(Resulting in…)Violent demonstration in East Jerusalem

Voice of America 5/27/99: "Israeli police used force Thursday to break up a demonstration by Palestinian leaders at the construction site of a Jewish housing project in east Jerusalem...

What was to have been a peaceful sit-in protest turned violent when demonstrators, including two Arab members of Israel's parliament, tried to push their way past Israeli police at the main gate to the controversial "Ras Al- Amoud" housing project.

The police, including some on horseback, charged the crowd of about 200 protesters and beat several demonstrators and journalists with nightsticks. Police arrested four people, including two reporters, who they accused of resisting arrest... The clash and rhetoric underscored tensions surrounding the Ras Al- Amoud project, a 130-unit housing project for Jews being built by an american millionaire in an arab east Jerusalem neighborhood overlooking the walled old city.

Construction had been held up by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for security reasons, but went ahead last week on the eve of the election in which Mr. Netanyahu was defeated by labor party leader Ehud Barak. The senior palestinian official in Jerusalem, Faisal Husseini, says the election was a vote against settlement-building.

And he says Mr. Barak -- as a first priority after taking office -- Should stop the Ras Al- Amoud project and the larger " Har homa" settlement in east Jerusalem near Bethlehem...

Mr. Barak, who may need several weeks to put together a coalition government, has not taken a position on the two east Jerusalem projects. But he does rule out compromise over Israeli control over east Jerusalem, which israel captured and annexed in 1967, And which the Palestinians want as the capital of a future Palestinian state."

Iran/Hezbollah/USA

London's AL SHARQ AL AWSAT 5/24/99: "Dr. Mohammad Sadr, Iranian deputy foreign minister for Arab and African affairs, has emphasized to Al-Sharq al-Awsat that Hizballah is an Islamic faction, not an Iranian faction as some parties in Lebanon claim, and that the resistance led by that party against the Israeli occupation is a source of pride not only for Lebanon but also for the Arab and Islamic worlds.

He said that Iran does not interfere in the selection of Hizballah's secretary general, saying that this matter does not concern it; it concerns "the brothers in the party, who select by themselves the person that they want as their own leader."

Dr. Mohammad Sadr expressed his surprise at what is rumored in Lebanon about the existence of disagreements between some leaders in Iran and Hizballah Secretary General Hasan Nasrallah. He pointed out that such talk "is rejected by us, especially as Nasrallah is very popular in Iran; besides, we are bound to him by excellent ties."...

With regard to Iranian-US relations, the Iranian foreign minister revealed that "Tehran has received several messages from the US Administration informing us of its wish to resume relations between the two countries, and it [the US Administration] has made positive statements about Iran.

As we know the Americans well and know what they did in our country before the Islamic revolution, we cannot trust them early, especially as the steps they are taking in practice toward Iran differ completely from their statements.

Thus we say that the Americans have to pave the ground for expressing their good intentions. The stage of trust between us begins when that happens."

Dr. Mohammad Sadr broached the issue of the islands disputed between the Islamic Republic of Iran and the United Arab Emirates, saying that "the dispute between the two countries is not over the three islands, but over one island only. And we have on several occasions expressed our willingness to sit together and talk to solve this problem.

This is our position, and the states situated on the Persian Gulf to the south know this. Many states have border problems with one another, and solutions to these problems have been found. So what is required is good intentions."

Arrow show

MA'ARIV 5/25/99: "The Defense Ministry has given permission to Israeli defense industries to exhibit for the first time at the Paris Air Show their sophisticated systems and products, including the antiballistic Arrow system manufactured by Israel Aircraft Industries.

This year Israel will participate in the show for the 10th time, with 18 industries exhibiting their products. The show will be opened by French President Jacques Chirac on 12 June.

In addition to the Arrow, RAFAEL [Armament Development Authority] will exhibit the Gil, a 13-kg antitank missile launched by a single soldier. RAFAEL will also exhibit the family of Spike missiles, which are offshoots of the Gil. The Spike can accurately hit a tank at a distance of up to 4 km, and it can be launched from a variety of platforms, such as helicopters."

Jihad's 'cancer'

Ammann's AL MAJD 5/24/99: "Dr. Ramadan 'Abdallah, secretary general of the Islamic Jihad Movement, has said that Ehud Baraq's victory in the Israeli elections has removed an obstacle facing America and Israel, not the Arabs, in the attempt to organize the region in accordance with the Middle East order proposed by Shim'on Peres.

In an important statement to Al-Majd, 'Abdallah said Baraq was not only the candidate of part of the Israeli people, he was also the candidate of the international and regional order. This order seeks to decide the [Arab-Israeli] conflict in Israel's favor, as well as to entrench Israel as a major power in the region.

In his statement to Al-Majd, Ramadan 'Abdallah noted that those who rejoiced over Baraq's victory will soon find that the general, who is disguised in civilian attire, is worse than Netanyahu.

Baraq's no's, with which he responded to Arab hospitality, show that the stands of Baraq and his party vis-a-vis the so-called final-status issues and security are fiercer and tougher than his predecessor Netanyahu...

Answering a question by Al-Majd on the stand of the Islamic Jihad Movement vis-a-vis military action, 'Abdallah said: Military action does not depend on whether the right or left parties rule Israel. We will continue our jihad so long as our lands are occupied. We will resume our operations at the earliest appropriate opportunity.

He said that nobody can deny that the Islamic Jihad Organization was the one which started the Islamic resistance in Palestine over the past two decades. If we stop the military action we will lose the reason for our existence as a jihad movement.

Asked about the stand of the Islamic Jihad toward the Palestinian state, 'Abdallah said: If we are given a Palestinian state on 80 percent of Palestine and 20 percent of Palestine is left for Israel we will reject it. Regardless of its size, Israel will remain a cancerous cell which will destroy the nation if it remains alive..."

Shin Bet-IDF big change

YEDIOT AHARONOT 5/24/99: "After more than 30 years during which the Shin Bet was Israel's main intelligence service in the territories, the IDF's [Israel Defense Forces] Intelligence Branch [IB] has recently been granted wide-ranging authorities regarding intelligence coverage of developments in the Palestinian autonomous areas.

The transfer of powers from the Shin Bet to the IB was jointly agreed upon by the two intelligence bodies, with the approval of the political echelon. Within the framework of the agreement between the two organizations, the IB will handle everything in the Palestinian sphere pertaining to strategic issues, the peace process, the Palestinian Authority's [PA] foreign relations, the economy, infrastructure, and the military-security sphere (in other words, collecting information and preparing assessments on the Palestinian armed forces).

The Shin Bet will remain responsible for foiling terrorist attacks and working with the Palestinian security apparatuses.

Beyond the organizational ramfications of this step, the transfer of responsibility for intelligence gathering to the IB signifies a different political attitude toward the PA on Israel's part. The Shin Bet gathers intelligence data, prepares assessments, and thwarts the activities of terrorist organizations and hostile elements, whereas the IB deals with policy.

Therefore, while this has not been openly stated, the transfer of responsibilities to the IB indicates that the Israeli security services view the PA as a state.

It should be noted that this was one of the reasons why late Prime Minister Yitzhaq Rabin rejected an earlier request along this lines from the IB. At the time, such a demand was delivered to Rabin at the beginning of the implementation of the Oslo accords, and was a manifestation of the fierce battles between the Shin Bet and the IB over responsibilities in the territories that started even before the intifada.

The Shin Bet was always opposed to any change in its traditional standing as the leading collector of information and assessor of developments among the Palestinian population in the territories.

This tension manifested itself in power struggles between former Shin Bet Director Ya'aqov Peri and Major General Uri Sagi, the former head of the IB. When 'Ami Ayalon was appointed Shin Bet director, he expressed readiness to transfer part of the Shin Bet's responsibilities in the territories to the IB; however, a clear agreement on this matter was only achieved recently."

5 way summit?

Ammann's AL MAJD 5/24/99: "Political sources in Cairo have said that the United States is preparing for a five-way summit to be held in Washington in July or August. The summit would bring together His Majesty King 'Abdallah, Egyptian President Husni Mubarak, President of the Palestinian Authority Yasir 'Arafat, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Baraq, and US President Bill Clinton to discuss ways of reviving the peace process in the region.

The sources added that the US envoy to the Middle East Dennis Ross will arrive in the region soon with the aim of preparing for this summit. He said that the United States will hold contacts with Syria and Lebanon in this regard.

Egyptian Foreign Minister 'Amr Musa expressed hope of a revival of the peace process in the coming stage and that serious work will be done in this regard.

For his part, former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger said that Baraq will eventually accept the establishment of the Palestinian state."

European arms certain to reach terrorists

MA'ARIV 5/25/99: "European arms dealers have been mediating transactions where weapons ultimately reach Lebanon and Hizballah, according to Western intelligence reports.

The reports show that Hizballah, as well as smaller groups like the PFLP [Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine], do not only receive weapons from Iran under Syria's aegis but also via mediators in European countries, at times without the knowledge of their governments.

These arms dealers and mediators, who are in contact with industries and other elements selling arms, do not only mediate the deals but even go to Lebanon to make sure that the weapons indeed reach their destination.

In this context, an Israeli security source told Ma'ariv yesterday that the war materiel, weapons, and technology currently in the hands of terrorists in south Lebanon are "unprecedented."

According to him, very advanced Western technology is being transferred to Lebanon under Syria's auspices. The source added that the terrorists in Lebanon are at times better equipped than the IDF [Israel Defense Forces] soldiers.