International

Barghouthi leads Palestinian presidential election poll amid fears of delay

Published by Al-Araby Imprisoned Fatah Party figure Marwan Barghouthi holds a commanding lead over the incumbent President Mahmoud Abbas for the upcoming Palestinian presidential election, according to new poll data. Palestinians are due to vote in legislative elections on 22 May and in presidential elections on 31 July. A new poll by the Jerusalem Media […]

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Middle East

Syrian missile explodes in area near Israeli nuclear reactor, Israel retaliates

Published by Reuters By Dan Williams and Jeffrey Heller JERUSALEM (Reuters) -A Syrian missile exploded in southern Israel on Thursday, the Israeli military said, in an incident that triggered warning sirens near the secretive Dimona nuclear reactor and an Israeli strike in Syria. An Israeli military spokesman identified the projectile as an SA-5 surface-to-air missile

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Middle East

U.S. Should Revisit Idea of Temporary Havens

Whether the refugee cap is increased to 125,000 annually, as President Biden originally promised in February, or kept at the 15,000 level set by his predecessor, or ends up somewhere in between — as now seems likely — America’s policy of admitting refugees remains inadequate for meeting the human rights challenges of our era. Perhaps the time has come for a new approach — one based on a proposal first made in 1943-44. [Rafael Medoff]

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International, Jewish History, USA

Celebrating a Truly Independent Yom Haatzmaut

I believe Yom Haatzmaut is very representative of my journey of becoming an Israeli citizen and what my plans are now that I’m here. As a convert to Judaism, when I was fifteen, who made my first trip to Israel in 2016 with Taglit/Birthright and then enjoyed seven extensive trips to the country subsequently, my dream of making Aliyah was finally complete this year when I embarked on a Nefesh B’Nefesh charter Aliyah flight. [Ondria Rees]

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Jewish History, Middle East, USA

Israel Lowers Its Cultural Standards of Excellence

The Israel Prize is awarded for academic or social excellence, and serves as Israel’s attempt to provide its own version of the Nobel Prize. Sadly, I have never attended a Nobel Prize ceremony, but I have read about it, and I know it is a very stately and serious occasion. Just imagine, if the ceremony would be the occasion for a series of pop singers to pop up, sing and play at the tops of their voices a medley of songs of questionable taste (and certainly not my taste). But that was the overriding tone of the Israel Prize ceremony last night. The whole occasion left an impression of bad judgment and inferior standards. [Dorothea Shefer-Vanson]

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Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Lifestyles, Middle East, Music, Dance, and Visual Arts

Minneapolis jury convicts ex-policeman Derek Chauvin of murdering George Floyd

Published by Reuters By Jonathan Allen and Nathan Layne MINNEAPOLIS (Reuters) -Former Minneapolis policeman Derek Chauvin was convicted of murder on Tuesday in the arrest of George Floyd, a milestone in the fraught racial history of the United States and a rebuke of law enforcement’s treatment of Black Americans. The 12-member jury found Chauvin, 45,

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USA

Israel plans to open international travel to vaccinated visitors

Published by TravelPulse After more than a year of being closed to international travel, Israel is reopening its borders with a phased approach. Starting on May 23, the country will welcome visitors from foreign countries who have been vaccinated for COVID-19. “I am happy to share the news that Israel is taking great strides in

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Middle East

Palestinian President Abbas raises alarm over ‘apartheid’ at J Street, calls for lobbying support

Published by Al-Araby Abandoning the two-state solution would result in a “de facto apartheid one-state solution,” Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas reportedly told J Street on Sunday. Abbas told the US-based pro-Israel lobbying group’s 2021 National Conference that this was an eventuality that would be rejected both in Palestine and around the world, Haaretz reported. He

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Middle East