News

Israeli Cabinet vote on West Bank annexation won’t happen Sunday, but next week appears possible

From left: Israel's ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Vice President Mike Pence and U.S. Ambassador to Israel David Friedman meet at the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem, Jan. 23, 2020. (Matty Stern/U.S. Embassy Jerusalem/Flash90)
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The timeline is growing hazy for an Israeli Cabinet vote on annexing Jewish settlements in the West Bank, one day after U.S. President Donald Trump revealed a peace plan endorsing the move. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Tuesday after Trump unveiled the plan at the… Read more »

Facebook will not fact check statements by Israeli politicians during election campaign
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Facebook is not planning to fact check statements made by Israeli politicians on the social network during upcoming national elections. After extensive discussion of the issue, Facebook determined that fact-checking politicians’ statements is tantamount to censorship, Jessica Zucker, a product policy manager, told Israeli reporters on… Read more »

Anti-Semitic violence is on the rise in America — but anti-Semitic attitudes are not, ADL poll says
January 30, 2020 / Ben Sales, JTA

(JTA) — Despite a rise in anti-Semitic violence in recent years, the proportion of Americans holding “intensely” anti-Semitic views remains small, according to a new poll. The poll, conducted by the Anti-Defamation League and published Wednesday, asked 11 questions of U.S. adults regarding traditional anti-Semitic stereotypes, using a protocol the… Read more »

Islamic State threatens to hit Israel with new attacks
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The Islamic State said it will focus its new attacks on Israel. The terror group, also known as ISIS, issued a 37-minute audio message on Monday by its spokesman, Abu Hamza al-Quraishi, the AFP news agency reported. Speaking on behalf of ISIS leader Abu Ibrahim al-Hashimi,… Read more »

Psychiatrist says Monsey stabber is incompetent to stand trial
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

(JTA) — A psychiatrist has found Monsey stabber Grafton Thomas to be incompetent to stand trial on attempted murder and federal hate-crimes charges. Defense attorney Michael Sussman has asked a federal judge to hold a competency evaluation for his client. Thomas, 37, was arrested following the Dec. 28 attack… Read more »

House overwhelmingly approves $10 million for Holocaust education funding
January 30, 2020 / Ron Kampeas, JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) — The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved $10 million over five years to fund Holocaust education in American schools. The vote Monday was timed for International Holocaust Remembrance Day and the 75th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz Nazi camp. The money will be administered… Read more »

Stolen Marc Chagall painting sells for $130,000 at auction in Israel
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — A painting by Jewish modernist Marc Chagall sold at auction for $130,000, the lowest estimated bid suggested by the auction house. The buyer, from Tel Aviv, wishes to remain anonymous, a spokesman for the Tiroche Auction House in Herzliya told the Jewish Telegraphic Agency. The artwork,… Read more »

Benjamin Netanyahu officially indicted hours after he withdraws immunity request
January 30, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s attorney general filed the indictment on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery against Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hours after the prime minister withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the charges in three corruption cases against Netanyahu in Jerusalem… Read more »

The key points of the Trump Middle East peace plan, explained

President Donald Trump talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu near the Oval Office of the White House, Jan 27, 2020. (Jabin Botsford/The Washington Post via Getty Images)
January 29, 2020 / Gabe Friedman, JTA

(JTA) — President Donald Trump unveiled his long-awaited Middle East peace plan on Tuesday, and the release event was a doozy. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu joined Trump at a news conference and compared it to President Harry Truman’s recognition of the State of Israel in 1948. Netanyahu also… Read more »

Benjamin Netanyahu officially indicted hours after he withdraws immunity request
January 28, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israel’s attorney general filed the indictment on charges of fraud, breach of trust and bribery against Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday hours after the prime minister withdrew his request for parliamentary immunity. Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit filed the charges in three corruption cases against Netanyahu in Jerusalem… Read more »

US Embassy in Jerusalem issues Israel security alert as peace plan unveiled
January 28, 2020 / Marcy Oster, JTA

JERUSALEM (JTA) — Moments after President Donald Trump announced his Israeli-Palestinian peace plan in Washington, D.C., the U.S. Embassy in Jerusalem released a security alert that warned against traveling to some areas of Jerusalem. The alert referenced “widespread calls for demonstrations in Jerusalem, the West Bank, and Gaza,” and… Read more »

Morocco opens $1.5 million center dedicated to Jewish culture in city of Essaouira

Andre Azoulay, adviser to the Moroccan king, poses for a picture at the Bayt Dakira Jewish museum, in Essaouira, Morocco, Dec. 14, 2019. (Fadel Senna/AFP via Getty Images)
January 27, 2020 / Josefin Dolsten, JTA

(JTA) — Morocco’s king has inaugurated a $1.5 million center dedicated to Jewish culture in the city of Essaouira. Last week, King Mohammed VI attended the inauguration for Bayt Dakira, which means House of Memory in Arabic. The port city was formerly home to a large population of Jews,… Read more »