By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — We have had worse days. The not so friendly United Nations published its Human Development Index, ranking Israel number 15 among 169 countries. Norway is number 1 and the United States number 4. Israel scores higher than such decent places as Finland, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Italy, Austria, and the United […]
Israel may be in for a period of international calm Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Lloyd Levy LONDON– The early Zionists were intent on creating a new Jew, one who would not be beholdento the non-Jewish majority. The new Jew would be free of the Diaspora mentality, which was perhaps most famously described by the Zionist poet Bialik, in his poem “The City of Slaughter .” The poem describes how
Hail Lieberman and Netanyahu, self-confident Jews Read More »
Lloyd Levy, Middle East
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel (Press Release)–What effect will the congressional elections have on U.S. foreign policy generally and Middle East policy in particular? It isn’t a matter of the individual candidates, since nobody lost or won who will have some big influence on U.S. policy in the next couple of years. The important factor
Will Obama be pragmatic or an idealogue in second half of term? Read More »
Middle East, USAJERUSALEM (WJC)–Israel’s Foreign Ministry has suspended trips of government officials to Britain out of fear that they might be arrested there for alleged war crimes. The news was announced during a visit by UK Foreign Secretary William Hague in Jerusalem. Despite assurances, successive British government have not yet repealed universal jurisdiction laws allowing private war
Israel suspends official travel to the United Kingdom Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (WJC)–A Knesset committee has made it possible for a civil marriage law to be implemented in Israel. The Knesset Constitution, Law and Justice Committee on Wednesday, Nov 3, approved a registration fee of about US$ 165 for couples to obtain a civil marriage. The law, passed in March and set to be implemented next
Civil marriages in Israel for non-Jews approved by Knesset committee Read More »
Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — There is a struggle for power in Lebanon of the greatest importance. Yet it is a battle that the West, for all practical purposes, has already ceded the country to the Iran-Syria bloc. Lebanon has a unique political system. It is what might be called a communal democracy, with
The West abdicates to Syria and Iran in Lebanon Read More »
International, Middle East, USANEW YORK (Press Release)–The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has praised Senator Charles Schumer (D-NY) for his recent speech taking the Obama Administration to task for fixating on Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria as constituting an obstacle to peace when the truth is that Jews living and building homes there poses no obstacle to
Schumer criticizes Obama on his policy on Jewish settlements on the West Bank Read More »
Middle EastCHICO, California (Press Release) — Led by Nobel Laureates Roger Kornberg, Stanford University, and Steven Weinberg, University of Texas at Austin, 38 Nobel colleagues have endorsed the following statement written under the auspices of Scholars for Peace in the Middle East (SPME) regarding worldwide attempts to boycott, divest from or sanction Israeli academics, institutions, and
NEW YORK (Press Release)–Participation in semester or year programs in Israel is directly linked to stronger Jewish affiliation and leadership – regardless of the Jewish background growing up, a study commissioned by Masa Israel Journey finds. Masa, a joint project of the Jewish Agency for Israel and the Israeli government which serves an umbrella for
Study: Longer experiences in Israel lead to greater Jewish identification Read More »
Middle EastNEW YORK (Press Release) — Leaders of the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations strongly criticized the resolution passed recently by UNESCO, the United Nations Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization, in which it labeled the historic and sacred Jewish burial site of Rachel’s Tomb a mosque. “The UNESCO resolution is an affront to
Conference of Presidents, ADL denounce UNESCO resolution on Rachel’s Tomb Read More »
Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — If you think I’m exaggerating about the current administration’s cluelessness toward the Middle East just read the State Department daily press conference transcripts. Even journalists covering these events are often shocked by what they hear. Today’s topic is Syria, but it’s just an example and many others could be found. State Department
U.S. apparently has no idea what to do about Syria Read More »
Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–On rare occasions it may be appropriate to assert that “everybody is crazy but us.” The risks are considerable. Asylums are crowded with individuals who say the same. Not everybody but us is crazy. We have friends who admit that they agree with us. And we suspect (or hope) that others who
How the New York Times and others get it all backwards Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel–The New York Times–you know, it’s sort of like National Public Radio but with printed letters on murdered trees–keeps saying it can’t find any connections between IHH, the Turkish Islamist group that organized the Gaza flotilla, and terrorism. From time to time, I’ve published helpful hints to assist them in making these
Photos show links between Gaza flotilla ‘peace activists’ and IHH terrorists Read More »
International, Middle East, USA
By Donald H. Harrison LA JOLLA, California – Before a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces audience that included four members of the U.S. Congress, Israel’s former Mossad chief, retired Maj. Gen. Danny Yatom, renewed his call Saturday evening, October 30, for joint military action by the U.S., Israel
Retired Mossad chief Danny Yatom again calls for joint military action against Iran Read More »
Middle East