Digest Home |
2001 |
May, 2001
POPE WANTS CHAIN OF MIDEAST VIOLENCE BROKEN
JOHN PAUL II SAYS HE OWES HIS LIFE TO MARY
SYDNEY ARCHBISHOP DRAWS THE LINE ON HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS
1,000 PROTEST IN MOSCOW AGAINST PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE
Tickets sold out for Dalai Lama in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah
Study of religion interests Castro
Jordan cracks down on Islamic militants
Germany signs cooperation agreement with Palestinians
World awaits Italy's election outcome
EU, hosting UN's Annan, aims for enlargement breakthrough
Tehran police crack down on Internet, 400 cybercafes closed
Sandstorm sweeps over Egypt
India's Hindu nationalists seek to ''Indianize'' Christians
Assad, Mubarak to discuss M.E. situation
1. IDF FIGHTS BACK
2. LIVNAT: INCONCEIVABLE THAT STUDENTS SHOULDN'T KNOW JEWISH CONCEPTS
3. SHOTS FIRED, BLOCK-FACTORY DESTROYED
4. A DAY OF ATTACKS
5. SHTEINITZ: STRENGTH IS THE BEST SIGNAL
6. BAMACHANEH JOURNAL CLOSED
7. UPS AND DOWNS IN ISRAELI CULTURE
8. WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
9. WAQF DAMAGE CALLED "IRREVERSIBLE"
Egyptian censor added 'hate' to 'I hate Israel' song
Brazil considers legalizing same-sex unions
Why are Europe's churches empty?
Israel Strikes Against Palestinians
God is Opposed to Britain Joining EU's Single Currency, Says Economist
Leak Shows Nuclear Trafficking Doubled
Africa 'Has 12 Million Aids Orphans'
Algeria Has Acknowledged Islamic Offensive
Lebanon, Syria Plan Gas Link
U.S. Trains Iraqi Kurds For Self Rule
To: <BPRLIST@YAHOOGROUPS.COM>
Subject: [bprlist] Palestine
From: Pam
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:08:54 -0400
--------
I am hoping to get some feed-back from some readers of BPR to my
question about the 12 princes that God said would come from Hagar´s son
Ishmael. We are given the names of Ishmael´s 12 sons but that appears
to be the extent of our knowledge of them and their offspring, from the
Bible. I think they are the roots of the ‘house of Ishmael´, the
Arabs, just as the 12 sons of Jacob are the roots of the ‘house of
Israel´, the Israelites. Subsequently, we know, Our Lord Jesus Christ
was born into one of the tribes of the ‘house of Israel´ while, if I am
not mistaken, Mohammed, several hundred years later, was born to a
member of the ‘house of Islam´. Both have their roots in Abraham but
the root of the ‘house of Israel´ is the ‘legal´ heir of Abraham, Isaac,
while the root of the ‘house of Islam´ is the son who was denied any
inheritance, who was exiled by Abraham, Ishmael, the son of Abraham´s
concubine, Hagar. Today, the Arabs are claiming the nation of Israel
had taken away ‘their´ land, Palestine, but the fact is that land was
never theirs. It was given to Abraham´s heir, Isaac, and from Isaac it
was given to his son Jacob, whose sons where the ‘fathers´ of the 12
tribes of Israel. No land was given to Ishmael, or the 12 princes, and
I think that is why, throughout their history, the Arabs were nomads -
people with no land of their own. However, I don't know all of that for
sure and some corroboration, or factual negation, would be appreciated.
Praise the Lord!
God Bless you. Charlie Baker.
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Extreme Weather (May 1-14, 2001)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:28:34 -0400
--------
Extreme weather
Hailstorm takes 13 planes out of service
A hailstorm in Nebraska seriously damaged 13 planes and broke the
windows of more than 200 cars. 12:21 Monday 14th May 2001
Lost snowmobilers survive eight days alone
Two men got lost snowmobiling in a blizzard and survived eight days alone in
the mountains of British Columbia. 14:36 Saturday 12th May 2001
Russians to rescue starving baby seals
A Russian shipping company is planning to save hundreds of thousands of
baby seals in the White Sea feared to be on the brink of starvation. 08:53
Friday 11th May 2001
30,000 homes suffer storm power cuts
Electrical storms have caused widespread disruption across south-east
England, leaving 31,000 homes without power. 10:14 Thursday 10th May
2001
200,000 baby seals face death in White Sea
More than 200,000 baby seals face starvation because of freak weather in
the White Sea in northern Russia. 08:53 Thursday 10th May 2001
Seventeen dead in Indian storms
Unseasonable high winds and hailstorms have uprooted trees and knocked
down houses in an eastern Indian state, killing 17 villagers. 20:00
Wednesday 9th May 2001
Man killed in Turkish floods
Floods that inundated hundreds of homes and shops in southern Turkey have
killed one man and left another missing. 16:01 Wednesday 9th May 2001
Floods cause state of emergency in Puerto Rico
A state of emergency has been declared in parts of Puerto Rico after floods
forced residents to flee their homes and caused serious damage. 04:53
Wednesday 9th May 2001
Flash floods cause havoc in Turkey
Flash floods caused by heavy rainfall have inundated hundreds of homes and
businesses in southern Turkey and knocked down bridges and power lines.
14:09 Tuesday 8th May 2001
32 die after floods hit Iran
Thirty-two people have died after two days of heavy flooding in north eastern
Iran. 15:09 Monday 7th May 2001
Spring snow storm hits Colorado
More than three feet of snow has fallen in central Colorado's Arkansas Valley
during a spring storm. 14:21 Sunday 6th May 2001
Tornado brings death in Brazil
A tornado has torn through nine towns in south-eastern Brazil. 20:48
Saturday 5th May 2001
Parts of Canada swelter in record temperatures
The Canadian capital Ottawa is basking in a heatwave which has broken
records for three consecutive days. 17:25 Friday 4th May 2001
World record rowing attempt delayed by typhoon
Two Royal Marines planning to row across the North Pacific in a boat called
Crackers have had their launch delayed by a typhoon. 16:27 Friday 4th May
2001
North-eastern US swelters under record temperatures
A record-breaking heat wave in the north-eastern US has seen people
flocking to beaches that aren't even open for the season yet. 10:40 Friday
4th May 2001
Flash flood claims eight lives in Thailand
A flash flood has swept away more than 100 houses and killed at least eight
people in villages in northern Thailand. 03:34 Friday 4th May 2001
Tornado hits Minnesota town
A Minnesota town has been hit by a tornado. 17:05 Wednesday 2nd May
2001
Indian cyclone leaves 3,000 homeless
A cyclone has left more than 3,000 people homeless in India. 12:03
Wednesday 2nd May 2001
Nine killed and hundreds homeless after tornado-strength storms
At least nine people have been killed and another 150 injured by storms in
Bangladesh. 13:35 Tuesday 1st May 2001
http://www.ananova.com/news/index.html?keywords=Extreme+weather&nav_
src=more_on
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Interview: Abdulwahab Darawsheh denies quote WAFA attributed to him
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:36:59 -0400
--------
Interview: Abdulwahab Darawsheh denies quote WAFA attributed to him
Aaron Lerner Date: 13 May 2001
IMRA interviewed Abdulwahab Darawsheh head of the (Israeli) Arab
Democratic
Party, in English, on 13 May 2001:
IMRA: There is a report by WAFA (the official Palestine News Agency) today
that you said on a Cairo radio program that you have information about an
Israeli plan to assassinate Chairman Arafat.
Darawsheh: No. I said that there is an Israeli plan to destroy the
Palestinian Authority and destroy the leadership including Mr. Arafat.
IRA: By "destroy" do you mean "assassinate"?
Darawsheh: No. I did not say to kill him physically. But I think the path
that the Israeli Government is following now - they are willing to destroy
the Palestinian Authority. And to dismiss the peace process totally.
MRA: So it is more along the lines of creating a situation that he leaves.
That he no longer is in power?
Darawsheh: Yes.
IMRA: Not that he is dead.
Darawsheh: I did not say that there is a plan that I know about to kill
him or assassinate him physically. But what I said and continue to say is
that I think that the Israeli Government is willing to destroy the
Palestinian Authority and to retreat from the Oslo Agreements and kill the
peace process.
IMRA: I was reported today that meeting that Minister Ze'evi suggested that
the situation could not get any worse if someone took the place of the PA.
What do you think would take the place of Arafat?
Darawsheh: I think that the Palestinians have decided that the PLO is their
representative and Israel will fail with that. They cannot decide for the
Palestinian People who is their leader and who is their leadership. The
Palestinians have decided for decades that the PLO is their leadership and
Mr. Arafat is their leader.
So I think that the Israeli Government, as every colonialism has failed in
the past to choose the leadership of any people, will also not succeed. So I
recommend to the Israel Government to stop the violence and to stop the
settlements, which is also a kind of violence, and to sit by the table to
implement the agreements and to talk about the permanent solution with the
Palestinians. They cannot overcome the Palestinian People.
IMRA: What is your position on Moslems serving in the IDF?
Darawsheh: I am against any Israeli-Arab service in the army. We are
Palestinians. We are not supposed to serve in the Israeli occupation army
which occupies our people and oppresses them and kills them. I always said
this. Also in the Knesset: I am against any participation in the Israeli
army by the Arab population in Israel.
IMRA: What do you see happening on the 15th (IMRA: "nakba" marking the
"disaster" of the creation of the State of Israel)? It seems that on
previous occasions that there was a certain amount of tension between
Israeli Arabs and the PA over who would call the shots inside Israel. Is
there any tension this time between Israeli Arabs and the PA?
Darawsheh: I do not expect any violence inside Israel. We will demonstrate.
We will protest. We will raise the memory of the nakba but we will not act
through violence. We are citizens of the country. I hope that the police
will not interfere in our demonstrations and our legitimate protests as
citizens.
IMRA: Do you anticipate that there will be any attempts to close route 65
(Wadi Ara) on the 15th?
Darawsheh: Actually, I don't expect any violence. We will make it in a very
nice way. A very good way. To raise the memory of the nakba and the
people
who were driven from their land and also to protest against Israeli policy
which is a very tough policy. It is an inhuman policy which is adopted
against our Palestinian brothers and sisters in the Palestinian territories.
And also against discrimination.
IMRA: Do you think that there will be a lookout in the Israeli Arab
community for outside inciters who may try to come in?
Darawsheh: I do not think that there will be any kind of violence. Also we
have leadership of the Arab community inside Israel and when we decide to
make it in a good way as citizens of the country without violence I think
that our people will accept that and will behave according to their
decision.
IMRA: Do you consider the appointment today of the first non-Jewish
ministry general director as window dressing or more than that?
Darawsheh: It is symbolic. They do not call him an Arab general director
but instead a Druze who served in the army. I do not give it any
importance. It is just to appoint an officer in the reserves to an official
job. But this does not serve the Arab sector. They must change their
policy of discrimination - this is what we expect and want. To make it a
country that a Jew and an Arab have the same rights in the country. This
does not come about by appointing an Israeli Arab to the post of either
minister or general director. I am not against that, but it will not change
the situation between Arabs and Jews inside Israel as long as there is a
policy of discrimination against the Arabs living inside Israel. A country
that does not have justice and peace with its own population cannot make
peace with its neighbor. I think that Israel has failed to make peace with
us - the Arab citizens of Israel So Israel cannot make peace with the
Palestinians - with the Arab world.
First of all Israel must examine itself according to its behavior with the
Arab citizens of Israel. I am sorry to say that Israel is still behaving
like another South Africa during the apartheid. We are suffering from real
apartheid inside Israel.
Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-5480092
INTERNET ADDRESS: imra@netvision.net.il
pager 03-6750750 subscriber 4811
Website: http://www.imra.org.il
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Zenit items (5/13/01)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:45:04 -0400
--------
POPE WANTS CHAIN OF MIDEAST VIOLENCE BROKEN
Entrusts Peace in Holy Land to Our Lady of Fatima
VATICAN CITY, MAY 13, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Decrying Mideast violence, John
Paul II called on international leaders to help "break this immoral chain of
provocations and reprisals" and bring peace to the scarred region.
At the end of the Mass today, during which he ordained 34 priests, the Holy
Father met with thousands of pilgrims in St. Peter´s Square. Referring to the
Middle East, he raised his voice and said: "We are faced with an absurd
spiral of violence."
He began by alluding to his recent pilgrimage in St. Paul´s footsteps, which
took him to Greece, Syria and Malta. The joy of his trip, he said, contrasted
with the sad news of deaths reported over those days from the Holy Land.
While the Pope prayed for peace in the ghost city of Quneitra, in the Golan
Heights, he expressed sorrow over a 4-month-old girl who died when Israeli
soldiers and tanks entered a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip. Later, when in
Malta, the Holy Father condemned the savage stoning to death of two 14-
year-old Israelis.
"To sow death every day does no more than exasperate spirits and delay the
blessed day when all will be able to look at one another in the face and walk
together as brothers!" the Pope exclaimed.
"All, and in particular leaders of the international community, have the duty to
help the parties in conflict to break this immoral chain of provocations and
reprisals," the Holy Father said. "It must be remembered ... that the
language and culture of peace must prevail over incitement to hatred and
exclusion."
John Paul II entrusted to the Virgin of Fatima the peace of the Middle East,
"that the hearts and intentions of all will be purified, so that the massacres
will cease and the energies of one and all will be employed for the effective
and lasting construction of peace."
ZE01051304
--------------------
JOHN PAUL II SAYS HE OWES HIS LIFE TO MARY
Recalls May 13, 1981, Assassination Attempt
VATICAN CITY, MAY 13, 2001 (Zenit.org).- On the 20th anniversary of the
assassination attempt against him, John Paul II again attributed his survival
to the Blessed Virgin Mary.
In thanksgiving, the Pope celebrated a Mass this Sunday morning in St.
Peter´s Basilica, during which he ordained 34 priests.
At the end of the Mass, when he greeted thousands of pilgrims gathered in
St. Peter´s Square, he said of Mary´s intercession: "I myself was able to
experience her protection on May 13 twenty years ago." On May 13, 1981,
Turkish terrorist Mehmet Ali Agca shot and seriously wounded the Holy
Father.
The Pope´s interpretation of that decisive event in his life was confirmed by
Sister Lucia, the surviving visionary of the 1917 apparitions at Fatima,
Portugal.
Last May the Vatican revealed the "third secret" of Fatima. According to
Sister Lucia, a figure "clothed in white" described in the account of the third
part of the Fatima revelations referred to the Pope.
Last May 13, at the end of the Mass for the beatification of Fatima
visionaries Jacinta and Francisco Marto, Vatican Secretary of State Cardinal
Angelo Sodano read a statement on the revelation concerning the third
secret.
The statement said, in part: "According to the interpretation of the ´little
shepherds,´ which was also recently confirmed by Sister Lucia, the ´Bishop
clothed in white´ who prays for all the faithful is the Pope. As he makes his
way with great effort towards the Cross amid the corpses of those who were
martyred (Bishops, priests, men and women religious and many lay
persons), he too falls to the ground, apparently dead, under a burst of
gunfire."
Sister Lucia said she fully agrees with John Paul II´s later affirmation that "a
maternal hand guided the bullet´s trajectory when the agonizing Pope stood
on the threshold of death."
ZE01051305
-----------------
SYDNEY ARCHBISHOP DRAWS THE LINE ON HOMOSEXUAL PRIESTS
Young Catholics Greet Pell With a Deafening Applause
SYDNEY, Australia, MAY 13, 2001 (Zenit.org).- Archbishop George Pell said
there is no place in the Church for priests who engage in homosexual
activity, according to The Australian newspaper.
"If they´re acting out [their sexuality], that´s incompatible with remaining as a
priest -- so if that´s happening they´ve got to choose one way or the other,"
he said, on his first Sunday as head of the Sydney Archdiocese.
Archbishop Pell was speaking after addressing a Catholic youth gathering
this afternoon at Sydney University where he received a feverish welcome.
The 1,000 young Catholics who gathered in the university´s Great Hall
chanted "Pell, Pell" wildly, banged bongo drums and gave the new
archbishop a deafening applause as he arrived to speak to them.
Unlike his installation at St Mary´s Cathedral last week - which was
disrupted by pro-homosexual protesters - Archbishop Pell´s first Sunday
morning Mass and afternoon appearance at the Carnivale Christi festival went
ahead without a demonstrator in sight.
The afternoon event, hosted by the Sydney University Society of St Peter
and Life Theatre, marked the end of the Carnivale Christi Catholic youth arts
festival. Carnivale Christi featured Byzantine and Coptic art exhibitions,
choral and organ recitals, and poetry and drama performances.
Archbishop Pell revealed there were "small pockets" of homosexual priests
in his previous post, in the Archdiocese of Melbourne.
Asked if the same situation could exist in Sydney - which has a much larger
and more vocal homosexual community - Archbishop Pell said, "Please
God, no."
He told the throng at the university that they were "in with a chance" of
converting people who were strongly opposed to Catholicism "because I
believe that if they are so irritated by it, it is a ... sign that they are terrified
that we might have the truth."
Asked outside if he could apply that theory to Sydney´s homosexual
community, he said there were "only a few" protesters last week and
"there´s no one this afternoon."
"I have spoken with many, many people in the gay community and I bear
them no ill will and I wish them God´s peace," Archbishop Pell said.
On Thursday, the archbishop began public life in Sydney with a commitment
to strengthening Church life in the city and "staging a bit of a fight-back" to
prevent the views of the Catholic minority being submerged, the Sydney
Morning Herald reported.
"We have formidable strengths but we are also under pressure," Archbishop
Pell said. "Most of our young people are not disappearing to the extent they
are in other Christian churches, but they are not attending as regularly as we
would like.
"We are only 27 or 28%, and with any minority there is always a danger that
we will be submerged semiconsciously by the views of the majority. Rome is
aware of that. They are also aware we are capable of a bit of a fight-back."
Archbishop Pell qualified his remarks on the Sydney Archdiocese by saying
he did not know the place very well and he felt that his predecessor, Cardinal
Edward Clancy, had done "a great job, a marvelous job."
Archbishop Pell stood by his position on the sanctity of human life and his
opposition to women´s ordination, and to departures from moral teaching. He
reiterated his stand against single women having access to in vitro
fertilization.
"I believe that babies have a right to a mother and a father," he said. "I
believe that the Parliament should be able to legislate that babies have
mothers and fathers and that should not be struck down by the state."
He was sympathetic to reaching out to other denominations and faiths and
would be listening to a visiting lecturer, Rabbi David Rosen, today. He also
has been in touch with the Muslim community, recognizing Muslims as
people who "worship the same God."
ZE01051320
----------------------
1,000 PROTEST IN MOSCOW AGAINST PAPAL VISIT TO UKRAINE
Orthodox Leaders Also Criticize Upcoming Trip
MOSCOW, MAY 13, 2001 (Zenit.org).- About 1,000 people, with the backing
of Russian Orthodox Church leaders, protested here Saturday against John
Paul II´s forthcoming visit to Ukraine.
The demonstration began at midday in Pushkin Square. According to the
press spokesman of the Moscow Orthodox Patriarchate, the protest was a
sign of the opposition to the papal trip to Ukraine and to Catholic expansion
in Ukrainian soil, considered the prerogative of the Russian patriarchate.
The Pope is due to travel next month to Ukraine, where 5 million Eastern-rite
Catholics recognize the supremacy of the Vatican. He has been invited by
the Ukrainian government.
Moscow protesters distributed leaflets that read: "Directed to all Orthodox
Christians of the Great, Little, and White Russia. We address you especially
so that, with all the rights conferred by the law, you will impede the Pope´s
visit to Ukraine. Organize Christian Orthodox ´pickets,´ meetings and
processions." Ukrainians are also urged to mobilize against the papal visit,
set to begin June 23.
The protesters, many shouting "No to the visit of the globalist apostle," were
accompanied by music bands and led by various Russian Parliamentary
deputies, including Vladimir Zherenovski, head of the extreme right Liberal
Democratic Party.
On Friday, the heads of the Russian and Greek Orthodox Churches
criticized the Pope´s plan to visit Ukraine, saying he should have sought the
permission of Orthodox clergy before agreeing to go.
Russian Patriarch Alexy II and visiting Greek Archbishop Christodoulos also
repeated lukewarm views of the Pope´s historic apology for wrongs
committed against Orthodox believers by Catholics, which he made while
recently visiting Greece. The Greek population in general warmly welcomed
the Pope´s apology.
"The patriarch [Alexy] said that the future will show whether the Pope was
sincere´´ in the apology, Christodoulos was quoted by Interfax news agency
as saying.
Christodoulos had been in Russia since May 5, arriving after the Pope´s visit
to Greece, where the pontiff asked God to forgive Catholics for sins
committed against the Orthodox since the Great Schism of 1054.
"It is important that this visit not worsen the tensions between Orthodox and
(Ukrainian Catholics),´´ Interfax quoted Russian Church spokesman
Metropolitan Kirill as saying. "If the Pope wishes to make a mission of peace
to Ukraine, he should listen to the position of the Orthodox Church of that
country.´´
The Russian Orthodox Church has denied the Pope´s repeated requests to
visit Russia. Orthodox leaders cite property disputes in Western Ukraine and
accuse Catholics of proselytizing.
Ukrainian Catholics were fiercely persecuted under Soviet dictator Josef
Stalin and much of their church property was turned over to the Orthodox
Church, which was closely monitored by the atheist Soviet state. Since
Ukraine became independent in 1991, ownership disputes have flared
between its churches.
ZE01051301
http://www.zenit.org/
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Gene cheats aim to conquer Olympics
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:47:36 -0400
--------
Gene cheats aim to conquer Olympics
Sports' governing body acts over fears athletes could change their DNA to go
higher and faster
Robin McKie and Duncan Mackay
Sunday May 13, 2001
The Observer
Olympic officials are to hold emergency meetings over mounting fears that
sport is about to be transformed by the creation of a breed of
genetically-engineered 'super-athletes'.
The move by the International Olympic Committee has stunned many
observers
who had thought that the dangers posed by cloning and molecular
engineering
were still remote.
But IOC experts now say the science of gene therapy - in which genes are
added to the human body - is poised to radically change sport. Unless action
is taken, athletes will begin tinkering with their own DNA to boost their
muscle power, heighten their oxygen-carrying capacity, and transform their
endurance, they say.
And because genetic mani-pulation is virtually impossible to detect using
current tests, it will undermine the concept of personal striving. As one
athlete put it: 'It is supposed to be a test of human capability, not a
genetic war.'
Dr Jacques Rogge, the Belgian orthopaedic surgeon who is tipped to succeed
Juan Antonio Samaranch as president of the International Olympic
Committee
in July, is urging the world sport movement to take immediate action.
'Genetic engineering is the next danger lying ahead,' he said. 'It's very
frightening.'
The IOC, together with the affiliated World Anti-Doping Agency, will hold a
series of meetings - starting on 6 June - to hammer out a strategy to tackle
the threat. 'For once, we want to be ahead, not behind,' said Dr Patrick
Schmasch, the IOC's medical director.
Scientists acknowledge that instead of repeatedly taking pills or
injections, as many athletes now do, it will soon be possible - with a
single injection of genetic material - to sustain bulked-up muscle mass or
heightened oxygen-carrying capacity for months or even years.
The drug erythropoietin (EPO) provides a good example. It promotes the
growth of red blood cells (which carry oxygen around our bodies). It is
manufactured naturally in our kidneys and was developed as a treatment to
counter severe anaemia.
Several years ago, however, it was found that illicit supplies were being
used by athletes - particularly cyclists and long distance runners - to
boost their endurance. Since then, tests to pinpoint EPO misuses have been
developed. However, the prospect of adding EPO genes to an athlete's own
DNA
would bypass such tests.
However, apart from using technology illicitly, the technique could actually
rebound on the athlete, the IOC warns.
For example, if the EPO gene cannot be shut off properly by the athlete's
own biological mechanisms, his or her blood is likely to begin to thicken as
it is bulked out with excess red blood cells, triggering strokes or heart
attacks.
Similarly, the gene for human growth hormone (HGH) - which is produced
naturally in the pituitary gland - offers sportsmen and women the chance to
increase their size and strength. It is a particular favourite of athletes
in power-based sports such as sprinting.
IOC officials fear that gene therapy could allow athletes to insert the HGH
gene in their DNA and avoid detection. But there is also a danger that, if
their muscles grow until they outstrip blood supply or overwhelmed tendons
and ligaments, this could lead to heart and thyroid disease.
Some scientists and Olympic officials believe that crude forms of genetic
engineering are already in use, at great risk to athletes. 'I'd be totally
surprised if it was not going on in sports,' said Dr Nadia Rosenthal, an
associate professor at Harvard Medical School and an expert on gene
therapy.
'Those with terminal cancer and Aids want to know "What will keep me
alive?"
Athletes want to know "What will make me win?"'
Rogge is adamant that only by acting now will it be possible to head off the
growing crisis. 'We will have to set rules and have tests that could detect
genetic abuse. It will probably be a costly issue, but we will be ready to
take the necessary measures when this materialises.'
http://www.observer.co.uk/international/story/0,6903,490089,00.html
via: isml@yahoogroups.com
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] First human baby-clone will be a reality in two years
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 08:49:13 -0400
--------
THE FIRST HUMAN BABY-CLONE WILL BE A REALITY IN TWO YEARS
New York, 12 May 2001 (16:12 UTC+2)
Kentacky Andrology Institute director Dr. Panagiotis Zavos, who is of Greek
origin, expressed the belief that the first human baby-clone will be a
reality in the next two years.
Dr. Zavos stated that he is determined to open a new chapter in the book of
scientific achievements in spite of the storm of reactions caused in the
United States.
In an interview published on the Athens newspaper "Ethnos", Dr. Zavos
stressed that he has already begun the research toward this end and soon he
will create a human embryo, stressing that the key to success is the
responsible and serious work.
http://www.mpa.gr/article.html?doc_id=191189
via: isml@yahoogroups.com
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Israel gives OK to Mitchell Report
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:03:56 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Israel gives OK to Mitchell Report
By Aluf Benn
Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent
Israel will announce today that it basically accepts the Mitchell Committee
report, but with two reservations: its demand for an absolute settlement
freeze, and its criticism of Israel Defense Forces (IDF) operations in the
territories.
This response was finalized at a late-night meeting called by Prime Minister
Ariel Sharon last night.
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres proposed adopting the international fact-
finding committee's report in its entirety, but this was rejected. Peres
explained that from his talks with Palestinian officials, he believes the report
can serve as a basis for negotiations, while from his talks with European and
American officials, he fears an Israeli rejection of the report would bring
international isolation in its wake.
"We agreed to accept the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative as a basis for
discussions, so there is no reason to reject the Mitchell Report, which is
more balanced," a senior government source said last night. He added that
according to the proposal, the settlement freeze would take effect only after
the violence stopped.
Both Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA0 are slated to submit their
official responses to the report tomorrow. The U.S. administration, though it
has welcomed the report in general, will issue its detailed response only after
it has received and studied the two sides' responses.
Editorials in several leading American newspapers have urged the Sharon
administration to adopt the report as the basis for a new diplomatic initiative.
But government sources in Jerusalem believe the United States will refrain
from adopting the report's specific recommendations, saying instead this is a
matter for the parties to the conflict to decide.
Even former Senator George Mitchell, the committee's chairman, said in an
interview with the Washington Post that, although the Bush administration
will have to play an active role in attaining peace, Israel and the PA are the
ones that will have to decide if they find the report useful.
The Israeli response will object to the report's linkage between ending the
violence and freezing settlement construction, pointing out that under the
Oslo Accords, the fate of the settlements is to be determined during the final-
status talks.
It will also point out that the coalition guidelines already pledge that no
settlements will be established, but that the government is obliged to provide
for the settlers' "ongoing needs." Peres added yesterday that Israel will not
confiscate any additional lands in the territories; any additional housing
needed in the settlements will be built on existing lands.
Israel's other main objection to the report is its criticism of the IDF's
responses to Palestinian violence, which the report said were sometimes
excessive. Israel will argue that the IDF has generally been restrained in its
use of force against Palestinian attacks.
Europe, meanwhile, is stepping up its pressure on Israel to adopt both the
Mitchell Report and the Egyptian-Jordanian peace initiative.
Both of these call for an absolute freeze on settlement construction, as well
as a cease-fire, a cooling-off period and confidence-building measures,
followed by the resumption of diplomatic negotiations. The European Union's
Council of Foreign Ministers is expected to formally adopt both proposals
today.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119295
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Subject: [bprlist] Arafat is the most lavish in dispensing presents
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:06:37 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Arafat is the most lavish in dispensing presents
State Department report shows that Israel gave American officials relatively
modest gifts
By Aluf Benn
Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat gave jewelry worth tens of
thousands of dollars to former U.S. President Bill Clinton, his wife Hillary,
and other senior members of the Clinton administration, including secretary
of state Madeleine Albright and national security advisor Sandy Berger, when
the U.S. was mediating negotiations between the PA and former prime
minister Ehud Barak.
Israel gave American officials only modest gifts.
This is contained in a list published by the U.S. State Department of gifts
foreign leaders gave senior American officials from October 1999 to the end
of 2000. The reason for accepting such gifts - most of them warehoused - is
that rejecting them would would embarrass both the guest and the American
government.
Arafat gave the following gifts:
l To the Clintons, he gave gifts worth $23,650. This included $17,300 worth of
jewelry - a necklace, bracelet and earrings set of gold studded with
diamonds and sapphires worth $5,500; a necklace, bracelet, earrings and
ring set of gold and diamonds worth $4,350; another diamond and gold set,
consisting of necklace, bracelet and earrings, worth $3,200; a gold necklace
in the shape of leaves with a flower pendant worth $2,400; and a gold
necklace with matching bracelet worth $1,800. Arafat also gave the Clintons
a mother-of-pearl box with a picture of the Last Supper worth $1,500; four
mother-of-pearl boxes commemorating the millennium in Bethlehem worth
$4,400; a $400 vase; and a medallion of the city of Bethlehem worth $50.
l Albright received jewelry worth $18,800 - a gold necklace, bracelet, earrings
and ring set worth $8,400; a gold necklace set with gemstones worth $3,000;
a gold necklace and bracelet worth $3,000; another gold necklace and
bracelet also worth $3,000; a gold chain worth $400; and a gold chain and
bracelet worth $1,000.
l Berger received a gold necklace, bracelet and earrings set worth $2,450; a
scarf worth $350; and a woman's jacket worth $200. He bought all of these
gifts from the U.S. government.
Israeli officials gave the following gifts in this period:
l Barak gave then vice president Al Gore a pair of glass candlesticks from the
Roman era and a pendant with an ancient gold coin, together worth about
$1,000.
l Current Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, then leader of the opposition, gave the
Clintons two paintings - one a map of the territories of the twelve tribes of
Israel, the other an image of the exodus from Egypt - together worth about
$500.
The Egyptians also outdid Israel in bearing gifts, though they did not come
close to Arafat. Defense Minister Mohammed Tantawi gave his counterpart in
the Clinton administration, William Cohen, numerous gifts of jewelry and
serving dishes worth several hundred dollars each.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119297
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Subject: [bprlist] U.S. Reform movement threatens to quit WZO
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:08:10 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
U.S. Reform movement threatens to quit WZO
By Shlomo Shamir
Ha'aretz Correspondent
NEW YORK - Leaders of the Reform Movement in North America recently
declared they are considering pulling out of the World Zionist Organization in
response to "a planned and deliberate assault" on their status - Reform is
the largest Jewish movement in America.
They say Labor and Likud representatives in both the WZO and the Jewish
Agency united to advance a proposal to reduce the size of the American
delegation to the next Zionist Congress, scheduled for June 2002.
"The real purpose of the initiative was to reduce the number of Reform and
Conservative representatives in the American delegation," said Rabbi Ami
Hirsch, executive director of the Association of Reform Zionists of America
(ARZA).
In a letter to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon dated May 10, ARZA leaders
warned they will have "no alternative" but to publicly fight this initiative, which
they termed "another attempt by the Israeli political establishment" to
weaken the Reform Movement's status. It is particularly upsetting, they said,
that this time the campaign is not being orchestrated by Orthodox politicians
but "the secular Zionist parties."
In a separate letter Jewish Agency Chairman Salai Meridor (Likud) and
treasurer Haim Chessler (Labor) - whom Hirsch said were responsible for the
initiative - ARZA claimed that the proposal to reduce the size of the
American delegation violates the WZO's bylaws. In light of this initiative, the
letter added, the Reform Movement will have to "reevaluate its relationship"
with the WZO.
The Meridor-Chessler initiative - to be discussed by the WZO's board on
June 19 - would increase the size of the Israeli delegation to the Zionist
Congress at the expense of Diaspora representatives. Specifically, the size
of the Israeli delegation would rise from 38 to 50 percent of the congress,
while the American delegation would fall from 29 to 21 percent.
In elections for the last Zionist Congress, in 1997, ARZA received 48 percent
of the North American vote, while the Conservative organization, Hamerkaz,
received 26 percent. The American branches of Labor and Likud, in contrast,
received 3.4 percent and 1.9 percent respectively.
This is why Hirsch charges that when Meridor and Chessler proposed
reducing the size of the American delegation, they were really taking aim at
the size of the Reform and Conservative delegations to the Zionist Congress.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119298
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Subject: [bprlist] Officials want PA threatened with losing Washington relations
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:10:48 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Officials want PA threatened with losing Washington relations
By Aluf Benn
Ha'aretz Diplomatic Correspondent
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat should be told that continued
violence will endanger his relations with the United States, Chief of Military
Intelligence Amos Malka urged American officials last week.
Malka, who was visiting the U.S., met with a number of officials in the
Pentagon, the State Department and the National Security Council. Malka
told the U.S. officials that Arafat retains strategic control of the situation, but
is interested in continuing the violence. However, he added, the longer this
continues, the more Arafat's control will slip.
Government sources in Jerusalem said American officials refrained from
criticizing Israel at these meetings, but were interested in whether Israel had
any ideas for ending the conflict and whether it saw any diplomatic let-out.
The sources added the American administration still sees the PA as
primarily responsible for the conflict and has warned against the United
Nations trying to impose a solution on Israel.
The PA has recently been considering asking the Security Council to
officially adopt the Jordanian-Egyption peace initiative and the Mitchell
Committee's recommendations - both of which call for a freeze on
construction in the settlements.
Canadian Foreign Minister John Manley, who is visiting Jerusalem, also
urged Israel to adopt the Mitchell Report and the Jordanian-Egyptian plan
yesterday, and particularly the proposed settlement freeze. He said Jordan
and Egypt "took a risk" proposing the plan.
Manley's comments provoked an angry reaction from Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon, who said under the agreements Israel has signed with the PA, the
fate of the settlements is to be determined in the final-status negotiations.
"[Egypt and Jordan] took no risk, and no one ought to take risks at our
expense," he said. "I will never compromise on the security and lives of
Israeli citizens.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119299
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Subject: [bprlist] Cabinet approval for E. Jerusalem ring road
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:12:56 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Cabinet approval for E. Jerusalem ring road
By Nadav Shragai
Ha'aretz Correspondent and Itim
The cabinet committee on Jerusalem affairs yesterday reaffirmed a decision
taken during the tenure Ehud Barak to build an eastern ring road for the
capital, stretching from north to south, along the eastern city limits. Foreign
Minister Shimon Peres, who opposes the plan, clashed on the issue with
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Jerusalem Mayor Ehud Olmert.
The committee also backed decisions taken during the Benjamin Netanyahu
administration to allocate hundreds of millions of shekels for infrastructure in
east Jerusalem.
Neither decision can be implemented, however, because there is no budget
for them. Sharon said action must be taken to close institutions linked with
the Palestinian Authority that are active in the east of the city.
In the debate over the ring road, Peres said this work requires the
confiscation of Arab land and the demolition of homes. He warned the
construction would again make Jerusalem a focus of international anger and
said this should be avoided at such a critical time.
Olmert said if the decision is not carried out immediately, the authorities will
be confronted with a greater problem of illegal Palestinian construction in
east Jerusalem in the future. The government attributes security and
diplomatic importance to the road, in addition to conducting traffic efficiently
between Ramallah and Bethlehem in the south and keeping traffic outside
the center.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119300
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Subject: [bprlist] Internal Palestinian dissent simmering
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:15:07 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Internal Palestinian dissent simmering as petitioners calls for broad reforms
By Amira Hass
Ha'aretz Palestinian Affairs Correspondent
Palestinian public figures and intellectuals are increasingly adding their
names to a petition calling for fundamental reforms in the Palestinian political
culture as an essential condition for successfully combating the policies of
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The petition urges, as the first step in the reforms, the establishment of a
new Palestinian government, comprising individuals who are trusted by the
Palestinians.
Shortcomings in the Palestinian Authority (PA) form of government listed in
the petition include improper administration and no separation of authorities.
But the petition primarily calls for a worthy regime that can cope with the
campaign against Israel.
The document evolved from public and internal debates that have been taking
place within Palestinian society, especially since the outbreak of the Intifada -
which a number of its leading activists say has two principal targets: the
Israeli occupation and the Palestinian regime.
Members of the Fatah movement, the Palestinian left-wing factions and
popular organizations, stress that by means of the Intifada, the Palestinian
public is, in fact, expressing its disappointment with both the improper
governance of the PA and its failure to conduct negotiations with Israel
correctly.
However, over time - and with the increased attacks on the PA by the Israeli
government, this internal criticism has been pushed aside, sources in these
movements and organizations say.
The petition is being distributed privately within various political circles, and
also appears on the Internet Web site of Miftah - The Palestinian Initiative for
the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy, a non-governmental
organization headed by Hanan Ashrawi.
The document first appeared on the Web site on April 26 and has so far
attracted signatures from some 1,000 individuals, including many
Palestinians living in the Arab states or Western countries.
The compilers of the "appeal to Palestinian public opinion" begin their
manifesto by declaring that the election of Sharon proves that Israel is not
yet ready to make peace based on principles of justice and honesty. The
document's authors say the Israeli public and its various institutions support
Sharon and his policies, and so caution that Palestinians must prepare for a
long, tough struggle against the prime minister, his government and his
army.
"For this struggle to end in a victory over the racist policies of Sharon, and for
it to lead to a redeployment of the forces within Israel and the laying of the
ground for a compromise based on a just peace with the Palestinian nation"
the document declares, all segments of the Palestinian public must unite
and take firm steps in reforming the internal situation in the territories.
The petition stresses that there has been a serious deterioration of the
Palestinian public's faith in its national authority. It calls for a reorganization
of the internal security situation so that "the struggle against the enemy"
does not become merely a matter of improvisation. And it also urges drawing
up a constitution based on democratic principles.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119301
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Subject: [bprlist] Palestinian negotiators arrive in U.S.
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:18:13 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Palestinian negotiators arrive in U.S.
PA frees senior Hamas man
By Ha'aretz Staff
Ha'aretz Correspondents and Agencies
Two senior Palestinian officials, Saeb Erakat and Chairman Yasser Arafat's
deputy in the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen),
arrived in Washington for top level meetings yesterday. Abbas is expected to
meet U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell and National Security Adviser to
president George W. Bush, Condoleezza Rice. Erakat will meet the United
Nations secretary general in New York and members of the Congressional
Foreign Relations Committee.
In the territories, the radical Islamic Hamas said yesterday one of its senior
members, Abd al-Aziz al-Rantisi, had been released from Palestinian
Authority prison. Violence continued with the killing of a Palestinian in the
Gaza strip by an IDF tank, and the discovery and defusing of two large
bombs by Israeli security forces near Rafiah in the southern Gaza strip.
A senior Hamas leader, Ismail Haniya, said Rantisi was freed after pressure
on Arafat from the organization and other Palestinian groups.
"The release of Rantisi is a step in the right direction to maintaining
understanding on the Palestinian front," Haniya said. Rantisi was detained
on 27 April because of his opposition to the renewal of Israeli-Palestinian
security coordination talks and for violating an agreement with the
Palestinian security forces banning weapons at Hamas rallies.
In Washington, a Palestinian official said details are being worked out for a
meeting today or tomorrow meeting between Colin Powell and Mahmoud
Abbas, who is officially in the U.S. for a medical checkup.
"The purpose of the meeting is definitely to try to restart the peace process
and get out of the situation we are in now," Hassan Abdel Rahman, the
PLO's representative in Washington, said. However, he said the Palestinians
would not resume negotiations so long as construction continued in the
settlements.
Much of the line the Palestinian officials will toe during their visit to the U.S.
will be on the basis of the Mitchell committee report and the joint Egyptiant-
Jordanian initiative, both of which rely on a freeze in settlement construction
as fundamental to any resumption of negotiations between the two sides.
Palestinian hospital sources said yesterday that Suliman al-Aruki, 45, was
killed and 10 others injured, one of them seriously, when an IDF tank opened
fire on the Maghazi refugee camp in Gaza. IDF sources said the tank fired in
response to an attack against its positions from a Palestinian police post in
the camp.
In another incident, an Israeli tank pushed through a Palestinian-ruled area of
the Gaza Strip after Palestinians fired six mortar bombs at two Jewish
settlements in the Strip, an Israeli army spokeswoman said. "It was an
immediate operational demand because we identified the source of the
mortar fire," the spokeswoman said, adding that one tank shell had been
fired.
IDF sappers defused two 40 kilogram bombs near Rafiah yesterday morning.
Shots and grenades were fired at the troops during their efforts to deal with
the explosives. In response an IDF force destroyed the structure from which
the shots were fired. No injuries were reported.
Israeli troops also entered the village of Dir al-Rasun, near Turkarm, which is
under Israeli security control, and took into custody five persons, one of them
a policeman in the Palestinian Authority. The other four are believed to be
members of Fatah.
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=5/14/01&i
d=119302
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Subject: [bprlist] Israel-Jordan business links: A missed opportunity
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:22:10 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14, 2001
Israel-Jordan business links: A missed opportunity
By Michael Jungreis and Yoav Alon
Especially now, when Israel's relations with the Western world are cold and
gloomy, there is one ray of light: the growing business relationship between
Israeli an Jordanian entrepreneurs. In the past three years, there has been a
steady increase of 100 percent per year in business activities between Israel
and Jordan.The clearest sign of these relationships' stability has been their
immunity to the negative effects of the Al-Aqsa Intifada. Israel's growing trade
with Jordan has continued full-bore, even in the past six months. But to the
shame of some of the government bodies charged with developing trade
between the two countries, this trade success is not due to government
policies; it is in spite of them.
This economic aspect is much more important in the delicate Israel-Jordan
relationship than it is in the structure of relationships between Israel and any
other Arab country. The late King Hussein saw the peace treaty with Israel
as a ticket out of the long economic crisis that had plagued Jordan since the
end of the 1980s. For this reason, the Israeli dream of regional cooperation
was eagerly adopted by many circles in the Jordanian elite.
The Jordanian public, however, were bitterly disappointed by the results. The
Israeli rhetoric about a new Middle East produced little more than thick
project proposals and dozens of suggestions for joint cooperation. But most
of these remained on their glossy paper. The illusions and the
disappointments that followed the shelved proposals continue to seriously
damage Israel's relationship with Jordan.
Even though the bilateral projects failed, there were businessmen who
recognized the potential in cooperation. Joint manufacturing ventures on
Jordanian soil make it easier for Israeli companies to compete on world
markets. Today there are about 30 such joint industrial projects, and many of
them are expanding. Dozens of corporations have also moved their factories
from the Far East to Jordan in the past two years to benefit from a U.S.
program that lets plants with Israeli involvement export to the United States
under preferred terms (the so-called QIZ arrangement). The impact of these
enterprises on Jordan's economy is immense, creating tens of thousands of
jobs in the past two years, including managerial positions at all levels.
Israel's government might have actively encouraged such business activity,
both because advancing such economic connections clearly benefits Israel's
political and security interests, and because Israel views Jordan as a
moderating, stabilizing force in the region. But not only is there no
government policy to encourage such joint ventures; the fact is that the
cumbersome bureaucracy and the narrow-mindedness of the security
establishment are actually hobbling entrepreneurs's efforts. The experiences
of two private infrastructure initiatives illustrate the red-tap tangle snaring
entrepreneurs:
l For the past five years, the founders of Sha'ar Hayarden - the joint industrial
zone on both sides of the Jordan River beside Beit She'an - have been trying
to realize a promising project. But it seems that for every permit the project
managers get from the authorities, two more are missing. As a result, the
project is developing only on the Jordanian side.
l Desert Kingdom, a giant tourist and leisure project, has met with similar
difficulties. Plans were drawn up for the investment of $1.6 billion in a huge
park straddling the Israeli-Jordanian border at Eilat-Aqaba. But after two
years of getting nowhere, the American investors gave up on the Israeli
bureaucracy and decided to build only on the Jordanian side.
The lack of sensitivity of the Israeli security authorities presents an additional
obstacle on the road to developing trade relations between countries. Many
Jordanian businessmen, even those with known links with Israelis, are often
denied entry visas to Israel - arbitrary denials that are the result of an
inefficient and apathetic bureaucracy. The sad thing about the whole matter
is that Jordanians see the entry refusals as part of an intentional policy.
Similarly, changes in the customary security checks, following the foiling of
an arms-smuggling attempt at a border checkpoint in March, caused an
almost total halt to the transfer of goods for two weeks, and restricted
Jordanian access to Israeli ports for two months. Increased inspections are
understandable. But a more systematic approach would produce a higher
level of security without disrupting economic activity.
In light of the stalemate in the peace process, the economic track may be
the most promising avenue for both sides. The Israeli government should
formulate a clear policy that encourages economic activity. There should be
a ministerial entity, with the direct backing of the prime minister, that can
carry out the new policy, and can call on the prime minister to settle
disputes between the various government authorities.
One of the first tasks of such an entity would be to offer incentives for the
private sector to set up business dealings with the Hashemite Kingdom.
Such a policy would provide the leverage for improving relations with Jordan,
because one of King Abdullah's top priorities is to improve the economic
situation in his kingdom. Successful economic relations with Jordan also
have a broader significance, when viewed with an eye to the future: Such
relations can serve as a model for other Arab countries.Michael Jungreis is
the director-general of the Israel-Jordan Trade and Industry Bureau; Yoav
Alon is a lecturer in Middle Eastern history at Tel Aviv University
http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=2&datee=5/14/01&id
=119266
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Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (5/13/01)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 09:31:10 -0400
--------
Tickets sold out for Dalai Lama in Salt Lake City and Orem, Utah
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: Daily Herald
Sun May 13,2001 -- There are only about 150 Tibetans in Utah, but more
than 30,000 tickets have been sold for the Dalai Lama's appearances in Salt
Lake City and Orem this weekend. The Dalai Lama will speak Friday night
and Saturday morning at the Huntsman Center in Salt Lake City, and at
UVSC on Saturday.
"He is an absolute man of peace," UVSC President Kerry Romesburg said of
the Dalai Lama. "He advocates compassion for all people. He is absolutely
opposed to violence in all forms, and he espouses a very fundamental set of
ethics that we should all consider."
Study of religion interests Castro
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: TheStar.com
Sun May 13,2001 -- Cuban President Fidel Castro, a self-confessed atheist,
has admitted that "he's become interested in the study of religion." The 74-
year-old long-time communist leader said that since undertaking the studies,
he had become more rational about the role of religion in people's lives.
"I've been able to know better about all human beings. I find it much more
logical now that people can have that strength of faith inside them. "It's also
easier for me to understand now the comfort that people can take in religion,"
he said after a two-hour visit to the Petronas Twin Towers here yesterday.
Jordan cracks down on Islamic militants
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: Middle East Newsline
Sun May 13,2001 -- Jordan has resumed its crackdown on Islamic militants
who are pressing the kingdom to sever relations with Israel. Jordanian
authorities arrested more than 100 Islamic activists in connection with illegal
protests organized against Israel in Amman. The kingdom has banned anti-
Israeli and anti-government rallies out of concern that they will turn violent.
But Islamic militants have ignored the government ban. On Friday, hundreds
of worshippers left an Amman mosque and staged a rally against Israel
organized by the Muslim Brotherhood.
Germany signs cooperation agreement with Palestinians
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: DPA/Ha'aretz
Sun May 13,2001 -- The Palestinian Authority and Germany signed Sunday
a 92 million Deutsche marks ($50 million) annual development cooperation
agreement for 2001. PA Minister of Planning and International Cooperation
Nabil Sha'ath praised the German aid, which will be used for water and water-
treatment projects, institution-building and job creation. Sha'ath called the
aid "a political message," a reference to Israeli attempts to stop all
international aid to the Palestinians.
A 16-person German delegation, headed by Herbert Sahlmann, head of
Middle East Division of the Federal Ministry of Economic Cooperation and
Development, who signed the agreement on behalf of the German
government, visited the Palestinian territories on May 12 and 13. Germany is
considered one of the major donors to the Palestinians, both on the bilateral
level and through the European Commission.
World awaits Italy's election outcome
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: UPI
Sun May 13,2001 -- For most of the last 50 years, elections in Italy did not
matter. The usual raft of ministers was shuffled around the sprawling amoeba
that was the Christian Democrat party, allowed to enjoy and share in the
spoils of power on the understanding that they kept out the dreaded
Communists. But in Paris Sunday, and in the other capitals of Europe, the
lights are burning late in the ministries and the TVs are tuned to CNN and
Sky News and Italy's RASI channel to learn the latest news from Rome
about the elections.
The Italian law that forbids opinion polls from being published in the final two
weeks before an election has spawned a lively black market, as embassies
and news organizations try to get a sense of the Italian voter. The question is
whether Italians defy the consensus of the polls and stick with the safe and
boringly predictable center-left. Or will they take the half-risk, half-opportunity
of an Italian revolution by electing the billionaire media magnate Silvio
Berlusconi and his semi-fascist allies? The implications for Italy's partners in
NATO and the 15-nation European Union could be profound, and that is what
worries French politicians and officials.
"A Euro-skeptic Italy changes the balance of power in Europe," one veteran
French diplomat here told UPI. "It changes the balance of power in the
European Central Bank, which could really hurt the euro. And a pro-
American, pro-Missile Defense Italy will change the balance of power in
NATO."
By Martin Walker, Senior International Correspondent
EU, hosting UN's Annan, aims for enlargement breakthrough
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: AFP
Sun May 13,2001 -- EU foreign ministers gather in Brussels on Monday, with
the Swedish presidency aiming for a breakthrough on the thorny enlargement
issue of free movement of labor. They will also host a dinner for UN Secretary
General Kofi Annan, following a special joint meeting with EU defense
counterparts to review Europe's unfolding security and defense policy. Annan
is in Brussels for a major conference on the world's least developed
countries. But his visit is seen as an opportunity to discuss prospects for
more EU-UN cooperation, particularly in international crisis management.
The EU foreign and defense ministers will be discussing ongoing work
towards a 60,000-strong EU rapid reaction force specially designed for
Balkan-like peacekeeping missions. They are expected to approve a program
for EU military exercises, officials say, but no progress is expected on the
diplomatically delicate issue of EU-NATO relations. The Europeans want to
be able to access NATO's unparalleled operational planning skills on a
permanent basis -- a relationship that has the approval of all but one NATO
ally.
That one is Turkey, which thinks the EU should be granted access to NATO
planning talent on a case-by-case basis -- not least because the hotspots
where the EU force would most likely go into action lie close to Turkish soil
and interests. Turkey is also a candidate for EU membership. But it cannot
open accession negotiations with Brussels before it is seen to be making
progress on human rights and democratic reform.
Tehran police crack down on Internet, 400 cybercafes closed
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: AFP
Sun May 13,2001 -- Authorities have closed hundreds of Tehran's cybercafes
in the past several days as part of a general crackdown on growing use of
the internet, a pro-reform newspaper reported on Sunday. The Hambastigi
paper said around 400 internet cafes, all of which have only opened in the
past three or four years, had been ordered to shut their doors by police.
Owners are being told they now need permits for their cafes as well as for
use of the internet itself, and will have to register with a conservative-run
trade union for computer and business-machine operators.
Internet use has exploded since the 1997 election of President Mohammad
Khatami, who has moved to liberalise Iranian society in the face of stiff
conservative opposition.
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: Ananova
Sun May 13,2001 -- A heavy sandstorm has engulfed most of Egypt,
reducing visibility to less than 500 metres and forcing several flights -
including a plane carrying Sudanese President Omar el-Bashir - to land
elsewhere. President El-Bashir, who is on a one-day official visit, instead
landed in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where he met Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak. Airport officials say five other international flights
were diverted from Cairo either to Cyprus or to the southern Red Sea resort
of Hurghada, some 300 miles south of Cairo.
They included a British Airways flight from London, Ghana Airways from
Nairobi, CorsAir from Paris and EgyptAir from Dar es Salaam. In the Suez
Canal area, port authorities declared a state of emergency for possible
disruption to traffic in the strategic waterway. Weather forecasters expect the
sandstorm, centred in the Western Desert, to last for two days. Egypt is
often hit by fierce sandstorms at this time of the year. In the Lebanese
capital Beirut, a similar storm has reduced visibility to 500 yards and briefly
disrupted air traffic. Jets operated by Air France, AirLanka and a private
plane from Abu Dhabi were kept circling over Beirut airport.
India's Hindu nationalists seek to ''Indianize'' Christians
Weekend News Today
Sun May 13,2001 -- In a fresh attack on Christians and Muslims, the Hindu
nationalist Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) has joined the Rashtriya
Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) in demanding the "Indianization" of Christians
and Muslims in the country. On April 20, VHP Vice President Acharya Giriraj
Kishore demanded that Christians and Muslims should be "indigenized" and
be given Indian names.
"By Indianization, we are not demanding conversion of Muslims and
Christians into Hindus. For the sake of unity and integrity of the country, we
are demanding that Christians and Muslims should be indigenized, carrying
Indian names," Kishore said.
Last October, RSS chief K.S. Sudershan called on Christians and Muslims
to cut their spiritual links with "foreign sources." In a separate development,
the VHP's international general secretary, Pravin Togadia, claimed that about
33,000 people had been converted to Christianity in the northern state of
Sikkim in the last 25 years. Togadia said there were only a few Christians 25
years ago. He added that the figure was compiled by VHP workers touring
villages in the state to caution people against conversions. According to
Togadia, the release of the government census figures would confirm the
VHP count. The VHP leader accused Christians of trying to convert Hindus
and Buddhists in the area.
Assad, Mubarak to discuss M.E. situation
Weekend News Today
Lead: Kelly
Source: UPI
Sun May 13,2001 -- Syrian President Basher Assad will meet Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak during an official visit to Cairo later this week,
reports said Sunday. Several Arab governments have expressed concern at
the increase in Israeli military actions against the Palestinians, urging the
international community to stop the Israelis.
Egyptian officials say that the meeting between Assad and Mubarak will
focus on the situation in the Palestinian territory, as both the leaders fear
that the violence could escalate to involve other Arab states. Clashes
between Hezbollah militants and Israeli soldiers on Israel's northern border
have already led to Israeli military actions against Syrian targets in Lebanon.
The Egyptians fear that a direct confrontation between the Israeli and Syrian
troops could have dangerous consequences for the entire region. Assad is
also planning to visit France and Germany. Although aimed at improving
Syria's foreign relations with Europe, Assad is expected to discuss the
situation in the Middle East during this visit as well.
http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day=01_05_13&item=#989811721
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Subject: [bprlist] Russia agrees to sell advanced ship-borne cruise missiles to Iran
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 13:55:54 -0400
--------
Russia agrees to sell advanced ship-borne cruise missiles to Iran
The Times (London) - May 12, 2001
Russia has agreed to sell advanced ship-borne cruise missiles to the Iranian
Navy, which will significantly boost Iran's military capability in the
Hormuz Strait, leading into the shipping lanes of the Gulf (Michael Evans
writes).
The sale of Russian Yakhont missiles was hinted at in March when President
Khatami of Iran visited Moscow and discussed a deal with President Putin
worth a predicted Pounds 5 billion.
The decision was strongly criticised in Washington, which signed an
agreement with Moscow five years ago to ban arms sales to Tehran.
(With thanks to Arms Trade Oversight Project)
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] What do Arabs know while US State Department is clueless?
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 14:00:09 -0400
--------
WHAT DO THE ARABS KNOW, WHILE "FOGGY BOTTOM" (US State
Department) IS CLUELESS?
1. THE ARABS DO NOT FINANCE THE PLO. Saudi Arabia and other Arab
oil producers bankrolled the Islamic Intifada against the Soviets in
Afghanistan (some $1BN in 1985-6), but would not finance the Palestinian
Intifada of 1987-92 and the current PLO war on Israel. The October 2000
Arab Summit committed itself to a $1BN aid to the PLO, but delivered only
$30MN by April 2001. King Fahd purchased a yacht for $150MN, and Qadaffi
spent $300MN on the celebration of the 10th anniversary of his regime, but
all Arab countries account to less than 6% of the $300MN annual budget of
UNRAW, which administers the welfare of the Palestinian refugees. The US
provides $100MN annual aid to the PLO (channeled through PLO-controlled
PA and NGOs), more than all Arab countries combined!
2. ARAB MILITARY FORCES NEVER SHED BLOOD ON BEHALF OF
PALESTINIANS. But, Egypt, Jordan, Syria, Shiite and Christian militias in
Lebanon shed much Palestinian blood in their brutal confrontations with the
PLO. Arafat's deputy, Abu-Mazen: "Arab forces entered Palestine in 1948,
supposedly, to protect the Palestinians, but instead they abandoned them,
forcing them to leave their homeland, caging them in prisons similar to
Jewish ghettos." (PLO's monthly, Filastin A-Thawra, March 1976). Dr. Meir
Pa'eel, a very dovish Israeli historian, determines that the 1948-49 war was
fought by the Arabs in order to prevent, rather than to advance Palestinian
sovereignty. The Arab League dismantled the Provisional Palestinian
Government, Egypt expelled the Palestinian leadership and took over Gaza,
Iraq conquered Samaria, transferred it to Jordan, which annexed
Judea&Samaria ("The Expropriation of Palestinian Rights, By The Arabs, In
1948-49"). The 1956, 1967 and 1973 wars erupted independent of the
Palestinian issue. The 1982 PLO-Israel War in Lebanon never expanded into
an Arab-Israeli war. In 1982 the Syrian military fought ruthlessly over its
foothold in Lebanon, but refrained from fighting over PLO strongholds, which
were swept by Israel. The 1982 war erupted in June, the PLO was expelled
from Beirut in August, but the Arab Summit on behalf of the PLO convened
only in September 1982! Moreover, in 1983 Syria - bankrolled by Saudi
Arabia - eradicated PLO positions in northern Lebanon, evicting the
organization from Tripoli.
3. THE CURRENT PLO-ISRAEL WAR WILL NOT IGNITE AN ARAB-
ISRAELI WAR. An examination of Arab policy since 1948 demonstrates
that Arab priorities have systematically focused on the internal and inter-Arab
fronts. They have showered upon the Palestinians positive rhetoric,
accompanied by indifferent, loathsome or hostile action. Would Mubarak
risk US foreign aid and military assistance and the stability of his regime?
Would Assad sacrifice his inadequate military force and the Alawite regime
on the alter of Arafat, a most detested rival of his late father? Would King
Abdullah rush to the rescue of the PLO, the primary threat to the Hashemite
Family?
4. WHY HAVE MORE PALESTINIANS BEEN KILLED AND EXPELLED BY
ARABS THAN BY ISRAEL? The PLO has brutally violated scores of
agreements signed with Arab regimes, earning notoriety for its treachery,
savageness, terrorism, unreliability and corruption. Arafat was chased out of
Egypt in the late '50s due to subversive activities. He was expelled from
Syria in 1966 after murdering a few Syrian military officers. Arafat's violent
attempt to topple King Hussein in 1970, caused the expulsion of the PLO
from Jordan and the Black September Massacre of thousands of
Palestinians. During the 1970s he turned peaceful Lebanon into the most
turbulent spot in the Mideast, triggering the 1975 Syrian invasion of Lebanon
and the Black June 1976 Massacre of Palestinians by Syria. Further
subversive attempts in 1983 led to his expulsions, by Syria, from Damascus
and Tripoli, Lebanon. His 1983 expulsion from Tripoli, by Syria, was
accompanied by more bloodshed. In 1990 Arafat spearheaded Iraq's rape of
Kuwait, which was followed by the expulsion of 400,000 Palestinians by
Sheikh Sabbah.
5. ARAFAT IS WELCOME IN BAGHDAD BUT PERSONA NON-GRATA IN
KUWAIT. Arafat, the ally of Saddam, Khomeini, Ben-Laded, Hizballah,
Hamas, No. Korea, Cuba and the deposed dictators of E. Europe has been
unwelcome in Riad and persona non-grata in Kuwait. Arab leaders prohibit
PLO personnel from bearing arms on their soil. They do not conclude
agreements with Arafat, who has not missed a chance to abrogate an
agreement violently.
6. IT'S PLO TREACHERY, STUPID!
GAMLA: NEWS AND VIEWS FROM ISRAEL
Volume 2 Issue 33 Jerusalem, Israel
21 Iyar, 5761 * * May 14, 2001
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (5/14/01)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 14:03:58 -0400
--------
Arutz Sheva News Service
<HTTP://WWW.ISRAELNATIONALNEWS.COM>
Monday, May 14, 2001 / Iyar 21, 5761
TODAY'S HEADLINES:
1. IDF FIGHTS BACK
2. LIVNAT: INCONCEIVABLE THAT STUDENTS SHOULDN'T KNOW
JEWISH CONCEPTS
3. SHOTS FIRED, BLOCK-FACTORY DESTROYED
4. A DAY OF ATTACKS
5. SHTEINITZ: STRENGTH IS THE BEST SIGNAL
6. BAMACHANEH JOURNAL CLOSED
7. UPS AND DOWNS IN ISRAELI CULTURE
8. WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
9. WAQF DAMAGE CALLED "IRREVERSIBLE"
1. IDF FIGHTS BACK
The IDF attacked Palestinian targets in the Gaza Strip and Binyamin last
night, following the continuing and increasing Palestinian terrorism and
violence in the area. Five armed Palestinian terrorists were killed in a
battle with Israelis near Givat Ze'ev, after they were detected acting
"suspiciously." The PA has submitted a complaint to the United Nations
against the attacks. It claims that its men were only guarding a
checkpoint when they were shot and killed. An Israeli security source
responded that the men at the checkpoint were involved in several shooting
attacks against the nearby Ofer Base and other Israeli targets in the area.
A PA police station north of Tul Karem was evacuated and then destroyed,
as
were other buildings in the area from which terrorists have been shooting
in the past weeks at Bat Hefer and at IDF forces… In Gaza, as well, Israel
fought back last night: Israel Navy ships attacked and destroyed a PA navy
outpost in central Gaza… IAF helicopters attacked armored Palestinian
Authority vehicles near Gaza, north of Khan Yunis, and near the Jebalia
refugee camp in northern Gaza…
The security forces apprehended the terrorist cell that placed an explosive
in the community of Shaarei Tikvah two weeks ago. Arutz-7 correspondent
Haggai Huberman reports that the same ring also placed another bomb at
the
Barkan junction a month ago.
2. LIVNAT: INCONCEIVABLE THAT STUDENTS SHOULDN'T KNOW
JEWISH CONCEPTS
Education Minister Limor Livnat announced yesterday that next year's
curriculum would include three new courses on Jewish tradition and
Zionism. Livnat said today that these issues are matters of consensus in
Israeli society, "except for the extreme margins, such as [opposition
leader Meretz MK] Yossi Sarid... Actually, I don't understand Sarid,
because on the one hand he says he is against the program, and on the
other
hand he says he first started it…"
At a press conference held yesterday to explain the need for the new
programs, Livnat said, "Every student has an elementary right to know his
people's tradition and values. It is inconceivable that a pupil should not
know the words to the national anthem, or know nothing about tefillin, or
not have a prayer book, or not know what are the Four Species [taken on the
holiday of Sukkot]... Today, more than ever, tradition and Jewish Zionist
values are particularly important. Specifically during this age of the
global village, we must strengthen our national foundations... I view the
educational system as the internal security of the State of Israel, and we
will not be able to continue to exist here as a people and as a state if
our students do not receive Jewish, Zionist, and humanistic values,
alongside their technological and general studies."
One course will feature classes in Jewish culture, holidays, Bar/Bat
Mitzvah, the weekly Torah portion, Israeli symbols, and important figures
in Zionism. It will begin in the junior high school grades, with the
intention of instituting it in grades K-12 in the future. In addition, a
course entitled "Love of Homeland" will be given in elementary school
classes, while 10th-graders will study "Eretz Yisrael and Archaeology,"
with an emphasis on Jerusalem.
3. SHOTS FIRED, BLOCK-FACTORY DESTROYED
The Israeli from Ma'aleh Levonah who was shot at last night by three or
four Arab terrorists is listed in light condition - but the area of the
attack was the scene of major violence today. The man was wounded in his
hand during an Arab shooting attack near Shilo yesterday - 22 bullets hit
his car - and he says that he was saved "only by a miracle." Later that
evening, unknown persons set fire to an Arab concrete-block factory and a
nearby car from where the terrorist shots were fired. Police claim that
Jews committed the arson in reaction to the shooting attack.
Late this morning, dozens of Palestinians from the area rioted in protest
of the apparent retaliation, and police dispersed them with gas grenades
and rubber bullets. Following the riots, IDF bulldozers moved in and
totally razed the building from which last night's shooting
originated. The army entered the nearby village of Sinjil, which is under
Palestinian administrative control and Israeli military control (Area
B). The closure it imposed on the village met with some resistance.
4. A DAY OF ATTACKS
Today was another day of intense Palestinian attacks on Israeli targets
throughout Judea, Samaria, and Gaza, and within the Green Line as
well. Two women in the southern Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo were
wounded this afternoon, one moderately so, by shots fired from the
PA-controlled town of Beit Jala... Security forces safely detonated a bomb
placed at the Yarkon Junction, near Petach Tikvah (within the Green Line)...
Two attempted terrorist attacks occurred shortly after noon today near
N'vei Tzuf, in southern Shomron (Binyamin): Shots were fired from a
passing Arab car at two Israeli vehicles, hitting both with many bullets,
but no one was hurt. The attacking car escaped to a nearby Arab
village. Shortly afterwards, shots were fired from another passing car on
an outlying N'vei Tzuf neighborhood… Terrorists shot today at an IDF
vehicle at Mt. Eval, near Shechem.
The town of Psagot, between Jerusalem and Beit El, became a target of
Palestinian shooting again today, and a bullet penetrated an office of the
Binyamin Regional Council building there. The funerals of the five PA
para-military policemen killed last night were being held in nearby El
Bireh at the time; Arafat promised today to avenge their deaths.
This afternoon in Gaza, Arabs threw a grenade on an IDF position near the
Israeli-Egyptian border, opened fire on the outpost, and detonated an
explosive on a nearby IDF force. No one was hurt... Shooting was also
directed at an IDF outpost near N'vei Dekalim.
A calamity was averted in Petach Tikvah this morning, when the police
noticed a bomb not far from a large mall and detonated it safely.
The northern front demands attention, as well. Two anti-tank rockets were
fired from Lebanon towards an IDF outpost on Mt. Dov. No one was hurt, but
damage was caused.
5. SHTEINITZ: STRENGTH IS THE BEST SIGNAL
"To send a signal to the PA, not to destroy it." So described IDF Chief of
Staff Lt.-Gen. Sha'ul Mofaz the army's current strategy against the
Palestinian Authority. Likud MK Yuval Shteinitz, a member of the Knesset
Foreign Affairs and Defense Community, does not necessarily agree with
Mofaz. Speaking with Arutz-7 today, Shteinitz said, "You can't give a
signal if you don't prove that you can really do something if the signal is
ignored. For the past eight months, the PA has been waging war against us,
building an army, bringing in heavy weapons -- the time has now come to
stop signaling and start destroying, or at least bringing the PA to the
verge of collapse, which would be the most effective signal there is."
What does Shteinitz say about claims, such as that made by Minister
Amnon
Lipkin-Shachak today, that "Israel had better ensure that Arafat does not
fall, lest Hamas take his place?" Shteinitz had this to say: "Whenever
Arafat hears us talking like that, he understands that he has a green light
for continued terrorism. He won't stop the terrorism against us until he
realizes that his regime is in danger. This is the only threat that scares
dictatorial regimes like his... If he understands from us that we will
never react strongly enough to topple him, and that we will always stop
short, he has no reason to stop the violence against us."
6. BAMACHANEH JOURNAL CLOSED
Brig.-Gen. Elazar Stern, the IDF's chief education officer, has decided to
suspend the appearance of the IDF soldiers' journal BaMachaneh. An IDF
statement noted that the magazine has included recent articles that are
"not appropriate." It is assumed that the offensive articles include some
that insult IDF officers and Air Force pilots, and one about a high-ranking
officer who revealed that he is a homosexual.
The HaTzofeh newspaper was apparently ahead of its time yesterday when it
featured a short opinion article on BaMachaneh, writing as follows:
"BaMachaneh has long since stopped being the official journal of the
IDF... and is rather the journal only of its editors... Its last issue
features a front-page story with the headline, 'Pride.' [The subject, a
Col. in reserves who revealed his homosexuality] appears on the front page
as if he were Bar Kokhba, a national hero, waving the flag of
rebellion... The paper's involvement with issues that are not in the
consensus of most of the mainstream, and its presentation of them in a
positive light and self-evident, is very disturbing. It is time to openly
tell the editors: 'You are the IDF's magazine and you must cover issues
concerned with the army, defense, and the like. Taking a stand on
controversial issues is not your job.'"
7. UPS AND DOWNS IN ISRAELI CULTURE
Following the Israeli representative's disappointing 16th-place finish in
the Eurovision Song Festival two nights ago - leaving Israel ineligible to
participate next year - the Tel Aviv Maccabi basketball team won the
European Cup last night with an 81-67 victory over their opponents from
Athens. Over 150,000 people came out to Tel Aviv's Rabin Square last night
to celebrate the team's victory.
Rabbi Yossi Sarid of the Yeshivat Mevaseret Zion Educational Center was
asked his opinion today about what some saw as an overblown display of
national joy: "It seems to have been out of proportion, but it's good that
there is something to bring people a little joy during this period. It's
certainly not something forbidden. I tell my students that there are many
things that can be learned from basketball: For instance, that the main
thing is to aim upwards; to beware of fouls (the Hebrew word for 'foul' is
the same as that for 'sin'); time-outs are important in life; not to hit
others; to know that you're not alone in the world, but to play as a team;
to know the importance of 'steps' [the same root as 'Halakhah,' Jewish
Law]; and much more... With all the shortcomings in the leisure culture
that is so prevalent today, the best leisure is sports; as Rav Kook said,
'a healthy soul needs a healthy body.'"
8. WHAT THE PRESIDENT SAID
Sayings by President Moshe Katzav - both those he made and those he did
not
make - have been in the news lately. Although he said exactly one week
ago
that he would announce his decision on a pardon request for Margalit
Har-Shefi "within a few days," he still has not done so (fax: (+972-2)
561-1033). He did, however, phone the Maccabi Tel Aviv basketball team in
Paris last night to offer his congratulations on the team's winning of the
European Cup. Today, he called on the government to "immediately take
steps to prevent the destruction of the antiquities on the Temple
Mount." He disclosed today that, according to information he has recently
received, even artifacts from the First Temple period have been removed
during the illegal Waqf construction there. The President said that he has
transferred the information to Education Minister Limor Livnat, who
oversees the Antiquities Authority (see next article).
9. WAQF DAMAGE CALLED "IRREVERSIBLE"
An internal document in the Antiquities Authority admits, for the first
time, that the Moslem Waqf has caused significant archaeological damage
to
the Temple Mount in the course of its illegal excavations. In contrast to
its attitude of indifference of the past few months, it now decries the
fact that since last October it has had no way of supervising the
construction there, and must rely only on police reports for its
information. For instance, at a tense session of the Knesset Education
Committee in July 2000, Dr. Shmuel Berkowitz, head of a citizens'
committee, challenged Antiquities Authority head Amir Drori's claims that
the Authority was conducting regular inspections of Moslem activities on
the Mount. The memorandum states that in February of this year, the
Moslems renewed construction in the Solomon's Stables area of the Mount,
dismantled ancient walls there, and removed ancient layers, preventing
their study.
Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Weekend News Today items (5/14/01)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 18:55:03 -0400
--------
Egyptian censor added 'hate' to 'I hate Israel' song
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: Electronic Telegraph
Mon May 14,2001 -- Egypt's top music censor has claimed to have put the
vitriol in the chart-topping song I Hate Israel, which has swept across the
country. Madkour Thabet, whose office of song censorship within the highly
secretive Arts Censorship Bureau has the power to ban tapes deemed
politically or morally offensive, said he persuaded the songwriters to toughen
the original lyrics.
According to the censor, the lyrics originally read "I don't like Israel" and
were changed to "I hate Israel" only after his "strong recommendation". He
said: "We didn't actually order that the lyrics be changed or provide the exact
words, but we recommended that they be changed to better express the
common feeling of the Arabic people." The tune, which repeats the line "I
hate Israel, Shimon and Sharon", has proved extremely popular for its
unusual mix of politics and popular music. Shaaban Abdel-Rahim, the
singer, has become an overnight sensation with the song, which jumped to
the top of the charts several weeks ago.
The censor's claims underline the government's role in guiding anti-Israeli
sentiment, despite the Camp David agreement which has kept the peace
between the two countries for more than 20 years. Public expression of anti-
Israeli feeling has been permitted to grow dramatically in recent months
during the latest round of violence in Israel.
Brazil considers legalizing same-sex unions
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: Fox News
Mon May 14,2001 -- After six years in limbo, legislation is being put to a vote
in Congress this week that would make Brazil the first Latin American
country to allow same-sex unions. Gay rights activists hope the legislation,
which would put Brazil on par with socially liberal France, Sweden or
Australia, will help end violence toward homosexuals here. Despite Brazil's
high-profile annual Carnival celebration of sexual hedonism, the reality for gay
men and lesbians is different and dangerous.
One gay rights group, Gay Group Bahia, lists 130 gay killings last year,
most of which have gone unsolved. Three homosexuals were killed with
gunshots and stab wounds last week in the small town of Limeiro, and their
bodies then were repeatedly run over by a car.
Group president Luiz Mott calls Brazil "the undisputed world champion in
gay murders." "I'm not very optimistic about the vote," Mott said. "Although
this time there seems to be more mobilization on our part than previously
and less mobilization by our enemies."
Why are Europe's churches empty?
Weekend News Today
Lead: Leo
Source: Detroit News/Washington Post
Mon May 14,2001 -- A common explanation for the empty churches is that in
wealthy Western Europe, modern life is easy and comfortable. "People can
go through much of a life without facing the big issues," said Canon Michael
Chandler, vice dean of the cathedral here. "You can get to age 50 or higher
without ever facing the death of somebody close to you." Chandler noted that
traditional religious rites such as baptism, confirmation and marriage have
had sharp drops in participation. But all over Europe, families go back to the
church when it comes time to bury a loved one.
On the continent that spawned the Industrial Revolution, quantum physics
and modern genetics, the rise of science is also cited in explaining the fall of
faith. "Science can explain a lot of things," said Dutch sociologist Nan Kirk
de Graaf. "Because of that, people lose faith. They become unbelievers and
leave the church. ... The more the parents read, the more likely it is that the
child will leave the church."
http://216.219.160.226/cgi-
bin/readnews.cgi?day=01_05_14&item=#989852511
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Harpazo.net News items (5/14/01)
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 19:00:37 -0400
--------
Israel Strikes Against Palestinians
Israeli troops shot dead five Palestinian policemen in the West Bank town of
Beitunia near Ramallah Monday, Palestinian hospital sources said. An
ambulance officer, who declined to be named, said his crew found the bodies
of five men from the Palestinian National Forces shot dead by heavy
machinegun fire and dumped in a hole in the ground near a checkpoint
outside Beitunia, west of Ramallah.
Hospital officials confirmed they received the bodies of five men. The Israeli
army said it had no knowledge of the killings as described by the ambulance
officer.
But a spokeswoman said soldiers on "operational activity" near Beitunia
opened fire on "suspicious figures who were where they were not supposed
to be... It was probably them," she said. She added the soldiers had not fired
machineguns. Palestinian security officials were unavailable for comment.
Ha'aretz
God is Opposed to Britain Joining EU's Single Currency, Says Economist
Signing up to the single European currency would be an un-Christian act
running contrary to Biblical teaching, according to the chief economist of the
Institute of Directors.
Graeme Leach will argue in a speech tonight that for Britain to adopt the euro
would be against the "Biblical model of government" and against God's
wishes. As the general election nears, Mr Leach has decided to speak about
his personal fears for Britain's future in an address to the Lawyers' Christian
Fellowship in London.
"We really do need to seek the Lord's guidance on the euro since it is likely
to be the single most important economic and geo-political question facing
the UK in the 21st century," he said. He said Biblical government was
"minimalist, decentralised and supportive of a Christian world view," while EU
governance is "expansive, decentralised and supportive of a humanist world
view".
He urges political leaders and voters to pray about the euro before the
election in June. In his speech, Mr Leach says that joining the euro is bad
"stewardship" because it undermines Britain's sovereignty and its economy.
He argues it would lead to a permanently overvalued exchange rate and for at
least 10 years any benefit from reduced transaction costs would be
swamped by changeover costs.
"The euro is the ERM without the escape hatch, the Flood without the Ark."
He says it runs counter to a Godly view of the world and instead worships a
humanist view. He is also worried that it will weaken Britain's links with
America where Christians still have great impact on public policy.
"The entire EU project shows conspicuous signs of God's absence," claims
Mr Leach. "The EU has been responsible for the utterly deplorable Common
Agricultural Policy and Common Fisheries Policy. It has also been
responsible for huge levels of fraud and corruption."
Speaking yesterday, Mr Leach acknowledged that there are many devout
Christians, who believe passionately in joining the euro. "Christians have
genuine disagreements on political issues but this does not mean that God
has two views," he said.
"After much prayer over many years I am convinced God is opposed to the
UK's participation in the euro," said Mr Leach, 36, who is a member of an
evangelical church in Reading, Berks. A spokesman for the Labour Party
said last night: "Mr Leach is entitled to his opinions." telegraph
Leak Shows Nuclear Trafficking Doubled
The worldwide smuggling of radioactive materials has reportedly doubled in
the last five years, according to a leaked United Nations study, and there are
now thought to be more than 100 terrorist organisations capable of
developing a rudimentary atomic bomb.
The report, drawn up by the UN's terrorism prevention branch and detailed in
the Sunday Herald newspaper, reveals that since 1993 there have been 550
recorded incidents of trafficking of nuclear materials across the globe. Most
of the incidents involved materials such as radioactive scrap metal but one in
10 is said to have included weapons-grade plutonium or uranium.
The study quotes the head of the UN anti-terrorism unit, Alex Schmid, as
warning that much of the nuclear material in the former Soviet republics is
poorly protected and the risk of some being stolen is growing. The Guardian
Africa 'Has 12 Million Aids Orphans'
The charity Christian Aid has called on the UK Government to double the
amount of money it gives to help fight Aids in Africa.
In a report, the charity says the scale of the crisis in Africa - where millions
of children have been orphaned by the disease - should encourage ministers
to increase spending.
It says the government spends more on hotel bills and conferences than
tackling Aids in developing countries.
Mark Curtis, Christian Aid's head of policy, said: "The UK is committed to
reducing world poverty - but there is no way we can meet these targets
without tackling HIV and Aids."
More than 12 million children in sub-Saharan Africa - equivalent to the UK's
entire child population - have been orphaned by Aids, the report says.
By 2010, this number will have risen to 43 million and £15.4bn will have been
wiped off the economy of South Africa alone, it warns. The report, called No
Excuses, calls on the government to double its development assistance to
tackle the crisis effectively. BBC
Algeria Has Acknowledged Islamic Offensive
Algeria has acknowledged an offensive by Islamic insurgents. Algeria's
security services have released details of the latest attacks by Islamic
insurgents against both civilians and security forces. This is a departure for
the government and military, which in the past rarely referred to attacks by
Islamic insurgents.
An announcement by the Algerian security agency said 11 people were
killed in an attack by Islamic gunmen southeast of the capital Algiers. Seven
of those killed near the town of Batna were members of the security forces.
The security service said four civlians were massacred by the insurgents.
Algerian security officers arrived at the scene and were ambushed by Islamic
gunmen about 430 kilometers from Algiers. MENL
Lebanon, Syria Plan Gas Link
Lebanon and Syria have agreed to launch a project to link the two countries
by a natural gas pipeline. Beirut and Damascus signed an accord on Friday
to construct a $15 million natural gas pipeline. The pipeline would span 45
kilometers and transport Syrian natural gas to Lebanon. Most of the pipeline
will be located in Lebanon. Officials said Lebanon plans to use natural gas to
power its electricity generators. The project, aimed to transport six million
cubic meters of gas a day, is expected to be completed by the end of the
year. MENL
U.S. Trains Iraqi Kurds For Self Rule
The United States has launched training of Iraqi Kurdish leaders to ensure
that they can establish self-rule apart from the regime of President Saddam
Hussein. The course, which began last week and runs until May 25, includes
training in government, democracy and social welfare programs. The course
began in Washington and moved to other U.S. cities. The United States has
been wooing Iraqi Kurdish leaders as part of Washington's strategy to bolster
the Iraqi opposition movement. Officials said the Bush administration
envisions a bolstered Iraqi National Congress operating out of northern Iraq,
which remains out of Saddam's direct control. MENL
http://www.harpazo.net/news.html
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Subject: [bprlist] Scientists take 3D step to future
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 19:06:49 -0400
--------
Scientists take 3D step to future
Jill Stevenson
HE LOOKED and sounded as real as the humans with whom he was stuck
in space.
But Arnold J Rimmer, the egocentric ship´s captain in the cult sci-fi comedy
series Red Dwarf was, as every fan knew, a hologram.
Few watching the TV show could ever have imagined that the futuristic
character, played by the actor Chris Barrie, would become a "reality" within a
decade.
But scientists at Strathclyde University revealed yesterday that they have
devised the ultimate 3D technology - which will allow such images to be
beamed into the home, should it be desired.
The membrane mirror-based system could also be applied to space
exploration, medicine and the armed forces.
Astronauts at NASA have already shown an interest in utilising the device -
as-yet unnamed - to produce floating models of planets, via remote probes.
They are impressed by the fact that the system allows holograms to be
viewed without specially adapted eye glasses or headgear. The 3D device
could make its inventors very rich .
Scientists at the university´s department of mechanical engineering and
imaging research group, led by Dr Peter Waddell, a senior lecturer, are about
to sign a deal to realise the huge commercial potential of the technology.
Dr Waddell said: "People still refuse to believe this even when they have
seen what the mirrors can do. It has so many applications for designers,
military purposes, space research and of course the games industry."
He added: NASA has also shown a great deal of interest. They have already
downloaded 3D images from Mars that can be seen on the internet, but they
have to be viewed through 3D glasses. Our system does not need glasses.
"In the future surgeons will be able to interact with images of patients while
they are still on the scene of an accident. This will, of course, give them a
head-start on their treatment before they even get them to hospital."
Dr Waddell first had the idea of using mirrors to create 3D images 20 years
ago, while researching heat patterns.
He bought an old orchestra drum for £22 and lined it with cooking foil, and
discovered he could project life-like images from a concave reflected surface.
His breakthrough came in 1982 when he projected a detailed image of a
human hand, complete with wrinkles.
The device has now been refined into a 9ft plastic pipe, with a reflective
surface, through which a computer generated image is projected.
Once linked to a computer, any image can be displayed in full 3D.
Steve Mason, an engineer and a leading member of the Strathclyde
University research team, said: "The day is certainly not far away when the
general public will be able to view 3D in real life situations. It will become as
commonplace as TV screens."
http://thescotsman.co.uk/scotland.cfm?id=72095
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Subject: [bprlist] Palestinian fury over killings
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 19:09:15 -0400
--------
Monday, 14 May, 2001, 20:31 GMT 21:31 UK
Palestinian fury over
killings
This was the heaviest blow sustained by Palestinian
police
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has described
the killing of five Palestinian policemen in the
West Bank as a "dirty assassination" by Israel.
Mr Arafat's remarks came as thousands of
Palestinians chanting "revenge" gathered
outside a West Bank hospital for a memorial
procession.
The Palestinian
authority has lodged a
formal protest with the
United Nations Security
Council after the
killings, and a major
Israeli bombardment of
the Gaza Strip
overnight in which 15
Palestinians were
wounded.
It was the highest Palestinian death toll in
recent months since the Palestinian Intifada
(or uprising) began last September after peace
talks with Israel became deadlocked.
There was more violence during the day, with
two Palestinians shot dead and several others
wounded during clashes with Israeli soldiers in
the southern Gaza Strip.
The latest hostilities coincided with a visit to
the United States of a senior Palestinian
official and a new rejection by Israel of the
findings of an international report that could
have led to a possible ceasefire.
Dispute over killings
After meeting the European Union's Middle East
envoy Miguel Angel Moratinos, the Palestinian
leader blasted the killing of his policemen.
"It's not a killing, it's an assassination and this
is a dirty operation by Israel," Mr Arafat said.
He said all but one of the paramilitary
policemen, whose duties included liaison with
Israeli troops guarding a nearby military
checkpoint, were asleep when they were killed.
He said that Israel would pay for the killings -
and for the overnight bombardment of the
Gaza Strip.
The circumstances of
the incident in which
the policemen were
killed remain in dispute:
the Israeli army said
that soldiers opened
fire on "suspicious
figures", but a
Palestinian spokesman
accused the Israelis of
opening fire without
reason near a
roadblock at Bitunia
west of Ramallah.
The Israelis said the
Gaza attack was in response to what they
described as "continuing Palestinian terrorist
activities".
Warships off the coast fired shells at
Palestinian naval police positions in central
Gaza, while helicopter gunships attacked
Palestinian armoured vehicles north of Khan
Younis, near the Jabalya refugee camp.
No ceasefire
A BBC correspondent in Jerusalem says the
latest violence amounts to an intensification of
the conflict, with the approach of the
anniversary of the creation of the state of
Israel on Tuesday.
Palestinians call it al-Nakba day, a reference to
what they commonly call "the catastrophe" of
1948.
A senior Palestinian
official is in Washington
on a mission to
persuade President
George W Bush's
administration to
intervene in the stalled
Middle East peace
process.
Mahmud Abbas is the
highest-ranking
Palestinian to be
invited to Washington
since Mr Bush took
office in January.
Mr Abbas is due to discuss with US Secretary
of State Colin Powell a report by an
international panel which calls for Israel to
freeze the expansion of Jewish settlements in
the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
Mr Powell has described the report as "very
fine", saying it could "give us a launch pad to
start a new initiative" in the Middle East.
But Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has
already rejected any freeze on settlements.
The talks are also expected to explore an
Egyptian-Jordanian plan that would lead to a
full resumption of peace talks.
http://news.bbc.co.uk/hi/english/world/middle_east/newsid_1329000/1329644
.stm
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Subject: [bprlist] US Army engineers lay cornerstone today for IDF base
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 19:10:22 -0400
--------
Monday, May 14 2001 20:43 22 Iyar 5761
(09:15) US Army engineers lay
cornerstone today for IDF base
By Arieh O'Sullivan
The US Army Corps of Engineers is to lay the corner
stone today of a new, mostly US-financed training base
for IDF paratroopers in the northern Negev.
The $53 million base is part of a plan to relocate IDF
training bases out of the West Bank. It is part of the Wye
River Plantation accords in which America would fund
infrastructure costs so the IDF would free up lands for
possible transfer to the Palestinians.
The Paratrooper Brigade had trained in Sanur in Samaria
and Hamam el Maliah in the Jordan Valley for
generations. Their new training base is to be built on the
gentle rolling scrub and fallow land near Kibbutz
Shomrea north of Beersheba. The United States is
providing $45 million toward the cost of the base.
The US Army Corps of Engineers is the main contractor
for what defense officials said will be an ultra modern
training base. Local companies will be subcontracted to
perform the bulk of the work.
Defense officials said the location of the base was chosen
a part of the greater infrastructure plan for IDF firing
zones. They said the hills just inside the Green Line on
the southern bowl of the Judean hills was particularly
suitable for paratrooper infantry training.
The base will include over 40,000 square meters of
structures that will include barracks, offices, mess halls,
galleys, lecture halls and spacious sports facilities. It also
involves the construction of firing ranges and their
protective ramparts as well as a firm logistics base and
furniture.
"All of the buildings and infrastructures will be built to the
highest standard and with emphasis for the environment,"
a Defense Ministry statement said.
Since the outbreak of violence and attacks by the
Palestinians, parents of paratrooper recruits have
complained that the present basic training grounds in
Samaria were too dangerous, not only for them to visit,
but for their sons too.
The new base will answer this concern.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/14/LatestNews/LatestNews.26092.ht
ml
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Subject: [bprlist] Ashcroft's Faith Plays Visible Role at Justice
From: "research-bpr" <RESEARCH-BPR@PHILOLOGOS.ORG>
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 19:18:01 -0400
--------
Ashcroft's Faith Plays Visible Role at Justice
Bible Sessions With Staffers Draw Questions and Criticism
By Dan Eggen
Washington Post Staff Writer
Monday, May 14, 2001; Page A01
The Bible study begins each day at 8 a.m. sharp, with Attorney General John D.
Ashcroft presiding. A group of employees gathers at the Main Justice building in
Washington, either in his personal office or a conference room, to study Scripture
and join Ashcroft in prayer.
Ashcroft held similar meetings each morning as a U.S. senator and sees the
devotionals as a personal matter that has no bearing on his job as attorney
general, according to aides. Spokeswoman Mindy Tucker said Ashcroft wants to
"continue to exercise his constitutional right to express his religious faith." Any
employee is welcome, but not required, to attend, his aides said.
But within the massive Justice Department, with about 135,000 employees
worldwide, some who do not share Ashcroft's Pentecostal Christian beliefs are
discomfited by the daily prayer sessions -- particularly because they are
conducted by the nation's chief law enforcement officer, entrusted with enforcing a
Constitution that calls for the separation of church and state.
"The purpose of the Department of Justice is to do the business of the
government, not to establish a religion," said a Justice attorney, who like other
critics was unwilling to be identified by name. "It strikes me and a lot of others as
offensive, disrespectful and unconstitutional. . . . It at least blurs the line, and it
probably crosses it."
"It's alienating," another lawyer said. "He's using public spaces to have a
personally meaningful event to which I would not be welcome, nor would I feel
welcome."
Ashcroft declined to comment on the devotional meetings, and reporters have not
been allowed to attend. But top Justice Department officials say his Bible studies
at Justice should be viewed no differently from those organized and attended by
many members of Congress.
"It is against my religion to impose my religion on people," Ashcroft said in a
recent speech.
Several aides also said many of Ashcroft's top staffers -- including the chief of
staff, the deputy chief of staff and the communications director -- have never
attended the devotional meetings, nor have they been pressured to do so. They
say that the sessions are open to all Justice employees, Christians or otherwise,
and that one of the regular participants is an Orthodox Jew.
"He has never in any way insinuated that I should be going to these meetings, and
I never felt I've been hindered by not attending," said David Israelite, Ashcroft's
deputy chief of staff. "He's a religious man, and he's been attacked by folks
because of that. . . . I've known John Ashcroft for 15 years, and there is no more
tolerant person that I've been around in my life."
The federal government's "Guidelines on Religious Exercise and Religious
Expression in the Federal Workplace," issued in 1997 after bipartisan
negotiations, say supervisors and department heads must be especially careful
with religious activities or statements.
"Because supervisors have the power to hire, fire or promote, employees may
reasonably perceive their supervisors' religious expression as coercive, even if it
was not intended as such," the guidelines say. "Therefore, supervisors should be
careful to ensure that their statements and actions are such that employees do not
perceive any coercion . . . and should, where necessary, take appropriate steps to
dispel such misperceptions."
Religious faith has always been central to the life and career of Ashcroft. As the
son and grandson of Assemblies of God ministers, he went on to become a state
attorney general, governor and U.S. senator from Missouri.
Ashcroft considered a run for the presidency with support from leading Christian
conservatives, and has regularly cited God and Scripture in speeches and policy
statements. In 1998, Ashcroft said at a Christian Coalition event that "a robed
elite have taken the wall of separation designed to protect the church and they
have made it a wall of religious oppression."
The next year, he told Bob Jones University graduates that America was founded
on religious principles, and "we have no king but Jesus." That statement became
the subject of some controversy at his confirmation hearings.
The morning devotionals are not the only sign that Ashcroft approaches religion
differently from his predecessor, Janet Reno, who ran a strictly secular office. At a
Black History Month celebration in February, for example, Ashcroft prayed with
a minister, who urged Justice employees to join in.
The department also issued new style guidelines for correspondence carrying
Ashcroft's signature. They forbid, among other things, the use of "pride," which
the Bible calls a sin, and the phrase "no higher calling than public service."
"He's running the department like a church, complete with rituals and forbidden
words," said Barry W. Lynn, executive director of Americans United for
Separation of Church and State. "That is deeply troubling."
Ashcroft refers to his daily devotionals as RAMP meetings -- Read, Argue,
Memorize and Pray. Attendance ranges from three to 30, including some from
outside Justice, but centers on a regular core of a half-dozen Justice staffers with
long-term ties to Ashcroft.
All employees are invited to attend, but Tucker said no department-wide
memorandum or invitation has been issued.
Ashcroft hands each participant a devotional book from a stack he has used for
years, Tucker said. The book highlights a Bible verse or passage for each date of
the year, and the group spends the first minutes discussing its meaning, according
to a participant.
The group then moves on to a memorization, with the goal of committing to
memory a psalm or Bible story through repeated readings.
The session ends with a prayer, often including a reference to a relative or
acquaintance who is ill or in need. The prayer is usually ecumenical, but at times
has referred to Jesus or other Christian figures. Although sometimes led by
Ashcroft, the prayer is more often recited by another volunteer.
Shimon Stein, 24, a Justice program analyst who worked in Ashcroft's Senate
office, is the only regular participant who is not a Christian. Stein, an Orthodox
Jew, said he finds the meetings fascinating from a theological perspective and
enjoys discussing matters of faith with the attorney general and his co-workers.
"He's made every effort to make everyone and everything feel comfortable," said
Stein, who was the only participant other than Ashcroft identified by Justice
officials. "There is theological discussion and textual discussion. . . . Growing up in
the circle I did, I didn't have a chance to study other religions, so it's very
educational for me."
Many members of Congress and their employees participate in Bible studies,
prayer meetings and other religious gatherings. A Christian magazine, Charisma,
recently estimated that about 30 Bible study and prayer groups regularly meet on
Capitol Hill.
President Bush is reported to set aside time each day to read the Bible. Sen.
Joseph I. Lieberman (D-Conn.), the defeated vice presidential candidate, does
the same with the Talmud.
Ashcroft's aides say his devotionals are similar expressions of personal faith.
"These go on on the Hill all the time, and he's done this for years and years and
years," Tucker said. "He's always done them in his office, and that's how he
started his day."
But advocates for the strict separation of church and state, as well as some Justice
employees, said Ashcroft is now in a far different position from when he was a
U.S. senator. As the leader of the nation's top law enforcement body, they
contend, he has a responsibility not to offend employees of different faiths or test
the limits of accepted guidelines.
Laura W. Murphy, director of the American Civil Liberties Union's Washington
office, said Ashcroft is at least violating the spirit of the federal rules on workplace
prayer.
"Ashcroft has a right to pray in office, but he does not have a right to implicitly or
explicitly force others into praying with him," she said. "Ashcroft's the chief
defender of the nation's civil liberties. He can't pretend to be just another citizen
leading prayers."
A career Justice lawyer agrees, calling the devotionals "totally outrageous."
"It feels extremely exclusive, that if you don't participate in that kind of religion,
that your career could be affected by it," the attorney said. "If I had some political
aspirations and wanted to work for the front office and didn't have the same
religious feelings as he does, my non-participation could adversely affect me."
Others say the issue is muddier than that. Harvard Law School professor Phillip
B. Heymann, who was deputy attorney general in the Clinton administration, said
the prayer sessions are "not clearly wrong or illegal. But the main practical worry
is that anybody might think they may be closer to the attorney general if they
prayed with him, or more able to influence him. . . . It's really sort of on the edge."
Abraham Foxman, chief of the Anti-Defamation League, said that he understands
the concerns of those who are uncomfortable, but that the practice does not seem
coercive.
"As long as there are no memos going out or no mandate, it's probably fine. But
there is a thin line," Foxman said.
"A lot of it depends on the individual involved. . . . What I know is that John
Ashcroft is a fair guy, and he will bend over backwards to make everyone feel
comfortable."
© 2001 The Washington Post Company
http://washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A23278-2001May13.html
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] illusion
From: ruby
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 03:32:27 -0400
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Why did not the United States arrest and try or execute Saddam Hussein,
during desert storm. This may seem simplistic, but it seemed a "little
strange" to leave him in power? By leaving him in power, it seems to me
that the U.S. had only an illusionary victory and a very real loss of
time, money, and life.
It makes me wonder if the U.S. is really a secret ally of Saddam; and
truly wanted him to murder his opposition?
I suspect that Mr. Hussein would not have been "so soft" on the U.S. or
the Jewish people or the Arab people, if he had won.
Does the U.S. have a secret treaty of some kind with Iraq? Or does he
have something that the U.S. greatly fears, but that no one talks about?
R.R.
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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] illusion
From: tracy
Date: Mon, 14 May 2001 14:57:35 -0400
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If you would remember correctly the United States was the head of a
coalition of many nations. The coalition was put together to force
Saddam Hussein out of Iraq. Iraq was viewed as an aggressor nation and
that was what motivated the world against him. Once he pulled out of
Iraq, and surrendered what else could you do? If the coalition
continued to attack Iraq, at some point in time the coalition becomes
the aggressor. Plus I don't believe that there is a law that would
allow the coalition to arrest him. I don't think that he violated any
international war crime.
As far as an Illusion, I would say the victory was very real. Look at
the chain of events that took place because of the war. Iraq was a
large army, 4th largest in the world. It was well equipped with some of
the best that the Soviet Union had. Well needless to say they were
wiped out. The technology that the United States brought into the
picture showed the world how outdated the Soviets had become. Soviet
arms sales plunged, and because that was the biggest export they had,
there economy fell. It really marked the final straw for the Soviet
Union. With out weapon sales to foreign nations they just simply ran
out of money. It also put some teeth into the United Nations Security
Counsel, and established the United States as the only Super Power left.
As far as wondering about the United States being a secret ally, I ask
you for what benefit? Why would the U.S. want Iraq to murder anyone?
Who was it that was murdered? Are you saying that the U.S. secretly
want Israel destroyed? That would not make any sense. If the U.S.
wants Israel destroyed the government would just sell weapons to its
enemies and stop supporting Israel. Then just sit back and watch the
destruction. Or is it the curds (by the way they claim to be one of the
lost tribes of Israel) that are currently being protected by the no-fly
zones. Maybe the U.S. secretly wants Iraq to shoot down some of the
British and it's own aircraft!
I would say that you are correct on the fact that Saddam would not have
shown much mercy to the Jews, or to the allies of the coalition if he
had the chance. But that does not excuse anyone else. The coalition was
set up to liberate Kuwait. It was not a license to destroy Iraq once
and for all. Fighting evil does not give one the excuse to act evil.
As far as fearing something that Iraq has, I think your imagination has
got the best of you. The United States stood "toe to toe" with the
Soviet Union, when they were a true super power. As strategically
placed as the U.S. is in its location in the world I doubt it is fearful
of any thing short of a Inter continental ballistic missile. If Iraq
had one of those the world would already know because Israel would glow
in the dark.
I do wonder myself from time to time (ok all of the time). I wonder if
you really fear of what you wrote, or do you just have a dislike of the
United States. You have said nothing of the British or any other nation
that was involved, almost like you have a selective memory. I think it
is funny that the U.S. gets so much thrown at it by the world press and
of the people. Almost every thing that I read from any nation that
there is, is against the U.S.. Making us out to be a villain. But they
still want money, and they still want to sell their goods and food in
our country! I read that post of "GODs final warning to America" and
at the end it asks for American donations in support of Israel!
Hypocrites, the world is full of hypocrites! We show mercy and there
is a "secret agenda", on the other hand we are portrayed as "bullies",
I guess that makes us "merciful bullies"?
Folks wake up. Freedom, Free enterprise and GOD's will pushed the U.S.
ahead of all other countries. And it happened in just 225 years after
signing the Declaration of Independence. Instead of insulting and
creating propaganda, take note and change. Everyone in the world likes
to put down what ever is on top to make themselves feel better. But if
people tear down what is above them to raise themselves up, what would
they truly feel like if GOD was here, yet unannounced. Standing in front
of us in all of his glory, would the world mock him and accuse him like
everything that becomes successful. Then on the day that he revealed
himself, what would the world say? Oh I didn't know it was you? What
would it matter, our jealousy destroys what is successful and hates it.
(by the way it also hates the truly passive and unsuccessful) If Cain
killed Abel because he received GOD's favor, and Jesus died and he had
GOD's favor how can we say we love GOD. We destroy or make accusations
against those that achieve, GOD being the biggest achiever, it is just
logical our jealousy would also include him. If not it is a sign of our
inequity. Inequity because we exclude GOD from our spite but not
anything else, and only because we don't want to be destroyed. This is
not love, it is self-preservation, like that of a snake. We serve what
is above us only if it benefits us, create accusations and form
alliance against it if it doesn't, all the while stomping on the
fingers and heads of those who are below us so that we do not get passed
up. This is who we are as humans. This is why we are full of sin.
It is not our eating or drinking habits, sexuality, or pursuit of
pleasure that makes us sinful. Pleasurable things are gifts from GOD.
But we just use them to stomp on who is little and tear down who is
big. Rule upon rule is set up to make disgrace of those who we feel,
cannot bring us benefit. We use these rules of conduct like vanity
fair. Force shame on those people that cannot bring us benefit. This
suppresses the weak and turns public opinion against the strong. We have
not learned to love and respect all people regardless of position. Yet
we would not want GOD to be that way when he deals with us personally.
People have what they have primarily because of where they were born and
who was there to help them, coupled with the abilities given to them by
GOD. Since we do not choose this location, or our qualities for
ourselves and GOD does, then when we become jealous of others, in
reality we are upset with GOD. When we suppress others, aren't we
suppressing GOD?
Just think about it
Tracy
ruby wrote:
>
> Why did not the United States arrest and try or execute Saddam Hussein,
> during desert storm. This may seem simplistic, but it seemed a "little
> strange" to leave him in power? By leaving him in power, it seems to me
> that the U.S. had only an illusionary victory and a very real loss of
> time, money, and life.
>
> It makes me wonder if the U.S. is really a secret ally of Saddam; and
> truly wanted him to murder his opposition?
>
> I suspect that Mr. Hussein would not have been "so soft" on the U.S. or
> the Jewish people or the Arab people, if he had won.
>
> Does the U.S. have a secret treaty of some kind with Iraq? Or does he
> have something that the U.S. greatly fears, but that no one talks about?
>
> R.R.
> ________________________________________________________________
> GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO!
> Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less!
> Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit:
> http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj.
>
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