JERUSALEM (JTA) ‹ Israel's acting prime minister is saying that ties to the Palestinian Authority would continue as long as it is not led by Hamas. Ehud Olmert said the monthly transfers of taxes levied on behalf of the Palestinians by Israel would continue, but on a case-by-case basis, as long as Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas remains independent of Hamas, the Islamic terrorist group that won parliamentary elections last month.
Addressing a Tel Aviv economic conference, Olmert said that withholding the tax transfers, which he had considered, would only "play into the hands of the extremists."
The Palestinians have several weeks to form a new Palestinian Authority government. Abbas has tried to assuage international concerns by proposing that he keep control of security forces even if Hamas ministers are appointed.
Jewish terror blasted
JERUSALEM (JTA) ‹ Jewish terrorism is a "cancer" that Israel is lenient in tackling, according to Israel's Shin Bet chief.
"Understand that a Jew who carries out terrorism is ultimately much more of a cancer in the nation than an Arab who carries out terrorism," Yuval Diskin said in a recent closed-door briefing to army cadets, a recording of which was aired this week by Israel's Channel 10 television.
Asked by his audience, which included West Bank settlers, whether the Shin Bet hunts suspected Jewish radicals, Diskin said they receive better treatment than Palestinians or Israeli Arabs held in similar cases.
"I do not see an equality in the way the system handles them, even when they are accused of the same kind of crime," Diskin said.
Diskin's remarks were aired amid growing right-wing anger at the prospect of Israel ceding more West Bank land to the Palestinians after the March 28 general elections. The Prime Minister's Office, which oversees the Shin Bet, confirmed that the recording was authentic but declined further comment.
Roots research
center opens
JERUSALEM (JTA) ‹ An institute devoted to Jewish genealogical research and study opened this week in Israel. Described as the only one of its kind in the Jewish world, the International Institute for Jewish Genealogy is located at the Jewish National and University Library in Givat Ram, Jerusalem.
The institute is headed by Yosef Lamdan, a former Israeli ambassador to the Vatican.
According to Lamdan, the institute will focus on teaching, research and collaborative projects of practical benefit to family historians. Jewish genealogy has gained immense popularity across the Jewish world over the past two decades, and especially since the rise of the Internet.
Screen star to visit
JERUSALEM (JPS) ‹ Actress Sharon Stone is due to visit Israel March 8, as a guest of The Peres Center for Peace, according to reports.
She will also be a guest at the 10th annual Women's Festival in Holon.
Stone said that she was interested in the events in the Middle East and the chances for peace in the region. "This is an opportunity for me to learn about the situation from up close," Stone told reporters.
Former prime minister Shimon Peres noted that Stone had been honored for her human rights activism and that "she is a good model for how women can contribute to the world."
‹ compiled by Paula Amann
