July 5-9, 2004

• COUNTER-TERRORISM FENCE
  • Stats Show Anti-Terrorism Fence Highly Effective
  • Israel: International Court's Ruling Disregards Palestinian Terror
  • U.S. Dismisses International Court's Ruling
• DIPLOMACY
  • Shalom and Powell Meet in Washington
  • Israel Tells IAEA's El Baradei Iran Wants Nuclear Arms
  • Quartet Threatens End to PA Financial Aid
• SECURITY
  • Navy Seal Killed in Gun Battle With PFLP
  • 2 Kassam Rockets Fired at Sderot - IAF Gaza Target Escapes
  • 6 IDF Soldiers - Including 2 Senior Officers - Injured in Gaza
• POLITICS
  • Supreme Court: Elections in 2006
  • Israeli-Arab Sworn in As Labor Member of Knesset
  • Knesset Rejects National Service as Alternative to Army Duty
• ANTI-SEMITISM
  • Catholic Church Equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism

COUNTER-TERRORISM FENCE

Stats Show Anti-Terrorism Fence Highly Effective
Thursday, July 8, 2004

The anti-terrorism fence being built between Israel and the West Bank is saving lives every single day, MA'ARIV reported. Security sources note that a close examination of the statistics of terrorist attacks in the northern West Bank prior to the construction of the fence there, and similar stats following the completion of the fence shows a sharp decrease in terrorist activity. From August 2003 to June 30, 2004, terrorists operating from the northern West Bank managed to carry out three suicide attacks inside Israel, killing 26 Israelis and wounding 76. Meanwhile, in the 34 months since the beginning of Palestinian violence, the terror infrastructure in the northern West Bank succeeded in carrying out 73 attacks, in which 293 Israelis were killed and 1,950 were wounded. Since the fence's erection, an approximate 90 percent decrease in the number of successful terror attacks was registered. A sharp drop of approximately 70 percent was also recorded in the number of casualties resulting from terror attacks, from an average of 103 Israelis murdered a year prior to its construction, down to 28 the year following the completion of the northern section. In addition, the fence has enabled the thwarting of dozens of attacks.

 

Israel: International Court's Ruling Disregards Palestinian Terror
Friday, July 9, 2004

Responding to the non-binding advisory decision of the International Court of Justice declaring the West Bank counter-terrorism fence illegal, Israel said today that the court had failed to address the issue of "Palestinian terror" while reaching its conclusions, HA'ARETZ reported. "It fails to address the essence of the problem and the very reason for building the fence - Palestinian terror," a Foreign Ministry spokesman said. Israel will not follow the International Court of Justice's ruling, Minister of Justice Yosef Lapid said earlier.
The International Court of Justice ruled today that the preemptive measure built by Israel contravenes international law, that the fence must be dismantled, and that compensation must be paid to the Palestinian owners of property confiscated for its construction.
Lapid said Israel would only honor its own court rulings, referring to a June 30 verdict by Israel's High Court of Justice ordering the defense establishment to reroute a 30-kilometer stretch of the security fence northwest of Jerusalem. The Israeli High Court held that the fence was a security measure rather than a political one, but that Israel had to balance security considerations with the needs of local residents.

 

U.S. Dismisses International Court's Ruling
Friday, July 9, 2004

The White House brushed aside a ruling by the International Court of Justice on the West Bank counter-terrorist fence today, saying the court was not the right forum to address the issue, HA'ARETZ reported. "We do not believe that that's the appropriate forum to resolve what is a political issue. This is an issue that should be resolved through the process that has been put in place, specifically the road map," White House spokesman Scott McClellan said. "We certainly recognize the need for Israel to defend itself and protect the people of Israel. It's also important that they allow the Palestinian people to move freely within that region," McClellan added.
New York senators Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer announced that they would deliver statements against the International Court's decision in front of the United Nations building in New York City.

 

DIPLOMACY

Shalom and Powell Meet in Washington
Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom met with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington on Tuesday and discussed the issue of unauthorized outposts in the West Bank, HA'ARETZ reported. Powell explained Washington was disappointed with "the rate at which outposts had been removed." Shalom said that the discussion of the outposts came at the end of lengthy talks in which broad agreement was evident between the two sides. The Foreign Minister said the remaining outposts, which Sharon had promised U.S. President George W. Bush would be dismantled, had been reduced to 28 and that Israel was working with the United States to make good on its commitment.
Shalom stressed the series of understandings reached by Israel and the United on a series of issues, including: an unequivocal demand that the Palestinian Authority consolidate its security forces and combat terrorism; the need for Egypt to halt smuggling from the Sinai desert into the southern Gaza Strip; the necessity for the disengagement plan to be kept out of the UN Security Council.

 

Israel Tells IAEA's El Baradei Iran Wants Nuclear Arms
Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Mohammed El Baradei, chief of the International Atomic Energy Agency, the nuclear monitoring division of the United Nations, is on a three-day visit to Israel to discuss possible nuclear weapons concerns in the Middle East, HA'ARETZ reported. In Tel Aviv on Tuesday, El Baradei met with the head of the Israel Atomic Energy Commission, commission officials and a former head of the Mossad secret service. Israel, with backing from Washington, conveyed its fears to the IAEA chief that Iran has been concealing information about research it has been conducting on nuclear arms for nearly 20 years. Iran, which has signed the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty claims it wants nuclear energy for the peaceful generation of electricity.
El Baradei is scheduled to meet later today with Minister of Health Dan Naveh, and with Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday.

 

Quartet Threatens End to PA Financial Aid
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Representatives of the "Quartet" - the United States, Russia, European Union, and the United Nations - threatened on Wednesday to halt financial aid to the Palestinian Authority until it starts implementing real reforms in its institutions, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. A senior PA official said the Quartet representatives "appeared to be very serious about their demand for major reforms." He said the PA responded positively to the demand and agreed to unite its security forces and fight widespread corruption. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei pledged to work towards retraining the PA security forces and reducing their number from twelve to three "in the near future." Qurei also requested aid for two funds recently established by the PA to fight unemployment in the West Bank And Gaza Strip.
Qurei met separately with U.S. envoy David Satterfield to discuss the future of the Gaza Strip after the planned Israeli withdrawal.

 

SECURITY

Navy Seal Killed in Gun Battle With PFLP
Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Maj. Moran Vardi, 25, from Binyamina, a Navy Seal, was killed and three other soldiers from the unit were wounded in an overnight gun battle with Palestinian terrorists in Nablus, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Security forces spotted two wanted Palestinians entering a building in the Ein Beit Ilma refugee camp and surrounded the building in an attempt to arrest the men. The Palestinians opened fire with automatic weapons. The Israel Defense Forces identified the two terrorists as Amjat Miltat, responsible for the suicide bombing at the Geha Junction last December, and Yamid Farej, the commander of the PFLP in Nablus. The IDF expressed regret for the deaths of Palestinian civilians Professor Dr. Khaled Saleh and his son Mohammed caught in the gun battle.
According to MA'ARIV, Vardi completed his army service a short time after his good friend, Nir Kreechman was killed during a Navy Seal operation in Jenin. After a long trip in Australia and the Far East, Vardi accepted the army's request and returned to serve in the elite unit. He completed the officers' course and was appointed team commander. In the past several years, he took part in dozens of missions. According to HA'ARETZ, a relative of Vardi said, "Moran believed in what he was doing. He gave everything he had to the country to make it possible for us to live here. He was brave and was killed when coming to the aid of a friend."
Meanwhile, Victor Kreiderman, 49, of Mevo Dotan, was ambushed and shot to death by Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades terrorists as he and his wife were driving near the village of Yabad. His wife, Emma, was lightly wounded. Kreiderman was the fourth fatality from Mevo Dotan since September of 2000.
"He was a true patriot," recalled Mevo Dotan's secretary Yael Ben-Ya'acov. "He adjusted very quickly to the neighborhood and was loved by everyone. Whenever I passed by his house he would be taking care of his flowers. He'd go from flower to flower and say, 'This is paradise.' He had an unbounded love for the place."
Victor Kreiderman is survived by his wife and two grown children from a first marriage who live in Beersheba.

 

2 Kassam Rockets Fired at Sderot - IAF Gaza Target Escapes
Wednesday, July 7, 2004

Palestinians launched two Kassam rockets toward Sderot today, injuring no one and causing no damage, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Troops are searching the Gaza Strip to determine from where the rockets had been launched.
According to MA'ARIV, several hours after the rocket attacks, Israel Air Force gun ships fired a number of missiles at a car traveling in the Zeitoun district of Gaza City. The target, whose identity is still unknown, managed to escape. Three Palestinians were injured in the strike.
Meanwhile, a paratrooper force operating in the Balata refugee camp shot a Palestinian gunman attempting to fire at them, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The army said the gunman was a member of the al-Aksa Martyr's Brigade. The Israel Defense Forces is continuing to operate in the refugee camp located on the southern outskirts of Nablus, the West Bank's largest city, where an Israeli commando was killed on Monday night. Brig.-Gen. Gadi Eizenkot, commander of IDF forces in Judea and Samaria, said Tuesday that security forces had captured close to 60 suicide bombers so far this year and discovered 13 bomb belts, all originating in Nablus.

 

6 IDF Soldiers - Including 2 Senior Officers - Injured in Gaza
Thursday, July 8, 2004
Five Israeli soldiers - among them two officers with the rank of colonel - were injured in the Gaza Strip today when Palestinians fired an anti-tank missile and detonated a roadside bomb near their jeep, HA'ARETZ reported. The missile fired at the jeep missed its target, and the explosive device caused the injuries. The soldiers were then evacuated to Soroka Medical Center in Be'er Sheva, at least of them in serious condition.
Meanwhile, earlier today, one Israel Defense Forces soldier was seriously wounded in a fierce gun battle in Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, as Israel's mission to destroy Palestinian rocket-launchers entered its tenth day. Col. Avi Levy, commander of the operation, said agricultural areas had been used for cover by terrorists firing rockets. "We are taking over the same areas that they use to fire from," he said. "Unfortunately, it requires us to remove those same orchards the other side uses as cover." He said the operation would continue "as long as necessary."
The IDF stepped up operations in the Gaza Strip after rockets fired from northern Gaza killed a three-year-old boy and a man outside a kindergarten in the Negev town of Sderot at the end of June.

 

POLITICS

Supreme Court: Elections in 2006
Tuesday, July 6, 2004

The Supreme Court ruled today that general elections would be held on November 7, 2006, MA'ARIV reported. The ruling follows the filing of petitions against the decision by former Elections Committee Chairman, Justice Dalia Dorner, to hold the general elections in November of 2007. Dorner's decision had been made in an effort to correct a presumed error in the enactment of an amendment to the Basic Law on The Government that had resulted in the invalidation of the clause stipulating that the term of the current Knesset should end in November 2007, and that elections should be held in 2006.
Commenting on today's ruling, Supreme Court President Justice Aharon Barak said that, "if a decision has to be made between two options - the one being that the Knesset serves for four years or more, and the other being that the Knesset serves for four years or less - the second option must be preferable. The notion that the Knesset serves for more than four years is very difficult for me."

 

Israeli-Arab Sworn in As Labor Member of Knesset
Tuesday, July 6, 2004

Ghaleb Majadle (Labor) was sworn in on Monday as a Member of Knesset and pledged to put the social problems of Israeli Arabs on the agenda, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Majadle is the only Israeli Arab in the Knesset who is a representative of a non-Arab party. He replaces Avraham Burg who resigned last month.
Majadele, a resident of Baka al-Garbiyeh, is married and a father of four. He served as secretary of the Noar Ha'oved youth movement and secretary of the workers' council in his town.
Meanwhile, according to HA'ARETZ, the government approved the following appointments of new cabinet ministers: Minister without Portfolio Meir Sheetrit as acting Minister of Transportation; Gideon Ezra as acting Minister of Tourism, and Tzipi Livni as acting Minister of Housing and Construction.

 

Knesset Rejects National Service as Alternative to Army Duty
Wednesday, July 7, 2004

The Knesset has rejected, by a wide margin, three bills that aimed to introduce civilian national service as an alternative to military service, MA'ARIV reported. One of the proposals, submitted by brothers Ehud (Likud) and Danny (Labor) Yatom, intended to impose the duty of service on all Israeli citizens, with those exempt from military service required to perform civilian national service as an alternative. Two of the three proposals imposed the duty to serve on the ultra-orthodox and on Israeli Arabs, who are not required to join the army by law. However, all three proposals were rejected by about 60 MKs, with only a handful of other MKs voting in favor.

 

ANTI-SEMITISM

Catholic Church Equates anti-Zionism with anti-Semitism
Friday, July 9, 2004

The Catholic Church condemned anti-Zionism as a cover for anti-Semitism in a joint statement issued by a forum of Catholic-Jewish intellectuals this week, HA'ARETZ reported. The announcement was made at a gathering of religious, academic and other leading Jewish and Catholic figures in Buenos Aires. "We oppose anti-Semitism in any way and form, including anti-Zionism that has become of late a manifestation of anti-Semitism," the statement said.
This is the first time that anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism have been equated by the Catholic Church. The statement also includes a stern condemnation of terrorism, particularly terror in the name of faith.
Ilan Steinberg, director of the World Jewish Congress, one of the forum's organizers, described the joint statement as "an historic moment." "For the first time, the Catholic Church recognizes in anti-Zionism an attack not only against Jews, but against the whole Jewish people."

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