March 21 1998 Rabbi Amy Levin's Torah Portfion of the Week is on The Wisdom of the Heart" Vayak'hel/P'kudei: Sh'mot 35:1 -- 40:38

March 20 1998 A terrific site recently opened by ArabNet is http://www.arab.net/arabview/ aka ArabView, a collection of editorials and opinion columns by leading Arab-world journalists. While not everything you'll find will ring easy in an Israeli ear, there are clear voices for peace coming from these newspapers all over the Middle East, and a surprising diversity of opinion, considering Israelis have been brought up to believe that the Arabs are "all against us." Of course, the Arabs have been brought up to believe the Israelis are all against them, which is why we opened Ariga -- to show that on both sides, the idea of "all" is wrong... Visit it. But be sure to come back to Ariga, so bookmark this page, right now.

March 20, 1998 ROBIN COOK IS RIGHT! Robin Cook, British foreign minister and representative of the European Union, is right. HE IS RIGHT in saying that there must be in Jerusalem "two capitals" – the capital of Israel and the capital of Palestine. HE IS RIGHT in saying that the decision to build in "Har Homa" caused the end of the peace process. HE IS RIGHT in saying that the continued settlement activity will lead to disaster. If this is a "provocation", it is a provocation for peace. The hypocritical choir of right and left, which accompanied the visit, proves yet again that the right-wing wants to bury the peace process and that the left-wing reacts with pitiful cowardice. Gush Shalom ad, Ha’aretz, 20.3.98. Gush Shalom

March 18 1998 As you may know, this year marks the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights.  This declaration which unfortunately has been honored mostly in the breach constitutes the basic benchmark of human rights struggles around the world. Amnesty International has launched a worldwide campaign to have people sign up in support of the UDHR.  The campaign was launched on the anniversary, Human Rights Day, 10.12.97 with President Mandela of South Africa the first signer.  On the same day, President Weizman, President Clinton and many other leaders around the world signed on and the campaign is continuing. You, too, can sign on at the site www.amnesty.org by clicking on the proper icon. 

March 17 1998 Ariga's long believed business is the way to peace, so here's an abstract of some research conducted by Daniel Laufer, who wrote about Caniel, an Israeli company that opened a plant in Jordan. "Much has been written about business opportunities for Israeli companies in the Arab world as a result of Israel’s peace treaties with some of its Arab neighbors.  This case study looks at an actual investment made by an Israeli company in Jordan. Caniel Israel Can Company ("Caniel") entered into a joint venture with the Jordanian company Century in September 1996.  This joint venture established a plant for the production of metal packaging for food products in Jordan.  Caniel’s stated objective for its investment was to enter into markets that were previously outside of its field of operation. The case study is designed to put the student in the role of senior management discussing challenges the company will be facing with its investment in Jordan.  What are some of the problems they will encounter operating in Jordan?  How will operations in Jordan differ from their experience operating in Israel?  For information about the case study you can contact ECCH at (617) 239-5884 or via e-mail at ecch@babson.edu. Sincerely, Dan Laufer

March 18 1998 Here's an issue of Timeline, a publication of the Foundation for Global Community, a California (where else)-based group trying to do their bit for peace. There's a report on the dinner hosted this past winter by the Palestinian-Jewish Living room Dialogue Group, and more in the issue.

March 17 1998 The Coexistence Site owned and run by The Abraham Fund has a very cool Consciousness Quotient test -- ten simple questions that test how much you know about Jewish-Arab relations in Israel. Highly recommended.

March 15 1998 LAW, the Palestinian Society for the Protection of Human Rights and the Environment, now has its own web site at http://www.lawsociety.org Go there directly, or read about it first in the Arab Peace Links Page at Ariga

March 14 1998 What actually did happen at Turkemiya? The Rashomon aspect of all journalism about violent conflict, which usually takes palce in seconds and involves at least two sides to the story, is doubly mysterious because on both sides of the Isaeli-Palestinian equation there are multiple interests at stake, each wanting the story to turn out to fit their wider view of the relationship. Here's Nigel Parry's view from Palestine. Note: The events are far from over. Historically, unfortunately, progress is made in Israeli-Palestinian peace talks only after bloodshed, particularly unneccessary bloodshed. This does not justify the blood, but at least gives us something to grasp at if we want to remain hopeful.

March 14 1998 Announcement: The 17th International Peace Research Association (IPRA) Conference THEME: "Meeting Human Needs in a Cooperative World" WHEN: 23-26 June 1998 WHERE: University of Durban-Westville, Durban, South Africa More Info

March 13 1998 Rabbi Amy Levin, after a third bout with the flu this winter, is back with her weekly Torah Portion. This week: Purim

The Gush Shalom Statement for March 13 1998 The Real Roadblock: Netanyahu! According to the Oslo Agreement, Turkemeiya was supposed to be the terminal of the "Safe Passage" between Gaza and Hebron. A terminal for work, for educaton, for commerce, for culture, for visits -- a symbol of peace. But in the reality created by Netanyahu, Turkemeiya is a combat front, a place of death and bereavement. Every day, dozens of roadblocks are creating hatred, hostility and resistance. Thousands of Palestinians, men, women, children and the elderly, face humiliation, degradation, and sometimes physical harm. What happened at Turkemeiya this week can happen every day, any day, at any time at any roadblock. But the real roadblock is the person responsible for all the roadblocks: Benjamin Netanyahu. Visit the Gush Shalom Web Check out the Settlement Goods Boycott FAQ

March 12 1998Yehoshua Zamir's stunning "Survival is Not Enough" is now online at Ariga. This father's lament for his son lost to the folly of war at Beaufort Castle in the opening hours of the Lebanon disaster, is not only a personal elegy but a stirring message for peace as compromise, a recognition that Israel's greatest tragedy is now its failure to recognize that it won the war, that it's time to reach out to make friends of our former enemies. Survival is not enough...

March 6 1998 News From GREENPEACE Israel undermines world wide ban on hazardous waste trade "Israel announced during the Basel Convention negotiations in Malaysia its intention to import hazardous wastes from industrialised countries and become a major waste management centre in the region." To the report

March 6 1998 How Much Does it Cost See the latest report on Real Estate in Israel. Sponsored by Internadlan.

March 4 1998 UNSCO's Report on the State of the West Bank and Gazan Private Economy. Must reading to understand why it is in Israel's interests to be generous in victory.

Mar 2 1998 Omer Shvili's Ariga Portfolio is now up 12 percent since Jan 1 and more than 50 pecent since December 1996.

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