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April 8, 2011 

 


This week's issue highlights the following significant developments here and in the Middle East:

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Remember to check out our blog to keep up with current events, op-eds, reproductive rights information, sort fact from fiction in your inbox about Israel, and Presidential Ponderings - Gail's thoughts and observations.

 

JAC Joins the "Stand Up for Women's Health" Rally 

JAC -Women's Health Rally DC 4-2011

(l to r): Linda Rae Sher, Sarah Grime, Gail Yamner, Joy Malkus, Dana Gordon, Marcia Balonick 

 

Here's What Happened At the 'Stand Up For Women's Health' Rally in Washinton, DC
Planned Parenthood president Cecile Richards kicked off the event, which was both preceded and followed by lobbying activities on the Hill.

The lineup of speakers was pretty impressive - besides Richards, attendees heard from, among others, Nancy Keenan, president of NARAL Pro-Choice America; Senators Barbara Boxer, Charles Schumer, Patty Murray, and Frank Lautenberg; Representatives Rosa DeLauro, Louise Slaughter, and Diana DeGette; and the actors Amy Madigan (a member of NARAL's board of directors), Ed Harris, Connie Britton [of NBC's Friday Night Lights], and David Eigenberg [Steve from Sex and the City] (who gave a particularly rousing and impassioned speech).
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ISRAEL & THE MIDDLE EAST 

Reconsidering the Goldstone Report on Israel and war crimes by Richard Goldstone
We know a lot more today about what happened in the Gaza war of 2008-09 than we did when I chaired the fact-finding mission appointed by the U.N. Human Rights Council that produced what has come to be known as the Goldstone Report. If I had known then what I know now, the Goldstone Report would have been a different document.
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goldstoneWhat's behind Goldstone's flip-flop?
Few recent events in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been as wildly controversial and polarizing as the release of the Goldstone report, a United Nations-sponsored study prepared in the aftermath of Israel's devastating, 3-week-long assault on the Gaza Strip in the winter of 2008-09.
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The Fogel Murders: A Call to Combat Incitement
Incitement to violence, long a secondary issue in Israeli-Palestinian diplomacy, has returned to the front burner. About a year ago, the Israeli government began publishing an "incitement index" that tracked Palestinian Authority (PA) statements and publications.
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Israel's Requirements for Defensible Borders in a Rapidly Changing Middle East by Dore Gold
Israel is entering an extremely dangerous period in the year ahead. It is not facing an imminent military attack, but rather is confronting a new diplomatic assault that could well strip it of the territorial defenses in the West Bank that have provided for its security for over forty years.
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Egypt's military warns militant Islamic groups against attempting to take over
Egypt's ruling generals said in comments published Tuesday they would not allow extremist groups to take over the country and that they prefer to see a moderate religious ideology prevail in the mainly Muslim nation.
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Middle East crisis: Inside Syria's ruling family
As his country erupted int he kind of unrest not seen in Syria for nearly 30 years, Bashar al-Assad last week gave the impression of a leader plagued by self-doubt, dithering as the tide of history threatened to wash over him.
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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS 

billboardAbortion rights group covers billboards
Controversial billboards in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood that target the disproportionately high rate of abortion in the black community have been covered by opponents less than a week after they went up.

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Arizona: Abortion Banned for Race Selection
Gov. Jan Brewer has signed what is likely to be the first legislation in the nation to ban abortions over ethnicity. The law makes it a felony to knowingly perform or provide financing for an abortion sought because of the race or sex of the fetus or a parent's race.

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McDonnell adds abortion restriction to insurance-exchange legislation
Virginia Gov. Robert F. Mc�Don�nell has added an amendment restricting insurance coverage for abortion into a bill approved by the General Assembly establishing a health insurance exchange as part of the federal health-care overhaul.
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Delaware government: Abortion consent bill proposed
A 2009 law requires Delaware teens ages 14 to 17 to get a parent's written permission to use a tanning bed. Children under 14 are prohibited from tanning unless a doctor recommends it.Abortion opponents cite this law as a reason why they think Delaware needs a similar parental-consent law for a teenage girl to terminate a pregnancy.
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SEPARATION OF RELIGION & STATE

religousschoolSupreme Court Allows Tax Credit for Religious Tuition
The Supreme Court on Monday let stand an Arizona program that aids religious schools, saying in a 5-to-4 decision that the plaintiffs had no standing to challenge it.
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House Votes to restart D.C. school vouchers
The House passed a measure Wednesday to revive a school-voucher program for the District of Columbia despite opposition from the mayor, the District's congressional delegate, teachers and the White House.
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Watchdog Pressed NPS Over Religious Displays at Parks
An environmental watchdog is again raising concerns about the separation of church and state at federal parks and accusing the National Park Service of dragging its feet in coming up with a coherent policy for dealing with religious displays on lands it maintains
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POLITICAL BYTES

Obama Campaign Picks Headquarters in Chicago
President Obama's aides have settled on the location of a campaign headquarters in downtown Chicago, with his re-election effort poised to open early next month by raising money and building a political organization for the 2012 presidential race.

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jewishvoteOpinion: Is the Jewish Vote Undergoing Some Sort of Significant Shift in Emphasis?
American Jews are political animals, deeply passionate about politics, as generally more than 80 percent of eligible Jewish voters participate in the electoral process. Throughout American history, Jews have held a special regard for their civic responsibility.

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FYI

moonIsrael, The Third Nation on the Moon?
If all goes according to plan, by December 2012 a team of three young Israeli scientists will have landed a tiny spacecraft on the moon, explored the lunar surface, and transmitted live video back to earth, thereby scooping up a $20 million prize (the Google Lunar X Prize), revolutionizing space exploration, and making the Jewish State the third nation (after the U.S. and Russia) to land a probe on the moon. And they're doing it in their spare time.
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Why Palestinians Should Learn about the Holocaust
Should Palestinian and other Arab schools teach their students about the Holocaust?
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Our members count on JACPAC to provide information on current events, candidates, and elections.  JACPAC depends on membership support to make this possible.

If you have not renewed your membership, please consider doing so today, to help us pursue a strong US-Israel relationship, reproductive choice, and separation of religion and state.  Together we can make this a better world!
Sincerely,

 

Gail Yamner, President
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Executive Research Director