From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Wed, 17 Dec 1997 02:52:30 +0000
Subject: Arutz-7 News: December 4-11, 1997
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, December 4, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Thursday, December 4, 1997 / Kislev 5, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINE:
NETANYAHU TO EUROPE
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with German
Chancellor Helmut Kohl tonight in Bonn, and tomorrow in Paris with U.S.
Secretary of State Albright. He will brief them on the government's plans
for the permanent-status arrangement and the second withdrawal.
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Date: Sun, 07 Dec 1997 18:45:54 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, December 7, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Sunday, December 7, 1997 / Kislev 8, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU MEETS WITH PERMANENT-STATUS STAFF
2. RABBI: WE NEED A 'LAST BASTION'
1. NETANYAHU MEETS WITH PERMANENT-STATUS STAFF
Prime Minister Netanyahu returned late this morning from his short
trip in Europe, in which he met with Germany's Kohl, France's Chirac,
and twice with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright. Albright
informed the Prime Minister of the percentage of territory -
apparently a two-digit number - from which the U.S. expects Israel to
withdraw, and added that she would like a final decision within two
weeks. Albright clarified to Netanyahu that the U.S. was not planning
to act as the guarantor for all of Arafat's Hevron-agreement
commitments. On the other hand, the tensions of the past weeks
between Netanyahu and the Clinton administration were eased during the
meetings. The Prime Minister met today with Minister Levy, Sharon,
and Mordechai - the permanent-status ministerial committee - and
briefed them on his discussions.
2. RABBI: WE NEED A 'LAST BASTION'
A large advertisement in this past Friday's HaTzofeh newspaper called
upon the right-wing parties to resign from the government, even at the
expense of causing more extensive parts of the land of Israel to be
lost. Rabbi Menachem Felix, one of the early pioneers of the Yesha
settlements, is the signatory to the ad, and he spoke today with
Arutz-7. He explained that the catastrophe of transferring parts of
Eretz Yisrael is so great that "we must not allow ourselves to take
any part of it." He explained that he was not only worried about his
own "cleanliness of hands," but that "it is important for the entire
nation that at least one major sector thereof be clearly and
unmistakably against and removed from this terrible thing. This is a
more important consideration than the exact amount of percentages [of
territory]." Rabbi Felix said that he is not only referring to the
National Religious Party, but to representatives of Yesha who are
attempting to "minimize the damage by participating in the
map-drawing."
MK Chanan Porat, in response, reiterated his position that he would
never be a party to an actual withdrawal. He explained, however, "I
was charged with accomplishing, not merely taking strong stands. I am
not giving up at this point. To resign from the government now and to
abandon the front would be a terrible error. As long as the
withdrawal has not been carried out, there is still the chance to stop
it - if we are smart... We can come to the Prime Minister and say,
'Don't bring your government to ridicule. You clearly stated that the
withdrawal is dependent upon Palestinian compliance with their
commitments. Don't let up on them!' In addition, if we can show him
that the public is behind this demand - and we are now carrying out a
survey which I believe will show exactly that - and when we remind him
that his government will fall if he carries out the withdrawal, I
believe that we can succeed."
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Date: Mon, 08 Dec 1997 19:16:28 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, December 8, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Monday, December 8, 1997 / Kislev 9, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
PERES IN FAVOR OF PALESTINIAN STATE, FULL GOLAN WITHDRAWAL
Former Prime Minister Shimon Peres, one of the main architects of the
Oslo accords, said last night that he is in favor of a Palestinian
state, as "we do not want to take responsibility for three million
[sic?] Arabs." He also said that Syrian President Assad wants peace,
but that his price is the Golan, and that therefore "we must withdraw
from the entire Golan Heights in exchange for peace with Syria."
Peres was roundly criticized by the Tzomet and Third Way parties for
his remarks. Tzomet MK Modi Zandberg said, "The voice is the voice of
Peres, but the hands are the hands of Barak." He said that this shows
the true intentions of the Labor party, and is an example of the
"network of lies and deceit that characterizes the Labor party." MK
Yehuda Harel (Third Way) said that Peres' remarks were "devoid of [a
sense of] national responsibility." Avi Zeira of the Golan Heights
Communities told Arutz-7 that what Peres says does not worry him any
longer, although "the fact that there seemed to be no great protest
among the audience [all Labor members] is troubling."
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Date: Wed, 10 Dec 1997 19:52:38 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, December 10, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Wednesday, December 10, 1997 / Kislev 11, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. KNESSET RUSHES TO STOP PA CENSUS IN JERUSALEM
2. KLEINER DECRIES HAR HOMA HALT
3. JUDEAN DESERT TO BE APPORTIONED OUT?
4. YESHA REACTIONS
1. KNESSET RUSHES TO STOP PA CENSUS IN JERUSALEM
Both the Knesset and the Jerusalem Police Department are taking
measures to prevent the Palestinian Authority from carrying out a
census in the capital today. The Knesset is planning to rush through
an emendation today to the law forbidding all Palestinian Authority
activity in Jerusalem. Until today, as the government was surprised
to learn yesterday, a loophole in the law would have forbidden the
government from preventing the census in Jerusalem. The new law will
forbid any PA activity that harms Israeli sovereignty in the city.
The Labor party decided this morning to support the new law, but later
changed its mind when the vote was termed a no-confidence motion in
the Prime Minister. A Labor announcement this morning stated that the
bill was unnecessary, but that the party would support it as part of
its efforts to preserve the unity of Jerusalem. Deputy Minister Sylvan
Shalom accused Labor of putting its political interests ahead of its
concern for Jerusalem.
Regarding the rushed nature of the legislative activity today, MK
Nisan Slomiansky (NRP) said this morning that one month ago, he
submitted a Knesset query on the topic, and was told, in effect,
"Don't worry, it will all be taken care of."
Prime Minister Netanyahu said yesterday that a Palestinian Authority
census in Jerusalem would be a violation of agreements signed with the
PA, and that he would not permit any foreign sovereign-type activity
in the city. The leftist organization Gush Hashalom offered its
services to the PA in conducting the census in Jerusalem, in order to
contribute to the "creation of a future of peace between the two
nations."
2. KLEINER DECRIES HAR HOMA HALT
MK Michael Kleiner (Likud-Gesher) claims that a senior government
clerk informed him that Prime Minister Netanyahu has essentially
halted the construction on Har Homa, in accordance with American
pressures. The Prime Minister's Office denies the reports. Arutz-7's
correspondent Kobi Sela notes that the Housing Ministry has not yet
publicized the tenders for the buildings there. Netanyahu's press
advisor Shai Bazak said, however, that Deputy Housing Minister Meir
Porush had informed the government that there were some technical
delays in the construction, but that the earth-moving works will
conclude soon and the tenders will be publicized. Jerusalem Mayor
Ehud Olmert discussed the delays on the Har Homa project with
Netanyahu this afternoon..
MK Kleiner told Arutz-7 today that the issue now must be the
continuation of construction throughout Yesha, and not Har Homa. "Har
Homa is an issue which we already struggled for, and which we won. We
cannot afford to stop building in Har Homa just because of American
pressure, because if we do that now, even before the talks [on
Jerusalem] begin, we are simply inviting more pressures to give in on
more issues later."
3. JUDEAN DESERT TO BE APPORTIONED OUT?
An additional 2% of Yesha lands that are to be transferred to
Palestinian Authority control may come from the Judean Desert. This
area had been considered "out of bounds" for an Israeli withdrawal,
but the proposal has been floated to retain more lands in the vicinity
of Jewish Yesha communities, and to withdraw instead from land near
the Arab village of Bani Naim, east of Hevron. Arutz-7 correspondent
Haggai Huberman reports that the staff preparing the next withdrawal
is having a hard time accommodating three parallel demands: not to
harm the Yesha communities, not to harm military areas (such as the
Judean Desert, where many military exercises are held), and to comply
with American pressures to increase the extent of the withdrawal.
Jordan Valley residents met today with Minister Ariel Sharon, who
wishes to retain for Israel a strip 20 kilometers wide with its
eastern border on the Jordan River, and 15 kilometers wide near the
Dead Sea.
4. YESHA REACTIONS
The entire membership of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea,
Samaria, and Gaza met this afternoon with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
The community of Kedumim, one of the oldest and largest in Yesha,
will go on total strike on Sunday, in protest of the government
intentions to execute a Yesha-strangling withdrawal. Men, women, and
children of Kedumim will hold a demonstration outside the Prime
Minister's office. Other communities in Yesha are meeting tonight to
decide how to react to the withdrawal plans.
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Date: Thu, 11 Dec 1997 19:23:14 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, December 11, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Thursday, December 11, 1997 / Kislev 12, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PRIME MINISTER PROMISES NO HARM TO YESHA COMMUNITIES
2. LARGE RALLY NEXT SUNDAY AGAINST AMERICAN PRESSURE
3. POSSIBLE NETANYAHU-ARAFAT-ALBRIGHT MEETING
4. PA REFUSES TO TRANSFER CRIMINALS
5. M. EITAN: MY VOTE IS CONTINGENT UPON STRENGTHENING OF YESHA
6. ISRAELI EFFORTS IN JERUSALEM
7. PALESTINIAN U.N. STATUS NOT ELEVATED
8. AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS ASK CLINTON TO REDUCE PRESSURE 9.
COURT EXPLAINS RULING TO ALLOW ILLEGAL WAQF CONSTRUCTION 10.
1. PRIME MINISTER PROMISES NO HARM TO YESHA COMMUNITIES
"No Jewish settlement will be isolated or cut off as a result of the
upcoming withdrawal from Judea and Samaria," promised Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu this morning to leaders of the Yesha Council. The
Prime Minister said that during the five months that will pass between
the decision on the withdrawal and its actual execution, the
Palestinian Authority will have to fulfill all the obligations it took
upon itself in the Hevron agreement. Mr. Netanyahu noted that in his
next meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, he will
not discuss the second withdrawal, but will only present her with a
map of vital Israeli interests in Yesha. He also plans to arrive at a
detailed agreement with the Palestinians and the Americans regarding
not only the fulfillment of the Palestinian obligations, but how this
will be done.
The ministerial committee formulating the maps outlining the next
withdrawal and the permanent-status arrangement will convene again
this afternoon, in an effort to complete the deliberations by Sunday's
government meeting. The maps designate 6% of Israel-controlled Yesha
from which Israel should transfer control to the PA, of which one
third would become Area A (under total Palestinian control), and the
rest would remain under Israeli security control. In addition,
another 14% of Yesha, currently under Israeli security control, would
be transferred to full PA control. In total, then, the second
withdrawal would transfer 20% of Yesha out of full Israeli control,
according to these plans. Other reports say that Netanyahu and
Foreign Minister David Levy have agreed between them that the coming
withdrawal will be from more than 10% of Yesha.
2. LARGE RALLY NEXT SUNDAY AGAINST AMERICAN PRESSURE
Aharon Domb, Secretary-General of the Yesha Council, discussed several
issues in an interview today on Arutz-7: The Prime Minister's
position; isolation of Yesha communities; the importance of
encouraging the government to withstand American pressure; the Judean
Desert; and others. He made, inter alia, the following points:
"The Prime Minister appeared to be very firm in his commitment to [the
Land of Israel]. On the other hand, he himself faces many
pressures... He has said that he will not uproot any communities, and
in fact that is not the issue. The issue is rather that some of the
communities may be isolated, which could lead to the same thing, and
the problem is that within the committee working on the maps are
ministers who are given to yield to the American pressures... We told
the Prime Minister that not only must he insist on full Palestinian
compliance before we execute a withdrawal, but he should not even draw
a map of a withdrawal before the five-month period of compliance has
passed... Regarding the idea of withdrawing from small parts of the
Judean Desert instead of from Yesha-proper, this is not only illogical
- for this is just as much of Eretz Yisrael as other areas - but it is
also dangerous. Once we open a small crack and give over even a tiny
portion of that area, there's no telling how far it could go..."
Domb discussed the plans being made for this Sunday: "We must start a
full-fledged campaign to demand that the government not give in to
American pressures. It would be a mistake to work in the other
direction, to threaten to topple the government. In fact, the Yesha
Council - all of it, contrary to reports of an internal dispute; we
are united and working together - has called a demonstration for this
Sunday, beginning at 9:30 AM, in front of the Prime Minister's Office.
Some communities, such as Kedumim and Elon Moreh, will be there in
full, and others have said that they will join. We call upon
supporters all over to join us. The theme will be not to cave in to
American pressure..."
3. POSSIBLE NETANYAHU-ARAFAT-ALBRIGHT MEETING
Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh confirmed this morning that the Prime
Minister would present to Secretary Albright a map of national vital
interests in his next meeting with her. Naveh said, however, that
this could be done only if the government completes its
permanent-status deliberations by then. A summit meeting with
Albright, Netanyahu, and Yasser Arafat is being considered for next
week in London.
4. PA REFUSES TO TRANSFER CRIMINALS
The Palestinian Authority is unwilling to extradite even non-terrorist
criminals to Israel. The Prime Minister's Office released a list of
ten Arab criminals [see special insert below] whose extradition Israel
has requested from the PA, in accordance with the Oslo accords. The
PA has ignored all of the requests. The criminals are wanted on
charges related to crimes of car-thefts, sex, drug-dealing, and even
murder.
5. M. EITAN: MY VOTE IS CONTINGENT UPON STRENGTHENING OF YESHA
Science Minister Michael Eitan, speaking with Arutz-7 today, did not
deny that he met with PLO senior Feisal Husseini. He said that he did
not discuss the future of Jerusalem with him, and that Jerusalem is
not and will not ever be a subject of negotiations. "Ministers and
MKs meet from time to time with Palestinian representatives in order
to ensure that in exchange for our concessions, we receive the most
that we can for the Yesha communities and our security needs," he
said.
On another note, Eitan said, "If we do not reach the proper
conclusions, and immediately begin construction, road-building,
confiscating lands for connecting the communities to each other, and
the like, we will find ourselves in a very bad situation, from which
there will be no return... I say that we should establish a
ministerial committee to prepare a national emergency plan for
construction in Yesha, at least in the areas about which there is no
dispute amongst ourselves. Minister Ariel Sharon should be in charge,
and he should receive authority and the wherewithal to prepare plans,
etc. All of us must enlist in the cause. If we are transferring more
and more territories to the PA, we must at the same time strengthen
the areas that are to remain in our possession.... it is a catastrophe
that we are not doing this. At the last government meeting, I asked
how is it that we are carrying out the same plans in Yesha that were
prepared years ago, before we started giving away territories? We
must start strengthening the settlements, so that they will not remain
lone enclaves, and they must receive more money, better security,
roads, contiguity, and the like." Minister Eitan continued, "I asked
[at the government meeting], how is it that we receive reports on the
progress of the diplomatic process, but we don't receive the same on
the progress made in strengthening our vital interests."
Regarding how he would vote, he said, "I have stated clearly that my
support of the continuation of the[Oslo] process is contingent upon
our taking parallel actions to strengthen the settlements, and others
consequently said similar things. In fact, the government decision
also mentioned the strengthening of the Yesha communities." Despite
this, he refused to say that he would object to a plan that would turn
Jewish communities in Yesha into PA-surrounded enclaves.
6. ISRAELI EFFORTS IN JERUSALEM
Minister of Public Security Avigdor Kahalani convened a meeting in his
office today regarding the intention of the PA to take over the
Mukassad Hospital in eastern Jerusalem. The Knesset approved new
legislation shortly before midnight last night allowing the Israeli
police to arrest Palestinians conducting the PA census in the capital.
Feisal Husseini said that the PA has the right to collect data on its
countrymen, and that it will find the ways to do so. The Palestinians
claim that the census is being conducted in Jerusalem despite the
Knesset and despite the Israeli police.
7. PALESTINIAN U.N. STATUS NOT ELEVATED
The Palestinians and the Arab world suffered a rare defeat in the
United Nations last night, when the bid to raise the status of the PA
to that of a country was rejected. The U.S., Russia, and European
countries united in their opposition to the initiative. Israeli
Ambassador to the U.N. Dr. Dore Gold said that this was the first such
Arab failure in a long time. The PLO representative, Nasser al-Kidwa,
said that it was merely a technical matter and that the issue would be
raised in the General Assembly within a month and a half. The
Americans attempted to pressure Arafat to withdraw the motion; he
responded that he would agree to do so, but that he could not reach
al-Kidwa on the phone to inform him.
8. AMERICAN JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS ASK CLINTON TO REDUCE PRESSURE
The Conference of President of Major American Jewish Organizations has
publicized a letter it wrote to U.S. President Bill Clinton. Excerpts
of the letter follow:
"As you know, the Conference's 55 national member organizations
represent a wide variety of views and constituencies. We were asked to
communicate to you the following views which reflect a broad consensus
of the member organizations...
"Anything that diminishes or appears to detract from a strong and
unambiguous mutual U.S.-Israel alliance is counterproductive to the
goals the two countries share. Differences between [Israel and the
U.S.] should be dealt with directly and not in the public arena...
"Israel should not be expected to make new concessions while prior
commitments are not honored by the Palestinian Authority...
"There can be no hope for enduring peace if the Palestinian people
and especially school children continue to be indoctrinated with the
language of hatred, incitement to violence and holy war...
"We do not believe it is appropriate to draw a linkage between the
current Iraqi crisis and the status of the peace process..."
The letter was signed by Chairman Melvin Salberg and Executive Vice
Chairman Malcolm Hoenlein.
9. COURT EXPLAINS RULING TO ALLOW ILLEGAL WAQF CONSTRUCTION
The Supreme Court released its explanation today of a decision it made
last week to allow illegal Moslem Waqf construction on the Temple
Mount. The explanation reads, in part, as follows:
"There is no doubt and no one disputes that the construction works
carried out the Moslem Waqf on the Temple Mount... were carried out without
the required permits being sought or given. Despite this, the
Attorney-General decided not to begin criminal or other proceedings on
this issue, in light of the policy that has been... approved by this
Court that 'in matters pertaining to the Temple Mount, with all of its
emotional, religious, and political charges, an extra-special measure
of caution is required.' In this case, the Attorney-General decided
not to intervene [for various reasons]... I feel that we must not
intervene in the judgment of the Attorney-General. True, the law was
not adhered to in this case... But we must say most clearly that the
Temple Mount is different than any other place, and the religious and
diplomatic dispute surrounding the Temple Mount is beyond other
disputes that can be adjudicated by the Supreme Court... It is the
political echelons, and not the judicial, that must give content and
significance to the historic cry, 'The Temple Mount is in our hands!'"
Yehuda Etzion, head of Chai Vekayam, released a statement last week in
response to the ruling. Etzion stated, "This is the first real
official expression of the loss of Israeli sovereignty on the Temple
Mount. Now that the State authorities have announced that the State's
laws do not apply to the Islamic Waqf on the Temple Mount, we announce
that we claim for ourselves the same status as that given to the Waqf.
We see ourselves as free from the burden of the law in everything
connected with our entry to the Temple Mount in order to pray."
10. FOLLOW-UPS:
Yesterday's meeting between Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert and Prime
Minister Netanyahu on the halt in Har Homa construction: Olmert
accepted Netanyahu's statement that the halt was purely technical, and
not the result of American pressure. Netanyahu said that the tenders
for the construction would be issued in January... Minister of Public
Security Avigdor Kahalani attempted over the past few weeks to
convince the Palestinian Authority not to conduct its census in
Jerusalem. When it became evident on Tuesday that the efforts had
been unsuccessful, the need to legislate a law against the census
arose.
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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