Some headlines and summaries from JTA

A senior Israeli lawmaker said achieving peace with the Palestinians is key to dealing with the Iranian nuclear threat.

Ami Ayalon, a retired Shin Bet security chief turned Labor Party lawmaker, said Wednesday that Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's appointment of right-wing politician Avigdor Lieberman as Israel's new minister for strategic threats suggested the government has its priorities wrong.

"Taking care of the Iranian threat begins with achieving a diplomatic accord with the Palestinians," Ayalon told Israel Radio, adding that such an accord would help Israel enlist pan-Arab support for a tough stand against Tehran's nuclear program.

Ayalon noted that Lieberman's party, Yisrael Beiteinu, still calls for the deportation of Israeli Arabs and Palestinians, something unlikely to advance peace talks.

"The idea of forcing Israeli citizens to move out against their will is ludicrous," said Ayalon, whose center-left party is expected to review its place in the coalition government now that Yisrael Beiteinu has joined.

AIPAC condemns Republicans for 'loyalty' jibe

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee condemned Republican activists who said failure to support their candidate amounted to "disloyalty" to Israel.

Jonathan and Irit Tratt earned boos and walkouts at an event last week in Scottsdale, Ariz., when they spoke on behalf of U.S. Rep. J.D. Hayworth, who is fighting a tough challenge from Democrat Harry Mitchell, the mayor of Tempe.

The Tratts faced questions about Hayworth's endorsement of the late Henry Ford's writings on "Americanization" of immigrants, which included anti-Semitic passages.

According to news accounts, Jonathan Tratt told the audience that because Hayworth was a steadfast Israel supporter, such questions showed "disloyalty" to the Jewish state.

He also said Hayworth, a regular churchgoer, was a "more observant Jew" than those in attendance because he opposed abortion.

As audience members walked out in disgust, Irit Tratt reportedly remarked "no wonder there are anti-Semites."

Speaking on behalf of AIPAC, board member and Phoenix resident Gene Schupak said the organization "unequivocally condemns the Tratts' statements. Their actions were repugnant and they in no way speak for or represent the views of our organization."

Dodd: U.S. wrong to urge Palestinian vote

The Bush administration was mistaken in urging elections in the Palestinian Authority, Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.) said.

"In Iraq, in Lebanon and in the Palestinian Authority, I believe America made the mistake of urging elections before there was anything worth voting for," Dodd told the American Israel Public Affairs Committee's annual summit in Houston on Monday.

"Our plan for democratization was like an upside-down plant: fruit first, roots later - if ever."

Dodd also said it will be a long time before Palestinians are ready for peace.

He joined Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.), who also addressed the conference, in urging final passage before the year is out of the Palestinian Anti-Terrorism Act, which would isolate the Hamas-led Palestinian Authority.

In other policy recommendations, Dodd urged direct engagement with Syria, and McCain said a precipitous U.S. withdrawal from Iraq would endanger Israel.

Israeli illegals arrested in Egypt

Two Israelis were arrested in Egypt on charges of illegally crossing the border.

The two men were questioned by Egyptian authorities Wednesday after being caught near Taba, a town just south of Eilat.

They apparently had walked across, circumventing the border terminal.

U.S. lawmaker chides Carter on 'apartheid'

A leading U.S. black congressman called former President Carter to chide him for titling his new book "Palestine: Peace Not Apartheid."

Rep. John Conyers (D-Mich.) said the use of apartheid in the title "does not serve the cause of peace and the use of it against the Jewish people in particular, who have been victims of the worst kind of discrimination, discrimination resulting in death, is offensive and wrong."

In his statement Tuesday, Conyers said he called Carter "to express my concerns about the title of the book, and to request that the title be changed. President Carter does not build upon his career as a proponent of peace in the Middle East with this comparison and I hope he and his publisher will reconsider this decision."

Conyers, a 20-term representative, is a founder of the Congressional Black Caucus.

Carter's book is due to be published next month by Simon and Schuster.

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