There’s a new Jewish heroine on the block, a tough but tender Israeli who does undercover work for the United Nations and stars in a new series of thrillers by the British author and journalist Adam LeBor. The first installment, “The Geneva Option,” was released in the United Kingdom in April and recently hit US booksellers. It spins a tale of corporate greed, international corruption and insidious plans for mass murder, with intrigue spanning the globe from New York to central Africa to …More

Austria withdrew soldiers from the U.N. peacekeeping force in the Golan Heights after battles between Syrian troops and rebels. On Thursday, Austria said it would be withdrawing its 380 soldiers — more than one-third of the U.N. Disengagement Observer Force that has been stationed on the Golan for 40 years. Israel’s Foreign Ministry called on the U.N. to maintain security at the border. “While appreciating Austria’s longtime contribution and commitment to peacekeeping in the Middle East, …More

Jewish groups on Wednesday praised the appointment of outgoing U.S. Ambassador to the U.N. Susan Rice as National Security Advisor. Rice will replace Tom Donilon. “Without question, Susan Rice has served the Obama Administration well in the United Nations and has made combatting anti-Israel bias a top priority for the U.S. delegation,” National Jewish Democratic Council Chair Marc R. Stanley said in a statement. American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris said in a statement, …More

The AJC World Leaders Plenary featured speakers who offered earnest and penetrating commentary on Jewish issues. Greek Foreign Minister Dmitris Avramopoulos talked about the marked resemblance of Greek and Jewish history: the two peoples’ contributions to the humanities, arts, sciences and commerce. Avramopoulos contended that this common history and shared values, which has spanned over 3000 years, continues to bring the Jewish and Greek people together in a special way. The Jewish and Greek people, he …More

The US Senate voted unanimously Wednesday to urge tighter sanction enforcement on Iran over its continued progress in nuclear proliferation. The resolution calls on President Barack Obama to strengthen the enforcement of already existing sanctions on the Islamic republic, and states that the US should back the Jewish state should Israel have to defend itself from a nuclear assault by Iran. “[The U.S. government should] stand with Israel and provide, in accordance with United States law and the …More

A Dutch group monitoring rights in Iran urged the Netherlands and other European nations to join the United States and Canada in boycotting a UN forum on disarmament that will be chaired by Tehran. Iran’s chairmanship of the UN Conference on Disarmament “comes at the expense of the United Nations’ credibility as a body meant to safeguard global safety,” the Hague-based Iran Comite wrote to Dutch Foreign Minister Frans Timmermans on Thursday. Hillel Neuer of the Geneva-based nonprofit UN …More

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice discussed the Middle East peace process and other regional issues with Jewish community leaders. The hour-long meeting May 13 organized by the Jewish Council for Public Affairs also included representatives of the Jewish Federations of North America, UJA-Federation of New York, and the JCRC of New York. JCPA President/CEO Rabbi Steve Gutow presented Rice with a mezuzah in recognition of her support of Israel and advocacy of US values and interests at the United …More

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice, honored last week with the Distinguished Public Service Award of the American Jewish Committee (AJC), praised her former Israeli counterpart, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Gabriela Shalev. “Gabby was a great friend and partner and colleague,” Rice told JNS.org. “I miss her. We had a wonderful working relationship.” Shalev served in the UN ambassador from 2008-10. The current Israeli ambassador to the UN—whose resolutions on the …More

Syrian rebels nab UN peacekeepers near the Golan Heights. [Times of Israel] Oberlin students vote for divestment from the West Bank. [Forward] The Elie Wiesel Ethics Prize is awarded to a student for an essay on Hurricane Sandy. [Algemeiner] Israel backs the most recent ruling on the Women of the Wall. [ABC] Jack Lew's signature gets a makeover. [CNN] Jewish groups warn of neo-Nazi parties in Europe. [Fox] Daily Beast contributor Eli Lake shuts down an anti-Semitic rant during a C-SPAN call-in show. …More

Binyamin Kagedan, JNS.org Since the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement got its start in 2005, the decision to schedule an appearance in Israel has been become a difficult one for popular recording artists. American and British performers who announce plans to stop in Tel Aviv or Ramat Gan as part of their world tour quickly come under fire from blogs, Facebook groups, and other BDS outlets that call upon them to immediately cancel these shows. Some artists in recent years have complied with the BDS …More

Google has decided Palestine is a nation state. The declaration was made by the Internet search engine Wednesday, as Google changed its Palestinian edition from “Palestinian territories” to “Palestine.” Google hosts a unique platform for each country it serves. "We're changing the name 'Palestinian Territories' to 'Palestine' across our products. We consult a number of sources and authorities when naming countries,” Google spokesman Nathan Tyler said. "In this case, we are …More

US Ambassador to the United Nations Susan Rice called for the expulsion of a UN Human Rights Council official, following comments yesterday blaming “Tel Aviv” for the Boston Marathon bombing. Richard Falk, a special rapporteur for the UNHRC on Palestine, published an essay this week in Foreign Policy Journal, titled “A Commentary on the Marathon Murders.” In it, Falk writes, "As long as Tel Aviv has the compliant ear of the American political establishment, those who wish for peace and …More