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Sent: Tuesday, October 14, 1997 11:27 PM
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Subject: Arutz-7 News: October 14, 1997
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, October 14, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Tuesday, October 14, 1997 / Tishrei 13, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TOWARDS MORE PERMANENT HOUSING
2. HIZBULLAH TRANSMITTER DESTROYED
3. PRES AND PM MEET
4. RELIGIOUS MKs DEMAND TWO LAWS
5. COMPROMISE ON THE AGENDA
6. IDF REMOVES ISRAELI FLAGS IN HEVRON
7. DINITZ CLEARED ON APPEAL
8. TWO ILLEGAL BUILDINGS RAZED; MONEY TRANSFERRED TO PA
9. NEW KOSHER HOLOGRAMS
1. TOWARDS MORE PERMANENT HOUSING
The Immigration Ministry has begun to transfer the residents of the
temporary caravan (mobile home) neighborhoods to more permanent housing.
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu was on hand today at Be'erotayim, one of
the sites, to follow the operation first-hand. He said, "Our goal is to do
away with all of the caravan sites by the year 2000, period." Immigration
Ministry official will help the residents in their move, and will help them
register for new schools and health and welfare services.
2. HIZBULLAH TRANSMITTER DESTROYED
Two IDF soldiers were lightly wounded this morning in Lebanon during an
exchange of fire with the Hizbullah terrorists. A rocket hit their tank,
in the Ali Tahar highlands. IDF returned mortar fire, and destroyed a
Hizbullah transmitter in the Lebanon Valley, near the Syrian border.
3. PRES AND PM MEET
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and President Ezer Weizmann held a
breakfast meeting this morning, in an attempt to straighten out the latest
tensions between them. The President's Office denied yesterday's media
reports that he had spoken out against Netanyahu during his visit in
Washington. Weizmann reported on his trip to the Prime Minister, and said
that he did not promise that Netanyahu would cede the Golan to the Syrians.
4. RELIGIOUS MKs DEMAND TWO LAWS
Representatives of the religious lobby in the Knesset met with the Prime
Minister today. They demand the passage of two laws: the Conversion Law,
as well as a law that will prevent Reform representatives from sitting on
local Religious Councils. They warn that if these two laws are not passed
with all due haste, they will resign from the coalition. Finance Minister
Yaakov Ne'eman, head of a committee appointed by the Prime Minister to
formulate a compromise that will be acceptable to Orthodox, Conservative,
and Reform, also took part in the meeting. Exerting counter-pressure on
Netanyahu is the Third Way party, whose members say they will resign from
the coalition if the religious demands are met. Jewish Agency Chairman
Avraham Burg called upon opposition leader Ehud Barak to provide a 'safety
net' for the government in case a no-confidence motion is introduced by the
religious parties on this issue. Burg says that Barak should announce in
advance that his party will not vote against the government on such a
no-confidence motion.
5. COMPROMISE ON THE AGENDA
The Ne'eman (see previous story) commission is about ready to publicize its
conclusions. According to unofficial information published today, its
recommendations will enable Reform and Conservative rabbis to perform
marriage ceremonies, but witnesses to the ceremony on behalf of the Chief
Rabbinate will supervise. Conversions will be carried out only by the
Chief Rabbinate, but the preparatory classes will be held in schools run
jointly by representatives of all three movements. Divorce law will remain
under exclusive control of the Chief Rabbinate. Arutz-7 correspondent
Ariel Kahanah has learned that the guiding principle in the compromise was
official Orthodox recognition of the other streams in exchange for no
concessions on Halakhic (Jewish law) requirements. "As any student of
Halakhah knows," said religious MK Alex Lubotsky (Third Way), "the Halakhic
status of a wedding depends on the witnesses, and not on the one who
conducts the ceremony." If the two witnesses, who themselves must be fit
for testimony (as opposed to relatives, for instance), can testify that the
ceremony was performed according to Jewish law, then the wedding is
"kosher" according to Orthodox standards.
Lubotsky further said, "There is a chance here for a historic compromise
among the three streams, at least in Israel. The proposed Conversion Law
will gain nothing for the Orthodox, because it merely demands that
conversions carried out in Israel be Orthodox; it can be easily
circumvented by conducting Reform classes here, and then simply flying the
candidate to London for a quick Reform conversion, and the deed is done.
The Orthodox thereby gain nothing by passing this law except to upset most
of world Jewry. On the other hand, the recommendations of the Ne'eman
committee allow for only one path, one gate to Judaism, namely via
Orthodoxy, with the participation of Reform and Conservative in
[non-Halakhic aspects]."
MK Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism) said that this law, rather than
uniting the Jewish people, could further exacerbate the tensions amongst
them. Other sources in the religious parties said that the committee was
established in order to find an agreed-upon solution for the conversion
issue, but instead side-tracked to another topic and granted a standing to
Reform and Conservative in marriage issues. "There is no guarantee that
this 'foot in the door' granted to Reform and Conservative could lead to
further erosion of the status of the Chief Rabbinate in the future," said one.
6. IDF REMOVES ISRAELI FLAGS IN HEVRON
IDF soldiers removed Israeli flags placed along Jewish routes in Hevron
yesterday. Noam Arnon, spokesman for the Hevron Jewish Community,
expressed shock at the IDF action. He told Arutz-7 that displaying the
flags is a long-time custom of the community before every holiday. An IDF
spokesman said that the placement of the flags was unauthorized, and that
they were removed in order to prevent friction between the Jews and the
Arabs of the city. MK Shaul Yahalom (NRP), chairman of the Knesset Law
Committee, wrote to the Defense Minister, asking him to "withdraw the
shameful order," and saying that the IDF should be proud of the flag and
not try to hide it.
7. DINITZ CLEARED ON APPEAL
The Supreme Court accepted the appeal this morning of former Jewish Agency
chairman Simcha Dinitz, who had been convicted of fraud and breach of
trust. The Court acquitted him for lack of convincing evidence. The
majority opinion, held by Judges Shlomo Levine and Theodore Ohr, held that
the evidence indicated that Dinitz had committed crimes, but that this was
not proven beyond a reasonable doubt. Justice Dalia Dorner, in the
minority, held that the appeal should be rejected. Dinitz's post-decision
reaction: "I am happy that justice has come to light."
8. TWO ILLEGAL BUILDINGS RAZED; MONEY TRANSFERRED TO PA
Two illegal structures near Gush Etzion were demolished by the Civil
Administration today. IDF forces stood guard as the bulldozers worked.
The Prime Minister instructed the Finance Ministry to transfer to the
Palestinian Authority the remainder of the monies that were frozen
following the two recent suicide-terrorist bombings in Jerusalem. Mr.
Netanyahu explained today that the transfer of the remaining 200 million
shekels was enabled following the "renewed PA efforts against the terrorist
infrastructure."
9. NEW KOSHER HOLOGRAMS
The Kashrut Committee of the Chief Rabbinate met today, and is considering
issuing a new hologrammed stamp of Kashrut approval. This is one of the
ways advanced to solve the increasing problem of forged Kashrut seals.
Rabbi Ezra Raful, head of the Kosher Meat Department for the Diaspora, said
that the importers will cooperate in finding ways to deal with this
problem.
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