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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, Nov. 29, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Thursday, Nov. 29, 2001 / Kislev 14, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. ONCE AGAIN, PM SHARON AGREES TO A STATE - WITH CONDITION 2. PERES, SHARON SQUABBLE OVER DAGAN 3. CABINET SECRETARY: SETTLEMENTS ARE A FINAL-STATUS ISSUE
1. ONCE AGAIN, PM SHARON AGREES TO A STATE - WITH CONDITIONS Amidst warnings from some Cabinet colleagues not to promise any concessions to U.S. President Bush, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon departs this evening for a six-day visit to the United States. After meeting with Jewish leaders in New York, he will meet at length with Bush on Sunday, at which time he is expected to outline the concessions he is willing to propose to the Palestinians after they cease their violence. The Prime Minister's Office denied this week a Ma'ariv newspaper report saying he would propose to withdraw from another 10% of Judea and Samaria.
National Religious Party head Rabbi Yitzchak Levy says that the Prime Minister is going to the U.S. "simply to invite pressure upon himself for withdrawals and gestures." The newly-elected Secretary-General of the Yesha Council, Adi Mintz of Dolev, calls upon Sharon not to promise further withdrawals. "He should remember that he himself called upon the residents of Yesha to take over as many hilltops as they could," Mintz said.
Bush and Sharon will also discuss a possible U.S. attack on Iraq, leading to a possible Iraqi retaliation against Israel, and what Israel's response might be.
Prime Minister Sharon emphasized again today that he will not give in on his demand for seven days of total quiet before beginning to implement the Mitchell Report, but then said that if in fact quiet is attained, he is willing to grant the Palestinian Authority a demilitarized state:
"The Palestinians are, in my opinion, wasting a precious opportunity [with me as Prime Minister]. For to make peace is almost as painful as war, because it will require very painful concessions. It won't be easy for a leader to get up and tell the people what they will have to give up - but I think I can do it. It will require a national-unity government, of course; otherwise it will be very hard.
"At the end of the process, after we pass through this period of no terrorism and quiet and co-existence and cooperation in various areas, at the end we will reach a solution that has a Palestinian state - but it has to be by agreement, and it has to be demilitarized, and it has to have other aspects that we require in order for us to exist..."
Prior to his departure, Sharon will meet with Ministers Lieberman, Rivlin, Landau, and Elon. The Prime Minister called the meeting, but the ministers demand that he not discuss the formation of a Palestinian state with Bush.
2. PERES, SHARON SQUABBLE OVER DAGAN The Prime Minister leaves for the U.S. on the backdrop of tension with Foreign Minister Shimon Peres. After originally agreeing to have Gen. (res.) Meir Dagan head the talks with American mediator Gen. Zinni, Peres later changed his mind - and his top aide Avi Gil even resigned from the negotiating committee in protest of Dagan's appointment, claiming Dagan is "too hawkish to lead the talks." Aides of Sharon and Peres met last night in an effort to resolve the problems.
Peres accused Sharon yesterday of "bypassing" him and of starting a "second Foreign Ministry." The Prime Minister responded, "I would like to remind you that previous negotiations have always been run by the Prime Minister's Office, not the Foreign Ministry; Uri Savir, Oded Eran, and Gilad Sher were named to head the negotiating teams by [Labor] Prime Ministers." Peres said that PA's team would be comprised of higher-ranking officials than Dagan, and Sharon said, "They are trying to drag us into diplomatic negotiations, but I will not fall into the trap. The talks will deal only with achieving a ceasefire." Peres insisted, however, that ceasefire talks must also have "political, emotional, economic, and broad-view elements."
3. CABINET SECRETARY: SETTLEMENTS ARE A FINAL-STATUS ISSUE
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal spoke today with Cabinet Secretary Gideon Sa'ar, who will be accompanying Sharon to the U.S. "What will Sharon tell Bush about his diplomatic plans?" Segal asked.
Sa'ar: "Nothing different than what he has been saying since he took office, and which is acceptable to the Americans as well, namely, 'security first.' No progress can be made until there is quiet."
A-7: "There have been detailed accounts in the press about particular plans." Sa'ar: "The Prime Minister declared clearly that all plans of this nature would be considered only when the time comes in the implementation of the Mitchell Plan and after it is discussed in the Israeli Cabinet."
A-7: "He won't even discuss it informally with Bush? After all, Bush will certainly want to know Sharon's diplomatic plans?"
Sa'ar: "Look, the Americans have an idea of what the Prime Minister sees for a long-term interim agreement in which Israel retains the security zones, Jerusalem, the settlements --
A-7: "--*All* the settlements?" Sa'ar: "Uh, yes, uh, we are not, uh, talking about, uh, about settlements which, as is known, is a topic for the final-status agreement.
A-7: "I remember Sharon saying clearly before the election that not one settlement would be evacuated, but since he took office, I don't recall him repeating that promise."
Sa'ar: "The entire subject of Yesha communities and their final status is a topic for the final-status talks. To our sorrow, we don't see that a final status is attainable in the foreseeable future."
A-7: "The appointment of Gen. Dagan has aroused a dispute between Peres and Sharon. Peres says he is not sufficiently familiar with the diplomatic aspects. Why was it so important to Sharon to appoint Dagan to head the talks with Gen. Zinni?"
Sa'ar: "The talks are dealing at first only with military aspects, and not with diplomatic issues. The American mediator himself, Zinni, is an army general, and the purpose is to reach a stable ceasefire. Dagan was a member of the Israeli delegation in Wye Plantation, and with him are diplomatic experts. I don't see what the problem is with this delegation. I'm not talking now about the Foreign Minister, but we read attacks in the newspapers that the delegation is comprised of "right-wing extremists" - it's interesting that whenever they talk about the right wing, they add in the word "extremist" - but actually I have seen not even one quote from the members to prove this contention.
A-7: "The government resolved at one point that every terrorist attack would be followed by a military response, yet I haven't seen a reaction to the two murderous attacks of this week in Afula and Gush Katif. Has the policy been changed?"
Sa'ar: "It's changed only to the extent that our actions against terrorism have increased dramatically. Everyone can see our successes of recent weeks. Our reactions are not automatic, and each case is taken individually, but in general our proactive activity, which is concentrated on the terrorists and those who send them, has produced very significant results, thwarting more than 80% or more of the terrorist activity."
Sa'ar also noted that the image of Arafat as a terrorist is becoming more and more entrenched in international public opinion. He noted "an important statement made recently by Washington's National Security Advisor Condoleeza Rice that they can't fight Al-Qaeda while at the same time embracing Hamas and Islamic Jihad."
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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, Nov. 30, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Friday, Nov. 30, 2001 / Kislev 15, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. TEKUMAH DEMANDS WAR AGAINST P.A. 2. LARGE MAJORITY OF ISRAELIS CURRENTLY AGAINST PALESTINIAN STATE
1. TEKUMAH DEMANDS WAR AGAINST P.A. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon learned of the fatal bus attack as he prepared to depart for meetings in the U.S. with President Bush. After conferring with aides and senior officials, he decided not to cancel his trip, explaining, "I feel that what must be done at this time is to explain our position to the United States, and make it perfectly clear that there can be no negotiations while the violence continues." Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer convened senior defense officials to discuss Israel's response.
Prime Minister Sharon's spokesman Avi Pazner said last night that Yasser Arafat and the Palestinian Authority bear the full responsibility for the bus attack. "Despite its recent calls to extremist groups not to carry out attacks," Pazner said, "the PA is using this terrorism as a means to ensure the failure of Gen. Zinni's peace mission." Many Israelis are awaiting the practical ramifications of President Bush's emphatic statements against all terrorists - including those who merely feed or harbor them - regarding Yasser Arafat.
The Tekumah party decided last night to recommend that the faction issue an ultimatum to Prime Minister Sharon: Either he declares that the Palestinian Authority is a terrorist entity and orders the army to take appropriate action against it, or the party will resign from the government. Tekumah MKs Tzvi Hendel and Uri Ariel are the majority in the National Union; Benny Elon of Moledet is the third MK. Together with the four MKs of Minister Avigdor Lieberman's Yisrael Beiteinu party, they form the 7-member National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu Knesset faction.
2. LARGE MAJORITY OF ISRAELIS CURRENTLY AGAINST PALESTINIAN STATE Foreign Minister Shimon Peres told the United Nations two weeks ago that there is broad Israeli support for a Palestinian state - but what is the truth? A poll carried out earlier this week shows that a full 81% of the public opposes such a state unless it can be certain that the Palestinians would honor the agreement under which the state would be formed. Almost half the population - 47% - opposes a PLO state under any circumstances. The poll was commissioned by IMRA (Independent Media Review and Analysis) and the ZOA (Zionist Organization of America), and sampled 502 adult Israelis - including Israeli-Arabs. Only 14% of the respondents are unconditionally in favor of a Palestinian state.
About 2/3 of those questioned said they feel that a PA state would constitute a threat to Israel, and about the same amount said that it would strengthen the ability of other Arab states to threaten 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: Sunday, Dec. 2, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Sunday, Dec. 2, 2001 / Kislev 17, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. 24 HOURS OF TERROR IN ISRAEL 2. ARAFAT GAVE THE ORDERS, NOW HE CONDEMNS 3. PERES MAY HAVE TO GIVE IN
1. 24 HOURS OF TERROR IN ISRAEL Israel has suffered a catastrophic 24 hours of terrorism - the worst since the Oslo Peace War began - with the murder of 26 people in a series of Palestinian terror attacks throughout the country. Ten teenagers lost their lives late last night in downtown Jerusalem at the hands of two suicide bombers; a professor was murdered by two Arabs as he drove in northern Gaza early this morning; and fifteen bus passengers were murdered when a suicide bomber blew himself up in Haifa this afternoon.
2. ARAFAT GAVE THE ORDERS, NOW HE CONDEMNS Yasser Arafat convened the PA leadership for an emergency meeting today, at which it was decided to declare a state of emergency, to ban weapons in public, and to arrest those responsible for the latest attacks. Only five days ago, IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul Mofaz told the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that Arafat was directly responsible for many terrorist attacks. Arafat did not merely give a "green light" to terrorism, Mofaz said, but was the very initiator of many attacks. Arutz-7's Haggai Seri reports that Arafat convened the leaders of Hamas and Islamic Jihad in February 2000, and told them to commit terrorist attacks within pre-1967 Israel with the purpose of getting Israel to "surrender." Later, he gave a similar order to Tanzim (Fatah militia) heads.
The PA issued an official statement of condolences to the "people of Israel" following last night's attack in Jerusalem. Although some Israeli media termed the statement "unusually firm," media analyst Michael Widlanski notes that it painted the PA and the Palestinian people as the victims of the "explosions," and concentrated more on the damage caused to Palestinian interests as opposed to the essential evil of the murders.
Although between 95% and 98% of the Arab population in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza are under Palestinian Authority control, this is apparently not enough for the Arabs. Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat continued to make demands on Israel: "[You] want action from us, fine, we're taking action. But... the Israeli occupation must come to an end!"
3. PERES MAY HAVE TO GIVE IN Key figures in the national-unity government warn that it may not last much more time. Ministers Natan Sharansky (Yisrael B'Aliyah) and Shlomo Benizri (Shas) say that the true test has come, and that if the Labor Party does not accept upon itself the required policy changes against the Palestinian Authority, the national-unity government has come to the end of its rope. Even coalition chairman Likud MK Ze'ev Boim said, "Israel must smash the PA, even at the expense of the national-unity government."
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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, December 3, 2001
Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Monday, Dec. 3, 2001 / Kislev 18, 5762 ------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. ISRAEL SMASHES ARAFAT'S GAZA HEADQUARTERS 2. PREPARING ISRAEL'S RESPONSE 3. HANEGBI AND HENDEL JOIN CALLS FOR WAR AGAINST THE P.A.
**** Excerpts from Nadav Shragai's Op-ed
1. ISRAEL SMASHES ARAFAT'S GAZA HEADQUARTERS Israel began its retaliation against the Palestinian Authority shortly before 5 PM this evening. Nine rockets hit Arafat's headquarters in Gaza, destroying both of his personal helicopters and several buildings there. Arafat was in Ramallah at the time. More Israeli offensives are expected.
2. PREPARING ISRAEL'S RESPONSE Prime Minister Sharon has made it clear that he will no longer trust Arafat to fight terrorism, but will rather do it himself. He returned to Israel at mid-morning late this morning and began security consultations immediately upon his arrival. The Prime Minister will address the nation this evening, and will then convene the entire Cabinet; the meeting will be an official security-cabinet meeting, such that the leakage of information from it will be considered a violation of the law. Peace Now will be holding a protest vigil outside the Cabinet meeting.
Speculation is rife as to the exact form Israel's retaliation will take. Foreign Minister Peres and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer are against the proposals raised by some government ministers, such as dismantling the PA or declaring it a terrorist-supporting entity (see below). However, it appears that Sharon will in fact "escalate" the Israeli response. Brig.-Gen. (res.) Effie Eitam, who accompanied the Prime Minister on his trip to the United States, said this morning that the American leaders and public "understand that we have the right to fight the PLO just as they are fighting the Taliban." Eitam, a potential National Religious Party leader who left the army over a year ago when his way to becoming a full General was blocked, said that a dramatic change in Israeli policy is imminent. "The goal will be to achieve definite results in the war on terrorism," Eitam said. "Sharon has decided that now is the time for action, not words. Arafat's time is up."
U.S. President Bush and Secretary Powell specifically did not call on Israel to show restraint in its upcoming offensive. When asked by an interviewer what would happen if Arafat did not take the necessary steps to fight terrorism, Powell said, "If not, then the situation will not improve. If not, we are not going to move forward. If not, we are trapped." He was then asked if Arafat would "have to go," but evaded the question and said only, "The situation is that if he isn't able to do this, if he doesn't do this, then we are not moving down a path toward a cease-fire..."
The IDF has tightened still more the closure on all PA-controlled areas. No Arabs are permitted to travel on Yesha roads outside of Area A (full Palestinian control) or outside their villages, except to transport food and oil.
The Palestinian Authority, in response to increasing international pressure to fight terrorism, arrested some 70 Hamas terrorists last night - making sure to do so before the lights of television cameras. Judging by media reports, however, most Israelis are no longer impressed by either Arafat's statements or his arrests, and assume that, as in the past, the Hamas members will soon be free. As if in indication of such an eventuality, the PA's High Court today ordered the immediate release of five members of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) who were arrested following the assassination of Tourism Minister Rehavam Ze'evi. This brings to 23 the number of terrorists whose release has been ordered by the PA's High Court.
3. HANEGBI AND HENDEL JOIN CALLS FOR WAR AGAINST THE P.A. Environment Minister Tzachi HaNegbi says that Israel must wage total war against and "completely defeat its enemy, the PLO."
MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) said today that Prime Minister Sharon must dismantle the Palestinian Authority at once and order the army to re-take security control over all of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. "If not, this government has no right to exist," he said. Hundreds of people demonstrated and marched in Jerusalem last night, demanding that Sharon oust Arafat.
President Moshe Katzav has called on the world's leaders to cut ties with the Palestinian Authority and its leader, Yasser Arafat, until he puts an end to anti-Israel terrorism. The President feels that Israel can restore its security only by building a wall between the PA areas and the rest of Israel.
Minister Avigdor Lieberman (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) said yesterday that he would quit the government if a widespread offensive against the PA were not carried out "within a short time." Shinui Party leader MK Tommy Lapid said that Israel must call off all further negotiations with Arafat.
**** Excerpts from an op-ed by Nadav Shragai in yesterday's Ha'aretz:
"...At the head of the Israeli government stands a man who only a year ago was 'Mr. Security' - a man who has failed the test of bringing results... If Palestinian terrorism were an uncontrolled malignancy in a civilized environment, it would be possible to conduct a "tweezer war" against it, but the war is against an enemy whose natural environment is itself the uncontrolled malignancy.
"The population, the media and the government institutions of the Palestinian Authority provide backing and support for terrorism. The distinction between the PA, and Hamas, and Islamic Jihad - which the Sharon-Peres government still preserves as a future partner - is a failure. It is a joke to demand that the PA combat terrorism - the PA is the terrorism. About 50% of the attacks have been carried out by its members and its apparatus, and many of the remaining 50% have benefited from its assistance or from the fact that it has turned a blind eye.
"The PA media preach terrorism, PA Chairman Arafat and his associates praise the shahids [Islamic martyrs - the suicide bombers], and PA schools educate for hatred and murder of Jews. Despite all this, the PA has not been defined as an enemy, or as an "authority supporting terrorism." With his partner Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has totally failed to create any of the deterrence he has talked about so much. There is no strategy of transferring the fighting to enemy territory. Even the PA's official voices of incitement, its radio and television stations, enjoy immunity...
"The solution to this cannot be political. A political achievement will only encourage terrorism to continue striking at us so as to chalk up additional political achievements. Anyone who tries to turn the PA into a state will quickly discover he has exchanged a terrorist authority for a terrorist state. The Oslo concept will look like a small failure compared to the concept of a Palestinian state. It will have access to better means of carrying out attacks and to more protection and immunity on the part of the world, and the obstacles to an Israeli military operation against it will only become even greater.
"The unpopular solution, especially among those who still have a hard time letting go of the Oslo illusion, is a military solution - even at the price of "unity," which is becoming more of a liability than an advantage... The PA has to be overthrown, even at the price of a reoccupation of some of its territories. The Israeli public has found it hard to let go of the Oslo concept, and has paid a high price for it. It must understand that the more we delay making this vital decision, the higher the price we will pay in the future."
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