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

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.ArutzSheva.org>
Friday, April 7, 2000 / Nissan 2, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINE:

1. TO LEAVE OR NOT TO LEAVE?
Lebanese threats continue to be sounded against Israel if it withdraws
without an agreement to the international border.  Monir Makda, Commander
of the Lebanese arm of Fatah, announced last night, "Israel will not enjoy
peaceful and quiet borders if it continues with its plans to withdraw.
There will be no peace, no security, and no stability."  Makda said that
not even the United Nations peacekeeping force would be able to guarantee
Israel's security after a withdrawal.  MK Michael Eitan (Likud) responded,
"When I hear such threats by Hizbullah, Fatah, Syria, and all of Israel's
other 'friends' in the region, I realize how right I was in calling for a
withdrawal from Lebanon...  They shoot at us when we're there, and they may
shoot at us when we're not there - we have to do what's good for us, and
not what's good for them." 

Ma'ariv quoted IDF officers yesterday in favor of holding off on a
unilateral withdrawal;  Minister Matan Vilna'i, a former IDF Deputy Chief
of Staff, said yesterday that such voices are "politically motivated." 

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To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Sunday, April 9, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Sunday, April 9, 2000 / Nisan 4, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. SYRIAN TRACK BACK ON?
  2. HIZBULLAH THREATS DON'T SCARE RESIDENTS
  3. THE IDF AND THE PRESS
  4. BUMPS ON THE PALESTINIAN TRACK

1. SYRIAN TRACK BACK ON?
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, briefing his government ministers on his
upcoming trip to Washington, told them today that he was "not
optimistic" about chances for the revival of peace talks between
Israel and Syria.  Not all political analysts agree, however, and
Golan leaders fear that U.S. President Clinton may in fact succeed in
pressuring Barak to make a final concession on the north-east corner
of the Kinneret shore and thus pave the way for an agreement.  Barak
will fly to Cairo tomorrow to meet with Egypt President Mubarak en
route to Washington. 

The Barak-Clinton talks will deal with three issues:  the Palestinian
track, Israel's upcoming withdrawal from Lebanon, and the last-ditch
effort to revive the talks with Syria.  Assad's biographer and
confidante, British journalist Patrick Seale, has proposed a new
compromise solution with Syria, according to which Syria would have
control over the area up to ten meters from the Kinneret shoreline,
while a strip hundreds of meters wide would be a joint tourism spot.
Syria would guarantee not to draw water from the Kinneret or to cause
ecological harm to the sea.

Foreign Minister David Levy said yesterday, "At present, there is no
room for optimism regarding a renewal of talks with Syria."  He added,
however - tellingly, in light of the Seale initiative - that the
"entire Kinneret Sea must remain in Israeli hands."  

The Likud called upon Barak today to call off his visit to the United
States.  Likud leader Ariel Sharon said that Barak has already made
far-reaching concessions to Assad, and "he is now going to give up the
Kinneret."  Likud leader Ariel Sharon said that Israel must demand a
complete withdrawal of Syrian troops from Lebanon. 

2. HIZBULLAH THREATS DON'T SCARE RESIDENTS
Hizbullah chief Sheikh Hassan Nasrallah declared again last night that
his terrorist organization will continue to attack Israeli targets if
the IDF does not retreat from every meter of Lebanese land.  He
included in his demands the area of Kibbutz Manara, which sits
directly astride the border.

 Residents and leaders of Israel's northern "confrontation line"
communities held a stormy demonstration this afternoon, demanding that
the government provide explanations regarding the upcoming withdrawal,
as well as economic subsidies for the strengthening of their towns. 

Yisrael Peretz of another border town, Moshav Avivim, explained to
Arutz-7 today that the inhabitants want the Prime Minister or other
high-ranking figures to sit and meet with them, and discuss their
demands for the "economic, social, and of course security
fortification of our towns.  Up til now, no one, except for one of the
local commanders here, has met with us."  When asked if Nasrallah's
threats move him, Peretz said, "They are simply trying to scare us
with their threats of terrorists and katyushas. These threats
shouldn't bother us.  Instead, we have to show our strength and
determination to continue to live here and to protect every piece of
our land."

3. THE IDF AND THE PRESS
Ma'ariv political commentator Eli Kamir, who took part in "breaking"
the story a few days ago of conflicting opinions within the top IDF
brass as to the wisdom of a unilateral pullout from Lebanon,
discussed the topic with Arutz-7 today.  "Certainly there is tension
between the army and political leaders on this score," he said,
"although not on the personal level - the officers are not resentful
of Barak.  They fear that immediately after the IDF withdraws from
Lebanon, Israel will find itself in the same position it is in now,
but without the buffer zone's outposts and army bases..."  Kamir does
not see Barak canceling his decision to withdraw:  "After Barak
promised during his campaign to get out of Lebanon, and now that the
government has given its overwhelming approval, it's hard to see him
changing his mind - but of course anything can happen." 

Gen. (res.) Rehavam (Gandi) Ze'evi addressed himself to the reports
that IDF officers leaked their objections to a unilateral withdrawal
to the media:  "I would advise these officers to express their
opinions strongly and firmly to those to whom they are responsible -
namely, the Defense Minister. Unfortunately, we don't have a Defense
Minister today - Prime Minister Barak happens to hold the title of
Defense Minister, but he doesn't have seem to have time to deal with
Defense Ministry functions. For this reason I proposed a bill
forbidding the Prime Minister from also serving as Defense Minister -
but it was rejected by the Knesset.  In any event, the officers must
not be afraid to voice their opinions - but not in public!  Heaven
forbid!  It is a blow to democracy for the army officers to fight
against the governmental echelons via the public and the media."

Ze'evi added his own personal opinion:  "I agree with them that we
must not withdraw unilaterally from Lebanon.  If it was such a good
idea, why didn't Barak do it right away?  He was simply waiting to be
able to use it in a package deal for an agreement with Syria and a
withdrawal from the Golan..."  Regarding the fear of some northern
residents that they may soon be returning to the days of terrorist
penetrations, Gandi said, "This is certainly a possibility, but it all
depends on how our government reacts. If the first time we get
attacked either by terrorists coming over the border or by long-range
artillery, we react only defensively - then we're lost.  We must react
offensively, with a blow that will really teach them a lesson, like we
did twice before - once in Grapes of Wrath, and once by Netanyahu and
Arens following the elections last year, which brought half a year of
quiet - half a year!  The fact is that there are great Syrian economic
interests in Lebanon, with a million Syrians working there in Assad's
drug industry... thus that he will get the message and will want quiet
there."

4. BUMPS ON THE PALESTINIAN TRACK
One direct result of Barak's trip to Cairo and Washington is the
postponement of a meeting between Barak and the Yesha Council from
tomorrow until next Sunday.   The meeting had been planned because of
increasing tensions between the two - a result of the continued freeze
on housing and by-pass roads in Judea and Samaria.  Council spokesman
Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said today that in any event, "our expectations
from the meeting were not high...  Our reactions will be made clear
'on the ground,' in the course of the week."  Arutz-7 correspondent
Haggai Huberman reports that Barak's re-scheduling of the meeting for
Sunday "is a hint that he wants to continue the dialogue with the
Council.   He was apparently somewhat unnerved by the activism of
Yesha leaders last week in Maon, and with their above-stated
intentions to continue with the same approach this week..."

Regarding the Clinton-Barak meeting, Huberman said that the exact
agenda has not been made public, "but [at least on the Palestinian
track] it's not hard to guess.  We have all been speaking in the past
week of how the Israel-Syria diplomatic track is stalled, but few have
noticed that the framework agreement for a final-status deal with the
Palestinians is also stuck.  All of Barak's efforts to arrive at some
sort of understanding on a framework deal have failed, even though he
offered the Palestinians a generous 20% of Yesha, in exchange for an
Israeli annexation of 10%. Arafat wasn't even prepared to consider
it...  Barak will likely try to get President Clinton to convince
Arafat to be more flexible so that a deal can be signed..."

Whether or not Arafat will respond to such overtures  is being debated
in government and defense circles, said Huberman. "Everyone knows that
Arafat is going to declare a Palestinian state in September, but it is
unclear whether he wants to do in cooperation with Israel, or with a
military clash with Israel.  Arafat is not giving any hints as to his
intentions."  On the one hand, "the model of the establishment of the
State of Israel, with a War of Independence, is very exciting for
Arafat, and he would like to copy it.  After such a clash, Arafat
would be able to tell his people that he tried his best to conquer all
of Judea and Samaria, that it was not completely successful, and that
the Palestinians will therefore have to settle for what they won in
war.  The other view says that Arafat is well aware of what he stands
to lose should he opt for a conflict.  Israel would close the
financial faucets, and Arafat would not be able to pay PA employees.
It is also far from clear that Arafat would stand to win a war with
the IDF, given the military capabilities of each of the sides, such
that he may not really wish to ignite such a war."

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa said today that Arafat told him
that the diplomatic process with Israel is at a lower ebb than it was
even under the Netanyahu government.

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

To:            arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Monday, April 10, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
 <www.ArutzSheva.org>
Monday, April 10, 2000 / Nissan 5, 5760
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. BARAK ON TOUR
  2. ISRAEL'S RED LINES
  3. CLEAR MESSAGES AT CAIRO CONFERENCE
  4. SHOVAL: PRESSURE SELF-IMPOSED
  5. WHAT ARE PALESTINIAN CHILDREN STUDYING?

SPECIAL INSERT: CRUCIAL ROADS 

1. BARAK ON TOUR
Prime Minister Ehud Barak departed for Cairo this afternoon on his way
to the U.S. for a round of talks with U.S. President Bill Clinton.
Before leaving the country, Barak visited a yeshiva and a school in
the northern community of Migdal Ha'emek.  While in Egypt, Barak
reportedly plans to brief President Mubarak on the Syrian and
Palestinian negotiations, and will hear about Mubarak's recent talks
with Arafat and Syrian Foreign Minister A-Shara.  Egypt has already
"welcomed" Barak by blaming him today for the "worst deadlock yet" in
the talks with the Palestinians.  A group of demonstrators met the
Prime Minister at Ben Gurion Airport to protest the uprooting of
Jewish communities, but was forced by police to leave the airport
premises.

The Prime Minister's Office continues to claim that Barak's talks with
U.S. President Clinton in Washington tomorrow will not center on the
Syrian track.  White House aides, too, say that the talks will
concentrate on negotiations with the Palestinians and the Israeli
withdrawal from Lebanon.

 Syrian President Assad has apparently hardened his positions,
insisting on receiving the north-east coast of the Kinneret without agreeing to
normalization with Israel in exchange.  He continues not to agree, as
well, to an Israeli presence on an early warning station on Mt.
Hermon.  Former Director-General of Prime Minister Shamir's office
Yossi Ben-Aharon, warns that President Clinton has concluded that
Assad cannot be "won over," and has therefore turned his attention to
pressuring Ehud Barak to capitulate on the remaining issues.

The Yesha Council revealed today the contents of a signed promise by
Bill Clinton to Binyamin Netanyahu in which the former agrees that the
third Oslo withdrawal will not surpass 1% of Judea and Samaria.  The
letter was presented in October, 1998, at the end of the Wye
Plantation summit.  Barak has reportedly offered a Yesha withdrawal of
20%, in exchange for an Israeli annexation of 10% of the area; Arafat
turned it down.  

2. ISRAEL'S RED LINES
Likud MK Moshe Katzav, speaking with Arutz-7 today, expressed concern
over Barak's trip to the U.S.  "Although one cannot summarily reject
an invitation from the U.S. President to discuss issues, knowing the
personalities involved and their positions, this trip will not bring
about any national salvation.  The Prime Minister is already, to our
chagrin, prepared to withdraw from the Golan Heights, and now the only
territorial issue that remains is whether or not to give the Syrians
an approach to the Kinneret..."  Katzav scoffed at the claim that the
failure of the Clinton-Assad talks in Geneva proves that Barak has red
lines from which he will not budge.  "This notion is pure nonsense,"
Katzav said.  "Where are his red lines?  Where are his red lines?  If
Geneva proved anything, it showed that Israel is completely ready to
retreat from the Golan, and that Assad is not satisfied with this!
Hafez Assad, in his ongoing display of stubbornness, wins, as time
goes on, more and more Israeli concessions."

MK Katzav observed that Israel has behaved similarly in relation to
the Palestinians.  "Israel has stopped insisting that Arafat fulfill
his commitments - and I'm not talking about what he pledged to
Binyamin Netanyahu, but to Yitzchak Rabin!  Barak waived many Israeli
demands at Sharm a-Sheikh."   Arutz-7 News Editor Haggai Segal pointed
out the statement by Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa to the effect
that Israeli-Palestinian relations are in worse shape now than they
were during the Netanyahu years.  Katzav: "This is part of his and
Arafat's tactics. We are falling into their trap...  When Arafat
paints Barak as being 'too tough,' he expects even more capitulations.
 Give me an example of Barak's so-called 'toughness' in negotiations!
Barak long ago capitulated to Arafat, such that now, in Washington,
the Prime Minister will be discussing with President Clinton issues
such as Jerusalem, the Palestinians' 'right of return,' and other
matters, all of which warrant our great concern and trepidation."

3. CLEAR MESSAGES AT CAIRO CONFERENCE
"It might have eluded Israeli embassy officials, who went to Cairo
University last week to attend a seminar on Jews, Judaism and Zionism,
that the university and the majority of Egyptian institutions continue
to oppose cultural normalization with Israel.  Therefore, it came as
no surprise other than to these officials that they were denied access
to the university campus."  So writes Omayma Abdel-Latif in an article
published in the Egyptian Al-Ahram this week.

The conference in question focused on a new Egyptian encyclopedia on
Jews, Judaism and Zionism.  According to Abdel-Latif, the book
presents the State of Israel as a national model of a "functional
group" which has developed a myth of hypothetical sacred origin and
attached itself to a homeland, either real or fictive, from which its
citizens came and to which they will eventually return.

One speaker at the conference was Al-Ahram writer Mohammed Sid-Ahmed.
He criticized "those who have faith in a post-peace arrangement in
which both Egypt and Israel coexist under US sponsorship." Why?
"Israel's functional role is essentially in contradiction with that of
Egypt," explained Sid-Ahmed, "because Egypt's success is achieved
through its adherence and commitment to the values which reflect a
respect for [Arab] territory, history, heritage, nationalism and
civilization.  Therefore, Egypt cannot be made to function according
to a different set of values that do not respect the sense of
belonging to the land."

4. SHOVAL: PRESSURE SELF-IMPOSED
Former Israeli Ambassador to the United States Zalman Shoval feels
that Israel need not worry about U.S. pressure in the upcoming
Washington talks. "The United States no longer exerts pressure in the
'brutal' sense of the word," Shoval told Arutz-7 today.  "There were
times, such as the 1956 Sinai Campaign and the Eisenhower-Dulles years
that such tactics may have been used, but no longer."  News Editor
Haggai Segal cited the incident in which former U.S. Secretary of
State James Baker publicly and sarcastically mentioned his phone
number to former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir should the latter
"wish to seriously to discuss" diplomatic issues.  "This is what I
would call psychological pressure, and it still exists,"  Shoval
explained.  "Such an approach was evident during the Netanyahu years,
when some U.S. spokesman hinted that Israel - and not the PA - was to
blame for the failure of the implementation of the Wye agreement...
Now, especially given the very developed relations between Barak and
Clinton, the U.S. President certainly has no interest in exerting
pressure.  The way I see it, the question is a very different one:
Does Israel wish to feel pressured or not?  In my opinion, if any
Israeli government wants to stand up for its interests then it can do
so - especially in light of the current political climate in the U.S."

Regarding Clinton's 1998 written agreement that Israel establish the
breadth of the third withdrawal, Shoval remarked that there is no
reason to assume that Clinton has changed his position.  Shoval added,
 "I remember sitting around the table when Mr. Netanyahu announced
that a third withdrawal would amount to no more than 1% of Judea,
Samaria and Gaza - and President Clinton then clearly declared that it
is up to Israel to determine such issues and that the U.S. would not
interfere in these considerations.  The issue of the third withdrawal
hinges, as I suggested earlier, on the issue of whether or not Israel
wishes to feel pressured."

Asked whether the U.S. administration believes that Israel and the
Palestinians will arrive at an agreement by September on the central
issues of Jerusalem, Yesha communities, and the Palestinian "right of
return," Shoval said: "I think that nobody who truly understands the
essence of these problems believes that they can be solved by
September, or even in this generation, for that matter!  The Americans
understand this.  It could well be that in a final-status deal, the
two sides may agree to disagree on some matters, without turning the
clock back completely;  this would require the Palestinians to commit
to an approach that rejects violence as a means of achieving their
goals..."

5. WHAT ARE PALESTINIAN CHILDREN STUDYING?
Two Israeli researchers - Israel Resource journalist David Bedein and
Palestinian Media Watch Director Itamar Marcus - have just completed a
joint study the Palestinian Authority school system.  They presented
their findings at a joint press conference at the Beit Agron Press
Center yesterday.  Bedein told Arutz-7's Ron Meir that his research
stems from interviews he conducted this winter with Palestinian
Authority Ministry of Education officials in Ramallah. 

"One official told me that between 1967 and 1994, Israel had
interfered with Palestinian education, but that 'now, after Oslo, we
refuse to accept censorship from Israel.'"  Commenting on a new
Palestinian civics course to be introduced this September, Bedein
said, "I got hold of an advanced copy of the curriculum.  It comes
replete with maps of 'Palestine,' and the imperative of building in it
a new Moslem state.  Israel is not even mentioned!  For the
Palestinians, we apparently don't exist..."

Efforts by Israel to introduce materials aimed at promoting
normalization between itself and the PA have proven fruitless.  At the
International Jewish media conference in February, Bedein asked
Minister Shimon Peres about the anti-Israel content in the PA
curriculum.  "Peres began to elaborate on the new curriculum
formulated by his Peace Center for use in the Palestinian schools.  I
countered by pointing out that Arafat had vetoed the curriculum.  He
stepped away from the microphone, said 'you're right,' and continued
his talk..."

The two-part study completed by Itamar Marcus deals with PA Teachers'
Guides.  Marcus writes, "The teachers are instructed to present Israel
as a 'thief' void of legitimacy... to deny Israel's right to exist,
and inculcate hateful opinions regarding Jews, Zionism and the State
of Israel.... The teachers are repeatedly encouraged to indoctrinate
the children to be willing and even eager to fight and destroy Israel
in Jihad [Holy War]."  In a section which studies, in depth, a
12th-grade text entitled "The Contemporary History of the Arabs and
the World," the teacher is directed to convey the following messages
to students:

* Zionism is an example of Nazism, Fascism and Racism
* Zionism endangers Arab society and must be stopped
* The Jews' evil behavior causes anti-Semitic persecution
* Jews welcome their own persecution because it is profitable


*** SPECIAL INSERT: CRUCIAL ROADS 

The government's hold-up in the paving of by-pass roads - and its
implementation of the recent withdrawal despite this - has earned it
strong criticism from leaders and residents in Judea, Samaria, and
Gaza (Yesha). Binyamin Regional Council head Pinchas Wallerstein took
part in a demonstration last week, with protestors holding signs such
as "Withdrawal without life-lines = the forsaking of life."
Wallerstein said, "Barak is carrying out the withdrawal while
endangering the residents, and has thus struck down a principle that
was sacred for Rabin.  Rabin held up the withdrawal from Ramallah
until the by-pass road was ready, because what was important for Rabin
was the completion of the road, not the date written in the
agreement."  Correspondent Haggai Huberman, writing in HaTzofeh,
explained that Rabin took the position of then-O.C. Central Command
Gen. Ilan Biran, against that of then-Foreign Minister Shimon Peres.
Biran said that if Jews were forced to drive through Ramallah,
side-by-side with "Palestinian policemen," he, Biran, "could not take
responsibility for the security."  His threat to resign was well
understood.

In the wake of the Wye agreement, the defense establishment insisted
upon 12 by-pass roads to strengthen the security of Jewish residents
of Yesha. Work on about half of them was started and stopped, while
roadworks never commenced on the others.  Amongst the roads at issue
now are:

* A road bypassing Brukin a-Dikh, for the use of residents of Peduel
and Alei Zahav in western Samaria.  * The Yitma bypass in the
Tapuach-Eli-Rechelim area in northern Binyamin. * A road from Dolev
and Talmonim to Pisgat Ze'ev. * A road to eastern Gush Etzion
circumventing Bethlehem. * Three roads in northern Shomron; one that
will connect Hermesh and Mevo Dotan with the Sharon region; one that
will link Hinanit, Reihan, and Shaked to the Jezreel Valley region;
and a third for Sa-Nur and Homesh, which are surrounded on most sides
by Palestinian-controlled territory. * A road connecting Kedumim with
Yitzhar - a road bypassing southern Shechem that is not included in
the list of Wye roads - has not been completed, despite the fact that
a road within Elon Moreh was destroyed on its behalf.  About 1.5
kilometers of this road passes through area under Palestinian civil
control.  The PA agreed to allow the road's paving, on condition that
the road connecting Elon Moreh to its local yeshivah - discovered to
be on privately-owned Arab land - be demolished.  The internal Elon
Moreh road was destroyed half a year ago, but the Palestinian section
of the road bypassing southern Shechem has not been built to this day.

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