Middle East

Palestinians try to repair image in light of leaks, Egypt’s revolution

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–In the wake of the Egyptian revolution, pundit Tom Friedman fears Israel will not take this opportunity to strike a deal with the Palestinians. “If Israelis tell themselves that Egypt’s unrest proves why Israel cannot make peace with the Palestinian Authority, then they will be talking themselves into becoming […]

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Middle East

Likud–on matters of policy and propriety–seems to have advantage in Israeli politics

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Benyamin Netanyahu has come in for some shrill criticism from locals and outsiders. Their most recent brief is to reiterate doubt about his sincerity with respect to the peace process with the Palestinians, and his reluctance to cheer what they see as the democratic tide of protest against Hosni Mubarak. Thursday’s

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Middle East

Israeli tension over intentions of Iranian warships

JERUSALEM (WJC)–Two Iranian warships bound for Syria have withdrawn a request to sail through the Egyptian-controlled Suez Canal.  Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman had announced on Wednesday night that the ships were en route to Syria via the canal, which connects the Red Sea to the Mediterranean. However, on Thursday the ships stopped in an

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Middle East

Jew-hatred soiling so-called marches to democracy in Middle East

By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Recently, when I spoke on developments in Egypt, a serious and respected Middle East expert claimed that there was no sign of anti-American or anti-Israel slogans in Egypt or Tunisia during their revolutions. Really? This is simply not true. The fact that a Jewish prayer room was burned down in

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Middle East

NJDC denounces Ron Paul’s bid to end aid to Israel

WASHINGTON, DC — National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC) President and CEO David A. Harris Tuesday issued the following statement condemning the amendment proposed by Representative Ron Paul (R-Texas) that would cut American foreign aid to Israel: “The National Jewish Democratic Council condemns Representative Ron Paul’s (R-Texas) latest attempt to end foreign aid to Israel through

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Middle East

Mideast turmoil spotlights value of U.S.-Israel alliance

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The United States provides military assistance to a variety of countries in the Middle East, Africa and Southwest Asia, including Israel, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Afghanistan, Jordan, Yemen, Pakistan and Bangladesh. We provide equipment and training for the security forces of the Palestinian Authority. We also provide military aid to

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen

Ron Prosor named as Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations

LONDON (WJC) — Ron Prosor, 58, currently Israel’s ambassador in Britain, has been appointed as the country’s new permanent representative to the United Nations in New York. According to media reports, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s National Security Advisor Uzi Arad is expected to succeed Prosor in London. Environmental Protection Minister Gilad Erdan decided last week

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Middle East

Erekat’s resignation dispiriting to Israeli left

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–When Al-Jazeera published the so-called Palestine Papers, reporting on the negotiations between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, it looked for a moment that the standard mantra of the right-wing in Israel that there’s no partner to negotiate with would be exploded. However, with the resignation of Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian

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Middle East

Egyptian intellectual says Brotherhood must prove its readiness for democracy

By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Pay close attention. This is an important signal of where the Egyptian regime is going. Tarek Heggy, one of Egypt’s most distinguished intellectuals and a man who, more than anyone else I know, predicted the course of events there, has written an  analysis of the Muslim Brotherhood. It is

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Middle East

All things considered, Army guaranteeing Egypt’s stability wasn’t such a bad outcome

By Isaac Yetiv, Ph.D LA JOLLA,  California — Contrary to some pundits and politicos, I do not blame the Obama administration and its Intelligence apparatus for not having foreseen the events that shook Tunisia and Egypt. But I surely blame the US government for mishandling the crisis after it has erupted. The world heard different, sometimes even

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Middle East

Now that Mubarak is out, world watches what Egypt will do next

By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — In a move that simultaneously caught the world by surprise and yet indicated the regime’s strategy, Egyptian President Husni Mubarak announced his resignation the day after refusing to resign. It is impossible to believe that the military, to whom Mubarak handed power, changed its mind and plan in the

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Middle East

Bipartisan pair of congressmen urge strong financial support for Israel

WASHINGTON, DC  (Press Release)- As Congress prepares to consider final funding levels for this year’s budget, and with rising uncertainty about the future stability of Egypt, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers are fighting to ensure that America’s support for the State of Israel remains strong. Earlier this week, Representatives Robert Dold (R- Illinois)  and Gary Peters

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Middle East