Middle East

‘The Occupation Made Me Beat My Wife’

That medieval blood libel, largely abandoned in the contemporary West, does, however, still appear as part of Arab world’s vilification of Jews—now transmogrified into a slander against Israel, the Jew of nations. But in the regular chorus of defamation against Israel by a world infected with Palestinianism, a new, more odious trend has begun to show itself: the blood libel has been revivified; however, to position Israel (and by extension Jews) as demonic agents in the community of nations, the primitive fantasies of the blood libel are now masked with a veneer of academic scholarship and published as politicized scientific study. [Richard L. Cravatts, Ph.D]

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International, Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, Science, Medicine, & Education

Biden speaks to Trump allies Netanyahu, Modi

US President-elect Joe Biden on Tuesday held his first talks since his victory with the prime ministers of Israel and India, allies of Donald Trump, who has not conceded defeat.Biden told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who had a notoriously rocky relationship with the last Democratic president, Barack Obama, that he was determined “to ensure

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International, Middle East, USA

Palestinians say restoring cooperation with Israel

The Palestinian Authority of president Mahmoud Abbas will restore coordination with Israel after severing it in May, a PA minister said Tuesday evening.”In the light of Mahmud Abbas’s international contacts… and given the written and verbal commitments we have received from the Israelis, we will resume relations where they were before May 19, 2020″, Hussein

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Middle East, USA

Coronavirus Politics in U.S., Israel

Along with, or perhaps behind the quarrels over the presidential transition, is the global pandemic.It’s the worst case since the flu that accompanied World War I more than a century ago.The US President should take considerable credit for his country’s leading indicators of illness and death. His various claims about cures and vaccines, plus his reluctance to wear a mask have contributed to the widespread disregard, and the increasing incidence of infections. [Ira Sharkansky]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Israeli settlers disrupt EU visit to sensitive East Jerusalem area

Israeli settlers disrupted a visit on Monday by a European Union (EU) delegation to a neighbourhood in East Jerusalem where Israel plans to build more than 1,200 housing units.A video published in Israeli media shows activists shouting “anti-Semites go home,” “anti-Semites go back to Europe” as EU representatives attempted to speak.Two Jerusalem city council members

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International, Middle East

Israel demands CNN anchor apologise after comparing Trump years to Kristallnacht

Israel has demanded that a CNN anchor apologises for comparing US President Donald Trump’s actions to the Nazi pogrom against Germany’s Jews in 1938, also known as the Kristallnacht.”This week 82 years ago, Kristallnacht happened,” Christiane Amanpour said in a live broadcast on CNN on Thursday. “It was the Nazis’ warning shot across the bow

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, USA

‘We are all Jews here’

Sgt. Edmonds ordered all 1275 men to assemble for the Nazi roll call. Siegmann ordered Edmonds to single out the Jews. He refused. Siegmann put a pistol to Edmonds’ head and threatened to kill him if he did not comply to separate out the Jews. Edmonds, with cold, pure courage, told the American educated Commandant, “We are all Jews here.” He told him the war would be over soon. If he killed him, Siegmann would be tried as a War Criminal. [Jerry Klinger]

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International, Jerry Klinger, Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Can Pompeo replace annexation with a glass of Psagot wine?

Could US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo already be stumping for votes for his own presidential run in 2024 by weighing a visit to the West Bank Psagot Winery?PLO Executive Committee member Hanan Ashrawi certainly seemed to make that assumption, when she attacked him for contemplating such a trip during his visit here later this

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Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Good News from Israel (November 15, 2020)

In the 15th Nov 20 edition of Israel’s good news, the highlights include: • A new Israeli endoscopy device takes better biopsies for diagnosing cancer. • Saudi Arabia diverted an Israeli plane to fly near Mecca, to avoid a storm. • An Israeli’s learning difficulties led him to develop an educational app. • Israelis helped build Apple’s new microprocessor.
• Latest figures show Israel is the highest spender on R&D as a proportion of GDP. • Israeli hi-tech is the subject of the new TrueFuture TV series. • An on-line Israeli course on Islam has hundreds of students across the Muslim world. [lMichael Ordman]

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Michael Ordman, Middle East

Obama calls Netanyahu ‘smart, canny, tough’ in new tell-all book

Former US President Barack Obama described his often complicated and constantly scrutinized relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Promised Land, the first of two books Obama is writing about his time in office, which will be released on Tuesday, according to Jewish Insider.Despite reports of constant fights, name-calling, leaks, and an altogether dysfunctional relationship,

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Middle East, USA

Jason Greenblatt, Trump’s ex-envoy who helped broker UAE-Israel deal, celebrates daughter’s engagement in Dubai

The former White House Middle East envoy Jason Greenblatt celebrated his daughter’s engagement in Dubai just weeks after the normalisation of relations between Israel and the UAE.Greenblatt’s daughter, Anna Greenblatt, said yes to a surprise proposal from her boyfriend in Dubai where she was travelling with her father.Greenblatt, who played a key role in drafting

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Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

Sinai helicopter crash kills 7, including 5 Americans

A helicopter crash in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula involving a multi-national observer force killed seven people on Thursday — five Americans, a French national and a Czech citizen, the force said.”We are deeply saddened by the loss on November 12, 2020, of seven of our uniformed military colleagues from three countries who died in a helicopter crash during a routine mission. This included one Czech, one French, and five US MFO members,” the peacekeeping force said late Thursday. [Agence France Presse]

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Middle East, USA