This is the Forward’s coverage of Israel, the Jewish state in the Middle East founded in 1948.
Israel
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Fast Forward Benjamin Netanyahu Withdraws Support From Conversion Bill
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly has withdrawn his support for a bill that would allow local rabbis to oversee conversions. The bill, sponsored by the Hatnua party led by Tzipi Livni, passed one reading in the Knesset plenum in the summer. The Orthodox Chief Rabbinate, which oversees all conversions in Israel, opposes the measure….
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Fast Forward Rabbi Freundel Conversions Are Valid, Israeli Chief Rabbinate Says
The Israeli Chief Rabbinate said it will recognize all past conversions performed by Rabbi Barry Freundel, the Washington rabbi charged with voyeurism. On Tuesday, the Rabbinate clarified that it was joining the Orthodox Rabbinical Council of America in affirming the validity of the conversions, a day after the Rabbinate said it would be examining their…
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Fast Forward Palestinian Protesters Firebomb Jewish-Owned Building in East Jerusalem
Palestinian protesters threw firebombs at an apartment building in the eastern Jerusalem Arab neighborhood of Silwan after Jews moved in. No one was injured in the incident, which occurred late Monday, hours after nine Jewish families moved into the two buildings, Israel Police said, the French news agency AFP reported. No arrests were made. The…
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Fast Forward Israeli Chief Rabbinate Will Review Rabbi Freundel’s Conversions
(Haaretz) — The Chief Rabbinate of Israel is reviewing the validity of conversions performed in recent years by Rabbi Barry Freundel, the Orthodox American rabbi charged with secretly filming women in his synagogue’s ritual bath, Haaretz has learned. “We are appalled by the accusations against Rabbi Barry Freundel and wish to stress that the acts attributed…
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Fast Forward Arab-Israeli Team Hails Ex-Knesset Lawmaker Accused of Treason
An Arab-Israeli soccer team honored a former Knesset lawmaker who fled Israel amid accusations of treason and espionage. Bnei Sakhnin held a ceremony Saturday saluting prominent Arab figures including Azmi Bishara, who was accused of providing information to the terrorist group Hezbollah during the 2006 Second Lebanon War, and an anonymous Qatari donor who gave…
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Fast Forward U.N. Experts Question Israel About Palestinian’s Rights
U.N. experts questioned Israeli officials on Monday over alleged rights abuses ranging from the demolition of Palestinian houses to mistreatment of detainees and limited Palestinian access to water. Israel’s delegation defended its record before the United Nations Human Rights Committee, which examined respect for civil and political rights in Israel, the Gaza Strip and the…
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Fast Forward British Lawmaker Will Not Be Prosecuted For Declaring ‘Israel-Free Zone’
British lawmaker George Galloway will not be prosecuted for calling for his constituency to be “declared an Israel-free zone. The Crown Prosecution Service said last week that there was not enough evidence to file any charges against Galloway, despite numerous complaints made to the West Yorkshire Police that he was inciting racial hatred. Police categorized…
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Opinion Tale of Two Sermons on Israel
After a brutal, confusing summer of fighting between Israel and Hamas, many American rabbis were supposedly skittish about talking about Israel from the pulpit. Why, even The New York Times reported on this rabbinic reluctance: “Debate among Jews about Israel is nothing new, but some say the friction is now fire,” Laurie Goodstein wrote on…
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Politics This politician refused to say ‘Happy Hanukkah,’ then blamed ‘political correctness’ for the backlash
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