'Jerusalem not holy to Muslims'

Jerusalem is "not holy to Muslims at all," the president of the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), Morton Klein, told a Quebec synagogue congregation, the Canadian Jewish News (CJN) reported on Friday.

Klein said Jerusalem had never been important to Muslims, and that the Islamic claim on Jerusalem was designed "to take away our heart and our soul," the CJN said.

He added that Palestinians "have never been a real people because there was never an actual country called 'Palestine,'" the report added.

"He even accused Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of being willing to sell out Israel for the chance at 'peace,' when 'peace' has never been on Palestinian leaders' minds," CJN quoted Klein as saying.

Australian FM rejects Syria call

Meanwhile, in Ramallah, Australia's Foreign Minister, Alexander Downer, has rejected calls by the Syrian ambassador for Australia to take a less pro-Israel stance, the Australian Jewish News (AJN) reported.

"What some ambassador - the Syrian Ambassador I think it is - says in Canberra, well my only response to that is I would like Syria to play a truly constructive role in constraining extremism," Downer was quoted as saying.

"For Syria to constrain the activities of Hizbullah in southern Lebanon and in Lebanon more generally, and for Syria to exercise constraint over the activities of Hamas - that will help," Donwer added.

Downer met with Palestinian Prime Minister in the West Bank Salam Fayyad, and described the Hamas military coup in Gaza as "a disaster." He added that "Hamas would continue to be isolated from efforts to strike a lasting deal between Palestinians and Israelis."

US university receives millions for Israel center 

Brandeis University has received USD 15 million to establish an Israel studies center, Boston's the Jewish Advocate reported.

The center is aimed at stimulating "scholarship and teaching on the Jewish state's history, language and culture," the report said, adding that the gift came at a time when the university has been facing condemnations over its invitation last January of former President Jimmy Cater to talk about his book, 'Palestine Peace Not Apartheid.'

The donation was made the Lynn Schusterman Family Foundation.

Responding to the donation, Brandeis President, Jehuda Reinharz, was quoted by the Advocate as saying: "I think this donation proves that donors have much more faith in us than some of the people in the media."