From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Date: Thu, 25 Dec 1997 03:53:53 +0000
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, December 24, 1997
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, December 24, 1997
Arutz Sheva News Service
Wednesday, December 24, 1997 / Kislev 25, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PALESTINIAN POLICE SHOOT AT EMUNAH ELON'S CAR
2. 'SENIOR SOURCE' ACCUSES PM OF DUPLICITY
3. SOME MKs LINK BUDGET AND TERRITORIES
4. 19 ARRESTED FOR TEMPLE MOUNT PRAYER ATTEMPTS
5. SARID JEERED BY ZIONISTS
1. PALESTINIAN POLICE SHOOT AT EMUNAH ELON'S CAR
Palestinian police shot at an Israeli car that inadvertently entered the
autonomous area near Khan Yunis in Gaza last night. No one was hurt. The
IDF is investigating the incident. The driver of the car - former Advisor
to the Prime Minister on the Status of Women Emunah Elon, wife of MK Rabbi
Benny Elon - told Arutz-7 today:
"I missed a turn-off, and only some 20 meters later I found myself being
attacked with shots. I immediately thought it was a terrorist attack, and
so I instinctively sped up. I then saw that the army jeep escorting me was
no longer in back of me, and so I began to think that something had already
happened to them. I soon realized that I had made a mistake, and that it
was probably the Palestinian police who had shot, so I made a nice U-turn,
and slowly returned, hoping that this time they would realize that it was
just an Israeli citizen who had made a mistake. In fact this time nothing
happened. I drove to the nearby IDF base, told them what had happened, and
all the officers from both sides came . We returned to the site of the
shots, and the officers who had shot apologized sincerely, etc. With me
were my daughter and my 20-month old grandson, and when we saw the bullet marks on the car, we
realized the extent of the miracle. The point is, though, we gave them the
guns, and how long can we continue to rely on these miracles?... Actually,
Israelis are permitted to travel in those areas without getting fired on.
For instance, at the entrance to Ramallah, right near where I live [in Beit
El], the army checkpoint was removed a while ago, and someone could
[easily, legally, and/or mistakenly] travel there - is he in danger of
getting shot? This is not Bosnia, or Ireland - I am trying to point out to
people in Tel Aviv and the like, who don't live here, that they don't
realize how close these things are to them."
On another topic, Ms. Elon said:
"We have to make it clear to ourselves and to everyone else, that we have
no less and maybe more patience and forbearance than the Palestinians.
Even in the worst case scenario, even if the Palestinians receive control over these
areas, we will not lose our faith, and we will not give up, because we will
believe and know that this is only a temporary stage, and that the Oslo
process, just like any balloon, will explode in the end."
In answer to the question, "You are willing to live in Beit El under
Palestinian sovereignty?" Emunah Elon replied, "With the full belief and
knowledge that if this will be, it's only temporary. I very much hope that
this is how my neighbors believe, for we didn't travel this distance over
all these years in order to give up now. The Jewish settlement process is
irreversible, we are a major presence here, and even if we have to live
behind these humiliating fences into which some are trying to close us now,
we must continue to tell ourselves that we will do this with the knowledge
that this is only a stage on the way to our total and complete return to
Zion, and in this merit, and in the merit of the Yesha settlements, this
aspect of the process will be shorter and the danger to the State of Israel
will pass more quickly."
2. 'SENIOR SOURCE' ACCUSES PM OF DUPLICITY
A "senior government source" claimed yesterday that Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu is hiding important information about the negotiations with the
Palestinians from the Cabinet ministers.
The source said that Netanyahu knows exactly which and how much territory
the U.S. wants Israel to hand over to the Palestinians, but is withholding
this information because he wants to retain his ministers' support for the
Knesset budget vote. Transportation Minister Rabbi Yitzchak Levy reacted
with agitation to the statements by the senior source, and said, "Such
serious accusations should be made openly, and not in this clandestine way.
The source, whoever he is, should come out and identify himself, and then
his charges can be dealt with seriously." The Prime Minister's Office
stated, "The extent of the withdrawal has not yet been determined and
therefore has not been disclosed to the Americans or anyone else."
Netanyahu himself said again today, in one of his periodic appearances
before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, that he did not
give percentages to Secretary Albright. Opposition leader Ehud Barak and
MK Begin refuted this, and Begin said that even Foreign Minister Levy
admitted today that the delay in publicizing the details of the withdrawal
is based on coalition considerations. The secret source is assumed to be
Foreign Minister David Levy.
Minister of Agriculture Rafael Eitan, who did not participate in the
government ministers' aerial tour of Yesha yesterday, visited Jewish
communities in the Shomron today. He said that he will topple the
government if it harms even one settlement.
3. SOME MKs LINK BUDGET AND TERRITORIES
Three coalition MKs - Ruby Rivlin, Benny Begin, and Uzi Landau - announced
today that they would not vote in favor of the proposed budget unless they
were convinced beforehand that the Prime Minister does not plan to carry
out another withdrawal from Yesha. MK Tzvi Hendel (NRP), who has been an
outspoken proponent of the above cause, said that the budget is a separate
issue, and that he will support the budget once he is assured that the
Yesha communities receive proper budgetary funding. MK Dan Meridor
(Likud), who generally votes against the Prime Minister on no-confidence
motions, said that he would support the budget, because it is in the
interest of the State of Israel.
Third Way leader MK Yehuda Harel said that his party would resign from the
government if Israel carries out a withdrawal from parts of the Jordan
Valley. The 20-member Knesset lobby for the Jordan Valley convened today,
together with all of the local council leaders of the area. Dov
Kopolovitz, Mayor of Maaleh Ephraim, said that the Prime Minister has not
kept his promise to renew construction activity in the area.
4. 19 ARRESTED FOR TEMPLE MOUNT PRAYER ATTEMPTS
Chai Vekayam leader Yehuda Etzion and 18 other members of the organization
were arrested today, when they attempted to pray on the Temple Mount.
Etzion was served with military restraining orders several days ago, which
forbade him to enter the Old City of Jerusalem. He has said on a number of
occasions that he will not adhere to the orders.
5. SARID JEERED BY ZIONISTS
Meretz leader MK Yosi Sarid aroused the ire of the delegates to the 33rd
Zionist Congress when he said, during a speech this afternoon, "Anyone who
is engaged now in enlarging the settlements is committing an anti-Zionist
act, as he endangers the peace process." Sarid's speech, in which he
attacked Prime Minister Netanyahu, was frequently interrupted by shouts and
jeers. Sarid was also thrown out of the Knesset plenum this morning when he
would not come to order, though warned to do so three times by Knesset
Speaker Dan Tichon. Rabbi Dr. Norman Lamm, President of Yeshiva University
in New York, also addressed the Congress, and called on the Zionist
movement to ensure that every Jewish child in the world be granted the
possibility of a Jewish education. Various opinions were expressed by
different speakers on the role of pluralism within the Jewish people.
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