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 […]
Saudi Arabia’s reluctance to normalize relations with Israel is hardly surprising. Anti-Israel and antisemitic tropes and stereotypes are so deeply embedded in Saudi society that it is hard for the government to justify a rapprochement with the Jewish state. Certainly, the festering Palestinian problem, plus the absence of a a two-state solution, also inhibit the […]
Shortly before outgoing President Donald Trump tweeted that the United States had brokered a normalization of relations agreement between Israel and Morocco, the Moroccan Education Ministry issued a precedent-shattering announcement that was a fully in keeping with the spirit of Morocco’s historic rapprochement with Israel. The director of the ministry’s academic programs department, Fouad Chafiqi, […]
Israel cannot achieve genuine security unless the Palestinians can acquire statehood, says Ami Ayalon, the former director of the Shin Bet, Israel’s secret service. Drawing a direct connection between these imperatives, he said, “We have to create hope for the Palestinians so that Israel can attain security.” He made these comments in a webinar on […]
Israel is on a diplomatic roll in the Arab world. In an unprecedented sequence of events since August, four Arab countries have agreed to normalize relations with Israel. On December 10, Morocco became the fourth Arab state after the United Arab Emirates (August 13), Bahrain (September 11) and Sudan (October 23) to break the Arab boycott of […]