Subject: Arutz-7 News: April 3-7, 1998
Date: Wed, 8 Apr 1998 01:43:09 +0000
To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il, arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, April 3, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
Friday, April 3, 1998 / Nisan 7, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARABS REJECT ISRAEL'S OFFER TO WITHDRAW FROM LEBANON
2. SOURCE: NETANYAHU OFFERED 8%
1. ARABS REJECT ISRAEL'S OFFER TO WITHDRAW FROM LEBANON
Hizbullah, Lebanon, and the entire Arab League have rejected Israel's offer
to withdraw from southern Lebanon. Lebanese President Harawi said that
Lebanon will not conduct negotiations with Israel over this issue. Lebanese
Prime Minister Al-Chariri said that Lebanon will hold talks with Israel
only if they begin where they left off under the Rabin-Peres government.
Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai said afterwards that Israel does not
demand a peace agreement with Lebanon, nor that Syria withdraw its forces
from Lebanon. Mordechai said that Israel demands only the formulation of a
security arrangement with Lebanon. The Israeli Foreign Ministry reported
that it had received largely positive international feedback over the
decision to withdraw from Lebanon.
2. SOURCE: NETANYAHU OFFERED 8%
A senior diplomatic source reported today that Prime Minister Netanyahu
presented American mediator Dennis Ross with a security-interests map last
week, according to which Israel would be willing to withdraw from no more
than 8% of Judea and Samaria. Netanyahu said last night that the Oslo
process is not frozen, and that Ross may even arrive in Israel for another
round of talks this coming week. "The Americans climbed up too high of a
tree when they proposed a 13% withdrawal," said the Prime Minister, "and
now they're looking for a way to get down." It is still possible that the
Americans will publicize their diplomatic plan as early as next week.
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il,arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday,April 5, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
http://www.a7.org
Sunday, April 5, 1998 / Nisan 9, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. 81 SENATORS SIGN PRO-ISRAEL LETTER
2. BAR-ILLAN DENIES HAR HOMA/WITHDRAWAL LINKAGE
* * * SPECIAL INSERT:
THE LETTER SIGNED BY 81 SENATORS TO U.S. PRESIDENT CLINTON
1. 81 SENATORS SIGN PRO-ISRAEL LETTER
Eighty-one (out of 100) United States Senators have signed a letter to
U.S. President Clinton, calling upon him not to publicize his proposal
for an Israeli withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. The letter, which
says that Israel should be allowed to determine its own security
requirements, was initiated by Senator Joseph Lieberman, Chairman of
the influential Democratic Leadership Council, and Republican Senator
Connie Mack. (A copy of the letter is included below.) A similar
letter authored by Representatives Eliot Engel, Jim Saxton, Bill
Paxon, and Steve Rothman was circulated in the House of
Representatives. U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, who met
with Minister of Industry and Trade Natan Sharansky last Thursday,
told him that she does not understand why Israel incites the Congress
against the Administration, which, she said, is very favorable to
Israel.
Seymour Reich, President of the American Zionist Movement, was
critical of AIPAC for organizing the Senate letter. He said that the
American Jewish community is much more appreciative of Clinton's
efforts on behalf of the Oslo process than was given expression in the
letter. However, Yoram Ettinger, who formerly served in the Israeli
Embassy in Washington, told Arutz-7 today that Reich's opinion is a
minority one within the Conference of Presidents of Major American
Jewish Organizations.
2. BAR-ILLAN DENIES HAR HOMA/WITHDRAWAL LINKAGE
David Bar-Illan, Director of Policy Planning and Communication in the
Prime Minister's Office, has strenuously denied that the delay in the
construction at Har Homa is in any way connected to another Israeli
withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. He was responding to reports that
the Prime Minister had said that progress on Har Homa is contingent
upon progress in the withdrawal talks. Bar-Illan told an Arutz-7
reporter today that the delay is related only to a bureaucratic
wrangle involving the Jerusalem municipality. The Our Jerusalem
organization plans to dispatch a group to Har Homa twice weekly,
starting this Tuesday, in order to monitor the progress, or lack
thereof, of construction there.
SPECIAL INSERT:
THE LETTER SIGNED BY 81 SENATORS TO U.S. PRESIDENT CLINTON
The Honorable William J. Clinton
Executive Office of the President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Avenue, N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20505
Dear Mr. President:
We are writing about the Middle East peace process, and the
published reports of a disagreement between our Administration and the Israeli
government that may lead to the United States publicly presenting a
peace proposal which is known to be unacceptable to Israel. We hope
these reports are not true.
At the heart of the Oslo peace process is a central understanding,
a core bargain: land for peace. Israel cedes land and political
authority to the Palestinians in exchange for which the Palestinians
provide peace and security to Israel by rescinding their stated
intention to destroy Israel, and vowing to fight those who continue to
perpetuate acts of terror and violence against Israel.
This bargain was inherently more difficult for Israel since land
is easier to give but harder to withdraw, and peace is harder to give but
easier to withdraw. In fact, since the Oslo process began, Israel has
yielded virtually all of the Gaza Strip and 27% of the West
Bank--where 98% of the Palestinians live--to the Palestinian Authority
for civil administration.
During the same period of time the Palestinian intifada has ended
and cooperative contacts between Israel and the Palestinian Authority have
increased, but the fact is that many Palestinians continue to use
terror and violence as a political tool against Israel. Chairman
Arafat, himself, repeatedly threatens renewal of widespread violence
and continues to withhold full security cooperation with Israel.
Since Israel's withdrawal from Hebron in fulfillment of its Oslo
promise last year, there has been no progress in the peace process. We
share your Administration's frustration with this lack of movement,
but believe it would be a serious mistake for the United States to
change from its traditional role as facilitator of the peace process
to using public pressure against Israel. This would be particularly
unfair and counterproductive since Israel has kept the promises it
made at Oslo, and today is prepared to withdraw from even more
territory of the West Bank before final status negotiations, territory
that is qualitatively important to the Palestinians' desire for
self-governance.
On the other hand, the Palestinians have not provided Israel with
adequate security and Chairman Arafat has refused to conclude
negotiations for the remaining interim status issues, even though
Israel's current offers move the Palestinian people significantly
forward in their quest for self-governance. Chairman Arafat may hope
that American frustration with the pace of the process will lead to an
American decision to force even more from Israel. Instead, the United
States should quietly urge the Palestinians to accept Israel's latest
offer and move to final status negotiations.
America's commitment to Israel's security undergirds the entire
peace process and provides Israel the confidence it needs to take very real
risks for peace. As you know, Secretary Christopher made a written
commitment that it would be up to Israel to decide the size and scope
of further redeployments of Israeli forces on the West Bank.
Presenting an American plan--especially one that includes a specific
redeployment figure beyond what Israel believes to be in its national
security interest before final status arrangements--runs counter to
Secretary Christopher's commitment and can only undermine Israel's
confidence.
American Middle East diplomacy, as you know and have shown so
well, has always worked best when pursued quietly and in concert with Israel. We
strongly urge you to continue our critical role as facilitator of a
process that can ultimately succeed only through the direct
negotiations by the parties themselves.
Sincerely,
Joseph I. Lieberman Connie Mack
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il,arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, April 6, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
Monday, April 6, 1998 / Nisan 10, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE ON CLINTON CONTINUES
2. 28% OF JEWISH LOCALITIES FOUNDED AFTER 1967
1. CONGRESSIONAL PRESSURE ON CLINTON CONTINUES
Parallel to the letter signed yesterday by 81 U.S. Senators calling
upon President Clinton not to pressure Israel, a similar letter has
been circulated in the House of Representatives, and has been signed
so far by 115 Congressmen. One of the forces behind the letters was
the National Unity Coalition, an umbrella group of 200 Jewish and
Christian pro-Israel organizations encompassing 40 million Americans.
Esther Levens, founder and president of the NUC, told Arutz-7's
Yedidya Atlas, "It's important for the Israeli public to know that the
American people are really with Prime Minister Netanyahu in wanting
Israel to make its own decisions, independent of the Clinton
administration... I know that the military of the U.S. concurs
completely with Netanyahu as to what it is in the best security
interests of Israel." She also said that this is the first time that
an American President is being so one-sided, instead of facilitating
negotiations between the two sides in a neutral manner.
2. 28% OF JEWISH LOCALITIES FOUNDED AFTER 1967
303 Jewish localities in Israel - 28% of the total - were founded
after 1967, including 137 in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. This is a
statistic released today by the Central Bureau of Statistics. Some 27%
of all Jewish localities were founded prior to the formation of the
State of Israel in 1948, and the remainder - 45% - were founded
between 1948 and 1967. The CBS also reported that the number of motor
vehicles in Israel increased by 5% in 1997 to over 1.6 million, twice
as many as the number of cars twelve years ago. For every 1,000
people, there are now 281 vehicles, up from 261 in 1996.
************************************************************************
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il>
To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il,arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, April 7, 1998
Arutz Sheva News Service
Tuesday, April 7, 1998 / Nisan 11, 5758
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ANOTHER ARAB REAL ESTATE AGENT MURDERED IN PA
2. GEN. MOFAZ: PA NOT FIGHTING TERROR
3. HAMAS STILL DENIES CONNECTION TO A-SHARIF KILLING
4. PA MINISTER PRAISES A-SHARIF
1. ANOTHER ARAB REAL ESTATE AGENT MURDERED IN PA
The Arabic-language Al-Quds newspaper reported that the body of
Mohammed Haris El-Ankawi, who was suspected of selling land to Jews
and cooperating with Israel, was discovered yesterday morning near
Arafat-controlled Ramallah. At the beginning of the week, the
fifty-year-old El-Ankawi was arrested and brought to a Palestinian
Authority police station in Ramallah where he was interrogated. Later
he called his family and told them that he was released -- since then
he was not seen alive. He was found shot in the head. El-Ankawi is
the second Arab real estate agent to be murdered within a week. The
full text of the document released by the Government Press Office
regarding Arabs suspected of cooperating with Israel appears at the
end of this news report.
2. GEN. MOFAZ: PA NOT FIGHTING TERROR
Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz stated today before the
Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee that the Palestinian
Authority is not fulfilling its obligation to combat terrorism.
According to Maj.-Gen. Mofaz, the PA is not acting to uproot the
terrorist infrastructure nor to prevent attacks emanating from its
midst.
3. HAMAS STILL DENIES CONNECTION TO A-SHARIF KILLING
The Hamas terrorist organization continues to reject yesterday's
announcement by the Palestinian Authority attributing the death of
Mohi a-Din A-Sharif last Monday to internal tensions in the
organization. Hamas spokesmen clarified this morning that they are
still convinced that Israel killed A-Sharif. In a meeting yesterday
with U.S. Senator Bob Graham (D-FL), Prime Minister Netanyahu made the
following remarks: "Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat updated my
personal envoy, Attorney Yitzhak Molcho, on the findings of the PA
investigation into the death of Mohi a-Din Sharif. The investigators
concluded that Sharif's death was the result of an internal Hamas
dispute."
Netanyahu further stated: "I think that this is a positive
development, and I must also make two comments: Firstly, for those who
may have harbored doubts, our insistence that Israel was not involved
in the death of Mohi a-Din Sharif has now been validated. Of course,
it is regretful that senior PA officials hastened to direct false
accusations against Israel -- and this may yet have serious
implications. Secondly, it demonstrates that the Palestinian
Authority can combat terrorism if it so desires; what is now required
is a systematic, determined and protracted war against the terrorists
and their infrastructure so that we can advance the peace process."
Hamas expert and Yediot Acharonot journalist Roni Shaked told Arutz-7
today, "Hamas will rely only on its own internal investigation, which
is being carried out by the Izaddin Al-Kassam branch, that is, its
'wanted' members who are still at-large...." In response to Arutz-7
News Editor Haggai Segal's question whether the Hamas will attempt to
execute terror attacks in the wake of A-Sharif's death, Shaked said,
"Do you think that they plan terror attacks because of A-Sharif, or
because of, let's say, a Mohammed who is killed in Ramallah or
Shechem? Their objective is Jihad against the Jews. In every place
that they can, they will continue to execute terror attacks....
According to the Hamas charter, the Jihad against Israel is an
obligation on every Muslim man."
4. PA MINISTER PRAISES A-SHARIF
In response to a eulogy on April 2 by PA Cabinet Minister Faisal
Husseini praising the senior Hamas bomb-maker Mohi a-Din A-Sharif, ZOA
President Morton A. Klein pointed out yesterday that four U.S.citizens
were amongst A-Sharif's victims. Klein said: "If Arafat had handed
over Sharif to Israel or the United States back in 1996, when Israel
asked for his extradition, he would have been unable to take part in
the subsequent attacks in which dozens of innocent people, including
two Americans, were murdered. The Clinton administration must demand
that Arafat and his aides stop praising and sheltering the Palestinian
Arab killers of Americans, and start handing them over to the U.S. for
prosecution, just as the U.S. has demanded that Libya hand over the
Libyan terrorists who bombed Pan Am flight 103, and just as the U.S.
has criticized Saudi Arabia for not handing over the names of the
terrorists who killed 19 American soldiers in Saudi Arabia in 1996."
The full text of the Zionist Organization of America press release,
which documents other recent statements by Arafat and senior PA
officials praising terrorists who murdered Americans, is available at
<email@zoa.org>.
SPECIAL INSERT: 67 Palestinians Suspected of Cooperating With Israel
Have Been Murdered Since the Establishment of the Palestinian
Authority Jerusalem, April 6, 1998 (communicated by the Israel
Government Press Office)
THE AGREEMENT
Under the terms of the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is
obligated to protect Palestinians suspected of cooperating with Israel
and to refrain from harassing them.
The Interim Agreement (Oslo 2) of September 28, 1995 (Article XVI,
para. 2) states, "Palestinians who have maintained contact with the
Israeli authorities will not be subjected to acts of harassment,
violence, retribution or prosecution. Appropriate ongoing measures
will be taken, in coordination with Israel, in order to ensure their
protection." The Article containing this obligation is entitled
"Confidence Building Measures", and its preamble states that both
sides will carry it out "to establish a solid basis of mutual trust
and good faith."
A similar undertaking was previously made by the Palestinians in the
May 4, 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement (Article XX, para. 4), which
established the PA.
THE VIOLATIONS
Since the PA's establishment four years ago, more than 160
Palestinians suspected of cooperating with Israel have been wounded or
killed. Rather than protect such people, the PA and its security
services have targeted and intimidated them in violation of the
accords.
Since May 18, 1994, when the PA assumed control over Gaza and Jericho,
a total of 67 Palestinians suspected of cooperating with Israel have
been murdered (including nine suspects being held in Palestinian
prisons) and 96 others injured. Most of those killed and injured were
residents of Judea and Samaria.
The Palestinian security services expend considerable efforts to
monitor and interrogate Palestinians suspected of cooperating with
Israel. Suspects have been kidnapped by the PA security services and
forcibly detained in Palestinian prisons, where they have been
questioned about their alleged ties to Israel.
The most recent assault on a Palestinian suspected of cooperating with
Israel took place on March 29, 1998, when the body of Ribhi Musfi,
aged 48, was found on the outskirts of Palestinian-controlled Jericho.
[Arutz-7 editor's note: One day after the publication of this
document, an additional Arab suspected of cooperating with Israel was
found dead outside of Israel murder was discovered Evidence in the
possession of the Israel police indicates that Musfi had been called
in to an interrogation by the Palestinian security forces in Ramallah.
Since that time, and until his body was discovered, there had been no
trace of his whereabouts.
***********************************************************************
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