Israel Update

Our own, up-to-the-minute, weekly brief on Israel by Jackie Congedo, Director of the Jewish Community Relations Council (JCRC). It's a five-minute-read; our goals are insight, objectivity, and careful curation of the most important, relevant, and current news.

Israel shuts down commercial border with Gaza: Israel Update

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this week that Israel would close the Kerem Shalom crossing to the Gaza Strip. The move comes in the wake of Hamas's increased terrorist activity directed at southern Israel. Kerem Shalom is the main commercial crossing into the Gaza St…

Yad Vashem criticizes Netanyahu: Israel Update

Yad Vashem, the Israeli Holocaust Memorial Museum, slammed an agreement between the governments of Israel and Poland regarding the latter’s record during the Holocaust, saying it would stifle free research on the subject. The joint statement between the two countries, made last week, "c…

US freezes aid to Palestinian Authority: Israel Update

The United States has quietly frozen its aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) pending review, invoking the Taylor Force Act, passed in March. Under this act, US assistance to the West Bank and Gaza “that directly benefits the PA” is suspended unless the Secretary of State certifies …

Continued terror attacks on Israel: Israel Update

Southern Israel weathered a number of terror attacks originating from the Gaza Strip this week. Rockets were fired from Gaza into Israel early in the week, many of which were intercepted by the Iron Dome defense system. No casualties were sustained, though some damage occurred to Israeli c…

UN shows anti-Israel bias over Gaza violence: Israel Update

The UN General Assembly approved a Palestinian-backed resolution blaming Israel for violence in Gaza and deploring its “excessive use of force,” after narrowly rejecting a US demand to add a condemnation of attacks on Israel by Gaza’s Hamas rulers. The narrow defeat reflected increas…