NEW YORK (Press Release) –AJC (American Jewish Committee) sharply criticized Amnesty International for its new report on Israeli military activities in the West Bank. “Sadly but tellingly, starting with the title, this Amnesty International report has all the hallmarks of those groups that excel in lambasting, with what can only be described as calculated bias, […]
AJC calls Amnesty Int’l report ‘calculated bias’ Read More »
Middle EastEditor’s Note: Here are the sections about human rights in Israel and the Territories that were part of a larger report issued on Thursday, Feb. 27, by the U.S State Department evaluating human rights issues around the world. * Israel Israel is a multiparty parliamentary democracy. Although it has no constitution, the parliament, the unicameral
State Dept. report on human rights in Israel, territories Read More »
Middle East, USANEW YORK (Press Release)–The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) has expressed concern at reports in the Israeli press that the Obama Administration is increasingly rejecting requests from Israeli citizens for visas to visit the United States. According to U.S. State Department records consulted by these reports, during 2013, 9.7% of Israelis who requested visas —
ZOA: Limiting Israeli tourist visas part of Obama pattern Read More »
USA
NEW YORK (Press Release)– World Monuments Fund (WMF) announced on Thursday, Feb. 27, the receipt of an award of $220,000 from the David Berg Foundation of New York for five projects at Jewish heritage sites in Europe and Africa: the Schola Canton in Venice, Italy; the Great Synagogue of Iasi, Romania; Split Synagogue in Croatia;
Funds donated to conserve 5 Jewish sites Read More »
International, Jewish HistoryBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — If you are surprised by this week’s announcement of major manpower cuts to the U.S. Army, you haven’t been paying attention. For a long time. There are two components to understanding America’s defense spending choices — the political and the budgetary; they are not the same. The Administration has
Proposed defense cuts based on false assumptions Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USAEditor’s Note: San Diego Jewish World printed a brief obituary notice about the death of Barry Rubin, whose columns we had the privilege of carrying from time to time. In this article, his colleague, Jonathan Spyer, looks back over Rubin’s career and assesses the contributions he made to Middle Eastern studies. By Jonathan Spyer HERZLIYA
In memory of Barry Rubin, scholar and journalist Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Settlers and the ultra-Orthodox are important minorities in Israeli politics. Both are somewhere on the fringe of key decision-makers, but must be taken into consideration even if not part of the A-team. There is no precise measure of either group. “Settlers” are both more and less than the people living in post-1967
Settlers, Haredim both important blocs in Israel politics Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastPalestinian students launch anti-Israel photo exhibit at Hebrew University (JNS.org) Watan, a Palestinian student group at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, launched a new exhibit featuring photos whose captions are hostile to Israel, referring to Jerusalem as a “sewer of the Israeli settlements” and to Israeli soldiers as “the occupation army” and “the hunters
JNS news briefs: February 27, 2014 Read More »
InternationalBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Israel’s prime minister has worked hard to forge an alliance with the king of Jordan. One of the results is said to be Israel supplying water for the million Syrian refugees currently in the kingdom without which they couldn’t survive. Another is the sale of half-a-billion dollars’ worth of
Feiglin’s folly: Knesset debate on Temple Mount Read More »
Middle EastBy Aryeh Savir JERUSALEM (TNA) — Amnesty International released a report on Thursday, Feb. 27, accusing the IDF and Israeli police of being “Trigger-happy”, using “reckless force in the West Bank.” “Israeli forces have displayed a callous disregard for human life by killing dozens of Palestinian civilians, including children, in the occupied West Bank over
By Anav Silverman ABEL BETH MAACAH, Israel – A hoard of silver dating back to the time of the Biblical Exodus, was discovered by American and Israeli archaeologists last summer at Abel Beth Maacah, a 35-acre tel and the northernmost site in Israel. Among the artifacts discovered were five complete silver hoop earrings, three silver
3,200-year-old silver earrings found at dig Read More »
Middle East
By Michael Ordman NETANYA, Israel — You probably already know about the most famous of Israeli “firsts.” Such as Intel’s microchip breakthroughs, SMS technology, the digestible camera and cherry tomatoes. But every week there is news of exciting discoveries and innovations from the Jewish State. Last week, there was even more than usual. Dr. Itai
Positively Israel: February 26, 2014 Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California–It’s been reported that hundreds of copies of Anne Frank’s The Diary of a Young Girl have been defaced at public libraries across Tokyo. Apparently, some 265 copies of the books have been ravaged at over thirty municipal libraries since the start of 2014–this is not an isolated act. A
Don’t blame all Japanese for acts of a few haters Read More »
InternationalPalestinian Authority owes Israel Electric Company $389 million (JNS.org) If the Israel Electric Company (IEC) were a private entity, it would shut off electricity to the Palestinian Authority because of the PA’s outstanding bill of 1.37 billion shekels ($389 million), IEC Chairman Yiftah Ron-Tal told the Knesset Finance Committee on Tuesday. “People complain about
JNS news briefs: February 26, 2014 Read More »
International