KAD-ESH MAP MINISTRIES
PO Box 590, Jerusalem 91004, Israel

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SOME NEWS FROM THE LAND OF ISRAEL:

1.  PA Perpetuates Myth on "Catastrophe Day"  Arutz 7  May 15th
     Palestinian Authority Arabs are commemorating Catastrophe Day today: the establishment of the State of Israel. They vow not to forget their "national identity," which many experts say never existed.  The Arabs commemorate Catastrophe Day, known in Arabic as the Nakba, on the anniversary of the event that led to the establishment of the State of Israel. The British mandate ended on Saturday, May 15, 1948, and in order not to clash with the Sabbath, David Ben-Gurion convened the Jewish provisional government the day before to declare the new state.
    The theme of this year's commemorations: the refugees of 1948 and their assumed "Right of Return" to the Land of Israel. "We will never forget our identity and we won't forget the refugees," PA chief Mahmoud Abbas' said today in a speech from Tokyo, Japan, where he is beginning a three-day visit. "We have a homeland called Palestine that belongs to our forefathers.  Today is the day of the crime of the expulsion of our nation all over the world."  In fact, however, Palestinian "identity," "homeland," and "expulsion" are all concepts that have little basis in fact. The name "Palestinian" referred to Jews before 1948, the Land of Israel was historically a homeland only to Jews, and the Arabs who left Israel in 1948 did so, generally, at the behest of Arab countries, not Israel.  Palestinian Arab nationalist claims have often been called nothing more than a myth, and, as Boston Globe columnist Jeff Jacoby has written  "They have repeated it so often and so loudly that much of the world has come to believe it."
     Jacoby sums up:  "The truth is that there was never an Arab country of Palestine and that Palestinian Arabs were never a nation. The truth is that Jerusalem was never the capital of any Arab state or province. The truth is that in all of recorded history, only one people has ever made Palestine west of the Jordan a sovereign nation-state with Jerusalem as its capital: the Jews. So closely was Palestine associated with Jews, in fact, that in the years before Israel's birth, those who spoke of "Palestinians" were usually referring to the region's Jewish residents. Arab leaders rejected the notion of a unique Palestinian Arab identity, insisting that Palestine was merely a part of "Greater Syria." Not that they saw Palestine as much of a prize in any case. Until the Zionist enterprise got underway, Palestine was stagnant and mostly barren. Its Arab population was small and declining. With Jewish development, however, came economic opportunity and better living conditions, which, in turn, attracted huge numbers of Arab immigrants from beyond Palestine's borders.
      Zuheir Muhsein, the late Military Department head of the PLO and member of its Executive Council, told the Dutch daily Trouw, March 1977, "The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity... Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people... to oppose Zionism."

2. Israel Allows PA Forces to Patrol With Assault Rifles   Arutz 7  May 15th
     PA paramilitary forces who fought IDF troops in recent years are back in action-- with assault rifles. Israel has approved their deployment, despite the PA's failure to crack down on terror.  Despite the PA’s lack of compliance with the Road Map and Israel’s demand that it seize illegal weapons held by terrorists, Israel has approved the deployment of hundreds of armed PA paramilitary police in Jericho and Tul Karem. These are two Arab-populated cities recently handed over to PA control. Both Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz have said that they will not authorize the handover of additional Arab-populated towns and cities in Judea and Samaria to PA control until the PA starts to crack down on the terrorists and seize their weapons.
     Analysts said, however, that the approval of the deployment of paramilitary forces is a signal of Israel’s willingness to move forward with additional handovers, despite the PA’s lack of compliance with Israel’s demands. “There are no scenes of piles of weapons brought in by wanted men, but rather the acceptance of the wanted men, with their weapons, into the Palestinian police," a PA source told Haaretz.

3. Residents Respond with Faith to Internal and External Threats   Arutz  7  May 19th
      In one of the worst bombardments of Gush Katif in the past several months, over 40 mortar shells and Kassam rockets have been fired at the area in the past 24 hours.  The Palestinian terrorist shelling attack began shortly after noon yesterday, with three rockets at Morag and two at N'vei Dekalim. Four more were fired at N'vei Dekalim soon afterwards, and children were kept in their relatively-safer kindergarten and school rooms throughout the afternoon. Israel Air Force helicopters were put into action, firing at and scattering a rocket-launching cell of Arab terrorists operating out of a Khan Yunis cemetery.
     An Israeli citizen was lightly wounded from a rocket fired at N'vei Dekalim shortly after 4 PM, and an hour later, two Kassam rockets smashed into Gadid. By midnight, another 16 rockets had been fired at Netzarim, N'vei Dekalim, Kfar Darom and Tel Katifa, and six more by morning. Two buildings were damaged.  The attacks did not end there, however, and another five rockets were fired at Kfar Darom and Tel Katifa this morning. Arab gunmen also fired at a N'vei Dekalim army position this morning.
     Aside from the helicopter incident, no further IDF response has been registered, other than an announcement that Israel would respond "in a measured manner" and would seek to avoid escalation. Prime Minister Sharon and Defense Minister Mofaz took part in a security consultation on the Gaza escalation this afternoon. IDF sources said that no major counter-offensive is expected before the planned withdrawal.
    Over 5,500 rockets and missiles have been fired at Gush Katif in the past five years, with relatively few casualties. A constant theme there is the words of the Biblical judge Samson's mother, who calmed her husband's fears by saying, "If G-d wanted to kill us, He would not have accepted [our offerings] and would not have shown us all these things." In a book published last month detailing dozens of miracles that befell Gush Katif residents over this period, the editor states, "We have faith that G-d did not perform all these miracles for us merely so that we could be expelled from our homes."

4. Israel to Respond More Aggressively to Palestinian Violence    Jerusalem Post  May 19th
     Senior Israeli officials say the military will respond more aggressively to Palestinian attacks and warn the current flare-up in violence could delay Israel's plans to pull out of the Gaza Strip and parts of the West Bank this August. The warnings follow an unusually heavy barrage of rocket and mortar attacks by Palestinian militants and the deaths of two members of Hamas.   Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has ordered the military to respond more vigorously and use all necessary means to halt attacks by Palestinian militants in Gaza.   The decision was made during a meeting of military and security chiefs.
    Deputy Defense Minister Zeev Boim also sent a message to the militants - stop the attacks or risk collapse of the cease-fire, which has lasted for more than three months, despite some violations.  The deputy minister told Israel Radio that if the militant attacks continue the security forces will respond more forcefully. He said Israel wants calm before its planned disengagement from Gaza and he warned there will be no Israeli withdrawal under fire.   The warnings follow a flare-up in violence during the past two days

5. King Abdullah Warns Israel to Start Preparing Further Pullbacks  Arutz 7
    While his country hosts a conference on terrorism, peace and other world problems, Jordan's King Abdullah warns Israel not to suffice with a retreat from Gaza.  Close to 30 Nobel laureates and international figures have gathered in Petra, Jordan for a conference focusing on the world's major problems, including terrorism, poverty, disease, and environment.  Among the dignitaries at the two-day conference are Associate Prime Minister Shimon Peres, ex-U.S. President Bill Clinton, and the Dalai Lama. The group also includes prominent economists, scientists, writers and even actors. The conference is jointly sponsored by Jordan's King Abdullah and Elie Weisel's New York-based Foundation for Humanity.
    As the leaders gather to discuss terrorism, world peace and other issues, host King Abdullah issued a warning today that Israel had better not suffice with a withdrawal just from Gaza. He said that if Israel does not also soon withdraw from areas in Judea and Samaria, "the peace process will be impeded." He made the statements to the Al-Ayam newspaper in London.  Peres met with Abdullah yesterday, and said that Israel should begin negotiating with the PA immediately after the Gaza pullback. This contrasts with Prime Minister Sharon's position, which is that Israel will wait to see if the PA fulfills its Road Map commitments. Peres also said that the PA must begin immediately improving the economic status of its residents in Gaza.

6. Jewish Plot for Temple Mount Attack Thwarted
     Israeli security forces have thwarted a plot by five Jewish militants to fire a missile at the Mosque of Al Aksa on the Temple Mount here in Jerusalem. Police say the aim was to spark an Islamic holy war with the Palestinians and Arab states that would thwart the government's plan to pull out of the Gaza Strip this summer. The plot was uncovered in its early stages, and no charges were filed against the suspects. The suspects were detained several months ago, but the plot was kept under a gag order for security reasons until today.

7. Israel offers land for evangelical Christian center    Associated Press  May 12th
    The government has offered to donate 35 acres beside the Sea of Galilee for an evangelical Christian center to boost Christian tourism, a newspaper reported Wednesday.  The government told a group of evangelical leaders, including the Rev. Ted Haggard of New Life Church in Colorado Springs, it would be willing to improve a nearby airport and provide power, water and phone lines for the center, The Gazette of Colorado Springs reported in Wednesday editions.  Evangelical groups haven't responded to the offer, and there is no timetable for moving ahead with plans for the property. Plans for the land would have to meet with the government's approval, The Gazette reported.

8. Two IDF Soldiers to Gaza´s Jews: "Stay Strong, Don´t Leave"  Arutz 7   May 20th
    “You should have much success, and do not leave your homes.”So wrote soldiers of the Golani Brigade in a fax sent to the residents of Gush Katif. Rabbi Aviner: "Expulsion Business is Bad Money."  The letter, signed “Liron and Gal from Car 51,” began with words of thanks for the refreshments area set up by residents for the soldiers.  It went on to urge the residents not to leave their homes. “You give us strength to continue,” the soldiers wrote in a hand-written letter on official stationery, with hearts drawn for emphasis. “We have not met many people as good and so very brave as you. May you have much success and not evacuate! May you be strong and courageous. We are here for you. (signed) Car 51, with honor.”