To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Aug. 1, 2000 / Tammuz 29, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PRESIDENT KATZAV TO BE SWORN IN
2. PERES DEFEAT DEALS BLOW TO THE CLINTONS
3. PRAYERS AGAINST WITHDRAWALS
4. PA PREPARATIONS
5. GOV'T HANGING ON
6. RAMPANT ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION DRIVES PISGAT ZE'EV TO DESPERATE
ACTIONS
1. PRESIDENT KATZAV TO BE SWORN IN
Israel's new President, Moshe Katzav, will be sworn in this evening at
6:30 in a festive ceremony in the Knesset. Recently-resigned Ezer
Weizman will speak at the ceremony as well. Twelve hundred people
have been invited to the event. Katzav has asked Aryeh Shumer to
remain in his post as Director-General of the President's Home for the
time being.
Likud MK Limor Livnat, speaking in the Knesset yesterday, called upon
Prime Minister Barak to "pay attention to the writing on the wall
today... Moshe Katzav's election is the first, but not the last,
price to be paid by the left-wing for turning its back on the Nation
of Israel's sacred values."
2. PERES DEFEAT DEALS BLOW TO THE CLINTONS
Shimon Peres, who lost in his bid to become Israel's President
yesterday, has withdrawn his letter of resignation from the
government, and will continue as Minister of Regional Development.
Peres said this morning that the "continuation of the peace process is
more important to me than my own personal future." He called upon
Prime Minister Barak to quickly complete the final-status agreement
with the Palestinians, "as there will soon be new elections."
Arutz-7 correspondent Yedidya Atlas reports, based on sources close to
both the Clinton Administration and to Hilary Clinton's Senatorial
campaign in New York State, that the Clintons were "shocked and
dismayed" by the news of Shimon Peres' loss yesterday. Both Mr. and
Mrs. Clinton had been relying on a President Peres to promote their
respective agendas, say the sources, including the American plan for
the division of Jerusalem and improving Hilary's lagging support among
Jewish New York voters. Nationalist-camp sources in Israel also
expressed relief that U.S. President Clinton had now lost some of his
leverage in pushing his Jerusalem plan.
Ha'aretz commentator Akiva Eldar terms Peres a "victim of Barak's"
policies, and wrote, "... the ministers of his [Barak's] own party,
who until recently were considered his staunchest loyalists, are now
sharing the same experience as the former Shas ministers. They are
telling each other how 'Ehud ignored/is ignoring their existence,'
revealing to them only secrets that can be found on the front pages of
the newspapers. If Barak rather than Peres had run for president
yesterday in the Knesset in a secret ballot, Katzav would not even
have needed a second round to win."
3. PRAYERS AGAINST WITHDRAWALS
A massive Rosh Chodesh-eve prayer service will be held at the Western
Wall this evening, in light of Barak's plans to withdraw from parts of
Eretz Yisrael and to divide Jerusalem, "as well as other calamities
that have befallen Israel of late." Former Chief Rabbis Shapira and
Eliyahu initiated the service, and Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah
Yosef has announced that he will also take part. A similar prayer
service will take place in Elijah's Cave in Haifa later today.
Hundreds of Lubavitch Hassidim gathered in Kfar Chabad last night, to
rally against any further withdrawals from the Land of Israel.
Lubavitchers around the world were called upon "not to be silent in
the face of the dangerous withdrawals."
4. PA PREPARATIONS
Concern is mounting in Jerusalem over the continued preparations by
the Palestinians for a military clash with Israel - despite recent
assessments that no such clash would erupt in the weeks ahead. Arutz-7
correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that Palestinian hospitals are
now on "high alert." He adds that the IDF is also concerned with the
increased incitement against Yesha residents over the past weeks. A
high-ranking Palestinian official has publicly accused "terrorists of
[the Shomron city] Ariel" of planning to murder local Arabs.
5. GOV'T HANGING ON
The government survived two no-confidence motions yesterday, although
not by much. The National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu faction submitted a
bill to topple the Prime Minister because of what it termed "Barak's
failures in the Camp David talks and his expected consent to the
division of Jerusalem." The bill passed by a 53-48 margin, but did
not receive the required 61 votes to initiate an immediate toppling of
the government and new elections within three months. The Likud's
no-confidence motion ended in a 50-50 stalemate. Prime Minister
Barak's troubles have not ended there, however; Foreign Minister David
Levy, who met with Barak twice today, said afterwards that he will
resign from the government tomorrow if efforts to form a
national-unity government continue not to be seriously made.
The Prime Minister, speaking from the Knesset podium yesterday, said
that "the leader of the Likud" had rejected One Israel overtures to
form a national-unity government. Ariel Sharon himself, who had
spoken earlier, took the lectern once again to refute the charges.
"It's not pleasant to say that the Prime Minister did not speak the
truth, but that is in fact the reality," Sharon said.
Tomorrow, the Knesset will deliberate on Likud MK Silvan Shalom's bill
to dissolve the Knesset and call new elections. Only a preliminary
reading of the bill will be voted on tomorrow, however, and the
Knesset begins its recess next week - such that even if the bill
passes, the government still has three months of "life" before the
Knesset convenes again. The opposition may topple the government even
during the recess, however, if 61 MKs request a mid-recess session for
the holding of a no-confidence motion
MK Shalom therefore said today that if 61 MKs vote in favor of his
bill tomorrow, he will attempt to garner their support for a mid-recess
no-confidence motion. Shalom told Arutz-7 today that he cannot accept
the idea of a national-unity government, because "the Likud simply
does not share sufficient common political ground with a party that is
willing to give away 95% of Yesha, divide Jerusalem, and allow the
entry of tens of thousands of Arabs into Israel."
Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh, considered to be one of Barak's
confidantes, echoed the opposition calls for new elections last night.
He said that if it was impossible "to elect even the statesman Shimon
Peres, then other government projects may also be stonewalled. We
must go to the people, so they can choose what they want." Somewhat
in parallel to Peres' sentiments [in item 2 above], Sneh said, "In the
coming weeks it will be possible to reach accords with the
Palestinians that must be presented to the people, so we must call the
elections now."
6. RAMPANT ILLEGAL CONSTRUCTION DRIVES PISGAT ZE'EV TO DESPERATE
ACTIONS Grave findings about the illegal construction activities
within Israel's Arab sector were revealed in a meeting of the Knesset
Audit Committee today. Police inspectors and the mayors of Lod and
Ramle reported to the committee on the wide scope of illegal
construction, and admitted that practically no effort has been exerted
to enforce the law against offenders. State Comptroller Justice
Eliezer Goldberg told the MKs that the last few years have seen a
significant increase in such violations, and that the illegal
construction is taking place on state-owned land. "We are speaking of
theft, pure and simple," Goldberg said.
Residents of the Jerusalem suburb Pisgat Ze'ev have registered severe
complaints about illegal construction in the nearby Arab village of
Anata, and say that the village has encroached to within dozens of
meters of their homes. "Thefts are commonplace," Uzi Cohen told
Arutz-7 today, "and I am afraid that the situation will soon explode
into real violence." The residents' complaints to the Jerusalem
municipality have not been answered, he said. The residents are
planning, if nothing else works, to stage a well-publicized event in
which they invite Feisal Husseini - the PA's Jerusalem governor - to
solve their problems and possibly even symbolically offer him their
homes for sale.
***********************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, Aug.2, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Av 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. GOVERNMENT ON LAST LEGS
2. BARAK AND THE PUBLIC
3. SHOFAROT AT KOTEL, AND FOR PRESIDENT
4. REPORTS: ARAFAT WILL NOT DECLARE STATE
5. CONFLICTING REPORTS ON GUSH KATIF
6. POLICE CLASH WITH WORSHIPERS
7. LIKUD ON THE MARCH
1. GOVERNMENT ON LAST LEGS
Several more blows were dealt to the sickly Barak coalition today -
and the Likud has already begun making plans to call a special Knesset
session to topple it altogether. The barrage began with Foreign
Minister David Levy's resignation from the government this morning.
The 16-month old alliance between Levy and Ehud Barak came to an end
after Levy said that today's government policies are not those of the
government he joined. "Jerusalem has been divided [by Barak's
promises] in a way that is not reversible," he said, "and we're not
just talking about Arab neighborhoods, but rather the heart of ancient
Jerusalem!" Levy also said that he is not satisfied with the Prime
Minister's efforts to form a national-unity government.
Levy's resignation came after U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright phoned him in an attempt "to save the coalition of Prime
Minister Ehud Barak..." - according to Middle East News Line. The
Zionist Organization of America has listed other examples of what it
calls the Clinton administration's "interference in Israeli affairs,"
including Clinton's Israel Television interview last week in which he
said he might move the American embassy from Tel Aviv to western
Jerusalem; the dispatch of Clinton's top public relations adviser,
James Carville, to Israel to help Ehud Barak's 1999 campaign; help to
Peres' campaign in 1996; and blatant intervention by U.S. Ambassador
Martin Indyk in Knesset votes and other internal matters. Indyk met
yesterday with Levy in an attempt to convince him not to resign.
Shortly after Levy's resignation, the Knesset voted to approve
preliminary readings of five separate resolutions to dissolve the
Knesset - most of them by a margin of 61-48. All five of the bills
received the support of at least 60 MKs. The broad majorities were
enabled after the five MKs of United Torah Judaism decided in mid-vote
to support the resolution. Calls are increasingly being heard from
both sides of the political spectrum for new elections.
The government will now benefit from the upcoming three-month Knesset
recess, which begins tomorrow, and during which further readings of
the dissolution bill will not be introduced. However, 61 MKs may
request a special session for the purpose of raising a no-confidence
motion. Likud leader Ariel Sharon told his fellow MKs that he has
already taken steps to garner the necessary signatures for such a
session.
2. BARAK AND THE PUBLIC
"Barak has begun implementing a policy that is not acceptable to most
of the public," Foreign Minister Levy said this morning, explaining
his decision to resign. Even Tali Lipkin-Shachak - wife of Government
Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shachak and someone known for her strong
left-wing views - agrees. She wrote the following in Ma'ariv today:
"...Anyone who claims that the Knesset is detached from the nation,
and does not reflect the public will, is simply not yet ready - even after
the sound defeat [of Peres] this week - to understand Israeli society,
and to define it based on reality. The Knesset, with all of its
sectarianism, is a true reflection of our society. The right
wing-religious-ethnic front that formed around the candidacy of Katzav
is a front that reflects the Israeli street of today... Anyone who
believes that behind the peace initiatives of this government (?)
stands a broad sector of society... also believes that the majority of
Israeli society supported Shimon Peres..."
All the above stands in stark contrast to the Prime Minister's
repeated insistence that he has the support of most of the country.
"Before my eyes I see the Rabin government," Barak said, "which was
what you like to call 'supported by Arab votes' and which accomplished
great things for the Nation of Israel. We can continue working in
that way... The public is very enthusiastic about the great changes
that we are bringing about."
Likud MK Limor Livnat was particularly happy with the results of the
votes - she sponsored one of them - and said later that the government
"has basically crumbled." When reminded that the situation could
change if Barak uses the next three months to conclude an agreement
with the Palestinians, she said, "It is very dangerous that he is
ignoring the other branch of democracy in Israel - the Knesset."
Likud leader Ariel Sharon also warned Barak against making a "grab" by
signing an agreement during the Knesset recess.
The Yesha Council, too, warns against what it calls the
anti-democratic move of signing an agreement during the Knesset
recess. "There are no black holes in a democracy," stated the
Council.
3. SHOFAROT AT KOTEL, AND FOR PRESIDENT
Over 50,000 people took part in special prayers at the Western Wall
yesterday. The crowd was notably heterogeneous, and was packed with
black-jacket clad hareidi Jews, Chabadniks, Sephardic Jews, and
colored-yarmulked religious-Zionists. Shofarot were sounded during
the service.
At the same time, shofarot were also being sounded at the Knesset in
honor of the swearing-in of President Moshe Katzav. In a speech
sprinkled liberally with quotes from Scriptures and the Jewish
liturgy, Katzav said that he was chosen to instill "peace within our
own home." He said that the Israeli public will be asked within the
next few years to decide fateful questions such as the future of
Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, and the Jordan
Valley. "Are we ready to do so with clear thinking and a sense of
responsibility?" he asked.
Katzav prayed this morning in the home of Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri, and
will attend services tomorrow at the home of Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef. He
will move into the President's Home in Jerusalem only after Tisha
B'Av, in accordance with Jewish law.
4. REPORTS: ARAFAT WILL NOT DECLARE STATE
Latest Israeli security reports are that Yasser Arafat despite his
public statements will not declare a Palestinian state on September
13. Arafat reportedly does not want to endanger his relationship with
the United States, nor has he strong support for the move around the
world. France, Turkey, and other nations have announced that they
will not recognize a Palestinian state that is established without
Israeli consent.
5. CONFLICTING REPORTS ON GUSH KATIF
Prime Minister Ehud Barak turned down a Palestinian offer, during the
Camp David talks, to retain Gush Katif under Israeli sovereignty in
exchange for the transfer of the Negev's Halutza area to the
Palestinian Authority. Haggai Huberman reports in HaTzofeh today that
Barak in principle is against the exchange of territories with the PA.
Contrary to previous reports - which Israeli sources accuse the
Palestinians of spreading - Barak is willing to agree only to the
evacuation of three of the 15 Gush Katif settlements: Netzarim, Kfar
Darom, and Dugit. In exchange for Israel's retention of settlement
blocs in Yesha, the PA demands some 200 square kilometers in the
Israeli areas of Wadi Ara and the Jezre'el Valley, as well as its own
terminals in Ben Gurion International Airport and the Ashdod seaport.
6. POLICE
One of the gates to the Temple Mount was the scene of a major clash
this afternoon between police officers and some 100 Jews who wished to
pray on the Mount. The police were enforcing the Moslem
Waqf-authorized status-quo, according to which Jews may not pray on
the site of the Holy Temple. Today's attempt was organized by Zo
Artzeinu founder Moshe Feiglin, who was arrested in the course of the
incident.
7. LIKUD ON THE MARCH
Close to 240 Likud-sponsored buses are on a solidarity tour today,
travelling through Judea and Samaria, the Jordan Valley, Ma'aleh
Adumim, and Jerusalem. The group's theme is, "We are with the Jordan
Valley and Jerusalem." The event will end with a celebration in
Ma'aleh Adumim in honor of Moshe Katzav's election to the Presidency -
the first time that the Likud has succeeded in fielding a winning
candidate for the top office. Likud Director-General Uri Shani told
Arutz-7 today that his party is ready for new elections "and the
people are excited to start. Phone calls have been flooding in from
people asking how they can help. The only thing is that the entire
nationalist camp must be united, or else we will not win."
**************************************************************
To: arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, Aug. 3, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, August 3, 2000 / Av 2, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK MEETS MUBARAK
2. THE GOVERNMENT THAT WAS
3. LIKUD FLEXES MUSCLES
4. SETTLING IN YESHA
5. IN BRIEF
***SPECIAL INSERT: Interview with Ariel Sharon
1. BARAK MEETS MUBARAK
Prime Minister Ehud Barak met with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak in
Alexandria for several hours today, attempting to convince Mubarak not
to pressure Arafat to remain insistent regarding Jerusalem. The two
leaders did not hold a press conference after their meeting or issue
an announcement. Riki Shushan, a correspondent for Makor Rishon who
accompanied Barak to Egypt, said that Mubarak was not anxious to field
questions about the extent of his involvement in Arafat's strong
stance.
The Americans have similarly been pressuring Mubarak regarding
Arafat. Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said today that
American mediator Dennis Ross will arrive in Israel within a week or
two to renew the final-status talks between Israel and the
Palestinians.
The Alexandria visit took place amidst strong tensions in Barak's One
Israel-Labor party, in the wake of the major defeats the party
suffered this week. The loss of Shimon Peres in the Presidential
election, and yesterday's preliminary votes to dissolve the Knesset,
were the catalysts for last night's faction meeting, at which Barak
exuded strong confidence about the government's future and its
objectives. "We must continue to storm the target," he said, "and
whoever feels that he cannot withstand the pressure, is asked to step
aside." Several leading Labor MKs criticized what they saw as Barak's
failure to recognize the severe state into which the party and the
government have fallen.
To calm the tensions, Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said almost
categorically today that he would not run against Ehud Barak in the
next elections. Ben-Ami has devoted one day a week over the past
months in meeting with the public and building public support.
2. THE GOVERNMENT THAT WAS
Following is a list of Ministers and Deputy-Ministers who have
resigned from the Barak government over the past year: Health Minister
Shlomo Benizri (Shas); Industry and Trade Minister Ran Cohen (Meretz);
Religious Affairs Minister Yitzhak Cohen (Shas); Foreign Minister
David Levy (One Israel-Gesher); Housing and Construction Minister
Yitzchak Levy (NRP); Transportation Minister Yitzchak Mordechai
(Center Party); Agriculture Minister Chaim Oron (Meretz); Education
Minister Yossi Sarid (Meretz); Interior Minister Natan Sharansky
(Yisrael B'Aliyah); Infrastructures Minister Eliyahu Suissa (Shas);
Labor and Social Affairs Minister Eliyahu Yeshai (Shas); Deputy
Religious Affairs Minister Yigal Bibi (NRP); Deputy Finance Minister
Nissim Dahan (Shas); Deputy Education Minister Meshulam Nahari (Shas);
Deputy Immigration Absorption Minister Marina Solodkin (Yisrael
B'Aliyah); Deputy Communications Minister Yitzhak Vaknin (Shas);
Deputy Education Minister Sha'ul Yahalom (NRP).
Former Tourism Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shachak has taken over the
Transportation Ministry, but the other ministries - Health, Industry
and Trade, Religious Affairs, Foreign Ministry, Housing, Agriculture,
Education, Interior, Infrastructures, and Labor - are not under the
supervision of any minister at present. In addition to his role as
Prime Minister and Defense Minister, Ehud Barak has official
jurisdiction over the vacated ministries.
3. LIKUD FLEXES MUSCLES
Some 15,000 Likud supporters gathered in Ma'aleh Adumim last night in
a show of strength for the party. Many of them had spent the day
touring Yesha and the Jordan Valley in solidarity with the residents
there, and ended the day with a celebration of Moshe Katzav's win in
the Presidential race. Likud leader Ariel Sharon rejected once again
the idea of a national-unity government, and promised the crowd that
the Likud would win in the next elections. Excerpts from an interview
he granted Arutz-7 today appear at the end of this report.
The Likud has already begun gathering the signatures of the 61 MKs
required to convene a special mid-recess Knesset session to vote on a
no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister. If such a vote passes, it
would mean the immediate toppling of the government and the holding of
new elections within three months. As the situation stands now, the
bill to dissolve the Knesset will only be acted upon - i.e., debated
by the relevant Knesset committee and returned to the Knesset for
further readings - during the next Knesset session, three months from
now.
4. SETTLING IN YESHA
In light of reports of increasing population in Yesha, Meretz MK Mosi
Raz said that the government must make it clear that whoever relocates
now to Judea and Samaria is doing so at his own financial risk. "The
future of the settlements is uncertain," he said. In response, former
Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy of the NRP wished to reassure
those who are moving now to homes in Yesha - "which were built under
our term of office in the Housing Ministry" - that they may be certain
that there will always be dynamic Jewish life in Judea and Samaria.
The number of Jews living in Yesha increased over the past year by
7.5%.
5. IN BRIEF
The Camp David summit seems to have left a violent taste in the mouths
of many Palestinians. A poll taken of 1,300 Palestinians in Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza after the summit shows that 52% are in favor of
armed attacks against Israeli targets - the highest this figure has
been in six years. Some 63% are in favor of taking an example from
Hizbullah in waging the struggle against Israel...
SPECIAL INSERT: Excerpts from a rare interview granted by Likud
leader Ariel Sharon to Arutz-7's Haggai Segal today:
Arutz-7: [Referring to yesterday's Likud celebrations] Aren't you
celebrating a bit early?
Ariel Sharon: ... We definitely think that the election of Moshe
Katzav as President is a real revolution, a very welcome development,
something that will help increase unity in our nation... Yesterday,
we conducted a mass tour in the Jordan Valley and in other places -
similar to those which we conducted around the country in the campaign
of 1981, when we scored an amazing victory and won 48 Knesset seats.
This was the first of a series of such marches - and it was very
successful - to explain the critical importance of the Jordan Valley,
and to show the public all the things that Barak promised and did not
fulfill - education, health, welfare - there is hardly any area in
which he made a promise and fulfilled it.
A7: He lists the withdrawal from Lebanon as one of his fulfilled
promises...
AS: Yes. Look, this too he did not exactly invent. I can tell you
regarding myself that three years ago I demanded a unilateral
withdrawal - and even further back, in October 1982 [four months after
the beginning of the war in Lebanon] I proposed that we leave Lebanon,
but I then ceased being Defense Minister, such that I could not act on
this... Barak swore that he would not divide Jerusalem, but he
violated his vow and divided Jerusalem, and we heard Foreign Minister
David Levy say clearly in what is practically an official confirmation
that Barak was dividing the very heart of the city. Barak also
violated his promises regarding the Jordan Valley and the return of
Arab refugees, something which no Prime Minister in Israel ever agreed
to. He must therefore be replaced... and we will do so, with a
nationalist government that has Israel's basic national interests at
heart...
A7: The question is when will this happen, because as you know, Ehud
Barak hopes to bring an agreement with the Palestinians before the
election campaign.
AS: Barak is apparently very inexperienced in political matters, and
he thinks that he will be able to sneak something by us...
A7: You mean that he will not succeed?
AS: What do you think, we're going on vacation? We might be sending
our children, or our grandchildren, on vacation, but we ourselves are
not. We are working straight through, and are standing guard. All
his talk about three months [of Knesset recess] in which to work are
meaningless, and we are very much on guard...
A7: Will you submit a no-confidence motion during the three-month
recess?
AS: All our options are open... We will not weaken until we switch
this failing government...
A7: Do you think that a Likud government will be able to stand firmly
on its demands and interests, even at the price of an armed clash with
the Palestinians?
AS: I would advise the present leaders not to threaten their own
people, their own country, with all sorts of scares about war and the
like. I think that Barak made a great error when he went even further
than that and enlisted foreign leaders to explain to the Israeli
public that if it does not give in then there will be terrorism and
war. At such a rate, there will be no end to Arafat's demands,
because they can always threaten us with war! Even now, Arafat
continues to demand, because Barak went to Camp David without clear
and agreed-upon red lines. Arafat, who is much more experienced and
wily in negotiations of this sort, saw right away that he was dealing
with a man without experience and who could easily be pressured. Both
of them came to Camp David with nothing, but at the end, Barak
returned with nothing, while Arafat returned with several promises
from Barak for future concessions...
A7: To what extent would a Likud government be obligated to these
promises?
AS: These promises will not be fulfilled [by us], as Barak himself and
the Americans said that these promises are null and void in light of
the failure of the Camp David summit. The problem is, however, that
Barak will continue to make every effort to reach an agreement...
including further concessions. We will not rest, however, until we
switch this government, and form a nationalist government, with peace
with security, peace for generations, and with a united Jerusalem...
**********************************************************