Around the Web
Follow coverage about subjects of interest in the Jewish world from publications and media around the globe.
MESS Report / Palestinian police chief knows 'the secret of the correct use of force'
March 12th, 2010 from Haaretz
RAMALLAH - The first thing one notices is the height: The scores of men in A-Sharta al Hasa, the elite Palestinian Special Police unit, are all exceptionally tall. Indeed, only young men over 1.75 meters in height are accepted to the unit. ... Read more
Comment / UN Human Rights Council is both the problem and the solution
March 12th, 2010 from Haaretz
According to the well-known adage, we need to choose whether to be part of the problem or part of the solution. Visiting the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva last month, I observed that the organization has apparently chosen to be both. Founded in 2006 with a mission of "strengthening the promotion and protection of human rights around the globe," the UNHRC is today composed of only 49 percent "free" member states, as classified by the democracy watchdog Freedom House. The remaining small majority includes such states as China, with the highest execution rate on earth, and Saudi Arabia, which still employs flogging and amputation as means of punishment. In the latest absurdity, the council will vote in May on Iran's request to take its place among the organization's 47 member states, and some predict it has a reasonable chance of attaining one of the four seats allotted to countries in the Asian region. ... Read more
Quartet condemns Israel: Unilateral action cannot prejudge talks' outcome
March 12th, 2010 from Haaretz
The Quartet of Middle East peacemakers condemned Friday Israel's decision to approve construction of 1,600 new homes in east Jerusalem, which the Palestinians want as their future capital. ... Read more
UN worried by war of words between Israel and Lebanon
March 12th, 2010 from Haaretz
A recent wave of bellicose rhetoric between Israel and Lebanon has fueled fears the two hostile neighbors could be headed for another conflict, the UN special coordinator for Lebanon said on Friday. ... Read more
Clinton calls PM, slams J'lem plan
March 12th, 2010 from Jerusalem Post
Meanwhile, Abbas says talks would have resumed if not for Israel's announcement. Read more
1 Arab hurt in Sheikh Jarrah
March 12th, 2010 from Jerusalem Post
As left-wing protest disperses, Jews hurl rocks at Arabs in J'lem neighborhood. Read more
'People are laughing at you': U.K. expert on Israel's PR effort
March 12th, 2010 from Haaretz
Conventional marketing wisdom has it that even bad news is good news, as long as people talk about you. But Jonathan Gabay, a leading London-based marketing and branding expert, disagrees, at least when it comes to Israeli hasbara, or public diplomacy. ... Read more
Is Austrian presidential challenger a Nazi sympathizer?
March 12th, 2010 from JTA
Austrian politics is roiling over the question of whether the lone challenger to Austria’s president in the upcoming election is a Nazi sympathizer. Read more
Israeli Embassy in New Zealand to reopen
March 12th, 2010 from JTA
Israel will open a new embassy in New Zealand next month amid signs of warming relations between Wellington and Jerusalem. Read more
Jewish Iranian family busted for drug smuggling
March 12th, 2010 from JTA
An Iranian Jewish family was arrested at Ben-Gurion Airport after trying to smuggle more than 30 pounds of opium into Israel. Read more