Subject: Israel in the News - April 20 - May 10 Date: Thu, 14 May 1998 00:25:45 +0000 To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Eddie Chumney To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com Subject: Israel in the News Israel in the News April 20 to April 26, 1998 PEACE PROCESS EU ATTEMPTING TO 'INTERNATIONALIZE' JERUSALEM: >From FYI by Lee Underwood 4/18/98 Yediot Aharonot reports Incoming Mossad Chief Efrayim Halevi has proposed to Prime Minister Netanyahu to act against the European Union's (EU) intention to turn Jerusalem into an international city. Halevi reported that the EU is formulating a series of steps to internationalize Jerusalem. Among other things, a proposal was raised to give the consulates of the EU countries in Jerusalem additional powers and to encourage them to act vis-a-vis the PA. Egypt also plans to raise similar proposals to the international community. Egyptian Foreign Minister 'Amr Musa has already discussed the issue with the pope in their meeting in Rome several days ago. In light of these developments, the Foreign Ministry will hold a discussion on the steps Israel will implement against the proposals that threaten Israel's sole sovereignty over Jerusalem. (ZINC) MIDEAST DRIFTING INTO VOLATILE SITUATION, BRITISH REPORT WARNS 'U.S. MUST ACT TO PREVENT ISLAMIC INTIFADA' By Sharon Sadeh, Ha'aretz Correspondent Ha'aretz 4/24/98 London A situation of "no war and no peace" will characterize the Middle East in the near future and given the mistrust between the sides, violent events appear to be inevitable, the London-based International Institute for Strategic Studies said yesterday. The IISS warns that a complete breakdown of the peace talks between Israel and the Arab states could be accompanied by the outbreak of a new Intifada, this time fomented by extremist Islamic groups but with the encouragement of Yasser Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO). The report says that "most observers" believe that only the United States has the "influence and the authority" to get the peace process back on track. The impression that Washington is not interested in exercising its influence to the fullest has had an adverse effect on its traditional leadership in the region, the IISS survey maintains. PA WARNS OF EXPLOSION IINS News Service - Israel - 4/23/98 The PLO Authority (PA) called on the United States Wednesday to pressure Israel to accept US proposals during upcoming talks in London, warning that the zero hour in the peace process was approaching. "The situation is very dangerous right now. We are close to the last 15 minutes before either the situation explodes or the picture becomes clear," said Nabil Abu Rudeina, a top aide to PA Chief Yassir Arafat. "We demand the United States put pressure on Israel to accept the American proposals" over a promised Israeli troop withdrawal from the West Bank (Judea and Samaria). ISRAEL WARNS PALESTINIANS NOT TO DECLARE STATE WITHOUT AGREEMENT April 26, 1998 By Josh Krist, Associated Press Jerusalem (AP) Israel warned the Palestinians on Sunday against unilaterally declaring an independent state next year after Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat again asserted his right to do so. The sharp exchange came as a pair of U.S. envoys were holding meetings with both sides to lay the groundwork for a round of high-level London talks on May 4. Mediator Dennis Ross, accompanied by Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk, met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, and were to meet later Sunday with Arafat. A day earlier, Arafat told reporters in Gaza that the Palestinians would press ahead with a declaration of statehood in May 1999 whether or not there is an agreement with Israel. "It's our right, and we're going to declare it,'' said Arafat, who has made similar assertions in the past. Top Netanyahu aide David Bar-Illan said Sunday that such a move would not only violate the peace accords but result in "the total scuttling of the agreement.'' "It is the kind of move which leaves Israel free to take unilateral moves, too,'' he told The Associated Press. However, he refused to say whether that was an implied threat to annex parts of the West Bank. Former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres, who met Sunday with Arafat, tried to calm the waters, saying he hoped neither side would have to resort to unilateral steps. "Nobody has to threaten anybody,'' he told reporters in Gaza. "I think the thing to do is reach an agreement ... We have agreed that by May 1999 we have to conclude our negotiations with the Palestinians, and I hope this will happen.'' PREPARATIONS FOR WAR - MIDDLE EAST IDF INTELLIGENCE : 'IRAN WILL HAVE MISSILES THAT CAN STRIKE ISRAEL BY END OF THIS YEAR' - SYRIA BLOCKING LEBANON WITHDRAWAL DEMANDS GOLAN HEIGHTS By Gideon Alon, Ha'aretz Legal Affairs Correspondent, Ha'aretz 4/22/98 By the end of the year, Iran will have completed a long-range, ground-to-ground missile with enough range to strike Israel, a senior Israel Defense Forces intelligence officer told members of a Knesset committee yesterday. Russia is providing Iran with the technology it needs to develop the missile - a "Shihab-3" with a range of 1,300 kilometers He added that Syria is moving to derail the Israeli initiative to withdraw from Lebanon according to UN Security Council Resolution 425. The officer said Syria sees Israel's initiative as an effort to drive a wedge between Syria and Lebanon. The officer added that Syria is dictating the Lebanese response to the Israeli initiative. Prime Minister Elias Hrawi and President Rafiq al-Hariri have repeatedly stated that Lebanon will not conduct separate negotiations with Israel and that there is a linkage between the demand for an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights and from South Lebanon. Syria, led by Assad, remains firm in its determination to recover control of the Golan Heights, preferably through political means. The officer noted that Syria fulfills its obligations under the agreements with Israel and said that war with Syria is not likely. But the batteries and tunnels that Syria deployed in the Golan recently are in violation of these agreements, the officer said. UN officials are still investigating an Israeli complaint about the deployment. ARAFAT HAS 60 PER CENT MORE POLICEMEN THAN ISRAEL International Christian Embassy Jerusalem - 4/22/98 Yasser Arafat's "police" force is 60 per cent larger than the Israel Police - despite the fact the Israeli population is more than 2/3 larger than that living under the Palestinian Authority. The force, whose size Israel says is a blatant violation of the Oslo Accords, oversees one of the most policed people on earth. In the PA areas, there are an estimated 40,000 policemen --16,000 more than the number allowed by the Oslo Accords -- for a population of around 2,4 million. In Israel (pop. 5,92 million), 25,082 policemen are deployed. (PA: one policeman for every 60 residents; Israel: one policeman for every 236 residents.) ARAB NATIONS AGREE TO ANTI-TERROR PACT IINS News Service - Israel - 4/21 According to a Middle East News Agency report yesterday, Arab nations have decided to sign a pact calling for an end to terror. The decision follows years of debate on the issue. The new anti-terror pact however, will fall short of including attacks against Israel. Such attacks will not be defined by the Arab nations as an "act of terrorism." The pact is to be signed at a meeting of interior and justice ministers from the 22-member Arab League in Cairo on Wednesday. The new pact calls upon the Arab nations to cease all financial assistance to any organization that takes part in terrorism. The pact also refers to Israel as a "terrorist state," and therefore, the agreement is not binding regarding attacks against the Jewish State. MUBARAK IN FRESH TALKS WITH ASSAD BBC 4/24/98 Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, is holding talks in the Syrian port of Latakia with President Assad. Correspondents say their meeting is likely to focus on issues to be raised next week when the Israeli Prime Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, visits Cairo. The Latakia meeting is also likely to consider the results of talks between Syrian and Lebanese leaders on the Israeli offer to withdraw from southern Lebanon in return for security guarantees. Last week, Mr Mubarak and Mr Assad rejected the Israeli offer at a meeting in Cairo US WARNS SADDAM OVER UN INSPECTORS >From Tom Rhodes in Washington - London Times 4/21/98 The United States issued an implicit warning to President Saddam Hussein last night, harshly accusing Iraq again of failing to observe United Nations mandates over weapons inspections. In some of the strongest language employed against Baghdad since the most recent crisis was resolved in February, the State Department accused the regime of continuing to lie about weapons and said the time when UN sanctions against Iraq could be lifted was "far away". A report circulated in New York last week by Richard Butler, head of the UN Special Commission (Unscom), offered a pessimistic account of how the Iraqis had behaved since signing the UN-Iraq Memorandum of Understanding, the document that marked the end of the recent showdown. U.S. SAYS IRAQ HAS VIOLATED U.N. ARMS DEMANDS April 26, 1998 Washington U.S. Defense Secretary William Cohen said on Sunday Iraq had failed to meet U.N. requirements on the destruction of nerve gas and other weapons of mass destruction. Cohen said in an interview with Fox Television that Iraqi President Saddam Hussein had previously acknowledged his arsenal included 50 Scud missiles with chemical warheads, 25 missiles armed with biological agents, and four tons of VX nerve gas. "He has an affirmative obligation to prove to the inspectors that he has destroyed what he has admitted in the past that he had,'' Cohen said, referring to U.N. arms inspections teams led by Richard Butler. "He (Saddam) has to show where, when, how all these systems were destroyed,'' Cohen said. But he said Butler's latest report to the United Nations, to be debated by the Security Council on Monday, showed that Iraq had failed to meet these obligations. US TO PAY DEARLY FOR ANY ATTACK ON IRAQ Iraq (FTI) - 4/24/98 The official Iraqi newspaper, al-Iraq, yesterday said declared that the US would have to pay dearly if it attacks Iraq for sending military helicopters into Western-declared no-fly zones. It accused the US of giving free rein to its aggressive policies and despotic practices against Iraq. It also said that the no-fly zones were illegally declared by the US and its allies following the 1991 Gulf War. According to the newspaper, "the time of issuing unfair and ready-made resolutions dictated by Washington against Iraq is gone forever and... a new era... is in the offing". IRAQ: SANCTIONS WILL BRING HEAVY PRICE Baghdad (Reuters) - 4/23/98 Iraq's cabinet said on Thursday its enemies would pay a heavy price if sanctions were maintained, A cabinet statement issued after a meeting headed by President Saddam Hussein said a "new state of affairs" would be created if the embargo was kept on. "The world now has two options - either to lift the embargo or maintain it. The first will lead to some sort of relationship, understanding, and cooperation, while the second will lead to a new state of affairs. We have no alternative but to make our enemy feel that it has to pay a heavy price if it decides to maintain the embargo on our people," the statement said. ********************************************************************** From: Eddie Chumney To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com Subject: Israel in the News Israel in the News April 26 - May 10, 1998 PEACE PROCESS NETANYAHU SAYS ISRAEL WILL FIGHT IF PALESTINIANS MAKE STATE NOW April 28, 1998 By Nicolas B. Tatro, Associated Press JERUSALEM (AP) Delivering one of his toughest statements yet on Palestinian statehood, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has warned of retaliation before accepting "a new Iraq or Iran'' on Israel's doorstep. Netanyahu spoke Monday in reaction Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat's pledge that he would press ahead with a declaration of statehood if there was no peace settlement by May 4, 1999, the deadline set in the Oslo accords. "It's our right, and we're going to declare it,'' Arafat told reporters over the weekend in the autonomous Gaza Strip. He has made similar assertions before. Netanyahu said any such declaration before a permanent peace would be rejected. But he refused to say what steps might be taken. The most likely option would be the annexation of disputed West Bank land by Israel. "We cannot accept and mustn't accept the formation of a new Iraq or Iran next to our doorstep,'' Netanyahu told the Foreign Press Association. "If the Palestinians react with unilateral actions, so will we.'' ISRAEL SAYS 13 PCT LAND TRANSFER IMPOSSIBLE May 3, 1998 JERUSALEM Reuters A spokesman for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Sunday it would be "utterly impossible'' for Israel to accept a U.S.-proposed handover of another 13 percent of West Bank land to Palestinians. Communications chief David Bar-Illan, speaking ahead of crucial meetings in London on Monday with U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, told Reuters: "I think the administration knows our position. It would be utterly impossible for Israel to adhere to a withdrawal of 13 percent.'' "These are not interest rates that we are discussing but chunks of land that are essential for our security and the prime minister has reiterated over and over again that he will not do anything that would jeopardize Israel's security,'' said Bar-Illan, who travels with Netanyahu to London. ARAFAT RAISES SPECTER OF CHAOS IF TALKS FAIL May 4, 1998 L