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Newsletter : 9fax0419.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN April 19, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 74
Good News For Property Owners
By IsraelWire
The government voted that beginning in 2000, the property tax will be abolished. The 2 percent annual tax on land owned by citizens will be replaced by a one-time 2.5 percent tax paid when the property is sold.
Backgrounder: The Golan Heights
By Deborah Tate (VOA-Golan Heights)
A key issue in Israel's election campaign is the question of
returning the Golan heights to Syria in exchange for peace. The
major candidates seeking to unseat Prime Minister Binyamin
Netanyahu have expressed support for territorial concessions in the
Golan as part of a future peace agreement with Syria.
Netanyahu has argued the Heights are necessary for Israel's
security, but has not ruled out the possibility of territorial
compromise with Syria. Damascus demands a full Israeli withdrawal
from the Golan.
Netanyahu says he is willing to resume talks with Syria, broken off
in 1986, but without preconditions. Public opinion polls show most
Israelis support a partial Israeli pullout from the Golan in return
for peace with Syria. But talk of returning any of the Golan --
which Israel captured from Syria in 1967 -- worries many of the
region's 17,000 Jewish settlers.
A spokeswoman for the settlers, Marla van Meter, believes there can
be peace without giving up land. "Talk about compromise in terms of
water-sharing, in terms of open borders for a Druze residents here
on the Golan to pass through on to Syria so they can be united
with their families. We can talk about military disengagement in
the future when we have had quiet borders. There are many issues
that can be discussed that do not involve withdrawing land."
In a Druze village, bookstore owner Suker Abul Saleh makes clear that his allegiance is with Syria. He is one of about 17,000 Druze in the Golan. Many have family living in Syria, and they say Israel makes it difficult for them to visit their loved ones. Abul Saleh says he remains in the Golan to fight Israeli occupation. "We are standing here because we want to save this land to keep it as Syrian land."
A Jewish settler expresses hope for peace -- even if it means returning the Heights. Rachel Snir says she is willing to leave the Golan if that is the price of peace. "I wish we can stay here, but I also think peace is the most important thing for everyone, for my grandchildren, I want a good future for them. You know, at night
we hear the army training, 'boom, boom, boom.' We cannot sleep here. We do not want that. We want to live in peace."
She believes both Israelis and Syrians want peace. The problem, she says, is not with the people, but with their leaders.
Message from Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu
Israel Faxx Staff Report
This (51st) Independence Day (Tuesday evening), the last before the
Millennium year, finds Israel better prepared than ever to meet
the challenges of our time. It is difficult to recall today that less than two decades ago our economic and political future was hostage to oil politics, and Israel was viewed as a strategic burden, a country in urgent need of help to survive.
We do, of course, still welcome support and friendship, and the bond between Diaspora Jewry and Israel is as vital as ever. But as a state we have come a long way. We are now in the forefront of the world's givers. In recent weeks we sent the first field hospital and planeloads of vital supplies to help the Kosovo refugees. And, in previous months and years, our rescue missions helped save many thousands in Rwanda, Ethiopia, Mexico and Armenia. Our medical team was the first to care for the victims of the terrorist bombing of the U.S. Embassy in Kenya. Now we are welcoming Kosovo refugees.
In the economic sphere, our country is poised to become one of the few which can compete with the world's giants. We possess today's most important source of wealth: scientific and technological knowledge and expertise. And through liberalization,deregulation and massive privatization we are freeing our economy and enabling enterprise to flourish.
Our political position, too, is firmer. Our concept of security
and the principle of reciprocity have become integral components
of the peace process -- which makes me believe more than ever
that we can achieve real, lasting peace with our neighbors.
I am also certain that our neighbors, who have also suffered
from long years of war and violence, will conclude that an
enduring peace can be achieved only through negotiations,
compromise, confidence building, education for peace, and mutual
respect.
There is no other way to attain peaceful coexistence, security
and prosperity for all of us, and for our children and
grandchildren.
I send you greetings from Jerusalem, Israel's eternal, undivided capital. Let this be a day on which we welcome the future with confidence, faith, fortitude and hope.
