From: Eddie Chumney
To:    heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject:  News of Interest



                            News of Interest
                    August 1 to August 8, 1998


TEMPLE MOUNT

TEMPLE MOUNT FAITHFUL ATTEMPT TO ASCEND TO MOUNT
IsraelWire - 8/2/98

Gershon Solomon has called upon the government of Israel to
remove the Moslem Wakf from the Temple Mount and return it to its
former glory.  Solomon and about thirty followers recited the
traditional Tisha B'Av Book of Lamentations opposite the Mugrabi
Gate, and as in past years, called for the right of Jewish prayer
on the Temple Mount.  Solomon stated on an Israel Radio interview
that he believes all our troubles in the state today stem from
Israel's abandoning the Temple Mount which was liberated in the
June 1967 Six Day War


JERUSALEM

ARAFAT THREATENS NEW INTIFADA AGAINST ISRAEL, VOWS HOLY WAR FOR
JERUSALEM
Israel Government Press Office Jerusalem, August 4, 1998

Following are remarks made by PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in recent
days concerning Israel and Jerusalem:

1) Arafat in an August 1, 1998 interview with the Algerian
newspaper Sawt al-Ahrar:

"The Palestinian Authority has taken steps to actively struggle
against the Israeli Judaization scheme The Palestinian Authority
is ready to restart the intifada in order to stop the assault on
the Arab character of Jerusalem."

2) Arafat in a July 29, 1998 speech to the Organization of the
Islamic Conference's Jerusalem Committee in Morocco (Al-Hayat
Al-Jadeeda, July 30, 1998)

"The Israeli policy of ethnic cleansing has taken on the ugliest
of forms in recent months We shall continue to act against the
settlement onslaught to save holy Jerusalem from the Judaizing
monster and the despised settlements they [the Israelis] are
determined to destroy the Dome of the Rock and Al-Aksa Mosque on
the Temple Mount and to replace them by building Solomon's Temple
Israel has started the war over Jerusalem but with Arab and
Islamic assistance, this shall be our faithful jihad (holy war) -
to defend holy Jerusalem from the danger of Judaization and the
Zionist plot."

ANGLICAN BISHOPS BACK PALESTINIAN STATE, WITH JERUSALEM
Int'l Christian Embassy Jerusalem - 8/7/98

Anglican bishops meeting in Lambeth, England, have affirmed that
Jerusalem should be the capital city of both Israel and an
independent Palestinian state, with free access for Christians,
Jews and Muslims.

After brief discussion, the 739 bishops from around the world on
Wednesday morning adopted a resolution proposed by a regional
group of Middle East and South Asian bishops.  The resolution
calls on Israel "to recognise the right of Palestinians,
Christians and Muslims alike, to build their own homes and
establish their own institutions in Jerusalem."

The bishop-elect of Jerusalem, Riah Abu Assal, introduced the
resolution.  According to the official ANGLICAN COMMUNION NEWS
SERVICE, he did so by "comparing Palestinians to the Samaritan
who was left by the side of the road [sic], robbed of everything
including his homeland.  He said Christians who visit the Holy
Land too often simply bypass the Palestinians as they visit the
shrines".  He said a peace agreement had to include "a right of
return to their lands for the Palestinian refugees   address
human rights and inequalities   encourage investment in higher
education, infrastructure and job creation projects   and develop
a more expansive partnership   between the church communities you
represent and us, the indigenous Christians."

Bishop Josiah Idowu-Feaeron of Kaduna (Nigeria) suggested the
resolution wording be amended to include the words "we also call
on the Arab world to recognise the right of [Israel] to exist",
but Abu Assal responded that the resolution gave the "implication
of recognition" of Israel by urging action on "the Israeli
government".  "The way forward is for a State of Palestine on
Palestinian soil side by side with Israel," he said.  "Until that
is accomplished it will be difficult to continue to ask the Arab
countries to recognise the State of Israel."

The resolution was voted on and passed, unamended.


PEACE PROCESS

PALESTINIANS REJECT ISRAELI OFFER ON WEST BANK
August 4, 1998 By Samar Assad (AP)

Palestinian negotiators rejected an Israeli proposal for breaking
an impasse over a further withdrawal from the West Bank.
Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat said today Israeli
negotiators brought nothing new to a Monday night meeting, and
that the Palestinians were studying whether to continue talks.
Arafat told reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah that the
Israeli proposal was "very far'' from the existing
Israel-Palestinian agreements or from an American initiative for
an Israeli withdrawal from 13 percent of the West Bank.  Arafat's
spokesman, Nabil Abourdeneh, called Monday's meeting "a waste of
time.''

NETANYAHU DEFIANT AFTER WEST BANK KILLINGS
Reuters August 5, 1998 JERUSALEM

Gunmen shot dead two Jewish settlers in the West Bank overnight
and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu responded Wednesday
with defiant backing for more construction on occupied land.
Tuesday night's ambush at Yitzhar settlement near Nablus put
fresh strain on faltering peace moves between Israel and the
Palestinians, with hardline Israeli politicians calling for a
halt to the negotiations.

The two men, aged 18 and 24, were on a security patrol at the
settlement when the gunmen opened fire on their car.  Yitzhar
residents said the killers sprayed the vehicle with bullets then
dragged the two men out and finished them off before fleeing with
the settlers' automatic weapon.  There was no immediate claim of
responsibility.  The Israeli army ascribed the attack to
Palestinian "terrorists.''

Netanyahu told Israel Radio that the killings showed the
importance of his demand for a Palestinian crackdown on militants
before Israel agrees to hand over more West Bank land to
Palestinian rule.  But he made clear that he saw no obstacle to
the growth of existing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, which
Israel captured in the 1967 Middle East War.

DIFFICULT WORDS BETWEEN ALBRIGHT AND NETANYAHU
IsraelWire 8/6/98

United State's Secretary of State Madeline Albright and Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had a difficult exchange of words
yesterday.  According to one US government source, "Netanyahu
gravely injured Albright's credibility; she won't be willing to
continue helping him".

"The freezing of the negotiations hurts the American interests in
the Middle East and the American ability to gather a coalition
against Iraq," Albright said yesterday to Netanyahu by telephone.
Albright reminded Netanyahu that he had promised her a month ago
to come up with new ideas for direct negotiations, but that he
had not done so.  She added that she had pressed the Arabs to
enter into direct negotiation for nothing, and that the US, and
she personally, lost credibility with the Arabs and the world at
large.

Netanyahu responded that he had brought up ideas and agreed to
the American initiative.  He said that the reason that there is
still no agreement is the Arabs are waiting for American
intervention, and are not willing to be flexible.  Netanyahu
asked that Albright send a US envoy to the area; Albright
refused, stating that an envoy will be sent only after some
progress is made.

Albright also spoke with Arafat, asking him to remain patient and
to give the peace process a chance.  She believes there is still
a base for reaching an acceptable agreement.  Arafat claimed that
he has already give Israel more chances than necessary, without
results.  He wants American intervention


PREPARATIONS FOR WAR

DISARMAMENT TALKS WITH IRAQ COLLAPSE, BUTLER TO RETURN
August 3, 1998 By Ron Kampeas, Associated Press United Nations
(AP)

Talks between Iraq and the United Nations on dismantling Iraq's
weapons of mass destruction have collapsed, and the chief U.N.
inspector was cutting his trip to Baghdad short, the president of
the Security Council said Monday.

U.N. SECURITY COUNCIL SAYS IRAQ'S FREEZE IS 'TOTALLY
UNACCEPTABLE'
Copyright   1998 Nando.net Copyright   1998 The Associated Press
United Nations August 6, 1998

Iraq's refusal to allow arms inspections is "totally
unacceptable," the Security Council said Thursday -- yet it held
out the possibility of U.N.  concessions if Saddam Hussein
relents.  The 15-member council condemned Iraq's decision to snub
weapons chief Richard Butler, but did not disclose what it
planned to do about it, except to create a better dialogue with
Iraq.

Iraq's actions run contrary to an agreement Secretary-General
Kofi Annan struck with Saddam in February, the last time Iraq cut
off the inspectors from doing their jobs, the council said.  That
deal averted an attack on Iraq by the United States and Britain,
which had sent forces to the Persian Gulf to back their
insistence on inspections.  This time, however, there seemed to
be little appetite for a fight, and the statement's plea for
increased dialogue received unanimous approval from council
members.  The council even hinted it may ease sanctions, saying
it "intends to respond favorably to future progress."

SADDAM ISSUES DEFIANT WARNING
BBC 8/8/98

The Iraqi President, Saddam Hussein, has issued a defiant warning
to the West amid growing tension over arms inspections.  In a
keynote speech broadcast live on Iraqi television, he said Iraq
could not be brought to its knees by outsiders.  Nations involved
in the Gulf War against Iraq would reap a harvest "full of
thorns", he warned.  His speech came on the 10th anniversary of
the Iran-Iraq war.

The president drew comparisons between the Gulf War allies and
Iran.  He said that during both conflicts Iraq had the true power
while Iraq's enemies gave the illusion of force.  He said: "They
are making the same mistake.  Their harvest will be full of
thorns and the outcome will be a taste of bitterness."

ISRAEL DISPLAYS ANTIMISSILE MISSILE FOR FIRST TIME
August 3, 1998 By Nicolas B.  Tatro, Associated Press Tel Aviv,
Israel (AP)

Israel put the Arrow antimissile missile it is developing jointly
with the United States on display for the first time today.  An
orange-and-black nose cone peeked out of a cluster of six gray
tubes that pointed skyward from a mobile launcher at the Tel Aviv
Fair Grounds.  A sign described the system as the "defense wall
of Israel.''  Brig.  Gen.  Zion Sapir estimated that the Arrow
would be deployed within two years.  The Arrow system, which was
originally scheduled to become operational this year, is
scheduled for a further test firing this fall.

Also on display for the first time today was the Gil antitank
rocket, a television-guided weapon with a range of 1.5 miles, and
the Tabor, or Bull Pup, assault rifle that is lighter and shorter
than its predecessors.

CALLS FOR NUCLEAR RETALIATION
IsraelWire - 8/5/98

According to a Jane's Defense Weekly report, the successful
test-launching of the Iranian ballistic missile Shahab 3 has
stirred up a debate in Tel-Aviv over the proper Israeli response
to the new threat from Tehran.  Defense Ministry officials are
now pressing the government to approve a policy giving Israel the
ability to retaliate after a nuclear attack, and thus to deter
any government from launching one.

ISRAEL MUST DECIDE ON SIGNING NUCLEAR TREATY
Weekend News Today Source: Ha'aretz  Aug 6, 1998

Israel has promised the US to form a final position by next week
on a UN resolution calling for a halt to the production of the
fissionable material used to make nuclear bombs.  As of Thursday,
Israel was the only member of the 61-member United Nations
Conference on Disarmament (CD) to oppose the so-called "cut-off"
treaty on production of plutonium and highly-enriched uranium.
The body's treaties must be approved unanimously.  Israel is
demanding that the U.S.  give it firm guarantees that
international inspectors are not sent to inspect its nuclear
activity.


APOSTASY AND ECUMENISM

JESUS LEFT OUT OF CHURCH'S MILLENNIAL PRAYER
by Christopher Morgan Religious Affairs Correspondent - London
Sunday Times 8/2/98

Britain's church leaders have astonished many prominent
Christians by producing a prayer to mark the millennium which
omits any reference to God or Jesus Christ.  The prayer, known as
the Millennium Resolution, is at the heart of the main Christian
activity on New Year's Eve, 1999.  It has been drawn up by the
Millennium Group of Churches Together in England, a body which
represents all the main Christian denominations.

The group, chaired by Baroness Richardson, the recently ennobled
Methodist minister, is planning to distribute the prayer with a
candle to every household in the country.  George Carey,
Archbishop of Canterbury, and Basil Hume, Cardinal Archbishop of
Westminster, are both presidents of the group.  It is thought
they will be severely embarrassed by the production of the
resolution, which is expected to be adopted by equivalent bodies
in Wales and Scotland.

John Broadhurst, the Bishop of Fulham, said he was appalled at
the plan.  "It is extraordinary in the face of worldly pressure
that Christian leaders should secularise their unique
contribution to the millennium event.  It is a betrayal of the
very meaning of the millennium."

WE SHOULD GIVE THANKS FOR THE FRUITS OF PRAYER FOR UNITY
Vatican City JUL 25, 1998 (VIS)

On July 20, Cardinal Edward Cassidy preached the homily at
Vespers during the Lambeth Conference Ecumenical Evening.  The
president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity
said that praying for unity "has become almost commonplace.  This
is all the fruit of God's grace for which we do not cease to give
thanks.  At the same time, as ecumenical commitment loses its
novelty, there are new risks."

Three years ago Pope John Paul said quite unambiguously that the
Catholic Church continues to be irrevocably committed to the
re-establishment of full, visible unity among all of the
baptized.  If we believe the Church to be one, holy, catholic and
apostolic, then mutual understanding and doctrinal convergence,
vital as they are, cannot be sufficient."

Cardinal Cassidy said that "We are in dialogue because we know
that brothers and sisters in Christ should be able to give united
testimony to him.  What happens in one Christian community
affects others.  The deepening of communion within any Christian
Church is a gift to the others."

GENERAL AUDIENCE: THE HOLY SPIRIT, SOURCE OF COMMUNION
Vatican City, JUL 29, 1998 (VIS)

In today's general audience the Holy Father spoke on the theme of
"The Holy Spirit, Source of Communion."

The celebration of the Jubilee will have to represent "a new
phase to overcome the divisions of the second millennium."
Precisely in reference to the doctrine of the Holy Spirit,
"significant steps have been taken towards unity between the
various Churches, particularly between the Catholic and Orthodox
Churches."

"In particular" he continued, ".  .  .  it can be considered that
the diversity between the Latin and Oriental Churches does not
affect the identify of the faith ...  but its expression,
constituting a 'legitimate complementarity' which does not
compromise, but rather can enrich communion in the one faith."

Lastly, the Holy Father said that "it is necessary that the next
Jubilee witness the growth of fraternal charity also within the
Catholic Church."


PERSECUTION AND ANTI-SEMITISM

SUDAN ARRESTS CATHOLIC PRIESTS
Religion Today 8/4/98

Security forces stormed St.  Mattieu Cathedral in Khartoum,
Sudan, last week and arrested three Roman Catholic priests.  Lino
Sebit, Hillary Boma, and William Nilo are accused of involvement
in several explosions that shook the city in June, Catholic
officials said, according to Reuters.  Nilo has been released but
Boma, Sebit, and Boma's brother Charles are being held in an
undisclosed location.  The arrests are an attempt by Khartoum's
Islamic government to "discredit the whole Catholic Church in
Sudan," church officials said.  "We have now moved from
harassment to persecution." The Khartoum government and Christian
rebels in the south have fought a 15-year civil war.  Several
bombs went off at key points in the city in June, the anniversary
of the current government's takeover.

SUDAN TRIES CONVERT FROM ISLAM
Religion Today 8/6/98

A Christian convert from Islam reportedly has been jailed and
tortured in Sudan.  Mekki Kuku is in Omdurman prison in Khartoum
for violating the country's apostasy law, the Religious Freedom
Commission of World Evangelical Fellowship said.  Officials
arrested Kuku in June and took him to an Islamist induction
center where he was kept in solitary confinement, tortured, and
told to renounce his conversion, the ministry said.  His case
went to trial July 23 and he could face the death penalty if
convicted.

POLAND SAYS CHURCH, NOT GOVERNMENT IS RESPONSIBLE FOR CROSSES
NEAR AUSCHWITZ
Copyright   1998 Nando.net Copyright   1998 The Associated Press
Warsaw August 6, 1998

Responding to a plea from Israel, the Polish government said
Thursday it doesn't have the authority to remove dozens of
crosses erected outside the Auschwitz death camp by Roman
Catholic faithful.  The crosses have been put up over the last
two weeks at the urging of a conservative Catholic radio station
to protest efforts to remove a much larger, 26-foot cross that
has stood just yards from the camp's wall since 1988.

Jewish groups around the world have long protested the presence
of the cross so close to the Nazi death camp, saying it harms the
memory of the Holocaust's Jewish victims.  Israel asked Wednesday
that the 50-plus smaller crosses be taken down.  The Polish
government, however, said the crosses were on private property,
and that the Roman Catholic Church, not the state, was
responsible for religious symbols in Poland.

On Thursday, Yisrael Cohen, spokesman for Israel's Holocaust
memorial, said the Polish government was violating an
international agreement protecting the memory of Jews killed by
the Nazis at Auschwitz.  He said his organization, Yad Vashem,
the U.S.  Holocaust Museum in Washington, the Polish government
and church authorities signed an agreement earlier this year
forbidding the presence of "religious, ideological or political
symbols," at the death camp.  "We plan to continue pressuring the
Polish government into meeting its commitment and the immediate
removal of the crosses," Cohen said.


ISRAEL HAVING A HEAT WAVE
MED 8/7/98

Israel is experiencing a record breaking heat wave.  Not since
1993 have temperatures reached so high - and then not for so long
a period.  There is no indication the weather will cool down any
in the next week.  Most of Israel is experiencing 70% humidity
which is very unusual.  The weather is generally hot in the
summer, but humidity is low and it cools down at night.  This
year the temperatures have remained high even at night.  The
electric company has recorded a record high in the use of
electricity throughout the country.  Today there were short
electrical outages in a few places around the country because the
electric company could not keep up with demand.  Demand exceeded
the electrical needs for the winter, showing how much Israelis
are trying to escape the heat.  New highs not seen since 1993 are
around five degrees Celsius higher than the normal temperature
for the season.


PREPARATIONS FOR MARK OF THE BEAST

UNIVERSAL EMAIL ADDRESS SYSTEM PROPOSED
Liz Enbysk, Managing Editor ZDNet AnchorDesk 8/7/98

At the request of the Clinton Administration, the U.S.Postal
Service is taking public comments on a plan to create email
addresses for every postal address in the United States.   The
plan would make use of the under-utilized .us domain and the
Postal Service would set up the infrastructure and manage
addresses.   The concept is seen in part as a boon to ecommerce.


COMING ECONOMIC COLLAPSE

FED IS STOCKPILING CURRENCY FOR 1999
Boston Business Journal 7/27/98

A regional banker in New England has stated that the Federal
Reserve System is stockpiling currency in preparation for
y2k-generated bank runs in 1999.   A Federal Reserve spokesman
was close-mouthed, but did confirm that the FED plans to make
liquidity.   (When they see how massive this worldwide run is, a
whole lot of central bankers will make liquidity -- right there
at their desks.)  Most worrisome, though, bankers say, is what
they cannot control.

For the first time in many years, the Federal Reserve System and
other government agencies are worried about widespread runs on
the banks, says State Street Bank & Trust Co.  chief economist
Fred Breimyer.   "The Federal Reserve and Treasury Department are
very much aware this could happen, and they are making provisions
for a substantial oversupply of currency to meet the currency
drain," he says.   Breimyer says the Treasury Department is now
printing extra currency, especially in large denominations such
as $100 bills, in preparation for expected depositor demand for
cash.

Y2K PROBLEM

ALL IS NOT A-OK ON Y2K
by Pete Danko 5 Aug.98.PDT Wired News

GartnerGroup didn't use the word "bleak" in describing the
worldwide prospects of making it into the new millennium and
through 2000 without significant disruption, but it's hard not to
draw that conclusion from its latest data.

The leading Y2K researcher again surveyed 15,000 companies and
government agencies in 87 countries, and found that big companies
in the United States and scattered other developed countries --
Canada, the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, and Sweden -- were
doing "relatively well." But much of the rest of the world is far
behind, and "many of the companies and government agencies
outside the US will start so late they will not be able to finish
in time," GartnerGroup research director Lou Marcoccio said
Wednesday.

With 513 days to go, Marcoccio labeled Eastern Europe, Russia,
India, Pakistan, Southeast Asia, Japan, China, most of South
America, most of the Middle East, and central Africa as
particularly slow to act, lagging at least 12 months behind the
United States in their efforts.   There was a surprising slowpoke
in the heart of industrialized Europe: Germany, where "companies
.   are just getting started," Marcoccio said.

It may be too late.   "Typically it averages about 30 months for
a mid-sized company (2,000 to 20,000 employees) to get their
mission-critical systems compliant," Marcoccio said.

INSURANCE COMPANIES SEEK YEAR 2000 EXCLUSIONS
NEW YORK (AP)

Hoping to head off billions of dollars worth of litigation, the
insurance industry has asked regulators for permission to exclude
businesses' Year 2000 losses from their commercial liability
policies.

The Insurance Services Office, a company that helps insurers deal
with regulatory issues, has received permission from 46 states
for insurance companies to deny Year 2000 claims.   The four
remaining states -- Alaska, Texas, Maine and Massachusetts -- are
considering granting that permission, said Christopher Guidette,
a spokesman for the New York-based company.

Insurers could decide to exclude Year 2000 from business policies
and not inform policyholders of the exclusion until the policy
comes up for renewal, according to a report released Tuesday by
the Gartner Group, an information technology consulting company
in Stamford, Conn.   But "some of them haven't decided whether or
not to use the exclusion,'' said Loretta Worters, a spokeswoman
for the Insurance Information Institute, a trade group.   "It
could be case-by-case."

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

To educate, train and equip for study both the Jew and
Non-Jew in the Rich Hebraic Heritage of our Faith.

Please visit the Hebraic Roots Global Network
Web Site located at:

http://www.hebroots.org/


                          HEBRAIC ROOTS SEMINAR

Hebraic Heritage Ministries is having a Hebraic roots seminar in
Houston, Texas,  September 11-13, 1998. For more info, see the
Website:

http://www.hebroots.org/houston.html

Eddie Chumney
Hebraic Heritage Ministries Int'l