As expected, the Palestinian Authority expressed satisfaction with the International Criminal Court’s decision on February 5 to consider an investigation of allegations concerning war crimes by Israel in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip. Muhammad Shtayyeh, the prime minister of the Palestinian Authority, praised its ruling as a victory for justice. Israel, of course, […]
Until his assassination last January, Qassem Soleimani was one of Israel’s deadliest adversaries. As commander of the Quds Force, the external operations arm of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, he coordinated attacks against Israel from Syria, Lebanon and the Gaza Strip. Arash Azizi, an Iranian journalist and historian, describes him as “a larger than life” […]
Marjorie Taylor Greene, the obnoxious first-term Republican congresswoman from the U.S. state of Georgia, was lucky to have gotten off so relatively lightly. Yesterday, by a margin of 230 to 199, the House of Representatives voted to remove her from the education and budget committees. Only 11 Republicans joined Democrats in support of this just […]
The Proud Boys, a right-wing extremist outfit founded by Canadian media magnate Gavin McInnes five years ago, exists on the margins of the white supremacy movement in the United States. Although its current leader, Enrique Tarrio, disavows racism, some of its members and former members are dyed-in-the-wool racists and antisemites who appear comfortable with violence. […]
The commonly accepted definition of antisemitism is crystal clear. Or is it? Until quite recently, antisemitism was universally understood to encompass a broad spectrum of hostility toward Jews. This animus could assume multiple forms, but at the end of the day it was an expression of unambiguous dislike of the Jewish people. This form of hatred, […]
The best news to come out of Lithuania lately was the resignation of Valdas Rakutis as chairman of Lithuania’s parliamentary historical commission. He tendered his resignation a few days ago, citing his desire to “reduce tensions between home and abroad.” He had no alternative but to step down from his post after stupidly suggesting on International […]
Most Palestinians in the West Bank support a two-state solution, despite the glaring absence of peace talks between Israel and the Palestinian Authority, say the leaders of two Palestinian non-governmental organizations. Nidal Foqaha and Mohammed Asideh, both residents of the West Bank town of Ramallah, conveyed this message at a webinar on January 31 sponsored […]
Israel has amassed an exemplary record in vaccinating its population against the Covid-19 virus. Since December, three out of nine million Israeli citizens have been immunized with the Pfizer vaccine. Nonetheless, the pandemic has killed nearly 5,000 Israelis, and Israel has gone through three lockdowns to contain its deadly effects. Israel, a hub of the […]
Russia’s Academy Award submission this year in the category of best foreign film, Dear Comrades!, is a taut political drama that delves into the overlapping themes of faith, corruption and disillusionment. Opening in Toronto at the TIFF Bell Lightbox on February 5, Andrei Konchalovsky’s gritty black-and-white movie unfolds in Novocherkaask, a small provincial town in […]
Israel has launched an orchestrated campaign to induce the United States to either stay out of the 2015 Iran nuclear agreement or completely revamp it to its satisfaction. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, a vehement opponent of the accord, fired the first shot across the bow even before Joe Biden succeeded Donald Trump as U.S. president […]