BPR Mailing List Digest: 02/24/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
February 24, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | February, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Chicken Little Gets Smashed...
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 01:17:33 -0500

VIA SITE-Rapture Watch

The Treasury of Hail - 2000 Update

The Colorado Springs Gazette article of January 19, 2000, which
headlined, "Mystery ice falling from sky in Spain being studied"
reminds us that according to the prophesies of God, the world
will be bombarded with hailstones weighing between ninety and
one hundred pounds. Quoting we read:

"A team of scientists hope chemical analysis will reveal this
week why at least fifteen blocks of ice, some as big as
basketballs, have plummeted from Spanish skies in the past ten
days. "The most surprised person of all by this phenomenon is
me," said geologist Jesus Martinez Frias, who is heading a team
of Spanish scientists...In the past falling blocks of ice have
proven to be waste flushed out of jets. But Martinez said the
giant hail lacks coloration of jet waste."

Ninety one pound hailstones raining down upon the cities of the
earth - truly a frightening picture of chaos and destruction.
Christians can rest at ease that such an event as this is not
prophesied to happen until well into the final 7 years of this
present age, before the return of Jesus Christ. But for the
benefit of those who will remain behind on the earth to witness
this event, after the Church has been miraculously removed from
this planet at the event commonly referred to as the Rapture, we
quote the following Scripture found in Revelation 16:21. "And
great hail from heaven fell upon men, every hailstone about the
weight of a talent (that is 91 lbs.). And men blasphemed God
because of the plague of the hail, since that plague was
exceedingly great."

Occurrences have been recorded on a much smaller scale in
recent history, which bring to mind this approaching judgement.
On November 10, 1950, in north Devon and Somerset, England, a
sheep was killed by a chunk of ice weighing fourteen pounds,
which fell out of a clear cold sky. The chunk of ice buried
itself into the ground to a depth of about eight inches. There
was no air traffic in the vicinity. Then again on November 24,
1950, a one foot cube of ice plunged through a garage roof in
Wandsworth near London. The noise was such that a night
watchman called police and reported a bomb explosion. The sky
had been clear, the same as before.

Other cases include - a shower of ice two to twelve inches in
diameter in April, 1958, in Napa, CA; a fifty pound chunk of ice
which fell near Reading, PA, and then there was the night of
September 2, 1958, when a chunk of ice hit a farm house in Old
Bridge, New Jersey, which tore a three foot hole through the
roof then passed right on through the ceiling of the kitchen
(Stranger than Science by Frank Edwards Chapter 17). A
fascinating area of scientific study being undertaken may end up
shedding some light on where these mysterious chunks of ice
could have come from.

During the first two weeks of August, 1997, the space shuttle
Discovery compiled convincing photographic evidence that a
theory that the earth is being bombarded by house size comets is
a likely fact. Along with the consideration of how much water
is added annually to the earth's oceans by these immense ice
comets and where they are originating from, some concern was
also expressed about the possibility that some of these comets
may contain other elements, which could give them the capability
to penetrate earth's atmosphere without completely vaporizing.
News of these ice comets was first theorized in 1989.

Quoting from a July 31, 1989, Denver Post article, which
headlined, "Snowballs from space shower Earth, Prof. says," we
read: "The weather forecast here is typical for summer: hot and
humid. And, oh yes, watch for giant snowballs from outer space.
The part about snowballs comes from a University of Iowa physics
professor, whose study of satellite photographs of Earth has led
him to conclude that the planet is being bombarded every minute
by about 20 giant snowballs from space. These ice comets are
about 30 feet wide and carry 100 tons of water that, after
hitting Earth's atmosphere, fall to the ground as rain or snow,
according to professor Louis Frank...Frank's theory has received
some support from recent experiments by a scientist at NASA's
Jet Propulsion Laboratory...to survive their trip from the outer
edges of the solar system, the iceballs, like large comets such
as Halley's, would have to be covered with thick protective
layers of carbon."

Scientists have also witnessed the phenomenon of bombardment by
powerful hailstones, which were able to dent the armor of
battleships, after above ground atomic weapons tests were
conducted in the Pacific Ocean in the 1950's.

Numerous times in the past God has used hail as a judgement on
evil nations, but in these last days this judgement will be
poured out in its full force with boulder-sized hailstones
raining down upon this Christ-rejecting world. In the Book of
Job 38:22-23 God asked; "...have you seen the treasury of hail,
Which I have reserved for the time of trouble, For the day of
battle and war?" Perhaps the scientists of this last generation
have been given a small peek at what a Christ-rejecting world
will soon experience firsthand.

The signs of the approaching time called the "great
tribulation" in the Scriptures, are all about us and continue to
increase in ever greater numbers. There is a brilliant ray of
hope for those who have no desire to be among those who will
seek shelter from the hail of God. That promise of hope can be
found in trusting in God's only begotten Son. Jesus Christ died
on the cross in order to pay the penalty for the sins of the
world so that all who believe in Him are assured of salvation
and deliverance from the wrath to come (see I Thessalonians 5:9).

Your Brother and friend in Christ,
Jamma

February 21, 2000

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========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Echelon European Parliament report
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 01:22:53 -0500

Report Details Vast Spy Network
Updated 9:50 AM ET February 23, 2000
By CONSTANT BRAND, Associated Press Writer

BRUSSELS, Belgium (AP) - A U.S.-led communications monitoring
network is intercepting "billions of messages per hour"
including telephone calls, fax transmissions and private e-
mails, according to a European Parliament report made public
Wednesday.

"We are not talking about a trivial thing here ... we cannot
stop them, they will continue," said Ducan Campbell, author of
the special parliament-commissioned report on the Echelon spy-
network.

Campbell said that the intelligence network monitors and
intercepts sensitive European-wide commercial communications.
"The level of use is getting out of control," he told a packed
hearing of the Parliament's Committee for Justice and Home
Affairs.

He said Canada, Britain, Australia and New Zealand are also
involved in Echelon. Other nations including France and Germany
also participate in a lower level in the spy-network which dates
back 50 years to the beginning of the Cold War.

"The capacity of the filtering systems is enormous," Campbell
said. He added that most international internet communications
are being routed through the United States and through nine
known U.S. National Security Agency interception sites.

Intelligence facilities located in the five countries can
intercept fax, e-mail or telephone communications easily he
said. Campbell urged the European Union to take action to
protect against unwanted interception of communications, which
he said were violations of human rights.

Committee chairman Graham Watson said he wanted to be sure the
international surveillance system was not abusing its powers.

Campbell said Microsoft, IBM, and a certain "large American
microchip maker" were providing certain product features which
allow the interception of information flow.

Campbell said he did not know whether the U.S. corporations
were benefitting from the information gathering but said
previous commercial espionage resulted in the collapse of
several European contracts in the airline industry - both
military and commercial.

STORY @ http://news.excite.com/news/ap/000223/09/int-eu-espionage

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Crosshairs on Israel...
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 08:17:59 -0500

Iranian missile puts Israel within range
United Press International -February 23, 2000 15:46

NEW YORK, Feb. 23, (UPI) -- A new CIA report on the
proliferation of "super weapons" says Iran has a missile that
now gives Tehran the capability of striking Israel. The CIA also
says Iran and Syria are cooperating in the development of even
more capable missile systems, NBC News reported Wednesday. The
Shahab-3 is a medium-range ballistic missile with a range of 800
miles. It could strike Israel if fired from a mobile launcher on
Iran's western periphery. The semiannual report of the CIA's
Non-Proliferation Center on the acquisition of weapons of mass
destruction does not identify Israel as a target, but U.S.
officials say that, by implication, Israel could be a target of
high-explosive warheads. The CIA also noted that Iran is
getting help from China and Russia, and is cooperating with
Syria on the development and production of a solid-propellant
rocket motor. A solid-propellant rocket would provide Iran and
Syrian with a new capability to set up and launch missiles in a
few hours or less. Loading liquid-fueled missiles can be
dangerous and time-consuming, especially for larger missiles.
The report also said that Iran is trying to obtain or develop
nuclear, biological and chemical capabilities. -- Copyright
2000 by United Press International.

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Kyodo News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 08:19:44 -0500

Kyodo News items

MANILA, Feb. 23

More than 4,000 people removed from near Philippine volcano
More than 4,000 people living near Mt. Mayon, about 330
kilometers (206 miles) southwest of Manila, have been evacuated,
as the volcano continues to spew ash and rock, officials said
Wednesday. Irene Azucena of the Office of Civil Defense in
Legazpi said the 4,264 people came from 12 villages and a city
near the volcano.

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

KUALA LUMPUR, Feb. 23

Malaysian gov't under fire for admitting Israelis The
opposition Islamic Party of Malaysia (PAS) handed a protest note
to the government Wednesday for allowing an Israeli table tennis
team to play in the country. The head of the PAS youth wing,
Mahfuz Omar, who led a delegation of five to submit the
memorandum to Malaysian Foreign Minister Syed Hamid Albar, said
the participation of the Israelis in this week's 45th World Team
Table Tennis Championship hosted by Malaysia contravened
Malaysia's foreign policy.

http://home.kyodo.co.jp/

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Genetics
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 08:22:10 -0500

On the fly At last we've got the instruction manual for fruit
flies. Now we have to learn to read it

BIOLOGY is on the brink of a new era. Scientists have sequenced
nearly all the genes of the fruit fly, and say they will
complete the work in the next few months--more than a year ahead
of schedule. The announcement boosts controversial claims by
Celera Genomics, the Maryland company that is doing much of the
work, that it will completely sequence the human genome by the
end of 2001. Craig Venter, head of Celera, hopes the fruit fly
success will unite other researchers behind him. "I'm optimistic
that it will help get a human collaboration get off the ground,"
he says. Complete gene sequences already exist for some simple
organisms such as microbes and the worm Caenorhabditis elegans.
But the fruit fly Drosophila melanogaster is by far the most
complex organism whose genome has been deciphered. For nearly a
century, it has been a workhorse for geneticists studying
behaviour, disease and development.

At last week's meeting of the American Association for the
Advancement of Science in Washington DC, Venter said his team
has sequenced 13 601 genes, thought to account for at least 97
per cent of the total. Already, the database has yielded some
intriguing insights. It has revealed the elusive fly version of
the gene p53, which is often defective in people who have
cancer. Of 289 human disease genes the researchers have looked
for in the fly sequence, they found close matches for 60 per
cent of them--so Drosophila's future as a model for human
disease looks set to continue. But Venter is intrigued that
nearly half of the fruit fly genes have no known analogue in any
organism. "That says there is a lot of biology left to learn,"
he says. To accomplish the feat, Celera joined forces with two
publicly funded groups, the Berkeley Drosophila Genome Project
(BDGP) and the European Drosophila Genome Project. Celera's
sequencing factory generated most of the 120-million base pairs
that make up the sequences found so far, relying on data and
expertise from the academic groups. Its strategy was to sequence
random overlapping fragments of the genome, then use computers
to piece together the fragments like a huge jigsaw puzzle, a
technique that had come up trumps in the race to complete
sequences for microbes. Some experts feared this wouldn't work
on Drosophila, whose genome is far larger than that of most
microbes and peppered with 40-million base pairs of repetitive
sequences known as "junk DNA", which does not contain genes.
Sceptics thought this would confuse the computer assembly
process. Gerald Rubin, who started the BDGP, says doubters
warned him against working with Venter using this technique. "I
told them this was an experiment--we'll only find out if it
works by trying," he says. But the gamble has paid off. The
team is confident that the remaining unsequenced genes lie in a
thousand small gaps, which they expect to close in a few months.
Ed Lewis of Caltech, who was joint winner of a Nobel Prize in
1995 for his pioneering work on Drosophila genetics, says the
new fly sequence will change the future of genetics. "This is
where the field is going. Staring at computer sequences is
becoming an increasingly important part of the job." Venter
says the Drosophila project taught his team valuable lessons it
will use to help complete its human genome project. He hopes the
success with the fruit fly will convince other research teams to
join forces. But many researchers are sceptical that Venter will
complete the project before government-funded groups. Our genome
is almost 20 times the size of the fruit fly's, and contains far
more junk DNA, so it remains unclear if the Celera technique
will succeed. Philip Cohen

From New Scientist magazine, 26 February 2000.

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Offensive ad campaigns to Muslims are pulled
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:03:50 -0500

MUSLIMS WINNING CANCELATION
OF AD CAMPAIGNS THAT MOCK

The magazine and Web ad for Total Sports, a North
Carolina company, showed a group of Muslims "praying"
to a basketball. No more, though. The Council on
American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), a Washington-based
Islamic advocacy group, announced today that Total
Sports has pulled the ad, has promised not to run it
again, and has issued an apology.

With an estimated six million Muslims in the U.S.,
and the number growing, advertisers are becoming
increasingly wary of offending such a large piece of
the market -- and are responding to requests from CAIR
and other advocacy groups that they show more
sensitivity when depicting the practice of Islam.

CAIR lists the following recent results of its
protests to advertisers:

* DoubleTree Hotels Corp. agreed to alter
   television ads considered offensive to Muslims. In
   the ads, hotel employees dressed in "Arabian"
   clothing were shown "praying" to guests.

* Timeslips Corp. agreed to remove Islamic prayer
rugs from a print ad in which rows of executives
"prayed" to a box of software.

* California-based GoTo.com agreed to withdraw an
   advertisement that showed an image of Muslim men at
   prayer. Below the picture, the text read: "With our
   search on your site, you can build a more loyal
   following. . . . Okay, so they won't worship you, but
   they'll come back to your site more often."

* Anheuser-Busch apologized to the Muslim community
   for use of an Islamic religious phrase printed on the
   tank-top of a model in a beer commercial. (Muslims
   are forbidden to drink alcohol.)

* Athletic shoe manufacturer Nike, Inc., agreed to
   remove a billboard featuring a picture of a
   basketball player with the headline "and they called
   him Allah."

* In an incident that had repercussions throughout
the Muslim world, Nike recalled an athletic shoe with
a logo that resembled the Arabic word "Allah."

* MasterCard International agreed to withdraw a
Canadian television commercial that mocked Islamic
prayers.

* The Colorado Lottery Commission agreed to pull
   radio advertisements referring to the Prophet
   Muhammad, when informed that the reference was
   offensive because Islam forbids all forms of gambling.

* The House of Seagrams canceled a print ad campaign
for an alcoholic drink that featured the Taj Mahal, a
classic example of Islamic architecture.

* Miller Brewing Company pulled a radio commercial
in which a character named "Omar" was portrayed
drinking beer.

(Thanks, CAIR)

From: The Morrock News Digest
http://morrock.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:09:22 -0500

*** Pope begins Middle East pilgrimages

VATICAN CITY (AP) - Pope John Paul II begins his millennium
pilgrimages to Biblical sites with a visit to Egypt Thursday that he
hopes will help improve the often strained relations between
Christians and Muslims in the Middle East. The three-day trip - the
first by a Roman Catholic pontiff to Egypt - will include meetings
with one of Egypt's top Muslim clerics and the pope of the ancient
Coptic Orthodox church, the region's largest Christian community. On
the religious side, John Paul will stop at the foot of Mount Sinai,
where the Bible says Moses received the Ten Commandments. John Paul
intends to pray at the spot where tradition says God spoke to Moses
from a burning bush. The frail, 79-year-old pope set an ambitious
program for the start of Christianity's third millennium, a series of
tours of sites linked to what he calls "the history of salvation."
See http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564529282-905
*** Also: Egypt awaits, prepares for pope, see
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564541558-c2a

*** Israeli minister stirs outrage

JERUSALEM (AP) - Drawing outrage from his own colleagues, Israel's
foreign minister described an avenging Lebanon policy Wednesday,
saying all acts of violence would be repaid in kind: "Blood for
blood, soul for soul, child for child." Meanwhile, Prime Minister
Ehud Barak gave his strongest suggestion yet that Israel would
withdraw from south Lebanon by this summer with or without agreement
from Syria, the main power in Lebanon. Foreign Minister David Levy
told Parliament the knowledge that Israel would meet any attacks in
kind has prevented the militant Islamic Hezbollah guerrilla army from
expanding a recent escalation of violence beyond engaging Israeli
troops. "This is a warning signal ... and this warning prevents
disaster," he said, red-faced and wagging his finger at Arab
legislators who expressed outrage at his inclusion of children as
legitimate targets. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2564533991-24c

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Earth's magnetic field
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:18:54 -0500

Simulations Reveal Earth
Dynamo At Work

            Santa Cruz - February 23, 2000 - Deep in
            Earth's interior is a dynamo that creates the
            planet's magnetic field -- a kind of generator
            driven not by spinning turbines but by swirling
            flows of liquid iron. The workings of this
            dynamo cannot be observed, but scientists
            have used computer simulations to gain
            powerful new insights into the operation of the
            "geodynamo" and the behavior of Earth's
            core.

Full Story:
http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/earth-magnetic-00a.html

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

            Magnetic Field Grows During Solar Doldrumns
            Washington - December 13, 1999 - A rare
            space weather event May 11 marked by a
            sharp decrease in solar wind helped cause
            Earth's magnetosphere to balloon to more
            than 100 times its normal volume, reaching
            nearly to the moon in the process, according
            to a new study.

Full Story:
http://www.spacedaily.com/spacecast/news/earth-magnetic-99e.html

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Battle over Orient House to resume
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:22:57 -0500

Thursday, February 24, 2000

Battle over Orient House to resume

By Danny Rubinstein
Ha'aretz Arab Affairs Editor

Relations between the Palestinian Authority and Israel appeared to take
another tumble yesterday after PA Minister for Jerusalem Affairs Faisal
Husseini declared that henceforth, if visiting VIPs meet official Israelis in
West Jerusalem, they'll also be invited to the Orient House to meet with him.

Husseini is scheduled to host French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin at St.
Anne Church in the Old City during Jospin's visit here this week. The church
is considered to be Fench territory. (See story, Page 2.)

Husseini's declaration comes on the heels of an embarrassing diplomatic
moment earlier this week when Israel tried to prevent a Jerusalem meeting
between the PA minister and European Parliament Speaker Nicole Fontaine,
only to see it take place at the St. Anne Church.

Palestinian sources said yesterday that in recent years the Palestinians
were inclined to concede to Israeli demands that no diplomatic VIPs meet
with PA representatives at the Orient House, which throughout the 1980s
was often regarded as a quasi foreign ministry for the Palestinians. The
reason for the Palestinian concession was to avoid embarrassing the Israeli
peace camp and Labor Party by strengthening the right, which was
vehemently opposed to any PA meetings in Jerusalem.

The PA's determination to insist on VIP meetings in East Jerusalem if they
go to West Jerusalem, will put Jerusalem square in the center of the agenda
in relations between Israel and the Palestinians. According to Palestinian
sources, the move is in direct response to what they called Israel's unilateral
measures in Jerusalem at Har Homa and Ras el Amud.

"The significance of the move is that we won't agree any more that VIPs from
overseas boycott the Palestinian presence in Jerusalem and the Orient
House," said Husseini.

Now, said the source, "there's a new situation of crisis between the Barak
administration and the Palestinian leadership."

Husseini said yesterday that Israel exploited Palestinian restraint concerning
diplomacy at Orient House, and what the Palestinians plan to do is "return
the status quo ante," meaning a return to the pre- and post-Madrid
conference years when Orient House routinely hosted diplomatic
delegations.

"We see a parallel between VIP visits to Gaza and Ramallah and to Tel Aviv
and Netanya. But when it comes to VIP visits to Israelis in West Jerusalem,
they also must visit Palestinians in East Jerusalem," said Husseini.

The Orient House, owned by the Husseini family, began operations as a
research institute in the 1980s. It was closed on a number of occasions by
order of the Israeli security establishment due to suspicions that the PLO
was operating from it.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=02/24/00&id=70198

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - PA to make use of papal visit to Jerusalem
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:26:57 -0500

Thursday, February 24, 2000

PA to make use of papal visit to Jerusalem

By Amos Harel
Ha'aretz Military Correspondent

The Palestinian Authority is liable to take advantage of the Pope's impending
visit to Israel and the PA to make demonstrative moves in Jerusalem which
will stress its aspirations for sovereignity in the city - the defense
establishment has warned, based on intelligence analyses.

Pope John Paul II is scheduled to arrive in Israel on March 21. Ahead of his
visit, Palestinian Chair Yasser Arafat has appointed a five-man reception
committee. Israel believes that the inclusion of ministers Faisal Husseini and
Ziad Abu Ziad on the committee reflects a Palestinian intention to highlight
diplomatic issues during the Papal visit to Jerusalem.

The PA is likely to take special advantage of a Waqf reception for the Pope
at the Temple Mount to make diplomatic gains, for example by having a large
presence of its own representatives at the ceremony.

The Pope's visit to the Temple Mount is set to draw international attention
and Israel will be hard pressed to intervene and appear as disrupting the
Papal visit.

In addition, the Palestinian Authority wishes to take advantage of the visit in
order to raise other political issues besides Jerusalem. It is likely to stress
signs of its independence, mainly during the Pope's visit to Bethlehem, as
well as the refugee problem during his visit of the Deheishe refugee camp.

A senior PA official said yesterday that "Arafat is staging a big show in
Dehaishe, to which refugees from all over the West Bank will be invited.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=02/24/00&
id=70210

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Muslims refuse Nazareth eviction
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:29:20 -0500

Thursday, February 24, 2000

Muslims refuse Nazareth eviction

By Joseph Algazy
Ha'aretz Correspondent

Islamic Movement activists vociferously opposed the government's decision
to evacuate them from a Nazareth site contested by Muslims and Christians,
prior to Pope John Paul II's visit next month.

The contested site borders on Casa Nova Street, where the Pope's
procession will pass on the way to an internationally televised mass at the
Basilica of the Annunciation. The government last month approved the
construction of a mosque on part of the plot, after the papal visit. Since last
October, Islamic Movement activists have been struggling to entrench their
presence on the site.

Senior members of the Catholic Church said that the Vatican is encouraged
by the position of Arab leaders from Egypt, Jordan, the Palestinian Authority
and Saudi Arabia who expressed their opposition to the construction of a
mosque on the contested site. In return, Arab leaders promised to build a
larger mosque at a different site in the city.

The Vatican is also opposed to the possibility that the Islamic activists may
implement their promise to organize their own welcoming celebration for the
pontiff. The activists have promised to make their welcome of the pope
greater than that of the Christians.

A senior Catholic figure in Nazareth said that "we do not want to see a
repeat of what happened during the Christmas celebrations, when the
contested ground was surrounded by the Islamic Movement with green cloth
[symbolizing the Islamic hold on the site], with banners, flags and slogans
hanging from it, and with messages from loudspeakers... Any such action,
even the most positive, will be viewed by us as unfriendly.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=02/24/00&id=70214

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - CIA: Beware Russia, China cyberthreat
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:33:42 -0500

CIA: Beware Russia, China cyberthreat

Forget the Cold War -- that's so passe! Congress is told that archrivals are
developing tools to attack commercial computer networks in the U.S.

By Reuters
February 23, 2000 5:10 PM PT

The Central Intelligence Agency said on Wednesday it was picking up
growing signs that countries such as Russia and China were developing
tools to attack commercial computer networks at the heart of U.S. might.

"We are detecting with increasing frequency the appearance of doctrines and
dedicated offensive cyber warfare programs in other countries," John
Serabian, the CIA's information operations issue manager, told Congress.

He cited public statements by a Chinese general and a senior Russian
official -- neither named in his testimony -- to illustrate what he called
the importance of "information warfare" in coming decades.

No other country was identified by name as developing such cyber weapons.
But the CIA official said, "The battle space of the information age would
surely include attacks against our domestic infrastructure."

"Many of the countries whose cyber warfare programs we follow are the same
ones that realize that, in a conventional military confrontation with the
United States, they will not prevail," Serabian said in testimony prepared
for the Joint Economic Committee.

Time to play offense
The United States itself plans to incorporate offensive computer operations
into its war-fighting arsenal after policy and legal issues are sorted out, the
second-ranking U.S. military officer, Air Force Gen. Richard Myers, told
reporters last month.

To illustrate U.S. dependence on systems and their vulnerabilities, Serabian
cited the electronic blitzes that disrupted major commercial Web sites for four
days starting Feb. 8.

"Whatever their motivation, the attackers have taken the threat out of the
realm of the abstract and made it real," he said.

Serabian said "terrorists" acting independently of any state sponsor also
could do "considerable harm" with cyber tools, easily downloaded from the
Internet, that largely erased their digital footprints while wreaking havoc
online.

"Opportunities abound to disrupt military effectiveness and public safety
while maintaining the elements of surprise and anonymity," he added.

Daniel Kuehl, a professor of military strategy at the Information Resources
Management College of the Pentagon's National Defense University, told the
panel that cyber attacks against the United States or its allies by foreign
foes were inevitable.

"Eventually, a nation state will determine that the potential gains of a
strategic cyber attack on U.S. economic systems -- or those of our allies
and/or neighbors -- outweigh the potential risks of such actions," he said.

"The time to prepare defenses against such an event is now," he added,
citing a growing body of Russian and Chinese writings on using cyberspace
to cause chaos in the economy.

Fred Cohen, an information protection expert at the Energy Department's
Sandia National Laboratories, testified that a well-managed U.S.
intelligence network "should be able to detect technical efforts (by a
foreign foe) that could have large-scale consequences on U.S. financial
systems."

Robert Bennett, the Utah Republican who chaired a special Senate panel on
the Year 2000 technology problem, said a "new Landscape" was emerging for
Congress and the nation because of the perceived mounting cyber threat.

"Attacks on American defense and industrial facilities in cyberspace are as
real and dangerous as any conventional threat to economic prosperity and
national security," said Bennett, who chaired the Joint Economic Committee
hearing.

ZDNet,
http://www.zdnet.com/zdnn/stories/news/0,4586,2445516,00.html?chkpt=zdnntop

via: cyberwar@onelist.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) The Shuhada Cult of Martyrdom in "Islamic Jihad"
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:50:06 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 23 Feb 2000 17:42:02 -0500
To: memri@erols.com
From: MEMRI <memri@erols.com>
Subject: The Shuhada Cult of Martyrdom in "Islamic Jihad"

MEMRI Inquiry & Analysis

No. 25

February 24, 2000

Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI)
1815 H Street, NW Suite 404 Washington, DC 20006
Phone: (202) 955-9070
Fax: (202) 955-9077
E-mail: MEMRI@erols.com
Website: www.memri.org

[MEMRI holds copyrights on all translations. Materials may only be cited
with proper attribution.]

The Shuhada Cult of Martyrdom in "Islamic Jihad"
By Aluma Solnik*

In every issue, the Islamic Jihad's weekly, Al-Istiqlal (Gaza), publishes
the biography of one of the "martyrs" (the Shuhada). The series celebrates
the character and operations of the "heroes" who choose "military courses of
action" against Israel. These publications emphasize the national, as well as the
religious, significance of the death of those who sought to sacrifice their
lives for the national goals and to "die as martyrs for the sake of Allah." It
is this combination of Palestinian nationalism and Islam that motivates the
Shuhada to seek martyrdom.

The National Motive

From a national perspective, the Martyrs work for the expulsion of the
"Zionist Occupation."(1) They also seke "to avenge the martyrs of the
Intifada, the wounded and the imprisoned."(2) The biography of the martyr,
Ayman Radhi, who caused dozens of casualties suicide bombing a Jerusalem bus in
December 1995, presents the world view of the martyr: "Ayman was convinced that
the vicious Zionists are responsible for all the disasters that afflicted his
people. They are a cancerous tumor in the heart of the Islamic nation that must
be uprooted to prevent it from reaching the entire body." (3)

Most of the Shuhada belonged to the Hamas and "Islamic Jihad" organizations and
had a record of activities against Israel and the Peace Accords. The biography
of the martyr, Rafat Al-Bardawil, killed while planting bombs in the Morag
settlement in June 1999, says that "he believed that what 'was taken by force
could only be regained by force.'(4) He did not believe in the Oslo Accord and
therefore threw a bomb at soldiers on the date the accord was signed." (5) The
biography of the martyr, Suleyman Tahaynah, who committed a suicide bombing in
the Mahne Yehuda market in Jerusalem in November 1998, says, "Suleyman opposed
the peace agreements with the Zionists and said repeatedly that it was
inconceivable for us to have peace with these plunderers. They only understand
the language of force, and therefore [only] the language of the weapon is
capable of achieving something for our people…. He emphasized that the road to
Palestine passes through the Jihad and not through defeatist agreements."(6)
Suleyman's legacy is: "Neither Clinton, Netanyahu, nor the Wye Accord can
prevent us from meeting our Lord [through martyrdom]."(7)

The Religious Motive

From a religious perspective, martyrdom, the Shahada, is "the greatest hope in
this world" for a Muslim.(8) The martyr earns eternal glory by "dying for the
sake of Allah," and is rewarded with eternal life next to his Lord, in
accordance with the Koranic verse that opens each installment of the newspaper
biographies: "Do not consider those who are slain in the cause of Allah, as
dead. Indeed, they are living by their Lord."(9) This statement underpins the
martyr's world view: "strive for death and you will receive life."(10) The
depth of the belief in eternal life promised to the martyr is reflected in the
dream attributed to the mother and sister of Rafat Al-Bradawil. In this dream,
Rafat appeared to them, smiling. They told him: "but you are dead," to which he
answered: "the martyr lives forever and does not die." Al-Bradawil's brother´s
wife also saw him in her dream and told him he was dead. He answered: "I am
alive as you are. All people die, but the martyr lives forever."(11)

The Chief Mufti of the PA's Police Forces, Sheik 'Abd Al-Salam Abu
Shukheydem, described the seven rewards the Martyr earns according to
Islamic tradition: "From the moment the first drop of his blood is spilled [by
the enemy, the martyr] does not feel the pains of the injury and is absolved of
all his [bad] deeds; he sees his seat in Paradise; he is saved from the torture
of the grave; he is saved from the fear of Day of Judgment; he marries [seventy
beautiful] black-eyed [women]; he is an advocate for seventy of his relatives
[to reach paradise]; and he earns the Crown of Glory, whose precious stone is
better than all this world and everything in it."(12)

The writers of the series emphasize that the martyrs strove for martyrdom
which differentiates them from the Jews who are notorious for their love of
life. The martyr Muhammad Abu Hashem who committed a suicide attack amidst a
settlers' convoy in November 1995, is described as "striving to meet his Lord in
a suicide operation."(13) The martyr Sami Rahim, who was killed in the Intifada,
is said to have "instructed his family not to be sad or cry over his departure,
but rather always to be happy, because the martyr was chosen by Allah to dwell
with him."(14)

The biography of the martyr Anwar Al-Shubrawi, who committed a suicide
bombing next to a settlers' bus in May 1997, describes the rewards of the
martyrs: "Their souls rise to the heavens and circles [of] Paradise, [as]
Allah promised his faithful worshiper. They circle the Chair of the
Merciful and reach the rivers of Paradise."(15)

In most cases the series draws a clear connection between the two motives. The
"hero," Yasser Daoud, who stabbed several people in the streets of Jerusalem in
May 1991, "admitted to committing this act of heroism in revenge for the
victims of the Intifada and the [Israeli] massacres and in the hope of dying as
a martyr. [emphasis mine]"(16)

The Characterization of the Martyrs in the Series

In most cases, the martyr is described as a member of a hard-working,
conservative, religious refugee family, with many children. The martyrs are
described as good students, most of them having finished high-school. They had
a religious education in the mosque from which they embarked upon violent
activity. The chapters of the series are careful to present the Martyrs as
devout believers who never missed a prayer, fasted, read The Koran, and
frequented the mosque.

Many of them took part in ambushing IDF patrols, throwing stones and Molotov
cocktails, preparing bombs, etc. Most were arrested in the past by the Israeli
security forces (and in some cases, by the PA as well). Many were held in
administrative detention or were sentenced to some months of imprisonment for
membership in the Hamas or the "Islamic Jihad." This imprisonment is often
described as an important period in the martyr's life.

In jail, the martyr's religious beliefs and national obligations were
enhanced. The imprisonment of the martyr Muhammad Abu Hashem, who committed a
suicide bombing of a settlers convoy in 1995, for example, "had an important
role in increasing his awareness...when he finished serving his time, he left
with great confidence in the path he chose. He knew that blood and only blood
is the hour's need and that the blood of the Martyrs is worth twice as as much
as words."(17)

The martyrs, the series claims, were of superior character. The martyr
Ayman Radhi is described as having had a good character, of being patient, very
social, always smiling, loving children, and always assisting the needy.(18) The
martyr Yussuf Al-Zghayer is described as modest, quiet, patient, loving of his
fellowman, loved by everybody, and never having made anyone angry.(19)

In particular, the biographies emphasize the characters of the martyr on the eve
of his operation. His religious devotion increases as the operation draws near.
Many of the martyrs spend their last night fasting, reading The Koran and
praying for Allah to "accept their dear sacrifice."(20) In the morning of the
operation, they leave the mosque and recite the morning prayer [which only
devout believers perform]; in most cases they leave for their mission wearing
their best garments in order to look good when they meet their Lord.

The approval of the martyr's family and friends is also emphasized. Ayman
Radhi, for example, "approached his friends and neighbors asking them to pray
for him and forgive him. They asked him: 'are you planning to become a martyr
and join your comrades?' He answered: 'I hope Allah will choose me and I will
join them in Paradise.'"(21) The martyr Bahaa Al-Din Al-Najjar, who planned an
attack on a police station in Gaza, recited the morning prayer on the day of the
operation in his mosque "while martyrdom was reflected in his eyes. On his way
to the target, everybody he met - friends, colleagues, and people he loved -
shook his hand."(22)

The Description of the Operations as Noble Heroic Deeds

The operations of the martyrs are described as noble, heroic deeds carried out
solely against soldiers and settlers, even in cases where they acted against
innocent civilians: women, children and the elderly. The series stresses that
these were legitimate operations and not terrorism: "We will continue with our
resistance for the sake of freedom. We are not terrorists, but we have to
respond with force, in order to frighten the enemies of Allah and our enemies -
the plunderers of our land and rights. We have love in our hearts towards
mankind that is enough to turn the land into a scene of love, peace and
justice."(23)

The descriptions of the operations are saturated with deep religious and
national hatred. In martyr Suleyman Tahaynah's biography, the series says: "He
hated the Jews, the enemies of our people, and always called [on others] to wage
Jihad against them in every possible way."(24) Martyr Samy Rahim's biography
relates his words: "Everyday on which the sun rises and no Jew is killed, nor
any martyr has died, will be a day for which we will be punished by Allah."(25)
In the biography of martyr 'Ammar Al-A'raj, who was killed together with his
friend, Ayman Al-Razaynah, it is stressed that the martyrs' weapons were carried
with only one goal: "[To spill] the blood of Jews."(26)

Conclusions

In western eyes, an individual who chooses to commit martyrdom, in order to kill
others, is considered a deranged, irrational fanatic. By viewing it in this way
analysts underestimate the calculated ideological nature and social framework in
which this phenomenon takes place. As this review demonstrates, the Palestinian
individuals who choose to commit martyrdom adhere to a rigid, higly developed
ideological structure whose irrationality lies in its original assumptions.
Hence, the choice to commit martyrdom is not motivated by poverty or mental
desperation. Rather, it is an act with deep ideological motivations. Moreover,
there exists a social and religious framework which, in laying the foundations
for a climate of martyrdom, continures to produce an ongoing supply of future
suicide bombers.

*Aluma Solnick is a Research Associate with MEMRI.

An Appendix of translations of the suicide bomber biographies published in
Al-Istiqlal can be found, with this Inquiry & Analysis, on MEMRI's website -
www.memri.org.

Endnotes:

(1) Al-Istiqlal, August 26, 1999.
(2) Al-Istiqlal, March 5, 1999.
(3) Al-Istiqlal, September 30, 1999.
(4) This was the slogan of Nasserism in the 60´s..
(5) Al-Istiqlal, June 11, 1999.
(6) Al-Istiqlal, June 18, 1999.
(7) Al-Istiqlal, May 14, 1999.
(8) Al-Istiqlal, June 18, 1999.
(9) The Koran, Surat Al-'Imran (3), 169.
(10) Al-Istiqlal, March 5, 1999; January 6, 2000.
(11) Al-Istiqlal, June 11, 1999.
(12) Al-Hayat Al-Jadida, September 17, 1999.
(13) Al-Istiqlal, February 5, 1999.
(14) Al-Istiqlal, August 20, 1999.
(15) Al-Istiqlal, November 27, 1999.
(16) Al-Istiqlal, April 16, 1999.
(17) Al-Istiqlal, February 5, 1999.
(18) Al-Istiqlal, September 30, 1999.
(19) Al-Istiqlal, May 14, 1999.
(20) Al-Istiqlal, March 26, 1999.
(21) Al-Istiqlal, September 30, 1999.
(22) Al-Istiqlal, March 26, 1999.
(23) Al-Istiqlal, December 2, 1999.
(24) Al-Istiqlal, June 18, 1999.
(25) Al-Istiqlal, August 20, 1999.
(26) Al-Istiqlal, September 11, 1998.

The Middle East Media and Research Institute (MEMRI) is an independent,
non-profit organization providing translations of the Arab media and original
analysis and research on developments in the Middle East. Copies of articles
and documents cited, as well as background information, are available upon
request.

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

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Feb 24, 2000 TV Programs
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 09:50:06 -0500

9:00 PM Eastern

DISC - SCIENCE MYSTERIES - "Monumental Mysteries" - Biblical
history; Sphinx; David and Solomon.(CC)(TVG)

TLC - DELUGE - "Drowning Earth" - Global warming and El
Nino make the 1990s the warmest and wettest decade on
record.(CC)(TVG)

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Thirsty monkeys stone herder to death in Kenya
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 13:07:49 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------

2/24/2000 10:02:00 ET

Thirsty monkeys stone herder to death in Kenya

NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Thirsty monkeys in drought-affected eastern Kenya
stoned to death a herder watering his livestock, a local newspaper
reported Thursday.

Ali Adam Hussein and other herdsmen had stopped to water their cattle at
a pool in the northeastern Wajir district on Saturday when a group of
wild monkeys attacked them with stones, the independent daily East
African Standard said.

Hussein died from severe head injuries after he was transferred to a
dispensary in Ajawa, the newspaper quoted Abdi Gosho, a nurse in the
village, as saying.

The report did not specify what kind of monkey carried out the purported
attack. Baboons have been known to throw objects at rivals.

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

via: hblondel@tampabay.rr.com

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - FW: [real_world_news] 02/24/2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Shophar_Sho_Good")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 18:13:58 -0500

From: Real World News <real_world_news@usa.net>

REAL WORLD NEWS 02/24/2000

Sci-Tech

- Human Cell Immortality Switch Found - The End Of Death?

Religion
- Coach To Drop Prayer Role After ACLU Complaint
- Pope Begins Middle East Pilgrimages
- Russia Moves To Eliminate Minority Religious Groups
- Super Bowl Star To Pen Book About His Faith

HUMAN CELL IMMORTALITY SWITCH FOUND - THE END OF DEATH?
Scientists have found a way to create human embyonic stem cells in a
lab. The stem cells, which can form every kind of human tissue,
normally exist only for a few days at the beginning of life. "As a
human race," says scientist Michael West, "we may see our final
frontier as conquering death itself."
http://www.sightings.com/politics6/immort.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------
Religion and The Church
----------------------------------------------------------------------

COACH TO DROP PRAYER ROLE AFTER ACLU COMPLAINT
The University of Colorado's basketball coach said Tuesday that he'll
stop taking a leadership role in team prayer, after his boss got a
stinging letter from the American Civil Liberties Union. "It's a sad
time in the world when we are concerned with people praying," CU
basketball coach Ricardo Patton said after practice Tuesday.
http://insidedenver.com/news/0223patt2.shtml

POPE BEGINS MIDDLE EAST PILGRIMAGES
John Paul will stop at the foot of Mount Sinai, where the Bible says
Moses received the Ten Commandments. John Paul intends to pray at the
spot where tradition says God spoke to Moses from a burning bush.
http://www.marketwatch.newsalert.com/bin/story?StoryId=ColnPudicvMf0Aw
nHBKvN
Exb0&FQ

RUSSIA MOVES TO ELIMINATE MINORITY RELIGIOUS GROUPS
Authorities in central Russia are trying to shut down 13 religious
communities in accord with the country's new law on religion, the
Keston News Service reports. Attempts have been made to close
individual churches, but this is the broadest application of the law
by local justice authorities since the expiration of a December 31
deadline by which all religious groups in Russia were required to
reregister, Keston says.
http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00/20000222c.htm

SUPER BOWL STAR TO PEN BOOK ABOUT HIS FAITH
Super Bowl star Kurt Warner has converted his unlikely success story
into a $600,000 book deal that will tell of the strong Christian faith
that brought him from nowhere to Most Valuable Player, as he led the
St. Louis Rams to a 23-16 victory over the Tennessee Titans last
month. http://www.mcjonline.com/news/00/20000222e.htm

----------------------------------------------------------------------
That's the news for today. If you are enjoying this mailing list,
please tell your friends. They can subscribe simply by going to
http://www.onelist.com/community/real_world_news or by sending an
email to real_world_news-subscribe@onelist.com
----------------------------------------------------------------------

WHY REAL WORLD NEWS?
Real World News is but one part of an ongoing study in eschatology,
that is, the Biblical study of the 'last things'. This newsletter
began as Bible Study companion, a weekly summary of international
events taking place around the world. Today, Real World News has much
the same goal; to provide pastors and Bible teachers with a easy to
read account of world events to pass on to their own congregations. If
you're finding RWN of use in your study, let us know. We appreciate
any and all encouragement! email real_world_news@usa.net

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Arutz-7 News
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 18:35:42 -0500

Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.arutzsheva.org>
Thursday, February 24, 2000 / Adar Aleph 18, 5760

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. PM'S OFFICE DENIES SECRET TALKS WITH SYRIA
  2. LEVY STANDS BY STRONG WORDS
  3. ONLY SETTLEMENT BLOCS
  4. FRENCH PM IN JERUSALEM
  5. RABBIS ASK POPE FOR SHABBAT SENSITIVITY
  6. UNREPORTED HIGH SALARIES
  7. EGYPT PREPARING LONG-RANGE MISSILES
  8. TERRORIST ESCAPES FROM P.A. PRISON
  9. POSSIBLE DELAY IN NEW PRIORITIES MAP
  10. CHIEF RABBI IN SOUTHERN LEBANON

1. PM'S OFFICE DENIES SECRET TALKS WITH SYRIA
Jerusalem and Damascus are conducting secret negotiations, according to
foreign press reports. The Prime Minister's Office denies that such talks are
underway, but Foreign Minister David Levy said, "The diplomatic process
with Syria has not died." Prominent journalist Uri Dan wrote in yesterday's
New York Post that President Clinton has secretly orchestrated a peace
plan that gives Syria complete control of the Golan Heights, rights to the Sea
of Galilee, and $15 billion in economic aid; Israel will receive $15 billion in
arms and at least another $15 billion to help in the evacuation and re-location
of the 18,000 Jews from the Golan Heights. Nothing has been signed, but
Dan quotes sources to the effect that Syrian President Assad and Prime
Minister Barak have given their consent, and an agreement could be signed
by May. Still unresolved are issues of demilitarization of the Golan Heights
and additional money demands by Syria. One Israeli Cabinet member, after
hearing of the agreement, was quoted as saying, "Maybe Clinton will get that
Nobel Peace Prize he wants."

Uri Heitner of the Golan Residents Committee said that the denial of the
Prime Minister's office of the above report was "weak, unconvincing, and
does not sound accurate." He said that if the reports are true, "this is a total
and shameful surrender to an anti-Semitic county. Maybe this is Barak's
answer to Syrian anti-Semitism, or to Syrian encouragement of Hizbullah, or
to [Syrian Foreign Minister] A-Shara's admission that receiving the Golan
from Israel is only 'stage one' in their plan to destroy Israel totally."

The week-long quiet in southern Lebanon ended this morning, when Hizbullah
terrorists fired mortar shells and other artillery towards IDF and SLA
outposts in the western sector of the security zone. There were no reports of
wounded.

2. LEVY STANDS BY STRONG WORDS
Foreign Minister Levy refuses to retract his strong speech about Lebanon in
the Knesset yesterday, where he cried emotionally, "If Kiryat Shmonah
burns, Lebanon will also burn... Blood for blood, child for child!" Levy
explained this morning that "the quiet in the north is fake, the danger is
close, and the Hizbullah terrorists have horrific weapons, with no one to
restrain them." Ministers Beilin, Sarid, and Oron criticized Levy's harsh
words, while MK Uzi Landau (Likud) said that the public criticism should be
directed towards what he called "the band of Hizbullah collaborators sitting in
the Knesset." MK Tzvi Hendel (National Union) said that Levy's tone was
"too moderate." Analysts note that the entire debate may be academic in
light of the secret talks with Syria.

Prime Minister Barak gave his full support to his Foreign Minister,
although he said that he has no doubt that Levy did not mean to imply that
Israel would harm Lebanese civilians: "The opposite is true: All of
Israel's activities, even when we strike strongly at Hizbullah
infrastructures in southern Lebanon, are designed to prevent even
incidental harm to civilians."

The Iran-On-Line news service reports that "observers in Palestine see no
surprise in Levy's statements, because killing Arab civilians has always
been a consistent Israeli policy since the creation of the Zionist state more
than fifty years ago." Official Syrian radio this afternoon likened Levy to
Hitler.

Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman was asked by Arutz-7 today to
relate to Levy's words. "I'm pleased to see that sometimes, words can be
issued from the heart," he said, but added that the condemnations of Levy's
words by his fellow government ministers are worrisome. "Though David
Levy's message was very clear, it is also quite obvious that he has no hope
of implementing such a policy with the present government. As we have
seen more than once, there is a significant gap between the declarations and
actions of someone in a government position."

News Editor Haggai Segal asked Lieberman how he interprets Levy's
apparent "about-face" from his role as a political "dove" in the Netanyahu
coalition to that of a "hawk" in the Barak government. "First of all,"
Lieberman explained, "David Levy grew up in the Likud, a nationalist
movement, and it would be impossible for what he learned there to be
completely erased. Secondly, not just David Levy, but any clear-thinking
person can see what is now being written in the Egyptian and Syrian press,
for instance. It still escapes me why our government has gotten so upset by
Haider's statements, and not those of [Egyptian Foreign Minister] Amr
Mussa or [Egyptian President] Mubarak; it is obvious that they are much
more dangerous than Haider, as they are gearing themselves for the
destruction of the State of Israel... When Mubarak issued a public
declaration in support of the Hizbullah, we should have immediately recalled
our ambassador from Egypt, and we should have frozen all relations with
Cairo. Instead, Barak sent Danny Yatom to Cairo to 'explain' his policy in
Lebanon..."

3. ONLY SETTLEMENT BLOCS
Galei Tzahal Army Radio reported this morning that Israel has proposed that
a permanent-status agreement with the Palestinians be based on the June 4,
1967 borders, with only settlement-blocs to remain in Israeli hands. The
Palestinians reportedly agree, but demand areas within pre-1967 Israel in
exchange. The Prime Minister's Office denied this report as well.

4. FRENCH PM IN JERUSALEM
French Prime Minister Lionel Jospin met with Ehud Barak in Jerusalem last
night and today. An official ceremony held this morning outside the Prime
Minister's Office was slightly marred when it was discovered that the flag
of Holland was unfurled instead of that of France. It is not yet clear
whether the French Embassy or the Israeli Foreign Ministry was responsible
for the error. At a joint press conference after their meeting, Barak
said, "In the coming months, we will reach moments of truth for the process
which has gone on for ten years now. All of the efforts which have been
made on the various tracks by my predecessors are reaching their peak.
We will need to make decisions, out of a historic responsibility, a
responsibility to our security and a full comprehension of the alternatives."
Jospin noted that he shares Israel's concern both over Iraq's attempts to arm
itself and recent developments in Iran. Despite pro-Arab French policies over
the years, Arutz-7's French-language correspondent David Shapira noted that
"Jospin is very warm and friendly, and does not seem to want to cause the
kind of tensions that President Jacques Chirac caused during his visit here
over three years ago."

5. RABBIS ASK POPE FOR SHABBAT SENSITIVITY
A delegation of municipal Chief Rabbis and hareidi Knesset Members
presented a petition to the Vatican's Israel representative today, in which they
ask that the Pope refrain from causing any Sabbath desecration during his
visit here next month. The Pontiff is visiting Egypt today.

The Chief Ashkenazi Rabbi of Haifa, Rabbi She'ar Yashuv Cohen, told Arutz-
7 today about the petition: "I have just come from a meeting between a
delegation of rabbis, including Rabbi Grossman of Migdal HaEmek, Rabbi
Shlush of Netanya, and others, in the home of the Jerusalem papal
diplomatic mission head, on the Mt. of Olives. It was a very respectful
meeting, and he received us hospitably. Regarding Sabbath, our concern
stems from the fact that the Pope's schedule includes a late Friday afternoon
service near Tiberias, and Saturday morning services near Nazareth. This will
lead to hundreds or thousands of Jews being forced to desecrate the
Sabbath by having to protect the route along which he will be travelling. We
asked that the Pope change his plans and not travel on the Sabbath - he
could, for instance, depart for Nazareth late Friday afternoon, before the
Sabbath begins... The nuncio said that the policy of the present Pope is to
be sensitive to the feelings of the Jewish people, as evidenced by his
declarations about the Holocaust and erasing the accusations against the
Jews. He said that the Pope will want to do everything that he can, in
consultation with the security forces, to avoid forcing so many Jews to
desecrate the Sabbath... It in fact appears that the Friday afternoon service
will be called off, and the Sabbath morning services may be pushed off to
Saturday night, such that it looks like the security forces of the north will be
able to commemorate and preserve the Sabbath at home, with their families
[instead of on the streets protecting the Pope]." He explained that many of
them turned to him on this matter, as Chief Rabbi of the northern city of
Haifa, and "this is why I am involved."

Rabbi Cohen noted that the atmosphere for the upcoming visit is "different"
than that of a previous papal visit in the mid-1960's: "At that time, Chief
Rabbi Nissim refused to greet the Pope in Megiddo [where the Pope entered
Israel], saying that if the Pope is visiting Israel, he should trouble himself to
come to the Chief Rabbis' offices. This time, it has already been agreed that
the Pope will come to the Chief Rabbis, apparently in Heichal Shlomo [the
recently-vacated long-time offices of the Chief Rabbinate in Jerusalem]. This
is a radical change in the Vatican's approach to the Jewish religious status
in Jerusalem." The nuncio said that the Chief Rabbis and Minister Chaim
Ramon had already raised the Shabbat issue, and Rabbi Cohen noted that
United Torah Judaism MK Meir Porush has gathered 2000 signatures on a
petition on this matter.

6. UNREPORTED HIGH SALARIES
Following the release of the Finance Ministry report this week on
deviations in public sector salaries, Arutz-7's Ariel Kahane reports on
similarly high salaries in another public body which went unreported: The
Israel Broadcasting Authority. A list of the top 50 IBA gross salaries in
1999 includes the following: Supervisor of Maintenance - 38,000 shekels a
month; News Director - almost 35,000; Supervisor of Electronic Maintenance
- 37,000; Deputy Head of the Video Department - 36,000; a commentator -
35,000. The salary of the 50th-highest earner in the IBA is 28,000 shekels
per month.

Gil Samsonov, Chairman of the Board of the Israel Broadcasting Authority,
responded, "This situation, where public sector employees are paid such
high salaries from the public coffers, is simply not logical. This is chaos!"
The Board decided to cut salaries to no more than 19,000 shekels - although
Yisrael Medad, of Israel Media Watch, is not optimistic about an actual
implementation of the decision. He told Arutz-7 today, "All previous
decisions regarding efficiency and cost-cutting programs in the IBA were
never implemented, and I fear that it will be the same this time." What
concerns Medad more, however, is the fact that the IBA salary deviations
were not even reported on the public news: "The news department talked
about the salaries of all the other sectors, but not its own! Similarly, when
the budget of the IBA wasn't approved by the Finance Ministry - the IBA did
not report on it. This is intolerable - the public authority exists not to serve
those who work there, but to serve the public!"

7. EGYPT PREPARING LONG-RANGE MISSILES
Sources in the U.S. and Israel are very concerned with some recent military
deals conducted by Egypt - specifically, the transfer by Cairo of U.S. missile
technology to North Korea. So reports Steve Rodan in the latest edition of
Janes Defence Weekly. The technologies in question are allegedly being
sent by Egyptian government-owned companies to Pyongyang, where they
are then adapted and returned to Egypt as advanced components for Egypt's
medium-range ballistic missile program. The same Israeli sources add that
although Egypt currently has Scud C missiles with a range of 500
kilometers, Cairo is now developing missiles with a range of nearly twice
that. With chemical and biological warheads, Rodan notes, these missiles
would pose a serious threat to Israel. Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Rodan
added that a 1,000 km range would permit such missiles to be fired from
deep within Egypt, where its launchers would be virtually inaccessible to
Israel Air Force bombers.

According to the Janes article, the Clinton administration has not put a stop
to Egypt's technology transfers, "since Israeli and U.S. officials differ over the
extent of Egypt's missile program and its threat to the region." A senior
Israeli defense source told Rodan that the U.S. does not see Egypt in the
same light as Israel, and is simply unwilling to jeopardize its alliance with
Egypt. Israel has even been specifically ordered by the U.S. administration
not to go public with the story, Rodan told Arutz-7.

8. TERRORIST ESCAPES FROM P.A. PRISON
Jamil Jedalla, an Arab terrorist who murdered Itamar Doron near Moshav Ora
and Danny Vargas of Kiryat Arba in two separate attacks in October 1998,
escaped from his Palestinian Authority prison cell in Jericho today.
Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that this is Jedalla's fourth
escape. Israel has not yet received official word of the latest breakout.

9. POSSIBLE DELAY IN NEW PRIORITIES MAP
Prime Minister Barak will ask his government next week to push off the
implementation of the new "national priorities" map for another six months.

The Yesha Council expressed satisfaction at the news, as the new map
would not include Yesha communities, and their residents would no longer
be eligible for special development-area benefits. Minister Ran Cohen
(Meretz) is against the proposed delay, and said that "it's about time a Barak
map replaces the Netanyahu map." Other ministers agreed with him. Yesha
Council spokesman Yehoshua Mor-Yosef said, however, "Barak realizes that
towns cannot be discriminated against simply on a political basis." He
credited Foreign Minister David Levy with investing great efforts in ensuring
that the recommendations not be accepted.

10. CHIEF RABBI IN SOUTHERN LEBANON
Rishon Letzion Rabbi Eliyahu Bakshi-Doron, together with members of the
Knesset House Committee, toured IDF outposts in southern Lebanon earlier
this week. HaTzofeh reports that the visitors heard briefings on the
situation from army officers and met with soldiers. "I came to encourage,
and I left encouraged," Rabbi Bakshi said.

Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal and Haggai Seri
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - About.com Guide to following the Israel-Palestine peace talks
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Thu, 24 Feb 2000 18:38:01 -0500

BPRnote: use the following URL to follow the
necessary links that are mentioned:

http://worldnews.about.com/newsissues/worldnews/library/howto/htisrpal.htm

----------

How to Follow the Israel-Palestine Talks

The Israeli-Palestinian peace talks are vital to long-lasting
peace in the Middle East. Here are the best resources for
following the peace process and finding the best background
material.

Difficulty Level: Average Time Required: 15-60 min

Here's How:

1.Get a good understanding of the land involved. Matt
Rosenberg, the About.com guide to Geography, has maps of the
territory under Palestinian control: the West Bank and the Gaza
Strip.

2.Find out about the roots of the dispute. Ellis Schuman, the
About.com guide to Israeli Culture, has this great summary.

3.The Palestinians are worried about Israeli settlements in the
West Bank and Gaza. Look at this map (made by the Palestinians)
showing where some of those settlements are.

4.Look at the background information the Israeli government has
made available about the negotiations with the Palestinians.

5.Look at the background information the Palestinian National
Authority has made available on the peace process.

6.The United States has played a key role in the negotiations.
Browse through the official US statements on the peace process.

7.If you still need more background, look at these peace
process links from our Israeli Culture guide and from Patrick
Lyons, About.com's guide to Arab Culture.

8.Now that you have a handle on the broad outlines of the
dispute, you can better understand the latest news from the
region. Start with these stories from the Guardian of London.
Scroll down to the "Israel and Palestine" section.

9.Check out Israeli news from the Jerusalem Post.

10.Read the daily headlines from the Palestinian Information
Center.

11.Look at the headlines from Arabia On Line.

12.Congratulations! You are now a well-informed citizen on one
of the oldest international disputes in the world. To celebrate,
stop by the World News forum and join a discussion on the
Israeli-Palestinian peace process.

Tips:

1.The peace process is highly emotional on all sides. Be on the
lookout for extremism and demagoguery.

2.The United States has a deep interest in preventing war in
this region. The US has promised to protect Israel from attack,
and peace makes it easier for the world to buy oil.

See http://philologos.org/bpr for additional info.

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Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.