Lloyd Austin, the U.S. secretary of defence, has walked a twisted road since that horrendous day of infamy on October 7. At the outset, he offered Israel unflagging support to crush Hamas once and for all. But the other day, he changed course, warning Israel that Palestinian civilians caught in the crossfire must be protected […]
As expected, war has returned to the Gaza Strip following a tenuous week-long truce during which 81 Israeli and 24 foreign hostages were freed from captivity in exchange for the release of 210 Palestinian prisoners and the renewed flow of humanitarian supplies into that battered coastal enclave. Hamas still holds 137 hostages, of whom 126 […]
Yair Golan, the former deputy commander of Israel’s armed forces, has cast doubt on the feasibility of an Israeli ground invasion of the southern Gaza Strip, the probable locale of Hamas’ leadership. Speaking at a Canadian Friends of Peace Now webinar several days ago, Golan said the Israeli army will find it “almost impossible” to […]
As if Israel had no shortage of enemies, a new one has menacingly emerged since the outbreak of Israel’s war with Hamas last month. The Houthis, a Zaydi Shi’a sect in Yemen backed financially and militarily by Iran, Israel’s deadliest foe, have declared war on Israel in a bold gesture of solidarity with Hamas and […]
As the fourth batch of Israeli and foreign hostages were released from captivity on November 27, Israel and Hamas extended their temporary pause in the Gaza Strip by two days, paving the way for 20 additional captives to regain their freedom and more humanitarian aid to flow into Gaza. Israelis were overjoyed by the return […]
Hamas spokesmen have been consistently clear why it carried out the devastating terrorist attack in southern Israel on October 7. First, Hamas sought to revive the Palestinian issue, which had fallen by the wayside following the 2020 Abraham Accords. Under the terms of this historic agreement, Israel formed ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, […]
The Israel-Hamas war is far from over and may last for many more weeks or months despite the forthcoming pause to facilitate the release of hostages. But already Israel and the United States, its chief ally, are openly discussing the endgame. U.S. President Joe Biden and American Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who have both […]
Contrary to conventional wisdom, Hamas’ murderous assault in southern Israel on October 7 was not entirely surprising. Indeed, the Israeli government was forewarned in 2016 and 2017 that a devastating attack on this scale could be in the offing. These warnings were issued by the then defence minister, Avigdor Liberman, and by two Bar-Ilan University […]
Israel’s current offensive in the Gaza Strip may well be limited by time constraints, despite insistent statements by Israeli leaders from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defence Minister Yoav Gallant on down that Israel will require months or even years to complete its mission. More than thirty days into the war, Israel has taken control […]
As the Israel-Hamas war grinds on, claiming yet more lives, Canadians are sharply divided over one explosive issue in particular. Should Canada, one of Israel’s best friends, support an immediate ceasefire? Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has so far declined to adopt this controversial position, knowing full well that a truce would benefit only Hamas, […]