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Newsletter : 0fax0508.txt
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>JN May 8, 2000, Vol. 8, No. 83
Arab League Demands Reparations from Israel
By IsraelWire
Leaders of the 22-nation Arab League on Saturday demanded reparations be made to citizens of Lebanon, comparing the situation to the post Holocaust era during which Jews were compensated for their suffering under the Nazis. The league nations called upon Israel to make payment to the Lebanese people for their pain and suffering, loss of human life as well as economic losses incurred as a result of Israeli attacks and the years of occupation.
Laser Can Down Incoming Rockets
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Jerusalem)
Israel and the United States have developed a powerful laser designed to shoot down incoming rockets in mid-air. Ross Dunn in Jerusalem reports trials are now being conducted for laser technology to be used by Israel along its northern border to block rocket attacks by Lebanese terrorist fighters.
Israel plans to deploy an advanced laser system along its northern border to block rocket attacks by Lebanese gunmen, after an Israeli troop withdrawal from southern Lebanon.
An Israeli Defense Ministry spokesman says the $250 million system -- known as the Tactical High Energy Laser -- is in the last phase of testing in Israel and the United States.
The technology has been developed with U.S. government support to meet the needs of residents in northern Israel. The residents have expressed fears they will continue to be targets of guerrilla groups in southern Lebanon, once Israeli troops withdraw from a self-declared security zone they established there in 1985.
The laser would be used in particular against the militant Muslim group, Hizbullah, which frequently fires Katyusha rockets against communities along Israel's northern border.
Under the system, the laser beams would derive their energy from powerful chemical reactions and destroy incoming missiles by heating them to high temperatures.
Successful tests have been made against stationary targets and experiments are to be conducted against moving Katyusha rockets. The laser's exact power, range, and rate of firing remain classified. But U-S and Israeli defense officials say the laser could be fired fast enough to hit multiple incoming missiles.
Did Israel Eavesdrop on President Clinton's Phone?
By IsraelWire
For one year, American agents have been investigating suspicions that Israeli agents listened in to White House, Department of Defense, Department of Justice and Department of State telephones.
A senior American official was quoted as saying that substantial evidence is yet to be uncovered but the investigation is continuing.
Following is the statement released on Sunday morning by the Prime Minister's Office: "The Prime Minister's Media Advisor totally denies reports that appeared in the American media of apparent espionage on behalf of Israel. The State of Israel does not carry out any espionage of any kind against the United States or on its territory."
"Insight" magazine, related to the Washington Times, reported that an undercover investigation was being conducted into alleged Israeli spy activities aimed at the senior U.S. offices. The investigation according to the report involves agents of the FBI and the CIA.
According to suspicions, the espionage was perpetrated via employees of Amdocs, an Israeli firm which sells software services to telephone companies dealing with bill collecting. U.S. agents first became suspicious of an Israeli businessman dealing with billing services for government phones in 1996. U.S. officials now believe the businessman may have been a Mossad agent.
Mark Regev, a spokesman for the Israeli Embassy in Washington, adamantly denied the story, adding, "I do not even listen to (my) wife's telephone conversations. Certainly, Israel is not spying against the United States."
Yediot Ahronot reports the leak of the ongoing investigation is directly related to continuing U.S. efforts to block a lucrative AWACS deal between Israel and the People's Republic of China, with the U.S. calling upon Jerusalem to abandon the deal.
Israel has remained firm in its intention of moving forward with the deal, which officials insist does not include restricted American technology.
102-Year-Old Learning Hebrew
By IsraelWire
"It's never too late," decided Dr. Sara Brou, who will be 102 next month, and who decided to begin learning Hebrew. Five years ago Brou immigrated to Israel from the Ukraine, where she was a pediatrician for 40 years. Upon arriving in Israel, she lived with her sister in Hadera, but when her sister died, Brou moved to a senior citizens facility in Pardes Hannah.
Because she knew no Hebrew, she had difficulty communicating. When she heard that the facility was opening a Hebrew class, she did not hesitate, and joined. She has already managed to learn some basic vocabulary, and is determined to continue her studies. She receives encouragement from her friends and teachers, who appreciate her sense of humor.
Brou said that she thinks God forgot about her, and that she will have time to continue learning Hebrew.
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