To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, November 14, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Sunday, November 14, 1999 / Kislev 5, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. FINAL-STATUS TALKS
2. SUHA ECHOES PALESTINIAN PRESS; PRIZE AWARDED TO ARCH-TERRORIST
1. FINAL-STATUS TALKS
Yasser Arafat continues to object to the withdrawal map, as presented
by Israel for implementation tomorrow. He demands that the area in
the Judean Desert be replaced by land in the Shomron, so as to grant
the Palestinian Authority territorial contiguity there. Barak's chief
security advisor, Danny Yatom, said that Israel will not carry out the
withdrawal without Arafat's consent. Under the Oslo agreements,
Israel is authorized to solely decide on the extent and locations of
its withdrawals from Judea and Samaria.
Meeting this afternoon in N'vei Ilan, in the hills leading to
Jerusalem, the final-status negotiating teams agreed on the agenda of
their talks. According to today's agreement, the talks will deal with
the following issues: Jerusalem; the settlements; the Arab refugees
of 1948; and the final borders. The two sides will next meet this
coming Thursday.
2. SUHA ECHOES PALESTINIAN PRESS; PRIZE AWARDED TO ARCH-TERRORIST The
baseless accusations by Mrs. Suha Arafat in the presence of Mrs.
Hilary Clinton, and the latter's lack of response, continue to cause a
storm of controversy. Ha'aretz reported today that U.S. President
Clinton demanded an apology from Yasser Arafat only several hours
after Suha Arafat accused Israel of poisoning Palestinian air and
destroying Palestinian water. Clinton claimed that the remarks caused
embarrassment to his wife. The PA explained that Mrs. Arafat used the
term "poisonous gas" when she in fact meant "tear gas." Prime
Minister Ehud Barak said today that the remarks were "most grave," and
demanded a condemnation by the Palestinian Authority. Israel's
Foreign Ministry has instructed its embassies and consulates to react
sharply to Suha's words.
Suha Arafat's verbal assault on Israel last Thursday bears a striking
resemblance to charges leveled by the Palestinian Press last week.
One example supplied by Palestinian Media Watch comes from last
Tuesday's edition of the official Palestinian Authority daily Al-Hayat
Al-Jadida: "Israeli companies are carrying out a covert war against
the Palestinian land and the Palestinian people, by flooding the
markets with chemical pesticides forbidden by international law...
Israeli chemical companies are using the Palestinian land and
population as their own testing ground."
The Palestinian Prize for Culture will be granted to the man who
planned the 1972 massacre of the Israeli athletes in Munich, Abu
Daoud. The prize will be granted him in recognition of a book he
wrote in which he described the planning of the murder of the 11
Israeli Olympic athletes. Knesset Members Rabbi Chaim Druckman (NRP)
and Avi Yechezkel (Labor) demand that sanctions be taken against Abu
Daoud. Germany issued a request several months ago for the
terrorist's extradition.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, November 16, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Tuesday, November 16, 1999 / Kislev 7, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. IDF PREPARES NORTHERN LEADERS FOR UNILATERAL PULL-OUT
2. MISSIONARY ACTIVITY AMONG NEW IMMIGRANTS
3. SHAS WILL NOT OPPOSE UPROOTING OF YESHA SETTLEMENTS
1. IDF PREPARES NORTHERN LEADERS FOR UNILATERAL PULL-OUT
O.C. Northern Command Maj.-Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi met with the heads of the
northern towns yesterday, explaining to them that the IDF is prepared for a
unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon should such an order be given. The Mayor
of Shlomi, Gabi Ne'eman, told Arutz-7 after the meeting today that northern
local leaders are now more concerned than before. "It's not that we believe
that the army will be totally ineffective at deterring or fighting
terrorism, but we are simply not prepared to return to the situation [of
vulnerability to Hizbullah attacks] we were in in 1982. We have therefore
decided not to cooperate with the army's preparations for such a move,
until top government representatives explain to us exactly how they plan to
deal with all of the ramifications of this decision."
Ne'eman said that Ashkenazi did not deny that "some adventurous Hizbullah
terrorists could cross the border and fire at a home in Shlomi. This is
more serious in a certain sense than the katyusha rockets we have absorbed
over the years, which have no specific address, and often end up in open
fields and the like. Here, terrorists could take direct aim at homes from
just hundreds of meters away."
News Editor Haggai Segal asked Ne'eman whether it is security or economic
woes that most worry local officials. "They are crucial elements of one
larger picture and cannot be separated," Ne'eman explained. "For instance,
we are just completing the construction of 600 new housing units here. What
is the likelihood that city-dwellers in Tel Aviv or Haifa will be attracted
to our community if, in a few months' time, they would be living in a town
that will be a mere 500 meters away from the border with Lebanon?"
2. MISSIONARY ACTIVITY AMONG NEW IMMIGRANTS
Adi Eldar, head of the Center for Local Government, has blamed the police
for neglecting missionary activity among new immigrants. In an appeal to
Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami, Eldar asked that the police be
directed to deal with the hundreds of missionaries who "take advantage of
the difficult economic and social conditions in which tens of thousands of
new immigrants find themselves" to prevail upon them to leave Judaism.
"This problem is a threat to the Jewish character of the State of Israel,"
wrote Eldar. The law forbids offering material compensation as an
inducement to convert to a different religion, while attempting to convince
a minor to convert is illegal under all circumstances.
Binyamin Kluger - a former Christian missionary who later converted to
Judaism and now works with the Yad L'Achim organization to protect Jews
from missionary activity - strongly agrees with Eldar. "Missionaries in
Israel mainly take advantage of immigrants from the former Soviet Union and
Ethiopia, and such activity is increasing as we draw near the end of the
millenium," he told Arutz-7 today. "One sect here even promised them 500
shekels a month to convert to Christianity. The fact that this is against
the law does not bother them," Kluger said. "They transgress other Israeli
laws, too. For instance, Israeli law states that a Jew who has forsaken his
religion for another faith [is not entitled to automatic citizenship under
the Law of Return]. Some years ago, the Supreme Court determined that
'Messianic Jews' are to be considered Christians. But this doesn't stop
them from lying to the Interior Ministry and the Jewish Agency about their
real beliefs - all of this in order to receive immigrant rights and benefits."
Kluger provided a look at what he called the missionaries' "deceptive
tactics:" "In my work as a missionary before I came to Israel, we were
instructed by our ministers to use different approaches for Christians and
Jews. When I would talk to Christians, I would invite them to visit our
church, but when I spoke to Jews, I was told to use the word 'congregation'
instead; not to say 'Jesus,' but rather 'Mashiach' (messiah); I would also
make sure to replace the phrase 'New Testament' with the term 'second half
of the Tanach (Bible)'... This was our method, aimed at hiding our true
intentions so that we could deceive naive Jews..."
"Perhaps the best example of this," continued Kluger, "is something one of
my advisors once told me: 'When you establish a relationship with a Jew, he
must not be permitted to think that he is 'converting' to Christianity.
You have to explain to him that he remains a Jew even when he starts
believing in Jesus.'" This is of course not true. Just like the Armenian
priest on Israel television last night who said that because he believes in
Jesus, therefore he is a Christian and not a Jew. Who ever heard of a Jew
who believes in Jesus? It's like a vegetarian who consumes meat; the two
terms just don't go together."
3. SHAS WILL NOT OPPOSE UPROOTING OF YESHA SETTLEMENTS
Representatives of Yesha communities left meetings today with Shas leader
Labor Minister Eli Yeshai somewhat disappointed. Arutz-7 correspondent
Kobi Sela reports that Yeshai toured Yesha communities today, including
Otniel in the south Mt. Hevron area and Beit El in Binyamin. While visiting
the nearly-completed Maoz Tzur neighborhood in Beit El - named after Ita
and Ephraim Tzur, the mother and son murdered by Palestinian terrorists
during Chanukah 1996 - Yeshai was asked whether Shas would vote in the
government against the uprooting of Yesha communities. "In principle," he
responded, "we are against the uprooting of settlements, and in favor of
enhancing their security. For the sake of the process, however, we are
going to have to take some painful actions."
When asked by Sela how this position jibes with the official Shas election
platform, Yeshai responded, "That was not our formal platform, but a paper
we presented as the basis for [coalition] negotiations... We will continue
to represent the Yesha communities in the cabinet."
************************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, November 17, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Wednesday, November 17, 1999 / Kislev 8, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ARABS STEP UP STONE ATTACKS; KATIF RESIDENS PROTEST
2. PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT CONTINUES
1. ARABS STEP UP STONE ATTACKS; KATIF RESIDENS PROTEST
Reports of Arab stone-throwing attacks in Judea and Samaria have risen
significantly over the past few days. An IDF soldier was injured
yesterday by Arab-thrown stones near Ofrah, and a woman was similarly
injured later in the evening at the El Aroub junction south of Gush
Etzion. At least two incidents were reported on the previous day.
IDF officers blame Yasser Arafat for encouraging an atmosphere of
hostility.
Elkanah Zilbershein, who was attacked by a Palestinian mob yesterday
on his way home to Netzarim in Gush Katif, provided details on the
incident:
"I was in a convoy of cars, and when we reached the Netzarim junction,
suddenly several Palestinian cars entered the intersection and blocked
me off. They came very close to hitting me. I signaled the soldiers
that I was in trouble, and they motioned that I should try to keep
going, and not stop and allow myself to be surrounded by them. They
could not do much more, as there are simply not enough [Israeli]
forces. Suddenly, though, the intersection filled up with many, many
Palestinians - I can't even figure out where they all came from. The
soldiers yelled that I should keep going, and I had to continue going
very slowly, as the Arabs were standing purposely right in front of my
car. One of them jumped back in a very exaggerated way, and threw
himself down, as if I had hit him. They used this as an excuse and
started beating the car with their guns, smashing the windshield, and
punching me through the window. A Palestinian car tried to push me
off the road and hit me twice, until I finally got into Netzarim.
This provocation was definitely planned in advance. The situation
here is very tense, and there are frequent cases of the Palestinians
hitting our soldiers while the latter are vastly outnumbered. I have
seen it happen, but we are not allowed to respond, nor would we be
able to do anything if we could." Zilbershein said that the convoy
method - organized by the army for the Jews to travel through the Gush
- is not perfect, but "if the Border Guard soldiers hadn't been there,
I would have been a lot worse off."
Dozens of Gush Katif residents are rallying at this late afternoon
hour against the IDF, in protest of the near-lynch. Some of them are
blocking the highway to Arab traffic, while others are marching along
the security fence. The security concerns of the Gush Katif residents
are in addition to the financial difficulties faced by the residents,
largely caused by frequently-successful Arab threats against
Palestinians who work for the Jewish communities.
2. PALESTINIAN INCITEMENT CONTINUES
Suha Arafat's vicious accusations against Israel continue to receive
support in the Palestinian press and from Palestinian leaders. A
report distributed today by the Washington-based Middle East Media and
Research Institute (MEMRI - www.memri.org) quotes the
Monday edition
of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida dismissing the American condemnation of her
remarks. The paper wrote that "the main motive for the White House's
eagerness to condemn sister Suha's statement... lies in its wish to
make New York Jews happy in order to get a few votes supporting
Hillary Clinton's candidacy..."
The weekly Al-Manar wrote yesterday, "Israel has conducted a
pre-meditated campaign against the Palestinians and their land...
Water poisoning incidents are known and proven; the burial of nuclear
waste is not a secret. and spoiled foodstuffs are collected in
settlements with the knowledge of Israeli leaders, and thrown to
Palestinian markets. Suha Arafat's statements represent what the
people suffer from the hated Israeli colonialism, which continues
[even now]..."
PA officials made similar public statements as early as the summer of
1998. PA Health Minister Riyadh Al-Za'anoon told Al-Ayam on July 25, 1998
that Israeli doctors "use Palestinian patients. for experimental medicines
and training new doctors." PA Minister of Ecology Yousef Abu-Safiyyeh
appears in the April 3, 1999 edition of Al-Hayat Al-Jadida with
charges that Israel damages the Palestinian environment by dumping
liquid waste in PA-ruled areas.
As recently as yesterday, the Egyptian Ambassador to the U.S. was
quoted as expressing "understanding" for Suha Arafat's accusations
against Israel last week. He also said that Egypt is developing its
army "in order to be ready for every threat."
TIDBITS:
Prime Minister Ehud Barak begins a week-long trip abroad today. He
and Foreign Minister David Levy have departed for Turkey, where they
will participate in a conference with over 100 world leaders on
European military preparedness. From there, Barak will travel to the
U.S. and Britain.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, November 18, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, November 18, 1999 / Kislev 9, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PA FORCES ENTER MACHPELAH CAVE
2. PROBLEMS FOR BARAK: SHAS, LIKUD, MEIMAD
3. BARAK AND LEVY ON ASSAD
4. CHIEF RABBIS: ADD EXTRA PRAYERS
5. CNN CORRECTS "JERUSALEM PAGE"
1. PA FORCES ENTER MACHPELAH CAVE
Armed Palestinian para-military policemen entered the Machpelah Cave
(of the Patriarchs) in Hevron late this afternoon. HaKol MeHashetach
news agency reports that the forces reached the Machpelah compound in
a jeep convoy, accompanying the visiting speaker of the German
parliament. For the first time, IDF soldiers permitted the PA
policemen to enter, despite the fact that this is in violation of the
"Hevron Agreement" signed with the Palestinians by the Netanyahu
government. David Wilder, spokesman for Hevron's Jewish community,
told Arutz-7 afterwards, "It was just unbelievable. The Palestinians
were giving orders, and telling us who could go where." Another
spokesman said earlier that the incident is "just the next step in a
process that will eventually see the handing of the entire Machpelah
cave to Palestinian control."
On the Temple Mount in Jerusalem, a Palestinian Arab woman from Hevron
attempted to stab an Israeli Border Guard policeman with a kitchen
knife after she completed her prayers. She was stopped in her tracks
thanks to the quick response by other Border policemen.
2. PROBLEMS FOR BARAK: SHAS, LIKUD, MEIMAD
Tensions between Prime Minister Barak and his Shas coalition partners
continue, against the backdrop of the recently-released figures for
unemployment and poverty. Today's Yediot Acharanot newspaper reported
that Barak had sharply condemned Yeshai, using unusually harsh
language, for the current level of poverty and unemployment in the
country. In an effort to convince Yeshai that he had not said the
words attributed to him, Barak made a long-distance appeasement call
to Yeshai from Turkey this morning.
Some time after the call, a new source of tension erupted between Shas
and Barak. The Shas party's Council of Torah Sages, along with party
ministers and MKs, dispatched a telegram to Barak, in which they
warned him that the establishment of a casino in Israel "would
constitute a flagrant violation of the country's religious status-quo
and of the coalition agreement" signed by Barak with the party. The
telegram concluded with a demand to "begin deliberations [with Shas]
before hasty decisions are taken on this matter." Prime Minister Barak
and Finance Minister Shochat raised the ire of many Israelis some
weeks ago when they announced their plan to establish a casino in the
Negev, as a boost to that region's sluggish economy.
The Likud Knesset faction responded to the current domestic political
disarray by saying that Barak "has lost control of the situation, and
does not understand what it means to be Prime Minister. The
government isn't some army kitchen." Likud faction leader MK Ruby
Rivlin says that his party will not postpone next Monday's
no-confidence motion in the Prime Minister, despite the fact that
Barak would be out of the country on that day. "Barak is always out of
the country," said Rivlin, "and if we postpone our motion for that
reason, we would never be able to carry out any of our no-confidence
motions."
Shas and the Likud are the not the end of the Prime Minister's
political headaches. A new crisis seems to be brewing between the
Labor party and its "One Israel" partner, the left-leaning
religious-Zionist Meimad party. Ha'aretz reports today that Labor is
threatening to take Meimad to court for not paying Labor the 200,000
shekels it says it is owed. Labor party Secretary-General Ra'anan
Cohen said today that he has asked the leader of Meimad, Diaspora and
Social Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior, for the payment on
numerous occasions - but in vain. Melchior responded to the charges
today by noting that "there are clauses in the two-party agreement
that Labor has not honored."
3. BARAK AND LEVY ON ASSAD
Prime Minister Barak and Foreign Minister Levy continued their
international diplomacy in Turkey today. Barak, who will depart for
the U.S. tonight, said today that he believes that the talks with
Syria will resume within a few weeks. He discussed the issue with
French President Chirac, who told him that Syrian President Assad is
even more ill than is commonly believed. Levy was less confident that
talks would start, saying that Israel would not plead with the Syrians
to renew the negotiations. "The ball is in their court," he said.
Prof. Guy Bechor of the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya dismissed
the recent reports of Assad's serious health. "We have already buried
him on four or five occasions in the last couple of decades," Bechor
told Arutz-7 today. "His most serious situation was back in 1983, when
he was in a coma for a week, but eventually recovered. At any rate, I
find it hard to believe that the French would release such information
about Assad's health, since France wants to establish warm ties with
Syria, and would probably think twice before it releases information
of this nature to Israel."
Bechor also responded to Ehud Barak's prediction that talks with Syria
would begin in a very short time. "Many Israelis incorrectly assumed
that as soon as our government changed, we would be dealing with a
more open Assad. This man has been in power for so many years - since
1970 - and has consistently refused to make peace with Israel, for
fear that this would bring Syria closer to democratization," Bechor
said. I can only foresee a change in this status quo if Assad feels
he is about to hand over the reins to his son, who may not be strong
enough to make it as a leader in a regime in which power is so
centralized in one person."
4. CHIEF RABBIS: ADD EXTRA PRAYERS
Israel's Chief Rabbinate has called upon citizens to insert special
supplications in their daily prayers in light of the drought
conditions Israel seems to be facing again this winter. Forecasters
say that Israel is unlikely to receive rain until at least Monday.
5. CNN CORRECTS "JERUSALEM PAGE"
CNN - which had removed references to Jerusalem as Israel's capital
from its web page in the wake of an email campaign by anti-Israel
groups - has reversed its position. After discussions between the
network and representatives of the Committee for Accuracy in Middle
East Reporting(CAMERA), the CNN web page now states that Jerusalem is
"the seat of Israel's government and its self-declared capital,
although its status is in dispute."
The new CNN formulation "is not entirely satisfactory," said CAMERA,
"but it is essentially accurate. CNN's action was a welcome change
from the pattern of capitulation by other U.S. businesses under
pressure by anti-Israel groups." American Muslims for Jerusalem (AMJ),
an umbrella organization of anti-Israel groups, launched its campaign
against CNN on October 19. AMJ had earlier spearheaded the boycott
threats against Disney for its plan to refer to Jerusalem as the
capital of Israel in its Millenium Village exhibit. AMJ was also
active in pressuring Burger King to shut down its restaurant in the
town of Ma'aleh Adumim.
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, November
19, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Friday, November 19, 1999 / Kislev 10, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SHARON CALLS FOR UNITY GOVERNMENT
2. U.S. TO ISRAEL: SYRIA STILL ON TERROR LIST
3. EGYPTIAN PRESS: MOSSAD BEHIND FLIGHT 990 CRASH
1. SHARON CALLS FOR UNITY GOVERNMENT
Likud leader MK Ariel Sharon has called for the establishment of a
National Unity Government. He made a statement to this effect in a
speech he delivered yesterday at the General Assembly of the American
Jewish Communities in Atlanta, Georgia. Upon his return, Sharon will
meet with Prime Minister Ehud Barak for the first official meeting
between the two since the formation of the Barak government. Just a
few days ago, Sharon vehemently denied rumors that he has conducted
secrets meetings with Barak.
2. U.S. TO ISRAEL: SYRIA STILL ON TERROR LIST
Ha'aretz reported today that the U.S. has informed Israel that, for
the "foreseeable future," it does not intend to remove Syria from the
list of states that sponsor terrorism. The message was conveyed at a
meeting of senior American and Israeli officials a few days ago. The
Americans "warned Israel that Syria is deeply involved in assisting
terrorist organizations," writes the paper.
3. EGYPTIAN PRESS: MOSSAD BEHIND FLIGHT 990 CRASH
Though the Washington Post reported on Nov. 17 that a possible suicide
by one of the pilots might be to blame, Arab newspapers have voiced a
different theory as to the cause of the crash of EgyptAir Flight 990
two weeks ago. Hamas terrorist organization papers reported this week
that Egyptian journalists "many of whom are known for their candid
analyses, have suggested that the [Israeli Secret Service agency, the]
Mossad is the premier candidate for responsibility for the crash."
Writing in Egypt's Al-Wafd this week, Talaat Al Maghawari observes
that despite the Israel-Egypt peace treaty, "the Arab-Israeli conflict
continues, which carries the probability of a Mossad operation." The
writer then asks, "why have others dismissed this theory? Is America
trying to cover up on its protege, Israel?"
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