Subject: Israel in the News: June 8-14, 1998
Date:    Fri, 19 Jun 1998 00:04:57 +0000
To:      "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>

 

From:    Eddie Chumney
To:      heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: Israel in the News


                        Israel in the News
                        June 8 to 14, 1998


JERUSALEM

JEWISH SETTLERS TAKE OVER JERUSALEM HOMES
June 8, 1998 Jerusalem

Jewish settlers took over four homes in Arab East Jerusalem
overnight, igniting scuffles in which a leading Palestinian was
injured, Israeli police  said on Monday.  Faisal al-Husseini, the
Palestinian official responsible for Jerusalem affairs, said he
was hit on the head, apparently by a stone, when he joined
Palestinians and Israeli peace activists in confronting the
settlers.

Saeb Erekat, chief Palestinian peace negotiator, warned of the
potential for "major grave consequences'' if the settlers were
not evicted.  Peace activists and Palestinian residents said the
land was owned by Arabs.  But an Israeli spokesman, David
Bar-Illan, said members of the right-wing Elad  group owned the
homes.  "This is an absolutely legal transaction,'' he told
Reuters.

FAISAL HUSSEIN ISSUES A CALL TO MOSLEMS; "COME AND LIVE IN
JERUSALEM"
(IsraelWire-6/8)

The PLO Authority (PA) Minister of Jerusalem Affairs, Faisal
Husseini, has issued a call to Arabs and the Moslem world, to
"come to Jerusalem and set up roots in the capital." Husseini
stated if necessary, he will enlist the masses who will turn out
innumber, to protect the "Islamic and Arabic character of the
city." The PA minister was addressing a conference of
international youth dealing with Jerusalem.  The event took place
in Morocco.

PALESTINIANS CALLED TO `MOBILIZE' AGAINST JEWISH SETTLEMENT
June 10, 1998 By Hilary Appelman, Associated Press Jerusalem (AP)

A top Palestinian official today called for the Palestinian
people to "mobilize to defend Jerusalem'' against the expansion
of Jewish settlements.  Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Ahmed Abdel
Rahman reacted angrily to the Israel Interior Ministry's decision
Tuesday to approve the construction of new housing for a Jewish
religious seminary in east Jerusalem on land originally slated
for an Arab girls school.

"This decision by the Israeli government is a continuation of the
Israeli aggression toward the city of Jerusalem in order to make
it a Jewish city and deport all the Arab citizens from
Jerusalem,'' Abdel Rahman told The Associated Press in the Gaza
Strip.  "The people have to mobilize to defend Jerusalem and the
holy places.''

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat called the Israeli decision
"another violation'' of the Israel-Palestinian peace agreements,
which say neither side should make unilateral changes to the
status quo before a final peace settlement that would determine
the fate of Jerusalem.


PREPARATIONS FOR WAR

IDF TRAINING TO FIGHT IN BUILT-UP AREAS IN WEST BANK TOWNS
Kahl's I & G News 6/12/98 Hatzofe in Hebrew 7 Jun 98 pp 1, 2
Report by Moti Zaft

The IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] Central Command has in recent
months trained its units to fight in built-up areas in case a
violent confrontation breaks out with the Palestinian police that
will require the reoccupation of the Palestinian autonomy towns.

The increase in such training is due to assessments that the
likelihood of such a confrontation has risen in the wake of the
Palestinian inflexibility, which is causing a deadlock.  During
the exercises the soldiers are trained in fighting in built-up
areas.

Still, the IDF strategy is to do everything possible to prevent a
reentry into the Palestinian towns even if such a confrontation
breaks out and to maintain that possibility as a last option to
be used only if there is no alternative.

The lesson of the exercise held by the Central Command about a
year ago, which trained the units to fight the terrorists' army
in Judaea and Samaria, showed that the IDF could come out of such
a violent confrontation with the Palestinian police with low
casualties on our side and with a large number of casualties on
the Palestinian side.

RUSSIAN TECHNOLOGY PROVIDING SYRIA WITH ADVANCED WEAPONRY
(IsraelWire-6/11)

Russia has sold its advanced Cornet anti-tank missile system to
the Syrian government.  It is considered to be among the more
sophisticated anti-tank missiles available.  According to IDF
intelligence reports, the acquisition of the new missiles by the
Syrians is a major leap forward for Syria, and a worrisome one
for Israel.  Despite this, intelligence officials have not
altered their assessment, maintaining a Syrian offensive against
Israel is most unlikely at this time.  The Russian media reports
that Syria will receive over 1,000 of the advanced missile
systems, which have a range of 5.5 kilometers (3.3 miles).  The
system is laser guided, extremely accurate, and may be fired from
an armored personnel carrier.

PENTAGON TO SELL PATRIOT MISSILE SYSTEM TO ISRAEL
June 12, 1998 Washington (AP)

The Pentagon plans to sell a $73 million Patriot missile system
to Israel.  Israel needs this surface-to-air equipment, which
will include radar sets, spare and repair parts and support and
test equipment, to continue the upgrade of its air defense
capabilities, a Pentagon statement said Friday.    "The proposed
sale of this equipment and support will not affect the basic
military balance in the region,'' said the statement.  "There
will be no adverse impact on U.S.  defense readiness as a result
of this proposed sale.''   "This proposed sale will contribute to
the foreign policy and national security of the United States by
helping to improve the security of a friendly country,'' added
the statement.

US MIDDLE EAST TERROR WARNING
Washington, DC (EmergencyNet News)  6/12/98

The United States said on Friday that it is increasing security
at embassies and other facilities in the Middle East and South
Asia and is advising U.S.  citizens to be alert and inconspicuous
when traveling in the region.  The U.S.  State Department said it
was taking seriously a renewed threat from exiled Saudi dissident
Osama bin Laden, who told ABC News this week he would target all
Americans in his jihad (holy war) on U.S.  forces in the region.
In a Public Announcement that was issued on Friday, the DoS said:
"In an apparent reference to Americans, he (bin Laden) said that
he did not distinguish between military and civilians.  Both
groups are targets." The Public Announcement also noted that bin
Laden, during a 26 May news conference, implied that some type of
terrorist action could be mounted within the next several weeks.

CLINTON SEEKS $294 MILLION FOR CHEMICAL WEAPONS PROTECTIONS
June 8, 1998 Washington (AP)

President Clinton asked Congress on Monday for $294 million to
help protect Americans against chemical and biological attacks.
The request followed weeks of administration warnings about the
country's vulnerability to terrorists using such weapons.

NATO HOLDS MILITARY DRILLS IN NORTH CAROLINA
By Misti Lee, Camp LeJeune, N.C.  (Reuters) June 6, 1998

Soldiers from 12 former Soviet bloc nations practiced riot
control, cleared simulated mine fields and battled phantom
snipers Saturday in NATO-sponsored military exercises in North
Carolina. About 2,000 foreign troops from NATO "Partnership for
Peace" nations joined American, Canadian and Dutch soldiers for
the largest NATO exercise in the United States this year,
officers said.  The operation, named "Cooperative Osprey '98,"
runs through Wednesday at the Camp LeJeune U.S.  Marine Corps
base in North Carolina.  NATO's "Partnership for Peace" is a
military cooperation program with some two dozen states in
eastern Europe and Asia, many of whom already participate in
NATO-led missions.


PEACE PROCESS

ARAB NATIONS IN UN SLAM ISRAEL
(IsraelWire-6/7)

Arab member nations of the United Nations Saturday spoke out
against Israel and its nuclear capability.  The statements
coincided with the Security Council condemnation of India and
Pakistan, for their recent nuclear tests.  Member nations
criticized the international body for not taking steps to force
Israel to disarm itself of its nuclear weaponry.  Among those
leading the attack against Israel was the Egyptian ambassador.

ARAFAT PROMISES A PALESTINIAN STATE WITHIN TWO YEARS
BONN (June 7, 1998, AFP)

Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat said he was confident a
Palestinian state would be created by 2000 despite fierce Israeli
opposition, in an interview with a German newspaper to appear
Monday.  "I do not threaten, I keep my promises; this state will
certainly become a reality before the turn of the century,"
Arafat told Die Welt.  "We cannot obtain our independence or
freedom unless we declare a state for the Palestinians," he said.

NETANYAHU CONSIDERING REFERENDUM ON TROOP WITHDRAWAl
June 9, 1998 By Dafna Linzer, Associated Press Tel Aviv, Israel
(AP)

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is seriously considering
letting the Israeli public vote on a U.S.  proposal for a further
troop withdrawal from the West Bank, his aide said Tuesday.

Palestinians, who have already accepted the American proposal,
criticized the move as a stalling tactic and called on Israel to
implement peace accords it has already agreed to.

But Netanyahu insisted public input was important on such a
crucial decision.  "It is obligatory, above all, that there be
broad public support so the rifts in the nation will heal and we
have domestic peace, not just external peace,'' he said in an
interview on Israel Radio.


'FOREIGN REPORT': SYRIA EAGER TO RESUME TALKS
By Douglas Davis  London (June 14) Jerusalem Post

Syria is demonstrating greater willingness and flexibility in
contacts aimed at resuming peace talks with Israel, according to
Foreign Report, the weekly newsletter published in London.  The
newsletter, published on Thursday, quotes "well-placed sources"
as saying that recent weeks have witnessed considerable
"creativity" by the Syrians in attempting to find a formula that
will permit the resumption of talks.

While Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has already agreed to
"take note" of non-binding agreements reached by previous Israeli
administrations, the Syrians are now willing to accept that the
previous agreements will serve as a "basis" for talks in the
future.

The new diplomatic ambiguity from Damascus is said to reflect a
growing apprehension that Syria will again be left on the
sidelines as Israel strikes a separate deal to extricate its
troops from the security zone in south Lebanon.  Syria is
concerned that it has failed to scuttle Israel's initiative over
a withdrawal and is reportedly apprehensive over efforts by both
Washington and Paris to encourage Lebanon to accept the plan,
based on UN Resolution 425.

By the same token, the resumption of talks with Syria could
remove some of the pressure on Netanyahu - from Washington and
his own domestic constituency - to reach a deal with the
Palestinians.   The newsletter quotes sources in Netanyahu's
office as say that he would go "a long way" to accommodate the
Syrians.

HAMAS SAYS IT BEING ASKED TO PARTICIPATE IN ARAFAT GOVERNMENT
June 13, 1998 Gaza City, Gaza Strip (AP)

The radical Islamic group Hamas said Saturday it is weighing an
invitation to join the government of Palestinian leader Yasser
Arafat.  Hamas, which bitterly opposes the peace accords between
the Palestinians and Israel, has never before sought an official
position in the Palestinian Authority.  However, Hamas
representatives were asked to meet Tuesday with Arafat to discuss
participation in the next government, said Hamas spokesman
Mahmoud Zahar.  "This offer is being studied in Hamas right now,
and we will respond in the right time,'' he said.

Tayeb Abdel Rahim, the secretary-general of Arafat's office,
confirmed the government's overture to Hamas.  "We are inviting
all factions   those who participate in the government and those
who do not, including Hamas   to participate in consultations on
the new government,'' he said Saturday.

Arafat is reshuffling his government in the coming week to avoid
a no-confidence vote by the Palestinian Legislative Council.  The
potential rapprochement could signal an attempt by Arafat to
neutralize the growing Hamas challenge to his authority.  But the
effort could also complicate Arafat's dealings with Israel and
the United States.  The two countries have been pressuring the
Palestinian leader to crack down on militant groups like Hamas,
which has killed scores of Israelis in recent suicide bombing
attacks.


PREPARATION FOR MILLENIUM

ISRAEL PREPARING FOR THE MILLENIUM PILGRIMAGES
(IsraelWire-6/9)

According to officials in the Ministry of Tourism, as many as 4.5
million Christian pilgrims will visit Israel during the year
2000, to retrace the steps of Jesus in Jerusalem.  Tourism
officials are still developing plans to cope with the anticipated
gridlock that will exist in the Old City, particularly in the Via
Dolorosa and other prominent Christian sites.

By the time the millenium arrives, a total of $600 million will
have been spent to accommodate the influx of pilgrims.
Yesterday, Tourism Minister Moshe Katzav unveiled the official
logo of the Millenium at the Western Wall, showing the world the
"official logo" of the millenium.  At present, Jerusalem now has
8,000 hotel rooms and it is constructing an additional 2,000 to
meet the demand of the anticipated Christian pilgrims.

ARAFAT INVITES POPE TO BET LECHEM FOR MILLENNIUM
(IsraelWire-6/14)

PLO Authority Chief Yassir Arafat has extended an invitation to
Pope John Paul to visit Bet Lechem (Bethlehem) in the year 2000
and said the Pontiff had reacted positively.

According to a Reuters report, during a brief private audience,
the Pope told Arafat he would pray for the "Palestinian nation"
and that he believed good will by both Israelis and Arabs was
needed to revive the stalled Middle East peace process.
"Certainly, I will pray for you and your nation," the 78-year-old
Pope told Arafat during the public picture taking session after
their private talks.   A Vatican statement issued later said
Arafat, who is on a two-day visit to Italy, told the Pope "of the
tragic situation of the Palestinian people, while the peace
process is threatened by all sides".

"When I met His Holiness this morning, we had wide-ranging talks
on (the millennium celebrations in) Bethlehem.  I also invited
His Holiness to participate with us in this event.  I had a
positive reaction from him," Arafat told reporters afterwards.  A
PA official travelling with Arafat told reporters after the Papal
audience: "The Vatican as always gave its support to any
initiative which could unblock the currently deadlocked peace
process."

The Pope has a standing invitation from Israel, Lebanon and a
number of other countries in the area, as well as from the PA, to
visit Holy Land sites during or before the millennium year
marking the 2,000th anniversary of the birth of Christ.

A Palestinian leader said after talks with Italian officials that
Rome had decided to give $3.5 million more aid to the PA, of
which $2 million will go to Bethlehem for infrastructure and $1.5
million to refugees in camps inside Lebanon.


ANTI-SEMITISM & PREPARATION FOR PERSECUTION

RUSSIAN JEWS SAY ANTI-SEMITISM TESTING THEIR LIMITS
June 8, 1998 By Judith Ingram, Associated Press Moscow (AP)

The cluster of young men loitering across the street from a
Moscow synagogue looked like any other bunch of teen-agers with a
spring evening stretching before them and nothing much to do.
But the 10 soon found their entertainment, chanting: "Beat it to
Israel, Jews! Heil Hitler!''

There was a time when Borukh Gorin might have brushed it off as a
rebellious teen-age outburst, not worth reporting to police.  But
that same day, arsonists attempted to set fire to his synagogue,
and a Jewish cemetery in Siberia was desecrated.  A few days
earlier, a bomb damaged another Moscow synagogue.

"These displays are all tests of how we'll react, how the
authorities will respond,'' said Gorin, editor of the Jewish
monthly Lechayim (To Life).  "If the reaction isn't strong
enough, they'll do it again.''

The recent physical and psychological attacks have frightened
Jews, who had just begun to feel comfortable with their identity
after the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union ended state-sponsored
anti-Semitism.  For the first time in decades, being Jewish
wasn't something to hide in Russia.  Jews no longer faced the
officially propagated image of Israel as a terrorist state or
newspaper caricatures of the Jew as a humiliated weakling or a
conniving thief.

But anti-Semitism didn't melt away with the Soviet state.  New
voices have risen, from rabidly anti-Semitic newspapers sold
across the country to Jew-baiting orators at rallies marking
every national holiday.  Some politicians are increasingly
speaking against a reputed Jewish influence, citing Jews like
powerful financier Boris Berezovsky.  And more extremists are
entering politics, such as the ultranationalist Russian National
Unity paramilitary organization that plans to run in next year's
parliamentary elections.

NETANYAHU OPPOSES NEW "ANTI-MISSIONARY" BILL
Intl Christian Embassy Jerusaelm 6/10/98

The Israeli government will "pass no laws which limit freedom of
religion", Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's media advisor
David Bar-Illan this week reassured Christians concerned about
pending "anti-missionary" legislation.

This latest statement was elicited by the International Christian
Embassy Jerusalem (ICEJ) after a new measure passed preliminary
reading in the Knesset last month calling for a three-year prison
sentence or a NIS 50,000 (approximately US$15,000) fine for
anyone found guilty of "preaching with the intent of causing
another person to change his religion".

In a response to the Christian Embassy this week, Bar-Illan said
the Prime Minister's Office understood Christian concerns about
Pinhasi's bill, and explained: "These preliminary readings are
usually declarative and practically inconsequential.  Bills
introduced by coalition members are routinely voted for, almost
automatically, by all coalition members present.  Then they go to
the relevant committee for deliberations."

Bar-Illan confirmed that the bill was "unacceptable to us" and
reiterated Shetreet's pledge that it would "die in committee".
"Let me assure you again that Israel will pass no laws which
limit freedom of religion and contravene the international
conventions to which it is signatory," he wrote.


ONE-WORLD CASHLESS ECONOMY

CASHLESS SOCIETY PROPOSED FOR THE WELLINGTON CITY NZ
NZ Watch Digest 6/5/98

Mondex NZ says Wellingtonians will have a choice over the
smartcards they use for their electronic cash in the future.
Wellington City plans to introduce disposable stored-value cash
cards for use around town, as part of a step towards widespread
use of smartcards.  "In the future, Wellingtonians will have a
choice over which smartcard they use - Mondex, VISAcash or
potentially others."

Launches and on-going trials of the Mondex system are underway in
places such as New York, Hong Kong, the Unites Kingdom and
Canada.  "Wellington will be linked into a global cashless
community."  Although not mentioned in this specific article,
other news items mentioned that the intentional use of these
cards was for Council services, such as Library payments, rates,
to buy small purchases such as lunches from participating stores,
and phone calls all combined into the one card.  The claim is
that it will be one card, one electronic system, just as they do
with EFT-POS.

MONDEX USA AND BURGER KING LAUNCHES SMART CARD
by David G.W.  Birch - June 8, 1998 via "Koenig's Watch [Bill
Koenig]

Mondex USA and Burger King Corp. are set to launch their joint
smart card test today east of New York City.  For the first time,
a retailer will distribute Mondex cards and allow for reloading
of value on their chips.  The cobranded cards will also be the
first in the country combining Mondex electronic cash with a
retailer's loyalty point system.

The test is scheduled to run six months at four locations in the
Long Island suburbs of East Meadow, Garden City, and Westbury.
Terminals have been operating for two weeks at a store in the
Roosevelt Field Mall -- a "beta site" designed to ensure the
public launch would be bug-free.

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