February 1993, Page 52

Issues in the News

Compiled by Greg Noakes

From the Israeli and U.S. Jewish Press:

UAE Spy Satellite Sale Spooks Israel:

News that the U. S. is considering the sale of a sophisticated spy satellite to the United Arab Emirates has Israeli defense officials outraged, according to the Jerusalem Post. American proponents of the sale say the UAE needs better aerial intelligence because of nearby Iran, while opponents allege sensitive information could fall into unfriendly hands and argue that the sale would set a bad precedent. Israeli defense officials call the satellite a threat, with one complaining that the U.S. has refused to share satellite photos with Israel in the past and has blocked Israeli efforts to build its own reconnaissance satellite.

Poetry Conviction Overturned:

Israel's Haifa District Court recently overturned the Acre Magistrates Court's earlier conviction of Shafik Habib, a Palestinian poet, saying that there was no proof that his poems had been written to incite violence. According to the Queens (NY) Jewish Week, the lower court ruled that Habib's 1990 collection of poems, Return to the Future, encouraged Arab demonstrators in the occupied territories.

Clandestine Conferences Confirmed:

Yossi Ben Aharon, former director-general of the Israeli prime minister's office, has corroborated to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency a report in the Israeli daily Ma'ariv that former Prime Minister Yitzhak Shamir met with King Hussein shortly before the Gulf war and warned against Jordanian aid to Iraq, which Jordan was supporting. According to former Ma'ariv senior editor Moshe Zak, the two leaders met several times over the years along the Israel-Jordan border or in Europe. Former Israeli Foreign Minister Abba Eban also said recently that he met with Hussein in the past, as did Golda Meir, Moshe Dayan, Yigal Allon, Shimon Peres and Yitzhak Rabin.

New Arab Orthodox Sect Proposed:

Palestinians from the Greek Orthodox Church are attempting to organize a new Arab Orthodox group, the Jerusalem Post reports.

Although most of the Greek Orthodox priests in the area are Palestinian, the hierarchy of bishops and archbishops is overwhelmingly Greek. An organizational conference called for an emphasis on Arabic in church rites; urged the "Arabization" of the church leadership, including the removal of impediments to prevent an Arab from becoming a patriarch; and proposed a new church calendar where all Christian groups would observe the Western date of Dec. 25 for Christmas and celebrate Easter according to the Eastern Orthodox calendar. Politically, the conference recognized the PLO and called Jerusalem the capital of an "independent state of Palestine." Greek Patriarch Diodoros I called those involved in the reform initiative "people who never come to church. "

Premier Ponders UPI Purchase:

Billionaire Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Al Hariri may buy the ailing United Press International news service as part of a campaign of acquiring magazines, newspapers, and radio and television stations, according to the Jewish weekly Forward of New York. Hariri's aides told the German Press Agency that negotiations already are underway with the Middle East Broadcasting Center, the London-based, Saudi-owned company which currently owns UPI.

American Israelis Get a Taste of Home:

The Israeli Supersol-Hypercol supermarket chain's fourth biennial America Food Festival brought in droves of customers, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Though most were Americans living in Israel or Israelis who have spent time in the U. S., a slick advertising campaign brought in others previously unfamiliar with the American brands. While some U.S. products, like Heinz ketchup and Pepsi-Cola, are staples on the Israeli market, other American items are generally not obtainable because of protectionist Israeli laws. Haagen-Dazs ice cream was a particular success, with the festival's entire nine-flavor assortment selling out in less than a week. The country's first McDonald's franchise is also set to open in the near future, though the Jerusalem Post reports that exactly how the giant chain will adapt its products to kashrut (kosher) dietary restrictions remains unclear.

TV Terminology Re-examined:

Israeli Arab leader Ahmed Tibi announced the Israel Broadcasting Authority has promised to re-examine its use of "Judea and Samaria" in referring to the West Bank in radio and television news broadcasts, the Queens Jewish Week reports. The biblical names were used by the Likud bloc, in keeping with its contention that the area is an inseparable part of the biblical Land of Israel.

Jewish Agency Asks UK to Keep Out Bosnian Jews:

Uri Gordon, head of the Jewish Agency's aliya department, has asked the British government to reject a request for asylum by some 100 Bosnian Jews who emigrated to Britain from war-ravaged Sarajevo, according to the London Jewish Chronicle. Gordon said, "The Jews of the former Yugoslavia are not refugees. They have a home in Israel. " The Bosnian Jews previously told Jewish Agency officials they were not interested in moving to Israel.

A Tale of Two Tunnels:

The Queens Jewish Week reports that engineers have finished a 300-yard tunnel through the Judean hills as part of a $50 million " intifada bypass" that will link Gush Etzion in the West Bank to the city of Jerusalem. The 7-mile road will allow commuting Jewish settlers to bypass Palestinians in Bethlehem and the Dehaishe refugee camp. The Israeli government claims Gush Etzion, along with Givat Ze'ev and Betar, is an integral part of greater Jerusalem. Plans are also underway to construct a 1.7-mile tunnel under Mt. Carmel to link the northern and southern entrances to the city of Haifa, according to the Detroit Jewish News. The tunnel, designed to accelerate traffic flow in the area, will cost roughly $100 million.

Civil Marriage Proposal "Shocking":

Rabbi Shear Yashuv Cohen, chief Ashkenazi rabbi of Haifa, provoked a flood of criticism from the Orthodox establishment with his proposal to permit civil marriage in Israel, according to the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. Israeli law currently allows only Jewish, Christian or journalists to avoid falsely labeling and accusing people, while Ayatollah Ali Meshkini said, "The news business is highly sensitive and those engaged in this profession should be honest and free from all personal and group prejudices. "

Libyan People in Line for Petroleum Profits:

Libyan leader Muammar Qaddafi, addressing the nation's General People's Congress, announced that half of his country's annual $10 billion in oil revenues will be distributed directly to the Libyan people beginning next year, saying, "Every Libyan family will have the right to its share. " Priority in the distribution of funds would be given to those Libyans who emigrate to Egypt, Sudan or Chad, however, and Qaddafi said he hoped that 100,000 of Libya's 600,000 families would leave. Acknowledging serious economic problems due in part to continuing U. N. sanctions, Qaddafi said, "Disaster is going to befall business in Libya," according to the Saudi Gazette. In addition to the distribution of oil wealth, which could amount to between $7,000 and $10,000 per family each year depending on crude oil prices, the Libyan leader said a system of ration books should be introduced and that state subsidized shops would be reopened after a three-year experiment with limited private enterprise.

Social Status Soars with Sextuplets:

A 40-year-old woman in the southern Pakistani province of Sindh has given birth to sextuplets, according to the semi-official PPI news agency. The woman, who is married to a potter, had been childless during her 14-year marriage, and was no longer invited to village weddings or other events. PPI said that following the birth of her three boys and three girls, " Villagers, especially the women, now consider her as the most lucky and fortunate woman. "

Sadat Suspects Seized:

Security forces have seized two Islamic extremists who allegedly took part in the 1981 assassination of Egyptian President Anwar Sadat. Al Ahram reports that 11 other suspects also were arrested in the raid in the Cairo suburb of Helwan, including four men suspected of taking part in recent attacks on police and foreign tourists in Upper Egypt. Several weapons and some 400 pounds of explosives were confiscated as well.

Tunisia's Presidential Poll Planned:

Tunisian President Zine Al Abidine Ben Ali has announced that presidential and legislative elections will take place in March 1994 as mandated by the country's constitution, the Saudi Gazette reports. Ben Ali also said the electoral code will be revised to ensure that the opposition will be represented in the legislature. Under Tunisia's present winner-take-all election laws, all 141 parliamentary seats now are held by the ruling Rassemblement Constitutionel Democratique party.

Jordan Rejects Ba'thist, Communist Applications:

The Jordanian government refused to register a pro-Iraq Batthist group and a Communist organization as legal political parties, though an alliance of moderate tribal leaders was given party status, according to the Middle East Times. The three groups were among nine organizations that have applied under new regulations which permit political parties in the kingdom for the first time since 1957. Potential parties must have at least 50 founding members, respect the constitution and have no administrative or financial links with foreign groups or governments. "We have rejected applications from the Communist and Ba'th parties because some of their bylaws and goals violate the constitution and the 1992 law on political parties," a senior government official said. The Jordan National Alliance, a group of moderate, pro-monarchy tribal leaders from central and southern Jordan, became the first party to be accorded legal status.

West Bank Taxis Targeted:

Al Fajr reports that Israeli authorities have passed new regulations prohibiting cars manufactured before 1980 from operating as taxis in the West Bank. Newly registered cabs can be no more than 10 years old. Adnan Qirrish, owner of the West Bank's Car Guide Magazine, estimated that the new law affects nearly 80 percent of the taxis currently operating in the territory.

Algerian Sports Star Starts "Solidarity":

Algeria's Hassiba Boulmerka, world champion and Olympic gold medallist in the women's l,500-meter track event, is setting up an organization to help women, the handicapped and unemployed youth. The 24-year old Boulmerka told the daily El watan the group, called "Solidarity Algeria, " would be a "people's organization, made up of the socially oppressed. " Boulmerka said that Noureddine Morceli, the Algerian holder of the men's l,500-meter world record, would also be involved with the solidarity group. Although Boulmerka has been criticized by some of the country's Islamists for competing in running shorts, both she and Morceli are tremendously popular among Algerian youth.

Cambodian Muslims Ask for Aid:

The deputy speaker of the Cambodian parliament, Muhammad Ali Abdul Rahman, has asked the Mecca-based Muslim World League to assist his country's Muslim population as it emerges from decades of Communist oppression, the Arab News reports. Under the former Khmer Rouge regime, Cambodia's Muslim population was reduced from some 850,000 to less than 70,000, 132 mosques and scores of religious schools were destroyed, and Qur'ans and religious texts were burned, Abdul Rahman said.

Deportee's Father Dies:

Abdelrahman Hindyeh, father of one of the 415 Palestinians deported by Israel, died of a heart attack in Nablus after he saw his son on Jordanian television receiving treatment in a Lebanese hospital. According to the Saudi Gazette, Wail Hindyeh and two other Palestinians were wounded when Israel's Lebanese militia fired on deportees trying to return. Eight sick and wounded Palestinians were evacuated to a hospital near Rashaya before being returned to their camp by the Lebanese government to thwart the possibility that Israel will continue the involuntary "transfer" of Palestinians to Lebanon.

Yemeni Riots Bring Economic Reform:

Riots sparked by rising prices killed 12, injured 90 and left hundreds of shops looted in several towns throughout Yemen. In response, the government announced an economic reform package which combines cuts in some areas of state spending with increases in price subsidies and government salaries, according to Yemeni state television. The government will close 14 embassies and several military, commercial and cultural offices abroad; cut travel allowances for civil servants; and halt government purchases of new cars and furniture. Government salaries are slated to rise 40 percent, while prices for wheat, rice, flour and medicine will stay at their current levels through 1993. Economists blame the price crisis on government extravagance, political chaos and corruption, and the loss of foreign aid and remittances from expatriate workers as a result of the country's support for Iraq during the Gulf war.

Dandy Dates in Saudi Arabia:

There are 4,000 varieties of palm tree in Saudi Arabia. Of these, only 14 varieties are used in the commercial production of dates. With 11 million of these palms alone, the Kingdom has dates to spare. According to the Saudi Press Agency, some of the country's 500,000 ton annual date harvest is donated to the International Food Program to be shipped as part of hunger relief efforts. The report noted that the average Saudi consumes approximately 44 pounds of dates annually—down from 260 pounds 15 years ago—because of the increased availability of other foodstuffs. Saudi Arabia is the world's second largest producer of dates following Iraq, which has 22 million fruit-producing palms.

Muslim religious marriages, and stipulates that Jewish marriages must be performed by an Orthodox rabbi. Cohen, a likely candidate in the upcoming national chief rabbinate election, said that although civil marriage is wrong according to halacha, or Jewish law, it should nevertheless be considered in order to prevent worse halachic offenses resulting from couples' failure to dissolve their religious marriages by halachic divorce. Israel's two chief rabbis, the secretary of the chief rabbinate, and Cohen's Sephardi colleague in Haifa (who is thought to be a likely candidate for the Sephardi chief rabbinate) all vigorously denounced the proposal, while United Torah Party Knesset member Avraham Ravitz called it "shocking. " Ultra-orthodox commentators said the proposal was linked to Cohen's electoral ambitions.

Yesh Gvul Pamphlet Prompts Protest:

Plans by the Yesh Gvul movement, composed of Israeli soldiers opposed to service in the occupied territories, to distribute a pamphlet in high schools urging students not to volunteer for the Israel Defense Force's undercover units drew heated protests from the IDF. An army spokesman said the IDF "condemns any effort to influence youngsters not to join certain units, " adding that "the duties of the special units include locating and capturing wanted terrorists, who are sometimes armed. This is a daily, dangerous action against armed groups who do not hesitate to murder or attack anyone." The Jerusalem Post said the official emphasized that the undercover units act according to the law and are subject to the same open-fire orders as regular IDF units.

Some MKs More Equal Than Others:

A bill put forward by Likud Knesset member Dan Tichon would establish a special all-Jewish subcommittee of the Knesset State Control Committee to discuss matters involving "state security, secret international economic activities, Jewish communities abroad and the dangers involved in bringing them to Israel," according to the Queens Jewish Week. Tichon's bill is designed to bar Hadash Party MK Hashem Mahameed, the first Israeli Arab to serve on the State Control Committee, from gaining access to security-related deliberations and documents, since the subcommittee's discussions would be kept secret from the rest of the committee and the Knesset at large. Mahameed charged that Tichon's bill would create two classes of Knesset members.

World Figures Back Kindergarten Campaign:

German President Richard von Weizsacker, former Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, Israeli President Chaim Herzog and the Dalai Lama all have taken part in a campaign to build an Arab-Jewish kindergarten in Tel Aviv, the Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports. The "Stop Violence, Make Peace!" campaign is a joint venture between the Tel Aviv Foundation of Germany and the German daily Bild. Von Weizsacker said, "I cannot think of a more peace-inducing action than to bring children together so they will learn through playing to respect and love one another. " Tibet's exiled Dalai Lama said the need "for people to live together in peace and harmony should be instilled at an early age. "

Military Conscription Cut Considered:

Because of a tight defense budget and a growing number of men and women being drafted into compulsory military service, the Israel Defense Force may soon reduce the conscription period, according to the Queens Jewish Week. A two-month reduction for women's mandatory service terms is being considered for the near future, while any reduction in army service for males is probably two or three years away.

Israeli Foreign Ministry to Target Arabs for Jobs:

Israeli Foreign Minister Shimon Peres recently announced that his ministry would advertise its annual recruitment drive in both the Arabic and Hebrew press, marking the first time that Israel has publicly recruited Israeli Arabs for its diplomatic service. The Jewish Telegraphic Agency said Israeli Arab mayors reacted with "gratification" to Peres' recruitment of Arab university graduates for the ministry's three-year training program.

From the Middle East Press:

Cairo Calls for Cane Crop Ban, Boosts Beets:

To deprive Islamist extremists of hiding places used in recent attacks on tourists, Egypt banned sugar cane cultivation in Upper Egypt and encouraged farmers to plant sugar beets instead. Attacks from fields of six-feet-tall sugar canes between Minya and Qena on the Cairo-Aswan road have jeopardized Egypt's vital tourist industry. Agriculture Minister Yussef Wali said that aside from security considerations, the cane requires three times as much water as the beets, which also provide two annual harvests. Farmers, agricultural experts and the opposition press lambasted the proposal as naive, however, arguing that Upper Egypt's climate is not suitable for sugar beet cultivation.

UAE Cautions Khatibs:

The United Arab Emirates' Ministry of Islamic Affairs has cautioned the country's khatibs, or Friday preachers, against attacking other Arab and Muslim states in their weekly addresses. The Saudi Gazette quoted a ministry official as saying, "A Friday preacher should not ignore his own society's problems and focus instead on other issues that are outside his competence and his society. " Sheikh Muhammad Al Khazraji, the minister of Islamic affairs, ordered the formation of "committees and inspection teams to ensure that Friday sermons are according to the shariah (Islamic law) and rules fixed by the ministry."

Israel May Aid Indian Armor:

The Times of India reports that Israeli officials have proposed supplying sensors and fire control systems for India's new Arjun tank, and are not averse to deleting the brand names of the materiel due to political considerations. Cooperation on the tank project would mark a new phase in relations between Tel Aviv and New Delhi, which only established diplomatic relations a year ago. Final trials for the Arjun are expected soon, with production to begin as early as this summer. The four-man battle tank has been under development for the last 20 years.

Palestinian Periodical for Handicapped Launched:

Samah, a new Palestinian magazine intended particularly for a disabled readership, made its debut last December with a trial run of 1,000 copies which were quickly bought up. According to AIFajr of Jerusalem, the periodical is the first of its kind in the Palestinian community. The magazine's publisher, 23-year-old Hiam Abbasi, was inspired to produce the periodical because of his younger sister, Samah, who is confined to a wheelchair because of a spinal disability. In addition to her story, the first issue also featured a piece on Palestinians injured and handicapped by Israeli soldiers during the intifada. Abbasi said obtaining a permit from Israeli authorities was made easier since the magazine is essentially non-political.

U.N. Human Rights Prize to Arab Group:

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) awarded its 1992 prize for human rights education to the Tunis-based Arab Institute for Human Rights. The Middle East Times quoted UNESCO Director General Federico Mayor as saying the group was selected " in recognition of its efforts training teachers, lawyers, magistrates, trade unionists, police and prison personnel. " The institute, founded in 1989 and headed by Tunisian human rights activist Hassib Ben Ammar, received a $10,000 stipend with the award.