International

Man who tried to blow up JFK Airport sentenced to life in prison

BROOKLYN, NY  (Press Release)– United States District Judge Dora L. Irizarry on Wednesday, Dec. 15, sentenced Abdul Kadir to life in prison for conspiring to attack John F. Kennedy International Airport in Queens, New York, by exploding fuel tanks and the fuel pipeline under the airport. Kadir and his coconspirators believed their attack would cause […]

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USA

Court says spectator who ridiculed Santa Cruz City Council with Nazi salute should not have been ejected

  SAN FRANCISCO (Press Release)–The Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has held that the City Council of Santa Cruz was wrong to eject a spectator who, in protest of not being allowed to speak, gave the Council a silent raised-arm Nazi salute.  Wrote the presiding judge in an opinion: “…unlike der Führer, government officials

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USA

Israel reminds international community there were many Jewish refugees from Arab lands

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Israel’s Foreign Ministry wants to ensure that Jews who were forced to flee Arab countries after 1948 are included in international discussions about the refugee issue, Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon has told the ‘Jerusalem Post’. He called it “vitally important to return this issue to the international agenda. It is a matter of

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Middle East

Unanimous U.S. House vote opposes unilateral Palestinian statehood

WASHINGTON, D.C (WJC)–The US House of Representatives has unanimously adopted a non-binding resolution opposing any unilateral declaration of a Palestinian state. The resolution was introduced by Howard Berman, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee. It is critical of Palestinian efforts to push the international community to recognize a state and states that “true and

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Middle East

Davis, Religious Action Center hail House repeal of ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– With Congresswoman Susan Davis (D-San Diego) leading the debate, the House of Representatives voted on Wednesday, Dec. 15,  to end the ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ policy.  In effect for almost 18 years, the policy prohibited gay men and women from serving openly in the military.  The vote comes after the Department of

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USA

Frank explains legislative strategy in ‘Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’ battle

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – Congressman Barney Frank on Tuesday, Dec. 14,  released the following statement regarding the announcement by Majority Leader Steny Hoyer that the House will consider a stand-alone bill to repeal “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.” “I am extremely pleased that the House Democratic leadership is continuing to do everything possible to enact the repeal

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USA

As for the Israelis and Palestinians, the status is quo

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–It seems that expressions of commitment to a lasting peace between Israel and the Palestinians that politicians on both sides are currently mouthing in front of TV cameras are intended for foreign consumption; unlike some hopefuls abroad, locals aren’t fooled by them. Now when US envoy George Mitchell is again in

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Middle East

Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke succumbs to heart attack

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–Secretary of State Hillary Clinton issued the following statement in reaction to the death of Special Envoy Richard Holbrooke: “Tonight America has lost one of its fiercest champions and most dedicated public servants. Richard Holbrooke served the country he loved for nearly half a century, representing the United States in far-flung war-zones

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USA

Nietzsche was a philo-Semite, notwithstanding Nazis’ admiration for him

By Barry Rubin   HERZLIYA, Israel — No serious thinker has done more harm to the Jewish people than Friedrich Nietzsche, whose writings were an important inspiration for Adolph Hitler and Nazism. Yet far from being an antisemite, Nietzsche was one of the most pro-Jewish German writers of his time. How can this paradox be

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International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion

Rally calls for more international effort to release Gilad Shalit

NEW YORK (WJC)–World Jewish Congress, North America, in cooperation with the International Association of Jewish Lawyers and Jurists, held a rally in front of the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to urge increased efforts to achieve the release of Gilad Shalit who has been held captive in the hands of

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USA