Reported from Jerusalem
1. 11th HOUR: NEW DEMANDS FROM HIZBULLAH CHIEF ON PRISONER SWAP… Forty-eight hours before the first Hizbullah prisoners are to be released from Israeli jails as part of a prisoner swap brokered by Germany, Hizbullah leader Sheikh Sayyid Hasan Na’srallah has upped the ante, demanding the release of more prisoners. He might, however, have sized-up the Israelis well, based on comments by Deputy Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra. He has seemingly begun to prepare Israelis for the inevitable release of additional detainees, saying that it will be necessary in order to secure the release of missing airman Ron Arad. The return of Arad has been a cause célèbre to Israelis for a generation and is apparently believed by the Sharon government to be the key to garnering public support. Ezra told Israel Radio that he was specifically referring to prisoners “with blood on their hands,” an expression that until now has been Israel’s ‘red-line’ on issues of prisoner release
2. ISRAEL RADIO: ARAFAT IS SHELTERING 30 WANTED TERRORISTS IN HIS COMPOUND… At least 30 Palestinians wanted by Israel are holed up under the protection of Yassir Arafat in the Muqata’a, his Ramallah compound. According to a report on Israel Radio, the group includes a number of the most senior members of Arafat’s Al-Aq’sa Martyrs Brigades, which has claimed responsibility for numerous lethal attacks on Israeli civilians. Some are said to have personally participated in terrorist strikes. Fugitives had at one point been expelled from the compound, but have now returned to shelter under Arafat.
3. ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN ECONOMIC COMMITTEE ISSUES REPORT… An independent committee comprised of Israeli and Palestinian experts has issued its report calling for a “close economic integration between Israel and a future Palestinian state.” Called “The Aix Group,” the panel was formed after the economic seminar in 2002, at Aix-en-Provence, France, and is working in close cooperation with the World Bank, the International Monetary Fund and the European Commission. The plan, which its authors said is dependent upon the successful implementation of the Road Map peace plan, aims to raise the living standards in the Palestinian economy to those of Israel. Specific recommendations include the creation of a free-trade zone between Israel and the new Palestinian state; a joint committee to oversee economic cooperation; the creation of a development fund for joint ventures; and incentives for investors in one state to invest in the other.
4. SYRIAN CARTOONIST REJECTS U.N. PRIZE: “AWARD IS NAMED AFTER NATIVE ISRAELI AND MY CARTOON IS NOT ABOUT PEACE”… Syrian cartoonist Raid Khalil was awarded a United Nations prize for a cartoon he drew that showed two men on opposite sides of a river watering a plant that linked the river’s two banks. The U.N. said the cartoon was “about peace and love in the world.” Khalil said it isn’t so. He rejected the award saying that his work “is not about peace between Syria and Israel,” and besides, “Taking part in a contest arranged by a Zionist Israeli is a matter not appropriate for an Arab citizen…” The award is named after Ranan Lurie, who was born in Israel before emigrating to the United States. Khalil rejected the prestigious prize.
5. FRONT-RUNNER KERRY ON ISRAEL ROLLER COASTER BEFORE NEW HAMPSHIRE PRIMARY… Senator John Kerry, the front-runner in the race for the Democratic nomination for president, spent the day before the New Hampshire primary searching for the right formula to promote concerning Israel. He had previously aroused concern on the part of the pro-Israel community when he said he would appoint a Middle Eastern envoy, naming Jimmy Carter, Bill Clinton and James Baker as possible choices. On Monday, he told a crowd that the Israeli government is lacking someone who can “deliver the goods” in negotiations with the Palestinians. Hours later he backtracked, telling a Salem, New Hampshire, crowd that, “I believe Ariel Sharon is willing to make peace, I really believe it.” Although Israel-based issues are not considered to be key elements in the New Hampshire race, it is a national forum and Howard Dean’s opponents have used his comments on Israel and the Middle East to discredit the former leader in the polls.