Free Republic

Moving the U.S. Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem could endanger U.S. diplomats and Marine guards there and elsewhere in the region — “and needlessly so” — State Department spokesman John Kirby warned Wednesday. He said the Obama administration, like previous ones, believes relocating the embassy “is not a good idea.” “It’s not constructive to the overall peace process. It could actually put some of our people, some of our troops, those that work at the embassy, in harm’s way, and needlessly so.” “It could exacerbate tensions not just there but elsewhere in the region too,” Kirby added,...

The U.S. State Department’s War on IsraelPosted By Ronn Torossian On October 29, 2014 @ 12:20 am In Daily Mailer,FrontPage | 8 Comments There is ISIS and there is Ebola – and there is the small state of Israel that is building homes for Jews to live in.  And the latter is the big issue for America.According to AFP, “The United States Monday blasted Israel for pledging to build 1,000 more Jewish homes in Jerusalem, saying any such move would be “incompatible” with peace efforts.” There’s a simple answer: “Go To Hell.” That is what must be told to the State Department by the...

No Jews Allowed Democrats have a Jewish problem: US Embassy in Tel Aviv Severely Restricts Visas for Israelis Tourist visa process cancelled until further notice, embassy announces. From the Obama State Dept: “Due to the current security situation in Tel Aviv, U.S. Embassy Tel Aviv remains open but is operating at reduced staffing until further notice, and has canceled routine visa application processing and American Citizen services,” the statement says. “Emergencies involving an American citizen and visa applications will be considered on a case by case basis.”

Over the past three weeks, we've heard several excuses for the denial of visas to the United States for Israelis. We've been told that visas were denied in order to remove Israel from the 'white list' of countries whose citizens qualify for longer-term visas. We've been told that the United States has been systematically denying visas to Shin Bet (General Security Service) and Mossad agents, to representatives of the IDF and to executives of companies in Israel's defense industry, and it was implied that was out of a fear of competition in the defense industry. And we've been told that...

Jerusalem has, for the last several thousand years, been the holiest city in Jerusalem. Last week, Israelis celebrated Yom Yerushalayim, Jerusalem Day – the day in 1967 when the Israel Defense Forces liberated Jerusalem from Arab rule, reuniting the city and opening its holy places to all who wish to visit them. For 45 years, Jerusalem has been the capital of Israel. And yet the position of the United States government remains that Tel Aviv is the capital of Israel. That position was clarified in March 2012 by a State Department official, Victoria Nuland, who refused to say that Jerusalem...

The Obama administration criticized Israel Wednesday for designating two shrines on Palestinian territory as national heritage sites. The criticism came as Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton said she hopes long-stalled peace talks between Israelis and the Palestinians will resume. Clinton told a congressional committee that groundwork is being laid to restart the talks with the help of U.S. envoy George Mitchell. She didn't say exactly when the negotiations might resume but her remarks come amid a flurry of U.S. diplomatic activity in the region. They come as the United States, Russia and their Mideast peace partners are trying to...