Subject: Arutz-7 News: June 25-30, 1998 Date: Wed, 1 Jul 1998 00:50:49 +0000 To: "Arutz-7 List"<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il, arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, June 25, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Thursday, June 25, 1998 / Rosh Chodesh Tammuz 5758 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. ARAB MK REFUSES TO RETRACT CALL TO KILL ARABS 2. OBJECTIONS TO REFERENDUM INCREASE 3. ARUTZ-7 SOLUTION SOUGHT 4. SHACHAK'S FEARS 5. U.S. HOLOCAUST ASSETS BILL 1. ARAB MK REFUSES TO RETRACT CALL TO KILL ARABS Arab MK Salah Salim (Hadash) was interrogated by the police this morning, in connection with his call on Tuesday for Palestinians to continue to murder Arab land-sellers. He half-apologized yesterday for exclaiming, "The Arabs who sold land to Jews should be killed and made into minced meat," but many Knesset Members still demand that his parliamentary immunity be removed so that he may stand trial for inciting to murder. Salim said today that he would not retract his words, as "the Palestinian Authority does not need my advice," but offered to "clarify" them if they were misunderstood. A group of loudly-protesting Kach members surrounded his car as he arrived at the police station; he yelled back at them, "You murdered Rabin!" Salim did not answer the questions of the police, and said that he would no longer appear at the Police Minorities Division, but rather at the National Police Headquarters. 2. OBJECTIONS TO REFERENDUM INCREASE Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu apparently does not have a Knesset majority in favor of a referendum on the question of the second withdrawal. Today, Minister of Agriculture Rafael Eitan and Transportation Minister Shaul Yahalom came out against the idea. Eitan said that the way to find out the will of the people is to hold elections. Yahalom said that the referendum is an "artificial solution." President Ezer Weizmann, too, is against, saying that a referendum could be held on an entire peace program, not on a lone stage of an interim agreement. U.S. State Department spokesman James Rubin, speaking of the possibility of a referendum, said, "It is up to the Israeli Government to determine its own internal procedures. Our emphasis remains in the need for rapid progress to reach agreement... Clearly, anything that would delay implementation of a breakthrough would not benefit the parties..." The Prime Minister is pressuring the Knesset Members of Shas to withdraw their objections to the idea. Shas MK Shlomo Benizri told Arutz-7 today, "One morning we suddenly wake up and find that everyone is talking about a referendum. If Netanyahu has achieved all the conditions that he promised us, such as extradition of terrorists, and changing the PLO charter, what does he have to have a referendum for? He already has a mandate for a 'secure peace'! But if he did not succeed in getting all those terms, then what is he throwing it at the public's door for? Is he willing to give in on all those conditions?" There have been reports - not specifically denied by Benizri - that Netanyahu's agreement to legalize a currently-operating non-licensed Shas radio station could be the key to securing Shas' agreement to a referendum. 3. ARUTZ-7 SOLUTION SOUGHT The ministerial committee charged with finding a solution for Arutz-7 is inclined towards allowing the station to broadcast nation-wide. Two of the three ministers on the committee - Rabbi Yitzchak Levy and Limor Livnat - are in favor of having Arutz-7 operate under the supervision of a public board comprised of representatives from the Second Radio and Television Authority and the Yesha Council. Minister Yitzchak Mordechai, however, objects to the idea, and backs Attorney-General Rubenstein's proposal to grant a regional radio license to a Yesha station. Arutz-7 Technical Manager Yoel Tzur, appearing on Israel TV last night, stated, "Abie Nathan's Voice of Peace conducted broadcasts from sea for 22 years. As long as we were anchored next to his ship, the State Attorney's Office never questioned us. When Nathan discontinued his broadcasts approximately four years ago, the State Attorney's Office went after us." 4. SHACHAK'S FEARS IMRA reports that the Knesset spokesman recently released the text of IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Amnon Lipkin-Shachak's remarks to the Knesset Foreign Affairs Committee on June 9. He said, "If we go for a second further redeployment, a situation is created that much larger parts of the area will not be under Israeli security control, that our ability to control the surroundings of some of the routes and some of the settlements becomes harder or impossible... and we encounter a situation in which the dialogue does not exist, then from a security standpoint we will be in a situation very very much harder than exists today." IMRA reports that the public campaign against the further redeployment, which will also involve satiric movies, will make wide use of Shachak's remarks. 5. U.S. HOLOCAUST ASSETS BILL U.S. President Bill Clinton signed into law the "U.S. Holocaust Assets Commission Act of 1998" this week. The bill establishes a Presidential Advisory Commission on Holocaust Assets, which will focus on two things: conducting original research on the collection and disposition of Holocaust-era assets that came under the control of the United States government after Hitler came to power in 1933, and reviewing research already conducted on these assets by public and private entities. The assets include gold, gems, bank accounts, financial instruments, insurance policies, and art works. The Commission is to prepare its final report, including its recommendations, by December 31, 1999. *********************************************************************** 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: Friday, June 26, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Friday, June 26, 1998 / Tammuz 2, 5758 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. CAMPAIGN TO HALT IDF PULL-OUT CONTINUES 2. PA THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAIN 1. CAMPAIGN TO HALT IDF PULL-OUT CONTINUES The tent city erected across from the Prime Minister's office earlier this week in protest of further concessions of land to the Palestinians, has become the temporary home of tens of families. Arutz-7 correspondent Hizki Zisman reports that Prime Minister Netanyahu expressed fury at the decision to establish the protest tents saying that the Yesha (Judea and Samaria) leaders do not appreciate his achievements in the negotiations with the Palestinian Authority. Beit-El Mayor Uri Ariel responded to the report, "No, we do not see the achievements here, but rather the critical dangers of risking the security of the very same Yesha residents who worked so hard to put him office. Therefore all of the local and regional councils in Judea and Samaria unanimously decided to step up the struggle against the proposed IDF retreat." On Sunday, the protestors are holding a public reading of selected excerpts of Netanyahu's book "A Place Amongst the Nations." The last flights of Likud and NRP Central Committee members over the skies of Yesha are being held today. The Yesha Council sponsored the flights in order to point out to the elected representatives of the two parties the precise dangers and risks entailed in a further IDF pull-out. 70% of the members of the Central Committees participated in the aerial tours. According to Yesha Council Sec.-Gen. Aharon Domb, the participants promised to convene the central committees to discuss the planned withdrawal. The Likud Central Office resolved last night that the rough draft of the withdrawal agreement, as it has appeared in the media, does not in any way answer the requirement for reciprocity. Minister Ariel Sharon said again that a withdrawal of more than 9% of Yesha is a blow to Israel's security and vital interests. 2. PA THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAIN The Palestinian Arab leadership convened in Ramallah last night for deliberations on Israel's Jerusalem plan which includes housing and financial benefits to prevent emigration from the capital. In a statement released at the meeting's conclusion, the following condemnation and threat was made: "There will never be peace without Jerusalem, and the Palestinians will not sit with folded arms in face of Israel's actions." ********************************************************************** 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 28, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Sunday, June 28, 1998 / Tammuz 4, 5758 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. COOPERATION WORKS 2. NRP CLOSER TO TOPPLING GOVERNMENT 3. NETANYAHU RESPONDS TO ARAB CRITICS 4. GOV'T MEETING: ARAB BOYCOTT OF YESHA, PA JERUSALEM ACTIVITY 1. COOPERATION WORKS Cooperation between the IDF, the GSS (Shabak), and the police has led to the uncovering of a Hamas terrorist ring. The cell, from Kfar Marka near Jenin, detonated a number of roadside bombs against IDF patrols in the Shechem area over the past month. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that it was revealed during the interrogation that the terrorists' next plan was to detonate a car-bomb next to the police station in Afula. 2. NRP CLOSER TO TOPPLING GOVERNMENT Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu met last night with National Religious Party government ministers Rabbi Yitzchak Levy and Shaul Yahalom to discuss the scheduled withdrawal. Rabbi Levy said today that at this point, the NRP appears to be closer to toppling the government than ever before. He said that if, for instance, Highway #60 - from Jerusalem to Beit El, Ofrah, Shilo, Tapuach, and other communities - is not under Israeli control, "it is almost certain that the NRP will vote to bring down the government." Rabbi Levy said that he told the Prime Minister that above and beyond all the agreements and military arrangements, "the settlement enterprise is our best guarantee for control of the area. If the communities there are hurt, we told him, then we have lost the battle." Transportation Minister Yahalom, who has come in for some party criticism for a perceived toning-down in his position against an upcoming withdrawal, said this morning, "Prime Minister Netanyahu cannot be sure that the NRP will not bring down his government. A decision on this matter will be made based on the map of the proposed withdrawal and its effect on the Yesha communities." In an interview with a weekend paper, he said that if the residents are forced to travel an hour and a half instead of a half hour to get to work in Jerusalem or Tel Aviv, he would see this as an unacceptable blow to the Yesha communities. 3. NETANYAHU RESPONDS TO ARAB CRITICS Egyptian President Mubarak has expressed anger over Prime Minister Netanyahu's proposal for an international summit. Mubarak said that this is Netanyahu's way of attempting to avoid honoring the Oslo agreement. PA Chairman Yasser Arafat expressed similar sentiments today. Netanyahu said in response that his proposal is not an alternative to direct negotiations with the Palestinians, but rather a way to deal with regional issues, such as water rights, environmental issues, transportation, and others. "I suggest to all Arab leaders, and other leaders, not to always criticize Israel for attempting to stand up for its interest. I suggest that they look at the Palestinians, who are solely responsible for holding up the talks by their refusal to carry out their part of the agreement." Prime Minster Netanyahu said that the Israeli-Palestinian talks are currently dealing with the question of how to ensure Palestinian fulfillment of their obligations. "We do not want committees, and words and talk, but we want actions and real Palestinian fulfillment, with dates and schedules. Of course, there are gaps in other areas as well, but we are not dealing with those at present. We are primarily dealing with how to ensure Palestinian compliance." He said that he does not rule out the possibility that the negotiations over the next withdrawal will be concluded before the Knesset leaves for its summer recess at the end of July. 4. GOV'T MEETING: ARAB BOYCOTT OF YESHA, PA JERUSALEM ACTIVITY GSS head Ami Ayalon expressed concern in today's government meeting over the participation of the Israeli-Arab community in the boycott of Yesha produce. The boycott has been called by the Palestinian Authority on produce made by Jews in the Golan Heights, Judea, Samaria, Gaza, and even eastern Jerusalem. Prime Minister Netanyahu has instructed the Attorney-General to examine whether the official Israeli-Arab tracking committee violated any laws when it released an announcement in support of the boycott. Another issue brought up at today's meeting was the freedom of Palestinian operations in eastern Jerusalem. Several ministers expressed sharp criticism over the lack of enforcement of the law against Palestinian Authority in the capital. They decried the fact, too, that action against illegal Arab buildings in Jerusalem has all but halted. ********************************************************************** 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 29, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Monday, June 29, 1998 / Tammuz 5, 5758 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINE: 1. ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL STORM 1. ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL STORM President Ezer Weizmann has aroused yet another storm with his remarks this morning in favor of early elections. Weizmann said that since a popular referendum will apparently not be held, the way to see what the people want is to hold early elections, "and the earlier, the better." MK Nisan Slomiansky (NRP) called upon the President to resign and re-enter politics, since "he cannot seem to overcome his lust for politics." MK Michael Kleiner (Gesher) said, "Weizmann caused damage to himself, and to the institution of the Presidency. I think he is frustrated by having to serve in a position that has no real use, and therefore this position should be done away with." Minister of Health Yehoshua Matza said, "He is acting like the head of the opposition." Even MK Nissim Zvilli, Secretary-General of the Labor party, said, "I agree with what the President said, although I think that he was not the one who should have said it." Weizmann later added that his remarks were not merely a slip of the tongue, but something that he had been meaning to say for a while. "I was merely waiting for the right opportunity," he said. The Prime Minister, appearing in a press conference later today, said, "No one will succeed in causing me to advance the elections." He also said that he has no intention to give in to Palestinian or internal pressures regarding the Oslo process negotiations: "An agreement can be reached only when both sides fulfill their obligations, but the Palestinians are currently unwilling to do so, and are not willing to grant true peace to Israel. They are attempting to create a crisis in the talks so that the internal pressures from the opposition will get me to give in. But I have no intention of doing so," he said. *********************************************************************** From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il,arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, June 30, 1998 Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.a7.org> Tuesday, June 30, 1998 / Tammuz 6, 5758 ------------------------------------------------ Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday --- See below for subscription instructions --- TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. TENT-CITY PROTEST GATHERS MOMENTUM 2. NATIONAL INTERESTS MAP 1. TENT-CITY PROTEST GATHERS MOMENTUM The tent-city protest outside the Prime Minister's Office enters its second week today, as residents of Beit El arrive to take their turn living at the site. They are protesting the apparent government intention to withdraw from large areas of Judea and Samaria, which would leave many Yesha communities as lone enclaves amidst Palestinian autonomous areas. Prime Minister Netanyahu has met with Yesha leaders over the past few days, requesting that they cease their protests against him. 2. NATIONAL INTERESTS MAP Knesset Members of the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee viewed the national interests map for the first time today. The map, which portrays Israel's vital interests in Judea and Samaria, was prepared by the Israeli security forces, and was presented by Maj.-Gen. Shlomo Yannai, head of the IDF Planning Branch. Committee Chairman Uzi Landau and other committee members had strong criticism of the map. MK Nisan Slomiansky said, "This map is very lacking, but even according to this map, we see that there is absolutely no room for a withdrawal without hurting our national security and other interests. If we desire to live, then we cannot withdraw from any more territory. I don't understand why everyone is pressuring Netanyahu for more concessions, since there is simply no room for an additional withdrawal, even according to the maps that the late Yitzchak Rabin himself drew up." ************************************************************************ From: Arutz-7 Editor <editor7@virtual.co.il> To: arutz-7@ploni.virtual.co.il, arutz7-b@ploni.virtual.co.il Subject: Arutz-7 Op-Ed: THE ALTERNATIVE THE ALTERNATIVE by Yedidya Atlas Arutz Sheva Israel National Radio Broadcast on Sivan 29, 5758 / June 23, '98 In This Article: 1. No Choice? 2. Clinton Pressure, No U.S. Pressure 3. Palestinian Violence Will Not Cease 4. Stripped of Security 5. Netanyahu or Netanyahu 1. NO CHOICE? Pick up almost any Israeli newspaper today, and invariably there will be a slew of articles pointing out that Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has no choice but to pursue the course of further unilateral territorial concessions to Arafat and the P.A.. No choice because the Americans are pressuring us. No choice because the Palestinian Arabs will resort to violence, or rather, they will continue to use violence, terrorism et al as an acceptable tool of negotiation. No choice because to cease with our unilateral concessions to Arafat and the P.A. would bring an end to the Oslo peace process. But, of course, we do have a choice. 2. CLINTON PRESSURE, NO U.S. PRESSURE Despite a hyperactive Left wing advocacy media in Israel, there is no real "American pressure". Both Houses of Congress are openly and loudly critical of their own embattled President -- himself embroiled in personal, political and legal scandals -- and his blatantly Arabist State Department. Beyond constant public and private nudging, there is little the Clinton administration can do in the way of real pressure without the cooperation of the U.S. Congress. In fact, given the unusually overt support Mr. Netanyahu has received from the Republican majority in Congress, as well as from not a few Democrats -- not to mention the overwhelming backing voiced by conservative Christian leaders and many top print media columnists and editorial writers -- a cave-in to the empty threats of the Clinton-Albright crew would be a pointless slap in the face of all these American supporters. Moreover, Netanyahu's buckling to the Clinton-Albright ultimatum now, would probably guarantee that all this unprecedented out-on-a-limb support for Israel would disappear. You only have to knife the Americans in the back once to lose their support. 3. PALESTINIAN VIOLENCE WILL NOT CEASE What makes the suggested Israeli policy of further territorial concessions even more incredible is the harsh reality that no Israeli security figure, from Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai on down, denies the claim that giving up an additional 13% of Yesha (the equivalent to 13 times the size of greater Tel Aviv) would cause an deterioration in the security situation. No one is claiming that Arafat would now: -- fight terrorism (his own organizations or of Hamas); -- extradite wanted terrorist murderers to Israel (or the U.S.) for trial from their current safe haven in PA territory; -- cease his own, and other P.A. leaders' incitement to violence against Jews; -- change the Palestinian Covenant which calls for Israel's destruction and all the other things upon which the Oslo Accords were predicated and to which Arafat and his gang committed and have yet to fulfill. 4. STRIPPED OF SECURITY The much-vaunted Oslo Accords together with Mr. Netanyahu's Hebron Accord are very much like the legendary Emperor's new clothes. No one wants to publicly admit that Israeli national security has been stripped naked by this series of defective agreements. Aside from the accords' initial faulty premise, it is beyond comprehension how even a quasi-rational and objective human being can maintain that Israel must continue to carry out tangible concessions in the face of utter non-compliance by Arafat and the P.L.O./P.A.. There is an old adage: "It takes two to make peace, but only one to make war." Our ongoing national give-away in the face of negative reciprocity by the Palestinian Arabs should bring us to the realization that the Oslo Process was seriously flawed from its inception, and that we have lost our own sense of national purpose -- something we can ill-afford to do. 5. NETANYAHU OR NETANYAHU Prime Minister Netanyahu, we are told by his political colleagues, justifies his pursuing a course of further withdrawal, by claiming in effect that he is the lesser of two evils. "What's the alternative," Mr. Netanyahu maintains to those coalition members who threaten to topple his government should he unilaterally implement any withdrawal, "that Ehud Barak become Prime Minister and give away even more to Arafat?" The true alternative for a weak-willed Binyamin Netanyahu -- prepared to unilaterally abandon further parts of the Land of Israel, endanger Jewish lives and violate his voters' trust -- is a determined Binyamin Netanyahu who will choose the responsible course: no further withdrawals (especially with no reciprocity), prevent the isolation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria, and keep his word to his supporters. Thus he will continue to be Prime Minister to the end of this current term and be reelected for another four years. * * * * * * * Yedidya Atlas is a Senior Correspondent for Arutz-7, and comments on geopolitical and geostrategic affairs in the Middle East. ************************************************************************* TO: Friends (and friends of friends) of Bridges for Peace FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Dir. - Jerusalem DATE: June 26, 1998 Weekly News Update and Prayer Focus from Israel Week Ending: June 26, 1998 1) ARAFAT'S LEGAL FRAUD 2) ARAFAT SACKS CABINET 1) ARAFAT'S LEGAL FRAUD by EVELYN GORDON = According to press reports, two issues are still preventing a US-Israel agreement on a second redeployment from Judea and Samaria. One is a fairly new dispute: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's insistence that the third redeployment also be settled now. The other, however, is as old as the Oslo process: the amendment of the PLO Covenant. This is the first promise Yasser Arafat made to Yitzhak Rabin when the Oslo Accords were signed in 1993. Now, five years and several Israeli pullbacks later, Netanyahu is insisting that it finally be fulfilled before he transfers yet more land to the Palestinians. President Bill Clinton has conceded the justice of this demand in principle. All that is separating the two is a seemingly trivial detail: Netanyahu wants the Palestinian National Council to ratify a letter from Arafat listing the articles to be canceled; Clinton says it is enough for the 18-member PLO executive committee to do so. Is it worth risking a confrontation with the US over such a small issue? The answer is, unequivocally, yes because this is far from a trivial matter. First, the covenant is hardly an insignificant document. The founding charter of the PLO, its importance to many Palestinians is similar to that of Israel's Declaration of Independence or the US Constitution. Yet 26 of its 33 articles call for Israel's destruction or advocate violence against Israel. It is no accident that its amendment was the first demand Rabin made of Arafat during the Oslo talks. If the Palestinians were not even willing to eliminate such statements from their covenant, how could their claims of peaceful intentions be taken seriously? This being the case, the issue is too important for Israel to accept a fraud. And Clinton's proposal is exactly that: a legal fraud of the highest order. The covenant itself stipulates that it can only be amended by a two-thirds vote of the approximately 600-member PNC. Therefore, under the Palestinians' own legal framework, the PLO executive has no more power to annul sections of the covenant than the Clinton or Netanyahu cabinets haveto annul laws passed by their respective legislatures. (IRIS, June 23) PRAYER FOCUS: Pray that God will strengthen Netanyahu's resolve to make right decisions in the face of incredible pressures. SCRIPTURE: "The lips of a king speak as an oracle, and his mouth should not betray justice" (Proverbs 16:10). 2) ARAFAT SACKS CABINET Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has sacked his cabinet and announced he will be forming a new one within two weeks. The move comes following a report on widespread corruption in Arafat's Palestinian administration, forestalling a vote of no confidence threatened by the Palestinian Legislative Committee. They are also angry that Arafat has not yet ratified a constitution and basic law for the fledgling autonomy. European aid donors have also been pressing for proper accounting procedures for aid delivered to Palestinians. Feisal Husseini, currently minister for Jerusalem affairs, may become a high-profile casualty in order to placate critics. Husseini has reportedly taken to demanding aid in the form of cars and furniture, after being compelled to hand over aid checks to Yasser Arafat. Many Palestinians are also frustrated at the influence of "the Tunisians" - old PLO cronies of Arafat from his time in exile - and want to see officials chosen for their expertise and managerial ability. Meanwhile, both Hamas and Islamic Jihad have turned down invitations from Arafat to join a new government, further limiting his options. (MED 6/24) **********************************************************************