Steve Goldstein, the State Department’s undersecretary for public affairs and public diplomacy, emerged in recent months as Rex Tillerson’s chief spokesperson. On Tuesday, shortly after news broke about Tillerson’s firing, it was Goldstein who spoke to the press, relaying the ousted secretary’s feelings. “The secretary did not speak to the president and is unaware of…
Another dramatic day in the Trump White House opened Tuesday with the firing of Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the appointment of CIA director Mike Pompeo to replace him. For Middle East watchers and pro-Israel activists, the reshuffling could also signal some major changes in policy, mainly in regard to America’s posture toward Iran…
It took the tie-breaking vote of Vice President Mike Pence, but on Wednesday the Senate finally approved, in the narrowest of margins, Sam Brownback as the State Department’s next ambassador at large for international religious freedom. Immediately after, Brownback announced his resignation from his post as governor of Kansas. Brownback will fill the position previously…
WASHINGTON (JTA) — Reports that the U.S. ambassador to Israel asked the State Department to stop calling the West Bank “occupied” are misleading, a department official said. Israel’s Kan public broadcaster reported on Tuesday that David Friedman asked the State Department to stop calling Israel’s control over the West Bank an “occupation” in official documents….
(JTA) — A Miami-area village council passed an ordinance that helps police define and investigate anti-Semitic acts as hate crimes. The Bal Harbour Village Council unanimously passed the ordinance, the first of its kind for a municipality, the Miami Herald reported. The ordinance was passed by the five-member council on Dec. 13 and took effect…
(JTA) — Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said that moving the U.S. Embassy to Jerusalem “is not something that is going to happen this year, probably not next year.” Tillerson made the remarks Friday in Paris, where he was meeting with his French counterpart, Jean-Yves Le Drian, CNN reported. His statement followed mass protests by…
WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The possibility that President Trump may recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital has stirred opposition from U.S. officials who fear it could unleash violence. Such a decision, which U.S. officials have said has not been finalized, would violate decades of U.S. policy not to take a stance on the fate of Jerusalem on…
(JTA) — The State Department offered $12 million in rewards for the capture of two leaders of Hezbollah. The United States is offering up to $7 million and up to $5 million “for information that leads to the location, arrest or conviction in any country” of Talal Hamiyah and Fu’ad Shukr, respectively, State Department Counterterrorism…
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