Israeli troops on Tuesday shot dead a Palestinian who the military said had opened fire and wounded a soldier at a checkpoint in the occupied West Bank. The Palestinian mainstream Fatah group identified the man as Alaa Odeh, a 30-year-old mobile phone shop owner, and along with relatives accused soldiers of killing him in cold…
Congressional lawmakers from both parties said Hamas backing for the new Palestinian unity government could jeopardize of U.S. aid — although some dovish groups called for a wait-and-see approach. The U.S. said it had no plans to adjust the $500 million aid package to the Palestinians over the deal to end the bloody rift that…
The Rolling Stones landed in Israel two days before their scheduled Tel Aviv concert. The band will play Tel Aviv’s Yarkon Park on Wednesday evening, at the close of the holiday of Shavuot. The band announced would over the weekend that it would push the beginning of its concert to 9:15, to enable religiously observant…
Amid debate featuring anti-Israel slurs, the full Modern Language Association membership voted on a resolution singling out Israel for denying academics entry to the West Bank. At least 10 percent of the full MLA membership of 30,000 was required to participate in Sunday’s vote to make it official. The results have not been released to…
The United States plans to work with the new Palestinian unity government and will continue to disburse aid to the Palestinian Authority, the State Department said. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki said Monday that the U.S. “will be watching closely to ensure that [the Hamas-Fatah government] upholds principles that President [Mahmoud] Abbas reiterated today,” according…
Jonathan Sarna, the American-Jewish historian, is making a steady recovery after collapsing a few weeks ago. Sarna is reading email and gradually regaining the use of his voice, according to recent postings on the website CarePages. “While Jonathan’s elation at being able to speak has calmed down a bit, he is still lecturing and threatening…
Israel said on Monday it was “deeply disappointed” by the U.S. State Department saying it would work with a Palestinian unity government that includes Hamas Islamists opposed to Israel’s existence. In a statement to reporters issued after Washington’s announcement, an Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity said: “We are deeply disappointed by the State…
Armed, masked men threatened to burn down the house of one of Ukraine’s chief rabbis, a spokeswoman from his office said. The incident outside the Kiev-area residence of Rabbi Yaakov Dov Bleich occurred on May 23 at 1:30 a.m., Inna Yoffe, the executive director of the Jewish Confederation of Ukraine, told Ukrainian media last week….
Egypt’s top TV satirist said on Monday his show had been canceled, amid speculation it was because his latest script poked fun at a presidential election won by the former army chief. Bassem Youssef, known as the “Egyptian Jon Stewart”, told a news conference the Saudi-owned MBC Masr TV station had been put under more…
A grand hall from the early 14th century was fully excavated in the Western Wall tunnels. Excavated for more than four years under the supervision of the Israel Antiquities Authority, the hall was inaugurated Sunday by the Western Wall Heritage Foundation. The hall, located underground adjacent to the Western Wall Plaza — including beneath the…
(JTA) — The front-runner in Israel’s presidential election has equated Reform Judaism with “idol worship” and refused to refer to Reform rabbis by their title. Former Knesset speaker Reuven “Ruby” Rivlin, considered a Likud party elder statesman, is one of six candidates running to succeed Shimon Peres in the largely ceremonial post chosen by the…
