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World reacts to resumption of direct Israeli-Palestinian negotiations

Quartet calls on Israelis, Palestinians to exercise restraint as talks proceed WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The following statement was issued today by the Middle East Quartet (United Nations, Russian Federation, United States, and European Union). BEGIN TEXT: The representatives of the Quartet reaffirm their strong support for direct negotiations between the Israelis and the Palestinians to […]

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Middle East, USA

Dwight Howard, other NBA stars, to play exhibition ball in Israel

HAIFA (Press Release) – The Maccabi Haifa professional basketball team of the Israeli Basketball Super League, announced on Thursday that the team will host a special preseason basketball clinic and scrimmage on Saturday, September 4 at the Nesher Sports Hall in Nesher, Israel, headlined by current NBA All-Star Dwight Howard of the Orlando Magic.   Maccabi

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Middle East, USA

8 American Muslims tour concentration camps, oppose Holocaust denial

NEW YORK (WJC)–Eight Muslim American leaders, who visited the sites of former Nazi concentration camps and met with Holocaust survivors earlier this month, have signed a statement condemning Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism. The trip, intended to teach the participants about the Holocaust, featured visits to the Dachau and Auschwitz camps. “We stand united as Muslim

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USA

JDC mounts campaign for Pakistan flood relief

NEW YORK (WJC)–The American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee (JDC) is collecting funds to help the victims of the devastating floods in Pakistan with food, clothing, medicine and other necessities. Flooding began about three weeks ago and has affected an estimated 170 million people in Pakistan. The United Nations has described Pakistan’s worst humanitarian crisis as

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Middle East, USA

Notes from a trip

By David Amos SAN DIEGO –From the title of this article, you may surmise that I will be sharing with you some conducting and/or recording adventure in a far-away land. But this time, it is not the case, but rather, a two-week vacation just completed, which my wife and I survived with our two grandchildren,

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Middle East, USA

Commentary: Some important concerns about Russia-Iran nuclear power cooperation

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –It isn’t exactly Iran’s Bushehr reactor that is making people really nervous this week, and it isn’t exactly the Russians. It is the understanding that no matter what the United States and the West say about Iran with nuclear technology, Iran is moving toward the acquisition of nuclear weapons technology

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Commentary:Ground Zero mosque controversy confronts political correctness

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The issue of the New York City mosque near ground zero has awakened discussion of that big gorilla in the American living room. Despite all the platitudes slung back and forth about religious freedom and the separation of church and state, and the assertion that the problem of terror is not Islam,

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Commentary: Palestinians, Israelis ever so slowly being pushed by U.S. into direct talks

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM– Israel and Palestine may be inching, crawling, or sidestepping toward direct, face to face negotiations.  We have heard this before. It is a long and contorted road even to the beginning of talks. Neither side appears to be enthusiastic. They are being pushed by the pathetically naive, led by the champion

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Open letter to Fareed Zakaria concerning the ‘Ground Zero Mosque’

Dear Mr Zakaria: As an assiduous viewer of your Sunday TV show  (CNN/GPS), which I have always enjoyed for your judicious commentaries, the choice of your experts, and your well-prepared and deeply-probing questions, I have earned the right to express my disappointment. The case in point is your position on the  controversial decision to build a mosque

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Middle East, USA

Commentary: U.S. Senate election in Pennsylvania becoming a Middle East referendum

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA –A dual loyalty test approaches that Jews in Pennsylvania do not need.   Old conservative hands William Kristol and Gary Bauer are being abrasive…er, gracious…enough to spend time reminding us that we could be choosing between policies that will better America and those that imperil the security of Israel. How

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Middle East, USA

Clinton condemns Iran's sentencing of Baha'is

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The following statement was issued on Thursday by U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton: “The United States is deeply concerned with the Iranian government’s continued persecution of Baha’is and other religious minority communities in Iran. “This week, seven Baha’i leaders, who were incarcerated and held for nearly two years without due process,

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