To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, November 21, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Sunday, November 21, 1999 / Kislev 12, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. P.A. DEMANDS SAY, MONEY
2. NORTHERN PROTESTS
3. COALITION COMPETITION
4. LOW WATER LEVEL MAY BRING ACTION
5. ARABS POSTURING IN HEVRON
6. LABOR MK: BRING 100,000 ARABS INTO ISRAEL
7. MOSLEMS AGAINST MOSQUE
1. P.A. DEMANDS SAY, MONEY
The Palestinians continue to demand a say in the location of the Israeli
withdrawals from Yesha. This, despite the clear stipulation in previous
Israeli-Palestinian agreements that Israel is to be the sole arbiter of
such. The withdrawal from 5% of Judea and Samaria that was scheduled for
last Monday continues to be held up because of the Palestinian objections.
The two sides are meeting again today on the matter. The PA has other
demands, as well. It claims that Israel owes it an unspecified number of
billions of dollars in "reparations" for 32 years of Israeli "occupation
and conquest" of Judea and Samaria.
Israel's security forces feel that the Palestinian Authority is behind the
recent upswing in Palestinian violence in Judea and Samaria. Fifteen Arabs
were injured yesterday at the Ayosh Junction, between Ramallah and Beit El,
in Arab-instigated riots against Israeli forces. Hundreds of rock-throwing
Arabs faced off against IDF troops, reports Arutz-7's Kobi Sela. Despite
advance notice and requests by Israel to intervene, the Palestinian
para-military police did not do so for several hours. More of the same is
expected over the next few days, as a Palestinian means of exerting
pressure on Israel.
In Gush Katif, too, there is tension between the Palestinians and Israel.
The IDF has blocked off all the passages between the autonomous areas of
the Gaza Strip and Gush Katif. This is in response to the PA's prevention
of Arab laborers from entering the Gush to work in Jewish communities.
2. NORTHERN PROTESTS
Israel's northern towns will carry out their first protest of the planned
unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon tonight: all the lights, from Nahariyah
to Kiryat Shmonah, will be turned off at once, beginning at 5 PM. The next
stage of their protest is scheduled for tomorrow, when all schools will be
closed. The northern residents claim that a withdrawal will endanger their
security, and demand that the government invest the required resources in
protective measures. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh will visit the
northern towns tomorrow, in response to the sanctions.
Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane asked Ma'alot Mayor Shlomo Buchbut this morning
whether his concerns were mostly from a security standpoint, or
economic/social? Buchbut responded, "First and foremost are our security
concerns. Secondly, the country must be prepared for various eventualities
in many different ways - whether it be to ensure that there are sufficient
shelters of good quality, or that there be a network of roads, as was
prepared in Yesha in advance of the withdrawals there. For instance, our
schoolchildren ride each day in buses alongside the border - the buses must
be protected. The government must sit with us and be open with us
regarding the future plans for this area. We also need to know what's
going to happen in Southern Lebanon, where Israel took over many of the
infrastructures - what will happen to the bases there, and where will the
people there go, etc."
Kahane then asked, "Are you against a withdrawal, or have you accepted this
already?" Buchbut: "Many of us are against a unilateral withdrawal without
a prior arrangement being reached with the Lebanese. But if there is to be
such a pullback, then we demand to know what will be with us security- wise
and economically."
In a related item, 17 Knesset members of the Knesset Golan lobby, headed by
MK Yuli Edelstein (Yisrael B'Aliyah), visited the Golan today. Arutz-7's
Haggai Huberman, who accompanied the group, reported that the Golan
Residents Committee executed a well-planned tour for the MKs, one that
included a flight over the Golan, jeep-rides through the area, and sailing
along Golan water resources in rubber boats. Explanations of the Golan's
importance were provided throughout the trip by military officials and
other experts.
Huberman said that at one rest stop, a spontaneous discussion ensued among
the various MKs - all of whom are against a withdrawal from the Golan - as
to the wisdom of a pullback from Lebanon. Almost every possible viewpoint
seemed to be represented, according to Huberman: "Gideon Ezra of the Likud
said that he is in favor of a unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon, while his
party colleague Ayoub Kara is against any withdrawal. Yuli Edelstein
insisted that a unilateral withdrawal be carried out only after
understandings are reached with the Lebanese, and Zevulun Orlev (NRP) said
that Israel must remain in Lebanon until an agreement is reached on the
matter with Syria."
3. COALITION COMPETITION
The large size of the current Barak coalition is not an indication of the
government's true vulnerability. So says Ma'ariv political commentator
Shalom Yerushalmi, speaking with Arutz-7 today. Yerushalmi pointed to two
factors that may lead to an upcoming coalition crisis: the ideological
differences among the various partners, and Barak's failure to effectively
address social issues. Regarding the first problem, Yerushalmi noted the
unnatural partnership of Barak and Shas, "which has been showing
signs of wear and tear over the past few weeks," as well as coalition rifts
with Russian immigrant representatives. "Yisrael B'Aliyah leader Natan
Sharansky is an opposition figure within the government," Yerushalmi said.
"Of late, there has even been talk that Sharansky and Yisrael Beiteinu
leader Avigdor Lieberman will form one party... Barak simply has not given
enough attention to the Russians, who, it is important to note, helped
determine the outcome of the elections in 1992, 1996 and 1999."
Yerushalmi also noted that Prime Minister Barak has been overwhelmed by the
scope of the national social problems facing his government. "He thought he
could win the elections by stressing his concern for domestic problems, and
that after the victory, he would able to travel the world, as if the
problems don't exist. He was not ready for the five-week long disabled
persons' protests, and even made some very inappropriate statements in
reaction to both that strike and the recent grave poverty statistics."
4. LOW WATER LEVEL MAY BRING ACTION
The level of the Kineret (Sea of Galilee) today is 213.20 meters below sea
level, or 20 centimeters under what has long been known as the Red Line.
The Ministerial Committee on Water Economy convened today, unrelated to an
earlier call by Environment Minister Dalia Itzik for the declaration of a
state of emergency in the country's water economy. At the meeting,
Infrastructures Minister Eli Yeshai submitted a plan to publicize a tender
for the desalination of 50 million cubic meters of water a year.
5. ARABS POSTURING IN HEVRON
Last Thursday's visit by the Speaker of the German Parliament to Hevron's
Machpelah Cave, in the active presence of Palestinian security forces, is a
worrisome sign of things to come. So says Hevron Jewish community
spokesman David Wilder. Wilder described Thursday's events to Arutz-7's Ron
Meir: "The PA para-military police formed a chain around the German
Speaker, and even ordered us not to get any closer. All of this went on
while the Israeli police and soldiers basically stood by and watched."
Wilder added that the Israelis had clearly been notified in advance that
the visit would take place, "since Israeli security forces were there
also... but the ones in charge were the Arabs."
Asked how the IDF explains the entry of armed Palestinian security forces
into Jewish neighborhoods and then the Machpelah Cave, Wilder answered:
"IDF Hevron Brigade officers told us that these Arabs weren't Palestinian
police, and that their vehicles were the property of the Hevron
municipality. But I was filming there, and I have a picture of one of the
vehicles bearing the emblem of 'Force 17,' Arafat's 'super elite' terrorist
security squad. Those accompanying the German speaker were clearly PA
forces," he said.
What are the implications of the visit for the future status of the
Machpelah Cave? Wilder explained that last week's incident was an
attempted precedent-setter for the negotiations to come: "According to the
Sharm a-Sheikh accords signed by Barak a couple of months ago, negotiations
are soon to begin between Israel and the Palestinians on the status of this
very building. We know that the PA wants to have its forces in the Arab
side of the building, from the Yitzchak Hall all the way down to the
entrance. In the past, the PA has also demanded a joint Israel-Arab patrol
outside of the compound." A petition against a possible Israeli
abandonment of the Cave of the Patriarchs may be signed on the internet at
<http://join.virtual.co.il/cgi-win/guestbook.exe/hvr>.
6. LABOR MK: BRING 100,000 ARABS INTO ISRAEL
Labor party MK Yisrael Katz's call for the entry of 100,000 Arab
refugees into pre-1967 Israel has enraged even members of his own
party. Katz made the statement today while visiting the Shuafat
refugee camp with the PA's Feisal Husseini. MK Raanan Cohen, Labor's
Secretary-General, has threatened to throw Katz out of the party, and
said that his words stand in contrast to the party's platform. Katz
will be summoned to explain himself before party leaders, and he may
be distanced from his position as liaison with the Palestinian
Authority.
7. MOSLEMS AGAINST MOSQUE
The Supreme Moslem Council in Jerusalem calls upon the Moslems not to build
a mosque adjacent to a Christian church on a contested plot of land in
Nazareth, "in order not to intensify the dispute between the Christians and
Moslems." The Council condemned Israel for allowing the construction of
the mosque. Moslem leaders reacted with disbelief to the Council's
decision, saying that the members are probably not aware that the mosque is
to be built at a distance of 300 meters from the church. Christian leaders
in the city announced that they will close all Christian sites for the next
two days, in protest of the new mosque's cornerstone laying on Tuesday.
*************************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, November 22, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Monday, November 22, 1999 / Kislev 13, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. SENIOR LABOR MEMBER CALLS MK KATZ TO ORDER
2. GIULIANI TO BARAK: STAY OUT OF NEW YORK POLITICS
3. YESHA COUNCIL PLANS STRATEGY
1. SENIOR LABOR MEMBER CALLS MK KATZ TO ORDER
Yesterday's call by Labor party MK Yossi Katz for the influx of
100,000 Arab displaced persons to the State of Israel continues to
cause a national uproar. Katz said, "We are not the only ones
responsible - everyone knows the historical truth - but Israel must
stand at the forefront of an international initiative to rehabilitate
the refugees... I think that if Israel creates a situation in which
it is prepared to absorb some 100,000 refugees - and this is not a
'holy number' - and it is also not so clear whether [the refugees]
will want to take advantage of this right - it is possible that
through this, we can close this chapter once and for all..."
Labor party Secretary-General Ra'anan Cohen said today, in an
interview with Arutz-7, that while the party will not remove Katz from
his position as the Chairman of the Liaison Committee with the
Palestinians, he must explain "according to what authority he
permitted himself to depart from his jurisdiction, and speak on issues
that are not part of the Labor party platform." Cohen explained that
his party's platform makes virtually no reference of Arab refugees,
"but it does say that we negate the 'right of return [by Arabs] to the
pre-1967 Israel.'" Cohen said that all party members must abide by
the platform when acting as Labor party representatives. He added
that Katz has the right to appear before the party's institutions to
present his views, but that the majority determines the policy.
Labor Secretary-General Cohen denied opposition claims that Katz was
"simply floating a political trial balloon for Prime Minister Barak."
News Editor Haggai Segal asked Cohen how a veteran MK from his party
would even consider allowing entry to the displaced Arab persons from
the 1967 war.
Cohen: "It's a fact that it has happened."
Segal: "Maybe it's a product of the fact that during recent years, the
Labor party has steered more and more to the left. At one time, it
was inconceivable that the Labor party would agree to the
establishment of a Palestinian state!"
Cohen: "You can't take one person and presume based on him, that this
is the view of the entire party. The fact is that I oppose completely
his approach and statements..."
Segal: "Is there any concern that what Yossi Katz says today, the
Labor party will say three years from now?"
Cohen: "There is no such worry. It's not realistic..."
2. GIULIANI TO BARAK: STAY OUT OF NEW YORK POLITICS
New York Mayor Rudolph Giuliani, who is vying with First Lady Hillary
Clinton in the New York Senatorial race, expressed sharp criticism for
Prime Minister Ehud Barak's "blatant intervention in internal American
politics." In a warm speech of support for Hillary Clinton yesterday,
Barak said: "Just a few weeks ago, First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton
visited Israel and the region and touched many hearts in our country
and encouraged our peace efforts." Giuliani staffers say that Barak's
move was politically foolish, as Giuliani is favored to win the seat
and "is likely to play a key role in the next American administration,
led by Republican candidate George W. Bush."
Arutz-7 correspondent Elie Seckbach reports today that according to a
recent survey, only 18% of Jews living in New York State feel that
Mrs.Clinton's Israel visit helped her chances of winning Jewish
support for her senatorial bid. Mrs. Clinton enraged Jews around the
world when she failed to react to Suha Arafat's anti-anti-Semitic
accusations that Israel poisoned Palestinian water and exposed the
Arabs to noxious gases.
Prime Minister Barak flies from New York to London today, where he
will meet with British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Barak is slated to
return to Israel on Wednesday.
3. YESHA COUNCIL PLANS STRATEGY
The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza (Yesha)
is gathered this afternoon to discuss an information campaign
vis-a-vis Israel's final status negotiations with the Palestinian
Arabs. One of the proposals places emphasis on opposition to the
uprooting of people from their homes. However, other council members
feel that such an approach is destined to fail, and prefer stressing
the security dangers entailed in the establishment of a Palestinian
state.
Pollster Dr. Ya'akov Katz of Bar Illan University discussed the issue
with Arutz-7 today. "Barak has already pledged to sign a declaration
of principles for final status talks in February. The Yesha Council
has two months to influence what will be written in that declaration,
and their strategic goal is to ensure that the subject of the
settlements not be mentioned at this stage." Katz has found that
Israelis are now particularly sensitive to national social issues.
"The human factor speaks to Israelis from all walks of life, from the
haredi citizen to the avowed secularist, from the right to the far
left. Therefore, without compromising any of its ideology or its
security concerns, the council should look to fight the battle by
stressing the problem of uprooting people from their homes," he
opined.
**********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, November 23, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. NEAR-CRISIS OVER INCITEMENT
2. SUHA'S ACCUSATIONS: NOT ENVIRONMENTAL, BUT MUCH WORSE
3. CLINTON MAY HAVE GIVEN AWAY ISRAELI SECRETS
4. CHURCHES CLOSED IN PROTEST; MOSLEMS BLAME ISRAEL
1. NEAR-CRISIS OVER INCITEMENT
"If the Palestinians do not issue a full-fledged apology for Suha
Arafat's words, there will be a crisis." So said Ma'ariv editor
Yaakov Erez, the chairman of the Israeli delegation to the
Israel-Palestinian anti-incitement committee. Erez told Arutz-7 today
that the goals of the committee, created under last year's Wye
agreement, are "to deal with mutual complaints of incitement, as well
as to lay out practical measures for uprooting incitement in
Palestinian textbooks and the like." Erez said that he opened
yesterday's meeting with a speech attacking Mrs. Arafat's vicious
libel against Israel almost two weeks ago. "I said that Israel views
her comments with gravity, and that they remind us of past incidents
that befell the Jewish people." Palestinian delegation chief Marwan
Kanafani's refusal to disassociate himself from Arafat's statements
led to a near-collapse of the meeting. "We were considering just
packing up and going home, but we decided to resume the meeting in
order to give them one more chance," Erez said.
After the break, Erez further stressed Israel's displeasure with the
support given Suha Arafat's statements in the Palestinian press.
"After a while, Kanafani tried to explain that Arafat did not mean
that Israel was using poison gas against the Palestinians, but only
tear gas. She didn't say this, however. He also said that Israel did
not poison 80% of Palestinian water resources, as Suha said, but that
it was more like 40% or 30%. To say the least, this kind of
retraction did not satisfy us." The meeting adjourned with no date
set for its next session.
Suha Arafat herself also has no plans to apologize for her "poisonous"
remarks about Israel. In an interview with Saudi Arabian television
yesterday, she said that if anything, Israel must apologize for the
"crimes" it committed against the Palestinians.
2. SUHA'S ACCUSATIONS: NOT ENVIRONMENTAL, BUT MUCH WORSE
David Bar Illan, former editor of the Jerusalem Post and a former top
aide to Prime Minister Netanyahu, notes that many journalists and
officials wrongly attributed an "environmental" context to Mrs.
Arafat's remarks, while in actuality, her accusations that "Israel
poisoned our water and air" are much closer to a blood libel. [See
below for a link to the article.] As an example, Bar Illan cited
Ha'aretz, which headlined its front-page story, 'Suha Arafat: Israel
polluted air and ground in the territories.'
Bar Illan wrote that even Environment Minister Dalia Itzik
unintentionally reinforced this impression by inviting Suha Arafat to
inspect the incalculable environmental damage caused by the reckless
practices of the Palestinian Authority. "Only a few in the media,"
wrote Bar Illan, "realized that. Suha Arafat's speech was just the
latest installment in a systematic, calculated Palestinian campaign of
blood libels." A compilation of these libels by the Zionist
Organization of America includes:
* On March 16, 1997, Yasser Arafat's representative to the UN in
Geneva, Nabil Ramlawi, lodged a formal complaint accusing 'the Israeli
authorities' of injecting 300 Palestinian children with the HIV virus.
* In June 1997, Abdel Hamid al-Qudsi, deputy minister of the PLO
Ministry of Supplies, declared: 'Israel is distributing food
containing material that causes cancer and hormones that harm male
virility and also spoiled food products in the Palestinian Authority's
territories in order to poison and harm the Palestinian population.
We absolutely feel that it is an organized plan and conspiracy which
is under the auspices of the Israel Defense Forces. This is a planned
and initiated war against the Palestinian people.'
* Six months later, Maher al-Dasouqi, director of the Palestinian
Authority's Committee for Consumer Protection, declared in Arafat's
official newspaper, Al-Hayat Al-Jadida: 'Citizens must be vigilant
regarding chocolate from England [as it is infected with mad-cow
disease.] The sale of this chocolate is forbidden in England, but it
was smuggled into the Palestinian regions by Israeli merchants...'
* Last year, the same paper quoted Arafat's consumer-protection chief:
'Israel floods our markets with hundreds of thousands of food products
unfit for human consumption ... the purpose of which is to spread
disease, debility, and slow death in the Palestinian body ... Children
are the main target of this plan.'
* Commenting on Suha Arafat's speech in Al Hayat on November 15,
columnist Fuad Abu Hadjila wrote: 'We understand the American position
... in defending Israel and its right to oppress our people and murder
them with poison gas, since these gases and most of the murderous
Zionist technologies originate in American industry.'
3. CLINTON MAY HAVE GIVEN AWAY ISRAELI SECRETS
Journalist Patrick Seale, a close friend of Syrian President Assad,
has written that U.S. President Clinton promised Assad three times
that Israel is prepared to leave the entire Golan. Yossi Ben-Aharon,
former Director of Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir's Office, told
Arutz-7 today that he would not dismiss such reports: "Seale has
often been correct in the past.
During the time of Shamir, then-Secretary of State James Baker
proposed
that we 'deposit' our red-line negotiating position with the U.S.
without the Americans divulging it to Syria, and the Syrians would do
the same, and then they [the Americans] would try to find a middle
ground. We rejected this offer, however, because we knew that the
minute we outlined our final position, the Syrians would find it out,
and would feel that they already have our offer 'in their pocket.'
They would then eat away at the second aspect of our talks, that of
the extent of normalization between us."
"But Peres and Rabin did fall for the bait," continued Ben Aharon,
"and told the Americans of their 'best' offer, namely, a total
withdrawal from all of the Golan. What I think happened, therefore,
is that Clinton or then-Secretary of State Warren Christopher betrayed
their trust and divulged this Israeli offer to the Syrians. Clinton
is a seasoned politician, and he may even be a friend of Israel, but I
was in Washington just recently where I heard stinging criticism from
Congressmen of the way in which he constantly lies and does not stand
by his word."
4. CHURCHES CLOSED IN PROTEST; MOSLEMS BLAME ISRAEL
Most churches in Israel are closed today, for the second day in a row,
in response to the cornerstone-laying for a controversial mosque in
Nazareth. David Parsons of the International Christian Embassy of
Jerusalem (ICEJ) told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson today that although a
compromise brokered by Israel [see below] is an unfortunate one, the
Moslems are clearly the instigators in the incident.
The dispute revolves around a small, vacant lot just below a
historical church in Nazareth, where Christians want to build a plaza
for millennium tourists on the same site that Muslims now claim the
right to erect a large mosque in honor of what the Christians call an
"obscure Islamic figure buried nearby." The International Christian
Embassy of Jerusalem reports that "Israeli authorities, in an
unenviable position and wanting to avoid a repeat of Muslim riots,
have pushed a compromise allowing both sides to proceed with their
respective plans side-by-side, but each on a more modest scale."
Fearing that the church protest would harm tourism to the PA, Arafat
attempted to have the church-closures canceled within PA territories.
When that proved unsuccessful, Arafat and the Wakf attempted -
similarly unsuccessfully - to have the Muslims delay the cornerstone
ceremony.
The ICEJ quotes a letter written by primarily-Arab Christian churches
which chastised Israel for attempting to harm "the national unity of
the Palestinian people across the land." Parsons noted that this
statement is "politically-charged," as it refers to Israeli-Arabs as
Palestinians. The letter states: "We, the representatives of the
Christian Communities in the Holy Land, view [the Israeli compromise]
with grave concern. Not only is it clear discrimination against the
Christian community in the Galilee, it is... an attempt to promote
electoral interests at the expense of the national unity of the
Palestinian people across the land." It was signed by Greek Orthodox
Patriarch Diodoros I, Latin Patriarch Michel Sabbah, Armenian
Patriarch Torkom Moanoogian, and Franciscan Custos of the Holy Land
Giovanni Battistelli. ICEJ notes that "there is no mention in the
letter of the role of radical Muslim elements in the Nazareth area in
provoking, escalating, and prolonging the quarrel."
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@arutzsheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@arutzsheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, November 24, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Wednesday, November 24, 1999 / Kislev 15, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. LEVY: "LET THE WORLD KNOW: NO SETTLEMENTS WILL BE DISMANTLED"
The Foreign Ministry is mounting an information offensive.
Director-General Eitan Ben-Tzur has instructed ambassadors around the
world to initiate meetings with government ministers and officials in
their respective countries, and to present Israel's position vis-a-vis
the Palestinians. Foreign Minister David Levy explained yesterday,
"The world community must be made aware of the Israeli Government's
red lines - which include the stipulation that existing settlements
will not be dismantled. We must ensure that international public
opinion understands this, so that they will not later on point an
accusing finger at Israel for not having met Palestinian
expectations... Compromise means that both sides must compromise."
Levy made the remarks while meeting with the Yesha Council, in the
first meeting between the two in several years. He told the Yesha
leaders that he sees great importance in conducting an ongoing
dialogue with the residents of Judea and Samaria, and in increasing
the sense of trust between them and the government.
************************************************************************