Monday, April 2, 2001

*IDF SOLDIER KILLED, CIVILIAN SEVERELY WOUNDED;
THOUSANDS ATTEND PASS FUNERAL
*MAGEN DAVID ADOM PARAMEDICS SAVE PALESTINIAN INFANT
*GUATEMALA CITY MAYOR URGES HIS COUNTRY TO MOVE EMBASSY
TO JERUSALEM
*ISRAEL'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK LAUNCHES INTERNET  SERVICE
*ECONOMIC BRIEFS

IDF SOLDIER KILLED, CIVILIAN SEVERELY WOUNDED; THOUSANDS ATTEND PASS FUNERAL
  Israel Defense Forces reserve soldier Ya'akov Krenchel, 23, from Nahariya,
was laid to rest today, HA'ARETZ reported. Krenchel was killed by a
Palestinian gunman near Nablus on Sunday. He was buried in Nahariya's
military cemetery.
  According to MA'ARIV ON-LINE, an Israeli civilian was severely wounded
today after being shot by Palestinian gunmen at Rachel's Tomb near
Bethlehem. He was evacutated to Hadassah Ein Karem Hospital for treatment.
IDF forces responded with fire, engaging in heavy exchanges with Palestinian
gunmen.
  Meanwhile, a Palestinian assaulted a female IDF soldier today in
Jerusalem's Talpiot commercial shopping area, stealing her M-16
semi-automatic rifle. The Palestinian reportedly hit the soldier on the head
with an iron bar, lightly wounding her and then fled with her weapon.
Israeli police are searching for the man, using police helicopters and
ground units to locate him. The soldier was treated on the scene by Magen
David Adom medics and was transferred to Hadassah University Hospital in Ein
Kerem for further treatment.
  In another incident today, two Palestinians attacked a pair of border
policemen north of Jerusalem. The assault took place during the course of a
vehicle check at the A Ram junction at the city's northern entrance. One of
the officers sustained minor injuries and was taken to a nearby hospital for
treatment. The Palestinians were arrested.
  According to IDF RADIO, the IDF targeted Islamic Jihad terrorist leader
Muhammed Abdel Al today, killing him. He was considered the mastermind
behind several bombing attacks against Israeli targets, including the
suicide bombing in Beit Lid in 1995, killing 23 Israelis. The IDF also
arrested Palestinian Authority squadron commander Gen. Issam Bilidi on
Sunday night at the Allenby Bridge crossing. Bilidi was returning to the
West Bank after a visit to Lebanon. Security sources said Bilidi is
suspected of taking part in terror activities against Israel.
  The elite IDF Duvdevan unit arrested five members of Force 17 and another
Palestinian suspected of preparing bombs and shooting Israelis. The
operation focused on nabbing the senior Force 17 commander Tayil Nas'an, who
is suspected of numerous shooting attacks against Israelis. Since September,
the IDF has prevented a total of 4,135 terrorist attacks.
  Meanwhile, thousands of people attended Sunday's funeral of Shalhevet
Pass, the 10-month-old Jewish baby killed by a Palestinian sniper in Hebron
last week. Pass was buried in Hebron's ancient Jewish cemetery.
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MAGEN DAVID ADOM PARAMEDICS SAVE PALESTINIAN INFANT
  Magen David Adom paramedics helped resuscitate an unconscious
eight-month-old Palestinian infant with a high fever, YEDIOT AHARONOT
reported. The infant was brought to the entrance of the Shavei Shomron
Jewish community in the West Bank by his parents on Sunday.
  The infant was treated in the community's new trauma unit, which opened
four days ago, and after his condition improved and his fever broke, the
paramedics coordinated with the Palestinian Red Crescent Ambulance Service
and transferred the child to a hospital in Nablus.
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GUATEMALA CITY MAYOR URGES HIS COUNTRY TO MOVE EMBASSY TO JERUSALEM
  Guatemala City Mayor Fritz Garcia Gallont urged his country on Saturday
night to move its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, THE JERUSALEM POST
reported. He was addressing the concluding ceremony of the 21st
International Jerusalem Conference of Mayors. Currently, El Salvador and
Costa Rica are the only two countries with embassies in Jerusalem.
  New York City Mayor Rudolph Giulliani, who was unable to attend the
conference for health reasons, sent Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert a letter
which said that a picture of 10-month-old Shalhevet Pass, murdered by a
Palestinian sniper in Hebron last week, now hangs in his office as a show of
solidarity with Israel.
  Forty Six mayors from 26 countries participated in the week-long
conference. Participants toured Israel and met with President Moshe Katsav,
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres.
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ISRAEL'S FIRST INTERNATIONAL BANK LAUNCHES INTERNET  SERVICE
  The First International Bank of Israel launched a new on-line service
today, enabling customers of all Israeli banks to view their activities in
all their accounts simultaneously, HA'ARETZ reported.
  By concentrating banking information on a single platform, clients can
compare terms in various accounts with regard to both deposits and loans as
well as monitor activities in checking accounts, securities portfolios and
credit cards.
  The system will also enables customers to compare fees charged by
different banks and to receive preferential offers from the First
International Bank, Israel's fifth-largest lending institution. The system
can be downloaded free of charge from First International's website.

The Chardonnay wines from Israeli Wineries Dalton and Barkan wineries
received the silver medal in France's prestigious wine competition today,
IDF RADIO reported. Nine hundred wines from 35 countries competed.
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