Israel Line 6/2/00
ny...@interport.net
Friday, June 2, 2000
*INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION TO ADVANCE PALESTINIAN TRACK
*ONE ISRAEL NOMINATES PERES AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
*BARAK: JERUSALEM TO REMAIN UNITED UNDER ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY
*JERUSALEM POPULATION REACHES 650,000
*ECONOMIC BRIEFS
INTERNATIONAL MEDIATION TO ADVANCE PALESTINIAN TRACK
Swedish Prime Minister Goeran Persson is slated to travel to the Middle
East on Sunday, joining U.S. Secretary of State Madeleine Albright and
Middle East Peace Envoy Dennis Ross in international mediation efforts to
advance the Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, HA'ARETZ reported. Talks
between the two sides continue today.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak said he expected new momentum to enter the peace
talks following his discussions with U.S. President Bill Clinton on Thursday
in Lisbon,. He added that he is striving to reach a settlement with the
Palestinians pursuant to which 80 percent of the settlers in the territories
will remain under Israeli rule. Minister of Communications Binyamin
Ben-Eliezer said today that the sides are close to agreement on most issues
in dispute.
Barak designated different responsibilities to the two teams that are
concurrently negotiating with the Palestinians. Ambassador Oded Eran will
address the issues of water, economy, Palestinian labor in Israel, security
arrangements and environment. The team headed by Minister of Internal
Security Shlomo Ben-Ami will focus on borders, Jerusalem, settlements and
refugees.
ONE ISRAEL NOMINATES PERES AS PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE
Minister for Regional Cooperation Shimon Peres was nominated on Thursday
as One Israel's candidate in presidential race, HA'ARETZ reported. Peres, a
Nobel Peace laureate and former prime minister, received unanimous approval
from the central committee.
Prime Minister Ehud Barak, who was absent due to his meeting in Lisbon
with President Clinton, sent a letter congratulating Peres saying,"The great
contribution of Shimon Peres to the State of Israel is written in our
chronicles. He has served faithfully the security establishment, the foreign
service, and the economic and social sectors of Israel. We all cherish his
immense contribution to the building of the state."
A new president will be elected after President Ezer Weizman retires in
the beginning of July. The Likud party has chosen MK and former cabinet
minister Moshe Katsav as its candidate.
BARAK: JERUSALEM TO REMAIN UNITED UNDER ISRAELI SOVEREIGNTY
Prime Minister Ehud Barak said on Thursday night that Jerusalem will
remain united under Israeli sovereignty and will never be divided, HA'ARETZ
reported. Barak spoke on Ammunition Hill in Jerusalem at the official
celebrations marking Jerusalem Day, the anniversary of the city's 1967
reunification.
According to YEDIOT AHARONOT, stand-offs between Israeli police and
Palestinian onlookers, as well as between left and right wing groups also
took place on Jerusalem Day. Several Palestinians were arrested for
attempting to disrupt a parade of Israelis with banners and flags marching
through the Muslim Quarter of the Old City and other areas in eastern
Jerusalem. Police also intervened in confrontations between Peace Now and
Likud youth.
JERUSALEM POPULATION REACHES 650,000
According to a population census taken by the Jerusalem Institute for
Israel Research, 650,000 people currently reside in Jerusalem, 450,000 Jews
and 200,000 Arabs, MA'ARIV reported. The census was made public on the 33rd
anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem.
The rate of population growth in the Arab sector is three times higher
than that of the Jewish sector. Thirty percent of the city's population is
Ultra-Orthodox, although due to an increase in housing costs, more
Ultra-Orthodox are leaving the city than moving to it.
ECONOMIC BRIEFS
* Chase Manhattan Bank, the second-largest United States bank, plans to open
an office in Tel Aviv, offering corporate and investment banking services,
THE JERUSALEM POST reported. Unlike Citibank and HSBC, which announced last
year plans to open a full service branch in Israel, Chase will not have a
consumer banking division. The bank's focus will be on companies in the
high-tech sector, particularly in software, telecommunications and
biotechnology.
* Creo Products has acquired Canadian Software development company Intense
Software for $16 million in cash and stock, THE JERUSALEM POST reported.
Creo, a specialist in imaging and information technology, will receive
exclusive rights to technologies and products that will complement its new
division, CreScitex Systems.
Today's Israel Line was prepared by Aylon Slater at the Consulate General of
Israel in New York.
Israel Line is a daily summary of major news items taken directly from the
Israeli media.
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