Monday,
July 21
PM
Sharon Meets with PM Abbas, Says Israel will Give More If PA Fights
Terror
Israel will be much more
responsive to Palestinian needs if the Palestinian Authority takes
clear action to dismantle the terrorist organizations, Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon told PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in Jerusalem
on Sunday. The Palestinians arrived at the meeting, the fourth
since Abbas became prime minister and the first since July 1,
with a list of demands. Israeli officials said that the main issues
for the PA were the prisoner release and the removal of roadblocks.
The meeting, according to observers, largely served each party's
interest in advance of their separate upcoming meetings with US
President George W. Bush. Both sides need to be seen to be keeping
the road map moving forward.
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz briefed the cabinet on the security
situation in the three weeks since the PA received security responsibility
for the Gaza Strip and Bethlehem. He said that the downward trend
in the number of terrorist attacks and warnings is continuing.
There were 16 warnings on Sunday. He also said that incitement
in the PA media has similarly declined. Following Israeli measures
to ease restrictions, Mofaz said there has also been a significant
improvement in the atmosphere on the Palestinian street in the
areas in which responsibility has been transferred to the PA.
However, terrorism - such as the kidnapping of Eliahu Gurel and
the knife attack in Jaffa in which Amir Simhon, 24, of Bat Yam
was murdered - is continuing. The PA security services are still
focusing on localized, responsive actions as opposed to counterterrorist
actions, he said, and terrorist elements are continuing their
efforts to rebuild their infrastructure. (From Jerusalem Post)
more
Egypt
Helping IDF find Gaza Tunnels; Terror Attempts still Exist Despite
Cease-fire
Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz
said Monday that the Israel Defense Forces continues to uncover
smuggling tunnels under the Israeli-Egyptian border. Mofaz added
that the army is operating in cooperation with Egypt to pinpoint
and demolish the tunnels. Mofaz said that Israeli troops must
sometimes dig 60 to 80 meters into the earth in order to uncover
the tunnels, used to smuggle war material from Egypt into the
Gaza Strip.
He added that security forces last week captured three Hamas terrorists
in Hebron prepared to carry out a suicide bombing attack on an
Israeli target. The defense minister said that there are still
Palestinian elements - notably from the Tanzim militia affiliated
with Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement - who are not abiding by the
cease-fire and continue to plan attacks in Israel. He said that
these elements are receiving aid from foreign sources such as
Hezbollah.
The IDF discovered and neutralized an explosive belt near Nablus
on Monday morning. The Palestinians appear to have been about
to transfer the explosive belt to a terrorist to carry out an
attack within a short time. The belt, which was ready to use,
was comprised of eight explosive devices weighing a total of between
10 and 15 kilograms.
Overnight Monday, Islamic Jihad activist Rami Isleit, 23, was
killed while activating a roadside bomb near a military vehicle
in near the West Bank city of Jenin. None of the soldiers were
injured in the vehicle, which sustained serious damage. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Jerusalem
Man Wounded in Stabbing
Simyon Itkin, 64, of Jerusalem's Pisgat
Ze'ev neighborhood, was stabbed and moderately wounded Sunday
night in Jerusalem's Yemin Moshe neighborhood, in what police
suspect was a terrorist attack. Itkin, who had been out for an
evening's walk with a friend, was rushed by Magen David Adom paramedics
to Hadassah-University Hospital at Ein Kerem, where he was being
treated for stab wounds in the chest and back. The attack comes
less than a week after a 24-year-old Israeli was stabbed to death
by a knife-wielding Palestinian assailant in Jaffa, a night-time
attack claimed by an offshoot of the mainstream Palestinian Fatah
movement. In recent weeks, Israeli security officials have voiced
concern over the renewal and increase of such "low-level
attacks," after last month's declaration of a three month
cease-fire by the major Palestinian terror organizations. (From
Jerusalem Post) more
Netanyahu
Allows Israelis to do Business with Iraq
Finance Minister Benjamin
Netanyahu signed an injunction Monday allowing Israeli companies
to conduct business with Iraq. The decision will make it easier
for Israeli companies to participate in rebuilding Iraq, a process
being led by Britain and the United States. Israelis will now
be able to invest in Iraq and import and export goods between
the two countries.
A leading candidate to head a caretaker government in Iraq has
told Labor Party chairman Shimon Peres that Iraq would likely
make peace with Israel if it gives the Palestinians control over
95 percent of the West Bank and Gaza, Peres said Monday. Peres
met during the weekend with former Iraqi Foreign Minister Adnan
Pachachi, 80, at a conference in Rome. A Sunni Muslim with a secular
outlook, Pachachi is favored by many American officials to head
an Iraqi caretaker government during the post-Saddam Hussein transition
period. (From Ha'aretz) more
FM
Shalom Attacks 'One-sided' Stand by UN Against Israel
Foreign Minister Silvan
Shalom on Monday attacked what he called the one-sided position
of the United Nations against Israel and called on the European
Union to act together with the United States to change the situation.
Shalom, in Brussels to meet with the EU's council of foreign ministers
on the peace process and ways of strengthening relations between
Israel and the EU, also promised to deepen European involvement
in the Middle East peace process. Shalom said "the United
States and Europe are able to work together to prevent the anti-Israeli
decisions that are made by the UN in an automatic fashion. They
can, in this way, reduce Israel's feeling of isolation."
Shalom said he supports giving Europe a role in the peace process
with the United States, though the Americans should continue to
maintain their senior mediating role. (From Ha'aretz) more
Vered
Sets New Swimming Record
Israel's Vered Borochovsky
set an Israeli record in the 100-meter Butterfly Sunday at the
10th World Swimming Championships in Barcelona with a time of
59.41 seconds. Although she missed the finals by just 0.13 seconds,
the result seals her place in the Israeli squad for the 2004 Olympic
Games. (From Jerusalem
Post)
Israel's
Averbukh Sets Year's Highest Pole Vault
Israel's Alexander Averbukh set a meet
record and recorded the highest pole vault in the world this year
with a 5.93-meter (19 feet, 5 1/2 inches) jump Saturday at the
Madrid Super Grand Prix. Averbukh, the reigning European champion,
easily defeated Olympic champion Nick Hysong of the USA, who came
in second with a jump of 5.73 meters (18-11 3/4). (From Jerusalem
Post) more
Tuesday,
July 22
Palestinian
PM Abbas Says He Will Not Crack Down on Palestinian Militants
Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas said Tuesday
that he will not crack down on Palestinian militant groups, despite
being urged by America and Israel to do so. "Cracking down
on Hamas, Jihad and the Palestinian organizations is not an option
at all," Abbas said. "We are applying the law which
we accepted under the leadership of the Palestinian Authority,
and that is what we will do." The Palestinian Authority says
a crackdown could trigger civil war, while militants warn such
a move could nullify a shaky three-month truce in attacks on Israelis.
Disarming militant groups responsible for attacks on Israelis
is a condition of the U.S.-backed road map to Middle East peace,
which envisions an end to violence and creating an independent
Palestinian state by 2005.Under the road map, Israel withdrew
from parts of Gaza and the West Bank town of Bethlehem, but refuses
to hand over more land unless the Palestinians disarm militant
groups. Abbas has preferred to negotiate with militant groups
- not forcibly crackdown on them - in a bid to end attacks. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Hamas
Utilizing the Cease-fire to Build 1,000 Kassam Rockets
Hamas is utilizing the cease-fire
to build more than 1,000 Kassam rockets in an effort to change
the balance of power following the three-month cessation in hostilities,
a senior IDF officer told reporters in the Gaza Strip on Monday.
This has sparked a fear among IDF officers that should hostilities
resume, "the opening of the next phase in the conflict will
be much more violent," according to a Gaza brigade commander.
Much of the raw material necessary to build the rockets is smuggled
in myriad tunnels underneath Rafah. From there, the source said,
the weapons or bomb components are driven to Khan Yunis or Gaza
City. It is in those cities, said the senior officer, that Hamas
is working on a new version of the Kassam that could reach "15
kilometers or up to 20 km," putting cities such as Ashkelon
and Netivot within range. "The Palestinian Authority is doing
nothing to stop the smuggling of huge amounts of arms, weapons,
and ammunition. We estimate that there are eight to 10 tunnels
currently functioning," he said. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Report:
New PA Textbooks Still Full of Incitement Against Israel
Palestinian Authority textbooks
continue to incite against Israel in new textbooks, a new report
says. According to the report, this line about the Israeli War
of Independence is included in the "reading and texts"
section of a new PA eighth-grade text: "O brother, the oppressors
have exceeded all bounds and jihad and sacrifice are necessary."
Since 2000, the PA has replaced half of the Egyptian and Jordanian
textbooks that were previously used in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip. According to a report released Monday by the Center for
Monitoring the Impact of Peace (CMIP) on 35 third- and eighth
grade PA textbooks, however, the new texts are much like the old.
"With regard to the key elements, the core of the conflict
between Jews and Arabs, Palestinians and Israelis, there is no
change [between these and the Egyptian and Jordanian textbooks],"
said CMIP Vice-Chairman Dr. Yohanan Manor. The textbooks do not
live up to criteria recommended by UNESCO, including requirements
such as recognition of others' achievements, honest presentation
of political disputes, and avoidance of wording likely to create
prejudice. The study shows that there is no recognition in the
textbooks of the legitimacy of Israel as a Jewish state. (From
Jerusalem Post) more
New
Israeli TV Music Channel
One year after winning a
tender, the Music 24 group launched its Israeli television music
channel yesterday at 2 P.M. The local music industry is hanging
a lot of hopes on the new channel, which will broadcast local
music 24 hours a day and will serve as a stage for video clips
and mini-stars from the fringes of Israel's music culture. "Our
goal is to expose the audience to many genres," says Guy
Behar, Music 24's CEO. "We need to overcome the years in
which there was almost no room for Israeli music on TV. There
will be not fixed `playlists' here, or only music that has to
be popular, and also no `ghettos' for Middle Eastern music. Our
target audience is the 21-30 age group, but [Music 24] will be
a channel that appeals to anyone who loves Israeli music."
(From Ha'aretz) more
Wednesday,
July 23
Israel
Ready to Free 530 Prisoners, Including Hamas and Jihad
Israel is prepared to release some 530
Palestinian prisoners, a special ministerial committee decided
Wednesday, but the release of Hamas and Islamic Jihad prisoners
among them depends on final approval by the full cabinet. Prime
Minister Ariel Sharon decided that a final decision on Hamas and
Islamic Jihad prisoners eligible for release - with no terror
involvement - would be postponed until a discussion and vote by
all government ministers. Ahead of Wednesday's ministerial committee
meeting, it was reported that Sharon had agreed to release around
100 more prisoners than originally planned, in what was seen to
be a gesture to his Palestinian counterpart Mahmoud Abbas, ahead
of their upcoming visits to Washington. (From Ha'aretz) more
Abbas
to Face Confidence Vote on Return from U.S.
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas
will face a confidence vote by Palestinian legislators when he
returns from a meeting with U.S. President George W. Bush, the
Palestinian information minister said Wednesday. Nabil Amr told
reporters that the Palestinian legislature "intends to convene
after his return from Washington to discuss his progress on the
political level" and "debate again giving him its confidence
or not." Abbas is due to meet Bush on Friday. Amr said he
would press Washington for progress on the release of Palestinian
prisoners, the lifting of movement restrictions on Palestinians,
an end to the confinement of Yasser Arafat to his Ramallah headquarters
and a freeze on construction of settlements and Israel's controversial
"separation fence" with Palestinian areas. Amr said
failure to achieve progress would cause Abbas "difficulties
on the Palestinian street" and in the legislature. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Two
Would-be Suicide Bombers Held; IDF Soldier Still Missing
The IDF said Wednesday that police arrested
two Palestinians overnight in the village of Rai, southwest of
Jenin. Military sources said the men, Azam Yusuf and Ibrahim Darsheikh,
were members of Islamic Jihad and were planning to carry out a
suicide bombing in Israel.
Also, police are requesting the public's help in finding missing
IDF soldier Oleg Shaichat, who was last seen Monday at the Ami-Ad
junction in the Galilee. "All directions of the investigation
are open, but the unexplained disappearance of a soldier increases
the level of suspicion," Superintendent Rafi Ben-David, police
commander in Upper Nazareth said. "No problem was found in
the family that could have indicated any signs of distress (with
the soldier)," he added. Security officials have repeatedly
said they have intelligence warnings of Palestinian militants'
intentions to kidnap Israeli soldiers. (From Ha'aretz) more
Infrastructure
Minister Paritzky Plans Israeli-Palestinian Power Station
Infrastructure Minister Yosef Paritzky
is initiating the construction of a large power plant in the area
of the Karni Crossing on the border between Israel and the Gaza
Strip, which would supply both Israel and the Palestinians with
electricity. Finance for the plant would be raised with the assistance
of European bodies. The Europeans will also assist in the financing
of additional joint infrastructure projects. "We will do
everything possible to expedite the process," said Paritzky,
adding that "if people share projects together, they will
live in peace." The minister said it would take between two
to three years to develop natural gas resources that lie off the
coast of Israel and the Gaza Strip. (From Ha'aretz) more
Deal
to Buy Water from Turkey Finalized
Turkey and Israel will finally sign an
agreement in mid-August to export Turkish water to Israel, culminating
nearly five years of negotiations on the matter. Turkish Energy
Minister Hilmi Guler is slated to arrive in mid-August to sign
the agreement. Under the terms of the agreement, Israel will buy
50 million cubic meters of water from Turkey each year for the
next 20 years. The officials said the cost of importing the water
has still not been finalized, since the two sides have not yet
agreed on what company will get the tender for transporting the
water. One senior Turkish diplomatic official said it is likely
two tankers will be specially built to transfer the water from
the Manavgat River on Turkey's southern coast. He said Israelis
will probably be drinking Turkish water by the end of 2004. Turkish
Ambassador Feridun Sinirlioglu told the Post the water agreement
is important because it "shows the world and the region that
Israel-Turkish cooperation is based on trust and concrete projects."
(From Jerusalem Post) more
Satellites
Hunt for Buried Treasure
It sounds like a backwards
proposition, but new research shows that we can find out more
about what is buried beneath the earth's surface by launching
a satellite into the sky. The work by the two professors from
Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Dan Blumberg and Julian Daniels
has shown that radar-sensing technology from satellites is able
to both locate and identify buried objects. If harnessed properly,
this technique could be used to discover major archaeological
sites that are buried under layers of sand and rocks, identify
areas in which ideal conditions exist for certain kinds of agriculture,
and to learn more about what lies below the surface of other planets.
(From Israel 21c) more
Thursday,
July 24
Shalom
Rejects U.S. Opposition to Security Fence, Says It will Boost
Peace
Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom has rejected
opposition by Washington and the Palestinian Authority to Israel's
separation fence in the West Bank, insisting that the fence will
actually help the peace process by thwarting terror attacks by
Palestinian militants bent on wrecking it. In his talks Wednesday
with National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice, Shalom was told
that the U.S. wants Israel to halt construction of the fence and
alter its route. Shalom said he had told his American counterparts
that the fence was aimed at "preventing terrorists from carrying
out attacks... and stopping extremists who want to blow up the
peace process."
Palestinian Prime Minister Abbas arrived in Washington on Thursday
ahead of talks with President George W. Bush on Friday. Abbas
told the Arabic-language newspaper Al Quds that he will discuss
the problematic implications of the separation fence with the
U.S. administration, presenting them with maps illustrating the
route of the planned fence and the surrounding lands that will
be appropriated by Israel to build the fence. He also said he
would ask the administration for more financial support. (From
Ha'aretz) more
Survey:
Americans Believe Palestinians Must Disarm Terrorists
The vast majority of Americans
say Palestinian leaders should disarm and incarcerate terrorists
and halt incitement in the media and education system as a prerequisite
to peace, according to a poll released yesterday. The survey of
800 registered voters on July 21-22, commission by the Israel
Project, found that 95% of Americans think the Palestinians need
to arrest and disarm terrorists, and 88% believe the leadership
must halt all incitement before a state of Palestine is created.
In addition, 83% said Israel should not release any Palestinian
prisoners who have killed Israeli citizens, as demanded by terrorist
groups, and just 15% said they have faith in the hudna, or temporary
ceasefire between those groups, compared to 78% who said the hudna
isn't enough to secure peace. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Bicyclist
Stabbed in Jerusalem by Arab Assailants
David Shilo, 40, of Jerusalem,
was thrown from his bicycle and stabbed in the back by four teenage
Arab assailants near the city's northern Shuafat refugee camp
Wednesday night, police said. He was moderately wounded. It was
the second terrorist stabbing in the capital in the last three
days. Shilo told police he was making his way home to the neighborhood
of Pisgat Ze'ev shortly after 9 p.m. when the four Arab teens
assaulted him near the entrance to Shuafat, near the French Hill
intersection. Several Arab teens matching the assailants' general
description were arrested and were being questioned by police
at press time. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Hundreds
Look for Missing Israeli Soldier
Hundreds of soldiers, police
and volunteers were searching for a missing Israeli soldier as
fears grew that he may have been kidnapped, police said Thursday.
Oleg Shaichat, 20, was in uniform and armed when he was last seen
Monday by a fellow hitchhiker traveling in a car near the biblical
village of Cana in the Galilee, on his way to his home in a nearby
Jewish satellite of Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city. Since
then, relatives say, they have heard nothing from him and his
cell phone is turned off. The disappearance came as security officials
have warned they have intelligence warnings of Palestinian militants'
intentions to kidnap Israeli soldiers. Shaichat was last seen
about 15 miles from the West Bank. No ransom demands or claims
of responsibility, however, have been made in the case. (From
Jerusalem Post) more
Palestinian-Israeli
Cooperation to Find Causes of Congenital Deafness
Despite the lack of contact between Palestinian
and Israeli scientists for nearly three years, researchers at
Tel Aviv University and the University of Bethlehem will conduct
joint research on the genetic deafness. This is being made possible
with a $100,000 donation by Prof. John Sulston of England, who
won the Nobel Prize and TAU's Dan David Prize for 2002. Prof.
Moien Kana'an of the University of Bethlehem's life sciences department
will collaborate on the research with TAU scientist Prof. Keren
Avraham of the human genetics and molecular medicine department.
Over 130 genes involved in hearing problems have been discovered,
five of them by Israelis and Palestinians but only one of them
shared by both. At least 10 more are believed to be involved in
congenital deafness, and the joint research will focus on these.
(From Jerusalem Post) more
How
Do You Spell Self-defense? Krav Maga
Until
now, 'Shalom' has been the most widely known Hebrew phrase in
the US. But moving up quickly is 'Krav Maga', the name of the
self-defense martial arts which has taken the country by a storm
and is the training regimen of choice of many of Hollywood's top
stars. Krav Maga - literally means 'contact combat' in Hebrew.
The technique is the official self defense system of the Israeli
Defense Forces, and has been taught to hundreds of law enforcement
agencies and thousands of civilians in the United States since
being introduced there in 1982. According to its practitioners,
Krav Maga is a simple, effective self defense system that emphasizes
instinctive movements, practical techniques, and realistic training
scenarios. And apparently it's so effective, that it's acquired
some high-profile disciples including Lucy Liu, Angelina Jolie,
and Shannon Elizabeth. "Krav Maga is heavy on the Martial,
light on the Art. Krav Maga, due to the way in which it is taught,
gives people a very intense workout. America is always looking
for a new workout. With Krav Maga they get both a workout and
self defense," said Krav Maga instructor Rolando Haddad.
(From Israel 21c) more
Friday,
July 25
Israel
Says It Will Withdraw From Two More Palestinian Cities
Israel announced
a series of humanitarian gestures toward the Palestinians on Friday,
to be implemented in the days before and after Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon's visit to Washington on Tuesday. Among the moves
announced are the removal of three key West Bank checkpoints,
the reopening of West Bank roads to Palestinian traffic, the transfer
of NIS 72 million in tax money held by Israel to the Palestinian
Authority and the issuing of 8,500 permits for Palestinians to
enter Israel to work. The Prime Minister's Office also announced
that Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Moshe Ya'alon will meet with the
Palestinian security chief Mohammed Dahlan at the start of next
week, to discuss the transfer of security control of two more
West Bank cities to the Palestinians. (From Ha'aretz) more
Prisoner
Release List Swells to Almost 600
The list of Palestinian prisoners whom
the security services deem candidates for release now stands at
almost 600, and many of the new names are guilty of far more serious
offenses than those on the original list, according to sources
who have seen the revised list. The sources said that several
dozen of the almost 250 names that have been added over the last
several days are members of Hamas, Islamic Jihad and the Popular
Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Furthermore, while the
initial list consisted largely of administrative detainees who
were due to be released soon anyway and Palestinians convicted
of criminal rather than terrorist offenses, most of the new names
are genuine security prisoners who have been convicted of terror-related
offenses. (From Ha'aretz) more
Abbas
to Meet With Bush; US Lawmakers Call for Crackdown on Terror Groups
Palestinian Prime Minister
Mahmoud Abbas will meet today with President George W. Bush. Abbas
and Bush will discuss the road map for a two-state solution.
On Thursday, Abbas held closed-door meetings with U.S. Congressional
leaders from the House International Relations Committee. Rep.
Tom Lantos (D-California) called the session "interesting"
and "constructive." Lantos urged Abbas to destroy terrorist
organizations "otherwise the process will collapse and you
will prove to be a failure,” he said. Lantos also told Abbas
that he should not expect Palestinian prisoners "with blood
on their hands" to be released by Israel. Abbas was accompanied
by Palestinian security chief Muhammad Dahlan, Palestine Legislative
Council Speaker Ahmed Korei, Foreign Minister Nabil Shaath and
Finance Minister Salam Fayyad. Also on Thursday, he and Dahlan
held separate meetings with National Security Adviser Condoleezza
Rice and with American Jewish leaders.
During their meeting, Bush is expected to ask Abbas to do as much
as he can to crack down on Palestinian terrorist organizations.
Secretary of State Colin Powell said on Wednesday that it was
the U.S. objective to enhance [Abbas's] position. "What we
are trying to do is to show to the Palestinian people that this
man is a leader who can take them to the goal, the creation of
a Palestinian state," Powell said. Powell added that he knew
the Palestinians still had to do much more work with respect to
rooting out any capability for terrorism. (From Jerusalem Post)
more
Israeli
Swimmer Vered Borochovsky Makes Semis at World Championship
Israeli swimmer Vered
Borochovsky qualified Friday for the semi-final of the 50 meter
women's butterfly event at the World Championships in Barcelona,
Spain. Borochovsky, who has already attained the minimum standard
for participation in the 2004 Olympics in to 100 meter butterfly
race, did the same in the 50 meters, with a time of 27.37 seconds.
The time was the fifth best of all swimmers in the qualifying
rounds. On Thursday, Israeli swimmer Yoav Gath set a new national
record for the 200-meter backstroke yesterday, with a time of
1:59.22 minutes in the semifinal of the World Swimming Championships
in Barcelona. (From Ha'aretz) more
Israeli
Company Develops a "Taxi Cab" for Complex Surgical Procedures
Ori
Hadomi, CEO of Mazor Surgical Instruments, likes to think of the
company's emerging product line, SmartAssist, as a kind of taxi
cab for complex surgical procedures. All the surgeon has to do
is tell the driver, or in this case the software, where he wants
to go and the miniature robotic system will take him there on
the shortest possible route, directing him to the precise spot
where surgery should take place. The platform, which took the
Caesaria start-up just two years to develop, incorporates patent
pending software, and a guidance device based on miniature robotic
technology. It can be used in a whole range of procedures from
orthopaedics, to neurosurgery, knee replacement and trauma, but
the company's first product, SpineAssist, is designed for delicate
spinal procedures that require a high level of accuracy and experience.
(From Israel 21c) more
