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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, Sep. 25, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Tuesday, Sep. 25, 2001 / Tishrei 8, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. SHARON ALLOWS MEETINGS 2. PERES DEFENDS ARAFAT AS NETANYAHU GOES ON OFFENSIVE 3. MK ELON THREATENS 4. SHARON'S OFFER OF A P.A. STATE CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES 5. ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE OF IT
1. SHARON ALLOWS MEETINGS Prime Minister Sharon agreed to two controversial meetings today: Peres and Arafat, and himself with British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw.
Despite the continuing violence, including mortar shells, pipe bombs, and shooting attacks last night and today, Sharon decided to allow Foreign Minister Peres to meet with Arafat tomorrow morning at the PA airport in Gaza. Sharon has approved and called off a Peres-Arafat meeting several times over the past month; if past history is any indicator, therefore, Sharon's consent today is not yet the final word. At least one right-wing party has threatened to quit the coalition if the meeting is held (see article 5 below).
In addition, Sharon acceded to a personal request by British Prime Minister Tony Blair and will meet for a short time with British Foreign Secretary Straw tonight. Sharon had originally canceled a scheduled meeting with the guest in the wake of Straw's strong anti-Israel remarks; Straw justified Palestinian terrorism against Israel by telling an Iranian newspaper, "One of the factors that helps breed terror is the anger that many people in the region feel at events over the years in the Palestinian territories." President Moshe Katzav followed suit and also called off a meeting with him. Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will also meet with Straw, but has canceled his planned dinner with him.
2. PERES DEFENDS ARAFAT AS NETANYAHU GOES ON OFFENSIVE "Shimon Peres is the first Israeli astronaut." So said former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in Washington yesterday, adding, "Peres is in outer space, totally unconnected to what is going on here. He did not learn a thing from the great bloodshed caused by Oslo that he brought us." Netanyahu was referring to Peres' dauntless efforts to meet with Yasser Arafat, despite the opinion of the top military brass that Arafat's strategy has not changed. Peres said this morning that there has been "a significant reduction in the extent of the attacks," that the Palestinians are shooting only light-weapons fire, and that it's already been, "I don't know, maybe 2-3 weeks since the last car bomb. Arafat has been making efforts to stop the mortar fire, even though I know that last night there was a mortar shell fired. The Middle East is a wild place, and there are many very extreme and terrible people. Should we make our future dependent on every Jihad sniper?" Peres knocked Netanyahu for claiming that there is no American pressure for a meeting, and said that President Bush himself called Sharon to press him on the matter.
Although some in Israel see Netanyahu's recent media appearances as part of his political comeback, others have only praise for his sorely-needed efforts on behalf of Israeli public relations. Netanyahu yesterday appeared before some 40 U.S. Senators and discussed possible US strategies in its war against terrorism, following his testimony before a House committee last week on the same topic. Netanyahu, whose book "Fighting Terrorism" gained him worldwide stature as an expert in the field, said recently that it was Arafat who originated the idea of hijacking planes. Senate Minority Leader Trent Lott expressed regret that the U.S. did not take seriously enough the warnings Netanyahu issued two years ago at a similar hearing.
Netanyahu said that PLO Chairman Arafat should not be thought of only as an "incidental part" of the terrorism network the US is trying to dismantle. "He has been the copywriter, in many ways, of the suicide bombings," Netanyahu said before meeting the senators. He also emphasized that the U.S. must act against regimes such as Iran, Iraq, Syria, Sudan, and the Palestinian Authority that support the terrorist network.
3. ELON THREATENS MK Benny Elon (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) told Arutz-7 today that the ultimatum his party issued Prime Minister Sharon earlier this week against a Peres-Arafat meeting is very much in force. Party leaders made it clear that they would not remain in the government coalition if Peres gets to meet with the PLO leader.
"It's not just a technical question of whether there's a meeting or not," Elon said. "Sharon has to be a leader - there cannot be two leaders and two voices, as Rashi taught us in last week's Torah portion. It cannot be that we miss the entire momentum of the 'new world order' because Peres embroils us with Colin Powell and tries to run a contrasting policy. This type of unity government is not unity; we don't need this..." Elon continued,
"The problem is that there is no leadership; Sharon is not taking advantage of the situation, and instead the terrorists here are continuing to kill us... If Peres and Arafat meet, our ultimatum is very much in effect, in my opinion... It's very awkward for me to be threatening Sharon; I don't want him to be scared of our threats - I want him to lead. The truth is, I don't understand what he is afraid of; even if Labor leaves the government, the National Religious Party and Gesher will join, giving him over 70 seats [out of 120]. I am in favor of unity [ed. note: MK Elon was one of the leading proponents of the formation of national unity governments by both Sharon and his predecessor Ehud Barak] - but not this type of unity, where the Foreign Minister undermines the government's policy. Enough. There comes a time when a leader should sense that a moment comes that if he misses the opportunity to lead, he will slip and fall."
Ma'ariv editorialized today that the time might have come to consider disbanding the present national unity government, since it "makes the formulation of a single, clear political line difficult and creates the global impression that Israel speaks with two voices... The fact that the Foreign Minister serves as Yasser Arafat's chief defense attorney. and idly dismisses all of the intelligence assessments which hold that the PA Chairman is 'only playing around' is not new - but since Peres began his obsessive pursuit of a meeting with Arafat, the disagreement within the government has taken on the dimensions of a crazy farce that is occasionally halted by a shooting attack."
4. SHARON'S OFFER OF A P.A. STATE CONTINUES TO MAKE WAVES Prime Minister Sharon's statements two days ago to the Teachers Union in favor of a Palestinian state continue to arouse opposition within the nationalist camp. Moshe Feiglin, who hopes to run against both Sharon and Binyamin Netanyahu for Likud party leader whenever elections are next called, says that Sharon should be thrown out of the party. Feiglin told the internal party court that Sharon's statements go against the party constitution. Minister Tzachi Hanegbi similarly said that they are totally against the Likud platform. Likud members have begun gathering signatures in support of convening the party's Central Committee, in the hope that a majority will demand that Sharon retract the statement.
Deputy Minister Naomi Blumental has asked that the Likud Knesset faction convene in order to hear Sharon's explanation. "I was stunned by his remarks," she told Arutz-7 today, "for no forum in the Likud ever made a decision in favor of such a thing. Beyond the technical aspects, however, I have received dozens of calls from people who are fuming over Sharon's statement... I hope that we will not be the ones to give a green light to the establishment of a terrorist state adjacent to us."
Grassroots organizations have also reacted strongly to the Prime Minister's statement. Cities of Israel (Mattot Arim), which operates in various Israeli cities in support of the Jewish communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, released a statement condemning Sharon's offer of another Arab state. The groups called on the residents of Israel's Coastal Plain, "in which 70% of Israel's population resides," to recognize the danger inherent in a Palestinian state so close to their homes. In addition, Dr. Ron Breiman of Professors for a Strong Israel called on Sharon to "return to Zionism."
Arutz-7 correspondent Kobi Sela reports that Sharon himself, in a closed forum last night, said that his statement about the Palestinian state has no practical significance "because Arafat will never call off the violence," and that it was uttered for diplomatic purposes.
The Yesha Council has embarked upon a public campaign against Prime Minister Sharon's continued military restraint, as well as his offer of a state to the Palestinians. Council members are nearly unanimous in the opinion that "it's time to take off the gloves, to strongly criticize Sharon, and to demand that he get rid of Arafat." Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef told Arutz-7 today, "We are becoming more and more concerned that a Prime Minister that did not respond to the terrible Dolphinarium attack, and who missed the great opportunity to strike at Arafat in the wake of the World Trade Center attack, will in fact not take action against the terrorists unless massive political pressure is brought to bear upon him. We are concerned that he is adopting the diplomatic positions of Shimon Peres..."
5. ISRAEL IN THE MIDDLE OF IT The debate over whether the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks were Israel's fault continues to gain steam in the United States. One example: Hosts of a popular sports radio program in New York blame U.S. support for Israel for the attacks. Mike Francesca and Chris Russo, hosts of the "Mike and the Mad Dog" show on WFAN, in a recent broadcast, also demanded that Jewish-Americans decide where their loyalties lie by swearing loyalty to either the United States or Israel. Among those responding to the charges was the New York Post's Phil Mushnick, who wrote that in fact, "a holy war has been declared by Muslim extremists all over the world against all who reject their fanatical doctrine. In Afghanistan, the ruling Taliban has ordered and carried out the destruction of ancient Buddhist shrines. In Kabul, eight people, including two American women, are on trial, accused of "spreading" Christianity... It goes on and on, with little to none of it having to do with Israel. Muslim fanatics have slaughtered humans in the name of Allah for centuries, long before the existence of Israel and even the United States..."
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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: Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Wednesday, Sept. 26, 2001 / Tishrei 9, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. PERES AND ARAFAT MEET AS VIOLENCE CONTINUES 2. BIN-LADEN'S WAR IS AGAINST U.S.
1. PERES AND ARAFAT MEET AS VIOLENCE CONTINUES While, to the consternation of most Israelis, Shimon Peres met in Gaza with Yasser Arafat this morning, Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets continue apace. The Tarmit Outpost in the Rafiach area of southern Gaza was under attack throughout the night, culminating this morning with a bomb detonation in a tunnel under the IDF position. Three soldiers were wounded; one is in serious condition, and the others are listed in moderate condition. The Tarmit-Rafiach area is crucial to both sides, as the Palestinians have long used tunnels there for smuggling weapons and ammunition from Egypt. Shooting and grenade attacks resumed shortly thereafter.
Other violence since last night: Soldiers near Psagot, north of Jerusalem, were attacked with gunfire... Nine firebombs were thrown at an IDF position near the southern Gaza community of N'vei Dekalim last night; no one was hurt... Gunfire was directed at a police van near Baka el-Garbiye, near northwestern Shomron... A bomb exploded near a bus carrying soldiers near Jenin in northern Shomron; no one was hurt...
Peres and Arafat appeared not to be in the best of spirits at the start of the meeting; when they were asked to shake hands for the cameras, they did so quickly and weakly. Beforehand, the Foreign Minister met with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in the latter's Negev residence. The Prime Minister's Office stated that Peres and Arafat would discuss only ceasefire issues, but other reports claim that many diplomatic issues will be discussed as well. The meeting lasted just over two hours, and afterwards, neither spoke to reporters; instead, PA negotiator Saeb Erekat made a brief statement to the effect that the two sides would resume security cooperation, and that Peres and Arafat would meet again in "a week or so." Previous Peres-Arafat agreements in the past months to resume security cooperation did not result in significant long-term reductions in violence.
Following this morning's bomb attack in Gaza, the Yesha Council called upon Prime Minister Sharon to stop the meeting between Peres and Arafat. The organization said in a statement, "The meeting shows that the national elections were unnecessary, as the Oslo underground continues to lead the State of Israel on a path of blood and deceit." Yesha officials reminded Sharon that he had demanded a 48-hour period of total quiet before a meeting with Arafat - but the call fell on dear ears.
2. BIN-LADEN'S WAR IS AGAINST U.S. Osama Bin Laden, the world's number-one enemy at present, has at least one Palestinian connection. AP reports that Nabil Oukal, a resident of Jabalya in Gaza, is believed to have been sent to Israel to carry out major terrorist attacks. Oukal is now in Israeli custody, according to an Israeli security source, after having been apprehended at the Rafiach Crossing in Gaza three months ago. Oukal underwent training in Afghanistan and was allegedly planning to establish a terror network in PA-controlled Gaza upon his return. Among the attacks he was planning were the abduction of soldiers, bombing attacks against residential structures, and the poisoning of the nation's water supply.
However, this does not mean that Israel is a major concern of Bin Laden. National Law Journal columnist Gideon Kanner, in an article for California Political Review, notes that Bin Laden's agenda is specifically not against Israel:
"...The terrorist career of the No. 1 suspect, Osama Bin Laden, has had little to do with Israel. All through decades of Arab-Israeli strife in the Middle East, he was content to live in Saudi Arabia and enjoy his family wealth. It was only when American troops appeared on Saudi soil (ironically, to save the Saudi regime from Saddam Hussein's aggression) that Bin Laden decided that allowing infidels into prophet Muhammad's land was blasphemy against the Muslim religion. It was only after his entreaties to the Saudi royal family to expel the Americans failed, that he took his $250 million family fortune, and left Saudi Arabia to wage war on the Americans. Though he undoubtedly hates Israel, his terrorist achievements have been directed solely at Americans. The list is long and bloody: the bombing of the Khobar Towers in Saudi Arabia that killed hundreds of American airmen, the bombing of American embassies in Africa, the attack on the USS Cole in a Yemeni port, and now the attack on the World Trade Center... For a guy who... is motivated solely by his hatred of Israel, that would seem a strange choice of targets. The fact is that Bin Laden's jihad against America is only the latest manifestation of a fundamentalist ideological movement know as Islamism, not to be confused with Islam which is a religion...."
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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, Sept. 28, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Friday, Sept. 28, 2001 / Tishrei 11, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. VIOLENCE RETURNS WITH A STORM 2. STATE DEPT. BLAMES P.A. FOR ATTACKS AND ISRAEL FOR RESPONDING 3. PERES IS BLAMED FOR RECENT UPSURGE IN VIOLENCE
1. VIOLENCE RETURNS WITH A STORM After a couple of days of relative quiet, dotted "only" by a handful of Palestinian terrorist attacks on Israelis each day, the violence has resumed in a big way. In one of the attacks this morning, a teenaged brother and sister from Carmel, south of Hevron, were lightly wounded when terrorists attempted to murder them with gunfire along the road between Maon and Susia. The siblings were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Be'er Sheva, while the terrorists apparently fled to nearby Yata, an Arab village from where a number of terrorist murderers have originated.
Other attempted murders during this "ceasefire" included the following this morning: An Israeli car was attacked with gunfire on the way to Karmei Tzur, south of Gush Etzion; no one was hurt. In two separate incidents, a Kiryat Arba resident and an IDF force were fired upon near Hevron; no one was hurt. In the Shomron, a bomb was detonated and shots were fired at a Border Guard patrol on the ascent to Har Brachah, but no one was hurt. Terrorists shot at Israeli civilians south of Jerusalem, near Ein Yahel. This afternoon, Jewish Hevron has come under attack in at least two locations; the fire there continues...
In Gaza: Shots were fired at a convoy of Israeli cars making its way along the Karni-Netzarim road, as well as at IDF outposts near N'vei Dekalim; no one was hurt. The Tarmit outpost continues to be attacked non-stop.
Late this afternoon, Arabs threw rocks at an Israeli car south of Shechem, causing it to overturn; the four passengers were injured moderately and lightly.
2. STATE DEPT. BLAMES P.A. FOR ATTACKS AND ISRAEL FOR RESPONDING The American State Department criticized both Israel and the Palestinians equally yesterday. It had strong words for Israel's demolitions of three buildings in Rafiach this week; the structures, adjacent to the IDF's Tarmit outpost, had been used by the terrorists to dig a tunnel and place a bomb under the outpost on Wednesday, causing the wounding of three Israeli soldiers. The State Department also called upon the Palestinians to stop their violence and arrest those responsible for the attacks.
Israel rejected the American criticism, saying that Peres had specifically made it clear to Arafat during their controversial meeting on Wednesday that Israel would ensure the safety of the Tarmit outpost. When Palestinians attacked the Israelis with gunfire, Molotov cocktails, and grenades, the IDF responded, Israeli officials said. They also noted that the razed buildings had also been used for smuggling weapons from Egypt and for shelter for Palestinians throwing grenades at the outpost. In addition, the action took place in area under Israeli military control.
The first Israeli-PA security coordination meeting since the announcing of the latest "ceasefire" agreement was convened today, with the present of GSS head Avi Dichter, middle-level PA figures, and CIA representatives. Peres and Arafat agreed this past Wednesday that the PA must arrest 180 terrorists, including ten in the coming week. Leading PA figures such as Muhammad Dahlan have already said that the PA will not make any arrests.
3. PERES IS BLAMED FOR RECENT UPSURGE IN VIOLENCE Calls are increasingly being heard for Prime Minister Sharon to fire Foreign Minister Shimon Peres - but it is not clear where the pivotal Shas party stands. Shas leader Labor Minister Eli Yeshai told MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) that he agrees that Peres should be fired - but he later backtracked a bit, telling Voice of Israel that the national unity government is "the most important asset Israel has and we will not act to dismantle it." He will meet with National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu leaders Ministers Ze'evi and Lieberman on Sunday to discuss the matter. Hendel himself explained that his objective is not to bring down the unity government, but to "prevent the government from pursuing the deranged diplomatic policy that Shimon Peres is leading."
Dr. Ron Breiman, of the Professors for a Strong Israel, also said that the increased violence of recent days is a natural outcome of Peres' meeting with Arafat, and that therefore the nationalist camp should pressure Sharon to fire Peres. "Whenever Israel shows weakness," Breiman told Arutz-7, "Arafat understands that he can continue the Oslo war."
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