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Subject: Arutz-7 News: January 24-29, 1999
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 16:28:41 -0800
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Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, January 24, 1999
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Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, Jan. 24, 1999 / Sh'vat 7, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. NETANYAHU FIRES MORDECHAI
2. PORAT RESPONDS TO BIBLE QUOTES
3. PRESIDENT ADVISED MORDECHAI TO LEAVE LIKUD
4. NRP CONVENTION TODAY

1. NETANYAHU FIRES MORDECHAI
The political establishment is still reeling from last night's firing of
Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai by Prime Minister Netanyahu, and at
Mordechai's taking over the number-one position in the new centrist party.
The sudden turn in the situation was particularly unexpected, in light of
last week's reports that Netanyahu and Mordechai were close to reaching an
agreement on the latter's continued presence in the Likud. The firing
last night was accompanied by mutual recriminations by Netanyahu and
Mordechai.

The Prime Minister wrote in the letter of dismissal he sent the Defense
Minister last night, "No man's personal interests can stand above the
principles for which he was elected. Anyone who betrays the principles of
those who voted for him is unfit to be among our ranks." Mordechai
responded that Netanyahu's letter was "full of lies, slurs and
inaccuracies, as befits a small-minded politician."

Netanyahu sent the dismissal letter to Mordechai by special messenger, and
then, moments after the letter arrived, held a nationally-televised press
conference in which he announced the firing. Mordechai, appearing on
national television afterwards, read aloud from Psalms 120, in which David
prays to be saved from lies and deceit. At today's government meeting,
Mordechai read aloud from Samuel I, Chapter 15, which tells how the prophet
Samuel informed King Saul that G-d had "torn the kingdom from you."
Netanyahu replied, "Don't give me speeches about truth and lies... You sent
me messengers asking me to guarantee that you will be Defense Minister
[even in a national-unity government]." Health Minister Yehoshua Matza
added, "Why do you sit with our enemies?!" Tourism Minister Moshe Katzav
also defended Netanyahu at the meeting. Mordechai left the Cabinet room,
and went from there to the Western Wall, and from there to meet briefly
with Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef. Mordechai, whose firing takes effect tomorrow
night, will hold a press conference this evening.

Former Finance Minister Yaakov Ne'eman has backed Netanyahu's version of
the story. Ne'eman said that Yitzchak Mordechai requested a signed contract
with the Prime Minister guaranteeing him [Mordechai] both the second spot
on the Likud Knesset list and the position of Defense Minister. Ne'eman
stated that just when he, Mordechai and Netanyahu were close to signing the
agreement, he heard on the news that Mordechai was simultaneously carrying
on negotiations with Shachak, Meridor and Milo.

2. PORAT RESPONDS TO BIBLE QUOTES
MK Chanan Porat of the NRP was asked in his capacity as a Bible teacher to
relate to Mordechai's recitation of biblical verses at today's cabinet
meeting. Porat observed, "First of all, if Itzik Mordechai feels that he
has been lied to, then it is his right and even admirable that he expresses
it in the language of the Tanach (Bible). It actually gives these concerns
a certain depth. But Yitzchak Mordechai should remember that before he
directs such arrows at others, he himself must have 'clean hands and a pure
heart.' Mordechai read a verse implying that [those claiming that his
actions are motivated by personal ambition] are lying. I find it hard to
believe that these claims are unfounded. For a long time, Netanyahu was
deliberating over whether or not to go to a national-unity government, an
arrangement that should have been politically very acceptable to Mordechai.
But he blocked the move, fearing that he would not be able to continue to
serve as Defense Minister in such a government. It is therefore hard for
me to believe that this issue [personal ambition] is irrelevant to him."

In reference to the verses cited by Mordechai, Porat said that a
fundamental principle of Torah is that the text must never be totally
severed from its plain meaning. "The group of liars and deceivers in the
verses he quoted are those who 'hate peace', as is written there, 'I
[speak] peace, and they are for war.' That Yitzchak Mordechai chooses to
express these emotions not towards our real enemies, towards those who
respond to our calls for peace with 'they are for war,' but rather directs
these words at the Prime Minister and the government - this is truly
painful."

Porat said that the chapter quoted by Mordechai from the Book of Samuel
also involved a corruption of the context and a misplaced comparison,
given Mordechai's own political opinions: "Samuel tells Saul that the
latter should have used the characteristic of 'din' - strict justice - and
not compassion, in dealing with the Amalekite King Agag. [Obviously
Mordechai does not advocate] the modern parallel of Samuel killing Agag
with his own sword, which would be the Chief Rabbi publicly putting to
death a Hamas terrorist who has just carried out a mass terrorist attack.
The quoting of verses must be done very carefully and with much
intellectual honesty."

3. PRESIDENT ADVISED MORDECHAI TO LEAVE LIKUD
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal has learned that President Ezer Weizman was
instrumental in Mordechai's decision to bolt the Likud. Weizman phoned
Mordechai several times last week, advising Mordechai to resign from the
Netanyahu government. The President told Mordechai, "It's about time that
a person of Sephardic descent runs for Prime Minister. The public will
like it." Segal said that despite all, Mordechai had not made a 100%
decision to join the centrist party, and that it was Netanyahu's letter of
dismissal that pushed him over the brink. Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon
backed Netanyahu in his "preemptive strike." Segal noted that Netanyahu
truly wanted Mordechai to remain in the Likud, but could not promise him
the Defense Ministry under all circumstances. "Mordechai refused to return
Netanyahu's calls many times, and humiliated Netanyahu in many other ways,"
said Segal.

4. NRP CONVENTION TODAY
The Central Committee of the National Religious Party will convene today to
vote on Rabbi Yitzchak Levy's continued placement at the leadership of the
party. Rabbi Levy faces no opposition in the vote. The party platform,
formulated by Rabbi Levy and Transportation Minister Yahalom, will also
stand for approval today. The question of reserving slots on the Knesset
list for special groups will not be raised at the convention.

MK Chanan Porat described to Arutz-7 today an innovation that he plans to
introduce at the meeting: "A study which we recently commissioned shows
that most Religious-Zionists regard the religious-secular split as the key
problem in Israeli society. To further the goal of bringing Jews closer, I
would like to open the NRP to wider membership. Until now, a person
wishing to join the party had to affirm that he or she observes the Torah
and its commandments. I propose that no such declaration of personal
observance be required, but rather that a pledge of identification with the
fundamentals of the movement - with the Religious-Zionist perspective, and
with the NRP's political platform - should be sufficient. I have no doubt
that this would be a powerful message to that sector of the population that
may not see itself as religiously observant, but that nevertheless
sympathizes with the our values... We would effectively be saying to them,
'You are our brothers --come be our partners in the Religious-Zionist home.'"

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

To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, January 25, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Monday, January 25, 1999 / Sh'vat 8, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. NRP OPEN TO THOSE WHO "IDENTIFY WITH GOALS"
2. FATAH: "LAND DEMANDS BLOOD"
3. CENTRIST PLATFORM TO BE ANNOUNCED TONIGHT
4. PA RELEASES JIHAD LEADER

1. NRP OPEN TO THOSE WHO "IDENTIFY WITH GOALS"
The National Religious Party voted on its platform yesterday, as well
as on two significant changes in party policy: The 8th spot on the
party's list of Knesset candidates will be reserved for a woman, and
non-religious Jews who identify with the party's goals will be invited
to join. The latter clause was proposed by MK Chanan Porat. The NRP
platform expresses objections to a Palestinian state, the Wye
Agreement, and a withdrawal from the Golan. The party also calls for
the annexation of parts of Judea and Samaria in the event of a
unilateral Palestinian declaration of a state.

2. FATAH: "LAND DEMANDS BLOOD"
Sahar Habash, a member of the Fatah Central Council, delivered a
particularly hostile speech last night, in the name of Yasser Arafat.
Habash said that Palestine will not be liberated with agreements, but
that "the land demands blood.... Every piece of land justifies a
battle." Habash promised, "The conflict with Israel will continue
until the goal is achieved."

3. CENTRIST PLATFORM TO BE ANNOUNCED TONIGHT
The four leaders of the new centrist party - Yitzchak Mordechai, Amnon
Lipkin-Shachak, Dan Meridor, and Roni Milo - met yesterday for their
first non-secret meeting. MK Alex Lubotsky (Third Way party) and
others also participated. The Golan Heights Communities Council has
sharp criticism of the centrist party's platform, which apparently
includes a call for territorial compromise in the Golan. "This is
nothing less than a lie, by a party that has staked a claim to
fairness and trust. The party heads know very well that there is
absolutely no possibility for a compromise; the Syrians will never
agree to receive less than the entire area, thus that it must remain
either totally Israeli or totally Syrian." A statement issued by the
party offices said that the clause is under discussion, and that the
platform will be announced tonight.

4. PA RELEASES JIHAD LEADER
Yesterday's Ma'ariv paper reported that the Palestinian Authority
recently released an Islamic Jihad leader, who had been detained a
month ago because of inflammatory remarks he made against U.S.
President Clinton. Several days prior to Clinton's arrival in Gaza,
Abdullah al-Shami told a Spanish television interviewer that he would
be "happy if the American President were to be killed during his visit
to the Palestinian Authority areas." Al-Shami was subsequently
arrested by the Palestinian security service, but was freed this past
weekend. The paper reported that the PA said that al-Shami had
committed himself to refrain from violating Palestinian law.

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

Date: Tue, 26 Jan 1999 17:57:36 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, January 26, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, January 26, 1999 / Sh'vat 9, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARENS TO BE DEFENSE MINISTER
2. RELIGIOUS COUNCILS LAW PASSES BY ONE VOTE
3. CHIEF RABBI EXPLAINS
4. CENTRIST PARTY PRESS CONFERENCE, AND REACTIONS
5. GOLAN LAW PASSES

1. ARENS TO BE DEFENSE MINISTER
Moshe Arens has accepted Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's offer,
and will become Israel's next Defense Minister. Netanyahu soundly
defeated Moshe Arens yesterday in the race for the Likud leadership.
Only 31.5% of the 168,000 eligible Likud voters took part in the
election, of whom 82% voted for Netanyahu. At the press conference
announcing Arens' appointment, Netanyahu presented what he called "the
Likud's leading trio - myself, [Foreign Minister] Ariel Sharon, and
Moshe Arens," and said that it would continue to lead in the next
government that he forms. "Our policy is to demand complete
reciprocity from the Palestinian Authority, without which we are not
obligated to keep our part of the Wye Agreement. If the PA does
fulfill its obligations, however, then we are committed to keeping our
side as well," said Netanyahu.

2. RELIGIOUS COUNCILS LAW PASSES BY ONE VOTE
The Knesset passed the Religious Councils Law this morning by the
narrow vote of 50-49, with one abstention. All members of local
religious councils will, by law, now have to swear loyalty in writing
to the Chief Rabbinate. The opposition voiced a technical protest
vote after the vote, but Knesset Speaker Dan Tichon rejected their
claim. Yitzchak Mordechai voted in favor of the law, while Dan
Meridor did not show up for the vote.

The Likud's Moshe Katzav explained the purpose of the law in the
Knesset today: "Our goal is only to preserve the status quo, and to
prevent religious coercion against the Orthodox, traditional populace,
who would otherwise be forced to sit in the same body with people who
don't even recognize the body's authority." MK Dedi Tzucker (Meretz)
said, "How can we accept a bill that tells two-thirds of the Jewish
people that they are not eligible to sit on a religious council?"

The intent of those who sponsored the law was that religious councils
need not resort to measures such as those taken by the Haifa and Tel
Aviv councils last night. In their efforts to prevent Reform and
Conservative members from sitting on the religious-services body, the
Haifa council members voted to end the court-ordered session
immediately after it started, and in Tel Aviv, the required quorum was
not present.

3. CHIEF RABBI EXPLAINS
Chief Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron stated yesterday that the
assimilation brought about by the Reform movement is more dangerous
for Jewish survival than was the Holocaust. In an interview with
Arutz-7 today, the Rishon Letzion explained that he did not mean to
denigrate the holiness of the Holocaust victims in his statement. "The
Jewish people lost 1/3 of its population by the end of the War. In
the 50 years that have passed since then, greater damage has been
caused through intermarriage and assimilation. I simply used the same
phraseology used by members of the Jewish Agency and others, who have
often called assimilation a 'Silent Holocaust.' If this phrase is
acceptable for them to use, how much more so is it appropriate for
rabbis who are so pained by this phenomenon." The Chief Rabbi cited
the Reform custom of performing mixed marriages and their non-halakhic
conversions as key examples of how the movement is directly
contributing to the disappearance of the Jewish people.

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron's comments were made in the context of the
controversy surrounding the Supreme Court decision to include Reform
and Conservative representatives on local religious councils (which
the legislation discussed above was designed to by-pass). "We have no
issue with the Court, whose ruling was based on the current reality in
which religious councils are manned by means of political
appointments. From a purely legal standpoint, it makes sense that if
the Shas and Agudat Yisrael parties appoint their people to the
councils, then Meretz should be permitted to place Reform delegates as
well. At the same time, it is absurd to have Reform rabbis, who don't
recognize halakhah [Jewish law] as binding, who don't [care about]
eruvim [Shabbat boundaries], make decisions on the provision of
religious services... Our suggestion is not to, G-d forbid, nullify
the councils, but to operate them from within another framework,
detached from the political establishment."

Rabbi Bakshi-Doron added that the newly-passed Knesset law requiring
all members of religious councils to pledge allegiance to the
authority of the Chief Rabbinate is misguided: "It won't work. The
Reform and Conservative representatives have already said that they
will recognize the Rabbinate's authority, in order to be able to fight
for their cause from within the religious councils."

4. CENTRIST PARTY PRESS CONFERENCE, AND REACTIONS
The four leaders of the new centrist party held a televised press
conference last night, kicking off their election campaign. Party
leader and recently-ousted Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai said
that the top priority of the party will be "the re-establishment of
the national partnership on the basis of unity in the nation." He
said that, if elected, he would head a government that would strive
for a broad-based coalition, secular-religious dialogue, and equal
rights for minorities. Mordechai promised to conduct negotiations with
our neighbors to determine Israel's borders, while firmly standing on
Israel's security and settlement interests. He said he could accept a
territorial compromise in the Golan. Roni Milo, who is likely to be in
the fourth spot of the party list, after Mordechai, Amnon
Lipkin-Shachak, and Dan Meridor, spoke out sharply against Prime
Minister Binyamin Netanyahu: "[The late Prime Minister] Menachem
Begin is turning over in his grave at the way Netanyahu rules."

Responses:
* Benny Begin, running for Prime Minister, said that he objects to the
use of his father's memory in the political campaign. "I am against
communing with the dead. This has unfortunately become the style in
politics, even by those who were [my father's] political opponents
during his lifetime."

* Prime Minister Netanyahu: "This [new party] is a strange group of
camouflaged-leftists. It will be a marginal, passing phenomenon, with
no substance."

* Labor party leader MK Ehud Barak implied that the new party would
join him in the second round of the elections and lead to his victory:
"These are good people, who, we have seen, are no different from me.
You would have to use a microscope to find the differences between the
platform of One Israel [Barak's umbrella organization] and what they
plan to present." Barak also said, "This election campaign is a
struggle of the entire People of Israel against the extremists from
Tel Romeida and Moskowitz. I have no doubt that the alliance formed
in the past few days will win the elections, and will put a stop, once
and for all, to [Netanyahu's] surrender to extremists. "

* Baruch Marzel of Tel Romeida, responding on Arutz-7 to Barak's
remarks: "First of all, I did not even vote for Netanyahu in the last
elections, and there is certainly no alliance between us. In fact, I
am now one the Prime Minister's biggest opponents." Marzel added,
"All three of them - Barak, Netanyahu, and Mordechai - are equally
dangerous to the Land of Israel. The only difference is that if
Netanyahu is elected, there will be barely any objections from the
right when he carries out the Wye Agreement, but if Barak carries it
out, then at least the important value of 'protest' will be aroused."

5. GOLAN LAW PASSES
The Knesset voted today 53-30 to approve the Golan bill. The law
states that no part of the Golan or Jerusalem may be transferred to a
foreign power without an absolute majority of 61 Knesset Members and a
popular referendum.

MK Alex Lubotsky, who recently joined the still-unnamed new centrist
party, responded on Arutz-7 today to criticism regarding the party's
stand on the Golan issue: "There is still no final formulation of our
position on this issue. In all honesty, the problem is not in finding
some vague formulation on which everyone will agree. We can always
find wording that will satisfy everyone. The main problem is in the
reality of the situation, that in this case there is no middle way:
the Syrian position - now, and for as long as Assad remains in power -
is 'all or nothing.' This means that the Syrians demand that we
return to the Sea of Galilee as our border, and nothing less. If
there were a possibility of compromise, even I might agree to it, but
there is none."

Avi Ze'ira, Chairman of the Golan Settlements Committee, also
participated in the discussion with Lubotsky. He said, "It is
amazing, that a group of people, without ideas and without a platform,
get together with only one goal: to topple Netanyahu. Then,
afterwards, they put together a platform which is the same as Labor's,
and they proudly announce that they are in favor of a compromise in
the Golan. As MK Lubotsky said, such an option does not exist. I am
astonished that MK Lubotsky and others who have always been in favor
of no withdrawal from the Golan would even join up with such a group."

In response, Lubotsky, a religious Jew, said, "I admit that my
presence in this group has its problems. But if we wish to solve the
burning problems that we have, such as the religious-secular
divisions, and the norms of government, and the like, we have no
choice but to work within this difficult mix of religious and secular,
left and right."

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

Date: Thu, 28 Jan 1999 18:10:10 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, January 28, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, Jan. 28, 1999 / Sh'vat 11, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. YESHA COUNCIL DELIBERATES PM ENDORSEMENT
2. OBJECTIONS TO ARAFAT PRESENCE AT CONGRESSIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST

1. YESHA COUNCIL DELIBERATES PM ENDORSEMENT
The Yesha Council is concluding its two-day deliberations in Ariel
this afternoon, but it is leaving the best - or the most tense - for
last. Council Secretary-General Aharon Domb told Arutz-7 that there is
a general consensus amongst the members that "we must and will act
towards the unification of all the nationalist groupings, such as
Moledet, Benny Begin's Herut, and Tekumah. Otherwise we are headed
for the same mistake that we made in '92." Regarding the preferred
choice for Prime Minister, Domb admitted that there was not as much of
a consensus. "We will discuss this today, and see if we can come to
an agreement. As I have said before, I definitely fear a split on
this issue, and certain members - including myself - will have to
choose their future path very carefully if certain decisions are
made." The Council is to decide today among three options: the public
endorsement of Prime Minister Netanyahu, or of Benny Begin, or no
endorsement at all.

2. OBJECTIONS TO ARAFAT PRESENCE AT CONGRESSIONAL PRAYER BREAKFAST The
National Unity Coalition for Israel, a network of over 200 Jewish and
Christian organizations whose combined memberships exceed 40 million
Americans, is protesting the participation of Yasser Arafat at the
Congressional Prayer Breakfast next week in Washington, D.C. Arafat
is scheduled to meet with President Clinton privately after the
breakfast. In a strongly-worded letter to Oklahoma Rep. Steve
Largent, Chairman of the Breakfast Committee, coalition president
Esther Levens wrote, "Arafat's well-documented terrorist background
should have precluded him from being issued an invitation in the first
place. He is responsible for countless acts of terrorism and murder.
His current inflammatory rhetoric, routinely broadcast on Palestinian
Public TV, incites his followers to Jihad and martyrdom in the cause
of creating a Palestinian state and eliminating Israel."

The letter also notes that the recent decision by the Palestinian
Authority to release Islamic Jihad leader Abdullah al-Shami - who
engaged in incitement to murder President Clinton prior to the
latter's recent visit to Gaza - makes the Arafat invitation especially
inappropriate.

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

To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, January 29, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, Jan. 29, 1999 / Sh'vat 12, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. YESHA COUNCIL: NO DECISION YET ON PM

1. YESHA COUNCIL: NO DECISION YET ON PM
The Yesha Council is not yet taking an official position on the
upcoming election for Prime Minister, and will convene again in two
weeks. This was the result of two days of meetings, ending yesterday,
on this and related issues. Secretary-General Aharon Domb's threat to
resign if an all-out endorsement of Binyamin Netanyahu is not agreed
upon hovers in the background. MK Michael Kleiner, of Benny Begin's
new Herut party, appeared at yesterday's meeting. He told the members
that it was they who pressured him to topple the Netanyahu government,
and "now you are turning me into a charlatan." Kleiner added, "No one
will ever believe the Yesha Council again if it supports Netanyahu and
not Begin, the clear representative of your ideology." Domb wishes to
take a more "pragmatic" approach, and not aggravate the split in the
nationalist camp.

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