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U.S. Deports Israelis Amid Warnings of Spying Activities

Volume III, No. 10
Posted on Friday March 8, 2002

Poll Shows Americans Have Unfavorable Opinion of Muslim World

A CNN/USA Today/Gallup poll of 863 adults in the U.S. showed mirror results of the Gallup poll of the Middle East. Only one in four Americans had a favorable opinion of Muslim countries, roughly the same percentage of Islamic countries’ residents who had a favorable opinion of the United States. Forty-one percent of Americans surveyed said they knew a moderate amount about Muslim countries, while 56 percent said they knew little or nothing at all. However, 68 percent agreed that Muslim countries would be better off if they would only adopt Western values, which would seem to confirm the belief held by most individuals in the Islamic poll that the U.S. was “arrogant” and biased against Islamic culture.

U.S. Support for Government, National Leadership Still High

Six months after September 11, the public’s attitude toward government and the importance of national leadership is still riding high. Support for President Bush is still going strong, with a recent poll showing more than six in ten Democrats approving of Bush’s job. Another poll found that general trust in institutions, including Congress, has been up across the board, but is mostly related to national security and the war on terrorism, not increased faith in government to handle domestic issues. The number of people who want the U.S. to take a leading role in international affairs has also been up, with a poll in February showing that three-fourths of respondents wanted the U.S. to take the lead role in world affairs.

Florida Bill Seeks Power for Police to Arrest, Detain Illegal Aliens

Florida officials have asked the federal government to let state and local police arrest and detain suspected illegal aliens, a proposal that, if approved, would mark the first time that state or local law-enforcement officials have been empowered to arrest aliens for violating immigration law. Supporters of the bill claim that the INS is understaffed and unable to meet the needs of the community, and that local agents should be allowed to make arrests. Those who oppose the bill are already predicting that it will only lead to “racial profiling,” and selective enforcement based on “foreign-looking people.”

U.S. Deports Israelis Amid Warnings of Spying Activities

According to an Associated Press report, federal authorities have arrested and deported dozens of young Israelis who were passing themselves off as art students in an effort to gain access to sensitive federal office buildings and homes of government employees. A Drug Enforcement Administration report said the majority of the young people questioned acknowledged having served in military intelligence, electronic signals interception, or explosive ordnance units in the Israeli military. The report was first obtained by a French website specializing in intelligence news, and was confirmed as authentic by DEA spokeswoman Rogene Waite. A spokesperson at the Justice Department claimed that they did not have any information to support the accounts of Israeli students committing espionage, but the US Office of the National Counterintelligence Executive, a federal agency, circulated a public warning in March of last year urging employees to report contact with people describing themselves as Israeli art students. The INS admitted that dozens of arrests and deportations have been made since early 2001, but reported that no criminal espionage charges have been filed.

Arab American Poised to Take Over As Director of NIH

Algerian-born radiologist Elias Zerhouni is expected to be nominated as director of the National Institutes of Health, according to sources familiar with the decision. The Institute has not had a permanent director for more than two years. Zerhouni served as a “radiologic consultant” to the Reagan White House from 1985 to 1988, and in 1991 founded the Advanced Medical Imaging Institute. He is currently the executive vice dean of the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in Baltimore. Zerhouni would be taking over an agency with a budget of $27 billion and more than 15,000 employees. Colleagues cite Zerhouni as being energetic and entrepreneurial. Sen. Barbara Mikulski (D- MD) noted, “He is someone with a proven track record on doing research and at the same time being an administrator.”