Israelis prefer Yisrael Beiteinu over Labor in governing coalition, polls show (JNS.org) Israelis prefer Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s decision to invite the Yisrael Beiteinu party to join his governing coalition over inviting the Labor party, according to polls. An Israel Hayom survey found Thursday that when asked to choose between the two parties, 48 percent
Middle East Roundup: May 20, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastA campaign to have arch-terrorist Marwan Barghouti be nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize took another step on Wednesday, as leading Belgian Members of Parliament from across the political spectrum announced their nomination of Barghouti. According to the Palestine News Network website, the signatories of the letter of nomination include Gwenaëlle Grovonius, President of the
Belgian lawmakers nominate Barghouti for Nobel Peace Prize Read More »
International, Middle EastAn EgyptAir flight from Paris to Cairo carrying 56 passengers and 10 crew crashed into the Mediterranean sea after disappearing from radar early Thursday morning, Egyptian aviation officials said. The plane sent a distress signal before plunging into the sea some 280 kilometers (175 miles) from the Egyptian coast, officials said, as the Egyptian army
Egyptian flight from Paris crashed into sea, officials confirm Read More »
International, Middle EastNegotiators from the Likud and Yisrael Beytenu parties have agreed to accept the latter’s demands for the death penalty for terrorist murderers, as a condition for entering the coalition government. According to the agreement, the IDF military court – which is technically able to level the death penalty, but maintains an unofficial moratorium on it
Coalition negotiators agree: Death penalty for terrorists Read More »
Middle EastAs a coalition agreement with Yisrael Beytenu appears imminent, Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon spoke out on Thursday about his likely successor and the emerging deal that would transfer the Defense Ministry from Yaalon to Avigdor Liberman. Speaking at a conference for the IDF”s Nahal infantry units, Yaalon blasted his critics and made thinly veiled references
Ya’alon rips Liberman appointment: ‘This is not true leadership’ Read More »
Middle EastJerusalem (dpa) – Can an art exhibit improve ties between Israelis and Iranians? Curator Yossi Lemel hopes so, which is why he has put together a display of art from Iran – the first of its kind in Israel – which he says will help smash prejudices and build a bridge between the two enemy
Curator hopes Iranian art exhibit in Israel will build bridges Read More »
International, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual ArtsFrench Foreign Minister Jean-Marc Ayrault said Thursday he had called for a planned Middle East peace conference to be held in Paris on June 3. “I have suggested that the conference initially planned for May 30 be held on June 3,” Ayrault said after talks with US Secretary of State John Kerry on the sidelines
John Kerry will attend rescheduled Paris peace summit Read More »
International, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — My sense of panic has been building up from the moment I first heard (which I alluded to in a previous comment) that what I had feared was about to become reality: Avigdor Lieberman, as Israel’s next minister of defense, was one step closer to becoming prime minister. A
Lieberman closer to his goal of becoming P.M. Read More »
Middle EastA number of Arab Israeli businesses are demanding an exemption from laws prohibiting the import of non-kosher meat, and have turned to the Supreme Court, calling for the restrictions to be nullified vis-à-vis Arab citizens. Currently meat imports require certification from the Israeli rabbinate, preventing importers from bringing in cheaper, non-kosher meat. The claimants in
Arabs turn to Supreme Court to import non-kosher meat Read More »
Middle EastBy Alon Ben-Meir, PhD NEW YORK — The influx of millions of Syrian refugees to Europe is more than likely to become another source of radicalization that could increase the number of violent extremists among the refugees and lead to further acts of terror in their host countries. Depending on how long the refugees
Rebuilding refugees’ lives — for their sake and ours Read More »
Alon Ben-Meir, International, Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Bibi (Prime Minister Benyamin Netanyahu) is a caricature of Israel, both as viewed from within and without. He is loved and hated, admired and loathed, perhaps in about the same proportions among Israelis and those who watch Israel. Being the archetype of Israel helps to explain his longevity at the
Netanyahyu — You love him or hate him Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastIsraeli natural gas deal revived thanks to softening of contested clause (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) After a series of hurdles, a breakthrough has been achieved in the negotiations over a deal that would regulate the exploration, harvesting, and development of Israel’s Tamar and Leviathan offshore natural gas fields. The framework agreement has been contested
Middle East Roundup: May 19, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastGermany added yet another voice Wednesday to the growing list of countries and leaders condemning a Holocaust cartoon contest being held in Iran. “The murder of 6 million men, women and children during the Holocaust, for which we Germans bear guilt and responsibility, must not be abandoned to ridicule,” German Foreign Ministry spokesman Martin Schaefer
Holocaust cartoon contest condemned as exhibit opens Read More »
International, Middle EastToday was one of the wildest days in the history of Israeli politics. It started with the political turmoil generated by talks of including the Labor Party in the government. By the afternoon, those talks had been suspended. After a successful meeting between Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, it was
Tel Aviv diary: Coalition talks leave Israelis bemused Read More »
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