Week in Review: Israel’s Bedouin Resettlement Plan, “Homeland”‘s Diplomatic Impact and more!

By | Dec 19, 2013
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Last week the Israeli government announced it was suspending the controversial Bedouin resettlement bill, a five-year economic development initiative that would have legalized and provided infrastructure for some Bedouin villages in the northern Negev, while forcing others to relocate. The move comes after the bill was fiercely criticized by both ends of the political spectrum—those on the left said the legislation would result in up to 40,000 Bedouins losing their land, while those on the right argued that Israel would be giving land away to people who could not prove their ownership of it. For more on this debate, read arguments for and against the bill in Moment.

Jewish students at Swarthmore College’s Hillel chapter have become the first to break with the national organization’s Israel policy by unanimously passing a resolution that would allow them to engage with any speaker or group, regardless of their political stance on the Jewish State.

Another group, the Native American and Indigenous Studies Association, has joined in the academic boycott of Israel.

Harvard Law School Professor Alan Dershowitz will be stepping down this week after 50 years at the institution.

Students at Yeshiva University are playing detective with 5th-century Jewish tombs from the ancient city of Zoar.

How does the hit TV show Homeland impact American-Iranian diplomacy? One Middle Eastern Studies scholar weighs in.

Barak Ravid of Haaretz questions why Bibi only talks about LGBT rights abroad, and not at home.

Find out which Jewish actors and actresses were nominated for Golden Globes this year.

A group of Israeli and Jewish American leaders met in Jerusalem to discuss assimilation, intermarriage—and how to bring back the increasing number of Jews who are estranged from their religion. The conference was organized by the Israeli prime minister’s office.

Former Pink Floyd front man Roger Waters sparked controversy last week by speaking out in support of a cultural boycott of Israel—and comparing the Jewish State to Nazi Germany.

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