1. SUICIDE BOMBER KILLS THREE IN TEL AVIV… A suicide bomber blew himself up last night when a security guard at a popular Tel Aviv nightspot physically restrained him from entering the premises. The blast, which occurred at the entrance to Mike’s Pub on the Tel Aviv beach, killed three outright and wounded thirty-five, one of whom remains in critical condition and six in serious condition – including the security guard. Credit for the attack was claimed by both Hamas and Yassir Arafat’s own Tanzim Fatah faction. Last Thursday, a security guard outside of a railroad station near Tel Aviv died preventing a suicide bomber from entering.
2. MAHMOUD ‘ABBAS AND CABINET RATIFIED BY PLC… After months of bickering and acrimonious negotiations between Yassir Arafat and Mahmoud ‘Abbas, the Palestinian Legislative Council gave its approval to the appointment of ‘Abbas as the Palestinian Authority’s first prime minister in a vote of 58 to 18. It also approved the slate of ministers. All are expected to be sworn in today (Wednesday). The first official act by ‘Abbas is being perceived by some as a slap at Israel and the United States, both of which continue to try to render Yassir Arafat “irrelevant.” The swearing-in ceremony will be held in Arafat’s Ramallah office where he has been confined for more than a year. While President Bush and Prime Minister Sharon have repeatedly referred to ‘Abbas as the new Palestinian leader, ‘Abbas himself has declared that he will not travel outside of PA territory to meet with foreign diplomats in their home countries, and will even reject a White House invitation unless Arafat has complete freedom of movement. The gesture of solidarity with Arafat also underscores the reality that it is Arafat, not ‘Abbas, who controls the PLC; the vast majority of armed security forces; and holds veto power over peace negotiations with Israel. Nevertheless, the American and Israeli administrations have coordinated a quiet offensive aimed at shoring up ‘Abbas’s power, authority and stature.
3. ‘ABBAS TO PLC: NO PRIVATE ARMS; FIGHT TERROR; CREATE STATE WITH JERUSALEM AS CAPITAL ON PRE-1967 BORDERS… Prime minister-designate Mahmoud ‘Abbas, speaking to the Palestinian Legislative Council hours before it approved his appointment, laid out his vision for the future of the Palestinian people. He declared that he would fight corruption and only allow official security forces to carry arms; and said that the use of terrorism “does not lend support to a just cause like ours….” He also called for a Palestinian state “on all of the territories occupied in 1967 with Jerusalem as its capital and without any (Jewish) settlements.” In reacting to the speech, Israeli leaders generally chose to ignore the issues considered to be unacceptable and instead took a “wait-and-see” approach. Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom’s comment was typical when he said that the new prime minister will be judged “by his actions and not his decisions.”
4. MASSIVE GENERAL STRIKE BEGINS… The long-threatened general strike became reality at 6:00 A.M. this morning when approximately 700,000 workers began a massive job action aimed at preventing the government from implementing its emergency economic austerity program through legislation rather than by negotiating with the unions. Government employees along with those who work for local authorities are joined in the strike by employees of private companies whose contracts are negotiated through collective bargaining. The stringency package that will begin navigating the legislative process today calls for steep budget cutbacks that will necessitate mass firings of workers. It also raises the retirement age by two years and digs deep into pension plans by unilaterally altering their terms. Israel’s main gateway to the world, Ben Gurion Airport, has been effectively closed by the strike and all postal services including delivery and pickup will be suspended. The head of the Israel Manufacturer’s Association predicted that the work stoppage will cost the nation almost $100 million per day. Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, who will make the presentation of the plan to the Knesset today, has warned that both passage and implementation of the emergency plan is a prerequisite for obtaining the $9 billion in American loan guarantees due to be approved in Washington this week. He also warned that the country’s international credit rating would be in jeopardy if the plan fails to be put into effect.
5. NEWSPAPER REPORT: MILITARY INTEL SAYS ‘ABBAS DOES NOT INTEND TO HALT TERROR… The newspaper Haaretz has published a report claiming that Israeli Military Intelligence has warned Israel’s political infrastructure that newly appointed Palestinian Authority Prime Minister Mahmoud ‘Abbas “has no intention of uprooting the terrorist infrastructure.” The paper quotes their source as saying that ‘Abbas’s policy will be to speak with leaders of the terrorist organizations and avoid clashing with them. The intelligence sources reiterate that regardless of his intentions, ‘Abbas only represents “barely a third” of the PA’s political framework while Yassir Arafat and the terror groups control the other two-thirds.