Bill to criminalize egalitarian prayer and immodest dress at the Western Wall is shelved after outcry

(JTA) — A proposed Israeli law that would sharply curtail the rights of women and non-Orthodox Jews at the Western Wall sparked alarm on Thursday, leading Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to pledge that regulations at the holy site would “remain exactly the same” as they are now.  The bill was submitted by a lawmaker […]

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Indian billionaire Gautam Adani bought Haifa port days before fraud allegations surfaced

(JTA) — Gautam Adani, the Indian billionaire at the center of allegations of stock market manipulation and fraud, bought Haifa’s port days before the allegations surfaced. On Wednesday, Haaretz reviewed Adani’s purchase of the port in the Israeli coastal city, in light of allegations made by Hindenburg Research, which described Adani as “pulling the largest […]

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Barcelona mayor severs ties with twin city of Tel Aviv, citing Israeli ‘apartheid’

(JTA) — Barcelona Mayor Ada Colau has announced that the city is no longer twinned with Tel Aviv, citing claims that Israel is guilty of “apartheid,” as well as “flagrant and systematic violation of human rights.”  Barcelona and Tel Aviv entered the relationship in 1998 — when both cities jointly signed a “twin city” agreement […]

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Macron to Netanyahu: Proposed Supreme Court changes threaten Israeli democracy

(JTA) — French President Emmanuel Macron reportedly told Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that if the Israeli government’s proposals to decrease the power of the Supreme Court become law, Paris will no longer consider Israel a “common democracy.” Macron and Netanyahu, on his first trip to Europe since returning to power as prime minister, outwardly […]

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As foreign investors warn over Israel’s future, ratings firm accused of anti-Israel bias says it’s not worried — for now

(JTA) — As much of the financial world increasingly eyes political developments in Israel with concern, a company that specializes in assessing investments based on social responsibility criteria made a special announcement Wednesday in which it declared Israel “a low-risk country.”  That designation is both a signal to investors that they are unlikely to get entangled […]

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An NYU student wrote ‘F–k Israel’ on a piece of trash. Is that antisemitism or freedom of speech?

(New York Jewish Week) — New York University is investigating a graduate student working at the school library who wrote “Free Palestine” and a profanity on an Israeli mail bag left in the trash.  The university accused Naye Idriss in November 2022 of alleged antisemitism and vandalism, according to her attorney. Idriss was informed that […]

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Prominent Jewish leaders add to drumbeat of criticism of Israel’s new government

WASHINGTON (JTA) — A slate of 169 prominent American Jews, including former leaders of major mainstream Jewish organizations, called on U.S. politicians not to conflate criticism of Israel with antisemitism, a signal of worsening relations between the new far-right Israeli government and the U.S. Jewish community. The statement Wednesday signals increased anxiety among Jewish leaders about […]

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