From: 	 heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: 	 Saturday, September 20, 1997 11:51 PM
To: 	 Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: BFP:  Updates from Jerusalem



TO:	Friends (and friends of friends) of Bridges for Peace
FROM:	Clarence H. Wagner,Jr., International Dir. - Jerusalem
DATE:	September 19, 1997
RE:	News Update from Israel

     For those who are new to the list, Bridges for Peace is a Christian
charitable organization, headquartered in Jerusalem, Israel. Since 1977, we
have been working to build Christian-Jewish understanding and support for
the people and land of Israel. We do this through eleven different aid
projects to help the people of Israel, while disseminating information
about Israel and teaching Christians about the Hebraic roots of
Christianity. We have national offices in Israel, the U.S., Canada, the
U.K., S. Africa and Japan.

     TO RECEIVE MORE INFORMATION AND OUR PUBLICATIONS, OR TO RECEIVE THIS
UPDATE REGULARLY, SEND YOUR E-MAIL AND "SNAIL MAIL" ADDRESS TO: 
100274.2306@compuserve.com

     We also invite you to look at our WEB SITE at: 
http://www.bridgesforpeace.com

     This update comes to you with background information on current events
affecting Israel and the Middle East.  Whenever there is a breaking story,
we will get you the information as quickly as we can determine the facts
and the implications of the events.
     
FEEL FREE TO FORWARD THIS UPDATE INFORMATION TO ANYONE ON 
YOUR E-MAIL LIST.               

1) "The Battle for Jerusalem has started," say Palestinians.

2) Hamas terrorists planned kidnapping of Jerusalem's mayor and bombing of
Malka Mall

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1) "THE BATTLE FOR JERUSALEM HAS STARTED," SAY PALESTINIANS.

   Jews moving into Jewish-owned homes that happen to be in the middle of a
Palestinian neighborhood seem to make great headlines in the international
press.  Nevertheless, Arabs who already live in Arab-owned homes in the
middle of Jewish neighborhoods in Jerusalem make no headlines at all. There 
are no protests and no one seems to mind or think it is a problem.  So what's 
thedifference?

   The difference is that the Palestinian leadership continues to look for
and use every little occasion as a pretext to exert their claims of
"ownership" over anything and everything that happens in eastern Jerusalem.
This was true a year ago with the opening of the 2,200-year-old Hasmonean 
Tunnel, which the Moslems claimed undermined the Moslem Mosques.  
It did not. The opening was nowhere near the mosques and what the Israelis 
did was according to a written agreement with the Palestinians. They turned 
it into a mini-war anyway.  And the international media reported the Arab 
propaganda as fact, even when they could see the reality of the tunnel for 
themselves.

     The effort of the Jerusalem municipality since 1967 has been to
strengthen the idea of a united Jerusalem with a mixed population,
benefiting all.  The Arabs want to redivide it, or better yet, take the
whole thing. At this point, the Arabs want to be sure that no Jews move
into "their neighborhoods."  Since Yasser Arafat and the PA cabinet make no
bones about their intentions to declare Jerusalem as the future capital of
a de facto Palestinian State, they don't want "Jews" more moving into the
eastern side to complicate their plans.

     Nevertheless, the Israeli government is frustrated over Jewish
residents moving in, realizing that it plays into the hands of the
Palestinian propaganda machine.  One editorial pointed out that secular
Jews do not need to move into the middle of Mea Shearim (an ultra-orthodox
neighborhood) in Jerusalem to prove Israel is a modern, 20th-century state.

 Likewise, the manner in which the residents moved into the Ras 
al-Ammud neighborhood was provocative.  Presently, the Israeli government
is trying to work out a compromise. However, if one is not worked out, the
Arabs threaten war.

      Just today, the Palestinians made their intentions patently clear,
when they said, "The battle for Jerusalem has started.  This will be a long
war that will exact a high toll."

2) HAMAS TERRORISTS PLANNED KIDNAPPING OF JERUSALEM MAYOR AND  BOMBING OF
MALKA MALL

     It has been reported that members of a Hamas (Islamic fundamentalist)
terror cell were caught in Jerusalem as they were "casing" Jerusalem's
Malka Mall, the largest indoor mall in the Middle East.  Testing the
security, they went to the mall with bags of nails to see if they could
slip through.  However, since the suicide bombings of July 30th, there has
been tight security at the mall, even to checking every vehicle's driver
and trunks (boots) of cars to be sure they are free of explosives.

     Once the group was caught, they admitted they were planning a major
attack inside the mall.  Their capture led to the arrest of other members
of the cell.  They also disclosed that they planned the kidnapping of Mayor
Ehud Olmert of Jerusalem and another high official.

Until next week.... 
Shabbat shalom, Clarence

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