Breaking News

Israeli Foreign Ministry employees stage slowdown, could affect Netanyahu's U.S. visit

06/28/2010

JERUSALEM (JTA) -- Israeli Foreign Ministry employees have stopped making arrangements for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's visit to Washington next month.

The action is part of a partial strike to achieve better wages for Israeli diplomats, Haaretz reported Monday.

New Zealand Jews Plan to Fight for Kosher Slaughter

06/28/2010 | Dan Goldberg | JTA

SYDNEY, Australia (JTA) – Barring a last-minute policy reversal, Jewish leaders in New Zealand appear certain to launch legal action against the government over its controversial new law banning kosher slaughter.

With BP’s Spill in Mind, Israel Considers Delivery of Natural Gas

06/28/2010 | Dina Kraft | JTA

TEL AVIV (JTA) – More than a year after a massive natural gas find in the Mediterranean Sea off the Israeli coast sparked hopes in Israel of a new era of energy independence, the project is running into concerns about how the gas can be delivered safely.

The BP spill in the Gulf of Mexico has raised concerns in Israel about processing the gas and its delivery within the country.

U.S. House Unanimously Calls for Shalit’s Release

06/25/2010

WASHINGTON (JTA) The U.S. House of Representatives unanimously called for the release of Cpl. Gilad Shalit on the eve of the fourth anniversary of his capture by Hamas.

The bill passed Thursday, initiated by U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-N.Y.), demands that "Hamas immediately and unconditionally release Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit" and that the terrorist group allows "prompt access to the Israeli captives by competent medical personnel and representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross."

U.S. Calls Flotillas to Gaza ‘Irresponsible’

06/24/2010

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- The Obama administration said sea-bound aid to Gaza is "irresponsible."

"Mechanisms exist for the transfer of humanitarian assistance to Gaza by member states and groups that want to do so," a U.S. State Department release said Wednesday, in response to a reporter's question about Lebanese plans to ship aid to the Gaza Strip. "Direct delivery by sea is neither appropriate nor responsible, and certainly not effective, under the circumstances."

Congress Passes New Iran Sanctions

06/24/2010 | Ron Kampeas | JTA

WASHINGTON (JTA) -- Congress overwhelmingly passed expansive new Iran sanctions.

The sanctions passed Thursday in both houses: 99-0 in the Senate and 408-8 in the U.S. House of Representatives, and now go to President Obama for signing.

The sanctions expand existing sanctions targeting investment in Iran's energy sector to encompass trade with the energy escort and business with the banking sector.