The ad campaign to encourage hiring Arab employees has generated hundreds of requests by private businesses for Arab workers. But it turns out that government ministries, which are behind the campaign, have what to be embarrassed about.
Mofaz: Peace talks with PA soon to be renewed
Vice Premier Shaul Mofaz said Thursday morning that he believed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks would be renewed soon without preconditions.
Speaking to Israel Radio from Washington, Mofaz said that "I believe that there is an opportunity to restart negotiations. I have a firm basis for believing this will happen in the near future."
Obama administration keeps Israeli, Palestinian wheels spinning, hopes for traction on peace
WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is accelerating diplomatic efforts to get Israel and the Palestinians back to peace talks although there is little evidence the two sides are ready to resume direct negotiations.
Hamas-Controlled Gaza Celebrates Morsi Victory with Little Hope
Loud speakers attached to mosques across the Gaza Strip rang out with happiness news of Muslim Brotherhood candidate Mohammad Morsi’s victory in Egypt’s presidential run-off election. Gazans appeared to be elated as word of the victory by the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party standard-bearer spread throughout Gaza.
New Solar, Wind Energy Combo Promising for Israel and Palestine
A new Israeli adaptation that integrates solar energy with wind energy is arousing interest in the Palestinian Authority — precisely in places where connection to electrical infrastructure is inadequate. The “solar turbine,” developed by the Shahar Energy Company, will be on display for the first time at the Clean Tech exhibition being organized by the Mashov Company, which will take place at the beginning of July in the Tel Aviv Exhibition Grounds.
UN expert slams censorship by Israel, Palestinians
GENEVA — The government of Israel, the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza are all unduly limiting free speech through restrictive laws, intimidation and censorship, a U.N. human rights expert said Tuesday.
The global body's independent investigator on freedom of expression, Frank La Rue, said the measures have had a chilling effect on the work of journalists and peaceful activists, and urged Israel and the Palestinians to uphold international standards on free speech.
A Palestinian plan to attract Muslims back to Al-Aqsa
JERUSALEM (Reuters) - The grand mosques in Mecca and Medina, the two holiest in Islam, draw millions of pilgrims annually. Al-Aqsa, the last of the three sacred sites the Prophet Mohammad urged Muslims to visit, sees only a few thousand foreign worshippers a year.
The difference is political, not religious. The first two mosques are in Saudi Arabia, a proudly Muslim kingdom, while Al-Aqsa stands on Israeli-controlled land that may be the most disputed religious spot on earth.
Palestinians, Army try to contain fallout of clashes
SIDON, Lebanon: As calm returned to the Ain al-Hilweh and Nahr al-Bared refugee camps, Palestinian factions across Lebanon worked to contain the repercussions of two days of clashes between residents and the Lebanese Army.
In a letter to residents of refugee camps in Lebanon, Maj. Gen, Sobhi Abu Arab, the head of the Palestinian National Security Forces in Lebanon, said there is daily contact between Palestinian leaders in Lebanon and the Lebanese Army command.
Lally Weymouth’s interview with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak sat down this week with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth. Excerpts:
Q. An Israeli was killed this week in the south by someone from the Sinai. How do you see the situation in the Sinai?
Israeli President Shimon Peres discusses Syria and Iran
President Obama presented the Medal of Freedom to Israeli President Shimon Peres at a dinner at the White House on Wednesday. The last surviving founder of the state of Israel, Peres went on to serve as prime minister and leader of the Labor Party, and received the Nobel Peace Prize in 1994 for his role in the Oslo Accords, the first Israeli agreement with the Palestinians. The morning after the White House dinner, Peres sat down with The Washington Post’s Lally Weymouth at Blair House to discuss Syria, Iran and U.S. presidents from Kennedy to Obama. Excerpts:
They started it
This time there is no argument - they started it. This time one can say with certainty that Gaza Kindergarten started the brawl and Israel Kindergarten in the south continued. That's how it is with quarreling kindergarten children.
Principle and pragmatism demand an end to Gaza blockade
Thursday marked the fifth anniversary of Israel’s imposition of a complete siege on the Gaza Strip. Although the land, sea and air blockade has not made Israelis any safer or enhanced Israel’s security, it has had a clear humanitarian and economic impact on Gazans.
Olympic Spirit Calls for Memorial
Recently, I sat with my sons in our Tel Aviv apartment and watched a documentary about the massacre at the Munich Olympic Games in 1972. Five days before the end of the games, eight Palestinian terrorists from the group Black September broke into the Olympic Village, killing two Israelis and taking nine others hostage. The Palestinians demanded the release of more than 200 prisoners from Israel. In an ensuing battle, all nine Israeli hostages were killed.
Can the Palestinian Tech-Industry Catch Up to Its Neighbors?
The name of the Arab portal “Maktoob” is well-known in Palestinian high-tech centers in Ramallah. Two Jordanian entrepreneurs, both from families of Palestinian origin, sold Maktoob two years ago to search engine giant Yahoo for $150 million. Maktoob is the biggest portal in the Arab world. It sees some 17 million surfers every month, and it includes news, computerized services, telecommunications and various technologies.
Why Susya is "Illegal"
Israel plans to demolish the entire village of Susya. Defending the proposed demolition, the "Defense/Security" section of the settler news site Arutz Sheva (they file anything relating to Arabs under "defense" or "security") calls Susya an "illegal Arab outpost in the southern Hevron Hills." Their arguments are lousy and typical apologetics for Israel’s unjust land policies in the West Bank.
Links:
[1] http://www.americantaskforce.org/print/26190
[2] http://www.americantaskforce.org/printmail/26190
[3] http://www.americantaskforce.org/printpdf/26190
[4] http://www.americantaskforce.org/rss/wpr
[5] https://www.americantaskforce.org/civicrm/contribute/transact?reset=1&id=1
[6] http://www.nytimes.com/2012/06/21/world/middleeast/israeli-strike-kills-militant-amid-border-clashes.html?_r=1&ref=middleeast
[7] http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/gaza_strip/index.html?inline=nyt-geo
[8] http://topics.nytimes.com/top/news/international/countriesandterritories/israel/index.html?inline=nyt-geo
[9] http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/feature-israel-eyes-landfill-site-for-bedouin-nomads/
[10] http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/israel-all-options-open-after-iran-talks-fail/
[11] http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/world/2012-06/21/c_131666685.htm
[12] http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=497056
[13] http://www.haaretz.com/business/report-just-6-of-civil-service-is-arab-1.440046
[14] http://www.jpost.com/DiplomacyAndPolitics/Article.aspx?id=274657
[15] http://www.washingtonpost.com/politics/obama-administration-keeps-israeli-palestinian-wheels-spinning-hopes-for-traction-on-peace/2012/06/20/gJQAZOqjqV_story.html
[16] http://www.themedialine.org/news/news_detail.asp?NewsID=35418
[17] http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2012/06/an-israeli-adaptation-for-creati.html
[18] http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-505245_162-57456782/un-expert-slams-censorship-by-israel-palestinians/
[19] http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/19/us-palestinians-israel-al-aqsa-idUSBRE85I0TY20120619
[20] http://www.dailystar.com.lb/News/Politics/2012/Jun-21/177577-palestinians-army-try-to-contain-fallout-of-clashes.ashx#axzz1yKjQIjqa
[21] http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/lally-weymouths-interview-with-ehud-barak-on-iran-peace-talks-and-syria/2012/06/20/gJQA2aJ7qV_story.html
[22] http://www.washingtonpost.com/opinions/israeli-president-shimon-peres-discusses-syria-and-iran/2012/06/15/gJQAYvWUfV_story.html
[23] http://www.haaretz.com/opinion/they-started-it.premium-1.440016
[24] http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-EdContributors/Article.aspx?id=274611
[25] http://forward.com/articles/157835/olympic-spirit-calls-for-memorial/
[26] http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/business/2012/06/those-who-wont-benefit-from-the.html
[27] http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2012/06/20/why-susya-is-illegal.html