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TOP STORIES
10/14/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
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1) Senate Adjourns Before Adopting Key US-Armenia Trade Provision
2) French Parliament Debates Turkey's EU Accession Bid
3) Spitting Incident Digs up Deep Rooted Old City Tensions
4) Media Groups Condemn New Attack on Journalist
1) Senate Adjourns Before Adopting Key US-Armenia Trade Provision
Though US House gives final approval to extend permanent normal trade
relations
status to Armenia, post-adjournment session may approve measure only after
election
WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)US Senators left Washington yesterday to hit the
campaign
trail before taking up a large trade bill that includes a provision to
permanently normalize trade between the US and Armenia.
Senate's failure to act on the provision that would grant Permanent Normal
Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Armenia, was due to entirely unrelated
concerns about other parts of the larger trade measure, HR 1047the
Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act. The US House passed this
bill on October 8. The last opportunity for Congress to approve this measure
during the 108th Congress will be during a rare post-adjournment session of
Congresseither before or, more likely, after the November 2 election. This
session will deal primarily with approving appropriations bills and finalizing
legislation on intelligence reform.
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) was the first to raise the
issue of Armenia PNTR in Congress. His legislation, HR 528, introduced last
year was supported by the Armenian Caucus and cosponsored 112 other Members of
Congress. A companion bill was introduced on the Senate side by Senator Mitch
McConnell (R-KY) and cosponsored by 21 other Senators. The strong support for
these measures paved the way for serious consideration of their inclusion by
members of Congress negotiating the final version of the larger trade measure.
"We want to thank Congressman Knollenberg, Senator McConnell and all those
who
played a role in bringing Armenia PNTR to the brink of final adoption," said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "While we would have liked to have
seen
the Senate act before adjourning, we remain hopeful that this measure will be
enacted into law before the end of the 108th Congress."
Over the past two years, the ANCA has worked, in Washington, DC and in local
communities throughout the country to generate bipartisan support for the
measure among legislators, including those serving on key trade
subcommittees.
The trade bill represents a core element of the ANCA's efforts to expand
bilateral economic relations, provide new commercial opportunities, and
further
strengthen the enduring bonds between the American and Armenian peoples. Over
ten thousand pro-Armenia activists sent ANCA WebFaxes to Congress, thousands
more made phone calls in support of PNTR, and this important issue was raised
in several hundred Congressional visits, both in District Offices and the
nation's capital. The sample ANCA WebFax letter for activists included several
reasons to support this legislation, among them:
nIncreased US-Armenia trade and investment advances US foreign policy by
strengthening Armenia's free market economic development and integration into
the world economy.
nExpanded US-Armenia commercial relations will strengthen bilateral relations
and reinforces the enduring friendship between the American and Armenian
peoples.
nAdoption of PNTR for Armenia will help offsetat no cost to US taxpayersthe
devastating impact of the dual Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, estimated by
the World Bank as costing Armenia up to a third of its entire GDP (as much as
$720 million annually) and half of its exports.
The Trade Act of 1974 excluded all Soviet countries from having normal trade
relations (NTR) status with the United States. One particular provision of the
Act, known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, required the President to deny NTR
to those countries that restricted free emigration. The policy was adopted, in
part, in response to Communist government restrictions on the emigration of
Jews. According to the terms of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, when the
President
determines that freedom of emigration rights have been reinstated in a
country,
normal trade relations may be granted. To maintain NTR, the President must
report to Congress twice a year that Jackson-Vanik requirements have been met.
While successive Presidents have waived the Jackson-Vanik Amendment
restrictions on Armenia during the past decade, the passage of the Knollenberg
bill, would grant Armenia permanent normal trade relations status, without the
need for semi-yearly Presidential determinations.
The depth of American support for Armenia PNTR was made clear in the
responses
from around the nation to the multi-issue candidate questionnaires circulated
this election season by the ANCA. Challengers and incumbents from both parties
have stressed their support for legislation that would grant (PNTR) status.
2) French Parliament Debates Turkey's EU Accession Bid
Turkey 'not ready' yet to join EU according to French Prime Minister
PARIS (AFP)--French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said on Thursday that
Turkey is not ready to join the European Union but should pursue its
membership
bid; Raffarin was speaking during a parliamentary debate on the issue that has
polarized the country.
"Neither Europe nor Turkey" are "today ready for Turkey to join" the bloc, he
told parliament in his opening remarks, but said "Turkey's request is not
illegitimate."
The debate was set to highlight major arguments raging in France--and in
other
EU countries--over Turkey's four-decade-old bid to become a member of the
expanding European Union.
However, in an unusual approach criticized by many MPs and underlining the
deep divide over the issue, the exchange was not to be put to a vote.
The debate was being held ahead of an EU summit on December 17 at which EU
leaders will decide how to act on a recommendation from the bloc's executive
arm to open accession talks with Ankara.
President Jacques Chirac has pronounced himself in favor of Turkey's
accession. At the same time, Chirac has bowed to public concern by
promising to
put the matter to a referendum and pointing out that France could veto
negotiations at any time.
Many in his ruling Union for a Popular Movement party, including ministers,
have declared themselves opposed to the future inclusion of a country that is
predominantly Muslim and comparatively poor.
The opposition Socialist party is similarly divided, while a newspaper poll
earlier this week found that 75 percent of people would vote against Turkish
entry in a referendum.
Turkish MPs visiting France this week expressed surprise at the resistance to
their country's bid.
"Some French politicians are asking whether our civilizations are compatible,
whether Turkey belongs to the European continent, but we haven't changed our
religion, our size or our geographical position," said Onur Oymen, of the
center-left People's Republican Party.
"Turkey today is better prepared than several other countries recently
admitted to the EU, especially in the fields of economy, banking and
finances,"
said Ibrahim Ozal, of the ruling Justice and Development Party.
Chirac is to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at three-way
talks October 26 in Berlin hosted by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Germany also has a sizable, mainly conservative faction opposed to Turkey
joining the bloc, although not on the scale as France.
France is said to be pushing for any start date for accession talks to be put
back until at least the second half of next year, fearing it could hit the
government's drive to get the EU's first constitution accepted by referendum.
3) Spitting Incident Digs up Deep Rooted Old City Tensions
JERUSALEM (Combined Sources)The recent altercation between an Armenian
Orthodox
bishop and an ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth has spotlighted the issue of such
religious confrontations, which according to some observers, is on the rise.
The incident occurred October 10 when a Jewish student spat at a cross
carried
by Archbishop Nourhan Manougian during a procession marking the exaltation of
the holy cross in Jerusalem's Old City. The archbishop's ceremonial medallion,
which has been in use since the 17th century, was broken during the ensuing
brawl, during which he slapped the student.
The archbishop and the student were questioned by the police, and the student
was arrested.
The Ha'aretz newspaper said religious Jews often spit on the ground when they
see the cross. The newspaper quoted the archbishop as saying he had grown
accustomed to people turning around and spitting when he walked past, but to
have a cross spit at during a religious procession was a "humiliation we are
not prepared to accept."
Manougian denounced the "shocking silence" of the Israeli religious
establishment toward "these unacceptable acts."
"You meet a fanatic segment of Jews who have their own ideas; sometimes when
they see Christian clergy walking on the Via Dolorosa with the cross, some
fanatics [may say something or spit] but we can't generalize. It is not the
sort of thing you see in general," said Father Shawki Baterian, chancellor of
the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. "It may happen to individual priests
sometimes, but they don't [lodge] complaints or pay attention to it."
He said Archbishop Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem has never been insulted or
abused in such a manner.
Daniel Rossing, former adviser on Christian affairs for the Religious Affairs
Ministry and director of the Jerusalem Center for Christian-Jewish Dialogue,
said, however, that the Armenian and Syrian Orthodox churches are generally
the
ones facing the brunt of such antagonism because their communities are located
closer to areas where Orthodox Jews go and so have more chances of contact.
"You don't hear of a lot of incidents near the Latin Patriarchate area or
near
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, because those are not areas where in general
Jews are passing, [but] the Armenian Quarter is along a major thoroughfare,
with a human traffic flow of Jews going to the Jewish Quarter and to the
Western Wall," Rossing said.
In general, Rossing said such attacks are perpetrated by younger male members
of the Orthodox Jewish community.
He said his center is planning to ask Christian churches to report all such
incidents so it can build a solid statistical base with which to approach
leading rabbinical figures to ask for their assistance in curbing the abuse.
Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said police have had only two
complaints from Christians in the past year. In both cases, the culprits were
caught and punished, he said, adding that police deploy a large number of
patrols and employ special technology in the Old City to try to maintain
order.
Rabbi Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in
Israel, said there have been increasing reports of such incidents.
"There is a lack of education in a very certain quarter of Jewish life,
but it
is not sweeping Israeli society. It tends to be in the areas of Jerusalem
where
[Christian clergy] come in contact with ultra-Orthodox [Jews]," he said.
"It is
not an epidemic, but it is increasing."
The problem is most intense in the Old City, he said, recalling an incident
when he accompanied a visiting Catholic cardinal to the Western Wall, and an
Orthodox Jewish youth shouted disparaging remarks at the religious leader. The
cardinal ignored the shouting, and his visit continued as planned.
"There needs to be more education and statements by some leading figures in
the Orthodox [Jewish] world in Israel," Rabbi Kronish said. "But it is
hard to
educate people who are not open to dialogue. More awareness that this is a
city
of three faiths would be helpful."
In its lead editorial, Ha'aretz called the incidents "Jerusalem's disgrace"
and charged the police and Interior Ministry with not doing enough to prevent
such attacks.
"It turns out that for some time the Christians in Jerusalem have been
suffering from... provocations by wild young people. The provocations. . .
have
become an ugly routine in recent years, fitting right in with the increasingly
extremist political atmosphere," the newspaper said.
It called on the city to "take firm action" against the offending youth.
"It is intolerable that Christian citizens of Jerusalem suffer from the
shameful spitting at or near a crucifix," the paper said.
Many Orthodox Jews see the cross as a symbol of the violence perpetrated on
Jewish communities by Christians over the centuries.
According to Albert Aghazaryan, one of the prominent leaders of the
Palestinian Armenian community, the act of spitting on Christian symbols is
"deep rooted in the Jewish religious doctrine."
"Hostility to Christianity is intrinsic in religious Jewish thinking,"
Aghazaryan said.
A few weeks ago, a similar incident took place when another religious Jew,
reportedly an old man wearing a skullcap, spat at a Christian Orthodox leader
as he opened the window of his car.
A few years ago, Jewish religious students burned down a Jerusalem flat in
which two Christian college students were living. The two students fled
unharmed.
According to the famous Jewish author and philosopher Yisrael Shahak, much of
the Jewish Orthodox hostility to Christianity originate in theology.
In his book "Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand
Years," Shahak pointed out that "it became customary to spit [usually three
times] upon seeing a church or a crucifix."
On page 98, Shahak points out that Christianity as a religion is classed by
Rabbinic teaching as idolatry.
"All the Christian emblems and pictorial representations are regarded
as idols. . . even by those Jews who literally worship scrolls, stones or
personal belongings of 'Holy Men.' "
According to Shahak, some Orthodox Jews are enjoined to recite the following
curse on hearing the name Jesus: "May his name be damned and his memory be
erased."
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz issued a strongly worded statement Tuesday
against incidents of Jews spitting at Christian clergy in Jerusalem, saying he
was "repulsed" by the repeated attacks."
Poraz called such behavior by ultra-Orthodox Jewish students "intolerable,"
and asked Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra to "take all the necessary
steps
to prevent these incidents in the future." Poraz also expressed his dismay to
the heads of the churches in Israel and noted "Israel's commitment to freedom
of religion."
4) Media Groups Condemn New Attack on Journalist
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--Armenia's three leading media associations condemned on
Thursday a reported attack on the editor of a provincial newspaper, calling it
the result of the failure of authorities to properly investigate similar
incidents earlier this year.
In a joint statement, the Yerevan Press Club, the Journalists Union of
Armenia, and the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression demanded an
"objective investigation" into the incident and punish the guilty.
Samvel Aleksanian, the editor of the "Syuniats Yerkir" newspaper based in the
southeastern town of Ghapan, said he was beaten up by three young men in his
office on Wednesday for publishing articles that criticized the government's
decision to close two regional schools. He described the attackers as the
local
leaders of the youth league of the Republican Party (HHK).
Police in Ghapan have pledged to investigate Aleksanian's claims.
"If they are guilty they must not only be expelled from the party but also
punished by law," said Galust Sahakian, the leader of the HHK faction in
parliament.
"Apparently, the lack of punishment in a number of recent incidents of
violence against media representatives or the mild punishments imposed on
their
perpetrators led some people to think that they can intimidate journalists,"
said the statement by the journalist unions.
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.
TOP STORIES
10/14/2004
TO ACCESS PREVIOUS ASBAREZ ONLINE EDITIONS PLEASE VISIT OUR
WEBSITE AT <http://www.asbarez.com/>HTTP://WWW.ASBAREZ.COM
1) Senate Adjourns Before Adopting Key US-Armenia Trade Provision
2) French Parliament Debates Turkey's EU Accession Bid
3) Spitting Incident Digs up Deep Rooted Old City Tensions
4) Media Groups Condemn New Attack on Journalist
1) Senate Adjourns Before Adopting Key US-Armenia Trade Provision
Though US House gives final approval to extend permanent normal trade
relations
status to Armenia, post-adjournment session may approve measure only after
election
WASHINGTON, DC (ANCA)US Senators left Washington yesterday to hit the
campaign
trail before taking up a large trade bill that includes a provision to
permanently normalize trade between the US and Armenia.
Senate's failure to act on the provision that would grant Permanent Normal
Trade Relations (PNTR) status to Armenia, was due to entirely unrelated
concerns about other parts of the larger trade measure, HR 1047the
Miscellaneous Trade and Technical Corrections Act. The US House passed this
bill on October 8. The last opportunity for Congress to approve this measure
during the 108th Congress will be during a rare post-adjournment session of
Congresseither before or, more likely, after the November 2 election. This
session will deal primarily with approving appropriations bills and finalizing
legislation on intelligence reform.
Armenian Caucus Co-Chairman Joe Knollenberg (R-MI) was the first to raise the
issue of Armenia PNTR in Congress. His legislation, HR 528, introduced last
year was supported by the Armenian Caucus and cosponsored 112 other Members of
Congress. A companion bill was introduced on the Senate side by Senator Mitch
McConnell (R-KY) and cosponsored by 21 other Senators. The strong support for
these measures paved the way for serious consideration of their inclusion by
members of Congress negotiating the final version of the larger trade measure.
"We want to thank Congressman Knollenberg, Senator McConnell and all those
who
played a role in bringing Armenia PNTR to the brink of final adoption," said
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. "While we would have liked to have
seen
the Senate act before adjourning, we remain hopeful that this measure will be
enacted into law before the end of the 108th Congress."
Over the past two years, the ANCA has worked, in Washington, DC and in local
communities throughout the country to generate bipartisan support for the
measure among legislators, including those serving on key trade
subcommittees.
The trade bill represents a core element of the ANCA's efforts to expand
bilateral economic relations, provide new commercial opportunities, and
further
strengthen the enduring bonds between the American and Armenian peoples. Over
ten thousand pro-Armenia activists sent ANCA WebFaxes to Congress, thousands
more made phone calls in support of PNTR, and this important issue was raised
in several hundred Congressional visits, both in District Offices and the
nation's capital. The sample ANCA WebFax letter for activists included several
reasons to support this legislation, among them:
nIncreased US-Armenia trade and investment advances US foreign policy by
strengthening Armenia's free market economic development and integration into
the world economy.
nExpanded US-Armenia commercial relations will strengthen bilateral relations
and reinforces the enduring friendship between the American and Armenian
peoples.
nAdoption of PNTR for Armenia will help offsetat no cost to US taxpayersthe
devastating impact of the dual Turkish and Azerbaijani blockades, estimated by
the World Bank as costing Armenia up to a third of its entire GDP (as much as
$720 million annually) and half of its exports.
The Trade Act of 1974 excluded all Soviet countries from having normal trade
relations (NTR) status with the United States. One particular provision of the
Act, known as the Jackson-Vanik amendment, required the President to deny NTR
to those countries that restricted free emigration. The policy was adopted, in
part, in response to Communist government restrictions on the emigration of
Jews. According to the terms of the Jackson-Vanik amendment, when the
President
determines that freedom of emigration rights have been reinstated in a
country,
normal trade relations may be granted. To maintain NTR, the President must
report to Congress twice a year that Jackson-Vanik requirements have been met.
While successive Presidents have waived the Jackson-Vanik Amendment
restrictions on Armenia during the past decade, the passage of the Knollenberg
bill, would grant Armenia permanent normal trade relations status, without the
need for semi-yearly Presidential determinations.
The depth of American support for Armenia PNTR was made clear in the
responses
from around the nation to the multi-issue candidate questionnaires circulated
this election season by the ANCA. Challengers and incumbents from both parties
have stressed their support for legislation that would grant (PNTR) status.
2) French Parliament Debates Turkey's EU Accession Bid
Turkey 'not ready' yet to join EU according to French Prime Minister
PARIS (AFP)--French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin said on Thursday that
Turkey is not ready to join the European Union but should pursue its
membership
bid; Raffarin was speaking during a parliamentary debate on the issue that has
polarized the country.
"Neither Europe nor Turkey" are "today ready for Turkey to join" the bloc, he
told parliament in his opening remarks, but said "Turkey's request is not
illegitimate."
The debate was set to highlight major arguments raging in France--and in
other
EU countries--over Turkey's four-decade-old bid to become a member of the
expanding European Union.
However, in an unusual approach criticized by many MPs and underlining the
deep divide over the issue, the exchange was not to be put to a vote.
The debate was being held ahead of an EU summit on December 17 at which EU
leaders will decide how to act on a recommendation from the bloc's executive
arm to open accession talks with Ankara.
President Jacques Chirac has pronounced himself in favor of Turkey's
accession. At the same time, Chirac has bowed to public concern by
promising to
put the matter to a referendum and pointing out that France could veto
negotiations at any time.
Many in his ruling Union for a Popular Movement party, including ministers,
have declared themselves opposed to the future inclusion of a country that is
predominantly Muslim and comparatively poor.
The opposition Socialist party is similarly divided, while a newspaper poll
earlier this week found that 75 percent of people would vote against Turkish
entry in a referendum.
Turkish MPs visiting France this week expressed surprise at the resistance to
their country's bid.
"Some French politicians are asking whether our civilizations are compatible,
whether Turkey belongs to the European continent, but we haven't changed our
religion, our size or our geographical position," said Onur Oymen, of the
center-left People's Republican Party.
"Turkey today is better prepared than several other countries recently
admitted to the EU, especially in the fields of economy, banking and
finances,"
said Ibrahim Ozal, of the ruling Justice and Development Party.
Chirac is to meet Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan at three-way
talks October 26 in Berlin hosted by German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder.
Germany also has a sizable, mainly conservative faction opposed to Turkey
joining the bloc, although not on the scale as France.
France is said to be pushing for any start date for accession talks to be put
back until at least the second half of next year, fearing it could hit the
government's drive to get the EU's first constitution accepted by referendum.
3) Spitting Incident Digs up Deep Rooted Old City Tensions
JERUSALEM (Combined Sources)The recent altercation between an Armenian
Orthodox
bishop and an ultra-Orthodox Jewish youth has spotlighted the issue of such
religious confrontations, which according to some observers, is on the rise.
The incident occurred October 10 when a Jewish student spat at a cross
carried
by Archbishop Nourhan Manougian during a procession marking the exaltation of
the holy cross in Jerusalem's Old City. The archbishop's ceremonial medallion,
which has been in use since the 17th century, was broken during the ensuing
brawl, during which he slapped the student.
The archbishop and the student were questioned by the police, and the student
was arrested.
The Ha'aretz newspaper said religious Jews often spit on the ground when they
see the cross. The newspaper quoted the archbishop as saying he had grown
accustomed to people turning around and spitting when he walked past, but to
have a cross spit at during a religious procession was a "humiliation we are
not prepared to accept."
Manougian denounced the "shocking silence" of the Israeli religious
establishment toward "these unacceptable acts."
"You meet a fanatic segment of Jews who have their own ideas; sometimes when
they see Christian clergy walking on the Via Dolorosa with the cross, some
fanatics [may say something or spit] but we can't generalize. It is not the
sort of thing you see in general," said Father Shawki Baterian, chancellor of
the Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem. "It may happen to individual priests
sometimes, but they don't [lodge] complaints or pay attention to it."
He said Archbishop Michel Sabbah of Jerusalem has never been insulted or
abused in such a manner.
Daniel Rossing, former adviser on Christian affairs for the Religious Affairs
Ministry and director of the Jerusalem Center for Christian-Jewish Dialogue,
said, however, that the Armenian and Syrian Orthodox churches are generally
the
ones facing the brunt of such antagonism because their communities are located
closer to areas where Orthodox Jews go and so have more chances of contact.
"You don't hear of a lot of incidents near the Latin Patriarchate area or
near
the Church of the Holy Sepulcher, because those are not areas where in general
Jews are passing, [but] the Armenian Quarter is along a major thoroughfare,
with a human traffic flow of Jews going to the Jewish Quarter and to the
Western Wall," Rossing said.
In general, Rossing said such attacks are perpetrated by younger male members
of the Orthodox Jewish community.
He said his center is planning to ask Christian churches to report all such
incidents so it can build a solid statistical base with which to approach
leading rabbinical figures to ask for their assistance in curbing the abuse.
Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said police have had only two
complaints from Christians in the past year. In both cases, the culprits were
caught and punished, he said, adding that police deploy a large number of
patrols and employ special technology in the Old City to try to maintain
order.
Rabbi Ron Kronish, director of the Interreligious Coordinating Council in
Israel, said there have been increasing reports of such incidents.
"There is a lack of education in a very certain quarter of Jewish life,
but it
is not sweeping Israeli society. It tends to be in the areas of Jerusalem
where
[Christian clergy] come in contact with ultra-Orthodox [Jews]," he said.
"It is
not an epidemic, but it is increasing."
The problem is most intense in the Old City, he said, recalling an incident
when he accompanied a visiting Catholic cardinal to the Western Wall, and an
Orthodox Jewish youth shouted disparaging remarks at the religious leader. The
cardinal ignored the shouting, and his visit continued as planned.
"There needs to be more education and statements by some leading figures in
the Orthodox [Jewish] world in Israel," Rabbi Kronish said. "But it is
hard to
educate people who are not open to dialogue. More awareness that this is a
city
of three faiths would be helpful."
In its lead editorial, Ha'aretz called the incidents "Jerusalem's disgrace"
and charged the police and Interior Ministry with not doing enough to prevent
such attacks.
"It turns out that for some time the Christians in Jerusalem have been
suffering from... provocations by wild young people. The provocations. . .
have
become an ugly routine in recent years, fitting right in with the increasingly
extremist political atmosphere," the newspaper said.
It called on the city to "take firm action" against the offending youth.
"It is intolerable that Christian citizens of Jerusalem suffer from the
shameful spitting at or near a crucifix," the paper said.
Many Orthodox Jews see the cross as a symbol of the violence perpetrated on
Jewish communities by Christians over the centuries.
According to Albert Aghazaryan, one of the prominent leaders of the
Palestinian Armenian community, the act of spitting on Christian symbols is
"deep rooted in the Jewish religious doctrine."
"Hostility to Christianity is intrinsic in religious Jewish thinking,"
Aghazaryan said.
A few weeks ago, a similar incident took place when another religious Jew,
reportedly an old man wearing a skullcap, spat at a Christian Orthodox leader
as he opened the window of his car.
A few years ago, Jewish religious students burned down a Jerusalem flat in
which two Christian college students were living. The two students fled
unharmed.
According to the famous Jewish author and philosopher Yisrael Shahak, much of
the Jewish Orthodox hostility to Christianity originate in theology.
In his book "Jewish History, Jewish Religion: The Weight of Three Thousand
Years," Shahak pointed out that "it became customary to spit [usually three
times] upon seeing a church or a crucifix."
On page 98, Shahak points out that Christianity as a religion is classed by
Rabbinic teaching as idolatry.
"All the Christian emblems and pictorial representations are regarded
as idols. . . even by those Jews who literally worship scrolls, stones or
personal belongings of 'Holy Men.' "
According to Shahak, some Orthodox Jews are enjoined to recite the following
curse on hearing the name Jesus: "May his name be damned and his memory be
erased."
Interior Minister Avraham Poraz issued a strongly worded statement Tuesday
against incidents of Jews spitting at Christian clergy in Jerusalem, saying he
was "repulsed" by the repeated attacks."
Poraz called such behavior by ultra-Orthodox Jewish students "intolerable,"
and asked Public Security Minister Gideon Ezra to "take all the necessary
steps
to prevent these incidents in the future." Poraz also expressed his dismay to
the heads of the churches in Israel and noted "Israel's commitment to freedom
of religion."
4) Media Groups Condemn New Attack on Journalist
YEREVAN (RFE-RL)--Armenia's three leading media associations condemned on
Thursday a reported attack on the editor of a provincial newspaper, calling it
the result of the failure of authorities to properly investigate similar
incidents earlier this year.
In a joint statement, the Yerevan Press Club, the Journalists Union of
Armenia, and the Committee to Protect Freedom of Expression demanded an
"objective investigation" into the incident and punish the guilty.
Samvel Aleksanian, the editor of the "Syuniats Yerkir" newspaper based in the
southeastern town of Ghapan, said he was beaten up by three young men in his
office on Wednesday for publishing articles that criticized the government's
decision to close two regional schools. He described the attackers as the
local
leaders of the youth league of the Republican Party (HHK).
Police in Ghapan have pledged to investigate Aleksanian's claims.
"If they are guilty they must not only be expelled from the party but also
punished by law," said Galust Sahakian, the leader of the HHK faction in
parliament.
"Apparently, the lack of punishment in a number of recent incidents of
violence against media representatives or the mild punishments imposed on
their
perpetrators led some people to think that they can intimidate journalists,"
said the statement by the journalist unions.
All subscription inquiries and changes must be made through the proper carrier
and not Asbarez Online. ASBAREZ ONLINE does not transmit address changes and
subscription requests.
(c) 2004 ASBAREZ ONLINE. All Rights Reserved.
ASBAREZ provides this news service to ARMENIAN NEWS NETWORK members for
academic research or personal use only and may not be reproduced in or through
mass media outlets.