Topic: Israel

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Samantha Power at UN evokes 'Camelot' and may be 'friend of Israel'

Samantha Power, President Obama's nominee for UN ambassador has already picked up serious pro-Israel and Jewish support, defying critics.
Decoder Wire Samantha Power: Can Obama's UN nominee live down Israel comments?

Samantha Power, President Obama's nominee to be ambassador to the UN, is no shrinking violet. She's made her fair share of controversial statements, and they'll likely come up in confirmation hearings.
Olive Press Israel sees prestigious academic prize as tool to engage increasingly hostile academic world

The Dan David Prize has been awarded to some of those in the top echelons of academia, a community that includes many backers of the movement to isolate Israel for its occupation.
Terrorism & Security Syrian fighting spills into Golan Heights – and Israel's doorstep

The Syrian Army and rebels battled for control of Syria's crossing into the Golan Heights. The fighting lasted for seven hours and sent UN peacekeepers scrambling.
Hezbollah marks major triumph as Qusayr tips back into Assad camp

Rebels abandoned the strategic city of Qusayr on Wednesday in a significant victory for Syria's Assad regime and a psychological blow to opposition forces.
Can a low-key professor fill the shoes of Washington's West Bank darling?

Salam Fayyad, who resigned as prime minister in April, was renowned internationally for winning donor trust. Rami Hamdallah, head of a West Bank university, is comparatively unknown.
Olive Press Can backpackers solve Middle East's tourism woes?

An Israeli tourism entrepreneur believes tourism does far more than bring in cash, and has built a top-rated hostel to bring tourists in, particularly the young backpacker crowd.
In Gear Battery-switching car pioneer Better Place files for bankruptcy

Better Place says wider public and car companies weren't ready to support its technology, which allows an electric car to switch battery packs in five minutes. Better Place has some 2,000 users in Israel driving a Renault Fluence ZE, the only compatible car.
A Jewish renaissance, tucked away in a Budapest apartment

Budapest's Teleki Square synagogue has survived two World Wars, the rise of the 'anti-Zionist' Jobbik party, and rotting fixtures – and is now part of a resurgent Jewish community.
Google said to be vying with Facebook for acquisition of map app Waze

Waze, a young app company based in Israel, has caught the eyes of both Google and Facebook, according to a new report.
Olive Press Ultra-Orthodox insider invites outsiders in through the big screen

Director Rama Burshtein's film is a rare insider's look at Israel's ultra-Orthodox, without criticism or obsessing about what sets them apart.
Olive Press Musical Arab-Jewish youth seek the key to coexistence

A Yale University alumnus and veteran of the school's famed a capella groups has brought his talents to Jerusalem, where he launched an Arab-Jewish youth chorus.
Terrorism & Security Syrian Army fires across border into Israel to retaliate for airstrikes

Today's incident marks the first time that Syria has admitted breaching the border with Israel since the civil war began.
Culture Cafe Dead Sea Scrolls: The Boston exhibit lets visitors see one of the greatest treasures of the modern era

The Dead Sea Scrolls, some of which are currently on display at the Museum of Science in Boston, are the oldest copies of Biblical texts ever found.
Olive Press On Gaza's border, an unexpected haven for mentally-handicapped Israelis

A factory in Sderot provides mentally-disabled people in Israel with work and a social environment where they can feel accepted.
Syrian Army, Hezbollah bear down on rebels in strategic Qusayr

For the Syrian rebels, Qusayr has been critical to bringing in weapons and fighters from Lebanon. But the regime and ally Hezbollah want the town, which lies at an important crossroads.
Iran hangs spies it says worked for US, Israel

Iran hangs spies: Two Iranian men were executed Sunday, convicted of working for the CIA and Israel's Mossad spy agency.
In Israel, a modern wall is halted by ancient terraces

Israel’s high court has issued an injunction against extending the separation barrier through the Palestinian village of Batir, famed for its 2,500-year-old terraces and aqueducts.
With Hezbollah's help, Syrian troops push to regain Lebanese border areas

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said 30 people, including 16 rebel fighters and one woman, were killed in Qusair in morning fighting, but that the death toll was expected to rise.
Why do planets farthest from sun have highest winds? Team closes in on answer

The planets beyond Mars exhibit the highest winds speeds of any other planets in the solar system. It's a puzzle, because less energy from the sun is available there to drive higher winds.
Olive Press Gazans struggle to reel in a livelihood

One man alone used to employ more than 2,000 fishermen to bring in Gaza's daily catch, but Israel has reduced the areas in which Palestinians may fish, curbing the number of accessible fish.
Energy Voices Tesla Motors: Could electric cars 'refuel' faster than gas cars?

Tesla Motors has set its sights on 'battery-swapping' technology. In theory, that would mean drivers of Tesla Motors cars could recharge faster than the time it takes to fill up a tank of gas. It's a bit of a holy grail for an electric car industry eager to overcome 'range anxiety.'
Energy Voices How will the US capitalize on its oil boom?

Oil production is surging in the US, sending supply shockwaves through world markets. The US could become the world leader in more ways than one, Graeber writes, but only if it opens its oil spigot.
In Syria, terrorist designation means more go hungry

The presence of an Al Qaeda-linked group among Syria's rebels and past US prosecutions of those who've supported groups it deems terrorists has slowed the flow of food and medical aid to Syria.
Olive Press Israeli artist Sovar Lerner sees harmony in a teapot

A new art piece on exhibit in New York highlights how Israel is an immigrant nation.