From: "Hebraic.Heritage.Newsgroup@sol.wwwnexus.com"
<Hebraic.Heritage.Newsgroup@sol.wwwnexus.com>
To: Arutz-7 List <heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>, Israel News List
<heb_roots_chr@geocities.com>
Subject: Israel in the News: BFP and Others
Date: Thu, 1 Apr 1999 17:32:35 -0800
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TO: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
Subject: Israel in the News

Israel in the News
Bridges For Peace

1) PA TO DECIDE MAY 4 STATEHOOD DELARATION
2) EU REPRESENTATIVES VISIT PLO ORIENT HOUSE
3) ISRAEL TO STEP-UP JERUSALEM CAMPAIGN
4) US HOUSE VOTES AGAINST PALESTINIAN STATE
5) PALESTINIANS DEMAND WESTERN JERUSALEM, TOO
6) WATER SANCTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED
7) JORDAN REJECTS REDUCTION IN WATER TRANSFER
8) ARAFAT LOBBYS THE WORLD FOR PALESTINIAN STATE
9) ARAFAT THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL
10) POPE TO VISIT ISRAEL

1) PA TO DECIDE MAY 4 STATEHOOD DELARATION
"Several PA bodies will be called in April, most probably in the
first week of April, to announce the Palestinian decision regarding
declaration of a state," said Nabil Abu Rudeineh, an adviser to P.A.
Chairman Yasser Arafat. He said the meetings would be held in the self-rule
areas.

Arafat's most senior aide and other PA officials said the PA's
ruling executive committee would call for a meeting of the Palestinian
central council to announce plans regarding statehood. The 125-member
council serves as the intermediate body between the PA executive and the
Palestinian National Council, the PA's supreme decision-making body.

PA officials said the decision on whether to declare statehood on
May 4 or not would come after Arafat concludes consultations with Arab
states, Europe and the US.

Arafat will consult with President Bill Clinton on the issue of a
Palestinian state during his visit to Washington on March 23. Washington
has advised Arafat to delay the declaration, Ambassador to Israel Edward
Walker said last week.

Arafat has said that he is entitled to declare a state on May 4,
the date set in interim Palestinian-Israeli peace deals for the completion
of a final peace treaty.

But Palestinian officials have said Arafat would weigh delaying
declaration if Europe and the US promise to recognize Palestinian statehood
at a later date.

"Arafat is now studying the declaration issue and is carrying out
consultations with all parties which signed the 1993 Oslo deal to see what
is best done regarding the statehood announcement," a Palestinian official
said.

"If Arafat doesn't get the price he wants for postponing
declaration, he will go ahead and declare a state on May 4," the official
said. (Reuters, Jerusalem Post, March 14, 1999)

2) EU REPRESENTATIVES VISIT PLO ORIENT HOUSE
In a move of defiance, delegates of the European Union on
Thursday, March 18th met with the PLO Authority's (PA) Faisal Husseini, who
holds the Jerusalem portfolio. The meeting was concerning the status of
eastern Jerusalem.

The meeting comes in direct defiance of an Israeli request
calling upon the EU to refrain from meetings in the Orient House, the PA
headquarters in Jerusalem. (Israel has maintained the official PA
activities in the Orient House are a direct violation of the Oslo accords
barring PA activity in the Israeli capital.)

Israel recently rejected an EU letter calling for the
"internationalization" of Jerusalem and insisted the city would never again
be divided.

The EU based its claim that Jerusalem may not be the property of
Israel on UN resolution 181 of 1947. Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon declared
the resolution "null and void" this week.

Following the meeting, Husseini stressed that Jerusalem is the
Palestinian capital and Ariel Sharon may not dictate what is and is not
done in the confines of city. (IsraelWire, March 19, 1999)

3) ISRAEL TO STEP-UP JERUSALEM CAMPAIGN
Following a letter last week by the European Union (EU)
rejecting Israeli sovereignty over Jerusalem, its capital, Israeli
officials announced that an international campaign centering on Jerusalem
was being launched.

"Israeli missions in Europe and in the world will launch an
information campaign on the subject of Israel's sovereignty in the united
Jerusalem," Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said over the
weekend.

Israel flatly rejected the letter from the Ambassador of Germany,
which holds the current rotation as head of the EU, calling for the
"internationalization" of the Jewish capital.

Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon stated last week that the capital
of the Jewish people will never again be divided following its liberation
in the June 1967 Six Day War.

Sharon rejected the EU letter and called upon European officials
to retract the statement calling for international control over the capital
of Israel.

The Prime Minister's staff indicated that in the weekly cabinet
meeting scheduled for Sunday, the government's position on Jerusalem would
be reaffirmed in light of the EU statement. (IsraelWire, March 14, 1999)

4) WATER SANCTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED
Water Authority officials have decided to call for a 40 percent
reduction in the amount of water being supplied to farmers in light of the
water shortage resulting from the lack of rainfall this winter. The winter
rainfall is about 40 percent less than during a normal winter season.

Farmers have already been told that certain crops, demanding large
amounts of water, may not be grown in the Galilee area. This step was also
taken in anticipation of severe water shortages in the coming spring and
summer months during which time there is usually no precipitation in the
region. (IsraelWire, March 18, 1999)

5) JORDAN REJECTS REDUCTION IN WATER TRANSFER
Jordan has rejected Israel's suggestion that the water supply to
Jordan be reduced this year due to the paucity of rain, Israeli and
Jordanian officials said recently.

In a meeting between Water Commissioner Meir Ben-Meir and his
Jordanian counterpart Doreed Mahasana, Ben-Meir explained that the Kinneret
(Sea of Galilee) and the Yarmuk River are at their lowest levels in 20
years.

"The water commissioner stresses that the situation called for
all sides - the Israeli, Jordanian and Palestinian - to reduce the amounts
of water they use," said a statement released by Foreign Minister Ariel
Sharon's office.

Ben-Meir said Israel has already reduced its use of water for
agriculture by 25 percent, and asked that Jordan agree to take a supply
cut.

Israel is currently committed to providing Jordan with 50 million
cubic meters of water annually. Israel said that since the Jordan River has
received only about 40% of its average annual supply of water, it wants to
give Jordan only 40% of its allotment.

Ben-Meir said, "the Israeli-Jordanian peace treaty did not take
into account such a crisis." Asked if a reduction of water supply to Jordan
was not a violation of the peace accords, he said, "my first priority is
the people of Israel."

Jordanian officials confirmed the suggestion has not been
accepted but said talks were still going on. (By Danna Harman, Jerusalem
Post, March 15, 1999)

8) ARAFAT LOBBYS THE WORLD FOR PALESTINIAN STATE

Arafat, is touring world capitals to build support for the
Palestinian cause ahead of May 4, when a five-year period for peace
talks expires and creates a legal vacuum.

He had repeatedly promised to declare an independent state, sure
to provoke a crisis with the Israelis, but he recently has hedged his
words. ``We are continuing our assessment and consultations before
taking a decision,'' said Arafat, his stubbled lower jaw trembling
with his 70 years. He said an upcoming meeting of the Palestinian
leadership would reach a decision.

On Tuesday, March 23, we sent a special update on this subject
asking you to write to your leaders, in an effort to provide them
with all the facts. Meanwhile, responses are being heard from around
the globe.

UNITED STATES

On Tuesday, we asked Americans to send messages to the US
President, Clinton. Apparently these efforts have made an impact,
since Arafat left his Wednesday meeting with Clinton with an American
pledge to push for accelerated permanent status negotiations, but
without any commitments on recognizing a Palestinian State down the
road.

EUROPEAN UNION
The European Union (EU) remains steadfast in its position
in support of a Palestinian state. The EU has adopted a declaration
stating the right of Palestinian statehood, one that may not be
"vetoed" by Israel. In its position supporting Palestinian statehood, the EU
adds that European countries may recognize such a state within a year's
time if Israel and the PLO Authority (PA) have not completed the
"final status" talks by that time.

JAPAN

Japanese Foreign Minister Masahiko Komura, told Israeli Knesset
Speaker Dan Tichon, currently heading a Knesset delegation to Japan,
that Japan does not support a unilateral declaration of independence
by PLO Authority (PA) Chairman Yassir Arafat.

CANADA

Canadian Prime Minister, Jean Chretien, in an apparent
hardening of Canada's position, told Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat on March
24th that Israel could not delay forever before agreeing to a
Palestinian state. ``We believe that through the negotiations we
should resolve the creation of the state for the Palestinians,''
Chretien told a joint news conference with Arafat after 2-1/2 hours
of talks. ``It has been the policy of this government that we have to
do it through negotiations. But it cannot be blocked forever...It is
the position of our government that it is through a (negotiating)
process that we could have these two states living peacefully in that
area,'' Chretien said.

ISRAEL

Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat said last
Friday (March 19) that he is not intimidated by Israel's military might and
would take up arms if Israel tried to prevent the creation of a
Palestinian state by force
.
Prime Minister Binymin Netanyahu, in response, said that
"Arafat is making a grave mistake if he thinks he will achieve something by a
unilateral declaration of statehood." Netanyahu added that if Arafat
were to make such a declaration, "Israel would respond in the most
serious of ways, and would make sure that the PA did not gain
anything by the move."

The IDF meanwhile, has developed a contingency plan for May
4th, code-named "Field of Thorns," under which troops would protect Jewish
settlements and retake Palestinian cities in the event of armed
conflict between Israeli troops and Arafat's security forces.

Arafat said that such preparations do not impress him. "We
are not intimidated or frightened by the Field of Thorns operation. Not
us, not us, not us," Arafat told 500 cheering loyalists from his
Fatah movement. "We started the best revolution in recent history."
The Palestinian leader said his security forces would fight back if
Israel tried to reoccupy Palestinian cities.

ARAB WORLD AND NON ALIGNED STATES

Arafat claims he has already won assurances from the
non-aligned and Arab states that they will recognize a Palestinian state in the
West Bank and Gaza Strip. (AP, Reuters, Israelwire, GPO, March 25,
1999)

9) ARAFAT THREATENS VIOLENCE AGAINST ISRAEL

The October 23, 1998 Wye River memorandum requires the
Palestinian Authority (PA) to "take all measures necessary in order
to prevent acts of terrorism, crime and hostilities directed against
the Israeli side... and to prevent incitement." Nevertheless, senior
PA officials and the official PA media continue to incite violence
against Israel, as the following examples from the past three weeks
illustrate:

"We carried out the longest intifada in history. They [the
Israelis] should know that we can start it again if they try to
prevent us from exercising our rights... The state will be
established with Jerusalem as its capital whether they like it or
not. If they don't like it they can drink from the waters of the Dead
Sea... We, the Fatah and the PLO, are ready to fight a new battle of
Karameh every single day if anyone tries to stop us from exercising
our rights, particularly that of proclaiming an independent state."
(PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in a speech to 3,000 Fatah members in
Ramallah marking 31 years since Israeli forces clashed with Jordanian
soldiers defending the Palestinian terrorist base in Karameh, Jordan.
Agence France Presse, March 19,1999; Jordan Times, March 20, 1999)

"The battle for Jerusalem is near. It requires
determination and it carries a heavy responsibility for it is the key to war and
peace." (PA "Minister" for Jerusalem Affairs Faisal Husseini at a
conference of the Fatah Youth Organization in Al-Bireh, official PA
newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 14, 1999)

"Netanyahu continues with his racist policy and his
boasting of his imaginary power, which will be removed just as the dictatorial
and colonialist Crusader power was removed in the past.... We think
that the Jewish danger threatens the Palestinian and Arab lands just
as the American danger threatens the Arab and Islamic nation."
(article in the official PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 8,
1999)

"We are right to believe that the rifle is a means of life
and not death." (Othman Abu Gharbiya, adviser to Chairman Arafat and head
of the PA's National Guidance Directorate, at a ceremony in Gaza,
official PA newspaper Al-Hayat Al-Jadeeda, March 1, 1999) (Israel
Government Press Office, March 22, 1999)

10) POPE TO VISIT ISRAEL

Pope John Paul II will visit Israel and the Palestinian
Autonomy for millennium celebrations. The Pope is expected to arrive on March
24 of next year, for a three-day visit, although the Vatican still
has to confirm the date.

Shabtai Shai, Director General of the Tourism Ministry said
the visit is very significant. He said that until now, most of the visits
to Israel have been from the Protestant Church.

This is the first time in 30 years that the Pope will visit
Israel, and he expects that many Christian pilgrims will follow. He
expects up to 4 million tourists coming to Israel during the next
year, and if their visits are spread evenly over the year, Israel
should not have problems accommodating them. (KOL ISRAEL, MED, March
23, 1999)

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

From: Paul Jablonowski
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: USA attitude towards Israel

HILLARY CLINTON VISITS MIDEAST, SKIPS ISRAEL
MONDAY, MARCH 22 1999
ICEJ NEWS SERVICE website: http://www.icej.org.il

Hillary Clinton began a two-week Middle East tour on Saturday,
but won't be visiting America's major regional ally.

She is the second senior U.S. figure to visit the region - but
not Israel - in two weeks, adding to the perception
here that Washington is snubbing the Netanyahu government in the
run-up to the crucial May 17 election.

A statement from the White House said Clinton's visit, to Egypt,
Morocco and Tunisia, was aimed at "strengthening the bonds of
friendship between the United States and these nations - and the
bonds of understanding between the United States and the entire Arab
world."

Even though her visit in Egypt is intended to mark the 20th
anniversary of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, she will not
include the neighboring Jewish state in her itinerary.

It was not appropriate for her to visit Israel at this time,
"because of the election", the statement said, adding that
Clinton plans to visit Israel and Jordan later in the year.

Professor Shmuel Sandler, a senior research associate at the
Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan University, said
he thought the Americans were "making a big mistake."

"If they want to hurt Netanyahu, these thing tend to boomerang,
as happened when [President] Clinton supported [Labor leader Shimon]
Peres during the last election," Sandler said.

He said Israelis don't like their country being treated as "a
banana republic".

Israelis have noted a tangible change in U.S. attitude since last
December, when President Clinton visited Gaza, and the Netanyahu
government was brought down, paving the way for elections.

The U.S. has been actively engaged in consultations with
Palestinians and other Arabs, while Israel has been marginalized,
officials in Jerusalem say.

While Palestinian Authority chairman Yasser Arafat is to be
welcomed to the White House again tomorrow, Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright has declined to meet Netanyahu or Foreign Minister
Ariel Sharon.

These developments are seen by Israel as part of a concerted
effort to influence Israeli voters to throw out Netanyahu in May.

Recently, Deputy Secretary of State Martin Indyk - a former U.S.
ambassador to Israel - visited Turkey, Morocco, Jordan and Syria, but
left out Israel, although the possible resumption of peace talks between
Damascus and Jerusalem was on his agenda.

And Mideast envoy Dennis Ross has been discussing the Oslo
Accords with Arafat in Madrid.

During Wednesday's State Department press briefing, spokesman Jim
Foley was asked whether there was nothing unusual about neither Indyk
nor Ross bringing Israel into their consultations.

"Indyk went to Syria and Jordan, which sort of is in the
neighborhood where Israel lives," a correspondent noted.
"Ross went to talk to Arafat. Isn't some country missing from this
consultation picture?"

Foley said the U.S. remained "in close contact with the Israeli
government" but rejected the suggestion that the administration was
"icing Israel until after the election".

Earlier this month, Defense Secretary William Cohen stopped in
Israel at the end of a nine-nation Middle East tour.

Unusually, he was not scheduled to meet Netanyahu, but after
Israeli media questioned this decision, he asked at the last minute
for a meeting - but also insisted on seeing Netanyahu's main
challengers in the prime ministerial race, Ehud Barak and Yitzhak
Mordechai.

Although Cohen maintained this condition was in order not to be
seen to be interfering in the election campaign, commentators noted
that foreign officials meet Netanyahu in his capacity as prime
minister, not as Likud leader and election candidate.

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

From: A. Wilker
To: heb_roots_chr@geocities.com
Subject: New Right-Wing Unified Party gaining POWER!

GREAT NEW SITES

<A HREF="http://www.yesha.org">http://www.yesha.org</A>

--New, rebuilt main webpage for the heart of our homeland: YESHA! (For
those who don't know, Yesha is the ancient Hebrew biblical name for
the "west bank", in Hebrew it stands for Judea & Samaria-- where
terrorist arafat and his PLO hooligans want to create an enemy state
in the middle of Israel)

<AHREF="http://www.moledet.org.il">http://www.moledet.org.il</A>

--The rebuilt main webpage for the Moledet Political Party (which has
unified with Herut and Tkumah). The party is a champion in fighting
for Jewish values and continuing to build Jewish towns in YESHA and
Eretz Yisrael Hashlema!

-------- ---- WHAT'S HAPPENING

The new Right Wing United Front (Moledet, Herut, Tkumah) is gaining
more power than ever before. It is estimated that the new party will
get as many as 15-16 seats in the next Knesset. Today, it has signed
a landmark agreement with the Yisrael Be'Aliyah Party promising
cooperation (read in arutz7). Voters from the Likud and NRP (maphdal)
Parties are switching to the new Right Wing United Front due to the
NRP and Likud's recent leftist stances. Today it is fare to say, a
vote for Likud or NRP is a vote for the left, and is a vote for
dividing Jerusalem.

The NRP continues to agree on the matter of JOINING prime minister
candidate Mr. Future Divider of Jerusalem, Ehud Barak in case he
happens to be voted prime minister. The NRP (Maphdal) Party has
proven that it will not fight against OSLO anymore, and it will not
take any interest in the security of Jews living in YESHA. What about
Likud.... Likud is a party which has proven that IT WILL CONTINUE
DEADLY OSLO, and that it will continue to give the notorious PLO, MORE
AND MORE JEWISH LAND!

Is it not obvious already that a vote for the Likud or National
Religious Party (Maphdal) is a vote for the LEFT, a vote for a PLO
TERRORIST STATE, a vote for DIVIDING JERUSALEM!

Only the UNITED FEDERATION of Moledet-Herut-Tkumah headed by Benny
Begin, son of former PM Menachem Begin will NOT divide Jerusalem, will
NOT give away the Golan, will NOT create a PLO TERRORIST STATE, and
will NOT give away any more Jewish Land in Yesha to the terrorist
mastermind by the name of arafat. As a matter of fact they will help
build Eretz Yisrael and populate the Golan, Gaza, and Yesha ("west
bank") with Jews............. The only way to bring peace and
integrity to Israel!

"OSLO DEAD, AM Y'ISRAEL CHAI!"

A. Wilker

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

DROUGHT 'FORCES ISRAEL TO BREAK TREATY'
BBC 3/15/99

Israel is looking to reduce the amount of water it supplies to
Jordan because of a worsening drought in the region. Israel,
which supplies agreed levels of water to Jordan under terms of
the 1994 peace accords, says it cannot meet it commitments.
Israel says water levels are at their lowest in decades and cuts
to its own farmers, as well as to Jordan, are necessary. But
Jordan, which is heavily reliant on Israeli water, has rejected
the Israeli proposal.

Water is a scarce commodity in the arid Middle East and Jordan
and Israel are a rare example of neighbors agreeing water-sharing
rights.

Israel's water commissioner, Meir Ben Meir, says the Sea of
Galilee, Israel's main reservoir of drinking water, is at its
lowest level since 1908. "We must face the facts; it is
impossible that Israel alone should have to carry the burden of
this severe drought," he told the BBC Arabic Service. "We are
suffering a deficit of 60% in the Sea of Galilee this year.
Jordan is suffering a similar deficit in our mutual source, the
Yarmouk River, so I proposed to the Jordanians that we both share the
deficit." Mr Ben Meir did not say how much water Israel is, or is not,
going to give Jordan, but the Jordanians have rejected any reduction.

Explosive issue

Israel is bound to supply Jordan with 55 million cubic meters of
water each year from the Yarmouk river, which runs into the Sea
of Galilee between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied Golan. The
Yarmouk's headwaters rise in Syria, and correspondents say the
river has the potential to be an explosive issue in a region
fraught with political and environmental threats. Both Israel
and Jordan have expressed concerns about unilateral Syrian
actions which have affected the quality and level of the river.

Jordanian Water Minister Kamil Mahadin, also speaking to the
Arabic Service, said Jordan was facing domestic water cuts anyway and
Israel had no right to ask Jordan to share Israeli difficulties. "This
agreement is binding," he said. "There is no room for debate over our
share - Israel is meant to provide us with a certain quantity of
water."

Water scandal

Last summer, a scandal over drinking water in Amman led to the
sacking of Mr Mahadin's predecessor, Munther Haddadin. Foul
tasting and smelling water came out of the taps in the Jordanian
capital for a month between July and August. Some critics of the
government even accused Israel of being behind the pollution, in the
shape of the then Infrastructure Minister, Ariel Sharon. Water
Ministry officials blamed the problem on high summer temperatures
leading to a build-up of algae in the capital's Zai dam. But
observers say, if the Yarmouk problem cannot be solved, there could be
a lot more anger in Jordan over this most sensitive of subjects.

JORDAN OBJECTS TO CUT IN WATER SUPPLIES FROM ISRAEL
March 15, 1999 By Jamal Halaby, Associated Press Amman, Jordan
(AP)

Israel's decision to slash its annual allocation of water to
Jordan would violate agreements under their 1994 peace treaty,
Jordan's prime minister said today. Israel has proposed cutting
water supplies to Jordan by 50 percent because of a severe
drought in the region. The decision came at a meeting of Israeli
water experts in Jerusalem on Sunday.

"The water deal is an official agreement signed by the two sides, and
we will insist on its implementation as it is,'' Prime Minister
Abdul-Raouf Rawabdeh said. After a special Cabinet session today,
Rawabdeh hinted that he will pursue quiet diplomacy to try to persuade
Israel to change the decision.

Israeli Water Commissioner Meir Ben-Meir told The Associated
Press today that Israel wants to cut the allocation to 1 billion
cubic feet per year because of the severe drought that has
reduced the water level in the Sea of Galilee and its feeder
rivers. "I have a bucket of water and it is empty,'' he said.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited the Jordan
River today. "This has been a very bad year for water in the
Middle East,'' he said as he stood beside murky green waters that have
receded 5 feet from the normal shoreline. "It's hurting Jordan. It's
hurting Israel. It's hurting the Palestinians.'' Netanyahu denied
Israel was reneging on agreements. "We've been more than forthcoming
in the water arrangement,'' he said. "We've gone well beyond some of
the provisions.'' After cuts this year, "we'll have ways to make it up
to our partners in the coming year,'' he said. He did not elaborate.

MORE WATER SANCTIONS BEING IMPLEMENTED
IsraelWire-3/18

Water Authority officials have decided to call for a 40 percent
reduction in the amount of water being supplied to farmers in
light of the water shortage resulting from the lack of rainfall
this winter. The winter rainfall is about 40 percent less than
during a normal winter season. Farmers have already been told
that certain crops, demanding large amounts of water, may not be
grown in the Galilee area. This step was also taken in
anticipation of severe water shortages in the coming spring and
summer months during which time there is usually no precipitation in
the region.

NETANYAHU PROMISES MORE TALMUD IN SCHOOLING
Weekend News Today By Andra Brack Source: Ha'aretz Wed Mar 17 ,
1999

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Bnei Brak yesterday,
promising Mayor Mordechai Karlitz that if reelected, he would
expand construction in the city, and work on increasing Jewish
heritage education for students across the country. It is
important to me, Netanyahu said, that every boy and girl in
Israel know the Jewish holidays, Jewish customs, know the Torah,
know the Bible, see what a page of Talmud is, and even be able to read
it and understand it. These are basic things.

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

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