shorts — mideast

Striptease shtick

prompts arson

jerusalem (jta) | A Tel Aviv fashion outlet was burned down after it encouraged teenaged girls to strip in a heavily criticized publicity stunt on radio and television.

Police said suspected arsonists shattered the facade of the Kenvelo store and then threw a lit bottle of fuel inside on Tuesday.

Israel's Channel 2 television showed a promoter last Friday urging girls to strip for a crowd outside the store in exchange for coupons for the store's merchandise, a stunt slammed by children's protection advocates.

Israel champions kids

in 1st U.N. resolution

jerusalem (jta) | Israel proposed its first resolution at the United Nations.

In what it calls a "revolutionary" move, Israel has proposed a resolution "expressing concern over the fact that Israeli children are subject to Palestinian terrorism," said Ariel Milo, an official at Israel's mission to the United Nations.

The resolution was circulated Monday at the United Nations in the wake of an Egyptian-sponsored resolution expressing concern over Palestinian children suffering under Israeli occupation.

"Basically, we changed the rules of the game," Milo said.

Poll: Europeans see Israel as threat

jerusalem (jta) | More than half of Europeans think Israel is the greatest threat to world peace, according to a new poll.

The results of the poll published Monday by the European Union show that 59 percent of about 7,500 Europeans polled named Israel as the gravest threat to world peace.

Fifty-three percent of respondents said Iran, North Korea and the United States pose threats to world peace.

"Europeans seem blind to Israeli victims and suffering," said Haim Assaraf, spokesman at Israel's mission to the European Union.

U.S. asked to give

more funds to Israel

jerusalem (jta) | Congress will be asked to give Israel an increased amount of military aid for 2005.

Incremental increases in military aid were agreed upon in the 1990s to offset reduced U.S. economic grants to Israel.

The $2.22 billion in military aid in 2005 is $60 million more than the previous year.

The Bush administration will continue helping in "maintaining Israel's qualitative edge over any combination of adversaries," the State Department said Monday, adding that it seeks more joint defense projects with the Jewish state.