Free Republic

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The United States has decided to resume formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, in a step that reflects the Islamist group's growing political weight but that is almost certain to upset Israel and its U.S. backers. "The political landscape in Egypt has changed, and is changing," said the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. "It is in our interests to engage with all of the parties that are competing for parliament or the presidency." The official sought to portray the shift as a subtle evolution rather...

The United States has decided to resume formal contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, a senior U.S. official said on Wednesday, in a step that reflects the Islamist group’s growing political weight but that is almost certain to upset Israel and its U.S. backers. “The political landscape in Egypt has changed, and is changing,” said the senior official, who spoke on condition of anonymity. “It is in our interests to engage with all of the parties that are competing for parliament or the presidency.” The official sought to portray the shift as a subtle evolution rather than a...

Dems Fret Over Being Seen as Anti-Israel By Arnold Ahlert May 30, 2011 So, what do you do if you’re head of the Democratic National Committee (DNC), and a Democrat president “suggests” Israel should retreat to its pre-1967 borders, which the prime minster of Israel considers “indefensible?” If you’re Debbie Wasserman-Schultz, you demand Jewish Republicans “pledge to refrain” from making an issue of it during the 2012 election campaign.Ms. Wasserman-Schultz pulled this little stunt during a meeting last week of representative delegates from the Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC), the National Jewish Democratic Council (NJDC), and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu....

Here is an unusual press release from the U.S. State Department, first noted by The Weekly Standard and later Arutz Sheva: State’s Steinberg’s Visit to Israel, Jerusalem and West Bank U.S. DEPARTMENT OF STATE Office of the Spokesman May 18, 2011 MEDIA NOTE Deputy Secretary Steinberg's Visit to Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank Deputy Secretary of State James Steinberg visits Israel, Jerusalem and the West Bank May 18-19, 2011. In Israel, Deputy Secretary Steinberg met with Israeli academic and student leaders. In the West Bank, he met with Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas and other

United States Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said on Friday that the Obama administration's decision to ramp up pressure on Israel over construction of Jewish homes in East Jerusalem was bringing results. In an interview with BBC television, Clinton was asked whether escalating the tone with Israel had paid off. She said: "I think we're going to see the resumption of the negotiation track and that means that it is paying off because that's our goal." Advertisement Over the past two weeks Israel has sought to cool American ire over plans for 1,600 new homes in Ramat Shlomo, a Jewish...