What Boston hospitals learned from Israel

Published on April 22, 2013

Minutes after a terrorist attack killed three at the finish line of the Boston Marathon, doctors and nurses at the city’s hospitals faced a harrowing scene — severed limbs, burned bodies, shrapnel buried in skin.

Assessing Ariel Sharon

Published on April 10, 2013

On the night of Jan. 24, former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was transported to Soroka University Medical Center in the southern Israeli city of Beersheba. Secured horizontally and face-up, he was passed slowly through an advanced magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) machine, which enabled UCLA psychology professor Martin Monti and a team of Israeli experts to perform an array of tests that lasted 90 minutes.

Kadima crumbles, Labor emphasizes social issues and Likud still dominates

Published on December 6, 2012

Two months ago, the strategy for victory was clear: To unseat Benjamin Netanyahu in elections on Jan. 22, Israel’s handful of center-left parties had to unite under one banner and choose a leader who could challenge the Israeli prime minister on issues of diplomacy and security.

As Barak bids politics bye bye, questions remain about his legacy and future

Published on November 27, 2012

Is Ehud Barak a calculating political survivor or a military man who, in his own words, “never had any special desire” for political life? Will he be remembered as a warrior or as a seeker of peace? And what will he do next?

Olmert: Likud an ‘extreme right-wing party’

Published on November 8, 2012

Speaking at Columbia Law School, former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called the Likud an “extreme right-wing party” and suggested that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should have better relations with the White House.

Poll predicts Kadima won’t make voting threshold

Published on November 2, 2012

A new poll of Israeli voters indicated Kadima may not make Israel’s voting threshold of two percent in the upcoming elections.

October 24, 2012

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on October 24, 2012

Revived Israel Policy Forum aims to rise above partisan fray as a pragmatic pro-Israel voice

Published on June 19, 2012

When President Bill Clinton chose in January 2001 to unveil his Clinton Parameters for Arab-Israel peacemaking, he chose an Israel Policy Forum gala to do it. Four years later, then-Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Ehud Olmert sought the same audience to announce then-Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s willingness to negotiate with the Palestinians.

First Lebanon War: Marking 30 years, and the lessons learned

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on June 5, 2012

Eight quick takes on Israel’s canceled election and new unity government

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on May 8, 2012

So it’s “Shaul or Bibi” - but can Mofaz find the votes?

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on March 28, 2012

An insider’s view of Ariel Sharon

By Jonathan Kirsch
Published on October 26, 2011

Ariel Sharon was a figure of controversy throughout his long career in war, politics and diplomacy, but no one can deny that he looms large in the making of the Jewish state.

Report: Ariel Sharon is responsive, moves fingers

Published on October 23, 2011

Former Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is responsive and has gained weight, his son told The New York Times.

Rod Lurie On Dustin Hoffman and His Remake of Sam Peckinpah’s “Straw Dogs”

By Naomi Pfefferman
Published on September 23, 2011

Ariel Sharon moved to ranch first time since coma

Published on November 12, 2010

Ariel Sharon was moved to his ranch for the first time since he fell into a coma in January 2006.

Ariel Sharon going home

Published on September 22, 2010

Ariel Sharon, who has been in a coma for nearly five years, is expected to be moved from an Israeli hospital to his Negev ranch.

Briefs: Israeli professor, a Shoah survivor, among dead at Virginia Tech; Ariel Sharon -- signs of sentience

Published on April 19, 2007

World briefs.

Nation & World Briefs

Published on April 13, 2006

With Conservative Judaism at a crossroads, the movement's flagship institution has chosen a scholar of American Jewry to guide it. The new leader of the Jewish Theological Seminary (JTS), announced this week, is Arnold Eisen, a Jewish studies professor and chairman of Stanford University's religious studies department.

Spectator - Young Historians Find Their Genre

By Gaby Friedman
Published on February 16, 2006

When Erica Silverman was looking for a subject for her latest children's nonfiction book, she decided to seek inspiration from one of the most famous Jewish writers of all time, Sholom Aleichem.

Letters

Published on January 26, 2006

Letters

Scheinerman/Sharon

By Rob Eshman
Published on January 12, 2006

The pre-mortem eulogies, the stream of editorials, the international expressions of sympathy -- what you are witnessing is Ariel Sharon's ascension to the Jewish pantheon.

Names to Watch on Way Up, Down in ‘06

By James D. Besser
Published on December 29, 2005

Here are a handful of people to watch in the coming 12 months -- some on the way up; some on the way down.

Bibi Up,  Sharon Down —for Now

By Jewish Journal Staff
Published on December 22, 2005

Former prime minister Benjamin "Bibi" Netanyahu is back in control of Israel's Conservative Likud Party as his onetime ally and current rival, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, recovers from a mild stroke.

In Political Tsunami, Sharon Bolts Likud

By Dan Baron
Published on November 24, 2005

Prime Minister Ariel Sharon quit the Likud Party this week to form a new centrist party to compete in early elections expected to take place in March.

Sharon's new party, to be called the National Responsibility Party, is expected to capitalize on mainstream support for his decision to withdraw Israeli soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip last August.

Steinitz Says Sharon Move ‘Damaging’

By Tom Tugend
Published on November 24, 2005

Steinitz Says Sharon Move 'Damaging'
Dr. Yuval Steinitz, one of the most influential Likud stalwarts in the Knesset, lashed out against Prime Minister Ariel Sharon during a just concluded visit to Southern California.

Sharon Feels Heat From Home, Abroad

By Dan Baron
Published on November 17, 2005

The diplomatic reprieve that followed Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip appears to be over, with Ariel Sharon feeling political pressure both at home and from abroad.

Sharon Emerges as Rabin’s Heir

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 3, 2005

An Israeli assassin, a right-wing extremist, killed Rabin on Nov. 4, 1995. Had Rabin lived, would the Israeli-Palestinian conflict have been resolved? Or would the peace process he started still have unraveled?

The Changed Man

By Rob Eshman
Published on October 13, 2005

In May of 1998, a wealthy Israeli-born businessman called our offices and suggested I go to the Peninsula Hotel to interview his friend, Ariel Sharon. I said no.

Barbed Wire Fails to Separate Hearts

By Toby Klein Greenwald
Published on August 11, 2005

Almost every war has one photographic image that emerges and that remains ingrained in the public's mind -- and the media -- as the defining picture of that war.

Analysis - Sharon’s Worries   Over Pullout Mount

By Leslie Susser
Published on July 28, 2005

With the planned Israeli withdrawal from Gaza less than three weeks away, right-wing leaders say they haven't yet given up hope of preventing it.

There’s No Place for Ugly Words on Gaza

By Joseph Aaron
Published on July 28, 2005

The withdrawal of Israeli settlements and settlers from the Gaza Strip will dominate the Jewish summer.

Disengagement Now—No Way to Peace

By Arthur Cohn
Published on July 7, 2005

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan for an Israeli pullout from Gaza and a few more settlements in the Shomron has found extensive initial approval among Jews in the Diaspora.

At first glance, this is understandable. The absence of a credible Palestinian negotiating partner, combined with Israel's vigorous desire to create a more peaceful atmosphere in the Middle East, has made a partial segregation from the Palestinian Arabs appear to be a step in the right direction.

But before we leap, let's look. Let's pay attention to the serious voices of dissent.

Bibi May Mount Sharon Challenge

By Idan Ivri
Published on July 7, 2005

At the moment, Benjamin Netanyahu is working under Prime Minister Ariel Sharon as finance minister, but at a stop in Beverly Hills last week, Netanyahu sounded like he'd rather have Sharon's job.

"Bibi," who served as prime minister from 1996 to 1999, has denied rumors that he will soon resign his post, but has been sounding more and more like a political candidate in recent months.

Most notably, he's staked out a position opposing Sharon's plan to evacuate settlers and troops next month from the Gaza Strip.

Briefs

Published on June 30, 2005

Community briefs.

Is Bibi Set to Challenge Sharon?

By Leslie Susser
Published on June 16, 2005

Everyone in the Israeli political establishment knows it's only a matter of time before Benjamin Netanyahu challenges Prime Minister Ariel Sharon for leadership of the Likud Party and the country.

The Battle Over Gaza in America

By Marc Ballon
Published on June 16, 2005

Demonstrators rally in May against Israel's Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and his Gaza pullout plan in New York.

Cease-Fire Appears on Verge of Collapse

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 12, 2005

Just three months after it was ushered in at a peace summit in February, there are growing signs that the cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians may be on the verge of collapse.

Community Briefs

By Tom Tugend
Published on April 28, 2005

On Yom HaShoah, or Holocaust Memorial Day, which falls on May 5 this year, 53 Los Angeles-area teenagers, along with seven chaperones, will join a record 18,000 people on a 3-kilometer march from Auschwitz to Birkenau, following concentration camp inmates' footsteps to the gas chambers.

Grim Faces, Tense Words at Summit

By Ron Kampeas
Published on April 14, 2005

The meeting Monday between Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon and President Bush at Bush's vast Texas ranch was to have affirmed the special U.S.-Israel relationship and paved the way forward in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process -- a triumphant summit between two friends, farmers and statesmen.

Gaza Strife and American Jews

By James D. Besser
Published on March 17, 2005

Civil strife in Israel over Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza disengagement plan could cause new strains in the American Jewish community and accelerate the turning away from the pro-Israel cause, especially among younger Jews.

Unilateral Withdrawal

By Larry Derfner
Published on February 17, 2005

I, along with what the polls say is 60 percent of Israelis -- and maybe even Ariel Sharon, too -- trust Mahmoud Abbas' good intentions. More than that, I'm impressed by what he's done on the ground -- by prevailing on Hamas and the other terrorist groups to "cool down" the violence a week after he took office, and reading them the riot act after their rockets started flying again a day after the hopeful Sharm el-Sheik summit.

Sharon, Abbas Meet in ‘Summit of Hope’

By Dina Kraft
Published on February 10, 2005

Israelis are calling the Sharm el Sheik summit, held next to the sparkling waves of the Red Sea, the "Summit of Hope" -- hope that the speeches and handshakes really will signify the end of four and a half years of bloodletting and despair.

Debate Rages on Gaza Pullout, Army

By Leslie Susser
Published on January 6, 2005

As the scheduled start of Israel's Gaza withdrawal approaches, settler leaders are raising the specter of mass refusal by religious soldiers to carry out orders, and are warning of disastrous consequences for the Israeli army and society as a whole.

But high-ranking Israel Defense Forces (IDF) officers said settler leaders are exaggerating in an attempt to scare the government and to encourage soldiers to refuse to evacuate settlers from their homes.

2004 Takes Some Unexpected Turns

By James D. Besser
Published on December 30, 2004

There's nothing as risky as end-of-year predictions, as 2004 so painfully demonstrated.

Sharon Pushes for Labor, Likud Union

By Leslie Susser
Published on December 9, 2004

Convinced that 2005 will be a year of great peace opportunities, Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon is throwing his considerable political weight behind a coalition with the Labor Party.

Sharon sees a Likud-Labor partnership, bolstered by at least one ultra Orthodox party, as the ideal tool for carrying through his disengagement plan and beyond. To that end, Sharon is following a two-stage strategy: first, ensuring that the centrist, secular Shinui Party, which has refused to sit in the government with ultra Orthodox parties, leaves the coalition, and then breaking resistance in Sharon's own Likud Party to a partnership with Labor.

Sharon Wins Key Likud Party Vote

By Leslie Susser
Published on November 25, 2004

After a string of embarrassing defeats in his own party, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's victory in the election of key Likud officers raises the chances that he will be able to broaden his government and push through a promised withdrawal from the West Bank and Gaza Strip -- though it's still not certain.

Briefs

Published on October 28, 2004

Briefs; Sharon Marks Rabin Assassination Anniversary; Oregon Men Charged in Synagogue Desecration; Group Wants To Expand Anti-Semitism Fight;
U.S. Official: Syria Relations Looking Up?; Reform to Synagogues; Turn Away Cash; O.U. to Meet in Israel; Convictions in Israel Hall Collapse.

U.S. Jews Laud Withdrawal Vote

Published on October 28, 2004

American Jewish organizations rushed Tuesday afternoon to express support for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan.

Sharon Weighs His Options: All Tough

By Leslie Susser
Published on August 26, 2004

Ariel Sharon has been weighing the options for his government and "disengagement plan" since his humiliating defeat at last week's Likud Party convention, but none of the alternatives looks particularly good.

France’s Dangerous Cocktail

By Andre Glucksmann
Published on August 5, 2004

On July 18, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon festively proposed to "all the Jews of France" "to move to Israel immediately ... because in France today, one of the wildest forms of anti-Semitism is spreading."

Sharon is wrong -- not in his concern about a real rise in anti-Semitism in France, but because he explains it too simplistically.

Ten percent of the French population is of Muslim origin. Most are not fundamentalists who feel solidarity with the Hamas suicide bomb campaigns.

Turmoil Could Bring Chance for Progress

By Leslie Susser
Published on July 22, 2004

Few doubt that Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan has the potential to become a watershed event in Middle Eastern politics, and it already is causing major upheavals in both internal Israeli and Palestinian politics.

Naomi Shemer, Israeli Folk Musician, Dies at 74

By Dan Baron
Published on July 1, 2004

It was a sign of folk singer Naomi Shemer's importance to Israel's national psyche that her death relegated the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to the inside pages of the nation's newspapers.

World Briefs

By JTA Staff
Published on June 17, 2004

Earl Krugel, a former leader of the Jewish Defense League (JDL), might face a longer than anticipated prison sentence, after a federal judge voided a previous plea agreement.

Backlash Bolsters Sharon’s Gaza Plan

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 20, 2004

The Likud Party vote earlier this month against Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan may have been a defining moment in Israeli politics -- but not in the way the ostensible winners, Likud hawks and the Israeli settler movement, had hoped.

Paradoxically, the Likud's rejection of the Gaza Strip withdrawal seems to have sparked a huge backlash that could help the Israeli prime minister push his plan through.

Simply Wrong

By Bill Boyarsky
Published on May 6, 2004

The Republicans are praying that President Bush's embrace of Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Gaza withdrawal plan will sway the Jewish vote.

Sharon Faces Tough Choices After Defeat

By Leslie Susser
Published on May 6, 2004

Bruised after a humiliating defeat in his own party, Ariel Sharon is considering dramatic moves to regain the political upper hand.

Bush Still Waiting for Reward

By Ron Kampeas
Published on April 22, 2004

Ariel Sharon is already reaping political dividends from last week's historic exchange of letters with President Bush, but the U.S. president's payoff depends a great deal on what Israel does next.

Killings May Backfire on Security Issue

By Jeremy Pressman
Published on April 22, 2004

As international peacekeepers flowed into Beirut and PLO fighters withdrew from the city, then-Israeli Defense Minister Ariel Sharon was confident that the Israeli siege of Beirut had been a success.

Gaza Plan Foes Face Evangelical Aid Loss

By James D. Besser
Published on April 8, 2004

With the Gaza disengagement plan picking up momentum and Prime Minister Ariel Sharon getting set to pitch the proposal to the Bush administration at Camp David next week, right-wing Jewish groups are counterattacking, hoping to forestall U.S. support for the plan. Their partners in this fight: Christian Zionists.

The Drawbacks of the Proposed Pullback

By Dr. Nadav Morag
Published on April 1, 2004

The targeted killing of Hamas founder Ahmad Yassin and the "open season" that Israel has declared against Hamas leaders and those of other Palestinian terrorist organizations must be viewed as part of a larger Israeli policy designed to achieve a number of objectives.