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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 29, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Wednesday, August 29, 2001 / Elul 10, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. MORTARS IN GILO; ISRAEL AWAITS RESULTS OF ARAFAT'S CEASEFIRE CALL 2. SECURITY SHORTS 3. WHAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO
1. MORTARS IN GILO; ISRAEL AWAITS RESULTS OF ARAFAT'S CEASEFIRE CALL The situation in Beit Jala/Gilo has reached a crescendo, with the firing of three mortar rockets into central Gilo last night and today. They caused no injuries, but one landed between the community center and a school, narrowly missing the dozens of people in the vicinity, while a second landed this afternoon atop a residential building. Shooting at Gilo also continued throughout the night and morning today, mostly from the direction of Bethlehem. High-powered bullets fired into the neighborhood last night struck a television van during an interview with Jerusalem Mayor Olmert, who has demonstratively taken up residence in Gilo; no one was hurt. The morning was quiet, except for the early morning, when shots caused damage to a stairwell in one building. The IDF spokesman emphasizes that the shooting of the past day has come not from Beit Jala, where IDF tanks and forces have been since late Monday night, but from Bethlehem and the nearby El Aide refugee camp.
There was great uncertainty today over the IDF presence in Beit Jala, source of previous attacks, from the standpoints of both effectiveness and future plans. Some, such as IDF Coordinator of Activities in Judea, Samaria & Gaza Maj.-Gen. Amos Gilad, viewed the mission as having accomplished it goals. Others, such as former Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, said that it merely diverted the source of the shooting from Beit Jala to nearby areas. Still others, such as Col. (res.) Moshe Givati, said that the mission was not sufficiently comprehensive, and that the entire Bethlehem-Beit Jala area should be taken and cleansed of its weapons in one fell swoop. Herut MK Michael Kleiner went even further, saying that the entire area of the Palestinian Authority must be conquered.
Amidst the uncertainty, Israeli security sources confirmed PA reports that Yasser Arafat had issued a "stop-shooting" order regarding all fire towards Gilo. The order is said to have gone into effect at 2:30 PM this afternoon, although it was not clear if it included shooting at other Jerusalem areas such as Har Homa, and which terrorist organizations would abide by it. Palestinian sources reported that Israeli forces would accordingly leave Beit Jala at midnight tonight, but this was not confirmed by the Israelis. However, it should be noted that Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that the Israeli presence in Beit Jala, designed to "defend Jerusalem," would come to an end "only if the shooting and mortar attacks against Gilo cease completely." The last recorded incident of shooting occurred shortly before 2 PM.
Bursts of fire have been heard from the direction of Beit Jala all afternoon, but correspondents on the scene say that these are apparently clashes between Arabs and Israeli soldiers within Beit Jala itself.
A young mother told Arutz-7's Benny Toker today about the mortar shell that had fallen on her building on Te'enah St. in Gilo just a few minutes before: "I was at home with my two-year-old when I heard a very loud noise. My other son was not home, so I began quickly looking around for him. He was already quite unnerved from the shooting of last night, and was constantly throwing up in reaction... It appears to be a miracle that no one was hurt... Everyone here is upset and up in arms, and though we're trying to keep to our routine, it's very hard for the children." Local residents are very apprehensive about the beginning of the school year, which is set for this Sunday. As one seven-year-old girl said, "Our classroom was supposed to be on the top floor, but because of the shooting, they moved us downstairs. What, we should go to school in a place two meters away from where a mortar shell fell [last night]?"
2. SECURITY SHORTS
Palestinians favor violence. A poll by the Palestinian Center for Public Opinion released yesterday found that 81% of the PA population supports suicide attacks "if Israel continues with measures like blockades, assassinations, and random shellings (sic)." Almost 55% said they would favor suicide bombings even if such Israeli measures cease. 61.7% oppose a return to negotiations with Israel, and 61.4% believe that Arab countries are not sincere in pledging their support for Palestinians..
3. WHAT THE U.S. SHOULD DO Jewish American groups such as the ZOA and VIPAC are calling upon US President Bush to back up his recent words of support for Israel with actions. Specifically, VIPAC calls on Bush to restore the PLO to the State Department's list of terrorist entities, end the $125 million yearly subsidy to Palestinian organizations, and issue arrest warrants for PLO terrorists who have murdered Americans. Similarly, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) praised the President's criticism of the PA leadership for not halting the violence, but urges him to instruct the State Department to stop denouncing Israel's self-defense actions against the violence as "excessive" and "provocative."
State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said yesterday that the Palestinians "need to stop the shootings and attacks against Israelis in Gilo and elsewhere," but added, "we believe the Israelis should withdraw their forces from [Beit Jala.]" ZOA President Morton Klein noted that the U.S. has used very great force in situations where American citizens were not in direct danger, including Panama, Grenada, and the Persian Gulf. Klein noted that U.S. Secretary of State Powell was right when he said in 1999, "Go in full force from the beginning rather than escalate yourself into a quagmire. Or don't go in at all."
In a related item, the ZOA expressed "shock and dismay" at US Ambassador in Israel Daniel Kurtzer and State Department spokesman Richard Boucher for their criticism of Israel for accidentally and slightly wounding two Arab-Americans. A ZOA statement notes that Kurtzer never criticized the PA for its involvement in the deliberate murders of American Jews. The ZOA explains that the two Arab-Americans in question were slightly wounded during the attack on terrorist leader Abu Ali Mustafa, head of the PFLP organization that has murdered at least 14 American citizens. Kurtzer said nothing, however, about the fact that several hours later, U.S. citizen Ben Dansker was wounded in a drive-by shooting attack by Palestinian terrorists in pre-1967 Israel.
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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 30, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Thursday, August 30, 2001 / Elul 11, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. MORNING SHOTS IN GILO FOLLOWED BY QUIET 2. ARAB MKs AGAINST ISRAEL 3. JEWS FACE DISCRIMINATION AT ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE
1. MORNING SHOTS IN GILO FOLLOWED BY QUIET Israel withdrew its forces from Beit Jala early this morning, in accordance with the decision made at a late-night security mini-cabinet meeting of several hours. Security sources reported this morning that although Yasser Arafat's ceasefire order basically took hold after it was issued yesterday afternoon, Israel does not expect it to last for more than a short while, as Arafat's basic strategy has not changed. In fact, Gilo residents and on-site correspondents reported Arab shooting upon the neighborhood this morning, including an exploded rooftop solar heater; the IDF said that it was merely "shots of joy" fired by Beit Jala residents. Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer said this morning that if the shooting continues, the government will "consider its next moves."
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said today that he hopes the withdrawal will lead to a series of regional mini-ceasefires throughout Yesha. He named Rafiach, Hevron, and Gilo as the main flashpoints.
Minister of Public Security Uzi Landau expressed disappointment with the decision to leave Beit Jala, saying that Arafat's track record gives no reason whatsoever to believe his promises regarding another cease-fire. Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi, too, said that Arafat will yet make "Eastern delicacies" from this withdrawal, and predicts that in the end there will be no choice but to return to Beit Jala, "and this time for good." Regarding the active diplomatic role of Minister Peres in the pullback, Ze'evi said that his goal was to "save the honor of the disintegrated Oslo agreement."
Housing Minister Natan Sharansky, a member of the mini-security cabinet that took the decision to withdraw, took a different approach. He told Arutz-7 today,
"There's no doubt that there is logic to the steps we took this week, and also achievements... We have the wherewithal to protect our citizens, but just like other world powers, we cannot always use it - and Arafat is building on this. Yet this week we actually did enter Beit Jala, in plain sight of the whole world, and the sky did not cave in. The world did not turn against us, and instead exerted its pressure on Arafat. In this way, our might is turning more and more into a conventional form of strength that can actually be used... Of course, there is a difference of opinion as to how long we should have stayed there, and what else we should do...
"We can't use all of our strength, but we are definitely succeeding in doing more and more, while at the same time preserving the national unity government... If, Heaven forbid, the shooting is resumed into Gilo, the Cabinet does not have to convene; the Chief of Staff may decide on his own to send the army back in."
Cabinet Secretary Gideon Sa'ar was also present at the meeting, and Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked him today, "Did the government actually make the decision to withdraw based merely on a promise by Yasser Arafat?" Sa'ar:
"First of all, it was based on the fact that there would be quiet all night last night, and secondly, it was made perfectly clear that if the shooting resumes, the IDF will use its military force even differently than it did this time. All those doomsayers who feared that there would be international pressure on us to leave should know that the pressure was exerted in precisely the opposite direction, telling Arafat that if he wanted to see us leave, he had better stop the violence - and this was our goal. There is no one in the world who doubts that if there is shooting, we will act. It won't be with ultimatums, but if we have to act, we will - and if we do, it will have a stronger authority, since Arafat gave his ceasefire commitment to international leaders."
2. ARAB MKs AGAINST ISRAEL Arab MK Azmi Bshara feels that Israel, the country in whose legislature he is a member, is an "enemy." He said this in Durban, South Africa, in a phone interview with a Palestinian newspaper, a transcript of which was prepared by Palestinian Media Watch <www.pmw.org.il>. Asked about Israel's missile strike that killed PFLP terrorist leader Abu Ali Mustafa, Bshara said,
"I lost a personal friend, this was a great loss. I immediately called brothers in the Galilee, and we arranged rallies in Nazareth and Um el-Fahm... We have no choice but to wage an existential war... Israel is forcing this existential war upon us, but in the end there is no escape from the fact that the Palestinian nation will win over this oppressive enemy that does not recognize values or anything else..."
MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) said that Bshara's words expressing hope for a "Palestinian victory over the Israeli enemy" is further proof that he is an enemy of Israel, towards whom "we must act as if he were a terrorist who infiltrated under the fence of Israeli democracy into the Knesset." Kleiner called on the registrar of political parties to exhibit "public valor and disqualify Bshara's party, which serves as a front for illegal activity."
Arab MK Muhammad Barakeh will participate in the Palestinian festivities tonight celebrating the Israeli withdrawal. He said that he plans to speak at the event.
Yediot Acharonot editorialized today that the Israeli Arab MKs are "stretching the cords of democracy so much that they are in danger of rupturing," which will "endanger the Arab citizens of Israel before it endangers the Jews."
3. JEWS FACE DISCRIMINATION AT ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE A delegation of Jewish students arrived in Durban, South Africa, to present its views on racism around the world - and found itself the victim of similar prejudice. The group came to participate in the United Nations Student Conference, a student version of the World Conference Against Racism (WCAR), which is scheduled to open tomorrow. The Jewish students were received so negatively by the UN group that they walked out in protest, and sent a letter of protest to the conference organizers.
Peleg Reshef, Chairman of the Union of Jewish Students, told Arutz-7 that he expected to encounter more openness and a willingness to hear opposing views at the Student Conference, but was greatly disappointed. "We arrived to discuss racism, including anti-Semitism," he said, "but we were soon convinced that the Conference's objective was only to single out the state of Israel as an example of racism." He said that the problems began when the delegations first arrived: "At the registration area we encountered a group of Arab students, with the help of two Jewish students, selling shirts emblazoned with anti-Israel slogans. We felt that something was amiss when we saw that the shirts included the official symbol of the Durban Conference, and so we asked the officials to intervene. They initially did nothing, but even after they requested that the sale of the shirts stop, it continued unabated."
More of the same occurred today. Pro-Palestinian demonstrators disrupted a press conference this afternoon called by 20 Jewish organizations in Durban to mark tomorrow's opening of the World Conference Against Racism. They chanted, "Zionism is Racism, Israel is Apartheid." On the other hand, twenty Africans demonstrated in Eilat in favor of Israel this morning, saying that Israel is the only country that accepts them and does not discriminate against them because of their color.
Reshef summarized his feelings as follows: "You could say that we feel threatened by the extent of the hatred we encountered from the Arab and African delegations." When asked what was the purpose, then, of participation in such a forum, Reshef said, "There are positive public relations aspects to our presence, particularly when we are able to present Israel's case in the local and international media."
A group called the Coalition for the Defense of Human Rights has called upon the Conference to "address and condemn the ideology of Radical Islamism - a deviation from Islam - as intolerant, xenophobic, racist, supremacist, discriminatory, anti-democratic, and genocidal. We also call upon the Conference to alert the international community to the widespread dangers of Radical Islamism's culture of animosity and destruction, and to. recognize that Radical Islamism is a totalitarian movement aimed at establishing a worldwide Radical Islamist state" that would, among other things, support religious wars against non-Islamist Muslims and non-Muslim infidels worldwide and establish an Apartheid-like regime to subjugate and control infidels.
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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 31, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Friday, August 31, 2001 / Elul 12, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. DISCRIMINATION AT ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE 2. BEN-ELIEZER CATCHING UP TO BURG
1. DISCRIMINATION AT ANTI-RACISM CONFERENCE The World Conference Against Racism (WCAR) opened today in Durban, South Africa, where Israeli representatives are saying that racism is definitely in the atmosphere - against them. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided last night to send a low-level delegation to the conference, comprised of Foreign Ministry clerks and students, while Deputy Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, who had made extensive preparations to head the delegation, was ordered to stay home. The United States, too, sent a low-level representation. Melchior attempted, in vain, to convince Sharon that his participation is crucial in light of the anti-Israel campaign expected to be waged there.
Israel's Ambassador in South Africa, Tova Herzl, said that the Arab nations and Iran are leading a comprehensive campaign against Israel, and "are trying to sneak in through the back door all sorts of resolutions that are reminiscent of the old UN 'Zionism is racism' vote [which was later rescinded]."
UN Secretary-General Kofi Anan opened the conference today by saying that the Palestinians suffer from "conquest, expulsion, and assassinations without trial." He told the members, "The Jews fell victim to anti-Semitism in Europe and during the Holocaust, and this must be taken into account when accusing them of racism. At the same time, we can't expect the Palestinians to take this as a reason to ignore their plight... An exchange of accusations is not the purpose of this forum." Israeli student leader Peleg Reshef, heading a Jewish students delegation in Durban, told Ynet, "The Palestinians here have a very strong propaganda network, and the Jews are facing racism and anti-Semitism."
2. BEN-ELIEZER CATCHING UP TO BURG The race for head of the Labor Party is tightening up. A poll published in Yediot Acharonot today shows that Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer has managed to close to within three percentage points of his opponent, Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg. The margin is now 44%-41%, within the statistical margin of error. Regarding whether the contenders are worthy of serving as Prime Minister, each of the two received a positive answer from only 36% of the respondents.
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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, Sept. 2, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Sunday, Sept. 2, 2001 / Elul 14, 5761 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. DURBAN CONFERENCE 2. ANTI-SEMITISM IN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TEXTBOOKS
1. DURBAN CONFERENCE Israeli leaders have reacted strongly to the anti-Israel resolutions passed at the World Conference Against Racism in Durban, South Africa. President Moshe Katzav said, "We can serve as a model of democracy and civil rights to many of the countries that voted for these resolutions. The attacks upon Israel are nothing more than a blatant expression of racism and anti-Semitism." Foreign Minister Shimon Peres said that Israel may well quit the conference, as the resolutions passed there are "more of an embarrassment to those who passed them rather than to Israel." Peres said, however, that despite Arafat's inflammatory words against Israel, it is still important for him to meet the PLO leader. [Diplomatic efforts by Egyptian, Italian, Saudi and other elements to facilitate such a meeting continue to take place.]
Will the anti-Israeli resolutions passed in Durban have practical significance for Israel? Ha'aretz correspondent Ya'ir Sheleg explained to Arutz-7 today that while only the UN Security Council can pass resolutions with practical applications, "the fear is that the [anti-Israel] expressions [used by the Conference] will become part of the official lexicon about Israel - such as the reference to Israeli control of [Judea, Samaria and Gaza] as 'ethnic cleansing', or the demand for Israel to repeal ethnically discriminatory laws, including the Law of Return, etc. The fear is that these issues will continue to be discussed in various committees... and that they may lead to investigations of Israelis along the lines of those being pursued in Belgium and Denmark, etc." Furthermore, "there could be an effect on economic investments in Israel... if Israel is officially recognized as a pariah state as a result of the decisions taken at the Conference."
On the other hand, while the Conference is most definitely a "celebration of anti-Israeli sentiments," as one Israeli newspaper headline put it, the main issue confronting the participants of the Conference is a demand by African states and expatriates for reparations from Western states that were involved in colonialism and the slave trade. However, from a media point of view, Sheleg noted that the anti-Israeli aspects of the conference definitely garner more attention.
A representative of the South African Board of Jewish Deputies at the conference related to Arutz-7 that although about 30 Jewish organizations were present, "they officially decided to refuse to discuss the Middle East... In the midst of [the very anti-Semitic atmosphere of Palestinian flags, kefiyas, posters, etc.] we were 20-25 students [who] stayed up all night making posters and the like and [feeling as if we were] representatives for world Jewry. The feeling of unity was amazing... 25 Jewish students vs. The World. That is how it was."
2. ANTI-SEMITISM IN PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY TEXTBOOKS Careful monitoring of Palestinian incitement and hatred - works! A German representative in the European Union Parliament who was recently shown an English translation of Palestinian Authority textbooks said that he intends to act to halt all EU funding of PA educational institutions and authorities "until all the Palestinian textbook passages antagonistic to Israel are removed." The translation was prepared by Palestinian Media Watch <www.pmw.org.il>.
As an example of the texts that raised his ire, representative Armin Laschet of the Christian Democratic Party cited a passage from a PA textbook on Islam that calls upon high-school students to beware of the Jews, because they are "deceitful and disloyal," and another text that blames European anti-Semitism on Jewish greed and fanaticism.
The official PA newspaper Al-Hayat al-Jadida was quick to respond, quoting Commissioner-General of the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA), Peter Hansen, as saying last week, "We cannot expect a people under occupation to have textbooks which idealize, praise and express love for their occupiers." Observers noted that Israeli textbooks do not "idealize, praise and express love" for the Palestinians, but neither do they malign them or disseminate hatred towards them.
While PA Deputy Education Minister Na'im Abu-Humus denied the existence of the offensive texts, PLO leader Yasser Arafat confirmed that they are indeed in use in PA educational institutions - but he explained to Laschet that the textbooks are from the Jordanian school system and that the PA does not have the funds to replace them. Laschet countered by saying that the Palestinians receive 300 million Euros from the European Union, "and they certainly can bear the cost of publishing new textbooks."
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