A Gaza flotilla known as the “Estelle” was stopped by the IDF near Ashdod on Saturday. The boat, just the most recent in a series of vessels that has been sent into Israeli waters, was part of a pro-Palestinian campaign attempting to breach Israel’s naval blockade around Gaza. The Estelle set off from Sweden earlier this month, and the Israeli government tried through diplomatic efforts and direct communications to divert the ship. The flotilla crusades have proven a PR headache for the Jewish …More

Israel asked the United Nations to stop a Swedish-owned ship carrying human rights activists from attempting to break Israel's naval blockade of Gaza. Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Ron Prosor, called the ship Estelle a "provocation" that "raises tensions and could easily spark a serious escalation of the conflict." "I want to stress that Israel is not interested in confrontation but remains determined to enforce its naval blockade of the Gaza Strip -- and will take all lawful actions to this end," …More

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would consider military action if he suspected Syrian chemical weapons were to be used by terrorist groups like Hezbollah. The remarks came during a Tuesday meeting with European Union ambassadors. In the sit down, Netanyahu reiterated his belief that Syria and Bashar Assad were using help from Hezbollah and Iran to continue the civil war. The connection was a pointed one, as the EU continually refuses to mark Hezbollah as a terrorist organization. “Israel …More

A flotilla set for Gaza launched out of Italy Saturday. The “Freedom Flotilla Estelle” will attempt to break through blockaded Israeli waters surrounding the Gaza Strip, in an attempt to make a political statement. The blockade is in place to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas. The mission is one of a string of similar attempts that often garner widespread media coverage. In 2010, a flotilla brigade made headlines after the Mavi Marmara was boarded by IDF, resulting in the death of nine Turkish …More

A Tweet claiming Jews were responsible for the Holocaust has caused a media stir, and trouble for the pro-Gaza group that posted the comment. On September 30, Greta Berlin posted the following message to the Free Gaza Twitter handle: “Zionists operated the concentration camps and helped murder millions of innocent Jews.” The Tweet included a link to a YouTube video featuring Eustace Mullins, a notoriously anti-Semitic writer who died in 2010. In the video, Mullins lays out his theory that the term …More

Rob Lattin is Jspace News' Foreign Affairs Correspondent. In addition to covering foreign affairs for Jspace, Rob is a blogger on Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for the Foreign Policy Association, as well as a freelance writer. He can be reached by email at rob@jspacecorp.com. On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman re-emphasized his belief that the Palestinian Authority should hold general elections, and continued his criticism of Mahmoud Abbas by telling Israel Radio, “Abu Mazen …More

The US and Israel ran joint military drills over the weekend. Each nation’s naval equivalent went through faux search and rescue missions, including a test of the US’s missile defense system that has the capability of defending the Jewish state should an Iranian attack take place. The exercise, dubbed the “Reliant Mermaid,” was not due to rising tensions between Israel and Iran, officials said. The joint training used to take place annually along with Turkey. However, following the Mavi …More

Rob Lattin is Jspace News' Foreign Affairs Correspondent. In addition to covering foreign affairs for Jspace, Rob is a blogger on Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for the Foreign Policy Association, as well as a freelance writer. He can be reached by email at rob@jspacecorp.com. Over the last week, Egyptian-Israeli relations have grown increasingly uncomfortable. As Eric Trager, a US expert on Egyptian affairs at the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, stated, “Egypt’s ‘full …More

Rob Lattin is Jspace News' Foreign Affairs Correspondent. In addition to covering foreign affairs for Jspace, Rob is a blogger on Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for the Foreign Policy Association, as well as a freelance writer. He can be reached by email at rob@jspacecorp.com. Israel took a pro-active step this week in mending its ties with Turkey. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu met with a group of Turkish journalists and told them, “Turkey and Israel are two important, strong and …More

Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman told Turkish journalists that Israel has "no reason to apologize" for the Mavi Marmara incident. Lieberman in a meeting Sunday with the journalists in Jerusalem said that Israel is ready to discuss the incident and would consider the issue of an apology as part of a package including other issues, such as Iran, Gaza and Hamas, the Turkish daily Today's Zaman reported. He said current developments in the region made it important for Turkey and Israel to normalize …More

Rob Lattin is Jspace News' Foreign Affairs Correspondent. In addition to covering foreign affairs for Jspace, Rob is a blogger on Israeli and Middle Eastern foreign policy for the Foreign Policy Association, as well as a freelance writer. He can be reached by email at rob@jspacecorp.com. With all of the turmoil and uncertainty going on in the Middle East right now, the state of Israeli-Turkish relations has largely been underreported and under analyzed. While the last six years have seen significant erosion in …More

Minister Benny Begin admits that the country failed to prepare properly for the flotilla. [Israel Hayom] The Daily Beast wants to know what happens when "New York Jew" no longer means a liberal majority. [The Daily Beast] Edmonton’s first Jewish seniors housing complex is expected to open in 2014. [Edmonton Journal] Harry Ostrer argues in his new book that Jewishness has a “biological cultural basis.” [The JC] Eighth grade San Diego Jewish Academy student Jonah Kohn is named one of 15 …More