To:            arutz-7@a7.org
From:          Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@a7.org>
Subject:       Arutz-7 News: Sunday, September 5, 1999

Arutz Sheva News Service
     <http://www.a7.org>
Sunday, September 5, 1999 / Elul 24, 5759
------------------------------------------------

TODAY'S HEADLINE:

 WYE-SHARM COMPARISON:

Prime Minister Barak's claim last night that the Sharm agreement is
"an improved Wye accord" raises the question, "Improved from whose
standpoint - Israel or the Palestinians?"  So explained Arutz-7's
Haggai Huberman today, lamenting, "As one who is very familiar with
Wye, and who read yesterday's agreement from beginning to end, I have
a hard time finding any improvements.  Just the opposite: the new deal
has many aspects that are much worse for Israel than even Wye was." 

Huberman said that originally, Barak said to Arafat, "'Let's make a
deal that will be beneficial to both of us: You waive the third Wye
withdrawal for now, and we'll link it to the final-status
negotiations. In exchange for that, I'll give you a basket of goodies,
such as the Gaza seaport, the free passage from Gaza to Hevron and
Ramallah, and more. ' Arafat responded with a resounding No! to the
first part, but Barak still gave him the whole package of goodies!"

Huberman enumerated several faults with the new agreement, from
Israel's point of view:  "The third Israeli withdrawal is not at all
linked to progress in the final-status talks.  The agreement merely
states that the two sides will 'make every effort' to come to a
final-status framework.  In fact, an accompanying letter of guarantees
delivered by Secretary of State Albright to Yasser Arafat states that
there will be no tie-in between the third withdrawal and 'various
problems that may arise in final-status negotiations.'"  [Ed. note:
Israeli negotiator Gilad Sher stated today that Albright's letter
contained only general declarations, but no guarantees or promises.]

"The original Wye withdrawals," continued Huberman, "were tightly
linked to Palestinian fulfillment of their commitments.  This was
summed up at the time by Netanyahu's pithy phrase, 'If they give,
they'll get; if they don't give, they won't get.'  This element of
reciprocity is lost in the new agreement.  Barak succeeded only in
spreading out two Wye withdrawals that were to have taken two months -
if the Palestinians carried out their side - and divided them into
three stages over five months, with no clear mention of reciprocity."

Huberman noted that various dates are mentioned in the new agreement -
on September 13, for instance, the Palestinians must present a list of
their policemen to Israel, and on October 15 they must report on
weapons collection and on arrested terrorist suspects - but no clause
states that withdrawals are dependent on the fulfillment of the
obligations in question.  "By October 15, the Palestinians will have
already received another 7%," he said.

According to Huberman, Prime Minister Barak is proud of achieving a
Palestinian agreement to work towards the signing of a final-status
deal by September of next year.  "Until then, Arafat has consented not
to unilaterally declare a Palestinian state.  But even this is not a
serious accomplishment, because if Israel and the PA don't reach a
deal by the target date, Arafat is permitted to nevertheless declare
his state, with all the territory that he will then control." 

Huberman continued to list problems with the agreement from an Israeli
point of view:

 * Israel's parallel promise not to take any unilateral steps.  This
means almost a complete freeze on construction in Yesha communities, as well
as an end to land expropriation in the area, which in turn means that
new by-pass roads for Yesha residents will not be able to be paved.
Israel can't build, but when Palestinians build illegally - even in
Israeli territory - Israel cannot demolish the illegal structures.

* A date has been set for the beginning of construction on the Gaza
seaport - Oct. 1 - even though the necessary security arrangements
have not yet been formulated.

* Similarly, dates have been set for the opening of the "Free
 Passage" routes - Oct. 1  from Gaza to Ramallah, and Feb. 5, 2000
fort the northern route - even though here, too, the necessary security
arrangements have not yet been formulated.

* In Hevron, Barak has already partially opened the Shuhada road in
Hevron, and  agreed to complete the process on Oct. 30 - even though
the Wye Agreement made this contingent upon "normalization"  of
relations between the Arab and Jewish residents there, which has not
occurred.  He also has committed himself to examine the possibility of
permitting PA security forces into the Muslim section of the Cave of
the Patriarchs.

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

                Jerusalem Post Internet Edition

                 Sunday, September 5, 1999    

                 Wye, Sharm - what's the difference?
                 By DANNA HARMAN

                 SHARM E-SHEIKH (September 5) - What has been signed?

                 Some of the main differences between original Wye
                 accord and new one:

                 TROOP WITHDRAWALS

                 Wye: Israel was to withdraw from 13 percent of the
                 West Bank in three stages, over a period of three
                 months. Since there has already been a 2% withdrawal,
                 this leaves 11%. Some 3% of the remaining pullback
                 was to take place in the Judean Desert, and that area
                 was to be a nature reserve, with no building allowed.

                 Sharm: Israel will hand over the remaining 11% in
                 three stages, instead of in two. Next week Israel
                 will redeploy from 7% of the West Bank, with the next
                 two withdrawals on November 15 and January 20. There
                 will apparently be no Judean Desert nature reserve,
                 and the areas given back will be more contiguous.

                 PRISONERS

                 Wye: Israel was to release 750 prisoners. Two-hundred
                 and fifty were already released, leaving 500 to go.
                 Of those remaining, the Barak government was talking
                 about releasing 102 security prisoners and filling
                 the rest of the quota with criminals.

                 Sharm: Israel will release 350 security prisoners, in
                 two phases. About 200 will be released in the coming
                 days, and the rest on October 8. The two sides agree
                 to talk in December about an additional release, but
                 no numbers are suggested.

                 GAZA PORT

                 Wye: A committee to discuss the opening of the port
                 was to be established.

                 Sharm: Planning for port to begin immediately, while
                 actual building - with certain security restrictions
                 - could start in October.

                 SAFE PASSAGE:

                 Wye: Committees to continue working.

                 Sharm: Southern route (Gaza-Tarkumia adjacent to
                 Hebron) to open in October, pending a protocol
                 agreement, and negotiations to continue on Northern
                 route (Gaza-Ramallah area).

                 HEBRON

                 Wye: No mention.

                 Sharm: Shuhada Street to re-open in two stages, the
                 first of which has already been carried out and the
                 second which will be done no later than October 30.
                 The Hasbahe market will be opened no later than
                 November 1. Committee to review the situation at the
                 Cave of the Patriarchs.

                 SECURITY:

                 Wye: Palestinians to implement security working
                 paper, arrest those on list wanted by Israel, collect
                 weapons, cut down police force, etc.

                 Sharm: Same demands.

                 FINAL PEACE ACCORD

                 Wye: Does not contain a specific target date for
                 concluding talks on a permanent peace accord.

                 Sharm: Within five or six months, the two sides
                 should negotiate the outlines of a final-status
                 agreement and on September 10, 2000, the accord
                 should be concluded. No unilateral steps to be taken
                 during this time.

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

                Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
                    Sunday, September 5, 1999

                 Barak, Arafat sign Sharm accord

                 By DANNA HARMAN

                 SHARM E-SHEIKH (September 5) - After
weeks of tough negotiations and a weekend of brinkmanship, Prime
Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat
signed a new West Bank land-for-security agreement yesterday,
charting the course toward a historic final peace accord by September
2000.

                 Standing in the domed ballroom at a Sharm e-Sheikh
hotel, Barak and Arafat signed the modified Wye Memorandum late last
night, agreeing on a formula to implement the accord signed almost a
year ago by the previous government.

                 Prodded along in the decisive final stages by
visiting US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak, the sides had moved closer to an agreement
all weekend, and then finally clinched the deal late Friday night.

                 "The people of the Middle East are ready for the
dawn of a new era," Barak said last night, at the signing ceremony.
"I believe that it is our duty, leaders of all parties, to pave the
way .... We must rise to the occasion and for the sake of our
mothers, fathers, children and grandchildren, turn the vision of a
lasting peace into a reality..."

                 "I believe in a vision of peace and security to be
reached through negotiation and good-neighborliness. We have to rise
to the occasion and turn the dream into a reality."

                 Barak did not mention his predecessor, Binyamin
Netanyahu, who had signed the original accord.

                 Under the new agreement, Israel and the Palestinians
are to begin final-status talks immediately with the aim of reaching
a statement of principles on final status in five months, and a
final-status accord by next September.

                 Speaking in Hebrew, Barak added that the revised
accord links the final section of the Wye Agreement, namely the last
and most difficult withdrawal from the West Bank, with the
final-status agreement, a matter which is still not finalized.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa told reporters he had a
commitment from Barak that there would be no linkage between the last
part of Wye and the final-status agreement.

                 Arafat, in his address, said the accord allowed the
two sides "to present to our people a new hope to preserve the peace
of the brave."

                 After the principals signed, Albright, Mubarak and
Jordan's King Abdullah II added their signatures as witnesses.
Albright then embraced Barak and Arafat, and said "the two sides have
begun to rebuild their partnership ... a partnership that is vital to
the region's future."

                 Albright said the spirit of the Israeli-Palestinian
peace agreement marked a new beginning and "a rich source of hope for
the future."

                 Abdullah recalled his late father King Hussein, who
had worked for regional peace after striking his separate deal with
Israel.

       "I hope and I pray we do not let him down," Abdullah said.

                Albright welcomed Israeli and Palestinian willingness
to do most of the negotiating without mediators, building trust and
confidence after years of bitterness.

                 Albright said: "For the first time in several years,
Israelis and Palestinians are working together and solving problems
together. Relationships of trust and shared conviction are being
built through this process. The fact that Israelis and Palestinians
negotiated this pact directly is a rich source of hope for the future."

                 Barak will present the deal to the cabinet for
approval today, and the Knesset will be asked to ratify it on
Wednesday. On Wednesday morning, before the plenum session, the
cabinet is expected to meet again to approve the next redeployment.

                 Events are now supposed to proceed rapidly. Within
days, the IDF is to redeploy from 7 percent of the West Bank,
transferring it from Israeli control (Area C) to Palestinian civilian
control (Area B) and release 200 Palestinian security prisoners.

                 Two more withdrawals are to take place on November
15 and January 20, and another batch of approximately 150 more
security prisoners are to be released on October 8.

                 The Palestinians accepted an Israeli proposal to
release pre-Oslo PLO prisoners who only had "some blood" on their
hands, meaning those who have wounded Israelis or murdered
Palestinian collaborators, and those who have only been indirectly
involved in terror acts.

                 The crux of the agreement stipulates that, within
the coming weeks, negotiating teams will be established, and will
begin intensive talks on a final peace accord. The target date for
reaching the final-status deal is September 13, 2000.

                 This means that the sides envision reaching
compromises, within a year, on such complex issues as Palestinian
statehood, the status of Jerusalem, the fate of Palestinian refugees
and the future of the settlements. During this time, the Palestinians will
not declare a state.

                 On November 15, a 2% transfer of West Bank territory
will be made from Area B to Area A (full Palestinian control), and 3% from Area C to Area B.

                 On January 20, a 1% transfer will take place from
Area C to Area A and 5.1% from Area B to Area A.

                The southern "safe passage" route is to open October
1, while construction of the Gaza seaport is to commence on the same
day.

                 The second phase of the opening of Shuhada Street in
Hebron will take place no later than October 30, while the wholesale
market there is to open by November 1.

                 In a news conference at his presidential retreat at
Camp David, Clinton hailed the so-called Wye-II agreement but said
much hard work remained.

                 "We will do everything we can to be supportive all
along the way and to achieve our larger goal - a just and lasting
comprehensive peace in the entire region, including Syria and
Lebanon," Clinton said.

                 "I hope today's progress is seen by the leaders of
the Middle East as a stepping stone for that larger goal."

                 Top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat said
yesterday an American "letter of guarantees" attached to the
agreement reiterated US support for the Palestinian people "to
determine their future on their own land."

                 But the Palestinians will not unilaterally declare
an independent state until at least September 2000, Erekat said.

                 "I do not think we can declare a Palestinian state
now between the period September 13, 1999, when final-status
negotiations begin, and September 13, 2000," the target date for
their completion, he said.

                 "If we fail to reach an agreement, then we have the
full right to declare a state after that."

                 Palestinians vowed earlier this year to declare
statehood on May 4, 2000, a year later than they had originally
planned, to give Barak time to negotiate a peace deal.

                 At Orient House in Jerusalem, mothers of prisoners
began gathering yesterday in anticipation of the releases, carrying
photos of their sons.

                 Not everyone, however, was satisfied with the
agreement. In several Palestinian towns, demonstrators staged small
marches to press for the release of all of the security prisoners,
said to be some 2,000, by Israel. In Bethlehem, a few marchers threw
stones at Israeli soldiers; a news photographer was lightly wounded
in the head by a stone.

                 Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, meanwhile, dismissed the accord
as yet another sellout by Arafat. Asked whether Hamas would keep
trying to wreck the peace efforts with terror attacks, Yassin said
his supporters reserved the right to resist Israeli occupation.

                 For Albright, the deal was a diplomatic triumph.
Smiling broadly, she had emerged late Friday from a meeting with
Arafat at his seaside headquarters in Gaza City to announce the
breakthrough.

                 Albright, who had earlier described herself as only 
"a handmaiden" to the negotiators, said then that the two sides had
seized a historic opportunity.

                 "They will now tackle the issues that will define
their peace for generations to come," Albright said.

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

                             Jerusalem Post Internet Edition
                                  Sunday, September 5, 1999    

                 Unofficial text of the Sharm Memorandum

                 (September 5) - The Sharm e-Sheikh Memorandum on
Implementation Timeline of Outstanding Commitments of Agreements
Signed and the Resumption of the Permanent Status Negotiations.

                 The Government of the State of Israel and the
Palestine Liberation Organization commit themselves to full and
mutual implementation of the Interim Agreement and all other
agreements concluded between them since September 1993 (hereinafter
"the prior agreements"), and all outstanding commitments
emanating from the prior agreements.

                 Without derogating from the other requirements of
the prior agreements, the two Sides have agreed as follows:

                 1. Permanent Status Negotiations:

                 a. In the context of the implementation of the prior
agreements, the two Sides will resume the Permanent Status
negotiations in an accelerated manner and will make a determined
effort to achieve their mutual goal of reaching a Permanent Status
Agreement based on the agreed agenda, i.e., the specific issues
reserved for Permanent Status negotiators and other issues of
common interest.

                 b. The two Sides reaffirm their understanding that
the negotiations on the Permanent Status will lead to the
implementation of Security Council Resolutions 242 and 338;

                 c. The two Sides will make a determined effort to
conclude a Framework Agreement on all Permanent Status issues in five
months from the resumption of the Permanent Status negotiations.

                 d. The two Sides will conclude a comprehensive
agreement on all Permanent Status issues within one year from the
resumption of the Permanent Status negotiations;

                 e. Permanent Status negotiations will resume after
the implementation of the first stage of release of prisoners and the
second stage of the First and Second Further redeployments and not
later than September 13, 1999. In the Wye River Memorandum, the
United States has expressed its willingness to facilitate these negotiations.

                 2. Phase One and Phase Two of the Further
                 Redeployments

                 The Israeli Side undertakes the following with
regard to Phase One and Phase Two of the Further Redeployments:

                 a. On September 5, 1999, to transfer 7% from Area C
                 to Area B. [*]

                 b. On November 15, 1999, to transfer 2% from Area B
                 to Area A and 3% from Area C to Area B.

                 c. On January 20, 2000, to transfer 1% from Area C to
                 Area A, and 5.1% from Area B to Area A.

                 3. Release of Prisoners

                 a. The two Sides shall establish a joint committee
 that shall follow-up on matters related to release of Palestinian
prisoners.

                 b. The Government of Israel shall release
Palestinian and other prisoners who committed their offences prior to
September 13, 1993, and were arrested prior to May 4, 1994. The Joint
Committee shall agree on the names of those who will be released in
the first two stages. Those lists shall be recommended in the
relevant Authorities through the Monitoring and Steering Committee;

                 c. The first stage of release of prisoners shall be
carried out on September 5, 1999 [*] and shall consist of 200
prisoners. The second stage of release of prisoners shall be carried
out on October 8, 1999 and shall consist of 150 prisoners;

                 d. The joint committee shall recommend further lists
of names to be released to the relevant Authorities through the
Monitoring and Steering Committee;

                 e. The Israeli side will aim to release Palestinian
prisoners before next Ramadan.

                 4. Committees

                 a. The Third Further Redeployment Committee shall
commence its activities not later than September 13, 1999.

                 b. The Monitoring and Steering Committee, all Interim
Committees (i.e., CAC, JFC, JSC, legal committee, people to people),
as well as Wye River Memorandum committees shall resume and/or
continue their activity, as the case may be, not later than September
13, 1999. The Monitoring and Steering Committee will have on its
agenda, inter alia, the Year 2000, Donor/PA projects in Area C, and
the issue of industrial estates;

                 c. The Continuing Committee on displaced persons
shall resume its activity on October 1, 1999 (Article XXVII, Interim
Agreement);

                 d. Not later than October 30, 1999, the two sides
will implement the recommendations of the Ad-hoc Economic Committee
(article 111-6, WRM).

                 5. Safe Passage

                 a. The operation of the Southern Route of the Safe
Passage for the movement of persons, vehicles, and goods will start
on October 1, 1999 (Annex I, Article X, Interim Agreement) in
accordance with the details of operation, which will be provided for
in the Safe Passage Protocol that will be concluded by the two
Sides not later than September 30, 1999.

                 b. The two Sides will agree on the specific location
of the crossing point of the Northern Route of the Safe Passage as
specified in Annex 1, Article X, provision e-4, in the Interim
Agreement not later than October 5, 1999;

                 c. The Safe Passage Protocol applied to the Southern
Route of the Safe Passage shall apply to the Northern Route of the
Safe Passge with relevant agreed modifications;

                 d. Upon the agreement on the location of the
crossing point of the Northern Route of the Safe Passage,
construction of the needed facilities and related procedures shall
commence and shall be ongoing. At the same time, temporary facilities
will be established for the operation of the Northern Route not later
than four months from the agreement on the specific location of the
crossing-point;

                 e. In between the operation of the Southern crossing
point of the Safe Passage and the Northern crossing point of the Safe
Passage, Israel will facilitate arrangements for the movement between
the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, using non-Safe Passage routes
other than the Southern Route of the Safe Passage;

                 f. The location of the crossing points shall be
without prejudice to the Permanent Status negotiations (Annex 1,
Article X, provision e, Interim Agreement).

                 6. Gaza Sea Port

                 The two Sides have agreed on the following
principles to facilitate and enable the construction works of the
Gaza Sea Port. The principles shall not prejudice or preempt the
outcome of negotiations on the Permanent Status:

                 a. The Israeli Side agrees that the Palestinian Side
shall commence construction works in and related to the Gaza Sea Port
on October 1, 1999;

                 b. The two Sides agree that the Gaza Sea Port will
not be operated in any way before reaching a joint Sea Port protocol
on all aspects of operating the Port, including security;

                 c. The Gaza Sea Port is a special case, like the
Gaza Airport, being situated in an area under the responsibility of
the Palestinian Side and serving as an international passage.
Therefore, with the conclusion of a joint Sea Port Protocol, all
activities and arrangements relating to the construction of the Port
shall be in accordance with the provisions of the Interim Agreement,
especially those relating to international passages, as adapted
in the Gaza Airport Protocol;

                 d. The construction shall ensure adequate provision
for effective security and customs inspection of people and goods, as
well as the establishment of a designated checking area in the Port;

e. In this context, the Israeli side will facilitate on an ongoing
basis the works related to the construction of the Gaza Sea Port,
including the movement in and out of the Port of vessels, equipment,
resources, and material required for the construction of the Port;

                 f. The two Sides will coordinate such works,
including the designs and movement, through a joint mechanism.

                 7. Hebron Issues

                 a. The Shuhada Road in Hebron shall be opened for
the movement of Palestinian vehicles in two phases. The first phase
has been carried out, and the second shall be carried out not later
than October 30, 1999;

                 b. The wholesale market Habashe will be opened not
later than November 1, 1999, in accordance with arrangements which
will be agreed upon by the two Sides;

                 c. A high-level Joint Liaison Committee will convene
not later than September 13, 1999 to review the situation in the Tomb
of the Patriarchs/Al Haram Al Ibrahimi (Annex I, Article VII, Interim
Agreement and as per the January 15, 1998 US Minute of Discussion),

                 8. Security

                 a. The two Sides will, in accordance with the prior
agreements, act to ensure the immediate, efficient and effective
handling of any incident involving a threat of act of terrorism,
violence or incitement, whether committed by Palestinians or
Israelis. To this end, they will cooperate in the exchange of
information and coordinate policies and activities. Each side shall
immediately and effectively respond to the occurrence or anticipated
occurrence of an act of terrorism, violence or incitement and shall take
all necessary measures to prevent such an occurrence.

b. Pursuant to the prior agreements, the Palestinian side undertakes
to implement its responsibilities for security, security cooperation,
ongoing obligations and other issues emanating from the prior
agreements, including, in particular, the following obligations
emanating from the Wye River Memorandum:

                 1) continuation of the program for the collection of
                 illegal weapons, including reports;

                 2) apprehension of suspects, including reports;

                 3) forwarding of the list of Palestinian policemen to
                 the Israeli side not later than September 13, 1999;

                 4) beginning of the review of the list by the
                 Monitoring and Steering Committee not later than
                 October 15, 1999.

                 9. The two sides call upon the international donor
community to enhance its commitment and financial support to the
Palestinian economic development and the Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

                 10. Recognizing the necessity to create a positive
environment for the negotiations, neither side shall initiate or take
any step that will change the status of the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip in accordance with the interim agreement.

                 11. Obligations pertaining to dates which occur on
holidays or Saturdays shall be carried out on the first subsequent
working day.

                 This memorandum will enter into force one week from
                 the date of its signature.*

                 Made and signed in Sharm e-Sheikh, this fourth day of
                 September 1999. For the government of the State of
                 Israel. For the PLO. Witnessed by For the Arab
                 Republic of Egypt. For the United States of America.

                 *It is understood that, for technical reasons,
                 implementation of Article 2a and the first stage
                 mentioned in Article 3c will be carried out within a
                 week from the signing of this memorandum.

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