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Friday February 22, 2008

Shorts: Mideast

Israel neutral on Kosovo

Israel is waiting to take a position on Kosovo’s recent declaration of independence from Serbia.

A statement from the foreign ministry this week said that the Jewish state “was following the developments and will formulate its position later on.”

Israel has strong historical ties to Serbia, which opposes Kosovo’s independence. — jta

Cabinet honors Lantos

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s Cabinet honored the late Rep. Tom Lantos (D-San Mateo).

“Throughout his career, he worked out of an abiding faith that U.S. strategic interests were connected to the strength, security and prosperity of the state of Israel. He gave daring, assertive and pointed expression to this throughout his congressional career, in which he assisted the state of Israel,” Olmert said to his Cabinet on Feb. 17.

Olmert added that Israel was planning to hold a ceremony for Lantos, who died of esophageal cancer Feb. 11 at the age of 80, for his advocacy for Israel. — jta

Lawyer sentenced for Holocaust fraud

An Israeli lawyer was sentenced this week to 12 years in prison for defrauding Holocaust survivors of $240 million. He also was fined $6 million.

Yisrael Perry had misrepresented Holocaust survivors in filing postwar government insurance claims in Germany. According to a group of survivors who had taken the lawyer to court, Perry siphoned away $240 million worth of benefits.

Perry has denied wrongdoing and plans to appeal his conviction and sentence with Israel’s Supreme Court. — jta

Israeli generals oppose roadblocks

A group of retired Israeli generals has launched a campaign urging the army to remove West Bank roadblocks, warning last week that the travel restrictions sow Palestinian hatred of Israel and stymie the peace process.

The 12 former commanders say the hundreds of checkpoints dotting the West Bank are excessive and other military means can be used to prevent suicide bombings in Israel.

“You have to understand that there is damage in having the Palestinian people with its back to the wall, not seeing a light at the end of the tunnel, unable to improve their economy, unable to move from place to place,” Ilan Paz, a signatory of a letter to Defense Minister Ehud Barak and a former head of the army’s administration of Palestinian civilian affairs, told Israel Radio. — ap

Syrian threatens suits against U.S.

Syrians are preparing to sue the United States for supplying weapons to Israel that later killed Syrians during the Second Lebanon War.

“This time I tell you we will punish the United States,” said Syrian Foreign Minister Walid Moallem at a press conference last week. “There are scores of Syrians who became victims during the Israeli war against Lebanon, they will file lawsuits against America.”

The Syrians were responding, in part, to President Bush’s executive order expanding sanctions against senior government officials in Syria. — ap

Envoy: Egypt won’t blockade Gaza

Egypt will not allow the Gaza Strip to remain sealed, Egypt’s ambassador to the United States said last week.

Nabil Fahmy suggested that Egypt will continue to allow supplies to reach Gaza through the border it shares at Rafah. However, Egypt is working with Israel, Hamas, the Palestinian Authority based in the West Bank, the European Union and the United States in efforts to fully open the Rafah border and, if possible, the crossings Gaza shares with Israel.

Israel currently is blockading Gaza in a bid to stop rocket attacks on Israel’s south by Hamas, which controls Gaza, and other terrorist groups. — jta

Rabbinate approves slaughtering change

The Chief Rabbinate has decided to phase out the “shackle and hoist” method of kosher slaughter in Israel and South America, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Animal rights groups have contested that the method causes unnecessary anguish and pain.

An alternative slaughter method, called the “rotating pen,” is considered to be more expensive and labor-intensive.

“We plan to meet soon with importers and slaughterhouse owners who use the method in an attempt to reach an agreement,” said a rabbinate spokesman in the Post. — jps

Sky high Torah?

El Al may offer recorded Torah lectures on its flights. Though the airline has long had an audio channel with music by religious Jewish artists, this has fallen short of demands by some Orthodox clients for educational content.

The new channel would likely include a lesson covering a page of the Talmud each day. If the channel is instituted, it will likely be running in a few months. — jta

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