The following I received by email, I have nothing to do with any of these reports. ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Peace tabernacle in Jerusalem, open during Sukkot, organised by "Netivot Shalom" Menorah Park, on King George st.., (near the Mashbir) Tonight , october 15th, 20:00. Yitzhak Frenkental, head of the "bereaved Families Forum" (120 bereaved Palestinian and Israeli families), will open the event, in which Lea Shakdiel (meimad party) and Mohamad Barake (Hadash Party) will discuss " the Israeli Arabs and Jewish state"). Tuesday, Oct. 17 - a panel dfiscussing "Divine Sovereignty on The Temple Mount", with Ziad abu Ziad (PA Minister for Jerusalem), Rabbi Menachem Fruman (tekoa), Dr. Menachem Klein (the Jerusalem Institute). the event "Children Paint Peace" planned for today was cancelled because Palestinian children could not come to Jerusalem. contact: Liora Lopian 054-419341, Leah Kalibinoff 053-920206. 2. sukkat shalom in kefar sabba - organised by meretz kfar saba from sunday - oct. 15,until wednesday, oct 13 - for 24 hours a day. City Square, Weizman st, opposite "kkanyon Harim". contact Guy Krom 052-484-600. 3. Peace tent, Megiddo junction, founded by Jewish and Palestinian alumni of Leadership 2000, will be visited today , at 15:00 by Minister Jossi Beilin. 4. Bat Shalom tent, Megiddo junction, established by Jewish and Palestinian women. 5. Barkai junction, a tent established by Peace Now, Kibbutz Artzi and Palestinian peace activists. 6. Carmiel - a tent is planned. 7. Jaffa - a tabernacle is planned. further details: Didi Remez, Peace Coalition spokeswoman 054-302-796. beeper 02-629-4666 x 57036. report: 1. in a tent near Beit Zarzir, Israel - hundreds of Palestinian and Jewish families had a peace picnic . 2. The CNN covered yesterday a dialogue of several participants of the 8-year-old Jewish-Palestinian Living Room Dialogue Group (California), and here is what Libby and Len Traubman wrote: In the bigger picture, it feels like something very new is happening. There seems to be a new kind of search for a new ways of thinking and relating to each other. Here, print media, radio and TV, and dear angels from CNN have communicated a new model of dialogue, relationship-building, and collaboration out into the atmosphere as never, like a prayer. In the last few days, we have seen cynical reporters and film crews leave the living room with hope themselves. We have not contacted any of them; they have discovered the different Bay Area dialogue groups via the Web site and by referrals, including from Jewish institutions. ********************* Previous report on plans: There are people all over the country who go on acting towards peace, equality and co-operation: 1.Friday, at 3.00 PM, there will be a solidarity visit to Jaffa. The meeting point is at A-Rabita (Jaffa Residents' Committee), 73 Yeffet St., Jaffa. Info: Adv. Nassim Shaker 050-406889. 2. The Bat Shalom women already have a tradition of organizing a Jewish- Arab Peace Tabernacle every year on Sukkot, at Meggido Junction in the north. This year, it is planned for Monday 16/10) , and it's all the more important. For details call Lili Traubman 06-6525853 or 053-966281, for transportation from Tel-Aviv Edna Yam 03-5278202, from Jerusalem Bat Shalom office 02-5631477. 3. This message came this morning from Harry Rhodes (hrhodes@galilan.com), Director of Acre's Jewish-Arab Community Association, and one of the founders of Shemesh, a summer camp for Jewish and Arab children to attend together. In Acco today about 50 people from 20 different "coexistence organizations and projects" in the north met to discuss ways to work for peace and coexistence within the new reality of Israel today. All of these organizations and/or projects are supported by the Abraham Fund. It was not an easy meeting. Some very sincere expressions of pain and anger were expressed. But, in the end it was decided that we must go forward, and that we must do even more to work for change within Israeli society. The meeting took place at the Jewish-Arab Community Center in Acco. A demonstration of about 200 Arabs and Jews for Jewish-Arab Coexistence andPeace took place between the Jewish settlement of Yuvalim and the Arab village of Sachnin (where 2 young Arabs were killed last week). The demonstration was initiated by young Arabs and Jews who have been active in Shemesh. During Sukkot there will be a number of "Sukkot for Peace" in different Jewish settlements in the Galilee (many of these were victims of violence on the part of their Arab neighbors. Now we are calling on our Arab neighbors to renew the good neighborly relations which were such an important part of our lives. All of these initiatives (and there are even more taking place on the grassroots level all over the country) give us hope, something that is very crucial in these very difficult days. 4. from "Haaretz", Thursday, October 12, 2000 Jews, Arabs meet to heal rifts nationwide - Ha'aretz Staff Israeli officials and leaders of various Jewish and Arab communities met last night in an attempt to bring about a reconciliation between Jews and Arabs and an end to the sectarian violence that has raged throughout the country for almost two weeks. JERUSALEM: Chairs of the local Jewish residents committees met with leaders of Arab villages and the heads of the Beit Safafa administration. Participants at the meeting agreed that a good relationship had prevailed between the various communities and that it had to be preserved. The Arab representatives, however, expressed their dismay at the continued deadlock in the peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians. It was decided to implement a number of joint programs to calm the tensions. TEL AVIV: The commander of the Tel Aviv police district commander and soon-to-be national police commissioner, Major General Shlomo Aharonishky, met yesterday with representatives of the Committee for the Advancement of Jaffa Arabs, as well as members of the Tel Aviv city council and leaders of the Arab community. Aharonishky told those present that the police had tried to exercise restraint when dealing with demonstrators, but could not stand by when the law was being flouted before their eyes. Tel Aviv police did not allow the city's mayor, Ron Huldai, to go ahead with a planned tour of the southern Hatikva neighborhood together with representatives of the Jaffa Arab community, saying that the area was not safe enough. Huldai instead toured the streets of Jaffa, escorted by representatives of the Islamic Council and members of the city council. HAIFA: A special meeting of 35 of the city's religious leaders met to discuss the recent clashes, under the banner: "We continue together." Among those in attendance were Rabbi Sha'ar-Yishuv Hacohen and Rabbi Shlomo Chelouche, Bishop Boutros Mualem, Sheikh Hassan Asdi, Haifa Mayor Amram Mitzna, representatives of the Druze community and the head of the Bahai community in the city. BE'ER SHEVA: Mayor Yaakov Terner met with the heads of the Negev settlements as well as Bedouin and Jewish community leaders. During the meeting, the Bedouin representatives called for the day-to-day problems to be put to one side and for people to act with more restraint. "We are deprived, but today, we have put this to one side," they said. The head of the Omer local council, Pini Badash, turned to the head of the Tel Sheva council to say: "Today we are together. You are responsible for Tel Sheva and I for Omer. Today, we are all together." Representatives from all of the local Bedouin councils attended the conciliatory meeting, though a small number of Jewish local council heads were absent. JEZREEL VALLEY: Heads of Jewish and Arab councils met yesterday under the auspices of the Jezreel Valley regional council to debate a renewed, joint effort to bridge the divides between the communities that have appeared of late. Also in attendence were Science, Culture and Sport Minister Matan Vilnai, who heads the emergency committee to coordinate government operations in the Arab sector, and other Arab notaries. From: "Americans for Peace Now" LATEST GALLUP POLL FINDS SOLID PRO-PEACE MAJORITY IN ISRAEL: Going into today's summit at Sharm el-Shiekh, the latest Gallup poll published in Ma'ariv found that 63% of Israelis support continuing the peace process with the Palestinians, while 32% oppose it and 5% don't know. Most (46%) Israelis believe that the current crisis will end and a peace agreement between the two sides will be signed, 32% of Israelis predict the situation will get worse, and 22% don't know. Finally, 70% of Israelis believe that the conflict between Jews and Arabs inside the country is the greatest danger to the future of the State, compared with 17% who named the conflict with the Palestinians. Meanwhile, leading Israeli peace activists held a meeting with Justice Minister Yossi Beilin last week and decided to reactivate the broad-based Peace Coalition. The umbrella group, in which the Israeli Peace Now movement plays a key role, will begin intensive street and media activity with the aim of rebuilding public faith in the peace process. Jewish and Israeli Arab peace activists working through the Coalition have already established a peace tent at the entrance of the Arab village of Beit Zarzir in the Lower Galilee. Hundreds of Israeli Arabs and Jews participated in a peace picnic at the tent over the weekend. Jewish and Arab alumni of Leadership 2000, a training program for grassroots community leaders, established another peace tent at Megido junction at the eastern entrance of Wadi Ara, where some of the most brutal clashes between police and Israeli Arabs took place last week. Other peace tents have been set up by Bat Shalom, a Jewish-Palestinian women's organization, Kibbutz Haartzi, and Netivot Shalom. A discussion originally slated to be held the Netivot Shalom site yesterday, featuring Lea Shakdiel of Meimad and Knesset Member Mohamad Barake of Hadash on the subject of Israeli Arabs and the Jewish State, was moved to a nearby hotel because of death threats against MK Barake. A panel discussion on Divine Sovereignty on the Temple Mount is scheduled for tomorrow at the Netivot Shalom site, featuring Ziad Abu Zayad (Palestinian Authority Minister for Jerusalem), Rabbi Menahem Fruman (from the West Bank settlement of Tekoa), and Dr. Menahem Klein of the Jerusalem Institute for Israel Studies. Peace Now has also begun to renew dialogue and exchange programs with Palestinian non-governmental organizations. (IRMA, 10/13/00 & Peace Now Reports, 10/13-15/00) JEWISH AND ARAB ISRAELI LEADERS WORK TO HEAL WOUNDS: Leaders of Israeli Jewish and Israeli Arab communities met last week and produced a statement declaring, "We the mayors and local council heads in the Sharon area, Arabs and Jews alike, are issuing a joint call to our residents and to all citizens of the state to desist from violence and to return to the path of cooperation, good neighborliness, patience and tolerance which has characterized us in the past. We ache for those killed and wish for the recovery of the injured. This pain and sorrow will act as an incentive and a lesson regarding our goal of preventing a repetition of the phenomenon of recent days and prevent sorrow and loss [since] peace cannot be prevented and suffering can be." The local leaders also decided to create a regional forum that would promote cooperation and coexistence via educational, cultural, and economic projects. In Jerusalem, Tel Aviv, Haifa, Be'er Sheva, and Jezreel Valley, local leaders from both communities met and agreed that a good relationship had prevailed between the two groups and that it had to be preserved. And in Jaffa, Arab and Jewish children continued to meet at the Jaffa Institute for underprivileged youth. One youngster, Khaled (age 11) said, "It is not okay for Jews and Arabs to act this way. But we still have a chance to make peace. It won't be easy, but we will get there. We have no choice." Another 11-year old, Benny, surrounded by Jewish and Arab pals, added, "I feel safer in here than I do outside. These are my friends." The Abraham Fund, which finances dozens of coexistence projects between Jewish and Arab citizens of Israel, decided to encourage such efforts through the establishment of a $1 million emergency fund. On a more official note, the Israeli Shin Bet security service recommended that the government make a concerted effort to integrate Israeli Arab citizens into the life of the country through increased budgets for Arab communities and appointing Arab citizens to key posts. A senior Shin Bet official said, "All the efforts to create equality of opportunity for the Arabs have been feeble and insufficient." Israeli Arabs, he noted, are suffering from a genuine lack of land resources and many of them believe that Israel is attempting to harm the assets of the Waqf, particularly the mosques on the Temple Mount/Haram al-Sharif. To this end, the Prime Minister's Office has set up an agency for implementing the $1 billion Arab sector aid plan. Barry Holtzman, head of coordination, follow-up, and control in the Prime Minister's Office, will lead the new agency. The plan will address issues like new roads, pavements, lighting, and sewage systems for Arab communities. Additional plans are being developed for creating industrial zones, jobs, high- density construction, and special programs for young couples seeking mortgage loans. (Jerusalem Post, 10/12/00; Ha'aretz, 10/12/-13/00; & Globes, 10/15/00) PALESTINIAN OFFICIALS CONDEMN RAMALLAH MOB VIOLENCE: While expressing their belief that the two Israeli soldiers killed in Ramallah last week were part of an undercover operation, both Nabil Abu Rudaineh (spokesman for Palestinian leader Yasir Arafat) and Bassam Abu Sharif (an adviser to Arafat) condemned the killings. Sharif also called upon the Palestinian leadership to restrain the Palestinian street, saying it is out of control and harming Palestinian interests. "The [Israeli] soldiers should have been protected by the police…what happened is against any military honor," Sharif said. Marwan Barghouteh, a senior Tanzim militia leader, also called the brutal killings "an unbelievable act, which should be condemned by everybody." The head of the Ramallah police force, Colonel Kamel el-Shiekh, said that, "When the mob burst into the room, I lay down on one of the Israeli soldiers and tried to defend him with my body. But the mob pushed me forcefully toward the wall." He described the lynching as "the Palestinian Authority's greatest failure" and "the humiliation of the Ramallah police force, and of me personally." But el-Shiekh also blamed Israel for failing to prevent the entry of armed soldiers into the heart of Ramallah. (Jerusalem Post, 10/13/00 & Ha'aretz, 10/16/00) PRINCE HASSAN SPEARHEADS MULTI-RELIGIOUS INITIATIVE FOR PEACE IN REGION: Jordan's Prince Hassan announced that the World Conference on Religion and Peace (WCRP), which he moderates, will undertake a major initiative designed to assist religious leaders in the Middle East in building a shared moral code of conduct that would seek to achieve peace and justice. "The logic of aggression has a life of its own and leads inexorably to more violence, overwhelming its original causes," he said. The Prince stressed that aggression must stop and that "both Palestinians and Israelis must, step-by-step, show the other that restraint will be met with restraint, for that is the logic of peacemaking…The shared moral concerns [of Christianity, Islam, and Judaism] can and need to be identified and reshaped as a 'code of conduct' that enshrines the deep sense of humanity and obligation shared by each of the religious traditions…A common code of conduct would allow all sides to disagree in human terms, without resorting to violence and without adding to the humiliation or paranoia of one group or another." WCRP is the largest worldwide coalition of religious communities taking common action to promote peace, with 34 national chapters in over 100 countries. (Jordan Times, 10/13/00) TEMPLE MOUNT FAITHFUL BANNED FROM THE MOUNT: Jerusalem police did not allow members of the Temple Mount Faithful to ascend the site today for their annual Succot march. The nationalistic group had scheduled a ceremony to anoint a "cornerstone for the Third Temple." Police allowed the group to gather only at the Western Wall plaza. The Temple Mount Faithful had also planned to bring a four-and-a-half ton marble "Temple cornerstone" on a flatbed truck, but were not permitted to move the stone from its location at the American Consulate in East Jerusalem. Palestinian leader Faisal Husseini had warned Israel that the Temple Mount Faithful should not be allowed to enter the Temple Mount complex, and called on the Palestinian police to arrive and prevent their entrance. He also called on Palestinians not to cause unrest during today's prayers at the Western Wall, where approximately 10,000 people worshipped. (Jerusalem Post & Ha'aretz, 10/16/00)