|
|
Thursday, November 16, 2006
Some headlines and summaries from JTA
|
Hoyer wins leadership
U.S. Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), one of the pro-Israel community’s closest friends in the U.S. House of Representatives, was elected majority leader.
The secret vote Thursday was one of only two contested votes for the new leadership of the Democratic Party after it wrested control of the House from the Republicans in last week’s elections.
Hoyer was challenged by Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.), a former U.S. Marine who had emerged as one of the toughest critics of the Iraq war.
In an unusual move, party leader Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), slated to become speaker, endorsed Murtha.
Hoyer has made a point of promoting bipartisan support of Israel, has urged freshmen lawmakers to join the numerous congressional delegations to Israel he has led, and has isolated Democrats who have been strongly critical of the Jewish state.
According to Roll Call, the tally was 149 votes for Hoyer and 86 for Murtha.
Israel rejects European peace plan
Israel rejected a peace proposal drafted by Spain, France and Italy, said Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni.
The Associated Press quoted Livni on Thursday as telling Spanish counterpart Miguel Angel Moratinos that it was unacceptable for such an initiative to be launched without the Jewish state’s coordination.
Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero announced the plan Thursday in Madrid.
The countries are planning to launch the initiative next month at the European Union leaders summit in Helsinki, Finland.
Zapatero said, “Peace between Israel and the Palestinians means to a large extent peace on the international scene.”
The plan included an immediate cease-fire; the formation of a Palestinian unity government; an exchange of prisoners; talks between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas; and an international presence in Gaza to monitor a cease-fire.
Lobbyists´ hearing scheduled
A hearing is scheduled Thursday in the case of two former AIPAC lobbyists.
Judge T.S. Ellis is expected to set a trial date at the hearings scheduled to be held in Virginia in the classified information case against Steve Rosen and Keith Weissman.
Rosen, AIPAC’s former foreign policy chief, and Weissman, its former top Iran analyst, were indicted in August 2005, a year after their offices were raided.
Three other trial launch dates — in January, April and August of this year — have all lapsed.
Sources close to the defense now say they don’t expect a trial date before April 2007.
Pentagon hands back clearance to bomb expert
The Pentagon resumed security clearance for a bomb expert after withdrawing it because of his Israel ties.
The Pentagon restored the clearance to Joseph Baum, an expert in protecting structures from bomb attacks, at the behest of U.S. Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.).
Van Hollen and the Jewish Community Relations Council of Greater Washington said Wednesday in a news release that Baum “has conducted protective vulnerability assessments for many key federal building and national landmarks, including the U.S. Capitol, House and Senate Office buildings, the Library of Congress and the Statue of Liberty” and has had clearance since 1983.
The Pentagon’s secretive security clearance review board had withdrawn the clearance, apparently because Baum’s two sisters and elderly mother are citizens of Israel, and he has visited the country frequently.
Baum is Van Hollen’s constituent.
“The renewal of Dr. Baum’s security clearance is clearly consistent with our national interest, as it allows him access to classified information needed to perform duties in support of contracts with the United States,” said Susan Weinberg, the JCRC president.
Peres: Israel can’t lead efforts on Iran
Israel must not take the lead in international efforts to curb Iran’s nuclear program, Shimon Peres said.
The vice premier on Thursday played down speculation that Israel might launch a pre-emptive military strike to prevent its arch-enemy from attaining the bomb.
“We cannot and should not be the ones directing the campaign against Iran, because Iran is a danger to the entire world,” Peres told Israel Radio.
“If Iran succeeds in obtaining nuclear weapons, a long list of other countries will follow.”
But Peres called for Israel to encourage stepped-up pressure on Iran and its president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.
“There is no question that Israel must employ all its microphones and warn that this Ahmadinejad is a Persian version of Hitler,” he said. “He must not be let off.”
Occupation opponents plan rallies
Opponents of Israeli policies are planning mass international rallies.
In an e-mail Wednesday, the Washington chapter of the U.S. Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation called on likeminded groups to help organize the Washington rally on Dec. 2, when, it says, “demonstrations are planned in 150 different cities around the world, to raise awareness and bring pressure to bear on U.S. and European governments to act for peace now.”
The rally will call on Israel to “lift the Gaza siege and end the occupation.”
Emanuel to leadership
The new Democratic majority in the U.S. House of Representatives elected Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) to a leadership position.
Emanuel, who is Jewish and who ran the midterm elections that won the House back from the Republicans after 12 years, was unanimously elected Thursday as chairman of the Democratic caucus.
That would rank him fourth, after speaker, majority leader and whip.
Emanuel’s Senate counterpart in the elections, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.), was similarly awarded a leadership position this week for wresting control of the Senate back from the Republicans.
Schumer is also Jewish.
In his victory statement, Emanuel recalled the arrival to the United States of his grandparents from the Russia-Romania border and of his father from Israel.
http://www.jta.org/
posted by Somebody @ 10:58 PM Permanent Link
 
0 Comments:
<< Home
|
| |
