Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Thursday he would put any peace deal with the Palestinians to a referendum, raising expectations that direct negotiations might soon resume following a two-year stalemate. It was the second time in just three days that Netanyahu has publicly mentioned the possibility of holding a nationwide vote on an…
The American Jewish Committee denounced Richard Falk, a UN official, for what it claims is his assertion in an online essay that U.S. and Israeli policies were responsible for the Boston Marathon terrorist bombings. UN Watch first reported on Falk’s comments. U.S. Ambassador to the UN Susan Rice expressed her disapproval as well on twitter:…
U.N. chief Ban Ki-moon rejected on Wednesday remarks by a U.N. rights investigator, who suggested the Boston bombings were a response to U.S. foreign policy, and warned U.N. envoys that their public comments could undermine the world body’s credibility. Richard Falk, U.N. special rapporteur for human rights in the occupied Palestinian territories, wrote on his…
Susan Rice said a major part of her work as U.S. ambassador to the United Nations is defending Israel’s legitimacy. “It’s a huge part of my work to the United Nations,” Rice said Sunday evening, launching this year’s Consultation on Conscience, an event for Reform movement social activists organized by the Religious Action Center. She…
The main U.N. humanitarian agency for Palestinians said on Monday it was reopening its Gaza food distribution centers after suspending operations last week in response to violent protests over aid cutbacks. The centres, which the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) closed on Thursday after demonstrators stormed its headquarters, supply food to 800,000 Palestinians…
Forward Looking Back brings you the stories that were making news in the Forward’s Yiddish paper 100, 75, and 50 years ago. Check back each week for a new set of illuminating and edifying clippings from the Jewish past. 100 Years Ago 1913 Eighteen-year-old Esther Goldberg, a pretty girl who lives at 20 Pitt Street…
Syrian rebels have seized a convoy of U.N. peacekeepers near the Golan Heights and say they will hold them captive until President Bashar al-Assad’s forces pull back from a rebel-held village which has seen heavy recent fighting. The capture was announced in rebel videos posted on the Internet and confirmed on Wednesday by the United…
The Israeli-Iranian singer Rita performed at the United Nations General Assembly Hall. Rita performed in Hebrew, English and Farsi at the “Tunes for Peace” concert on Tuesday night – just the third full-fledged concert at the U.N. venue. The singer, who goes by just her first name, but whose full name is Rita Yahan-Farouz, performed…
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