Conscience in quote marks

By INNA ROGATCHI, ROGATCHI FOUNDATION— As Israel and the Jewish world in the Diaspora are holding their breath and carrying their prayers for three teenagers kidnapped by Hamas near Hebron a few days ago, the coverage of the developing the story by two scions of the world media, CNN and BBC has been marked by…

Peace? When Palestinians accept Jews as neighbors

By JEFF JACOBY, BOSTON GLOBE— ISRAEL’S RESPONSE to the renewed partnership between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas was admirably, and literally, constructive: It advanced plans to build 1,500 housing units in so-called Jewish “settlements” — i.e., burgeoning Jerusalem neighborhoods and several nearby West Bank communities. The Israeli housing minister, Uri Ariel, described the decision as…

Aussie Aussie Aussie!

By STAN GOODENOUGH, JERUSALEM WATCHMEN— Everyone is wondering what has come over the leadership in the Land Down Under. Me too, though unlike many observers I’m just thrilled. The Australian government, under the Liberal Party leadership of Prime Minister Tony Abbott and his deputy, Foreign Minister Julie Bishop, has begun parting ways with the international…

Making murder respectable

By MICHAEL FREUND— Barely a week has passed since the Palestinian unity government was sworn in, and the international community has wasted little time in conferring legitimacy on this nascent terrorist regime. Tossing aside any pretense of morality, the United States, the European Union and the United Nations all embraced the new Palestinian administration, despite…