Terrorism Victims Sue UBS

Victims of terrorist attacks in Israel have filed a lawsuit in New York against UBS,  claiming that the Swiss bank's dealings with Iran enabled the funding of terrorist groups.
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Jerusalem Parley Set to Begin

An array of international guests - including George W. Bush, Tony Blair and Rupert Murdoch - are descending on Jerusalem for a major conference hosted by Israeli President Shimon Peres.
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Little Hope for Reconciliation

Leading Israeli historian Benny Morris explains why, sixty years after its creation, Israel remains fundamentally insecure.
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EU Condemns Ahmadinejad

The EU has rebuked Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for describing the State of Israel as a "stinking corpse."
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Hezbollah Overruns West Beirut

Lebanon draws closer to a renewed civil war as Hezbollah terrorists storm the western half of the city.
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Canadian PM: Anti-Zionism is Often Antisemitism

Anti-Israeli sentiment is often "a thinly disguised veil for good old-fashioned antisemitism," says Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper.
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Fierce Clashes in Beirut

Sunni and Shi'a neighbourhoods in Beirut plunge into conflict as Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says that recent government actions amount to "open war."

Israel at Sixty: AJC Celebrates

The American Jewish Committee marks Israel's sixtieth anniversary with several features, including a blog by Executive Director David Harris on why this is an occasion to celebrate.
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1948: "I Was There"

On 14 May 1948, 200 dignitaries gathered at Tel Aviv's Museum of Art to hear David Ben Gurion read the Declaration of Independence. Arieh Handler, now 93, was one of them.
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Israel Remembers Fallen Soldiers

On the eve of the sixtieth anniversary of its independence, Israel remembers the 22,437 soldiers who fell in defense of the Jewish state.
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When Anti-Zionism is Antisemitism

San Francisco's Mayor says that much of the anti-Zionist rhetoric in the Bay Area is antisemitism, plain and simple.
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Olmert Corruption Allegations Intensify

Rumors abound in Israel that the latest set of corruption allegations against Prime Minister Ehud Olmert could result in his resignation. See also The New York Post.
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Olmert Investigation Could Brake Peace Process

US attempts to bring about a lasting deal between Israel and the Palestinians could be held back by an Israeli police investigation of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.
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Rice: Peace is Possible This Year

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice believes a deal between Israel and the Palestinians can be done before President Bush leaves office.
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The Price of Success

Israel's remarkable progress in preventing suicide bombings comes at a political price, reports Isabel Kershner.
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Al Jazeera Spurned by Israeli Officials

Concerned by the Arabic satellite network's coverage of the conflict in Gaza, Israeli officials won't be appearing on Al Jazeera - not everyone agrees with that strategy, however.
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Israel to Honor Gay Holocaust Victims

A monument commemorating the gay men and women persecuted and murdered by the Nazi regime is to be erected in a Tel Aviv park.
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Gordimer Declines Israel Boycott

Nobel Prize-winning South African author Nadine Gordimer defends her decision to attend a writer's festival in Jerusalem, but strongly attacks the Israeli government.
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Israel Remembers the Holocaust

"There is no force in the world stronger than the spirit of this people, that emerged from the abyss of annihilation to the summits of creation, success, building and might of the State of Israel," says Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, as commemoration ceremonies are held across the country.
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New Report Pinpoints Rise in Violent Antisemitic Attacks

A new Tel Aviv University study notes an overall decline in antisemitic incidents around the world last year, but a significant rise in violent attacks.
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Rice: Hamas Serving as Iran's Proxy Warriors

US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice tells the American Jewish Committee's annual meeting that Hamas is serving an Iranian regime bent on acquiring nuclear weapons and destroying Israel.
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The Centrifuges of Natanz

The Iranian regime takes journalists on an official tour of its main nuclear center at Natanz; the New York Times concludes that Iran's true intentions remain an enigma.
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Iran: It's the Economy, Stupid

Parliamentary elections won't impact government policy or the power structure in Iran, but the current regime's mishandling of the economy could come back to haunt it.
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Gordimer Under Pressure to Boycott Israel Writers Festival

Nobel Prize winning South Afrcian author Nadine Gordimer is under pressure to observe a cultural boycott of Israel by pulling out of May's International Writers Festival in Jerusalem.
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Amis on Islamism: Much Heat, Little Light

"I have never before assented to so many of the principles of a book and found it so awful," says Leon Wieseltier, reviewing Martin Amis's angry denuniciation of Islamism, "The Second Plane."

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Outrage Over Belgian Government Support for Pro-Boycott Festival

Jewish leaders in Belgium are furious about a Palestinian festival, sponsored by the culture ministry, which encourages a boycott of Israeli goods.
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Israel Air Force Chief: Iran is a Real Threat

Israelis must be ready for anything and can trust only themselves, Major General Eliezer Shkedy tells 60 Minutes.
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Don't Knock Biofuels

Concerns about dependency on oil supplies from repressive states are now being displaced by the argument that biofuel alternatives are behind the global food crisis - and that's a big mistake, argues Roger Cohen.
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Anti-Boycott Activist Banned from UCU Email Forum

David Hirsh, one of the founders of Engage, the academic group formed to oppose the academic boycott, has been banned from an email forum run by the University and College Union (UCU).
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Was There an Agreement Over Settlements?

Israel claims that a 2005 letter from President Bush to then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sanctioned the growth of existing West Bank settlements - but the US says there is no such agreement.
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North Korea Linked to Syria Nuclear Reactor

US officials say that there is video evidence of North Koreans working at the alleged nuclear facility in Syria destroyed during an Israeli airstrike in September 2007.
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Durban II Preparatory Conference Distorts Antisemitism

On the third day of a preparatory meeting in Geneva for the next UN Summit on Racism, an Algerian diplomat tries to distort the meaning of the term "antisemitism" to include anti-Arab racism.
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Israel "Ready to Withdraw" from Golan

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly conveyed a message to the Syrian regime from Israeli leader Ehud Olmert offering to withdraw from the Golan Heights in exchange for a peace deal.
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Espionage Suspect Was "Helping Israel"

84 year old Ben Ami Kadish, arrested for allegedly passing classified US military information to an Israeli handler in the early 1980s, believed he was helping Israel; meanwhile, senior Israeli officials say they are not familiar with the case.
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Iran "Hell Bent" on Acquiring Nukes

US Defense Secretary Robert Gates says that Iran is "hell bent" on weaponizing its nuclear capability -
and warns of the dangers of another war in the Middle East.
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Muslim Antisemitism a "Strategic Threat" to Israel

A new report by a leading Israeli institution presents the surge in Muslim antisemitism as an existential danger to the State of Israel.
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Hamas: We Won't Recognize Israel

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal flatly contradicts former US President Jimmy Carter's claim that the Islamist terror organization is ready to live in peace with Israel.
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In the West Bank, Another Kind of Rally

In the midst of conflict, a group of Palestinian enthusiasts are drumming up support for motor racing.
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Hamas Issues New Threat to Gilad Shalit

A Hamas leader says that Gilad Shalit, the Israeli soldier kidnapped by the Islamist terror group almost two years ago, will not be released until demands for the release of Palestinian prisoners are met.
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Caterpillar in Talks with Church Divestment Activists

Heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar is in discussions with divestment activists in the United Methodist Church who are targeting the company because of ots dealings with Israel.
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Academic Boycott Faces Legal Challenge

Leaders of the Stop the Boycott campaign in the UK confirm that they will instruct lawyers to examine the legality of the latest academic boycott proposal to emerge within the University and College Union.
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Moroccan Court Bans Pro-Israel Berber Party

Morocco's PDAM party, based in the country's large Berber minority, has been banned under a law prohibiting ethnic parties - but its pro-Israel stance was also a factor.
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Syria Still Arming Hezbollah, Says Israel

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says Syria is still supplying rockets to Hezbollah, in violation of UN Security Council Resolution 1701.
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The "Peace" Lobby: J Street Launches

The much-heralded alternative to AIPAC, pushing a "pro-Israel, pro-peace" agenda, has been unveiled in Washington.
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UCU Boycott Motion Reaches Conference Floor

The UK's University and College Union has permitted a motion promoting a boycott of Israeli academics to be discussed at its upcoming conference, despite having received advice that such a move would violate anti-discrimination laws.
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Morrissey: God Bless Israel

Rock legend and former Smiths frontman Morrissey is to play Israel this summer, despite a renewed Israel boycott campaign aimed at musicians.
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Warsaw Ghetto Heroes Remembered

Marek Edelman, now 89, recalls his role as a commander of the Warsaw Ghetto Uprising as commemoration ceremonies are held to honor the epic battle which erupted in April 1943.
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Hamas Cleric: Jihad is Global

A sermon broadcast on Al-Aqsa TV by Hamas cleric Yunus al-Astal forecasts that Islam will conquer Rome, Europe and eventually America.
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Israeli and Omani Foreign Ministers Meet

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni has met her Omani counterpart, Yousef bin Alawi, during a visit to Qatar. Both the meeting and its location suggest a further warming of ties between Israel and certain Gulf Arab states.
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Iranian Minister: Mosque Explosion was an "Accident"

Iran's deputy interior minister says that an explosion at a Shi'a mosque in the town of Shiraz was an "accident"; although bomb attacks are a rarity in Iran, growing political, religious and ethnic tensions in the country have raised suspicions that it was an attack.
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Noam Shalit: Carter Could Help Secure Gilad's Release

After meeting Jimmy Carter, the father of Gilad Shalit says the former US President's anti-Israel reputation could help secure his son's release from Hamas captivity.
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Iran Seeks UN Security Council Seat

Diplomats say the Islamist regime's ambitions are yet another sign that the UN Security Council is becoming irrelevant.
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Bahraini Boycotters Step Up Campaign

Pro-boycott politicians in Bahrain are appealing to King Hamad to reopen the Israel Boycott Office, closed after the signing of a Free Trade Agreement with the US. For more background, see this recent piece by Ben Cohen on the Z Word blog.
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Iranian Regime: We're the Victims

Iran's UN Envoy has written to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon complaining about "impudent threats" frm "the Israel Regime" after an Israeli Minister warned that an Iranian first-strike would trigger a harsh response.
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Hamas Seizes Fuel for Military Aggression

Half of the 800,000 liters of fuel transferred by Israel into Gaza on a weekly basis - and intended for humanitarian usage, such as hospitals and sewage pumps - is being commandeered by the Islamist organization's military wing.
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AJC Launches Arabic Website

In a bid to increase understanding of Jews and Judaism in the Arab world, the American Jewish Committee has launched an ambitious Arabic website.
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Carter Ignores State Department Advice

Former US President Jimmy Carter has dismissed the State Department's view that he should not meet with Khaled Meshaal, a senior Hamas leader, on a visit to the Middle East next week.
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Pro-Israel Circles Warm to Hagee

By toning down his apocalyptic rhetoric, Pastor John Hagee, the leading "Christian Zionist" in the US, is gaining greater acceptance among advocates for Israel in the Jewish community.
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Antisemitism on the Rise in Canada

A new study shows that antisemitic incidents in Canada have risen four-fold over the past decade.
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Carter To Break Bread With Hamas Chief

Former US President Jimmy Carter is travelling to Damascus to meet with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal, widely regarded as responsible for supporting and directing several terrorist outrages against Israelis. Meanwhile, the New York Times reports on a new study which concludes that Hamas is engaged in a massive military build-up, backed by Syria and Iran.

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Scientists Disdain Academic Boycott

Via Engage - Statement condemning the UCU's proposed academic boycott of Israelis from four scientific associations researching diabetes and endocrinology: "The principle of the Universality of Science is fundamental to scientific progress," the statement says.
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Israel Bars "Nazi Analogy" UN Official

Richard Falk, the American academic recently appointed as the UN's investigator into Palestinian human rights, has been barred from entering Israel after he stood by comments equating Israeli policies with the Nazi German regime.
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Iran Nuclear Threat Escalates

Iran has begun installing 6,000 new centrifuges - used to enrich uranium - at its principal nuclear site in Natanz.
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Barghouti Writes "Peace Letter" for Peace Now Rally

A Peace Now rally in Tel Aviv is the site for the reading of a letter penned by jailed Fatah leader, Marwan Barghouti, calling for the establishment of a Palestinian state alongside Israel.
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Australian Labor Leader Denounces Anti-Israel Ad

Paddy Crumlin, leader of the Maritime Union of Australia, says a recent newspaper ad equating Israel with "racism" and "ethnic cleansing" was an "appalling choice of words."
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Israeli Court Ruling Highlights Religious-Secular Divide

The recent Jerusalem municipal court decision to allow restaurants to sell bread during the Jewish holiday of Passover has triggered appeals from politicians for tolerance.
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Israeli Minister Warns of "Binational State"

Infrastructure Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer warns that nationalism among Israeli Arabs could result in a binational state; he also calls for the release of jailed Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti in order to provide a credible negotiating partner.
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Sderot Becomes Israel's Symbol

Under constant fire from Hamas rockets, the Israeli town of Sderot has become a symbol of resilience. "We are at war and you feel it here," says one resident.
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Israel and US Likely to Reject UN Conference on Racism

Senior diplomatic sources say that - absent guarantees that the UN's Durban follow-up meeting will not turn into an Israel-bashing confab - Israel and the US will spurn the event.
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"Alternative AIPAC" Prepares for Launch

The much-discussed "dovish" Israel Lobby - dubbed the "J-Street Project" - is about to be unveiled.
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Amazon: An Extremist Publisher?

A book of articles by prominent antisemites of right and left has been published by a subsidiary of Amazon, the online retailer.
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Suffering in Sderot Continues

Sirens mark the start of the morning in the Israeli town of Sderot, as residents hurry to shelters under a barrage of rockets fired from Gaza.
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Saudis Prime Source of Terror Funds

Al Qaeda and other terror networks receive much of their funding from donors in Saudi Arabia, a US ally, says a leading Treasury official.
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Bjork Isn't Boycotting

Iceland's searing rock vocalist will be playing a major concert in Israel over the summer.
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Hamas Leader's Remarks on Palestinian State Under Scrutiny

Interviewed by a leading Arab daily, Khaled Meshal says he supports an independent Palestinian state within the 1967 borders - but also calls for the "right of return."
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Israel and Iran Rate Lowest in BBC Poll

Respondents to a BBC poll in 34 countries view Israel more negatively than North Korea and Pakistan; only Iran fares worse.
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Congress Recognizes Jewish Refugees from Arab Lands

A Congressional resolution recognizes the thousands of Jewish refugees forced to flee their homes in Arab countries following Israel's creation - and urges that their fate be taken into account in peace negotiations.

See also Point of No Return.

Hamas Antisemitism Confounds Peace Efforts

Antisemitic agitation by Hamas in Gaza - from Friday sermons in mosques to bloodcurdling rhetoric about Jews on television - casts significant doubt on whether the intentions of the Islamist organization can ever be peaceful.

See also this American Jewish Committee report on Palestinian textbooks.

New Poll Underlines US Public's Support for Israel

Support for a strong US-Israel relationship remains strong among Americans, a new poll finds.
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Funding Crisis for Israel Anti-Boycott Body

The International Advisory Board for Academic Freedom - an Israeli body which has played a critical role in fighting the academic boycott - has been silenced by a lack of funds.
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Australian Unions Shrug Off Antisemitism Charge

US labor leader Stuart Appelbaum's forthright criticisms of the "venom" directed at Israel by two Australian unions have met with a standard cool response.
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Peace Now?

Speaking in Jordan, US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice says she's confident that a "comprehensive peace" will be reached between Israel and the Palestinians by the year's end.
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Antisemitism in France Becoming More Violent

A report by France's leading Jewish organization says antisemitic attacks are taking increasingly violent forms.
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Dutch Jews Distance Themselves From Islam Film

Fitna, a film about Islam by Dutch MP Geert Wilders which purports to be a serious documentary, is criticized by Dutch Jewish leaders for its polarizing message. See also Elif Kayi on the Z Word blog.
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What's the UCU Hiding?

A spokesman for the UK academic union refuses to discuss the renewed motion for an academic boycott of Israelis, saying the document "should not be in the public domain."
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Hungarian Liberals Protest Antisemitic Article

Prominent Hungarians, including the Mayor of Budapest, have cancelled subscriptions to the daily newspaper Magyar Hirlap following the publication of a blatantly antisemitic article.
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Anger Over UN Appointment of Richard Falk as Palestinian Monitor

The UN Human Rights Council has appointed Richard Falk - an American academic who has compared Israeli actions with those of Nazi Germany - as its "expert" on the situation in the Palestinian territories.
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UCU Pushes New Academic Boycott Effort

Despite an authoritative legal opinion warning that an academic boycott of Israelis is an act of discrimination, the leadership of Britain's academic trade union is - for the fourth year in a row - pushing to exclude Israelis.

See also Eve Garrard's Z Word essay on the academic boycott and Z Word editor Ben Cohen on the ideological roots of the boycott.

UN Bias on Israel Returns to Spotlight

As the US Envoy to the UN questions the "utility" of the Security Council's monthly briefing on the Middle East, anger is stoked by the Swiss government's decision to nominate Jean Ziegler, a key figure in the campaign to demonize Israel, as adviser to the UN Human Rights Council.
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Wiesel Recruits Nobel Laureates for Tibet

The Chinese government's crackdown on protestors in Tibet has galvanized Holocaust survivor and Nobel Laureate Elie Wiesel into action.
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Nasrallah Issues New Deadly Threat to Israel

Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah says his organization's terrorist operations against Israel show that the Jewish state can be "eliminated."
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BBC Admits Reporting Errors

The BBC has apologized for two major errors in recent reporting of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, including the false claim that the home of the gunman who carried out the massacre at a Jerusalem yeshiva was destroyed by the authorities.
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French Civil Servant Fired After Publishing Anti-Israel Pamphlet

A senior French civil servant has lost his post at the interior ministry after publishing an online pamphlet which demonized Israel.
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Hillel Invite Sparks Debate and Protest

The Chancellor of the University of California, Irvine, a bastion of extreme anti-Zionist activity, is to address leaders of the Jewish community.
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Melbourne Jews Vow to Fight Back

As antisemitic attacks rise in the Australian city, a local Jewish leader says "we will never be victims again."
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Blood Libel Resurfaces in Russia

As the Jewish holiday of Passover approaches, leaflets carrying an age-old libel - that Jews use the blood of Christian children to bake matzoth, or unleavened bread - have appeared in the Russian city of Novosibirsk. See also Simply Jews here.

German Jewish Leaders Issue Court Challenge to Google

The Central Council of Jews in Germany has filed a case in a Hamburg Court to prevent YouTube, owned by Google, from hosting antisemitic videos.
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Ontario Teachers Reject Israel Boycott

Via Engage: A resolution at the annual meeting of the Ontario English Catholic Teachers Association which called for a boycott of Israel was pushed off the agenda.
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New Poll Shows Overwhelming Palestinian Support for Jerusalem Massacre

A new poll conducted by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research in Ramallah shows massive support for the recent attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva in which eight people were murdered. "There is real reason to be concerned," says Khalil Shikaki, Director of the Center.
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Side by Side in Sakhnin

Arab and Jewish community leaders have been discussing how to turn the Sakhnin Valley in northern Israel into a model of cooperation.
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Jewish Flight From Paris Suburbs

Antisemitism is driving Jewish communities out of the northern suburbs of Paris.
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Defending Israel: Canada on the Frontline

Canada is quickly gaining a reputation for courageous defense of Israel in international forums, but on the domestic front, not everyone is pleased.
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Iranian Terrorists Place Bounty on Israeli Leaders

A terrorist group sponsored by the Iranian regime, the Islamic Student Justice Seekers, is offering a financial reward for the murder of senior members of Israel's security establishment - Ehud Barak, Meir Dagan and Amos Yaron.
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Hardliners Victory in Iranian Elections Strengthens Nuclear Rhetoric

Allies of Mahmoud Ahmadinjead have swept parliamentary elections in Iran - in a contest widely regarded as rigged, after the Islamist regime banned large numbers of opposition candidates - leading to fears that Iran's nuclear ambitions will be emboldened.
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Row Over Police Response in East Jerusalem

The former Jerusalem district police commander has criticized local police for their response to Sunday's march by right-wing activists on the Arab neighbourhood of Jabal Mukaber.
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Jewish Agency Envoy's Home Attacked with Molotov Cocktail

The FBI and police in Rhode Island are investigating a 2AM attack upon the home of the US representative of the Jewish Agency.
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Harsh Reality of Life in Sderot

In a frank interview, Eli Moyal, Mayor of the Israeli city of Sderot, says: "In the last seven years, we have been living in hell."
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UK Teachers Push Anti-Zionism on Schoolkids

Pro-Palestinian activists in the UK teachers union want to teach schoolchildren about the Middle East conflict using materials produced by the Palestine Solidarity Campaign - an organization widely regarded as antisemitic.

See Mira Vogel on Engage. 

Americans Rate Israel in Top Five Countries

Americans remain solidly sympathetic to Israel, as a recent Gallup poll demonstrates.
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Iranian Regime to Execute Journalist

Yaghub Mehrnehad, a 28 year old civil rights activist and journalist, and a member of the oppressed Baluch minority, faces public hanging following a trial behind closed doors.
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AJC Head Urges More Diplomacy on Durban 2

AJC Executive Director David Harris says: "We can't afford to declare 'Durban 2' lost without more focus on diplomacy, especially toward the European Union countries and others influenced by them."
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Al Jazeera Caves to Apology Demands

Leading Arabic satellite broadcaster Al Jazeera has been forced to issue an apology after a furious row following remarks criticizing Islam made on one of its talk shows by Wafa Sultan, a Syrian-American psychologist.
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Hamas and Hezbollah Collaborated on Jerusalem Massacre

Palestinian sources claim that the gun attack on the Merkaz Harav yeshiva was ordered by Hamas leaders in Damascus, in coordination with Hezbollah.
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UCU Elections Deal New Blow to Boycotters

Elections to the National Executive Committee of the University and College Union (UCU) result in atrong gains for union activists opposed to the academic boycott of Israel.
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Polish Jews Who Fled Communist Purge Can Reclaim Citizenship

The Polish Interior Ministry has said that all Jews who left Poland in the wake of the antisemitic purge of 1968, and were consequently forced to forfeit their citizenship, will now be able to have it reinstated. For more background, see Rafal Pankowski's Z Word essay, "When Zionist Meant Jew."
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Libya Derails UNSC Condemnation of Jerusalem Massacre

A UN Security Council resolution condemning the shooting spree at a Jerusalem yeshiva has been blocked by Libyan opposition.
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Massacre in Jerusalem, Celebration in Gaza

As Hamas "blesses" the terror attack on a Jerusalem yeshiva in which eight people died, crowds of Palestinians in Gaza hand out sweets and attend mosque prayers of "thanksgiving."
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AJC Denounces "Heinous" Jerusalem Attack

The American Jewish Committee has condemned the attack by Palestinian gunmen at a Jerusalem yeshiva, or religious seminary, in which eight people were murdered.
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Six Detained Following Savage Attack On French Jewish Teenager

Six people are in custody in the Paris suburb of Bagneux, following a brutal assault on a Jewish teenager during which the victim was allegedly forced to eat cigarette butts and endure antisemitic and homophobic abuse.
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"Birthright Palestine" Rejects Israel's Existence

A new Palestinian youth program can't bring itself to recognize Israel.
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French Jewish Youth Kidnapped and Abused

Via Engage: A young French Jewish man was kidnapped and subjected to violent antisemitic and homophobic abuse by a gang in the the neighbourhood of Bagneux - the same Paris suburb where another young Jewish man, Ilan Halimi, was kidnapped, tortured and murdered in 2006.
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"Arabic Voice" of IDF

For Arabic speakers around the globe, Avichay Adraee is the face and voice of Israel's military - as fighting intensifies around Gaza, his role is ever more challenging.
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New Study Shows Young US Jews Not Alienated From Israel

Shmuel Rosner on a new academic study which rejects "the prevailing pessimism regarding the future relationship of American Jews to Israel."
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NATO Expresses Fear Over Dutch Islam Film

NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer has expressed concern that a film about Islam by Geert Wilders, a far-right Dutch MP, could have repercussions for troops serving in Afghanistan.
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Iran Announces Boycott of Paris Book Fair

Angered by the decision of the prestigious Salon du Livre to honor Israeli writers on the 60th anniversary of the State of Israel, the Islamist regime in Iran has announced a boycott - other Muslim states may follow.
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Abbas: Israel Actions "Worse Than Holocaust"

The PA President says that Israel's military operation in Gaza, launched in response to the constant firing of rockets into southern Israel, is "worse than the Holocaust"; meanwhile, Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal accuses Israel of "exaggerating the Holocaust and using it to blackmail the world."
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Sudan Liberation Movement Opens Tel Aviv Office

The Sudan Liberation Movement, one of the rebel groups fighting the government-sponsored onslaught in the Darfur region, has opened an office in Tel Aviv and praised the Israeli government "for protecting Darfur youth from genocide."
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Sderot College Struggles Under Rocket Attacks

Students at Sapir college in Sderot are facing a harsh reality, one day after Roni Yihye, one of their number, was killed by a Hamas rocket. See also this BBC photo feature on what Sderot residents are saying.
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UK Greens Split Over Israel Boycott

Leading members of Britain's Green Party have dissociated themselves from a resolution passed at the party's recent conference calling for a boycott campaign against Israel.
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Abbas: Armed Conflict Against Israel Still Possible

In an interview with a leading Jordanian newspaper, PA President Mahmoud Abbas says armed conflict with Israel could resume in the future.
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UN Official Blames Israel for Palestinian Terror Attacks

UN official John Dugard has issued a report describing terrorism as an "inevitable consequence" of Israeli policies, making a distinction between Al Qaida's acts and those which emerge from a "war of national liberation": Israel has slammed the report for not recognizing that the intention of terrorists - killing civilians - is what counts.
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Cotler to Lead International Coalition Against Antisemitism

Canadian MP and human rights activist Irwin Cotler is to head the newly-formed International Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism. The coalition includes scholars, parliamentarians and activists.
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Iran Accuses EU Of Caving To "Zionist Lobby"

Following sharp European Union criticism of President Ahmadinejad's latest verbal assault on Israel, Iran resorts to more warnings against the "Zionist Lobby."
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Putin's Candidate Stung By Antisemitism

As Russia heads towards Sunday's Presidential election, Vladimir Putin's chosen successor, Dmitry Medvedev, is facing an antisemitic whispering campaign.
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UC Irvine Hostility to Jews Grows

Extreme anti-Zionist and antisemitic rhetoric and harassment of Jewish students continues to  plague the campus of the University of California, Irvine.
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Global Forum Renews Efforts to Confront Antisemitism

Meeting in Jerusalem, the Global Forum Against Antisemitism announces major initiatives, including the formation of the International Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (ICCA).
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Lawmakers Probe UN Official on Arab Rights Charter Endorsement

Two leading members of the House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committtee have asked UN Secretary-General Ban Ki moon to clarify recent remarks by Louise Arbour, the UN Human Rights Commissioner, endorsing the Arab Human Rights Charter, which rejects "Zionism" alongside "racism". See also Z Word's blog on the issue.
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Israel Pulls Out Of Durban II

Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni says that Israel will not participate in the 2009 follow-up to the UN's Durban Conference on Racism, out of concern that antisemitism is likely to be a problem once again.
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A Scar On The Beautiful Game

At the Global Forum against Antisemitism in Jerusalem, British MP John Mann is to issue a report on antisemitism at European football matches.
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Iran Steps Up War of Words Against Israel

High illiteracy rates? Lack of basic civil rights? War, terror and social conflict in Iraq? Or Pakistan? According to the Speaker of Iran's Majlis, none of these constitute the "greatest catastrophe for the Islamic world" - that label is reserved for Israel.
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Just For Laughs?

Israeli and Palestinian comedians take their show across the United States - and nothing is off limits.
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IAEA: "Questions Remain" Over Iranian Nuclear Program

Doubts over Iran's nuclear intentions prevent the International Atomic Energy Agency from issuing a clean bill of health.
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Antisemitism 2.0

As virulently anti-Zionist and antisemitic material spreads through popular internet sites like YouTube and Facebook, are Jewish organizations being too slow in their response?
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Chelsea Boss Receives Antisemitic Death Threat

British police are investigating a death threat against Avram Grant, the Israeli coach of top English football club Chelsea, and his wife, which included a note calling Grant "a backstabbing Jewish b***ard."
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Ahmadinejad: "Zionist Regime a Dirty Microbe"

Speaking in the city of Bandar Abbas, the Iranian President unleashes yet another torrent of violent rhetoric against Israel. Update: UN Chief Ban Ki Moon brands remarks "intolerable."
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Sarkozy Proposals Bring Antisemites Out Of The Woodwork

Linda Keenan says that French President Nicholas Sarkozy's controversial proposals on Holocaust education are revealing the "armchair Ahmadinejads."
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Islamists Attack Palestinian Rights Groups

Islamic Jihad excoriates two Palestinian human rights groups for saying that there was no evidence of Israeli involvement in a Gaza blast last week which killed 8 people, including a commander of the terrorist organization.
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Iranian Commander Predicts Destruction of "Cancerous Germ" Israel

Mohammad Ali Jafari, head of Iran's brutal Revolutionary Guards, has said that Israel faces "destruction" at the hands of the Islamist terror organization Hezbollah.
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Uphill Struggle for Arab University Graduates

Arab students at Jerusalem's prestigious Hebrew University talk frankly about their worries for what life holds after graduation.
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UK Green Party in BDS Drive Against Israel

At its Spring Conference, the UK Green Party blames Israel alone for the conflict in the Middle East and issues a call for Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions.
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Antisemitism Fears at UC Irvine Persist

An independent report says Jewish students face harassment and hate speech.
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Preparing for Independence, Kosovo Calls for Israeli Recognition

With a declaration of independence imminent, Kosovar PM Hashim Thaci tells Ha'aretz of his support for Israel and underlines that Kosovo will not be an "Islamic nation".
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After The Italian Blacklist, A French One

One week after the Italian interior minister closed down a blog which listed the names of more than 100 Jews and non-Jews accused of "lobbying for the Zionists," a similar list emerges in France.
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Human Rights Groups Pay Tribute to Tom Lantos

A powerful, eloquent statement from the Human Rights Leadership Coalition following the death, earlier this week, of Congressman Tom Lantos, a Holocaust survivor who dedicated his life to advancing human rights.
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US Envoy Expresses Concern About Rising Australian Antisemitism

Gregg Rickman, the State Department's Envoy focusing on antisemitism, is meeting with Jewish leaders and government officials in Australia following a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents.
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Antisemitic Incidents in UK Remain at Worrying Level

The annual report of Jewish communal organization the Community Security Trust (CST) notes a slight fall in the overall number of incidents in 2007, but violent assaults are at a record high. Download the entire report here.

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Hope and Hurt in a Hospital Ward

Isabel Kershner reports on a poignant scene at Tel Aviv's Tel Hashomer hospital.
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Hezbollah Blames "Zionists" for Mughniyeh Killing in Damascus

Islamist terror organization Hezbollah has issued a shrill statement accusing Israel of killing its top commander Imad Mughniyeh, who was wanted for the 1994 bombing of a Jewish community center in Buenos Aires which caused 85 deaths.

Listen to the American Jewish Committee's terrorism expert Yehudit Barsky discuss the Mughniyeh killing.  

Canadian Lawmaker Says Durban II Alternative Conference Will Go Ahead

Senator Jerry Grafstein says parliamentarians from across the world are backing a counter-conference to the UN's Durban follow-up conference on racism in 2009.
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Arab Satellite TV Stations Face Renewed Censorship Drive

At an Arab League meeting in Cairo, member states agree a charter to penalize TV stations for "offending" Arab leaders, as well as "national" and "religious" symbols.
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Israeli Plans for New City Boost Arab Hopes

Israeli Arab minister Ghaleb Majadele says plans for a new Arab city - the first since 1948 - will bolster the Arab minority's "sense of belonging" in Israel.
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"This was not a pogrom, but it was close..."

Aviva Lori on a church service in the Polish city of Krakow marked by ugly antisemitic rhetoric.
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Anglicans Rally Around Archbishop in Shari'a Row

The Archbishop of Canterbury's comments on shari'a law continue to stir controversy, including fierce press criticism, much of it founded upon concerns about the negative impact of shari'a courts on women. Read The Independent's Johann Hari here and Harry's Place writer David T here.
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Tom Lantos, 1928-2008

California Congressman Tom Lantos, a survivor of the Holocaust and a powerful voice for human rights, has passed away at the age of 80.
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Pasadena Jewish Activists Protest Sabeel Conference

An upcoming conference at an Episcopal Church in Pasadena organized by Palestinian Christian group Sabeel is causing anxieties among local Jews, who point to the groups disturbing use of crucifixion imagery in its portrayal of the Israel-Palestinian conflict.
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Italian Authorities Shut Down Antisemitic Blog

Italy's Interior Minister shuts down a blog which listed the names of 162 Jewish university professors accused of "lobbying in favor of the Zionists."

Amsterdam Mayor Speaks Out on Antisemitism in Holland

Interviewed by the German Press Agency, Job Cohen says it's "outrageous" that, according to the results of a Dutch TV poll earlier this week, 50 per cent of respondents would object to a Jewish Prime Minister.
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Le Pen Receives Suspended Prison Term

The leader of the racist Front National - infamous for describing the Holocaust as a "minor detail" in the history of the Second World War - is handed a three-month suspended sentence by a French court after telling a far-right magazine that the Nazi occupation of France was "not especially inhumane."
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Hamas Police Seize Red Crescent Aid Convoy

Associated Press reports that Hamas seized 14 trucks filled with food and medicine, according to Palestine Red Crescent employees who were intending to distribute the aid to Gaza residents. Meanwhile, this report quotes a Hamas official claiming that the convoy was seized because the Red Crescent was distributing aid to former Fatah fighters, not "impoverished Palestinians."
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Muslim Protests Over UK Decision to Ban Islamist Ideologue

Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a leading Islamist cleric who has been regularly feted by London Mayor Ken Livingstone, has been banned from entering the UK for medical treatment. In the past, Qaradawi has justified suicide bombings against Israelis and the beating of "disobedient" wives by their husbands. More debate on this issue on Harry's Place and on Peter Tatchell's column.
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Top Intelligence Officials to Take Witness Stand in AIPAC Trial

The Forward reports that in the upcoming trial of two former pro-Israel lobbyists, "the witness stand will likely alternate between top Bush administration officials called by the defense lawyers and top spy agency officials called by the prosecution."
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Uproar in Poland Over New Antisemitism Book

The publication of a Polish edition of Jan Gross's book "Fear: Antisemitism in Poland After Auschwitz" has caused an angry response, including personal attacks against the groundbreaking historian.
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"We Don't Serve Jews" - CORRECTION

Z Word wishes to clarify that a number of doubts have surfaced about the veracity of a story concerning an orthodox Jew who was thrown out of a restaurant in Bruges, Belgium. We have therefore removed the story from our news section.

Inside the University of Hate

The rector of MAUP, a private Ukrainian university which is that country's biggest producer and distributor of antisemitic literature, tells an Israeli journalist, "there's no such thing as antisemitism."
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US Deals New Blow to UN Conference on Racism

Following Canada, the US announces its withdrawal from the 2009 follow-up to Durban. Meanwhile, at a UN briefing in Geneva, a senior official involved with the conference casts doubt over the prospect of an NGO Forum.
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World Bank Report Underscores Crisis of Arab Education

A new World Bank report, "Road not Travelled: Education Reform in the Middle East and North Africa,"says the region is falling behind the rest of the world and that urgent reforms are needed.
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Hamas: Dimona Suicide Bombing a "Glorious Act"

One woman killed and nine others wounded in the town of Dimona by suicide bombers who crossed the Egyptian border. The BBC carries reports from eyewitnesses.

NGO Silence Over Murder of Kibbutz Volunteer

NGOs working on Middle East issues have remained largely silent over the killing of an Ecuadorian volunteer, Carlos Chavez, by a Palestinian sniper as he worked in a potato field on Kibbutz Ein Hashlosha in southern Israel.
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Iranian Women Face Stoning Under "Adultery" Charges

Via Normblog: as The Australian report points out, "Iran currently makes more use of the death penalty...than any other country apart from China." Meanwhile, the New York Times reports on the economic pressures confronting the Iranian regime.

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London Gang Attacks Jewish Tourists on Holocaust Memorial Day

Via Harry's Place: tour group leader bravely declares, "I won't be intimidated. We have the right to walk our streets unmolested."
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"Israel Apartheid Week's" Guest of Honor

Bigot and pseudoscholar Ward Churchill is to address an "Israel Apartheid Week" event in Canada.
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IJV's Shaky Grasp of International Law

Lawyer Anthony Julius responds to an ad placed in the London Times by the group "Independent Jewish Voices": "It is by no means unarguable that Israel is right to treat Gaza as enemy territory."
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Methodists Renew Israel Divestment Drive

United Methodist Church resolution comes only months after the publication of a church-sponsored report referring to the creation of the State of Israel as the "original sin."
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A Sickening Samba

A Brazilian judge has banned a group from parading in the Rio carnival with a float depicting the victims of the Holocaust and a Hitler figure.
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"Fight it with Facebook"

Israeli President Shimon Peres on how the wired (and wireless) generation can combat antisemitism.
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UN Human Rights Commissioner Criticized for Endorsing Arab Charter

UN Watch urges "clarification" from Louise Arbour over Human Rights Charter with "antisemitic" statements. More analysis, too, on Z Word's blog.
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Ra'ad Salah Charged with Inciting Racism, Violence

The head of Islamic Movement in Israel's Northern Branch faces trial on the basis of a February 2007 speech in which he invoked the antisemitic blood libel.
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PFLP Founder Habash Dies

The Palestinian Authority declares three days official mourning following the death of George Habash, founder of one of the most notorious Palestinian terror groups.
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Methodists To Mull Divestment From Israel

Meeting in Texas, the United Methodist Church - whose members include both President Bush and Senator Clinton - is debating divestment.

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Yad Vashem Launches Arabic Website

Israel's monument to the Holocaust combats Holocaust denial in the Arab world.
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