Summary and Analysis

Throughout its newscasts on Friday and Saturday, the Voice Of Palestine-unlike the Voice of Israel-made no mention whatsoever of any contacts between Yasser Arafat and Ariel Sharon. It certainly did not report any friendly conversations-as was reported on the Voice of Israel radio news between Israeli and Palestinian leaders

On the contrary, V.O.P. published calls from the “national and Islamic forces” to launch major demonstrations and parades in support of an unfettered right of return by refugees to their homes.

Friday Afternoon Round-up Headlines February 9-4 p.m.

  • Three citizens wounded seriously in Gaza by Occupation bullets;
  • Tens of citizens wounded in El-Bireh;
  • The (Palestinian) National Authority says that any ideas to move forward the peace process must be based on international legitimacy;
  • The Human Rights investigating commission begins its investigation into Israeli violations in Palestinian lands, tomorrow, Saturday;
  • Ariel Sharon says he wants to achieve a non-belligerency pact with the (Palestinian) National Authority;
  • Demonstrations in Iran calling for freedom lead to 20 casualties;
  • Demonstrations in Indonesia calling for resignation of Wahid.”

Saturday Morning February 10- 8 a.m. Headlines

  • “Presidential advisor Nabil Abu-Irdeineh says Israel must accept principle of land for peace in order to get security and in order for talks to proceed from point where they left off. Without this, he said, there would be no progress in the peace process;
  • The oversight commission of the Arab summit continues its deliberations in Amman today on the foreign minister level;
  • The United Nations commission of inquiry begins its investigation today-first in Ramallah, then in Jerusalem, Hebron, Ramallah and Beit Jallah;
  • Israeli Prime Minister-elect Ariel Sharon has invited the Labor Party to participate in a unity government. He met with defeated prime minister Ehud Barak and they reviewed political and security subjects.;
  • The Security Council is discussing continuation of sanctions against Libya in the wake of the Lockerbie verdict;
  • A spokesman for the American Navy admitted that it had sunk a Japanese ship yesterday near Honolulu, with 10 people missing.”

Toward the end of the news cycle on Friday afternoon’s news programs, V.O.P. began to make note of the American and Israeli announcements that the Clinton proposals were a dead letter.

From Friday mid-day through Saturday night, V.O.P. concentrated on what it called severe Israeli shelling in Khan Yunis and Hebron Thursday night (Note: exactly why it took more than 10 hours to report the overnight shelling is unclear). There was no V.O.P. mention of a PA artillery shell having been fired at an Israeli settlement in Gaza (Israeli reports said Netzarim), although there was a V.O.P. report of “a big explosion” in the settlement of Kfar Darom.

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