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Newsletter : 8fax0728.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN July 28, 1998, Vol. 6, No. 133
1,300 Americans Buy Israeli Land Each Year
By Arutz-7 News Service
A real estate survey, conducted by New York Israel Apartments, the Anglo-Saxon real estate agency and the Association of Americans and Canadians in Israel, shows 500.000 North American Jews have bought homes in Israel since 1958. The statistics indicate that every year, some 1,300 U.S. households buy properties in Israel. Favorite locations for real estate purchases are Jerusalem, Bet Shemesh, Modiin, and the beach area of Netanya.
Netanyahu Insists Palestinians Will Get 10 Percent
By Al Pessin (VOA-Jerusalem)
The on-again, off-again, Israeli-Palestinian peace talks
encountered more difficulties Monday, when Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel is not compromising on two key
demands that the Palestinians reject.
Netanyahu told Israel Radio he is insisting on not giving the
Palestinians full control of any more than an additional 10 percent
of the West Bank, short of the amount called for in the US
compromise proposal. He also said that contrary to news reports, he
is not prepared to accept an easier procedure for the promised
amendment of the Palestinian Charter to remove its anti-Israel
clauses.
Netanyahu says Israel has also not changed its demands on
security steps by the Palestinian Authority and the fulfillment
of other previous Palestinian promises.
Israeli news reports say Israel is offering the Palestinians full
control of 10 percent more of the West Bank, with joint control
of another 3 percent, near Bethlehem, which would be declared a
nature reserve.
The Palestinians say 13 percent is the minimum they are willing
to accept at this stage, and that Israel's proposals on territory
and the other issues run contrary to the US plan. The Palestinians
say they accepted that plan only reluctantly, and are not willing
to agree to any substantial changes to it.
A series of meetings during the last week is to continue, but
there are no signs of a breakthrough.
The Palestinian leader, Yasir Arafat, is in Europe, making
agreement this week unlikely. Israel's parliament takes its annual
summer recess starting later in the week, which some commentators
say means any agreement could not be ratified or implemented for
at least two months. But others speculate Netanyahu might try to
move during the recess to avoid possible problems from members of
his coalition who oppose any substantial further West Bank
withdrawal.
New Finding Does Not Shake King David's Reputation
By Arutz-7 News Service
A new archaeological finding shows that Jerusalem was walled during
the Canaanite period. The Antiquities Authority claims "history
books will have to be rewritten as a result of this find," because
it shows that King David did not build Jerusalem, but rather came
to an already-built city.
However, archaeologist Chanan Eshel of Bar Ilan University
disagrees: "The finding is truly very important, but it has nothing
to do with King David. We knew even before this finding that
Jerusalem was an important city during the Canaanite period, but it
deteriorated during the period of Joshua and the Judges, when it
was populated by the Jebusites.
King David took this deteriorating city and turned it again into an
important city." Eshel told Arutz-7 that actually, King David's
reputation as a builder of Jerusalem does not suffer from this find
because the Bible never portrayed him as such.
New Perception of Jerusalem's History
By IsraelWire
In what is being hailed as a remarkable archeological find, a new
discovery near the area of the Gihon Spring, Jerusalem's main water
source, shows that contrary to previous beliefs, there was a very
sophisticated water system in the city that was by far more
advanced than believed by researchers to date.
Experts have exposed a tunnel during their past month of
excavations, which enabled city residents to access a pool which
was protected against attack by its large stone walls. This pool,
which was located near a spring, was heavily fortified by the walls
and towers, and was not vulnerable to attack as originally thought.
In a statement from the Israel Antiquities Authority, it was
learned that conclusions from the latest excavations led by Dr
Ronny Reich and Eli Shukrun indicate that the water system known as
Warren's Shaft System was hewn and constructed as early as the
Canaanite period (1800 BCE) and not in the era of Kings David and
Solomon (Israelite period, 1000 BCE), as was previously thought.
The excavation uncovered all the elements of the system, revealing
one of the most complex, unique and well-protected systems in the
Middle East. In addition, remains of a hitherto unknown city wall
were found at the bottom of the slope and are dated to the end of
the First Temple period.
When the excavation project is completed (in about one year)
visitors will walk along the ancient path, enter the underground
complex, descend to the pool, and exit near the spring. From there,
the public will descend to the spring and cross 120 meters of
the channel, which was cleared and improved to enable an easy walk.
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