Middle East

US charges Libyan ‘bombmaker’ over 1988 Lockerbie attack

Washington (AFP) – The US Justice Department announced charges Monday against a Libyan former intelligence agent who allegedly built the bomb that exploded aboard Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland exactly 32 years ago. Attorney General Bill Barr said that “Abu Agela Mas’ud Kheir Al-Marimi” helped build the device that blew up the aircraft

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International, Middle East, USA

Miss France runner-up attacked online for saying her father is Israeli

In France, last night, a flood of antisemitic insults, threats, and violent comments were spread on social media.Their origin?Miss Provence April Benayoum, first runner-up in Miss France 2021 pageant, revealing on Saturday night during the final competition that she has an Israeli father in her follow-up thanks. “I have an array of origins: my mother

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International, Middle East, Sports & Competitions

Palestinian foreign minister urges Israel to return to talks

The Palestinian foreign minister on Saturday urged Israel to return to talks based on a two-state solution for the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, ahead of the transition to a new US administration. Palestinian Foreign Minister Riyad al-Malki’s comments came in a joint statement with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh Shukry and Jordan’s Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi. In a

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Middle East

Good News From Israel (December 20, 2020)

In the December 20, 2020 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include:

Israeli Covid-19 vaccine goes into Phase 2 trials as Israel rolls out the Pfizer vaccine.
Israel and Bhutan have established full diplomatic relations.
An Israeli smart color sensor can prevent massive food waste.
Israeli irrigation of rice crops saves water and the environment.
An Israeli company won a contract for its robots to clean a million solar panels.
Israel’s Wonder Woman won the first MTV “She-Ro” award.
A lost tribe’s return to Israel is one of three Israeli Chanukah “miracles”. [Michael Ordman]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Business & Finance, International, Jewish History, Jewish Religion, Michael Ordman, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Science, Medicine, & Education, Sports & Competitions, The World We Share, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

As a Pakistani I want to visit Israel, but my passport would not let me

For the majority of people in Pakistan, Israel is no friend. It is an “apartheid state” that has the blood of millions of Palestinians on its hands. A wicked enemy that is responsible for the suffering, instability and bloodshed in the Middle East and even among some of their own! At least this is how

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International, Middle East

Controversial Israeli chief rabbi visits Dubai to open Jewish school

Israel’s Sephardi Chief Rabbi, Yitzhak Yosef, travelled to Dubai on Thursday to inaugurate a Jewish nursery school and officially proclaim Rabbi Levi Duchman as rabbi of the Jewish community in the United Arab Emirates, Israeli media have reported. “During [Chief Rabbi Yosef’s] visit, he will meet with senior Emirati officials, inaugurate the newly certified Jewish

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Gal Gadot Tries Taco Bell & Ho-Hos For First Time With Jimmy Fallon

Israeli actress Gal Gadot tried an assortment of new American foods for Monday’s episode of The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon**, Fallon surprising her with eggnog, Ho-Hos and Taco Bell. In return, Fallon tried an assortment of Israeli snacks, including sufganiyot and gefilte fish, both seasonal as they are typically enjoyed on Jewish holidays like

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Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Reflections on an Accessible Trip to Israel

I am a Jewish Inclusion Fellow at RespectAbility, but I’ve always had a complicated relationship with my Jewish identity. I have always enjoyed eating potato latkes at Hanukkah, and appreciated the ritual of reevaluating oneself during the time between Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur, but I know very little about Judaism, beyond these cultural touchstones. Some of this is because a childhood seizure disorder kept me from Hebrew school, but it’s also due to my uncertainty of my belief in God. It’s hard to reconcile God with the injustice in the world, such as abuse, cancer, despair, homelessness, hunger, hate crimes, violence. Yet, my Jewish heritage enabled me to travel to another country without my parents for the first time in my life…to Israel. It changed me in many ways. [Blair Webb, RespectAbility via San Diego Jewish World]

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Lifestyles, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Legal Aid in Morocco Helps Migrants Integrate

In observance of International Migrants Day, it is important to acknowledge the need for accessible legal aid for migrants, refugees, and asylum seekers and the role of local youth in creating a welcoming environment. As migrants leave their home countries, sometimes without warning or preparation, many are unaware of their rights in host countries. Student-led legal clinics provide these vital services while engaging students and other community members and creating a basis for intercultural understanding and support. [Jacqueline Skalski-Fouts]

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International, Middle East

Why Israel and Morocco Made Public Their Friendship

Morocco and Israel have had cooperative relations for years. Israelis of Moroccan descent have traveled back to see where their families lived, and the small Jewish communities of Rabat and Casablanca were generally respected and left alone. There was trade in the amount of $37 million in 2017, and it is growing. Before the pandemic, nearly 50,000 Israelis visited Morocco annually and more than 2,000 Moroccans visited Israel in 2019. Things were going nicely, albeit quietly—so why make it public now? [Shoshana Bryen]

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USA

Israeli Frustration Abounds Amid Coronavirus Missteps

As Israel rolls inexorably towards its third lockdown (or whatever you want to call it), one cannot help feeling more than slightly peeved (British euphemism for bloody angry) as to how and why we have got to this point.

I personally have rarely left my house for the past nine months, and if I do I always wear a mask over my mouth and nose while trying to stay as far away as possible from other people. My hands are sore from constant washing. It’s true that various relatives have occasionally entered the house, but in most cases we have managed to keep our distance from one another, and we never hug and kiss one another. I fear that I have become an anti-social monster, and may never be able to engage in natural social interaction again. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East