November 1989, Page 40, 41

Issues in the News

Compiled by Parker L. Payson

US Buying Weapon System From Israel:

The US agreed in September to purchase a $140 million top-secret weapon system designed and built in Israel and sold to raise revenue for new product development. According to Moshe Peled, Director General of Israel's Arms Development Authority, an additional $600 million arms deal with the US is pending.

New Algerian Prime Minister Promises Swift Reform:

Two weeks after replacing a prime minister criticized for his slow pace of reform, Algeria's Mouloud Hamrouche announced sweeping changes to accelerate the country's transition towards a multi-party democracy and to upgrade foreign investment. He rejected calls to reschedule Algeria's $24 billion foreign debt until after reorganizing the economic and political sector under his plan "to turn the entire society from one system toward another."

Christians Leaving Soviet Union on Israeli Visas:

Thousands of Evangelical Christians are leaving the Soviet Union using Israeli entry visas. According to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, as many as 25 percent of the 4,537 Israeli visas issued to Soviets in July went to evangelicals, who, like the majority of Jews, travel to Vienna seeking immigration into places other than Israel. Only 14 percent of July's Soviet emigres continued on to Israel.

Saudis Join South Pole Exploration:

Two Saudi scientists, the first Arabs in Antarctica, are hoping to complete a 4,000-mile trek across the frozen continent on dog sleds as part of an international research team conducting an eight-month expedition to the South Pole.

Government Study Defends PLO:

A classified US government study of public statements made by leaders of the PLO refutes claim that the organization routinely contradicts the promises it makes to western diplomats in its statements to Arab audiences. The study by the Foreign Broadcast Information Service said the PLO chooses "judicious diplomatic vocabulary" for remarks to Western audiences but concluded that PLO comments "have, for the most part, been consistent, regardless of the media in which they appear."

Gazans Without ID Cards Punished:

The Israeli military began restricting admission into Israel and prosecuting Gazans not carrying Israeli-issued magnetic identity cards. Israeli government sources claim that 60,000 cards have been issued to cover Gaza's 55,000 workers. Palestinian sources report that only 5,000 cards have been issued. According to Al Fajr, a Palestinian newspaper, Palestinian activists have confiscated about 40 percent of the cards.

Historic Railroad Reopens:

Jordanian railroad officials announced plans to reopen portions of the Hijaz railroad line linking Amman and Damascus. The railroad, which carried pilgrims to Mecca in the days of the Ottoman Empire, was severed by Arab forces including T.E. Lawrence during the First World War.

New Apartment Concrete Spreading Over Istanbul:

Istanbul's mayor, Nurettin Sozen, told the Associated Press that the city has grown from 1.5 million inhabitants in 1955 to over 8 million and is now adding 350,000 new residents each year, leading analysts to believe that Istanbul will become the largest city in Europe by the year 2000. "Istanbul will soon become a second Cairo and eventually another Mexico City," warns demographic expert Celik Gulersoy.

Shi'i Plot Uncovered:

Egyptian Attorney General Gamal Shoman announced in August the arrest of 41 Shi'i militants, allegedly trained in Syria and Iran, for plotting to sabotage foreign interests and overthrow the government in Cairo.

UK Rejects Iranian Diplomatic Feeler:

Britain rejected an Iranian request to restore diplomatic relations broken since March when the Iranian government put a price on the head of British author Salman Rushdie. A British spokesperson said that "before relations can improve, Iran must be seen to abide by international norms of behavior."

Sudan Extends Peace Talks:

Despite a collapse in peace negotiations with southern Sudan's Christian and pagan rebels in August, the Sudanese government pledged in September to extend a unilateral cease-fire in hopes of bringing an end to one of Africa's bloodiest civil wars.

Jordan Releases Prisoners:

Jordan, in September, said it had released all remaining political prisoners arrested in April following riots over price hikes, which left nine dead and 90 injured.

PLO Office Reopens in Amman:

The PLO reopened its finance ministry in Amman in September for the first time since 1986, when the PLO was ousted following a split between Jordan's King Hussein and PLO leader Yasser Arafat over the composition of a Jordanian-Palestinian peace delegation. Arafat called the reopening "the beginning of joint work and struggle on the path towards liberating Jerusalem."

PLO Membership Postponed:

The Swiss government decided in September to postpone discussion of a PLO request that Palestine be included among the signatories of the 1949 Geneva Conventions, saying that no decision could be made until the status of the state of Palestine is resolved. The ruling came one week after the World Tourist Organization postponed a decision to admit the PLO to its ranks and four months after the World Health Organization decided to table consideration of Palestinian membership. The US has threatened to withhold contributions from international organizations that accept the PLO as a member.

Arab League Pledges Support:

The Arab League Council pledged at its Tunis meeting in September to support the intifada and work for closer economic and political cooperation with Europe. Egypt, represented for the first time since its expulsion from the Arab League in 1979 for signing the Camp David Accords, discussed President Mubarak's 10-point peace initiative with PLO Chairman Yasser Arafat. Following the talks, Saudi Arabi announced a $6 million grant to the PLO, its eighth payment in accordance with previous Arab summit resolutions.

Hungary Establishes Diplomatic Relations With Israel:

After 22 years, Hungary re-established full diplomatic relations with Israel in September. On the same day, Austria reduced its diplomatic representation in Tel Aviv in response to Israel's refusal to replace its ambassador in Vienna, who left after the election of Austrian President Kurt Waldheim. Polish Prime Minister Tadeusz Mazowlecki met with Israeli officials in September to discuss the resumption of full diplomatic ties, and Kenyan President Daniel arap Moi told Israeli Foreign Minister Moshe Arens he would encourage other African nations to establish relations with Israel.

PLO Official Meets with British, European Jewish Congress:

PLO advisor Basam Abu Sharif met for the ninth time with Britain's Junior Minister of Foreign Affairs, William Waldegrave, to discuss Egyptian President Mubarak's peace initiative. A British Foreign Office spokesperson praised the September meeting, saying that the "PLO has made considerable movement toward international demands in Geneva and Algiers, and it is now up to the Israelis to move." The following day, Abu Sharif met with delegates from the European Jewish Congress to discuss options for peace. The World Jewish Congress, parent organization of the European Jewish Congress, disassociated itself from the discussions.

Group Pleads Not Guilty:

In September seven of eight Israeli activists, accused of meeting with PLO officials in Budapest in 1987, pled "not guilty" on all counts of violating Israel's law forbidding contact with terrorist organizations. The eighth defendant pleaded guilty to meeting with the PLO but not guilty on the grounds that the PLO was not a terrorist organization.

Soviets Accuse Israel of Missile Launch:

Soviet news agency Tass reported that Israel launched a ballistic missile in September from Jerusalem which landed 800 miles away in the Mediterranean Sea between Libya and Greece. Israeli officials claimed to have no knowledge of the missile launch. The firing comes one year after reports that Israel had conducted secret tests of its Jericho-2-surface-to-surface tactical nuclear missiles. The Israeli missiles worry the Soviet Union because of their reported ability to strike deep within Soviet borders.

US Finds Somalia Guilty of Slaughter:

A US State Department report released in September concluded that the Somali army has been routinely attacking unarmed civilians in the northern part of the country, leaving more than 5,000 dead. The attacks against rebel communities include one incident in the village of Berbera on the Gulf of Aden where soldiers were alleged to have cut the throats of more than 500 men before burying them in mass graves.

Israeli Unemployment Spirals:

The number of Israelis claiming first-time unemployment benefits soared in August to 49,322, a 6.6 percent increase over July's figures, which in turn are almost double 1988 unemployment figures. According to the Director-General of Israel's Employment Services, David Mann, only 17 settlements were declared "centers of unemployment" in 1988; today 43 settlements, comprising 16 percent of the population, account for 38 percent of the country's unemployment.

US Budget Cuts Unlikely to Affect Joint Military Venture:

US funding for Israeli research on the Arrow anti-tactical ballistic missile program has survived the first round of congressional debate over the Strategic Defense Initiative. Lt. Gen. George Monahan told the Washington Jewish Week that a House-Senate compromise will provide enough revenue to continue funding the $158 million system being developed in Israel to counter Soviet SS-21 missiles in Syria and Chinese surface-to-surface missiles in Saudi Arabia.

Murder Trial Delayed Again:

The manslaughter trial of radical West Bank Jewish settlement leader Rabbi Moshe Levinger, accused of killing an Arab shoe vendor in September 1988, was postponed for the third time after defense lawyers requested more time to prepare for the case. Levinger, the leader of Gush Emunim, requested bodyguards in September, claiming that his life was threatened by Arabs seeking to avenge the shooting. A group of settlers warned Palestinian community leaders "of terrible revenge if even a single hair on Levinger's head was touched."

Baby Girl Shot by Settlers:

Israeli military officers expressed regret after a 16-month-old Palestinian baby girl lost her eye to a rubber bullet while playing on a second-floor terrace in Nablus in September. Israeli soldiers fired the bullets, killing four, when demonstrations began after curfews were temporarily lifted.

Women Banned From Wall:

Responding to complaints from ultra-orthodox Jews, the Israeli Supreme Court in August banned women from praying at the Wailing Wall when men are present. The ruling followed an incident in which police dragged 12 praying women from the wall.

Israel's First Muslim Female Judge:

In September, Israel's first Muslim female judge was sworn in by Israeli President Chaim Herzog, who said: "I want to congratulate you, and I hope more judges will follow in your wake."

Girls' High School Gassed:

The Israeli Defense Force Chief of Staff General Dan Shomron took the unusual step in September of encouraging soldiers to use restraint in the occupied territories after the Civil Rights Association called for an investigation of unauthorized tear gas use in a girls' high school in the West Bank town of Halhoul, where 250 girls became ill from gas inhalation.

Water Problems Imminent:

Israel's former water commissioner and former director-general of Agriculture Meir Ben Meir warns that available levels of potable water will not be able to sustain the population within the next 25 to 50 years. Speaking at the University of Jerusalem in September, Ben Meir was quoted in Chicago's Jewish Weekly Sentinel as saying, "Whatever political arrangement is reached in the Israeli-Palestinian dispute, a solution must be for the water needs of all of the inhabitants of Eretz Israel, Jews and Arabs alike."

Visa Fraud in US Embassy:

Four Israeli employees of the US Embassy in Tel Aviv were arrested in September with 11 other Israeli citizens and charged with visa fraud. The group is suspected of forging hundreds of entry visas for Israelis seeking to enter the US.

US Congressman Risks PAC Contributions:

Democratic Representative Wayne Owens (UT), who founded the Center for Mideast Peace and Economic Cooperation in 1988 to foster economic cooperation between Israel and Arab countries, is expected to lose support of pro-Israel PACs, despite his strong congressional voting record in support of Israel, according to New Jersey's Metro West Jewish News.

Two Civil Guard Commanders Resign:

Two commanders of the Israeli Civil Guard were suspended in September after the brutal beating of 20 Arabs by 10 Civil Guard volunteers. According to the Jerusalem Post Foreign Service, police are encouraging victims to file complaints against their attackers.

Another Bus Attack:

An attack intended to plunge a Jerusalem-bound bus into a ravine was narrowly averted in September as passengers stopped the assailant from steering the bus off the road after he stabbed the driver. The attacker, who admitted to killing a Jewish settler a few days earlier, was attempting to duplicate a July bus attack which killed 16. Since the attack, the Israeli Transport Ministry announced that the front four seats of all interurban buses will be reserved for soldiers and policemen.

PBS Official Resigns Over "Days of Rage":

Gail Christian, the PBS official who approved the airing of the pro-Palestinian documentary, "Days of Rage," resigned in September, telling Boston's Jewish Times that public criticism over her decision to air the documentary weighed heavily in her decision.

Iraq Claims Not to Rebuild Reactor:

Iraq announced in September that it will not rebuild the nuclear reactor destroyed by Israeli warplanes in 1981. Iraqi Minister of Information Latif Nassim Jassem also denied reports that Iraq is developing new chemical weapons. Israeli military experts expressed skepticism of Iraq's promises and told the Jerusalem Post Foreign Service that an Iraqi missile plant that exploded in August was developing chemical weapons designed for long-range missile strike against Israel.