Jewish & World News

A bipartisan group of six Congress members is sponsoring a bill that would ensure recognition of the plight of 850,000 Jewish refugees displaced from Arab countries since Israel's War of Independence in 1948. Their bill in the U.S. House of Representatives also would recognize other displaced populations, including Christians from countries in the Middle East, North Africa and the Persian Gulf.

The following video has become a big hit on the web: Why is the Middle East Problem so intractable? In the video, Dennis Prager, nationally syndicated talk show host and best-selling author, answers that question in this thought-provoking video course. Arutz Sheva

As Tim Franks finishes his spell as the BBC's Middle East correspondent, he explains how his own background made it inevitable that some people would make certain assumptions.

The Arab Israeli lawmaker who accused the Jewish state of having 'racist' and 'fascist' policies enjoys rights and freedoms he wouldn't find anywhere else in the Middle East. By Jacob Dayan LA Times The Jewish state of Israel is a diverse nation that has absorbed people from more than 140 countries. Among its population are about 1.5 million Arabs, including Israeli Knesset member Ahmad Tibi, who in a May 23 Times interview lashed out at Israel, using inflammatory words like "racist" and "fascist." As is his style, Tibi failed to back up his white-hot rhetoric with hard facts.

Washington - The top American commander in the Middle East has ordered a broad expansion of clandestine military activity in an effort to disrupt militant groups or counter threats in Iran, Saudi Arabia, Somalia and other countries in the region, according to defense officials and military documents.

The United States, Russia, Britain, France and China on Wednesday voiced support for making the Middle East a nuclear-arms-free zone, which would mean Israel would have to scrap any atomic bombs in its possession.

New York - The US and Russia have drafted an initiative to ban nuclear weapons and other weapons of mass destruction in the Middle East, the Guardian has learned. The proposal – involving the appointment of a special coordinator to conduct exploratory talks with Israel, Iran and the Arab states, followed by a regional conference – will be a central issue at a conference beginning tomorrow in New York aimed at preventing the further spread of nuclear weapons around the world.

Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff warned Thursday that a strike on Iran could be "very, very destabilizing" and have unintended consequences for the Middle East, adding that diplomacy was crucial. Mullen said he believed Tehran was "on a path that has strategic intent to develop nuclear weapons and have been for some time" – a charge Iran denies. "I think that outcome is potentially a very, very destabilizing outcome… on the other hand, when asked about striking Iran, specifically, that also has a very, very destabilizing outcome," he said. Mullen said he worried about "unintended consequences" of either scenario, adding "that part of the world could become much more unstable, which is a dangerous global outcome." Tehran already has been hit with three rounds of UN sanctions for refusing to comply with demands that it halt sensitive nuclear activities. The United States and its allies have said it is ...