Monday, December 15, 2003

• SHARON CONGRATULATES BUSH ON CAPTURE OF SADDAM 
• WEEKEND TERROR ATTACK THWARTED IN TEL AVIV 
• EU COULD PLAY A ROLE IN MIDEAST PEACE IF IT ADOPTED A MORE BALANCED POSITION 
• ISRAEL TO LAUNCH ITS SECOND COMMERCIAL SATELLITE 
• OTHER NEWS IN BRIEF ECONOMIC & HI-TECH BRIEFS

SHARON CONGRATULATES BUSH ON CAPTURE OF SADDAM

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon called U.S. President George W. Bush on Sunday to congratulate him on the successful capture of former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein, HA'ARETZ reported. Speaking to reporters, Sharon said he had told Bush: "Today was a great day for the democratic world, for those fighting for freedom and justice, and for those who object to terror. The entire world can breath a sigh of relief, because the dictator who ruined Iraq cannot interfere with its reconstruction and rehabilitation." Sharon also praised Bush "for his brave stand against world terror." He said all dictatorships, especially those contaminated with terror, had been taught an important lesson. "The enlightened international community has shown that when it is asked to do so, it can protect freedom and defeat terror," Sharon said.

Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom, on a visit to Washington, said that Saddam's capture proved persistence paid off in the "uncompromising battle against terrorism and totalitarian regimes," and that it would promote regional stability. Shalom telephoned Secretary of State Colin Powell and told him "Israel, which was one of the victims of Saddam's dictatorship, knows how to value the U.S. Administration's uncompromising efforts."

Gloom and disbelief seemed to be the mood of many Palestinians when they heard of Saddam's capture. Many regarded him as a hero for his stand against Israel and its American ally, as well as for his aid to families of Palestinians who committed suicide-bombing attacks. Saddam paid over $35 million to the families of Palestinian suicide bombers.

WEEKEND TERROR ATTACK THWARTED IN TEL AVIV

Security forces thwarted a terror attack in the larger Tel Aviv region over the weekend, Israel Radio, KOL YISRAEL, reported. In other developments, two Palestinians were killed today in Gaza after trying to infiltrate Israel through the security fence near Sderot. They were part of a group of about ten Palestinians trying to cross the fence, apparently to find work. Five of the men succeeded in crossing and one was caught. Several others are believed to have fled back to the Gaza Strip.

In other news, Canadian citizen Jamal Akkal, who is 23 and a resident of the Nusseirat refugee camp, has been charged by the Erez military court for planning an attack on an Israeli figure in North America, and for helping Hamas collect money to purchase arms and explosives to be used against Israel. Meanwhile, the High Court of Justice approved the demolition of a house belonging to the father of an Arab resident of Jerusalem who aided a suicide bomber by driving him to a bus stop.

On Sunday, Palestinians fired mortar bombs at an Israeli community in the Gush Katif bloc. No one was hurt and there was no damage reported. Shots were fired at an Israel Defense Forces patrol near Nahal Oz, causing no injuries.

Four Israelis were killed this past November - the smallest number of Israelis killed during the course of a month since the inception of Palestinian violence in September 2000. Minister of Foreign Affairs Silvan Shalom attributed the decrease in Israeli fatalities to the success of IDF military actions, the economic pressure exerted on the terror organizations, and the building of the security fence.

EU COULD PLAY A ROLE IN MIDEAST PEACE IF IT ADOPTED A MORE BALANCED POSITION

The European Union needs to shun Palestinian Authority Chairman Yasser Arafat and show more empathy with Israel if it wants to play an influential role in resolving Israel's conflict with the Palestinians, Israel's ambassador to Germany said today, HA'ARETZ reported. "If the Europeans are to have a chance in the Middle East, in this conflict, it will only be when the Israelis perceive that the Europeans aren't one-sided and unbalanced but try to show a certain empathy for the situation in which the Israelis find themselves," envoy Shimon Stein said.

Speaking of German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer who is visiting the Middle East this week in order to discuss the political situation in the region, Stein said that, "he enjoys great respect in Israel, but I don't think that applies to the whole of the European Union." Fischer started his trip today and was slated to visit Egypt, Jordan, Israel and the Palestinian territories.

ISRAEL TO LAUNCH ITS SECOND COMMERCIAL SATELLITE

Israel is slated to launch its second commercial communications satellite on December 27, 2003, from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, according to the satellite's operators Spacecom Ltd, HA'ARETZ reported. The AMOS 2 satellite will be launched at 21:30 GMT by the Russian Soyuz-Fregat launch vehicle. The launch will be carried out by Starsem, a European-Russian space launching venture set up in 1996. The AMOS 2 project cost $150 million, said David Pollack, chief executive of Spacecom, a joint venture of four companies, including state-owned Israel Aircraft Industries, which built the satellite. "The basis of AMOS 2 was the successful marketing of AMOS 1," Pollack told a news conference.

Launched in 1996, AMOS 1 was Israel's first communications satellite, providing broadcasting services for Israeli and foreign customers in the Middle East as well as Central and Eastern Europe. It is the platform for Israeli satellite television company YES as well as for U.S. broadcaster HBO in Hungary, Poland, Slovakia, Romania and the Czech Republic. AMOS 2 will expand capacity and coverage, providing access to the East Coast of the United States and offering broadband services in addition to direct-to-home television distribution. According to Pollack, Spacecom and IAI are already looking ahead to launching AMOS 3 in 2007, a year before AMOS 1 is expected to end its services.

OTHER NEWS IN BRIEF