Middle East

US Says it Will Protect Personnel in Syria After Deadly Attack

Published by Reuters By Idrees Ali and Phil Stewart WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The United States on Friday said it would protect its personnel in Syria after the U.S. military carried out air strikes against Iran-backed forces in retaliation for an attack that killed an American contractor and wounded five U.S. troops. Just a day after the […]

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Middle East

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak Discusses Mideast Assassinations and Diplomacy in Candid Documentary

Israeli Filmmaker Ran Tal has put together a fascinating documentary in which former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak contemplates whether Middle Eastern history would have changed if plans to assassinate Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat had been approved during the 1970s by his superiors. At that time, Barak was an up and coming officer in the IDF, not important enough to make policy, but sufficiently well placed to carry it out. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

Israeli and Arab Scientists Work Together to Solve Regional Water Challenges

By Celia Theller With its origins near the city of Hebron, the Besor Stream winds its way 18 kilometers through the Negev Desert to the city of Beersheva and onward to the Gaza Strip, where it empties into the Mediterranean Sea. It is one of 16 streams in Israel that are shared between Israel and

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Israel, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

In Egypt, Pentagon Chief Seeks to Balance Human Rights and Security

Published by Reuters By Idrees Ali CAIRO (Reuters) – U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin travelled to Egypt on Wednesday to tell Cairo it wanted to deepen security and other ties but was concerned about human rights in country where activists say government critics are regularly rounded up. Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, who as army

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Middle East

How Jews Made Purim Personal

By Sarah Ogince (JNS) “Cursed is Hitler, cursed is Mussolini … Blessed is Roosevelt, blessed is Churchill.” With these words, the Moroccan scribe Prosper Hassine concluded his account of World War II and the Holocaust. The story was familiar, but what made Hassine’s work unique was its style: Written on a long parchment scroll, it

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Holocaust, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Middle East, USA

US Defense Secretary Aims to Reassure Mideast Allies, Deliver Tough Message

Published by Reuters By Idrees Ali AMMAN (Reuters) -U.S. Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, in Jordan to begin a three-country Mideast visit, is aiming to reassure key allies of American commitment to the region despite Washington’s recent focus on Russia and China, officials said, but plans frank messages for leaders of Israel and Egypt. The Pentagon

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Middle East

Oman Opens Airspace to Overflights by Israeli Carriers

(JNS) Oman has opened its airspace to overflights by Israeli airlines, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen announced on Thursday. “This historic decision will shorten the time of flights from Israel to Asia and lower ticket prices. I thank Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the National Security Council and the director general of the Foreign Ministry,” said Cohen.

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Business & Finance, Israel, Middle East

Netanyahu Talks With US Senators, Including Padilla, About Iran and Abraham Accords

(JNS) Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met separately on Tuesday with U.S. Sens. Alex Padilla (D-Calif.) and Jim Risch (R-Idaho), stressing to them the importance of the bilateral relationship and that America is the Jewish state’s “greatest friend.” Netanyahu told the lawmakers that despite any disagreements between Jerusalem and Washington, such meetings were an expression

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California, Israel, Middle East, USA

Film on Ethiopian Jewry’s ‘Yearning’ to be Screened in San Diego

By Sam Litvin SAN DIEGO — “They love our work, but they do not love us” says an elderly man in the high mountains of Ethiopia. He is a Jew. His family has been Jewish as far back as they can remember, and they can remember all the way to the days of Queen Sheeba

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Israel, Middle East, Sam Litvin, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast

Reflections on Jimmy Carter

By Eric George Tauber CINCINNATI, Ohio — When I read the news that former President Jimmy Carter had gone into hospice, I began reflecting on his life and career. While I greatly admire his post-executive humanitarian work, Carter’s relationship with Israel and the American Jewish community is a bit more complicated. Hungry for Honesty In

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Eric George Tauber, International, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA

Federation Raising Funds for Earthquake Survivors in Turkey and Syria

SAN DIEGO (Press Release) — We are heartbroken by the news of the two devastating earthquakes that hit Turkey and Syria. Right now, the death toll is over 20,000 and over 1 million have lost their homes. While an overwhelming number of buildings, homes and businesses have been destroyed, rescuers work around the clock to

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Middle East, USA

Omar’s Removal is a Frightful Omen for Israel-Bashers

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — As the competing votes tracked upward on the Congressional scoreboard last Thursday, my memory summoned up a moment more than two decades ago when I spotted an anti-Israel sketch posted on a bulletin board. It featured a message that compared Israel to the civil rights struggles in the South.

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Bruce Ticker, Israel, Middle East, Opinion, USA

Many Jews Receive Mentions in Brief History of 17 US Presidents

Ronald Gruner, who spent his working career as a CEO of three different tech companies (Alliant Computer; Shareholder.com; and Sky.Analytics), is a lay historian deeply interested in economic policy and outcomes.  His book, analyzing the presidencies of the 17 U.S. Presidents from Warren G. Harding to Donald J. Trump, focuses largely on issues like unemployment, interest rates, and inflation.  But along the way he also makes mention of significant geopolitical events that occurred during those presidencies. I will leave it to economists to determine the value of Gruner’s economic analyses.  They are beyond my depth.  What I did take notice of was how often our fellow Jews, and issues of direct relevance to the Jewish community, cropped up in the book.  [Donald H. Harrison]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Donald H. Harrison, International, Israel, Jewish History, Middle East, USA