BPR Mailing List Digest: 05/05/00

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
May 5, 2000

Digest Home | 2000 | May, 2000

To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Infobeat News items (5/4/00)
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:15:20 -0400

*** Russian president ratifies START II

MOSCOW (AP) - President Vladimir Putin signed the START II treaty on
Thursday, affirming the Russian parliament's approval of the plan to
cut U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals, the presidential press service
said. The treaty obligates Russia and the United States to slash
nuclear stockpiles to 3,000-3,500 nuclear warheads each. It was
approved last month by both chambers of parliament, ending seven
years of deadlock. Putin, who won election in March, has made nuclear
arms reduction a key part of his agenda. Boris Yeltsin, the previous
president, failed to get the agreement approved by the parliament
because of strong opposition from Communists and nationalists. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2566255951-1d5

*** Congo, UN sign cooperation pact

KINSHASA, Congo (AP) - Congo's government and the United Nations
signed a cooperation agreement Thursday, a step toward deploying some
5,500 peacekeepers to monitor a shaky cease-fire in Africa's largest
and most complicated war. The move came during a rare visit by seven
U.N. security council members to Congo's capital. The mission's
leader, U.S. Ambassador Richard Holbrooke, said he was cautiously
optimistic about the deal. But the recent violence against U.N. staff
in another troubled African state, Sierra Leone, could affect the
Congo peace mission plans, he said. Under the vaguely worded Status
of Forces Agreement - signed by Foreign Minister Abdoulaye Yerodia -
Congo's government agreed to cooperate with the United Nations to
ensure the safety and free movement of the observers. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2566257614-900

*** Update: White House says we'll enforce China bill

WASHINGTON (AP) - Scrambling for votes for its landmark China trade
deal, the Clinton administration has thrown its support behind a
proposal to create a China human rights commission and is promising
to mount an aggressive monitoring effort to make sure China keeps its
trade commitments. But opponents, including major trade unions, say
they are not impressed with the new pledges. They called the human
rights commission a "fig leaf" and warned that China has a poor
record in living up to past trade promises. Rep. David Bonior, the
No. 2 Democrat in the House leadership who is leading the opposition
to Clinton's proposal, said the enforcement program was "a desperate
gesture to sell this flawed China deal that is floundering here in
Congress." See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2566248794-9b7

*** Koreas closer to agenda for summit

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea strongly indicated Thursday
that it will try to include the withdrawal of U.S. troops from South
Korea in the agenda for the two Koreas' first-ever summit in June.
Choi Sang-ryong, the South Korean ambassador to Tokyo, said last week
that the issue of U.S. troops will not be on the agenda when the
leaders of the two Koreas meet in the North Korean capital of
Pyongyang on June 12-14. Thursday, North Korea reacted negatively to
that statement. "Such irresponsible utterances made by senior
diplomats of South Korea cannot be construed otherwise than
deliberate moves to throw a wet blanket over the meeting and summit
and insult their dialogue partner," said the North's official foreign
news outlet, KCNA, monitored in Seoul. See
http://www.infobeat.com/stories/cgi/story.cgi?id=2566254099-8bf

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To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Scots regiment goes horse shopping
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:37:01 -0400

*** Scots regiment goes horse shopping

PRISTINA, Yugoslavia (AP) - Scotland's oldest regiment, currently
serving as peacekeepers in Kosovo, is looking for a few good steeds.
The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards, who normally use tanks these days,
went shopping Thursday for about 15 horses. The 400-man regiment,
which patrols Kosovo's northern boundary area with Serbia proper,
says horses may be better able to take on the rugged terrain than
motorized vehicles. "They stopped using horses regularly during the
World War I," said 1st Lt. Rob Hannam. "However, they are still the
best means of traveling in wilderness country." The regiment is
advertising locally for the horses as opposed to bringing them from
the United Kingdom, but it will bring dress saddles and bridles for
ceremonial use. The Royal Scots Dragoon Guards was established in
1678. ###

Infobeat News
May 5, 2000
http://www.infobeat.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - NASA Turns On First Internet Node in Space
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:41:17 -0400

NASA Turns On First Internet Node In Space Greenbelt -

May 5, 2000 - NASA has demonstrated the ability to use standard Internet
protocols to communicate with an orbiting spacecraft just like any other node
on the Internet.

Engineers with NASA's Goddard Space Flight Center (GSFC) Operating
Missions as Nodes on the Internet (OMNI) project, working with the UoSAT-
12 spacecraft from Surrey Satellite Technology Ltd. (SSTL), recently
completed the first step in extending Internet access to future spacecraft.

On April 10, 2000, engineers from the GSFC in Greenbelt, Maryland,
sucessfully used standard Internet PING packets to communicate with the
UoSAT-12 spacecraft through a ground station in Surrey, England.

Satellites have been used to provide communication services to support the
Internet for over 20 years. However, those services only consisted of
providing simple delivery of data bits.

This is the first time that a spacecraft ever had its own Internet address and
was a fully RFC-compliant active node on the Internet.

One of the goals of the OMNI project is to demonstrate the use of standard
Internet protocols and technologies to support NASA's goals of "faster,
better, cheaper" missions.

This also enables new, innovative future mission concepts such as
collaborative observations from multiple spacecraft.

The UoSAT-12 spacecraft was launched in April 1999 by SSTL without any
Internet protocol support onboard. The necessary Internet protocol support
software was prepared by the flight software developer, VyTek LLC of
Pittsburgh, PA, and uploaded to the spacecraft. The software is running on
one of two 80386 processors on the spacecraft.

The UoSat-12 spacecraft is based on SSTL's Mini Sat 400 series, which is
listed in NASA's Rapid Spacecraft Development Office (RSDO) catalog as an
available platform choice for current mission designers.

The only ground station modification required was to connect the
transmitter/receiver data lines at the SSTL ground station to the wide-area
network (WAN) port on a standard commerical Cisco router. This provided
full Internet accessibility to the UoSAT-12 spacecraft from anywhere on the
Internet. Common Internet security measures were implemented to restrict
access to the spacecraft.

Subsequent tests will expand on the basic network capabilities established
and will demonstrate the use of standard Internet applications to support
normal spacecraft operations.

Automatic spacecraft clock synchronization will be demonstrated using the
Network Time Protocol (NTP) and reliable file transfer will be demonstrated
using standard File Transfer Protocol (FTP). Simple Mail Transfer Protocol
(SMTP) will be used to demonstrate automated file store-and-forward.

Future tests are planned to incorporate the final technologies required to
support full operational deployment of Internet protocols for future space
missions. These tests will include Mobile IP, IP security mechanisms, and
multicast data distribution.

The team implementing these tests consisted of engineers from Goddard
Space Flight Center Information Systems Center , Computer Sciences
Corporation, Surrey Satellite Technology, Ltd, and VyTek LLC of Pittsburgh.

This activity is being supported by the GSFC Information Systems Center
(ISC), and the Communications Technology Project of NASA's Space
Operations Management Office (SOMO).

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/internet-00l.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Internet Battle Goes Orbital
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:44:18 -0400

Internet Battle Goes Orbital
by Rob Lever

Washington (AFP) April 24, 2000 - A battle is being waged in the trenches
and in space for dominance of the high-speed Internet connections that
millions of people are seeking for faster Web surfing and new applications
like interactive TV.

Companies are investing billions in the expectation that the next generation
of Internet connections will come either over wires used for cable television or
existing telephone lines, although a few say this will come via satellite.

Among the first to deliver the high-speed connections were cable modems,
offering speeds 10 to 50 times faster than traditional dial-up connections for
40 to 60 dollars a month.

As of last year, about 1.1 million US homes had cable modems for Internet,
according to a Yankee Group survey.

But rapidly catching up is a new technology known as DSL (digital
subscriber line), which uses existing phone lines, allowing a single wire to be
used simultaneously for voice and data, at speeds and costs comparable to
those used by cable modems. About 300,000 US homes had DSL service in
1999.

Both services -- which offer the extra advantage of being "always on,"
eliminating the need to dial up a service provider -- are expected to grow at a
fast pace because of Americans' hunger for "bandwidth," or the capacity to
deliver large amounts of data over the Web for graphics, pictures, video and
audio.

The fast connections will enable Web users not only to shop faster, but use
the Internet for different purposes such as video conferences, listening to
music, and eventually for interactive television.

But analysts are divided over which technology will rule the Net.

"Cable modems are definitely out in front," says Matthew Davis of the Boston-
based Yankee Group, which predicts 9.6 million Americans will use cable
modems by 2004 to seven million for DSL.

"Cable companies were the first to realize the residential demand, first to
provide high-speed access, and first to understand how to price it
attractively," says Christopher Whitely of Insight Research in Parsippany,
New Jersey.

"Today, they are offering TV, Internet, and telephone service bundles with an
aggressive marketing strategy."

But Paul Roche, a partner in the Silicon Valley office of McKinsey and Co.,
says DSL will win the race because of a problem with cable technology: the
speed goes down as more people use the service in a particular area.

"It's like taking a shower when someone else is doing laundry," Roche writes
in a column for the online ZDNet News.

"The applications of tomorrow -- such as streaming video, music on demand
or interactive TV -- all require substantial bandwith and likely will operate
better on DSL," says Roche.

A study by McKinsey and Sanford Bernstein projects cable and DSL will
each have 13 million users by 2004, after which DSL will take the lead.

A possible wild card in the battle is Internet transmission via satellite.

DirecPC, a unit of GM's Hughes Electronics, offers a consumer high-speed
service via satellite for about 20 dollars a month.

"We're better" than cable or DSL, says Hughes spokeswoman Gayle
Armstrong.

The satellite service has only about 120,000 customers worldwide so far,
says Armstrong, who acknowledges "we haven't marketed it very well."

The advantage of the satellite system is that "it's ubiquitous, it doesn't matter
where you are or what the terrestrial infrastructure is," says Armstrong. You
just pick up off the shelf and install it."

Armstrong says DirecPC service is available worldwide from the Hughes fleet
of satellites, and that the company plans to market the service to its eight
million customers who receive DirecTV, the direct broadcast service via
satellite.

She also says Internet via satellite is at least as good if not better technically
than cable or DSL, and "avoids the mess in the middle" by bypassing
bottlenecks on the ground.

She said DirecPC has been doing "webcasts" of concerts and other live
events and says "it's broadcast quality."

http://www.spacedaily.com/news/internet-00k.html

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Cabinet decides to retaliate for Katyushas
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:53:24 -0400

Friday, May 5, 2000

Cabinet decides to retaliate for Katyushas

By Sharon Gal and Amos Harel
Ha'aretz Correspondents and Agencies

The cabinet last night authorized a retaliatory attack on infrastructure in
Lebanon after some 200,000 residents of the northern Galilee were sent to
shelters because of five salvos of Hezbollah Katyusha rockets that slammed
into the north, killing a soldier and wounding some 25 people.

The Shiite guerrilla group was retaliating for the deaths of an 80-year-old
woman and her 40-year-old daughter when the South Lebanon Army shelled
a village bordering the security zone. At least two guerrillas were also cut
down by IAF helicopters as they prepared road mines.

The security cabinet met at the defense ministry compound in Tel Aviv, and
as it met, IAF planes hit Hezbollah positions near Sultaniyeh, about 15
kilometers north of the border, said Lebanese security sources, speculating
the Katyusha fire may have come from the village. At the cabinet meeting
last night, Prime Minister Ehud Barak stuck to his position that Israel was
not to be trifled with by the Hezbollah during the pullout period from Lebanon,
and described the Katyusha attacked as an escalation on Hezbollah's part.
Chief of Staff Shaul Mofaz demanded immediate reactions and presented a
range of targets to the ministers. Among the factors in the cabinet's
considerations were the expected international reactions to an IAF attack
now as Israel seeks international support for its withdrawal plans. Ministers
Yossi Beilin, Yossi Sarid and Shlomo Ben-Ami were against a massive
retaliation, but only Beilin actually voted against the decision.

Washington called on all sides to show restraint and to return to the Grapes
of Wrath understandings of June 1996, when Israel and Hezbollah agreed to
refrain from hitting positions that could cause civilian casualties.

The soldier was killed when a Katyusha hit his jeep outside the Parag
outpost near Misgav Am. Another soldier in the jeep was seriously wounded.

Some 30 Katyushas altogether hit the Galilee, with nearly 20 landing in
Kiryat Shmona, where the army had ordered bomb shelters opened a few
hours earlier, but didn't advise residents to take shelter. Residents ran for
shelters as several cars hit by the rockets burst into flames. A center for the
elderly was hit, wreaking havoc but few injuries among a group of elderly
people attending a physical exercise program.

The Katyusha volleys were the first serious attack by Hezbollah on Israel
proper since June 1999. That attack was followed by a massive Israeli
bombing campaign of the infrastructure in northern Lebanon, as Israel tried to
force Beirut to take the situation in hand.

While the IAF was hitting Hezbollah positions last night, the air force was
readying for an order for a similar retaliation. But it was unlikely the cabinet
could give such an order, with UN envoy Terje Larson in Beirut meeting
government leaders to discuss how the U.N. would help fill the vacuum left
behind after the Israeli unilateral withdrawal in July.

Military sources said that the government should have ordered wide-scale
retaliations last month after Hezbollah rockets hit outposts near the Israeli
border. But the government last night was not expected to order attacks on
northern Lebanon.

In a statement issued in Lebanon, Hezbollah claimed responsibility for the
rocketing, saying it came in response to "continuing aggression on villages"
in south Lebanon by Israel and its allies.

Barak was meeting with U.S. mediator Dennis Ross who is in Israel to try to
move along negotiations with the Palestinians, when they were interrupted
with word of the attack yesterday evening. Barak cut short the meeting.

In Kiryat Shmona, the rockets began falling at around 6 P.M. and kept hitting
in several barrages over the next half hour. Plumes of black smoke billowed
into the air as fire trucks raced through the streets. Soldiers rushed to the
places where rockets had fallen. The explosions set more than a dozen cars
on fire and shattered windshields of other vehicles.

Kiryat Shmona Mayor Haim Barbivai said "People are sick of the situation ...
the government must take steps to stop it." City officials said Barak would
visit Kiryat Shmona, possibly last night after the cabinet session.

Galileans were highly critical of the IDF for not sending them to shelters
before the Katyusha raid. But IDF sources said the decision not to send
people into the bomb shelters before the Hezbollah shelling was a lesson
learned after a rise in tension in February, when residents spent four nights
in shelters even though no Hezbollah attack came. "We didn't want to drive
people crazy sending them in and out of shelters," one military source said
last night.

MK Ariel Sharon of the Likud called on the government last night to respond
immediately to the Hezbollah attack by punishing Lebanon with raids on its
infrastructure throughout the country.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=05/05/00&
id=77469

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Tracking and locating papers
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:56:02 -0400

A German software firm has come up with a paradoxically high tech
solution to the decidedly low tech problem of organizing all that
paper. Findentity, a system produced by Berlin-based Thax Software
(www.thax.de/english/), lets office workers track and locate any
letter, file, or photo in the office. It works like this: Every piece of
paper to be tracked is "marked" with a transponder, a
postage-stamp-sized sticker embedded with a chip that can store and
send a 32-bit identification number. Users then install a local
positioning net, a series of antennas strategically placed in doorways
and underneath desks. When a file goes AWOL, the antennas home in
on the missing document's transponder. The signal bounces back to a
PC, where the software calls up a map of the office and points to the
file with a flashing arrow. An optional ceiling-mounted laser beam
can even spotlight the missing file. Businesses with multiple branch
can track files by using Findentity in conjunction with the Net.

via: transhumantech@onelist.com

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - Satanic Rites Rumors Linked to Guatemala Attack
From: bpr-list@philologos.org
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 08:44:58 -0500

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

via: <hblondel@tampabay.rr.com>

May 4 8:36 PM ET

Satanic Rites Rumors Linked to Guatemala Attack

GUATEMALA CITY (Reuters) - A rumor that kidnappers were stealing
children to use their hearts in satanic rituals apparently motivated a
mob that killed a Japanese tourist and a Guatemalan bus driver in a
popular Mayan market over the weekend, tourism officials said on
Thursday.

The Guatemalan Institute of Tourism (INGUAT) said in a news release
that the attack on a group of 23 Japanese tourists on Saturday in the
northwestern village of Todos Santos Cuchumatan was caused by "rumors
about satanic rituals."

The Japanese tourists were shopping and taking pictures in the town's
colorful market when they were attacked by angry villagers.

Tetsuo Yamahiro, 40, was smashed over the head with a rock and killed.
Edgar Castellanos, a Guatemalan tour bus driver, was also killed and
his body doused in gasoline and partially burned.

"Let it be clear that (the attack) was a confusion caused by a rumor
that satanic rituals were going to be performed and that children were
being kidnapped to have their hearts stolen," Todos Santos Mayor
Julian Mendoza said in the news release.

Mendoza said many neighbors were feeling "nervous" that day after a
local radio reported that a satanic cult had rented the town's
municipal gymnasium over the weekend to carry out their bloody rites.

"This is an illiterate community and people believe in rumors. Many
schools remained closed for days and women stopped venturing out of
their homes," Mendoza told reporters on Thursday.

The attack has raised concern among tourism officials that the
killings will deter visitors from coming to Guatemala.

Some 636,000 tourists visited Guatemala in 1998, lured by the Central
American country's pre-Columbian ruins and vibrant Mayan villages.

Since the end of a 36-year civil war in 1996, Guatemalan officials
have promoted tourism as an economic alternative to the country's
traditional agro-industry.

In 1998, tourism brought in $394 million, making it the second source
of hard currency after coffee.

Tourism officials characterized the attack on the Japanese tourists as
an "exceptional" and "unfortunate" incident.

It was not the first such attack on a tourist.

In 1994, U.S. journalist June Weinstock was beaten almost to death by
hundreds of angry peasants in the remote village of San Cristobal
Verapaz who thought she was trying to steal a baby.

Although no cases have been documented, the rumor persists in some
Mayan communities that foreigners come to steal children to sell them
or their body parts abroad.

Guatemalan police have arrested nine people, including a 68-year-old
man and a 60-year-old woman, in connection with the attack in Todos
Santos Cuchumatan.

On Thursday, a Guatemalan court investigating the case heard testimony
from the Japanese tourists who witnessed the attack. No details of the
hearing were available.

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

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

========
To: bpr-list@philologos.org (BPR Mailing List)
Subject: [BPR] - (Fwd) Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, May 5, 2000
From: bpr-list@philologos.org("Moza")
Date: Fri, 5 May 2000 12:42:47 -0400

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 05 May 2000 17:38:28 +0300
To: arutz-7@ArutzSheva.org
From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@ArutzSheva.org>
Subject: Arutz-7 News Brief: Friday, May 5, 2000
Send reply to: netnews@a7.org

Arutz Sheva News Service
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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
  1. ISRAEL RETALIATES FOR ONE ATTACK, HOLDS OFF ON ANOTHER
  2. RESIDENTS IN SHELTERS
  3. SYRIA THINNING OUT ITS LEBANESE FORCES
  4. SEEKING THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
  5. YESHA RALLY
  6. IN BRIEF

1. ISRAEL RETALIATES FOR ONE ATTACK, HOLDS OFF ON ANOTHER
Northern Israel and Lebanon have turned into a battlefield. The
hostilities began late yesterday afternoon when the Hizbullah terrorists
fired several volleys of katyusha rockets into Israel and Israeli outposts
in southern Lebanon. An IDF soldier - Wt. Officer Shaked Ozeri, of
Elyachin (a town just south of Hadera) - was killed when his jeep was hit
directly by a katyusha; he was buried in Elyachin this afternoon. Over 25
Israelis were injured in the katyusha attacks, and five of them were
treated in the hospital.

Israel responded last night with air strikes on Lebanese power stations in
Beirut and north of Tripoli, which left large parts of the country without
electricity. The main Beirut-Damascus highway was also bombed in one spot,
cutting off traffic. IAF planes also struck Hizbullah targets, including
an ammunition dump in the Bekaa Valley, where katyusha rockets were said to
have been stored.

The terrorists then retaliated with additional katyushas on Israel, in the
western and eastern Galilee, injuring another five people. Heavy property
damage to cars and buildings was suffered. One rocket scored a direct hit
on a building which was about to host a meeting of the leaders of the
northern towns. Ma'alot Mayor Shlomo Buchbut said, "We all have to say
HaGomel [a blessing of thanks for being saved]." Hadas Ochayon, 21, of
Shlomi, said that one katyusha rocket fell only a few yards away from her
home as she was about to leave the building: "Miracle is too small of a
word to describe what happened. I was almost killed - but thank G-d
nothing happened." She recounted how her mother dragged her into the
security room and lay on top of her to protect her from the bombs.

The IDF has returned fire, but a larger-scale Israeli response tonight has
been ruled out by the security mini-Cabinet, which convened this afternoon.

2. RESIDENTS IN SHELTERS
Many northern residents are considering leaving the area, especially in
light of Prime Minister Barak's statement today that they will likely have
to remain in their shelters for a few days. Invitations from the Golan,
Jordan Valley, and Haifa have been extended to the threatened northerners.
Over 500 Kiryat Shmonah inhabitants have been taken into 14 Golan
communities, and dozens of rooms have been made ready in the Jordan Valley
as well.

Kiryat Shmonah Mayor Chaim Barbivai said that he would take measures to
evacuate the entire city until calm is restored. He said that what he
heard from Prime Minister Barak about the government's planned reactions
were "not satisfactory." Mayor Yaakov Katz of Israel's northern-most town
- Metullah - said that his town has suffered damages of over $2 million in
the past day in indirect damages. These include cancelled hotel
reservations and agricultural losses. He also called upon the government
to "attack Hizbullah without mercy."

A large forest fire, caused by the katyusha attacks, continues to rage in
the Naftali Mountains, between Kiryat Shmonah and Kibbutz Manara. Four
other fires have been extinguished, but the approach to the Naftali fire is
difficult and the firefighters have not been able to control the blaze.

3. SYRIA THINNING OUT ITS LEBANESE FORCES
Lebanese media are reporting widely that Syria has apparently withdrawn two
divisions from Lebanese territory over recent weeks. The move has become
the subject of wide debate within Lebanese political and military circles,
and various interpretations have been given. These range from internal
Syrian political considerations, to the dangers of a possible recurrence of
a Lebanese civil war, to a reaction to Israel's upcoming withdrawal from
Lebanon.

4. SEEKING THE PEACE OF JERUSALEM
Likud chief Ariel Sharon met late this morning with Knesset Members of the
United Torah Judaism party. Sharon asked MKs Gafni and Porush for their
support against Prime Minister Barak's plan to transfer villages adjacent
to Jerusalem to the Palestinian Authority. Sharon met with Rabbi Ovadiah
Yosef on Wednesday for the same purpose. Both UTJ and Shas have not yet
made their official opinion on the matter known, although most of their
Knesset Members are strongly against. "The diplomatic process must be
advanced, but wisely," said Gafni. A copy of a letter written by Rabbi
Menachem Porush to Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef on this matter is included below.

5. YESHA RALLY
The Yesha Council, together with other nationalist-camp organizations, has
planned a mass rally in Zion Square in downtown Jerusalem, for Monday, May
15, at 7 PM. The themes will be two: the refrain seen on billboards,
posters, and bumper stickers all over the country - "Uprooting settlements
tears the nation apart!" as well as, "No More Free Withdrawals!" Buses
have been chartered from all over the country.

Council Secretary-General Shlomo Filber told HaTzofeh today, "We didn't
waste our time [during the period of 'dialogue' with Ehud Barak, which has
now been declared ended]. Over the past four months, we waged a massive
nation-wide campaign that has proven itself. Public opinion, which was at
first split down the middle as to whether uprooting settlements would lead
to a split in the nation, is now at 65% who think or are sure that this
would lead to such a split... Barak, too, knows these results, such that
he knows that he will have a serious problem if he decides to uproot
settlements."

Filber also related to the future of the Jewish towns in Judea and Samaria:
"Within a year, a map will be drawn up that will become the status quo for
the next generation. We will be entering a period in which the Yesha towns
will have to deal with a new security situation... The subject of
establishing new settlements, and the concept of settlement altogether,
will be less significant than our social strength and cohesion... The
Council should deal with the ability of the settlement enterprise to meet
the challenges of the new realities in the next five and ten years."

6. IN BRIEF
        The U.S. House of Representatives voted this week to call upon the
International Red Cross to grant the same recognition to the Israeli Magen
David Adom (Red Star of David) as it does to the Red Crescent and the other
Red Cross organizations. "Magen David Adom has granted aid in Kosovo,
Indonesia. Kenya, Greece, and Turkey," stated the House announcement...
        Eleven people were killed in traffic accidents in Israel this week...
        Eduard Kuznetzov, the recently-fired editor of Israel's Russian-language
weekly Vesti, has been named the editor of a new Russian weekly, to be
named Mig News. HaTzofeh reports that Kuznetzov's firing by Yediot
Acharonot was widely believed to have been based on his right-wing
leanings, and that
the new paper will be run by Yediot's competitor, Ma'ariv...

SPECIAL INSERT:
A letter written this week by Rabbi Menachem Porush, head of the World
Agudat Yisrael movement, to Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef:

Honorable Gaon of Israel
The Great Rishon LeTzion Rabbi Ovadiah Yosef, Shlita [may he live a long
and good life]
HaKablan St. 45, Jerusalem

Shalom and Blessings,

"I was a young man and I have now grown old." I was born at a time when
the Turks controlled this country. I lived through the period of the
British Mandate, and followed the events since the establishment of the
State of Israel. The difficulties we endured are engraved in my memory, as
I was personally involved in the developments.

I am writing this letter with a feeling that I don't recall ever
experiencing before -- a feeling of fear and great worry resulting from the
persistent and firm rumors that the government is planning to change the
status of the neighborhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem, Abu Dis and
Azariya, by handing them over to complete Palestinian civil and military
control.

"That which we feared has come." Beyond doubt, the consequences of
transferring Abu Dis and Azariya to Palestinian military control are a
security danger to Jerusalem.

Intense and thorough analysis has led to the conclusion that the
consequences will be the suffocation of Jerusalem with a Palestinian chain.
Surely what we are dealing with is "pikuach nefesh" on a massive scale,
and even when one person's life may be in danger we are required to take
extraordinary measures.

Military personnel who are familiar with the situation view this decision
very gravely. It may result in endangering the borders of Jerusalem.
Shivers shoot up my spine when I realize that the situation may deteriorate
and become similar to that of 1929 and 1936-38, periods when the Arabs were
not controlled by a governing force. They rioted and endangered lives.

There is no doubt that Shas can prevent this by objecting clearly and loudly.

During the last few days, my phone has not stopped ringing. I have
received numerous phone calls from people representing all circles of the
population, expressing their apprehension and worry. Aware of my
acquaintance with and admiration for your Honor, they encouraged me to
write this letter.

I repeatedly ask myself the inevitable question: How can we imagine Shas
sitting tranquilly as the government, with the aid of Shas, will Heaven
forbid return the neighborhoods surrounding Jerusalem?

Since the government will be discussing this issue this coming Sunday, it
is imperative that the Shas ministers state their position clearly, that
they object to any changes in the status of Jerusalem at this stage.

Please, please, we request from his Honor shlita, please do not let anyone
endanger Jerusalem. Do not let anyone endanger the hundreds of thousands
of residents of Jerusalem.

Sincerely yours,
Menachem Porush
- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

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

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