To: <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Significant Signs
From: Pam Baker
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 09:50:15 -0500

Another Nut to Crack

To whom it may concern: I am one of those 'nuts' who believes the Bible
is truth, complete truth. As such I, as with many other such 'nuts',
have concluded the last week of Daniel's 70 weeks of years are about to
begin. There are a number of 'signs' given to us in the Word of Truth
that we are to watch for. Among those signs are: 'earthquakes in
divers places' (divers meaning =91different=92); a 'falling away' and,
eventually, the whole world will be as 'in the days of Noah'. The signs
would appear to be worldwide and to apply to the world in general. The
inside of a nut, by the way, is a seed, so plant what this nut is saying
in your mind, water it with your own thoughts and it will, God willing,
bear spirit nourishing fruit. Praise the Lord!

    About earthquakes - consider the following: from news reports
yesterday (for which I thank you, Moza and their co-workers) - "After
the enormous 8.0 & 7.7 in the Papua New Guinea area of New Ireland,
quakes continue to hit nearby areas. Now, (Nov 16) a 6.2 and three 5.3
quakes have hit the nearby New Britain Region as well=85.A few other
quakes today: Northern Algeria was shaken by a 5.0 magnitude quake. The
Vanuatu Islands had a 5.2 quake, while Nevada, USA had a 4.1=85.A moderate
earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 5.3 rattled NE Japan on
Thursday, but there were no reports of damage or injuries." Speaking of
Japan: "...scientists have said they have gotten a very unusually high
number of quakes and volcanic eruptions." Need I say more?

    About 'falling away' - many think this refers to a 'falling away' of
the church from the true gospel. However, such a 'falling away' has
been going on since shortly after the gospel was first preached, over
1,900 years ago, and it is still going on. I think it refers to a
'falling away' in the world, a 'falling away' from basic moral positions
that have been accepted by the majority of the nations, until recently.
We are all aware, I hope, of the number of nations that have legalized,
or are considering legalization of, homosexuality, lesbianism and
abortion as well as the departure from the moral deterrent of 'a life
for a life'. Today I read the following: "The British government will
force the legalization of homosexuality on its Caribbean territories
after having cajoled the Islands' legislators unsuccessfully." Need I
say more?

A Sodom and Gemorrah condition is already present in some parts of the
world today. That, I think, is a 'localized' state of degeneration from
which believers, like Lot, will be saved. The man of sin will then be
revealed and deterioration of world conditions to 'as in the days of
Noah', I think, will follow the rapture of the Church. Lesson? LOOK
UP!!!! Praise the Lord!

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] The bomb about to explode
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 10:16:59 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Send reply to: <benyosef@torahvoice.org>
From: "Ben Yosef"
To: "ben Yosef"
Subject: The bomb about to explode
Date sent: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 11:12:20 +0200

Shalom,

NOTE: Since the response two nights ago to attacks on Gilo from both
Beit Jalla and Bethlehem by IDF forces and IAF helicopters that fired
more than 50 missiles, the peace has been "deafening." We haven't
heard a single gunburst in more than 24 hours. Sooooo, since the IDF
has been freed to be the IDF again, I am removing the New South
Lebanon, dateline from the Jerusalem suburb of Gilo."

GILO, Jerusalem -- It's quiet -- unbelievable quiet -- but there is a
political bomb about to go off. Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami (who
earlier chided Gilo residents for complaining too much) has taped an
interview to be aired tomorrow (on Shabbat) on Israel Channel 1's
Arabesque program in which he states for the first time publically,
that Israel HAD agreed to partial Islamic sovereignty -- NOT
Palestinian sovereignty -- on the Temple Mount.

This is dynamite waiting to explode for several reasons. First, you
simply do not say "Na, ya na, na na naaaah" (as four of my five
sisters and I often did toward one another when we were little
hoodlums) when dealing with Middle Eastern peoples. Taunting this way
is a form of intimidation and is like backing a snake into a corner.
To me, such a taunt would be a signal to REVIVE whatever spunk or
fight is left in me to NOW fight to the death!

Better in situations like this to say, "What you don't know, won't
hurt you!" But the front page headline today in the Jerusalem Post
"Barak, Ben-Ami: Palestinians missed their opportunity" amounts to a
taunt, which I learned in LIVING with East Jerusalem Arabs in 1987
(before the first intifada) will amount to fighting words.

It either represents a MAJOR diplomatic blunder (about the equivalent
of sending a confidential email to most everyone on your email list
accidentally) or seen in another light, Hashem's chiding to thoroughly
demoralize and break the pride of the Palestinian people. (As
children of Torah, we must see every event in its interplay on a
larger stage, even those perpetrated by the most undiplomatic means).

Another reason this is POLITICAL dynamite is that for months, the
Barak Administration has been denying that any such overtures have
been made and assuring us of Jewish sovereignty on the Temple Mount.
Now, at least partially, we find that there is more than one forked
tongue when backed into a corner.

A very positive thing has been happening in recent weeks with the
current uprising. The Jewish settlers and the religious Jewish
community have been coming together in a closer if not new-found
solidarity. This has been a painful realization at times. I have not
commented on it until now out of respect for the family of the
deceased who needed their Shiva (mourning period), but the recent bomb
that went off behind the Mahane Yehuda Market on SHOMRON Street killed
two persons; one was a lawyer and the other was the daughter of a
Knesset member from the National Religious Party. The daughter was in
the process of moving into a new apartment that morning after having
left a settlement for the "security" of Jerusalem.

We are constantly reminded here that ALL things, even tragedies like
these, work together for the good of those who love Hashem and are
called according to His purposes. So as a family grieves, and our
prayers should certainly be with this family in their loss, we MUST
NOT miss the message Hashem sent to us related to the SHOMRON and
abandonning settlements.

The grand announcement today that Barak's secular revolution would go
so far as to surrender any degree of sovereignty over the Temple Mount
is going to further divide the secular and religious segments of
Israeli society and further knit together the religious community and
the settlers. The stage is obviously being set for something ... but
for now we will leave you guessing, because to a large degree that's
what we would be doing to comment further at this point.

There is another aspect to the willingness of the Barak government to
surrender sovereignty on the Temple Mount and that is their total
blindness to the fact that this ground war is rooted in the
heavenlies. It is a spiritual conflict and it is time that SOMEONE in
a leadership position begin to recognize it as such and fight it as
such.

Giving ground on the Temple Mount, at the Tomb of Joseph and for weeks
at the Tomb of Rachel and the Tomb of the Patriarchs has played right
into the hands of this spiritual enemy whose goal, as we have stated
before is Psalms 83, to claim the NA'OT of G-d. Verse 12 or 13 in some
Bibles usually translate the NA'OT as "houses" but the NA'OT are the
precious possessions and shepherd abodes. It is the place Hashem
makes us to lie down -- the green "pastures" in Psalm 23. From this
idea, the mystic sages concluded that the NA'OT represent the tombs of
the tzaddikim or the righteous dead -- namely and especially Joseph,
Rachel and the Patriarchs, who lie down in Sh'chem, on the way to
Bethlehem and in Hevron.

It is especially curious to me that a group of women with children in
their arms and baby buggies in tow, first made an attempt to pray at
Rachel's tomb and when denied, encamped almost on our doorsteps here
in Gilo as close as the Army would allow them to be to the Tomb of
Rachel. This had led to the tomb being re-opened to worshippers three
times a day via armed escort from the IDF. But the ladies aren't
happy with that! They say they will remain living in tents until the
tomb is opened every day all day to worshippers.

These ladies understand spiritual warfare! You must FIRST take back
the spiritual ground in order to defuse the ground forces. Look what
has happened since they moved into the tents. The IDF has been
unleashed and has virtually driven the Tanzim Fatah militia out of
Beit Jalla and Bethlehem. IT IS QUIET TODAY ON THE SOUTHERN FRONT.

We can do the same in the north -- in OUR SHOMRON -- by taking a stand
to reclaim the tomb of Joseph. But here is where the JOES on this list
need to understand that JUDAH cannot do it alone! Hashem requires the
BOW and the ARROW for this battle. Part of the reason this Palestinian
uprising has occurred in the first place is because of the noticeable
absence of JOES, who Hashem is wanting to reunite with their Jewish
brothers. If you are new to the list, this is explained at our website
www.torahvoice.org Until the framework is set up to accommodate this
return, the Shomron remains spiritually breached.

We are doing all we know to do to open channels of communication re:
this framework and address the need for a PROXY representation in the
Knesset of the interests of the House of Joseph still in exile. We are
trying with the fund-raising to help the Shomron settlements most
vulnerable to attack -- the Gav Ha-Har bloc -- to be a conduit for
Hashem to show JEWS ALL OVER ISRAEL the heart of TRUE JOES.

But we must yet do more. The battle in the north remains spiritual
and the breach because of the underlying enmity and vexation that
persists between Judah and Joseph's children -- although I really
believe that is about to die a permanent death -- ties our hands
UNLESS WE REACH OUT IN SOLIDARITY TO OUR JEWISH BROTHERS.

I want to encourage ALL of you on this list. Organize meetings with
your Jewish counterparts ... at least a day a month if not a week, to
assemble together and pray together as a show of spiritual solidarity.
Lets get spiritual batallions of JOES and spiritual batallions of JEWS
linked together. The old adage is just as true in the spiritual as it
was when Abraham Lincoln quoted it: "UNITED we STAND, DIVIDED ..."

Shalom Shalom & Hashem's love & blessings,
ben Yosef

------- End of forwarded message -------

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arafat goes halfway in PR ploy message not broadcast on
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 11:20:03 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
From: BSaphir
Date sent: Thu, 16 Nov 2000 13:47:51 EST
Subject: Arafat goes halfway in PR ploy message not broadcast on PA TV
To: freemanlist@lists.io.com

 Arafat goes halfway in PR ploy message not broadcast on PA TV

Aaron Lerner Date: 15 November, 2000

The Israel Television Channel One Mabat prime time news program this
evening broadcast the complete video prepared by Palestinian Authority
Chairman Yasser Arafat in which he expressed his condolences over the
passing of the late Leah Rabin as well as his and his people's
commitment to peace. He said that the Palestinians are determined to
complete the peace process and added that they have not lost hope
despite the recent troubles.

Senior Correspondent Ehud Ya'ari noted towards the end of the
broadcast that contrary to assurances provided earlier, the tape was
not also broadcast on Palestinian television stations.

While there is no indication who came up with the idea of the
broadcast, it is noteworthy that when Minister Shimon Peres returned
from Gaza with the Peres-Arafat agreement a few weeks ago Peres crowed
about the significance of the fact that Yasser Arafat was going to
appear on Palestinian television to declare, in his own voice, an end
to the violence. Arafat never made the appearance or the declaration
in his own voice. Peres later said that it did not matter and what
matters is what happens. Later again Peres explained that what
mattered was that Arafat was making an effort.

Dr. Aaron Lerner, Director
IMRA (Independent Media Review & Analysis)
(mail POB 982 Kfar Sava)
Tel 972-9-7604719/Fax 972-3-548-0092

------- End of forwarded message -------

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Judge promises prompt 'blessed day' ruling
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 17 Nov 00 12:31:05 EST

Judge promises prompt 'blessed day' ruling
http://starnews.com/business/articles/bless1117.html
By Gregory Weaver
Indianapolis Star
November 17, 2000

A federal judge conducted a six-hour hearing Thursday to determine whether an
Indianapolis employer can prohibit a worker from wishing people a "blessed
day" while on the job.

U.S. District Court Judge John Tinder said he will decide with "deliberate
speed" whether to issue a preliminary injunction against USF Logistics, a
shipping and warehousing firm based in Illinois.

But he noted that such injunctions are rare in employment law cases.

Liz Anderson, who works at the company's Indianapolis facility, is suing USF.
She alleges that she has suffered religious discrimination and retaliation on
the job -- charges her employer denies.

She testified for three hours, saying the "blessed day" greeting is a
religious practice and "part of her relationship with Jesus."

"It just means I am trying to live a Christian life in my walking and in my
talking," Anderson said.

USF attorney Nina Stillman questioned, however, whether it is a true religious
practice or merely a personal expression. She noted in her questioning that
Anderson previously had told reporters the practice was "not that religious"
and was the equivalent of wishing folks a "happy day."

Anderson's attorney, Kevin Betz, argued that USF's swift response to
Anderson's use of the phrase in company correspondence was evidence that it
considered it a "religious expression."

The company twice reprimanded Anderson for continuing to use the phrase after
a customer at Microsoft objected to it.

A supervisor then issued a sweeping policy that prohibits employees from using
personal, political or religious language in verbal or written communication
with customers or co-workers.

USF supervisor Chuck Tolley testified that the prohibition on religious
language among co-workers has not been enforced.

Betz noted, however, that the written policy is still on the lunchroom wall at
USF's Indianapolis office and never has been rescinded. That alone, he said,
is evidence of the company's unwillingness to accommodate in any way
Anderson's use of the "blessed" greeting.

Federal law requires employers to accommodate workers' religious practices so
long as it does not cause an undue hardship. But Stillman argued that use of
the expression is simply a personal preference, not something that requires
accommodation under the law.

____________________________________________________________________
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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] THE search is on for the Ark of the Covenant - in Ireland
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 17 Nov 00 12:33:52 EST

Ark from the Bible 'may be buried at Tara'
http://www.belfasttelegraph.co.uk/today/nov16/News/ark..ncml
By Noel McAdam
THE search is on for the Ark of the Covenant - in Ireland.
  
An official archaeological dig could begin soon on an ancient hilltop outside
Drogheda, if the Irish government gives the go-ahead.
  
A locally-based expert believes he has traced the exact location of the Ark of
the Covenant using historic Irish documents to the famous Hill of Tara.
  
Around 500 local people have signed a petition for the site to be excavated,
but Irish Arts and Heritage Minister Sile de Valera has yet to respond.
  
She has already turned down an earlier request, however, from John Hill, an
Englishman who has been based in Kells for the last three years.

It is more than 100 years since a previous group carried out a dig in the
area. But the British Israelites, in 1898, only found Roman coins.

Mr Hill has spent 16 years of his life researching the Ark or Covenant Box,
which is said in the Bible to contain the two stone slabs on which the Ten
Commandments given to Moses on Mount Sinai were written.

It has been the subject of worldwide searches.
  
Mr Hill said passages from ancient Irish manuscripts show it is buried in a
subterranean chamber beneath the Mound of the Hostages on the hill.

He said: "The Dindsenchas (manuscripts) also state that Teamur (Tara) is the
secret place of The Way of Life and in The Bible Covenant in The Torah in
Deuteronomy we are told quite clearly that The Covenant is 'The Way of Life'.

"If I get permission, I basically need to mark out an area two metres by two
metres and dig out the turf very neatly, until I find the entrance to the
passage leading to the Ark.

"I don't need to touch the Mound of the Hostages - just an area of flat grass
to the south of the mound. All the evidence points to an underground chamber,
and that's what I want to find."

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======= To: bprlist bprlist <bprlist@egroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] The day of the Son of Man
From: Shophar_Sho_Good
Date: 17 Nov 00 12:35:42 EST

Friday, 17 November 2000
Reflections Today
The day of the Son of Man
http://www.mb.com.ph/OPED/2000-11/OE111710.aspLuke 17:26-37
JESUS said to His disciples, "As it was in the days of Noah, so it will be in
the days of the Son of Man; they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving
in marriage up to the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and
destroyed them all. Similarly, as it was in the days of Lot: they were eating,
drinking, buying, selling, planting, building; on the day when Lot left Sodom,
fire and brimstone rained from the sky to destroy them all. So it will be on
the day the Son of Man is revealed. On that day, a person who is on the house
top and whose belongings are in the house must not go down to get them, and
likewise a person in the field must not return to what was left behind.
Remember the wife of Lot. Whoever seeks to preserve his life will lose it, but
whoever loses it will save it. I tell you, on that night there will be two
people in one bed; one will be taken, the other left. And there will be two
women grinding meal together; one will be taken, the other left." They said to
Him in reply, "Where, Lord?" He said to them, "Where the body is, there also
the vultures will gather."

The WORD Today
Today's gospel passage teaches us that everyday wordly concerns (vv 27-28) and
attachment to material possessions (v 31) can divert our hearts from preparing
for the kingdom of God. We can be overly absorbed in the affairs of this world
to the extent that we are robbed of the needed preparedness for Christ's
unexpected coming. The person who is drawn to this world will have an agenda
and timetable different from God's. One may have been baptized but that does
not mean anything if one does not live out the life set for the kingdom of
God. Thus one will be caught unawares when the deadline set by God expires.
The day the Son of Man is revealed is judgment day for the unfaithful but
vindication day for the faithful. The faithful will be like Noah and Lot who
held on to God despite being in the minority; the rest of the world continued
with their worldly affairs unmindful of the disaster that awaited them. But
those in the company of the faithful are not guaranteed automatic salvation.
The wife of Lot changed her mind and decided to turn back and she perished,
symbolizing the fate of those who answered the call of God and turned back on
their former lives prior to faith. Even intimacy with fellow believers does
not assure them of outright salvation (vv 3435). Everyone must examine
carefully one's values and conduct and reflect deeply on the real meaning of
life (v 33), so that one can fix the loose ends of one's life and prepare for
the coming to maturity of the unrestricted reign of God over His creation.

Source: 366 Days with the Lord, Society of St. Paul.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Despite reports, Saddam doesn't have cancer
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 18:54:02 -0000

http://www.menewsline.com/headline9.html

DESPITE REPORTS, SADDAM DOESN'T HAVE CANCER
By Steve Rodan
Middle East Newsline

As Mark Twain would say, the rumors of Saddam Hussein's demise have
been greatly exaggerated.

Two months ago, Arab diplomatic and Iraqi opposition sources asserted
that the Iraqi president has been stricken with cancer. They said
Saddam was fighting a losing battle with leukemia and had appointed a
panel to take over Iraq in case he died or was incapacitated.

But Middle East intelligence sources now said these reports were the
product of disinformation. The sources said Saddam does not have
cancer and is not suffering from any life-threatening disease.

The sources confirmed that a delegation of French physicians arrived
in Baghdad earlier this year. But they said the physicians were
treating Saddam's chief aide, Izzet Ibrahim, deputy chief of the
Revolutionary Council.

Ibrahaim, however, remains active. Last week, he visited Damascus in
the highest-level visit by an Iraqi government envoy in 20 years.

The sources said the 63-year-old Saddam has not established a formal
mechanism that takes into account his death or incapacitation. They
said reports that he formed such a panel and named his younger son,
Kusay, as chairman, are false.

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Church, Marshals Agree to Peaceful Ending
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 18:57:22 -0000

http://www.foxnews.com/national/111700/church_irs.sml

Church, Marshals Agree to Peaceful Ending
Friday, November 17, 2000

A three-day standoff at an Indiana church between congregants and
federal marshals trying to seize the place of worship for tax evasion
may be headed for a peaceful end.

Seth Rossman/AP

Indianapolis Baptist Temple attorney Al Cunningham said he told U.S.
Marshal Frank Anderson that church leaders and devoted followers
won't leave willingly, but promise no violence when authorities
arrive to seize the property.

Anderson said when the seizure happens, those inside the church will
be given a final chance to leave, then will be carried out, if
necessary. "I have not requested and do not expect the church's
followers to compromise their ideals and beliefs," he said.

Members and supporters of the Baptist temple have staged a round-the-
clock vigil since Tuesday, when federal marshals were expected to
seize the church over a $6 million tax debt. The church stopped
withholding federal income and Social Security taxes from its
employees' paychecks in 1984, saying its duty to obey God supersedes
manmade laws.

The two sides met for an hour Thursday at the federal courthouse.
Cunningham described the exchange as "courteous," and said marshals
would arrest only those who resist violently or try to re-enter the
church after leaving or being carried away.

Members of the congregation still don't know when marshals plan to
seize the building.

"All in all, we do not expect the kind of raid where they just enter
in and come in and abuse the people," Cunningham told a crowd of
supporters.

The Rev. Greg A. Dixon, the church's pastor, and his father and
pastor emeritus, the Rev. Greg J. Dixon, have urged supporters to
avoid violence.

Supporters seemed resigned to losing the church, but spirits remained
high late Thursday, as dozens planned to spend a third night camped
out in the building's sanctuary.

"Someone has started an illusion that we're here to protest," said
Doc Mettert, a supporter who traveled from Iowa. "We're here to
protect rights, not to protest the wrong that's been done to people."

Federal marshals seized a parsonage a few miles from the church on
Tuesday afternoon, but have done nothing since.

=97 The Associated Press contributed to this report

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======= To: bprlist@egroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] ICEJ NEWS NOVEMBER 17
From: <owner-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 13:58:28 -0500

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Fri, 17 Nov 2000 19:09:08 +0200
From: ICEJ <meid@icej.org.il>
Subject: ICEJ NEWS NOVEMBER 17

ICEJ NEWS SERVICE FROM JERUSALEM

News and comment on Middle East affairs, compiled by journalists at
the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, publishers of the
monthly Middle East Digest.

PLEASE VISIT OUR SITE: <http://www.icej.org/>

See below for subscription and other details.

PLEASE FORWARD TO FRIENDS AND ENCOURAGE THEM TO SUBSCRIBE
=================================================== FRIDAY, 17 NOVEMBER 2000

"'They will be Mine,' says the LORD Almighty, 'in the day when I make
up my treasured possession. I will spare them, just as in compassion a
man spares his son who serves him. And you will again see the
distinction between the righteous and the wicked". Malachi 3:17-18

FEATURE STORIES

1. BARAK BENDING EVEN AS ARAFAT IS UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS
As clashes continued into Friday, Israeli and Palestinian leaders were
bargaining through a number of intermediaries on terms for ending the
Palestinian uprising and returning to the Oslo peace process. While
Israeli officials appeared to be softening their positions, PLO chief
Yasser Arafat was raising the stakes for a resumption of negotiations,
and engaging is some trademark double-speak Israel and the Western
world.

2. POVERTY IMPOSED BY PA FUELS HATRED OF ISRAEL
After enduring seven weeks of violence, Israel may finally be ready to
use economic leverage over the Palestinians to end their uprising.
Palestinians are calling foul and blaming Israel for their economic
woes, but there is plenty to suggest that widespread Palestinian
poverty is largely the making of their own leaders.

*****

BARAK BENDING EVEN AS ARAFAT IS UP TO HIS OLD TRICKS

As clashes continued into Friday, Israeli and Palestinian leaders were
bargaining through a number of intermediaries on terms for ending the
Palestinian uprising and returning to the Oslo peace process. While
Israeli officials appeared to be softening their positions, PLO chief
Yasser Arafat was raising the stakes for a resumption of negotiations,
and engaging is some trademark double-speak with Israel and the
Western world.

Compared to prior weeks, there has been a flourish of contacts between
Israeli and Palestinian officials in the past three days, both direct
and through third parties, concerning how to reduce the level of
violence. And although Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has said he
refuses to renew peace talks until the violence has stopped, he has
lowered his standard for gauging when the conflict has abated enough,
and began offering concessions that clearly involve final-status
arrangements.

This includes a report today by the Barak-friendly HA'ARETZ daily that
he is now willing to bend on his previous demand for an
"end-to-the-conflict" agreement and would settle for further interim
arrangements that postpone crucial decisions on Jerusalem and
Palestinian refugees. The idea of such a limited agreement has been
broached before and likely would provide for Israeli recognition of a
Palestinian state within borders to be agreed upon, hopefully before
US President Bill Clinton leaves office.

In addition, Barak indicated in an interview with ISRAEL RADIO on
Thursday that negotiations with the Palestinians could resume once
there is a "significant" reduction in the violence, as opposed to his
prior demands for a total cessation of hostilities. Barak insisted
that "some shots fired in the wilderness" would not stop the
negotiations. Barak also explained that sometimes the best response to
violence is to "bite your lip."

After meeting with his security cabinet Wednesday night, Barak decided
to continue his policy of restraint in response to Palestinian
attacks, explaining that he does not want to play into the hands of
Arafat, who is trying to "drag us into an escalation that will invite
international intervention."

Barak also appears to have given some ground in the face of
Palestinian demands for an international force to be deployed in the
disputed territories to "protect the Palestinians." In a statement
late Thursday, Barak's office said Israel would not object to
supervision of a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians
by international observers once a peace accord is reached.

Meanwhile, in a development that the press is touting as a sign of
movement, Arafat said yesterday after talks with outgoing US special
Mideast envoy Dennis Ross that he hoped peace talks can resume before
Clinton leaves office on January 20.

In addition, after Muslim noon prayers today in Gaza, Arafat told
Western reporters, "We are exerting every effort to prevent any
element from firing from Area A," an acknowledgement of reports that
he had finally ordered a cease-fire. "We are trying our best to get
our people to stop shooting. Orders have been issued regarding this by
the Palestinian National Security Council," he added without
elaborating.

The orders supposedly were meant to resolve a key problem accurately
described by the AP today: "Gunfire from Palestinian-controlled areas
has been a daily feature of the current unrest... Palestinian police
under Arafat's Palestinian Authority have often joined Tanzim
militiamen, part of Arafat's Fatah political movement, in firing on
Israeli military positions and settlements."

Arafat agreed at the emergency Sharm e-Sheikh summit in October and on
several other occasions in recent weeks to order a cease-fire to all
Palestinian forces and militias, and some media have reported he in
fact followed through with such orders, but without giving details.
The latest instance supposedly took place early Wednesday morning, but
as on all previous occasions, no mention of it was made in the
Palestinian media and Fatah leaders denied receiving any such orders
to hold their fire.

This appears, however, to be the first time Arafat has publicly and
personally acknowledged he has issued cease-fire orders. Yet it is to
Western media sources, and not for official Palestinian broadcasts.
Also of note, it is cleverly limited to "Area A" only, meaning areas
under full Palestinian security control, but excluding the larger
zones where Israel and the Palestinians share rule.

An IDF source dismissed Arafat's remarks as not enough, noting that it
does not include areas B and C. "Therefore there is no change in the
Palestinian policy of terror," the source said. And in any event,
Palestinians continued to shoot at Israeli targets on Friday. At the
same time, the Fatah movement has continued to urge Palestinians to
keep up the new intifada.

Such familiar deceptive tactics by Arafat were also on display on
Wednesday, when Israeli TV news programs broadcast a videotaped eulogy
by Arafat to Leah Rabin, who was buried that day in Jerusalem. In it,
the Palestinian leader sits before a large poster of the Dome of the
Rock shrine on the Temple Mount - a key sticking point in negotiations
- and tells the Israeli people that he is fully committed to peace.

But Arafat breached a pledge to Israeli authorities by not
broadcasting the message in Arabic as well on Palestinian TV. Israelis
thus witnessed Arafat again speaking words of peace - but never to his
own people.

Running counter to these questionable gestures, Arafat intends to
press on for a UN vote next week on the insertion of a 2,000-strong
international force in Judea/Samaria, Gaza and eastern Jerusalem. He
also still demands more direct Russian, European and UN involvement in
the peace process, plus an international commission of inquiry to
investigate Israel's alleged "excessive use of force" against rioters
and even charges of Israeli "war crimes."

The Palestinian observer at the UN, Nasser al-Kidwa, met Israeli
Ambassador Yehuda Lancry at the Egyptian mission in New York this week
to discuss the Palestinian proposal for international troops, sparking
rumors Israel was ready to give ground on the issue. But Kidwa later
said it had turned into a shouting match, and that his side felt it
did not need Israel's okay to formally present the initiative, as
early as today, to the Security Council. UN Secretary-General Kofi
Annan, the Clinton Administration and other key world leaders have
said they will only support this proposal if Israel approves it, and
Barak has opposed it so far. The French have proposed that a smaller,
unarmed force be sent instead, and Arafat has indicated that he would
accept that proposal, but Barak has said this may be acceptable only
as part of a final peace treaty.

Besides the Ross shuttles between Arafat and Barak, and the direct
contacts at the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov also huddled
with Barak and Arafat following Leah Rabin's funeral. Ross went home
without reporting progress in stemming the bloodshed, but said it had
left deep psychological wounds. "If we are going to get back to making
peace, we have got to change the environment. We have to affect the
psychology," he said.

The American peace team is especially keen to renew talks and get some
sort of deal before Clinton leaves office. Clinton told the AP this
week that his biggest regret as president may be his failure to
reconcile Israel and the Palestinians, because he "really wanted with
all my heart" to bring peace to the Middle East. "If it doesn't
happen, I'll be profoundly disappointed."

Arafat commented yesterday on such a goal, saying, "We are hoping so,
not to forget that President Clinton is insisting to achieve something
before his departure." Sources in Barak's government also are
suggesting the end of Clinton's tenure realistically is the outside
date for concluding some sort of agreement before early elections are
called in Israel.

In another diplomatic development, Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo
Ben-Ami returned late last night from the two day European
Union-Mediterranean conference in France, which convened the foreign
ministers from 15 EU countries and about a dozen Arab and other states
bordering the Mediterranean Sea. A hoped for meeting between Ben-Ami
and the Moroccan foreign minister never materialized, but he did meet
with Egyptian Foreign Minister Amr Moussa and with Turkish Foreign
Minister Ismail Cem. In a meeting with Ben-Ami, Cem reportedly said
that, "Come what may in the peace process, the bilateral relationship
between Turkey and Israel will not be affected, and will even continue
to develop."

The Arab countries at the summit took the Europeans to task for what
they claimed was too even-handed an approach regarding the recent
violence. During the meetings, the Europeans reiterated their policy
of shoring up American-inspired peace initiatives with economic and
political support. By they also announced support for the
establishment of a sovereign Palestinian state "soon," preferably as
the result of negotiations. Some Israeli Foreign Ministry officials
are concerned that the EU position marks a substantial change from
previous statements on the issue of a Palestinian state, and gives the
impression that the Europeans may be growing impatient.

Following is a review of some of the violent incidents in recent days.

In a day considered one of the bloodiest days of the uprising, eight
Palestinians were killed and scores injured in clashes on WEDNESDAY,
while four Israelis were wounded. Israeli television news agencies
reported that a Hizb'Allah kidnapping attempt on an IDF soldier within
Israel was thwarted. Israeli police also arrested two Israeli Arabs
from the village of Arabeh in the Galilee who are suspected of leading
a planned stone-throwing attacks on an IDF convoy at a nearby
junction. One soldier was lightly injured and two IDF vehicles were
damaged in the attack late Monday night.

Former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu toured Gilo on Wednesday
evening, where he was mobbed by residents shouting for his return to
power. Netanyahu infuriated police by insisting on visiting Ha'anafa
Street, then under fire, since they feared they would be unable to
prevent the crowds from following him out onto the street - which
proved true. However, no one was hurt. Acting on Cabinet approval
early THURSDAY morning, Israeli attack helicopters carried out
widespread missile attacks on selected Palestinian targets in Judea
and Samaria, following a day of heavy clashes. The helicopters fired
at Palestinian armories and Fatah headquarters in Beit Jala, Hebron,
Tulkarum, Jericho, Salfit and Hebron.

There was also a particularly heavy exchange of fire from Palestinian
gunmen on the Jerusalem neighborhood of Gilo. According to one report,
the Tanzim militias who opened fire at Gilo were brought to the scene
in a Red Crescent ambulance. Dr. Harald Fischer, a 68-year-old German
chiropractor and father of three, was accidentally killed in Beit
Jalla by IDF fire in response to the gunfire from Palestinian snipers
operating from the village south of Gilo. Fischer, married to a
Palestinian woman, had walked just a few steps outside of his door
when he was hit by a richoet on his way to treat a wounded Palestinian
nearby. Firing at Gilo continued throughout that night, for a total of
eight hours.

Later on Thursday, there was a marked decrease in the number of
violent incidents, although shooting incidents increased after dark.
Two Palestinians were killed, 10 Palestinians were wounded, and two
Israeli civilians and a border policeman were lightly wounded in the
violence. At an Israeli checkpoint in Beit Umar, a Palestinian man was
reported killed. An IDF spokesman said he had attempted to snatch a
soldier's weapon and, during the ensuing struggle, the gun went off,
shooting the Palestinian. Palestinian reports denied this story,
saying the soldiers fired at stone throwers who were trying to prevent
them from carrying out an arrest.

Palestinians fired at a Border Police patrol in eastern Jerusalem from
the rooftops of nearby buildings. The patrol returned fire and there
were no injuries reported. The station is in the vicinity of the
Justice Ministry and District Court compound and is near the Damascus
Gate of the Old City.

In another incident near the Arab village of Arabeh in the Galilee, a
police car was attacked with stones. The police responded with
tear-gas and ran over one of the rioters, lightly injuring him. Police
safely detonated a pipe bomb found near an entrance to the Tel Aviv
bus station. A police source said it is likely the charge was set for
nationalistic motives.

Funerals were held for eight Palestinians killed in clashes Wednesday.
They were followed by disturbances at Khan Yunis and elsewhere in the
Gaza Strip and in the West Bank town of Kalkilya. There were also
clashes near Jenin, Jericho, Hawara, Bani Naim, and at the Fawar
refugee camp near Hebron, where one Palestinian was killed,
Palestinians said.

A chain of bombs, some of which had been planted within five meters of
the border on the Lebanese side, exploded as IDF soldiers passed in
armored Hummer vehicles in the disputed Sheba farms region in the
foothills of Mount Dov on Israel's northern border with Lebanon. One
soldier was lightly injured. A statement broadcast on Hizb'Allah's
Manar television station said activists had detonated several
explosive devices alongside armored vehicles of "the Zionists" in a
gesture of support and solidarity with the "Aksa intifada," and to
demonstrate their right to the Sheba farms.

Several shooting incidents took place in the territories overnight. In
Gaza, two explosive devices were detonated near IDF troops and shots
were fired at Morag and Neve Dekalim. No injuries were reported.
Clashes continued at the Ayosh Junction outside Ramallah, while gun
battles took place next to the Jewish sectors in Hebron, Jericho, Tul
Karm, and areas near Nablus. Palestinians reported that there were
five people wounded.

On FRIDAY, as many as six Palestinians have died in clashes and
gunfights. IDF soldiers opened fire before dawn Friday on Palestinian
gunmen shooting at a Jewish settlement near Jericho. IDF and
Palestinian sources said two Palestinian police officers were killed -
one a lieutenant colonel and one a lieutenant. They were among a group
of Palestinians on the roof of a building next to the Jericho casino
who fired on IDF soldiers, and may have been responsible for the
multiple shooting attacks on the Vered Jericho community in the past
few weeks. IDF snipers returned fire, killing the two officers, the
IDF said.

A bus was ambushed by five Palestinians near Tira, an Israeli-Arab
town not far from the PA cities of Tulkarm and Kalkilyeh. The driver
was injured and taken to the hospital for treatment.

The IDF pursued a group of Palestinians attempting to penetrate the
Morag settlement in the southern Gaza Strip, the army said. A force of
Givati soldiers wounded three of the Palestinians, and later found in
the settlement's greenhouses two bombs, which were successfully
defused.

Police were out in force on Friday in an effort to prevent any
attempts at violence following the Islamic prayer services on the
Temple Mount. No violent incidents were reported.

As we go to press, up to four other Palestinians have been reported
killed so far in Friday's clashes, including a Jordanian Palestinian
in Kalkilya, a Palestinian youth in Hebron, and a Palestinian man at
the Karni crossing.

*****

POVERTY IMPOSED BY PA FUELS HATRED OF ISRAEL

After enduring seven weeks of violence, Israel may finally be ready to
use economic leverage over the Palestinians to end their uprising.
Palestinians are calling foul and blaming Israel for their economic
woes, but there is plenty to suggest that widespread Palestinian
poverty is largely the making of their own leaders.

HA'ARETZ reported today that Israel is planning to impose economic
sanctions on the Palestinian Authority, and that the IDF has been
ordered not to allow any goods to enter PA territories, apart from
food and medicines. The decision came after a meeting of security
officials following Monday's terror attacks that claimed four Israeli
lives. Behind the Israeli public are seven weeks of violence.
Twenty-four Israeli lives have been lost, many of them deliberately
murdered, in some cases by members of the Palestinian security forces.

Despite this, a Finance Ministry spokeswoman said yesterday that
Israel is not withholding money from the PA. "There has been no
directive from the political realm or the Prime Minister not to
transfer money," said Orit Reuveni.

Earlier Thursday, ARMY RADIO asked Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak
why he is not using economic sanctions to pressure Arafat into halting
the violence. He replied that "money is not flowing to the Palestinian
Authority." According to HA'ARETZ, Barak claimed yesterday that Israel
is withholding millions of dollars in tax revenues owed to the PA, as
a punitive measure. In defense of his "policy of restraint" however,
Barak said the Palestinian side is already paying enough of a price.

Reuveni said that some NIS 40 million of about NIS 80m Israel owes the
PA was transferred as per usual at the beginning of the month. She
says the other NIS 40m has not been paid due to less contact as a
result of the violence, and not as a deliberate policy change. For
instance, Reuveni said, some of the money is being held up because the
PA has not fully paid Israel its electric or communications bills.
This month Israeli utility companies demanded that Israel withhold
amounts corresponding to those owed them by the PA.

Arafat, for his part, said after meeting with US special Mideast envoy
Dennis Ross Thursday in Gaza that Israel is waging "economic war"
against the Palestinians. "It's part of the declared war by Barak
against us," he said. "It's economic, food, and military war."

One of Arafat's senior advisors, Nabil Abu Rudaineh, said that
Arafat's message was passed on to both Ross and Russian Foreign
Minister Igor Ivanov. Responding to reports that Israel yesterday
ordered a stop in payments of VAT and customs fees to the PA - the
transfer the Foreign Ministry said was last paid at the beginning of
November - Abu Rudaineh said that this money has not been paid for
over 48 days, and that the PA has been unable to pay the salaries of
its employees.

As fighting eased somewhat yesterday, there were reports that
ammunition supplies are running low and black-market prices soaring in
many Arab cities as a result of the massive shooting offensives
mounted by Fatah operatives over seven weeks. Reports indicate that
some local Fatah militias have been imposing taxes on Palestinian
businessmen to boost their dwindling coffers. Security sources report
that in some areas, Palestinian fighters are under new orders to
cut-back on the number of bullets they fire.

Likud chairman Ariel Sharon was quoted by his office last week as
saying that "all the measures for imposing pressure on the Palestinian
Authority have not been exhausted toward bringing about a stop to the
violence, and without causing an escalation, such as stopping the
[supply of] monies reaching the authority, restrictions on oil and
electricity, etc."

MK Michael Kleiner (Herut) said this month that it is historically
acceptable for countries at war to withhold monies that belong to the
enemy, ARUTZ-7 reported. "We're not talking about taking the money
and putting it into our own coffers," Kleiner said, "as this would
truly be unacceptable. Rather, just as the US has frozen hundreds of
millions of Iraqi dollars, Israel may certainly do the same with this
money."

Towards the end of October, a month into the violence, the JERUSALEM
POST reported that the government had no plans to stop regular funds
to the PA. A senior official in the Prime Minister's Office said that
a "time-out" from the peace process did not mean taking any decisive
actions against Oslo and other agreements. Among the agreements that
Israel continues to honour are commitments to transfer taxes on PA
goods, as well as millions of cubic meters of water each year, and the
total supply of electricity to PA-ruled areas.

IMRA reported at the beginning of the month that according to official
sources, the latest outbreak of PA media instigated violence has
resulted in serious economic strains on the Arab population in
PA-controlled towns and villages. The population which is incited to
violence suffers the consequences, while its leaders enjoy their
status and continue to thrive.

The report stated that Israel has made every effort not to impair
Palestinian economic activity. However, with the escalation of
violence, enforcing a blockade on PA-ruled cities and banning the
entry of Arab workers from those areas into Israeli-controlled land
became a security necessity. These preventative measures were taken in
order to prevent suicide attacks in light of the release of Hamas
murderers from PA prisons (among them terrorists with considerable
experience in preparing explosive charges).

The closures mean that Arab employees who would normally work within
Israeli-controlled territory cannot find alternative work within the
PA, while their jobs in Israel may be lost permanently to foreign
workers. Another result is the loss of income derived from Israelis
seeking inexpensive products and produce in PA areas. Agricultural
products are not being exported to the Israeli side, which is
especially ironic in the current Jewish sabbatical year, when
Palestinian merchants expect their produce to be the main import.

Employment is further limited by the cessation of development of the
Gaza Port and the Gaza Electric Plant. Also, any current water or
electricity failures are not dealt with because maintenance crews are
unable to enter the region. Some of these failures are caused by
deliberate sabotage by Palestinians who damage water pipes to an
Israeli settlement, overlooking the fact that the pipes also supply
their own village.

Furthermore, huge quantities of goods intended for the Palestinian
Authority remain undelivered in the Israeli port of Ashdod. This is a
result of the PA demand that its security personnel be allowed through
the Karni Passage into Israel, to take delivery of the goods, without
undergoing any form of security check. Israel cannot allow such
hazardous entry into its border, which would increase the risk of
terror attacks on Israeli civilians, especially when it is known that
Palestinian officials are involved in arms smuggling. Therefore the
goods remain where they are.

Thus the 200 million usually paid to the PA by Israel is reduced to
NIS 114m because of the significant reduction in the amount of goods
entering and leaving the PA via Israel. And now, with the reported
Israeli sanctions coming into effect, unlike the policy of previous
weeks, the amount of gasoline available PA areas will be minimal. Also
an earlier decision to prevent the transferal of raw materials which
could have a variety of uses, has been reinforced.

As the situation escalated throughout October, hundreds of millions of
dollars were pledged to the Palestinian Authority by foreign Arab
nations. The bulk of the money does not trickle down to the
population, but remains in the coffers of the PA and those who control
it. Earlier this month, news reports stated that Israel was
considering publicizing details of this financial corruption, which is
headed by Arafat.

For instance, Muhamad Dahlan, called the head of preventative security
in Gaza, and one of the leading figures calling for violence against
Israel, continues to amass wealth. Dahlan, it is well known , controls
the Palestinian side of the Karni Passage, and as such collects a
"toll" from all who pass through.

Polls this year conducted by the Jerusalem Media and Communication
Center (JMCC) and the Shechem-based Center for Palestine Research and
Studies found that between 70 and 91% of Palestinians believe that
there is corruption in PA institutions. A NEWSWEEK article six months
ago detailed various examples of corruption among top PA officials,
and noted that the corrupt system is perpetuated by Arafat's
practices.

Moreover, the payments due the PA from the Israeli Finance Ministry
are allocated to paying salaries of Palestinian Authority personnel
and Palestinian security forces salaries, and do not go to improve
condition the general population.

*****

SOURCES: THE JERUSALEM POST, ISRAEL LINE, HA'ARETZ, REUTERS, CNN,
ASSOCIATED PRESS, ARUTZ 7, ISRAEL WIRE, IMRA

This bulletin was compiled and written by David Parsons, Rashel Gibbs
and Amanda Ruth Thomas.

*****

ICEJ NEWS SERVICE
Editor: David Parsons

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