By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA (Press Release)–American Jews were treated to two Biden-style “big deals” – one good for the Jews, one not so good. Most Jews probably cheered President Obama’s words when he signed the historic health-care bill into law: “The bill I’m signing will set in motion reforms that generations of Americans have […]
Two ‘big deals’ for U.S. Jews Read More »
Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Israel returned from its Passover vacation, and unburdened itself of several files awaiting release from one official body or another. The scandal of the Holyland apartment development gained more weight with the detainment of another real estate mogul, said to have bribed local planning officials with respect to that project, and officials
Holyland scandal continues to dominate Israeli headlines Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Bruce Kesler ENCINITAS, California–“I’m tired of hearing about the Holocaust.” Be close enough to most people for them to be honest, even Jews, and you’ll often hear that said. What they most usually mean is they are tired of hearing hypocrisy. Sunday is Holocaust Day, Yom Ha-Shoah, Day of Remembering the Catastrophe, sadly commemorated
Why some are tired of hearing about the Holocaust Read More »
Middle East, USA
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Normally commentators would be worrying for days about the report in The Washington Post that a coterie of present and former National Security Advisors are pressing President Obama to proclaim their solution for Israel and Palestine. However, that story was below the fold on the front page of Ha’aretz, and is missing from
'Holyland' Hotel scandal rivets Israeli attention Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Avishai Margalit, arguably Israel’s most significant living philosopher, has recently published a book with the intriguing title, On Compromise and Rotten Compromises. As I haven’t read it, I’m not in a position to comment on it, but one quote as it appears in John Gray’s review in The New York Review of
Just a peace or a just peace? Read More »
Middle East, USABy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel–Been there, done that. Why was Israel not affected by the global economic crisis to the same extent as some other countries, specifically the US and the UK? It was probably due to a number of factors. In the 1980s, due to a combination of ideological rigidity and economic
How Israel avoided the global economic meltdown Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–On Tuesday we read that the Hamas regime in Gaza had reached a consensus with other rejectionist movements to cease firing into Israel. They were not giving up the struggle, but agreed that escalation at this time was not in their mutual interests. Today (Wednesday) we read that six mortars were fired toward
Doubts that Obama would recognize borders of self-declared Palestine state Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Mimouna is a colorful tradition that North African Jews brought to Israel. It celebrates the end of the festival of Passover. Activities include much public jollification and eating of post-Pesach dishes made from recipes from the old country. It has also become an occasion for Israeli right-wing politicians (who
Israel seeking to substitute personalities for foreign policy initiatives Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The news was not good when Barack Obama opened his newspapers upon returning to work from his Easter holiday (assuming that the American president had a holiday, beyond a family photo-op at church). From Afghanistan: There are no good options on the horizon, many analysts say, for reining in Mr. Karzai or
Obama facing diplomatic reverses all over the world Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USAWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Editor’s Note: When U.S.-Israel relations hit a rough patch, there are those who quickly blame Israel for America’s difficulties abroad. Israel has outrageously been blamed for endangering American soldiers in Afghanistan and Iraq, and erroneously been blamed for preventing the formation of an Arab coalition to work with the US to contain
Retired U.S. flag officers speak up for Israel Read More »
Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Salam Fayyad, Prime Minister of the Palestine Authority, appears to be a decent and wise man. Along with Mahmoud Abbas, President of the Authority, Saeb Erekat, prominent negotiator, and Sari Nuseiba, one-time minister in the Palestine Authority and more often President of al-Quds University, they are Palestinians who assert national interests, but have
Salam Fayyad: The moderate face of the Palestinian Authority Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA–Rachel Corrie took a stand for what she thought was a righteous cause. Maybe it was. If Corrie had a significant concern, her response was not only self-destructive but also ineffective, a danger to others, a disruption of military operations and utter disregard for the rules of her host country.
Revisiting the Rachel Corrie case Read More »
Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM– According to Israeli media commenting on the by now annual PR gimmick called The White House Seder, President Obama suffers from multiple personality disorder. He has been cast in the role of each of the four sons of the Hagadah. He’s wise. By putting pressure on Israel he’s winning the hearts
Obama watchers compare him to each of the four sons at a seder Read More »
Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–This is the season sacred to both Jews and Christians. Passover and Easter are arguably the formative events of both communities. To this skeptic, there is no chance that the Easter story of resurrection is historically accurate. There may have been some historical incidents behind the biblical story of the Exodus, but
Something of a holiday lull descends over Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA