Middle East Headline Brief – May 4, 2001
Israeli officials are anticipating the arrival today of a draft copy of the Mitchell Commission of Inquiry Report. A copy was delivered to the White House in Washington on Thursday. T
Israel
A Liars Revival?
“I do not expect the tide of evil and immorality in America to ebb. We are cycling, as cultures and civilizations have always cycled, and are now on the down side of glory. Our once great and godly nation, having crested the hill of God’s grace, has begun a slow descent into the abyss of self destruction.”
Barak Alters Story On Rich Pardon
In yet another twist in the troubling “pardon-gate” saga, Israel’s former Prime Minister Ehud Barak has changed his story regarding the number of times he spoke to US President Bill Clinton about pardoning fugitive billionaire Marc Rich.
Powell, Israel To Boycott Durban Conference
US Secretary of State Colin Powell will not attend the upcoming anti-racism conference in Durban, forcing Israel to reassess the level of its own representation at the UN forum where Arab/Islamic elements plan to bash the Jewish State and people.
Israelis Escape Several Close Calls
Ever since the heavy death toll in the Palestinian uprising on Friday, there have been several incidents of foiled bombings and narrowly averted disasters over the weekend, including one involving Israel’s Chief Rabbi.
Barak Still Letting Waqf Build on Temple Mount
Leading Israeli archaeologists are charging Prime Minister Ehud Barak with continuing to turn a blind eye to extensive construction activity on the Temple Mount by the Moslem Waqf, which is destroying valuable antiquites buried there and violating Israeli law.
Israel Follows US Lead in Approving War Crimes Tribunal
The Israeli government reversed its stand at the last minute and decided on Sunday night to sign a charter establishing the International Criminal Court to try individuals for war crimes, genocide, and crimes against humanity.
Iran Utters Peculiar Warning to Israel
Adopting unusual language, Iran has issued a warning that if Israel were to attack Syria or Lebanon in reaction to Hizb’Allah cross-border actions, Tehran would retaliate in an “astounding and unexpected” way.
Barak Re-Election Bid Still Under Cloud From 1999 Race
The campaign financing scandal from the 1999 elections continues to haunt Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak at an inopportune time.
Huge Rally Pledges Support For Jewish Jerusalem
In perhaps the largest Jewish gathering in the city’s history, a massive crowd estimated at well over 300,000 people filled the streets around the Old City of Jerusalem on Monday night, waving flags and signs in a display of Jewish loyalty to a united city under Israeli rule.
More Fallout From Jerusalem Rally
New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani hosted a gallery of guests from Israel at a gathering in New York City Hall on Thursday afternoon in a display of unity and support for undivided Jerusalem and Jewish sovereignty over the Temple Mount.
Assad and Saddam Forging Anti-Israel Alliance
While recent reports of a sudden lapse in the health of Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein may be unfounded, Iraq’s decades of ailing relations with Syria appear on the mend under the new boss in Damascus, Bashar al-Assad.
Israeli-Palestinian clashes center on holy sites
JERUSALEM, Israel, 11 October 2000 (Newsroom) — With more than 90 deaths and the destruction of synagogues and mosques, observers increasingly are describing the recent strife between Palestinians and Israelis as a religious war.
Sharon Rapped for Contacts with Arafat Crony
A new political tempest erupted in Israel after it was learned that representatives of Likud prime ministerial candidate Ariel Sharon secretly met in Vienna on Thursday with a key economic adviser to PLO chief Yasser Arafat, raising the ire of Prime Minister Ehud Barak and even members of Sharon’s own Knesset faction caught off guard by the meeting.
Israel Supreme Court Refuses to Pull Plug on Taba Talks
In a decision reflecting its left-of-center political bent, Israel’s Supreme Court on Thursday rejected a series of five petitions asking that resigned Prime Minister Ehud Barak be barred from continuing fateful peace negotiations with the Palestinians in Taba so close to an election.
Sharon Wallops Barak
Though widely expected, Likud candidate Ariel Sharon’s lopsided victory in Tuesday’s special election for prime minister was so potent, it drove incumbent Ehud Barak into political retirement and has left the Labor party in turmoil.
Talks on Unity Coalition at Critical Stage
Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon is pressing on with his bid to persuade vanquished Israeli leader Ehud Barak and the Labor party to join a national unity government, but differences still remain over the coalition’s policy guidelines and the distribution of cabinet portfolios.
Sharon Closing In On National Unity Government
Likud leader Ariel Sharon’s decisive win in last week’s election and the subsequent escalation in Palestinian violence have spurred calls for Labor to hurry up and join a unity coalition.
Report on global religious liberty is challenge to U.S., Abrams says
WASHINGTON (BP)–The State Department’s second report on global religious liberty presents a challenge for the U.S. government to act against persecution, the chairman of a federal commission said.
Arab/Islamic Threats Against Israel Never End
In recent days, Hamas Sheikh Ahmed Yassin has defended Islamic suicide bombings as a “democratic right,” a leading Egyptian newspaper urged Palestinians to kill Israelis everywhere, and Saddam Hussein has called on Jordan to open its borders to Iraq’s 6.5 million volunteer army recruited to “liberate Jerusalem.”