HHMI Newsgroup Archives

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.
**********************************************************************
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."
***************************************************************
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."
*******************************************************
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."
*******************************************************
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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