Middle East

Amid fraught election rhetoric, Smithsonian to open first major Quran exhibition

The sacred work of Islam and the signature museum of Washington, DC will combine for an unprecedented exhibit this fall. “The Art of the Quran,” the first major exhibition of Qurans in the US, will open at the Smithsonian Institution on October 15, less than a month before the presidential election that will close a […]

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Middle East, Travel and Food, USA

World politics: We’ve been down this road before

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The preacher, i.e.. Kohelet,said in the Book of Ecclesiastes, that is as much Greek as Judaic in its philosophy, מַה-שֶּׁהָיָה הוּא שֶׁיִּהְיֶה וּמַה-שֶּׁנַּעֲשָׂה הוּא שֶׁיֵּעָשֶׂה וְאֵין כָּל-חָדָשׁ תַּחַת הַשָּׁמֶשׁ. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun.

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International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USA

Watch: Arab protester urges IDF soldiers to shoot his young son

For nearly a decade, residents of the villages of Nilin and Bilin, located near the haredi town of Modiin Illit, have held fiery, often violent demonstrations against the construction of the security fence every Friday. The demonstrations, which often include stone-throwings, draw anarchists and opponents of the Jewish state from around the world. While provocations

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Middle East

Erdogan rival Gulen confident US will not extradite him to Turkey

Rome (dpa) – Fethullah Gulen, an exiled religious leader blamed by President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for this month’s coup attempt in Turkey, said in an interview Friday that the United States will not hand him over to Ankara. “It is very clear that this demand is politically motivated, and I am confident the facts will

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Middle East, USA

‘Moving to the Likud? Nonsense’

Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked denied rumors she is considering a departure from the Jewish Home party due to growing tensions between herself and Education Minister Naftali Bennett. Speaking on Israel”s “Meet the Press”, Shaked responded to questions regarding the conflict within the cabinet during the 2014 Gaza conflict, and claims a split between her and

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Middle East

Israel Rejects Giuliani Claim That Bibi Favors Trump

Israel has rejected the statement of former New York Mayor Rudy Giuliani that the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu wants Republican nominee Donald Trump to defeat his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton. Giuliani, in an interview with the Washington Post at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland published on Wednesday, spoke of his trip to

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Middle East, USA

UN remembers Israeli athletes murdered in 1972 Olympics

With the Olympic Games set to open in Rio de Janeiro next week, the Israeli Mission to the United Nations on Thursday held the first of its kind memorial event at the UN to honor the Israeli athletes murdered in the attack on the 1972 Munich Olympics. Michal Shahar, the daughter of slain Olympic shooting

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International, Jewish History, Middle East, Sports & Competitions

Kerry and Abbas in Paris talks on Middle East peace

US Secretary of State John Kerry met Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris on Saturday to discuss efforts to move toward a two-state solution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. The pair were hosted by French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault. Last month France held an international conference to revive the quest for a deal, after US efforts

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International, Middle East, USA

Donald Trump Slams Clinton for ‘Unleashing ISIS’

Donald Trump slammed Hillary Clinton during her nomination acceptance speech at the Democratic National Convention in Philadelphia on Thursday, accusing her of unleashing “destruction, terrorism and ISIS across the world.” In a series of tweets, and a subsequent Facebook post, the Republican presidential candidate attacked Clinton for not uttering the words “radical Islam” when referring

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Middle East, USA

Nasrallah blasts Saudi Arabia’s ‘normalization with Israel’

Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah on Friday blasted Saudi Arabia for its alleged “normalization with Israel.” “Saudi Arabia has taken advantage of the ailing Arab situation, only to build relations with Israel. The price will be at the account of the Palestinians,” he warned, in comments quoted by Lebanon’s National News Agency. “This is free normalization

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Middle East