International

Political bedfellows: Communist North Korea and Islamist Iran

By Barry Rubin   HERZLIYA, Israel — Now appearing in Pyongyang: North Korean missile; Iranian nose cone. Ain’t international cooperation wonderful? Joshua Pollack, a very smart arms’ expert, has just published an article and a paper on cooperation between these two countries which is well worth reading. One point really caught my eye. Iran’s news agency […]

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International, Middle East

Is American Jewish community getting restive over Israel?

By Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Is the sky falling? Or only part of that over the Jewish community of the United States? The signs appear in one New York Times article that takes seriously the prospect of a Palestinian state declared unilaterally, with the support of prominent international bodies and maybe even the acquiescence of

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Clinton tells American Task Force for Palestine concessions are necessary by both sides

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)– In a speech to the American Task Force on Palestine, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton emphasized that both sides in the Israeli-Palestinian must be prepared to make concessions and to realize benefits from peace. Here is a text of the speech she made on Wednesday, Oct. 20, at the Ritz Carlton

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Middle East

San Diego Jewish Book Fair: Author will tell story of Rick Hodes’ clinic in Ethiopia

This Is a Soul: The Mission of Rick Hodes by Marilyn Berger, HarperCollins, 2010; ISBN 978-0-06-175954-3, $25.99. By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Journalist Marilyn Berger travels in circles which one would expect might lead to cynicism, or at least to the blasé attitude characterized by the phrase: “Been there, done that.”   Based in New York

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Books, Poetry & Short Stories, International

On 15th anniversary of assassination, Rabin’s legacy debated

By Ira Sharkansky Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Due to the co-existence of Hebrew and secular calendars, Israelis can celebrate events twice. The vast majority  operate according to the secular calendar, but events close to a religious holiday tend to be remembered as such. Varda was born on hay b’Tishri, (five days after Rosh Hashana), so

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Netanyahu says Jews too should take Israeli loyalty oath

JERUSALEM (WJC) — Following protests in Israel and abroad, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has said he wants to include Jews in a bill that would require new Israeli citizens to swear loyalty to the country as a “Jewish and democratic state” when taking citizenship. Netanyahu gave instructions to the justice minister to extend the controversial

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Middle East

Foxman promises help to children of migrant workers in Israel

JERUSALEM (Press Release)–The head of the Anti-Defamation League (ADL) on Tuesday, Oct. 19,  visited the Rogosin-Bialik School in Tel Aviv, a diverse inner-city school with students from nearly 40 countries, where he met with children of migrant workers who are threatened with deportation.  “We care about you, and in the spirit of Jewish values, we

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Middle East

What would change if UN recognized Palestine as independent?

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–I’ve been urging Kaddish for the idea of the Palestinian state ever since the sound of exploding buses replaced  enthusiasm for the Oslo Accords. That puts me against many people who consider themselves right thinking, and perhaps a large majority of those who are leaders of their countries. On the other hand,

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

U.S., Israel vow continued pressure on Iran

WASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The following statement is issued by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon. U.S. and Israeli delegations, headed by U.S. Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg and Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Daniel Ayalon, met today in Washington to continue the semi-annual U.S.-Israel Strategic Dialogue. The

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Middle East

Middle East columnist ponders two ‘day after’ scenarios

  By Donald H. Harrison SAN DIEGO—Middle East analyst, author and columnist Barry Rubin, a former U.S. Senate aide who founded an international affairs research institute in Herzliya, sometimes engages in “what happens the day after” speculation. What happens the day after Iran gets a nuclear bomb? he pondered during his visit to San Diego

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Donald H. Harrison, Middle East, San Diego County, USA

Commentary: Which Obama program is worse? Domestic health care or Middle East ‘peace’ policy?

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — ‘Anybody but Obama’ is a tempting, but risky thought as one approaches a decision about voting. My Israeli and American heads contribute to this column as some call for the upcoming U.S. Midterm elections to be a referendum on Barack Obama. At this point, some of my American friends will

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Commentary: Arabs hypocritical in saying Israel should not be a ‘Jewish state’

By Morton A. Klein and Dr. Daniel Mandel NEW YORK– Israel’s government recently approved an amendment to its citizenship law by which those seeking to become naturalized citizens will take an oath of allegiance to Israel “as a Jewish and democratic state.” Palestinian Authority (PA) president Mahmoud Abbas’ and Arab regimes profess to be outraged. Abbas

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Middle East

Commentary: Israel in a far stronger position than many believe

By Bruce Kesler LA JOLLA, California –Barry Rubin, director of the Global Research in International Affairs (GLORIA) Center in Israel, told the San Diego Israel Coalition on Thursday, Oct. 14, that Israel is in its strongest position in decades. The SDIC, with about 600 Jewish and Christian members, near packed the large auditorium in La Jolla. Rubin’s

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International, Middle East, USA