By Anav Silverman JERUSALEM — The IDF Spokesperson Brigadier General Yoav Mordechai wished Muslim citizens in Israel and across the world a Ramadan kareem, or blessed Ramadan, in a video message posted on the IDF YouTube account. The Israeli general spoke in Arabic with English subtitles throughout the video. “I would like to wish Israel’s […]
IDF wishes ‘Ramadan kareem’ to Muslims Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Ben Kamin ENCINITAS, California–The problem is not what we know; it’s what we feel. We do not really know what happened: for the vast majority of us, it happened somewhere else (in the previously unknown town of Sanford, Fla.), we have relied entirely on the cloying media with its pundits and professional oracles,
Trayvon Martin case forces us to grapple with our racism Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Two issues from the extremes of Judaism are disturbing the peace of Israel, and raising yet again the hoary queries about what is Judaism, and who are the Jews. One of the current issues is the hot button issue of drafting the Haredim. Another is the much quieter issue
Who is a Jew controversy still roils Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
Iranian missiles could reach U.S. by 2015, report says (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Iran could develop and test an intercontinental ballistic missile (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States by 2015, a U.S. intelligence report released on Friday revealed. The Foreign Ballistic and Cruise Missile Threat Assessment, prepared by the National Air and Space Intelligence
JNS news briefs: July 12, 2013 Read More »
InternationalSaudi Arabia reportedly has missiles trained on Iran, Israel (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Based on new satellite images, Saudi Arabia has apparently deployed ballistic missile batteries that have both Israel and Iran in their crosshairs, the British newspaper The Telegraph reported Thursday. The images, which were analyzed by military experts at IHS Jane’s, a business
JNS news briefs: July 11, 2013 Read More »
International
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Egyptian Army Commander and Defense Minister Abdul Fattah al-Sisi was faced in Cairo with what experts say was the largest human gathering in history — somewhere between 17 and 30 million people — demanding a chance to redo the 2011 revolution. A “mulligan,” so to speak. The military responded
Getting a ‘do-over’ in Egypt Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — When the nine days of the Jewish month of Ab arrives, our joy diminishes accordingly.[1] Unlike other times of the year, this period in particular beckons us to give thought to the reasons why the Second Jewish Commonwealth of the 1st century ended in disaster for the
Tisha B’Av and the attack on a Haredi soldier Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastDefense cuts bite into IDF’s operational platforms (JNS.org) The Israel Defense Forces began to implement government-mandated cuts to its budget, announcing Tuesday that several of its operational platforms will be reconfigured, while others will be retired, in an effort to slash its expenditures. The defense establishment has been asked to slash some 22 billion shekels
JNS news briefs: July 10, 2013 Read More »
InternationalNearly two-dozen Al-Jazeera staffers resign (JNS.org) Nearly two-dozen Al-Jazeera employees have resigned from the Qatar-based satellite news channel over what they are calling pro-Muslim Brotherhood bias in its coverage of the recent events in Egypt. As many as 22 resigned employees were all part of Al-Jazeera’s “Mubasher Misr” (or “Egypt Live”) channel, which focuses coverage
JNS news briefs: July 9, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This column is about smoke and mirrors. In other words, it’s an effort to understand what may really be happening in the fog of Israeli politics. It’s not something that I usually do. I generally scoff at stories of conspiracy, hidden meanings, the secret Torah within the Torah, gematria or
Long lead time for drafting Haredim arouses suspicions Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — The list of famous people President Obama has invited to the White House is something most of us would find surprising, amusing, and even outrageous. He has on occasions invited Gangsta Rappers like the rap artist named Common, whose poetical lyrics extols the virtues of cannibalism,
Obama’s Middle Eastern guest list raises questions Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, USAIsraeli Arab who helped Syrian rebels sentenced (JNS.org) The Israeli government on Monday sentenced an Arab-Israeli man who joined Syrian rebels fighting against the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad to 30 months in prison. Israeli authorities accused Hikmat Massarwa of receiving small-arms training from radical Islamists in Syria, where he was also asked to
JNS news briefs: July 8, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Chaos in Syria and now in Egypt, with instability in Lebanon increasing as Hezbollah is deeply involved in Syria. Hamas in Gaza is most likely planning its response to the problems of its patron in Egypt. Jordan’s king may be even more worried than usual about threats to his regime,
Egyptian coup another example of Muddled East politics Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastTwo explosions rock Eilat (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Two powerful explosions echoed through the Red Sea resort town of Eilat on Thursday night, shortly before 10 p.m. A Color Red alert did not sound beforehand. Several city residents dialed the police emergency hotline and reported the blasts. The Israel Defense Forces and police dispatched personnel
JNS news briefs: July 5, 2013 Read More »
International