BPR Mailing List Digest: 04/04/01

Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
April 4, 2001

Digest Home | 2001 | April, 2001

From: "Patt A."
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 01:27:57 -0700 (PDT)
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Fwd: A Supernova Sheds Light on Dark Energy

NASA Science News <snglist@lyris.msfc.nasa.gov> wrote:

Date: Tue, 3 Apr 2001 02:37:24 -0500
Subject: A Supernova Sheds Light on Dark Energy
To: "NASA Science News"
From: NASA Science News
Reply-to: "NASA Science News"

NASA Science News for April 3, 2001

A discovery by astronomers using the Hubble Space Telescope supports the
notion that the Universe is filled with a mysterious form of "dark energy"
-- a possibility first proposed, then discarded, by Albert Einstein early
in the last century.

FULL STORY at

http://science.nasa.gov/headlines/y2001/ast03apr_1.htm?list40729

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 08:41:51 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Egyptian court supports EgyptAir pilot's decision

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 03:20:25 -0400
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Egyptian court supports EgyptAir pilot's
decision not to permit Israelis to inspect his plane

Egyptian court supports EgyptAir pilot's decision not to permit Israelis to
inspect his plane

Al-Ahram Weekly 29 March - 4 April 2001
http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2001/527/eg2.htm

Interpreting Wye

A court verdict supporting an EgyptAir pilot's decision not to permit
Israelis to inspect his plane seemed to underscore the gap between peace
treaty stipulations and facts on the ground, writes Amira Howeidy

The saga of EgyptAir pilot Ali Murad was back in the headlines last week
when a High Disciplinary Court ruling, on 21 March, absolved him of any
wrong doing. In September last year, Murad, as chief pilot of an EgyptAir
flight to Gaza, refused to allow armed Israeli soldiers to inspect his plan
upon arrival in Gaza air port. He flew his plane back to Cairo rather than
submit to the inspection. The media and the public considered him a hero,
his publicly-owned air company, on the other hand, considered him
insubordinate. Accused of causing EgyptAir financial loss, he was referred
to the Administrative Prosecutor who suspended him from work. In the eyes of
the court, however, Murad had acted professionally and "preserved the
dignity of his country."

The saga began with a routine EgyptAir flight to Gaza on 2 September --
Murad's first. Soon after landing, when the passengers disembarked, three
trucks packed with armed Israeli soldiers surrounded the plane and Murad was
informed that they wanted to inspect the plane from inside. It was the first
time in 15 years of flying that his plane was subject to inspection by armed
officers and he was uneasy.

He contacted EgyptAir headquarters in Cairo, but received only "vague
replies." He then contacted the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv, which
dispatched an embassy diplomat. When Murad asked the diplomat if armed
Israeli soldiers should be permitted to inspect an Egyptian plane, the
diplomat did not reply and left the plane. Meanwhile, the soldiers were
attempting to come aboard and Murad was forced into making the decision
himself: he would not allow them on the plane. The Israelis responded by
turning away passengers booked to return to Cairo on the same plane, saying
that they would not be allowed on the plane until it was inspected. Murad
returned to Cairo without the passengers.

Although Murad says he has never been a politicised person, his case took on
decidedly political dimensions and became a matter of national sovereignty
and an occasion for lambasting Israel. Murad became a hero overnight,
appearing on popular TV shows and making headlines in the press. His stance
won national sympathy and at least 58 lawyers, many of whom are stars in
their field, volunteered to defend him.

Murad had reasoned that an Egyptian plane in any airport is considered
Egyptian land -- and, therefore, still under Egyptian sovereignty. "How can
I allow armed Israeli soldiers to inspect [the plane] when I had no
instructions to allow this to happen?" he said. "This is over and above the
fact the this kind of thing is not done anywhere."

The court agreed. The International Civil Aviation Regulations decided by
the 1944 Chicago Agreement -- to which both Egypt and Israel are
signatories -- local authorities can inspect a plane's papers and "visits"
by the specialised authorities are permitted, but armed inspection is not
mentioned. The agreement is backed up by Egyptian Civil Aviation Law.
Murad's superiors, the court was at pains to point out, had evaded their
responsibilities by not responding clearly to the pilot's queries about
whether to allow the inspection. "It is obvious that his superiors should be
fully aware of the civil aviation regulations," the ruling said.

Embarrassing as the court's decision must have been to EgyptAir, the
national carrier was still in for more. On 25 March, Al-Arabi newspaper,
mouthpiece of the Nasserist party, published a letter dated 25 January 1999
from the Civil Aviation Authority to the security department of EgyptAir
regarding the status of EgyptAir planes after the signing of the 1998 Wye
Accord. The agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority had
included the construction of Gaza Airport, but stipulated that all
Palestinian planes are subject to armed inspection. EgyptAir had inquired
whether this applies to its own planes. The verdict, issued by the head of
the Civil Aviation Authority, Abdel-Fatah Kato, was that the Wye Accord only
applies to its signatories, "and, therefore, does not apply to any other
country." Kato noted that since Egypt does not inspect Israeli planes in
Egyptian airports, it should be treated equally in Gaza Airport.

"I'm not a hero," Murad insisted in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly. "What
I did was done for purely professional reasons. I was the pilot of that
plane, and, therefore, responsible for its safety, which I felt was in
jeopardy. It had nothing to do with politics. I didn't even know of the 'Wye
Accord'." Until the Weekly went to print, EgyptAir had not responded to the
court order. According to Murad, the company owes him the pay withheld
during the last seven months of his suspension -- a combined total of
LE19,800 and $10,428.

Although EgyptAir officials would not comment on the case, the company's
stance is clear from the letter Chairman Fahim Rayan sent to Murad notifying
him of his suspension, which argued that the pilot's actions had been
prejudicial to Egyptian-Israeli relations. And yet, the glaring disparity
between the way the national carrier had interpreted Murad's actions in
light of relations between the two former enemies and the way that the
public responded to Murad's defiance is telling manifestation of the
difficult distinction between politics and peace treaties and the reality on
the ground.

"All I want now, after the justice I was given by the court, is my job
back," says a happy Murad. "EgyptAir is like a home to me. My father worked
there and so do I. We know nothing about politics, and the fact that I have
a problem with the operations sector [of EgyptAir] doesn't mean that I'll
ever turn against the company."

--------------------------------------------
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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 08:42:40 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Ha'aretz: PA to Mitchell panel:

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 04:50:31 -0400
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Ha'aretz: PA to Mitchell panel:
'It's not armed conflict, it's an uprising'

Ha'aretz: PA to Mitchell panel: 'It's not armed conflict, it's an uprising'

By Amira Hass Ha'aretz 4 April 2001

The Palestinian Authority's report to the Mitchell Commission investigating
the Intifada's origins and possible resolution claims that Israel's
"classification of the current uprising as an armed conflict is predicated
simply on the presence of firearms at some, and not all, demonstrations. And
it is a means by which Israel attempts to derogate from its obligations in
international law."
A copy of the 72-page report, handed in last night to the commission
established by the Sharm al Sheikh summit last fall, reached Ha'aretz. It
says that the definition of "armed conflict," as Israel refers to the
situation, does not meet the criteria set by international law. It quotes
from the Geneva Convention, which says that an armed conflict involves "a.
participation of armed forces that are a) organized and under a responsible
command; and b) pursuing a military plan or purpose."

Referring to the mass demonstrations as resistance to the Israeli
occupation, it says that Israel, as the occupier, has the duty to protect
the Palestinian people.

In the third section of five, titled "The Legality of Israeli Use of Force,"
in which the document claims the Intifada is not an armed conflict, the
document notes that the use of weapons by Palestinians is far from the
definition as formulated in the Geneva Convention. By charging the Tanzim is
an organized, armed wing of Fatah, says the document, "Israel looks for a
scapegoat upon which it can place blame for this Intifada."

And the Intifada, it points out, is an expression of the Palestinian people'
s demand for an end to the Israeli occupation, which the document points out
was promised in the peace process, but Israel did not keep up its side of
the deal.

The Intifada has no military goal and no strategy to conquer Israeli
territory, says the document, noting that "the 'clash points' to which
Israel refers in its statement are all located within the Occupied
Palestinian Territories, not within Israel."

Under a subheading called "The Purpose of the Demonstrations," the document'
s writers - who were chaired by a senior PA negotiator, Yasser Abed Rabbo -
say that "it is difficult to exaggerate the importance of this fact: What
happened was an uprising in Palestinian territory against Israeli
occupation. The State of Israel is not in danger, the Palestinian people
are."

Israel refuses to recognize the illegality of the conquest of the
Palestinian territory, and claims that the conflict is essentially a
domestic matter that only Israel can handle, says the report, claiming that
Israel refuses to abide by "international laws or standards," and uses
diktats.

"Even Israel's closest allies," says the document, "are attacked if they
dare question Israeli tactics and note the potential threat to regional
stability."

The document makes reference to the events in Rwanda and the Balkans, and
reiterates that the Mitchell commission was established by common Israeli
and Palestinian consent to find a way to end the crisis.

Referring to Israeli claims that the Palestinian leadership gave the order
for the Intifada's outbreak in order to improve the Palestinian position in
the negotiations, the report says "this narrative is elegant in its
simplicity," but fails to take into account the profound disappointment the
Palestinian people felt from the fact that during the seven years of the
Oslo process and the negotiations, Israel did not fulfill its commitments
under the agreements, did not keep the schedule for implementing the
agreement and accelerated the settlement process. That, together with the
humiliation of life under closure, is the true background to the Intifada,
the Palestinian document claims.

Quoting figures gathered by Peace Now, the document notes that since the
Oslo accords, there was a 52.49 percent increase in housing units in the
settlements and a 72 percent increase in the settler population, not
counting East Jerusalem. According to the document, the expansion of the
settlements was a total contradiction of the rules laid down by the Madrid
and Oslo agreements and the American guarantees given to PA chair Yasser
Arafat in 1991, when he gave his approval to the Palestinian presence at the
Madrid conference.

The document claims while the Israelis did not keep their commitments, the
Palestinians did, and it quotes Hamas leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin telling the
New York Times in August 2000 that the PA had foiled some 175 Hamas terror
attempts. Martin Indyk, then U.S. Undersecretary of State for Near East
Affairs, is also quoted as saying in 1999 that the Palestinians "had done
good work" in the joint Israeli-Palestinian security cooperation efforts.

But Israel did not make its own efforts to restrain the settlers; indeed, it
did nothing to prevent settler harassment of Palestinians, says the
document. And Israel placed extremely tight controls on Palestinian movement
throughout the territories, says the document, quoting the State Department'
s own report on human rights in the territories.

As for Israeli charges of anti-Israeli incitement in the Palestinian media,
the report counters with Palestinian charges of similar incitement in the
Israeli media. As examples, it cites comments made by Shas leader Rabbi
Ovadia Yosef, and settler Rabbi Yitzhak Ginzberg.

They also cite a TV appearance on Channel One by Ma'ariv journalist and
confidant of Ariel Sharon, Uri Dan, who referred to Arafat using
"Arafat-jugend," which the Palestinian report calls "a disturbing analogy on
Israeli national television by an Israeli journalist who would certainly be
aware of the echoes and implications such a reference would have for the
Israeli public." [The Nazi youth movement was called Hitlerjugend, or Hitler
youth.] The report asks the commission to consider the reasons for the
crisis, and not only its current symptoms. Emphasizing that the two peoples
are destined to live together in the same land, the report says "like the
Israeli politician recently said, 'You can't unscramble an egg.'"

Their recommendations to the Mitchell Commission include a call for some
immediate steps that would prove to the Palestinians that their faith in the
Oslo process was not in vain. These include: Israeli recognition of the
Geneva conventions; a total freeze on settlement expansion and construction;
cancelation of the limits on movement in the territories; implementation of
the rest of the withdrawals of the Interim Period defined by the Oslo
agreement; and that Israeli forces use police methods, not arms, to put down
unlawful demonstrations.

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 12:57:04 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Book Review: The Nine Commandments by David Freedman

[Highly Recommended! ]

The Nine Commandments : Uncovering the Hidden Pattern of Crime
and Punishment in the Hebrew Bible
by David Noel Freedman

Hardcover - 368 pages
November 7, 2000
Doubleday
ISBN: 0385499868

http://philologos.org/guide/books

Book Description

In a book certain to be as controversial as Harold Bloom's The Book
of J and Elaine Pagels's The Gnostic Gospels, David Noel Freedman
delves into the Old Testament and reveals a pattern of defiance of
the Covenant with God that inexorably led to the downfall of the
nation of Israel, the destruction of the Temple, and the banishment
of survivors from the Promised Land. Book by book, from Exodus to
Kings, Freedman charts the violation of the first nine Commandments
one by one-from the sin of apostasy (the worship of the golden calf,
Exodus 32) to murder (the death of a concubine, Judges, 19:25-26) to
false testimony (Jezebel's charges against her neighbor, Naboth, I
Kings 21). Because covetousness, Freedman shows, lies behind all the
crimes committed, each act implicitly breaks the Tenth Commandment as
well.

In a powerful and persuasive argument, Freedman asserts that this
hidden trail of sins betrays the hand of a master editor, who
skillfully wove into Israel's history a message to a community in
their Babylonian exile that their fate is not the result of God's
abandoning them, but a consequence of their abandonment of God. With
wit and insight, The Nine Commandments boldly challenges previous
scholarship and conventional beliefs.

David Noel Freedman has been General Editor and a contributing
coauthor of the Anchor Bible series since its inception in 1956. He
is a professor in Hebrew Bible at the University of California, San
Diego, and lives in La Jolla, California.

From the Back Cover

"David Noel Freedman is one of the most insightful, provocative and
original biblical scholars of his generation. Where so many other
scholars delight in taking the Bible apart, in this book, as in
others, Freedman focuses on putting it together-what lay behind the
master editor who compiled the Primary History of Israel, from
Genesis through Kings? What secrets did he bury, book by book, that
tied the whole together and underlined its theme of disobedience to
God's commands, leading ultimately to exile? Whether this great
unifying scheme was intentional may be debatable, but no one can deny
that the pattern Freedman found is there. And only a profound scholar
like Freedman could have found it, lying undiscovered for two
thousand years." --Hershel Shanks, editor, Biblical Archaeology
Society

"When you get tired of wild claims on one hand, and unexciting
introductory comments that every scholar knows, on the other, then
you're ready for this book. It is real scholarship: the case is
argued, the evidence is presented for us to see for ourselves, and it
shows us something new. This is something that has been there for
over two millennia, but no one saw it until now. While many books
about the Bible show us the trees, this book shows us the forest. It
shows how remarkably connected a huge group of the Bible's books are.
What's more, it shows that the Commandments are not just stated in
the Bible. They make a difference in the lives of people in the
Bible's stories(and, by obvious implication, in our lives as well." --
Professor Richard Elliott Friedman, author of Who Wrote the Bible?

"This book, written by a great biblical scholar and editor, is yet
pitched for a popular audience. It is simply and eloquently written,
but as with all of David Noel Freedman's work, it is charming and
imaginative, full of detailed insights. His thesis is bold and may
not convince all; but it is a delight to follow his brilliant pursuit
and defense of his hypothesis." --Frank Moore Cross, professor
emeritus, Harvard University

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 14:07:14 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Real World News - 04/04/01

Selected items from...

REAL WORLD NEWS 04/04/2001

Visit Real World News online at http://www.realworldnews.net

100 PALESTINIANS ON ISRAEL'S HIT LIST
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has launched a plan to end the
Palestinian mini-war against Israel by July. The Sharon plan,
coordinated with the military, is to target Palestinian leaders of
the mini-war and strike hard at aides of Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat. In all, 100 leading Palestinians have been
targeted for either assassination or detention. "The idea is to
isolate Arafat and leave him very vulnerable," a senior Israeli
source said. Officials said the plan has already been launched.
http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/Archive-2001/me-israel-04-
04.ht ml

U.S. REPORT ABSOLVES ARAFAT OF RESPONSIBILITY FOR VIOLENCE
A State Department report evaluating Palestinian compliance with
Israeli-Palestinian accords acknowledges that Palestinian policemen
and members of the Tanzim have participated in and encouraged violent
protests. But the report absolves Palestinian Authority Chairman
Yasser Arafat of responsibility for the violence by concluding that
it is unclear if these individuals acted on orders from senior PA
officials.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/04/04/News/News.24137.html

CLINTON KEPT LID ON PLA JET THREATS
The Navy and Air Force told the Clinton administration in December
that Chinese fighter jets had begun a systematic campaign
of "buzzing" dangerously close to U.S. planes and ships in waters
near China as early as a year ago, but the administration failed to
brief Congress. The provocations started in April 2000 and got closer
and closer, congressional sources say, but the Pentagon didn't
formally complain to the White House until December -- out of respect
for its ongoing "strategic partnership" with China.
http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=22281

RUSSIA HOPES TO PRESENT NEW WEAPONS BY 2008
Russia hopes to present a new generation of weapons for export to the
Middle East and other regions by 2008. The officials said the
weapons will be produced by a Russian defense industry revived by
huge deals planned with Iran and India. They said this could bring
Russia up to $10 billion in sales over the next seven years.
http://www.menewsline.com/stories/2001/april/headline04_03_2.html

QUAKES SHAKE JAPAN; SIX INJURED
An earthquake hit parts of central Japan late Tuesday, injuring six
people, just hours after a smaller quake struck off the southwest
coast of the country. There were no immediate reports of serious
damage from either temblor. The more powerful quake, with a
magnitude of 5.1, was centered in Shizuoka prefecture (state), about
95 miles west of Tokyo, the Meteorological Agency said.
http://www.guardianunlimited.co.uk/breakingnews/International/0,3561,8
31 568,00.html

AMERICANS HELD ON RELIGION CHARGES
Three Americans were arrested for distributing compact discs and
videotapes promoting Christianity, the Al-Khaleej newspaper reported
Tuesday. The three Americans were arrested March 12, the newspaper
said. It did not identify their church. If convicted of promoting a
religion other than Islam or seeking converts, the Americans could
face jail sentences of between five and 10 years.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/ap/20010403/us/emirates_us_1.html

RESIDENTS PRAY AND FAST HOPING FOR RAIN
Cabarrus County commissioners unanimously adopted a proclamation at
their March 26 meeting that called on residents to fast and pray to
God for rain to end the drought that has plagued the county for
nearly three years. Apparently, it worked. The wet stuff fell two
days after the proclamation passed, and again Sunday. Some areas
received as much as 1.5 inches to 2 inches. However, more is needed
to alleviate the drought.
http://foxnews.com/fn99/foxlife/040401/rain.sml

"YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE", SAYS SHARON
In my recent visit to Israel, I found that Israeli attitudes toward
the Oslo Peace Process have radically changed. People I know
personally who had supported a very liberal and tolerant view toward
giving critical and strategic land to the Palestinians in exchange
for peace have changed. This change came primarily because of
Arafat's rejection of the most liberal offer then Prime Minister Ehud
Barak made to him. No Israeli will ever again offer so much in
exchange for a "promise" of peace.
http://www.hallindseyoracle.com/html/archive/Halcommentary/sharon_phot
o_ wall.htm

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From: owner-bpr@philologos.org
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 16:38:39 -0000
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Book Review: The End of Days by Gershom Gorenberg

Holy Ground

The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount
by Gershom Gorenberg

Free Press. 288 pp. $25.00

Reviewed by
Daniel Pipes

http://www.commentarymagazine.com/0104/bk.pipes.htm

THE TEMPLE Mount in the old city of Jerusalem is once again in the
news. Last July, Ehud Barak, then the prime minister of Israel,
amazed the world by offering to cede to Yasir Arafat partial
sovereignty over this, the holiest of Jewish sites. A scant two
months later, the Palestinians responded to Israel's latest round of
concessions by renewing their campaign of violence; interestingly,
they portrayed their action, at least initially, as being motivated
by a determination to protect a mosque atop that same Mount. When,
this past February, Ariel Sharon was elected Israel's prime minister,
he for his part asserted in one of his very first policy statements
that Jerusalem would remain "the united and undivided capital of the
state of Israel, with the Temple Mount in its center, for all
eternity."

It is thus reasonable enough that Gershom Gorenberg, an American who
has lived in Jerusalem since 1977 and is now a senior editor at the
Jerusalem Report, should call this site "the most contested piece of
real estate on earth." For not only is this man-made hill the place
where two ancient Jewish Temples were built and where two principal
Islamic sacred sites-the Dome of the Rock and al-Aqsa mosque-now
stand, it is also, as Gorenberg writes in The End of Days, the locus
of "millennial dreams" for many Christians.

In this well-written book, published just before the outbreak of
violence last September, Gorenberg focuses on the role played by the
Temple Mount in the expectations of "millions of quite rational men
and women, belonging to established religious movements around the
globe, [who] look forward to history's conclusion, to be followed by
the establishment of a perfected era." Although all three major
monotheisms get their due in The End of Days, Gorenberg's main focus
is on Christians and Jews. Muslims are cast, somewhat imprecisely, as
spectators.

AS GORENBERG tells it, a large number of evangelical Christians
believe that the Second Coming of Jesus will occur after a long
sequence of events both miraculous and terrible. In the "rapture of
the church," a phrase popularized by the 19th-century British
preacher John Darby, true Christians will fly up to heaven while the
rest of the world faces seven years of tribulation preceeding the
establishment of God's kingdom on earth. Among the many events taking
place in those years of tribulation, the Antichrist will desecrate
the Temple in Jerusalem-an act suggesting by implication that the
Temple itself will have to be rebuilt before the Last Days and the
Second Coming can occur.

About one-quarter of American Christians, known technically as
premillennial dispensationalists, adhere to at least aspects of this
vision. Thanks to missionary efforts, the numbers of such Christians
are growing in both Latin America and East Asia (though not in
Western Europe). The spread of their ideas about the end of the world
can also be seen in the sales of books. The Left Behind series, a
sequence of thrillers by Jerry Jenkins and Tim LaHaye that follow
premillennial dispensationalist lines, has sold ten million copies
(and a major film based on it has now been released). Still more
spectacularly, Hal Lindsey's The Late Great Planet Earth (1970),
another treatment of the "endtimes" and the return of Jesus, has sold
some 34 million copies in 54 languages and may be the biggest-selling
book of the late 20th century.

In America, at least, views of this general nature are hardly recent
additions to the Christian landscape. Millennialism, Gorenberg
writes, "came over with the Mayflower, and was to be a mark of
American religion from then on." One curious result was the spawning
of a 19th-century Christian Zionist tendency that predated political
Zionism among Jews, and was in place to welcome and buttress the
latter's emergence. Thus, in an 1891 petition known as the Blackstone
Memorial, named after a Chicago evangelist, 413 prominent American
Jews and Christians called upon the President to hold "an
international conference to consider the condition of the Israelites
and their claims to Palestine as their ancient home." To some
Christians, the Balfour Declaration of 1917, expressing the sympathy
of the British government with Zionist aspirations, seemed an ancient
prophecy come true; how much more so, the establishment of an
independent Israel in 1948. In 1967, Israel's recapture of the Temple
Mount in the Six-Day war offered absolute proof to some of the
prophecy's validity, prompting a turn toward Christian revivalism and
increased hopes for a rebuilding of the Temple.

In short, millions of Christians around the world sincerely and
devoutly believe that the status of the buildings on a plaza in
Jerusalem will determine the fate of the human experience, if not of
the cosmos. And this means, as Gorenberg writes, that, "through no
choice of its own," the state of Israel has been cast "in a starring
role in a Christian Endtime drama." According to the terms of that
drama, it is imperative not just that Israel control the Temple
Mount; the urgent task of rebuilding the Temple is a task uniquely
designated for Jews, not Christians, to carry out. However eager
evangelicals may be to see a Third Temple rise, the most they can do
is to nudge Jews in the preferred direction.

Broadly speaking, this means supporting Israel in its conflict with
the Arabs, and favoring the party in Israel (Likud) that takes the
harder line. It also means, of course, agitating for continued Jewish
control of the Temple Mount. Some Christians get involved in more
direct ways, by giving generous support, moral and financial alike,
to those few Jews who are themselves intent on rebuilding the Temple.
In a piquant chapter titled "Cattlemen of the Apocalypse," Gorenberg
tells the story of some Christians who have tried to help breed a
purely red heifer, an animal whose burnt ashes, according to the
Bible, are needed to cleanse the Temple priests of ritual impurity.

As for the Jews who also harbor hopes for a Third Temple, they are
gathered in tiny groups with names like the Temple Mount Faithful and
the Movement for the Establishment of the Temple, their numbers
swollen somewhat by those who quarter-believe or half-believe in
their goals. Those goals encompass an end to all warfare and an era
beyond history. One leader, quoted by Gorenberg, believes that an
effort to build the Temple "will bring peace, will bring security,
will cure all the ills of society!" (Others may conclude it would
precipitate Muslim retaliation and terrible bloodshed.) Some are
working toward this end by preparing the precise clothing, coinage,
and sacrificial implements needed for use in a rebuilt Temple.

And Muslims? With great wariness and a certain bellicosity, they are
watching any potential movement between Jews and Christians to pull
down the Islamic buildings on the Mount that are collectively known
as Al-Haram ash-Sharif (the Noble Sanctuary). What this can mean was
seen in September 1996, when the Palestinian leadership provoked a
large riot after the Israeli government opened a tunnel exit in
Jerusalem a full 200 yards away from al-Aqsa mosque; the subsequent
violence resulted in nearly 80 deaths. Similarly, it might not be
amiss to see the current Palestinian uprising against Israel as a
form of preemptive protection of the mosque at a highly delicate
time: the millennial intifada.

More surprisingly, Muslims have also become swept up in Temple Mount
fever. In fact, so affected have they become by ideas deriving from
the West that many now adapt aspects of Christian evangelical
eschatology to Islamic ends. Thus, apocalypse-minded Muslims see the
creation of Israel as the beginning of a process that is moving
toward either the triumph of Islam, the destruction of Israel, or the
end of the world. Symbolically, the Christian year 2000 took on for
these Muslims a significance that mainstream Islam would never allow,
with several popular if heterodox publications announcing that the
Antichrist (dajjal in Arabic) would arrive in that year. The fact
that some Muslims have come to believe that the world's end is being
determined by events taking place at the Temple Mount further
inflames an already tense situation-although in practical terms,
since the main interest of Muslims lies in maintaining the status quo
there, they are not likely to be the ones intentionally taking
triggering actions.

"IT IS all too possible that someone, today anonymous, will try to
ignite [a catastrophe] at the Mount," writes Gorenberg. And indeed it
would take very little to set off a conflagration in this piece of
territory, whose ancient walls and buildings could easily be blown up
or otherwise destroyed by even a small band of zealots.

Gorenberg fears that such events could happen soon. In religious
thought, "millennium" properly refers not to a year with three zeroes
but to a long era marking the end of normal history and the beginning
of God's kingdom. If anything, millennial fevers may be higher this
year than during the year 2000 because so many who were expecting the
End last year have been disappointed. The historical record shows how
such disappointments can lead to violence, and offers a warning to
anyone who breathed a sigh of relief when the calendar changed to
2001. "The day after the last is most dangerous," Gorenberg observes.

There is also a lesson here for those who might be tempted to dismiss
as "Bible babble" a set of beliefs that are in themselves neither
nonsensical nor fraudulent. In this country, ignoring the apocalyptic
views of David Koresh contributed significantly to the disastrous
outcome at the Branch Davidian compound in Waco, Texas. Similarly,
writes Gorenberg, by ignoring the "theological crisis set off by the
Oslo Accord" among some Jews, Israeli authorities left themselves
unprepared for an event like the massacre at Hebron carried out in
1994 by Baruch Goldstein. To forestall violence, he cautions, the
authorities must tread a fine line: "not treat beliefs as criminal
[but] understand where those beliefs could lead."

There is also a more general need-the need to understand one's
friends. In accepting support from "Bible-believing" Christian
allies, Israelis have pointedly overlooked a few stipulations of the
millennial agenda, one of which has to do with the prospective
wholesale conversion to Christianity of the "terminal" generation of
Jews. On the other side, some evangelicals seem not to have taken in
the fact that, a few marginal figures aside, Israelis have no
intention of tearing down the Islamic holy places to build a temple.

Surely it is a worrisome sign when each side of a working
relationship shelters its own expectations from the other; or when,
as Gorenberg writes, each side "often regards the other as an
unknowing instrument for reaching a higher goal." His concern is
that, disappointed by a Jewish failure to begin the required work of
rebuilding, Christian enthusiasts may see Jews as obstructing the
rapture and again failing Jesus. "When the 'terminal' generation [of
Jews] refuses to reach its terminus, an old frustration with Jews who
won't play their role is all too likely to surface."

There is at least one precedent for such a change in mood, not
mentioned by Gorenberg but lately studied by Michael Barkun of
Syracuse University. British-Israelism, a Christian movement that was
pro-Zionist before the state of Israel came into existence, turned
anti-Zionist when it found itself not invited to help in building the
new country. "Like contemporary fundamentalists," Barkun
writes, "they needed a Jewish state in Palestine for theological
reasons, but that didn't necessarily mean they liked Jews." The
British-Israel movement in turn spawned the Christian Identity
movement, also known as the Aryan Nation, perhaps the most virulently
racist and anti-Semitic Christian movement in existence today.

Gorenberg is right to worry about issues connected to the Temple
Mount, for they have a unique capacity to precipitate shuddering
international crises. At the same time, however, his account
underscores the need carefully to differentiate between moderates and
extremists, especially when dealing with a phenomenon as variegated
as American evangelical Christianity. Beliefs are one thing, acting
on them something else. Like Jews who pray three times every day for
the rebuilding of the Temple and the restoration of animal sacrifice,
the great majority of evangelicals have no trouble distinguishing
between the realms of ultimate belief and of worldly action. Thus
far, with the exception of a handful of extremists, the center has
held, and there is a good chance to expect it will continue to do so.

DANIEL PIPES is director of the Philadelphia-based Middle East Forum,
a columnist for the Jerusalem Post, and the author of Conspiracy: How
the Paranoid Style Flourishes and Where It Comes From (Free Press).

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From: Stafford's Mail <simmonds@freeuk.com>
Date: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 17:58:44 +0100
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] News extracts for today, 4th April 2001

Shalom dear friends,

Following news items come hot off the press.

1. EXTRACT FROM DAVID DOLAN'S REPORT FROM ISRAEL
2. EXTRACT FROM israel today - NEWS FROM JERUSALEM
3. REPORT FROM UK PARLIAMENT by ELSPETH (messynews member)

Blessings Stafford
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D

1. DAVID DOLAN'S REPORT FROM ISRAEL 4th April 2001

After nearly two weeks marred by some of the worst violence since the
"Al-Aksa jihad" was launched on the Temple Mount last September,
high-level contacts resumed today between Israeli and Palestinian
officials. Mediated by two Spanish diplomats representing the
European Union, Foreign Minister Shimon Peres met with Palestinian
cabinet minister Nabil Shaath and chief negotiator Saeb Erekat for
over two hours in Athens. The participants said afterwards that the
discussions had gone reasonably well. Both sides reportedly presented
plans to re-start formal peace negotiations. However, Prime Minister
Areil Sharon said again today that peace talks will not resume until
Palestinian terror attacks are suspended. The Israeli proposal was
based on the immediate halt of Palestinian armed attacks, accompanied
by continued easing of the Israeli army closure around
Palestinian-controlled towns. Formal peace negotiations would then be
resumed. The Palestinians proposed setting up a joint security
commission that would oversee the implementation of a ceasefire accord
agreed to last October at a summit meeting held at a Sinai resort.
Other committees would work on lifting the closure, releasing
Israeli-held taxes owed to the Palestinian Authority, resuming full
security cooperation, and other measures. Israeli officials say an
American-mediated security meeting may take place as early as this
evening on the Israel-Gaza Strip border.

The resumed discussions came after another day of intense violence in
the disputed territories-which both sides are now calling "limited
war"--and yet another terror attack inside Israel. (SJS note the
escalation)

Eight Israeli civilians were lightly injured last night when a
nail-packed bomb blew up in a truck parked near their apartment
building north of Tel Aviv. Earlier, Palestinians fired three mortar
shells into an Israeli civilian settlement in the Gaza Strip, severely
injuring a 15-month-old baby boy who was playing outside his family
home. The toddler, Ariel Yered, was struck in the head, back and legs
by flying shrapnel. Doctors operated into the night to save the
baby's life. He remains in critical condition in a Beersheva hospital
today. His mother-more lightly injured by shrapnel from the
blast--was hanging clothes nearby when the sudden attack took place. A
group of children playing in the area of the explosions were sparred
injury in the bombing, which Israeli authorities said had all the
hallmarks of earlier attacks by Yasser Arafat's Force 17 presidential
guard.

Four more Palestinian mortar shells were fired overnight into another
Jewish settlement in the Gaza Strip, but no casualties were reported.
The army returned mortar fire on the shelling positions this morning.
Army officials say that the PA has apparently established a
mortar-producing factory in the area, given the high quantity of
shells fired in recent weeks. Meanwhile an officer in Arafat's small
navy, detained by Israeli authorities over the weekend, admitted to
security officials that he and other naval personnel had planted a
bomb on PA instructions in the town of Netanya last week.

In light of the fresh evidence that Arafat's forces are continuing
their involvement in attacks on Israeli civilians, Prime Minister
Sharon and Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer decided to order another major
strike on Arafat's security positions in the Gaza Strip last night.
The 45-minute operation began around 8:00 PM, and was broadcast live
on both Israeli and Palestinian television stations. Israeli
helicopter warships and tanks opened fire on four PA-connected
positions in the Gaza Strip, most of them Force 17 bases. Some
missiles reportedly hit close to Arafat's offices in Gaza City.
Palestinian officials claimed that over 70 people, mostly civilians,
had been wounded in the attack, but televised pictures of the supposed
wounded showed that most had only received light wounds, if any at all.
PA forces immediately responded to the Israeli operation by shooting
mortar shells at the Israeli army command center in Gush Katif, which
had been previously evacuated in anticipation of return Palestinian
fire. Shots were also fired at army roadblocks in various locations
during the night, lightly injuring an Israeli soldier near Bethlehem. =

Palestinian legislator Hannan Ashrawi declared that the army strikes
had "escalated the situation beyond sanity." However, an Israeli
government spokesman said it was the Palestinians who were "bringing
the situation to the point of no return by deliberately shooting
bullets and mortars at Jewish children and mothers." The spokesman
also condemned PA television's assertion on Tuesday that the
10-month-old baby girl killed by Palestinian sniper fire over one week
ago in Hebron had been "murdered by its mother because she suffered
from disabilities." The spokesman said, "This lie is so arrogant and
outrageous as to disgust any normal human being."

The Israeli spokesman also poured cold water on a US government report
issued yesterday that basically absolved Arafat of responsibility for
the violent Palestinian uprising. The State Department report
acknowledged that PA police forces and militiamen belonging to
Arafat's PLO Fatah movement had participated in many attacks upon
Israeli civilians and soldiers and "had not been disciplined" by
Arafat for doing so, but added that there is "no evidence" that Arafat
had directly ordered them to do so. The Israeli spokesman noted that
Arafat has repeatedly said in public that, "the violent uprising will
continue until the Palestinian flag is raised above the walls,
churches and mosques of Jerusalem, which obviously encourages the
armed attacks to continue, at the very least."
___________________________________________________________________________=
______
You can also find directions at the CHRISTIAN FRIENDS OF ISRAEL
web site: http://www.cfijerusalem.org
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=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
2. israel today - NEWS FROM JERUSALEM

=BB The Environment Ministry has drawn up a plan to deal with the
escalating water crisis. The paper calls for: increasing the capacity
of planned desalination plants; making additional cuts to the
agricultural sector which has already been hit by reductions of 40
percent; abolishing crops that consume large amounts of water; cuts to
the domestic sector by, among other things, changing grass and flowers
in public parks and traffic islands to plants that consume less water;
improving infrastructure so waste water can be recycled for
irrigation. In addition, Israel plans to import water from Turkey.
After the third straight year of below average rainfall, and with a
growing population and demand, experts describe the water situation in
the country as a catastrophe.

=BB The weather in Israel: partly cloudy, with occasional light rain in
the south. Please pray for rain=97the winter rains are over, but ask the
Lord to send the LATTER RAINS which can fall in March and April. Highs
for today: Jerusalem - 62=B0 (17=B0C); Tel Aviv - 70=B0F (21=B0C); Eilat -
73=B0F (23=B0C).
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=
=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D=3D
3. REPORT FROM UK PARLIAMENT by ELSPETH

Hi folks,

I just caught prime Ministers questions on TV just now - about 3.25 pm. I
was blessed to hear someone ask Tony Blair if he would consider turning to
Father God and call for a national day of prayer and ask him to heal the
Land of GB. This was followed by a few mocks, scorn and mocking
'hallelujahs'. I can't remember the name of the politician for the life of
me - well known Irish chap in the Church. Sorry, his name totally
escapes me. Tony Blair replied that he did not see the necessity for
it and that it was up to individuals basically to seek their own God
if they so wished.

Blessings from Elspeth Wed 4th April

soyez b=E9nis (bless you)

(SJS)Elspeth, Thank you for this item. You are referring to Rev. Ian
Paisley (Protestant) who spoke in the House of Commons today.

His web site, http://www.ianpaisley.org/ informs us that he is "one of
the great defenders of the faith and the Bible we love so dearly. Dr.
Paisley has been imprisoned and beaten for his stand against Popish
theology. Rome is a true enemy of the cross, and Dr. Paisley stands in
the gap where others will not dare stand."

Note I do not agree with some of the things that he preaches but he
does make a courageous stand for the Word of God in these days.

Blessings Stafford

><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Stafford's Mail <staffordsimmonds@ntlworld.com>

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 12:58:48 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) IDF Spokesperson:

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 09:02:19 -0400
From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: IDF Spokesperson:
IDF's response to the Shootings
of Mortar Bombs on the Village of Netzarim

IDF Spokesperson: IDF's response to the Shootings of Mortar Bombs on the
Village of Netzarim
4 April 2001

In response to the shootings of mortar bombs on the village of Netzarim this
morning (4 April), the IDF fired this morning a number of mortar bombs
towards a Force 17 installation in the north of the Gaza Strip, from where
the firing was identified.

The IDF Spokesperson emphasizes that the IDF will strike directly at the
terrror factors of the Palestinian Authority while making an effort to avoid
the harming the innocent civilian population.

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 13:19:30 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Daily World Affairs Report items (4/3/01)

"ENCYCLOPEDIA OF THE POPES"

This morning John Paul II received the members of Enciclopedia Italiana
Treccani, who offered a gift of the 3 volumes of the "Encyclopedia of the
Popes" which he termed "one of the most significant cultural fruits of the=

Jubilee Year." The Encyclopedia, produced by 137 collaborators from 12
different countries, offers an ample view of the 2 millennia of Christianit=
y
and "is destined to furnish a substantial contribution not only to the hist=
ory of
the Church, but to culture itself, at the dawn of the 3rd Millennium."

"Through the succession of many different Pontiffs, diverse in background,=

culture, and lifestyle, the papacy, though continually renewing itself, has=

maintained its essential identity in the historical development of its func=
tion."
He concluded his discourse affirming that "the 'Encyclopedia of the Popes'=

highlights the vital historical relationship which connects the papacy in a=

special way to Italy, in the fulfillment of a truly universal ministry, tha=
t
which is Catholic." (Vatican Info Service)

E-DAY DRAWS NEAR

Europe is facing the greatest currency exchange in world history. More
than 300mn people will need to get used to new coins and banknotes in their=

wallets. Not only will people receive new notes and coins; there will be
more different coins than ever before. Since each participating country may=

include its own national design on the back of its metal money, which has a=

uniform face, there will be more than 100 different euro coins -- a paradis=
e
for collectors. Twelve billion banknotes and 70 billion coins will be
distributed among the population of Europe.

In the 12 countries making up the euro zone, national notes and coins will =
be
exchanged at the start of the new year for those of the euro, which is
officially abbreviated as EUR and indicated by the euro symbol. The same
will occur in associated countries, such as the Vatican, San Marino,
Montenegro and Andorra. Overseas territories, particularly France's, will
also convert to the currency. The euro has been the official currency in
these 12 euro-zone countries since 1999, even though it could be used only=

as book money in the 3-year transition period.

The date for the conversion is New Year's Eve, on the night from Dec. 31,
2001, to Jan. 1, 2002. As was the case for the change of the millennium
(1999 to 2000), more people than usual will have to work over the New
Year, but labor unions oppose lifting limits on working hours. The large
amount of money on the streets and in storage during December and
January also poses a security risk. And so transportation and security
organizations have stepped up safety measures. (Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung)

BASQUES ARE BROTHERS OF THE CELTS

Welsh and Irishmen are genetic blood-brothers of the Basque people,
according to a study published today. The findings provide the first direct=

evidence of a close relationship between the people thought of as Celts and=

the Basques. The Basques are thought to be the closest descendants of the
Palaeolithic people who established the first settlements in Britain more
than 10,000 years ago. The evidence of a link is in a study by James Wilson=

and Prof David Goldstein of University College London, with colleagues at
Oxford University and the University of California, Davis.

The study is published in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy
of Sciences. The team looked for similarities between the Y chromosomes -
only carried by men - of 88 "Celtic fringe" individuals from Anglesey,
North Wales, 146 from Ireland with Irish Gaelic surnames, and 50 Basques,
revealing "remarkable" similarities. The Celts carry the early Y
chromosome, said the study, which provides the first clear evidence of a
close relationship in the paternal heritage of Basque and Celtic speaking
populations. "They were statistically indistinguishable," said Prof Goldste=
in.
(The London Telegraph)

MILOSEVIC WAS PLOTTING "COUP"

According to El Mundo in Madrid, "Milosevic was preparing a coup" before
his arrest. He "was aware that, sooner or later, the Serbian security force=
s
were going to come looking for him. But he was well prepared. The police
confiscated a large number of arms in the house of the former Belgrade
dictator which he intended to use to carry out a coup. It has now been
learnt that Slobo tried to gain time before his arrest to plan a military
uprising." (BBC)

&: Slobodan Milosevic has admitted that Belgrade secretly paid the cost of=

arming rebel Serbs in Croatia and Bosnia during the break-up of the former=

Yugoslavia. The confession forms part of his defence against charges that
he embezzled hundreds of millions of pounds of state funds. He said the
money was used to pay for guns for Serbs fighting Croats and Muslims and
could not be declared officially. The defence statement said: "These sums
could not be publicly presented in the draft budget for reasons of state
security as the top state secret." The document is the first official
confirmation from Belgrade that the actions of the Serb rebels in the
Krajina area of Croatia and Bosnia, which precipated the wars of the '90s,=

were stoked by Milosevic.

The list of charges against Milosevic lengthened yesterday when Belgrade
announced that he would be charged with inciting his bodyguards to shoot
at police who went to arrest him. His wife, Mira, and daughter, Marija, are=

also under investigation for their role in the stand-off. Mirija fired 5 wi=
ld
shots from a pistol as her father was driven away. His lawyer, Toma Fila,
said Milosevic was exhausted after 2 sleepless nights and was on
tranquillisers.

A small arsenal of 30 automatic rifles, grenades, rocket-launchers and tear=
-
gas canisters found at the residence was shown to journalists yesterday.
Two armoured personnel carriers were also found. Mr Lukic refused to
confirm claims that police seized from Milosevic's chief bodyguard, Sinisa=

Vucinic, a document giving details of a planned "insurgency".

The widening of the prosecution is the latest sign that the reformers in
Belgrade are determined to bring not only Milosevic but his family and
cronies to book, at least for crimes committed inside the country. Three of=

the key political figures in the Milosevic regime are now in prison, and
another 3 are under investigation while legal moves are made to strip them=

of their parliamentary immunity.

A legal war has also been declared on the circle of businessmen and
officials around Milosevic. The Serbian government has set up a
commission to investigate the activities of 200 families that grew rich in =
the
13 years of Milosevic's rule. They will have to give proof that they came b=
y
their wealth legally or face confiscation. (The London Telegraph)

IRAQI EXILES HAVE THEIR DIFFERENCES, BUT A HASHEMITE
KEEPS HIS EYE ON THRONE

Sharif Ali ibn Hussein is a man who lives in hope, and a regal hope at that=
.
One day - maybe soon, maybe later, he said - he aspires to become the king=

of Iraq, taking a throne that has been vacant - indeed nonexistent - since=

1958, when his Hashemite forebears were shot to death in a military-led
coup. Of course, he acknowledged in an interview in the heavily draped
Kensington apartment that serves as his court in exile, some obstacles stan=
d
in his way.

Not least is that the current Iraqi leader, Saddam Hussein, has shown no
readiness to hand over his rule to someone claiming to be the country's
royal scion, not even a svelte, pinstriped former investment banker like Mr=
.
Ali. What is more, the exiled Iraqi opposition to Saddam, based here in
London, shows the same reluctance to overcome the deep-seated factional
feuds that have long blunted its campaign to depose Saddam.

Yet Mr. Ali, whose hereditary title sharif is roughly equivalent to lord, h=
as
kept alive the flame of hope he has nurtured since he turned from portfolio=

management to full-time monarchic ambition after Iraq's invasion of Kuwait=

in 1990. For one thing, Mr. Ali said, it is precisely because the Iraqi exi=
les,
are so divided that he believes a revival of a monarchy would be
appropriate. "The appeal of the monarchy is that it is not dependent on one=

single constituency," he said

Most of all, though, his hope springs not so much from Baghdad as from
Washington. "We always had high hopes for the new administration. And
so far it's been very encouraging, the degree of cooperation and the degree=

of helping the Iraqi people overthrow the regime." Indeed, he said, Iraq's=

exile movement has suggested to the Bush administration that it provide
military support for "safe havens" inside Iraq where opponents of the
government like dissident troops might gather under American tutelage for
a push on Baghdad.

That idea has magnified divisions within the Bush administration over the
extent to which support for the exiles should go beyond lip service to some=

form of military backing, complementing the enforcement of no-flight zones=

in northern and southern Iraq as well as economic sanctions. Searching for=

new approaches on Iraq, the Bush administration sent Colin Powell to the
Middle East in February to try to build support for sanctions focused more=

on Mr. Saddam and his military than on the Iraqi people. But some in the
administration and some conservatives in the American Congress
considered such a policy too soft.

The unfolding debate within the administration about Iraq will determine
whether figures like Mr. Ali have a role to play in a broader policy to
contain - or even remove - Mr. Saddam. Along with others, Mr. Ali is a
member of the collective leadership of the Iraqi National Congress, which
presents itself as the principal opposition in exile. Its critics say it is=

dominated by groups rooted in the Kurds of northern Iraq and the Shiite
Muslims of the South.

While the Bush administration has recently suggested that it may be seeking=

to embrace other opponents of Mr. Saddam more representative of the
Sunni Muslim Arabs who dominate the government and the militaryand to
distance itself from the Iraqi National Congress, which has been criticized=

as fractured and even feckless, some members of the organization do not
appear worried.

"We are not concerned at all that the administration is going away from us,=
"
said Ahmed Chalaby, a prominent Iraqi Shiite leader in exile. "We don't
believe there's any serious alternative. The issue is: Is the U.S. prepared=
to
support us to get rid of Saddam Hussein or not? I think the debate has
moved to the point where the administration is about to take this decision.=
"

In the 21st century, Mr. Ali's regal ambitions may sound anachronistic or
improbable, but history provides a precedent. In the early '20s, after the=

rulers of the Hejaz in what is now Saudi Arabia overturned Ottoman rule -
in tandem with such Britons as T.E. Lawrence - Britain rewarded them by
establishing Hashemite monarchies. History also offers another lesson for
the monarchists. The British scholar Charles Tripp has noted that when
King Faisal I took the throne of Syria in 1921, "most of the inhabitants of=

Iraq either knew nothing of his existence or saw little reason why he shoul=
d
be installed as ruler of the country." (Int'l Herald Tribune)

STREISAND CALLS FOR ANTI-BUSH CRUSADE

Barbra Streisand -- Hollywood diva, friend of Bill Clinton and influential=

political fundraiser -- has sent an angry memo to leading Democrats urging=

them to stop moaning and start attacking the Republicans. Streisand=92s
words carry a certain clout, partly because of the fundraising brunches tha=
t
she threw at her Malibu estate before the last election. She also sang at a=

fundraising event during the Democrat Convention in Los Angeles. During
Mr Clinton=92s presidency, Hollywood became a rich source of political
donations and although Streisand has never been regarded as a political
strategist, Democrats may, nevertheless, feel compelled to take notice.

The Washington magazine Roll Call got hold of a copy of the memo and
published it. In her 3-page memo, which was sent to key figures on Capitol=

Hill, Streisand wrote: =93What has happened to the Democrats since the
November election? Some of you seem paralysed, demoralised and
depressed.=94 She went on to berate the party=92s hierarchy for infighting =
and
turning on Mr Clinton. =93I hope you=92re through arguing among yourselves=

and distancing yourselves from Clinton. Let=92s not let them divert attenti=
on
from the success of his Administration over the past 8 years. Let=92s not
allow the Republicans to take away the gains we have made.=94

The missive began with a rallying call. =93We should have one goal, and
that=92s to win back the House, Senate and Presidency. Unless we win, we
will be consistently on the defensive with our fingers holding the dyke
against the Republican revolution. You don=92t have to be ruthless like the=

Republicans, just be strong.=94 The memo also included an attack on
President Bush. =93Look at his ratings =97 how could such a destructive man=

be so popular with the American people? Not only is he poisoning our air
and water by withdrawing his promise to enforce emission standards and
arsenic regulations, but he=92s poisoning our political system as well.=94 =
(The
London Times)

MICHAEL TURNER =0F
(mykelturner@airmail.net)

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 18:03:34 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, April 4, 2001

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Date sent: Wed, 04 Apr 2001 18:51:05 +0200
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From: Arutz-7 Editor <neteditor@israelnationalnews.com>
Subject: Arutz-7 News: Wednesday, April 4, 2001
Send reply to: feedback@israelnationalnews.com

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TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. SHARON RETURNING TO NEGOTIATING TABLE?
   2. ARAFAT A MUCH-SOUGHT-AFTER PERSONALITY
   3. INFANT STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE
   4. NO LET-UP IN PLO VIOLENCE
   5. SAMIYEH: "WE TOLD THEM SO"
   6. SHALOM APPROVES SELL-OUT
   7. EXEMPTIONS ARE HISTORY
   8. CITIZENS WANT A TOUGHER RESPONSE
   9. AIDING AND ABETTING THE ARAB CAUSE
   10. PLO MEDIA OFFENSIVE DIRECTED AT U.S.

***As we go to press: Five IDF soldiers were killed today, and one other
was seriously injured, when an armored personnel carrier in which they were
riding overturned and fell into an abyss near the Har Hevron community of
Ma'ale Hever. The soldiers were on their way to secure the landing of a
helicopter carrying Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer on his way to
Hevron to observe the security situation there. The wounded soldier is
presently undergoing treatment in Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem hospital.

1. SHARON RETURNING TO NEGOTIATING TABLE?
A meeting in Europe today between Foreign Minister Shimon Peres and PLO
officials is causing quite a stir on the Israeli political scene. After
meeting with Nabil Sha'ath in Athens this morning, Peres said that if the
results of a security meeting later tonight are positive, Israel and the
PLO "may return to the negotiating table." A spokesman for Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon was quick to dismiss speculation that Sharon has agreed to
diplomatic negotiations under fire. The meeting only dealt with the need
for the PA to stop the violence, the spokesman said, "and therefore did not
depart from the fundamental principle that Israel will not negotiate under
fire." For their part, the PLO officials in Athens renewed their calls to
the international community for help "to stop the wave of violence in the
Middle East."

Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Environment Minister Tzachi Hanegbi
emphatically denied that any political negotiations were in the offing,
stressing that Sharon's policy differs significantly from that of former
Prime Minister Ehud Barak. "Barak's approach was characterized by
diplomatic negotiations against the backdrop of violence. With our
government, there is no 'final status' arrangement in the cards, no
division of Jerusalem... No remnant remains of the previous policy. We are
not prepared to return to the concessions of Camp David or Sharm
a-Sheikh. They are invalid and irrelevant! If we discuss any matter, it
will be with the interests of the State of Israel in mind."

Minister of National Infrastructures Avigdor Lieberman, on the other hand,
was upset that the Peres-Sha'ath meeting took place at all. He said that
the move compromises Israel's power of deterrence and is a violation of the
coalition agreement signed with his party, National Union-Yisrael Beitenu,
explaining that the coalition agreement specifically states that Mr. Peres
may not engage in private negotiations "as he did prior to the signing of
the Oslo Accords."

As a follow-up to the Israel-PLO meeting, representatives of the two sides
have agreed to meet tonight at the home of U.S. Ambassador Martin
Indyk. Representing Israel, among others, will be General Security Service
chief Avi Dichter. Mohammed Dahlan and Jibril Rajoub will represent the
PLO. On Feb. 11, Arutz-7 reported that the victims of the Nov. 20th Kfar
Darom terrorist bus bombing - in which Miri Amitai and Gabi Biton were
killed, three Cohen children lost limbs, and others were wounded
- launched a suit against Dahlan and Yasser Arafat for 100 million shekels
($24.5 million). The suit, which was submitted to the Jerusalem District
Court, accuses Dahlan - who heads the "Palestinian Preventive Security
Services" - of planning and facilitating the attack on the bus. While
serving as opposition leader, Ariel Sharon called on the Barak government
to assassinate Dahlan for his role in the attacks.

2. ARAFAT A MUCH-SOUGHT-AFTER PERSONALITY
Three left-wing MKs: Zehava Gal'on (Meretz), Naomi Chazan (Meretz),and
Collette Avital (Labor), visited PLO chieftain Yasser Arafat in Ramallah
today. Speaking with Voice of Israel radio prior to the meeting, Avital
said that the group's goal was "to renew dialogue between the sides and to
stop the cycle of violence." During the meeting, MK Gal'on reportedly
conveyed a message to Arafat from Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer. Two days
ago, Labor MK Yossi Katz, too, went to speak to Arafat, and later said that
he did so with the blessing of a government figure whom he did not
identify. Yesterday, Tekoa rabbi Menachem Furman was disappointed when,
after being picked up at home an official Arafat escort, he was stopped at
a nearby IDF roadblock and not allowed to proceed further.

Late this afternoon, the Prime Minister's Office finally confirmed today's
Ma'ariv report that Ariel Sharon's son, Omri, met with Yasser Arafat on
Sunday in the latter's Ramallah headquarters. Yossi Ginossar - known for
his intimate business connections with PLO officials - also attended the
meeting. Sharon's office stated that Omri Sharon conveyed an unequivocal
demand to Arafat to call a halt to the PLO mini-war in Judea and Samaria
and Gaza. The Council of Jewish Communities in Judea, Samaria and Gaza
(Yesha) expressed concern that the Sharon-Arafat meeting is just the first
step in a return to diplomatic negotiations with Arafat.

3. INFANT STILL FIGHTING FOR HIS LIFE
"We have to pray for Ariel over the next 48 hours." So said Yossi Yered,
father of baby Ariel Yered, who was seriously injured in yesterday's Arab
mortar attack on the Gush Katif community of Atzmona. The infant -
hospitalized in the Soroka Hospital's intensive care unit - is still listed
in "critical" condition. Yered told Arutz-7's Uzi Baruch today that he was
hopeful this morning when the baby opened his eyes for a short time and
moved one of his legs. "Ariel still has shrapnel lodged in his head," said
Yered, "and the doctors do not yet know what degree of damage it has
caused; my wife, too, still has shrapnel in two parts of her body; I
understand that people can live like this until 120...We know that people
are praying for us and reciting Psalms - A simple 'thank you' to all those
people is insufficient..The medical staff here is helping God do His
miracles...." Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports that this past
Monday, a number of mortar shells fell in an open field near
Atzmona. Since nobody was hurt in that incident, the IDF decided not to
investigate further. In response to the Arab mortar attack, Gush Katif
residents demonstrated this morning at the Gush Katif junction. One of the
protesters was arrested.

The heavy IDF helicopter-led retaliation on PLO targets last night did not
put an end to Arab mortar attacks. Towards morning, four Arab-fired mortar
shells landed in an open area just outside of the Jewish community of
Netzarim. In response, IDF tanks fired back at PLO positions in Gaza
city. According to reports, some fifteen mortar rockets were shot by IDF
forces at a Force 17 training facility.

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4. NO LET-UP IN PLO VIOLENCE
The Rosh Hashanah Arab Assault is just not letting up. A roadside bomb
exploded on the Karni-Netzarim road this morning. No injuries were
reported. Further south, Arab terrorists fired at the IDF post on the
border between Israel and Egypt. IDF forces returned fire. Last night, an
Israeli soldier was lightly injured when shrapnel penetrated his leg during
an exchange of fire between IDF and PLO forces outside of El-Hader near
Bethlehem. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Seri reports that during the gun
battle, a bullet penetrated a mobile home on Giv'at HaDagan in Efrat;
nobody was hurt in that incident. Further north, IDF tanks last night
fired on Arafat's "Force 17" posts in Kfar Bituniya west of PLO-controlled
Ramallah. The action came after PLO paramilitary forces opened fire on
Israeli troops outside the village.

Arabs hurled two firebombs at an IDF outpost adjacent to the Erez
checkpoint around noon today, and IDF soldiers returned fire. Near the
industrial zone of the community of Nili in Binyamin, a PLO paramilitary
police officer, in full garb, was arrested. Israeli security officials
suspect that he was on the verge of carrying out a terrorist attack in the
area. Arab terrorists also fired from Khan Yunis on the IDF post adjacent
to the Gush Katif community of Gadid. Nobody was injured. Soldiers
returned fire. At a post on the Jerusalem-Gush Etzion highway, IDF soldiers
shot and injured an Arab who threw a firebomb and rocks at them.

5. SAMIYEH: "WE TOLD THEM SO"
Maj.-Gen. (res.) Yom Tov Samiyeh says that the IDF knew as early as three
years ago that the Arab forces in Yesha were in possession of hundreds of
mortar shells. According to the former head of Southern Command and IDF
commander in the Gaza Strip, the army conveyed the information to
government officials, who chose to ignore it and opt instead for a
continuation of the Oslo process. "The error was in not arriving at the
proper conclusions from Arafat's failure to live by the Gaza/Jericho
agreements [at the outset of Oslo]," he said. "The IDF pointed out the PA's
increasing acquisition of arms, but the government's answer always was:
'Let's move forward!' Samiyeh recalled.

6. SHALOM APPROVES SELL-OUT
Finance Minister Silvan Shalom signed a document authorizing the Chief
Rabbis of Israel to sell the country's "chametz"/leavened products to a
non-Jewish resident of the Arab town of Abu Ghosh, west of
Jerusalem. Minister Shalom said at the ceremony that in previous years, he
has just been responsible for burning his personal "chametz", and never
thought that he would be a main participant in a ceremony selling the
national chametz on the eve of Passover.

7. EXEMPTIONS ARE HISTORY
The Supreme Court today cancelled the automatic property tax exemptions
granted to large families and full-time married students of Torah. In so
deciding, the court accepted the petition of the "Am Chofshi" ("Free
Nation") organization. In its decision, the court stated that the protocol
set years ago by former Interior Minister Aryeh De'ri was illegal. Justice
Mishael Cheshin explained that if the exemptions were to be upheld, a
wealthy family with ten children would be exempt from taxes, while a poor
childless couple "having a hard time making ends meet" would not be exempt
from the taxes.

8. CITIZENS WANT A TOUGHER RESPONSE
The Steinmetz Center for Peace Research at Tel Aviv University has released
its March report, and the results show an increasing Israeli wariness of
the Palestinian Authority. According to the survey, nearly 72% of Israelis
believe that most of the Palestinians have not come to terms with the
existence of the State of Israel and would destroy it if possible. Some
71.7% of respondents felt that more military force should be used against
the PLO in retaliation for its terrorist activities.

9. AIDING AND ABETTING THE ARAB CAUSE
The Acre Magistrate's Court today lifted the gag order banning the
publication of the name of the chief suspect in the Kibbutz Manara murder
and weapons-theft case. A petition was filed with the court by several
Israeli newspapers and radio stations requesting that they be permitted to
publish the name of the suspects in custody.

The chief suspect in the case is John Elraz, 48, of Kiryat Ata. He holds
the rank of major in the IDF reserves and has served in the General
Security Service public officials protection unit in the past. During the
Begin administration some twenty years ago, Elraz was one of the security
agents responsible for the safety of then Defense Minister Ariel Sharon.
Elraz also served in IDF intelligence and has a high security clearance;
this facilitated his illegal activities by permitting him access to
classified installations. The security clearance also permitted him to
obtain the government contract to construct the new northern border fence
between Israel and Lebanon. It was during that period over the past months
that he became acquainted with the victim, security chief Yitzhak Kvartach,
who was murdered in order to clear the way for the theft of the automatic
weapons.

According to police and GSS investigators, Elraz murdered the security
chief of Kibbutz Manara on March 15, 2001. With the assistance of five
Israeli Arab accomplices who are also in custody, residents of Salim, he
then stole seventy-three M-16 automatic rifles from the kibbutz armory. The
weapons were then sold to terrorist elements inside the PA autonomous
municipality of Jenin for approximately NIS 600,000. Investigators handling
the case are also indicating that Elraz has admitted to previous weapons
thefts and he may also be tied to past murders. It is being reported that
Elraz has admitted to the allegations being leveled against him and he has
even reenacted the crime for investigators.

The Israel Police department today revealed details of yet another incident
in which a Jewish person aided the PLO war cause. The Jewish suspect,
Angelica Yosefov, 20, was the girlfriend of Zayid Kaliani, the terrorist
who blew himself up last month inside a taxi van at the Mei Ami junction in
Wadi Ara. Claude Knopp, 29, of Tiberias, was killed in the blast, while
the terrorist lost both of his legs. Aside from the Mei Ami bombing, the
police have learned that along with Kaliani, Ms. Yosefov planned three
other attacks in the Tel Aviv and Haifa areas, including the stabbing and
critical wounding of a policeman.

10. PLO MEDIA OFFENSIVE DIRECTED AT U.S.
Days after the recent appeal by US President Bush to Yasser Arafat to speak
out against the ongoing violence against Israel, Palestinian Authority
newspapers have gone on the rhetorical offensive against the United States.
So reports Dr. Itamar Marcus' Palestinian Media Watch. PMW has released a
copy of a caricature published by the official PA daily, Al-Hayat al-Jadida
this past Sunday entitled "Teacher and Students." In the cartoon, US
President Bush and Secretary of State Powell are portrayed as students of
Prime Minister Sharon, who is conducting a class on how to murder Arab
children.

PMW also notes that an article appearing two days earlier blames the US for
last week's Israeli attack on Arab military targets in retaliation for the
murders of 10 month-old Shalhevet Pass, 15 year-old Eliran Rosenberg and 14
year-old Naftali Lantzkoren. The article describes anti-American
demonstrations, including flag burnings and public calls for attacks on
U.S. interests by a Palestinian official. The text of the article is follows:

"Following the Israeli attack there is a noticeable sense of rage in the
Palestinian street and condemnation of American assistance to the Zionist
military machine. More and more voices are calling for revenge against the
occupation and attacks on American interests in the Arab world. Enraged
masked men in Alminara Square burned a model of an Israeli bus, flags of
the occupier [Israel] and American flags.

"Sakhar Habash, a member of the Central Commission the Fatah Movement
[Arafat loyalists], spoke on behalf of the national and Islamic forces.
Habash said that the Black House, meaning the White House, bears
responsibility for the killing, destruction and siege directed against our
people. Habash said that in response to the recent American veto at the
United Nations [of a proposal to send an armed observer force to Judea,
Samaria and Gaza] as well as the attempt to justify Israeli crimes,
American interests in the Arab homeland should be threatened..."

Hebrew News Editor: Ariel Kahane and Haggai Seri
English News Editor: Ron Meir

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 18:19:40 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (4/4/01)

Need a Coke? Dial a telephone

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: ABC Raw News/Reuters

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- You're out and about, thirsty, and have no change to get a
drink from a machine. No problem. If you're in Sydney's Central Station, you
can dial up a Coke. In the first trial of its kind in Australia, Telstra Corp. Ltd.,
Australia's largest telecoms carrier and global drinks giant Coca-Cola Co
(KO.N) are testing a new service called Dial a Coke. It lets Telstra mobile
customers grab a drink from a vending machine and have the 97-cent cost
billed to their phones.

"How many times have you stood in front of a machine and not had the right
change?" said Coca-Cola spokeswoman Michelle Allen. "This eliminates the
need to be carrying cash," said Telstra OnAir spokeswoman Lisa Johnston.
All you have to do if you want a drink is call a telephone number on the
drinks machine, then choose the drink you want. The cost of the drink will
show up on your next mobile phone bill with no extra fees charged for the
phone call.

The mobile-, or m-commerce trial is the first of several Telstra is considering,
including dial-up parking, shopping and ticket purchases, Johnston said.
Coke is running a similar trial in Chile.

Jordan mum on latest U.S. military aid

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Jordan is keeping mum on details of the latest shipment
of U.S. military aid. Officials announced that a U.S. shipment of military
equipment arrived in the kingdom over the last week. They said the shipment
included military equipment, machinery and ammunition within the framework
of annual $75 million in U.S. military aid to Amman. No other details were
given. Over the past four years, Jordan has received surplus F-16 warplanes,
M-60 tanks and M-110 self-propelled artillery from the United States.

The official Petra news agency said the U.S. shipment arrived to the
Jordanian port of Aqaba a week ago. The agency said the U.S. aid aims to
"enhance Jordan's defense capabilities and cement security, stability and
peace in the region."

EU wants Turkey to supply NATO installations for European rapid reaction
force

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Middle East Newsline

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Despite a crippling fiscal crisis, Turkey continues to
expand defense cooperation with both countries in the West and in the
former East Bloc. The cooperation includes joint training as well as planning
for a European rapid deployment force. It also comes amid Turkish
participation in a naval exercise in the Black Sea. British Defense Minister
Geoffrey Hoon held talks in Ankara last week with his Turkish counterpart,
Sabahattin Cakmakoglu. Officials said the two men discussed military and
defense cooperation. The European Union wants Turkey to supply NATO
installations for the European rapid deployment force.

U.S. tells Japan no more surprise sub port calls

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Reuters

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- The United States expressed regret on Wednesday for
the failure of one of its nuclear submarines to give notice before entering a
Japanese port and pledged to prevent a rerun of the episode. The unexpected
visit outraged local authorities and prompted Tokyo to demand a full
explanation before allowing further port calls. The USS Chicago arrived in the
port of Sasebo in the southern Japanese prefecture of Nagasaki on Monday
without giving local authorities advance notice as required by a 1964
agreement.

Chinese president demands U.S. apology, Powell expresses 'regret'

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: AP

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Chinese President Jiang Zemin demanded an American
apology for a collision between a U.S. spy plane and a Chinese fighter jet.
But China's foreign minister hinted Wednesday at a way out of the crisis,
saying Beijing wants a quick but dignified settlement. The White House ruled
out any apology, but Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday did
express "regret" over the apparent death of the Chinese pilot. On Tuesday,
President Bush warned that ties with Beijing could suffer unless it quickly
releases the EP-3E plane, which made an emergency landing on a Chinese
island, and the 24 crew members.

Both Israel and the Palestinians resort to greater firepower

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: AP

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Israeli rockets hit the Palestinian military intelligence
compound with precision, punching wreckingball-size holes dead center
through the ceilings of dormitory rooms. Mattresses were dusted by rubble,
and a pair of army boots was left by an officer clearing out before the strike
delivered as a warning that Israel knows where to find and intends to punish
those taking up arms against its people.

Tuesday night's shelling came as both sides resorted to increasingly heavy
firepower, including mortar shells, in their 6-month-old battle of attrition in the
Gaza Strip a dusty, crowded territory of more than 1 million Palestinians and
6,500 Jewish settlers who are separated by barbed-wire fences and walls of
sandbags. Israel's previous government had signaled it was willing to give up
all of Gaza in a peace deal. But after the outbreak of Israeli-Palestinian
fighting in September Israel's army entrenched itself more deeply closing
roads to Palestinians, patrolling with tanks and razing swaths of land near
settlements to deprive gunmen of cover.

Syria wants EU help for $5.66 bln industry plan

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Reuters

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Syria will need to spend $5.66 billion in a decade to make
its manufacturing industries competitive after signing a free trade agreement
with the European Union, a senior official said on Wednesday. Dr
Mohammed Tawfiq Simaq, head of Syria's Industry Committee who is on the
team negotiating the Association Agreement, expressed hope that the 15-
nation bloc would provide generous help to finance the plan. It would be
implemented during a transitional 10-12-year period after the signing of the
deal, he told Reuters in an interview. Simaq said financial assistance and
other subjects would be discussed at the next round of negotiations in
Damascus on April 23.

Yugoslavia completes draft bill on extradition to war crimes tribunal

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: AFP

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Yugoslav officials have finished a draft bill on cooperation
between Belgrade and the UN war crimes tribunal to allow Belgrade to hand
over suspects, Justice Minister Momcilo Grubac said Wednesday. "The draft
bill formulated by a group of experts incorporates all the modalities of
cooperation between Yugoslavia and the ICTY, including handing over of
suspects," Grubac told reporters, referring to the UN court in The Hague.

Israel demolishes 25 Palestinian structures

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Jerusalem Post

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- The Civil Administration demolished 25 Palestinian
buildings in the West Bank this week. The municipal body, responsible for
Palestinian civilian affairs in Areas B and C in Judea and Samaria, leveled 14
structures today in Hebron and the Jerusalem area. Five of these buildings
were located next to the Kiryat Arba community adjacent to Hebron,
according to Israel Radio. The demolitions, undertaken primarily for security
concerns, are being carried out in accordance with Israeli law, Army Radio
reported. The demolition crews have been harried by scattered stone
throwing attacks over the past week.

Putin shuns the US in favour of Europe

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Kelly
                         Source: Guardian Unlimited

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- President Vladimir Putin signalled a potentially
momentous shift in Russian foreign policy yesterday, choosing in future to
ignore the US in favour of promoting European integration. In his annual state-
of-the-nation address to both chambers of parliament in the Kremlin, Mr
Putin, by adjusting his gaze to Europe, reversed decades of making
Washington the priority for Moscow's foreign policy. He neglected to mention
the USA at all in his passage on foreign policy, instead stressing the need
for partnership between Russia and the EU.

"A course of integration with Europe will be one of the main directions of our
foreign policy," Mr Putin stated in his one-hour speech. The new Bush
administration in Washington has shown its intent to downgrade Russia as a
foreign policy priority and Mr Putin responded in kind yesterday, declaring
that Russia's policy should reflect the country's economic interests. He also
took a sideswipe at Nato, asserting that Russia wanted to cooperate with the
western alliance but only if it respected international law and observed the
strictures of the UN security council.

Plane crash kills 14 high-ranking Sudanese officials

                         Weekend News Today
                         Lead: Leo
                         Source: Nando Times/AP

Wed Apr 4,2001 -- Sudan's deputy defense minister and 13 other high-
ranking military officers were reportedly killed Wednesday after their plane
crashed while taking off in southern Sudan. State radio reported that the
deputy minister, Col. Ibrahim Shamsul-Din, and the others had been touring
a southern military area and were headed back to Khartoum at the time of
the crash.

Shamsul-Din had backed the coup in which Sudanese President Omar el-
Bashir took power in 1989. The military remains the main power broker in
Sudan, not least because the country has been embroiled in civil war for 17
years. The dead included another colonel, nine lieutenant generals and three
brigadier generals.

http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day=01_04_4&item=#986418110

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 18:22:36 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] High Court: Temple Mount a state issue

               High Court: Temple Mount a state
               issue
               By Dan Izenberg

               JERUSALEM (April 4) - The Committee to Prevent the
               Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount
               withdrew its petition to the High Court of Justice
               yesterday, after a panel of three justices told its members
               to seek remedy from the government.

The court rejected a second petition by the Temple
Mount Faithful after they refused to withdraw it.

               The committee, whose members include former mayor
               Teddy Kollek and authors Yizhar Smilenski and Amos
               Oz, had charged that the Wakf was carrying out illegal
               construction on the Temple Mount.

               But the head of the panel of three Supreme Court
               justices, Eliahu Mazza, told the committee's attorney,
               Shmuel Berkovich, that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon,
               Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau, Justice Minister
               Meir Sheetrit, and other members of the current
               government had signed a petition demanding a halt to the
               construction by the Wakf.

               Mazza told Berkovich that the court could deal with the
               committee's petition in one of two ways. It could
               determine that it contained no new information and
               should therefore be rejected. If, however, it did contain
               new information, the petitioners should first go to the
               government, whose leaders had expressed similar views,
               and ask them to redress the situation.

               Justice Dalia Dorner was not prepared to go even that
               far. She told Berkovich that the Temple Mount issue is a
               matter of government policy and must be left to the
               government to deal with.

               Attorney Naftali Wurzberger told the court that what
               was new in his petition was the fact that the Antiquities
               Authority was barred from supervising developments on
               the Temple Mount and that the previous equilibrium
               between the Wakf and Israeli authorities had been
               disrupted.

               The court heard police behind closed doors explain how
               they manage to monitor developments on the Temple
               Mount even though the Antiquities Authority is banned
               from entering the precinct.

               Dorner asked Wurzberger whether he expected
               Antiquities Authority inspectors to go up to the Temple
               Mount accompanied by tanks. Beinisch told him that in
               order to enforce the law "you need someone who has the
               strength to enforce it." Mazza said that the court did not
               have the means to assess the consequences of a decision
               to halt construction on the Temple Mount. He told
               Wurzberger that the petitioners expected the bench to
               fulfill all of the functions of the executive branch, including
               the police, the army, the Defense Ministry and the
               Ministry for Foreign Affairs.

               "The judicial branch must also act reasonably," said
               Mazza. "We are not crazy." Afterwards, Temple Mount
               Faithful leader Gershon Solomon charged that the
               authorities were afraid. "Everyone is covering up for
               everyone else," he told reporters. "Everyone who was
               here - the representatives of the government, the State
               Attorney's Office, the Jerusalem Municipality, the court
               itself - knows that there is a tragedy and a terrible crime
               taking place on the Temple Mount."

http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/04/04/News/News.24141.html

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From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Wed, 4 Apr 2001 18:26:16 -0400
Reply-To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Moscow and Beijing to Sign Friendship Treaty During Zemin Visit

Moscow and Beijing to Sign Friendship Treaty During Zemin Visit

MOSCOW, Apr 4, 2001 -- (Agence France Presse) Moscow and Beijing will
sign a 10-year friendship treaty during a summer visit here by Chinese
President Jiang Zemin, Deputy Foreign Minister Alexander Losyukov said
Wednesday.

The treaty, which may later be extended, will "lead Russia towards strategic
cooperation with China," ITAR-TASS quoted the minister as saying.

The text's precise wording however is still being prepared, he said.

RIA Novosti reported that Zemin's visit would take place in mid-June, while
ITAR-TASS said it would come in early July. The Russian foreign ministry
said it was too early to name a specific date for the visit.

The former Soviet Union and China signed a broad political treaty in the
1950s, but after the accord expired in 1979, China refused to extend it.

One issue that unites the two countries today is common hostility to U.S.
plans to set up a national missile defense shield (NMD). ((c) 2001 Agence
France Presse)

http://www.europeaninternet.com/russia/news.php3?id=329495

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