What’s on and off the table when it comes to Middle East peace

Long eluding his predecessors, U.S. President Donald Trump has not shied away from attempting to solve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, which he has called the “deal of the century”…writes Sean Savage/JNS. Read more

Legislation aims to make U.S. aid to Palestinian refugee agency contingent on reform

New legislation introduced in the U.S.Congress recently is seeking to make American aid to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNWRA)—the U.N. refugee agency that is solely dedicated to the Palestinian refugees—contingent on reform…writes Sean Savage/JNS. Read more

Can the US and Israel rely on Putin to force Iran out of Syria?

U.S.  President Donald Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin just concluded a bilateral summit in Helsinki, Finland, that proved to be one of the most widely anticipated meetings in years—or, at least, since the meeting with North Korea.writes Sean Savage/JNS. Read more

Ireland goes ahead with legislation to boycott products made in Israeli settlements

Ireland’s Senate approved legislation on Wednesday to boycott products made in Israeli settlements. Read more

Despite signs of moderation, Presbyterian Church continues trend of targeting Israel at its General Assembly

At its biennial General Assembly last week in St. Louis, the Presbyterian Church USA, one of the largest mainline churches in American Protestantism, continued to express support for the anti-Israel BDS movement by passing a number of resolutions condemning Israel. Read more

Jewish NGO condemns ‘wholesale misappropriation’ of Holocaust amid outcry over US border policy

The Simon Wiesenthal Centre, a Jewish human rights NGO that teaches the lessons of the Nazi Holocaust, has denounced the “wholesale misappropriation” of the Holocaust amid on the ongoing outcry over the Trump administration’s “zero tolerance” policy of separating children from migrant parents at the U.S.-Mexico border…writes Sean Savage/JNS. Read more

A one-on-one with Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon

Despite the role of the United Nations in helping establish the State of Israel in 1947, the world body has long been a forum used by other nations to single out and condemn the Jewish state. Read more

The hope of change at UNESCO lies with new French Jewish leader

The election of the first Jewish director-general of the United Nations cultural body UNESCO, French politician Audrey Azoulay, is raising hope that with her background and political experience, she could return the organisation to its original mission…writes Sean Savage/JNS.org. Read more

Trump names close adviser David Friedman as Israel envoy, signaling US policy shifts

President-elect Donald Trump named one of his close advisers, attorney David Friedman, as the next U.S. ambassador to Israel, in a move that likely signals a major shift in American policy on Jerusalem and Israeli settlements. Read more

After years of institutional ‘decay,’ Palestinians set for long-overdue elections

Against the backdrop of this month’s long-overdue leadership elections for Palestinian Authority (PA) President Mahmoud Abbas’s Fatah political party, the Palestinians living in the West Bank face an uncertain future following more than a decade of stagnant rule…writes Sean Savage/JNS.org.
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Israel and Egypt grow closer, but antisemitism remains part of the equation

As the Middle East grapples with the fallout of the so-called “Arab Spring” revolutions and the rise of terror groups like Islamic State, Arab states have sought increased cooperation with Israel in areas such as military and intelligence in order to confront ongoing threats. Read more

Gaza war means a particularly sobering Yom Hazikaron for Israel this year

Since Israel was founded in 1948, its numerous wars have taken a heavy toll on its small population…writes Sean Savage/JNS.org. Read more

Netanyahu outlines ‘fateful crossroads’ on Iranian nukes

In perhaps the most widely debated address ever given by a foreign leader to Congress, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described a “fateful crossroads” on the Iranian nuclear threat and said that the emerging deal between Iran and world powers is paving the way for a Middle East “littered with nuclear bombs”  Sean Savage/JNS.org reports. Read more