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Washington Wire

OU IPA Washington Wire - September, 20 2007
September 20, 2007
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News from DC

President Bush has nominated the Hon. Michael Mukasey to be Attorney General of the United States. Senators, columnists, and others will have much to say about Judge Mukasey's record. At the moment, we at the OU take pride in the fact that the President has nominated an observant Jew to this high office at a time of great challenges. (It's quite interesting that, if confirmed, Judge Mukasey will be only the second Attorney General who is also Jewish and that the first was Edward Levi - appointed by President Ford when the DOJ was in desperate need of new leadership after the Watergate crisis.) To be parochial, Judge Mukasey has deep connections to flagship Orthodox Union congregations- Congregation Kehilath Jeshuran and the Jewish Center as well as the Ramaz School.
To read an article about Judge Mukasey and other Jewish and political connections click here


The AP reported this week that key members of Congress remain skeptical about President Bush's proposed $20 billion arms sale to Saudi Arabia. The concern among both Republican as well as Democratic reps. is that the Saudi government is a supporter of terrorism, and that the weapons sold to them, will easily find their way into the hands of terrorists throughout the Middle East. Read the full article here.



Appearing on Fox News on Sunday, defense secretary Robert Gates stated that the US approach to Iranian nuclear ambitions will focus on economic and diplomatic pressure, but "all options are on the table". The five permanent Security Council members -- Britain, China, France, Russia and the United States -- plus Germany are scheduled to meet in Washington to discuss a new draft UN resolution on sanctions against Iran on September 21. Read the full article here.



On the Hill

A recent bill (H. Res. 185) has brought back up an important Jewish issue many think has been forgotten about regarding Jewish refugees. Usually when the word refugee has come in Middle East debate it usually directed toward Palestinian "right of return." Now the departure of Jews from Arab countries is coming back into the debate.

This piece of legislation is co-sponsored by Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY) states in par that "any resolutions relating to the issue of Middle East refugees, and which include a reference to the required resolution of the Palestinian refugee issue must also include a similarly explicit reference to the resolution of the issue of Jewish, Christian, and other refugees from Arab countries."

To read an article from the JCPA regarding this legislation click here.

Israel and the Middle East

IDF soldiers prevented an armed Palestinian gunman from entering the settelment Shevei Shomron in the West Bank. Upon confronting the would be terrorist, the gunman opened fire on the soldiers and then fled the area. Read the full article here.




(While the IPA endeavors to bring the Washington Wire readership statements from presidential candidates on issues of interest to the OU community, doing so does not indicate any endorsement of any party or candidate by the IPA or IPA staff.)
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[This email is comprised of excerpts from cited news articles and does not necessarily represent the views, opinions, or positions of the Institute for Public Affairs, the Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America, its affiliates or its employees.