Hasbarah, (haz-ba-rah) n. information; L’hasbir, v. to inform.
The publication of the Advocacy for Israel Committee ("A-Team") of Congregation B’nai Israel

Volume 3 * Issue 105 May 14, 2004

The Week’s News in Review

May 5: Israel reportedly is to receive the bodies of three soldiers and information on Ron Arad as part of a prisoner exchange with Hezbollah. UNICEF pledged to keep politics out of its summer camps for Palestinian children. Syria banned four ships that made stops in Israeli ports, and placed nine Israeli companies on a blacklist. The diplomatic "Quartet" working for Middle East peace praised Israel's plan to withdraw from the Gaza Strip. Nine U.S. universities are objecting to new Ford Foundation rules designed to prevent grants from being used to assist terrorist groups. May 6: Israeli troops assassinated a senior Hamas leader near Nablus, and repelled two groups of potential infiltrators from crossing into Israeli via the Lebanese border. An Israeli taxi driver pleaded guilty to driving a suicide bomber to the site of an attack. May 7: An Israeli soldier was killed and five were wounded Friday by Hezbollah fire at Israeli army outposts close to the Lebanese border. Israel will withdraw from all 21 Gaza Strip settlements, its deputy prime minister said. The United Nations General Assembly overwhelmingly approved a resolution asserting Palestinian sovereignty over all lands Israel captured in 1967. Ariel Sharon visited relatives of a pregnant woman who was killed with her four daughters in a brutal terrorist attack in the Gaza Strip. May 10: Yasser Arafat said a Palestinian state could be achieved by 2005, despite President Bush's assertion that the target was unrealistic. Israel's Cabinet discussed options for Ariel Sharon's beleaguered "disengagement plan.". May 11: Six Israeli soldiers were killed by a land mine during a raid in Gaza City. A group of U.S. rabbis recently donated 10 Torahs for use by Israeli soldiers. May 12: President Bush sent Ahmed Qurei a letter reaffirming his support for a Palestinian state. Israeli forces hunting for the remains of six soldiers slain Tuesday in Gaza killed three Hamas terrorists at least 12 Palestinians. May 13: Israeli conscientious objectors scuffled with settlers on the Gaza Strip boundary.

Myths and Facts in The Israeli-Arab Conflict

MYTH: "After the 1967 war, Israel refused to negotiate a settlement with the Arabs."

FACTS: After its victory in the Six-Day War, Israel hoped the Arab states would enter peace negotiations. Israel signaled to the Arab states its willingness to relinquish virtually all the territories it acquired in exchange for peace. As Moshe Dayan put it, Jerusalem was waiting only for a telephone call from Arab leaders to start negotiations. But these hopes were dashed in August 1967 when Arab leaders meeting in Khartoum adopted a formula of three noes: "no peace with Israel, no negotiations with Israel, no recognition of Israel...." As former Israeli President Chaim Herzog wrote: "Israel's belief that the war had come to an end and that peace would now reign along the borders was soon dispelled. Three weeks after the conclusion of hostilities, the first major incident occurred on the Suez

Canal."Source: Myths & Facts Online -- A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Mitchell G. Bard, http://www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org.

Advocacy for Israel Committee Information

The Advocacy for Israel Committee was formed in September of 2001 to organize pro-Israeli activities and to rally support in the form of Hasbara. The next A Team meeting is Sunday May 16 in the CBI Library at 9:45. Make a difference for Israel! Please join us on Monday May 24 as local physician Dr. Robert Entel shares fascinating highlights of his unexpected tour into Palestinian areas as he discusses "Beyond the Security Fence: Medicine in the Palestinian Territories". See reverse for more information. Questions? Ideas? Contact A Team Chairmen Jay Epstein (jhe@tampabay.rr.com) or Sheldon Scheinert (Sheldo123@aol.com). Get involved!

The ISRAEL ADVOCACY TEAM of Congregation B’nai Israel

300 58^th Street North, St. Petersburg, Florida 33710 727.381.4900

Speaking out for Israel so that "Never Again" shall Jewish silence lead to an indifferent world