A "Bad Visit" for Hillary
The
Israeli daily Ha'aretz led Friday with official Israeli denials that the
airborne radar system Israel plans to build for China contains any American
technology. The paper said the deal, which the United States is trying quash,
could be worth up to $2 billion and represents "the zenith of transactions
conducted by the Israeli Defense Ministry and China since the start of the
decade." American pressure on Israel began after the country took delivery last
month of a Russian Ilyushin 76 transport plane in order to install a radar
system before handing it over to the Chinese, it said. Defense establishment
sources told Ha'aretz that there's nothing new about Israel building a
radar system for the China. They speculated that pressure has levied on the
Pentagon by Boeing and Lockheed Martin, competitors with Israel Aircraft
Industries in foreign sales of intelligence aircraft. "Those firms could argue
that while they are barred from selling to China, Washington has no control
over Israel's military industries," Ha'aretz said.
The
paper published a front-page photograph of Hillary and Chelsea Clinton at the
Western Wall in Jerusalem. An article in the Jerusalem Post by its New
York correspondent said, "[N]obody takes seriously Hillary Clinton's claim that
her visit [to Israel] this week was strictly a personal trip." The article said
that winning the Jewish vote is critical for Clinton. But it quoted Seymour
Reich, former chairman of the Conference of Presidents of Major Jewish
Organisations, as saying that the seemingly disordered manner in which Clinton
arranged her trip to Israel "is evidence of the fact that she's not quite tuned
into the Jewish community here yet, doesn't understand its nuances and
complexities, and is perhaps getting some bad advice."
The
Times of London, in a report from Jerusalem on Hillary Clinton's
visit, said that she "did not pass the test" at the Western Wall because
"security guards from Israel and the US desecrated the women's section of the
Wall by barging through those at prayer." Two young American students at a
Jerusalem Judaic school winced when the Clinton entourage turned their backs on
the Wall as they left (you're supposed to back away from it). One of them told
the Times , he plans to vote for Rudolph Giuliani in the Senate race next
year. "She came here for political reasons, not to pray. It's in bad taste," he
said. British papers Friday were dominated by a new crisis in the Northern
Ireland peace negotiations chaired by former Sen. George Mitchell. "Ulster
talks in dire trouble" was the Guardian 's front-page headline.
Despite Australia's decision in a referendum to keep Queen Elizabeth II as its
head of state, the controversy about her constitutional role continued in the
Australian press. Before the referendum, the monarchist prime minister, John
Howard, decided not to ask her to open next year's Olympic Games in Sydney,
saying he would do the job himself. But he has since bowed out and said that,
to ensure that the Games would be "a great unifying national occasion," he will
invite the queen's representative in Australia, Governor-general Sir William
Deane, to perform the opening ceremony. Whoever is tapped for the job, it still
won't be the queen.
In an
editorial Friday, the republic-supporting Sydney Morning Herald noted
that, according to the Olympic Charter, the Games "shall be proclaimed open by
the head of state of the host country." Logically, therefore, the queen should
do the honors, but "political practicalities" dictated otherwise. "If, for
whatever reason, the Queen is not considered to be the appropriate person to
open the Games, and thus to represent the nation on such an important occasion
to the world, what is she doing as head of state in the first place?" the paper
asked. "The whole issue demonstrates the continuing absurdity of Australia
retaining its constitutional links to the British monarchy."
In an
editorial, the Straits Times of Singapore dwelt Friday on the threat of
further secessions from Indonesia following the independence of East Timor. It
praised President Abdurrahman Wahid, who is currently in the United States, for
promising another referendum for the Aceh region. But the paper warned of big
problems: The Indonesians "fear that if the logic of secession is not checked,
there will be no Indonesia left for them to call home"; the military's refusal
to contemplate Aceh's departure, saying it would be unconstitutional; and the
region's economic role as a major producer of Indonesia's natural gas, oil,
gold, silver, pepper, rubber, and timber. "What will a sudden break do to
Indonesia's economy, particularly at a time when the country is clawing its way
back to growth after the Asian crisis?" the paper asked. "In the circumstances,
it is perhaps best for Jakarta to wait for the economic and political situation
to stabilize before taking a decision on a referendum."
At a
rare press conference--reported by Asahi Shimbun of Tokyo Friday--to
mark the 10 th anniversary of his accession to the throne of Japan,
Emperor Akihito said it weighed on his conscience that the nation should be
celebrating the occasion "under the present stringent economic circumstances."
He was nevertheless "deeply moved" to think he had been emperor for 10 years
and "deeply grateful for the good wishes extended to me." Asked what events
have made the deepest impression on him since his accession, the emperor
mentioned the fall of the Berlin Wall and the collapse of the Soviet Union. He
said walking through the Brandenburg Gate in 1993 "remains with me as an
unforgettable memory." Hirohito said Japan faced "numerous difficulties" at the
moment, but added: "As I recall the history of Japan and how in its past so
much hardship and distress have been overcome, I firmly believe that the wisdom
of each and every Japanese and co-operation from international society will
tide us over in fine style."
Following the death of the last whale at Hong Kong's Ocean Park, the South
China Morning Post called Friday for an end to using marine mammals for
popular entertainment. Barney, a "false killer whale," died of a bacterial
infection last month in a concrete tank at the theme park. His jumps through
hoops had been one of the park's main attractions. In an editorial, the
SCMP noted that Barney, aged 16, was the 100 th whale or
dolphin to die at the park over the past 20 years. The arguments for keeping
such creatures in captivity did not work any more, it said: "Children are not
educated by watching a dolphin walking on its tail or a whale carrying human
riders on its back."
In
India, the Hindu ran an editorial Friday on the reported return of the
rickshaw to China after a 40-year ban. "Nothing can be a greater symbol of
feudalism than the hand-drawn rickshaw," it said. "It is blatantly
exploitative, smacks of the 'coolie culture,' and is a terrible affront to
human dignity. It should evoke a sense of revulsion in any sensitive human
being, and has no place in a civil society."
