Mideast Report

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- On the eve of Rosh Hashanah, when thousands of Jews in Israel and the diaspora are to gather to mark the beginning of the year 5758, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yisrael Lau has warned that the gap between religious and secular Jews is widening.

Apparently referring to Labor Party leader Ehud Barak's well-publicized apology to Jews of Middle Eastern origin for the indignities perpetrated upon them during their absorption in the 1950s, Lau said that although efforts are being made to resolve ethnic differences, religious differences are becoming more evident.

"We are seeing steps being taken among the public to bridge the ethnic gap, but the gap between the observant and the non-observant is becoming greater," the chief rabbi said.

Lau also asked that Israel synagogue officials welcome soldiers, students and tourists from abroad, despite the common practice of synagogues to demand payment in advance for synagogue seats.

Iran missile could strike inside Israel

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- With the help of advanced Russian technology, Iran will be able to produce a medium-range missile that would put Israel in striking range within 18 months, an official said Tuesday.

Together with Iranian efforts to develop a nuclear weapon, the missile program could have serious implications for the balance of power in the region.

Hundreds of Russian scientists and technicians reportedly were involved in the project.

Israel has been trying to persuade the United States to take sanctions against Moscow's participation in Tehran's weapons programs. But the Clinton administration has been reluctant to do anything that might jeopardize Russian President's Boris Yeltsin's power base.

Sources said that Russian companies, including state-owned concerns, were making several hundred million dollars from the missile development program.

Israel names suspect behind 2 bombings

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- Adel Awadallah, the Hamas terrorist believed to be the mastermind behind the two recent bombings in Jerusalem, is roaming the countryside between Israeli and Palestinian-controlled territory, Chief of General Staff Lt.-Gen. Amnon Lipkin-Shahak said Tuesday.

A senior Israeli intelligence source said Awadallah, a resident of the West Bank town of El-Bireh, received his instructions and go-ahead for the attacks from Hamas' operational headquarters in Syria.

Some have labeled Awadallah, 30, the "New Engineer," after Yehiya Ayash, the engineering student who manufactured the devices used in several suicide bombings. Ayash was killed in the Gaza Strip by a booby-trapped mobile phone in January 1996.

The senior Israeli intelligence source said Awadallah is thought to have planned the two recent suicide bombings at Jerusalem's Mahane Yehuda market and Ben Yehuda mall, which killed 20 people and wounded hundreds.

Awadallah was in charge of the recently uncovered Beit Sahour bomb factory and probably made the five bombs used in the Jerusalem attacks, the intelligence source said.

39th Israeli soldier killed in Lebanon

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- An Israeli soldier was killed Monday during a battle with Hezbollah fighters in southern Lebanon that ended several days of relative quiet.

Capt. Gal Levran, 21, of Rishon le-Zion, is the 22nd IDF soldier killed in Lebanon in recent weeks. A total of 39 IDF soldiers have been killed in Lebanon since the start of the year.

An intelligence officer, Levran served in the same battalion that lost five of its soldiers when they were trapped in a brush fire following an Aug. 28 battle with members of the Shi'ite Amal movement.

The recent rise in the number of fatalities has renewed debate in Israel over the army's presence in the security zone.

Histadrut's strike leads to new talks

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Some 700,000 Israelis went on strike for eight hours Sunday on orders of the Histadrut Trade Union to protest privatization plans and pension cuts.

The previous Labor government had approved a pension plan some three weeks before last year's national election, but the current government has maintained that it cannot finance a plan that would cost more than $570 million annually over the next 20 years.

Histadrut officials said the strike also was called to protest the government's ongoing privatization.

The strike paralyzed all major public services, closing down Israel's schools, Ben-Gurion Airport, banks and utilities.

More than 1 million students enjoyed an unexpected holiday-- but, like other Israelis, they were forced to deal with stench because garbage workers weren't arround

After the strike ended, Histadrut Chairman Amir Peretz met again with Finance Minister Ya'acov Ne'eman, after which Histadrut officials decided to give the government "another chance" until after the holidays to resolve the differences.