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Friday April 23, 1999

Mideast Report

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The number of Israeli fatalities from terror attacks dropped during the past two years, the head of the nation's anti-terrorism task force told the cabinet Sunday.

There were 131 terror-related Israeli deaths altogether in 1995 and 1996, but only 46 during 1997 and 1998, according to Meir Dagan. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu claimed credit for the decline, saying it was a "badge of honor" for his government.

FBI seeking suspects in Israeli terror attacks

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- FBI and U.S. Justice Department officials this week finished up a10-day visit to determine the status of terrorists who murdered American citizens.

The team planned to focus on the attack that resulted in the murder of U.S. citizen David Boim near Beit El in May 1996.

It was the team's third visit and followed recent hearings in the U.S. Senate to discuss the issue of Palestinian terrorists involved in terror attacks in Israel in which U.S. citizens died.

Investment in Israel hits all-time record

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Foreign investment in Israel reached an all-time high in 1998, according to the Bank of Israel.

About $74.5 billion was invested at the end of 1998, an increase of $3.6 billion as compared with the end of 1997.

Israeli police expel Palestinian official

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli police expelled a Palestinian cabinet minister from Jerusalem on Sunday after he entered the city in violation of an Israeli order.

Ziad Abu Ziad later denied that he had engaged in political activities in Jerusalem on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Last month, Israeli officials revoked Ziad's VIP entry permit, charging he was involved in such activities, which they said violated the Oslo accords.

Pig-head extremist sentenced to jail

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- An Israeli court handed down a 42-month prison sentence to an Israeli settler convicted of plotting to throw a pig's head with the Koran stuffed into its mouth into the Al-Aksa Mosque in Jerusalem.

Chaim Pakovitch said he planned the 1997 incident to spark Palestinian unrest and destroy the peace process.

U.N. to pay Israelis for Gulf War claims

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A United Nations committee dealing with reparation claims against Iraq dating to the 1991 Gulf War has approved more than $31 million to be paid to Israeli businesses and individuals.

The decision stems from a 1992 U.N. Security Council decision calling on Iraq to compensate victims of the Gulf War.

Israel reclaims stolen Torah crown

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The U.S. Customs Service returned to the Israeli government last Friday an antique Torah crown stolen from Israel and recovered in New York.

The U.S. Attorney's Office, working on a lead from Israeli police, located the crown, valued at $50,000, at an antique jewelry store in midtown Manhattan.

The dealer said a tourist had given him the gold-and-diamond crown, which was among several items stolen during a 1998 burglary at a museum connected to the Great Synagogue in Jerusalem.

Auction ends saga of wartime necklace

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- An Israeli hospital will receive the proceeds from the auction of a diamond and emerald necklace hidden by a European Jew during the Holocaust.

A man hid the necklace, which has 235 diamonds and 18 emeralds, below a kitchen tile before he was arrested by the Nazis. After the war, he returned to his apartment and found the necklace intact.

The necklace was auctioned off last week for $277,500 at Christie's in New York. The man, who died recently, asked that the money go to the hospital.

Druze demonstrators throw stones at police

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- Police used tear gas to disperse stone-throwers during a demonstration Saturday by Golan Heights Druze to mark Syrian independence day.

The incident happened while crowds of Druze gathered near the so-called Shouting Hill on the outskirts of Majdal Shams near the border with Syria.

On the opposite side, Syrian Druze and officials had set up a stage with loudspeakers to broadcast the independence day events to their brethren. On normal days, messages are shouted across the border with the use of megaphones.

Police monitored the activities from the sidelines, but at one stage stones were thrown at them from among the crowd on the hill. In response, police fired tear gas to disperse the stone-throwers.

Drought officially declared in Israel

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- Israel is in the middle of a drought, Agriculture Minister Rafael Eitan officially announced Thursday of last week.

He spoke at a Tel Aviv conference to explain plans for saving water in the agricultural sector, whose water supply may be cut by 40 percent.

"I call on everyone, both you and those who don't use it for commercial purposes, to save water," Eitan told farmers and ministry officials.

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