By Aryeh Savir and Ehud Amiton ARIEL, Israel — In the wake of the European Union’s challenging resolution to boycott the Jewish communities in Judea and Samaria and to terminate all financial contacts with them, foreign journalists toured the Barkan Industrial Park and Ariel University in Samaria last week (July 29), an event organized by […]
International journalists tour Judea and Samaria Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Conversations began in Washington, to be continued in Jerusalem and Ramallah. It may be too early to speak of negotiations, but it is best that we do not know. More is likely to happen in secret than in public. “Discussions” appears to be an appropriate term for whatever is happening.
Neither side will get ‘justice’ in Middle East negotiations Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastNEW YORK (Press Release) –An edict by the Supreme Leader of Iran, Ayatollah Khameni, urged all Iranians to avoid dealings with the Baha’i sect and called them “deviant and misleading.” “Such actions and statements are a warning for potential danger,” said Robert G. Sugarman, Chairman, and Malcolm Hoenlein, Executive Vice Chairman/CEO of the Conference of
Conference of Presidents sounds alarm for Baha’i in Iran Read More »
Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –The greatest success of the Arab States against Israel (there aren’t many) has been to change the terms of reference. In 1947, the Arabs unanimously rejected the UN Partition Plan for Palestine and in 1948 attacked Israel, Goliath against David. Through 1956, 1967, and 1973 Israel was understood to be
More signs of U.S. tilt to the Palestinians Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
TEL AVIV (Press Release) — Yitzhak Rabin, who served as Prime Minister of Israel during two separate periods, 1974-77 and 1992-95, was a figure who towered over his generation. The first native Israeli (‘sabra’) to serve in that office, he was assassinated by an extremist right-wing Jew in November 1995, at the conclusion of
Rabin Centre in Tel Aviv depicts his life and Israel’s history Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For several days we have heard the pluses and minuses of an apparently simple, but actually complex decision by Israeli government ministers to release some 104 prisoners for the sake of negotiations with the Palestinians. The decision is complex because it was made in principle, with important details left for
Phasing of prisoner release a test for negotiations Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The U.S. State Department on Sunday issued the following announcement about forthcoming talks between representatives of Israel and the Palestinian Authority: “Today, Secretary Kerry spoke with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu and personally extended an invitation to send senior negotiating teams to Washington to formally resume
Israel-Palestinian Authority talks to commence July 29 Read More »
Middle EastBy Isaac Yetiv, PhD LA JOLLA, California– After six trips to the Middle-East, Secretary of State Kerry, using the “carrot” for the Palestinians and the ” stick” to the Israelis, finally convinced them to come to Washington to “talk” about “reviving the peace process” that had been boycotted by Mahmoud Abbas for four and a
Another Middle East exercise in futility Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Senator Carl Levin, Chairman of the Armed Services Committee, wants to go to war in Syria — not with Syria, necessarily, but in Syria. And it’s not really war, although it involves weapons and American troops (in the air — Sen. Levin has been very explicit about “no boots
Levin, McCain, Mendendez seek expanded U.S. role in Syria Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — I awoke Thursday morning to find that the most troublesome items in my inbox were an article pondering whether the editorials of the New York Times, Los Angeles Times, or Washington Post were the more or less anti-Israel; and an interchange between internet friends about the latest dribble from Roger
Why the obsession with Israel? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida — A few weeks after President Barack Obama’s inauguration in 2009, I predicted that a peace agreement between Israel and the Palestinians would be signed before the end of Obama’s second term eight years later. Some people thought that I was pessimistic. Obama had promised to appoint a
Obama and Kerry seem likely to bring Mideast peace Read More »
Middle EastBy Jonathan Licht, M.D. DEL MAR, California — My mother was born in 1930 and was a Zionist, a person who believed in establishing a Jewish homeland. My father was a computer scientist when computers took up an entire room. In 1960 he was asked to install for the Israel Defense Force their first computer. I was seven and even
Peace breakthrough is urgently needed in Middle East Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are times when there are too many Jews in the Jewish country. Or maybe just too many rabbis. Currently we are approaching the culmination of a messy election to the Chief Rabbinate that reveals–along with a couple of other issues simultaneously bothering us–that Judaism would profit from a clean
Chief rabbinate politics as nasty as those in the Knesset Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Supporting sanctions against Iran is understood to be a position designed to moderate Iranian behavior regarding the acquisition of nuclear capability. It is the position of people and countries that do not want to contemplate military action by either the United States or Israel. It is the position of
Iran uses European courts in its war on the West Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen