HHMI Newsgroup Archives

To:            arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, October 25, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, Oct. 25, 2000 / Tishrei 26, 5761
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. HAMAS AND P.A. WORKING TOGETHER
   2. UNITY GOVERNMENT UNLIKELY AT PRESENT
   3. THE INTERVENTION THREAT

1. HAMAS AND P.A. WORKING TOGETHER
A Hamas spokesman in Gaza, quoted in today's Washington Post, said that representatives of Hamas and the Palestinian Authority meet daily to coordinate their activities. The paper writes that Arafat is working closely with leaders of both the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terrorist organizations - leaders whose release from prison Arafat ordered at the beginning of the current violence almost a month ago.   Arutz-7 has learned that some of the released terrorists are being hidden in PA buildings.

The Associated Press similarly reported today that representatives of Hamas and other Palestinian groups have been directing the Palestinian protests.  "The existence of the steering committees... would undermine Arafat's contention that the Palestinian protests of the past month have entirely been a spontaneous outburst of anger against Israel," reported the AP, continuing, "'We are all Palestinians,' Palestinian Parliament Speaker Ahmed Qureia told reporters when asked about the committees, and refused to discuss it further."

On the other hand, Arafat and his colleagues are also meeting with Israelis.  Despite the general Israeli commitment not to "talk while there is shooting," Prime Minister Barak has ordered the IDF Central and Southern Commanders to meet with Palestinian security leaders.  The IDF spokesman announced today that the purpose of the meeting is to "again find ways to significantly reduce the level of friction and violence."  Barak-aide Yossi Ginosar met last night with Arafat himself.   The Supreme Court recently disqualified Ginosar - who has no official governmental position but who has business interests in the Palestinian Authority - from involvement in just this sort of diplomatic activity, but Barak said that "pikuach nefesh" (danger to life) overrides the Court ruling.

Prime Minister Barak told German Chancellor Gerhard Schroder today that he would not "pin the Palestinians against the wall" and would not, for instance, cut off their telephone lines.  He asked that Schroder and the entire European Union use their influence to convince Arafat to renounce violence and return to the negotiating table.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa announced last night that the peace process in its current format has ended. "The Arab world must do everything it can to help the Palestinian intifada," he said. Prime Minister Barak said in response that this proves that the Arab world understands that Arafat and the Palestinian Authority have chosen not to opt for the agreement that was within reach, but to choose the path of violence instead.

2. UNITY GOVERNMENT UNLIKELY AT PRESENT
Chances for a national-unity government took a further dive today when Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said that if the violence ceases, "it will be possible to revive the diplomatic process along similar lines as before."  National Religious Party head Rabbi Yitzchak Levy said in response that Ben-Ami's remarks "effectively bury any chance for a unity government."  Levy said, "Ben-Ami's statement shows that the time-out Barak announced only two days ago has apparently ended."  Likud leader Ariel Sharon emphasized again today that he would not join a government that will simply continue along the path of Oslo and Camp David.

Arutz-7's Haggai Seri reported that a short-lived national emergency government now seems more likely than a formal unity government.  The Likud Knesset faction made a decision yesterday very similar to that which former Prime Minister Netanyahu has been promoting: no unity government, but rather a national emergency government predicated on the following
conditions: no distribution of portfolios [ministries], a fixed time duration, veto power for Sharon, and guaranteed elections afterwards.  "If Barak accepts these conditions," Sharon said, "I'll be able to convince the Likud Central Committee to join an emergency government.  If not, we'll go to new elections."

3. THE INTERVENTION THREAT
Dore Gold, who served as Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. in the Netanyahu government, spoke with Arutz-7 yesterday about possible international involvement in the region.  He was asked, "Deputy Defense Minister Sneh warned recently that the PA request for international forces here could become a reality if the violence gets worse.  Is this a genuine possibility?"  Gold responded, "A decision of this nature is generally made only in the Security Council, which is subject to U.S. veto.  But there are exceptions:  International NATO forces were stationed in Kosovo without any UN decision - because the U.S. feared a Russian veto..."  Gold implied that it was safe to say that a decision of this nature would not happen without American approval:  "The threat of international observers must not be ignored, in that Israel must coordinate its activities with the U.S., and receive American understanding, and work with a timetable for a quick
resolution - because the more this situation lasts, the more chances there are for an Israeli 'mistake,' such as the bombing of a civilian center.  In addition, international patience will wear out...  We have more 'credit' in American opinion than in Europe - most American opinion molders feel that Arafat is responsible for the violence - but this 'credit' is not unlimited."

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To:            arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Thursday, October 26, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
   <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Oct. 26, 2000 / Tishrei 27, 5761
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. PALESTINIAN TEACHER APPROVES STUDENTS' FLIRT WITH DEATH IN
ANTI-ISRAEL ATTACKS
   2. U.S. HOUSE SUPPORTS ISRAEL
   3. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
   4. UNITY UPS AND DOWNS
   5. HILLARY ACCEPTED MONEY FROM AMERICAN MUSLIM ALLIANCE, WILL
   RETURN IT


1. PALESTINIAN TEACHER APPROVES STUDENTS' FLIRT WITH DEATH IN
ANTI-ISRAEL ATTACKS

Agence French-Presse quotes a Ramallah-area teacher's satisfaction with his students' participation in anti-Israel violence - "even though by tonight, or the end of the week, some of them will be dead."  Watching a group of school-age boys and university students throw Molotov cocktails, rocks, and other objects at Israeli soldiers, the teacher said, "At this stage it is better that they are engaging the Israelis than going to classes... We have to capitalize on this momentum...  They have no fear, even though by tonight, or the end of the week, some of them will be dead."  The article, which can be seen in its entirety at http://www.jordantimes.com/Wed/news/news5.htm, notes that some parents allow their children to skip classes altogether in favor of the high-risk violence, while others suffice with "school first, then intifada."

Yasser Arafat told an American television station today that he can't totally control the violence carried out by Palestinians.  "No one can hold back the anger that the students and the children feel.  They must be persuaded by a peace process, not by tanks," he said.  IDF sources stated today that the PA has given a "green light" to Islamic Jihad and Hamas to carry out attacks.  Arafat reportedly prefers attacks within Judea and Samaria, while other Palestinian elements are pressing for terrorism within pre-1967 Israel.

2. U.S. HOUSE SUPPORTS ISRAEL
The U.S. House of Representatives sent a strong message of solidarity with the State and people of Israel yesterday, when it passed a resolution condemning the Palestinian leadership for encouraging violence and doing little stop it. The resolution also calls upon the Palestinian leadership to refrain from public incitement, vigorously use its security forces to stop all violence, show respect for all holy sites, and settle all grievances through negotiations.

3. HOW MUCH WILL IT COST?
The Knesset Finance Committee convened this morning in Tel Aviv for a comprehensive discussion of the ramifications of the grave security situation on Israel's economy.  Especially hard-hit are the construction, agriculture, and tourism sectors, while hi-tech and other business operations appear to be weathering the storm well.  A Ministry of Trade statement today quoted Lehman Brothers Chairman Harvey Krueger as saying Tuesday in New York, "I see no loss of interest on the part of US venture capital investors in Israeli start-ups."  Israeli businesses, factories and companies are operating at full capacity, with 100% manpower, across the country; Palestinian manpower comprises only 1% of the Israeli industrial workforce. The Ministry announced that the hi-tech sector, which remains strong and thriving, is comprised of some 4,000 Israeli companies  - the largest concentration of hi-tech companies in the world, outside of California.  Two to three new hi-tech start-ups continued to be established in Israel every day.  According to a Goldman Sachs report from Oct. 15, "As far as Israeli technology is concerned, the security
situation has had no special impact. research and development activity, which is mostly based in Israel, is not affected by events, because R&D centers are located. far from the flashpoints."

4. UNITY UPS AND DOWNS
Negotiations between Labor-One Israel and the Likud for the establishment of a national-emergency government continued today.  Likud leader Ariel Sharon and the heads of the other opposition parties - except for Shas and National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu - have agreed on a united front.  Shas leaders say their party will support the government for as long as the emergency situation continues.

Former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir, of the Likud, is in favor of an immediate national-unity government.  He has discussed the issue with Prime Minister Barak. Shamir told Ha'aretz that he objects to Netanyahu's return to the Likud: "He made many mistakes, and I don't think he has changed. A man like that doesn't change so fast, and I would very much not recommend that the Likud choose him as its leader."  Netanyahu met last night in Moscow with Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov.

Despite the progress being made towards a unity or emergency government, Prime Minister Barak made sure to emphasize today that he is personally obligated to peace, and that an emergency government will not be deterred from the efforts to seek peace.  "The formation of such a government does not mean the turning of our backs to Oslo, nor to Camp David," he told Labor party doves this afternoon.  "We will not accept dictates or vetoes from the Likud."

Likud MK Ruby Rivlin said in response, "Barak has now shown his true face.  He never had any intention of true national unity, but merely wanted to save his own [political] skin.  The entire emergency situation that we are facing was caused only by Barak's policies and actions, and he would be best advised simply to resign immediately."

5. HILLARY ACCEPTED MONEY FROM AMERICAN MUSLIM ALLIANCE, WILL RETURN
IT Hillary Rodham Clinton, under pressure after revelations yesterday that she had received donations from Moslem-American organizations backing violence against Israel, said that she would return $51,000 in campaign contributions from them.  New York's Daily News reported yesterday that she had met with leaders of these groups only four months ago, in the midst of a Senate campaign in which she has been seriously courting the critical Jewish vote.  Mrs. Clinton said yesterday that she was "offended" by remarks attributed to members of one of the organizations, the American Muslim Alliance.  The group's president has defended a UN resolution that he said allowed for armed Palestinian force against Israel, while other group members have been accused of making anti-Semitic remarks.  Clinton's opponent in the Senate race, Congressman Rick Lazio, said yesterday, "My dad used to say... show me who your friends are, and I'll tell you who you are." The New York Times reported today that Clinton said that she did not know that a fund-raising event on her behalf in Boston last June had been sponsored by the American Muslim Alliance - even though she was photographed there accepting a plaque from the chairman of the group's Massachusetts chapter.

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To:            arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News Brief:  Friday, October 27, 2000

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Oct. 27, 2000 / Tishrei 28, 5761
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. GOV'T OFFICIALS IN YESHA
   2. MERETZ PUSHES TO ABANDON YESHA TOWNS
   3. NETANYAHU INCREASES LEAD
   4. FROM THE MEDIA
   5. SENSITIVE TO INCITEMENT IN USA, BUT NOT IN ISRAEL

1. GOV'T OFFICIALS IN YESHA
Prime Minister's Office Director-General Yossi Kucik and Education Ministry Director-General Shlomit Amichai toured three Yesha towns today:  Ma'aleh Adumim, Psagot, and Elon Moreh.  Their goal was to learn the special needs of the communities, in light of the extended violence in the areas.  Problems faced by the communities include transportation of children and teachers to schools, children's trepidation and fears, closed roads, the need to fortify homes and buildings and the need for extra guards, the military call-up of many of the men, and others.  The IDF may provide the funds for six additional armored ambulances, as well as 10 armored vehicles.

2. MERETZ PUSHES TO ABANDON YESHA TOWNS
Meretz MKs Mosi Raz and Ran Cohen call for the evacuation of eleven Jewish towns in Yesha, and are sponsoring a Knesset bill to this effect.  The dispensable settlements, according to the Meretz MKs, are Netzarim and Kfar Darom in Gaza, Hevron, Psagot, five central Shomron towns - Tapuach, Yitzhar, Bracha, Itamar, and Elon Moreh - and Ganim and Kadim in northern Shomron.  The bill refers to these settlements as "centers of friction and violence that endanger the lives of civilians and soldiers."  Last May, Raz proposed a bill for the removal of Arab-populated Jerusalem villages from the capital's borders.  New General Security Service chief Avi Dichter met this week with the rabbis of Yitzhar, Bracha, Itamar, and Elon Moreh, as well as with rabbis and leaders of Hevron, Kiryat Arba, and Beit El.

3. NETANYAHU INCREASES LEAD
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues to lead the incumbent Ehud Barak in the polls, by a wide margin.  If the Prime Ministerial elections were held today, according to a Ma'ariv-Gallop poll, 47% of respondents would vote for Netanyahu, and only 30% would choose Barak.  A Yediot-Tzemach poll sets the margin at 50-38.

4. FROM THE MEDIA
Excerpts from "PALESTINIANS CYNICALLY EXPLOIT KIDS IN ARAFAT'S
'CHILDREN'S CRUSADE' ", by Rod Dreher, New York Post, October 26, 2000

 "The Children's Crusade of 1212 is remembered today as one of history's cruelest and most absurd examples of how adults will sacrifice children's lives on the altar of religious fervor and political ambition.  That year, inspired by alleged child visionaries, two armies of children set out from Europe in an attempt to retake the Holy Land from the Muslims.  Tens of thousands of French and German families allowed their little boys (and some little girls) to set out for Palestine, convinced God would lead the innocents to triumph in the righteous cause.  Even the pope told them to go home, to no avail. Most died of disease, hunger or drowning at sea.  The few survivors were taken prisoner by the Muslims and sold into slavery.

"Today, we find it unthinkable that parents would put their children at this kind of risk.  Not so the Palestinians, who with a medieval sense of the value of their kids' lives, and a 21st-century sense of public relations, send their young out daily to provoke Israeli guns.  Often these boys function as a rock-throwing shield behind which stand grown men - profiles in courage, all right - throwing Molotov cocktails and firing rifles.  When deaths inevitably result, the Palestinians claim the dead kids as innocent martyrs, dispatched gloriously to heaven by the Zionist infidel's bullets.  And each child's body, when shown on TV throughout the Arab world and the West, is a formidable propaganda weapon..."

5. SENSITIVE TO INCITEMENT IN USA, BUT NOT IN ISRAEL
Among those senior Labor party members who strongly object to a national unity government is Minister Yossi Beilin, a leading Oslo architect and proponent.  Some of his motives may be personal; he told Prime Minister Barak yesterday, "When the Likud comes to us, it has only one goal: to prove that you were wrong, that I was wrong, that the people sitting here were wrong."  Amir Abramovitch, Minister Yossi Beilin's press advisor, refused to comment today on his boss' position regarding the continuing anti-Israel incitement over Voice of Palestine Radio, which many feel is a primary instigator of the recent Palestinian violence.  Minister of Diaspora Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior, for instance, said recently that the mistake of Oslo was that Israel did not do enough to stop the Palestinian Authority's continuing and intense incitement to hatred of Israel, "to the extent that was reflected in the brutal lynching of the two Israeli soldiers
by the crazed Palestinian mob.

The call to Abramovitch from Arutz-7 today was prompted, in part, by an article in Wednesday's USA Today by Jack Kelley, excerpts of which follow:

"For the third time in a day, a news bulletin interrupted the Arabic music on the Voice of Palestine radio:  Israeli jets had just bombed the West Bank town of Bethlehem, the report said.  "The Israeli criminals have fired missiles into the homes of innocent Palestinians," a breathless correspondent said.  "Palestinian blood is flowing in the streets!  Oh God, God, how can the criminals kill our innocent children?"  A trip to the town immediately after the report, however, found no evidence of an attack.

 "An hour earlier, another breathless Voice of Palestine correspondent had  reported that the West Bank town of Hebron was "under siege" by armed Jewish settlers who were "shooting Palestinian women and children."  A visit to Hebron found calm and quiet there, too.

"Same thing in the West Bank town of Nablus, where the correspondent reported that Israeli troops were "burning homes."  No such thing, residents there said.

 "Despite Israeli demands that it stop inciting the public, the Voice of  Palestine radio, controlled by Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority, is delivering a daily diet of news, commentary and propaganda aimed at rallying the Palestinian masses into a confrontation with Israel.  Nationalistic songs, anti-Israeli commentary and flowery tributes to Palestinians killed in clashes with Israelis are being broadcast around the clock, and they appear to be more popular than ever...

"Palestinian officials say the news service is simply keeping its people informed and getting the Palestinian message out to the world.  They also insist that their reports are factual, despite the discrepancies.  "Look, when there's peace, I'll broadcast that," said Raddwan Abu Ayyash, chairman of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corp., parent group of the Voice of Palestine.  "But when (the Israelis) make war on us, that's what will be on the air.  I'm not inventing all this."

"...Make no mistake about it:  Our two reservists were lynched because the mob was incited for days before the by Palestinian Authority in newspapers, television and radio," Israeli Defense Forces spokesman Lt. Col. Raanan Gissim said.  "That station is nothing but propaganda radio," says Shalom Goldstein, advisor on Arab affairs to Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert.  "The Palestinian Authority operates like a communist, Bolshevik regime and uses this misinformation to indoctrinate its people.  Before the message was 'Israel is bad.'  Now the message is 'Get Israel.'"

"In retaliation for the slayings of the two soldiers, Israeli helicopter gunships blasted the Voice of Palestine's transmitters in Ramallah.  The missile attack, which caused more than $3 million in damage, knocked the station off the air for only 30 minutes, Director General Bassem abu Sumaya said.  Radio transmission resumed through local FM stations."

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


Arutz Sheva News Service
  <www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Oct. 29, 2000 / Rosh Chodesh Cheshvan 5761
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. INTENSE PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE IN GAZA
   2. EMERGENCY-GOV'T TALKS ON LAST LEGS

***QUOTE OF THE WEEK

1. INTENSE PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE IN GAZA
Hundreds of Palestinians rioted violently at the Karni Crossing in Gaza, and did not allow Israeli convoys of civilian vehicles to leave or enter Netzarim.  The army brought in tanks in an effort to quell the uprising.  Heavy fire was directed at IDF soldiers at one point; some of the attackers were clearly identified as PA policemen.  As of late this afternoon, quiet reigned in the area, and traffic to and from Netzarim was expected to resume shortly.  Earlier, three firebombs had been hurled at Jewish targets near N'vei Dekalim; no one was hurt.

The army again encircled the city of Ramallah today, following increased Palestinian violence in and around the city; Palestinians shot at IDF targets at the Ayosh Junction from within nearby
buildings.  Also this afternoon:  HaKol MeHashetach News Agency reported that an Israeli soldier was evacuated to a hospital after being shot at Mt. Eval.  He was later reported to be in light condition.  Other Palestinian-instigated violence was registered near N'vei Tzuf, Al-Hader (near Efrat), Tekoa, and elsewhere in Yesha near PA cities.

Yediot Acharonot Yesha correspondent Roni Shaked told Arutz-7 today, "We are still at the beginning of this violence, as Arafat has still not achieved his aims.  He can't go back to his people and tell them that they sacrificed 131 dead and 5,000 injured for nothing.  He will therefore continue with the shooting and attacks against Israeli targets - not only in Yesha, but within the Green Line as well.  He will keep on trying with the goal of getting Israel to make a mistake such as [the killing of civilians at] Kafr Kama.  At that point, he will come to the world and ask for its support as he skips over his Oslo commitments.   There has not been a let-down in the violence; Arafat has given them a couple of days off, that's all - but I expect that today it will resume again in a big way.  Arafat himself is running things, together with a committee made up of representatives of Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and even of Ahmed Jibril in Syria." Arafat
seemed to confirm this when he said today that the intifada would continue "until a Palestinian flag waves over Jerusalem."  Relating to criticism that he places children in the line of Israeli fire, Arafat justified this behavior by saying, "Whoever says this does not understand that the Palestinian children are full of anger."

Correspondent Shaked said that he has noticed that the "Palestinian fighting spirit at the funerals and demonstrations seems to be much stronger than I have seen before; I spoke to Palestinians and asked them why this is so, and they said that this is the first time that they really feel that their goals are truly within reach, and so they are settling in for a long struggle."

2. EMERGENCY-GOV'T TALKS ON LAST LEGS
Extreme pessimism was expressed by Likud sources late today, following a meeting between Prime Minister Barak and Likud leader Sharon, about the chances for the formation of a national emergency government. Barak refused to promise that if the violence dwindles, he would pursue the diplomatic process "differently."  Sharon told Barak that this was the last opportunity for an agreement - yet he still agreed to Barak's request for Likud members to meet tonight with Minister Ben-Eliezer in a last-ditch effort to solve the problem of the Likud's demand for a veto on diplomatic matters.

HaTzofeh editorialized today, "The opposition has no interest in lending a hand to a move which is not dictated by the necessary conclusions from the emergency situation but which stems from the Prime Minister's personal and party interests."  Likud MK Yisrael Katz confirmed this when he told Arutz-7 this morning, "I spoke to someone very close to Barak, and I told him, 'Look, it's a national emergency, let's just put everything aside - I'm willing to delay my bill to dissolve the Knesset and hold new elections - and let's join together and have new elections six months from now.'  He answered quite candidly, 'For new elections in six months, Barak doesn't need the Likud.'  This is [Barak's great] secret which is known by most of the public, and that is why they [the public] are in favor of a unity government with an agreed-upon date for new elections. "There is no chance that we will do something that is bad for the country and bad
for the Likud simply in order to save Barak politically.  Barak is saying that the Camp David understandings are still in effect - these include the division of Jerusalem, giving up sovereignty on the Temple Mount, the giving away of the Jordan Valley, abandoning tens of thousands of Jewish settlers, allowing tens of thousands of Arab refugees to come to Israel - what, I should join such a government?  I would rather leave the Knesset and politics altogether rather than do such a thing!"

Barak said earlier today that Israel is still committed to the understandings achieved at the Sharm a-Sheikh summit almost two weeks ago. He said that if the violence ceases and a committee is established to investigate the events of the past month, then Israel will begin preliminary measures to resume the diplomatic process. He also said, however, "if an emergency-government is formed, I plan to reach relevant conclusions with the coalition partners in light of the violence."

QUOTE OF THE WEEK
"When Israel will say, 'That's it, no more, we refuse to talk about Jerusalem, we will not allow the refugees to return, we will not evacuate the settlements.' - we will, naturally, return to violence. But by then we will have 30,000 armed Palestinian soldiers in our cities, on land with a large measure of freedom..." -- PA Official Nabil Sha'ath, in a speech in Shechem, January 1996; cassette recording revealed by Palestinian Media Watch.
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