Golan building proceeds

YEDIOT AHARONOT 9/23/99: "At a time when efforts to resume negotiations between Israel and Syria are increasing, a construction drive in the Golan Heights as well as expansion of many settlements there are under way. The Golan Regional Council has recently drawn up a plan to set up 700 new housing units in the coming two years.

Yehuda Walman, the council head, yesterday said that he turned to Prime Minister Ehud Baraq in a request for assistance concerning the expansion plan. According to Walman, his request for a transfer of funds for the accelerated building has not yet received a response. "The Baraq government is 'drying' the construction in the Golan," Walman said.

However, an accelerated construction of hundreds of housing units in the Golan settlements has been carried out over the past months with funds that were transferred still under the previous government. Walman promises that "this year and next year the work to develop the Golan Heights will continue and houses are to be built in almost every settlement."

Indeed, in our tour of a number of Golan settlements we saw the following: workers at work, hundreds of houses in different construction stages, and dozens of new established neighborhoods...

The heads of regional council yesterday organized a rally under the banner "I support the Golan Heights" urging the government to develop the construction in the region. Among the participants were Housing Minister Levi, Interior Minister Sharansky, Religious Affairs Minister Yitzhaq Kohen, and Knesset Member Modi Zandberg (Shinui).

Minister Levi said: "The construction in the Golan Heights is not new and it is not going to stop. We very much want peace with Syria, but not at the expense of destruction and demolition. Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad might not like the current developments in the Golan, but we also have our own demands."

Prime Minister Ehud Baraq reacted yesterday from Paris to the participation of ministers in the rally, saying: "What's wrong with it? The settlement enterprise in the Golan Heights is a wonderful one. The settlement in the Golan gives the Government a means by which it can reach a better settlement vis-a-vis the Syrians."

     

Germany suspected Kurds

Hamburg's DER SPIEGEL 9/20/99: "The storming of the Israeli Consulate General in Berlin by militant Kurds this February might have been prevented: in contrast to the insistence by Berlin's Internal Affairs Senator Eckard Werthebach, the authorities seemed to have specific information about the fact that after the arrest of their leader Abdullah Ocalan Kurds were planning anti-Israeli actions. This is shown by a confidential document, which is stored in the "secret protection room" of the Berlin Chamber of Deputies.

So far, Werthebach has always rejected any accusations that the Office for the Protection of the Constitution, the Land Office of Criminal Investigations, and the police could have protected the Consulate better. On 21 May, for instance, he categorically stated that "no specific information about the danger" had been available in the evening of 16 February, that is, on the day before the storming.

The confidential document -- the printed version of an electronically transmitted message from the Office for the Protection of the Constitution in Bremen to the colleagues in Berlin from the afternoon of 16 February -- says something different.

In it, the Land Office in Bremen warns that an informer, "who is active in the scene of the PKK [Workers Party of Kurdistan]/ERNK [National Liberation Front of Kurdistan]," told the authority in the morning that the Kurds knew about the cooperation among Kenyan, Greek, US, and also Israeli services in Ocalan's kidnapping. Now guerrilla-tactics operations are planned. Even though the warning from the intelligence service source was far more concrete than any other speculations, the officials in Berlin did not consider it particularly important. Four Kurds were shot dead by Israelis during the operation."

     

New "Black September"?

AGENCE FRANCE PRESSE 9/23/99: "Jordan has "proof" the Palestinian movement Hamas controls several opposition and Islamic militant groups here threatening a destabilisation as severe as the 1970 Black September clashes with Palestinian radicals, a senior official told AFP Thursday.

"Hamas grew to an extent that it infiltrated hardliners among Islamists in Jordan and began controlling them as well as some opposition groups in such a way that bring to mind the tragic event of 1970 Black September," the top official said.

"Parliament was informed of the situation and deputies expressed fear that there will be a repeat of Black September," when King Hussein ordered the armed forces to crush Palestinian radicals who were challenging his authority, the official said asking not to be named."

     

Refugees & Displaced Persons

Amman's AL RA'Y 9/21/99--Interview with Dr. As'ad 'Abd-al-Rahman, PLO Executive Committee member and official in charge of the refugees and displaced persons file, by Lima Nabil:

.....[Nabil] When you speak about the repatriation of refugees, what number are you considering?

['Abd-al-Rahman] We are talking about 5 million refugees, who constitute about 75 percent of the total Palestinian population at home and in the diaspora. In more detail, this number includes the 220,000 registered Palestinian deportees. These deportees had representatives in the meetings which we held recently in Bethlehem. Some of these were deported from their villages and towns, which are only 200 meters away from their current places of residence.

I would like to point out here that we do not consider the refugee as just a person who is registered with the UN Relief and Agency (UNRWA). The registered refugees are 3.5 million, while the total number who have the right to repatriation are 5 million.

According to the latest and most up to date statistics, 26 percent of the West Bank inhabitants and 65 percent of the inhabitants of Gaza are refugees. Their number is 1,075,000, including 45,000 who are not registered. There are more registered refugees in Jordan than on the land of historical Palestine.

There are 375,000 refugees in Syria, 220,000 in Lebanon, and 45,000 in Iraq. There are others in the Gulf states and the diaspora. Some 88 percent of the total number of refugees are in Palestine and the surrounding states, that is the cordon states. The total number of refugees constitutes approximately 70 percent of the total Palestinian population. Therefore, we are not speaking about a class or a minority of the Palestinian people. We are speaking about not less than two thirds of the Palestinian people.

[Nabil] What do you expect from an Israeli negotiator, who refuses to recognize the refugees and their right to repatriation in the first place?

['Abd-al-Rahman] They can say what they want. They are saying that Jerusalem is the eternal capital of Israel, and we say the opposite. To us, Jerusalem with its eastern and western parts is the eternal capital of the Palestinian people. This is the position before the negotiation. If this would be their constant stand in the talks, then there would be no need to continue with the settlement or talks.

If the Israelis think that peace could be achieved without the refugees securing their rights, they are deluding themselves. And if they believed that the Palestinian would give up his right to self-determination and be less Palestinian than the international community, which has asserted this right for more than half a century and through 110 UN resolutions, then they are also deluding themselves. They say a big no to the repatriation of the refugees, and we say a big no to all that they represent, if the refugee issue is not resolved.

[Nabil] Would the refugees be asked at some stage to choose between repatriation or compensation, as announced on several occasion?

[Abd-al-Rahman] The confusion occurs when Resolution 194 is not read scientifically and legally. Paragraph 11 of the resolution stipulates as follows: "In the case that Palestinians are allowed to return to their homes and lands, which they left during and after the 1948 War, at the nearest possible opportunity, they can live in peace with their neighbors. Those who do not wish to, or cannot, return, have the right to compensation."

Now since the return did not take place as planned; that is in days, weeks, or months at the time, the Palestinian has been deprived of his right to his property, land, and stable livelihood. Therefore, he deserves full compensation. Jews are still demanding reparations for what happened to them under Nazi rule.

A committee is now assessing the value of the psychological suffering by the Palestinian refugee. We will demand reparations just as Jews and Israelis demanded them and got billions of dollars. How can the first victim [Jews] obtain reparations; but, when this victim becomes a hangman himself, he denies his victim of his rights?

[Nabil] What if Israel refuses to negotiate the refugee issue on the basis of the UN resolutions and says that the current mandate is Oslo, not the UN resolutions?

['Abd-al-Rahman] This is not correct. We have legal decisions explaining the link between Resolutions 338 and 242 on the one hand and Resolution 194 on the other. We have studies which will serve as the basis for papers which we will submit to the legal department.

[Nabil] If Israel rejects this mandate, would you return to the United Nations?

['Abd-al-Rahman] If we have to return to the United Nations, the International Court of Justice at The Hague, or the human rights organizations, we will certainly do that, because Clause 13 of the World Declaration of Human Rights is the basis for the right to repatriation. Resolution 194 is not the legal mandate. The legal mandate is the World Declaration of Human Rights on whose basis the United nations drafted and approved Resolution 194. Therefore, the root is human rights and international law; and Resolution 194 is the practical interpretation of this root.

[Nabil] Israel is talking about resettling refugees where they are. What do you say to that?

['Abd-al-Rahman] Scores of resettlement plans were aired during the past five decades. Some were aired by individuals and others by some quarters, governments, or states. But, all these attempts were smashed on the rock of popular resistance by our Palestinian people in general, and our refugee folk in particular. So, the resettlement is rejected for the following considerations:

Resettlement means keeping them where they are or moving them to another country, as some are saying. For example, a refugee in Lebanon would be moved to Iraq. This second refugee status is rejected completely.

While resettlement is a violation of Palestinian rights, it is also a violation of the rights of the host countries. Why shouldn't the solution be the safe repatriation of everyone? Why involve the demographics and national policies of a host country and thus cause tension?

The biggest example is Lebanon, whose demographic, political, and communal conditions cannot stand any resettlement there. Therefore, we appreciated the noble Lebanese stand and the Arab national stand in rejecting resettlement and demanding the right to repatriation for Palestinian refugees. We are all demanding that...

[Nabil] Resolution 194 speaks about refugees who were forced to leave their homes, while Oslo and others speak about the possibility of the return of displaced persons?

['Abd-al-Rahman] This is not correct. The Oslo agreements distinguish between the displaced person [nazih] and the refugee [laji']. I have explained that the case of the refugees will be dealt with in the final status talks, while the case of the displaced persons falls within the interim phase talks.

The Oslo agreements have created a mechanism for the displaced persons. This mechanism is the four-state committee embracing Egypt, Jordan, Israel, and PA. As to the refugee issue, it will be dealt through the other two mechanisms; namely, the bilateral Palestinian-Israeli talks and the multilateral talks..."

     

France not wanted

MA'ARIV 9/23/99: "Contrary to expectations, Syrian President Hafiz al-Asad has not relayed any political message to Prime Minister Baraq. Following a two-hour meeting in Paris yesterday with French President Jacques Chirac, Baraq emphasized that he had neither received a message nor sent anything to the Syrian president.

Baraq's meeting with Chirac at the Elysee Palace in Paris was supposed to be the peak of his short visit to Germany and France this week. Based on news that reached Israel, the French president had a telephone conversation with Syrian Foreign Minister Faruq al-Shar' a short while before the visit, in which the latter relayed a message from al-Asad to the Israeli prime minister. However, Chirac himself asserted that no such a message had been relayed.

In the course of his meeting with Baraq yesterday, President Chirac displayed extraordinary knowledge of the details of the Middle East peace process and stressed that he now sees a unique opportunity to attain an agreement, "something I could not say a year ago," Chirac stressed. For his part, Baraq referred to the Lebanese issue and reiterated his commitment to withdraw to the international border within 10 months.

Baraq politely rejected the possibility of French and European involvement in the peace process. Baraq defined the European role as no more than "a psychological security net for the Middle East players." Yet Baraq made a point of emphasizing his "appreciation for President Chirac's deep ties with the Middle East leaders."...

     

More Israeli-Arab 'Hamas'

MA'ARIV 9/23/99: "A new report by security elements notes that "there are more underground cells of Israeli Arabs in rural villages with ties to the Islamic Movement and Hamas [Islamic Resistance Movement]." It transpires from the report that these underground cells are affiliated with Hamas and Islamic Jihad and operate according to their instructions.

The report notes further that, among Israeli Arabs, the number of people who have joined the Islamic Movement has increased. Hamas elements, mainly of the 'Izz-al-Din al-Qassam squads, hold ties with radical activists of the Islamic Movement in Israel. Reference is not to the movement's leaders but to ties between Israeli Arab youth and terrorists wanted by Israel.

The report says that, as time goes by, more people join the Islamic movements and the incitement inside the villages, mosques, and even in some schools increases. Nevertheless, other elements in the Islamic Movement are trying to excoriate the radical elements and denounce their extremist acts.

At the same time, the Shin Bet is significantly increasing its intelligence activity against Islamic extremism inside Israel. Consequently, it was decided to activate tens of collaborators and sophisticated intelligence equipment. Rage inside the villages at residents suspected of collaborating is increasing. One of the movement's leaders said a few days ago that the Shin Bet is even trying to recruit school boys."

     

Egypt wants Eilat

Cairo's Al WAFD 9/23/99: "Arab sources revealed that Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs has sent a legal memorandum to Israel about Egypt's right in Um-al-Rashrash village, known as "Ilat" by Israel. The memorandum referred to the village in question as Egyptian land occupied by Israel in 1948 and demanded Israel's withdrawal.

The same Arab sources said that Egypt's Ministry of Foreign Affairs based its memorandum on the articles of the Camp David Agreement stating the right to demand reconsidering the agreed upon borders after 20 years of signing the agreement. The memorandum was sent to Israel in complete secrecy, the Arab sources added."

     

France upset with Israel

Paris' LES ECHOS 9/23/99: "With a brutal frankness described as "disconcerting" by French diplomatic circles, Israel yesterday bluntly dashed Paris' hopes of performing a mediating role between Israel and Syria.

A few hours before Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Baraq's arrival in Paris, his security affairs adviser, Danny Yatom, said, during the Israeli leader's "historic" visit to Berlin, that "the United States alone is capable of facilitating the resumption of direct negotiations" between Tel Aviv and Damascus.

However uncompromising these remarks may seem, they merely confirm Israel's well-known refusal to allow France -- which is perceived as a traditional ally of the Arabs -- to involve itself in negotiations with Syria.

For that matter, Israel's mistrust is not confined to Paris. Danny Yatom was absolutely clear about this: according to him, Ehud Baraq indicated to Chancellor Schroeder that the Europeans should confine themselves to "granting their moral, political, and financial support to the peace process."

At virtually the same moment, an Israeli Foreign Ministry official announced his country's refusal to cooperate with Terje Rod Larsen, the new UN special coordinator, who enjoys extended powers, and who represents an "institution that has almost always been hostile to us." Though Ehud Baraq eventually approved Terje Rod Larsen's appointment, these sharp responses could prove counterproductive for Israel.

Of course Europe's silence during the Nazi periods and the Israelis' belief that nobody can decide for them could explain this behavior. Nevertheless there is reason to wonder whether it would not be in Israel's interest, rather than having the powerful United States as its sole interlocutor, to pay more heed to a Europe that is geographically close to it and that has proven its commitment to its existence."

     

Government too weak in fight against Islamic Movements

HA'ARETZ 9/27/99: "The security authorities have fiercely attacked government proposals for combating Islamic Movement incitement saying the clampdown is far too weak.

Rejecting security authority recommendations to take harsh, repressive measures against the Islamic Movement in Israel, a forum convened by Prime Minister Ehud Barak decided to take limited steps aimed at tightening the state's supervision of the movement.

Senior police sources were critical of the government for not implementing steps designed to eradicate the movement's hostile activity, such as closing down media that engage in incitement, restricting meetings of the movement and shutting down some of its institutions.

Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami told Ha'aretz that the decision to adopt relatively mild measures was taken in order to deal with specific problems. "Extreme measures are liable to push the moderates into the extremist wing," Ben-Ami said. The government, he asserted, has no intention of declaring war on the Arabs in Israel.

The forum decided to step up supervision over Islamic Movement publications in Israel and over sermons delivered by imams in the movement's mosques. The measures are intended to fight incitement against the state. In addition, a thorough examination is to be launched into funding sources for institutions associated with the Islamic Movement.

The forum was convened in the wake of the involvement of Israeli Arabs, who are members of the Islamic Movement, in the abortive terrorist attacks in Tiberias and Haifa at the beginning of the month..."

     

Israel & Malaysia

HA'ARETZ 9/27/99: "Foreign Minister David Levy met yesterday in New York with his Malaysian counterpart, Datuk Hamid - the first official meeting between representatives of the two countries. Israel and Malaysia do not maintain diplomatic relations.

The meeting was organized by Americans from outside the Clinton administration. According to an Israeli source , the ministers decided that "Israel and Malaysia should open up to each other." A bilateral committee is to be set up to study ways to draw the countries closer."

     

More construction in territories

HA'ARETZ 9/27/99: "Since the installation of the government under Prime Minister Ehud Barak at the beginning of July, the Housing Ministry under National Religious Party minister Yitzhak Levy has issued tenders for the building of some 2,600 residential units in the territories, says Peace Now.

In a report issued yesterday the movement says that seven tenders have been issued for contractors to carry out development work in the West Bank. Peace Now spokeswoman Hagit Ya'ari said that these figures, which cover only three months, bring the Barak government close to the annual building rate in the territories of the previous government, under Benjamin Netanyahu. That government built about 3,000 homes for settlers a year, Ya'ari said...

Levy said in reaction that most of the homes are slated for settlements in the Jerusalem area, such as Givat Ze'ev, Ma'aleh Adumim and Beitar Illit. Those sites, he explained, "certainly have to undergo a beefing-up process if the government intends to safeguard Jerusalem in the [diplomatic] negotiations."

Levy added that his policy is compatible with the government's policy. "The prime minister," he said, "is a person who appreciates the people of the Yesha [Judea-Samaria-Gaza] settlement movement, and there are agreements between us and the settlers."

The minister told Israel Radio yesterday that his party "joined this government on the basis of the government's Basic Policy Guidelines. They do not mention anything about a freeze on construction."

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