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June 28 - July 2, 2004
- COUNTER-TERRORISM FENCE
- Israel Will Reroute Part of Fence
- Sharon Holds Consultations Following Court Ruling on Fence
- Israel to Prepare Alternative Fence Route
- DIPLOMACY
- Israel Among 7 Countries Offered NATO 'Partnership'
- Shalom to Meet Senior U.S. Official on Disengagement Plan
- SECURITY
- Four-Year-Old Child, 49-Year-Old Man Killed as Qassam Rockets Hit Sderot
- One Soldier Killed, Five Wounded in Gaza Outpost Attack
- Israeli Murdered North of Ramallah
- IDF Raids Northern Gaza as Qassams Hit Sderot for Second Day
- IDF Launches "Operation Front Shield" to Counter Qassam Attacks
- 30 Terror Suspects Arrested in Jericho
- Jerusalem Suicide Bombing Foiled
- SOCIETY
- Legendary Israeli Songwriter Naomi Shemer Passes Away
- 64-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to Healthy Child
- Hundreds of Falash Mura Arrive in Israel
- 3 Children Killed, 47 Injured in School Bus Accident
- Knesset Passes "Herzl Day" Law
- ECONOMY & HIGH-TECH
- Industry Production Figures Point to Economic Recovery
- Israeli Start-Up Develops Technology to See Through Walls
COUNTER-TERRORISM FENCE Israel Will Reroute Part of Fence
Wednesday, June 30, 2004The Defense Ministry said today it would redirect parts of the West Bank counter-terrorism fence after Israel's High Court of Justice ordered changes to 30 kilometers of the route so as to minimize hardship to Palestinians, HA'ARETZ reported. "The re-planning of these sections will be based on the principles set by the High Court, namely the proper balance between security and humanitarian considerations," the Defense Ministry said in a statement.
The High Court of Justice ordered this morning changes to 30 kilometers of the planned fence route, northwest of Jerusalem, saying that everything had to be done to minimize hardship to Palestinians living in the area. The ruling by Chief Justice Aharon Barak and justices Eliahu Mazza and Mishael Cheshin comes in response to a petition filed by the village council of Beit Surik, north of Mevasseret Zion.
"The route disrupts the delicate balance between the obligation of the military commander to preserve security and his obligation to provide for the needs of the local inhabitants," the ruling said. "The route that the military commander established for the security fence . harms the local inhabitants in a severe and acute way while violating their rights under humanitarian and international law," the court said.
Sharon Holds Consultations Following Court Ruling on Fence
Thursday, July 1, 2004Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is holding consultations with security and legal officials today to discuss the implications of Wednesday's Supreme Court decision to reroute the fence, HA'ARETZ reported. Officials within the Ministry of Defense said that the completion of the fence could be delayed by up to six months. Rerouting of the project would result in additional expenses, as certain stretches of the fence may have to be taken down, and compensation may be awarded to Palestinians whose land had been appropriated.
According to YEDIOT AHARONOT, a 1.2 mile stretch of fence near the village of Bidu will have to be dismantled at a cost of $2.2 million. Meanwhile, Minister of Justice Yosef Lapid praised the Court's ruling for recognizing the fence as a legitimate means of defense. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom said the court's decision showed, "the fence is moveable because we are a democracy."
Meanwhile, Israel's High Court of Justice issued today a temporary restraining order barring the completion of construction work on the counter-terrorism fence in a section near Har Homa, south of Jerusalem. The temporary order addresses a segment of the fence located in a different area than that mentioned in the ruling issued by the High Court on Wednesday. The area in question is immediately south of Jerusalem. The Court's order came in response to a petition submitted on Wednesday by all 66 adult residents of Nuaman, next to the West Bank neighborhood of Har Homa.
Israel to Prepare Alternative Fence Route
Friday, July 2, 2004Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz said they would adhere to Israel's High Court's ruling according to which Israel's right to build a security fence had to be balanced off with the harm it causes to the Palestinians, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Israel will prepare a number of alternate routes to the West Bank security fence in line with the High Court of Justice's ruling on Wednesday.
The court's decision is "a thing that it is forbidden to change," Sharon said. He added that he would be discussing the matter at Sunday's cabinet meeting. Mofaz said: "We are a nation of law and order and as such, we have to accept the court ruling without dispute."
DIPLOMACY Israel Among 7 Countries Offered NATO 'Partnership'
Monday, June 28, 2004NATO leaders have decided to upgrade relations with seven countries, including Israel, in the "Mediterranean dialogue," in a relationship defined as a "partnership," HA'ARETZ reported. The partnership with Israel, Jordan, Egypt and other countries in the region will enable these states to strengthen military relations with NATO, and ensure that invitations are sent to foreign ministers and defense ministers, along with top military figures, to NATO meetings. As one of the decision's tangible results, an invitation will be issued to Israel's navy to take part in operations designed to prevent the smuggling of weapons and materials used in the production of weapons of mass destruction.
Shalom to Meet Senior U.S. Official on Disengagement Plan
Friday, July 2, 2004Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom is due to meet U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice and Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington today to discuss steps to promote the disengagement plan, HA'ARETZ reported. Also under discussion is the topic of Palestinian leaders who may be capable of handling security responsibilities in Gaza after the Israeli withdrawal.- Mohammed Dahlan or the interior minister-designate, Tayeb Abed Al-Rahim.
Shalom is also expected to raise the issue of the Egyptian proposal to convene the "small quartet" consisting of Israel, the United States, Egypt and the Palestinian Authority in a meeting of foreign ministers in Washington in October. He will also deal with the Iranian nuclear threat, following Tehran's declared intention of manufacturing centrifuges to produce enriched uranium. Another topic on Shalom's agenda will likely be Israel's preparation for the International Court of Justice's ruling on the West Bank counter-terrorism fence. The non-binding verdict is due next Friday.
SECURITY Four-Year-Old Child, 49-Year-Old Man Killed as Qassam Rockets Hit Sderot
Monday, June 28, 2004Two people, one of them a young child, were killed and at least nine others were wounded this morning, when four Qassam rockets landed on the southern town of Sderot, HA'ARETZ reported. The fatalities were identified as Mordechai Yosopov, 49, and four-year-old Afik Zahavi, whose mother, Ruthie, was seriously wounded in the attack. The two victims of the attack were laid to rest this afternoon at the Sderot cemetery.
Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack launched from the Gaza Strip.
Since the start of Palestinian violence in September 2000, 347 Qassam rockets have been fired at Israeli targets, of which 265 have landed within the Green Line.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held a two-hour meeting with security chiefs to discuss possible responses to the attack. David Baker, an official at the Prime Minister's Office, said that, "the Palestinian missile attack was an especially cruel reminder of the brutal nature of Palestinian terrorism. Once again, terror has struck at innocent Israelis in the heart of an Israeli town."
One Soldier Killed, Five Wounded in Gaza Outpost Attack
Monday, June 28, 2004One soldier was killed and five were injured after Palestinians set off a massive explosion in a tunnel underneath a large fortress in the Gaza Strip Sunday night, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The soldier killed was identified as Ro'i Nissim, 20, from Rishon Letzion. The five wounded soldiers were treated at Beer Sheba's Soroka Hospital - one of them underwent surgery throughout the night and was diagnosed in serious but stable condition. Rescue workers, who came to evacuate the wounded, were caught in heavy gun battles.
The explosion happened around 9:45 pm at the Orchan outpost, which sits on the Gaza Strip's main north-south artery and monitors the Palestinian activities. Gaza Division commander Brig.-Gen. Shmuel Zakai said the explosion occurred underneath the position, and that the entire structure collapsed. Zakai said the army expected the continuation of complex, multi-staged attacks against Israeli targets in the near future. "Even though the IDF is registering successes against the Palestinian terror infrastructure, from time to time the terrorists also register successes," Zakai said.
IAF gunship launched a retaliatory attack early this morning, firing 10 missiles at two metal workshops in Gaza City. The army said the workshops were used by Hamas to make weapons, including homemade rockets.
Israeli Murdered North of Ramallah
Tuesday, June 29, 2004An Israeli man was found dead after being shot in the chest near Ramallah this morning, MA'ARIV reported. The commander of Fatah's al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigades, Abu Udai, claimed responsibility for the murder, which occurred between the villages of Beit Rima and Dir Asana. The Israeli man who was in his forties had extensive business dealings in cement and sand for construction according to Palestinian residents of the village of Beit Rima where he conducted much of his business. Local residents of Beit Rima expressed their shock over the murder, saying they had maintained good relations with the victim for years. They added that they were unaware of any business disputes he might have been involved in.
IDF Raids Northern Gaza as Qassams Hit Sderot for Second Day
Tuesday, June 29, 2004Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz said today that Israel Defense Forces troops would take over the area between Beit Hanoun and the Jabalya refugee camp in the northern Gaza Strip where recent terrorist rocket attacks have been launched, HA'ARETZ reported. "I am sure that after this takeover, the ability to launch Qassams will be diminished," Mofaz said. "We will carry out further operations to damage the infrastructure for manufacturing the rockets and continue operations necessary to prevent the carrying out of the shootings," he added.
Palestinians fired a new barrage of Qassam rockets at Sderot today, and an Israeli man was moderately wounded, one day after a young child and a 49-year-old man were killed by a similar attack on the western Negev town. Responding to Monday's rocket attacks and Sunday's bombing of an IDF post in the Gaza Strip in which a soldier was killed, Israel sent troops, bulldozers and tanks into the northern Strip.
IDF Launches "Operation Front Shield" to Counter Qassam Attacks
Thursday, July 1, 2004Responding to a continuing series of Qassam rocket attacks on and near Sderot, Israel Defense Forces troops have started a major operation codenamed "Operation Front Shield " in the northern Gaza Strip area of Beit Hanun and the Jabalya refugee camp, HA'ARETZ reported. IDF sources indicated that Operation Front Shield was likely to be conducted in a number of stages over several months.
Palestinians fired a barrage of homemade Qassam rockets at the town of Sderot on Tuesday as Prime Minister Ariel Sharon visited the southern region. At least three rockets landed in the western Negev areas. One person was moderately wounded in the attacks, which came a day after Qassam rockets killed three-year-old Afik Zahavi and 49-year-old Mordechai Yosepov.
"One thing is clear: We do not intend to ignore what happened here," Sharon said. "The security establishment has already begun actions designed to prevent such rocket fire. This will not be a simple operation, but we are determined to take wide-ranging action in order to assure that what happened here does not reoccur, not before we will have evacuated the Gaza Strip and not afterward."
The prime minister's Sycamore Ranch home is located close to Sderot, and is believed to be the target of many salvos of the Qassam missiles, which are unguided and frequently inaccurate.
30 Terror Suspects Arrested in Jericho
Thursday, July 1, 2004The Israel Defense Forces has launched a counter-terror operation in Jericho this morning and apprehended 30 wanted Palestinian terror suspects, MA'ARIV reported. During the military actions - the first in this West Bank city in five months - troops seized large quantities of weapons, including rifles, hand grenades, and handguns. Among those arrested was Abed Dula, suspected of murdering teenager Ofir Rahum in January 2001. Other detainees include Zyad Bazar from Ramallah, who was involved in shooting attacks on Highway 443, and Iyad Khatr from Ramallah, responsible for dozens of shooting attacks.
The army decided to launch the operation after Jericho turned into a haven for wanted terrorists. The IDF recently handed over a list of suspects to the Palestinian Authority, which refused to act against them. In the last few years, Jericho has been one of the most peaceful of all West Bank cities.
In other security-related news, IDF tanks entered the Brazil neighborhood in Gaza's Rafah this morning looking for tunnels used to smuggle weapons, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. An explosive charge located on the Israeli-Egyptian border next to Rafah was discovered. In the northern Gaza Strip, a Hamas operative was killed Wednesday night in an exchange of fire with the IDF in the Jabalya refugee camp.
Meanwhile, the IDF is investigating an incident in which a nine-year-old boy was allegedly killed during the course of the counter-terror operation in Rafah this morning.
Jerusalem Suicide Bombing Foiled
Friday, July 2, 2004A Palestinian terrorist planning a suicide bombing in Jerusalem in the near future was apprehended in Ramallah overnight, MA'ARIV reported. The man led the Israel Defense Forces soldiers who arrested him to the location where he had hidden the 10kg bomb-belt to be used for the attack. The closure imposed on Ramallah on Thursday night following the terror alert regarding a possible attack in Jerusalem was lifted after the completion of the operation.
In other developments, five Hamas terrorists were killed near Netzarim in the Gaza Strip on Thursday night. Security forces also continued their efforts to uncover tunnels used for smuggling weapons. IDF soldiers and Borders Guards uncovered a tunnel running four meters deep under a store. This was the fourth tunnel found since the end of the "Operation Rainbow" launched to destroy the arms-smuggling infrastructure in Gaza a few weeks ago. During the IDF actions, anti-tank missiles were fired at the troops but no injuries were reported.
SOCIETY Legendary Israeli Songwriter Naomi Shemer Passes Away
Monday, June 28, 2004Songwriter Naomi Shemer passed away in Tel Aviv on Saturday morning and was laid to rest on Sunday evening at Kibbutz Kinneret on Lake Kinneret, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Naomi Shemer was one of the most prolific songwriters in Israel and was known for such classics as Yerushalayim Shel Zahav -- Jerusalem of Gold -- written on the eve of the Six Day War, and Lu Yehi -- Let It Be -- written after the Yom Kippur War. Following the assassination of former Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, Shemer composed a song from a translation of Walt Whitman's poem, O Captain, My Captain.
Shemer, who was born on Kibbutz Kinneret 74 years ago, died at Ichilov Hospital after a long illness. She is survived by her husband, two children and four grandchildren. Shemer was given the Israel Prize for her work in 1987, and awarded an honorary doctorate by Tel Aviv University three years ago.
Israeli leaders paid tribute to her, and Kol Yisrael played her songs on the radio throughout Saturday.
64-Year-Old Woman Gives Birth to Healthy Child
Tuesday, June 29, 2004History was made on Sunday at Tel Hashomer Hospital in Tel Aviv as a 64-year-old woman gave birth to a healthy child, thus becoming the oldest woman to deliver a baby in Israel, MA'ARIV reported. The child's parents, both aged 64, underwent fertility treatments for years. In spite of the repeated failures, the woman insisted to continue and finally got pregnant nine months ago. The conception was made possible by an ovum donation. The woman was hospitalized in the high-risk pregnancy unit as early as the third month. The couple underwent the treatments at a private hospital.
Hundreds of Falash Mura Arrive in Israel
Tuesday, June 29, 2004Some 268 Falash Mura from Ethiopia arrived at Ben-Gurion Airport on Sunday, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The new immigrants from Addis Ababa traveled on a specially chartered Ethiopian Airlines Boeing 767. Today, an additional 112 individuals from Gondar, a city in the north of Ethiopia, were slated to land in Israel. Falash Mura are Jews whose ancestors converted to Christianity. They later resumed the practice of Judaism and are considered Jewish by all three religious streams.
At the end of June, the Jewish Agency will have assisted in the immigration of 789 Ethiopians, more than twice the monthly goal of the Interior Ministry under the Law of Entry.
The new immigrants, who will join more than 93,000 Ethiopian immigrants currently living in Israel, will be divided between absorption centers near Beersheba and Safed.
Shlomo Molla, head of Ethiopian Immigration and Absorption at the Jewish Agency, anticipates that the newcomers' absorption will not be an easy task. "We are very glad to bring them and accept them. It is a humanitarian act," Molla said. "The new immigrants suffer a huge culture shock and that's why we are putting them into absorption centers, rather than in cities on their own," he added. Molla moved to Israel from Gondar in 1984.
3 Children Killed, 47 Injured in School Bus Accident
Wednesday, June 30, 2004Three children were killed and 47 injured - six seriously - when a school bus overturned today near Kfar Yona in the Sharon region, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The children killed were between 10 and 12 years old. The accident occurred at 1:50 PM, when the bus from the Beit Yitzhak Moshav School reportedly ran a red light before the Kfar Yona intersection and crashed into a utility truck and an army jeep. The bus then swerved out of control and turned over the edge of route 57 that connects Netanya and Tulkarm. The Beit Yitzhak Moshav School is a regional school near Netanya, and the bus was taking children home after their last day of school, as the summer vacation begins Thursday.
Civilians who witnessed the accident quickly ran to the aid of the children until rescue teams arrived.
Knesset Passes "Herzl Day" Law
Wednesday, June 30, 2004The Knesset has passed the "Herzl law" according to which a national congress will be held every year on the 10th of the month of Iyyar to commemorate Theodore Herzl Day, MA'ARIV reported. The theme of each congress will revolve around the topic of Zionism. The state will also award grants and scholarships for research in Herzl's name. The law also provides for a national council to be set up to decide how the man who envisioned the state of Israel should be memorialized.
The law was proposed by MK Ilan Shalgi (Shinui), who expressed satisfaction that the Knesset had finally decided to memorialize Herzl properly. "I'm happy that the Knesset will mark 100 years since Herzl's passing with a law that memorializes his life's work and vision. I don't think the children of Israel know enough about Herzl's work, or his Zionist vision", Shalgi said. The Knesset budgeted five million shekels per year to implement the law.
Theodor Herzl - a Hungarian-born Austrian - is one of founders of the Zionist philosophy. As a correspondent during the Alfred Dreyfus affair, he determined that the solution to anti-Semitism was the establishment of a Jewish national state. He founded the Zionist World Congress in 1897.
ECONOMY & HIGH-TECH Industry Production Figures Point to Economic Recovery
Monday, June 28, 2004Ministry of Industry figures continue to point to an economic recovery, MA'ARIV reported. Between January and April 2004 industrial production rose by 5.2 percent, compared to 1.6 percent during the second half of 2003. The hi-tech industry exhibited the best results, increasing its output by 11 percent. Electronic components production rose by 10 percent and communications equipment by 15 percent. The manufacture of industrial control and medical equipment rose by 3 percent. The figures reflect the recovery of Israel's major export markets in the United States, Japan, and parts of Western Europe, especially in the telecommunications industry. On the other hand, the production of electric engines, which grew rapidly during the preparations for the war in Iraq last year, fell by 6.8 percent since the beginning of 2004.
Industrial employment continued to decline, but at a slow rate. At the same time, hi-tech employment rose by 0.8 percent, after falling by 6 percent annually over the past two years.
Israeli Start-Up Develops Technology to See Through Walls
Thursday, July 1, 2004An Israeli start-up has recently developed the technology making possible to see through walls, HA'ARETZ reported. This device could benefit both military and rescue operations. Herzliya-based company Camero has developed an UWB (ultra wideband)-based radar system, which produces three-dimensional pictures of activity behind walls situated as far away as twenty meters. The pictures, which resemble those produced by an ultrasound, are relatively high-resolution. Although the figures are somewhat blurred, the system nonetheless provides access to activity behind the wall in real time.
This equipment could ensure success for military operations and, in effect, could save the lives of soldiers. Most anti-terror operations have been executed through dangerous urban fighting, sharpening the need for such a device.
The equipment could also save the lives of disaster victims around the world. "The company was born of urgent operational needs," Camero CEO Aharon Aharon said. "When disaster victims must be rescued from a collapsed building or a fire, time is of the essence," he explained. "Rescue forces often invest enormous resources and precious time in combing the rubble, or endanger their lives by entering the flames, even if it is not clear that there are any survivors behind the walls."
