January 1991, Page 44

Issues in the News

Compiled by Parker L. Payson

From the Arab Press:

US Embassy in Lebanon Reopens:

The new US ambassador to Lebanon, Ryan Crocker, in November reopened the US Embassy in East Beirut, which was closed in September 1989 because of deteriorating security conditions within territory controlled by Christian militia leader Gen. Michel Aoun. The decision to reopen the embassy despite continued fighting in the region came only two months after Aoun's troops surrendered in East Beirut, and, according to analysts, reflected a US desire to demonstrate support for the Lebanese government of Elias Hrawi.

Yemen Struggles to Absorb Returnees:

Most of the estimated 650,000 Yemenis who left Saudi Arabia because of increased tensions between the two countries over the Gulf crisis "have few skills " and will not be able to find jobs in Yemen, according to Yemeni Labor Ministry Director Mohammed Aish. According to Aish, fewer than 1 out of 20 emigrants have received jobs. Many returning Yemenis have called for a drastic reduction in the number of foreigners working in Yemen, who number fewer than 43,000, the Yemeni edition of the Middle East Times reported.

Talks on Kashmir:

The newly installed prime ministers of Pakistan and India, Nawaz Sharif and Chandra Shekhar, respectively, met in November, only three weeks after each took office, to discuss border issues and reducing the differences over the province of Kashmir which last spring nearly led to war between the countries. Although neither leader altered his position, the two pledged to meet regularly to discuss the disputed territory, over which the two countries have fought three wars, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Elections in Egypt:

Egypt's National Democratic Party maintained control of Egypt's 454-seat People's Assembly following nationwide elections in November. Although Interior Minister Abdel-Halim Moussa claimed a 70-percent voter turnout, independent observers claim that fewer than 20 percent of Egypt's voters participated in the elections, which were boycotted by Egypt's two main opposition parties, the Muslim Brotherhood and the Wafd party. Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak called for the elections following a decision by Egypt's Supreme Court in September that the previous parliamentary elections gave unfair advantage to incumbent candidates. The opposition refused to participate in the elections unless parliament received greater legislative power, elections were held under court supervision, and the emergency laws imposed after the assassination of President Anwar Sadat in 1981 were lifted, the Middle East Times reported.

Ships Avoiding Aqaba:

In trying to enforce the international embargo against Iraq, the US Navy has routinely harassed and diverted vessels headed for Jordan's only port, Aqaba, Jordanian shipping authorities claim. On Nov. 5, for example, a Polish ship was forced to leave its contents in Port Sudan because it contained agricultural diesel generators while its cargo manifest listed agricultural diesel engines, Tewfig Kawar, the president of the Jordan Shipping Agent's Association, told the CABU Bulletin. According to Kawar, the actions threaten to destroy the port, which is already suffering from severe equipment shortages because of the embargo.

Iran Will Not Accept Land Deal:

Iranian President Ali Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani announced in October Iran's opposition to any settlement in the Gulf crisis that would transfer Kuwaiti territory, including the strategic island of Bubiyan, to Iraq, the Saudi Gazette reported. Interviewed in the French daily Le Monde,Rafsanjani declared: "We have warned the Kuwaitis that if, to reach a settlement, you accept ceding the island of Bubiyan to the Iraqis, we will be absolutely opposed, even to a minimal change of the existing frontiers. " If Kuwait were to cede territory over Iran's objections, then "we would act within our means to stop it," Rafsanjani said.

Tunisia's Opposition Calls for Elections:

Responding to charges by Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali that Tunisia's opposition was an obstruction to democratic reform, opposition leader Mohammed Moada called on the Tunisian president to set a firm date for nationwide elections. Moada accused Ben Ali of allowing "the state security apparatus to use the same violent methods against political opponents as [former Tunisian President Habib] Bourguiba used," the Middle East Times reported. Zine Ali replaced Bourguiba as president in November 1987, pledging to move his country towards democratization.

Oman to Form Assembly:

Sultan Qaboos bin Sa'id, the ruler of Oman, announced plans in November to form a representative consultative assembly within a year, the Middle East Times reported. "We have decided upon the formation of a consultative assembly in which all the communities of the Sultanate are to be represented, " he said. Unlike the existing consultative council made up of 52 appointed members, "There will be no government membership of this majlis (parliament)," the Sultan added. The decision to form an assembly, which, according to government officials, will be popularly elected, will be the first elected body in Oman and follows a recent decision by Saudi Arabia to form a legislative assembly and an announcement by the Emir of Kuwait to establish an elected parliament in Kuwait following an Iraqi withdrawal.

Ershad Resigns:

After months of political unrest, Bangladeshi President Hussein Mohammed Ershad resigned in December and asked opposition parties to nominate an interim leader to prepare for national elections. According to analysts, Ershad's decision was an attempt to split the coalition of opposition parties, which include both communist and freemarket groups, before the planned 1991 elections. Opposition groups in Bangladesh, the fifth poorest country in the world, have been fighting to oust Ershad since he came to power in a bloodless coup in 1982, the Middle East Times reported.

Coup in Chad:

Rebel forces, believed to be backed by Libya, launched an attack into Chad from Sudan in November and, three weeks later, ousted Chadian President Hissene Habre, the Middle East Times reported. France, which had previously supported Habre in battles against Libyan-backed insurgents, refused to defend Habre's government, calling the fight an "internal affair of Chad." The US, which has been critical of Libyan attempts to destabilize Chad in the past, announced plans to meet with rebel commander Idriss Deby to discuss future relations.

UK Restores Ties with Syria:

England announced in November that it was resuming relations with Syria, the Middle East Times reported. The announcement followed the resignation of British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, who earlier in the month rejected British government efforts to restore relations with Syria after Syrian Foreign Minister Farouk Al Shara, in an attempt to encourage reconciliation, announced that "the release of British hostages [in Lebanon] would be easier if there is a diplomatic relationship between Syria and Britain." Thatcher considered the statement a violation of her "no trade for hostages" position.

From the Jewish Press:

US Military Equipment Buyer Arrested:

Israeli Brigadier General Rami Dotan was arrested on charges of mass fraud and bribery, theForward newspaper reported in November. Dotan, who was responsible for purchasing tens of millions of dollars worth of American military equipment for the Israeli Air Force, was accused of circumventing standard purchasing channels and funneling millions of dollars worth of kickbacks from US companies and independent arms dealers into personal accounts abroad. In connection with the scandal, Israeli prosecutors are investigating the role of General Electric, Israeli arms agent Ofer Pail, and former Israeli Defense Ministry official Harold Katz, who now serves as legal advisor to Pratt and Whitney. Katz, a US citizen from Boston suspected of involvement in Israeli espionage in the US, was the owner of record of a Washington, DC apartment used by the Israeli Embassy to backstop the espionage operation of Jonathan Jay Pollard, a US Navy counterintelligence agent who stole thousands of US secret documents and sold them to Israel.

Kahane's Legacy:

Following the assassination of Rabbi Meir Kahane in New York, three members of Kahane's anti-Arab Kach movement, including Kahane's son, were arrested in November for the alleged West Bank murder of two Arabs, Mohammed El-Khatib, 65, who was gunned down while riding his donkey to work, and Marian Hassan, 60, who was killed in the same village as she walked out of her home. Three other Kach members were arrested later in the month on charges of arson and violence against Israeli shopkeepers who employ Arabs. Several Jewish-owned shops employing Palestinians in Israel have been burned down since Kahane's murder, and many have posted signs reading, "No Arabs employed here." US State Department officials urged Israeli authorities to "take steps to deal ... with vigilante groups that are forcing Israeli employers to fire Palestinian workers, " and the Israel Peace Now organization has called on Israel's Justice Department to classify Kach as a terrorist organization and confiscate weapons belonging to its members, the Jewish Week of Queens, NY, reported.

Police Chief Given Raise:

Jerusalem Police Chief Aryeh Bibi, who oversaw the police killing of at least 18 Palestinians on the Temple Mount/Haram AlSharif in October, was given a promotion, in rank and salary, theDetroit Jewish News reported. Although an Israeli investigation commission rebuked the police for firing uncontrollably, no disciplinary action was taken. Israeli cabinet ministers Ariel Sharon and Rafael Eitan, who both faced reprimands for their roles in the 1982 massacre of Palestinians in the Sabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon, reportedly opposed any action against the police, while cabinet ministers Arye Deri and Raphael Pinhassi, who are both under police investigation for corruption, called for a restructuring of the entire police force.

New IDF Leader Wants Talks:

Israeli Major General Ehud Barak, who holds Israel's highest military rank and is scheduled to replace General Dan Shomron as chief of staff of the Israeli Defense Forces at the beginning of the new military year on April 1, has called for direct negotiations with Palestinian elected representatives. "We currently struggle with the Palestinians. A long, bitter and continuing struggle. A man does not choose his parents, and a people cannot choose its neighbors ... We will have to talk to the Palestinians, " he told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency.

Sharon's Housing Program:

Israeli Housing Minister Ariel Sharon announced plans in November to house 1,400 Soviet Jews in Nazareth, the largest Arab city within Israel. Under the plan, immigrants will occupy an army camp in the middle of a densely populated Arab community until sufficient housing is built. Local Palestinian leaders have called Sharon's plan a deliberate provocation and have asked the army not to abandon the camp, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. Sharon also called on the government to increase Jewish settlements in Arab East Jerusalem and to expand Jewish control over all of Jerusalem's Muslim and Christian holy places, including the Al Aqsa Mosque, the Dome of the Rock, and the Church of the Holy Sepulchre.

IDF Unveils New Gun:

The Israeli Defense Forces in November deployed a new weapon against Palestinians in the intifada: a gravel gun that can fire 600 egg-size rocks per minute up to a range of 250 feet, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

Shamir's Intentions:

Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir in November reiterated his call for a "Greater Israel," saying, "The past leaders of our movement left us with a clear message to keep the land of Israel from the sea to the River Jordan for generations to come, for the mass immigration and for the Jewish people, most of whom will be gathered into this country," the Detroit Jewish Newsreported. PLO leader Bassam Abu Sharif called Shamir's statement "no more than an affirmation of his colonialist policy, which violates international law, the Geneva conventions and resolutions of the United Nations

Parliamentary Immunity Upheld:

The Knesset in November voted not to strip parliamentary immunity from Arab Knesset member Mohammed Miari for his connections with the Palestine Liberation Organization. A Knesset panel previously had recommended Miari's prosecution for his alleged involvement in a PLO-backed plan to charter a ship to transport Palestinian deportees back to Israel. Seven members of the Likud party, which had fought for Miarils ouster, either absented themselves or abstained on the secret vote, which failed by a 49-29 margin after several hours of emotional debate. Several Likud leaders "demanded a thorough soul-searching" to determine why the vote failed, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

Klein Pleads Guilty:

Israeli Lieutenant Colonel Yair Klein in November pleaded guilty to three counts of illegal exportation of military equipment. He faces up to three years in prison. Klein, who sent arms shipments through Antigua and Barbuda to members of the Medellin drug cartel in Colombia, is also wanted in Colombia on conspiracy charges for his alleged role in the assassination of presidential candidate Luis Carlos Galan in 1989. Israel refused a Colombian request for extradition on grounds that the two countries have no extradition treaty. Antiguan prosecutors have filed additional charges against Klein in the Israeli courts, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported.

No Habeas Corpus:

Israel placed three prominent Palestinians under administrative arrest: Radian Abu Ayyash, chairman of the Palestinian Journalists' Association, and Ziad Abu-Zayyad, editor of the Hebrew-language weekly Gesher (The Bridge), were given six-month sentences, while Dr. Ahmad Yaziji, board member of the Gaza Medical Association, was given a one-year sentence. Under Israeli law, people thought to be security risks can be imprisoned for up to one year without trial or specific charges being filed, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reported. The US State Department protested the arrests, stating, "We have long been opposed to Israel's practice of detention without charges or trial. " Palestinian leader Faisal Husseini claimed the arrests were political and made only "to calm the extremists in Israel. " According to Labor party leaders, several Israeli right-wing Knesset members lobbied Prime Minister Shamir for the arrests, circulating a letter which listed 11 Palestinian activists, including Ayyash, Zayyad and Yaziji.