There are strong reservations about the wisdom of the US training a Palestinian security force.

In his recent article, David Makovsky writes: “The PA has begun reshaping the curriculum of Palestinian institutions that accredit imans, and screening is also being conducted to weed out school teachers who support Hamas radicalism.” Dr. Arnon Groiss, Director of Research for IMPACT-SE - which monitors and translates all Arab educational materials - says that he wishes it were so that the curriculum for imams were being revised. Instead, The PA Ministry of Religious...

(Isracampus Translation From the Hebrew) By: *Ben Dror Yemini - Senior writer and Member of the Maariv Newspaper Editorial Board Original piece ran in on Aug,20, 2010 Israeli universities were not established with the sole purpose of promoting any Zionist vision of Israel. A call for an academic boycott against Israel or a call to dismiss professors from the left or from the right is unworthy of consideration. Yet when respected branches of Israeli academia allow themselves to be misused...

Last month, the White House pulled out the red carpet to welcome Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu, but the charm campaign is a new phenomenon. Less than six months ago, the U.S.-Israel relationship was in deep trouble. On March 9, Vice President Joe Biden arrived in Israel and was told of an administrative announcement by the Ministry of Interior approving one of the first stages toward the construction of 1,600 apartments in the Ramat Shlomo neighborhood in northern Jerusalem....

The U.S. announcement inviting Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) for direct talks shows quite clearly, though unintentionally, why the talks will fail. Special Envoy George Mitchell explains: "We are all well aware that there remains mistrust between the parties, a residue of hostility developed over many decades of conflict, many previous efforts that have been made to resolve the conflict that had not succeeded, all of which takes a very heavy toll on both societies and...

(with thanks to Imra.org.il for locating these news items) #1 News number: 8905311558 18:18 | 2010-08-22 Defence President Stresses Defensive Nature of Iran's Newly Unveiled Drone http://english.farsnews.com/newstext.php?nn=8905311558 TEHRAN (FNA)- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday that Iran's newly unveiled combat drone will merely serve defensive purposes. "The jet has a message of human dignity and honor and salvage for mankind before conveying a message of...

(With thanks to IMRA.org.il for helping locate this article) Don't deny our rights: An open letter to Mahmoud Abbas MAAN Published Wednesday 18/08/2010 (updated) 18/08/2010 19:52 22 July 2010 www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=309072 We are Palestinians of diverse perspectives and affiliations -- scholars, intellectuals, artists, activists, trade unionists, human rights advocates and civil society leaders, inside historic Palestine and in exile -- who are united in our...

As wait for Quartet statement to renew talks Official PLO news agency terms elevator in Jewish Quarter for handicapped access to Western Wall serious challenge to the feelings of Muslims The Arabic section of the official PLO news agency, WAFA, featured a photo spread on 19/08/2010 Time: 15:02 of what appears to be preparations for construction of the elevator in the Jewish Quarter for handicapped access to Western Wall. The project is taking place across the plaza from the Western...

Economic sanctions represent a key tool in the U.S. effort to prevent Iran from creating nuclear weapons, says Newsmax contributing editor Ken Timmerman. “I believe sanctions are necessary from a moral perspective,” he told Newsmax.TV. “They are the only weapon we have between appeasement and war.” If we aren’t ready for war, we must apply effective sanctions, says Timmerman, who was nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize for his exposure of Iran’s weapons...