The anti-Israel boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is gaining ground at a fairly rapid pace. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, some pro-Israel supporters who had previously downplayed this clear and present danger to Israel’s well-being have pressed the alarm button with alacrity. The most recent lover of Zion to do so is the outspoken […]
Category: Middle East
The Tragedy Of Ehud Olmert
Standing on the cusp of becoming Israel’s first former prime minister to be packed off to jail and stamped with the infamy of a criminal record, Ehud Olmert is making history for entirely the wrong reason. On May 25, a district court in Jerusalem sentenced him to eight months imprisonment on charges of breach of […]
Major Nuclear Issues Still Unresolved
With the six major powers struggling to meet an end-of-June deadline for attaining a comprehensive and historic nuclear deal with Iran, two formidable issues remain to be settled — the timing of sanctions relief and the extent to which international monitors would have unrestricted rights to inspect Iran’s nuclear facilities. Judging by the rhetoric emanating […]
A Thorn In Israel’s Side
Fifteen years after its unilateral withdrawal from southern Lebanon, this combustible area remains a thorn in Israel’s side and a potential threat to regional peace. Since completing its hasty pullout on May 24, 2000, Israel has fought a war with Hezbollah — the Lebanese Shiite movement aligned with Iran and Syria — and may yet […]
Israel’s New Government
Even as Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s new Israeli government was sworn in on May 14, the 34th since 1949, he reiterated his interest in enlarging his cabinet and making it more representative of the country. In the general election on March 17, the Likud won 30 seats, more than any other party. In lengthy negotiations […]
Palestinian Disunity On Display
The Palestinians can’t get their act together, no matter how often and how hard they try. A little more than a year after signing a national reconciliation agreement — which Israel vigorously opposed and denounced as inimical to peace — Fatah and Hamas remain at loggerheads over a litany of divisive issues. As a result, […]
U.S. And Iran: Enemies Yet Partners
The United States and Iran are enemies yet partners in the fast-changing political landscape of the Middle East. As the old saying goes, politics makes for strange bedfellows. Once Iran’s close ally, Washington severed diplomatic relations with Tehran in 1979 after its embassy in Iran was seized by an Iranian mob. Since that momentous moment, […]
The Specter Haunting Europe
The specter of Islamic extremism haunts Europe. For about the past decade, a succession of young European Muslims fired up by Islamic radicalism have carried out one terrorist assault after another — from the train bombing in Madrid in 2004 that claimed the lives of 191 Spanish commuters to the attacks on the French satirical […]
Jimmy Carter And Israel
According to news reports from Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and President Reuven Rivlin have both turned down invitations to meet Jimmy Carter, the former president of the United States, due to their perception that he’s adopted “anti-Israel positions.” Carter is supposed to arrive in the region within the next 10 days, but it looks […]
Hezbollah’s Missile Threat To Israel
Having harshly criticized the nuclear framework agreement signed by Iran and the six major powers in Switzerland on April 2, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has launched a campaign to ensure that the final accord, due to be signed on June 30, will be substantially strengthened by iron-clad guarantees and safeguards. Netanyahu’s fears are understandable. […]