 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 0fax0320.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN March 20, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 52
Omer Mayor's Cars Set Ablaze
By IsraelWire
Police report that two cars belonging to Omer Mayor Pini Badash were set ablaze Thursday night, in front of his home. Omer is a suburb of Beersheva in the Negev. At least one person was seen fleeing the scene and police recovered an empty bottle of a non-specified flammable substance from the scene. An investigation has been launched. There were no reports of injuries.
Palestinians will Receive an Additional 6.1 Percent
By Jenny Badner (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak's cabinet has formally approved the transfer of an additional 6.1 percent of West Bank land to the Palestinians. The move paves the way for resumption of peace talks.
Sixteen cabinet ministers voted for the transfer, six voted against, and one abstained. Deputy Defense Minister Ephraim Sneh presented a map of the hand-over immediately after the vote.
"The real change here, beyond the technicalities and the figures, is that all the major cities in the West Bank will be transferred to the Palestinian Authority. From this week on, 60 percent of the Palestinians in the West Bank will live under Palestinian Authority. This is a real change."
The handover was supposed to take place last January, but was delayed when Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat demanded that Arab villages close to Jerusalem be included in the transfer.
The Israeli government adjusted the map to include more populated Arab areas, although no villages adjacent to Jerusalem are part of the latest transfer. Sneh says issues related to Jerusalem will be discussed in permanent status talks.
"We want to preserve the unity of Jerusalem. We do not want to divide it. We want to solve the problems in a creative, different way. That is why now we do not touch the vicinity of Jerusalem, it will be discussed and a solution will be found but not in the framework of this 6 percent."
Peace talks are expected to resume Tuesday in Washington. They are to focus on the most difficult issues facing negotiators - the future of Jerusalem, the borders of a possible Palestinian state, Jewish settlements in the occupied territories, and the fate of Palestinian refugees.
Pope Arrives in Jordan Today
By Scott Bobb (VOA-Amman)
Pope John Paul II is preparing for his second visit the Middle East in a month. Earlier, the pontiff visited Christian holy sites in Egypt and met with Egyptian leaders.
Jordan is ending a four-day holiday to mark the feast of Abraham, one of Islam's biggest celebrations. The country is also preparing for the arrival Monday of the head of the Roman Catholic Church.
Christians and Muslims are working side-by-side to prepare for the papal visit to Jordan, the first in 36 years. Banners have been strung around the city, welcoming the Roman Catholic leader in Arabic, English and Latin.
Monday, the pontiff is to visit Mount Nebo, from which Moses, after leading the Israelites from Egypt, was allowed to look on the Promised Land before he died.
More than 100 Christian and Muslim members of Jordan's National Music Conservatory are rehearsing for the open-air mass, which the pope will lead before 50,000 people Tuesday in a sports stadium in Amman.
The pope is also to visit a park on the banks of the Jordan River (Wadi al-Kharrar) where many Christians believe Jesus was baptized. This site is disputed, however, by some who say the event actually occurred on the West Bank of the Jordan River in territory now under Israeli control.
The pontiff also plans to visit the other baptism shrine when he continues his pilgrimage to holy sites in Israel and the Palestinian Authority beginning late Tuesday.
Hizbullah Katyushas Can Hit Haifa
By IsraelWire
Iran supplied Hizbullah with long-range Katyusha rockets capable of reaching Haifa-area suburbs, The Jerusalem Post reported. The long-range rockets can reach distances of up to 42 miles.
According to Israel Air Force Maj. Gen. Eitan Ben-Eliyahu, the number of Israeli residents in the north under threat of rocket attack has been doubled to 600,000-700,000.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak reiterated his warning that any attacks on northern Israel following an Israel Defense Forces redeployment from the southern Lebanon security zone will be met with a tough response.
"I would not advise anyone, not any element in the region or any other place to test our response if there are any attempts from Lebanon to hit citizens of Israel or its army after we have redeployed to the border," Barak said.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
