By Richard L. Cravatts, PhD BOSTON — Winston Churchill could have been observing the sorry state of academic free speech today when he observed that “Everyone is in favor of free speech. Hardly a day passes without its being extolled, but some people’s idea of it is that they are free to say what they […]
Open Hillel seeks to install enemies in the tent Read More »
Middle East, Richard L. Cravatts, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — BDS has some traction among academics, performers, trade unions, churches, and retailers, but it has also generated opposition in all of those fields. If it has had any tangible economic impact, it is more likely against Palestinians dependent on employment with Israeli firms located in the West Bank, and in lowering
Why the BDS campaign is ludicrous Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
JERUSALEM (WJC) — Benjamin Netanyahu lashed back at Sweden’s Foreign Minister Margot Wallström, saying her call to investigate whether recent killings of Palestinian attackers by Israel were “extrajudicial” was “outrageous”, “immoral” and “stupid”. The Israeli prime minister, who also holds the post of foreign minister, said at the Government Press Office’s annual toast for members of the foreign media in Israel: “It
Netanyahu blasts Swedish foreign minister Read More »
International, Middle EastNetanyahu writes final letters of Torah scroll in memory of soldiers (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday wrote the final letters of a Torah scroll dedicated to Israel’s fallen soldiers. The scroll was one of 73 scrolls donated in August and showcased at the Western Wall before being sent to
Middle East Roundup: January 15, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Joe Spier CALGARY, Alberta, Canada — In the Spring of 1991, my wife and I, touring Israel, together with a small group of Calgarians, found ourselves in a caravan camp on the outskirts of Mazkeret Batya, our sister city. There we encountered the most remarkable sight; Jews who before their very recent arrival in Israel
The amazing saga of Operation Solomon Read More »
International, Jewish History, Middle EastBy Rabbi Ben Kamin GAN YAVNEH, Israel—I wiped away a tear as my El Al jumbo jet floated in the sky above the blue Mediterranean and then gracefully tipped its wings over the Tel Aviv skyscrapers and the nearby groves and meadows of my birth-land. Below, in the sands and the sea foam, was the
An emotional return to his birthplace Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Police state? Not quite. But it’s best to behave yourself hereabouts. A while ago the stories were about Shin Bet interrogators who had tortured Jewish youths accused of burning an Arab home in the West Bank, killing three members of a family, and other crimes. Relatives and other supporters of the accused
Police must strike delicate balance in Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastIsraeli Foreign Ministry’s ex-director slammed over push for pressure on Israel (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Former Israeli Foreign Ministry director general Alon Liel was slammed over his push for international institutions—including the United Nations and FIFA (world soccer’s governing body)—to put more pressure on Israel. “Alon Liel served for many years in senior roles in
Middle East Roundup: January 14, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Barry Shaw NETANYA, Israel — In January, 2016, a group of emergency relief experts from Indonesia joined their counterparts from India and Sri Lanka in a six day disaster and emergency education seminar in Israel This is part of a major new initiative between the Jewish state and Muslim-majority states outside the Middle East. Organized
Israel’s high- tech success trumps political barriers Read More »
Barry Shaw, International, Middle EastNazi graffiti spray-painted on historic Tel Aviv synagogue (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israeli police launched an investigation after a Tel Aviv synagogue’s wall was spray-painted with anti-Semitic graffiti on Tuesday. The Chelouche Synagogue, which is part of a historic landmark in Tel Aviv’s Neve Tzedek neighborhood, has served as a prayer facility since the time
Middle East Roundup: January 13, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — In one of the episodes of the TV drama, Homeland, a CIA operative reports to a meeting of senior officers about his experience in Syria. The discussion proceeds something like this. There are too many militias to count, and more than a few considered important. The US has no strategy guiding
Can radical Islam be defeated or moderated? Read More »
International, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USAIsraeli justice minister slams U.S. intervention in ‘internal legislation’ (JNS.org) Israeli Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked criticized the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv’s statements voicing concern over Israel’s recently proposed NGO transparency bill, saying the Obama administration is interfering with internal Israeli legislation. The U.S. Embassy released two statements on Monday outlining U.S. Ambassador to Israel
Middle East Roundup: January 12, 2016 Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –The Obama administration appears surprised by the sudden eruption of Saudi-Iranian hostility after the Saudi government executed Shiite cleric Sheikh Nimr al-Nimr and the Iranians responded by organizing/sponsoring/approving an attack on the Saudi Embassy in Tehran. Both sides have walked the rhetoric back just a bit in the last day
U.S. fails to understand Iran – Saudi rivalry Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen, USACAMERA rebuts LA Times op-ed that urged boycott of Israeli education system (JNS.org) The Committee for Accuracy in Middle East Reporting in America (CAMERA) has rebutted an op-ed in the Los Angeles Times that made claims of inherent racism toward Palestinians in Israel’s educational system. The op-ed by comparative literature professor Saree Makdisi—titled “Why
Middle East Roundup: January 11, 2016 Read More »
Middle East