Briefs

On the eve of Israeli-Palestinian peace talks, Rabbi Ovadia Yosef -- a former chief Sephardic rabbi and the spiritual leader of the Shas Party -- wished for the demise of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.

"Abu Mazen and all these evil people should perish from this world," Yosef reportedly said during his weekly Saturday-night sermon at a Jerusalem synagogue, using Abbas' nickname. "God should strike them with a plague, them and these Palestinians."

On Monday, the Anti-Defamation League called Yosef's statements "offensive and incendiary."

Iraq to Israel: Return Old Torah
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Iraq's Tourism Ministry is calling on Israel to return an ancient Torah scroll it says was illegally smuggled out of the country.

The rare Torah scroll was among several valuable Jewish artifacts believed to have been stolen from Iraq following the toppling of Saddam Hussein.

Iraq has requested that the United States return Jewish artifacts discovered by U.S. soldiers in the basement of Saddam's police headquarters.

The artifacts, dating from the 15th century, were becoming ruined in sewage water.

Egypt Seizes Stash of Weapons
JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Egyptian police intercepted weapons intended to be smuggled into Gaza.

About 190 anti-aircraft missiles and some 1,500 bullets were discovered at three depots in central Sinai.

Other items, including anti-tank landmines, and a cache of machine guns, were discovered in Gaza border towns.