Middle East

Omaha schools nix Palestinian talk amid concern Jewish students bullied

OMAHA, Nebraska — Officials in a Nebraska school district have canceled scheduled talks at two high schools by a Palestinian Christian speaker due to concerns that Jewish students at one of the schools were being harassed ahead of her visit. Nora Carmi is a Palestinian Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) activist from Jerusalem who’s holding […]

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Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USA

U.S. Senate moves against Hizballah

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–AIPAC applauds the U.S. Senate for adopting the Hizballah International Financing Prevention Amendments Act of 2017 (S. 1595), which seeks to cut off the flow of resources to the terrorist group. This bipartisan legislation was introduced by Sens. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH). This measure is particularly important in light

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Middle East, USA

An Iranian piano prodigy. A big dream. And an arduous visa process.

When the Iranian pianist and composer, Amir Darabi, was accepted to Berklee College of Music this past summer, everything seemed to be going his way. He had already established himself as a piano prodigy in his home country, released a full-length debut album and performed in numerous prominent venues, including Tehran’s Roudaki Hall. He didn’t

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Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Trump meets military leaders on Iran, says announcement coming ‘shortly’

US President Donald Trump on Thursday insisted Iran has not acted in keeping with a deal to curb its nuclear program, days before he must decide on the future of the accord. “You will be hearing about Iran very shortly,” said Trump as he met military leaders to discuss the issue. Get The Times of

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Middle East, USA

Trump: Netanyahu is ‘a bigger problem’ than Abbas

President Donald Trump and Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu touted their cordial relationship during and after the president”s May trip to the Jewish state – a welcome change from the often frigid relations between Jerusalem and Washington during the eight years of the Obama administration. According to a report by Haaretz this week, however, behind

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Middle East, USA

Khamenei: America and Israel seek to create ‘new Israel’

Iran”s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, on Wednesday equated Kurdish independence with the establishment of a “new Israel” in the region. Speaking after a meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Tehran and quoted by Reuters, Khamenei said the two countries should prevent Iraq”s Kurdistan region from declaring independence. “Turkey and Iran must take

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Middle East, USA

Why U.S. should re-certify the Iran nuclear pact

By Alon Ben-Meir NEW YORK — The concern that Iran will pursue the development of nuclear weapons once the current Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (JCPOA) deal expires in ten years is legitimate. But addressing these concerns cannot be achieved by nullifying the current agreement, which would only strengthen Iran’s resolve to acquire nuclear weapons. Instead,

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Alon Ben-Meir, Middle East, USA

Erdogan: Only Israel recognizes Kurdish referendum

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday again claimed there is a connection between the Israeli Mossad and the recently-held referendum by the Kurds in northern Iraq, claims which Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has already denied. Speaking at a joint news conference with his Iranian counterpart Hassan Rouhani in Tehran, Erdogan said Wednesday, according to

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Middle East

Menasce Synagogue on Heritage List

Alexandria’s Menasce Synagogue has been placed on Egypt’s Heritage List, reports Nevine El-Aref Alexandria’s Menasce Synagogue The Menasce Synagogue is located in Mansheya Square in central Alexandria, its simple architectural style and façade being complemented by decorated arcaded widows. This week, more than 100 years after it was built, the synagogue has been added to

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin to step down from education network he founded

Rabbi Shlomo Riskin will step down from running the network of liberal Orthodox schools and seminaries he founded. The Israeli-American leader will retire in July 2018 as chancellor of Ohr Torah Stone, a network of educational institutions that has pushed the limits of traditional Jewish law to be more inclusive of women and converts. Rabbi

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Jewish Religion, Middle East

Arab Israeli FB star blasts Kuwait for boycotting Israel

Barred from traveling through Kuwait over his Israeli citizenship, Arab Israeli Facebook star Nuseir Yassin on Sunday blasted the country for boycotting the Jewish state in a video viewed over 400,000 times. Yassin was scheduled to fly from New York to India via Kuwait. When he arrived at the JFK airport he was told that

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Middle East, Sports & Competitions