Subject: Arutz-7 News: May 13-14, 1998
Date:    Fri, 15 May 1998 02:09:24 +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: Wednesday, May 13, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
Wednesday, May 13, 1998 / Iyar 17, 5758 / 32 days to the Omer
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. ISRAEL STRIKES BACK
  2. NETANYAHU VISIT SHROUDED IN FOG
  3. 80% OF ISRAELIS AGAINST WITHDRAWAL NOW
  4. ALTERNATIVE TO NRP?
  5. EUROPE EXPANDS BOYCOTT ON YESHA GOODS
  6. TODAY'S QUOTES

1. ISRAEL STRIKES BACK
Israeli security forces dealt a stunning blow to terrorist bases in Lebanon
last night.  Ten terrorists were killed and over 20 were wounded in the
Israel Air Force's attack against the Fatah's Abu Mussa base.  Syria has
accused Israel of dangerously escalating the tensions in Lebanon.  The
multi-national Monitoring Committee that was established two years ago
following Operation Grapes of Wrath determined today that Lebanon had
violated the understandings then reached.  

2. NETANYAHU VISIT SHROUDED IN FOG
Confusing messages continue to emanate from the Prime Minister, as he makes
his way to Washington for talks with U.S. Secretary of State Albright.  He
said last night that he plans to reach an agreed-upon policy plan with the
Americans, and that coalition threats will not deter him.  He also
emphasized that Israel stands firm in its reciprocity demand of the
Palestinians, including the transfer of wanted terrorists to Israel.  In
the words of Arutz-7's news editor Yehoshua Mor-Yosef, "It remains to be
seen what 'creative solution' Netanyahu will employ to turn 9% into 13%
without anyone in Israel noticing that he has done so."

Minister of Infrastructures Ariel Sharon turned down Netanyahu's invitation
to participate in the talks with Albright.  Sharon recently criticized the
Prime Minister for harming Israel's security with his willingness to carry
out a withdrawal from more than 9% of Yesha.  Deputy Religious Affairs
Minister Yigal Bibi (NRP) told Arutz-7 that he regretted Sharon's decision
to turn down Netanyahu's invitation, as "two are better than one.  MK Tzvi
Hendel (NRP) sent a telegram to Sharon, in which he pleaded with him to
take part in the meeting and "help the Prime Minister withstand the
American pressure."

3. 80% OF ISRAELIS AGAINST WITHDRAWAL NOW
A Gallup poll commissioned by IMRA yesterday shows that practically 80% of
the Israeli Jewish public feels that a further withdrawal from Judea and
Samaria must not be carried out under the present conditions. 64% feel that
the Palestinians must first fulfill all their Oslo obligations, and another
14.3% say that the withdrawal must not be carried out under any conditions.
 Of those who voted for Shimon Peres in the last election, 66.5% oppose a
withdrawal under the present conditions; this includes 6.9% who feel that
it should not be carried out at all.

4. ALTERNATIVE TO NRP?
Senior leaders in Judea and Samaria have begun to seriously act towards the
formation of a new religious party as an alternative to the National
Religious Party.  Arutz-7 correspondent Kobi Sela reports that they feel
that only the threat of a new party will force the NRP to resign from the
coalition if the Prime Minister carries out the next withdrawal.  One of
the organizers of the initiative, Binyamin Region Religious Council head
Natan Nathanson, told Arutz-7 that NRP voters have the right to expect that
their party would stand more strongly than it has until now for the Land of
Israel.  

5. EUROPE EXPANDS BOYCOTT ON YESHA GOODS
The European Union is acting to expand its boycott on Jewish-manufactured
products from Judea and Samaria to include those from eastern Jerusalem and
the Golan Heights.  The EU Commission called on the ten member nations not
to include products originating in these areas in the trade agreement
between Europe and Israel.  The agreement grants benefits to Israeli
exporters.  The Commission claims that these areas are not an inseparable
part of the State of Israel, and that in any event the agreement only
covers those areas that were included in Israel before the Six-Day War.

6. TODAY'S QUOTES 
"Opposition leader Ehud Barak's pledge that Beit El and Ofrah will remain
in our hands forever puts to rest the myth that the settlements in Judea
and Samaria are an obstacle to peace." - Science Minister Michael Eitan
today, in an interview with Arutz-7.

"As you know, the view of the United States is that the land to be
transferred is to be determined by Israel. And what we are talking about
here is what would be enough land in combination with security steps to put
the peace process back on track.  We are not telling Israel what land it
has to return, and that is for it to decide." - U.S. State Department
spokesman James Rubin, in a briefing yesterday

"The marriage rate in Tel Aviv is rising nicely, following a decrease last
year." - Rabbi Yehuda Landau, responsible for the Marriages Office in the
Tel Aviv Rabbinate.  28 Tel Aviv couples were registered to be married on
Lag Ba'Omer - tomorrow - which is the first day since Passover that
marriages are halakhically permitted to be held; 23 Tel Aviv weddings were
held last year on lag Ba'Omer.

*************************************************************************

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: Thursday,May 14, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Thursday, May 14, 1998 / Iyar 18, 5758 / Lag Ba'Omer
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
  --- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. EIGHT ARABS KILLED IN P.A.-RUN RIOTS
  2. OFFICIAL PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT PREPARED THE GROUND
  3. MINISTER EITAN: SAME P.A. MISTAKES PROVE COSTLY
  4. NETANYAHU LEANING TOWARDS CONCESSIONS
  5. LABOR MK ATTACKS EU DECISION
  6. MOSCOW SYNAGOGUE BOMBED

1. EIGHT ARABS KILLED IN P.A.-RUN RIOTS
Violent rioting was the order of the day throughout Yesha, following a
call by the Palestinian Authority to its residents to demonstrate and
cause disturbances.  The occasion:  today is known by the PA as
Palestinian Catastrophe Day, as the State of Israel was established on
this day - May 14 - 50 years ago.  In southern Ramallah, hundreds of
Arabs stormed an Israel Defense Forces position.  There were also
disturbances in Hevron, Rachel's Tomb in Bethlehem, outside Psagot,
and other places.  Cars driven by Israelis were stoned in several
places in Yesha, and two residents of the Yesha township Talmon were
lightly injured. In another incident, IDF soldiers stationed nearby
did not take action to protect a Jew who was threatened by a mob; he
was forced to fire in the air to disperse his attackers.  Two Border
Guard policemen were injured in Arab riots near Damascus Gate in
Jerusalem.

Disturbances of a more violent nature occurred throughout the Gaza
region. Seven Arabs were killed, and an additional Palestinian
policeman was killed by errant Palestinian bullets.  The Katif, Morag,
and Kisufim junctions were closed for many hours, thus isolating
several Jewish communities, because of hundreds of Arabs demonstrating
there; one resident had to be flown out by helicopter for dialysis
treatment.  Residents of the periphery of the community of Morag were
evacuated to the center of the town, for fear that they would be
attacked by the mobs.  NRP MK Tzvi Hendel, a resident of Ganei Tal in
Gush Katif, said that the timing of the riots and junction-closings
was clearly orchestrated by the higher PA echelons.  The IDF Commander
in Gaza reported that the PA bussed in thousands of rioters to the
various demonstration locations.

2. OFFICIAL PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT PREPARED THE GROUND
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that the past few days
were marked by heavy incitement to violence against Jews in the
official Palestinian press.  The Palestinian Television repeatedly
screened scenes from the intifada, and played a jingle featuring the
refrain, "Netanyahu, Netanyahu, we will burn the ground from under
your feet."  

Moledet MK Benny Elon told Arutz-7 that he sent a fax today to Prime
Minister Netanyahu in Washington, urging him to return home
immediately. "'The ground is burning,' I wrote to him.  With all due
respect to the important talks he is conducting in Washington, he must
be here now to take charge of the situation.  The last time there were
riots of this sort, he was in Germany."  NRP Knesset Member Tzvi
Hendel said that there is nothing as ridiculous as the negotiation of
additional transfer of territory to Arafat who, at the same time, is
sponsoring and arranging this violence.

Top IDF officials are studying the developing situation in Yesha. 
Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai instructed IDF commanders there to
stay in contact with PA representatives, to reinforce positions as
needed, and to act to prevent a deterioration of the situation in the
field.  

3. MINISTER EITAN: SAME P.A. MISTAKES PROVE COSTLY
Minister of Science Michael Eitan, reacting to today's violence,
declared: "It is too bad that the Palestinian leadership did not learn
its lesson from 1948.  In 1948, it preferred to wage war against the
Jews in place of dialogue and co-existence, and therefore it is
responsible for what it calls the 'catastrophe' that happened then. 
Now again, because of its misguided leadership, Palestinian blood is
being shed for no reason.  If there is no change in their policy, the
Palestinians may find themselves commemorating additional
'catastrophes' that no one in Israel wants."

4. NETANYAHU LEANING TOWARDS CONCESSIONS
Prime Minister Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Albright will
meet again this afternoon in Washington, to agree on the exact extent
and location of the upcoming withdrawal from Judea and Samaria. 
Senior figures in Netanyahu's entourage continue to deny that the
withdrawal will be from more than 9% of Yesha, but most of the press
reports emanating from Washington cite figures between 11 and 13%. 
The Prime Minister is apparently prepared to drop his demands for the
extradition of terrorists, the confiscation of illegal weapons, and
the down-sizing of the para-military police force to acceptable
Oslo-agreement levels; he will insist only on the changing of the
Palestinian charter.

5. LABOR MK ATTACKS EU DECISION
MK Shalom Simchon (Labor),  head of the secretariat of the Israel
Agriculture Center, attacked the European Union for its decision to
boycott Jewish-made products from Yesha, as well as those on the
Israeli left who initiated the boycott.  Simchon warned the EU that
Israel would not allow Palestinian farmers to bring their produce to
Israeli markets or ports if Israeli farmers  - "whether they are in
central Israel or in Gaza" - are not given equal consideration.  Great
Britain's Minister of Commerce Clinton Davis attempted to calm Israeli
anger over the issue this afternoon.  Speaking with reporters after a
luncheon at a Tel Aviv hotel with Israeli industrialists, Davis said
that the proposal must still be approved by the EU Ministers before it
becomes operative.

6. MOSCOW SYNAGOGUE BOMBED
Yet another anti-Semitic attack in Moscow occurred last night.
Approximately one pound of explosives made a two-meter wide hole last
night in an outer wall of the Chabad synagogue Marina Rosha, only
minutes after 60 girls left the building.  The same synagogue was
bombed five years ago, causing its closing for many months.  Despite
the bombing, the traditional Lag Ba'Omer parade - sponsored by the
synagogue - was held today in Moscow, under heavy police protection.

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************************************************************************

>From  Pam Staley 
To:   heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Terms of dismemberment by Cal Thomas

Jewish World Review / May 8, 1998 / 12 Iyar, 5758

Terms of Dismemberment
by Cal Thomas

THE CLINTON ADMINISTRATION is attempting to pressure Israel into
giving more land to the Palestinian Authority than Israel believes
prudent to maintain its security needs. During meetings in London with
Palestinian Authority leader Yasser Arafat and Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu, Secretary of State Madeleine Albright told
Netanyahu that easing America's insistence on Israel's pull-back from
an additional 13 percent of land captured in the 1967 war is "not in
the works." Albright hinted that if the Israelis don't cave, the
United States might publicly disclose its entire "peace package,"
which promises additional pressure on Israel.

As we have come to expect from the State Department and its chief
apologist for the Palestine Liberation Organization, Dennis Ross, the
formula for a peace settlement is all wrong. It isn't Israel that is
threatening its enemies with extinction. It isn't Israel that has
failed to live up to the Oslo accords. Israel asks only that the
Palestinian Authority abide by the accords in order for confidence to
be built and peaceful coexistence to be established.

If only American "pressure cookers" would examine Arafat's words to
his Arab colleagues, they would see the folly of believing what he
tells them.

In an interview on April 18 with Egypt's Orbit Satellite Television
Channel, Arafat compared the Oslo accords to the broken truce Muhammad
signed with the Koreish tribe 1,300 years ago. All options are open to
the Palestinian people, Arafat said, and he likened his orders to
cease terrorist attacks against Israel to those of Muhammad, who
agreed to a 10-year truce with the Koreish tribe, which was opposed by
one of his top aides, Omar Bin Khatif. Khatif called it the "inferior
peace." In the interview, Arafat said, "I do not compare myself to the
prophet, but I do say that we must learn from his steps and those of
Salah al-Din (the Arab leader who drove the Crusaders out of Jerusalem
800 years ago). The peace agreement which we signed is an "inferior
peace.'"

Arafat suggested "we remain quiet. We respect agreements the way that
the prophet Muhammad and Salah al-Din respected the agreements which
they signed."

A reasonable person might conclude that Arafat has no intention of
living up to the Oslo accords and will use the techniques of Muhammad
and modern "diplomacy" to extract as many land concessions as he can
from Israel and then launch a war, perhaps with the aid of his Arab
neighbors, to grab the rest, including all of pre-1967 Israel and all
of Jerusalem, which he has declared many times is his ultimate
objective. Based on his history of attempting to keep that promise,
why should Arafat's pledges not to strike Israel if he gets 13 percent
more land be believed?

It is an outrage for the U.S. government to impose a peace settlement
on a sovereign nation in light of Arafat's clear objectives and his
stated unwillingness to honor the Oslo accords. Albright and Dennis
Ross should be questioned about why they believe Arafat's nice words
to the international community but not his comments to his own people.
They should also be asked why Israel should not believe Arafat wants
all the land and every Jew out of it, including Jerusalem.

The United States can afford to be wrong about Arafat's intentions.
Israel can't.

                                ++++++++++++++++++++                                

Shalom
Voices United for Israel

Voices United For Israel: http://www.mindspring.com/~voicesunited 

************************************************************************

From:  Pam Staley 
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Press Bulletin

Jerusalem, May 11, 1998

A Unilateral Declaration of Palestinian Statehood
Would Scuttle the Oslo Accords


The Agreement
Under the Oslo Accords, the Palestinian Authority (PA) is obligated to
negotiate with Israel the permanent status of Judea, Samara and Gaza.

The September 28, 1995 Interim Agreement (Oslo 2) states that
Neither side shall initiate or take any step that will change the
status of the West Bank and the Gaza Strip pending the outcome of
the permanent status negotiations=94 (Article XXXI (7)).  the
intention of this article is to ensure that neither side takes
unilateral measures to alter the legal status of the areas (such as
annexation or declaration of statehood).

The accord also states that the issues to be covered in the final
status talks are to include: (Jerrusalem, refugees, settlements,
security arrangements, borders, relations and cooperation with other
neighbors, and other issues of common interest) (Article XXXI(6)).

Thus, the PA is obligated to negotiate these issues with Israel.

The Violation
PA Chairman Arafat and other senior Palestinian leaders have
repeatedly stated their intention to unilaterally declare the
establishment of a Palestinian state in May 1999.  This would render
the Oslo Accords null and void.

 If Chairman Arafat unilaterally declares the establishment of a
Palestinian state without negotiating the matter with Israel, it would 
scuttle the Oslo Accords and compel Israel to consider taking unilateral
measures of its own.

************************************************************************

The Jerusalem Post Internet Edition

Thursday, May 14, 1998       18 Iyar 5758 


                       NO PROGRESS IN DC TALKS 

                    By JAY BUSHINSKY and news agencies 

                    WASHINGTON (May 14) - Talks here yesterday between
                    Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Secretary of
                    State Madeleine Albright aimed at getting the
                    peace process back on track broke up after 90
                    minutes.

                    While there was no indication whether headway was
                    made, the State Department announced that
                    Netanyahu and Albright would meet again today "in
                    a continuation of this effort to overcome
                    remaining differences."

                    Albright left the downtown hotel where the talks
                    were held immediately after the session without
                    making any comment.

                    Officials said working groups representing Israel
                    and the US would continue the dialogue in the
                    interim, in an effort to find a formula for an IDF
                    withdrawal in the West Bank that would be
                    acceptable to the Palestinian Authority.

                    Israel Radio last night quoted a senior Israeli
                    source in Washington as saying that the two sides
                    were discussing a previously reported possibility
                    of staging the second redeployment in two phases -
                    the first of 9 percent and the second of unstated
                    size, after the Palestinians fulfill a series of
                    obligations. Netanyahu has denied knowledge of any
                    two-stage plan.

                    Netanyahu went into his meeting with Albright in a
                    feisty mood. The session took place in the prime
                    minister's hotel less than five hours after his
                    Israel Air Force jet landed at Washington Airport.

                    The prime minister expressed regret that National
                    Infrastructure Minister Ariel Sharon had refused
                    at the last minute to join him at the talks and
                    also had declined to confer with him in advance of
                    the crucial meeting with Albright.

                    "It is essential to support the prime minister,"
                    he said. Asserting that he is in the midst of a
                    "difficult campaign," Netanyahu told Israeli
                    reporters that it is necessary "to stand shoulder
                    to shoulder opposite the Americans."

                    He denied that he has been keeping the inner
                    cabinet in the dark about his discussions with
                    American intermediaries.

                    Sharon has accused Netanyahu of making commitments
                    to the US peace team without cabinet
                    authorization.

                    Without specifying the exact percentage of West
                    Bank territory from which the IDF could withdraw,
                    Netanyahu expressed pride in having "lowered the
                    Palestinians' expectations" by reducing the area
                    being considered for evacuation "from 90% to 13%."
                    He added that he has no doubt he will be able to
                    get the projected redeployment through the cabinet
                    and the Knesset.

                    Netanyahu said the Palestinian Authority does not
                    merit any territorial flexibility or compromise on
                    Israel's part.

                    "There has been no abrogation of the Palestinian
                    National Covenant by the Palestinian National
                    Council," he said, noting that Arafat had promised
                    to revise the covenant in a letter to President
                    Bill Clinton.

                    "Why is it so difficult to convene the PNC?" he
                    asked.

                    Netanyahu also charged that the PA has not acted
                    effectively or consistently in trying to suppress
                    terrorist activity in the West Bank and Gaza
                    Strip. He termed this an outright violation of the
                    Hebron Agreement, despite the fact that it was
                    concluded under American auspices.

                    Hours before Netanyahu and Albright sat down,
                    Clinton and Albright's spokesman sought to
                    underscore Israel's strong ties with the United
                    States.

                    In Potsdam, Germany, Clinton said the
                    administration is not prescribing all the terms
                    for a settlement, but only trying to guide Israel
                    and the Palestinians "over the hurdle" of a
                    stalemate. Clinton said he is "hoping we can find
                    an agreement based on the ideas we've presented."

                    "We haven't tried to find a formula to resolve all
                    the issues," Clinton told reporters. "We've tried
                    to find a formula to get them over the hurdle."

                    Following his afternoon meeting with Albright,
                    Netanyahu was to go to Capitol Hill, where he
                    already has considerable support for his position
                    on the US withdrawal formula.

                    At the State Department, spokesman James Rubin
                    said, "Our ideas are virtually identical with the
                    essential elements of the desires of the prime
                    minister.... We believe Israel is engaged in an
                    effort with us to put the peace process back on
                    track."

                    However, Clinton cautioned that "far more bad
                    things are likely to happen than good things" with
                    delay. And Rubin cautioned, "This phase of our
                    efforts is rapidly drawing to a close."

                    Meanwhile, Sharon, who is in New York, explained
                    his reasons for not attending the
                    Netanyahu-Albright meeting.

                    "I am not willing to lend my hand to discussions
                    that are held without the approval of the Israeli
                    government," he told Channel 1.

                    Netanyahu would not comment directly on Sharon's
                    statement. Instead he said, "I expected every
                    minister, at this difficult hour, to give me their
                    support. I am doing what is necessary and fighting
                    with all my strength to protect our vital
                    interests for Israel's future."

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