May
27 - May 30, 2003
Tuesday,
May 27
Israeli
Cabinet Approves the "Road Map"
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Cabinet
on Sunday narrowly approved the U.S.-backed road map for Middle
East peace, that envisions a Palestinian state by 2005. The Cabinet
approved the internationally-brokered plan by a 12-7 vote, with
four abstentions, marking the first time that an Israeli government
has formally affirmed the Palestinians' right to statehood. The
approval came only after the cabinet decided to append certain conditions
to Israel's statement of support, primarily its reservation over
the Palestinian right of return. Prime Minister Sharon said that
the 14 reservations about the plan that Israel presented to the
Americans constitute a "red line" that will be binding
on future Israeli governments. The U.S. has promised to "fully
and seriously" address these concerns. Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz said that despite his belief that the plan is dangerous and
bad for Israel, he would be voting in favor of a complete range
of understandings with the Americans. (From Ha'aretz) more
FM
Shalom: Israel Seeks Peace with Syria
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom told a meeting
of EU and Mediterranean nations in Crete on Monday that Israel was
ready to sign a peace accord with Syria if Damascus abandons its
support for terrorism. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Women
May be Terror Suicide Bombers, Muslim Scholar Rules
Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi, an Egyptian
who serves as the dean of Islamic Studies at the University of Qatar,
has issued a fatwa permitting women to carry out suicide attacks,
in response to last week's bombing in Afula which was carried out
by a 19-year-old female student. "I think the committed Muslim
women in Palestine have the right to participate and have their
own role in jihad and to attain martyrdom," Qaradawi said.
(From Jerusalem Post) more
Yad
Sarah Works with Government of Uzbekistan to Help Disabled Children
Yad Sarah and the government of
Uzbekistan have signed an agreement for the establishment of an
organization modeled on Yad Sarah to lend medical and rehabilitation
equipment and provide other services to disabled children in Tashkent.
Under the new cooperation agreement, professional teams from Yad
Sarah will advise the Uzbeki government on opening a center that,
starting in early 2004, will cater to 10,000 special-needs children.
It will include a facility for lending equipment, a repairs workshop,
a rehabilitation center, an equipment display, vans for transporting
wheelchair-bound children, and a team to advise parents. Yad Sarah
has served as the model for similar organizations in various parts
of the former Soviet Union. With an annual budget of $12 million,
Yad Sarah's 98 branches and 6,000 volunteers reportedly save Israel
close to $300m. a year, as patients are able to function at home
rather than being hospitalized. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Shekel
Gains 0.5% on Dollar to Strongest Rate Since Jan. 2002
The shekel climbed 0.5% against
the dollar on Tuesday, as the Bank of Israel set the representative
trade rate at NIS 4.432 / $1. The latest trade rate is the strongest
for the Israeli currency in comparison to the dollar since January
2002. The gain for the shekel is attributed to anticipation of the
peace summit at the beginning of June, and in light of the expiration
of the shekel-dollar options on Tuesday. (From Ha'aretz) more
Israeli-Developed
SARS Identification Device in Demand in Far East
A medical device found to be effective
in identifying the initial stages of incubation of the SARS virus
has been developed by Medex Screen in the Israeli town of Dimona.
The first clinical testing of the MedexTest has been conducted in
recent weeks on SARS patients in Singapore's General Hospital. "When
doctors see someone with a normal fever now, there's panic - our
device can quickly identify whether it's SARS," Medex's Zohar
Faigenbaum said. The MedexTest device is able to provide a medical
diagnosis in eight to 10 minutes. When the SARS outbreak began,
it turned out that Medex device is uniquely capable of identifying
the virus in its incubation stages, long before other symptoms (like
body heat) indicate the presence of the virus. (From Israel 21c)
more
Jerusalem
Day Celebrations to Begin Wednesday Night
Tens of thousands of Israelis are expected
to flock to Jerusalem Wednesday evening to take part in the annual
Jerusalem Day parade, marking 36 years since the reunification of
the city. The colorful downtown march, considered the city's primary
holiday event, will start from Jaffa Gate, down Jaffa Road and continue
to the city's Sacher Park, where a musical event is planned. Some
80 tons of fruits and vegetables brought to Jerusalem will be distributed
to the city's poor, while the flowers used in the event will be
distributed to victims of terror attacks who are still recuperating
in city hospitals. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Wednesday,
May 28
President
Bush to meet PMs Sharon, Abu Mazen on June 4
U.S. President George W. Bush will
meet Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) in the Jordanian port-city of Aqaba on
June 4th. It will be Bush's most high-profile intervention in Middle
East peacemaking and his first face-to-face meeting with Abu Mazen,
who took power a month ago. Later this week, the White House is
planning on sending a senior official to Israel to prepare the three-way
summit in Aqaba. Elliot Abrams, the National Security Council advisor
for the Middle East, will arrive along with Assistant Secretary
of State Richard Burns. The dispatching of the team signifies that
the Bush administration sees the summit as an important event which
is supposed to lead to practical steps on the road map, and not
just a photo-op for Bush and the region’s leaders. A source
in Jerusalem said that the summit could prompt Sharon and Abu Mazen
to conclude their Thursday meeting with a draft of practical steps.
(From Ha'aretz) more
Lawmakers
Start Voting on Emergency Budget
The full Knesset plenum began voting
on second and third readings of the government's economic austerity
bill Wednesday afternoon, after the Knesset House Committee countered
a threatened filibuster by the opposition. The opposition had threatened
to demand a roll-call vote not only for almost every article of
the massive bill, but also for hundreds of the 8,000 proposed amendments
that have been submitted by various MKs. If the demand had been
met, the voting could have taken up to several days instead of ending
late Wednesday as scheduled. The economic plan is expected to pass
easily with the support of the coalition's 68 MKs, although some
MKs may absent themselves from the vote on particular articles which
they oppose. (From Ha'aretz) more
Tel
Aviv Stocks Rise 3%
The Tel Aviv Stock Exchange is still on
a roll, with share prices having increased for fourth straight day
Wednesday, this time by about three percent. The TASE has been in
the plus column all week, on optimism fueled by the cabinet's approval
of the road map and expecations that the Knesset will pass emergency
economic measures this week. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Thursday,
May 29
At
Jerusalem Day Ceremony, PM Vows Never to Re-divide Capital
Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon promised Thursday not to redivide Jerusalem
at an official ceremony marking the 36th anniversary of the city's
unification. "From a threatened and divided city, Jerusalem
has become a bustling, thriving city. But the price was heavy and
very painful." "Never again will gunfire be directed at
it, never again will an enemy set foot on it."
"We are fighting ceaselessly against a cruel onslaught of terror
aimed at undermining our determined hold on this city," the
prime minister continued. "Jerusalem is defended by walls made
of the love of the nation of Israel throughout all its generations.
It is defended by the clear and unequivocal policy of its government.
We will never concede Jerusalem. Never."
"As the prime minister of Israel, I am proud of the right to
be Jerusalem's protector. I will carry out this sacred obligation
unreservedly, and the people of Israel will carry it out unreservedly
forever." (From Ha'aretz) more
IDF
Seen Changing Its Attitude Towards Conscientious Objectors
For the first time, a "pacifist"
soldier was inducted into the IDF ranks yesterday and granted permission
to serve in a non-combat role in civilian clothes. Ronen Rotem,
18, a "refusenik" from Haifa who has objected to the "occupation"
of the Palestinian territories, will serve in the Home Front Command's
gasmask distribution unit and will not be required to swear allegiance
to the IDF. According to an agreement reached with the army, Rotem
will not be required to serve in the territories, handle a weapon
or undergo basic training. The army also agreed to forgo on requiring
Rotem to swear his allegiance to the IDF.
Two weeks ago, Maariv reported exclusively that the IDF had indicated
it was changing its policies towards reservists who refused to serve
in the territories. The newspaper gave, as example, call-up notices
that specifically stated the reserve duties would be fulfilled within
the Green Line. In response to the Maariv article, the IDF said
that the call-up notices specifying reserve duties within the Green
Line had been the result of clerical errors, and were not the result
of a change in military policies. (From Israel Insider) more
Israeli
Wins European Judo Championship
Arik Zeevi, Israel’s premier
male judoka, won the 100 kg. title in the European Judo Championships,
held in Weiseldorf, Germany, last week. He beat the Dutch champion,
Elco van der Geest, in 69 seconds. According to a story on the victory
in Haaretz newspaper, “dozens of children sprang forward to
ask for the Israeli judoka's autograph.” Another Israeli judo
artist, Udi Wax, competing in the under-60 kg. weight class, finished
in fifth place. The Israeli team came in fifth in the men’s
team competition. (From Arutz Sheva) more
Friday,
May 30
Following
Sharon, Abbas Meeting, IDF to Redeploy from PA Cities
Following his meeting on Thursday
with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen), Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon announced that he would order the Israel Defense
Forces to redeploy from the center of West Bank cities. Sharon and
Abbas held their second meeting in two weeks on Thursday night in
Jerusalem to discuss the implementation of the road map to Middle
East peace. The talks between the two leaders were described as
"very positive" and resulted in the announcement by the
Prime Minister's office that Israel would enforce a series of steps
aiming to "ease the living conditions of the Palestinians,
foster trade and encourage the Palestinian economy". The measures
include: Lifting the closure of Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip;
granting permits to senior Palestinian officials allowing them to
travel between the West Bank and Gaza; increasing the amount of
tax money transferred to the PA by NIS 150 million a month; allowing
25,000 Palestinian laborers to work in Israel; easing restrictions
on humanitarian organizations working in the West Bank and Gaza.
In addition, Israel committed itself to undertaking a comprehensive
review of its prisoner lists in order to examine which individuals
could be released. A total of 100 detainees are slated to be left
out of jail. Israel stressed that every prisoner would be required
to sign a document obliging him or her to stay away from terror
activities.
Sharon also offered the Palestinians security control in the areas
from which the IDF withdraws. However, due to the weakened state
of their security forces in the West Bank, Palestinians said that
they would rather assume these responsibilities in the Gaza Strip
first.
During their talks, Sharon asked Abbas to do all he could to bring
an end to the firing of Qassam rockets from the Gaza Strip into
Israel. "It is unacceptable that, while we are conducting negotiations,
Qassam rockets are falling on our children," Sharon said.
Commenting on the meeting, David Baker, an official at the prime
minister's office, said today that "Israelis woke up this morning
with hope for a brighter future" and that "last night,
Israel demonstrated that it is willing to take far-reaching steps
to achieve progress." Baker added: "Now it is up to the
Palestinians to follow through once and for all and start cracking
down on terror by incarcerating terrorists, confiscating illegal
weapons, and breaking the terrorist infrastructure in the territories."
(From Ha'aretz) more
| Top
Hamas Bomber Charged with 66 Israeli Deaths |
|
Mourners
lighting candles outside the Sbarro restaurant in Jerusalem
after a suicide bombing there killed 15 people. (Reuters)
|
Abdallah
Jamal Barghouti - the senior bomb maker in the West Bank - will
go on trial Sunday and will have to answer to 66 counts of murder.
Barghouti, the head of several separate terror cells who was
arrested in March by the Israel Defense Forces, was indicted
today with one of the most severe charge sheets ever filed against
a terrorist by an Israeli court. The 31-year-old Qatar-born
terrorist arrived in Israel in 1999, and military sources described
his arrest as the most important the IDF had carried out in
the past 12 months. Barghouti is being charged with providing
the explosives used in several attacks in Jerusalem, including
the Sbarro restaurant on August 9, 2001, in which 15 people
were killed, and the Ben Yehuda pedestrian mall attack some
four months later, in which 12 people were killed. He has also
been linked the Hebrew University cafeteria attack in July of
last year, which claimed the lives of nine people, and the bombing
at the Moment cafe in the capital's Rehavia neighborhood, in
which 11 people died. (From Ha'aretz) more |
Netanyahu:
Foreigners Look to Increase Investments in Israel
Minister of Finance Benjamin Netanyahu
said on Thursday that following the Knesset's approval of the economic
recovery plan, the Treasury had been receiving many inquiries by
foreigners interested in investing in Israel. Without disclosing
the names of investors or institutions, Netanyahu said the past
24 hours had been filled with new inquiries regarding Israel's banks,
defense companies, and other possible ventures. "It's not coincidence
that these people are looking at Israel", he said. "They
understand that when the government implements the needed policies
- all the while absorbing criticism but still moving forward - there
is a leadership in Israel that is ready to make the needed changes."
The newly adopted legislation cuts between NIS 9.5 billion to NIS
10b. from the budget through public-sector wage cuts and liberalization
of key industries, including electricity and aviation. The state
plans to privatize Israel Electric, El Al, Oil Refineries Ltd.-Bazan,
and other government-owned concerns.
Netanyahu expects Bank of Israel Governor David Klein to continue
slashing interest rates beyond the 0.4 percentage-point cut on Monday.
(From Jerusalem Post)
