Middle East

Israeli commentary on Obama increasingly views him in Palestinian camp

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There has been a worrisome shift in Israeli commentary on President Obama’s efforts to force peace between Israel and Palestine.   A prominent emphasis had focused on the President’s naivete, what one called a “childish” assumption that his engagement could bring the parties to positions they had not taken on their own.   […]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Is President Obama the new George McGovern?

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Remember George McGovern? His clone is sitting in the Oval Office.   The 2008 campaign differed in several ways from 1972 that explain Obama’s victory. His speaking ability excels that of other politicians, including McGovern. Obama was running against a ticket with an intellectually handicapped vice presidential candidate, whereas McGovern was embarrassed

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Jordan-Israel border area shows environmental impacts of differing land use

HAIFA, Israel (Press Release)–Is a border line simply a virtual line appearing on the map? If so, why is it that Israeli rodents are more cautious than Jordanian rodents? Why is it that there are more ant lions in Israel than in Jordan? And how come there are more reptile species in Jordan than in

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education

White House denounces construction in Gilo section of Jerusalem

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The White House on Tuesday issued the following statement concerning construction in the Gilo neighborhood of Jerusalem: “We are dismayed at the Jerusalem Planning Committee’s decision to move forward on the approval process for the expansion of Gilo in Jerusalem. At a time when we are working to re-launch negotiations, these actions

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Middle East, USA

Brazilian oil company considering halting operations in Iran

RIO DE JANEIRO (WJC)–Three days after hosting Israeli President Shimon Peres, the Brazilian oil and gas giant Petrobras has announced that it is considering closing its operations in Iran. The company’s international director, Jorge Zelada, told the magazine ‘Veja’ that Latin America’s largest company was studying this possibility. Peres had met last Friday with Petrobras

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Middle East

Peace recedes as Obama policies harden Palestinian positions

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama was six years old when the Jordanian army opened fire on Jerusalem as its part in the 1967 war. Shortly after the fighting, Israel expanded the city’s boundaries. Four years later it began construction the Gilo neighborhood. Gilo was in the news early in the intifada that began in 2000, when

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Israel dedicates monument to U.S. 9/11 victims

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– On Thursday, November 12,  Israel took another step in the country’s long history of solidarity with the United States and global victims of terror as international diplomats, U.S. and Israeli politicians and religious leaders unveiled a monument dedicated to the victims of the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. Commissioned and built by

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Middle East, USA

State Department bias favoring Palestinians shows in report on international religious freedom

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM—More than 40 years ago I chose public administration as my specialty in political science. I still poke at it, despite being interested in other things as well. Here I will poke at the 2009 Report on International Religious Freedom published by the Bureau of Democracy, Human Rights, and Labor of the

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

IAEA suspects more hidden nuclear sites in Iran

  VIENNA (WJC)–Iran could have several secret nuclear facilities across the country, according to a new report by the United Nations nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) in Vienna. IAEA inspectors who visited the recently disclosed underground nuclear enrichment plant near Qom last month said the site was built to hold 3,000 centrifuges,

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Middle East, USA

Peres' visit prompts protests, welcome in Buenos Aires

BUENOS AIRES (WJC)–Israeli President Shimon Peres and Argentinean President Christina Fernández have met in Buenos Aires. “Argentina does not allow anybody to choose its friends, and it doesn’t choose the friends of others,” Fernández told reporters after meeting, referring to the influence of Iran in Latin America and Tehran’s close relations with Venezuelan President Hugo

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Middle East

Ongoing American Jewish commitment seen as key to Israel’s long-term prospects

_____________________________________________________________ By Jack Forman LA JOLLA, California — Peace will come only when Arabs love their children more than they hate our children” –Golda Meir In a November 9 talk at the San Diego Jewish Book Fair based on his most recent book Saving Israel: How the Jewish People Can Win a War That May

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle East, San Diego Calendar, USA

Palestinians say they'll seek statehood from U.N. Security Council

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Senior Palestinian officials have announced that they would seek a UN Security Council resolution recognizing an independent Palestinian state. Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, told Israeli radio that Palestinians were “fed up with your time-wasting”. He did not give a time frame for the resolution, but said that the state would be along

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Middle East