By Isaac Yetiv , Ph.D. LA JOLLA, California — The announcement of President Obama’ trip to Israel (and the territories) has surprised many people both here and in Israel where it has been received with fear and apprehension. It is certainly not a leisure trip with sightseeing and enjoyment; nor is it a religious pilgrimage […]
How necessary is President Obama’s trip to Israel? Read More »
USABy Joshua Sinai WASHINGTON, D.C. –Conventional wisdom holds that the threat to America posed by al Qaeda and its affiliates is greatly diminished compared to 9/11. Today, it is claimed, al Qaeda is less well organized, with many of its top leaders eliminated, and is so broken into geographically disparate franchises that it
U.S. must not be complacent about Al Qaeda threat Read More »
USASyria rebels vow to ‘liberate Golan Heights’ after Assad falls (JNS.org) Syrian rebels operating in the region near the border with Israel threatened on Sunday to fight to regain the Golan Heights from Israel following the toppling of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, Israel Hayom reported. In a video published online, a rebel fighter, filmed against
JNS news briefs: March 11, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Nervous Jews are worrying if Barack Obama is intent on forcing Israel into a peace process. Leaving aside the issue that being nervous is a chronic condition of being Jewish, an appropriate response to Obama and all the others who think that Israel is not doing enough to make peace
Comparing Israel’s peace-making with other nations’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Money is not everything, but it buys most of the things that are. Values are also important in politics, but the important ones have something to do with money. For that reason, whoever controls the purse is somewhere near the top of the heap. In the United States system of
Lapid considered as probable finance minister Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C.–Shared values and democratic systems count for a lot in the political world — and they can advance military cooperation — but national security interests can evolve without them. No one would mistake Saudi Arabia or Bahrain for a country that shares American values, yet the U.S. Central Command works closely
U.S. reduces Israel to a military client, not a partner Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — Though the news, leaks, speculations and spins about the efforts to cobble together a coalition before time runs out in another week or so dominate the public discourse in Israel, the volatile situation on its borders isn’t being ignored either. As so often in Israel, professors are frequently
Arab Spring devolves into tribal anarchy Read More »
Middle EastObama to Jewish leaders: No ‘grand peace plan’ coming on Israel trip (JNS.org) President Barack Obama said in a meeting with American Jewish leaders on Thursday that he does not intend to propose a “grand peace plan” on his upcoming trip to Israel, but that a peace effort might be launched within the next “six,
JNS news briefs: March 8, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Rabbi Leonard Rosenthal SAN DIEGO — Can you imagine over 12,000 Jews and non-Jews gathered together in the same place for the same purpose? I would not have thought it possible, except I just returned from the AIPAC 2013 Policy Conference in Washington, D.C. and saw it myself. The last time I attended a Policy
Excitement of attending an AIPAC conference Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The fighters who seized a patrol of UN Peacekeepers across the border on the Golan Heights explained their actions by the assertion that the UN as well as Bashar al-Assad and his soldiers are agents of Israel. In the eyes of some, made important at least momentarily by their weapons and putting
Seizure of U.N. peacekeepers demonstrates Mideast perils Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastIsrael fears UN will pull peacekeepers from Golan Heights (Israel Hayom/Exclusive to JNS.org) Israel has expressed concern that the United Nations peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights may pull out altogether after Syrian rebels snatched 21 UN troops in the cease-fire zone bordering Israel, the French news agency AFP reported on Thursday. An international
JNS news briefs: March 7, 2013 Read More »
InternationalBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Two separate issues are telling us something about the status of Israel in international perspective. One is the visit of President Barack Obama, which has triggered hopes and fears of what he will do when he gets here, up to and including a timetable for the withdrawal of a half
International images at odds with Israeli reality Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Michael Hayutin SAN DIEGO — Inflicting pain on oneself is a rather strange phenomenon. Most of us have read about or seen images of religious fanatics intentionally hurting themselves. There was a tradition among some in the Philippines to reenact the crucifixion each Easter. Young men would volunteer to have nails pounded through the
Ritual flagellation, American Jewish style Read More »
USAVenezuela’s Chavez, Iran supporter and Israel adversary, dies of cancer (JNS.org) Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, known for his close relationship with Iran and adversarial one with Israel, died Tuesday at 58 following a two-year battle with cancer. Chavez in 2006, during the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah in Lebanon, was the first head of
JNS news briefs: March 6, 2013 Read More »
International