ISRAEL NEWS DIGEST - JUNE 1993 By David Dolan, Jerusalem "... It was a true report that I heard in my own land ..." (I Kings 10:6) The fragility of Yitzhak Rabin's left-wing government became apparent in May when the religious Shas party initiated steps to leave his coalition. The ensuing political crisis threatened to bring an end to the Labor governmentor to at least render it nearly powerless. The political upheaval came just a few days after Arab/Israeli peace talks finally reconvened in Washington following a four month break. Palestinian negotiators only agreed to show up after Rabin granted them several concessions, including the return of prominent Arab deportees from Jordan. Rabin's concessions were strongly opposed by the Likud party, which saw them as further evidence that the Labor leader was going too far in the peace negotiations. Talk of a Palestinian police force further upset opposition groups, along with Rabin's comments that most Jewish communities in the territories may have to be dispersed as part of a final peace agreement. Meanwhile, an opinion poll showed that a majority of Israelis are against the land withdrawals being proposed by the government. Palestinian Islamic radicals stepped up their violence and threats against both Jews and Arabs, and Syria sought to buy advanced missiles from China. On the brighter side, more Ethiopians immigrants arrived in Israel during May, along with significant numbers from the former Soviet Union. WORLDS APART A majority of Israelis are at least mildly religious. They believe in the existence of the God of the Bible; they attend synagogue at least once a year; they respect Judaism as not only the religion of their ancestors, but as a force which kept their unique culture alive over the centuries. A distinct minority of Israelis, often referred to as "ultra-Orthodox," go much further than this. They still attempt today to keep the various laws and ordinances given to their nation, as recorded in the Bible. They are generally zealous for the faith of their fathers, and scornful of the majority of Israelis who do not strictly observe Jewish religious laws. "Do not fear, for I am with you. I will bring your offspring from the east, and gather you from the west." (Isaiah 43.5) At least as large a minority might be identified as "ultra- secularists." They are mostly atheists, or at least agnostics. While they may have some respect for the ultra-Orthodox, they do not want their lives to be affected in any practical way by them. They resent moves by Orthodox groups to enforce Sabbath travel restrictions, and strict kosher laws in public restaurants. When Yitzhak Rabin began forming his coalition government after his narrow victory in last June's election, he found only two political parties willing to join him: the ultra-secularist Meretz party, with 12 Knesset seats, and the religious Sephardic Torah Guardians party (Shas), with 6 seats. Many political commentators pointed out that mixing the two partiesso totally opposed to each other in values was unlikely to produce a long-term, stable government. The natural animosity between Shas and Meretz was bound to surface, they predicted, and that would spell big trouble for Rabin. BABBLE ON Acrimony between Shas and Meretz came to a head in May, leading Shas Interior Minister Arieh Deri to submit his resignation from the government. However, coalition strains first became apparent as the new government was being formed last July. They grew in intensity when Meretz party leader and Education Minister Shulamit Aloni began making a series of controversial statements. Many of her public pronouncements were deemed unacceptableeven offensive by the Shas party, by other religious groups, and even by many non- observant Israelis. Last autumn, Deri began warning that his party would be forced to leave the government if Aloni was not pushed out of the influential Education Ministry. Mrs. Aloni's statements have been anything but unprovocative. She poured scorn on Judaism's traditional view, based on the Bible, that God created the world. She said "scientific evolution" should be taught in all Israeli schools, including religious ones, and urged that reference to God be omitted from a traditional Jewish prayer when recited at Israeli Defense Forces functions. In April, she criticized Rabin for reciting the 'Shema Yisrael' prayer at the Warsaw Ghetto site in Poland, maintaining that it was "inappropriate for a secular Israeli leader to be saying prayers" at official functions. She also opined that kosher dietary laws were a relic from ancient civilizations and no longer necessary since Jews now live in their own sovereign state. The Meretz leader even angered some members of the Labor party, including Rabin, by making several controversial and unauthorized political statements. Among other things, she said the Syrians have every legal right to demand that Israel hand back the entire Golan Heights. Most Israeli legal experts disagree, since Syria declared war and attacked Israel in 1948, and has been in a formal state of war ever since. NEEDLE AND THREAD As of this writing, Prime Minister Rabin is still trying to save his shaky government after persuading Deri to defer his resignation for two weeks. But even if he succeeds, further strains seem inevitable between his two coalition partners, who are as different as day and night. If Shas pulls out, Rabin's government will only have 56 seats in the 120 member Knesset. He would still be able to rule with the backing of 5 Arab and Communist Knesset members. But they have already indicated that they will make major demands in exchange for their support. Rabin would in effect be forced to play ball with the most extremist left-wing elements in Israel It is possible that the Labor leader might persuade several members of the United Torah religious party to join his coalition. However this seems extremely unlikely, even though the Orthodox party would dearly love to pick up some of the economic spoils of government membership. Loathing Aloni as much as Shas does, United Torah knesset members would have tremendous difficulty sitting in the same coalition with her ultra- secularist party. (Their spiritual mentor, Rabbi Eliezer Schach, said that "leftists like Aloni do not even pretend to respect religion, like most Israelis do. In fact, uprooting religion is their ideology, so we cannot be partners with them") Therefore, it appears that Rabin's troubles are not about to end anytime soon. He will either continue to have a shaky Meretz/Shas coalition to grapple with, or be forced to govern with a minority of Jewish Knesset members backing him, which he has indicated he will not do. TO THE POLLS The Labor party leader would undoubtedly find it extremely difficult to make major peace talk concessions with a minority government dependent on anti-Zionist Arab Knesset members for its very survival. For example, an agreement to pull out of the Golan Heights in stages, and to dismantle Jewish settlements there, could hardly be sold to the Israeli public if taken by a government which represents less than half of the country's Jewish voters. Even with Shas in the government, it would be extremely difficult to sell such a plan since several Labor party members oppose these concessions, along with many Shas party voters. In fact, a nationwide poll taken by the Ma'ariv newspaper in May found that a majority of Israelis59% oppose the government's stated willingness to withdraw from most of the Golan Heights and other areas captured in 1967. Analysts say Rabin would undoubtedly prefer to hold new elections rather than preside for long over a weak minority government. As the result of a new law enacted last year, Israel's next Premier will be chosen for the first time by direct popular vote. Thus, whoever wins will have far greater authority to make controversial decisions. But analysts say new Likud leader Benjamin Netanyahu may well defeat Rabin if elections are held soon. His victory, they add, would probably put a formal end to the peace negotiations in Washington (if the Arabs can't even get all they want from a leftist government, goes the reasoning, how will they ever do so from the right-wing Likud partyand why should they even try?). PEACE TALK TANGO As the government crisis unfolded, the ninth round of Arab/Israeli peace talks was being held in the United States. But once again, the talks produced very few results, despite high hopes expressed by Rabin and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres that they would make significant progress. In fact, the delegates were not even able to agree on joint "declarations of principals" for the ongoing talks something that Rabin expected many months ago. Concerned that the Palestinians may never return to the faltering negotiations, the Clinton administration intervened with a suggestion that the talks end with at least a joint statement of what has been agreed so far. But the Palestiniansmaking their usual charges that the Americans were catering to the Israelisrefused to even agree to the issuing of such a statement. The talks with Syria were equally unproductive, with officials in Damascus continuing to demand that Israel agree in advance to a total land withdrawal from "every inch" of the Golan Heights (which would mean eventual evacuation of the northeastern shore of the Sea of Galilee, among other things). But at the same time, they still refuse to spell out what sort of peace treaty would be offered in exchange for a pullout. P.M. Rabin told reporters on May 4 that his government "is prepared to make a withdrawal on the Golan Heights to secure and recognized boundaries if Syria will state categorically that it wants peace as we understand itopen borders; diplomatic ties with ambassadors, and full normalization." (Notice that Rabin said "on the Golan" and not "from," which reflects his preferred solutiona partial pullback on the Heights with border modifications). He added that "the size and scope of the territorial concessions will be determined by what Syria defines as peace." However, when the latest round of talks ended on May 14, the Syrians had still not spelled out their definition of "peace." Instead, they maintained that Israel has been the "obstinate party" at the talks because it really does not want to end hostilities with Syria. AUTONOMY PROPOSAL Israeli delegates at the Washington peace talks presented the Labor government's autonomy proposal to the Palestinians in May. According to various sources, the plan contains nine points. Among them is a proposal to hold elections under "mutually-agreed supervision" for a "Palestinian Executive Council." Israel would then transfer "the vast majority of civil administration functions" to the elected Palestinian authorities, while maintaining "overall security" in the territories during the five year interim phase before a final settlement comes into effect. The Palestinian Council would be "invested with executive and judicial powers, and with legislative powers within the limits of the responsibilities which are being transferred." It would also "establish and oversee" a Palestinian police force. PLO leaders in Tunis immediately rejected parts of Israel's autonomy plan. They protested that it did not give Palestinian leaders "enough authority to govern effectively" during the interim autonomy phase. They also demanded that the interim period be shortened from five years, as in the Camp David treaty, to just three years, and that negotiations on the final status of the territories begin immediately after an autonomy agreement is signed. They remained adamant in their demands for "real legislative powers" during the interim phase. They also insisted that Palestinian "self-rule" must apply over the eastern half of Jerusalem, and over all Jewish settlements in the territories. Israeli negotiators rejected all of these demands out of hand, along with another calling for the staged withdrawal of all Israeli forces from the territories during the interim phase. Many Israelis believe it is sheer 'chutzpah' for the Palestinians to demand immediate and full legislative powers when the PLO has already declared that its first "parliamentary move" would be to establish an "independent state" in the territories, with Jerusalem as its capital. In fact, many worry that the proposed Palestinian "Executive Council" would do so even if Israel tries to limit its powers. If past statements are any guide, such a move would be immediately supported by most of the world, which would then urge Israel to accept it as an accomplished fact. The result would probably not be further peace negotiations, but eventual armed conflict between Israel on one side, and the Palestinians, several Arab countries and Iran on the others who would try to enforce the Arab's claims to authority over east Jerusalemincluding Judaism's holiest site, the Temple Mount. THERE IS NO PEACE The PLO rejection of parts of Rabin's autonomy plan, and Israeli rejection of Palestinian counter proposals, was a fresh reminder of why the current peace talks are not likely to lead to a final resolution of the Arab/ Israeli conflict. First of all, the PLO, which controls the Palestinian delegation in Washington, wants to change the rules which got the talks started in the first place. Arafat and company are trying to bypass the "interim phase" of self-governing autonomy and go right to final-status talks. Israel only agreed to hold the negotiations if the Camp David interim autonomy formula was the basis for them. Most Israelis agree that it is essential to have a "transitional period" before the final status of the territories is negotiated, mainly to test the Palestinian's willingness and ability to govern themselves and live in peace with Israel. Several other major problems stand in the way of a successful outcome to the ongoing peace talks with the Palestinians. PLO leaders might agree in the end to a five year interim autonomy phase, and to interim Israeli control over Jewish settlements. However, they will continue to insist that all Israeli settlements, including those around Jerusalem, be evacuated under a final peace treaty. They might agree to slight modifications of the pre-1967 borders, but will demand that east Jerusalem, with its sacred Temple Mount, revert to Arab/Moslem control. Anything less would be seen as a traitorous sellout by the majority of Arab Moslems. However, no Israeli government will ever agree to uproot Jews from Jewish communities around Jerusalem, such as from the growing city of Ma'ale Adumim on the road to Jericho. Nor will they ever countenance Palestinian rule over any part of Jerusalem (a poll taken by an Israeli newspaper in May showed that 89% of Israelis are against even giving Palestinians some form of administrative control over municipal matters in east Jerusalem, let alone overall authority). If the PLO keeps insisting that its rule extend to any part of the Israeli capital, then the peace talks will ultimately break down, which may be exactly what Arafat wants. Then Arab ambassadors at the United Nations can try to secure enforcement of earlier resolutionsrejected years ago by Arab leadersthat all of Jerusalem be placed under international UN control. GIVE THEM GUNS? As mentioned above, the Israeli autonomy proposal allows the Palestinian Executive Council to "establish a police force empowered to enforce the law." The main question is, whose law: Israeli, Palestinian, or both? And who would guarantee that police weapons did not fall into the hands of hostile terrorist groups (or, for that matter, that some of the policemen themselves were not members or supporters of such groups)? The establishment of "a strong police force" in the territories was first agreed to by former Likud leader Menachem Begin as part of the Camp David Peace Accords. Labor party leadersunder fierce attack from current Likud politicians have been quick to point out this fact. But that has done little to ally right-wing fears that such a force could constitute the nucleus of a future Arab army in the territories, and an immediate threat to Israel's security interests. Labor politicians maintain that Israel will retain some authority over the proposed Palestinian police force during the interim autonomy phase. They admit that Rabin wants to establish a substantial Palestinian police force primarily to prevent civil war among opposing Arab factions during the autonomy phase, and to protect the lives of local Palestinian leaders who would be considered traitors by HAMAS and others for making peace with the "infidel Zionist state." That Islamic HAMAS militants will try to carry out threats to kill Palestinian leaders was evidenced by a late-April attack against Bethlehem mayor Elias Freij, a member of the Palestinian peace delegation. Three firebombs were thrown at his home, starting a fire in a garden but causing no other damage or casualties. The assault was seen as a warning of what is in store for "collaborators" like Freij. HAMAS later issued leaflets warning PLO delegates, "who have defied the will of the people," that they will be killed if they dare return home from Washington. Ironically, Palestinians connected to Arafat's PLO Fatah groupwhich has advocated and carried out thousands of terror attacks against Israelis, Arabs and others for so many yearsmay now find themselves the main targets of Arab terrorists. POLICE OR ARMY? How would Israelis living in the territories relate to armed Palestinian policemen in their midst? Not very well, say settler leaders, who envisage armed shootouts between Arab policemen and Israeli residents. However Police Minister Moshe Shahal said that Rabin's government would not allow the Palestinian police force to have any authority over Jews. He promised that Israel would maintain a border police presence in the territories to work with the Palestinian force and to protect Israeli citizens and touristsat least during the interim autonomy phase. One of the strongest critics of the Palestinian police proposal is former Israeli Border Police commander, Meshulam Amit. He told the 'Jerusalem Post' in May that "police forces are not just comprised of traffic cops. Just as in our police force, a Palestinian force will have elite units. Training camps in Jordan and Egypt will not be supervised by Israel, and thousands of Palestinians may be given full army training." He concluded that a Palestinian police force could easily acquire weapons such as anti-tank missiles which would "constitute a serious and continual danger to our existence." LOLLIPOPS To coax the Palestinians to attend the April-May peace talks, Rabin agreed to allow over 30 aging Palestinian deportees to return to their homes from Jordan (one wonders why Israel, which may be risking her future existence by giving away strategic land, has to beg the Palestinians, who have so much to gain from the talks, to attend them!). The act was seen on the Arab street as a sign that Israel will be forced in the end to allow the return of over two million Palestinians living outside of Israel and the territories. Among the returnees was the former Arab mayor of east Jerusalem, who declared that he still considers himself mayor after 25 years of exile (many young Palestinians have never even heard of him). The government is also allowing 5,000 Palestinian visitors with close relatives in the disputed territories to stay permanently The concessions to the Palestinians were offset by the continuing general closure of the territories, which was condemned by the PLO. Israeli officials did allow more Arab laborers into Israel during May, but nowhere near the number that regularly worked here before the early April closure. Rabin defended the continuing closure in mid- May by noting that six weeks had gone by without any Jews being killed by Arab attackers inside Israel proper. DRAWN DAGGERS More Israelis were attacked in Judea, Samaria and Gaza during May. Two Jewish businessmen negotiating to purchase vegetables from two Gaza Strip Arabs were shot dead on May 16 by Palestinian terrorists, who also killed the two Arab "collaborators." Two paratroopers were stabbed while carrying food up some stairs in a public building in Nablus on May 12. Although neither soldier was instantly killed, one is in critical condition. The attackers, who shouted an Islamic phrase while plunging in their knives, were members of HAMAS. The next day, six Israeli soldiers were wounded, one seriously, in Gaza when a hand grenade was thrown onto their rooftop army outpost. A similar attack occurred a week later, injuring five soldiers. Israeli forces intercepted and killed six Gaza HAMAS fundamentalists trying to cross the border into Sinai in early May. One of the Palestinians hurled a grenade in the direction of the soldiers before being shot dead (no Israelis were seriously wounded). In Lebanon, heavy fighting raged between Iranian-backed Hizbullah forces and Israeli soldiers after the fundamentalists shot a Sager missile at an Israeli tank and Soviet-built rockets at border villages. ORIENT SWORDS Israeli intelligence sources have confirmed reports from London that Syria has entered into a missile cooperation pact with China. Syria is reportedly helping to finance various Chinese missile projects in exchange for help in developing highly sophisticated missile guidance systems. Chinese military specialists are already working at two Syrian missile factories in Allepo and Hama, where the guidance systems are being developed. Israeli intelligence has recently detected Chinese M-9 missiles being delivered to Syria. The missile has a reported range of 600 kilometers, meaning it could strike all parts of Israel from Syrian territory. The purchase of the more sophisticated and dangerous CSS-1 missile, with a range of 1,000 kilometers and the potential to carry one-ton chemical or nuclear warheads, is currently being negotiated, say the sources. Press reports say that Libya is also purchasing M-9 missiles from China, and is negotiating to acquire CSS-2 missiles, with a range of 3,200 kilometerswithin striking distance of Israel. FROM NORTH AND SOUTH The first Jewish immigrants ever to arrive from Birobidzhan, located along the Russian/Chinese border, landed at Ben Gurion airport in May. The area was designated by dictator Joseph Stalin as a "Jewish homeland" in an attempt to remove the Soviet Union's Jews far away from western population centers. The new immigrants expressed joy that they had finally arrived at the Jewish homeland. At the same time, aliya from Ethiopia resumed after a Knesset committee resolved the problem of the religious status of thousands of would- be immigrants. It was decided that born-Jews who had converted to Christianity would be allowed to immigrate if they have close relatives already living in Israel. The renewed flow from the south and continuing influx from the north brings to mind the promise of the Lord, made through the prophet Isaiah, chapter 43 and verse 6: "I will say to the north, 'Give them up!' And to the south, 'Do not hold them back.' Bring My sons from afar, and my daughters from the ends of the earth." "Israel News Digest" is published and distributed by Christian Friends of Israel, Jerusalem Office, P. O. Box 1813, Jerusalem, 91015 Israel. Phone: 972-2-894172, 894187; Fax: 972-2-894955. The entire contents of the Digest may be reproduced and distributed to the Body of Messiah for prayer and intercession to be kept informed regarding current events in Israel today. Those who use portions of the Digest in other publications need only to properly acknowledge the author and the ministry of Christian Friends of Israel.