Subject: Arutz-7 News: June 10-17, 1998
Date:    Fri, 19 Jun 1998 00:00:59 +0000
To:      "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>

 

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org> 
Wednesday, June 10, 1998 / Sivan 16, 5758 
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. MORE MKs THREATEN TO TOPPLE GOVERNMENT OVER WITHDRAWAL
  2. RABBI SHAPIRA TO MKs AND RABBIS:  ON ANY WITHDRAWAL - TOPPLE!

1. MORE MKs THREATEN TO TOPPLE GOVERNMENT OVER WITHDRAWAL
The security mini-cabinet convened this morning for yet another
discussion of an upcoming withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.  Deputy
Education Minister Moshe Peled, who met last night with Prime Minister
Netanyahu, said today that Netanyahu had told him that a final
agreement on the withdrawal was still far off.  Peled told Netanyahu
that he intends to act to topple the government if it decides on
another extensive withdrawal. Similar announcements were made this
morning by Knesset Members Eli Gabbai and Avner Shaki of the National
Religious Party.  They met last night with representatives of the new
Tekumah movement on this issue.  Peled, Gabbai, and Shaki thus join
coalition MKs Porat, Begin, Kleiner, Hendel, Slomiansky and others who
have come out publicly in favor of toppling the government in the
event of a withdrawal. 

2. RABBI SHAPIRA TO MKs AND RABBIS:  ON ANY WITHDRAWAL - TOPPLE!
Some 11 Knesset Members of the Land of Israel front met this afternoon
with former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira in his home.  The topic:
stopping the impending withdrawal from Yesha. Also participating at
the meeting were leading nationalist-Zionist rabbis such as Rabbi
Zalman Melamed, Rabbi Eliezer Waldman, and Rabbi Shabtai Zelikovitz;
Tekumah leaders Yaakov Katz (Katzeleh) and Rabbi Menachem Felix; and
former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir.  Rabbi Shapira stated
unequivocally that the Knesset Members of the Land of Israel front,
including those of the NRP, must quit the government if even the
smallest withdrawal is decided upon.

Demonstrations against NRP Minister Shaul Yahalom's lackluster stance
regarding the withdrawal will be held outside his home and opposite
NRP offices in Jerusalem.  Arutz-7 correspondent Yedidya Atlas reports
that the list of MKs who are behind the initiative to vote the
government out of office in the event of any withdrawal has grown, and
is up to about eleven or twelve.

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Arutz Sheva News Service
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Thursday, June 11, 1998 / Sivan 17, 5758 
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NOTE: The map of the withdrawal distributed recently by Tekumah can be
seen at our website at <http://www.a7.org/disastermap.htm>


TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. SENIOR OFFICERS OBJECT TO WITHDRAWAL PLAN, AS DAYAN MOVES UP 
  2.  THE THIRD WAY - THEN AND NOW 
  3. NRP  RABBIS 
  4. NETANYAHU: AGREEMENT DEPENDS ON ARAFAT 
  5. ISRAELIS WANT COMPLIANCE 


1. SENIOR OFFICERS OBJECT TO WITHDRAWAL PLAN, AS DAYAN MOVES UP
Maj.-Gen. Uzi Dayan will leave his position as O.C. Central Command
today, and will be appointed Deputy Chief of Staff of the IDF.  He
will be succeeded in the Central Command by Maj.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon. 
Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi will become O.C. Northern Command, and
Maj.-Gen. Yom Tov Samiyah will remain O.C. Southern Command.  

Gen. Dayan said yesterday that the IDF would require a number of weeks
to prepare for an upcoming withdrawal.  Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai
Huberman said that of late he has heard increasingly strong objections
by very senior military officers to the withdrawal plan.  He says that
the latest plans for a 13% withdrawal include small pieces of the
Judean Desert and the Jordan Valley, which were always generally
considered "non-withdrawable."  He said that this would not be to the
liking of the Third Way party, which calls for withdrawing from more
of the Arab-populated areas and not from the Jordan Valley.  The IDF
is apparently also willing to dismantle important army bases in Judea
and Samaria in order to help reach the required quota of 13%. 
Huberman reports that the Rama and Ofer bases near Ramallah are under
consideration in this regard, as well as army bases in the Jenin area.

2. THE THIRD WAY - THEN AND NOW
Correspondent Huberman has the following report on the Third Way,
which has become the major proponent of continued withdrawals from
Yesha.  He wrote in Hatzofeh that he recently discovered a copy of an
announcement released by the Third Way movement in August 1995,
shortly before it became a political party.  The announcement, which
was formulated as the details of the second Oslo agreement were
becoming known, reads as follows: "The Third Way expresses its horror
at the framework being formulated for the interim agreement, and calls
upon the [Rabin] government not to... bring Israel to a defective and
dangerous agreement which will be a tragedy for generations.  The
transfer of civilian responsibilities removes vital assets from
Israel, and guarantees the PLO the basic components of a state, which
will ... help the PLO push Israel back to the 1949 borders.  Israel is
already now giving up a major part of its negotiating cards, which it
will need for the permanent-status talks.  When the critical subjects
will be negotiated, including the threat on the Green Line and
Jerusalem, Israel will have nothing left to concede.  The agreement
being formulated repeats the same mistake that has characterized the
government's moves since the first Oslo agreement: an Israeli
commitment to withdraw according to a fixed timetable, without making
this contingent upon the fulfillment of the PLO obligations."  

Huberman notes that this stands in stark contrast to recent threats by
Third Way MKs to quit the government if the withdrawals are not
carried out fast enough.

3. NRP RABBIS 
Rabbi Shlomo Aviner of Beit El issued a clarification this morning of
an opinion he expressed yesterday.  Voice of Israel Radio reported his
original announcement, in which he said that despite the severity of
the government's intentions to "cut off parts of our flesh and give
away parts of the Land of Israel," the government should not
necessarily be toppled as a result.  "We must consider the
alternative," he wrote.  "As bad as this government's actions are, a
Labor government would be even worse."  This morning, however, Rabbi
Aviner wrote to MK Chanan Porat that he was merely expressing an
opinion, but that in terms of how to act practically, "we have Rabbi
Avraham Shapira [who has called for the toppling of the government if
it decides to withdraw from Yesha], and who am I next to him?"

Chief Rabbi Tzephaniah Drori of Kiryat Shemonah told Arutz-7 today,
"The question is as follows: a withdrawal can probably be passed in
the Knesset without the NRP, as Labor or others will support it. 
Should the NRP then continue to support the government, claiming that
what happened is already done with?  Or should it say that it has now
lost total confidence in this government to run security and political
matters, and that it will therefore vote against it and topple it?  In
my opinion, for us to innocently claim that 'we were against the
withdrawal but what could we do?' would be a grave mistake.  We have
to make it 100% clear that we cannot allow the government to take the
drastic move of giving away control of the strategic areas of Judea
and Samaria, thus endangering the entire country, allowing a
Palestinian state to stand there, and endangering Israel's water
supplies, and putting the small Yesha settlement enclaves into real
and concrete danger every day... we cannot allow the government to
enwrap itself in self-denial, to sign an agreement that it knows will
not be fulfilled."  Rabbi Drori said that the question "what's the
alternative?" (referring to the possibility that Labor may win the
next election) is totally subsidiary, and cannot be used as a
consideration in questions of this sort.

4. NETANYAHU: AGREEMENT DEPENDS ON ARAFAT
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu related today to the "optimism"
expressed today by Yasser Arafat that Israel will soon reach a
decision on the coming withdrawal.  As he was about to begin a meeting
with the visiting Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer,
Netanyahu said, "Our ability to advance in this process and to
complete does not only depend on our efforts, which we are making, but
also upon the willingness of the Palestinians to fulfill their
commitments towards us, and not only with promises and committees, but
in concrete ways.  It is not only dependent upon Israel."

5. ISRAELIS WANT COMPLIANCE
A Gallup survey has found that less than one-third of adult Israeli
Jews would support a further withdrawal before the Palestinians honor
their Oslo commitment to seize a substantial quantity of illegal
weapons.  IMRA, which commissioned the poll, reports that Gaza
Preventive Security Head Col. Mohammed Dahlan said that he believes it
is true that  "every Palestinian has a gun in his home" and "not many"
have registered them.  Of those who voted for Shimon Peres in the last
election, 33.5% said that another withdrawal should be carried out
only after the Palestinians seize illegal weapons, and 8.6% said that
Israel should not carry out an additional withdrawal under any
circumstances - over 42% in total.

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Arutz Sheva News Service
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Friday, June 12, 1998 / Sivan 18, 5758 
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. NETANYAHU NOT ENCOURAGED BY RABBI
  2. NRP SPLIT FEARED
  3. PA REACTS TO JUDAIZATION OF JERUSALEM
  4. PRO-SECURITY DEMONSTRATION

1. NETANYAHU NOT ENCOURAGED BY RABBI
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had an unsatisfactory meeting today,
from his point of view, with Rabbi Avraham Shapira.  Also
participating at the meeting in the rabbi's home were Head of the
Prime Minister's Office Uri Elitzur, and several persons close to both
Rabbi Shapira and the Yesha communities.  Netanyahu came to explain
why his government agrees to an extensive withdrawal from Judea and
Samaria, but found that the rabbi could not be convinced.  Rabbi
Shapira told him that it is forbidden to withdraw from the Land of
Israel, especially when such a move endangers lives.  He said that he
has advised the Knesset Members of the National Religious Party and
others to topple the government if it decides to withdraw.  

Following the meeting, Yaakov Katz (Katzeleh), among the leaders of
the new Tekumah movement, spoke to reporters and related that when the
Prime Minister asked the famous question to Rabbi Shapira, "What is
the alternative?", the rabbi answered, "The alternative is that you
don't retreat, don't abandon Jewish communities, remain loyal to your
electorate, and you continue to serve as Prime Minister for at least
the next two years."

Netanyahu will meet tomorrow night with Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu,
former Sephardic Chief Rabbi of Israel, who has expressed similar
opinions to those of Rabbi Shapira.  The Prime Minister claims in
private discussions that he cannot halt the process of withdrawals
because an international coalition would arise against Israel, and the
left would return to power. He says - privately - that he will annex
all of Area C (under Israeli control) to Israel if and when Arafat
declares an independent state.

2. NRP SPLIT FEARED
A reduced forum of the NRP leadership decided last night, at the
conclusion of a stormy meeting, that it does not negate an additional
withdrawal from Yesha.  The decision states that the party will fight
to ensure that the extent of the withdrawals be kept to a minimum. 
Party leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy fears that a government decision to
withdraw will lead to a split in the NRP. 

3. PA REACTS TO JUDAIZATION OF JERUSALEM
The Jewish settlement activities in eastern Jerusalem are causing
concern in the Palestinian Authority.  An announcement released by the
PA leadership last night stated, "We will not agree to be silent in
the face of the creeping cancerous attack of settlements in our holy
city, and we will not sit with our hands folded."  Itim reports that
the PA decided to establish committees to "protect Jerusalem against
settlement activities." Of late, four Jewish families have moved into
Jewish-owned buildings in Shiloach, pre-construction excavations have
begun on Ateret Cohanim property near the Flower Gate in the Old City,
and preliminary approval has been given that would allow the
construction of some 50 Jewish apartments at Yeshivat Beit Orot on Mt.
of Olives.

4. PRO-SECURITY DEMONSTRATION
A demonstration is planned against the deteriorating security
situation in parts of Yesha for tomorrow night.  Outside the community
of Adurah, on the Trans-Judea highway, residents will gather and
demand that the IDF step up their protection for Yesha residents. 
Bullets were shot at a Jewish car on Wednesday in the latest incident;
no one was hurt.

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Arutz Sheva News Service
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Sunday, June 14, 1998 / Sivan 20, 5758 
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. NRP TO MEET WITH CHIEF RABBIS 
  2. AOL ACQUIRES ISRAELI COMPANY FOR $287 MILLION

1. NRP TO MEET WITH CHIEF RABBIS
Following Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's meeting on Friday with
former Chief Rabbi Avraham Shapira, he met last night with former
Sephardic Chief Rabbi Eliyahu. Both rabbis gave him the same message:
a decision to withdraw will mean the resignation of the National
Religious Party from the coalition and the subsequent fall of the
government. 

Minister of Education Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, leader of the National
Religious Party, clarified today that if the NRP decides to quit the
coalition, it will not suffice with "fence-sitting," but will also act
to topple the government.  Rabbi Levy said that the NRP Central
Committee is the only body authorized to decide on such a move, but
that the position of Rabbis Shapira and Eliyahu has decisive weight
among the Committee members.  The NRP Knesset faction will be invited
to meet with the two rabbis this week. 

2. AOL ACQUIRES ISRAELI COMPANY FOR $287 MILLION
The largest on-line internet service provider in the United States,
America On-Line, announced that it has acquired Mirabilis Software for
$287 million, plus an additional $120 million conditional upon the
latter's future operations.  Mirabilis, which was founded in 1996 by
three young Israelis, created a software program for the internet
called ICQ (a play on the words I Seek You), which allows real-time
communications between participating internet users.

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Arutz Sheva News Service
Monday, June 15, 1998 / Sivan 21, 5758 
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See the updated Arab Press Survey page on our website
<http://www.a7.org> 


TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. WITHDRAWAL TALKS
  2. YASSIN PLANS HIS RETURN, WON'T SHARE LEADERSHIP WITH ARAFAT
  3. WORRISOME DEMOGRAPHICS

1. WITHDRAWAL TALKS
The security mini-cabinet convened again this morning to discuss the
proposed additional withdrawal from Judea and Samaria.  Prime Minister
Binyamin Netanyahu continued in his campaign yesterday to attempt to
convince right-wing Knesset Members not to topple his government if he
decides to carry out the withdrawal.

2. YASSIN PLANS HIS RETURN, WON'T SHARE LEADERSHIP WITH ARAFAT
Hamas terrorist spiritual leader Sheikh Yassin said today in Cairo
that he plans to return to Gaza before the end of the week, "to
continue the path of the Jihad."  So far, no decision has been taken
by the Prime Minister's Office on whether to allow Yassin's re-entry
into Gaza.  

Yassin has rejected Arafat's offer to join him in the Palestinian
leadership, saying that such a thing is totally out of the question.
Arafat's offer was a "blatant violation and ridicule of the Oslo
accords," according to the Prime Minister's Office, as the Palestinian
Authority is obligated to "systematically fight against all
expressions of violence and terrorism" - not invite them into their
government.

3. WORRISOME DEMOGRAPHICS
Almost half of the immigrants to Israel from the countries of the
former Soviet Union last year were not Jewish according to Jewish Law
(Halakhah). According to Halakhah, one born to a Jewish mother, or one
who has converted, is Jewish; Israel's Law of Return, which allows any
Jew to immigrate to Israel, recognizes also anyone with a Jewish
spouse, father, or grandparent (if he is accompanied by the Jewish
parent or grandparent). Other statistics released recently show that
Jerusalem's Arab population is growing almost four times faster than
the Jewish population.  In 1967, Arabs made up about 25% of the city's
population, while today it is approximately 30%.  The Arab population
in Jerusalem increased by 3.7% in 1996, while the Jewish population
there increased by 1%.  It was also found that the main reason for
Jewish residents moving out of Jerusalem is the high cost of housing.

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Arutz Sheva News Service
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Tuesday, June 16, 1998 / Sivan 22, 5758 
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. NRP DECISION
  2. NETANYAHU PREPARES FOR FALL
  3. MORDECHAI ECHOES ARAB THREATS
  4. EASY GO, EASY COME
  5. AUSCHWITZ SYNAGOGUE TO BE OPENED

1. NRP DECISION
The Knesset Members of the National Religious Party have decided to
"object" to the proposed withdrawal.  The decision reached last night
states, "The NRP will object to any withdrawal if the Palestinians do
not fulfill all of their Hevron-agreement commitments...  Any
deviation from previous government decisions, and any damage caused to
the communities in Yesha, will place in doubt the NRP's continued
membership in the present coalition."  The decision also includes a
call for the preservation of the integrity of the religious-Zionist
camp. Three members of the Yesha Rabbis Council - Rabbi Melamed of
Beit El, Rabbi Lior of Kiryat Arba, and Rabbi Shilo of Kedumim -
participated in the meeting. 

Members of Chayil - secular supporters of the National Religious Party
- held a protest vigil outside the party headquarters in Jerusalem
today, demanding that a public and unambiguous decision be made to
topple the government if it decides to withdraw from Yesha.

NRP leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, speaking with Arutz-7 today, attacked
his coalition partners in the Third Way party.  He said that MK Yehuda
Harel's visit to the U.S. to discuss the Oslo-process negotiations
with the Americans, and his comments afterwards, "cause damage to
Israel's negotiating position."  Harel said this morning that it is
Prime Minister Netanyahu who is responsible for the halt in the
negotiations, and warned that if an agreement is not signed
immediately, terrorism and violence will resume.

2. NETANYAHU PREPARES FOR FALL
Pre-election preparations were being made this morning at a meeting in
the Prime Minister's Office.  Netanyahu has apparently reached the
double conclusion that the withdrawal is unavoidable and that his
government will fall as a result. 

Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that the Palestinians
have rejected a proposal by Israel to grant a special status to
several by-pass roads in the areas that are to be transferred to them
in the next withdrawal.  Israel suggested that a status equivalent to
that of Area H-2 in Hevron be granted to these roads, along which
Israel would be permitted to establish checkpoints and maintain a
permanent military presence.  Prime Minister Netanyahu hoped that this
would enable him to claim that the Yesha settlements are not being
harmed, as the roads to and from them would be under Israeli military
control.  The Palestinians, however, rejected the idea.

3. MORDECHAI ECHOES ARAB THREATS
Minster of Defense Yitzchak Mordechai said privately last night that
the signing of the withdrawal agreement could wait "a few days, but
certainly not until the end of the summer session of the Knesset in
six weeks... The decision must be made now."  He said that renewed
Arab violence could occur if the withdrawal is put off.  Prime
Minister Netanyahu responded, "Of course, if we would accept the
Palestinian position, we could sign tomorrow."  

Likud MK Benny Begin also responded to Mordechai's remarks.  He told
Arutz-7 today, "As the old Arab adage goes, haste is from the Satan. 
The Defense Minister's job is to ensure that the government is able to
make decisions carefully and with proper consideration, and without
the influence of our enemies' threats.  Unfortunately, the Defense
Minister is serving instead as a mouthpiece for the threats of the
PA."  Begin said, "And if we in fact transfer the land to them, then
there will be no more terrorism?  History has taught us they will
simply use the additional PA areas as places of refuge after attacking
us."  

4. EASY GO, EASY COME
The Palestinians have begun to rebuild three illegal buildings that
were razed by the Jerusalem municipality two days ago in Jabel
Mukhabar. Officials from the Orient House are backing the illegal
re-construction in the south-eastern Jerusalem neighborhood.  Last
night, a U.S. State Department spokesman condemned the razing of the
illegal buildings. 

5. AUSCHWITZ SYNAGOGUE TO BE OPENED
A synagogue and a Jewish cultural center will be opened soon at the
site of the Auschwitz concentration camp. They will be the first
Jewish institutions at the site since World War II.  The initiator of
the idea is California Congressman Thomas Lantos - the only Holocaust
survivor to serve in Congress - who lost dozens of relatives in
Auschwitz.  He said that this will be not only a memorial to the
victims of the Holocaust, but "a bond between the nightmares of the
past and the hopes of the future."

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Arutz Sheva News Service
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Wednesday, June 17, 1998 / Sivan 23, 5758 
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. POLICE RAID ARUTZ-7
  2. MINISTERS MEET WITH PM ABOUT LICENSING ARUTZ-7
  3. REACTION FROM ARUTZ-7
  4. SYMPOSIUM IN OFRAH
  5. WITHDRAWAL NOTES

1. POLICE RAID ARUTZ-7
The Israel Police raided the offices and studios of Arutz-7 National
Radio this morning.  During the two-and-a-half hour "operation," they
searched the building, took documents, and questioned employees of the
station.  The police later explained that the raid was carried out in
accordance with an opinion written by Attorney-General Elyakim
Rubenstein.  They also said that although an earlier previous Supreme
Court restraining order forbade them to close the station, it does not
forbid them to continue the investigation.  Arutz-7 broadcasts
resumed, in fact, shortly before 1 PM.  

The police carried out a similar "operation" at the advertising
offices of Arutz-7 in Tel Aviv today.  They arrived at 10 AM, and
spent the day there.  

2. MINISTERS MEET WITH PM ABOUT LICENSING ARUTZ-7
Transportation Minister Shaul Yahalom, together with Communications
Minister Limor Livnat, Public Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani, and
Education Minister Rabbi Levy, met with Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu this morning, and all agreed that Arutz-7 must be legalized
as soon as possible.  Yahalom said that he understood that it could
very well be only a matter of a day or two before Arutz-7 is granted a
license.  Rabbi Levy told Netanyahu that the government had acted like
a "shlemiel" by not solving this issue during its two years in office,
and he threatened to resign if Arutz-7 is not granted a license to
broadcast from land.  Beit El Mayor Uri Ariel criticized the
government for not living up to its campaign promises to allow Arutz-7
to broadcast from land.  

3. REACTION FROM ARUTZ-7
Arutz-7 Chairman Yaakov Katz (Katzeleh), speaking from the United
States, said, "This is another transparent attempt by the State
Attorney's Office and the police to stifle freedom of speech and to
harm - even to topple - the present government. In a previous police
raid [during the previous government], they confiscated the
transmitters from our boat, but did not find any evidence that we did
anything illegal.  That's why they have not brought any charges
against the station or anyone at the station, and it's been almost
five years now.  We still have not received the transmitters back, and
it cost us hundreds of thousands of dollars.  Now, again: they know
that we are not in violation of any law, that there is no law against
calling a boat by phone and from there transmitting to land, and yet
they continue to try to shut us up..."

"When we started broadcasting ten years ago," Katzeleh said, "we never
expected a rose garden, and in fact the police and political elements
do all they can to shut our mouths. The government promised two years
ago to allow us to broadcast from land, and still has not done so.  We
have learned not to expect anything from the government, nor from the
NRP, and we know that we have to work ourselves for whatever we want. 
Jut like the Jews in Egypt: the more they were oppressed, the more
they flourished and grew, and the same with us - we will grow, because
people want to hear us, and need to hear us. We will soon even have
television broadcasts, with God's help.  Their efforts will not
succeed."

4. SYMPOSIUM IN OFRAH
At a public forum in Ofrah last night, Yesha Council head Pinchas
Wallerstein said that if the upcoming withdrawal is agreed upon
without Palestinian reciprocity and if it causes damage to the Yesha
towns, the government must be toppled "even if the price is the ascent
of Ehud Barak to office - for there will be no longer be a real
difference between him and Netanyahu."  

Uri Elitzur, head of the Prime Minister's Office, who has called upon
his co-residents in Yesha to participate in drawing the map of the
upcoming withdrawal, said, "I see only two alternatives:  a withdrawal
decided upon by Netanyahu, and one decided upon by Barak.  I would
rather have the first one, and we must do all that we can to minimize
the damage."  MK Chanan Porat challenged him, and said, "Answer me
straight:  Under the first alternative, will a Palestinian state
arise, or not?"  Elitzur: "I very much hope not; it is possible to
attain this."

5. WITHDRAWAL NOTES
President Ezer Weizmann is acting to persuade opposition Knesset
Members to vote in favor of the proposed upcoming withdrawal.  He
wishes in this way to neutralize the threat of coalition-party members
of the Land of Israel front to vote against it.  In a meeting with
Labor party leader Ehud Barak, Weizmann did not receive a promise that
Labor would support Netanyahu on the withdrawal...  Prime Minister
Netanyahu met yesterday with Kiryat Arba Rabbis Dov Lior and Eliezer
Waldman.  He did not succeed in changing their minds...  Maariv
newspaper reports that U.S. Secretary of State demanded, in a phone
conversation with Netanyahu, that a decision to withdraw be made by
the end of next week.

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