Breaking News

San Francisco Circumcision Ban Likely for November Ballot

04/29/2011

SAN FRANCISCO (JTA) -- A proposal to ban circumcision in San Francisco looks likely for the November ballot.

A group opposed to male circumcision told Reuters that it had collected more than enough signatures on petitions to qualify their proposal for the Nov. 8 vote.

The measure, which would apply only in the city of San Francisco, would make it a misdemeanor crime to circumcise a boy before he is 18 years old. The maximum penalty would be a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Circumcisions would be permitted only for medical reasons.

Abbas: Palestinians Will Continue to Negotiate Peace

04/28/2011

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- The Palestinians will continue to negotiate peace with Israel despite a unity agreement with the terrorist Hamas organization, Mahmoud Abbas said.

Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, told reporters Thursday that the Palestine Liberation Organization that he heads will continue to be responsible for handling negotiations, Haaretz reported. Hamas is not a member of the PLO.

Abbas' comments came a day after his Fatah movement and Hamas, which controls Gaza, announced that they had reconciled, following a meeting in Cairo.

Egypt Again Halts Gas Supply to Israel Following Explosion

04/27/2011

.JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Egypt has again shut off its gas supply to Israel following an explosion on its pipeline in the Sinai.

The explosion early Wednesday morning rocked the area and caused 65-foot flames, according to reports.

While Egyptian officials would not speculate on the cause of the blast, a security source told Reuters that an unidentified armed gang attacked the pipeline.

Israel Armed Argentina During Falklands War, Book Reveals

04/27/2011

.BUENOS AIRES (JTA) -- An Argentinean journalist reveals in a new book that Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin agreed to help Argentina during the 1982 Falklands War as revenge for Britain's crackdown on the Irgun during the British mandate of Palestine.

"Operation Israel: The Reaming of Argentina During The Dictatorship," by Hernan Dobry, explains how Israel secretly supplied arms and equipment to Argentina, via Peru.

Some Are Abusing Title VI Protections, AJC Charges

04/27/2011

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The American Jewish Committee said a government decision to classify campus anti-Semitism as prohibited discrimination is being abused by those seeking to silence criticism of Israel.

Bibi, Zuckerberg, Giffords make Time’s list of most influential

04/22/2011

NEW YORK (JTA) -- Benjamin Netanyahu, Mark Zuckerberg and Gabrielle Giffords are among Time magazine's list of the most influential people of the year.

The magazine's list of the most influential people in the world, the 2011 Time 100, came out Thursday.

Netanyahu, the prime minister of Israel, leads a country that is successful economically and its citizens feel relatively safe, writes Richard Haass, the president of the Council on Foreign Relations.