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Geopolitics

Israeli Forces Kill Three Palestinians In West Bank Clashes, Peace Talks On Hold

AFP, BBC Worldcrunch RAMALLAH – Three Palestinians were shot dead by Israeli forces Monday after a raid in the Qalandiya West Bank refugee camp, which threatens to derail ongoing peace talks. Clashes erupted in the camp after Israeli forces attempted to arrest a suspect, the AFP reports. Medical sources said at least 19 other people […]

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Geopolitics

Israeli Officials Believe U.S. Will Act After Chemical Attacks in Syria

TEL AVIV — Israeli officials are under the impression that the United States soon will conduct a Syrian military operation even without a decision from the U.N. Security Council. This comes after a Friday phone call between U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff Chairman General Martin Dempsey and Israeli Army chief of staff Benny Gantz. A […]

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Mondo

Quotes of the week: Manning, Cassidy, May….And MORE!

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Society

In Israel, Where Child Care Is A Prime Barometer Of Economic Squeeze

TEL AVIV — The school year is starting soon, and with it comes another not-so-small burden on families around Israel: pre-school and pre-elementary education can cost up to one-third of a person’s gross salary, even in upper-income cities and towns. Indeed, child care expenses for young families was a central point of contention during the […]

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Geopolitics

Ukraine Refugees Attacked, Gaza Talks Resume, British Humor

Aug. 19, 2014 ISIS THREATENS AMERICANS In an online video message, ISIS terrorists threaten to attack Americans “in any place” in retaliation for U.S. airstrikes against them in Iraq, The Independent reports. In the gruesome video, a statement reads, “We will drown all of you in blood.” This comes as Kurdish Peshmergas and Iraqi troops […]

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Geopolitics

Israel Releases Palestinian Prisoners Just Before Peace Talks

BBC, GUARDIAN, TELEGRAPH (UK), AL JAZEERA Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Israel has released 26 Palestinian prisoners hours before the opening of renewed peace talks Wednesday. Eleven of the prisoners released in the West Bank were welcomed by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, while the other 15 were met by cheering crowds in Gaza. A total 104 long-term […]

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Geopolitics

Slim Chances, But Middle East Peace Talks Could Be Different This Time

John Kerry has convinced Israeli and Palestinian leaders that the region’s upheaval requires them to at least search for a solution. Whether they find it is another question.

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Geopolitics

Israel Intercepts Rocket From Al-Qaeda-Linked Islamists In Sinai

HAARETZ (Israel), AL JAZEERA (Qatar), AFP Worldcrunch EILAT — Israel says it intercepted a rocket fired from Sinai, Egypt over the southern city of Eilat early Tuesday. The attack, first reported by Israeli public radio, was later confirmed by an army spokesman. The Mujahideen Shura Council, an Al-Qaeda-linked Islamist group, claimed responsibility for the attack, […]

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blog Society

When Korean Pop Culture Came To The Holy Land

Young Israelis and Palestinians alike are getting caught by the wave of Korean pop music, television and attitudes. For some, it’s just good fun — for others, a much-needed escape.

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Geopolitics

Israel Releases Palestinian Prisoners Ahead Of Peace Talks In Washington

BBC NEWS (UK) Worldcrunch WASHINGTON – Israeli and Palestinian negotiators will resume peace talks in Washington on Monday, the U.S. State Department has announced. The talks, stalled since 2010, follow months of shuttle diplomacy by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry. The statement came hours after Israel approved the release of more than 100 Palestinian […]

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Economy Future

How Facebook And Google Avoided Hundreds Of Millions In Israeli Taxes

After top tech companies were shown to be dodging taxes in several European countries, similar questions have now emerged in Israel. An exclusive from top Israeli business daily Calcalist.

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Society

Tweet Offensive: Social Media Is Israeli Military’s Newest Weapon

The Israeli Defense Forces’ one-of-a-kind Internet strategy aims to bypass an international media known for unfriendly fire.

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Geopolitics

The Israeli Vigilante Movement Spewing Hate In The West Bank

Cases of vandalism are multiplying against Arab villages and places of worship.

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Geopolitics

Egypt In Turmoil: What It Means For The Israeli-Palestinian Conflict

Though Israeli leaders were pleasantly surprised by some aspects of Mohammed Morsi’s reign, they are not sorry to see him go. For one thing, it’s a big blow to Hamas.

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blog

Bedouins Of The Negev Resist Israel’s Massive Relocation Plan

BEERSHEBA – “If we need to be violent to be heard, we will be violent. We will lay down under the bulldozers…” A few kilometers south of Beersheba, the largest city in the Negev desert, Fahdi, his brothers and dozens of other relatives of his large family are gathered in a corrugated sheet metal hut […]

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Geopolitics

From The Golan Heights, Where Syria’s War Is Creeping Up On Israel

While Syrian rebels and Assad’s soldiers fight each other near the border, Israelis accustomed to rhetoric but relative tranquility are getting ready to defend themselves for real.

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Geopolitics Migrant Lives

How Israel Makes Immigration Dry Up Under Desert Sun

SAHARONIM – Last summer, Israel passed an amendment to the 1954 Prevention of Infiltration Law, which allows refugees to be held for a minimum of three years without detention without a trial or charges being brought against them. According to the law, refugees from “enemy states” can be held in indefinite detention, even if they […]

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Geopolitics

Givat Assaf, Where Middle East Peace Hopes Fade One Settlement At A Time

GIVAT ASSAF – U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry passed right by this town’s entrance — just a few dozen meters away — while on his way to meet Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last Thursday. We can only hope that his driver slowed down, and that one of his accompanying local diplomats showed him […]

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Geopolitics

New Ukraine President, Pope At Wailing Wall, In Federer’s Shoes

Monday, May 26, 2014 POROSHENKO WINS UKRAINE PRESIDENCYAs many observers expected, multibillionaire Petro Poroshenko will become Ukraine’s next president. The man dubbed “The Chocolate King” leads the race with 53.75% of the votes in the first round, with 70% of the votes counted, The Kyiv Post reports. He said during his victory speech that his […]

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Geopolitics

Iran Hangs Two Accused Of Spying For CIA, Mossad

AL BAWABA (Jordan), IRAN’S VIEW, PRESS TV (Iran), REUTERS, CNN (U.S.) Worldcrunch TEHRAN – Two men convicted for spying for the United States and Israeli spy agencies have been hung, reported Iran’s Press TV. There were no details on when the men were arrested, tried or sentenced, only that they were hung at dawn on […]

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Geopolitics

Unification Talks Begin, Shocking Torture Survey, Ex-Israel PM Sentenced

DONETSK AND LUHANSK START UNIFICATION TALKS The self-proclaimed People’s Republics of Donetsk and Luhansk have initiated talks that could lead to the two cities forming a single state after Sunday’s referendum demonstrated that voters wanted to secede from Kiev, Ria Novosti reports. This comes after Donetsk voiced its collective wish to follow in the footsteps […]

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Society

Landmark Women’s Prayers At Jerusalem Western Wall Marred By Violent Protests, Arrests

HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST (Israel) Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Police on Friday arrested five ultra-Orthodox Jewish men who tried to disrupt prayers by female Jewish activists at the Western Wall in Jerusalem. The Jerusalem District Court recently ruled women were allowed to wear prayer shawls during their monthly service, reports Haaretz. The Women of the Wall activists […]

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Geopolitics

Israeli Air Strikes, Chinese Pushback, Chemical Weapons: Stakes Rise In Syria

HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST (Israel), NEW YORK TIMES (U.S.), REUTERS, AFP, BBC Worldcrunch DAMASCUS – The situation in Syria has gotten both more dangerous and more complicated over the past 72 hours. On Monday, Chinese officials indirectly criticized Israel’s weekend strikes in Syria, as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu began a five-day visit to China. During a […]

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Society

Between Two Worlds – The Identity Crisis Of A German-Israeli Artist

TEL AVIV – The apartment in downtown Tel Aviv could feature in any architecture magazine as the quintessential artist’s digs. Two cats doze picturesquely amid piles of photographs, books, scripts. At the big round table sits Sara von Schwarze against a backdrop of trees swaying in the wind visible out the window behind her. The […]

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Society

Gaza’s Archeological Treasures At Risk

GAZA – At first sight, it is just a wasteland. Sand – blown in from a nearby beach – covers the scattered bushes. Here and there, ruins, where sometimes children play, barefoot. Welcome to what used to be the spectacular Anthedon Harbor, one of the crossroads of antique civilizations, which for 2000 years was used […]

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Society

Tel Aviv’s Rock Scene – Yiddish And Hip Hop Meet Arab Folk, Ethiopian Jazz

TEL AVIV – February 2013. Tel Aviv gets ready to celebrate Purim, a biblical celebration that along the centuries has become a sort of carnival where Israelis drink — as the tradition goes — “until they cannot remember their name.” There are long lines in front of costumes shops. Riff Cohen, will get as drunk […]

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Society

Is That Kosher? Animal Rights Activists Dump Animal Heads In Tel Aviv Fountains

GLZ.CO.IL , YNET (Israel) Worldcrunch TEL AVIV – Ten animal-rights activists have been arrested in connection with a bizarre form of shock protest in the name of protecting animals from slaughter: dumping bloodied heads of dead animals into city fountains, according to glz.co.il. Over the last few months, slaughtered cow, goat, fish and sheep heads […]

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Geopolitics

Game Changer? New Evidence Of Syrian Use Of Chemical Weapons

ARUTZ SHEVA, HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST (Israel); REUTERS Worldcrunch TEL AVIV – Syrian President Bashar al-Assad has used chemical weapons against civilians, an Israeli Intelligence official stated on Tuesday. Haaretz reports that the head of the Research Division at Military Intelligence, Brig. Gen. Itai Brun said: “To the best of our professional understanding, the regime has […]

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Geopolitics

Why The Easing Of Turkey-Israel Tensions Doesn’t Please Everyone

Families of the Turkish citizens killed three years ago in the raid of the Mavi Marmara say that Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu’s apology means nothing to them.

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Geopolitics

Ukraine Ultimatum, 4,000 Migrants In 48h, Dumped Masterpiece

UKRAINE’S ULTIMATUM TO PRO-RUSSIAN PROTESTERS Ukraine’s acting Interior Minister Arsen Avakov has said that the situation in Eastern Ukraine, where pro-Russian separatists are still occupying state buildings, will be “resolved in 48 hours,” threatening “the minority who want conflict” with a “forceful answer”, the BBC reports. “There are two options — political and negotiations, and […]

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Geopolitics

First Israeli Airstrikes On Gaza Since Cease-Fire, Palestinian Prisoners Protest

YNET, HAARETZ, JERUSALEM POST (Israel) IRISH TIMES (Ireland) Worldcrunch GAZA – Israel launched an airstrike on Gaza early on Wednesday morning, reports Ynet, its first attack in months. Israeli warplanes struck two targets in the Gaza strip, in the first attack since November, when an informal ceasefire was signed between Hamas-ruled Gaza and Israel. Ynet […]

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Geopolitics

Rockets Fired From Gaza As Obama Lands In West Bank

HAARETZ (Israel), WAFA (Palestine), REUTERS, AP Worldcrunch RAMALLAH – Barack Obama arrived Thursday in Ramallah in the West Bank to meet with Palestinian leaders, on the second day of his visit to the Middle East. The U.S. President met with President of the Palestinian National Authority Mahmoud Abbas in Ramallah’s presidential headquarters to emphasize the […]

Categories
Ideas

No Change You Can Believe In – Israel Is All Wrong About Obama’s Visit

President Obama’s arrival in Israel with no new peace proposal to offer is reassuring to many Israelis. They should be worried instead.

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Geopolitics

Obama Lands In Israel: “Peace Must Come To The Holy Land”

YNET, TIMES OF ISRAEL, CHANNEL 2 TV (Israel) Worldcrunch JERUSALEM – Barack Obama landed in Israel on Wednesday for his first trip as U.S. president. He was greeted at Ben Gurion Airport by President Shimon Peres and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. According to the Times of Israel, President Peres welcomed Obama “with open arms,” saying: […]

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Geopolitics

Ukraine’s National Guard, Death At SXSW, White Evolution

UKRAINE CREATES NATIONAL GUARDThe Ukrainian Parliament voted overwhelmingly to create a 60,000-strong National Guard, Interfax reports. According to AFP, the new force will mostly include volunteers from Maidan’s self-defense groups and will be in charge of interior and border security. MISSING PLANE COULD HAVE FLOWN FOR HOURS“We will not give up on any suspected clue,” […]

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Geopolitics

Italy And Israel – A Pair Of Political Stalemates Demystified With Gifs

Worldcrunch In elections, there are winners and there are losers. But what happens when the winner cannot actually claim victory? How can the loser manage to hold all the cards? Both Italy and Israel are famous for getting stuck in just these sorts of Byzantine deadlocks, and coincidentally both Mediterranean democracies are swimming in it […]

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Geopolitics

The Historical Falsehoods And Misleading Language Of West Bank “Settlements”

Palestinians are victims not only of Israeli power politics, but of linguistic deception.

Categories
Society

Israel Rolls Out First Palestinian-Only Buses In West Bank

YNET, HAARETZ (Israel) Worldcrunch QALQILYAH – The first official Palestinian-only bus lines began service Monday morning. According to Israeli daily Haaretz, the Israel’s Ministry of Transportation said it has launched the special bus lines in order to avoid conflicts. The lines are for the Palestinian workers who travel each from the West Bank into and […]

Categories
Society

Black Moccasins And Truck Driver Dreams – Up Close With Amos Oz

Perhaps the most acclaimed Israeli writer of his generation, and a fixture of the peace movement, Oz continues to surprise at the age of 73.

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Geopolitics

Germany To Help Israelis In Countries Where Israel Isn’t Recognized

DIE WELT (Germany), TIMES OF ISRAEL (Israel) Worldcrunch BERLIN – What does a German tourist do in Bali when his wallet gets stolen? He goes right away for help to the German consulate in Denpasar, the capital of the Indonesian island. But an Israeli in the same bind has a problem: Indonesia does not recognize […]

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