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Newsletter : 9fax0527.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN May 27, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 100
Earthquake Hit Israel Tuesday
By IsraelWire
An earthquake, registering 5.2 on the Richter scale, hit Israel Tuesday at 8:17p.m. The quake was felt from Acre in the north to Eilat in the south. Some Jerusalem residents reported that different objects moved in their houses. No injuries or damage were reported. The epicenter of the quake was located in southwest Cyprus about 18 miles underwater. Officials in Cyprus reported that tremors of the quake could be felt in all areas of the country, however, no damage was reported.
Abdullah and Arafat Meet in Gaza
By David Gollust (VOA-Jerusalem)
Jordan's King Abdullah flew to Gaza Wednesday for talks with
Palestinian Authority leader Yasir Arafat on Middle East peace
prospects following last week's Israeli elections. The talks came
little more than a week after the victory of Labor party leader
Ehud Barak and the implications of the change dominated the
meetings.
A joint statement said Arafat and King Abdullah agreed that the
Palestinian track is the heart of the Middle East peace process --
including the Palestinians' right to an independent state.
The wording appeared to reflect concern that Barak might first
pursue a peace deal with Syria and Lebanon -- which the
Palestinians believe might undercut their leverage in subsequent
talks with Israel. Jordan meanwhile is worried about West Bank
violence if there is no tangible progress toward
Palestinian-Israeli peace in the next few months.
The Palestinians and Jordanians are supporting an Egyptian proposal
for a five-way summit that would also involve Syria and Lebanon to
coordinate their approach to Israel.
High Court Hears Appeal by 21 Imprisoned Lebanese
By David Gollust (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israel's high court Wednesday heard an appeal against the Israeli
military's detention of 21 Lebanese men being held as bargaining
chips for the return of Israeli servicemen missing in Lebanon.
The hearing before a nine-judge panel of the high court was the
second of the year on the controversial case of the Lebanese
detainees, and the last before an expected ruling on the matter.
The 21 Lebanese were abducted by Israeli troops in Lebanon years
ago with the hope they could be traded for Israelis missing in
action, including air force navigator Ron Arad who was captured
in 1988.
The detainees, all of them imprisoned in Israel, include a senior
figure from the terrorist group Hizbullah -- Sheikh Abdul Karim
Obeid. Some of the Lebanese have been held as long as 13 years and
two of them were only 16 years old when taken.
Following an initial appeal of their detention, a three-judge panel
of the high court acknowledged two years ago that the Lebanese had
committed no crimes. But it said recovering the missing soldiers
was a vital interest of Israel, and that releasing the Lebanese
would kill chances for negotiating their release.
Israeli lawyer Zvi Rish, who argued the new appeal on behalf of
the Lebanese, said his clients are state hostages and that holding
them as bargaining chips is both illegal and immoral.
"it's against any moral values to hold hostages for such a long time with no trial, no charges, and you don't accuse them of anything they did personally. You just hold them for something theyare not responsible for. And that's against any democratic values."
Rish said the fact there has been no progress toward recovering
the missing Israelis over the years proves that the detention of
the Lebanese is pointless.
The Israeli human rights lawyer has been representing the 21 men
since 1993 and visits them regularly in prison. He said 10 of the
Lebanese were present for the hearing, which was closed to the
media.
Lawyers for the Israeli government defending the detention did not speak to reporters. There was no indication when the high court might make its decision.
Senior Citizens Home Bans Employees from Speaking Russian
By IsraelWire
The director of the Anita Miller senior citizens complex in Ramat Gan issued a directive to employees banning them from speaking in Russian despite the fact that more than 50 percent of the facility's 60 employees are from the former USSR. The ban prohibits the speaking of Russian between employees during working hours.
Officials of the senior citizen complex explained that residents
and their families were complaining about the frequent use of
Russian by employees. In addition, they added that the constant
speaking of Russian was discriminatory against non-Russian speaking
employees.
Minister of Immigration and Absorption Yuli Edelshtein, a former
immigrant from the CIS, expressed shock over the report and added
such a policy decision was contrary to the values and ideals held
in high regard by the Israeli society.
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