When two-fifths of the Democrats in the U.S. Senate met last week in Washington with representatives of Jewish groups, the senators delivered a clear message: If you agree with us, it's about time you spoke up.The appeal, delivered at an annual meeting...
By Leslie Susser, JTA, Jerusalem
• Published June 22, 2011
The pressure on Mahmoud Abbas to back down from plans to seek recognition of Palestinian statehood at the United Nations in September is intensifying.Squeezed by a combination of concerted American pressure and intense Israeli diplomacy, some top Palestinian...
Ten thousand pro-Israel activists jammed into the cavernous Washington, D.C. Convention Center last month - Jews and Christians, the observant and the secular, African Americans and Hispanics, Republicans, Democrats and Independents. That was the 2011...
WASHINGTON (JTA) — President Obama told Jewish donors to his reelection campaign that Israel and the United States must assess the new Middle East with “fresh eyes.”“Both the United States and Israel are going to have to look at this new landscape...
Interfaith understanding and ‘Klinghoffer' operaI commend the efforts of the Jewish Light, through its articles in the current issue, in addressing issues raised by the scheduled performance of "The Death of Klinghoffer" by Opera Theatre of St. Louis.The...
By Ron Kampeas, JTA, WASHINGTON
• Published June 1, 2011
Remember the tension a couple of weeks ago between Israel and the United States? That was all about avoiding tension between Israel and the rest of the world. That's what Obama administration officials are telling Jewish officials looking ahead to September,...
They said Bibi was different this time, that he had changed, grown, matured. They said he better understood the world stage, his place in history. The truth? We're not so sure. We don't in any way doubt Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's intentions,...
By Uriel Heilman, JTA, WASHINGTON
• Published May 25, 2011
President Barack Obama knew he had some damage control to do when he took the podium before thousands of Israel supporters on Sunday morning at the opening plenary of the annual AIPAC conference. But he wasn't offering any apologies for his speech three...
By Ron Kampeas, JTA, WASHINGTON
• Published May 25, 2011
That Israel problem President Obama had with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu? Old news. That Israel problem Obama has with Congress? And with his party? That's just beginning. In two successive speeches -- one to the American Israel Public Affairs...
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
• Published May 25, 2011
Elie Wiesel, Holocaust survivor, prolific author and Nobel Peace Prize Laureate said he does "not believe President Barack Obama is anti-Israel." He added that the president's controversial speech last week at the State Department calling for a peace...
By Ron Kampeas, JTA, WASHINGTON
• Published May 25, 2011
Let's get past this U.S.-Israel relationship thing, so we can get on with important stuff, like the U.S.-Israel relationship.That seemed to be the message this week at the annual policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.With a...
BY ROBERT A. COHN, Editor-in-Chief Emeritus
• Published May 18, 2011
The so-called "Arab Spring," which has convulsed the Middle East and North Africa for the past several months, has been jolted by the carefully coordinated "demonstrations" against Israel on the 63rd anniversary of its independence.Palestinians have labeled...
