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To: Arutz-7 List <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>, Israel News List
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Subject: Arutz-7 News: January 31 - February 7, 1999
Date: Sun, 7 Feb 1999 16:30:33 -0800
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Date: Sun, 31 Jan 1999 18:48:40 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, January 31, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, Jan. 31, 1999 / Sh'vat 14, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TALKS WITH SYRIA?
2. WALLERSTEIN EXPLAINS COUNCIL'S NON-DECISION
3. FORBES PROTESTS CONGRESSIONAL INVITATION TO ARAFAT
1. TALKS WITH SYRIA?
Negotiations with Syria may soon resume. Foreign Minister Ariel
Sharon conveyed to Syrian President Assad Israel's willingness to do
so last week, via European Union leader Miguel Mauritinus. Israel
insists that no preconditions be set for the renewal of the talks.
Syria, however, has always demanded that talks resume from the point
they left off when the late Yitzchak Rabin reportedly agreed to
withdraw from the entire Golan Heights in exchange for proper security
arrangements.
2. WALLERSTEIN EXPLAINS COUNCIL'S NON-DECISION
Pinchas Wallerstein, head of the Council of Jewish Communities in
Judea and Samaria (Yesha) , confirmed today that, following two days
of intensive meetings last week, the body did not arrive at any
conclusion regarding which Prime Ministerial candidate to support.
"Most of our time was directed towards ensuring that the events of
1992 do not repeat themselves," he said. "We concentrated on how to
unite the right-wing parties, as we simply cannot afford to lose votes
to parties that won't qualify for even one mandate. But we didn't
feel it was urgent to make a decision about the Prime Minister at this
time. Any support for Netanyahu would have to be conditional, anyway,
given his decision to sign the Wye agreement, an action that inflicted
serious damage upon Yesha. We'll have to see what the Likud platform
is regarding the establishment of a Palestinian state and the future
of Jewish settlements in the various potential scenarios. If Prime
Minister Netanyahu says that he is headed towards a Palestinian state
or the evacuation of settlements, or if he even sees certain
settlements as remaining outside of Israeli sovereignty, we will not
support him under any circumstances."
Wallerstein noted that the Yesha Council had not found a way to ensure
that the Prime Minister remains faithful to his promises this time
around.
3. FORBES PROTESTS CONGRESSIONAL INVITATION TO ARAFAT
Yasser Arafat is set to meet this Thursday in Washington with U.S.
President Bill Clinton. Arafat will ask for American support for the
establishment of a Palestinian state, in exchange for his agreement to
delay its declaration. The PLO leader's openness to postponing the
announcement stems from his concern that such a move would help
Binyamin Netanyahu's re-election bid.
The efforts against the Congressional invitation to Yasser Arafat, who
was invited to participate in next week's annual National Prayer
Breakfast, continue. Congressman Michael Forbes (R-NY) has announced
that he refuses to attend the event in protest of the invitation. "I
am deeply offended that Yasser Arafat, the architect of modern
terrorism, has been invited to participate in the National Prayer
Breakfast," announced Forbes. "It is simply wrong for Congress to
treat this unrepentant terrorist with the respect due a legitimate
world leader."
Stephen Flatow, whose American-citizen daughter Alisa was murdered,
along with seven other people, in an Islamic Jihad bus bombing in
April 1995 in Palestinian Authority-controlled territory, wrote the
following to U.S. Congressman Largent, chairman of the Breakfast: "At
a time when Mr. Arafat is refusing to implement his Oslo and Wye
obligations to combat terrorism, and refusing to hand over Arab
terrorists involved in murders of Americans such as my daughter, an
invitation to a prestigious event such as the National Prayer
Breakfast will bestow upon Mr. Arafat a degree of legitimacy and
credibility that he has not earned... Mr. Arafat has failed to outlaw
Islamic Jihad, seize its weapons, shut down its training camps, or
jailed its leaders as required by the Wye Agreement. Sadly, within
the past week, Mr. Arafat set free an imprisoned Islamic Jihad leader,
Abdullah Al-Shami, despite the fact that he had declared during
President Clinton's recent visit to Gaza that he would be 'happy if
the American President were to be killed during his visit to the
Palestinian Authority areas.' Congressman Largent, I appeal to you to
rescind your invitation to Yasser Arafat..."
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Date: Mon, 01 Feb 1999 18:33:42
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, February 1, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Monday, Feb. 1, 1999 / Tu B'Shvat, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BEGIN WON'T GO WITH MOLEDET
2. PROTESTS AGAINST CONGRESSIONAL ARAFAT INVITATION CONTINUE
3. HAMAS STAGES INCITEMENT
4. PALESTINIAN NON-FULFILLMENT DETAILED IN REPORT
1. BEGIN WON'T GO WITH MOLEDET
The split in the right-wing camp opened wider today, after Prime
Ministerial-candidate MK Benny Begin announced that he would not join
forces with MK Rehavam Ze'evi's Moledet party. This follows Ze'evi's
announcement last night that his trademark "transfer" idea -
relocating the Arabs of Judea and Samaria to other Arab countries - is
still alive and well. Begin explained on Arutz-7 today that such a
concept is anti-educational and that he will not adopt it. When
confronted with the likelihood that his decision will splinter the
right-wing, leading to a possible victory for the left-wing and a
resulting "transfer" of Jews from Judea and Samaria, Begin answered
that the fault lies with those right-wing leaders who support
Netanyahu, "about whom we know with absolute certainty that he will
withdraw from Judea and Samaria." MK Benny Elon (Moledet) said, "The
issue is not Netanyahu," and added, "I will not let this split
happen."
Deputy Minister Moshe Peled, formerly of the Tzomet party, announced
last night that he was joining the Moledet party. The Yesha Council
is planning to embark on a campaign tomorrow to unite the right-wing.
Similarly, a grass-roots fax-and-letter campaign to MKs of the
nationalist camp in favor of political unity for the elections has
begun.
2. PROTESTS AGAINST CONGRESSIONAL ARAFAT INVITATION CONTINUE
The International Christian Embassy Jerusalem today joined those
criticizing the decision to invite PA Chairman Yasser Arafat to the
Congressional Prayer Breakfast this Thursday in Washington, D.C. The
ICEJ termed the decision to host Arafat as "troubling and
ill-advised," and added, "There ought to have been better foresight in
making such a questionable decision." ICEJ media officer David Parsons
cited several aspects of Arafat's post-Oslo conduct that "should have
disqualified him from a place of honor at a U.S. government-sanctioned
prayer function with substantial Christian backing," including:
Arafat's repeated calls for jihad and incitement to violence; his
harboring of terrorists in PA areas who are responsible for murdering
hundreds, including 11 Americans, since 1993; official PA
discrimination against Palestinian Christians - and all this amidst "a
complete absence of any expression of remorse for the PLO's long
record of terrorism."
The ICEJ spokesman said that the group is particularly concerned that
Arafat will exploit the occasion to further sanitize himself in the
eyes of Christians and others in his campaign to wrest control of the
Christian holy sites in Jerusalem. Parsons said, "No one should be
deceived into thinking that Arafat and the Muslim-dominated PA will be
a principled and trustworthy guardian of Jewish or Christian sites and
places of worship in the Holy Land. Their record so far in Bethlehem,
Hebron and Nablus is deplorable."
Congressman Michael Forbes of New York has already announced that he
will boycott the Prayer Breakfast. Mr. Stephen Flatow, whose
American-citizen daughter Alisa was murdered in an Islamic Jihad bus
bombing in April 1995 in PA-controlled territory, has received an
invitation to attend the Breakfast. This is apparently in response to
Flatow's letter of protest against the Arafat invitation. Rep. Steve
Largent, rotating chairman of this year's Breakfast, said that he
would not rescind the invitation to Arafat, and that he was not
responsible for its issuance.
3. HAMAS STAGES INCITEMENT
Students at An-Najah University in Shechem yesterday staged
re-enactments of suicide bombings and the kidnappings and killings of
IDF soldiers. Margot Dudkevitch of the Jerusalem Post provided a
play-by-play account of the mass rally, held in honor of the Hamas
organization's 12th anniversary:
It began with the presentation of the first Hamas leaflet, from
December
1987, promising, "Hamas shall ignite the ground under the feet of the
Zionists who occupy our land." The audience then saw two Hamas
sympathizers dressed in military uniforms and black masks force an
"Israeli soldier" onto a chair and hold mock rifles to his head. A
blown-up photo of an Israeli soldier lying dead on the ground near an
Israeli jeep was then shown. Finally, five students dressed as
suicide bombers, in white death shrouds and black masks, held
cardboard name-plates of Hamas bombers, such as Salah Nazal, who
killed 22 Israelis when he suicide-bombed a bus in Tel Aviv in 1994.
The Post reported that two murdered Israelis were mentioned by name
during the skit: Nissim Toledano, a border policeman abducted and
murdered in 1992, and Nachshon Wachsman, an Israeli soldier abducted
and murdered in 1994.
Chief PA negotiator Saeb Erekat said on television last night that the
PA has carried out its commitments to the accord.
4. PALESTINIAN NON-FULFILLMENT DETAILED IN REPORT
The Israeli Foreign Ministry has just published a report detailing the
minimal extent to which the Palestinian Authority has fulfilled its
Wye accord obligations. A contingent of Foreign Ministry
representatives is presently meeting with U.S. government officials on
the matter. David Bar-Illan, Director of Communications and Policy
Planning in the Prime Minister's Office, told Arutz-7 today that the
Palestinians have freed 60 active terrorists in the last several
weeks. "We published a list of five of these prisoners who actively
participated in murders of Americans. This 'revolving door policy' is
a blatant violation of the Wye agreement, something the Palestinians
took upon themselves to change," Bar-Illan said.
The document shows that the PA is not working seriously to prevent
terrorist attacks and disturbances directed against Israelis -
citizens and soldiers - in Hevron. In addition, as has been shown
before, the number of Palestinian paramilitary police in Hevron far
exceeds the 400 allowed by the agreements. The amounts of weaponry
held by the PA forces also far outweigh the acceptable figures. In
recognition of this, Israel has not released the mini-Ingram
submachine guns that had been earmarked for the PA.
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Date: Wed, 03 Feb 1999 18:00:15 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, February 3, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Wednesday, Feb. 3, 1999 / Sh'vat 17, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
2. BEILIN: ARAFAT IS "UNIQUE AND SPECIAL"
3. NEW HAREIDI DIRECTION: COMPUTERS
1. BRINGING PEOPLE TOGETHER
The Yesha Council continues today in its mission to unite Israel's
right-wing parties, using the slogan, "The left is praying for our
polarization." Council representatives met today with members of the
Moledet, Tzomet, and Herut parties. Moledet leader Rehavam Ze'evi
reiterated again today his commitment to the concept of transfer for
the Arab population of Yesha, but explained, "This is not expulsion.
Only terrorist murderers must be expelled."
It was announced today that Tzomet and Tekumah are considering a
merger, of sorts. Of the five Tzomet MKs in the current Knesset,
four are now in other political parties: Moshe Peled has joined
Moledet, Chaim Dayan has joined Shas, Modi Zandberg transferred to the
new centrist party, and Pinny Badash (a Knesset Member until several
weeks ago) has formed a new Negev party.
2. BEILIN: ARAFAT IS "UNIQUE AND SPECIAL"
Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) has translated an
interview given by Labor MK Yossi Beilin to reporter Muhammad Hamza,
printed in the Palestinian daily Al-Ayyam on Jan. 23, 1999. Following
are excerpts from the interview:
Question: You spoke of the price of peace that the [Israeli] right is
incapable of paying but that you are willing to accept. To what price
are you referring?
Beilin: I believe that the price of peace is a Palestinian state on
the lion's share of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. I do not see it
only as a price, but as something that will enable us to fulfill the
Israeli, and even Jewish, national interest... A very Zionist person,
like myself, who believes in the right of the Jewish people to a state
of its own needs to say in the same breathe that the Palestinian
people have a right to establish their state. I admit, therefore,
that for me there is no price to be paid at all.
In response to another question, Beilin said: ... I view Abu-Mazen as
a full partner... I see this man as a pioneer inside the Palestinian
camp along with people such as Abu 'Ala, Saeb Erekat and everyone with
whom I had relations with in the last few years, and first and
foremost Abu 'Amar [Arafat]. This is a unique and special person who
I view as the supreme expression of the Palestinian national interest,
and the human [interest] as well... Regarding the settlements, I
believe that most settlements will remain in the Palestinian state.
Settlers who want to receive recompense and leave Israel should pay
them.
3. NEW HAREIDI DIRECTION: COMPUTERS
Today's Hatzofeh newspaper reports that girls' hareidi high schools in
the city of Bnei Brak are headed in a new direction: computer
training. Until now, the seminaries have concentrated almost
exclusively on teacher training, but the supply of teachers has now
surpassed the demand. A new school specializing in training young
women as computer-programmers has just opened in the city, with the
stated goal of enabling women "to support husbands studying Torah by
providing even large families with respectable incomes." At the
present time, over 200 hareidi women are working in the framework of
small businesses throughout the city, in cooperation with the Bnei
Brak Small Business Center.
In a similar vein, the Jerusalem College of Technology (Machon Lev)
officially kicks off its new hi-tech program for hareidi men today.
At present, 22 men are registered in the course. The program's
initiators are building towards a full-fledged college designed for
mainstreaming hareidi citizens into Israel's hi-tech business sector.
***********************************************************************
Date: Thu, 04 Feb 1999 18:04:04 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, February 4, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, Feb. 4, 1999 / Sh'vat 18, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. OPTIMISM REGARDING NATIONALIST-CAMP UNITY
1. OPTIMISM REGARDING NATIONALIST-CAMP UNITY
The Yesha Council's efforts to unite the nationalist camp parties
appear to be gaining momentum. "I am more optimistic now than I have
been the past few weeks," said Aharon Domb, Council Secretary-General.
A joint platform agreed-upon by all the parties may be prepared next
week, with the intention that each party will retain its independence
regarding certain issues. If unity efforts are unsuccessful, however,
the Council plans to announce who it feels is responsible for the
split.
*********************************************************************
Date: Fri, 05 Feb 1999 14:38:59 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, February 5, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, Feb. 5, 1999 / Sh'vat 19, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PALESTINIANS SEEK TO "SLANDER" ISRAEL
1. PALESTINIANS SEEK TO "SLANDER" ISRAEL
The Foreign Ministry has announced that the Palestinian intention in
the U.N. to request a special international session next month to
discuss the situation in Judea, Samaria and Gaza is a gross violation
of the Oslo accords. The Ministry explained that the Palestinians
cancelled their participation in a meeting that had been set for last
November, in which ways to improve humanitarian conditions for
residents of these areas were to be discussed. "The entire purpose of
[the meeting for which the Palestinians are now calling] is to seek
condemnations and slanderous statements against Israel," according to
the Foreign Ministry. "The Palestinian initiative would create a
dangerous precedent of politicization of the humanitarian aid provided
by the United Nations that will only succeed in hurting the recipients
of that aid."
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Date: Sun, 07 Feb 1999 17:37:41 +0200
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, February 7, 1999
Reply-to: netnews@a7.org
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, Feb. 7, 1999 / Sh'vat 21, 5759
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. DIVISION COULD LEAD TO SUBTRACTION
1. DIVISION COULD LEAD TO SUBTRACTION
Israel's nationalist camp could lose five to eight Knesset seats if
its small parties run separately, according to an updated survey
conducted by Dr. Yakov Katz of Bar-Ilan University. The study found
that each of Moledet, Tzomet, and Tekumah is not certain to receive
the required minimum of votes to gain even one seat. Running together
with Benny Begin's Herut party - which is worth 2-3 seats running
alone - the same parties could gain eight seats. (It should be noted
that the minimum number of seats that a Knesset party can receive is
two seats.)
*********************************************************************
From: Voices united for Israel
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: ISRAEL GIVES AND GIVES
Chicago Sun-Times COMMENTARY Wednesday, Feb. 3rd, 1999
Israel gives and gives, but U.S. only wants more
DESPITE THE PALESTINIANS' FAILURE TO IMPLEMENT THEIR PART OF THE WYE
AGREEMENT, THE U.S CONTINUES TO PUT ALL THE BLAME ON ISRAEL, WRITE
RUDY BOSCHWITZ
It seems as if the Clinton administration never misses an opportunity
to blame I srael. Despite the mountain of evidence of Palestinian
violations of the Wye acc ord, State Department officials and even
Vice President Al Gore are publicly poi nting a finger at Israel,
accusing it of failing to implement the agreement.
The accusations began on Jan. 6, when State Department spokesman James
Rubin cla imed that Palestinian leaders "have, in fact, worked hard to
implement many of t heir commitments...there are some commitments that
sill have to be fulfilled, bu t in our view, overall, they are making
progress here." Rubin, then emphasized: "It is the Israelis who have
not fulfilled any of their Phase Two obligations by
failing to pull back the further redeployment as required by Phase Two."
Three days later, U.S. envoy Dennis Ross took a similar shot at
Israel. The head line in the Jerusalem Post summed it up: "Ross
Criticizes Israel's Position on W ye." Not a word of criticism of the
Palestinians' failure to implement their Wye commitments.
Now it's Gore's turn. On Jan. 14 Gore delivered his first speech to a
Jewish aud ience since declaring his candidacy for the presidency. He
chose to give the spe ech before the Israel Policy Forum, a small U.S.
support group for the Israeli opposition Labor Party a choice that
some may see as indicating Gore's preferen ce in the coming Israeli
elections. One can only hope that was not Gore's intent ions, since
non-interference in an ally's domestic election campaigns should be a
cardinal rule of U.S. foreign policy.
In any event, what Gore said was even more disturbing than where he
said it. " T he president and I call on both sides to implement Wye as
signed with no new con ditions," he said. That sounds fine on the
surface but as the Jewish Telegraph ic Agency noted in its report of
the speech,"Gore issued his call to both parties, but Israel has been
the sole target of criticism from the Clinton administrat ion for
imposing such conditions."
Indeed, the phrase "new conditions" has become the Arabs' code-word
for Israel's position that there must be Palestinian compliance before additional
Israeli territorial concessions. According to Yasser Arafat, the Israel position
is a "new condition." The truth is that it is not a new condition at
all it is simply what was agreed upon at Wye.
The Wye agreement contains a detailed time line for implementation. By
specified dates, the Palestinians must carry out a variety of anti-terrorist
actions, and Israel has to withdraw from certain territory. The
agreement also contains a letter from Secretary of State Madeleine
Albright to Israeli Prime Minister Benjam in Netanyahu, which says
quite clearly that "actions in each stage of the time l ines are to
be completed by both sides before moving to the next stage." Albright
did not say that Israel has to move on the next stage of concessions
regardless of Palestinian non-compliance with the first stage.
Back in November, Israel immediately fulfilled its first stage
obligation to sur render a portion of territory in the Northern
Samaria region. But the Palestinia ns have not fulfilled their
obligations. They haven't outlawed terrorist groups such as Hamas and
Islam Jihad. They haven't confiscated the terrorists weapons, jailed
wanted terrorists, or reduced the Palestinian Authority police force
whic h is 50 percent larger than permitted by the Oslo and Wye
accords. Nor have they put a halt to the anti-Israeli incitement that
is published and broadcast in the Arafat controlled media.
Until the Palestinians keep the Wye obligations, Israel is not
required to surre nder any additional territory. That's what the Wye
agreement itself specifies. W hich means that Arafat, not Israel,.is
the obstacle to peace=97whether Al Gore a nd the State Department
admit it or not.
Rudy Boschwitz, formerly U.S. senator from Minnesota (1979 to 1991),
is honorary chairman of the Committee for a Secure Peace, group of concerned
citizens who want a secure peace for Israel.
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