ZOA's Klein and Peace Now's Fein

ARUTZ7 3/10/99: "Zionist Organization of America President Morton Klein and Leonard Fein, a member of the national board of Americans for Peace Now, have set aside their ideological differences to write a joint letter to U.S. Assistant Secretary of State Martin Indyk.

The letter asks that the American government urge the Palestinian Authority to hand over to the U.S. a terrorist who killed an American citizen. "

"[More than] three years have passed", write Fein and Klein, "since then-Prime Minister Yitzchak Rabin asked the Palestinian Authority to surrender to Israel, for prosecution, Abd Al-Majid Dudin, a terrorist suspected of involvement in the Jerusalem bus bombing that killed [American citizen and teacher] Joan Davenny. The PA spurned Prime Minister Rabin's request and failed to live up to its agreement at Wye to arrest fugitive terrorists. Accordingly, we now ask that the American government (operating within the framework of its own Anti-Terrorism Act of 1986) urge the PA to hand over Abd Al-Majid Dudin to the U.S. for prosecution."...

Tze'elim accident report

ISRAEL LINE 3/10/99: "The State Comptroller's report on the 1992 Israel Defense Forces training accident in Tze'elim was released to Israel's senior political echelon, THE JERUSALEM POST reported.

The report was originally prepared by former Comptroller Miriam Ben-Porat, who in her work before retiring had refrained from addressing the issue. The report was completed by her successor, Eliezer Goldberg, who sent the completed 111-page document to the Knesset State Control Committee with copies to the prime minister, defense minister, chief of staff and Barak himself.

Members of the Knesset's State Control Committee, which oversees the military, were the first ones to see the report. After certain sections are omitted for security reasons, the report will be sent to the families of the five soldiers killed in the accident, and certain sections will be made public next week.

Six soldiers were also injured in the accident. According to Labor Knesset Member Ephraim Sneh, who is a member of the State Control Committee, the report exonerates then-Chief of Staff and current Labor Party leader Ehud Barak of any wrongdoing.

Although the report clears Barak, it harshly criticizes the improvisational style of preparations for the operational exercise.

HA'ARETZ reported that in the years since, reports that Barak failed to help the wounded in the aftermath have become political fodder for his opponents."

Arab beauty represents Israel

ISRAEL LINE 3/10/99: "Rana Raslan, 21, of Haifa was named Miss Israel for 1999 on Tuesday, becoming the first Israeli-Arab to win the title, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported.

Raslan was chosen as the Arab sector's beauty queen in Israel three years ago. Following her victory, Raslan said she was proud to win the pageant and that her victory is further proof that Jewish and Arab peaceful co-existence is possible.

MA'ARIV reported that Arab sectors in Israel celebrated her victory with fanfare. "It does not matter whether I'm Jewish or Arab," Raslan said. "We are all human. We can live in co-existence, and I will represent Israel in the most appropriate way."

Lebanon retaliation to be doubled

ARUTZ7 3/11/99: "Brig.-Gen. Eli Amitai, who took over as commander of the IDF liaison forces in Lebanon after Brig.-Gen. Erez Gerstein was killed by a Hizbullah bomb almost two weeks ago, warns that the Israel Air Force is liable to renew its air attack in southern Lebanon.

He said that the IAF's air attack following the killing of Gerstein was merely an "initial reaction." Amitai says that "the rules of the game in Lebanon have changed, and Hizbullah will now pay double the price for their actions against us, even if they attempt to take cover in Syrian-controlled territory." Amitai was quoted by a French news agency."

Deri's peace: return Golan, give PA state

HA'ARETZ 3/12/99: "Shas leader Aryeh Deri told the French weekly Le Nouvel Observateur that he believes a national unity government, formed following the elections, will agree to return the Golan Heights as part of a peace treaty with Syria.

In an interview published yesterday in France, Deri also said that the formation of a Palestinian state is only a matter of time:

"A Palestinian state will be established. That's for sure. In fact, it already exists."

When asked for his opinions on the two major parties, Deri responded:

"Believe me, there are only minor differences today between the Labor Party and the Likud regarding the question of the future borders between us and the Palestinians. I believe that after the elections a national unity government will be established that will be forced to move forward on the peace process. Most of the efforts will be directed toward Syria, since we need to find a solution for the problem of Lebanon. There is no military solution there, only a political one that needs to pass through Damascus."

When the interviewer commented that Syria would first demand the return of the Golan, Deri said:

"Yes, if we must leave the Golan it may create a security problem, but not one that is impossible to solve. We returned the Sinai to the Egyptians, so why shouldn't we return the Golan to Syria in exchange for peace?"

Cohen plays up neutrality, Bibi downplays Egypt arms sales

HA'ARETZ 3/12/99: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sounded unworried about a $3.2 billion sale of sophisticated U.S. weapons to Egypt. When asked by reporters for his reaction to the sale after his meeting yesterday with Defense Secretary William Cohen, Netanyahu said it was "nothing particularly new."

The sale, announced by Cohen earlier in the day, would involve 24 advanced-model F-16 fighters, 200 M1-A1 tanks and one eight-unit advanced Patriot missile battery. Egypt already has 555 M1-A1 tanks, and the new tanks will be assembled in the U.S.

Yet when Cohen is not standing next to the prime minister, Netanyahu's aides have expressed concern about Egypt's weapon-modernization program.

Netanyahu made clear that Israel's priority was Russia's supply of surface-to-surface ballistic missile technology to Iran and the prospects that Arab radical states would acquire non-conventional weapons...

Cohen said the U.S. remains committed to Israel's "qualitative edge in military capability to protect its people."

The two officials also discussed the situation in Lebanon, and Cohen updated Netanyahu on his efforts to garner support from Arab allies for U.S. policy toward Iraq...

While Cohen did not request a meeting with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in advance, a last-minute unscheduled meeting was quickly put together just hours before it occurred.

Cohen held meetings with the heads of government in all eight Arab countries that he visited. In order to avoid the perception that the U.S. is playing favorites before the Israeli election, Cohen decided yesterday to meet with all candidates for prime minister.