 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 9fax0922.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN Sept. 22, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 175
Yom Kippur Service on the Temple Mount
By Arutz-7 News Service
A special Yom Kippur prayer service was held on the Temple Mount at
the Temple Mount police station atop the Western Wall. Yehuda
Etzion, one of the regular worshipers at the annual service, said
that one of the rooms of the police station juts out onto the
Mount. "Jewish Law [halakhah] forbids entry to the area of the
Holy Temple (but) because we are 'defiled by contact with
dead bodies,' this is in an area in which we are permitted to
enter, after proper immersion beforehand in a mikveh [ritual
bath]."
Barak's Trip to Germany Draws Fire
By Arutz-7 News Service
Prime Minister Ehud Barak has departed for an official two-day
visit to Germany and France. He has become the first world leader
to visit Berlin since it became the capital of united Germany - a
status it has not held since World War 2.
Barak was accompanied on his trip by six Holocaust survivors. They
canceled plans to visit the Reichstag, but will stay at a hotel
that served as Gestapo headquarters. Barak deflected criticism of
this choice by saying that almost every building in Berlin is
somehow related to Nazi history.
In a pre-Yom Kippur editorial, Ha'aretz journalist Ya'ir Sheleg
wrote, "The implications of Germany's return to the capital of the
Third Reich worry historians and cultural researchers throughout
the western world. What could be more fitting [from Germany's
standpoint] than having the Prime Minister of Israel provide
symbolic legitimization for this symbolic step?"
Speaking to Arutz-7, Sheleg noted that "Israel is far from being
Germany's most important ally - but does play a crucial role in
terms of removing the cloud of history that hangs over Germany
since World War 2."
Advocating the need for symbolic gestures by Israel to subtly
reprove the German nation, Sheleg said, "I am not saying that
Israel should refuse to recognize Berlin as the reunited capital,
but Barak didn't have to be the first leader to do so with a state
visit - he could just as well have been the seventh or eighth to do
so."
Arab-American Says US Election May Hurt Mideast Peace
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Ramallah)
The president of the National Association of Arab-Americans says
the current campaign for president of the United States and other
elected offices could hurt the peace process in the Middle East.
Khalil Jahshan made the remarks during a news conference in the
West Bank town of Ramallah. He said the pro-Israel lobby is so
strong in the United States that it will have a major impact on the
US presidential campaign.
Speaking to reporters in the West Bank town of Ramallah, Jahshan
said he expects the pro-Israel rhetoric from United States
politicians to heat up in the coming months. He says that could
hurt efforts by Israelis and Palestinians to reach agreement on a
final peace accord by their self-imposed deadline of September of
next year.
"An evenhanded, serious role by the United States is a must. Left
to their own devices, the two (political) parties will not reach
peace on these issues. Should the rhetoric of the elections
escalate and this pandering, semantic game that we witnessed in the
past -- the competition between the candidates and these litmus
tests being presented irresponsibly by some American Jewish groups
to prove the loyalty of this or that candidate to the pro-Israeli
position - should that happen, I think it will have a serious,
negative impact on the conduct of the peace process."
Jahshan says major issues to be discussed during negotiations on a
permanent peace agreement, such as Jewish settlements on the West
Bank and the future of Jerusalem, are likely to become part of the
political debate in the United States.
"Particularly Jerusalem and the settlements - these are probably
issues that might become verbal and key issues - visible issues in
the American elections because the candidates are going to compete
before the Jewish community for support. And these are the issues
right now that are on the top of the agenda of the Jewish
community. Jerusalem is the number one issue."
Jahshan says support in the United States for the Palestinian cause
has risen dramatically in recent years, but he says US foreign
policy is still formulated through "an Israeli prism."
"We believe that U-S policy in the Middle East is biased. It needs
to be changed. It does not serve the national interest of the
United States. It diminishes the credibility of the United States
in the region. We have tried as much as possible to explain this
to the widest possible, or broadest possible cross section of
American society that is willing to listen."
Jahshan also said Arab countries should have a unified position on
the Middle East peace process. He said without such an agreement
it is difficult for some Arab countries to have a major impact on
the negotiations. He called on Arab countries to agree to a summit
to discuss the peace process.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
