Middle East

France warns of ‘serious consequences’ if US embassy moves to Jerusalem

Speaking as 70 countries gather for Mideast peace talks in Paris on Sunday, French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault warned of “extremely serious consequences” if the US moves its embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as planned. Ayrault told French media that he believed US President-elect Donald Trump would find it “impossible” to fulfill his campaign […]

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International, Middle East, USA

Canadian synagogue, mosque join forces to help Syrian refugee family

Two communities cooperate in raising funds and helping family torn by civil war reunite and find a home in Toronto By Times of Israel staff Rasha Elendari meeting her family at the airport in Canada after they were reunited thanks to the cooperation of a mosque and a synagogue in Toronto. (Screen capture CBC News)

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International, Middle East

Man detained for reportedly stabbing his sister to death in year’s first ‘honour crime’

By Rana Husseini – Jan 14,2017 – Last updated at Jan 14,2017 AMMAN — The Criminal Court prosecutor on Saturday charged a 25-year-old man with the premeditated murder of his older sister in Amman over the weekend in the first reported so-called honour murder to occur this year in the Kingdom, official sources said. The

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Middle East

Iranian Women Arrested for Riding Motorcycle; Video Fuels Backlash

Iranian police have arrested two women for riding a motorcycle in a western city — an incident that went viral when images appeared online and sparked a social-media backlash against the country’s political and religious authorities. State news agency IRNA said the two women were detained Sunday in Dezful, whose law enforcement chief, Ali Elhami,

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Middle East

Terror, political intrigue keep Israeli pot boiling

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Only three days passed between the political storm triggered by the verdict against Elon Azaria and the terror by heavy truck that killed four IDF officer cadets and wounded others. Immediately after the attack some of the cadets found themselves criticized for seeking cover rather than opening fire against the

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Congressmen urge Trump: Move the embassy to Jerusalem swiftly

A group of more than 100 members of Congress wrote to President-elect Donald Trump on Wednesday, urging him to relocate the U.S. embassy in Israel to Jerusalem “as soon as you take office,” the Washington Free Beacon reports. Moving the embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem was a campaign pledge of Trump”s. His campaign manager

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Middle East, USA

Secretary of State nominee: Israel is our most important ally

Rex Tillerson, President-elect Donald Trump”s nominee for Secretary of State, on Wednesday stressed the importance of the U.S.-Israel relationship, and condemned the outgoing Obama administration”s decision not to veto UN Security Council Resolution 2334, which criticized Israeli construction in Judea, Samaria and Gaza. Speaking at his confirmation hearing before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Tillerson

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Middle East, USA

Trump’s Defense Secretary nominee: Tel Aviv is Israel’s capital

President-elect Donald Trump”s nominee to head the Defense Department, General (ret.) James Mattis told a congressional confirmation committee on Thursday that he believes that Tel Aviv, not Jerusalem, should be considered the capital of Israel. Mattis, who in the past criticized the Jewish state over “settlements” in Judea and Samaria and warned the country was

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Middle East, USA

‘Mastermind’ of Tunisia Beach and Museum Attacks Named

The suspected ringleader of two mass shootings in Tunisia that killed 60 people has been identified, according to documents obtained by the BBC. Chamseddine al-Sandi remains at large—Tunisian authorities believe him to be in Libya—following the 2015 attacks. One targeted foreign tourists on a Sousse beach that June, leaving 38 people dead, and the other

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Middle East

U.S. Jewish briefs: January 11, 2017

ADL: Roof verdict underscores need for anti-hate crime law in South Carolina NEW YORK (Press Release) –The Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Wednesday, Jan. 11, welcomed closure of the federal trial in the Charleston massacre case, which resulted in hate crime convictions against white supremacist Dylann Storm Roof for the murders of parishioners at Emanuel AME

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, USA

Coldplay to Play Israeli-Palestinian Peace Concerts

British rock band Coldplay are planning to play two concerts for both Israelis and Palestinians near the Dead Sea in November, in a bid to boost peace hopes between both sides, according to Israeli media reports. Israel’s Channel 2 reported Monday that one of the world’s biggest bands will play the unprecedented shows at an

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Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts