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Newsletter : 1fax0221.txt
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>JN Feb. 21, 2000, Vol. 9, No. 32
Barak Draws Back From Sharon Coalition
By VOA News
Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has reversed himself, and now says he will not join a coalition government under his successor Ariel Sharon. Israeli media reports quote letters Barak reportedly sent on Tuesday to his Labor party and to Sharon. Barak is also quoted saying he will leave his seat in Israel's parliament and quit as head of the Labor party.
Barak had promised to quit politics after losing this month's election for prime minister. Later, he was said to be considering the post of defense minister in a Sharon-led national unity coalition. The Labor party has agreed to join a national unity government in principle, but there have been disputes within the party over whether Barak should take part.
Barak's renewed decision to quit politics closely follows an ultimatum by Sharon that gave the Labor party one week to join into a coalition with his Likud party in efforts to end Israeli-Palestinian violence. Palestinian sources say one Palestinian was killed by Israeli security forces Tuesday in the West Bank town of Beit Jala.
Meanwhile, the head of Israel's army, General Shaul Mofaz, described the violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip as a state of "war." He was speaking at a meeting of the Israeli parliament's defense and foreign affairs committee.
More than 400 people have died in the violence since September, most of them Palestinians. This month's election was seen by many as a referendum on how to handle the violence with Palestinians.
Israeli Capture Attempt Falls Short
By VOA News
An Israeli raid aimed at capturing a member of the Islamic militant group Hamas ended in failure Tuesday. Witnesses say Israeli soldiers tried to kidnap Hamas activist Nasser Jarrar in the Palestinian-controlled town of Jenin in the West Bank but were not able to take him.
The operation came one day after Israel gunned down another Hamas activist, Mahmoud Madani, near the West Bank city of Nablus. Israeli security sources link the slain man to car bomb attacks in the Israeli towns of Hadera and Netanya. Thousands of mourners called for revenge during Madani's funeral Tuesday.
Meanwhile, violence flared anew in the West Bank city of Hebron. In separate incidents, a Palestinian schoolgirl was shot by Israeli troops and a Jewish settler was stabbed by a Palestinian woman.
Also, Israeli bulldozers demolished a partly-built Palestinian home and greenhouse in a village north of Hebron. The Israeli army says the structures were built without permits and posed a security risk to Israelis driving on a nearby highway.
Israel also eased its closure of the Gaza Strip, allowing Palestinians to bring in fuel supplies after a five day blockade.
Palestinian Refugees: Lebanon Opposes Permanent Resettlement
By Gil Butler (VOA-Beirut)
The future status of millions of Palestinian refugees is one of the major issues dividing Israelis and Palestinians. In this installment of his series on Palestinian refugees, Gil Butler examines their situation in Lebanon, which is adamantly opposed to their permanent settlement in the country.
Of all the countries where Palestinians live, Lebanon is the most adamant in opposing their permanent settlement here. It was the presence of Palestinian guerrillas in Lebanon that led to years of Israeli attacks, including the 1982 invasion that brought the Israelis to Beirut.
There are an estimated 400,000 Palestinians in Lebanon - 300,000 are officially registered with the United Nations. Most of them are from what is now northern Israel.
Palestinian refugee Maarouf Hourani points to a map of Palestine in his shop at the Ein el-Hilweh refugee camp in south Lebanon. Hourani, whose life alternated between refugee camps in Lebanon and teaching jobs in Arab countries, dreams of returning home to his home village in what is now Israel. Lebanon does not give citizenship to Palestinians and it forbids their employment in more than 70 job categories. Palestinians who cannot find employment with the United Nations, or in one of the permitted jobs, work illegally for low wages.
At Beirut's Mar Ilias Camp, a camp official says if there is a peace settlement, 90 percent of refugees in Lebanon would leave. If their original homes were not in Gaza or the West Bank, the official says, they would move permanently to third countries if that option is part of a settlement.
One of the most squalid refugee camps in Lebanon is in Beirut. Shatila is the remaining part of the complex called Sabra and Shatila. In September 1982, Lebanese Christian militiamen entered Sabra and Shatila and massacred hundreds of Palestinians. It has not been forgotten by the refugees.
But Shatila's population is now only about half Palestinian. The rest are manual workers from Syria, Egypt, and even Bangladesh, who have come to Lebanon looking for work.
It is official Lebanese government policy that Palestinians will not be settled permanently in Lebanon. The Lebanese hope a peace agreement will give them someplace else to go.
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