Monday, April 23, 2001

* SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS ISRAELI DOCTOR IN KFAR SAVA, BOMBS EXPLODE IN OR
YEHUDA, HAIFA
* BEIT SHEMESH MAN MURDERED ON WAY HOME
* BELGIAN FM MEETS SHARON, PERES
* ISRAEL TO SEND HUMANITARIAN AID TO YUGOSLAVIA
* KUWAIT SEIZES JORDANIAN TRUCKS WITH ISRAELI GOODS
ECONOMIC BRIEFS

SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS ISRAELI DOCTOR IN KFAR SAVA, BOMBS EXPLODE IN OR
YEHUDA, HAIFA
  Dr. Mario Goldin, 53, from Kfar Sava, was murdered on Sunday and 61 people
wounded when a Palestinian terrorist strapped with a large bomb blew himself
up at a bus stop at a main intersection, a few hundred meters from Meir
Hospital in Kfar Sava, HA'ARETZ reported. Goldin, married with three
children, was in charge of the pain clinic at the Beit Levinstein
rehabilitation center, and also worked at Meir Hospital treating many
victims of terror attacks.
  Most of the 61 wounded suffered from shock and minor injuries and were
later released. A 14-year-old boy underwent surgery and is in critical but
stable condition at Meir Hospital.
  There have been 10 bombings or attempted attacks in the Sharon region over
the past few weeks, including those in Kfar Sava, Petah Tikva, Netanya,
Neveh Yamim, Or Yehuda and Hod Hasharon. Hamas claimed responsibility on
Monday for the attack and said that the suicide bomber was Imad Kamel
al-Zbaidi, a resident of the West Bank city of Nablus.
  According to THE JERUSALEM POST, in response to the bombing, Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon said, "The Palestinian Authority is not working in
accordance with the agreements it is committed to regarding preventing acts
of terror against Israel." Sharon re-iterated that Israel's primary goal is
to restore security to the citizens of Israel.
  Meanwhile, a car bomb exploded today in a crowded market in the Tel Aviv
suburb of Or Yehuda. Early reports indicated that eight people were lightly
injured in the suspected terror attack. Police said the explosion was caused
by a nail-filled pipe bomb in the trunk of the car that was stolen from a
Jerusalem resident.
  In another incident, a bomb exploded in Haifa on Sunday near a restaurant
at a busy intersection. Three policemen were lightly injured and treated in
a nearby hospital. Haifa police spokesman Yehuda Maman said on Monday that
it was highly probable that Palestinian terrorists were responsible for the
attack. Explosives were hidden in a bag and "a passer-by touched the bag,
felt something heavy inside and called the police. When people were being
cleared away, it went off," Maman said.
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BEIT SHEMESH MAN MURDERED ON WAY HOME
  Stanislav Sandomirski, 38, of Beit Shemesh, was murdered over the weekend
and his body was found in the trunk of his car Saturday night, parked dozens
of meters from the entrance to Surda, north of Ramallah, HA'ARETZ reported.
Sandomirski, missing since Friday afternoon, had been visiting friends in
Neveh Ya'akov and was due home to pick up his daughters from the Beit
Shemesh community center. Sandomirski, his wife, a nurse at
Hadassah-University Hospital on Mount Scopus, and their daughters, Lisa, 8,
and Ira, 12, recently moved to Beit Shemesh from Jerusalem. They emigrated
from Ukraine six years ago.
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BELGIAN FM MEETS SHARON, PERES
  Belgian Foreign Minister Louis Michel met on Sunday with Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon and Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres, HA'ARETZ
reported. His visit is a part of a regional "study tour" in preparation for
Belgium's assumption of the rotating presidency of the European Union in
July.
  In his meeting with Sharon, Michel raised the idea of greater EU
involvement in the peace process with the Palestinians. Sharon said he would
be in favor of the idea if the EU would take a more balanced policy than it
had in the past.
  According to THE JERUSALEM POST, Michel said during a press conference
with Peres that he would not advocate economic or diplomatic sanctions
against Israel and that he heard some "very fine arguments" on issues of
importance to the European community.
  Michel is slated to visit the Temple Mount today as part of a tour of the
Old City that will include a visit to the Church of the Holy Sepulcher and
the Western Wall.
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ISRAEL TO SEND HUMANITARIAN AID TO YUGOSLAVIA
  Israel Defense Forces and the Ministry of Defense, in cooperation with the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs will send seven tons of humanitarian equipment
to Yugoslavia on Tuesday morning, IDF RADIO reported. The aid was donated by
the IDF, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and private donors and will include
medicine, medical supplies and other equipment for the handicapped. The
equipment will be handed to the Serbians in a ceremony at Belgrade Airport
and attended by the Israeli Ambassador to Belgrade, representatives from the
Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Security Agency and ministers
from the Serbian government.
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KUWAIT SEIZES JORDANIAN TRUCKS WITH ISRAELI GOODS
  Kuwaiti customs officials seized several Jordanian trucks today trying to
bring fruit from Israel into the country, in violation of a local ban on
Israeli products, HA'ARETZ reported.
  An official at the General Administration of Customs said the goods were
seized after Hebrew writing was found on some of the cartons, while other
cartons were labeled as "Palestinian products." The number of trucks
involved was not confirmed, but the goods were exported to Kuwait by four or
five Jordanian firms. Kuwait, along with other Arab states, has enforced an
economic boycott on trade with Israeli companies and banned the entry of
Israeli products.
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