FrontPage

Nation

World

Media

Culture

Technology

Commentary

Eye on Israel

April 8, 2001

Israeli Helicopters and Tanks Attack PLO Targets in Gaza
Israel responded quickly and sharply to Palestinian mortar fire on several Jewish settlements in the Gaza Strip and a farming village inside Israel. Helicopter gunships struck at several Palestinian security and police posts Thursday night and Israeli tanks pounded other Palestinian areas early Friday. Israeli officials warned they will retaliate relentlessly and that Palestinian security forces will be targets if the Palestinian Authority fails to prevent attacks against Israelis. Israeli combat helicopters also struck targets in the Gaza Strip on Tuesday, hours after a mortar attack from Palestinian areas critically injured an Israeli baby in a nearby settlement. A spokesman for the Israeli army called the mortar assault barbaric, and said that all targets hit by the helicopters were involved in terrorist activities against Israel. The Israeli army says at least four Jewish settlers were wounded in the Palestinian mortar attack. About 6,500 Israelis live in small, heavily guarded settlements in Gaza, surrounded by more than one million Palestinians.
Related story

Explosion Kills Palestinian Terrorist
A Palestinian terrorist from Islamic Jihad was killed Thursday when a bomb exploded in a telephone booth he was standing in exploded. Islamic Jihad leaders blamed Israel for the explosion and vowed to retaliate. The Israeli army says it is still checking the facts about the case. The terrorist, Iyad al-Hardan, is accused of masterminding several bombings, including the 1998 bombing of Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda outdoor market. The Islamic Jihad is opposed to any peace negotiations with Israel and in recent years has been behind a campaign of terrorist attacks, including suicide bombings, in the Jewish state.

Sharon Calls for Allowing Jews to Return to Temple Mount
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has ordered security officials to find a way for Jews to visit the Temple Mount compound in Jerusalem's Old City. The walled Temple Mount compound, referred to by Moslems as the Al-Aksa mosque, is where the Temple of Solomon once stood. Jews have been banned by the Moslem Wakf from entering the Temple Mount since the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada in September. Palestinians claim that Sharon triggered the current round of Palestinian terrorism when he visited the Temple Mount last September, sparking angry street protests. The Romans destroyed the last Jewish temple nearly 2,000 years ago. The temple's last remnant, the Western Wall below the mount, is considered the holiest site in Judaism.

Israel’s Supreme Court Ducks Temple Mount Issue
The Committee to Prevent the Destruction of Antiquities on the Temple Mount withdrew its petition to Israel’s High Court of Justice yesterday, after a panel of three justices told its members to seek remedy from the government. The committee, whose members include former mayor Teddy Kollek, had charged that the Wakf was carrying out illegal construction on the Temple Mount. The court rule that the Temple Mount issue is a matter of government policy and must be left to the government to deal with. Afterwards, Temple Mount Faithful leader Gershon Solomon charged that the authorities were afraid. "Everyone is covering up for everyone else," he told reporters. "Everyone who was here -- the representatives of the government, the State Attorney's Office, the Jerusalem Municipality, the court itself -- knows that there is a tragedy and a terrible crime taking place on the Temple Mount."

Israelis, Palestinians Meet in Athens
After a day of violence in the Gaza Strip, top Israeli and Palestinian officials held their highest-level political meeting since the election of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon in February. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Shimon Peres, met with Palestinian Planning Minister Nabil Shaath and negotiator Saeb Erekat in Athens, Greece on April 4. European Union security affairs chief, Javier Solana, who arranged the meeting, appealed to both sides to end more than six months of violence and resume negotiations. Israel Radio reported that a meeting is being planned between Israeli and Palestinian security chiefs, with U.S. Government representatives as mediators. Israel Radio said Secretary of State Colin Powell arranged the talks following telephone conversations with Sharon and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat.

Palestinian Radio Claims Israeli Mother Killed Baby
The official Palestinian radio station now claims that the Hebron baby killed by Palestinian sniper fire was murdered by her mother because she suffered from disabilities. The ten-month-old Israeli girl, who did not suffer from disabilities, was killed on March 26th when a Palestinian sniper opened fire at the Jewish community in Hebron. The baby, Shalhevet Pass, was shot in the head as she sat in a stroller pushed by her father, Yitzhak Pass, who was wounded in the leg. An Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman said the Palestinian radio report demonstrates how low the Palestinians are willing to stoop to win world sympathy.
Related story

Bush Urges Mubarak to Curb PLO Terrorist Attacks
President Bush has urged Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak to use his influence in the region to encourage Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat to end the violence between Israelis and Palestinians. Bush has signaled that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat bears most of the responsibility for ending the violence that has been ongoing since September. Bush, who has so far refused to schedule a meeting with Arafat, gave no indication he was backing down from that position during his White House meeting Monday with the Egyptian president. The meeting came two weeks after Bush met with Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and just over one week before he sees Jordan's King Abdullah.
Related story

Congressmen Urge Bush to Reassess Relations With Palestinians
A coalition of nearly 300 U.S. lawmakers from both houses of Congress is calling for a reassessment of U.S. relations with the Palestinians. In letters to President Bush, the group of 87 Senators and 209 House members blame Palestinians for the upsurge of violence with Israel. The letters accuse Palestinians of embarking on a deliberate campaign of violence, with an average 30 incidents a day against Israeli soldiers and civilians. The lawmakers say President Bush should consider whether aid to the Palestinians should continue and whether the PLO office in Washington should be allowed to remain open. They also say the administration should consider barring any Palestinians from entering the United States by Palestinians who were involved in attacks on Israelis, and consider whether groups involved in such attacks should be designated as terrorist organizations.

Arafat Showered Clintons With Gifts
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat reportedly gave Bill and Hillary Clinton gifts valued at over $12,000, according to an article in the New York Observer. The gifts included gold and diamond necklaces, bracelets, and earrings. Former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright received jewelry worth $17,400 from the Palestinian leader, the Observer said.

Search the Web.

The Stones Cry Out
by Randall Price
This survey of archaeological discoveries in Bible lands includes testimonies and interviews from leading archaeologists and exciting pictures featuring the latest finds made in the lands of the Bible