Obama faces tough call on Iran oil sanctions

Published on October 22, 2012

Just weeks after the election, President Barack Obama will be faced with a pivotal decision on oil sanctions on Iran, in which he will have to balance the need to stay tough on Tehran without pushing oil prices too high.

Khamenei dismisses sanctions, says Iran stronger than ever

Published on July 11, 2012

Iranian Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Wednesday dismissed harsher sanctions imposed on Iran this month over its disputed nuclear activity, saying the country was "100 times stronger" than before.

Iran threatens Israel; new EU sanctions take force

Published on July 2, 2012

Iran announced missile tests on Sunday and threatened to wipe Israel "off the face of the earth" if the Jewish state attacked it, brandishing some of its starkest threats on the day Europe began enforcing an oil embargo and harsh new sanctions.

US Senate Republicans block Iran sanctions vote

Published on May 17, 2012

U.S. Senate Republicans blocked legislation for new economic sanctions on Iran's oil sector on Thursday saying they needed more time to study the bill, a surprise move that drew anger from Democrats who wanted approval ahead of nuclear talks next week.

Oil drilling near Haifa halted

Published on May 14, 2012

Oil drilling in the Mediterranean Sea off the coast of Haifa was frozen as the investment partners prepare to put a new oil rig in place.

Egypt ends gas deal with Israel, stakeholder says

Published on April 22, 2012

Egypt's energy companies have terminated a long-term deal to supply Israel with gas after the cross-border pipeline sustained months of sabotage since a revolt last year, a stakeholder in the deal said on Sunday.

Obama says enough world oil to crack down on Iran sales

Published on March 30, 2012

President Barack Obama vowed on Friday to forge ahead with tough sanctions on Iran, saying there was enough oil in the world market - including emergency stockpiles - to allow countries to cut Iranian imports.

Israel takes concerns about Iran to key partner China

Published on March 16, 2012

Israel on Friday took its concern about Iran's nuclear programme to one of Iran's main partners, China, and hinted it could launch a preemptive attack on the Islamic Republic despite repeated calls by China to allow diplomacy to take its course.

POLL: Most Americans would back US strike over Iran nuclear weapon

Published on March 13, 2012

A majority of Americans would support U.S. military action against Iran if there were evidence that Tehran is building nuclear weapons, even if such action led to higher gasoline prices, a Reuters/Ipsos poll showed on Tuesday.

Iran boasts nuclear advances, deepening standoff

Published on February 15, 2012

Iran proclaimed advances in nuclear know-how on Wednesday, including new centrifuges able to enrich uranium much faster, a move that may hasten a drift towards confrontation with the West over suspicions it is seeking the means to make atomic bombs.

Iran shrugs off latest U.S. sanctions, trade suffers

Published on February 7, 2012

Iran castigated its U.S. adversary on Tuesday over new financial measures to disrupt Iranian commerce, and a default on payment for rice purchases highlighted the encroachment of sanctions on the staples of everyday life.

Israel says Iran has material for four A-bombs

Published on February 2, 2012

Israel estimated on Thursday that Iran could make four atomic bombs by further enriching uranium it has already stockpiled, and could produce its first within a year of deciding to build one.

Indian official: We won’t cut back on Iranian oil

Published on January 30, 2012

India will not reduce the amount of oil Iranian oil it purchases, the country’s finance minister said.

EU bans Iranian oil, Tehran responds with threats

Published on January 23, 2012

The European Union banned imports of oil from Iran on Monday and imposed a number of other economic sanctions, joining the United States in a new round of measures aimed at deflecting Tehran's nuclear development program.

Nicolas Sarkozy: Time running out for Iran diplomacy

Published on January 20, 2012

French President Nicolas Sarkozy said on Friday that time was running out to avoid a military intervention in Iran and he appealed to China and Russia to support new sanctions to force Tehran to negotiate over its uranium enrichment program.

U.S. expects Iran sanctions to bear results within two months

Published on January 18, 2012

The Obama administration expects a significant drop in foreign dealings with the Central Bank of Iran in the next two months.

Iran threatens to cut off Mideast oil

Published on December 27, 2011

Iran will close the Strait of Hormuz if its oil exports are subjected to foreign sanctions, the Islamic Republic's official news agency reported.

Eight (pricey) nights

By Steve Greenberg
Published on December 14, 2011

editorial cartoon

Ayalon: Israel will defend Greek oil drilling in Cyprus

Published on November 23, 2011

Israeli Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said in Greece that Israel will defend Greek oil drilling in Cyprus

Ehud Barak plays down talk of war with Iran

Published on November 8, 2011

Defense Minister Ehud Barak played down Tuesday speculation that Israel intends to strike Iranian nuclear facilities, saying no decision had been made on embarking on a military operation.

Greece’s Papandreou to discuss oil drilling with Netanyahu

Published on September 15, 2011

Greek Prime Minister George Papandreou was scheduled to consult with his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu regarding drilling for natural gas near Cyprus.

German companies slammed for planned participation in Tehran oil show

Published on April 14, 2011

German companies are drawing criticism for their plans to take part in an oil industry trade show in Tehran. Some 60 German companies will attend this weekend's event in Tehran, which is dedicated to Iran's energy sector, according to the Stop the Bomb nongovernmental organization in Germany. Only China is sending more firms to the show than Germany.

Egyptian unrest stokes oil fears, but Mideast markets relax

Published on February 2, 2011

Investors began separating the losers and the gainers from Egyptian unrest on Wednesday, as fears the turmoil would interrupt the world oil trade lifted petroleum prices to their highest level in more than two years while share markets in the Middle East rebounded. The price of North Sea Brent crude futures held above $100 a barrel on Wednesday and just below the 28-month high they reached a day earlier, amid concerns the standoff between Egypt’s government and the opposition might close the Suez Canal. Investors also remained jittery about the risk of unrest spreading to the Middle East’s oil exporters.

My Chanukah miracle

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on December 1, 2010

And on the fifth day, I learned how not to compost. It was a sunny mid-November morning when I found out that potato peels, celery tops and other vegetable pieces — in other words, most of the 7 pounds of organic matter I had been saving in my refrigerator’s crisper drawer for the past four days — were, in fact, still food.

U.S. sanctions hit Iran oil firm

Published on October 4, 2010

A subsidiary of Iran's Swiss-based national oil company is the latest firm to be sanctioned under new U.S. measures.

Latkes and farinata: Something familiar, something new

By Judy Zeidler
Published on December 18, 2008

GOP platform offers strong support for Israel, veers right domestically

Published on September 3, 2008

The Republican Party platform endorses positions at odds with those of most Jewish voters -- but not when it comes to Israel.

Israel-Iran war talk blamed for oil price frenzy

By Ron Kampeas
Published on July 7, 2008

Experts are saying that talk of an Israeli strike on Iran is a key part of what's unsettling already volatile oil markets.

Israeli invention could pave way for hydrogen cars

By David Shamah
Published on April 24, 2008

Everyone's heard that old story about the scientist who invents a "magic pill" that turns water into gasoline -- with the invention eventually getting into the hands of the oil companies that bury it, fearing they will be driven out of business when word gets out about their competition

The poisoning of Beverly Hills High

By Amy Klein
Published on January 24, 2008

Joy Horowitz's "Parts Per Million: The Poisoning of Beverly Hills High School" (Viking) is a dense 350-page book detailing a four-year fight between 1,000 litigants who claimed oil wells at the school caused diseases, such as cancer, and defendants -- including the oil companies, the city of Beverly Hills and school officials -- who said there had been no harmful effects from the (profitable) derricks.

Smug Alert

By Rob Eshman
Published on March 8, 2007

Biodiesel itself has the consistency, smell and, yes, taste of Mazola. Made from food oils and alcohol, it disintegrates into harmless organic matter when spilled. It's as toxic as table salt.

That gas pump is a giant Saudi tzedakah box

By Jon E. Drucker
Published on October 26, 2006

It is estimated that this year, American Jews will send approximately $660 million to Saudi Arabia.
You didn't fold a piece of cardboard or stuff an envelope, but the commitment was as good as a pledge. Maybe even better.

Prop. 87 fuels high octane fight on oil production tax

By Idan Ivri
Published on October 19, 2006

Next month, California voters will take sides in what has been an epic battle over Proposition 87, called the Clean Energy Alternative Act.

PASSOVER: 10 Contemporary Plagues

By The Editors
Published on April 6, 2006

In the Passover haggadah, we read of the 10 Plagues that God sent to convince Pharoah to let the Hebrew slaves go free. The plagues -- bloody, violent, magical -- are a dramatic highpoint of the narrative. Mindful of the pain these plagues brought even to innocent Egyptians, Jews have traditionally spilled out a drop of their festive seder wine at the recitation of each plague.

How the Maccabees Reshaped Jerusalem

By Bill Gladstone
Published on December 2, 2004

Less well-known, according to a leading Israeli archaeologist, is that the Maccabees also were major builders who transformed the face of Jerusalem and restored the centrality of the Temple in Jewish life.

World Briefs

By JTA Staff
Published on May 6, 2004

World Briefs

Fill ‘Er Up With Guilt

By Gaby Wenig
Published on December 26, 2002

On Dec. 19 at a forum on energy independence hosted by the American Jewish Congress, Laurie David revealed a new anti-oil television advertising campaign designed to make the suburban soccer-mom set shudder with shame every time they pull into a gas station.

Another Oil Miracle

By Judy Zeidler
Published on December 5, 2002

Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, is a time to recall the miracle that occurred more than 2,000 years ago, and celebrate the discovery of the small amount of oil that burned for eight days, the amount of time needed to prepare pure oil from the local olive trees to rekindle the flame. That miracle is the focus of the Chanukah celebration that begins at sundown Friday, Nov. 29. Was it also a miracle that this event occurred at this time, since the months of November and December are the usual time for the olive harvest?

In early November this year, we joined Faith Willinger, our Florence-based food-journalist friend, on a trip to Naples and the Campania area of Italy. One of the highlights of our trip was spending several days at the hotel-restaurant La Caveja, located in the small village of Pietravairano, just a one-hour drive north of Naples.

Your Letters

Published on November 28, 2002

Your Letters

Fuel for the Fire

By Rob Eshman
Published on November 21, 2002

Funny how a massive attack on American shores, the devastating loss of 3,000 innocent lives, the U.S. invasion of one country (Afghanistan), the incipient invasion of another (Iraq) and the continued threat of biological, nuclear and random terror in our own neighborhoods can get people thinking.

Differing Views on European Anti-Semitism

By Gene Lichtenstein
Published on May 16, 2002

The talk here in Los Angeles -- about anti-Semitism and Europe -- is by turns angry and cynical. And not just from the proverbial "Jewish man on the street," so quick to respond both to real and imagined slights. It is almost as though the suspicion that Europeans could not be trusted, that they were fundamentally bred to the bone as anti-Semites, had finally been confirmed. A Jewish leader here, with considerable professional experience working with European organizations, is bitter: The Europeans need oil, he tells me, and the Arabs have it. The rest is conversation.

Aromatherapy Miracles

By Carin Davis
Published on March 21, 2002

"American Pie" star Shannon Elizabeth may appear to have perfect skin. But Michelle Ornstein knows that everyone, even stars, have bad skin days. And when they do, they turn to this Israeli-born spa owner for help.

Nothing’s Fishy

By Marlene Adler Marks
Published on January 10, 2002

"Welcome home, Marlene. It's about time you joined my family," my father said. He was greeting the news that well into the age of wisdom, I've finally begun eating sardines.

Oil Loses Round

By Julie G Fax
Published on May 3, 2001

Neighbors for a Safe Environment (NASE) won a round April 18 in its ongoing battle with an oil company that wants to expand operations at a site in the Pico-Robertson area.

Los Angeles 5760

By Julie G Fax
Published on April 20, 2000

The city Zoning Administration last week approved a proposal to expand and modernize an oil drilling site in the heart of the heavily Jewish Pico-Robertson area, while attaching an extensive list of monitoring and construction conditions.

Fight Over Oil Continues To Burn

By Julie G Fax
Published on January 13, 2000

Neighbors for a Safe Environment (NASE) is calling Breitburn to task over its proposal to increase production.

From Krakow to Pico

By Mike Levy
Published on November 29, 1999

When Pavel Vogler left Krakow for Southern California in 1992, he brought almost 100 of his favorite paintings. The darkly shaded oil works in blue, black and purple show Vogler's vision of his hometown and its medieval Jewish quarter, Kazimierz, filled with empty synagogues. Moonlight, twilight and the glow of streetlamps illuminate Vogler's Polish works, where ghosts of a Jewish history haunt cobblestone streets.

Neighbors Take On Pico Oil Drilling Site

By Julie G Fax
Published on November 25, 1999

Breitburn has submitted an application to the city zoning board for an expansion. The public will have a chance to air their thoughts and learn more about the project at a hearing before the zoning administrator on Thurs., Dec. 2 at 4 pm at the Holiday Inn Select, 1150 South Beverly Dr.

Use It or Lose It

By Amy Hendel
Published on October 7, 1999

The other day, an older client said to me, "I've reached that point in my life where the only thing I want to exercise is caution."
Just because we're getting older doesn't mean we can slack off on exercise. You can choose to be 20-years-old or 50-years-young. The difference is often in how well we take care of ourselves -- and that means exercise and eating right..

The Signature Dish of Chanukah, Potato Latkes, Hits the Big Time

By Linda Morel
Published on December 3, 1998

Potato latkes are Chanukah's signature dish, not because of the potato -- but because of the oil. Potatoes did not exist in the Holy Land when the ancient Israelites triumphed over the Syrians.