Middle East

Egypt disconnects last southern Gaza power line

Southern Gaza is in a total electricity blackout, and even the Palestinian Authority news outlet Maan admits it’s not Israel’s fault. Though reports of electricity shortages in Gaza are generally accompanied by unjustified finger-pointing at Israel for the situation, today’s report by Maan barely mentioned Israel at all. Instead, it implied – though did not […]

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Middle East

Palestinians want to push ahead with international talks

Ramallah (dpa) – The Palestinians want to push ahead with multi-lateral talks on the Middle East conflict despite Israel’s objections, Palestinian Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah said Monday. France has been pushing to host international talks, a first round of which is scheduled for May 30, but Israel has raised objections. Israel fears foreign dictates. “We

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Middle East

UNESCO condemns Iran’s Holocaust cartoon contest

UNESCO, the UN”s cultural body, on Sunday strongly condemned the “Second International Holocaust Cartoon Contest”, which opened in Tehran over the weekend. The contest features, among others, entries deriding Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and his government’s Middle East policies. But the organizers of the exhibition have denied that it is meant to deny the Holocaust,

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International, Jewish History, Middle East

As one play opens, Old Globe prepares for 2 more

By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO – As luck would have it, our backstage tour of the Old Globe Theatre in San Diego’s Balboa Park came the day before the opening of Camp David, a play by Lawrence Wright which premiered in Washington D.C. and now has its second opening here, at one of America’s

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Middle East, San Diego County, Theatre, Film & Broadcast, Travel and Food, USA

Middle East Roundup: May 16, 2016

  Roman treasure discovered in cargo of sunken ancient ship off Israel’s coast (JNS.org) The Israel Antiquities Authority (IAA) announced Monday that two divers discovered the cargo of an ancient Roman merchant ship off the coast of Caesarea, Israel, during the recent Passover holiday. The ship sank during late Roman period 1,600 years ago. Divers

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Middle East

French minister unable to sway Israel on peace talks

Tel Aviv (dpa) – French Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault made a personal appeal to Israeli Premier Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday to reconsider taking part in international peace talks on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. But Netanyahu, unmoved by the entreaty, said Israel remains opposed to the French initiative to hold an international conference in the

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International, Middle East