From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Friday, October 31, 1997 1:11 AM
To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Translations from Palestinian press
Subj: Translations from Palestinian press
From: Leah Green
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America
Shalom CAMERA E-Mail Team,
I just want to make you aware of a very valuable resource being offered by a
non-profit Israeli group called Palestinian Media Review, headed by security
expert Yigal Carmon. PMR monitors the Palestinian press and publicizes items
of interest. The daily reports are now available in English. Below is a
sample PMR Daily Report. If you would like to receive these free reports,
just send a note to PMR. Their e-mail address is: pmr1@netvision.net.il
Sincerely,
Lee Green
Director, National Letter-Writing Group
CAMERA
Sample report:
Palestinian Media Review
POB 7538
Jerusalem
Israel
Tel: 972-2-6254140
Fax: 972-2-6242803
Dear Reader,
The following texts are translations of selected current news
related items that appeared in the Palestinian media. We welcome your
comments and suggestions. The Arabic originals are available upon request.
You are welcome to pass on PMR reports to other interested parties.
DAILY REPORT
October, 23, 1997
Palestinian Press:
Topic: The Hamas movement's commitment to the option of Jihad
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palestinian Authority daily)
Sheik Yassin emphasized the Hamas movement's commitment to the option of
Jihad as the means of regaining "our stolen lands and rights" and said: "we
will fight and struggle until we regain our rights and lands. We will not
[sign] a truce [agreement] and will not compromise even an inch of our
land, regardless of the price we may have to pay";
{Israeli Television-Channel 1: Yassin: "Our nation must follow the path of
Jihad because Jihad is the Islamic peace. Through Jihad we shall triumph."}
Topic: Palestinian Leaders in the Hamas Rally in Gaza
Source: Al-Quds
Following are segments from statements of speakers from the Hamas, the
Fatah, and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine in a Hamas
rally organized by the student association in the Islamic University in Gaza:
Sheik Ahmad Yassin: "In its belief in Allah and in its right to its
homeland, the Palestinian nation is stronger than [any] bombs, airplanes,
and weapons. The struggle will continue until the occupation disappears. A
nation has no existence without Jihad...We love the peace and wish for it
[because] Allah is peace, but the occupation does not want it. The road is
long and we have taken the first step along the right path. Through
knowledge, belief and Jihad we shall triumph."
Sheik Yassin emphasized that any one ruler or one generation does not own
the land of Palestine and they can not give it away; [the land of
Palestine] belongs to all Muslim generations until the Day of Judgment...
Ahmad Nasir, A Member of the Fatah's Higher Committee: "Oslo is not
[included] in the political platform of the Fatah movement and is not the
solution. Rather, it is the peace and it is a collection of agreements that
do not prevent the [Palestinian] aspirations and do not restrict
Palestinian sacrifice. The failure of the agreement does not negate our
legitimate right to return to the struggle for our rights and to return the
political process to its natural course..
The Hamas Representative, Abd Al-Aziz Al-Rantisi gave a speech in which he
renewed the oath of loyalty to Allah and then to the leader Sheik Ahmad
Yassin, in order to continue in the Hamas' path until victory or martyrdom.
[Israeli Television-Channel 1 quoted Rantisi: "I tell Jaffa, Haifa, Safed
and Tel-Aviv today to prepare for an encounter with the holy warriors of
Jihad."]
Topic: Faysal Al-Husseini on the Intifada
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
In an answer to a question whether the reaction of the Palestinian public
[to the actions of Israel in East Jerusalem] rose to the appropriate level
given the tragedy that is occurring in Jerusalem, Faysal Al-Husseini said:
"If this question was asked several weeks before the Intifada-- the answer
would [also] have been that public reaction is insufficient. Nevertheless,
the Intifada broke out thereafter."
Topic: The Suicide Bombings
Source: Al Quds
Under the title "There is No Peace Without the Prisoners" Rafiq Salih writes:
...Those who signed the communique of the Hamas's military wing--which
claimed responsibility for the recent suicide attacks--were "The Martyr's
Unit for the Release of the Prisoners and the Detainees." The most
important request which they made into a condition for the ending of the
suicide attacks was the release of Palestinians from Israeli jails.
Topic: A Memorial service to Fathi Al-Shiqaqi
Source: Al-Quds
In a front-page advertisement it was written: The Islamic Jihad Movement in
Palestine is honored to invite the public to participate in the second
anniversary memorial service for the martyrdom of the leader and teacher
Fathi Al-Shiqaqi, the founder and General Secretary of the Islamic Jihad
Movement in Palestine. The ceremony will take place in Rafah on Friday,
October 24. A separate area will be allocated for women.
Topic: Israel is American -occupied Palestine
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
The editor of the paper, Hafth Al-Barghuthi, writes:
Turkey has an occupied security zone in Northern Iraq, similar to the
occupied security zone in South Lebanon...that is similar to the
American-occupied Palestine known as Israel...
Topic: The PA Permits the Renewed Publication of the Hamas's Weekly
Source: Al-Bilad
Palestinian sources and the editor of Al-Rsallah, Ghazi Hamed, announced
that the PA permitted the renewed publication of the weekly paper.
Topic: The PA-Popular Front Relations
Source: Al-Quds [October 22]
President Arafat brought the representatives of the Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine up to date on developments in the negotiations with
Israel...
Daily Report October 24-25, 1997
The Palestinian Authority's Radio [10/24]
Following are segments from the Friday sermon in the Al-Aqsa Mosque [the
preacher was Ismail Al-Nawadha]:
.This [referring to a Koranic verse he just cited] is an example of the
trap that the Jews always set for the community of Muslims.
The Koran repeatedly warns against the traps and plots of the "people of
the book" [meaning, Jews and Christians]. They relentlessly scheme in all
times and places and this is what they do today and tomorrow against the
Muslim camp.
The Al-Aqsa Mosque is planted in the heart of every Muslim and Muslims will
not stand [passively] with crossed arms in the face of these attempts [to
harm it].
Palestinian Press:
Topic: Mordechai-Arafat Meeting
Source: The Jerusalem Times [October 24]
.Arafat reportedly promised to intensify his "fight against terror"
although he did not unequivocally promise to carry out any specific measures.
Topic: Iraqi Donation to PA
Source: The Jerusalem Times [October 24]
The PNA is making concerted efforts in international circles to assure the
delivery of $100 million donated by Iraq to the Palestinian people and the
United Nations Works and Relief Agency (UNRWA) two years ago. But the
funds were stopped from delivery by The UN Sanctions Committee.
Topic: Relations Between the PA and the Islamic Jihad
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (Palstinain Authority daily)
Islamic Jihad's most notable leader, Nafez Azzam, praised President Yasser
Arafat for resisting all Israeli pressures to carry out random arrests
among the ranks of Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. Azzam emphasized that
relations between the National Authority and the Islamic Jihad are
currently characterized by calmness and mutual understanding after they
have seen periods of ups and downs in the past.
Topic: Warning regarding the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Source: Kul Al-Arab [October 24]
The Manager of the Waqf (Islamic Endowment Administration) in Jerusalem,
Adnan Al-Husseini, issued a serious. warning to the settlers and to the
Temple Mount Loyalists gang and to whomever stands behind them, according
to which any attempt to harm the Al-Aqsa Mosque will encounter an
appropriate and decisive Arab and Muslim response.
Topic: Sheik Yassin on the State of Israel
Source: Al-Ayyam [October 25]
In interviews with The Times and The Independent State Sheik Ahmad Yassin
said that it was possible to reach "a temporary truce" with Israel, but
emphasized that the establishment of a Palestinian state, which will
include a reasonable minority of Israelis, remains the supreme objective.
Yassin emphasized that a Palestinian state could not exist forever
alongside an Israeli state, because then a severe conflict could erupt.
Topic: Figures from the Palestinian Past Who Used Terror Against Jews
Source: Al-Sinara [October 24]
The weekly published an interview with the widow of Yusef Sa'id Abu-Durra,
who participated in the Arab violence in the 1930's against the Zionist
settlement. Alongside a description of the actions in which he
participated, the weekly presents a photograph of a memorial statue that
was recently erected by the Fatah movement in his honor in the village
Silat Al-Harthia in which a map of Palestine that includes al of the
territory of the state of Israel is engraved in stone.
Topic: The Wedding of Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam's Grandchild
Source: Kul Al-Arab [October 24]
The weekly repots the wedding of the grandson of Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam, who
serves as an officer in the Palestinian Police. The wedding took place in
Ya'bad, near the place in which Al-Qassam was killed by the British in
1935. The paper writes: "The wedding celebration turned into a popular
national marriage ceremony and a gathering of sons of the Palestinian
nation from Gaza, Ramallah, Haifa, Beit Jan, Nazareth, and many other
places. The stage was adorned by pictures of Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam and
Yasser Arafat as well as by Palestinian flags. National songs, such as "For
You, My Homeland, How Sweet is the Sahada [martyrdom]" were sung at the
wedding. The first to congratulate [the bride and groom] was Sheik Salem
Saqr, age 89, who fought alongside Izz Al-Din Al-Qassam.
Topic: Requesting the Return of PLO Members From Tunis to Israel
Source: Al-Sinara [October 24]
Member of Knesset Hashem Mahamid met in Tunis with Farooq Al-Qaddoomi, Head
of the PLO's Political Bureau. Mahamid met with Israeli-Arab members of the
PLO who are not permitted to enter either the territory under the control
of the Palestinian Authority or their homeland in Israel. He intends to
bring their issue before Israeli officials, so that they are able to return
to their families and homeland.
October 26, 1997
PALESTINIAN PRESS:
Topic: Mish'al Denies the Existence of a Letter From Israel to the Hamas
Source: Al-Quds
The Head of Hama's Political Bureau, Khaled Mish'al, said reports that the
Jordanian Minister of Water and Irrigation, Dr. Mund'ir Haddadin, following
his last visit to Israel, carried a letter from the Israeli government to
the [Hamas] movement regarding a dialogue between the two were untrue.
In an interview to the paper Al-Arab Al-Yaum Mish'al said that the Hamas's
position vis-a-vis Israel is clear: no dealing with it, directly or
indirectly, nor through mediators. [The rumor about such a letter spread
following the participation of Haddadin and other high Jordanian officials,
including the Head of the King's Chamber and the President of the Senate,
in a Hamas ceremony.]
Topic: A Rally in Bethlehem University Commemorating the Anniversary of
Al-Shiqaqi's Assassination
Source: Al-Ayyam
Palestinian students and supporters of the Islamic Jihad movement held a
rally on the second anniversary of the slaying of Fathi Al-Shiqaqi, the
Secretary General of the Islamic Jihad movement, who was murdered by Mossad
agents. An Israeli flag was burnt during the ceremony.
Topic: Israeli Plots to Destroy the Al-Aqsa Mosque
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
Under the title: "Al-Aqsa Surrounded by Conspiracies" Muhammad Sa'id Abu
Al-Jamiya writes: .In order to establish the Temple ['Sulyman's Palace'] in
place of the Al-Aqsa mosque, Israel employed different methods starting
with arson attempts, destruction, and the digging of tunnels. and ending
with the creation of artificial earthquakes that can be triggered from afar
which will undermine its foundations and will destroy it-and then Israel
will not permit its renovation. but will use the opportunity to complete
its destruction and to establish the [Jewish] Temple in its place.
Topic: Israeli Plots to Assassinate the Leaders of the PA
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida
President Arafat's advisor, Basam Abu Sharif, warned that under Netanyahu's
direct orders, Israeli military experts prepared plans to assassinate some
of the national Palestinian figures, first and foremost President Arafat,
in order to sabotage any Palestinian attempt to prevent land expropriations
for the settlements and an increase in the number of their residents.
Topic: Excerpts from an Interview with Hani Al-Hasan (PLO leader) with
Al-Halij [United Arab Emirates] on PA - Hamas relations.
Source: Al-Quds
What is important is not to calm down the Palestinian people but to
convince the American public opinion to pressure Israel. A change in
Netanyahu's position will not come through begging but through compulsion.
The national Palestinian dialogue faces many dangers. because the U.S. and
Israel want the Palestinian position to lose its consensus [within its own
public], in order to separate the [Palestinians] 'outside' from those
'inside' [the territories]. They almost succeeded, but the alert
Palestinian people prevented it. We succeeded in holding the latest
meetings [between the PA and the Hamas]. then Albright came and endorsed
Netanyahu's position regarding [the necessity] to destroy the
infrastructure of the Hamas and the Islamic Jihad. But this time Allah
helped us by foiling the plot to assassinate Khaled Mash'al and by
returning Sheik Yassin to Gaza.
The return of Sheik Yassin strengthens national unity; it does not weaken
it. I congratulate him for his political awareness and the bravery he
showed in his political statements that the responsibility for the
political negotiations is [solely] President Arafat's, as well as for his
refusal to accept the letter of the [Chief] Jewish Rabbi. They [the
Rabbis] tried to begin a religious dialogue with him, and he replied: "our
religious source of authority is Al-Azhar". An alliance between Hams and
Fatah is inevitable, which will determine how to liberate what was occupied
in 1967 since [these territories] are what is offered to us and what is
feasible now from an international point of view. Policy is not [the
result of] wishes, but of capabilities, and the existing capability is to
expel "Israel" [only] out of the West Bank and Gaza. Hamas is a
constructive opposition movement. It is not a movement that expresses its
opposition only by verbal means. It fulfills an important and positive role
in the Palestinian arena: it spreads Islamic values and serves as a very
important psychological barrier defending the Palestinian youth and the
Arab nation from invasions of culture and values, which we reject.
Topic: The Arab World is occupied
Source: Al-Hayat Al-Jadida (PA daily)
Under the title "Conquered Land and Occupied Water" Fuad Abu Hajla writes:
Palestine is under occupation. South Lebanon is occupied; Northern Iraq is
occupied. The three Arab islands in the [Persian] Gulf are occupied.
Iskandarun [the Alexandreta District] is occupied. Al-Ahwaz [region] is
occupied and its residents, under the pressures of occupation, forgot the
language of the Koran and were forced to speak Farsi. The [Arab] Guld is
occupied and our water and air are divided, some are under American and
some are under Iranian control. Hanish [Ethiopia] is under occupation.
surrendering to Arythrian tyranny; Sibra and Maliyla were Arab, before they
became a part of modern Spain's assets. They say that there is a part of
the Red Sea that is secretly occupied since the June war or the June
defeat. The Heights that are called Golan, which will not be liberated
through revolutionary slogans, filled with Jewish settlements. The Arab
land is under the occupation of invading foreign armies, and excrements of
huge battle ships pollute Arab waters.
The Arab streets are occupied and controlled by spies and informers. The
ports are occupied and the flags of all but Arab states fly in them. The
coffee shops are occupied by false editions of lying broadcasts. The
airports are occupied by search squads looking for the remnants of honor .
only Arab jails are occupied with free men.
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