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Members of Congress are demanding that President Obama come clean about controversial reports that he is considering leveling sanctions on Israel, according to a letter sent Friday afternoon by lawmakers to the White House. The Obama administration has found itself engulfed in controversy since reports emerged Thursday that the White House and State Department had met in secret to strategize about imposing sanctions on Israel for its continued building of houses in contested Jerusalem neighborhoods. State Department and White House officials have continued to dodge questions from reporters on the matter, maintaining that they will neither confirm nor deny the...

For the first time in history, an American president is considering slapping sanctions on the state of Israel.  The reason?  Israel is building new housing on its own land. Washington Free Beacon: The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings. The possibility of sanctioning Israel for its ongoing construction sends a signal that the Obama administration is willing to go further in its denunciations of Israel then any previous White House. At the same time, the...

U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry threatened to impose sanctions on the Palestinian Authority (PA) if it goes ahead with unilateral moves, such as asking the United Nations Security Council to set a deadline for Israel to withdraw from Judea and Samaria, the London-based al-Araby al-Jadeed newspaper reported on Monday Speaking on condition of anonymity, official sources confirmed to the newspaper that Kerry called PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas and warned him against taking any unilateral measures, threatening to impose financial and political sanctions on the PA. He said the most effective way forward would be to resume negotiations. The sources...

Matt Lee @APDiploWriter Follow "Reports we might be contemplating sanctions against #Israel (re settlements) completely unfounded & without merit," per @statedeptspox. 11:06 AM - 8 Dec 2014

In an amazing breach of sworn neutrality, to say nothing of civility, a UN spokesperson on social media attacked the Jerusalem Post and its editor and called for a boycott of the paper. Chris Gunness, a spokesman for the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestinian Arab refugees posted the following on his UNRWA Twitter account: Link to Twitter Gunness lost his cool over an op-ed written by a Palestinian Arab and published in the Jerusalem Post which blamed UNRWA for prolonging the suffering of his people in order to justify its existence and deepen its coffers. Bassem Eid, the...

Netanyahu Proven Right by Muslim Brotherhood’s PR AgencyPosted By Ronn Torossian On December 9, 2014 @ 12:05 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | No Comments Burson-Marsteller – one of the world’s largest PR firms – who refused to represent Israel, yet accepted Muslim Brotherhood as a client recently issued its annual Twiplomacy study.  As they explain the study, “World leaders vie for attention, connections and followers on Twitter.”  Social media of course continues to grow worldwide.To no surprise, their study basically reveals that Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a world leader with a very keen understanding of how media and...

An overwhelming majority of Palestinians support a recent spate of attacks on Israelis amid heightened tensions over the most sensitive holy site in Jerusalem, according to an opinion poll released Tuesday. The poll also found that more than half of Palestinians support a new uprising against Israel, and that the Hamas militant group would win presidential elections if they were held today. […] “There is an environment in which violence is becoming a dominant issue,” said (Palestinian pollster Khalil) Shikaki. “This seems to be one of the most important driving forces.” …

The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem. The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings. The possibility...

The Obama administration is refusing to discuss reports that emerged early Thursday claiming that the White House is considering imposing sanctions on Israel for continuing construction on Jewish homes in Jerusalem. State Department spokeswoman Marie Harf dodged several questions on Thursday when confronted with reports that the administration had held secret internal meetings to discuss taking action against Israel for its ongoing building in East Jerusalem. The classified meetings were reportedly held several weeks ago and included officials from both the State Department and White House, according to the Israeli daily Ha’aretz, which first reported on the meetings. The possibility...

The Hill reports: “Hillary Clinton and Vice President Biden will be among the attendees at a Washington forum on Israeli-U.S. relations this weekend. Both will speak to the Saban Forum, an annual event organized by the Brookings Institution and entertainment mogul Haim Saban. Saban is also a major political donor who has pledged to support the former secretary of State should she run for president in 2016.” Then-Secretary of State Hillary Clinton at a press briefing in 2010. (Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images) Hillary Clinton, just like President Obama in the run-up to the 2008 race, will present herself as...

Amir Benayoun is a popular Mizrachi Israeli singer/composer with a small problem. He's not left-wing, and sometimes his songs are political commentary -- and not from a left-wing perspective. This past week he released a song called "Ahmed Loves Israel" (song and translated lyrics below) In particular, it reminds the listeners that the Arab terrorists in Har Nof Massacre, in the Merkaz HaRav Massacre, in the Rechavam Ze'evi assassination, in the Yehuda Glick assassination attempt, and in many of the other terror attacks worked near the places where they committed their terror attacks, and they seemed normal, until they weren't....

Israeli singer Amir Benayoun released a song Sunday about a theoretical Arab Israeli youth stabbing Jews, garnering accusations of racism as Israel copes with a wave of attacks by East Jerusalem residents. “It’s true that I am just ungrateful scum,” Benayoun sings in “Ahmed loves Israel.” “It’s true, but I am not guilty, I wasn’t brought up on love. It’s true that the moment will come when you will turn your back on me, and I’ll stab you right in the back.” In the song, one version of “Ahmed” lives in Jerusalem, studies at the Hebrew University, and is well-liked....

sraeli singer Amir Benayoun released a song Sunday about a theoretical Arab Israeli youth stabbing Jews, garnering accusations of racism as Israel copes with a wave of attacks by East Jerusalem residents “It’s true that I am just ungrateful scum,” Benayoun sings in “Ahmed loves Israel.” “It’s true, but I am not guilty, I wasn’t brought up on love. It’s true that the moment will come when you will turn your back on me, and I’ll stab you right in the back.” In the song, one version of “Ahmed” lives in Jerusalem, studies at the Hebrew University, and is well-liked....

The Jordanian Waqf continues to build illegally on the Temple Mount, photos leaked to Arutz Sheva revealed Wednesday. The photos, which were taken by a visitor to the Mount, show what appears to be new construction, under a tarp, in the northeast corner of the Mount. To clarify whether the Waqf has the license to build on the Mount—and what ramifications there may be if it does not—Arutz Sheva spoke to architect Gideon Charlap, who turned to the licensing and inspection bureau in Jerusalem “to address urgently the building violations and illegal construction on the Temple Mount,” as he put...

Repeated claims in recent weeks by Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas that Israel was attacking or otherwise threatening the Al Aqsa mosque on the Temple Mount, and Abbas’s calls for Palestinians and other Muslims to take action to defend Al Aqsa and “purify” the Temple Mount, have been a key factor in the latest spate of deadly Arab assaults on Israelis. Other PA officials have echoed and elaborated on Abbas’s message, with some calling explicitly for murdering Jews in response to supposed provocations against Al Aqsa. Palestinian Authority media have conveyed the same message, punctuated by cartoons depicting Jews attacking...

What we are seeing in Jerusalem today is not simply Palestinian terrorism. It is Islamic jihad. No one likes to admit it. The television reporters insist that this is the worst possible scenario because there is no way to placate it. There is no way to reason with it. So what else is new? The horrible truth is that all of the anti-Jewish slaughters perpetrated by our Arab neighbors have been motivated to greater or lesser degrees by Islamic Jew-hatred. The only difference between the past hundred years and now is that today our appeasement-oriented elite is finding it harder...

Jewish life in New York is dominated by ritual. Holidays. A pastrami reuben on a hero at Katz’s. The reading of holy books in cycles that take a year (the Torah) or seven and a half years (the Talmud). And just as reliably, there’s the ritual of presidential candidates sniffing around for dough right after the midterm elections. That last one got going in earnest yesterday and today, with Senator Ted Cruz of Texas making a whirlwind tour of power Jews in New York City. Last night, Mort Klein’s Zionist Organization of America dinner featured Mr. Cruz, known for his...

The Facebook page of Mamoun Abunaser, an UNRWA school principal in Syria, carries an exhortation to support Palestinian "resistance." Image: Facebook Further examples of officials employed by UNRWA engaging in anti-Semitic activities online continue to surface, with no indication that the international organization’s management intends to clamp down on the incitement. As The Algemeiner reported last week, several UNRWA employees were among the many Palestinians who openly celebrated last Tuesday’s terrorist atrocity at a synagogue in Jerusalem, during which four worshippers and a police officer were brutally murdered. UNRWA is a body devoted solely to Palestinian Arab refugees from the...

Sheikh Samir Aasi, Imam of the main mosque in the city of Akko (in above photo: front row, third from left), openly condemned the massacre that took place last week in a Har Nof synagogue. This terror attack was perpetuated by two Palestinian men, who entered during morning prayers and shot worshipers dead as well as stabbed them with meat cleavers. Aasi made the trip from Akko to Har Nof to participate in a pluralistic faith assembly attended by clergy from all of Israel's faiths. The assembly was held in the synagogue where the attack took place. Aasi spoke...

God calls for evangelism by sharing His love; Islamic scripture exhorts believers in Allah to inflict pain, suffering and death to infidels Tuesday, November 18, 2014 witnessed another murderous incident in an escalation of a holy war being waged by Muslims in Jerusalem. A synagogue in West Jerusalem was apparently independently targeted by two East Jerusalem men, killing four rabbis holding dual American and British citizenship and one police officer. Brandishing guns and meat cleavers, the terrorists reportedly were reacting to rumors that Israeli Jews are attempting to destroy Islamic holy sites in Jerusalem and were responsible for a bus...