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Newsletter : 0fax0113.txt
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>JN Jan. 13, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 8
Iranian Minister Calls for Public Trial for Imprisoned Jews
By IsraelWire
Iranian Intelligence Minister Ali Yunesi has told the Entekhab newspaper that he believes 13 imprisoned Jews should receive a public trial. The 13 face charges of spying for Israel and the United States. "All aspects of this case have been clarified and the case has been submitted to the judiciary. Now, they (the suspects) should stand trial open to journalists and the public," stated Yunesi. "If they are convicted and sentenced to death, then they will be executed, and if they are acquitted they will be released."
Peace with Syria Within Two Months
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak says the "core agreement" of a peace treaty with Syria could be reached within two months. In interviews broadcast on Israeli television and radio, Barak said peace talks with Syria are reaching a decisive phase.
"I don't think it is pretentious to think we will have a core agreement in two months' time. The negotiations are very complex." He added that any peace treaty will require tough decisions by both countries.
Barak said his goals are to make peace with Syria, substantially strengthen the Israeli military, and bring Israeli soldiers home from southern Lebanon. The Israeli leader returned from a week of talks with Syria in the United States, where little public progress was made.
A minister in Barak's government, Haim Ramon, says a rapid time frame is realistic if Syria accepts Israel's proposals dealing with security concerns. "It is realistic. It depends, first of all, if Syria will agree to meet our security demands. But it depends on the Syrians, if they understand what is the security and essential interests of the state of Israel. We are not going to give up even one milligram of security in the agreement with Syria."
Barak is facing growing opposition at home to any peace agreement that includes the return of the Golan Heights to Syria. Recent surveys say a majority of Israelis do not want to give up the Golan, but Barak has expressed confidence a peace pact would be approved by voters in a referendum.
Israel captured the strategic plateau in the 1967 Middle East war, and Syria is demanding its return as part of any peace treaty. The peace negotiations between Israel and Syria are scheduled to resume next week in the United States.
Pope Readies Trip to Holy Land
By Sabina Castelfranco (VOA-Rome)
Pope John Paul, the head of the Roman Catholic Church, will travel to the Holy Land from March 20th to 26th. The visit will include stops in Jordan, Israel, and the Palestinian territories. Less than two-months before his 80th birthday (May 18), the pope will fulfil his dream of tracing the footsteps of Jesus.
The Vatican says the pope will first travel to Jordan to visit the Monastery of Mount Nebo, where Moses saw the Promised Land, and then celebrate Mass in the Amman Stadium. According to a Vatican statement, Pope John Paul will preside over the celebration of the Eucharist in Bethlehem, and tour the Cenacle in Jerusalem - the room in which Jesus and his disciples ate the Last Supper. He will also visit the Mount of Beatitudes in Galilee, the Basilica of the Annunciation in Nazareth, and the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem.
The pope will celebrate mass in Nazareth, Israel's largest Arab city, despite the controversy over the building of a mosque in a plot of land adjacent to the basilica. Recent reports said Muslim extremists in Nazareth were suspected of having published leaflets threatening the pope. The leaflets warned there would be violence against him and local Christians if "he dared to make his 2000 visit."
During his seven-day trip, the pope will hold an ecumenical meeting with the heads of the Christian Churches in the Holy Land. He will also visit the Western Wall and the El Aqsa Mosque to greet religious authorities of Judaism and Islam.
Third Grade Teacher Arrested
By IsraelWire
Police arrested a third grade teacher in a southern Tel Aviv school after it was reported that she forced a student to stand in the center of the classroom while all of his classmates were instructed to hit him as a punishment.
The teacher admitted that the student involved is labeled as a problem student and she has been unable to control him via conventional methods. The teacher reportedly told the child in front of the class, "You are a zero. Your grades are zero and therefore, we will make you into a zero."
The teacher then instructed the class to use the opportunity to retaliate against the child for any and all things he had done to them during the course of the school year.
The child arrived home crying and he explained to his parents what had transpired. The parents filed complaints with the Ministry of Education and police. The teacher was arrested and questioned by police and she admitted "crossing the line," explaining the child had destroyed her life and that of the entire class.
The teacher was released on bail and police expect that criminal charges will be filed in the coming days.
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