1. SHARON SECURES SUPPORT FOR BUDGET; ELECTIONS AVERTED… Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Saturday received the support he needed to pass the 2005 budget before the statutory deadline. With the capitulation by the secular Shinui party which had been holding out, the specter of early elections dissipates and along with it the final legislative obstacle to the planned unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip. It was the latter which Shinui leader Tommy Lapid said finally convinced him to commit his party’s eleven votes in the Knesset (parliament) – that along with $160.5 million promised to him by Sharon for Lapid’s pet programs.
2. ANOTHER BOMB EXPLODES IN CHRISTIAN AREA OF BEIRUT… A bomb rocked a Christian suburb of Beirut on Saturday, injuring five people. It was the third such attack in eight days. Observers believe Syria is behind the bombings, seeking to instill fear that security will collapse if and when it withdraws its troops from Lebanon. The international community has demanded that Syria remove its forces, estimated at about 14,000, from Lebanon, and the United Nations Security Council has passed a resolution demanding so. A report by U.N. investigators issued last week leaves little doubt that Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad is behind the assassination of former prime minister Rafiq Al-Hariri, whose killing set off massive public protests demanding an end to Syrian influence in Lebanon.
3. AMERICANS SHOW SUPPORT FOR ISRAEL’S RETENTION OF ‘SETTLEMENT BLOCS’… The American administration has expressed support for Israel’s retention of “settlement blocs” in any final agreement with the Palestinians. But it does not support plans for further building in those areas. The clarification came amid a brouhaha that broke out when Israel’s defense minister announced last week that the government had approved construction of 3,500 new housing units in the post-1967 Jerusalem suburb of Ma’aleh Adumim. Reaction by the Palestinians was swift and angry, demanding that Washington force Israel to rescind its plans. American Ambassador to Israel Dan Kurtzer told media on Friday that it was unrealistic to expect Israel to withdraw from all of the post-1967 territories. In a conflicting statement, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview with the Washington Post published on Friday that although President Bush has said that a change in circumstances on the ground will have to be taken into consideration, “how that is taken into account has to be negotiated.” Rice also said the building plans were “at odds with American policy.” Russia and the European Union have reacted angrily to news of Israel’s building plans.
4. ISRAELI DEFENSE MINISTER TO WASHINGTON TO COMPLAIN ABOUT PALESTINIANS… Israel’s Defense Ministry says that complaining to the Bush administration that the Palestinian Authority is not doing enough to fight terror is the primary purpose of Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz’s trip to Washington this week. Mofaz will meet with Vice President Dick Cheney and Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld. Israel halted the planned security handover of five Palestinian towns to the Palestinian Authority, accusing the P.A. of refusing to honor its agreement to disarm and track the movement of wanted terrorists in the towns already transferred.
5. AIPAC STEPS UP DAMAGE CONTROL AS TOP STAFFERS APPEAR BEFORE GRAND JURY… AIPAC, Israel’s American lobby, is reportedly stepping up its damage control efforts as the case against two senior staffers moved to the grand jury. The two men are alleged to have passed classified information to the Israeli government. Key to those efforts is distancing the accused from the organization. Both have been placed on paid leave. The FBI raided AIPAC’s Washington headquarters last August and seized files belonging to policy director Steve Rosen and Iran specialist Keith Weissman. A second raid followed in December. Since then, four top AIPAC executives, including executive director Howard Kohr and managing director Richard Fishman have appeared before a grand jury. Speculation is now rife over whether plea negotiations are underway. Despite AIPAC’s insistence that the organization has done no wrong and assurances that its stature as one of Washington’s most influential lobbies remains intact, numerous reports underscore that the scandal has already taken a toll on the group and a prolonged investigation can only bring additional harm.
6. CHAD DENIES IT WILL RESUME DIPLOMATIC TIES WITH ISRAEL… A spokesman for the president of Chad has denied reports that negotiations are underway to resume diplomatic ties with Israel. Chad was one of eight African nations that broke off relations with the Jewish state during the 1973 War, known in Israel as the Yom Kippur War. One day after the French news agency AFP reported positive statements by a government source in Chad relating to a possible resumption of relations, an official told the agency that, “A resumption of diplomatic ties with Israel is out of the question.”
7. FAMILY OF ISRAEL’S MOST FAMOUS SPY WANTS HIS BODY RETURNED BY SYRIA… The family of Eli Cohen wants Syria to return the body of the famed spy to Israel for burial. As the 40th anniversary of Cohen’s execution in Damascus nears, his family has begun a campaign to convince Syrian President Bashar Al-Asad that returning Cohen’s body would convince Israelis that Al-Asad “is serious when he talks about peace with Israel.” Over recent months, the Syrian leader has sent messages to the Israeli government asking that negotiations between the two nations resume. All have been rejected, the Israelis claiming Al-Asad is not serious. Cohen achieved high status in Syria between 1962 and his capture in 1965. He is credited with providing Israel with the information that led to Israel’s stunning victory in the 1967 War and the capture of the Golan Heights.
8. ISRAEL STUNS FAVORITE IRELAND IN WORLD SOCCER CUP QUALIFIER… Israelis are ecstatic following a last minute goal that gave Israel a 1-1 tie with Ireland in a soccer match that could lead to Israel challenging for the 2006 World Cup. Although unfamiliar to many Americans, the World Cup is the world’s premier sporting event. The match, played in Israel, was the center of the nation’s attention on Saturday evening. And fans were not disappointed. Regulation time ended with Ireland ahead 1-0. ‘Abbas Sawan, an Israeli Arab from the Bnei Sakhnin team, scored the tying goal in the first of those three minutes allotted as injury time. The victory keeps alive Israel’s hopes of competing for the 2006 World Cup.