From: heb_roots_chr@mail.geocities.com Sent: Tuesday, July 29, 1997 1:49 AM To: Hebraic Heritage Newsgroup Subject: ZINC-7/24/97-Jordanian initiative? From: Michael Hoffman Subject: ZINC-7/24/97-Jordanian initiative? THE ZIONIST ORGANIZATION OF AMERICA'S ISRAEL NEWS CONNECTION Thursday, July 24, 1997 6:00 AM EDT (1000 UTC) Editor: Michael C. Hoffman O&F: 301-681-0858 Email: michaelh@clark.net Due to lengthy, and interesting interviews with Prime Minister Netanyahu and Yasser Arafat; and due to a very interesting story, and denial, of a Jordanian peace initiative, ZINC has only 3 stories updating news in Israel! Abu Dhabi's AL ITTIHAD AL USBUI 7/18/97: "...Al-Ittihad al-Usbu'i has learned from informed sources that Jordan has obtained US-European support to launch a fresh initiative if the Egyptian mediation effort fails. The Jordanian initiative provides for shared control of the West Bank and Jerusalem between Jordan and the Palestinian Authority. The end result envisaged in the initiative is that the future relationship between Jordan and the Palestinians will be determined on the basis of the old, but new federation plan. The Jordanian initiative also provides for Jordanian involvement in the efforts to settle the refugee problem and the final-status negotiations...Amman, which hosted several Palestinian envoys over the past few days, will most likely launch the initiative in the aftermath of Jordanian Prime Minister 'Abd-al- Salam al-Majali's visit to Gaza next week. The sources went on to say that the initiative takes on political and security dimensions and that it also provides for Jordanian participation in the efforts to achieve a settlement in the West Bank--one that would be satisfactory to both Israel and the Palestinians. This initiative will be based on the old, but new plan called "The United Arab State" [Kingdom]. This means that Jordan will share control over the West Bank with the Palestinians. The sources reiterated that Jordan briefed Egypt on its initiative and that it obtained European support as well as US blessing for this initiative. The United States, according to these sources, has gone as far as to say that the initiative is a US plan and that Jordan is moving to promote it and ensure its implementation. The sources said that the Palestinians, who are opposed to power-sharing on the West Bank with Israel, could opt for the Jordanian option. The sources pointed out that Jordan asked the Palestinian Authority to pave the way for this initiative by taking security measures to calm the explosive situation in the West Bank. According to these sources, the basic provisions of the initiative are the following: Effecting Israeli-Palestinian-Jordanian security coordination. Jordan will have a role to play in the West Bank, beginning with the (holy shrines) of Jerusalem. Jordan and the Palestinians will work together to determine the future of their relationship on the basis of a Jordanian-Palestinian federation. The United States will play a greater role to activate the Israeli-Palestinian final-status negotiations. All outstanding issues in the interim agreement and on the the final-status talks agenda will be settled simultaneously in a single package and within a specific timetable. Jordan shall be given a basic role in settling the refugee problem, and this will entail financial compensation and development programs. Jordan will be involved in the Israeli-Palestinian final- status talks. There shall be no Israeli-Palestinian solution detrimental to Jordanian interests..." AL QUDS in Jerusalem 7/22/97: "A high-level Jordanian official has denied that Jordan is about to present a new initiative as a way out of the crisis on the Palestinian-Israeli track, especially if the current Egyptian efforts fail. In a telephone contact with Al-Quds, Jordanian Foreign Minister Dr. Fayiz al-Tarawinah said that there is no Jordanian initiative and that the reports in some papers and news media about Jordan's intention to propose a new initiative are baseless. Al-Tarawinah said that Jordan continues to support the Egyptian efforts and hopes for their success..." London's AL WASAT 7/21/97--Interview with Palestinian President Yasir 'Arafat by Zaki Shihab in London: "[Shihab] You are being subjected to a lot of pressure to force you to abandon your stand on the Abu Ghunaym settlement in east Jerusalem. How long will you continue to adhere to this stand? ['Arafat] Actually we should know that it is not to do with the Abu Ghunaym issue; it is to do with the settlement principle, the principle of confiscating land and building settlement. They [the Israelis] have confiscated 90,000 dunams in a small city called Tubas, so what is left of it? There is a process of carving up and confiscating the land and building settlements on it. It is a settlement monster in every sense of the word... The aim -- and the world as a whole should know this -- is that they want the Jabal Abu Ghunaym area to replace Bethlehem, which is making preparations for the celebrations marking the birth of Christ, peace be upon him, in the year 2000. This is why Rabin and Peres refused to get involved, because they knew that the issue is a sensitive issue with regard to our Christian brothers. Jabal Abu Ghunaym is situated at the approaches to Bethlehem, and the aim behind confiscating it is to use it as a place for celebrations in the year 2000. [Shihab] If Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu continues his hard-line stand on the negotiations, what options do you and the Palestinians, who supported the peace process, have? ['Arafat] The Palestinian have all options; my people fear nothing. [Shihab] Does that mean that the military option... ['Arafat] (interrupting) All options are open, and no one can humiliate the Palestinian people. Believe me: It is either peace or chaos, not only between us and the Israelis, but throughout the Middle East. Peace with the Palestinians is the backbone of the peace process in the Middle East. In other words, there can be no peace with the Jordanians without peace with the Palestinians, nor can there be peace with the Egyptians without peace with the Palestinians. The same applies to our brothers in Syria and Lebanon and all Arabs. [Shihab] You wagered on the peace process and proceeded with it. Are you prepared to announce your failure if Israel continues to insist on its current stand in the negotiations? ['Arafat] I have enough courage to openly tell my people about all that I am experiencing. I am proud of this people, with whom we deal sincerely and clearly. I have always dealt -- and I continue to deal -- with them sincerely and clearly. The peace I called the "peace of the brave" is not a Palestinian option only; it is also an Israeli option, and it is a U.S., Russian, and Chinese requirement. In other words, it is an international, Arab, Islamic, and Christian requirement. Palestine is the Promised Land. Jerusalem is the crux of the issue; it is an Arab, Islamic, and Christian state; it is an international city... [Shihab] Despite the meetings held at the security level between the Israelis and the Palestinians in the presence of the United States, no further meetings have been held since. Why not? ['Arafat] From bitter experience, we were keen to demand that a third party attend in order to bear witness to any agreement or commitment undertaken by either party, but after three or four meetings the Israelis stopped attending these meetings because -- according to them -- they did not want the Americans to take part. Anyone hearing this might think that the United States is a strategic ally of ours, not Israel's. These things confirm my belief that Israeli officials want to procrastinate. [Shihab] And what have the meetings that Nabil Sha'th held with Israeli Defense Minister Yitzhaq Mordekhay achieved so far? ['Arafat] They achieved nothing...meetings, meetings, and meetings, but no significant results. [Shihab] [Israeli] Labor Party leader Ehud Baraq, who met with British Prime Minister Tony Blair, said that he spoke with you. Do you have cordial relations with him? ['Arafat] Ehud Baraq is keen to make the peace process succeed, and my relations with him are good. [Shihab] Among the issues important to the Palestinians abroad is the refugees issue. For example, we heard the head of the UNRWA (United Nations Relief and Works Agency) urging the Palestinians not to fall sick because the agency has not got the budget to look after them. What is your opinion? ['Arafat] Regrettably, instead of increasing their donations to UNRWA in view of its increasing responsibilities, the donors are reducing these donations. We are facing a difficult problem in all our camps, whether inside or outside the homeland. [Shihab] There have been reports for some time to the effect that you are going to visit Syria. Has a date been fixed for the visit? ['Arafat] Praise be to God, our relations with Syria are good. I am satisfied with these relations, which have not been severed... [Shihab] The Palestinian Authority is accused in international circles of corruption and mismanagement. What is the scale of corruption, and what is the outcome of the work of the committee you assigned to investigate this issue? ['Arafat] There is a well-known proverb which says: "They could find nothing wrong with the rose, so they said it was too red." That is part of the campaign against us; the aim is to damage our reputation and accuse us of abusing power. What I would like to say here is: Why do they not mention the cause of these negative aspects? Why do they not talk about the blockade and the pressures inflicting material losses on us totaling around $7-9 million a day, three times the donations we receive? Why do they not say that the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip live below the poverty line and are on the verge of starvation in order to conceal these crimes? Are we accused of corruption because we have not collected the costs of electricity and water from the refugee camps? How can I collect this money, when the people in these camps have no money to buy their food. If they classify this as corruption, I am proud of this corruption, because I have not issued orders to collect the money for the electricity or water board. Do they want me to cut off the refugees' water and electricity? I am not going to embark on a step of this kind. [Shihab] What about investments and commissions? ['Arafat] [interrupting] I encouraged the companies and investors to come to our country to invest in it. We provided the land at incentive [tashji'iyah] prices. Is that wrong? All governments encourage investments. Why do they not classify investments as corruption? [Shihab] What is your opinion of the criticisms leveled at the security services following the death of a number of people inside jails? ['Arafat] Anyone who errs is questioned and punished. I hope that those who are leveling such criticisms at me will judge those who err in the same manner they judge me. I would like to say something: Someone died in a jail a while ago, and I sentenced three officials to death in this connection. But when someone was killed inside an Israeli hospital -- and he was a prisoner -- nothing was said about him in international forums. Why did they not talk about the Israeli soldier who opened fire on Palestinian civilians in Hebron, wounding 13 people; he was released after a very short time in detention. [Shihab] To what extent are you satisfied with the Palestinian Authority's performance? ['Arafat] It is a miracle: We inherited a homeland whose infrastructure had been completely destroyed by the occupation. We started from zero. This miracle is being achieved by all the sons of the Palestinian people through their patience and steadfastness." Cairo's AL AKHBAR AL YAWM 7/19/97--Interview with Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in his office at the Prime Ministry": [Dabbus] Let me ask you an ideological question. How would you describe yourself? Are you a right-winger or do you belong to the center? In what ideas are you interested? [Netanyahu] I do not want to be put under any classification. I want to advance the peace process and security and this is what guides my policies on foreign affairs. For us in the Likud Party, accepting the Oslo accord before the elections was not easy. As far as I am concerned, redeployment in Hebron after the elections was more difficult. I believe that implementing what we agreed upon can create a secure peace. Many people did not believe we could do all this. All that I did deservedly puts me in the peace camp although the Arab world thinks otherwise. [Dabbus] But most of the Arab countries have no confidence in signing any treaty with you. Besides, your differences within your own government, such as your differences with Shamir, Dan Meridor, and Benny Begin, make them lose trust in you. [Netanyahu] Some of them criticize me because they did not get what they wanted; this is a new style in Israel. If someone cannot get what he wants from the prime minister, he says he does not trust the prime minister because he could not get what he wanted. The basic point is that we can pursue the path of peace. I have no doubt that this government is the one that can achieve peace and that a Labor government can initiate the peace process but cannot finish its difficult part...For example, redeployment in Hebron requires majority consent, something the labor government does not have. We in the Likud enjoy support from the majority of the Israeli people. Therefore, I believe that the historic moment of agreement between us and the Palestinians can only be reached through our government. [Dabbus] How do you see the Egyptian role in the peace process between the Palestinians and Israelis? [Netanyahu] The Egyptian role has been good, particularly in the past three months. I came under criticism when I accepted Husni Mubarak's offer of Egyptian mediation to restart the Palestinian-Israeli track. I see that Egypt's recent efforts have been fair and wise. Egypt did not know what Israel's viewpoint was but it sought the best way to enable the parties concerned to resume dialogue in order to reach an agreement, which is very useful... [Dabbus] But one of the principal points demanded by the Egyptian side, halting the settlement activity in Abu Ghunaym, has not been fulfilled. [Netanyahu] I did not get involved in the details of the talks that were held. But I believe they were reasonable and direct. I also believe that it is not right to be asked to do so. First, the settlements under the Labor government increased 50 percent and no one talked about it. All of a sudden we see the expansion in existing settlements become a major problem under the Likud government. It is clear that this issue is not the important thing but the Likud itself, which is the excuse for the objection. [Dabbus] But do you not see that you will lose a lot if you lose the Egyptian effort? [Netanyahu] I do not want to lose the Egyptian initiative and I intend to proceed. Egypt is the Arab country that has most weight and influence with the Palestinians and the one that could be positively used to reach an agreement. I hope that once the negotiations start again we can ask President Mubarak to help us if there is a need, with Chairman 'Arafat's approval. I know that this is different from what we are used to in Arab-Israeli relations... [Dabbus] You had already signed the disengagement agreement and the Hebron protocol. This was supposed to be followed by other steps. [Netanyahu] We have redeployed [our forces] in Hebron since then, released women prisoners, and partially lifted the closure of the areas. The number of Palestinian workers in Israel now is more than before the intifadah. [Dabbus] What about the airport, port, and safe passage? [Netanyahu] We are negotiating with the Palestinians now on the airport. There are some issues that are still under discussion. We did all this even though the Palestinian side did not fulfill its promises and did not jail those whom Netanyahu called the terrorist members of the al-Jihad and Hamas [Islamic Resistance Movement] organizations. The Palestinian side did not stop the campaigns advocating violence and violated the Hebron agreement itself. There were supposed to be buffer zones but these were used by anti-Israeli demonstrators. All these are a violation of the clauses of the agreement. The strange thing is that we, the Israelis, are the ones who implemented the agreement but are accused of violating it..." [Dabbus] Do you think that you can halt the settlement policy soon? [Netanyahu] I see that when we ask Israel to halt the construction process, it is as if we are asking the Palestinians to stop construction in Ramallah and Qalqilyah. [Dabbus] But you said you will also build homes for the Palestinians. [Netanyahu] Not in Ramallah or Qalqilyah, but in Jerusalem. [Dabbus] But the houses you are building for the Palestinians are outside the city of Jerusalem? [Netanyahu] What do you mean by the word "outside"? [Dabbus] I mean outside the city. The people in these houses are being asked to hand over their Jerusalem identity cards. [Netanyahu] One of the things I have done since I took over was to meet with Interior Ministry officials. I told them there were complaints that they were very strict in applying the laws enacted in 1967 which concern the withdrawal of Palestinian identity cards. I asked for a list of people whose identity cards had been withdrawn during the past two years. There were about 2,000 persons. [Dabbus] But I saw some Palestinians yesterday whose identity cards had been withdrawn and others whose houses had been demolished? [Netanyahu] There are differences between these two cases. As to those whose houses we demolished, we demolished more houses belonging to Jews than ones belonging to Palestinians. We respect the law. As to the identity cards, a number of Arabs have been notified that their cards would be returned to them. I follow a liberal policy in order to provide a better life for the Palestinians...Despite these difficulties, the number of Palestinian workers in Israeli cities has increased and this makes life better for them. [Dabbus] But I think that they believe the opposite. I spoke to a number of them and they said that they are very tense because of the prevailing conditions. [Netanyahu] There were 25,000 Palestinian workers when I became prime minister. There are now 70,000 working in Israeli territories. [Dabbus] I visited the Israeli areas where Israelis live. The fact is that there is a very big difference between these areas and the Palestinian ones such as the infrastructure, streets, and so on. They make you feel as if you are in a completely different place. [Netanyahu] You are very right in this. But had you seen the situation one year ago, then you would have seen that the situation was much worse. The infrastructure is not the only difference. Palestinian workers could not reach their place of work which caused a steep drop in their income. I changed all that. The second decision we made for the first time in Israel's history--and I am proud of it--was the allocation of around $40 million to repair the infrastructure in the Arab communities in Jerusalem, such as electricity, roads, and so on, despite the pressure on the budget. We are trying to do something. [Dabbus] You said that the Oslo agreement is dead? [Netanyahu] I did not say this. I said the contrary, for we cling to the Oslo agreements. [Dabbus] If you adhere to the Oslo agreements, how do you see the final outcome? [Netanyahu] The Oslo agreements left the final status alone and did not define the final form. They said that the final status will be negotiated among the parties concerned. There is a common view in the Arab world that the Oslo agreements defined the final form. [Dabbus] But I believe that the Oslo agreements also said that no amendments should be made to the current situation before the negotiations are completed? [Netanyahu] Rabin stood up in the Knesset and said that these changes do not include building in Jerusalem or in the settlements. In fact, there are specific documents with the officials of his government and this is well known to the Palestinians and Israeli public opinion. As a matter of fact, the Rabin government expanded the settlements enormously and the greatest expansion of settlements took place in the four years of the Rabin and Peres rule..." THE JERUSALEM TIMES 7/18/97: "Stressing that while the human rights record in the Palestinian areas has improved since the resignation from office of former Attorney General Khalid al-Qidrah more than two months ago, Iyad al-Sarraj, Commissioner General of the Palestinian Independent Commission for Citizen's Rights, has said there are still violations which demand immediate action to prevent their recurrence...A total of 541 cases were investigated by the Commission during the 18 months covered by the report. Of these, 18 were carried out from the previous period leaving a total of 523 new cases handled in the report's period of relevance...The Commission said it has recorded 184 violations of basic citizen's rights by official organs, a high proportion. It said 73.3 percent of the closed cases were violations of basic rights. The Attorney General's office was the organ at which most complaints were filed, 35 percent of the total complaints received by the Commission. It was followed by the General Intelligence with 25.9 per cent of the complaints, followed by the police at 19.4 percent, the Preventive Security at 14.4 percent, military intelligence at 7.3 percent, Force 17 at 3.8 percent, the National Guard at 3.8 percent, the Ministry of Education 3.5 percent, and the Ministry of Health, 3.5 percent. The violations referred to the abuse of weapons, death in custody due to torture during interrogation security group intervention in court proceedings, absence of due process in arrest, imprisonment, interrogation, release, and appearance in court, violations of the right of expression and peaceful gathering, unequal opportunities in the allocation of employment and various other violations of basic rights. To put an end to these violations and improve the human rights record in the Palestinian areas, the Commission made several suggestions. It recommends that President Yasir 'Arafat issue a presidential decree clearly and unequivocally banning all form of torture, most particularly during interrogation. The Commission also recommended separation of powers in which none of the three powers -- executive, legislative, judicial -- intervene in the work of the other while each cooperate with the other to guarantee basic freedoms for citizens. It also recommended accountability and transparency in the work of government officials, freedom of opinion, expression, and gathering for all citizens, control over the number and work of security groups, the improvement of prison conditions and the regulation of an open fire policy among several other recommendations..." Gaza's AL HAYAH AL JADIDAH 7/21/97: "The Fatah Movement yesterday warned of the dangers of an "explosion" of the situation in the Palestinian territories after Israel detained four Palestinian policemen, claiming that they planned to carry out attacks on Israelis. The Fatah Movement issued a statement that says: If they--the Israelis--want a war and an explosion; and if they continue their provocative steps, then it will be so. They will be the losers; for they will not enjoy security or peace unless our people enjoy freedom and independence..." AP 7/24/97: "A government-appointed inquiry into a fatal bridge collapse during the opening of the Maccabiah Games blames the accident on negligence and ``a chain of failures.'' The committee, made up of engineering professors from Israel's Technion university, issued a report Wednesday that found negligence on the part of almost everyone involved, from organizers of the games to the bridge engineer to those who built it. ``The engineer and the contractors share responsibility,'' committee member Mony Ben Basat said Wednesday, adding that organizers also failed to ensure quality work. Two bowlers were killed in the July 14 collapse and 67 were injured. <p> The report criticized the bridge's workmanship, saying damaged or substandard materials were used by unqualified builders. It said some materials were improperly positioned, footings were not anchored and welding was incomplete...Edgar Small, whose son Gregory was killed in the collapse, said today that the Israeli government also must acknowledge complicity in the tragedy. ``The government has a duty of care that they must ensure the safety and welfare of the athletes,'' Small said in Sydney. ``When a bridge is built it has to be checked by some sort of government body.'' He described the inquiry's conclusions as ``a whitewash so that the government can avoid their legal responsibilities.''... AP 7/24/97: "A bill that would make it harder for any Israeli government to cede the Golan Heights passed a preliminary vote in the Parliament on Wednesday. To the amazement of many legislators, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and some of his ministers voted for the measure, evidently feeling that whatever their position as a government, they could not face their constituents if they showed weakness on a territorial question. The bill, making any concession on the Golan Heights conditional on approval by Parliament and a national referendum, is not likely to survive in its current form. Nonetheless, it was denounced by Syria, and was likely to render chances of new negotiations even more remote..." THE JERUSALEM POST 7/22/97: "The government received a slap in the face from the opposition yesterday when a motion of no-confidence in the prime minister carried by a vote of 49-44, with one abstention. Despite its seeming victory, however, the opposition could not muster the 61 votes needed to bring down the government. The motion was filed by Labor, Meretz, and Hadash over growing unemployment. It was the second time this government has failed to muster enough votes to defeat a motion of no-confidence. The vote was marked by the absence of the National Religious Party MKs, who decided to continue their boycott over a dispute concerning the appointment of religious court judges..." London's INDEPENDENT 7/15/97: "The British empire has long since crumbled. Now that Hong Kong is gone, there are hardly any red dots left on the map -- let alone the red swaths that covered so much of the globe 50 or 100 years ago. And yet, a long line of countries is now keen to declare a kind of loyalty to the Queen. The latest supplicant: Palestine. Yasir 'Arafat, the terrorist-turned-statesman Palestinian leader, yesterday met Tony Blair, the Prime Minister. They discussed the Middle East, and the need to push the peace process forward. Important stuff, certainly. Today however, Mr 'Arafat will hold a potentially more fruitful meeting in London -- with Chief Emeka Anyaoku, Secretary-General of the Commonwealth. In his meeting, Mr 'Arafat will press Palestine's claim to join the club, the last vestige of Britain's imperial legacy...For Mr 'Arafat, the attraction of the commonwealth is not just the cosy relationships that come free with every member's welcome pack, but also the signal that membership sends -- that Palestine is a real country, not just an almost-state. Mr 'Arafat first bid for a form of "associate status" -- but was told that there could be no halfway house. The Commonwealth's apparent strength -- one of the reasons for Mr 'Arafat to be interested in membership -- is also one reason why Mr 'Arafat's application has run into some resistance. The human rights record of the Palestinian authorities has been patchy, at best. And yet, the new-look Commonwealth is keen to insist on a basic commitment to human rights -- hence Nigeria's suspension from the club for the past two years. Mr 'Arafat may be required to give guarantees which, on past form, he would find difficult to meet. The Palestinian bid for membership is partly based on Britain's historic link with Palestine -- and therefore serves as a reminder why Britain should be interested in the region. Some Commonwealth diplomats even suggest that Israel might seek to join in due course. That still seems implausible. Britain may, however, find itself propelled closer to centre stage, in the tangled attempts to find a long-term peace settlement in the region." AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 7/19/97: "Palestinian leader Yasir 'Arafat has appointed his top legal adviser as the new attorney general of the self-rule authority, the new appointee said Saturday. Fayi Sha'ban Abu-Rahmah, 67, confirmed to AFP that he began work on Saturday after 'Arafat picked him late Thursday night to fill the attorney general post left vacant by Khalid al-Qidrah, who resigned a month ago. Abu-Rahmah was 'Arafat's top adviser on legal issues...He participated in the first meetings between 'Arafat's Palestine Liberation Organization and former US secretary of state James Baker which eventually led to the launching of Madrid peace process with Israel in 1991, sources close to Abu-Rahmah said. He is also the cousin of Khalid al-Wazir, 'Arafat's second in command known by his nom de guerre "Abu-Jihad", who was assassinated in Tunis in 1988, apparently by Israeli agents. Abu-Rahmah's predecessor, al-Qidrah, resigned for health reasons but many human rights groups accused him of taking bribes to release suspects on bail and of giving police too free a hand to make arbitrary arrests of suspects."