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Subject: Israel in the News: 2/14/99 - 3/6/99
Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 15:45:45 -0800
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From: Eddie Chumney
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Subject: Israel in the News
Israel in the News
February 14 to March 6, 1999
TEMPLE MOUNT
PALESTINIAN CLERIC GETS NEW OFFICE AT HOLY SITE; ISRAEL PROTESTS
February 16, 1999 By Karin Laub, Associated Press Jerusalem (AP)
A new dispute broke out today between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority over control of the Al Aqsa Mosque compound in
Jerusalem, Islam's third holiest shrine. The two sides wrangled
over a new office opened recently in the compound by the
Jerusalem mufti, or chief Muslim cleric, who was appointed by
Yasser Arafat's Palestinian Authority in 1994.
The dispute was also seen as a test for Jordan's new King
Abdullah. Jordan's historic claim to the Muslim holy sites has
increasingly been challenged by Arafat. Israel complained that
the new office for the mufti violated the Israeli-Palestinian
autonomy agreements, which bar the Palestinian Authority from
operating in Jerusalem. Israel has asked the mufti, Ikrema
Sabri, not to enter the new office, said David Bar-Illan, a top
adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
The Netanyahu government has asked the United States to
intervene, said Larry Schwartz, a spokesman for the U.S. Embassy
in Tel Aviv. Schwartz said Israel asked that the issue be raised
during U.S.-Palestinian talks in Washington this week.
The mufti used to have an office on the edge of the walled Al
Aqsa compound, with the entrance facing outside the complex. His
new one-room office is inside the compound. Officials in the
Islamic Trust, or Waqf, which administers the Al Aqsa compound
and other Muslim sites, said the mufti moved to the new location
because he had heart problems and could no longer climb the steps
of his old office.
Sabri denied Israeli allegations that the move was part of a
campaign by the Palestinian Authority to assert control of the
holy site, which until a few years ago was administered by
Jordan. "There are no political dimensions to this move,'' Sabri
said, adding that the opening of the new office was approved by
Jordanian officials.
MUFTI REJECTS ISRAELI REQUEST TO VACATE TEMPLE MOUNT
IsraelWire-2/15/99
Jerusalem's PLO Authority (PA)-appointed Mufti, Sheik Ikrama
Sabri, rejected Israeli requests that he shut down his newly
opened office on the Temple Mount of Jerusalem' Old City.
Israeli officials told the mufti that the opening of his office
was a gross violation of the status quo and he was obliged to
move to another area. The mufti flatly rejected the Israeli
demand, explaining that the office is a religious and not
political matter. Israel plans to call upon the United States to
pressure the PA and the mufti to comply with the request.
JERUSALEM
PARTICIPANTS IN COLLOQUY ON JERUSALEM BACK PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: Arabic News Sat Feb 27,
1999
The participants in the international colloquy on "the future of
Arab Jerusalem" held in Casablanca have voiced total support for
the proclamation of the state of Palestine with Jerusalem as its
capital and rejected any alternative or manipulation to the
detriment of the future of the holy city. They adopted a final
statement and a set of recommendations condemning the recognition
of Jerusalem as Israel's capital and denouncing the transfer of
embassies, missions or representation to the city. The
participants utterly rejected the internationalization of the
holy city or its putting under whatever tutorship after May 4,
the date marking the end of the transition period stipulated in
the Oslo accords, and the proclamation of the State of Palestine.
The participants likewise denounced any Judaization attempts by
Israel and called for the dismantling of Israeli settlements, an
immediate halt to expropriation of lands and the withdrawal of
identity cards from the Palestinians, segregation, closure of
Palestinian territories and expulsion of Palestinian citizens.
The statement said the most important means to counter attempts
to Judaize Jerusalem lie in bolstering the resolve of the
Palestinian inhabitants and providing all means to prevent their
forced emigration.
ISRAEL
RTHODOX JEWS PROTEST CHANGES IN ISRAELI LAW
February 28, 1999 New York (AP)
About 25,000 Orthodox Jews prayed in the pouring rain Sunday to
protest recent political developments in Israel. The sound of
Biblical psalms chanted in Hebrew echoed through the canyons of
lower Manhattan. The Orthodox faithful rode by bus from as far
away as Baltimore, but the majority came from Brooklyn to protest
Israeli supreme court rulings that could reduce Orthodox influence
over everyday activities in the Jewish state. There were no speeches
at the vigil, just a sea of bearded men in black hats and coats,
standing separately from thousands of modestly dressed women reciting
prayers in the various traditions of Syrian, Lithuanian, Polish and
other Jewish groups.
ARAFAT MEETS WITH POPE, RENEWS INVITATION TO BETHLEHEM
February 19, 1999 Vatican City (AP)
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat met with Pope John Paul II today
and renewed his invitation for the pontiff to visit Bethlehem in
the year 2000. Arafat is in Rome for a two-day, U.N.-sponsored
conference on the Bethlehem 2000 project, an ambitious plan to
spruce up the city where Christians believe Jesus was born. The
pontiff gave his blessing to the conference today when he
received a delegation of Bethlehem officials and he called once
again for peace in the Middle East.
"Although Bethlehem's history ... has often been marked by
violence, the city still stands as a promise of peace and an
assurance that the human hope for peace is not vain,'' John Paul
said. As he has before, the pope accepted Arafat's invitation,
but no date was set. It was their seventh meeting. "I hope I
can be there,'' the pontiff told him. John Paul has long wanted
to visit the Holy Land but has deferred any journey because of
the politically charged atmosphere of the region.
ARAFAT CALLS FOR UNHINDERED ACCESS TO BETHLEHEM, MORE MILLENNIUM
MONEY
February 18, 1999 By Candice Hughes, Associated Press Rome (AP)
It's an unholy rivalry over some very holy turf: the Israeli-
Palestinian competition for tourist dollars when the millennium
hits the Holy Land. Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on
Thursday brought the battle to a U.N.-sponsored conference on
Bethlehem that was being held in Rome, the heart of the
millennium movement. Bethlehem, the city where Christians
believe Jesus was born, is expected to attract at least 2 million
tourists in 2000, and the Palestinian Authority says it needs
hundreds of millions of dollars to get ready.
Arafat sketched out a glorious vision of what the poor, mostly
Palestinian town might become. And he had harsh words for his
Israeli neighbors, who harbor their own high hopes for tourism
next year to places such as Nazareth and Jerusalem. The
Palestinians envision Bethlehem "as a bright model for Palestine
a free Palestine,'' Arafat said, and as a "capital of world
peace.'' But first, he said, it is necessary to "erase the
traces of Israeli occupation from one of the most beautiful and
ancient cities in the world.''
He complained bitterly that Israeli settlements have "encircled''
Bethlehem, "isolating it from its sister, the holy city of
Jerusalem.'' Israel has repeatedly imposed curfews and cut off
access to Bethlehem, he said.
PEACE PROCESS
ARAFAT SAYS AN UNDIVIDED JERUSALEM FOR TWO NATIONS
IsraelWire-2/19/99
PLO Authority (PA) Chief Yassir Arafat, who was visiting Rome,
stated that Jerusalem could be the capital of both Israel and
Palestine and there was no need for the construction of dividing
walls. The PA chief used Italy as an example of such an
arrangement, where the tiny independent city state of the Vatican
nestles inside Rome. "Just as both the capital of the Italian
state and that of the Vatican are in Rome, so Jerusalem can
contain two capitals, with no barrier or wall," Arafat told
reporters in Arabic.
INDYK TAKES PA'S SIDE AGAINST ISRAELI CLAIMS OF VIOLATIONS
IsraelWire- 2/23/99
The Clinton administration has once again lashed out against
Israel, indicating it rejected Israeli claims that Yassir Arafat
and the PLO Authority (PA) have released terrorists from its
prisons. Martin Indyk, Assistant Secretary of State for Middle
East Affairs, flatly rejected claims by Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu that Arafat ordered the release of Arab terrorists
wanted in Israel. US officials insist a comprehensive
investigation into the allegations reveal they are unfounded.
Indyk also stated that Israel has failed to take steps to improve
relations with the PA, contributing to the stalemate in the
implementation of the Wye memorandum.
Lenny Ben-Daivd, a member of the Israeli diplomatic team in the
United States, told a Jewish audience that the PA has released
murderers from its prisons in direct violation of the accords
signed with Israel and its promise to combat terrorism. Another
participant in the event was Indyk, who stated that one must take
great care when reporting on "compliance and non-compliance"
regarding the accords between Israel and the PA.
Reporting on the incident, the Jerusalem Post reports that Indyk
stated the statements made were "untrue" and the PA did not
release terrorists and/or murderers. Indyk then continued to
support the PA's efforts to combat Islamic terrorism, stating
that PA security forces have arrested wanted Hamas terrorists.
He explained that the PA has released persons due to lack of
evidence tying them to terror activity. Indyk rebuked Ben-David,
telling him he must take care when making such accusation
publicly, reiterating they were untrue. Indyk called upon Israel
to utilize "basic psychology" to improve relations with the PA, a
move that has been lacking to date.
ARAFAT SAYS HE'S LOOKING FOR "FORMULA'' ON STATEHOOD DECLARATION
February 23, 1999 By Abdelhakim Yamani, Associated Press
Casablanca, Morocco (AP)
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat is willing to consider U.S. and
European appeals to delay a declaration of a Palestinian state, a
top PLO official said Tuesday. Speaking at a three-day
conference on the future of Jerusalem, Arafat said the
Palestinian leadership is now working on a "formula'' for
statehood.
A top Palestinian official, Faisal Husseini, who was with Arafat
at a three-day conference in Casablanca, said the Palestinians
had "approved'' in principle the U.S. and European requests for
a delay. "We gave our approval, but we are asking them to give
us an alternative,'' said Husseini, who is the top Palestinian
official in Jerusalem.
Arafat told the conference that his Palestinian Authority was
searching for a compromise formula for a statehood declaration on
May 4. "The Palestinian leadership is working to reach a formula
that answers the aspirations of our people, respecting decisions
made by its two national and legislative councils, but also
trying to avoid creating a political and judicial void in our
land,'' he said.
US PUSHING COMPREHENSIVE MIDDLE EAST PEACE DEAL
February 23, 1999 By Laura Myers, Associated Press Washington
(AP)
Looking for ways to revive the Israel-Palestinian peace process,
the Clinton administration wants to push a comprehensive Middle
East peace deal involving Syria and Lebanon this spring. In
previous Israeli governments, "progress on one (peace) track
helped generate pressure for progress on another track,'' said
Martin Indyk, assistant secretary of state for Near Eastern
affairs. "We've been stuck now and we've been trying to get us
out of it,'' he told the annual meeting of the Jewish Council for
Public Affairs on Monday. Indyk said the administration wants to
see renewed Israel-Syria peace talks following the May 17 Israeli
elections. "A peace treaty with Syria would remove the last
major military power from the confrontation with Israel," he
said. "It would, in effect, put an end to the Arab-Israeli
conflict.''
POLICE DEPARTMENT PREPARING FOR PALESTINIAN STATEHOOD
IsraelWire - 3/3/99
Police are preparing for the possibility of PLO Authority (PA)
Chief Yassir Arafat making a unilateral declaration of
Palestinian statehood in May as he announced he is planning. The
police plan, called "Magic of the Melody" deals with preparing police
and border police forces in anti-terror warfare, sharpshooters, and
riot control. Special border police forces will also train in the use
of armored personnel carriers, combat in open areas, and working more
closely with Israel Defense Forces. The plan assumes the state of
Palestine will be declared with Jerusalem as the capital. The plan is
working to prepare forces for conflicts with armed PA paramilitary
forces. Police are preparing for sniper attacks on Jewish targets in
Jerusalem from neighboring areas under PA autonomous control, rioting
in the streets of the capital
ISRAEL PROPOSES PARTIAL PEACE DEAL IMPLEMENTATION
Reuters February 28, 1999 Amman, Jordan
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, on a visit to Jordan,
offered Palestinians Sunday partial implementation of a
U.S.-brokered peace deal without Israel's handover of more West
Bank land. Palestinians issued a swift rejection of the
proposal.
Netanyahu, at a news conference after talks with Jordan's new
King Abdullah, said Israel would implement some elements of the
deal he froze two months ago in exchange for partial compliance
by Palestinians. ''We have a simple proposal ... Have the
Palestinians complete all or part of the Wye accords and we will
either in the case of full compliance do our part which is to
hand over an additional five percent (of West Bank land), or we
can find other areas of cooperation and implementation,''
Netanyahu said in English.
ARAFAT WILL ASK CLINTON TO RECOGNIZE RIGHT TO STATEHOOD
Ramallah, West Bank, March 3 (AFP)
Yasser Arafat will ask US President Bill Clinton when they meet
this month to formally recognize for the first time the
Palestinians' right to statehood, a senior aide said Wednesday.
Such US recognition could be part of a broader international deal
under which the Palestinians would agree to postpone a unilateral
declaration of independence beyond May 4, when interim peace accords
with Israel expire, said Tayeb Abdel Rahim, one of Arafat's closest
advisors.
"Arafat will ask Clinton at their summit on March 23 for American
recognition of the Palestinians' right to self-determination, which
will clearly mean the establishment of a Palestinian state," Abdel
Rahim told AFP.
Palestinian officials said the Arafat-Clinton meeting at the
White House would focus on Palestinian conditions for delaying
the independence declaration, which Israel has warned would lead
to a major crisis and potential violence.
Europe, the United States, Jordan and Egypt have all urged Arafat to
delay the statehood declaration, arguing in part that the move would
likely boost the position of Israeli hardliners in national elections
to be held on May 17.
Abdel Rahim stressed that no final decision had been taken by
Palestinian leaders on the issue. And he said that even if the
declaration is put off, the world community must recognize that
the status of the Palestinian territories will have changed with
the expiration of the five-year interim autonomy period set down
in the Oslo peace accords.
"We want to continue consulting with our friends before we will
declare our position" on the timing of a statehood declaration,
he said. "But whatever the decision is, the political status of
the Palestinian territories after the 4th of May will never be
the same," he said.
PALESTINIANS SAY CLINTON HAS AGREED TO RECOGNIZE INDEPENDENT
STATE
Middle East Newsline Friday, March 5, 1999 Ramallah [MENL]
Palestinian Authority officials said on Thursday that the United
States has quietly accepted the principle of an independent
Palestinian state. Officials said President Bill Clinton is
prepared to accept and recognize a Palestinian state but is
pressing that the PA delay an announcement of statehood on May 4. But,
they said, the Clinton administration has signalled its willingness to
raise the level of diplomatic ties with the PA.
"The difference is over timing," said Hassan Abdul Rahim, the
Palestinian envoy in Washington. "The United States wants to
arrive at a joint position with the PA on May 4. The United
States will not say no to self-determinatin. It is just that the
timing is not suitable." Abdul Rahim told PA radio on Thursday that
the Clinton administration continues to oppose the declaration of a
Palestinian state on May, the expiration of interim Palestinian
self-rule. "At the same time, the United States understands that the
date is one that has worthiness," he said.
MIDDLE EAST
KING HUSSEIN, ARAFAT AGREED TO CONFEDERATION
Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: Arabic News Thu Feb 25,
1999
Well-informed diplomatic sources in Abu Dhabi said that Jordan's
King Hussein agreed before his death with Palestinian President
Yasser Arafat to establish a confederation between Jordan and the
Palestinian state, when the latter is declared. The Gulf News
Agency quoted the United Arab Emirates UAE daily al-Itihad as
saying in its Tuesday edition that Arafat had told several of his
aides that the agreement was made in the presence of the US
President Bill Clinton, on the sidelines of the Wye River
negotiations in the US last year. The paper added that the
agreement was not limited to the main headlines, rather extended
to the details of future relations between the two sides. The
diplomatic sources did not clarify whether the two sides'
agreement was verbal or written.
SYRIA'S ASSAD'S SON RIDES ABDULLAH'S COATTAILS
By Daniel Sobelman, Ha'aretz 3/4/99
The prominence of Bashir Assad, the 34-year-old son and heir
apparent of Syrian President Hafez Assad, has risen dramatically
in recent weeks. In addition to a promotion to the rank of
colonel in the Syrian Army, Bashir now directs Syria's
involvement in Lebanon.
Bashir has met often with Lebanese figures in recent weeks,
including members of Parliament. The Lebanese press provides
extensive coverage of Bashir's activities and recently reported
that he would soon receive a senior political appointment,
presumably that of vice president. According to the Syrian
constitution, the president must be at least 40 years old. In
the event of the president's death, his vice president
automatically inherits the reins of power for an ambiguous period of
"more than two months."
Syrian TV has begun for the first time to broadcast songs in
praise of Bashir, and his picture appeared in parades celebrating the
recent reelection of his father to a fifth seven-year term. Bashir has
also received favorable mention in recent sermons delivered by the
Mufti of Damascus. In a rare interview, Bashir recently noted that he
would not hesitate to lead the country if called upon to do so.
Another indication of Bashir's rising star was his visit last
Thursday to Amman, where he met with King Abdullah. The meeting
was described as "completing" the visit of President Assad at the time
King Hussein's funeral. The visit to Jordan was the second diplomatic
mission for Bashir, following his trip to Beirut in December to meet
with Lebanese President Emile Lahoud. Bashir was involved in
appointing the pro-Syrian Lahoud and forming his government.
ISRAEL-EGYPT TREATY TO BE CANCELED?
Arabic News via Tzemach News Service 2/27/99
An independent deputy in the Egyptian parliament, Ahmed Yehia,
said that he will present with deputies from El-Tagamoa, Wafd,
Amal, and El-Naseri (opposition parties inside the parliament), a
draft law that calls for canceling the peace treaty with Israel. March
coincides with the 20th anniversary of the signing of the treaty by
Egyptian President Anwar El-Sadat and Israeli Prime Minister Menachem
Begin on March 26, 1979. Among the participants in signing the new
draft law are the head of the leftist Assemblage Party, Khaled Mohie
El-Din, El-Wafd party deputy Ahmed Naser and independent deputy Ahmed
Taha, who were among 18 deputies who voted against the treaty's
ratification in the Egyptian parliament 20 years ago. The explanatory
note of the draft law that justified canceling the treaty stated that
peace conditions with Israel had ended with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu's declaration that Egypt is his country's southern
enemy and it said that the treaty is not worthwhile any more due to
aggressive Israeli policies against Egypt.
PREPARATION FOR WAR
SYRIA AND IRAN SENDS STINGER MISSILES TO SOUTH LEBANON AND ORDERS
HIZBOLLAH TO SHOOT DOWN AN ISRAELI HELICOPTER Jezzine, Lebanon
Bulletin, staff, February 27, 1999
A source from the "Lebanese Christian Resistance" told Lebanon
Bulletin in Beirut that "confirmed information was obtained by
the resistance's cell as to the next move by Hizbollah's
terrorist organization." The source said that few days ago "Syria
transferred to Hizbollah's military branch about 80 anti-aircraft
missiles Stinger, from Iran. The weapons are being deployed in
several points in the south." According to the "Christian Resistance,"
these missiles are deployed in various areas where Israeli air raids
are expected to occur. "The Syrian intelligence has ordered the
military command of Hizbollah to use as many anti-aircraft missiles as
it needs to shoot down an Israeli helicopter, either Cobra or Apache.
Syria wants to discredit the IDF further, and draw the Netanyahu
government in a trap. We have strong reasons to believe that
Damascus is working on destabilizing the current government in
Jerusalem. They want them to wage a military campaign in south
Lebanon, a campaign which obviously would be unsuccessful and
would cause Netanyahu to be defeated by the left wing coalition." The
source added that Syria is leading a very sophisticated campaign
against Israel in south Lebanon. It is providing Hizbollah all means
to win the war against the IDF. In few days, said the source "about
30 night vision units will be also shipped to Hizbollah from Syria."
The sources said "as long as the Israelis are not decided to change
their strategy in south Lebanon, and allow their allies to take the
lead in the struggle against Hizbollah and Syria, we do not see any
other development than further defeats to the Israelis."
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