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Newsletter : 0fax0124.txt
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>JN Jan. 24, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 13
Security Machines in Airports May Damage Film
By IsraelWire
Newly installed X-ray machines in airports around the world may damage film, exposed and new, according to experts who studied the new security machines. The new machines deploying new X-ray technology, are already deployed in some airports in the United States and Europe and passengers are being warned not to place the film through the X-ray machines. Such machines are not presently being deployed in Ben-Gurion International Airport.
A Defiant President Weizman Holds Firm
By Susan Sappir (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israeli President Ezer Weizman says he will not resign, despite a criminal investigation against him. A defiant Weizman appeared on national television and told the Israeli public he would not resign because he did nothing wrong. Police have launched a criminal investigation of the president on suspicion of financial improprieties.
Weizman has confirmed he received money from a French businessman while he was in public office, but said the sums were less than the $430,000 alleged by an Israeli journalist.
Israel's political arena was stunned by Weizman's announcement he was determined to stay in office. The 75-year-old president was widely expected to step aside for the duration of the inquiry, if not resign altogether.
The president said in his televised address that he had only two choices: to fight to the end or to quit. And the former air force chief said "I have never deserted a battle field and I will not desert this one."
Weizman is due to attend a ceremony today at the Israeli Knesset, marking the parliament's birthday. Fifty of the legislature's 120-members have said they would support a motion to impeach the president. But the process requires 90 members.
More West Bank Land will be Evacuated
By Susan Sappir (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israel says a West Bank redeployment that was put on hold last week will now be going ahead. Foreign Minister David Levy says Israel would transfer a further 6.3 percent of the West Bank to the Palestinians within three-weeks.
The sudden delay of the scheduled hand over of the land angered Palestinians last week. But relations seemed to improve following a meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and Palestinian Chairman Yasir Arafat, and other meetings at lower levels.
Arafat said upon his return to the Middle East from an American visit that President Clinton had promised to pay close attention to the peace process. Israel and the Palestinians are working towards a Sept. 13 deadline for a final peace treaty between them. But the sides have a history of missed deadlines and key disputes remain unresolved.
A senior Palestinian minister said a three-way summit between Arafat, Barak and Clinton was scheduled for Jan. 29 in Switzerland. But Israeli and American officials said no meeting had been set.
Israeli-Syrian talks were put on hold last week when Syrian officials announced they requested a written Israeli commitment to cede the Golan Heights as part of a peace deal. Barak told the Israeli cabinet he had received no such request. He said if he were asked, he would say no.
Israel's official position is that its agreement to withdraw from the Golan depends on other elements in a peace accord.
Taiwanese Restaurant Removes Nazi Picture
By IsraelWire
Following complaints from customers, managers of the Taiwanese restaurant "Jail" agreed to remove pictures of Nazi death camps, which offended many persons.
The owners of the Taipei eatery apologized for their lack of sensitivity and agreed to voluntarily remove the pictures, which included a wall mural depicting tortured victims of a Nazi death camp bunched up next to one-another behind barbed wire. The rest rooms, referred to as "gas chamber" were decorated with open valves and pipes.
The manager of the restaurant stated there was no intention to offend anyone, explaining that Taiwanese were less aware and educated about the Holocaust and therefore, not offended, as were westerners. Officials at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Museum explained the decor of the restraint was most appalling and offensive but admitted it did not appear to have been intentional.
Yad Vashem spokesman Rob Rozet explained that the decor was mostly the result of ignorance and lack of education. "It went way beyond bad taste and was a trivialization of the memory of the Six Million," he added.
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