To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, July 27, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Tuesday, July 27, 1999 / Av 14, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK BLASTS WYE
2. ABU ALA, IN KNESSET, DEMANDS EASTERN JERUSALEM
3. JEWISH POPULATION IN JERUSALEM DROPS BELOW 70%
4. RUSSIA CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON JEWS
5. CONSEQUENCES OF Y2K FOR ISRAELI SABBATH
1. BARAK BLASTS WYE
Prime Minister Ehud Barak will meet tonight with Yasser Arafat at the Erez
Checkpoint. He will attempt to convince Arafat to agree to a delay in the
implementation of part of the Wye Accords - both Palestinian and Israeli
commitments thereof - until the final-status arrangement. Latest reports
are that he will offer to release imprisoned terrorists and construct a
passage from Gaza to Judea/Samaria in exchange for a smaller withdrawal.
Many analysts feel that Arafat will turn down the offer, preferring to
receive land instead. Barak has said repeatedly that if Arafat does not
agree, he will carry out the Wye Agreement as written. He has told
reporters and close aides that he fears that a full Israeli withdrawal at
this point will turn some 15 Jewish communities into enclaves, which will
in turn lead to perpetual and dangerous friction with the Palestinians.
"It's an explosive situation from the security standpoint," Barak said
yesterday, about the Wye withdrawals.
Likud leader Ariel Sharon said today that remarks of this nature are a
clever attempt to prepare the ground for an evacuation of these places,
under the claim that leaving them in place will severely endanger their
security. MK Chanan Porat (National Union) said that Barak, too, realizes
that the Wye Agreement was a bad one. Porat expressed sorrow over the fact
that Sharon continues to defend the agreement, to which he was a party.
Arutz-7's Haggai Segal asked Likud MK Yisrael Katz today, "So, it looks
like the left-wing is trying to minimize the withdrawals planned by the
Likud...?" Katz responded, "This is the view taken by people on the right
who are either trying to fool themselves, or are feeling guilty for the
fall of the Netanyahu government. My opinion of Barak is that he talks a
lot, and convinces maybe himself - but that's about it. He talked a lot
against hareidim before the elections, and other issues, but nothing ever
came of them. Barak is none other than the head of the left-wing camp, and
is embraced by anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish Arab parties, and whoever
thinks that Barak will achieve an agreement that is even a whit better for
Judea and Samaria than what Netanyahu would have, is simply fooling
himself."
2. ABU ALA, IN KNESSET, DEMANDS EASTERN JERUSALEM
Palestinian Legislative Council Chairman Ahmed Qurie, known also as Abu
Ala, did not hide his maximalist views on Jerusalem while visiting the
Knesset yesterday. In a joint press conference with his host Knesset
Speaker Avraham Burg, Qurie related to remarks by Jerusalem Mayor Olmert,
who said that Qurie's visit is a recognition of Israel's annexation of
Jerusalem. "I don't agree," Qurie said, "because Jerusalem is part of
the
Palestinian and Arab territories occupied in 1967 and it is subject to UN
Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338, that there should be a withdrawal
from east Jerusalem. Secondly, Jerusalem is one of the issues of the
permanent-status negotiations and therefore when we sit at the table we
will determine together the future of Jerusalem. And thirdly, we are
looking to Jerusalem as the capital of Palestine. That's the only solution
in my point of view. The only solution is as a capital of two states."
Burg said that his own stand, "is of course completely different: United
Jerusalem is Israel's capital," but agreed that Jerusalem's status will be
determined in the final-status negotiations. This prompted National Union
MK Benny Elon to call out, "You are using your official position to advance
extreme-left political views!"
Some Qurie clips (courtesy of the Jewish Community of Hevron
<http://www.hebron.org.il>):
* The Jerusalem Post reported on July 13, 1997, "Qurie walked over a
freshly burned Israeli flag during a protest in Ramallah [yesterday]... A
TV camera caught Palestinian protesters burning an Israeli flag as leading
Palestinian Authority and PLO officials watched. Witnesses said Qurie
smiled as he watched two Palestinian men burn the flag and then stepped
over its charred remains."
* Asked by the BBC Radio on February 17, 1997, which parts of Jerusalem
should be negotiated between Israel and the PLO, Qurie replied: "Not East
or West - Jerusalem, the whole of Jerusalem."
* He has often said that
the permanent borders between Israel and a new Palestinian state should be
determined by United Nations resolution 181, known as the Partition Plan.
This plan, which was rejected by the Arab states in 1947, leaves much of
present-day Israel outside the Jewish entity. Abu Ala told the Palestinian
Authority newspaper Al Hayat al-Jadida last December, "The fact that we
didn't take advantage of that resolution then doesn't mean that it is
invalid today."
3. JEWISH POPULATION IN JERUSALEM DROPS BELOW 70%
Jerusalem's Jewish majority is on the decline. A report by the Jerusalem
Institute for Israel Studies shows that the Jewish population in the
capital has fallen below 70% of the total population. Speaking with
Arutz-7 today, the report's editor Dr. Maya Choshen said that of 633,700
residents, 433,600 are Jewish, and nearly 200,000 are Arab. "Since
Jerusalem was unified in 1967," Choshen stated, "the city's Arab population
has grown by 186%, while the Jews have increased by 119%. In the early
70's, [then-Prime Minister] Golda Meir set a yearly growth goal of 3.7%.
This past year, Jewish growth reached only 1% - far short of Golda's
hopes." Choshen added that net Jewish emigration from the capital last
year was 7,600.
The higher Jerusalem Arab birthrate - 32.5 births per thousand, as opposed
to 25.2 per thousand Jewish births - is a significant factor in the city's
demographic problem, Choshen noted: "Though the average hareidi family has
more babies than its Arab counterpart, hareidim constitute only 30% of
Jerusalem's Jewish population." Choshen observed that many secular
Israelis feel a sense of alienation from Jerusalem. "The situation is not
irreversible, however," she said. "We must strengthen the capital by
drawing a population that both improves Jerusalem's image and contributes
to its economic well-being. Young couples, for instance, would be attracted
by less expensive housing options. Policy-makers should also encourage the
establishment of institutions of higher education and investment in
infrastructures in areas such as high-tech," she said.
4. RUSSIA CONDEMNS ATTACKS ON JEWS
The Russian government has officially condemned the attempted bomb attack
two days ago on the Chabad Synagogue in Moscow. Government spokesman
Alexander Michilov said that "repeated acts such as this reveal the
weakness of the law-enforcement agencies in the country." He blamed
certain political nationalist personalities for their incitement against
Jews, naming a senior figure who recently complained that "too many Jews
work closely with President Boris Yeltsin," and another who said some
months ago that he would "like to send ten of those bloodsuckers to the
next world." Prime Minister Barak is slated to visit Moscow next week,
where he will meet with Russian leaders.
5. CONSEQUENCES OF Y2K FOR ISRAELI SABBATH
The halakhic [Jewish-legal] aspects of the Y2K computer bug will be among
the topics to be researched by a ministerial committee. The Prime Minister
yesterday instructed his top aide Yossi Kucik to convene a committee that
will coordinate the various ministries' efforts on the Y2K matter. "The
committee should look into the Jewish-legal issue as well," Infrastructures
Minister Eli Suissa (Shas) said today. Suissa noted that Jan. 1, 2000 will
fall on a Saturday, and the possible life-threatening dangers that may
result may make it necessary to grant special permits for Sabbath work. "I
am not a halakhic authority," Suissa said, "but it is likely that the
rabbis will rule it permissible to work in hospitals, security forces, the
electric company, and the like specifically for this problem... I have
consulted with Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef and with the Chief Rabbis, and they will
have to decide if and to whom to issue work permits on that Shabbat."
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, July 28, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Wednesday, July 28, 1999 / Av 15, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PA REJECT BARAK'S PROPOSALS, WILL THINK ABOUT THEM FOR 2 WEEKS
2. SHARON WARNS THAT BARAK WILL REMOVE YESHA TOWNS
3. U.S. AIR FORCE OFFICER DEMOTED FOR STANDING ON RELIGIOUS
PRINCIPLE
1. PA REJECT BARAK'S PROPOSALS, WILL THINK ABOUT THEM FOR 2 WEEKS The
Palestinians claim to be "very disappointed" with last night's meeting
between Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Yasser Arafat, labeling it a
"resounding failure." A senior Palestinian Authority official said
that there has not been, and will never be, a change in the
Palestinian position opposing a delay in the implementation of the Wye
withdrawals. Officially, however, Arafat said he would respond to
Barak's proposals in two weeks. Nabil Sha'ath, PA Planning Head,
stated that Barak "must stop talking and start acting "- and that
Barak, too, "has blood on his hands." Palestinian negotiator Sa'eb
Erekat, too, came away with predictably hardened positions after
meeting this afternoon with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Mussa.
Erekat said that Arafat intends to phone Clinton tonight and ask for
his help in rejecting Barak's proposals.
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that Israel is quite
satisfied with the talks last night, and that the public Palestinians
statements are for external consumption only. "Arafat's acceptance of
the two-week period is a good sign," he said. "It happened like this:
Foreign Minister David Levy told Barak that it would not be advisable
to simply present Arafat with a demand, or request, to change the
agreement. Instead, Levy said, Arafat should be given time to think
about it, so that the ball will be in his court, and that he will be
the one to make the decision. While Barak was meeting with Arafat,
Levy procured Abu Mazen's agreement to the two-week idea. Meanwhile,
Barak was telling Arafat that the proposal to carry out a smaller
Israeli withdrawal in exchange for lesser Palestinian compliance of
other Wye clauses had several benefits for the Palestinians. Barak
told him that if he continued to insist on the current arrangements,
the coming talks would revolve exclusively around the next stage of
the Wye Agreement, and that Israel would demand full Palestinian
compliance on reducing their police forces, collecting weapons, and
the like, and that these negotiations could take months - during which
time, no one could know what might happen with the Syrian talks.
Barak said that he simply could not hold two sets of intensive
negotiations at once, and that basically it's first come, first
served. Final-status talks now between Barak and Arafat would put
Syria on hold for a while, to the benefit of Arafat." The PA chairman
agreed to consider the proposal during the coming two weeks.
"Not many people realize," continued Huberman, "that Arafat actually
returned from King Hassan's funeral in Morocco in very bad spirits -
and not only because he had just buried one of his staunch supporters.
Arafat saw the royal way in which the world leaders treated Barak,
and how the Arab leaders stood in line to shake his hand - even though
he has not yet given them anything! Arafat saw how Barak spoke freely
and frequently with U.S. President Clinton, while he, Arafat, was
barely able to approach Clinton. The point is that Barak, unlike
Netanyahu, has taken his own initiatives. The Americans like this,
and it is manifest in the new flowering relations between Clinton and
Barak - a return to the old 'special relationship' between the U.S.
and Israel. Arafat is no longer sure that the Americans will continue
to take his side, as they did in the past six months."
2. SHARON WARNS THAT BARAK WILL REMOVE YESHA TOWNS
Acting Likud Chairman Ariel Sharon, in a rare press interview today,
told Arutz-7 that he fears that Prime Minister Barak is not attempting
to "correct deficiencies" in the Wye Agreement, but rather to "prepare
the ground for an evacuation of several Yesha communities." Sharon
said, "Barak has said clearly and often that he will fulfill the Wye
agreement as written, while the Palestinians 'try' to keep their
commitments. This is not an improvement in Wye, but the opposite.
Wye clearly states that the Israeli withdrawals will be carried out
together with the implementation of Palestinian commitments."
Sharon took umbrage at Barak's recent criticism of the previous
government's supposed 'Wye withdrawal maps:' "There is no such thing
as a government withdrawal map, but only one prepared by the military.
He's the Defense Minister - if he wants, he can prepare a different
map! Why does he want to discuss these maps with Mubarak and Arafat -
he should talk to us, and he'll learn some things! We can help him
make other maps - I myself presented a version." When asked if he
would support Barak's diplomatic plans in the Knesset, Sharon said,
"If his proposals contribute to Israel's security and existence, we
will support them. If not, we will wage a staunch struggle, as is not
only our right, but our obligation as an opposition."
3. U.S. AIR FORCE OFFICER DEMOTED FOR STANDING ON RELIGIOUS PRINCIPLE
An American Air Force officer has been demoted because he refused to
compromise his religious beliefs. First Lt. Ryan Berry, 25, married
with one daughter, was punished for refusing to share secluded
accommodations with a female officer for 24-hour shifts. The case has
led to accusations against the army that it is "vigorously fighting
adultery and sexual misconduct, while endorsing settings that
contribute to the problem." (Calgary Herald, July 21) The 'setting'
at issue in this case is the size of a small bus, buried 90 feet below
ground an hour away from headquarters, and furnished with one bed, a
toilet, and retractable privacy curtains. Two-officer teams are
assigned to the capsule for 24-hour shifts, and Berry asked not to be
paired off with a female officer. His claim that his religious
Catholic beliefs prevented him from serving in such settings merited
him a waiver from the requirement for a short time, but it was revoked
when other officers complained. Berry was immediately decertified
from nuclear duty, assigned a desk job, and will likely not be
promoted. Almost 30 U.S. Congressmen sent the Pentagon a letter this
week protesting the Air Force's treatment of Berry, and asked that his
request for a religious waiver, under service regulations, be honored.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, July 29, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Thursday, July 29, 1999 / Av 16, 5759
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK AND LEVY IN EGYPT
2. SYRIA INVITES ARAB MKs
1. BARAK AND LEVY IN EGYPT
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said today that he is convinced that
Ehud Barak plans to implement the Wye Agreement, and that he [Mubarak]
sees nothing wrong with a two- or three-week delay. Barak, too, said
that he will implement the agreement. Prime Minister Barak and
Foreign Minister David Levy met today with Mubarak, in an attempt to
garner his support for the proposals to delay the implementation of
parts of Wye. Barak and Mubarak spoke to reporters in a joint press
conference after their meeting.
2. SYRIA INVITES ARAB MKs
The 13 Arab Knesset Members have been invited for an official visit to
Syria. The London-based Al Hayat newspaper reported that they will
remain there for three days in mid-August.
*********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, July 30,
1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Friday, July 30, 1999 / Av 17, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. OVERWHELMING SENATE SUPPORT FOR MOVING EMBASSY
2. RAMON AND BEILIN NEGATE TOTAL GOLAN WITHDRAWAL
1. OVERWHELMING SENATE SUPPORT FOR MOVING EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM
Eighty-four members of the United States Senate have sent a letter to
U.S. President Clinton expressing their "deep disappointment" with his
recent decision not to fulfill the Jerusalem Embassy Relocation Act.
Despite a previous letter from ten key Senators urging him not to do
so, Clinton chose to utilize a national-security waiver provision in
the Act. The latest Senatorial letter, which was publicized by the
Act's sponsors, Republican Senator Kyl and Democratic Senator
Lieberman, makes clear that an overwhelming majority of the Senate
believes that the President improperly invoked the waiver. Kyl and
Lieberman reiterated their intention to introduce legislation that
will compel the Administration to comply with the U.S. law on this
mater.
2. RAMON AND BEILIN NEGATE TOTAL GOLAN WITHDRAWAL
Ministers Yossi Beilin and Chaim Ramon declared today that if Syrian
President Assad sets, as a pre-condition for negotiations, Israeli
willingness to retreat to the pre-1967 borders, the talks will not be
held.
Ramon added that even at the end of the diplomatic process, it cannot
be assumed that Israel will agree to give up Hamat Gader or the eastern
shore of the Kineret.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@a7.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, August 1, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, August 1, 1999 / Av 19, 5759
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PALESTINIANS SHOW INTEREST IN BARAK'S PROPOSALS
2. BEILIN IGNORES ELON'S BILL
1. PALESTINIANS SHOW INTEREST IN BARAK'S PROPOSALS
Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams will meet today to discuss
Barak's proposal to delay parts of the Wye Agreement. The Palestinian
Authority leadership decided officially yesterday to reject the idea.
Israel assumes, however, that this is not its final word on the
matter, and that the PA is waiting for U.S. Secretary of State
Madeleine Albright to arrive in the region. The Israeli optimism "is
based on information that the Palestinians have conveyed in private
channels to the Israel team," reported Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai
Huberman. "The very fact that the two sides are meeting today -
despite the formal declarations - is an indication that they feel
there is something to talk about. In addition, the Palestinians have
themselves conveyed certain counter-requests in response to the
Israeli proposals, which is another sign that they are taking these
issues seriously."
"Barak's strategy is to tempt the Palestinians with offers that may be
even more important to them than land," Huberman said. "The freeing
of prisoners is one such area. For some time now, there has been talk
of relaxing the criteria for release, such that terrorists who did not
actually murder, but merely injured their victims, may be released...
Another issue is the construction of a passage from Gaza to Judea and
Samaria, which until now has been stalled, because Israel has insisted
on its security concerns, including extensive security checks,"
Huberman explained.
"A third area of great interest to the Palestinians is what is
referred to as a 'qualitative withdrawal.' This does not just mean
the connection of Palestinian areas, like Shechem and Jenin, since
this is something that was already set forth in Wye and agreed upon by
Netanyahu. In an effort to shrink the size of the withdrawals, Barak
will propose the extension of Palestinian-controlled area to somwhere
northwest of Jenin, all the way up to the Green Line. Netanyahu had
provided for a large Israeli-controlled buffer between Jenin and the
Green Line settlements." Huberman said that Barak's plan would set a
precedent in granting Palestinian control up to the Green Line border.
2. BEILIN IGNORES ELON'S BILL
Justice Minister Yossi Beilin and MK Rabbi Benny Elon (National Union)
are engaged in a legislative dispute regarding the resolution of the
legal status of the Israeli citizens of Judea and Samaria. Beilin
claims that because the special regulations governing these residents
will expire next month, the Jews of Yesha will find themselves living
under no civil law. While the Arab residents of the territories are
governed by military law, the soon-to-expire regulations stipulate
that Israelis are governed by Israeli law. Beilin warns that the
Israelis will soon not be able or required to serve in the military,
pay taxes, receive drivers' licenses, receive national or health
insurance payments, be tried in civil courts, etc. He says that the
government will now have to begin a long process of legislation,
involving many steps and special mid-recess sessions. MK Elon, on the
other hand, said that the entire affair is a non-starter: "I have
already introduced legislation, which requires only a final reading
and vote, and the matter will be solved. Beilin doesn't like my bill,
because it requires a measure of reciprocity from the Palestinian
Authority." In the final analysis, however, the government can ignore
Elon's bill, and will push through its own.
************************************************************************