U.S. Condemns Planned Construction in East Jerusalem
At a time when Palestinian violence against Israel has been increasing and Hamas is preparing to attack, Israel is once again drawing criticism for building homes. On Wednesday, the Jerusalem municipality authorized building permits for 558 new units in three East Jerusalem neighborhoods. 386 units are planned for Har Homa, 136 for Neve Yaakov, and […]
PA Negotiator Claims Palestinians Descended from “Biblical Canaanites”
Despite tense moments this weekend in which Israel responded negatively to his veiled threats, its government is cautiously prepared to accept a framework agreement for further peace talks put forward by US Secretary of State John Kerry. It may be irrelevant, however, as the Palestinian Authority is expected to reject the proposal. On Saturday, at […]
State of the Union Address: Obama Takes Soft Stance on Middle Eastern Policy
Last night, U.S. President Barack Obama delivered his annual State of the Union address to both houses of Congress. While the president’s speech focused mostly on domestic issues, Obama did touch upon two particular Middle Eastern issues that are making front page news each day. Regarding Iran, President Obama said that “for the sake of […]
Israeli Knesset Heads to Auschwitz for Holocaust Memorial Day
Today marks the International Holocaust Remembrance Day in commemoration of the savage crime perpetrated by the Nazis against Jews during the Second World War. On January 27, 1945, Soviet troops liberated the Auschwitz-Birkenau extermination camp. In 2005, the United Nations passed a resolution marking January 27 as an international day of Holocaust commemoration. In what […]
Middle East Peace Process: America’s Wishful Thinkers
Remember how everyone laughed when U.S. President George W. Bush appeared unable to remember the ending of that saying: “Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice, shame on me.” Well nobody seems to be laughing, or even noticing, that President Bush’s successor is allowing America’s enemies to fool him repeatedly — and that […]
Al-Qaeda Plot to Blow Up U.S. Embassy and Jerusalem Convention Center Foiled
The Shin Bet announced Wednesday that it had successfully foiled a plot by three al-Qaeda operatives operating in east Jerusalem. The three men, of Palestinian origin, were recruited online by an al-Qaeda official in Gaza. The Shin Bet confirmed that the men were planning to attack the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv, the Jerusalem International […]
134 Members of U.S. Congress Sign Bipartisan Letter Denouncing ASA Boycott
The American Studies Association’s boycott of Israeli academic institutions is under fire again — this time from the top. Sixty nine Democrats and sixty five Republicans in the US Congress have signed a letter condemning the ASA’s decision, calling it “thinly-veiled bigotry and bias against the Jewish State,” and saying it accomplishes the opposite of […]
MLK Day: Recalling an Early Zionist Protest Against Racism
For American Jews, the birthday of the late Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. is an occasion to recall the impressive Jewish contributions to the movement for African-American civil rights—from Jewish Freedom Riders such as Schwerner and Goodman, to the rabbis who marched with Dr. King, to the Jewish attorneys who spearheaded the NAACP’s legal […]
IAEA Report: Iranian Nuclear Deal Begins
The International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) reported on Monday that Iran has halted its 20 percent uranium enrichment as part of an agreement made between Iran and the P5+1 last November in Geneva. Iran also began to dilute its already enriched stockpile to levels below 20 percent which is closer to the capability of creating […]
Obama: Peace Less Than 50% Possible, Harper: Canada “May Play a Role” with Palestinian Refugees
U.S. President Barack Obama is not so convinced when it comes to his own plan regarding peace in the Middle East. In an interview published Sunday by the New Yorker magazine, President Obama said that he believes that there is less than a 50 percent chance that the efforts of his administration can end the […]