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The Media Line Daily News Focus

Reported from Jerusalem

1. PROGRESS IN EGYPTIAN PLAN TO REDUCE POST-WITHDRAWAL TENSION… Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s plan to consolidate the Palestinian Authority’s security apparatus in order to move against terror organizations and prevent a dangerous vacuum following a unilateral Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip has gained momentum with agreement by Jibril Rajoub and Muhammad Dahlan to cooperate. According to the plan, Rajoub – former head of West Bank security for the PA and an Arafat loyalist – and Dahlan – former head of Gaza security for the PA – will share control of a new command. The revamped security infrastructure, according to the Mubarak plan, will enforce a ban on armed attacks on Israel and present a “united leadership” to the United States. In his effort to create a showing of Palestinian unity, Mubarak intends to include the former and present prime ministers of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud ‘Abbas and Ahmad Qurei’. One potential point of disagreement with the Americans is that Yassir Arafat is also included in the Mubarak plan’s leadership trust. The Egyptian president will meet with President Bush in the White House on April 12th, two days before Ariel Sharon is slated to meet Mr. Bush.

2. ARABS IN ISRAEL MARK ‘LAND DAY’; SECURITY HIGH… Nationwide protests and a general strike in Arab towns and villages will mark “Land Day,” an annual event in which Israeli Arabs protest against the Israeli government. Security is high in areas where Land Day events will take place. The commemoration refers to a 1976 confrontation between Israeli police and Arabs protesting seizure of land in the Galilee. Six demonstrators were killed in an ensuing riot. According to organizers, this year’s rally will protest against “the demolition of illegally built houses, the government’s policy in the unrecognized Bedouin villages in the Negev,” and what it calls “continuing neglect, discrimination and provocation against Arabs in Israel.”

3. OPPOSITION TO GAZA WITHDRAWAL GROWING… A national effort to protest Ariel Sharon’s intended unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and other parts of post-1967 territory is gaining momentum with notables from all sectors of society lending their names to the effort. The primary focus of a petition being circulated by the political right wing is that the pullout will create an even more dangerous situation and encourage terrorism. It calls the plan a “moral, national crime.” The petition already has the signatures of cabinet ministers, members of Knesset (Parliament), high-ranking army officers and Israeli notables. Prime Minister Sharon said on Monday that he will bring the plan to his cabinet and the Knesset immediately upon his return from Washington in mid-April and if he fails to receive approval will form a new government “that day.” On Monday, the newspaper Ma’ariv reported that Sharon’s bluster was predicated on a secret deal he had cut with the Labor Party’s chairman Shimon Peres for the main opposition group to join the government upon the prime minister’s return from Washington. According to the newspaper, the deal was put on hold when the State Attorney recommended indicting Sharon in a bribery case.

4. VATICAN CLERGY TURNS TO PRESS FOR HELP IN VISA CRISIS… The Franciscan spokesman in Israel turned to a Hebrew daily in an effort to publicize the plight of non-Jewish clergy and church representatives who are unable to renew their visas to stay in Israel. Dr. Richard Jaeger told the newspaper Haaretz that “for the first time since the establishment of the state of Israel, priests have been unable to renew their visas to stay in the country.” Jaeger said the inability of 130 delegates from the Catholic Church to renew their visas is straining relations with the Vatican. The Media Line has learned that the problem extends to other non-Jewish denominations, including associates of charitable organizations that have been providing social services in Israel for many years, often in cooperation with the government. A number have been arrested recently by Israeli immigration police. Representatives of the various religions complain that while government spokesmen continue to say that the matter is being looked at by government officials, all the way to the prime minister, the problem is worsening.

5. ARAB WATER BODY ESTABLISHED… An Arab Council for Water has been established by Egyptian Minister of Irrigation and Water Resources Mahmoud Abu Zed. Warning that 90 percent of Arab countries are facing serious water shortages by the year 2025, Abu Zed is calling for water management in Arab countries and the use of modern technology. The new body will hold its first meeting in Cairo on April 5th.