Subject: Israel News - Jan 12-18, 1998
Date: Thu, 22 Jan 1998 01:18:09 +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: Eddie Chumney
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Israel News - Jan 12-18, 1998
Israel News
January 12 - 18, 1998
JERUSALEM
CHAI VEKAIYAM CALLS FOR ORGANIZED TRIPS ON TEMPLE MOUNT
IINS News Service -Israel-1/18
The Chai Vekaiyam organization has called upon principals of
local Jerusalem schools to arrange for guided trips to the Temple
Mount of Jerusalem. The trips will be to increase awareness and
educate the Jewish children of the capital regarding the holiness
and importance of Judaism's holiest site.
On Friday, Etzion continued his protest vigil near the Old City,
in light of the administrative order issued against him by the
IDF barring him from entering into the Old City. Etzion and his
followers are among those leading the fight for Jewish Freedom of
Worship on the Temple Mount, a move that is adamantly opposed by
the Moslem Wakf, which was given control of the Mount by the
government of Israel.
ISRAEL
FAMED ISRAELI RED HEIFER TURNS OUT TO BE A DUD
January 16, 1998 Jerusalem (AP)
Hopes that a red heifer named Melody would be the key to Jewish
salvation were dashed Friday after the cow's owner said white
hairs have been spotted on her tail. Melody gained world fame in
May after Rabbi Shmaria Shore said she was a likely candidate to
be the first pure red heifer born in the Holy Land in two
millennia.
Shore, a rabbi at Kfar Hassidim, a religious village in northern
Israel, revised his prediction after noticing the white hairs.
"The truth is that I had serious doubts about her all along,'' he
said Friday. Still, the hopeful rabbi said Melody was pregnant
with the seed of a reddish bull. "We'll check in six months and
who knows, maybe we'll have red heifer then,'' Shore said.
ORTHODOX MK: IF THE SECULAR JEWS WANT WAR, WE'LL FIGHT THEM
Summary of Israeli newspapers 1/13/98
A threat of civil war between secular and Orthodox Israelis,
which was issued yesterday by Degel Hatorah Knesset member Moshe
Gafni, provoked angry responses from the right and the left. "Our
blood will not be shed. We will establish special Duvdevan
[undercover military unit] fighting units against the secular. If
you want a civil war, it will come," Gafni declared. He alluded
to a number of episodes in which secular Jews, he alleged,
attacked Orthodox yeshiva students.
"We are in the midst of a civil war, and we are the side getting
hit," he declared. MKs Shmaryahu Ben-Tzur (NRP) and Rehavam
Ze'evi (Moledet) demanded that Gafni retract his threats. Ze'evi
asked: "Can a Knesset member stand up and threaten us with civil
war due to a few hoodlums at some place?" MK Roman Bronfman
(Yisrael B'Aliya) accused Gafni of deepening rifts in society,
reported Yediot Aharonot
PEACE PROCESS
CABINET LINKS PULLBACK TO 12-PAGE LIST OF SECURITY DEMANDS
January 13, 1998 By Karin Laub, Associated Press Jerusalem (AP)
Ahead of a U.S.-Israeli summit, Israel's Cabinet Tuesday laid
down a 12-page list of conditions it said the Palestinians must
meet before Israel will fulfill its promise to pull back troops
in the West Bank. Netanyahu will likely give Clinton only a
general outline of the pullback, said senior adviser David
Bar-Illan. Netanyahu must appease hard-liners in his coalition
who have threatened to topple him over a West Bank troop
pullback.
During Tuesday's Cabinet session, one of four planned ahead of
the Clinton-Netanyahu meeting, the ministers reviewed and
approved the list of demands, most dealing with security.
Bar-Illan said the issues raised in the document included pledges
made by the Palestinians in past agreements.
BRITAIN SPEARHEADS EU DRIVE TO HALT NEW ISRAELI HOMES
ON WEST BANK
>From Christopher Walker in Jerusalem - London Times
Derek Fatchett, the British Foreign Office Minister, will lead a
new European Union campaign against expansion of Jewish
settlements in the Israeli-occupied West Bank when he begins a
48-hour visit to Israel and the Palestinian self-rule areas
today. He is due to meet Binyamin Netanyahu, the Israeli Prime
Minister, and Yassir Arafat, the Palestinian leader, only days
before the two are to hold separate meetings in Washington with
President Clinton, described by Palestinian officials as "the
last chance to save the peace process".
Britain said yesterday that Mr Fatchett's visit "so early in the
UK presidency of the EU marks the priority which the UK attaches
to finding a way forward in the Middle East peace process".
Reporting on the new British approach, The Jerusalem Post said in
advance of the visit in a report from its London correspondent:
"Senior British officials set Europe on a collision course when
they said London will exert immense pressure on Israel to be more
forthcoming in the peace process after Britain assumes the
presidency of the EU."
ARAFAT SAYS ISRAEL IMPEDING WASHINGTON TALKS
January 15, 1998 Hebron, West Bank
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat on Thursday accused Israel of
blocking progress at peace talks in Washington next week on a
long-overdue handover of West Bank land.
"They're (Israel) putting all the obstacles before going to
Washington while we are looking to achieve something concrete
from these meetings in Washington,'' Arafat told reporters in
English at a joint news conference with British Foreign Office
Minister Derek Fatchett. "It (the Washington meeting) is a
turning point not only for the Palestinians and Israelis but for
the whole region as well,'' said the Palestinian leader who wants
the United States to pressure Israel to hand over more land.
Fatchett, whose country is currently head of the European Union's
rotating presidency, said the bloc was "looking for a substantial
and meaningful redeployment by the Israeli government.''
ISRAEL CABINET SETS LINES
(Communicated by the Cabinet Secretariat)
At the Cabinet meeting today (Wednesday) 14.1.98:
1. The Prime Minister announced that Israel is not presenting new
conditions of any kind regarding the redeployment. The
conditions were determined in the "Note for the Record" of 15
January, 1997, that accompanied the Hebron Accord, and we insist
that they be implemented.
2. Regarding the recent uncovering of a terrorist group, the
Prime Minister said that the group, which intended to carry out
further terrorist attacks, has had an extensive infrastructure
composed of dozens of activists in areas under the control of the
Palestinian Authority. This is a failure of the Palestinian
Authority, which has not carried out the basic intelligence and
operational activities needed to foil terrorism.
3. The Cabinet took the following decision:
The Government of Israel establishes that Israel's vital and
national interests in Judea, Samaria and the Jordan Valley, as
presented in the Cabinet meetings of 26 and 30 November, 1997,
and on tours of the areas on 23 and 28 December, 1997, will
constitute the basis of the interim agreement and the final
status agreement with the Palestinians.
These vital interests include the following components, which
partly overlap:
1. The eastern security zone.
2. The western security zone.
3. The area surrounding the Jerusalem region.
4. The areas of the Israeli communities.
5. Infrastructure interests, including water, electricity and
transportation.
6. Military-security sites of strategic importance or of
pertinence to Israel's deterrence capability.
7. The areas around longitudinal and lateral transportation
routes vital to general security and to the security of the
Israeli communities.
8. Historic sites sacred to the Jewish people.
ISRAELI GOVERNMENT NO-DECISION ALLOWS FOR FLEXIBILITY
Arutz Sheva 1/18/98
The Israeli 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.
ALBRIGHT INSISTS ON FURTHER ISRAELI REDEPLOYMENT ON WEST BANK
January 15, 1998 By Barry Schweid, Associated Press Washington
(AP)
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright is insisting on further
Israeli pullbacks on the West Bank despite moves by the Israeli
Cabinet to establish permanent control of certain parts of the
territory.
"It is premature to make those kinds of statements at this
stage,'' Albright told National Public Radio in New York on
Wednesday. "It is important for us to move forward on these
further redeployments and to fulfill some of the obligations of
the interim (Oslo) agreements that has to do with opening
airports and safe passage,'' Albright said.
"We are looking for Prime Minister Netanyahu to come with a
credible and serious offer on the further redeployment,''
Albright told NPR. "We are looking for Chairman Arafat to commit
himself to security issues so the process can go forward.''
Albright said both sides desire peace but are dealing with very
serious and difficult issues. "The leaders themselves are the
ones that have to make the hard decisions in order to make the
peace process work,'' she said.
MIDEAST PEACE MOVES IN CLINTON'S HANDS
January 17, 1998 - Gaza
Palestinian President Yasser Arafat said on Saturday the fate of
Middle East peacemaking lay in U.S. President Bill Clinton's
ability to press Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu to honor
signed peace deals.
The Palestinian cabinet warned the region could head toward "harm
and destruction'' if Clinton's separate White House talks with
Arafat and Prime Minister Netanyahu next week failed to end 10
months of Israeli-PLO stalemate.
"The most important thing we hope from these talks is that
President Clinton personally will succeed in persuading Mr
Netanyahu to accurately and honestly implement what was signed in
the White House under the supervision of President Clinton
himself,'' Arafat told reporters in self-ruled Gaza.
"If this doesn't happen,'' said Arafat's senior aide Nabil Abu
Rdaineh, "the entire region will pass a very serious curve. No
one will be able to forecast its danger.'' Asked whether he
expected an explosion of Palestinian unrest if Clinton's
intervention stumbled, Abu Rdaineh said: "As President Arafat
always says, all options are open.''
PRESSURE EASES UP
Arutz Sheva 1/18/98
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.
IDF REDEPLOYMENT TO PERMANENT STATUS TO TAKE TWO YEARS
Kahl's I&GN 1/13/98 - Yedi'ot Aharonot in Hebrew 8 jan 98 p 3
Report by Alex Fishman
>From the minute the order is received from the political echelon
to implement the permanent arrangement with the Palestinians, the
IDF [Israel Defense Forces] will need at least two years to
complete the deployment along the new borders. That assessment is
included in a detailed army document which has just been
prepared.
According to the document, the redeployment includes not only the
evacuation of installations, but also their reestablishment in
the new sites. Defense sources noted that the document takes
into account the possibility of a military confrontation along
the border with Jordan and a confrontation with the Palestinian
Authority. The IDF's redeployment will cost billions of shekels.
PREPARING FOR WAR
PM WARNS OF TERROR ATTACK
(IINS News Service -Israel-1/14)
Prime Minister Netanyahu has issued a warning that Islamic
terrorists are continuing their efforts to strike out against a
Jewish target in Israel. The prime minister explained that
terrorists are working to strike prior to the planned January
20th meeting in Washington, between himself and President Bill
Clinton. In light of the intelligence information, Israeli
troops remain on high-alert and appropriate security precautions
have been placed into effect.
TENSE STANDOFF AHEAD OF CLINTON-NETANYAHU SUMMIT
January 15, 1998 By Ibrahim Barzak, Associated Press Khan Yunis,
Gaza Strip (AP)
Israeli and Palestinian troops trained assault rifles on one
another today during a protest rally, a sign of growing tension
ahead of a Washington summit on Mideast peacemaking. The
confrontation occurred during a Palestinian demonstration, with
some Israeli soldiers and Palestinian policemen only a few yards
away from each other. The two sides lowered their weapons after
about 20 minutes, but remained at the scene until the 400
demonstrators dispersed.
In another incident about a mile away, Israeli troops shot at a
Palestinian taxi, wounding a passenger in the leg when he opened
the door. It was not immediately clear why the soldiers opened
fire.
Israeli-Palestinian tension has been rising in recent days, ahead
of separate meetings President Clinton has scheduled with Israeli
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat for next week. The meetings are seen as critical for the
future of Mideast peacemaking. Should they fail, fresh violence
in the region is likely. Arafat has hinted at new clashes,
saying that all Palestinian options remained open. Asked today to
explain further, Arafat said: "I am worried about the whole
region.''
Israeli security officials believe the Palestinians have hoarded
weapons and conducted assault training in preparation for a
possible violent conflict with Israel, the Maariv daily reported
today. The Israeli army has carried out its own exercises under
the code name "Indian Summer,'' the report said.
BIG ARMS BUILD-UP ALARMS ISRAELIS
from Christopher Walker in Jerusalem - London Times 1/17/98
Palestinian leaders are preparing military plans, including the
stockpiling of weapons and secret supply tunnels, that could
transform the West Bank and Gaza Strip into a new Bosnia if the
current peace talks with the Israeli Government fail.
The Hebrew press yesterday contained the first detailed account
of the preparations, which include the Palestinian stockpiling of
illegal anti-tank weaponry and Israeli army exercises to train
for the costly retaking of the main cities now under Palestinian
control.
Israeli army chiefs count the acquisition of anti-tank capability
as the most disturbing aspect of the arms build-up, as tanks
would be the main ace up Israel's sleeve in any attempt to retake
cities with a level of casualties acceptable to the Israeli
public. Alongside the military preparations under way with the
approval of Mr Arafat, who warned Derek Fatchett, the British
Foreign Office Minister, in the West Bank on Thursday that
failure in the Washington talks could spark region-wide violence,
the Palestinian Authority is strengthening its civil defences.
Maariv, the Israeli newspaper, said contingency plans now being
carried out include the boosting of Palestinian medical services,
water reserves and preparations for power blackouts. "Sources in
the security establishment emphasised the [authority] does not at
present have any motivation to initiate a violent struggle," the
paper added. "Yet the sources claim that confrontations could
break out on the streets, without the [authority] leadership
reaching a decision."
OPERATION "INDIAN SUMMER"
IINS News Service -Israel-1/18
As the international spotlight focuses on this week's upcoming
visit to the White House by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and
PLO Authority (PA) Chief Yassir Arafat, IDF troops are continuing
to prepare for what they believe will be a PA-backed military
attack against Jewish communities throughout Judea and Samaria.
In the northern Shomron (Samaria) community of Har Bracha, IDF
troops continue to set up underground bunkers and sandbags to
enable soldiers to defend the Jewish community, located in
proximity to the PA autonomous city of Shchem (Nablus).
Har Bracha is one of the communities that is directly threatened
by the second Israeli withdrawal from areas throughout Judea and
Samaria. Earlier reports indicated that maps prepared by Defense
Minister Mordechai would leave Har Bracha and other neighboring
communities cut off from Israel and surrounded by PA autonomous
areas, a move that most residents stated with certainty would
leave them prey to terror attacks.
The IDF operation, called "Indian Summer" is being prepared to
coincide with the prime minister's trip to Washington this week.
All indicators point to the PA labeling the visit less than
satisfactory and threats by Arafat for renewed violence are being
taken seriously.
OTHER MIDDLE EAST DEVELOPMENTS
AYATOLLAH REJECTS TALKS WITH 'ENEMY'
London Telegraph 1/16/98
Iran's spiritual leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei launched a bitter
attack on America yesterday, rejecting any talks with "the enemy
of the Islamic Republic". His sermon at Teheran's main mosque
was seen as a rebuttal of President Mohammed Khatami's call a
week ago for dialogue between the two nations.
IRAQ SAYS IT WANTS TO END DISPUTES WITH IRAN
Copyright 1998 Nando.net Copyright 1998 Reuters
TEHRAN (January 18, 1998 10:08 a.m. EST)
Iraq has told its old foe Iran it wants to resolve their disputes
through peaceful negotiations, the official Iranian news agency
IRNA reported. The agency said Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed
Saeed al-Sahaf, who arrived in the Iranian capital on Friday
night, spelled out his country's position during talks with
Iran's Foreign Minister Kamal Kharrazi on Saturday.
"We seek to improve relations between the two Muslim countries
and we wish to overcome our differences through peaceful
negotiations and in a friendly environment," IRNA quoted Sahaf as
telling Kharrazi. "He further maintained that close relations and
cooperation between Iran and Iraq as two important countries of
the region will lead to establishment of peace and stability,
besides securing the two nations' interests," IRNA said.
ARAFAT FORMS BOOZE COMPANY
GLOBES 1/14/98
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, through his
financial advisor Haled E-Salaam, has formed, in partnership with
the private sector, an import company to bring in alcoholic
beverages. The company, Somod, applied to one of the world's
largest alcoholic drinks corporations requesting exclusive rights
of import to the Authority's territory. Although Islam forbids
drinking alcohol, this fact has never prevented Palestinian
society from turning to foreign producers during the fast month
of Ramadan.
ARAFAT'S PICTURE ONLY
IINS News Service -Israel-1/18
A "presidential decree" signed last week prohibits the displaying
of large pictures of officials in the PLO Authority (PA) in
public places, with the exception of pictures of Yassir Arafat.
As tensions between Arafat and his Chief of Preventive Security
Colonel Gabril Rajoub continue to rise, Arafat has issued his new
decree. In recent Fatah-sponsored demonstration, pictures of
Rajoub were hung in the area. Arafat of late has expressed fears
that Rajoub is planning a coup and is actively working to assume
command of the PA.
**********************************************************************
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