Translation of Story on Assassination Website

Coalition for Justice in Hawaiian Gardens and Jerusalem

Translation and Explanation of
Yedioth Aharonot Story on
Assassination Website

February 21, 2000

FRONT PAGE HEADLINES:
Who is behind the site calling for the assassination of Barak?

An Internet site proposes a game for the assassination of Barak, Perez and Sarid

A site registered under the name of Cherna Moskowitz, wife of right-wing millionaire Irving Moskowitz

The office of the prime minister "This is pernicious incitement."

Three boxes, containing pictures of the site:

First screen says: The game begins "Knesset shootout" "Judenrat" and "stop them from handing [over] Israel" "Judenrat, eliminate them." Caption: the opening to the site: "Knesset shoot out" (in Hebrew)

Second screen: The specific target, (picture of Barak), caption "picture of Barak flies onto the screen."

Third panel: Prime Minister Explodes. Shows picture splitting apart and caption says "if you click on the mouse, the Prime Minister explodes," turn to page 4.

Jump Headline: An Internet site invites you to play the game: assassinate the enemies of Israel: Barak, Peres & Sarid.

Has a picture of Irving and Cherna Moskowitz, then has a picture from the Internet and next to it says the inciting site's purpose, the aim of the liquidation: Barak explodes.

Then a big (1-1/2 inch) headline:

"THE WIFE OF
MILLIONAIRE
REGISTERED AS THE
OPERATOR OF THE
ASSASSINATION SITE"

Box: Who is Moskowitz?

(subhead) Millionaire investor, who acquires land and gives support to the right.

Since the 1970s, millionaire Irving Moskowitz has invested tens of millions of dollars in acquiring land in Jerusalem and in the Golan Heights area.

Moskowitz, 72, lives in Miami. He is the son of Polish immigrants. After he studied medicine, he acquired a small clinic that quickly turned into a prosperous private hospital. After his success, Moskowitz developed a series of hospitals and old age residences in the state Florida.

By the end of the 80s he received a permit to operate bingo parlors at the periphery of Los Angeles. According to the agreement with the California authorities, Moskowitz was supposed to use a portion of its earnings for charitable purposes. Nevertheless, various journalistic investigations suggest that the money was used for the acquiring of land in the territories and for the support of right-wing parties in Israel.

Moskowitz carried on a long-time relationship with former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that began when Moskowitz was involved with a foundation under the name of Netanyahuís brother, Yoni, of blessed memory. In September 1997, the relationship between the two of them became difficult when Netanyahu froze the building project in the neighborhood of Ras al-Amud in East Jerusalem. "I invested a lot of money in Netanyahu. I used my personal connections in order to further his career. I did not expect that he would act like this," Moskowitz was quoted as saying at the time.

Cherna Moskowitz: She is Irvingís second wife and is involved in all of her husband's activities. The couple has eight sons and daughters. One of them lives in Israel.

Main article

By Dudi Goldman and Yuval Karnie
Staff writers

Who is the person behind the Internet site that invites people to a "game" of destroying Ehud Barak, Shimon Peres, Yosi Sarid? The site is registered under the name of Cherna Moskowitz from Miami in the United Statesóthe wife of millionaire Irving Moskowitz, chief among the contributors to the extreme right. Over the last several days a new Internet site appeared that offers an especially violent game. On the screen appears a picture of Barak, Peres and Sarid ñ called "enemies of the Jewish people" and "Judenrat." With the computer mouse, it is possible to choose one of the personalities. It explodes into pieces, accompanied by groans of pain. Every assassination is successful and the player acquires points (for each).

The site presents itself as a response to a left-wing site called the "Peace Bloc," and presents a game that enables one to burn the houses of settlers with the click of a mouse. Peace Now spokesman Dudi Remez declared yesterday that he learned of the site from an email that was sent by the Council of Judea and Samaria, a body that identifies itself with the settlers.

A close inspection of the Internet site confirmed that it was registered in the United States under the name of Ehudbarak5. At the site, on the registration form, the name of Cherna Moskowitz appears, along with her phone number and fax number in Miami, United States. A phone call to the number listed under her name, [had a recording] yesterday saying "Irving is not home now."

In an earlier phone conversation that took place earlier with Cherna Moskowitz herself, she confirmed that she had a connection to Irving Moskowitz, but refused to expand on that. Moskowitz denied any connection to the incitement site registered under her name, but did relate that she was active in Jewish Internet sites. She suggested one other site that has connections to the settlers in Hebron and to sites in a place called Tapuah and also Likud. As of this morning, it appears that the site no longer works. The company that hosts the sites in America decided to close it after it received complaints about its content. According to one of the managers of the company, "We examined it and found that we were speaking about a very violent site that calls for incitement to murder and it will not remain with us."

Yesterday the paper received a number of negative reactions from the right and left about the content of the site. The office of the Prime Minister yesterday responded to the use of Internet sites for inciting violence. "The right-wing site creates incitements of a most violent nature that are like those that have brought consequences that all of us remember." This was reported from the office of the Prime Minister. "We are troubled to learn about such things. I am certain that the legal authorities know how to deal with this."

The general secretary of the Gush Emunim, Shlomo Tildar, denied all connection to the inciting site. "This is not our way. This is not our method to deliver messages from the Council of Judea and Samaria. We repudiate all incitement to violence from all sides," he declared.

The head of the Likud faction, Knesset member Dubi Rivlin, declared that "extremism from both sides again is causing a strange conflagration that is likely to destroy our country. There should be no comfort to the extremists of the left or to the right. Extremism is extremism."

Coalition chairman of One Israel, Knesset member Ophir Pines, said the police must open an immediate investigation into suspicion of incitement of violence. "It is not difficult for the computer division of the Israeli police to find out who constructed this ugly site."

Svi Handel of the National Unity Party also demanded the police open an investigation. "I sharply repudiate this. In the past when similar sites became known to us, such as the one run by a left-wing person called "Fool," it was condemned without concern as to the identity of the person. It is necessary to find this person and immediately put him in jail."

Knesset member Yosef Pritzssky of the Shinui Party repudiated the new site, but added, "No matter how terrible and repugnant it is, there is still freedom of expression. Only if the attorney general of the government decides that this is incitement to violence can they work to shut down the operators."

Assisting in the preparation of this report was Itamar Eithner, Gabi Baron and Haim Shivi.