Subject: Arutz-7 News: January 16-18, 1998
Date: Sun, 18 Jan 1998 23:57:51 +0000
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
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Subject: Arutz-7 News: Friday, January 16, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
Friday, January 16, 1998 / Tevet 18, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. AMERICANS PLAN LARGE WELCOME FOR NETANYAHU
2. NETANYAHU IMPRESSES AMBASSADORS
3. ONE TERRORIST KILLED IN LEBANON
4. RABBI SOLOVEITCHIK EXHORTS PM
5. SURVIVORS ENCOURAGED BY YOUNG INTEREST
6. MERETZ TO DISCUSS ITS ANTI-RELIGIOUS LINE
7. ENGLAND ADMITS TO NAZI-ERA PROPERTY-CONFISCATION
1. AMERICANS PLAN LARGE WELCOME FOR NETANYAHU
A large welcome rally is being planned to greet Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu in Washington this coming Monday night. The event is being
sponsored by the National Unity Coalition for Israel, a network of over 200
Jewish and Christian organizations whose combined memberships exceed 40
million Americans, and the Middle East Political Forum. Buses will bring
people from as far as New York and Cleveland to show support for a strong
stance by Netanyahu against American pressure. The Prime Minister will
address the participants in a Washington hotel, and will be followed by
House Speaker Newt Gingrich, Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio), and Morton
Klein of the ZOA. Promotional literature for the rally says, "The stakes
are even higher today... We must once again deliver a clear message - most
Americans support a secure Israel... How much land for a questionable peace
? The hour of decision is here! Israel and the Prime minister need our
support."
2. NETANYAHU IMPRESSES AMBASSADORS
Prime Minister Netanyahu met today with over 80 foreign ambassadors and
members of the diplomatic corps in Israel. He spoke to them about the Oslo
process and the positions taken by Israel in the talks. The session was
closed to reporters. Itim News Agency reports that Canadian Ambassador
David Berger told Netanyahu that the terms he presented today are not far
from those formulated by the later Prime Minister Rabin, and that he
therefore does not understand all the criticism leveled at him.
3. ONE TERRORIST KILLED IN LEBANON
Three IDF soldiers were injured very lightly, and one terrorist was killed,
during an encounter in Southern Lebanon this morning. A parachutists'
brigade encountered a terrorist unit in the Sujud area of the security
zone, following which Israel Air Force planes bombed terrorists targets in
the eastern sector of the zone.
4. RABBI SOLOVEITCHIK EXHORTS PM
Rabbi Aaron Soloveitchik, one of the leading rabbis of American Jewry, has
sent a message to Prime Minister Netanyahu, regarding the Israeli leader's
trip to Washington. Rabbi Soloveitchik called upon Netanyahu to show
strength in the face of what he called the "unfair American pressures." He
said that after his meeting with the Prime Minister two months ago in
Israel, he is confident that Netanyahu will be able to stand firm. Rabbi
Soloveitchik said that American Jewry stands behind Netanyahu at this time,
and that the Congress, as well, would support Israel
5. SURVIVORS ENCOURAGED BY YOUNG INTEREST
A senior official in the Ministry of Education, Menachem Cohen, said
yesterday that there has been an extraordinary increase in the number of
Holocaust survivors who wish to speak to youth groups of their experiences
during the Holocaust. Cohen said that the great interest being shown by
youth in the Holocaust period, including trips to Poland and the like, is
an encouraging sign to the survivors that the youth is anxious to hear from
them. Cohen said that dozens of survivors have contacted the Education
Ministry to express interest in delivering talks on the topic. He said
that their names are transferred to schools, as well as to
Holocaust-education institutes such as Yad Vashem.
6. MERETZ TO DISCUSS ITS ANTI-RELIGIOUS LINE
MK Shaul Yahalom (National Religious Party) calls upon the MKs of Meretz
not to support the protests tomorrow of the Kibbutz members who wish to
operate shopping centers on Sabbath. Yahalom said that Meretz members, "in
whose throats is always praise of the rule of law," cannot allow themselves
to support illegal activity such as the Sabbath openings. The Meretz
leadership is holding a stormy meeting today to discuss a recommendation to
tone down its line against the hareidi sectors. One of those leading the
campaign against the recommendation, Zahavah Galon, said that to adopt the
new line would be political suicide.
7. ENGLAND ADMITS TO NAZI-ERA PROPERTY-CONFISCATION
Great Britain will release in the near future a list of 25,000 persons
whose property it confiscated during World War II, while they were
considered citizens of enemy countries. Most of them are assumed to be
Jewish victims of the Nazis. It is estimated that the value of the
confiscated Jewish property was valued then at hundreds of millions of
British pounds.
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, January 18, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
Sunday, January 18, 1998 / Tevet 20, 5758
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. GOVERNMENT NO-DECISION ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY
2. PRESSURE EASES UP
3. TERROR-VICTIM FAMILY MEMBERS JOIN PM
4. PA CORRUPTION SWALLOWS EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTIONS
5. SHARON REASSURES YESHA TOWNS: "I SELECTED THE LOCATIONS"
6. ARAFAT DIS-INVITED TO HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
7. IRAQI DIPLOMAT KILLED IN JORDAN
8. SCHULTZ: PERES WANTED ME TO LIE TO SHAMIR
9. RELIGIOUS NATIONAL RADIO BEING CONSIDERED
1. GOVERNMENT NO-DECISION ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY
The government decided today not to determine exact terms for a second
withdrawal. "The government will consider a redeployment of its
forces to the extent that its vital national interests will not be
harmed," according to the government decision. Prime Minister
Netanyahu will thus be allowed maximum room for maneuver during his
talks on Tuesday with American President Clinton in Washington. Most
of the ministers were in favor of such a no-decision. Minister Ariel
Sharon, however, expressed the opinion that a government decision on
the exact extent of the next scheduled withdrawal would forestall
unnecessary American pressure upon the Prime Minister. NRP Knesset
faction leader Chanan Porat expressed satisfaction today over the
decision, saying that in any event the government is scheduled to
discuss whether the Palestinians have fulfilled their obligations
before it makes an operative decision on the withdrawal.
2. PRESSURE EASES UP
It appears that the intense anti-"American-pressure" campaign of the
past weeks is ending in an anti-climax. For various reasons, the
pressure that Netanyahu will face during his coming visit will be much
weaker than expected. Clinton himself is involved in other urgent
personal and political problems, and he realizes in any event that
Netanyahu is not in a political position to give in to his pressure.
Furthermore, as former Israeli diplomat Yoram Ettinger told Arutz-7
today, Congress will not allow Clinton to actualize any sanction
threats against Israel for standing firm against Palestinian
violations of the Oslo accords. "The pressure that Netanyahu will
face will be more psychological than practical," said Ettinger. It
appears that Clinton is relying on Secretary of State Albright to
achieve results when she meets next week with Netanyahu and Arafat in
Europe. Albright herself said that she does not expect any agreement
to be reached this week.
3. TERROR-VICTIM FAMILY MEMBERS JOIN PM
Prime Minister Netanyahu has decided to include representatives of
terror-stricken families in his entourage. Travelling to Washington
tomorrow will be Yehudit Shachor, whose son Uri was murdered by Arab
terrorists over in the summer of 1995, and Segal Megidish, whose
brother Uri was similarly murdered five years ago. The killers of
Megidish are presently serving in the Palestinian police force, while
those of Shachor and his friend Ohad Bachrach were released from
prison in Jericho after one day.
Yehudit Shachor told Arutz-7 today, "Our purpose in going is to ask
the Americans by what right are they, who are so zealous in seeking
killers of their citizens, so anxious for us to concede on this issue?
The killers of our children roam free within a few kilometers of
here, and the Americans press us to forget this and withdraw from more
territory?!" She also said that Prime Minister Netanyahu agreed
"happily" to have her join him on the trip, as opposed to Shimon
Peres, with whom she met when he was about to sign an agreement with
Arafat, and who told her, "Look, I am here to sign a peace agreement
with Arafat. I can't help you. Arafat is here, why don't you speak
with him about it?"
4. PA CORRUPTION SWALLOWS EUROPEAN CONTRIBUTIONS
A European Union report on the European contributions to the
Palestinian Authority establishes that "the PA is wasting EU monies
without any supervision." The report states that although over two
billion dollars have been transferred from Europe to the PA over the
past four years, the Palestinian economy has shrunk by a third over
this period, and the number of unemployed has doubled from 20% to 40%.
The Europeans suspect that corruption on the part of Palestinian
officials has swallowed up most of the monies.
5. SHARON REASSURES YESHA TOWNS: "I SELECTED THE LOCATIONS"
In a visit on Thursday to the western Samaria community of Beit Aryeh,
some ten kilometers from the Green Line, Minister Ariel Sharon told
the residents, "I understand your concerns and worries, but you have
nothing to worry about. [In fact,] I advise you to buy land here, as
its value will only go up." In response to a question by Arutz-7
correspondent Kobi Sela, Sharon said, "I am referring not only to Beit
Aryeh, but to all of Yesha. As Defense Minister and head of the
Ministerial Committee on Settlement between 1977 and 1983, I had the
privilege of selecting the location of most of the Yesha communities,
and I can tell you that they were placed in areas that were deemed
then to be of national security importance. This is why they were
placed where they were, in order to safeguard these crucial areas.
Therefore, according to my understanding, they will all continue to
thrive and develop and none of them will come under Palestinian
sovereignty or control." Minister of Defense Yitzchak Mordechai is
scheduled to visit Beit Aryeh tonight.
6. ARAFAT DIS-INVITED TO HOLOCAUST MUSEUM
Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh expressed official approval today of the
rescinding of the invitation to Yasser Arafat to visit the National
Holocaust Museum in Washington. Arafat had intended to visit the
museum this coming Thursday, but after many protests on the part of
Jewish groups, the invitation was rescinded. Naveh, in an
announcement today, said that the Palestinian Authority continually
incites to anti-Semitism, and that just last week the PA official
responsible for the Justice portfolio compared Prime Minister
Netanyahu to Hitler. Clinton administration figures were reportedly
not pleased with the revoking of the Arafat invitation. Dr. Efraim
Zuroff, Israeli Director of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, explained to
Arutz-7 today that Arafat and other Palestinian leaders play an active
role in Holocaust-denial, and that it is therefore most inappropriate
for him to visit the museum.
7. IRAQI DIPLOMAT KILLED IN JORDAN
A senior Iraqi diplomat, Hikhmat al-Hajau, was murdered last night in
the Jordanian capital of Amman, together with his wife and six others.
The eight victims - six Iraqis and two Egyptians - were spending the
evening together in the home of one of the Iraqi citizens. Iraq
claims that the murders were political in nature. Saddam Hussein is
continuing his bellicose announcements and a general call-up of
volunteers to the Iraqi army, in light of the growing tensions with
the United States. Western observers estimate that Hussein feels that
the U.S. is having difficulty garnering a coalition against him and
that the U.S. will not run to fight alone against Iraq.
8. SCHULTZ: PERES WANTED ME TO LIE TO SHAMIR
Former U.S. Secretary of State George Schultz revealed yesterday that
former Shimon Peres attempted to enlist his help in a scheme to trick
then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir. Schultz said that Peres reported
to him of an agreement he reached with King Hussein of Jordan, and
requested that Schultz present the agreement as if it were an American
initiative. Peres has denied the report. Shamir, in response to a
question from Arutz-7 today, said, "No, I did not consider breaking
up the government over such a thing. I don't believe in engaging in
political machinations simply for their own sake. What would I have
gained by breaking up a government that was making such great strides
in the economy, in Yesha construction, and in many other areas? In
fact, we were heading for the total collapse of the PLO, if not for
the [fall of the government and the] Oslo accords."
9. RELIGIOUS NATIONAL RADIO BEING CONSIDERED
The government established a ministerial committee today to look into
the licensing of a national religious radio station. A religious
station presently exists, but it broadcasts only in the Tel Aviv area.
Members of the ministerial committee are Eli Yeshai of Shas, who
initiated the idea, Avigdor Kahalani (Third Way), Rabbi Yitzchak Levy
(NRP), and Communications Minister Limor Livnat (Likud). The
committee is scheduled to conclude its deliberations in two months'
time.
Hebrew News Editor: Yehoshua Mor-Yosef
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel
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