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Newsletter : 9fax0121.txt
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>JN Jan. 21, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 14
Arafat Prays for Next Year in Jerusalem
By IsraelWire
Marking the three-day Moslem feast of Id Al Fitr, at the end of the
month of Ramadan, PLO Authority Chief Yasir Arafat attended
services in a Gaza mosque. "I would like to bless you all on the
feast of Id Al Fitr, and pray that next year we will celebrate in
Jerusalem, the capital of Palestine," the PA leader told the
worshipers.
Anti-Semitism Re-emerges in Russia
By Peter Heinlein (VOA-Moscow)
Israel's foreign minister has warned of the growing danger of
anti-Semitism in Russia. Russian officials have replied with a
pledge to step up the fight against all forms of extremism.
Visiting Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon says anti-Semitism is having
"a harmful effect" on Russian/Israeli relations. Speaking in Hebrew
through an interpreter, Sharon said: "Anti-Semitism has a negative
impact on many entities in the world that want to help Russia. That
is why I would warn against manifestations of anti-Semitism."
The Israeli foreign minister made the comments during a joint
Moscow news conference with his Russian counterpart, Igor Ivanov.
Ivanov told reporters his government is formulating a strategy to
battle extremism. He said, "We have a multi-ethnic country, and any
violations of rights for ethnic or national reasons are not
permissible."
Russia has been wracked by controversy in recent months over
anti-Semitic statements by two Communist members of parliament.
Influential lawmaker, Viktor Ilyukhin, blamed Jews for formulating
Yeltsin administration policies that led to "genocide of the
Russian people." Another lawmaker, former Gen. Albert Makashov,
said Jews should be rounded up and jailed.
Despite international condemnation of those remarks, the Communist-
dominated Duma, the lower house of parliament, overwhelmingly
rejected a motion of censure against Makashov.
On another issue, Sharon congratulated Moscow on efforts to fight
terrorism. He urged more be done to block alleged sales of Russian
nuclear weapons technology to Iran.
The United States and Israel have accused Russian scientific
institutes of helping the Teheran government acquire technology
for making weapons of mass destruction. Russia denies the charge,
but the United States has imposed sanctions against at least 10
suspected Russian research institutions.
Ivanov said Moscow's cash-strapped government is interested in the
latest US proposal to increase financial help for maintaining
security of Russia's nuclear capabilities. He said, "We are ready
to study the US proposals carefully." President Clinton first
mentioned the proposed funding increase in his State of the Union
address Tuesday.
Ivanov noted the United States is already providing substantial
assistance to Russia in the area of disarmament and nuclear
non-proliferation.
Attempted to Smuggle Terrorist Message in Underwear
By IsraelWire
Security authorities have rescinded permission to enter Israel from
a woman who resides in the Gaza Strip, after she attempted to
smuggle in her underwear a page of instructions from a terror
organization to her son, a "security prisoner" in an Israeli
prison.
The mother was approached by the PFLP (Popular Front for the
Liberation of Palestine) terror organization to bring contraband
written material to prisoners in an Israeli prison. The woman hid
the documents in her underwear, but they were discovered during a
routine body-check by a female prison guard. Security sources
suspect that this method had been used previously to smuggle terror
organization's messages into Israeli prisons.
Teacher's Aide Forgets Child in Classroom, So She Tries to Jump
By IsraelWire
Julie Kushingi, an 8-year-old first grade student at the Shimoni
School fell out of her classroom window in Petach Tikvah last week.
She had been accidentally locked in the classroom by a teacher's
aide, and fell when she attempted to jump out of the window.
The window did not have a metallic protective fence to make such an
accident impossible. School and municipality officials insist that
the two wooden beams that stretch across the window were adequate
and rejected allegations of negligence.
"Eden" Band Will Represent Israel in Eurovision Song Contest
By IsraelWire
A song called "Birthday", performed by the "Eden" band, will
represent Israel in the Eurovision Song Contest, which will be held
May 29 in Jerusalem's Binyanei HaUmah Convention Center.
The song was chosen by a committee of the Israel Broadcast
Authority, out of 57 songs that were submitted. The song will be
performed by "Eden," a band established two years ago. The band's
four members are: Rafael Dahan, Doron Oren, Gavriel Butler, and
Eddie Butler. "Birthday" was one of two songs the band sent the
Broadcast Authority committee, and it will be included in the
band's debut album, which will be released in the coming months.
Moshe Datz, a veteran performer and former Eurovision contestant,
is one of the group's managers and helped write the song.
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