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Eye on Israel

April 15, 2001

IDF Attacks Gaza in Daylight Raid
Israeli Defense Forces for the first time launched a daylight operation in retaliation for mortar attacks on Jewish communities in the Gaza Strip and Israel. The IDF helicopter attack Tuesday came after Palestinians fired six mortar shells. IDF helicopter-launched rockets slammed into two Palestinian Police posts in the Gaza Strip. In explaining the decision to launch a daylight operation, military officers noted that since the end of January, the Palestinians have fired 71 mortar shells at Israeli communities.

Abdullah, Bush Discuss Ways to End Middle East Violence
President Bush and Jordan's King Abdullah have called for an end to Mideast violence at a White House meeting. At a press conference on Tuesday, Bush said that the United States is working hard to persuade Palestinians and Israelis to end the ongoing cycle of violence so peace discussions can resume. He also called on all peaceful countries in the Mideast to discourage violent activities. Abdullah added that the main priority is finding a way to reduce the violence. The king has cautioned that the current cycle of violence, which began in late September, could escalate further and possibly threaten the stability of neighboring countries. Palestinians make up nearly 40 percent of Jordan's population. Abdullah is the son of the late King Hussein, Saddam Hussein’s only ally during the Persian Gulf War.

Islamist Warns: Don't Open Temple Mount to Jews
The secretary-general of the Organization of the Islamic Conference on Tuesday condemned as a "dangerous escalation" a recent decision by Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to open the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to Jewish visitors. The Temple Mount is under Israeli sovereignty but is controlled by the Islamic Wakf. Following Ariel Sharon’s visit to the Temple Mount in September, the Wakf decided to ban Jews from the Temple Mount, site of Solomon’s temple but now occupied by the Al Aksa mosque. However, the Wakf obtains much of its operating revenue from the $12 entry fee that charged to non-Moslems for visiting the site, so the Moslems planned to continue to allow visits by Christians, Buddhists, Hindus, Taoists, Scientologists, agnostics, atheists, devil-worshipers, and other non-Jews. The Israelis decided that if Jews couldn’t visit the site, then neither could other non-Moslems. Sharon issued a statement last week saying he had instructed Israel's security agencies to make it possible for people of all faiths to visit the compound. The Islamic secretary-general, Abdelwahid Balqaziz, warned that Sharon's decision is a "challenge to the Islamic nation and touches on its sacred religious sensibilities." The terrorist group Hamas has also spoken against Sharon's declaration, calling on Palestinians, Muslims, and Arabs to prevent Jewish visits to the Temple Mount "by all means."

Israeli Security Minister Calls for Hourly Reprisals against Palestinian
Israel's response to Palestinian attacks on Jewish communities on both sides of the Green Line has not been sufficient, Israel’s Internal Security Minister Uzi Landau told the Jerusalem Post on Monday. "Actions must be carried out daily and hourly, so that the price paid by the Palestinian Authority and those that use the tools of violence and terror will be insufferable and no longer a feasible method to be used to advance political interests," said Landau. In less than a week, over 20 mortar shells have been fired by Palestinians at Jewish communities on both sides of the pre-1967 border in the Gaza Strip area. Landau views Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat as the enemy and not a partner for peace. "When you see him giving the green light to a sniper to aim for the head of a 10-month-old baby, what sort of partner is he?" asked Landau. "He isn't a partner for peace; he is Saddam Hussein's partner or the partner of the Ayatollah in Iran."

UN to Inspect Temple Mount Destruction
At Israel's request, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization is sending a special envoy to Jerusalem to investigate Islamic Wakf construction work on the Temple Mount, a UNESCO official confirmed Monday. The purpose of the mission "is to find out how things happen, and what can be done to prevent unsatisfactory things from happening," said the envoy, Prof. Oleg Grabar of Princeton University. UNESCO has previously sent envoys to Jerusalem to report on the status of archaeological excavations there. The envoys were often highly critical of excavations Israel conducted in the city, which the UN does not consider to be under Israeli sovereignty. Confirming what archaeologists have been warning for months, the head Israel’s Antiquities Authority said last month that the Wakf was causing "unequivocal damage" at Judaism's holiest site.

PLO Kills Israeli Arab as Suspected Collaborator
An Israeli Arab was shot in a store belonging to his relatives in the Palestinian-controlled village of Tulkarm on Sunday by three masked men who fired at least 13 bullets at close range. A PLO faction claimed responsibility for the attack, alleging that the Arab was a collaborator with Israel. The murder marked the first time an Israeli Arab was targeted for such a reason. A Palestinian security official condemned the murder, saying that anyone suspected of collaborating should be brought to trial before being killed.

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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.