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Newsletter : 9fax0603.txt
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>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN June 3, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 104
The next issue of Israel Faxx, No. 105, will be published June 10,
1999.
TA Court Supports Living Will
By IsraelWire
The Tel-Aviv District Court ruled that a terminally ill woman may
record her dying wishes on tape "in the hope of binding the medical
community to honor her 'DNR' (do not resuscitate) orders" and the
"living will" would then be filed with the court.
Although the woman requested the court to honor her wish, the court
fell short of issuing such an unconditional order honoring her
desire to be permitted to die without medical intervention. The
court demanded documentation to validate the woman's mental
fitness, rendering her competent to make the decision to be allowed
to die.
The chronically ill 51-year-old, who lives assisted by a
respirator, has a condition that has paralyzed her and her
condition continues to deteriorate. Doctors estimate she will live
for another 3-5 years, but the woman indicated she no longer wants
to endure the quality of life that has become her new reality.
Israel Abandons Anti-Missile Drone Efforts
By the Jordan Times
Israel abandoned efforts to develop a revolutionary pilotless
aircraft capable of destroying enemy missiles as soon as they are
launched.
The decision to halt the project, which had been co-financed by the
US, was taken by senior Israeli generals without informing outgoing
Defense Minister Moshe Arens, who learned of the move from the
Americans.
The weapons system, called Moav, involved developing a pilotless
drone armed with air-to-air missiles which would cruise deep into
enemy territory where ballistic missile launch pads were located.
As soon as an enemy missile was launched towards Israel, the drone
would fire a Moav missile at the rocket.
The Moav would also serve as a dissuasive weapon since the enemy would know that its missiles could be destroyed over its own territory, potentially causing widespread damage if they are armed with non-conventional warheads.
General Yitzhak Ben Israel, the head of the army's weapons
development program, suggested the program be suspended after
determining that the technological obstacles involved in perfecting
the Moav were too great to overcome.
With the abandonment of the Moav project, Israel is relying on
existing US-made Patriot anti-missile missiles and the Arrow
anti-ballistic-missile program which is still in the development
stage. Both these systems aim to destroy enemy missiles as they
home in on their targets.
Israel considers the development of ballistic missiles and
non-conventional warheads by Syria, Iraq and particularly Iran as
the foremost threat to its long-term security.
Palestinians Plan to Protest Settlements
By David Gollust (VOA-Ramallah, West Bank)
Palestinian leaders are organizing a day of protests Thursday
against a last-minute flurry of settlement expansion by the
outgoing Israeli government of Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
Palestinians are angry at both the settlement push and what they
say has been the failure of Prime Minister-elect Ehud Barak to
speak out against activity they say jeopardizes his incoming
administration and the peace process.
Jewish settlers used the five-month interval between the fall of
the Netanyahu government and last month's elections to stake out
building sites on a score of West Bank hilltops.
But what has incensed Palestinian leaders is the start of
construction -- since the May 17 election -- of two Jewish
housing projects in east Jerusalem and a decision to massively
expand the boundaries of the biggest West Bank settlement --
Ma'ale Adumim -- to the Jerusalem city limits.
At a news conference in Ramallah, senior Palestinian officials and
legislators demanded a rollback of the activity and said there
would be protest marches to settlement sites Thursday throughout
the West Bank, Gaza and east Jerusalem.
The senior PLO official in east Jerusalem, Faisal Husseini, said
Barak, who is the process of forming a new government, cannot use
coalition negotiations as an excuse for ignoring the problem.
While their call for what they term a "day of anger" is
reminiscent of the Palestinian uprising of the 1980s, the intifada,
the officials said they hoped the marches at settlement sites would
be peaceful.
The speaker of the Palestinian parliament, Ahmed Qureia, said
whether Thursday's demonstrations turn violent depends on the
behavior of Israeli security forces.
"It's in the hands of the Israelis. The Palestinians will lead demonstrations, will show their criticism to this policy and condemn this policy of expansion of settlements and continued confiscation of land etc. Therefore, it's in the Israel's hand. But on the other hand, nobody can guarantee. If the Israelis will confront these demonstrations, nobody can guarantee that there will be no violence."
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