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Sunday, May 21, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
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UNRWA amendment withdrawn
A U.S. congressman withdrew an amendment that would condition U.S. funding of UNRWA on an independent audit.
Rep. Mark Kirk (R-Ill.), a member of the powerful foreign operations subcommittee of the U.S. House of Representatives, wanted to attach the amendment to the foreign operations bill due for consideration in coming weeks. He withdrew the amendment last week, instead offering a statement of his concerns last Friday, when the foreign operations subcommittee referred the bill to the full Appropriations Committee.
The bill was unlikely to pass. Kirk says the U.N. Relief and Works Agency, the main body responsible for Palestinian refugees, is overstaffed, has not had an independent audit in years and is not rigorous in making sure its staff are not affiliated with terrorist groups.
“We should not cut off UNRWA’s good works,” he said. “We should ensure that this work continues under a proper, international audit.”
UNRWA rejects the charges, saying an independent audit by the South African government’s comptroller is near completion and saying that any staffer who wants to join a political group must first quit. Israel does not want UNRWA touched for now, as it is possibly the most stable element in the Palestinian areas.
‘Yellow badge’ report withdrawn
A Canadian newspaper withdrew a report that Iran had decided to make its Jews wear a yellow strip of material on their clothing.
The National Post report last Friday raised a storm of protests in the West.
But the newspaper backtracked after it emerged that while the Iranian Parliament had recently passed legislation setting a dress code for Muslims, there was no specific law singling out Jews.
Poll shows support for P.A. cutoff
Four out of five respondents in a survey of American opinion elites supported cutting assistance to the Palestinian Authority until Hamas renounces violence.
The poll, commissioned by the Israel Project on the eve of this week’s visit to Washington of Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, also found that 78 percent of the respondents supported Olmert’s plans for unilateral withdrawals from the West Bank.
The poll, by Greenberg-Quinlan-Rosner Research, was conducted in mid-May and defines “opinion elites” as “people with a college degree or higher, have an annual household income of $75,000 or more, said they are likely or very likely to vote and reported doing at least two of the following regularly: read a major newspaper; watch the national news; or read major news magazines.”
Israel lobbyists go to Washington
A group of pro-Israel lobbyists reported a huge increase of volunteers on its annual mission to Washington.
NORPAC, a bipartisan lobby, sent 530 volunteers on its annual mission to Washington on May 17, up 51 percent from its 2005 trip.
In meetings with some 400 representatives, lobbyists focused on issues including support of the Iran Freedom and Support Act, alternative energy research and the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act.
Ohio county buys $5 million in Israel Bonds
An Ohio county purchased $5 million in Israel Bonds.
Jim Rokakis, the treasurer of the Cuyahoga County, which includes Cleveland, said the purchase was not political, but made sound financial sense.
The purchase diversifies the county’s investment portfolio and provides “an excellent rate of return,” he told this week’s Cleveland Jewish News. Three other Ohio counties have purchased Israel Bonds.
http://www.jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 11:00 PM Permanent Link
 
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