29 Apr 2004 HEADLINES FROM THE HEBREW PRESS HAARETZ 1. DISENGAGEMENT SUPPORTERS FEAR: INFORMATION CAMPAIGN HAS FAILED; SHARON: DEFEAT – VICTORY FOR ARAFAT. Activists: This is an amateur organization and the efforts of one man. Sharon: Extreme right attempting to topple Likud rule. Lapid to PM: Bring plan to government in any case. High Court of Justice rejects petitions: Referendum is legitimate as advice. US administration: Bush will not go back on his guarantees to Sharon. 2. The campaign: Disorganized, no HQ, no supporters. GUARANTEED SUCCESS IN REFERENDUM HAS BECOME FINAL BATTLE. The statistics: Number eligible to vote: 193,190; Polling places open: 08:00; Polling places close: 22:00; Number of ballot boxes: 443; Number of voting stations: 168; Security guards and ushers: 1,300; Observers: 840; Supervising lawyers: 176. 3. BERLIN ASSEMBLY: MIDDLE EAST CONFLICT MUST NOT BE USED AS COVER FOR ANTI-SEMITISM. 4. SENIOR CONGRESSMAN: FENCE WILL SUFFOCATE CHRISTIAN LIFE. Chairman of House of Representatives International Affairs Committee asks Bush to work to change fence route south of Jerusalem: Causing suffering to Christians and the Church.
5. FINAL FOUR BEGINS. Maccabi Tel Aviv wants European Cup, so do CSKA Moscow, Skipper Bologna and Siena. This evening – semi-finals. HATZOFEH 1. Growing anxiety among withdrawal supporters in Likud. Terrorism widow attacked by Olmerts supporters. LAPID TO ASSIST SHARON: LIKUD DOESNT DECIDE – ONLY THE GOVERNMENT DECIDES. Political establishment estimates that the letter was invited by Sharon. Sharon considering public announcement that he will resign if he fails in referendum. Washington: Bush will not go back on his guarantees to Sharon. 2. AMIDROR TO RABBI OVADIA: WITHDRAWAL FROM GAZA WILL BRING MISSILES CLOSER TO ASHKELON. 3. CHANNEL 2: INVESTIGATION TEAM DECIDES THAT THERE IS NOT ENOUGH EVIDENCE IN GREEK ISLAND FILE. 4. GIVATI SOLDIERS PREVENT SUICIDE ATTACK BY EXPLOSIVES-FILLED JEEP IN KFAR DAROM; 4 SOLDIERS WOUNDED. Vehicle was camouflaged as IDF jeep, flying Israeli flag. 5. PALESTINIANS: WE WILL BOYCOTT CATERPILLAR CO. IF IT CONTINUES SELLING BULLDOZERS TO ISRAEL. 6. FORMER MOSAD DIRECTOR: TREAT AUTONOMY AREAS, JORDAN AND SINAI AS ISRAELI STRATEGIC DEPTH. MAARIV 1. Sharon to Maariv: Minority must not force its will on us. FOR: 42%. AGAINST: 45. Three days to disengagement referendum: Small majority to opponents, 13% unsure. Sharons staff already searching for scapegoats. YEDIOT AHRONOT 1. Yediot Ahronot and Dr. Minah Tzemah survey: Dramatic turnaround last night: Majority in Likud oppose disengagement. 47% AGAINST, 39% IN FAVOR. Three days before referendum: Likud members changing direction. Sharon: I am sure I will win; vote against will endanger Likud regime. Encouraging news from US: Bushs declaration against right of return to receive Congressional support. 2. CROSSING OUR FINGERS. (
). 3. SHARON FILE TO CLOSE. Mazuz concludes: Evidence against PM in Greek Island file is serious – but indicting him is problematic. ______________________________ SUMMARY OF EDITORIALS FROM THE HEBREW PRESS Yediot Ahronot, in its second editorial, avers that, From the beginning it was a terrible mistake to ask 200,000 Likud members to decide for or against Ariel Sharons disengagement plan, and suggests that, The distortion in casting the responsibility solely on members of the Likud grates even more when we know that current opinion polls in Israel, all of them, show that supporters of the disengagement are a majority among the general population of the State of Israel. The editors believe that Prime Minister Sharon will be severely hamstrung by a defeat in Sundays Likud referendum and that the US would, in such a case, try to ignore the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at least until after the November elections. The paper also says that a defeat on Sunday would doom any chances of the Labor Party joining the government and might cause Shinui to consider leaving it. The editors conclude that, It is possible, therefore, that we are on the verge of political chaos that will lead to changes of the political map of the state of Israel. Hatzofeh discusses the explosions and clashes with terrorists that recently took place near the diplomatic quarter in Damascus and suggests that, Since were talking about a dictatorial regime, it is difficult to confidently relate to reports coming from the Syrian capital. The editors assert that, Common sense says that it would be worthwhile to check if Assad Jr., who is well known as someone who likes to play with toys, decided to fabricate a terrorist incident, without Western casualties, in order to present a false picture to the US and its allies, as if Syria itself was under terrorist attack and, if so, how is it possible to accuse it of terrorist activity. Yediot Ahronot questions why the Israel Philharmonic Orchestra chose to publish Independence Day greetings in the newspapers in English only. The editors suggest that, Perhaps the Orchestra directors are unaware that the British mandate has ended and that the Jews and the Hebrew language rule in Israel? BPI.
