Post-Visit Israeli Opinion of Obama: Better but Far From Great

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on April 11, 2013

The Organized American Jewish Community’s Response to President Obama’s Jerusalem Speech

By Rabbi John Rosove
Published on March 31, 2013

Poll: Big drop in Israelis who see Obama as pro-Palestinian

Published on March 29, 2013

The number of Israelis who view President Obama as pro-Palestinian dropped by 20 percent following his first presidential visit to Israel, according to a new poll.

Do Israelis think Obama is just ‘neutral’ or ‘pro-Palestinian’?

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on March 17, 2013

Jewish Democrats ‘confident’ Hagel will follow Obama’s pro-Israel lead

Published on January 7, 2013

The National Jewish Democratic Council said it was confident Chuck Hagel would follow what it called President Obama's "unprecedented" pro-Israel record.

Senator Daniel Inouye, hailed by pro-Israel groups, dies at 88

Published on December 18, 2012

Daniel Inouye, the longtime Hawaii senator described by pro-Israel groups as one of Israel's best friends in the Senate, has died.

Drawing 1,400, peaceful L.A. pro-Israel rally turns ugly near its end [VIDEO]

By Ryan Torok
Published on November 18, 2012

With an Israeli flag wrapped around him, Rabbi Dov Elkins stood with a crowd outside the Federal building in West Los Angeles on Sunday to participate in a pro-Israel rally.

Kardashian, Murdoch slammed for tweets involving Israel

Published on November 18, 2012

Reality star Kim Kardashian apologized for tweeting about the Gaza conflict, and media mogul Rupert Murdoch slammed the "Jewish-owned media" for its "anti-Israel coverage" in a tweet.

April 15, 2012

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on April 15, 2012

‘Anti-Israelism is driven by the existence of the Jewish state, not its policies’

By Shmuel Rosner
Published on April 11, 2012

Republicans’ ‘Starting from zero’ aid proposal startles pro-Israel community

Published on November 15, 2011

"Starting from zero," the foreign assistance plan touted by leading Republican candidates at a debate, is getting low marks, and not just from Democrats and the foreign policy community. Pro-Israel activists and fellow Republicans also have concerns.

After stumble, Herman Cain stresses pro-Israel bona fides

Published on November 1, 2011

Call Herman Cain the crash-course pro-Israel candidate. Since stumbling in May on a question about Palestinians and the right of return, the one-time pizza executive who recently rocketed to the top of GOP presidential polls has visited Israel and read up about the Jewish state.

Christians, Jews gather for pro-Israel rally at U.N.

Published on September 21, 2011

Several hundred supporters of Israel gathered near the United Nations to protest the Durban III meeting and oppose the Palestinian statehood bid.

Pro-Israel ads in Bay Area countering anti-U.S. aid campaign

Published on September 19, 2011

The pro-Israel organization StandWithUs has launched an ad campaign in Bay Area Rapid Transit stations to counter local ads that call for an end to U.S. military aid to Israel.

David Suissa: Fair-weather Zionists

By David Suissa
Published on August 2, 2011

What do you do if an annoying and exasperating friend gets in trouble and really needs your help? And what do you do if that friend is also a blood relative, like Israel? I often ask myself that question about progressive, pro-Israel Jews who are furious at the direction in which their beloved Israel is going.

The pro-Israel divide

By Rob Eshman
Published on June 15, 2011

Every week, an e-mail circulates among hundreds of Jews in Los Angeles calling for my immediate firing. The subject line of a recent one was, “The L.A. Jewish paper needs a new Editor-in-Chief.” I know when this happens, because the author is always kind enough to copy me on the campaign. The author is usually one of a group of people who reads my editorials, or another essay or headline in the paper and decides that the fate of the State of Israel depends on ridding the Jewish community of what another anti-me organizer called my “über-left anti-Israel perspective.”

The 36th contenders: Both pro-Israel, different on all else

By Jonah Lowenfeld
Published on May 24, 2011

When South Bay Republican Craig Huey, who has never before held public office, finished second in the May 17 special election to fill the empty seat in California’s 36th Congressional District, he didn’t just surprise political observers.

Canada re-elects Stephen Harper, its pro-Israel prime minister

Published on May 3, 2011

Canada's staunchly pro-Israel prime minister, Stephen Harper, was re-elected by a wide margin. Harper, who heads the Conservative Party, has gone from heading two successive minority governments to a healthy majority.

Pro-Israel Rep. Shelley Berkley in bid for Senate

Published on April 14, 2011

Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), a pro-Israel stalwart, will run for Nevada's United States Senate seat. Berkley (D-Nev.), who is seen as the most pro-Israel member of Congress, made her decision Thursday after months of dropping hints, according to a tweet by Jon Ralston, a political reporter for the Las Vegas Sun.

In sign of Dems’ precarious hold on center, pro-Israel hard-liner Jane Harman quits Congress

Published on February 8, 2011

Jane Harman, a Jewish Democrat who made her reputation in Congress as a tough-talking advocate for carrying a big stick, is transitioning to the world of speaking softly.

Dilemma of pro-Israel groups: To talk Egypt or not?

Published on February 1, 2011

As Egypt convulses, pro-Israel groups and U.S. Congress members are seized by the ancient maternal dilemma: If you have nothing nice to say, should you say anything at all? The question of whether to stake a claim in the protests against 30 years of President Hosni Mubarak’s autocracy is a key one for the pro-Israel lobby and pro-Israel lawmakers because of the role they have played in making Egypt one of the greatest beneficiaries of U.S. aid.

AIPAC viewed U.S. gov’t as targeting pro-Israel groups during espionage probe

By Ron Kampeas
Published on December 16, 2010

It was a case that transfixed the pro-Israel community: the arrest in August 2005 on espionage charges of two senior officials at the most influential pro-Israel group in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

AIPAC viewed U.S. gov’t as targeting pro-Israel groups during espionage probe

Published on December 16, 2010

It was a case that transfixed the pro-Israel community: the arrest in August 2005 on espionage charges of two senior officials at the most influential pro-Israel group in Washington, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee.

Pro-Israel? DON’T ASK

By Rob Eshman
Published on March 24, 2010

I hate the term “pro-Israel.”

VIDEO: Pro-Israel demonstrators at Federal Building on Sunday

Published on January 12, 2009

Thousands of pro-Israel demonstrators crowded the corner of Wilshire Blvd. and Veteran Ave. in Westwood.

[VIDEO] Pro-Israel rally in Westwood - Jan. 11, 2009

By Jay Firestone
Published on January 12, 2009

[VIDEO] Pro-Israel rally in Westwood - Jan. 7, 2009

By Jay Firestone
Published on January 8, 2009

VIDEO: Youth rally supports Israel at Federal Building in Westwood

Published on January 8, 2009

Brad A. Greenberg reports from today's pro-Israel rally outside the Federal Building in Westwood.

SF cops probing death of Israel activist—body found in elevator shaft

By Sue Fishkoff
Published on December 2, 2008

Daniel Kliman's body was found Monday in a San Francisco building where he was taking Arabic classes. It had been at the bottom of the elevator shaft since Nov. 25, building manager Brad Bernheim told the San Francisco Chronicle. There were no classes held last week, and the elevator supposedly was closed for repairs.

Can new pro-Israel group J Street generate political clout?

Published on November 13, 2008

Can fundraising success translate into Capitol Hill clout? That's the question facing J Street, the new liberal pro-Israel political action committee, which raised nearly $570,000 for 41 U.S. House and Senate candidates.

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.

Briefs: Pro-Israel doves launch D.C. lobbying effort, Carter—in Israel— calls Sderot attacks ’

Published on April 17, 2008

Pro-Israel doves are launching an initiative aimed at countering the influence of established Jewish organizations on Capitol Hill. In a conference call Tuesday, organizers announced the launch of J Street, a lobby outfit and a political action committee backed by some of the biggest names in the dovish pro-Israel community.

Obama’s record on Israel repudiates critics

By Mel Levine
Published on March 20, 2008

Those of us who care deeply about Israel have a profound stake in who serves as president of the United States. Israel has a great friend in Obama. And it does a disservice to Israel and to the U.S.-Israel relationship to allow those with a hostile political agenda to continue to assassinate the character of Obama, whose election as president would not only revitalize America's image in the world and elevate America's standing once again in the community of nations, but also would insure Israel of a steadfast and committed friend in the White House.

We just disagree

By Rob Eshman
Published on February 14, 2008

As I wrote here three weeks ago, I am a supporter of CAMERA and its mission. They do good work. But I believe they were taking the wrong tact in trying to tell a local church with a long history of support for Israel and Jewish causes whom it should and shouldn't listen to. CAMERA and I disagree on only one thing: tactics.

The Dead Sea Scrolls . . . via La Jolla

By Rob Eshman
Published on December 20, 2007

It’s time to act on Saudis’ support of terror

By Neal Sher
Published on December 20, 2007

King Abdullah of Saudi Arabia was stunned at the hostile reception he received during a recent visit to London. It seems our British friends are much more attuned than we are to the nefarious role the Saudis continue to play in financing and fomenting terror.

Jews should oppose Senator Craig’s ouster

By Daniel Hemel
Published on September 8, 2007

The Book of Proverbs instructs us: "Do not forsake your friend." Craig has been forsaken by his own party, but as Craig has shown concern for the fate of the Jews, we should likewise show concern for him.

Evangelical Skeptic

By David Suissa
Published on May 31, 2007

If there's one subject that can spark a juicy debate among lovers of Israel, it is what to do with these millions of Jesus-loving evangelical Christians who love Israel to death.

Scary Hummus

By Rob Eshman
Published on May 24, 2007

Evangelical prayer banquet promotes love for Israel

By Brad A. Greenberg
Published on May 24, 2007

Talking last Thursday about God's chosen people, comparing Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Hitler and lamenting the indifference others express about Israel, these 300-plus Christians each spent at least $125 to pray for peace in the Holy Land and commiserate with Jews about the seemingly never-ending threats to Israel's existence.

Evangelical leader’s speech backing Israel alarms some

By James D. Besser
Published on March 29, 2007

The tent-revival pro-Israel speech by the Rev. John Hagee thrilled many delegates at the recent policy conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). However, others were alarmed. It was not by Hagee's message, which was hardly new, but by the reaction of a pro-Israel community that chooses to see only one side of a man and a movement with a complex agenda and a knack for recasting it for different audiences.

Nancy Pelosi’s links to Israel are strong and personal

By Jennifer Jacobson
Published on November 16, 2006

Before a packed meeting of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) three years ago, U.S. Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) connected her political support for the Jewish state with her personal life.
Now that the Democrats have taken control of the U.S. House of Representatives, the party is expected to install Pelosi, 66, as speaker, making her the first woman to hold the position that is two heartbeats away from the presidency.

Writer spins thrillers from his own undercover adventures

By Sandee Brawarsky
Published on November 16, 2006

Jet lag launched Haggai Carmon into his career as an author. The international lawyer found himself in a small, unheated hotel room in a remote country he won't identify. He was on U.S. government assignment, collecting intelligence on a violent criminal organization, but his security cover had been blown, and he was advised by Interpol not to leave his hotel room.Tired, but too scared to sleep, Carmon sat at a child-sized desk with his laptop computer and spun 100 pages of a thriller based on, but disguising, his experiences. Those first 100 pages became the basis for "Triple Identity," the first in a series of three thrillers featuring Dan Gordon, a lawyer and former Mossad agent working for the U.S. Department of Justice.

Ragen Novel Blends Intifada, Intrigue

By Gaby Friedman
Published on August 11, 2005

Nineteen-year-old Israel Defense Forces (IDF) Cpl. Nachshon Waxman was off duty when Hamas operatives kidnapped him in October 1994.

Zionist Organization Sings Way to L.A.

By Tom Tugend
Published on March 31, 2005

The Zionist Organization of America (ZOA), a pro-Israel group associated with right-wing Israeli politics, is setting up shop in Los Angeles and, in keeping with California custom, has named a personality from the entertainment industry as its local president.

He is Ed Ames, the smooth-voiced former lead singer of the Ames Brothers, one of the most popular harmony groups of the 1950s.

The Top 10 Reasons Why Today Is Different

By Michael Berenbaum
Published on December 4, 2003

The top 10 reasons why the vulnerability of the 1930s cannot be compared with contemporary Jewish vulnerability:

Prepping Campuses for Anti-Israel Surge

By Rachel Brand
Published on October 16, 2003

When Ross Neihaus exited his chemistry class three days after the start of UCLA's fall quarter, he saw the words "Anti-Zionist and Proud" scrawled in chalk on the wall of an adjacent building. Such a statement coming so early in the quarter was a surprise to the fourth-year biology major, but not a shock.

"I expect this to be my toughest year in college," said Neihaus, the president of Bruins for Israel, UCLA's pro-Israel group. "We are concerned that what will be said this year will be nastier, more radical and essentially more anti-Semitic."

Upsetting the Bipartisan Applecart

By James D. Besser
Published on October 2, 2003

It is a troubling paradox: Israel may be protected from new pressure from Washington by the upcoming presidential election, but that protection could foreshadow long-term damage to U.S.-Israel relations.

The reason: more and more, the pro-Israel effort is getting sucked into the quicksand of bitter partisan politics.

In today's take-no-enemies political climate, the bipartisanship that has been the goal of pro-Israel activism in Washington -- a goal steadfastly pursued, if not often attained -- is in dire jeopardy.

Congress Remains Pro-Israel

By Matthew E. Berger
Published on November 7, 2002

Pro-Israel activists say they are confident their legislative priorities will be able to get through the new Congress, which is now under Republican control. In the final election returns, which came early Wednesday morning, a predominance of pro-Israel lawmakers retained their seats, and several new faces emerged, many of whom pro-Israel officials called promising.

The Good News About W.

By James D. Besser
Published on August 30, 2001

Good news has been in short supply since the Mideast peace process crashed and burned last September and the region was engulfed with violence, which shows no sign of abating.

But for pro-Israel activists, there is one bright note: Bush II is proving to be a far cry from Bush I.

Touching Her Bases

By James D
Published on July 29, 1999

First lady Hillary Rodham Clinton touched all the Jewish and pro-Israel bases and avoided treacherous curve balls during a Tuesday appearance before more than 2,100 delegates at Hadassah's 85th national convention in Washington.
In a speech laced with nods to the Jewish community's core issues, including Jerusalem, terrorism and anti-Semitism at home and abroad, the all-but-announced candidate for the Senate from New York appealed to what political scientists say is her Jewish political base -- Upper West Side liberals, Westchester soccer moms and pro-Israel moderates.