FrontPage

Nation

World

Media

Culture

Technology

Commentary

Eye on Israel

May 5, 2001

Mitchell Commission Says Sharon’s Temple Mount Visit Not the Cause of Intifada
May 5, 2001 -- An international commission examining Israeli-Palestinian violence says Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's visit to the Temple Mount compound last October was not the reason for the outbreak of the Palestinian intifada, contradicting Palestinian claims. U.S. officials handed the preliminary report to both sides in brief meetings in Tel Aviv and the West Bank town of Ramallah. News reports say the commission did not blame Israel for the violence, but criticized it for Jewish settlement expansion in the West Bank and Gaza. The report did not recommend the deployment of an international peacekeeping force as the Palestinians demanded. Both sides said they will study the findings and issue responses which may be included in the commission's final report. The five-man commission, headed by former U.S. Senator George Mitchell, was set up after an Israeli-Palestinian summit at Sharm el-Sheikh, Egypt, last October.

Israeli Cabinet Minister Calls for Destruction of Palestinian Terrorist Infrastructure
May 4, 2001 -- A right-wing Israeli cabinet minister called today for Israel's army to totally destroy the Palestinian terrorism apparatus. In an interview published Friday in Israel's Ma'ariv newspaper, Israeli Infrastructure Minister Avigdor Lieberman said the army should enter the Palestinian-ruled territories and destroy the entire Palestinian military infrastructure. The minister said Israel should carry out a 48-hour operation destroying all Palestinian police buildings, arsenals and security forces posts - not leaving "one stone upon another." A senior aide to Palestinian terrorist chief Yasser Arafat said the statement shows the Israeli government does not want peace.

Bush, Peres Discuss Mideast Violence
May 3, 2001 -- Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres says he is reassured of the U.S. commitment for seeking peace in the Middle East. Peres left a White House meeting Thursday saying President Bush had told him the United States will act as a facilitator for Israeli-Palestinian peace moves, but will not try to impose a deal. A White House spokesman said Peres and Bush focused on efforts that are underway to end the violence, rebuild trust and return parties to dialogue.

Israel to Palestinians, Stop Violence so Talks can Start
May 3, 2001 -- Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres says his government is "seriously and sincerely anxious" to resume negotiations with the Palestinians, once the Palestinians stop the violence in the region. Peres made the comment in Washington Wednesday, after a meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell. "Israel is determined to bring an end to violence and to bring a beginning to peace," Peres said. "Actually we'd like to stop violence as soon as possible because we're interested to start negotiations at the earliest possible date." Powell said peace talks can not get underway until the violence is, in his words, "brought significantly down." He added that reducing the level of violence is now the primary goal of U.S. policy. Peres is due to meet with President Bush today.

Arafat, Mbeki Discuss Mideast Peace
May 2, 2001 -- Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat is in South Africa for a meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement aimed at restarting the stalled Middle East peace process. Representative of nearly 20 countries have been invited to Thursday's meeting of the Non-Aligned Movement's ministerial committee on Palestine. South African officials say the meeting is aimed at finding a way for the Non-Aligned Movement to promote dialogue and help end the violence in the Middle East. Shortly after his arrival in the country, Arafat went into talks with South African President Thabo Mbeki who currently serves as chairman of the Non-Aligned Movement. The Palestinian leader told reporters South Africa has an important role to play in the Middle East peace process, and he believes Mbeki can make a significant contribution.

Sharon Says Jordan Valley To Stay in Israel's Hands Forever
May 2, 2001 -- The Jordan Valley, from Beit Shean in the north to the Dead Sea in the south, will remain in Israel's hands forever, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon said today. Sharon said that Israeli sovereignty will be maintained over the entire width of the valley, and he cannot foresee any situation where this status will be changed. Israelis have traditionally seen the Jordan Valley, which Israel recaptured from Jordan in 1967, as a buffer zone between Israel and Arab nations to the east. However, former prime minister Ehud Barak was apparently prepared to hand the Jordan Valley over to Palestinian control in order to obtain a final peace agreement with the Palestinians.

Bush Calls for National Missile Defense
May 1, 2001 -- President Bush says the United States and Russia must leave behind the constraints of the 1972 Anti-Ballistic Missile Treaty and find new ways to confront threats in the post-cold-war-era. In a speech Tuesday outlining his national security strategy in Washington, the president said the ABM treaty enshrines the past and prevents the United States from protecting itself from the threat of missile attacks from what he called irresponsible nations. President Bush said Russia and the United States should work together to replace the ABM Treaty with a new framework that allows for the development of missile defenses to protect the United States, and its friends and allies. In an interview following the president’s speech, Democratic Senator Joe Biden said that is was easy to say that the U.S. would build a missile defense system, but "the devil is in the details." He argued that a missile attack against the continental US by a rogue nation is unlikely, but fielding a missile defense system would encourage China to build more missiles in order to overwhelm the U.S. defenses.

Syria Rejects Arab Plan, Favors Escalation of Violence
May 1, 2001 -- Syria has rejected the Jordanian-Egyptian initiative to return Israel and the Palestinians to the negotiating table. Syria does not support a paragraph in the Jordanian-Egyptian proposal calling for an end to the intifada and instead favors an escalation, Syrian sources told Radio Monte Carlo. The Syrian sources termed the government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon a "war government." They said the ideal solution from Syria's point of view is to isolate Israel within the international community and to cultivate a pan-Arab consensus for continuing the intifada.

Israel and PLO Negotiating Cease-Fire
April 30, 2001 -- Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres will meet U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan today in New York to discuss the latest efforts to end seven-months of Israeli-Palestinian violence. Peres visited Egypt and Jordan Sunday for talks on an Arab initiative to end the clashes, and Israel said it would ease restrictions on Palestinians. Among other measures, Israel said it would immediately begin increasing the number of permits issued for Palestinians to work in Israel. Israel still wants some changes to the Egyptian-Jordanian confidence-building plan, while the Palestinians say it should be left unchanged. Palestinian officials accuse Israel of trying to evade agreements it has already made. Peres will discuss developments with President Bush Thursday in Washington after meeting with U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell on Wednesday.

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.