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July 19-23, 2004
- DIPLOMACY
- Israel and U.S. Say UN Support for ICJ Ruling on Fence Detrimental
- Israel Disappointed Over EU Attitude on Fence
- SECURITY
- Officer Seriously Wounded During Operation in Tulkarem
- 2 Soldiers Killed by Hezbollah Snipers
- Israel's Security Chief Warns of Threats to PM's Life
- Israeli-Arab Stabs IDF Soldier at Golani Junction
- Qassam Rockets Lands in House in Negev
- Iran Identified as Israel's Main Threat
- Suicide Bombing Planned for Haifa Thwarted
- Al-Qaida Planned Eilat Plane Attack
- IDF Soldier Injured in Infiltration Attempt
- PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
- Palestinian Authority in Turmoil over Security Appointments
- Arafat Agrees to Give Up Authority Over Security Forces
- According to New PA Textbooks, Israel Is Palestine
- Palestinian Teen Killed While Attempting to Prevent Rocket Launch from his House
- POLITICS
- Sharon and Peres Launch Coalition Talks
- SOCIETY
- Interior Ministry to Accept Non-Orthodox Conversions in Israel
- Jerusalem Goes Wireless
- CULTURE
- Israel's Gesher Theater Heads to NYC
- ECONOMY & HI-TECH
- Nanotechnology Research Receives $11.3m Worth of Funding
DIPLOMACY Israel and U.S. Say UN Support for ICJ Ruling on Fence Detrimental
Wednesday, July 21, 2004Responding to a non-binding UN resolution supporting the advisory opinion of the International Court of Justice asking Israel to tear down the fence in areas beyond the Green Line, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that, "the world would still rather see Israel suffer harm than see the Palestinian citizens inconvenienced," MA'ARIV reported.
U.S. Deputy UN Ambassador James Cunningham warned that the resolution was unbalanced and could further undermine the goal of a Middle East in which Israeli and Palestinian states live side by side in peace. Cunningham stressed that the international community should focus on the Gaza withdrawal plan as a way to restart the progress towards this region.
According to HA'ARETZ, the UN General Assembly vote had initially been set for last Friday but was postponed until Tuesday evening, to give Arab and European Union diplomats more time to try to reach a deal. European states were divided over whether the text should express concern about a section of the court's opinion stating that a state had the right to defend itself only against an attack from another state, and not from a suicide bomber. In the end, the EU supported the resolution. In a Ministry of Foreign Affairs statement, Israel expressed its disappointment with the EU and called into question their ability to play a "constructive role" in the diplomatic process.
Israel Disappointed Over EU Attitude on Fence
Thursday, July 22, 2004Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom concluded early this afternoon a meeting in Tel Aviv with European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana during which he reiterated Israel's dissatisfaction with the bloc-vote by all 25 EU states in favor of this week's UN General Assembly resolution condemning the West Bank security fence, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Solana is scheduled to meet on Friday with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, whose office has already indicated Israel's intention of limiting EU involvement in the Middle East peace process.
Solana arrived in Israel on Thursday morning as part of a four-day regional tour that has already included Egypt and Jordan. He will not, however, be visiting the Palestinian Authority. The foreign ministry director-general, Yoav Biran, summoned Wednesday three senior diplomats from the European Union, Britain and the Netherlands. Biran protested against the EU states voting in favor of the United Nations General Assembly resolution against Israel's West Bank security fence.
SECURITY Officer Seriously Wounded During Operation in Tulkarem
Monday, July 19, 2004An Israel Defense Forces officer was seriously injured today in an exchange of fire between troops and Palestinians during an arrest operation in Tulkarem, MA'ARIV reported. As IDF troops surrounded the home of a wanted Palestinian, the latter opened fire and hit the officer. He was evacuated to Tel Hashomer hospital. During the course of the operation a Palestinian terrorist wearing an explosive belt tried to blow himself up near the troops. The troops spotted and shot him, setting off the explosive belt. Three Palestinians were arrested during the IDF actions.
In other news, an IDF officer was slightly wounded early this morning after shots were fired at a regular army patrol near the Israel-Jordan border. According to the IDF, the shots were fired by a group of terrorists operating from Jordan. The Jordanian army said it had killed three gunmen responsible for the shooting. The Jordanian forces also managed to capture one of the attackers. He is being interrogated by Jordanian intelligence.
Overnight Sunday, 16 Palestinian fugitives, half of them Hamas members, were arrested in raids in the West Bank.
2 Soldiers Killed by Hezbollah Snipers
Tuesday, July 20, 2004Two Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed today when Hezbollah snipers fired at their military position on the Israel-Lebanon border, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL reported. The two soldiers were fixing a problem with an antenna in the outpost when snipers opened fire. An IDF tank and Israel Air Force helicopter gunship returned fire toward the Hezbollah post and destroyed it.
Israel's Security Chief Warns of Threats to PM's Life
Tuesday, July 20, 2004In a briefing to the Knesset's Committee on Defense and Foreign Affairs today, Israel Security Agency Chief Avi Dichter warned once again about radical Jewish elements threatening the life of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, MA'ARIV reported. Dichter said there are between 150-200 Jews living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip who actively wish for the death of the prime minister. Part of this group is affiliated with youth on the hilltop, a radical group of youngsters who are known to roam on settlement hilltops.
Israeli-Arab Stabs IDF Soldier at Golani Junction
Wednesday, July 21, 2004A 17 year-old Israeli-Arab stabbed a 20 year-old Israeli soldier twice in the abdomen at the Golani Junction this afternoon, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The attacker fled the scene and was chased and caught by nearby soldiers and additional border policemen. The wounded soldier was treated with first aid by Magen David Adom Paramedics on the scene and then rushed to Poliyah Hospital in Zefat where he was reported to be in moderate condition.
The teenage attacker told Israeli Police that he had stabbed the soldier to avenge his brother shot to death in a gunfight by defending border policemen near the Beit Rimon junction last month. In that incident, police said they came under fire from a short-barreled M-16 rifle that had belonged to corporal Oleg Shaikhet of upper Nazareth, who had been abducted in the same area one year ago. The kidnappers later killed Shaikhet, with the soldier's rifle.
Qassam Rockets Lands in House in Negev
Wednesday, July 21, 2004A Qassam rocket fired from the Gaza Strip fell inside a house located in a western Negev kibbutz this morning, miraculously injuring no one, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Damage was caused to the house. "A great miracle has happened to us today, it could have ended in a tragedy," said the house's owner Mordechai Asif. Asif's wife and two children, including a month-old baby, were in a room of the house when the Qassam rocket fell on one of the beds in an adjoining bedroom. Last month, a 4-year-old boy and a 49-year-old man were killed when a Qassam rocket fell in the town of Sderot.
According to MA'ARIV, the Palestinian cabinet has called on terror groups to stop the launching of Qassam rockets towards Israel. Since the beginning of Operation Forward Shield in the northern Gaza Strip that was designed to prevent rocket attacks towards Sderot, 40 Qassams have been fired, two of which fell in Sderot and close to twenty in the western Negev.
Iran Identified as Israel's Main Threat
Wednesday, July 21, 2004The annual intelligence report presented to the security cabinet today identifies the development of unconventional weapons in the Middle East as the most important existential threat to Israel, MA'ARIV reported. The report focuses on Iran, both as the country most likely to acquire WMD capabilities, and as the biggest backer of terrorism. The Israel Defense Forces is extremely concerned by Iran's ongoing pursuit of nuclear capabilities and launching systems, such as the Shihab missile.
Syria's development of chemical and biological warheads is also a matter of grave concern, since such weapons could end up in the hands of Hezbollah. The other main concern is the formation of an operational alliance between global and regional terrorism, specifically between al Qaeda, Hezbollah and Palestinian terrorist groups.
Suicide Bombing Planned for Haifa Thwarted
Thursday, July 22, 2004Soldiers thwarted a suicide bombing planned to occur in Haifa this morning when they stopped a suspicious Palestinian taxi at the Tapuah Junction, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Acting on intelligence tips, forces were deployed near Nablus today and set up surprise roadblocks in the area to stop and inspect all vehicles passing through. Troops manning the roadblock spotted a Palestinian taxi vehicle which suddenly changed its direction and tried to leave the area upon seeing the security checkpoint. Two Palestinian occupants of the taxi got out of the vehicle and fled. One of the Palestinians tossed onto the road a bag containing a suicide bomb vest weighing 20 kilograms (44 pounds). The bomb was detonated in a controlled explosion. The two Palestinians - Fatah members - managed to get away. Security officials said today that they had registered a sharp increase in the number of terror threats compared with several weeks ago. Israel is now facing 57 daily terror attack warning, compared with 30 to 35 last month. Officials noted an increase in the number of threats surrounding Nablus in recent days. Over 20 suicide bomber vests have been captured in the Nablus area since the start of 2004.
In the southern Strip, troops discovered two weapons-smuggling tunnels during an operation in Rafah early today.
Al-Qaida Planned Eilat Plane Attack
Friday, July 23, 2004According to the final report of the national commission investigating the 9/11 attacks, Al Qaida was plotting to recruit a Saudi pilot "to commandeer a Saudi fighter jet and attack the Israeli city of Eilat," THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Shortly before the 9/11 attacks, Khaled Sheikh Mohammed, mastermind of the terrorist plot against the United States, suggested the plan to Osama bin Laden. The report, released in Washington on Thursday, says that bin Laden reportedly "liked this proposal" but urged Mohammed to focus on the 9/11 operation first.
Earlier in 2001, at Bin Laden's direction, Mohammed had also dispatched an al-Qaida operative "to case potential economic and 'Jewish targets' in New York City." Scattered through the report are references to al-Qaida's desire to strike at Israeli and Jewish targets as well as American ones. Bin Laden, as has been reported, had urged Mohammed to advance the date of the attacks so they could coincide with the controversy over Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount in September 2000. The report also says that Mullah Omar, the ousted and now fugitive Taliban leader, pressed al-Qaida to attack Jews, "not necessarily the United States," perhaps out of fear of retaliation.
IDF Soldier Injured in Infiltration Attempt
Friday, July 23, 2004An Israel Defense Forces soldier sustained moderate injuries today after gunmen opened fire at an IDF post near the West Bank town of Shavei Shomron, HA'ARETZ reported. The solider was evacuated to Beilinson Hospital in Petah Tikva. According to an initial investigation, an armed Palestinian planned to infiltrate Shavei Shomron to carry out an attack. As he approached the town's security fence, the Palestinian man noticed the army patrol and opened fire, hitting the soldier. The soldiers returned fire, but the gunman managed to escape.
Also today, IDF troops in the Egoz unit arrested a senior Tanzim member Mahmoud Abu Hussa in the village of Yata, near the West Bank city of Hebron. Abu Hussa killed five Israelis in a number of shooting attacks.
Three Islamic Jihad members were killed Thursday evening when an Israel Air Force helicopter missile hit their car in the Zeitoun neighborhood of Gaza City.
Israeli security sources confirmed that the strike's target was Hazam Rahim, a senior member of Islamic Jihad, who had planned to carry out an attack in Israel in the coming days.
Rahim, who died in the strike, was one of those responsible for the removal of the body parts of Israeli soldiers killed when their armored personnel carrier exploded in the neighborhood in May.
PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS Palestinian Authority in Turmoil over Security Appointments
Monday, July 19, 2004Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat annulled the appointment of his nephew, Musa Arafat, as security chief on Monday, less than three days after the controversial appointment sparked violent clashes between Fatah and PA security forces, HA'ARETZ reported. Yasser Arafat reinstated Gen. Abdel Razek Majaide as security chief after dismissing him a few days earlier. Musa Arafat retained a senior security post in Gaza as subordinate to Majaide who has overall authority in both Gaza and the West Bank.
The announcement came as Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei's cabinet held another crisis session in Ramallah. Qurei, who resigned on Saturday, said his resignation would stand pending a written response from Arafat. "Yes, I have submitted my resignation in writing to the president (over) the state of chaos and lawlessness (in Gaza). As yet, I have not received a written response and therefore I consider that the resignation stands," Qurei said.
Turmoil within the PA comes as Yasser Arafat is under pressure from Egypt to announce new senior security appointments by July 20 as part of an overall reform of the Palestinian security apparatus.
Arafat Agrees to Give Up Authority Over Security Forces
Thursday, July 22, 2004Under mounting pressure, Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat has agreed to grant his prime minister full authority over security forces, as well as consolidate at least a dozen security branches into three agencies, HA'ARETZ reported. "Arafat expressed his readiness to give (Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei) full authority to reshuffle his cabinet in the way that he sees fit and give the government full authority over the internal security services," said Imad Fallouji, a member of the Palestinian Legislative Council.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan had urged Arafat on Wednesday to empower his prime minister and interior minister to carry out essential reforms in the PA, particularly in the security establishment. Arafat since issued a decree, formalizing the pledge to issue such reforms.
Meanwhile, earlier on Wednesday, Palestinians kidnapped and later released a senior official of the local government of the West Bank city of Nablus. The abduction was the latest in a series of abductions amidst growing chaos in the Palestinian territories, which led to a reshuffling of the Palestinian security forces and the attempted resignation of Qurei. Arafat refused to accept Qurei's resignation, so the prime minister was forced to remain in office.
According to New PA Textbooks, Israel Is Palestine
Thursday, July 22, 2004For the school year of 2003-2004, the Palestinian Authority's Education Ministry printed textbooks that delineate the borders of the West Bank and The Gaza strip but refer to the whole of Israel, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as "Palestine," THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The results of a study on PA textbooks were published in an Israeli government report. The report also reveals that all cities, villages and towns in Israel are titled with their Arabic names in the textbooks. The West Bank and Gaza Strip are referred to as the PA, a "temporary" territorial solution, whereas the combination of these two territories and Israel is mentioned as the "permanent Palestine."
The PA history books state that the Palestinian people have rights to the "country" [Israel] as they settled in it before the Jews. Some texts claim that Palestinians have resided in the area since the Stone Age while others express the "injustice in the establishment of the Jewish State" and state that Palestine gained independence in 1948, after the British Mandate ended. Zionists are also defined as "settlers" who emigrate from a strong country to a weaker country and take control of its land. The PA does not teach pupils about co-existence or peace and the overall policy "appears to be one of de-legitimization of the State of Israel and Zionism."
Palestinian Teen Killed While Attempting to Prevent Rocket Launch from his House
Friday, July 23, 2004An Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades cell killed a 16-year-old Palestinian in Beit Hanun today after the teenager's family attempted to protest the launch of Qassam rockets from their yard, HA'ARETZ reported. The terror cell, comprised of six men, arrived in a van at the Za'anun family's Beit Hanun home this morning and placed a Qassam rocket launcher adjacent to their house. One of the cell members opened fire on an armored Israel Defense Forces vehicle nearby.
Members of the Za'anun family came out of their house holding sticks and rocks, and tried to drive the Al-Aqsa terrorists from their yard, most likely fearing that their house would be demolished if Qassam rockets were fired from it. During the clash, the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades members opened fire, killing Hassan Za'anun and wounding three other family members.
The cell left the area following the incident, without firing the Qassam rockets.
POLITICS Sharon and Peres Launch Coalition Talks
Monday, July 19, 2004Coalition negotiations between the Likud and the Labor Party opened Sunday night in Ramat Gan with in an hour-long meeting that focused primarily on procedural issues, HA'ARETZ reported. Aides of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said ahead of the meeting that the Likud would reject any attempt by Labor to initiate major changes in government plans. "This isn't a post-elections negotiation," Sharon aides said. "This is an existing government that is adding partners. Therefore the basic policies won't be altered, and the disengagement will not be rushed."
An official close to Sharon said Sunday that the prime minister had not yet managed to garner a majority in the Knesset, especially among his own faction, to allow for a unity government. Despite the difficulties, the two sides set additional times for coalition negotiations this week.
In the meantime, Likud is set to meet with the negotiation teams from the ultra-Orthodox Shas and United Torah Judaism parties Tuesday, for the first time.
Sharon warned his cabinet Sunday that their jobs were not necessarily secure. "There might be changes in the ministerial positions as a result of the coalition negotiations. We stand now at the beginning of negotiations, and it is possible that there be no choice but to exchange portfolios between ministers."
SOCIETY Interior Ministry to Accept Non-Orthodox Conversions in Israel
Tuesday, July 20, 2004Minister of Interior Avraham Poraz intends to grant citizenship to legal residents who have undergone Reform or Conservative conversions in Israel, HA'ARETZ reported. In a letter to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, Poraz wrote "we cannot accept the monopoly held by Orthodox conversions, which does not provide an answer for tens of thousands of immigrants under the Law of Return."
On May 31, a panel of 11 justices ruled, 7-4, that anyone living in the country legally is entitled to Israeli citizenship under the Law of Return if he undergoes a "valid" conversion. The court left open the question of what constituted a valid conversion and gave the state 45 days to present its opinion on whether it considered Reform and Conservative conversions valid. Currently, Israel accepts non-Orthodox conversions under the Law of Return if performed outside the country.
Jerusalem Goes Wireless
Tuesday, July 20, 2004Jerusalem will be the first city in Israel to enjoy wireless Internet access in public places, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Within three to four months, people visiting the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall, Emek Refaim, the Rivlin - Nahalat Shiva zone, the Malha Shopping Mall, Safra Square and Shlomzion HaMalka Street, will be able to surf for free on their wireless-enabled laptop computers.
The wireless initiative, Unwire Jerusalem, was established by the municipality, international chip giant Intel, IT services provider Compumat, and the nonprofit Jerusalem Business Development Corporation. Under the plan, schools, Hebrew University, government offices, museums, malls, and parks will also be included in the wireless network. Jerusalem Mayor Uri Lupolianski said the project is part of a move towards positioning Jerusalem as the hi-tech capital of Israel.
CULTURE Israel's Gesher Theater Heads to NYC
Tuesday, July 20, 2004Israel's renowned Gesher Theater returns to the Lincoln Center Festival this month with two North American premieres celebrating the centenary of the birth of Noble Prize-winning author Isaac Bashevis Singer, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The award-winning plays, The Slave and Shosha are both based on Singer works and were adapted for the stage by Gesher's Artistic Director Yevgeny Arye. The two productions portray Singer's existential questions, which are as relevant to today's audiences as they were to viewers in Poland, on the eve of the Second World War.
The Gesher Company is made up of Israelis as well as immigrants from the former Soviet Union, and is one of the only bi-lingual theaters in the world. For more information and tickets, visit: www.lincolncenter.org or call: 212.721.6500.
ECONOMY & HI-TECH Nanotechnology Research Receives $11.3m Worth of Funding
Wednesday, July 21, 2004The government and the country's universities plan to invest $11.3 million in nanotechnology research in 2004-05, HA'ARETZ reported. Most of this sum will be used to purchase the necessary equipment for the universities. The investment, to be made through the National Research Infrastructure Forum, is the first stage of a five-year plan drawn up by the National Committee on Nanotechnology. The plan calls for investing $25-30 million in nanotechnology infrastructure over the next five years. The universities will also be required to make all of their equipment available to researchers from other academic institutions and industrial concerns. The committee is giving priority to projects in the fields of electronics, materials science and biology.
