 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 9fax1223.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN Dec. 23, 1999, Vol. 7, No. 234
The Shepherdstown Accords?
By Arutz-7 News
The second round of talks on the revived Israel-Syria peace track set to begin Jan. 3 will take place in a posh hotel and conference center in the historic, secluded town of Shepherdstown, W. Va., along the Potomac River 75 miles northwest of Washington. The venue allows President Clinton to shuttle quickly by helicopter to the talks if needed, and was agreed upon after the Syrians opposed holding the talks at either Camp David or at Wye Plantation, both close by in Maryland and the site of previous Middle East peace talks. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk al-Shara again will head their respective delegations to the talks, which are expected to last for about 10 days.
Israel Braces for Millennium Threat--Islamic Terrorism
By Arutz-7 News
With the millennium only days away, Israeli authorities reportedly have diverted attention away from vacuous rumors of dangerous Christians coming here to "force the end," and now are fixated on the real and imminent terrorist threat posed by a string of radical Islamic operatives tied to nuclear outlaw Osama bin Laden.
According to London's Sunday Times, Israeli security forces are on alert for the possibility of a high-profile attack on Christian targets in Jerusalem in the countdown to the millennium, after Jordanian and American sources warned that two men connected with 13 suspected terrorists arrested recently in Amman were still at large. It is feared that they may have crossed over into Israeli territory on their way to Jerusalem, hoping to mount an attack in coming days.
"The cell the Jordanian authorities have in custody is not the end of the threat," said an official at the State Department.
Newsweek, as well, is citing US intelligence sources that place Jerusalem on their short list of cities where terrorist incidents are likely to take place around Christmas or the New Year.
Israel, and particularly Jerusalem, is a focal point for year 2000 celebrations. In the next few days, an influx of Christian pilgrims are expected here to celebrate Christmas and the New Year, at the same time Muslims will be ending their fasting month of Ramadan.
Despite the warnings, Israeli Police Commander Yehuda Wilk said he has no concrete evidence a terror group is planning attacks in Jerusalem. Nonetheless, some 12,000 police and police volunteers will be deployed around the country on December 31. About 3,000 troops will be deployed around the Old City for the holidays. "We are talking about hundreds of thousands of people who will be entering and leaving in the year 2000," said Wilk. "And we have to be aware."
Bethlehem Prepares for Christmas
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Bethlehem)
For many believers around the world, the town of Bethlehem is what these millennium celebrations are all about. It is, after all, the place where Christian teaching says Jesus was born 2,000 years ago. But this year, Bethlehem is also especially important to the Palestinian people - Christians and non-Christians alike. This is because the Palestinian Authority self-rule government is counting on Bethlehem to spur the economy of its planned independent Palestinian nation.
For many Palestinians, "the hopes and fears of all the years" are centered on Bethlehem. For it is in Bethlehem that the Palestinian Authority has focused almost all of its efforts to rebuild part of the territories occupied for decades by Israel.
Nearly $200 million in public and private funds is being spent to give this town a giant facelift and turn it into a Palestinian showcase for the rest of the world to see.
The reconstruction and rebuilding of Bethlehem is going on at a frantic pace as the millennium approaches. New roads, hotels, restaurants, shopping arcades and other facilities are almost ready.
The entire area around the Church of the Nativity - built over the site where tradition says Jesus was born - has been renovated. Manger Square, which just a few years ago was a parking lot, is now an attractive plaza for tourists. A $5 million "peace center" has been built that will house a nativity museum, bookstores, computer facilities, exhibitions and tourist information stations.
The mayor of Bethlehem, Hanna Nasser, concedes the construction will continue well into the year 2000 when he hopes more than 2 million tourists will visit his city.
Nasser says the economic benefits should help the nearly 150,000 Palestinians who live in the area. One cloud on Bethlehem's otherwise bright horizon is the potential for civil unrest. Palestinians rioted earlier this year to protest the shooting of a local man by an Israeli soldier. Future incidents could hurt tourism.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
