Addressing the same day`s afternoon session of the Second Eurasia Economy Summit, Shaked recalled that Turkey and Israel had recognized the Turkish Republics who gained their independence in 1990s, and said the diplomatic wealth in those countries went in front of other countries.
Stressing that Israel brought most advanced technology in the fields of agriculture, medicine and telecommunication to the Turkish Republics, Shaked said they also gave the consultative service to those countries in the fields of medicine, agriculture and foreign affairs.
Noting the economic relations between Israel and the Turkish Republics were developed, Eli Shaked said the current trade volume was 25 million U.S. dollars and it showed a 30 percent annual increase. Stressing the importance of the Turkish Republics markets, Shaked said they planned to purchase energy from those countries..." 2. South Africa likes Israel Johannesburg's SAPA 10/7/99: "Gauteng premier Mbhazima Shilowa, guest speaker at the 24th South African Israel Chamber of Commerce annual general meeting in Johannesburg on Thursday, said he was thankful for the trade between South Africa and Israel as it had contributed to the trade balance of both countries. "We must translate the president's vision of a nation at work for better life," said Shilowa. Each and every South African, Shilowa said, had the responsibility to improve the living and working conditions of the majority of South Africans..." 3. Jordanian businessmen contact Israel AL QUDS in JERUALEM 10/9/99: "Israeli sources said yesterday that initial secret contacts are currently taking place between Jordanian businessmen and senior officials in the Israeli prime minister's office to establish a free trade zone near Jericho, on the border between Jordan and the West Bank.
The Jordanian businessmen's plan includes the construction of a commercial center on 800 donums of land, which they own. It has been learned that Tel Aviv Attorney Yosi Nenman, an expert on property in the Jerusalem and Tel Aviv areas, is representing the Jordanian businessmen in these contacts. The land on which the project will be built is under total Israeli sovereignty. The Civil Administration administers this property. However, the land is Jordanian property by law. The sources said that Attorney Nenman had refused to comment on this report.
It has been learned from the Israeli prime minister's office that contacts are indeed taking place with the representative of the Jordanian businessmen. However, this does not necessarily mean that agreement has been reached on the establishment of the commercial zone. It is worth mentioning that the Israeli Industry and Trade Ministry has been trying, in cooperation with the Palestinian Authority, to establish different projects in free trade zones in the West Bank.
Meanwhile, the Israeli Government is reviving an old initiative to establish a free trade zone in the Negev to vitalize the area economically. Israeli newspapers had published reports about Attorney Nenman, who is representing the Jordanian businessmen. They said that he represented Israeli businessmen seeking to build a luxury hotel on the eastern (Jordanian) shores of the Dead Sea..." 4. No "refugee" resettlement? Amman's JORDAN TIMES 10/9/99: "Prime Minister Abdur-Ra'uf S. Rawabdeh dismissed reports carried by the Israeli newspaper Ma'ariv on Wednesday about Jordanian plans to settle Palestinian refugees in Jordan.
In a telephone call to Hanan Ashrawi, the secretary general of the Palestinian Initiative to Strengthen International Dialogue and Democracy (Muftah), Rawabdeh said the Israeli reports are baseless, adding that Jordan's position towards the Palestinian refugees has remained unchanged. The prime minister said Jordan's position is legitimate, based on international resolutions which clearly provide for the right to repatriation and compensation.
Jordan's Ambassador to Israel, Omar Rifai, denied the Israeli newspaper reports, saying that he was surprised at the publication of such news. He stressed that no Jordanian official had discussed issues pertaining to the settlement of Palestinian refugees in Jordan with any Israeli official in any meeting. Rawabdeh stressed that the Jordanian-Palestinian coordination in all issues is ongoing and is increasingly enhanced. He warned of any attempts to harm that coordination or Palestinian-Jordanian relations..." 5. Jordan, Palestinian Arabs and Lebanon Beirut's AL NAHAR 10/12/99: "Political circles in Beirut have recently received information that a number of Palestinians holding temporary passports entered Lebanon after obtaining visas from the Lebanese Embassy in Jordan. According to the information, a large number of Palestinians holding ordinary Jordanian passports have also arrived in Lebanon lately after a circular instructing the Lebanese Embassy in Jordan to facilitate issuing visas for them was issued by the Lebanese Foreign Ministry.
The Embassy used to grant visas to holders of Jordanian passports, including Jordanians of Palestinian origin, without any restrictions. But it was strict in issuing visas to the Palestinians who came to Lebanon illegally during the war, participated in the fighting, and left the country in 1982 with the departure of the PLO. It also used to firmly refuse to grant visas to holders of temporary passports.
It is known that Jordan grants Jordanian passports bearing the so called national number to Jordanian citizens and to the Palestinian refugees who came to the country from Palestine in 1948. But those [Palestinians] who came to Jordan from outside the West Bank are granted temporary passports valid only for two years.
In a statement to Al-Nahar on 16 September 1999, Jordanian Interior Minister Nayif al-Qadi spoke of "a veto and reservations that Jordan used to have with regard to Lebanon." But, he explained, those problems were solved and "the ground is now prepared to grant the Lebanese brothers or the Jordanians who wish to travel to Lebanon open visas."
The new information raised questions among the political circles that received it. They ask about the implications of the Foreign Ministry's circular and the arrival of new groups of Palestinians, whether those holding temporary passports or, specifically, those holding ordinary Jordanian passports. The questions focus on the latter group, which includes families with members who were born in Lebanon during the war, families that bought apartments or land plots and returned to settle in Lebanon after emigrating to Yemen, Jordan, or Tunisia.
Al-Nahar asked Lebanese Ambassador to Jordan Adib 'Alam-al-Din about this information. He said that "the Lebanese Embassy in Amman was strict, without an excuse, in granting a number of Palestinians holding Jordanian passports visas to enter Lebanon. I found out after I assumed my post that the Embassy refused to issue about 3,560 visas. I informed the Foreign Ministry."
He added: "We received instructions from Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Salim al-Huss to issue a visa to every applicant holding a Jordanian passport without inquiring about his origin, where he was born, or where he lived. Based on this, we took measures to grant visas to holders of Jordanian passports, especially that there are investors and businessmen among them. This serves Lebanon's interests. It is also done for humanitarian reasons and it reflects respect for Jordanian-Lebanese relations." 6. Iraq & Syria Beirut's AL NAHAR 10/12/99: "Syrian Assistant Foreign Minister Sulayman Haddad has said that the Syrian authorities have decided to open an Iraqi interests office in Damascus.
After a meeting with his Iraqi counterpart Nabil Najm, Haddad said that "Syria is interested in establishing some kind of communication with Iraq. It earlier decided to open an Iraqi interests office in Damascus. This is what we discussed in the meeting." Haddad, however, did not mention a date for the opening of the office.
Damascus and Baghdad broke off their diplomatic relations and closed the border between them after exchanged accusations in the early eighties. The border was reopened in mid-1997 for "commercial and humanitarian" reasons, as it was said at the time...
Najm refused to comment on reports about a plan to settle Palestinian refugees in Iraq in return for Iraq's return to the international family. He said: "I do not want to comment" on this subject, especially since "Baghdad has a clear position on the issue of granting nationality to Palestinians." It believes that "the land of Palestine is their natural place."
Najm said that Syria's share in the oil-for-food formula will increase in the future. He noted "in-depth discussions between the two sides to increase Iraq's imports from Syria, which are still less than desired." Baghdad and Damascus opened commercial offices in each other at the end of 1998 to encourage and promote trade between them." 7. Communities compromise HA'ARETZ 10/14/99: "Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the leaders of the Yesha Council of Settlements in the West Bank and Gaza last night reached an agreement on the evacuation of the "settlement outposts" that were established in the West Bank illegally. The settlers promised to work for a voluntary evacuation of all the sites that are to be dismantled, the Prime Minister's Bureau said in a statement.
Under the terms of the agreement, 10 outposts will be completely evacuated: Havat Maon, Mitzpeh Shuna, Givat Hahayal, Shvut Rachel 8, Mitzpeh Kramim, Neve Erez, Mitzpeh Hagit, Area 15, Area 25 and Givat Hayovel. The residents of Magen David outpost will leave and the area will become pasture land. At Tzofit, the settlers will leave and the students of the pre-army academy will remain until the end of the academic year, at which time the future of the site will be discussed again.
Barak agreed to freeze the situation in three of the 15 outposts he had decided to remove: Mitzpeh Dani, Har Horsha and Site 779 (Shvut Rachel 6). The leaders of the Yesha Council of settlements yesterday presented their comments on the evacuation decision in a meeting with Barak's chief of staff, Danny Yatom, and with National Religious Party leader and Housing Minister Yitzhak Levy. Barak adopted the agreement they reached.
Settlers at Havat Maon, south of Hebron, where a settler, Dov Dribben, was killed in an incident involving Palestinian shepherds about a year ago, have vowed to "dig in" and resist any attempt to evacuate them...Neither the IDF nor the Civil Administration has received a directive to act on the outposts from the political level. Such orders are expected to be issued today, after the talks with the settlers conclude. Military sources said it would be possible to evacuate the outposts by the end of the week, but added that the final decision rests with the prime minister.
The compromise originally formulated by Barak differs somewhat from the recommendations that he received initially from the defense establishment. In this conception, 15 outposts would be dismantled (seven that are flagrantly illegal and eight that were approved without defense minister Moshe Arens' authorization just before and just after the May elections by his adviser on settlement, Mordechai Zelikovitch). Construction in 16 more would be halted, while three would be legalized in addition to eight which have already been given legal status.
In his talks with the settlers Barak projected resolve and showed no signs that he would agree to a compromise. The talks with Barak and his aides that engendered the agreement were received with mixed feelings by the settlers. The young guard of the settlers is still adamantly opposed to the removal of any outposts...
Likud leader Ariel Sharon accused the prime minister yesterday of cutting a deal with Yasser Arafat to remove West Bank outposts. Sharon said he had a "strong feeling" that Barak may have "promised Arafat to shut down outposts without their importance having been examined" properly.
Speaking at a press conference at Likud party headquarters in Tel Aviv, Sharon said that the outposts are "strategic points" and that their "placement at specific locations has enabled the residents in the territories to lead a normal life." He added that the outposts were linked by "access roads in order to create a Jewish foothold in certain places."
Sharon emphasised that the Likud will deploy to fight the decision to remove outposts "using all the legal and legitimate means in a democratic regime." In the meantime, MK Michael Kleiner (National Union) yesterday submitted a bill in the Knesset for the annexation to Israel of two West Bank settlements, Ofra and Beit El. Kleiner noted that over a year ago, Barak declared that the two settlements would always remain under Israeli sovereignty.
Chairman of the One Israel faction Ofir Pines-Paz yesterday wrote to Kleiner following the latter's statement that he would use his parliamentary immunity to interrupt IDF soldiers who were evacuating outposts. Pines-Paz said "it is intolerable for an MK to proclaim that he is going to break the law."...
Former Defense Minister Moshe Arens has denied authorizing "hilltop outposts" in the West Bank just before and just after the May 1999 elections. He said that if permission had been given by Mordechai Zelikovich, the defense minister's advisor on settlements in the Netanyahu government, it was "not given with my concurrence."
Arens, who replaced Yitzhak Mordechai shortly before the elections, said that during his own tenure "there were a number of outposts that were established illegally and did not get authorizations. I don't remember exactly how many." He said that "there were two cases in which the evacuation of illegal settlements was blocked at the intervention of the prime minister [Benjamin Netantahu] because of the proximity to the elections." He said that he did not delegate authority to Zelikovich and that "all the authorizations for outposts went through me."
Arens also said that "to the best of my knowledge, no authorizations were given without my knowledge." As for Prime Minister Ehud Barak's decision to dismantle 15 of the outposts, Arens said: "What is legal should remain; what is not legal should be evacuated. It seems to me simple and straightforward." 8. Communities comments ARUTZ7 10/13/99: "The National Union party has submitted a no-confidence motion in the Knesset, on the backdrop of the outposts issue. A Knesset Forum for the Yesha Outposts has been established, headed by Ariel Sharon. Yesha Council head Benny Kashriel will meet with One Israel Knesset faction head MK Ophir Paz in the Knesset this afternoon. Paz said that he wishes to prevent a deterioration in the relations with the Yesha residents, "as occurred in the events that led to the assassination of Yitzchak Rabin," in his words.
MK David Azulai (Shas) said that he is in favor of uprooting the outposts if "this will advance the peace process," and advises the Yesha Council to accept the decision "in good spirit." He said, however, that "Barak seems to think that he is still in the army. He must not deliver ultimatum, but rather make decisions together with the Yesha people."
MK Yuli Edelstein (Yisrael B'Aliyah): "All outposts approved by the Netanyahu government should remain, and the remaining 11 that were established shortly before the elections should be checked, with an aim towards approving them. If they are not approved, we'll have to meet with the Yesha leaders and army leaders, and have a party meeting on the topic, and decide on our next steps."
Likud leader Ariel Sharon: "The legality of the outposts is a secondary problem; in my opinion they are all legal. The main issue that must be examined is the necessity of the settlements. I appeal to the Prime Minister, who himself comes from the settlements, who was raised on pioneering and Zionist values, not to make this move - which is anti-security, anti-pioneering, and anti-Zionist - of evacuating settlements."
Ra'anan Cohen, Labor party Secretary-General: "We in the Labor party, will not permit the street to fall back again in the hands of the right-wing. The right speaks today of war instead of speaking about a real public struggle for what they believe in. We won't allow - we condemn those settlers that plan to engage in protests the way they did against Rabin. We thought that the lesson had been learned."
.....[NRP leaders comments:] MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman said that the outposts are crucial for the Jewish communities in Yesha. In answer to a question, he said that he has red lines, but that he prefers to share them first with the Prime Minister. On the other hand, MK Zevulun Orlev said that only the extreme right-wing objects to any compromise whatsoever.
MK Nachum Langental said, "We knew from the beginning that the Prime Minister is not exactly a great supporter of the National Religious Party platform. Our strategy is not built around questions such as 'what will you do if this or that place is evacuated?' but is rather built on a long-range strategy, on the desire to influence the final-status agreement, on the desire to bring about unity in the nation, and on the desire not to isolate the Yesha communities and their residents from the rest of the nation."
Seri [the reporter] then said, "In conclusion, the bottom line is that the NRP plans to remain in the coalition even if the government evacuates 15 outposts?" Langental responded, "I didn't say that. I said only that our struggle is not whether to leave the government or not, but rather to facilitate as many outposts as possible." ... 9. Communities strategy THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "The number of West Bank encampments slated for dismantlement has been reduced from 15 to 12, Prime Minister Ehud Barak announced last night after his political and security adviser Danny Yatom met with Benny Kashriel, chairman of the Council of Communities in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza. One of the 12 is to remain as pasture land and another as a preparatory school through the end of the school year, and their future will then be discussed, according to a statement from the Prime Minister's Office.
Settler heads said they would attempt to facilitate the evacuation. The talks were an attempt to avert confrontation, after some activists threatened to fight government plans to dismantle the encampments. Ze'ev Hever, head of the Amana settlement development agency, and Yossi Vardi, the prime minister's settlement adviser, also participated in the talks.
Speaking to North American Jewish leaders last night, Barak said, "The settlement movement is very important and close to my heart, but the government cannot allow itself to be led by the illegal activities of its citizens. I hope that dialogue between the settlement leaders and government will reach an understanding, and a decision will be reached at the end of the day."
At a strategy session yesterday, the council decided to move its headquarters from Jerusalem to Haresha in Talmon, one of the encampments slated for dismantling. Younger settlement leaders, who represent the inhabitants of the encampments, warned they would resist any attempts to evict them, while other leaders stressed that any resistance must be within the confines of the law.
Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said that for every encampment dismantled, another would take its place. "Even if settlers are evicted in the day, there are contingency plans, and by nightfall, others will take their place sleeping in tents." He also said task forces had been set up in all settlements to ensure that any encampment being dismantled will be reinforced by people almost immediately, and groups will begin searching for new sites to set up other encampments.
Council members also met with coalition and opposition MKs, and with Interior Minister Natan Sharansky (Yisrael Ba'aliya), Housing Minister Yitzhak Levy (National Religious Party), Minister of Diaspora Affairs Michael Melchior, and Labor and Social Affairs Minister Eli Yishai (Shas), who informed them that he supported their cause and plans to visit the encampments soon.
"We have no plans to take extreme steps and hope the channels of dialogue remain open," Kashriel said...Shimon Rikhlin, one of the organizers of the New Generation settlers group, said that yeshiva students and other supporters had begun flocking to the encampments to block access roads. He stressed that the activists had no intention of behaving violently or breaking the law.
In addition, the group called on supporters to join a protest rally outside the prime minister's residence on Sunday night. Peace Now and Meretz declared they would arrange counter-demonstrations to any protests organized by the Right..." 10. Palestinian Arab buildings ARUTZ7 10/11/99: "The Barak government has not demolished even a single illegal Palestinian structure in Judea and Samaria, by explicit order of the Prime Minister. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that some 1,000 illegal structures whose razing had been previously ordered are thus still standing. They are all in Area C, under total Israeli control. The government is scheduled to discuss the matter of illegal Palestinian construction within the near future." 11. Assad sick? HA'ARETZ 10/14/99: "Syrian President Hafez Assad's health has deteriorated lately and he has weakened, although he still rules the country, the chief of IDF intelligence, Major General Amos Malka, told the cabinet yesterday. Malka did not provide a medical diagnosis of Assad's illness.
According to Malka, some think that Assad does not wish to open negotiations with Israel because of his illness; he fears that Syria would find itself in a dangerous situation if the talks drag on. He is therefore willing to start a dialogue only if his demands are met in advance.
Malka added that Assad was awaiting the recovery of his foreign minister, Farouk a-Shara, who underwent open heart surgery last week, to examine the possibility of renewing talks with Israel. However, Syria is only willing to make peace "on its own conditions," which, according to the intelligence evaluation, include an Israeli withdrawal from the Golan Heights to the June 4, 1967 lines; security arrangements "with an element of symmetry"; continued Syrian control of Lebanon; and U.S. financial aid.
According to Malka, the harsh stance presented by Syria as a condition for renewing the talks with Israel have several causes:
--Assad cares about his personal prestige and does not wish to appear as giving in to Israel.
--Syria is competing for the leadership of the Arab world and must maintain its national pride.
--Fear of undermining Syria's interests in Lebanon.
Malka said that the Syrian regime is stable, and that Assad's son, Bashar, has a good change of succeeding his father, "but as is always the case in the Arab world, everything is subject to change." According to Malka, the power struggles between Bashar and the factions loyal to Rifat Assad, the president's brother, "are under control" and do not endanger stability in Syria.
Participants in yesterday's meeting understood from Malka's report that he believed it impossible to reach a separate arrangement in Lebanon independent of an overall agreement with Syria. Prime Minister Ehud Barak promised the ministers that programs for the army pullback from Lebanon will be presented and discussed in the next cabinet meeting..."
12. Terror attacks imminent? ARUTZ7 10/13/99: "The Security Cabinet convened this morning to discuss the intelligence warnings of possible terrorist attacks being planned by Islamic organizations. Hizbullah, Hamas, and the Islamic Jihad were discussed. Prime Minister Barak, visiting the northern town of Carmiel yesterday, repeated his warning that terrorist organizations may strike in Israel or around the world. 13. Pardon reversal ARUTZ7 10/13/99: "The Supreme Court, in a precedent-setting ruling, nullified a Presidential pardon given to a murderer six years ago. The late President Chaim Herzog pardoned convicted murderer Ezra Shamsi, after the latter presented medical papers showing that he was on the verge of death. The State Prosecution appealed the decision, after it became clear that the papers were fraudulent. Shamsi was returned to prison this morning after six years of undeserved freedom." 14. Prince Hassan surprise visit THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "Jordan's Prince Hassan will make a surprise visit on Sunday for an international conference to mark the fifth anniversary of the Jordan-Israel peace treaty, The Jerusalem Post learned last night.
Jordanian participation at the event at Tel Aviv University had been thrown into doubt by the chill in relations after settlers heckled 20 Jordanian legislators, including the parliament speaker, in an incident at Hebron's Machpela Cave on Saturday. Hassan will deliver the keynote address at the opening of the two-day conference organized by the Yitzhak Rabin Center for Israel Studies, sources close to the organizers said.
Former Jordanian prime minister Abdel Salam Majali was originally scheduled to give the address, but his participation had already been in doubt for scheduling reasons before the heckling incident. Jordan on Monday asked Israel to postpone a scheduled visit by Industry and Trade Minister Ran Cohen, seen as a protest on behalf of the parliamentarians..." 15. Why Wye aid? THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "If the US Congress does not approve the aid pledged by the Clinton administration under the Wye accord, the peace process with the Palestinians could suffer, Prime Minister Ehud Barak warned last night. "Without such aid, it will be more difficult to move forward to the most crucial stages of the peace process," Barak said.
Speaking at a Knesset dinner for the Prime Minister's Mission of United Jewish Communities of the Federations of North America, he called on the delegates to make their voices heard in Congress. "We have to make sure the American people understand that the aid that was pledged to Israel as part of the Wye River agreement is vital to the peace process," he said. "Without Wye aid and the sustained support of the American people for this process, I cannot guarantee that peace will be a reality soon enough" He added that "at the and of the day, war is more costly than peace."
Last week, Congress narrowly passed the foreign operations appropriations bill, which excludes some $2 billion in funding sought by Clinton, including the funds designated to implement the Wye agreement." 16. Citibanking THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "The Bank of Israel yesterday approved a request from Citibank to open a full-service branch in Tel Aviv. Insiders estimate that the bank should be fully functional within a few months. Citibank has had a representative office in Tel Aviv since 1996. While a representative office is only permitted to refer customers to its other branches, a full-service bank can provide all banking needs.
Central bank Governor Jacob Frenkel was instrumental in getting Citibank management to apply for the bank, with Prime Minister Ehud Barak getting involved in the last few weeks. Citibank's decision was made shortly after senior officials met with Frenkel during his recent trip to Washington for the International Monetary Fund's annual conference.
Citibank's decision can be interpreted as an indication of further progress for the Israeli economy's liberalization, stability, commitment to reduce inflation, integration into the world's economy, as well as, perhaps, progress in the peace process. The representative office was established shortly after the signing of the Oslo Accords. Citibank's bank in Tel Aviv is slated to become a branch of Citibank New York, one of dozens of members of Citicorp..." 17. Prisoner deal THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "Israel will release 151 Palestinian prisoners early tomorrow morning after both sides resolved a dispute about who should be on the list to go free, Palestinian officials said yesterday.
The second prisoner release mandated by the Sharm e-Sheik agreement was to have taken place on October 8, but was postponed when the sides could not agree on who was to be released. The delay came after the Palestinians insisted on including prisoners jailed for killing Israelis, something Prime Minister Ehud Barak has repeatedly said he will not countenance.
It was not clear what the compromise was, although Palestinian negotiators had said Tuesday night the Israelis were close to accepting the release of a number of Palestinians who killed Israelis. Neither side would say who was included on the new list. A statement from Internal Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami's office confirmed the release, and said the list was approved by the relevant government ministries.
The Prime Minister's Office issued a statement saying: "An agreement in principle has been reached on the list of prisoners. The objective is to carry out the release toward the weekend.
"...Among those being released, he said, are members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad and 40 prisoners from Arab countries, such as Egypt, Jordan, and Iraq. Sufian Abu Zeideh, a member of the prisoner committee, said that the Palestinians are pleased with the compromise. A Palestinian Authority source said the General Security Service had made the compromise possible, because it supported the release of pre-Oslo prisoners who have some blood on their hands, meaning those who had seriously wounded Israelis..." 18. Disney doings THE JERUSALEM POST 10/14/99: "The controversy over Israel's exhibit at Walt Disney World refuses to fade away. Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat got into the fray yesterday, when an Arab League spokesman in Cairo said Arafat had said that Disney had approved a Palestinian exhibit at the Millennium Village at Epcot Center.
A Walt Disney World spokesman dismissed the report, saying that no such contacts have been made. "We have always been open to hear from any potential sponsors or exhibitors at Epcot," Disney's Bill Warren said, but added, "There have been no discussions with our company."
Following the October 1 opening of the Israel Pavilion at Epcot, Arab American organizations had called for Disney to approve a Palestinian exhibition. The Israeli exhibition focuses almost entirely on the city of Jerusalem. Before the exhibit opened, the Arab League and many Arab organizations protested what they called the depiction of the city as Israel's capital. Foreign Ministry officials insist there never were any such references.
Hussein Ibish, the communications director of the Washington-based American Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee, acknowledged that the Arab League statement had been premature, but insisted that intense discussions are under way with Disney. "There are fruitful ongoing discussions between Disney and interested parties," Ibish said. "I believe there is a willingness there, and I believe the funds will be found. But if Disney wants to be discreet about it, that's fine."..." 19. Labor irregularities ARUTZ7 10/11/99: "The Labor party will have to pay the government 7.3 million shekels for irregularities in its accounts, failure to report publicity expenses, and the receipt of donations from unclear sources. Such is the finding of State Controller Eliezer Goldberg in his annual report on the financial statements of the various political parties for 1998.
Labor will have to return six million shekels in unused funds, and was fined 1.3 million shekels for the irregularities. No other party was fined nearly as much, and several other parties were fined much smaller amounts. David Levy's Gesher party, for instance, was fined 100,000 shekels for spending 1.6 million shekels more than the limit." 20. ZINC letter LETTER TO ZINC--responding to a recent ZINC news item:
The ZINC item: AL QUDS in Jerusalem 9/29/99...
The justice minister pointed out that the Palestinian people themselves should be the source of the four branches of authority, including the press. He added: Emphasis should be placed on holding legislative elections, setting a certain term for the cabinet and the Legislative Council, and having the people join dialogue, instead of holding dialogue among the political forces alone. He also called for activating the role of the press in these issues."
Michael,
May I point out that the according to the Oslo Accords the legislative elections for the PLC should have taken place in January of this year. You might want to double check it, but I'm pretty sure of it. Of course the "Raiz" [Yasser Arafat] is due up for election this coming January given that his term, as I recall, is four years. Remember the news reports extolling the "first" Palestinian election. It's not the first until there's a second, until then the word is "only."
David Gerstman, Baltimore, MD 21. Unfrozen aid ARUTZ7 10/12/99: :"The above Minister Cohen finds himself in yet another "uncomfortable" situation vis-a-vis Yesha: Only two days before a Supreme Court ruling on a petition by seven Judea and Samaria local councils against him, Cohen has rescinded his plan to freeze government aid to Yesha factories. Cohen retracted his decision after being advised to do so by the State Attorney.
Shortly after taking office this past summer, Cohen announced that he would freeze the aid to Yesha factories. Immediately afterwards, legal experts observed that such a decision was not in his purview, but could only be made by the entire government. Cohen told the Court yesterday that Yesha factories would receive "the exact same treatment as plants elsewhere in the country." ..... 22. Soccer victory ISRAEL LINE 10/12/99: "Israel's national soccer team qualified on Sunday for a place in the European championship finals, which are scheduled to for next summer, HA'ARETZ reported. Israel owes its good fortune to its 3-1 victory over Cypus in Vienna, which gave Israel an edge.
Israeli coach Shlomo Sharf, delighted by the outcome, stated that "reaching the playoffs was our goal from the outset," adding, "Israel has never reached this stage of the European championship, but we will still need to win in the playoffs." 23. South Lebanese general Lahad furious with Barak HA'ARETZ 10/13/99: "South Lebanese Army Commander General Antoine Lahad is furious with Prime Minister Ehud Barak over a leak from a senior state official that Barak is considering a unilateral withdrawal from Lebanon as early as January or February next year.
Lahad has held talks over the last few days with senior officers of the Israel Defense Forces and has stated that he refuses to be a pawn in Israel's game. Lahad has said that the leaked statements and the attempts by Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sneh to pacify the situation by saying that a withdrawal will only be part of an agreement, are contradictory signals, worsening the situation and the suspicions of the population.
According to military sources, Lahad wants an urgent meeting with senior Israeli officials to discuss the developments. He has also hinted that he may resign. However, a source close to Lahad said that this was highly unlikely.
Lahad expressed his anger in an interview with Yedioth Ahronoth yesterday. He said: "Some of my soldiers may start working for the Hezbollah because of all the uncertainty. They realize that no one is going to care about them."
The SLA in the meantime is continuing with its operations in the security zone, according to military sources. A senior source said that a crisis in the SLA could quickly develop if they feel that Israel is about to abandon them." 24. Golan marketing HA'ARETZ 10/14/99: "A joint headquarters incorporating all parties, movements and organizations that oppose a withdrawal from the Golan Heights will begin operating next week.
Initiated by the Golan Heights settlement committee, the new umbrella group aims to form an overall public relations and marketing strategy to sway public opinion against the withdrawal before the planned referendum on the issue. The organizers hope it will make opposition to a Golan withdrawal more effective, and improve coordination among the many groups that currently oppose a withdrawal.
The Likud, the National Union Party, Yisrael b'Aliyah, Yisrael Beiteinu and the National Religious Party have announced that they would join the new organization. Likud Chair Ariel Sharon met yesterday in Tel Aviv with representatives of the Golan Heights settlement committee for a coordination and update meeting..." 25. Mosque allowed in Nazareth VOICE OF AMERICA 10/13/99: "The Israeli government has decided to allow the construction of a mosque next to the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth where Christian tradition says the Angel Gabriel told Mary she would give birth to Jesus.
Israeli Public Security Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami released details of the plan shortly after meeting with Christian and Muslim groups from Nazareth.
Mr. Ben-Ami says the mosque must be limited to 700- square meters. He says a large barrier will be built between the mosque and the church, a Muslim protest tent currently on the site will be removed next month, and there will be an increase in the number of police in the area...Mr. Ben-Ami says construction of the mosque would begin after planned millennium celebrations that include an expected visit to Nazareth by Pope John Paul.
While Muslim leaders generally supported the proposed size of the mosque, they immediately voiced their opposition to other details of the plan and warned there could be violence in Nazareth if it is implemented...
Many Christian leaders in the Holy Land are also opposed to the Israeli Government's plan. They argue that it is not appropriate to build a mosque so close to one of the most important sites in Christianity. Some leaders have threatened to close Christian holy sites during millennium celebrations and others have suggested the pope may reconsider his planned visit to the region during the year 2000."