Tuesday, August 19, 2003

Qalqilyah, Jericho to Be Handed Over in Next Few Days
Government Report Reveals Abbas Slow On Democratic Reform Within PA
Technion to Grant Prizes to Help Fight Terrorism
Tel Aviv Company Creates Software for Antiquated Fashion Industry
Other News in Brief
Economic & Hi-Tech Briefs

Qalqilyah, Jericho to Be Handed Over in Next Few Days
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon held a high-level security meeting today with Minister of Defense Shaul Mofaz, Israel Defense Forces Chief-of-Staff Moshe Ya'alon, Israel Security Agency Director Avi Dichter and other officials in order to discuss the terms of the transfer of Jericho and Qalqilyah to Palestinian Authority control, HA'ARETZ reported. Top security officials said the hand over would occur in the next few days. Israel is expected to give control of two additional West Bank cities to the PA next week.
Mofaz said he would like "suspects with 'blood on their hands' to be held under PA supervision," as condition of the transfer, but that the matter would be decided by the IDF and the ISA. He added that although Israel was no longer demanding the suspects' arrest, the decision to hand over the West Bank cities was dependent upon Palestinian supervision of the suspects and confiscation of their weapons. In addition, Israel is reportedly demanding that Palestinian security services keep terror suspects inside the cities in which they reside. Mofaz added that if Israel found the Palestinian suspects to have left the cities, the IDF would reserve itself the right to act against them.
Israel has demanded that PA Security Affairs Minister Mohammed Dahlan personally guarantee that the suspects will not resume terror activities. "Before fulfilling our commitment to withdraw, there has to be a clear commitment from Palestinians that they take responsibility in these areas [so] there will not be attacks on Israeli citizens coming out of them," Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom said on Monday.

Government Report Reveals Abbas Slow On Democratic Reform Within PA
A report submitted to the Israeli government recently unveiled that despite the Palestinian public desire for democratic reform within the Palestinian Authority, PA Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas had done very little to reshape the agencies under his control, HA'ARETZ reported. According to the findings, the main obstacle in the prevention of PA reforms is PA Chairman Yasser Arafat himself. Abbas has made strides in the reduction of anti-Israel incitement, but the U.S. administration is pressuring the Palestinian premier to take more actions as required by the road map peace plan such as democratizing the PA.
In addition, Attorney General Elyakim Rubinstein recently supplied the cabinet with his own criticism of the lack of reforms in the PA's legal system. "Since the conflict began, their legal system is largely expired, it's a legal jungle," he wrote. Rubinstein's report also indicated that unless the Palestinian government began trying to correct the situation, Israel would be liable to find itself once again engaged in "a Sisyphean battle over the transfer of terrorists and serious criminals, such as rapists, and over cooperation in civil matters." Both he and Minister of Justice Yosef Lapid have proposed the resumption of legal cooperation with their Palestinian counterparts, Rubinstein continued, but "so far, the matter has not gone well." In response, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided that from now on, all high-level security meetings with the Palestinians would also include a representative from the Ministry of Justice.

Technion to Grant Prizes to Help Fight Terrorism
One of Israel's premiere engineering schools, the Technion of Haifa, will award more than $100,000 in prizes and research grants to promote the struggle against terrorism, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. The aim of the project is to improve the capabilities of Israel and its allies to defend themselves against terror. Benefactors of the Technion in the United States contributed the prizes after the September 11 attacks two years ago. "In view of the swift development of the capabilities of terrorists, an effective, innovative, swift, and sophisticated reaction is necessary," unnamed American donors said in a statement.
Prof. Avi Marmur, head of Technion's Institute for Future Defense Technologies, said that during these difficult times the Technion felt obligated to help by proposing effective solutions for the defense of the state and its citizens. "The contest that the Technion will conduct aims to mobilize its finest minds for the improvement of Israel's defensive capabilities against terrorism," he said.

Tel Aviv Company Creates Software for Antiquated Fashion Industry
A Tel Aviv company, Browzwear, has created new software that allows fashion designers to create garments and make virtual three-dimensional samples of them on the computer instead of relying on the traditional method of several wasted samples, ISRAEL 21C REPORTED. In addition to shortening the design cycle by between 25-40 percent, the company says the new program also cuts costs dramatically.
Browzwear's "V-Stitcher" is a computer simulation program that allows apparel designers, manufacturers and retailers to see their collections in an accurate and realistic way at an early stage in the design process. Designers can fit their collection to a number of lifelike models, in a variety of shapes and sizes. Using the program the designer can see what a garment looks like and how it fits the body. Virtual fabric swatches can be dragged and dropped onto the virtual garment, and stitch types, buttons and trims changed. The program shows fabric transparency and can also simulate layers of clothing.
The software enables designers to input two-dimensional patterns for men, women, and children, from virtually any CAD system, along with instructions as to which seams are sewn together and how. These virtual patterns are then put together as a 3D image on the model. "Today all solid objects use computer aided design," Yanir Farber, the president of Browzwear, said. "In the garment business, however, people still rely on traditional methods because designing a garment is so problematic. A shirt will look completely different if the fabric is different, or if the person is thin or fat."
Browzwear was founded in 2000 with seed money of $600,000 from Israeli clothing manufacturer Delta Galil, Internet guru, Yossi Vardi (the founder of Mirabilis), and a group of private investors led by entrepreneur Menachem Einan. Initially the company began developing a product called C-Me - a virtual fitting room for people wishing to buy clothes online.

Other News in Brief

* Prime Minister Ariel Sharon decided that Egypt, which has discovered gas off the Gaza Strip, might be Israel's second gas supplier and not British Gas, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL reported. The decision was made today at a meeting attended by Sharon, Minister of National Infrastructure Yosef Paritzky and the senior management of the Israel Electric Corporation (IEC).
IEC officials said they were due to resume negotiations with Egypt later in August on a gas supply agreement. The prime minister called for the talks to be completed within a month.

* The driver of a Brinks armored van hijacked the vehicle and stole an estimated seven million shekels (about $1,700,000) today in Haifa, Israel radio, KOL YISRAEL reported. The driver, 21-year-old, Sagi Unger, arrived at work this morning and told the two security guards working with him that he was taking the vehicle to the garage for repairs. He then drove off and has not been seen since. A police helicopter found the van about an hour later, locked, abandoned and empty.
As the search for the missing driver continues, police have questioned the two security guards who let Unger drive off alone in the van full of cash. A police spokesman said the driver was hired by the Brinks company recently, and that his background was now being checked.

Economic & Hi-Tech Briefs

* Africa Israel has completed the purchase of a $100 million building across from the New York Stock Exchange on Wall Street, THE JERUSALEM POST reported. It is the company's largest real estate deal in the United States. The building, which belonged to J.P. Morgan Financial Services, has 37 floors above ground and five more underground. It is currently used for office rental, but Africa Israel plans to convert 85 percent of the building into residential space. After renovations the total cost of the building is expected to increase to approximately $220 million.

* The national employment service said the number of unemployed increased from May to July by 19,100 as the total number of Israelis without jobs reached 207,500, GLOBES reported. The unemployment rate is the highest in Arab communities and in some development towns. In Ksifah 25% of the working age residents are unemployed. Dimona has 10.6% unemployment.

Today's Israel Line was prepared by Adina Kay, David Nekrutman, David Dorfman and Victor Chemtob at The Consulate General of Israel in New York.

Israel Line is a daily summary of news items taken directly from the Israeli media.