International

Inertia, rather than conscious policy, often influences the Israeli-Palestinian conflict

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM—What has Israel contributed to the impasse in the peace process, and to the suffering of Palestinians? That is a question several have asked me, often with a follow up charging that I have not responded. I have responded, more than once. Those convinced of Israeli culpability either have not understood my […]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

University of Haifa students devise You Tube campaign for Gilad Shalit's release

HAIFA (Press Release)–University of Haifa students have joined the public fight for the release of Gilad Shalit and decided to make their final project for a course in the School of Political Sciences a campaign for Shalit’s release. A survey that the students carried out among 200 respondents as a preparatory step for the project

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Middle East

JDate and Nefesh b'Nefesh sponsor singles dating site for North American immigrants to Israel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)– In response to the overwhelming reaction among Israelis to the arrival of hundreds of single Olim from the USA, Canada and the UK this past summer, the Aliyah organization has teamed up with popular Jewish dating site JDate Israel to create a portal for its Olim to meet Israeli singles. As part

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Middle East

Iran announces plans for 10 new nuclear sites

TEHRAN (WJC)–In defiance of the international community, the Iranian Cabinet headed by President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad  ordered the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran to begin construction of five uranium enrichment sites and propose five other sites for future construction within two months. The head of the nuclear body, Iranian Vice-President Ali Akbar Salehi, told state media

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USA

Some hard realities of negotiations and politics

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–In response to a recent column, an American friend wrote the following:   “In other words, you are saying that the Israeli gesture is not a good faith effort to restart peace talks. Isn’t that what the Israelis have done before when they offered “concessions” they knew were inadequate and not acceptable

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

New Lebanese government endorses Hezbollah fight against Israel

BEIRUT (WJC)–Lebanon’s new unity government has adopted a policy that recognizes the Shiite paramilitary group Hezbollah’s right to use arms against Israel, in spite of UN resolutions calling for its complete disarming. The text adopted by the Cabinet reaffirms right of “Lebanon, its government, its people, its army and its resistance” to liberate all Lebanese

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Middle East, USA

Abbas recruits Chile's President Bachelet to anti-settlements cause

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said a 10-month settlement construction  freeze will not include Israeli’s “sovereign capital” of Jerusalem, including the eastern parts of the city captured in 1967. The moratorium would also not apply to construction already started or authorized in the West Bank, as well as buildings to allow the 300,000

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Middle East

European Jewish Congress lobbies Kremlin against sale of missiles to Iran

MOSCOW (WJC)–At a meeting at the Kremlin President Dmitry Medvedev, leaders of the European Jewish Congress (EJC) asked Russia not to sell the S-300 surface-to-air missiles to Iran and to push for new sanctions against the regime in Tehran. “We asked that Russia stop supplying the S-300 to Iran,” said EJC President Moshe Kantor after

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Middle East, USA

Cookbook features world's kosher cuisine

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Soille San Diego Hebrew Day School has devised a delicious corollary to this publication’s motto that “there is a Jewish story everywhere.”  Gourmets may like the Orthodox school’s saying even better: “There’s great kosher food everywhere.” Coming out next week, in plenty of time for the December 11th first evening

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, USA

At 104, Laura Simon worries for her aging children

LAURA SIMON—She’s 104 on Thanksgiving Day ___________________________________________________ By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Among the celebrants of November birthdays at The Patrician senior residence in the University Towne Center area yesterday was Laura Simon, the oldest of them all.  Today, Thanksgiving, she turns 104. Simon smiled when Milica Todorivic, a member of the dining room staff,

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Donald H. Harrison, San Diego Calendar, USA