Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Yaalon warned recently that Israel will not tolerate attempts by its enemies to destabilize its northern border. But that’s exactly what Hezbollah and its ally, Iran, claim they will do following an upsurge of violence on the Golan Heights, where the borders of Israel, Lebanon and Syria converge. With Syria embroiled […]
John Boehner, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, disengenuously claims he did not commit a grave breach of protocol by inviting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to address a joint meeting of Congress without first gaining advance White House clearance. “I don’t believe I’m poking anyone in the eye,” he said recently. If […]
It’s not necessarily true that the West is engaged in a “clash of civilizations” with the Islamic world, but it’s certainly true that radical Islam is at war with the West. As Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper said in the wake of the terrorist attack on the editorial offices of the satirical magazine Charlie Hebdo in […]
Saudi Arabia is a schizophrenic state oscillating between pragmatism and extremism. Supposedly “moderate,” Saudi Arabia helps keep oil prices in check and expresses a readiness to sign a peace accord with Israel if the Israeli government fully accepts the Arab League peace plan, which was unveiled in 2002 and again in 2007. As the price […]
For decades, Israel has yearned for recognition and acceptance from the Arab world and Palestinian Arabs. Until quite recently, this was not possible because Arab states and the Palestinian diaspora remained on a war footing and were obdurately opposed to recognizing and accepting the Jewish state. In accordance with this mindset, the Arab League, at […]
By a margin of 170-6, with three abstentions, the United Nations General Assembly recently passed a non-binding resolution awarding Lebanon $856.4 million in damages for a massive oil spill caused by Israel during the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006. Apart from Israel, only five countries — the United States, Canada, Australia, Micronesia […]
The expression “lone wolf” was once almost exclusively associated with white supremacists in the United States seeking to overthrow the U.S. government by violent means. Timothy McVeigh, the Oklahoma City bomber who killed 168 civilians in one of the most deadly terrorist acts in American history, was such a creature. Since the Oklahoma City outrage, […]
Hamas has strenuously denied reports that Islamic State — the jihadist organization that has conquered wide swaths of territory in Iraq and Syria — is active in the Gaza Strip. Responding to social media accounts that Islamic State had distributed fliers threatening 18 writers who had breached the “tenets of Islam” and warning women to […]
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman has not exactly forged a reputation as a pragmatist, yet he recently called for a “pragmatic approach” to deal with the simmering Palestinian problem. “I wish pragmatism dominated the political discourse in Israeli society,” he said the other day. “We are torn between … pragmatism and fanaticism.” Calling on Israel […]
A man riding a motorcycle recently attacked Israel’s embassy in Athens, spraying the building with more than 50 rounds of gunfire. Greek police believe the assailant probably belonged to a far-leftist group. Following the incident, Greek Public Order Minister Vassilis Kikilias said, “No one is going to affect the relations between Greece and Israel.” It […]