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Newsletter : 2fax0103.txt
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>JN Jan. 3, 2002. Vol. 10, No. 2
Israel Concerned Over French Anti-Semitism
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Cabinet Secretary Gideon Saar met Wednesday with French Ambassador to Israel Jacques Huntzinger. Saar expressed Israel's concern over anti-Semitic incidents, which included arson at a Jewish kindergarten in Marseilles, at a Jewish school in Paris, at a synagogue, and instances in which Jews have been attacked on the streets.
Saar said Israel views the new wave of anti-Semitism with utmost severity and expects that the French government will use all available means to fight it.
Zinni to Focus on Dismantling Palestinian Terrorist Cells
By VOA News
The U.S. said its Mideast envoy, Gen. Anthony Zinni, will push Yasir Arafat to dismantle Palestinian terrorist cells when the next round of talks in the region begins later Thursday.
A State Department spokesman said Zinni will make the plea to the Palestinian leader in the hope that it will bring down the level of violence. In a separate meeting, Zinni will urge Israel to ease its clampdown on Palestinian territories as a way to bring about a ceasefire.
The U.S. envoy is scheduled to stay just a few days before reporting back next week to Secretary of State Colin Powell in Washington. Zinni ended his last visit to the Middle East in mid-December amid a wave of Palestinian suicide bombings in Israel.
Palestinian officials said they have high hopes for the new Zinni visit. However, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is reiterating the need for seven days of total calm before ceasefire talks can begin.
Hadash Bill Would Legalize Attacks On Israelis
By IsraelNationalNews.com
Knesset members from Herut on the right to Meretz on the left have expressed outrage at a bill presented by the Arab Hadash Party to the Knesset.
The proposed law calls for an amendment to the 1948 Prevention of Terrorism Act which would exempt those who attack armed Israeli civilians living in Yesha (Yehuda, Shomron and Gaza) from being labeled terrorists. Also under the proposal, assaulting IDF soldiers would not be viewed as "terrorist acts" since under the amendment the IDF is viewed as an "occupying force."
In an interview conducted by Independent Media Review and Analysis with Arab MK Issam Makhoul (Hadash), the Israeli parliamentarian said that Jewish civilians of Yesha who carry weapons [issued for self defense] are "part of the occupation forces" and are legitimate targets. Makhoul also said that throwing rocks and firebombs in order to kill someone "is not terrorism" but is a "popular act" seen in protests around the world.
On June 11, 2001, five-month-old Chaim Yehuda Shoham was killed when an Arab thrown rock slammed into the infant's skull as he sat in the car seat of his family's vehicle near the Shomron community of Eli.
Makhoul also said in the interview that as long as Israel does not withdraw to the 1967 ceasefire lines, Palestinian chief Yasir Arafat does not have to uphold his commitments under the Oslo accords. Therefore violent activities are not breaches of the agreements.
MK Ze'ev Boim (Likud) called the Hadash MKs who sponsored the bill, "Yasir Arafat's Trojan Horse." MK Ofer Pines (Labor) said that the bill legitimizes spilling the blood of IDF soldiers, police officers, and border police. Hadash is a three-seat party with two Arab Mks and one Jew, Tamar Gozansky.
Egyptian TV Channel Broadcasts in Hebrew to Israel
By VOA News
An Egyptian satellite television channel has started broadcasting in Hebrew to present an Arab perspective to Israelis. State-owned Nile TV said the goal is to provide Israelis with news, current affairs and cultural programming in Hebrew presented from an Egyptian viewpoint.
Nile TV's initial Hebrew broadcasts Tuesday were 30 minutes long, but station officials say they plan to eventually expand the service to two hours a day.
Proponents of the Hebrew TV service said they want it to be a bridge and channel of dialogue between Egyptians and Israelis, whose media are often critical of each other. The Israeli government has complained for a long time that Egyptian broadcasting and Egypt's press are openly hostile towards it.
Egyptians, including President Hosni Mubarak, say criticism of Israel is the result of Israel's actions towards the Palestinians, especially since the current Palestinian intifada began about 15 months ago. While Egyptian TV broadcasts in Hebrew are new, there have been Hebrew language Egyptian radio broadcasts for a number of years.
A Circumcision in Ashkelon
By IsraelNationalNews.com
It was a very special brit mila (circumcision ceremony) that took place at the Kalanit absorption center in Ashkelon last month.
The baby who was entering into the covenant of Abraham belonged to a family of new immigrants from Ethiopia who were unable to hold a celebration of the event on their own. The staff and residents of the center all attended the ceremony and joined in the celebration of the special mitzvah (commandment).
The Kalanit absorption center is home to olim (new immigrants) from 30 different countries, including Ethiopia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, France, India, Austria, Russia, and the Ukraine.
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