Israel Hopes New Pope Will Lead Fight Against Anti-Semitism
Israel has expressed the hope that Pope Benedict XVI - the former Cardinal, Joseph Ratzinger, elected Tuesday as the 265th pontiff - will be committed to fighting anti-Semitism, HA'ARETZ reported. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom welcomed the election of Ratzinger as the new leader of the world's Roman Catholics. A Foreign Ministry statement read: "The foreign minister expresses his hope that this pope, considering his historical experience, will be especially committed to an uncompromising fight against anti-Semitism."
Ratzinger, born in Bavaria, Germany, on April 16th, 1927, was a boy when Nazi leader Adolf Hitler came to power. His predecessor, Pope John Paul II, was widely hailed in Israel for his millennium pilgrimage to the Holy Land, and the establishment of diplomatic ties between the Vatican and Israel in 1994.
Tel Aviv's chief rabbi, Israel Lau, a Holocaust survivor, met Ratzinger last year at a symposium on anti-Semitism held in New York, where the cardinal was the first to deliver a speech condemning the hatred of Jews. "He is known as a friend to the Jewish people," Lau said. "I hope, pray and wish him to follow the footsteps of John Paul II in his good approach and friendship to the Jewish people in the world and to state of Israel especially."
IDF Begins Moving Logistical Equipment Out of Gaza
The Israel Defense Forces began moving equipment out of the Gaza Strip today ahead of the implementation of the disengagement plan this summer, HA'ARETZ reported. A military spokesman said roughly 20 containers loaded with office furniture, computers and uniforms were being transferred from an army base in Gush Katif to a military base across the fenced boundary with Israel.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's senior aide Dov Weissglas was set to meet in Jerusalem this afternoon with senior Palestinian officials Saeb Erekat and Mohammed Dahlan. The talks, which were postponed from earlier in the week, will focus on possible Israeli-Palestinian coordination during Israel's evacuation of settlements in the Gaza Strip and northern West Bank.
Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, who is scheduled to meet Vice Premier Shimon Peres on Thursday, told Israeli reporters on Tuesday that the PA was willing to coordinate the pullout with Israel.
Army Chief Yaalon Visits Jordan's King Abdullah
Israel Defense Forces Chief-of-Staff Moshe Yaalon visited Jordan's King Abdullah II on Tuesday and updated him about Israel's plans to release nine Jordanian prisoners, and the planned disengagement this summer, YNET reported. Jordan has expressed interest in helping Palestinian security forces exert control over the handed-over territories following Israel's withdrawal. Egypt also hopes to assist with the pullout, and plans to train Palestinian security forces.
Yaalon briefed Abdullah on Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' efforts to combat growing chaos in the PA, and fulfill a long-term Israeli and U.S. demand to dismantle groups like Hamas.
In other news, speaking at the annual convention of the Israel Communications Association at Ben Gurion University in Be'er Sheva today, Yaalon criticized the Israeli media for being plagued with ethical problems and driven by special interests and manipulations.
Other News in Brief
* Israel's consul in Holland, 51 year-old Uriel Yitzhaki, was arrested on suspicion of abusing his authority and issuing Israeli passports in exchange for large sums of money and perks, YNET reported. Yitzhaki was appointed consul to The Hague in August 2002, after serving in several Israeli foreign missions, including in New York, Vienna, Nairobi and Singapore. A secret investigation revealed that Yitzhaki had issued more than 150 passports against consular regulations. The Foreign and Interior Ministries aided in the investigation.
* U.S. President George W. Bush has urged Syria to completely leave Lebanon, and insisted that it was Lebanon's role to disarm Hezbollah, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. Bush said that if Damascus wanted to improve its relations with Washington, it also had to end its support for Saddam Hussein loyalists in Iraq and stop the flow of money and weapons into Iraq.
* Responding to Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas' remarks Tuesday that the PA had disarmed wanted terrorists in the towns whose security control was transferred by Israel, Vice Premier Ehud Olmert declared that Abbas had not done what was expected of him under the road map, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. "It is possible that his definition of fugitives is a very small group," Olmert said, adding that, "many members active in terrorist organizations are still running around with their weapons." Olmert recalled that Israeli security services recently foiled nearly a hundred attempts to carry out terrorist attacks.
Economic & High-Tech Briefs
* Start-up BigBand Networks Inc., which is developing platforms for voice, video, and data services, is believed to be one of the hottest future IPOs by an Israeli company on Nasdaq, GLOBES reported. "Light Reading" magazine has chosen BigBand Networks as its number one candidate for an IPO in 2005, emphasizing the company's "positioning in the cable market is what makes it attractive. Cable companies are ramping up spending on next-generation video and data networking technology. BigBand's BMR product line enables cable companies to route, groom, and manage video streams over digital cable networks."
* Chinese venture capital fund Shenzhen Capital Group (SCGC), has signed a joint venture agreement to inaugurate a new $80 million VC fund with Israel's PNV-New Management Co, GLOBES reported. The new fund, called China Israel Venture Capital (CIVC), will focus on introducing Israeli technologies into Chinese later-stage and pre-IPO technology companies. CIVC intends to focus on next generation communication technologies, semiconductors, IT, enterprise software, life sciences, and new materials. The joint venture allows the invested companies to benefit from China's low-cost manufacturing and marketing channels.
[Today's Israel Line was prepared by Victor Chemtob at the Consulate General of Israel in New York.]