Middle East

JERUSALEM (Press Release)–The municipality of Jerusalem has approved construction of four apartment buildings next to a Jewish seminary in the eastern part of the city. “As far as the municipality is concerned, building can begin,” a  spokesman for Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said after a planning committee gave the go-ahead on Monday for the complex

JERUSALEM (WJC)—Mayor Nir Barkat of Jerusalem  has announced that he would petition the High Court against an election process which is likely to lead to the appointment of two ultra-Orthodox chief rabbis for the city. Barkat said 70 percent of Jerusalem’s population was not haredi. On Sunday, a five-man committee, including three haredi members from the

By Rabbi Philip Graubart LA JOLLA, California–Who is the most influential writer for American Jews?  To my mind, it’s Daniel Gordis, the American-born rabbi, writing from Israel.  Gordis grabs his readers with passionate, cogent arguments, but also through his chosen medium: emails, which fly through cyberspace, landing in tens of thousands (or more) inboxes, provoking

ALEXANDRIA, Egypt (WJC) — Several hundred Israeli Jews have come to Egypt for an annual pilgrimage to the tomb of a 19th-century rabbi in the Nile Delta. Last year, Egypt had denied the pilgrims entry because the anniversary coincided with Israel’s offensive in the Gaza Strip. In past years, Cairo limited the number of pilgrims visiting

RA’ANANA, Israel (WJC) — Family and friends of former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s have marked the fourth anniversary of his massive stroke. Sharon, 81, has never regained consciousness from the stroke he suffered on 4 January 2006 and has since remained in a coma. He lives in a long-term care facility in Ra’anana. Family

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu expressed cautious optimism that peace talks with the Palestinians could soon resume. “In recent weeks, I have had the impression there is a certain change in atmosphere. I hope that a maturation that would enable the negotiating process to move forward has occurred…We are serious in our intention to

LONDON (WJC)–Israeli officers invited to come to London by the British Army were unable to depart last week after UK authorities could not guarantee that they would not be arrested, according to Israeli newspaper ‘Yediot Aharonot’. The paper reports that the Israeli Foreign Ministry approached the British government in order to ensure that the officers

ROME (WJC)–Italian researchers have accused Israel of contaminating land in the Gaza Strip through bombing. The New Weapons Committee, an Italian group of researchers, said it had studied Israel’s use of ammunition and concluded that the population of the Gaza Strip was “in danger.” The group of scientists based the claim on soil analysis of