[Reported from Jerusalem]
1. ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER TEMPERS UNILATERAL STEPS TRIAL BALLOON… Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon told his cabinet on Sunday that he does “not rule out unilateral steps” as he formulates his policy toward the Palestinians. However, Sharon distanced himself from the sense of immediacy suggested by media reports saying that he had already drawn up a list of gestures and that the evacuation of some Israeli communities or outposts in post-1967 territories is among them. A statement issued by the government said that when the decision is made, it will be submitted to the cabinet for approval. Sharon is under increasing pressure from all sides, including blunt rebukes from President George W. Bush and his emissaries and attacks by former Israeli security heads who accuse Sharon of foot dragging on the peace initiatives. He also needs to demonstrate viability in the “Road Map” plan because of increasing support for an unauthorized proposal that is gaining momentum against the perception of the “Road Map’s” failure. It was revealed that prior to President Bush’s scathing attack on Israel’s policies of construction in post-1967 communities and the building of a security fence, he sent White House National Security Council Middle East liaison Elliott Abrams to meet secretly with Sharon in Italy to demand that the Prime Minister fulfill his promises to Washington. Abrams reportedly punctuated the message by telling Sharon that the decision had been made to penalize Israel by deducting the cost of the security fence from the loan guarantee package as the U.S. already announced it will do regarding money spent on construction in the post-1967 areas. According to reports, it was then that Sharon said he planned to implement “unilateral measures,” but wasn’t yet sure what they were.
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2. AMERICAN POLL SHOWS SUPPORT FOR “GENEVA INITIATIVE,” BUT MISREPRESENTS KEY ISSUE… The Texas-based Baker Institute for Public Policy and the Washington-based International Crisis Group have released the results of a poll they commissioned in order to gauge Israeli and Palestinian popular support for an unauthorized peace plan. The survey’s backers claim that the results show that 53% of Israelis and 56% of Palestinians favor what is known as the ‘Geneva Initiative.’ The peace plan was drawn up by former Israeli minister Yossi Beilin and former Palestinian Authority cabinet member Yassir ‘Abd Rabbo, with financial support from the Swiss government and other European nations. The ‘Initiative’ will be formally launched in Geneva next week with the participation of Switzerland’s foreign minister. Israel had lodged a diplomatic protest concerning Swiss interference in Israel’s foreign affairs. In addition to being a non-official and independent effort, critics complain that ‘Geneva’ further complicates the already difficult task of pursuing peace along the official route known as the Road Map for Peace. The European Union, of which Switzerland is a member, is one of the official sponsors of the ‘Road Map’ which has also been endorsed as the accepted plan by the United Nations. Media have made note of the fact that the Baker-Crisis poll misstated one key aspect of the plan. Although the ‘Initiative’ calls for Palestinian sovereignty over Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, pollsters simply told those surveyed that “each side will govern its holy sites.”
3. STRIKE CAUSES CHAOS AT ISRAEL’S BEN GURION AIRPORT… Thousands of passengers were left in limbo and scores of flights were hit with delays of many hours when a wildcat strike broke out at Ben Gurion International Airport, Israel’s main gateway to the world. Union workers refused to fix the automated luggage sorting system after it broke down on Sunday afternoon. As a result, it was impossible to check the passengers in and deliver their luggage to the aircraft. Airport authorities reported that 30 flights were delayed and ten had to be rescheduled to the next day. Ironically, the strike was not part of the ongoing national labor actions against virtually the entire public sector, but related to an existing dispute between the academic workers committee and airport management. Airport workers have been expected to join in the next phase of job actions planned by the massive Histadrut labor federation.
4. ISRAEL MOVES THREE MEMBERS OF TERROR ORGANIZATIONS TO GAZA… Israeli security forces forcibly relocated an Islamic Jihad member from Jenin and two Ramallah-based Hamas members from their home communities to the Gaza Strip. They were forbidden to return for at least two years. A total of eighteen Palestinians are slated for what is being called “deportation.” The three removed on Sunday had exhausted their legal recourse, including petitions to Israel’s Supreme Court. All were charged with complicity in armed attacks on Israelis. Israel also arrested 12 wanted Palestinian terror suspects in the early hours of Monday morning. They included members of Fatah, Tanzim and Islamic Jihad.
5. ISRAELI COMPANY TO ACQUIRE THREE CALIFORNIA POWER STATIONS… An Israeli company has acquired three geothermic power stations in California through a U.S. Bankruptcy Court auction. The selling price was $214 million. Ormat Industries will raise the acquisition funds through a $155 million loan from a Dallas bank and a $60 million bond issue on the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange. Ormat said it has already purchased an additional power station – also in California – for $38.5 million. The three newly-acquired plants generate $80 million of revenue per year through long-term contracts with Southern California Edison.