Negotiating teams will be "peace administration"
(minhelet shalom)
HA'ARETZ 6/10/99: "Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak has decided to set up a
"peace administration" (minhelet shalom) in the Prime Minister's Office which
will manage peace negotiations with Syria, Lebanon and the Palestinians. The
administration will include three separate groups, each reporting directly to the prime
minister.
Former Mossad head Major General (Res.) Danny Yatom will coordinate between the three
arms of this administration, the government offices and the security services that will be
involved in the negotiations. Barak's candidate to head the Palestinian group is
Lieutenant-General (Res.) Amnon Lipkin-Shahak MK.
The candidate to head the team for the talks with Syria is the ex-head of military
intelligence, Major General (Res.) Uri Saguy, while Major General (Res.) Yossi Peled (past
head of the IDF's Northern Command) will head the Lebanese group. Gilad Sher, a lawyer who
was involved in writing the Oslo accords, is slated to be legal adviser to the peace
administration.
The Foreign Ministry, the Shin Bet security service, Military Intelligence and the
Mossad will all send representatives to the administration, and the Foreign Ministry will
be responsible for reviving the multilateral talks that were frozen shortly after the
previous elections. Barak has made it clear in internal discussions that he is determined
to control personally every stage of the negotiations. He will not, he emphasizes, give in
any way on security issues to the Palestinians
Barak will have to complete the makeup of the negotiation teams as soon as the
government begins to function, because he intends to suggest to the Palestinians that they
forego the Wye agreements and move immediately on to final status talks. The Palestinians
have already told the U.S. that this is unacceptable and they are demanding that the new
government implement the Wye agreement in full, as they claim they have done.
This position is supported by the U.S. administration, which has based itself on
reports received from the CIA representatives in Tel Aviv. They in turn base their
assessments on information provided by Shin Bet chief Ami Ayalon. The Americans have made
it clear to the Palestinians that only their willingness to integrate the Wye agreement in
the final status talks will persuade the Barak government to implement the accord in full.
The decision on the exact format of the talks with Syria and the level of American
involvement will be discussed during Barak's trip to Washington next month."
Coalition stuff
HA'ARETZ 6/10/99: "One Israel officials expressed cautious optimism yesterday as
to the chances of reaching a compromise regarding the bill on drafting yeshiva students,
which would allow United Torah Judaism to join the coalition, followed later on by Shas.
Meetings between UTJ's negotiating team and One Israel's senior officials on a compromise
formula for the draft bill continued yesterday.
Despite One Israel Chair Ehud Barak's commitment to "transparency" in the
negotiations, three secret meetings were held between One Israel senior officials and UTJ
representatives Meir Porush, Yaakov Litzman and Mordechai Karelitz.
All the meetings were approved by Barak:
The first with MK Yossi Beilin, the second with MKs Shlomo Ben-Ami and Michael
Melchior, the third - attended by only one UTJ representative - with designated cabinet
secretary Yitzhak Herzog, who is working on the legal aspects of the bill.
The emerging solution includes three main points: setting up a committee to prepare the
bill, which would include several rabbis; getting a further extension from the High Court
of Justice (under the court's current ruling the bill must be submitted to the Knesset
within six months); applying the bill only to students over 24, and not to 18-year-olds.
The 24-year-olds would be drafted for a short period, after which they would receive an
exemption and be allowed to work for a living...One Israel officials were further
encouraged yesterday by Meretz Chair Yossi Sarid's statements after meeting with President
Ezer Weizman. Sarid said that Barak's proposal to include Shas in his government, with
Meretz supporting it from the outside, still stands.
According to Sarid, if after a cooling-off period of "at least two months,"
it becomes clear that Deri and Shas have indeed severed their ties, Meretz could join the
government. One Israel sources said yesterday that this was "welcome
flexibility" on the part of Sarid, who until recently totally rejected the idea of
Meretz and Shas sitting together in one coalition.
The sources speculated yesterday that Barak would set up a government with Shas, saving
several portfolios for Meretz, which would then join some three months later. The sources
did not rule out the possibility of a similar scenario with Shinui as well."
Ethiopian Qwara Jews
ISRAEL LINE 6/9/99: "A Government decision from several months ago calls for
expediting the immigration of northern Ethiopian Qwara Jews to Israel, Israel Radio, KOL
YISRAEL, reported. According to reports from the Foreign Ministry, 300 Qwara members are
in distress as they await permission to enter Israel.
A careful estimate assesses that 2500 - 3000 of the Qwara community is entitled to
immigrate to Israel based upon the Law of Return. The Jewish Agency has aided the
immigration process by sponsoring five additional positions in the Ministry of the
Interior to validate the right of return of Qwarian Jews.
Meanwhile, reports of infant mortality and malnutrition of Qwara members are
increasing. The Jewish Agency, Foreign, Interior and Immigration ministries held an
emergency meeting on the matter last week. The parties decided that Qwara Jews should be
brought to Israel immediately and that the Ministry of the Interior must expedite the
granting of visas for the community."
Growth news
ISRAEL LINE 6/9/99: "Trees, vegetables, and fruit trees can grow 30 to 50 percent
faster with the introduction of a gene discovered by Hebrew University scientists, THE
JERUSALEM POST reported. This could rapidly restore depleted rain forests and groves of
trees grown commercially for global production of paper and wood.
The technique was developed by Dr. Oded Shoseyov at Jerusalem's Hebrew University, with
help from colleagues. Shoseyov said the process involves inserting into plants a gene know
as Cellulose Binding Domain, which produces a protein that acts as a biological glue to
cellulose, the most abundant material in the biosphere. This, in turn, appears to
accelerate plant growth."
US footdragging with terror attacks
THE JERUSALEM POST 6/10/99: "A government official and a mother whose son was
killed in a terror attack have accused the US of footdragging in its investigations of
terror attacks in which American citizens were among the victims. The investigations seek
to determine the whereabouts of terrorists who murdered US citizens and examine the
possibilities of extraditing them to the US to stand trial.
Officials from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and Justice Department concluded a
third visit in the region in April. They met with Palestinian Authority officials and
spoke with eyewitnesses to the murder of David Boim, near Beit El, on May 13, 1996.
According to excerpts of documents summing up their visit given to The Jerusalem Post, the
FBI team asserted that certain difficulties arose in the Boim case and suggested that the
confession of the terrorist Amjad Hinawi, who was sentenced to 10 years by a Palestinian
court for his involvement in the murder, was insufficient and that more objective evidence
linking him to Boim's murder is required.
According to the documents, none of the witnesses was shown photos of suspects for
identification. David Bar-Illan, communications director in the Prime Minister's Office,
said that "the American footdragging in investigating attacks in which Palestinian
terrorists killed American citizens must be politically motivated. It is impossible to
explain such indifference to the murder of Americans in any other way."
US Embassy spokesman Larry Schwartz strongly objected to such claims. "There are
ongoing criminal investigations associated with terrorist murder of Americans in this
region," he said. "These criminal investigations will be pursued by law
enforcement officials according to US law and regulations, and these investigations will
be conducted consistent with practices required by American court."
Boim's mother, Joyce, said it is inconceivable that Hinawi's confession is
insufficient. "What's the point, did they question him? If his confession isn't good
enough and won't stand up to a US court, then it shows how worthless the PA judicial
system is.
Why isn't it good enough?" she said. Boim said she expected US officials to have
teams working here on a permanent basis, checking evidence, questioning witnesses, and
ensuring that terrorists are caught and remain behind bars instead of roaming freely in
PA-controlled areas.
"I can't rest until he [Hinawi] is extradited to the US and stands trial
there," said Boim, adding that she has received no word from US officials regarding
their findings. Schwartz declined to comment on the charges."
MUST READ!! GOOD NEWS!!
ZINC EDITOR's NOTE: I am including this final item because I want everyone to
understand that sometimes what you can't see is far more important than what you do see
(in the media).
THE JERUSALEM POST 6/8/99--"Not Page One" column by Sam Orbaum:
"Let's talk about the haredim [extremely observant traditional Jews]. No, wait!
I've got some nice things to say. It is easy to play devil's advocate with the haredim,
because for all the justifiable harsh criticism they earn, there is so much goodness to
report. Strictly "Not Page One" stuff this is, for good news is no news. Every
time a journalist writes a negative piece about them, we hear the same refrain:
"Sure, bash the haredim. Why don't you ever write anything nice about them?" OK.
Here goes.
Their charity, social consciousness, good deeds, communal welfare and human kindness
may be unparalleled among the communities of this country. From birth through to death,
you can be helped by one do-gooding haredi concern or another. There's a wealth of
well-established, nationwide organizations like Yad Sarah, providing free medical
equipment for all who ask. Children with Down's go to Shalva, with cancer to Zichron
Menahem. My sister was once laid up with a broken leg, and haredim came to her home with
cooked meals. Free, of course - though they gratefully accepted a donation to keep the
service going for others.
The kindly folks at Ezer Mitzion run a fleet of more than 30 ambulances - free, of
course - to transport children suffering from cancer, from anywhere in the country to the
Children's Hospital in Petah Tikva. While undergoing treatment, the patient and his family
can stay at the nearby Ezer Mitzion Convalescent Home. The list of gemahim - free loan
organizations - is endless. And there are the little people.
Yeshurun, a Habad-affiliated restaurant in Tel Aviv, feeds any beggar who walks in.
Remember Bella Freund? A haredi woman, she leapt into an inflamed lynch mob attacking an
Arab terrorist who had stabbed two boys in Jerusalem a few years ago. For half an hour she
protected him with her own life, physically absorbing the assaults herself, motivated by
her religious convictions.
I'VE had occasion in the last few years to be in a hospital, and that is where the
haredim are most outstanding. Making no noise about it, they simply go about helping
people. They didn't ask first who I vote for, what shul I go to, or whether I write
negative articles about their community. Every day, a happy haredi lady from Ezer Mitzion
- she's fulfilling a major mitzva, which is why she looks so happy - goes room to room
offering cooked meals to families attending patients.
These ladies do not make a point of reminding their benefactors that the food is
provided by those nasty haredim; they wish you "bon appetit" and "be
healthy," and they're outta there. Arab patients at Hadassah-Ein Kerem sometimes get
upset when Ezer Mitzion passes them over - but why aren't there Arab gemahim?
Fridays are a favorite day for people scoring mitzva points. A bent old man distributes
little hallot with a mumbled "Gut Shabbos"; someone brings around Shabbat
candles for the women; performing the mitzva of visiting the sick, some haredim just make
the rounds and offer a word of encouragement. A couple of times I asked what group or sect
they represent, and all I got was a shrug or a smile.
Decency for the sake of decency alone. The highest form of mitzva is giving of yourself
anonymously. With not even a thank you as payment, the reward is knowing you've helped
your fellow man. In my case, I was a fellow man who has been critical of these very people
(but we agreed not to get into that). No matter: They had what I needed.
PRECEEDING my bone-marrow transplant, the hospital requested several dozen donations of
platelets (thrombocites). It's quite an imposition, to find that many people to go all the
way to the hospital, get tested, and then return to be jabbed in each arm and thus kill an
hour or so. Many acquaintances, religious and secular, responded to my need.
As we struggled to fill the quota of donors, word got around, somehow, to haredi
circles. Two carloads of yeshiva students went to the hospital and rolled up their sleeves
for me.I managed to contact one of them, and asked why. "Oh, we like doing it,"
he answered cheerily. "We do it all the time." Absolutely unbelievable.
The other day, I went to Kupat Holim Meuhedet in Ramot for a blood test. I was too
late; Asher, a haredi man behind the counter, said I should return the next day, and told
me until what time. But he erred, and the following day, I was again too late, by a few
minutes.
It turned out, though, that he was more haredi than mindless pakid: "Oy," he
said, crestfallen, "it's my fault." He asked the nurse to draw my blood, and -
get ready for this - he took the vials, hurried to his car and drove into town to get my
blood to the laboratory in time. To a religious man, this was the right thing to do. It
was mind-blowing.
There's a common thread that runs through these tales of the unexpected, and it gives
me an idea: Draft every single haredi, man and woman, old and young. Put them not in the
army, where they're of little use, but in the hospitals. In that altruistic way, even the
most anti-Zionist among them could justify serving the nation; the boiling resentment
toward them would be stifled; the savings to the health-care system would be enormous; the
sick would benefit from the world's most overstaffed, caring, devoted hospitals.
They could replace the legions of foreign workers tending to the frail and infirm. At
no cost. To the benefit of everyone. To the betterment of Israeli society. Who, then,
could say a bad word about the haredim?"
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