Tuesday, April 3, 2001

* IDF SOLIDER KILLED, ISRAELI BABY SEVERELY INJURED
* U.S. TO EGYPT: RETURN AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL
* IKEA OPENS IN ISRAEL
* BEN GURION UNIVERSITY DISTRIBUTES EYEGLASSES TO ELDERLY BEDOUINS
**PM Sharon and FM Peres React to Mortar Attack on Atzmona

ECONOMIC BRIEFS

IDF SOLIDER KILLED, ISRAELI BABY SEVERELY INJURED
  Israel Defense Forces soldier Sgt. Danny Darai, 19, of Arad, was killed on
Monday by a Palestinian sniper while guarding Rachel's Tomb near Bethlehem,
THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Darai was evacuated to Hadassah University
Hospital in Ein Kerem, and later died from gunshot wounds to the chest.
After the shooting, troops on the scene identified at least four sources of
Palestinian fire and intensive exchanges broke out, lasting for most of the
afternoon. Darai is the second Israeli solider to be killed in 24 hours: IDF
reservist Ya'akov Krenchel, 23, was killed on Sunday by a Palestinian sniper
near Nablus.
  According to YEDIOT AHRONOT ON-LINE, in a separate incident, Ariel Yered,
a  baby, around the age of one year was severely wounded and his mother, Lea
Yered, was moderately wounded today after four Palestinian mortar bombs were
fired at their home in the Jewish community of Atzmona in Gush Katif. The
baby boy suffered head and spinal wounds after being hit by sharp nails that
shot out of the mortar shells. The mother and son were in the backyard at
the time of the attack, preparing for Passover. A third person was also
lightly injured in the attack.
  Meanwhile, according to HA'ARETZ, a car bomb exploded near the Shavei
Shomron junction near Nablus. No injuries were reported. The IDF closed off
roads in the area for several hours, searching for the perpetrators as well
as for additional bombs. An Israeli woman was lightly injured near Tulkarem
Monday night, after Palestinians hurled blocks at her car. In a separate
incident, Palestinians fired mortar shells at Israeli positions at the Erez
Junction on Monday. No one was hurt. Also, exchanges of gunfire between
soldiers and Palestinians occurred in various spots throughout the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip on Monday.
    According to HA'ARETZ-ON LINE, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell spoke by telephone late Monday night in an
attempt to find a way to end the escalating violence and renew security
cooperation between the two sides.
  IDF Chief of Staff Lt.-Gen. Shaul Mofaz said today that Israel was ready
to commence negotiations with the Palestinians so that the two peoples could
live in peaceful co-existence, but that the current Palestinian violence
made such talks impossible. "We have found that the way of violence and
terror is the primary way which the Palestinian Authority has decided to
achieve its goal," Mofaz said. "We say that we are prepared to negotiate
with you immediately, in order to be able to co-exist peacefully. This
cannot happen until the terrorism stops, and until we can give Israeli
citizens a feeling of security and peace."
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U.S. TO EGYPT: RETURN AMBASSADOR TO ISRAEL
   The United States urged Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his Foreign
Minister Amr Moussa to return Ambassador Mohammad Bassiouni to Israel,
HA'ARETZ reported. Bassiouni was recalled to Cairo for consultations in
November and has yet to return to Israel. At a speech before the House of
Representatives Foreign Relations Committee, Assistant Secretary of State
for Near East Affairs Edward Walker said that it was in Egypt's best
interest to maintain an open and permanent channel of communication with
Israel via its ambassador in Tel Aviv. Walker said that it would help
prevent misunderstandings and would also help Mubarak to better understand
the situation in Israel.
  The U.S. administration also expressed its dissatisfaction with the
anti-Semitic content, particularly cartoons, carried in the Egyptian press.
The head of the Anti-Defamation League, Abraham Foxman, provided Congress
with many examples of such anti-Semitic material. Walker said that the
anti-Semitic material was "intolerable" and said that its purpose was to
"incite violence." Such material, Walker said, went against the "spirit of
peace that [the U.S. wished] to encourage in the area."
  Meanwhile, according to THE JERUSALEM POST, Mubarak met on Monday with
U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington and expressed his desire to work
with the U.S. administration to try to restore calm in the region and
restart peace negotiations. "We are working very hard, and we are going to
cooperate very hard in the direction of peace, because our main concern is
peace and stability in the area of the Middle East," Mubarak said while
speaking with reporters at the White House following his meeting with Bush.
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IKEA OPENS IN ISRAEL
  Home Furnishing and Design store Ikea is slated to open its first store in
Israel today, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. At 23,000 square meters
(approximately 247,300 square feet) the store, located near Netanya, is the
largest store in the Middle East. The two-floor store will offer over 6,000
items, ranging from sofas and light fixtures to kitchen utensils.
  Store Manager Eyal Slouk said he expected 15,000 customers on the first
day alone. "We are ready for something of an onslaught," he said. Ikea
Israel invested more than NIS 60 million (approximately $15 million) in the
store, which trained its 312 employees for over one month. General Manager
Dov Rochman said that the idea of Ikea Israel has been in development since
1993.
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BEN GURION UNIVERSITY DISTRIBUTES EYEGLASSES TO ELDERLY BEDOUINS
  Ben-Gurion University of the Negev distributed free eyeglasses on Tuesday
to 70 elderly Bedouin residents of the Negev town of Rahat, THE JERUSALEM
REPORT reported.
  A local Bedouin optometrist assisted the team, headed by Dr. Esther
Iecovich a staff member of the university. The team examined 88 Rahat
residents over the age of 65 and distributed 70 pairs of glasses to the
individuals who suffered form nearsightedness or other visual problems that
prevented them from functioning normally.
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PM Sharon and FM Peres React to Mortar Attack on Atzmona

On the evening of April 3, Palestinians fired three mortar shells at Atzmona
in Gush Katif, seriously wounding a 15 month-old boy and lightly wounding
his mother and another person. Doctors at Soroka Hospital in Beersheva are
now fighting to save the baby's life.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon condemns the shocking attack which took
place earlier today (Tuesday, 3 April 2001), against the community of
Atzmona in Gush Katif in the Gaza Strip, and adds his prayers for the
welfare of the baby who was severely wounded.

Prime Minister Sharon reiterates that his government's first and
foremost obligation is to restore Israeli residents' security and
adds that it will continue to work towards this goal.

The Palestinian Authority is not working to prevent attacks and is
leaving Israel with no choice but to act tenaciously and vigorously'
to frustrate terrorist attacks and protect Israeli citizens
security.

In reaction to the attack, Israel Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, now
visiting Paris, stated: "The entire Nation of Israel is together with the
baby in his struggle for his life, and prays for his welfare." Peres added
that Israel demands that the Palestinian Authority fulfill its commitment,
appearing in Yasser Arafat's 1993 letter to the late Yitzhak Rabin, in which
the PLO renounces the path of terrorism, and takes upon itself to resolve
disputes solely through dialogue, rather than violence.
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