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Genesis 12:1-3	Further Study
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Zechariah 12:2-3	Further Study

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Current Events and Links

Spielberg's "Munich" is a dissapointment

Dec. 22, 2005 - This review by Jonathan Tobin in the Jewish World Review laments the impression he gained from the movie that Israel should never have become a nation. He calls the movie "the ultimate obscenity."

Source: Jewish World Reiew

Brokeback Munich - Negative review by Jack Cashill - WorldNetDaily

Munich and the morality of killing terrorist leaders - Positive review by Rabbi Stanley Boteach - WorldNetDaily

Three Big Digs

Nov. 29, 2005 - Several significant discoveries have been made in Israel this year. [Ed. note: See the following three articles on this page.]

Source:Christianity Today

Archaeologists find evidence of "Goliath" in earliest Philistine artifacts

Nov. 11, 2005 - Archaeologists have found a shard of pottery with the name "Goliath" on it at Tel es-Safi, a dig site in southern Israel thought to be to be the location of the Philistine city of Gath.

The shard dates back to around 950 B.C., within 70 years of when biblical chronology asserts David squared off against Goliath, making it the oldest Philistine inscription ever found, the archaeologists said.

Source:Israel Insider

Pittsburgh professor's team unearths earliest alphabet yet found

Nov. 10, 2005 - A team led by Ron Tappy, a professor at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary in Highland Park, has uncovered a large stone set inside a building with the earliest inscriptions ever found of a complete alphabet.

The building, which dates to the 10th century B.C., is in an Israeli archeological site called Tel Zayit, about 35 miles southwest of Jerusalem. It would have been on the outskirts of ancient Judah.

Source:Pittsburgh Tribune-Review

See also on our Temple Mount Page:

Temple Mount Desecration Continues
First Temple-era seal discovered

Archaeologists unveil ancient church in Israel

Nov. 6, 2005 - In the northern Israeli town of Megiddo, the remains of an ancient church and a well-preserved mosaic have been discovered. Archaeologists have dated the ruins from the third century, decades before Constantine's edict to legalize Christianity. This might make it the earliest church ever discovered in the Holy Land or even the world.

Israeli prisoner Ramil Razilo was removing rubble from the planned site of a new prison ward when his shovel uncovered the edge of an elaborate mosaic, unveiling what Israeli archaeologists said Sunday may be the Holy Land’s oldest church.

Source:MSNBC

Away from the manger - a Christian-Muslim divide

Oct. 21, 2005 - Muslim hostility toward Christians in the town of Bethlehem has reduced the population of Christians from 75% in 1950 to 12% today. And the situation is getting worse

Source: Jerusalem Post

A debate of biblical proportions

Sept. 9, 2005 - An enormous building was partially unearthed this year on City of David slope.

Dr. Eilat Mazar, the archaeologist in charge of the site, believes this could be the palace King David built after conquering Jerusalem from the Jebusites.

The discovery has special importance in regard to the claim of the Jewish people to the Land of Israel.

Source: Ha'Aretz

Israel begins Gaza Strip pullout

Aug. 15, 2005 - Some 40,000 Israeli soldiers and police are in the process of handing out eviction notices to the Jewish settlers in the Gaza Strip. They have until midnight on Tuesday to evacuate the area.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas hailed the move as "historic" but said Israel should also pull out of the West Bank.

Source:BBC

Gaza Settlers Confront Soldiers - Fox

Defiant settlers try to block Israeli soldiers - MSNBC

The Disengagement - Ha'Aretz

PA begins pullout deployment - Jerusalem Post

Commentary: Thus The Antichrist Cometh - Hal Lindsey

IN DEPTH

Israel and the Palestinians - BBC

Text of the U.S. Road Map For Middle East Peace - Fox

Map: The Gaza Strip -MSNBC

NOT A COINCIDENCE: TISHA B'AV
Many Jewish tragedies have occured on this date, The Fast of Tisha b'Av (The 9th of Av).
Zechariah 7:5

Ninth of Av - Prophecy Central

Tisha Be Av - Jews For Jesus

Tragedies Occuring On Tishah B’Av - Hebrew For Christians

IDF general compared pullout to Temple's destruction - Jerusalem Newswire

Israel Betrayed?

July 1, 2005 - The government of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to expel 8,000 to 10,000 Israelis from their settlements in Gaza. Force will be used if necessary. The plan is very unpopular among part of Israel's population.

The action is intended, say the Israeli and U.S. governments, to facilitate the ultimate creation of a Palestinian state, and to make Israel and Israelis more easily defendable.

It is likely that Hamas terrorists will take over the abandoned area. Former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said that the retreating from Gaza will encourage terrorists in their goal of destroying Israel.

Source:WorldNetDaily

Israel Postal Authority zips mail to God

June 15, 2005 - Israel receives up to 3000 letters per year addressed to God. Periodically, postal workers take the letters to the wailing wall where they are placed in the cracks of the wall.

Mail that eventually falls from the Wall will be placed in a geniza for damaged religious texts and materials deemed unfitting for the dump.

Source:

After 2,000 Years, a Seed From Ancient Judea Sprouts

June 11, 2005 - A date palm seed, retreived by archaeologists from Masada near the Dead Sea, has been planted, and has grown to approximately 11 inches. It is not known whether the plant will reach maturity since most of the nutrients in the seed were used just to keep it alive for nearly two thousand years. If it does grow normally we will learn why these trees were so highly praised for their shade, fruit, and medicinal value.

Source:N.Y. Times

Iran threatens to "wipe Israel off the globe"

July 29, 2004 - Iran has resumed development of nuclear centrifuge equipment, used in the production of enriched uranium - a prime ingredient for an atomic bomb. Israel may take matters into their own hands if necessary to stop Iran from producing nuclear weapons. Now Iran has countered with the statement that they will "wipe Israel off the globe" if Israel attacks their nuclear facilities.Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz is calling for international pressure against Iran's nuclear ambitions in order to keep either side from engaging in military operation.

Source:Arutz Sheva

Presbyterian Church defames Christianity

July 20, 2004 - Dennis Prager argues that the greatest sin is committing evil in God's name. The General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church (USA)is now guilty of this sin because they have equated the Jewish state with South Africa during apartheid and called for a universal divestment from it.

It takes a particularly virulent strain of moral idiocy and meanness to single out Israel, not Arafat's Palestinian Authority, or terror-supporting, death-fatwa-issuing Iran, or women-subjugating Saudi Arabia, for condemnation and economic ruin.

Source:Jewish World Review

Oil in the Holy Land

July 20, 2004 - What could prompt the prophecied attack against Israel by by Russia and a Muslim Confederacy in the Last Days? There are Biblical prophecies and current exploration that point to the liklihood of a major discovery of oil in the Holy Land.

Source:Hal Lindsey

Court: Fence violates international law, must be dismantled

July 9, 2004 - The International Court of Justice, meeting in The Hague, has decided that the wall Israel has been building between Jewish and Palestinian areas is illegal according to international law. The judgment is a non-binding legal opinion.

The court was also expected to rule that the West Bank fence must be dismantled, and that compensation must be paid to the Palestinian owners of property confiscated for its construction.

Source:Ha'Aretz

UN court to rule 'against Israel' - BBC

Israel: ICJ fence ruling fails to address Palestinian terror - Ha'Aretz

Israel's wayward prime ministers

June, 2004 - Daniel Pipes, an expert on Arab culture, claims that each of Israel's last four Prime Ministers have broken their promises once elected, and each one's failure was in the realm of adopting policies of unilateral concessions. He explains that it is a psychological problem.

It is only too easy for the officeholder, having been elected leader of his people, immodestly to believe that he has a special talent to resolve his country's great, abiding, and potentially fatal problem, that of Arab hostility.

The result is "taking chances for peace."

Source:

Quake risk threatens tens of thousands in Israel

Dec. 28, 2003 - The devastating toll from Iran's latest quake is a reminder to Israelis that they too live in a high risk area -- along the great rift (The Jordan valley, leading to the Dead Sea), where some experts say a small earthquake is always happening! A strong quake there could destroy buildings in Jerusalem and throughout Israel. This is a special concern since a recent report shows that the building codes in Israel are not very strict.

According to The Jerusalem Post Sunday, the report found "that the entire system of construction in Israel is flawed to its core, and recommends sweeping changes in the industry…"

Source:Jerusalem Newswire

Israel Urged To Stop Iran's Nuke Program

Dec. 18, 2003 - Ephraim Sneh a senior member of Israel's Knesset, told a strategic conference that Iran's nuclear project must be stopped during this coming year or they will achieve independent nuclear weapons capability. He said that the United States will not stop the project.

If we don't act by ourselves, then others won't do anything... They will only do something if they know that we will act, providing no other alternative. This moment is approaching.

Source:Middle East Newsline

EU poll: Israel 'biggest threat' to world peace

Oct. 31, 2003 - According to a survey by Taylor Nelson Sofres/EOS Gallup of Europe, Over half of Europeans think Israel poses the "biggest threat to world peace." The poll, which was commissioned by the European Commission, also revealed that Europeans think the United States contributes to world instability more than Iran, Iraq and North Korea do.

Source:WorldNetDaily

Sharon Thanks Christians for Supporting Israel

Oct. 16, 2003 - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon addressed more than 3,000 Christian pilgrims who have come to Israel to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. He thanked them for their support of Israel.

Michael Utterback, the international director of the International Christian Embassy, Jerusalem says that Israelis feel cut off from the world, but have learned that evangelical Christians are their best friends.

Source:CBN

Feasts of Israel

Malaysia Urges World's Muslims to Defeat Jews

Oct. 16, 2003 - Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohamad told a summit meeting of Islamic leaders from 57 nations that the world's 1.3 billion Muslims should unite and use nonviolent means for a "final victory" over the Jews. The Prime Minister is also a critic of U.S. policy in the Middle East, including the war in Iraq and its strong backing of the Jewish state.

The summit is the first since the Sept. 11, 2001, terror attacks reshaped global politics and comes at a time when many Muslims, even U.S. allies, feel the war on terrorism has become a war against them.

Source:NewsMax

Jerusalem touted as world's capital

July 24, 2003 - Former Israeli prime minister, Shimon Peres, proposes that Jerusalem be a capital of the world under the control of the United Nations. This would simplify the peace process since both Israelis and Arabs claim the city as their capital.

Source:WorldaNetDaily

Arafat Puts a Roadblock on the Road Map

Apr. 22, 2003 - By rejecting the proposed cabinet of the man Yasser Arafat selected to be Prime Minister for the Palestinians, he has created an obstacle to the "road map" peace plan. Abu Mazen, the proposed Prime Minister was to be installed soon, as a pre-condition to making the peace plan public. But Arafat is upset that Abu Mazen has rejected most of Arafat's close associates, and has chosen younger, friendlier cabinet members.

Source:Time

Later development: Palestinian official: Arafat, Abu Mazen agree on new cabinet - April 23, 2003 - Ha'Aretz

Palestinian Constitution Calls for Islamic State, Report Says

April 16, 2003 - If it follows the proposed Palestinian Constitution, the new state will be an Islamic government similar to Saudia Arabia instead of a democratic government. Saudia Arabia has a bad record of human rights and virtually no freedom of religion.

Source:Crosswalk

Bush Meets Resistance on Mideast Plan

April 4, 2003 - A plan, known as the "road map," for the creation of a Palestinian state within three years was drafted last year by the so-called quartet -- the United States, the European Union, Russia and the United Nations.

The plan envisions a three-stage process that would create Palestinian institutions, establish provisional borders for a state by the end of this year and reach a final agreement with defined borders in 2005.

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon asked for a delay of the process of adopting the plan until after Israeli elections in January, and again until the Palestinians confirmed a new prime minister of their own. Israel has voiced serious concerns over some portions of the plan, and now key legislators in the U.S. (Republicans and Democrats) are pressing the White House to adopt a more pro-Israel stance.

Source: Washington Post

U.S. to push Mideast ‘road map’

Mar. 14, 2003 - President Bush announced plans to continue the "Road Map" for peace between the Israelis and Palestinians. He said that Israel needs to support the emergence of a viable and credible Palestinian state. Arab states have an obligation as well:

“And the Arab states must oppose terrorism, support the emergence of a peaceful and democratic Palestine and state clearly that they will live in peace with Israel.”

Details of the plan will be unveiled when the Palestinians have installed their new Prime Minister.

Source:MSNBC

Covenant and Conflict: Israel's Place in the World Today

Feb. 18, 2003 - Chuck Colson on Israel - He supports Israel, but doesn't think modern Israel is necessarily the fulfillment of prophecy.

Source:BreakPoint

Revisiting the Six-Day War

Jan. 23, 2003 - Joseph Farah gives a brief history lesson about the Six-Day War in 1967, showing that the supposedly "occupied" Palestinian areas were not controlled by Palestinians at all, but by Jordan and Egypt, who declared war against tiny Israel and lost their land to them in just six days! Of additional interest, a review of articles written in 1967, shows that when the Arabs talked about "occupied territories" then, they meant all of Israel.

Source:WorldNetDaily

Who Started The Six-Day War?- Sol Jacobs

Europe's new face of anti-Semitism

Dec. 3, 2002 - At least five European countries, (Holland, Belgium, Germany, France and Switzerland), show a rise in anti-Semitic laws and attitudes. Laws have been enacted against kosher slaughter of animals, synagogues are being burned, crowds shout hateful epithets against Jews, and weapon sales to Israel are banned. It is reminiscent of the early days Adolph Hitler's Third Reich.

Source:WorldNetDaily

Israelis, Palestinians discuss dividing Jerusalem

Oct. 22, 2002 - At a meeting in Turkey, Israelis and Palestinians discussed the possibility of giving parts of Jerusalem to the Palestinians as the only way peace could be acchieved. The meeting did not have the endorsement of the Israeli government.

Source:Jerusalem Post

President Bush Signs Bill Recognizing Jerusalem

Oct. 2, 2002 - President Bush has signed a bill that recognizes Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel, but he has not made any changes to implement the provisions.

Bush said the administration would interpret the provisions as advisory. "Such provisions, if construed as mandatory rather than advisory, would impermissibly interfere with the President's constitutional authorities to conduct the nation's foreign affairs", the president added.

Source:Ha'Aretz

Dead Sea rescue plan unveiled

Sept. 2, 2002 - Israel and Jordan have agreed on a plan to increase the flow of water into the Dead Sea. It will require building an $800 million pipeline from the Gulf of Aqaba to the Dead Sea, and will take several years to complete. The water level of the Dead Sea is dropping about 3 feet per year.

Source:BBC

Italy Suggests An 'International' Jerusalem At OSCE Conference

July 12, 2002 - At a meeting of the Organization of Security and Cooperation in Europe, Italian parliamentarian Marcello Pacini suggested making Jerusalem an "international" city for the sake of preserving Christian and other holy sites.

Pacini claimed that his motives were pro-Israel, ... He was afraid that under whatever agreement is reached between Israel and the Palestinians, the Palestinians would end up in charge of the Christian holy places...

He said that he feared that as part of the peace process, Israel would give up running the Christian holy places.

Source:Cybercast News Service

Exodus: The Decline of Middle East Christianity

Jan. 29, 2002 - Christians in the Holy Land are leaving their homes at a record rate because of the rise of Islamic fundamentalism. They have been caught in the crossfires of the Israel/ Palestinian fight, and have decided it is best for their families to immigrate.

According to a recent report, more Christians born in Jerusalem live in Sydney, Australia than in the city of their birth. And three out of four Christians born in Bethlehem now live overseas.

Many Christians from Israel and other Middle East nations move to the United States, Canada, Australia, and South America.

Source: CBN (Story no longer on line.)

'Post' Poll: American support for Israel at all-time high

Oct. 26, 2001 - A survey of 1000 Americans last week indicated that nearly three quarters of them expressed strong support for Israel and its struggle against terrorism. The Jerusalem Post poll was co-sponsored by The Chicago Sun-Times.

When asked whether the United States should continue to support Israel, nearly three-fourths (73%) of Americans said yes, 15% said no, and 12% were either undecided or refused to answer.

Source:Jerusalem Post (Story no longer on line.)

Arab states shun racism text

Sept. 7, 2001 - The South Africans have put forth a final revision to the controversial racism document, but it is still not acceptable to Arab delegates, who want a statement that Zionism is racism. The European Union delegation is not happy with the compromise either because it is still too anti-Israeli in its tone. They have threatened to walk out of the conference on Racism. The U.S. and Israel have already done so.

The proposed draft called for recognition of the Palestinian people's plight, but had removed language that branded Israel a racist state.

Source: BBC

Fresh move to end racism row

Sept. 6, 2001 - The European Union is threatening to walk out of the Durban conference, joining the US and Israel, but South Africa has proposed a change of wording to try to keep that from happening.

It reads: "We are concerned about the plight of the Palestinian people under foreign occupation and we call for a just and comprehensive lasting peace in the region in which all people shall co-exist and enjoy equality, justice and internationally recognised human rights and security."

Source: BBC

History Unrevised

Sept. 5, 2001 - This is an excellent article by John Kinsella about the fact that part of Iraq, and all of Syria, Jordan, and Lebannon were homelands of the Palestinians until it was re-assigned after World War I.

What about the claims of the Arabs to their homelands? The same British government that created the modern Arab world in 1920 at the San Remo Conference in Italy -- by decree -- also created a Jewish homeland the same way at the same conference.

Source: Hal Lindsey Oracle (Story no longer on line.)

Israel, U.S. leave Durban; Peres dubs meet a `farce'

Sept. 4, 2001 - The United States stood up for Israel, and walked out of the Durban conference on Racism, objecting to the wording of the draft.

The draft text termed Israel's treatment of Palestinians "a new apartheid" and a "crime against humanity," stated that the conference "recognized with deep concern the increase of racist practices of Zionism" and said that Zionism is based on racial superiority. Israel was the only country mentioned specifically in the document.

Israel also walked out of the conference.

Source:Ha'Aretz

See BBC's article about world reaction

Who cares about Palestinians?

Aug. 23, 2001 - Joseph Farah shows that Israel has actually shown more concern for the wel-being of Palestinians than any of the Arab nations around them.

Source: WorldNetDaily

The City of David

June, 2001 - Picture gallery, including new excavations at the ancient City of David, south of the Temple and walled city of Jerusalem

Source: Ellis Shuman - About.com (Section no longer on line.)

Barak hands over PM's office

Mar. 10, 2001 - Ariel Sharon has formally occupied the Prime Minister's office in Israel. He and former Prime Minister Barak both praised each other in a meeting marking the change.

Sharon said that the secret of his relationship with Barak, despite their political differences, stems from their military background, where they shared similar feelings of victory, failure, pain, and fear. These shared feelings, he said, create a strong, special basis for their relationship.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Powell calls Jerusalem 'Israel's capital'

Mar. 9, 2001 - During a House of Representatives committee hearing, Secretary of State Colin Powell said that it remains President Bush's commitment to move "the embassy to the capital of Israel, which is Jerusalem." Considerable reaction followed the remark, leading to lengthy State Department meetings to determine whether Powell was signaling a change of policy or whether he was just speaking "of the top of his head." A State Department spokesman later confirmed that it was not an official statement of U.S. policy.

President Bush had promised during his campaign that he would move the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem, but has not yet made that move, probably because it would impede negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians to do it before they have finished trying to settle their differences about Jerusalem.

Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer on line.)

Barak accepts Defense portfolio

Feb. 16, 2001 - Ehud Barak has decided to accept the offer of Defense Minister which was offered to him by Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon. The decision guarantees a coalition government for Israel.

Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer on line.)

Sharon vows to keep sovereignty of Jerusalem

Feb. 9, 2001 - In marked contrast to former Israeli Prime Minister Barak's peace concessions, Ariel Sharon said that Jerusalem was the united and indivisible capital of Israel for all eternity.

The statement was made when he visited the Temple Mount in Jerusalem to give thanks for his election victory.

Mr Sharon laid claim to the whole of Jerusalem as Israel’s “eternal capital” and urged the Palestinians to end their revolt and negotiate a “realistic peace”.

Source: The Times (UK)

Sharon wins knockout victory

Feb. 7, 2001 - Capturing 59% of the votes, Israel's Likud leader, Ariel Sharon was elected as the 11th Prime Minister since the founding of the state. Israeli voters expect him to pursue peace from a position of strength.

Following the election, Ehud Barak announced that he was resigning from politics for the time being.

Source: Jerusalem Post (Story no longer on line.)

Barak's stark warning to voters

Jan. 5, 2001 - Facing almost certain defeat in tomorrow's election, Ehud Barak warned the Israeli people that if he is defeated there will war because his opponent, Ariel Sharon, is a dangerous extremist.

"We must decide if between us and peace there will be another bloody war, its outcome unknown," Mr Barak wrote on the front page of top-selling daily Yediot Aharanoth.

Meanwhile, Sharon stood by his campaign promise that he would not negotiate a peace deal as long as the four-month Palestinian uprising continues. He did say that, if elected, he would do "everything and a little more... to bring about quiet, security and peace.''

Source: BBC

Jerusalem braces for right-wing rally

Jan. 8, 2001 - At least 100,000 people are expected to attend a rally around the walls of the old city of Jerusalem to protest against handing parts of the city to the Palestinians.

Prospects for peace have taken a new dive in recent days with the outbreak of more clashes and the winding up of Israeli-Palestinian-US talks in Cairo without any sign of a return to security co-operation.

Source: BBC

Israel ready to accept 1967 line as border basis

Are Renewed Talks Over Truce or Temple Mount?

See these articles in our section on Middle East War 2000.

Bush defense chief pick has strong Israel record

Dec. 20, 2000 - The man expected to be named as President-elect Bush's choice for Secretary of Defense is Daniel Coats of Indiana, who is known as an outspoken friend of Israel.

Coats, 57, who served on the Senate Armed Services Committee and in the US Army from 1966-1968, is well-versed in military issues and is a strong supporter of a national missile defense program, a linchpin of Bush's campaign.

Source: Jerusalem Post - by Janine Zacharia (Story no longer on line.)

Mid-East Conflict 2000

Oct. 27 - We have established a separate section for information about the ongoing violence in Israel and the Mid-East.

Shas offers lifeline to Netanyahu

Dec. 12, 2000 - Prime Minister Ehud Barak has announced his resignation. Many think that it is a method of requiring the choice of a new PM before election of the new Knesset. Benjamin Netanyahu is not presently a member of the governing body. That would mean that Barak's strongest eligible opponent would be Ariel Sharon, and when a new PM is chosen, it would likely be Barak again.

Shas leader MK Eli Yishai vowed yesterday that, one way or another, the party will ensure the former premier gets his chance to try a comeback. The two ways of doing so are either to pass an amendment to the Basic Law: the Government allowing someone who is not an MK to run in a snap election for prime minister without a Knesset ballot, or to complete the legislative process for dissolving the parliament so that an election is held for both.

Source: Jerusalem Post

Israel makes goodwill gestures to Palestinians

Nov. 28, 2000 - Conciliatory moves timed to coincide with Islamic holy month Ramadan.

Specifically, Israeli Foreign Minister Shlomo Ben-Ami told Annan that the Jewish state would permit a "limited number" of Palestinians into the Temple Mount during Ramadan, and that Israel would eliminate barriers to the transfer of goods from Israel to the Palestinian Authority at the Karni crossing in the Gaza Strip.

Source: WorldNetDaily - By Jon E. Dougherty

Israel Situation Gets Worse

Oct. 23, 2000 - The following headlines describe the gathering storm in Israel-Palestinian violence:

Arafat's response to Barak's timeout: 'Go to hell'

Source: CNN

Israeli Air Force commander: We are ready

Source: Jerusalem Post

Israeli plan to build fences, not bridges

Source: Guardian Unlimited

Iran's Khomeini: Only way to solve crisis is to eradicate Israel

Source: Ha/Aretz

Barak, Hamas reject Arab League declaration

Oct. 22, 2000 - An emergency meeting of the Arab League has concluded with a harsh list of demands about Israel. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak rejected the demands as too threatening, while Hamas, and Islamic Jihad also rejected them for being "too mild." they include:

The statement's demands and recommendations included:

* A call for countries who have not signed peace treaties with Israel to consider lowering the degree of relationships with Israel, or to cut-off ties completely.

* A demand for Israelis responsible for the violence to stand trial as war criminals in front of an international tribunal.

* A call for the creation of an international UN force to protect Palestinians in the territories.

* A call on Arab nations to cut economic ties with Israel.

* A decision to stop the channel of multi-lateral communication.

* A call for countries not to move their embassies in Israel to Jerusalem.

* The establishment of two funds to aid Palestinian families and offices of the Palestinian Authority.

* An international examination of the nuclear site in Dimona.

Source: Ha'Aretz

IDF fears Arafat is pushing for war

Oct. 20, 2000 - It appears that Yasser Arafat does not intend to return to the Oslo process, but to either use controlled violence to accomplish further diplomatic gains, or even to precipitate an all-out regional war.

Source: Ha'Aretz

'Arafat will step up violence for November 15'

Oct. 19, 2000 - A reliable source, quoted by Israel Radio, said that Yasser Arafat will try to lower the level of violence before the Arab summit on Saturday, but will step it up towards a November 15 declaration of a Palestinian state.

Source: Jerusalem Post

U.N. Plans Emergency Mideast Meeting

Oct. 18, 2000 - The United Nations' special session on the Middle East will meet Wednesday for just the 10th time, following an agreement between Israel and the Palestinians at a summit in Egypt to end nearly three weeks of deadly fighting.

Source: News Max

Mideast talks reach cease-fire deal

Oct. 17, 2000 - A cease-fire agreement has emerged from the summit at Sharm el-Sheikh. Israel and the Palestinians are both satisfied with the terms, but unclear details left lingering uncertainty. In the past 19 days over 100 people have died in the struggle. The agreement included three major points:

Both sides agreed to issue public statements calling for an end to violence and take steps to end clashes in the region and restore the areas of conflict to their status prior to the recent crisis. Palestinian areas closed by Israeli forces would be reopened, as would the airport in Gaza. The United States will assist with security operations “as needed.”

A “committee of fact-finding” would be set up to determine the root causes of the recent violence. Participants would include the United States and United Nations, as well as Israel and the Palestinians.

All sides would work on “a pathway back to negotiations.” Clinton said that U.S. officials would consult with the two sides in the next two weeks about how to get back to the bargaining table.

Source: MSNBC

Stakes high At Mid-East talks

Oct. 16, 2000 - Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak hosts an emergency summit at the resort of Sharm el-Sheikh. A complete peace accord is not anticipated, but it is hoped that a cease-fire will result, stopping the current round of violence in Israel. President Clinton, Israel's Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, and Yasser Arafat are expected to participate.

Source: BBC

Articles to Balance the Perspective

Oct. 16, 2000 - The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America

www.camera.org

Source: News Report From Jerusalem

Israel launches reprisal attacks on PA

Oct. 13, 2000 - In retaliation against the Palestinians for killing two soldiers, Israeli forces launched rocket attacks against targets in Yasser Arafat's headquarters in Ramallah.

"We haven't declared war on the PA. I hope that the PA doesn't want to be in a full-scale war with us," said OC Operations Maj.-Gen. Giora Eiland.

Source: Jerusalem Post