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Newsletter : 9fax0203.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Feb. 3, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 23
Israel Willing to Immediately Resume Syrian Negotiations
By IsraelWire
Foreign Minister Ariel Sharon reiterated the government's interest in restarting peace talks with the Syrians. Sharon, speaking to a group of French publishers and editors in Jerusalem, said that "Israel is prepared to carry out negotiations with the Syrians without preconditions."
Palestinians Arrest 20 Hamas Members
By David Gollust (VOA-Jerusalem)
Palestinian police in Gaza arrested more than 20 activists from the
militant Islamic group Hamas after a Monday shooting attack, blamed
on Hamas, that killed a Palestinian security officer. Two children
also died as a result of the incident.
Palestinian officials say the sweep against Hamas netted several
fugitives wanted by both the Palestinian Authority and Israel, and
also turned up a Hamas weapons cache in the Shati refugee camp in
the northern Gaza Strip. The arrests followed a shootout and
subsequent car chase through the crowded camp involving Palestinian
security officers and armed men said to belong to the Hamas
military wing.
One security agent was killed by gunfire during the pursuit, as
was an eight-year-old girl run over by the fugitives' car. An
11-year-old boy hit by the police vehicle died in a hospital
Tuesday bringing the death toll in the incident to three.
The Hamas spiritual leader, Sheikh Ahmed Yassin, meanwhile said
his group was not responsible for the violence and said the
three men being sought in the attack had quit Hamas and joined
the Palestinian Security Service two years ago.
Israel has been accusing the PA of failing to fulfill commitments
to crack down on Hamas, which has killed scores of Israelis in
suicide bombings.
An adviser to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, David bar-Ilan,
suggested that the raid on Hamas was merely a gesture in advance of
Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat's meeting with President Clinton
Thursday.
Netanyahu's office Tuesday put out a five-page list of what it said
were Palestinian violations of the US-brokered Wye River accord --
including what it said was the Authority's refusal to disarm or
disband terror groups such as Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
It accused the Authority of releasing 60 terrorists from prison in
recent weeks, including several involved in attacks that killed
American citizens along with Israelis.
Makes Aliyah Three Times Under Different Names
By IsraelWire
For Yaakov Freibein, 67, of Dimona, the package of immigration
perks afforded to new immigrants was enough to prompt one to make
aliyah, immigrate to Israel, three times, each time using another
name to obtain the perks.
Although Freibein was the name appearing in the indictment handed
up in Beersheva Magistrate's Court, it remains a mystery to police
exactly what is his real name and age. According to police, over
the past seven years, Freibein left Israel and returned under a
different alias, as a new immigrant, taking advantage of the new
immigrant benefits, tax-free rights for appliances, unemployment
benefits, and more, totaling over NIS 100,000.
Police were alerted to Freibein's conflicting past when a friend of
his filed a complaint regarding a monetary dispute. When his name
came up in the computer, there were some inconsistencies prompting
police to investigate further into his past. They accidentally
stumbled onto his multiple identities.
According to police, in one of his three aliyah trips to Israel,
the youthful-looking suspect made himself appear considerably
older, prompting his application for senior citizen benefits.
The prosecution has called for the suspect to be held without bail.
Israelis Tout Millennium Parties
By IsraelWire
A human ring around the Dead Sea, a motorcycle rally from Rome to
Jerusalem, and an interfaith gathering to promote world peace are
just some of hundreds of ways Israel will ring in 2000.
The Tourism Ministry launched its campaign to attract visitors with
a brochure filled with quotations from the Old and New Testaments,
entitled "Celebrating 2000 in the place where it all began."
Tourism officials anticipate 4 million Christian pilgrims and want
to make them feel welcome. The Ministry of Tourism is sponsoring
crash courses in Christianity for tourism workers, and a goodwill
campaign that will be aimed at the Israeli public.
The Yad Leahim (Brotherly Hand) anti-missionary organization has
expressed concern that many millennium visitors may be missionaries
out to convert Jews to Christianity.
The ring around the Dead Sea, planned for New Year's Eve, "will
consist of children and youths from Jordan, PLO Authority, Israel,
and the rest of the world," said Rachel Dotan, an organizer of the
event, called "Jubillenium." She said the aim was to promote world
peace and environmental awareness.
Other events include concerts, nature hikes and a motorcycle rally
from Rome to Jerusalem in May 2000.
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