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Newsletter : 9fax1104.txt
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>JN Nov. 4, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 205
Breakdown in Talks Would Likely Result in Violence
By IsraelWire
IDF Intelligence Maj-Gen. Amos Malka told the Knesset Foreign Affairs & Defense Committee that a breakdown in negotiations between Israel and the PLO Authority would most likely result in Arab violence.
Malka added that while Israel has expressed satisfaction with the level of anti-terror activity by the PA, in actuality the effort being exerted is not indicative of the PA's maximum abilities. Malka added that senior PA officials such as Nabil Shaath and Faisal Husseini continue to issue public statements that may be deemed inciteful.
Malka added that the terrorist infrastructure presently lacks the means to carry out attacks, explaining the lull in terrorism but he explained PA officials, based on the mood of the international community, are certain of their impending statehood. A breakdown in the process explained Malka would however result in a return to violence which has always remained an option among the residents of the PA autonomous areas.
Hachasharat HaYishuv Charged in Holocaust Property Case
By IsraelWire
A number of descendants of Holocaust victims have brought a complaint against the Hachasharat HaYishuv company in the Jerusalem Magistrate's Court. They claim that Hachasharat HaYishuv is holding property in Israel worth millions of dollars that belonged to Holocaust victims. The Hachasharat HaYishuv company was purchased 12 years ago from the Jewish Agency by Yaakov Nimrodi.
According to the Holocaust victims' descendants, on the eve of the Second World War, the company purchased lands in Israel for Jews living in Poland, who later died. In response, the Hachasharat HaYishuv company stated that they cannot respond to specific claims, but that all the information concerning land acquisitions is open to public scrutiny.
Arab Knesset Member Tibi Calls for Abolition of Law of Return
By IsraelWire
MK Dr. Ahmed Tibi has put forward a bill calling for the abolition of the Law of Return, which provides automatic citizenship to any Jew wishing to live in the State of Israel.
The bill would also permit automatic citizenship be bestowed upon the immediate family members of citizens, even those who are not Jewish. Immediate relatives would also be entitled to the immigrant assistance and grants currently available to those persons who fall under the Law of Return.
Bethlehem Merchants Concerned Over Tourist Economy
By IsraelWire
Following several consecutive days of rioting last week and a travel advisory issued by the United States Department of State, merchants in the PLO Authority autonomous city of Bethlehem are concerned the tourist industry will be adversely affected.
Mariam Shahin, a spokeswoman for Bethlehem 2000, a $160 million project renovating historical sites and infrastructure, admitted the current situation could have a negative impact on the expected large numbers of Christian pilgrims expected to visit the city during the millennium.
"We're working day and night to stage these celebrations. Obviously we'd be bothered if people cancel their reservations," explained Shahin. According to local officials, since 1994, over $500 million annually has been dispersed towards improving infrastructure, including sewage and roads, in preparation for the millennium.
PA Tourism Ministry official Dia'a Melhem said they hoped millennium celebration would draw up to three million tourists. PA officials believe continued violence by local residents as the New Year approaches will have a negative impact and possibly contribute to tourists reconsidering a visit to the city which holds significant importance to the Christian world.
Lubavitch Emissaries Attend International Leadership Conference
By IsraelWire
More than 1,000 Chabad-Lubavitch envoys, representing some 70 countries, will hold their convention in the Crown Heights section of Brooklyn today through Monday. The conference will be highlighted by a visit to the resting place of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem Schneerson in Queens.
The rabbis are meeting about the condition of the Jewish people in places as far away as Perth, Australia and Kinshasa, Congo; Jewish revival in the former Soviet Union; responses to local and international challenges large and small; and many other topics ranging from the Internet as a tool for Jewish education to the latest techniques in marriage counseling to dealing with the incarcerated.
Reports will be heard from communities diverse and at times even opposite in their dress, religious custom, affluence, and everything else save for their one common denominator -- the fact that they are Jewish.
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