Wednesday, April 18, 2001

*ISA, POLICE ARREST TERRORIST RING
*PALESTINIANS CONTINUE FIRING FROM BEIT HANOUN IN GAZA
*SHARON MEETS WITH JORDANIAN FM
*NATION TO COMMEMORATE HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
*VIRTUAL TEMPLE MOUNT EXHIBIT OPENS
*IRAN DENIES ENTRANCE TO ISRAELIS STRANDED AT TEHRAN AIRPORT
**ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RESOLUTION

**PM SHARON SPEAKS WITH PRESIDENT BUSH

*ECONOMIC BRIEFS

ISA, POLICE ARREST TERRORIST RING
  The Israeli Security Agency, in a coordinated action with Jerusalem
police, captured members of a Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine
terrorist cell responsible for a number of attacks in the capital over the
past several months, THE JERUSALEM POST ON-LINE reported.
  The cell members are suspected of perpetrating a string of Jerusalem car
bombings, primarily the recent attacks on the Beit Yisrael and Mea She'arim
neighborhoods. Cell members are also suspected of being involved in a failed
grenade attack on the American Consulate in eastern Jerusalem. This
particular PFLP cell was active both in Jerusalem and the Palestinian
Authority-controlled city of Ramallah.
Top

PALESTINIANS CONTINUE FIRING FROM BEIT HANOUN IN GAZA
  Hours after Israel Defense Forces troops left the position they took up in
Beit Hanoun, Palestinians fired several shells today at the nearby Israeli
Erez industrial area and at Neve Dekalim, IDF RADIO reported.
  According to HA'ARETZ, the IDF took over the Gaza position after
Palestinian mortars landed in the town Sderot on Monday evening. The
82-millimeter shells, which police said have an estimated range of about
1,500 meters, landed at 6:00pm in the westernmost part of the town near a
cluster of single-family homes. One shell landed close to the Mayor's home.
  Israel Defense Forces fired back at the source of the mortars in Beit
Hanoun, in the northeast corner of Gaza. Later on Monday evening, the IDF
targeted Force 17 installations.
  Regarding the Sderot mortars, Patricia Lugasi, a mother of five who saw a
mortar fall into a wadi not far from her house, said, "we're shocked,
surprised. We never thought Sderot would turn into a border town. It's a
hard feeling when a bomb goes off 10 meters from your house...it's weird,
soldiers are calling home to see if their parents are okay."
  A senior IDF source said. "The Palestinians are trying to make Israeli
civilians feel insecure everywhere in Israel." Another source said that the
IDF is operating under the assumption that the Palestinians also have
mortars in the West Bank. He said that the fact that they haven't used the
mortars from the West Bank "fortifies our thesis that they are being
systematic about the use of mortars. This is not some uncontrollable gang. I
believe they understand the significance of firing mortars in the West
Bank."
  Meanwhile, Minister of Education Limor Livnat said today that her ministry
would ease matriculation exams for high school students in the West Bank,
Gaza and embattled areas like the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem. "These
relief measures are not aimed at granting anyone 'goodies.' They are aimed
at easing the fear, the life-and-death danger, the daily suffering that
these kids have undergone for more than half a year," Livnat said.
Top

SHARON MEETS WITH JORDANIAN FM
  Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held a working meeting on Tuesday with
Jordanian Foreign Minister Abdul-el-Khatib. Sharon stressed the importance
of Jordan as a stabilizing force in the region and noted the importance of
relations between the two countries. In addition, Sharon sent greetings to
Jordanian King Abdullah.
  Khatib emphasized his hope that negotiations with the Palestinians will
resume and Sharon reiterated his commitment to peace and the restoration of
security to the citizens of Israel. Sharon added, "Our Government will not
negotiate during violence and terror. The responsibility for bringing about
a cessation of the violence and terror rests with the Palestinian Authority.
After the terror is halted Israel will be pleased to commence negotiations
for a diplomatic settlement between it and the Palestinians."
Top

NATION TO COMMEMORATE HOLOCAUST REMEMBRANCE DAY
  Cafes, cinemas, discos, sports facilities, restaurants, bars, kiosks and
stores will close this evening as the commemoration of Holocaust Remembrance
Day begins at sundown, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The official State
ceremony will be held this evening at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in
Jerusalem and will be attended by President Moshe Katsav and Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon. The ceremonial torch will be lit at 8:00pm by six Holocaust
survivors now living in Israel, Dina Levine Baitler, Yosef Finkelstein,
Chana Weismann, Abraham Goldberg, Mordechai Wiesel and Zinaide Mudrick. A
memorial service and public symposium will follow.
  On Thursday morning at 10:00am, sirens will sound throughout the country
for two minutes. Traffic will stop, and people will stand in memory of the
victims of the Holocaust. Following the siren, public figures and school
children will join high-ranking Government officials, including Katsav and
Sharon, in laying wreaths at Yad Vashem.
Top

VIRTUAL TEMPLE MOUNT EXHIBIT OPENS
  A model of the Temple Mount, including an interactive virtual reality tour
of the site as it looked thousands of years ago, opened in the Old City of
Jerusalem, HATZOFEH reported.
  The model was built based on archeological and historical data over a
two-year period. Archeologists, computer technicians and a team of
architects, including professionals from the United States, worked on the
exhibit  which includes cutting edge technology, used for the first time.
The Israeli Antiquities Authority and the Council for the Development of
Eastern Jerusalem supported the project which was financed by a NIS 70
million (approximately $17.5 million) grant from the Davidson family.
  Other highlights of the exhibit include tours of the Temple Mount, the
tunnels beneath the Western Wall, the Mt. of Olives and the Kidron River.
Top

IRAN DENIES ENTRANCE TO ISRAELIS STRANDED AT TEHRAN AIRPORT
  Five Israelis on a flight from Vienna to the Malaysian capital Kuala
Lumpur spent 24-hours at the Tehran International airport yesterday after
Iranian officials denied them entry into the country, THE JERUSALEM POST
reported.
  The flight landed at the Iranian capital after a passenger on board got
sick mid-flight.
The plane's other 195 passengers and crew were transferred to a nearby hotel
for overnight lodgings, while the Israelis were forced to remain at the
airport.

Kfar Sava will be the first city in Israel to recycle and produce energy
from 90 percent of its municipal waste, HA'ARETZ reported. The municipality
will operate the recycling device in cooperation with Chetz Ecology, the
developers of the recycling equipment.
Top

ISRAEL'S RESPONSE TO THE UN HUMAN RIGHTS COMMISSION RESOLUTION
  Israel rejects the resolution, which was passed today (April 18)
at the annual session of the Human Rights Commission in Geneva,
with the participation of 53 states.

The resolution concerning human rights violations in the
territories, which was passed with the backing of the Arab
countries and their supporters is not balanced. This resolution
condemns one side while ignoring the continuing violence
orchestrated by the Palestinians who chose not to continue peace
negotiations after the Camp David Summit.

Instead of encouraging the Palestinians to resolve disagreements
through negotiations, this one-sided resolution encourages them
to continue the process of internationalization of the conflict,
along with the use of violence and terrorism.

Israel has been repeatedly unfairly singled out at the commission
on Human Rights. The only agenda item devoted to a specific state
relates to Israel and Israel alone. We are deprived of a the
right to become a member of any regional grouping, thus we also
cannot be a full member of this Commission.

Top

PM SHARON SPEAKS WITH PRESIDENT BUSH

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon spoke this evening with U.S.
President George W. Bush. The conversation was friendly and very
good. Prime Minister Sharon emphasized to the President Israel's
commitment to peace, but stated that our utmost commitment is to
the security of our citizens.

The Prime Minister described today's incidents: the firing of
mortars at communities, the laying of explosive charges and the
shots fired at Jerusalem on the eve of Holocaust Remembrance Day.
The Prime Minister said that in the absence of preventive steps
by the Palestinian Authority, the Israel Defense Forces will have
no choice but to carry out preventive measures.

Regarding the IDF's activities in Area A, the Prime Minister said
the activity was intended, from the very outset, to be of a short
duration and were carried out as planned.

The Prime Minister told the President that peace negotiations
would only take place once the situation quieted down, and that
violence will not be awarded a prize. President Bush said the
United States is doing, and will continue to do, its utmost to
influence the Palestinian Authority to halt the terror and
violence from its territory, and that the United States would do
whatever it could to help calm down and stabilize the situation.

The two leaders agreed to remain in ongoing and close contact.
Top

ECONOMIC BRIEFS
*  Amdocs which provides customer relationship management (CRM), billing and
directory system solutions to the communications and IP industry, announced
that it has signed a five-year outsourcing agreement with BellSouth, GLOBES
reported.  Under the agreement, Amdocs will provide BellSouth Advertising &
Publishing Corporation with an outstanding solution for its publishing
systems, including software maintenance and support services for existing
solutions. BellSouth is a Fortune 100 communications services company
serving more than 44 million customers in the United States and 16 other
countries.
* XACCT Technologies of Israel, which is involved in the collection and
processing of information in communications networks, was chosen by high
tech and investment magazine Red Herring as one of the top 50 private
companies in the world, GLOBES reported. For the past five years, the
magazine has been selecting the leading 50 private and public companies. The
companies are chosen according to criteria used by venture capital funds and
banks to evaluate investments.  These criteria, based on indices that
forecast companies' ability to break into new markets and create additional
markets, include a company's business strategy, its products and services
and the financial performance of both the company and its competitors.