 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 8fax0928.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN Sept. 28, 1998, Vol. 6, No 172
Israeli Arabs Clash with Police
By Al Pessin (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israeli police clashed with Arab residents of northern Israel
Sunday in a land dispute, leaving at least 30 Arabs and 10
policemen injured.
It is the kind of clash that usually involves Israeli forces and
Palestinians in the West Bank or Gaza. But this time the Arabs
involved are citizens of Israel, who live in a village in the
northern part of the country.
The villagers claim the army is illegally confiscating 50 hectares
of farm land to use as a firing range. The army says it has an
agreement to take over the 50 hectares in return for 250 other
hectares that would be given to the village.
Police moved in Sunday morning to remove a protest tent villagers
had set up on the land, and the resulting clash involved rocks
and firebombs thrown by the Arabs and tear gas and rubber bullets
fired by the police. The town mayor and an Arab member of israel's
parliament were among the injured.
About one million Palestinian Arabs live inside Israel's 1948
borders and are citizens of the country. They are about 16 percent
of the population. These Israeli-Arabs are generally much more
satisfied with their situation than Palestinians who live in
Gaza and the West Bank. Those Palestinians are not Israeli citizens
and they are the ones involved in the lengthy fight to end the
occupation and the current peace process.
Still the Israeli Arabs complain of discrimination and unfair
government policies, and their disputes sometimes spill over into
protests and, occasionally, clashes with the police.
The land shortage which resulted in Sunday's clash is being
exacerbated somewhat by the army's effort to move many of
its facilities, particularly for training, into Israel-proper and
out of the West Bank, much of which is to be passed to
Palestinian control.
Egypt Prepares for War
By Arutz-7 News Service
Egypt's advanced plans for war against Israel were outlined in an
extensive article in the weekend edition of HaTzofeh. HaTzofeh
editor Gonen Ginat said, "Egypt's war plans have been discussed and
boasted about openly by top members of the country's security
establishment.
"The Egyptian military has become increasingly advanced," Ginat
said, "thanks in part to more sophisticated U.S. tanks which the
Americans have not only provided, but have trained the Egyptians to
build independently. These tanks surpass those of Israel on a
number of counts."
When Arutz-7 questioned him as to why his paper, and not the
political establishment, is disseminating this information, Ginat
noted: "The issue of war with Egypt is taboo. The attitude of the
average Israeli is not to disturb one of the only peace treaties we
have with a neighboring Arab state. As such, politicians are afraid
to raise the issue with a public that is unwilling to confront it.
"This hesitance to upset people's perceptions reminds me of the
story of my former editor, Ya'akov Erez, who was a military
correspondent in 1973. He had written a report prior to the Yom
Kippur War, warning of Egypt's imminent plans to attack Israel. The
censor blocked the story. Erez has the report hanging over his desk
to this day as a reminder that we can't afford to bury our heads in
the sand."
Iranian Threat Being Taken Seriously
By IsraelWire
Iranian Defense Minister Ali Shamkhani has issued a new threat
against Israel, explaining that a new longer-range missile is
under development, one, which will outdo the Shahab-3, which is
already capable of hitting Israel. Israel has been applying
pressure on Russia and the United States to halt the continued
missile development, one that is deemed a serious threat to
the stability of the region.
Iran announced it would use its missiles to retaliate against any
Israeli attack on its nuclear facility. Shamkhani warned that if it
strikes out against Israel, the results would be severe. The
missiles, which can carry a one-ton warhead, are capable of
reaching Israel as well as US bases positioned in Saudi Arabia.
Arafat will Address U.N. Monday
By IsraelWire
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright met with PLO Chief Yasir Arafat, Saturday in New York and urged him to adapt a low-key approach to declaring Palestinian statehood, currently planned for May 1999. The PA leader has announced he would do so Monday, in a unilateral fashion, despite strong objections to the move by Israel.
"Our view is that it would be a mistake and not helpful for
Chairman Arafat to make a unilateral statement'' that he intends to
set up a state in Judea, Samaria (West Bank) and in Gaza, said
State Department spokesman James Rubin.
A senior U.S. official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told
reporters it would be unwise for the PA to talk now about its
intentions next May because that could impair the peace efforts by
Clinton and Albright.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
