1. SHARON LOBBIES FOR ANOTHER MINISTER TO SUPPORT PULLOUT PLAN… Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon plans to present his Gaza pullout plan to his cabinet on Sunday, and intends on having a majority in-hand before doing so. With 11 ministers presumptively in his column, Sharon will direct his attention – and as much pressure as he can muster – on three holdouts from his Likud party: Finance Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom and Education Minister Limor Livnat. Presumably needing only one to capitulate, Shalom is the odds-on favorite to be the one. Unlike ministers from other parties, those from Likud feel bound by a party referendum that rejected the plan for a unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. The vote was deemed to be binding on all Likud members. Prime Minister Sharon has altered the order of implementing the evacuation but not the end result nor purpose of the plan and is nevertheless proceeding as if it were a new proposal free of his party commitment. The National Religious and National Union parties have already said they will bolt the government if the plan is enacted. Ministers will receive complete copies of the plan for the first time on Thursday.
2. ASHCROFT WARNS OF PLANNED AL-QA’IDA ATTACK IN U.S.… U.S. Attorney General John Ashcroft, speaking with FBI Director Richard Mueller at his side, warned of hard intelligence information indicating that the Al-Qa’ida terrorist organization is planning a new attack on American soil. According to Ashcroft, the information available to the Americans lacks indications of target, timing or method. They believe, however, that Al-Qa’ida members are traveling in family groups to avert attention and are recruiting operatives who do not look Middle Eastern. The reports are considered “highly credible.”
3. RUMORED DEAL TO LIFT ARAFAT TRAVEL BAN IN RETURN FOR HALT TO GAZA TERROR… Arabic language media are reporting a possible deal between Israel and the Palestinians that would lift travel restrictions on Yassir Arafat in return for a halt to terror attacks in the Gaza Strip. The reports indicate that the deal was broached when Egyptian intelligence chief ‘Umar Suleiman met with Israeli intelligence chief Meir Dagan on Monday. Under the proposal, Arafat would allow the Palestinian security forces to take control in Gaza and would receive special training by Israel. Arafat has been restricted to his Muqata’a office compound since April 2002.
4. ISRAEL AND TURKEY: DEAL SIGNING FOLLOWED BY SNUB… Shortly after the increasing closeness of Israel and Turkey’s economic and defense ties was demonstrated by the signing of an $800 million deal between an Israeli and Turkish company for the construction of three power plants in Turkey, Turkey’s prime minister turned down an invitation to visit Israel citing its policies in the Gaza Strip. According to media reports, Turkish Prime Minister Rajab Tayyeb Ardoghan told Israel’s visiting infrastructure minister he would not come at this time, saying that while he condemns terror, he also condemns Israel’s recent operation in the Gaza Strip in which 41 Palestinians – most of whom were armed – died, according to a Turkish television station. Israeli media report that Turkey is considering recalling its ambassador for consultations, a form of diplomatic rebuke.
5. AMNESTY INTERNATIONAL BLASTS PALESTINIANS AND ISRAELIS OVER GAZA… Amnesty International’s annual report for 2003 has harsh words for both Israel and the Palestinians. In the report, Israel is accused of actions that constitute “war crimes, including unlawful killings, obstruction of medical assistance and targeting of medical personnel, extensive and wanton destruction of property, torture and the use of ‘human shields’.” Although supporters of Israel often accuse Amnesty International of avoiding criticism of the Palestinians while censuring Israel, this year’s report charged the Palestinians with “crimes against humanity,” through the “deliberate targeting of (Israeli) civilians by Palestinian armed groups.”
6. UNRWA APOPLECTIC OVER ISRAELI CHARGE ITS AMBULANCES WERE USED BY PALESTINIANS TO TAKE SOLDIERS’ BODY PARTS… UNRWA, the United Nations Relief Works Agency, is livid over Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s charge that its ambulances were used by Palestinians to take away body parts of Israeli soldiers killed in the Gaza Strip last week. Peter Hansen, UNRWA’s Director General in the region, has demanded an apology. Mofaz had said that the ambulances were used to steal body parts after an armored personnel carrier was blown up by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip killing six soldiers.