Shorts: U.S.

Southern Calif. port reopened after threat

port hueneme, calif. (ap) | A Southern California port was closed off for several hours Monday afternoon while authorities investigated a possible terrorist threat on a cargo ship, authorities said.

The closure at the Port of Hueneme in Ventura County came just before noon after a dockworker discovered a threat written in the cargo hold of a ship carrying bananas from Guatemala, said Will Berg, the port's marketing director.

Federal authorities said it read: "Nitro + glycerin my gift for G. W. Bush and his Jewish gang," though there was some discrepancy as to the exact phrasing of the message.

FBI spokeswoman Laura Eimiller said agents were at the scene. No nitroglycerin or other explosives were found during a thorough search by bomb personnel, she said. The port was reopened around 3:30 p.m.




House approves Israel-NATO legislation

washington (jta) | A U.S. House of Representatives committee unanimously approved a resolution that calls for enhancing Israel's relationship with NATO.

The resolution, introduced by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Fla.) and Rep. Robert Wexler (D-Fla.), was adopted Tuesday by the House Committee on International Relations.

The resolution recommends upgrading Israel's affiliation to a "leading member of NATO's Individual Cooperation Program," a promotion the bill says ultimately will lead to Israel's full membership in the alliance.

Israeli officials are not enthusiastic about the prospect of full NATO membership, fearing it could limit the country's ability to strike its enemies without consultation. The resolution is to be considered by the full House next month.




NYC museum, Auschwitz center planning to merge

new york (jta) | A New York Holocaust museum plans to merge with a Jewish center near Auschwitz-Birkenau.

The Board of Trustees of the Museum of Jewish Heritage — A Living Memorial to the Holocaust voted last week to enter into final negotiations with the Auschwitz Jewish Center in Poland, which memorializes victims of the Holocaust and celebrates Jewish life in the area prior to World War II.

"I am delighted that the museum will be working with the Auschwitz Jewish Center," said Robert Morgenthau, the New York museum's chairman. "It will bolster our commitment to the dual principles that we will never forget the horrors of the Holocaust, and we will remember the rich Jewish culture that thrived in Poland before the Holocaust."

Once the agreement is finalized, the New York museum will operate the center in Poland and will have overall responsibility for the combined institution.