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. ***********************************************************************