The European Union’s foreign policy chief decried “another massacre of civilians” and called for an end to the Gaza “bloodbath” on June 8 after Israel rescued four of the more than 120 hostages remaining from Oct. 7, when Hamas led the slaughter of 1,200 Israelis and others. The EU previously threatened to sanction Israel. European Parliament elections June 9 may have weakened some countries’ critics of Israel while strengthening already rising antisemitism. CIE’s June 19 webinar reviews the condition of European Jewish communities and Israel relations in Ireland and Spain, both of which recently recognized Palestinian statehood, and in Italy, which has taken a more balanced approach. Our panelists are Chief Rabbi of Ireland Yoni Wieder, Union of Italian Jewish Communities President Noemi Di Segni and former head of the Madrid Jewish community David Hatchwell Altaras. CIE President Ken Stein, an Emory University emeritus professor of Middle East history, political science and Israel studies, moderates the discussion.
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Status of Israel’s Judicial Overhaul, January 2026
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Aharon Barak, December 2025: Israeli Democracy Depends on Judicial Independence
December 4, 2025 Source (Hebrew): Conference of the Association for Public Law, https://www.maariv.co.il/news/law/article-1259010 Introduction Aharon Barak argues in a speech to the Israeli Association for Public Law’s conference in Haifa that Israeli democracy is being…
Israeli Supreme Court President Defends Judiciary Against Intentional Disruption (With Justice Minister’s Response), December 2025
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Explainer: A Short History of Hamas
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New Year’s 2026 Unrest in Iran and Its Context for Israel and the Middle East
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#154 Contemporary Readings December 2025
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U.S.-Israel Meeting, December 2025: Trump, Netanyahu United in Threatening Hamas, Iran
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Secretary of State Baker Lays Out Israel’s Path to Madrid, Oslo in AIPAC Speech, 1989
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U.S. Defense Law Focuses on Postwar Middle East, Israel, December 2025
The fiscal 2026 National Defense Authorization Act shifts U.S. military cooperation with Israel to a postwar focus, including support for neighbors facing Iranian proxies and a response to military embargoes of Israel.