Philologos
BPR Mailing List Digest
June 18, 2001


Digest Home | 2001 | June, 2001

 

  1. Signs In The Heavens Update
  2. Iraq procures hundreds of tank transporters
  3. PM to Annan: No Peres-Arafat meeting - now
  4. Sharon 'indictable' for war crimes, BBC is told
  5. NIGHTLINE: The Big Crunch [neutrinos]
  6. Russia, Israel may make long-range radar planes for India
  7. SPACE.com Update for Monday, June 18, 2001
  8. Arutz-7 News (6/18/01)
    1. ISRAELI TERRORISM VICTIM TO BE BURIED TODAY
    2. SHARON: WAR NOW WOULD BE A MISTAKE
    3. FOUR BOMBS IN HAIFA, AND MORE
    4. ISRAEL REMOVES MORE SECURITY RESTRICTIONS
    5. SABRA AND SHATILA REMEMBERED IN "TENDENTIOUS" FILM
    6. RELIGIOUS MAY NOT CONTROL THEIR SABBATH APPEARANCES
    7. SCANDINAVIA AND ISRAEL
    8. PALESTINIANS IN JORDAN
    9. HOW TO HELP
    10. IN BRIEF
    11. WHO ELSE IS COMING TO ISRAEL?
  9. Cease-fire violations...creating an unacceptable situation
  10. Harpazo.net news items (6/18/01)
    US Wins Spain's Favour With Offer To Share Spy Network Material
    Spanish Paper: Underground Basque Group Sold Dynamite to Hamas
    Arafat Says "War Crazed" Israel Must Act to Maintain Truce
    Sharon: I Won't Lead Nation to War
    Saudi Arabia Urges Israel Boycott If Peace Talks Fail
    East European Royalty in Exile
    EU Leaders Fear Wrath of the People
    India's 'Monkey Man' Called Imaginary
  11. Titanic explorer hunts for signs of Noah's ark
  12. Israeli, US pilots train over Turkey

==========
To: bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Fwd: (Fwd) [End_Times_News] Signs In The Heavens Update
From: "Patt A."
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 00:05:05 -0700 (PDT)
--------


BURSTING COMET:

The crumbling comet C/2001 A2 (LINEAR), better known as
"Comet LINEAR," brightened suddenly this week to magnitude 3.3. Its fuzzy
head is easily visible to the unaided eye from dark-sky sites in the
southern hemisphere, and the comet's tail is a beautiful sight through
binoculars, say observers. Later this month the brightening comet will
also make an appearance in northern skies.

SOLAR ACTIVITY:

The sunspot number is up and solar activity is on the
rise as well. A pair of coronal mass ejections that billowed away from
the Sun on Friday could deliver glancing blows to Earth's magnetic field
this weekend. Forecasters estimate a 15% chance of severe geomagnetic
storms at mid-latitudes by Sunday. Sky watchers should remain alert for
auroras near local midnight.

For more information about viewing comet LINEAR and ongoing solar activity
please visit SpaceWeather.com.


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Iraq procures hundreds of tank transporters
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 08:34:20 -0400
--------
IRAQ PROCURES HUNDREDS OF TANK TRANSPORTERS

MIDDLE EAST NEWSLINE ARMS, DEFENSE, STRATEGY
The indepth regional news service http://www.menewsline.com/

17.6.2001

LONDON [MENL] -- Iraq has procured hundreds of tank transporters from
Russia in
what has been termed as an effort to improve military logistics and respond
quickly to the prospect of regional conflict.

Western intelligence sources confirmed reports that hundreds of Russian-
made
tank transporters have arrived in southern Iraq over the past few weeks. They
said the transporters were seen being unloaded in the port of Basra and then
painted in the color of military khaki.

"This is one of the most significant procurements by the Iraqi military and
demonstrates its preparations for conflict," an intelligence source said.

The London-based daily said at least 200 Ural tank transporters have been
unloaded. Witnesses in Basra were quoted as saying that Iraq plans to
import
1,300 tank transporters from Russia.

Iraqi opposition sources said the tank transporters are key to the
military's effort to regain control over the country or join any Middle East war
against Israel. The sources said Iraq's armored fleet has been plagued by a
lack
of spare parts and the arrival of tank transporters saves on the wear and tear
of driving tanks from Baghdad to Jordan or Syria.

The Russian export of the vehicles was facilitated by listing them as
civilian transporters, the sources said. As part of the proposed smart
sanctions policy, the United States wants to ban vehicles that can transport
armored systems.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] PM to Annan: No Peres-Arafat meeting - now
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 08:45:12 -0400
--------
 Monday, June 18, 2001

PM to Annan: No Peres-Arafat meeting - now

                  By Amnon Barzilai
                  Ha'aretz Correspondent

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan is continuing to work for a meeting
between Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and Foreign Minister
Shimon Peres. At a luncheon for Annan hosted by Peres yesterday, MK
Ophir Pines-Paz (Labor) said he was sorry that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
had prevented such a meeting at the weekend, to which Annan replied: "You
won't have to be sorry."

Sharon also quashed another Annan plan to arrange a mini-summit in the
region at the weekend. The summit would have brought U.S. Secretary of
State Colin Powell to the region along with the current European Union
president, Swedish Prime Minister Goran Persson, and EU foreign policy
czar Javier Solana.

Annan also met yesterday with former justice minister Yossi Beilin.

There is concern in the Prime Minister's Office that Annan's presence in the
region at this time signals the start of a new initiative based on UN and
European efforts to help Arafat. In his discussions with Sharon, Peres, and
Beilin, Annan raised the idea of a multi-faceted program that he thinks could
improve the climate of confidence between Israel and the Palestinian
Authority.

The first element would be the establishment of a team that would supervise
the implementation of the cease-fire. Annan argued that the PA and Israel
both had complaints about each other's implementation of the Tenet plan,
but that neither side could serve as an objective judge. He suggested that
the U.S. head the supervisory committee, but some interpreted his intentions
to mean that the Europeans would also be involved.

A second element would be to establish a time framework so that both sides
would know when talks on a final status agreement would begin. A third
element would be creating a permanent third party presence in the area,
most likely American.

The fourth element raised by Annan was a Peres-Arafat meeting. He told
Sharon at the prime minister's residence on Saturday night that a Peres-
Arafat meeting was needed to allay Arafat's concerns that Israel was trying
to topple him, and to give him good reason to enforce the cease-fire in full.

Sharon did not reject a Peres-Arafat meeting in principle. "I'm in favor of
meetings," the prime minister told Annan. "They are good; but not in the
current situation with Arafat not implementing the cease-fire. Any such
meeting would give him a good excuse why not to enforce the cease-fire."

Sharon said he suspected Arafat's entire purpose in a meeting would be for
the photo opportunity to show his people that despite everything, Israel was
conducting political negotiations with the Palestinians, while under fire and
on Arafat's terms.

"Therefore," Sharon told Annan, "it's a matter of timing and the meaning
given to the meeting."

Annan described the situation in the territories to Sharon as being the result
of the prolonged closure and asked the prime minister to allow more
Palestinian workers into Israel. Sharon rejected this option too. "Every time
we open the gates, there is a terror attack. We have to prevent all entries
until we see Arafat issuing the orders and arresting the terrorists. We have
no interest in more terror incidents."

Sharon also rejected the three other elements Annan proposed. "So," Annan
asked, "what do you propose?"

Sharon answered that the recommendations of the Mitchell Committee
outlined a clear path ahead. "But if you think this means a permanent final-
status agreement, it won't work," the prime minister said.

"So, what will you talk to the Palestinians about?" asked Annan.

After the implementation of the Mitchell recommendations, Sharon said,
Israel and the Palestinians could negotiate "a realistic plan - a framework of
negotiations for a lengthy interim agreement that is based on non-
belligerency and not an end to the conflict."

In a related development, Annan met with President Moshe Katsav, telling
him that thus far, the UN had been unable to get any tangible information
about the status of Israeli prisoners held by Hezbollah, but that he would
continue making efforts to see the prisoners freed.

Annan also met with former prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Earlier yesterday, Sharon visited Shilo to pay condolences to the Shoham
family, whose baby was killed last week by a stone thrown at their car. The
prime minister told the family and visitors to the house that as far as he was
concerned, "the settlers are the leaders now, and should be the subject of
adoration by the public. Unfortunately, they aren't seen this way by
everyone."

Later, Opposition leader Meretz MK Yossi Sarid said the settlers were not
worthy of "adoration," since they had set an example of violence, law-
breaking and creating divisions between Jews and Arabs.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=6/18/01&i
d=121699


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Sharon 'indictable' for war crimes, BBC is told
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 08:46:59 -0400
--------
 Monday, June 18, 2001

Sharon 'indictable' for war crimes, BBC is told

                  By Sharon Sadeh
                  Ha'aretz Correspondent

LONDON - Most experts on international law interviewed by the BBC on its
Panorama program yesterday believe that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon could
be indicted for the massacre of some 800 civilians in the refugee camps of
Sabra and Chatila by the Christian Phalange during the Israeli invasion of
Lebanon in 1982.

In the program, broadcast last night and titled "Panorama - The Accused",
the BBC also interviewed survivors of the massacre, Israeli officers who
served in Beirut and members of the Christian Phalange, including Elie
Hobeikeh, the man accused of leading the militiamen in the camps.

The BBC noted that Sharon was asked for an interview, and his spokesman
Ra'anan Gissin was interviewed on his behalf. Sharon's lawyer, Dov
Weisglass, was also interviewed.

Professor Richard Falk, professor of international law at Princeton University,
said that "there is no question in my mind that he [Sharon] is indictable for
the knowledge he had or should have had ... Sharon's specific command
responsibility arises from the fact that it was he that gave the directions and
orders that resulted in the Phalange entering the camp in September, 1982."

In response to a question whether Sharon "could have been in any doubt
about what would happen if you sent the Phalangists into an undefended
Palestinian refugee camp," Morris Draper, U.S. special envoy to the Middle
East in 1982, said: "You'd have to be appallingly ignorant ... I suppose if you
came down from the moon that day, you might not have predicted it."

"We were under the misguided belief ... We thought that after training them
[the Phalanges] ... they would follow orders," Ra'anan Gissin said.

Jerusalem is angry about the timing of the program's broadcast, and says
that the producers got Sharon's spokesmen to cooperate without telling them
what the program was really about. According to diplomatic sources, the
BBC said this was a program about the massacre, but did not state that the
focus would be whether Sharon was indictable. Had this been known, Gissin
would not have provided the interview, the sources said, because he is not
the right man for this task.

Israel cautioned the BBC that it reserves the right to take legal measures
against it if the program is found to be defamatory.

http://www3.haaretz.co.il/eng/scripts/article.asp?mador=14&datee=6/18/01&i
d=121701


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] (Fwd) NIGHTLINE: The Big Crunch
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 13:44:53 -0400
--------

------- Forwarded message follows -------
Date sent: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 09:19:58 -0700
Subject: NIGHTLINE: The Big Crunch
From: Nightline <listeditor@abcnews.go.com>

TONIGHT'S SUBJECT: In a lab more than a mile beneath the surface of the
earth, scientists are trying to track and record neutrinos, a particle a
fraction of the size of an electron, that may be able to answer the
questions where is the missing matter in the universe, and how will the
universe end?

----

Let me reassure everyone right now. I can understand tonight's broadcast,
and that means that all of you will too. Physics is not my strong suit.
What I remember most from high school physics was building balsa wood
bridges, and then piling bricks on them until they broke. Actually what I
remember most about that was that almost everyone cheated. One person
actually took metal rods, and very carefully built balsa wood columns
around them in order to hide them. Had we put that amount of effort and
thought into our studies, we would probably all understand a whole lot
more about quantum physics.

For a long time, scientists have wondered about missing matter. According
to theory, there should be more matter somewhere in the universe. A number
of people thought that neutrinos would be the answer. Particles that were
thought to be created in the Big Bang, they would be what made up the dark
space that is the largest part of our universe. But if that was the case,
would that matter have enough mass to eventually slow the expansion of the
universe, and reverse the effects of the Big Bang, instead collapsing the
universe, and all of us, back on itself in the Big Crunch?

For several years now, scientists have been working at the bottom of a
mine, more than a mile deep in the earth, to measure neutrinos. They built
a ten-story chamber down there, and in the center of that chamber is a
thirty-foot sphere, what they call a giant eyeball, that can record the
passage of neutrinos through the earth.

So today they will finally announce their first findings, and there were
some surprises. But for those of you with nothing better to worry about,
it looks like the Big Crunch is not in our future. Instead, it appears
that the universe will continue to expand indefinitely. In fact, it
appears that the rate of expansion is accelerating, which raises all sorts
of new questions.

So tonight, we'll take a tour of the lab, and ponder the nature of the
universe. We hope you'll join us.

Monday, June 18, 2001

Leroy Sievers
Executive Producer
Nightline Offices
Washington, D.C.

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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Russia, Israel may make long-range radar planes for India
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 13:48:59 -0400
--------
Russia, Israel may make long-range radar planes for India

Itar-Tass - June 17, 2001
(source www.clw.org/cat)

Russian and Israeli experts have coordinated a program to design A-50EI
long-range radar systems based on Il-76TD cargo aircraft. Three systems will
be
purchased by India, representatives of the Russian and Israeli delegations to
the 44th international aerospace show told Itar-Tass on Sunday.

The project is an important step in the development of the
military-technical cooperation, the sources noted. It is planned to sign the
contract with India before the end of this year.

Russia will manufacture three Il-76TD planes with PS-90A engines and dorsal
antennas, do flight tests for certification, lay the on-board service lines, and
equip the cabins. Israel will mount phased antennas and equip the planes
with
electronics and other gadgets.

The aircraft will be supplied to India within four years after the contract
signing.

The Russian companies involved in the project have had similar cooperation
with Israel. The first Russian-Israeli contract of the sort was signed at
the 42nd international aerospace show in Le Bourget on June 17, 1997, to
supply three An-50E planes to China. Yet Israel suspended the project under
the
U.S. pressure after the first aircraft was manufactured.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il


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To: bprlist <bprlist@yahoogroups.com>
Subject: [bprlist] Fwd: SPACE.com Update for Monday, June 18, 2001
From: "Patt A."
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 11:53:12 -0700 (PDT)
--------

Today in Science/Astronomy:

* Total Solar Eclipse 2001 Special Report
http://www.space.com/sunscience/

Join SPACE.com all week for full coverage of the Total Solar Eclipse from Africa!

Share Your Space
Forward this newsletter to your friends!


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Arutz-7 News (6/18/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 18:06:39 -0400
--------

Arutz Sheva News Service
  <http://www.IsraelNationalNews.com>
Monday, June 18, 2001 / Sivan 27, 5761

TODAY'S HEADLINES:
   1. ISRAELI TERRORISM VICTIM TO BE BURIED TODAY
   2. SHARON: WAR NOW WOULD BE A MISTAKE
   3. FOUR BOMBS IN HAIFA, AND MORE
   4. ISRAEL REMOVES MORE SECURITY RESTRICTIONS
   5. SABRA AND SHATILA REMEMBERED IN "TENDENTIOUS" FILM
   6. RELIGIOUS MAY NOT CONTROL THEIR SABBATH APPEARANCES
   7. SCANDINAVIA AND ISRAEL
   8. PALESTINIANS IN JORDAN
   9. HOW TO HELP
   10. IN BRIEF
   11. WHO ELSE IS COMING TO ISRAEL?

1. ISRAELI TERRORISM VICTIM TO BE BURIED TODAY
Danny Yehuda, 35, of Chomesh, was murdered shortly after noon today in a
typical drive-by terrorist shooting attack as he was driving near his
home. A 16-year-old passenger suffered moderate wounds in the attack.
The Arab
murderers shot from a passing car, which then escaped into a nearby
Palestinian
autonomous village. The wounded boy later recounted that after the first burst
of fire, the terrorists approached the car; he played dead, and they fled.
Danny's funeral will leave from Chomesh early this evening, pass by the
Prime
Minister's Office in Jerusalem, and end in the cemetery of Bnei Ayish, in the
Ashdod area.

"We have had many miracles throughout the months of these constant
shootings," said Shomron Regional Council head Bentzy Lieberman, "but
today
there was no miracle." Chomesh, 20 miles east of Netanya, is situated
within a
narrow strip only two miles wide, flanked on both sides by territory under total
Palestinian control. Part of the two-mile strip itself is under PA
administrative control. The Yesha Council issued a sharp statement laying
the
blame for today's murder on the Sharon Government, "which allowed itself to
fall
into the trap of Arafat's fake cease-fire and lifted the closure on the cities
in Judea and Samaria." The Council demands an immediate end to the
"sanguinary
cease-fire."

2. SHARON: WAR NOW WOULD BE A MISTAKE
Prime Minister Sharon attacked the Yesha Council's call, saying that he
will not accept its demand to declare war. "To take this nation to war
today would be a mistake of the first-degree," he said at a meeting of
coalition factions today. "There are many things that we have to do - but not
to take the nation to war. There are times where there is no choice, but this
is not the case at present."

The Prime Minister said that the PA's ceasefire violations are constantly
on the increase, and that Arafat has neither stopped the incitement nor
arrested terrorists. "There is a limit to Israel's ability to hold back," he
continued. "Israel will stand on every dot of the Tenet agreement, and will not
implement the next steps of the agreement until the Palestinians fully carry
out
the previous steps." MK Tzvi Hendel told Arutz-7's Yosef Zalmanson that he
very
much hopes that Sharon has not trapped himself into the position of
"threatening
not to fulfill the Tenet agreement instead of threatening an actual offensive
against terrorism. I hope that he is merely posturing himself and the nation
for the time, not far away, when the entire country will understand that the
only option we have is to fight terrorism head-on and dismantle the
Palestinian
Authority. I do not agree with him, however, that it has to take this long to
'educate' the country on this point..."

3. FOUR BOMBS IN HAIFA, AND MORE
Violence increased last night on both sides of the Green Line. In addition to
a
stoning attack on an Egged bus along the Nachal Iron highway (near Um el-
Fahm),
four pipe bombs were discovered, one after the other, in Haifa last night and
this morning. It took the police almost nine hours to safely dismantle them.
Haifa resident Asher Gabbai recounted to Arutz-7, "Around midnight, I was
driving along, when suddenly large forces of police arrived and closed off the
area. We were stuck for about an hour, then we saw a robot detonate the
bomb,
and we heard an explosion. We thought it was all over, but then suddenly,
instead of letting us pass, more police and more robots came. Then they
announced another bomb... then another one... Around 2:30 there was a
terrible
explosion..." The fourth bomb was safely detonated this morning. It is
assumed
that terrorists placed the four bombs there sometime in the last few days.

Palestinian fire resumed this afternoon against N'vei Dekalim and at the
IDF outpost near Rafiach on the Israeli-Egyptian border. Israeli soldiers fired
back after grenades were hurled at them in southern Gaza.

Other attacks since last night: Palestinian terrorists launched two mortar
shells towards Gush Katif, threw two grenades at an IDF force near Rafiach,
and
shot at the industrial zone of N'vei Dekalim. In the Shomron, there were two
massive shooting attacks at Israeli cars; no one was hurt. An Israeli car was
targeted in the Jordan Valley, near Migdalim; a bullet hit the car, but the
driver was unhurt.

Hundreds of Arab rioters from Khan Yunis again stormed the gates of N'vei
Dekalim last night. IDF soldiers scattered them by shooting rubber
bullets; the Palestinians claim a 12-year-old boy was killed. No less than 60
grenades were thrown at IDF soldiers near Rafiach, where the IDF is carrying
out
engineering and earthmoving works to prevent the Palestinians from building
tunnels through which they smuggle arms and ammunition from Egypt.

4. ISRAEL REMOVES MORE SECURITY RESTRICTIONS
Despite the above, the IDF continued removing the closures from all PA
cities, including the particularly tight one around Ramallah, and from
around Halhoul near Hevron. The Ayosh Junction between Ramallah and
Beit
El was opened for traffic last night for the first time in months. In
addition, the army announced today that it had opened approximately a
dozen
routes for Palestinian traffic. Arutz-7 correspondent Haggai Huberman reports
that the army has reinstated the Oranit checkpoint in western Shomron,
leading
to heavy traffic jams for the Jewish residents traveling back and forth to the
Tel Aviv area.

American officials are not satisfied with the level of the ceasefire. Both U.S.
Secretary of State Colin Powell and outgoing American Ambassador to Israel
Martin Indyk said this morning and last night that although the Palestinian
violence has been reduced, "it is still not quiet."

Before today's deadly terrorist attack, Israel announced that, as a result of
the ongoing terrorist attacks and the PA's refusal to arrest Hamas and
Islamic
Jihad terrorists, it is demanding an emergency meeting of high-level senior
security officials to discuss the PA's failure to comply with the Tenet
ceasefire agreement. A planned lower level trilateral meeting of security
officials scheduled for yesterday was postponed.

5. SABRA AND SHATILA REMEMBERED IN "TENDENTIOUS" FILM
BBC broadcast a documentary film last night on Ariel Sharon and the Sabra
and Shatila massacres. The program shows the atrocities of the September
1982 slaughters in which Lebanese Christian Phalangists killed some 900
Palestinian villagers. It presents the view that then-Defense Minister
Sharon, responsible for the invading IDF army, is at least indirectly
responsible for the massacre and should stand trial as an international war
criminal. All those interviewed on the film agreed with this stance, except for
several Israeli spokesmen who weakly defended him; they later said that
they did
not know that the issue was whether or not Sharon should be tried as a war
criminal.

The Israeli Foreign Ministry's response to the film: "Israel views with
great severity the distorted, unfair, and tendentious manner in which the
Panorama program was presented. The timing, 19 years after the events,
testify to a lack of good faith and an attempt to smear, at any cost,
Israel's name and that of its Prime Minister… BBC has placed itself as a
television court while blatantly ignoring the findings of serious tribunals in
the U.S. and Israel." Attorney-General Elyakim Rubenstein expressed
concern
that Israel could fall victim to a new trend to internationalize war crimes.
"This is why I objected [several months ago] to Israel's joining the
International Tribunal," he said.

The Kahan Commission, which investigated the massacres in 1983, found
that no
Israeli had either instigated or conspired to cause the massacres: "We have
no
doubt that no conspiracy or plot was entered into between anyone from the
Israeli political echelon or from the military echelon in the IDF and the
Phalangists with the aim of perpetrating atrocities in the camps ... No
intention existed on the part of anyone who acted on behalf of Israel to harm
the non-combatant population… The direct responsibility for the perpetration
of
the acts of slaughter rests on the Phalangist forces." The Commission did
find
that Sharon carried an "indirect responsibility" for the killings because he was
not sufficiently aware of what should have been expected from the Christian
Phalangists and did not take actions to prevent them. But a jury in New York
found a Time Magazine article "false and defamatory" in writing that Sharon
had
planned a Christian "revenge" in advance.

6. RELIGIOUS MAY NOT CONTROL THEIR SABBATH APPEARANCES
The Supreme Court rejected a suit by a group of religious women from the
Yesha community Mitzpeh Kramim, near Kokhav HaShachar, regarding the
screening of a documentary film about them on Shabbat. Supreme Court
President Aharon Barak ruled that although screening the film on Shabbat
would in fact offend their religious sensibilities, "the level of endurance of
Israeli society as a Jewish and democratic state includes situations in which
the image of a believing Jew is shown on Shabbat." He said that if this
situation is changed, it would be the beginning of the end of radio and TV
broadcasts on Shabbat, for it would be impossible to have broadcasts that
don't
include voices or pictures of religious Jews. Justice Dalia Dorner, expressing
a minority opinion, said that religious Jews must not be forced to violate their
religious precepts, and "there is no room for withdrawal within freedom of
religion."

7. SCANDINAVIA AND ISRAEL
The Danes are not happy with their new Israeli
Ambassador-designate: former GSS head Carmi Gillon. Danish
newspapers
report that he stood at the head of an organization that "tortured
Palestinian prisoners." Gillon is scheduled to assume the post this coming
autumn. The Danish Foreign Ministry must approve the appointment, and it
is
feared that antagonistic public opinion could have a detrimental effect on its
decision.

Sweden has come under attack for its condemnation of Israel's response to
Palestinian rioters - while its own police recently shot three
rock-throwing protestors at an anti-globalization demonstration. Women in
Green wrote to the Swedish Ambassador, "Now that your police have shot
live
ammunition at stone-throwing demonstrators in Gothenburg, you certainly
have no
right to pass judgment on Israeli police or army, who come under daily attack
from Palestinian so-called "demonstrators" who go well beyond stones -
throwing
Molotov cocktails and grenades, as well as firing semi-automatic weapons.
Will
your government negotiate under fire with the demonstrators in Gothenburg
as you
expect Israel to do with its terrorist enemy? Shame on you for hypocrisy and
cowardice in your continued support of Arafat!"

8. PALESTINIANS IN JORDAN
An article in yesterday's Los Angeles Times does not quote exact
statistics, but says that many Arabs are leaving Judea and Samaria for
other countries. It notes that at least 20% of the student body in Al
Najah School in Ramallah (kindergarten through high school) have already
left, while at the Quaker-run Friends School, 15% of the students will not
return next fall. Dr. Alex Bligh, Middle Eastern expert from the College of
Judea and Samaria and a former advisor to the Prime Minister on Arab
Affairs,
told Arutz-7 today that exact numbers are unavailable, "but I don't think they
reach the level of 100,000. There is definitely a stream of people leaving.
Some 40% of the Arab population in Judea and Samaria is under the poverty
line,
and 1/3 are unemployed." Yediot Acharonot reported that four full busloads of
disappointed Palestinians left for Jordan each day, over the course of several
weeks. Bligh said that Jordan no longer allows Palestinians under the age of
50
to enter, "as the population there already has more Palestinians than others,
although here too the exact numbers are in dispute; somewhere between
55% and
70% are Palestinian."

9. HOW TO HELP
As Jews the world over search for ways in which to help Israel during these
difficult times, a "group of ordinary Jews" is returning to an old Jewish
tradition: fulfilling mitzvot (Torah commandments and good deeds). A unique
website, <www.CRISISJERUSALEM.com>, provides a medium for making a
commitment to
perform the deeds and sharing them with the entire Jewish community. The
program seeks to foster Jewish unity via a collective performance of the
positive actions.

Another offer being promoted for those "seeking to help Israel" is to join a
trip to Israel sponsored by One Israel Fund, a non-profit organization
dedicated
to providing humanitarian assistance to the pioneers in Yesha. Its upcoming
Leadership Mission to Israel is scheduled for July 11-20, 2001. For
information, write to <yesha12345@aol.com>.

10. IN BRIEF
 A "Salute to the Residents of Yesha" was held in a Knesset auditorium
today, organized by Land of Israel forum head MK Tzvi Hendel. Speakers
included Ministers Yeshai, Ze'evi, Sharansky, and Landau, Chief Rabbi Lau,
Jewish Agency head Salai Meridor, Rabbi Menachem Felix, MK David Levy,
and
others...
 Prime Minister Sharon will meet tonight with Shas spiritual leader Rabbi
Ovadiah Yosef, briefing him on the most recent diplomatic and security
developments...
 Yesterday in Miami, 3000 Jews of all streams gathered at the Torch of
Friendship for a Rally of Support for Israel. Among the speakers was Rabbi
Seth
Mandell, father of the brutally tortured and slain 14-year-old terrorist victim
Koby Mandell. In Denver, Colorado, yesterday, some 500 Jews and
Christians
attended a similar rally of support for Israel.

11. WHO ELSE IS COMING TO ISRAEL?
 NCSY Israel summer programs are on as scheduled, including the
Jerusalem
Journey, Kollel, Michlelet, Israel Summer Experience, and JOLT.
 The South African Rabbinical conference, with the participation of close
to 50 rabbis, will be held in Jerusalem on July 8-13, 2001.
 Volunteers for Israel, also known as Sar El, will continue demonstrating
its solidarity with the people of Israel this summer and all year round by
working on army bases and in hospitals. The program is geared for both
older
adults and youth.

Hebrew News Editor: Haggai Segal
English News Editor: Hillel Fendel


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Cease-fire violations...creating an unacceptable situation
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 18:10:45 -0400
--------
PM SHARON TO US JEWISH LEADERS: CEASE-FIRE VIOLATIONS AND
MURDEROUS ATTACKS ARE CREATING AN UNACCEPTABLE SITUATION

(Communicated by the Prime Minister's Media Adviser)
Monday, June 18, 2001 Jerusalem

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon met today (Monday), 18.6.2001, with
Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations leaders
Mortimer Zuckerman, Ronald Lauder and Malcolm Hoenlein and thanked
them
for the US Jewish community's support, assistance and shows of
solidarity, especially at this difficult time when Israel is facing
serious challenges and struggles. The Prime Minister insisted that it
was a primary national mission to bring one million Jews to Israel in
the next decade.

Prime Minister Sharon briefed his guests on the diplomatic and security
situation in the wake of Israel's decision to implement the Mitchell
report, according to its outline, and the Tenet plan for a cease-fire.

Prime Minister Sharon made it clear that he will not countenance any
attempt to push Israel into negotiating under pressure of violence,
terrorism and incitement and emphasized that the violations of the
cease-fire and the murderous attacks are creating an unacceptable
situation that will not allow Israel to maintain its current approach
indefinitely.

"Pressure must be placed on Arafat in order to bring about a complete
cessation of the violence, terrorism and incitement and lead to the
implementation of his commitments according to the agreements that he
has signed and as per the Tenet document. This includes a halt to the
incitement and the re-imprisonment of the terrorist leaders who have
been released and who are behind the continued attacks," Prime Minister
Sharon said.

"Today, any concession on the issue of the Palestinian Authority's
honoring of agreements is liable to have serious repercussions regarding
the honoring of our agreements with other Arab countries," Prime
Minister Sharon stressed.

--------------------------------------------
IMRA - Independent Media Review and Analysis
Website: www.imra.org.il


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Harpazo.net news items (6/18/01)
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 18:29:30 -0400
--------
US Wins Spain's Favour With Offer To Share Spy Network Material
The United States has agreed to share highly classified material from the
Anglo-American Echelon intelligence network with the Spanish Government
to help Madrid's battle against the Basque separatist group ETA.

The move is seen as an attempt to smooth relations with Europe at a time of
increasing tensions. France and the European Parliament have alleged that
the network is used to spy on European Union companies for US firms.

British security sources said an agreement was signed before President
George Bush visited the Spanish capital last week. It is believed that a
delegation of US intelligence officers had been sent to Spain to finalise the
deal. As a result, the Spanish are receiving decoded intercepts relating to
ETA's plans for terrorist operations.

Echelon is a joint operation by the US National Security Agency and GCHQ,
Britain's eavesdroppers. It was set up in 1948 by the US, Britain, Canada,
Australia and New Zealand, and can intercept and decrypt information
transmitted by code machines, emails, telephones and faxes. smh

Spanish Paper: Underground Basque Group Sold Dynamite to Hamas
The underground Basque separatist group ETA sold dynamite to the Islamic
group Hamas late last year, the Spanish daily El Mundo said Monday.

The unknown quantity of explosives formed part of an eight-ton stock robbed
by ETA in the northern French region of Brittany during its 14-month cease-
fire in 1999, the daily added, quoting French Basque sources.

ETA, Hamas and "other groups" had gathered in a northern Italian city - not
named by the daily - to attempt to seal common deals with arms traffickers
operating in Lebanon and the Middle East. Hamas representatives
complained of having run out of explosives, prompting ETA to offer them a
part of the dynamite which the Basques feared would deteriorate and
become unusable. Hamas was unable to use all the explosives due to their
poor state, according to sources quoted by El Mundo .

ETA and Hamas maintain contacts in order to obtain lower prices from arms
traffickers, the daily said. Around the same time as the dynamite was sold, a
Hamas delegation visited the Basque region on the invitation of ETA's
political wing Euskal Herritarrok, according to the daily. Despite increased
frontier vigilance blocking arms deliveries to groups like Hamas from Egypt
and Lebanon, they have managed to stage a new wave of attacks in Israel,
El Mundo added. Ha'aretz

Arafat Says "War Crazed" Israel Must Act to Maintain Truce
Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat, warning of an "extremely
grave" situation, said Monday that Israel must lift its blockade of Palestinian
areas and freeze settlement building for a fragile cease-fire to last.

In a strongly worded statement, Arafat told a meeting of nine Arab foreign
ministers in Amman that the "war-crazed" government of Prime Minister Ariel
Sharon was not serious about resuming peace talks. "I stress that the cease-
fire and any measures, agreements and security meetings can't possibly last
if the Israeli side doesn't...take swift measures on the ground," Arafat said.

He said Israel must freeze the building of Jewish settlements, halt its
"aggression" against Palestinians, lift its military and economic blockade
and resume peace talks. "The situation is grave, extremely grave and there
must be intense and urgent international efforts to defuse the conflict and
confrontation before things get out of the hands of all of us," Arafat, wearing
his trademark Arab head dress and military fatigue, said.

Arafat said his Palestinian Authority had fulfilled its part of the U.S.-brokered
cease-fire, which went into effect last Wednesday. "Our decisions, measures
and steps on the ground are unfortunately not enough because the current
Israeli government is obsessed by the mania of force and war," Arafat said.
"It (the Israeli government) is as far as can be from serious preparations for
serious and real negotiations for a just and comprehensive peace."

Arafat said the situation in the Palestinian territories had even deteriorated
since the truce went into effect. "The aggression against our people, villages
and farms is continuing and escalating from (Jewish) settlers who are backed
and protected by the Israeli army," he said. Ha'aretz

Sharon: I Won't Lead Nation to War
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon this afternoon said he has no intention of
heeding calls for going to war. "I hear this and I say unequivocally: I will not
lead this nation to war," Sharon said. "War is the last resort, and we
currently have other options to try and resolve the security situation." "To go
to war today, in my opinion, is totally incorrect and inappropriate. This is not
something we should do," he added. Sharon said his government will not
conduct negotiations with the Palestinians while the violence continues. He
added that the "cooling off" period will not begin until the violence completely
ceases, as stipulated in CIA Director George Tenet's plan, Army Radio
reported Jerusalem Post

Saudi Arabia Urges Israel Boycott If Peace Talks Fail
Saudi Arabia has urged Arab countries to consider reviving a boycott of
foreign firms doing business with Israel if Middle East peace efforts fail. "If
the day comes...and the world superpowers and the UN Security Council do
not take a positive stand, then the Arab nation must reconsider (its position)
towards the companies...dealing with Israel," Saudi Defense Minister Prince
Sultan said.

"The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia must not deal with these companies in the
future if the political efforts do not succeed," he added. His comments were
carried by the official Saudi Press Agency (SPA) on Sunday night.

An Arab boycott of foreign companies doing business with the Jewish state
has virtually collapsed since the start of Arab-Israeli peace talks in 1991. But
calls for a revival of the boycott have been growing since the Palestinian
Intifada erupted in the West Bank and Gaza Strip more than eight months
ago over the deadlocked Middle East peace efforts. Ha'aretz

East European Royalty in Exile
Bulgaria's former king Simeon II is set to become the first monarch to return
to power in East Europe since the collapse of communism, after his election
victory on Sunday. Other former monarchs have returned to their homelands,
but none has regained political power. ... BBC

EU Leaders Fear Wrath of the People
Europe's leaders were last night forced to consider slowing down their "great
debate" about the future of the continent in the face of growing evidence of "a
widespread sense of disconnection" between the EU and its citizens. As
hundreds of anti globalisation rioters offered tangible proof of alienation in
violent clashes on the streets of Gothenburg, the 15 heads of government
attending the Swedish summit were warned that ordinary people remain
frustrated by their remoteness and lack of democratic accountability.
Anarchist riots forced them to cancel a planned dinner at a restaurant in the
city centre and stay instead in the heavily guarded conference centre.
guardian

India's 'Monkey Man' Called Imaginary
The mysterious "monkey man" that instilled terror and claimed three lives in
the Indian capital was simply the product of the city's collective imagination.

This was the conclusion of Indian police, who have branded last month's
reign of the "monkey man" nothing more than the product of "mass hysteria".
 
The probe by forensic experts and psychiatrists said the supposed half man-
half beast was a "mere figment of the imagination of emotionally weak
people," The Times of India said, quoting police sources.

Large colonies in New Delhi were gripped by fear of attacks after dozens of
people reported they were bitten or clawed by the nocturnal "monkey man."

At least three people panicked and fell to their deaths from buildings during
the two-week saga because they were convinced the attacker -- described
varyingly as a monkey-like creature with metallic claws and a cat with tawny,
glowing eyes -- was pursuing them. CNN

http://www.harpazo.net/news.html


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Titanic explorer hunts for signs of Noah's ark
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 18:33:38 -0400
--------
June 17 2001
EASTERN EUROPE

Titanic explorer hunts for signs of Noah's ark

          Julia Damianova, Varna, Bulgaria

 THE explorer who found the
 wreck of the Titanic is to mount
 an expedition this summer in
 search of proof that the Black
 Sea was created by an
 enormous flood that may have
 been the inspiration for the
 biblical story of Noah's ark.

 Robert Ballard, an American
 oceanographer, will investigate
 claims that rising sea levels
 caused by the passing of the last ice age pressed a natural
 dam to burst about 7,000 years ago, submerging 19,000
 square miles of inhabited land around a huge freshwater lake.

 Ballard is convinced he will find evidence to show that the
 Black Sea is what was left after a flood so immense that it gave
 rise to the legend of Noah. A wall of water from the swollen Sea
 of Marmara is believed to have been broken through what is
 now the Bosporus valley with 200 times the force of the Niagara
 falls.

 Professor Petko Dimitrov, head of the Department of
 Oceanography at the Bulgarian Academy of Science, who is
 working with the Americans, said there had been suggestions
 for more than 20 years that the flood had wiped out human
 settlements, although the deluge was more likely to have
 lasted for 40 years than 40 days.

 Dimitrov believes people fleeing their drowned homes spread
 the stories of a flood that became the basis not only of the
 story of Noah, but of similar accounts in other cultures.

 Ballard, who found the wreck of the Titanic in 1985, has made
 two exploratory trips to the area, during which he and his team
 found ancient shells and a freshwater shoreline 550ft below the
 murky surface.

 They also came across signs of buildings under 311ft of water,
 some 12 miles off the Turkish Black Sea coast near the
 convergence of two submerged ancient river beds.

 Ballard believes the finds, including beams, fragments of walls,
 stone tools and a rubbish dump, prove habitation in an area
 where water levels rose catastrophically.

 "It is beyond our wildest imagination," he said. "I don't think
 there's any doubt that people were down there when the water
 came in. What we want to know is: who were they?"

 Ballard's team, based aboard the Bulgarian research ship,
 Akademik, will use state-of-the-art technology such as the
 Argus, a robotic submersible equipped with three pivoting
 underwater video cameras, lights, an electronic still camera,
 thrusters and a scanning sonar system that make man-made
 structures stand out.

 The Argus is attached by another cable to a remotely operated
 vehicle known as Little Hercules, which has a broadcast-quality
 underwater video camera and an underwater lighting system.

 Ballard believes the almost complete lack of oxygen in the
 Black Sea will facilitate the expedition's work. "It's really a giant
 bathtub full of salt water that has gone stagnant," he said. "The
 absence of oxygen means there are no wood-boring organisms,
 meaning much of what is down there will be intact."

 His search was inspired by Noah's Flood, a 1998 book by Dr
 William Ryan and Dr Walter Pitman, marine geologists from
 Columbia University, that posited a link between the flood and
 the Black Sea.

 Ryan has hailed Ballard's findings as vindication of his work.
 "This is amazing," he declared after the underwater Black Sea
 settlement was found. "It's going to rewrite the history of
 ancient civilisations, because it shows the biblical flood took
 place and that the ancient shores were occupied by humans.
 This is a stunning confirmation of our thesis."

http://www.sunday-
times.co.uk/news/pages/sti/2001/06/17/stifgneeu01002.html?


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To: bprlist@yahoogroups.com
Subject: [bprlist] Israeli, US pilots train over Turkey
From: "research-bpr" <research-bpr@philologos.org>
Date: Mon, 18 Jun 2001 18:36:42 -0400
--------
Monday, June 18 2001 22:39 28 Sivan 5761

               (15:35) Israeli, US pilots train over
               Turkey
               By The Associated Press

               Dozens of Israeli, US and Turkish pilots engaged in
               mock aerial battles over central Turkey on Monday as
               part of an alliance that has annoyed Arab countries and
               Iran.

               The exercise, Anatolian Eagle, is aimed at creating a
               realistic training environment. Israel used to send its jets
               for training to Nellis Air Force Base in Nevada.

               "It is very important that at a time of relative crisis, the
               two countries (Israel and Turkey) show their continued
               readiness to work together in defense matters," said
               Barry Rubin, deputy director of Bar-Ilan University's
               BESA center for strategic studies in Israel.

               The exercise is the first air maneuvers between Turkey
               and Israel after a series of naval exercises in the
               Mediterranean, which saw participation by the US Navy.

               Israel's modernizing of Turkish warplanes in a project
               worth $700 million and Turkey's plans to sell fresh water
               to Israel also strengthen cooperation.

               Arab countries, especially Syria, which neighbors
               Turkey, charge that this strategic partnership targets
               them, but Turkey and Israel strictly deny that.

               "This exercise indicates deepening relations between
               Turkey and Israel which Arab nations oppose quite
               fiercely," said Shlomo Brom, a researcher at Tel Aviv
               University's Jaffee Center for Strategic Studies.
               "Nevertheless, the US is willing to publicly support this
               relationship."

               The US sees both close allies as key for stability in the
               Middle East.

               Israeli jets have been training in Turkish air space since
               1996 as the skies over Israel are too narrow and lie in
               the path of millions of birds migrating between Europe
               and Africa.

               "Given the limited training area in Israeli skies - which
               would be further reduced in the event of the creation of a
               Palestinian state -having this alternative is extremely
               important," said Rubin.

               Israel is participating with 10 F-16s, two tanker planes
               and several helicopters. The US has six F-16s, while
               Turkey is participating with 46 warplanes. The planes are
               using Konya Air Base as their hub, some 260 kilometers
               (162 miles) south of Ankara, the capital.

               The wargames include live bombing and strafing.
               Simulated surface-to-air missiles (SAM) confront the
               aggressors.

               The aerial battles are recorded on tape so pilots can
               study actions or errors that could have killed them in real
               combat. The drill will go through June 29.

               The Turkish Air Force said more allied and friendly
               nations were expected to use the Konya range in the
               coming years. The range is planned to be fully developed
               into a simulated hostile environment in 2004.

               Turkey, a Muslim but officially secular country, has
               always tried to maintain a balance in its relations with
               regional Muslim countries and the Jewish state.

               "This exercise both strengthens and shapes Turkey's
               position in the Middle East," said Nihat Ali Ozcan of
               Ankara's Eurasia Strategic Research Center. "Turkey
               wants to have a foot in the European Union and follow a
               foreign policy within the US, Israel and Turkey triangle."

               There is some opposition from Islamic circles to Israel
               and in particular to the air maneuvers. There was
               speculation in these circles that the jets would use
               depleted uranium shells and that flights at low altitudes
               could cause hearing problems and lead to premature
               births.

               Konya is a stronghold for the pro-Islamic Virtue Party.

               State Minister Tunca Toskay on Monday ruled out the
               use of uranium shells and said the planes would not fly
               lower than 60 meters (200 feet) above residential areas.

http://www.jpost.com/Editions/2001/06/18/LatestNews/LatestNews.28543.ht
ml


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