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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, August 14, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Tuesday, Aug. 14, 2001 / Av 25, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. IDF RETALIATES IN JENIN 2. EFFECTS OF OSLO WAR ON ECONOMY 3. FROM THE ISRAELI PRESS
1. IDF RETALIATES IN JENIN In the early morning hours today, some twenty IDF tanks rolled into the PLO-controlled city of Jenin - which the Israeli media is now calling "Suicide Central" - and destroyed a building used by the PA police. IDF bulldozers carried out the work in the heart of the city, while ground forces and combat helicopters provided cover.
Heavy fire was directed at the IDF, but no injuries were reported. The IDF spokesman says that due to the area being heavily populated by civilians, soldiers did not return fire. The strike came in response to the suicide bombing in Haifa, which was directed by terrorist cells in Jenin.
The IDF forces withdrew from the city after a successful operation. This morning, however, there were victory celebrations in Jenin, after the Arab media reported that the IDF troops were forced out by the "heroic resistance" put up by PLO fighters.
Following the IDF's retaliation in Jenin, Oslo architect and former Justice Minister MK Yossi Beilin (Labor) accused Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of returning to his familiar tactics of fifty years ago, "destroying what Peres and the peace camp built over the past decade." Beilin called upon Foreign Minister Shimon Peres to leave the national unity coalition government.
2. EFFECTS OF OSLO WAR ON ECONOMY While Yasser Arafat has caused untold human suffering to Jews and Arabs alike, he has also destroyed the economy of the areas under his jurisdiction. Arafat has allowed and encouraged monopolies run by political cronies to take over some markets thereby driving away even Arab investors. His unleashing of terrorists on Israeli cities has lead to perpetual closures, leaving huge numbers of Arabs unemployed. In addition, Israeli retaliations have attendant material costs. Despite US pleas to allow tax revenues to be turned over to the PA, Israel has withheld the monies, intended for paying PA soldiers' salaries, since the start of the warfare. Financial assistance from donor countries is siphoned off to multiple levels of corruption before reaching the Arab street, if at all.
The Israeli economy too, has not been immune from the effects of terrorism. Unemployment in Israel has reached record levels, with a 3.7% increase this past month alone. The dramatic change in employment figures has been traced to the negative effects of the terrorist war on various areas of the Israeli economy.
Tourism to Israel, a major source of income for the country, has dropped dramatically. Hotels are near empty of foreigners, and tourist sites are operating at low capacity. Foreign investment proceeds apace, but the hi-tech sector suffers from a world-wide slow down. Some sports and cultural events have been cancelled or limited in scope due to fears of the players and performers, the latest of which was the cancellation of the Red Hot Chili Peppers concerts in Israel this week.
Israeli exports to the Palestinian Authority, once a lucrative source of income, have been reduced to almost nothing. Israeli goods included in European shipments have been turned away from Arab ports in the Gulf, and a popular boycott of anything Israeli has taken hold in Egypt and elsewhere. Many entrepreneurs in Judea, Samaria and Gaza have had to fold up their businesses, and other residents have lost jobs because of difficulties in getting to and from work. More direct effects of terrorism are the costs involved in rehabilitation of its victims, insurance for the property damages and lost wages when Israeli institutions are forced to limit their activities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza.
3. FROM THE ISRAELI PRESS From today's editorial in Maariv: "In all the fuss over whether Peres will talk with Arafat or only his senior aides, and whether Peres will go alone or be accompanied by a senior army officer, the main point has apparently been forgotten: What exactly will Peres talk about with whomever he happens to be meeting? We've had the Sharm el Sheikh declaration, the Mitchell initiative and the Tenet document which all aimed at getting a cease-fire in place, and none of them were worth the paper they were written on."
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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, August 15, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Wednesday, August 15, 2001 / Av 26, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. IDF DOWNS WANTED TERRORIST 2. RAID INTO BET JALA DELAYED; BEN ELIEZER: "NO US PRESSURE" 3. TOUGH TIMES FOR PLO ON CAPITOL HILL
1. IDF DOWNS WANTED TERRORIST It happened last night in Hevron. Arab eye-witnesses say that an elite IDF unit appeared out of nowhere, shot Imad Abu-Sneinah to death from close range, and disappeared into the night. His body turned up this morning at the entrance to the District Coordinating Offices in Hevron. When asked about the incident, the young lady at the army spokesman's office answered, "The IDF has no comment." But sources in Israel say that Abu-Sneinah was a leading organizer of shooting and other attacks against Jewish civilians in the ancient city. Adjacent to the site where King David's palace once stood are the Shalhevet Hills where Arab snipers, under the leadership of Abu-Sneinah, have been shooting into the Jewish neighborhoods below. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has refrained from recapturing the hills but acted last night to terminate the command of the wanted terrorist who was overseeing the almost daily attacks. Imad Abu-Sneinah also participated in the July 8th roadside bombing incident which claimed the life of IDF Capt. Shai Shalom.
2. RAID INTO BET JALA DELAYED; BEN ELIEZER: "NO US PRESSURE" Following half a day of shooting at the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer yesterday authorized an offensive similar to the one carried out on Tuesday in Jenin. In that operation, IDF troops and tanks entered the heart of the PA-controlled city and carried out demolitions of terrorist headquarters and offices. Last night, tanks, armored personnel carriers and ground forces mobilized near Bet Jala, and a closure was imposed on Arab villages in the vicinity. But the mission never began; IDF forces withdrew.
Initial reports attributed the IDF retreat to US pressure. But, Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said otherwise today: "No one pressured me. I received no requests from the US. I read the amusing reports in this morning's papers. And the Foreign Minister did not pressure me. I decided [to halt the mission into Bet Jala] after I received certain intelligence information, to give a chance to the [Arab] promise that they would maintain quiet." Yoram Levy of Itim News Agency reports that it was during last minute contacts between the Prime Minister's office and the Foreign and Defense Ministries that Shimon Peres demanded that his talks with the Arabs be given a chance to get them to stop shooting, and thereby obviate the need for an IDF raid to suppress the fire. Sharon replied affirmatively to Peres' request but added that the Israeli government will not tolerate any future shooting into the capital. Sharon reportedly vowed, "Additional fire at Gilo will be met with an incursion into Beit Jala."
3. TOUGH TIMES FOR PLO ON CAPITOL HILL If US President Bush determines that the PLO is not preventing terrorism, he will have to impose sanctions. That requirement is in the foreign aid bill that the House of Representatives has passed overwhelmingly (381-46). The sanctions could include lowering the political status of PLO offices in Washington, stopping the flow of US tax dollars to the PLO (except for humanitarian aid), and declaring Arafat's Force 17 and Tanzim gunmen to be terrorist groups. The Senate still must approve the bill, but Senators Feinstein (D-CA) and McConnell (R-KY) have already drafted a letter calling for support. Assistant Secretary of State for Near East Affairs William Burns said that the administration has yet to take a position on it; however, US President George W. Bush was recently quoted as saying that "Arafat can do better" in fighting terrorism.
In addition, the "Kobi Mandel Bill," named for an American Jewish boy murdered in Israel by Arabs, calls for the US Justice Department to investigate and prosecute Arab terrorists who maim and murder U.S. citizens. And Congressman Eric Cantor has introduced a bill called the Temple Mount Preservation Act of 2001, which would deny the PLO any aid if it disturbs the holy site without Israeli approval. "U.S. tax dollars are going to terrorist organizations responsible for murdering civilians and who are determined to destroy the history and religious foundations of both Christianity and Judaism -- it must stop," Cantor says. Yet another bill would stop US tax dollars to the PLO unless it condemns terror as a means of achieving political goals.
Furthermore, two letters have been prepared by senators and representatives calling on the US President to reassess support for a corrupt PLO, which uses Arab children as battlefront warriors.
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To: arutz-7@israelnationalnews.com, arutz-7b@israelnationalnews.com From: Arutz-7 Editor <feedback@israelnationalnews.com> Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, August 16, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Thursday, August 16, 2001 / Av 27, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. PERES: ISRAEL TO REVISE ITS OFFER TO PALESTINIANS 2. MERIDOR AND PM SHARON TO MEET
1. PERES: ISRAEL TO REVISE ITS OFFER TO PALESTINIANS Foreign Minister Shimon Peres feels that Israel did not offer the Palestinians enough at Camp David last year. Although the Barak government proposed the transfer of some 96% of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, as well as most of the Old City of Jerusalem, Peres told NBC yesterday that "Israel will surely make revisions in the offers it made in Camp David." Foreign Minister Peres represents the furthest-left wing of the national unity government.
Also during the interview, the Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction that the Palestinians had stopped their firing from Beit Jala at the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo without being forced to do so by the Israeli army. He said that Israel would continue to "strike at terrorist enclaves" within the PA when necessary and would then withdraw.
2. MERIDOR AND PM SHARON TO MEET The Center Party, headed by former Likud MK Dan Meridor, is apparently headed for the government coalition. Meridor told Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today that he would not take on a newly-created post entitled Minister of Strategic Planning, but would rather suffice with membership in the security cabinet instead. According to the agreement-in-formation, the Center Party will also receive the Regional Development portfolio, and will continue to man the chairmanship of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The party originally had six MKs, three from the left and three from the right, but a series of resignations and other changes has left it with five MKs, four of whom identify with the right-wing camp.
Likud MK Yisrael Katz, a supporter of Binyamin Netanyahu - Prime Minister Sharon's main opponent in the ongoing race for party leader - said that he has no objections to Meridor joining the government in which "after all, Shimon Peres is also a member. But regarding the possibility of Meridor's party joining the Likud in order to block Netanyahu [Meridor is known to object to Netanyahu], this is something else. First of all, I'm not so sure of Meridor's political views: he was in Camp David with Barak, and expressed no objections to Barak's proposals, except regarding Jerusalem."
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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 17, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Friday, August 17, 2001 / Av 28, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. PUBLIC SUPPORTS STRONGER ACTION 2. MERIDOR MOVE MAKES WAVES
***CLARIFICATION (?)
1. PUBLIC SUPPORTS STRONGER ACTION For the first time since Prime Minister Sharon took office, public opinion does not support his security policies. A Gallup poll published in Maariv today shows that 53% of Israel's residents are not satisfied with his performance in this area, while only 38% feel that he is doing an acceptable job. Support for the Prime Minister in general has also dropped: Only 49% are happy with him, compared with 59% in a previous poll.
Middle East analyst Emanuel A. Winston writes today that Israel called off its planned strike against the Beit Jala terrorists this week in the face of American pressure. "During a visit to a peaceful and serene national park in Colorado," Winston writes, "[U.S. President] Bush deplored [what he called] the cauldron and cycle of violence in the Middle East... Bush and [U.S. State Secretary] Powell have said that the Jews are `provocative' when they defend themselves and they must use `restraint'. They cannot defend themselves, cannot touch Arafat, cannot mount a major offensive because it is not good for American business with the Arab nations... [But in truth,] according to Professor of International Law at Purdue University, Louis Rene Beres, there is no 'cycle of violence' in the Mideast, only persistent Arab murders of Jewish civilians followed by carefully limited Israeli retaliation."
2. MERIDOR MOVE MAKES WAVES The final agreement paving the way for the inclusion the Center Party in the government will apparently be signed next week. MK Michael Kleiner, whose one-man Herut faction left the National Union party in February 2000, congratulated Center Party leader Dan Meridor for deciding to join the government. Kleiner sees the move as giving hope for a firmer military response by Prime Minister Sharon: "I hope that the National Religious Party and [David Levy's] Gesher party will follow his example," Kleiner said today, "and give Sharon the political backing for a firm response to the Palestinians. The option of a stable coalition without the Labor Party increases the chances that Sharon will give a proper response to the Palestinians."
Labor similarly sees Meridor's move in this light, and its legal counsel yesterday declared the move illegal for being carried out without Labor's permission. Party leader Shimon Peres toned down this response somewhat, saying that it would have been better had Sharon consulted with his "senior partner" in the unity government beforehand. In addition, some in the Likud party itself see the inclusion of Meridor, a known opponent of Binyamin Netanyahu, as a way of blocking the latter's return as head of the party.
***CLARIFICATION (?): The remarks of Foreign Minister Shimon Peres in a Wednesday interview with NBC may have been misinterpreted in yesterday's report. Excerpts thereof are reproduced here, and the reader may judge for him/herself:
"We want the Palestinians to handle their own life... as if they would have their own state."
"We have suggested full independence... they can have it tomorrow morning..."
"Arafat was mistaken when he rejected it, Arafat said he did not reject, so we don't have to propose the same thing."
"I think the Palestinians will have second thoughts... I hope that [they] will not make a second mistake."
"Maybe we will suggest some alteration, some changes, the offer we gave to Arafat did not hold water and as a result of Arafat rejecting it, [many Israelis lost faith in Arafat]... Maybe we would look for more guarantees for our security, maybe we would suggest some other proposals concerning the thorny issue of the right of return that Israel cannot accept and I am not sure that Mr. Barak accepted it and also the solution for Jerusalem which may be one variation, but there are many others."
"We do not intend to remain the occupier of Palestinian land."
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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 19, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Sunday, August 19, 2001 / Rosh Chodesh Elul 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
MUBARAK PLAYING BOTH SIDES Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced last night that Egypt objects to the imposition of international observers in Israel, given Israel's opposition to such. Mubarak expressed doubts as to the effectiveness of such observers: "Without a true desire to end the killings, the observers can do nothing." He did not rule out a change of mind in the future, however, and dispatched his diplomatic advisor Osama al-Baz to Washington to discuss the matter.
Dr. Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya told Arutz-7 today that Mubarak's comments against Arafat's position were only somewhat surprising, "since from the beginning of the current crisis, Egypt has spouted rhetoric in support of the Palestinian issue, but at the same time has worked to try and stabilize the situation." Dr. Bechor feels that the Egyptians are "trying to show themselves to be impartial. to win American admiration," and that Israel should take advantage of this: "We should tell the Egyptians, 'Look, you wish to be perceived as an objective party? OK, we want to reestablish our relations with Egypt on the basis of equality; if Mubarak plans a trip in the coming month to European and Western countries, then he should be good enough to visit Israel as well...'"
Bechor notes that Israel can also pressure the United States to condition further support for Egypt on normalization with Israel: "The Egyptians receive $2.1 billion a year just because of their peace agreement with us. They should do something to justify at least part of that money." Although the Egyptian government may even be interested in restraining Arafat's PLO, "the problem is that public opinion in Egypt is very anti-Israel and very supportive of the Palestinians... To be portrayed now in the Arab street as anti-Arafat or anti-Palestinian is a very dangerous thing right now for the Egyptians. They know that riots in Jordan may very well also reach them..."
Bechor's advice to Israel is to stand firm on its demands for an improvement in the Egyptian attitude towards Israel: "National honor is not just a matter for the Egyptians and the Palestinians. we also can have a demand for national honor."
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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 20, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Monday, Aug. 20, 2001 / Rosh Chodesh Elul 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. WALLS AND BORDERS 2. STILL NO TEMPLE MOUNT VISITS FOR JEWS 3. RAGEN: NO CHANGE IN CNN
1. WALLS AND BORDERS The current most talked-about issue in Israel is "Separation: Yes or No?" Many left-wing leaders, though not all, feel that Israel could solve its current problems by unilaterally separating from the Palestinian Authority via the construction of a wall. The other opinion is that this would be a giveaway of land to no good advantage. President Moshe Katzav joined the fray today with his opinion that Israel should unilaterally separate from the Palestinians - but only if it does not involve forced evacuation of Jewish settlements in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. Katzav said,
"There is no need to dismantle Yesha towns; it is in fact often even easier to defend them than it is to defend places such as Netanya or Binyamina... There is no need to show the Palestinians that the Lebanon precedent is repeating itself."
A senior army source told reporters yesterday that the IDF is opposed to a unilateral separation between Israel and the PA. The source said that for various reasons, including the high monetary cost, the government should continue with its current policy vis-a-vis the Palestinians. Army officials feel that there are three unacceptable alternatives to current policy: declaring war on the PA, agreeing to resume the peace talks at the point they stopped in Taba, and unilateral separation - with the third one the most unacceptable.
Former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami (Labor) is also against the idea. "Instead of land for peace," Ben-Ami said, "[those who favor a separation] are offering land for nothing, as well as the creation of conditions for a continued war with the Palestinians. Israel has no greater strategic weapon than legitimate borders recognized by international law."
Likud MK Michael Eitan, speaking with Arutz-7 yesterday, said that his support for a fence along most of the Green Line (the pre-1967 ceasefire line between Israel and Jordan/Egypt) is very different than the separation plan proposed by Labor party seniors Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon. Eitan said,
"My plan is to totally separate between the terrorist strongholds of Shechem, Ramallah, and the like, and the territory that is under Israeli security control. It could be that we cannot enter Area A [under total PA control] for various reasons, but this doesn't mean that we have to allow the terrorists to enter the areas under our control! We should close off these areas in such a way that no terrorists can get out... The separation doesn't have to be a wall, but rather some array of military protection around all of Area A. If I want to protect [the Yesha town of] Dolev, we can't allow [the current situation to continue where] terrorists can go from Ramallah to Dolev while we are unable to enter Ramallah to get at the terrorists...
"Dalia Itzik's plan is to put a fence around 90% of the territory, except for Jerusalem, Gush Etzion, and Ariel. I am totally against this because there is no guarantee from Arafat that he will end the war; we might build a wall, and the war will still continue..."
There is more to Eitan's plan, however:
"In addition, there should be another fence - not a security fence, but one that would prevent illegal Arab immigration into Israel-proper. Only holders of Israeli passports would be allowed to pass through. Otherwise we have a situation where Arabs from the Palestinian Authority pass through and end up staying in Jaffa, Lod, Taibe, and implementing the Right of Return right under our noses. What, are we crazy?..." He said that this fence would be established "more or less where Dalia Itzik wants it," namely, roughly along the Green Line.
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) then joined the conversation and said,
"I agree with Eitan's first plan, but the second fence I cannot accept - for although his motivations are pure, it must be 100% clear that any fence erected along what is called the Green Line will have political-diplomatic ramifications [i.e., it will determine the border between Israel and the PA]. If we don't want to get into this problem, we must suffice with a fence around Area A, which will solve the security problems... I don't have to feel bad about saying that I want them behind a fence, because when we have people who want to murder us, we have no other choice... The idea of Dalia Itzik and Chaim Ramon is no more than a public relations gimmick, for because everyone wants [some form of separation]. But it is totally unworkable, something that would determine the border without any negotiations, a way of giving away all the land to the Palestinians despite the fact that they continue to murder us. [Labor party senior] Yossi Beilin's integrity doesn't allow him to support this idea... I have proposed the idea of a separation between Areas A and the other areas to Prime Minister Sharon, and was told that a committee is considering it. I hope that it will be accepted."
Likud MK Gideon Ezra, a former Deputy Chief of the General Security Service, told Arutz-7 today,
"I would advise you, Arutz-7, to do what you can to ensure that this topic of a unilateral separation is dropped from the public agenda. I am very much against it, for a number of reasons. The only place I would think of putting a stronger wall is around the external borders of Israel - such as Rafiach on the Egyptian border, along the Jordanian border, and even at the Ashdod port - in order to make sure that no weapons are smuggled in for the Palestinians."
2. STILL NO TEMPLE MOUNT VISITS FOR JEWS The Supreme Court rejected this morning another petition for Jews to visit the Temple Mount. Moshe Yogev of Gush Etzion requested that the police allow him to do so, but Judges Barak, Levine, and Cheshin accepted the police position that such permission would lead to "severe disturbances." The Temple Mount has been closed to Jews for almost eleven months. Justice Levine said, however, that he is greatly troubled by the continuing closure of the Mount to Jews, and that he fears that this is the beginning of a "slippery slope" of capitulation to threats of violence.
3. RAGEN: NO CHANGE IN CNN Author Naomi Ragen continues to call for a boycott of CNN. She told Arutz-7 today that she originally called several weeks ago for viewers to boycott products advertised on CNN because of the network's "hostile" coverage of Israel. "Apparently, CNN took this seriously," she said today, "because two of their top managers, Eason Jordan and Rick David, contacted me; I received a panicky e-mail from Rick Davis asking me to call him, and even though I talked to him twice, I still don't see any difference in the coverage."
Ragen noted several examples of CNN's biased coverage: "Mike Hanna recently did a very sympathetic report on the family of a suicide terrorist, implying that the family had made a great sacrifice for a great cause... In addition, they had an article examining the negative effects of the violence on families in the region - and they didn't even mention the effects on the Jewish families! Furthermore, there are many nuances in their television coverage that Israelis may not pick up but that imply a strong bias against Israel..."
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