Monday,
August 11
Hezbollah
Anti-aircraft Shells Kill Galilee Teenager
Haviv
Dadon, 16, of Shlomi, was killed yesterday afternoon, and
four people were injured when Hezbollah anti-aircraft shells crashed
into the Galilee town. The shelling erupted around 12:25, coming
from Hezbollah anti-aircraft cannons on the Lebanon side of the
northern border, overlooking Shlomi. Seven shells were fired.
Three landed in Shlomi - in the yard of a private home, and at
two sites close to one another on Harav Hazan street, a preschool
facility and a small plaza. Four shells exploded in the air and
caused no injuries nor property damage. The explosion in the plaza
left Dadon dead and another teenager, Yaron Fingleh, sustained
moderate injuries. Several other pedestrians in the plaza were
hurt. Security sources indicated last night that Israel's response
to the Hezbollah anti-aircraft assault on Shlomi would be moderate.
Though the option of attacking Syrian sites in Lebanon has been
considered, the brunt of Israel's response at this stage apparently
will be conveyed in diplomatic efforts to pressure the Syrians
to restrain Hezbollah. (From Ha'aretz) more
Sharon
to Visit India in September
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
is to visit India in September, the first ever trip there by an
incumbent Israeli premier, an Indian diplomat in Israel said Monday.
The itinerary is yet to be finalized, Indian and Israel officials
said, but the diplomat said the visit is tentatively scheduled
for early September. The two countries only established full diplomatic
relations in 1992. Since then they have developed thriving commercial
and military ties. Israeli newspaper reports say New Delhi has
bought Israeli missiles, radar, communications equipment and guns.
An Israeli official said the head of India's space agency visited
Israel recently for talks on cooperation in India's satellite
launch program. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Pro-Israel
Activism on U.S. Campuses
About
a year ago The Jerusalem Post profiled the collaborative efforts
of leading American Jewish organizations and philanthropists to
retake the campus. ("Take back the university," August
9, 2002). The news followed reports of a difficult year, when
Jewish students and supporters of Israel were on the defensive
and often the target of hostility and intimidation by detractors
of Israel who operate on North American university campuses.
Nearly a year later, there is growing evidence of an immediate
benefit from the community's strategic and proactive repositioning,
and perhaps unstated willingness, to take campuses and students
more seriously. This incremental communal awakening may be helpful
in establishing a better picture of what is actually happening
on campus and where we should focus our future efforts. The key
to a proactivity shift in a campus setting must be implemented
by students, even where community organizations offer their resources,
expertise and input. Dramatic, if not antiquated chest-thumping
models of protests and demonstrations borrowed from other eras,
do not generate mainstream student attention, curiosity or participation
today. Students have understood, even where others have failed,
that they are best positioned to influence the opinion of other
students on campus. (From Jerusalem Post) more
A
Pilot's Helmet Comes Home from Iraq
Thirty-six
years after four Israeli pilots were shot down over western Iraq
during the Six Day War, an IAF pilot's helmet discovered by Americans
forces in Baghdad was returned to Israel. "I have seen many
exciting things, but this is really special. It's the closing
of a circle," a senior Foreign Ministry official told Maariv.
"This helmet lay somewhere in Iraq for nearly 40 years. It
brings tears to my eyes." The helmet was discovered at a
memorial site for unknown Iraqi soldiers and was transferred by
the Americans to the Israel. "It is dizzying to hold such
a thing in my hands," an official told Yediot Aharonot. "You
can actually see stains of blood on it." Based on the attached
manufacturer's note, officials believe that the helmet could have
belonged to one of the four Israeli pilots shot down over Iraq
at the start of the 1967 war. On the third day of the war, IAF
planes were sent on a mission to attack the H-3 Iraqi airfield
after intelligence reports said that Egypt had called for an Iraqi
air attack on Israel. (From Israeli Insider) more
Israeli
Teenager Wins Gold at Special Olympics
As Shachar Gdalizon stood on the winner's
podium in Dublin, Ireland last month with a gold medal hanging
proudly on her neck, her parents Ruti and Eitan didn't know whether
to laugh or cry. So they did both. Shachar, an 18-year-old with
Down's syndrome won the 100-meter freestyle swimming competition
in the Special Olympics for her age range. She followed that victory
with a silver medal finish in the 50-meter freestyle, returning
triumphantly from Ireland to Israel to great fanfare and acclaim.
The Special Olympics are held once every four years, for athletes
with either physical or mental handicaps. The 2003 Olympics in
Dublin this year was a major event, attracting an especially high
level of international attention, with 80,000 viewers attending
the gala opening ceremony. (From Israel 21c) more
Tuesday,
August 12
TWO
SEPERATE SUICIDE BOMBERS ATTACK ISRAEL
Two Israelis were killed and at least
13 people were wounded in two separate suicide attacks Tuesday
morning. The first blast occurred at around 9 A.M. in the Israeli
town of Rosh Ha'ayin, on the outskirts of Petah Tikva, and a second
followed within an hour at the entrance to the West Bank settlement
of Ariel. The Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, the armed wing of Yasser
Arafat's Fatah movement, claimed responsibility for the Rosh Ha'ayin
bombing in a Web site announcement, naming the bomber as Islam
Yousef Qteishat, 17. Security sources said they thought the Rosh
Ha'ayin attack was carried out by Fatah activists from Nablus,
whom IDF Chief of Staff Moshe Ya'alon called "Fatah renegades."
Hamas, which told the Hezbollah television station in Lebanon
that one of its activists, 17-year-old Khamis Ghazi Gerwan, carried
out the Ariel attack Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that for
the peace process to continue, Palestinian terror must "stop
completely" and the Palestinian Authority must fulfill all
its commitments. (From Ha'aretz) more
Israel
Freezes Prisoner Release in Response to Suicide Strikes
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
froze the release of approximately 80 Palestinian prisoners scheduled
for Tuesday, in response to the two morning suicide bombings.
Sharon's directive interrupted the release process that had already
begun, and buses holding the prisoners headed back to the jails.
The prisoners were going to be released to bolster the road map.
Last week, Israel released 334 Palestinian prisoners. Israel is
not expected to launch a major retaliation as a result of the
bomb attacks. The army expected that even during the temporary
ceasefire, declared June 29 by militant Palestinian groups, there
would be attacks from time to time. (From Ha'aretz) more
Israeli
Tennis Star Wins - Again
Anna Pistolesi (nee Smashnova)
has done it again. Twice. Sunday, the second-seeded Israeli tennis
star beat Jelena Kostanic of Croatia (4-6, 6-4, 6-0) to win the
championship at the Nordea Nordic Light Open in Helsinki, Finland.
And it was Pistolesi’s second championship win in as many
weeks. Last week, in Sopot, Poland, she took the top prize in
the clay-court event at the Idea Prokom Open. Pistolesi, 27, of
Herzliya, is ranked 25th in the world. (From Arutz Sheva) more
New
Treatment Developed in Haifa Allows HIV Carriers to Father Children
An Israeli hospital announced Tuesday
that it has developed a new treatment that will allow men who
carry HIV to safely father children without passing on the virus.
It is believed that there are over 100 couples in Israel where
the male partner is a carrier of the virus. Rambam Hospital’s
Immunology, Allergy and AIDS Institute said that the new technology,
which was developed by the Haifa hospital in conjunction with
medical centers across Europe, allows the infected semen to be
‘washed clean,’ leaving behind only HIV-free semen.
Use of the procedure began in Europe in July last year, an in
Israel at the start of this year. Dr. Margalit Lorver, deputy
director of the institute, who was head of the project in Israel,
says that while a carriers’ semen is heavily infected, the
HIV virus cannot penetrate the semen itself. After the semen is
‘washed,’ the infected cells are disposed of and the
clean cells are injected into the woman’s uterus. According
to Dr. Lorver, the procedure allows these couples not to have
to rely on anonymous sperm donors as they used to do in the past.
Over 30 Israeli couples are currently undergoing treatment at
Rambam Hospital, the only medical center in Israel offering the
treatment. (From Ha'aretz) more
Wednesday,
August 13
White
House: Abbas Must Address Terrorism
The Bush administration,
responding to Palestinian bomb attacks on Israelis, urged Prime
Minister Mahmoud Abbas to confront and dismantle terror structures
on the West Bank and in Gaza. Abbas, whose high standing with
the administration apparently remained intact, has declined to
confront extremists, saying it could touch off a civil war among
the Palestinians. But White House spokeswoman Claire Buchan said,
"Dismantling terror networks is a very high priority, the
highest priority." State Department deputy spokesman Philip
T. Reeker said the Palestinian Authority "must act now to
dismantle terrorist capabilities, to dismantle the capacity of
these terrorist organizations." "There can be
no excuse for the violence and terrorist attacks that the Israeli
people have been forced to endure," Reeker said.
(From Jerusalem Post) more
PM:
Peace Process Will Die If Arafat Maintains Influence in PA
The peace process will die if the Palestinian
Authority does not remove Yasser Arafat from all positions of
influence, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said in an interview published
Wednesday in the French daily Le Figaro. Sharon also called for
cutting Arafat off from having any say over the PA's finances.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz also had harsh words for Arafat on
Wednesday, saying that the PA Chairman was doing everything in
his power to undermine current peace efforts and that Israel would
not continue with these efforts unless the PA dismantles terrorist
organizations. "I won't be surprised if Arafat is behind
the terror attacks in recent days," Mofaz said Wednesday.
"He is doing all he can to torpedo the (peace) process and
Abu Mazen's leadership. We will not continue the diplomatic process
and it cannot advance without solving the problem of the terror
infrastructure. The Palestinians must fight the terror infrastructure
and dismantle it for the (peace) process to continue." (From
Ha'aretz) more
Wakf
Head: 'Positive' Decision on Reopening Temple Mount Due Next Week
The head of the Wakf said Wednesday that
the Islamic Trust is inclined to agree to reopen Jerusalem's Temple
Mount to non-Muslims visitors in the near future, echoing statements
made by Israeli officials over the last forty-eight hours that
an agreement to reopen the bitterly contested holy site is likely
to be reached by next week. "The decision to close the site
three years ago was a temporary one, and not something that is
supposed to last forever," Wakf director Adnan Husseini said.
"We have made a positive evaluation [of the situation] and
we will reach for something positive as soon as possible,"
he said. Elyakim Rubinstein, Israel's chief law enforcement official,
said Wednesday that although Jews have a legal, historic and moral
right to the Temple Mount an understanding on the matter should
be reached first with the Wakf, while President Moshe Katsav suggested
that an accord be worked out with the Islamic Trust similar to
the sharing agreement in place at the Machpela Cave in Hebron,
where both faiths worship in separate areas and thereby avoid
unnecessary frictions. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Thursday,
August 14
Regional
Viewers Praise Israel's New Arabic-Language Satellite Station
Since June 2002, the Israel
Broadcasting Authority has been broadcasting its new Middle East
Satellite Television in Arabic 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Transmitted via Hotbird-3 satellite over the whole region (from
Morocco to Iran and from Scandinavia to the Sahara Desert), the
signal can be received freely by anyone who owns a dish on a channel
adjacent to the popular Al-Jazeerah TV. Reactions vary throughout
the Arab world. Naturally, the government-controlled media views
the Israeli channel as a dangerous tool, intended to "brainwash"
the Arab masses. Individual viewers, however, respond differently.
Many emails compliment the tolerance expressed in the discussion
programs that give room to various opinions, including those opposing
official Israeli government positions. (From Jerusalem Post) more
PA
TV Airs Music Video Promising 'Maidens of Paradise' to Martyrs
This week a music video
that depicts a shahid, a Muslim martyr who died for the sake of
Allah, joining beautiful maidens in heaven returned to PA TV.
The PA grants shahid status to all those killed in the conflict
with Israel, including suicide bombers and other terrorists. This
clip has appeared hundreds of times on Palestinian television
since October 2000. On Monday, the day before the twin suicide
bombings in Rosh Ha'ayin and outside Ariel, in interviews on Channel
10 and Army Radio, Palestinian Media Watch director Itamar Marcus
warned of the implications of the return of this music video:
"That this message has returned quickly, after several weeks
during which we did not see it, I view as being very serious,
as they are showing men once again that it is worthwhile to become
a shahid." (From Jerusalem Post) more
Data
Show Suicide Bombers Young, Well Educated
Since 1993, 303 suicide bombers have
launched themselves against Israeli targets. Of that total, 242,
or 80 percent, have come since September 2000, according to data
released this week by security sources. The vast majority of suicide
bombers since 2000 were single (87 percent), and young (76 percent
between 17-23). A total of 38 percent of the 2000-2003 suicide
bombers had university educations, and 47 percent had high school
educations. In comparison, only 5.3 percent of the Palestinian
population aged 19 and above was enrolled in vocational education,
community colleges or universities in 2000, according to the United
Nations Development Program. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Pollard
to Get Another Day in Court
Lawyers for imprisoned spy
Jonathan Pollard will have 40 minutes in a US federal courtroom
on September 2nd to explain why they should be permitted to continue
efforts to rescind his life sentence.The hearing will reportedly
focus on two issues: Was Pollard's March 1987 conviction based
on a misleading secret 46-page affidavit? Was Pollard denied due
process by a defense attorney who declined to file a routine appeal
after Judge Aubrey Robinson threw a crowded courtroom into pandemonium
with an unexpected life sentence?
Pollard has already has served far longer than the average for
people convicting of spying either for enemies of the United States
or for allies. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Israeli
Researchers Discover Stem Cells Can Rescue Damaged Liver
Stem cells in the bone marrow
can act as an emergency ambulance team rushing to the rescue when
the body's liver has become damaged, Weizmann Institute of Science
researchers have discovered. These premature cells, which have
not yet been differentiated for a specific purpose, usually develop
into blood cells to replenish the body's supply. But in an emergency,
the destiny of some of these stem cells may change: They can become
virtually any type of cell liver cells, muscle cells, nerve cells
responding to the body's needs. The findings could lead to new
insights into organ repair and transplants, especially liver-related
ones. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Friday,
August 15
73
Palestinian Prisoners Released
Some 73 Palestinian prisoners were released
Friday morning in a goodwill gesture to the Palestinians. The
prisoners released Friday, most of whom were convicted of being
in Israel illegally, had originally been slated to be released
Tuesday, but Prime Minister Ariel Sharon delayed their releases
in response to that day's suicide bombings in Rosh Ha'ayin and
Ariel. Israel has recently released 334 Palestinian prisoners,
including Hamas and Islamic Jihad members. (From Ha'aretz) more
Dahlan
and Mofaz Discuss Transferring Control of More Cities
PA Minister for Security
Affairs Dahlan and Israel Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz met for
four hours Thursday evening to discuss transferring more cities
to Palestinian control and PA action against terror. They will
probably meet again on Sunday, Israel Radio reported. Israel said
it was prepared to hand over Qalqilyah and Jericho, and the Palestinians
asked for control over Ramallah. Mofaz told Dahlan that the transfer
depended on Palestinian willingness to take "real action
against the terror organizations." They also discussed ways
to advance the peace process. Palestinian sources described the
talks as positive, but said that no agreements were reached. Following
the meeting, an Israeli security source said that "our goal
is to advance the peace process, not to crush it."
Mofaz met Thursday morning with U.S. envoy to the Middle East
John Wolf and called on him to press Dahlan and Abbas to take
action against terror. (From Ha'aretz) more
Hamas,
Islamic Jihad Resume Planning Terror Attacks
Senior Hamas and Islamic Jihad operatives
have recently resumed planning terror attacks for immediate execution,
in defiance of the cease-fire, Shin Bet security service sources
said. Security services are on alert Friday, having received 25
specific warnings of terror attacks.
One operative who sources said was planning attacks was Mohammed
Sidr, the head of Islamic Jihad's military wing in Hebron, whom
Israel killed Thursday morning during an attempt to arrest him.
Defense sources said that Sidr planned to send a booby-trapped
car into either Jerusalem or Hebron in the near future, and had
already acquired the car. Israel holds Sidr, 25, responsible for
attacks that killed 21 people, and he has long been one of the
top names on Israel's wanted list. Islamic Jihad announced Thursday
that it will avenge Sidr's killing, with senior organization members
hinting that they plan an attack inside the Green Line in retaliation.
In addition, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat is encouraging
Fatah cells in the northern West Bank to commit attacks as well.
They said that Arafat recently sent money to the Fatah cell in
the Balata refugee camp that carried out Tuesday's suicide bombing
in Rosh Ha'ayin.
Egypt is planning to send a delegation to the Gaza Strip and Ramallah
to try to persuade the militant Palestinian organizations to keep
to the cease-fire and even extend it, Arabic-language newspapers
reported Friday. (From Ha'aretz) more
Abbas'
Lack of Action Against Terrorism Disappoints US
Jerusalem has received indications
that the White House too is becoming increasingly disappointed
with Abbas. The Americans had pinned many hopes on him, believing
that his weight and authority would grow with the job, but they
learned that his cabinet is not making the necessary changes and
is not fighting against terrorism. Even Colin Powell and his people
have stepped up their demands of the Palestinian government to
start acting against terrorism. John Wolf, the American envoy
in charge of implementing the road map, last Monday warned Dahlan
that if no change occurs and the PA does not start acting against
terrorism, there will be no Palestinian state and the U.S. will
withdraw its support for it.
Prime Minister Sharon met Assistant Secretary of State William
Burns a few hours after the attacks in Rosh Ha'ayin and Ariel
and warned that if the PA fails to act against the terror infrastructure,
Israel will do so instead. So far, American pressure has achieved
nothing but evasive responses from the Palestinians. Israeli sources
assume that if the Americans despair of Abbas, they will threaten
to cut the PA's funds off, thus leading to the collapse of its
government and the rise of an alternative leadership.(From Ha'aretz)
more
Israel's
Gift to the People of Mumbai
As
a token of appreciation to the city of Mumbai and its people,
the Government of Israel at the initiative of Israel’s Consul-General
to Bombay Dov Segev Steinberg planned, organised and worked on
a project to install a new dialysis department at the K.E.M. Hospital.
The Consulate General of Israel through Mashav (The Department
for International Cooperation, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Israel)
along with financial assistance from the American Jewish Joint
Distribution Committee and the Jewish Community of India have
renovated the Renal Dialysis Unit at the hospital. It was inaugurated
yesterday by the Mayor Mahadeo Deole and Municipal Commissioner
Karun Srivastava. A team of seven technical personnel arrived
from Israel to set up the unit comprising of four dialysis machines
along with four new beds, a nurse station, suction and oxygen
flow meters, ECG machines and a defibrillator machine. The Israeli
team also installed a UPS system and renovated the entire Dialysis
Department including the ceiling, the flooring, painting and furnishing.
(From Cybernoon) more
