EMET NEWS SERVICE WEEKLY UPDATE
[ http://www.shamar.org/emet/ ]
Summary of the Week Ending: November 13, 2004/29 Cheshvan 5765
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A weekly summary of news and events concerning Israel and the Jewish people."Many times they have persecuted me from my youth up; yet they have not prevailed against me. The plowers plowed upon my back; they lengthened their furrows. The L-rd is righteous; He has cut in two the cords of the wicked. May all who hate Zion be put to shame and turned backward; let them be like grass upon the housetops, which withers before it grows up" Psalm 129:2-6
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=====================================================================:|: NEW COMMENTARIES/ARTICLES ADDED TO THE WEB SITE THIS WEEK:
:: WHY CONDOLENCES?
http://www.shamar.org/emet/views/why_condolences.htm:: TO BUSH AND BLAIR: WE DON'T WANT PEACE, WE WANT OUR HOMELAND, ISRAEL
http://www.shamar.org/emet/views/no_peace-just_homeland.htm
:|: THIS WEEK'S HIGHLIGHTS:
:: NATIONS RENEW MOMENTUM TO DIVIDE ISRAEL
:: PA/PLO ELECTS NEW LEADERS
:: TERRORISTS ATTACK SETTLEMENT AFTER ARAFAT DIES
:: RELOCATION ALLOCATIONS NOT PASSED BY KNESSET COMMITTEE
:: MOVING PRESENTATION IN GAZA
:: THOUSANDS IN HEBRON FOR SABBATH
:: INFILTRATION OF AN IRANIAN UAV INTO ISRAEL
:: RAMADAN BLOCKS TEMPLE MOUNT MARCH
:: DEATH MAKES ARAFAT A HERO AND GREAT STATEMAN
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:: NATIONS RENEW MOMENTUM TO DIVIDE ISRAEL: [It's interesting how the death of one of the greatest persecutors of Israel has stirred the nations to renew their goal of dividing G-d's land and handing it to Israel's foremost enemies.--ed]
U.S. President George W. Bush, meeting with ally British Prime Minister Tony Blair hours after Yasir Arafat's burial, declared Friday, "We have a great chance to establish a 'Palestinian' state.... I intend to use the next four years to spend the capital of the United States on such a state," Bush said. [During his re-election campaign, this subject rarely came up. Why is it now a top priority?--ed] In a joint statement from the White House, Bush and Blair stated, "... the President and the Prime Minister have agreed to mobilize international support behind a plan to ensure that the 'Palestinians' have the political, economic, and security infrastructure they need to create a viable state. There will be no lasting solution without a 'Palestinian' state that is democratic and free, including free press, free speech, an open political process, and religious tolerance.... Such a ['Palestinian'] state will need a credible and unified security structure capable of providing securi
ty for the 'Palestinians' and fighting terrorism." [The term "capable of providing security for the 'Palestinians'" appears to be a new term. Previous descriptions of the 'Palestinian' security forces focused on their ability to fight terror.]United Nations Secretary General Kofi Annan called on the Palestinians to continue on "the path of an independent 'Palestinian' state with East Jerusalem as its capital."
"I will gather all the nations and bring them down to the valley of Jehoshaphat. Then I will enter into judgment with them there on behalf of My people and My inheritance, Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations; and they have divided up My land." Joel 3:2
.....................................................................:: PA/PLO ELECTS NEW LEADERS: Hours after the death of Yasir Arafat, the 'Palestinian' Legislative Council quickly filled its top posts on Thursday. Under an agreement to divide up what were Arafat's powers, the PLC's speaker, Rouhi Fatouh, will become the new temporary chairman. [A new chairman must be elected within 60 days.] Ahmad Qurei, the current prime minister, will assume control of the security services while Mahmoud Abbas, the first prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, will lead the executive council of the Palestine Liberation Organization, in effect the parent of the Palestinian Authority.
Mahmoud Abbas has been a member of the PLO since the 1950s. His career progressed when he went on to help found the Fatah, which is responsible for the murder of hundreds (if not thousands) of Jews. Abbas was appointed Prime Minister of the Palestinian Authority in 2003 but resigned after four months in office. In an interview with the London-based Arabic paper A-SHARQ AL-AUSSAT, Abbas was clear in his justification of the use of weapons against the Jews of Yesha. He made it clear that the only "restriction" on the fighting he would accept "applies only to suicide operations and going out to attack in Tel Aviv or Jerusalem..." ARUTZ-7, in addition to IMRA, reported that senior government officials instructed the IDF Spokesman to remove from the IDF Website the report of the interview with A-SHARQ AL-AUSSAT. In addition, Abbas also has a rich history of Holocaust denial. He is the author of a book in Arabic book entitled, "The Other Side: The Secret Relationship Between Nazism
and Zionism." In the book, Abbas refutes what he calls "the Zionist fantasy, the fantastic lie that six million Jews were killed." Abbas suggested that "only" 890,000 Jews were killed by Hitler, and that they were victims of a joint Zionist-Nazi plot. National Union lawmaker Arieh Eldad has claimed that, in the days preceding the signing of the Oslo Accords, the U.S. State Department asked the Simon Wiesenthal Center to refrain from publishing a translation of the book written by Abbas. According to Eldad, the request was motivated by the American's desire to "legitimize' the man who was about to sign the Oslo Accords. A synopsis of Abu Mazen's study was published at the time by the Middle East Media Research Institute (MEMRI) <http://tinyurl.com/3qp2e>.A question from IMRA to Paul Patin, Press Attache, U.S. Embassy, Tel Aviv: "In the view of the US - can Hamas run in PLC elections?" Answer: "First of all, we consider Hamas a terrorist organization. We don't deal with them, and we don't believe that they have any useful role to play, either in the Road Map process, or in a future 'Palestinian' state, as long as they are involved in terrorist activity. The PA is aware of our position on this matter. However, and this is perhaps a tautology, we do not control 'Palestinian' elections."
.....................................................................:: TERRORISTS ATTACK SETTLEMENT AFTER ARAFAT DIES: 'Palestinian' terrorists, angry over Arafat's death, on Thursday attacked Netzarim, a Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, in what they said signaled the start of a new round of clashes against Israel. The gunmen opened fire at the settlement, detonated a bomb, and attempted to fire a rocket-propelled grenade, an army spokeswoman said.
Israeli Navy thwarted Tuesday an attempt to infiltrate into Israel via the sea, as an IDF observation force identified a suspicious figure swimming towards the Israeli communities in the Northern Gaza Strip west to the community of Dugit, in an area prohibited for 'Palestinians'. An IDF "Dabur" boat patrolling the area was called to the scene. The soldiers called for the suspect to stop, as he didn't they fired warning shots, and as he continued swimming towards the Israeli shore, the soldiers suspected that the he was a terrorist, opened fire and hit him. An AK-47 assault rifle, an explosive device, four hand grenades, five magazines, and a knife were discovered by IDF forces, in searches conducted in the area of the incident.
Rabbi Yosef Yashar, the Chief Rabbi of the mixed Jewish-Arab city of Akko (Acre), told ARUTZ-7 Thursday that Israeli-Arabs are "quietly conquering our city, as well as other areas of the Galilee." A synagogue was burnt in the city this week, and firemen said that it was the result of arson. Rabbi Yashar said that another hate-crime against the Jews of the city was discovered just Wednesday, with the desecration of more than 1,000 graves in the old cemetery. It's clear that this was an anti-Semitic crime." In a related item, three Israeli-Arab teenagers, residents of Ramle in central Israel, threw firebombs a week ago Friday night into a local synagogue. Residents managed to put out the resulting flames. The following night, Arab attackers returned and again threw flaming bottles at the synagogue. The terrorists were later arrested.
.....................................................................:: RELOCATION ALLOCATIONS NOT PASSED BY KNESSET COMMITTEE: Prime Minister Sharon and the disengagement plan suffered a blow in the Knesset Finance Committee Monday. The government wanted to have NIS 30 million [$6.8 million] appropriated for advance compensation payments to residents slated for relocation, as well as NIS 5 million [$1.2 million] for the Justice Ministry committee involved in preparing the Disengagement Implementation Bill. Observers noted that Committee Chairman MK Avraham Hershsohn was unable to explain to the satisfaction of some of the committee members the importance of the second allocation.
.....................................................................:: MOVING PRESENTATION IN GAZA: Elei Sinai, a community in Gaza, has created a PowerPoint presentation about their commitment to the land and why they are not willing to give up their homes. To see the PowerPoint presentation from Elei Sinai, follow this link: <http://tinyurl.com/4txne>. (You must have PowerPoint installed on your computer.)
.....................................................................:: THOUSANDS IN HEBRON FOR SABBATH: Well over 20,000 people participated in the annual Hebron Sabbath last week, marking the public reading of the weekly Torah portion "Chaye Sarah" [Genesis 23:1-25:18]. The portion recounts Abraham's purchase of the Machpelah Cave and the area around it as a burial plot for his wife Sarah; Abraham, Isaac, Rebecca, Jacob, and Leah were later buried there as well. Hebron Jewish Community spokesman Noam Arnon told ARUTZ-7 that many prayer services were held throughout the Sabbath in the Machpelah Cave, the nearby Avraham Avinu synagogue, and elsewhere in the Jewish quarter of the ancient city. Tours, lectures and discussion groups were also held. The IDF was out in force to protect the visitors.
.....................................................................:: INFILTRATION OF AN IRANIAN UAV INTO ISRAEL: Sunday morning an Iranian UAV (unmanned air vehicle) operated by the Hizb'Allah terror organization infiltrated into Israel over the western Galilee. This incident is a part of the terrorist activity carried out by the Hizb'Allah terrorist organization with the support of Iran and Syria and under the auspices of Lebanon, with the aim of targeting Israeli citizens. This is further evidence of the lack of control of the Lebanese government of activities carried out from within its territory, something which may cause harm to Lebanon and its citizens. Apparently, the drone carried a camera capable of transmitting images while the plane is in motion. On Monday, Hizb'Allah's television channel, AL-MANAR, aired footage of what it said was the drone it had sent into Israel. The Iranian activity can be regarded as a clear-cut case of aggression against Israel. On Tuesday, Iran announced that it can manufacture large quantities of the med
ium-range Shihab-3 missile, which is believed to be capable of hitting Israel. What makes the drone incident unusual is that Iranian military experts from the Revolutionary Guards sent their people to a third country to act against Israel. Their support for 'Palestinian' terror groups was usually done with money or weapons. In this case, Iranians were involved directly in launching the drone and preparing it for its mission. If Iran is ready to take the risk with such a direct involvement, it could slide into even riskier moves.
.....................................................................:: RAMADAN BLOCKS TEMPLE MOUNT MARCH: For the second month in a row, the police have banned the monthly "March Around the Temple Mount Gates." Up to 5,000 people have participated in past events of this nature. The police fear that unwelcome friction with thousands of Moslem worshipers arriving for the Moslem month of Ramadan is liable to occur. Last month's walk around the gates was also banned, for the same reason. The monthly March Around the Gates, held at the start of every Jewish month (Rosh Chodesh), began with a small group three years ago, and has since become a very popular event. The marchers express their desire to identify with the Temple Mount by circling the holy site, and stopping - and often singing - at each of the gates.
.....................................................................:: DEATH MAKES ARAFAT A HERO AND GREAT STATEMAN: [I hesitated to say anything about Arafat as the media as already done more than their share. However, there is one aspect that is simply amazing: Arafat's sudden transformation into an alleged 'great and noble statesman'.--ed] UN Secretary General Kofi Annan described Arafat as "the man who initiated the peace of the brave". British Prime Minister Tony Blair said that Arafat "led his people to an historic acceptance of the need for a two-state solution." The Associated Press' timeline of Arafat's life was very widely reprinted, but it doesn't note any of the terror attacks he was responsible for. Until the very end, some prominent Western journalists never stopped heaping praise on Arafat, or covering up for his countless crimes and misdeeds. It didn't matter how many Jews, Arabs, and others died on his orders, or how many times he let down his own people, or stole from them. To judge by some of the reporting, Arafat was a fig
ure who deserved to be deeply revered. The last time BBC correspondents were so emotional during their reporting was when Britain's Princess Diana died.While many world leaders and secular media outlets are offering glowing tributes for Arafat, there were some who shone light on Arafat's real accomplishments. Jeff Jacoby's column in the BOSTON GLOBE on Friday has this headline: "Arafat the monster." He notes that Arafat "left this world peacefully ... lying in a bed surrounded by familiar faces ... unlike the thousands of victims he sent to early graves." Jacoby says in a better world, national leaders - including U.S. President Bush - would not be offering statements such as "G-d bless his soul.... Everyone knows Arafat's name, but who ever recalls the names of his victims?" Dore Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, says it is absurd that the man who invented international terrorism is now, in death, being treated like the king of England.
.....................................................................[Sources: Arutz-7, Jerusalem Post, Ha'aretz, AP, The Media Line, IMRA, MENL, IDF Spokesperson, Voice of Judea, BBC, Guardian, National Review]
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"On your walls, O Jerusalem, I have appointed watchmen; all day and all night they will never keep silent. You who remind the L-rd, take no rest for yourselves." Isaiah 62:6
Emet News Service (ENS) is a weekly review and analysis of news and events relating to Israel and the Jewish people. "Emet" is the Hebrew word for "truth". As the nations gather against Israel and the Jewish people, ENS is dedicated to bringing forth the truth of what is happening in the world today.
Your comments and suggestions are welcome. Address them to: Lee Underwood, Editor at: leeu@shamar.org