Yale University made collegiate history this week, electing the university’s first Israeli student body president. Daniel Avraham is a 24-year-old Jerusalem native and second year student at Yale, enrolled in the ethics and economics program. He will serve as head of YCC, the university’s student union. Avraham is a graduate of the Gymnasia Herzliya high school in Tel Aviv and a past IDF intelligence officer. When Avraham graduates, he’ll join the esteemed ranks of alumni like Bill Clinton, …More

Shimon Peres reached out to outgoing US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton this week, writing in a letter praising Clinton's "distinctive grace, wisdom and dedication." "It is with bitter regret that I write this parting letter," the Israeli president began the note. "I know that the people of Israel join me in thanking you for your unflagging friendship and support, and for significantly contributing to strengthening the special ties of friendship and cooperation between Israel and the United States." Peres, …More

As Israelis continue to wade through the coalition news pouring in today, US officials applauded the close of another democratically driven Israeli election. “Mazal tov to the Israeli people on their just completed elections! Always inspiring to see democracy in action!” US Ambassador to Israel Dan Shapiro tweeted. He added: “United States looks forward to working closely with the next government of Israel.” “Fascinating election from a US perspective. Every democratic system is …More

Amid pressure from Republican and pro-Israel hawks, US President Barack Obama may be thinking twice about appointing Republican Senator Chuck Hagel as the head of the Department of Defense. Instead, Michèle Flournoy is being touted as a good alternative. Flournoy has impressive credentials. She has proven Pentagon experience as the former undersecretary of defense for policy, was Obama’s Department of Defense transition team head, and in 2007 co-founded the Center for New American Security, a …More

Before Hillary Clinton and Angela Merkel, there was Golda Meir, Israel’s first woman Prime Minister. Known as the “Iron Lady” of politics long before the rise of Margaret Thatcher, Meir, who died on December 8, 1978, was known for her strong-willed tenacity. “In appearance she was tall and austere, with the stresses of a hard life reflected in her face,” penned a writer for BBC News. “In personality, she was honest, straightforward and single-minded. In the eyes of the world, …More

The very quality that helped get Susan Rice in hot water with some in Washington is what pro-Israel groups have come to appreciate -- she is a vigorous and reliable defender of the Obama administration’s foreign policies. Rice, the US ambassador to the United Nations who is widely seen as a leading candidate to replace Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, has garnered plaudits from Jewish communal leaders over her defenses of Israel at the world body. “She has proven herself as an ardent …More

International leaders have warned Syria against employing chemical weapons in its ongoing civil war, after US satellite imagery showed regime forces moving chemical weapons into strategic positions in preparation for use. Syrian leaders have denied any intentions towards chemical warfare. Syria’s 20-month-long conflict has killed more than 30,000 people, according to the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights. International concern has recently been sparked, as President Bashar al-Assad is believed to have …More

Secretary of State Hillary Clinton was the keynote speaker at last week’s Saban Forum, an annual conference that this year focused on US-Israeli relations. The New York event, organized by the Saban Center for Middle East Policy, also featured a discussion with Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and past Israeli President Ehud Olmert. At the event, Clinton focused heavily on ties between the US and Jewish state, saying, “What threatens Israel threatens America, and what strengthens Israel …More

This evening's United Nations vote to elevate Palestine's member status has already been met with displeasure in the US, which was one of only nine nations to vote against the measure. The 138 to nine result, with 41 abstentions, was called "unfortunate and counterproductive" by US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. She added that "only through direct negotiations between the parties can the Palestinians and Israelis achieve the peace that both deserve: two states for two people, with a sovereign, viable and …More

Minutes after a cease-fire between Israel and Hamas went into effect, five rockets were fired from Gaza at Beersheva and Israel struck the Gaza home of a top Islamic leader. One of the long-range Grad rockets struck a home at 9:05 p.m. -- five minutes after the cease-fire had gone into effect on Wednesday (2 p.m. Eastern Standard Time) -- Israel's Channel 1 reported. At 9:28 p.m., two rockets fired toward the Eshkol Regional Council landed in open areas. In between, Israel hit the Islamic Jihad leader's home in …More

After more than a week of intense conflict, Hamas and Israel have reached a ceasefire, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr announced in a press conference just moments ago. The agreement brings Israel’s eight-day Operation Pillar of Defense, which began with the Nov. 14 killing of top Hamas commander Ahmed Jabari, to a close. “Egypt has made intensive efforts [to bring peace] since … the beginning of the crisis in Gaza,” Amr said during …More

Today, a bomb exploded on a bus in Tel Aviv, injuring 21. None have yet officially taken responsibility for the terror attack, the city’s first in six years. The event recalls the intifadas for many, who remember dozens of such bombings claiming casualties in Israel’s major cities. The bus driver said he did not see the attacker, and could not even tell where the blast cam from. “I didn’t see anything. Suddenly there was an explosion,” the driver told reporters at Ichilov Medical …More