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 ***************************************************************************** 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 **************************************************************************