Malcolm Hoenlein, head of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations, said he met for several hours with Syrian President Bashar Assad during a secret visit to Damascus.
Iran continues to produce a steady supply of enriched uranium, despite a cyber attack believed to have originated in Israel, the head of the United Nations nuclear watchdog group said. In an interview with The Washington Post published Monday, Yukia Amano, director general of the International Atomic Energy Agency, said that Iran is producing uranium enriched to 3.5 and 20 percent \”steadily, constantly.\”
A former Hungarian military officer was charged with war crimes during World War II by prosecutors in Budapest. Sandor Kepiro, 96, was charged Monday for involvement in the murder of some 1,200 Jews, Serbs and Gypsies during a raid by the wartime Hungarian Gendarmerie at Novi Sad in 1942.
What’s Jewish about Valentine’s Day? The day was first released from the purview of the Catholic Church in 1969, when Pope Paul VI declared that Valentine’s Day was no longer a saint’s day for universal liturgical veneration on the Catholic calendar. This restored Valentine’s Day to its original state, a traditional mating day of birds — and humans — in the English folk calendar.
Athens police arrested an alleged Palestinian terrorist accused of being in Greece to plan a major attack in Europe. Ghaleb Taleb, who who was arrested Feb. 12, is said to be a member of the Fatah-Al-Islam terror group based in Lebanon. He holds a Lebanese passport and citizenship.
An Egyptian opposition leader has declared his country\’s three-decades-old peace treaty with Israel is over. Ayman Nour, the head of the secular-liberal Tomorrow Party who is planning to run for president, reportedly told Egyptian Radio Sunday that \”The Camp David accord is over\” and Egypt should renegotiate the accord\’s terms.
Libyan leader Muammar Gadhafi called on Palestinians to mass on Israel\’s borders until their demands are met. \”Fleets of boats should take Palestinians … and wait by the Palestinian shores until the problem is resolved,\” Gaddafi said in a speech Sunday night on state television, his first public remarks since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak stepped down. \”This is a time of popular revolutions.\”
Israel has tapped British Ambassador Ron Prosor to be its envoy to the United Nations. The nomination, which was made public Sunday, comes after Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan decided last week to turn down Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu\’s offer to serve as U.N. ambassador. Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky reportedly also turned down the post.
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