By Yedidya Hazani KIBBUTZ HANNATON, Israel — Can hummus and soccer bridge rivalry? Can joyful music and dancing overpower political differences? Can acceptance of shared values rise out of contradictions in religion, culture, or upbringing? And, is it possible to maintain civic life, apart from political life? All these questions arise, both formally and informally, […]
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Recent articles in the New York Times suggest a comparison between the leaderships of Palestine and the American Republican Party. One article details the miserable position of Mahmoud Abbas, old, weak, rejected by a substantial portion of Palestinians, and dithering between supporting and opposing the current wave of violence against
Israel’s problems: The P.A.’s President, next U.S. one Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USAIDF rescues 2 Israeli soldiers mobbed in Qalandiya refugee camp (JNS.org) Five Israeli Border Police officers were injured when security forces entered the Qalandiya refugee camp, north of Jerusalem, on Monday night to rescue two non-combat soldiers who had accidentally driven into the area and were attacked by a local Palestinian mob that stoned
Middle East Roundup: March 1, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The British Prime Minister David Cameron upset quite a few of us with this. “I am well known for being a strong friend of Israel, but I have to say the first time I visited Jerusalem and had a proper tour around that wonderful city and saw what had happened
British PM’s Jerusalem comments disturb Israelis Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — The decision to establish an egalitarian prayer area at the Western Wall on seemingly same terms as the two Orthodox ones that are now there (one for women and one for men) may be theologically dubious in the eyes of some of us, but it has been politically most
New Kotel section a victory for progressive Judaism Read More »
Jewish Religion, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Several of our headlines have dealt with an issue that is always in the near background: Who are the Palestinians and Israeli Arabs? How do they think? Is there any chance of living in a condition of peace, or at least reasonable quiet? One of the headlines came from responses
The clash and confluence of Jewish, Arab cultures Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Boaz Bismuth/Israel Hayom/JNS.org Everything has already been said about Donald Trump, the front-runner for the Republican presidential nomination: that the GOP establishment is wary of him, that he intentionally makes provocative declarations, that he is nothing more than a passing fad, and that he will ultimately fail. Yet in the meantime, the billionaire businessman
Trump explains his ‘neutral’ approach to Mideast Read More »
Middle East
The Ghost Warriors: Inside Israel’s Undercover War Against Suicide Terrorism by Samuel Katz; Berkley (2016) ISBN: 1592409016; $18; Rated: 5* By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — There is hardly a day when we don’t read another story about a terrorist attack. For the most part, Radical Islam has demonstrated an almost uncanny ability to raise
Katz’s book on Israel’s war against terror is outstanding Read More »
Books, Poetry & Short Stories, Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastBy Steve Kramer ALFE MENASHE, Israel — Israel and the US are currently negotiating a 10-year foreign aid package, which is 99% military related. There are many benefits from US-Israeli collaboration, but the aid comes with strings attached and it may be that the negatives outweighs the positives. Reality dictates that no country should expect
Israel should decrease dependence on U.S. Read More »
Middle East, USASecurity guard critically wounded in ax attack near Jerusalem (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) A security guard in a Maaleh Adumim shopping center near Jerusalem was critically injured overnight Thursday in an apparent terrorist attack. Israeli media reported that a knife and an ax were found at the scene. According to a preliminary investigation, the security
Middle East Roundup: February 26, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastFlorida passes bill requiring state board to vet Israel-boycotting companies (JNS.org) Florida’s state legislature on Wednesday overwhelmingly passed “SB 86: Scrutinized Companies,” which requires a state board to identify all publicly funded companies that are involved with boycotts of Israel. The bill, which now heads to Florida Governor Rick Scott for signature into law
Middle East Roundup: February 25, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Dorothea Shefer-Vanson TARABIN, Israel — Tucked away on the edge of this village, named for the Bedouin tribe that inhabits it in southern Israel, is a farm whose sole objective is to produce camel’s milk. For that purpose some fifty female camels are kept in pens to be ‘serviced’ by a single lucky male
The claims made for camel’s milk Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East, The World We ShareBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — When I used to think that baseball was important, I knew that you couldn’t tell the players without a scorecard. There isn’t a scorecard for Syria. There are experts who can say who are the key players, and what drives them. What they cannot tell us is what will emerge
Hard to tell ‘who’s on first’ in Syria Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Jewish law states explicitly and, as far as I know, other legal systems are of the same opinion that if someone is about to kill you, you’re entitled to kill the would-be assailant. That’s, of course, why many of the terrorists who’ve attacked Israelis in recent months have been
Are Israeli soldiers too quick on the trigger? Read More »
Middle East