On March 11, 1978, the worst single act of terrorism on Israeli soil since independence, resulted in the deaths of 38 Israelis, including 13 children. Another 71 were wounded. The specific incident, though hardly remembered today, had, as it turned out, long-lasting consequences. A game changer with respect to Israel’s future involvement in Lebanon, it led […]
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the outbreak of the state-orchestrated “anti-Zionist” campaign in Poland, then under Communist rule. At the time, Jews numbered no more than 30,000 members out of a Polish population of 32 million. Cold War politics and a power struggle within the Polish Communist party would result in a purge […]
From the antisemitic and fascist movement of Charles Maurras’ Action Francais, through the collaborationist wartime Vichy and the Algérie Française eras, reactionary thought has a long history in twentieth century France. It was one of the mainstays of a current which vigorously opposed the revolutionary and Republican traditions. Since the disaster of World War II, in […]
Turkey’s recent incursion into Kurdish-held areas along its border with Syria puts it further at odds with the other players in the Syrian civil war. Beginning with air strikes on January 20, Ankara announced that the campaign, “Olive Branch,” had been launched, targeting the Syrian Kurdish People’s Protection Units (YPG) and Islamic State (IS) jihadists. The […]
It’s no secret that U.S. President Donald Trump thinks Americans have for decades been taken for a ride by fair-weather friends when it comes to foreign aid. They are glad to take the cash, but become no-shows when asked to provide help when Washington needs it. Pakistan is among the countries he considers freeloaders. In […]
Two interlinked wars may be coming to the Middle East. Either could break out within a few years’ time. One conflict will pit Israel against an Iranian-led coalition based in Lebanon and Syria. Another may well erupt between Saudi Arabia and its Sunni allies in the Persian Gulf on the one side, and Iran and […]
People know that the status of the Mediterranean island of Cyprus, partitioned between Greek and Turkish Cypriots since 1974, is the main impediment to good relations between Greece and Turkey, their respective mainland co-religionists. But there are other contentious issues between Athens and Ankara, dating back decades, and something that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan […]
Thanks, in part, to people like Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, we have a picture of Ukraine as a plucky democracy, fending off the Russian bear. But you may not hear about the following from her, as she continues to provide total support to the Ukrainian regime. Ukrainian war hero-turned-lawmaker Nadiya Savchenko came under fire last […]
Jerusalem is, as always, much in the news these days, contested between Jews, Muslims and Christians, and fought over by Israelis and Palestinians. This has especially been the case in recent days, following U.S. President Donald Trump’s announcement that Washington will recognize Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its Tel Aviv embassy there. There are, […]
If Tel Aviv weren’t an Israeli city with a Jewish majority, usually only noticed abroad in relation to conflict and terrorism, its Mediterranean ambience would be better appreciated. With 318 sunny days a year, beaches, and a “la dolce vita” way of life, it reminds one of cities in Italy and Greece. Even in mid-November, […]