May
19 - May 23, 2003
Monday,
May 19
3
People Killed, 48 Wounded in Suicide Bombing at Afula Mall
Three people were killed and 48
were wounded Monday afternoon when a suicide bomber blew herself
up at the entrance to the Ha'amakim Mall in Afula. The bomber detonated
her explosives belt after a security guard stopped her from entering
the shopping center. The Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades called The Associated
Press to claim the attack, saying it had video footage of the bomber,
whom it identified as a woman, Heba Daraghmeh, 19, from the West
Bank village of Tubas. "The Palestinian terrorists have clearly
chosen an agenda of murder and terror. It's obvious that despite
Israel's effort to make progress and pursue a path of dialogue,
Palestinian terrorists have chosen to strike at Israel's citizens
at any and every opportunity," David Baker, an official in
the Prime Minister's office, told Haaretz following the attack.
The Palestinian Authority condemned the bombing. "We reject
this (suicide attacks) because they harm us politically and morally
and don't represent the Palestinian position," said PA Labor
Minister Ghassan Khatib. (From Ha'aretz) more
7
Die in Jerusalem Bus Bomb
Seven people were killed and 20
wounded - three seriously - in a suicide bombing at 5:45 Sunday
morning on Egged bus no. 6 near French Hill in Jerusalem. The bomber,
disguised as a religious Jew, was killed in the blast. Hamas claimed
responsibility for the attack. (From Ha'aretz) more
The bombing victims: Olga
Brenner, 52; Yitzhak
Moyal, 64; Nelly
Perov, 55; Marina
Tsahivershvili, 44; Shimon
Ustinsky, 68; and Roni
Yisraeli, 34 - all of the Pisgat Ze'ev neighborhood in
Jerusalem; and Ghalab
Tawil, 42, of Shuafat.
Israeli
Couple Killed in Hebron Suicide Bombing
A husband and his pregnant wife
from Kiryat Arba were killed Saturday when a suicide bomber blew
himself up alongside homes belonging to Jewish settlers living in
the West Bank city of Hebron. The victims were identified as Gadi
and Dina Levy,
aged 31 and 37 respectively. Military sources said the bomber, Hamas
activist Fuad Qawasmeh, 21, was disguised as a settler and was wearing
a white shirt, the customary attire for religious Jews on the Sabbath.
"This is another in a string of attacks against innocent Israelis,"
David Baker, an official in the Prime Minister's Office told Haaretz.
"It's further proof that the Palestinian Authority must take
the matter of fighting terrorism seriously." (From Ha'aretz)
more
Strike
Ends as Netanyahu and Histadrut Reach Agreement
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu
expressed satisfaction on Sunday after he reached an agreement with
the Histadrut on Saturday night, saying that the labor union federation
had agreed to wage cuts rather than wage increases during negotiations
with the government. The treasury and Histadrut reached agreements
on the issue of dismissals and wage cuts in the public sector, and
also agreed to temporarily postpone seeking an agreement on the
reforms in the Histadrut pension funds for public sector workers.
As a result of the agreements, the Histadrut called off the strikes.
Netanyahu emphasized that the budget cuts resulting from the wage
cuts would enable reduction of the deficit in the state budget,
saying that the Histadrut agreed to cut almost the entire sum demanded
by the government this year. The Knesset will devote its sessions
next week to debates on the economic bill and will be asked to approve
the second and third readings of the bill. (From Ha'aretz) more
Tuesday,
May 20
President
Bush Demands Palestinian Premier Fight Against Terror
US President George W. Bush called
newly elected Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen on Tuesday and
said that both the Palestinians and the Israelis need to fight terror
and resume peace negotiations. Bush balanced his appeal for action
against terror with an assurance he also wanted Israel to take "concrete
steps" to come to terms with the Palestinians, White House
spokesman Ari Fleischer said. The call came after five suicide attacks
within 48 hours in Israel. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was scheduled
to meet with Bush at the beginning of the week but canceled his
trip following several deadly terror attacks over the weekend. Sharon
has yet to reschedule his trip. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Palestinians
Protest in Gaza Against Rocket Attacks on Israel
Hundreds of Palestinians
demonstrated Tuesday in the Gaza Strip town of Beit Hanoun to protest
against the launching of rockets on Israel from the town. The protest
erupted shortly after the IDF pulled out of the town in the northern
Gaza Strip, local residents told The Jerusalem Post. They said the
protesters were angry with Hamas for using Beit Hanoun as a launching
pad for firing Kassam rockets at Israel. Similar protests have also
been reported in the southern Gaza Strip, where residents of Khan
Younis and Rafah have been pressuring the Palestinian Authority
to make an effort to stop the attacks. In some areas, residents
have set up vigilant patrols to prevent the Hamas activists from
entering their neighborhoods. Palestinian journalists in Gaza City
said this was the first time that the residents of Beit Hanoun stage
a demonstration against the launching of the rockets on Israel.
(From Jerusalem Post) more
FM
Shalom: Israel Considering Applying for EU Membership
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom
told a visiting European Union delegation on Tuesday that Israel
was considering applying for membership of the bloc. "In principle,
the minister thinks a possibility exists for Israel to join the
EU since Israel and Europe share similar economies and democratic
values," a spokesman for Shalom said. Marco Pannella, an Italian
member of the European Parliament, who is spearheading the initiative,
told Reuters that support was growing in the European Parliament
for Israel to join the EU but that it could take up to a decade
to complete the process. (From Ha'aretz) more
Wednesday,
May 21
Road
Map Monitors' Visit Delayed by Terror
A senior Israeli official said
that Israel has passed a message on to Washington that this is not
the right time to send a 'road map' monitoring team. The team was
expected following US Secretary of State Colin Powell's visit last
week. Monitors were to oversee Palestinian security measures and
Israel's implementation of a settlement freeze in the territories.
"We don't need monitors when there is nothing to monitor,"
the official said. As a result, the team's arrival has been delayed.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has made it clear that he does not think
there is any need for the team to arrive until Abbas, who is known
as Abu Mazen, begins taking action against the terrorist infrastructure,
officials said. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Survey:
71% of Palestinians Against Targeting Israeli Civilians
According to a survey conducted
by Bir Zeit University, and published in the Al Quds newspaper,
most Palestinians are for stopping terror attacks inside Israel,
or what was termed "military operations", if this would
lead to the renewal of political negotiations with Israel and a
solution to the Palestinian problem. The survey shows that 71% of
Palestinians support the seizing of terror attacks against Israeli
civilians in return for international guarantees and a renewal of
negotiations with Israel. Some 63% of respondents support the unconditional
renewal of negotiations, while as 48% support the demilitarization
of armed organizations and their substitution with law enforcement
under Abu Mazen's new government that enjoyed 72% support in the
survey. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Israelis-Palestinians
Agree on Energy Cooperation
Israel and the Palestinian Authority
have agreed to cooperate on matters of energy and infrastructure.
The accord was achieved at a Middle East energy conference held
in Athens, in talks between Israel's Infrastructures Minister Yosef
Paritsky and the Palestinian representative and Palestinian Natural
Resource Minister Azzam Shawa. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Unemployment
Hits 10.8%; Expected to Keep Climbing
Some 281,400 people - 10.8 percent
of the work force of 2.6 million - were unemployed in the first
quarter of 2003. And, with the government economic emergency plan
including elements that involve firings and early retirement for
thousands, expectations are for unemployment to rise to some 300,000
by the end of the year. (From Ha'aretz) more
"On
Call" for Israel
A group of Jewish doctors from
North America arrived in Israel Monday to volunteer their services
at the nation's hospitals, in particular with victims of terrorism.
The arriving delegation is the seventh of its kind. Earlier, Minister
of Tourism Benny Elon met with the sixth volunteer medical delegation
and praised their courage and dedication to the State of Israel.
The group, made up of 19 doctors, is part of a unique project in
which North American Jewish doctors place themselves "on call"
for Israel, with a commitment to arrive in the country within 24
to 72 hours, if needed. The project was developed after the Passover
Massacre in Netanya last year and has seen approximately 200 doctors,
thus far, arrive in Israel from the United States and Canada as
volunteers. (From Arutz Sheva) more
Thursday,
May 22
FM:
Bush to Visit Israel for Talks with Sharon, Abu Mazen
United States President George
W. Bush will visit Israel at the start of June for talks with Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon and his newly-appointed Palestinian counterpart
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said Thursday.
On Thursday, Bush met with Palestinian Finance Minister Salam Fayyad,
who is in Washington for parallel talks with administration officials.
Head of prime minister's office, attorney Dov Weisglass, met Wednesday
with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice in an effort
to find a formula that would enable Israel to accept the plan while
taking into account its comments and reservations about it. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Palestinian
PM Abu Mazen Meeting with Hamas in Gaza Strip
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas (Abu Mazen) met with Thursday the militant Islamic group Hamas
in the Gaza strip. Abu Mazen has said he favors a dialogue with
militants to stop them from carrying out attacks against Israel.
The meeting would be the first between Abu Mazen as prime minister
and Hamas, which along with the militant group Islamic Jihad has
carried out dozens of attacks that have killed scores of Israelis
during 32 months of fighting. Stopping the violence is a demand
spelled out in the first phase of an internationally backed "road
map" to peace that both Israel and the Palestinians are being
pressured to implement. (From Ha'aretz) more
Palestinian
PM Says Arafat Is Still in Charge
New Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas said President Yasser Arafat remained in charge despite
a U.S. and Israeli refusal to deal with him, and said his stamp
of approval should precede any political action. "Arafat is
at the top of the (Palestinian) Authority. He's the man to whom
we refer, regardless of the American or Israeli view of him,"
Abbas said in an interview with Egypt's semi-official al Mussawar
weekly. "We do not do anything without his approval,"
Abbas said. (From Reuters) more
Hizbullah
Bombmaking Supply Boat Seized
Israeli naval commandos seized a fishing
boat from Lebanon loaded with rocket fuses, electronic bombmaking
components and Hizbullah compact discs containing instructions on
how to put together explosives belts used by suicide bombers, military
officials said Thursday. Eight people were also captured on board
the Egyptian fishing boat off the northern Israeli coast, including
two Hizbullah operatives, sources said. (From Jerusalem Post) more
TAU's
Insulin-Cell Discovery Offers New Hope for Diabetics
Investigators at Tel Aviv University
have announced the discovery of a new way to generate human insulin-producing
cells in tissue culture, which will provide an abundant source of
cells for transplanting to juvenile diabetes sufferers. The findings
of Prof. Shimon Efrat of TAU and his American collaborators are
reported this week in the Proceedings of the National Academy of
Sciences. It says if ways can be found to prevent the cells from
being rejected by the immune system, they can be used in humans
within a few years. The engineered cells produce about a third of
the insulin made by insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. When
transplanted into diabetic mice, the cells were able to reduce the
elevated blood sugar levels and maintain a normal level for a period
of several months. (From Ha'aretz) more
Editorial:
Celebrate Israel in Style
Israel is a diverse, creative,
and free society that has flourished in the face of terror and has
given the world the technology that we use everyday. This year,
Israel's supporters should celebrate Israel's many achievements
- which we take for granted - in the arena of technology, medicine,
culture, and sports. Did you know that Israeli scientists from Motorola
Israel developed the cell phone? Did you know that Intel's new high-speed
Centrino chip - which doubles battery life on laptops - was developed
entirely in Israel? Did you know that researchers in Israel developed
a new device that directly helps the heart pump blood, an innovation
with the potential to save lives among those with congestive heart
failure? How does Israel maintain this hit parade of medical achievements?
Israel has more engineers and scientists per capita than any other
country. It also produces more scientific papers per capita than
any other nation. But Israeli heroes of medicine and science don't
just stay in the lab; they rush into the fray and save people, not
only in Israel, but around the world: When the U.S. Embassy in Kenya
was bombed in 1998, Israeli rescue teams were on the scene within
a day - and saved three victims from the rubble. A year later they
were on the ground in Turkey rescuing earthquake victims. On its
55th birthday, celebrate Israel for all her diverse accomplishments
and tell your friends and family about the unheralded contributions
Israel has made to your life. (From Israel 21c) more
Friday,
May 23
PM
Sharon: Israel is Ready to Accept the Middle East Road Map
Hours after the United States said it would
address Jerusalem's "significant concerns" about the internationally-brokered
road map to Middle East peace, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said
Friday that Israel is ready to accept the plan, and that it will
be submitted for approval by his cabinet. "The United States
government received a response from the government of Israel, explaining
its significant concerns about the road map," U.S. Secretary
of State Colin Powell and national security adviser Condoleezza
Rice said in a statement issued by the White House. "The United
States shares the view of the government of Israel that these are
real concerns, and will address them fully and seriously in the
implementation of the road map," the statement said. But Powell,
speaking at a press conference shortly after the American statement
was released, said that Washington was "not planning on making
any changes to the road map."
Most of Israel's reservations relate to implementation. Jerusalem
wanted to stiffen the security demands the plan makes of the Palestinians,
to delay the settlement freeze until the Palestinians start fighting
terror, and to ensure that implementation would be monitored just
by the U.S. rather than by all the members of the Quartet (the U.S.,
European Union, United Nations and Russia). (From Ha'artez) more
8
Israelis Hurt in Hamas Bomb Attack on Bus in Gaza
An explosion Friday near a bus
carrying Israelis in the Gaza Strip wounded eight people, two of
them moderately. The wounded were taken to Soroka Hospital in Be'er
Sheva. The militant group Hamas accepted responsibility for the
attack later Friday. The bombing comes a day after the militant
group said it was considering a limited cease-fire. The bus was
en route from the settlement of Netzarim in central Gaza to Israel
when the explosion occurred. Initial reports suggest that the explosion
was caused by a roadside bomb, although security officials are also
exmaining the possibility that an anti-tank missile had been fired
at the bus. David Baker, an official with the Prime Minister's office
in Jerusalem, decribed the attack as "another Palestinian terror
attack that was deliberately aimed at a civilian Israeli bus. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Palestinian
Widow Decries Suicide Bombing
Kifiya al-Tawil suddenly finds
herself the sole caregiver for her eight children after her husband,
Ghaleb al-Tawil,
had the bad luck to board Bus No. 6. He was on his way to a cleaning
job he had taken at a Jerusalem hospital to be close to their gravely
ill daughter. Just before 6 a.m. Sunday morning, another man got
on the same bus, this one wearing an explosive belt laced with ball
bearings. A few moments later, he detonated the device, shredding
Mr. al-Tawil's body. The only thing that made Mr. al-Tawil stand
out from the six other commuters who died that morning was that
he, like the bomber, was a Palestinian Arab. It was an Israeli bus,
and the rest of the victims were Jews. "I have always thought
that this bombing is wrong, and now it has found me in my own home,"
Mrs. al-Tawil said, dressed in the head scarf of a devout Muslim
and the dark mourning clothes of a new widow. "Suicide bombings
are a big mistake. Jews are like us. They are on their way to work.
This is against the will of God. They are ordinary people like us."
(From The Globe and Mail) more
Israeli
Researchers Find Link Between Radon and Earthquakes
Israeli researchers have developed
a model that may eventually enable scientists to predict earthquakes
based on radon emission measurements in earthquake-prone areas.
The researchers - Gideon Steinitz, Ze'ev (Benny) Begin and Naama
Gazit-Yaari of the Geological Survey of Israel - found that when
there is a surge in emissions of radon gas within a particular area,
there is a statistically high probability of an earthquake occurring
in that area within the next three days. Their findings appear in
the latest issue of the journal Geology, released Friday morning.
Earthquakes are caused when tectonic plates within the earth's crust
shift, with the magnitude of the quake determined by the amount
of energy the shift releases. Radon is formed by the radioactive
decomposition of uranium, which is present in small quantities throughout
the earth's crust. (From Ha'aretz) more
MTV
Wants Their Israelis
Israel's
newest, and perhaps biggest, musical export is a lithe, 25-year
old American immigrant named Becky Griffin. MTV announced last week
that Griffin had beat out over 200 other Israeli hopefuls including
numerous local celebrities to become the latest VJ (Video Jockey)
for the world's most famous music channel. Following in the footsteps
of Eden Harel, Israel's first MTV VJ, Griffin will join the channel
in London presenting shows for MTV's Europe operation. Her first
job, which will begin in a few weeks, is hosting the weekly Dance
Floor Charts countdown.
The American-born Griffin is not alone in showing the world that
Israelis have a cool style and are not starved of popular culture
because of the ongoing security situation. Israeli artists are well
known in the electronic music and club scene too, with bands such
as Infected Mushroom performing in clubs worldwide and electronic
music mogul Eyal Barkan collaborating musically with some of the
top names in the business. (From Israel 21c) more
