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Newsletter : 0fax0404.txt
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>JN April 4, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 62
TV Wedding Commercials End Run
By Arutz-7
The Israel Broadcasting Authority has decided to stop airing commercials on behalf of Reform and Conservative marriage ceremonies. The IBA reached a conclusion that the commercials are misleading in that they imply that the ceremonies would be recognized by law, when in fact only the Chief Rabbinate of Israel is authorized to perform Jewish marriages.
SLA Army Chief Pledges to Defend Lebanon
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Metulla, on the Israel-Lebanon Border)
Israeli-backed Lebanese militiamen say they will fight for the right to stay in southern Lebanon, even after Israel withdraws its troops from the area.
General Antoine Lahad, head of the South Lebanese Army, the SLA, says that following an Israeli troop pullout, his soldiers will not surrender unless the Lebanese government pledges the soldiers will be immune from prosecution.
The soldiers want guarantees, he says, that they cannot be tried for collaborating with Israel inside a self-declared security zone in southern Lebanon, established in 1985.
Lahad adds that the SLA is also demanding to be absorbed into the official Lebanese Army. And he dismisses speculation that any of the 2,000-3000 soldiers in the South Lebanese Army, or their families, will seek political asylum in Israel or elsewhere. Lahad says they want to stay and defend their land.
"We have three options: One is to go [as] refugees in Israel or another [country] in Europe or in the United States. The other [option] to go to the Lebanese Army in the prison. The third to stay to defend the region." [Reporter] Which will they choose? [Lahad] "The last one: to defend, to stay."
Lahad spoke at a news conference along the Israel-Lebanon border. He was responding to questions about the SLA's future, now that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has made it clear all Israeli troops will withdraw from southern Lebanon by July. Israeli Brig. Gen. Benny Ganz, who also spoke to reporters, says Israel is already prepared to carry out the troop pullout.
At the same time, Ganz says Israel is committed to ensuring the safety of the South Lebanese Army soldiers and their families. He says all of them would be accepted as refugees in Israel, but he doubts such a move will ever be necessary. "They are about 2,600 or close to 3,000 SLA soldiers. Most of them have families and I do not think that all of them, if any, would like to come to Israel, and we are trying to make the proper preparation. We will have to see in the future, what will really happen, and there are no accurate estimation for those."
Damascus has warned Israel not to pull out of Lebanon unilaterally unless it is also prepared to hand over the strategic Golan Heights, captured from Syria during the 1967 war.
U.S. Opposes Israel's Sale of Radar Planes to China
By Meredith Buel (VOA-Jerusalem)
Defense Secretary William Cohen has told Israel the United States opposes the sale of sophisticated Israeli radar aircraft to China. Cohen told Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak the United States is against Israel's plans to sell China AWACS radar aircraft, which could pose a threat to Taiwan's air force.
"The United States does not support the sale of this type of technology to China because of the potential of changing the strategic balance in that region. With tensions running as high as they are between China and Taiwan we see this as being counterproductive."
Barak says he will take into account U.S. concerns over the arms deal but gave no indication Israel plans to cancel the sale of aircraft to China. Chinese President Jiang Zemin is due to visit Israel next week, and discussions regarding weapons sales are expected to be on the agenda.
Syrian Foreign Minister Says His Country Does Not Want War
By IsraelWire
Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al-Shara has denounced statements made by Lebanese Defense Minister Ghazi Zueiter, who over the weekend spoke of the deployment of Syrian troops in southern Lebanon following a unilateral Israeli withdrawal.
"It is wrong when some of us make some statements, even with personal sympathy, that might leave a negative effect or might help Israel push the matters toward a non-peaceful direction. We want to push things toward peace. We do not expect war and we do not want war. Talking about war is obviously wrong because we are talking about peace."
Israeli to be Extradited to U.S, to Face Fraud Charges
By IsraelWire
Jerusalem District Court Justice Yonatan Adiel ruled that Israeli citizen Sharon Harush may be extradited in compliance with a request by U.S. officials, to stand trial for embezzling $500,000.
Harush, who lived in New York from 1991-1998, married an American citizen and the couple had two children. He is alleged to have worked with accomplices who, law-enforcement officials believe, defrauded persons, mostly senior citizens, disguising themselves as investors.
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