Published by DPA US President Joe Biden condemned the firing of rockets upon Israel from Palestinian militants during a phone call with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the White House has said. “[Biden] condemned the rocket attacks by Hamas and other terrorist groups, including against Jerusalem and Tel Aviv,” a readout of the conversation said. […]
Biden condemns Hamas rockets in call with Netanyahu Read More »
USA
Published by DPA Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said Wednesday that his country was ready to build close relations with its regional rival Saudi Arabia. Zarif was speaking after meeting with Syrian President Bashar al-Assad in Damascus. The Syrian state news agency Sana quoted Zarif as saying that Iran had made contacts with Saudi
Iran’s foreign minister hopes for better ties with Saudi Arabia Read More »
Middle East
Published by DPA South Korea has signed a free trade agreement with Israel, which eliminates import tariffs for more than 95 per cent of goods in bilateral trade, South Korea’s Trade Ministry announced on Wednesday. The deal not only reduces tariffs and improves the business environment but also serves as a “solid platform” for economic
South Korea and Israel sign free trade agreement Read More »
International
This mainly poetic text is half autobiographical, half metaphor for the Northern Kingdom’s idolatry, or whoredom, through adoption of the Baal religion of their neighbors. Hosea, who married the unfaithful harlot Gomer, depicts his entire country behaving as married to the whore Baal. [Irv Jacobs, M.D]
Haftorah for May 15, 2021 Read More »
Irv Jacobs, MD, Jewish Religion
Things tend to run together in the Middle East. Right now, Sheikh Jarrah, Palestinian elections, the Hamas-Fatah civil war, the Abraham Accords, U.S. recognition of Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Iran sanctions, Jerusalem Day, the Meron tragedy, Israel’s electoral issues and American money and diplomacy are all tangled. [Shoshana Bryen]
Miscalculations by Hamas, Fatah Lead to Their Disaster Read More »
Middle East, USA
Published by AFP Washington (AFP) – Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Wednesday that a US envoy would travel to the Middle East to seek to calm tensions as he implored Israel to avoid civilian deaths. Hady Amr, the deputy assistant secretary of state in charge of Israeli and Palestinian affairs, was leaving Wednesday and
Blinken sends envoy to Mideast, urges Israel to spare civilians Read More »
USA
Published by Reuters By Mark Hosenball WASHINGTON (Reuters) – Domestic violent extremist groups, particularly white supremacists, pose a growing threat to the United States, Attorney General Merrick Garland told a Senate panel on Wednesday. “The threat of lethality is higher than it ever was … I have not seen a more dangerous threat to democracy
White supremacist groups pose rising U.S. threat, Garland says Read More »
USA
Published by Reuters MOSCOW (Reuters) – Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said on Wednesday that a meeting of four international mediators for resolving the intensifying Israeli-Palestinian conflict is urgently required. Israel said it killed 16 members of the Hamas armed wing in Gaza in a barrage on Wednesday. At least 56 people have been killed
Russia urges ‘quartet’ meet on Israeli-Palestinian conflict Read More »
International, Middle East
Whenever trouble erupted in Israel during the 1980s, “colleagues” in my newsroom in central Pennsylvania would gaze at me suspiciously. At a laundromat in the same small town, a Democratic city councilman complained about Israel’s oppression of the poor Palestinians and an Israeli gunboat raid on the Liberty, an American intelligence vessel discovered off the Egyptian coast during the 1967 war. [Bruce S. Ticker]
Israeli Right-Wingers Exacerbate Hostilities with Palestinians Read More »
Bruce Ticker, Middle East
Here’s a quick response to those of you who are concerned about what’s going on in Israel right now. Among a number of emails/messages regarding the current warfare in Israel, we received this one from our friend Ann in Arizona. {Steve Kramer]
Israel v Hamas – Again Read More »
Middle East, Steve Kramer
JEWISH ORGANIZATIONS, OTHERS, RESPOND (SEE COMMENT SECTION BELOW ARTICLE) By Nidal al-Mughrabi and Jeffrey Heller GAZA/JERUSALEM (Reuters) -Israel said it killed 16 members of the Hamas armed wing in Gaza in a barrage on Wednesday and Palestinian militants rained rockets into Israel as Washington said it would send an envoy to try to calm
Israel strikes kill senior Hamas commander, Palestinians fire rockets Read More »
Middle East
The San Diego State University police force does not plan to further investigate last week’s burglary at Chabad of San Diego at the request of Rabbi Chalom Boudjnah. [Donald H. Harrison]
San Diego State Now A Hot Spot for Antisemitism Read More »
Donald H. Harrison, San Diego County, Science, Medicine, & Education
The wilderness. The midbar, a place of uncertainty, fear, and danger. Daled-bais-reish lies at the root of the word. These letters also are found in the root of davar, word, to speak words that lead to spiritual healing. [Michael R. Mantell, Ph.D]
Learning Our Value in the Wilderness Read More »
Jewish Religion, Michael Mantell
During the holiday of Shavuot, the practice in many synagogues is to read the beautiful biblical book Ruth. Various reasons attempt to explain the practice including that Ruth is said to have converted to Judaism around the time of Shavuot and so did the Israelites when they accepted the Torah; Ruth was an ancestress of King David who died on Shavuot; the harvest in Israel is described in the book, and Shavuot is the time of the Harvest. This is unlikely. [Rabbi Dr. Israel Drazin]
Truth about the Book of Ruth Read More »
Israel Drazin-Rabbi Dr., Jewish Religion