Ira Sharkansky

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s still labeled the two-state solution, despite clear evidence that it requires at least three states. With Gaza kept separate from the West Bank, as its leaders seem to desire. Americans imagine that it’s only the Israeli right that frustrates the creation of a Palestinian State. Yet the reality is […]

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Several days of demonstrations turned violent throughout the country. Roads were blocked for hours, property destroyed, and claims were made that Ethiopians had murdered police. It began in response to an occurrence in a public park, when an off-duty policeman approached a group of young men quarreling. Indications are that

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — What’s normal politics? Arguments about more benefits? Favoring the middle or lower classes? Something for the religious? My party or yours? Foreign policy? National defense? Here and now we hear about all of that, but they’re minor words. Bibi Netanyahu is what matters. To advance him, or dump him. While

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For more than a week, we’ve been hearing about a Palestinian who raped a seven year Israeli. But the stories differ, and rely largely on the reports of the seven year old. First off, she’s a member of an ultra-Orthodox family. Either because of their own contemplations, or the girl’s

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israel is not a typical country. Its prominence includes a rise in population over its 70 years of history, from less than 800,000 to more than 9,000,000. There have been wars in 1948, 1956, 1967, 1969, 1973, 1982, and 2006, several prominent military operations in response to West Bank intifadas

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Nahama, the wife of President Reuven Rivlin, died after a protracted illness. She was a great person, well educated and involved in numerous social welfare activities. There was several days of hearing good things about her, and at least one comment that it should have been Sara. And the parties

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Several days of uncertainty. Netanyahu could not form a government, with his deadline approaching. He had 42 days to do it. A conflict between Lieberman and the Haredim (ultra-Orthodox) seemed at the heart of the problem. Principally a matter of enforced enlistment, and punishment of Yishivot whose students did not

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — U.S. President Donald Trump’s “Deal of the Century” keeps getting postponed, but it’s been revealed in pieces. It seems to involve lots of money for Palestinians to be contributed by a number of Arab governments. And not much by way of providing the Palestinians with a state, a capital in

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — There are several parts to Bibi Netanyahu. After distinguished military service, he climbed through lesser posts to be Prime Minister from 1984, and is set to make a record of the longest-serving Prime Minister in Israel’s history. He’s bright, perhaps brilliant. Speaks fluently both Hebrew and English. Has recently made

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — It’s been a tough time on Israel’s southern border. Gaza is a slim slice of land on Israel’s and Egypt’s borders. If Israel is small, about the size of New Jersey, Gaza is tiny, about 11.5 percent of Rhode Island’s size, with perhaps 2 million of population, about twice the

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Bibi has declared victory, and widespread support, but that ain’t true. Actually, Likud ended up in a tie vote with Blue-White, a party created only a couple of months before the election. Bibi’s support comes also from a cluster of religious parties, and two smaller entities whose heads are hoping

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The election is over, but we’re still a way from the new government. Official results look like a Likud victory, but it’s close, and the winning side is loaded with small parties that will be difficult to meld into a government. So far we’re hearing of competing demands for the

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Voting’s tomorrow, Tuesday, April 9th, but it may be more than a month before we know the real results. Sure, in this functioning democracy, we’ll know within 12 hours which parties receive how many seats in the Knesset. But none of them will get a majority. And then there’s the President’s