There is only a handful of figures in the Israel-Palestinian conflict that have guided peace efforts and remain relevant today. Israeli President Shimon Peres helped shepherd in the Oslo accords, but remains on the outskirts of current policy efforts in his ceremonial role. The memory of former Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin and Palestinian Authority […]
The Obama-Netanyahu scuttle continues, but the White House issued a clear statement on Iran that falls in line with the top Israeli priority. At a press conference today President Barack Obama said he would like to see new, tough sanctions on Iran “this spring,” meaning the administration is on the verge of implementing new sanctions […]
Tonight marks the beginning of the Passover holiday, with Jews in Israel and around the world sitting around a table for the annual Seder when the story of Moses leading the Exodus from Egypt is all but reenacted. A central, and defining, element of the Passover Seder involves the youngest child asking four questions on […]
Passover, whether you’re in Israel or in the Diaspora, generally connects families around the Seder table. The little ones scurry into the far reaches of the house looking for that hidden clump of cracker known for eight days as matzah. Siblings, some of which may have not seen one another all year, come together and […]
The Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority don’t seem to agree on much these days. In fact, the two governments are regularly at odds with one another, refusing to sit down and even discuss how to move forward on a peace process, let alone the details of what a final agreement would entail. Well, it […]
Generally, meetings between high-level officials from allies involve joint statements and appearances. Well, the relationship between Israel and the United States is somewhat tense of late, particularly following Vice President Joe Biden’s visit to the region that coincided with Israeli approval of settlements in a contentious area of Jerusalem. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s visit to […]
As the American Israel Political Action Committee annual policy conference winds down, the group concluded a major show of force, all against the backdrop of growing tensions between Israel and the United States and the rise of a rival lobbying shop more in line with the Obama administration. The group’s three main legislative thrusts are […]
The cards for a strike on Iran are slowly falling into place, with the White House potentially seeking outside help from a somewhat unlikely ally. Let’s set the scene. The White House has deemed that negotiations with the Iranian regime are futile and, in order to thwart the Iranian nucleaAr program, the United States must […]
The American Israel Public Affairs Committee has ranked thwarting the Iranian nuclear program as its top priority. Even though the Obama and Netanyahu administrations have disagreed of late, you wouldn’t have guessed any tension during Secretary of State Hillary Clinton’s speech today to the pro-Israel group at its annual convention. In her speech, Clinton focused […]
The recent tiff between the White House and the Netanyahu administration has reignited a long-running debate on the terms of cooperation between the United States and Israel. Officials of both countries have repeatedly harped about the shared values and mutual interests of the two countries. The United States supplies Israel with military might and aid, […]
A new study in Nature released this week indicates that your pooch is most likely a descendant from Middle Eastern wolves. The study evaluated genetic traits from 85 breeds of dogs and 200 wild wolves, and researchers found that dogs are probably most closely related to the Middle Eastern gray wolf. Israelis are nicknamed ‘sabras’ […]
I’ve written extensively on Israel as a model for airline security, particularly following the failed Christmas Eve terror plot. While the Obama administration has changed some policies that shift the security profile toward a system that mirrors some elements of Israeli policies, the technologies developed by Israeli firms are the top of the line. This […]
The pro-Israel establishment, including Israel’s allies in Congress, are fuming over the recent row between the White House and the Netanyahu administration. They are condemning the Obama administration for inappropriately chastising Israel and holding the Jewish state to higher standards. These criticisms of U.S. policy are nothing new, and only took a new form following […]
Even though cigarette smoking in the United States is on the decline, the Middle East is rife with individuals who just want to light up after a long day of work, an excessively delicious meal, or an exhilarating night of… Israel recently introduced a ban on cigarette smoking in bars and restaurants. But, as anyone […]
The State Department released today its 2009 Human Rights Report that outlines freedom of the press, religion, democracy, and a slew of other issues throughout the world. The section on Israel is quite lengthy and, while one would expect the bulk of the report to deal with Israeli actions toward Palestinians, significant sections are devoted […]