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Newsletter : 9fax0422.txt
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>JN April 22, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 76
Ancient Menorah Found in Bet Guvrin Area
By IsraelWire
A menorah, reported to date back 1,700 years, was found in a sewage system in the Bet Guvrin area. The seven-branch menorah was found in a drainage system of an ancient Roman bathhouse dating back 1,700 years.
Mubarak Offers Support to Arafat
By Richard Engel (VOA-Cairo)
Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat met Wednesday with Egypt's
President Hosni Mubarak in Cairo, and seems to have walked away
with what he wanted -- a strong message of support for the
formation of an independent Palestinian state.
After the meeting, Egyptian Foreign Minister Amer Moussa told
reporters the Palestinian leadership will declare an independent
state. The only question, he said, was when. "Egypt fully supports
the statehood of Palestine and that the peace process cannot end,
will not be considered as full and comprehensive, even as viable,
if there will be no Palestinian state. We believe in that. We
believe firmly in their right to self-determination."
But Moussa said that setting the date for independence was a
tactical decision that must be made by the Palestinian leadership.
He says he expects the Palestinian leadership to announce its
decision during a meeting next week.
Arafat has long said he will declare independence May 4, the date
that marks the end of a five-year transition period set by the Oslo
peace accords. But many world-leaders have encouraged Arafat to
wait until after Israeli parliamentary elections, which are
scheduled for May 17. Arab leaders say they fear Arafat's critical
declaration of an independent state could help Israeli candidates
who oppose the peace process.
Israeli has made its stance on the issue quite clear. Its Prime
Minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, has threatened to annex parts of
the West Bank should the Palestinians go ahead with their
declaration of independence.
Dutch El Al Report to be Released
By Lauren Comiteau (VOA-Amsterdam)
A Dutch parliament committee will issue its final report today on
its investigation into the crash of an Israeli cargo plane. More
than six-years after the jumbo jet exploded into a crowded
Amsterdam apartment building -- killing at least 43 people --
hundreds of residents and rescue workers say they are sick with
mysterious illnesses they believe stem from the burning plane and
its controversial cargo.
On Oct. 4, 1992, Kamal Mohamed had just returned to his apartment
building in Amsterdam's Bijlmer district. He was waiting for the
elevator, looking forward to dinner. Just then, the Israeli El Al
cargo jet slammed into the building. A few moments later, he says,
there was no 'up' anymore. "I felt like this was the end of the
world. It was like an earthquake and a volcano at the same
time."
Kamal Mohamed was one of the "lucky" ones. He survived the crash
which killed at least 43 people in this largely immigrant
neighborhood where the real death toll will never be known. But
that night was just the beginning of his nightmare. He still has
trouble breathing, constant headaches, and the depression and
fatigue that first appeared within a month after the crash. Like
about 1,200 other Bijlmer residents and rescue workers with similar
health complaints, Mohamed has spent years looking for answers from
a government he says has been reluctant to give them.
Members of the Dutch parliament also went looking for answers. The
committee wanted to find out what really happened and why the
government never coordinated its investigations into the crash. It
heard testimony from more than 70 witnesses -- including Kamal
Mohamed -- and culled through rooms full of documents.
There are still many unanswered questions that have fueled charges
of a coverup by the Dutch and Israeli governments. Why did it take
El Al six years to come up with some of the long-missing cargo
papers? And -- perhaps the biggest mystery of all -- what,
exactly, was on the plane?
In addition to perfume and electronics, Israeli officials confirmed
last year that the plane carried DMMP -- an ingredient used to make
Sarin nerve gas. Although some scientists say it is not toxic,
the belated admission outraged Bijlmer residents and helped get the
parliamentary inquiry off the ground. By its end, the committee
was calling senior politicians -- including Prime Minister Wim Kok
-- to explain what they knew and when.
The committee has criticized El Al for not cooperating fully and for trying to influence its final report. But El Al says it has done everything it can and has even threatened legal action against the Dutch government for defamation.
Boeing, the airplane's builder, has paid out about $50 million to
about 500 people who have proved their damages are crash-related.
But the airline says those people seeking compensation on health
grounds will have to prove it -- which will not be easy.
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