Tag: Israel
Alon Ben-Meir: Is a war between Israel and Iran/Hezbollah imminent?
The recent violation of Israel’s air space by an Iranian drone and Israel’s retaliation against Syrian and Iranian targets prompted many observers to suggest that the growing regional tension resulting from such incidents may precipitate a war between Israel and Iran/Hezbollah, and perhaps inadvertently with Syria as well.
Alon Ben-Meir: US enablement jeopardizes Israel’s future
The United States has been and remains the staunchest supporter of Israel, and its unqualified support will cause significant damage to Israel’s future wellbeing.
Kaine welcomes new memorandum of understanding between U.S., Israel
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine released the following statement today on the new Memorandum of Understanding on security assistance with Israel.
The settlements: Self-entrapment of existential proportions
Israel’s continued settlement activity represents yet another nail in the coffin of the peace process.
Alon Ben-Meir: Incentives and peace, Part 2
Unless distrust, insecurity, and illusions are first addressed, no incentives will motivate Israel and the Palestinians to make concessions needed to reach a peace agreement.
Alon Ben-Meir: Incentives and peace [Part 1]
Unless distrust, insecurity, and illusions are first addressed, no incentives will motivate Israel and the Palestinians to make the critical concessions needed to reach a peace agreement.
UVA to host prominent Israeli author Sayed Kashua
Decorated newspaper humorist and novelist Sayad Kashua will speak at the University of Virginia Thursday at 5 p.m.
A plea for reason: An open letter to Prime Minister Netanyahu
I write this letter to you with a heavy heart as it pains me deeply to see the beautiful dream of a strong and proud Israel now losing its reason for being.
Harry Griego: Comments on Pope’s statements on immigration
As a Catholic, I have several concerns about the Holy Father’s criticism of the United States immigration policy.
Alon Ben-Meir: Erecting a giant prison for all Israelis
The demagoguery of Prime Minster Netanyahu seems to have no limit—in a sense that he says and acts on anything to buttress Israel’s hold on the West Bank.
Alon Ben-Meir: The truth about Israel’s national security
Israel’s historical experiences have created a major psychological barrier embedded in the psyche of every Israeli.
Alon Ben-Meir: The dire consequences of revenge and retribution
A regular reader of my weekly column recently shared with me a commentary about the brutal murder of Dafna Meir, an Israeli Jew who was stabbed to death by a Palestinian teenager.
Alon Ben-Meir: Civil disobedience is the Palestinians’ best option
The use of violence to end the occupation has not served the Palestinian cause well, instead making matters worse as it hardened the resolve of successive Israeli governments.
Alon Ben-Meir: In the grip of powerful illusions
The belief that by expanding the settlements Israel will augment its national security and maintain its hold on the entire land is an illusion of tomorrow.
Alon Ben-Meir: Israel’s occupation is morally indefensible
Whereas Israel has agreed to a two-state solution, it continues to usurp Palestinian land, thereby violating international agreements.
Alon Ben-Meir: The absence of real commitment to peace
Regardless of what Prime Minister Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Abbas stated in their speeches at the United Nations General Assembly, neither is genuinely committed to negotiating a peace agreement based on a two-state solution.
Kaine blisters Senate colleagues for playing politics on national security
In remarks on the Senate floor Tuesday, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and co-sponsor of the Iran Nuclear Agreement Review Act, called for Congress to “pull back from the brink of irresponsible and partisan action” and seek a constructive path to engage on the Iran nuclear negotiations, criticizing a partisan letter sent to Iran’s leaders yesterday that was signed by 47 Senate Republicans.
Robert Hurt: Working with Israel to prevent a nuclear Iran
Last Tuesday, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu addressed a joint meeting of Congress. It was a great honor to have Prime Minister Netanyahu come to the United States and speak to both Houses of Congress.
Bob Goodlatte: I stand with Israel
The United States and Israel share a strong bond. Since Israel declared its independence in 1948, the U.S. has developed a positive relationship with Israel based on shared democratic values and common security interests. Israel has proven to be a valuable American ally since.
Robert Hurt statement on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress
Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) released the following statement after attending an address from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to a joint meeting of Congress.
Randy Forbes on Prime Minister Netanyahu’s address to Congress
Congressman J. Randy Forbes (VA-04) released the following statement in advance of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s address to both Chambers of Congress.
Tim Kaine statement on end of congressional visit to Israel, Saudi Arabia, Qatar
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, released the following statement today at the conclusion of a bipartisan congressional delegation to Israel, Saudi Arabia and Qatar.
Sen. Tim Kaine arrives in Israel with bipartisan congressional delegation
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, a member of the Senate Foreign Relations and Armed Services Committees, today arrived in Israel as a part of a bipartisan congressional delegation to meet with senior Israeli and Palestinian government leaders.
Nulife Glass to invest $5.9 million to establish first Virginia operation in Bristol
Governor Terry McAuliffe announced Friday that Nulife Glass will invest $5.9 million to establish its first Virginia operation in the City of Bristol. A Manchester, England-based company, Nulife provides a complete and sustainable recycling service for all types of cathode ray tube (CRT) glass.
Robert Hurt votes to strengthen U.S.-Israel Alliance
Congressman Robert Hurt (R-Virginia) released the following statement after the House unanimously passed S. 2673, the United States-Israel Strategic Partnership Act of 2014.
Robert Hurt: We must prevent Iran from gaining nuclear capability
One of the gravest global threats that we as a nation face is the prospect of Iran gaining the capability to produce a nuclear weapon.
Upcoming events at Eastern Mennonite University
Upcoming events at Eastern Mennonite University in Harrisonburg, Va.
Free Hebrew classes offered in Harrisonburg, Staunton
A free five-week introductory Hebrew course is being taught by Rabbi Joe Blair, spiritual leader of Temple House of Israel and Congregation Beth El.
How Iran, Assad and Hezbollah are using Christian persecution by ISIS to hijack the minorities
More than 400,000 Christians are refugees in Kurdistan with no immediate hope for a return home. Scores of Christians have been killed, raped, and kidnapped by the Jihadists of ISIS.
Analysis: What does U.S. have to gain, lose in Gaza?
The first rule of wars on terror: you can’t win a war on terror. Though as we’re seeing yet again in Gaza, it’s not that the aim of a war on terror is to win the war on terror.
U.S. needs to continue to push for peace in Gaza
The only solution to the latest flareup in Gaza is a cease-fire that the United States will have to somehow, some way, sell Israel on.
Chris Graham: Different vistas
We’re driving through Altavista this week on our way back from Greensboro, and it hits me. The anxiety medicine that I take when traveling, that is.
Kaine hosts briefing with chief of Palestinian delegation in Washington
Today, U.S. Senator Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, hosted a Senate briefing with Chief Representative of the Palestinian Delegation in Washington Maen Areikat to discuss the ongoing situation in Gaza and the West Bank.
Tim Kaine on Israel, Gaza
U.S. Senator Tim Kaine released the following statement on the escalating conflict in Gaza.
Earth Talk: Chemicals and obesity
Obesity is a huge problem in the U.S. and other industrialized countries. According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, obesity rates have doubled for American adults and tripled for kids and teenagers aged six through 19 since 1980. Today, 31 percent of American adults and 15 percent of youngsters are classified as overweight.
Stunner! Eric Cantor loses Republican primary, ousted from Congress
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., lost his battle with Randolph-Macon economics professor Dave Brat for re-nomination to the ballot in the Seventh Congressional District in Virginia Tuesday, a political stunner that sent shock waves down both sides of the aisle.
Attorney General Mark Herring combats patent trolls
Yesterday, the General Assembly passed compromise legislation crafted by the Office of Attorney General Mark Herring to protect Virginia businesses from “patent trolling.”
Holocaust Denial: A case study of the Mullahs’ hardliner-moderate game
Iran’s bombastic former president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was notorious for calling the massacre of 6 million Jews in World War II a “myth.” Ahmadinejad, whose presidential term ended in August, also flouted UN Security resolutions about Iran’s nuclear program, dismissing them as “insignificant”.
Analysis: Facing the facts on the Iran agreement
John Adams once remarked, “Facts are stubborn things.” Since the P5+1 Joint Plan of Action on the Islamic Republic of Iran’s Nuclear Program was signed in Geneva in November, the White House has encountered two difficult truths about the Iranian regime.
Virginia eighth-graders fare well in math, science with rest of U.S., world
Virginia eighth-graders ranked above international averages in mathematics and science in a first-of-its-kind comparison of achievement in U.S. states with student performance in 47 countries and jurisdictions.
Kaine resolution renews call for two-state solution
U.S. Sen. Tim Kaine, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Near Eastern and South and Central Asian Affairs, joined Sens. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.) and Martin Heinrich (D-N.M.) to introduce a Senate resolution commending Secretary of State John Kerry for jumpstarting Israeli-Palestinian peace talks and called on negotiators to focus on a two-state solution to ensure a secure, lasting peace.
Hunter Mabry: Policy toward Israel short-sighted
With elections now over, this is a good time to take note of other important concerns needing our attention. One of these is our government’s recent action as reported in your news story, “US cuts UNESCO funding concerning Palestinian vote” (New Virginian, Nov. 1, 2011). The Obama administration was forced to take this action in […]
Press briefing by Middle East envoy George Mitchell on U.S.-Israel-Palestinian Authority trilateral meeting
New York, N.Y. MR. GIBBS: Good afternoon. Sorry we’re running a little bit late today. We will do a statement from, and take some questions – our Special Envoy for Middle East Peace, former Senator George Mitchell. SENATOR MITCHELL: Thank you, Robert. Good afternoon, ladies and gentlemen. I’ll make a brief statement, and then I’ll […]
Dorothy Jean Weaver | Israeli-Palestinian conflict is tragic for everyone
Gaza 2009. A scene of almost incalculable tragedy. Body count: Some 1,300 Palestinians, 13 Israelis. On one side of the border massive death, brutal destruction and unceasing terror rain down from the skies on a civilian population with nowhere to flee for safety. Untold misery and despair on the ground for men, women, and children […]
Lisa Schirch | The right to self-defense is not a strategy for peace
From an Israeli perspective, the cost in international outrage and Palestinian civilian lives of the current attacks on Gaza is worth the price of crushing Hamas’s firepower. The goal is seductive, and Israel will likely succeed in slowing the development of rockets by Hamas in the short term. But just like Israel’s siege of Lebanon […]
Haresh Daswani | Upcoming Middle East crisis: Handle with care
The new attack of Israel in Gaza and India’s and U.S.’s strong case against Pakistan will stir some very strong emotions amongst people radical extremists in the Middle East are trying to recruit. The whole ploy of these nations is to cause a negative propaganda, a one-sided story that pretends on the idea that they […]
Bonnie Price Lofton | Gaza tragedy calls to mind Holocaust stories
A half-dozen years ago, Rania Kharma of Gaza was my classmate, earning a master’s degree in conflict transformation from Eastern Mennonite University, a peace-oriented college in Harrisonburg. In October, 2007, Rania wrote me and others she knew at EMU to ask for our help in breaking “the siege on Gaza.”
Sanford D. Horn | Israel v. Hamas – No Moral Equivalent
“We will have peace with the Arabs when they love their children more than they hate us.” – Golda Meir (1898-1978), former Israeli prime minister For Israel, the axis of evil is Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran with the latter supporting the two terror groups. With all three entities hell-bent on the destruction and eradication of […]
My Two Cents | The left is wrong on Gaza
My friends on the far left are wrong, plain wrong, on the recent Israel-Gaza flareup. Israel, bottom line, has a right to defend itself. And as long as Hamas is using Gaza as cover for its aggressive activities, Israel has a right to pre-emptively defend itself.
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