 | | Peres Quits Labor, Joins Sharon
Shimon Peres, former five-time Prime Minister, including Acting PM, has retired from the Knesset and the Labor Party - though he refuses to release his hold on the "corners of the altar."
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More Details |  | | Editor: Hillel Fendel
Thursday, December 01, 2005
29 Cheshvan 5766
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| | | 1. Peres Quits Labor, Joins Sharon
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Shimon Peres, former five-time Prime Minister, including Acting PM, has retired from the Knesset and the Labor Party - though he refuses to release his hold on the "corners of the altar."
| In exchange for Peres' support for Ariel Sharon's Kadima party, Sharon has promised him a senior ministry portfolio, in the event that Sharon forms the next government. Peres will not run for a Knesset seat on behalf of the Kadima party.
Peres has been synonymous with the Labor Party for decades. He turned 82 this past summer, on the first day that Jews were officially banned from living in Gaza. Peres has been an MK in every Knesset since the 4th Knesset, in 1959, on behalf of various formats of the Labor Party. He started out as a member of Mapai, the Land of Israel Workers Party.
Peres served as Chairman of the Labor Party three times - from 1977 until 1997, except for the three Rabin years, and again from 2003 until this month.
People close to Peres have sharply attacked him for the move. MK Ophir Pines-Paz, a leading Labor member who held a Cabinet post in the national unity government for the past ten months, said, "Peres will bear this stain for the rest of his life... People destroyed their political careers, paid heavy prices and were beaten in order to advance him, and in the end he does this. I did not believe that he would act this way."
Peres' close aide since 1990, Yoram Marciano, said this morning, "He spent years calling upon the youth to join politics and contribute, and then he goes and does this?"
On the other hand, Peres' long-time personal secretary, Efrat Duvdevani, said that she believes that Peres' decision was made with the best interests of the country in mind. Duvdevani is the Director-General of the Ministry for the Development of the Negev and the Galilee, which Peres headed until earlier this month.
In a press conference in Tel Aviv last night, Peres said, "My activity in the [Labor] Party has come to an end. Without minimizing my emotional bonds with the party's historic path, and to thousands of its members, I must give priority to the greater consideration. I learned from my 'teacher and rabbi' David Ben-Gurion to prefer the State over the party."
About Ariel Sharon, Peres said, "I do not believe that it is possible to advance the peace process in the current political situation, other than with a coalition. The only one who can lead this is Ariel Sharon."
Former Labor Party Cabinet Minister Moshe Shachal is another one who regrets and is critical of Peres' move. "As a very long-time friend of his," Shachal said this morning, "I'm personally sorry that he is finishing his career in such a way. His support and activities on behalf of peace and the like do not need anyone's approval. But on the political front, I believe that he should not have done this. It's just not done. For him to leave because he lost [the race for Labor Chairman], this is not done; if he would have won, we would never have said that only Sharon can make peace. For him to say now that only a right-wing man can do so - he himself used to get angry when that would be said." Shachal also had criticism of Amir Peretz for not making greater efforts to keep Peres in the party.
Peres lost narrowly to Amir Peretz three weeks ago in the race for Chairman of the Labor Party. Though Peres has lost almost all of the elections in which he has run during his political career, this one appeared to be particularly shocking for him, for two reasons: He had been favored to win by a large margin, and Peretz's approach on many issues is strikingly different than that of Peres.
Another former Peres ally, Yossi Beilin of the extreme left-wing Meretz party, said that Peres "made a great mistake that is liable to strike a mortal blow at the chances for a peace." Former Meretz leader MK Yossi Sarid is reportedly planning to retire from politics tomorrow.
Likud front-running candidate Binyamin Netanyahu said, "It is now clearer than ever - Kadima [lit., Forward] means Leftward... Peres' joining Kadima is the final proof that it is simply a 'Labor-B' party. The Likud voters will now return en masse to the right way and to their warm home." The Likud plans to promote "A Vote for Sharon is a Vote for Peres" as one of its campaign slogans - and for this reason, Kadima is planning not to highlight Peres in its own campaign.
Army Radio reported that a poll released this morning shows an increase in support for Kadima in light of Peres' decision. Repeatedly throughout his career, Peres did well in polls and surveys that ultimately turned out to be wrong.
Labor MK Yitzchak Herzog said, "One does not leave an ideological home for a virtual camp that has stars but no real content."
MK Chaim Ramon, like Herzog and Pines, resigned his Labor Cabinet post earlier this month - but unlike them, he promptly joined Sharon's Kadima. As expected, Ramon warmly approved Peres' move: "For a year and a half I have tried to tell Shimon that this is the way the political map should look... I wanted him to make this move. The costume party is over, and the moment of truth has arrived for the politicians, and I hope for the voters as well."
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| | 2. CAMERA Claims Haaretz Stonewalls
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
The CAMERA media watchdog organization says Haaretz has a policy against responding to its complaints of mis-reporting.
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CAMERA - The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America - reports that it has closely tracked media coverage of Israel and the Middle East for over 20 years, "contacting countless outlets with questions about factual accuracy and in many instances eliciting corrections." The Israeli Hebrew daily Haaretz, however, ignores CAMERA's queries, the organization says.
CAMERA states, "Virtually every major media outlet in America and some beyond U.S. shores have corrected errors in response to CAMERA, in accordance with professional journalistic standards asserting the paramount importance of accuracy -- and accountability. Among those issuing corrections, often multiple times, have been the New York Times, Washington Post, Los Angeles Times, Boston Globe, Chicago Tribune, International Herald Tribune, National Public Radio, ABC News, and CNN."
A recent CAMERA report states that though the organization contacted Haaretz with information on several instances of mis-reporting in the paper, Haaretz did not respond - and in fact "has stonewalled completely, refusing to correct errors." Questions as to whether this was purposeful policy or merely one of omission appeared to be answered when CAMERA received a mis-directed email explaining Haaretz's policy.
In response to a request for a correction on a particular issue, CAMERA reports, Haaretz "inadvertently sent CAMERA what was clearly meant to be an internal Haaretz email. Addressed to a Haaretz employee who apparently handles phone calls, the email warned (in Hebrew):
"In the event that this [CAMERA complaint] gets to you: We have a quasi
'policy,' on the orders of [editor-in-chief] David [Landau], to ignore this
organization and all of its complaints, including not responding to
telephone messages and screening calls from Tamar Sternhal [sic], director of CAMERA. Otherwise, we will never finish with them."
Among the errors CAMERA claims to have found in Haaretz are the following:
* The mention of "Jewish-only roads in the West Bank," when in fact the roads are fully accessible to and regularly used by Israeli-Arabs and other non-Jews.
* An op-ed claim that from 1957 to 1967 "only 20 people were killed [in Israel] from hostile operations" - when at least 40 Israelis were killed in hostile acts during that period.
* The claim in Jan. 2004 that the Absentee Property Law "stipulates that the property of such an absentee would be transferred to the Custodian of Absentee Property, with no possibility of appeal or compensation" - when in fact, CAMERA states, both appeal and compensation are possible, and landowners have exercised these rights and been compensated.
* A front-page caption on Jan. 26, 2005 stating that the PA police had acted the day before "for the first time against illegal construction." CAMERA provided Haaretz with news reports showing earlier such action taken by the PA in 1994, 1995, and 1998.
Arutz-7 contacted Haaretz today for a response, which will be published in part or in full when received. In July, however, the Israeli weekly Makor Rishon quoted Haaretz Editor David Landau as saying [translation courtesy of CAMERA]:
"I confirm that we relate to CAMERA as if they have a personal vendetta against us. I have experience of many years with them. We encourage readers to write to us, and we publicize every day or two days corrections of errors according to need, but everything depends on the clean hands of the writer."
CAMERA added that it is "the only organization to press Haaretz for factual
accountability in a systematic way. Thus, it is CAMERA's unique agenda to
promote accountability which makes Haaretz's relationship with us 'different.'"
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| |
| 3. Judge Demands Accountability From Haifa Chemical Company
|  | | By Ezra HaLevi
An Israeli court slapped the Haifa Chemicals company this week with the highest fine ever for dumping large amounts of hazardous chemicals into the sea.
|
The 584,000-shekel ($125,000) fine was the result of the judge's conviction that the company had seen past fines as merely a monetary inconvenience. Previous fines have been low enough to qualify as a company expense, the judge explained, and did not mitigate the financial benefits of dumping the waste rather than treating it or disposing of it properly.
The indictment was filed by the Environmental Ministry against the company and its deputy director Ami Alexanderone. It accused the company of using the permission granted by the ministry to dump certain chemicals into the Mediterranean as a fig-leaf to dump outrageous amounts of toxic substances into the water, without regard for human and environmental health.
The Environmental Ministry, which issues "pollution permits" to the chemical corporation to allow it to dump regulated amounts, claimed that Haifa Chemicals has consistently abused that privilege, dumping more than it is allowed.
A plea-bargain deal was tentatively reached between the Environmental Ministry and the company. Krayot Magistrates Court Judge Mordechai Argaman, however, rejected the plea bargain and ruled that the unusually large fine must be paid by the company.
Argaman wrote that damage to the public's health must be considered when dealing with companies that knowingly violate the law regarding dumping toxic waste. He added that it seemed the matter was motivated purely by the desire for financial gain, with a complete disregard for the consequences.
The judge also said that the fine must serve as a deterrent for other companies who may consider similar infractions.
At the same time, Argaman agreed to drop the indictment against Alexanderone.
Environmentalist organizations insist that the practice of looking at the disposal of waste as a financial question for companies will continue to result in environmental disaster until senior managers are indicted for violations.
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| | 4. Disengagement Activist Jailed Since June Speaks Out from Prison
|  | | By Debbie Berman
Daniel Pinner of Kfar Tapuach has been detained since June on charges that he wounded an Arab on a Gush Katif beach.
| Pinner spoke about his experiences and his frustration with his treatment by the General Security Services (GSS) in a telephone interview from Maasiyahu Prison with Avi Hyman, on the Activist Hour.
Pinner, 38 and unmarried, was in Gush Katif to volunteer his services as a licensed electrician in fixing up the Palm Beach Hotel when the following incident transpired.
"Toward the last days of Gush Katif on June 22nd, I went for a walk on the beach by myself, when about 50 Arabs throwing rocks attacked me,” Pinner recalled. “I was carrying an Uzi so I shot in the air. After a few yards they began throwing rocks again so I fired several more shots in the air. The Arabs then backed off and I went back to the hotel.
"Four days later I was arrested at home, with the police claiming that I had shot one of the Arabs and wounded him. First they said in the chest, later it turned out that there was an Arab who claimed to have been shot in the leg. Because of that I am in jail almost six months," explained Daniel.
Pinner says that the shots he fired in the air were meant to defend his life against the real danger of the stone throwing Arab mob that descended upon him. "My life was clearly in danger. One of the Jews not far from me was hit by a rock. I knew I was within range of the Arabs throwing rocks," he stated.
According to Pinner, the evidence presented by the Arab who was allegedly shot is very weak. "The Arab claimed to have been hit by an Uzi and brought a medical report from Khan Yunis Hospital, which described an alleged gunshot injury,” Pinner said. “The entry and exit wounds were listed as 1 centimeter by 1 centimeter. You don’t need to be a medical expert to know that a bullet is much bigger when it leaves the body than when it enters, which means that the wound described in the medical report is clearly not a gunshot wound."
As to why he is still in prison despite his innocence, Pinner said, "At every stage the judges continue to claim that I am a danger to society. I think the real reason I am still in jail is that at the very first hearing all those months ago I was denied any legal representation, held incommunicado for five days and there was a total news blackout on the basis of a request from the Shabak…My arrest was extended ten days originally, then fifteen and so on and so on based on a secret Shabak report which I have not seen and probably will never see."
Pinner described the horrific conditions under which he was held, particularly during his first eight days spent in the Shabak interrogation dungeons. "The physical conditions were grim. The cell was 2 by 2.5 meters, with no window, gray walls, a toilet (which was just a hole in the ground), a sink, a chair and that’s it in the entire cell. No bed," he recalled. "Now I am being held in an open wing, with big rooms. After the Shabak treatment, it feels like being released, but obviously it is very far from real freedom," Pinner added.
Despite his frustration with the system, Pinner remains hopeful about his situation. "Obviously I will be released one day. It’s impossible to tell if it’ll be in a week, or a month or a few years. The next stage is set for December 15th. The indications are that I’m coming to the end of the trial. In the meantime all I can do is wait," he said.
"When the justice system is distorted, when justice is perverted, that is the time when only G-d himself can remove our suffering. I hope that no other Jew will feel this on his flesh, but in the meantime this is the unfortunate reality we're living in," Pinner concluded.
Daniel Pinner said he would appreciate messages from supporters via voicemail at
03-906-8079 (+972-3-906-8079 from outside Israel) or by regular mail at: Daniel Pinner- Maasiyahu Prison, POB 13 72100, Disengagement Wing. He asks for prayers for Daniel Moshe Tzvi ben (son of) Channah Malka Fayge.
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Click Here! | | 5. PA Terrorism Attacks Fail
|  | | By Hillel Fendel
Anti-Israel violence continues in the PA-controlled city of Shechem, in the Shomron. Palestinian terrorists fired a Kassam rocket from Gaza, causing no injuries.
|
Shechem (Nablus), has long been known as one of the Palestinian Authority's terrorism capitals. Last night, an IDF force identified three Arab terrorists standing on the side of the city's southern bypass road, holding ready-to-hurl Molotov cocktails. The soldiers opened fire, hitting one terrorists in the leg; the others fled safely.
IDF forces continued their terrorist-arrest operations in Shechem and elsewhere last night. Heavy gunfire was opened upon the soldiers in Shechem, and an explosive was thrown at them. The Israelis returned fire. Later, firebombs and rocks were thrown at the force, which responded with riot-dispersing means. No one was hurt and no damage was caused.
The IDF's terrorist-catching operations netted five wanted Arabs in Shechem, including one who surrendered to soldiers after an hours-long siege of his house. In Ramallah, Israeli soldiers were fired upon as they captured two terrorists.
In Gaza last night, terrorists fired a Kassam rocket towards Kibbutz Nachal Oz in the western Negev - east of where the Jewish community of Netzarim used to stand. No one was hurt.
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| | 6. Israeli Medical Advances Receive FDA Approval
|  | | By Ezra HaLevi
Two Israeli medical innovations have been cleared by the American FDA and will soon be available on the global market. One improves laser eye surgery and the other simplifies removing tumors.
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The Israeli laser technology company Lumenis has announced that its new Novus 3000 ophthalmic treatment device has been approved by the FDA. The device allows ophthalmologists to use the new laser to treat several retinal conditions that can lead to vision loss and blindness, including proliferative diabetic retinopathy, retinal tears and detachment, premature retinopathy and retinal vein occlusion.
"Lumenis has provided the ophthalmic industry with innovative technology since 1970, when we introduced the world's first laser photocoagulator," Lumenis president and CEO Avner Raz told Israel21c.org. "Worldwide, estimates suggest over 30 million people suffer from these conditions, and as the population ages these numbers are expected to climb. With the addition of our Novus 3000, we once again demonstrate our commitment to helping patients and their ophthalmologists protect and preserve eyesight."
Galil Medical, another Israeli company, has announced that its CryoHit product family has received FDA approval. The devices are critical to the treatment of breast fibroadenoma.
Fibroadenoma is the most common benign breast tumor in women under 40, affecting millions of women worldwide. These tumors have traditionally been removed through a surgical excision under local anesthesia in an operating theater. With Galil's minimally invasive new product line, the procedure can be performed at a local clinic, resulting in short recovery and much less of a chance of scarring.
The procedure involves the application of sub-zero temperatures to freeze the tumors, using needles capable of creating ice-balls of diverse sizes and shapes to match the shape of the tumor exactly.
Galil's cryotherapy technology is already widely used worldwide for the treatment of prostate, kidney cancer and liver cancer.
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| 7. On A7radio: Attorney Sues the PLO and Wins $116 Million!
|  | | A7 Radio's "The Tovia Singer Show"
| The Arab terrorists who murdered Yaron and Efrat Ungar probably didn't anticipate that one day the PLO would have to pay a fortune of money for this crime. Winning attorney David Strachman explains a landmark US Supreme Court ruling against the terror organization.
Also, writer Ellen Horowitz, author of the groundbreaking work, "The Oslo Years - A Mother's Journal" sets the record straight on Oslo's bitter legacy.
Listen Now -or- Download*
Also on Tovia Singer:
So You Think You're a Gentile? Think Again
How many Jews are there in the world? Less than fifteen million? In really, there are many millions of "imposter gentiles" running around who know nothing of their Jewish ancestry. Do you feel like your great grandmother hid her Jewish roots, or your Jewish but know little about your noble lineage? That's where Susan King, managing director of JewishGen.org, comes to the rescue.
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For more A7 Radio visit www.IsraelNationalRadio.com.
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On June 7th, 1967, Motta Gur, commander of the battle for Jerusalem during the Six-Day War, uttered words that shook the very foundations of the world, and served as the culmination of 2,000 years of Jewish hopes, dreams and prayers: "The Temple Mount is in our hands!" Sadly, just under 40 years later, that is no longer the case.
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