To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News:
Monday, October 30, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, Oct. 30, 2000 / Rosh Chodesn Cheshvan 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. INTENSE PALESTINIAN SHOOTING
2. RABBI DEMANDS INVESTIGATION; DAY OF PRAYER NEXT
MONDAY
3. KNESSET WINTER SESSION OPENS TODAY
4. NO SCHOOL TRIPS TO WESTERN WALL
1. INTENSE PALESTINIAN SHOOTING
Last night saw several intense gun battles and many isolated
Palestinian shootings throughout Yesha. Bullets hit at
least three
homes in Psagot, and Palestinians engaged Israeli soldiers in
long
shooting matches at the Ayosh Junction and near Shechem.
They shot at
the Ofer Base near Ramallah, at IDF checkpoints near Hevron and
Kalkilye, at an IDF force on Mt. Gerizim near Shechem, and at the
town
of Vered Yericho and near other Yesha towns.
An IDF officer was lightly wounded this morning when a roadside
bomb
was detonated as an Israeli jeep patrolled along the
Israeli-Egyptian
border near Rafiah. This was the sixth such bomb that has
exploded in
the area in the past few weeks. Bullets were shot at the
patrol
beforehand from the direction of the Palestinian autonomy; the
soldiers returned fire. Last night, too, Palestinian
terrorists
detonated a bomb as an Israeli bus and IDF jeeps passed by near
Morag
in Gush Katif; Palestinians also fired at the convoy, injuring no
one
but causing damage to the bus and a jeep.
Another miracle occurred today in Gush Katif: The security
coordinator of the Gush Katif town of Netzer Hazani narrowly
escaped
death early this afternoon, when a heavy barrage of gunfire was
directed at his car. He was traveling at the time near the
community's greenhouses. The car was seriously damaged, but
the
driver was unhurt - and he even managed to fire back at the
attackers.
An army bulldozer near Tarmit - an IDF outpost in Gaza that has
become
a regular target of Palestinian fire over the past few days - was
shot
at late this morning. The driver was lightly wounded, and
the
soldiers there returned fire. The Karni-Netzarim road was
opened for
traffic today, after the nine-hour battle that took place there
yesterday. The 15 tanks and armored vehicles that took part
in the
battle have been removed from the area.
Dozens of Israeli-Arabs rioted this afternoon on the Wadi Ara
highway
between Afula and Hadera. They threw rocks at passing cars
and
clashed with policemen, who dispersed with tear gas.
2. RABBI DEMANDS INVESTIGATION; DAY OF PRAYER NEXT MONDAY
Rabbi Mordechai Eliyahu, former Chief Sephardic Rabbi of Israel,
called last night for the establishment of a national committee
of
inquiry to investigate the abandonment of the wounded soldier at
Joseph's Tomb, the wounded hikers at Mt. Eval, and the evacuation
of
Joseph's Tomb. He spoke at a memorial for Rabbi Binyamin
Herling at
Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook in Jerusalem; Rabbi Herling was
murdered by
Palestinians eleven days ago during a hike on Mt. Eval.
The Ichud HaRabbanim (Rabbis Union), led by former Chief Rabbi
Avraham
Shapira, has set next Monday as a special day of prayer in
synagogues
all over the world. At a gathering yesterday, the rabbis
declared,
"The rights and obligations of the Nation of Israel to
sovereignty
over the Land of Israel and to the settlement of the Land are an
eternal command by the Creator to the entire Nation, for the
entire
Land, throughout all the generations. The weakening of this
faith and
vision that has taken root among some of our people has led to
the
abandonment of this way of truth, and to the abandonment of parts
of
the Land of our Life in the hands of foreigners - which has
brought
danger and catastrophe upon the entire nation. Every
concession
weakens us, and gives our enemies more strength and confidence to
fight us. The eyes of many have now been opened to see that
which
warned about..."
Prime Minister Barak, in a letter to the town of Elon Moreh
recently,
promised that Israel would insist on the return of Joseph's Tomb
to
Israeli control. "When we return to real negotiations
[with the
Palestinians]," he wrote, "we will insist that all the
agreements be
fulfilled, including the clause concerning Kever Yosef."
A special emergency meeting has been called for the various
extra-parliamentary right-wing groups in Tel Aviv tonight.
The
general public is invited; "Whoever does not show up, will
not be able
to have an influence," announces the publicity for the
meeting.
Sponsoring organizations include Professors for a Strong Israel,
Gamla
Shall Not Fall Again, Cities for Israel, Women in Green, Zo
Artzeinu,
Pikuach Nefesh, and others.
3. KNESSET WINTER SESSION OPENS TODAY
The Knesset's winter session began this afternoon with a
political
statement by Prime Minister Ehud Barak. Barak expressed
confidence
that Israel would "emerge stronger" from the present
difficult
situation in which it finds itself. "The peace will
come," Barak
said, "but not at any price." The Prime Minister
said that if Clinton
invites him for another summit meeting to discuss an end to the
hostilities with Arafat, he will respond favorably. His
speech was
widely interrupted by the Arab MKs, and sometimes even by Likud
MKs.
After Barak reviewed the events of the past months, he said,
"We now
see that we apparently do not have a partner for peace on the
other
side, for the present, as they have consciously chosen the way of
violence;" Arab MK Ahmed Tibi yelled out, "Neither are
you our
partner."
Despite a conciliatory gesture by Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg,
in
which he read aloud an agreed-upon statement of regret over all
the
citizens who had died in the recent violence, the Arab MKs
provocatively held up photographs of the 13 Israeli-Arabs who
were
killed. Ariel Sharon, in his rebuttal to Barak, appealed
for the
formation of an emergency government with the Likud "right
here and
now."
Negotiations between Labor and Likud for an emergency government
continued today. Shas has officially decided to grant a
safety net to
the Barak government, for at least the next month. At a
meeting today
between Labor's Yossi Beilin and Shas leaders Yeshai and
Pinchasi, it
was decided that Shas would not vote to topple the government in
the
coming month, while Labor has agreed not to expand the government
without the consent of Shas.
4. NO SCHOOL TRIPS TO WESTERN WALL
The Education Ministry is stricter with its school trip
guidelines
than are the police. Ministry Director-General Shlomit
Amichai has
issued guidelines forbidding school trips to the Old City of
Jerusalem, including the Western Wall - while Police Commissioner
Yehuda Wilk said today that there is no reason not to take trips
there. The Ministry also forbids trips to Judea and
Samaria, the
Jordan Valley, the Hermon area, and all along the northern
border.
Hiking students may also not sleep in open areas throughout the
country.
**************************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News:
Wednesday, November 1, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Wednesday, Nov. 1, 2000 / Cheshvan 3, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. TWO BATTLES
2. PERES-ARAFAT MEETING IN DOUBT
3. MOSLEM CONTRIBUTIONS
4. SCHROEDER CONCLUDES VISIT
1. TWO BATTLES
Two major battles raged today between Palestinians and Israelis -
one
in Gilo-Beit Jala, and one in Al-Hader in the Bethlehem-Gush
Etzion
region. The latter battle began when Palestinians shot and
wounded
three Israeli soldiers - two of them seriously. The
continued
Palestinian firing prevented the evacuation of the wounded for at
least a half-hour. IDF helicopters were rushed to the area,
and only
under their protective missile-firing were the wounded able to be
evacuated, with difficulty, from the area and given medical
treatment.
One or two other soldiers were wounded in the battle.
At least one
Palestinian military policeman was killed in the battle, and a
dozen
or more Palestinians were wounded.
The second battle, several kilometers north, began with intensive
machine-gun firing upon Gilo from the Palestinian Authority town
of
Beit Jala at 4 PM today, and raged for close to four hours.
It was
the first time that such shooting had taken place during daylight
hours, and it followed almost a week of quiet there. An IDF
officer
said that the firing was the most massive and intensive gunfire
from
Beit Jala on Gilo since the beginning of the current
violence. The
IDF returned missile fire at the Palestinian sources of
fire. Five
houses in Gilo have been damaged.
Prime Minister Barak called an urgent meeting of security
mini-Cabinet
meeting for this evening, following a similar meeting this
morning in
which no operative decisions were made. The meeting will be
held in
the shadow of media reports this morning that Barak had already
resumed secret diplomatic contacts with Arafat. Taking
advantage of
the political safety net afforded him by Shas, Barak had planned
to
explore possibilities of renewing negotiations on the issues
still in
dispute, and to schedule further talks in Washington.
Other targets of Palestinian gunfire this afternoon were the
Dagan
hilltop in Efrat, nearby IDF outposts, Atzmonah in Gush Katif,
Rachel's Tomb, Shdemah, the Ayosh and Karni junctions, and a
Border
Guard patrol near Tulkarm. Outside Beit El, which is
separated by a
valley and a road from the Palestinian village of Jelazun,
hundreds of
Arabs burnt tires and threw rocks and firebombs at IDF soldiers
on the
road. An attempt by a similar mob to infiltrate Beit El
last night
was repelled by the IDF.
The Tunnels Highway between Gush Etzion and Jerusalem, as well at
least two other Yesha roads, are closed to traffic, in light of
the
violence. The road to Beitar, west of Bethlehem, was
closed, and
residents on their way home were instructed to detour through
Tzur
Hadassah; at 7:30 PM, a bus using the detour route was stoned,
and two
passengers were lightly hurt.
2. PERES-ARAFAT MEETING IN DOUBT
Shimon Peres and Barak's Office Director Gilad Sher was scheduled
to
meet with Arafat tonight, but neither Ehud Barak nor Arafat
appear to
be interested in conducting the meeting, in light of today's
events,
and it has apparently been called off. Government Minister
Amnon
Lipkin-Shachak met with Arafat last night. Arafat's Fatah
forces
called today for an escalation in the activities against the
Israeli
presence in Gaza. The Foreign Ministry's new
Director-General, Alon
Liel, sharply attacked Yasser Arafat today. "He is
sabotaging the
peace process," Liel said, in the official installation
ceremony for
his new job. "He had the position of a statesman, but
is purposely
returning to that of terrorism and incitement leader."
PA negotiator Saeb Erekat will meet in Washington tomorrow with
U.S.
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and UN Secretary-General
Kofi
Anan. Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami is scheduled
to meet
with Albright in Washington a few days later.
3. MOSLEM CONTRIBUTIONS
With the American elections only six days away, the ties between
Democratic Party candidates and Moslem causes continue to occupy
Jewish voters there. Evan Gahr, in a recent article on
<www.jewishworldreview.com>,
has reviewed some of the recent
contributions received by New York Senatorial candidate Hillary
Clinton:
"First, it was $500 from American University professor
Clovis
Maksoud, the Arab League's former "special envoy" to
the United Nations. In an open
letter to PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat this summer, Mr. Maksoud
urged
the semi-retired terrorist to extricate himself from the Oslo
peace
accords... Mr. Maksoud says he made the donation this May
at a
Virginia fund-raiser because of Mrs. Clinton's obvious sympathy
for
the "Palestinian cause." ... The New York Daily News
reported on Oct.
25 that Abdurahman Alamoudi of the pro-Hamas American Muslim
Council
donated $1,000 to Hillary's Senate campaign this May. Mr.
Abdurahman,
who calls Hamas a "freedom fighting organization,"
explains that, "We
are the ones who went to the White House and defended what is
called
Hamas" (an apparent reference to the White House receptions
Mrs.
Clinton is known to have hosted for the American Muslim Council
and
like-minded groups)."
Gahr reported that Clinton's campaign has promised to return the
latter $1,000, but that Mr. Maksoud told him that the campaign
has not
returned his $500. Early this summer, it was reported that
Ms.
Clinton had raised more than $50,000 at a private fund-raising
reception on May 12 at the Washington mansion of Hani Masri, a
close
confidante of Yasser Arafat.
4. SCHROEDER CONCLUDES VISIT
German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, at the conclusion of a visit
to
Israel and the Palestinian Authority today, cautioned the
Palestinians
against a unilateral declaration of a state. After meeting
with
Arafat in Gaza, Schroeder said that although he was sympathetic
towards the Palestinians' national aspirations, "unilateral
declaration would simply escalate the violence." He
had earlier said
that he would demand that Arafat halt the violence. The
German leader
met yesterday with President Katzav, Prime Minister Barak, and
Knesset
Speaker Burg, and visited in the Yad Vashem Holocaust
Museum. He
expressed his hope for the resumption of Israeli-Palestinian
negotiations, which, he said, would have to include Jerusalem and
the
Temple Mount.
**************************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News:
Thursday, November 2, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Thursday, Nov. 2, 2000 / Cheshvan 4, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TO OUR LEADERS:
The disturbing news of the past few weeks, and particularly of
the
past two days, has caused an outpouring of responses from our
readers.
To ensure maximum effectiveness for your convincing,
sincere, and
well-written letters, the most appropriate addressees are Prime
Minister Barak and other members of his office and
government. We
therefore provide the following e-mail addresses, and ask that
you use
them often:
Prime Minister Ehud Barak - rohm@pmo.gov.il
Defense Minister Ehud Barak - sar@mod.gov.il
Prime Minister's Office Director Yossi Kucik - mankal@pmo.gov.il
Prime Minister's Office Public Relations Ruti Bait - pniot@pmo.gov.il
Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh - sgansar@mod.gov.il Defense
Ministry Public Relations Director Hadassah Klepfish -
pniot@mod.gov.ilfice of
Defense Ministry Spokesman - dover@mod.gov.il
Minister of Public Security Shlomo Ben-Ami - sar@mops.gov.il Police
Commissioner Yehuda Wilk - mafkal@police.gov.il
Foreign Ministry
Public Relations - pniot@mofa.gov.il
Justice Minister Yossi Beilin -
sar@justice.gov.il
Justice Ministry Public Relations Yehudit Begun -
pniot@justice.gov.il
Knesset Speaker Avraham Burg - yor@knesset.gov.il
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. WAITING FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
2. REACTIONS TO THE PERES-ARAFAT UNDERSTANDINGS
1. WAITING FOR THE ANNOUNCEMENTS
The world is still awaiting the simultaneous announcements by
Barak
and Arafat about a cessation of hostilities. Originally
scheduled for
2 PM, the announcements have been pushed off several times, and
it is
not known when and if they will be made. Minister Dalia
Itzik said
that Israel is still waiting for Arafat to fulfill several
promises he
made to Shimon Peres last night, and "until this happens,
Barak will
not make any announcement." She said, however, that
there is no
choice but to continue talking to Arafat. "The
solution [to the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict] must be diplomatic, not
military," she
said.
The cessation-of-hostilities announcements were agreed upon at a
meeting between Shimon Peres and Yasser Arafat in Gaza late last
night. The meeting cut short preparations made only minutes
beforehand by the security cabinet for helicopter attacks on
Palestinians targets, in retaliation for yesterday's killing of
three
IDF soldiers. According to the understandings of last
night, Arafat
is scheduled to announce in his own voice, over Voice of
Palestine
Radio, a call for his fighters to lay down their arms. At
the same
time, Prime Minister Barak is to make a similar announcement of a
ceasefire. Gilad Sher, Barak's aide who attended the
Peres-Arafat
meeting, made sure to announce afterwards, "This is not a
ceasefire,
but just a cessation of hostilities."
Israel hurried this morning to carry out several pre-ceasefire
gestures. It removed its forces from many of the
flashpoints, as
disbanded its encirclement of PA cities. In addition, the
two-day-old
IDF position at the Karni Junction in Gaza was handed over to PA
policemen early this morning - and within a short time, was full
of
rioting Palestinians who closed off the road to Netzarim.
The PA
police supplied them with drinks of water. After two
convoys of
Israeli cars made their way safely out of the town, at 7 AM and 8
AM,
the Palestinian police did nothing to ensure that the road
remained
open. Three military helicopter flights were scheduled for
those who
wished to enter or leave Netzarim today. In addition, the
Knesset
Members of the National Religious Party who arrived in Gush Katif
for
a pre-arranged meeting to Netzarim arrived and left via military
helicopter.
2. REACTIONS TO THE PERES-ARAFAT UNDERSTANDINGS
Likud MK Gideon Ezra told Israel Radio today, "The best
thing Peres
can do now is to announce publicly before the world that he
regrets
having received the Nobel Peace Prize together with that man
[Arafat],
and then maybe the world will realize the situation in which we
find
ourselves." Ezra, a former GSS Deputy Director, spoke
earlier with
Arutz-7, and said, "Arafat realized that the economic
situation in the
PA is deteriorating, and also he needed to replenish his
ammunition
and gas... He also saw that the IDF was about to respond
much more
strongly..." Although he said that he hopes there will
be no more
hostilities, "the decision to meet last night was a wrong
one... We
should not have passed quietly over the [killings of our
soldiers]."
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj.-Gen. Moshe Ya'alon expressed his
opinion this morning that Arafat has no intention of preserving a
ceasefire for more than a few days.
Barak- aide Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yossi Peled, a former O.C. Northern
Command, said this morning, "It seems to me that the
Peres-Arafat
meeting last night was not the right thing to do. What we
should have
done was to react in a way that would have Arafat running to the
Americans, begging them to 'stop those Jews, they've gone
crazy.'"
MK Avigdor Lieberman (National Union-Yisrael Beiteinu) said that
this
agreement, too, will be tossed into the trashcan of history.
Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, head of the NRP, said that he hopes that
nothing
was promised to Arafat in exchange for his agreement, but that in
any
event if it leads to Camp David-based negotiations, the
government
will be toppled.
Center Party MK Dan Meridor said that Israel must not agree to a
situation in which live fire is stopped but firebomb and rock
attacks
continue. This morning, senior PA figures said that the extent of
the
gunfire will be reduced, but that marches and rock-throwing will
continue. Arafat-advisor MK Ahmed Tibi said the same; Likud MK
Yisrael
Katz immediately demanded that Attorney-General Elyakim
Rubenstein
order an investigation of Tibi for incitement and encouraging the
enemy.
Shas leader Eli Yeshai said that he was skeptical about any form
of
promise given by Arafat.
Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami - who was officially named Foreign
Minister
today - said this morning that Israel wants the negotiations to
resume
from the Camp David understandings with the Americans presenting
their
bridge proposal.
**************************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News
Brief: Friday, November 3, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Friday, Nov. 3, 2000 / Cheshvan 5, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. PALESTINIAN ATTACKS INCREASE HOURLY
2. BARAK IN FAVOR OF RESTRAINT
3. NRP LEADER'S DAUGHTER WAS ONE OF YESTERDAY'S
VICTIMS
1. PALESTINIAN ATTACKS INCREASE HOURLY
While the world continues to wait for the implementation of the
Peres-Arafat ceasefire understandings, Palestinians shot at
Israeli
targets in at least four places today: At Shdemah, south of
Jerusalem, at Mt. Eval near Shechem, in Hevron, and near Tulkarm;
two
of these occurred in the last hour. In addition, there were
many
incidents of Palestinian rioting and violence against IDF forces
throughout Judea and Samaria, including at the Ayosh Junction and
near
Tulkarm. In Hevron, 1,000 Arabs rioted (see below), and two
clashes
erupted in Gaza.
An IDF convoy traveling along the Israeli-Egyptian border was
shot
upon today. The soldiers returned fire; no one was
hurt. Last night,
too, the Palestinians continued their offensive: Among
other
violence, a grenade was thrown at a Border Guard post in Ras
el-Amoud,
and an Israeli motorist was shot in the leg in a drive-by
terrorist
shooting near Ma'aleh Ephraim.
Yasser Arafat told CNN today that he has fulfilled his part in
the
understandings he reached with Shimon Peres, and that he is now
waiting for Israel to fulfill its part. Several Palestinian
organizations have announced that they do not accept the
ceasefire
understandings.
2. BARAK IN FAVOR OF RESTRAINT
"We will not allow our 'boiling blood,' even that of some of
the
government ministers, to drag us into 'adventures' that are
dangerous
for Israel." So said Prime Minister Ehud Barak today,
speaking at a
memorial ceremony on the fifth anniversary of the assassination
of
Yitzchak Rabin. "We are smart enough to know that
there are no simple
solutions," he said. "We will stop those who call
for 'Death to the
Arabs.'" Yesterday, Barak laid the responsibility for
the terrorist
car-bomb attack at the doorstep of the Palestinian Authority, and
said
that the Hamas terrorists released recently by the PA must be
returned
to prison. A memorial rally for Yitzchak Rabin has been
called in Tel
Aviv for tomorrow night.
3. NRP LEADER'S DAUGHTER WAS ONE OF YESTERDAY'S VICTIMS
The two victims of yesterday's terrorist attack near Jerusalem's
Machaneh Yehuda market have been buried: Atty. Chanan Levy,
33, was
buried in Jerusalem today, and Ayelet-HaShachar Levy, 28, was
interred
last night. Many Knesset colleagues of her father, National
Religious
Party head Rabbi Yitzchak Levy, were among the many hundreds of
people
who participated in her funeral. President Moshe Katzav,
Rabbi
Mordechai Eliyahu, and others eulogized her.
Rabbi Levy told Israel Radio today that "Shachar, as we
called her,
was just great: Talented in art and music, as well as in
performing
kindness for others... She was, as Rabbi Eliyahu said last
night, a
'daughter of Jerusalem,' which is one of the reasons why she was
in
the midst of moving there yesterday, and this is why we buried
her in
Jerusalem, as she would most certainly have wanted."
Rabbi Levy was
on his way back from an NRP visit to Netzarim yesterday when, he
said,
"as soon as I heard the name of the street and the fact that
a moving
truck was involved, it was clear to me that Shachar was
[hurt]."
Among those who paid condolence calls at his home in Kfar Maimon
in
the Negev were Prime Minister Barak and Meretz leader Yossi
Sarid.
"At times like this," Rabbi Levy said, "we don't
exchange political
viewpoints, but chiefly cry together, and together feel the pain
of
the People of Israel on its way to the final redemption."
***********************************************************
To:
arutz-7@IsraelNationalNews.com
From:
Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@IsraelNationalNews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News:
Sunday, November 5, 2000
Arutz Sheva News Service
<www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Nov. 5, 2000 / Cheshvan 7, 5761
------------------------------------------------
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. WHO'S IN CONTROL?
2. BACK TO CAMP DAVID?
1. WHO'S IN CONTROL?
It has now been almost six weeks - and four days after the
Peres-Arafat understandings - but still the Palestinian violence
continues (see below). A theme commonly heard today, by
both Israeli
and Palestinian leaders, is that Yasser Arafat does not have
total
control over the Palestinian public. Likud MK Michael Eitan
rejects
this argument on three accounts:
"For one thing, Israeli security evaluations have
shown conclusively
that Arafat is in direct control of the violence - he initiated
it, and he
can stop it. Secondly, we were always told by those who
sold us Oslo
that one of the main purposes of the agreements is that instead
of us
having to endanger ourselves by chasing terrorists, Arafat and
his
policemen will do it for us; if it is now claimed that he has no
control over them, then this shows that he is not our partner for
peace. Third, even if he is unable to stop his men from
shooting, he
is certainly able to stop the incitement on Palestinian
media. He can
issue an order in a matter of seconds, but he has not done so -
and
the Palestinian incitement continues."
Marwan Bargouti, head of Arafat's Tanzim forces, called upon the
Palestinians today to "increase the intifada and bring it to
every
street and Jewish settlement." Itim News Agency
reports that
Bargouti, speaking to Bir Zeit University students north of
Ramallah,
said that the purpose of the uprising is clear: to enable the
return
of the refugees, to end the conquest, and to bring independence
and
Palestinian sovereignty to Jerusalem. PLO senior Ahmed
Abdul Rahman,
speaking in Gaza today, said that the current Palestinian attacks
on
Israelis represent "the Palestinian people's response to the
occupation and to settlements." Rejecting Israeli
calls for a
ceasefire, Rahman asserted that the war would continue until a
Palestinian state is created with Jerusalem as its capital.
2. BACK TO CAMP DAVID?
It's now set: Yasser Arafat will meet with outgoing U.S.
President
Clinton this Thursday, two days after the American elections, and
Prime Minister Barak will meet with Clinton a week from today -
if
there is no "major escalation" in Judea, Samaria and
Gaza, or
"serious" attacks inside "little
Israel." So reported Barak's office
last night. IMRA notes that the office did not provide
guidelines to
indicate how many dead/wounded would be considered a
"serious" attack,
nor the criteria for what would be considered a "major
escalation" in
Yesha.
The Women in Green organization has in fact accused Prime
Minister
Barak of setting a limit of 2-3 Israeli casualties a day.
Nadia
Matar, co-chairman of the movement, says that Barak's stipulation
that
he will meet with Clinton as long as there have been no
large-scale
attacks means that he considers the murder of individual Jews to
be
acceptable. Today's weekly protest by Women in Green
highlighted this
issue, as well as the fact that the Barak government continues to
transfer 50 million shekels to the PA each month.
A "senior Defense Ministry source" says that a
unilateral Palestinian
declaration of a state would be followed by protracted violence
and
the danger of an all-out war - and he explains why: "A
unilateral
declaration means that the coordination and communication
mechanisms
between Israel and the PA no longer exist, and will lead to the
immediate collapse of the Palestinian economy. This will
lead to mass
hunger, and hordes of Palestinians joining the Hamas and Islamic
Jihad."
******************************************************************