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December 13 -17, 2004
- SECURITY
- Five Soldiers Killed in Gaza Tunnel Blast
- IAF Hits Terror Targets in Gaza
- Thai Worker Killed in Palestinian Mortar Attack
- 5000 Mortar Shells Landed in Israel in Four Years
- Soldier Lightly Wounded as IDF Launches Operation Against Mortar Launching Infrastructure
- 5 Palestinians Die in Gaza Tunnel Collapse
- ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN DIALOGUE
- Abbas: Resorting to Violence Against Israel Was a Mistake
- Abbas Rejects Israel's Plan to Solve Palestinian Refugees' Issue
- PM Sharon to Palestinians: Do Not Miss Unique Opportunity for Peace
- DIPLOMACY
- Israel and Egypt Sign Landmark Trade Agreement
- Israel Proposes Refugee Plan
- FM Shalom Calls for International Mideast Summit, Syria Talks
- Leading French Politician Sarkozy Expresses Solidarity with Israel
- PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS
- Barghouti Withdraws from Race to Succeed Arafat
- COALITION NEGOTIATIONS
- Shas Won't Join Coalition For Now, Opposes Pullout Plan
- DISENGAGEMENT PLAN
- 10,000 Reservists to Assist in Pullout
- HOME
- 24-hour TV Takes Ulpan to Next Level
SECURITY Five Soldiers Killed in Gaza Tunnel Blast
Monday, December 13, 2004Five Israel Defense Forces soldiers from the Bedouin Desert Reconnaissance Battalion were killed and six were wounded when a tunnel filled with explosives blew up underneath an IDF post near the Rafah terminal in the southern Gaza Strip early Sunday evening, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The soldiers who lost their life in the attack are: Sgt. Araf al-Zabarga, 20, from Kuseifa; Tarek al-Zidaina, 20, from Rahat; Sgt. Sayid Jaja, 19, from Arara; Pvt. Adham Samir Shehada, 19, from Turan; Hussein Abu Lile, 23, from Ein Mahil. One of the wounded soldiers is still in critical condition.
Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility for the attack, in honor of "the martyr Yasser Arafat," and claimed that it took four months to dig an 800 meter-long tunnel from Rafah to the crossing and that one and a half tons of explosives had been placed in barrels inside the tunnel to create the blast.
After the initial explosion, two gunmen throwing grenades and firing rifles infiltrated the post, while other Palestinians fired mortar shells and directed light weapons fire at the position. Soldiers at the post who had not been wounded in the explosion opened fire, killing one of the assailants. The second fled the area, apparently toward Rafah. The gunman who escaped later said he tried to kidnap a wounded soldier, but killed him because the soldier resisted.
The IDF post, a security checkpoint for Palestinians entering the border crossing, was manned only by the 11 soldiers from the Bedouin reconnaissance unit.
Shortly after Hamas and Fatah claimed responsibility, crowds of Palestinians rejoiced in the streets of Gaza City.
IAF Hits Terror Targets in Gaza
Monday, December 13, 2004A day after five Israel Defense Forces soldiers were killed in a joint Hamas-Fatah attack in the Gaza Strip, Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz approved today a series of operational incursions to combat the terrorism caused by the tunnel system in Gaza, HA'ARETZ reported. In an apparent initial response to the bombing, Israel Air Force helicopters fired around six missiles at targets in Gaza City early today. One of the missiles hit a metal foundry believed to be used by terror groups to produce ammunitions. There were no apparent casualties in the strike.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today he did not see any change in the Palestinian Authority's efforts to fight terrorism. Progress in peace efforts, Sharon said, depends on whether the Palestinians act against terror.
"By now, we don't see any change," Sharon said. "My government and I would like to move forward towards peace, but it depends on one thing, that it should be quiet and I'm really sorry to say that by now we don't see any changes."
In other news, in the West Bank, a wanted Hamas terrorist was killed and three IDF soldiers were injured, none of them seriously, in an overnight gun battle in Nablus. The Hamas man was identified as Ihsam Shuhana, who was linked to a number of suicide bombings.
Thai Worker Killed in Palestinian Mortar Attack
Wednesday, December 15, 2004A Palestinian mortar attack on the Gush Katif town of Ganei Tal killed a 20-year-old female foreign worker from Thailand and wounded two other workers early this evening, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The worker from Thailand was killed after a mortar shell exploded inside a storeroom by which she was standing; two other workers inside the building were lightly wounded by shrapnel.
In total, six mortar shells were fired at Israeli towns in Gush Katif, and two were fired at Israel Defense Forces posts and Jewish towns in the northern Gaza Strip, during the day. The Palestinian mortar attacks continued despite the presence of IDF troops on the outskirts of the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the southern Gaza Strip since Friday. The troops took up positions on the outskirts of the camp in an effort to halt the attacks on Gush Katif and nearby IDF posts. Since the beginning of November, more than 80 mortar shells and Qassam rockets have been fired at Gush Katif communities in the western Negev, including more than 25 this past week.
5000 Mortar Shells Landed in Israel in Four Years
Thursday, December 16, 2004Nearly 5,000 mortar shells have landed in Gush Katif since the start of Palestinian violence four years ago, killing four people and injuring over a hundred, MA'ARIV reported. A former senior Israel Defense Forces officer noted that, "the numbers are reminiscent of the fighting in southern Lebanon and maybe even surpass them. In Lebanon we simply fired back. In Gaza it is impossible since they fire from civilian territory. There are solutions to this problem, but they are not being carried out".
In other security-related news, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL reported that five Israelis had been wounded, two of them moderately, in two shooting incidents on the Kissufim-Gush Katif road. IDF soldiers killed two of the terrorists who carried out the shooting attack.
IDF troops in the Gaza Strip shot dead a member of the Islamic Jihad this morning as he was attempting to plant an explosive device near an Israeli town.
Soldier Lightly Wounded as IDF Launches Operation Against Mortar Launching Infrastructure
Friday, December 17, 2004One soldier taking part in Israel Defense Forces counter-terror operations in the Khan Yunis refugee camp in the Gaza Strip was lightly wounded this afternoon when Palestinian gunmen fired an anti-tank rocket towards an armored bulldozer, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The IDF launched "Operation Orange Iron" Thursday night in an effort to eliminate mortar fire directed at Israeli communities in Gush Katif and originating from the Khan Yunis refugee camp. The operation was initiated as part of a series of expected IDF activities that were approved by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon following the attack on the IDF outpost near Rafah last Sunday night in which five soldiers were killed.
In the past week, at least 30 mortars shells have been fired at Israeli towns and IDF targets in the Gaza Strip. On Tuesday one of these shells killed a young woman and wounded two men in Ganei Tal. On Thursday evening, mortar fire on Gush Katif wounded 11 soldiers.
Six Palestinians were reportedly killed and 24 were wounded during the Khan Yunis raid.
5 Palestinians Die in Gaza Tunnel Collapse
Friday, December 17, 2004Israeli and Palestinian rescue forces were cooperating today in a search for three Palestinians declared missing following the collapse of a weapons-smuggling tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border overnight which has already killed at least five Palestinians, HA'ARETZ reported. The Israel Defense Forces allowed Palestinian ambulances and rescue workers to get to the scene of the tunnel collapse, which is usually off-limits to Palestinians. Rescue forces extricated the bodies of the dead Palestinians from the tunnel.
The tunnel, which is located between an IDF base and the south Gaza area of Rafah, collapsed late Thursday.
ISRAEL-PALESTINIAN DIALOGUE Abbas: Resorting to Violence Against Israel Was a Mistake
Tuesday, December 14, 2004The use of weapons by Palestinians to fight Israel was a mistake and should end, PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas has declared, HA'ARETZ reported. In an interview to the London-based Arabic newspaper Asharq al-Awsat published today, Abbas said that Palestinians should resist the Israeli 'occupation' of the West Bank and Gaza without resorting to violence. "Using the weapons was harmful and has got to stop," Abbas said, referring to shootings and bombings by Palestinian terrorists that have killed hundreds of Israelis since the outbreak of fighting in September 2000. Abbas is the front-runner to replace Yasser Arafat in January 9th elections for Palestinian Authority chairman.
However, according to THE JERUSALEM POST, PA and Fatah officials have refused to condemn Sunday's tunnel attack near Rafah in which five soldiers were killed, saying it was a "legitimate operation" against a military target. Some officials in Ramallah admitted that the attack was a serious blow to Abbas's efforts to achieve calm. The PA-controlled media hailed on Monday the perpetrators as "martyrs" and described the attack as a "martyrdom operation against Israeli occupation forces."
Abbas Rejects Israel's Plan to Solve Palestinian Refugees' Issue
Thursday, December 16, 2004PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected Wednesday a new Israeli initiative to resettle Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and neighboring Arab countries, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "Any proposal regarding the resettlement of the refugees is completely rejected," Abbas told reporters in Saudi Arabia.
Abbas was referring to the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic initiative aimed at finding a permanent solution to the Palestinian refugees in the PA-controlled areas and in neighboring Arab countries. The initiative calls for asking countries that support the PA financially to invest capital in finding a permanent housing solution for Palestinians living in the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria and Lebanon. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom has reportedly spoken with leaders of countries that financially back the PA, as well as representatives of the World Bank, and asked them to assist with the new plan. The plan also includes a request by some of these nations to absorb some of the refugees in their own countries.
PM Sharon to Palestinians: Do Not Miss Unique Opportunity for Peace
Friday, December 17, 2004Speaking at the closing session of the Herzliya Conference on Thursday night , Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared 2005 a year of "great opportunity," and called on the Palestinians and neighboring Arab countries not to miss a historic chance to reach an agreement with Israel, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "We stand today before a unique window of opportunity," Sharon said. "Who knows when we might have another chance like this in the future?"
Sharon said that in light of these new opportunities, made possible primarily by Yasser Arafat's death, "Israel will be prepared to coordinate various elements relating to our disengagement plan with the future Palestinian government - a government which is ready and able to take responsibility for the areas which we leave."
Sharon said the vision of a two-state solution requires major concessions from both sides. He said that Israel made the "historic decision that we are prepared for such concessions" because the alternative of one nation ruling over another "would be a horrible disaster for both peoples."
Then, addressing the Palestinians, he said: "When faced with tranquility and a hand extended in peace, we will know how to react in tranquility and extend an honest and brave hand in return... We have no desire to rule over you, we have no desire to run your affairs."
The Palestinian Authority reacted angrily Thursday night to Sharon's comments, saying Israel would not find a partner on the Palestinian side to implement Sharon's vision. PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is on a visit to Qatar, said the Palestinians completely rejected Sharon's statements. Abbas stressed that the Palestinians would never surrender the right of the refugees to return to Israel.
DIPLOMACY Israel and Egypt Sign Landmark Trade Agreement
Tuesday, December 14, 2004Israel and Egypt signed an historic trade accord today in Cairo, in yet another indication of the warming relations between the two countries, MA'ARIV reported. The deal states that goods jointly manufactured by Israeli and Egyptian companies, in three Qualified Industrial Zones in greater Cairo, Alexandria and the Suez Canal, could gain tariff-free entry to the United States, as long as 35 percent of the exports are jointly produced by Egypt and Israel, and that the Israeli component constitutes at least 12 percent. The agreement, which represents the first strategic partnership accord in trade and industry since the 1979 peace treaty, was signed by Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert, his Egyptian counterpart Rashid Mohamed Rashid and U.S. Trade Representative Robert Zoellick.
Cairo had resisted the deal for several years, but its hand was forced by new U.S. textile import regulations which come into effect on January 1st and could have a dealt a knock-out blow to Egypt's key sector.
Scores of Egyptians protested across the country against the signing of the deal, arguing it was a form of colonialism. In Cairo, dozens of protesters, mainly anti-globalization activists and members of associations campaigning for the boycott of Israeli products, gathered at the headquarters of the journalists' union to denounce the agreement.
Israel Proposes Refugee Plan
Wednesday, December 15, 2004The Foreign Ministry is putting together a new diplomatic initiative aimed at finding a permanent solution to the Palestinian refugees problem in the West Bank and Gaza and in neighboring Arab countries, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Israel intends to ask countries that support the Palestinian Authority financially to invest capital in finding a permanent housing solution for Palestinians living in the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria and Lebanon.
Minister of Foreign Silvan Shalom has reportedly spoken with leaders of countries that financially back the PA, as well as representatives of the World Bank, and asked them to assist with the new plan. The plan also includes a request by some of these nations to absorb some of the refugees in their own countries.
Earlier this month, 18 donor countries pledged approximately $90 million for the 2005 budget of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Refugees (UNRWA) during a meeting at the UN. The agency's $339 million budget for 2005 was some 2.7 percent higher than the previous year, according to the UN.
One-third of the registered Palestine refugees, about 1.3 million people, live in 59 recognized refugee camps in the area of UNRWA operations in the West Bank, Gaza Strip, Jordan, Lebanon, and Syria. Israel has long charged that rather than working to permanently solve the refugee problem, the UNRWA-run camps only perpetuate the issue.
FM Shalom Calls for International Mideast Summit, Syria Talks
Wednesday, December 15, 2004Addressing the Herzliya Conference today, Minister of Foreign Silvan Shalom called for an international conference on the Middle East, in order to give a boost to the new Palestinian Authority leadership, HA'ARETZ reported. "Israel has to do its part, to remove the unauthorized outposts and withdraw to the positions held before September 29, 2000," Shalom said. "This is the only way we can work to really achieve what is necessary for the long process that can lead us to peace."
Shalom also said that Israel should not ignore Syrian peace overtures, and called on Syrian President Bashar Assad to prove his peaceful intentions. The Foreign Minister's direct appeal to Assad appears to be the most positive Israeli response yet to Syria's apparent willingness to enter dialogue with Israel. "I say to Assad: work to close the terror headquarters in Damascus and you will find in us a real partner in peace,'" Shalom said. "The moment Syria ends it support for terror we must go immediately to the negotiating table," Shalom added.
Leading French Politician Sarkozy Expresses Solidarity with Israel
Thursday, December 16, 2004While on a three-day visit to Israel, Nicolas Sarkozy, the head of France's leading political party, expressed solidarity with Israeli victims of terror and praised Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his courageous policies, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "I came here to express solidarity with the suffering of the victims [of terror]. Your children are our children; France has also suffered from terror," Sarkozy said. In his address at the last day of the Herzliya Conference, Sarkozy stressed his friendship for Israel on numerous occasions. He pointed out that 27 French nationals had been killed in Israel in terror attacks. Sarkozy added that he admired Israel's ability to build a vibrant state, faced with daily dangers.
The French politician also paid tribute to Prime Minister Sharon for the political and physical courage that led him to take the historic decision of disengaging from the Gaza Strip and some parts of the West Bank. Sarkozy was one of the few world leaders to express any feeling of empathy for 8,000 settlers in Gaza, who will be forced to leave their homes. "For them it will be a trauma," he said. Alluding to France's experience in Algeria in the 1960s, he said that his country could appreciate the extent of that trauma.
Sarkozy, 49, a former French finance minister and Interior minister, was recently elected as the president of the ruling Popular Movement Union. He is considered President Jacques Chirac's chief rival within the party, and is likely to be a candidate in the 2007 presidential elections.
PALESTINIAN AFFAIRS Barghouti Withdraws from Race to Succeed Arafat
Monday, December 13, 2004Marwan Barghouti - the Fatah leader imprisoned in Israel for the killing of several Israelis - has dropped out of the contest for the Palestinian Authority presidency, MA'ARIV reported. Barghouti's move makes PLO Chairman Mahmoud Abbas a clear favorite to succeed Yasser Arafat. In a letter written in his prison cell and read out at his campaign's Ramallah offices Sunday night, Barghouti harshly criticized the Fatah leadership, threw his weight behind his "dear brother" Abbas, and made a series of policy demands from the PLO chairman. Among the conditions laid out by Barghouti is the necessity for the Palestinian leadership not to make concessions on major issues such as Jerusalem, the refugees' 'right of return' and the release of all Palestinian prisoners. The announcement of Barghouti's withdrawal marks the apparent end of his on-again, off-again campaign. His original decision to run for the presidency was widely criticized by many Palestinian officials and by the Egyptian leadership, eager to promote Israeli-Palestinian dialogue in the wake of Arafat's death.
COALITION NEGOTIATIONS Shas Won't Join Coalition For Now, Opposes Pullout Plan
Thursday, December 16, 2004Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said today that the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party would not join the coalition for now because it opposed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, HA'ARETZ reported. However, a joint statement issued by both Shas and the Likud read that the talks between the two parties would continue and that if the political climate changed, Shas would reevaluate its stance regarding the pullout plan.
One possible solution is for Shas to join the government after the January 9th Palestinian Authority elections, which are likely to be followed by meetings between Sharon and the anticipated winner, PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas. A successful meeting would allow Shas' spiritual patron, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who is vehemently opposed to a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, to change his position as the disengagement would then be the outcome of dialogue with the Palestinians.
Talks with the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party were also due to continue today, following progress in negotiations the day before.
Meanwhile, Sharon has offered Labor the Interior Ministry, as well as five other ministries and a special deputy prime ministerial slot for Labor Chairman Shimon Peres.
DISENGAGEMENT PLAN 10,000 Reservists to Assist in Pullout
Monday, December 13, 2004The Israel Defense Forces plans a massive call-up of reservists, possibly up to 10,000, to help with the disengagement from the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The army has allocated 12 weeks for implementing the disengagement starting in early July. But the massive call up of reservists will begin in May to relieve troops who will undergo disengagement training. The boosted reserve force will also give the IDF more flexibility in reshuffling its regular troops, including those who will be redeploying outside of the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank. In general, reservists will not be used to carry out the disengagement or evacuation of Jewish settlers in the plan dubbed Shevet Ahim, or Tribe of Brothers.
Meanwhile, Israel may consider giving the Palestinian Authority security responsibility for the areas planned for withdrawal before the actual redeployment from the Gaza Strip and parts of the northern West Bank, Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz said today. "I am prepared to transfer responsibility in the Gaza Strip even before implementation of the pullout plan," Mofaz said at the Herzliya Conference today. "More so, on the day the Palestinians are ready to take responsibility over cities in the West Bank, I am convinced we must transfer authority in these places before, or during the pullout, but only if they stop the terror that is coming out of Jenin and Nablus." Mofaz added.
Mofaz also said that IDF troops would be pulled out of Palestinian cities ahead of the January 9th elections in the PA. "We will leave the Palestinian cities for a period of about 72 hours, that is the day before, the day of and the day after the election," Mofaz said. "We will do our best not to interfere with orderly procedure of the election," he added.
HOME 24-hour TV Takes Ulpan to Next Level
Tuesday, December 14, 2004The Immigration Absorption Ministry will launch a TV station this spring featuring round-the-clock Hebrew lessons with an aim to help new immigrants learn one of Israel's official languages, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "Every new immigrant has a television, so instead of having them come to us, all they will have to do is push a button and learn Hebrew," ministry director-general Mirla Gal said. "It's like having a teacher in front of you."
Gal added that the idea of a 24-hour station devoted to teaching a country's language was revolutionary: "From what I understand, it's the first time in history, and certainly the first time in Israel" that it is being done.
The programs and content - even the station's name and number - are still being worked out. But Gal said there would be a mix of shows to appeal to both children and adults of different Hebrew levels, and that the station would definitely feature a regular news show. Altogether, the ministry is spending NIS 8 million this year and the next on programs to boost Hebrew-language comprehension among new immigrants.
