To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, November 28, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Sunday, November 28, 1999 / Kislev 19, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TALKS ARE STUCK
2. CARAVANS AND PRINCIPLES
1. TALKS ARE STUCK
Tomorrow will mark two weeks since Israel's next withdrawal from Judea and
Samaria was to have been implemented. Yasser Arafat continues to demand
land adjacent to Jerusalem, instead of that which he is being offered in
the Judean Desert, while Israel stands on its sole right to determine the
location of the withdrawal. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports:
"The talks are stuck. Even Ehud Barak is becoming more and more doubtful
whether his February deadline for a permanent-status agreement is
realistic. Israel is beginning to feel that Arafat is unable to come to
the hard decisions - such as agreeing to a final-status that does not
involve a complete Israeli withdrawal to the '67 borders or the removal of
all the Yesha settlements - by himself. He's been trying to get the
Americans involved [in convincing Israel to agree to switch the areas of
withdrawal], but in vain, as neither the U.S. nor Israel is willing to help
him climb down from his high tree. For Israel, the principle of being able
to solely determine the location of the withdrawals, which is written into
the agreements, is very critical. Even world public opinion is on Israel's
side this time... In this sense, I'm willing to take a minority position
and give credit to Barak for his trip to Europe: It was very important in
garnering public support... The talks are simply stuck, and it doesn't
seem as if Arafat wants to come to an agreement even on principles for a
final-status agreement. For instance, he appointed as head of his
delegation the tough Yasser Abed Rabbo, with whom it is very hard to come
to an agreement on any issue, instead of Abu Mazen or even Saeb Erekat..."
Israeli-Arab expert Dr. Rafi Yisraeli of Hebrew University, in an interview
with Arutz-7's Ron Meir on the same issue, said that Arafat, too, is
gathering European support, and sees no need to rush. "Arafat considers
America on Israel's side, especially now in an [American] election year,"
Yisraeli said. "But he's trying to also mobilize European support around
him, and there it's been half and half..." True, the agreements
state
that Israel is the sole arbiter of the withdrawal maps, "but the agreements
don't matter a bit. What matters is what Arafat tells the world the
agreements say. Nobody reads the agreements... they only live by what the
media says, and if they hear that Arafat says [Israel is at fault] then
that's enough for them." The entire interview can be heard on Arutz-7's
website at <a
href="http://www.a7.org/english/radio/ram/engnews/281199/prof-yisraeli-pales
t.ram">
www.a7.org/english/radio/ram/engnews/281199/prof-yisraeli-palest.ram
</a>.
2. CARAVANS AND PRINCIPLES
Prime Minister Barak told the Cabinet today that the IDF approved the entry
of Hevron yeshiva students into caravans - temporary structures - on King
David [Shuhada] St. until renovations on their dormitory building are
completed. Minister of Public Security Shlomo Ben-Ami visited the police
station in Hevron last week, but did not call upon or ask to see
representatives of the Jewish community there. Meretz MKs are scheduled to
visit the city tomorrow.
"On the threshold of fateful decisions" facing Israel, a declaration has
been posted on the internet, affirming the right of the Jewish people to
its homeland. "Recognition of a Palestinian state contradicts the very
purpose of a Jewish State, creating a mechanism for evicting Jews from
their land and planting an alien regime within her boundaries," says the
document. "An endorsement by an Israeli government of the premise that
Eretz Yisrael is the sovereign homeland of an alien people will not
obligate the Jewish people." Relating to the possibility of the uprooting
of Israelis from their homes in Yesha, the authors write, "We view the very
notion of uprooting Jewish men, women and children from their homes as an
act of brutality, violence and barbarism that is palpably illegal as a
violation of fundamental rights of human dignity and liberty." The
declaration can be signed at <a
href="http://www.gamla.org.il/english/article/1999/nov/dec.htm">
www.gamla.org.il/english/article/1999/nov/dec.htm
</a>.
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To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Monday, November 29, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Monday, November 29, 1999 / Kislev 20, 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. LAW OF RETURN TARGETED FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES
2. KIBBUTZ PUTS SALTY WATER TO GOOD USE
1. LAW OF RETURN TARGETED FROM DIFFERENT ANGLES
A vigil of former USSR refuseniks will take place outside the Prime
Minister's home this afternoon, demanding that the Law of Return be
changed. The protestors are up in arms at the increasing rate of
non-Jews among the new immigrants from Russia, and are concerned that
the Jewish character of the State of Israel may be in danger. Yigal
Yehudi, one of the organizers of the rally, told Arutz-7's Ron Meir
today <a href="http://www.a7.org/engclips/291199/yehudi-return.ram">
www.a7.org/engclips/291199/yehudi-return.ram
</A> of the absurdity of
the situation: "A Jewish woman from a Jewish family in South America
just called me, and told me that in order to be allowed to immigrate
to Israel, she was told that she has to pass all sorts of
psychological tests, whereas in the C.I.S. there are hundreds of
Jewish Agency emissaries sending masses of non-Jews over here." He
noted that the rate of young non-Jews arriving in Israel is
considerable, especially compared to the high immigration rate of
elderly Jews. He said that he was happy that the Shas party had
awoken to the great dangers for Jewish society in Israel embodied in
this immigration, "but the Yisrael B'Aliyah party has a political
interest in bringing more people here, [even] if they are not
Jewish..." The rate of non-Jewish immigration from the former Soviet
Union during 1999 stands at 57%.
Shas ministers are demanding a change in the Law of Return, as well,
and even got into a near-shouting match with Prime Minister Barak over
the issue. Barak told the Cabinet yesterday, "As long as I am Prime
Minister, the Law of Return will not be changed!" Shas Minister
Benizri said, "In other words, I can tell people that the Prime
Minister is interested in more non-Jewish immigration." Shas Minister
Cohen: "What is the limit? 70% non-Jews? 80%?" Here Barak lost his
temper and said, "You will not interrupt a Prime Minister!" He later
apologized to Cohen, and even agreed to sponsor an appeasement meeting
between Shas leaders and new immigrants in Beit Shemesh.
Ya'ir Sheleg wrote in Ha'aretz today of yet another call for a change
in the Law of Return. A report prepared by a group of senior
Immigration Ministry officials proposes that the "grandfather clause"
of the Law of Return be rescinded. This clause entitles automatic
citizenship to non-Jewish grandchildren of a Jew. Speaking with
Arutz-7 today, Sheleg said that a Jewish Agency official told him that
9% of the non-Jews who receive automatic Israeli citizenship do so
under the grandfather clause. The committee also called for other
changes in the Law, including limiting rights of converts only to
their children born after the conversion, and designating the
financial benefits of immigrants for Jewish education.
2. KIBBUTZ PUTS SALTY WATER TO GOOD USE
The drought continues. Only 10% of the year's average annual rainfall
has fallen so far, and the level of the Sea of Galilee is 213.21
meters below sea level, or 21 centimeters lower than the
government-set red line. In the Negev's Kibbutz Revivim, however, a
heretofore untapped natural reservoir of salt water is being used to
raise quality crops of tomatoes, melons, and olives. Uri Yogev of
Revivim told Arutz-7 today that the water is about three times more
salty than normal drinking water in Israel - though less salty than
ocean water. "Though not many agricultural products can thrive on
this water," said Yogev, "our olives this year have reached record
levels - we expected a half-ton per dunam (quarter-acre), and instead
we harvested two tons. We are conducting studies, at Ben Gurion
University, as to how the salinity of the water affects the fruit -
but so far we see no connection between the taste and the water that
is used. We have received only praise for the quality of our olive
oil."
***********************************************************************
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Tuesday, November 30, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Tuesday, November 30, 1999 / Kislev 21, 5760
------------------------------------------------
Delivered Daily via Email, Sunday thru Friday
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. DROUGHT CONTINUES
2. "WE'RE ON THE MAP" TAKES OFF
3. TIDBITS
1. DROUGHT CONTINUES
The Water Council calls upon the public - both in the urban and
farming sectors - to use water sparingly, in light of the continuing
drought. The Council, which convened in Tel Aviv today, rejected the
government's proposal to further cut farmers' water quotas. The Water
Council is comprised of representatives of all public water-related
bodies, and though it cannot enforce its decisions, it carries much
public weight. Weather forecasters do not foresee rain during the next
ten days.
2. "WE'RE ON THE MAP" TAKES OFF
For just 15 shekels, Israelis can take a day off and see their
country. A new campaign called "We're on the Map" has set as its goal
the bringing of one million Israelis to the areas of Judea, Samaria,
Gaza, and the Golan by Rosh Hashanah 5761 (September 2001). Public
referenda on these areas are expected sometime in the not-too distant
future, and it is feared that Israelis will have to express their
electoral opinion about places with which they are not familiar. Dudu
Sa'ada, head of the "We're on the Map" association, told Arutz-7
today, "We want to show people that Judea and Samaria is not just some
caravan on a hill, as they see on television, but instead has
everything a big city has - universities, malls, beautiful schools,
hesder yeshivot, kollels, industrial zones, etc." Public response so
far has been very heavy, Sa'ada said, and orders for trips have been
received - and filled - for many different groups from all walks of
Israeli life.
Behind the campaign stands Arutz-7 Executive Director Yaakov Katz, or
Ketzaleh. He explained to Arutz-7 today his vision of the project:
"The idea is to bring as many Israelis as we can, including new
immigrants from Russia, Ethiopia, and other countries, to see areas
in Israel - Yesha and the Golan - which they may never have seen
before... Most of the people in Israel, and all over the world, are
not aware that there are almost 230,000 Jews gathered in these areas -
and this is in addition to close to 200,000 Jews in eastern Jerusalem
and its new neighborhoods [such as Gilo, Ramot, East Talpiot, Givat
Shlomo, Pisgat Ze'ev, Ramat Eshkol, French Hill, and N'vei Yaakov].
Most Israelis hear only the leftist-controlled media which talk only
about caravans and outposts, and they therefore have the impression
that all of Judea and Samaria is a temporary phenomenon. They are
simply not aware that the quality has become great in quantity as
well, and they don't even realize that we have beautiful cities like
Ariel, Ma'aleh Adumim, Efrat, Beit El, and Katzrin...
We are providing day-long bus trips from all over the country to
these areas for only 15 shekels a person, because we are subsidizing part of
the price so that no one will have an excuse not to come and see their
own country... [Here they] can meet their own people, and see them as
warm, idealistic, military veterans, contributing members to
society... This project can be facilitated with the help of good Jews
from abroad and from Israel too."
Ketzaleh said that the program strives to reach not only those who are
already convinced. "We have already had many responses from all parts
of society and the country. These include many who are not religious,
and people who beforehand had felt that maybe we should give away
these lands, but who are now changing their minds."
The full interview with Ketzaleh can be heard at
<a href="http://www.a7.org/engclips/301199/on-the-map.ram">
www.a7.org/engclips/301199/on-the-map.ram
</a>
3. TIDBITS
U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will arrive in the Middle
East next week for a three-day visit. She will deal with the stalled
Israel-Palestinian final-status talks, as well as attempt to renew the
Israeli-Syrian track...
The proportion of lawyers in Israel is already the highest in the
world, but as of today their numbers were swelled by another 860 new
barristers. They were sworn in at Binyanei Ha'Umah this afternoon...
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and opposition leader Ariel Sharon will meet
this evening for a diplomatic briefing. The two may also discuss the
option of the Likud joining the government. This possibility has been
given new life, in light of the tensions between Shas and Labor.
Likud MK Moshe Katzav told Arutz-7 today, however, that he did not
think it realistic to assume that the Likud would join the
coalition...
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PA: NO DEAL UNLESS EAST JERUSALEM CAPITAL
The Palestinian Authority cabinet insisted on November 19, that
no final agreement will be reached with Israel if the Palestinians are
not allowed to establish a capital in east Jerusalem.
"There won't be an agreement if Jerusalem is not accepted as the
capital of an independent state," read a cabinet statement after the
meeting.
The Palestinians issued a document by the PA's Ministry of
Information in which they outlined their position on Jerusalem,
borders, and refugees, AP reported.
In the document, the Palestinians stated that Jerusalem
should
remain united with one sector serving as the capital of Israel and the
other sector serving as the capital of Palestine.
The Palestinian position on refugees is clear, Minister of
Planning Nabil Shaath said. "They should be permitted to return to
their homes in Israel, and those who do not want to return should
receive compensation," he said.
The Palestinian position on refugees is clear, Minister of
Planning Nabil Shaath said. "They should be permitted to return to
their homes in Israel, and those who do not want to return should
receive compensation," he said.
In a new twist in the final-status talks, Palestinian negotiators
demanded Thursday that Israel compensate the Palestinian people for
occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip. (by Lamia Lahoud and news
agencies, The Jerusalem Post, November 21, 1999)
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