Honoring Henry Kissinger at 100
Dr. Kissinger is most consequential figure in US foreign policy of the past century. His record regarding Jews and Israel remains controversial, but I think that on balance Kissinger deserves respect.
Dicey Diplomacy with Israel’s Gulf Allies
I told interlocutors in the Arabian Gulf last weekend that Israel firmly will assert its sovereignty and governance in the face of Israeli Arab and Palestinian lawlessness. That is what most Israelis expect of their new government! At the same time, I assured Israel’s Emirati and Bahraini allies that Israel will do so without racist incitement and delegitimizing rhetoric, and without crude demonstrations of its power, but rather with finely calibrated tools and from an approach of maximum willingness to dialogue. (I hope that I am right….)
The Big Chill–Again
Israel must resist America’s fantasy framework for a swift, dangerously indecisive, end to the Gaza war.
Mideast Political Quiz for 5785
Which of the following Mideast-related events can be expected this coming year? Take this quiz and calculate the 5785 future you need to be prepared for. (My answers are at the bottom of the article.)
Just who is Pogroming Whom?
Compared to the ongoing Palestinian terrorist mega-pogrom against Israeli Jews, the Huwara rampage must rank as one the weakest pogroms in the ugly history of pogroms. So where is the anguish over Israeli Jews continuously murdered by Palestinian terrorists?
Biden Spares Iran and Scolds Israel
The US president is neighing about Israeli democracy and stiffing Netanyahu to counter Israel’s insistence on acting against Iran.
Arab Israelis: Opportunity or Threat?
Two new studies warn of radicalization among Arab Israelis and urge robust government action.
Butt OUT!
Washington and Brussels have no business second-guessing Israel’s security operations.
Save the Bennett Government!
The Bennett-Lapid government answered the desire of many Israelis for leadership that is neither radical left nor radical right. And it has real achievements.
Rosh Hashanah 5784: Prophesies and Prayers
Take this Rosh Hashanah political-security quiz and prognosticate on the future for the Jewish new year. (My predictions are recorded at the bottom of the article.)
Sacks, Carlebach, and Kahane
Remembering 3 Remarkable and Relevant Rabbis
Beware Turkish Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Erdogan needs to be handled cautiously and, yes, respectfully. He also needs to be cut down to size.
Where is King Abdullah’s Moderation on the Temple Mount?
One would think that Jordan’s “special role” means it has a responsibility to maintain the site as a place of prayer, brotherhood and tolerance.
Tackling ‘Transactional Trump’
Israel will have to play along with President Trump’s priorities such as the hostage deal and a Saudi deal. If Israel does so, it will be well placed to expect a return from Trump down the line on other issues – ranging from Israeli assertion of sovereignty in parts of Judea and Samaria, to pushback against nasty international organizations that are at Israel’s throat, to US supply to Israel of heavy ordnance weaponry necessary for striking Iran, and more.
Reawakening to the Iranian Threat
A comprehensive picture of Iranian belligerence and its tectonic threat to Mideast and global stability.
Nobody to Vote For?
Consider one of the lesser-known parties running for election to Knesset. They serve as an antidote to widespread cynicism about Israel’s political system.
Radicals with “Ben-Gvir-Phobia” Committed to Crashing Israel’s Diplomatic Relations
I'm less concerned about the direction of the emerging direction of the new government than I am about the hysterical reactions to it from foreign governments and hard-left observers.
Putting Israel’s Economy and Society on Emergency Footing
It is time to raid the high schools, university campuses, and senior citizen homes for manpower; to press the entire Israeli public, young and old of all hues and stripes, into industrial and emergency service.
Cool it!
Beware the doomsday discourse about irreparable depredations in Israel’s democratic moorings. The poison it pumps into Israel’s soul and standing is far worse than its proximate cause.
9 MILLION Hostages
Restraint and rethinking are necessary in the discourse about the hostage situation. Skeptics of deals with Hamas are not “war criminals.”
Who Actually Violated Temple Mount Status Quo?
PALESTINIAN-JORDANIAN IMPUDENCE and ISRAELI INFIRMITY.
Hippocratic Israel Magnifies Kevod Shamayim in a Hypocritical World
The world knows only how to criticize and demonize Israel. What a shame. But at least Jews should know and appreciate Israel’s humanity. On Yom Haatzmaut, we can all add this to our calculations of kevod shamayim and kiddush Hashem (the glorification of G-d’s name in the world) that has been wrought by the State of Israel.
No Moral Equivalence
There is no moral equivalence whatsoever between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli troops. Falsely balanced diplomatic formulations like those that “call upon all sides to end the cycle of violence” must be rejected. This is prattle that covers for Palestinian extremism and rejectionism, and retards the cause of peace.
Erase Jordan’s False Claims in Jerusalem
Israel has good reason to fear that Abdullah and Biden are cooking-up an attempt to impose new pro-Arab “arrangements” on the Temple Mount, with Biden coming to Israel in late June to ride herd on this issue. Note: King Abdullah has no claim to “custodianship” over Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
The Myth of Escalating Settler Violence
An ugly, fringe phenomenon being falsely puffed up to "balance" the crimes of Hamas.
Iran’s War on Israel
The only real power standing in the way of Palestinian terrorism and Iranian hegemonism is Israel.
Israel’s Democratic and Jewish Soul is NOT at Risk
Beware false election narratives from both the left and right. Do not let radical electioneering disfigure a noble reality. Israel continues to be a free, enlightened, creative and exciting place.
Tisha B’Av: Repeat Reflections
Tisha Be’Av, the mournful commemoration of Jewish national destruction and self-destruction which falls this weekend, hasn’t quite reached the status of Yom Kippur as a day of reflection and repentance. But it should.
Abdullah Attacks Abraham Accords
Jordan seeks to influence the Biden administration to ice the Abraham Accords in favor of the Palestinians. That would be a mistake. Expansion of the accords can only improve, rather than impede, prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. The accords need not “sideline” the Palestinians if the Palestinians don’t sideline themselves.
Vote your Conscience
FORGET THE “THRESHOLD! BE STRATEGIC AND PRINCIPLED, NOT TACTICAL AND CYNICAL,
Latest News Stories
Recommended Today
Sponsored Posts
