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To: Arutz-7 List <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>, Israel News List
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Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, February 19-23, 1999
Date: Thu, 25 Feb 1999 16:53:18 -0800
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Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, February 19, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, Feb. 19, 1999 / Adar 3, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BRIDGING COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE RELIGIOUS-JUDICIAL RELATIONS
2. NRP TO CHOOSE KNESSET LIST ON SUNDAY
3. SHAMIR JOINS QUEST FOR UNITY
4. PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT CONTINUES
5. CHABAD DEPLOYS TO DISTRIBUTE A MILLION PACKAGES
1. BRIDGING COMMITTEE TO EXPLORE RELIGIOUS-JUDICIAL RELATIONS
Prime Minister Netanyahu will announce next week the formation of a
committee to search for ways to dispel the tensions between the religious
public and the Supreme Court. It is not yet clear whether Supreme Court
Chief Justice Aharon Barak will agree to the idea. In the view of former
MK Rabbi Moshe Gafni (United Torah Judaism), the committee's task will be
to define the values of the State of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state.
2. NRP TO CHOOSE KNESSET LIST ON SUNDAY
The National Religious Party will choose its candidates for the next
Knesset on Sunday. The Central Committee members will choose from among 28
candidates vying for a spot on the party list. The NRP, which currently
has nine Knesset seats, is expected to lose about two seats in the coming
election, according to many polls. The eighth spot is reserved for a
woman, and five candidates are competing for it.
3. SHAMIR JOINS QUEST FOR UNITY
The right-wing has not yet given up on its efforts to unite in time for the
coming elections. Representatives of Prime Ministerial-candidate Benny
Begin have proposed that former Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir serve as an
intermediary between Begin's Herut party and Moledet. The first meeting is
taking place today, with the participation of Begin and MK Michael Kleiner,
both of Herut, and Moledet MKs Rehavam Ze'evi and Benny Elon. Polls
forecast that each of the two parties running alone will win 2-3 seats in
the next Knesset.
Polls in Israel's two major newspapers today agree that the second round of
the Prime Ministerial election will be decided by a 47% - 44% margin. They
merely differ as to who will win. Yediot Acharonot has Netanyahu winning
over Ehud Barak of Labor, while Ma'ariv shows Barak in the lead.
4. PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT CONTINUES
Palestinian Media Watch, under the direction of Itamar Marcus, has released
another sampling of recent anti-Semitic incitement in the Palestinian
press. These include an article in the daily Al-Hayat Al-Jadida from Jan.
18, 1999, which states:
"In the meantime, Israel adds additional massacres to the heritage of
heavy bloodshed... Many among the historians and social science
researchers delve into the interpretation of the Jewish "Israeli" psyche,
and the [interpretation] of the Torah texts, in connection with the
historical persecution complex and the massacres of others. However, the
reality is that the massacres are a clear, political act in the blood
filled history of the Zionist entity. This is not a policy of a party,
faction, stream or person. This is a continuing, non-stop system, which
has not changed, will not change, and which was never given up on, whether
the power lay with those called 'extremists' of the 'right wing' from the
Likud party and the religious streams, or with those who are classified as
'moderates' of the Labor party crowd and the streams which are affiliated
with the left. Massacre is the basis of the State of Israel... is the core
of their beliefs...Israel will never willingly stop the acts of massacre.
This [stopping] is rejected from an Israeli point of view and whoever
approves [it] will merit the same fate as Rabin. There is no forgetting.
There is no forgiving." [by Tallal Slaman, Editor of 'Alsapir' Lebanese
newspaper]
A sermon by Sheikh Yussef Abu Snineh, broadcast over Voice of Palestine
Radio on Jan. 15, 1999, included the following:
"There is no difference between the names and nicknames, and there is no
difference or advantage in the increase of the Israeli parties. The Labor
or the Likud, doves or hawks, or the Third Way, or the Right. They all
serve the Israeli society and Zionist ideology which is based on the
occupation of the land of Palestine, the expansion of the settlements and
the 'Judaization' of the city of Jerusalem. They all are different sides of
the same coin whose name is the Zionist occupation. The truth that the
Muslims, East and West, must know is that our struggle over Palestine is an
ideological struggle between Islam and the enemies of Islam... How long
will this shame go on, how long the disgrace, oh Muslims. Has not the time
arrived for the Islamic nations to rise and throw off their being
controlled states and to liberate themselves of the shackles of Imperialism?"
5. CHABAD DEPLOYS TO DISTRIBUTE A MILLION PACKAGES
The Chabad movement is preparing for an unprecedented campaign to
distribute 1,000,000 Mishlochei Manot - food packages - this coming Purim
(Mar. 2) throughout Israel. Hundreds of crates of snacks are already being
packed into individual packages, which will be distributed to the elderly,
IDF soldiers, new immigrants, the sick, prisoners, and widows and orphans.
The complex operation, which originated in a directive issued by the late
Lubavitcher Rebbe, is particularly difficult because it is concentrated on
one day only (except in Jerusalem, where Purim is celebrated the next day),
in order that the traditional commandment of "sending food from one person
to another" on Purim be fulfilled. Thousands of Chabadniks will take part
in the security forces-coordinated enterprise, and many of them will read
the Scroll of Esther to the recipients and distribute presents to widows
and orphans.
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To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, February 21, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, Feb. 21, 1999 / Adar 5, 5759
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Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ELECTIONS NEWS
2. NRP CHOOSES ITS CANDIDATES TODAY
3. YESHIVA LEADERS: MOST ARMY-RELIGIOUS PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED
EASILY
4. REMARKS BY ARAB MK TO BE INVESTIGATED
1. ELECTIONS NEWS
The Shas party still faces competition from within. The grandson of
Kabbalist Rabbi Yitzchak Kaduri intends to establish a "coalition of
Kabbalists" to support his new party, Achdut Yisrael (Jewish Unity),
against Shas in the coming elections...
Amir Peretz, Chairman of the Histadrut Labor Union, has rejected
calls to
join his workers' party to the Labor party. He will instead field his
independent workers' list in the coming national elections. The
centrist party, too, has offered Peretz a spot on its list...
MK Rehavam Ze'evi said that talks with Benny Begin's Herut party
about a
merger with Moledet were held on Friday in former Prime Minister
Yitzchak Shamir's office. He said that he believes that the talks
will succeed in the end, because "the goal of unity is the logical
choice..."
2. NRP CHOOSES ITS CANDIDATES TODAY
The Central Committee of the National Religious Party is choosing the
party's candidates today for the next Knesset, in Exhibition Grounds
in Tel Aviv. Some 1050 members are voting to choose 14 out of 27
competing candidates for the top places on the party list. The drama
of the elections surrounds the question whether the list will be
dominated by rightwards-leaning candidates such as the incumbents
Chanan Porat and Nisan Slomiansky, or by more "moderate" new faces
such as Zevulun Orlev and Nachum Langental. Ma'ariv newspaper reports
that the "religious" grouping of the party is considering splitting
off and joining Agudath Yisrael (United Torah Judaism). Rabbi
Menachem Porush, President of Agudath Yisrael, confirmed that contacts
had been made, and said, "We have a common language with [former
Sephardic Chief Rabbi and NRP mentor] Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu."
3. YESHIVA LEADERS: MOST ARMY-RELIGIOUS PROBLEMS CAN BE SOLVED EASILY
Another apparent non-starter has been publicized in today's Ma'ariv
newspaper. Front-page headlines blare of a letter allegedly signed by
heads of hesder yeshivot warning that their students will not be able
to continue serving in the IDF if the religious situation there is not
improved. Another headline in the paper mentions a rabbinic call to
soldiers to "refuse orders" that contradict their religious beliefs.
The letter refers to severe religious problems stemming from
mixed-gender regiments, lack of concern for Sabbath observance, and
less-than-adequate kashrut supervision in many of the smaller bases.
Several alleged signatories to the letter told Arutz-7 that the story
has been exaggerated, however. Lt.-Col (res.) Moshe Hager, who runs
an army preparatory yeshiva in the Judea community of Yatir, said that
he himself was signed only on certain aspects of the letter, and that
the letter was not supposed to have been leaked to the media. "This
is not our way. I think that the issue should be handled through
dialogue, and not through the media. Unfortunately, everything these
days seems to be done under the knife and with ultimatums... Not
everything has to be the subject of public debate. Dialogue is the
preferred method... In fact, there has been some progress of late.
For instance, the army is considering ending the policy of mixed
regiments."
When asked if any clear policy decisions had resulted from the rabbis'
letter and the dialogue, Rabbi Hager observed, "Creating an
appropriate environment for religious soldiers is a long process...
The IDF is gradually realizing that more and more of the soldiers are
religious, and there are almost 10,000 such soldiers... I am against
what some rabbis have recommended, that orders that contravene
halakhah (Jewish Law) should be refused. It's almost always possible
to get around certain orders without directly refusing them. For
instance, a soldier asked to perform an artificial resucitation drill
on a woman soldier can simply claim that he has a cold. But of course
I don't understand why the problem should arise in the first place.
Why can't men practice on men, and women on women? Why must a male
soldier be ordered to carry a woman soldier on his back in an
exercise? The majority of difficulties stem not from antagonism to
religion, but from a lack of understanding and sensitivity to the
issues that matter to the religious soldiers... We're not talking
about some foreign army, but our own army... The tensions [between
the army and the religious soldiers] are comparable to tensions
between a mother and father.
We, the public, are the children, who don't want their parents to get
a divorce."
Rabbi Elazar Melamed, the head of a hesder yeshiva [wherein religious
soldiers enlist for a five-year program combining military duty with
Torah study], said that he never signed such a letter. "I don't even
believe that the issues raised in the letter are more prevalent in the
army than they were before. Certainly hesder boys don't face these
problems very often, although possibly the religious soldiers who
studied in a one-year yeshiva preparatory program and then serve for
three full years in the army face these problems a bit more
frequently." Rabbi Melamed said that it is obvious that if a "clearly
illegal order" is given, it must be refused. Rabbi Chaim Druckman,
also reported by Ma'ariv to have signed the letter threatening that
religious soldiers would not be able to serve in the IDF, said today
that he did not sign such a letter.
4. REMARKS BY ARAB MK TO BE INVESTIGATED
Deputy Minister Michael Eitan called upon the Labor Party today to
join him in a campaign to investigate whether MK Azmi Bishara's
National Democratic Alliance party should be outlawed for its
anti-Israel character. At today's Cabinet meeting, Communications
Minister Limor Livnat referred to Bishara's recent remarks in praise
of Hizbullah, and to reports that his party's platform rejects the
Jewish character of the State and supports the negation of the Law of
Return. The Attorney-General said that he will investigate the
matter.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, February 22, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Monday, Feb. 22, 1999 / Adar 6, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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***************************************************
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. MK PORAT PUSHED "DOWN AND OUT" IN NRP PRIMARIES
2. PORAT WEIGHS OPTIONS
3. LUBOTSKY: CONVERSION COMPROMISE ALREADY WORKING
4. ISRAELI IMAGING TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CT-SCANS
1. MK PORAT PUSHED "DOWN AND OUT" IN NRP PRIMARIES
A surprise within a surprise in the voting for the National Religious
Party yesterday. The top five spots on the Knesset list for the
upcoming elections lean heavily away from the right, and include two
new members - Zevulun Orlev and Nachum Langental - who are closely
associated with the "moderate" stream. Even more significantly, MK
Chanan Porat, who enjoys wide support from the more right-wing camp
within the NRP, received votes enough only for the 11th spot. Most
polls until now have predicted that the NRP would garner six or seven
seats in the next Knesset, compared to the nine they currently have.
Porat has not yet commented publicly on his defeat, and it is not
certain that he will remain in the NRP.
The order of NRP candidates is now as follows:
Rabbi Yitzchak Levy (chosen last month to head the party), Minister
Sha'ul Yahalom, MK Yigal Bibi, party secretary-general Orlev, former
Transportation Ministry Director-General Langental, MK Nisan
Slomiansky, MK Tzvi Hendel, Gila Finkelstein (in the spot that was
reserved for the woman who received the most votes), MK Eli Gabbai, MK
Shmaryahu Ben-Tzur, and Porat.
The Yesha Council reacted with something close to shock to Porat's
defeat. Yesha Council head Aharon Domb expressed the hope today that
the NRP would introduce changes in the party list, lest it lose even
more seats in the elections than had been foreseen. Sha'ul Yahalom,
considered the leader of the more "moderate" camp within the NRP, said
that the NRP Central Committee chose "a good, balanced list," and that
changing it was not an option. He said that he does not rule out the
possibility of "joining a Labor-led government if Barak should win,
although at present we support Netanyahu."
2. PORAT WEIGHS OPTIONS
Chanan Porat himself refused to speak to reporters today. He plans to
break his silence only tonight in a television interview. Rabbis and
religious-Zionist leaders have called upon him to quit the NRP, while
the Tekumah movement has invited him, again, to join its ranks. Chaim
Falk, head of the Young Generation of the NRP and Porat's close
advisor, said today that Porat has three options: "To accept
Yahalom's invitation to take a share of the leadership of the party
(see below), which I don't think is realistic, or to take a passive
role in the NRP, or to join another party... I don't see the third
option as anti-democratic or objectionable in any way. If the Central
Committee had decided that he is not worthy of the second [or third]
spot, which he wanted, and placed him at number seven, then it might
be unfair of him to say, 'I'm quitting.' But the party basically threw
him out altogether! Under these circumstances, when one party doesn't
want him and another entire sector sees him as its leader, it's
perfectly fair for him to leave and assume the leadership position
that it offers him." Falk said that he sees Porat's defeat as "a
personal defeat for me, as I had taken it upon myself to help bring
about a Torah-based revolution within the party, and the party turned
its back on this attempt."
Arutz-7 also spoke to "winner" Minister Sha'ul Yahalom today, who said
that he does not think that the new party list is particularly
different than the list chosen three years ago: "The two new faces,
Orlev and Langental, simply replaced - from an ideological point of
view - the two members who unfortunately died during the past term,
Zevulun Hammer and Avraham Stern."
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal then said, "But an NRP list without Chanan
Porat is like a team without one of its star players!" Yahalom
responded, "I personally voted for Porat, and I am sorry that he is so
far down on the list. But among the top seven, three - Rabbi Levy,
Slomiansky, and Hendel - are considered more hawkish... I think what
happened was that the Central Committee saw Chanan as the symbol of
the fight to topple the government, and was frustrated and angered at
that. By voting him out, they were saying that this is not the NRP's
style, and that the NRP is not Tekumah!" Yahalom said that he would
like to see Porat be offered and accept a position of leadership in
the party, even from outside the Knesset.
3. LUBOTSKY: CONVERSION COMPROMISE ALREADY WORKING
The Supreme Court will hold a session tomorrow on the question of
whether or not the State of Israel should recognize Reform conversions
to Judaism. Knesset Law Committee Chairman Chanan Porat and other
religious bodies have asked the Court not to rule on the issue before
the next Knesset has a chance to legislate the Ne'eman Commission
compromise into law. The compromise calls for a joint
Orthodox-Conservative-Reform ulpan (course of study) for potential
converts, with exclusively-Orthodox conversions. MK Alex Lubotsky
told an Arutz-7 correspondent today that no court ruling is expected
before the elections, and "in the meanwhile, it is important to know
that the joint ulpan is already in operation, and that the Court
should give the compromise a chance to work. The Conservative and
Reform movements have not yet promised not to hold conversion
ceremonies, but the Chief Rabbinate, for its part, is willing to close
its eyes to the ulpan. I sincerely hope the Court gives this a chance
to work out, and things may fall into place on their own."
Lubotsky, a religious MK of the Third Way party, expressed sorrow on
the apparent departure of Chanan Porat from the Knesset. "We disagree
fundamentally on a number of issues, such as the Olso process, but I
believe the NRP made a mistake in pushing him out. First of all, he
is simply a top-quality man, and a Torah scholar... In addition, I
must say that on religious issues, I had much cooperation from him,
and his position on integrating the religious community into the
modern world is close to mine, despite his extremism on other issues.
It was he who helped bring the NRP around to supporting the Ne'eman
conversion compromise." When asked if he himself would now consider
joining the NRP, in light of its leftward turn, Lubotsky said, "I have
much criticism of the NRP. In the previous election, it attempted to
bring the government too much to the right - the same mistake made
from the other side by Meretz with the Rabin government. In my
opinion, the NRP represented the religious-Zionist public more than it
represented the religious-Zionist ideology." Lubotsky said that his
own decision to join the centrist party can be explained in this
light, "so that we can work from within. In my mind, it's not a
coincidence that Ya'akov Ne'eman and myself - two religious people who
do not belong to the established religious parties - were the ones who
were able to push through the historic Ne'eman compromise."
4. ISRAELI IMAGING TECHNOLOGY IMPROVES CT-SCANS
New Israeli-produced imaging technology significantly improves a
physician's ability to diagnose complex problems and treat them in a
non-operating room environment faster than ever before. The Picker
Mx-8000, a joint collaboration of University Hospitals of Cleveland
and Picker International, is the fastest CT system in the world,
providing multiple images of parts of the body in seconds instead of
minutes. Medical Imaging magazine reported that the Picker Mx-8000 is
an especially effective tool for CT scanning of certain patients, such
as children, trauma victims and the elderly, who tend to present
imaging difficulties, and does not require patients to hold their
breath during the procedure. Driven by the same high-speed motor that
allows European "bullet" trains to speed along at 200 miles per hour,
the new CT scanner enables physicians to see images never before
possible, including microscopic calcium deposits inside blood vessels
leading to the heart.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, February 23, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, February 23, 1999 / Adar 7, 5759
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
--- See below for subscription instructions ---
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARUTZ-7 IS LEGAL!
2. HIGH COURT PUSHES OFF CONVERSION RULING
3. PORAT CALLS FOR RELIGIOUS-ZIONIST RECKONING
4. WASHINGTON PRESS CONFERENCE
5. MORDECHAI: PALESTINIANS PROMISED ME NO TERROR ATTACKS
1. ARUTZ-7 IS LEGAL!
Arutz-7 is now a licensed radio station! The Knesset voted 40-30
today to grant immediate recognition to any station that has been in
continuous operation for the past five years. A radio station
associated with the Shas party is also included in the bill.
Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein exerted heavy pressure against the
bill throughout the day, claiming that he will have "difficulty
defending it if and when the Supreme Court is asked to rule on it."
In fact, opposition MKs submitted an appeal to the Supreme Court
against the legality of the new law less than two hours after the
vote. Station executives say that they have received numerous legal
opinions affirming that there is no legal basis for disqualifying the
proposed bill. They claim that political, not legal, motivations are
behind the objections of the State Attorney's office.
Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), Executive-Director of Arutz-7, said today that
the station is making preparations to implement the decision. "We are
still checking all the details," he said, adding that he wished to
thank Rabbis Ovadiah Yosef, Mordechai Eliyahu, and Avraham Shapira, as
well as a long list of Knesset Members and others whose support helped
bring about the passage of the bill.
2. HIGH COURT PUSHES OFF CONVERSION RULING
Deliberations on the appeal to recognize Reform and Conservative
conversions opened this morning in the Supreme Court, but a final
ruling will be handed down at a later date. The petitioners - parents
of an adopted child whose Reform conversion to Judaism they wish to
have recognized by Israel - turned down a compromise solution proposed
by Chief Justice Aharon Barak today. The compromise would have
registered the child as a Jew in the "Nationality" section of his
personal ID card, whereas the "Religion" section would be left blank.
Arutz-7 correspondent Meir Rabinowitz reported his impression that the
Court was anxious to avoid ruling on this controversial issue.
3. PORAT CALLS FOR RELIGIOUS-ZIONIST RECKONING
MK Chanan Porat, who was basically voted out of the next Knesset by
the NRP's Central Committee on Sunday, said last night that the
religious-Zionist movement must "make a reckoning" of its situation.
Porat - a respected Torah scholar, a leader of the 'religious
right-wing' of the party, and who recently rated #2 in a public
popularity survey among NRP voters - said, "I call upon the entire
movement - rabbis, politicians, Central Committee members, Yesha
communities - to make a reckoning, for if not, my place will not be
here."
4. WASHINGTON PRESS CONFERENCE
Members of Congress will release evidence of Palestinian anti-Israel
incitement at a press conference tomorrow, a day before a meeting of
the Trilateral Committee to Prevent Incitement is held in Washington.
U.S. Senator Sam Brownback (R-KS) and U.S. Rep. Jim Saxton (R-NJ) will
present the evidence at a press conference convened by the National
Unity Coalition for Israel. Other members of Congress also are
expected to attend and present statements. Itamar Marcus, an Israeli
media specialist and one of the official Israeli delegates to the
Trilateral Committee, will also present evidence of continued
anti-Israeli incitement gleaned from Palestinian newspapers, radio and
television programs. The 12-member Trilateral Committee is comprised
of officials from Israel, the U.S. and the Palestinian Authority.
5. MORDECHAI: PALESTINIANS PROMISED ME NO TERROR ATTACKS
Former Defense Minister Yitzchak Mordechai, currently running against
his former boss Binyamin Netanyahu for Prime Minister, told an
American group yesterday, "I worked with the Palestinians to achieve a
secret agreement so there would be no terror attacks before
elections." He explained today that the Palestinians understood that
such attacks would be used to Netanyahu's political advantage. The
Associated Press reported that Mordechai later clarified his comments,
saying that he reached an "understanding" rather than an "agreement"
that it was important for Palestinians to try to combat terror. The
AP reported that Palestinian officials had no immediate comment.
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