The True Cost of Israel

The American Israel Public Affairs Committee concluded its annual conference late last month, triggering the usual debate in various alternative media outlets. Why does so much U.S. taxpayer money go to a small and not particularly useful client state that has a vibrant European-level economy and is already a regional military colossus? Those who support the cash flow argue that Israel is threatened, most notably by Iran; they claim the assistance, which has been largely but not completely used to buy American-made weapons, is required to maintain a qualitative edge over the country's potential enemies.

Most of Gaza’s Libraries Have Been Closed or Destroyed-And You…

Palestinian sisters sort out their school books after finding them among the debris of their parents' destroyed home in Gaza City. There are as many opinions about Israel and Palestine as there are minds and mouths and fingers to type a tweet, but here is something everyone can agree on: People in Gaza need more books.

GOP’s Israel chief says Sarah Silverman ‘needs a muzzle’

The leader of Israel's main Republican group called Sarah Silverman a "self-hating Jew" and said she "needs a muzzle." Marc Zell made the comments Saturday night on behalf of the Republicans Overseas Israel Facebook page, which he manages as the group's co-chairman.

6 things to watch for at the AIPAC policy conference

AIPAC's byword is bipartisanship and, as we reported this week, that's a hard sell in the increasingly polarized Trump era . Still, AIPAC remains the preeminent pro-Israel lobby and its conferences have been a reliable weathervane of where US Middle East policy is headed for the next six months.

US House and Senate introduce bipartisan bills against boycotts of Israel

WASHINGTON Republican and Democratic leaders in both houses of Congress introduced legislation on Thursday that would penalize international governmental organizations and foreign countries seeking to boycott, divest and sanction the State of Israel for its handling of its conflict with the Palestinians. The bill, supported by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee, would amend the Export Administration Act of 1979 to include in its prohibitions on boycotts against "allies of the United States" those fostered by NGOs against Israel.

House Dems Urge Trump To Preserve ‘Two States’

The overwhelming majority of Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives urged President Donald Trump to reaffirm the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as U.S. policy. With 187 of 193 voting Democrats signing, the letter to Trump released Friday is a pointed reminder of how divided the parties remain on how to define pro-Israel.

U.S.-Israeli talks conclude with no agreement on settlements – Thu, 23 Mar 2017 PST

The White House expressed its "concerns" with settlement construction after talks with senior Israeli officials in Washington ended Thursday night with a joint statement showing the two governments unable to agree on a settlement policy that could pave the way to peace talks resuming. As the Israelis left Washington to return home, the White House released a statement saying they had discussed "concrete, near-term measures to improve the overall climate" to improve prospects for peace talks between Israelis and Palestinians.

Trump invites Palestinian president to visit White House

U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday invited Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas to visit the White House soon and told the Palestinian leader that he believes the time has come to make a deal on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, the White House said. In his first phone call with Abbas since he took office, Trump emphasized his "personal belief that peace is possible," according to a White House statement.

Jordan: Israeli bill to quiet mosques is a violation of global law

"This is a racist law whose only goal is to hurt our community", he said, while adding that "what disturbs the supporters of this legislation is not the noise, but rather that the sound of the muezzin reminds them of the true identity of this land". However, major Muslim countries such as Saudi Arabia and Indonesia as well as countries such as France, the UK, Belgium, Netherlands, Germany, Austria and Switzerland have all restricted the use of loudspeakers by muezzin .

Canada calls on Israel to ban all binary options ‘immediately’

A screenshot from the Canadian government's new website designed to prevent citizens falling victim to binary options fraud, March 6, 2017. While Israel has failed for a decade to tackle the widely fraudulent binary options industry now estimated to fleece $10 billion a year from victims worldwide, Jason Roy, the chairman of Canada's newly formed Binary Options Task Force, is pleading with the Israeli government to shut down binary options "immediately."

Why Ambassador Dan Shapiro is staying in Israel

Before stepping down as the U.S. ambassador to the country in January, he said he would stay long enough for his daughters to finish the school year. On Sunday, he announced he would be sticking around even longer to join the Institute for National Security Studies, a top think tank in Tel Aviv.

Trump in Israel’s Eyes

If you watch Channel Two's Arad Nir or Channel Ten's Gil Tamari, or listened to Kol Yisrrael's Matan Gutman, or any of the anchormen and anchor-women on Israel TV or Israel Radio, you will discover they not only despise Donald Trump but they think Trump is either mentally ill or anti-Semitic, or both. They were sure that Trump could never win.

Tens of thousands Israelis take part in a protest against corruption in Tel Aviv, December 2, 2017.

Tens of thousands Israelis take part in a protest against corruption in Tel Aviv, December 2, 2017. Tens of thousands of people rallied in protest on Saturday night in Tel Aviv, Israel against Israeli government corruption and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu who is under criminal investigation over allegations of abuse of office.

Sanders Brings Down the House at J Street ‘Occupation runs counter to fundamental American values’

Vermont Senator Bernie Sanders received a hero's welcome at the J Street conference in Washington today for a speech that suggested that the way forward for the left is to double down on progressive values. Toward the end of a wide-ranging address that touched on President Donald Trump, the Iraq War and climate change, Sanders asked the question that loomed over the J Street conference: What comes next for progressives during a Trump administration? Although Sanders did not explicitly answer his question, he proceeded to talk about values.

Trump’s Cabinet has to work as a cleanup crew

After President Donald Trump said that deporting undocumented immigrants was "a military operation," Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly, speaking in Mexico, clarified that there would be "no use of military force in immigration operations." After Trump, standing next to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, upended decades of U.S. policy by saying he was open to a one-state solution to the conflict in the Middle East, U.N. envoy Nikki Haley asserted that the United States "absolutely" supports a two-state solution.

Report: Trump may pull US out of UN Human Rights Council due to Israel bias

The administration regards the Council as being inherently anti-Israel which is the main reason for the consideration for pulling out of the international body, according to the report. Donald Trump speaks during a joint press conference with Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the East Room of the White House in Washington , DC on Feb. 15, 2017 with an Israeli flag in the background.

Tom Perez Wins DNC Chair, Names Keith Ellison Deputy, After Brutal Race

Tom Perez, the former Labor Department secretary, was elected Democratic National Committee chairman and immediately named his rival, Keith Ellison, as his deputy. Perez was elected Saturday on the second ballot, winning 235 votes out of 435 cast at a gathering in Atlanta of the electors.

Tom Perez wins DNC chair, names Keith Ellison deputy, after race that included focus on Jewish issues

Tom Perez, the former Labor Department secretary, was elected Democratic National Committee chairman and immediately named his rival, Keith Ellison, as his deputy. Perez was elected Saturday on the second ballot, winning 235 votes out of 435 cast at a gathering in Atlanta of the electors.