Choose Day Below

 

Israeline — Monday, January 7, 2002 —

 

* CAPTAIN OF WEAPONS SHIP HIRED BY PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
* ZINNI: ARAFAT MUST TAKE MEASURES AGAINST TERRORIST INFRASTRUCTURE
* COMMISSION TO COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ESTABLISHED
* HEAVY SNOW FALLS IN JERUSALEM, GALILEE, GOLAN HEIGHTS, MOUNT HERMON AND THE WEST BANK
* ECONOMIC BRIEFS

CAPTAIN OF WEAPONS SHIP HIRED BY PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
The captain of the Karine A weapons ship carrying 50 tons of armaments, which was seized by Israel Defense Forces off the southern coast of Israel on Friday morning, confessed that he was hired by the Palestinian Authority to bring the arms-laden ship through the Red Sea to PA-controlled shores, HA’ARETZ reported. The PA has denied any responsibility for the vessel. Israel maintains that senior Palestinian officials used PA funds to purchase the ship and its cargo.

According to Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, captain Omar Acawi, who is being held in an Ashkelon prison, was quoted as saying that he had once served as an officer in the Palestinian Navy, and later worked as a naval traffic advisor for the PA Transportation Ministry. Acawi said he was asked by a PA official in Greece, Adel Awadala, to prepare the ship for transferring cargo, and was asked to arrive at a certain location to load the cargo onto the ship. Acawi also admitted that he knew the cargo contained weaponry that was bound for the PA.


ZINNI: ARAFAT MUST TAKE MEASURES AGAINST TERRORIST INFRASTRUCTURE
Before completing his mission to the Middle East on Sunday, U.S. Middle East Envoy Anthony Zinni told Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat on Saturday that he must not only reduce the number of terror attacks, but must also take measures against the terror infrastructure, and that almost nothing has yet been done in this area, HA’ARETZ reported. According to Zinni, the PA must deal with the "ideological basis" of the terror organizations, their commanders and the types of weapons they use. He discussed with Arafat Palestinian efforts to arm themselves, saying, "Every time I come to the region, Israel makes a gesture; it’s time you also made a gesture."

Summing up his visit, Zinni said that along with serious challenges, it is clear that there are real opportunities for progress. He will return to the region on January 18 for another round of talks, at which point he will assess the readiness for the implementation of the Tenet report. Zinni also convened a joint Israeli-Palestinian security meeting on Sunday and proposed the implementation of the "Dahaniya outline," which involves mutual steps toward a cease-fire, as agreed upon in a meeting between Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres and PA Chairman Yasser Arafat in late September. Zinni described the meeting as "positive and constructive." He asked the Israelis and Palestinians to continue the security meetings with or without an American presence, in order to formulate practical steps to increase security cooperation. He also asked them to plan for the implementation of the Tenet report "at the right time."

COMMISSION TO COMBAT ANTI-SEMITISM ESTABLISHED
Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs Rabbi Michael Melchior announced on Sunday the establishment of the International Commission to Combat Anti-Semitism, HA’TZOFEH reported. The commission will be co-chaired by Melchior, Canadian Member of Parliament Prof. Irwin Kotler and Former Swedish Deputy Prime Minister Per Ahlmark.

At the press conference announcing the establishment of the commission, Melchior said, "we are today witnessing a new campaign of anti-Semitism throughout the world which finds statement in the demonization of Israel." He added that international cooperation is necessary as "anti-Semitism is not specifically and only a threat against Jews. Anti-Semitism is an existential threat to the basics of civilization, it is a threat against any decency and any democracy." Melchior said that the ICA will be an inclusive body, with a non-Jewish majority, and will be combined effort of Jewish organizations, NGOs and academic groups responsible for providing the theoretical basis and the research.

The first will involve the assembly of the forum’s temporary management team and the presidency of the forum, by seeking world-renowned leaders willing to devote their time to fighting anti-Semitism. The second stage will concern the establishment of different action committees in several countries.


HEAVY SNOW FALLS IN JERUSALEM, GALILEE, GOLAN HEIGHTS, MOUNT HERMON AND THE WEST BANK
Heavy snow fell this morning in Jerusalem and the West Bank while snow also blanketed the Upper Galilee, the Golan Heights, Safed and Mount Hermon on Sunday night and throughout the morning today, YEDIOT AHARONOT reported. Snow was also expected to fall in Mitzpeh Ramon in the Negev Desert. Heavy rains fell in other parts of the country. According to the weather, snow is expected to continue throughout the night.

The inclement weather caused heavy traffic jams and the Jerusalem Police asked all workers to leave their offices and return home. The main entrance to Jerusalem was closed and Egged Bus Company canceled all intercity bus travel in and out of Jerusalem. Jerusalem mass transit also ceased operation in all areas.

According to HA’ARETZ, the Jerusalem municipality took measures before the storm’s arrival, by preparing 80 heavy vehicles on Sunday, including snow plows and tractors. IDF snowplows were clearing the snow from the main roads in the upper Galilee and the Golan Heights. The IDF’s Northern Command will provide basic commodities to residents in case of extreme conditions and the possibility of communities being cut off due to the snow in the north.


During a cabinet meeting today, the Government made a decision to take special measures to encourage Jews to make Aliyah (immigration to Israel) from France and South Africa. New immigrants from both countries will be eligible for a basket of new Aliyah benefits. Last week the Government offered a new Aliyah basket to immigrants from Argentina.


ECONOMIC BRIEFS

* The Hebrew Uuniversity of Jerusalem intends to invest $40 million in a new center for nanoscience and nanotechnology research, GLOBES reported. "The Hebrew University of Jerusalem decided to establish the Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology after comprehending the great importance of the field, which has the potential to revolutionize technology in the 21st Century. The center will have the appropriate conditions for sharing knowledge, expertise and research methods between researchers from different disciplines. The center will provide the necessary infrastructure for conducting research in this fascinating field of science," said Professor Uri Banin of the Institute of Chemistry. The new center will include units that will give researchers access to state-of-the-art scientific equipment for characterization and preparation of models.

* Novartis Pharma Ag has contracted Optimata, an Israeli biosimulation start-up, GLOBES reported. Within the framework of the R&D project, Optimata will be utilizing its propriety mathematical algorithms and software tools in conjunction with clinical and preclinical information to further assess the action mechanism of a new drug under development. Optimata will also employ its optimization platform to provide improved schedules for various indications of the new drug.

Israel Line is a daily summary of major news items taken directly from the Israeli media.


Israeline — Tuesday, January 8, 2002 —

* INDIA, ISRAEL DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION, FIGHTING TERRORISM
* ISRAEL ASKS EU TO LABEL HIZBULLAH, PFLP TERROR ORGANIZATIONS
* TURKISH COURT SENTENCES TWO IN ISRAELI SECURITY CHIEF’S MURDER

* U.S. ASSISTING ISRAEL WITH COUNTER-TERRORISM AID
* UNEMPLOYED MOTHER WINS LOTTERY MILLIONS
* ECONOMIC BRIEFS


INDIA, ISRAEL DISCUSS MILITARY COOPERATION, FIGHTING TERRORISM
Minister of Foreign Affairs Shimon Peres held talks with Indian Defense Minister George Fernandes today as the two countries discussed ways to cooperate in the war on terrorism, HA’ARETZ reported. An Israeli official from the Ministry of Defense said Peres discussed the situation in the subcontinent where both nuclear-capable India and Pakistan have mobilized troops after Pakistani terrorists attacked India’s parliament building in mid-December. A Defense official from India added that Peres and Fernandes also exchanged views on the security situation, terrorism and defense cooperation. "Defense cooperation with Israel is an ongoing thing," he said.

Peres is on a three-day visit to India and is also slated to meet with his counterpart Jaswant Singh and Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee. Since their establishment of diplomatic relations in 1992, India and Israel have expanded defense cooperation and counter-terrorism cooperation. New Delhi purchased aerial surveillance vehicles from Israel and is currently negotiating the purchase of an Israeli made Phalcon airborne early warning radar system, which military experts say will significantly advance India’s military capability. The two nations have also been discussing measures to fight terrorism. A Joint Working Group on terrorism is currently meeting in Tel Aviv while Peres is in India.

ISRAEL ASKS EU TO LABEL HIZBULLAH, PFLP TERROR ORGANIZATIONS
Israel has asked the European Union to add Hizbullah and Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine (PFLP) to its list of terrorist organizations, HA’ARETZ reported. The EU’s most recent list of terrorist groups, published last month, included the military wing of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad, but then Hizbullah was withdrawn from the list at the last minute, following pressure from France.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sent a letter last week to his Spanish counterpart, Jose Maria Aznar, to congratulate him on Spain’s acquisition of the rotating presidency of the EU. In the letter, Sharon welcomed the inclusion of Hamas and Islamic Jihad on the EU’s terrorist list, but added that Hizbullah and PFLP, "must also be included on that list."


TURKISH COURT SENTENCES TWO IN ISRAELI SECURITY CHIEF’S MURDER
An Ankara court today handed down a death sentence to two Turkish men convicted of murdering Ehud Sadan, who served as security chief at the Israeli Embassy in Turkey, ten years ago, IDF RADIO reported. It is still unknown whether the two will be executed or if their sentences will be commuted to life in prison.

Sadan, who was 37 at the time of his death, was killed on March 7, 1992 when his car exploded in a residential area. The blast also seriously injured two civilian passerby. The investigation demonstrated that that explosives were planted alongside the car. Three pro-Iranian terrorist organizations, among them Hizbullah, claimed responsibility for the murder.

Sadan is survived by his wife and three children.

U.S. ASSISTING ISRAEL WITH COUNTER-TERRORISM AID
The United States is giving Israel an extra $28 million in foreign aid to purchase counter-terrorism equipment, primarily robots that perform controlled explosions on suspicious objects, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Under the terms of the allotment, Israel must spend the money in the United States. "The Israelis suffered a horrendous amount of bombings over the past several months," a U.S. official said. "The United States has helped out with some equipment to save lives in the past. Much of that equipment has been damaged or destroyed, so a request was made to see if we could come up with the money to replace the damaged equipment and we did."

Minister of Internal Security Uzi Landau raised the request with American officials during his visit there last July. Israel has nearly depleted its reservoir of robotic bomb detectors over the past 15 months due to the immense number of explosive devices planted by terrorists. In addition to robots and associated parts, some of the money will be spent on sophisticated X-ray equipment to examine suspect containers and trucks.


UNEMPLOYED MOTHER WINS LOTTERY MILLIONS
A 30-year-old unemployed mother of two from central Israel won NIS 10,000,000, (approximately $2.5 million)on Monday; the grand prize from last month’s Lotto and Superball lotteries, MA’ARIV reported.

Originally the young mother thought that she had won NIS 100,000 (approximately $25,000) in the weekly Mifal Hapayis lottery, but was surprised to discover how much she had really won when she and her husband went to pick up their check at the lottery office headquarters.

"I started shaking when the reality of the winnings sank in," she said.

Al-Ahali, a new Arabic-language newspaper is slated to launch its first edition this week, HA’ARETZ reported. The newspaper will be published bi-weekly, but Ma’ariv, which is the principal shareholder, hopes to turn it into a daily. Several Israeli Arab businessmen are minority shareholders in the venture. According to Salem Jubarin, the editor-in-chief, the paper will have complete editorial freedom.


ECONOMIC BRIEFS

* International rating agency Moody’s Investors Service has left Israel’s credit rating unchanged at A2 despite the economic recession and the conflict with the Palestinians, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Moody’s also said it leaves Israel’s rating outlook on foreign and local currency at "stable." The agency said that "the rating incorporates the consequences of the current global economic slowdown, the particular economic difficulties of the high -tech sector, and the ongoing Palestinian intifada."

* The weight of Israeli shares in the Morgan Stanley Capital International index for emerging markets is expected to increase to 5 percent from the current 4.5 percent when the index is updated, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The MSCI index together with the International Finance Corporation emerging markets index are believed to be the major indices for investors in emerging markets and many portfolio mangers invest in those markets based on their relative weight in each index.

Israel Line is a daily summary of major news items taken directly from the Israeli media.


Israeline — Wednesday, January 9, 2002 —

* PALESTINIAN GUNMEN KILL 4 IDF SOLDIERS
* US: PALESTINIAN INVOLVEMENT IN ARMS SMUGGLING OPERATION OF ‘DEEP CONCERN’
* ISA, POLICE ARREST WEAPONS SMUGGLERS, KILLERS OF 2 ISRAELIS
* GIULIANI THANKS ISRAELI SINGER FOR SONG IN MEMORY OF SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIMS
* ISRAELI ARAB TO PLAY LEAD ROLE IN MY FAIR LADY
* ECONOMIC BRIEFS

PALESTINIAN GUNMEN KILL 4 IDF SOLDIERS
Palestinian gunmen killed four Israel Defense Forces soldiers early this morning when they crossed a border fence and attacked the Africa outpost, on the Gaza border near Kibbutz Keren Shalom, HA’ARETZ ON-LINE reported. Two soldiers were injured in the attack, one of them seriously. They were evacuated to Soroka Hospital in Be’er Sheva. All were members of a Bedouin unit.

Hamas claimed responsibility for the attack, according to the Qatar-based satellite TV station Al Jazeera. The two attackers were identified as Mohammed Abu Jamus, 23, a member of the Palestinian Navy and Imad Abu Rizak, 25, who was identified as a member of Hamas. Both were residents of the Gaza Strip city Khan Yunis.

The two Palestinians cut through the border fence at 4:30am and opened fire with automatic weapons and grenades. An IDF patrol in the area arrived at the scene. Both terrorists were killed.

According to initial reports, the Palestinians also had explosive devices strapped to their bodies. Maj.-Gen. Doron Almog, chief commander in the Gaza Strip, told reporters that the terrorists were dressed in Palestinian Authority police uniforms, highlighting coordination between Hamas and the PA. Despite the cease-fire, Almog said that it was clear that Palestinians intend to continue attacking settlements and IDF positions in the West Bank and Gaza. He also said that the two Palestinians were aided by six others who accompanied them to the border fence.

Following the incident, authorities placed Kerem Shalom and neighboring Israeli villages Sufa, Hulit, and Nir Yitzhak on an extremely high alert status. All the towns are within Israel’s pre-1967 war border.

Meanwhile, according to IDF RADIO, the Security Cabinet convened today to discuss the attack. An aid to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was quoted as saying,"If there had been talk of seven days of quiet, the seven days of quiet are null and void. As for everyone that perhaps had deluded themselves that these were days of quiet, Arafat has come forward to once again prove that there are no days of quiet. As a result, there will be grave consequences for the diplomatic process." The PA condemned the attack.


US: PALESTINIAN INVOLVEMENT IN ARMS SMUGGLING OPERATION OF ‘DEEP CONCERN’
The United States expressed "deep concern" on Tuesday over Palestinian involvement in the illegal arms smuggling operation aboard the Karin A ship last week, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. State Department spokesman Richard Boucher said Palestinian captain Omar Acawis’s confession, admitting that he took orders from a weapons agent in the Palestinian Authority, was credible.

Today, two senior Israel Defense Forces intelligence officials will brief U.S. Assistant Secretary of State William Burns and meet with officials at the CIA and Pentagon in Washington. Boucher said the U.S. is looking forward to hearing more details to complement the evidence Israel has amassed.

"The quantity and the quality of the shipments are of serious concern. I think we find the fact that there are Palestinians involved in shipping these weapons deeply troubling," Boucher said. United States Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld endorsed the seizure of the ship as a necessary act of self-defense on Tuesday, saying, "[The Israelis] clearly had very good intelligence that those weapons were going to be used against them. And they intercepted the ship by preempting that ship from landing and unloading and then those weapons to be used against Israel."

ISA, POLICE ARREST WEAPONS SMUGGLERS, KILLERS OF 2 ISRAELIS
The Israeli Security Agency and the Galilee regional police uncovered a weapons smuggling ring attempting to smuggle explosive devices from Syria into the West Bank with the help of Druze residents of the Golan Heights, HA’ARETZ reported. Security forces arrested five people suspected of involvement with the ring.

The men were charged with attempting to smuggle West Bank five mines and 15 hand-grenades into the West Bank. Written instructions regarding how to produce the maximum number of casualties were attached to the explosive devices.

Meanwhile, the ISA and the police announced the arrests of two Palestinians suspected of murdering kashrut inspector Aharon Avdian from Zichron Ya’akov in July and Said Fuad from Baka al-Garbiyeh in October. The two suspects, Rasam Fareed Hussein, 42, and his cousin Tarek Adnan Hussein, are residents of the West Bank village Nizlat Isa. A third Palestinian, also a resident of the village, is suspected of being an accomplice to the murders, but he evaded capture. During questioning, both men confessed to links to the Fatah organization in the area of the West Bank city of Tulkarem.

Avdian was murdered while shopping in the Baka al-Sharkiya market. It is believed that Tarek Hussein opened fire several times at Avdian before fleeing to areas under PA-control along with Rasam Hussein and the third suspect.


GIULIANI THANKS ISRAELI SINGER FOR SONG IN MEMORY OF SEPTEMBER 11 VICTIMS
Former New York City Mayor Rudolph Giuliani sent a personal thank you letter to
Vic, an Israeli singer from Haifa, for a song she recorded and dedicated to the victims of the September 11 attacks, MA’ARIV reported.

Vic, 27, an immigrant from Russia, was very effected by the terrorist attacks and decided that instead of donating money, she would record "Ave Maria" in memory of the victims. She sent the CD to Giuliani. "Your gesture is strengthening our nation in these hard times," Giuliani wrote.


ISRAELI ARAB TO PLAY LEAD ROLE IN MY FAIR LADY
Mira Awad, 26, a Christian Israeli Arab from the village of Rama in the Galilee, was selected to play the role of Eliza Doolittle in the Israeli musical production of My Fair Lady, YEDIOT AHARONOT reported. Awad is a graduate of the Rimon School for Music in Ramat HaSharon and competed against 119 other candidates.

In the new production, Oded Kotler will play the role of Professor Higgins, Shaike Levy will play the part of Alfred Doolittle, Eliza’s father, and Alex Ansky will play Colonel Pickering. The musical is being produced by Micha Levinson and will be performed at the Opera House in Tel Aviv.


ECONOMIC BRIEFS
* Venture capital fund Veritas Venture Partners has completed an initial financing round of $50 million for its Fund 3, GLOBES reported. Veritas hopes to raise $100 million by June 2002. The initial round began at the end of 2000 and attracted foreign institutional and private investors. According to Veritas’ founding partner Gideon Tolkowsky, Fund 3 will make 15-18 new investments over the next four years. Tolkowsky also said the fund will focus on seed companies in communications, enterprise software and medical equipment.


* Electric Fuel announced that the latest addition to its disposable, back-up Instant Power Batteries for digital cameras would support popular cameras that take 4 AA-sized batteries, GLOBES reported. Electric Fuel says this is the first time that the company has positioned its zinc-air fuel cell technology in a product category that puts it in direct competition with alkaline batteries. The new battery is compatible with more than 50 digital camera models from camera manufacturers Olympus, Kodak and Nikon.

Israel Line is a daily summary of major news items taken directly from the Israeli media.