 |
 |
|
|
||
Newsletter : 1fax0326.txt
Directory | Previous file | Next file
>PD
>Israel Faxx
>JN March 26, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 54
Sharon Meets Panel Investigating Mideast Violence
By VOA News
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has met in Jerusalem with a U.S.-led commission investigating the causes of months of deadly Israeli-Palestinian clashes.
Hours before the 90-minute meeting ended late Sunday, the prime minster criticized the panel, calling its formation a historic mistake. He said no one has the right to put Israel on trial. He also said he was bound to attend the meeting only because his predecessor had agreed to it.
The Sharon rebuke prompted commission head George Mitchell - a former U.S. senator -- to say that no one is on trial for the fighting, which has claimed nearly 450 lives since September.
The deadly clashes began Sept. 29, after Sharon visited the al-Aqsa mosque compound in Jerusalem - a holy site sacred to both Muslims and Jews. But Sharon insisted there was no connection between his visit and the violence. Instead, he has repeatedly accused Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat of making a strategic decision to start the uprising to pressure concessions from Israel.
Meanwhile, fighting erupted throughout the West Bank Sunday. At least 20 Palestinians were wounded when Israeli troops fired tear gas and rubber bullets at crowds gathered near the West Bank town of Nablus. Nearby, the Israeli army said an Israeli settler was shot and seriously wounded by a Palestinian gunman.
In New York Sunday, the U.N. Security Council met to try to find a consensus on how to deal with the violence. The 15 member council is trying to find common ground before Arab leaders meet Tuesday in Jordan. The council debated the issue Saturday, but reached no conclusion.
The council is divided on Palestinian demands that the world body approve an international observer force in the Palestinian territories to protect civilians. Israel rejects the idea, saying such a force could actually increase violence.
A resolution to create an observer force failed in December to get the necessary nine votes for approval. The United States is expected to use its veto power to stop any such measure.
15 Detained on Israel-Lebanon Border
By VOA News
Israeli officials said a group of 15 men, women and children have been detained after they were found crossing into Israel from Lebanon. They said the group may be ethnic Kurds trying to enter Israel after spending some time in both Lebanon and Syria. Ethnic Kurds live in several countries in the region.
Red Cross: Medical Personnel Endangered
By Lisa Schlein (VOA-Geneva)
The International Committee of the Red Cross has accused Israeli and Palestinian security forces of disregarding the neutrality of medical personnel. Red Cross officials made the charge during a news conference in Geneva.
The head of the Red Cross office in Jerusalem, Walter Stocker, said the emergency medical services of both the Palestine Red Crescent Society and the Magen David Adom in Israel, the Israeli Red Cross equivalent, are coming under attack.
"There has been increased disrespect of the emblem either the Red Crescent or the Magen David Adom," he said. "There have been attacks on ambulances. There have been stonings. Ambulances have been hit. One Palestinian worker has been killed and several have been injured."
The Red Cross has appealed to both Israelis and Palestinians to respect each side's medical personnel as well as the rights of those in need of medical care. To do otherwise, the group said, violates international humanitarian law.
Stocker said the Geneva Conventions stipulate that the wounded and sick must be collected and cared for, regardless of which side they are on. He said ambulances and members of the medical services must also be respected and protected.
"We had stonings of MDA (Magen David Adom) ambulances by Palestinian youths at confrontation points," he said. "But, then we had, of course, many Palestinian Red Crescent Society ambulances hit also by gunfire because they were close to the confrontation areas in the territories."
Stocker said that on some occasions, it was clear that Israeli security forces targeted ambulances. But he added he does not believe that this is a deliberate policy by the Israeli government. He said Israeli authorities do respect the Red Cross emblem. But he also said security forces do not always obey orders.
Iran: Tehran Not Transferring Missiles to Lebanon
By VOA News
Iran has accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of lying by alleging that Tehran was transferring missiles to Lebanon. Foreign Ministry Spokesman Hamid-Reza Assefi Saturday accused Sharon of trying to divert attention from the ongoing violence in Palestinian areas. The Israeli prime minister is quoted as saying Lebanon is being turned into an international center for terrorism. His comments appeared in Friday's Maariv Israeli newspaper.
| Home My Account Search Contact Us |
by Electronic World Communications, Inc.)
