Rebirth of Israel
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Current Events and Links
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The Temple
Other Israel Links
Newer Articles: Since Oct. 11, 2000
Palestinians forming armed militias
Oct. 11, 2000 - The Palestinians say the militias will prepare for the "Battle of Jerusalem."
Source: Jerusalem Post
Also: Latest developments: Palestinians deny Arafat ordered cease-fire - Ha'aretz
Saudis: Arabs Will React if Israel Acts on
Threats
Oct. 10, 2000 - If Israel attacks Syria or Lebannon, Saudi Arabia claims that they, and the whole Arab world, will take action against Israel.
Source: Yahoo
Also: Ultimatum runs out, violence continues - Jerusalem Post
World leaders battle clock in bid to end Middle East fighting
Oct. 9, 2000 - With just hours left before the end of Israel's deadline for Arafat to stop the violence, fears are growing that it is out of his control. World leaders, such as Kofi Annan of the UN, Russian Foreign Minister Igor Ivanov, and President Clinton are scrambling to find peace alternatives.
Source: CNN
See also:
Annan makes 11th-hour peace bid - BBC
Israel prepares itself for war- Independent News
Israeli outrage over site ransacking
- Oct. 7, 2000 - At Jacob's Well in Nablus, Palestinians burned Jewish books and furniture after Israeli troops withdrew from the holy place in order to keep tensions down.
- Israel's deputy Defence
Minister, Ephraim Sneh,
said the ransacking
cast a dark shadow
over the credibility of
the Palestinian leader,
Yasser Arafat.
- Observers say this is
first time that
Palestinian violence has
directly caused Israeli
troops to relinquish an
outpost.
Nearly 80 people have died in clashes since Sept. 28th.
- Source: BBC
High alert for 'Day of Rage'
- Oct. 6, 2000 - While Hamas and other Palestinian activists call for a 'Day of Rage' - revenge and increased violence -- the Israeli government has issued a closure on the West Bank and Gaza Strip. The blockage will last from 4 a.m. this morning through the end of Yom Kippur, and it will barr Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank from entering Israel.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Who Incited The Current Violence In Israel?
- Oct. 5, 2000 - Read this word-for-word transcript of the Imam's sermon at the Mosque Al Aqsa on Friday, 29 September 2000, just before the violence began.
- Source: Hal Lindsey
Summit fails to end violence
- Sept. 5, 2000 - After five hours of ill-tempered talks broke down in France with no peace agreement, Madeline Albright and Yasser Arafat flew on to Egypt to continue the process, but Ehud Barak decided to return to Israel.
- However, another ceasefire has been declared
on the ground and Israeli tanks are reported to
have pulled back from the entrances to
Palestinian towns in the West Bank.
- Source: BBC
Palestinians want UN troops on Temple Mount
- Oct. 3, 2000 - Palestinian leaders are asking the UN Security Council to send international forces to the Temple Mount to restore peace and keep Israeli soldiers away.
- The Arab League has also asked for an international commission of inquiry into the violence.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- Related headlines today:
- Worst civil disturbances since '48 - Jerusalem Post
- UN Council stymied on reaction to Mideast violence - Ha'aretz
- Paris talks called to stop Mideast violence - CNN (Barak and Arafat emergency meeting)
- Mideast cease-fire fails to hold - MSNBC
- Gaza fighting breaches ceasefire - BBC
- Holy Site Stirs Passions - Religion News Today
Mideast riots spiral out of control
- Oct. 2, 2000 - At least 36 have died so far in the escalating conflict between Israel and the Palestinians.
- Source: MSNBC
- Also: Pressure grows on Israel - BBC
- Breaking News: Jerusalem Post and Ha'Aretz
Violence engulfs West Bank and Gaza
- Sept. 30, 2000 - In a third day of clashes with Israeli security forces, fighting that began on the Temple Mount has spread throughout the West Bank and Gaza, leaving as many as 200 injured.
- Source: BBC
Four shot dead in Jerusalem
- Sept. 29, 2000 - Clashes on the Temple Mount have escalated since Israel's hardline opposition leader, Ariel Sharon, visited the Al Aqsa Mosque Thursday. Upset Palestinians retaliated by throwing stones down on Jewish worshippers at the Western Wall. Israeli riot police stormed the sacred walled compound and opened fire with rubber coated bullets. Fifty or more people have been injured, and four have died so far.
- Source: BBC
Barak agrees to twin Jerusalem capitals
- Sept. 29, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has now said publicly that there can be two Jerusalems, side by side, as capitals of Israel and of the Palestinians.
- Referring to the Arabic name for the city, Mr
Barak said: "It will be Jerusalem and al-Quds,
one next to the other, as two capitals."
- But the prime minister
ruled out handing over
sovereignty of the
Temple Mount, the
disputed compound
which houses holy sites
for Muslims and Jews.
- Source: BBC
- See: Sharon vows to fight division of Jerusalem - Jerusalem Post
King of the Mountain
- Sept. 27, 2000 - This article by Hal Lindsey brings together recent movements on the world scene that correspond exactly to prophecies of the Bible for the last days. In addition to the rise of movements toward world government, world religion, and advanced technology, Israel has become the focus of attention for the whole world.
- Daniel foresaw the intervention of a global
authority in the peace process that was to come
(Daniel 9:27). Zechariah predicted that the
situation would be brought to a head over the
issue of Jerusalem, in a battle involving "all the
nations of the world" (Zechariah 12:2). Ezekiel's
vision of the invasion from the East said it takes
place at a time when Israel is living under a
period of false peace (Ezekiel 38:11).
- Source: WorldNetDaily
Israel presses for UN role on Temple Mount
- Sept. 22, 2000 - See summary in our Temple section.
No Mid-East advance at UN summit
- Sept. 7, 2000 - President Clinton met with Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, hoping to achieve a breakthrough in the stalled Middle East peace process. Following the meeting, White House spokesman Joe Lockhart stated, "I have no breakthrough to report. On the other hand there is no breakdown."
- Both sides were said to be still committed to reaching a peace agreement.
- Source: BBC
Palestinians could accept `international Jerusalem'
- Sept. 6, 2000 -According to Palestinian
Legislature Speaker Ahmad Qoureia, if Israel and the Palestinians can not come to any other conclusion, they would be ready to accept “a unified international
Jerusalem.”
- His statement, made during a joint appearance in the European Parliament in
Strasbourg with Israeli Knesset counterpart Avraham Burg, was the first sign
that Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat might soon concede on his bedrock
demand for Palestinian control of East Jerusalem.
- Source: Jordan Times
Barak: 'Time running out' for peace
- Sept. 4, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak met briefly with Kofi Annan in New York where the largest gathering of world leaders in history is about to take place.
- A statement released after the meeting said the situation had reached "a critical junction, the opportunity is great, the danger is vast, and time is running out."
President Clinton will also try to advance the peace process this week by meeting with Barak on Wednesday, and then by meeting with Yasser Arafat.
- Source: BBC
Will water precipitate next Mideast war?
- Sept. 2, 2000 - Water shortages in Mideast countries threaten to reach critical proportions. The Sea of Galilee is so low that it may become salty. Amman, Jordan only has running water one day each week. This all-important resource could be the source of greatest tension between Mideast countries. It is currently a significant issue in the Israeli- Palestinian peace process.
- Source: WorldNetDaily
Mubarak: Mideast peace must come 'now or never'
- Sept. 1, 2000 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak told a reporter for a French newspaper that peace between Israel and the Palestinians is "... now or never." .
- He said that Israel has the advantages, with land and an army, and that they need to make concessions. Arafat, on the other hand could never make concessions about the Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem because he would never be forgiven by the Islamic world.
- Mubarak said Egypt would recognize a Palestinian state "the day it is declared."
But he said that Arafat has been counseled relentlessly to seek an agreement and
avoid making a unilateral announcement.
- Source: CNN
U.S. Anitmissile Unit Ready To Go To Israel
- See summary on our Wars page.
Fresh push for Mid-East peace
- Aug. 20, 2000 - Hope remains for another attempt to produce an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians before the Sept. 13 date, which Yasser Arafat has given for declaration of a Palestinian State.
- On Monday, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak
is to meet the Palestinian leader, Yasser
Arafat, and the Syrian Foreign Minister, Farouq
al-Shara, in the coastal city of Alexandria.
- A day later, King Abdullah of Jordan will discuss
the continuing deadlock at separate meetings
with Mr Arafat and the Israeli Prime Minister,
Ehud Barak.
- Source: BBC
Israel Suggests Spanish Mediation on Jerusalem
- Aug. 15, 2000 - Israel's Foreign Minister, Shlomo Ben-Ami, has asked Spanish Foreign Minister Josep Pique to invite King Juan Carlos of Spain to play a mediating role
with Arab countries, with whom he has good relationships, in peace talks focusing on the future of Jerusalem.
- Source: Yahoo
- This is interesting since some Bible teachers have considered King Juan Carlos as a possible candidate for Antichrist. Please note: This is just one of many theories. We do not believe in trying to positively identify Antichrist before the Rapture.
Arabs tell Arafat make peace before declaring state
- Aug. 13, 2000 - Yasser Arafat has visited 17 states in 18 days in an attempt to explain why he didn't come to agreement at the Camp David summit. He has not received the broad support he had hoped to gain from Arab and European leaders for his idea of unilaterally declaring the existence of a state of Palestine on September 13. Their advice generally is to make such a move part of a comprehensive peace agreement with Israel.
- Source:Yahoo
Bush will support Israel unconditionally
- Aug. 2, 2000 - According to George Shultz, former President Ronald Reagan's Secretary of State, George W. Bush will support Israel even if it decides not to take risks for peace.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Moshe Katsav is Israel's president
- July 31, 2000 - In a surprise outcome of Israel's presidential elections, Moshe Katsav (Likud Party) became the country's eighth president, gaining 63 votes, compared with Shimon Peres' (One Israel Party) 57 votes.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- PS- Ehud Barak remains as Prime Minister, but faces another "no confidence" vote.
Mid-East peace stakes raised
- July 28, 2000 - Following the breakdown of the Camp David meetings, some US congress members have announced proposals to cut off American aid to Palestinians ( $80 million) if Arafat follows through with his threat to declare Palestinian statehood on Sept. 13th.
- US President Bill Clinton remains optimistic that the
two sides can still reach a compromise over the status
of Jerusalem, the key stumbling block at the Camp
David summit.
- Source: BBC
Camp David talks break down, delegations heading home
- July 25, 2000 - The Camp David summit ended today when Yasser Arafat rejected the US bridging proposals, and both sides felt that agreement between them was unreachable.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
- According to Ha'aretz News, Clinton implies Arafat was to blame (Story no longer on line.)
The State of Judea – Medinat Yehuda
- July 25, 2000 - Leaders in the Jewish settlements in West Bank areas which will be abandoned to the PLO Authority have expressed an interest in forming a separate State of Judea. Their expressed purpose is to cooperate with the State of Israel, but to protect themselves against Palestinians.
- Source: Israel Wire
Jerusalem Off the Table Due to a Continuing Impasse
- July 24, 2000 - Talks continued through most of the night, but no agreement has been reached on Jerusalem, and sources say that the parties have decided to remove it from discussions for the time being. Negotiators still claim that a final settlement can not exist without an agreement on Jerusalem.
- Source:ABC News
Arafat seen accepting Jerusalem proposals
- July 24, 2000 - President Clinton has returned to the talks at Camp David, and sources close to the Palestinian Authority have indicated that Arafat is likely to accept US proposals on control of Jerusalem.
- The US proposal reportedly suggests the Palestinians be
given authority over several Arab neighborhoods in east
Jerusalem as well as some form of authority over the
Moslem and Christian quarters of the Old City. Israel, in
turn, would annex several large Jewish areas on the
outskirts of the city, which would be recognized as
Israel's capital. Barak is reportedly ready to use this
proposal as the basis for future negotiations if Arafat is
willing.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Israeli leader's bold offer to share Jerusalem
- July 22, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Barak offered joint sovereignty over parts of East Jerusalem to the Palestinians. The idea may not be popular in some Jewish circles, but stays within his promised "red lines" which include a promise not to divide the city.
- Source: Sydney Morning Herald
Mid-East peace struggle goes on
- July 20, 2000 - Even after President Clinton had announced that the Camp David talks had ended without an agreement, and he prepared to leave for the G-8 Summit in Japan, Israeli Prime Minister Barak and Palestinian Authority Chairman Arafat decided to unpack their bags and continue talks.
- The talks had evidently deadlocked on the Jerusalem issue. The President appeared again before leaving to announce that the process would continue because, "Nobody wanted to give up." Secretary of State Madeleine Albright will help facilitate the talks while the President is gone.
- Source: BBC
PM offers Arafat Temple Mt. access
- July 19, 2000 - Agreement could be reached by today at the Camp David peace talks. President Clinton has delayed his trip to Japan by one day, and the word is out that the parties are closer to an agreement.
- The source said the accord-in-progress rests on three principles
linked to Barak's stated "red lines":
- Jerusalem united under Israeli sovereignty.
- Israeli annexation of major settlement blocs.
- Return of Palestinian refugees only in the context of family
reunification and without Israel accepting responsibility for creating
the refugee problem.
- In return for Palestinian agreement on the three principles, Israel
would agree to:
- Broad autonomy for Palestinians in East Jerusalem.
- Palestinian sovereignty over roads leading to settlements, which will
fall under a new and special legal category.
- Acceptance of some 100,000 refugees into Israel proper, with a
special citizenship status for Palestinians living within settlement blocs.
According to this plan, the final status of Jerusalem would be postponed, but some kind of Palestinian control of Arab neighborhoods in East Jerusalem would be granted, along with an access road to the Temple Mount.
-
Barak to offer Jerusalem compromise
- July 13, 2000 - After two days of talks at the Camp David 2 summit, sources say that Israeli Prime Minister is ready to offer a compromise plan for the Jerusalem issue.
- Source:Jerusalem Post
Camp David 2000
- July 12, 2000 - CNN's full coverage of the Camp David summit.
Drive for Mid-East peace
- July 11, 2000 - At Camp David, the presidential retreat one hour north of Washington, where Egypt and Israel made peace over 20 years ago, another meeting convenes today between President Clinton, Israel's Ehud Barak, and the Palestinian's Yasser Arafat. Hopes are high that a final peace can be hammered out between the Israelis and the Palestinians.
- The meeting begins just hours after Barak survived a "no confidence" vote in Israel's parliamentary body.
- Source: BBC
Barak appeals for public support, sets out red lines
- July 10, 2000 - Ignoring crumbling support from his government, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak turned to the people of Israel for support. He promised his best to try to end bloodshed between Israel and her neighbors at the upcoming Camp David Summit (between Himself, President Clinton, and Yasser Arafat - Scheduled to begin July 13th), and to bring any agreement reached there to the people in a referendum - a chance for them to approve the agreement by a vote.
- He also pledgd to abide by the following "red lines" in his negotiations:
- * There will be a separation between Israel and the Palestinians.
- * There will be no return to the 1967 lines.
- * Jerusalem will remain united and under Israeli
sovereignty.
- * No foreign army will be west of the Jordan River.
- * The majority of the settlers of Judea and Samaria will be in settlement blocs under Israeli sovereignty.
- * Israel has no moral responsibility for the Palestinian refugees.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
JERUSALEM PETITION from ICEJ
- July 9 - Christians may join the tens of thousands who have signed this petition from the International Christian Embassy Jerusalem, in support of an undivided Jerusalem under Israeli control.
- "We, the undersigned, support Israel's exclusive claim to sovereignty over united
Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. We commend Israel for its exemplary record in
guaranteeing access to the biblical sites in Jerusalem and throughout Israel, and
support the continuation of Israel in this role."
- Source: Israel Wire (Story no longer on line.)
Peace call as Assad buried
- June 14, 2000 - As Israeli's watched the funeral of Syria's Assad on the "first direct broadcast from Damascus," Ehud Barak issued a call for Assad's son to pursue the peace process.
- Source: BBC
Assad's son moves closer to Syrian presidency
- June 12, 2000 - Following the death of Syrian president Hafez Assad on Saturday, the country's ruling Baath party nominated his hand-picked son, Bashar as next president, and lowered the age of eligibility to 34 - Bashar's age.
- Former Prime Minister Shimon Perez was optimistic about the younger Syrian ruler, noting that,
- Assad refused to consider anything but the complete return by Israel of the
Golan Heights, which it seized in 1967 ... Perhaps Syria's new leader
will recognize that Israel is ready to give back most of the strategic land but
must be able to have access through it to the Sea of Galilee, a key water source,
Peres said.
- Source: CNN
Shavuot (Passover) June 2000
Jerusalem to Be Discussed for First Time In Mid-East Peace Talks
- June 7, 2000 - With time running out for the peace process, Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak has instructed his negotiators to go to Washington for talks next week with instructions to seek a final status agreement that would leave no issue unresolved, including Jerusalem.
- Source: Fox News
Arafat agrees to Washington talks
- June 6, 2000 - Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat has agreed to meet President Clinton in Washington next week for a fresh round of Middle East peace talks. It is hoped that Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak will also participate in the meeting.
- Source: BBC
US pushing for final accord by September
- June 5, 2000 - According to US Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, the US will work tirelessly to try to meet the September 13 deadline for a final peace agreement.
- "[Palestinian Authority] Chairman [Yasser] Arafat is
saying that he will declare a state at that point, and I do
think that we need to work as hard as we can with the
parties over the summer, because as President [Bill]
Clinton has said both publicly and to Prime Minister
[Ehud] Barak and Chairman Arafat separately, privately,
there's an opportunity here to move the process forward.
And we're going to be working very hard," she said.
- Source: The Jerusalem Post
Jordan's king urges Arabs, Israelis take 'risk for peace'
- June 2, 2000 - Jordan's King Abdullah called Israel's withdrawal from southern Lebanon a "tremendous boost" to the Mideast peace process. He urged Arabs and Israelis to accelerate negotiations and iron out a permanent peace accord.
- Source: CNN
- See earlier story: Why Jordan's king wants Israel to share Jerusalem - CNN From TIME.com
Barak: Jerusalem will never be divided
- June 2, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak said that Jerusalem will never again be divided. The occasion of the remarks was a Jerusalem Day ceremony on the anniversary of the city's reunification in the Six Day War.
- Others, however, expressed concern at the direction of
the peace talks with the Palestinians, who continue to
demand control over east Jerusalem.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Mubarak: Restoring the Golan to Syria is guarantee to peace and stability
- June 1, 2000 - Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak says that
- Israel's withdrawal from South Lebanon
should be followed by an Israeli withdrawal from the occupied
Arab territories without any maneuverings because such a
withdrawal will be the guarantee for a just and comprehensive
peace in the region and security for all sides.
- Source: Arabic News
Israel Peace: Oslo process talks to resume
- May 31, 2000 - Talks were moved from Stockholm to Jericho at the request of PLO Authority (PA) Chairman Yassir Arafat.
- Chief Israeli negotiator Oded Eran on Tuesday met in the autonomous city
of Jericho with his PA counterpart, Saeb Erekat. The two discussed
differences regarding the third and final status stage of the talks and PA
demands for the release of ‘security prisoners.’
- Source: Israel Wire
- Also: Israel's "secret" offer to PLO
Israel leaves the security zone
- May 24, 2000 - Israel's Prime Minister has announced the complete withdrawal of Israeli forces from the occupied area of Lebanon. The sudden colapse of the SLA (Southern Lebanese Army), Israel's allies in Lebanon hastened the process.
- Source: Israel Wire
Israel warns against attacks
- May 23, 2000 - Israel has warned Lebanon and Syria that they will retaliate if guerrillas continue to attack the Jewish state after it withdraws to the international border.
- A senior military source who briefed reporters on condition he not be identified by rank or title
explained: "Since we believe Syria is behind all actions in Lebanon, we will consider Syria
responsible for whatever will happen along the border." Syria deploys two divisions in
Lebanon.
- Source: CBS Marketwatch (Story no longer on line.)
Barak: Lebanon 'tragedy is over'
- May 23, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak is ordering quick withdrawal from Lebbanon after 22 years of occupation, and says the tragedy is over, but since their action is unilateral, and since the UN, which was supposed to assist, has not been able to do their part, the areas which are being abandoned are quickly occupied by Hezbollah forces.
- Source: BBC
- Also: Northern residents ordered back into bomb shelters - Israel Wire
- And: Security Council reaches tentative agreement - Israel Wire
IDF gears up for June 1 pullout
- May 22, 2000 - Israeli forces could leave Lebannon completely by June 1. South Lebanese Army soldiers are leaving the security zone and masses of Shi'ite residents are returning to their homes.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Talks between Israel and the PA breakdown due to increased violence
- May 22, 2000 - Following a week of violence in Palestinian controlled areas, Prime Minister Ehud Barak instructed Minister of Internal Security Shlomo Ben-Amir to end talks with his PLO Authority (PA) counterpart in Stockholm.
- Source: Israel Wire
Israeli Cabinet votes to hand two Jerusalem neighborhoods to Palestinians
- May 15, 2000 - Trying to break the stalemate in peace negotiations, the The Israeli Cabinet approved a recommendation to transfer two neighborhoods on the outskirts of Jerusalem to Palestinian control. The recommendation must be approved by the Knesset in order to take effect.
- Source: CNN
Violence erupts in West Bank
- May 15, 2000 - From Ramalla and other areas in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, crowds of demonstrating Palestinians clashed with Israeli troops. At least one Palestinian demonstrator and two Palestinian policemen were killed, and many injuries have been reported.
- The violence was the worst since September 1996,
when 80 Palestinians and Israelis were killed in three
days of clashes between Israeli soldiers and
Palestinian troops.
- The 1996 disturbances were triggered by Israel's
decision to open a new entrance to an archaeological
tunnel alongside a Muslim shrine in Jerusalem.
- The latest clashes came as Palestinians marked the
anniversary of their displacement when Israel was
created in 1948 - which they call "Al Naqba [the
catastrophe]".
- Source: BBC
- See also: Peace In The Balance - BBC Full Coverage
PM Barak says troop withdrawal will take place with or without UN support
- May 12, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak says Israel will follow through on unilateral withdrawal of forces possibly July 7th] from Lebanon even if the U.N. is not ready to commit peacekeepers to the area.
- Source: Israel Wire
State Department Notice of Threat of Terrorism in West Bank and Gaza
- "While there is no reason to believe there
is a specific threat directed against Americans, the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv and the
Consulate General in Jerusalem urge all Americans to increase their vigilance with
respect to their security. American citizens in Israel should be alert to their
surroundings, and report suspicious packages or any unusual activities to the police."
PA officials: Chances of comprehensive deal by September slim
- May 11, 2000 - Palestinian officials are doubtful that an agreement which is acceptable to both sides on the issues of Jerusalem and refugees will be reached by the September deadline for peace talks.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
19,109 fallen since November 1947
- May 9, 2000 - Israel's Rememberance Day - Israelis will honor 19,109 men and women whose lives have been taken in war since their War of Independence in 1947.
- Source:Israel Wire
King sees shared Jerusalem
- April 24, 2000 - King Abdullah of Jordan has suggested that Jerusalem is big enough to contain capitals for both Israel and the coming Palestinian state.
- "There is a golden
opportunity, with Arafat in
power, with President
Clinton still in power, with
this government in Israel
that wants to make peace,"
Mr Barak said.
- King Abdullah said: "We are on the threshold of a new
beginning here in the Middle East, not only the
Palestinian track, but the Syrian track."
- Source: BBC
Barak envisages Palestinian state
- Apr. 18, 2000 - Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak, addressing his weekly cabinet meeting, has indicated that he believes an independent Palestinian state will emerge as a result of the current peace process. Now that the talks with Syria have stalled, he is apparently trying to stimulate the Palestinian issue.
- On Jerusalem, Mr Barak said the city would remain
under Israeli sovereignty, but without some of the
exclusively Palestinian areas which now fall within the
city's municipal boundaries.
- Source: BBC
Assad's price is the return of Galilee shore
- Mar. 30, 2000 - The real reason the recent round of talks with President Clinton failed to bring a breakthrough in Israeli-Syrian relations is that Syria's president Assad insists that Syria be permitted to occupy the shore of the Galilee below the Golan Heights.
- Source: UK Sunday Times
Barak: Assad not ready for peace
- Mar. 28, 2000 - According to Prime Minister Ehud Barak, Syrian President Hafez Assad is not yet willing to make the necessary decisions for peace over the Golan Heights issue. The discussion will remain open, but no quick solution is seen.
- Barak said on Channel 2's Mishal Cham program last
night that the disagreements come down to three issues:
Israel's control of the Kinneret, and as a result, 40
percent of the country's water supply; security
arrangements following a withdrawal from the Golan; and
the fate of the early warning station on Mount Hermon.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Police move to charge Netanyahu
- Mar. 28, 2000 - Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu may be charged with bribery, fraud, and betraying the public trust, and his wife, Sara, could be charged with theft for keeping gifts which should have been turned over to the state.
- Other Israeli officials are also plagued by scandals at this time.
- Source: BBC
Sodom and Gomorrah are 'found at bottom of Dead Sea'
- Mar. 26, 2000 - Using a mini submarine during the past several weeks, Michael Sanders and an international team of researchers have discovered mounds which may cover the remains of ancient settlements on the seabed, possibly including Sodom and Gomorrah. He is planning a follow-up expedition.
- Source: Electronic Telegraph
Pope in Jerusalem
- Mar. 26, 2000 - Pictures of Pope John Paul II's visit to Jerusalem, including the Wailing Wall and the Church of the Holy Sepulchure
- Source: BBC
- See also: Pilgrimage Into The Lion
's Den - Jerusalem Post special report
Pope in the footsteps of Jesus
- Mar. 24, 2000 - Pope John Paul II conducted the largest Christian festival ever seen in Israel on the shore of the Sea of Galilee near the place where Jesus delivered His "Sermon on the Mount." Approximately 100,000 attended the event, and the Pope encouraged the young, who were the special focus of the service, to follow Jesus's message of peace.
- Source: BBC
Pope pleads for Palestinian Homeland
- Mar. 22, 2000 - Visiting Bethlehem on his historic and long-awaited tour of the Holy Land, Pope John Paul II called for a separate Palestinian homeland. He said, "No-one can ignore how
much the Palestinian
people have had to suffer in
recent decades. Your
torment is before the eyes
of the world. And it has
gone on for too long,"
- Source: BBC
Jordan's king says there's room for two capitals in Jerusalem
- Mar. 15, 2000 - In the process of helping to prepare for the Pope's visit to the Holy Land, Jordan's young king Abdullah II said that there is room in Jerusalem for "two capitals of two independent states."
- CNN.com (Story no longer on line.)
Israel May Offer Palestinian State
- Mar. 10, 2000 - It is reported that Israel may offer to recognize the existence of a separate Palestinian country which would include the Gaza Strip and about half of the West Bank areas. Israel would withdraw from the entire West Bank, but would annex about 10% of it where most Jewish settlers live.
- The Palestinians are hoping to declare statehood over the entire area in question.
- Source: Excite (Story no longer on line.)
New push for Middle East peace
- Mar. 9, 2000 - Peace negotiations have evidently been revived because of a sucessful meeting between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak and the Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat. The meeting was hosted by Egypt's President Hosni Mubarak, who said, after the meeting, that he had "great hopes" for the entire peace process
- The two negotiating teams are expected to begin an
intensive round of negotiations on a blueprint for a
permanent resolution in Washington in about 10 days
- Source: BBC
Senior PA official: Deal between Israel and Syria complete
- Mar. 3, 2000 - A Palestinian Authority official says that Israel and Syria have reached an agreement that Israel will hand over the entire Golan Heights to Syria, provide Syria with water rights to the Kinneret and include a US aid package for Damascus of $15 billion.
- Source: Israel Wire
US: Israel must not hit Lebanon infrastructure
- Feb. 18, 2000 - Until yesterday, when Israeli war planes struck a Lebanese power plant, the U.S. had looked on the military activity as justified retaliation for Hizbullah attacks against Israel. Now, following large-scale protests in Lebanon against the U.S., our government is warning Israel not to inflict civilian casualties or destroy Lebanon's civilian infrastructure.
- Source: Jerusalem Post
Vatican rejects Israel’s position on agreement with PA
- Feb. 16, 2000 - On Tuesday of this week an agreement was signed between Pope John Paul II and PA Chairman Yassir Arafat. One aspect of the agreement was a call for special international status for Jerusalem, since it is the home of three religions, and said that any unilateral changes in the status of Jerusalem were “morally and legally unacceptable.”
- Israel reacted with the claim that the Vatican was interfering with the Oslo peace process. The Vatican replied that their agreement had only to do with the presence and the activities of the Catholic Church on Palestinian Authority territory.
- Source: Israel Wire
Israel strikes again in Lebanon
- Feb. 9, 2000 - Israel ordered a 48 hour emergency, requiring citizens to seek underground shelter, as it struck Hizbollah targets in Lebanon. The raids are retaliation against Hizbollah killing of Israeli soldiers. The situation threatens the important peace talks between Israel and Syria.
- Source: MSNBC (Story no longer on line.)
Mid-East talks stall
- Feb. 3, 2000 - Israel was scheduled to withdraw troops from 6.1% of the West Bank next week, but Palestinians were upset because they were not consulted about the details.
- The talks have stalled, leaving unanswered other important matters, such as a framework for agreement on final borders, the fate of Palestinian refugees and the future of Jerusalem.
- Source: BBC
Solving the Jerusalem problem
- Feb. 1, 2000 - Israelis agree that a united Jerusalem will be the eternal capital of the Jewish state, while Palestinians are just as passionate about their demand for the eastern portion of the city, including the Dome of the Rock and Al Aqsa Mosque.
- A compromise has been suggested which might fulfil both side's demands. The Palestinians might be given sovereignty over a limited number of Arab districts just to the north of Jerusalem, and then the city limits would be stretched around those areas. Furthermore, a Palestinian flag could be flown over certain key buildings in the eastern part of the existing city. This would give Palestinians sovereignty over their own people, while maintaining Israeli control over the land.
- Source: BBC - Gerald Butt
Snow brings chaos to Holy Land- Jan. 29, 2000 - Up to 12 inches of snow blanketed Jerusalem in the biggest storm there in 50 years.
- Source: BBC
Middleast Peace Talks In Stalemate
- Jan 28, 2000 -
Special Report: Middle East Peace process
- Jan., 2000 - BBC full coverage of the peace process with Israel. Two main stories are developing: Implementation of the Wye agreements to establish a separate Palestine, and Peace Talks with Syria, involving giving up the Golan Heights.
Older Articles: Before Jan. 1, 2000
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Last Updated: 11/16/07
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