Monday,
June 2
IDF
Lifts Closure on West Bank, Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces yesterday
lifted its closure on the West Bank and Gaza and eased movement
restrictions among Palestinian cities as part of the confidence-building
measures that Israel is required to implement under the U.S.-backed
road map. With the lifting of the closure, some 25,000 Palestinians
who have been issued permits by the security services will be allowed
to work or conduct business in Israel.
But military sources said that there has been no decrease in terrorists'
efforts to commit attacks: Yesterday, the Shin Bet security service
had 57 warnings of planned attacks, which is about average in recent
weeks. IDF sources said, arrest operations will continue as long
as the Palestinian security services fail to deal with warnings
of terror attacks passed on by Israel. (From Ha'aretz) more
PM
Sharon to Tell Aqaba Summit He'll Uproot Illegal Outposts
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to
announce that Israel will dismantle illegal outposts in his speech
at Wednesday's Aqaba summit. A draft of the speech states that the
Jewish people has a historic right to settle throughout the Land
of Israel, but since Israel is a law-abiding country, illegal outposts
will be dismantled. In his speech, Sharon will also call for realizing
the vision of two states, Israel and the
Palestinian state, and will speak of Israel's willingness to ease
life for Palestinian civilians. He will express support for Abbas'
government and urge him to act determinedly against the terrorist
organizations.
At yesterday's cabinet meeting, Sharon said the Palestinians have
said they are not yet ready to accept security responsibility for
parts of the territories, and they understand that Israel's military
activities will therefore continue. (From Ha'aretz) more
Honey,
They Shrunk the Salad!
Israeli
agronomists have developed an entirely new line of mini-designer
vegetables and fruits aimed at revolutionizing the way we consume
fresh produce and creating a new world of bite-size healthy treats.
Bitesize zucchinis, baby artichokes, Tinkerbell peppers, cucumbers
and personal sized seedless watermelons were the stars of the recent
Agro Mashov agricultural expo at the Tel Aviv exhibition fairgrounds.
The annual event, which highlights Israeli innovations in cultivation,
technologies and crop development, proved to be a showcase for the
latest food fashion trend, which is gaining popularity throughout
Europe. (From Israel 21c) more
Tuesday,
June 3
President
Bush Arrives in Middle East for Summit Meetings
President Bush arrived in the Mideast
Monday preparing to face Arab leaders skeptical of American intentions
in Iraq and to mediate between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
At the meeting on Tuesday, the Arab leaders are expected to embrace
anew both the peace plan and its recognition of an Israeli state
and a Palestinian state existing side by side. Secretary of state,
Colin L. Powell said Monday that he would also press the Arabs to
issue a strong statement against terrorism, an effort to marginalize
Arab extremist groups, including Hamas. He met with a number of
Arab foreign ministers Monday evening, hoping to pave the way for
a political success for Mr. Bush on Tuesday. (From New York Times)
more
N.
American Teens Can Get High School Scholarships in Israel
North American Jewish students are now
eligible for full scholarships to Israeli high schools through a
new program devised jointly by the Education Ministry and the Jewish
Agency. The "Elite Academy Program," which will enable
students to enroll in grades 10-12, also qualifies them for the
matriculation exam (bagrut), which is recognized internationally
for university admission. The Education Ministry will pay for tuition,
room and board, and pocket money and the agency will fund the the
program's marketing expenses in North America as well as the students'
airfare and extra-curricular social activities in Israel.
"I think it can be a solution for a lot of families who want
to give their children Israeli education and until now they did
not have the possibility," said Ronnie Vinnikov, the agency's
emissary to the Russian Jewish community of New York. (From Jerusalem
Post) more
World's
Largest Solar Energy Plant Planned for Negev
Israel's first solar power station, the
world's largest, is scheduled to be built in the Negev, based on
technologies developed in cooperation with the Ben-Gurion University's
National Solar Energy Center, part of the Blaustein Institute for
Desert Research in Sde Boker. The plant is planned initially to
supply 100 megawatts of power and grow to 500 mw., about 5 percent
of the country's current generating capacity. The Israeli Government
decided last November that 2% of energy must be renewable by 2007,
with an additional 1% every three years. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Wednesday,
June 4
Abbas
Calls for End to 'Armed Intifada,' Sharon Backs 'Territorial Contiguity'
for Future State
U.S.
President George Bush, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas
and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon ended summit talks in Aqaba, Jordan
on Wednesday with historic pledges to end violence, revive the peace
process and work toward the internationally-sponsored road map,
which envisions an independent Palestinian state by 2005.
During his speech, Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas called
for an end to the "armed intifada" - a reference to the
use of weapons and explosives by Palestinian militants - as well
as for an end to attacks on Israelis "wherever they may be"
- thus foreswearing violence against settlers as well as residents
of Israel proper.
Sharon said that there was now hope for peace between Israelis and
Palestinians, adding that it was not in Israel's interest to rule
over the Palestinians. "It is in Israel's interest not to govern
the Palestinians, but for the Palestinians to govern themselves
in their own state. A democratic Palestinian state fully at peace
with Israel will promote the longterm security and well-being of
Israel as a Jewish state. There can be no peace, however, without
the abandonment and elimination of terrorism, violence and incitement."
(From Ha'aretz) more
Click
here for text of Sharon's speech
Powell
Issues Warning to Yasser Arafat
At a news conference at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit, Secretary of
State Colin Powell warned Palestinian Authority chief Yasser Arafat
Tuesday not to try to act as a "spoiler" in U.S.-led efforts
to bring about a two-state solution of the Middle East conflict.
Mr. Arafat remains an influential and perhaps a still-dominant figure
in Palestinian politics. And though he was not invited to either
the Sharm el-Sheik or Aqaba meetings, his influence was nonetheless
felt. At a closing summit news conference, Secretary of State Powell
said U.S. officials recognize that Mr. Arafat "is still an
elected president" and still has standing with the Palestinian
people, though he said the United States believes "his leadership
has failed." With their presence at Sharm el-Sheikh, Mr. Powell
said President Bush and the assembled Arab leaders recognized Palestinian
Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas in his new role and showed their support
for his leadership and opposition to terrorism. (Voice of America)
more
Good
Vibrations
An Israeli research team has found
that the combination of electrical stimulation and chemotherapy
makes cancerous metastases disappear. On this basis, they founded
CellFeed Medical. CellFeed Medical is based on research over the
past five years, which combined stimulation by a low-charge electric
field with chemotherapy in an attempt to eliminate malignant tumors.
The team watched how in five different models of cancerous growths
in animals, the growths shrank and disappeared to varying degrees
(“averaging 50%"). Tel Aviv University human microbiology
Prof. Yona Keisari says, “The damage to the tumor stimulated
an immune response against the tumor. In cases where the tumor had
metastasized to the liver and lungs, the metastasis disappeared.”
”We believe that the initial and principal use is for patients
with tumors in parts of the body where surgery is difficult, such
as blood vessels and the central nervous system, and in cases where
preserving the organ containing the tumor is very important. Our
treatment is local, and does not require radical surgery. The organ
may recover afterwards, which is very important to the patient."
(From Globes) more
Thursday,
June 5
Abbas
to Brief Sharon on PA's Anti-Terror Efforts
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon will
meet in the coming days with Palestinian Prime Minister Mahmoud
Abbas - the third meeting between the two leaders in recent weeks.
Abbas will brief Sharon on the anti-terror steps already taken by
newly appointed Internal Security Chief Mohammed Dahlan. An Israel
Defense Forces officer said that the Palestinian security services
were showing the first signs of clamping down on terror groups.
However, military activity in the territories is slated to continue
in light of continuous warnings of possible terror attacks. Dozens
of threats are still reported each week.
Security officials have stated that the easing of restrictions on
the Palestinian population would begin when the Palestinian leadership
starts acting to foil terror attacks. Officials have also acknowledged
that the recent agreements to advance the road map have led to a
rise in the number of threats against Sharon. However, Israel Security
Agency sources said that there was no need to increase the level
of the prime minister's personal security, as he is currently very
well protected. (From Ha'aretz) more
Palestinian
Terrorist Groups Reject Cease-Fire Call
Palestinian terrorist groups vowed
on Wednesday they would not disarm, defying an appeal by Palestinian
Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas issued at the Aqaba summit.
Abbas called for an end to the armed uprising and said the Palestinians
denounce terrorism and violence against Israelis "wherever
they might be." "We will never be ready to lay down arms
until the liberation of the last centimeter of the land of Palestine,"
senior Hamas official Abdel Aziz Rantisi said. The Islamic Jihad
and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine terrorist groups
also rejected Abbas' comments. (From Jerusalem Post) more
Thousands
Protest Against Road Map
Thousands of people flooded Jerusalem's
Zion Square Wednesday night in a mass demonstration of protest against
the possible evacuation of Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria
(the West Bank) and the possible establishment of a Palestinian
state, both of which Sharon acknowledged in his closing statements
at his Akaba summit meeting on Wednesday with U.S. President George
W. Bush and Palestinian Prime Minister Abu Mazen. (From Israel Insider)
more
IDF
Lifts Curfew in Jenin, Discovers Bomb in Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces lifted
the curfew on the West Bank city of Jenin today, thus lifting the
last of such restrictions imposed on some Palestinian towns following
an increase of terror threats due to the Aqaba summit. Late Wednesday
night in Rafah in Gaza, Israeli troops came under heavy fire while
they were demolishing a number of abandoned buildings and covering
tunnels used to smuggle weapons across the border from Egypt.
Meanwhile, the IDF discovered an explosive device north of the Jewish
community of Nahal Oz in the central Gaza Strip. IDF troops also
discovered a weapons cache in Hebron consisting of M-16 rifles,
ammunition, and bulletproof vests. In other events, five Palestinians
were arrested overnight - three of them in the Jenin area - and
30 bags of fertilizer used for explosives were confiscated near
the West Bank town of Tulkarem. (From Ha'aretz) more
Violence
Has Caused Israel’s Worst and Longest Recession
According to economic officials, the Palestinian
uprising of the past two-plus years has caused Israel’s worse
and longest recession in its history. The last recorded recessions
lasted only two years each: 1952-53; 1966-67, and 1988-89. While
there are now initial signs of GDP growth, there has not yet been
a recovery.
The violence in Israel over the past two years necessitated expanded
operations by the Israel Defense Forces and other security forces
in the West Bank and Gaza Strip. It caused a substantial increase
in direct and indirect defense spending to an estimated NIS 3 billion
(approximately $750 Million) this year. These costs come on top
of the NIS 7 billion (approximately $2.7 billion) in defense spending
in 2000-01.
The IDF spent about NIS 1.5 billion (approximately $0.34 billion)
on Operation Defensive Shield in April 2002, in the aftermath of
the Passover bombing of the Park Hotel in Netanya. Another NIS 500
million (approximately $116 million) was spent on protective measures
and defense of communities along the seam line. Civilian costs from
terrorist attacks and incidents are estimated at NIS 4 billion (approximately
$0.9 million), including large reinforcements for the Israel Police,
and payments to victims of the terrorist attacks and hospitalization
costs.
Officials in Jerusalem estimate that were it not for the violence,
the steep cuts in National Insurance Institute payments could have
been avoided, and the cut on civilian public consumption (education
and health services and local authorities) could have been smaller.
(From Globes) more
Israel
Celebrates Shavuot
The holiday of Shavuot, which commemorates
the giving of the Torah on Mount Sinai, will be celebrated throughout
the country in religious and non-religious ceremonies and festivals.
It is customary to have all-night Torah study sessions and lectures
during Shavuot. Beginning tonight, these sessions will take place
in synagogues and yeshivas, as well as non-traditional secular places,
such as the Tzavta Theater in Tel Aviv. At dawn, tens of thousands
of people are set to make the traditional pilgrimage to the Western
Wall for the morning Shavuot service.
Emphasizing the agricultural aspect of Shavuot, which coincides
with the harvest, some rural communities, such as Kibbutzim and
Moshavim, hold traditional celebrations. In the Jezreel Valley,
a weeklong Milk and Honey Festival started today with country fairs,
tours and performances.
The Airports Authority reported that about 50,000 Israelis would
fly abroad for this long holiday weekend. In addition, domestic
travel is up this week, as Israelis took advantage of the extended
time-off. (From Jerusalem Post &
Ha'aretz)
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