Source: JTA, 5-14-13
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu traveled to Russia to discuss the situation in Syria with Russian President Vladimir Putin….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 14, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/israel-political-brief-may-14-2013-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-in-russia-to-discuss-syria-with-russian-president-vladimir-putin/
Source: The Times of Israel, 5-14-13
Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, listens to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during their meeting at the Bocharov Ruchei residence in the Black Sea resort of Sochi, Russia, Tuesday, May 14, 2013. (photo credit: AP/ Maxim Shipenkov)
After emergency meeting at Black Sea resort, no word from either head of state about Russia’s sale of sophisticated S-300 missiles to Assad….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 14, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/14/israel-political-brief-may-14-2013-in-chat-with-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-russian-president-vladimir-putin-urges-restraint-on-syria/
Source: The Times of Israel, 5-8-13
US President Barack Obama spoke with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu by phone Wednesday to discuss regional security issues and Middle East peace, the White House said….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 8, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/08/israel-political-brief-may-8-2013-us-president-barack-obama-phones-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-over-regional-security-issues/
Source: JTA, 5-7-13
Billions of newly hatched locusts are spreading throughout Israel’s South….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 7, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/israel-brief-may-7-2013-billions-of-locusts-hatched-in-southern-israel/
Source: JTA, 5-7-13
A mortar shell fired from Syria landed in the Golan Heights in Israel for the second straight day….READ MORE »
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 7, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/07/israel-brief-may-7-2013-rockets-from-syria-land-in-golan-for-second-day/
Source: JTA, 5-6-13
Two rockets fired from Syria hit the Golan Heights in Israel….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 6, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/israel-brief-may-6-2013-rockets-fired-from-syria-strike-golan-heights/
Source: JTA, 5-6-13
Israel did not provide advance warning to the United States on its alleged airstrikes on Syria, a U.S. intelligence official said….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 6, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/israel-political-brief-may-6-2013-israel-did-not-warn-us-on-syria-attacks-us-official-says/
Source: JTA, 5-5-13
An airstrike on a military research center in Syria, the second attack on Israel’s northern neighbor in three days, is being blamed on Israel….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 5, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/israel-political-brief-may-5-2013-second-weekend-airstrike-on-syrian-target-blamed-on-israel/
Source: Washington Post, 5-5-13
Intelligence official in Mideast confirms Israel has launched 2nd airstrike this week in Syria….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 5, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/05/israel-political-brief-may-5-2013-intelligence-official-in-mideast-confirms-israel-has-launched-2nd-syria-airstrike/
Source: Reuters, 5-4-13
Lacking a side to support in its northern neighbor’s civil war, and worried about inadvertently fuelling escalation, Israel has exercised restraint. Its government did not formally confirm Friday’s air strike, which was disclosed to Reuters….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on May 4, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/05/04/israel-political-brief-may-4-2013-israel-bombs-hezbollah-bound-missiles-in-syria-official/
Source: JTA, 4-30-13
A Palestinian stabbed to death an Israeli man at a bus stop in the West Bank….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 30, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/israel-brief-april-30-2013-palestinian-kills-israeli-at-west-bank-bus-stop/
Source: JTA, 4-29-13
Israel’s security cabinet discussed the possibility that chemical weapons have been used by the Syrian government in that country’s civil war….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 29, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/29/israel-political-brief-april-29-2013-israels-security-cabinet-meets-on-syria/
Source: JTA, 4-28-13
Bonfires lit throughout Israel to mark Lag b’Omer burned out of control, stranding thousands of celebrants in the northern Israeli town of Meron….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 28, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/28/israel-brief-april-28-2013-lag-bomer-bonfires-burn-out-of-control-in-northern-israel/
Source: JTA, 4-24-13
Israel has agreed to allow UNESCO to inspect sites in Jerusalem in exchange for the postponing of five Palestinian-sponsored resolutions critical of Israel….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 24, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/24/israel-political-brief-april-24-2013-israel-to-allow-unesco-inspectors-in-jerusalem/
Source: Shalom Life, 4-17-13
A normally celebratory, festive annual reception held by Israeli President Shimon Peres and the country’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in honour of Yom Ha’atzmaut, took a decidedly serious tone on Tuesday as the two men addressed the bombing in Boston….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 16, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/16/israel-political-brief-april-16-2013-president-shimon-peres-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-address-boston-marathon-tragedy/
Source: Sky News Australia, 4-12-13
Israel returns fire after Syria attack. Israel’s army have fired artillery into Syria after gunshots and shells were directed at soldiers on the Israeli-occupied sector of the Golan Heights, the military said….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 12, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/12/israel-political-brief-april-12-2013-israel-returns-fire-after-syria-attack/
Source: JPost, 4-10-13
Henry Kissinger talks to The Washington Post. Photo: Screenshot
WikiLeaks has published 1.7 million US diplomatic documents ranging from 1973-1976 online. It is their largest release to date and it is named after the former US secretary of state Henry Kissinger because many of the documents were addressed to or written by him.
The Jerusalem Post has uncovered a cable sent from the US Embassy in Saudi Arabia on January 9, 1975, which analyzed the Israeli-Arab conflict. It was concluded that it was Israel’s stubborn position that was holding back peace.
Related:
“Nevertheless, viewed from here, the Israeli pessimism seems largely if not entirely unwarranted. It seems based on an extraordinary lack of understanding of what happened in the Arab world in the last year and a half. Rather than girding their loins for the fifth, sixth, seventh Israeli-Arab wars. The Israelis might examine more carefully than they seem to have done so far the alternative of a peaceful accommodation with the Arabs.”…READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 10, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/10/israel-political-brief-april-10-2013-wikileaks-us-blamed-israel-for-holding-back-peace-in-1975/
Source: Haaretz, 4-10-13
Russian Jews urge Netanyahu to ignore U.S. Jews’ call for ceding land. The prominent Russians, including the president of the Russian Jewish Congress, wrote that their message was a reaction to the April 3 letter initiated by the dovish Israel Policy….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 9, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/09/israel-political-brief-april-1-2013-russian-jews-urge-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-to-ignore-us-jews-call-for-ceding-land/
Source: Jerusalem Post, 4-8-13
Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu spoke at the main state ceremony marking Holocaust Remembrance Day at Yad Vashem in Jerusalem on Sunday, quoting anti-Semitic statements by Iranian religious leaders as evidence that the hatred against the Jews….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 7, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/israel-political-brief-april-2013-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-we-cannot-forfeit-our-security-speaking-at-yad-vashems-yom-hashoah-ceremony/
Source: CNET, 4-7-13
The group claimed it hacked more than a dozen official Israeli Web sites, including those for the Israel Police, the Prime Minister’s Office, the Israel Securities Authority, the Immigrant Absorption Ministry, and the Central Bureau of Statistics….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 7, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/07/israel-political-brief-april-7-2013-anonymous-targets-israel-in-another-cyberattack/
Source: JTA, 4-4-13
A computer virus attacked thousands of Israeli Facebook subscribers days before a threatened mass cyber attack on Israeli websites….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 4, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/israel-brief-april-4-2013-computer-virus-attacks-israeli-facebook-users/
Source: Arutz Sheva, 4-4-13
Netanyahu said during the meeting, “This model of a country talking, but at the same time developing nuclear weapons; threatening and at the same time developing nuclear weapons and threatening the use of nuclear weapons, we cannot allow this….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 4, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/04/israel-political-brief-april-4-2013-pm-benjamin-netanyahu-meets-norwegian-fm-we-cant-let-iran-develop-nukes/
Source: JTA, 4-3-13
Israeli retaliatory airstrikes hit what the country’s military called “two extensive terror sites” in the northern Gaza Strip….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on April 3, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/04/03/israel-political-brief-april-4-2013-israeli-military-fires-on-syria-gaza-after-rocket-attack-incidents/
Source: Jerusalem Post, 3-24-13
MKs hold mock seder ending with a toast to Pollard and a reading of a prayer for the Israel agent’s welfare….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 24, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/24/israel-political-brief-march-24-2013-mks-call-for-leaving-seder-seat-open-for-jonathan-pollard/
Source: Times of Israel, 3-14-13
US President Barack Obama is interviewed on Channel 2 News, Thursday, March 14 (photo credit: image capture Channel 2)
Ahead of his first visit to Israel as president next Wednesday, Barack Obama was interviewed Wednesday by Israel’s Channel 2. The interview at the White House, with news anchor Yonit Levy, was screened on Thursday.
“You can’t just slip out and interact with people without having a bunch of guys with machine-guns” hanging out with you….
Ventures Levy: There must be some compensations?
Obama: Well, there’s “a nice plane.”
“I recognize the emotions involved in this… My first obligation is to observe the law.”…
Levy pushes on the Obama-Netanyahu relationship.
“The bottom line is that Israel’s security is going to be at the forefront.” It’s not a factor of who’s president or prime minister.
“Any time you read something where the president allegedly said something in as private meting, I think you should … take that with a pinch of salt.”…
Levy asks about some Israelis’ negative perceptions of him.
“Some of this is politics… There are conservative views both here in the United States and Israel that may not jive with mine.”… “I’ve run my last election…”
“The fundamental right of Israel to be secure as a homeland of the Jewish people, and its connection to the land.”
“Resolving the Palestinian issue is good” for Israel’s security. If it can be resolved, he stresses….
“My cabinet is prepared for a whole range of contingencies.” Kerry and Hagel “share my fundamental view” on a nuclear Iran as a threat to US interest….
“We think it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon but obviously we don’t want to cut it too close.”…
What took you so long to come?
Well, we’ve had some crises in the United States…. It’s a chance to connect with the Israeli people. The bonds.. are so strong. Shared values. Shared families… Unshakeable commitment… and a shared vision… I’m really looking forward to it.
“I’d love to sit at a cafe and just hang out. Sometimes I have this fantasy that I can put on a disguise and wear a fake mustache” and wander into Tel Aviv, go to a university and speak to some students, “in a setting that wasn’t so formal.”…
We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon but obviously we don’t want to cut it too close. So when I am consulting with Bibi… my message to him will be the same as before: If we can resolve it diplomatically, that’s a more lasting solution.
When I say that all options are on the table, all options are on the table….
Obama: We think that it would take over a year or so for Iran to actually develop a nuclear weapon.
And: I have no plans for releasing Jonathan Pollard immediately….
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 14, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/full-text-israel-political-brief-march-14-2013-us-president-barack-obamas-interview-with-yonit-levy-on-israels-channel-2-excerpts-white-house-interview-ahead-of-israel-visit/
The Roman College of Cardinals on Monday evening elected Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as its new Pope
Source: Arutz Sheva, 3-13-13
Newly elected Pope Francis, Cardinal Jorge Mario Bergoglio of Argentina appears on the balcony of St. Peter’s Basilica after being elected by the conclave of cardinals, at the Vatican, March 13, 2013. White smoke rose from the Sistine Chapel chimney and the bells of St. Peter’s Basilica rang out on Wednesday, signaling that Roman Catholic cardinals had elected a pope to succeed Benedict XVI. REUTERS/Tony Gentile
The Roman College of Cardinals on Monday evening elected Jorge Bergoglio, the Archbishop of Buenos Aires, as its new Pope. Bergoglio, who has taken the name Francis I for his office, is the first Pope to be chosen from outside of Europe….
Bergoglio is said to have had good relations with Argentinian Jews. He was praised by local and U.S. Jewish community leaders for his response to the 1994 bombing of the Argentine Jewish Mutual Association. In 2005, Bergoglio signed a joint statement against terrorism together with Jose Adaszko of the Israel Mutual Association of Argentina, and Omar Helal Massud of the Islamic Center, with an emphasis on preventing attacks such as the 1994 bombing….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 13, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/13/jewish-brief-march-13-2013-new-pope-francis-i-former-cardinal-jorge-mario-bergoglio-said-to-have-good-relations-with-argentinas-jews/
Source: Jerusalem Post, 3-8-13
French President Francois Hollande hosted President Shimon Peres in Paris on Friday, stating that the international community, and not Israel, would take responsibility for preventing Iran from developing nuclear weapons….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 8, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/israel-political-brief-march-8-2013-french-president-francois-hollande-hosts-president-shimon-peres-vows-world-will-act-to-stop-iran-nuke/
Source: JTA, 3-7-13
President Obama hopes to address young Israelis on his visit to Israel, a senior administration official said….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 8, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/08/israel-political-brief-march-7-2013-white-house-president-barack-obama-hopes-to-reach-young-israelis/
Source: Haaretz, 3-6-13
Israeli Knesset discusses jailed spy Jonathan Pollard. Israel made mistakes in handling of the case, says public diplomacy minister; Lapid signs petition calling for Pollard’s release….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 6, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/06/israel-political-brief-march-6-2013-israeli-knesset-discusses-jailed-spy-jonathan-pollard/
Source: JTA, 3-5-13
More than 103,000 people have signed a petition calling on President Obama to free imprisoned spy for Israel Jonathan Pollard….READ MORE
Posted by bonniekgoodman on March 5, 2013
http://togetherwithisrael.wordpress.com/2013/03/05/israel-political-brief-march-5-2013-jonathan-pollard-clemency-petition-reaches-103000-signatures/
Full Coverage of President Barack Obama's Middle East Tour & Israel Visit from March 20-23, 2013 @ Obama Israel Visit
