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Newsletter : 9fax0923.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Sept. 23, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 176
Barak Visits Sachsenhausen
Arutz7 News Service
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, together with German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, has participated in a memorial ceremony for Jews murdered by the Nazis in the Sachsenhausen concentration camp, The two then toured the camp together. Barak later flew to France, where he is scheduled to meet with French President Jacques Chirac in Paris.
Poll: Many Russians Are Anti-Semitic
Arutz-7 News Service
A poll conducted in Russia by the Anti-Defamation League reveals an
alarming 44% of Russians hold "strong" anti-Semitic views. The ADL
called this "extremely troubling and potentially dangerous."
Abraham Foxman, national director for the ADL, said of the report,
"The deep pessimism among the Russian people about their country
and the high level of anti-Semitism is a bad combination, in light
of Russia's centuries-old anti-Semitic traditions. We cannot forget
that the most vicious anti-Semitic canard, "The Protocols of the
Learned Elders of Zion", was a product of czarist Russia."
The survey found 58% of Russians claimed "Jews have too much power
in business"; 49% felt "Jews in Russia these days have too much
power"; 38% said "Jews, more than others, are ready to use
unscrupulous means to achieve their aims"; and 42% believe "Jews
are unconcerned about other ethnic groups."
Albright Meets With Syrians
By Nick Simeone (VOA-New York)
Secretary of State Madeleine Albright has held discussions with her
Syrian counterpart in New York about resuming peace talks between
Syria and Israel, which have been stalled for three years.
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara emerged from talks with the
secretary, saying there have been no breakthroughs, but that the
United States will continue trying to bridge differences that
are preventing the resumption of peace talks with Israel.
"We are ready to resume the peace talks from where they left off, and to build on what has been achieved during the previous negotiations -- that is, the commitment to withdraw to the June 4, 1967, line and to endorse the principles and aims of the security arrangements."
Before talks broke off in 1996, Syria says it obtained a pledge
from Israel for a full withdrawal from the Golan Heights, which
Israeli forces captured during the 1967 war. Israeli officials
have since said they never made such a categorical promise.
Disney Boycott Is On Once Again
By Pamela Taylor (VOA-Washington)
A coalition of Arab-American organizations has called for a
worldwide boycott of the Disney Corporation because of what it
calls an historic inaccurate exhibit at Florida's Epcot Center. The
coalition says the Israel Exhibit which opens Oct. 1, distorts fact
and history by presenting Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.
The Arab-American organizations are calling on American Muslims,
Christians and sympathetic Jews to boycott Disney entertainment
products. They also urged Arab organizations around the world to do
the same. Arab League foreign ministers are also considering a
Disney boycott.
The Arab American leaders said their talks with Disney officials
have not resulted in any significant change to the exhibit which
they say clearly depicts Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, a
claim all Arab nations contest.
Specifically, the Arab-American organizations object to what they
say is the absence of any reference or depiction of the part
Muslims and Christians have played in Jerusalem's 3,000-year
history.
A statement issued by Walt Disney World last week said the exhibit
will include a `virtual journey' through Jerusalem history but will
not describe it as Israel's capital. The statement also said that
an entertainment company, Disney does not take political positions.
But Nihad Awad of the Council on American-Islamic Relations
rejected that claim: "Propaganda disguised as entertainment, as is
the case with this exhibit, is particularly offensive. The myth
that Jerusalem is Israel's undivided capital is imposed on the
city's Christian and Muslim inhabitants by naked force (by the
exhibit). "
Awad says the exhibit also makes no mention of the fact that the Jerusalem's status remains undecided and is an issue of great controversy in the current Arab-Israeli peace negotiations.
Abdurahaman Alamoudi, president of the American Muslim Foundation
says Disney crossed the line between entertainment and politics.
"Walt Disney is involved in a political conflict. Walt Disney has
taken sides in this political conflict and is providing and
offering a platform for Israeli propaganda."
In its statement, the Disney Corporation also said the Israel
Exhibit on Jerusalem emphasizes the importance of Islam,
Christianity and Judaism.
But the Arab American leaders took great exception to this and
asked what Christians and Muslims will think about an exhibit on
Jerusalem which does not include Islam's `Dome of the Rock' or the
ancient churches of Christianity. They said they told Disney
officials that including such holy sites in the Israel Exhibit
would go a long way toward addressing their concerns.
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