1. CABINET MINISTERS WANT REFERENDUM ON WITHDRAWAL
Several cabinet ministers have joined the call for a national referendum on the withdrawal plan from Gaza.
Finance Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined those calling for a referendum last Monday. The Jerusalem Post wrote that Netanyahu announced that he is in favor of a referendum to prevent a dangerous rift in the country.
„I propose that we have a very rapid process of approving legislation for a referendum in the Knesset, a referendum that will include one question: ‘Are you for or against the staged disengagement plan as accepted by the government?'“ Netanyahu said according to the Post.
In addition to Netanyahu, Ministers Uzi Landau and Zevulun Orlev have also called on Sharon to agree to hold a national referendum, Arutz-7 reported. One of the first who mentioned the idea of holding a referendum was President Moshe Katsav.
Up to 100,000 Israelis voiced their protest against the withdrawal plan, when they demonstrated against the plan in Jerusalem last Sunday. The demonstration was concluded with a march towards the prime minister’s residence.
Various political figures have warned over the past week that opposition to the withdrawal plan, and the government’s intentions of using the army to forcefully evacuate Jewish people from their homes, could escalate into a civil war. Netanyahu said that a referendum will reduce the flames of violence. „Who knows what will happen. Who knows who will harm whom. A referendum will preserve unity in the country,“ Netanyahu said, according to the Post.
Sharon told Haaretz on Monday that a referendum is not on the agenda, and that according to the withdrawal timetable, there is not sufficient time to hold a referendum.
The Middle East Newsline wrote yesterday that Netanyahu has been preparing the ground to challenge Sharon as leader of the Likud party. According to MENL, Netanyahu is planning to challenge Sharon over the next few months regarding Sharon’s withdrawal plans.
2. MINISTERS APPROVE PRINCIPLES FOR WITHDRAWAL
The Israeli security cabinet voted on Tuesday to approve the principles for the withdrawal from Gaza.
A range of proposals governing evacuation and compensation of the civilian population was approved by a margin of 9-1, according to Haaretz. This decision could mean that Gaza Jews who are willing to voluntarily relocate, could start to receive advance payments in the coming days or weeks.
Compensation for a family could total USD 500,000 or more, with a third of the amount as an advance payment, Haaretz wrote.
The only minister who voted against was the National Religious Party’s Zevulun Orlev.
After the vote, Orlev told Arutz-7, „I don’t know how we can pay advance compensation if the Knesset has not yet passed a law for the withdrawal.“ The NRP said that they will turn to the Supreme Court to have the decision nullified, since „the approval of advance payments for an uprooting that has not yet been decided upon is unreasonable and illegal.“
The NRP debated last Monday whether to quit the government. The party’s central committee decided to remain in the government for now, but to leave if one of five conditions are met, which include a government and Knesset decision to uproot Jewish communities, Arutz-7 wrote.
3. PA LEADERS CALL FOR GENOCIDE OF JEWS
Palestinian religious leaders have twice during three days openly called for genocide of Jews, the Palestinian Media Watch reported.
On both those occasions, the religious leaders presented the killing of Jews „not merely as the will of Allah, but also as a necessary stage in history that should be carried out now,“ PMW wrote.
Last Friday, Sheik Ibrahim Madira said in his sermon on Palestinian TV: „The prophet [Muhammed] said: The resurrection will not take place until the Muslims fight the Jews, and the Muslims kill them. The Muslims will kill the Jews, rejoice [in it], rejoice in Allah’s victory.“
On the other occasion, Dr. Muhammad Ibrahim Maadi said on his weekly TV show that the Muslims are waging a war with the Jews, whom he called „the brothers of the monkeys and pigs.“ According to PMW, Maadi said that the Jews will hide behind trees and rocks, „and the tree and rock will say: oh Muslim, oh servant of Allah, there is a Jew behind me, come and kill him.“
4. FBI INVESTIGATING ARAFAT’S ROLE IN MURDERS
The FBI has launched an investigation into PLO leader Yasser Arafat’s involvement in the murders of two American diplomats in Sudan in 1973, WorldNetDaily reported.
On 1 March 1973, eight members of the PLO stormed the Saudi embassy in Khartoum, Sudan, taking several diplomats hostages. On the next day, the PLO terrorists murdered US Ambassador Cleo Noel, US Charge D’Affaires George Moore, and Belgian Charge D’Affaires Guy Eid.
James Welsh, the National Security Agency’s Palestinian analyst in 1973, has said that the NSA has tapes of Arafat ordering the executions, WorldNetDaily wrote.
In April of this year, Israel Report wrote that Arafat approved an attack on a U.S. diplomatic convoy in the Gaza Strip in October last year. Three Americans were killed in that attack.
5. STEREOTYPICAL JEW IN SWEDISH NEWSPAPER CARTOON
A leading Swedish newspaper published a cartoon depicting a „stereotypical, wicked Jew,“ according to HonestReporting.
The cartoon depicted a Swedish man taking his dog for a walk, in conversation with a Jew. The man with the dog said, „I don’t think one should build walls between people.“ Whereupon the Jew answered, „D**n anti-Semite!!“
„One would have hoped such a portrayal of the stereotypical, wicked Jew would have disappeared with the Nazis, but it’s alive and well in Sweden today,“ HonestReporting wrote.
6. JEWISH NEW YEAR CELEBRATED TODAY
Today, Jewish people all over the world are celebrating Rosh Hashana, which is the Jewish New Year.
According to Jewish tradition, Adam and Eve were created on Rosh Hashana, and the holiday is a commemoration of the creation of the world.
Jewish rabbis teach that the New Year is a time of judgment, when God is judging the world. God is evaluating or judging His creation.
On Rosh Hashana, Jews eat several different types of symbolic foods. While they eat apples dipped in honey, they say a prayer to God asking Him for „a good and sweet new year.“
Another Rosh Hashana custom is to hear the sounding of the „shofar“ blasts, or the sounds from a ram’s horn.
According to the Jewish calendar, the new year which starts today is the year 5765 after the creation of the world. Rosh Hashana is celebrated for two days, both today and tomorrow.
7. YOM KIPPUR NEXT WEEK
Saturday, 25 September, is Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement.
The historical background to Yom Kippur comes from the Torah, or the five Books of Moses. When Moses asked God to forgive the people of Israel for the sin of the golden calf, God granted them atonement, and according to Jewish traditions, Moses brought the second set of the tablets of the law down from Mount Sinai on Yom Kippur.
Yom Kippur is a day of fasting. In addition to abstaining from food and drink, the Jews are also expected to abstain from washing, applying lotions to the skin, marital relations, and wearing leather shoes.
Yom Kippur is the holiest day of the Jewish year.
8. BRIEFS
An Iranian judo athlete who refused to compete against an Israeli athlete at the Olympic Games, was honored when he returned to Iran. The World Jewish Congress wrote that Arash Miresmaeli received the same prize money which was given to gold medallists, because „he earned eternal honor by his refusal,“ Tehran’s mayor said…
A Central Bureau of Statistics press release shows that, on the eve of the Jewish New Year, the population of Israel is estimated at 6.8 million people. Of those, approximately 5.2 million are Jews, 287,000 are family members of Jews, and approximately 1.3 million are Arabs. During the last year, the population grew by approximately 110,000…
Daylight savings time (or summer time) in Israel will end at 1 AM on Wednesday, 22 September, IMRA reported. At that time, Israeli clocks will be turned back one hour to midnight. From 22 September to 31 October, when Europe reverts from daylight savings time to standard time, Israel will have the same time as Central Europe.