For Israel

Change in the Wind?

From 2/7/05 www.jcpa.org/daily: “· Abbas Orders Palestinian Television to Clean Up Its Act - Inigo GilmoreOn Palestinian television, eulogies to suicide bombers, or ''martyrs,'' have given way to ''feel-good'' nature programs and romantic films. Instead of referring to ''martyr operations,'' suicide bombings are described more neutrally as ''explosions." Abu Mazen told the directors that "he does not want a screen full of blood,'' said Radwan Abu Ayash, head of the Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. Now "we have passionate Egyptian love films replacing war films, we have soft geography programs for the kids, films with cute animals roaming in the wild....We are broadcasting more traditional music, rather than martial music." (Telegraph-UK) See also Israel: PA TV Incitement Down, Wider Change Needed - Gideon AlonForeign Minister Silvan Shalom told the Israeli Cabinet Sunday that there has been a substantial change in the content of Palestinian television broadcasts in the past few days. "This is evident in the end of inciting broadcasts," he said. However, "the change must be deeper and include public awareness, starting with the education system, universities and so on, where the change in content is not yet evident." (Ha'aretz)

From www.bicom.org.uk daily brief for 2/8/05: Israel exports to Arab states rose by 48 percent in 2004; Syria to import Golan apples
According to Israel’s Manufacturing Association (IMA), Israeli exports to the Arab world rose by 48 percent in 2004 to a total of $180 million USD, with another $12 million sold indirectly in Arab countries. Closer diplomatic ties with Egypt and Jordan, the lessening of political tension in the region and increased cooperation between Israel and the Palestinian Authority were all seen as factors for the increase in trade and the economy. The total number of exports to Jordan, consisting mostly of textiles, clothing, leather goods, wood products, furniture, paper and printed material, rose by 55 percent in 2004. Meanwhile, exports to Egypt rose 11 percent last year to approximately $29.2 million and included mainly chemical and petroleum goods, textiles and clothing. The Qualified Industrial Zones (QIZ) trilateral trade agreement with Egypt and the United States, which was signed on 14 December 2004 and ratified by the Knesset on Sunday, is also expected to increase significant trade with Egypt. IMA President Shraga Brosh, who acknowledged that great progress had been made between the neighbouring countries, predicted even stronger and better results for 2005. He predicted that the $800 million in foreign investment during 2004 could potentially triple in 2005.
In related developments, Syria has announced that it will buy 10,000 tons of apples from Druze farmers in the Golan Heights in Israel. This will be the first time Syria has traded with the Golan area, which Israel captured during the Six Day War of 1967.
From 2/8/05 www.jcpa.org/daily: Bedouins Lead Egypt's Hunt for Militants - Sarah El Deeb (AP/Washington Post) Bedouins in Sinai are leading the hunt for militants wanted in last year's Egyptian beach resort car bombings, guiding police through mountains and deserts to find the suspected culprits. Bedouin tribes signed a "pledge document" with Egyptian security forces to help them track down wanted militants after the detention of many Bedouins during the post-bombings police crackdown. "We were the most hurt from the attacks. Our camps were destroyed and people lost their jobs," said Sheik Attiyah al-Kebriti, a local Bedouin leader.
· Arabs Finally Face Terror - Amir TaheriThose in the West who see Arabs as exporters of terrorism forget that Arabs are also its biggest victims, including the 11,000-plus lives lost in Iraq over the past 18 months, 150,000 killings over the years in Algeria, and at least 25,000 in Egypt since 1980. At least some Arab states seem prepared to admit that terrorism is threatening their very existence as organized societies. That understanding is the driving force behind the Riyadh conference on counter-terrorism. (New York Post)

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