Israel and United Arab Emirates Strike Major Diplomatic Agreement
Israel and the United Arab Emirates reached a landmark accord sealed by President Trump that could presage a broader realignment in the region as the two agreed to “full normalization of relations” in exchange for Israel suspending annexation of occupied West Bank territory. (more…)
Why History Still Matters: The 1967 Six Day War
By David Harris, CEO of the American Jewish Committee (AJC)
Mention history and it can trigger a roll of the eyes. Add the Middle East to the equation and folks might start running for the hills, unwilling to get caught up in the seemingly bottomless pit of details and disputes.
But without an understanding of what happened in the past, it’s impossible to grasp where we are today — and where we are has profound relevance for the region and the world. (more…)
In Midst of Global Pandemic, Israeli Defense Company Quietly Changed the Face of Hospitals
The arrival of the coronavirus global pandemic came as suddenly for Israel’s Rafael defense company as it did to many other companies, yet it took very little time for Rafael to spring into action and quietly transform the face of Israeli hospitals’ wards. “Part of the Israeli DNA is to face up to missions together,” said Irit Idan, executive vice president, and head of research and development at Rafael. “This is our nature as a nation. From the moment that this incident began rolling, Rafael started floating many ideas on how we can assist the healthcare system.” (more…)
The Coronavirus Pandemic: Israel Is America’s Friend In Deed EXECUTIVE SUMMARY: President Donald Trump and other medical professionals touted the decades-old antimalarial drug hydroxychloroquine as a possible means of fighting the coronavirus pandemic, the Israeli drug giant Teva (the most popular big pharma stock on Wall Street) immediately announced that it will provide 10 million doses of its hydroxychloroquine drug to US hospitals free of charge. Rep. Rashida Tlaib and her fellow American detractors of Israel who claim that Israel does nothing but take from the US owe Israel an apology. click Israel Matters! 143 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal.
Netanyahu, and Israel, at an Impasse
Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu almost- but not did quite- win the country’s third national elections within a year. Exit polls just after the end of voting showed the right wing, nationalist, and religious parties with 60 seats in the Knesset, just shy of a 60-seat majority. Nevertheless, Netanyahu and his allies claimed a stunning victory, and speculation was rife in Israeli media that a conservative candidate from a left-wing party could be induced to jump ship and join the rightwing bloc to enable the formation of a government.
Trump Offers Two-State Peace Plan for Israeli-Palestinian Conflict Amid Skepticism President Trump has unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan that was hailed by Israel and ripped by Palestinian leaders. click Israel Matters! 141 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal.
Report from Israel: Happy Holidays! On our between-the-semesters trip to Israel, Esther and I divided our time between visiting with our daughter Dafna in Jerusalem and staying in Tel Aviv.To be sure, these are cities of contrast; Jerusalem, steeped in thousands of years of history, sacred to, fought over by, and now in some form of uneasy coexistence between Jews, Muslims and Christians. Surrounded by terraced hills and deep valleys. click Israel Matters! 140 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal.
Turkey’s Erdogan Bashes Israel and Calls on Muslims to Unite Against the West In a recent speech to the Organization of Islamic Cooperation, Turkey’s president Recep Tayyip Erdogan slammed Israel and called for Islamic unity among the “brothers and sisters” to confront the West and conspiracies against Islamic countries. Turkey’s ruler insinuated that Turkey was a victim of “terrorist attacks” because of its “principled stance” against “oppression in Jerusalem.” click Israel Matters! 139 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal
Democratic Presidential Candidates and US Military Aid to Israel Three of the four leading Democratic presidential candidates have said they would consider cuts in US military aid to pressure Jerusalem into changing its policy in the West Bank. Two of the three, Massachusetts Senator Elizabeth Warren and Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders, belong to the radical branch of the party. They are battling two other contenders: former VP Joe Biden, who represents the moderate mainstream branch of the party; and Indiana mayor Pete Buttigieg, who ideologically could be placed between the two poles. Warren and Sanders hold radical views about many political, economic, and social issues and are isolationist on US foreign policy. click Israel Matters! 138 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal
Netflix series, “The Spy” – The Story of Eli Cohen Sophie Ben-Dor, the daughter of Israeli spy Eli Cohen said “it hurt” to watch the new Netflix series about her father’s life and execution in Syria, noting some historical inaccuracies in the adaptation but praising Sacha Baron Cohen’s performance. Ben-Dor laments ‘the distance from the truth’ about her legendary agent father, but understands and respects the show. click Israel Matters! 137 to read the complete issue. Will open with the free Adobe Reader or equal