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Newsletter : 9fax0909.txt
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>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN Sept. 9, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 167
200 Prisoners to be Released Thursday Morning
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Jerusalem)
The Israeli Parliament has approved the revised Wye River peace
accords paving the way for the partial handover of additional West
Bank land to the Palestinians and the renewal of permanent peace
negotiations in the Middle East. After a marathon debate, the
Knesset approved the revised Wye River pact 54-23.
The vote clears the way for the release of 200 "security prisoners"
and the first stage of the land withdrawals from Judea and Samaria
to be implemented today through Monday. Included in the group are
150 prisoners who have murdered Arabs and 17 who reportedly injured
Jews lightly in terror attacks or participated in the planning of
attacks.
Earlier, the Israeli cabinet voted by a wide margin to approve the
transfer of an additional 7 percent of West Bank land to the
Palestinians. The transfer - from full Israeli control to
Palestinian civil control - could take place as early as today.
The partial handover is the first required by the revised Wye
accords signed last Sunday in Egypt.
The new agreement calls for the partial handover of additional land
in the territories to the Palestinians and the phased redeployment
of Israeli soldiers from the area. When the transfers are complete
the Palestinians will control about 40-percent of the West Bank and
Gaza Strip.
In a statement Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak indicated the vote
was a painful but necessary one. He indicated it is in Israel's
best interest to move toward comprehensive peace agreements with
its Arab neighbors. In an address to Parliament, Barak said the new
agreement leaves Israel in a much better position than the original
Wye pact.
"The Wye accord left us in a dead end alley and we succeeded in
stopping this dangerous process. We call from the bottom of our
hearts upon all citizens of Israel, and of course those living
in Judea, Samaria and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Palestinian
residents to give peace a chance -- to give us a chance for the end
of terrorist acts."
Opposition lawmakers in parliament slammed the new peace pact. Likud Party member Uzi Landau says the agreement will give Israel "less peace and more terrorism." Opposition leader Ariel Sharon called the agreement "an opening for endless bloodshed."
Israel-Arab Expert Warns of "Storm on the Way"
By Arutz-7 News Service
Former Knesset member Amnon Lin, the author of a book on
Israeli-Arab relationships entitled "Before The Storm," says
increased Israeli-Arab hostility towards Israel could have been
easily foreseen, and will likely get worse.
"Everyone who knows anything about this issue could have foreseen
it. We are in the beginning of a major crisis, and it will get
worse as the final-status talks go into high gear.
"Since the early days of the State, up until, I would say, Oslo,
Israeli-Arabs for the most part were careful to define themselves
as Israeli Arabs. They did not want to be counted as Palestinians.
Since Oslo, however, they more and more define themselves as
'Palestinians upon whom Israeli citizenship was forced...' There
are still those among them who are more moderate, mostly the older
people...
"But let there be no misunderstanding: When the struggle begins for
Jerusalem, and for the right of return [for the Arabs who left in
1948], and for the borders of the Palestinian state, and over the
fate of the Jewish settlements - and then there will be calls for
autonomy for the Arabs of the Galilee - we will
then see the extremist elements attempt to drag everyone along with
them in a violent wave against Israel."
Lin described the following scenario: "Just picture to yourself how Arafat, as he has promised to do, calls upon the Arab-Palestinians in Jordan and Lebanon to 'return to the homeland' - and hundreds of thousands of people start marching on Israel's borders. And then he calls upon the Arabs living in Palestine/Israel to 'go out and greet your returning brethren.' Will any of the moderate elements be able to stand in their way? We stand now at the beginning of a big storm."
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