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1. Car-Bomb Could've Collapsed Mall
by Hillel Fendel
The car bomb that did not go off on Saturday night in a Haifa parking lot could have collapsed the entire three-story shopping mall above it.
The car was parked in the Cinemall parking lot, and apparently contained enough explosives - 40 kilograms - to bring down the entire mall. The detonation mechanism malfunctioned, however, and caused only a very small initial explosion – enough to attract the attention of passersby, who called the police. The area was then cleared, and police sappers neutralized the remaining explosives packed in bags in the car.
The three-story mall, widely known by its former name Lev HaMifratz (Heart of the Gulf), contains over 100 stores and 23 movie theaters, and was crowded with shoppers and others when the bomb was discovered.
Olmert: A Terrorist Attack
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that a “heavy catastrophe was averted in Haifa last night.” Olmert, still in office after his future successor, Binyamin Netanyahu, requested and received last week an extension for his coalition-forming efforts, said, “From our standpoint, this was a terror attack in the full sense of the word, and the State of Israel relates to it with all seriousness. Initial investigations show that the terrorists are apparently based in Judea and Samaria.”
“A miracle happened," Olmert stated forcefully, "and the bomb did not go off because of the alertness of the civilians. I have great admiration for [all ou security forces; thank G-d, sometimes attacks like these are prevented because of the extraordinary alertness of civilians.”
'Restore the Checkpoints!'
In light of his statement, the Almagor Terror Victims Association called on Olmert to restore the anti-terrorism checkpoints that the government has removed in recent weeks and days from various locations throughout Judea and Samaria.
“If Israel relates to this as a genuine terror attack,” the Almagor statement says, “as the Prime Minister states, he must immediately restore all the checkpoints. He must also impose a closure on the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria, as is always done after a terrorist attack.”
Well-Planned Attack
Police say the origins and identities of the terrorists are still under investigation. It is assumed, however, that the attack was well-planned by an organized terrorist infrastructure.
The mall in Haifa was re-opened to the public on Sunday morning, after police sappers concluded a check of the area and security checks were intensified. Fewer shoppers than usual arrived, however.
The near-catastrophe occurred just six days after two Israeli policemen were murdered by Arab terrorists in the Jordan Valley. The victims were entrapped by their desire to help a man who appeared to be a motorist who needed help in changing a flat tire – but was actually a murderous terrorist who gunned them down in cold blood.
False Alarm in Galilee
At 12:45 PM on Sunday, a rocket warning siren sounded in Kiryat Shmonah and area towns in the Galilee. No signs of a rocket landing were found, and it appears that the siren was a false alarm, as happened in a similar alert a week ago.
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by Hillel Fendel
The car bomb that did not go off on Saturday night in a Haifa parking lot could have collapsed the entire three-story shopping mall above it.
The car was parked in the Cinemall parking lot, and apparently contained enough explosives - 40 kilograms - to bring down the entire mall. The detonation mechanism malfunctioned, however, and caused only a very small initial explosion – enough to attract the attention of passersby, who called the police. The area was then cleared, and police sappers neutralized the remaining explosives packed in bags in the car.
The three-story mall, widely known by its former name Lev HaMifratz (Heart of the Gulf), contains over 100 stores and 23 movie theaters, and was crowded with shoppers and others when the bomb was discovered.
Olmert: A Terrorist Attack
Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said at the start of the weekly Cabinet meeting on Sunday that a “heavy catastrophe was averted in Haifa last night.” Olmert, still in office after his future successor, Binyamin Netanyahu, requested and received last week an extension for his coalition-forming efforts, said, “From our standpoint, this was a terror attack in the full sense of the word, and the State of Israel relates to it with all seriousness. Initial investigations show that the terrorists are apparently based in Judea and Samaria.”
“A miracle happened," Olmert stated forcefully, "and the bomb did not go off because of the alertness of the civilians. I have great admiration for [all ou security forces; thank G-d, sometimes attacks like these are prevented because of the extraordinary alertness of civilians.”
'Restore the Checkpoints!'
In light of his statement, the Almagor Terror Victims Association called on Olmert to restore the anti-terrorism checkpoints that the government has removed in recent weeks and days from various locations throughout Judea and Samaria.
“If Israel relates to this as a genuine terror attack,” the Almagor statement says, “as the Prime Minister states, he must immediately restore all the checkpoints. He must also impose a closure on the Arab residents of Judea and Samaria, as is always done after a terrorist attack.”
Well-Planned Attack
Police say the origins and identities of the terrorists are still under investigation. It is assumed, however, that the attack was well-planned by an organized terrorist infrastructure.
The mall in Haifa was re-opened to the public on Sunday morning, after police sappers concluded a check of the area and security checks were intensified. Fewer shoppers than usual arrived, however.
The near-catastrophe occurred just six days after two Israeli policemen were murdered by Arab terrorists in the Jordan Valley. The victims were entrapped by their desire to help a man who appeared to be a motorist who needed help in changing a flat tire – but was actually a murderous terrorist who gunned them down in cold blood.
False Alarm in Galilee
At 12:45 PM on Sunday, a rocket warning siren sounded in Kiryat Shmonah and area towns in the Galilee. No signs of a rocket landing were found, and it appears that the siren was a false alarm, as happened in a similar alert a week ago.
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2. Will Egypt Attend Israeli Event?
by Avraham Zuroff
Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, has invited Egypt to attend the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Camp David accords with Israel, but is unsure whether Cairo officials will attend.
The question is whether Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) party chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman’s criticism of Egyptian President Mubarak had anything to do with Egypt’s decision to stay home.
An official from the Egyptian Embassy in Israel told Israel National News that its ambassador has not confirmed his participation in the ceremony, slated for Tuesday, but said he expects a final decision to be made “at any moment.” He furthermore denied that a final decision not to attend would be related to Lieberman’s remarks regarding President Mubarak.
As of Sunday noon, Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry had still not received any confirmation of attendance from Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, but a ministry spokesman said neither had any official statement from Egypt been received indicating an intent to boycott the event.
Yasser Rada, Egypt's ambassador to Israel, on Saturday night denied reports that claimed Cairo was demanding an apology from Lieberman, Israel's prospective next Foreign Minister, over remarks he made in the past that Egypt said it considered "insulting." The earlier report said that Cairo would boycott Lieberman unless he apologized for saying he hoped Israel would bomb the Aswan Dam, and that President Hosni Mubarak could "go to hell" if he refused to visit Israel.
"I regret that the name of Egypt has been involved in this report," Rada told reporters. "This is strictly an internal Israeli affair. I cannot continually respond to reports of comments from here and there. Egypt's staunch policy is not to interfere in internal Israeli affairs," he said.
MK Danny Ayalon (Yisrael Beiteinu), formerly Israel’s ambassador to the United States, is slated to become Lieberman's deputy Foreign Minister. Ayalon stated that Lieberman and his colleagues have been conducting direct talks in the past several days with senior officials in the Egyptian government regarding the future of contacts between the two countries, and that no one asked for an apology.
Last year, Lieberman criticized Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for refusing to visit Israel and said – “If he wants to talk to us, let him come here. If he doesn’t want to come, let him go to hell.”
The Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, DC on March 26, 1979, following the Camp David Accords (1978). The main features of the treaty were the mutual recognition of each country by the other, the cessation of the state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the complete withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the rest of the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured during the 1967 Six-Day War. The agreement also provided for the free passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and recognition of the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as international waterways.
The peace treaty was signed between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin 16 months after Sadat's visit to Israel in 1977.
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by Avraham Zuroff
Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry, has invited Egypt to attend the commemoration of the 30th anniversary of the signing of the Camp David accords with Israel, but is unsure whether Cairo officials will attend.
The question is whether Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) party chairman MK Avigdor Lieberman’s criticism of Egyptian President Mubarak had anything to do with Egypt’s decision to stay home.
An official from the Egyptian Embassy in Israel told Israel National News that its ambassador has not confirmed his participation in the ceremony, slated for Tuesday, but said he expects a final decision to be made “at any moment.” He furthermore denied that a final decision not to attend would be related to Lieberman’s remarks regarding President Mubarak.
As of Sunday noon, Israel’s Foreign Affairs Ministry had still not received any confirmation of attendance from Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, but a ministry spokesman said neither had any official statement from Egypt been received indicating an intent to boycott the event.
Yasser Rada, Egypt's ambassador to Israel, on Saturday night denied reports that claimed Cairo was demanding an apology from Lieberman, Israel's prospective next Foreign Minister, over remarks he made in the past that Egypt said it considered "insulting." The earlier report said that Cairo would boycott Lieberman unless he apologized for saying he hoped Israel would bomb the Aswan Dam, and that President Hosni Mubarak could "go to hell" if he refused to visit Israel.
"I regret that the name of Egypt has been involved in this report," Rada told reporters. "This is strictly an internal Israeli affair. I cannot continually respond to reports of comments from here and there. Egypt's staunch policy is not to interfere in internal Israeli affairs," he said.
MK Danny Ayalon (Yisrael Beiteinu), formerly Israel’s ambassador to the United States, is slated to become Lieberman's deputy Foreign Minister. Ayalon stated that Lieberman and his colleagues have been conducting direct talks in the past several days with senior officials in the Egyptian government regarding the future of contacts between the two countries, and that no one asked for an apology.
Last year, Lieberman criticized Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for refusing to visit Israel and said – “If he wants to talk to us, let him come here. If he doesn’t want to come, let him go to hell.”
The Egyptian–Israeli Peace Treaty was signed in Washington, DC on March 26, 1979, following the Camp David Accords (1978). The main features of the treaty were the mutual recognition of each country by the other, the cessation of the state of war that had existed since the 1948 Arab-Israeli War, and the complete withdrawal by Israel of its armed forces and civilians from the rest of the Sinai Peninsula, which Israel had captured during the 1967 Six-Day War. The agreement also provided for the free passage of Israeli ships through the Suez Canal and recognition of the Strait of Tiran and the Gulf of Aqaba as international waterways.
The peace treaty was signed between Egyptian President Anwar Sadat and then-Prime Minister Menachem Begin 16 months after Sadat's visit to Israel in 1977.
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3. Tuesday Vote to Determine Gov't
by Hillel Fendel
The future of the next Israeli government depends on a vote this Tuesday within the Labor Party – once Israel’s largest party, now its 4th-largest.
Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, who very much favors joining the coalition government currently in formation, said on Sunday morning that he would not bolt the party if it turns down the initiative. He thus quashed rumors that the party is headed for a split if it decides not to join the government. However, he left open the possibility that other party members might split off themselves if the vote goes in his favor.
Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu came close to forming a nationalist government last week, in keeping with the election results. 65 of the 109 Zionist-party Knesset seats (60%) went to nationalist or religious parties, while only 40% went to Kadima, Labor and Meretz, on the left-center side of the political spectrum.
Kadima - Out; Labor - Unsure
However, Netanyahu has never hidden his desire to form a unity government with Kadima and/or Labor. Kadima turned him down repeatedly, but Labor – fresh off its worst electoral showing in history, with only 13 MKs – is considering Netanyahu’s latest offer. The party is currently split on the issue, and the fateful vote will take place on Tuesday among the Central Committee membership.
“If my opinion is not accepted, I will still remain in the party,” Barak said, but added, “I think you must ask this question of those who have threatened more than once that the party would split.”
Allied with Barak in support of joining the coalition are former party leader Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Barak’s stalwart ally Shalom Simchon (Ministers of Infrastructures and Agriculture, respectively), and Histadrut Labor Union Chief Ofer Eini.
Leading the Opposition
Among those leading the opposition to joining the government is another ex-party leader, Amir Peretz, as well as MKs Eitan Cabel, Ophir Pines, Shelly Yechimovitch, Avishai Braverman and Education Minister Yuli Tamir. They claim that the party will be neutralized by playing second-fiddle to both the Likud and Kadima, and will not be able to regain national power for a very long while afterwards.
Netanyahu Promises Negotiations with PA
Netanyahu has made an overly generous offer to Labor, including five ministerial portfolios for the party's 13 MKs, including the Defense Ministry for Barak. It also includes full cooperation between Netanyahu and Barak on all security issues, and a promise to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority about the formation of a Palestinian state.
Among the Likud’s “natural” coalition partners, Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu and the Jewish Home have welcomed the possible inclusion of Labor, citing the need to have a broad consensus for governing the country during these critical times. However, the National Union is not likely to join the government under such circumstances – despite Netanyahu’s promises to welcome in his government the parties that recommended him to President Shimon Peres as the best candidate to form a government.
“I have no objection to a broad government,” National Union leader MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh) said last week, “nor to additional coalition partners who accept our coalition guidelines" - implying objections to those who do not accept his guidelines. The National Union is against talks for the creation of a Palestinian state or the giving up of territory.
Katz said he did not expect Netanyahu to violate his promises to the National Union: “I hope that he will keep his promise to the voters that he would form a government based on his natural partners. He must be loyal to the voters, to the parties that recommended him to the president, and to his promises not to hurt those parties.”
Still Up in the Air
Observers are unable to predict at this stage whether the proposal to join the Netanyahu government will or will not pass in the Labor Central Committee.
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by Hillel Fendel
The future of the next Israeli government depends on a vote this Tuesday within the Labor Party – once Israel’s largest party, now its 4th-largest.
Labor Party leader Ehud Barak, who very much favors joining the coalition government currently in formation, said on Sunday morning that he would not bolt the party if it turns down the initiative. He thus quashed rumors that the party is headed for a split if it decides not to join the government. However, he left open the possibility that other party members might split off themselves if the vote goes in his favor.
Prime Minister-designate Binyamin Netanyahu came close to forming a nationalist government last week, in keeping with the election results. 65 of the 109 Zionist-party Knesset seats (60%) went to nationalist or religious parties, while only 40% went to Kadima, Labor and Meretz, on the left-center side of the political spectrum.
Kadima - Out; Labor - Unsure
However, Netanyahu has never hidden his desire to form a unity government with Kadima and/or Labor. Kadima turned him down repeatedly, but Labor – fresh off its worst electoral showing in history, with only 13 MKs – is considering Netanyahu’s latest offer. The party is currently split on the issue, and the fateful vote will take place on Tuesday among the Central Committee membership.
“If my opinion is not accepted, I will still remain in the party,” Barak said, but added, “I think you must ask this question of those who have threatened more than once that the party would split.”
Allied with Barak in support of joining the coalition are former party leader Binyamin Ben-Eliezer, Barak’s stalwart ally Shalom Simchon (Ministers of Infrastructures and Agriculture, respectively), and Histadrut Labor Union Chief Ofer Eini.
Leading the Opposition
Among those leading the opposition to joining the government is another ex-party leader, Amir Peretz, as well as MKs Eitan Cabel, Ophir Pines, Shelly Yechimovitch, Avishai Braverman and Education Minister Yuli Tamir. They claim that the party will be neutralized by playing second-fiddle to both the Likud and Kadima, and will not be able to regain national power for a very long while afterwards.
Netanyahu Promises Negotiations with PA
Netanyahu has made an overly generous offer to Labor, including five ministerial portfolios for the party's 13 MKs, including the Defense Ministry for Barak. It also includes full cooperation between Netanyahu and Barak on all security issues, and a promise to negotiate with the Palestinian Authority about the formation of a Palestinian state.
Among the Likud’s “natural” coalition partners, Shas, Yisrael Beiteinu and the Jewish Home have welcomed the possible inclusion of Labor, citing the need to have a broad consensus for governing the country during these critical times. However, the National Union is not likely to join the government under such circumstances – despite Netanyahu’s promises to welcome in his government the parties that recommended him to President Shimon Peres as the best candidate to form a government.
“I have no objection to a broad government,” National Union leader MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh) said last week, “nor to additional coalition partners who accept our coalition guidelines" - implying objections to those who do not accept his guidelines. The National Union is against talks for the creation of a Palestinian state or the giving up of territory.
Katz said he did not expect Netanyahu to violate his promises to the National Union: “I hope that he will keep his promise to the voters that he would form a government based on his natural partners. He must be loyal to the voters, to the parties that recommended him to the president, and to his promises not to hurt those parties.”
Still Up in the Air
Observers are unable to predict at this stage whether the proposal to join the Netanyahu government will or will not pass in the Labor Central Committee.
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4. Umm el-Fahm May Riot Over March
by David Lev
The northern Arab city of Umm el-Fahm will go on a general strike Tuesday, as Jewish activists led by Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir lead a march through its streets with Israeli flags. A spokesperson for the city said Saturday that all schools and businesses will be closed Tuesday, and residents will turn out for a mass protest demanding that police bar the Jewish marchers from entering the city. "They have aggravated the situation, and we are just reacting," a spokesperson for the city said. "We are taking action against the organized racism of the Zionist establishment."
Last Thursday, Marzel and Ben Gvir were given permission to conduct the march, which has been delayed several times because police fear violence by the Arabs. After being ordered to do so by the High Court, police have approved an event in which 100 people will march on the outskirts of Umm el-Fahm. 1,000 police officers will be on duty to prevent unrest.
Marzel and Ben Gvir are both high-profile nationalist activists who currently serve as aides to MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union).
Speaking to Israel National News Saturday night, Marzel said he was not intimidated by what he called the "threats" being issued by Umm el-Fahm. "I hope the police will not panic, and will enforce the law in Umm el-Fahm," he said.
"In the past, when settlers or Hareidi Jews would threaten legally-sanctioned marches, they would find themselves in jail for interfering with the legal rights of demonstrators," Marzel said. "The principles of freedom of speech and the rule of law demand that the march be allowed to proceed."
Marzel and Ben Gvir have been trying to hold the march for over a year, only to be turned down by police several times. Two months ago, they filed a petition with the High Court, which in turn ordered police to devise a plan that would allow the march to take place while the police maintained public order.
Election snafu
Before the recent Knesset elections, the Central Elections Committee gave Marzel permission to act as an election monitor in Umm el-Fahm. On election day, however, police blocked him from entering the city, and MK Aryeh Eldad was sent in as a substitute. Though Arab rioters threw stones and confronted the police outside the polling station, police were able to provide security for Eldad until he left to continue his election campaign in other venues.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Marzel said that the blocking his entrance to the Arab town "shows that we have a major problem here. Today, the police have admitted that we do not control Umm el-Fahm. The police are unfortunately not strong enough to enforce the law, and today they have shown just how weak they are. It's time that the police be given different instructions by the government, and act against Arabs as we have seen them act against Jews," Marzel said.
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by David Lev
The northern Arab city of Umm el-Fahm will go on a general strike Tuesday, as Jewish activists led by Baruch Marzel and Itamar Ben-Gvir lead a march through its streets with Israeli flags. A spokesperson for the city said Saturday that all schools and businesses will be closed Tuesday, and residents will turn out for a mass protest demanding that police bar the Jewish marchers from entering the city. "They have aggravated the situation, and we are just reacting," a spokesperson for the city said. "We are taking action against the organized racism of the Zionist establishment."
Last Thursday, Marzel and Ben Gvir were given permission to conduct the march, which has been delayed several times because police fear violence by the Arabs. After being ordered to do so by the High Court, police have approved an event in which 100 people will march on the outskirts of Umm el-Fahm. 1,000 police officers will be on duty to prevent unrest.
Marzel and Ben Gvir are both high-profile nationalist activists who currently serve as aides to MK Michael Ben-Ari (National Union).
Speaking to Israel National News Saturday night, Marzel said he was not intimidated by what he called the "threats" being issued by Umm el-Fahm. "I hope the police will not panic, and will enforce the law in Umm el-Fahm," he said.
"In the past, when settlers or Hareidi Jews would threaten legally-sanctioned marches, they would find themselves in jail for interfering with the legal rights of demonstrators," Marzel said. "The principles of freedom of speech and the rule of law demand that the march be allowed to proceed."
Marzel and Ben Gvir have been trying to hold the march for over a year, only to be turned down by police several times. Two months ago, they filed a petition with the High Court, which in turn ordered police to devise a plan that would allow the march to take place while the police maintained public order.
Election snafu
Before the recent Knesset elections, the Central Elections Committee gave Marzel permission to act as an election monitor in Umm el-Fahm. On election day, however, police blocked him from entering the city, and MK Aryeh Eldad was sent in as a substitute. Though Arab rioters threw stones and confronted the police outside the polling station, police were able to provide security for Eldad until he left to continue his election campaign in other venues.
Speaking to reporters after the incident, Marzel said that the blocking his entrance to the Arab town "shows that we have a major problem here. Today, the police have admitted that we do not control Umm el-Fahm. The police are unfortunately not strong enough to enforce the law, and today they have shown just how weak they are. It's time that the police be given different instructions by the government, and act against Arabs as we have seen them act against Jews," Marzel said.
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5. More Nazi Victims to get Payment
by Maayana Miskin
The German government has agreed to allow Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union to reapply for reparations payments under the Hardship Fund. Those found eligible will receive one-time payments of 2,556 euro.
Up to 13,000 survivors around the world could be affected by the decision. Many of those affected have never received compensation for their Holocaust suffering in the past.
The government's decision came after negotiations with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany. Previously, the German government had argued that survivors whose applications were denied or who had failed to apply within the designated time would have no right to file a future request for aide.
Survivors had argued that they were not informed of regulations before filing for assistance, leading many to file for reparations before they were eligible and forever miss their opportunity for help. Applicants are required to be at least 80 years old or 80 percent disabled.
A 2002 lawsuit led to 1,365 survivors receiving reparations.
The more recent decision applies to eligible survivors who are alive as of March 19, 2009.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
The German government has agreed to allow Holocaust survivors from the former Soviet Union to reapply for reparations payments under the Hardship Fund. Those found eligible will receive one-time payments of 2,556 euro.
Up to 13,000 survivors around the world could be affected by the decision. Many of those affected have never received compensation for their Holocaust suffering in the past.
The government's decision came after negotiations with the Conference on Jewish Material Claims against Germany. Previously, the German government had argued that survivors whose applications were denied or who had failed to apply within the designated time would have no right to file a future request for aide.
Survivors had argued that they were not informed of regulations before filing for assistance, leading many to file for reparations before they were eligible and forever miss their opportunity for help. Applicants are required to be at least 80 years old or 80 percent disabled.
A 2002 lawsuit led to 1,365 survivors receiving reparations.
The more recent decision applies to eligible survivors who are alive as of March 19, 2009.
Comment on this story
6. Police Stop ‘Arab Jerusalem Day'
by Gil Ronen
Police prevented Arabs from holding events in eastern Jerusalem on Saturday as part of an alternative Arab ‘Jerusalem Day’ festival. The Palestinian Authority sponsored the festival in which Jerusalem was touted as “the capital of Arab culture for 2009.”
The police closed down eight events in eastern Jerusalem and arrested 20 people who organized and participated in them. Police also prevented students from entering an ‘Al Quds University’ facility located near the Cotton Traders’ Gate and arrested university employees who were about to distribute T-shirts marking the festival.
Under orders from outgoing Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, police blocked hundreds of Arabs who attempted to carry out processions at Ras El-Amoud, Wadi Joz and Sheikh Jerah in eastern Jerusalem. Seven organizers were arrested.
On Shechem Road, police stopped Arabs from participating in a football game and at the Al-Hiala club, a PA-sponsored girls’ meeting was dispersed. A group of Arab school students tried to ascend to the Temple Mount with PLO flags but were blocked by police. Another event at Haroun El-Rashid Street was also stymied.
In Nazareth as well, a planned event was ordered cancelled by police.
According to a decree signed by Minister Dichter, the holding of any ceremonies by the PA inside Israel contradicts the interim accord between the PA and Israel.
The culture of hummous
The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported that “1,500 dignitaries, delegates, poets, officials and Palestinian bureaucrats” gathered in El-Khader, south of Bethlehem, for an event honoring the PA-sponsored day. It criticized the event as being for the “cultured only” and catering to “Arab, Palestinian and International elite[”
“Flat, single lens satellite casts from Lebanon and Gaza highlighted the distance between the scattered Palestinian populations rather than bringing a feeling of unity in tradition to the show,” the agency report claimed.
A speech by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was followed by “a video montage of hummus making, bustling markets, hookah pipes in the hands of wizened men on Old City streets and children playing beneath ancient arches” as well as IDF soldiers, it said.
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by Gil Ronen
Police prevented Arabs from holding events in eastern Jerusalem on Saturday as part of an alternative Arab ‘Jerusalem Day’ festival. The Palestinian Authority sponsored the festival in which Jerusalem was touted as “the capital of Arab culture for 2009.”
The police closed down eight events in eastern Jerusalem and arrested 20 people who organized and participated in them. Police also prevented students from entering an ‘Al Quds University’ facility located near the Cotton Traders’ Gate and arrested university employees who were about to distribute T-shirts marking the festival.
Under orders from outgoing Public Security Minister Avi Dichter, police blocked hundreds of Arabs who attempted to carry out processions at Ras El-Amoud, Wadi Joz and Sheikh Jerah in eastern Jerusalem. Seven organizers were arrested.
On Shechem Road, police stopped Arabs from participating in a football game and at the Al-Hiala club, a PA-sponsored girls’ meeting was dispersed. A group of Arab school students tried to ascend to the Temple Mount with PLO flags but were blocked by police. Another event at Haroun El-Rashid Street was also stymied.
In Nazareth as well, a planned event was ordered cancelled by police.
According to a decree signed by Minister Dichter, the holding of any ceremonies by the PA inside Israel contradicts the interim accord between the PA and Israel.
The culture of hummous
The Bethlehem-based Ma’an news agency reported that “1,500 dignitaries, delegates, poets, officials and Palestinian bureaucrats” gathered in El-Khader, south of Bethlehem, for an event honoring the PA-sponsored day. It criticized the event as being for the “cultured only” and catering to “Arab, Palestinian and International elite[”
“Flat, single lens satellite casts from Lebanon and Gaza highlighted the distance between the scattered Palestinian populations rather than bringing a feeling of unity in tradition to the show,” the agency report claimed.
A speech by PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas was followed by “a video montage of hummus making, bustling markets, hookah pipes in the hands of wizened men on Old City streets and children playing beneath ancient arches” as well as IDF soldiers, it said.
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7. Egypt: We May Boycott Lieberman
by Gil Ronen and David Lev
Egypt has demanded that Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) chairman Avigdor Lieberman apologize for remarks he made about the country in the past – or Cairo will boycott him when he is named Foreign Minister in the Netanyahu government. According to a report on Channel 2 TV on Saturday night, the Egyptian ambassador to Israel made the demand at a meeting Thursday with Prime Minister-elect Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud MK Yuval Steinitz.
The meeting was convened at extremely short notice, at the request of the ambassador, Yasser Rida. Rida told Netanyahu and Steinitz that there were three things that Egyptians held sacred – the Pyramids, the Aswan Dam, and Hosni Mubarak – and Lieberman had insulted two of them.
In the past Lieberman has threatened that Israel could bomb the Aswan Dam if Egypt joins a war against Israel. Bombing the Aswan Dam would cause flooding – and death – on a massive scale.
'Let him go to hell'
Last year, Lieberman criticized Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for refusing to visit Israel and said – “If he wants to talk to us, let him come here. If he doesn’t want to come, let him go to hell.”
According to the report, Yisrael Beiteinu MK Danny Ayalon was already working with the Egyptians on an acceptable apology. A spokesperson for Netanyahu said that "there is an ongoing connection – through a number of channels – between Avigdor Lieberman and Egypt, in order to ensure continued good relations between our two countries."
Rida did not deny the report but said: “I express deep sorrow over any attempt to inject Egypt’s name and the name of its ambassador into Israel’s internal matters.”
Reports earlier this week said that Egypt is considering boycotting a Foreign Office event Wednesday marking the 30 year anniversary of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This, too, is meant by the Egyptians as an act of protest at the appointment of Lieberman to the Foreign Ministry. However, Egypt has reportedly not made a final decision on the matter.
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by Gil Ronen and David Lev
Egypt has demanded that Yisrael Beiteinu (Israel is Our Home) chairman Avigdor Lieberman apologize for remarks he made about the country in the past – or Cairo will boycott him when he is named Foreign Minister in the Netanyahu government. According to a report on Channel 2 TV on Saturday night, the Egyptian ambassador to Israel made the demand at a meeting Thursday with Prime Minister-elect Binyamin Netanyahu and Likud MK Yuval Steinitz.
The meeting was convened at extremely short notice, at the request of the ambassador, Yasser Rida. Rida told Netanyahu and Steinitz that there were three things that Egyptians held sacred – the Pyramids, the Aswan Dam, and Hosni Mubarak – and Lieberman had insulted two of them.
In the past Lieberman has threatened that Israel could bomb the Aswan Dam if Egypt joins a war against Israel. Bombing the Aswan Dam would cause flooding – and death – on a massive scale.
'Let him go to hell'
Last year, Lieberman criticized Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for refusing to visit Israel and said – “If he wants to talk to us, let him come here. If he doesn’t want to come, let him go to hell.”
According to the report, Yisrael Beiteinu MK Danny Ayalon was already working with the Egyptians on an acceptable apology. A spokesperson for Netanyahu said that "there is an ongoing connection – through a number of channels – between Avigdor Lieberman and Egypt, in order to ensure continued good relations between our two countries."
Rida did not deny the report but said: “I express deep sorrow over any attempt to inject Egypt’s name and the name of its ambassador into Israel’s internal matters.”
Reports earlier this week said that Egypt is considering boycotting a Foreign Office event Wednesday marking the 30 year anniversary of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. This, too, is meant by the Egyptians as an act of protest at the appointment of Lieberman to the Foreign Ministry. However, Egypt has reportedly not made a final decision on the matter.
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