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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, August 10, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Friday, August 10, 2001 / Av 21, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. ISRAEL RETALIATES POLITICALLY 2. INSIDE LAST NIGHT'S CABINET MEETING 3. THE ARAB REACTION 4. SHARON INVITES PARTIES TO JOIN COALITION
1. ISRAEL RETALIATES POLITICALLY While the IDF engaged in some retaliatory measures last night, the most significant steps taken by the Government of Israel were in the political realm: Israel closed the Headquarters of the Palestinian Authority in Jerusalem known as the Orient House. Overnight, Police and IDF forces entered the building, unfurled an Israeli flag over the structure in place of the PLO one, and removed all the pictures of Faisal Husseini which decorated the exterior courtyard and walls of the building. All computers, documents, and files in the building were confiscated. A loaded Uzi sub-machine gun which was found on premises led to the arrest of seven Arab guards. Also last night, PA operations in eight other Jerusalem buildings were terminated.
Israel's takeover of the Orient House caught the PLO by complete surprise. Reporters in Jerusalem and PA areas say that while the PLO expected extensive Israeli retaliation raids against installations throughout Judea and Samaria, they were sure that Israel would never touch the Orient House. Prime Minister Sharon clarified in a closed meeting that Israel's presence in the Orient House is not a temporary one, but "forever. We are exercising our sovereignty over Jerusalem," said the Prime Minister.
David Bedein of Israel Resource News Agency says that while every Israeli government in the past 8 years has declared that Jerusalem will remain unified under Israeli sovereignty, the same governments condoned the operation of PA institutions in Jerusalem. "The most blatant was the Orient House where PA officials would receive foreign dignitaries and diplomats for meetings. Moreover, terrorist offensives and strategies were actually planned at meetings held at the Orient House. Its massive computer network, now in the hands of Minister of Public Security Uzi Landau, contains details of terrorist activity and precise data on pre-1948 houses and real estate which the PA planned to claim in Israeli courts."
During a visit to the Orient House this morning, Minister Uzi Landau said, "Once Israeli begins enforcing the law in Jerusalem and preventing the waving of the PLO flag, we will be able to gradually halt terrorism." The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza congratulated the government on asserting Israeli sovereignty in its capital, "albeit, ten years late."
In other retaliatory moves following the Jerusalem bombing attack, the PA headquarters in the Jerusalem suburb Abu Dis were taken over by Israeli forces. The grandiose structure was built to serve as a future PA parliament as part of the Beilin-Peres-Abu Mazen plan to divide Jerusalem and establish the capital of a Palestinian state in its eastern, Arab-populated suburbs. The IDF spokesman says that the building directly served the military arms of the PA including: Force 17, General Intelligence, Preventive Security, Military Intelligence, and the Palestinian police. Part of the building sits on Israeli land, a reality that has been overlooked by previous Israeli governments.
2. INSIDE LAST NIGHT'S CABINET MEETING Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and fellow Labor party Ministers Matan Vilnai and Ephraim Sneh were the only three cabinet members who did not support the government's decision to take over strategic PA buildings in and around Jerusalem. Peres, an Oslo architect, remains an ardent supporter of returning to the negotiating table with Yasser Arafat, regardless of whether the PLO implements a ceasefire first.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres explained to members of the cabinet at the late night meeting that he objects to a forceful military reaction to the attack, and called upon the ministers to "keep things in proportion." In reaction, ministers at the meeting said, "Enough is enough. This cannot continue anymore." Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said that the Jerusalem slaughter requires a retaliation that sends a "clear and unmistakable" message to Arafat. Minister of the Interior Eliyahu Yishai, head of the Shas Party, speaking by telephone from overseas, told the Prime Minister that "there is no more point in pursuing dialogue" with Arafat. Yishai gave his agreement to "any action that the Prime Minister recommended." Deputy Defense Minister Dalia Rabin-Pelosof stated that in her opinion the decision taken was appropriate. However, "much more extreme proposals were discussed. Much more extreme," she emphasized.
3. THE ARAB REACTION Spontaneous mass expressions of joy broke out yesterday afternoon in various cities under the control of the Palestinian Authority when the news of the Jerusalem slaughter became known. In Jenin, home town of the dead terrorist, and elsewhere in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, hundreds of Arabs danced and sang in the streets, fired guns in the air and praised Hamas and the Islamic Jihad for killing the Jews. Islamists handed out candies and knafe (sweet cakes) to the crowds in a traditional symbolic reinforcement of their belief that there should be no sadness at the death of a "martyr." The father of the perpetrator of the Jerusalem bombing told reporters today that he and his wife are proud of their son's action. An Islamic Jihad spokesman declared, "Even the animals in the fields are happy about this attack." Elsewhere in the Arab world, particularly in Palestinian villages in Lebanon, there were similar spontaneous, joyful reactions to the murders.
4. SHARON INVITES PARTIES TO JOIN COALITION Prime Minster Ariel Sharon called upon the National Religious Party (NRP) and the Central Party to join the government immediately. Sharon made it clear to NRP leader MK Rabbi Yitzhak Levy that Israel is now facing a difficult political and military situation, and that the coalition needs reinforcement for its policies. While expressing his willingness to consider the offer, Levy said that the closure of the Orient House and "a low-level bombing in Ramallah," is not a sufficient response, and that more meaningful steps need to be taken.
The NRP has been demanding more active policies against the Arab terrorists, and thereby garnering support among right-wing voters. It appears that, in his attempt to convince the NRP to join the government, Ariel Sharon is seeking to guarantee the support he needs in the cabinet in order to carry out forceful military and diplomatic actions.
Sharon also spoke with MK Dan Meridor of the Center Party, which has moved to the right after its left-leaning members quit the Knesset. Negotiations with both the NRP and Center party are expected to continue next week.
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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, August 12, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Sunday, August 12, 2001 / Av 23, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. GOV'T CLOSES MORE PLO OFFICES IN CAPITAL 2. ORIENT HOUSE WAS ESPIONAGE CENTER 3. INSIDE THE CABINET MEETING 4. MILD INT'L CONDEMNATION OF ORIENT HOUSE TAKEOVER 5. EU AND JAPAN TO FUND REBUILDING IN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
SPECIAL INSERT: TOURISM MINISTER EXPLAINS GOV'T POSITION
1. GOV'T CLOSES MORE PLO OFFICES IN CAPITAL In the Arab-populated Jerusalem suburb Abu Dis, the IDF paid a return visit this morning to take over yet another office of the PA which was operating illegally in the capital. The IDF spokesman has not yet confirmed the operation, but Arab sources say that the IDF closed off the area of the PA Communications and Media Center, took over the building, ordered all employees outside, and began a search. Employees of the PA's Telecommunications Company will be given permission to re-enter their office in coordination with security officials on site. The Coordinator of Gov't Activities says, "It is not the intention of the defense establishment to disrupt the commercial business activities of the company. It wishes to permit the normal management of economic-commercial related issues."
Israel closed down the Orient House in Jerusalem, along with nine other offices of the PA, early Friday morning, in a political retaliation to the massacre of 15 civilians and the injuring of 120 by an Arab suicide bomber on Thursday
Spokesperson for the Arab League Hanan Ashrawi was informed last night by Israel police that she will not be allowed to enter Jerusalem following her incitement of Arab demonstrators to violent acts against police on Saturday near the Orient House. In fact, when she reached a police checkpoint on her way to Jerusalem this morning, she was forced to make a U-turn and go home. Ashrawi condemned the limitation on her movements.
2. ORIENT HOUSE WAS ESPIONAGE CENTER Minister of Public Security Uzi Landau says that the documents and databases recovered from the Orient house are being meticulously examined. Some of the information has already been transferred to the General Security Service (GSS). Investigators uncovered weapons and a vast array of documents and computer files of important intelligence information, including maps and photographs of Israeli police and other Israeli security forces in operation, and documentation pertaining to the vast ongoing illegal construction in the Arab sector of the capital. Also confiscated were files on every Jewish community in Judea, Samaria and Gaza which were to one day serve vital for PA forces in a military offensive against Yesha communities. Police sources say that the material will keep many people busy for a long time. Minister Landau says that he has been working to close down the center of PLO activity in Jerusalem since taking office 5 months ago, and he sees it as a "historic privilege" to be the government minister to carry out the order, thereby "restoring Israeli sovereignty" to all parts of Jerusalem.
A look at the Oslo agreements <http://www.mfa.gov.il/mfa/go.asp?MFAH00qa0> shows that opening PLO offices in Jerusalem is a blatant violation of them. The Israeli-Palestinian agreements specifically provide that Jerusalem is excluded from Palestinian jurisdiction (Interim Agreement, Article XVII.1). Moreover, the Interim Agreement states that all PA offices can only be located in areas under Palestinian territorial jurisdiction in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Interim Agreement Article I.7).
The left-wing Gush Shalom group says that the closing of the PLO Orient House was a blow to its activities. A statement released by the group reads in part: "What was hardly mentioned in the media was the special role this place has for the Israeli peace camp. In no other Palestinian venue were peace-seeking Israelis such frequent visitors, always made to feel at home and engage in fruitful discussion and dialogue."
How long will Israel keep the Orient House? Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert says that he spoke with the Prime Minister on this very question: "'I can to tell you,' he said to me in no uncertain terms - in the strident Arik [Sharon] voice that I have known for years - 'in the most clear-cut way that we will never move from here. We will never evacuate the Orient House.'"
Olmert was asked if the decision to keep the Orient House would hold in tact under the heavy international pressure. Olmert: "There is no 'heavy international pressure.' There is heavy media pressure. There is nothing that the Israeli media will balk at doing in order to undermine our position on this, as well."
3. INSIDE THE CABINET MEETING Foreign Minister Shimon Peres continues to press Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for the immediate renewal of talks with PLO leader Yasser Arafat. Peres, who was opposed to the Orient House takeover, now stresses that the need for renewed negotiations was greater than ever. Sharon remained firm in his position that negotiations would not resume until there is a total cessation of terrorism. But, Peres says that is not calling for diplomatic negotiations at this time, but rather talks to achieve the very ceasefire which Sharon is waiting for. Regarding this idea, Sharon told reporters: "We do not pay protection money. We have made that clear a hundred times. It is not even an issue. We do not pay for the cessation of terrorism. We will not pay them not to kill us."
Sharon called on Peres to honor the majority cabinet opinion not to negotiate under fire. Peres and Sharon met alone for two hours following the cabinet session, due to the sharp exchange of views between them during the meeting. After their tete-a-tete, they declared that they will continue their discussions at another time.
Later in the day, Shimon Peres spoke before members of the Labor Party Central Committee in Shefayim. Peres called for easing restrictions placed on the Arabs, pulling back IDF forces, loosening the closure of several Arab towns, and stopping "Israeli incitement." Angry Labor Committee members interrupted his speech several times, with shouts of: "You are the foreign minister of Israel, and not of the PLO!"
Prime Minister Sharon is meeting with members of the National Religious and Central Parties tonight to negotiate their joining the coalition. Sharon initiated the meeting in an apparent attempt to broaden the coalition should Peres and some Labor ministers quit.
4. MILD INT'L CONDEMNATION OF ORIENT HOUSE TAKEOVER The US Department of State issued an official condemnation of the takeover of the Orient House and other PA institutions, and Secretary of State Colin Powell telephoned Prime Minister Ariel Sharon expressing his concerns over the "political escalation." Powell noted that in the past, Israel had turned a blind eye to the Palestinian Authority's political activities in the Jerusalem building. The Russian Federation also condemned the Israeli actions in Jerusalem and Abu Dis. In an ABC interview, US President George W. Bush sufficed with a general statement that both Israel and the PA were not doing enough to end the fighting and return to the negotiating table.
Herut Chairman MK Michael Kleiner says that Israel should have seized the opportunity to hit harder: "We would have earned a similar measure of condemnation for a considerably more effective move such as conquering the PA and expelling Arafat."
5. EU AND JAPAN TO FUND REBUILDING IN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY The European Union and the Governments of Norway and Japan have expressed willingness to undertake the rebuilding of structures in the Arab villages of Rafiah and Khan Yunis that were destroyed by Israeli forces in retaliatory operations. Extensive and ongoing shooting attacks were launched throughout the Oslo War upon Jewish homes from Khan Yunis, and upon IDF positions from Rafiah. The price tag according to PLO sources is $3 million. The rebuilding and the collection of international funding will be accomplished via the United Nation's UNRWA forces.
SPECIAL INSERT TOURISM MINISTER EXPLAINS GOV'T POSITION Minister of Tourism and Security Cabinet member Rehavam Ze'evi, in an interview on Israel Radio, expressed his view of the Israeli actions taken following last Thursday's suicide bombing in Jerusalem. He said the takeover of several PLO offices in Jerusalem and Abu Dis was a "smart action, but not enough. We need to respond all along the [PLO] front, from Rafiah to Jenin."
The Minister said that the world will always criticize our retaliatory raids, "What do we expect - that they will applaud our operations? Of course when we retaliate, when we respond, they will be against us, but we do not live for world applause. And if we have to do it, then we'll do it without sympathetic understanding. I always like to say that there was one nation in the world that earned a lot of sympathy, but it no longer exists. It was called Biafra, but it is no more. So I am willing to forego the sympathy. Of course I will attempt to sway world opinion in our favor, but if the choice is between world approval or doing what is necessary, then we will do what we have to do.
"The Orient House was operating in violation of the agreements - which prohibit [PLO] political activity in Jerusalem. The Orient House is dead. Attempts to revive it - a demonstration, another protest, another shoving match with Hanan Ashrawi - will ultimately pass and it will fade from the horizon. There will be no political activity of the Palestinian Authority, of the PLO, in the city of Jerusalem. Jerusalem is our sovereign capital, and it is inconceivable that ten offices were operating in Jerusalem under complete jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority. No nation on earth would accept such an arrangement, but now when we respond to it, everyone gets upset. In a few days they will forget about it, although the things that will make it forgettable are not necessarily things that will make me happy."
"The capture of the Orient House was not a preemptive strike against a terrorist act. It was a signal to Arafat, 'Look here, you cannot send grief and death to us and continue as if nothing happened. You will lose that which you've already gained in the past.' All the previous governments knew that the Orient House had to be taken out, but they displayed restraint. If Arafat had not yet understood the rules, he certainly does now. The fact is that in the last few days, he already arrested one or two terrorists who were on their way to carrying out suicide attacks. I believe that the suicide attacks were halted due to his understanding that he is starting to lose altitude and political assets.
"Arafat intended to appoint someone instead of [the late] Faisal Husseini [Director of the Orient House], who did actually concern him as a potential rival, someone more to his liking or perhaps no one at all. But now, Arafat lost the place to appoint someone to. He can appoint someone at his own house. At his house, he can appoint someone for Israel affairs, for Jerusalem affairs, but not in the city of Jerusalem. Only the Government of Israel and the Jerusalem Municipality will run Jerusalem and certainly not a foreign, hostile organization."
While the operation was important for raising Jewish morale, it "definitely had added value in terms of the war on terrorism, because Arafat saw that he was losing political assets. Regarding combatting terrorism, there is a whole host of actions that we have yet to take. I think Arafat is much better at convincing [Israel to act] than I am in this regard. When I suggest something it requires a long incubation period, sometimes months, sometimes more than that. This could be seen in the previous government as well as in this one. Until they agreed to finally take down the Twin Towers overlooking Netzarim Junction [from which Arab snipers shot at Jews in the intersection], it took a few months, but they ultimately did it and Netzarim Junction is now quiet. Thus far, I proposed eighteen possible actions, only two of which were carried out. That means that there are still sixteen waiting to be unleashed.
"People ask, 'When are you going to stop shooting at empty headquarters of Force 17? When are you going to stop shooting at sandbags and concrete walls? When will you start to really fight?' That is the real picture of Israeli public opinion that does not necessarily get reflected in the nice polls that appear in the newspapers. The public definitely expects from the Sharon government to provide them with the security we promised. And security means hitting back at those who seek our death."
Minister Ze'evi then turned to his analysis of the current Israeli government. He says that "there is a joint interest in maintaining the unity government. In today's cabinet meeting, Prime Minister Sharon reiterated that it is of primary importance. Since both sides see [national unity] as important, they will both compromise now and again. A unity government doesn't mean that everyone thinks the same thing, but that each side gives in a bit. They could continue 'living together' for a long time if they want to. If it were up to me, the unity government would not exist, because I see it as a government of paralysis... But both Sharon and Peres are old-timers in politics and are very clever, and they will avoid all the pitfalls and mine fields along the way."
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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, August 13, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Monday, Aug. 13, 2001 / Av 24, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. SHARON GIVES PERES GREEN LIGHT FOR TALKS WITH PA 2. BEN-ELIEZER: CLOSURE WILL PROMPT ARAFAT TO ARREST TERRORISTS 3.EFFORTS TO BROADEN COALITION 4. BURG URGES PERES TO STAY IN GOV'T 5. "REVOLVING DOOR" POLICY 6. TERRORIST'S FAMILY COULD NOT BE PROUDER
1. SHARON GIVES PERES GREEN LIGHT FOR TALKS WITH PA In a one-on-one session between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres following yesterday's cabinet meeting, Sharon authorized Peres to begin a dialogue with senior PA officials. Sharon refused Peres' request for a direct meeting with Arafat. Peres had been pressing the Prime Minister for a long time to negotiate under fire, but until now, Sharon refused to budge on the issue. According to the agreement, Peres will meet with PA officials in a clandestine fashion, far away from the media and will be accompanied by Major-General Giora Eiland who will provide expert counsel on security matters. Talks with PA officials will only deal with "efforts to achieve a cease-fire" and will not include political issues that would constitute diplomatic negotiations.
2. BEN-ELIEZER: CLOSURE WILL PROMPT ARAFAT TO ARREST TERRORISTS Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer stated on Sunday that the cabinet decision to take over the Orient House and other PA offices sends a message to PA leader Yasser Arafat that he does have something to lose. The defense minister said that while the PA will work with unyielding tenacity to enlist the support of the international community against Israel, the bottom line is that Arafat now understands that ongoing terrorism will result in significant losses of strategic importance. Ben-Eliezer said that this would ultimately prompt Arafat to do a great deal more to thwart attacks.
Police Chief Miki Levy revealed today that the order to seize Orient House extends for only 6 months.
3. EFFORTS TO BROADEN COALITION The Center and National Religious (NRP) parties are not jumping at the opportunity to join Sharon's government. NRP leader Rabbi Yitzhak Levy says that there is no agreement yet between his party and the Prime Minister. Following last night's hour and a quarter meeting with Sharon, Levy said that his party is demanding far more decisive and extensive steps to combat terrorism. Levy was angered by the agreement made on Sunday afternoon by which Foreign Minister Shimon Peres may resume negotiations with senior PA officials.
The Center Party will meet later today to decide on Sharon's offer to join the government. Before the vote, the Prime Minister will submit to this party a written coalition agreement. The Center and National Religious parties number 5 Knesset members each. The Labor-Meimad party numbers 24 Knesset members.
4. BURG URGES PERES TO STAY IN GOV'T Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg, who is a candidate for the Labor Party leadership, called upon Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to remain in the national unity coalition, saying that nothing would be gained by leaving the government at this time.
Burg blasted Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, whom he will face in the primaries for Labor Party head, for voting in favor of the Orient House capture against Peres and the Labor Party position. Burg expressed concern that the capture of Orient House causes significant damage to Israel in the eyes of the international community. Burg added that division among the ranks of the Labor Party only serves to strengthen the right-wing.
Labor Party officials announced that internal primaries for party leadership will be held on September 4. The person chosen as leader automatically becomes the party's candidate for prime minister in the next national elections.
5. "REVOLVING DOOR" POLICY In the past few days, Yasser Arafat has released from detention three Hamas terrorists who were involved in the June 1, 2001 attack at the Tel Aviv Dolphinarium, which claimed the lives of 21 Israelis, as well as additional attacks. The three - Kasem Nazal Suwei, Ibrahim Dahmas and A'a Rahman Hamad, prominent Hamas killers from the Kalkilya area - had been detained by PA police on various dates in the wake of Israeli and international pressure.
Kassem Suwei is the brother of Tzalah, the terrorist who perpetrated the July 1994 suicide bombing on a #5 bus in Tel Aviv which killed 21 people. Suwei was active in the gang that also included Said Hotri, the terrorist who perpetrated the Dolphinarium attack.
A'a Rahman Hamad was involved in the suicide attack on the #5 bus and served six years in an Israeli prison for this. Immediately upon his release in October 2000, he became involved with the Hamas military command in the Kalkilya region.
Ibrahim Dahmas is also a member of Hamas' violence unit. He was active in the gang that included Said Hotri (see above) and Fadi A'amar, the terrorist who perpetrated the March 28, 2001 bombing at Neveh Yamin. Dahmas had also been planning to perpetrate a suicide attack himself.
During their detention, the PA police refrained from questioning the three and sufficed with holding them under lax supervision in comfortable quarters. Hamas exerted considerable pressure on the PA to release them. Last week, "the door again revolved," and they were set free.
6. TERRORIST'S FAMILY COULD NOT BE PROUDER The parents and family of the Wall Street Cafe suicide bomber, Mohammed Machmud Bakr Nasr, 28, from Kabatia, south of Jenin, could not be prouder of their son/relative who they explain "died a holy martyr." The father told the Reuters News Agency that his son left his place of employment to become more active in the Islamic Jihad and continue the struggle against "the Jews, our enemy". He added, "This is the only language they understand." Hundreds of supporters gathered at the family home in Kabatia on Sunday night to congratulate them on their son's committing suicide.
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