To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Thursday, December 9, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, December 9, 1999 / Rosh Chodesh Tevet 5760 - Sixth Day of Chanukah
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK READY TO "DISCUSS" GOLAN
2. BEN-AHARON: BARAK CAVED IN
3. INITIAL REACTIONS FROM THE GOLAN
4. A MATTER OF VALUES
5. REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
6. YAHALOM: WE'LL FIGHT FROM WITHIN
7. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS
8. LEBANON
9. CHAI VEKAYAM WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S BEING CARTED AWAY
1. BARAK READY TO "DISCUSS" GOLAN
Prime Minister Ehud Barak and his spokesmen continue to deny that a full
withdrawal from the Golan is inevitable, despite last night's surprise
announcement of a Washington summit next week between Barak and Syrian
Foreign Minister Farouk A-Shara. A senior source in the Prime Minister's
Office said today, "Clinton's announcement that the talks would continue
from the point at which they left off three years ago does not mean that
Israel has agreed to a full withdrawal from the Golan."
Justice Minister Yossi Beilin, however, said today that there are "not many
secrets here," and that no one will be surprised at the final results.
Opposition leader Ariel Sharon, whose Likud Knesset faction convened this
afternoon to discuss ways to block a Golan retreat, says that the Barak
government has totally surrendered to Syrian demands and American
interests. Sharon said that he would call on other opposition parties -
including Shinui - to form a united front in the fight against a withdrawal.
MK Yuval Shteinitz (Likud) told Arutz-7's Ron Meir today that he has been
informed that that which finally convinced Assad to accept the Golan from
Israel was an American promise to revamp the entire Syrian army, which at
present is very outdated. The entire interview with Shteinitz can be heard
on Arutz-7's website at
<ahref="http://www.a7.org/engclips/091299/ettinger-golan.ram">
www.a7.org/engclips/091299/ettinger-golan.ram
</a>.
The Labor Party Central Committee greeted Ehud Barak with cheers and
applause late this afternoon. Although the party meeting was called to
discuss issues on which Barak and his party are in disagreement - such as
the budget for the year 2000 and the system of direct election of the Prime
Minister - Barak did not relate to these topics. He talked instead, as
expected, only about the newly-announced resumption of talks with Syria,
and concluded, "I am confident that Israel is headed for a shining period
of growth in technology, science, and standard of living."
2. BEN-AHARON: BARAK CAVED IN
"There is no chance in the world that Assad would have agreed to this
unless he had received a guarantee that Israel will withdraw from the
entire Golan Heights." So said today Yossi Ben-Aharon, the former Director
of Prime Minister Yitzchak Shamir's Office and the head of the talks with
Syria at that time. Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Ben-Aharon said, "When
Clinton says that the talks will resume at the point where they let off
three years ago, this means that Barak has finally accepted Assad's demand,
namely full withdrawal to the pre-1967 lines in exchange for security
guarantees to be negotiated. I say this not as a politician or an
opposition member, but as someone who knows the precise situation from
first-hand experience... The three-year time period refers to the time in
which Netanyahu apparently hesitated to revive Rabin's promise for a total
withdrawal - but Barak has now agreed to this. Those who are denying [that
there will be a total withdrawal] are simply not telling the truth..."
Ben-Aharon emphasized that the inevitable retreat will be even further than
the international border - that which left a few extra kilometers in Jewish
hands - but all the way up to the borders that were in effect from 1949 til
June 4, 1967, "a few meters away from the Sea of Galilee."
An interview with Yoram Ettinger, former Israeli liaison to Congress, on
the same topic can be heard on Arutz-7's website at
<ahref="http://www.a7.org/engclips/091299/steinitz-golan.ram">
www.a7.org/engclips/091299/steinitz-golan.ram
</a>.
Former Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu said last night that in his
indirect contacts with Syria, President Assad had agreed to Israeli control
of Mt. Hermon - known in Israel as the "eyes of the country." Netanyahu,
speaking in Paris to Likud supporters, said that he never agreed to a full
withdrawal to the pre-1967 borders, and that the present government must
not agree to this either.
3. INITIAL REACTIONS FROM THE GOLAN
The Golan Residents Committee will convene this evening to discuss the
impending retreat from the entire Golan. Chairman Eli Malka said today,
"Our [organizational] activities are important, but we must remember that
the Golan does not belong only to us, but rather to the entire country. We
merited to live here, to develop this area, to plant trees here, to raise
children here - for three generations already - but it's up to the people
of Israel and what they do in the coming months to determine whether we
will succeed in keeping the Golan."
Malka continued, "We must not allow ourselves to despair. This is the
chance to stop the Prime Minister and save the government from itself, lest
we find ourselves in a few months with an agreement that signifies the
destruction of a glorious settlement enterprise, the expulsion of [almost
18,000] people from their homes, the loss of water sources, the loss of
security, and - worst of all - the loss of the true Zionistic values by
virtue of which we returned to this Land and settled it. Everyone must
roll up his sleeves and see what he can do in this struggle - come out to
demonstrations, stand at the intersections, speak to friends and convince
them of the folly of leaving the Golan. If we work together, then I have
no doubt that we will be able to succeed."
4. A MATTER OF VALUES
"What type of security arrangements in the Golan are being talked about,
and can they serve as a substitute for Israel's actual presence in the
Golan?" So asked Arutz-7's Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane today of Brig.-Gen.
(res). Uzi Keren, who commanded an IDF armored division and a veteran of
Golan battles in 1967 and 1973. Keren's response:
"Early-warning stations, for instance, have a certain advantage - but this
is simply one aspect of a much larger picture. Take the element of
deterrence, for example [which we are giving up]. The position of our
forces today in the Golan Heights is 60 kilometers from Damascus. This
means that any battle must necessarily take place close to their population
centers. This is a fine deterrent for Syria not to start a war, as the
last decades of peace have proven..."
Regarding de-militarizing the Golan, Keren said, "Israel will of course
demand that Syrian forces not be allowed in the Golan. Again, this is
better than nothing - but [not by much]. Syria will certainly deploy very
large forces around its capital, Damascus. Syria's standing army can be
mobilized in a matter of 2-4 hours, and only has to travel about 50
kilometers until it can overlook Israel from the Golan - well before Israel
has managed to mobilize its reserves. In the Sinai, this is not the case -
the Egyptian army has to cross the Suez Canal and then travel 250
kilometers in order to get to Israel, by which time the IDF could already
have mobilized to meet the threat. In the Golan, a 'de-militarized area'
is nothing more than empty words, and does not provide real protection..."
"Our situation at present in the Golan is optimal," Keren said. "Even
missiles shot from Syria towards Tel Aviv can be neutralized much more
effectively when we are on the Golan, and not when we are below it... Syria
[as opposed to Egypt in 1982 ] is totally hostile, and has two other very
hostile countries right behind her, ready to pounce. Now of all times,
when Israel is so strong, and Syria has never been weaker, and has an
outdated army - why should we give everything away?. "
"But I would like to make a different point," Keren concluded. "We
must
remember that the Golan is not only a security issue. It also represents
values, our sovereignty, settlement. How many times in one generation can
a country tell its citizens, 'We made a mistake, it's time to pack your
bags and leave?' It happened once in the Sinai, but we must not let this
precedent become a norm... It's a matter of values. Until now, settlement
and Zionism, for the past 100 years, stood for persistence, for 'no giving
in.'... So I say: we should talk with them, and see if there is a
willingness for mutual concessions - and if there isn't such a willingness,
then we can wait another 10 years, or 15 years, until there is a ruler
there who is willing to talk in a different language than only demanding
the entire Golan."
5. REFERENDUM QUESTIONS
A withdrawal from the Golan cannot be effected without a popular referendum
approving the move. This is so by virtue of the Golan Law, passed ten
months ago during the term of the previous government, which states that no
part of the Golan or Jerusalem may be transferred to a foreign power
without a popular referendum and the approval of an absolute majority of 61
Knesset Members. In addition, Prime Minister Barak made the holding of a
referendum into a basic campaign promise. A debate has begun to heat up,
however - and is likely to intensify in the coming weeks - over exactly how
the referendum will be held. Arutz-7's Haggai Seri reports that there are
currently three different proposals - from the Justice Ministry, the Prime
Minister's Office, and from the Knesset Speaker. The questions that must
be resolved include:
* Will the referendum law cover only the Golan issue, other related
matters, or all such questions that are considered basic and of critical
importance?
* How will the referendum be funded?
* Will each party be allowed air-time, as in general elections, to express
its views? The Likud and those opposed to a withdrawal are very much in
favor of such an arrangement, in order to neutralize the effect of the many
government spokesmen who are given extra air-time by nature of their
positions.
* What will be the majority that will be required for the resolution to be
passed?
* Who will formulate the question to be voted on, and how will it be
formulated?
6. YAHALOM: WE'LL FIGHT FROM WITHIN
Deputy Education Minister Sha'ul Yahalom (National Religious Party) was
asked today if he believes that Barak has not already promised Syria a full
withdrawal from the Golan. Yahalom's response: "Maybe [he] didn't
promise, but I have no doubt that the Syrians would never have agreed to
enter into these talks unless they understood clearly that this was
Israel's basic position. Syria has been very consistent in its demand for
the entire Golan, and therefore whoever enters into talks with Syria knows
full well what this means."
When asked if his party would leave the government, Yahalom answered, "Our
job in this government is to be its brakes. We didn't enter this
government because we thought it had great tidings for Israel, nor did we
support Barak in the election. We are here only as a way to stop certain
moves... We will fight on three fronts against a withdrawal from the
Golan. Our first front will be in the government itself... then we must
fight to ensure that a referendum is held, and it should be held with the
right conditions, such as demanding a sufficiently large majority for
leaving the Golan - and the next front will be winning the referendum
itself... We have no problem with fighting from within the government
against the Prime Minister on this issue. If Barak tells us that this is
not acceptable to him [and that we must choose either to side with him or
to leave the government], we will immediately leave the government. Until
that time, however, we will try to work from within, where we can do much
more than from outside."
7. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN TALKS
The final-status Israeli-Palestinian talks continued today in Ramallah.
The PA side said beforehand that it would agree to discuss only the
cessation of Jewish construction in Yesha. Housing Minister Rabbi Yitzchak
Levy (NRP) met with Ehud Barak last night regarding the halt to
construction in Judea and Samaria. Levy said that Barak told him that
whatever building is going on now will continue. The Housing Minister
stressed that if the government begins to freeze the Yesha settlements,
"the NRP will have a problem remaining in this coalition."
Arutz-7's Yehoshua Meiri reports that Ehud Barak told security sources
today that he is not "happy with the way things are going with Syria," but
that "we have to see the entire picture and see how this will help us in
our talks with the Palestinians." Meiri explained that Barak was
apparently referring to pressure that will be placed on the Palestinians to
forego their tough demands in light of the "progress" that is being made on
the Syrian track.
8. LEBANON
Israel Air Force attacked terrorist targets in southern Lebanon three times
this morning. The planes returned safely. Lebanon greeted the
announcement of the planned resumption of Israel-Syria talks with
satisfaction.
9. CHAI VEKAYAM WANTS TO KNOW WHAT'S BEING CARTED AWAY
The more talk is heard from officials about the Waqf construction works on
the Temple Mount, the more the works seem to proceed apace. Trucks and
bulldozers full of dirt and other remains continue to make their way from
the Mount to the Jerusalem city dump. The Chai Vekayam movement petitioned
the Supreme Court on the matter today. Yehuda Etzion, leader of Chai
Vekayam, said today that there must be supervision over the refuse that is
being discarded - "Who knows what untold cultural and historical treasures
could be there."
****************************************************************************
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, December
10, 1999
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Friday, December 10, 1999 / Rosh Chodesh Tevet 5760
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. ANTI-WITHDRAWAL CAMPAIGN
2. HATZOFEH: "INCONCEIVABLE THAT ISRAEL WOULD RETREAT"
1. ANTI-WITHDRAWAL CAMPAIGN
The Golan residents will hold an emergency gathering tomorrow night,
to discuss measures to be taken against their evacuation from their
homes amidst Israel's impending withdrawal. A protest tent will be
erected near Kfar Haruv in the Golan on Sunday, and a giant
demonstration will take place on Monday outside the Knesset.
Spokesman Uri Heitner says that these steps are "just the introduction
to an unprecedented campaign against the abandonment of the Golan."
Many other organizations are joining the efforts against the
government's apparent intention to leave the Golan, including Betar,
Americans For A Safe Israel, and others.
Minister Natan Sharansky and MK Avigdor Lieberman, heads of two
competing new-immigrant parties - Yisrael B'Aliyah and Yisrael
Beiteinu - will meet on Sunday to coordinate efforts against the
withdrawal amongst the Russian-immigrant population. Members of
Yisrael B'Aliyah say that they will quit the coalition if Barak agrees
on a total retreat.
2. HATZOFEH: "INCONCEIVABLE THAT ISRAEL WOULD RETREAT"
Additional details about the impending withdrawal from the Golan
continue to be revealed, following the announcement of the onset of
open and high-level talks between Israel and Syria. Despite comments
by Israeli government officials that Syrian President Assad's consent
to talk with Israel did not cost Israel an advance promise to abandon
the Golan, most political observers feel that nothing less could have
cemented Assad's agreement to come to the table with Israel.
Other considerations that may have helped Assad conclude that is a
good time to agree to accept the Golan from Israel include the
following:
* Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz told Arutz-7 yesterday that he has been
informed that the U.S. has promised to completely revamp the outdated
Syrian army.
* Israel's threat to unilaterally withdraw from Lebanon may have
caused Syria to fear that the Hizbullah threat against Israel would be
weakened, thus leaving Syria in an inferior negotiating position.
* An appearance of progress on the Palestinian-Israeli track.
HaTzofeh newspaper editorialized today:
"The large majority of Israel's Jewish citizens were horrified to hear
the announcement [regarding the Israeli-Syrian talks and the Golan
withdrawal].
Almost all of them are determined to strongly object to this
policy...
Israel is not the first country to annex territories it won in a war
that was forced upon it. Many countries preceded Israel in this,
first and foremost among them the former Soviet Union and the United
States... Israel's claim to the Golan is many times greater than that
of Syria. There was Jewish settlement activity in the Golan before the
1948 War of Independence, and the artifacts that have been discovered
there 'are like 100 witnesses' that many Jews lived there for hundreds
and hundreds of years [dating back to Talmudic times]. Every stone
shows this... A withdrawal from the Golan is not a harbinger of peace
- on the contrary... Assad must recognize that he lost his wars
against Israel, and that he must pay the price of defeat. He has no
right to dictate the terms of peace, as this is reserved for the
victors. It is astonishing that U.S. President Clinton, too, is
ignoring not only the results of the war, but also the dangers that
Israel will now again face if it leaves the Golan. It seems that
Clinton, interested in crowning his career in the White House with
some sort of achievement, is ignoring Israel's most vital security
needs, as he pressures Israel into a full withdrawal..."
The cost of withdrawing from the Golan, redeploying the IDF, and
compensating the residents - according to the precedent set in the
Sinai in 1982 - could reach over 100 billion dollars, or almost twice
as much as the entire national budget. Residents of the Sinai city of
Yamit, which was founded in 1973-74 and destroyed in 1982, were
compensated according to the amount of time they lived in the area; in
contrast, some families in the Golan are now 3rd-generation residents.
The withdrawal and redeployment of IDF forces in 1982 cost some $25
billion, in 1982 prices.
*************************************************************************
From Judean Voice
To: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
1- BARAK TO SURRENDER GOLAN
In an effort to down-play the significance of his decision to
surrender the Golan Heights to Syria, Barak commented that his role
and position was very close to the ones fostered by previous Prime
Ministers, Rabin, Peres and Netanyahu. According to news reports in
Yediot Ahronot, Dec. 9, it is a done deal already between Syria and
Israel, and Israel is preparing the withdrawal to the line of the
Kinnneret.
********************************************************************
FROM: Clarence H. Wagner, Jr., International Director - Jerusalem
TO: heb_roots_chr@hebroots.org
Bridges
For Peace
News
from Israel
1) ISRAEL-SYRIAN PEACE TALKS RESUME
2) SAVE THE GOLAN CAMPAIGN EXPANDS
3) ARAFAT SALTS AWAY 35 BILLION OF PA MONEY
4) TEMPLE MOUNT CONSTRUCTION DESTROYING ANTIQUITIES
5) SEVERE DROUGHT IN ISRAEL ALMOST GUARANTEED
1) ISRAELI-SYRIAN NEGOTIATIONS RESUME
Following the visit of US
Secretary of State, Madeleine
Albright, to the Middle East this week, Syrian Foreign Minister,
Farouk Shara, has agreed to meet with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud
Barak in Washington DC next week for a formal resumption of
Israeli-Syria peace negotiations stalled in 1996. Barak wants to get
out of Lebanon, and this cannot happen without tacit approval and
cooperation from Syria. Barak is stressing Israel's security needs,
including the fact that Syria must curb the activities of the
Hizbullah militia which routinely attack Israel and S. Lebanon with
katyusha rockets and commando incursions. Of the Syrian President
Assad, Barak said he took a "courageous decision to renew the talks."
Barak called him, "a strong and brave" leader who as "the most
important leader in the history of Syria" was the only one able to
"put an end to the state of war between us (Israel and Syria) and
the tragedy in Lebanon. Both proponents and opponents of reopening
talks with Syria are beginning to make their voices heard. (Jerusalem
Post, December 10, 1999)
2) SAVE THE GOLAN CAMPAIGN EXPANDS
During the days of Yitzhak
Rabin, who was reported to have
promised the whole of the Golan Heights to Syria in exchange for
peace, Israelis across the political spectrum began a "People With
the Golan" campaign. Once the talks stalled in 1996, the campaign
returned to a low simmer, anticipating its renewal should such claims
against their homes be made again.
The Golan Residents' Committee is
again launching a
nationwide campaign in Israel to prevent any withdrawal from the
Golan Heights or uprooting of their communities in exchange for a
peace treaty with Syria. Demonstrations are already taking place in
the Golan Heights, with a big rally opposite the Knesset (Parliament)
tomorrow, Saturday night, December 11. Some 18,000 Israelis live in
33 Golan communities, the largest being the town of Katzrin. About
56% of the region's vote went to Ehud Barak for Prime Minister. Haim
Saperia, secretary of the recently-established National Council for
the Golan, said, "The Golan issue is one that should concern every
Israeli, because it relates directly to the security of the state,
safeguarding our sources of drinking water, and the ideals of
Zionism. On a clear night, I can see the lights of Damascus, some 80
kilometers away, and on a clear day, I can see the tower of Haifa
University from my house, which indicates the strategic importance of
the Golan."
3) ARAFAT SALTS AWAY 35 BILLION OF PA MONEY
Hackers have cracked the computer system of PLO
headquarters in
Tunisia, only to find that "Yasser Arafat has salted away billions of
pounds (sterling) for the Palestinian Liberation Organization in
secret foreign bank accounts and investments." So reports the London
Sunday Telegraph today.
The article writes that the hackers discovered that the PLO
maintains about 35 billion in bank accounts in Zurich, Geneva and
New York, along with accounts containing smaller sums in North
Africa, Europe and Asia. In addition, the records reportedly show
that the PLO owns shares on the Frankfurt, Paris and Tokyo stock
exchanges, including stock in Mercedes Benz, and property in
prestigious areas of European capitals. The paper claims that the
reports "are likely to prompt international donors to ask why Mr.
Arafat is still demanding aid for his Palestinian Authority." (The
London Sunday Telegraph, December 5, 1999)
4) TEMPLE MOUNT CONSTRUCTION DESTROYING ANTIQUITIES
The Israeli government has given permission to the Muslim Wakf
to open a massive entrance into a controversial new mosque underneath the
Al-Aksa Mosque, on Jerusalem's Temple Mount compound, saying that it
was needed as a safety exit. On Thursday, however, Jerusalem Mayor
Ehud Olmert ordered a halt to construction on the mosque, calling it
"a serious violation of the status quo" and a threat to significant
archaeological remains located on the site.
Olmert was highly critical of Prime Minister Ehud Barak's
management of the construction in an underground vault, and told the
city's lawyers to issue a 'stop-work' order on the Temple Mount and
take every necessary step to prevent the Wakf (Muslim religious trust)
from further work on the entrance. His actions come after it became
clear that the Wakf was opening an unnecessarily large emergency
exit to the area, known as "Solomon's Stables."
"For some time now, the work being carried out on the Temple
Mount has begun to go way beyond small internal repairs and/or the
opening of an emergency exit. We are talking here of a serious
violation of the status quo, of serious damage to one of the most
important archaeological sites in the world, of the contravention of
the antiquities law, and grave violations of planning and
construction laws," Olmert said. Olmert remarked that significant
remnants of Jewish history were being destroyed by the Wakf's
activities. Israel's Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein, who recently
toured the site, also said the Wakf had promised to confine the
opening to the mosque to a small emergency exit, not the large opening
te= n meters wide and ten meters deep he found, which threatens to
harm surrounding antiquities.
In addition, the director of the
Antiquities Authority, Ami
Drori, claimed the construction caused severe damage to antiquities.
He said the Wakf had committed an "archeological crime." Drori said he
failed to understand how trucks and tractors were permitted by
police to ascend the mount. "This cannot be allowed to go on," he
said.
Generally, the Wakf and the Islamic
Movement have refused to
discuss construction activities on any part of the Temple Mount site
with Israeli officials, maintaining that Israel has no authority over
an area they claim as an exclusive Muslim holy site.
Minister of Internal Security,
Shlomo Ben-Ami, said Israel
agreed to a new emergency opening on the condition that the
renovations be carried out in cooperation with the police and the Israel
Antiquities Authority to protect archaeological sites in the area.
Such co-ordination did not happen, he added. "Currently there is a
real violation of the antiquities law on the Mount and real damage
being done to archaeology there. We will definitely not tolerate
this," Ben-Ami said. (ICEJ, December 3, 1999)
5) SEVERE DROUGHT IN ISRAEL ALMOST GUARANTEED
Weather forecasters say it's looking more likely that
Israel
will suffer from its second consecutive winter drought, and the country's
farming industry stands to suffer the most. The amount of rainfall in
the next three months is likely to fall far below average, according
to an updated forecast issued ON December 5th by the Israel
Meteorological Service. Last month, the Service had predicted
precipitation slightly below the normal amount for Israel's winter
months. Those expectations have been downgraded as no significant
rain has fallen in Israel so far this year. The Service's assessments
will continue on a monthly basis. At this point, farmers may have
their 40% cut in water during the past season increased, and urban
areas in Israel stand to suffer shortages in the coming year. On
December 5th, on the receding Sea of Galilee, a group of kibbutz
(collective farms) members held a "floating prayer session" before
gazing television crews. (IsraelWire, December 6, 1999)
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