The sun has not yet risen in Istanbul, but Aylin* is wide awake. She has tidied her flat, sent a few messages to friends, and packed a small bag. She makes coffee and, catching her reflection in the dark windows, sits down to wait: for a knock on the door, or the sound of boots […]
Turkish Society Is Under Threat From Inside and Out Read More »
Middle EastHundreds of thousands of mourners led by Iran’s supreme leader gathered at Tehran University early on Tuesday for the funeral of former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani. Iran is holding an hours-long ceremony for the veteran politician, who died on Sunday at the age of 82. Authorities have declared Tuesday a public holiday so that Iranians
Mourners attend funeral of former Iranian leader Rafsanjani Read More »
Middle East
SUSSITA, Israel (Press Release) — The University of Haifa’s excavations at the Hippos (Sussita) site have uncovered the location of a large Roman theater. However, the theater’s location outside the city walls supports the hypothesis that the facility was used mainly for religious ceremonies rather than shows for the masses. Dr. Michael Eisenberg of the
Large theater detected at Sussita dig site Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & EducationPoll: majority of Israelis support settlement building, believe Obama ‘unfriendly’ to Israel (JNS.org) A new survey published in the aftermath of the United Nations Security Council resolution against Israeli settlements, which passed after the Obama administration refused to veto the measure, says that 62 percent of Israeli Jews support continued settlement building and 57 percent
Middle East Roundup: January 10, 2017 Read More »
Middle EastBEER-SHEVA, Israel (Press Release) – Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU) researchers have developed a new system to assess obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) severity while a patient is awake and analyze sleep-wake activity, using his or her smartphone. According to the American Sleep Apnea Association, it is estimated that 22 million Americans suffer from the
Smartphone App can analyze sleep disorders Read More »
Middle East, Science, Medicine, & EducationThe countries that will attend the Middle East peace conference in Paris on Sunday are expected to call on Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority (PA) chairman Mahmoud Abbas to publicly renew their commitment to the two-state solution, and to renounce officials in their respective governments who oppose it, Haaretz reported on Monday. The
Paris conference to ask Israel and PA to commit to two states Read More »
International, Middle East, USACORRECTION BELOW: Schakowsky is a Democrat from Illinois, not from New York — SDJW editor With President Obama on his way out of office, the Democratic Party’s chilly relationship with Israel is showing signs of a thaw. More than 100 House and Senate Democrats have broken with the White House by signing onto resolutions disapproving
Anti-Israel vote makes Democrats break from Obama Read More »
Middle East, USASyrian President Bashar al-Assad has said the government is ready to negotiate on everything, including his position as president. However, he insisted this would have to be decided by all Syrians, by way of a referendum on the constitution. “Yeah, but my position is related to the constitution,” he said in an interview with various
Syria’s Assad ‘ready to negotiate everything’, if conditions are met Read More »
International, Middle EastAMMAN, Jordan — A team of Army Delta Force commandos carried out a raid in Islamic State-held territories of eastern Syria, killing at least two militants with the extremist group, U.S. officials said Monday. The officials, who were not authorized to speak publicly about the classified operation, said a special operations team carried out the
US forces carry out raid aimed at Islamic State leaders in Syria Read More »
Middle East, USA
By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – Tammi Rossman-Benjamin, the recently retired UC Santa Cruz Hebrew and Jewish Studies professor who heads the national AMCHA Initiative, said Monday that she fears that Jewish students across the country may bear the brunt of a lot of anger now that they are returning from winter break to
Jewish college students may return to more harassment Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, Science, Medicine, & Education, USAA suicide bomber driving a garbage truck packed with explosives rammed his vehicle into an Egyptian security checkpoint in the northern Sinai city of al-Arish on Monday, killing at least 10 people and wounding 22, officials said. The attackers planted a bomb in a street cleaning vehicle they had stolen a few days earlier from
Bomb Attack on Egypt Security Post in Sinai Kills 10 Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (Press Release) – The Jewish Religious Equality Coalition (J-REC) is visiting Israel to advocate for religious pluralism. Created and led by AJC, J-REC is a broad-based coalition of American Jews and Israelis dedicated to the realization of full religious equality in the Jewish state, and is mobilizing support for the creation of alternatives to the
AJC unit urges Jewish pluralism in Israel Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle East, USAPalestine Liberation Organization (PLO) Secretary General Saeb Erekat blasted the U.S. Congress for overwhelmingly voting to condemn United Nations Security Council Resolution 2334, which condemned Israeli construction in Judea, Samaria and eastern Jerusalem. The bipartisan House measure passed last week by a majority of 342-80. It said that Resolution 2334 “undermines the prospect of Israelis
Erekat blasts Congress for condemning UN Read More »
Middle East, USASouth Africa”s President Jacob Zuma is calling on South Africans not to visit Israel in order to show solidarity with “the people of Palestine”, the Africa News website reported Sunday. Zuma”s comments came at the 105th anniversary celebration of the ruling African National Congress (ANC), during which he reiterated the party”s solidarity with the “oppressed
South African President: Don’t visit Israel Read More »
International, Middle East