To: arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Sept. 7, 2000 / Elul 7, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARAFAT STANDS FIRM; NO DEAL
2. NATIONAL-UNITY TALK AGAIN
3. PALESTINIAN THREATENS - AND TEACHES - VIOLENCE
4. SECULAR REVOLUTION IN THE RADIO
1. ARAFAT STANDS FIRM; NO DEAL
The breakthrough that U.S. President Clinton hoped for in his talks with
Yasser Arafat last night did not materialize. Arafat continues to insist
on receiving full control of the Temple Mount and the Old City of
Jerusalem, except for the area now known as the Jewish Quarter. No
Barak-Clinton-Arafat summit is planned for the near future. Clinton has
reportedly not given up, however, and will meet with Arab leaders next week.
Diaspora Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior says that the
Palestinians' denial of the Jewish connection to the Temple Mount raises
his ire. On the other hand, Prime Minister Barak, in his speech to the UN
Millennium Conference last night, for the first time officially recognized
a Palestinian connection with Jerusalem. "We recognize that Jerusalem is
also sacred to Moslems and Christians the world over, and cherished by our
Palestinian neighbors," Barak said, adding, "Jerusalem will remain united
and open to all who love her."
Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami says that even if a solution is
found for Jerusalem, other problems, such as that of the settlements, still
abound. "In the end, I am confident that an agreement will be reached, but
it may come only after another round of fighting," Ben-Ami said.
MK Avraham Burg acknowledged to Arutz-7 today that the Jerusalem issue has
stymied the talks: "There seems to be no way out at present, but I
believe that there will be in the end - just as there will be with the
agreement that we will sign with Syria." Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked him,
"Has Oslo not failed, as there was supposed to be a final-status agreement
within five years, and now seven have passed and no such agreement is in
sight?" Burg responded:
"No, the Oslo process has succeeded in doing things that no one dreamed
would be possible, such as joint patrols, security cooperation, and
more... It has brought many Palestinians out of the cycle of
terrorism. We cannot forget that the Oslo process was delayed by
[Netanyahu's] government, which intentionally delayed it..."
2. NATIONAL-UNITY TALK AGAIN
As if on queue, following the breakdown in talks with the Palestinians, the
option of a national-unity government has again arisen. Most Likud seniors
continue to refuse to consider it; party leader Ariel Sharon asked the
Prime Minister last night to put a stop to rumors originating in Labor
about negotiations on the matter, and Barak agreed. National Union-Yisrael
Beiteinu leader MK Benny Elon, however, says he would support a unity
government if Barak declares "null and void" all previous concessions
offered to Arafat.
3. PALESTINIAN THREATENS - AND TEACHES - VIOLENCE
Equally expected, following the failure to obtain an Israeli-Palestinian
agreement, were the Palestinian threats of violence - and they came. "If
the thieving Israelis continue holding on to our lands, another intifada
awaits them - and worse things as well," said PA secretary Abed El-Rahman
today in a symposium in Gaza. So reports Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman.
Palestinian Media Watch (PMW) reports that the atmosphere in the
Palestinian media hints of imminent war. Incitement to violence and hatred
against Israel and Israelis is becoming increasingly common, and IDF
soldiers are portrayed as murderers and rapists. Israel continues to
appear on children's television shows only as "Greater Palestine" - a woman
announcer points to a map featuring cities such as Jaffa, Haifa, and
Tiberias, and says, "Look how beautiful is our land of Palestine" - and
settlers are termed "dogs." Old clips encouraging street uprisings have
been rebroadcast. PMW also reports that Arab Knesset Member Abdel Malek
Dahamshe appeared on PA television several days ago to say that between the
Israelis and Palestinians now reigns a "cease-fire agreement," and not
"peace."
4. SECULAR REVOLUTION IN THE RADIO
After more than 60 years, Voice of Israel Radio has canceled its daily
Torah-chapter broadcasts. HaTzofeh's Chani Luz reports that Prime Minister
Barak's "secular revolution" has apparently already begun at the Israel
Broadcasting Authority, as other Jewish programming has been canceled as
well: the Friday afternoon "Kabbalat Shabbat" program, which has been
broadcast for over 60 consecutive years, and the traditional Selichot
[Penitential] prayers during the months of Elul prior to the High
Holidays. Although contacted for a response several times over the past
few days, the IBA spokesman has refused to comment on the matter.
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To: arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, Sept. 8,
2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Sept. 8, 2000 / Elul 8, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. MOSLEMS HOLDING FIRM ON JERUSALEM
2. TIME RUNNING OUT
3. ISRAEL'S UNILATERAL OSLO AGREEMENT
1. MOSLEMS HOLDING FIRM ON JERUSALEM
"No Moslem has the right to cede Jerusalem or the holy places." So
said Egyptian Mufti Nasser Vassel last night, joining the recent
chorus of Moslem religious figures and organizations calling on - or
warning - the Palestinian leadership not to give in on Jerusalem.
Vassel, considered to be among the most important religious figures in
the Arab world, said that any such concession is not acceptable under
Moslem law, and that an agreement that includes such a concession in
Jerusalem, or anywhere else in Palestine, is "null and void, and does
not obligate the Arab nation." Speaking in Cairo last night, the
Mufti said that Jerusalem and all of Palestine are "sacred Moslem
property." Mufti Vassel is an Egyptian government employee, and his
remarks are assumed to have been sanctioned by President Mubarak.
Arafat himself said in New York that he is not only the leader of the
Palestinians, but also the Deputy Chairman of the Conference of Moslem
Nations, and that he can therefore not make any concessions on "Islam
holy sites in Jerusalem."
Israelis, too, made clear the Jewish right to Jerusalem. Prime
Minister Barak, at his press conference in New York, said, "Jerusalem
and the Temple Mount are the cornerstones of Jewish identity. I made
it very clear that no Israeli Prime Minister will ever be able to sign
a document that will give up sovereignty on the Temple Mount... When
young Jesus walked around Jerusalem, he did not see mosques or
churches, but only the Holy Temple." Other Israeli officials have
also ruled out any further Israeli concessions in Jerusalem.
2. TIME RUNNING OUT
Yasser Arafat returns to Gaza from New York today, putting an end to
speculation that a dramatic breakthrough might still occur during the
Millennium Conference. Prime Minister Barak evaluates the chances of
reaching a final-status agreement with the Palestinians at 50-50, and
for the first time expressed a willingness to sign a partial agreement
that would not include Jerusalem. Arafat objects to this, and has
even reneged on agreements regarding settlements and refugees that
were reached in Camp David.
3. ISRAEL'S UNILATERAL OSLO AGREEMENT
Douglas J. Feith, a former U.S. deputy assistant secretary of defense,
writes that the Oslo "peace process" was never originally planned by
Israeli leaders to lead to peace - but merely to an end to the
"occupation" by Israel over hundreds of thousands of Palestinians.
Writing in The New Republic, the former Reagan-administration National
Security Council Middle East specialist states:
"...appreciating Oslo's [Israeli] unilateralism helps clarify the
decisions U.S. and Israeli officials now face. Would the United
States and Israel be better served by assuaging Arafat to get his
signature on a "final settlement" agreement with Israel, or not? All
things being equal, it would be better if the Palestinian side
renounced the conflict with Israel formally and promised to keep the
peace--better still if the PA were to keep that promise. But all
things are not equal, for Arafat is demanding a lot for his consent to
a 'final settlement'. So the real choice before Israel and the United
States is this: Should they pay the PA--with East Jerusalem, the
Jordan Valley, the "right of return," and billions of dollars of
aid--to declare independence within the framework of yet another
agreement that, history tells us, the Palestinians won't fulfill and
Israel won't enforce?"
Feith concludes, "To acknowledge that Oslo has failed in its declared
purpose--and that its essence has from the beginning been Israeli
withdrawal, not bilateral peace--is to invite charges that one opposes
peace. Which is why political leaders tend not to say it. Peace, as
any decent person knows, is valuable and worth paying for. But
illusions of peace, like those Oslo has promoted among Israelis and
Americans for the last seven years, are not valuable at all. In fact,
they're worth paying to avoid.
********************************************************
To: arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, Sept. 10, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Sept. 10, 2000 / Elul 10, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. CONTACTS TO CONTINUE
2. PLO TO DELAY STATE DECLARATION
3. GRASS-ROOTS ACTIVITIES
4. "SECULAR REVOLUTION" REVIVES TALK OF UNITY
1. CONTACTS TO CONTINUE
The negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians will
continue over the coming weeks, despite the dead end reached in New
York last week. Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami and Atty.
Gilad Sher will represent Israel in the relatively low-level talks,
and their PA counterparts will be Muhammad Dahlan and Saeb Erekat.
Ben-Ami's announcement of the talks contradicts last night's claims by
official spokesmen of the Prime Minister that further contacts are not
foreseen, but are in line with predictions by Arafat's aides.
Ben-Ami hinted that on the agenda at present is no longer a
final-status, end-of-conflict agreement, but rather a limited
agreement that will leave Jerusalem for later; the Palestinians will
not announce an "end to the conflict," but rather "an end to their
demands on Israel, except for Jerusalem." Arutz-7 correspondent
Haggai Huberman reported today that although Prime Minister Barak is
personally against such an arrangement, and continues to insist on a
conclusive agreement that will put a final end to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict, "there is tremendous internal party
pressure upon him to reach some sort of agreement, even if not a final
one - call it an 'expanded third withdrawal.' The question is whether
Barak will be able to stand up to the pressure emanating from within
his party to do this." Huberman noted that such an agreement will not
have to be approved in a referendum, even though it will involve the
abandonment of 90% of Yesha, major concessions on refugees, and more.
Correspondent Huberman said that we must understand the Palestinian
position as well:
"Arafat, too, is in an awkward spot. He thought that by now he
would be on his way to a state, and that even a violent clash with
Israel could be translated into a diplomatic victory for him in terms
of international support for the new Palestinian state. He also
counted on domestic Israeli pressure against violence, because, as is
known, Israeli sensitivity to casualties is greater than that of the
Palestinians. Witness the events of the Hasmonean Tunnels four years
ago, when we lost 16 soldiers and the Palestinians lost over 100
fighters and civilians - even now, this event is still traumatic for
Israel, but not for the Palestinians... Now however, after Camp
David, the tables have turned for Arafat: Clinton has pointed to him
as the guilty party, and Europe does not support a unilateral
declaration, and even the Israeli public is likely to rally around
Barak even in case of war. Arafat now realizes that a war will not
serve his interests, and neither will a unilateral declaration of a
state."
2. PLO TO DELAY STATE DECLARATION
The PLO Central Council convened today to vote on the postponement of
the declaration of a Palestinian state. In light of the objections of
most of the world to a unilateral declaration, Yasser Arafat will tell
the Council that "another chance should be given for peace with
Israel." The probable next target date for the declaration: Nov. 15.
Council Chairman Sal'im Za'nun says that a date no later than Jan. 1,
2001 must be chosen, for if not, "this will mean the permanent
perpetuation of the autonomy."
Correspondent Huberman reports that Arafat always likes to choose
meaningful dates for his deadlines: Sept. 13, the original date for
the declaration, is the 7th anniversary of the first Rabin-Arafat
handshake on the White House lawn at the signing of the first Oslo
agreement; Nov. 15 will be the 12th anniversary of the PLO's
declaration of a state-in-exile in Algiers; while Jan. 1 is the 35th
anniversary of the first Fatah terrorist attack in 1965.
3. GRASS-ROOTS ACTIVITIES
Pro-Yesha grass-roots activities held this past Friday throughout
Israel included the following:
* In Haifa, "Don't abandon settlements" vigils were held at ten city
intersections;
* In Netanya, a "peace for peace" vigil was conducted at the HaSharon
Shopping Center;
* In Tel Aviv, volunteers held a mid-day vigil at the Rakevet Junction
against Barak's willingness to endanger Yesha settlements;
* In Hevron, Jerusalem and Rehovot residents paid early-morning
solidarity visits.
Other sites of activity included Petach Tikvah, Ashkelon, and Kokhav
Ya'ir; the last, just over the Green Line, is the hometown of Prime
Minister Barak, where a campaign has begun to ask Barak to "lead by
example" and express his willingness to give up his home before asking
settlers to do the same. The activities are organized by Matot Arim -
Cities of Israel (sdym@netvision.net.il).
"Barak is Uprooting Our Heart." This is the slogan of this week's
40,000 Mothers demonstration outside the Prime Minister's Office in
Jerusalem. Nadia Matar, head of the group, says that thousands of
stickers with the slogan will be distributed throughout the country in
the coming days.
4. "SECULAR REVOLUTION" REVIVES TALK OF UNITY
Prime Minister Barak's recent comments in favor of public
transportation on the Sabbath have aroused objections from left-wing
quarters, in and outside of his own party. Officials of Barak's One
Israel party said yesterday that these statements contradict the party
platform's support of a continuation of the status quo on matters of
religion and state. Meimad - One Israel's religious-Zionist
contingent - is also not happy with Barak's intended "secular
revolution." Rabbi Yehuda Gilad, head of the Meimad secretariat,
spoke with Arutz-7 today, and did not deny that his party's government
representative, Diaspora Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior,
might soon vote against the government. "It is still early to say
that for certain," Rabbi Gilad said, "but the party organs will
definitely sit [soon] and discuss our standing within One Israel."
Gilad explained why Barak's "secular revolution" was a concern for
Meimad:
"We agree that several aspects of the church-and-state
relationship in the country need mending, but not in a one-sided,
forceful way; just as we object to religious coercion, we are also
against secular coercion." In answer to a question, he also admitted
that that Barak's diplomatic positions were troubling: "If Barak
brings back an agreement involving the division of Jerusalem, this
will quite likely lead to Meimad's quitting the government."
Prof. Ruth Gavison, former head of Israel's Civil Rights Association,
also had criticism of Barak's "secular revolution," although she has
demands on both sides regarding the deep religious-secular divide in
Israeli society. Speaking with Arutz-7 today, she said,
"I don't believe that enlightenment [in society] can exist or
advance via the ignoring, silencing, or oppressing of a group, even
when that group truly has a worldview that is very deeply against
mine. Part of enlightenment is to accept these groups... I think
that we must reconsider several aspects of religious-secular
relations, but this must be done with consensus, and not *against* one
side such that it has to be wary of what blows the other side might
strike against it. There must be a real feeling of mutual respect
between the sides."
Gavison expressed concern with the fact that Barak's initiative has
found a welcoming ear within a broad sector of the secular public:
"This occurred because they sense a recent intensification of what the
secular public considers to be unreasonable religious demands, but the
bottom line is that this shows an erosion of the feeling that this
problem can be solved by consensus - this itself is the main
problem... What worries me is that the 'politicization' of the
dispute here will make us forget that we have external enemies... it
will make us forget who our enemies are. We must be willing to work
together to thrash out a Jewish solidarity. Each side needs the
other; we must not fight against this fact of life with anger and
resentment, but must rather accept it and use it for our advantage.
We must each feel an obligation to this common boat of ours in which
we sail."
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To: arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2000 / Elul 12, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TEMPLE MOUNT IN THE CENTER
2. FEIGLIN LEADING LEADERSHIP CAMPAIGN
3. IF CONGRESS FORGETS THEE, O JERUSALEM
4. YESHA CONSTRUCTION
1. TEMPLE MOUNT IN THE CENTER
Hawkish comments from Prime Minister Ehud Barak today. "The Israeli
proposals offered at Camp David are no longer valid," he said this
morning, although he denied media reports that he is doing so in order
to enable the Likud to join a national-unity government. "As long as
negotiations with the Palestinians continue, there is no point in
inviting the Likud to join such a government," he said. Barak also
said that his government will not agree to transfer the Temple Mount
to foreign sovereignty: "Two thousand years ago, there was no mosque
or church on the Temple Mount, but only the Jews' Holy Temple... This
holy place is a fundamental anchor of our Zionist and Jewish essence."
Yehuda Etzion, leader of the Chai V'Kayam movement working to increase
Temple Mount awareness, reacted as follows: "We see it as miraculous
how the Temple Mount has become the stick in the spokes of the entire
process. I and my colleagues always knew that the Mount was the
center of everything, but now it is becoming clear that this is the
feeling of many in the nation... On the other hand, we cannot remain
complacent. The strong feelings of Barak and Ben-Ami for the Temple
Mount are not deep-rooted, and we are liable to find ourselves very
soon with some sort of 'creative formula' that will mean the end of
the Israeli presence on the Temple Mount. I call upon all Jews to
show their bonds with the holiest place to the Jewish people and go
there..." Many Halakhic authorities permit Jews to ascend to certain
areas of the Temple Mount after immersing in a mikveh [ritual bath]
and taking other precautions.
2. FEIGLIN LEADING LEADERSHIP CAMPAIGN
Moshe Feiglin and the Jewish Leadership movement are continuing
full-steam ahead in their efforts to create a "leadership of faith"
for Israel. Following a successful convention two weeks ago - in
which 1,000 people, religious and not, participated - Feiglin has set
out on the lecture circuit, while dozens of volunteers are working to
enlist members. The goal of the campaign, as first proposed to
Feiglin by several prominent Likud members a few months ago, is to
register enough new Likud members who will vote for Feiglin as party
head in the party's upcoming primaries. The party head will then
automatically become its Prime Ministerial candidate in the next
national election.
"I run almost every evening to give a talks somewhere else around the
country," Feiglin says. "I am discovering more and more Likud members
who are strong supporters of the idea. We are beginning to train
volunteers who will man booths and register new members. One group in
Ma'aleh Adumim has already taken upon itself to register 1,000 new
members from their town alone." During the Likud's last primaries,
only about 50,000 out of 145,000 eligible voters took part; Ariel
Sharon won with 71% of the vote. Feiglin is therefore hopeful that if
he signs up between 30,000 and 40,000 new voters - sympathizers of his
Zo Artzeinu activist group, new Russian immigrants (who were
well-represented at the convention), religious-Zionist and hareidi
members, and more - he will have the necessary support to reach the
Likud helm.
An article entitled, "Time To Grow Up and Register," by Yoav Sorek,
which will appear in the upcoming edition of Nekudah, succinctly sums
up the purpose of the campaign, from a religious-Zionist perspective:
"We always thought that we could stand on the side and watch, as if
'dreaming,' the fulfillment of our [national-religious] expectations.
that we would always be able to 'judge favorably,' to be a bridge, but
never to take actual responsibility; we thought that the re-joining of
Israel to its tradition and Torah would happen by itself, without us
having to dirty our hands in even only a cultural war. [T]he chief
mission faced now by the religious-nationalist camp is to 'dare to
lead.' This itself - the willingness to take responsibility, to lead
this nation [and the] Zionist enterprise - is what is required. Moshe
Feiglin has laid the first brick in the revolution of our
religious-communal thinking, has taken the first step out of our
frozenness. Will we wake up? Will we be with him?"
3. IF CONGRESS FORGETS THEE, O JERUSALEM
At least some U.S. Congressmen have not forgotten their government's
pledge to move the American Embassy in Israel to Jerusalem. Cong. Jim
Saxton of New Jersey announced yesterday that he had written a letter,
which was signed by 22 other House members of both parties, calling on
Pres. Clinton to carry out the Jerusalem Embassy Act of 1995. Clinton
has pushed off the implementation of the Act several times, including
last summer, by invoking the waiver privilege granted him.
Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson notes, however, that the waiver privilege
has been widely misunderstood, and its usage by the President does not
mean that the law is being followed: "One clause of the Embassy Act
stipulates that the government may not spend more than 50% of its
budgeted funding on American buildings abroad if preparations are not
made for the transfer of the Embassy to Jerusalem - and it is this
clause that may be waived by the President if he deems it necessary
for U.S. national security interests. The rest of the law, however,
which demands the transfer of the Embassy, remains in effect, even
when the President invokes the waiver clause every six months, as is
his right."
The Congressmen's letter relates to Clinton's recent comments on
Israel Television regarding the embassy: "You remarked, 'You know, I
have always wanted to move our embassy to West Jerusalem [ed. note:
sic]. We have designated a site there... But in light of what has
happened, I've taken that decision under review... [Moving the
embassy to Jerusalem would be] the right thing to do.' Mr. President,
we agree that it would be the right thing to do... We urge you to act
on your recent statements and move our embassy to Jerusalem as soon as
possible." Signing the letter were Reps. Rick Lazio (R-NY), who is
running for the Senate in New York against Hilary Clinton, Howard
Berman (D- CA), a senior member of the International Relations
Committee, and others.
4. YESHA CONSTRUCTION
A new wave of construction has taken over Yesha - at least according
to Peace Now. Basing himself on Housing Ministry statistics, Peace
Now leader and Meretz MK Mosi Raz claims that more homes have been
built in Judea and Samaria during the 16 months of the Barak
government than during the last two years of the Netanyahu government.
The first half of the year 2000 registered 1,067 building starts, as
opposed to 545 during the same period last year, Raz claimed.
Yesha Council officials dispute the figures and their significance.
The Council notes that most of the new construction is taking place in
areas that will remain under Israeli sovereignty if an agreement with
the Palestinians is signed. Efrat Mayor Eitan Golan told Arutz-7, "Not
only is it a bit early to rejoice - there is no joy at all. The
statistics take into account all sorts of requests for building
permits, but the facts on the ground are that during this year there
have been only 60 building starts in Efrat, while last year there were
160. We have hundreds of outstanding requests for new building that
have not been answered."
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