As expected, the Palestinian Authority expressed satisfaction with the International Criminal Court’s decision on February 5 to consider an investigation of allegations concerning war crimes by Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Muhammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, praised its ruling as a victory for justice. Israel, of course, […]
Most Palestinians in the West Bank support a two-state solution, despite the glaring absence of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, say the leaders of two Palestinian non-governmental organizations. Nidal Foqaha and Mohammed Asideh, both residents of the West Bank town of Ramallah, conveyed this message at a webinar on January 31 sponsored […]
Israel has amassed an exemplary record in vaccinating its population against the Covid-19 virus. Since December, three out of nine million Israeli citizens have been immunized with the Pfizer vaccine. Nonetheless, the pandemic has killed nearly 5,000 Israelis, and Israel has gone through three lockdowns to contain its deadly effects. Israel, a hub of the […]
Israel has launched an orchestrated campaign to induce the United States to either stay out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement or completely revamp it to its satisfaction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the accord, fired the first shot across the bow even before Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as U.S. president […]
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov offered Israel some unsolicited advice recently. Criticizing Israel for having bombed Iranian military sites in Syria, which pose a threat to Israel’s security, he proposed that Russia should take care of this vexing problem. As he put it at a press conference in Moscow, “If Israel is really forced to […]
In the next few days, as President-elect Joe Biden’s January 20 inauguration draws closer, Israel may well approve plans to expand its network of settlements in the West Bank. According to the Ministry of Defence’s High Planning Committee, Israel is preparing to build 800 housing units in seven settlements: Oranit, Givat Zeev, Beit El, Itamar, […]
Benny Gantz, the leader of Israel’s centrist Blue and White Party and the minister of defence in Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s caretaker coalition government, issued the understatement of the new year when he said, “Truth be told, the reality is difficult right now.” With several key Blue and White Knesset members leaving the party and […]
With a fourth general election in two years looming on the horizon, Prime Minister Benjamin (Bibi) Netanyahu has set his sights on what seems like an unattainable goal — winning a significantly greater share of the Israeli Arab vote. Recent polls suggest that, while Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud Party is comfortably ahead of its rivals, its […]
As 2021 was ushered in, Iran was at loggerheads once again with the United States and Israel, its foremost enemies. It was a case of deja vu all over again. Iran has been at odds with the Big Satan, the U.S., and Israel, the Little Satan, since the 1979 Islamic revolution, which swept away the […]
It was a short-lived, shaky marriage of convenience both sides disliked yet endured until they could no longer stomach it. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s expedient partnership with Benny Gantz collapsed on December 22 after seven months of mutual distrust and constant backstabbing and infighting. With the collapse of their national unity government, Israel was propelled […]