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Friday November 6, 1998

Mideast Report

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- After nearly a year's deliberation, Israeli Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein announced Wednesday that three charges would be brought against former Shin Bet agent Avishai Raviv.

"We will put Mr. Raviv on trial on the charge of failing to prevent a crime in all that has to do with the murder of the late prime minister Yitzhak Rabin," Rubinstein said.

Rubinstein said Raviv, code-named Champagne, was aware of assassin Yigal Amir's intentions to kill Rabin but did not inform his Shin Bet handlers. Raviv will not be charged as an accomplice, apparently because he did not know of Amir's specific plans to shoot Rabin on the night of Nov. 4, 1995.

Raviv, 31, will also be charged with conspiracy and inciting racism.

The latter charge stems from a 1995 "swearing-in" ceremony for the group Eyal that was taped and broadcast on TV, showing masked members who were supposedly joining an organization Raviv was heading that used "all kinds of racist proclamations against Arabs and against `non-Jewish Jews,'" Rubinstein said.

Raviv's lawyer issued a statement saying his client "did not know of Yigal Amir's intention to murder the prime minister. Had he known, he would have reported on it, as he had reported on Amir and others in other matters."

Bill would force radio to play Israeli tunes

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A bill that would force Israeli radio stations to devote at least half of their music air time to Israeli songs passed this week the first of three required Knesset votes.

The bill's author said the legislation is intended to "erect a protective wall" around Israeli music against the onslaught of foreign influences particularly American rock, a favorite among Israeli teens.

University students threaten hunger strike

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- University students intensified their struggle over tuition costs at a 10,000-strong demonstration at Tel Aviv University Tuesday night, threatening to a hunger strike if their demands are not met by the government.

"The whole nation is with us," National Student Union chair Lior Rotbart told the crowd. "We are here not only because of the cost of higher education but to change the order of priorities in the State of Israel.

"They hit our arms, our legs, they wounded 25 of us and jailed 300, but we are not broken. I call on the prime minister: Enough procrastination; we are sick of it. If the problems of education in Israel are not solved by Sunday, the students' strike will continue for an unlimited amount of time."

A source familiar with the negotiations said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will likely have to risk a confrontation with Finance Minister Ya'acov Ne'eman if he wants to end the strike quickly.

Construction starts in Arab neighborhood

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli officials gave the go-ahead this week for ground-clearing work at a Jewish-owned property in the predominantly Arab neighborhood of Ras al-Amud in eastern Jerusalem.

Israel has prevented the right-wing group Ateret Cohanim from developing the site for more than a year, citing concerns that construction could lead to disturbances with local Arab residents.

Members of Peace Now tried to prevent bulldozers from starting the work, but police intervened and arrested three members of the group.

Israeli police also clashed with stone-throwing Palestinians who tried to enter the site.

Meanwhile, Israel gave approval to expand Kiryat Arba, a settlement on the outskirts of Hebron. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu backed the construction of 200 new housing units in Kiryat Arba to soften settler opposition to the Wye agreement, political observers said.

Knesset investigates Italian insurance firm

JERUSALEM (JPS) -- Israeli Knesset members have established a special subcommittee on Italian insurer Assicurazioni Generali.

The subcommittee was set to meet for the first time Wednesday.

Knesset members are concerned by what they call Generali's unwillingness to publish the names of at least 100,000 policyholders who were killed during the Holocaust and whose families have yet to receive payment.

Generali has said it has no legal obligation to pay out because its assets were seized by communist regimes in post-war Europe.

At the same time, Likud Knesset member Avraham Herschson has introduced a motion expressing concern that the true ownership of Generali was not revealed to Bank Leumi when it sold Migdal Insurance to Generali.

"The identity of the shareholders in Generali are a matter of public record, nothing was hidden," a company source said Tuesday night.

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