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To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, April 11, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Tuesday, April 11, 2000 / Nissan 6, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. LIMPING ALONG ON TWO TRACKS
  2. ISRAELI-ARAB STUDENTS RIOT IN HEBREW UNIVERSITY
  3. NEW YESHA ACTIVISM CONTINUES IN EFRAT
  4. UPGRADING THE P.A. PARA-MILITARY
  5. SHAS-MERETZ EXPLOSION FEARED

1. LIMPING ALONG ON TWO TRACKS
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and U.S. President Bill Clinton will be
meeting tonight, with the stalled Syrian and Palestinian diplomatic
tracks heading the agenda.  White House aides say that seven years of
efforts to bring peace between Syria and Israel have gone down the
drain, and that "peace will apparently have to wait for the next
generation of Syrian leadership."
 On the Palestinian track, too, the differences between the sides are
 said
to be greater than can be bridged in the foreseeable future.  The
deadline for the completion of the final-status framework between
Israel and the Palestinian Authority is likely to be postponed; it was
originally scheduled for February, and is currently set for next
month.

2. ISRAELI-ARAB STUDENTS RIOT IN HEBREW UNIVERSITY
Israeli-Arab students at Hebrew University rioted violently today for
over two hours, throwing rocks, bottles, and other objects at police.
The violence intensified when Arab MK Azmi Bshara arrived on the
scene; MK Ahmed Tibi later joined as well.  Individual rioters
attempted to physically assault the police, and two policemen were
injured in unsuccessful efforts to restrain them.  Jerusalem Police
Chief Ya'ir Yitzchaki said that the Arab students seemed to be
hankering for a fight with the police, and that they had no permit to
demonstrate;  Bshara screamed out at him, "Liar!"  Thirteen Arabs were
arrested.  The rally started as a protest against the Trans-Israel
highway, but quickly deteriorated to shouts of "With blood and fire we
will liberate Palestine!" PLO flags were waved by the students as
well.  The riot occurred at the main entrance to the university's Mt.
Scopus campus in Jerusalem.  Elyakim Ha'etzni, whose interview with
Arutz-7 was interrupted by news of the riots, said, "This ... opens
our eyes to the true reality.  People are asleep!"

3. NEW YESHA ACTIVISM CONTINUES IN EFRAT
The Yesha Council began initial ground work for a new neighborhood on
Givat HaZayit in Efrat, Gush Etzion, today.  Prime Minister Barak has
refused to approve construction there, despite the fact that all the
necessary permits have been procured.  Yesha leader Pinchas
Wallerstein said, "If Barak decides, dictatorially, to stop this
construction, he will be causing an unprecedented rift in the country,
because I can tell you categorically that the building here will not
be stopped.  And if Peace Now comes here to try to 'freeze' the
construction, they're 'gonna get it!'."  The Council plans additional
"protest construction projects" tomorrow.

Yesha Council member Elyakim Ha'etzni said that he welcomed the
Council's new policy, which began earlier this week in Maon.  He had
criticism of the National Religious Party, however: 

"Rabbi Yitzchak Levy thought that as Housing Minister in Barak's
government, he could minimize the damage on the diplomatic front, and
do a little building on the side.  But in practice, for the last six
months there has been absolutely no building, no tenders, nothing!
Because every time a tender is issued, Arafat gets upset, and our #1
Soldier [Ehud Barak] gives in to him and calls it off.  We heard on
Arutz-7 how [Yesha Council deputy head] Shlomo Filber diplomatically
said that the delays in construction are likely due to bureaucratic
difficulties, etc., followed by Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh -
the top antagonist against Yesha - said, with nerve and arrogance,
that it's not bureaucratic at all but quite purposeful, that 'the
government will not build as long as talks are continuing with the
PA.'  If there's no construction, what's Levy still doing in the
government?  And then - Shas looks at the NRP, sees that it's not
leaving, which gives it [Shas] a certificate of 'kashrut' to remain.
The NRP heard in the government meeting this week about a genuine,
bona-fide Palestinian state-in-formation.  The NRP claims that it will
resign only once it actually happens - but then, they will say that
it's too late and what will it help to resign?"

4. UPGRADING THE P.A. PARA-MILITARY
Yediot Acharonot political commentator Roni Shaked discussed with
Arutz-7 today what he believes is the Palestinians' military option.
The idea that Israel and the PA will reach agreement by May or June on
issues such as Jerusalem or Palestinian refugees is "laughable," he
said:  "The argument on Jerusalem is so deep...  Can Barak afford to
give up even on one centimeter near Jerusalem?  We saw what happened a
couple of weeks ago when he tried to give away tiny Anata!  The same
with the refugees..."  At the most, Shaked predicts that the PA will
receive another 10-15% of Judea and Samaria, "and the area that is now
under Palestinian administrative control - Area B - will undergo only
a slight change by becoming Area A (under its full military control),
and Barak will agree to a Palestinian state on this territory...  The
Palestinians will have difficulty accepting such a state, however,"
said Shaked. 

What could be the response of the PA to the situation?  The answer may
lie in an article written by Shaked in Yediot Acharonot today,
entitled "Training the Palestinian Police to Become an Army," in which
he wrote that the PA is preparing in this way for the declaration of a
Palestinian state.
 "Please, don't refer to the PA forces as policemen," he said today.
 "We
are talking about an army here" - a light infantry division, he wrote
- "and whoever does not recognize this is simply mistaken!  They have
the beginnings of a navy, the first signs of divisions of an air
force, light tanks, military academies, commando units..."  Shaked
added that the PA has recently opened an expanded training facility in
Jericho, not far from the Shalom Al Yisrael synagogue there.  The
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee was informed today that
an additional 100 Sa'ar rifles will soon be given to the Palestinians,
and another 100 later. "Arafat may learn from Ben-Gurion's example,"
said Shaked, "of declaring a state with certain borders, and then
fighting for it.  Even if they don't have tanks, they have mini-tanks,
as well as anti-tank missiles.  But the issue is not only a question
of who is stronger.  Even if Israel can easily conquer Ramallah, what
are we to do the day after?  How do we utilize our military power?
Need I remind you that they beat us in one war, using stones?"

5. SHAS-MERETZ EXPLOSION FEARED
Shas Chairman Eli Yeshai has instructed his party activists to prepare
for new elections, in light of the unresolved inter-coalition tensions
between Shas and Meretz. Education Minister Yossi Sarid (Meretz) and
Deputy Education Minister Meshulam Nahari (Shas) will meet tomorrow in
a last-ditch effort to resolve their differences over the Shas
educational network, but prospects are not considered bright.
Speculations were aired in Israeli papers today that Prime Minister
Barak may want to replace Sarid with Finance Minister Shochat, and
vice-versa, to save his ailing coalition.

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

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

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Wednesday, April 12, 2000 / Nissan 7, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. NEXT STOP: HAR GILO
   2. ASSAD ONLY WANTS POWER

1. NEXT STOP: HAR GILO
The next step of the Yesha Council's new "offensive" was Har Gilo
today. The Council recently decided that it would no longer remain
silent in the face of the Barak government's continued freeze on
construction in Judea and Samaria, and has lived up to its word.
Following the overnight encampment in Maon last week by Council heads,
and their launching of construction works at Givat HaZayit in Efrat
yesterday, several Council members arrived with tractors this morning
at Har Gilo, 200 meters south of the Jerusalem border.  With the noise
of tractors in the background, Ya'ir Wolfe, deputy head of the Gush
Etzion regional Council, explained that there is no reason not to
begin the construction works on the new neighborhood:  "We have all
the necessary permits, and we are going full-steam ahead.  The only
reason why the work was stopped over the past few weeks is because of
an ultimatum by Arafat."  Peace Now activists arrived on the scene
with the stated intention of stopping the building, Women in Green
demonstrated opposite them, and the police stood in between.

MK Tzvi Hendel, who also arrived at Har Gilo today, told Arutz-7's
Kobi Sela, "I think that the people of Israel will soon wake up when
they see the absurd degree to which this situation is headed: a
neighborhood so close to Jerusalem, with all the necessary approvals
and papers, is stopped simply because Arafat makes a phone call to
Barak.  This is national weakness the likes of which would be unheard
of in any other country... Regarding Peace Now, I'd like to just tell
one quick anecdote which sums up the situation nicely.  An Arab here
today called me over and said, 'Tell me, are they crazy?'  'Who?' I
asked, and he pointed at the Peace Now demonstrators, and said, 'Them
- those guys who are fighting against their own nation.  Are they
nuts?'  I think this says it all."

2. ASSAD ONLY WANTS POWER
Dr. Guy Bechor of the Inter-Disciplinary Institute in Herzliyah, who
has been consistent in predicting that Assad is not prepared to make
peace with Israel, commented on the Syrian situation today:

"True, I'm not surprised by [the apparent closing of the Syrian
option]. But it's interesting:  This gives you an idea of the value of
all our peace research institutes that have been claiming for years
that Assad is ready and ripe for peace, while only little old me said
that this is not necessarily so.  Sad to tell, most evaluations by
Israeli intelligence have been wrong over the last few years.  For
instance, when the Iraq-Iran war broke out [in the 1980's] they
predicted that Iraq would win in two years, when in fact Iran won, and
it took eight years!  �  The refusal of Assad to respond to both
Peres' and Barak's overtures show that he has a real fear of peace
with Israel, that it may lead to his fall from power�  Peace,
normalization, Golan - these are all minor issues; the main thing for
Assad is the fact that he is of the minority Alawi sect, and his main
consideration is how to hold onto power.  Therefore, talk of reducing
the Syrian presence near the Golan [in a peace arrangement] is simply
a joke, since those divisions are there not to protect the Golan, but
to protect [against internal rebellions against] Assad's regime!"

Bechor said that for Assad, there are two bad alternatives:  "One is
to lose power as a result of peace with Israel, and the other is to go
the way of all other rulers and dictators in the world and fade away.
He knows that he can't keep his people in a bottle forever - even the
internet has been recently introduced into Syria, and by who? - his
son and would-be successor, Bashar! - but he would rather continue
this way than lose power as a result of peace with Israel...  This is
not to say that he may not suddenly turn around and decide that it
would serve his interests better to make peace with Israel.  There is
a 10-15% chance that this could happen, if for instance Israel offers
him water rights from the Kinneret...  In any event, normalization and
peace are not his goal..."

Fighting in southern Lebanon continued again today.  An SLA soldier
was killed this afternoon by Hizbullah mortar fire, and another was
similarly wounded this morning; the IDF and the SLA returned the fire.

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Thursday, April 13, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, April 13, 2000 / Nissan 8, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. WELCOME BACK, GOLAN!
  2. THE FIVE NO'S

1. WELCOME BACK, GOLAN!
"The Syrian story is over," Prime Minister Barak told his coalition
partners last night, "and will be so for a long time."  As a result,
the Prime Minister's Office has informed the Golan Regional Council
that the government will now remove all obstacles to continued
construction and development in the Golan.  Projects that had been
halted within the past few months in light of the talks with Assad
include new neighborhoods in Ramat Magshimim, Kanaf, and other Golan
communities, as well as the expansion of Hamat Gader and a new hotel
on the eastern Kinneret's Kurasi Beach.

Eli Malka, Chairman of the Golan Residents Committee, has sent a
letter of thanks to the residents of Judea and Samaria for their part
in the struggle against the abandonment of the Golan Heights.  "You
were among the most dedicated in the struggle - a struggle that the
Prime Minister was unable to ignore," Malka wrote.  "The inhabitants
of the Golan will continue, with you, to wave the banner of Zionist
settlement in the Land of Israel."

The Syrian government, via its media, has returned to threatening
Israel. "The few meters that Israel refuses to turn over to Syria,"
writes the Al-Baath government newspaper, "will cost it dearly, and
the Barak government will bear the responsibility."  The paper adds
that Syria will not be deterred from using all means to protect its
territory.

Hizbullah mortar shells, fired from southern Lebanon, again landed in
northern Israel this afternoon, though they caused no damage.  Israeli
and Southern Lebanese forces exchanged fire all afternoon with the
Hizbullah terrorists.

2. THE FIVE NO'S
The closing of the Syrian option and the almost simultaneous release
last night of a periodic report by Israel's intelligence establishment
place Israel's diplomatic position in a somewhat new light.  None of
Israel's fronts - the Lebanese, Palestinian, or others - are
particularly stable, according to the report, and the months ahead
could well bring military friction between Israel and her Arab
neighbors.  Hizbullah has accelerated the pace of its training program
in Iran, which continues to provide unprecedented levels of financial
support.  This, together with Syrian frustrations at Israel's plans to
withdraw from Lebanon, will lead to intensified Hizbullah attacks
against Israel.  

Within Judea and Samaria, warnings of imminent terrorist attacks are
received daily, and several such attacks have reportedly been
thwarted. Hamas has been solidifying its cooperation with
Israeli-Arabs, and has also recently rebuilt much of its terror
infrastructure, according to the report.  Arafat is expected to
declare a Palestinian state even without Israeli consent by September,
in a move which is liable to lead to a military clash with Israel.
Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler reports that the IDF conducted an extensive
military exercise this week simulating an armed conflict with the
Palestinians in Judea, Samaria and Gaza - including a "re-conquering"
of various Yesha areas from the PA.  The exercise involved armored
troop vehicles, helicopters, and tanks.  Upon the release of the
report last night, an Israeli spokesman said that there is a
reasonable likelihood of the exercise becoming a reality in the near
future.

It has now been learned that the Palestinians recently hardened their
negotiating positions, and presented their "Five No's" to the Israelis
at the last round of talks in Washington.  The Five Palestinian No's
include: 

* No giving up on any of Judea and Samaria, including Jerusalem;

* No Jewish settlements in Yesha;

* No putting off the discussion on Jerusalem and refugees, and no
partial framework agreement;

* No Israeli military presence between Palestinian areas and Jordan,
and between Palestinian Gazan areas and Egypt; 

* No Palestinian refugees outside their homeland.

Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (National Religious Party)
responded today to Barak's remarks that the Palestinian track is to be
"sped up:" "We don't know yet what this means...  I hope that Barak is
smart enough to know that the Israeli public will not accept any
concessions around Jerusalem [where it has been reported that Barak
would give control to the PA over such neighborhoods as Azariya,
A-Ram, and Anata].  This would almost totally cut off Israeli access
to Jewish areas around Jerusalem..." Asked about his party's
commitment to the coalition, Rabbi Levy said:  "Our red lines are very
clear, and they include, first of all, the condition that settlements
not be uprooted or harmed.  A withdrawal of more than 1% would almost
certainly hurt some Yesha towns, such that we would leave the
government if that happens." 

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News Brief:  Friday, April 14, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Friday, April 14, 2000 / Nissan 9, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. PA INCITEMENT IN WORD AND DEED
  2. FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES
  3. ARAFAT BREATHES SIGH OF RELIEF

1. PA INCITEMENT IN WORD AND DEED
Senior officials in the Palestinian Authority have renewed their
incitement against the Jews of Judea, Samaria and Gaza (Yesha).
Chairman of the Palestinian Legislative Council, Abu Alla, called for
a struggle against the resumption of construction of Jewish homes in
Yesha communities. According to Abu Alla, verbal condemnations issued
by Arabs are insufficient, and must be followed up by "actions."   Abu
Alla was reacting to this week's activism by Yesha Council leaders in
both Efrat and Har Gilo.  In related news, Middle East Newsline
reported this week on PA cabinet secretary Ahmed Abdul Rahman's April
10th statement that the PA plans to organize "a new and more dangerous
intifada if the Palestinians are denied their national rights."

Two bombs exploded after they were hurled at an Israeli convoy of cars
carrying Netzarim residents on their way home to their Gush Katif
community last night.  Terrorists also fired on the IDF patrol
accompanying the group.  No injuries were reported.  In a subsequent
search of the area, the IDF found another bomb and successfully
detonated it.

2. FLYING THE FRIENDLY SKIES
Yediot Acharonot reports today that Prime Minister Ehud Barak's plane
- en route to Cairo this past week - was forced to take an alternate,
longer path over the Mediterranean Sea after the chief Egyptian air
traffic controller forbade Barak's jet to fly over the Sinai Desert.
Efforts by the Egyptian ambassador to Israel Muhammed Basyouni to have
the decision reversed proved unsuccessful.

3. ARAFAT BREATHES SIGH OF RELIEF
German prosecutors have decided not to open a formal investigation of
Yasser Arafat regarding his ties to the 1972 massacre of Israeli
athletes at the Munich Olympic games.  The Associated Press reports
that federal German prosecutors began checking some time ago "to
determine if Arafat had links to the attack" following the publication
of terrorist Abu Daoud's book associating Arafat with the massacre.
"German national interests and fear of endangering the ongoing Middle
East peace process" were cited as the reason for not pursuing the
investigation of Arafat.

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

              ISRAEL AGREES TO A PLO STATE

                           from the website

 http://cbsnews.cbs.com/now/story/0,1597,184139-412,00.shtml

                   Report: Israel Agrees To Palestinian State

       ---        TV Station Reports Accord Is Part Of Peace
       ---         Negotiations Boundaries To Be Worked Out Both
       ---        Sides Say They Want Deal In Place By September

                    JERUSALEM
                   (Reuters) Israel will agree
                   to the establishment of a
                   Palestinian state in a
                   framework peace accord
                   being negotiated with the
                   Palestinians, Israel's
                   Channel One Television
                   reported Friday.

                   Citing a senior source
                   knowledgeable about the
                   negotiations, the
                    television said
                    the framework deal would be finished by the end of
                    May and "Israel will agree to the establishment of
                    a demilitarized Palestinian state."

                    It said the framework accord would not spell out
                    the borders of the state, which would be left to
                    negotiations on a final treaty. Both sides say
                    they want to seal by mid-September.

                    No official comment on the report was available
                    Friday evening.

                    Israel has started to concentrate on peace talks
                    with the Palestinians again after reaching a
                    virtual dead end with Syria and negotiating teams
                    are working on the framework accord in talks at an
                    airforce base near Washington.

                    Barak met President Clinton at the White House
                    Tuesday and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat is
                    due to meet Clinton in Washington next week.

                    Arafat has said he will declare a Palestinian
                    state this year with or without a peace deal with
                    Israel.

                    Copyright 2000 Reuters Limited. All Rights
                    Reserved.

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

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