From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Friday, October 31, 1997 1:09 AM
To: Arutz-7 List
Subject: Arutz-7 News: October 29-30, 1997
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, October 29, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Wednesday, October 29, 1997 / Tishrei 28, 5758
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. LEVY WILL GO TO U.S.
2. KNESSET BUDGET SESSION: DEMANDS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
1. LEVY WILL GO TO U.S.
After an almost day-long meeting, the security cabinet decided today that
Foreign Minister David Levy will depart within a few days for talks in
Washington with the Palestinians and the Americans. The cabinet authorized
him to discuss issues of the continued withdrawals, the meaning of the term
'time-out' in Yesha construction, and the war against terrorism. His aim
will be to prepare the way to discuss the permanent status arrangements.
Transportation Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (NRP) participated in the
forum, for the first time.
MK Michael Kleiner, chairman of the Knesset Land of Israel front, said
today that Prime Minister Netanyahu promised him that the security cabinet
would not accept any decision to slow down construction in Judea and
Samaria. The MKs of the Land of Israel front have threatened to vote
against the first reading of the proposed budget today, if the Prime
Minister does not keep to his word.
Arafat-advisor Abu Rodeina told the Palestinian newspaper Al Kuds yesterday
that the upcoming two weeks are critical for the outcome of the
Israeli-Palestinian talks. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports
that Abu Rodeina said that there will be developments in the coming two
weeks that will determine whether we are headed for "peace and
co-existence," which he explained to mean the return of Israel to its 1967
borders and the establishment of a Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its
capital, or towards "the worst deterioration."
2. KNESSET BUDGET SESSION: DEMANDS FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION
The Knesset discussion on the proposed annual budget for 1998 was called
off in mid-session today. The vote on its first reading, which was
originally expected around midnight tonight, may not be held until next
week. Finance Minister Yaakov Ne'eman is determined not to give in to the
financial demands of the coalition partners. The Prime Minister's Office
has emphasized that Mr. Netanyahu will discuss the coalition members'
demands only after the bill passes its first reading.
The NRP Knesset Members are presently meeting to discuss their position.
NRP Director-General Zevulun Orlev told Arutz-7 today that his party is
determined to vote against the first reading of the budget proposal if
additional monies are not allocated to national-religious education. He
said that these institutions receive proportionately less than those of
other groups, and the parents are forced to foot the bill. When asked why
monies are not cut from other Education Ministry budget clauses and added
to religious-Zionist purposes, Orlev answered, "We must not learn from the
ways of former Education Minister Shulamit Aloni [who transferred monies
from certain causes to others] because it is not morally correct. We are a
party that is concerned about the entire nation, and not only for our own
party's interests. We believe that the problem can be solved in a
different way, with the cooperation of the Finance Ministry."
Rabbi Dov Begun, head of the Machon Meir institute, told Arutz-7 today that
the National Religious Party, which ran during the last election with the
slogan "Judaism with Soul," is helping to bring about a situation of
"Judaism without Soul," because the monies it allots to the
Religious-Zionist Torah institutions are so low. He said that the budget
allowance for cultural activities for the hareidi sector is over four times
as much as that for the national religious sector. This is not in
proportion to their representation in the Knesset, which has nine
Religious-Zionist MKs and 14 hareidi MKs.
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Date: Thu, 30 Oct 1997 19:02:14 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, October 30, 1997
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ANOTHER APOLOGY
2. COURT REJECTS PETITION TO STOP WAQF CONSTRUCTION
3. TALKS WITH PALESTINIANS AROUSE WORRIES
1. ANOTHER APOLOGY
President Ezer Weizmann apologized this morning to the religious
population for the derogatory remarks he made yesterday about the
Bible and Moses. In an appearance yesterday in Beit Shemesh, Weizmann
said that not everything in the Bible should be read, and that
especially some of Moses' criticism of the People of Israel is "not so
agreeable." Beit Shemesh Deputy Mayor Moshe Abutboul interrupted the
President during his speech, demanding that he take back the remarks,
but Weizmann refused to do so. He apologized this morning after
learning that representatives of United Torah Judaism said they would
not support his bid for re-election.
2. COURT REJECTS PETITION TO STOP WAQF CONSTRUCTION
The Supreme Court rejected a petition submitted by the Chai Vekayam
organization today, which asked that the Attorney-General be ordered
to execute his authority against the illegal construction being
carried out by the Waqf on the Temple Mount. The organization claims
that the building activity is not only illegal, but is also damaging
to the ancient holy site. Attorney-General Rubenstein claimed in
court that the construction does not damage the site, and is not in
"substantial" violation of the building code. The judges ruled that
it sees no reason to intervene.
An organization spokesman said before the decision, "We are demanding
that the State of Israel not surrender its sovereignty over the Temple
Mount to the Waqf... We will see if the judges stand to the right of
the law, as they usually do, and order the authorities to enforce the
law, or if they take the position that the Temple Mount is basically
not part of Israel and is already being run as an Islamic Palestinian
state..."
General Security Service head Ami Ayalon is presently visiting the
Temple Mount, for a first-hand look at the construction. Afterwards,
he will visit the Holy Temple Institute, headed by Rabbi Yisrael
Ariel, in the old city.
3. TALKS WITH PALESTINIANS AROUSE WORRIES
Land of Israel front Knesset Members are worried that Prime Minister
Netanyahu and Foreign Minister David Levy are willing to agree to a
slowdown in building in Judea and Samaria in exchange for a
Palestinian willingness to forego the second withdrawal. Deputy
Defense Minister Sylvan Shalom denied reports to this effect, in the
name of the Prime Minister, but the Yesha Council and the Land of
Israel front are not confident. Minister Levy will meet on Monday
with PLO senior official Abu Maazen in New York, with the
participation of U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Israel
is worried that the PLO and Hamas have agreed on a halt in terror
attacks, thus enabling the U.S. to pressure Israel to cede more lands
without the terror infrastructure being harmed. Simultaneously, Israel
and the PA have been discussing the permanent arrangements, in secret
talks with the participation of a Norwegian mediator.
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From: newsdesk@iipub.com (MED News Desk)
To: headline@iipub.com (Mid-East Dispatch)
Subject: MED Daily Headline News
Reply-to: newsdesk@iipub.com
THE MID-EAST DISPATCH
DAILY HEADLINES NEWS REPORT
** NEGOTIATIONS FROZEN
Israel has effectively frozen the negotiations with the Palestinians
regarding the opening of the Dahaniyeh airfield and further
withdrawals in Judea and Samaria. According to Israel, the
Palestinian Authority is doing nothing to curb the Hamas terrorist
organization.
Foreign Minister David Levy's departure for the United States to take
part in such negotiations, which were to commence this week, has
therefore been put on hold. Israel refuses to permit the opening of
the Dahaniyeh airport unless the Israeli security services are at
least allowed to conduct spot checks at the airport to prevent the
entry of weapons and terrorists into the Palestinian-controlled areas.
Israel also rejects Palestinian demands to install long-range radar
equipment at the airport. Israeli security sources fear that the
Palestinians would use this radar to track Israel Air Force movements
in the Negev, thus seriously compromising Israeli security. {ARUTZ 7
10/29 H}
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From: imra@netvision.net.il
Subject: Government Report on PA Maltreatment of Christians
To: imra@netvision.net.il
Government Report on PA Maltreatment of Christians
By: Aaron Lerner Date: 30 October, 1997
IMRA has obtained a copy of an Israeli government report titled:
"The Palestinian Authority's Treatment of Christians in the
Autonomous Areas"
The following is an English translation of the report:
The Takeover of Bethlehem
On taking control over Bethlehem in December 1995, the Palestinian
Authority changed the rules for Christians. The Church of the Nativity
and other sites of central importance to Christianity came under
Palestinian Authority control, giving Yasser Arafat leverage over the
heads of the Christian communities. Since then, the local Christian
leadership has toed the line of the Palestinian Authority.
The Latin patriarch, Greek Archbishop, Anglican bishop and Lutheran
bishop are all Palestinian Arabs. They have become effective
propaganda mouthpieces throughout the Christian world.
An example of Arafat's attitude toward the Christians was his
decision to unilaterally turn the Greek Orthodox monastery near the
Church of the Nativity in Bethlehem into his domicile during his
periodic visits to the city. This was done without prior consent of
the church.
Treatment of Christians by the Palestinian Authority
On the social and religious level, the Christians remaining in
Palestinian Authority controlled areas are subjected to relentless
persecution. Christian cemeteries have been destroyed, monasteries
have had their telephone lines cut, and there have been break-ins to
convents. Nuns are afraid to report such incidents.
In August 1997, Palestinian policemen in Beit Sahur opened fire on a
crowd of Christian Arabs, wounding six. The Palestinian Authority is
attempting to cover up the incident and has warned against publicizing
the story. The local commander of the Palestinian police instructed
journalists not to report on the incident.
Palestinian security forces have targeted and intimidated Christian
leaders and Palestinian converts to Christianity. Recent incidents of
persecution of include the following:
In late June 1997, a Palestinian convert to Christianity in the
northern West Bank was arrested by agents of the Palestinian
Authority's Preventive Security Service. He had been regularly
attending church and prayer meetings and was distributing Bibles. The
Palestinian Authority ordered his arrest. He is still being held in a
Palestinian prison and has been subjected to physical torture and
interrogations. The pastor of a church in Ramallah was recently warned
by Palestinian Authority security agents that they were monitoring his
evangelistic activities in the area and wanted him to come in for
questioning for spreading Christianity. A Palestinian convert to
Christianity living in a village near Nablus was recently arrested by
the Palestinian police. A Muslim preacher was brought in by the
police, and he attempted to convince the convert to return to Islam.
When the convert refused, he was brought before a Palestinian court
and sentenced to prison for insulting the religious leader. He is
currently being held in a prison cell with more than 30 people, most
serving life sentences for murder. A Palestinian convert to
Christianity in Ramallah was recently visited by Palestinian policemen
at his home and warned that if he continued to preach Christianity, he
would be arrested and charged with being an Israeli spy.
As a result of unceasing persecution, the Christians are forced to
behave like any oppressed minority which aims to survive. Christians
in Palestinian Authority-controlled areas have taken to praying in
secret. The wisdom of survival compels them to assess the "balance of
fear", according to which they have nothing to fear from Israel but
face an existential threat from the Palestinian Authority and their
Muslim neighbors. They act accordingly: they seek to "find favor"
through unending praise and adulation for the Muslim ruler together
with public denunciations of the "Zionist entity."
Emigration of Christians from Palestinian Authority territory
In the last census conducted by the British mandatory authorities in
1947, there were 28,000 Christians in Jerusalem. The census conducted
by Israel in 1967 (after the Six Day War) showed just 11,000
Christians remaining in the city. This means that some 17,000
Christians (or 61%) left during the days of King Hussein's rule over
Jerusalem. Their place was filled by Muslim Arabs from Hebron.
During the British mandate period, Bethlehem had a Christian
majority of 80%. Today, under Palestinian rule, it has a Muslim
majority of 80%.
Few Christians remain in the Palestinian-controlled parts of the
West Bank. Those who can - emigrate, and there will soon be
virtually no Christians in the Palestinian Authority controlled
areas. The Palestinian Authority is trying to conceal the fact of
massive Christian emigration from areas under its control.
Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
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To educate, train and equip for study both the Jew and Non-Jew
in the Rich Hebraic Heritage of our Faith.
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l