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Newsletter : 9fax1222.txt
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>Israel Faxx
>JN Dec. 22, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 233
Israel Nature Protection Society to Negotiate with Syria
By IsraelWire
The Israel Nature Protection Society and the National Parks Authority have begun documenting the nature, landmarks and heritage of the Golan to prepare for negotiations with Syria. The document will include up-to-date facts on the flora and fauna of the Golan, to facilitate government negotiations on the topic with Syria. Some 30 percent of the Golan (50,000 acres) are nature reserves, with a wide variety of plants and animals, some rare.
Study: Israel Retains Upper Hand in Syrian Talks
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Tel Aviv)
A new study says the balance of military power between Israel and Syria enables Israeli leaders to take calculated risks as they conduct negotiations on a peace treaty between the two nations. The study says Israel has an historic opportunity to make peace with its neighbors.
An annual report on the balance of military power in the Middle East from the Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies at Tel Aviv University, says Israel has sufficient superiority in the region to agree to significant concessions to make peace with its neighbors.
The chairman of the Jaffee Center, Professor Shai Feldman, says this year's study leads researchers to two major conclusions involving the recently renewed peace talks between Israel and Syria.
"Essentially, Israel's overall strategic situation provides it with a window of opportunity to pursue the peace process. And the second, which is really a subsidiary to it, is that the specific balance of military forces between Israel and Syria allows the Israeli government to take calculated risks in conducting the peace negotiations with Syria."
The report says Syria's military forces have considerably weakened in recent years in the air, on land, and at sea. The report concludes these weaknesses have resulted in a decline in Syria's ability to launch an attack on Israel and contributed to the Syrian government's decision to resume political negotiations.
Feldman says the opportunity for Israel to make peace with its neighbors will only be open for a limited period of time. "For now the region remains stable. There are no serious threats, no serious threats to Israel's survival and security and consequently the bottom line is that we have a window of opportunity there. The window of opportunity is not measured in weeks or months. It is probably measured in a few years. It is not going to remain indefinitely open and so it provides Israel with both an opportunity but also a sense of urgency to try to exploit that window as long as it remains open."
Feldman warned that countries falling behind Israel could resort to other military responses such as purchasing surface-to-surface missiles, trying to obtain weapons of mass destruction, and supporting terrorism.
But he says because of the current balance of power in the Middle East, Israel now has a chance to resolve peacefully the conflict with its Arab neighbors.
Papal Journey Won't be Political
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Jerusalem)
Pope John Paul will not allow any Israeli or Palestinian political officials to accompany him when he visits Jerusalem during a tour of the Holy Land next year. The decision is aimed at ensuring that the head of the Roman Catholic Church is not seen to favor either side in their dispute over sovereignty of Jerusalem.
Pope John Paul is scheduled to tour the Holy Land in March of 2000. He plans to visit the three places most associated with the life of Jesus - Bethlehem, Nazareth and Jerusalem.
The Latin patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Michel Sabbah, the most senior Roman Catholic official, says during his stay the pope will be accompanied by Israeli security personnel. But Sabbah says Pope John Paul will not be escorted by either Israeli or Palestinian political figures.
The move is aimed at allaying the fears of Palestinians who might regard any acceptance by the Vatican of an Israeli Government escort as recognition of Jewish sovereignty over the Holy City. The Vatican has never recognized Israel's annexation of east Jerusalem, including the Old City, and has called for international guarantees to protect its status as sacred to three religions - Judaism, Christianity and Islam.
The pope has been reluctant to visit the Holy Land, in part because of the dispute over Jerusalem, which many see at the heart of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
In his annual Christmas message, Sabbah, a Palestinian nationalist, appealed to Israel to help end the suffering of his people and to protect the unique character of the city.
"Peace will be the fruit of justice, in our context. It should restore the (Palestinian) refugees, their dignity and their rights, to the political prisoners to their liberty and to Jerusalem, it should guarantee its sacred character."
Sabbah says he hopes that Palestinians will establish their own independent state next year, but avoided any mention of Jerusalem as its capital. The Latin patriarch emphasized that a settlement of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is the key to reaching a comprehensive peace in the Middle East.
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