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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. |
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ISRAEL & THE MIDDLE EAST
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 Netanyahu to spell out peace policy to US Congress
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday he would use a rare speech to a joint session of the US Congress in May to spell out his plan for forging a lasting peace with the Palestinians. More...
Israel: New Gaza flotilla has ties to Hammas, terrorist organizations
Israel's ambassador to the U.N. warns the organization not to allow new flotilla, planned for May, to launch; US, Germany also call on flotilla organizers to find other ways to deliver aid to Gaza. More...Will the Arab Spring bring a peace agreement with Israel?
One of the most remarkable aspects of this year's Arab uprising has been the absence of the Israeli-Palestinian issue from the agenda of protesters. It turns out that the rising generation of Arabs is preoccupied not with Palestinian statehood but with political freedom and economic opportunity in their own countries. More... Abbas: PA will seek UNSC recognition along '67 lines
PA president says he has support of more than 130 countries that have recognized Palestinian state; says wants to move forward with peace talks. More...Egypt after the Revolution: An Early Assessment
In stark contrast to the Hosni Mubarak era, liberal and Islamist political forces alike have appeared on Egypt's dynamic political landscape, while traditional currents have largely diminished. Though certain emerging forces, such as the Salafists, have existed for some time as social or religious movements, they are now engaging in Egypt's expanding political sphere. More...Syriana - After Bashar al-Assad, the deluge
The late Princeton scholar Philip K. Hitti called Greater Syria -- the historical antecedent of the modern republic -- "the largest small country on the map, microscopic in size but cosmic in influence," encompassing in its geography, at the confluence of Europe, Asia, and Africa, "the history of the civilized world in a miniature form." This is not an exaggeration, and because it is not, the current unrest in Syria is far more important than unrest we have seen anywhere in the Middle East. More...
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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
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Behind the Abortion War
Part of the price of keeping the government operating this week is another debate over the financing of Planned Parenthood. Whoopee. At least it'll give us a chance to reminisce about Senator Jon Kyl, who gave that speech against federal support for Planned Parenthood last week that was noted for: A) its wild inaccuracy; and B) his staff's explanation that the remarks were "not intended to be a factual statement."
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Steven Colbert: No, Fox and Friends, You Can't Get a Pap Smear at Walgreens
Stephen Colbert absolutely killed it last night taking on the GOP's attempts to defund Planned Parenthood. First, Colbert mocked Sen. Jon Kyl's lie that abortion is "over 90% of what Planned Parenthood does."
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Oklahoma 4th state to ban abortion after 20 weeks
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin on Wednesday signed into law a prohibition on abortion after 20 weeks of pregnancy, making it the fourth state to ban such late term abortions.
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SEPARATION OF RELIGION & STATE
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Resolution would allow voters to repeal ban on state funding for religious organizations
The Florida Senate Judiciary Committee on Tuesday passed Senate Joint Resolution 1218, filed by state Sen. Thad Altman, R-Melbourne, that proposes a change to the Florida Constitution that would allow the state to directly fund religious institutions.
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POLITICAL BYTES
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Wasserman Schultz brings Jewish identity to top party role
Debbie Wasserman Schultz's first day as a sophomore in the U.S. House of Representatives, on Jan. 8, 2007, was marked by a number of extraordinary achievements for a woman barely out of her first term.
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Dems File Suits to Force Business Groups to Disclose Campaign Cash
Rep. Chris Van Hollen (D-MD) is taking matters into his own hands when it comes to rolling back elements of the Supreme Court's landmark Citizen United campaign finance case and requiring disclosure of campaign donations.
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FYI
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Kareem Abdul-Jabar to visit Israel
Former NBA star, who is making film about WWII, to meet with Rabbi Lau whom his father liberated from Nazi concentration camp.
More...Why I choose to return
My name is Eran and I've been living for almost a year now in New York, in a nice apartment near wonderful Central Park. I also study at a top-notch private university. In a few months I'll be completing my studies, and naturally I'm thinking about the future. More...
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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!
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Sincerely,
Gail Yamner, President
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Executive Research Director |
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