A commission of inquiry, formed by the United Nations Human Rights Council, released a report last week alleging that Israel may have committed crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip in the past year. It claims that Israeli troops killed or maimed unarmed Palestinian civilians “who did not pose an imminent threat of death or serious […]
Israel’s attorney-general displayed courage and integrity in announcing his intention to indict Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on charges of fraud, bribery and breach of trust. Avichai Mandelblit went ahead with his announcement on February 28 despite his personal connections with Netanyahu and Netanyahu’s pressure tactics. Before Netanyahu appointed Mandelblit to his current position, he was Netanyahu’s cabinet […]
The War of Attrition is virtually forgotten today, lost in the mists of time. Overshadowed by the 1967 Six Day War, Israel’s greatest military triumph, it erupted 50 years ago on March 8, 1969 and lasted 17 months, until a ceasefire hammered out by American diplomacy ended it on August 7, 1970. The War of […]
Syria’s preeminent ally, Russia, should clarify its policy in Syria with respect to Israel, Iran and Hezbollah. At present, it is convoluted, contradictory and, ultimately, muddled. The problem is devilishly complex. The Syrians, having enabled Iran’s military entrenchment in Syria, have become entangled in Israel’s resultant conflict with Iran. Russia, Syria’s arms provider and political […]
The erratic and bombastic Donald Trump pulls one surprise after another from his bag of tricks. In December, the U.S. president announced that the United States, having defeated the Islamic State organization, would unilaterally withdraw its contingent of 2,000 troops from Syria. Trump’s announcement surprised, among others, the head of the U.S. Central Command, General […]
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu thinks Israel can normalize relations with the Arab world before the Palestinian problem is fully resolved. Animated by this belief, he and his cabinet ministers have reached out to Muslim-majority countries in the Middle East — and in Africa — in a bid to turn this concept into reality. Netanyahu’s facile […]
A new wave of Democrats swept into the U.S. Congress last month after mid-term elections in November, wresting control of the House of Representatives from the Republicans. Among the novices are the first two Muslim women ever to serve in Congress — Rashida Tlaib of Michigan and Ilhan Omar of Minnesota, who have been respectively assigned […]
Israeli and Russian interests in Syria — Russia’s closest ally in the Middle East and Israel’s longtime enemy — have been on a collision course for the past few months. Nonetheless, Israel and Russia have managed to maintain a constructive dialog to soften the edges of their differences over Syria. Since last September, when Russia […]
Syria’s ambassador to the United Nations, Bashar Jaafari, warned the Security Council on January 22 that Syria would attack Ben-Gurion Airport in Israel if Israeli air strikes against Damascus International Airport do not cease. In response, Israel deployed the Iron Dome missile defence system in the greater Tel Aviv area. Jaafari’s threat is very serious and […]
On his last visit to Israel earlier this month, John Bolton, U.S. President Donald Trump’s national security advisor, allotted a few hours of his time for a special tour. Weather permitting, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu would show him the Golan Heights, which Israel has occupied since the Six Day War and which it annexed […]