“Jihad Allowance”: Views of Work in the Middle East

By Nonie Darwish, Gatestone Institute-— Recently, the President of Iran, Hassan Rouhani, dismissed President Trump as just a “tradesman” who lacked the qualifications to handle political and international affairs. At face value, the criticism might sound similar to that of an opposition party alleging that Trump lacks political experience. Coming from an Islamic leader, however,…

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Why the Concern for UNRWA

By Caroline Glick, JPost— On Monday, seven former US ambassadors to the UN sent a letter to US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo insisting that the administration restore full funding to UNRWA, the UN agency that funds so-called Palestinian refugees. Since UNRWA was established in 1949, the US has given nearly $5 billion to the…

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Unto the Nations: The Making of a Bible

By Tuly Weisz, JPost— President Bill Clinton and James Patterson’s thriller, The President is Missing, is so far 2018’s No. 1 best-selling work of fiction, at 150,000 copies. It sounds impressive, but when compared to this year’s – and every year’s – actual No. 1 best-seller, that number is rather small. What is the top-selling…

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Managing an Anti-American Turkey

By Eric Mandel, JPost— Turkish antagonism to America, Israel, and the EU, and the Islamization of this once proudly secular nation must be seen in historical context. Relations between the US and Turkey today are, as they have been over the last 70 years, primarily based on shared national security interests, which often shift and…

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Much Ado About Something

By Michael Freund, JPost— For years, Israel’s Right has asserted that the Supreme Court tilts sharply Left, treating Jewish residents of Judea and Samaria in an unfair and even unjust manner. Time and again, politicians and pundits have argued that behind their pronouncements of principle, the justices were in fact often motivated by political agendas.…

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PM Netanyahu attends American Independence Day event

By Ministry of Foreign Affairs— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara, this evening (Tuesday, 3 July 2018), attended an event in honor of American Independence Day hosted by US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman. Prime Minister Netanyahu: “It’s a wonderful celebration of 4th of July anytime in Israel but this year it’s special.…

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In bid to buy sway in Jerusalem, Turkey renovates homes and more in Muslim Quarter

By Yori Yalon, JNS— Turkey’s efforts to deepen its foothold in eastern Jerusalem are persisting unabated, Israel Hayom has learned. The Turkish nongovernmental organization Mirasimiz (“Our Heritage”) has recently been renovating homes in eastern Jerusalem and distributing food to Arab residents of the capital who are in need, with the aim of expanding Turkish influence…

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How I Became a Writer of Jewish Fiction

By Sharon Hart-Green, Author of Come Back for Me— I can still trace my fascination with Jewish writing to the day I picked up a dog-eared copy of S.Y. Agnon’s Twenty-One Stories at a used bookstore in downtown Toronto. I was eighteen years old and pursuing a career in the theatre, reading Flaubert and Dostoevsky…

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Israel passes historic law to cut funds to Palestinian Authority over ‘pay to slay’ policy

By Jewish News Syndicate— Israeli lawmakers overwhelmingly approved legislation late on Monday that withholds tax transfers to the Palestinian Authority to offset salaries paid by Ramallah to terrorists or their families. The bill, which passed 87-15, aims at putting to an end Palestinian Authority practices dubbed “pay to slay,” which provide salaries to Palestinian and…

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The Hurdles in Front of the Trump Peace Plan

By Melanie Phillips— President Trump’s peace plan for Israel and the Palestinian Arabs, his attempt at the “deal of the century,” will apparently soon be revealed to the world. His envoys, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt, have been making the rounds in the region to get Arab allies on board. Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyhau…

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