Return-Path: <sentto-279987-4598-1017497216-fc=all.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com> Delivered-To: fc@all.net Received: from 204.181.12.215 [204.181.12.215] by localhost with POP3 (fetchmail-5.7.4) for fc@localhost (single-drop); Sat, 30 Mar 2002 06:17:08 -0800 (PST) Received: (qmail 25251 invoked by uid 510); 30 Mar 2002 14:13:41 -0000 Received: from n19.grp.scd.yahoo.com (66.218.66.74) by all.net with SMTP; 30 Mar 2002 14:13:41 -0000 X-eGroups-Return: sentto-279987-4598-1017497216-fc=all.net@returns.groups.yahoo.com Received: from [66.218.67.192] by n19.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 X-Sender: yangyun@metacrawler.com X-Apparently-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Received: (EGP: mail-8_0_3_1); 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 Received: (qmail 83164 invoked from network); 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 Received: from unknown (66.218.66.217) by m10.grp.scd.yahoo.com with QMQP; 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO n17.grp.scd.yahoo.com) (66.218.66.72) by mta2.grp.scd.yahoo.com with SMTP; 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 Received: from [66.218.67.137] by n17.grp.scd.yahoo.com with NNFMP; 30 Mar 2002 14:06:56 -0000 To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Message-ID: <a84gpu+5djs@eGroups.com> User-Agent: eGroups-EW/0.82 X-Mailer: Yahoo Groups Message Poster From: "televr" <yangyun@metacrawler.com> X-Originating-IP: 24.114.144.218 X-Yahoo-Profile: televr Mailing-List: list iwar@yahoogroups.com; contact iwar-owner@yahoogroups.com Delivered-To: mailing list iwar@yahoogroups.com Precedence: bulk List-Unsubscribe: <mailto:iwar-unsubscribe@yahoogroups.com> Date: Sat, 30 Mar 2002 14:06:54 -0000 Subject: [iwar] In Israel, Press Kits Roll Out With Tanks Reply-To: iwar@yahoogroups.com Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable March 30, 2002 In Israel, Press Kits Roll Out With Tanks By JOHN KIFNER JERUSALEM, March 29 — Israel's army and its government — and its vast public relations apparatus — appeared to be mobilizing today for a long, drawn-out battle against the Palestinians. As Israeli tanks today broke through the walls of Yasir Arafat's compound in Ramallah, in the West Bank, and fighting was reported to be raging from room to room through the complex, the commander directing the attack, Maj. Gen. Yitzhak Eitan, said such battles could go on indefinitely. "The operation will last as long as necessary, without a time limit, according to an ongoing situation assessment and according to the directives of the political echelon," General Eitan said at military briefing. "The forces are operating to hit the terrorist infrastructures, to catch wanted people, to hit terrorists and to defeat terrorism." His chief of operations, Col. Gal Hirsh, indicated that similar operations could spread throughout the West Bank and the Gaza Strip and that they could also continue for a long time. "Since we are fighting against the terror infrastructure, it may take time," he said. "Since we witnessed this large Palestinian terror offensive against us, it may take time." Even as the tanks rumbled into Ramallah this morning, Gideon Meir, Israel's deputy foreign minister for public affairs, was setting up a huge government information office in Jerusalem's Convention Center to provide daily briefings for the international press corps pouring in here. It was, he said, part of an emergency plan that had been developed over the last two months. "We have had the experience of September 2000," Mr. Meir said, referring to the start of this period of conflict and the images of Israeli soldiers shooting at young people throwing rocks. "And we have learned from some of our mistakes." This is a country obsessed with its image abroad, and public relations is regarded as a vital — and sometimes losing — part of the battle. The Hebrew word is hasbara, which literally means "explanation," but carries the connotation here of something like "information offensive." All of the Israeli embassies and other offices abroad, normally closed for the weeklong Passover holiday, have been ordered reopened, Mr. Meir said today, and all Foreign Ministry personnel have been recalled to duty, many of them reassigned from their usual jobs to the public relations effort. "We will fight the Palestinian incitement and propaganda campaign," Mr. Meir said. "It will take some time, it will take a lot of patience." Workers bustled about today, setting up tables, computers and telephone lines. On a long row of tables, there were handouts ranging from maps and pamphlets with basic facts on population to piles of CD-ROM's. The discs included "Surviving Terrorists," ("The gripping stories of six Israelis whose lives were turned upside down by terrorist attacks. Their will to live represents the courage and hope for peace that every Israeli represents.") and "Seeds of Hatred" ("Today, the Palestinian Authority is methodically and systematically indoctrinating a new generation of children with dangerous and irrevocable messages . . ."). Looking about the briefing room taking shape, Eric Silver of the British newspaper The Independent, a correspondent here for decades, said the mobilization reminded him of the conflict in 1973. Colonel Hirsh, the army chief of operations, said he anticipated that the army's offensive would be substantial, without a commitment to "finish in any geographical point." He explained his thinking by saying, "We just heard today during our defensive measure in Ramallah that, still, the call for a million martyrs to march to Jerusalem is still relevant — and the results you've seen this afternoon in Jerusalem," referring to a young woman who carried out a suicide bombing in a supermarket, killing two Israelis, along with herself. The army says that 20,000 reservists have been called up for this campaign. That is the total number of troops used for the army's incursion into Ramallah and other parts of the West Bank earlier this month, at the time the largest military action since the 1982 war in Lebanon. Today's assault was led by Special Forces soldiers known as Sayeret, or Reconnaissance, Colonel Hirsh said. The army used tanks, armored personnel carriers and armored bulldozers to break into the compound, backed by regular infantry. "That compound is the base for terrorism and President Arafat's security is part of it, Force 17 and the Presidential Guards," Colonel Hirsh said. "Nothing in the Palestinian Authority is spontaneous or innocent." ------------------------ Yahoo! Groups Sponsor ---------------------~--> HOW to SEE & RECORD EVERYTHING! TINY Camera for Under $80 BUCKS! PRICE BREAKTHROUGH --> CLICK! http://us.click.yahoo.com/aqwnsB/.o6DAA/yigFAA/kgFolB/TM ---------------------------------------------------------------------~-> ------------------ http://all.net/ Your use of Yahoo! Groups is subject to http://docs.yahoo.com/info/terms/
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