A: Israel’s Steps:

1. Transfer of Tax Funds:

Since the transfer of collected tax funds resumed in June 2007 (as per a Cabinet decision), funds are transferred at the beginning of every month into a bank account controlled by Salaam Fayyad.
The total transferred between June 2007 and September 2008 is approximately 6.5 billion NIS, of which 2 billion NIS were taxes collected prior to the resumption of the transfer system, i.e. from January 2006 through June 2007. Deduction of liabilities occurs per the Palestinian Authority’s liabilities to Israeli hospitals, the Israel Electric Company, and for water and sanitation services.
A glance at the chart of transfers from June 2007 until the present shows a general increase, which reflects the rise in economic activities in areas administered by the Palestinian Authority. It is not possible to separate between the statistics for the West Bank and those from the Gaza Strip.
For the month of September, NIS 226.5 was transferred (following the deduction of liabilities owed the Israel Electric Company). These funds were transferred earlier than the usual date, as per the Palestinians’ request, in honor of Id al-Fitr. For the month of October, NIS 206 million was transferred (after deducting for electricity and sewage).

2. Renewal of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC:

The JEC is a bilateral Israeli-Palestinian committee which was established by the Paris Protocol. The Committee’s goal is to follow the implementation of the Protocol and advance economic relations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
The Committee’s activities were halted in 2000 and renewed at the beginning of 2008. Since then, the Committee has met several times on a regular basis.
The Israeli side is headed by the Director General of the Finance Ministry Yarom Ariav and the Palestinian side was headed by Fayyad himself and is now headed by Fayyad advisor Dr. Karim Nashashibi.
The most recent meeting took place on 17 September.

3. Renewal of the Joint Legal Committee:

A bilateral Israeli-Palestinian Committee that was established by the Interim Agreements. It operated prior to 2000. Its activity was recently renewed, and the first meeting took place last August, with a new meeting scheduled for the near future. The Israeli side is headed by the Director General of the Justice Ministry Moshe Shilo, while the Palestinian side is headed by Ali Abu Diak of the Palestinian Justice Ministry. Topics of cooperation and building capabilities in the legal field, as well as discussion of solving ongoing legal issues are dealt with within the framework of the Committee.

4. Renewal of the Joint Liaison Committee

Recently, we instituted the renewal of a system that had existed previously under the umbrella of the donor nations. The system is mean to serve as a professional and local forum for coordinating the efforts of donor nations on the ground and, from our perspective, will allow Israel greater involvement in various projects to build capabilities and creation of an economic infrastructure. The Norwegian Foreign Minister announced the reinstatement of the system at the last donors meeting. The first preparatory meeting prior to the convening of the JLC (with the involvement of Israel, the PA, and relevant international bodies) took place in Israel on 13 November, headed by the Norwegians.

5. Removal of Roadblocks and Barriers:

During the recent months, either 132 (IDF) or 113 (COGAT) roadblocks were removed throughout the West Bank. The differences in number derive from differing classification of certain barriers.

Seven main roadblocks have been operating as “Normally Open,” meaning that free passage is allowed, except at times of an elevated threat level: Rimonim (31 March, between Ramallah and Jericho), 408 (28 April, between Nablus and the Jenin area), Beit HaArava (13 May), Kevashim (18 May, between Hebron and the Yata and Tamoon villages), Bir Naballah (21 August), Route 35 Bypass Junction (Hebron), and Shavei Shomron (09 August).

Route 35 from the Hazayit interchange (connecting Hebron and the Tarqumiyyah crossing) is open during the day (5:00-20:00) for truck traffic. A truck can now leave Hebron and travel uninterrupted on the main, direct road to Tarqumiyyah.

The hours of operation at roadblocks in the Jenin sector (Reihan and Gilboa) have been extended until 22:00 and until midnight when coordinated.

Efforts have been made to upgrade and reduce traffic at the Hawwara (Nablus), Tsir Lil (Ramallah), Wadi Nar (near Maale Adumim), and Taisir (leading to the valley). Furthermore, improvements have been made to the “Rachel Passage” (between Bethlehem and Israel) including a lane for humanitarian traffic, a shoulder for tourists, and additional biometric scanners to speed processing at the checkpoint. Biometric systems have been installed in the checkpoints around Jerusalem (Atarot, Rachel (as noted), and Zeitim). Work has been completed at Tsir Lil and Taisir, and is nearing completion at Hawwara and Wadi Nar. Work has not yet been completed at the Rachel Passage.

Total expenditures have totaled NIS 8.5 million for upgrading the checkpoints.

Currently, the upgrading of Beit Iba (western exit from Nablus) is in progress and the upgrade of the Einav checkpoint (Tul Karm) is planned.

6. Employment in Israel:

The allocation of work permits in Israel and settlements is stable at 51,000 workers. Since January 2008, the number of workers has risen from 43,000 to almost 49,000 due to the need for workers in agriculture, building, and Jewish industrial areas in the West Bank.

Approximately 9,700 businessmen from the West Bank have received entry permits into Israel; in other words, the number has remained steady.

Until the matter of a fee for a worker’s entrance to Israel is resolved, 1000 workers in the housing industry have been granted work permits without charge.

An agreement was reached to provide 5000 workers with permits to remain in Israel overnight (out of 23,000 Palestinian workers in Israel). To date, 2,564 have been distributed.

7. Checkpoints and Documentation:

Raising the number of documented senior businesspeople from 1,000 to 1,500. The documentation allows passage through the checkpoints including multiple entries into Israel. To date, 1100 Palestinian businesspeople have received this documentation.

Approval has been granted to move 150 agricultural and public transportation vehicles from the Northern West bank to the Jordan Valley.

Approval has been granted for Israeli Arabs to enter the Jenin area, without charge and seven days a week, in order to energize the city’s retail sector.

Hours have been expanded at the Allenby Crossing, which serves goods transported from the West Bank to Jordan. The crossing is open from the early morning hours until 20:00 (rather than 18:00)

8. Approval of Building Plans in Area C:

Building in Area C requires the completion of a statutory process. There are currently 14 outlines in the middle of the approval process, in addition to 13 approved in 2005-6. This matter concerns 27 Palestinian villages in Area C where illegal building deviated from the village boundaries. Expansion of the village territory will allow a reserve of land for future building and will legalize heretofore illegal structures.

9. Assistance in Developing Security Capabilities (Civilian Police):

As per General Dayton’s request, communications equipment and 148 vehicles have been transferred

A mechanism has been implemented to allow rapid coordination between the IDF and Palestinians.

Israel has agreed to open 20 Palestinian police stations (of which 4 will be in Jenin). To date, 18 have been opened.

Israeli approval has been given for the deployment of 700 Palestinian policemen. To date, 250 officers have been deployed in addition to the 578 permanently deployed in the Jenin area.

10. New Industrial Zones:

International efforts exist to build four industrial zones in the West Bank: In the Jenin area (Germany),  Jericho (Japan), and south of Bethlehem (France).

In Jenin—With German cooperation. The plans for the industrial park are in the process of receiving Palestinian approval. We are waiting for a document characterizing the sewage waste and for a suggestion of the Germans’ solutions to the problem of waste.

In Jericho—an agro-industrial complex under Japanese aegis. A feasibility study prepared by the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) will be released at the end of November of this year. This year, several four party meetings took place (Israel-PA-Jordan-Japan), including on the ministerial level. Work on preparing the infrastructure for the park will begin in 2009 with aid from the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), while the Palestinians complete the necessary statutory processes, which they believe could be finished at the end of 2009. They estimate that the industrial area will begin production in 2010.
In an effort to promote investment in the project, three seminars took place this month before an audience of professional Arabs and Palestinians: Ramallah (06 November), Amman (11 November), and Dubai (13 November).

At the four-party talks in Jerusalem that took place in April, Israel initiated four workshops through the end of the year 2008, through MASHAV and the Agriculture Ministry. These workshops were aimed at training farmers and professional elements who will be involved in the future operation of the park. To date, the workshops have not taken place. In order to develop a supporting infrastructure, the Japanese have been in contact with the Mekorot Company and the Jordanian Electric Company.

In Bethlehem—A French initiative to build a small industrial zone that will, at first, remove the heavily-polluting stone industry from the confines of the city. Plans call for the area to be used for small businesses, local artwork, and textiles. The project is now in the stages of preparing a plan and feasibility and environmental studies undertaken by the French and the Palestinians.

11. Building Towns and Neighborhoods:

There are two main building plans:

1) Building the city of “Rawwabi” for 40,000 people near Ramallah. The project was initiated by Bashar al-Masri and is currently in the planning stages between al-Masri and the PA.

2) An initiative of private entrepreneurs to build a neighborhood in A-Sira A-Shamaliyya is advancing.

12. World Bank Sewage Treatment Plant Project in Gaza:

The first stage of the project has been completed. Israel assisted by permitting the crossings to open on a special basis for entry of the equipment necessary to finish the project. Israeli security has even approved the entry of equipment necessary for the next stage of the project so that the World Bank can proceed in soliciting bids for the second stage, in which the treatment plant will be built. The second stage will begin in April 2009.

13. Permit to Start a Second Cellular Company “Watania”

In July 2008, Israel set aside frequencies for the operation of a second cellular company in Palestinian areas. The process of granting approvals and operating licenses are expected to bring the PA $355 million, in addition to the creation of tens of new workplaces.

14. Building 4 Substations for West Bank Electricity Supply

The joint Israeli (Israel Electric Company) and Palestinian project, financed by the European Investment Bank.

The construction is expected to improve the electricity supply in the West bank and permit it to withstand the increasing demands. A detailed planning process has begun on the part of the Palestinians and the Israel Electric Company (which will carry out the project). The Israel Electric Company and the European Investment Bank are in the process of concluding the component of the transmission lines.

15. Jenin Project:

With the intention of concentrating efforts on one area that can serve as a model to other areas, security and economic efforts have been concentrated in on the Jenin area. The security element includes assembling and training a security and police force (Dayton), opening police stations (20 approved, 18 operational to date), transfer of communication and transportation equipment, and building coordination mechanisms with Israeli security forces.

The economic efforts consist of the alleviations and Israeli steps that have been previously detailed, including removal of roadblocks, increased permissions for businesspeople, permission for vehicular travel between the Northern West Bank and the Jordan Valley agricultural areas, analysis of the future infrastructure needs at the Jalameh industrial area, granting 1,000 permits to Palestinian construction workers with a preference for workers from the Jenin region, granting permission for overnight stays in Israel to 431 workers from Jenin (out of about 2,600 such permits granted in total), permission for Israeli Arabs to enter Jenin (an important step that helps commercial activity), permission granted recently for about 1,500 people from Jenin and the surrounding area to work in Northern Israel as olive pickers, and permission for tour busses to enter Jenin, among others.

A list of projects, dubbed “Jenin 2,” was recently assembled, consisting of 37 economic projects at a relatively low cost (about NIS 1.6 million), and capable of immediate implementation. These projects require the approval of donor nations to be implemented. The list has been passed along to the Blair team.

16. Conferences of Businesspeople to Encourage West Bank Investment

A conference of businesspeople, aimed at potential investors, took place in August in Bethlehem in order to encourage them to invest in the Palestinian Authority. Israel praised the meeting and helped the initiative by approving and coordinating the entry of about 700 participants, of whom approximately 50% came from Arab countries, some of which do not have relations with Israel. The conference was seen as a great success and the Israeli assistance was met with thanks and recognition from the Palestinians and the international community.

A conference of investors took place last week in Nablus, along similar lines though on a smaller scale, meant to encourage private-sector investment in the Northern Samaria region. The conference included prayers at the Temple Mount, study sessions for investors, and tours at projects and financial businesses in the Northern Samaria region. Abu Mazen and Salaam Fayyad both appeared at the conference. In order to ensure that participants’ entry and movement would proceed as needed, a joint Israeli-Palestinian operations center was established that operated throughout the conference. 160 Arab businesspeople took part (3 Saudis, 5 from the UAE and Bahrain, 2 Egyptians, and 129 Jordanians) as well as businesspeople, mostly of Arab extraction, who came from the USA, Canada, France, Sweden, and Britain; 40 Arab Israeli businesspeople, and about 1,000 Palestinians from the West Bank.

A conference to attract West Bank investors will take place in mid-December in London. The Israeli ambassador will be invited to take part in the opening event and the participation of a number of Israeli firms is possible.

B: Economic Goals—Indicators that Point to Growth in the West Bank:

Growth in transit of goods through West Bank checkpoints:

Growth of 66% from second half 2007 to first half 2008

Growth in transit of goods through Allenby crossing:

Growth of 23% from first half 2007 to first half 2008

Growth in number of Palestinian workers in Israel and settlements:

Comparing August 2008 to May 2006, the number of Palestinians employed in Israel rose from 24,200 to 51,000 (of whom 24,000 work in Jewish settlements in the West Bank

Lower unemployment rates in the West bank:

From 19% in the first quarter of 2008 to 16.3% in the second quarter.

The most dramatic drops were in the Northern West Bank, in Jenin and Tubas:

Jenin: 25.7% in the first quarter to 18.4% in the second quarter (28.4% decline)

Tubas: 23.6% in the first quarter to 12.9% in the second quarter (45.3% decline)

Tourism

The Palestinian Bureau of Statistics published materials showing that the tourism industry at the end of the second quarter of 2008 shows “unprecedented” growth.

Statistics from the ten months of 2008 show impressive growth in the number of tourists in comparison to the number last year.

Bethlehem showed growth of 87%, while Jericho’s tourist numbers grew 42%.

Among the inspiring rallies yesterday in front of the United Nations was this one by the organization Stop Child Executions calling for Iran to respect the human rights of its citizens. Here is a video of Nazanin Afshin-Jam, the head of the organization, speaking at the protest, with people from many different religions and political views in attendance.

The waves of protest against the address to the United Nations by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran are broadening. The loud cry of hundreds of Jewish protesters, who stood Monday in front of the United Nations building, was replaced yesterday by the profound silence of those who cannot cry out—the youths in Iran who have been condemned to death.
According to data provided by Amnesty International, 140 juveniles have been executed in Iran since 1990—26 of them since Ahmadinejad came to power—with a further 71 on death row. According to the protest organizers, “Stop Child Executions,” these executions violate international law, which establishes prison as the maximum sentence for minors. “I look out at the streets of New York and see Christians, Buddhists, and Baha’is who all openly display their faith; I see women with heads uncovered and people protesting government policies. In Iran, they would already have been imprisoned, tortured, and executed.” The organization’s founder, Iranian expatriate and former Miss Canada Nazanin Afshin-Jam, said, “Change in Iran will not come through war and bombs; that’s exactly what Ahmadinejad wants. Change will only come from a revolt by the Iranian people, backed by the West, which needs to cry out today on behalf of these children and against Iran’s violation of human rights.”
During the past several years, those executed in Iran include not only minors, but also women and men accused of homosexual acts, opposition to the Revolution, corruption of the Earth, and standing in the way of God.

Thousands of demonstrators gathered outside UN headquarters in New York today to protest the arrival of Iran’s President Ahmadinejad. Speakers criticized Iran’s reckless pursuit of nuclear weapons and the regime’s failure to respect its citizens’ basic human rights. Among the speakers was Dalia Itzik, speaker of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament, whose comments are featured in the above video.

Showboating over Gaza
Israel last Saturday permitted two boats of protesters to land on the shores of Gaza. This disappointed the more aggressive agitators in the party, as they hankered for a confrontation with the Israeli navy that never came. Yvonne Ridley, on board making a documentary for an Iranian state-funded broadcaster, must have been particularly frustrated.
Having thoroughly assessed the security risks, Israel granted the ships safe passage. The protesters came ashore with enough hot air to fill the 5,000 balloons they’d brought for the children of Gaza. They also delivered 200 hearing aids. Yet their silence regarding Hamas’s abuse of its own people, let alone Israeli civilians, has been deafening.
Ironically, while the protesters tub-thumped their way to Gaza, just three weeks earlier, scores of Palestinians were at the Israeli border, fleeing for their lives. Eleven Palestinians died and more than a hundred were injured in fierce fighting between Hamas and its Fatah rivals. Facing slaughter by Hamas forces, nearly 200 Fatah members fled to Israel for refuge. Bilal Hilles, one of the wounded, described his fear at the prospect of returning to Hamas rule. “It would be like a death sentence for me,” he told the Jerusalem Post.
Hamas’s enslavement of Gaza continues, as does the silent complicity of the protesters.
Observers should be wary. The portrayal of Israel as pantomime villain and as sole cause of conflict in the Middle East is jeopardising the search for real solutions to complex problems. Sections of liberal society risk sleepwalking into the service of those who represent the antithesis of liberal values, namely Iran, Hizbullah and Hamas.
In Gaza, Hamas has ruthlessly crushed its rivals, stifling criticism and ransacking its opponents. Hamas seized power in a bloody coup d’etat in June last year, during which its Fatah rivals were brutalised and murdered, a fact evocatively illustrated by the sight of a Palestinian Authority official being hurled from a fifth-floor window.
Hamas has used the recent internal violence in Gaza to extinguish the final flames of resistance to its rule. No opposition media remains after Hamas shut down the radio station of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. Human Rights Watch recently reported on Hamas’s rule, citing “arbitrary arrests, tortured detainees, clamping down of freedom of expression and assembly”.
Yet the protesters’ anti-Israel dogma prevents an honest assessment of Hamas’s abuse of its population and its misuse of resources. Key facts are distorted and disregarded, particularly as regards humanitarian aid, food and fuel supply. Contrary to the most popular distortions, patients and companions are frequently allowed into Israel and the West Bank for medical treatment. In 2007, more than 130,000 Gazans were granted entry on those grounds, a trend that continues to this day.
In keeping with the orders of the Israeli supreme court, millions of litres of fuel are made available every week at the Nahal Oz fuel depot. Hamas has frequently attacked the depot with mortar bombs and rifle fire. Thousands of tonnes of food supplies, medical equipment and building materials are transported through the Sufa and Karni crossings weekly. Following the period of relative calm brokered by the Egyptians in June, the supply has increased considerably. This despite near daily violations in the form of rockets and mortars fired from Gaza into Israel. Where does the aid and the fuel go? Why has Hamas frequently attacked the crossings and fuel terminals? Why has Hamas forced staff at petrol stations and bakeries to go on strike? In their zeal to demonise Israel, the protesters are failing to ask these questions. Consequently, they are failing the Palestinians tyrannised by Hamas’s illegitimate rule.
The beneficiaries of this intellectual negligence are Hamas and their Iranian sponsors. Iran and its extremist friends are threatening moderates throughout the Arab world - in Lebanon, Jordan, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, the Gulf States and Iraq, as well as among the Palestinians. Ironically, Arab Muslim commentators, who traditionally are no friends of Israel, seem more alarmed by the threat than their British counterparts.
It is time to realise that bashing Israel will not build Palestine. Showboating designed to vilify Israel will not steer the Palestinians through the choppy waters to statehood. Instead, the world must encourage the Palestinians to build their infrastructure and develop governing institutions. The extremists who sabotage this must be held to account. Ignoring the fragile dynamics within Palestinian society will merely push Palestinians further towards the Iranian orbit, towards isolation and away from their national aspirations.
The alarm bells about the extremist challenge have been ringing loudest within the Arab world itself. It is time they were heard here. Yet as the agitators and their fan clubs strive for ratings on Iranian TV, the pleas of progressives are falling on deaf ears.

This week marks two years since Michael Levin was killed during the Second Lebanon War. Levin grew up in Pennsylvania and, upon making alyah, joined the IDF paratroopers. Though nearly at the end of his service, he petitioned to join his unit in the fighting in southern Lebanon. Many remembered his determination and his ability to make friends with many different types of people. Some recollections can be found on YouTube and the Washington Post.
Levin’s love for Israel was nourished by his experiences at Camp Ramah in the Poconos which will celebrate his legacy at the Trenton Thunder baseball game on 24 August. More information can be found here.

The Kuntar File, Exposed - Yediot Aharonot - by Nir Gontarz
After almost 30 years of being classified, File No. 578/79 has been granted permission for publication: the murderer’s testimony, the shots in Danny Haran’s back and the death blow to toddler Einat’s head.

For almost 30 years the Samir Kuntar file has sat in the district courthouse archives in Haifa. Its contents were never authorized for publication. Until yesterday. Right before his expected release in two days’ time, the court acceded to Yedioth Aharonot’s request and allowed Kuntar’s testimony, copies of the copious evidence and other testimonies in the file, the indictment and the judges’ verdict, to be perused…

Besides the Pardons Department, no one has ever read the file - which was considered top secret by court administrators. On the few occasions that it was removed from the archives, it was accompanied by an armed security officer. Being a classified security file, the contents of File No. 578/79 had never been released for publication. Due to the obvious public interest, Justice Ron Shapira has permitted publication of everything in the file except one person’s testimony. The judge also asked not to publish the pathological reports or any other detail that could harm the memory of the victims.

“I saw no reason to restrict access to the indictment and the sentence [as demanded by the prosecutors' office - N.G.],” explained the judge. “No one disputes that the matter of Kuntar’s release and therefore the circumstances of his detention are subjects of public interest. I’m certain that the newspaper’s request is justified.”

Kuntar, a Druze Lebanese, was 17 when he commanded the terrorist cell of the Popular Front for the National Liberation of Palestine. He has never expressed remorse for killing Einat (age 4) and Danny (age 32) Haran and the police officer Eliyahu Shahar (age 24). He and the other surviving cell member, Ahmed Assad Abras, were sentenced to five life terms and another 47 years of imprisonment. In the Nahariya terror attack on April 22, 1979, Yael Haran (age 2) was also killed while hiding from the terrorists with her mother Smadar Haran.

“I Did Not Kill”

Kuntar was supposed to rot in jail until his dying day, but barring further delays in the deal with Hizbullah, on Wednesday morning he will say goodbye to his cellmates in Cell 33, Wing 3, in Hadarim Prison, be transported to the Rosh Hanikra border crossing, and celebrate his 46th birthday at home in the village of Aabey near the Beirut airport.

On the night of April 22, 1979, Kuntar and his accomplices sailed from Lebanon in a rubber dinghy and landed on the Nahariya beach. They shot at a police car, killing officer Eliyahu Shahar. Moving on, they broke into the nearby Haran family apartment at 61 Jabotinsky Street, and dragged Danny and four-year-old Einat to the beach. Smadar and two-year-old Yael hid in the attic, where Yael suffocated to death as her mother tried to keep her quiet - so the terrorists would not find them.

On the beach, during an exchange of fire with security forces, Kuntar shot Danny in the back at close range and murdered Einat as well. Two of his fellow terror cell members were killed; Kuntar and Abras survived and were put on trial.

Immediately following his capture, when his remand was extended, Kuntar confessed that he had bludgeoned Einat to death with the butt of his rifle. Later, however, when testifying in court, Kuntar denied the charges. “I reached Nahariya beach at 2:30 in the morning,” he testified on January 6, 1980. “We tied our boat to a rock. We had instructions to avoid opening fire, to take hostages and bring them to Lebanon. I was commander of the cell. I planned to knock on the door at one of the houses. Majeed and I walked towards the building. I told him to ring the bell but not to speak, because I planned to speak English with the people living there. When we went in, Majeed buzzed one of the apartments, and Majeed spoke to the woman in Arabic and she answered him in Hebrew. He made a mistake and she didn’t open the door.

“I then heard the sound of a car driving up and stopping… I opened fire, then we went up to one of the apartments, where we pulled out a man and a girl so we could take them with us. I decided we should take the girl with us to ensure we’d stay alive, and then return her from Lebanon to Israel via the Red Cross.

“While we were with them, shots were fired at us… I shot some rounds at those people with my Kalashnikov rifle and hit one of them; he went down. When I saw the boat had been hit… we tried to retreat by land and escape the gunfire coming our way… Tthe army began an assault on us… I wanted to find a way to tell them to stop shooting at us, because our whole objective was to take hostages to Lebanon. But I didn’t have a megaphone… I was hit by five bullets. Then [Danny] Haran got to his feet and signaled to the army forces with his hand to stop them from firing. He was hit by the bullets being shot at him by the soldiers. The five bullets that hit me struck sensitive places, so I lost a lot of blood and passed out. I didn’t know what else was happening with me until I woke up in the morning and found myself in the military’s hands. I didn’t hurt the girl at all and I didn’t see how she met her death.”

However, in court, prosecution witness no. 4 testified that he saw Danny Haran stand up and shout, “Cease your fire, don’t shoot. My little girl is here.” Immediately thereafter he saw Danny shot by Kuntar. Testimony was also given in court by a doctor who ruled that Einat’s death had been caused by a direct blow with a blunt instrument, something like a stick or a rifle butt.

Satanic Act

The court sessions were unbearable for Smadar Haran. In one of them, Kuntar’s defense attorney claimed that he had been beaten in the detention center. Smadar, who could not stand it any longer, muttered something at the murderers - causing the head judge to demand that she apologize. Smadar elected to exit the courtroom quietly, but refused to give an apology.

Slain officer Eliyahu Shahar’s mother did not attend the reading of the sentence in January 1980. Her heart had given out four days earlier. All those present in the courtroom, accustomed to seeing her there every session, felt her absence. Smadar Haran sat with her head downcast, bowed over in pain. Kuntar, according to the report in Yediot Aharonot at the time, actually looked amused.

“Kuntar went over to Einat Haran and hit her head twice with the butt of his rifle, with the intent of killing her,” wrote the judges in their verdict. “The other defendant also struck her head forcefully. As a result of the blows, Einat suffered skull fractures and fatal brain damage, causing her death. They murdered the hostages - a helpless father and daughter, in cold blood.” They wrote in the sentence, “By these acts the defendants reached an all-time moral low… an unparalleled satanic act… the punishments we are about to impose on the defendants cannot begin to match the brutality of their actions…”

Kuntar, who managed to complete a bachelor’s degree in social studies and humanities while in Israeli prison, was categorized by the Israeli government as a bargaining chip in the Ron Arad affair. That was four years ago, during the deal to return Elhanan Tannenbaum and the bodies of three IDF soldiers who had been kidnapped from Mt. Dov in 2000. Israel agreed to release Kuntar only in exchange for information on Ron. No information was received, and Kuntar remained in jail.

Two weeks ago, Smadar Haran held a press conference, and made it clear that she is reconciled to the deal being made with Hezbullah. Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser will be returned to Israel in exchange for Kuntar’s release. “Kuntar is not my personal prisoner,” she explained. In two days, apparently, her family’s murderer will be liberated, and Israel still will not have any reliable information on the fate of the captured navigator.

In this unprecedented internet address, Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish Organizations, addresses the Iranian people directly. The video, in English with Arabic and Farsi subtitles, expresses goodwill and friendship towards the Iranian people while emphasizign the serious problems with the government in Tehran.
For more information, see Jerusalem Online.