By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–An estate agent told me the other day that many sellers miss opportunities because they don’t accept an early offer which is near enough to the asking price in the hope of getting more by hanging on. In most cases, more doesn’t happen and in the end the property is sold […]
Tzipi Livni's hesitation may account for her plummeting status Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (Press Release)–A new poll shows that President Barack Obama, who has endured record-low levels of Israeli popularity for any American president, is regarded as pro-Palestinian by three- to-one ratio of Israelis. According to the poll, conducted by the Palestinian Center for Survey Research this month, only 13% of Israelis regard President Obama’s policy as
Israelis by 3-1 margin believe Obama has bias in favor of Palestinians Read More »
Middle East, USAJERUSALEM (Press Release) — Jewish Agency Director-General Moshe Vigdor was appointed Director-General of the Israel’s Board of Higher Education by Israel’s Minister of Education, and will be leaving the Jewish Agency in February. Since assuming his position as director-general in 2005, Vigdor oversaw the Jewish Agency’s strategic change, during which the organization underwent significant reform
By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–We see in the health care bills that passed the U.S. House and Senate yet another indication that policy making is, most of the time, incremental. For me, that is another endorsement of a finding that helped establish me as a political scientist. Long ago I published a number of items showing
Incrementalism the political norm in U.S. and Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM–Most Orthodox Jews are individuals who wish to serve God in a particular way, often at great sacrifice. I respect them whether or not I agree with them. But there are at least three groups that, though in the diaspora at worst only annoying, are often a menace and worse in
Orthodox excesses pave way for Reform growth in Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy David Amos SAN DIEGO–The story is told that sometime in the first half of the Twentieth Century, a New York music critic took his seat at Carnegie Hall for a concert of the NBC Orchestra. An elderly lady seated next to him asked, “That man on the podium, Mr. Toscanini, is he also supposed
Which is better: a bad conductor with a good orchestra, or vice versa? Read More »
Middle EastWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release)–The U.S. State Department issued the following statement on Wednesday concerning passage by the U.N. General Assembly of a resolution calling on Iran to improve its human rights record. “The United States welcomes the United Nations’ final passage of the resolution calling upon the Government of Iran to respect its human rights obligations
U.S. welcomes U.N. resolution criticizing Iran on human rights Read More »
USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are times in politics, and they may be most of the times, when it is best to do nothing. Long ago I learned that the essential rule in policy making is: Don’t make things worse. At about the same time, I heard that America is safest when Congress is
There are times in politics when doing nothing is the best option Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, USABy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C.–Adversaries of the United States blame the United States for their woes. THE President, not “this president,” or “that president,” receives the animus of those who need America to be their adversary. Iran, Syria, Venezuela, Nicaragua -to some extent Russia and China-all use the United States as a foil. In the
Like every U.S. President, Obama becoming scapegoat for world's bad guys Read More »
Shoshana Bryen, USAMOSCOW (Press Release)–Jewish Agency Chairman Natan Sharansky was named “Man of the Year” by the Union of Jewish Communities of Russia in ceremony at the Kremlin in Moscow at Sunday (Dec. 20). Sharansky received the award at the ceremonial hall of the Kremlin in the presence of Russia’s Chief Rabbi Berel Lazar, Russian Jewish
Sharansky is 'Man of Year' for Union of Jewish Communities of Russia Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (WJC)–Western diplomatic sources have told Arab newspaper ‘al-Hayat’ that Israel has agreed to release 443 of the 450 prisoners Hamas has demanded be freed in exchange for the release of captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. In addition, the sources said Israel had demanded that over 100 of the prisoners to be freed will be
Gilad Shalit prisoner exchange rumors intensify Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (WJC) — Israel’s Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi Yona Metzger has said that Pope Benedict XVI’s decision to proceed with the beatification of war-time Pope Pius XII made it difficult to continue with Catholic-Jewish interfaith dialogue. However, Metzger emphasized that the Israeli Chief Rabbinate would not cut off relations with the Vatican. On Saturday, Pope Benedict XVI
Israel's chief rabbi expresses concern over possible sainthood for Pope Pius XII Read More »
Middle EastWASHINGTON, DC (Press Release) — The National Council of Jewish Women (NCJW) on Tuesday denounced the provision in the Senate health reform bill that would deprive millions of women of access to abortion and impose onerous restrictions on millions more. NCJW President Nancy Ratzan released the following statement: “The ongoing war against women’s ability to exercise their
NCJW denounces Senate health care restrictions on abortion coverage Read More »
USAWASHINGTON, D.C. (Press Release) – The U.S. Department of the Treasury’s Office of Foreign Assets Control (OFAC) on Tuesday announced a $217 million settlement with Lloyds TSB Bank, plc (Lloyds), concerning the bank’s intentional manipulation and deletion of information about U.S. sanctioned parties in wire transfer instructions routed through third-party banks located in the United
Lloyds TSB "Bank pays $217 million fine for helping Iran circumvent U.S. trade laws Read More »
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