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Newsletter : 1fax0619.txt
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>JN June 19, 2001, Vol. 9, No. 102
Helping Israel
By IsraelNationalNews.com
As Jews the world over search for ways in which to help Israel during these difficult times, a "group of ordinary Jews" is returning to an old Jewish tradition: fulfilling mitzvot (Torah commandments and good deeds).
A new website provides a medium for making a commitment to perform the deeds and sharing them with the entire Jewish community. The program at www.crisisjerusalem.com seeks to foster Jewish unity via a collective performance of the positive actions.
Two Israeli Settlers Killed, Straining Cease-Fire
By VOA News
Two Israeli settlers were killed Monday during separate attacks in the West Bank, straining the five day old Israeli-Palestinian cease-fire.
Despite the violence, Palestinian and Israeli security officials were meeting Monday evening to work out a timetable for consolidating the truce. Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said he would not give in to pressure from elements in his own country calling for him to abandon the cease-fire and step up military action against the Palestinians. He said he would not take Israel to war.
"To take this nation to war today would be a mistake of the first-degree," he said. "There are many things that we have to do - but not to take the nation to war. There are times where there is no choice, but this is not the case at present."
Sharon also insisted that the "cooling-off" period that is part of the cease-fire plan will not start until there is a total end to violence. The first drive-by shooting in the West Bank killed one Israeli man and wounded a teenager who were driving toward a Jewish settlement north of the Palestinian town of Nablus. The second death came after nightfall when gunmen fired at settlers' cars east of the Palestinian town of Tulkarm. Meanwhile, a Palestinian teenager died of wounds received in a Sunday clash with Israeli troops in the Gaza Strip, raising the Palestinian death toll to five since the cease-fire began.
The Israeli army said Monday it was easing its crippling blockade on the West Bank by opening some roads and removing checkpoints. However, Palestinians say most roads in the territories are still blocked and that in some places, Israeli forces have tightened the blockade by sealing off side roads.
Israel Slams BBC Program for Calling Sharon a War Criminal
By VOA News
Israel has sharply criticized the British Broadcasting Corporation, BBC for airing a Sunday television program calling for a war crimes trial of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
A foreign ministry statement criticized the timing of the "Panorama" program, and repeated accusations that BBC coverage of Middle East events was slanted and unfair. BBC officials insist the program was a legitimate analysis of a human rights issue.
The program included international law experts saying Sharon should be held accountable for the killing of hundreds of Palestinian refugees by Lebanese Christian militiamen in 1982. Sharon was Israel's defense minister at the time. The legal experts said Sharon should bear responsibility for the actions of Israel's allies during the Israeli invasion of Lebanon.
Sharon spokesman Ranaan Gissen, interviewed for the BBC program, said Israeli officials never thought the Christian Phalangist militia would enter the refugee camps and kill more than 800 unarmed civilians.
Meanwhile, a survivor of the massacre says she will file charges against Sharon in Brussels under a 1993 law that allows Belgium to prosecute alleged war crime violations committed outside the country.
Sharon resigned as defense minister in 1983 after an official Israeli inquiry determined he was indirectly responsible for the massacre. During his campaign for prime minister earlier this year, he expressed regret for the civilian deaths, but refused to apologize for his role in the incident.
The Lebanese Christian militia entered the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Beirut on Sept. 16, 1982, following the assassination of Israeli-allied Lebanese President-elect Bashir Gemayel.
Turkey, Israel and U.S, Hold Combined Air Exercises
By VOA News
The air forces of Turkey, Israel and the United States are engaging in aerial battle drills over central Turkey.
The maneuvers, named "Anatolian Eagle," are the first time the three nations are holding combined air exercises. The exercises are expected to last several days. The planes are using Konya Air Base, south of Ankara.
Israeli officials say the aerial drills are the most important joint military exercise to be held between Turkey and Israel. Military ties between the two countries have angered neighboring Arab countries and Iran.
Turkey's largest opposition party, the pro-Islamic Virtue party, has criticized the wargames. The party says the noise pollution created by the mock military battles will lead to loss of hearing and premature births.
The Turkish General Staff denied charges that the planes would use depleted uranium shells, which have been criticized because of their radioactivity.
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