International

Israel Says US Should Helm Mideast Build-Up Against Iran

Published by Reuters JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel and Arab countries that share its worries about Iran should build up their military capabilities under Washington’s aegis, the Israeli defence minister said on Tuesday ahead of a visit to the region by U.S. President Joe Biden. Biden’s July 13-16 tour will include Israel, the Palestinian territories and Saudi […]

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Middle East, USA

Biden Signals US-Saudi Thaw

Published by AFP Washington (AFP) – US President Joe Biden will meet with Saudi Arabian Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman next month, abandoning efforts to ostracize the kingdom’s de facto leader over the horrific murder of a dissident. The White House ended weeks of speculation Tuesday, announcing that Biden will travel to Israel, the Palestinian

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Middle East, USA

In Shaky Coalition, Any MK May Press Demands

Israeli politics is living on the edge. Its widely diverse government ranges from left to right, with an Arab party. It squeaks from one crisis to the next. Mostly they’re about individual Knesset Members who seek to exploit the possibility or reality of their voting against a government measure for the sake of some aspect of their political ego. Arabs claim that the government is not doing enough for their community. Maybe they are pressing for a personal appointment, as head of a local authority. Jews threaten to vote against a government that gives in to Arab pressures. But maybe they are pressing for something more personal. [Ira Sharkansky, PhD]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Oh, the Mishaps that Greeted Queen Elizabeth II on Her San Diego Visit!

No sooner than Cleator took over the office as acting mayor, he broke the news to me that Queen Elizabeth II of England would be visiting San Diego, and that I, as communications director, would be in charge of the city’s press arrangements for the traveling and local media. [Donald H. Harrison]

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California, Donald H. Harrison, International, Jewish History, San Diego County, USA

US Mission to Palestinians Renamed, Will Report Directly to Washington

Published by Reuters By Dan Williams JERUSALEM (Reuters) -The U.S. diplomatic mission to the Palestinians in Jerusalem said on Thursday that it had been redesignated and will report directly to Washington “on substantive matters”, signalling an upgrade in ties ahead of a planned visit by President Joe Biden. The former “Palestinian Affairs Unit” (PAU) was

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Middle East, USA

Ishay Ribo Elevates Disability Care With Benefit Concert for ADI

(JNS) As spring gives way to summer, the live music scene is heating up in Jerusalem, and the first must-see concert of the season had an empowering twist. On Monday evening, June 6, international superstar Ishay Ribo played a sold out show at the Jerusalem Theater to benefit ADI Jerusalem, ensuring that the residential, rehabilitative

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Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Critics of Orthodox Jewish Bastions Enter Murky Territory

By Bruce S. Ticker PHILADELPHIA — Michelle Zangari opened a can devoid of any live worms when she warned that Orthodox Jews could be poised to seize control of Rockville Centre on Long Island, which was part of an eight-minute rant that drew condemnations against antisemitism from New York’s governor, senior senator and scores of

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Bruce Ticker, Opinion, USA

The Rich Tapestry of Jerusalem Architecture

By Gedaliah Borvick JERUSALEM — When I lived in the U.S., I enjoyed the variety of architecture found in my neighborhood. Typically, the homes were colonial houses with their symmetrical front facades and accented doorways, split level homes with staggered floors, one-story ranch houses, and enchanting Tudors with pitched roofs, herringbone brickwork and touches of

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Gedaliah Borvick, Jewish History, Middle East, Travel and Food

Harmonious Magic: JMW Turner at the Boston Museum of Fine Art

By Sam Ben-Meir NEW YORK — Joseph Mallord William Turner (1775-1851), the English Romantic artist who lifted landscape and seascape painting to new and enthralling heights will never cease to amaze, inspire and make us question what we thought we knew about painting, about what colored pigment on canvas can do. “Turner’s Modern World” at

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Music, Dance, and Visual Arts, Sam Ben-Meir, USA

Israel and the Palestinians: Messy, But Perhaps Stable

By Ira Sharkansky, Ph.D JERUSALEM — Israel’s relations with the Palestinians are truly messy. But they may last. How long? Who knows? Except with Gaza, there are no firm borders. Israel’s settlements, much beyond east Jerusalem, spread into the West Bank. Israel also enters the Palestinian areas in order to deal with individuals who threaten

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East, Opinion