Middle East

Algeria Islamist party slams Morocco PM as ‘traitor’ after Israel normalisation deal

The head of Algeria’s Movement for a Society of Peace (MSP) party, Abderrazak Makri, has slammed Morocco’s prime minister as a “traitor” over his country’s decision to normalise ties with Israel. Makri’s remarks followed Moroccan premier Saad Eddine El Othmani’s signing of a formal deal with Israel in Rabat on Tuesday. “The Head of the

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International, Middle East

Religious Freedom and Azerbaijan’s Victory in Nagorno-Karabakh

When former Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni sent birthday wishes on December 23 to Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, she praised Aliyev for leading Azerbaijan “through national and international challenges.” Given the recent events in Eurasia’s South Caucasus region, Livni’s words carry far more than ceremonial meaning. [Jacob Kamaras]

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International, Jacob Kamaras, Jewish Religion, Middle East

‘Jewish nation-state law’ challenged in Israeli Supreme Court

The Israeli Supreme Court on Tuesday heard a case against a contentious law that defines the country as the nation-state of the Jewish people, marking the beginning of a landmark challenge against legislation that opponents say discriminates against minorities. Critics say the law further downgrades the status of Israel’s Arab minority, which makes up around

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Middle East

Echoes of Bitter Georgia Senate Races Reach California

Mirroring the negative advertising campaigns  in Georgia criticizing the opponents of the candidates they favor, Christians United for Israel issued a press release rebuking Rev. Raphael Warnock, a Democrat, for anti-Israel statements he made in the past (but which he has since recanted), while Rep. Adam Schiff (D-California) blasted Warnock’s opponent,  U.S. Sen. Kelly Loeffler, for selling millions of dollars in personal stocks before news of the impacts of the COVID pandemic were generally known by the public. [Donald H. Harrison]

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Donald H. Harrison, International, Middle East, Obituaries & memorials, San Diego County, USA

Israel-Morocco Ties May Lure Moroccan Diaspora Home

Morocco’s relationship with Israel can be a gateway for Moroccan-Jewish people – along with other members of Morocco’s diaspora – to return to the land of their origins and join this national effort to restore long-held sacred locations that epitomize the country’s embracing of its intercultural self. Collaborations are crucial to sharing knowledge lest it be ever forgotten, to inspiring the world, and to making the lives and livelihoods of the Moroccan people better today. [Yossef Ben-Meir, Ph.D]

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International, Middle East, Yossef Ben-Meir

Labor Party head resigns as Israel lurches to new elections

The head of Israel’sLabor Party said Wednesday he will not seek re-election as leader of the former ruling party as the country enters its fourth election campaign in two years. The Knesset, Israel’s parliament, dissolved at midnight after the government failed to pass a national budget for 2020 amid bitter coalition disputes between its two

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Middle East

Morocco signs ‘normalisation’ agreement with Israel in ceremony attended by king

Morocco formally signed a normalisation agreement with Israel during a visit to the presidential palace by an Israeli delegation on Tuesday. Prime Minister Saad Eddine El Othmani signed the declaration in the presence of King Mohammed VI, who announced the resumption of ties with the occupying state. US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law and senior White

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Middle East, USA

Israel parliament dissolves, sparking fourth election in two years

Israel’s parliament dissolved on Wednesday after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s fractured ruling coalition failed to pass a budget, triggering a fourth election in two years and renewing an unprecedented political crisis. The coalition led by Netanyahu and his former election rival, Defence Minister Benny Gantz, had been inching towards collapse for weeks, undermined by mutual

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Middle East

U.S. Must Make Cyber-Security a Top Priority

Solarwinds, a network management software company, was recently discovered to have had malware inserted into its products. Its clients’ systems have been compromised for as long as nine months. Someone—possibly the Russians, possibly the Chinese—has been inside the U.S. Department of Defense, the Department of Homeland Security, the Treasury Department and major American industries. The list gets longer every day. [Shoshana Bryen and Stephen D. Bryen}

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International, Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, Stephen D. Bryen, USA

La Jolla family immigrates to Israel

“I saw Uriel deplane his Nefesh B’Nefesh flight, I looked at Orin, and I said, ‘Let’s make Aliyah.’ And that was it,” recalls Liora Green regarding her son’s immigration to Israel in August 2019. Indeed, the Green family did not need any further convincing. A year later — and in the midst of the coronavirus pandemic — Liora and Orin Green as well as their children Merav, 14, and Dalia, 11, made Aliyah from La Jolla to join Uriel, 20. Another sibling, Eyal, 17, is completing his studies at Southern California Yeshiva (SCY) High and plans to make Aliyah in June 2021. [Jacob Kamaras]

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Jacob Kamaras, Lifestyles, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Seems like old times: Coalition squabbles

We’re up against a deadline. Presumably, if the Israeli government does not pass a budget today, the Knesset goes home and there’ll be an election, perhaps within three months. There have been several options, including a postponing of the deadline, and lots of discussion.  Perhaps an enactment of a 2020 budget, that’ll serve the country for the next week! [Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Senate approves bill on American hostages named for Robert Levinson

U.S. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Member Bob Menendez (D-N.J.), and Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Patrick Leahy (D-Vt.), Chris Coons (D-De.), and Jeanne Shaheen (D-N.H.)  on Monday released the following statements on securing passage of the Robert Levinson Hostage Recovery and Hostage-Taking Accountability Act (S.712) as part of the end-of-year funding legislation approved by the Senate today. (Senate Foreign Relations Committee Press Release)

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International, Middle East, USA