HHMI Newsgroup Archives
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
To: <arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com>;<arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, January 30, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Jan. 30, 2001 / Sh'vat 6, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK NOW WANTS TO MEET ARAFAT
2. MEIMAD: NO POSITION ON BARAK
1. BARAK NOW WANTS TO MEET ARAFAT
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who has changed his mind on several issues
during his term in office, has done it again: He is now willing to
meet Yasser Arafat before the election. He had announced two days ago
that he would not meet with him, in light of Arafat's incendiary
speech against Israel in Davos. Barak's Office head Gilad Sher
confirmed this morning that European leaders were mediating in efforts
to set a time and place for the meeting. He said, "Barak is not
fickle; on the contrary, he is consistent in his pursuit of peace."
Palestinian sources said today that a Barak-Arafat summit was likely
to take place later this week.
Political analysts assume that the goal of such a meeting would be a
dramatic announcement that would help close the gap between Barak and
Ariel Sharon in the Prime Ministerial campaign. Possibly in
preparation for such a development, Zalman Shoval - head of Sharon's
international campaign - said today that Minister Ben-Ami had deceived
the public when he claimed after the Taba talks that "Israel and the
Palestinians were never closer to an agreement than today." Shoval
said that the Palestinian view of the talks was more accurate, and
quoted chief PA negotiator Abu Ala as saying, "The gap in the
positions of both sides has never been more obvious," while negotiator
Saeb Erekat said, "the negotiations in Taba emphasized the size of the
gap between the two sides' positions and the depth of the
disagreements."
As if to emphasize this point, a senior Fatah official in Jerusalem
said today that the Taba talks had proven that there is no point in
talking with Israel - "not with Barak, not with Sharon, and not with
anyone else" - and that the only solution was "armed struggle" against
Israel. The official added that the Judea-Samaria Fatah leadership
voted unanimously today to escalate its violence against Israeli
targets, in light of Israel's arrest of a Force 17 officer yesterday.
The IDF Intelligence Chief told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and
Defense Committee today that the PA had come to the Taba talks not to
reach an agreement, but only to squeeze out more concessions from the
Israeli negotiators.
2. MEIMAD: NO POSITION ON BARAK
The left-wing religious Zionist party Meimad - a partner in the One
Israel coalition - decided last night to refrain from a public
endorsement of Ehud Barak. The compromise decision may have prevented
a split in the party; Rabbi Yehuda Gilad had threatened to join the
National Religious Party if Barak had received Meimad's endorsement.
Party leader Rabbi Yehuda Amital said, "The partnership between Meimad
and One Israel is dead;" the final straw was apparently Barak's recent
campaign ad in which he promised public transportation on Sabbath,
civil marriages, and the like. Government Minister Rabbi Michael
Melchior, on the other hand, said that Meimad must not make a decision
that would help Sharon get elected.
*************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
To: <arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com>;<arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, January 31, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, Jan. 31, 2001 / Sh'vat 7, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK CANCELS "VISIT AND DISMANTLE" PLAN; ADVICE FOR
SHARON
2. ROSS BLAMES ARAFAT
3. MORE TABA DETAILS
1. BARAK CANCELS "VISIT AND DISMANTLE" PLAN; ADVICE FOR SHARON
Prime Minister Ehud Barak said last night, "Peace is within our
grasp... Just like we knew how to withdraw from and draw a line in
Lebanon, we will know how to bring our boys back from Judea and
Samaria!" He had planned to visit Shomron [Samaria] today, for the
first time in a long while, but local residents refused to meet with
him and pressured him not to come. The plan was for Barak to meet
with and promise residents in Ofrah that their town would not be
dismantled, and then, further north in the small community of Kadim,
stoically break the news that there was no choice but to give away the
residents' homes for the sake of peace.
Yesha Council head Benny Kashriel stated in response that the nation
would not permit Barak to "sell out Jews as he did the Christians in
Lebanon." Shlomo Filber, General Secretary of the Yesha Council,
explained to Arutz-7 today why he objected to Barak's plan: "When they
start working in such secrecy and trickiness, it starts turning on
alarm bells. There was a series of signals: First Barak's aides
called [the people of] Kadim, in a very secret and mysterious manner,
and said that they would like to meet with them, and then they added
that they shouldn't tell anyone but possibly Ehud would come too...
Then they called the Hershkovitz family [in the midst of the
traditional week of mourning for their father and husband Aryeh, who
was murdered by Palestinian terrorists on Monday], and asked if they
could come. Then we saw that some reporters knew about a visit by
Barak. We realized that Barak needs some kind of major 'bomb' for the
weekend polls to be taken tonight, and we saw that he is talking about 'returning the boys home from Yesha' - so we decided that if this is
his campaign gimmick, we don't work for him and we don't want to be
involved in his campaign. If Barak really wanted to meet with us, he
could have come any time in the last four months during which we have
been in mortal danger. Barak's campaign managers decided that they
need an authentic background against which he can tell the nation that
we have to run away from here - he wants to come and stand on a
Shomron hilltop and tell the nation how we have to run away just like
we did from Lebanon. And if he wants to come to Ofrah and promise the
nation again that Ofrah will remain ours forever, then it's worth
about as much as if he would promise not to divide Jerusalem."
Kahane asked Filber if he has any concrete and immediate demands from
Ariel Sharon, on the assumption that Sharon will win the Prime
Ministerial election. Filber: "Yes, certainly. The new government's
very first meeting must be on how to solve the severe security
situation that has arisen here. The new ministers must not get up out
of their chairs until they reach a decision that they will approve
whatever solutions the army recommends, with no political restrictions
or limitations."
Arutz-7 then put the question to Col. (res.) Moshe Leshem, head of
Gamla Shall Not Fall Again: "What can the new Defense Minister do to
solve the security dangers faced daily by Yesha residents?" Leshem:
"A terrorist organization is like an octopus with one head and many
arms. What is happening in the field now is that we are exposed to
many of its arms. We see that in the recent double murder of Moti
Dayan and Etgar Zaitouni [who were abducted last week while dining in
a Tulkarm restaurant] they were taken to Ramallah by Jibril Rajoub -
and we see that the murders in Binyamin were planned by Tawfiq Tirawi
- and we see many murders and attacks planned by Muhammad Dahlan - and
above all of these men sits Arafat. This means that we don't have to
work with forceps or pincers [to hit only the exact men who pulled the
trigger]. Rather, we must strike at the high-level planners... How
can it be that we allow the VIPs to pass through IDF checkpoints, and
continue to embrace Dahlan, while the murders that they plan are
continuing every day?! Just like in Lebanon, when the terrorist
leaders were forced to hide every night somewhere else, and knew
enough to be afraid of the long arm of the IDF - that's what has to be
done here as well. Sharon knows how to do this - he did it in Gaza in
the 1970's, when there were hundreds of terrorists there, very
cleverly and effectively."
Kahane then spoke to Likud MK Danny Naveh, and asked him, "Is this in
fact how your new government will act?" Naveh: "I can tell you in
general that our approach to security will have to be very different
than that of the present government, because the situation now is
intolerable. Regarding the exact details, it would not be wise for me
to go into that right now. Regarding negotiations under fire, I can
tell you what I hear Sharon saying all the time: We will absolutely
not conduct talks under fire. There is no question that one of our
very top priorities will be the restoration of the security of Yesha
residents, and there is no doubt about this."
2. ROSS BLAMES ARAFAT
Reuters reports today that former American Mideast mediator Dennis
Ross blames Yasser Arafat for rejecting the "fair and balanced
proposal" suggested by ex-President Clinton for a peace agreement with
Israel. The Palestinians "are continuing the ideology of those who
rejected the Partition Plan in 1948," Ross said. Ross also criticized
Israel for its continued construction on Yesha lands that, he said,
were confiscated from Palestinians. He blamed Yasser Arafat for not
educating Palestinian youth about the advantages of peaceful
co-existence, but "continued instead to educate to hostility in
schools and in the media."
Efforts continue for a possible summit between Barak and Arafat,
possibly this coming Sunday. The Prime Minister had said this week
that he would not meet with Arafat before next week's election - as a
result of Arafat's hateful speech against Israel in Davos - but Barak
spokesmen explained that Arafat gave a "conciliatory" interview to
Israel's Channel 2 this week. In addition, Foreign Minister Shlomo
Ben-Ami said today, "Look, we're stuck with Arafat. He's a very
difficult partner, but the way to peace in the Middle East passes
through him."
3. MORE TABA DETAILS
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports on additional Israeli
concessions made in Taba last week: Ehud Barak's negotiators agreed
to compensate the Arab refugees not only for their loss of property,
but also for what was termed "the years of suffering of the
Palestinian refugees." The Barak team also agreed to cede Beit El and
Ofrah to the Palestinians, contrary to Barak's specific promises of
last year.
Another aspect of the Taba talks involves the construction of a new
Palestinian city in the sands of Halutza, southeast of Gaza. Ma'ariv
reports today that the Palestinians had agreed that refugees would
only be allowed into the Palestinian state-to-be-created, and that
Israel would help build them a new city or two in Halutza. Ramat
HaNegev Council Head Shmuel Rifman, a Labor party member, wrote to
Prime Minister Barak that he "cannot support a Prime Minister who has
led me astray for the last several months." Rifman said he wrote the
letter after learning that Barak has in fact made an offer of a
Halutza city to the Palestinians. Saeb Erekat of the Palestinian
negotiating team denied the reports, however, and said that the PA had
rejected all Israeli plans regarding Halutza. "Only minor issues were
agreed upon in this matter, nothing worth relating to," Erekat said.
*********************************************************
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Feb. 1, 2001 / Sh'vat 7, 5761
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK WON'T MEET ARAFAT
2. BARAK IN YESHA
3. REVELATIONS IN ISRAELI DOCUMENT
4. TEMPLE MOUNT DESECRATION CONTINUES
1. BARAK WON'T MEET ARAFAT
Prime Minister Ehud Barak put an end to speculation that he might
conduct one last pre-election summit meeting with Yasser Arafat, as
his aides announced this afternoon that such a meeting was now out of
the question. Several reasons were given: The continued Palestinian
violence; the murder of Lior Atiya; the imminent election; and the
lack of a clear purpose for the meeting. Despite many recent reports
in Israel, including by Barak himself, that an agreement was "within
reach", PA officials continued to strenuously deny this week that a
Palestinian-Israeli deal was imminent or near.
2. BARAK IN YESHA
Prime Minister Ehud Barak visited the Yesha community of Alfei Menashe
today, despite the success of the Yesha Council in preventing a visit
yesterday by Barak to Ofrah and Kadim. Dozens of inhabitants of
nearby towns demonstrated outside against Barak and his visit. Alfei
Menashe Mayor Hisdai Eliezer (Likud) explained to Arutz-7 today why he
agreed to host Barak despite the Yesha Council's objections: "In my
opinion, the proper thing to do when the Prime Minister wishes to
visit is to accept him and greet him, even if I very much don't agree
with him or with his far-reaching concessions to the Palestinians...
We should look him in the eye and tell him exactly what we think - I
think it's more effective that way, as well - and that's what I did.
I told him that it's impossible to understand how he can compare
Lebanon to Judea and Samaria [Barak said two days ago that just as he
withdrew from Lebanon, he will "bring our boys back from Judea and
Samaria" - ed. note]... If he wants to use this visit for campaign
purposes, and cuts up and splices the film and only broadcasts what he
said, I can go to the Likud campaign and offer to tell them what
really happened and what I told Barak in response."
3. REVELATIONS IN ISRAELI DOCUMENT
For the first time, the government of Israel has officially stated
that the Palestinian arsenal includes anti-aircraft missiles and
cannons. Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA ("www.imra.org.il") notes that
paragraph 141 of the Israeli report submitted to the Mitchell
Committee - charged with investigating the violence of the past four
months - states that illegal weapons held by Palestinian Police,
militia and other elements include machine guns; rocket-propelled
grenades; anti-tank missiles; shoulder launched anti-aircraft
missiles, cannons and machine guns; and more. Lerner notes that the
report was not released to the Israeli public until this morning when,
in reaction to the placement of the Palestinian report to the Mitchell
Committee on the PA's website, the Government of Israel also placed
its report on the Foreign Ministry website.
The Israeli document, which was submitted a month ago, is emphatic
that the Palestinian violence was not a reaction to Ariel Sharon's
visit to the Temple Mount: "The groundwork for the violence had been
laid long before this. Stung by the widespread appreciation in the
international community that Palestinian inflexibility was responsible
for the failure of the Camp David Summit, counseled not to declare a
Palestinian state unilaterally on 13 September 2000 as had been
planned, the Palestinian leadership looked to violence to 'create new
facts on the ground...'" The document notes, in paragraph 173, that PA
Security Chief Jibril Rajoub had specifically told Foreign Minister
Ben-Ami that Sharon's visit to the Mount would pose no problem. See
the entire document at <"www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH0jcb0">
4. TEMPLE MOUNT DESECRATION CONTINUES
Another four public figures have signed a petition against the
desecration of the Temple Mount by illegal Moslem Waqf construction.
Former Supreme Court Chief Justices Meir Shamgar and Moshe Landau,
ex-Jerusalem Mayor Teddy Kollek, and writer Amos Oz have signed the
petition organized by the Committee to Prevent the Destruction of
Temple Mount Artifacts. The group maintains that the Waqf is
continuing even now to excavate there extensively with no
archaeological supervision. In its most recent letter to Prime
Minister Barak - who has the sole authority to prevent the desecration
- the committee wrote that an aerial photograph taken early this week
clearly shows that another very large area is being dug to a depth of
up to a meter, which could destroy artifacts.
Excerpts from the letter:
"We are aware of the fact that we are at the height of an election
campaign. But despite our strong desire not to become a tool on the
political battlefield, we cannot remain silent as we witness nonstop
daily work on the Temple Mount - and when you do not prevent serious
damage to the site. The impression is that what is done on the Mount
has completely avoided all control and supervision... History, and
academic and archaeological research, will not forgive you if you do
not halt the terrible vandalism that is occurring before your eyes,
with your knowledge and consent."
**************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
To: <arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com>;<arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, February 2, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Feb. 2, 2001 / Sh'vat 9, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ELECTION NOTES
2. MOSLEMS OUTLAW NO-RETURN AGREEMENT
3. BARAK WENT TOO FAR
1. ELECTION NOTES
A poll published in Yediot Acharonot today shows that 65% of the Arabs
in Israel do not plan to vote in Tuesday's election. The poll finds
that Sharon is leading Barak by 21%. Other polls published today show
margins of victory for Sharon between 17 and 22%... Meretz leader MK
Yossi Sarid, quoting "Labor party elements," says that if Labor joins
a national-unity government led by Ariel Sharon, several members of
Labor will quit the party. Meretz is against a unity government. (MK
Benny Elon of the National Union is in fact working for a unity
government that will include Labor but not Yossi Beilin and Shlomo
Ben-Ami.) Sarid also said, "If Barak receives less than 45% of the
vote, it will enable people to say that most of the public does not
accept the Oslo process. This is a responsibility that Barak will
have to accept upon himself..." Center party MK Roni Milo - who
recently resigned his position as Health Minister in the
Barak-government in opposition to Barak's proposed division of
Jerusalem - is apparently planning his return to the Likud. He is
likely to announce his endorsement of Ariel Sharon by Sunday.
2. MOSLEMS OUTLAW NO-RETURN AGREEMENT
Several Moslem religious leaders in the Palestinian Authority issued a
ruling yesterday severely limiting the validity of a future
Israeli-Arab agreement. The ruling states that any agreement that
does not include the right of Arab refugees to return to their former
homes in Israel is "null and void, and will not be binding upon the
Palestinians."
3. BARAK WENT TOO FAR
"Ehud Barak has succeeded." So announced political analyst Dr. Aaron
Lerner on Arutz-7 English Radio last night, and explained why: "Barak
has succeeded in achieving the goal he set when he first came to
office: to demonstrate beyond the shadow of a doubt that a deal could
or could not be made with the Palestinians based on terms that are
anything close to being acceptable to Israel. To prove this, Bark
entertained terms far beyond the Israeli consensus: dividing Jerusalem
and losing the Old City (not obscure outlying neighborhoods - the very
heart of Jerusalem); giving up the strategically critical Jordan
Valley and high ground in Judea and Samaria and a whole series of
other measures that would make it literally impossible to defend the
country... And this still was not enough for the Palestinians. But
instead of moving on, Barak continues to talk about taking a few more
steps... Barak's ultimate downfall is that he has failed to announce
the failure himself."
************************************************************
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Feb. 4, 2001 / Sh'vat 11, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. HAREIDIM FOR SHARON
2. ARAB NATIONS PERPETUATED THE REFUGEE PROBLEM
1. HAREIDIM FOR SHARON
The rabbis of United Torah Judaism have come out with a call to vote
for Ariel Sharon - though they don't mention him by name. In return,
the Likud candidate promised to extend the status quo - according to
which yeshiva students receive yearly military exemptions - for an
additional eight months. The present arrangement is due to expire at
the end of April. Likud MK Ruby Rivlin said that nothing had been
signed, but that Sharon had given his oral agreement to extend the
law. Rivlin explained that the extension is necessary because Sharon
will be busy after the election with coalition negotiations and work
on the national budget, and there will not be enough time to deal with
the yeshiva-draft issue. If the budget is not passed by March 31,
new elections must be held.
Sharon plans not to speak on the media until the end of the election
campaign this Tuesday; he even canceled a previously scheduled
interview with Arutz-7. Prime Minister Barak, on the other hand,
granted an exclusive interview to Abu Dhabi Television over the
weekend, and called upon Israeli-Arabs to vote for him.
2. ARAB NATIONS PERPETUATED THE REFUGEE PROBLEM
Whatever was or was not accomplished during last month's Taba talks,
Israeli negotiators learned one thing: the intensity of Palestinian
feeling about the refugee issue. HaModia newspaper reports that the
Israelis came away with the feeling that there could be no Palestinian
compromise on the demand for both repatriation and compensation.
To put the matter in perspective, Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson notes that
the Arab refugee problem was both caused and perpetuated by the Arab
nations. The Arab nations, in the weeks preceding and following their
declaration of war on the fledgling State of Israel in May 1948,
encouraged the Arab inhabitants to leave, saying it would ease the
victory which they guaranteed would not be long in coming. After
Israel's victory, however, the Arab countries made sure to keep the
problem alive. As Joan Peters, author of From Time Immemorial,
recently told WorldNetDaily.com, "The Palestinians who fled or were
ordered [by the Arab countries] to run from Israel - many of them
recently-arrived nomads who had come for a job - those people could
have taken over the positions that were left by the Jews in those Arab
countries. It could have been solved and it could have been one of
the more humane solutions to the refugee problem anywhere in the
world. There were many international boards of inquiry. There were
many recommendations by American and foreign presidents and prime
ministers to solve the Arab refugee problem. [But as] the Arabs said
in the Arab League at that time, "We want to keep this as an open sore
and use these people as a pawn against Israel."
***************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
To: <arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com>;<arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, February 5, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, Feb. 5, 2001 / Shvat 12, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK EXPLAINS HIS ZIG-ZAGS
2. RABBI ELYASHIV: TOMORROW'S ELECTION IS CRITICAL
1. BARAK EXPLAINS HIS ZIG-ZAGS
Despite Prime Minister Barak's prediction that the gaps in the polls
between himself and Ariel Sharon would begin to narrow in the days
preceding the election, surveys released today and last night still
show a 20% margin of victory for the Likud candidate. Barak has not
given up, however, and his supporters flooded 120 main intersections
today with campaign literature. Shlomit Amichai, Director-General of
the Education Ministry, called upon school principals not to allow
students to take part in electioneering today.
The Prime Minister has come out with yet another apology - this time
for what has become known as his policy of zig-zagging. In a campaign
letter delivered to hundreds of thousands of citizens throughout the
country, Barak writes, "I knew that I was entering a field strewn with
mines, through which I would sometimes have to zig-zag in order to
pass safely through." Senior Labor party figures have criticized the
letter: "Barak's apology to the Arabs was acceptable, but it was not
necessary for him to admit to having zig-zagged," one source told
Ma'ariv today. Barak's announcement that he does not plan to step
down from the Labor party leadership even if he loses the election was
also not warmly received in the party.
Barak continues to work hard for the Arab vote, but Arab MKs Bishara
and Tibi said again today that the Israeli-Arab population would make
its voice heard by abstaining in the election. The Prime Minister
verbally attacked Sharon and his alliance with the religious parties
today, as evidenced by the hareidi endorsement of Sharon's candidacy
this week. The Likud, for its part, is concerned that the large gaps
shown by the polls in favor of its candidate may lead to a low turnout
among his supporters.
2. RABBI ELYASHIV: TOMORROW'S ELECTION IS CRITICAL
Rabbi Yosef Shalom Elyashiv, one of the top leading Rabbinical
authorities of the hareidi community, feels that voting in tomorrow's
election is "even more important than in the last elections." He
himself, as well as other leading hareidi rabbis, plans to depart from
his normal routine and vote in the election, explaining that there is
a danger of "an attempt to uproot Judaism if Barak wins."
Ariel Sharon is already making efforts to form a national unity
government, and has asked Prof. Yaakov Ne'eman to begin the work.
Ne'eman served as first as Justice Minister, then as Finance Minister,
under Binyamin Netanyahu. MK Silvan Shalom, one of Sharon's campaign
managers, said that if Sharon's bid to form a unity government with
Labor fails, he would try to form as broad a right-wing government as
possible. MK Benny Elon (National Union), a long-time proponent of a
unity government, said that Sharon will first have to form a narrow
government, and only afterwards will be able to invite Labor to join.
***************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
To: <arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com>;<arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, February 6, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, Feb. 6, 2001 / Sh'vat 13, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. RELATIVELY CALM ELECTION DAY
2. RELIGIOUS VOTERS COME OUT IMPRESSIVELY
3. VERY LOW ARAB TURNOUT
4. ARAB PAPERS WELCOME SHARON
1. RELATIVELY CALM ELECTION DAY
Shimon Peres has already jumped to some conclusions from the present
election - on behalf of Ehud Barak. "Ehud will have to draw
conclusions from his failure," he told CNN today, saying that if Barak
loses by a large margin, he would have to quit the party leadership.
Peres said that Barak should have given him a chance to run in this
election, "in light of the polls - which are, after all, the voice of
the public." Peres himself has been tripped up in past elections by
polls which mistakenly predicted a victory for him. Barak has said
recently that even if he loses, he will not step down from the
leadership of the Labor party.
2. RELIGIOUS VOTERS COME OUT IMPRESSIVELY
Many leading hareidi rabbis voted early this morning, hoping to set an
example for their followers to vote for Ariel Sharon. Rabbi Shalom
Yosef Elyashiv even called upon mourners - who are forbidden by Jewish
law to leave their homes except for specific reasons - to vote today,
as well as mothers of newborns and the elderly in old age homes.
3. VERY LOW ARAB TURNOUT
A big disappointment for Ehud Barak is the very low Israeli-Arab
voting rate: Currently hovering around the 10% mark, it is not
expected to pass 25-30%. In many Arab areas, groups of residents
stood outside polling booths, trying to convince others not to vote.
The voting rate in Judea and Samaria started out slowly, but stands
now at 55%, well over the national average.
4. ARAB PAPERS WELCOME SHARON
"The Arabs and the Israelis will never forget the history of the Likud
Party's terrorist leader Ariel Sharon, and his massacres against the
Palestinians and the Lebanese." (from Syria's official Tishrin) "Who
is a better choice for the Arabs? Barak or Sharon? . Both are hawks.
The only difference is that one wears iron gloves, while the other
silk. But, deep inside they are all black, with no mercy in their
hearts, with a record of never-ending crimes. [We] must maintain our
vigilance and be militarily prepared. No matter who rules in
Israel... our Army should be ready to deter any Israeli attempt at
aggression." (from Egypt's Al Wafd) "A complete revision of our
economic, political, and social position is required to have the whole
of Egypt standing behind the Army in case that Sharon attempts any
foolishness once he wins the vote."
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