News and Media - Israeli Consulate, SF - Week in Review

The Week in Review
March 22 - 26, 2004

SECURITY

Hamas Leader and Founder Killed in IAF Strike

Israel Exerts Right to Hunt Down Murderers, Sharon Says

Biography: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin

Palestinian Boy Wearing Explosive Belt Caught

Rantisi is New Hamas Leader

Palestinian Leaders Tell People To Lay Down Their Arms

IDF Detains Fellow Pupils of 14-Year-Old Suicide Bomber

Terrorist Infiltration via Sea Thwarted

DIPLOMACY

Sharon to Visit U.S. April 14

Israel Offers to Leave Six Settlements in West Bank

Shalom to Annan: Convene UN Session on Fighting Terror

US Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Yassin Killing

ECONOMY & HI-TECH

Dramatic Rise in Tourist Visits to Israel

Israeli High Tech Gets Encouraging News

Moody's Release Yearly Report on Israel's Economy

IAI Unveils Mini-Drone Planes that Can Fly Through Windows

SOCIETY

25 Years Later, Great Majority of Israelis Support Peace Agreement with Egypt

SECURITY

Hamas Leader and Founder Killed in IAF Strike
Monday, March 22, 2004

Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin who is responsible for the death of 377 Israelis was killed today at daybreak, when Israel Air Force helicopters fired missiles at the car in which he was traveling after leaving a mosque near his house in Gaza City, HA'ARETZ reported. Witnesses said Israeli helicopters fired three missiles at Yassin and his bodyguards around 5 A.M. local time as they left the mosque. Yassin was killed instantly along with seven of his bodyguards. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon oversaw the entire operation, receiving constant updates from military officials at his Negev ranch. The security cabinet took the decision to target Yassin following the March 14 double suicide bombing at the Ashdod port in which 10 people were killed.
On Sunday, Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz told the cabinet that the defense establishment was drawing up a plan to severely weaken Hamas ahead of Israel's implementation of its disengagement plan. Mofaz convened a meeting of security officials today to reassess the Israel Defense Forces' readiness in light of a possible escalation of violence following the strike against Yassin. Earlier, Mofaz said that Israel was preparing for a new wave of terror attacks.
Over the past 3 1/2 years, Hamas has, in 425 attacks, killed 377 Israelis and wounded 2076. Hamas perpetrated 52 suicide attacks, in which 288 people were killed and 1646 were injured.

Israel Exerts Right to Hunt Down Murderers, Sharon Says
Monday, March 22, 2004

In his first public statement since the Israel Defense Forces operation this morning against Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said that, "Israel has done away with the top leader of Palestinian terrorist murderers," MA'ARIV reported. Speaking at a meeting of the Likud Knesset faction, Sharon said: "Yassin's ideological essence was a single-minded determination to murder Jews wherever they may be and destroy the state of Israel. This mass murderer stood in the top rank of the people of Israel's arch-enemies."
"The war against terror is not over and it will continue every day, everywhere," Sharon said. "This is a tough war in which all the nations of the free world understand they must take part. It is the right of the Jewish people, like any other, to hunt down those who aspire to eradicate it."
Earlier, Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz said: "The so-called 'Sheikh' Yassin was the leader of terror. He was the Palestinian Bin Laden and his hands were soaked in the blood of hundreds of Israelis". Mofaz added that, "Yassin sent his murderers to some of the biggest terror attacks. His assassination is part of the Israeli government's policy in the war against Hamas, and that war will continue".

Biography: Sheikh Ahmed Yassin
Monday, March 22, 2004

Sheikh Ahmad Yassin, who was born in 1936 in Gaza City, founded the Hamas terrorist organization in 1988 and served its spiritual leader henceforth, MA'ARIV reported. Yassin spent most of his life paralyzed, from the neck down, as the result of a sports injury when he was 12. In the 1970s, after becoming a Moslem cleric, Yassin founded a branch of the Islamic Brotherhood in the Gaza Strip, which was mostly involved in welfare activities and was approved by Israel, as a legal organization. In 1984, he was sentenced to 13 years in prison for purchasing weapons for use against Israel and for setting up a terrorist organization. He was released after only one year, in a prisoner exchange with the Palestinian Popular Front. When the Intifada began in 1987, Yassin's organization was reincarnated as Hamas. In October 1991, an Israeli court convicted and sentenced him to life imprisonment for the establishment of Hamas and for his responsibility in terrorist activities, including the kidnap-murder of two soldiers. He was released as a gesture to Jordan and in order to obtain the repatriation of Israeli security personnel.
After his release, Yassin continued to organize and support terrorist activities and in 1998, he raised several million dollars from across the Arab world for use by Hamas. During the early stages of the current wave of Palestinian violence, Yassin was behind a series of attacks on Israel. He rejected every attempt for negotiation with Israel and was ultimately considered "sentenced to death". In September 2003, he narrowly escaped a failed attempt by Israel to kill him.

Palestinian Boy Wearing Explosive Belt Caught
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

A 12-year-old Palestinian boy wearing an explosive belt was caught today by Israel Defense Forces paratroopers at the Hawara roadblock south of Nablus in the West Bank, HA’ARETZ reported. Sappers detonated the device in a controlled explosion and took the boy in for questioning. The army believes that the boy was meant to detonate the belt near the soldiers or the nearby army base. "This is another horrific example of how the Palestinians use their own children to spread terror against Israelis," David Baker, an official in the prime minister's office, said. "These children are turned into human time-bombs for the purpose of spreading as much terror against Israelis as possible," Baker added. Just last week, soldiers found an explosive charge on a cart pushed by a 10-year-old Palestinian boy at the same roadblock.
In other news, IDF preventive operations in Gaza’s Khan Yunis were completed successfully this morning. Infantry and engineering units entered Khan Yunis after working all night to prevent Palestinians from firing any Kassam rockets or mortar shells.
Last night, a terror attempt against the Jewish community of Morag in the Gaza Strip was foiled. The IDF spotted terrorists crawling near the fence and opened fire. A search of the area turned up two bodies of terrorists dressed in IDF uniforms. A bulletproof vest and two Kalashnikov rifles were found on their bodies.

Rantisi is New Hamas Leader
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

Abdel Aziz Rantisi became the new Hamas leader on Tuesday, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Rantisi, a 54-year-old pediatrician who has pushed for accelerating terror attacks, rules out any form of compromise with Israel. In his acceptance speech, Rantisi made his priorities clear, calling on Palestinians to “unify under the umbrella of resistance and teach this Zionist occupation a lesson.”
Meanwhile, Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz told reporters on Tuesday that, “dispatching human bombs to harm our way of life gives us the full right to harm them and we will continue striking against Hamas and other terror groups.” Mofaz noted that former Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas had stood side-by-side with Sharon at the Aqaba Summit just a year ago and “had the Palestinians stood up to their obligations we would be facing a different reality today.”

Palestinian Leaders Tell People To Lay Down Their Arms
Thursday, March 25, 2004

Against the backdrop of threats by Hamas to target Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in retaliation for the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, over 60 prominent Palestinian officials and intellectuals urged the public today to lay down their arms, HA’ARETZ reported. A half-page advertisement in the Al-Ayyam newspaper called on Palestinians to turn to peaceful means in order to achieve national aspirations for independence. The ad reflected growing sentiment among many Palestinian leading figures that an armed struggle is not helping the Palestinian cause.
Among the signatories of the ad include lawmaker Hanan Ashrawi, Nablus Governor Mahmoud Aloul, PLO Executive Committee member Yasser Abed Rabbo and Abbas Zaki, a leading member of Yasser Arafat’s Fatah movement.
Yassin’s elimination has led to a heightened security alert throughout Israel, with police, border patrol and troops roaming city streets and setting up impromptu roadblocks in sensitive areas. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs has increased security at its embassies, consulates and missions abroad.

IDF Detains Fellow Pupils of 14-Year-Old Suicide Bomber
Thursday, March 25, 2004

Three youths who attend the same school as Hussam Bilal Abdu - the 14-year-old suicide bomber who was stopped Wednesday at a roadblock near Nablus – are under Israel Defense Forces detention, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Hussam, who was reportedly bullied by fellow pupils, had received a lecture by his teachers about the fate of the "shaheed' or martyr following which he was tempted by terrorist operatives to become a suicide bomber “hero”. The boy had been promised by his dispatchers that his mother would receive 100 shekels and that he would meet 70 virgins in heaven after blowing himself up.
Upon noticing the boy's bulging chest as he was approaching the checkpoint, soldiers jumped behind concrete barricades and Palestinians waiting in the area scattered out of the way. A robot threw scissors to the 14-year-old so he could cut off the vest. Hussam said he was afraid and did not want to die. Sappers safely detonated the eight-kilo bomb filled with nails.
Hassam ‘s mother expressed disgust at how adults could exploit and manipulate her child.
The Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades claimed responsibility. This was the third attempted suicide bombing at a Nablus checkpoint in ten days. A little more than a week ago, a 10-year-old Palestinian boy was stopped at a checkpoint and soldiers found an explosive belt set to go off in his school bag.

Terrorist Infiltration via Sea Thwarted
Friday, March 26, 2004

An attempted infiltration from the sea by two Palestinian terrorists into the Gush Katif community Tel Katifa was thwarted on Thursday night by the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati unit, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The two terrorists wearing diving gear and armed with an RPG rocket launcher, Kalashnikov rifles and grenades managed to swim to shore and reach the road leading to Tel Katifa. They opened fire on a civilian vehicle belonging to one of the community’s residents before being spotted by IDF troops. A 15 minutes gun battle ensued, at the end of which the terrorists were killed. Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack.
Meanwhile, according to HA’ARETZ, a wanted Palestinian terrorist died today when the van he was driving exploded in the West Bank refugee camp of Balata. The terrorist was identified as Ahmed al-Abed from the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade, which is linked to Yasser Arafat's Fatah movement. The explosion was the result of a “work accident” caused by the fact that the man was carrying an explosive belt at the time of the blast. “This is another sure sign that Palestinian terrorists are busying themselves in building the next bomb, choosing the next target and perpetrating the next attack against Israelis in the hearts of our cities,” David Baker, an official at the Prime Minister’s Office said. “Israel remains on guard to thwart such attacks and to stop Palestinian terror in its tracks,” he added.

DIPLOMACY

Sharon to Visit U.S. April 14
Tuesday, March 23, 2004

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is tentatively scheduled to visit Washington on April 14 to present his plan for unilateral disengagement from the Palestinians to U.S. President George W. Bush, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom met with U.S. government officials this week in Washington and received responses to Israel's preemptive strike against Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice said Monday that the United States believed, as Israel had asserted, that Yassin was personally involved in terrorist planning.
Sharon's bureau chief, Dov Weisglass, left Monday night for discussions in Washington on the disengagement plan, which would begin with an evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip. A senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said the discussions would still focus on the disengagement plan, and not the Yassin attack, which should only "take up a few minutes."

Israel Offers to Leave Six Settlements in West Bank
Thursday, March 25, 2004

Israel has informed the United States that it is prepared to withdraw from the entire Gaza Strip and six settlements in the West Bank, HA’ARETZ reported. Dov Weisglass, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's bureau chief, has held talks over the past two days in Washington with U.S. National Security Adviser Condoleezza Rice regarding the details of the disengagement plan. Weisglass presented the Prime Minister's preferred plan: A withdrawal from the entire Gaza Strip and six settlements in the West Bank, namely Ganim, Kadim, Homesh, Sa-Nur, Mevo Dotan, and Hermesh.
A source in Jerusalem explained Wednesday these were small settlements whose evacuation would provide territorial continuity to the Palestinians in a relatively large area of the northern West Bank. Weisglass will extend his visit to the United States by at least one day, and is expected to meet with Rice again.
The United States has asked Israel that the disengagement not interfere with the "Bush vision" for the establishment of a Palestinian state, and not be perceived as a "prize to terror."

Shalom to Annan: Convene UN Session on Fighting Terror
Thursday, March 25, 2004

Terrorists leaders such as Sheikh Ahmed Yassin – not Israel - should not be the ones standing accused in the UN Security Council, Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom told UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan during their meeting on Wednesday in New York, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Shalom called on the world body to convene a special session on fighting terror and said that, "we would like to believe that the UN won't be used once again as a political tool against us."
Addressing Jewish leaders afterwards at the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, Shalom said he defended Israel's security fence as a necessary counter-terror measure. He provided statistics of a sharp decrease in terror attacks in areas where the fence had been completed. "The fence is reversible but human lives are irreversible," Shalom said. "We are very experienced with fences. We moved fences with Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon, so if we reach any kind of agreement with the Palestinians, the fence is movable."

US Vetoes UN Resolution Condemning Yassin Killing
Friday, March 26, 2004

The United States vetoed a UN Security Council resolution Thursday that condemned Israel for killing Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Out of the 15-member Security Council, 11 voted in favor of the Algerian-sponsored resolution. Britain, Germany and Romania abstained. The resolution failed to call for a cessation of terror attacks against Israel.
“This resolution should never have even been considered,” Israel’s UN ambassador, Dan Gillerman, said. “A resolution mentioning Sheikh Yassin without mentioning Hamas is shameless and hypocritical.”
The U.S. vetoed the resolution despite being “deeply troubled” by Yassin’s killing.
"This Security Council does nothing to contribute to a peaceful settlement when it condemns one party's actions and turns a blind eye to everything else occurring in the region," U.S. Ambassador to the UN John Negroponte said.

ECONOMY & HI-TECH

Dramatic Rise in Tourist Visits to Israel
Tuesday, March 23, 2004

The number of tourists visiting Israel from the Ministry of Tourism's five source countries rose dramatically in January-February 2004, GLOBES reported. Source countries are the places of origin of tourists visiting Israel where the Ministry of Tourism has made its greatest marketing efforts. According the ministry's statistics department and Central Bureau of Statistics figures, 187,100 tourists entered Israel in January-February 2004, 47 percent more than the 127,000 who entered in the corresponding period in 2003. The number of French tourists in January-February was 72 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2003 and 86 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2002. The number of tourists arriving from Germany, a new Ministry of Tourism source country, was 58 percent more in January-February 2004 than in the corresponding period in 2003 and 40 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2002. The number of Russian tourists in January-February was 25 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2003 and 21 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2002. The number of American tourists in January-February was 53 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2003 and 53 percent more than in the corresponding period in 2002. 17,780 British tourists visited Israel in January-February 2004, compared with 12,191 in the corresponding period of 2003.

Israeli High Tech Gets Encouraging News
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

The last few weeks brought several encouraging figures for the Israeli hi-tech industry, MA’ARIV reported. Two days ago, Cisco Systems, the world’s largest manufacturer of advanced communications products, announced that it is returning to Israel. Cisco, whose business development managers used to inundate the Israeli developers in their search for new prey, almost disappeared from the local technological scene in recent years. Cisco is now returning with the purchase of the Israeli Riverhead Networks for $39 million.
Other positive developments include the growing demand for hi-tech employees, the IVC figures suggesting that for the first time in three years the number of new start-ups exceeded the number of closing companies, the rise in hi-tech investments, and Ernst and Young projection that venture capital funds will raise $1.5 billion during 2004.

Moody's Release Yearly Report on Israel's Economy
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

International ratings company Moody’s released its annual report on Israel today, GLOBES reported. Moody's Investors Service said Israel’s A2 ratings and stable outlook for foreign-currency debt, bank deposits, and for domestic bonds were based on robust market institutions, a proactive economic policy, and a highly educated and skilled work force. “Other rating strengths include a strong civil society, active financial support from the Jewish Diaspora, and financial and military support from the United States,” the report said.

IAI Unveils Mini-Drone Planes that Can Fly Through Windows
Friday, March 26, 2004
Israel Aircraft Industries unveiled on Thursday two drone planes small enough to fly through windows, HA’ARETZ reported. The Mosquito 1 and Mosquito 1.5 micro drones have a wingspan of 33 centimeters and weigh 250 grams and half a kilogram, respectively. They can be operated from a distance of 1,000 to 1,600 meters. The two drones are equipped with cameras capable of transmitting high-quality images during daylight hours. The speed of the smaller model is 15-20 meters per second. They can fly at an altitude of about 100 meters and remain airborne for up to an hour. Their small size allows them to fly through windows and provide images to military units. The two models, developed by IAI's engineering division, headed by Zvi Artzi, were on display Thursday at the 1st International Conference of Low Intensity Conflict Warfare in Tel Aviv.

SOCIETY

25 Years Later, Great Majority of Israelis Support Peace Agreement with Egypt
Wednesday, March 24, 2004

A survey conducted on the 25th anniversary of the peace treaty with Egypt reveals that 84 percent of Israelis believe reaching the agreement was the right decision, MA’ARIV reported. Half of respondents believe that the agreement will still be in force 25 years from now. Of the respondents who identified themselves as “right-wingers”, 56 percent thought that returning the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt was worthwhile, while 92 percent of the “left-wingers” agreed. One-quarter think that the price of returning Sinai and evacuating Yamit is too high and 16 percent believe that Egypt has fully kept its side of the bargain.
The survey was conducted by the Smith Institute on behalf of the Begin Heritage Center as part of a larger research project on the leaders’ role in the peace agreement.
Only 20 Knesset members attended the Knesset’s special session marking the anniversary of the agreement’s signing following the absence of the Egyptian representatives who canceled their participation in protest over the killing of Sheikh Ahmed Yassin on Monday. “Israel is prepared to march toward peace with its neighbors, with courage and determination just as it did 25 years ago with Egypt," Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said during the session.