Israel Resource Review |
12th Febuary, 2001 |
Contents:
Official PA radio news -- 12th February, 2001
Summary and Analysis
V.O.P. justified the murder of the Israeli driver Tzahi Sasson
last night near the Jerusalem-Bethlehem by-pass tunnel, when it announced at
the opening of its 8 a.m. morning news that the dead man was "a settler
from Rosh Tzurim which was built on land (taken) from Hebron." The broadcast
also used the term "met his fate" for the death of the man who took a road
whose use is specifically protected by several of Palestinian-Israeli
agreements commonly known as "the Oslo Accords."
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The Voice of Palestine and other state-run Palestinian media also did
not condemn the murder or broadcast any calls for restraint-though this is
also required by the Oslo Accords.
Similarly, neither V.O.P. nor the Palestinian Authority in any of its other
manifestations found it necessary to report-let alone to condemn or to try
to restrain-the actions of the gunmen who re-opened fire on the Israeli
neighborhood of Giloh last night.
At the same time, Yasser Arafat's spokesman Nabil Abu Irdeineh
"condemned" (that was the term used in Arabic-"yudeenu") the way Israeli
politicians have been speaking about Mr. Arafat. Abu-Irdeineh condemned
particularly the comment by Meir Dagan (a retired general and
counter-terrorism expect who advises Sharon) that Arafat should be arrested
by Israel if it obtained concrete proof of his direct involvement in attacks
on Israelis.
Abu-Irdeineh and PA Minister of Information Yasser Abd-Rabbo reaffirmed
that the PA would not negotiate with Israel except from the point at which
talks left off with the defeated Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
Abd-Rabbo likened the American and Israeli statements that the Taba and
Clinton ideas were not biding to "game-playing" by children. The minister
accompanying Yasser Arafat to talks in Egypt basically called Ehud Barak and
Ariel Sharon as well as George Bush and Bill Clinton "immature" or
"un-serious" while extolling the virtues of the Palestinian Leadership which
always sticks to its agreements and understandings (See interview below).
American Note
For the second day in a row, V.O.P. has been sprinkling its news programs
with items of Iraqi casualties due to American and British actions.
Yesterday, V.O.P. reported that two Iraqi children were killed when an old bomb
left over from the 1991 Gulf War exploded.
Commentary
Several Israeli reports this morning and last night repeat the view that
the escalating acts of violence-particularly the first fatal tunnel sniping
and the Giloh shelling-are "rogue operations," which Arafat opposes. But the
escalating rhetoric at V.O.P.-including undisguised support for the Fatah
Tanzeem gunmen and calls for judging Israel for "war crimes"-seems to
dovetail with (if not actually to encourage) the escalating violence.
What is the reason for the violence and the rhetoric?
Some believe it is a way to "stir up the pot" and to insure increased
pan-Arab and European involvement, but it may also be connected with the
current visits of investigating commissions from the UN.--MW
Monday Morning Round-up Headlines
- "Israeli forces continue their reinforced military and economic siege
on Palestinian lands, extending their repressive actions against citizens;
- In Bethlehem, shelling on residences and one person wounded after one
Israeli meets his fate;
- At this moment there is a shelling of the neighborhood in Ramallah
that includes the Palestinian Broadcasting and radio;
- The international commission on human rights investigate the
Israeli violations and crimes against the rights of our Palestinian people,
and members of the commission heard from Palestinian officials about the
savage attacks, violations and crimes;
- His Excellency President Yasser Arafat is in Cairo as part of the
framework of the cooperative Arab effort to attain peace in the region based
on the resolutions of international legitimacy and the realization (lit:
making real) of Palestinian national rights including the establishment of
an independent Palestinian state with full sovereignty and with Jerusalem as
its capital;
- The deliberations and dynamics of the Arab conference in Amman show
their results, among them deep analysis and understandings on positions.;
- Lifting of the closure of Palestinian airspace following meetings with
the Israeli side yesterday, to be implemented (fully) tomorrow in connection
with the Haj (the pilgrimage to Mecca);
- Israel announces its opposition to a boycott of its products and its
Finance Minister demands the National Authority lift warnings against
trading with Israel, but the Authority (i.e. the Palestinian Authority) says
the boycott is a decision of the masses;
- In Israeli matters we will look at the new balance after the loss of
Labor in the prime ministerial election, and at Sharon's efforts to form a
unity government with the Laborites."
Usage Note
In the last three weeks, particularly in the last 10 days, official
Palestinian media have begun to use the term "Kamil al-siyada" that means
"completeness of sovereignty" or "fullness of sovereignty" when expressing
Palestinian demands for statehood and control over Jerusalem. It appears
that the usage is a direct attempt to respond to trial balloons floated by
Ehud Barak and other Israeli officials for partial sovereignty or partial
control or demilitarization.
Monday Morning 7 a.m. News Bulletin Headlines
- "There are artillery shellings at this moment in the neighborhoods
around the Palestinian Broadcasting and Television in El-Bireh;
- Many of the residential neighborhoods in Bethlehem, El-Bireh, and
Ramallah were subjected to fire last night, especially Bethlehem were 10
people were injured and one house was totally destroyed;
- Israeli journalistic sources say the settler who was killed last
night was from the settlement of Rosh Tzurim, one of the settlements of Gush
Etzion built on land of citizens from the Hebron prefecture; (NOTE: the Gush
Etzion settlements were built before the 1948 war on land that was
purchased, and they were overrun during the war, with many of the settlers
then slaughtered by local Arabs, while some settlers were taken prisoner and
later traded back to Israel by the Arab Legion under Abdel-Qader
al-Husseini)
- His Excellency President Yasser Arafat is holding talks in Egypt with
President Husni Mubarak;
- The National Authority warns the Israeli army against pursuing
additional racist attacks against the inhabitants of the Muasy neighborhood
of Khan Yunis;
- The International commission of Human Rights (of the United Nations)
begins its investigation of Occupation violations of human rights.;
- The opening of Gaza International Airport from tomorrow between
eight in the morning until five in the evening as part of the transfer of
pilgrims to the sacred shrine;
- Sultan Qabus of Oman transfers a sum of millions of dollars to help
workers of our people;
- Seven Iraqi civilians injured and several buildings damaged in attacks by American and British planes on southern Iraq;
- The regional development minister in the Barak Government, Shimon
Peres, says that the chances of forming a national unity government are
about 50 percent."
Quote of the Day
"The member of the commission heard from Palestinian officials a
detailed report on the attacks, crimes and violations. Dr. Ali Sha'ath, an
official of the Ministry of International Development, announced that the
economic losses since September 28 last year amounted to more three billion
dollars.He said Israeli forces used various military means against the
Palestinian people in an attempt to increase to kill the greatest number of
innocent children and youths as possible as well as assassinating
officials-a direct violation of the fourth Geneva Convention protecting
civilians."
From morning report read by Khalid Dabas, discussing
Palestinian testimony to the international commission investigating human
rights violations -- 7:15 a.m.
Quotes from Interview with Yasser Abd-Rabbo, Minister of Information
"This is visit (to Egypt for talks with Mubarak) follows the Israeli
election to review the results and to have consultations during this period.
We and Egypt from the first day after the elections, we decided that we
would not interfere in the choice made by the Israeli people although there
are negative indications. Our position is clear. We are obligated to the
agreements, ready to continue the peace process, but absolutely only from
where the process reached, beginning at Camp David and ending at Taba, based
on the source authority of the peace process-resolutions 242, 338 and
resolution 194. We will not enter, and we do not accept and we never
accepted partial or stop-gap agreements.We expect to carry out the (Taba)
agreements, and we expect the same thing from the other side.
A final agreement requires a comprehensive agreement.that means first
Jerusalem and the refugees and of course land and settlements which is the
central matter. And all other things on which the final agreement is based."
Question: "What do you say about what Barak said about Taba and the Clinton
proposals?"
Answer: "Barak knows, Sharon knows and everyone knows that the process is not a
game. When a government goes back on what it says, that is NOT SERIOUS
Important Note: "not serious" both in the common usage of Arabic and Hebrew
in this context has a strongly pejorative connotation meaning "immature" or
"inappropriate".
We are returning to the point at which we arrived, and all
this talk does not impress us or affect us.This is a campaign designed
before the American Secretary of State Mr. Colin Powell is set to come to
the region, at the gates of the forming of a new Israeli government. They
all want - Mr. Barak and all of them-they want to form a national unity
government with Sharon on the basis of Sharon's program, and therefore they
have to retreat from their past obligations and past positions. That's their
problem.
We believe that everything we discussed with Israeli governments is an
important matter. It is something we have to work out together with
responsibility. One cannot say something today and then return tomorrow and
pull it back and retreat. That's a shame."
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