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Friday, June 16, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
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Bush bans P.A. use of funds
President Bush signed an emergency supplemental funding bill that includes language forbidding funding of the Palestinian Authority.
The $94.5 billion bill providing assistance for Gulf Coast hurricane victims and funds for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq passed the U.S. Senate on Thursday and the U.S. House of Representatives earlier this week. Bush signed it Thursday evening. The bill requires the secretary of state to certify that the Palestinian Authority has “demonstrated its commitment to the principles of nonviolence, the recognition of Israel, and the acceptance of previous agreements and obligations” before it receives any funds. It was the latest example of Congress closing possible avenues of financial assistance to the Palestinian Authority.
Bush signaled his intention to ignore parts of the bill in his signing statement, but notably did not do so for the section related to the Palestinians. The bill was strongly supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.
Annan warns commission on Israel
Kofi Annan warned the U.N. Human Rights Commission not to single out Israel.
The U.N. secretary general engineered the reform this year of the old Human Rights Council, a body that was top-heavy with dictatorships and repeatedly singled out Israel for attack. The newly formed commission, based in Geneva, reportedly is considering an investigation this week of the recent surge of violence between Israel and Palestinian terrorist groups.
“No country can claim to have a perfect human-rights record, and so I hope we are not going to see a situation where the Human Rights Commission focuses on Israel,” Annan said Thursday. “I hope we are moving away from this selectivity and politicization of the review mechanism of the commission.”
Bush extends Jerusalem embassy delay
President Bush delayed moving the U.S. embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem for another six months.
Bush cited national security considerations in announcing the delay Thursday evening. Like his predecessor, President Clinton, Bush routinely has exercised his right to delay the move mandated by Congress in 1995. Muslim nations oppose such a move before a final peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians.
“My administration remains committed to beginning the process of moving our embassy to Jerusalem,” Bush said in his announcement.
Peres: World must decide on Iran
It’s up to the international community to decide Iran’s nuclear fate, Shimon Peres said.
“Iran is a world problem. We don’t want to make it into an Israeli problem,” the Israeli deputy prime minister said Friday in Kalmaty, Kazakhstan, where he is attending a conference on expanding ties among Asian nations. “Let others decide.” Peres said the Islamic Republic faces crushing isolation if it resists international pressure to cease enriching uranium, a step toward manufacturing nuclear weapons.
http://www.jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 11:12 PM Permanent Link
 
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