To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, July 15, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, July 15, 1999 / Av 2, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK IN WASHINGTON
2. IS BARAK CLINTON'S TOY?
3. ON REFUGEES
4. THE GOV'T AND YESHA
5. ZIONIST WOMEN PROTEST PRIZE TO MRS. CLINTON
6. TIDBITS
1. BARAK IN WASHINGTON
Prime Minister Ehud Barak will meet this afternoon with U.S. President
Clinton in Washington for three hours. He will then meet with
Presidential candidate Vice President Al Gore. Clinton said yesterday
that he is looking forward to Barak's visit like a little boy
expecting a new toy.
Barak said yesterday that the Wye accord is not "Torah from Sinai,"
and that it is possible to reach an agreement with the Palestinians on
a delay of parts of its implementation. On the other hand, Labor MK
Ephraim Sneh, who is likely to be appointed Deputy Defense Minister,
said that Israel might not demand that the Palestinians fulfill all
their Wye commitments (see below).
2. IS BARAK CLINTON'S TOY?
Clinton's likening of Barak's visit to his new toy appears to lend
itself to various interpretations. Arutz -7 spoke to former Israeli
liaison to the U.S. Congress, Yoram Ettinger, and Labor MK Ephraim
Sneh on the matter, and heard opposing viewpoints. Ettinger said that
the phrase reflects Clinton's hope that the Barak government will
"complete the process of far-reaching and painful concessions that was
begun by the architects of Oslo... The President wishes to have the
whole process finished by the end of his term so that he can be
credited as the one who engineered the peace. " Sneh said that the
"new toy" reflects "something serious: That the Americans are
yearning to work with an Israeli government... in an atmosphere of
intimacy and trust."
Ettinger commented that there is a conflict between the American and
Israeli agendas: "One agenda is that of the Clinton administration,
for which the fall of 2000 [and the national election] is fast
approaching. Clinton wants the whole process finished by then... This
stands in stark contrast to the needs of Israel, which must carefully
and slowly review every detail and not work according to Clinton's
rushed schedule." Ettinger added that the gala dinner and the
overnight stay in Camp David are all designed to win over Barak in the
drive "to accomplish the White House and State Department plan,
namely, Israel's return to its pre-1967 borders." Barak's decision
not to visit Capitol Hill is probably a mistake, according to
Ettinger, "since it is the support of Congress that will enable him to
stand up against the administration's demands."
Labor MK Sneh rejected implications that Clinton could "toy" with
Barak: "The Americans know that nobody has the ability to budge the
Prime Minister in all matters relating to the security of Israel."
Regarding the Wye Agreement, Sneh said, "We are bound by the deal that
the Netanyahu government signed, such that, outside of the timetable
for the withdrawals, not much can be altered without the consent of
the Palestinians." Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked him, "Reciprocity is
one of the key principles in Wye. The Palestinians are already saying
that they cannot stand by their obligations, such as gathering illegal
ammunition, or shaving down the size of their police force. How will
you respond to this kind of stance?" Sneh responded, "Everything will
be assessed on a case by case basis. Maybe we'll also discover that
there are things that we cannot do? That's why dialogue is so
important." He added that the main issue is the Palestinian
willingness to fight terror: "It's better that they have more rifles
and use them to fight terrorism, than for them to have fewer weapons
and sit and do nothing in the war against terror."
3. ON REFUGEES
Following the wave of protest over U.S. President Clinton's remarks in
favor of Palestinian refugee rights in Israel, he has written a letter
of clarification to American Jewish leaders, saying, "There is no
change in my position, according to which the two sides must be the
ones to decide, by direct negotiations, the question of Palestinian
refugees." A week ago, Clinton said that the Palestinian refugees of
1948 "should be free to live where they want."
Joan Peters, a former White House consultant on the Middle East, has
written (From Time Immemorial, p. 25), "For every refugee in the Arab
world... there is a Jewish refugee who fled from the country of his
birth... An exchange of populations has in actuality taken place and
been consummated.... There has been a completed exchange of
minorities between the Arabs and the Jews, and a more-than-even
tradeoff of property for the Arabs. The Jews who fled Arab countries
left assets behind in the Arab world greater than those the Arabs left
in Israel."
4. THE GOV'T AND YESHA
A "drying up" of Yesha has begun. Education Minister Yossi Sarid
(Meretz) has instructed that communities in Judea and Samaria be
declared ineligible for free education for 3-year-olds. Industry and
Trade Minister Ran Cohen ordered several days ago that new investments
in Yesha industry be ceased. Arutz-7, however, has found that this
order is irrelevant, since the Investment Center is not under Cohen's
authority. The Center will apparently cease its activities throughout
the country until the new government determines its policies in this
area. Cohen's predecessor, Natan Sharansky, demands that Cohen
rescind his order, claiming it is in violation of the government
guidelines regarding "the equal provision of ongoing services" to
Yesha.
5. ZIONIST WOMEN PROTEST PRIZE TO MRS. CLINTON
The awarding of a prize to U.S. First Lady Hilary Clinton by Hadassah
Women's Zionist Organization of America has upset many of its members.
A symbolic membership card-burning ceremony was held yesterday
across from the organization's headquarters in New York City, under
the auspices of American Friends for a Safe Israel (AFSI). Speaking
with Women in Green's Ruth Matar on Arutz-7 last night [the entire
interview can be heard on our website at
<http://www.a7.org/english/radio/ram/hadassah.ram>],
AFSI Director
Helen Freedman said that she was flooded with calls after Hadassah
announced its intention to present its prestigious Henrietta Szold
award to Mrs. Clinton. "Many women [joint members of Hadassah and
AFSI] called us, asking, 'What are we going to do about this? This is
outrageous!'" She noted with sadness that the 300,000 devoted members
of Hadassah are currently being led by people who "seem to have
forgotten" the organization's Zionist mandate. Hadassah's mission
statement asserts that its volunteer members "are motivated and
inspired to strengthen their partnership with Israel... Hadassah
retains the passion and timeless values of its founder, Henrietta
Szold... who was dedicated to Judaism, Zionism, and the American
ideal."
The anti-Israel bias of Mrs. Clinton, on the other hand, is
well-documented, according to journalist Steven Emerson, an expert on
radical Islamic groups in the United States and author of the
documentary "Jihad in America." Emerson told Arutz-7
[<http://www.a7.org/english/radio/ram/emerson.ram>]
two weeks ago that
the First Lady - currently considering running for New York Senator -
has established close ties with anti-Israel Muslim groups. "I have
personally written about the many radical Islamic groups that have
been embraced by, and invited to, the White House for celebrations and
events," Emerson told Ruth Matar. "Mrs. Clinton herself has exhibited
a tendency to embrace militant Islamic groups that support
terrorism... and that have lauded Hamas."
Emerson confirmed that at the annual conclusion of the Muslim fast
period of Ramadan, Mrs. Clinton regularly invites a group of Muslims
to the White House, and that she includes, among others, the Executive
Director of the American Muslim Council, which is an arm of the Muslim
Brotherhood. "The 'Brotherhood' openly defends terror attacks, and
praises Hamas, and has done fundraising for the defense fund of the
World Trade Center terrorists... This is the equivalent of the White
House inviting Louis Farrakhan..." In Emerson's opinion, "Mrs.
Clinton's pattern of behavior leaves one with little doubt that she is
doing this knowingly. I think that she probably believes and
identifies with some of the tenets of [these groups]." It should also
be noted that Mrs. Clinton was among the first to express open support
for the creation of a Palestinian state.
6. TIDBITS
Former Prime Minister Netanyahu, in his first television interview
since losing the elections, all but confirmed last night that he agreed to
withdraw from the entire Golan, excluding warning stations on Mt.
Hermon. He said that he believes that the agreement that he reached
with Syrian President Assad was not written, but could possibly serve
Prime Minister Barak...
*************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, July 16,
1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, July 16, 1999 / Av 3, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ISRAEL WON'T WITHDRAW UNILATERALLY
2. CLINTON GREETS BARAK
3. JEWISH LEADERS NOT SO THRILLED
1. ISRAEL WON'T WITHDRAW UNILATERALLY
Israel denies any plan to withdraw from Lebanon unless a prior agreement
has been reached. Labor MK Ephraim Sneh, slated to be Deputy Defense
Minister, said today that contrary to media reports, Prime Minister Barak
did not tell his hosts in Washington that he plans to "withdraw in one year
under any circumstances." Sneh said that Israel will not quit Lebanon
without guarantees for the northern communities.
2. CLINTON GREETS BARAK
Both U.S. President Clinton and Prime Minister Barak gave opening speeches
before their meeting in Washington yesterday. Clinton greeted Barak
warmly, saying, "I am delighted to welcome Prime Minister Barak to
Washington... America will help as you move forward, as you put
implementation of the Wye River agreement back on course..."
In response to reporters' questions about his "excited as a boy with a new
toy" remark, Clinton said, "In English, what that means is that you are
very excited. It has no reference to the Prime Minister. For
example... if I were taking a trip to Hawaii, I might say, I'm as excited
as a kid with a new toy -- doesn't mean I think Hawaii's a new toy, if you
see what I mean. It means that it's a slogan, you know. In American
English, it means I am very excited about the prospect of the rejuvenation
of the peace process. And that's all it means. I would never say such a
patronizing thing -- ever."
Barak answered a question regarding whether Wye need be implemented before
the final-status talks: "We abide by an international agreement, Wye
Agreement included. It had been signed by an Israeli freely elected
government, by the Americans and by Chairman Arafat. We are committed to
live up to it. But there is a need to combine the implementation of Wye
with the moving forward of the permanent status agreement... But only
through an agreement with Arafat after mutual, open, frank and direct
discussion. If we, together, agree, together with the Americans and
Arafat, that something could be made in order to bring those two elements
together, I hope and believe that even the international press would not
resist it very forcefully." Barak also reiterated his "belief in a strong
block of settlements that will include most of the settlers in
Judea-Samaria and the Gaza Strip."
3. JEWISH LEADERS NOT SO THRILLED
American Jewish leaders are not happy with what they call Prime Minister
Barak's "insensitivity." Some have claimed that he is ignoring them during
his visit in the U.S. because of the hawkish positions they took in the
past. As opposed to his predecessor Binyamin Netanyahu, Barak does not
plan to visit a synagogue during his stay in New York City.
The Conference of National Jewish Organizations and the U.S. Committee for
a Free Lebanon are sponsoring a news conference in New York this afternoon,
under the theme, "No, Bill and Hillary, Middle East Peace is not your 'new
toy.'" They will claim that the Clintons are attempting to manufacture a
"legacy" for themselves by pressuring Israel into making dangerous
concessions to Arafat and Syria's Assad.
Contrary to that which was reported before Barak departed Israel, he did in
fact present Golan and Yesha withdrawal maps during his meeting with
Clinton. Barak's spokesman denied reports that will not raise the issue of
Jonathan Pollard's release with the President.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, July 18, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, July 18, 1999 / Av 5, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK SETS 15-MONTH DEADLINE
2. ISRAEL DECIDES ON F-16
3. POLLARD IN ILL HEALTH
4. SADDAM SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ISRAEL
5. ISRAEL STILL HAS SOME LEVERAGE
1. BARAK SETS 15-MONTH DEADLINE
The media attention paid to the crash of John F. Kennedy Jr.'s plane
has eclipsed the visit in the U.S. of Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Barak and U.S. President Clinton have agreed that over the next 15
months they will effect a "breakthrough in the peace process." The
deadline is apparently based around the upcoming American elections in
November 2000, as well as on Barak's promise to withdraw from Lebanon
within a year and American promises that final-status talks will take
place around the same time. The next three steps on the diplomatic
agenda involve a Barak-Arafat meeting right after Barak's return from
the U.S., a visit by U.S. Secretary of State Albright to the Middle
East, and a trip by Barak to Europe and the U.S.
Reactions in the Likud: "The setting of a deadline for the end of the
talks is a grave error, since it will serve as a lever by which to
pressure Israel to make concessions." MK Silvan Shalom, who served
as Deputy Defense Minister in the Netanyahu government, criticized
Barak's haste: "Within a few days after taking office, he has already
met with Arafat, Mubarak, Abdullah, and Clinton, without having
studied the matter, without having held a government meeting on the
matter, and he is already telling us that within such-and-such time
there will be an agreement... This is no way to do things." It has
also been reported that Barak has not even read the position papers
prepared for him by his staff, preferring instead to "take a fresh
approach to the matter."
The Pikuach Nefesh ("Saving Endangered Life") Organization will hold a
rally tonight in Tsfat, in cooperation with other local groups. The
Chief Rabbis of Tsfat, Upper Nazareth, and Kiryat Motzkin will speak
on "the critically dangerous situation regarding talks about
relinquishing vital areas of Eretz Yisrael to our enemies, G-d
forbid."
2. ISRAEL DECIDES ON F-16
Ehud Barak, in his capacity as Defense Minister, has also met with
U.S. Defense Secretary Cohen in Washington. Israel has finally made a
formal decision on which jet fighter it will purchase to revamp its
Air Force. The winner is Lockheed-Martin's F-16 jet, of which Israel
will buy 50, with an option to buy a similar amount later. The deal
is worth $2.5 billion, making it the largest-ever defense contract
signed by Israel. Boeing's F-15, which also competed for the Israeli
contract, was almost twice as expensive as the F-16. HaModia military
correspondent A. Pe'er reports that various factors were taken into
account, including the perception of Israel's long-term threats,
distance capabilities, manufacturing-rights granted to Israel for
plane-parts, hovering capabilities, maintenance costs, bomb capacity,
and more.
Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens said that he had come to the same
decision before leaving office, but at the request of Barak, agreed to
leave the final approval for him. The plane will not be fitted with
Israel's advanced ELTA radar, as Israel had requested, but rather with
the lesser-quality American-made radar - thus that Arab countries'
F-16's will have the same radar systems as Israel.
3. POLLARD IN ILL HEALTH
Jonathan Pollard's health is deteriorating. Serving a life sentence
in a Butner, North Carolina prison for spying on behalf of Israel,
Pollard was taken last week to Duke University Hospital for a
CAT-Scan. Shackled in chains, Pollard was transported in a convoy of
three armed vehicles, accompanied by eleven Special Operations guards
in full combat gear. Pollard continues to suffer from extreme physical
symptoms related to unbiopsied growths in his sinus cavities, and
complains of nausea, dizziness, and blinding headaches.
In an interview with Arutz-7's Ron Meir last Thursday night, Pollard's
wife Esther said that she was "disappointed and heartbroken that we
have not had contact with the Barak government. We are hoping that
this is a forgivable lapse, but we are flying in the dark at this
point - and that is not fair after 14 years of incarceration on behalf
of the State of Israel." Mrs. Pollard also confirmed Binyamin
Netanyahu's claim that in the hours preceding the signing of the Wye
Accord, President Clinton executed a "double-cross" when he suddenly
backed down on his explicit commitment to free Pollard in exchange for
Netanyahu's signature on the Wye Accord. "Mr. Netanyahu's account is
100% correct," she said. "We were able to verify it at the time, and
not just from the Israeli side, but from both sides of the table."
Meanwhile, Middle East News Line (MENL) reported on Friday that
President Clinton "seems to have dismissed the effort of Prime
Minister Ehud Barak" to win Pollard's release. White House spokesman
Joe Lockhart said that the President has commissioned a panel to
examine the Pollard case, and that it is still deliberating. Lockhart
said that the panel had collected information, but that "no final
recommendation has been forwarded to the President, [nor do I ] expect
that recommendation to be forwarded in the near future." MENL
reported that Barak will not seek Pollard's release, but rather a
commitment from Clinton to reduce Pollard's sentence - which, for the
Justice for Jonathan Pollard organization, still means many more years
in prison for Jonathan.
4. SADDAM SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ISRAEL
AP reports that Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein said yesterday that Iraq
will not give up its fight against Israel until the Jews leave the
region or accept living as citizens under a Palestinian Arab state.
"Palestine is Arab. The Zionists must depart from it," Hussein said,
adding that other Arab leaders also felt the same way but are
reluctant to tell the Israelis.
This was the harshest public words Saddam has had for Israel since
the 1991 Gulf War.
5. ISRAEL STILL HAS SOME LEVERAGE
Israel has convinced the Americans - for now - to keep their
peacekeeping forces in the Sinai peninsula. The Pentagon decided to
accept the Israeli position, and to cancel a previous plan to reduce
the American presence in the Sinai. Ha'aretz reports that over the
past weeks, Pentagon officials had been claiming that there was no
further need to maintain a military force to ensure the long-standing
peaceful relations between Israel and Egypt. Israel, however, opposes
any change in the multi-national troop deployment, as long as the
peace with Egypt remains a "cold peace." The Pentagon finally decided
to adopt the Israeli position, fearing that a reduction of the force
would weaken the peace process. Dr. Aaron Lerner of IMRA notes that
Israel "won" this round because it still has land 'chips', which the
U.S. wants Israel to cede during upcoming negotiations. "This
experience is of particular significance as Israel considers
arrangements for a 'post chip' era in which it no longer has anything
left to offer," writes Lerner.
***********************************************************************
From: Pollard <pollard@better.net>
To: JUSTICE FOR JONATHAN
POLLARD <pollard@better.net>
Subject: White House Bag of Tricks: Now You See It!
Now You
Don't!
White House Bag of Tricks: Now You See It! Now You Don't!
Media Release July 17, 1999
RE: "NO PROGRESS ON POLLARD RELEASE" July 16, 1999
[Middle East News Line] Copy of Article Follows Below
1) The President's so-called panel to decide the Pollard case
referenced in the article below represents a bizarre turn of events.
The President never appointed a panel and didn't have one until White
House spokesman Joe Lockhart pulled one out of a hat yesterday. This
last-minute invention of a mysterious panel gives the President cover
to keep the wheels of this case spinning without resolution for as
long as he needs to in order to fulfill political objectives.
2) Remember, it was the President himself who pledged at Wye to review
the case by himself and to personally decide Pollard's fate .
Consequently, the only one who has called for and received
recommendations is the President himself. And of course, only one who
is empowered to make a decision is the President himself.
3) Remember also, the only submissions and recommendations that the
President has sought on this case have been from those agencies or
voices with vested interests in prolonging the incarceration of
Jonathan Pollard.
4) Be aware and beware: there is mention in the article that P.M.
Barak is not seeking Pollard's release, only a commitment to reduce
the sentence. This is a device that would likely guarantee that
Jonathan would never get out of prison - or at least not for many
years- but that Barak could still claim a victory, and Clinton would
never have to deal with the issue again in his term of office.
5) Whatever is going on here is certainly not about justice and does
not reflect the President's generous promise to Israel: "For more
than half a century the US has stood proudly with the State of
Israel... Now, as you walk bravely down the path of peace, we will
walk with you, helping in any way we can."
- US
President Bill Clinton.
NO PROGRESS ON POLLARD RELEASE July 16, 1999 MENL
WASHINGTON, [MENL] -- President Bill Clinton appears to have dismissed
the effort of Prime Minister Ehud Barak to win the release of Israeli
spy Jonathan Pollard.
A White House spokesman said Clinton is not expected to receive
any recommendation soon on the fate of Pollard, who is serving a life
sentence for passing U.S. intelligence reports to Israel.
White House spokesman Joe Lockhart said Clinton's panel to examine
the Pollard case is still deliberating. "They have collected
information, but no final recommendation has been forwarded to the
president," he said. "And as I think I said yesterday, I don't expect
that recommendation to be forwarded in the near future."
Earlier, a senior Barak aide said the prime minister would raise
the Pollard issue during his talks on Thursday with Clinton. After the
meeting, a source close to Barak said he will not seek Pollard's
release. Instead, the prime minister aims to win a commitment from
Clinton to reduce Pollard's sentence.
The source said Barak will appeal for Pollard's release on
humanitarian grounds, citing his ill health and more than 13 years in
prison. Pollard was sentence to life after a judge dismissed a plea
bargain arrangement.
It was the first time since Barak's election on May 17 that the
prime minister raised the prospect of Pollard's release. During the
election campaign, Barak refused to sign an appeal to Clinton for
Pollard's release. Barak said such a move would only hurt Pollard's
chances for release. Last year, Clinton announced he would conduct
a review of the Pollard case. No results were announced but Pollard's
attorneys said they were refused a meeting with White House staffers
to discuss his imprisonment.
Aides to then-Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said Clinton had
pledged to release Pollard during the Wye River negotiations in
October. On the last day of the talks, they said, the U.S. president
said he could not fulfill that promise. -30-
Justice for Jonathan Pollard
Tel 416-781-3571 Fax 416- 781-3166
Email pollard@better.net
Web Site: http://www.interlog.com/~abrooke/jp
**********************************************************************