By Sue Surkes An unfortunate woman was literally washed down the street in Jerusalem on Sunday by a powerful jet of water from a police anti-riot water gun. Video footage shared around the world shows the woman, who was wearing a Muslim head-covering, trying to cross the street near the capital’s central bus station as […]
Video shows passerby blasted by water cannon at Jerusalem protest Read More »
Middle East(c) Edwin Black Ellen Koontz, a Kansas contract schoolteacher, is asking a federal judge to re-affirm the anti-Jewish boycott campaign begun by Adolf Hitler on April 1, 1933; openly adopted shortly thereafter by the Mufti of Jerusalem as part of the Arab-Nazi alliance during the Holocaust; internationalized against the Jewish State after WWII by the
Mennonite group seeks court protection to boycott Israel Read More »
Edwin Black, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — According to an opinion poll just published in Yediot Achronot, Israel’s largest newspaper, more Israelis define themselves as Reform (7%) and Conservative (4%) when put together than the ultra-Orthodox haredim (10%). The largest number of religious Jews are Nationalist-Orthodox (29%). 44% of all Israelis don’t identify with any religious
The perils of success: Reform Judaism in Israel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This isn’t the first column about this topic, and it won’t be the last. What follows is less than absolutely certain. It reflects months of media reports about several police investigations, with the pieces put together in a way that appears reasonable. What the police are calling File #1000 and File
Corruption probes aimed at Netanyahu, inner circle Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastFor the first time since the formation of the Thirty-Fourth Government of Israel in May 2015, the government has cancelled the weekly meeting of coalition leaders, amid an ongoing coalition crisis over government-sanctioned infrastructure work on the Sabbath. Each week, the leaders of each party included in the governing coalition meet with the Prime Minister
Coalition in crisis: PM cancels weekly meeting Read More »
Middle East[youtube:2035417] Israel”s Chief Sephardic Rabbi visited Jewish communities in California during a recent trip to the west coast, a spokesperson for the rabbi reported Sunday. Chief Rabbi Yitzhak Yosef met with members of local Jewish communities across Southern California, and lectured at the Yeshiva Gedolah of Los Angeles (YGLA). Rabbi Yosef was hosted by the
Chief Rabbi of Israel visits California Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USAA top official in Afghanistan has come under fire for seeming to confirm for the first time that neighboring Iran has recruited thousands of Shi’ite Afghans and “warriors” from other regional countries to fight in Syria. Deputy Afghan Chief Executive Mohammad Mohaqiq made the controversial statement during a trip last week to Tehran. His remarks
Official Thanks Iran-Trained Afghan ‘Warriors’ for Syrian ‘Victory’ Read More »
Middle EastSyria’s main opposition group selected a new chief negotiator on Friday ahead of a new round of United Nations-backed peace negotiations with the Damascus government set to kick off next week. Nasr Hariri said the opposition was going to Geneva on Tuesday to hold direct talks and was ready to discuss “everything on the negotiating
With new chief negotiator, Syria opposition poised for Geneva peace talks Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshanna Solomon US e-commerce behemoth Amazon is preparing to launch retail sales activities in Israel and is in talks to rent 25,000 sq. meters (260,000 sq. ft.) of storage space in central Israel to provide the local market with products, the Calcalist business daily reported Sunday. Amazon is working in Israel via local and
Amazon reportedly mulls retail sales in Israel Read More »
Middle East, USASaudi Arabia’s powerful crown prince vowed to “pursue terrorists until they are wiped from the face of the earth” as officials from 40 Muslim countries gathered Sunday in the first meeting of an Islamic counter-terrorism alliance. “In past years, terrorism has been functioning in all of our countries… with no coordination” among national authorities, Prince
Saudi vows new Islamic alliance ‘will wipe terrorists from the earth’ Read More »
International, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Tzipi Hotovely is an Israeli success story. Born in 1978 to immigrants from Georgia she became a lawyer and is now a doctoral student at Tel Aviv University. She married a lawyer and is the mother of two young children. For the last eight years she has been a Member
Hotovely critique by Netanyahu is hypocritical Read More »
Middle East, USABy TOI staff Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will reportedly take over the Health Ministry if current Health Minister Yaakov Litzman on Sunday follows through on his promise to resign. According to a report Saturday night on Hadashot news (formerly Channel 2), Netanyahu is planning to hold on to the cabinet position, rather than appoint a
Netanyahu, holding out hope for Litzman, to assume health portfolio — report Read More »
Middle EastThe US will stop supplying arms to Kurdish fighters in Syria, President Trump told Turkey’s president on Friday according to Ankara, a move sure to please Turkey but further alienate Syrian Kurds who bore much of the fight against the IS group. In a phone call with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Donald Trump said
Turkey ‘very happy’ as Trump pledges to stop arming Kurds Read More »
Middle East, USAThree days of national mourning began in Egypt on Saturday after the deadliest militant attack in the country’s modern history. Assailants killed 235 people when they bombed a mosque in North Sinai during Friday prayers. More than 100 others were wounded. No group has claimed responsibility for the carnage at the Al Rawdah mosque in
Egypt mourns victims of mosque massacre Read More »
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