April 15 - Ultra
Orthodox Shas party leader Arie Deri has been convicted of bribery and sentenced to four
years in jail and a fine of IS 250,000 for accepting bribes in the amount of $150, 000.
The sentence will not bar him from continuing to serve as a member of the Knesseth,
however, he will be barred from serving as a minister in any government for ten years, and
will undoubtedly be appealed. Deri has also been charged with a second series of offenses,
and may ask for delay of the sentence until after the second trial, which may take many
years. With the singular exception of Meretz party leader Yossi Sarid, Israeli political
leaders, looking at the Shas party as potential coalition partners, have refrained
from clear statements that Deri must spend time in jail, limiting themselves to saying
'the law must be respected.' See The Law and Arieh Deri for
background.
Israeli elections - Center
party candidate Yitzhak Mordehai faced off against PM Netanyahu yesterday in a rather
heated, though uninformative television debate. Mordehai, who was Minister of defence and
a member of Bibi Netanyau's ruling Likud party until a few months ago, claimed that he
left the government because of Bibi Netanyahu's lack of integrity and failure to carry out
the Wye plantation agreements. Netanyahu claimed Mordehai left the government because of
personal ambition. Netanyahu was more interested in criticizing Ehud Barak, who chose not
to participate in the debate. Despite an unimpressive performance, Mordehai's standing in
the polls is likely to improve. With only 13% of the vote in the first round, Mordehai has
almost no place to go but up.
Kosova - The PeaceWatch poll
so far shows most people favor use of ground troops now. Do you agree? Vote here (once please) and view results.
A new German initiative for a cease-fire is
being discussed by the EU. Meanwhile, the bombing and misery continue,
and fighting has spread to Albania. Ralph Seliger draws a comparison to his parents'
experiences as refugees fleeing Serbia from the Nazi invasion and concludes that
intervention on the ground should have been used earlier to stop the misery. (Click 4 More) Ami Isseroff discusses Noam Chomsky's critique
of NATO, and the bankruptcy of international law. (Click 4 More). |
Stop Milosevic
Petition - Click
here to sign a petition to bring Milosovic to justice according to international law.
Palestinians do not want a
binational state - A recent poll shows that a majority of Palestinians do
not want a binational state or a state in all of Palestine instead of an independent
sovereign state. The poll by JMCC also shows that an overwhelming majority, nearly 80%,
would favor a state run according to Islamic law. Click
4 More.
Elections and Jews Abroad - A
recent article in the Israeli newspaper Yediot Ahronot alleges that Australian
millionaire Yosef Gutnick has paid generous sums to Likud politicians in order to stop
compliance with the Wye accords. Mervyn Cassidy explains
how money from abroad is being used to influence the elections. Murray Polner discusses how Jews in USA and elsewhere view
the Israeli elections. Click 4 More
Jerusalem
- Beloved and divided city - PEACE participants and guests are invited to contribute
articles - your personal views of Jerusalem and how to make it a real city of peace. Click 4 More
Water and
Politics - How water and politics mix poorly in the Middle East.More
Virtual Reality - As the Israeli economy declines and the
'Peace Process' heads for a bloody denouement, right wing Israeli commentators try to find
a silver lining and pretend that everything is fine. A very dangerous game!
Breaking the cycle of Violence
- April 9 was the anniversary of the attack on Deir Yassin by Jewish dissidents 51 years
ago which included a massacre of civilians. Ami Isseroff explains why he thinks the best
memorial to those who died there may be a day devoted to Mid-East peace.
KOSOVA
Updates
Links to
Kosova and Serb sites - news, documentation, opinion
 |
April 12 - Fighting
and violence have spread. The KLA and Yuguslav forces have been shooting it out along the
Albanian border. Yugoslav troops have been seen heading for Montenegro, to prevent border
crossings into Kosovo. Russian leaders have reassured the U.S. and NATO that Russia has no
intention of intervening in the conflict. Use of ground troops has been ruled out by NATO
for the time being. About 10,000 refugees were unaccounted for after Macedonia closed a
camp. Relief supplies 'disappear' into the hands of local profiteers. If Yugoslavia joins
the Russian federation, they will expect, and possible get, Russian military support - a
frightening possibility. How long will the nightmare go on? As one PEACE member from
Jordan wrote - pity the children! |
| Enlarged map |
April 7 (PM)- NATO and US are collecting evidence of
Yugoslav war crimes and warn Yugoslav soldiers (some by name) that they will be subject to
war crimes prosecution after Serbians break up a refugee camp. Yugoslavia has reportedly
continued 'ethnic cleansing' despite Yugoslav unilateral truce. Yugoslav soldiers have
closed the borders of Kosovo, preventing escape of refugees. NATO says bombing will be
intensified.
Pristina Correspondents were
allowed to visit Pristina (the Kosovo Capital) under heavy guard of Serbian soldiers and
found a city in ruins.
Relief Efforts - International
relief efforts continue - Saudi, Iranian and Israeli relief planes are unloading supplies
for Kosovo side by side. A first group of refugees will be arriving in Israel April 12,
and will get initial aid of about $9,000 per family plus housing. The government plans for
them to stay six months, but refugees from Bosnia are still here after several years.
Their children speak perfect Hebrew. They want to go 'home' but home does not exist any
more. How Israelis can help
USA Opinion New polls show overwhelming support in US for
the intervention, and likewise for use of ground troops if there is no other choice.
A poll shows 68% of Americans support the US/NATO
bombings. 55% said they would support sending in ground troops if the bombings fail to
bring results. Our modest PeaceWatch
poll had similar findings (they change daily - please vote one time only).
This would seem to indicate that the "poll" at the ultraconservative Capitol
Hill Blue news Web site, indicating overwhelming condemnation of President Clinton for the
intervention may be "less than reliable."
Estimates of refugee totals since the conflict began range
from 800,000 to over 1.1 million. It is not known how many of these people left after the
bombing began. The European Union has promised to take in 100,000 refugees, the U.S.
20,000, and Albania and Canada 5,000. Planes have begun airlifting refugees to US, Norway,
Turkey and other destinations.
Israeli Relief Efforts
Contributions may be made through Teleclal number 1212
332555. The Jewish Agency is preparing three planeloads of supplies. Supplies
(blankets are needed most) may be brought to Jewish Agency offices in Tel Aviv and
Jerusalem. Israel is also airlifting an entire field hospital. The 'Lahtet' organization
in cooperation with the Jewish Agency and the Kibbutz Artzi have collected 40 tons of aid
for Kosovo victims. Money may be donated at telephone 03-7315750 or to Bank Hapoalim
account 012502 249595. |
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