News At A Glance

Barack Obama

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- A tribe of Bedouins from northern Israel claims it is blood relatives of Barack Obama.

The 8,000-member tribe in the Bir al-Maksour village in the Galilee plans to hold a party in Obama's honor soon, at which they will slaughter a dozen goats to feed everyone, Abdul Rahman Sheik Abdullah told the The Times, based in London.

"We knew about it years ago, but we were afraid to talk about it because we didn't want to influence the election," Abdullah, a 53-year-old local council member, told The Times recently. "We wrote a letter to him explaining the family connection."

Abdullah told The Times that he has not heard from Obama or his campaign. He says he has pictures and documents to back his claim.

The tribe believes that Obama's Kenyan grandmother is the descendant of an African migrant worker, who was employed by a rich Arab sheik in British Mandate Palestine in the 1930s, and a local Bedouin girl.

Blair's Guard Misfires at Ben-Gurion Airport

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- No one was injured last week when Tony Blair's bodyguard accidentally fired his weapon at Ben-Gurion International Airport.

Blair, the former British prime minister, was leaving Israel after attending meetings in his current capacity as the chief envoy of the Quartet, the grouping of the United Nations, Russia, the European Union and the United States, that guides Israeli-Palestinian peace talks.

Blair's bodyguard, assigned by Scotland Yard, was unloading his gun when it discharged, London's Daily Mail reported. The bullet hit the ground.

Scotland Yard suspended the bodyguard from weapons use pending an investigation.

Dershowitz: 'I Kept Carter From DNC'

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Alan Dershowitz says he helped convince Barack Obama to keep Jimmy Carter from speaking at the Democratic National Convention.

"I pushed him very hard to make that decision," Dershowitz said in an interview with Shalom TV. "Barack Obama had to make a choice between his Jewish supporters and his anti-Israel supporters, like Jimmy Carter, and he did not choose Jimmy Carter. And that was an embarrassment for Jimmy Carter ... ."

"It was a good decision, a wise decision, a moral decision," the law professor added.

Carter did appear in the convention hall, but he did not make any remarks from the podium. A video of the former president helping with Katrina relief was shown at the Denver gathering.

In the interview, Dershowitz also said he believes that Obama's support in the pro-Palestinian community could make it easier to push the peace process.

"The fact that there are some in the pro-Palestinian community who like him may be a positive thing -- that he can reach out to both communities and be an honest broker who, without compromising Israel's security, can facilitate a kind of peace that will be both in the best interests of Israel and the best interests of the Palestinian people," Dershowitz said. "I have a high level of confidence -- not perfect confidence but a high level of confidence -- that he will do the right thing."

Dershowitz said he's not interested in working in Obama's administration because "I want to keep my own independent views independent."

Ex-Gore Chief Comes Back for Biden

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The chief of staff for Vice President Al Gore will assume the same role for Joe Biden.

Ron Klain accepted the post for the vice president-elect last week, Politico.com reported.

He becomes the second Jewish Clinton administration veteran to serve in a top executive position for President-elect Barack Obama. U.S. Rep. Rahm Emanuel (D-Ill.) will serve as White House chief of staff.

Klain, who helped coordinate Gore's claims in the 2000 presidential recount, later returned to a law practice.