Kk-Forum,
og denne. Tortursaken er i siste del.
Knut Rognes
*******************
>X-Sent: 13 Mar 2001 17:24:38 GMT
>X-Sender: MERL@MiddleEast.Org
>From: MER <MERL@MiddleEast.Org>
>To: "MER" <MERL@MiddleEast.Org>
>Date: Tue, 13 Mar 2001 12:23:30 +0000
>Subject: Sharon Prepares To Take On USA
>Reply-To: MER@MiddleEast.Org
>Organization: MiD-EasT RealitieS
>
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> U.S. MEDIA ESTABLISHMENT HELPS PREPARE SHARON'S WAY
>
> Palestinian Supporters Remain Weak, Co-opted, Mislead
>
>MID-EAST REALITIES © - www.MiddleEast.Org - Washington - 3/13:
> Sharon's PR people are working hard preparing his way for a triumphant
>visit to the USA in a few days. They choose Lally Weymouth, long a
"friendly
>journalist", for one of his first major interviews -- published in Newsweek
>this week. Actually, Weymouth is not quite a real journalist -- she's
>really the somewhat eccentric daughter of Washington Post owner Katherine
>Graham and owes her "job" to that simple fact of birth. Weymouth is
extraordinarily
>Israeli-biased and has traveled the world for many years now gaining access
>because of her mother and wealth, few remembering that her interviews and
>columns are only published in the Post-owned publications because years
>ago she threatened to otherwise go work for the Moonie-owned Washington
>Times. The major TV interview Sharon gave in advance of his American tour
>was to another of the somewhat disguised Israeli-oriented journalists,
>CNN's Wolf Blitzer. And here too few remember that Blitzer came to CNN
>from being editor of the Israeli-Jewish lobby's newsletter, "Near East
>Report", and correspondent for the Israeli newspaper, Jerusalem Post.
> Meanwhile, Sharon is taking big steps to smash the Palestinian uprising.
> He probably personally gave the orders to try to assassinate the head
>of Fateh in the West Bank, Marwan Barghouti, yesterday -- the sniper missed,
>killing someone next to Barghouti (maybe purposefully). Trenches now
surround
>Palestinian cities -- just as effectively as barbed wire, though that would
>look too much like concentration camps in photos. More torture (literally
>as well as collectively) and even more repression are on the way. Sharon's
>plans to extinguish the Intifada in one way or another, then to impose
>terms on the Palestinians, one way or another, with or without Arafat.
> And the Israeli propaganda machine is more than alive and well than
>ever. In fact it has been substantially beefed up and enhanced with the
>coming of Sharon. Much money and many very competent people, p.r. firms,
>and organizations are involved in coordinated efforts.
> The Arabs and the Palestinians on the other hand remain light years
>behind, continuing to busy themselves with misguided actions and continuing
>to compliment themselves for doing little things that don't even begin
>to keep pace with today's situation. For instance months ago Palestinian
>supporters in the USA -- given the green light to focus on the general
>theme of "Right of Return" but not on the crucial issues of the "peace
>process" itself, the corruption of the Arafat "Authority", the weakness
>of the Arab regimes, and the realities of their own co-opted organizations
>-- set April 7th for a major demonstration in New York City. What they
>should have done when they first learned the dates of Sharon's visit to
>the US is quickly stepped up the date of their demonstration to coincide
>with Sharon's visit and literally marched on his hotel and Embassy when
>he is here. But they continue to be so badly lead, so continually
manipulated,
>and so pathetically confused that they are not capable of any serious,
>sustained, and timely efforts -- and everyone, themselves included, knows
>this. This is especially true of the ADC (American-Arab Anti-Discrimination
>Committee) which has mislead and deceived so many for so long and whose
>primary real goal is protecting the Arab regimes from criticism while
continually
>feeding themselves with more money and self-given awards.
> Such is the situation in the opening months of 2001 with Ariel Sharon
>about to make a triumphant visit to the modern-day Empire and then likely
>to return to the once Holy Land to bleed and torture the Palestinians still
>further into submission.
>
>
>
>
> SHARON PREPARES TO TAKE ON AMERICA
>
> By Lally Weymouth
>
> NEWSWEEK - March 19,2001 Issue:
> It wasn't long ago that Ariel "Arik" Sharon was
> regarded as a has-been, an aging hawk who seemed
> ill-suited to Israel's modern era of peace and
> prosperity.
>
>THEN ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN tensions erupted in violence, and Israelis flocked
>overwhelmingly to Sharon, who took office last week as the head of a broadly
>based Israeli government. Soon after he was sworn in, the former general
>granted his first interview to Lally Weymouth of The Washington Post and
>Newsweek. "It's hard to be a prime minister," said a smiling Sharon, sitting
>behind his desk in his first week on the job. Sharon started by volunteering
>some information. "President Bush called me two days ago and invited me
>to
>visit him on March 20," he said. Excerpts from the conversation:
>
> Weymouth: You were elected to bring security to the people of
>Israel. How do you plan to do that?
> Ariel Sharon: I would like to negotiate with the Palestinians, but
>this government will be different from the former one. It will not negotiate
>under terror or violence...
>
> Reportedly, some of Arafat's own security apparatus is engaged in
>terrorism. Is this so?
> The Palestinian Authority does not take any preventive steps against
>the infrastructure of the terrorist organizations. And Arafat's most loyal
>forces, like the presidential guard and Force 17, are active participants
>in
>violence and terror.
>
> If the Intifada uprising gets worse, would you consider re-entering
>Palestinian controlled areas on the West Bank?
> Palestinian controlled areas? The answer is no. Areas that were
>given
>to the Palestinians-there, I think the situation is irreversible, and I
>don'
>t think we have to re-enter. That doesn't mean that Israel will not take
>steps against people who find shelter there.
>
> Have you talked to Arafat?
> About three weeks ago, Arafat called me and we had quite a long
>conversation. I stressed that I would like to make a clear distinction
>between terrorist organizations- against whom we have to take the necessary
>steps- and, on the other hand, the Palestinian population, whose conditions
>I would like to ease. I said I would like to start immediately by opening
>the gates of the Palestinian Authority area to raw materials, [permitting]
>their agricultural products to be taken out and increasing the number of
>employees [allowed to come to Israel]. But a day or so later, a wave of
>terror started and has continued right up to today.
>
> Do you believe Arafat has control?
> He hasn't lost control.
>
> Does he have less control than six months ago?
> No change.
>
> If Arafat wanted to stop the terror, could he?
> Yes, he can stop it.
>
> When you spoke to Arafat on the phone, did he indicate he would
>control the violence?
> He listened, he did not answer.
>
> Did he call you or did you call him?
> He called me. I said I would like to ease the conditions of your
>people but in order to do so, steps should be taken to stop the violence.
>
> The U.S. is hoping you will turn over the tax payments to the
>Palestinian Authority.
> We shouldn't look at Arafat as someone who cannot pay his wages.
>They
>have property worth over a billion dollars all over the world.
>
> Do you have plans to meet with Arafat?
> I'm ready to meet and negotiate with him but that cannot be done
>under pressure of terror or violence. That is the difference between this
>government and [Ehud] Barak's. Making those concessions weakened Israel.
>
> It's rumored that your government may close the Gaza airport so
>that
>Arafat's plane cannot take off.
> I don't want to go into details. Because the Palestinian Authority
>is
>behind terror, the concept should be to ease the lives of ordinary citizens
>and harden the lives of those in the Palestinian Authority.. Arafat agreed
>to take the necessary steps but he freed many terrorists who are now
>involved in terror. [In addition to]Hamas and Islamic Jihad, Hezbollah
>is
>involved in terror inside Israel. They are backed by Iran and have the
>sympathy of Syria. Hezbollah has never had better relations with Syria
>
> Is that because Syria's new president, Bashar Assad, is more
>sympathetic to them than his father?
> I think the father, being more experienced, understood better.
>Hezbollah also has support in Arafat's presidential guard. Ten days ago,
>a
>colonel in the presidential guard was killed by us: he was the liaison
>with
>Hezbollah.
>
> What are the targets of Islamic Jihad and company?
> Their targets are Israeli and Jewish targets around the world.
>
> Do you have an interim plan because now that Barak's attempts at
>a
>comprehensive deal have failed?
> Barak agrees he did not succeed. President Clinton called me and
>said
>Israel is free from what he calls "Clinton principles." He said he warned
>Arafat many times that he was playing with terror. The former president
>came
>up with certain proposals. He said they failed because of Arafat. And
>therefore Israel is no longer committed to this plan.
>
> Some say you plan to create a unilateral separation between Israel
>and the Palestinian Authority.
> One should look at realistic plans. The length of the border of
>Judea
>and Samaria 'til 1967 was 309 killometers, and we never managed to control
>it. If we were to make the separation Barak mentioned, the length of the
>border would be over 700 kilometers [435 miles]. Who could patrol this
>border? It is not realistic. There should be an interim agreement or a
>situation of non-belligerency. I know the Palestinians are suffering from
>lack of contiguity. They don't want Israeli check points.
>
> Would you give the Palestinians contiguity?
> Yes, and a road so they could travel freely from the north to the
>south of Judea and Samaria. I have a plan so they don't need to cross check
>points. Maybe that is the way to move forward to peace.
>
> Is the Palestinian Authority importing a lot of weapons and
>ammunition?
> The most dangerous equipment being smuggled in are arms they are
>not
>entitled to have [coming] from Sinai and by ship via Gaza's beaches. They
>have to stop it.
>
> Do you think Iraq is a threat to Israel?
> I think that the new administration rightly regards Iraq as a very
>dangerous country. They have the know-how [to make] weapons of mass
>destruction weapons. They have a very capable group of scientists. No doubt,
>they they are making tremendous efforts to possess weapons of
>mass-destruction. Therefore, we support the steps being taken [ in
>Washington]. I think there is also a danger of Iran getting long-range
>missiles, thanks to support from North Korea and Russia. The most dangerous
>thing is that Iran has become the center of world radical Islamic terror.
>
>What are your other priorities?
> To encourage immigration to Israel. We have to make a major effort
>to
>bring another million Jews from Russia, South America, Central America,
>France, the Ukraine, from other places in the former Soviet Union. And,
>of
>course, we will make a major effort for American Jews to live here. I
>believe that in the coming ten to 12 years we have to make an effort to
>bring another million Jews here. We brought one million in the nineties.
>I
>want to bring another million Jews in the coming 10, twelve years. By the
>year 2020, I hope the majority of Jews will be living here in Israel. We
>also have to make a tremendous effort in education, here and abroad to
>teach
>Zionist values on the one hand and on the other hand, the most sophisticated
>scientific technology. And then we must bring unity to the Israeli
>citizens -between ourselves and the Jews around the world. I believe I
>can
>talk to the right and to the left, to the religious and the secular, to
>the
>ultra-orthodox, to the Arabs, to Jews in Israel and those in the Diaspora.
>And then of course we must attract more investment. These are going to
>be my
>main goals.
>
>Is Israel at a crisis point?
> The country is facing great dangers. On the other hand, there are
>great hopes. It is a country of talent. I think that the idea is to contain
>the dangers and to pursue the hopes.I believe I can do it.
>
> Are you going to try to do a deal with Syria?
> It's very hard for this small nation to negotiate on two fronts.
>And
>besides, Syria at present is the main supporter of the Hezbullah. I think
>first we have to deal with the Palestinians.
>
> Some say you'll be like the hardliner Richard Nixon who unexpectedly
>opened America's relationship with China-that you'll be the hawk who's
>able
>to make peace with the Palestinians.
> I believe I can make peace because I saw all the horrors of wars.
>I
>participated in all the wars and lost my best friends in battles. I was
>seriously injured twice. Therefore, I understand the importance of peace
>better than the politicians who speak about peace but never experienced
>war.
>
> ----------------------------
>
>
> SHARON SET TO LEGALISE TORTURE
> Uzi Mahnaimi, Tel Aviv
>
>[The Sunday Times, 11 March]
>
>THE government of Ariel Sharon, meeting today for the first time, is to
>urge
>Israel's parliament to approve a law that would allow the security service
>to torture Arab detainees.
>
>The use of "moderate physical pressure" during interrogation has been
>oulawed by the high court and Yossi Beilin, the former Labour justice
>minister, resisted demands by Shin Bet, the domestic security service,
>for
>its reintroduction.
>
>Political sources said Sharon's administration, which was sworn in on
>Wednesday, was sympathetic to the demand and had enough support to push
>the
>measure through the Knesset.
>
>Shin Bet officers say force is justified in "time bomb" cases when a
>prisoner is thought to have knowledge of a terrorist act that is about
>to be
>carried out.
>
>"We interrogate hundreds of Palestinians every day, all supected of
>terrorism," said one Shin Bet source. "Last month we arrested a girl who
>lured an Israeli boy via the internet to Ramallah, where he was brutally
>murdered. It took us 30 days to get a confession out of her.
>
>"If we had been allowed to apply physical pressure she would have confessed
>after a couple of hours. Physical pressure saves time and sometimes life."
>
>Force was routinely used by the security services until 1984, when two
>Palestinians were murdered during a Shin Bet investigation. A commission
>of
>inquiry forbade further torture, but the continued use of "moderate physical
>pressure" was permitted until September 1999.
>
>Political sources say the nation's mood has been changed by the tense
>military situation and the government would probably succeed in pushing
>the
>measure through. At least 343 Palestinians, 65 Israelis and 13 Israeli
>Arabs
>have been killed since the beginning of the Palestinian uprising five months
>ago.
>
>The move has come despite signs that the first meeting will soon take place
>between Sharon and Yasser Arafat, the Palestinian leader. Sharon's son,
>Omri, met one of Arafat's senior advisers secretly in Tel Aviv last week,
>apparently to discuss the violence. The Palestinian cabinet later said
>it
>was extending the hand of peace to the new Israeli government - but also
>called for an end to what it called Israel's policy of "siege and
>destruction".
>
>In a concession, the Israelis yesterday allowed the Palestinian parliament
>to hold its first full session since the beginning of the uprising. Two
>members were barred from attending on the grounds that they had incited
>violence against Israel.
>
>In a speech to the parliament, Arafat called for renewed peace talks -
>but
>only on the basis of "existing agreements and understandings".
>
>
>
>
>
>
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