By Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal TEL AVIV — Something seemed awry when I logged onto El Al’s website three months ago to select seats for our Israel bound plane: the 747 was completely booked. Our seats were already assigned and not one extra one was available. Little did we know when we booked our tickets last […]
Some surprises en route to and in Tel Aviv Read More »
Middle East
SAN DIEGO (Press Release)– The American-flagged ship, The Audacity of Hope, is part of an international flotilla organized to violate Israel’s legal blockade of the Gaza Strip, allegedly to deliver humanitarian aid. StandWithUs condemns the flotilla as a hypocritical and dangerous publicity stunt, and joins international leaders who have urged the flotilla organizers to send goods
Gaza flotilla seeks to demonize Israel, not to help Gaza Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–If he is still alive, and if he is still in Gaza, Gilad Shalit has now passed five years as a captive. The lack of certainty reflects the absence of information about his existence for a year or more. His captives have never allowed a visit with an independent source, such as
The Shalit debate and demonstrations Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — In 2003, I and the publication I edit, the Middle East Review of International Affairs (MERIA) Journal, became the world’s biggest story for two or three days. Last week I became a “story” without knowing it until later. First, the 2003 experience. An Iraqi-American author submitted a good article
The shameful western ‘don’t botherhood’ of research Read More »
International, Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Following the Flag & General Officers Program in Israel, the Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) asked the Israeli government why it gives Hamas a “free ride” from the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC). We wrote, “You let/enable/assist the Red Cross in doing its humanitarian work in the
Red Cross takes a stand on Shalit; CNN, NYT taking sides for Gaza Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenJERUSALEM (Press Release)– Ben-Gurion University of the Negev’s (BGU) Prof. Alon Tal presented the most comprehensive report to date on Israel’s environmental movement. It details the movement’s lack of training, involvement of experts and public support, as well as its perilous dependence on foreign donations. The report, “Israel’s Environmental Movement: Trends, Needs and Potential,” was
Environmentalists say high birth rates, immigration leading Israel to overpopulation Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Israel aspires to be a normal country, but can’t make it. Two issues dominant in recent news are the price of cottage cheese, and a prolonged labor dispute between physicians working in the public sector (the vast majority of the country’s medicine) and several governmental agencies about salary, working conditions, and
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The future is not clear. Yet it is common to frighten or encourage with predictions that appear to be certain. Those who know that things will get worse have no more claim on our time than those who are certain that everything will work out fine. Bibi’s rejection of Obama’s
Trouble with predicting future is that present keeps changing it Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Jewish Institute for National Security Affairs (JINSA) is generally sympathetic to the difficulties faced by Jordan’s King Abdullah II. He is a Hashemite ruling a mostly Palestinian and Bedouin country; an excellent security partner to Israel because Israel ensures that he will not be overthrown by Palestinians who believe
Jordan at the crossroads Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)- Congressman Steve Chabot (OH-1) is traveling in the Middle East. Congressman Chabot is the Chairman of the Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia and is visiting Israel, Egypt and Jordan. He released the following statement regarding his meetings with the Israeli and Palestinian Prime Ministers: “I was deeply disturbed
Touring congressman decries Hamas participation in Palestinian government Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The results of a poll, just released, shed light on the stall in what optimist label the peace process. It is just a bit of light, insofar as the results should not surprise anyone. A majority of Israelis (54 percent of those polled), are willing to withdraw from territory in
Prospect of Middle Eastern peace becoming fainter Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
One day, the chicken told the pig: “my friend, we must contribute to the welfare of mankind: I will produce more and better eggs, and you will produce more and better ham.” The pig replied: “Oh No ! for you it is an effort, but for me, it is a full life commitment! By Isaac
The errors of Obama’s Middle Eastern ways Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C — It seems the countries of the United Nations have begun to have second thoughts about trying to “create” a Palestinian state through the General Assembly, or – since the Palestinians declared their state independent in 1998 – accepting “Palestine” as a member of the UN without the imprimatur of the
U.S. using Palestine independence vote in U.N. to gain leverage on Israel Read More »
Middle East