Experts: Israeli sovereignty not expected to cause massive violence or backlash

By Israel Kasnett, JNS— As reports and discussions rev up concerning Israel’s plan to apply sovereignty to parts of Judea and Samaria, as well as the Jordan Valley, concern is being increasingly raised by detractors of the plan over fears concerning potential fallout, including frayed relations with international and regional allies, an end to prospects…

Details

‘US will always support Israel’s right to defend itself’

By Eldad Beck, Israel Hayom—- US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Sunday addressed the opening plenary of the 2020 AJC Global Forum and reaffirmed the strong bond between Washington and Jerusalem. AJC’s signature annual event was originally scheduled to take place in Berlin but was changed to a video conference due to the coronavirus…

Details

Netanyahu, Gantz, Ashkenazi meet US envoy, amid differences on annexation

By Times of Israel Staff— Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sat down Sunday with US Ambassador David Friedman, Defense Minister Benny Gantz, Foreign Minister Gabi Ashkenazi and Knesset Speaker Yariv Levin to discuss plans to unilaterally annex parts of the West Bank in accordance with the Trump administration’s peace plan. Friedman has met with all the…

Details

Red Alert: What is Trending?

By Amy Zewe— Between the COVID-19 crisis that is replete with questionable government mandates and policies that may rival many a free-nation’s constitutions and much of science—albeit so much is still unknown about the facts of COVID-19—the US is now enduring yet another racially charged period of riots and protests. Protests which are not unwarranted,…

Details

Annexation vs. Sovereignty: Words Matter

By Arsen Ostrovsky and Richard Kemp, JNS.org— Words matter. They drive narratives. They influence policy. And they shape people’s perceptions. The current debate over whether Israel’s proposed actions in Judea and Samaria (the West Bank) — in accordance with President Donald Trump’s “peace to prosperity” plan — amount to “annexation” or the “application of sovereignty”…

Details

Report: Chief ICC prosecutor clears way for war crimes investigation against Israel

By ILH Staff— International Criminal Court Prosecutor Fatou Bensouda has reportedly told the ICC’s Pretrial Chamber that a war crimes investigation against Israel over its policies regarding the Palestinians can proceed despite the continued application of the 1993 Oslo Accords. Israel and its allies have argued that the Oslo Accords, on which the regional peace…

Details

The Palestinian Issue: a Core Cause of Middle East Turbulence?

By Ambassador (ret.) Yoram Ettinger, “Second Thought: a US-Israel Initiative” Why is the red carpet, which welcomes Palestinian leaders to Western capitals, exchanged for a shabby rug when they land in most Arab capitals?B2020, the widely-disseminated Arabic hashtag, “Palestine is not my cause,” reflects the growing Arab disdain toward Palestinians. It is consistent with the…

Details

Gantz tells army to step up preparations, as West Bank annexation looms

By Judah Ari Gross, Times of Israel— Defense Minister Benny Gantz on Monday ordered IDF Chief of Staff Aviv Kohavi to “step up preparations for the Israel Defense Forces,” ahead of a government proposal to annex portions of the West Bank, his office said. The military has roughly one month to complete preparations ahead of…

Details

IDF Preparing for 3rd Intifada Should PA Drum Up Arab Violence

By David Israel, Israel Hayom— The former head of Israel’s National Security Council, Brigadier General Yaakov Amidror, warned about a third intifada that would erupt in Judea and Samaria in response to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s promise to impose Israeli sovereignty on parts of the 1967 liberated territories come July 1, and the announcement of…

Details

‘Corona is not behind us,’ Netanyahu says, amid plans to heal economy

By World Israel News— Israel had relaxed the restrictions recently due to the low number of cases, but it appears that too many people may have been ignoring the rules altogether. A sharp increase in confirmed infections over the past several days appears to come from a combination of the economy opening up and citizens…

Details

Israel, a Land Flowing with Milk and Honey: Trashed by the Palestinians

By Victor Sharpe— Milk and honey” refers to the nectar of the fruit, and a land “flowing with milk and honey” is an expression used for a particularly fertile land that could produce abundant produce and fruit. The saying is used several times in the Bible, each time conveying the richness of the Promised Land…

Details

In the era of coronavirus, who can enter Israel and how do they do it?

By Maayan Jaffe-Hoffman, Jpost— On March 18, the Israeli government closed its borders to all foreigners in an effort to stop the spread of the novel coronavirus. In mid-April, the first time the Health Ministry reported on the main ways that Israelis got sick from from SARS-CoV-2, nearly 20% of infections had started from abroad…

Details

Settler leaders produce map they claim shows Trump plan for Palestinian state

By Jacob Magid, Times of Israel— Settler leaders have been meeting with right-wing lawmakers over the past week and presenting them with what they claim is a map of the Palestinian state envisioned by the Trump plan, which would encircle 15 Israeli communities in a manner they say is unacceptable. The Yesha umbrella council of…

Details

Shavuot Roses, Wisdom and Beauty

By Inna Rogatchi, Rogatchi Foundation— After forty nine days of counting the Omer which also means an annual inner preparation for Shavuot, giving us the moral code, we are about to enter the celebration of getting wisdom. Preparing for the celebration, we at The Rogatchi Foundation thought to engage people from some communities world-wide, our…

Details