Arutz Sheva News Service <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com> Wednesday, Sept. 13, 2000 / Elul 13, 5760 TODAY'S HEADLINES: 1. ISRAELI-ARAB CELLS UNCOVERED 2. POLITICAL STALEMATE 3. CNN AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT 4. TENSION ALONG THE BORDER 5. SPURRING DIALOGUE 6. NRP STANDS UP FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION 7. WEST NILE FEVER CLAIMS 8TH VICTIM 8. MORE SLA SOLDIERS LEAVE ***SPECIAL OSLO ANNIVERSARY INSERT: Interviews with Oslo architect Ron Pundak and Elyakim Ha'etzni 1. ISRAELI-ARAB CELLS UNCOVERED The General Security Service has uncovered two major Israeli-Arab cells planning violence against Israeli targets. Some 45 Israeli-Arabs were arrested, most of them from the city of Um el-Fahm, in what is known as the Triangle, between Hadera and Afula. Northern Police Chief Alik Ron said that this was the biggest Israeli-Arab cell uncovered in over ten years, and that it has ties with the Islamic Movement. The group had targeted Palestinians "collaborators" with Israel. Some of the cell members are accused of setting fire to the barber-shop of a suspected collaborator, trained with home-made weapons, and posted hundreds of posters threatening to murder collaborators if they do not reveal themselves within a month. Yediot Acharonot Arab-affairs commentator Roni Shaked wrote today, "The organizing [into cells] of dozens of people planning to harm national security is no longer 'wild weeds...' It is most definitely a worrisome phenomenon. Again these are Islamic Movement members and again in Um el-Fahm... It is doubly worrisome because this was not a Hamas or Islamic Jihad initiative, but rather a home-grown initiative from among Israeli-Arabs. True, the first-stage targets were collaborators, but it is reasonable to assume that if the GSS and the police had not caught them, the next stage would have been Israeli [Jewish] targets." In a related story, the police will investigate Arab MK Muhammad Barakeh for "incitement against the State and policemen in front of large crowds." Barakeh said in response that Ron is an "anti-Arab racist," but Ron was backed by Police Commissioner Yehuda Wilk, who called him an "excellent officer, who is not a racist against Arabs." Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein gave his approval this afternoon for the opening of the police investigation against Barakeh. This past May, hundreds of Israeli-Arabs rioted and clashed violently with police in the northern city of Shfar'am, and in other places, waving PLO flags and throwing stones. Shfar'am Mayor Orsan Yassin told Arutz-7 at the time, "We here in Shfar'am are really moderates; the rioters were mostly students brought here by MKs Mohammed Barakeh and Issam Mahoul." Speaking at a rally in the PA city of Kalkilye last November, Barakeh said that Israel is attempting to carry out "ethnic cleansing like Nazi Germany," and that killings are the "truth of the truth of the Zionist idea." 2. POLITICAL STALEMATE With the dimming of the lights on the Palestinian-negotiations stage, attention now turns to the domestic political front. The Likud now admits that it cannot find the 61st Knesset vote to topple the government; David and Maxim Levy apparently refuse to support a no-confidence motion sponsored by their former party, the Likud. On the other hand, the opposition feels it can garner support for the dissolution of the Knesset and for new elections. Likud Knesset faction head Ruby Rivlin expressed confidence today: "The government has until Jan. 1 to pass a budget, but it will not be able to do so, because Barak has no majority in the Knesset. The previous year's budget is then allowed to run for three months, but if by Mar. 31, Barak still does not have a budget, this automatically means new elections." Barak sees the situation a bit differently. Admitting that he has no Knesset majority for his concessions to the Palestinians, he now plans to try to form a minority, secular government. It would contain 50 MKs - One Israel (24), Meretz (10), Shinui (6), Center (6), and two smaller parties - and rely on the outside support of the 10 Arab MKs. He may not enjoy as wide left-wing support as he presumes, however, as leading left-wing politicians have recently publicly criticized what they perceive as his contradictory policies on religious-secular issues. MK Ran Cohen (Meretz), for instance, said today that "Barak promises a civil revolution on the one hand, but enacts the Tal Committee recommendations [allowing military exemptions for yeshiva students] on the other. What is this?!" His party colleague MK Zahava Gal'on said that Meretz would have to consider carefully whether to support Barak's "policy of zigzags." Labor party officials are concerned on another front, as well: Internal polls show that if elections were held today, the party would receive only 20 Knesset seats. Labor, in its current format of One Israel, won 26 seats in last year's election; it won 34 seats in the 1996 election, and between 39 and 47 seats in the previous four elections. Meretz and Shinui stand to gain the most from the drop in support for Labor. 3. CNN AND THE TEMPLE MOUNT Does CNN have a hidden agenda - or is there another explanation for the absence of the words "Temple Mount" when referring to the location of the Holy Temple? In its latest articles on the Israeli-Palestinian negotiations, CNN.com has described the Jewish People's holiest site as "a site in East Jerusalem sacred to Moslems and Jews" and "a sensitive mosque compound in Jerusalem's walled Old City." Both stories mentioned the Moslem name of the site - al Haram al-Sharif - but "Temple Mount" appeared nowhere. The last mention of the Temple Mount that is currently accessible on a CNN news story is from Sept. 8: "Sites sacred to the world's religions are located in the Old City of Jerusalem, including the area called Temple Mount by the Israelis and al Haram al-Sharif, or Noble Sanctuary, by Palestinians, Muslims and Arabs." During last week's United Nations Millennium Conference, Prime Minister Barak said, "When young Jesus walked in Jerusalem, he did not see any mosques or churches - he saw only the Jewish Holy Temple." Comments can be addressed to the CNN news team at <http://www.cnn.com/feedback/>. A petition <http://www.onejerusalem.org> by One Jerusalem calls on the world community to recognize a united Jerusalem under Israeli sovereignty. The petition was initiated to "bring together Jews and non-Jews, Israelis, Americans, Europeans, and even Middle Easterners who urgently feel that a new international effort on behalf of Jerusalem must begin." One Jerusalem was founded by a diverse group, including MK Natan Sharansky, Rabbi Chaskel Besser, Douglas Feith, Yechiel Leiter, Prof. Eli Pollak, Ambassador Dore Gold, and others. The petition states that Jerusalem under the sovereignty of the State of Israel is free and open, and that the government has guarded the holy sites and respected the rights and access of all religious groups. It further declares that this situation stands in sharp contrast to that which was in effect between 1948-1967 under Jordanian rule, when Jews and Israeli Arabs were denied access to holy sites, and when religious persecution led to desecration and destruction. The petition concludes, "We believe that Israel has upheld its moral and ethical obligations to the people of the world and has earned the right to retain sovereignty over all of Jerusalem, according to the present boundaries. Moreover, we believe that Israel's decision, as a free and democratic nation, to designate a united and undivided Jerusalem as its capital, should be respected and recognized by the entire international community." 4. TENSION ALONG THE BORDER Lebanese aggression on the northern border has intensified over the past two days. Israeli soldiers were forced to fire warning shots in the air yesterday after Lebanese civilians threw bottles of boiling oil at them. The apple harvest is being held up in other places along the border because of rocks being thrown from across the border. A meeting on the matter is planned between the residents and O.C. Northern Command Gen. Gabi Ashkenazi. It was announced today that the IDF has deployed ground-to-air missiles and other defense measures along the Lebanese border. 5. SPURRING DIALOGUE The "civil revolution" promised by Prime Minister Barak has had some immediate positive results: Diaspora Affairs Minister Rabbi Michael Melchior has announced a "Quality of Society" Month. Dialogue tents will be established between religious and secular citizens in various cities, including Afula, Yerucham, Nazareth, and others. The purpose of the month's events, which will begin today in Beit Shemesh, is to "a first effort by the government to seriously deal with the multi-culturality and estrangement between various sectors." According to the present version of the government's proposed budget for 2001, the Ministry of Religious Affairs will be dismantled this coming year, and will be joined with the Justice Ministry. Its budget will be cut by 110 million shekels in the process. The budget must pass several levels of government and Knesset approval before becoming law. 6. NRP STANDS UP FOR RELIGIOUS EDUCATION The National Religious Party has begun a public campaign against the closure of the Ministry of Religious Affairs. Party leader Rabbi Yitzchak Levy told Arutz-7 yesterday that he will head a task force to publicize the dangers presented to religious education by such a move. "Everyone agrees that we must be as efficient as possible," he said, "but the question is whether we are throwing the baby out with the bathwater. It's not that we need the Ministry per se - it itself is just a tool. But it is imminently clear that if the Ministry's allocations to religious high schools are cut, this will be their death blow. As it is now, parents can barely pay the tuition. And if we are told that the allocations will simply be re-routed via the Education Ministry, we know that this will not happen, and it will be the end of the religious high schools." The NRP also decided that MK Yigal Bibi will coordinate the gathering of signatures of 61 MKs against the closure of the Ministry of Religious Affairs before solutions have been found for the religious schools. MKs Zevulun Orlev and Nachum Langental will lead the struggle in the Knesset Education and Finance Committees. MK Rabbi Chaim Druckman said that it is clear that "efficient government" is not the only motivation behind the drive to close the Ministry, "and the unnecessary government ministries that have recently been added are proof." 7. WEST NILE FEVER CLAIMS 8TH VICTIM The West Nile fever claimed its eighth Israeli victim today. A 54-year-old woman, who had suffered from a severe chronic disease which affected her immune system, died today at Assaf HaRofeh hospital. Municipal authorities began a spraying campaign against mosquitoes last night in Hod HaSharon, and residents were asked to stay in their homes and close their windows until the "cloud" dissipated. Another 17 localities will be sprayed in the coming days, including Tiberias, Acre, Tsfat, and Karmiel. Ten more people were diagnosed today with the virus at hospitals in the Sharon region and in the North. The Environment Ministry agreed to the spraying of the dangerous chemical only after it was ascertained that a "clear danger" existed, based on three criteria: A large amount of adult mosquitoes; people or animals in the area had taken ill; and the failure of wide-scale and thorough methods to control the mosquito population. 8. MORE SLA SOLDIERS LEAVE The number of Southern Lebanese Army soldiers and their families in Israel continues to drop. After seeking refuge in Israel following the IDF withdrawal from Lebanon almost four months ago, some of them have concluded that they would rather return to their homes. Five families departed last night; upon reaching Lebanon, the women and children were allowed to continue on their way, while the men were arrested. Some 10% of SLA soldiers in Israel have returned to Lebanon, according to IDF sources. SPECIAL OSLO ANNIVERSARY INSERT: Interviews with Oslo architect Ron Pundak and Elyakim Ha'etzni, in honor of today's 7th anniversary of the signing of the Oslo Accords on the White House lawn. Ron Pundak, often called one of the architects of Oslo and a partner to the secret Oslo negotiations, was asked by Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane today what he felt are Israel's practical gains from these seven years of Oslo. Pundak responded, "First of all, Israel is currently at the pinnacle of the process that I hope will lead to a final agreement between Israel and a Palestinian state. But in addition, from a historical view, we must keep in mind that our peace agreement with Jordan, and the openness we enjoy from the Arab world, and from the entire world, and the warm international receptions accorded to Barak, and even to Netanyahu, and of course to Peres and Rabin - all of these are a result of Oslo. A-7: Many people feel that these things are not the result of Oslo, but of totally different factors... Aside from that, however, when Oslo was signed, we were promised peaceful relations with the Moslem countries, but the fact is that there is no peace agreement with any other country aside from Jordan. Pundak: Israel has representations in Qatar, and Oman, and Tunisia - A-7: Yes, but no ambassadors, and this is how international relations are measured. Pundak: I'm not sure if that's true, but if you check the Foreign Ministry figures even regarding ambassadors, you will see amazing things, in Africa and Asia. But anyway I don't think that this is how we should measure it - we don't have to take an inventory of ambassadors. Nor do I think that we should argue about other results of Oslo: I'll say that over the past years there were less terror attacks, and then you'll say that there were more victims, so I'll say that in general we have had hardly any terrorism over the past two years, and you'll say that it's because Israel has succeeded in containing it, and I'll say no, it's because of our cooperation with the Palestinian Authority - I think that instead of talking about what I think is the amazing inventory of quiet and international openness, etc., we should concentrate more on the historic point of view, as follows: Historically, the Oslo process is primarily a Zionist act, in that we are headed for a clear definition of a Jewish and Israeli state, without the conquest of another people. I must say that this is at a great price, one that I personally feel - we will have to detach ourselves from areas of Eretz Yisrael that I am historically more attached to than Tel Aviv. But in order to reach a state that is not bi-national, and to ensure the survival of the Jewish community here, we must do this: Oslo is a re-division of this land into two clear states. A-7: According to this, you will soon want to come to a similar agreement with the Israeli Arabs, as we see that they are also headed for terrorism, and they want land, so you will want the same arrangement and division with them? Pundak: First of all, I don't see the same level of terrorism coming from Israeli Arabs - A-7: Because our Israeli police are still in charge there, thank G-d. Pundak: I do see a problem with the relations between Arabs and Israelis, but again the greatness of Oslo is that it will clearly define nationalities, and the way will be clear so that an Israeli-Arab can choose to cross the border and live there [in the PA] if he wishes to... But at the same time, I want to define every person in the State of Israel - whether Jew or Arab, or even a new immigrant whose mother was born non-Jewish in Russia - I want to define every man as a man, and that the State has a clear character, namely, that which it is today. Whoever wants to live in total equality, even if with the rights or the character of a recognized minority, we will help him to do so, but only through peace, only through historic compromise... Otherwise, what will happen is what you said, but with violence... A-7: ...You know that even left-wing speakers don't speak about peace anymore, but at most the "end of conflict..." Pundak - I don't agree: There are demonstrations for peace, and peace stickers all over the place, but the truth is that none of this matters, because it's just talk. What's important is what happens in the field. We are in the midst of a major process that will take time... I am not in favor of an overnight change to a New Middle East; no matter what agreement we sign, it will take a generation for both sides to educate themselves as to how it works... A-7: But it may bring a very severe and violent conflict first, as Prime Minister Barak has warned... Pundak: True, and at the end, we will sign the same agreement that we could have signed now A-7: So what will we have gained [by the Oslo process], if there is violence and clashes all along the way? Pundak: This is why I call upon both sides to avoid the need for war in order to get to peace, because it will be the same peace in any event... Kahane then spoke with long-time anti-Oslo activist Elyakim Ha'etzni of Kiryat Arba. Ha'etzni was up in arms: "How is he [Pundak] not ashamed to continue to talk about a process for which he is responsible that has brought catastrophe upon Israel, as everyone sees... If he were on the last helicopter out of here, as in Vietnam, he would still have something to say to defend the process! His position is, 'don't confuse me with the facts, I've already made up my mind.' This process leads not to peace, as he says, but to the dismantling of the State of Israel! Who doesn't see this!?" Ha'etzni continued, "...He [Pundak] says that for the past two years there has been no terrorism. Do you know what Oslo has done? It has turned terrorism from a tactical threat into a strategic threat. Today, those who are responsible for Oslo keep threatening us that if we don't continue, the Palestinians will use terrorism against us! Originally they said there was no threat of terrorism, because we were only giving them a certain amount of guns, and each one was registered, and in any event we could always reverse the process, etc., etc.... But now, after it's too late, they threaten us with the opposite: We can't reverse the process, because there will be a war!... Arafat in fact now has three armies: He did not dismantle Hamas and the Islamic Jihad, in violation of the agreements, and he has his special Tanzim force of the Fatah, and behind them is a regular army. This triple threat can put all of Israel's cities through pure hell! If today Barak threatens us with cemeteries, it's a result of those who gave Arafat the weapons with which to do this!" A-7: The fact is that we are no longer in control of practically all of the Palestinians - is this not a consolation? Ha'etzni: Look, after you throw out the baby with the bathwater and the baby is dead, you say at least we got rid of the dirty water. Thanks a lot! There weren't other ways of doing this, such as autonomy? And even to create autonomy, why did they have to bring these terrorists from Tunisia? If we give them the Jordan Valley, then they will control the entire land mass from Teheran all the way to Petach Tikva. We will be - we already are - living on the edge of an abyss!" 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