To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Asteroid misses Earth 'by whisker'
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 13:43:15 -0000

[Note: "Target Earth" by Duncan Steel is mentioned in this article.
For further information and a review of this book see BPR message
#414 in our archives at http://www.egroups.com/message/bprlist/414 ]

Saturday, 23 December, 2000, 13:49 GMT
Asteroid misses Earth 'by whisker'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/sci/tech/newsid_1084000/1084476.stm

An asteroid capable of wiping out a city has missed the Earth by an
astronomical whisker.

The 50-yard space rock travelled over London at more than 20 miles
per second before missing the planet by just 480,000 miles - twice
the distance to the moon but a near miss in astronomical terms.

If it had collided with Earth it would have left a hole three
quarters of a mile across.

The asteroid, still visible through a reasonably powerful telescope
in the constellation of Ophiuchus, appeared without warning above the
capital at 2400GMT on Friday.

Robin Scagell, vice-president of the Society for Popular Astronomy,
said astronomers can track kilometre-wide asteroids - but spotting
smaller objects is much harder.

"Not long ago something like this would have been totally
overlooked," he said.

"Now with the advanced image detectors available today we are
beginning to realise that we're in a bit of a shooting gallery."

The asteroid, which has been given the name 2000 YA, is big enough to
have devastated London, Mr Scagell added.

"An object this size would leave a crater three quarters of a mile
across," he said.

Devastated London

"Imagine that in Piccadilly Circus."

"We've probably been quite lucky up to now.

"There are probably thousands of objects of this size out there."

Professor Duncan Steel, the author of Target Earth - a book about
asteroids, told the BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "The last time the
Earth was hit by something like this was in 1908 above Siberia.

"It released energy equivalent to about 20 megatonnes of TNT.

"If it was to enter the atmosphere above London, it would take out
the whole of the city out to the M25."

In September, a government task force established to assess the
threat of so-called Near Earth Objects (Neos) called on ministers to
seek international partners to build a new =A315m telescope dedicated
to sweeping the skies for threatening objects.

The three-metre (9.8 feet) survey telescope, based in the Southern
Hemisphere, would be designed to detect objects down to a few hundred
metres across.

Other recommendations of the official report included the setting up
of an asteroid defence centre in Britain and working with the
international community on ways to mitigate any future impacts.

The Liberal Democrat MP Lembit Opik, who campaigned for the task
force to be set up, called for =A370m ($98m) to be spent globally over
10 years on technology to track approaching asteroids.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) ReligionToday News Summary for Friday, December 22, 2000
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 08:45:08 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 22 Dec 2000 1:0:9
Subject: ReligionToday News Summary for Friday, December 22, 2000
To: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
From: Crosswalk.com <newsletters@crosswalk.com>

          C U R R E N T N E W S S U M M A R Y
              by the Editors of ReligionToday

December 22, 2000

[..edited..]

Secret police in Turkmenistan evicted two Christian families in the capital city of Ashgabad, just 10 days after their house-church pastor's home was confiscated, Compass Direct News Service (see link #4 below) reports.

...Batir Nurov was thrown out of his home Dec. 20, along with his wife, Hasanowa Enejan, and their infant son, according to Compass. National Security Committee, or KNB, officers gave him a one-hour ultimatum to evacuate after questioning him as to the whereabouts of the family of his pastor, Shokhrat Piriyev, evicted Dec. 9 from their private home in the suburban village. Police watched as Nurov packed and removed his family's belongings, then sealed the door. Officials told him his residence permit in Ashgabad was cancelled but his passport would be returned and he would be given copies of the formal confiscation documents, Compass reported.

...Umit Koshkarov, his wife, Germezy, and their toddler son were told to move out by 8 a.m. Dec. 21, Compass reported. A KNB agent from Ahal district issued the orders late on Dec. 20. To ensure that they complied, the policeman locked the apartment registered to Mrs. Koshkarov from the outside to prevent their escape and pocketed the keys. Mrs. Koshkarov spoke with Compass before noon Dec. 21 and confirmed that her family's possessions were being removed from the dwelling. The family said they had no place to store their household items and they did not know where they would find a place to stay, Compass reported.

...The evictions follow repeated interrogations, beatings, torture, and intimidation of the three men, according to Compass. Earlier this year, they and an unmarried church member were implicated for having Christian contraband. Authorities discovered copies of the "Jesus" video in the Turkmen language in Nurov's car after a Nov. 21 accident. For three days the men were beaten, given electric shocks, and suffocated until they passed out, and after their release, officials continued to question and threaten them, Compass reported.

..."We don't know what to do, where to go," Piriyev told Compass on Dec. 21. His house church cannot obtain legal registration under Turkmenistan's repressive religious laws and its members are regularly rounded up for interrogation, he said. "Our situation is getting very difficult."

--------

Churches increasingly are using the Internet to reach new members and encourage interaction within their congregations, a new study found. In the first research of its kind, the Pew Internet and American Life Project surveyed the online habits of 1,309 wired congregations to see how they use the World Wide Web to further their religious work. The churches responded to an email request to participate in the study, then filled out an online questionnaire.

...About 83 percent said their church's use of the Internet improved their congregational life, a surprise to Pew researchers. Conventional wisdom says that Internet users are young, libertarian technophiles, but "we found the exact opposite," project director Lee Rainie told The Associated Press (see link #6 below). "These traditional faith-based organizations were embracing modern technologies for their own purposes" and showed "a quite joyous level of communication."

...Most of the church web sites are constructed by members of the congregations, the study showed. "It's pretty simple stuff," Rainie said, "not real fancy, but it helps them stay connected with each other and extend their good works into the world."

...But some sites showed an awareness that people use the Internet to "shop" for places of worship, Rainie said. Several web sites featured virtual tours of the grounds, printable church bulletins, electronic Christian greeting cards, archived audiosermons, and even video webcasts of their worship services. Such interactive web sites give strangers a sense of what it's like to be there and make the church-search less daunting, he said.

...Ministers and rabbis use the Internet for the same things most non-clergy do, the survey found. In addition to email and shopping, "they treat it as a vast library in which to hunt for material that matters most to them," report author Elena Larson said. A striking number get online to find resources for worship services, sermons, and church education programs, and some even use it for personal devotions, she said.

-----------
RELATED LINKS:
4: http://www.compassdirect.org
6: http://www.ap.org

-----------
News from ReligionToday is Copyrighted by Crosswalk.com.
Content may be reproduced provided proper credit is
given to religiontoday.crosswalk.com. Please go to
http://www.crosswalk.com/info/copyright to be sure you
meet all legal requirements.

------- End of forwarded message -------

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Artifacts linked to Noah's Ark claim miraculous powers
From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 14:04:38 -0000

SUNDAY DECEMBER 24 2000

Ancient relics bring 'healing' to Kurds
Artifacts linked to Noah's Ark claim miraculous powers

Editor's note: WorldNetDaily international correspondent Anthony
LoBaido recently returned from having climbed Turkey's Mount Ararat.
While there, he filed the following account of a purported faith-
based cure involving an artifact said to have been fashioned from
remains of Noah's Ark. Last month's edition of the monthly WorldNet
magazine, WorldNetDaily's sister print publication, featured as its
cover story LoBaido's in-depth report, "Raiders of the lost Ark,"
which chronicled his hair-raising adventure while following in the
tracks of famous Ark-hunters. Readers are invited to subscribe to
WorldNet at WND's online store.

KARABALA, Turkey -- In the shadows of Mount Ararat, thought by many
to be the resting place of Noah's Ark, many Kurdish people cling to
what have been described as healing properties of ancient relics
linked to the fabled seafaring vessel.

The mysteries of the fabled relics is almost as brilliant, glorious
and elusive as the secrets of the Ark itself. According to some area
residents, items taken from or made from the gopher wood thought to
have been used by Noah to build the Ark have manifested miraculous
powers -- healing powers, the locals say, that have offered hope to
the sick and distressed in this region troubled by war, earthquakes
and ethnic discord.

When WorldNetDaily traveled to Mount Ararat and Kurdistan-Iraq
recently, this reporter had the opportunity to interview many people
whose own lives had been affected in one way or another by what they
believe to be Noahian relics.

An ancient tale

The idea of the faithful gathering and using relics said to be from
Noah's Ark is well-documented in both history and local legend.

While renowned men such as Marco Polo and the Roman historian Flavius
Josephus documented the existence of the Ark in both their travels
and writings, Beroso, the Babylonian historian-priest-astronomer,
went even further.

-- more --

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/bluesky_lobaido_news/20001224_xnlob_ancie
nt_re.shtml

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Muslims around the world march for Jerusalem Day
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 19:56:31 -0500

Muslims around the world march for Jerusalem Day

Jerusalem Day is celebrated yearly on the last Friday of the holy month of
Ramadan

 December 24, 2000, 11:21 AM

OCCUPIED JERUSALEM (Agencies) - Hundreds of thousands of people had
demonstrated in Berlin, Tehran, Gaza City, Damascus, and Beirut, calling fo r
the "demise of Israel."

In Germany, around 1,800 Muslims, mostly Palestinians and Iranians,
marched in the streets of Berlin to mark "Al Quds (Jerusalem) Day", calling
for the "liberation of Palestine and Jerusalem", local police said.

The protest -- which took place one day after Jerusalem Day -- was peaceful ,
police said, who had put hundreds of officers on alert for the rally.

Jerusalem Day is celebrated yearly on the last Friday of the holy month of
Ramadan, and was established in Iran after the Islamic revolution of 1979.

In Lebanon, over 100,000 party members of the Shiite Hizbullah movement
marched in the southern suburbs of Beirut over a US flag, protesting what
they called "ongoing oppression of Muslims worldwide." Former Hezbollah
secretary-general Sheikh Sobhi Toufayli gave a speech condemning the
Isreali violence in the West Bank.

In the Syrian capital city, Damascus, thousands of demonstrators, mostly
Palestinians and Iranians, marching in support of the Palestinian uprising
against Israeli occupation, held up posters showing Jerusalem's Dome of the
Rock, Iranian spiritual leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and late spiritual
leader Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini.

In Iran, hundreds of thousands of Iranians demonstrated in the streets of
Tehran and the country's main cities, calling for the 'demise of Israel' an d the
'liberation of the holy Muslim land of Palestine'. Women and young Iranians ,
participating in the pro-Intifada rally, were seen wearing headbands that r ead,
"we are coming," and holding up their hands painted in red in solidarity wi th
the Palestinian uprising.

In Pakistan, most of its cities witnessed rallies organized by the Shiite
Muslim group, Tehreek-i-Jafria Pakistan (TJP). Protestors burned the Israel i
flag and held slogans against Israel and America.

Dozens of TJP activists have been arrested by the police and later released
as there was ban on rallies and processions on the main Mall road of Lahore
city, Pakistani police said. Arabia on Line =A9

http://www.arabia.com/article/0,1690,Life|36198,00.html

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Clinton expects mid-week response to proposals
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:08:08 -0500

 
Sunday, December 24, 2000

Clinton expects mid-week response to proposals

                  By Aluf Benn and Nitzan Horowitz
                  Ha'aretz Correspondents

After five days of inconclusive Israeli-Palestinian talks, Prime Minister Ehud
Barak and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat are to respond by Wednesday to
bridging ideas proposed by President Bill Clinton.

If Barak and Arafat can agree to the Clinton proposals as a basis for
continuing the peace negotiations, they will be invited to Washington next
weekend for separate meetings with the outgoing president.

If those meetings go well, the two sides could agree to another summit. This
would hammer out an agreement that would be initialed before Clinton leaves
office, say Israeli sources.

Israeli and Palestinian negotiators yesterday wound up their latest round of
talks at the Bolling Air Force base near Washington and headed home after
meeting Clinton.

Israeli officials sounded optimistic about the talks, but the Palestinians
continued to exude pessimism. Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami said good
reasons remain to continue the talks. "There is something to talk about," he
said.

Yasser Abed Rabbo, a member of the Palestinian delegation, said Israel had
pulled back on an earlier offer on Jerusalem, one of the most contentious
issues. "We are facing a crisis. We are not close on any of the issues," he
said.

Arafat stressed that many obstacles remained. "Unfortunately there are
many hurdles and the Israelis have even begun to retreat from what they
were saying before," he told Jordanian state television on his arrival at
Amman airport, before going to the royal palace to brief King Abdullah on the
latest peace effort.

Barak aides said the prime minister would wait to see how the Palestinians
reacted to Clinton's proposals before deciding their own response. "If the
response is positive [on the Palestinian side], we'll continue talking," said
one aide. He said Israel was inclined to accept the proposals, if the
Palestinians also do so.

Here are the main points of Clinton's proposals:

* Jerusalem - The city will be divided along the principle of "Arab sections to
the Arabs, Jewish sections to the Jews." The Palestinians will get the Arab
neighborhoods of East Jerusalem and the Arab quarter of the Old City,
including the Temple Mount (within the boundaries). Israel will get the Jewish
neighborhoods and the Jewish and Armenian quarters of the Old City,
including the Western Wall. Effectively, Clinton is tending toward the
Palestinian stance. Israel has been insisting that Jewish affinity to the
Temple Mount be recognized and wants to assure that Jews have a right to
pray there. The issue of how to link up the patchwork of Arab and Jewish
neighborhood remains a thorny one.

* Refugees - A special apparatus will be set up to deal with this issue and
will determine criteria for the return of refugees, for their absorption in another
area, and compensation. Most of the refugees will be settled in the country
where they now reside, some will be absorbed in the Palestinian Authority
areas, and only a small number will be allowed to return to pre-1967 Israel.
Effectively, Clinton accepted Israel's position on this issue.

* State and land - A Palestinian state will be established on 95 percent of the
West Bank and 100 percent of the Gaza Strip. The remaining 5 percent of
territory will be in areas with settlement blocs. Certain settlements will be
evacuated, first and foremost those in the Gaza Strip.

The bottom line of Clinton's proposals is Israeli concessions on Jerusalem,
the borders and the land to be returned in exchange for the Palestinians
compromising on the issue of the right of return for refugees.

Palestinian officials acknowledged that although this was a particularly
auspicious time for trying to reach an agreement and to make final good use
of Clinton's experience and commitment to a Middle East peace agreement,
there was no reason to think that the Middle East would not remain high on
the U.S. agenda after he leaves office on January 20.

"Making peace between Israel and the Palestinians is not a favor we are
asking from the United States," said chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb
Erekat. "American interest in the Middle East will not end on January 20.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=12/24/00&
id=104390

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] BreakingNews-Israel 1,2,3,4,5,6 (12/24/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:23:39 -0500

1. Two killed in predawn MVA on Aravah road=09
2. Heavy gunfire at Kfar Darom late Saturday night=09
3. Elon Moreh comes under fire twice on Saturday night=09
4. Ofer base attacked with gunfire during the night=09
5. Ministry of Interior strike =96 week 5=09
6. Moscow Jewish leader attacked in Moscow synagogue=09

*************************
24-DEC-00 =96 6:40am
*************************

1. Two killed in predawn MVA on Aravah road
(BNI-DEC.24) Two persons were killed in a motor vehicle accident at about
3:00am Sunday morning. A jeep traveling south towards Eilat veered from
its lane striking a taxi head-on that was traveling north.

The driver of the cab and the person seated next to him were killed
instantly. Others in the cab were seriously injured. The passengers of the
jeep sustained light injuries. The seriously injured were transported by
military helicopter to the trauma unit of the Soroka Medical Center in
Beersheba. The passengers of the jeep were transported to Yossef-Tal
Hospital in Eilat.

Police believe that the accident which occurred about 70 kilometers (42
miles) north of Eilat was caused by the driver of the jeep falling asleep.

    ++++
2. Heavy gunfire at Kfar Darom late Saturday night
(BNI-DEC.24) Heavy gunfire was reported at Kfar Darom in southern Gaza on
Saturday night near midnight. IDF forces returned fire. No injuries.

Gunfire was also directed at soldiers at the Rafiach Crossing to Egypt. No
injuries.

    ++++
3. Elon Moreh comes under fire twice on Saturday night
(BNI-DEC.24) The Jewish community of Elon Moreh, in northern Samaria,
came
under attack with gunfire twice during the night. There were no reported
injuries.

    ++++

4. Ofer base attacked with gunfire during the night
(BNI-DEC.24) At about 1:00am, shots were fired at the IDF=92s Ofer base in
the Ramallah District of Samaria. No injuries. Soldiers returned fire.

    ++++

5. Ministry of Interior strike =96 week 5
(BNI-DEC.24) Employees of the Ministry of the Interior are beginning week
five of their strike on Sunday. Negotiations are underway but to date,
marathon sessions failed to bring an end to the strike. As a result,
persons may not obtain passports, birth certificates, gun licenses and
other documents.

    ++++

6. Moscow Jewish leader attacked in Moscow synagogue
(BNI-DEC.24) Avraham Berkowitz, a leader of the Moscow Jewish community
was attacked and seriously injured in a beating in a Moscow synagogue on
the Sabbath. Three persons dragged him to the basement of the house of
worship and severely beat the community leader who was admitted to a local
hospital.

Police are investigating.

--------------

1. Stabbing in Nes Tziona in attempted robbery=09
2. Roadside bomb near Beit Aryeh=09

***************************
24-DEC-00 =96 07:45am
***************************

1. Stabbing in Nes Tziona in attempted robbery
(BNI-DEC.24) A man was stabbed in a predawn robbery attempt on Tabor
Street in Nez Tziona.

When the victim arrived at his home and got out of the vehicle, he was
attacked by two persons who tried to take his car keys. The owner of the
vehicle was stabbed and is listed in light-to-moderate condition in Assaf
HaRofeh Hospital. The attackers fled.

    ++++
2. Roadside bomb near Beit Aryeh
(BNI-DEC.24) A roadside bomb was detonated during the night against an
Israeli motorist traveling near Beit Aryeh located in the Modi=92in area, 1 1
kilometers (6.6 miles) from Ben-Gurion International Airport. No injuries.
No addition information available in the Israel Radio report.

--------------

1. Civilian vehicles attacked by gunfire in Gaza
(BNI-DEC.24) Civilian vehicles traveling on the Karni/Netzarim road in
Gaza a short time ago were attacked by gunfire. There were no reported
injuries.

--------------

1. Ambulance attacked by stone-throwers in East Jerusalem
(BNI-DEC.24) A Magen David Adom emergency medical service ambulance
was
attacked by Arab stone-throwers on Salah a-Din Street in East Jerusalem on
Sunday morning. There were no injuries but the vehicle was damaged.

The vehicle was the 51st MDA ambulance damaged in Intifada attacks since
Sept. 29. As a result of the sharp increase in attacks against ambulances
in the Jerusalem area, all the windows on Jerusalem District ambulances
have been replaced from the glass to shatterproof Lexan.=09=09

    ****
2. Israeli motorist escapes injury in shooting attack
(BNI-DEC.24) An Israeli motorist traveling in the Benjamin Regional
Council of Samaria on Sunday was attacked with gunfire between the Ofer
IDF base and the community of Ateret. (Kol Rina News Agency =96 formally Ko l
M=92Hashetach)

    ****

3. Robbery in Kiryat Gat
(BNI-DEC.24) Two perpetrators described to police as =93minorities=94 robbe d a
shopper in the Kiryat Gat Super Center store. The victim was robbed of a
bag containing a large undisclosed sum of money as well as a handgun. No
additional information available at this time. No one was injured in he
robbery. (Kol Rina News Agency =96 formally Kol M=92Hashetach)

    ****

4. Three injured in Um el-Fahm bank robbery
(BNI-DEC.24) Three persons were injured in a Sunday robbery of a bank in
the Israeli Arab municipality of Um el-Fahm. Robbers entered the bank and
began firing their weapons, injuring one person with shrapnel from the
gunfire. Two others required treatment for hysteria.

    ****

5. Shooting directed at Neve Dekalim industrial zone
(BNI-DEC.24) Arabs from the PA autonomous areas in Gaza fired at the
industrial zone of the Jewish Gazan community of Neve Dekalim. No
injuries.

-----------

1. Islamic Jihad threatens to bomb Israeli cities
(BNI-DEC.24) Speaking at a funeral of a PA resident over the weekend, and
Islamic Jihad official vowed that the terror organization would perpetrate
suicide bombing attacks inside Israeli cities during the Moslem holiday of
Eid el-Fitr which follows the month of Ramadan.

The words of the terror leader were carried in an official PA newspaper,
al-Hayat al-Jedidah.

    *****

2. Body of Arab man found in northern Jerusalem
(BNI-DEC.24) The body of an Arab man was discovered in northern Jerusalem
near Aram Junction. Family members told Israel police that the man was
shot and killed by =93settlers=94 =96 Jewish residents of Yesha, on Saturda y
night on his way to work.

PA officials announced an investigation was being launched and all
possibilities are being investigated, including the theory that the man
was killed for his working as an informant for Israel.

The body was transferred to the Abu Kabir Forensic Institute.

    ****
3. Bomb found by Kibbutz Erez
(BNI-DEC.24) An explosive device was discovered near Kibbutz Erez,
adjacent to the Green Line north of Gaza. IDF bomb-demolition experts
safely neutralized the device without incident.

-----------

1. Roadside bomb detonated against vehicles by Netzarim
(BNI-DEC.24) A roadside bomb was detonated against Israeli vehicles
leaving Netzarim in Gaza shortly before 7:00pm. No injuries but some of
the vehicles were damaged.

An explosion was also detonated near Netzarim and an investigation into
that attack revealed that grenades that are capable of penetrating the
armor-plated escort military jeep were directed at the IDF vehicle. No
injuries.

At about 6:30pm, a roadside bomb was also detonated in the same area
against a civilian passenger bus. No injuries. The bus was traveling from
Netzarim to Karnei.

    ****
2. IDF position near Netzarim attacked with gunfire
(BNI-DEC.24) An IDF position adjacent to the Gazan community of Netzarim
was attacked with gunfire on Sunday night. No injuries. Soldiers returned
fire.

    ****

3. Shots fired at Israeli vehicle at Karnei
(BNI-DEC.24) A civilian employee at the Karnei Crossing in Gaza was
attacked on Sunday evening by gunfire aimed at the car. The bullets missed
the vehicle and there were no injuries.

     ****

4. Teen stabbed in Jaffe
(BNI-DEC.24) A 15-year-old was stabbed in his chest on Sunday night in an
altercation with a 24-year-old man in the Jaffe section of Tel Aviv. The
altercation occurred at 41 Shivtei Yisrael Street in the city.

The victim was transported to Wolfson Hospital. The 24-year-old turned
himself over to police explaining the youth was trying to damage the car
belonging to the attacker=92s father.

    ****
5. Israeli lightly injured in stone-throwing attack on Hussan bypass
(BNI-DEC.24) A female sustained light injuries in a stone-throwing attack
on the Hussan bypass road late Sunday night. The road is located west of
the PA autonomous city of Bethlehem.

    ****

6. Shooting attack in Ramallah area
(BNI-DEC.24) The Office of the IDF Spokesman reported that at about
5:30pm, an Israeli vehicle traveling west of Ramallah was fired upon. No
injuries. No additional details.

    ****

7. Shooting attack near Dolev
(BNI-DEC.24) An Israeli vehicle traveling near Dolev, in the Benjamin
Regional Council of Samaria, was attacked by gunfire shortly after 8:00pm.
No injuries. A search of the attack area revealed shells from a
Kalashnikov AK-47 automatic weapon.
    ****

8. IDF position south of Nablus attacked by gunfire
(BNI-DEC.24) An IDF position in northern Samaria, near the community of
Har Bracha, was attacked late Sunday night with gunfire. No injuries.

    ****
    ****
News items published by BNI (BreakingNews-Israel) may be
distributed, copied, posted providing the websites and other forums
carrying the stories display the footer below in plain view on the same
page with the news.=09=09=09=09

=93To subscribe to the BreakingNews-Israel list,
send a blank email message to <44828-subscribe@listbot.com>=94

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] U.S. Missile System Aimed at World Domination, not Rogue States
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:28:13 -0500

U.S. Missile System Aimed at World Domination, not Rogue States

MOSCOW, Dec 23, 2000 -- (Agence France Presse) The only reason the
United States is seeking to deploy a national missile defense system (NMD)
is the country's desire to strategically dominate the world, Russian Defense
Minister Igor Sergeyev said Saturday.

The perceived threat to the United States of a missile attack from a "rogue"
nation like Iran or North Korea was not realistic, Sergeyev said in an interview
published in the Russian daily Krasnaya Zvezda (Red Star).

The deployment of the NMD would be "directed against Russia," he told the
newspaper.

"Our position remains unchanged. Russia will not accept an alteration to the
ABM (Anti-Ballistic Missile) Treaty, which would mean (the treaty's)
destruction," Sergeyev insisted.

Deployment of the NMD would involved modifying the ABM Treaty signed
between Moscow and Washington in 1972.

Colin Powell, expected to be the new US Secretary of State under president
elect George Bush, has said he favors deploying the NMD, but Moscow has
repeatedly threatened that it will withdraw disarmament agreements if that
happens.

Sergeyev also said that Russian relations with NATO were marked by "a
great lack of trust", and repeated his opposition to NATO enlargement to
include former Soviet states.

Such a move would be "a grave political error," he said.

Russia has adopted a more positive attitude to its relations with NATO since
May.

Prior to that relations had been frozen following NATO'S bombardment of
Yugoslavia, which began in March 1999.

"Russia and NATO are major players," both in Europe and in the world as a
whole, Sergeyev said.

"They cannot ignore their respective interests." ((c) 2000 Agence France
Presse)

http://www.russiatoday.com/news.php3?id=235461&text

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Saddam builds new atom bomb
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:31:39 -0500

Saddam builds new atom bomb

Marie Colvin, Amman

SADDAM HUSSEIN has ordered his scientists to resume work on a
programme
aimed at making a nuclear bomb, a defector warned yesterday. The Iraqi
dictator, whose efforts to make atomic weapons were thwarted by United
Nations inspectors after the Gulf war in 1991, revived the plans two years
ago, the defector said.

Scientists who had previously worked on the weapons programme were
made to
return to their duties in August 1998, four months before Saddam expelled
the inspectors.

According to Salman Yassin Zweir, a design engineer who was employed by
the Iraqi Atomic Energy Commission for 13 years, the instruction came in a
document marked "top secret" which identified a research centre on
Al-Jadriya Street, Baghdad, as the headqarters of the new operation.

Zweir was arrested and tortured after refusing to go back to the
programme. He escaped to Jordan, where he spoke for the first time last
week after being reunited with his wife, who was also tortured, and their
two sons, aged seven and six.

"Saddam is very proud of his nuclear team," said Zweir, 39. "He will never
give up the dream of being the first Arab leader to have a nuclear bomb."

American intelligence officials will now debrief Zweir, whose information
will raise international concern that Saddam is intent on developing
weapons of mass destruction.

Colin Powell, the retired Gulf war general named by President-elect George
W Bush as the next secretary of state, is expected to use the threat to
press the case in Europe for America's so-called "son of star wars"
national missile defence system.

A senior western diplomat said last night: "This is the first concrete
evidence of what we feared might be happening."

Zweir will also be interviewed by officials from the International Atomic
Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna, which carried out more than 1,000
inspections between 1991 and 1997 to satisfy the UN security council that
everything possible had been done to dismantle Iraq's nuclear weapons
programme.

"We will investigate the evidence," said Hans Meyer, a spokesman.

Zweir graduated from Baghdad University and joined the atomic energy
commission in 1985 as a mechanical engineer on a salary of $1,000 a month,
double the money earned by an average government official with 15 years'
experience.

He signed an agreement that made it clear he would be executed if ever he
left his job or revealed Iraq's nuclear secrets. "As of today, I have
broken both conditions," he said.

As a member of Iraq's scientific elite, Zweir had a comfortable government
villa in the Khairallah Tulfah complex in Baghdad. Security agents drove
him to work and back daily, and he assumed that both his house and his car
were bugged.

Zweir worked on two methods of producing highly enriched uranium for a
nuclear weapon. According to UN inspectors, the commission was between
one
and four years away from making a bomb when its main facilities were
destroyed in the Gulf war.

Based at a complex named al-Krayat on the Tigris River on the outskirts of
Baghdad, Zweir helped design gas centrifuges that yielded small amounts of
highly enriched uranium, although not enough for a bomb.

For part of the time, Zweir worked under Dr Jaafar Jaafar, the head of the
atomic commission. The weapons programme, known as Project 3000, was
supervised by Hussein Kamel, Saddam's son-in-law, who was later executed.

Kamel put the team under enormous pressure, Zweir said. "He would say,
'You must complete this work in three months.' There was no life outside
work."

After the Gulf war halted the programme, Iraq at first denied that it had
existed. In a little-noticed speech last September, however, Saddam said
his nuclear scientists were part of the fight against Iraq's enemies.

Zweir said the Iraqi security service had moved technical components
around during and after the war to conceal them from allied bombers and,
later, from UN inspectors. "Only section heads could speak to the
inspectors," he said. "They lied and lied and lied."

The first Zweir knew of the resumption of the weapons programme was an
order to leave his work on civilian projects, including a suspension
bridge in Baghdad, and report to the atomic commisson's engineering design
unit. The order was signed by Mehdi Shuqr Ghali, the programme's director.

"I felt I was being asked to participate in a filthy act," he said. "I
could not do it."

Within hours of his refusal to rejoin, he was arrested in his office and
taken to a military intelligence prison at al-Kadamiya. He was punched,
kicked and beaten with iron bars for three weeks.

After losing consciousness, he was taken to hospital, apparently because
his jailers did not want him to die. Following the intervention of a
hospital employee who knew his family, he was smuggled to a farm in
southern Iraq and fled to Jordan in October 1998.

Charles Duelfer, the former deputy head of UN inspectors in Iraq, said
last night he was "very concerned" to hear Zweir's story. "When we were
working in Iraq there was a pattern that appeared to show ongoing
research, but we never found direct evidence," he said.

Powell indicated last week that he would resist growing international
pressure to lift UN sanctions against Iraq until Saddam accounted fully
for all weapons of mass destruction.

"We're doing this to protect the people of the region . . . who would be
the targets of these weapons if we did not contain them and eliminate
them," he said.

http://www.sunday-
times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2000/12/24/stifgnmid01001.htm
l

via: Third_Watch@egroups.com

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (12/24/00)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:54:18 -0500

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, Dec. 24, 2000 / Kislev 27, 5761 - Third Day of Chanukah

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. PALESTINIANS SHOOT, ISRAEL GIVES
   2. THE CONCESSIONS
   3. BARAK READY TO GIVE
   4. FURY ON THE RIGHT
   5. TEMPLE MOUNT LEADER SPEAKS
   6. TWO SUCCESSFUL IDF MISSIONS
   7. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL VANDALIZED
   8. KINNERET UP 5 OVER THE WEEK

1. PALESTINIANS SHOOT, ISRAEL GIVES
Progress on the Israeli-Palestinian diplomatic front appears to be keeping
pace with that of the Palestinian shooting in Gaza, Judea, and Samaria.
As the negotiating delegations take a few-day break to discuss U.S.
President Clinton's final "bridging" proposals - calling for full
Palestinian control over the Temple Mount - the Palestinians continued
last night and this morning to attack Israeli targets throughout Yesha. A
bus was shot at this morning on the Netzarim-Karni road, a grenade was
thrown at an IDF force near Netzer Chazani, and an Israeli ambulance was
stoned and damaged in eastern Jerusalem. No one was hurt in these
incidents.

Over the night, a roadside bomb exploded west of Ariel as a woman from
Alei Zahav drove by; her car was damaged. Palestinian terrorists shot at
an Israeli car near Elon Moreh, on Elon Moreh itself, and at Ofer Base.
In Gaza, IDF outposts at Dugit, Kfar Darom, N'vei Dekalim, and Rafiach
were shot at; no one was hurt.

Late Friday afternoon, three IDF soldiers were wounded - two seriously -
when a Palestinian suicide terrorist detonated a bomb at a highway cafe
near the Jordan Valley town of Mechola. The terrorist was killed; the
condition of the soldiers improved over the weekend. Jordan Valley
residents blocked Arab traffic on the Jordan Valley highway at two
intersections this morning, in what one Valley resident said today was
merely "a way of releasing steam." Itzik Miller of Shadmot Mechola told
Arutz-7 that the fury and frustration among the residents is tremendous,
"as the media acts as if the Jordan Valley has practically been given away
already, and people are in tremendous economic straits and security
dangers."

Later in the day today, Palestinians shot on and damaged an Israeli car on
the Givat Ze'ev-Ofer road, and shot at the IDF Yasmin outpost near Ganei
Tal, in Gush Katif (Gaza). So reports Kol Rina, formerly known as HaKol
MeHashetach News Agency; founder Chaim Didovsky has now named it
after his
wife Rina, who was murdered by Palestinian terrorists two weeks ago
outside Kiryat Arba. [Donations to the six Didovsky children, including
Aviad who will be Bar Mitzvah this week, can be made via the National
Council of Young Israel, with a notation earmarking it for the Didovsky
Children Fund; mail to: NCYI, 3 W.16th St., NY NY 10011, to the attention
of Chana S.]

2. THE CONCESSIONS
"A going-out-of-business sale." So do nationalist-camp leaders term the
Israeli-Palestinian talks in Washington and the concessions that
resigned-Prime Minister Ehud Barak is prepared to make. The Israeli
delegation to Washington will land in Israel this afternoon, for a few
days of deliberations over Clinton's final "bridging" proposals. The
government tends to agree to the proposals, although only if the
Palestinians do - and they say they don't.

Clinton suggests that Israel agree to:
* a Palestinian state on 95% of Judea and Samaria and 100% of Gaza;
* the entry of 150,000 Arab refugees to Israel and their settling in the
Negev; * and the transfer of full sovereignty of Arab-populated
neighborhoods in Jerusalem, such as Beit Tzafafa (in the south), Lifta (in
the west), more than half of the Old City, Mt. of Olives, and Beit Hanina
(near N'vei Yaakov) - and full control of the Temple Mount.

In exchange, the Palestinians will cede the "right of return" for other
Arab refugees from 1948, will announce the "end of the dispute" - and may
also agree to recognize an Israeli "affinity" to the Temple Mount. A
senior Israeli political figure who took part in the talks said that the
Palestinians were amazed at the Israeli concessions, but still refuse to
back off from their "right of return."

3. BARAK READY TO GIVE
Prime Minister Barak told his Cabinet today that every opportunity must be
seized to come to an agreement, "for if not, then within five to ten
years, the Israeli-Arab conflict will become nuclear." Health Minister
Roni Milo (Center) said he would not remain a member of a government that
is willing to cede Israeli sovereignty over the Temple Mount.

Maariv political commentator Eli Kamir told Arutz-7 today that the
government is not likely to deliberate on Clinton's proposals very
intensely during the coming days, as "Barak has already essentially made
up his mind to accept them, if the Palestinians do. Barak has never said
so formally, but from everything that is said off-the-record by Barak and
[Foreign Minister Shlomo] Ben-Ami, and from the way in which they are
conducting these negotiations, it is clear the government is prepared to
make the concessions in Jerusalem and the other concessions that are being
reported."

Kamir said that Ben-Ami told American-Jewish leaders recently that in any
event, "the Moslem Waqf is the controlling body on the Temple Mount, and
that all we want is to reach a peace agreement that says two things about
the Temple Mount: one, that we have made a concession in that we have
formalized the present situation and recognize it, but not total
sovereignty - and secondly, the preservation of 'that which is sacred to
Judaism,' meaning that the Palestinians promise not to carry out
excavations there, and to recognize all that is holy to us..."

Kamir likely based himself on a "textual emendation" of a Washington Post
report yesterday, which stated that Israel was willing to give up
sovereignty of the Temple Mount. The Jerusalem Post, however, quoted
another Israeli official as saying that it could not be that sovereignty
was offered. At issue is the exact wording used by Foreign Minister
Shlomo Ben-Ami in a phone call he received from the Conference of
Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations two days ago. The
Washington Post reported that Ben-Ami noted that because "the Palestinians
are in almost full control" of the Temple Mount, he thinks that "we need
to find a solution that turns the practical conditions on the ground into
a binding reality in the agreement, but at the same time preserves the
uniqueness of the link between the Jewish people and the Temple Mount."
The paper interpreted this as a signal that Israel was willing to give up
sovereignty over the holy site. However, an unnamed Israeli official told
the Jerusalem Post, "The question is whether in the context of a peace
deal we can find a status acceptable to both sides. I'm sure Ben-Ami
avoided the word 'sovereignty.'"

4. FURY ON THE RIGHT
Likud MK Danny Naveh said that instead of fighting terrorism, Barak is
"giving away more and more." Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert says that Barak
never received a mandate to dismantle the State of Israel, and added,
"What kind of national disgrace is this that the Palestinians will agree
to recognize our connection to the Temple Mount? Who are these
Palestinians, anyway?!"

Rabbi She'ar-Yashuv Cohen, Chief Rabbi of Haifa, demands that the Chief
Rabbinate Council convene immediately and enlist in the struggle against
giving up the Temple Mount. Shas leader Eli Yeshai warns Barak not to
come to any agreement during the election campaign: "If government
ministers cannot make appointments during this period, then how much more
so must the government not come to diplomatic agreements." Religious MKs
feel that salt was placed on the wounds in that the negotiations took
place on the Sabbath; United Torah Judaism leader Meir Porush said that
this is a clear sign that the talks will not bear fruit.

5. TEMPLE MOUNT LEADER SPEAKS
Yehuda Etzion, a long-time activist on behalf of Jewish rights on the
Temple Mount, was saddened by the Israeli agreement to full Palestinian
control of the holy site. He told Arutz-7 today:
 "The current situation is already catastrophic. For years, the Waqf has
been basically sovereign there, and for years we have been crying out
against what was essentially a Palestinian Islamic state there. From
here, the next step can only be full-fledged Palestinian sovereignty on
the Temple Mount, with international recognition, and apparently including
the setting of His Honor Arafat's seat of government on the Temple Mount.
It would mean the removal of the last vestige of Israeli sovereignty
there, namely, the Israel Police - which in any event acted as marionettes
of the Waqf - and its replacement by either an armed Palestinian police
force or possibly an international police force (if someone thinks that
that is any better...). All this on the site [speaking more slowly,
emotionally] of our Holy Temple, the place which the Holy One Blessed be
He chose for His dwelling place and for His meeting with the People of
Israel."
 "I would say that such a day, if, Heaven forbid, it actually arrives, is
almost another Tisha B'Av [the day on which both Holy Temples were
destroyed]=85 a reversal of the wonderful gift that G-d gave us during the
Six-Day War 33 years ago. I still pray that this day will not arrive, but
the fact that an Israeli government - even if it is in the twilight of its
power, and only days before it comes to its end - has decided to give away
the Temple Mount in such a degrading and humiliating way - humiliating for
all the generations of Jews, for all the Jewish prayers - this very
willingness is also a little Tisha B'Av."

Etzion said that "almost the heart of the problem" is the fact that over
the years, there was no massive support for the cause of the Temple Mount
within the nationalist and religious camp. "Chiefly the rabbis of Israel,
who should have been the ones to lead the way to the Mount - with great
pain, I would say that they are apathetic to the problem... Not only is
it not forbidden [for Jews] to enter the Temple Mount, but it is a
commandment to do so - not everywhere, of course, but the large areas
where the Temple itself did not stand. The problem is that [the rabbis
have a] deep fear [that Jews will walk in forbidden areas, or will not
have taken the necessary purification measures when entering the permitted
places] that stems from the Galut [exile] approach, of sitting and doing
nothing, and not taking the initiative, and not taking the
responsibility... All these doubts and inability to act are simply a
cancerous disease of Galut that unfortunately still grips us and our
leaders..."

Continuing this point, Etzion said, "We [the national-religious camp] have
a complex by which we sanctify those ideals that secular Zionism
sanctified - such as Aliyah [immigration to Israel] and settlement, and in
these areas we even went further than them... But when we are called upon
to renew the real crux of the matter, to renew our bonds with the Holy
Temple, and to renew the Sanhedrin [the High Jewish Tribunal], to be truly
renewed from within, and to re-create the style of government and culture
that the G-d of Israel desires - here we are shown to be failing. This is
just a terrible thing..."=09

"And so, we have now reached our final test. Those of you who thought
that the time was not yet ripe, and that things had to develop as a
step-by-step process, etc. - we now see that the Mount has slipped away
from us, the heart is being uprooted in these very hours by the Prime
Minister, and possibly in an international agreement... 'Let us ascend to
the Mount' - if not now, when?"

6. TWO SUCCESSFUL IDF MISSIONS
IDF soldiers captured fourteen leaders of the Fatah Tanzim terrorist unit,
Hamas, and Islamic Jihad, over the night. The raid took place in the Arab
village of Atsira a-Shamila, north of Shechem. All 14 are suspected of
planning terrorist attacks, including suicide attacks. Hundreds of Nachal
soldiers encircled the village, but were not needed because Duvdevan unit
soldiers easily captured the wanted men, including some described as
"heavy sharks." Dozens of other terrorist leaders have been captured in
the same village over the past few weeks.

In addition, a long-wanted Fatah leader was captured near Shechem. The
IDF, tipped off to his presence, set up a surprise roadblock outside the
village of Salfit, and apprehended him.

On the other hand, the IDF has permitted Yasser Arafat to fly in his
personal helicopter from Gaza to Bethlehem to take part in the Christmas
service tonight. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman notes that this is
the first time Arafat has received permission of this nature since the
beginning of the violence three months ago.

7. HOLOCAUST MEMORIAL VANDALIZED
The cemetery in Kibbutz Givat Oz - near Megiddo, well inside pre-1967
Israel - was desecrated at the end of last week with the word Palestine,
swastikas, and other anti-Semitic graffiti. Specifically, a memorial to
Holocaust victims was vandalized. Kibbutz member Shai Ariel told Arutz-7
today, "The vandals cut the fence, went into the cemetery, and desecrated
several graves and the Holocaust memorial. The Holocaust memorial is
comprised of six large stones, for the six million Jews who died in World
War II, and on them are written the names of all the relatives of Kibbutz
members. On each and every one of the stones, the vandals made a
swastika
and wrote 'Palestine.' They tore up plants and broke everything in their
way."

8. KINNERET UP 5 OVER THE WEEK
The Sea of Galilee has risen eight centimeters in twelve days. Slowly but
hopefully surely, the level of the Kinneret is rising, and now stands at
213.70 meters below sea level - still 70 centimeters below the
government-authorized "red line." Heavy rains began this afternoon, and
are expected tonight and tomorrow morning throughout Israel.

Laws of Chanukah, the eight-day holiday which began Thursday night, can
be seen at: "http://www.yeshiva.org.il/English/Eindex.htm"

Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) PMW: Palestinian official cites goal of taking over Isra
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:54:18 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 12:28:26 -0500
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: PMW: Palestinian official cites goal of taking over Israel:
           Israeli blood will be shed everywhere,

PMW: Palestinian official:Israeli blood will be shed everywhere, cites goal
of taking over Israel

December 24, 2000

Palestinian Media Watch
59 King George St. Jerusalem Israel
Fax 972-2-6242803 Tel 972-2-6254140
E-mail: pmw@netvision.net.il

Secretary General of the Fatah faction in Gaza, Ahmad Hilles:
Israeli blood will be shed Everywhere
2,000 wave posters of Humeini & denounce the Washington negotiations
at funeral, PA Minister promises return to Beer Sheba, Jaffa, Jerusalem...

The Palestinian media has reported extensively during the past few weeks on
events carried out by Palestinian organizations opposed to accords with
Israel, such as Hamas, Islamic Jihad, and others. High ranking members of
Yasser Arafat's organization, Fatah, as well as of the Palestinian
Authority, participated and spoke at many of the events.

The statements were usually sharp, and not in the same spirit as efforts to
revive the dialogue and reach an agreement. Ahmad Hilles spoke at an Islamic
Jihad rally in Gaza, and said the Intifada must go on and Israelis must get
hurt, so that their blood will be shed everywhere. Hilles spoke in front of
a large audience, which shouted slogans denouncing the Washington
negotiations, and waved Hizbulla flags and posters of Ayatollah Humeini.
Across from him, at the head of the rally, stood tens of masked men wearing
white shrouds on which were written 'Hizbullah Jerusalem Regiments', while
holding explosive charges in their hands.

At the funeral procession in Rafiah, in which masked men had participated,
the minister of supplies in the Palestinian Authority, Abu Ali Shaheen, said
the people who die in today's riots pave the way for the return of
Palestinians to Beer Sheba, Jaffa, Jerusalem, and to all of the Palestinian
homeland.

Following are articles from the Palestinian Authority daily newspapers:
Rafiah has buried 4 of its martyrs in a glorious funeral procession

"...many officials and representatives of the National and Islamic forces
participated in the procession, during which armed men shot in the air as a
way of paying respect to the martyrs, and showing their willingness to walk
in their footsteps.

The minister of supplies, Abu Ali Shaheen, said at the event: The
Palestinian people, who are burying their martyrs today, will be celebrating
tomorrow the return of Jerusalem, Jaffa and [Beer] Sheba, and won't give up
on the soil of their homeland." [Alayyam, 22/12/00]

Islamic Jihad marks the annual international Jerusalem day in Gaza

"Gaza thousands of Islamic Jihad supporters demonstrated yesterday in Gaza,
as part of a demonstration organized by the Islamic Jihad in honor of
"international Jerusalem day". The audience shouted slogans denouncing the
Washington negotiations, and waved Hizbullah flags and posters of Ayatollah
Humeini, who announced that on this day the [masses] will call annually
'for the liberation of Jerusalem from the Zionistic occupation'... tens of
masked men stood at the head of the demonstration, wearing white shrouds on
which were written 'Hizbullah Jerusalem Regiments', while holding explosive
charges in their hands... High ranking members of the Islamic Jihad and
representatives of the Palestinian Forces participated in the demonstration,
... along with the first deputy of the head of the legislation council,
Ibrahim Abu Annaja. Secretary General of Fatah faction in Gaza, Ahmad
Hilles, spoke on behalf of the National Forces, and promised that the
'Intifada will go on and will continue hurting Israelis, and causing their
blood shed everywhere, so that the Palestinian people won't be the only ones
who shed their blood every day". [Alhayat Aljadida 23/12/00]

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Should 'non-lethal' chemical and biological weapons be allowed?
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 24 Dec 2000 20:54:18 -0500

War without tears

Should 'non-lethal' chemical and biological weapons be allowed?

MILITARY advisers in the US want to rewrite the treaties banning chemical
and biological weapons so they can develop "non-lethal" versions. To
safeguard the lives of American troops in peacekeeping operations, they
want to use weapons that, for instance, will allow whole rebel armies to
be put to sleep--or perhaps disable their vehicles and weapons.

But arms control experts are already condemning the idea as "disastrous".
They believe the crucial treaties could unravel if they are renegotiated
to allow new weapons to be developed.

Photo: O Peterson/Gamma

In the past few years, the US marines have become very interested in
non-lethal weapons for the complex peacekeeping operations they are often
involved in, such as that in Somalia. Such munitions could also help
minimise the "CNN effect"--the growing need to justify military actions to
politicians who watch them live on television.

Military and police forces already have dozens of weapons designed not to
kill, including rubber and plastic bullets, electric stun guns, sticky
foam and tear gas. But the Joint Non-Lethal Weapons Directorate of the US
Marine Corps also wants chemical and biological agents such as sleeping
gases, tranquillisers and oil-eating microbes which would incapacitate
without injury.

"For example, I would like a magic dust that would put everyone in a
building to sleep, combatants and non-combatants," the directorate's head,
Colonel George Fenton told New Scientist. But he says that this type of
technology would mean reviewing the agreements aimed at ending chemical
and biological warfare.

Russell Glenn, a senior analyst from the Rand Corporation, which advises
the US Department of Defense, also argues that the ban on chemical
weapons
should be "updated" so researchers can develop gases that could, for
example, calm crowds rather than kill them. "Chemicals can be our
friends," he told Jane's Non-lethal Weapons conference in Edinburgh last
week.

Although the 1972 Biological Weapons Convention outlaws both lethal and
non-lethal weapons, the 1993 Chemical Weapons Convention is more
ambiguous. It bans the use of non-lethal weapons against enemy troops, but
permits the use of chemicals against property, provided they do not harm
people or animals.

David Fidler, a legal expert on non-lethal weapons from Indiana
University, says that renegotiating these treaties would fatally undermine
them, re-igniting some countries' desire for weapons of mass destruction.
"It would be disastrous," he says.

The intergovernmental Organisation for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons
warns that the chemical convention is under attack. Rewriting it would
endanger world security, says the OPCW's head of government relations,
Ralf Trapp, "creating a spiral of increasing risk".

There are also doubts within the US Department of Defense. Joseph
Rutigliano, an attorney with the US Marine Corps in Washington DC, says
that unleashing these new weapons on less technologically advanced nations
could provoke them to reply with nerve gas or other lethal agents.

But retired Colonel John Alexander, who researched non-lethal weapons at
the Los Alamos National Laboratory, argues that the chemical and
biological treaties are already "doomed" because they are, or will be,
broken by rogue states or groups. If the US abandoned the treaties it
could deploy weapons which could, for example, destroy plastic engine
fittings or make rubber tyres brittle, he says. "There is almost nothing
that some bug won't eat."

Rob Edwards

http://www.newscientist.com/news/news.jsp?id=ns22693
via: isml@egroups.com

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