Rise in numbers of Jews leaving for Israel from some European countries
Some European countries have seen an increase in the number of Jews leaving to live in Israel but the numbers fall short of an “exodus”, according to a new study. The Institute of Jewish Policy Research compared recent trends of Jewish migration with cases of mass migration in response to persecution or major political upheavals […]
In annual address to diplomats, Pope Francis calls for renewed ‘idea of Europe’
In 1957, six European nations agreed on a single economic market that laid the groundwork for the European Union, bringing together a continent that in the previous decade had been shattered by total war. On Monday, some sixty years after those six countries signed Treaty of Rome, Pope Francis reminded diplomats of the agreement’s importance as […]
Berlin attack shows the limits of security intelligence
The Christmas market truck assault in Berlin, which has left 12 dead and dozens injured, is a disturbing echo of the truck-borne attack on Bastille Day celebrants on the Nice promenade in July. How could such events be allowed to happen? Why weren’t intelligence agencies in Germany and France able to stay one step ahead […]
EU’s highest court delivers blow to UK snooper’s charter
“General and indiscriminate retention” of emails and electronic communications by governments is illegal, the EU’s highest court has ruled, in a judgment that could trigger challenges against the UK’s new Investigatory Powers Act – the so-called snooper’s charter. Only targeted interception of traffic and location data in order to combat serious crime – including terrorism […]
Trump links Islamist terrorists with Berlin attack
U.S. President-elect Donald Trump on Monday condemned the attack on a Christmas market in Berlin that killed 12 people, saying that “Islamist terrorists” were responsible for it. “ISIS and other Islamist terrorists continually slaughter Christians in their communities and places of worship as part of their global jihad,” Trump said in a statement quoted by […]
Benjamin Netanyahu accepts Paris invite to meet Abbas, if France drops conference
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday accepted French President François Hollande’s invitation to meet with him and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas in Paris later this month, as long as there is no international conference. The French are planning a conference of foreign ministers in Paris on December 21 to discuss the Israeli-Palestinian issue, and […]
A New Wave of Popular Fury Could Hit Europe in 2017
For Europe, 2016 has brought a series of political shocks: near-record numbers of immigrants arriving from the Middle East and Africa; a vote by Britain to leave the European Union and renewed threats by Russia to meddle on the continent. But 2017 could be even bumpier. There will be at least three elections in Europe […]
France’s election shows Europe’s line against Russia is fraying
VLADIMIR PUTIN must wonder what he did right. From the refugee crisis to Brexit, Europe’s troubles have allowed the Russian president to portray himself as a bulwark of stability in a region of chaos. America’s election brought an apparent Kremlin sympathiser to the White House. And now France is on the same track. François Fillon’s […]
France becomes first European country to label items from Israeli settlements
France has said goods from the Israeli occupied Palestinian territories must be labelled as such, prompting Israel to accuse the country of aiding a boycott of the Jewish State. Paris published guidelines on enforcing European Union (EU) regulations on produce from the West Bank, including annexed east Jerusalem, which the international community considers occupied Palestinian land, and the […]
Russia moves missiles closer to Europe in retaliation for Nato deployments
Russian President Vladimir Putin has said his country will move missiles closer to Europe over “concern” about Nato expansion. Moscow will deploy S-400 surface-to-air missiles and nuclear-capable Iskander missiles in the exclave of Kaliningrad, a pro-Kremlin lawmaker told the state-owned RIA news agency. “Why are we reacting to Nato expansion so emotionally? We are concerned […]