Tag Archive for US

| February 8, 2013
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Chuck Hagel: U.S. Should ‘Reverse Optics’ in its Relationship With Jewish state

Former senator Chuck Hagel does not elaborate on his claim or explain how he believes Israel is keeping “Palestinians caged up like animals,” according to the Journal Star report. The comment is, however, consistent with Hagel’s long anti-Israel & anti-Jewish record.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

The National Council on U.S.-Arab Relations recently published a recording of a speech given by former senator Chuck Hagel, President Barack Obama’s highly controversial nominee for secretary of defense, in which he said that the United States has to “reverse optics” in its relationship with the state of Israel.

Chuck HagelIn order to restore its credibility as an honest broker between Israelis and Palestinians, America has to “reverse optics” in its ties with the Jewish state, the former Republican senator from Nebraska said in 2007, as first reported by Breitbart.com. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| December 24, 2012
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Russia: Assad consolidated chemical weapons into 1 or 2 sites

 

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov: “The Syrian gov’t has concentrated the stockpiles in 1 or 2 centers, unlike in the past when they were scattered across the country”

Report says Russia & the U.S. have given 2 options to Assad: Step down & receive asylum, or a transfer of power will be arranged without you.

By News Agencies and Israel Hayom Staff

 

 

The U.S. and Russia have come to an agreement on the fate of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, according to a report in the London-based international Arabic newspaper Asharq Al-Awsat.

The message given to Syrian President Bashar al-Assad: Either step down from power, or be sidestepped out of power.

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , ,
| December 16, 2012
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PA Warns US: Don’t dare punish us

Chief PLO representative in Washington D.C. threatens American lawmakers against retaliating for last month’s Palestinian statehood vote at the UN.

By Rachel Hirshfeld

 

Chief representative of the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) in Washington D.C. is warning United States lawmakers against retaliating for last month’s statehood vote at the United Nations, maintaining that doing so would only hurt U.S. credibility in the region.

PA Chairman Abbas

PA Chairman Abbas – Reuters

“History has shown time and again that the language of threats, financial pressure, and punitive measures simply does not work,” Maen Rashid Areikat wrote in a letter sent to U.S. lawmakers. “Engagement and dialogue is the only way to express the views of Congress. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , , , ,
| December 12, 2012
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Obama gives Iran one last chance for talks…or else

Israel Channel 10 reports: US official says Obama to give 4-5 months for talks to succeed, if they don’t the US may resort to a military option.

By JPOST.COM STAFF, REUTERS

 

 

US President Barack Obama plans to propose to Iran that they conduct direct negotiations over the Islamic Republic nuclear program, Channel 10 reported Tuesday night citing a senior US official.

Interior of Bushehr nuclear plant - Photo: REUTERS/Stringer Iran

Interior of Bushehr nuclear plant – Photo: REUTERS/Stringer Iran

According to the official, the decision did not involve any coordination or consultation with Israel.

According to the report, the US is likely to give negotiations a time-frame of four to five months.

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Category: Mid-East 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: , , , , ,
| October 30, 2012
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It Apears That its Now Our Turn to Worry, from Israel

The last time Israelis were so concerned  for the welfare of Americans, was during the aftermath of 9/11.

 

“It all just feels so backwards. We’re watching them and trying to understand exactly what’s going on, and we are concerned whether they are safe. It’s such a strange feeling – it’s supposed to be the other way around.”

Hurricane Sandy

Pedestrians walk past a submerged taxi in Brooklyn, New York, October 29, 2012 as Hurricane Sandy made landfall in the northeastern United States. – Photo by Reuters

I’ve heard versions of these comments in person, on the phone and online repeatedly over the past 72 hours, as Hurricane Sandy threatened the Eastern seaboard of the United States, and then after it became a reality. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| October 19, 2012
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Jimmy Carter to visit Egypt & Israel

The Elders, a group of past heads of state that advocates for peace announced their visit Thursday.

 

Former United States President Jimmy Carter will travel to Egypt and Israel next week, where he will advocate for a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter.

Former U.S. President Jimmy Carter. – Photo by Reuters

A group of past heads of state that advocates for peace called The Elders announced the visit Thursday.

Its news release says Carter will be joined by former Norway prime minister Gro Harlem Brundtland and ex-president of Ireland Mary Robinson. The three belong to The Elders. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| October 6, 2012
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Judge rules Washington Metro must display anti-Jihadist ads

Metro officials had delayed displaying the ads because of the violent Islamic reaction in the Mid-East to the American made video, the ‘Innocence of Muslims.’

 

A U.S. judge says the Washington transit system must allow a pro-Israel ad that equates Muslim radicals with savages.

Commuters walk by the anti-Jihad poster in New York.

Commuters walk by an advertisement that reads ‘Support Israel/Defeat Jihad’ in the Times Square subway station in New York, September 24, 2012. – Photo by Reuters

U.S. District Judge Rosemary Collyer said in a one-page opinion Friday that the advertisement must be displayed no later than 5 p.m. on Monday.

The American Freedom Defense Initiative sued last month for the right to display the ads in the Metro system. Continue Reading »

Category: Israel News | Tags: ,
| September 25, 2012
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U.S. refuses entry visas for 20 Iranians for UN meet in NYC

Although 2 ministers & top aides among those denied entry, Iranian news agency says 140 were given U.S. visas.

By Reuters

The United States has denied visas to about 20 Iranian government officials hoping to attend next week’s UN General Assembly, including two ministers, Iran’s Fars news agency reported on Saturday.

United Nations General Assembly - AP - 21.9.2011

President Barack Obama addressing the United Nations General Assembly, Sept. 21, 2011. Photo by AP

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a regular at the assembly since he took office in 2005, will give his final speech there on Wednesday and will address a meeting on the “rule of law” on Monday. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| September 15, 2012
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Porn director behind the film ‘Innocence of Muslims’ that sparked anti-U.S. protests in Muslim World

Ties found between ex-convict, Christian charity  & insurance salesman, who produced the film over a belief that radical Islam threatens the world; cast & crew believed they were participating in film on ancient Egypt, had no idea of its Islamophobic nature.

 

A schlock softporn director named Alan Roberts has been identified as the director of the film that ridicules Muslims and the prophet Muhammed and has incited violent protests across the Middle East, according to a report by Gawker published Saturday.

A screenshot of the film 'Innocence of Muslims.'

A screenshot of the film ‘Innocence of Muslims,’ which incited protests throughout the Muslim world.

Continue Reading »
Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| August 24, 2012
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Ya’alon says That History Will Judge the U.S. on Iran

Strategic Affair Minister Moshe Ya’alon places the responsibility on the US if Iran successfully realizes their nuclear ambitions.

By Elad Benari

 

As the debate continues over Iran’s nuclear program and a possible Israeli strike on its nuclear facilities, Strategic Affair Minister Moshe Ya’alon on Thursday placed the responsibility on the United States if the Islamic Republic realizes its nuclear ambitions.

“History will judge whether the United States stood in the face of the Shiite threat and prevented the Iranian military nuclear capability in time,” Ya’alon said during a forum at the Gordon College of Education in Haifa. “A Middle East with a nuclear Iran is a Middle East with nuclear chaos.”

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Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| August 2, 2012
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U.S. Report: Obama Authorized American Support for the Syrian Rebels

U.S. President Barack Obama signed a secret order authorizing American support for rebels in Syria, sources say.

By Elad Benari

 

President Barack Obama has signed a secret order authorizing U.S. support for rebels seeking to depose Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and his government, U.S. sources familiar with the matter told Reuters on Wednesday.

Barack Obama

Barack Obama – Reuters

The sources said that Obama’s order, approved earlier this year and known as an intelligence “finding,” broadly permits the CIA and other U.S. agencies to provide support that could help the rebels oust Assad.

Precisely when Obama signed the secret intelligence authorization, an action not previously reported, could not be determined and the full extent of clandestine support that agencies like the CIA might be providing also is unclear, Reuters reported. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| July 27, 2012
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US views Iran’s upgraded military capabilities a threat in Persian Gulf

Washington Post reports American security experts believe that Iran’s upgraded military capabilities are factor in case of military confrontation in Persian Gulf

Ynet

 

 

Experts estimate that Iran is bolstering its retaliation capabilities against US naval ships in the Persian Gulf– among other things Tehran is amassing an arsenal of advanced anti-ship missiles and expanding its fast attack boat fleet, the Washington Post reported on Friday.

Iranian naval drill in Persian Gulf (Photo: AP)

Iranian naval drill in Persian Gulf – Photo: AP

According to the Post, officials claimed that the new systems, many of which were developed with foreign assistance, are giving Iran’s commanders new confidence that they could quickly damage or destroy US ships if hostilities erupt. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: ,
| May 31, 2012
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World may have to act without Security Council on Syria, says America’s UN envoy

Susan Rice thinks Bashar Assad is unlikely to abide by UN peace plan

 

UNITED NATIONS — US Ambassador Susan Rice said on Wednesday the worst and most likely scenario for Syria is that Kofi Annan’s peace plan will fail, spreading conflict and creating a major crisis across the region.

 

US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice (photo credit: courtesy UN)
US ambassador to the UN Susan Rice (photo credit: courtesy UN)

 

Speaking after a closed-door briefing to the UN Security Council by one of Annan’s deputies, Rice said that the Syrian government was unlikely to immediately implement the Annan plan.

If all other ways to resolve the crisis fail, member nations will have to decide whether they are ready to act “outside of the authority of this Council,” she said. Continue Reading »

Category: Mid-East News | Tags: , ,
| May 26, 2012
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U.S. Senate unanimously approves E-2 visas for Israeli investors

Backers say passage of bill will spur job creation and economic growth.

The U.S. Senate unanimously approved a bill allowing Israeli investors to reside there to oversee their businesses in the country, which backers say will spur job creation and economic growth.

The bill had unanimously passed the U.S. House of Representatives on March 19 and now heads to U.S. President Barack Obama for his signature.

U.S. Senate, 111th Congress.

U.S. Senate, 111th Congress. - Photo by Senate Photo Studio

 

The measure added Israel to the list of countries eligible for E-2 investor visas. Once signed into law by Obama, as expected, the bill will put Israel on a list with more than 79 other countries whose citizens are eligible for the visas. Continue Reading »

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