From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Sent: Monday, December 1, 1997 1:11 AM
To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup
Subject: Israel News and Commentary
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
** 1 PM Criticizes Clinton
** 2 Final Status Plan Revealed
** 3 Renewed Tension in Iraq
** 1. PM CRITICIZES CLINTON
Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu has criticized US President Bill
Clinton's inability to meet with him as a tactic that leaders should try
to avoid. He told CNN that the refusal humiliated the entire country and
not just him personally.
"No Prime Minister of Israel is humiliated personally, all insults are
directed to the office of the Prime Minister of the State of Israel and
the entire Jewish state feels humiliated that such action is directed
against us" he said.
White House spokesman Mike McCurry said no insult was intended. He
said Clinton's schedule did not permit a meeting between the two
leaders and a future date is being considered. {KOL ISRAEL 11/27 H}
** 2. FINAL STATUS PLAN REVEALED
Prime Minister Netanyahu has outlined guidelines for the final
settlement map Israel is proposing. Israel wants security zones in the
Jordan Valley, Etzion Bloc and Gaza Strip.
Prime Minister Netanyahu warned that Israel would respond with its own
unilateral actions in the Palestinian Authority declares a state.
If the Cabinet approves the Prime Minister's proposals at a meeting on
Sunday, Israeli representatives will try to convince the American
Administration to endorse the plan.
Sources close to the Prime Minister believe the Cabinet will vote to
endorse the plan, in principle, the second redeployment and Israeli
guidelines for the permanent status talks. Under the plan, a ministerial
plan will be set up to work out exact details of the redeployments.
{KOL ISRAEL 11/29 H}
** 3. RENEWED TENSION IN IRAQ
Despite international pressure, Iraq says it will not allow UN weapons
inspectors into Saddam Hussein's palaces. Inspectors want to ensure
that the palaces are not being used to store chemical and biological
weapons. {GALEI TZAHAL 11/29 H}
********************************************************************
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
** 1 ** 2 ** 3 ** 4 ** 5 -*-
** 1. Settlements May Be Evacuated
** 2 Iranian Shells Used on Lebanese Village
** 3 Prime Minister Appoints Moshe Leon as Aide
** 4 Qatar vs Egypt, Jordan with Iran
** 5 Thousands Demonstrate At PM's Home
** 6 Six Armed Terrorists Caught
** 7 Old Cars Bad for the Air
** 8 140,000 Strikers Today
** 9 Battle of the Airwaves
** 1. SETTLEMENTS MAY BE EVACUATED
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is prepared to evacuate many Jewish
communities in Judea and Samaria, within the framework of the
permanent-status arrangement with the Palestinians. This is the
conclusion of a comprehensive investigation conducted by Arutz-7,
following Netanyahu's remarks about the arrangement to newspaper
editors yesterday. He said that Israel will retain only two security
areas - in the Jordan Valley and in Western Samaria - which will be
connected by what he termed "strips of width."
Arutz-7's correspondent asked about the fate of the Jewish settlements
not included in these zones or strips. Shai Bazak, Netanyahu's press
aide, responded that the Prime Minister will ensure that all of the
Jewish communities will remain under Israeli sovereignty.
However, Arutz-7 has learned that the Prime Minister intends to
evacuate, or to place under Palestinian control, most of those
settlements that are considered isolated, and has discussed these
options in closed forums. Some of the communities mentioned in this
regard are Beit El, Ofrah, Shavei Shomron, Ganim, Kadim, Kfar Darom
and Netzarim.
Netanyahu feels that it will be impossible to reach an agreement with
the Palestinians without moving the isolated towns or transferring
them to Palestinian control.
MK Chanan Porat (NRP) has called upon the Prime Minister to announce
officially and publicly that his permanent-status plan does not
include the removal of Jewish settlements or their transfer to
Palestinian control.
Minister of Defense Yitzchak Mordechai and Minister of Infrastructures
Ariel Sharon also support the above plan. Sharon is of the opinion
that it will possible to persuade the residents of Yesha to move
several communities to "settlement blocs." Netanyahu told the editors
yesterday that he estimates that at least 75% of the population will
support his plan. {ARUTZ 7 11/30 H}
** 2. IRANIAN SHELLS USED ON LEBANESE VILLAGE
Israel presented the Operation Grapes of Wrath supervisory committee
with proof that Amal terrorists used Iranian shells during their
attack on the village of Beit Leif on November 23rd which left eight
Lebanese civilians dead and 15 wounded.
Israel showed the committee parts of the shells used in the attack
which bore the insignia of Iranian military hardware. This evidence
refutes Iran's previous claims that its support of Lebanese terrorists
was exclusively humanitarian. {YEDIOT AHARONOT 11/30 H}
** 3. PRIME MINISTER APPOINTS MOSHE LEON AS AIDE
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Moshe Leon as the new
Director-General of the Prime Minister's Office.
For the past year and a half, Leon has served as deputy
Director-General in the Prime Minister's Office, and for the past few
months as the head of the Prime Minister's bureau.
Leon has focused his energies during the past year and a half
primarily in the economic arena and along with Government Companies
Authority head Ms. Tzippi Livni, has greatly contributed to the
quickened pace of privatization which the government has carried out.
Moshe Leon came to the Prime Minister's Office from the private sector
where he was an accountant.
The appointment will be submitted to the Civil Service's Appointment
Committee and the Cabinet for approval. {GPO 11/30 H}
** 4. QATAR VS. EGYPT; JORDAN WITH IRAN
The Qatar conference represented another blow to Egypt. Qatar's
Foreign Minister even called Mubarak a liar and said that he "is
incapable of leading the Arab world and should resign."
In the larger picture, it was a victory for the Islamic Gulf States
over the Egypt-led Arab League. Iran and Iraq, whose influence was
felt in the fact that the conference was not called off, even sent
unofficial delegations under the guise of Jordanian businessmen.
This brings up the issue of Jordan-Iran relations, which are on the
rise. King Hussein will apparently even visit Iran very soon, for the
first time in many years, and will bring with him a message from Prime
Minister Netanyahu.
Israel is in the process of assigning Jordan a larger mediating role
between itself and Iran, at the expense of Russia, which Israel has
accused of giving nuclear aid to Iran. {YEHOSHUA MEIRI 11/30 H}
**********************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 Op-Ed: Has This Redeployment Been Carefully
Thought Thru?
HAS THIS REDEPLOYMENT BEEN CAREFULLY THOUGHT THRU?
by Dr. Aaron Lerner
Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio
November 27, 1997 / Cheshvan 27, 5758
In This Article:
1. A Few Opening Comments
2. A Sigh Of Relief
3. Four Sobering Thoughts
* Who Says?
* Partial Compliance, Partial FRD?
* Compliance Means ...
* Learning From Past Mistakes
4. Taking A Serious Approach
1. A FEW OPENING COMMENTS
I want to devote the bulk of the spot this evening to the withdrawal
which is up for a vote, but first a few quick comments:
Labor leader Ehud Barak warned yesterday that the Palestinians will
launch a guerrilla war if they don't get what they want. He notes
that, as a result of Oslo, "the Palestinians now control territory and
can mount warfare from their areas...armed with rifles instead of
rocks."
Three observations:
* First, its nice to see that Barak appreciates just how seriously
Oslo has hurt Israel's security. Does this mean he opposes further
redeployments? * Second, his argument, as Moledet leader Rehavam
Ze'evi put it to me, encourages Arab violence by showing that their
threat of violence affects Israeli thinking. * And last, but
certainly not least: If Barak's argument is valid today, why won't it
be valid when the issue is Jerusalem - or for that matter Jaffa?
On another subject, who says the PLO doesn't respect Jewish rights?
Hassan Tahboob, the Palestinian Authority Minister of Waqf [High
Muslim Council] and Religious Affairs, told me this Sunday that even
after they take over Jerusalem, Jews will be permitted to pray facing
the Western Wall, or, as he calls it, the "Al Buraq Wall." They can
face the Wall but they can't touch what he terms a wall of the Al Aksa
Mosque. The Jews must maintain a respectful distance of at least two
meters from it.
And now to the further redeployment, also known as "FRD:"
2. A SIGH OF RELIEF
When David Bar-Illan, the Director of the Policy Planning &
Communications Office of the Prime Minister, told me Tuesday morning
that the FRD will only take place in April, and that's only if Israel
is satisfied that the Palestinians demonstrate that they are, in fact,
fighting terror, I felt good for a moment. After all, what are the
chances that Arafat will really extradite the terrorists?
3. FOUR SOBERING THOUGHTS
But then I started to think about it. What's the catch? Here's a
list:
THOUGHT #1- WHO SAYS?
Who decides if the Palestinians are complying? Clinton? Just this
week his administration claimed that the Palestinians are complying
already. Netanyahu? Remember back when he first met with Arafat and
claimed that the PA pulled its forces from Jerusalem?
THOUGHT #2 - PARTIAL COMPLIANCE, PARTIAL FRD?
What are the consequences of non-compliance? Is it all or nothing, or
does 20% compliance mean Israel carries out 20% of the FRD?
THOUGHT #3 - COMPLIANCE MEANS ...
What exactly are we talking about in terms of compliance?
We hear three very different levels of compliance:
Foreign Minister David Levy refers to "fighting terror." This is a
pretty vague term. Would it be enough if Arafat detains some of the
regular suspects, and Hamas generously declines to blow anyone up for
a few months?
Netanyahu talks about the obligation to "fight terror and prevent
violence." His office put out a press release yesterday in which they
included in that category "uprooting the infrastructure of terror
groups, the confiscation of illegal firearms, the apprehension and
punishment of terrorists, the transfer of terror suspects to Israel,
the prevention of incitement to violence and the strengthening of
security cooperation with Israel." But it is far from clear that the
Cabinet plans to explicitly adopt a list of specific activities.
Minister of Justice Hanegbi is said to have suggested, for example,
that Israel explicitly make the FRD contingent on the transfer of
wanted terrorists to Israel.
At the highest level of compliance we have the Ross Note. It requires
that Arafat also complete the revision of the PLO covenant which calls
for Israel's destruction; reduce the size of the Palestinian police to
the number permitted by Oslo II; and refrain from governmental
activity in areas not under PA jurisdiction, such as Jerusalem.
THOUGHT #4 - LEARNING FROM PAST MISTAKES
What withdrawal are we talking about? Is it in addition to the FRD
which was already approved? [ed. note: On March 6, 1997, the Israeli
Cabinet approved the first phase of the redeployment, which would have
tripled the amount of territory under exclusive Palestinian control in
the West Bank. The Palestinians rejected the Israeli Cabinet
decision.] Where is the territory on the map?
In all due respect to the IDF, the map drawers made many mistakes in
the Hevron withdrawal and also when the first FRD was proposed. It is
claimed that the withdrawal maps being used today were drawn up long
ago and were not updated to reflect our more recent experience with
Palestinian terror.
Who is to say that these maps don't have just as many mistakes - if
not more - than the previous maps? This is not the kind of thing to
decide on in the middle of the night. It requires serious and
detailed study, in consultation with the local Jewish residents on the
ground.
4. TAKING A SERIOUS APPROACH
Talking in percentages alone is ridiculous. Imagine if your child was
sick and required surgery. "Don't worry," the doctor says, "I'm only
cutting off 10 percent!" Now wouldn't you insist on knowing which 10%
he plans to put to the knife?
Without answers to these questions, there is no way that a minister
can support the FRD and at the same time claim to be seriously
interested in either Palestinian compliance or insuring that Israel's
security needs are not hurt by the FRD.
* * * * * * * * * * * *
*
*
Dr. Aaron Lerner is co-director of Independent Media Review & Analysis
(IMRA) <imra@netvision.net.il>. [Minor editorial changes were made in
preparing this verbal commentary for print.]
************************************************************************