Pope Francis will reportedly visit Israel in May (JNS.org) Pope Francis will make his first visit to Israel as pontiff from May 25-26, CNN reported Nov. 28, citing an unnamed senior Israeli source. When Israeli Knesset Speaker Yuli Edelstein urged him to visit Israel during an October meeting at the Vatican, Pope Francis replied, “I’ll […]
JNS news briefs: November 29, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There are lots of tantalizing questions, that in their nature leave us without answers. Chief among those bothering Israelis concern our status. The existential question–asked time and again In various formulations–amounts to • How much power do we really have? • What can we get away with? • To what extent are
Israel’s options limited by world’s interdependence Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — When protests broke out in Syria in late 2011, Russia hoped for a short, nasty war as a matter of Russian national interest — just enough to put the Muslim Brotherhood and assorted Sunnis in their place. Violence from its own Sunni Muslim population has plagued Russia for decades.
New Obama allies: Russia, Iran, Syria? Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USA
NEW YORK (WJC) – Representative Eliot Engel, the senior Democratic member on the US House Foreign Affairs Committee, will be appointed the new chairman of the International Council of Jewish Parliamentarians (ICJP), an initiative of the World Jewish Congress (WJC), at the meeting of the ICJP Steering Committee in New York City and
Engel to lead Jewish group of parliamentarians Read More »
USA
By Noam Bedein SDEROT, Israel -This November, southern Israel marks one year since the IDF’s Operation Pillar of Defense in the Gaza Strip. It has been the quietest year in quite awhile, with “only” 79 rockets and missiles fired at southern Israeli communities. This is the fourth cease-fire between Israel and Hamas in the
Rockets from Gaza demonstrate perils of Mideast ‘peace’ Read More »
Middle EastU.N. Palestinian ‘Day of Solidarity’ features series of condemnations of Israel (JNS.org) In advance of the 66th anniversary of the Nov. 29, 1947 endorsement of the U.N. Partition Plan for Palestine, which would have established neighboring Jewish and Arab states but was rejected by the Palestinians, the U.N. General Assembly on Monday marked “International Day
JNS news briefs: November 27, 2013 Read More »
InternationalAlan Dershowitz: Iran deal could be ‘cataclysmic error of gigantic proportions’ (JNS.org) Harvard Law School professor and vocal Israel supporter Alan Dershowitz said the deal reached in Geneva under which Iran promised to stop uranium enrichment beyond 5 percent in exchange for $7 billion in sanctions relief “could turn out to be a cataclysmic error
JNS news briefs: November 26, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Obama administration is entitled to be furious with Israel. Although the U.S. got bragging rights for its (one-sided-not-in-our-favor) deal with Iran, Prime Minister Netanyahu remains determined publicly to say what the President wants to hide: Iran’s nuclear program could not be negotiated away, rolled back significantly or
U.S. has abandoned its principles in Iran N-Deal Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The best feature of the Iran deal–and maybe its only good feature–is that there is a deal, showing that the Iranians are willing to deal. The weakest points from an Israeli perspective are the Iranians, the US administration, and the UN agency charged with inspection, none of which are particularly trustworthy. Some
Iran deal has Israel on edge Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California — In director Steve McQueen’s haunting movie, “12 Years A Slave,” the kidnapped black protagonist, during one long grueling and painfully allegorical segment, is shown hanging from a tree with a noose choking his neck and one foot desperately tapping the muddy ground for balance and life. The spiritual
Obama is being spiritually lynched Read More »
USANEW YORK – Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday, Nov. 25, awarded The State of Israel’s Presidential Medal of Distinction to Nobel Laureate and esteemed author and activist, Elie Wiesel. The medal, which is the highest civilian honor in the State of Israel, is bestowed by the President onto individuals who have made an outstanding
Peres awards Medal of Distinction to Wiesel Read More »
Middle EastU.S. signing of Iran deal harms Israeli interests, most Israelis say in poll (JNS.org) In a new Israel Hayom poll, 57.8 percent of Jewish Israeli respondents said they believe the U.S. harmed Israeli interests by signing the nuclear deal with Iran over the weekend. Only 20.6 percent said that the U.S. did not harm
JNS news briefs: November 25, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is not the time for anything close to a complete assessment of the agreement with Iran. Commentators can find points where Israel’s insistence might have shaped the final deal, but so far the tendency of Israeli officials and party leaders–not all of them right of center–is to complain that
Lieberman wants Israel to make new friends Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Steve Kramer Eyal Zisser is Dean of the Faculty of Humanities and the Yona and Dina Ettinger Chair of Contemporary Middle Eastern History at Tel Aviv University (TAU). Professor Zisser recently spoke to the English Speaking Friends of TAU at their monthly lecture on the present situation in the Middle East, particularly in Syria.
U.S. image in decline throughout Middle East Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer