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Newsletter : 1fax0115.txt
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>JN Jan. 15, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 5
Israelis, Palestinians to Continue Talks
By VOA News
A second round of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks ended late Saturday with no breakthrough, but the two sides agreed to keep talking.
Led by former Israeli Prime Minister Shimon Peres and Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat, the two delegations met for more than two hours, trying to narrow differences over a U.S. framework for negotiating a final peace deal, and to find ways to reduce the ongoing violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Negotiations on proposals forwarded by President Clinton are expected to resume within days. Clinton has said there is little chance much can be resolved by the time he leaves office Saturday.
The negotiations suffered a setback Sunday when the Palestinians canceled a security meeting with the Israelis set for late in the day. The meeting was canceled after the Israeli military closed a stretch of the main north-south highway through the Gaza Strip after what it said was shooting near Jewish settlements.
With a special election for Israeli prime minister in a little more than three weeks away, public opinion polls show current Prime Minister Ehud Barak trailing far behind opposition leader Ariel Sharon. The hardline Likud leader opposes concessions Barak appears ready to make to Palestinians to reach a peace accord.
Underscoring the opposition he faces was the resignation Sunday of Israel's Health Minister Roni Milo. Milo, floor leader of the Center Party, said he was quitting to protest Barak's Mideast policy - in particular his willingness to give up sovereignty over the Temple Mount, a religious site revered by both Muslims and Jews.
The status of Jerusalem, Palestinian refugees, borders and Jewish settlements are among the sticky issues yet to be resolved for a comprehensive peace deal.
Barak Denounces Palestinian Executions
By VOA News
Prime Minister Ehud Barak has denounced Saturday's execution by the Palestinian Authority of two Palestinians accused of helping pinpoint and kill Palestinian activists during the current uprising.
A statement from Barak's office sharply condemned the executions, saying it is regrettable that the Palestinian Authority conducts trials that are "parodies of justice."
The two Palestinians were executed separately by firing squads in Nablus and Gaza City. Both men had been tried earlier in the week by special security courts which do not allow appeals against their verdicts.
Two more Palestinian men were sentenced to death later Saturday on similar charges, while two others drew sentences of life imprisonment at hard labor.
Israel neither confirmed nor denied that the two men executed, Allan Bani Odeh and Majdi Mikkawi, had cooperated with Israeli security forces.
Israel said it does not have a policy of assassinating Palestinian political leaders but will strike at individuals planning bombings and other attacks against Israelis.
Peres May Challenge Barak
By Ross Dunn (VOA-Jerusalem)
Shimon Peres has refused to halt the efforts of his supporters to have him replace Ehud Barak as candidate for prime minister. Some members of the ruling Labor Party are demanding that Barak stand down before the Feb. 6 election in favor of Peres, who the opinion polls suggest would score a victory.
Peres, a former prime minister, has denied being behind a push to become the Labor Party's nominee in next month's election instead of Barak.
Peres' supporters have been bolstered by opinion polls indicating that Barak is heading for a big defeat against the opposition right-wing Likud Party leader, Ariel Sharon. The same surveys indicate that Peres would beat Sharon by a small margin if he were to stand.
Barak told associates he has no intention of dropping out of the race because "my way is the right way."
Microsoft Sponsors Hizbullah Web Site
By Arutz-7 News
Israel Radio reported that Microsoft is a sponsor of the official Hizbullah television website (www.manartv.com). A permanent banner promoting Microsoft's banner network is the only ad on the Hizbullah site.
U.S. Court Denies Pollard's Lawyer Access to Secret Documents
By Arutz-7 News
The District Court in Washington, D.C. has ruled that Jonathan Pollard's attorney, Eliot Lauer, who has top-secret level security clearance, may not see the classified portion of the Pollard docket - as it would pose a national security risk.
The court dismissed Lauer's assertion that he has a "pressing need to see the documents" - despite Pollard's explanation that U.S. officials routinely cite those very portions as the reason Pollard should never be released. Pollard supporters note that any president who chooses to consider pardoning Pollard now or in the future will have to rely only on the documents' interpretation provided by those government agencies that adamantly oppose his release.
