Subject: Arutz-7 News: June 4 - 8, 1998
Date:    Wed, 10 Jun 1998 00:50:56 +0000
To:      "Parasha-Page 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: Thursday, June 4, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Thursday, June 4, 1998 / Sivan 11, 5758 
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
  --- See below for subscription instructions ---


TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. AMERICAN PROPOSAL: 15.2% WITHDRAWAL, SETTLEMENT HALT, 
      SECURITY COOPERATION
  2. NEGOTIATION NEWSBYTES


1. AMERICAN PROPOSAL: 15.2% WITHDRAWAL, SETTLEMENT HALT, SECURITY COOPERATION 
Cabinet Secretary Danny Naveh has basically confirmed the contents of
today's Ha'aretz report of the American proposal for the next withdrawal
from Judea and Samaria.  Naveh said that the version in Ha'aretz was only a
rough draft, and that several details have been changed.  According to the
report, Israel will transfer 15.2% of Judea and Samaria to full Palestinian
Authority control, broken down as follows: 14.2% from Area B (joint
Israeli/Palestinian control) to Area A (full Palestinian control); 1% from
Area C (full Israeli control) to Area A; and 12% from C to B.

The withdrawals, according to the report, will take place in three stages,
over a 12-week period. During the first month, the first part of the
withdrawal will be carried out, while the PA will be obligated to cooperate
with Israel on security matters "unconditionally and on all levels."  In
addition, permanent-status talks will begin, and Arafat will issue an
administrative order against incitement.  During the second phase, Israel
will continue its withdrawal, while Arafat will approve a law providing for
the systematic collection of illegal weapons, and discussion of extradition
of terrorists will begin. During the 12th week, Israel will complete the
withdrawal. 

Ha'aretz reports that other Palestinian obligations under the American
proposal include not undertaking unilateral steps to change the status of
Yesha before May 4, 1999, not challenging Israel's status in the United
Nations, and not enabling construction in Israeli-controlled areas.
Israel, on the other hand, will be obligated not to expand existing Yesha
communities outside of immediately contiguous areas, not to expropriate
lands for use other than for by-pass roads, and not to raze illegal Arab
buildings.

2. NEGOTIATION NEWSBYTES
The Prime Minister will convene the coalition-party faction leaders this
afternoon and brief them on the negotiations with the Palestinians...
President Ezer Weizmann, who has bemoaned the lack of progress in the Oslo
process of late, breakfasted this morning with Prime Minister Netanyahu.
Afterwards, he said, "I am a tiny drop more optimistic," prompting
speculation that an agreement was close.  He said, however, that nothing
was certain...  Likud MK Benny Begin threatened again today to vote
no-confidence in Netanyahu if he withdraws from "even one dunam;" his party
colleague Ruby Rivlin said he would vote against the government, but
stopped short of saying he would vote to bring it down.

David Bar Illan, Director of Policy Planning and Communications in the
Prime Minister's Office, told Arutz-7 correspondent Yedidya Atlas today,
"Israel has not agreed to any specific proposal.  Negotiations are still
going on.  We will not implement any redeployment until we know the scope
of the third and final withdrawal, and until there is a firm linkage
between the steps of compliance by the PA and our withdrawal from
additional territory.  Israeli security and particularly that of the Yesha
communities are a primary consideration in everything we do."

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

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 and Interview: Friday, June 5, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Friday, June 5, 1998 / Sivan 11, 5758 
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
  --- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. AGREEMENT NEARS COMPLETION
  2. TEKUMAH, AND OTHER ANTI-WITHDRAWAL ACTIVITIES
  3. NRP's PORAT STANDING FIRM

* * * SPECIAL INTERVIEW with Ketzaleh

1. AGREEMENT NEARS COMPLETION
Israel and the United States are in the final stages of formulating
the agreement for a further withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.  The
agreement speaks of a 15% joint second-and-third withdrawal.  Minister
Ariel Sharon continues to object to such a large retreat; he has
criticism of the National Religious Party for its acceptance of the
agreement, and of the residents of Yesha for what he calls "the
silence of the settlers."

2. TEKUMAH, AND OTHER ANTI-WITHDRAWAL ACTIVITIES
The Land of Israel front in the Knesset and the Yesha Council are
stepping up their struggle against the government's withdrawal plan. 
Constant demonstrations outside the Prime Minister's Office and the
homes of the government ministers are planned, as well as helicopter
flights for Likud and NRP members in the skies of Yesha.  The Tekumah
movement - recently established as a possible alternative to the NRP -
published giant ads in the newspapers today, showing the critical
dangers of the planned withdrawal for the Yesha communities.  Tekumah
warns that it will run in the coming elections if the NRP does not
resign from the coalition in the event that a government decision to
withdraw is made.  See below for a full interview with Yaakov Katz
(Ketzaleh), one of the founding members of Tekumah.

3. NRP's PORAT STANDING FIRM
Arutz-7 correspondent Kobi Sela notes that members of the coalition
expressed astonishment that no one from the NRP was present at
yesterday's meeting between Prime Minister Netanyahu and
coalition-party Knesset faction heads.  The  meeting dealt with the
withdrawal negotiations and plans.  NRP leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy is
not in Israel, and no one substituted for him at the meeting.  MK
Chanan Porat (NRP), when asked by Arutz-7 today if he would join
Tekumah, said, "I don't know.  First we are trying everything we can
in order to stop this withdrawal."


SPECIAL INTERVIEW with Ketzaleh, published in Hebrew in today's
edition of HaTzofeh by: Shaul Shiff

Ketzaleh (Yaakov Katz), one of the forces behind the founding of the
new Tekumah movement, does not need to be introduced.  Ketzaleh is
Ketzaleh, beloved even by those in the left wing.  Still, just for the
record, here are a few words about him:  Chairman of the Board of
Directors of Arutz-7; Director-General of the Beit El Yeshiva Center
institutions and of Yeshivat Hesder Har Brachah; was assistant to
Minister Ariel Sharon for Settlement Affairs between 1991 and 1993,
and was the man directly responsible for the construction in eastern
Jerusalem, and communities in the Golan and in Yesha.  He was a Yom
Kippur War hero, and his sons continue in his way, serving in elite
units of the IDF.  Ketzaleh explained to me what actually is the
purpose of Tekumah.

Q. Don't you think that Israel must honor its written and signed
agreements, including the Oslo agreement?

A. Tekumah was established in ordered to prevent the continuation of
this destructive and suicidal process that the previous government,
together with the Arab MKs, undertook against the will of a Jewish
majority of the Knesset.  And now, the process of giving away portions
of our holy land to foreigners is continuing with a Jewish majority! 
This is a desecration of the Name of God, and it must be stopped.  The
National Religious Party was the only large party that spoke clearly
and unambiguously as a guardian of Eretz Yisrael.  The late NRP leader
Zevulun Hammer said that it was because of this - and I heard this
directly from his loyal and close aide, Menachem Cohen - that the NRP
rose in the last election from 6 mandates to 9.  The increase came
despite the fact that in the four years before the elections
(1992-96), the NRP did not help in building schools or religious
institutions and was unable to dole out government funds.  Instead, it
sat in the opposition and waved the banner of Eretz Yisrael, and was
rewarded by the public with a 50% growth in mandates.  This means that
the vast majority of NRP voters, including the party's secular
supporters, believe in values and principles, and wants to know
whether the NRP has lived up to its promises to its voters.

>From here we see that the only way to preserve this government, and
to ensure that the Prime Minister remains in his position, and to ensure
that the NRP goes up from 9 to 12 or more mandates, and to preserve
the Land of Israel in our hands - the only way to do all this is for
the NRP to continue to stand firmly, with strength and self-sacrifice,
totally against any further withdrawals from Eretz Yisrael.  This is
the job of Tekumah - to make sure that the NRP remains true to its
principles.  Tekumah was established by heads of Yesha communities,
leaders of Chayil (secular supporters of the NRP) and many NRP rabbis
for just this purpose.

Q. What, you think that the NRP will not remain true to its
principles? 

A. This suspicion began to arise when we met with NRP
leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy about three weeks ago.  It was made clear
during this meeting that the general public in Israel, including the
national-religious public, does not understand the significance of a
withdrawal, whether it is of 9% or 13%. Furthermore, it became clear
that even the government ministers do not understand the ramifications
of this withdrawal on the security of the Yesha residents and for the
entire State of Israel.  Despite all this, we could feel in the air
that Rabbi Levy's position was that the NRP ministers would vote
against the withdrawal, but would not necessarily topple the
government.

The position of the Yesha residents was that this message that the
government will not fall, even in the face of a possible 13%
withdrawal, was being received loud and clear by the Prime Minister. 
It was at this point that the Yesha leaders, in consultation with
"Greats of Israel" [leading rabbis], decided to establish Tekumah. 
This was a way of telling the NRP that in the event that the Prime
Minister decides to withdraw and to transfer parts of Eretz Yisrael to
foreigners, and the NRP does not prevent this by toppling the
government - on that day Tekumah will no longer be a movement but
rather a political party.

The heads of Tekumah estimate that the fear of a split by the NRP
leaders will prevent the withdrawal, will preserve the integrity of
the Land of Israel, will preserve the Prime Minister, and will help
the NRP itself become even stronger.

Q.  What is so dangerous about this second withdrawal?

A. This is not only a redeployment. it is a retreat.  The consequences
will be that the communities on the mountain ridge, such as Beit El,
Ofrah, Shilo, Eli, Brachah, Yitzhar, Elazar, Karmei Tzur, and Kiryat
Arba, will become small enclaves and ghettos within Palestinian
territory, just as Netzarim is today in the Gaza Strip.

Every entry and exit in and out of these communities will have to be
accompanied by the security forces, and the residents of central
Israel will face a tangible danger.  Palestinians with weapons of all
types will be circulating freely in areas 3-5 kilometers (2-3 miles)
from Rosh Ha'Ayin, Shoham, and Petach Tikvah, from Modiin, Afula, and
Jerusalem.

Q. Netanyahu doesn't know all this?

A.  Everyone knows that the Palestinians are systematically preparing
themselves for a war against Israel.  They are building bunkers, they
are smuggling weapons via tunnels, and they perpetually incite for the
destruction of Israel and for a Palestinian take-over of the entire
area of the State of Israel.  This is known by all the government
ministers, the Prime Minister, all the Knesset Members on the right
and on the left, and all the reporters and media people who are
involved in this issue.  And yet, they still continue along this path
of destruction because of the unflagging pressure of the Israeli
media.  They have this desire to preserve this temporary quiet, and
then they say, "let's feed a zebra to the lion so that he'll continue
to be quiet in the meantime."

Q. And what about American pressure?

A. There is no American pressure.  If there is, it is not effectual,
because neither of the two houses of Congress are controlled by the
Administration party, and Congress happens to be friendly to Israel.
Everyone knows that there will be no reciprocity, that terrorists will
not be extradited, that the illegal Palestinian weapons will not be
reduced or confiscated.  The American proposals are nothing more than
"reciprocity by-pass" formulations.

For the government to take this path is nothing more than a betrayal
of its voters' trust.  The government had promised that it would not
go in the way of its predecessor, which was replaced by the Israeli
public because of the lack of security and its false reports to the
public.

Q.  Why aren't you informing the public of the great dangers presented
to the Yesha communities by this withdrawal? 

A. Today, tens of thousands of people will be able to see exactly what we are talking
about.  We published the "Catastrophe Map" in newspapers throughout
the country.  The map shows the extent of the catastrophe that the
government is planning to bring upon us, and it shows the double and
triple responsibility that now rests upon the national-religious
leaders to remain loyal to their platform and their commitments.

The NRP leaders have the great opportunity to stop this terrible
process which the government is undertaking and which, if it
continues, will lead to its downfall.

Q. Who stands behind you in terms of financial support for activities,
announcements, etc.? 

A. All those who stood behind Binyamin Netanyahu
in Israel and abroad during the last election.  These are people who
want us to present the full truth  of the dangers facing Israel, so
that the government may continue to serve out its full term, with
Netanyahu at its head, and without transferring parts of Eretz Yisrael
to foreigners, and without abandoning Israel's security.

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

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, June 7, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Sunday, June 7, 1998 / Sivan 13, 5758 
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
  --- See below for subscription instructions ---


TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. RABBIS FOR TEKUMAH
  2. 18 COMMUNITIES IN JEOPARDY
  3. IDF PREPARATIONS
  4. NETANYAHU: AGREEMENT NOT READY YET
  5. URI ELITZUR SPEAKS
  6. ALTERNATIVES TO TEKUMAH: NRP "REMAINS LOYAL," OR REFERENDUM


1. RABBIS FOR TEKUMAH
Former Israel Chief Rabbis Avraham Shapira and Mordechai Eliyahu have
come out in favor of the new Tekumah movement as an alternative to the
National Religious Party.  Uri Ariel, chairman of the new movement,
met with Rabbi Shapira this morning, and reported that the two rabbis
are disappointed with the position taken by the NRP on the withdrawal
plans.  The rabbis also categorically denied that they had promised
Prime Minister Netanyahu not to work for the toppling of his
government in the event of another withdrawal.  Channel One television
news reported on Friday night that the rabbis had promised Netanyahu
that they would not call for the toppling of his government.   

2. 18 COMMUNITIES IN JEOPARDY
A Defense Ministry document determines that a second withdrawal in the
format presently under discussion would turn 18 Jewish towns in Yesha
into Palestinian-surrounded enclaves.  (A Yesha Council report counts
more than 20 such communities.)  The endangered communities include
Ganim and Kadim in northern Samaria, Beit El in Binyamin, Beit Haggai
and Telem in the south Har Hevron region, and others.  In addition,
four important IDF army bases will be isolated and surrounded by
Yasser Arafat's territory.  In total, some 40% of Judea and Samaria
will come under Palestinian Authority control, according to the plan,
including sections of the by-pass roads that were paved over the past
three years.

Arutz-7 corespondent Haggai Huberman reports that several high-ranking
commanders in the Central Command have expressed private displeasure
at the damage to security interests that the planned withdrawal will
cause.  O.C. Central Command Gen. Uzi Dayan, soon to be named Deputy
Chief of Staff, told a leader of one Yesha community that the Yesha
residents should wake up and realize that "unpleasant things are about
to happen to them."  

3. IDF PREPARATIONS
The Central Command has, over the past months, stepped up its training
exercises for fighting in built-up areas.  This is in light of the
increasing possibility that a violent conflict may erupt with the
Palestinian para-military police army, requiring a re-liberation of
the cities of Judea and Samaria.  The preferred alternative in the IDF
is to surround and cut off the cities in which there is violence, but
the army is assuming that this may not suffice.

4. NETANYAHU: AGREEMENT NOT READY YET
The Cabinet convened this morning in Jerusalem for its weekly
government meeting.  Prime Minister Netanyahu did not present the
second-withdrawal plan today, preferring instead that the Cabinet vote
on it only after all the details are known and presented to the
government.  He told the ministers that a final agreement is not as
close as some think, and that certain issues have not been worked out.
 Mr. Netanyahu is waiting for answers from the Palestinian Authority
regarding a third withdrawal and the Israeli demand to change the PLO
charter calling for Israel's destruction. As of now, the Palestinians
have rejected the Israeli proposal to withdraw from an additional 2%
of Yesha in the third withdrawal.  Arafat's special advisor Ahmed Tibi
said that the Palestinian National Council will never convene to
change the charter, since "it has already done so."

5. URI ELITZUR SPEAKS
Director of the Prime Minister's Office, Uri Elitzur, spoke with
Arutz-7's Yehoshua Mor-Yosef today.  He said:  "It has been in the
American interest to see headlines that feature the percentages of
land to be transferred, while it is in the Israeli interest to have
the topic of reciprocity be the main topic.  Unfortunately, the
Israeli press has gone along more with the American approach.  When
both the Prime Minister's office and the State Department give press
briefings, the papers tend to quote the American statements.  The fact
is that the lion's share of our negotiation efforts go into the topic
of ensuring reciprocity."  

Elitzur said that the pressure of certain left-of-center elements
within the government to rush the negotiations weakens the Israeli
position.  He admitted that the withdrawal would not be a positive
development for several Yesha communities:  "In any negotiation, each
side comes with his position, and then the struggle for a compromise
begins.  No one gets exactly what he wants, ever.  I can only say that
the final result appears to be much closer to the Israeli position
than to the Palestinian position."

Atty. Elyakim Haetzni of Kiryat Arba, reacting to Elitzur's words,
said, "I don't know whether to laugh or to cry.  All the compromising
was already done during the Hevron agreement!  We were promised then
that we could determine the extent of the withdrawal, and that the
Palestinians would fulfill all their commitments.  Now that we come to
demand what we were promised, we are told that we have to compromise?!
 How many times do we have to pay for the same goods?!"

6. ALTERNATIVES TO TEKUMAH: NRP "REMAINS LOYAL," OR REFERENDUM
Uri Ariel, chairman of the new Tekumah movement, said today that the
new party hopes that it will not have to run in the next election, and
that the very threat of its formation will hopefully convince the NRP
to remain loyal to its platform.  He said that the debacle of 1992 -
when the splintered right-wing lost the election - is very much in the
minds of the Tekumah leaders, and that the party would do all it could
to ensure that such a scenario does not recur. "Of course, if the NRP
does what it was elected to do, then there will be no need for a new
party altogether," he said.

Prime Minister Netanyahu met with MK Nisan Slomiansky of the NRP last
night.  The Prime Minister attempted to convince Slomiansky not to
topple the government in case a withdrawal is decided upon. 
Slomiansky, together with party colleagues Chanan Porat and Tzvi
Hendel, remain unconvinced.  

MK Chanan Porat, when asked about the Tekumah threat, said the
following: "First of all, I am sure that once the full details of this
plan become known, and the full extent of the catastrophe becomes
clear, most of the Knesset Members of the NRP will come out against it
and vote as one to topple the government.  Even Minister Shaul
Yahalom, who said that he will have to accept a withdrawal that does
not deal a 'fatal blow' to the Yesha communities - and I regret his
remarks, because it leaves room for doubt about our intentions - even
he will be convinced, because the withdrawal plan in fact deals a
death blow to the entire Yesha enterprise, for how many Jews will be
willing to live here under these circumstances?"

"However," continued Porat, "if despite this, the NRP Knesset Members
are still not convinced, then I agree that something drastic and
dramatic has to be done - but not to form a break-away party.  Rather,
I propose that a popular referendum be held among all those who see
themselves as supporters of the national-religious Zionist camp.  I am
sure that most of these people will object to such a blow to the Eretz
Yisrael enterprise, and will help direct the NRP back to its proper
path.  Any split is bound to lead to discord and arguing."

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

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, June 8, 1998

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Monday, June 8, 1998 / Sivan 14, 5758 
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
  --- See below for subscription instructions ---


TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. EARLY BUDS OF AN ARAB JERUSALEM POLICE FORCE? 
  2. PORAT AND SHARON

1. EARLY BUDS OF AN ARAB JERUSALEM POLICE FORCE?
Uniformed Palestinians are engaged in guard duty in the Old City of
Jerusalem.  Jewish residents in the old Jewish Quarter (known today as
the Moslem Quarter) have complained that for the past week they have
noticed the unformed Arabs standing guard outside Arab stores,
presenting themselves as employees of a protection company.  However,
the residents suspect that they are actually Palestinian policemen,
marking the introduction of the Palestinian para-military police in
Jerusalem.  MK Rehavam Ze'evi  (Moledet) has requested from Internal
Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani to investigate the matter.

2. PORAT AND SHARON
MK Chanan Porat has met with government ministers over the past few
days, in order to attempt to convince them to vote against the planned
withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.  He met last night with Minister
Ariel Sharon, who is scheduled to speak before the NRP Central
Committee on Thursday night.  

***********************************************************************
1