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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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 The Damaging Deal Between Hamas and Fatah
The agreement between Fatah and Hamas may not last very long. The last agreement, in 2007, failed and led to increased violence between the two groups-and finally to Hamas's coup in Gaza. Hamas and Fatah militants have been killing each other for decades and reconciliation seems more a ploy for public consumption than a serious goal. More...
Peres: Palestinian unity deal could be barrier to statehood
President Shimon Peres commented on the burgeoning Palestinian reconciliation agreement on Thursday, saying he felt the deal was a mistake that could prevent the formation of an independent Palestinian state. More... Circus of the Dancing Bears
The late Yitzhak Rabin used to say that the only problem with dancing with a bear is that once you start, you can never let go. Watching the current Hamas-Fatah unity circus, I can't help but think of Rabin's comment. More... Countdown to September: Israel, the Palestinians, and the UN General Assembly by Dore Gold
The public debate in Israel over the Palestinian plan to seek UN support for statehood in September is based on a fundamental misconception: the UN General Assembly cannot by itself establish or recognize a Palestinian state. It can admit new members to the UN only after they have been nominated first by the UN Security Council, where any of the five permanent members could veto the nomination. More...Editor's Notes: The moralist
When your enemies do not follow the rules of war.... An eye-opening interview with the man who helps set the IDF's ethical parameters. More...Will the Muslim Brotherhood soon control Egypt's parliament?
The Muslim Brotherhood's new plans to contest 50% of Egypt's parliamentary seats in upcoming elections are sparking concern that it will impose its Islamist ideas on the population. More...Egyptians Embrace Revolt Leaders, Religious Parties and Military, As Well
US wins no friends, end of treaty with Israel sought. More...
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REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS
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The GOP's Stealth Plan to Redefine Rape
*Note: This bill, HR3, was passed by the House on May 3.
They're doing it again: After jettisoning controversial legislative language narrowing the definition of rape for the purposes of abortion law, House Republicans are attempting a backdoor maneuver to ensure that solely victims of "forcible rape" are eligible for federal funding if they seek abortions.
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State and Federal Lawmakers Tackle Abortion Rights
[May 4th was] a busy day for abortion legislation at both the federal and state level, so let's get right to it.
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POLITICAL BYTES
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Locked and Loaded
It's always hazardous to predict the issues that will define the next presidential selection. But leading thinkers in both parties say that events of the past two weeks have locked in place a major part of the 2012 general-election contest.
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Democrats Form Fund-Raising Groups
A group of leading Democrats, including some with close connections to the White House, are officially forming what are expected be the major outside groups to combat Republicans - and support President Obama - in the 2012 elections with help from huge donations from big money donors and corporations who will have the legal ability to stay in the shadows that Mr. Obama has previously so vocally criticized.
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FYI
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Jews saving Jews
As I was finishing reading Andrew E. Stevens' memoir, "Rebel With a Cause: The Amazing True Story of Urban Partisans in World War II," in collaboration with Meir Doron (Allied Artists, $9.99), I received an e-mail from a former colleague reminding me of a promise I had made to write about Jews saving Jews during the Holocaust.
Holocaust survivor represents Israel at Pope John Paul's beatification
In an unusual move, the Israeli government sent an official delegate to the beatification of Pope John Paul II, choosing a government official who survived the Holocaust because he was entrusted to a Catholic family.
More... Supreme Court to consider Jerusalem passport case. The Supreme Court said on Monday it would hear an appeal by parents who want Secretary of State Hillary Clinton to record Israel, not just Jerusalem, on their son's U.S. passport. More...
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Sincerely,
Gail Yamner, President
Marcia Balonick, Executive Director
Joy Malkus, Executive Research Director |
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