Torah: Genesis 23:1–25:18 “Chayei Sarah” (Sarah lived …) Haftorah: I Kings 1:1–31 New Testament: I Corinthians 15:50–57 Gospel: Matthew 1:1–17, “Hayeuchamin shel Yeshua Hamashiak” (The Geneology of Jesus the Messiah)
BY ADI MINTZ, YNET— In recent days we were told about the expected departure of Dennis Ross, President Barack Obama’s senior advisor on Mideastern affairs. Ross’ retirement, which will follow George Mitchell’s resignation from his role as Mideast envoy in May, creates an opportunity to change direction. Dennis Ross was Bill Clinton’s senior aide and…
BY AKIVA ELDAR, HAARETZ— Rival Palestinian factions Fatah and Hamas agreed to hold elections next May and are due to establish a caretaker government in the coming weeks which will exclude Prime Minister Salam Fayyad, Palestinian sources said Tuesday. According to Palestinian sources, a breakthrough in Egyptian mediation efforts occurred in recent days, ahead of…
BY ABRAHAM COOPER AND YITZCHOK ADLERSTEIN, JPOST — In announcing the push for recognition of a unilaterally declared Palestinian state, Palestinian Authority President Abbas told the UN General Assembly in September: “I come before you today from the Holy Land, the land of Palestine, the land of divine messages, and ascension of the Prophet Muhammad,…
BY REUTERS— French President Nicolas Sarkozy has written to Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to reaffirm friendship despite what he refers to as their “differing views on the Middle East,” Israeli officials said on Monday. Sarkozy’s comments, in a condolence message to Netanyahu for the death of his father-in-law, seemed an effort to try to clear…
BY GIL RONEN, ARUTZ 7— On November 9, five US Congressmen ventured into otherwise uncharted territory, at least by the standards of traditional diplomatic delegations to Israel. A strong affinity to Israel and genuine frustration with repeated fatal failures of “peace processes” drove these American leaders to take a fresh look at Israel’s heartland. The…
BY RYAN MAURO, FRONTPAGEMAG— Most of the Republican presidential candidates called for supporting the Iranian opposition and military action if necessary to stop a nuclear-armed Iran during Saturday’s debate on national security and foreign policy. The candidates were mostly united on Iran, while there were differences on foreign aid to Pakistan, withdrawing forces from Afghanistan…
BY THE WALL STREET JOURNAL— The International Atomic Energy Agency this week released its most detailed assessment to date about Iran’s efforts to acquire nuclear weapons, and if “Paranormal Activity 3″ wasn’t enough to keep you awake at night, the report’s 14-page annex detailing the state of Iran’s weapons work should do the trick. It…
BY YITZHAK BENHORIN, YNET— Most Americans support an Israeli strike on Iran’s nuclear sites, while a smaller majority endorses such US strike, according to a poll commissioned by the Anti-Defamation League. Some 63% of poll respondents characterized Israel as a “crucial ally” and said that the Jewish state’s relationship with the US does not undermine…
DAVID PARSONS, JPOST — Christian Zionism is today denounced by the World Council of Churches and “mainline” Protestant clerics as a “dangerous fundamentalist heresy,” the product of British and American preachers lacking respectable theological pedigree. These detractors charge that Christian Zionists share a dark hidden agenda of forced conversions of Jews. If that were not…