By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — How much territory does Israel need to be secure in the absence of peace with its Palestinian neighbors? Is that different from how much security Israel is entitled to under that circumstance? Who decides? And why is an American general trying to find out? These are not trick questions […]
Israel self-defense, not U.S. guarantees, key to security Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–A political analyst should never say never. Things change. Politicians generally mask their intentions, and occasionally surprise constituents with their flexibility. Remember Nixon’s opening to China. John Kerry may be hoping for something like that from Benyamin Netanyahu, and maybe even from Mahmoud Abbas. It may happen, but unlikely is a legitimate
Kerry’s peace mission? Never say never Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By J. Zel Lurie DELRAY BEACH, Florida –The two men sat side by side with clenched jaws as they faced the press after a two-hour emotional meeting. They were the presidents of the two greatest superpowers, the United States and Russia. What to do about the two-year-old civil war in Syria that has divided the
Two men met in Ireland Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — It is tempting to watch American foreign policy and Russian foreign policy and assign all the naiveté and sloppy thinking to one and all the clever, chess-playing skills to the other. But that would be wrong. Neither side is very clever and Russia’s hand — and that of the
Russia seriously stumbles in Syria Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky We’ve been traveling between relatives in the land that has been home to several generations of wandering Sharkanskys. Family members and others we are encountering look on Israel with a combination of admiration and disappointment. Some of those disappointed want it to be more aggressive in solving its problems, while some want
Israel is like a European democracy, only Jewish Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Michael Leo Samuel CHULA VISTA, California — Miracles awaken our capacity to experience wonderment and awe. They speak to the deepest recesses of our soul without words—but through beauty. In the liturgy, Jewish tradition frequently invokes the imagery of the Red Sea, when Moses and his mighty staff made the waters part into
Not from outside, but from inside, are Jews threatened Read More »
Michael Leo Samuel-Rabbi, Middle EastBy Jeremy Ben-Ami WASHINGTON, D.C. — Secretary of State John Kerry is headed back to the Middle East this week – his fifth trip in four months – to jumpstart diplomacy to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. The secretary apparently intends to tell both Israelis and the Palestinians that it’s time to decide if they are
Ben-Ami: Time for U.S. Jews to build a peace constituency Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Taliban carefully scripted the kerfluffle to embarrass the United States. Its not like we didn’t know they were in Qatar. For eighteen months, Doha has been the scene of sometimes secret, sometimes leaked U.S. talks with the Taliban — and without the Afghan government. But this week, Taliban
Why wait for Afghan withdrawal if it’s coming anyway? Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Sean Savage/JNS.org The Irish and Jewish people share a common history of both suffering cruel persecution and achieving national redemption against immeasurable odds. But today, Ireland is one of Europe’s fiercest critics of Israel. The Irish government and prominent Irish NGOs frequently condemn Israel for its treatment of Palestinians, and they are pushing
Irish paradox: Israel trade and BDS strengthening Read More »
Middle East
JERUSALEM (Press Release) — Efraim Halevy, who has previously served as the Head of Israel’s Mossad Intelligence Agency, announced his personal commitment to a program which will help certify the Jewish identities of thousands of immigrants, primarily from the former Soviet Union. These certifications are mandatory under Israeli law for any couple of questionable ancestry
Ex-Mossad chief to track down Russian Jewish genealogies Read More »
Middle EastNEW YORK (Press Release) –AJC criticized Naftali Bennett, Israel’s Minister of the Economy, for his recent call, in a Jerusalem speech, for an end to the vision of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. “The attempt to establish a Palestinian state in our land has ended,” said Bennett, leader of the Jewish Home party.
AJC: Bennett’s comments on peace process ‘shortsighted’ Read More »
Middle East
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — It is a matter of routine for the majority of Israel’s population that when children, whether boys or girls, reach the age of eighteen they go into one of the forces that make up the IDF in order to give two or three years of service to
When a grandson finishes his IDF training Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East
By David Amos SAN DIEGO –Every trip to Israel is an adventure, a revelation. No two trips are the same, and our recent ten day visit was no exception. Yes, we had the usual encounters with family and Israeli musicians, but after not being in Israel for years, we were treated to the country’s phenomenal
A Jordanian guide’s dream of peace Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON D.C. — This is what happens when the President of the United States is dragged into making foreign and defense policy decisions, instead of determining American interests and then making policy to suit. And it is what happens when the president fails to make a clear case for those policies not
Indecisive Obama slides into Syrian quagmire Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen