Subject: Israel News: March 23-29, 1998 Date: Wed, 1 Apr 1998 00:51:03 +0000 To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Eddie Chumney Subject: Israel News: March 23-30, 1998 To: <HEB_ROOTS_CHR@geocities.com> Israel News March 23 - March 30, 1998 TEMPLE MOUNT NEWS PASSOVER SACRIFICE IN JERUSALEM Press Release of Temple Mount Faithful and Chai v'Kaiyam. On the 10th April the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement, together with the Chai v'Kaiyam organization, intend to hold a Passover sacrifice on the Temple Mount. This will be done on an altar which is already prepared. This sacrifice can be performed even before the Temple is built, just on an altar on the Temple Mount. The Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement is determined to hold this sacrifice whether or not the government grants their permission. If permission is not granted to enter the Temple Mount, then the sacrifice will be performed in the City of David before the Southern gates of the Temple Mount, the main gates used by the Israelites to enter the Temple Mount during the time of the First and Second Temples. Even though the Passover sacrifice has to be performed on the Temple Mount, we shall sacrifice it in the City of David as a symbolic act and as a first step for the fulfillment of this important commandment. The City of David has a special and deep significance in the life of the land of Israel. King David was the greatest king of Israel who liberated Jerusalem, bought the Temple Mount, built an altar to the honor of the G-d of Israel on this Hill and prepared it for the building of the First Temple by his son, King Solomon. This is the reason why we decided to hold this sacrifice in this holy place. It will be done without an altar but exactly according to all the details of G-d's commandment for the Passover sacrifice. It is only on the Temple mount that sacrifice can be performed on an altar. We hope that the Israeli government will at least grant us the permission to perform the sacrifice in this place. If not, we shall perform it on a hill close to the Temple Mount and the City of David from where the Temple Mount and site of the Holy of Holies can be clearly seen. PILGRIMAGE TO THE TEMPLE MOUNT Press Release of Temple Mount Faithful On April 13, the Temple Mount and Land of Israel Faithful Movement together with many Israelis will make a unique pilgrimage to the Temple Mount and march in the streets of the Old City and around all the gates of the Temple Mount. Exactly as it was done in Biblical times, before Passover we shall cut the Omer, the first wheat, from the fields of Israel and bring it to the Temple Mount as a thanksgiving sacrifice and offering to the G-d of Israel. PEACE PROCESS ARAFAT TOLD ALBRIGHT; 30% MINIMUM IINS News Service - Israel - 3/23 PLO Authority (PA) Chief Yassir Arafat told US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, that his PA will not accept any Israeli withdrawal under 30 percent. Arafat blames the stalled peace process on Israeli procrastination and the government's failure to comply with the Oslo Accords. Arafat has made it clear that the proposed 13 percent withdrawal, as part of the new US initiative, was unacceptable. PEACE, TAKING ITS LAST BREATHS IINS News Service - Israel - 3/25 In his opening address to the foreign ministers of the Arab League yesterday, PLO Authority (PA) Chief Yassir Arafat stated the peace process between Israel and the PA is "taking its last breaths." Arafat once again called for the convening of an Arab Summit to discuss Israel's unwillingness to comply with its commitments as detailed in the Oslo Accords. Arafat stressed that the problem is one affecting the entire area and the entire Arab world and it must be dealt with in the appropriate Arab forum. Arafat has been working on several fronts in order to increase international pressure against Israel and the isolation of Israel among the international community. ALBRIGHT TO JEWISH LEADERS: U.S. DETERMINED TO END STALEMATE = March 29, 1998 By Barry Schweid, Associated Press Washington (AP) Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told a coalition of American Jewish leaders that Israel must realize the United States is frustrated with the stalled peace process but reaffirmed the Clinton administration is "very determined'' to break the stalemate. Albright made the observations in a conference call Friday to more than 50 members of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations. Malcolm Hoenlein, one of the participants, disputed reports in Israel on Sunday that Albright used the conference call to urge members to pressure Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Hoenlein, executive vice president of the umbrella group, said Albright noted that ending U.S. sponsorship of the peace efforts remains a possible option in light of the stalemate but added that the Americans instead are pushing ideas for bridging the gap between Israel and the Palestinians. U.S. ENVOY'S MIDEAST MISSION INCHES FORWARD March 28, 1998 Jerusalem - AP U.S. presidential envoy Dennis Ross's mission inched forward Saturday with PLO officials saying Palestinians were leaning toward accepting American ideas for reviving Middle East peacemaking. But Israeli leaders remained adamant that a 13.1 percent withdrawal from the West Bank a figure said to be at the heart of Washington's initiative was unacceptable. Ross said Saturday his meetings with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Yasser Arafat centered on modifications of the American ideas which he declined to spell out. ************************************************************************ THE JERUSALEM POST DAILY INTERNET EDITION Thursday, March 26, 1998 ISRAEL AGREES TO TWO-DIGIT PULLBACK By JAY BUSHINSKY JERUSALEM (March 26) - Israel will withdraw from 10.5 percent to 12% of the West Bank in a bid to convince Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat the peace process can be put back on track, a senior government official confirmed yesterday. This proposal was attributed to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu by The New York Times as part of a detailed analysis of the US mediation effort and the positions being taken by the contending parties. The official also verified the Times' disclosure that the areas to be evacuated would be contiguous rather than scattered "pockmarks" among which travel would be difficult and hazardous. He attributed the contiguity to National Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon and implied that Sharon is aware of the 10.5% to 12% offer. Netanyahu's support of these ideas evidently was expressed in a letter he sent President Bill Clinton more than a week before their two lengthy telephone conversations last weekend. Well informed sources said the new chances of breaking the deadlock with the PA prompted Clinton to instruct State Department peace envoy Dennis Ross to fly to Israel along with his deputy, Aaron Miller. Another official attributed the Times' disclosures to "briefings conducted by American officials." He said they reflected "American perceptions" and Israeli offers. Ross may have been instructed to present a US plan - designed to accommodate Israeli and Palestinian concerns - to Netanyahu and Arafat. But this prospect evinced a bitter reaction from the senior aide. "What the Americans have done was to pour a bucket of cold water on the principle of direct negotiations," he said. "Their mistake was to tell the PA they would not intervene if progress was made, but would intervene if there were a freeze." The Times account contends that "Netanyahu is now talking of withdrawals from areas that will leave Arafat in charge of a more coherently formed area of land that would look more like an embryonic state." Hillel Kuttler adds from Washington: According to the Times, the compromise proposal Netanyahu has sent Clinton falls short of what the Americans proposed, but may be enough to enable a deal to be struck. The proposal accounts for the decision announced last week for Ross to return to the region to meet with Netanyahu and Arafat, the paper said. Ross is due to arrive today and could stay through Sunday. He met last night in Miami with Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai before heading to the region. According to Itim, Mordechai proposed an 11% withdrawal to Ross. Prior to receiving Netanyahu's letter and speaking with him twice by telephone late last week, Clinton was leaning toward not sending Ross back to the region, and instead presenting to Netanyahu and Arafat an American proposal for a 13% redeployment, along with increased Palestinian steps against terrorism, the Times reported, adding that Secretary of State Madeline Albright was prepared to make the American suggestions public in an upcoming speech. Instead, Ross will arrive to ascertain from Netanyahu "how much of this is real and how much of this is spin," the article quoted a senior administration official. In their White House meeting two weeks ago, Clinton asked King Hussein to urge Netanyahu to make the serious decisions necessary to advance the process, the Times said. MARGOT DUDKEVITCH adds: At a stormy emergency meeting of the Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza last night, settlement leaders declared they will return to the streets to protest further withdrawal from the West Bank. Council members will ask MKs to sign a letter by the Land of Israel Front threatening to topple the government if any withdrawal from the West Bank takes place. They also plan to intensify Knesset lobbying activities to obtain a majority against any further withdrawal. The settlers said they will also embark on a campaign to alert the public of the dangers if the government goes ahead and grants Palestinians land contiguity, claiming the government is ignoring the total lack of Palestinian compliance with the Oslo Accords. Council spokeswoman Yehudit Tayar said reports of a proposal that Netanyahu is considering to grant the Palestinians land contiguity and a possible 10% withdrawal are inconceivable. "Each percentage point comprises 50 square kilometers of land and we are against any kind of concession when compliance is nonexistent," she said. Council members are to hold a protest vigil outside the Laromme Hotel when Ross meets with Netanyahu tonight. ********************************************************************* THE JERUSALEM POST DAILY INTERNET EDITION Thu, Mar 26, 1998 ANNAN CALLS FOR SYRIA TALKS By JAY BUSHINSKY JERUSALEM (March 26) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday called for the "immediate resumption" of talks between Israel and Syria, declaring that "without peace with Syria there can be no comprehensive peace in the region." He referred to his talks with Syrian President Hafez Assad last weekend as having led him to the conclusion that "Assad wants to resume the process from where it left off." Although this proposal has been a non-starter as far as Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is concerned, Annan used diplomatic language at his farewell news conference to imply a mite of flexibility on Assad's part. He elaborated on this theme in an interview broadcast on Channel 1. "He will be ready sooner rather than later," he said. Annan rejected the notion that the international community and particularly the UN apply a "double standard" in dealing with Israel and Arab countries, such as Iraq. He said it was not true that Israel systematically and invariably flouts UN resolutions. "The peace treaties between Israel and Egypt and between Israel and Jordan were based on UN resolutions," he said. Annan reiterated his willingness to help work out arrangements for the IDF's prospective withdrawal from southern Lebanon, but his input could begin only after UN Security Council Resolutions 425 and 426 are formally endorsed by the cabinet. Netanyahu hopes the cabinet endorsement will be given at its next meeting on Wednesday. In his TV interview, Annan gave strong backing to State Department peace envoy Dennis Ross's latest mission. "I hope he puts something on the table," he said, referring to an American plan for solving the current phase of the Israeli-Palestinian dispute. "The parties should be able to look at it and discuss it." But Annan said it would not be a good idea for the US plan to be published in the local and international news media. Elli Wohlgelertner adds: Annan started his day meeting with Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert at the King David Hotel. Olmert told Annan that Jerusalem must remain the undivided capital of Israel, and detailed efforts being made by the city to improve services for residents of eastern Jerusalem. "I am happy to see the city develop," Annan said. The issue of building on the controversial Har Homa site was also discussed, with Olmert explaining that 70 percent of the land belongs to Jews. Afterwards, Olmert commented on Annan's planned meeting with Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Faisal Husseini, saying such meetings only lend support to Palestinians' claims to the eastern part of the city as their future capital. Husseini, Itim reported, said his meeting with Annan "proves that the UN takes a balanced stand on Jerusalem. There are meetings with Israelis in Jerusalem, so there must also be meetings with Palestinians." ********************************************************************* THE JERUSALEM POST DAILY INTERNET EDITION Thursday, March 26, 1998 UN CHIEF SENDS TOUGH MESSAGE By JEFF BARAK JERUSALEM (March 26) - Speaking softly but wielding a tough message, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan yesterday listed the world community's grievances against Israel. He also said he had found a "crisis of confidence" and skepticism about "the good faith of the current Israeli government" among nearly all the Arab leaders he had met on his present Middle East tour. In a lecture to the Israel Foreign Relations Council at Jerusalem's Laromme Hotel, Annan insisted there is no alternative to the Oslo process, unless Israel wants "relations with your Palestinian partners, and perhaps others, to regress and revert to the enmity of old." He did hold out an olive branch to Israel, however, pledging to usher in "a new era of relations between Israel and the United Nations." He described Israel's position as the only member state that is not a member of a regional group - which prevents it from being elected to one of the UN's main organs, such as the Security Council or Economic and Social Council - as an anomaly which should be corrected. "We must uphold the principle of equality among all UN member states," Annan said, to warm applause. But he reserved the final part of his speech for what he termed the "most difficult message of my visit... Here is what the great majority of the member states of the United Nations say: They regard Israel as having been responsible, directly or indirectly, for provocative acts that undermine goodwill and spark hostilities." Annan said that in these countries' view, Israel has not abided by Security Council resolutions. He said the majority of UN members feel that Israel has been slow to fulfill its Oslo obligations and that it has made its implementation "conditional in a way that the Oslo Accords did not. "They see that you have expanded old settlements, and started new ones. They are concerned by the closures, roadblocks, and other restrictions that aggravate the economic and humanitarian crisis facing the Palestinians." Annan insisted that a comprehensive peace settlement is possible, based on the principles enshrined in Security Council resolutions 242 and 338 and reflected in the Oslo Accords. "Land for peace," he said, "is the only principle that has a chance of bringing peace to this land." Annan said that at the same time, the UN is unequivocally committed to uphold the right of all peoples to live in peace and pursue their daily lives free from terror, threats, and acts of aggression. Answering questions after his speech, Annan said he had delivered a similarly tough and frank message in a meeting with Palestinian Authority officials in Gaza earlier this week. He said he had called on the PA to eschew violence and incitement and remain committed to the peace process. Annan added that "peace and security are two sides of the same coin. You should not see them as a parallel process, because one reinforces the other. In the search for peace, we should be very conscious of this interrelationship." David Bar-Illan, Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's communications director, said in response: "We fully agree with Mr. Annan that the Oslo formula should be land for peace. But in the past four years we have been giving away land and getting terrorism in return. I don't think anyone has any doubt over who is to blame for this situation." ********************************************************************* THE JERUSALEM POST DAILY INTERNET EDITION Thu, Mar 26, 1998 KNESSET SPEAKER: UN NEEDS SHAKEUP By LIAT COLLINS JERUSALEM (March 26) - UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan was greeted by a red carpet and the full VIP treatment when he arrived at the Knesset yesterday. But the red carpet treatment was swept away the minute he entered the visitors' gallery, where he was given a different view of the House. Speaker Dan Tichon warned him that unless the UN changes its policy on Israel, it will remain outside the diplomatic process. "Israel is a longstanding member of the UN, but only on rare occasions is it treated in a friendly way. Our country has seen attacks and unbalanced condemnations. The strategy of isolating and legitimizing Israel! will only go sour," he said. "Progress towards peace cannot be achieved along the path the UN is taking. If there is no dramatic turnaround in the UN's attitude towards Israel, the organization will continue to be distanced without being a real element in solving the dispute in our region," said Tichon. In the ensuing uproar, the opposition immediately accused Tichon of making political statements in his "greeting." Abdul Wahab Darawshe (Democratic Arab Party), who spoke in Arabic when Tichon told him English could not be used, as it is not an official language in the Knesset, praised Annan and called on him to continue his efforts to bring about a true peace. Annan answered Tichon diplomatically at a festive meal in the House later in the afternoon. He ended his speech by saying: "I would like to appeal to the Israeli public to look anew at the United Nations. I know that 'Oom-schmoom,' David Ben-Gurion's catchy rhyme, is used from time to time by Israelis to dismiss a world organization that some see as either irrelevant or hostile to Israel. "I would hope that Israelis could instead make 'room' for 'oom,' that they could open their minds to the prospect of a new era in relations between Israel and the United Nations. Israel has much to offer, and to gain, through the United Nations. We have put behind us some of the worst chapters in our history; and Israel is on its way to normalizing its presence at the United Nations. In the end I think you will agree that in today's interdependent world, without 'oom' we shall have 'kloom' nothing!." Annan said the security of Israel and the region in general "are abiding concerns of the international community," adding that when the peace process in not moving forward it is sliding backward. "I have come to the Middle East to listen, but also to deliver a message: that it is long past time for Israelis and Palestinians to make the difficult decisions needed to move the Oslo process forward to a successful outcome. Progress on all other fronts is likewise long overdue. "We must move from an era of confrontation to one of cooperation; from despair to development; from enmity to amity. "What better serves Israel's interest: a mutually agreed peace with your neighbors that gives both peoples the chance to realize their aspirations for peaceful, prosperous lives or unilateral acts and declarations by both sides that could throw the process completely off course. At this time of profound uncertainty, I urge you not to lose sight of the gains you have made thus far. Let us not lose the momentum that has been built up so painstakingly." By the time he arrived at the dinner, Annan had also met with members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, including chairman Uzi Landau and Ze'ev Begin (both Likud), who took a similar approach to Tichon, albeit behind closed doors. His wife was hosted, more convivially, by the Committee on the Status of Women. Despite original doubts, Annan did begin his official visit to the Knesset by laying a wreath at the monument to fallen soldiers. Tichon had earlier said that if Annan refused to lay the wreath there, as is the custom in official visits at this level, he would refuse to meet with him. ********************************************************************* 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