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Michael J. Jordan

Michael J. Jordan

Unearthing mass graves in Ukraine unveils history

In May, Ukrainian workers laying a gas pipe in a southern village dug into a buried chamber of thousands of Jews killed during the Holocaust. That same month, a construction crew building a new office complex in western Ukraine burrowed into the corpses of several dozen more Jews. Stumbling upon such mass graves is not particularly unusual in Eastern Europe. Less well known is how many more \”martyr sites\” lie undiscovered and unmarked in fields and forests across the region — wherever mobile Nazi killing units scorched the earth in the so-called \”Holocaust of bullets.\” It seems momentum is growing in the search for such sites.

Camps Spotlight Double Standard

Armed gunmen roamed freely in U.N. refugee camps. They stockpiled weapons, recruited refugees and launched cross-border attacks. In response, opposing forces attacked the camps, aiming for the gunmen — but sometimes cutting down civilians in the process.

Refugee Chief Faces Toughest Test

The honeymoon was sure to end sooner or later. Since Karen Koning AbuZayd took the reins nearly a year ago of the U.N. relief agency for Palestinian refugees, Israeli officials had praised her for steering clear of the politics of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Staff Loyalties Stir Concern Over Work

There may be no greater test of the United Nations\’ vaunted neutrality than to be a Palestinian staffer of the U.N. Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in the Gaza Strip or West Bank.

A Question of Fairness

As Washington and the West weigh a cutoff of aid to a Hamas-led Palestinian Authority, the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) could become a crucial lifeline to millions of Palestinian refugees who depend on it for vital services. However, the recent Palestinian parliamentary elections have revived a long-standing Israeli concern: that some of UNRWA\’s staff are members of Hamas or at least sympathize with the terrorist group\’s anti-Israel cause.

Tensions Rise Over U.N. Hamas Support

UNRWA chief Peter Hansen drew Israeli ire on Oct. 3 when he told the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that there were Hamas members on the agency\’s payroll.

Future Uncertain for Five Iranian Jews

The release from prison of five Iranian Jews last week was due not to a change of heart by the regime in Tehran, but to a political calculation that Iran\’s international image needs burnishing, observers say. And clouding the relief of the Jews\’ relatives and advocates is concern that the men could be rearrested at any time or subjected to other forms of harassment, at the whim of the authorities.

At the same time, U.S.-based advocates for the Jews are reminding the community that another 11 Iranian Jewish men remain unaccounted for after disappearing while allegedly trying to cross Iran\’s border illegally in the early 1990s.

Five Iranian Jews Remain Jailed

Three Iranian Jews imprisoned on charges of spying for Israel have been released, but the last five remain in jail, contrary to earlier reports.

Sources close to the issue said Monday that Iranian authorities had granted the last five an indefinite furlough. On Wednesday, however, those sources confirmed that the reports from Iran were \”disinformation.\”

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