THE DETROIT JEWISH NEWS
Cabinet Divided by Yamit Controversy
JERUSALEM (JTA) —
The Cabinet, sharply di-
vided over how to deal with
recalcitrant settlers in
Yamit and ideologically
motivated squatters who
believe the government has
no intention of evacuating
Sinai next April, turned the
problem over the the
Ministerial Defense Com-
mittee on Sunday.
That move appeared to
confirm the deadlock and
placed the burden of resolv-
ing the matter squarely on
Premier Menahem Begin
who normally chairs the .
mittee. Begin, who is
aking a slow recovery
from his recent hip injury,
was not present at Sunday's
session. He has said little
publicly on the Yamit prob-
lem though he assured
Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak last week that Is-
rael would honor the letter
of its commitments under
the Egyptian-Israeli peace
treaty.
The immediate issue is
whether to crack down on
the Yamit settlers most
of whom are simply seeking
to better compensation from
the government for reloca-
tion — and the ideologues,
chiefly Gush Emunium
militants from the occupied
territories who have taken
over abandoned homes and
farms in northern Sinai.
They are reportedly digging
fortifications and ac-
cumulating arms for a con-
frontation with any forces
sent to evacuate them.
One bloc of ministers,
the most outspoken of
whom is Deputy Premier
and Housing Minister
David Levy, is demand-
ing immediate tough ac-
tion to restore law and
order in northern Sinai
and " accuses Defense
Minister Ariel Sharon of
responsibility for the
situation. Levy has
warned that unless the
armed forces act now,
there will be bloodshed
when the time for evacu-
ation comes. •
Sharon, normally the
leading hawk in the
Cabinet, insists on delaying
any_ action against the
squatters because, he has
said, he "understands the
feelings of the nationalists."
He denied they were collect-
ing arms for a confronta-
tion, remarking, according
to Kol Israel Radio, "My
mother has a pistol too but
she has no intention to use
it."
Raanan Weitz, co-
chairman of the Jewish
Agency's settlement de-
partment which is overse-
eing the technical aspects of
ocation complained over
weekend that the Yamit
settlers and Gush Emunim
squatters prevented Jewish
Agency workers from mov-
ing greenhouses from
Yamit to the resettlement
area of Pithat Shalom in Is-
rael.
He said his requests for
assistance from the army
and police were ignored and
similarly, his appeals to
Begin and other ministers
have not been answered.
In other developments
over the weekend, Israel
Radio reported that Is-
rael troops lifted a two-
day curfew on the Golan
town of Majdal Shams,
the largest Druze village.
Chief of Staff Lt. Gen.
Rafael Eitan said the cur-
few and the search of
homes of pro-Syrian
residents were taken for
unspecified security rea-
sons. "We had to examine
what exactly was hap-
pening there," he told re-
porters.
Meanwhile, tight secu-
Friday, January 8, 1982 13
Club Aids Wealthy Arabs
GENEVA (JTA) — A spe- ance to wealthy Arabs when
cial club called the Imperial they are in Europe. At a
Falcon Club has opened later date branches are also
here to cater to the oil mil- to be opened in London,
lionaires from Saudi Paris, the United States and
Arabia; Kuwait, Bahrain, the Far East.
Oman and the United Arab
Apparently, a number of
Emirates.
personalities in France's jet
The office in Geneva is at set and haute couture cir-
the President Hotel. There cles have already sent in
will also be ,offices in their fees to be included on
Lausanne, Zurich and this list of prestigious em-
Basel.
poriums distributed to
The aim of the club is to members of the Imperial
provide advice and guid- Falcon Club.
rity remained in effect in
East Jerusalem where
authorities restricted three
Arab union leaders to the
municipal area and con-
fined them to their homes at
night on "security grounds,"
Israel Radio reported.
In Bethlehem, Israeli
explosives experts averted a
tragedy when they disman-
tled a bomb which had been
placed outside the Tomb of
Rachel.
FOR SELECTION IN FLORENTINE,
TAPERED, ENGRA VED, PLAIN, AND
DIAMOND WEDDING BANDS WITH
el
Jewish Classes
NEW YORK (JNI) —
Some 200 colleges and uni-
versities in the U.S. offer
1,745 different courses in
Jewish studies. Under-
graduates enrolled in He-
brew language courses total
19,000.
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