Subject: Arutz-7 News: May 15 - 20, 1998 Date: Fri, 29 May 1998 02:57:47 +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, May 15, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service Friday, May 15, 1998 / Iyar 19, 5758 / 34 days to the Omer ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. IS THE AMERICAN PRESSURE WORKING? 2. WARM CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION FOR NETANYAHU 3. PETITION AGAINST TERRORIST ABU ABBAS RECEIVES BOOST 4. PA PROUD OF RIOTS 5. ISRAEL AS BRIDGE BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE 1. IS THE AMERICAN PRESSURE WORKING? The status of the negotiations in Washington following yesterday's meeting between Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright: Israel has apparently offered to withdraw from 13% of Judea and Samaria - 11% now, and 2% in a third withdrawal. It is not clear whether the 11% withdrawal would be contingent upon Palestinian fulfillment of their Oslo obligations, such as extraditing terrorists or reducing the size of their para-military police force. The Americans are insisting that Israel withdraw from 13% now, and carry out an additional withdrawal later. Netanyahu will meet with Dennis Ross on Sunday. Mr. Netanyahu has said that any agreement he concludes in Washington will be subject to Israeli Government approval. Sources close to the Prime Minister say that if the right wing threatens to topple the government, he will declare early elections. The sources say that Netanyahu is confident that he will win the next election, as many middle-of-the-road voters who support territorial compromise will support him. Netanyahu met secretly with Opposition leader MK Ehud Barak earlier this week, to discuss the possibility of early elections. 2. WARM CONGRESSIONAL RECEPTION FOR NETANYAHU Reacting to the Arab violence yesterday, Netanyahu said it would not cause his government to weaken. "Israel will not accept and will not countenance these outbreaks of violence that are aimed at doing damage to Israel," he said. "If they think this is advancing their cause in Israel or in the United States, I think the opposite happens. People ask themselves what kind of peace this is." The Prime Minister received strong support from Congressmen, who held a luncheon in his honor. New York Rep. Benjamin A. Gilman, chairman of the House International Relations Committee, said, "Mr. Prime Minister, you are not only among friends, you are among 'mishpochah' [family]." Senate Majority Leader Trent Lott of Mississippi said, "Only Israel can make the decision about what is necessary for them to be assured of their security. I hope the administration will... not show partiality toward the Palestinians." House Speaker Newt Gingrich accused Arafat of "inciting people to emotionalism and violence" and not carrying out his commitments. 3. PETITION AGAINST TERRORIST ABU ABBAS RECEIVES BOOST The petition filed this week in the Supreme Court demanding that Israel bring convicted terrorist Abu Abbas to justice received a significant boost with a U.S. State Department statement. James Rubin, spokesman for the State Department, said on Monday that "the United States strongly believes that Abu Abbas should be punished for the crimes committed aboard the Achille Lauro in 1985." PLO terrorists under the command of Abu Abbas hijacked the ship, held 300 passengers hostage, and brutally murdered an American Jew, wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer. With the U.S. position on the issue so clear, say the petitioners, it will be very difficult for Israel's Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein to refuse to indict Abbas. In this connection, they note that in early 1996, the U.S. Senate passed a resolution by a 99-0 vote, calling on the U.S. Justice Department to bring Abbas to justice. Arutz-7 has learned that the petitioners (Rabbi Avi Weiss, Ronn Torrosian, and New York legislator Dov Hikind) are concerned that the growing publicity surrounding the case will cause Abbas to flee Gaza, and that in the coming days they will file an urgent motion with the High Court for an injunction forcing Rubenstein to block Abbas from leaving the Gaza Strip until his fate is determined by the court. 4. PA PROUD OF RIOTS Arab riots continued again today in Gush Katif and Hevron, though on a lesser scale than yesterday. Following today's Moslem prayer service on the Temple Mount, Arabs threw stones at Jewish worshipers at the Western Wall. No injuries were reported, and the police did not enter the Temple Mount, leaving the Waqf officials to restore order. 1600 Israeli police officers were deployed in eastern Jerusalem today. Sheikh Hamad Albitawi, known as the Chairman of the Islamic Sages in Palestine, called upon the Palestinians to choose "only the military option against Israel." In a speech today in Ramallah, he announced that the "time has come to put an end to these humiliating talks with Israel and to begin a jihad." Following yesterday's Palestinian Authority-organized riots, in which 8 Palestinians were killed and six others were in grave condition, the PA released the following announcement: "The Palestinian people have proved that all of the options are open before it, and that it will confront the failure of the peace efforts with strength..." 5. ISRAEL AS BRIDGE BETWEEN PAST AND FUTURE "You don't have to be religious person to see the State of Israel as the realization of prophetic dreams." So said Prime Minister Netanyahu in a speech in Washington yesterday afternoon. "You do not have to be a religious person," he continued, "to see the ingathering of the exiles as one of the great miracles of history, and not only of Jewish history." He described Israel as "a state that is transforming itself faster than any other country and any other society on Earth to the information economy." ************************************************************************ 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, May 17, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Sunday, May 17, 1998 / Iyar 21, 5758 / 36 days to the Omer ------------------------------------------------ TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. CLINTON AND ALBRIGHT: 11+2% NOT ENOUGH 2. WHAT THE WITHDRAWAL MEANS 3. YESHA LEADER'S LAST PLEA 4. NEW PARTY MAY ARISE 5. PALESTINIAN FAILURE 6. ARAB VIOLENCE IN HEVRON 1. CLINTON AND ALBRIGHT: 11+2% NOT ENOUGH Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu will meet in Washington tonight with American mediator Dennis Ross. Arutz-7 has learned that Netanyahu has agreed to execute a withdrawal from 11% of Judea and Samaria within the next 3-4 months, and to withdraw from an additional 2% within the framework of a third withdrawal in a year's time. The United States has not yet agreed to this plan. It also appears that the Israeli demand for extradition of terrorists from Palestinian Authority territory has been replaced with the American proposal that the terrorists be imprisoned within the PA, under American supervision. Yasser Arafat has also not agreed, as of yet, to change the PLO charter calling for Israel's destruction. 2. WHAT THE WITHDRAWAL MEANS Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman outlined today the likely results of an 11-13% withdrawal: "First of all, it must be understood that practically all of the withdrawal will have to be from the area known as the 'mountain ridge,' i.e., the area between Jenin (north of Shechem) and Hevron. This is because the Jordan Valley and the Judean Desert are basically out of the game, partly because of the national security interests map, and partly because of an ultimatum by the Third Way [a member party of the coalition] demanding that we retain these areas. In addition, western Samaria is also out of the question, because of its proximity to Israel's population centers along the coast. This leaves mostly the area between Jenin and Hevron, including the Jewish communities there. This is a very narrow strip of land, which also already includes most of the areas now under Palestinian control. Thus, room for maneuvering between the areas is very limited..." Huberman continued, "Some ten Jewish communities will be almost totally surrounded by Palestinian-controlled territory, aside from a narrow strip only as wide as the road leading in and out of each town. Route #60, the main north-south route in this area, will be greatly affected, and will be under Palestinian control in several places. For example, it will not be possible to travel between Ofrah and Shilo without entering Arab territory, unless a long detour through the Alon Route is taken; there will be no route from Shilo-Eli-Maaleh Levonah westwards to the rest of Israel, or northwards through the Tapuach Junction; and the western Binyamin town of Ateret will have no eastern route to Beit El, Ofrah, and the Jordan Valley... Yesha towns that are expected to be affected include Ganim, Beit Haggai, Brachah, Yitzhar, and others; if the withdrawal is larger than 11-13%, Beit El, Ofrah, Shavei Shomron, and others should be added to the list. When a community is 'affected,' it means that it is not only practically surrounded by Arabs, with all of the consequences for security, but also that its water, electric, sewage, and telephone lines are within Palestinian territory. This of course means that any repairs on these lines will have to be made with Palestinian permission, etc. It also means that the lines for any future neighborhoods in these communities will have to be placed within PA territory, or else they will have to follow the exact route of the road - straight or not - leading to the community... The military echelons are very much against a 13% withdrawal. They say that if there must be a redeployment of forces, the territory must at least remain Area B, i.e., under Israeli security control, so that Hamas should not be able to use it as a base for its terrorist activities, as it has done with much of the territory under PA control at present..." 3. YESHA LEADER'S LAST PLEA Yisrael Harel, former Yesha Council head and a resident of Ofrah, speaking on Arutz-7 today about Prime Minister Netanyahu's apparent consent to carry out a sizable withdrawal from Yesha: "The residents of Yesha are apathetic... First of all, we are falling into the Orwellian trap of talking about 11%, which doesn't sound like so much. We are forgetting that the PA controls almost a third of Yesha already, and that this 11% represents some 600,000 or more dunams of land! In essence, we should be saying that Netanyahu, by giving over this much, is setting up the Palestinian state. I have said these things before, and people called me overly pessimistic, and [everyone] continues to give him [Netanyahu] backing and give him all sorts of excuses... Why? Just because he is from the nationalist camp? If Rabin or Peres or Barak would give over what he is giving, there would be hundreds of thousands of people in the streets! There would practically be a rebellion!... If this plan goes through, there could be another 15 settlements like Netzarim [a community in the Gaza Strip that is an enclave within the Palestinian autonomy]. Not every community can live under those conditions, and even if they could, they will simply stagnate. This is a death decree on those communities, if not for one year from now, then for ten or twenty years from now..." Harel continued, "Why does everyone talk about American pressure? Many Israeli leaders have rebuffed American pressure before - Rabin did, and Begin rejected the Reagan Plan, which the most-friendly-to-Israel-ever President put his name to, and nothing happened. So why can't Netanyahu, who is from the 'nationalist camp,' also rebuff this pressure? And we, who supported him so strongly, take this from him, and continue to back him?! We are responsible not only for our own communities, but also for the future of the entire Yesha enterprise... At this rate, we will return to the 1967 borders. This is because we keep getting used to each difficulty as it arises, and we... will all of a sudden find that the Land of Israel has disappeared from under our very feet..." Regarding the recent statements by National Religious Party leaders that they may not topple the government, Harel said, "The Knesset Members of the NRP are not the same people they were a few months ago... It's not that they are worried only about losing their government seats - the problem is much deeper than that! The public has a great say in what the NRP does - just as when the NRP went along with the withdrawal from Sinai, in the next elections it went down from 12 Knesset seats to 4. The same thing can happen now too. We have to remind the NRP of our voting strength..." 4. NEW PARTY MAY ARISE The preparations for a new religious political party continue. The organizers, led by Uri Ariel, Rabbi Menachem Felix, and Yaakov Katz "Ketzaleh", say they will take concrete steps to form the new party on Tuesday. They have emphasized, however, that they will form the party only if it becomes clear that the Prime Minister plans to carry out the second withdrawal and the NRP continues to remain in the government. 5. PALESTINIAN FAILURE The Palestinian Authority registered one of its biggest failures last week on Palestine Catastrophe Day. Following a month of wild incitement in the Palestinian media, including the screening of scenes from the intifada, and repeated calls to "return to Acre and Nazareth," the Arab populace showed that it simply was not sufficiently interested. At first, the PA planned "the march of the million" - one million people to show up in Ramallah to protest the establishment of Israel fifty years ago. When this proved an unreachable goal, the program was changed, and one million people were asked to demonstrate "wherever they be" throughout Judea and Samaria. In the end, however, Israeli security sources estimate that no more than several tens of thousands showed up, for what were admittedly violent and attention-grabbing riots. There was no drop in the number of Arab workers arriving from Yesha - 50,000 - who showed up for work within pre-1967 Israel on that day. 6. ARAB VIOLENCE IN HEVRON Palestinian Arab violence continued over the Sabbath and today. Over 50 firebombs, acid bottles and rocks were hurled in Hevron yesterday, and 12 more today, injuring a police officer, several soldiers, and two journalists. One of the Arab-hurled firebombs struck an Arab house by mistake; it exploded and caused damage to the outside of the building. The Jewish Community of Hevron demanded that the Israeli government stop what it called "its policy of appeasement" and put an end to the violence before control of the situation is lost. A police van was shot at on the road between Gush Etzion and Hevron, near El-Hader; no one was hurt. Near the Jewish community of Yakir in the Shomron, a woman and her baby were injured by rocks thrown at their car. ********************************************************************** 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, May 18, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Monday, May 18, 1998 / Iyar 22, 5758 / 37 days to the Omer ------------------------------------------------ TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. NETANYAHU AGREES TO 13%; NOW IT'S UP TO ARAFAT 2. REACTIONS FROM THE RIGHT 3. TERRORISTS AND WEAPONS SMUGGLED BY ARAFAT 1. NETANYAHU AGREES TO 13%; NOW IT'S UP TO ARAFAT Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is on his way back to Israel from Washington, after sources in his entourage confirmed that he had agreed to a withdrawal from 13.1% of Judea and Samaria. They claim, however, that he insists on the following conditions: there be no third withdrawal before the permanent-status arrangement takes effect, the terrorist-murderers wanted by Israel be transferred by the Palestinian Authority to Israel, and the Palestinian charter be changed. Other sources say that Netanyahu demands only the first. U.S. Secretary of State Albright and American mediator Dennis Ross have set out for London, where they will attempt to convince Yasser Arafat to accept this proposal. PA spokesmen have already spoken out against it. Government sources claimed today that no agreement was reached on the extent of an upcoming withdrawal from Yesha. They said that the IDF cannot guarantee the safety of the Jewish residents in Yesha under the conditions of a 13% withdrawal. 2. REACTIONS FROM THE RIGHT Yesha Council Head Aharon Domb warns that he and his colleagues will act to topple the government if the reports from Washington are true. Minister Ariel Sharon, too, is very much against a 13% withdrawal, and figures close to him say that he is likely to come out publicly against Netanyahu and the withdrawal plan. Sharon's aides claim that the security cabinet had decided on the eve of Netanyahu's departure to Washington that any future withdrawal from Yesha could not be from more than 9% of it. Leaders of the Third Way called on Netanyahu not to be scared of threats from the right wing to topple him. Communications Minister Limor Livnat called upon the right wing not to topple the government, but she also said that she would not support any proposal that would harm the Jewish communities in Yesha. The National Religious Party spoke with two voices today. Minister Shaul Yahalom said this morning that "with all the pain and sorrow," his party would support an additional withdrawal if the "continued development and security of all the Yesha communities is guaranteed." MK Tzvi Hendel, however, called upon the Prime Minister not to take measures that would "force the right wing to topple him." Hendel said that if Netanyahu in fact agreed to a deep withdrawal, together with a blurring of the reciprocity principle and turning a blind eye to Palestinian violence, there is no longer any importance to the question of who would inherit the Prime Ministry, and there would be new elections 3. TERRORISTS AND WEAPONS SMUGGLED BY ARAFAT Yasser Arafat has used his helicopter to smuggle wanted terrorists and weapons. Official confirmation of this was provided today by a senior IDF Intelligence officer who appeared today before the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. He was responding to a query placed before him by Likud MK Benny Begin. MK Nisan Slomiansky demanded that Defense Minister Mordechai, who also participated in today's session, revoke the special permission given Arafat to fly between Samaria and Gaza. *********************************************************************** 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, May 19, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Tuesday, May 19, 1998 / Iyar 23, 5758 / 38 days to the Omer ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. NETANYAHU TALKS ABOUT TALKS 2. HEVRON VIOLENCE CONTINUES 3. NETANYAHU WILL NOT ACCEPT EU DECISION 4. HAS DAM THREAT EXPIRED? 1. NETANYAHU TALKS ABOUT TALKS Prime Minister Netanyahu, relating to his talks in Washington, said last night upon his arrival in Israel: "Certain incorrect reports were publicized to the effect that I agreed to a second withdrawal of 13%. This is not true. The quantitative components of the redeployment were not at all summed up. The first thing that we did discuss at length was the fulfillment of the Palestinian commitments in a concrete way. We have had enough promises, and now we want to see them actually carry out these things that they have obligated themselves to three times - Oslo I, Oslo II, and of course in the Hevron agreement. The second thing we discussed was the framework for beginning the permanent-status talks, and the U.S. role in that." He said that a third topic discussed in Washington was how the overall redeployment picture is effected by security considerations. Justice Minister Tzachi Hanegbi said today that the negotiations on a future Israeli retreat from Yesha would not bear fruit until the Palestinians fulfill all of their commitments within the Oslo process framework. 2. HEVRON VIOLENCE CONTINUES Arab-hurled stones and other objects flew again in Hevron today. A Molotov cocktail was thrown at an IDF jeep near the Admot Yeshai (Tel Rumeida) neighborhood. When no IDF forces came to investigate, the ire of Jewish residents there was aroused, and they spontaneously went out and closed off the road. Resident Baruch Marzel told Arutz-7, "What the Molotov firebomb did not do, our blocking the road did. Within minutes, large police and army forces were called to the area to clear the road so that the two Arab cars could get by. A senior officer then talked to us, and we protested the fact that we had been blocked off by Arab rioters on and off for the past few days, without an IDF response. He then began to talk about establishing an IDF position there. This would not have happened if we had not caused a ruckus." Automatic-weapons fire was shot towards an IDF jeep last night on the Hevron bypass road. There were no injuries, although several bullets hit the vehicle. 3. NETANYAHU WILL NOT ACCEPT EU DECISION "We have no intention to preserve a high rate of employment for Palestinians, if the European decision causes a drop in employment for Israelis," said Prime Minister Netanyahu today. He was referring to a European Union decision to boycott all Jewish produce made in Judea and Samaria. The European Union responded that the issue was not political, but rather a legal issue of borders. Netanyahu had said earlier that if the EU implements this decision, this will be the end of their position as mediator between Israel and the Palestinians. 4. HAS DAM THREAT EXPIRED? Jordan and Syria signed a preliminary agreement to build a dam on the Yarmuk River, a tributary of the Jordan River. For most of its course, the Yarmuk forms the boundary between Syria and Jordan, and the lower 14 miles (23 kilometers) of the river are under Israeli control. The agreement stipulates that Jordan will receive 120 million cubic meters of water a year, while Syria will utilize 70% of the electric power produced by the dam. The project will cost a hefty $420 million, which Jordan and Syria will have to find ways to raise. In 1987, Jordan and Syria began construction on the dam, which ceased when the World Bank withdrew its support after Israel threatened to destroy the dam if it was built. *********************************************************************** 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 20, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Wednesday, May 20, 1998 / Iyar 24, 5758 / 39 days to the Omer ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. U.S. FRUSTRATIONS 2. THREE CONDITIONS FOR NEW PARTY 3. PORAT: IT'S UP TO US 4. KLEINER ACCUSES LABOR OF SUPPORTING ARAB RIGHT TO RETURN 1. U.S. FRUSTRATIONS U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright was quoted today as saying that the American pressure had succeeded in getting Prime Minister Netanyahu to change his position "excellently, but not enough." James Rubin, United States State Department spokesman, threatened yesterday that "if we reach the conclusion that we cannot attain an agreement, then we will say so publicly and we will explain why." He said that no meeting between Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams is currently planned, nor is another trip to the Middle East by American mediator Dennis Ross. Yasser Arafat told a London newspaper that Albright had told him that the U.S. would not let him down. U.S. Vice President Al Gore, speaking at an AIPAC banquet Monday night, said that Prime Minister Netanyahu is "carrying the weight of the history of the Jewish people on his shoulders," and that he "is deeply concerned about the true intentions of his neighbors... The U.S. shares these concerns," said Gore, "particularly when Chairman Arafat makes public statements that seem to undercut his signed commitments to peace. He cannot say one thing to the world and another thing to his own people. He must speak to his people in consistent and unambiguous terms about the permanent nature of the peace he is trying to reach, and declare a clear and unequivocal acceptance of the State of Israel." 2. THREE CONDITIONS FOR NEW PARTY Some 25 leading political personalities, representing various viewpoints to the right of the Likud, gathered in Jerusalem last night to plan practical steps for the formation of a new national-religious party. The new movement is called Tekumah, meaning 'revival' or 'resurrection'. Among the participants last night were Rabbis Dov Lior, Eliezer Waldman, and Menachem Felix; Benny Katzover, Uri Ariel, Yaakov Katz (Katzeleh), and members of Chayil - Secular Voters for the NRP. The organizers made it clear that the party would be established only on two conditions: if Netanyahu gives in to American pressures, and the NRP caves in to Netanyahu's pressures not to quit the government. Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel added a third condition: "We are all aware of the mishap in 1992 when the right-wing received more votes and less Knesset seats, because of too many small right-wing parties. We will not start the new party unless we are sure that we have broad support from the public at large." 3. PORAT: IT'S UP TO US NRP Secretary-General Zevulun Orlev called upon the organizers of the new movement to halt their activities leading to a split within the religious Zionist camp (see previous article), and to work to strengthen the NRP. NRP Knesset Member Chanan Porat, speaking to Arutz-7 today, took a different approach: "To a large measure, this issue [of a new party] is dependent on us, the NRP. If we meet the challenge, and we are the party that stands up to stop this withdrawal from Eretz Yisrael, then there will be no need for the new party. But if we fail to do this, then I won't be able to criticize those who will need to find a 'home' somewhere else..." When asked if the electoral threat of a new party would influence other party members in their thinking on the issue, he said, "It's hard for me to relate to that question because I myself am so convinced of the need to rip to shreds this idea of a withdrawal, that I cannot place myself in the position of those who may have to be 'threatened' on this issue... Now that this threat - in quotation marks or not - exists, our party has to understand that if we are 'silent at this time,' then 'salvation will arise for the Jews from somewhere else' [a paraphrase of the Biblical admonition given Esther by Mordechai in the Purim story]." 4. KLEINER ACCUSES LABOR OF SUPPORTING ARAB RIGHT TO RETURN MK Michael Kleiner accused the Labor Party of supporting a bill that, he says, recognizes the Arab right of return to Israel. In a statement released to the press, Kleiner wrote, "The Labor party is attempting to garner support for Ehud Barak within the Arab sector, especially now that Roni Milo is vying with him for the same sector. This is the reason why the Labor party went out of its way to support a proposal of the Arab [party] MKs to grant citizenship to Arabs born in Israel who were not in Israel between the years 1948 and 1952... This clearly shows the Labor party's hypocrisy. On the one hand, they try to sell the Israeli public the idea that the Oslo process is a way of separating between the two nations, and on the other hand, for purely political motives it acts to allow masses of Arabs to [reside in] Israel." ***********************************************************************