Tag Archive for Michael Oren

| July 17, 2013
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US feels betrayed after Israel backsteps out of terror suit

The White House & Congress upset at Israel’s decision to back out of trial against Bank of China for its involvement in laundering money for Hamas & the Islamic Jihad.

The reason for Israel’s retreat: China conditioned Netanyahu’s state visit on promise from Jerusalem not to testify in trial.

Now, the US is threatening to subpoena Israel’s Ambassador Oren

By Shimon Shiffer

Israeli Ambassador to the US Michael Oren was called back to Israel to take part in an emergency meeting convened this weekend by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu so that Oren could pass on  messages sent by the US administration and Congress in the wake of tensions between the two countries. Continue Reading »

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| July 9, 2013
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AJC Petitions Court to Uphold Convictions of 10 pro-Palestinian Activists

Jewish organization filed brief to the Appellate court seeking to uphold convictions of 10 hooligans for interrupting speech given by Ambassador Michael Oren at University of California ay Irvine.

By Rina Tzvi

 

Jewish groups are urging the Appellate Division of the California Superior Court in Orange County to uphold the conviction of 10 individuals for repeatedly interrupting Israeli Ambassador Michael Oren’s speech at the University of California at Irvine.

“The First Amendment guarantee of freedom of speech may not be invoked to protect those who intentionally disrupt a lawful meeting,” said Marc D. Stern, General Counsel of the American Jewish Committee (AJC). Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: , ,
| July 6, 2013
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Amb. Oren Finishes His Term This Year

Israel’s  Ambassador to the U.S. says he is ending his term this fall.

Unofficially, his replacement may be Ron Dermer.

By Gil Ronen

 

 

Israel’s Ambassador in the United States, Michael Oren, announced Friday evening on his Facebook page that he will end his term in the fall.

Amb. Michael B. Oren

Amb. Michael B. Oren – Israel’s Ambassador to the U.S.

According to Globes, there were rumors several months ago that Oren wishes to remain in his position for an additional year. He has been serving as ambassador since being appointed by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu in 2009.

Globes quotes “assessments in Washington” according to which Oren will be replaced by Ron Dermer, a trusted confidante of Netanyahu. Continue Reading »

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| March 16, 2013
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Amb. Oren: Obama’s itinerary demonstrates his support for Zionism

Ambassador Oren says Obama’s visit sends message of support to Israelis at a time when “the Middle East is burning.”

 

US President Barack Obama’s itinerary shows his deep commitment to Zionism and to Israel as a Jewish state that is historically routed in this region, Israel’s Ambassador to the US Michael Oren told Channel 2 on Saturday night during its Meet the Press program.

Ambassador to US Michael Oren

Ambassador to US Michael Oren – Photo: Hyungwon Kang/Reuters

“This will be Obama’s first trip outside the United States in his second term. Out of more than 190 countries around the world, he chose to come to us,” said Oren.

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| March 6, 2013
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WATCH: Stephen Colbert asks Amb. Oren: When are you guys going to bomb Iran?

Satirical news host Stephen Colbert, pokes fun at Israeli ambassador Oren over  Obama’s upcoming trip to Israel.

 

 Two weeks ahead of Obama’s planned trip to Israel, a week after Chuck Hagel was confirmed as U.S. secretary of defense, and just days after speaking at AIPAC’s annual conference, Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren was a guest on Tuesday’s The Colbert Report.

Israeli ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren on The Colbert Report. – Screenshot
Click photo to view episode

Stephen Colbert, who is well-known for his feigned conservative, right-wing political leanings, introduced the topic of Israel by saying that he was “certainly a better friend than Barack Obama, who has repeatedly snubbed our ally ‘Yisrael’ by refusing to visit the country,” a reference to the fact that Obama’s upcoming trip will be his first since assuming office in 2008. Continue Reading »

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| March 2, 2013
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Sen. Rand Paul: It’s not America’s Business Where Israelis Build Houses

The senator, along with 2 dozen Congresspersons & Senators spoke at The Iron Dome Congressional Tribute, a celebration of the U.S.-Israel alliance.

By Arutz Sheva

 

Spring may not have come yet to Washington, DC, but at week’s end, the unique relationship between the United States and Israel was in full bloom.  Senator Rand Paul

Several hundred Jewish leaders from across the U.S. journeyed to the capital to offer their gratitude to members of the United States Senate and House of Representatives for their staunch support of the U.S.-Israel relationship.  Nearly two dozen Members of Congress, ranging from ultra-conservative to extremely liberal in their political ideologies, put partisanship aside and participated in this special program in order to stand united with the State of Israel. Continue Reading »

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| March 2, 2013
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Oren: Jerusalem trying to maintain US-Israel military projects

In light of US gov’t cuts in spending, Israel’s ambassador says Jerusalem will try to safeguard funding for Arrow, Iron Dome & David’s Sling.

By GLOBES/RAN DAGONY

 

Jerusalem is working to salvage some of the military aid the US provides Israel, after US President Barack Obama was forced to approve $85 billion in automatic government budget cuts on Friday night. These cuts are expected to shave off up to $729 million annually from American aid to Israel, as well as aid in funding for missile defense systems such as Iron Dome, Arrow and David’s Sling.

Ambassador to US Michael Oren

Israel’s Ambassador to US, Michael Oren – Photo: Hyungwon Kang / Reuters

Obama formally ordered broad cuts in US government spending after he and congressional Republicans failed to reach a deal to avert automatic reductions that could dampen economic growth and curb military readiness.

Continue Reading »
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| December 14, 2012
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Oren: Israel must prepare for summons to appear before the ICC

Amb. to the US, Michael Oren says Israel can’t discount possibility that the Palestinians, now empowered by the UN, will take action at int’l criminal court.

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPOST CORRESPONDENT

 

WASHINGTON – The Israeli government needs to be prepared for the Palestinians to take action against it at the International Criminal Court, Israel’s top US envoy said Wednesday afternoon, as tensions mount between the parties over settlement construction in the West Bank.

Ambassador to US Michael Oren - Photo: Hyungwon Kang/Reuters

Ambassador to US Michael Oren – Photo: Hyungwon Kang/Reuters

Disagreements between the Palestinian Authority and Israel have been intensifying in the wake of  PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s successful bid for non-member state recognition at the UN last month.

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Category: Israel News | Tags: , , ,
| December 10, 2012
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Michael Oren: Chemical Weapons in Rebels Hands Would be ‘Game Changer’

Israeli ambassador to US says that evidence of chemical weapons being passed to terrorist would be a “red line for Israel”.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren warned Sunday that any evidence of chemical weapons being passed from the Assad regime to terrorist groups like Hizbullah would be a “red line for Israel” and could constitute military action.

While Oren could not confirm recent claims that the Syrian regime is mixing and moving components for the deadly sarin nerve gas, he said that Israel is watching the situation “very carefully.”

“Were those weapons to pass into the wrong hands — Huzbullah’s hands, for example — that would be a game-changer for us,” Oren told “Fox News Sunday.”  Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , , ,
| November 20, 2012
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No U.S. Veto on Ground Op, Says Ambassador Oren

Israel’s ambassador to the U.S. Michael Oren, says Washington will fully support Israel, whatever it decides to do.

By Gil Ronen

 

Israel’s Ambassador in the United States, Michael Oren, told IDF Radio Tuesday that there is no American veto on a possible ground maneuver by the IDF in Gaza.

President Barack Obama

President Barack Obama
Reuters

“Washington’s support in any step Israel takes is full,” he said. “Obama spoke twice with the prime minister and called our situation ‘unbearable.'”

Minister of Home Front Defense Avi Dichter refused to say Tuesday whether Israel and Hamas are headed toward a ceasefire or more intensive hostilities. Continue Reading »

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| November 18, 2012
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Report: Netanyahu assured Obama Israel not planning ground assault

The Daily Beast reports Israeli PM assured US president Israel’s ground invasion of Gaza will happen only if Hamas escalates rocket fire.

By Yitzhak Benhorin

 

WASHINGTON – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu gave private assurances to US President Barack Obama on Friday evening that Israel was not planning at that moment to launch a ground offensive in Gaza, The Daily Beast news website reported.

Obama and Netanyahu – Photo: Avi Ohayon, GPO

According to the report, which was published early on Sunday, Netanyahu told Obama that those plans would change if Hamas escalated its rocket war.

According to two American officials who were briefed on the phone conversation between Netanyahu and Obama, the PM said Israel would not consider a full-scale ground invasion of Gaza unless there was escalation from Hamas or an attack that caused significant casualties. Continue Reading »

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| August 10, 2012
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Israel’s Ambassador Michael Oren’s Iran article in WSJ gets ‘thumbs-up’ from Bahraini FM

Bahrain’s Foreign Minister’s Tweet shows Iran’s nuclear program not solely an Israeli concern, explains Israel’s ambassador to U.S.

By HILARY LEILA KRIEGER, JPOST CORRESPONDENT

 

WASHINGTON – When Bahrain’s foreign minister tweeted an article about Iran by Israeli’s US envoy, it underscored the shared nature of the Iranian threat, according to the envoy.

Michael Oren - Photo: JP

Michael Oren – Photo: JP

“It shows that the Iranian nuclear program is not solely an Israel concern but one of the entire Middle East,” Ambassador Michael Oren told The Jerusalem Post Thursday.

Bahraini Foreign Minister Khalid bin Ahmed bin Mohammed Al Khalifa tweeted a link to a piece Oren posted in The Wall Street Journal, which appeared on the website on Monday, titled “Time is short for Iran diplomacy.”

Continue Reading »
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| April 20, 2012
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‘Memory of 6 million must never be trivialized’

US Congress marks Holocaust Day; Israeli Ambassador to DC warns: “We cannot ignore similarities between conditions that fostered Holocaust, those we now witness daily’

WASHINGTON – The US Congress marked Holocaust Remembrance Day during its Thursday session.

Michael Oren Photo: AP

Michael Oren - Photo by AP

Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren addressed Congress and warned of the similarities between pre-WWII climate and the one prevalent today.

“Human history is rife with atrocities, massacres, and wars, but nothing can be equated with the enormity of the Holocaust,” he said. “It is profoundly, unbearably, unique.”

The legacy of the Holocaust, he added, “Endows us with a double duty. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags:
| March 9, 2012
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Israel is only Mideast state safe for Christians, envoy to U.S. says

In Wall Street Journal op-ed, Michael Oren compares what he calls the current repression of Christians in the Muslim world to the expulsion of Jews from Arab states.

 

Israel is the only country in the Middle East that is safe for Christians, Israel’s ambassador to the United States Michael Oren wrote in an op-ed column for the Wall Street Journal on Friday, comparing what he said was the suppression of Christian communities in Arab states to the twentieth-century expulsion of Jews from these nations.

Ambassador Michael Oren

Ambassador Michael Oren - Photo by: Natasha Mozgovaya

In his article, Oren cited the continuing violence against Egypt’s Coptic Christians, the burning of Iraqi churches, a Saudi ban on Christian worship and the desecration of the Church of the Nativity in the West Bank as instances indicating a threat to Christianity in the Muslim world, adding that conversion “to Christianity is a capital offense in Iran, where last month Pastor Yousef Nadarkhani was sentenced to death.” Continue Reading »

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