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2001 |
May, 2001
ISRAELI PRESIDENT VOWS TO DIE FOR THE AL AKSA MOSQUE
WILL BUSH RELOCATE EMBASSY? TIME IS RUNNING OUT
EDITORIAL: THE HYPOCRISY OF COLIN POWELL
1. JERUSALEM DAY TONIGHT
2. BOYCOTTING NON-LOYAL MAYORS
3. CABINET DECISIONS
The American and Russian People Donīt Want a New Confrontation
Russia airs concerns on missile shield
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) War in the Old Testament
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 12:43:25 -0500
--------
Can anyone help with this question?
------- Forwarded message follows -------
To: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Subject: War in the Old Testament
Date sent: Sat, 19 May 2001 16:53:20 -0400
Many years ago, I had dozed as I was working on my lesson for the
children for the following Sunday and when I awakened started to read
and realized my bible had fallen to another page. What I had read was
(in somewhat abstract) of a war in which the men quit the war by the
sign of the moon to go and plant, came back to the war, and then did
the same with the harvest and returned to the war again. Do you have
any idea where this might be as I have read and asked many people and
can find no one who is aware of these passages. As I said I had dozed
because it was late and was so tired and did not have sense enough to
bookmark or write down the page where I read this. Hope you can help
me.
Kay
------- End of forwarded message -------
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] IDF Spokesperson: Summary of the Weekend's Events
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:04:55 -0400
--------
IDF Spokesperson: Summary of the Weekend's Events in the West Bank
and the Gaza Strip (19:25) 19 May 2001
The West Bank:
Several shooting incidents took place throughout the West Bank during the
weekend towards: a military vehicle on the Dolev - Beit El road, a military
vehicle near the Atarot industrial area, IDF positions in Mount Eival, the
IDF "Ofer" base and an IDF position in Bitunia.
There were no casualties. IDF forces returned fire towards the sources of
the shooting when they were identified.
A bomb was detonated near a military vehicle south of the IDF base in Sanur.
There were no casualties. Damage was caused to the car.
In addition IDF soldiers discovered and unarmed a bomb north of the Hizma
blockade, north of Jerusalem.
Violent riots involving stone throwing and petrol bombs took place in
several locations, including the Ayosh junction near Ramalla, the Shalalot
in Hebron and near the village of Kalil in Sumaria.
There were no IDF casualties in these incidents.
The Gaza Strip:
A mortar bomb fell yesterday morning near the Gadid settlement's
greenhouses in Gush Katif. This afternoon another mortar bomb fell in Israeli
territory, near the border fence on the north side of the Gaza Strip.
In addition shots were fired last night towards an IDF position near the
settlement of Neve Dkalim, and a petrol bomb and grenade were thrown
towards an IDF force on the Israel - Egypt border near Rafah. IDF soldiers did
not return fire towards the sources of the shooting.
During the night a bomb was detonated and shots were fired towards an IDF
force travelling on the Israel - Egypt border on a routine patrol. IDF
soldiers returned fire towards the sources of the shooting.
Several hours later IDF soldiers prevented a terrorist attack when they
identified a suspicious character placing an object on the road near Rafah,
on the Israeli - Egypt border. The soldiers fired towards the object,
thereby causing it to detonate and preventing injury to the soldiers
travelling on the road.
Other shooting incidents took place when shots were fired towards IDF
positions near Rafah, an IDF force south of the settlement of Etzmona and
the southern DCO. Two grenades were thrown towards an IDF position near
Rafah.
Palestinians fired three mortar bombs towards the settlement of Gadid in
Gush Katif on Saturday. There were no IDF casualties.
During the weekend there were a total of five mortar bombs, two bombs, three
grenades and four shooting incidents in the Gaza Strip.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Egypt prepares for major offensive exercise
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:07:23 -0400
--------
EGYPT PREPARES FOR MAJOR OFFENSIVE EXERCISE
http://menewsline.com/stories/2001/may/05_20_5.html
CAIRO [MENL] -- Egypt's military is preparing for a major exercise meant to
test its ground-based offensive capabilities.
The exercise will take place over the next year and will be led by the
Egyptian Third Army. The army operates in the Suez area near the Sinai
peninsula.
Western defense attaches have seen the biannual Egyptian exercise as a
scenario based on a conflict with Israel to the east.
Egyptian officials said the forthcoming exercise would include fixed-wing
aircraft and helicopter support for the mock invasion. The offensive would
be led by tanks and mechanized units.
Western defense sources in Cairo said Egypt aims to address criticism that
the ground forces comprise the weakest element of the military. Unlike naval
and air force personnel, infantry soldiers are regarded as the least trained
and educated in the military.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Official Response of PLO to Final Report of Fact-Finding Committee
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:08:39 -0400
--------
Official Response of the Palestine Liberation Organization to the Final
Report of the Sharm El Sheikh Fact-Finding Committee May 15, 2001
Source: Palestine Media Center pr@palestine-pmc.com
[IMRA notes:
+ "The Committee concludes that Israel must differentiate between terrorism,
which it defines as "the deliberate killing and injuring of randomly
selected noncombatants for political ends" and protest, in which it includes
stone throwing by youths." (Report, page 19). The Committee's
recommendation
that Israel cease using lethal force against Palestinian civilians and its
differentiation between terrorism and legitimate protest" [IMRA: Since the
PA terms stone throwing "legitimate protest" one can expect "protesters"
will continue to try and murder Israelis as they express themselves with
rocks, steel bars, etc.]
+ "We acknowledge the reluctance of the PA to be seen as facilitating the
work of Israeli security services absent an explicit political context
(i.e., meaningful negotiations) and under the threat of Israeli settlement
expansion. Indeed, security cooperation cannot be sustained without such
negotiations and with ongoing actions seen as prejudicing the outcome of
negotiations. (Report, page 13)"
It should also be noted that 242 does not require complete withdrawal; the
delay in withdrawals came in the wake of fundamental Palestinian violations
of the agreements; the delineation of the withdrawals on the ground are a
matter of interpretation; the agreement does not require the release of all
males prisoners in any category.
It should also be noted that it is absurd to assert that when a deadline is
set in a timetable for negotiations to be completed on a given issue that
this requires Israel to concede the issue to the satisfaction of the
Palestinians by that date.]
+++
INTRODUCTION
After careful review and analysis of the Final Report ("Report") of the
Sharm El-Sheikh Fact Finding Committee ("Committee") submitted April 30,
2001, and in consultation with representatives of Palestinian civil society,
the Palestine Liberation Organization ("PLO") is convinced that the
Committee's findings and recommendations offer Palestinians and Israelis a
sensible and coherent foundation for resolving the current crisis and
preparing a path back to meaningful negotiations. Although the Report does
not fully address all of the concerns that we have raised with the
Committee, we believe that it provides a balanced assessment of the facts,
and we fully support the implementation of all of the Committee's
recommendations as a comprehensive package.
The following response by the PLO ("Response") will review the key findings
of the Committee and identify issues that will require further attention if
we are to stabilize the situation on the ground and make concrete progress
towards peace. We accept the Report as an attempt to provide a political
solution to the crisis, rather than a legal analysis, carefully crafted to
provide the parties and the international community with a package of the
elements necessary to end the violence resulting from, and associated with,
the on-going Israeli military occupation of Palestinian lands.
We are reassured that the Committee's findings appear to be generally
consistent with international practice and international law, as well as
complementary to the Egyptian-Jordanian Initiative. Still, we feel that the
Committee did not adequately address all relevant Palestinian concerns.
Nevertheless, as we move towards developing a plan for implementing the
Committee's recommendations in their entirety, we hope that all involved
parties will support full implementation of the recommendations, as we have,
and regard international law as a primary reference point as recommended by
the Committee.
The Committee has based its findings on an exhaustive fact-finding effort
and has met with Palestinian and Israeli political and civic leaders, as
well as numerous experts. The Committee's investigation has taken its
members and staff to Palestinian cities and refugee camps throughout the
Occupied Palestinian Territories, including East Jerusalem, as well as to
the illegal Israeli settlements. The Report's conclusions reflect the
thoroughness of the Committee's efforts.
The Report is the outcome of a broad international effort to assist
Palestinians and Israelis in a desperate time, and we are grateful for the
seriousness with which the international community has pursued this matter.
Accordingly, it is of the utmost importance that, at this critical juncture,
the international community renews its commitment to the Report and
provides
the full weight of its support to the complete implementation of the
Committee's recommendations.
There is far too much at stake to allow the Committee's findings to become
merely an academic exercise. We trust that the participants at the Sharm
El-Sheikh Summit in October 2000 who authorized the mandate for the
Committee will continue to work with us and our Israeli counterparts to turn
this Report into a roadmap leading to meaningful political negotiations
whose goal must remain a swift end, not only to the current crisis, but also
to Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.
THE COMMITTEE'S CONCLUSIONS
Characterization of the Conflict
Since the beginning of the Intifada on September 29, 2000, following Ariel
Sharon's provocative visit on September 28 to the Haram al-Sharif and the
decision the next day by Israeli forces to use lethal force against unarmed
Palestinian demonstrators, the government of Israel ("GOI") has
unsuccessfully alleged that the Palestinian National Authority ("PNA") has
planned, launched and continues to direct the Intifada as a negotiating
tactic. The GOI has also tried to inaccurately characterize the conflict as
one between two armies "just short of war" and to use such characterizations
to justify its excessive and disproportionate response to Palestinian
opposition to the occupation. The GOI has also used such arguments in an
attempt to justify such blatantly illegal activities as political
assassinations. By characterizing the crisis in such a one-sided and
self-serving way, Israel sought to avoid any discussion of the true
underlying causes of Palestinian frustration.
The GOI has been unable over the course of four months of fact finding to
present convincing evidence to the Committee to back up its allegations.
The Report, therefore, correctly notes that there is "no basis on which to
conclude that there was a deliberate plan by the PA to initiate a campaign
of violence." (Report, page 7)
Furthermore, Israel's entire characterization of the crisis as an "armed
conflict short of war" was rejected by the Committee as "not adequately"
describing the variety of incidents that have occurred since September 29,
2000. Abandoning such a mischaracterization would allow the GOI to renew
investigations by the Department of Military Police Investigations "whenever
a Palestinian in the territories dies at the hands of an IDF soldier in an
incident not involving terrorism." (Report, page 19)
Settlements
The findings of the Committee unambiguously reject these Israeli
characterizations and have gone to the heart of the current crisis - Israel'
s on-going occupation as most clearly exemplified by Israel's continuing
policy of confiscating Palestinian territory and destroying Palestinian
property in order to build and expand illegal settlements and related
"bypass" roads.
Contrary to Israeli arguments, the Report points to the connection between
Israeli-Palestinian violence and Israel's "settlement construction
activity." The Report emphasizes that the international community has
universally condemned Israel's settlement policy as either the "greatest
obstacle to peace" or, just as accurately, as illegal actions under
international law and a violation of Palestinian-Israeli agreements. We
wholeheartedly concur with the Committee's findings that Israel should cease
all of its settlement activity and that Israel should carefully consider
dismantling settlements that are particularly provocative flash points. We
are also encouraged by a recent Israeli poll indicating that 62% of Israelis
favor a settlement freeze as a means of ending the current crisis.
The Report notes that on each of the two major visits to the region by the
Committee principals, Israel announced the expansion of settlements.
Indeed, upon public disclosure that the Report calls for an end to this
illegal activity, the GOI announced its intention to seek an additional U.S.
$400 million from the heavily subsidized Israeli budget for continued
settlement expansion. According to Israeli press reports, the GOI, on May
13, 2001, reaffirmed a decision to build an eastern "ring road" or bypass
road around occupied East Jerusalem that would require Israel to confiscate
more Palestinian land and destroy a number of Palestinian homes.
While the GOI's contempt for international legality is noteworthy in and of
itself, it is even more important to recognize the effect this Israeli
contempt has had on Palestinian lives and the inevitable Palestinian
response.
Israeli Use of Force
This contempt has extended to the GOI's use of lethal force against
Palestinian demonstrators. The Report quotes Israeli government sources as
acknowledging that for the "first three months of the current uprising, most
incidents did not involve Palestinian use of firearms and explosives."
(emphasis in the original) (Report, page 18) Yet, despite the fact that the
overwhelming majority of demonstrations involved no gunfire whatsoever, it
was precisely in these demonstrations that most of the Palestinian civilians
were killed and wounded, the Report noted. (Report, page 18-19)
The Committee concludes that Israel must differentiate between terrorism,
which it defines as "the deliberate killing and injuring of randomly
selected noncombatants for political ends" and protest, in which it includes
stone throwing by youths. (Report, page 19) The Committee further
criticizes Israel's unwillingness to apply the same code of conduct
standards to Palestinians as it applies to Israelis who are in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories. (Report, page 30) Finally, the Committee
concludes that the Israeli armed forces "should adopt crowd-control tactics
that minimize the potential for deaths and casualties, withdrawing
metal-cored rubber rounds from general use." (Report, page 21) The Report
is clear that Israel's systematic utilization of deadly force in response to
unarmed Palestinian demonstrators must stop.
Collective Punishment
The Report also restates the international community's consensus that Israel
's policy of collective punishment must end:
[The Committee] believe[s], however, that the [GOI] should lift closures,
transfer to the PA all revenues owed, and permit Palestinians who have been
employed in Israel to return to their jobs. (Report, page 23)
End to Incitement
The Committee has also asked the parties "to renew their formal
commitments
to foster mutual understanding and tolerance and to abstain from incitement
and hostile propaganda." (Report, page 22) The Report particularly urges
the parties not to use words "in a manner that suggests collective
responsibility." (Report, page 22) We agree with the Committee's
sentiments. Even as we submit this report, the GOI continues to create a
climate of hate against Palestinians in general and against the Palestinian
National Authority in particular. Israeli President Moshe Katsav very
recently made statements attempting to remove Palestinians from the pale of
humanity:
There is a huge gap between us and our enemies - not just in ability but in
morality, culture, sanctity of life, and conscience.. [Palestinians] are
people who don't belong to our continent, to our world, but actually belong
to a different galaxy.
The spiritual leader of Shas, the third largest party in the Israeli
Knesset, also recently declared that "it is forbidden to be merciful to
[Palestinians]. You must give them missiles, with relish - annihilate them.
Evil ones, damnable ones."
Unfortunately, these are not the only statements by highly placed GOI
officials or political leaders demonizing the Palestinian people as a whole
or arguing that Palestinians are collectively guilty for any act of violence
directed at Israel or its occupation.
As the Committee noted, hate speech must be condemned. The statement
of the
Israeli president and other Israeli officials, particularly in the current
volatile situation, helps to create an atmosphere in which Israeli violence
against Palestinian civilians and other noncombatants can occur with
impunity. We join the Committee in condemning all hate speech and other
incitement regardless of the source.
Respect for Holy Places
The Committee also addressed the need to ensure that places deemed holy
by
Muslims, Jews, and Christians are afforded respect, protection and
preservation. The Report recommends the creation of a "joint initiative" to
preserve and protect such places. These views are also consistent with
Palestinian concerns for allowing full freedom of movement for worshippers
of all faiths, particularly with respect to access to the holy sites in
Jerusalem by both Christian and Muslim Palestinians living in the Occupied
Palestinian Territories.
Conclusions Form a Comprehensive Package
Perhaps most importantly, the Committee has linked all these elements into
a
comprehensive package to truly end the crisis and prevent its recurrence.
The Report provides a sophisticated analysis of how Israel's occupation,
particularly its settlement and lethal force policy, is inextricably tied to
Palestinian-Israeli security cooperation, and how security cooperation can
only be sustained in the context of meaningful political negotiations:
We acknowledge the reluctance of the PA to be seen as facilitating the work
of Israeli security services absent an explicit political context (i.e.,
meaningful negotiations) and under the threat of Israeli settlement
expansion. Indeed, security cooperation cannot be sustained without such
negotiations and with ongoing actions seen as prejudicing the outcome of
negotiations. (Report, page 13)
The Committee also makes it clear that neither side has a unique privilege
to defy international law or to unilaterally abrogate agreements:
If the parties are to succeed in completing their journey to their common
destination, agreed commitments must be implemented, international law
respected, and human rights protected. (Report, page 3)
These findings are entirely consistent with the Palestinian perspective that
remains rooted in the applicability of international law and standards to
govern Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory as well as to
Palestinian responses. The current crisis is the outgrowth of the
consequences of Israel's illegal occupation of Palestinian territories, its
systematic abuses of international humanitarian law, and its unwillingness
to implement those measures agreed upon with the Palestinians over the last
seven years designed to mitigate the worst of those consequences.
A resolution to the current crisis requires that this package of
recommendations provided by the international community be implemented
comprehensively with a view towards implementing U.N. Security Council
Resolutions 242 and 338 that require an end to the Israeli occupation. As
the Committee recognized, there is a need to have the Israeli government
rearticulate its commitment to these principles by "[making.] clear to the
PA that a future peace would pose no threat to the territorial contiguity of
a Palestinian State to be established in the West Bank and Gaza Strip."
(Report, page 29)
We accept these findings and are committed to working with the international
community to prepare a road map for the effective implementation of all the
measures recommended in the Report including those to be taken by the
PNA to
promote security in those areas of the Occupied Territories under its
security administration.
THE LEGAL CONTEXT
As noted above, the Committee's findings represent a political document and
not a legal judgment. The Report alludes to the international context when
it states that "[i]f the parties are to succeed in completing their journey
to their common destination, agreed commitments must be implemented,
international law respected, and human rights protected," but fails to
explicitly set forth that context. (Report, page 3) The PLO wishes to
directly address this deficiency in the Report by providing a record of the
internationally accepted legal standards that apply to the Palestinian-
Israeli conflict.
The Fourth Geneva Convention
During the June War of 1967, Israeli armed forces occupied the West Bank,
including East Jerusalem, and the Gaza Strip, as well as the Syrian Golan
Heights and the Egyptian Sinai Peninsula. U.N. Security Council Resolution
242, passed in 1968, restated the inadmissibility of the acquisition of
territory by war and applied this international principle specifically to
the Israeli occupation of Arab territory. Since then, all serious efforts
to end the Israeli-Arab conflict have depended on implementation of this
resolution requiring the Israeli withdrawal from Arab territory acquired by
force and the subsequent termination of all states of belligerency.
Security Council Resolution 1322, consideration of which forms part of this
Committee's mandate, makes explicit reference to several other Security
Council resolutions, all of which emphasize the de jure applicability of the
Fourth Geneva Convention ("Convention") to the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, the illegality of Israel's unilateral annexation of Jerusalem
and of the steps Israel has taken to change the city's character. The
international community, including the five permanent members of the UN
Security Council, has repeatedly affirmed that the Convention applies de
jure to the Occupied Palestinian Territories and the International Court of
Justice has noted that the Geneva Conventions are customary international
law as well. Israel itself originally recognized the Convention's de jure
applicability but subsequently reversed itself.
The Committee's recommendations are in line with the Convention, and
appear
directly linked to the Convention's application. Israel's settlement
policy, for example, is "illegal under international law" precisely because
of the application of Article 49 of the Convention which prohibits the
transfer of an Occupying Power's civilian population into the territory it
occupies.
The Committee's recommendation that Israel cease using lethal force against
Palestinian civilians and its differentiation between terrorism and
legitimate protest is based, in part, on Article 47 of the Convention which
affirms "the inviolability of rights" granted to the civilian population
that can in no circumstances be suspended or evaded and Article 50 of the
Convention which imposes a special burden on the Occupying Power to
protect
children from the effects of war and accompanying hardships.
The Report's recommendation that Israel lift the closures of Palestinian
towns and cities, stop the demolitions of homes and agricultural property
including the uprooting of trees, and release Palestinian revenues back to
the PNA are consistent with Article 33 of the Convention.
The Committee's work itself can provide the basis on which States can
fulfill their Article 1 duty under the Convention to take steps to ensure
that the GOI complies with all provisions of international humanitarian law.
Human Rights Law
In addition to international humanitarian law, the GOI's conduct in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories is also subject to human rights instruments
to which Israel is party, as well as customary international human rights
rules. While the GOI has in the past denied the applicability of
international human rights instruments in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, the various mechanisms created by these instruments have
reaffirmed their applicability. These include, inter alia, the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, the International
Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, and the Convention on
the
Rights of the Child. The Committee has acknowledged this applicability in
its call for the parties to respect international law and respect human
rights.
General rules of international law also apply to the Occupied Palestinian
Territories. Most significant in this context is the Palestinian people's
right to self-determination, recognized implicitly by the Committee in its
call to Israel to make a statement recognizing that the goal of the peace
process is to establish a viable and contiguous Palestinian State in the
West Bank and Gaza.
ISSUES FOR FURTHER ATTENTION
International Protection Force
We note that the Committee did not oppose an international protection force
but felt that such a protection force "would need the support of both
parties." (Report, page 24) The Committee does not indicate that an
International Protection Force is inadvisable, and consequently, further
discussion on this matter is warranted. We believe that such a force remains
necessary, particularly in light of the fact that Palestinians continue to
be killed by Israeli forces in increasing numbers.
Israel's Continuing Assassination Policy
On May 14, 2001, Israeli forces assassinated five Palestinian policemen near
Ramallah. This premeditated killing indicates a new GOI strategy of
delegating authority to local Israeli commanders to initiate attacks against
Palestinian civilians and PNA officials and police. However, Israel's
assassination policy started much earlier, and was openly encouraged by
officials of the previous Israeli government.
In light of the open advocacy, and indeed escalation, of Israel's
extra-judicial execution or assassination policy, the Committee's failure to
adequately address Palestinian concerns is difficult to understand.
Articles 27, 32 and 33 of the Convention clearly stipulate that Israel's
planned and systematic policy of assassinations, directed against specific
Palestinian officials and local leaders, is a grave breach and a war crime.
The international community has now made it clear, particularly through the
precedents of the International War Crimes Tribunals for the Former
Yugoslavia and Rwanda, that all of those involved in the planning,
instigating, ordering, or commission of grave breaches or who otherwise aid
and abet in the planning, preparation or execution of grave breaches must be
held individually responsible for the crime. This remains true whether
those responsible are soldiers, government officials or even heads of state.
Although Israel has not signed or ratified the Protocol Additional to the
Geneva Convention of 1977, the Protocol does provide guidance in
interpreting international humanitarian law concerning assassination and
arguably reflects customary law. Attacks on persons considered activists,
or allegedly involved in encouraging resistance to Israel's occupation,
clearly contravene Articles 51, 75, and 85 of the Protocol which consider
such attacks grave breaches and war crimes.
Implementation of the Committee's Recommendations
The Report's findings fail to address the question of implementation of the
recommendations, perhaps wishing to leave the matter to discussion with the
parties and the international community. Although there are a number of
models that have been utilized by the international community to stop the
worst abuses of international law, this Response will be limited to a
discussion of the most important elements required for any implementation
effort. The international community, however, should discuss the actual
models by which these elements are incorporated with the parties at the
earliest possible date.
Third Party Involvement: Neither party should be permitted to play the role
of both judge and jury. A fundamental problem with the implementation of
many of the past agreements between the Palestinians and Israelis has been
the lack of objective third party involvement. This failure has allowed one
side to blame the other for alleged violations without an objective third
party voice to determine the veracity of the complaint. It would be
extremely counter-productive if implementation of the Committee's findings
are not verified and/or enforced by third parties respected and trusted by
both Palestinians and Israelis. Such involvement, once agreed to, must be
able to make its decisions without possibility of a veto by either party.
The Committee recommends that the parties consider requesting the
Temporary
International Presence in Hebron (TIPH) to expand its efforts in the
Occupied Palestinian Territories. However, if this is to be done, TIPH's
mandate must be changed to address deficiencies in the ability of the
current force to stop abuses of international law.
Findings of Fact: Third party involvement could alleviate the possibility
of either party drawing negative conclusions on the other's implementation
of an existing obligation without sufficient reason. The third party would
investigate allegations of non-compliance and issue findings of fact on the
allegations.
Dispute Resolution Mechanism: In order to address disagreements over
implementation of the Report's recommendations, a peaceful and speedy
dispute resolution mechanism must be created.
Implementation of Past Agreements
Finally, a number of agreements have been signed between the PLO and
Israel
governing certain aspects of the relations between them and imposing certain
obligations on each. The Committee has recognized that these obligations
need to be fulfilled but fails to identify the most important of these
unfulfilled obligations:
Section 2(d) of Article XI of the Interim Agreement calls for Israel to have
withdrawn from all of the West Bank, with the exception of Israeli
settlements and Israeli military bases. Today, almost three years after the
deadline for Israel's third withdrawal, Israeli troops remain in control of
82% of the West Bank.
Section 1 of Article XVI of the Interim Agreement and Annex VII thereof
provides for the release of Palestinian political prisoners as well as the
release of political prisoners from Arab countries. The release was to take
place in three phases, the last of which was to occur during the permanent
status negotiations. Israel has yet to comply with this provision.
Article X of the Protocol Concerning Redeployment and Security
Arrangements
annexed to the Interim Agreement require Israel to open a safe passage route
connecting the West Bank with the Gaza Strip for "the movement of persons,
vehicles and goods." The Interim Agreement provides for the opening of a
northern and a southern safe passage route as well as specifying the
locations of designated crossing points. These commitments have also not
been met.
Israel has also failed to move forward on the issue of displaced persons
(i.e. those who were displaced from their homes in the West Bank and Gaza
during or after the 1967 War) by attempting to move the issue to one of the
final status issues, in contravention to its obligations under Article XII
of the Declaration of Principles and Article XXVII of the Interim Agreement.
Article 40 of Annex I to the Interim Agreement, which requires Israel to
increase the water allocation for Palestinians, has also yet to be
fulfilled.
The failure of Israel to take steps to mitigate the consequences of its
occupation pursuant to its obligations under these agreements has also been
an underlying cause for Palestinian frustration and desperation, and the
Committee is correct in noting that the agreements must be implemented if
political negotiations are to be meaningful or if security cooperation is to
be sustainable.
CONCLUSION
Israel's emphasis on security considerations alone, while taken very
seriously by the Palestinians, cannot dictate the course of peace talks or
attempts to end the current crisis. The PNA has repeatedly expressed its
desire to resume security cooperation with Israel within the context of
those elements necessary to make such cooperation sustainable. The
Committee has correctly identified that security cooperation is not
sustainable without meaningful political negotiations and that such
negotiations cannot exist while Israel continues to colonize the territory
from which it is ostensibly negotiating a withdrawal.
Most importantly, the Report provides the international community with a
package of guidelines on most, if not all, of the elements necessary to
create the peaceful conditions that can promote meaningful political
negotiations whose goal must remain the timely end of Israel's occupation of
Palestinian territory and a two-state solution based on international law.
These elements must be considered and implemented in tandem if any one
element is to be successful.
We are also encouraged that the Report complements the recent
Egyptian-Jordanian Initiative to end the crisis. Both the Report and the
Egyptian-Jordanian Initiative represent a fair basis for resolution of the
current crisis. As such, we recommend that the U.N. Security Council adopt
both documents as a basis for ending the current crisis and implementing
international law, including all applicable U.N. Security Council and
General Assembly resolutions.
We accept this Report with the same sense of purpose with which it was
written. Indeed, much has been accomplished already in Oslo, Washington,
Cairo and elsewhere, but such progress will be lost if the international
community does not give the Committee's recommendations the same level
of
consideration we are willing to provide the Report. This Report will inform
Palestinian policy and must equally inform Israeli policy. For this Report
to be considered by the GOI with the seriousness it deserves, the
international community must also allow the Report to inform individual
state policies towards the region.
We would hope that in their response to the Report, all member states and
international bodies attending the Sharm El-Sheikh Summit in October 2000,
together with the Committee Members, will join us in requesting a meeting at
the highest level for all the parties in order to develop a mechanism for
the timely implementation of the Committee's recommendations. We believe
that this is within the spirit of former President Bill Clinton's October
17, 2000 statement at Sharm El-Sheikh and the logical conclusion to be
drawn
from the Report.
Too many innocent lives have already been lost or unalterably damaged and
there are already too many people mourning in the Occupied Palestinian
Territories, as well as in Israel. With that impetus in mind, we consider
this Report not an end, but a beginning to a resolution of not only the
current crisis, but also the underlying occupation. We are prepared to
exert every effort in conjunction with the international community to make
certain that the entire package presented in this Report becomes a reality.
The Report references the Palestinian National Authority as the
"Palestinian Authority" or "PA." Whenever this Response refers to the
"Palestinian Authority" it is using the Report's own designation. The
"Palestinian National Authority" is the same as the "Palestinian Authority."
The poll appeared in the May 3, 2001 edition of Yediot Aharonot, an Israeli
daily.
Nadav Shragai, Cabinet Approval for E. Jerusalem Ring Road, Ha'aretz, Page
1, May 14, 2001.
Greer Fay Cashman, Katsav: We'd Never Stoop to Palestinians' Brutality,
Jerusalem Post, A4, May 11, 2001.
Phil Reeves, God Must Kill "Evil" Arabs, Says Rabbi, The Independent, April
10, 2001.
UN SC 1322 makes explicit reference to Security Council Resolutions 476
(1980), 478 (1980), 672 (1990), 1073 (1996), and all other relevant Security
Council resolutions.
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Israeli Settlements and International Law Legal Position Paper
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:10:55 -0400
--------
Israeli Settlements and International Law Legal Position Paper May 2001
Information Division, Israel Foreign Ministry - Jerusalem
The Historical Context
- Jewish settlement in West Bank and Gaza Strip territory has
existed from time immemorial and was expressly recognised as
legitimate in the Mandate for Palestine adopted by the League of
Nations, which provided for the establishment of a Jewish state in
the Jewish people's ancient homeland. Indeed, Article 6 of the
Mandate provided as follows:
"The Administration of Palestine, while ensuring that the
rights and position of other sections of the population
are not prejudiced, shall facilitate Jewish immigration
under suitable conditions and shall encourage, in
cooperation with the Jewish Agency referred to in Article
4, close settlement by Jews on the land, including State
lands not required for public use".
- Some Jewish settlements, such as in Hebron, existed throughout
the centuries of Ottoman rule, while settlements such as Neve
Ya'acov, north of Jerusalem, the Gush Etzion bloc in Judea and
Samaria, the communities north of the Dead Sea and Kfar Darom in
the Gaza region, were established under British Mandatory
administration prior to the establishment of the State of Israel.
To be sure, many Israeli settlements have been established on sites
which were home to Jewish communities in previous generations, in
an expression of the Jewish people's deep historic and religious
connection with the land.
- For more than a thousand years, the only administration which has
prohibited Jewish settlement was the Jordanian occupation
administration, which during the nineteen years of its rule
(1948-1967) declared the sale of land to Jews a capital offense.
The right of Jews to establish homes in these areas, and the legal
titles to the land which had been acquired, could not be legally
invalidated by the Jordanian or Egyptian occupation which resulted
from their armed invasion of Israel in 1948, and such rights and
titles remain valid to this day.
International Humanitarian Law in the West Bank and Gaza Strip
- International humanitarian law prohibits the forcible transfer of
segments of the population of a state to the territory of another
state which it has occupied as a result of the resort to armed
force. This principle, which is reflected in Article 49 of the
Fourth Geneva Convention, was drafted immediately following the
Second World War. As International Red Cross' authoritative
commentary to the Convention confirms, the principle was intended
to protect the local population from displacement, including
endangering its separate existence as a race, as occurred with
respect to the forced population transfers in Czechoslovakia,
Poland and Hungary before and during the war. This is clearly not
the case with regard to the West Bank and Gaza.
- The attempt to present Israeli settlements as a violation of this
principle is clearly untenable. As Professor Eugene Rostow, former
Under-Secretary of State for Political Affairs has written: "the
Jewish right of settlement in the area is equivalent in every way
to the right of the local population to live there" (AJIL, 1990,
vol. 84, p.72).
- The provisions of the Geneva Convention regarding forced
population transfer to occupied sovereign territory cannot be
viewed as prohibiting the voluntary return of individuals to the
towns and villages from which they, or their ancestors, had been
ousted. Nor does it prohibit the movement of individuals to land
which was not under the legitimate sovereignty of any state and
which is not subject to private ownership. In this regard, Israeli
settlements have been established only after an exhaustive
investigation process, under the supervision of the Supreme Court
of Israel, designed to ensure that no communities are established
on private Arab land.
- It should be emphasised that the movement of individuals to the
territory is entirely voluntary, while the settlements themselves
are not intended to displace Arab inhabitants, nor do they do so in
practice.
- Repeated charges regarding the illegality of Israeli settlements
must therefore be regarded as politically motivated, without
foundation in international law. Similarly, as Israeli settlements
cannot be considered illegal, they cannot constitute a "grave
violation" of the Geneva Convention, and hence any claim that they
constitute a "war crime" is without any legal basis. Such political
charges cannot justify in any way Palestinian acts of terrorism and
violence against innocent Israelis.
- Politically, the West Bank and Gaza Strip is best regarded as
territory over which there are competing claims which should be
resolved in peace process negotiations. Israel has valid claims to
title in this territory based not only on its historic and
religious connection to the land, and its recognized security
needs, but also on the fact that the territory was not under the
sovereignty of any state and came under Israeli control in a war of
self-defense, imposed upon Israel. At the same time, Israel
recognizes that the Palestinians also entertain legitimate claims
to the area. Indeed, the very fact that the parties have agreed to
conduct negotiations on settlements indicated that they envisage a
compromise on this issue.
Israeli-Palestinian Agreements
- The agreements reached between Israel and the Palestinians
contain no prohibition whatsoever on the building or expansion of
settlements. On the contrary, it is specifically provided that the
issue of settlements is reserved for permanent status negotiations,
which are to take place in the concluding stage of the peace talks.
Indeed, the parties expressly agreed that the Palestinian Authority
has no jurisdiction or control over settlements or Israelis,
pending the conclusion of a permanent status agreement.
- It has been charged that the prohibition on unilateral steps
which alter the "status" of the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which is
contained in the Interim Agreement and in subsequent agreements
between the parties, implies a ban on settlement activity. This
position is disingenuous. The building of homes has no effect on
the status of the area. The prohibition on unilateral measures was
agreed upon in order to ensure that neither side take steps to
change the legal status of this territory (such as by annexation or
unilateral declaration of statehood), pending the outcome of
permanent status negotiations. Were this prohibition to be applied
to building, it would lead to the ridiculous interpretation that
neither side is permitted to build homes to accommodate for the
needs of their respective communities.
- It is important to note, that in the spirit of compromise and in
an attempt to take constructive confidence building measures in the
peace process, successive Israeli governments have expressly
recognized the need for territorial compromise in West Bank and
Gaza Strip territory and have voluntary adopted a freeze on the
building of new settlements. In this regard, the present National
Unity Government, under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, has officially
declared that it will not build any new settlements, while
remaining committed to the basic needs of the existing settlement
communities (Government of Israel, Policy Guidelines, March 2001).
--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Palestinian demand of evacuation of eastern Jerusalem
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:15:09 -0400
--------
Channel Two report tries to underplay Palestinian demand of evacuation of
eastern Jerusalem
Aaron Lerner Date: 20 May 2001
Israel Television Channel Two News tonight featured a report of a meeting
held by West Bank PA Preventive Security head Col. Jibril Rajoub and Israeli
reporters.
The report noted several times that Rajoub saw the construction of
settlements as the stumbling block in Israeli-Palestinian relations and that
peace would be possible the moment Israel evacuated the settlements.
Only in the closing moment of the article did the Channel Two correspondent
opt to mention in passing that Rajoub demanded the "evacuation of the
settlements and eastern Jerusalem."
The reporter declined to follow up on the significance or ramifications of
the fact that Rajoub, a key figure in the PA, was demanding that Israel take
measures that are not acceptable even to Meretz, Peace Now or any other
Jewish Israelis with the exception of the most extreme of the radical Left.
Ironically, this information was seriously underplayed on the eve of
Jerusalem Day.
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] Peres Peace Center has NO actual operating projects
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:15:47 -0400
--------
Channel Two: Peres Peace Center has NO actual operating projects
Aaron Lerner Date: 20 May 2001
Israel Television Channel Two News tonight featured an investigative report
that found that there is not one actual project underway today under the
auspices of the Peres Peace Center.
The report noted that not all the failures can be blamed on the new
"intafada". Some projects were abandoned by the Peres Peace Center
before
October.
The Peres Peace Center continues to pay high salaries to its staff. They
explained to the reporter, off camera, that while there are no projects, the
center remains active in "secret negotiations".
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] Tzemach News Service items (5/20/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:22:50 -0400
--------
ISRAELI PRESIDENT VOWS TO DIE FOR THE AL AKSA MOSQUE: Israeli
President Moshe Katsav vowed that the Jewish state would never allow
anyone to harm the Al Aksa Mosque on the Temple Mount. "I will put my life
on the line in order to protect the holiness" of the mosque, Katsav said.
Voice of Judea Commentary: "Let's get this straight. According to Jewish
tradition, the Holy Jewish Temple once stood on the Temple Mount. And one
day, the Holy Temple will be restored and Messiah will come. Now, if the
Jewish President of Israel says he will give his life to prevent this process, he
is essentially rejecting basic Jewish tradition and faith. According to the
Bible, in the end of days, international forces will converge on Jerusalem and
challenge the Jewish right to Mount Zion... When Katzav says that he would
give his life to prevent this scenario, is he saying that he would join forces
with the nations of the world and fight against the liberation of the Mount and
Jewish sovereignty there?"
:: WILL BUSH RELOCATE EMBASSY? TIME IS RUNNING OUT: May 31st
is the deadline for US President Bush's decision to fulfill his campaign
promise and relocate the American Embassy to Jerusalem. This decision
comes up every six months. The President can either give the order or defer
it by six more months. The White House can be reached by telephone at
(202)456-1111 or by email at
<mailto:president@whitehouse.gov>president@whitehouse.gov
EDITORIAL: THE HYPOCRISY OF COLIN POWELL:
Lee Underwood <<mailto:tns@tzemach.org>tns@tzemach.org> Editor,
Tzemach
News Service
US Secretary of State Colin Powell has been very vocal lately regarding
Israel's use of force against the PLO. This seems somewhat contradictory
considering the situation in the Land, and Mr. Powell's own use of
excessive force (as well as statements lending credence to the use of
excessive force - see TNS, 04-21-2001: "Powell: 'The Israeli Response Was
... Disproportionate'").
While admitting that the PLO is responsible for "some" of the violence,
Powell stops short of declaring the truth of the matter: it is the PLO who
is on the offensive; Israel is on the defensive. Israel did not start the
recent war. It was started by the PLO acting on orders from Yasser Arafat.
The answer to ending the war is very simple and Israel has stated it many
times: make the PLO stop the aggression! Yet Powell seems to think that
Israel can end it by not defending herself. One of Mr. Powell's mottos must
surely be: "Do as I say, not as I do".
On August 2, 1990, Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein sent his troops into Kuwait
and took over the small nation. Within days, the United States, along with
the United Nations, demanded Iraq's immediate withdrawal. Within the week
the US and UN began deploying troops in Saudi Arabia, beginning a US-led
coalition under UN authority. Colin Powell, in the position of Chairman of
the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, was given the task by the United Nations of
removing Iraq from Kuwait.
The US sent 500,000 troops to the Gulf while the rest of the Allies sent
205,000 troops combined, for a total of almost 3/4 of a million troops. The
equipment provided to the US/UN troops included 4,000+ aircraft, 5,000+
tanks, and 47+ ships. By the time it was over, the US/UN had spent over
$150 billion.
Iraq had a pre-Gulf War total of 545,000 troops. This army was equipped
with approximately 4,000 tanks and 700 aircraft. By the end of the air war,
the number of frontline troops was reduced by 50%. The number of Iraqis
being held as POWs exceeded 50,000. It was later determined that of the 42
divisions of Iraqi troops, all 42 had been effectively destroyed with
stragglers making up about one division widely spread throughout the entire
region. When it was all said and done, Iraqi casualties numbered
approximately 20,000 military and 2,300 civilians.
In an interesting side-note: 300,000 Palestinians fled from Kuwait and Iraq
in the weeks following Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. There have not been any
demands since then to allow them to return to their homes in Kuwait and Iraq.
Since the beginning of 1999, Allied pilots have launched over 1,100
missiles against 359 Iraqi targets. The estimated, unofficial cost of this
war to US and British taxpayers is around $1 billion per year. At this
time, over 200 military planes, 19 naval ships, and 22,000 American
military personnel are committed to enforcing the "no-fly zones" and to
fighting Iraq.
In addition, recent reports indicate that the death rate for small children
has doubled in Iraq over the past decade. These deaths are attributed to
the continuing war and US-led economic sanctions against Iraq.
The main cause of the continued hostility between the United States and
Iraq is disagreement over the extent and need for continued United Nations
inspections. The US and the UN claim that Iraq is not living up to the
terms of the agreement.
We are not talking about land that the US, Britain, or the UN lays any
claims to owning or demands rights to possession. It is merely a war of
economics ... oil to be exact.
All this and yet Colin Powell states that Israel is "overacting" when it
retaliates to attacks on its own citizens within its own borders.
Israel is in a struggle to protect its homeland, yet the nations of the
world demand that it relinquish its land to a people who are not - nor have
ever been -- a nation and who have sworn to eliminate Israel from the face
of the earth. These 'people' even have a covenant that boldly declares
their hatred of Israel for the all the world to see.
Two IDF soldiers were brutally beat and battered a few months ago in
Ram'Allah by a mob led by PLO security personnel. The terrorists even
wiped
their hands in the dead soldiers blood to proclaim "victory". Yet, there
was not much of an outcry by the media or the nations. There were only
minor reports, nothing like that given to the PLO. A few weeks ago two
Israeli teenagers were beaten and battered in what the PLO called
retaliation for the accidental killing by IDF forces of a four-month old
baby. The baby was killed when the IDF responded to an attack by PLO
security forces. The PLO likes to hide among women and children when they
fight. Ariel Sharon, as well as many other Israeli leaders, expressed
sorrow and sympathy for the accidental death, yet the media essentially
chose to ignore this. But when the two Israeli teenagers were tortured for
over two hours and then killed by PLO terrorists by stoning and hacking
them to death, neither Yasser Arafat nor any minister of the "Palestinian
Authority" expressed any kind of concern or remorse. In fact, official PLO
newspapers praised the killings and the murderers.
Powell said that the murders of the two teenagers were Israel's fault due
to the existence and continual building of the settlements in Yesha (Judea,
Samaria and Gaza).
Does anyone else see this hypocrisy or is it just my misunderstanding of
the facts?
http://www.tzemach.org
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News items (5/20/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 15:30:12 -0400
--------
JERUSALEM DAY TONIGHT
The Jerusalem police and security forces are out in record numbers to
protect the celebrants for tonight's Jerusalem Day celebrations. The city
is celebrating the 34th anniversary of its liberation and unification,
which occurred on the third day of the Six Day War in June
1967. Celebrations began this afternoon; boys started dancing and marching
towards the Old City from Sacher Park, while girls began from Independence
Park. A central thanksgiving rally and Hassidic music show will be held at
the Western Wall at 7:30 PM. Another major event will be held tonight at
Yeshivat Merkaz HaRav Kook, where Prime Minister Sharon and IDF Chief of
Staff Mofaz will speak; students and supporters will sing and march to the
Western Wall afterwards. Yeshivat Beit Orot on Mt. of Olives will also be
the center of festive celebrations; thousands will begin their singing
march to the Wall from there.
Other Jerusalem events include a convention of 8,000 youth from around the
country; they will tour various sites throughout the city. "Coming with
Love" is the theme of a parade of the Settlement Labor movement, featuring
old agricultural equipment and choice produce.
BOYCOTTING NON-LOYAL MAYORS
National Infrastructures Minister Avigdor Lieberman is boycotting sectors
in the Israeli-Arab sector. He has instructed his office heads not to meet
with Israeli-Arab mayors and their deputies who commemorated Nakba
(Catastrophe) Day on May 15, the anniversary of the establishment of the
State of Israel. He said, however, that professional ties between his
office and the relevant municipal offices in the affected cities will
continue.
CABINET DECISIONS
The government voted today to finance the country's growing security needs
by cutting three billion shekels in other ministries' budgets. Shas and
Labor party ministers - except for Defense Minister Ben-Eliezer - voted
against; Shas had proposed a national loan in which every household lends
the country a fixed amount. A similar loan was implemented for the Peace
for Galilee War in 1982.
Some of the 13 ministers in the security cabinet complained about not
having been consulted on Friday when the decision on the massive
retaliation was made; the decision was made in the security mini-security,
staffed only by Prime Minister Sharon, Foreign Minister Peres, and Defense
Minister Ben-Eliezer. Others, such as Interior Minister Eli Yeshai,
dismissed this criticism. "The decision to carry out the operation was
made in the proper forum given the circumstances," Yeshai said. Justice
Minister Meir Shetreet, associated with the left-wing of the Likud, also
said he totally accepted the decision made by the security mini-cabinet to
bomb the PA targets. The full cabinet later approved the government's
policy of targeting selected terrorist leaders.
Arutz Sheva News Service
<http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Sunday, May 20, 2001 / Iyar 27, 5761
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Britain's Cook Says World Must Act on Middle East
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:37:39 -0400
--------
Sunday May 20 9:41 AM ET
Britain's Cook Says World Must Act on Middle East
LONDON (Reuters) - British Foreign Secretary Robin Cook said on Sunday
Israeli-Palestinian violence was getting worse and he called on international
leaders to agree on how to end the Middle East's present cycle of violence.
Cook said he had commiserated with Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres
over
the killings of Israelis in a Palestinian suicide bomb attack last week but
he urged Israel not to escalate the violence by attacking Palestinians with
warplanes.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon (news - web sites) came under domestic
and international criticism for his use of F-16 fighter-bombers against
Palestinians in reprisal for the suicide bombing.
``The situation is grim and getting grimmer,'' Cook told British commercial
television.
Cook said Israel could only achieve security for its people ''by
negotiations, not revenge.''
Cook called for an international consensus to end the Israel-Palestinian
fighting.
``We (international leaders) should speak with one voice,'' he said.
Cook said if there was agreement that a report by former U.S. Senator
George
Mitchell into the crisis offered a way out of the violence both Palestinians
and Israelis must live up to its findings.
The Mitchell report called for an immediate end to violence and for
confidence-building measures that included a freeze on Israeli settlement
activity in the Palestinian-ruled West Bank and Gaza Strip (news - web
sites).
Cook said it was important that both sides were not allowed to ``cherry
pick'' from the report's findings.
He said Palestinians must do all they can to end violence against Israelis
and Israel must stop building and expanding its Jewish settlements.
http://dailynews.yahoo.com/h/nm/20010520/ts/mideast_britain_dc_1.html
via: End_Times_News@yahoogroups.com
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] PM's Office: Warplanes carried warning to Palestinians
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:41:14 -0400
--------
Sunday, May 20 2001 14:39 27 Iyar 5761
PM's Office: Warplanes carried warning
to Palestinians
By Herb Keinon
JERUSALEM (May 20) - The use of warplanes to
attack Palestinian positions following Friday's terror
attack in Netanya was meant to send the Palestinians a
clear message that if the attacks continue, Israel's
reprisals will become more severe, a senior official in the
Prime Minister's Office said last night.
"If you don't respond to these attacks, it could become
an epidemic," he said, adding that planes were used
instead of helicopters to indicate "how severe our
response will be if they keep attacking."
Foreign Minister Shimon Peres, who is due to fly today
to Moscow for talks with the Russian leadership, said the
Palestinian attacks have "gone beyond all limits," and that
if the Palestinians do not initiate violence, Israel will not
respond.
Peres repeated his call for the Mitchell report to be
implemented: a cessation of violence, cooling-off period,
confidence-building measures, and a return to diplomatic
negotiations.
US Secretary of State Collin Powell, meanwhile, called
for an unconditional cease fire. Speaking at a Washington
press conference held with visiting Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov, Powell said, "What we need now,
more than anything else, is a cessation of violence by all."
Powell spoke amid reports that the State Department has
stopped trying to organize a meeting between Powell and
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat next week
because they want to see a different mode of behavior. A
State Department official refused to confirm these
reports, but noted that no meeting has yet been
announced.
Continuing in a tone of frustration, Powell said, "At the
moment, we are trapped in this cycle of violence, and if
there was any solution that I could come up with, any
conference or meeting that could be held right away that
might move this in such a direction, I would leap at it."
As a minimum, Powell said, "I think we [would] see a
significant reduction of the level of violence if the leaders
in the region would take action to speak out against
violence more directly, to do everything to control the
passions and to give instructions to those forces that are
under their control to stop violent acts and get off this
cycle of provocation [followed by] response.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon briefed Powell on Friday
after the Netanya attack and Israel's response but a State
Department official denied Palestinian claims that the US
gave Israel a 'green light' to use warplanes to bomb
Palestinian targets.
Soon after Powell's call for regional leaders to take a
clear stand in stopping the violence an Arab League
foreign ministers meeting in Cairo issued a declaration
calling on Arab governments to severe all contacts with
Israel, casting doubt over the future of the
Egyptian-Jordanian peace proposal.
"The meeting called for severing all Arabic political
communication with Israel as long as the aggression of
the siege on the Palestinian people and their national
authority continues," according to a statement issued at
the end of the emergency session.
Lending weight to the call were the two men who made it
- Amr Moussa, the former Egyptian foreign minister and
now Arab League Secretary-General, and Jordanian
Foreign Minister Abdul-Illah Khatib.
"The attacks against the Palestinians will have to stop,
otherwise we will be acting under the point of the gun
which we totally and utterly reject," Moussa said.
The Arab League meeting also called on Moussa to
ensure immediate financial support to the Palestinian
Authority and it urged public donations to support the
intifada..
In its statement, the committee criticized Israel for its
reluctance to accept cease-fire proposals including the
Egyptian-Jordanian initiative.
The countries that attended the talks at the League's
headquarters in Cairo were Bahrain, Egypt, Jordan,
Lebanon, Morocco, Tunisia, Saudi Arabia, Syria and
Yemen.
In Jerusalem, a senior source in the Prime Minister's
Office responded by calling the declaration self-defeating
and counterproductive to the mutual need for peace.
"This gives Arafat an incentive to continue the violence,
because it shows that he is getting results," the official
said. The Prime Minister's Office is working on the
assumption that Arafat has three short-term strategic
aims: driving a wedge between Israel and the Arab
world, driving a wedge between Israel and the
international community, and internationalizing the
conflict.
UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan accused Israel on
Friday of an excessive reaction to the suicide bombing.
"I am deeply disturbed by the disproportionate Israeli
response to today's appalling terrorist attack in Netanya,"
Annan said. "Its effect will inevitably be to increase
bitterness even further on the Palestinian side."
Sweden, the EU's current President, said it was also
appalled by the increase in violence, saying both sides
bear responsibility and urging a rapid return to the
negotiating table. News agencies contributed to this
report
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/20/News/News.26538.html
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Mubarak: Region has reached 'point of no return'
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:44:17 -0400
--------
Sunday, May 20 2001 22:00 28 Iyar 5761
(19:40) Mubarak: Region has reached
'point of no return'
The region has reached a point of no return, Egyptian
President Hosni Mubarak said this evening, in the wake
of a bloody weekend in which nearly 20 Israelis and
Palestinians were killed in escalating violence.
Mubarak, calling for an international presence in the
territories, said the Arab world wants security for the
Israelis as much as for the Palestinians.
It has been made clear by recent Israeli actions against
the Palestinians, however, that Israel's leadership does
not desire peace, the Egyptian leader added.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/20/LatestNews/LatestNews.26591.ht
ml
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] 250 more suicide bombers reportedly recruited for revenge attacks
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:44:58 -0400
--------
Sunday, May 20 2001 14:39 27 Iyar 5761
250 more suicide bombers reportedly
recruited for revenge attacks
By Lamia Lahoud
JERUSALEM (May 20) - Palestinian extremists held a
meeting somewhere around Jerusalem yesterday at which
they recruited some 250 volunteer suicide bombers to
initiate a campaign of terror in revenge for the killing of
Palestinians, sources said yesterday. They did not want
to say which Palestinian factions attended the meeting
along with Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
Participants in the meeting decided to avenge the death of
Palestinian civilians and policemen killed by the IDF by
killing at least five Israeli civilians for each Palestinian
civilian and five soldiers for each Palestinian policeman.
The number five is in memory of the five Palestinian
policemen killed by the IDF last week at the Palestinian
Authority checkpoint in Beituniya.
The IDF has said that killing was a case of mistaken
identity.
Meanwhile, more than 70,000 Palestinians yesterday
attended the funerals of some 11 policemen killed in the
air force strike on a Nablus jail Friday in retaliation for
the Hamas suicide bombing at the Netanya shopping
mall, in which five Israelis were killed and more than 100
wounded.
Palestinian activists from all factions vowed to avenge the
attack during the biggest demonstration ever held in the
Palestinian areas. "Never since 1967 have so many
Palestinians joined a demonstration in any Palestinian
city... All of Nablus is wearing black today and all the
people and political factions are vowing revenge," a
senior Palestinian security officer said.
He accused Israel of targeting the PA instead of Hamas
to pull the PA and security services into the confrontation
with Israel, so Israel could refuse to negotiate with the
PA.
He said Mahmoud Abu Hanoud, the Hamas master
bomb maker in the West Bank, was at the jail and was
wounded, but that police, not Hanoud, were being
targeted.
They bombed the offices of the policemen, not the jail
cells, another security source from Nablus said.
The senior security officer said that it was "ridiculous" of
Israel to ask the PA to re-arrest Hamas and Jihad
activists, but then go and bomb their jails and Palestinian
security installations. "Now Abu Hanoud is released from
jail... what should we do with him?"he added. Palestinian
security sources said that Hanoud was taken to an
undisclosed location.
One PA security source said that Hanoud was not at the
jail compound when it was bombed, since the jail handles
only criminals, not political prisoners. But he did not deny
that Hanoud was wounded.
The security officer said that without US intervention,
there was no end to the violence in sight.
He said Palestinians had given up hope for Arab support
in their intifada against Israel and were counting on the
international community instead.
Bassam Abu Sharif warned the Israeli people yesterday
that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon would lead them into
catastrophe with his "exaggerated retaliation." He called
upon both sides to return to reason and resume
negotiations to end the circle of violence and return to the
peace process.
Abu Sharif said he was lightly wounded while having
lunch with a European delegation at the Grand Park
Hotel in Ramallah when the IDF bombed a nearby police
checkpoint on Friday.
"The glass shattered and all of us were injured by pieces
of glass... I had to take the entire delegation to the
hospital," he said. "There was an engagement party at the
hotel attended by some 1,000 people including many
children... the bombing could have turned into a disaster,"
he added.
Although he repeated that the PA condemns all attacks
on civilians, Israeli or Palestinian, he dismissed the idea
that the Palestinians bore any responsibility for the terror
attack. Instead, he blamed Sharon, saying that his policy
of excessive force was only provoking more revenge
attacks.
West Bank Hamas spokesman Hassan Youssef vowed
that Hamas would avenge the Palestinians killed in the
IDF retaliatory strikes.
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/20/News/News.26539.html
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Power Outage Blankets Most of Iran
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:47:49 -0400
--------
Power Outage Blankets Most of Iran
The Associated Press
Sunday, May 20, 2001; 6:26 a.m. EDT
TEHRAN, Iran –– A sweeping power outage caused by an unexplained
technical problem left nearly all of Iran without electricity on Sunday, an
Energy Ministry official said.
Outages were reported in Tehran and at least six provincial capitals that are
among Iran's biggest cities:
Isfahan, Shiraz, Tabriz, Kermanshah, Qazvin and Hamedan.
Akbar Nematollahi, a top adviser at the Energy Ministry, said on Tehran radio
that the outage was "nationwide" and that only the eastern province of
Khorasan and some parts in the southwest still had power.
"The outage is due to a technical problem in our national dispatching station.
We don't know the real reason it happened, but it could be because of the
very hot weather or because some power lines have snapped," he said,
offering his "apologies to the nation."
Residents contacted by telephone by The Associated Press in several big
cities reported they had lost power at about 1 p.m. (4:30 a.m. EDT.)
In Tehran, electric buses came to a halt, and passengers were stranded
when the single underground subway line also lot power. Tehran radio said
experts were working to restore power.
© Copyright 2001 The Associated Press
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-
srv/aponline/20010520/aponline062617_000.htm
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Brazil urged to keep Christ statue illuminated during power crisis
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:50:37 -0400
--------
Sunday | May 20, 2001
Brazil urged to keep Christ statue illuminated during power crisis
05/19/2001
By KEVIN G. HALL / Knight Ridder Newspapers
RIO DE JANEIRO, Brazil – As Brazil prepares for severe power cutbacks,
the Roman Catholic Church has joined the nationwide scramble for special
exceptions and is pleading that darkness not fall on the nation's symbol of
light: the famed Christ the Redeemer statue that with arms outstretched
looks down on this beach city.
"Since its beginning, the lights have never been turned off," said Antonio
Passos, attorney for the Archdiocese of Rio de Janeiro, which owns the
celebrated statue.
Within the next week, Brazil's federal government will announce specifics of
a plan expected to result in 15 percent energy cuts to heavy industry and 20
percent to 23 percent cuts to consumers and businesses. Fearing power
outages of four hours or more, consumers are snapping up flashlights, gas
lanterns, candles and extra batteries for laptops and cellular phones.
But the statue of Christ could be the litmus test of how deep the cuts will go.
Completed in 1931, Christ the Redeemer was erected to celebrate a century
of independence from Portugal. For church officials, the lighting of the statue
at night does more than just illuminate the picturesque 98-foot statue some
2,300 feet atop Corcovado Mountain. The lighting gives the effect of Christ
ascending into heaven, and Mr. Passos said that serves as a reminder to
humanity of the need to be spiritually illuminated.
The church owns the land on which Christ the Redeemer is perched, but the
city operates access to the tourist attraction. Cities are negotiating with the
federal government over terms for the massive energy cuts that begin June 1,
so the decision on the statue's lighting must be made jointly, Mr. Passos
said.
"We want it to remain lighted, as it should be," the church attorney said.
More than 90 percent of Brazil's energy is produced by hydroelectric plants,
but three consecutive years of rainfall shortages have left those facilities at
below capacity.
http://www.dallasnews.com/religion/370627_brazil_19rel.A.html
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] US, ADL criticize Red Cross for calling settlements a 'war crime'
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:54:54 -0400
--------
Sunday, May 20 2001 14:39 27 Iyar 5761
US, ADL criticize Red Cross for calling
settlements a 'war crime'
By Melissa Radler and News Agencies
WASHINGTON (May 20) - WASHINGTON - The
US criticized the International Red Cross on Friday,
saying it was unhelpful that an ICRC delegation head
called Jewish settlements in the West Bank and Gaza
Strip a war crime.
"We don't think this comment is helpful at this particularly
volatile time," said State Department deputy spokesman
Philip Reeker.
Rene Kosirnik, head of the ICRC delegation to Israel
and the territories, told a news conference on Thursday
that the settlements violate international law.
"The transfer, the installation of population of the
occupying power into the occupied territories is
considered as an illegal move and qualified as a 'grave
breach.' It's a grave breach, formally speaking, but grave
breaches are equal in principle to war crimes," Kosirnik
said.
Reeker declined to discuss the legality of the settlements,
saying the US position was "well known."
Another US official, who asked not be named, said he
did not believe that the US had contacted the ICRC
about Kosirnik's statement.
Meanwhile, Anti-Defamation League head Abraham
Foxman slammed Kosirnik's comments as "outrageous,
unfair, and a gross distortion."
The accusation, said Foxman, "is completely unfounded
and has no basis in reality," and "plays into the passions
of the Middle East conflict while serving no real interest
other than to denigrate and degrade Israel's status among
nations."
Foxman, a Holocaust survivor, said in a statement: "How
ironic that 60 years after the greatest humanitarian war
crime in history, the International Red Cross today
denigrates Israel for a policy of settlement. The Red
Cross, which remained silent and made excuses for not
responding in the face of Hitler's program of mass
extermination, now has the ability to speak freely against
those nations who are guilty of real humanitarian abuses.
Instead, the Red Cross chooses to pin the blame on
Israel for make-believe human rights abuses."
http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/05/20/News/News.26544.html
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Russia news items
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 20:02:47 -0400
--------
‘The American and Russian People Don´t Want a New Confrontation´ Mikhail
Gorbachev talks about his relationship with Ronald Reagan and the dangers
ahead for U.S.-Russian relations
NEWSWEEK WEB EXCLUSIVE
April 27 — With U.S.-Russian relations probably at their lowest point since
the 1991 collapse of the Soviet Union, former Soviet president Mikhail
Gorbachev dropped in on the White House this week for a little schmoozing.
The two countries have been at odds over arms control, media censorship
and espionage. But on Monday, both Bush and Gorbachev were upbeat. “I
am naturally an optimist,” Gorbachev told reporters. “Today, I am even more
an optimist.” On Thursday, Gorbachev sat down in New York with
NEWSWEEK´S Jonathan Alter. They covered a wide range of subjects,
including Gorbachev´s relationship with Ronald Reagan, President Putin and
Gorbachev´s new environmental initiative. Excerpts:
http://www.msnbc.com/news/565665.asp
---------------------------
Russia airs concerns on missile shield
June summit planned; Ivanov wraps up his trip to Washington
ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON, May 19 — As he concluded a two-day visit, Russian
Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov said Saturday that he remained unconvinced of
the Bush administration´s need to build an anti-missile shield for the United
States. The missile defense plan will likely be the focus of a mid-June
summit between President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin. The
summit, a first chance for the two leaders to meet, was arranged during
Ivanov´s visit.
http://www.msnbc.com/news/575503.asp
============
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Questions About Hair in the Ancient World
From: ruby
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 02:10:45 -0400
--------
Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as
the teeth of lions.
Today, I have been thinking about HAIR and Revelation 9:8 in particular.
And I was also wondering how ancient people interpreted the concept of
the HAIR OF WOMEN. And I was even more particularly wondering about any
peculiar treatment of those of us who are redheads.
If I am not mistaken, in the ancient Scandinavia countries, red hair used
to be considered something bad, and that in places like Afghanistan and
parts of the Middle East, the men are so lacking in sexual self control
or morality, that they will readily rape or murder a woman who simply has
her hair uncovered.
Does anyone know more about all this, or any interesting commentary on
Rev. 9:8
In Jesus the Lord
Ruby Rock
========
To: <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Questions About Hair in the Ancient World
From: "Richard"
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 08:36:46 -0400
--------
Does this help a bit?
http://www.grahamhancock.com/features/strangers-p1.htm
-Rick-
----- Original Message -----
From: ruby
To: <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: Sunday, May 20, 2001 2:10 AM
Subject: [bprlist] Questions About Hair in the Ancient World
> Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as
> the teeth of lions.
>
> Today, I have been thinking about HAIR and Revelation 9:8 in particular.
> And I was also wondering how ancient people interpreted the concept of
> the HAIR OF WOMEN. And I was even more particularly wondering about any
> peculiar treatment of those of us who are redheads.
>
> If I am not mistaken, in the ancient Scandinavia countries, red hair used
> to be considered something bad, and that in places like Afghanistan and
> parts of the Middle East, the men are so lacking in sexual self control
> or morality, that they will readily rape or murder a woman who simply has
> her hair uncovered.
>
> Does anyone know more about all this, or any interesting commentary on
> Rev. 9:8
>
> In Jesus the Lord
> Ruby Rock
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: Re: [bprlist] Questions About Hair in the Ancient World
From: "Moza" <moza@butterfly.mv.com>
Date: Tue, 22 May 2001 20:08:58 -0400
--------
Ernest Martin in "101 Bible Secrets that Christians Do Not Know" addresses
the issue of the length of Jesus' hair:
"The apostle Paul utterly condemned long hair on a male human being (1 Cor
11:14) because males were created to be in the image of God and Christ
who did not (nor do they now) have long hair. There is absolute proof that
Jewish men (with Greeks and Romans) customarily wore their hair short. In
the Bible long hair to the shoulders like that normally associated with women
is confined to the description of evil spirits (Rev 9:8). The so-called 'Jesus'
that we see in churches and books today is a fourth century concoction that
is an image of Zeus (the chief of the pagan gods--especially in his Sarapis or
Egyptian form). If the apostles could come back to life and go into our
Christian churches today, they would be aghast at seeing a pagan god being
displayed and now being called (of all things) 'Jesus.'"
Further in the appendix:
"Eusebius copied the text of the Jewish historian Josephus in 'Against Apion'
I.22, para. 173-4. In this section, Josephus was quoting an early Gentile
author who gave some unique grooming styles of Jewish men. Josephus
shows that the Jews were known, as Eusebius renders it, for 'their close-
cropped hair' (Preparatin for the Gospel, IX.9, sect 412b)."
He goes on to explain that even a life-long Nazarite would've braided his hair
and wound it around his head. He states that Samson, seeing he was a
warrior, would not have let his hair hang loose as it would've been too easy to
grab ahold of in battle.
More quotes:
Loeb edition of Plutarch's "Moralia on The Roman Questions" 267B: "In
Greece, whenever any misfortune comes, the women cut off their hair and
the men let it grow, for it is usual for men to have their hair cut and for
women to let it grow."
Epiphanius of Salamis "Letter to the Emperor Theodosius" (around AD 379-
395): "Moreover, they are deceiving who represent the likeness of saints in
various forms according to their fancy, sometimes showing the same
persons as old men, sometimes as youths, intruding into things which they
have not seen. For they paint the Savior with long hair, and this by guessing
because He is called a Nazarene, and Nazarenes wear long hair. They are in
error if they try to attach stereotypes to Him, because the Savior drank wine,
whereas the Nazarenes did not.
"They also show forth deception by inventing things according to their
fancies. These impostors represent the holy apostle Peter as an elderly man
with hair and beard cut short; some represent holy Paul as a man with
receding hair, others as being bald and bearded, and the other apostles are
shown having their hair closely cropped. If then the Savior had long hair while
his apostles were cropped, and since by not being cropped, He was unlike
them in appearance, for what reason did the Pharisees and scribes give a fee
of thirty silver pieces to Judas that he might kiss Him and show them that He
was the one they looked for, when they might themselves or by means of
others have determined by reason of His [long] hair Him whom they were
seeking to find..."
Also 'The New Commentary on the Whole Bible: New Testament' says:
"And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as the teeth of
lions." Revelation 9:8
hair as the hair of women: An Arabic proverb compares the antennae of
locusts to the hair of girls.
As far as having red hair, supposedly Moses and David were redheads so
you're in good company :)
Moza
> Rev 9:8 And they had hair as the hair of women, and their teeth were as
> the teeth of lions.
>
> Today, I have been thinking about HAIR and Revelation 9:8 in particular.
> And I was also wondering how ancient people interpreted the concept of
> the HAIR OF WOMEN. And I was even more particularly wondering about any
> peculiar treatment of those of us who are redheads.
========
To: messynews@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] When the truth is so obvious!
From: Stafford's Mail
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 14:53:02 +0100
--------
Shalom dear pray-ers
This is Jerry Golden's latest report. Please keep him, his wife Connie
and his son Joel, in your prayers. Thank you Jerry for your constant
witness. Blessings Stafford
Ps 83:1-2 Do not keep silent, O God!
Do not hold Your peace,
And do not be still, O God!
2For behold, Your enemies make a tumult;
And those who hate You have lifted up their head. NKJV
====================================================
Jerry Golden “REPORT”
P. O. Box 591
Bet Shemesh 99100 Israel
5-20-01
When the truth is so obvious!
There is not a Newsman or woman in the Middle East who doesn´t know
the truth, they all know it is Yasser Arafat and the Islamic fanatics
throughout the Middle East who are to blame for all this death and
destruction. These news people must carry on their shoulders the blame
for much of the death and destruction, for they are the ones who
incite the violence, and feed the lies of Arafat to the rest of the
world. But what makes it worse is, they do it, knowing it. And they
feel safe, for who is to report on them?
I wrote an article a while back on the American Colony Hotel in East
Jerusalem. So it is not necessary to go over all that again, but I
want to say, first of all it has nothing to do with America, it is
Arab owned and Palestinians controlled. It is where you will find all
your CNN, BBC and other main international journalist when they are
not out on a mission to destroy Israel. The fact that you will not
find them in fellowship with Israelis or being housed in a Jewish
establishment says volumes. Palestinian Politicians visit this
establishment on a regular basis, making their rounds to be sure these
journalists are still thinking their way on things, and they are well
taken care of. They set around in the evening watching the news on TV
and applauding when things are said to make Israel look guilty. The
Palestinians, who watch TV with them, tell them how great it was when
they attack Israel in anyway.
Yesterday is a classical example of their bias reporting. A suicide
bomber walks up to a crowded Mall in Netanya, and kills seven and
wounds 106 (at final count). And it could have been much worse if not
for an alert security guard at the door. On the same day an IDF
Soldier (Lieutenant Yair Nebentsal) was ambushed and killed and his
mother seriously injured as they drove on the highway on their way
home. The Palestinians who did both these crimes have been brained
washed by Yessar Arafat and the Islamic Jihad, Hamas and Hizbullah.
All under the control now of Yessar Arafat.
On a daily basis now these Palestinians are killing us on our highways,
buses, and public places. They attack civilians; women and children,
even have snipers take dead aim at a baby in a baby carriage. But
little is said the only thing you hear is when Israel goes after these
murders. It is called excessive force when we go directly after the
guilty ones and kill them.
The use of Fighter Jets!
These same journalists have wasted no time in condemning Israel for
using these planes. But what is not being reported is the fact, that
the Palestinians have obtained ground to air missiles to strike
helicopters which are much easier to hit than an F-16. Just last week
the Israel Navy captured a boat carrying large amount of these weapons
being sent from the Hizbullah in south Lebanon to Arafat in Gaza. It
is also worth mentioning that F-16 hit with pinpoint accuracy and do a
far better job, as they can carry a greater payload to the enemy. So
any time Israel uses a weapon that Arafat doesn´t like, you can
imagine the conversation that night in the American Colony Hotel in
East Jerusalem between the Palestinians Politicians and the Journalist.
Pray for the peace of Jerusalem, my son Joel who is stationed on the
Lebanon Border, and for this ministry. “And we are hurting” Shalom,
jerry
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>
Stafford's Mail <staffordsimmonds@ntlworld.com>
========
To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) question on regarding Acts 6:9...
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 12:27:37 -0500
--------
Can anyone help w/ this question?
------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Sun, 20 May 2001 08:45:07 -0700 (PDT)
Subject: question on regarding Acts 6:9...
greetings in the Lord
I have a question regarding the "Libertines" of
Acts 6:9
Act 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue,
which is called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. KJV
who were these Libertines???...I have researched this
and have yet to come up with facts...only theories
pieced together from fragmented historical writings...
the 1599 Geneva Study Bible denotes:
6:9 (7) Then there arose certain of the (h) synagogue,
which is called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and
Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
(7) Schools and universities in ancient times were
addicted to false pastors, and were the instruments of
Satan to spread abroad and defend false doctrines.
(h) Of the people and the school, as it were.
and then...in most other resources it refers to the
"libertines" as "freedmen"...infact in other Bible
translations this is so...and these "freedman" were
said to be liberated Jews...formerly slaves...
in dictionary definitions this word libertine
means...free thinking...
I was wondering if anybody had some more information
on this for me...it would be much appreciated...
in Christ Jesus
b
------- End of forwarded message -------
========
To: <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: Re: [bprlist] (Fwd) question on regarding Acts 6:9...
From: "Michael B."
Date: Sun, 20 May 2001 19:54:59 +0100
--------
There were hundreds of synagogues in Jersualem, some of which were
maintained by the various groups of Jews in foreign lands. About b.c.63
Pompey carried a large number of Jews to Rome. When they were liberated and
returned to Judea, they formed the synagogue fo the Freedmen(not
Libertines). These synagogues seem to have been composed mostly of
Hellenists. In all probability Saul of Tarsus belonged to the synagogue of
Cilicia. These synagogues were doubltell very lax in their adherence to the
Jewish law and customs, yet they are not ashamed to charge Stephen with
this....Concordant Commentary on NT - AEKnoch
----- Original Message -----
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
To: <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Sent: 20 May 2001 18:27
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) question on regarding Acts 6:9...
>
> Can anyone help w/ this question?
>
> ------- Forwarded message follows -------
> Date sent: Sun, 20 May 2001 08:45:07 -0700 (PDT)
> Subject: question on regarding Acts 6:9...
>
> greetings in the Lord
>
> I have a question regarding the "Libertines" of
> Acts 6:9
>
> Act 6:9 Then there arose certain of the synagogue,
> which is called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and
> Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
> and of Asia, disputing with Stephen. KJV
>
> who were these Libertines???...I have researched this
> and have yet to come up with facts...only theories
> pieced together from fragmented historical writings...
> the 1599 Geneva Study Bible denotes:
>
> 6:9 (7) Then there arose certain of the (h) synagogue,
> which is called [the synagogue] of the Libertines, and
> Cyrenians, and Alexandrians, and of them of Cilicia
> and of Asia, disputing with Stephen.
>
> (7) Schools and universities in ancient times were
> addicted to false pastors, and were the instruments of
> Satan to spread abroad and defend false doctrines.
> (h) Of the people and the school, as it were.
>
> and then...in most other resources it refers to the
> "libertines" as "freedmen"...infact in other Bible
> translations this is so...and these "freedman" were
> said to be liberated Jews...formerly slaves...
>
> in dictionary definitions this word libertine
> means...free thinking...
>
> I was wondering if anybody had some more information
> on this for me...it would be much appreciated...
>
> in Christ Jesus
> b
>
> ------- End of forwarded message -------
>
>
Please be advised that this domain (Philologos.org) does not endorse 100 per cent any link contained herein. This forum is for the dissemination of pertinent information on an end-times biblical theme which includes many disturbing, unethical, immoral, etc. topics and should be viewed with a mature, discerning eye.