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To:            arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News Brief:  Friday, Sept. 29, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Sept. 29, 2000 / Elul 29, 5760
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:

   1. PALESTINIAN POLICEMAN MURDERS ISRAELI JOINT-PATROL COLLEAGUE
   2. ARABS ATTACK JEWISH WORSHIPPERS AT WESTERN WALL
   3. THE REWARDS OF TERRORISM
   4. YESHA POPULATION UP
   5. WAVING THE FLAG

1. PALESTINIAN POLICEMAN MURDERS ISRAELI JOINT-PATROL COLLEAGUE
Another Israeli - a Border Guard policeman - has been killed at the hands of a Palestinian Authority terrorist, the second in the past two days.  Close to 8 AM this morning, a Palestinian para-military policeman walked up to a jeep in which were sitting Israeli troops with whom he was serving in a joint patrol.  The killer, screaming "Allah is Great!," shot into the jeep, killing one of the Israeli policemen.  A second Israeli Border Guard policeman is in light-to-moderate condition.  A closure has been instated on the Palestinian Authority city of Kalkilye, not far from
Kfar Saba, and the joint patrols - an Oslo Accord mechanism under which Israeli and PA jeeps patrol together - have been suspended.

The Palestinian Authority, which arrested the murderer and is questioning him, claims that he was mentally unstable and that the Israelis taunted him.  Israeli military sources rejected this "routine" explanation, and said that there had been no Israeli instigation or any reason for the shooting.  Brig.-Gen. (res.) Herzl Gedz, who formerly headed the autonomy liaison administration, said today, "The Palestinian Authority's entire right to exist is based on its willingness to cooperate with Israel - not only in terms of security, but in every area."

"In Gaza, Palestinian soldiers cock their guns at their Israeli soldiers almost every day for trivial reasons, while in Kalkilye this has not been the case," said Border Guard police chief Yitzchak Dadon, "and this is why this was so surprising."  He could not point to a specific terrorist attack that had been prevented by the joint patrols, and said that he personally is against the renewal of the patrols.  Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA notes that similar joint patrols are a key security component in the proposals for major Israeli withdrawals in a final agreement.  "We must take careful note of the recent increase of Palestinian violence," Dadon said, "both verbal and physical.  Yesterday, at the Temple Mount, Border Guard policemen were standing guard, doing nothing, and whoever wanted to came and threw objects at them..."

The Yesha Council's response to the joint-patrol murder:

"The fact that Palestinian police have been involved in both fatal attacks of the past days proves that Arafat never abandoned terrorism and is not a true partner in peace.  The talks with Arafat must be stopped, and the IDF should be instructed to behave towards the Palestinian police as an all-out terrorist organization."

Nadia Matar of Women in Green responded to today's murder:

"We demand that the government repent, and cease all security cooperation with Arafat and his murderers.  This situation was brought upon us by the Oslo Accords, in the framework of which the government provided the PA with the rifles with which the Israeli policeman was likely murdered today - and now Barak is left merely to 'condemn' the killing...  May this new year of 5761 see the end of Oslo - and the Hebrew rendition of 5761 is an acronym for this."

2. ARABS ATTACK JEWISH WORSHIPPERS AT WESTERN WALL
Dozens of Arabs, following their prayers on the Temple Mount today, hurled rocks and other objects at Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall below.  Israeli policemen swiftly repelled the attackers using rubber bullets, and over 60 of the Arab attackers were injured; two or three were reportedly killed.  Some 20 Israeli policemen and civilians were injured and evacuated to hospitals.  Jerusalem Police Chief Ya'ir Yitzchaki was rendered unconscious by an Arab-thrown stone to his head, and was taken to the hospital for treatment.  Arabs also threw stones at Israeli ambulances that arrived on the scene, injuring at least one person, and preventing treatment from being offered to other victims.

3. THE REWARDS OF TERRORISM
Sgt. David Biri, victim of a Palestinian remote-controlled roadside-bomb attack in Gaza two days ago, was buried this morning in Jerusalem.  Another roadside bomb was detonated in Gaza yesterday evening, halfway between Kibbutz Nachal Oz and the Erez Checkpoint [at the north-eastern tip of the Gaza Strip]; it missed the army jeep that it had targeted, and no one was hurt.

Minister Amnon Lipkin-Shachak, a former IDF Chief of Staff, said today, "In the end, Netzarim will be evacuated anyway - as will 20% of Yesha towns and people.  The entrances to Netzarim are hard to protect, and there is therefore no choice but to evacuate it."  The Yesha Council and Netzarim residents condemned these remarks, as well as similar calls by Meretz, saying that they represent "a reward for terrorism."

Other Palestinian notes:

Shomron Regional Council head Bentzy Lieberman was prevented by Palestinian police from entering the city of Jenin yesterday, in blatant violation of the Oslo Agreements...

Haggai Huberman reports that the salinity of Gush Katif water supplies will rise still more, following the drilling-start for another Palestinian well adjacent to Gush Katif.  The quality of drinking water in the area has dropped steadily since the signing of the Oslo Agreements...

Israeli-Arab MKs were among the instigators of yesterday's violence at the Temple Mount during the Likud Knesset Members' visit.  "Murderers of Palestinians!" and "This is not your Temple Mount" were among the shouts heard from the Arab MKs...

4. YESHA POPULATION UP
The Jewish population of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza is now more than twice what it was when the Oslo agreement was signed, seven years ago.  Some 210,000 people now live in Yesha communities.  Gush Etzion's Nokdim, for instance, has grown from 35 families to 150 since the Oslo agreement, while Netzarim has 70 families, up from 25.

Other statistics:  Otniel, south of Hevron, boasts 100 families, Ofrah - 500, and Beit El has over 800.

5. WAVING THE FLAG
Is it legal to wave an Israeli flag on the Temple Mount?  This is the judicial question occupying the Justices of the Supreme Court and the State Prosecution today, following yesterday's hearing in the latest Noam Federman case.  Federman is appealing rulings by Jerusalem courts that forbade him from entering the Temple Mount after he was caught waving an Israeli flag there.  The Prosecution announced yesterday that it would no longer insist on banning Federman's entry to the Mount - as long as he does not wave an Israeli flag; Federman agreed to abide by this compromise until after the judicial issues involved are clarified.

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To:            arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Monday, October 2, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, Oct. 2, 2000 / Tishrei 3, 5761
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. MORE ISRAELI VICTIMS
   2. RIOTING SPREADS TO ISRAELI-ARABS
   3. FLASH-POINTS
   4. YESHA AND TRAFFIC
   5. DOMESTIC POLITICAL RESPONSES
   6. THE PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT THAT PRECEDED THE WAVE

1. MORE ISRAELI VICTIMS
An Israeli man was shot and mortally wounded this afternoon outside Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem.  Earlier, a 24-year-old Ashdod man, a new immigrant to Israel, was shot and killed by Palestinian terrorists this morning in the northern Shomron, while waiting for his car to be serviced in a local Arab-run garage.  He was the third Israeli to be killed at the hands of Palestinians since the beginning of the current wave of battles.

The number of Palestinians killed has reached some three dozen, not including three Israeli-Arabs who were killed in the course of violent demonstrations in Um el-Fahm and Nazareth.  Prime Minister Barak has blamed Yasser Arafat for the bloodbath of the last few days, but stressed that he intends to continue the diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians.  "It is too early to eulogize the diplomatic process," he said.

Army sources are "fuming" at the political echelons for not allowing them to respond more forcefully against the rioters.  Yesha Council leader Shlomo Filber said that even simple administrative sanctions against the Arab residents are not being implemented, such as limitations on Palestinian traffic and the shutting off of electricity.

The rioting and violence were not confined to Yesha (Judea, Samaria, and Gaza), and reached many Israeli areas such as Jaffa, Jerusalem,  Negev, Galilee, the Triangle (between Afula and Hadera), and even Acre.  Major rioting occurred in Jaffa and Um el-Fahm.

The PA announced early today that it would agree to a ceasefire under certain conditions; Israel greeted the statement by declaring that Israel is not initiating the violence, and that the Palestinians merely have to stop shooting in order for the hostilities to cease.

Following today's Cabinet meeting, a statement was released relating to both the Israeli-Arab-instigated violence and that started by the PA.  Regarding the former, the statement said, "The Government believes that the vast majority of the Israeli Arab population strives for integration and involvement in Israeli society and peaceful coexistence, and that it is unfortunate that extreme elements within this sector are attempting to incite towards extremism. We call on this sector to show restraint. A special cabinet meeting will be convened to discuss approval of a long-term annual program to benefit the Arab sector, including comprehensive discussion regarding the problems and plight of the Arab and Bedouin sectors in Israel."

The statement then turned to the Palestinian Authority and called upon it "and its leadership to take unequivocal measures to put an end to the riots and violations of public order. We regret the fact that Palestinians were injured as a result of the need to respond to the conduct of the Palestinian Authority and its policemen. The Government holds the Palestinian Authority responsible for the escalation of violence and the riots...  The government will continue its efforts to reach a settlement with our Palestinian neighbors."

2. RIOTING SPREADS TO ISRAELI-ARABS
After a relatively quiet morning, rioting was renewed early this afternoon in several locations on both sides of the "Green Line."  For the first time in 30 years, rioting took place in the Old City of Acre.  Intensive stone-throwing resumed at Beit Rimon, near Nazareth, where the road to Tel Adashim was therefore closed.  Rioting resumed during the funeral of the Arab demonstrator in Um-El Fahm, preceded by the torching of groves near the city by Arab arsonists.  The nearby highway - the main route leading from the Galilee, Afula, and the Kinneret-Golan region to central Israel - was again closed.

The road near the coastal town of Zikhron Ya'akov was also sealed because of a barrage of stones thrown by Israeli-Arabs in the vicinity.  Hundreds of Arabs rioted today at an industrial park in Rosh Ha'ayin, adjacent to the Israel-Arab town of Kfar Kassem.  They blocked the road, and stoned and torched Jewish cars there.  A police commander was lightly injured by rocks when police chased the rioters back into their village.

MK Yisrael Katz (Likud) today urged the government to impose closures on all Arab villages responsible for igniting the riots.  "Ehud Barak continues to ignore evidence of the rising extremism characteristic of the Islamic movement and the Israeli-Arab leadership and its role in the riots," said Katz.  National Religious Party MK Sha'ul Yahalom today challenged Israel's Arab citizens to decide "whether you are for us or our enemies."  Shinui leader MK Yosef (Tommy) Lapid also called on Israeli-Arabs to put an end to their violence.

The police detained some 100 Arabs who participated in the violent riots in Jerusalem and in Israeli-Arab villages.  Police Chief Yehuda Wilk asserted today that the police would not settle for enforcing the law only on the rioters, but would bring the inciters and organizers to justice as well.

3. FLASH-POINTS
Riots flared up in Netzarim today, and the army brought in battle helicopters.  Earlier, a would-be Arab infiltrator into an IDF base near Netzarim was shot and wounded.  Meanwhile, two firebombs were tossed at troops at the IDF base in Kfar Darom in Gaza, while an Arab mob tried to break into the industrial park in Gush Katif this afternoon.  IDF forces successfully repelled them.  Nearby, Arab snipers fired on an IDF patrol traveling between Khan Yunis and N'vei Dekalim.  No injuries have been reported in the above attacks. In the Jerusalem region, the Givat Ze'ev-Atarot road remained closed this morning.

In Hevron, shots were fired on Israeli army targets, following the hurling of firebombs and rocks.  Arabs also fired shots on two civilian buses outside Shilo, and there is intermittent shooting on
the Binyamin town of Psagot, which borders on the PA town of El-Bireh.  Residents of Psagot have been asked to remain in their homes.  Disturbances were registered at Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem and Gaza. Heavy rock-throwing is occurring this afternoon on the Ma'aleh Adumim-Jerusalem road; one driver lost control of his vehicle as a result, and he and his six passengers were injured.

Last night, shots were fired by a passing car towards the front gate of Shavei Shomron, a Jewish town west of Shechem; no one was hurt.  Hundreds of Arabs attempted to take over the Sa-Nur army base north of Shechem last night, but were repelled by the soldiers; a tank was brought in for the defense efforts.  Also in the Shomron, a battle took place on the Har Brachah entrance road - over a kilometer away from the community itself - when a mob of Arabs attempted to storm the area.  Among the four Arabs killed there was the son of the Palestinian Authority ruler of Shechem.

The government's coordinator in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, Yaakov Mendy-Orr, today warned the Palestinians that the army has "lost its patience" with them.  He said that if the riots continue for even a few more hours, the situation will seriously escalate - "because the IDF will no longer be able to exercise the same restraint."  According to Orr, many Palestinians owe their lives to the restraint shown by the army to date.

Gush Etzion was relatively quiet all morning, but the picture began changing in the early afternoon.  Riots began at Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, and cars on the Tekoa-Jerusalem road were shot at; the road was soon closed.  Other roads in Gush Etzion are open, but further south, some roads are closed.  The entire Jerusalem-Hevron road (running through Gush Etzion) may be closed tonight, depending on the developments.

4. YESHA AND TRAFFIC
Traffic resumed this morning for most of the Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, but will apparently stop again by nightfall.  IDF sources said that in light of the renewal of violence, it was likely that many Yesha towns would again be cut off this evening and tonight.  In several locations, only army-chaperoned convoys of cars were being permitted to drive to and from the towns.  Last night, people traveling to and from Netzarim did so with the help of army helicopters.

Kedumim Mayor Daniella Weiss protested the fact that from many Yesha towns, residents were allowed to travel only in convoys.  "Here in Kedumim, we did not listen to this order," she said.  "We did not wait for the accompanying army jeep, but rather opened the barriers ourselves and traveled freely.  We came here to build a 'free nation in our land,' no more ghettos.  Convoys are merely an invitation to snipers."

The Yesha Council today strongly condemned the army's decision to limit the movement of Jewish traffic throughout Yesha.  Calling it a "hasty move,"  the Council pointed out that the army  permitted Palestinian motorists to drive freely on roads throughout Yesha.  In related news, Arutz-7's Haggai Huberman reports that the land corridor between Gaza and Judea/Samaria, known as the "Free Passage," continued to operate today.  Palestinian laborers from Arafat-controlled PLO territory were also permitted to cross the Green Line from the autonomy.

Yesha Council leaders will meet with O.C. Central Command Maj.-Gen. Yitzchak Eitan at 7 PM tonight.   Council officials have also asked to meet with Prime Minister Ehud Barak; the leaders called on Barak not to capitulate further to Arafat, noting that "any concession to the Palestinians will encourage Arafat to turn the violence of the this weekend into a normative strategy."

In the course of the Rosh Hashanah holiday, Yesha communities set up command centers, and are preparing for the continuation of the riots.  Since Friday night, security has been beefed up in the settlements, and the IDF has been in regular contact with community heads and their security officers.

IDF tanks are stationed at bases overlooking towns expected to host the most intense violence, such as the approach roads to Shechem, the Ayosh junction (south of Beit El), and the roads to Netzarim. Correspondent Huberman notes that the IDF did not make serious use of its tanks and attack helicopters.  An army spokesman confirmed this in an interview with Voice of Israel radio this afternoon, when he said that the helicopters were summoned to deter the violence, and not to actually fire on the rioters.

5. DOMESTIC POLITICAL RESPONSES
Responses have been steadily flowing in from vacationing opposition Knesset members.  MK Yehoshua Matza (Likud) has called on Ehud Barak to begin serious discussions with the Likud with the goal of establishing a National Unity Government.  Matza said that even though from a purely political perspective, his party would prefer new elections, "a sense of national responsibility guides us."

Shas leader MK Eli Yeshai says that the riots are prompting him to re-evaluate his understanding of Yasser Arafat's commitment to a true peace between Israel and the Palestinians.  By order of Shas spiritual leader Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, all Shas schools dedicated a special hour of their studies today to the safety of IDF soldiers.

Peace Now leader Gabi Lasky said today that her organization still believes in the Oslo process, and that she is still certain that the only way to achieve peace is to reach an agreement with the
Palestinians. "I condemn the events of the past days, as well as the lack of sensitivity of Ariel Sharon, but the only way to reach peace, is to continue with Oslo," she said.  "I have not heard any alternative from those who don't support Oslo...  Any agreement of course will have to include proper measures for the preservation of Israel's security."

Likud MK Danny Naveh decried accusations emanating from the left wing of the political spectrum blaming Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount for the violence.  "This is an 'exile' mentality of always blaming ourselves whenever our enemies want to prevent a Jew from exercising some right or another," he said.

6. THE PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT THAT PRECEDED THE WAVE
Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch said that the wave of violence "should not have surprised anyone who has been following the Palestinian media."  He said that similar scenes of violence are constantly screened on Palestinian television "in between movies and shows.  They show a few seconds of intifada violence, together with narrated incitement.  This is how the PA wishes to inculcate its residents."

More samples of Palestinian hatred and incitement that cannot be divorced from the Rosh HaShanah violence:

"This Mosque [El Aksa] will not be liberated until Jihad will be declared by a trusted authority...  I call all the Muslims to work for this purpose." - from a Friday sermon on the Temple Mount, Friday, Sept. 29, 2000.

"There is no alternative but to destroy Israel" blares the title page of a new 6th-grade textbook in the Palestinian Authority, while the back cover features, "The Jewish claim to Palestine is the greatest lie known to humanity."  Volume 2 of the same set states, "Perhaps Allah brought the Jews to our land in order to annihilate them, as during their war against Rome."

"The dead shall not rise until the Palestinians shall kill the Jews. All agreements with Israel are provisional." (a Friday sermon screened on PLO television, July 28 and  August 11, 2000).  Another Temple Mount sermon, from Sep. 8 of this year, stated, "Palestine - the holy Moslem land - is indivisible, whether in Haifa, Nablus, Jerusalem or Nazareth. It would be treacherous to concede any part of Palestine."

"Oslo is a foot in the door, rather than a permanent peace accord, until the revolution attains its 1965 goal [from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean]," claimed PLO Cabinet Member Shahin (quoted in Al-Ayam, May 30, 2000).

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