Israeli Architects Face Expulsion from World Body

Israel faces expulsion from The International Architects Union because of claims over the involvement of Israeli architects in constructing West Bank settlements.

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Hamas Halts Talks for Schalit

Terror group suspends negotiations for the release of IDF soldier Gilad Schalit, claiming that Israel has violated cease-fire.
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Iran Responds to Incentives Package

Iran submits written response to six world powers’ offer regarding suspension of nuclear program.
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US Israel Envoy Plays Down Iran Attack

The US Ambassador to Israel, Richard Jones, denied that an attack on Iran's nuclear installations was imminent, adding that sanctions would take their course.

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Bulldozer Rampage in Jerusalem

Three people are killed and dozens more are wounded after a Palestinian rams a bulldozer into a bus and other vehicles on Jerusalem's busy Jaffa Road.
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Shavit: Israel Has One Year to Stop Iran

Shabtai Shavit, the former director of Mossad, warns that Israel has only one year to stop Iran from developing a nuclear weapon.
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UK Academics Ignore Boycott

British academics are enthusiastically taking up offers of joint seminars with their Israeli colleagues, says the director of the Academic Study Group on Israel and the Middle East.
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Israeli Cabinet Approves Prisoner Deal

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has won his cabinet's approval on Sunday for a prisoner swap with Hezbollah under which two soldiers held by the Islamist terror group, and believed to be dead, would be recovered.
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Teaching the Holocaust in Balata

An Israeli Arab teaches residents of the Balata refugee camp about the Holocaust, arguing that if Palestinians are to be successful they need to "know their enemy."

Presbyterians Mull Israel Divestment

The Presbyterian Church in the US is considering a range of anti-Israel proposals, including divestment and a call to end US military aid.
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Push for Strike on Iranian Nuclear Facilities Grows

As the former US Ambassador to the UN, John Bolton, predicts an Israeli attack on Iran's nuclear facilities before President Bush leaves office, a senior Israeli analyst tells CBS News the job can only be done with American assistance.
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Israel Closes Gaza Cargo Crossings

The IDF closes Gaza’s cargo crossings in response to Qassams fired by Islamic Jihad.
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Hamas Violates Truce

Islamic Jihad claims responsibility for three Qassam rockets against Sderot launched from Hamas-controlled Gaza, in violation of the truce.
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EU Sanctions Won't Affect Nuclear Program, Says Iran

Iran's "pursuit to realize its nuclear rights" will continue despite a new raft of EU sanctions against the Tehran regime, a foreign ministry spokesman says.
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War of Words Over Iran Escalates

As European Union finance ministers freeze the assets of Bank Melli, Iran's biggest bank, within the EU, the Tehran regime claims that Israel does not have the capacity to launch an attack on its nuclear facilities.
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Barbarism in Paris

A Jewish teenager has been beaten into a coma following a vicious antisemitic attack on the streets of the French capital.
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Israel Increases Goods Flow into Gaza

As badly-needed goods are driven into Gaza following the ceasefire with Hamas, the family of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit criticize the Israeli government for not making his release part of the deal.
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Iran Must "Read the Writing on the Wall"

An Israeli official says last month's ambitious long-range military exercise is a clear signal to Iran that an attack on its nuclear facilities is a very real option.
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Complaints Close Israel Exhibit in Chicago

A controversial exhibition on Israel at Chicago's Spertus Institute of Jewish Studies closes early after complaints about its content.
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US Says Israeli Military Exercise is Iran Rehearsal

A major military exercise carried out by Israel may be a rehearsal for an attack on Iran's nuclear facilities, say American officials.
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Canadian Jews Play Down Report of Hezbollah Threat

Following an ABC report that Hezbollah "sleeper cells" are poised to attack Jewish targets in Canada, a top Jewish official says that there is no imminent threat.
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Hezbollah: Armed Presence Will Remain After Deal

Hezbollah says that its armed presence in Lebanon will remain even after Israel evacuates the disputed Shebaa Farms area.
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Gaza Truce Takes Shaky Hold

A truce between Israel and Hamas-ruled Gaza has gone into effect just hours after southern Israel was subjected to a barrage of mortar and rocket fire. Doubt that the truce will last is widespread.
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Business as Usual in the Tunnels into Gaza

Cigarettes, clothing, viagra and weapons are among the items being smuggled through tunnels from Egypt into Gaza, resulting in handsome profits for both the smugglers and their Hamas rulers.
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Israel Confirms Gaza Ceasefire

Israel confirms a ceasefire with Hamas-ruled Gaza, following talks brokered by Egypt. Israelis are now hoping for an end to rocket attacks on Sderot and other towns in the south.
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Israel and Hamas Agree Truce

Reports of a truce between Israel and Hamas are spreading across the media, along with rumors of renewed negotiations over the fate of kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit.
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Falk Wants to "Insulate" HRC

Richard Falk, the UN Human Rights Council's new special investigator on Israel - infamous for comparing Israel to the Nazis - says he wants to "insulate" the discredited body from "partisan politics."
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Oil Price Fears Grow

As oil surges towards $140 per barrel, some analysts predict that the price could hit $150 as early as next week.
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UCU Executive Dithers on Academic Boycott

Perhaps alarmed by the unlawful nature of the academic boycott, the UCU national executive has deferred a decision on whether it can be implemented to its Strategy and Finance Committee.
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Fears Over Iran Nuclear Blueprints

As George Bush and Gordon Brown reiterate a tough line on Iran, a former U.N. weapons inspector has revealed that blueprints for nuclear devices were found two years ago on computers connected to an international nuclear smuggling ring with links to Iran and North Korea.
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Hamas Consolidates One Year On

One year after its violent seizure of Gaza, Hamas is growing stronger even as living conditions in the tiny strip deteriorate.
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France and US Rally Over Iran

Meeting French President Nicolas Sarkozy in Paris, George Bush restates their joint determination to prevent Iran from obtaining nuclear weapons.
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Rice Warns Israel on Settlements

The US Secretary of State says that construction projects in east Jerusalem and the West Bank could "imperil" peace efforts.
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Artists Flock to Israel

Calls on rock musicians to abide by the boycott campaign have made little impression, as rapper Snoop Dogg, French electronica duo Air and even a revived Blondie announce concerts in Israel.
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UK to Host Antisemitism Parley

London will be the venue for a February 2009 conference on antisemitism bringing together parliamentarians from across the globe.
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Saudi Hate School on US Shores

The US Commission on International Religious Freedom has highlighted a Saudi-run school in Virginia which teaches hatred of Jews, Shi'a Muslims and others.
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The Israel Lobby at the Hebrew University

In Israel to speak at a forum organized by the far-left Gush Shalom group, "Israel Lobby" authors Mearsheimer and Walt have delivered a lecture, arranged at their own request, at the Hebrew University.
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Rice: World Losing Patience with Iran

The US Secretary of State says that Iran will not be allowed to use a renewed diplomatic overture to to stall concerns over its nuclear program.
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EU Cool on Israel Upgrade

EU diplomats say that there is unlikely to be an upgrade of ties with Israel, "given the uncertainty of the situation on the ground in Israel and its immediate neighbourhood."
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Qaddafi in Race Slur Against Obama

The Libyan dictator claims that Barack Obama's support for Israel stems from an "inferiority complex" over his African origins.
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Al-Qaeda Active in Hamastan

In Hamas-ruled Gaza, Al Qaeda groups are active - and their impatience is growing.
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Israelis Debate Gaza Operation

As terrorists bombard southern Israel with mortar rounds, Israeli leaders discuss whether to mount a military operation against Hamas.
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Gilad's Family Receives Letter

Two years after he was kidnapped, the family of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit has received a letter in his handwriting in which he pleas for his life.
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Diplomatic Solution Emerging for Shebaa Farms

British and French diplomacy may result in an imminent diplomatic solution of the conflict over Shebaa Farms, which involves Israel, Lebanon and Syria.
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US to Limit Contact with "Pathetic" UN Rights Council

The United States has confirmed plans to scale back its participation in the United Nations Human Rights Council, which obsessively criticizes Israel while ignoring massive human rights abuses elsewhere.

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Mofaz Iran Comments Spark Anger

Several Israeli commentators and politicians have rounded on Deputy PM Shaul Mofaz, saying his comments on attacking Iran are designed to further his political ambitions.
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Tel Aviv Celebrates Gay Pride

Parties hit the streets of Tel Aviv for the 10th annual Gay Pride parade.
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The Battle for Water

A fast-growing population combined with global warming has put a major strain on Israel's water supplies, as the country experiences a drought for the fourth consecutive year.
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Palestine in 1948: Bobby Kennedy's Reports

In 1948, a 22 year old Robert Kennedy reported from Palestine for the Boston Post. Lenny Ben-David revisits his dispatches.
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Israel to Loosen Limits on Gaza Scholars

Israel will no longer prevent Palestinians with foreign study grants from leaving Gaza and will look favorably on their applications for exit permits, senior officials say.
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Former Belgian Minister Sues Jewish Leader

A former Belgian minister has filed a libel lawsuit against a senior Jewish leader who reported anti-Jewish comments made by the politician during a pro-Palestinian demonstration.
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Al Qaeda Calls for Gaza Jihad

Ayman al-Zawahri, Al Qaeda's number 2, has urged a holy war  over the Gaza Strip.
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Israel Angered by Palestinian EU Call

Israel has reacted angrily to Palestinian PM Salam Fayyad's call on the European Union not to upgrade its ties with the Jewish state.
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Israel's Supreme Court Condemns Student Ban

The Israeli Supreme Court has called on the government to reconsider its almost total ban on Palestinian students leaving the Gaza Strip to study abroad.
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Tough Line on Iran Renewed

As Israel's PM warns Iran over its nuclear ambitions, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice describes Tehran as a threat to the entire Middle East.
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Taking the UCU to Task

Read the letter sent by leading UK lawyer Anthony Julius to UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt.
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Gaza Fulbright Scholarships Reinstated

The US Consulate in Jerusalem tells seven Gaza Fulbright scholars that their grants have been reinstated and that exit permits are being secured from the Israeli authorities.
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Putin Denies Iran Seeking Nuclear Weapons

On a visit to Paris, Russian PM Vladimir Putin tells reporters that "nothing indicates" Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons.
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Israel and State Department Trade Fulbright Accusations

Israel says that the State Department did not contact the Prime Minister's Office over the seven Palestinian Fulbright scholars unable to leave Gaza. Officials also say the students will now be able to depart for their studies.
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Baghdad's Last Jews

For the handful of Iraqi Jews who saw the end of Saddam's totalitarian regime, life remains dominated by fear and uncertainty.
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UN Agency Blasted for Ahmadinejad Invite

The Israeli Ambassador in Rome has slammed the UN's Food and Agriculture Organisation for inviting the Iranian President to its summit next week.
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Rice to Examine Fulbright Withdrawals

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice is looking into reports that the State Department scrapped grants to Palestinian scholars because they could not get Israeli approval to leave Gaza.
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Fulbright Withdrawal from Gaza Students Causes Unease

Leading Israelis have expressed concern at the US State Department's decision to withdraw Fulbright Scholarships for seven students from Gaza after Israel refused them permission to travel.
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UCU Vote Denounced by UK Academic Leader

Professor Rick Trainor, president of the umbrella body Universities UK, says that the UCU vote is "at odds with the principles of academic freedom."
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Boycott Threatens International Cooperation for UK Academics

The UCU vote to encourage a boycott of Israeli academics is likely to sour relations between British academics and their colleagues abroad, reports Joanna Sugden.
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UCU Votes for Academic Boycott

Despite authoritative legal advice that an academic boycott of Israelis would break British anti-discrimination laws, the UCU passes a motion calling on members "to consider the moral implications" of working with Israeli colleagues.
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Remembering the Gay Victims of Nazism

A monument to the gay victims of Nazi persecution has been unveiled in Berlin, aimed at reminding visitors that discrimination based on sexual orientation continues to exist.
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Iran: The Deceit Continues

A new report from the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) says that Iran's suspected research into nuclear weapons development remains "a matter of serious concern."
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Durban 2 Headed for Geneva

A follow-up to the 2001 UN conference against racism - which many states fear will degenerate into an endless Israel-bashing session - will be held in Geneva in April 2009, diplomats announce.
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Gordimer in Jerusalem

Nobel Prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer offers harsh criticisms of Israel in a conversation with Amos Oz, but rejects the apartheid analogy at the same time.
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No More Talks With Hamas, Says Sarkozy

The French President tells Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni that France will have no more contact with Hamas.
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Egyptian Diplomats Boycott Israeli Soccer Team

An Egyptian soccer team, including diplomats from the Egyptian Embassy in Rome, boycotted an international tournament after finding out they were playing an Israeli side.

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Israel Deports Norman Finkelstein

"It wasn't a Belgian bed-and-breakfast, but it wasn't Auschwitz either," says anti-Zionist US academic Norman Finkelstein of his 24 hours in an Israeli prison cell, prior to his deportation from the country because of concerns related to his meetings with Hezbollah. 
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American Teachers Urge UCU to Drop Boycott Proposal

Edward J. McElroy, President of the American Federation of Teachers, has urged British academics not to single out Israelis for a boycott, in a letter to the UCU leadership.
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UCU Under Pressure Over Academic Boycott

The UCU could face legal repercussions if it passes a motion supporting an academic boycott of Israelis; earlier this week, two prominent legal experts deemed that such a course of action would be unlawful.
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Libel Verdict on Al-Dura Killing Overturned

A court in Paris overrules a libel verdict in favor of France 2 television against media critic Phillipe Karsenty, who claimed that footage of the killing of Palestinian child Muhammed al-Dura - who became an icon of the second intifada - was staged.
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US Cool on Syria-Israel Talks

The US reacts cooly to news of indirect talks between Syria and Israel, saying that the Palestinian negotiations track is "more mature."
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UCU Leader Avoids Legality Question

UCU General Secretary Sally Hunt refuses to be drawn into a discussion of the legality of the proposed academic boycott of Israel; Engage detects a change of tune.
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The Jihadis Next Door

Jewish residents of the 19th arrondisement in Paris talk about revelations that some of their Muslim neighbors have gone to fight in Iraq.
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Israel and Syria in "Indirect" Talks

Israel says it is holding indirect peace talks with Syria mediated by Turkey. Talks between the two broke down in 2000 over Syrian demands on the Golan Heights.
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Academic Boycott Violates Anti-Racism Laws

Two leading barristers have issued an opinion concluding that the academic boycott of Israelis being considered by the UCU would be on the wrong side of British laws on discrimination.
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France in Contact with Hamas

"These are not relations, they are contacts," says French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner, responding to reports that France is in touch with Hamas.

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Hezbollah Ascendant

"Hezbollah today stands unquestioned as the single most powerful force in Lebanon," writes Anthony Shadid.
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The Threats Facing Israel

In a candid interview, the director of Israel's Military Intelligence talks about Hezbollah, Hamas, Syria and Iran.
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Islamists Ride High in Kuwait Polls

Conservative Islamist candidates have made strong gains in Kuwait's pariamentary elections, while women candidates have failed to win a single seat.
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Major Gaza Offensive if Shalit Remains Captive, Warns Suleiman

Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Sulieman has apparently warned Hamas leaders that Israel will launch a major offensive in Gaza if Gilad Shalit is not released.
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Bin Laden's One-State Solution

A new audio tape apparently recorded by Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden vows "not to give up one inch of Palestine."
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A "State of Nazism": Palestinian Demonstrations Demonize Israel

Palestinian schoolchildren in Ramallah chant "We Will Return!" beneath slogans describing Israel as an "apartheid" and "Nazi" state.
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Palestinian Protests Underline Divisions

Protests by Palestinians to mark Israel's sixtieth anniversary have highlighted the divisions between Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and his Hamas foes in Gaza.
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Terror Strikes Ashkelon

Fifteen people are wounded as a rocket fired from Gaza crashes into a women's health clinic next to a mall in the Israeli city of Ashkelon.
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Australian PM Explores Court Action Against Ahmadinejad

Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd may take Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to the International Court of Justice over his "antisemitic" incitement of violence against Israel.
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Terrorism Victims Sue UBS

Victims of terrorist attacks in Israel have filed a lawsuit in New York against UBS,  claiming that the Swiss bank's dealings with Iran enabled the funding of terrorist groups.
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Jerusalem Parley Set to Begin

An array of international guests - including George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch - are descending on Jerusalem for a major conference hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
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Little Hope for Reconciliation

Leading Israeli historian Benny Morris explains why, sixty years after its creation, Israel remains fundamentally insecure.
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EU Condemns Ahmadinejad

The EU has rebuked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for describing the State of Israel as a "stinking corpse."
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Hezbollah Overruns West Beirut

Lebanon draws closer to a renewed civil war as Hezbollah terrorists storm the western half of the city.
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Canadian PM: Anti-Zionism is Often Antisemitism

Anti-Israeli sentiment is often "a thinly disguised veil for good old-fashioned antisemitism," says Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
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Fierce Clashes in Beirut

Sunni and Shi'a neighbourhoods in Beirut plunge into conflict as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says that recent government actions amount to "open war."

Israel at Sixty: AJC Celebrates

The American Jewish Committee marks Israel's sixtieth anniversary with several features, including a blog by Executive Director David Harris on why this is an occasion to celebrate.
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1948: "I Was There"

On 14 May 1948, 200 dignitaries gathered at Tel Aviv's Museum of Art to hear David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence. Arieh Handler, now 93, was one of them.
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Israel Remembers Fallen Soldiers

On the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of its independence, Israel remembers the 22,437 soldiers who fell in defense of the Jewish state.
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When Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism

San Francisco's Mayor says that much of the anti-Zionist rhetoric in the Bay Area is antisemitism, plain and simple.
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Olmert Corruption Allegations Intensify

Rumors abound in Israel that the latest set of corruption allegations against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could result in his resignation. See also The New York Post.
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Olmert Investigation Could Brake Peace Process

US attempts to bring about a lasting deal between Israel and the Palestinians could be held back by an Israeli police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
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Rice: Peace is Possible This Year

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice believes a deal between Israel and the Palestinians can be done before President Bush leaves office.
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The Price of Success

Israel's remarkable progress in preventing suicide bombings comes at a political price, reports Isabel Kershner.
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Al Jazeera Spurned by Israeli Officials

Concerned by the Arabic satellite network's coverage of the conflict in Gaza, Israeli officials won't be appearing on Al Jazeera - not everyone agrees with that strategy, however.
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Israel to Honor Gay Holocaust Victims

A monument commemorating the gay men and women persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime is to be erected in a Tel Aviv park.
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Gordimer Declines Israel Boycott

Nobel Prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer defends her decision to attend a writer's festival in Jerusalem, but strongly attacks the Israeli government.
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Israel Remembers the Holocaust

"There is no force in the world stronger than the spirit of this people, that emerged from the abyss of annihilation to the summits of creation, success, building and might of the State of Israel," says Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as commemoration ceremonies are held across the country.
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New Report Pinpoints Rise in Violent Antisemitic Attacks

A new Tel Aviv University study notes an overall decline in antisemitic incidents around the world last year, but a significant rise in violent attacks.
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Rice: Hamas Serving as Iran's Proxy Warriors

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice tells the American Jewish Committee's annual meeting that Hamas is serving an Iranian regime bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and destroying Israel.
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The Centrifuges of Natanz

The Iranian regime takes journalists on an official tour of its main nuclear center at Natanz; the New York Times concludes that Iran's true intentions remain an enigma.
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Iran: It's the Economy, Stupid

Parliamentary elections won't impact government policy or the power structure in Iran, but the current regime's mishandling of the economy could come back to haunt it.
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Gordimer Under Pressure to Boycott Israel Writers Festival

Nobel Prize winning South Afrcian author Nadine Gordimer is under pressure to observe a cultural boycott of Israel by pulling out of May's International Writers Festival in Jerusalem.
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Amis on Islamism: Much Heat, Little Light

"I have never before assented to so many of the principles of a book and found it so awful," says Leon Wieseltier, reviewing Martin Amis's angry denuniciation of Islamism, "The Second Plane."

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Outrage Over Belgian Government Support for Pro-Boycott Festival

Jewish leaders in Belgium are furious about a Palestinian festival, sponsored by the culture ministry, which encourages a boycott of Israeli goods.
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Israel Air Force Chief: Iran is a Real Threat

Israelis must be ready for anything and can trust only themselves, Major General Eliezer Shkedy tells 60 Minutes.
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Don't Knock Biofuels

Concerns about dependency on oil supplies from repressive states are now being displaced by the argument that biofuel alternatives are behind the global food crisis - and that's a big mistake, argues Roger Cohen.
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Anti-Boycott Activist Banned from UCU Email Forum

David Hirsh, one of the founders of Engage, the academic group formed to oppose the academic boycott, has been banned from an email forum run by the University and College Union (UCU).
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Was There an Agreement Over Settlements?

Israel claims that a 2005 letter from President Bush to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sanctioned the growth of existing West Bank settlements - but the US says there is no such agreement.
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North Korea Linked to Syria Nuclear Reactor

US officials say that there is video evidence of North Koreans working at the alleged nuclear facility in Syria destroyed during an Israeli airstrike in September 2007.
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Durban II Preparatory Conference Distorts Antisemitism

On the third day of a preparatory meeting in Geneva for the next UN Summit on Racism, an Algerian diplomat tries to distort the meaning of the term "antisemitism" to include anti-Arab racism.
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Israel "Ready to Withdraw" from Golan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly conveyed a message to the Syrian regime from Israeli leader Ehud Olmert offering to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace deal.
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Espionage Suspect Was "Helping Israel"

84 year old Ben Ami Kadish, arrested for allegedly passing classified US military information to an Israeli handler in the early 1980s, believed he was helping Israel; meanwhile, senior Israeli officials say they are not familiar with the case.
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Iran "Hell Bent" on Acquiring Nukes

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that Iran is "hell bent" on weaponizing its nuclear capability -
and warns of the dangers of another war in the Middle East.
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Muslim Antisemitism a "Strategic Threat" to Israel

A new report by a leading Israeli institution presents the surge in Muslim antisemitism as an existential danger to the State of Israel.
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Hamas: We Won't Recognize Israel

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal flatly contradicts former US President Jimmy Carter's claim that the Islamist terror organization is ready to live in peace with Israel.
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In the West Bank, Another Kind of Rally

In the midst of conflict, a group of Palestinian enthusiasts are drumming up support for motor racing.
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Hamas Issues New Threat to Gilad Shalit

A Hamas leader says that Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by the Islamist terror group almost two years ago, will not be released until demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners are met.
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Caterpillar in Talks with Church Divestment Activists

Heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar is in discussions with divestment activists in the United Methodist Church who are targeting the company because of ots dealings with Israel.
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Academic Boycott Faces Legal Challenge

Leaders of the Stop the Boycott campaign in the UK confirm that they will instruct lawyers to examine the legality of the latest academic boycott proposal to emerge within the University and College Union.
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Moroccan Court Bans Pro-Israel Berber Party

Morocco's PDAM party, based in the country's large Berber minority, has been banned under a law prohibiting ethnic parties - but its pro-Israel stance was also a factor.
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Syria Still Arming Hezbollah, Says Israel

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Syria is still supplying rockets to Hezbollah, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
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The "Peace" Lobby: J Street Launches

The much-heralded alternative to AIPAC, pushing a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" agenda, has been unveiled in Washington.
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UCU Boycott Motion Reaches Conference Floor

The UK's University and College Union has permitted a motion promoting a boycott of Israeli academics to be discussed at its upcoming conference, despite having received advice that such a move would violate anti-discrimination laws.
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Morrissey: God Bless Israel

Rock legend and former Smiths frontman Morrissey is to play Israel this summer, despite a renewed Israel boycott campaign aimed at musicians.
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Warsaw Ghetto Heroes Remembered

Marek Edelman, now 89, recalls his role as a commander of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as commemoration ceremonies are held to honor the epic battle which erupted in April 1943.
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Hamas Cleric: Jihad is Global

A sermon broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV by Hamas cleric Yunus al-Astal forecasts that Islam will conquer Rome, Europe and eventually America.
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Israeli and Omani Foreign Ministers Meet

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has met her Omani counterpart, Yousef bin Alawi, during a visit to Qatar. Both the meeting and its location suggest a further warming of ties between Israel and certain Gulf Arab states.
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Iranian Minister: Mosque Explosion was an "Accident"

Iran's deputy interior minister says that an explosion at a Shi'a mosque in the town of Shiraz was an "accident"; although bomb attacks are a rarity in Iran, growing political, religious and ethnic tensions in the country have raised suspicions that it was an attack.
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Noam Shalit: Carter Could Help Secure Gilad's Release

After meeting Jimmy Carter, the father of Gilad Shalit says the former US President's anti-Israel reputation could help secure his son's release from Hamas captivity.
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Iran Seeks UN Security Council Seat

Diplomats say the Islamist regime's ambitions are yet another sign that the UN Security Council is becoming irrelevant.
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Bahraini Boycotters Step Up Campaign

Pro-boycott politicians in Bahrain are appealing to King Hamad to reopen the Israel Boycott Office, closed after the signing of a Free Trade Agreement with the US. For more background, see this recent piece by Ben Cohen on the Z Word blog.
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Iranian Regime: We're the Victims

Iran's UN Envoy has written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon complaining about "impudent threats" frm "the Israel Regime" after an Israeli Minister warned that an Iranian first-strike would trigger a harsh response.
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Hamas Seizes Fuel for Military Aggression

Half of the 800,000 liters of fuel transferred by Israel into Gaza on a weekly basis - and intended for humanitarian usage, such as hospitals and sewage pumps - is being commandeered by the Islamist organization's military wing.
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AJC Launches Arabic Website

In a bid to increase understanding of Jews and Judaism in the Arab world, the American Jewish Committee has launched an ambitious Arabic website.
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Carter Ignores State Department Advice

Former US President Jimmy Carter has dismissed the State Department's view that he should not meet with Khaled Meshaal, a senior Hamas leader, on a visit to the Middle East next week.
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Pro-Israel Circles Warm to Hagee

By toning down his apocalyptic rhetoric, Pastor John Hagee, the leading "Christian Zionist" in the US, is gaining greater acceptance among advocates for Israel in the Jewish community.
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Antisemitism on the Rise in Canada

A new study shows that antisemitic incidents in Canada have risen four-fold over the past decade.
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Carter To Break Bread With Hamas Chief

Former US President Jimmy Carter is travelling to Damascus to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, widely regarded as responsible for supporting and directing several terrorist outrages against Israelis. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports on a new study which concludes that Hamas is engaged in a massive military build-up, backed by Syria and Iran.

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Scientists Disdain Academic Boycott

Via Engage - Statement condemning the UCU's proposed academic boycott of Israelis from four scientific associations researching diabetes and endocrinology: "The principle of the Universality of Science is fundamental to scientific progress," the statement says.
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Israel Bars "Nazi Analogy" UN Official

Richard Falk, the American academic recently appointed as the UN's investigator into Palestinian human rights, has been barred from entering Israel after he stood by comments equating Israeli policies with the Nazi German regime.
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Iran Nuclear Threat Escalates

Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges - used to enrich uranium - at its principal nuclear site in Natanz.
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Barghouti Writes "Peace Letter" for Peace Now Rally

A Peace Now rally in Tel Aviv is the site for the reading of a letter penned by jailed Fatah leader, Marwan Barghouti, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
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Australian Labor Leader Denounces Anti-Israel Ad

Paddy Crumlin, leader of the Maritime Union of Australia, says a recent newspaper ad equating Israel with "racism" and "ethnic cleansing" was an "appalling choice of words."
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Israeli Court Ruling Highlights Religious-Secular Divide

The recent Jerusalem municipal court decision to allow restaurants to sell bread during the Jewish holiday of Passover has triggered appeals from politicians for tolerance.
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Israeli Minister Warns of "Binational State"

Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warns that nationalism among Israeli Arabs could result in a binational state; he also calls for the release of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in order to provide a credible negotiating partner.
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Sderot Becomes Israel's Symbol

Under constant fire from Hamas rockets, the Israeli town of Sderot has become a symbol of resilience. "We are at war and you feel it here," says one resident.
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Israel and US Likely to Reject UN Conference on Racism

Senior diplomatic sources say that - absent guarantees that the UN's Durban follow-up meeting will not turn into an Israel-bashing confab - Israel and the US will spurn the event.
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"Alternative AIPAC" Prepares for Launch

The much-discussed "dovish" Israel Lobby - dubbed the "J-Street Project" - is about to be unveiled.
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Amazon: An Extremist Publisher?

A book of articles by prominent antisemites of right and left has been published by a subsidiary of Amazon, the online retailer.
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Suffering in Sderot Continues

Sirens mark the start of the morning in the Israeli town of Sderot, as residents hurry to shelters under a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.
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Saudis Prime Source of Terror Funds

Al Qaeda and other terror networks receive much of their funding from donors in Saudi Arabia, a US ally, says a leading Treasury official.
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Bjork Isn't Boycotting

Iceland's searing rock vocalist will be playing a major concert in Israel over the summer.
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Hamas Leader's Remarks on Palestinian State Under Scrutiny

Interviewed by a leading Arab daily, Khaled Meshal says he supports an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders - but also calls for the "right of return."
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Israel and Iran Rate Lowest in BBC Poll

Respondents to a BBC poll in 34 countries view Israel more negatively than North Korea and Pakistan; only Iran fares worse.
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Congress Recognizes Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands

A Congressional resolution recognizes the thousands of Jewish refugees forced to flee their homes in Arab countries following Israel's creation - and urges that their fate be taken into account in peace negotiations.

See also Point of No Return.

Hamas Antisemitism Confounds Peace Efforts

Antisemitic agitation by Hamas in Gaza - from Friday sermons in mosques to bloodcurdling rhetoric about Jews on television - casts significant doubt on whether the intentions of the Islamist organization can ever be peaceful.

See also this American Jewish Committee report on Palestinian textbooks.

New Poll Underlines US Public's Support for Israel

Support for a strong US-Israel relationship remains strong among Americans, a new poll finds.
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Funding Crisis for Israel Anti-Boycott Body

The International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom - an Israeli body which has played a critical role in fighting the academic boycott - has been silenced by a lack of funds.
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Australian Unions Shrug Off Antisemitism Charge

US labor leader Stuart Appelbaum's forthright criticisms of the "venom" directed at Israel by two Australian unions have met with a standard cool response.
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Peace Now?

Speaking in Jordan, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says she's confident that a "comprehensive peace" will be reached between Israel and the Palestinians by the year's end.
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Antisemitism in France Becoming More Violent

A report by France's leading Jewish organization says antisemitic attacks are taking increasingly violent forms.
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Dutch Jews Distance Themselves From Islam Film

Fitna, a film about Islam by Dutch MP Geert Wilders which purports to be a serious documentary, is criticized by Dutch Jewish leaders for its polarizing message. See also Elif Kayi on the Z Word blog.
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What's the UCU Hiding?

A spokesman for the UK academic union refuses to discuss the renewed motion for an academic boycott of Israelis, saying the document "should not be in the public domain."
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Hungarian Liberals Protest Antisemitic Article

Prominent Hungarians, including the Mayor of Budapest, have cancelled subscriptions to the daily newspaper Magyar Hirlap following the publication of a blatantly antisemitic article.
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Anger Over UN Appointment of Richard Falk as Palestinian Monitor

The UN Human Rights Council has appointed Richard Falk - an American academic who has compared Israeli actions with those of Nazi Germany - as its "expert" on the situation in the Palestinian territories.
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UCU Pushes New Academic Boycott Effort

Despite an authoritative legal opinion warning that an academic boycott of Israelis is an act of discrimination, the leadership of Britain's academic trade union is - for the fourth year in a row - pushing to exclude Israelis.

See also Eve Garrard's Z Word essay on the academic boycott and Z Word editor Ben Cohen on the ideological roots of the boycott.

UN Bias on Israel Returns to Spotlight

As the US Envoy to the UN questions the "utility" of the Security Council's monthly briefing on the Middle East, anger is stoked by the Swiss government's decision to nominate Jean Ziegler, a key figure in the campaign to demonize Israel, as adviser to the UN Human Rights Council.
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Wiesel Recruits Nobel Laureates for Tibet

The Chinese government's crackdown on protestors in Tibet has galvanized Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel into action.
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Nasrallah Issues New Deadly Threat to Israel

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says his organization's terrorist operations against Israel show that the Jewish state can be "eliminated."
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BBC Admits Reporting Errors

The BBC has apologized for two major errors in recent reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the false claim that the home of the gunman who carried out the massacre at a Jerusalem yeshiva was destroyed by the authorities.
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French Civil Servant Fired After Publishing Anti-Israel Pamphlet

A senior French civil servant has lost his post at the interior ministry after publishing an online pamphlet which demonized Israel.
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Hillel Invite Sparks Debate and Protest

The Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, a bastion of extreme anti-Zionist activity, is to address leaders of the Jewish community.
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Melbourne Jews Vow to Fight Back

As antisemitic attacks rise in the Australian city, a local Jewish leader says "we will never be victims again."
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Blood Libel Resurfaces in Russia

As the Jewish holiday of Passover approaches, leaflets carrying an age-old libel - that Jews use the blood of Christian children to bake matzoth, or unleavened bread - have appeared in the Russian city of Novosibirsk. See also Simply Jews here.

German Jewish Leaders Issue Court Challenge to Google

The Central Council of Jews in Germany has filed a case in a Hamburg Court to prevent YouTube, owned by Google, from hosting antisemitic videos.
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Ontario Teachers Reject Israel Boycott

Via Engage: A resolution at the annual meeting of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association which called for a boycott of Israel was pushed off the agenda.
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New Poll Shows Overwhelming Palestinian Support for Jerusalem Massacre

A new poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah shows massive support for the recent attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva in which eight people were murdered. "There is real reason to be concerned," says Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Center.
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Side by Side in Sakhnin

Arab and Jewish community leaders have been discussing how to turn the Sakhnin Valley in northern Israel into a model of cooperation.
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Jewish Flight From Paris Suburbs

Antisemitism is driving Jewish communities out of the northern suburbs of Paris.
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Defending Israel: Canada on the Frontline

Canada is quickly gaining a reputation for courageous defense of Israel in international forums, but on the domestic front, not everyone is pleased.
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Iranian Terrorists Place Bounty on Israeli Leaders

A terrorist group sponsored by the Iranian regime, the Islamic Student Justice Seekers, is offering a financial reward for the murder of senior members of Israel's security establishment - Ehud Barak, Meir Dagan and Amos Yaron.
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Hardliners Victory in Iranian Elections Strengthens Nuclear Rhetoric

Allies of Mahmoud Ahmadinjead have swept parliamentary elections in Iran - in a contest widely regarded as rigged, after the Islamist regime banned large numbers of opposition candidates - leading to fears that Iran's nuclear ambitions will be emboldened.
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Row Over Police Response in East Jerusalem

The former Jerusalem district police commander has criticized local police for their response to Sunday's march by right-wing activists on the Arab neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber.
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Jewish Agency Envoy's Home Attacked with Molotov Cocktail

The FBI and police in Rhode Island are investigating a 2AM attack upon the home of the US representative of the Jewish Agency.
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Harsh Reality of Life in Sderot

In a frank interview, Eli Moyal, Mayor of the Israeli city of Sderot, says: "In the last seven years, we have been living in hell."
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UK Teachers Push Anti-Zionism on Schoolkids

Pro-Palestinian activists in the UK teachers union want to teach schoolchildren about the Middle East conflict using materials produced by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign - an organization widely regarded as antisemitic.

See Mira Vogel on Engage. 

Americans Rate Israel in Top Five Countries

Americans remain solidly sympathetic to Israel, as a recent Gallup poll demonstrates.
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Iranian Regime to Execute Journalist

Yaghub Mehrnehad, a 28 year old civil rights activist and journalist, and a member of the oppressed Baluch minority, faces public hanging following a trial behind closed doors.