Monday,
May 12
Israel
Releases Palestinian Prisoners
A bus full of Palestinian prisoners
and detainees that Israel released as part of the confidence-building
measures toward an internationally brokered peace arrived Monday
afternoon at the Salam roadblock near Jenin, in the northern West
Bank. More than 100 prisoners were to be brought to the roadblock,
from where they will travel to their homes in the West Bank or Gaza
Strip. The prisoners had reportedly been held at the Damun prison
in Carmel, most of them for being in Israel illegally or for criminal
activity. A small portion were security prisoners who had been imprisoned
for 10 months. (From Ha'aretz) more
PM
Sharon: I'll Tell Abbas We Need Quiet Before Talks
Sharon told the Jerusalem Post
in an interview Monday that he will tell Abbas Israel will never
make compromises that affect its security. "To start the process
there must be an end to terror, and steps must be taken to end terror,"
Sharon said. "We made it very clear, that when it comes to
political solutions we are ready to make painful compromises, but
when it comes to security there will not be any compromises not
now and not in the future. Therefore, in order to move forward,
it should be quiet, it should be calm."
Sharon is also set to meet with US President George W. Bush next
week in Washington, at which time the meeting agenda will range
over the broad strategic future of the Middle East. (From Jerusalem
Post) more
Terrorist
Gunmen Murder Father of Six
An Israeli man, 53, was killed
in a shooting attack near the West Bank settlement of Ofra early
yesterday morning. Zion David, a resident of Givat Ze'ev and father
of six, was apparently driving to work when gunmen opened fire on
his vehicle about 500 meters north of Ofra. He was hit in the head
and lost control of the vehicle, which then flipped over. Both Fatah
and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine claimed responsibility
for the attack. (From Ha'aretz) more
Meanwhile, Border policemen uncovered and diffused an explosive
device weighing 40 Kilograms near the Gaza Strip Jewish community
of Netzer Hazani Monday afternoon. No one was hurt. (From Jerusalem
Post) more
Israeli
Company Enables Those Who Fight SARS to Breathe Easier
Oridion, an Israeli medical device
company that has developed and patented unique technologies in the
field of patient monitoring, is donating respiratory monitoring
devices to hospitals in China, Singapore and Hong Kong to fight
the SARS outbreak. The company has for years been donating its respiratory
monitor devices to parts of the world hit by terror attacks, earthquakes
and tragic fires, and medical facilities able to take advantage
of their technology. The world technology leader in capnography
- the non-invasive measurement of carbon dioxide in exhaled breath,
Oridion's monitoring devices are recognized world-wide as the single
most effective technology for monitoring breathing in patients who
are not attached to artificial breathing devices. Through one of
its corporate partners, Philips, Oridion learned that its devices
were considered particularly useful for doctors fighting SARS in
China. Philips had donated monitoring devices with Oridion technology
to the Chinese government to help with the SARS crisis, and the
government had found them so useful, that they ordered more. At
that point Oridion itself stepped in and offered to donate more
devices. (From Israel 21c) more
Tuesday,
May 13
Leaders
of Israel's Islamic Movement Arrested on Suspicion of Funding Terror
In a late night, well coordinated raid,
police and security forces arrested 14 officials connected to the
northern branch of the Islamic Movement in Israel, including the
organization's leader, Sheikh Raed Salah. The officials are suspected
of transferring charity funds raised overseas to the families of
suicide bombers and Hamas. Internal Security Minister Tzachi Hanegbi
said the men "oiled the wheels" of terrorism. According
to media reports, more than 800 police officers, Border Police and
Shin Bet security service officials participated in the late night
raid on the officials' homes in the Israeli Arab town of Umm el-Fahm.
The arrests came after a two-year investigation and after the Islamic
Movement and a related al-Aqsa Association charity fund have been
targeted for some time by the government. (From Israel Insider)
more
El
Al to be Privatized; Shabbat Flights a Possibility
The Knesset Finance Committee decided
Tuesday to privatize El Al, Israel's national carrier. The company
will be floated on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange at end of month.
In a a decision not universally welcomed, the new management will
have the right to decide whether the airline will fly on Shabbat.
In order to facilitate the sale, the government will contribute
a state loan $108 million to cover the payment of workers' benefits.
(From Jerusalem Post) more
Wiesenthal
Center: Anti-Semitism at Highest Level Since WWII
An international
conference on intolerance opened Monday with a stern warning that
acts of hatred against Jews, particularly in Europe, have reached
their highest level since World War II. "A new generation of
haters has been brought up and are ready to act," said Rabbi
Marvin Hier, head of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, a Los Angeles-based
Jewish rights group. The center jointly organized the three-day
meeting in Paris with the United Nations' cultural agency to discuss
ways to reverse the trend and promote religious tolerance in schools
and universities. Attacks
in France and Britain on Jewish schools, temples and cemeteries
have coincided with heightened tensions in the Middle East. But
Hier dismissed the notion that Israeli-Palestinian violence was
to blame, instead attributing the resurgence of anti-Semitism to
a fundamental, age-old hatred of Jews. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Wednesday,
May 14
PMs
Sharon and Abbas to Meet Saturday Night
Palestinian sources said Tuesday
that Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen)
would meet with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday night. The
Sharon-Abbas meeting would be the first public talks between top
leaders of Israel and the Palestinians in two and a half years.
PA Minister for Information Nabil Amr did not expect any imminent
results from the meeting, since Sharon will want to wait for his
meeting with Bush on May 20. Yet Abbas believes that the two sides
can achieve results in direct talks, a PA official close to the
PA prime minister said. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Israel's
Skin Cancer Rate Second Highest in the World
The skin cancer rate in Israel
is among the highest in the world, the Israel Cancer Association
reported yesterday. At the end of 2000 there were 3,631 skin cancer
patients in Israel and around 200 die every year from the disease.
During the skin cancer awareness week the Skin Cancer Association
and the Health Ministry, Health Maintenance Organizations and hospitals
will do free examinations for skin cancer in 300 outlets. Dr. Micha
Barhana, director of the Health Ministry's cancer registration unit,
says the high rate of skin cancer in Israel is because of the large
number of people from Europe and North America, whose fair skin
is vulnerable to the desert climate in Israel. Risk is increased
by the dress fashions that allow more of the body and skin to be
exposed to the sun than is customary in neighboring countries. (From
Ha'aretz) more
New
Tourism Campaigns
The Tourism Ministry has announced
a new campaign to increase tourism from abroad, targeted at both
Jews and Christian friends of Israel. The campaign emphasizes that
with the improved security situation in Israel and throughout the
Middle East, "Now is the time to visit Israel." Kicking
off the new campaign, Tourism Minister Benny Elon said, "The
challenge facing us now is to go from survival to renewed growth
in the industry." As part of its efforts to return to a prominent
position in the tourism world, the Ministry of Tourism has also
begun a new program of "registering" all those who wish
to keep up a connection with the State of Israel. (From Arutz Sheva)
more
Thursday,
May 15
Strike
Continues; Vote on Austerity Plan Next Week
The second and third Knesset readings
of the government's economic plan are slated for next Thursday,
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon announced yesterday during the cabinet
meeting, giving the treasury and Histadrut seven more days to reach
an agreement on the plan. Both sides say they want to complete the
negotiations before then. Meanwhile, the public sector strike continues
today, as eight hours of talks between Histadrut chief Amir Peretz,
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and minister in the treasury
Meir Sheetrit failed to reach an agreement. The three are due to
meet again this morning. The Histadrut decided Wednesday night to
intensify the strike, to include banks and the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange.
The late-night negotiations followed talks Tuesday night and yesterday
morning. The key issues now holding up an agreement regard the treasury's
proposed reforms for pensions. (From Ha'aretz) more
Romanian
Intelligence Thwarted Iraqi Plots to Attack Israelis
Romania's intelligence service
said Thursday it thwarted terrorist attacks planned by Iraq against
Western and Israeli interests in Romania. The US and Israeli embassies
were among the targets. In a statement, the country's spy service
said it established in the months preceding the war that Iraqi operatives
were planning "to organize terrorist attacks on Israeli and
Western targets." "The terrorist attacks were to be carried
out with AG-7 grenade launchers provided by the head of the espionage
office of the Iraqi Embassy in Bucharest." Romanian authorities
reacted at the time by declaring 10 Iraqi diplomats and 31 other
people as persona non grata, expelling them or barring others from
entering the country. The service said it cooperated with other
foreign espionage services, and that documents found in Iraq's espionage
headquarters after the war "fully confirmed the information
obtained by the Romanian intelligence service." (From Jerusalem
Post) more
IDF
Activity in Gaza Targets Palestinian Rocket Lauching Capabilities
In an effort to prevent the firing
of Qassam rockets and mortars towards Israeli communities in the
Gaza Strip and other nearby areas, IDF forces entered the city of
Beit Hanoun in the northern Gaza Strip Wednesday night. During the
operation, IDF forces took control of key positions overlooking
areas used to fire Qassam rockets at Israeli communities and demolished
four structures used by terrorists who have been linked to firing
Qassam rockets. In addition, IDF forces exposed wide areas of vegetation
used to conceal the launch of rockets. The operation was carried
out as a result of an increase in terrorist activity by terrorist
organizations in the Gaza Strip againist Israeli communities and
IDF forces. During the past two weeks, there were 43 instances of
mortar fire, 12 instances of Qassam rocket fire (10 of which were
fired at Sderot), 5 explosives detonated, and 3 instances of anti-tank
missile fire. (From IDF) more
Talks
Underway to Reopen Temple Mount to Visitors
Over two and a half years after Jerusalem's
Temple Mount was declared off-limits to non-Muslims, high level
talks are underway to reopen the holy site to visitors in the weeks
ahead, a senior Jordanian official Dr. Raif Najim said Thursday.
"There are discussions going on to let visitors reenter the
site in the future... including meetings going on today with senior
Israeli police officials," said Najim. Fearing renewed violence
at the bitterly contested site, both police and Islamic Wakf officials
have barred non-Muslims from entering the Temple Mount since Ariel
Sharon's visit in September 2000. The largely Palestinian Authority
controlled Wakf, which profits from the admission charged at the
entrance to the mosques at the site, has stated that the area will
only be reopened when there is a large influx of tourists back in
Israel. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Friday,
May 16
Sharon
Meets with Cabinet Members to Discuss Abu Mazen Meeting - Chief
Palestinian Negotiator Resigns
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met
today with cabinet members ahead of the planned meeting on Saturday
between Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu
Mazen). The meeting focused on security issues and demands that
the new Palestinian government curb terror.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian minister responsible for overseeing negotiations
with Israel, Saeb Erekat, handed in his resignation on Thursday
to Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Abu Mazen, a
Palestinian source revealed today. Erekat would neither confirm
nor deny reports of his resignation. Sources within the PA said
that Erekat's resignation was precipitated by Abu Mazen's decision
not to include him in the Palestinian delegation (comprised of Abu
Mazen, Palestinian Minister of Security Mohammad Dahlan, and Palestinian
Legislative Council head Ahmed Qureia (Abu Ala)) that will meet
with Sharon on Saturday. Erekat reportedly said that the delegation
does not faithfully represent the internal Palestinian leadership
and sees Abu Mazen, Dahlan and Abu Ala as "Tunis men"
loyal to Arafat. He accuses them of using money earmarked for humanitarian
aid in the Palestinian territories for their own luxurious housing
in Jordan and elsewhere.
In other news, Palestinians are insisting that Saturday's meeting
between Sharon and Abu Mazen focus on diplomatic issues rather than
on security coordination. The Palestinian prime minister is seeking
clarification about Israel's official stance on the proposed road
map for an Israeli-Palestinian agreement. (From Ha'aretz) more
Shalom:
Israel Unlikely to Accept Road Map Without amendments
Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom
said today that the government was unlikely to accept the "road
map" as is without amendments for fear it would divide the
Israeli government and trigger new elections, thus delaying the
peace process. He added that Israel had "14 contributions in
order to narrow the gaps to implement the initiative."
In a meeting with British Prime Minister Tony Blair and Foreign
Secretary Jack Straw in London on Thursday, Shalom said Israel saw
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) as more moderate
than Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and that the Government
would work with him on reviving peace efforts. "After the war
in Iraq there are new opportunities which we are determined to seize,"
Shalom said. "We hope the Palestinians feel the same."However,
he stressed that Palestinians must make a "100 percent effort"
to rein in terrorists and end anti-Israeli incitement. (From Ha'aretz)
more
PA
Pays Salaries of Aksa Brigades Members
Members of the armed wing of Fatah
have begun receiving monthly salaries from the new Palestinian Authority
cabinet in an attempt to persuade them to lay down their weapons.
Members of the Aksa Martyrs Brigades said they are each receiving
$200 per month. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Palestinians
Expand Rocket launching to Jabalya
Palestinian sources said today that
Qassam rockets are now being fired from the area of the Jabalya
refugee camp in the Gaza Strip - not Beit Hanun, where an Israel
Defense Forces counter-terror operation was launched early Thursday
morning. Israeli security officials confirmed that the Qassam rocket
that landed in the western Negev desert on Thursday night was launched
from Jabalya. However, they defended the IDF presence in the northern
Gaza town of Beit Hanun, saying the operation there prevented Palestinians
from firing rockets from that area against Israeli communities.
Major General Doron Almog of the Southern Command said Thursday
afternoon that the IDF would remain in Beit Hanun for several days.
Five Palestinians were killed and at least seven others were wounded
in fighting between the IDF and armed Palestinians in Beit Hanun.
Palestinians fired several mortar shells at Gush Katif in Gaza in
addition to the Qassam rocket that fell in the Negev. (From Ha'aretz)
more
