Buenos Aires bombing

Buenos Aires HERALD 5/11/99: "A Supreme Court statement yesterday blamed the Islamic Jihad, the militant wing of Hezbollah, for the terrorist attack on the 1992 Israeli Embassy that killed 29 people and left more than 100 wounded. The court said it has intelligence reports that the terrorist group had a hand in the bombing.

The Jihad is fighting against the state of Israel and has a history of attacking Jewish targets. Due to the ruling, four Pakistani nationals, held by police since the beginning of the investigation, are now cleared of taking part in the attack. The Court concluded that the blast came from outside the embassy as a result of "the detonation of a large quantity of explosives placed in the back part of a Ford F-100 truck." .

..The court said...the assault was carried out by way of a car bomb placed in front of the building...The resolution was approved by five out of nine justices.

Justices Enrique Petracchi and Augusto Belluscio voted in favour of clearing the suspects but did not back the theory that a Jihad car-bomb levelled the embassy. Two other justices, Adolfo Vazquez and Antonio Boggiano did not vote. In addition, the court's decision disputes theories that the explosion came from inside the embassy.

Yesterday's pronouncements followed Israeli protests over the stalled investigation as well as new speculation about police involvement in the attack. Last Monday, a tape that reached the Supreme Court, allegedly contained the recording of a police radio command centre ordering a patrol car away from the embassy just minutes before the attack. The authenticity of that tape is being verified.

The revelations of possible police involvement have only heightened the worry felt by Jewish leaders such as Israeli Ambassador Ytzhak Aviran, who said he fears "the possibility of a third attack." In addition to the embassy bombing, the AMIA Jewish community centre suffered a terrorist attack in 1994..."

Egyptian vitriole against Zionists and the like

Cairo's AL AKHBAR 5/9/99: "Since Israel is aware of the important role that the United States plays on the world stage, it is determined to maintain its grip on all the centers of power and decisionmaking in Washington. As part of its efforts to realize this goal, Israel resorts to all types of blackmail and pressure and plays all sorts of dirty tricks in secret through the Mosad and legitimately through the research centers and the Zionist associations spread all over the United States.

In the years that followed the demise of the Soviet Union, the role of the Zionists and the Israelis in steering the policy of the United States has increased considerably and they were aided in their quest by the ruptures afflicting the Arab world and Saddam's invasion of Kuwait.

The strange thing, though, is not what Israel and its agents are doing in the United States. The most astonishing thing is the behavior of officials in the world's mightiest power and their total surrender to this unmistakable interference, which has rendered the United States totally powerless.

Observers watching this outrageous submission tend to believe that Washington and Tel Aviv are in total agreement on what is taking place and that Israel is nothing but a tool used by the United States to spread its hegemony over the Middle East region. Many believe that the only way to face this clever plan is through real solidarity among the Arabs and total faith in the fact that the Arabs have a common destiny.

The United States should be made aware that its real interests lie in dealing with the issues that concern the Arabs on the bases of justice and respect for international principles and norms.

As part of the ongoing cooperation between the Jewish lobby and Israel on the one hand and decisionmakers in Washington on the other, the United States turned the State Department, which always acted as a factor of balance in US policy, into a Jewish institution.

This was achieved through the appointment of Jews to fill all the main positions, particularly the ones connected to dealing with the Middle East's problem. Moreover, as part of the Zionist-Israeli extortion methods, even the moderate Jews who believe that it is better for Israel and America to discard the policy of blind bias are becoming a target of defamation campaigns.

The latest example of such acts is the campaign targeting Martin Indyk--himself a Jew--because he had the guts to appoint Joseph Zogby, son of James Zogby, head of the Arab-American Institute, to a position in his office. Despite the fact that the position is quite minor, the Jewish groups expressed their outrage in a way that contradicts whatever is being said about democracy and freedom of expression in the United States.

These groups accused Joseph Zogby of writing articles criticizing Israel and Washington's policy!! Although Indyk described these articles as worrying, he defended Joseph as a non-hater of Israel!! But this incident brought the issue about the number of Jews employed at the State Department to the forefront.

The Arab-Americans regard Joseph Zogby as the first person from within the community to take up a position at the State Department's Middle East desk, which is choking to the brim with Jewish officials. The Arab-Americans have raised their voices calling for the appointment of more Arab-Americans.

Meanwhile, observers have said that Indyk's decision to appoint Zogby was aimed at putting an end to the criticism leveled at the State Department that it is under the influence of the Jews, a fact that cannot be denied.

[ZINC ED. NOTE: Zogby, this week, decided to leave the State Dept. for a position in another government agency. The leading critic of Zogby's State Department posting was ZOA's President Mort Klein who was outraged after he read some of Zogby's articles about Israel, and his continuing leadership participation in groups advocating against Israel, and therefore against US policy.]

US Embassy move?

AP 5/12/99: "President Clinton is waiting out Israel's elections before deciding whether to block the shift of the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, congressional and administration officials said Wednesday. A decision to keep the Embassy in Tel Aviv could set up a confrontation with some members of Congress who want to bolster Israel's claim to Jerusalem as its capital.

Israel holds its national elections next Monday. A tight race for prime minister could force a runoff June 1, delaying a Clinton decision further. Eventually, though, Clinton could be caught in an awkward struggle with Congress even as he tries to prod Israel into relinquishing more of the West Bank to the Palestinians once the national elections are over.

Congress already has legislated the relocation of the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv. But it also gave the White House an out by including a waiver provision. That is what Clinton could invoke after the national Israeli elections, declaring that shifting the embassy might damage U.S. national security, said administration and congressional officials, speaking on condition of anonymity.

A decision along those long has long been anticipated on Capitol Hill, giving proponents of relocation time to strategize. Several members of Congress are primed to require moving the embassy in six months or a year, according to the office of Sen. Jon Kyl, R-Ariz. Kyl and Democratic Sens. Joseph Lieberman of Connecticut and Charles Schumer of New York may send a letter to Clinton informing him they will introduce legislation to remove the waiver provision.

That would force Clinton's hand...A bill expected to be debated by the Senate later this month, and already approved by the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, would authorize $50 million a year over the next two fiscal years to build a new U.S. embassy in Jerusalem.

Clinton, as a presidential candidate in 1992, supported moving the embassy to Jerusalem. That would bolster Israel's claim to the city as its capital. But after winning the White House, with a big majority among Jewish voters, Clinton adopted a neutral position, saying the future of the city as well as Palestinian claims to a state with its capital in Jerusalem should be subject to negotiations.

The United States never has recognized Jerusalem as Israel's capital, either after the founding of the Jewish state more than a half-century ago nor after Israel captured East Jerusalem from Jordanian troops in the 1967 Mideast War. Congress responded in 1995 with the legislation requiring both the relocation and the waiver used by the White House to keep the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv. Most Israelis are determined to keep Jerusalem as Israel's capital..."

Elections I

AP 5/13/99: "With four days left in the election campaign, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu courted a powerful Russian immigrant leader today and his moderate challenger Ehud Barak made a last-minute attempt to win over religious voters. Centrist candidate Yitzhak Mordechai, meanwhile, angrily resisted pressure by party leaders to drop out before Monday's vote and pave the way for a Barak victory in the first round.

``Whoever wants to leave, let him get up and go,'' Mordechai was quoted as saying by the Yediot Ahronot daily after meeting with the three other Centrist Party leaders. ``My decision won't change.'' If Mordechai stays in the race, he will likely force a June 1 runoff between Netanyahu and Barak, who is leading in the polls. Another minor candidate, Arab candidate Azmi Bishara, said he would announce by Saturday evening whether he would quit the race.

Bishara has said from the start that his candidacy was aimed at galvanizing Arab voters and winning promises from Barak to do more for Israel's 1 million Arab citizens. Today, Bishara said Barak had yet to show he cared about the Arab voters and peace-making. ``We don't see that he clearly wants peace with the Palestinians,'' Bishara told Israel radio.

Netanyahu reportedly offered Natan Sharansky, leader of a powerful Russian immigrants' party, Israel B'Aliya, three senior Cabinet posts in exchange for a behind-the-scenes endorsement. In response to reports that several local leaders of Israel B'Aliya were lining up behind Barak, Sharansky sent letters to all campaign activists Wednesday instructing them to remain neutral.

A Sharansky aide, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the party would remain neutral as it did during the 1996 elections in order to assure good relations with whichever candidate would win. The aide said no deal was cut with Netanyahu, who has been losing support in recent weeks among immigrant voters who make up 15 percent of the electorate and could determine the vote.

Barak, meanwhile, reached out to religious voters who in 1996 voted overwhelmingly backed Netanyahu. In a letter peppered with Bible quotes and distributed in thousands of synagogues, Barak called for a dialogue between religious and secular Israelis. `In these times, we must renew the alliance and trust among ourselves,'' Barak said..."

Elections II

AP 5/12/99: "Israel's third-largest party on Wednesday threw their support behind Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is trailing in the polls only days before the national election. Netanyahu has been counting on a nod from the Shas movement, which represents religious Sephardi Jews of Middle Eastern origin, one of the prime minister's key constituencies.

Last week, Shas party leader Arieh Deri, who was recently convicted of fraud, gave Netanyahu a ringing personal endorsement. On Wednesday, Shas' spiritual leaders accepted Deri's recommendation to back Netanyahu in Monday's ballot...Opposition leader Ehud Barak has said that if he wins, he will not invite Shas into his government as long as it is headed by Deri. The Shas leader has appealed his conviction to the Supreme Court, but has said he would resign if the conviction was upheld..."

Arab vote

THE JERUSALEM POST 5/13/99: "Palestinian Authority Mufti of Jerusalem and the Holy Lands Sheikh Ikrama Sabri yesterday issued a ruling encouraging Israeli Moslems to vote in the Knesset elections.According to the United Arab List (UAL), Sabri indicated it is not only the right but the duty of Moslems to participate in the elections.

But in remarks last night to The Jerusalem Post, Sabri stopped short of saying it is incumbent on Moslems to vote. "They are not forbidden from a religious point of view," he said. "From an Islamic point of view, they can benefit from this right [to vote]. Their situation is different than ours in the occupied areas." His comments were viewed as a religious edict that would encourage Moslems, including those who have boycotted Knesset elections in the past, to exercise their democratic right.

Sabri said he took a position on the matter when asked by Arab journalists to do so. Sabri's ruling follows a recent statement by Umm el-Fahm Mayor Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the dogmatic northern faction of the fundamentalist Islamic Movement, that followers of the movement should act according to their consciences.

Salah in the past has advocated a boycott of the Knesset elections and still has reservations about the movement's involvement in the national political arena...[UAL spokesman Mohammed Darwashe said:]"We believe that these announcements will give us a boost of an additional 3 to 5 percent in terms of votes," said Darawshe.

Arab affairs experts say it is still too early to say whether these potential voters would also cast their ballots in the prime ministerial elections, or just for the parties of their choice."

Israeli vitriole against Zionists and the like

HA'ARETZ 5/13/99: "Vitriolic comments by a Ben-Gurion University professor about Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon - one expressing the hope that Sharon has a heart attack - were widely condemned yesterday, pushing into the background a controversy a day earlier over the recorded comments of a rabbi who wished ill-fortune upon late Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and his successor, Shimon Peres.

In an increasingly acerbic political atmosphere just days before national elections, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein ordered a full transcript of Prof. Haim Gordon's remarks as the State Attorney's Office announced it would investigate Rabbi Moshe Ben-Tov's 1995 comments to determine whether they constituted "incitement to violence."

Prof.Gordon is a senior professor at Ben-Gurion University and a member of the Meretz Party central council. During an interview with a local television station on Tuesday, he referred to Netanyahu as "scum" and said he would be happy if Sharon died of a heart attack.

He later refused to retract the statements, saying that they reflect his "personal feelings" and represent a legitimate exercise of his right to free speech. The professor added that he preaches non-violent political action and would risk his life to protect Sharon if one of his students tried to physically attack the foreign minister. Gordon called Netanyahu "a liar" for claiming that he had called for the murder of Sharon.

Netanyahu called attention to Gordon's remarks during a morning radio interview yesterday, calling them an example of media bias. The prime minister was then asked to comment on the videotaped remarks of his own rabbi, Ben-Tov, who prior to Rabin's 1995 assassination compared Peres and Rabin to Pharoah and Hitler and wished for their death.

Netanyahu challenged the interviewer to explain why the media was insisting on resurrecting a four-year-old video of Rabbi Ben-Tov while ignoring incitement expressed by a leftist professor the previous day. Reactions were indeed quick to follow.

The Likud campaign chairman, Minister Moshe Katsav, called on the university to fire Gordon and said the professor's "perverse" comments had nothing to do with free speech. One Israel called on Gordon to apologize for his comments. Meretz Chair Yossi Sarid described Gordon's words as "ugly." Netanyahu did admit that Rabbi Ben-Tov's remarks were "inappropriate and should not have been said."...

Orient House update

THE JERUSALEM POST 5/12/99: "Supreme Court Justice Dalia Dorner's temporary injunction yesterday prevents Internal Security Minister Avigdor Kahalani from closing three Orient House offices for at least one week, the time allotted to the Palestinians affected by the closure to present their side of the dispute.

Dorner was responding to a petition submitted by nine Israeli intellectuals, including authors Batia Gur and Amos Elon and Hebrew University professors Paul Mendes-Flohr and Menahem Brinker, who charged that the decision to close the offices was an election ploy by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu. The petitioners, represented by Daniel Seidemann, called on the court to order Kahalani to show cause why he should not postpone the decision to close the offices until after May 17 or June 1, depending on when the next prime minister is elected.

They also asked for a temporary injunction preventing Kahalani from acting on the closure orders until the court rules on the petition. In giving the Palestinians - Faisal Husseini, Sharif Husseini, and Khalil Tufkaji - one week to submit their depositions, Dorner effectively assured that the offices will remain open during the first round of voting next Monday.

She did not set a date for the actual hearing, which could therefore be scheduled before or after June 1 at the court's discretion. The temporary injunction preventing the implementation of the orders will be in effect until the court makes another decision on the matter, Dorner ruled.

The petitioners, all Jewish residents of Jerusalem, wrote that their petition was submitted "in the name of a large Israeli public living in Jerusalem which is gravely concerned over the making of such a fateful decision at this particular time, a decision which could cause great harm to Jerusalem, its unity, and its inhabitants because of the near-certain threats to public safety."

The petitioners did not challenge the actual decision to close the offices and granted that some of the activities conducted there might have been illegal. They focused on the timing of the decision..."

Laser letdown?

HA'ARETZ 5/11/99: "A $30-million overrun by high-tech giant TRW in the joint development of a laser designed to shoot down Katyusha rockets may put the entire project in jeopardy. The project, which has already cost $132 million, is a joint Israeli-TRW effort to develop THEL, a Tactical High Energy Arsenal that had been scheduled to be in testing by now.

But with TRW exceeding its budgeted costs - apparently due to off-the-shelf purchases instead of in-house development - the testing has been rescheduled for the first quarter of 2000.

Defense Ministry director general Ilan Biran was in Washington two weeks ago to discuss the overrun and its implications with senior Pentagon officials in an effort to find the funding for the final stages of development before the test planned to take place at the United States Weapons Testing Base at White Sands, New Mexico.

According to a Pentagon proposal, the U.S., Israel, and TRW would equally bear the burden of the overrun. Israel has paid for about one-third of the $132 million so far spent on the project. At this stage, the Defense Ministry is reconsidering its continuing investment in the project.

A lone laser system would not be enough to provide Israel with a solution to Katyusha attacks on the Galilee, and due to the project's high cost, no plans currently exist for the development of more than one such weapon. Leading Israeli security industries have been involved in parts of the project."

More 181

ARUTZ7 5/11/99: "An editorial posted on the official Fatah website succinctly formulates the "new" Palestinian position regarding its negotiations with Israel. The editorial states clearly that the PLO's future demands will be based on UN resolutions 181 (calling for partition and the placement of Be'er Sheva and other Israeli areas in the Palestinian state) and 194 (calling for the return of the 1948 Arab refugees to within Israel).

The editorial states: "Although the statement of the Central Council reflects Palestinian willingness to continue the process of negotiating for peace, all decisions have been made within revised terms of reference.

It is on the basis of these that progress can be made in two directions: first, toward true Palestinian independence and the actualization of full Palestinian sovereignty in the West Bank and Gaza; and second, toward resolution of the remaining interim issues.