Middle East

Lieberman’s investigation of NGO funding sources smacks of McCarthyism

 By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–The West is tilting to the political right. The US Congress, the governing coalition in the UK, the domination of the Conservative prime minister in Canada as well as the political constellations in many European countries all point in the same direction. Israel is no exception. Even the centrist Kadima party

Lieberman’s investigation of NGO funding sources smacks of McCarthyism Read More »

Middle East

Western media fail to verify atrocity stories from the Palestinians

(Editor’s Note: San Diego Jewish World columnist Ira Sharkansky also has written a column refuting the Palestinian-spawned atrocity story mentioned below) By Barry Rubin   HERZLIYA, Israel — What happens when the New York Times publishes, with no investigation, an atrocity story about Israel that is not only false but ridiculously so, based on the most obvious

Western media fail to verify atrocity stories from the Palestinians Read More »

Barry Shaw, Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Lautman: Education gap more worrysome for Israel than Iran threat

HAIFA, Israel (Press Release)–An impressive crowd of leading Israeli business executives attended the University of Haifa’s Business Leaders Forum annual gala event on Tuesday, Jan. 4, at which Israeli businessman and industrialist Dov Lautman, founder of Delta Galil Industries, received the University of Haifa’s Business Leaders Forum award. The award was given in recognition of

Lautman: Education gap more worrysome for Israel than Iran threat Read More »

Middle East

Another Israeli Air Force cadet class graduates from Ben-Gurion University

BEER-SHEVA, Israel (Press Release)– The 161st Flight School graduation ceremony took place last week in which the new Israeli Air Force pilots earned their ‘wings’ and a bachelor’s degree from Ben-Gurion University of the Negev (BGU). The IAF Flight School is widely considered to be the most prestigious and challenging path in the Israel Defense

Another Israeli Air Force cadet class graduates from Ben-Gurion University Read More »

Middle East

U.S., Israel discuss restricting chemicals needed to make I.E.D.’s

  JERUSALEM (Press Release)—U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano on Tuesday met bilaterally with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Israeli Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich, to discuss the ongoing partnership between the United States and Israel, threats from terrorism that both countries face,

U.S., Israel discuss restricting chemicals needed to make I.E.D.’s Read More »

Middle East

Palestinians cook up another phony Israeli atrocity story

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Remember Muhammad al-Durrah? He was the boy in an iconic Palestinian video claiming that his father had not succeeded in sheltering him from the fire directed at him by Israeli soldiers in late September, 2000. Subsequent inquiries established that the video was edited in a way to hide the possibility that the

Palestinians cook up another phony Israeli atrocity story Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Foreign affairs ministry strikers may be seeking to derail Lieberman

By Rabbi Dow Marmur  JERUSALEM — A strike by civil servants is unusual enough, but work stoppage by employees of a country’s ministry for foreign affairs is particularly so. Yet that’s what’s happening at present in Israel. Being, as usual, ignorant of the facts I allow myself to guess that there’s more to it than

Foreign affairs ministry strikers may be seeking to derail Lieberman Read More »

Middle East

Napolitano discusses anti-terrorism defenses with top officials in Israel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)—U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday traveled to Israel, meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Dan Meridor, and Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz to discuss threats from terrorism and the ongoing security partnership between the United States and Israel. “Protecting against

Napolitano discusses anti-terrorism defenses with top officials in Israel Read More »

Middle East

Prospects for Palestinian state recede–thanks to Palestinians

  By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The Israel-Palestinian conflict is at least a century old, although it was not described clearly in its present terms before 1948, or perhaps 1967. It has had periods of sporadic violence, organized mayhem, and most recently a campaign of Palestinians and their friends to achieve politically what they could

Prospects for Palestinian state recede–thanks to Palestinians Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Middle East fictions often invented to appease U.S. policy makers

By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM– If before we came to Jerusalem last month I harboured notions about the possibility of a comprehensive and early peace between Israel and the Palestinians, I abandoned them once I tried to follow events here, this time not from afar but at least geographically closer to the action. All the official

Middle East fictions often invented to appease U.S. policy makers Read More »

Middle East, Travel and Food

Ha’aretz finds the gray lining in every silvery cloud

By Barry Rubin JERUSALEM–Israelis are known for being gloomy about the political situation. In fact, they generally enjoy criticizing things (themselves above all). As a result, Israel’s enemies often make the mistake of underestimating the country’s ability to endure, struggle, and prevail. A typical example came in a recent Arab newspaper article that claims the

Ha’aretz finds the gray lining in every silvery cloud Read More »

Barry Shaw, Middle East

In advising Israel, ‘Economist’ learned nothing about dangers of appeasement

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — While I do not claim expertise in the history or politics of Great Britain, my impression is that the Munich Agreement of 1938, involving Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Hitler (” . . . peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.”) is an icon of shame

In advising Israel, ‘Economist’ learned nothing about dangers of appeasement Read More »

Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Lebanon’s Al Akhbar pulls the wool over New York Times’ eyes

By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –Since I have written about how easily fooled Western politicians, officials, journalists, and academics are by Middle Eastern radicals, I’m going to try to provide examples in a regular feature called Dopes of the Day. This is a good starting point. (Be sure to read this article to the end

Lebanon’s Al Akhbar pulls the wool over New York Times’ eyes Read More »

Middle East, USA