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Date: Sun, 20 Aug 2000 17:42:31 +0200
From: Arutz-7 Editor <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
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Subject: Arutz-7 News: Sunday, August 20, 2000
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. BARAK PROMISES CONSTITUTION WITHIN ONE YEAR
2. RELIGION AND STATE
3. MEDIA CONCENTRATES ON BATAT
4. HEVRON ARABS ATTACK JEWS
5. PA THREATENS SETTLEMENTS
6. BARAK WAITING FOR ANSWER ON OBSOLETE CONCESSIONS
7. NRP vs. GOVERNMENT
8. GOV'T RATIFIES HIGHWAY SECTION
9. KIBBUTZ HOMES MAY BE PRIVATIZED
10. BAT MITZVAH GIRL DONATES GIFTS
1. BARAK PROMISES CONSTITUTION WITHIN ONE YEAR
The Prime Minister's proposal to legislate a Constitution into
law within one year has successfully, if temporarily, diverted
public attention away from his troubles with the Palestinians as
well as the crisis in which his coalition finds itself. Voice of
Israel Radio political commentator Yaron Dekel said today, "Sure,
we'll talk about it [his new proposals] today, and probably
tomorrow, but that will be the end of it." Other ideas proposed
by Barak in what some have called his "secular revolution"
include the abolishment of the Religious Affairs Ministry, a
civil marriage law, and a obligatory national-service law.
Barak announced his plan at a meeting last night with government
ministers.
Although political commentators say that Barak does not have a
majority in the Knesset for such a proposal - "He couldn't even
pass a Gardening Law today," said Dekel - public reactions have
been both intense and numerous. The Likud says that the idea is
merely an election ploy. "Ehud Barak does not want a
Constitution at all," said Likud faction head MK Ruby Rivlin,
"but simply wishes to drive a wedge between the religious parties
[which have been traditionally against a Constitution] and the
Likud."
Other reactions
* Yisrael Beiteinu head MK Avigdor Lieberman: "It will tear the
nation apart. Barak is frantic because of his standing in the
polls, and is trying to save his skin... However, if the proposal
reaches the Knesset, we will vote on it according to its merits."
* Shinui head MK Tommy Lapid congratulated Barak on the
initiative, but expressed pessimism that it would pass in the
Knesset.
* NRP head Rabbi Yitzchak Levy: "Barak is attempting to improvise
a pseudo-revolution... He is shooting in all directions, and is
undermining the foundations of the society."
* United Torah Judaism head MK Meir Porush: "Moshe Gaon, Barak's
public relations advisor, should be the one running for Prime
Minister, not Barak..."
Political scientist Dr. Asher Cohen of Bar Ilan University was
asked today whether he sees a linkage between Barak's political
problems and his Constitution declaration. "I was very surprised
to see that the papers and electronic media this morning did not
make this connection, but to me, it seems obvious," said Cohen.
"This is exactly what Shimon Batat [who resigned last week from
the Prime Minister's Office] pointed out - that as long as
information is flowing to the media, then all is well as far as
Barak is concerned... It appears that Barak has concluded that
Shas will not rejoin the government, and so he is introducing
other issues with the hope of attracting a new coalition, this
time without Shas. Each issue that Barak is now raising, though,
is a major one in and of itself: the issue of a constitution has
been debated over the past 50 years, and the closing down of the
Ministry of Religious Affairs, and the decision to work towards
'national service' for every citizen, have also been long
debated... "
2. RELIGION AND STATE
MK Nachum Langental (NRP) told Arutz-7 today that the issues
raised in the Prime Minister's proposals are crucial and must be
resolved, but that Barak's timing and his "amateurish promise to
legislate such fundamental issues within only one year" prove
that he is simply "trying to change the public agenda, divert our
attention from his failures, and cause a rift among the
opposition forces." Langental said that the religious community
must understand that it must not simply continue to object to any
resolution of issues such as religion and state, conversion,
marriage and divorce, and Shabbat, "because the status quo is
constantly changing, to our detriment. It is in our interests to
come to a clear agreement with those in the Likud and Labor to
whom Zionism is still important, in order that the Supreme Court
not continue to interpret religious laws against our interests."
Langental further said that it is clear that those who encourage
violations of the law by opening businesses on Shabbat "are
engaged in a cultural war against the religious character of the
country."
Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane asked Hebrew University Law Professor
Eliav Shochatman if it might not be advisable to attempt to reach
some sort of agreement on religious issues to prevent further
deterioration. Shochatman: "The question is whether such a deal
would actually preserve a [desirable] status quo, or whether it
would be subject to the interpretation of the Supreme Court.
The Knesset may formulate the constitution, but the Supreme Court
may come and interpret it in a different fashion... Even the
idea of a special 'constitutional court' that will deal only with
constitutional interpretation would have to be composed of
representatives of various sectors of the populace, in which case
it could work - but now, the notion is purely theoretical. The
questions of who would appoint such a body and the like are very
complex..."
3. MEDIA CONCENTRATES ON BATAT
The scathingly critical comments by Shimon Batat were the subject
of much public debate today. In an interview published Friday,
Batat, who resigned earlier last week as Deputy Head of the Prime
Minister's Office, said that Barak "runs the country like a
banana republic" and that his office "is run in an underground,
unplanned manner... You can't run a country by checking the
polls every night and then acting according to them� Barak works
alone, runs everything himself. Nothing gets decided, nothing
happens. Everyone around him is in despair�" Barak-aide Eldad
Yaniv responded today that it is understandable that a man who
leaves his job may have criticism of his former workplace, but
that Batat's words were largely "lies."
Bar Ilan University's Dr. Asher Cohen told Arutz-7 today that
although this story broke on Friday, there have been reports of
the deterioration of the situation in the Prime Minister's office
for months now: "The reports are that Barak's senior aide Gen.
(res.) Danny Yatom is not in contact with three other major
security figures. It's true that Yatom is not the Prime
Minister, but let's put it this way: It is very unfortunate that
the country is being run in this fashion... If the office of
Barak - who has a more admiring media [than Netanyahu had] -
receives such harsh, critical treatment from them, this is a sign
that the situation is objectively worse than it was under
Netanyahu."
4. HEVRON ARABS ATTACK JEWS
The Hevron Jewish Community published today a list of 17 Arab
assaults and provocations upon Jewish targets that have taken
place in Hevron over the past six and a half weeks. The list,
which its compilers state does not include "dozens of cases of
sexual assault and harassment," includes many cases of throwing
rocks, bottles, and metal objects, as well as a firebombing, an
infiltration, attempted run-downs, and cases of massive shooting
in the air.
Violence erupted in the city yesterday, after two Jewish women
were injured in slingshot attacks and a Jewish boy's foot was run
over by an Arab taxi. Jewish residents then filled the street
across from the Avraham Avinu neighborhood, demanding that the
Arab stores and market be closed, and that the road where the
attacks occurred be closed to Arab traffic. Several Jews accused
of overturning Arab fruit stands were arrested for a short time
during the demonstration, while the detention of another Jewish
resident was prevented when several women and children lay down
under the police car and would not allow it to take him away.
Arabs rolled three burning tires down a hill into the middle of a
Jewish neighborhood; Israeli security forces extinguished the
flames. An emergency meeting between senior army officers and
leaders of the Hevron Jewish community was scheduled to take
place today.
Hevron spokesman David Wilder later released this statement:
"Exactly 71 years ago today, 67 Jews were brutally
murdered in cold blood in Hebron. The British police forces,
composed of a British officer and mostly Arab police, did
absolutely nothing to stop the attacks... [Now] Jews are still
being attacked by Arabs in Hebron... It is inconceivable that
Arabs continue to attack Jews under the noses of Israeli security
forces, without any viable reaction by the police or army...
The Jewish community of Hebron was decimated in 1929 because it
had no protection. Today, 52 years after the emergence of the
State of Israel, it is incumbent on the IDF and Israeli police to
ensure that the events of 1929 are not repeated... We will not
allow Hebron's Arabs to fulfill Amin el Husseini's dream of a
Judenrein Hebron. In 1967, when we returned to Hebron, we
returned home. We have no intentions of ever leaving and we have
no intentions of letting Arab violence chase us out of our homes.
We are here to stay. Our very presence in Hebron is an eternal
memorial to those 67 Jews whose blood was so horribly spilled
here in 1929."
5. PA THREATENS SETTLEMENTS
So far, it's only words - but the war continues. PA Cabinet
Secretary Ahmed Abdel Rahman threatened today that the
Palestinians "reserve the right to impose a siege on the Jewish
settlements" in Judea and Samaria if Israel responds sharply to a
unilateral Palestinian declaration of a state. Rahman, speaking
on Palestinian Radio, said that the Jewish residents will find
themselves in "genuine danger" when the Palestinian army isolates
them from each other and from the rest of Israel.
6. BARAK WAITING FOR ANSWER ON OBSOLETE CONCESSIONS
Prime Minister Barak says he is still waiting for the response of
the Palestinians on the concessions he offered them at Camp
David. At today's weekly Cabinet meeting today, Barak said, "We
are in a waiting period, since we have yet to hear from them
about an openness and willingness to discuss the ideas which were
raised at Camp David, especially those regarding Jerusalem. The
limited amount of time is well-known, and in the coming weeks we
will know whether Arafat is set on an agreement or an impasse."
Arutz-7's Ron Meir notes that this conflicts with the speech
Barak made to sum up the end of the Camp David summit. Barak
declared then that all the concessions he made there were "null
and void," and that future negotiations will not begin where the
Camp David summit left off.
American mediator Dennis Ross arrived in Israel last week - four
days earlier than planned, by special order of U.S. President
Clinton. He has met so far with Acting Foreign Minister Shlomo
Ben-Ami, with Palestinian negotiators, and with Prime Minister
Ehud Barak. His meeting with Yasser Arafat that was planned for
today, however, may be pushed off until tomorrow.
Arafat has said that he will not agree to declare the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict "ended" until after the Jerusalem
issue is resolved. The announcement was a disappointment to
those who had hoped that the other remaining issues could be
resolved while leaving Jerusalem for a later date.
7. NRP vs. GOVERNMENT The National Religious Party petitioned the
Supreme Court today against the "caretaker" government of Ehud
Barak. The party demands that the Prime Minister be required to
present his "new" government to the Knesset, as is done when a
new government is formed, in light of the many new ministers and
acting ministers that he has recently appointed, and in light of
the changes that have occurred in the government's guidelines.
8. GOV'T RATIFIES HIGHWAY SECTION
The government today ratified the paving of an additional
17-kilometer section of the north-south Trans-Israel highway,
north of Wadi Ara (between Hadera and Afula). Environment
Minister Dalia Itzik voted against the decision, in the hope that
a compromise with environmental groups could still be reached.
She said that the decision could cause a "weeping for
generations."
The Trans-Israel Highway corporation now has approvals for 140
kilometers of the road, and hopes to open the main section, from
Gedera to Wadi Ara, in early 2005. The cost of the new section:
450 million shekels, of which one-quarter will be used for
environmental solutions, such as bridges totaling 1800 meters in
length and two tunnels totaling 300 meters.
Environmentalists strongly object to the highway from several standpoints,
including environmental, economic, and safety concerns. They claim that
the multi-billion dollar road plan will not serve the needs of Israelis, as
many drivers will not want to use a toll-road; that a large strip of the
most productive agricultural land in the country will be destroyed; that 8%
of the country's land mass would be directly and indirectly affected; and
that environmental damage such as disruption of aquifer recharges,
increased air pollution, and fragmentation of wildlife habitats, would be
caused by the highway.
9. KIBBUTZ HOMES MAY BE PRIVATIZED
Kibbutzim in Israel appear to be headed for another revolutionary
change. The United Kibbutz Movement will soon discuss a proposal
to register the members' homes in their own names. This will
enable them to sell the houses or pass them on to their children.
In exchange, those who leave the kibbutz will not receive the
customary "exit grant."
10. BAT MITZVAH GIRL DONATES GIFTS
Rambam Hospital in Haifa received a unique present last week from
a girl from New York, who came to Israel to celebrate her Bat
Mitzvah [her 12th birthday, at which time she takes upon the
Jewish legal obligations and rights of an adult]. The day after
the celebration, Shirli Ben-Duk and her mother appeared at the
hospital's Oncology Department, and donated her gift money to the
ward. Shirli happens to rank fifth in the world among
chess-playing children.
Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel
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Kadosh, Kadosh, Kadosh, YHVH, TZEVAOT
FROM THE DESK OF: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
*Mike Spitzer* <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
~~~~~~~~ <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
The Best Way To Destroy Enemies Is To Change Them To Friends
Shalom, A Salaam Aleikum, and to all, A Good Day.
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