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Weekly News
For December 13-19, 2003Prime Minister Sharon Unveils New Policy at Herzliya Conference
During the Herzliya Conference on Security Issues this week, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made a major policy address. He emphasized Israel's commitment to the Roadmap and expressed Israel's desire for, "A democratic Palestinian state with territorial contiguity in Judea and Samaria and economic viability." He called on the Palestinians to do their part and eliminate terrorist organizations. He declared, however, that Israel could not wait indefinitely for this to happen, and he announced a Disengagement Plan in the event that the Palestinians did not fulfill their commitments. The new plan would include the redeployment of IDF forces and the relocation of some settlements, in an effort to reduce friction between Israelis and Palestinians. He called for the rapid completion of the security fence, which will enable the IDF to remove roadblocks and ease the daily lives of those Palestinians who are not involved in terrorism. The Prime Minister stressed that the Disengagement Plan will be implemented only in the event that the Palestinians continue to postpone implementation of the Roadmap. He added that Israel would do its utmost to maintain its strategic coordination with the United States, which includes actions taken in the framework of this new plan. More
Israel's Security Chief Gives Overview of Threats Facing Israel
At the Herzliya Conference this week, Avi Dichter, Chief of the Israel Security Agency, gave an overview of the threats facing Israel. He called Iran the "number one terror state in the world" and spoke of how it contributes heavily to Palestinian terrorism against Israel. Dichter said that in the past three years, suicide attacks made up just 0.5% of the total attacks against Israel but were responsible for 55% of the casualties. Over the past ten weeks, Israeli security forces have thwarted more than 20 suicide bombings, three of them in the last 10 days. He warned that, "The relative calm is both belying and intoxicating, and does not reflect the true state of affairs." More
Israel Congratulates United States on Capture of Saddam
On Sunday, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called US President George Bush to congratulate him on the successful capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein: "The entire world can breath a sigh of relief, because the dictator who ruined Iraq cannot interfere with its reconstruction and rehabilitation." Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom telephoned his American counterpart, Secretary of State Colin Powell, to congratulate him. Powell told Shalom that the United States will continue its unremitting war on terror, and that its greatest victory is the positive psychological effect that will be felt in the entire region. More
US Congressmen in Israel Back Security Fence
An American congressional delegation is in Israel as part of a joint commission with the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. The delegation toured the security fence and met with Israeli and Palestinian leaders. The group's leader, Senator Jon Kyl (R-Arizona), recognized the need to prevent terrorist infiltration; he said that he found the fence "indeed effective" at preventing terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians. On Tuesday, the delegation met with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei. Members of the delegation urged Qurei to take steps to halt terrorism, and they said that there was no evidence that he had done so. Senator Susan Collins from Maine was also part of the delegation. More
Breakdown in Talks Between Palestinian Groups and PA
Talks in Egypt between the Palestinian Authority and various Palestinian terrorist organizations broke down this past week for lack of consensus on a suspension of terrorist attacks. Talks are expected to resume when Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Maher visits Israel this coming week. Meanwhile, the Palestinian Prime Minister has yet to offer a date to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. More
First Eskimo Inducted into IDF
Eighteen-year-old Eva Ben-Sira has become the first Eskimo to serve in the Israeli Defense Forces. Eva and her twin brother, Jimmy, were adopted in Alaska by an Israeli couple and then moved to Israel almost ten years ago, where they learned Hebrew and converted to Judaism. Jimmy will become the second serving Eskimo in the IDF when he joins the army next year. More
