HHMI Newsgroup Archives
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News:
Thursday, October 5, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Oct. 5, 2000 / Tishrei 6, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. VIOLENCE LAST NIGHT, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
2. ARAFAT DIDN'T SIGN
3. LET'S TALK UNITY
4. MERIDOR STANDS RIGHT
5. CLOSING ROADS - INSTEAD OF OPENING THEM
6. IN BRIEF
1. VIOLENCE LAST NIGHT, TODAY, AND TOMORROW
The ceasefire promised by Arafat in the Rosh HaShanah Arab
Assault
does not seem to be holding - and a Tanzim leader said today that
a
decision has been made to "militarily clash" with the
IDF in a
Palestinian city tomorrow. Fatah leaders have called on
their members
to arrive and demonstrate at the mosque on the Temple Mount
tomorrow.
An Israeli from Tiberias was moderately injured late this
afternoon
when he was attacked by an Israeli-Arab mob near Beit Rimon; the
Arabs
shot on his car and threw rocks at him. Heavy fire is being
exchanged
outside Netzarim, after Arabs resumed their assault on Israeli
troops
there this afternoon. Two Arabs were shot and killed while
climbing
the roof of an Israeli outpost at the Netzarim Junction.
The Arabs
have stationed ambulances - which they know will not be targeted
by
the Israelis - at the site, but have been seen removing
ready-made
firebombs from the ambulances and throwing them in the direction
of
the Israelis.
Shots were also fired on IDF soldiers in Kalkilye, as well as on
Hevron's Beit HaShishah; one of the bullets penetrated a room in
a
home there. The wave of Arab-ignited blazes continued with
new cases
of arson in the north this afternoon, and to date has claimed
some
9,000 dunams of Israeli landscape.
At least 23 rock-throwing incidents were registered in the towns
of
Ramle and Lod in the past 30 hours.
Last night:
Shots were fired at the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo;
at
least one bullet penetrated a home, but no one was injured.
A resident there said this was not the first shooting there,
"but only
the first one that actually hit..."
Heavy exchanges of fire were registered at Psagot and Joseph's
Tomb in
Shechem...
Shots were fired at Kiryat Arba and Jewish homes in Hevron, as
well as
at Dugit, N'vei Dekalim, and Morag in Gush Katif...
Travel to and from Netzarim is only via helicopter; the commander
of
the IDF brigade in northern Gaza told Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler that
he
hopes that within days, land transportation to Netzarim will go
back
to normal; "if not, then sooner or later, we will open the
roads..."
Earlier today, the IDF took in-the-field measures for the
"cease-fire:" It withdrew its forces from the
Ayosh Junction - within
Israeli-controlled territory, immediately north of Ramallah -
which
was the scene of several intense battles over the past few days,
and
closed it to Israeli traffic. Beit El residents, who
normally use the
Israeli-controlled intersection to drive to and from home, are
being
routed through a nearby army camp instead. After Israeli
and
Palestinian officers met today to discuss ceasefire arrangements,
IDF
tanks were also withdrawn from other recent battle zones, such as
Psagot, Netzarim, the Bethlehem region, and N'vei Dekalim.
2. ARAFAT DIDN'T SIGN
A frustrated and somewhat humiliated Israeli delegation returned
home
this morning from Paris, after Yasser Arafat did not show up for
the
signing of the cease-fire agreement on which the Americans,
Israelis,
and Palestinians worked all night. Arafat continues to
demand the
establishment of an international commission of inquiry about the
past
week's violence.
Upon his return to Israel, Prime Minister Barak reported to his
Cabinet that despite the lack of an agreement, Arafat had
"unequivocally committed himself, to the U.S., to halt the
disturbances on the Palestinian side, including shooting by the
Tanzim
and Palestinian policemen at IDF forces." [The Tanzim
is a
quasi-military Fatah militia whose members, all of whom were
imprisoned by Israel in the intifada, initiate and organize
confrontations against Israel, not solely controlled by Arafat.]
Barak also said, "We have witnessed during the past days
hundreds of
[Palestinian] violations of all the agreements which have been
signed
with them, starting with the existence of armed militias and
ending in
the use of live fire... It is not clear whether we in fact
have a
partner for peace [in Arafat], and unfortunately, the time has
not yet
come for us to beat our swords into plowshares."
Makor Rishon correspondent Riki Shushan, who accompanied Barak to
Paris and back, reported afterwards, "This was a very
humiliating
night for Barak - no one ever humiliated him like [French
President]
Chirac and Arafat did last night. Immediately after word of
an
agreement was released in the U.S. Embassy in the middle of the
night,
Arafat walked out in anger, saying, 'You're not respecting me!'
Albright ran after him, begging him to stay, just like little
kids -
it was unbelievable. Arafat didn't stop, so then Albright
ordered the
gates locked so that he would not be able to get out!
Later, after
everyone had left, they then returned again to the Embassy, where
they
were all supposed to sign the agreement - they were all standing
around waiting for Arafat, but it turned out that he simply
decided
not to show up! This was a big slap in the face for
Albright and the
U.S. Chirac and Arafat worked together against the
Americans and
Israelis." Barak security-aide Danny Yatom confirmed
that Chirac had
worked to convince Arafat to stand firm in his demands for an
international investigation.
Yasser Arafat and U.S. Secretary of State Albright met in Sharm
a-Sheikh with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak today - without
Prime
Minister Barak. No "breakthrough" was
reported. Albright has
transmitted an invitation to all the negotiating teams to arrive
in
Washington next Tuesday.
3. LET'S TALK UNITY
Talk of an emergency national-unity government is once again the
order
of the day, and Prime Minister Barak is likely to initiate the
idea
within a few weeks. A senior Prime Ministerial aide said
that the
idea would be actualized if it becomes clear that Israel has no
partner for peace.
The proposal was first raised today by Communications Minister
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, and was soon seconded by Shas leader Eli
Yeshai,
MK Michael Kleiner (Herut), Likud members - and even President
Moshe
Katzav. Opposition leader Ariel Sharon has not committed
himself one
way or another, saying today that though he has been briefed
continually by Barak, they did not discuss political
options. Sharon
said he would back Barak for as long as he stands firm against
the
Palestinian violence.
The opposition parties have agreed to work together regarding the
possibility of a national-unity government. During a
meeting of
opposition representatives this afternoon, each party agreed to
inform
the others in the event that One Israel invites it to join such a
government, but they did not commit themselves to take a
unanimous
course of action in such a case. National Religious Party
MK Sha'ul
Yahalom said that his party would be likely to accept such an
invitation, on condition that the diplomatic process changes and
the
secular revolution is put to rest.
One Israel MK Avi Yechezkel explained to Arutz-7 today what he
felt
would be the agenda of such a unity government: "If
there is even a
slight possibility for a peace agreement, then let Barak - we'll
assume he'll still be Prime Minister - try to reach that
agreement.
But if it turns out that there is no such chance, then let's turn
our
joint attention to a new agenda - social, civil, settlement - and
solve the problems that we have here at home..."
4. MERIDOR STANDS RIGHT
MK Dan Meridor (Center party), Chairman of the Knesset Foreign
Affairs
and Defense Committee, was harshly critical today of Prime
Minister
Barak's decision to negotiate with Arafat in Paris while shooting
was
still going on. The former Likud member said:
"The Palestinians must be made to pay a price for their
violence...
We must not hold talks at all with them when they make a
changeover
from the negotiating table to street violence... We have
now moved to
a new phase, which we might not be realizing, just as happened in
the
beginning of the intifada. Until [last week], the terrorism
was
always being perpetrated by Hamas and the like - but now it's
being
done by the exact people with whom we are talking! This
must be a red
light, one that stops the process. We must not allow
ourselves to
become accustomed to this reality - of shooting on Jerusalem, and
people locked in their homes, and people getting food only by
helicopter... [In answer to a question:] Yes, I think
Arafat can
control the violence - but if he can't, then why are we talking
with
him?"
Meridor denied that there was any connection between Ariel
Sharon's
visit to the Temple Mount last week and the violence:
"So they didn't
like his visit - so what? Do we like everything that they
do? Barak
has said many times that we will not give up on that which is
holy to
Israel, and the Temple Mount is the holiest site in the world to
the
Jewish people."
5. CLOSING ROADS - INSTEAD OF OPENING THEM
Gush Etzion Regional Council chief Sha'ul Goldstein commented
today on
the army's decision to close roads that are threatened by Arab
violence: "The closing of the Tunnels Road - the
connection between
Gush Etzion and Jerusalem - and the other road closings are a
scandal
of the first order. The government must wake up and order
the army to
station tanks facing and threatening Beit Jalla [the Arab village
from
which shots were fired on Jewish targets]. What, guns
should cause a
major Israeli artery to close down? This brings us back 52
years!"
Hevron Jewish Community spokesman David Wilder similarly
commented,
"In many cases the Israeli army, rather than try to insure
security on
the roads, simply closes them. One of the most ludicrous
instances
concerns the trans-Judea highway, leading from Hebron to Ashkelon
via
Kiryat Gat. This road also provides easy access to Beit
Shemesh,
bypassing Jerusalem. A few miles out of Hebron is the
Halhul bridge
that crosses over the road from above. This bridge is under total
Arafat-control, while the road below is under Israeli
control. For
the past week, Arabs have been using the bridge to bombard any
moving
vehicle with Israeli license plates traveling under it.
Rather than
send in Israeli troops to take over the bridge, or rather than
use one
missile to take the bridge down, Israel has closed the
road. This,
because the road is in "Arafat territory" and Israeli
prefers not to
'react too harshly' to the continued attacks..."
Yesha residents blocked the Ofrah-Psagot road to Arab traffic for
several hours yesterday, saying, "If we can't travel freely
on the
roads, then why should the Palestinians be able to?"
6. IN BRIEF
The Palestinian Authority has released, over the past 24 hours,
twelve
Hamas terrorists from prison. Security elements fear
renewed
terrorist attacks...
**************************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News
Brief: Friday, October 6, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Oct. 6, 2000 / Tishrei 7, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ISRAEL RETREATS FOR A DAY; ARABS CLAIM IT'S
PERMANENT
2. OUTRAGE
3. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE END?
4. HEAVY VIOLENCE AT OTHER FLASHPOINTS
5. BURNING DOWN ISRAEL'S FORESTS
6. IN THE ARAB WORLD
1. ISRAEL RETREATS FOR A DAY; ARABS CLAIM IT'S PERMANENT
Israel decided to entrust full control over the Temple Mount
today to
the hands of the Moslem Waqf and Arab security personnel.
The Barak
government decided that no Israeli policemen would be stationed
on the
Temple Mount or in the alleys leading to it, in order not to
avoid a
clash that could lead to bloodshed. Police leaders said
their
presence on the Mount would have led to dozens of Arab deaths, as
well
as another week of violence.
For the first time, armed PLO policemen guarded the gates of the
holy
site and oversaw the entry of Muslim worshippers - whom they did
not
limit in any way, despite an Israeli police recommendation that
teen-aged Arabs not be allowed to enter. "Protection
of the gates and
sovereignty of the Mount was given to PA Security Chief Jibril
Rajoub," in the words of MK Benny Elon (National
Union-Yisrael
Beiteinu), who was an eyewitness to today's events in the area.
Elon also said that it was agreed beforehand between Rajoub and
the
Israelis that Arabs on the Mount would be allowed to throw stones
"in
a supervised manner, for 3-5 minutes" from the Mount over to
the Kotel
[Western Wall] below. The police had originally announced
that Jews
would not be allow to the Western Wall area today, but in
actuality, a
relatively small amount of Jews did pray there. The police
evacuated
them from the Wall when the stone-throwing started; the Jews
returned
to pray there after a few minutes. MK Elon said that he
refused to
leave, and in fact suffered a small wound from a rock that hit
him.
Center Party MK Dan Meridor, a former Likud government minister
and
presently the Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense
Committee, sharply attacked the police decision to abandon
security to
the PA: "The Palestinian Authority has no business
being anywhere
that is under Israeli sovereignty. If the police choose to
stand on
this side of the gates or on that side, that's their
decision. But in
no way should the PA have been allowed to have a part in
preserving
order there."
Senior police officials expressed rage at Barak's decision to
hand
over Temple Mount security to the PLO, but they agreed to follow
government orders. They later defended the decision.
Young Arab participants in the riots told journalists on the
scene
that "we have conquered the Temple Mount, and we will not
give it
back." Arutz-7's Kobi Finkler reports, however, that
Israeli police
generally do not patrol on the Temple Mount during Friday prayer
services, but merely stand at the gates. The difference
today was
that they stood 50 meters away; "they are not likely to
return to
their usual positions until the end of the current
violence," said
Finkler.
2. OUTRAGE
Opposition leaders responded with anger at today's abandonment of
the
Temple Mount. Likud MK Ruby Rivlin said that the decision
to remove
all uniformed police was "a disaster" and will cause
the PLO to use
the same tactics to achieve additional Israeli giveaways.
Jewish
groups working for a Jewish presence on the Temple Mount are
worried
that the removal of Israeli police from the Mount will become
permanent. The Yesha Council announced that Barak's
promises to
safeguard all Israeli holy sites are hollow.
On the other hand, Palestinian Radio said today that there is no
difference between Ariel Sharon, Ehud Barak, and Binyamin
Netanyahu -
"they are all settlers who are trying to conquer our
land."
3. WHAT HAPPENED IN THE END?
The sum-up was, "It could have been much, much worse" -
but it was
still quite bad. After the Moslem prayer service on the
Mount,
hundreds of Arabs on their way out launched an offensive against
Israel's Lion's Gate police station 100 meters from the east side
of
the Mount. The station had earlier suffered great damage
when Arabs
hurled huge stone blocks through its roof, destroying computers
and
other equipment. Now, however, it was burnt down by the
Arabs, who
came close to killing eight policemen inside. Faced by a
hail of
bricks, bottles, and metal objects, the Israeli policemen locked
the
doors; the Arabs then surrounded the building and threw in
burning
rags and a tear-gas grenade. With fire and tear-gas on the
inside,
and Arab mobs beating on the structure from the outside, the
policemen
radioed for help. Back-up forces arrived, shot their way
into the
station, and found two policemen unconscious; the other six were
suffering from breathing difficulties. They retreated 20-40
meters
away from the area, and journalists filmed Palestinian Arabs
proudly
standing next to the burnt police station. The station is
presently
under the control of neither the Israelis nor the Palestinians.
The Arabs began the attack on the police station by throwing
bricks,
bottles, and metal objects, while shouting, "Continue on
Until Jaffa,
Haifa, and Tel Aviv!" and "Death to the
Jews!" The total number of
injured Israeli police was reported at 12, while the number of
Palestinian rioters who were hurt was 24. Several foreign
journalists
were hurt as well. Palestinians reported that two Arabs
were killed.
The Moslem sermon on the Temple Mount today included the
following
supplications: "We want the battle against the enemy to be
orderly.
We want dead amidst the enemy. We want to kill and not be
killed. We
must fight guerilla warfare."
Later in the afternoon, rock-throwing over the Wall down to the
worshippers below continued. Additional policemen were
injured in an
Arab riot inside the narrow streets of the Old City.
4. HEAVY VIOLENCE AT OTHER FLASHPOINTS
In the Gush Katif area of Gaza, large riots are underway at
three
different locations. Mobs of Arabs - estimated at between
6,000 and
10,000 rioters - are lined along the fences of the Jewish
community of
N'vei Dekalim, throwing firebombs and stones. The IDF is
firing
warning shots into the air. At the Netzarim junction, 1,000
Arabs are
gathered, firing occasional gunshots at the IDF outpost, and
throwing
firebombs. The IDF is retaliating with selective gunfire
aimed at the
PLO gunmen. A third and new venue of rioting is at
Nisanit in
northern Gaza, where hundreds of Arabs are participating.
IDF forces did not totally succeed in their efforts to blow
up a PLO
outpost near the Netzarim junction. The Israeli bomb squad
took down
one wall of the PLO headquarters there. Piles of ammunition
were
inside.
Palestinian sources say that four Arabs were killed today,
including
two in Shechem...
Jewish residents from the Shilo area blocked Arab cars on
the main
north-south road in Samaria. They claimed that they would
not
tolerate restrictions only on Jewish traffic. Jews in Gaza
planned to
do the same, but were convinced not to do so by police...
Riots and violence are taking place in several other places throughout Judea and Samaria, and journalists on the scene
report
that it is feared that it will only get worse by the end of the
day.
5. BURNING DOWN ISRAEL'S FORESTS
Large forest fires continues to rage near Nataf, in the green
hills
west of Jerusalem. Tens of fire-fighters are on the
scene. The same
firemen spent the night putting out another fire near the
Beit-Iksa
Arab Village, just west of Jerusalem's Ramot neighborhood.
Jewish
National Fund spokesman said today that all of the forest fires
over
the past few days were cases of Arab arson.
6. IN THE ARAB WORLD
The Syrian government newspaper Al-Ba'ath calls Israeli leaders
"neo-Nazis." The paper writes, "The crimes
of Barak's soldiers have
surpassed those of the Nazis in World War II..." A
lead article this
week called Ariel Sharon, Binyamin Netanyahu and Ehud Barak
"murderers, criminals, and racists," and proclaimed
that the myth that
Barak is a "man of peace" has been proven false.
Thousands of Iranians shouted "Death to Israel" and
burned Israeli
flags in a giant demonstration in Tehran yesterday
afternoon. The
gathering was called as an act of solidarity with what they
called the
"new Intifada." Hamas leader Haled Mishal called
for a Jihad [Moslem
holy war] against Israel.
*******************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News
Brief: Sunday, October 8, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Oct. 8, 2000 / Tishrei 9, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TENSE QUIET THIS MORNING
2. ARAB-THROWN STONE KILLS ISRAELI CITIZEN
3. THREE SOLDIERS KIDNAPPED
4. TERRORISTS ATTACK ISRAELI BUS NEAR RAFIAH
5. ARABS BURN JOSEPH'S TOMB
6. YESHA RESIDENT IS MISSING
1. TENSE QUIET THIS MORNING
A tense quiet reigns throughout most of Israel today, as the
country
waits to see whether Prime Minister Barak's 48-hour warning to
Arafat
will have an effect. Barak said last night that it is very
likely
that Israel no longer has a peace partner, but he is giving
Arafat 48
hours to cease the violence. If it does not stop, Barak
warned, the
IDF would respond with all its force. Palestinian sources
have said
that they will not give in to Barak's threats, and that if the
diplomatic process has died, "it was at the hands of
Barak." Israel
Television reported last night, in the name of several
"furious"
government ministers, that the 48-hour decision was made by Barak
without consulting with them.
Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, a former senior
army
commander, says that Israel is in a situation of war, and that it
is
clear to him now that the negotiating process has ended.
The lack of a U.S. veto of the UN resolution against Israel has
embittered many officials in the Israeli government.
Staffers in the
Prime Minister's Office say that Barak feels "betrayed"
by Clinton,
and that Clinton has "stabbed him in the back," by not
vetoing the UN
resolution condemning Israel for the war that has been foisted
upon
it. Political commentators have said for weeks that much of
Clinton's
recent political and diplomatic strategies have been guided by
his
desire not to lose Jewish support for either his wife Hilary's
New
York Senate race or the Gore-Lieberman Presidential race; the
non-veto
is apparently a departure from this practice, as it is assumed
that
the support of pro-Israeli votes in both campaigns will make
their
feelings known.
The official U.S. explanation for the non-veto is that it would
have
prevented the Americans from acting as a mediator between Israel
and
the Arabs. The Americans are even now attempting to arrange
a meeting
between Arafat and Barak for immediately after Yom Kippur.
2. ARAB-THROWN STONE KILLS ISRAELI CITIZEN
An Israeli citizen was murdered on the Coastal Road Expressway
between
Haifa and Tel Aviv when a large stone block crashed into the car
in
which he was travelling. The block hit him in the chest and
killed
him as the car passed by the Israeli-Arab village Jisser Azarka
on
what is perhaps Israel's most traveled highway. The victim,
54-year-old Jean Bechor, of Rishon Letzion, arrived at a Hadera
hospital in critical condition, and efforts to save his life
failed.
The Arab attackers have not been apprehended.
Attacks this morning included light-weapons fire near the Jordan
Valley outpost of Shadmah, and shots at an IDF position near Beit
Tsahour between Jerusalem and Bethlehem. A cease-fire was
reportedly
reached in Gaza, after the IDF destroyed several Palestinian
command
post buildings at the Netzarim junction.
3. THREE SOLDIERS KIDNAPPED
Prime Minister Barak visited the site today from where Hizbullah
yesterday kidnapped three Israel soldiers on a routine patrol
near Har
Dov on the Lebanese-Israeli border. The terrorists took
advantage of
the lack of a border fence in the area. Prime Minister
Barak was
reminded by reporters last night that during the Israeli
withdrawal
from Lebanon last May, he had promised to react with a
"strong arm"
and the bombing of vital Lebanese infrastructures in the event of
post-withdrawal Lebanese violence against Israel. When asked if
he
plans to fulfill this promise, Barak said that for understandable
reasons, he could not go into details about Israel's retaliatory
plans. He continued today with his policy of silence on the
matter.
Former GSS head Yaakov Peri, who has been entrusted with the
handling
of contacts regarding the three captured soldiers, hinted that
Israel
would negotiate when he said that Israel would not enter into any
contacts with Hizbullah unless a sign that the three were alive
and
well was received. Negotiations have reportedly begun with
German
mediators. Barak said that he sees Syria as bearing supreme
responsibility for the soldiers' welfare.
4. TERRORISTS ATTACK ISRAELI BUS NEAR RAFIAH
Palestinian Arab terrorists opened fire on a busload of Israeli
workers returning from their shift at the Rafiah terminal on the
Israeli-Egyptian border shortly before midnight last night.
Five
Israelis sustained light injuries, but another three were
severely
wounded and were evacuated by helicopter to Soroka hospital in
Be'er
Sheva. The shooting apparently originated from within the
Palestinian
airport, and it continued upon IDF troops who arrived on the
scene
shortly after the attack. Exchanges of fire followed.
Prime Minister
Barak ordered the Dahaniya airport, which services the Arabs of
Gaza,
closed to all air traffic, except for Arafat's personal plane.
5. ARABS BURN JOSEPH'S TOMB
Early yesterday morning, the government ordered the army to
retreat
from Joseph's Tomb in Shechem. An agreement had been
reached with
Palestinian Authority officials there, but the latter proved
unable -
or unwilling - to keep their end of the agreement. A mob of
Arabs
ransacked the holy site - which served as a yeshiva for over 20
years
until this past week - and then burnt it down, and even took
apart the
stone dome marking the grave of the Biblical Joseph. Even
Oslo-architect Shimon Peres had criticism last night for Arafat
and
the behavior of the Palestinians in Shechem. Peres said,
"The
Palestinians made a terrible mistake in Joseph's Tomb. They
pulled
the rug out from under their feet regarding their demand for
control
of the holy places, by showing that they don't know how to
preserve
and respect them."
During the Israeli retreat from the holy spot that PLO gunners
had
targeted for the past week - and where an Israeli soldier died of
his
wounds several days ago - one Border Guard policeman was shot in
the
face, and was wounded moderately. The retreating soldiers removed
all
holy items, including Torah scrolls, prayer books, and Jewish
texts,
before surrendering the site to the PLO. It marked the
first time
that Israel had evacuated its forces from Yesha in the face of
Palestinian violence. Barak and other top officials implied
that the
evacuation was only "temporary." It was later
reported that Arafat
had given an order to restore the holy site to some semblance of
normalcy, although the extent of his authority in Shechem is not
absolute.
6. YESHA RESIDENT IS MISSING
The whereabouts of Hillel Lieberman, 36, from Elon Moreh near
Shechem,
continue to be a mystery. He arrived at Sabbath prayer
services in
his hometown at 8 AM yesterday morning, and upon hearing of the
burning down of Joseph's Tomb, he turned around and left the
synagogue. Lieberman is one of the founders and
administrators of the
Yeshiva at the site, and in the words of a fellow townsman,
"he has a
very deep personal connection to the holy site." When
he did not
return within a few hours, search parties from the town were
dispatched. An IDF helicopter participated in the search,
but
residents say that the search has not been carried out in
full-force.
After morning Shabbat services, a large group of Elon Moreh
residents
walked towards Shechem and conducted a quiet protest prayer vigil
for
the destroyed holy site. Friends of Lieberman, a United
States
citizen and a father of five, say that they last saw him walking
in
the direction of the town's exit.
********************************************************
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