Israel Resource Review |
1st March, 2001 |
Contents:
Official PA radio news - P.B.C. V.O.P. (Voice of Palestine) Radio: February 27th
Summary and Analysis
In the aftermath of the visit of Colin Powell, both the Palestinian
Authority and Israel agree on one thing: there has been an escalation of
organized physical violence and verbal exhortation and excusing of such
violence. Indeed, the PA does not really bother to hide any longer that it
is exhorting to violence-except that it DEFINES this as justifiable
resistance. V.O.P. made no effort at hiding the fact that Arafat actually gave
a pep talk to West Bank leaders urging continued "resistance" and
"steadfastness." When one or more of those leaders then emerges from the
meeting and urges (or when V.O.P. announcer Samir Interr or Commentator Yousef
al-Kazaaz exhorts) Palestinians
not to fire on Israelis from inhabited
Palestinian buildings, V.O.P. IS SAYING THAT these instructions on when and how
to fire on Israelis came right from the top: from Arafat himself>.
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The Voice of Palestine has been featuring PA officials
who condemn Israeli officials and officers for talking about Israel's
"liquidation policy"-what the PA calls "Israel's assassination policy."
Officials such as Col. Tawfik al-Tirawi (PA West Bank General Intelligence
chief) are threatening counter-assassinations, while West Bank Fatah leader
Marwan Barghouti promises an endless intifada: they are among the regular
main interviewees on the prime time news shows.
Contrary to the spin of some Israeli commentators,
Barghouti is depicted on V.O.P. as a loyal disciple of Arafat. For example, in
a local report from Rashid Hilal in Ramllah on February 27, correspondent Hilal
describe Arafat's call for continued "steadfastness" in confronting Israel.
And then Hilal follows immediately with a soundbite from Barghouti
(introduced as Fatah West Bank Secretary) saying:
"The representatives of Palestinian power at the meeting (in Ramallah
with Arafat) expressed their happiness at this meeting with his excellency,
after a long period-due to the circumstances, after a long cut-off. The
Brother, the president (note: an affectionate reference to Arafat), after
his meeting with Palestinian power representatives in the Gaza Strip told
the meeting of the representatives of Palestinian Power at the meeting with
his excellency the president that because of the circumstances that we all
see that the national and Islamic forces are guardians of the Revolution.
The representatives of power listened to his excellency's explanation of the
political and economic situation and the political developments and the
subjects of the Intifada, stressing the steadfastness of our people and
lauding the extraordinary steadfastness in the face of siege and aggression
against our people, and the assassinations and so forth. (He) underlined
that the Leadership is clinging to the national principles of the
Palestinians and at the same time not forgetting the Palestinian
negotiating conditions." (see below for fuller text)
In addition to threatening interviews, V.O.P. is filling its news shows
with lurid headlines of expanding Israeli atrocities-from poison gas attacks
to cold blooded murder of children and their parents. V.O.P. and the PA's top
officials have been tying Ariel Sharon to this policy of "crimes against the
Palestinian people," (recent interviews with Taib Abd-al-Rahim, Ahmad
Abd-al-Rahman, Hanan Ashrawi, Yasser Abed-Rabbo and Tawfik Tirawi, among
others) even though Sharon has still not taken office.
Any and all Israeli military actions are described by V.O.P.'s announcers
and local correspondents routinely as JARA'IM "crimes," and Palestinian
officials openly encourage the view that Israeli officials and officers are
war criminals, guilty of crimes against humanity and subject to
international judgment at a war crimes tribunal.
At the same time, V.O.P. has subtly but clearly changed its policy towards
Israeli settlers over the last six weeks, but especially in the last few
days. Settlers were, of course, never loved by the Palestinians, but there
has been a marked change in recent days. While Israeli officials are
"criminals" subject to international judgment, settlers are criminal subject
to summary Palestinian judgment.
The PA has acted much like a sheriff in the old Wild West movies: putting
a bounty on outlaws-except in this case the settlers have been defined as
outlaws, as war criminals. Murdering them is an acceptable part of what the
Palestinians called al-intifada al-silmiyya : "the peaceful intifada."
When V.O.P. announces that a dead Israel came from or was killed near a
particular settlement "built on land taken from ------------ (the name of a
Palestinian town or village)", it is tantamount to saying "he got what he
deserved." V.O.P., however, does not bother to remove "guilt" from other
"non-settler" Israelis killed during the Intifada. All Israeli deaths
continue to be classified as either "occupation soldier" deaths or "settler"
deaths, both of which are justified according to the ethos and lexicon of
the Palestinian National Movement.
Important Personal Observation
As a general rule, when the PA escalates its rhetoric and allows or
encourages more anti-Israeli violence, there is often an important
"internal" Palestinian motive, such as growing criticism of PA corruption.
one senses in the Barghouti interview below-despite its fawning references
to Arafat-a feeling of growing dissatisfaction with PA performance of many
basic functions. --Michael Widlanski
Tuesday Morning Round-up Headlines, February 27
- "The youth Hussam Imad al-Dis of Kalandia has joined the tribe of
martyrs after being killed by shots to the chest by occupation soldiers;
- The United Nations says the siege imposed by the Occupation is the
worst since 1967;
- The siege and the repressive Israeli measures as well as the ways to
confront the aggression were the subject of the meeting between President
Yasser Arafat and National Power Committee in Ramallah yesterday;
- The present crisis is fraught with danger but it is impossible to
accept resuming Palestinian-Israeli talks except from the point they (the
talks) reached and an end to Israeli measure and siege: that is what Ahmad
Qreia the speaker of the Legislature says in an interview with us;
- The Israeli labor Party decides to join the Likud government. ;
- The European Union calls for an end to the Israeli siege and to
immediately transfer funds to the (Palestinian) National Authority;
- UNRWA--the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (that administers refugee camps)-asserts the crisis's danger to
the refugees, and it calls for increasing assistance to them."
Tuesday Morning Headlines, February 27,
7 a.m. / 8 a.m. / 9 a.m.
- "The martyring of the youth Hussam Imad-al-Din al-Disi, 15 years old,
hit by bullets in the heart fired by one of the Occupation soldiers in one
of the confrontations witnessed in the Kalandia Camp, at the northern
entrance to Jerusalem;
- Six youths injured by Israeli occupation bullets in the town of Dir
al-Nidam in the district of Ramallah and el-Bireh;
- Settlers attack the two youths Shadi al-Hufash and Wazim al-Hufash
on their way to Salfit;
- Israeli occupation forces arrest two citizens-one in the Karameh
crossing and one in Salfit;
- National Security Force base in Jalbalya Camp is subjected to
bombardment by an Israeli Apache helicopter;
- His Excellency President Yasser Arafat receives members of the Sharm
al-Sheikh arts group at his presidential headquarters in Ramallah.;
- Mr. Nabil Abu-Irdeineh, President Arafat's advisor, denies that
American Secretary of State Colin Powell set any conditions to President
Yasser Arafat concerning resumption of Palestinian-Israeli talks;
- The United Nations in a decision says the lock-down of Palestinian
territory for the last five months is the worst since the year 1967;
- Palestinian delegates to the European Union say the Union today will
be sending a high-level mission to study the Palestinian financial
situation;
- The Labor Party Center last night approved joining a government headed
by Likud leader Ariel Sharon [Note: "extremist" not included in job title
this time), and Home Rule Minister Saeb Erikat says this is an internal
Israeli matter;
- European Union foreign minister urge sending funds to the National
Authority.;
- Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Saud al-Faisal says after a meting with
the American secretary of state that Saudi Arabia and the United States had
agreed on a new look at the sanctions imposed on Iraq over the last ten
years."
Quote of the Day
"Our people will persevere and continue in its intifada, our resistance,
until the end of Occupation and the carrying-out of freedom and
independence." From morning interview with Marwan Barghouti, Fatah
secretary for West Bank-February 27, 7:23 a.m.
Quotes from Interview with Marwan Barghouti,
PA West Bank Fatah secretary,
interviewed by Rashid Hilal, V.O.P. Ramallah correspondent,
February 27, 7:15-7:25
"The representatives of Palestinian power at the meeting (in Ramallah
with Arafat) expressed their happiness at this meeting with his excellency,
after a long period-due to the circumstances, after a long cut-off. The
Brother, the president [note: an affectionate reference to Arafat), after
his meeting with Palestinian power representatives in the Gaza Strip told
the meeting of the representatives of Palestinian Power at the meeting with
his excellency the president that because of the circumstances that we all
see that the national and Islamic forces are guardians of the Revolution.
The representatives of power listened to his excellency's explanation of the
political and economic situation and the political developments and the
subjects of the Intifada, stressing the steadfastness of our people and
lauding the extraordinary steadfastness in the face of siege and aggression
against our people, and the assassinations and so forth. (He) underlined
that the Leadership is clinging to the national principles of the
Palestinians and at the same time not forgetting the Palestinian
negotiating conditions.
The other thing is that he (Arafat) listened in a complete way to the
observations of the representatives of the power centers who spoke of the
political situation and the negotiations and discussed their observations of
the internal situation in the Palestinian National Authority. Also they
presented to his excellency the president the need for unification of
decisions for treatment of the compelling problems in the internal
situation.due to a worsening in the internal Palestinian front. And everyone
said we need Palestinian unity under the leadership of President Yasser
Arafat."
Question: "Israel is escalating its aggressive practices against our people, and
recently this escalation has increased. How do you react to these arbitrary
Israeli practices?"
Answer: "Israeli aggression continues.to try to pressure the performance of
the Intifada which is registered in the hearts of the sons of our
Palestinian people, in an attempt to thwart the path of history and fate.
All this is an attempt. But we are not afraid of tanks and bombardments. And
even if the fatal siege continues against our people, and no matter what the
achievements of the assassination policy with which they threaten morning
and night, and while they are continuing with these crimes, and imposing
detentions and the like on the Palestinian people, well, our people will
persevere and continue in its intifada, our resistance until the end of
Occupation and the carrying-out of freedom and independence.."
Question: "What do you say about the official threats and the threats against his
excellency the president?"
Answer: "Since the beginning of the aggression there have been threats and since
the election of Sharon there has been an increase in threats among those who
surround Sharon, really, from his advisors and from representatives of the
settlers against the heads of the Intifada and against the leadership of the
National Authority, first of all against the Brother, the president, Yasser
Arafat. That is part of the operational environment of the Israelis.
And we say that these threats do not hurt our people. Our people is
united, is unified behind its leadership and its (Palestinian National)
Authority. And the National and Islamic forces as well as the institutions
are not frightened by such threats. And through this we see The Rulers of
Tel Aviv revealing themselves, and first among them Sharon."
Quotes from Interview with Ahmad Qreia (a.k.a. Abu Ala), PA Legislature
speaker
Question: "What do you make of the visit of Colin Powell?"
Answer: "I was not surprised, and no one was surprised by the sense of importance
(given to the visit) by Mr. Powell. Even before his visit, he said he was
coming to listen to the parties in the region before applying the American
role in the region. And he listened seriously, I can say, with great
interest, to the Palestinian position expressed to him by President Arafat
in a clear way . . What the meaning of this violence and aggression is to our
people. And this aggression has to stop."
Question: "Yes?"
Answer: On the political question, he heard the Palestinian position clearly, a
position based on international legitimacy, based on United nations
resolutions and the Security Council-242 and 338 and the exchange of
territory for peace. Also there was the stressing that any negotiations have
to begin at the point where they left off."
(Qreia seemed cautious in his interview not to attack the new Bush
Administration, which, he said, had "a new working approach" and "a new
style."]
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State of Israel Does Not Appear on a UN Map of the Holy Land
(Published by UN for the Palestinian Ministry of Tourism and Antiquities)
Yaffa Goldstein
Correspondent for HaTzofeh
March 1, 2001 Hatzofeh
The UN financed a
Palestinian tourist map of the Holy Land that does not name the State of Israel, and the entire center of the country, excepting Gaza and Samaria, is represented as being unsettled.
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The only Jewish communities that appear on this map are cited with their
Arabic names, such as el-Hadarat (Hadera), Ramle, Askelan (Ashkelon),
Ashdout (Ashdod) and Tal Arabe (Tel Aviv).
The map was discovered by a journalist, David Bedein, from the Israel
Resource News Agency. The bottom of the map notes that its production was
financed by the UN's Development Department, whose offices are located on
Yaakobi Street, West Jerusalem. One of the UN officials in the office
confirmed to Bedein that the map's production had been financed by his
department. But the official and his secretary later denied they had had
any knowledge of the project.
Emanuel Nahshon, a deputy-spokesman in the Foreign Ministry, told
Hatzofe yesterday that this map was part of the Palestinian propaganda
that was geared to eradicate the State of Israel and delegitimize it.
He said the Foreign Ministry could only express regret that the UN had
financed a project whose goal it was to turn the State of Israel into a white blotch on the map. [ . . ]
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