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Thursday, December 08, 2005
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
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Dichter sued in U.S.
Two pro-Palestinian groups sued a former Israeli security chief who is in the United States on a fellowship.
The Center for Constitutional Rights and the Palestinian Center for Human Rights served papers Wednesday night in New York in a class-action lawsuit against Avi Dichter, former director of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, on behalf of the families of Palestinians killed or injured in a 2002 air strike in the Gaza Strip. The groups allege that Dichter provided the intelligence necessary to carry out the bombing, which killed Hamas kingpin Salah Shehadeh but also killed eight children and seven adults and injured 150 people, the groups said in a statement.
Dichter is a fellow at the Saban Center of the Brookings Institution, in Washington. An Israeli government inquiry into the assassination said it had prevented multiple terrorist attacks that Shehadeh was planning, and that it was carried out correctly. However, it said intelligence prior to the operation had “shortcomings” and that “conclusions were drawn with important implications for future operations, to avoid a recurrence.”
House approves Bahrain free trade
The U.S. House of Representatives approved a free trade agreement with Bahrain that requires the Persian Gulf country to end its boycott of Israel.
Negotiated by U.S. Trade Representative Rob Portman, the agreement sets a precedent that makes free trade with the United States conditional on trade with Israel. The House bill, which passed Wednesday 327-95, requires the administration to report back to the House each year on Bahrain’s progress in dismantling its primary, secondary and tertiary boycotts of Israel.
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee lobbied hard for the bill. “This is an example of the successful use of American leverage to produce a positive change in Bahrain’s policy and serves as a model for future trade negotiations,” AIPAC said in a statement after the vote. “The breakdown of these kinds of economic barriers can, hopefully, help lead to the development of important political relationships between Israel and the Arab world.”
Israel travel bill passed
The U.S. House of Representatives passed legislation preventing companies from denying life insurance to people who travel to Israel. The Life Insurance Fairness for Travelers Act passed the House on Wednesday as part of the extension of the Terrorism Risk Insurance Act. Introduced by Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz (D-Fla.), the bill says companies must make available coverage that does not preclude legal foreign travel, and also restricts premiums for such travel. The measure, which passed 371-49, still must be included in a conference committee version of the legislation.
Congress: Elect Hamas, lose funds
Sponsors of a resolution to ban terrorist groups from Palestinian elections said Congress could withhold funds to the Palestinians if Hamas joins the government.
The bipartisan resolution in the U.S. House of Representatives, which is likely to come to a vote in the next two weeks, says that including Hamas or any other terrorist group in the Palestinian government “will inevitably raise serious policy considerations for the United States, potentially undermining the continued ability of the United States to provide financial assistance for and conduct normal relations with the Palestinian Authority.”
The sponsors said they were concerned by the Bush administration’s refusal to say clearly that it would not tolerate Hamas’ inclusion in government. “We’re sending a message to the Palestinians and to the U.S. government,” Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Texas) said Thursday in a press conference on the resolution. “Congress does have a role in sending a statement. We also have a funding role.”
ZOA opposes Rice letter
The Zionist Organization of America urged members of Congress not to sign a letter commending Condoleezza Rice for brokering a deal that opened the Gaza Strip-Egypt border. “The ZOA feels that the border agreement is deeply flawed and has clearly increased the ability of terrorists to strike against Israel,” says a letter sent this week to legislators. Rep. Henry Hyde (R-Ill.), chairman of the House’s International Relations Committee, and Rep. Lois Capps (D-Calif.) are circulating the letter commending the U.S. secretary of state and urging her to maintain her involvement in the region. Americans for Peace Now has led lobbying on behalf of the letter. Israel acceded to the deal last month only after Rice stepped in and pressured the sides to come up with a deal. The border crossing, between Gaza and Egypt, is the first international border under Palestinian control. Israel resisted the deal because it felt the Palestinians had not done enough to secure the border from arms smugglers and terrorists since Israel left Gaza in September.
UJC, JCPA host Hispanic Israel tour
The Jewish Council for Public Affairs and the United Jewish Communities are hosting a tour of Israel for Hispanic leaders.
The ten participants from Connecticut, Florida, Texas, New Jersey, Ohio and Massachusetts are state legislators, charity heads and business people. They will tour Israel from Dec. 11-18 with Jewish community leaders from their regions.
http://jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 10:44 PM Permanent Link
 
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