The European Union agreed this week to push ahead with labeling Israeli goods made in settlements in the occupied West Bank, a move that has alarmed the Israeli government; but now there are proposals to go much further, including targeting Israeli banks. In a paper to be published on Wednesday, the European Council on Foreign…
Actor Theodore Bikel, who originated the stage role of Captain von Trapp in “The Sound of Music” but was best known for starring as Tevye, the poor Jewish milkman, in the Broadway hit musical “Fiddler on the Roof,” died on Tuesday at age 91. A native of Vienna, Austria, who grew up in British-controlled Palestine…
(JTA) — They are roaring through Europe, raising dust as they go: Jewish bikers bearing an Olympic-style torch all the way from Israel to this German city. Next week, 11 riders will pull their steel steeds into Berlin’s famous outdoor amphitheater, the Waldbuehne, to help usher in the 14th European Maccabi Games — the first ever…
A French prosecutor recommended on Tuesday the closing of an investigation into the death in France of former Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, whose widow alleged he was poisoned. Arafat, who signed the 1993 Oslo interim peace accord with Israel but led an uprising after subsequent talks broke down in 2000, died aged 75 in a…
Israeli President Reuven Rivlin will host a study session with rabbis from various streams of Judaism in a unity-building effort. Thursday’s event in Jerusalem will mark the upcoming fast of the Ninth of Av. The Orthodox representative who originally had agreed to participate backed out, Haaretz reported. Rabbi Uri Sherki told Haaretz he would not…
The foreign ministers of the European Union called on Israel to halt settlements and policies including “forced transfer.” Their statement on the Middle East peace process was released Monday at the end of a monthly European Union Council meeting in Brussels. It reiterates “strong opposition to Israel’s settlement policy and actions taken in this context,…
A major British organization condemned criticism of Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of the release of a video showing her giving a Nazi salute at the age of 7. The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jonathan Arkush, on Sunday praised the royal family for its close relationship with the Jewish…
Israeli lawmakers voted to impose longer jail terms on people caught throwing rocks at civilian cars and roads. The Knesset passed the bill on its second and third readings by a vote of 69 to 17. Under the new law, rock throwers can be sentenced to up to 20 years in jail if it is…
(JTA) — Louis (Lou) Lenart, an American fighter pilot hailed as “The Man who saved Tel Aviv” during the opening days of Israel’s War of Independence, has died. Lenart died Monday at his home in Raanana, Israel, of heart and kidney failure. He was 94. His funeral on July 22 at the Kefar Nachman Cemetery…
A major British organization condemned criticism of Queen Elizabeth II in the wake of the release of a video showing her giving a Nazi salute at the age of 7. The president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, Jonathan Arkush, on Sunday praised the royal family for its close relationship with the Jewish…
The U.N. Security Council on Monday backed Iran’s nuclear agreement with world powers but the Islamic Republic’s Revolutionary Guards attacked the resolution, underlining powerful opposition to the deal. U.S. President Barack Obama, who also faces domestic political opposition to the agreement, hailed the United Nations endorsement, saying it showed last week’s accord commanded broad international…
