To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, July 11, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, July 11, 2000 / Tammuz 8, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SUMMIT CONVENES
2. BIDDING BARAK FAREWELL
3. ISRAELI MEDIA LASHES OUT AT PM
4. PROTESTS INTENSIFY
5. PSYCHOLOGIST QUESTIONS BARAK'S STAMINA
6. HENDEL TO SUBMIT ANNEXATION BILL
1. SUMMIT CONVENES
The Camp David summit begins today in Washington. Prime Minister Barak's
opening position includes a willingness to relocate to Israel 100,000
displaced Arabs. Barak is also ready to give up on the Jordan Valley and
at least 40 Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha). In
addition, he is prepared to grant the Palestinians certain sovereign powers
in Jerusalem and several Jerusalem neighborhoods; an additional offer
includes the release of all Palestinian terrorists imprisoned in Israel. MK
and former Industry Minister Ran Cohen (Meretz) said on television last
night, "When the full extent of Barak's concessions becomes known, not only
will the Israeli right wing be in shock, but the left will be as well."
As the summit begins, Palestinian delegate Yasser Abed Rabbo says that if
the Prime Minister does not agree to the complete implementation of the
Security Council resolutions relating to a full Israeli withdrawal from
Yesha and for the "right of return" for Palestinians, "nothing will be
achieved either before or after the summit."
Military Intelligence Commander Maj.- Gen. Amos Malka told the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee this morning that should there be a
deterioration of the security situation after the summit, thousands of
Palestinians may well storm Jewish Yesha townships. Malka added that
Arafat is unlikely to sign on an agreement that overtly declares the end of
the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
2. BIDDING BARAK FAREWELL
Prime Minister Barak did not leave Israel last night with much fanfare.
Just prior to his flight, a Knesset majority of 54-52 voted no-confidence
in his government. The opposition fell short of toppling Barak, possible
only through an absolute majority of 61 Knesset members. The United Torah
Judaism party abstained in the vote as did the Shinui party. MK Meir
Porush (UTJ) said on Arutz-7's nightly newsmagazine that were his party's
five votes to have been decisive in reaching the required 61-MK threshold,
UTJ would have voted in favor of the no-confidence motion. The party's
Council of Torah Sages, he said, did not feel it was correct to engage in a
"symbolic rejection of the government," and to thereby halt legislation of
the current Tal Committee bill on yeshiva students and the military draft.
Foreign Minister David Levy, who refused to attend the Camp David summit,
took a stone-faced pose alongside Barak at the start of last night's vote.
Despite the apparent rift that has developed between himself and Barak,
Levy voted against the no-confidence motion.
After the vote, Barak told Israel television: "I wish that we would have
had 75 MKs vote with the government...This was an incidental majority -
several of our people weren't present. What we saw today was simply the
childishness of the opposition."
Likud leader MK Ariel Sharon, on the other hand, revelled in the
opposition's symbolic victory: "Mr. Barak has no majority in the Knesset,
no majority in the government, and no majority in the nation. It is
becoming clearer as time passes that Barak feels he can decide everything
on his own."
Some twenty IDF reserve officers delivered Ehud Barak a letter of support
as he boarded the plane last night. They wished him well, and expressed
their hope that he could secure an agreement "that would once and for all
end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians." One of the reserve
officers, former Tel Aviv Mayor Shlomo Lahat, told Arutz-7 that he has
complete confidence that Barak will return to Israel with an agreement that
will bring peace and not compromise on Israel's security.
3. ISRAELI MEDIA LASHES OUT AT PM
Voice of Israel Radio Director Amnon Nadav complained today that the Prime
Minister's Office is applying heavy pressure on his workers regarding the
manner in which they report on the Israel-PA negotiations. He says that
the pressures have increased of late, in light of an anticipated national
referendum.
In today's Hebrew edition of the left-leaning Ha'aretz, diplomatic
correspondent Aluf Benn launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister
Barak's lack of political savvy and manipulation of the media. Following
is an excerpt from the article:
"The rise and fall of Ehud Barak will yet be learned in political science
forums as a thrilling lesson in the anatomy of a political collapse. Barak
needed only a year to lose his magic, to plunge the state into a serious
constitutional crisis. The Prime Minister claims that 'the people are
sovereign,' ....and that the parties, the Knesset, and cabinet ministers no
longer play an important role in fateful national decisions. Historians
will ask the question who Barak really is: Is he - as his supporters claim
- a synthesis of some flesh and blood messiah and Gulliver - whose vision
was stifled by the shackles of coalition punks? Or perhaps he is an
arrogant whipper-snapper, [bent on making his mark] in history?"
"Barak believes that he has received his mandate from the nation. The
more Barak is ousted from the political system, the more he tries to speak
directly to the nation and in the name of the nation... In his pre-election
campaign commercials, Barak presented himself as a true leader, unlike
Binyamin Netanyahu, who [Barak claimed] 'ruled only on television.'
Barak's [inarticulate style] was even presented as a sign of his
trustworthiness. There is nothing further from the truth! No Prime
Minister before him - not even Netanyahu - made such efforts at
manipulating the electronic media. Barak and his office attempt to
influence the content of programming in every manner possible, from
determining camera angles, through gathering information on [upcoming]
talk-shows, thrusting interviewees supportive to his policies onto TV and
radio spots, and lodging endless complaints against reports and analyses
[by television and radio reporters]."
MK Uzi Landau (Likud) also claims that he has proof that members of the
Prime Minister's office - including Cabinet Secretary Yitzchak Herzog - are
brazenly interfering in broadcasts. MK Landau explained that Barak aides
are exerting pressure on news and program editors and even, in some
instances, have offered bribes. Next week, Landau hopes to convene a
session of the Knesset Audit Committee for an urgent deliberation on the
matter.
4. PROTESTS INTENSIFY
Veteran residents from the Golan Heights, Yesha, and the Jordan Valley
began a hunger strike at noon today outside the Knesset, in protest of
Barak's plans to give away almost all of Judea and Samaria. The strike is
scheduled to last as long as the Camp David summit. Arutz-7's Effie Meir
reports that as of mid-day, 15 people had joined the hunger strike, while
15 others had joined a sit-in. Prof. Eli Pollack of Rechovot's Weizmann
Institute of Science is one of the strikers. "Although I have had to leave
my students for several days, I have joined the strike, because Israel just
cannot continue in the present situation! If everyone asks what he can do
to save the State of Israel, then the country will be saved."
In addition to the strike, thousands of Israelis are expected at a massive
prayer service at the Western Wall in the Old City of Jerusalem at 6 PM
today. Former Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu, as well
as Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, have called upon all citizens to attend
the event. In dozens of places in the Galilee, massive prayer vigils are
also being held.
Yisrael B'Aliyah leader - and until this week Interior Minister - Natan
Sharansky continues to push for a national unity government from his
protest tent across from the Prime Minister's office. The parents of
Israeli MIA Zechariah Baumel paid a solidarity visit to Sharansky there
today. They were accompanied by members of the women's committee of the
International Coalition for Missing Israeli Soldiers. Mr.Yonah Baumel
heads to Camp David this week to protest Barak's agreement to attend the
summit without receiving information on his son or other missing soldiers.
Ha'aretz reports today that residents of the Jordan Valley and the northern
Dead Sea will travel to Camp David to set up a protest tent. The paper
quotes Megilot Regional Council leader Mordechai Dahman - himself a member
of Barak's Labor party - as saying: "Whoever thinks that it is possible to
fool the public is making a big mistake. The public has a good memory.
Ehud Barak is violating his commitments to the residents of the [Jordan]
Valley, the northern Dead Sea [region] and the nation of Israel, and I have
no doubt that the public will make itself heard on voting day."
5. PSYCHOLOGIST QUESTIONS BARAK'S STAMINA
The events of the last week have taken their toll on Prime Minister Barak,
and he begins the summit at a psychological disadvantage. According to Tel
Aviv University Psychology Professor Elchanan Meir, the Prime Minister is
entering talks crucial to the future of the State, overwhelmed with intense
domestic problems.
News Editor Haggai Segal proposed that Prime Minister Barak could easily
deflect the criticism by noting that he has been contemplating such a
summit for over a year now. Prof. Meir: "We all know that someone
preparing for a major event prepares himself right before the big day.
This is true of Bar Mitzvah boys, chess champions, and concert pianists.
Even Clinton has said of late that he is ready to be woken in the middle of
the night and be tested on the geography of the Land of Israel. Let's take
a look at how Prime Minister Barak spent this past week: He was
preoccupied with the doctors' strike; he then spent time revising the
Ben-Bassat tax reform; then six of his ministers left him; over the last
few days, he flew to Jordan and Egypt; then he conducted marathon meetings
in the Knesset. In short, he is arriving in Camp David jet-lagged, and
exhausted both emotionally and physically."
6. HENDEL TO SUBMIT ANNEXATION BILL
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) will submit a bill calling
for the immediate annexation of all Yesha Area C (full Israeli control) in
the event of a unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. MK Hendel
told Arutz-7 today that the goal of his bill is to anchor in law the threat
recently sounded by Prime Minister Barak that he would annex Israeli areas.
Hendel's proposal goes beyond Barak's warning; as opposed to annexing
areas of "settlement blocs," Hendel's law would lead to the annexation of
all lands under Israeli control.
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To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, July 12, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, July 12, 2000 / Tammuz 9, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND OTHER HOLY SITES
2. MAPS OF JERUSALEM WITHDRAWAL
3. PREPARING FOR WAR IN THE P.A.
4. DAVID LEVY MEETS YESHA COUNCIL
5. THE REFERENDUM: MOVING AWAY FROM DEMOCRACY
1. THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND OTHER HOLY SITES
Chief Sephardic Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, who was quoted today in
the Ha'aretz newspaper regarding which holy sites may or may not be
given over to foreign control, issued a clarification this afternoon.
Ha'aretz reported that according to Rabbi Bakshi, holy sites such as
the Machpelah Cave, Rachel's Tomb, and Joseph's Tomb may be given
over, but not the Temple Mount. This afternoon, he issued an
announcement stating that Hevron and environs, "as well as other
cities that are holy to the Jewish nation," must remain under Israeli
sovereignty. "If these holy sites contain a house of prayer for other
religions, their adherents must be allowed to pray there," the
announcement added.
2. MAPS OF JERUSALEM WITHDRAWAL
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that maps have been
drawn up in security circles for a possible withdrawal from Jerusalem.
Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh denies the reports, but Huberman
insists that his information is accurate. Sneh said today that the
Yesha Council's "Brothers Must not be Abandoned" campaign has been
"quite successful - but in any event the government is not planning to
abandon even one settler." Barak is prepared to give away between 80
and 90% of Judea and Samaria, where 40-50,000 Jews reside, at the Camp
David summit; Arafat demands 100% of the territory.
3. PREPARING FOR WAR IN THE P.A.
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that the PA has begun
hoarding food and other necessary supplies. The reason: anticipation
of a Palestinian-initiated military clash with the IDF following the
declaration of a Palestinians state on Sept. 13. The manager of a
flour mill in PA-controlled Gaza reports a present supply of 8,000
tons of flour, and five large aluminum storage containers - each of
which can contain enough flour to supply the entire population of Gaza
for two months - have been ordered. PA hospitals have also been
hoarding emergency medicine supplies.
It has been learned, as well, that PA leaders are supplementing
their electrical system with private generators in the event that Israel
cuts off electricity to the PA. Gaza security chief Muhammad Dahlan,
for instance, has purchased a generator both for his own private home
and for his command headquarters.
The Israeli security establishment is perturbed with the increased
pace of PA training exercises, which include suburban warfare
exercises and drills preparing forces to conquer Yesha settlements.
There has also been a noticeable intensification of reinforcement of
Palestinian paramilitary posts throughout Yesha, and tunnels in Gaza
are also being dug at an unprecedented pace. Foreign consuls in Gaza
have been informed by PA sources that they will not be affected, as
"the fighting, if it occurs, will happen mainly in the northern Gaza
Strip;" the consuls are situated in the south. The IDF believes,
however, that this is misleading, and that PA military forces are
likely to attack Israeli forces in the south and in the Gush Katif
settlements.
4. DAVID LEVY MEETS YESHA COUNCIL
Foreign Minister David Levy met this afternoon at his office with
Yesha Council leaders. Levy was instrumental, as Likud Housing
Minister in the early 1980's, in building and developing much of Judea
and Samaria. He resigned as Foreign Minister under then-Prime
Minister Netanyahu on the backdrop of personal differences and his
criticism of what he felt were Netanyahu's too right-wing positions;
he has now criticized Barak's planned concessions to Arafat. Levy
refused to take part in the Camp David summit, but voted against the
no-confidence motion in Barak two days ago.
5. THE REFERENDUM: MOVING AWAY FROM DEMOCRACY
The use of the referendum process, as proposed for approval of a
possible peace agreement with the Palestinians, represents a further
departure from a democratic form of government. So writes Dr. Dan
Avnon, a Hebrew University political scientist, in an article
appearing in the current issue of the magazine Politika. Dr. Avnon
told Arutz-7 today that Israel's drift towards a more authoritarian
system began with the passing of the Direct Elections law for the
Prime Minister in 1992. "In a stable parliamentary system," Avnon
said, "a referendum would not represent a major threat. But given the
direct elections law, a referendum would lead to the further
decentralization of the popularly-elected Knesset as the heart of the
political system."
Prime Minister Barak's recent declarations that despite his lack of
Knesset support, he was elected by an "overwhelming majority" [56.08%]
of the nation and will take an Israel-PA deal "straight to the people"
are technically correct under the present system, explained Dr. Avnon.
"In my opinion, however, he is working with an internal logic that is
warped and leads to the decline of citizens' confidence in Israel's
parliamentary system as an accurate representation of the net desires
of the nation." In his article, Avnon explains that the interest of
those in an authoritarian regime is to groom a public that is
indifferent to, and alienated from, anything connected with democratic
political participation.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, July 13, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, July 13, 2000 / Tammuz 10, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. JERUSALEM ENDANGERED
2. GUSH KATIF IMPERILED
3. WAR IN THE OFFING?
4. POLICE RALLYING FOR MASSIVE RALLY
5. CHINA UNHAPPY WITH CANCELLATION OF PHALCON DEAL
6. RABBINATE, IDF DENY HA'ARETZ REPORT ON MACHPELAH CAVE
7. HENDEL OFFERS LAND EXCHANGE
1. JERUSALEM ENDANGERED
The Camp David summit marks the first time that an Israeli Prime
Minister is prepared to place Jerusalem on the negotiating table, says
a Likud statement today. "Here is proof that Barak deceived the
public when he pledged that there would be no impingement on the unity
of Jerusalem," the statement said.
The statement came in response to reports such as that in Ha'aretz
today indicating that Barak plans to propose a "relatively high degree
of autonomy" for Arab neighborhoods in Jerusalem, in exchange for the
absorption of the Jewish towns of Ma'aleh Adumim and Givat Ze'ev into
Jerusalem. The paper quotes the former head of Tel Aviv University's
Jaffe Center for Strategic Studies, Joseph Alper, to the effect that
although Barak continues to believe in "united Jerusalem as Israel's
eternal capital," he "understands the importance of Jerusalem for the
three religions and for the Palestinian people." Jerusalem Mayor Ehud
Olmert told Yeshivat Beit Orot supporters last night that Barak may
become the first Jew in history to willingly give up Jewish control
over the Temple Mount.
2. GUSH KATIF IMPERILED
The Camp David summit enters its third day today, but Prime Minister
Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat have not yet met one-on-one. U.S.
officials are apparently concerned that at this point, such a meeting
would end in an impasse. Arafat-confidante MK Ahmed Tibi says that he
has information indicating that Israel and the PA have already agreed
to uproot all residents of the Gaza Jewish communities from their
homes.
Yigal Kirschenzaft of the Gush Katif community of N'vei Dekalim
responded to the above claim by recalling that the communities of Gush
Katif were established by Israeli governments, and that the residents
"have no intention of leaving." Arutz-7's Haggai Segal reminded
Kirschenzaft of the latter's experience as a resident of the Sinai
settlement of Hatzar Adar in 1982, "and you know what happened there
in the end [the town of Yamit and approximately a dozen Jewish
communities were uprooted by the Israeli government to make way for
the peace with Egypt]." Kirschenzaft responded:
"The situation here is different. We have established many yeshivot
and kollels, charitable institutions and the like... Our patriarch
Ya'akov, while preparing to meet his brother Esav, came armed with
'prayer, gifts, and a readiness to do battle.' We are following his
lead. Our 'prayer' was evident this week at the huge vigil [of tens of
thousands] at the Western Wall. Our 'battle' is our determined
efforts to engage in public protests; in the Negev, for instance, we
are working closely with both Chabad and Shas to impact on public
opinion; and the 'gift' is our love for our fellow Jew, both in the
form of charitable institutions and our emphasis on good relations
between neighbors - on both the national and community level..." True
faith in the eternal connection between G-d's people and G-d's land,
Kirschenzaft concluded, is also one of their weapons: "We firmly
believe that we will be here for a long time to come."
3. WAR IN THE OFFING?
A senior IDF intelligence official confirmed yesterday's report of
Palestinian preparations for armed conflict. He said that Yasser
Arafat has instructed his military forces to prepare for a clash with
Israel in the event that the Camp David summit fails. The officer
noted that among other measures, the Palestinians are conducting
practice exercises for attacks on Jewish settlements. IDF officials
have said in the past that they are prepared for such an eventuality,
and that Palestinian civilian "marches" on Jewish towns are to be
treated as "life-endangering."
An announcement by Naif Hawatme's terrorist organization warns the
Palestinians not to make concessions under American or Israeli
pressure at Camp David.
MK Limor Livnat (Likud) is headed to Washington to speak on behalf of
her party's position on the issues being discussed in Camp David.
Others who have arrived in Washington for similar purposes include
Sigal Megidish and Yehudit Dasberg - speaking on behalf of families of
victims of Arab terrorism - and representatives from the Jordan
Valley.
Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, a leading Israeli negotiator
at Camp David, said that the "practical negotiations on the
problematic issues" will begin today.
4. POLICE RALLYING FOR MASSIVE RALLY
The Police Department is prepared for the huge Yesha Council rally
this coming Sunday evening in Tel Aviv. Tel Aviv district police
have promised that the traffic arrangements before and after the
protest are based on the lessons learned after the massive Golan rally
three months ago. The police promise an effective and short
dispersion of the demonstration, and advise those who plan to attend
to use public transportation.
Meanwhile, the number of hunger-strikers in the Rose Garden opposite
the Knesset has increased. A delegation from the Likud, headed by
party leader MK Ariel Sharon, came to visit the strikers yesterday.
The protestors, who include Professors Eli Pollack, Ron Breiman,
Andrei Veisman, and others, as well as Tzvi Slonim, Col. (res.) Gideon
Altshuler, Col. (res.) Yitzchak Kahani, and over a dozen more, vow to
continue until the end of the Camp David summit. Pollack said that
the strikers and their supporters have been treated to a series of
lectures on various topics, such as Jewish Law, Students of the Vilna
Gaon, and more.
Another sit-in, this one of Barak supporters, is being held in Tel
Aviv's Rabin Square. Prime Minister Barak called them last night and
thanked them for their support.
Yisrael B'Aliyah leader and recently-resigned Interior Minister Natan
Sharansky continued to man his protest tent today, in his campaign for
a National Unity government. He took a break this afternoon, however,
to attend his party's Central Committee session, where preparations
for national elections or, alternatively, the party's new role as a
Knesset opposition faction, will be discussed.
5. CHINA UNHAPPY WITH CANCELLATION OF PHALCON DEAL
Heavy pressure on Israel from the U.S. Congress and the Clinton
administration over the past several weeks finally convinced Prime
Minister Barak to inform his American hosts this week that he had
canceled the Phalcon surveillance jet sale to China. The Chinese are
upset with Israel over the cancellation, and a Chinese Foreign
Ministry spokesman in Beijing announced today that China expects that
countries such as Israel will faithfully honor its commitments to his
country. He added that no other country has the right to interfere in
relations between China and another state. Israeli defense industry
officials are also perturbed by the debacle, and fear that the
cancellation of the deal will harm Israeli industry chances while
competing for international defense contracts.
Finance Minister Avraham Shochat said today that no compensation would
be offered the Israel Aircraft Industries for the loss it will suffer
as a result of the negation of the deal. "The industry is strong
enough to overcome the expected losses," according to Shochat.
6. RABBINATE, IDF DENY HA'ARETZ REPORT ON MACHPELAH CAVE
Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi Yisrael Meir Lau said that the Chief Rabbinate
insists that the Machpelah Cave and Joseph's Tomb remain under Israeli
control in any future arrangements with the Palestinians. In a
conversation with Arutz-7 today, Rabbi Lau dismissed yesterday's
report in Ha'aretz, which stated that the rabbis expressed a more
"lenient" opinion on the issue to Barak-aides Oded Eran and Brig.-Gen.
Ya'akov Ohr. Ohr's office, too, denies that the rabbis gave a green
light to an Israeli forfeiture of the Machpelah Cave. According to
Ohr, the rabbis stated that the Jewish people have a historic right to
the cave and the Tomb of Joseph.
Hevron's Jewish community called on the Chief Rabbis to dispatch an
explicit message to this effect to Prime Minister Barak's entourage in
Camp David.
7. HENDEL OFFERS LAND EXCHANGE
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) has proposed that
Israel cede Israeli-Arab towns in the densely-populated areas of "The
Triangle" near Hadera, in exchange for the Israeli annexation of Yesha
settlements. National Union party leader MK Rechavam Ze'evi
reprimanded his colleague for the idea, and MK Benny Elon also
disassociated himself from Hendel's proposal.
The Yesha Council, however, explained that the offer was aimed at
showing the hypocrisy of the Israeli political left, which supports
the uprooting of Jews from their homes, but hesitates to take much
less major steps regarding Israeli Arabs. This morning, Justice
Minister Yossi Beilin said that citizens may not be transferred to
foreign rule without first hearing their view on the matter.
********************************************************************