“You Shall Not Stand Idly By?” America and Syria – What to Do?

By Rabbi John Rosove
Published on May 5, 2013

Leader of the free word

By David Suissa
Published on March 22, 2013

Words matter, especially when spoken by people of power. I once read a book that dissected the 271 words of President Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address. Would that speech have become historic if, instead of phrases like “a new birth of freedom,” he had used phrases like “a reaffirmation of our values”?

Ed Koch remembered as quintessential New York City mayor [VIDEO]

Published on February 4, 2013

Former New York City Mayor Ed Koch was memorialized on Monday as an in-your-face, wisecracking leader who helped transform the city from a symbol of urban decay to the vital, glittering metropolis it is today.

New York to name subway station after Koch

Published on February 4, 2013

New York City will rename a subway station in memory of Edward Koch, the three-term mayor who died last week.

Will Republicans let Lew get to Treasury?

Published on January 10, 2013

Jacob Lew helped Orthodox observance reach the highest precincts of governance. But can a man that Republicans say “can’t get to yes” be confirmed as secretary of the Treasury?

Obama to tap Lew as treasury chief

Published on January 9, 2013

President Obama is set to nominate Jack Lew, his chief of staff, to be secretary of the treasury.

Hillary Clinton leaves New York hospital, then returns

Published on January 2, 2013

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton briefly left New York-Presbyterian hospital on Wednesday, only to return about 15 minutes later, the New York Daily News reported.

Yasser Arafat planned the second intifada, his widow says

Published on December 31, 2012

Yasser Arafat planned the second intifada, his widow said in a television interview.

Violence in Eastern Congo is our problem

Published on December 5, 2012

We’re staring down the barrel of another full-scale war in Congo. The M23 rebellion, launched in March 2012, last week stormed and seized Goma, a crucial town in eastern Congo.

John McCain: Send Bill Clinton to negotiate Mideast peace

Published on November 18, 2012

The United States needs to deploy a high-level envoy, like former President Bill Clinton, to help negotiate a peace deal between Israel and the Palestinians, a top U.S. politician said on Sunday.

Best-for-Israel President? Our Factor panel has the answer

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on November 3, 2012

[UPDATED] Berman v. Sherman: how Obama and Clinton fit in

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on October 24, 2012

Lewinsky to write tell-all memoir about affair with Clinton

Published on September 20, 2012

Monica Lewinsky reportedly is writing a memoir about her White House affair with President Bill Clinton.

Debunking myths on Israel and U.S. foreign policy

Published on September 7, 2012

Nowhere are the urban legends and mythologies more enduring and destructive than those that currently surround Israel and U.S. foreign policy.

Israeli “Celine Dion,” Persian sensation Andy and a song of unity

By Ryan Torok
Published on August 6, 2012

Knesset members urge Romney to release Pollard

Published on July 31, 2012

Knesset leaders sent a letter to Republican presidential candidate Mitt Romney urging him to grant clemency to Jonathan Pollard if elected president.

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.

Advice for Romney: No ‘opposite’ please

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on June 19, 2012

At Harvard, Dennis Ross takes another bite of the apple

Published on April 24, 2012

Appearing considerably greyer than when he began negotiating the Oslo peace process for the Clinton Administration 18 years ago, former Middle East envoy Dennis Ross addressed Harvard University’s first Israel Conference April 20 on the topic of “Innovating the Peace Process.”

Protestant leaders call for U.N. endorsement of Palestinian membership

Published on November 1, 2011

Leaders of four American Protestant denominations issued a statement endorsing the Palestinian U.N. bid for statehood.

Congress looks to punish Palestinians, but cuts to security aid pose dilemma

Published on October 4, 2011

If the Palestinians don’t pull back from their statehood push, congressional cuts in aid are inevitable, U.S. lawmakers say. Just how comprehensive such cuts will be, however, could end up depending on Israel’s stance on the issue.

Council takes first step on Palestinian U.N. bid

Published on September 28, 2011

The U.N. Security Council on Wednesday took its first step on the Palestinian application to join the United Nations by handing it to a committee that will review and assess it in the coming weeks.

Netanyahu rejects widespread criticism of homes plan

Published on September 28, 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday rejected Western and Arab complaints that the planned construction of 1,100 new homes in Gilo on annexed land close to Jerusalem would complicate Middle East peace efforts.

Opinion: Moral dimension of Palestinian statehood

By Judea Pearl
Published on September 27, 2011

I felt terribly guilty when Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas told the U.N. General Assembly: “Enough! It is time for the Palestinian people to gain their freedom and independence.” How can we deny to others what we claim for ourselves?

U.S., EU condemn Israeli plan to expand settlement

Published on September 27, 2011

Israel approved on Tuesday the construction of 1,100 settlement homes on annexed land in the West Bank, complicating global efforts to renew peace talks and defuse a crisis over a Palestinian statehood bid at the United Nations.

U.N. speech boosts Bibi’s ratings in Israel

Published on September 26, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's popularity has climbed in Israel after a hard-hitting speech at the United Nations opposing a Palestinian bid for statehood, an opinion poll showed on Monday.

Israel police arrest Hamas lawmaker in East Jerusalem

Published on September 26, 2011

Israeli police arrested a Hamas lawmaker on Monday who had been sheltering for more than a year in the International Red Cross (ICRC) offices in East Jerusalem, a police spokesman said.

Opinion: The dangerous alternate Middle East reality

Published on September 23, 2011

In the lead-up to the Palestinian application for full membership in the United Nations later this week, we can expect nation after nation to vilify the Jewish state and to walk out when Prime Minister Netanyahu takes the microphone.

In U.N. speeches, Abbas, Netanyahu trade charges of ‘ethnic cleansing’

Published on September 23, 2011

Mahmoud Abbas outlined a vision for an independent Palestine that hewed to the two-state formula but also revived rhetoric that hearkened back to an era of Palestinian belligerence.

Netanyahu to U.N.: Palestinians want state without peace [VIDEO]

Published on September 23, 2011

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused the Palestinians of wanting statehood without peace.

In U.S. speech, Abbas commits to two states, but amps up fiery rhetoric

Published on September 23, 2011

Mahmoud Abbas outlined a vision for an independent Palestine that hewed to the two-state formula but also revived rhetoric that hearkened back to an era of Palestinian belligerence.

In Ramallah, West Bank Palestinians divided between celebratory and cynical

Published on September 23, 2011

A larger-than-life sky-blue chair with the word “Palestine” dominates the center of Manara Square in downtown Ramallah.

Opinion: We know Abbas will fail, but it'll be a Palestinian moral victory

Published on September 23, 2011

A throng of young Palestinians charge the stage with what could easily be seen as malicious intent - if their vigorous stampede hadn't been in sync with a performance of Dabke, the traditional Arabic folk dance that literally translates as "the stamping of the feet."

Bill Clinton: Netanyahu isn’t interested in Mideast peace deal

Published on September 23, 2011

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is responsible for the inability to reach a peace deal that would end the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians, former U.S. President Bill Clinton said on Thursday.

The Berman v. Sherman race—so far

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on September 15, 2011

2 Jewish congressmen, 1 Valley district: Sherman lists endorsements, Berman waits

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on August 17, 2011

The next congressional election is more than a year away, and although California’s new political boundaries were formally approved on Aug. 15, Republicans are already considering launching a referendum to overturn them.

Who wants to be President?

By Douglas Bloomfield
Published on June 13, 2011

Newt Gingrich last week became the first candidate ever fired by his staff, as one wag noted, and if that proves a lethal blow to a doomed presidential campaign no one will be more disappointed than his old friend and collaborator Benjamin Netanyahu. The two worked closely in the 1990s to thwart Clinton administration peace policies and no doubt were looking forward to doing the same to President Obama.

Obama walking a fine line on borders issue

Published on May 24, 2011

One week ago, on May 19, President Barack Obama delivered powerful remarks on democracy and reform in the Middle East. He not only raised these normally hortatory ideals to top-tier U.S. interests, but he put the dictator of America’s most dangerous Arab antagonist —Syria’s Bashar Assad — on personal notice that he may soon find himself joining the leaders of Egypt and Tunisia in forced retirement. All this was welcome news.

Is Obama’s J-Dar off? Probing, once again, the ‘kishkes question’

Published on March 22, 2011

Does President Obama need a “Shalom Chaver” moment a la Bill Clinton? More fraught back-and-forth between the organized Jewish community and the Obama administration again has brought to the fore the question of what the president feels in his gut toward Israel and the Jewish people.

NATION/WORLD BRIEFS: Durban Changes, Iran Strategy, Clinton to Speak

Published on April 16, 2009

The United States commended changes in the draft document for “Durban II” but said more was needed to entice it into joining the anti-racism conference.

Jewish groups had welcomed the U.S. decision earlier this year not to attend the event reviewing the original U.N. conference in Durban in 2001. The South Africa parley had devolved into an anti-Israel and anti-Jewish free-for-all, and the review conference April 20-24 in Geneva promised more of the same. Earlier versions of the “draft outcome document” singled out Israel and called for measures against “defamation of religion,” seen as a nod to Islamist extremists who seek to marginalize their critics.

With the Republican base on the ropes, all eyes are on Florida —again

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on October 8, 2008

It is already ugly out on the campaign trail, and reporters in the field are feeling the heat of the rising anger of a Republican base on the ropes.

Being an African American candidate is different

By Raphael J. Sonenshein
Published on August 6, 2008

An African American candidacy is different. Obama can't easily be the racial middleman as Clinton was. And being aggressive carries its own special dynamics.

Briefs: Mass Shoah grave discovered in Ukraine; Report: Israel wants to talk with Syria; German Jews decry aliyah push

Published on June 7, 2007

News briefs.

Michael Tolkin takes on L.A. excess, family dysfunction and private-school politics in sequel to his

By Tom Teicholz
Published on September 14, 2006

Eighteen years ago, in "The Player," Tolkin introduced us to Griffin Mill, a studio executive who gets away with murder -- literally.

Painful Lessons Emerge From War in Lebanon

By Michael Berenbaum
Published on August 10, 2006

We could have been in the fifth year of an independent Palestinian state if Yasser Arafat had been willing to make a deal with Bill Clinton and Ehud Barak; instead we are we where we are.

Clinton Still Can’t Figure Arafat

By Tom Tugend
Published on November 10, 2005

Although he left the White House nearly five years ago, former President Bill Clinton is still deeply concerned about the Middle East and remains puzzled by his last-minute failure to advance peace between Israelis and Palestinians.

Summit Tackles Iran Nukes, College Strife

By Tom Tugend
Published on October 27, 2005

More than 1,000 pro-Israel activists from across the United States will meet in Los Angeles for the Oct. 30-31 National Summit on Foreign Policy and Politics of AIPAC, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

DNC, ‘Daily Show’ and Davening

By Janine Zacharia
Published on July 29, 2004

So an Orthodox Jew is not the Democratic vice presidential nominee this year, like in 2000. And the wife of the vice presidential nominee is not named Hadassah.

Clinton in Tel Aviv

By Jewish Journal Staff
Published on January 24, 2002

Despite his administration's failure to bring peace to the Middle East, former President Bill Clinton still enjoys rock star-like popularity in Israel. That was amply demonstrated last Sunday night when Clinton received an honorary doctorate at Tel Aviv University from university President Hamar Rabinovich.

A Beautiful Mind

By Rob Eshman
Published on January 17, 2002

Acuity, passion, the ability to hold several conflicting ideas at the same time, a wide-ranging and detailed understanding of the world we live in, and an ability to articulate a broad intellectual and moral vision -- watching Bill Clinton last Monday night at the Universal Ampitheatre made me realize how much I miss these attributes in a president.

This is not a criticism of George W. Bush. I imagine he would be the first to acknowledge, with some pride, that he's no Bill Clinton. Among the crowd that pressed to touch flesh with Clinton in a post-speech reception, several people admitted that Clinton would probably have done no better, and maybe worse, than Bush in executing the war against Al Qaeda. Different men, different strengths and weaknesses.

But last Monday night, it was Clinton's gifts that were on display.

Clinton Talks at UJ Series

By Tom Tugend
Published on January 17, 2002

Community Briefs.

The Battle for Peace

By Helen Davis
Published on January 11, 2001

The acid test for Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat came last week when he made his fateful visit to the White House to discuss Bill Clinton's framework agreement -- a roadmap designed to set the parameters for negotiating the tough issues that separate Israel and the Palestinians. Arafat failed the test.

Last Call

By Eric Silver
Published on December 21, 2000

Early this month, Bill Clinton told the visiting Israeli justice minister, Yossi Beilin, that he was ready to devote the remaining weeks of his tenure to Middle East peacemaking. As a lame-duck president, he said, his calendar was clear.

Playing by the Rules

By Linda Feldman
Published on January 29, 1998

Playing by the Rules.

A Woman’s Voice

Published on January 29, 1998

Thoughts of Monica Lewinsky consumed me this week. Her name, her face, the too intimate details of her life. I couldn't escape the 24-year-old former White House intern whose allegations against the president have brought on the worst political crisis of the decade. No matter how much I know, I'm compelled to go deeper. There's a story that the media is missing. For me, she's a Jewish girl, a Jewish daughter. She is my younger, more naïve self. She is one of our own.