Mideast Report

Friday, September 20, 2002 | by

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel's Supreme Court is considering former Defense Minister Yitzhak Mordechai's request to file a second appeal of his conviction for sexually assaulting and harassing two women.

Mordechai's request is based on a letter recently sent to the court by one of the two women, in which she retracted her testimony. The woman wrote that due to pressure from police and media during the investigation, she may have misinterpreted Mordechai's behavior.

The court on Tuesday instructed police to examine the letter and the circumstances under which it was written. A court previously rejected Mordechai's appeal of the conviction and his 18-month suspended sentence.

Soldiers' parents to get citizenship

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Non-Jewish parents of immigrant Israeli soldiers will be granted citizenship under a new proposal.

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Wednesday ordered the immediate implementation of the proposal, under which the parents of soldiers from the former Soviet Union would be immediately granted permanent residency status, which could turn into full citizenship after five years.

The proposal came against the backdrop of media reports this week that the Interior Ministry was deporting non-Jewish parents of lone immigrant soldiers from the former Soviet Union as soon as their sons are discharged. Interior Minister Eli Yishai on Wednesday called the reports inaccurate. He said the ministry was trying to prevent granting immediate citizenship to those people who are not interested in living in Israel.

Report: Iraq aiding Palestinian terror

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Iraq reportedly has stepped up its attempts to send weapons and money to the Palestinians to bolster terror attacks against Israel.

Iraq hopes to refocus international attention on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, possibly to open a second front in case of a U.S. attack on Baghdad, according to the Israeli newspaper Ha'aretz.

Amid the new signs of attempted Iraqi weapons smuggling to the West Bank and Gaza Strip, the Iraqi-backed Arab Liberation Front held a rally in Gaza last week.

The rally included an appearance by Hamas leader Sheik Ahmed Yassin, who called for "unity in the ranks of the resistance" and drew a connection between Palestinian resistance to Israel and Iraq's standoff with the United States.

Hebrew U. bomb was second attempt

JERUSALEM (JTA)—The bomb that killed five Americans and four Israelis July 31 at Hebrew University first was planted three days earlier but failed to go off, according to Israeli newspaper reports. Four Arab residents of Jerusalem were indicted Sept. 12 for the bombing and for several other attacks that killed a total of 35 people.

One of the four suspects allegedly planted the bomb at the university's Frank Sinatra cafeteria on July 28 and tried to set it off by remote control, the Israeli newspapers Ma'ariv and Yediot Achronot said, citing the indictment. When the device did not explode, he retrieved it, had it repaired and planted it again three days later.

Electric security fence to encircle Jerusalem

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli defense contractor Elbit will build an electronic security fence around Jerusalem.

The first phase of the fence will be three miles long and cost $5 million to build, Israel Radio reported. Elbit built similar barriers in the Gaza Strip and along the Lebanon border.

Students protest Ashrawi appearance

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Some 300 demonstrators protested a speech by Palestinian spokeswoman Hanan Ashrawi at Colorado College.

Ashrawi, a former Palestinian Authority Cabinet minister and Arab League spokeswoman, spoke Sept. 12 at a three-day symposium called "September 11: One Year Later."

Her invitation to the private liberal arts school provoked controversy and criticism last month from Jewish and conservative Christian organizations, who said it was disrespectful to the Sept. 11 victims to invite someone closely associated with what they consider terrorist groups. Protesters carried signs that read, "Palestinians danced when Americans died" on Sept. 11.

Mossad head holds secret talks with U.S.

JERUSALEM (JTA)—The incoming head of Israel's Mossad intelligence agency reportedly paid a secret visit to the United States.

According to the British journal Foreign Report, Meir Dagan recently traveled to Washington for talks on possible Israeli involvement in any military operation in Iraq and to share intelligence information.

Ex-inspector: attack on Iraq a mistake

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israel should oppose an American attack on Iraq, a former chief U.N. weapons inspector said.

Scott Ritter told the Israeli daily Ha'aretz that an American strike on Baghdad would be a disaster for Israel. He said it would make Israel vulnerable to an Iraqi attack, undermine regional stability, further anti-U.S. sentiment in the Arab public and would increase terrorism against Israel.

Health workers get smallpox vaccines

JERUSALEM (JTA)—Israeli health officials are planning to begin vaccinating hospital staff against smallpox.

The move is the first step toward fulfilling a Security Cabinet decision to vaccinate some 15,000 security, health and rescue personnel who would comprise the "first response" teams should Iraq launch a biological attack on Israel.