Thursday, July 8, 1999

PM Barak's 1st domestic initiative, a bill to increase the number of cabinet ministers fr. 18 to 24, meets strong opposition fr. his own One Israel party (including new Knesset speaker Avraham Burg), the Likud party, and his newly appointed ministers Beilin and Peres. Barak claims that because his coalition includes 7 parties he needs the extra seats in the cabinet, while his opponents say the increase would bloat the government, only serve as a political pay-off to coalition mbrs. (NYT 7/9)

In his role as DM, Barak instructs the IDF to resume adherence to the April understandings on Lebanon, attending ILMG mtgs. (MM 7/9) (see 6/29)

Under pressure fr. Jewish groups, Rep. Dick Gephardt (D-MO) withdraws his nomination of an Arab American Muslim, Salam al-Marayati, for a position on the National Commission on Terrorism, a congressional advisory body. Some Jewish leaders accused Marayati of "condoning terrorism" for asserting that Israel shares the blame for inciting Palestinian violence. (NYT 7/10; WJW 7/15; MEI 7/16; MM 7/23; NYT 7/31)

Iran's parliament passes stronger curbs on press freedoms, immediately closes leading reformist newspaper, Salam. Angry Tehran University students stage protests, calling for accelerated government reform, crackdown on corruption, end to conservative dominance in security apparatuses. Mbrs. of the conservative Ansar-e Hezbollah group clash with students. (NYT 7/11; GIU 7/13; MEI 7/16)