"This year also shows potential for significant growth in exports to Arab countries," said David Arzi, Chairman of the IEI. "But that depends on the economic development of countries in the region."

The biggest growth came from exports to Egypt, an increase of 214% for the year to $93m., the big sellers being in chemicals, oil refinery products.

The IEI said that given the Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) agreement Israel has with Egypt, it sees great potential to build on the successes of last year in doing business in Egypt.

Meanwhile, exports to Jordan for the year dropped by 13% to $115.2m. The IEI explained that the fall-off came as a result of the effective diminishing of the QIZ agreement with Jordan resulting from a recent trade agreement Jordan signed with the US allowing for free trade between the two countries.

Elsewhere, the IEI said that 66 Israeli exporters were active in selling goods in Iraq, bringing total sales there to $5.7m. for the year, up 24% from 2004. The exports included security-related products, consumer goods, freight goods, rubber and plastics, mining, quarrying and mineral materials.

JORDAN, ISRAEL TO FIGHT AVIAN FLU TOGETHER (10/21)
ARUTZ 7 reported that veterinarians from Jordan met with their Israeli counterparts at the Allenby Bridge border on October 19 to coordinate their efforts to combat the avian flu.

Jordanian officials requested the meeting to explore Israeli preparations for a possible outbreak of the virus. Israeli and Jordanian veterinary service officials agreed to collaborate at an Israeli laboratory in Beit Dagan, said Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom. Representatives from the two countries will meet again in three weeks to compare notes and evaluate their findings.

Although Israel will not be working directly with other Arab nations, Israeli officials said there would be indirect coordination of efforts through Jordan with most other Middle Eastern countries, including Syria and Iraq.

The deadly H5N1 strain has resulted in 67 deaths thus far, all in Asia. An international health alert was raised when the virus spread from Asia to Russia, Turkey, Romania, and Kazakhistan.

Israeli health officials say that even though they do not expect the bird flu to pose a significant risk for most of the population, they have nonetheless made preparations to combat the virus. Inoculations of high-risk people have already begun, poultry farms and processing facilities are being closely monitored, and plans are on the table to destroy fowl within a three-kilometer (mile) radius of any bird found infected with the flu.

The orchestra will perform Mozart, Mahler and Beethoven music in concerts this week. In addition to the 102 young musicians of the orchestra –from Israel, the Palestinian territories, Syria, Lebanon, Egypt, Jordan and Spain – Marian Said, widow of professor Edward Said, who was one of the driving forces behind the project, is accompanying Barenboim.

The canal will generate electricity, provide fresh water, and prevent the Dead Sea from drying up.

It will draw water from the Red Sea at Aqaba in Jordan, raise it 170 meters above sea level, and then let it fall to the Dead Sea which, at 400 meters below sea level, is the lowest place on earth.

The project will consist of 110 miles of canal, tunnel and piping, and the electricity provided by the water will provide for pumping the water in the initial stages and power a desalination plant.

Prof. Menachem Luria and Dr. Daniel Pederson of the Institute of Earth Sciences, together with a team from the university’s air quality research laboratory, are this week instructing the professional staff of the Palestinian Meteorological Service in operating equipment to measure air pollution.

The purpose of the project is to include in the Israel database on air pollution the data on air pollution in the Gaza Strip because of the mutual influence of Israel and Gaza on each other.

According to Prof. Luria, "Most of the air pollutants are released along the Mediterranean coast, since it is there that the most intensive economic activity is to be found, from the north of Israel to the Gaza strip. The pollutant which are released along the coast are carried inwards to the West Bank, the mountainous region and Jordan, so that there is a movement of pollution from Tel Aviv to the West Bank and in addition from the Gaza Strip to Israel."

The advantage in the cooperation is that when the national system for control of air pollution receives data from the Gaza strip and the West Bank, the measurements will be more thorough and more exact than at present and will serve both sides, said Luria.

A statement issued by the IDF Spokesman warned, however, that "in the event of an extreme change in circumstances, the army would be free to reevaluate the policy" and possibly resume house demolitions in the future.

In another goodwill gesture towards the Palestinian Authority, twenty Palestinians who were among the 39 exiled to Europe and the Gaza Strip as part of a deal to end the standoff in Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity in May 2002 will be allowed to return once the Palestinians receive security control over the city. Mofaz announced the decision on Thursday night, after meeting with Israeli representatives of the various security committees to hear updates on their meetings with Palestinian officials.

Some of the participants said the success of the four-way political summit in Sharm el-Sheikh in Egypt last Tuesday, together with the New York conference, raised hopes that the investment zones would be very successful and overcome the hostility and suspicion that has characterized Israeli-Egyptian relations for decades.

At 22 selected sites, the team is collecting samples of plants and microbes that will be studied using advanced genetic and information technologies. Samples will be analyzed at laboratories at Stanford University and in Israel and Jordan. This cooperation between Israeli and Jordanian scientists is unprecedented, said BTR organizers, who are building an infrastructure for future collaboration between the two former enemies.

Scientists from the two countries have been working together for the last 18 months with the support of Jordan's King Abdullah II and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. BTR founder and foundation president Mati Kochavi, an Israeli businessman living in New York, said he viewed the current cooperation with satisfaction.

The main problem Palestinian olive growers face is a lack of market for their produce, which results in large surpluses. Domestic consumption is 14,000 tons of olive oil a year. Another 5,000 tons is sold to Israel, and 2,000-3,000 tons to Arab countries. The rest remains unsold in warehouses. Jordan, which imported olive oil from the Palestinian territories for years, has become a competitor, exporting 900 tons a year to Israel, duty free.

Israel Olive Oil Board director general Amin Hasan said that Israel and the Palestinians were also cooperating in a joint pesticide research, and in a venture to try to produce electricity from olive waste, financed by Europe.

ABBAS CALLS ISRAEL "THE ZIONIST ENEMY" (1/4/05)
PLO chief Mahmoud Abbas, who is the leading candidate in the elections for the Palestinian Authority Chairmanship to be held on January 9th, called Israel the "Zionist enemy" today in what marked a sharp escalation of his campaign rhetoric, HA'ARETZ reported.

Speaking to thousands of supporters after an IDF retaliatory strike killed seven Palestinians in the northern Gaza town of Beit Lahiya, Abbas said: "We came to you today, while we are praying for the souls of the martyrs who were killed today by the shells of the Zionist enemy in Beit Lahiya."

While Abbas is considered a moderate and has the tacit support of Israel and the United States, he has in recent days been courting terror group members, campaigning in Palestinian areas that have been the hardest hit by four years of fighting.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom expressed his disappointment with Abbas' latest statements today, which he branded as "the kind that hasn't been heard in a long time."

Hindawi said the cooperation with Israel had already allowed Jordan to sharply increase its trade with the United States in recent years and that he hoped, "the same results will occur in exporting to Europe."

Olmert expressed the hope that the agreement would strengthen the links not only between the two countries, which in 1994 signed a peace agreement, but also with other Arab states. "Trade agreements will permit improving our relations with Arab states, including the Palestinians," Olmert said during his meeting with King Abdullah that followed the signing of the trade accord. Olmert also told Abdullah Israel was ready to invite and fund the studies of some 100 Jordanian students in different hi-tech fields in Israel. "King Abdullah's reaction [to Israel's offer] was fantastic," Olmert said, "and my feeling is that relations with Jordan are tightening not only on the economical front."

Within the framework of the military operation, a special route into the area has been established to provide easy access to vehicles of international organizations and maintenance crews working in coordination with the local liaison office. In addition, representatives of the District Coordination Office (DCO) are stationed at the various points along the route in order to provide all necessary humanitarian assistance.

At this time, over 35 trips have been coordinated along the route with the aid of the DCO including convoys of medical supplies, maintenance crews, vehicles belonging to international organizations and local ambulances.

Although just 500 workers and 700 traders were allowed into Israel, the small-scale reopening is part of a series of measures being taken by the IDF to improve the quality of life for Palestinians. In a similar vein, some 40 roadblocks and obstacles were removed last week from around villages in the West Bank.

SOROKA SAVES TWO GAZA CHILDREN IN ONE WEEK (6/15)
The JERUSALEM POST has reported that twice in one week, humanitarian gestures at Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba have saved Palestinian children from Gaza who have no medical insurance. A seven-year-old girl suffered second- and third-degree burns over a third of her body after she was left alone at home and a large pot of boiling water overturned on her. Her grandfather, who worked for many years as a building contractor in Israel, thanked the hospital and said that without its care, she would had suffered from great pain and died. A 22-month-old boy was brought to the hospital with a severe bacterial infection. Both were treated at Soroka's pediatric intensive care unit and are in stable condition.

EXPORTS TO ARAB COUNTRIES ON THE RISE (6/4)
Israel has a new trading partner, Iraq, where the U.S. army stationed in the country purchased some $2 million worth of Israeli defense and consumer goods in the first quarter of 2004, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Based on a quarterly survey by the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, exports to Arab countries rose 78 percent in the first quarter to $38 million. Some $3 million worth of exports were also made to Arab states, through third-party companies, usually in Europe. As in past years, Jordan and Egypt dominated the list of neighbors trading with Israel. Most of the increase was in exports to Jordan and Egypt. Imports from Arab states rose 37 percent in the first quarter to $21 million.

ISRAELI FARMERS HELP FORMER PALESTINIAN WORKERS (6/4)
Many farmers in the Eshkol regional council, near Gaza, are worried about their Palestinian laborers. Dozens of employers in southern Israel who were accustomed, sometimes for decades, to life together with a Palestinian worker or foreman from Gaza, support them with money on a monthly basis, to help them through the bad times.

As reported in HA’ARETZ, in the pre-intifada years, about 10,000 Palestinian laborers used to work in the area of the Eshkol regional council, on hundreds of farms, in every settlement in the region.

IRAQI DOCTOR TREATED IN ISRAEL (6/1)
A doctor from Iraq is receiving treatment in an Israeli hospital for injuries suffered in a terrorist bombing, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The doctor, whose eyesight was damaged in the explosion, is being treated at Hadassah Hospital in Ein Karem, Jerusalem, after ZAKA workers responded to a request by an international humanitarian organization to arrange for his stay. The organization turned to ZAKA with the request, because Hadassah is the sole hospital that could perform the surgery the doctor needed. Last week, the Interior and Foreign Ministries gave their okay and issued the permit for the doctor to stay in Israel for a month.

AMMAN UNIVERSITY WANTS ISRAEL BRANCH (6/1)
Representatives of Jordan's Al-Ahliyya Amman University met with Minister of Education Limor Livnat on Monday for talks on opening an extension of the institute of higher learning in Israel, HA'ARETZ reported. Maher Hurani, the university's director and owner, told Livnat that he was determined to establish ties with Israel despite threats and opposition voiced against the move by elements in the Arab world and Jordan.

"The Court believes that the IDF has learned the lessons of the past in terms of dealing with the [civilian] Palestinian population." The president of the Supreme Court, Justice Aharon Barak, said. The court added that following the events in Jenin during Operation Defensive Shield, the army had learnt to take into accounts the humanitarian needs of the population when planning operations.

Col. Yoav Mordechai said today that Palestinian ambulances in Gaza were not subject to restrictions. He also denied claims that deliveries of medications were prevented from reaching Rafah, saying a truckload of medicine arrived in Rafah on Thursday night from Egypt.

HUMANITARIAN ASSISTANCE
DURING THE IDF OPERATION IN RAFAH (5/21)
The spokesperson for Israel’s Defense Forces (IDF) has announced that during the IDF operation in Rafah that began on May 18, 2004, the IDF enhanced its humanitarian assistance through its district coordination offices. These offices were instructed to assist with all requests put forward by Palestinians in order to ease the situation of the civilian population.

* During the operation 70 ambulances, more than 40 trucks loaded with food, water, medical supplies, mattresses and blankets flowed into the combat zone.

* 490 oxygen tanks were delivered to hospitals in Gaza.

Although the IDF coordination office offered to treat the wounded in Israeli hospitals, the Palestinians declined and only two of the wounded were transported to Israeli hospitals for further medical care. In spite of the heavy fighting, forces were designated for the opening of safe passages for ambulances in order to evacuate the wounded.

The doctors knew the child, who was failing rapidly, would not survive without specialized care and felt his only chance would come from Israel. They contacted Meir Hospital in Kfar Saba, outside of Ra'anana. Arrangements were made to immediately receive him. At present, the baby is doing well and should be released in about two weeks.

But there's more: The parents, lacking the proper papers, were unable to accompany the baby. Doctors, however, felt that the child's recovery required the presence of their love. It happens that the head of the premature babies unit, Dr. Tsipi Dolfin, is also an unpaid deputy mayor of Ra'anana. She contacted the mayor, Ze'ev Bielski, who contacted Defense Minister Shual Mofaz. Result: the parents are now constantly at the side of their baby.

ISRAEL PREPARES
FOR PRISONER EXCHANGE WITH HEZBOLLAH (1/27/04)
Preparations for Thursday's prisoner exchange with Hezbollah moved into high gear today, as the defense establishment finalized the list of the 436 Palestinians due to be released as part of the swap, HA'ARETZ reported. One hundred and fifty of the people slated for release are convicted offenders, while the remainder is composed of administrative detainees. Among the offenders, all have less than three years left to serve, and none have "blood on their hands" - most of them were convicted of relatively minor offenses, such as entering Israel illegally, maintaining membership in a terrorist organization, stone-throwing, or throwing Molotov cocktails.

SHARON: NEW PA LEADERSHIP
OPPOSING TERROR EXPECTED TO ARISE SOON (11/4)
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon declared on Monday in Moscow that he "believe[s] that very soon a new Palestinian leadership will materialize, oppose the policies of terror, violence and incitement adopted by Yasser Arafat, and be prepared to work together with us on a genuine, honest implementation of the road map," HA'ARETZ reported. Sharon added that such a new Palestinian Authority leadership would discover that Israel was "a serious partner, and that together we can bring peace and tranquillity to both peoples."

His remarks come just a week after Malaysian PM Mahathir said, "Jews rule the world by proxy. They get others to fight and die for them." Israel, Germany, the United States, Canada, Britain and Australia condemned his comments.

In addition, 5,000 laborers will be allowed to work in the Jewish communities in the West Bank, and 2,000 Christian Arabs from Bethlehem will be allowed into Jerusalem for the Feast of the Birth of Mary.

All of these have been approved despite constant attacks being carried out by Palestinian terrorists. Bombs were set off today against IDF soldiers near Kibbutz Nir Oz on the border of the Gaza Strip, and at Sufa crossing in southern Gaza, causing no injuries.

"I want to participate in Face of America to show that handicapped can do something, to show that my condition is not helpless," Mustafa Hirbawi, a 22-year-old Palestinian from Jerusalem, said. On January 27, 2002, Hirbawi was wounded in a homicide bombing on Jerusalem's Jaffa Road. Hirbawi bears the permanent scars of the attack: a singed lung, the loss of several fingers, shrapnel scars, and recurrent nightmares.

Matan Porat, a 21-year-old Israeli pianist and composer, said it was the first time he had met Arab musicians. "It's very interesting to see that we have had the same education and share the same views," he said. Mohamed Saleh, a 27-year-old oboist from Egypt, said he felt very comfortable working with musicians from Israel and other countries. "We don't care about the government or political problems or anything. We are just human and want to live together and have fun," he said.

STUDY REVEALS ISRAELI ARAB,
JEWISH CHILDREN AS LIKELY TO RECEIVE KIDNEYS (8/29)
Pediatric nephrologist Professor Alfred Drukker and colleagues at Jerusalem's Shaare Zedek Hospital found that Israeli Arab children with end-stage kidney disease are as likely to receive cadaver kidneys as their Jewish peers, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The study, published in the latest issue of Pediatrics, reported that from 1990-2000, Arab Israeli children received 66 kidneys from cadavers and Jewish children received 64. The waiting times for a kidney and the long-term outcome of surgery were identical for both Jewish and Arab children.

The Shaare Zedek team noted that studies carried out in the United States and other countries had shown that minority groups in those places had significantly lower rates of kidney transplantation compared to the population's majority. This is apparently due to reduced access to medical care for minorities. However, in Israel, which has a system of universal health insurance, transplant surgery is covered by health funds and computers setting priorities on the basis of objective data select candidates for transplants.

The study also revealed that Arab Israeli children were on average far more likely to need a kidney transplant than their Jewish counterparts, due to the Arab phenomenon of consanguinity (inbreeding), in which congenital diseases occur because first cousins marry.

ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN CHILDREN
COME TOGETHER FOR SOCCER GAME IN JAPAN (8/22)
Twenty-two children - 11 from Israel and 11 from the Palestinian territories- put politics aside to participate in a program hosted in Japan featuring soccer and promoting peace in the Middle East at the grassroots level, HA'ARETZ reported. The week-long program of soccer matches, camping, concerts and stays with Japanese families is the brainchild of Daitetsu Koike, a Buddhist monk and president of Takasaki University of Art and Music north of Tokyo. Koike was inspired by the universal nature of soccer and decided to bring the children over from their homelands. "All children play soccer, and through this they could communicate," he said. "It's now become hard for both Israelis and Palestinians to think about peace at home."

Against the background of renewed violence at home, it was clear that changing things might be difficult. But to those taking part, the troubles underscored the importance of what they were trying to accomplish.

Four mixed teams of Israelis, Palestinians and Japanese played two games as part of the program. "It was fun and I feel very happy that we played together," Tzah Ben-Menechem, an 11-year-old Israeli boy, said. Others, like 9-year-old compatriot Ryan Whbee, had more complicated feelings. "This is the first time that I meet them, I play with them, it's not easy," he said. "But when we play and meet each other, we began to feel more easy."

"It is very important today, what we are having here," Waleed Siam, Ambassador at the Mission of Palestine in Japan, said. "They take back to their own societies how important (it is) that we have to shake hands and have peace.

Gershon Baskin, an Israeli NGO member whose two children were taking part in the experience said that "the children are the future and the children can show the adults that we can live together". For the children, though, soccer clearly trumped more weighty matters. Asked how it felt to kick the ball, Ahmad Nofal, an 11-year-old Palestinian, said: "Happy. Just happy."

ISRAELI-ARAB
SUMMER CAMP INVESTIGATED FOR INCITEMENT (8/2)
Israeli police arrested on Thursday eight of the organizers of a summer camp believed to be engaging in political incitement against Israel in the Arab village of Kabul in the Galilee, HA'ARETZ reported. The camp began to disperse, but it has not yet been closed down. The police may ask that the suspects be remanded today.

Police came to the camp on Thursday morning in response to reports that anti-Israel propaganda programs were being held at the summer camp. While searching the camp the police officers found and confiscated PLO flags and other materials suspected of being used in inflammatory activities. As a result of testimonies taken from witnesses, two camp counselors were summoned for questioning.

The police acknowledged, however, that "although the incitement and rebellious activities have allegedly been halted," in practice it is impossible to prevent anti-Israeli activities at the camp. These include singing of anti-Israeli songs and reading materials whose purpose is to incite the youth. Authorities believe that Israeli-Arab children in the camp are taught about Palestinian terrorists ("martyrs"). The children sing songs that praise homicide attacks and express the hope for a return to Jaffa, Ashdod and Haifa and the building of a Palestinian state from the Mediterranean Sea to the Jordan River.

ISRAEL HELPS PALESTINIAN
CHILDREN FLY ABROAD FOR MEDICAL TREATMENT (7/29)
Israeli Civil Administration officials in the West Bank facilitated the flight of seven Palestinian children, ages 5 to 10, to Italy for lifesaving medical treatment, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Six of the children suffer from thalassemia, a genetic blood disorder, and one has a heart defect. Twenty-three family members, some of whom will donate bone marrow to the children will accompany the four boys and three girls from Ramallah, Jenin, Nablus, and Hebron to Italy.

Following the announcement, Olmert said he would immediately set out to meet with leading figures dealing with economic issues in the PA including PA Finance Minister Salam Fiad. Recently, Olmert met with the PA Trade Minister in Palermo, Italy and invited him to meet again in Jerusalem. Olmert said increasing financial ties with the PA would help strengthen the political process.

Before the Palestinian terror wave began, Israel sold some $2.5 billion in goods and services annually to the PA, and purchased $800 million annually in return. Since the outbreak of Palestinian violence, however, these figures have been cut in half. Olmert said he hoped to restore the figures to their original levels before the terror began.

An issue likely to be discussed is the continued transfer of payments to the PA of monies collected from Palestinian laborers and businesses. Numerous Israeli companies, including Bezeq, Egged, and Israel Electric, have demanded the government freeze the funds to pay outstanding bills owed to them by the PA and for damages incurred by the Palestinian terror.

Minister of Justice Tommy Lapid, Shinui's leader, said on Monday that, "the idea to invite Abu Mazen (Abbas) came up yesterday before noon in a meeting with Palestinian minister for prisoners affairs Hisham Abdul Razek and the Palestinian Minister of Justice Abed El Karim Abu Salech."

Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin explained that Lapid had approached him and asked for his authorization to issue the invitation for the visit. Rilvin said he approved the unofficial invitation but indicated, "this is not a state visit so there won't be a Palestinian flag raised in the Knesset and Abu Mazen won't enter the plenum and there won't be any official ceremony."

Monday was busy with a series of high-ranked meetings between Israeli and Palestinian officials. Besides the meeting between Lapid, Isham Abdul Razek and Abed El Karim Abu Salechon that focused on the issue of the release of Palestinian prisoners, Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom met with Palestinian Minister of Information Nabil Amr. The two discussed the subject of incitement in the PA. Minister of Infrastructure, Yossef Paritzki, met with his colleague Nabil Kasis, in charge of planning in the PA and Minister Yasser Abed-Rabbo. Their talks revolved on the topic of the peace process, the Road Map and the release of prisoners.

PA'S ANTI-ISRAEL INCITEMENT SEEMS TO BE DECREASING (7/8)
Following his meeting with Palestinian Authority Information Minister Nabil Amr, Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom released a statement saying that there had been a positive change in the degree of anti-Israel incitement within the Palestinian Authority, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. This is the first statement made by a senior official that feelings toward Israel are changing within the PA. Shalom said that, "this proves that where there is the will, results can be achieved." He added that a strategic decision to abandon the language of hatred still had to be made. Amr said that his decision to tackle the issue of anti-Israel incitement included meeting with Palestinian media and a review of schoolbooks. Amr added that he would work with the United States to define incitement and address the issue in an effective manner.

One of the road map's first achievements was the establishment of a joint committee headed by Maj.-Gen. (res.) Ya'acov Amidror, and a Palestinian counterpart, dealing with the issue of incitement. Subcommittees will also be set up to tackle anti-Israel messages in the print and electronic media, and in the mosques. Amidror said his committee was different from previous ones created during the Oslo process in that, more than ever, the sides understood that hate had to be taken very seriously and that anti-incitement measures were an integral part of the fight against terrorism. Amidror added that this was only the "first step toward a shift in attitudes toward Israel by Palestinians."

EGYPT, JORDAN
AMBASSADORS MAY SOON RETURN TO ISRAEL (7/8)
According to an article published in the London-based Al-Quds al-Arabi newspaper, Egypt and Jordan are considering returning their ambassadors to Tel Aviv by the end of the month, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. This comes a month after Egypt and Jordan rebuffed U.S. requests at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit to do so. The paper reported that the United States was pressuring Cairo and Amman to return their diplomats in light of the recent progress made in the diplomatic process. Egypt recalled its ambassador in November 2000, soon after the outbreak of the Palestinian violence, while Jordan, whose ambassadorship was empty at the time, decided not to fill the vacant post. Israeli diplomatic officials said that Jordan's King Abdullah promised at the Aqaba summit last month that an ambassador would be sent in the near future. According to Israel Radio, KOL ISRAEL, Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom said on Monday that Europe had recently placed pressure on both Arab countries to return their ambassadors.

IDF SOLDIER DELIVERS PALESTINIAN BABY (7/2)
The IDF Spokesperson has reported that on June 27, 2003, a Palestinian ambulance arrived at a checkpoint in the Kalkilya area. The checkpoint was manned by IDF soldiers, including Lieutenant (Reserve) Vadim, a medical officer.

As the ambulance drew to a stop, the paramedics opened the doors and asked the IDF soldiers to help them in delivering a baby. According to Lieut. (Reserve) Vadim, "The head of the baby had emerged when I arrived on the scene. A short while later, the baby was successfully delivered." Lieut. (Reserve) Vadim cut the baby’s umbilical cord and administered an intravenous infusion to the mother.

The mother and child were then transported by the Palestinian ambulance to a nearby hospital.

ARABS BOYCOTT ISRAEL AT SPECIAL OLYMPICS (6/24)
HA’ARETZ reports that the Israeli delegation to the Special Olympics has lodged an official protest with the organizers in Ireland after Arab teams boycotted competitions in which Israel was taking part. The Saudi indoor soccer team did not show up for a match against the Israelis, nor did an Algerian table tennis player for his game against an Israeli. The Arab boycott of the Israeli teams made the front pages of the Irish press. There are 150 countries represented at the games, with Israel's team consisting of 29 participants.

INCREASING
ISRAELI-PALESTINIAN COEXISTENCE VIA TECHNOLOGY (6/9)
New Generation Technology or NGT - a government-subsidized technological incubator launched two years ago by five successful Israeli-Arab businessmen along with a Jewish Israeli hi-tech entrepreneur - stands as a unique model for coexistence between Jews and Arabs based on technology and entrepreneurship, ISRAEL21C reported. NGT, subsidized and supported by Israel's Ministry of Industry and Trade, had one mission: to provide fledgling Israeli Arab entrepreneurs the opportunity to research and develop their ideas and the possibility of starting a business based on the success of their research.

Sharon Devir, the CEO of NGT, was drawn to the idea of the incubator, and the idea of Arabs and Jews working together to pursue business goals. He emphasizes that the incubator is being run as a business, and not a charity. While promoting coexistence is one of its goals, its primary mission, like any business, is to turn a profit.

"I have total freedom to take professional decisions and how to run the incubator. There are no guidelines from the board of directors either to take Arab or Christian or Jewish employees. The only thing I tried to do at the beginning was to insure that most of my administrative staff was Arab in order to make Arab applicants feel more confident," says Devir.

Despite the existence of 22 other government-sponsored technological incubators in Israel, Arab entrepreneurs with an idea have been hesitant to approach them, Devir explains.

"An Arab businessman doesn't feel comfortable stepping into a Jewish business environment and saying 'here I am - invest in me!' One of the big problems is when they have to ask for investments, it's almost like having to undress before someone. Here's this person who they've never met before and they have to disclose all the secrets about this project they've been working on for 15 years. With us, they see Arab staff and an Arab Chairman (Nasser Said), and they see there's no bluffing going on - and it's working."

On Wednesday, after hearing the testimonies of six Birkenau survivors, the participants will set up a memorial near the Death Wall, where Jews were lined up by number and shot. The Arab participants plan to recite the names of the group's Jewish members' relatives who died in the Holocaust. A second group of similar size, also organized by "From Memory to Peace" and comprised of Jews, Arabs, and Christians from France, will join the Israelis for dinner Wednesday night.

Israeli organizer Ruth Bar-Shalev said the participants had been recruited on a non-political basis and that they represented a critical mass of leaders, entrepreneurs, and trendsetters "who would now write, act, lead, and live within a new paradigm."

Upon taking office, Lapid had said he would appoint an Israeli-Arab to the Supreme Court at a permanent position. Legal sources believe that if Joubran's 'trial' period were successful, he would become the first Israeli-Arab to become a permanent Supreme Court Justice.

Joubran, 56, was born in Haifa and completed his legal studies at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1968. Between 1970 and 1982 he worked as an independent lawyer in Acre and served as Chancellor of the Israel Rotary Association. Joubran was first appointed to the bench in 1982 as a Haifa Magistrates Court judge, and in 1993 was appointed to the city's District Court. He is also a senior fellow in the faculty of general studies at Haifa University.

RIFAT TURK NAMED TEL AVIV'S FIRST ARAB DEPUTY MAYOR
(3/11)
In a move some called "historic," former Hapoel Tel Aviv soccer star Rifat "Jimmy" Turk, has been elected deputy mayor of Tel Aviv. Mayor Ron Huldai hailed Monday's appointment: "I am proud that the first Hebrew city is today appointing an Arab, born in Jaffa, to the position of deputy mayor. It is not enough to talk about co-existence; we must also act. In that sense, today is an historic day."

Turk's appointment was viewed as a watershed, as only a few cities have an Arab on their council, much less a deputy mayor. "Turk is a much admired personality among youth, and he has the power to influence them positively," Huldai said.

After assessing the situation, the soldiers ascertained that the boat had been swept off course and away from the Egyptian coast where it had been stranded for over a week, due to a storm.

Once it had been ascertained that the boat and its crew were not terrorist in nature, the "Dabur" crew provided first aid and food for the Egyptian crewmembers. The fishing boat was towed to Haifa's port, where Navy personnel were able to provide assistance, as the Israel Navy does in all such cases of distress.

JOINT ISRAELI, PALESTINIAN
AGRICULTURAL CONFERENCE HELD IN TURKEY (1/23)
The heads of several different Israeli farming organizations held a joint agricultural conference with their Palestinian counterparts this week in Antalya, Turkey, GLOBES reported. The goal of the conference was to discuss ways of promoting links between the two sides despite the political and security situation.

Israel Fruit Growers Association General Manager Ami Uliel headed the Israeli delegation and said that the conference agreed on a series of joint activities, which include professional training for growing crops, saving water and scientific research. The members also discussed Palestinian participation in professional exhibitions and commercial and business ties involving agriculture inputs and fresh produce. The Israelis agreed to help solve problems created by the security situation in marketing and exporting agricultural produce from the Palestinian Authority.

"We deaf people are all brothers and we are all united," says Nassim Al-Karvani, an 18 year old Bedouin from the town of Rahat in the Negev. The cooking program currently has 50 students from all sectors and regions of Israel, and is taught by a professional cooking teacher, together with a translator, who translates the lessons into sign language.

The students learn to cook the cuisines of all ethnicities. During the holiday of Ramadan, they all joined to prepare the traditional post-Ramadan feasts. Each day of Ramadan, the Jewish students would wrap the food and send it home with their Moslem counterparts so they could eat it after sundown.

Tirosh stressed the significance of the events in her comments on Tuesday and said "October is part of a series of hard experiences that Israeli society has experienced in relations between Jews and Israeli Arabs. Twelve Arab citizens and one Jewish citizen were killed in this trying month ... A state committee of inquiry was formed to investigate the events. Feelings stirred by the ongoing situation ... are complex and related to claims of continuing neglect of the Arab community." Tirosh also asked teachers and principals to encourage students to "express their anger, pain, frustration, disappointment and anxiety about the situation." The new initiative would provide room for "an array descriptions of reality provided by teachers, pupils and parents, all based on different standpoints."

FLYING IN ISRAELI AIRSPACE (10/9)
Israel’s MEDIA LINE reports that Israeli airspace was penetrated about 30,000 times on October 8, when Lesser Spotted Eagles flew across the state during their yearly migration from Europe to Africa. The birds were actually late, having encountered an unscheduled delay in Turkey due to weather conditions. During their over flight, the eagles accomplished a rare diplomatic feat - Israeli and Palestinian Arab bird watchers worked together in a program that tracks the migration across the Jordan Valley.

SENIOR PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY
RELIGIOUS JUDGE CONDONES HOMICIDE BOMBINGS (10/3)
Sheikh Hamed Bitawi, one of the Palestinian Authority's senior religious judges, has given his authorization to the participation of women and children in homicide attacks, and praised all those who have already fulfilled the "commandment of Jihad," THE JEUSALEM POST reported. "We hold a great deal of love towards Jihad and for the sacrifice of one's self in honor of Allah. This situation has brought many children to compete amongst themselves regarding the carrying out of the operations of Jihad and acts of suicide," Bitawi said.

Bitawi is considered an authority on religious edicts for Hamas in the Nablus area. He was appointed head of the appellate courts in Nablus when the PA was established in 1995 and has been on Israel's wanted list since the beginning of the intifada. Over the past two years, Bitawi has encouraged Hamas activists to carry out homicide attacks against Israel.

RECENT SURVEY SHOWS
ISRAELI ARABS WANT END TO VIOLENT INTIFADA (10/2)
According to a recent survey, more than three-quarters of Israeli Arabs living in the Triangle (the region south of Haifa and between the villages of Kfar Kara, Baka al Gharbiya and Umm el Fahm) want the violence to end, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Only 15 percent of respondents from the region, considered a stronghold of the fundamentalist Islamic Movement, felt that the violent uprising should continue.

The survey, conducted between September 10-12 by Nazareth-based Yafa Research Institute on behalf of the Jewish-Arab Center for Peace at Givat Haviva, was carried out to assess attitudes of Israeli Arabs on the second anniversary of the outbreak of the "intifada." The findings were announced at a press conference in Nazareth on Tuesday.

ARAB TEENAGER HONORED BY ISRAEL POLICE (9/25)
Rami Mahmid, a seventeen-year-old carpenter from Umm el-Fahm, was awarded a certificate of honor by the Israeli Police force today, for alerting them to a pending suicide attack at a Tel Aviv bus stop last week, THE JERUSALEM POST reported.

"I saw a suspicious man wearing a brown shirt and holding a black bag," Mahmid said, recalling his actions last week. "I was standing next to him [at the bus stop] and we started to talk [in Arabic]. I asked to borrow his mobile phone. I told him I was calling a contractor in Tiberias, but instead I called the police and told them there was someone suspicious standing at the bus stop."

Initially, Mahmid was arrested as a suspected accomplice to the bomber. Later, while he was recovering from serious injuries caused by the blast at a hospital in Afula, police confirmed that he was not an accomplice, but rather, a hero who saved many civilians from a major disaster.

VICTIM OF HOMICIDE BOMBING SAVES A PALESTINIAN GIRL (9/23)
A Palestinian girl was recovering well Monday after she received a kidney from a Jewish seminary student who was among six people killed in a Palestinian homicide bombing in Tel Aviv on Thursday, THE JERUSALEM POST reported Yasmin Abu Ramila, 7, a resident of Jerusalem, had been on a transplant waiting list and undergoing dialysis for almost two years. A donor became available when Jonathan Jesner, 19, a seminary student from Glasgow, Scotland died on Friday, a day after he was critically wounded in a Tel Aviv bus attack claimed by Hamas.

Ari Jesner, the victim's brother, said that "The family is very proud that (Jonathan) was able to give life to others. The most important principle is that life was given to another human being. I think it’s unimportant what religion, what nationality," he said.

According to Schneider Children's Hospital Spokesperson Riva Shaked, Yasmin was in stable condition following the transplant operation, completed on Saturday night. She added that "Yasmin drew a picture of flowers, a house, herself and a heart for the Jesner family and wrote the name of Jonathan on the picture."

The Ramila family expressed their gratitude, "I don't know what to say to thank the family of the man killed in the attack. We grieve for their loss and thank them for their donation which saved the life of our daughter."

Jesner was buried in Jerusalem on Friday.

FOOTBRIDGE TO BOOST ISRAEL-JORDAN FREE-TRADE PARK (9/17)
The joint Israel-Jordan industrial park known as the "Jordan Gate" is expected to undergo significant restructuring and improvements over the next few months, which will include the completion of a pedestrian bridge that will link the two countries, HA'ARETZ reported. The pedestrian bridge is part of a larger bridge used for vehicles, and has recently gained approval of the Bet She'an local planning council. The Jordan Gate private venture is sited near the Sheikh Hussein bridge and will serve as a free trade area.

The U.S. has granted the "Jordan Gate" project the special status of "Qualified Industrial Zone," which exempts its trade with the U.S. from customs or import quotas.

According to the plan being formulated, a canal will channel water from the Gulf of Eilat towards the Dead Sea. The water will be desalinized adjacent to the Dead Sea. The desalinized water will be used by population centers in Jordan, while the water containing the salt will be channeled into the Dead Sea, and will help raise its water level.

"The project with Israel was intended to preserve the area surrounding the Dead Sea as well as the water level," Jordanian Water Minister Hazem Nasser said, adding that Jordan's goal was to draw world attention to the important ecological issue of fighting the drying up of the Dead Sea.

Meanwhile, following a security meeting held Monday evening in the Gaza Strip, Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Commanders and Palestinian counterparts agreed that Israel will begin to lift a series of restrictions on the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip today, due to a significant drop in violence in the area. The GOC Central Command also announced Monday that it would begin to ease restrictions on Palestinians in the Bethlehem area starting Wednesday.

According to Central Command evaluations, violence in the area has been reduced, and a series of bans are to be lifted in the West Bank city: the IDF will allow laborers to enter Israel, teachers to travel to schools, clergymen to travel between Jerusalem and Bethlehem, and merchandise to leave Bethlehem. "It's all up to the Palestinians now. If the Palestinians show results still today, then of course we will start implementation. In each place where the Palestinians act against terrorism, there the Israel Defense Force is supposed to reduce their activity according to the agreement," an IDF Spokesman said.

PALESTINIAN SUPPORT FOR ARAFAT HITS ALL TIME LOW (8/27)
Palestinian support for Yasser Arafat has fallen to a record low, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Citing a survey published on Monday by a respected Ramallah based pollster, the reported noted that "Arafat's popularity rating has fallen to just 34 percent, compared to 46 percent two years ago, before the start of the Palestinian uprising against Israel."

Dr. Khalil Shikaki, of the Palestinian Center for Policy Survey Research, surveyed 1,300 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip last week. The poll revealed that Arafat's Fatah movement has fallen out of favor taking second place to extremist Islamic groups Hamas and Islamic Jihad. The survey also showed that 85 percent of respondents felt that Arafat's Palestinian Authority is "rife with corruption." Other statistics indicated that 84 percent of Palestinians favor fundamental reforms in the Palestinian Authority but that only 25 percent felt confident that the present Palestinian leadership could make the internal reforms necessary to make peace with Israel.

PALESTINIAN GIRLS RECEIVES
TRANSPLANT DONATION FROM ISRAELI MAN (7/25)
A blind Palestinian teenager from Jenin regained her eyesight thanks to a cornea donation from an Israeli donor, MA'ARIV reported. The successful operation took place at The Western Galilee Hospital in Nahariya.

A'atzaz Amor, a sixteen year old girl from Jenin, lost sight in her left eye four years ago. "She had undergone a series of unsuccessful surgeries in attempt to recover her sight," Dr. Uri Rehani, Director of the hospital's Eye Unit, said.

Amor underwent cornea transplant surgery last week, when she received the donation from an Israeli male who died one day earlier. Within a day, Amor regained full eyesight.

Deputy Director of the hospital, Dr. Moshe Daniel, said the operation was conducted on humanitarian grounds and was financed almost entirely by the hospital, along with representatives of the Western Galilee Histadrut (Workers' Union) and the village of Yassif.

ISRAEL AND PALESTINIAN
FIREFIGHTERS BATTLE QALQILYAH BLAZE TOGETHER (7/15)
Israeli firefighters from two West Bank communities rushed to the aid of Palestinian counterparts today to battle a fire raging out of control in the Palestinian town of Qalqilyah, HA'ARETZ reported. About 20 workers were inside the flame-engulfed building at the time, and all managed to escape except one who was killed by the fire.

Avner Mutzafi, commander of the fire brigade based in the Ariel community explained that "a large fire broke out in a four-story building. [The two bottom two stories of the building] apparently served as a hair salon and a warehouse for textile materials. At first there were fears that people were trapped in the building, so we hurried to get them out there," he said.

Nini's manager Ofer Penson told reporters he saw "people holding pro-Palestinian signs and jumping on stage toward Achinoam. The crowd froze and Achinoam was horrified. I jumped on the stage and got one of them so he couldn't hurt Achinoam."

Despite her emotional distress, Nini returned to the stage when the crowd chanted "We love you, Noa. We're with you, Noa."

Barbican's MedFest 2002, a Mediterranean music festival, which brings together singers from several different Mediterranean countries.

ISRAELIS, ARABS AND AMERICAN
TO COOPERATE ON ENVIRONMENTAL ISSUES (6/5)
A group of Israelis, Palestinians, Jordanians and Americans will participate in a conference on Environmental Changes in Democratic Societies this week in Washington D.C., YEDIOT AHARONOT reported. The conference, sponsored by the U.S. State Department, will teach the participants strategies and skills to use when dealing with political issues as they pertain to the environment. The participants will also meet with leading environmental activists and lobbyists, government officials engaged in environmental protection and congressmen involved in environmental legislation. At a particularly tumultuous time for Israeli Arab relations, the conference will be followed by a summer program that will commission an Israeli and an Arab environmentalist to work together on different environmental projects across the United States, with the ultimate goal being that when they return to Israel, they will continue collaboration.

The Israeli delegation includes students from The Arava Institute for Environmental Studies at Kibbutz Ketura, which is adjacent to the Jordanian and Egyptian borders. Arava Institute Director David Lehrer said, "the day will come when this recent conflict will die. In the meanwhile, our regional ecological problems worsen and we will have to work together in order to solve them."

ISRAELI AND ITALIAN DOCTORS
TO TREAT PALESTINIAN CHILDREN (5/23)
Israeli and Italian doctors will cooperate to perform bone marrow transplant operations on Palestinian children suffering from thalassemia, YEDIOT AHARONOT reported. Thalassemia is a rare form of anemia that is very common among people of Arab descent. The Government of Italy plans to send a special military plane to Israel within the next few days, to fly the four ailing children from Ramallah and Nablus to Italy where the operations will be performed.

LEBANON BOYCOTTS MISS UNIVERSE PAGEANT (5/20)
Miss Lebanon has decided to boycott this year's Miss Universe pageant slated to take place in Puerto Rico on May 29, because of Miss Israel's participation, MA'ARIV reported. The pageant's spokeswoman said, "the manager of Miss Lebanon informed us that the Lebanese organizers felt that it's not right for their beauty queen to stay at the same hotel with the Israeli delegate."

Miss Israel, Yamit Har-Noy, 20, an Israel Defense Forces soldier, responded and said that this act is "very distressing." She added that she hopes political rivalries will not affect the competition. "At the end of the day it is only a beauty pageant, it has nothing to do with politics," Har-Noy said.

Even though the Miss Universe organizers were extremely cautious not to put Israeli and Arab delegates together on stage, Miss Egypt said that she and Har-Noy have become friends.

PALESTINIANS BOYCOTT ISRAELI, U.S. GOODS (5/15)
At this week's briefing of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, security officials reported that Palestinians in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip have begun a boycott campaign of Israeli and U.S. goods, MA'ARIV reported.

According to the report, Palestinians are attempting to prohibit distributors from renewing stores' stocks with Israeli and U.S. goods and plan to confiscate any U.S. or Israeli goods currently on-sale. Different Palestinian Authority-related or private organizations received orders not to buy Israeli or U.S. goods, such as soft drinks and cigarettes. In addition, the hospital in Nablus sent a letter to the National Soft Drinks Company, announcing that the hospital is boycotting soft drinks, such as Coca Cola, Sprite and Fanta, because of their affiliations with Israeli and U.S. companies.

ISRAEL SUPPLIES PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY (4/22)
(Communicated by the Industry and Trade Ministry Spokesman)
Industry and Trade Minister Dalia Itzik today (Monday, April 22, 2002) ordered the Ministry's Director-General, Amir Hayek, to permit the importation of 1,200 tons of powdered milk from the EU and 240 tons of powdered milk from the US for the Palestinian Authority. It should be noted that this is exempt from import duties that reach 100% in the case of the EU and 160% in the case of the US.

Minister Itzik decided to allow this import of powdered milk as a humanitarian gesture to the Palestinian population in Judea, Samaria and Gaza, and this is before agreement has been reached on the 2002 quotas and outputs for the PA food industry.

Minister Itzik stated that this step emphasizes the fact that the Government of Israel has no interest in hurting the innocent population, and that her ministry will do everything possible, within its area of responsibility, in order to aid the Palestinian civilian population.

It should be noted that the Industry and Trade Ministry authorized the importation of an identical amount of powdered milk for the PA in 2001, and that today's decision was made unilaterally without negotiations with the PA.

DOCTORS FROM AFULA SAVE PALESTINIAN BABY (3/2)
Israeli Doctors from the Ha'amek Hospital in Afula saved the life of a Palestinian baby from Jenin earlier this week, MA'ARIV reported. The two-year-old baby was hospitalized in Jenin and diagnosed with severe pneumonia. The Palestinian doctors contacted their Israeli peers in Ha'amek's Respiratory Intensive Care Unit, headed by Dr. Ami Lev.

The baby was rushed in a Palestinian ambulance to an Israel Defense Forces roadblock, where an Israeli ambulance awaited and drove him to Afula. The Israeli doctors also arranged accommodation at the hospital for the baby's mother. Earlier this week, the baby's condition was stabilized and he returned to Jenin for further treatment.

JORDANIAN PRINCE
ATTENDS ISRAELI ROCK STAR'S CONCERT (2/26)
Jordan's Crown Prince Hamza, younger brother of King Abdullah II, attended a concert on Sunday by Israeli rock star Aviv Gefen at Harvard University, YEDIOT AHARONOT reported. Gefen, who is on a concert tour in the United States was told beforehand that organizers of Hamza was in the audience. He said he was "very exited but too shy," to meet the prince. Hamza also took part in a lecture about Israeli culture given by Gefen to students the next day.

The Crown Prince, who is studying Hebrew at Harvard, is reportedly familiar with Gefen's music. "The fact that a Jordanian prince attended a concert and lecture by Aviv Gefen, shows that he admires our culture," Gefen said.

ISRAELI POLICE, SOCCER TEAM
COME TO THE HELP OF EAST JERUSALEM BOY (2/21)
The police and the Beitar Jerusalem soccer team came to the aid of an Arab boy from East Jerusalem last week, after his bag was mistaken for an explosive device and blown up, MA'ARIV reported.

The boy, Marwan Asila, left his bag unattended next to the Nablus Gate in the Old City. Police forces noticed the bag, and suspecting it was a bomb, notified sappers who later destroyed the bag.

Several hours later, Asila and his father arrived at the Kishla police precinct, in search of the bag. When they were notified that the bag had been destroyed, Asila was disheartened. He told police officers that his soccer ball was in the bag. "Without my ball," he said, "I have no life." Ilan Franko, the Deputy Commander of the precinct, took pity on the child, and offered to buy him a new ball. Asila thanked him and professed his love to Beitar Jerusalem. "Is it possible," he asked Franko, "to arrange a ball signed by all of Beitar's players?"

Franko contacted Avraham Levi, Beitar's Manager. Levi promised to give the boy a signed soccer ball and an official Beitar Jerusalem uniform. Frnako also sent one of his officers to buy Asila a new school bag. On Monday, the boy and his father returned to the precinct, this time to receive the new bag, ball and uniform.