David Friedman, the new U.S. ambassador to Israel, has been shooting off his mouth again, issuing statements at odds with American policy. An outspoken supporter of Israeli settlements in the West Bank, he recently claimed that “settlements are a part of Israel,” a loaded comment that surely embarrasses the United States. “I think that was […]
The Iran nuclear agreement, the object of Donald Trump’s withering wrath, could well be in jeopardy. The U.S. president has denigrated the accord, signed by Iran and six major powers in Geneva in the summer of 2015, as “one of the worst deals I’ve ever seen.” Furthermore, he has threatened to abandon it unless it is […]
Draft- dodging seems to come naturally to the ultra-Orthodox, or haredi, community in Israel. While tens of thousands of new recruits are called up annually to do their national service, risking life and limb to protect their fellow citizens, the vast majority of able-bodied haredi men shamelessly shirk their duty, claiming that their Torah studies […]
Syrian government spokespersons have steadfastly denied deploying chemical weapons in the ongoing civil war, but these claims have always rung hollow. Last spring, as per usual, the Syrian regime shamelessly stuck to its script by denying responsibility for a chemical attack on Khan Sheikhoun, a rebel-held town in northern Syria. The strike killed 83 civilians […]
The caliphate is crumbling. Islamic State’s much-vaunted state-building project in Iraq and Syria, which attracted regional and international support and tens of thousands of recruits from the far corners of the globe, is tottering and on the cusp of collapse. Since July, Islamic State has lost two more cities in Iraq, the loss of which […]
As expected, the mandate of the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon was renewed on August 30 for another year. Renewals have not usually posed serious problems because the presence of peacekeepers in southern Lebanon is in everyone’s interest. That’s understood. This year, however, a potential problem arose. Israel, having complained about Hezbollah’s alarming arms buildup […]
U.S. representatives charged with restarting peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority and achieving the “ultimate deal” struck a remarkably upbeat note following their trip to the Middle East last week. Why they were so optimistic is most puzzling. Israel and the PA broke off bilateral negotiations three and half years ago after nine […]
On October 11, 2015, Alaa Raed Ahmad Zayoud, an Arab citizen of Israel and a resident of Umm al-Fahm, drove his car into a soldier and gravely injured her. He then stabbed three others in the vicinity, inflicting light to moderate injuries on his victims. The attack took place northeast of the city of Hadera, […]
Israel has learned a sobering lesson from the nearly two week standoff at the Temple Mount: Its sovereignty in East Jerusalem, already widely challenged by the international community, is subject to a panoply of constraints and pressures. Israel possesses sweeping powers in the eastern half of the city, conquered by the Israeli army in the […]
The new ceasefire in southwestern Syria, brokered recently by the United States, Russia and Jordan, has led to the first public dispute between Israel and the Trump administration. The truce, the culmination of months of negotiations in which Israel was involved, was announced on July 7 following the first meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump […]