HHMI Newsgroup Archives

To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, June 3, 2001

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, June 3, 2001 / Sivan 12, 5761
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TERRORIST GROUPS REFUSE TO END WAR
2. ARAFAT AGAIN SPEAKING IN TWO VOICES
3. RIGHT-WING MKs TO MEET WITH SHARON TONIGHT

1. TERRORIST GROUPS REFUSE TO END WAR
Yasser Arafat ordered his police late last night to "take all steps to enforce a ceasefire" - but his underlings either didn't get the message or assumed he didn't really mean it. A self-described "coalition of national and Islamic groups" decided today that the intifada will continue; 13 organizations, including Fatah, Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, were represented. Hamas and Fatah announced that they have the right to continue to "defend themselves," and Hamas political leader Khaled Mash'al said that the attacks would not stop "until the Zionist invasion is ejected." Tanzim head Marwan Bargouti said today, "The intifada and the armed resistance will continue for as long as even one settler or one soldier remains in the conquered Palestinian territories."

Although no attacks were registered throughout most of the day - shots were fired at residential outposts near the Shomron community of Itamar towards evening - Palestinians fired at Israeli targets on six occasions during the night and early this morning. Shots were fired at an IDF convoy west of Tul Karem, as well as at IDF outposts in Gaza near Gadid, N'vei Dekalim, Morag, and Rafiach. In the Shomron, Arabs shot at the northern-Shomron community of Chomesh; IDF soldiers returned fire.

After the publication of the Palestinian decision, Israel announced that it would reinstate its policy of initiating military actions against terrorist leaders and infrastructures, "in accordance with the conditions that have been created." The army will respond to Friday's suicide terrorist slaughter "when it becomes effective to do so, and the reprisal will not be limited to the bombing of empty buildings." So reported Israel Radio this evening. The government had earlier said that it was allowing a "few hours" to see if Arafat's words would be backed up by actions. It is assumed that no actual military response is close to being carried out - partly because of Arafat's announcement, and party because there has been a mass flight of PA leaders into hiding in fear of the Israeli response.

Security measures that were taken following the weekend terrorist attack included: Strengthening of the IDF closure on Arab towns in Judea, Samaria and Gaza strip; all Palestinian workers inside Green Line Israel were ordered to return to their homes; the Allenby bridge and the Rafiach crossing, on the Jordanian and Egyptian borders, respectively, were closed; all VIP passes allowing free travel for PA seniors were canceled. Many European diplomats in PLO-controlled Gaza have left in fear of Israel's retaliation.

The international community is pressuring Arafat to call off the violence. UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan, U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell, French President Jacques Chirac, Jordanian King Abdullah, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Arab League Secretary Amr Mussa, and other leaders have all called Arafat and demanded that he call off all Palestinian fire.

3. ARAFAT AGAIN SPEAKING IN TWO VOICES
At today's Cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer said that there had been a "toning down" of the PA media's incitement today. Prime Minister Sharon said that Arafat's ceasefire announcement and any toning-down of incitement are just "tactics" by Arafat, in fear of an Israeli military response. Itamar Marcus of Palestinian Media Watch discussed with Arutz-7 today whether there has been a noticeable change in Palestinian broadcasts:

"This morning, Friday's terrorist attack was condemned. But regarding incitement, hate songs are still being broadcast on TV, calling for martyrdom and hitting the 'Zionist enemy.' Even more significant, though, is the fact that in the official PA newspaper, Al Hayat al-Jadida, the first page mentions Arafat's call for a ceasefire - flavored with an attack on Ariel Sharon for violating his own self-proclaimed ceasefire - but then on the second page, there is an ad from the "National and Islamic Forces" This is the name of the umbrella organization of Fatah, Hamas, Force 17, etc., and its ad says that the intifada will "continue until victory," "Long live the intifada," and the like... In short, on the first page you have Arafat telling the whole world that he has ordered a ceasefire, but on the second page of the official PA organ - in which everything is published only with Arafat's approval - you have everything continuing as usual, with the same militant calls for the continuation of the intifada and the like..."

Marcus also noted the significance of the an attack on new Russian immigrants to Israel:

"The topic of Russian immigration to Israel is something that greatly occupies Palestinian attention. This is because the Arabs have a demographic plan to, within a few decades, outnumber the Jewish population, based on simple calculations of their much higher birthrate than the Jews. But they feel that the immigration from other countries will mess up their plans. In an article in the official Al Hayat al-Jadida a few months ago, a clear call for terrorist attacks against the Russian immigrants was published: 'We must choose targets that will cause them death and fear... that will lose them sleep and give them all sorts of torture. We long for the tears of the prostitutes of Tel Aviv who came from Russia and elsewhere, and that their mothers' hearts will burn... We must transfer the war to the lands of the enemy - if we may use this phrase, with the knowledge that all of Palestine is conquered, and the time has come for us to wake up and fight them on every centimeter - let's move the fight to the land that has been conquered since 1948." Marcus concluded that Friday night's attack shows that the Palestinians were quite serious in their threats.

3. RIGHT-WING MKs TO MEET WITH SHARON TONIGHT
MK Yuri Stern (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu), together with his party MKs, will meet with Prime Minister Sharon tonight. A threat by at least part of the faction to quit the government coalition - because of the lack of military response against the Palestinians - is still in effect. Stern spoke with Arutz-7 today about the fact that most of the victims on Friday night were immigrants, and about his party's demands of Sharon:

"First of all, the immigrant community has been unfortunately well-represented in the lists of casualties of other terrorist attacks, but this time the blow was of course much greater. I can only say two things: I would hope that the Israeli public would truly recognize the importance of the contributions of the immigration, as the Arabs do, and not just with lip service. Secondly, the immigrant population is not afraid to fight and die, but they are not willing to do so like sheep going to slaughter. What bothers them the most is the lack of a military response; they came to a Jewish state that, they expect, knows how to protect its citizens...

"[Regarding tonight's meeting with the Prime Minister,] we don't use ultimatums when speaking to Sharon; he is not Barak. We see him as the leader of our camp. We just want him to take into account, together with all the other considerations, the terrible blow to national morale caused by the lack of response, even after such a strong attack. For many hours yesterday, there was absolutely no reaction, allowing the terrorists to run away and hide, and organize themselves, and even allow Arafat to come out with a ceasefire announcement. Why did this have to happen? When they were in shock, that was the time to hit - but they were given these few hours to start their propaganda machine going, which they know how to do much better than we do..."

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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, June 4, 2001

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, June 4, 2001 / Sivan 12, 5761
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PM SHARON: RESTRAINT IS STRENGTH
2. ARAFAT'S CEASEFIRE: THREE ATTACKS, TWO MORTARS, ONE FULL-SCALE BATTLE
3. REFORM PRESIDENT: WE WERE WRONG - ABOUT SOME THINGS
4. BRIEFS

1. PM SHARON: RESTRAINT IS STRENGTH
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon earned praise from left-wing MKs such as Meretz's Zahava Gal'on for remarks he made yesterday while visiting teenagers wounded in the Friday night Dolphinarium suicide slaughter in Tel Aviv. Sharon said, "I am responsible for running this campaign, the responsibility for such is on my shoulders, and it is a hard campaign. I must take into account both the diplomatic and military considerations... We must see the entire picture.  Restraint, too, is a component of strength."

Today, Sharon qualified this somewhat by saying that he is not conducting a policy of restraint but rather "a policy designed to provide protection to the citizens of Israel." He rejected claims that he was sacrificing Israeli citizens for the sake of the country's public relations. Sharon admitted that as opposition head he expressed different opinions than those he holds now, but, "I did that within the framework of my capacity as head of the opposition."

Minister Tzippy Livni was asked by Arutz-7 today: "Do you agree with Prime Minister Sharon's statements that restraint is a component of strength? Why did he not say it during his election campaign?" Her response:

"I think that, until this past Shabbat [the day after the Dolphinarium slaughter], our policy of restraint was correct. We paid a high price, on the roads of Judea and Samaria and elsewhere, but it did bring us the benefit of great international pressure on Arafat, to which he is unfortunately more prone to listen than he is to our military responses. Starting from Shabbat, however, I think that we should have decided to react, but in this way: We should have started with some economic measures as well as some military measures of different levels, together with continued pressure on Arafat to order a ceasefire. My disagreement with Sharon is only on the message that Israel should be transmitting: we must make it clear that Israel will act at its convenience, and that Arafat should be in suspense, as should the rest of the world, as to when we will strike. This would be better than announcing in advance that we are waiting a day or two, or giving ultimatums, or the like, because as the days pass, it gets harder for us to actually carry out a military action."

Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane reports that an Israeli attack had actually been planned at the end of last week, in retaliation for the continuing killings on the roads of Yesha. It was going to involved Israeli Air Force planes, but because of the suicide attack in Tel Aviv, the situation changed, the Palestinians began to flee in expectation of a major retaliation, and Israel did not want to bomb empty buildings. Despite this, the planes were again put on the ready during the course of Shabbat, but again the action was stayed because of Arafat's ceasefire announcement.

2. ARAFAT'S CEASEFIRE: THREE ATTACKS, TWO MORTARS, ONE FULL-SCALE
BATTLE Has Arafat delivered the ceasefire goods he promised? For one thing, Palestinian gunmen opened fire on an Israeli patrol traveling within Israeli territory near Rafiach, and a heavy battle has been raging there all afternoon. Over 15 Arabs have been wounded, and two Israeli soldiers were also lightly hurt. The Arab attack includes anti-tank fire, light-weapons fire, grenades and Molotov cocktails. The IDF spokesman denied PA allegations that Israeli forces entered PA territory. Also late this afternoon, mortar shells were fired towards Morag and Atzmonah in Gush Katif.

The above was not the first violation of Arafat's ceasefire "orders" since last night. Residents of Kfar Darom in Gaza spent the night in their shelters after two mortar shells were fired upon their town; no one was hurt. Earlier, the Shomron community of Chomesh had been attacked by terrorist gunfire. This morning, an Israeli woman was lightly hurt when a terrorist bomb exploded near the community of Barkan, on the Trans-Shomron highway west of Ariel. Comprised of a gas canister and explosives, the bomb was detonated by remote control. Security officials closed the road for a short time. Terrorist organizations had earlier puzzled observers by announcing that they would accept Arafat's ceasefire order, but that the intifada would continue.

The halting of Palestinian media incitement is another Israeli demand as part of the ceasefire - but it appears to be continuing apace.  Voice of Palestine Radio again broadcast today that the two Arabs who were killed when their truck overturned yesterday were killed by "settlers." The official news broadcast opened with a statement by an official Palestinian source calling for an "end to attacks by settlers against Palestinians, such as the killing of the two yesterday." Due to a steering-system problem, the truck overturned yesterday on a steep downhill slope on the Ramallah bypass highway about a mile south of the new Assaf Outpost between Beit El and Ofrah. In addition, songs praising martyrdom and violence against Israel continue to be heard; television captions quote the father of the Dolphinarium suicide murderer saying that he is proud of his son and wishes he had 20 more like him.

How about the arrest of Hamas terrorists or the collection of illegal weapons? These too have not yet begun. In fact, Brig.-Gen. Amos Gilad of IDF Intelligence disclosed today that the day before the suicide slaughter in Tel Aviv, Arafat freed three terrorist experts in explosive materials, for the express purpose of increasing the number of casualties in future attacks.

3. REFORM PRESIDENT: WE WERE WRONG - ABOUT SOME THINGS
Reform Rabbi Eric H. Yoffie, president of the Union of American Hebrew Congregations, admitted last week that the Reform movement had been "wrong about some very important things" in the context of the Oslo process.

"First and foremost," he told a UAHC national board meeting last week, "we have been wrong about Palestinian intentions. We have believed, along with our allies in the peace camp, that if an Israeli prime minister would be brave enough to say that Israel must choose peace over territories, the Palestinian Authority would also choose peace... Ehud Barak bravely offered a Palestinian state on 96 percent of the West Bank, with its capital in East Jerusalem... But the offer was not accepted. The voices of reason and moderation on which we had counted did not appear. And the PLO showed itself, once again, to be one of the most stupid, murderous, and bloodthirsty national liberation movements in all of human history. And we were wrong about something else as well. We did not pay nearly enough attention to the culture of hatred created and nourished by Palestinian leaders... Our Movement has said little about such things. We assumed, wrongly, that if a political settlement were reached, then conciliation would inevitably follow. But we, along with most of the Jewish world, now realize that conciliation, at least in some measure, must come first. The Palestinians must demonstrate, even before an agreement is reached, that they have a true desire for peace. We were inclined to focus overly much on the hard choices we had to make, and not enough on the hard choices that our Palestinian neighbors had to make."

Yoffie was quick to balance out his confession and advise Israel to freeze Yesha construction: "Our errors of judgment, of course, do not mean that Israel's hands are totally clean," he said, condemning Israel's occupation as "involv[ing] acts of degradation and cruelty" and its settlement policy as "fanatic," and saying that "her response to terror has raised questions." Not only that, but "Israel has also been guilty from time to time of demonizing her enemies."

But, Yoffie said, "while we have been wrong, we have also been right. In fact, on most things we have been right. The intifada. has given us no reason to revise our long-term view of what is necessary for peace. We believe that in order for there to be peace, Israel must end her occupation and her rule over the Palestinian people. [ed. note: 98% of the Palestinians are under control of the Palestinian Authority.] . The primary burden here falls on Mr. Arafat's shoulders. He says that he wants to talk, but he cannot expect to come to the table when he is covered in blood. He says that he wants peace, but this means that he must talk the language of peace to his own people... He must find a way to say to the citizens of Israel: "You are here in this land by right, as are we. Welcome home." As for the Israelis, I believe that they would be wise to freeze temporarily all settlement construction. They should do this not because the Mitchell Commission wants it, or because the American government wants it, but because it is politically wise and morally right..."

In a related item, the Reform Movement leadership has decided to suspend its youth trips to Israel this summer. The aforementioned Yoffie explained, in light of the uncertain security situation, "Our religious and Zionist commitments run deep and are known to all, but this movement never uses other people's children to make a political or ideological point." Last year, 1,500 high school students traveled to Israel under the auspices of a UAHC group; this year's registration was dramatically lower, but there were still more than 300 families who were prepared to send their children to visit Israel. National Council of Synagogue Youth, the youth movement of the Orthodox Union, will be running its annual Israel summer program this year, albeit on a smaller scale.

4. BRIEFS

Labor and Social Affairs Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) says that he is now doing "teshuvah" - repentance - for his previous support of the Oslo process. "I allowed myself to be fooled when I supported Oslo and the entire peace process," he said today. "I was one of the admirers of the process, and now I regret it. We were lulled by Arafat, and we were fooled." Benizri said that the Arabs interpret Sharon's restraint as Israeli weakness...

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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, June 5, 2001

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Tuesday, June 5, 2001 / Sivan 14, 5761
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. A VIOLENT CEASEFIRE
2. HENDEL PLANS TO FORM COUNTER-PERES FRONT
3. ANOTHER LEFT-WINGER TURNS RIGHT
4. PALESTINIANS SUPPORT SUICIDE ATTACKS, 3-1

1. A VIOLENT CEASEFIRE
The Prime Minister's Office has confirmed that it refused Arafat's request to fly from Ramallah to Gaza. Spokesmen say that Arafat will not be allowed to fly until he takes determined steps against the terrorist infrastructure. Arafat arrived in Ramallah on Friday for Feisal Husseini's funeral and has been stuck there ever since.

It is still not clear which Palestinian terrorist organizations have accepted Arafat's ceasefire orders, and to what extent. A senior Fatah leader said today that his organization accepts the ceasefire ordered by Arafat, "except for cases in which Israel attacks us or violates the Mitchell Report by building another house in a settlement..." Hamas, for its part, denies having agreed to stop its attacks against Israel. It released an announcement this morning saying it plans to continue its struggle for "all of Palestine."

Both Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres agreed today that Yasser Arafat is still not taking enough practical steps to stop the attacks against Israel, such as arresting terrorists.

2. HENDEL PLANS TO FORM COUNTER-PERES FRONT
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) and his party colleagues met with Prime Minister Sharon last night, and presented their demand that he end the "restraint" and fight back at the Palestinian Authority. Hendel explained to Arutz-7 today why he does not support the proposal that his party leave the government at present:

"I have no ulterior motives, in that I have no Volvo [a perk of a Ministerial position], so I am an objective observer. The reason why I think we should remain in the government is as follows: We were originally misled into thinking that the unity government was comprised of two forces, Sharon and Peres, and that Sharon, as Prime Minister, would have the stronger voice. But we now know that this is not true, and that the government is actually running on a program set solely by Peres. We now hope to work full-steam ahead to form a new plan of action that hopefully Sharon will employ. This is the position that most of the country holds, and we will start leading the way. If we see that this is working, then fine, but if not, we will leave the government... I told Sharon that most of the country is in favor of a strong military response. Who supports Sharon right now?  Barak supporters, and the Arabs, and a few right-wingers who believe that Sharon is merely waiting for the right minute to let loose with an attack. But, I told him, if it turns out that this is not what will happen, then actually no one will support you, because the Barak supporters only like you when you are small and dependent on them..."

Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, however, of the same party, is in favor of leaving the government. Visiting Nahariya today, he expressed his skepticism about chances of peace with Arafat: "The ceasefire may last a day or it may last a month, but in the final analysis, a scorpion remains a scorpion, and he will again sting us.  We will then discover that we have wasted much time and also blood." Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, on the other hand, says that it is possible to return to the negotiating table within 4-5 months: six weeks of a ceasefire, followed by a "meaningful cooling-off period" and confidence building measures, as stipulated in the Mitchell Report.

3. ANOTHER LEFT-WINGER TURNS RIGHT
One of the founding members of Peace Now, Edna Shabtai, has publicized a letter she wrote to former MK Geulah Cohen. Shabtai states in the letter that she now recognizes that the Palestinian entity wishes nothing more than to eradicate the Jewish presence in Israel. Shabtai later explained, "Now, after the past nine months, everyone whose eyes are just a little bit open can see where Arafat is headed: towards the conquest of all of Eretz Yisrael, and the return of all Palestine to the Palestinians. For us, this is a death decree... I keep thinking about Abba Kovner's call to Lithuanian Jewry on Jan. 1, 1942, which began, "Jewish youth, don't trust those who are leading you astray...  Don't go like sheep to the slaughter." We must recognize what we are headed for if we allow our hands to be tied and our eyes to be bound..."

Excerpts from Shabtai's letter to her former political opponent, MK of the now-defunct nationalist Techiyah (Revival) party: "The government must immediately issue the following announcement: 'The State of Israel recognizes the state of war waged against it by and under the auspices of the Palestinian Authority for the past nine months. This is a war of terrorism, the PA's answer to the generously outstretched hand of peace proffered by its elected Prime Minister, Ehud Barak...  Instead of peace, the Palestinian answer is the dispatching of brainwashed young killers, outfitted with vests of death, to purposely kill children and youth in our cities in mass murders that outrage the heart of all humans. Israel sees itself, starting from June 2, the morning after the mass slaughter of the children, in a state of genuine war, and will do everything it can to protect itself and its citizens, according to international law...'"

Government Minister Shlomo Benizri (Shas) also expressed full remorse yesterday for his support of Oslo.

4. PALESTINIANS SUPPORT SUICIDE ATTACKS, 3-1
Over three-quarters of Palestinians support suicide bomb attacks against Israel, according to a poll released two days ago. The poll of 707 people, carried out by the Palestine Center for Public Opinion in the PA town of Beit Sahour, was commissioned before both the Tel Aviv slaughter outside the Dolphinarium and before Arafat's announcement of a ceasefire. The findings showed that 76% of respondents favored operations like the May 18 suicide blast in Netanya, which killed five Israelis. Only one out of eight people opposed such tactics. Almost half of the respondents said they would resist a halt to the intifada if called for by Arafat, while just over a third said they would back him. Almost half the respondents said they opposed the continuation of the peace process with Israel.

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