Subject: Arutz-7 News: January 12-13, 1998
Date: Wed, 14 Jan 1998 00:19:32 +0000
From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com
Reply-To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, January 12, 1998
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SNOW AFTERMATH
2. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION NOT PASSED
3. YESHA COMMITTEE: "NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP!"
1. SNOW AFTERMATH
The large amounts of rain and snow that fell over the past two days have
not raised the level of the Sea of Galilee, from where Israel draws most of
its water. The level of the water there is actually 50 centimeters lower
than it was at this time last year. Other reservoirs in the country,
however, have benefitted from the rains. An 800,000 cubic-meter reservoir
near Rehovot, which was practically empty until recently, is now full, and
the Mekorot national water company will soon start drawing water from it.
The snow in Jerusalem reached a height of 15 centimeters (six inches), a
level reached only once every six years, on the average. Many Knesset
committee meetings and court sessions in Jerusalem were canceled today
because of the snow. All roads in the country were open to traffic by late
morning today, except for the Nachal Tse'elim road near the Dead Sea. This
was the result of stepped-up work by the Public Works Authority, the IDF,
and local municipalities.
2. NO-CONFIDENCE MOTION NOT PASSED
The Labor party's no-confidence motion today did not succeed in bringing
down the government today. The final tally was 54-54, but the opposition
needed 61 votes in order to pass the motion. The Gesher faction, headed by
former Foreign Minister David Levy, decided to vote with the opposition.
This, despite the fact that its defection from the Likud-Gesher-Tzomet bloc
is likely to cost it certain key posts in the Knesset.
3. YESHA COMMITTEE: "NOW IS THE TIME TO STOP!"
A small leaflet was distributed throughout the Jewish communities of Yesha
and other areas this past weekend, providing an analysis of the present
diplomatic situation. The authors call upon the residents to participate
in pressure-exerting activities upon the Prime Minister and his government.
The pamphlet, put out by the Yesha Communities Action Committee, makes the
following points:
a. The recent government decision concerning the execution of a second
withdrawal from Yesha is a great blow to the Land of Israel enterprise to
which many have dedicated our lives.
b. The government is preparing to spell out the decision, into percentages
and maps. This is tantamount to actually carrying out the withdrawal. The
"best-case" scenario talks of a withdrawal from 6-8% of Yesha, mainly from
areas near Yesha communities, which are the chief land-reserves for the
continued growth of the Yesha settlement endeavor.
c. According to some reports, Netanyahu will agree to a 13% withdrawal.
But even if it is "only" 6-8%, dozens of communities will face severe
hardships. Some will become enclaves surrounded by the Palestinian
Authority, as is Netzarim in Gush Katif, while others will simply become
close neighbors of the Palestinian Police.
d. It must be remembered that whatever decision is made will only be
Israel's opening position. The final agreement on the withdrawal will
certainly have to take into account the Palestinian demands, which means
difficult times ahead for all of Yesha.
e. The National Religious Party plans to continue in the government during
the withdrawal-decision stage, and plans to resign only when and if such a
withdrawal is actually executed. The NRP assumes that Arafat will not
fulfill the "reciprocity" demands made upon him, and that the withdrawal
will therefore not be carried out. This, however, is a delusion, because
Arafat will simply pass another bluff of a resolution repealing the
charter, and a joint Israeli-Palestinian-American committee will rule that
he has in fact fulfilled his commitments to "fight terror."
f. Therefore, if the process is not stopped now - before the preliminary
decision is made - we are in danger of finding all of Yesha in a very
precarious and dangerous position.
g. Is everything then lost? No, not at all! If the Prime Minister knows
for certain that a commitment on his part to transfer additional
territories to the Palestinians will automatically bring about the toppling
of his government by those MKs who are loyal to the Land of Israel, the
process will be stopped. These Knesset elements have not yet made it
patently clear to Netanyahu that they will act as early as the "preliminary
decision" stage to topple the government.
h. We therefore call upon the residents of Yesha, first of all, and
others, to do whatever they can to ensure that the NRP and other Knesset
Members deliver an ultimatum that will halt the process.
Arutz-7's Yehoshua Mor-Yosef spoke with Kedumim Mayor Daneilla Weiss, one
of the leaders of the Yesha Communities Action Committee and a signatory to
the above leaflet. He asked, "Why the hurry? Why should the government
not continue to make ceremonious decisions regarding its intent to
withdraw, which, because of the reciprocity demands, will never be
implemented?" Ms. Weiss responded, "Any decision concerning a withdrawal
now has a measure of operative value," explaining that once the ball
starts rolling, it will not be able to be stopped. She added, "We have no
interest in bringing down the government; on the contrary. But the
government can't be babied along. The Prime Minister is constantly
checking to see who is pressuring him the most - the left, and the
Americans, and the Palestinians, or the right-wing nationalist camp. We
simply have to show that we are the more determined and the stronger side,
and he will act accordingly."
Ms. Weiss noted that the large-scale demonstration in Tel Aviv against a
withdrawal from Yesha areas has been postponed from tonight until Wednesday
night, because of the inclement weather.
*************************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, January 13, 1998
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. WITHDRAWAL IS CONTINGENT UPON PALESTINIAN COMPLIANCE
2. PM COMMENTS ON DECISION
3. GAP MUST BE BRIDGED
1. WITHDRAWAL IS CONTINGENT UPON PALESTINIAN COMPLIANCE
The government will continue tomorrow and the next day to formulate
its position regarding the next scheduled withdrawal. This comes as
Prime Minister Netanyahu prepares to depart next Monday for meetings
in Washington with U.S. President Clinton and Yasser Arafat. At
today's cabinet meeting, a 12-page document detailing the
Palestinians' Hevron-agreement commitments was discussed. The
government decided unanimously to adopt the document, which clearly
stated that the additional redeployment is conditional on the
Palestinians' implementation of their commitments. The government
also established an inter-ministerial team headed by Cabinet Secretary
Danny Naveh to monitor the Palestinians' implementation of their
commitments.
Despite today's government decision, Yesha residents and Land of
Israel supporters continue to fear that Netanyahu will cave in to the
pressure he will face next week in Washington, and will agree to an
immediate withdrawal. A major demonstration is planned for tomorrow
night in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, sponsored by the Yesha Council, the
Cities' Committees, and others. Members of the Knesset Land of Israel
front will meet tonight with the Prime Minister Netanyahu, and will
again demand that he not agree to a withdrawal before the Palestinians
have fulfilled their commitments. "We are against any further transfer
of territory," said MK Michael Kleiner (Gesher) to Arutz-7 today, "and
certainly within the current interim framework wherein we receive
nothing in return, and even more certainly when the Palestinians have
not even begun to dream of fulfilling their own commitments." Kleiner
added, "A definition of the exact areas from which to withdraw is akin
to actually withdrawing from them. Witness what happened to the areas
that were supposed to be handed over in the first withdrawal: despite
the fact that the Palestinians refused to accept the territories,
claiming that the withdrawal was too small, not a single Jewish home
or road or tree has been added there, because it is said that 'anyway
these lands are going to be given over to the Palestinians.'"
2. PM COMMENTS ON DECISION
Prime Minister Netanyahu met today with former U.S. Secretary of State
George Schultz. Schultz, who is an economics professor as well as a
former U.S. Secretary of Labor, expressed support of the government's
economic and privatization policies. Before the meeting, the Prime
Minister said that the government decision regarding reciprocity is
not an ultimatum. "It is simply a question of fulfilling the Note for
the Record in the Hevron agreement," he said. "This is not
make-believe. If they fulfill their commitments, then we will
definitely fulfill ours. Why should they not cancel their charter
that calls for our destruction, at a time of peace between us? These
are elementary demands, that were made when the Oslo agreement was
first signed, and it is about time that they are fulfilled."
3. GAP MUST BE BRIDGED
Surveys in Israel show the rise of two seemingly-contradictory trends
of late: On the one hand, there is increasing evidence that many are
being drawn towards religiosity and tradition, and at the same time
the gap between the religious and secular is widening. So announced
Prof. Menachem Friedman at a seminar on the topic at Bar Ilan
University today. Some 30 organizations working for understanding and
improved relations between the secular and religious took part in the
event. Prof. Friedman said that in light of the increasing isolation
and detachment of both sectors from each other, "we must strive for
common understandings between the two."
___________________________________________________________
Arutz-Sheva Educational Radio is a project of Bet-El Yeshiva Center
Institutions. News and Op-Eds may be reproduced in any form with
credit to Arutz Sheva.
To subscribe (free) to Arutz-7 News Service:
Send email to <listproc@list.virtual.co.il>
In body of email, type: subscribe arutz-7 <your fullname>
For more information about Arutz-7's on-line services, send email to:
<info7@virtual.co.il> - for an automated email about Arutz-7
<editor7@virtual.co.il> - to reach the News Desk
<listmgr7@virtual.co.il> - for subscription-related requests
<ad7@virtual.co.il> - for advertising information
Visit our Web Site on the Virtual Jerusalem Server:
<http://www.a7.org>
*************************************************************************
To educate, train and equip for study both the Jew and
Non-Jew in the Rich Hebraic Heritage of our Faith.
Please visit the Hebraic Heritage Ministries
Web Site located at:
http://www.geocities.com/Heartland/2175/index.html
Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l