Shin Bet questions

YEDIOT AHARONOT 9/9/99: "Shin Bet head 'Ami Ayalon said yesterday after the Israeli identities of the three terrorists killed in the terrorist attacks in Tiberias and Haifa on 5 September were disclosed that the Shin Bet must now ask itself serious questions. Ayalon said that the Shin Bet knew there was a plan to carry out an attack, but did not have information on the attacks and the squad that planned and carried them out.

Therefore, Ayalon said, "we must ask what the Shin Bet was doing, and why we did not have information." However, he stressed that we must differentiate between the Islamic Movement and Israeli Arabs in general. Ayalon's remarks were made at a gathering of Shin Bet veterans and were reported by Qol Yisra'el correspondent Karmela Menashe.

The Shin Bet is now carrying out a debriefing aimed at finding out why no early warning was provided about the terrorist activities among the Israeli Islamic Movement members. The question of why a surveillance of the movement's extremists did not come up with anything is being investigated. Even before lessons have been learned from this debriefing, it has been decided "to thicken out" some of the Shin Bet units dealing with Israel's Arab sector.

In the meantime, it has been learned that one of the two terrorists killed in Tiberias on Sunday, Amir Musulihah, was detained by the Shin Bet five years ago on suspicion of having connections with activists in Hamas's [Islamic Resistance Movement] military arm. He was released for lack of evidence.

The suspicion is that in the past two years he had ties with senior Hamas activist 'Umar Sirtawi, who is detained in Israel. Musulihah recently visited Jordan several times, but this did not light any "red lights" among Shin Bet investigators and Musulihah was not detained again.

Cabinet ministers yesterday received a detained survey from security elements on the terrorist attacks. The elements said in the deliberation that while we should avoid generalizations about Israeli Arabs and the Islamic Movement, this is a grave incident which constitutes a "crossing of the line." Prime Minister Ehud Baraq warned against any attempt to blame an entire community."

     

Indyk vs. Barak

MA'ARIV 9/8/99: "Martin Indyk, former US ambassador to Israel, and currently Secretary of State Madeleine Albright's assistant and chairman of the US team for strategic dialogue with Israel, has recently harshly criticized Prime Minister Ehud Baraq's policy regarding the proceedings that led to the signing of the Sharm al-Shaykh agreement.

Ma'ariv has learned that the affair started with a sharp exchange of words between Baraq and Indyk in the course of the nocturnal meeting between Albright and Baraq last week. As the sides were trying to find a formula that will enable Israel and the Palestinians to sign the emerging agreement, Indyk leveled criticism against the way Israel was conducting the negotiations.

According to him, Israel should have proposed an amended agreement only after starting to implement the Wye accord. "As far as 'Arafat is concerned, this is a credibility test," Indyk told Baraq. The latter replied: "I don't have a credibility problem. You could have told him that we are serious."

Indyk then replied: "In retrospect, it would have been better for you to do it." And then, the prime minister lost his cool and said furiously: "I would prefer you to speak in a different style here."

Elements in the prime minister's entourage yesterday confirmed the harsh conversation. US diplomatic elements in Washington are also aware of it, but after the event, both sides made an effort to improve the atmosphere, and the two men seemed to have reconciled at the reception held following the signing ceremony."

     

Head of PFLP, George Habash resigns

Amman's AL RA'Y 9/8/99: "After more than three decades as head of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine [PFLP], Dr. George Habash announced a few days ago that he has decided to step down. Dr. Habash, nicknamed Al-Hakim [the wise man], did not participate in the recent intra-Palestinian talks; rather, he frankly announced that he rejects the peace accords from Oslo until the Wye Plantation accord.

In view of the current developments about Dr. Habash's stand and the interactions in the Palestinian national movement in particular, and in the region and the Palestinian cause in general, PLO Member Dr. As'ad 'Abd-al-Rahman, who met with Habash a few days ago, said that almost everyone wants Habash to remain in his post, but he, 'Abd-al-Rahman, noticed that Habash was determined to step down.

[Al-Ra'y] Given the fact that you know Dr. Habash very well, is it true that he will pay his post as a price for his stand which is in disagreement with the stand of the majority of the PFLP leadership members? ['Abd-al-Rahman] Dr. George Habash is occupying several positions in the PFLP, most prominent of which are his moral position as a historical leader of the PFLP and the Arab Nationalists Movement before that, and then his important position as PFLP secretary general which he assumed after being elected by the PFLP authorized conferences.

I do not think that the reports you heard are right because Dr. Habash a long time ago had decided to discontinue with this post and has repeatedly asked to be relieved of his post. The fact that Dr. Habash is adopting the stand of the minority is not new in the PFLP modern history.

It also did not affect the positions he occupies in the PFLP. However, I think that he has been determined to step down as PFLP secretary general, a post which, I think, will be occupied by PFLP Assistant Secretary General Abu-'Ali Mustafa.

[Al-Ra'y] Why does Dr. Habash want to leave his position?

['Abd-al-Rahman] I think that the "wise man" is eager to set an example of how the first person abdicates upon his own free will, not because of force majeure such as death, to allow another generation to take over. Besides, Habash is aspiring to use his experiences to benefit the present and future generations.

Therefore, he has devoted his time to establish a research center that will most probably be named Arab Struggle Issues Research Center. Moreover, the objective reality of Dr. Habash makes him aware that this new situation is more convenient to his health conditions."

     

Israel/Jordan tourism

Amman's PETRA-JNA 9/8/99: "Minister of Tourism and Antiquities Akil Beltaji on Wednesday stressed the essential role of security to promote tourism in the region. "Tourism and security are interrelated and no tourism without security which creates tourism and strengthens it," Beltaji said at a joint press conference with his Israeli counterpart Amnon Shahak following their talks at the Dead Sea Hotel and Spa.

The talks focused on joint marketing of tourist attractions and coordination of measures at the common borders to facilitate the flow of tourists in both directions. Tourist trips to Petra in Southern Jordan will not be limited to one day but will last at least for days and contacts are underway with the Israeli side on this issue, Beltaji said.

The two sides have agreed to enhance joint cooperation in tourism industry and marketing through launching tour festivals and activities across the world, he added. The Palestinian side is a partner to all tourist functions to promote the tourist sector in the region, Beltaji told reporters noting that Shahak will meet his Palestinian counterpart next week for talks on tourist cooperation.

He said positive interaction prevails during his talks with Shahak as tourism is "a bridge for peace". The two sides agreed on a number of procedures to facilitate the flow of tourists in both directions, he added. To that end Jordan and Israel will launch a joint marketing program during international meetings on tourism expected to be held later this year in France and Britain, Beltaji said. For his part, Israeli tourism Minister underlined the importance of joint cooperation and coordination to develop tourism industry.

All the standing issues have been discussed and settled by the joint Jordanian - Israeli committee on tourism and instructions have been forwarded to the Israeli Embassy in Amman to ensure smooth movement of tourists from Amman to Israel, he said."

     

Arab League Fantasyland

AP 9/13/99: "Arab countries will not accept the depiction of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel in a Disney theme park in the United States, Egypt's foreign minister says. The Arab League is expected to approve today a resolution that warns Disney it will take "appropriate actions'' if a millennium exhibition due to open at Epcot Center in Orlando, Fla., shows the holy city as Israel's capital.

The resolution also mandates the league to send a delegation to Epcot to ensure that the representation of Jerusalem has not been "manipulated by Israel,'' an Arab diplomat said on condition of anonymity. Disney has already refused access to such a delegation from the United Arab Emirates, which threatened last week to launch a boycott of Disney products.

Disney World spokesman Bill Warren has declined to say if Jerusalem is depicted as Israel's capital but says the exhibit is not political. Israel's Foreign Ministry contributed $1.8 million to the exhibition, which opens Oct. 1.

Speaking at the end of Sunday's session of the league's two-day meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa said Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are supposed to settle the status of east Jerusalem, which Israel captured in the 1967 Arab-Israeli War and which the Palestinians regard as their future capital.

`We cannot accept anything that would predetermine something that has to be determined through negotiations,'' Moussa said. Earlier, the league meeting heard Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat stress the importance of east Jerusalem. ``There can be no peace without Jerusalem, free (of Israeli occupation) and as the capital of a Palestinian state,'' Arafat said.

Arafat dismissed recent suggestions that the 3 million Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria and Jordan would become permanent residents. All refugees had the right to return to the Palestinian territories, he emphasized. The meeting was the first to be chaired by Iraq since its 1990 invasion of Kuwait.

The chair is rotated among the league's 21 member states and the Palestinian territories. Delegates fell unusually quiet as Iraqi Foreign Minister Mohammed Saeed al-Sahhaf walked round the conference chamber to take the chair on the podium. He had stormed out of the league's last meeting in January after ministers declined to condemn U.N. sanctions and the U.S.-British airstrikes on Iraq.

In his opening remarks, al-Sahhaf said the "great threat'' to Arab security stemmed from "the United States of America's pressure to impose its hegemony on the region.'' He proposed a summit or a lower-level meeting of Arab states to tackle that challenge. However, he was not expected to find much support for the idea..."

     

Negotiations resume

VOA 9/13/99: "Six-years to the day after the historic Oslo Accord was signed on the White House lawn, Israeli and Palestinian negotiating teams are beginning so-called final-status talks in an attempt to reach a permanent peace agreement in the Middle East. Such difficult issues as the borders of a Palestinian state, Jewish settlements on the West Bank, the status of refugees, and the future of Jerusalem will all be on the table.

The two sides have agreed to try to reach the outlines of an agreement by next February and a full accord by next September. Foreign Minister David Levy will head the Israeli team nd President Yasser Arafat's top aid, Abu Mazen, will lead the Palestinian team. The opening positions of both sides are far apart, and analysts are skeptical these controversial issues can be solved in one year."

     

Interim accord?

ARUTZ7 9/10/99: "In holiday interviews with various news media today, Prime Minister Ehud Barak says that if he does not succeed in reaching a permanent-status arrangement with the Palestinians within a few months, he will settle for a long-term interim arrangement. Similar statements were made this morning by Communications Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer."

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