fbpx
[additional-authors]
August 2, 2001

Palestinians Fired at U.N. Official

Forensic evidence released this week proved that shots fired last November at a convoy carrying the U.N. high commissioner for human rights, Mary Robinson, came from a rifle used by Palestinian forces and from an area under Palestinian control. Palestinian officials claimed at the time that Israeli settlers had fired at her, and her silence in the face of the accusations generally was seen as an indication that Robinson agreed with the Palestinian view.

Bereaved Mother Gives Birth

The mother of Shalhevet Pass, the 10-month-old Israeli infant killed by Palestinian sniper fire in Hebron four months ago, has given birth to a girl.

Document Suggests Land Transfer

Israel’s Foreign Ministry leaked a document that suggests offering large amounts of land to the Palestinians as a way of inducing Palestinian Authority President Yasser Arafat to return to negotiations.

The document reflected what are viewed as the large differences between Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and Foreign Minister Shimon Peres on how to deal with 10 months of Israeli-Palestinian violence.

Judge OKs Lawsuit Against P.A.

A U.S. judge ruled that a $250 million lawsuit filed against the Palestinian Authority can proceed. The lawsuit, brought by relatives of a Jewish couple killed in a 1996 terrorist attack, could be brought under the federal Anti-Terrorism Act of 1991, the judge said.

The lawsuit claims Palestinian officials were responsible for the drive-by shooting of Yaron and Efrat Ungar because the officials allowed Hamas to operate training facilities in the West Bank and Gaza Strip and encouraged terrorism in the region.

Swiss Bank Account Deadline Next Week

Holocaust survivors or their heirs who believe they have valid claims for dormant Swiss bank accounts dating back to the Holocaust era have until next week to file claims. Further information and claims forms are available at www.dormantaccounts.ch

Canadian Solidarity to Israel

Backed by a $1 million donation from a philanthropist, a group called Israel Solidarity International is offering discounted trips to Israel so that Canadian Jews can make solidarity visits. According to a report in the Canadian Jewish News, participants are being asked to pay about $600 to join the first mission, which departs for Israel on Aug. 20

Upset over U.K.’s Farrakhan decision

Lawyers for Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan have succeeded in overturning a 15-year-old ban on his visiting Britain. Jewish groups had been instrumental in getting Farrakhan barred from the United Kingdom in 1986 on the grounds that his presence could stir up racial tension. Jewish leaders reacted with dismay after the High Court in London struck down the ban Tuesday.

Austria: Payouts May Begin Soon

Austria’s chancellor said the nation’s $450-million compensation fund for Nazi-era slave laborers could begin making payments by the end of the month. The July 26 announcement came after a U.S. judge said she would dismiss claims in lawsuits against the Austrian government and Austrian companies.

Rabbis Want Energy Meditation

More than 500 rabbis have written the members of the U.S. House of Representatives to call for moral reflection on the country’s energy policy. The letter, sponsored by the Coalition on the Environment and Jewish Life, follows President Bush’s decision to withdraw the United States from the Kyoto Protocol, the only international framework to address climate change.

Battler for Nazi Reparations Dies

Hugo Princz, a U.S. citizen who survived the Holocaust and won reparations from Germany after a 40-year battle, died Sunday of cancer at 78.

Princz lived in Slovakia in 1942, when the Germans sent him and other Jews to concentration camps, and he spent 38 months in seven Nazi camps. The Germans denied Princz’s 1955 request for reparations because he was neither a German citizen nor a refugee. Princz was one of 11 U.S. citizens to settle with Germany for $2.1 million in 1995.

Did you enjoy this article?
You'll love our roundtable.

Editor's Picks

Latest Articles

Print Issue: Got College? | Mar 29, 2024

With the alarming rise in antisemitism across many college campuses, choosing where to apply has become more complicated for Jewish high school seniors. Some are even looking at Israel.

More news and opinions than at a
Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.

More news and opinions than at a Shabbat dinner, right in your inbox.