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Newsletter : 0fax0107.txt
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>JN Jan. 7, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 5
Clinton Intervenes in Peace Talks
By Nick Simeone (VOA-Shepherdstown, W. Va.)
President Clinton has returned to peace talks between Israel and Syria underway in West Virginia to try to get both sides to step up the pace of negotiations. The two countries are in their fourth day of discussions about normalizing relations. But so far U.S. mediators are not pointing to much progress.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq al-Shara have only had one face to face meeting since these talks began and four days into the discussions, some committees set up to tackle vital issues have not met at all.
Clinton was instrumental in bringing the Syrian and Israeli leaders together when he came here Tuesday and officials are hoping his return will again push the process along.
The hard negotiations are over future Israeli/Syrian relations and security arrangements, as well as borders and access to resources such as water that would go along with any Israeli hand over of the Golan Heights.
After Clinton's visit, U.S. officials are expected to take stock of where things stand and decide on the best course for the coming days.
Yeltsin Visits Israel for an Orthodox Christmas
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Jerusalem)
Former Russian President Boris Yeltsin says he is confident that Muslim rebels fighting in Chechnya will be defeated within two months. He made his remarks during a visit to Jerusalem where Christian leaders awarded him a peace medal.
Yeltsin pledged that the Russian army will do all it can to release two Israelis being held hostage by the Chechen rebels. He was speaking at a luncheon in Jerusalem hosted by the Israeli president, Ezer Weizman, where the former Russian president was given an elaborate welcome.
Yeltsin also met with Natan Sharansky, who was jailed for many years in the former Soviet Union for being a Jewish dissident. Sharansky, who is now the Interior Minister in the Israeli Government, says the Russian offensive against Chechen rebels is a fight against Muslim extremism.
Sharansky says both Israel and Russia face a threat from Islamic fundamentalism. "It is clear that Russia is facing the same enemies as Israel and many other countries -Islamic fundamentalists. And for years, I was predicting they were the main enemies of democracy after the fall of communism."
Earlier, Yeltsin and the leaders of six other countries attended a ceremony hosted by the heads of the Greek Orthodox Church in Jerusalem, where they were awarded medals for peace.
Yeltsin is also visiting Bethlehem to take part in Christmas celebrations for the Eastern Orthodox churches. Because of different calendars, most Orthodox churches calculate that the birth of Jesus occurred on Jan. 7, while Roman Catholics and other Christian denominations observe it Dec. 25.
Beersheva Police Commander Arrested on Bribery Charges
By IsraelWire
One month after being appointed as deputy commander of the Beersheva police, Superintendent Ron Demari was arrested under suspicion of accepting bribes.
According to the charges, Demari traveled abroad several times recently with a neighbor, a well-known rabbi, to help raise funds for religious institutions.
The police's Internal Affairs department is investigating if Demari received some of the donated money as payment for preferential treatment, and whether Demari took the money for his personal use.
On Tuesday morning the Internal Affairs investigators paid Demari a surprise visit, and conducted a search of his office. He was then taken to the branch's office in Jerusalem. Demari's arrest came as a total surprise to those who work with him.
Rabbis to Ban Purchase of Expensive Apartments
By IsraelWire
After instructing yeshiva students not to spend more than $10 per person for their weddings, senior rabbis are preparing to put a ban on the purchase of expensive apartments.
In upcoming days the group of rabbis will be announcing a ban on purchasing a 3-room apartment that costs over $90,000. The reason for the ban is the difficult financial situation of much of the Hareidi (ultra-Orthodox) community, who find it a struggle to afford apartments for their children. The Hareidi community anticipates a lowering of housing costs in the Hareidi neighborhoods, in response to the ban.
A meeting was held in Bnei Brak at the beginning of the week, in which it was decided to establish a national fund to help Hareidim purchase apartments. According to the plan for the fund, a yeshiva student who pays NIS 200 per month (about $50) into the fund will receive tens of thousands in return when his children marry and need to buy an apartment.
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