|
|
Monday, May 15, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
|
Hadley: We oppose paying P.A. payroll
The Bush administration opposes using foreign aid to pay Palestinian Authority salaries.
Stephen Hadley, President Bush’s national security adviser, met Monday with about 30 Jewish leaders from an array of organizations to discuss next week’s visit to Washington by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
The United States favors a mechanism to bypass the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority in getting assistance to Palestinians, but Hadley said that stopped short of subsidizing the payroll of the Palestinian Authority, by far the biggest employer in the Palestinian areas.
Israel gets spot on U.N. committee
Israel was appointed to a spot on the United Nations committee on non-governmental organizations.
The committee of the U.N. Economic and Social Council meets twice annually and reviews applications for special status with the commission.
“Maybe our membership in the committee will help make Israeli NGOs more aware of this avenue and encourage them to seek a relationship with the economic and social council,” said Marco Sermoneta, a counselor at Israel’s mission to the United Nations. In addition, he said, membership would be a “good way to diversify our visibility in the United Nations.”
A handful of Israeli NGOs already have special consultative status with ECOSOC, including, most recently, the Israel Women’s Network, which was recommended for the status last week.
UNRWA chief urges Hamas engagement
A senior U.N. official called for the West to hold talks with “moderate” members of the new Palestinian Authority government under Hamas.
Asked during a visit to Sweden on Monday whether the European Union should loosen its ban on talks with Hamas, Karen Koning AbuZayd, head of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian refugees, said, “I know their laws sometimes make it difficult to engage with the government, but I think there are some moderates among the ministers that deserve talking to.”
She added, “if we want to continue to help the Palestinian people, who need help, then we have to be a little more flexible on how we deal with it.”
Ex-spymaster vows to help Pollard
Jonathan Pollard’s former handler, now an Israeli Cabinet minister, vowed to work for his release from prison.
Pensioners Minister Rafi Eitan told Israel Radio on Monday that he would use his political position to advance the campaign to free Pollard, a former U.S. Navy analyst serving a life sentence in prison for passing the Jewish state military secrets in the 1980s.
Pollard opposed Eitan’s appointment to the current Israeli government, accusing the retired Israeli spymaster of recruiting him and then forsaking him.
Eitan rejected the charge. He also played down media speculation that a trip he plans to make to Cuba soon could signal a warming of ties between Jerusalem and Havana.
According to Eitan, the visit is of a private nature, and will not include talks with Cuban leader Fidel Castro, an old acquaintance of his. Eitan reportedly has extensive business interests in Cuba.
Jewish Alliance appeals for negotiations
A dovish Jewish group is presenting a letter to President Bush’s national security adviser urging Palestinian-Israeli negotiations.
The Jewish Alliance for Justice and Peace sent a representative to Monday’s meeting between Stephen Hadley and Jewish leaders to present a letter from supporters calling for negotiations between Israel and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, a relative moderate.
The letter, which also will be sent to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, says unilateral actions such as Israeli may take in the West Bank, can “threaten the possibility of negotiations.” Olmert is considering bypassing the Hamas-led P.A. Cabinet and dealing with Abbas, but is concerned that Abbas lacks the weight to carry out any agreement.
Olmert is due in Washington next week seeking U.S. endorsement for unilateral withdrawals if negotiations don’t resume.
http://www.jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 11:28 PM Permanent Link
 
0 Comments:
<< Home
|
| |
