light of the government's
freezing of zoning plans in Judea and Samaria, almost all construction
is gradually coming to a stop in all Yesha communities.  Council
spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef explained that the freeze has been
ongoing for a while, "and the government kept on promising that it
would soon be taken care of - but we see that nothing has changed."
As if to emphasize the severity situation, Yossi Vardi, Barak's
advisor on settlement affairs, instructed the Yesha Civil
Administration this week to immediately stop construction of the new
neighborhood in Har Gilo, just 200 meters south of the Jerusalem city
line.

 Haggai Huberman reports that Barak yielded to threats by Yasser
Arafat that if the construction south of Jerusalem was not stopped, the
Palestinian delegation would walk out of the talks in Washington.
Mor-Yosef said that if construction does not resume by Monday, "we
will begin a full-scale protest campaign."

Sha'ul Goldstein, head of Gush Etzion Regional Council - of which Har
Gilo is a part - provided some background on the community:  "It is
not a new town - about 30 years old, 1.5 kilometers south of Gilo,
with some 90 families, and a field school with a military high school
that comprises another 650 people.  Its new neighborhood with 230
units will most definitely be built.  I can say this because even
though the order has been issued to stop work, Barak has said that he
will consider 'in a positive light' the removal of the ban within a
week.  We are giving him this leeway, but at the same time we are not
letting up our struggle." Regarding the Palestinian farms in Gush
Etzion, Goldstein said that work on the farms have in fact stopped,
but "now that the winter has ended, they may resume.  If so, we will
[not hesitate] to continue our struggle against them."

Yesha Council leaders lunched with IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul
Mofaz today, who informed them that two or three Hamas terrorist cells
are operating in various areas of Yesha.  Mofaz said that he has told
the political echelons above him of the great significance he
attributes to the by-pass roads, but that in the meantime, no action
towards paving them - or towards enforcing construction regulations
upon the Palestinians - are being taken.

2. MISSIONARY MOVIE HIDES BEHIND "THE RABBI"
Jews for Judaism, America's largest full-time counter-missionary
watchdog group, is calling on the Israeli Embassy in Washington to
classify San Diego televangelist Morris Cerullo as a persona non
grata, effectively preventing him from entering Israel.  A
Cerullo-produced movie, "The Rabbi," aired in major television markets
across America last week.  The film portrays an Israeli rabbi who
converts to Hebrew Christianity and ultimately convinces his family
that one can remain Jewish while believing in Jesus as messiah.
Cerullo has been accused of deception for not revealing the connection
between the movie and his missionary movement, in ads placed in 80
Jewish newspapers around the country. 

JTA reports that the first Jewish community to sound an alarm about
the movie was from Syracuse, New York, with 9,000 Jews, where "The
Rabbi" was broadcast on March 22.  Immediately, 15 people complained
to the local Jewish federation, which quickly sent out letters to the
community, helped draft an op-ed piece for the local paper denouncing
the movie and its advertising strategy, and alerted the Jewish
advertising firm responsible for the ad.

Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, founder of Jews for Judaism
<www.jewsforjudaism.org>, said, "Cerullo's actions are reprehensible
and blatantly deceptive...  He thinks he is doing G-d's work and that
the ends justify the means.  This is the ugly face of missionary
Christianity.  He's out to invalidate Judaism - this is the root of
anti-Semitism and intolerance...  The government of Israel should not
allow an antagonist of the Jewish people to utilize the Jewish state
as a backdrop for his efforts to convert us."  Mark Powers, National
Director for Jews for Judaism, observed, "We don't deny [Cerullo] his
right to proclaim his message.  We condemn his obvious disregard for
truth-in-advertising.  No matter what he may say to mollify or deny,
what he did was offensive, hostile and insensitive.  He has seriously
damaged Jewish-Christian relations here and in Israel."

3. SYRIA BLAMES ISRAEL FOR RESISTING SYRIAN CONQUEST
The Syrian press and other official Arab sources lay the blame for the
breakdown of talks between Syria and Israel squarely at Israel's
doorstep. Lebanese Premier Salim Hoss said, "The Geneva summit proved
that Israel is not ready to realize peace and doesn't consider peace
with Arabs a strategic choice."  He added that a country that truly
strives for peace "would not refuse to withdraw from the land he
occupied by force and would not put conditions to return the land to
their owners as Israel did."  The reference was apparently to Israel's
insistence on retaining exclusive control of the area surrounding the
Kinneret Sea, in accordance with the international border of 1923 -
despite the fact that the Syrians gradually and illegally took over
approximately 1/4 of the coastline, in the north and north-east,
during the 1950's.

The Syrian paper Al-Thawra reported Monday that after listening to
Assad in Geneva, "Clinton became more convinced that [Assad is a]
leader of brave decision who wanted just and comprehensive peace, and
works to reach this human objective that the peoples in the world
eagerly want...  Much evidence has been amassed in President Clinton's
hands to prove that the problem of the stalled Mideast peace process
was not with Syria, but with the Israeli side."  The official Syrian
Al-Ba'ath newspaper agreed: "Israeli officials' racist statements
underlined that the Israelis sought peace on their own terms which
would realize what they failed to achieve through the expansionist and
aggressive policy."  U.S. officials said, following the Geneva
meeting, that "Assad has really gone too far this time."

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, March 29, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, March 29, 2000 / Adar Bet 22, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1.  DIPLOMATICALLY SPEAKING
  2. BARAK MEETS WITH GOLAN LEADERS

1. DIPLOMATICALLY SPEAKING
The latest round of talks in Washington between the PLO and Israel has
been completed, and the two sides will return to the U.S. for another
round in a week from now.  U.S. State Department spokesman said that
the talks were "serious and intensive," but that there are "remaining
gaps."  He said, "I think that the word 'progress' is not necessarily
relevant to the kinds of discussions that took place here this
week..."

Danny Yatom, head of the Prime Minister's Security Staff, said today
that the IDF will withdraw from southern Lebanon between now and July.
 Israel intends to leave not a single soldier or outpost in Lebanon,
and to redeploy its forces along the international border.  Yatom says
that the international community must help in preserving the peace
between Israel and Lebanon.  France and Italy announced this week that
they will be willing to send peacekeeping forces to the area.

Hizbullah terrorists attacked three Southern Lebanese Army outposts
today. No one was wounded, and the SLA forces responded with artillery
fire.  Two SLA soldiers deserted today to the ranks of the Lebanese
Army.

2. BARAK MEETS WITH GOLAN LEADERS
Brighter days may be ahead for Golan residents and others opposing a
Golan giveaway, if today's meeting between Golan Residents Committee
representatives and Prime Minister Barak is any indication.  Committee
chairman Eli Malka told Arutz-7 today that Barak provided the group
with an updated overview of  Israel-Syria relations, and indicated
that he would soon begin releasing funds for stepped-up development in
the Golan.  The Golan residents told Barak, "In light of the failed
Geneva summit, it is evident that Assad does not want peace with
Israel, and that his whole goal is to demean the Prime Minister and
the entire Jewish people. We told Barak that the time has come to
remove the 'black cloud' of uncertainty hovering over the Golan, and
asked him to announce that 'the government tried [to reach peace], was
not successful, and that's that.  We stressed  to Mr. Barak that now
is the time to both populate and further develop the Golan." 

Malka said that Barak listened attentively, and "it was to be
understood from his words that in the coming days or weeks, he would
begin to remove all of the obstacles relating to the Golan, including
the freeing up off frozen lands, development budgets, and the
development of the local tourist industry.  We left with a better
feeling than we had prior to the meeting..."  Malka added, however,
that the fate of the Golan is still far from certain, and that Barak
explained that Bill Clinton is still making last-minute efforts to
convince Assad to resume talks.  

Malka thanked the thousands of pro-Golan activists who hung signs,
distributed stickers and organized and attended the massive Golan
rally in Rabin Square early this year:  "I have no doubt at all that
this activism prompted Assad to realize that Barak would not be able
to receive approval for such a deal...  He was told by his confidante,
journalist Patrick Seale, as well as American officials, that Israeli
public opinion is against giving up the Golan."

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Thursday, March 30, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, March 30, 2000 / Adar Bet 23, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. U.S. ASKS FOR THREE WEEKS
  2. NEW ELECTIONS ON THE AGENDA

1. U.S. ASKS FOR THREE WEEKS
Prime Minister Barak has agreed to freeze for three weeks all
preparations for a unilateral withdrawal from southern Lebanon.  The
U.S. requested the delay in order to use the time to investigate the
possibilities of renewing the Israeli-Syrian talks.  American
officials say that there is still a chance that Syrian President Assad
will agree to renew the talks.  The Golan Residents Committee called
upon Barak yesterday to declare that the Golan will remain Israeli,
and to immediately start a new wave of construction there.  Public
Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said today that peace with Syria is
unattainable because Syria has a "North Korean mentality."

Barak spoke with Russian President-elect Vladimir Putin yesterday,
congratulating him on his victory in the Russian election and wishing
him "success in forming Russia's future."  Barak told Putin that
despite Israel's "great efforts and considerable flexibility in the
talks [with Syria]," it may be that "Syria is not ready for peace."
Barak also briefed Yasser Arafat on the recent developments on the
Syrian track, and reiterated his intention to withdraw from Lebanon by
July.  The Israeli-Palestinian talks will resume on April 6 in
Washington.  

2. NEW ELECTIONS ON THE AGENDA
Shas continues to sit on the fence, as party leader Minister Eli
Yeshai said today that his party is "seriously considering" supporting
an opposition-sponsored bill for the dissolution of the Knesset and
new national elections.  Yeshai met yesterday with the bill's sponsors
- MKs Silvan Shalom (Likud) and Avigdor Lieberman (Yisrael Beiteinu).
Today, Yeshai met with Prime Minister Barak, in an attempt to solve
the Meretz-Shas coalition crisis.  Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked MK
Silvan Shalom this afternoon if the Likud is actually prepared for
elections and to take over the mantle of leadership in Israel.
Shalom's response: 

"This oft-asked question only serves the political purpose of the
left. They say that we have no money, no candidate, no alternative,
and they are trying to create the feeling that even if Ehud Barak is
not good, or even very bad - there is no one to replace him...  We
cannot fall into this trap. We are ready; we have an ideological
alternative, and with it, we will consolidate our forces and win!"

MK Shalom predicted that the nationalist camp would not make it as
easy this time for the left-wing to win the next elections:  "I think
that our eyes are now a bit more open.  All the voters who split their
votes by choosing Barak for Prime Minister and voting for the Likud or
the National Union or the NRP for the Knesset - today understand that
they erred.  What happens is that when the right is in power, the
press creates the impression that everything is terrible and that
things have never been worse.  This prompts many right-wing voters to
stay home and not vote, or even to vote for the other candidate."  

When asked whether his optimism means that he thinks Likud leader
Ariel Sharon could win a national election, Shalom was more cautious:
"We are scheduled to vote for the permanent leader of our party in the
middle of next year,"  he said, "or earlier if the elections are
advanced.  Whoever wins will provide a fine alternative [to Barak],
both personally and ideologically, and he will win."  Regarding Shas,
Shalom said, "People ask me, 'Are you sure Shas will join you?  Aren't
they just using you to extract concessions from Barak?'  Many were
skeptical when I began to sign up MKs on my 'special-majority
referendum bill,' but the fact is that Shas did support us...  But of
course we cannot rely on Shas alone.  We need to talk to the NRP,
Yisrael B'Aliyah, and United Torah Judaism - the other natural members
of the larger national camp that is developing."

MK Avi Yechezkel (Labor), speaking with Arutz-7, was skeptical of
opposition efforts to topple the government:  "Traditionally, it's not
the opposition, but the Prime Minister and his coalition who determine
whether and when there will be early elections.  The Shalom-Lieberman
initiative does not have much hope of materializing...  If you ask me,
the coalition has become even more solid over the past few days.  Shas
can continue its contacts with the right, but it's just part of the
parliamentary game.  In the end, though, let the truth be known:
Shas, for its own reasons, needs the coalition and we need them to
move the Peace Process forward." 

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News Brief:  Friday, March 31, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Friday, March 31, 2000 / Adar Bet 24, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINE:

ARAB MK: "ISRAELI-ARABS SHOULD LEARN FROM HIZBULLAH"
MK Hashem Mahmeed, who has been cited for various incendiary
statements against Israel in the past, outdid himself yesterday.  At a
rally protesting Israeli expropriation of lands in the Israeli-Arab
town of Baka el-Garbiye, east of Hadera, Mahmeed said, "Israeli-Arabs
must learn from Hizbullah how to fight for their lands, in the same
way that Hizbullah forced Israel out of Lebanon."  The crowd responded
with wild cheers and applause.  Mahmeed is a member of the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.

A poll by the Institute For Peace Studies in Givat Haviva finds that
only 18.6% of Israeli-Arabs define themselves as Israeli,
Arab-Israeli, or even Palestinian-Israeli - down drastically from
54.9% only five years ago. Those who call themselves Palestinian,
Arab, or Arab-Palestinian now number 79.8%, up from 45.1%.  The full
results of the poll can be seen at IMRA's website,
"http://join.virtual.co.il/cgi-win/imra.exe/0003304".

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Sunday, April 2, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Sunday, April 2, 2000 / Adar Bet 26, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. THREATS FROM LEBANON
  2. BARAK OFFERS 20%
  3. SECURITY CONCERNS IN THE NORTH
  4. YESHA COUNCIL BREAKS WITH BARAK

1. THREATS FROM LEBANON
"The Government of Lebanon may ask the Syrian Army, which is
legitimately deployed throughout most of Lebanon, to deploy in certain
[additional] areas, together with the Lebanese Army, in the event of
an Israeli withdrawal." So threatened Lebanese Defense Minister Gazi
Za'itar this past Friday night. "The purpose of this would be to place
Tel Aviv in the range of Syrian missiles," he said.

Even though Za'itar emphasized that he was expressing only his own
personal opinion, the comments aroused a storm within Israel.  Foreign
Minister David Levy said that Israel would react to such an
eventuality "most seriously."  Dr. Eyal Zisser of the Moshe Dayan
Center for Middle Eastern and African Studies told Arutz-7 today that
Za'itar's statement was probably not coordinated with Syria:  "It's
hard to imagine that Syria would have commissioned such a comment.
Syria knows that threats of war play right into Israel's hands.  Not
only that, but Syria has no interest in preserving peace - its
interest is to preserve a level of conflict." Zisser added that there
is great tension and even confusion in Syria over Israel's intention
to withdraw unilaterally from Lebanon, "which will cause the loss of
its main card, the one it has been using for many years, to pressure
Israel to withdraw from the Golan Heights.  In addition, people will
soon start asking why Syria does not also leave Lebanon."

Overall, Dr. Zisser predicted that the Syrians will learn to adjust to
the new situation, and will likely instruct Hizbullah to maintain a
steady level of military pressure on the Israel-Lebanon border for
some time to come.  HaModia's military correspondent A. Pe'er
similarly reports that Damascus is interested in keeping a low profile
in terms of its presence in Lebanon, and has no interest in making it
the focus of attention and attracting world-wide calls for an end to
the Syrian presence there. "Syria has no more than 35,000 soldiers
there, and enables 1 to 1.5 million Syrians to work there, but it is
all done quietly," Pe'er writes.

Both Zisser and Pe'er discounted the possibility that the unilateral
withdrawal would prompt Syrian President Assad to agree to a
"compromise," namely, a willingness to allow Israel full control of
the Kinneret (as the 1949 Armistice Agreement stipulated).  "For
Assad, it is a matter of principle," said Zisser.  "He views the whole
region as his homeland and is not willing to concede anything.  Talks
are therefore highly unlikely to restart - unless there is a change in
Israel's position."

The Lebanese Defense Minister's call to Syria is certainly not the
opinion of some in the Lebanese media.  Jubran Tueni, editor-in-chief
of the Lebanese paper A-Nahar, continues to defend his uncompromising
stance, expressed in at least two recent editorials, demanding that
Syria pull its troops out of Lebanon.

2. BARAK OFFERS 20%
Prime Minister Ehud Barak - anxious to secure an agreement on the
Palestinian track, in light of his failure to do so with Syria -
offered to turn over 20% of Judea and Samaria to full control of the
Palestinian Authority, in exchange for Israel's annexation of 10% of
Yesha.  Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports, based on a source close to
the talks, that the offer was made in Washington last week, and that
it was presented as an option for the third Oslo withdrawal, even
prior to a final-status agreement.  "The 10% would be the settlement
blocs to which Barak has so often referred," Huberman said, "and all
told, 60% of Yesha would be firmly in Palestinian hands before a
permanent agreement."  He explained that although former Prime
Minister Netanyahu had always emphasized that the third withdrawal
would never exceed 1%, "Barak's mind-set is such that he feels he must
reach an agreement.  His problem is that Arafat does not seem to want
to make any hard decisions."

The talks in Washington were not particularly productive, Huberman
reports:
 "Despite the uprecedented 20% offer and American support for Israel's
proposal, the Palestinian delegation in Washington rejected it.  It
seems that the Palestinian team came to Washington without any real
mandate.  On just about every issue, they would run to the phone to
consult Arafat, who himself seems unprepared to make difficult
decisions.  As it stands now, the PA is still insisting on a complete
Israeli withdrawal from Yesha and eastern Jerusalem, the dismantling
of all Yesha communities, and compensation for Palestinian refugees.
Somebody close to the talks joked to me that the only positive
development in Washington was the series of basketball games between
the two sides..."  The Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams will
be meeting this afternoon in an Israeli hotel for further talks. 

In light of the above, the statements by Deputy Defense Minister
Ephraim Sneh today took many observers by surprise.  Expressing
optimism about the talks with the Palestinians, Sneh said that while
peace with Syria is doubtful, "there is no contradiction between the
Palestinian aspirations and Israel's red lines," and predicted that an
agreement could be reached within one month.  Huberman:  "None of the
officials I talked to in the Defense Ministry could understand Sneh's
comments!  Maybe it was a type of trial balloon, or a government
declaration aimed at laying the groundwork for the next move by the
Barak government.  At any rate, Sneh's words stand in sharp
contradiction to what actually happened in Washington." 

3. SECURITY CONCERNS IN THE NORTH
Attention now turns, in light of the apparently-unilateral upcoming
withdrawal from Lebanon, to the security measures that will be taken
along the northern border.  Ayalah Kfir of Manara, a kibbutz striding
the Israeli-Lebanese border, told Arutz-7 today of her concerns:  "We
are worried from several standpoints - security, demographic,  and
economic. Everything starts with security, of course - the terrorists
will attempt to destroy our daily routines and our lives here, and
mothers will be afraid to send their children to school outside the
kibbutz.  Tourism, one of the main sources of our livelihood, will be
similarly hurt.  As a kibbutz, we have the problems that all the
kibbutzim are facing, in addition to these new concerns, and we would
not want this to be the last straw to cause someone to leave the
kibbutz.  Every family is precious to us." 

The following measures will taken in preparation for a unilateral
Israeli withdrawal, as reported by IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul
Mofaz to the government today: * Watchtowers and fences will be placed
in many of the northern communities, and communications between the
towns will be strengthened. * School buses will be bullet-proofed. *
SLA and IDF outposts in southern Lebanon will be blown up, so that
Hizbullah will not be able to take them over. * The Al-Hiyam prison in
the security zone, where dozens of Lebanese residents who aided
Hizbullah are being held, will be dismantled.

Ten northern towns are working together to secure significant
improvements in the fortification plans for their communities and
homes.

4. YESHA COUNCIL BREAKS WITH BARAK
The Yesha Council has announced that it is no longer bound by the
"outpost agreement" it reached with the Barak government last year.
The Council claims that Barak has failed to make good on his pledges
in the framework of that deal, specifically in the cases of Mitzpeh
Chagit and Mitzpeh Erez.

 These two  outposts in the vicinity of Ma'aleh Michmash between
Ramallah and Jericho were voluntarily dismantled late last year only after
Barak agreed that they would later be allowed to be rebuilt.   Last
week's Supreme Court decision regarding the Arabs near Maon (see
below) also raised the ire of Yesha leaders, who agreed to the
dismantling of the farm only because it was in the range of IDF fire.


Council activists plan to show their displeasure with a series of
protests, beginning in Maon, where they plan to be photographed as
they are being dragged away from the scene by the army.  They will do
the same at Mitzpeh Erez and Mitzpeh Chagit.  Council spokesman
Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said today that his organization wishes to make
clear that it no longer sees any possibility of dialogue with the
Barak government, adding that the outposts agreement was struck at the
expense of tensions between the council and Yesha residents.

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

Return to Newsgroup Archives Main Page

Return to our Main Webpage


©2011 Hebraic Heritage Ministries International. Designed by Web Design by JB.