Shas Won't Join Coalition For Now, Opposes Pullout Plan
Shas Chairman Eli Yishai said today that the Sephardi ultra-Orthodox party would not join the coalition for now because it opposed Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, HA'ARETZ reported. However, a joint statement issued by both Shas and the Likud read that the talks between the two parties would continue and that if the political climate changed, Shas would reevaluate its stance regarding the pullout plan.
One possible solution is for Shas to join the government after the January 9th Palestinian Authority elections, which are likely to be followed by meetings between Sharon and the anticipated winner, PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas. A successful meeting would allow Shas' spiritual patron, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef, who is vehemently opposed to a unilateral withdrawal from Gaza and parts of the West Bank, to change his position as the disengagement would then be the outcome of dialogue with the Palestinians.
Talks with the Ashkenazi ultra-Orthodox United Torah Judaism party were also due to continue today, following progress in negotiations the day before.
Meanwhile, Sharon has offered Labor the Interior Ministry, as well as five other ministries and a special deputy prime ministerial slot for Labor Chairman Shimon Peres.
Abbas Rejects Israel's Plan to Solve Palestinian Refugees' Issue
PLO leader Mahmoud Abbas rejected Wednesday a new Israeli initiative to resettle Palestinian refugees in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and neighboring Arab countries, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "Any proposal regarding the resettlement of the refugees is completely rejected," Abbas told reporters in Saudi Arabia.
Abbas was referring to the Foreign Ministry's diplomatic initiative aimed at finding a permanent solution to the Palestinian refugees in the PA-controlled areas and in neighboring Arab countries. The initiative calls for asking countries that support the PA financially to invest capital in finding a permanent housing solution for Palestinians living in the refugee camps in the Gaza Strip, West Bank, Syria and Lebanon. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom has reportedly spoken with leaders of countries that financially back the PA, as well as representatives of the World Bank, and asked them to assist with the new plan. The plan also includes a request by some of these nations to absorb some of the refugees in their own countries.
Leading French Politician Sarkozy Expresses Solidarity with Israel
While on a three-day visit to Israel, Nicolas Sarkozy, the head of France's leading political party, expressed solidarity with Israeli victims of terror and praised Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for his courageous policies, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. "I came here to express solidarity with the suffering of the victims [of terror]. Your children are our children; France has also suffered from terror," Sarkozy said. In his address at the last day of the Herzliya Conference, Sarkozy stressed his friendship for Israel on numerous occasions. He pointed out that 27 French nationals had been killed in Israel in terror attacks. Sarkozy added that he admired Israel's ability to build a vibrant state, faced with daily dangers.
The French politician also paid tribute to Prime Minister Sharon for the political and physical courage that led him to take the historic decision of disengaging from the Gaza Strip and some parts of the West Bank. Sarkozy was one of the few world leaders to express any feeling of empathy for 8,000 settlers in Gaza, who will be forced to leave their homes. "For them it will be a trauma," he said. Alluding to France's experience in Algeria in the 1960s, he said that his country could appreciate the extent of that trauma.
Sarkozy, 49, a former French finance minister and Interior minister, was recently elected as the president of the ruling Popular Movement Union. He is considered President Jacques Chirac's chief rival within the party, and is likely to be a candidate in the 2007 presidential elections.
5000 Mortar Shells Landed in Israel in Four Years
Nearly 5,000 mortar shells have landed in Gush Katif since the start of Palestinian violence four years ago, killing four people and injuring over a hundred, MA'ARIV reported. A former senior Israel Defense Forces officer noted that, "the numbers are reminiscent of the fighting in southern Lebanon and maybe even surpass them. In Lebanon we simply fired back. In Gaza it is impossible since they fire from civilian territory. There are solutions to this problem, but they are not being carried out".
In other security-related news, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL reported that five Israelis had been wounded, two of them moderately, in two shooting incidents on the Kissufim-Gush Katif road. IDF soldiers killed two of the terrorists who carried out the shooting attack.
IDF troops in the Gaza Strip shot dead a member of the Islamic Jihad this morning as he was attempting to plant an explosive device near an Israeli town.
Murderer of 10-Month-Old Shalhevet Pas Sentenced to Three Life Terms
The Beit-El Military Court has sentenced Fatah-Tanzim operative Mahmoud Amro to three life terms in prison for the murder of 10-month-old infant Shalhevet Pas in March 2001, MA'ARIV reported. Amro, 26, was handed a fourth life term for his involvement in the suicide bombing at the Jerusalem Mahane Yehuda Market two years ago. Six people were murdered in the attack. The Tanzim terrorist has been detained since the beginning of the month. During his interrogation, he admitted to murdering Pas. Amro was detained by the Palestinian Authority shortly after the attack, only to be released several hours later.
Other News in Brief
* Former Prime Minister Ehud Barak unveiled today a new diplomatic plan for the Israel-Palestinian conflict, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Addressing the Herzliya Conference, Barak presented a plan in which construction of the West Bank security fence would be completed in six months, and all settlements on the eastern side of the fence would be immediately evacuated. Barak called on the international community to "take a mandate" over the Palestinian Authority for a period of three years and lead it towards a final status agreement with Israel.
Economic & Hi-Tech Briefs
* ALON USA is installing Retalix point-of-sale systems at all of ALON'S 7-Eleven locations run by the company's Southwest Convenience Stores retail marketing division, THE MARKER.COM reported. With 168 stores in West Texas and New Mexico, ALON is the largest 7-Eleven licensee in North America.
* Sony is licensing memory technology designed by Saifun Technologies, THE MARKER.COM reported. The agreement entails granting Sony a user license for its NROM technology, which permits storage of two to four bits in a single flash memory cell. NROM technology enables the manufacture of cell phones, digital cameras, MP3 players and other mobile devices with much more memory capacity.
[Today's Israel Line was prepared by Victor Chemtob at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.]