International

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The amorphous agreement of Israeli and Palestinian leaders to begin talking has pushed other items–that might otherwise be grabbing all the headlines–to the margins of national attention. One is the impending election of two Chief Rabbis (Ashkenazi and Sephardi), after a campaign with nastiness that makes Knesset elections seem like the most […]

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Anyone wanting a full description of what John Kerry has achieved, praise or condemnation for one of the parties, must look somewhere else. I am currently impressed with the variety of reports, couched as coming from one or another unnamed participant in Israeli or Palestinian governmental forums, with the additional reservation that

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There has been a bad couple of days for Israelis living in settlements beyond the 1967 borders, including those of us in the new neighborhoods of Jerusalem. The European Union formally announced a ban on the funding of Israeli entities beyond those borders. While the actual impact is not clear,

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Recent events suggest the hypothesis that Israel is no longer at the top of Muslims’ agenda for revenge or liquidation. It has been replaced by other Muslims. The thought is tentative, and not appropriate to guide Israeli policy with respect to its own security agenda, or to justify overseas Jewish