July 30 1998 Pollution Israel and the PNA have recently announced agreement to cooperate in reducing pollution. But the reality is different. Following are the facts of a specific case, to the best of our knowledge- and what you can do to help. The Case Near Azzoun in the West Bank there is dump which has been used by Israel for toxic waste that should have gone to Ramat Chovav. The poison is threatening drinking water. Noxious black smoke fills the village when the materials are burned. There is an abnormal incidence of cancer in village apparantly due to carcinogens at the dump. Two months ago, a Palestinian tractor accidentally burst open one of the barrels and the driver was hospitalized in a bad condition immediately. Palestinians are asking for a clean-up and police investigation, but have gotten no action. Yossi Sarid ordered the dump closed, but Rafa'el Eitan rescinded the order. When Palestinians try to enter the site, it is declared a closed military area, and they are kept out forcibly. Help The Palestine Peace Movement has set up a tent near Azoun and wants to organize a demonstration. Please visit the tent, offer support, and write to government officials about this. Directions to Tent site: From the main road to Ariel (Trans-Shomron Highway) get off at Kessem interchange (under construction). Go North past Jaljouliya and past Kfar Saba turn off to checkpoint. Turn right at the checkpoint toward Shechem. Go 7 Km to Azzoun sign Tent is 30 meters from the sign. Contact Rami Neudorfer for more info:   neudorfr@netvision.net.il

July 30 1998 THE WAR CRIME Israel, "the State of the Holocaust Survivors," has voted against the creation of the World Criminal Court for genocide, crimes against humanity and war crimes... The representative of the Netanyahu's foreign ministry remarked that this crime is "like stealing apples". The settlement policy is indeed a war crime. It is designed to pull the land from under the feet of the conquered people. Its real aim is the eviction of the conquered people from its homeland. It leads inevitably to other crimes, such as the robbery of land and water, the suppression of resistance, arbitrary arrest and torture. So in Tibet, so in Bosnia, so in the occupied Palestinian territories. Settlements mean oppression, exploitation and war. Gush Shalom Ad -- to the full text

July 30 1998 Philip "Figgie" Gillon is a Jerusalem institution, a Jewish journalist who left South Africa with the founding (or maybe even before) of the state of Israel, because he hated apartheid. One of the first spokespeople for an equitable two-state solution to the Israeli/Palestinian quarrel over the Land, for years he wrote very popular, funny and interesting and even informative columns at The Jerusalem Post, eventually ebcoming one of the victims of the Hollinger Corp.'s takeover of that newspaper. Never one to give up the ghost, he started a fantastic mystery serial he invented off the cuff on a weekly basis involving the murder of an editor at The Jerusalem Post. The Hornet, he called the newspaper in the story and in some obscure grand tradition of journalism and freedom of the press, it was great. Now, Figgie's got a web site. Visit it at http://www.comma2000.com/hornet/ http://www.comma2000.com/hornet/

July 23 Towards a Redeployment in the West Bank a map by Michel Opatowski

July 29 1998 Go to http://www.cgiforme.com/cgibin/ash74/poll.html to vote in a PeaceWatch poll on the best solution for Jerusalem.

July 29 1998 Gershon Baskin sends a letter to Madeleine Albright about how Netanyahu has made a laughing stock of the peace process -- and of the US.

July 24 1998 THE SYSTEM GOES MAD All Israeli systems are going mad before our very eyes. From Kahalani to Raful, for Scharansky to Har'el, from Barak to Edri, from Shochat to Zvilli – everybody is fighting everybody. The Likud is breaking apart, Labor is dissolving. The economy is in crisis, society is split, even the army is steeped in intrigues. Israel's isolation in the world is growing, even our traditional friends are turning their backs on us. There is one reason for all this: the flight of the Israeli establishment – both coalition and opposition – from the road chartered in Oslo. The Gush Shalom ad for July 24.

July 23 1998 Peace is in Danger -- Help Save the Peace If the "Second Redeployment" does not take place until the Knesset recess next week, most likely it will not take place at all. The redeployment in itself no more than a single small step in the long road to peace - but in its absence, the slide towards war and bloodshed will become a certainty.   With this sense of urgency, the peace organizations have gotten together to pool resources and efforts to demand that Netanyahu accept the "13% Proposal" with no more delays and no more tricks. Gush Shalom has joined the Peace organizations Coordinating Committee (Mateh HaShalom) which also includes Bat Shalom, Peace Now, Oz VeShalom/Netivot Shalom, The Peace Guards, Social Workers for Peace, Dor Shalom, RA'ASH, and others. Hundreds of big banners were made with the slogan:  Peace is in Danger - Save the Peace! (HaShalom B'Sakana - Hayavim L'Hatzilo!)        Starting today and daily until Friday 31.7, there will be vigils with these banners at crossroads all over the country (for details call  Naftali Raz 050-793 604); you can also hang a banner on your own balcony.   . Intensive activities are scheduled for Tuesday, July 28 (one day before the Knesset recess):   9:30 in the morning:  "Save the Peace" vigil  opposite Binyanei Ha'Uma  in Jerusalem, where Netanyahu will be addressing the Histadrut Conference. (Note: The Prime Minister was originally due to speak in the afternoon; notes circulating about a demo at 4.30 p.m. are outdated). At 6:00 in the eveniong on the same day there will be a motor calvalcade in slow motion around the Knesset, with cars carrying the above-mentioned banners. We meet at the parking lot of the Givat Ram Campus of the Hebrew University - Tel Avivians meet at 4.30 outside the Arlozorov Railway Station.  For car meeting points in Rehovot and Sharon, call: 03-5663291. That is all for now -let's try to do our part.

July 23 1998 When the schnorrers come to your door, be they from UJA or Lubavitch, how do you know they're on the up and up? Is your money going fund yeshiva tuition for a bunch of rabbi's children, to ultra-nationalist settlers on the West BanK, or to the truly needy? Well, one way to tell is by pulling up their annual filings from GUIDESTAR: The Donor's Guide to the Non-Profit Universe. See http://www.guidestar.org Guidestar takes the annual filings that most charities have to make with the IRS (Form 990), along with financial reports, mission statements, board lists and other information that the charities provide voluntarily, and makes these available to the public. Even better, Guidestar calculates important charitable indicators for many organizations, to let you know what proportion of their revenues go to programs, and whether they have the overall financial capacity to effectively conduct their activities. The downside: apparently, many charities don't seem to file timely 990s with IRS, and others claim they are  churches and are therefore exempt from filing. Of couse, if a particular charity isn't included in the Guidestar database, that itself might cause a potential donor to pause and suggest that the charity consider bolstering its credibility with full financial disclosure, including copies of their 990s -- a condition of the donation. Sent in by A. Engler Anderson, of J-PEN: FORUM FOR JEWISH JOURNALISM & JOURNALISTS. For more info about J-Pen go to http://www.jcn18.com

July 23 1998 URGENT ACTION RELEASE From the Chrsitian PeaceMakers Team in Hebron On Sunday July 20 the Israeli military ordered six families in the Yatta, Baqa'a and Daharia areas around Hebron to tear down their houses, telling them that they have 7 days in which to either demolish their own houses or have the Israeli military do it for them and send them the bill. In Yatta these families are those of four brothers: Salami Salam Azazmi, Salam Silmi Azazmi, Salem Silmi Azazmi, and Aish Silmi Salam Azazmi. In the Baqa'a valley the family is that of Fayez Jaber. In Daharia the landowner was absent, so the name is not yet known. In our experience the 7-day notice is unusual, as most people have been given a month's notice. We are alarmed because this change comes in the middle of a very sensitive time in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians, and cannot contribute in any positive way to the success of these negotiations. Please send an e-mail or fax to ONE of the following persons regarding ONE of the families as soon as possible, stating that you think that it goes against all moral norms to demolish a family's home and make them homeless, and asking that these and other demolitions be halted at once. For more information on home demolitions on the Web see the website "News and Updates on Demolition of Palestinian Homes": http://www.palgate.com/hdemol/update/ YOUR ACTION IS NEEDED ON OR BEFORE SUNDAY, 26 JULY, 1998 Sen an email about this to: Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, fax: 011-972-2-651-2631; e-mail: likud1@likud.org.il or fax: 011-972-2-566-4838; e-mail: pm@pmo.gov.il Or to Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, fax: 011-972-3-691-6940 or to: US Secretary of State Madeline Albright, 2201 C St. NW, Washington, DC 20520; tel: State Dept. switchboard 202-647-4000; fax: 202-736-4461; e-mail: secretary@state.gov.

July 22 1998 New Guinea Tsunami

From Rowena Silver

At least 3000
Dead or lost in the bush

Explaining the problem of identity
Mr Peter Tavin
Provincial disaster and relief coordinator

says:

The first parts to disappear--
Are the nose, the rest of the face
And the genitals--
All delicacies for crabs

Crocodiles need to be chased away
And even domestic animals
Especially dogs
Feed on corpses

Graves are dug quickly and in silence
No sermons, no coffins no graves
No services

Just as well
At these moments
It’s hard to know
Exactly what to say

To G-d

More Poems by Rowena Silver

July 20 1998 Several new poets debut at Ariga's Poetry Zine, Visions They're from all over the world. Check it out!

July 20 1998 Jeff Halper of the Committee to stop the demolitions, writes a powerful response to the typically disingenuous statements made by Israeli consulare and prime minister office officials in response to the emails people have sent in complaining about the demolition policies. See the article, including the government statements and Jeff's response at http://www.ariga.com/demolitions.htm

July 19 1998 Paint it Green Peace Movement demonstrates on Green Line, paitning it green... Read all about it.

July 19 1998 From Stratfor Systems, Inc. a report on how the US is realigning with Iran against Iraq.

July 17 1998 The Green Line is not a frontline for war. It will be a frontier of peace, cooperation and good neighborhood. To mark the Green Line Come tomorrow, Saturday (July 18) to mark the Green Line on the ground. Gush Shalom ad Ha'aretz July 17 1998

July 16 1998 A Stratfor Intelligence Update on what exactly is Israel doing on the Afghan-Iran border?

July 15 1998 Sad but true -- why does someone living in the settlements turn to Ariga for help? A letter from Althea Katz.

July 14 1998 The latest PeaceWatch explains why Yitzhak Hofi, former Mossad chief and Yom Kippur War hero is down on Bibi

July 14 1998 World Without Walls at http://vpa.monterey.edu/worldwall/3residency/index.html is an art project from California State University Monterey where Israeli and Palestinian artists worked together to create a mural called "Compromise Inheritance" as part of The World Wall -- a Vision of the Future without Fear project.

July 13 1998 Back at Ariga, Rabbi Amy Levin's Torah Portion of the Week. This week, Parashat Balak -- Was Bilam a Good Guy or a Bad Guy?

July 11 1998

"ARAMAIC"
by Elisha Porat

On a night's drive in an open Jeep
you go past signs on corrugated tin:
Rashaya, Hatzbaya, Kafraya.
As if I sail and travel
beyond times, in a living
Aramaic land.
Only the field radio keeps me posted:
an escort, wounded, a chopper landing.
And someone, agitated, beset by horrors,
hurts both my ears:
shrilly, with a trembling sputter,
bungles the Hebrew.

South Lebanon, 1984. (Poem translated from the Hebrew by Tsipi Keler. The poem just published in the latest issue of MIDSTREAM. (All Rights Reserved). Write to Elisha Porat Three more poems by Elisha Porat at Ariga

July 10 1998 The Traveling Tent Protest Campaign Against Israeli House Demolitions on the West Bank and Jerusalem. Reports from LAW, The Other Israel and Gila Svirsky on the campaign to end the house demolitions on the West Bank. The page includes email addresses and fax and phone numbers for government officials in Israel and the US to write letters of protest against the outrageous policy of destroying homes, including sample texts.

July 10 1998 Two reports from the Foundation for Middle East Peace. Their regular Settlement Report and The Socioeconomic Impact of Settlements on Land, Water, and the Palestinian Economy

Don't miss PeaceWatch, heir to the BibiWatch column.

July 10 1998 ANOTHER VICTORY LIKE THIS The General Assembly of the United Nations has decided, by an overwhelming majority, to take a major step towards the recognition of the State of Palestine... These are happy tidings to all Israelis who strive for peace and who understand that there will be no peace without a Palestinian state side-by-side with Israel. From the Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz Friday July 10 1998

July 8 1998The Traveling Tent is a protest against house demolitions in the occupied territories. Join in...

July 1 1998 Maps of War "Security Interests Map". "National Interests Map". "Greater Jerusalem Map". "Strengthening Jerusalem Map". "Judea and Samaria Settlements Map"... All of them are maps of the fanatical nationalist-messianic right that is taking over all areas of our life. All of them are maps of war. The Gush Shalom ad in Ha'aretz for July 3 1998

Pinkerton's Daily Risk Assessment for the Middle East

The Ariga International Interactive Pop Charts -- Vote for your favorite song or nominate one to the ever growing list.

Visit the Art Gallery or check out the Poetry

The Avram Cohen Mystery Series Critically acclaimed, with the full text of The Cutting Room online.

The TimeLine -- From Rabin's Assassination to BiBi's Election

Ariga is part of The Group

June 29 1998 BluesForPeace was set up by John Mayer in Israel to honor the roots of blues music and promote peace and understanding that ALL peoples have had their share of the blues.   As you browse this site you'll ask yourself, "Isn't it time people stopped fighting and learned to play 12 bar shuffles instead?"  

June 29 From Adam, Teva U'Din -- the leading Israeli ecology outfit -- an "EcoNews Flash" on how the High Court of Justice ruled against an apartment tower on the Haifa beach.

June 29 1998 Announcement of an International Protest against the continued Imprisonment of MORDECHAI VANUNU

June 26 1998 The National Boycott Gathers Momentum More than a hundred thousand Israelis are already boycotting the products of the settlements. They know that the settlements are fatal land-mines blocking the way to peace.... The real fight is not between Jews and Arabs, but between the peace forces of both peoples against the war-mongers and peddlers of hate of both peoples. Get the settlers out of East Jerusalem! Gush Shalom ad, Haaretz, June 26, 1998.

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