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Sunday, September 10, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
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Arab lawmakers under scrutiny
Three Israeli Arab lawmakers could face charges for making an unauthorized trip to Syria.
Interior Minister Roni Bar-On’s office said Sunday he had asked for a police investigation into Azmi Bishara, Jamal Zahalka and Wasil Taha, three members of the Knesset’s Balad faction who visited Damascus last week.
In his appeal to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, Bar-On noted that the three lawmakers had not requested his permission for the trip, as required by Israeli laws limiting contacts with enemy states.
Mazuz’s office confirmed receiving the investigation request and said a decision was pending.
Balad is openly anti-Zionist and its members regularly clash with mainstream political factions in Israel.
Syrian media quoted Bishara as saying in Damascus that he and his hosts were united in seeking to “liberate occupied Arab territory.”
Hezbollah says still strong after war
Hezbollah still has as much as 90 percent of its fighting strength from before its war with Israel, its deputy leader said.
Sheik Naim Kassem made the comments in an interview with the newspaper Asharq al-Awsat, published Sunday.
Hezbollah fired thousands of rockets into Israel during the 34-day war and had countless others destroyed on the ground by Israeli forces.
Kassem also said Hezbollah is reviewing strategies in the aftermath of its war with Israel.
“We are facing a transition stage and a reorganization of our operational methodology. We are at a learning stage after all the recent developments,” the Lebanese militia’s deputy leader said.
While Kassem said Hezbollah did not intend to retake positions in southern Lebanon that were overrun by Israeli forces and are currently being handed over to foreign peacekeepers, he added that the militia reserves the right to continue its “resistance.”
Comedian apologizes for remarks
An Australian comedian apologized for controversial comments he made during his recent stand-up show at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival in Scotland.
During his comedy routine, Steve Hughes referred to President Bush’s adviser Richard Perle, saying he wanted to “kill that Jew,” using an expletive.
Hughes admitted in his apology that his choice of words “could cause offense to Jews.”
Although several comics made remarks at this year’s Fringe Festival that were considered offensive, making waves in the Jewish community worldwide, Hughes has been the only one to issue an apology.
The Edinburgh Fringe Festival, which ended on Aug. 28, sells more than 1.5 million tickets annually.
Ireland criticized as anti-Israel
An Irish Jewish scholar criticized Ireland’s government for being overly hostile to Israel.
In an interview with the Jerusalem Post, Rory Miller, senior lecturer at King’s College, London and author of “Ireland and the Palestine Question,” said that “If one were to throw a sack of flour over the Irish Parliament, it is unlikely that anybody pro-Israeli would get white.”
He said that although Jews had historically been well-represented in Parliament, currently none holds a seat — and no other representatives have stepped forward as consistent defenders of Israeli policy.
Instead, he says, because of Ireland’s troubled history under British occupation, “the Irish cannot shake off the belief that Israel is a colonial oppressor.”
He said this had become especially pronounced during the recent fighting in Lebanon, when one prominent Irish senator routinely condemned Israel’s response to Hezbollah’s attack in vehement terms and the foreign affairs committee recommended the European Union consider imposing economic sanctions on Israel.
http://www.jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 11:12 PM Permanent Link
 
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