Reported from Jerusalem
1. U.N. RESOLUTION SET FOR TUESDAY VOTE – U.S. VETO POSSIBLE… A U.N. Security Council resolution that demands Israel not harm or expel Yassir Arafat is expected to come to a vote on Tuesday. Although it was reported on Monday that based upon the wording circulating at that time, the United States might abstain, it is now believed that the U.S. will veto the measure. According to the American Ambassador to the United Nations, the current text is “lopsided” and fails to include a condemnation of Palestinian terror. It was drafted by the Palestinian envoy. The U.N. envoy to the Middle East, Terje Roed-Larsen, began the session by saying that the recent violence had brought the peace process “to a standstill,” but warned that, “it is alarmist to speak of the demise of the peace process.” Reiterating U.N. policy that stands in opposition to that of the United States and Israel, Roed-Larsen said that Yassir Arafat “embodies Palestinian identity and national aspirations. He is now far from irrelevant.”
2. ISRAELI FOREIGN MINISTER NIXES ARAFAT ASSASSINATION TALK… Seeking to undo the firestorm resulting from another cabinet minister’s comments about Israel’s right to assassinate Yassir Arafat, Foreign Minister Sylvan Shalom told reporters that killing the Palestinian Authority’s chairman is not his government’s policy or intention. On Monday, Minister of Industry, Trade and Labor Ehud Olmert, a deputy-prime minister, told Israel Radio that, “from a moral point of view, this [killing Arafat] is no different from killing others who were involved in acts of terror.” He said that “we are trying to eliminate all heads of terror and Arafat is one of the heads of terror.” Shalom tried to take it back, insisting that, “]killing Arafat] is not the official policy of the Israeli government. It was never before, and we don’t speak about any killing, we didn’t speak about it before and we don’t speak about it today.”
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3. ARAFAT WILL CONTROL NEW PA CABINET… Yassir Arafat will be in firm control of any new cabinet appointed by prime minister-designate Ahmad Qurei’. On Monday, Qurei’ gave Fatah the mandate to select 16 of 24 appointees that will comprise the new cabinet. Fatah is controlled by Arafat and since the onset of violence in September 2000, has claimed credit for many acts of terror against Israeli citizens. Qurei’ himself is also a fervent Arafat loyalist. Both Israel and the United States have said they will not deal with an Arafat government. It remains to be seen whether they will embrace Qurei’ and ingnore the clear influence of Arafat.
4. U.S. WILL PENALIZE ISRAEL FOR CONSTRUCTION IN TERRITORIES… The Bush Administration will deduct money from recently approved loan guarantees as a penalty for Israeli construction in post-1967 territories. The amount has yet to be determined. The Adminstration has also not made a decision on whether to additionally penalize Israel for the cost of the security fence it is building between it and Palestinian areas in order to prevent terrorist infiltration. The matter of the fence has become a sore point between the two governments. This week Prime Minister Sharon bowed to American pressure and reversed his decision to include the city of Ariel within the path of the fence, enraging many Israelis who have come to believe that the fence is a priority in defending against suicide attacks. The start of the loan guarantees began with a formal announcement published in the Federal Register.
5. AUSTERITY BUDGET APPROVED BY ISRAELI CABINET… Following a marathon session that Health Minister Danny Naveh likened to a “bazaar,” Ariel Sharon’s cabinet passed the controversial austerity budget over the objections of nine ministers. Fourteen voted in favor. An additional $245 million worth of social benefits were slashed in order to make up for a reduction in cuts to military spending. Voting against the budget were the ministers of defense, health, education, industry & trade – all from Sharon’s own Likud party. They were joined by five other ministers from the Shinui Party, including the interior, justice and infrastructures ministers. Reaction from labor was swift, threatening a nationwide strike. National Insurance Institute and postal workers will begin to strike on Tuesday, with other unions planning to join in shortly. The huge Histadrut labor federation even threatened to cut off utilities to government offices.
6. POWELL GIVES SYRIA A CHANCE TO AVOID SANCTIONS ACT… Congress will begin its debate on The Syria Accountability Act on Tuesday. The measure would lay the groundwork for imposing sanctions on Syria because of what the legislation calls its “support for terrorism, continued military presence in Lebanon and development of weapons of mass destruction.” Secretary of State Colin Powell stopped off in Damascus on his way home from Iraq to tell Syrian dictator Bashar Al-Asad that passage of the act would “make it more difficult to pursue a course to a better relationship.” He told reporters that the Syrians have not “responded as forcefully as I would have liked and thus Congress is debating the act.”