Middle East

Kerry gives surprise briefing to U.S. students in Israel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)–U.S. university student leaders traveling in Israel with AJC’s Project Interchange got the surprise of their lives today when U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry dropped by a briefing being conducted by State Department Spokesperson Jen Psaki. Psaki conducted a wide-ranging, in-depth briefing for the AJC Project Interchange student delegation on the ongoing […]

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Middle East

By Arab standards, I’m a refugee and so are my children

By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — The general Israeli public is on the whole soft-hearted and empathetic towards those in need. The scenes we see on TV almost nightly of Syrian refugees pouring across the borders into Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey, sheltering from the snow or sweltering in the heat inside the flimsy tents

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East

Iran proving to be big winner in nuclear negotiations

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — As the P5+1 nuclear negotiation with Iran was taking shape, Secretary of State John Kerry was irritated by the discomfort shown by Congress, Israel and the Gulf States of both Iran and of  the Administration’s decision making process. “We are not blind and I don’t think we’re stupid,” he

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen

Political smoke and mirrors on single-sex and peace issues

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There are lessons to be learned from recent politicking about gays and lesbians, and the Kerry peace process. It’s all about smoke and mirrors, or what you see isn’t there, and is meant to satisfy by deceiving. First on gays and lesbians. There is a Future, Yair Lapid’s new party with a

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Jobar Synagogue treasures belong to the Jewish community

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The 2,000-year-old Jobar Synagogue in Damascus is said to be the site where the prophet Elijah concealed himself from persecution and anointed his successor, Elisha. It was a UNESCO World Heritage Site until last March when someone appeared to have blown it up. The Syrian government and the rebels

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen