“The easiest way to solve a problem is to deny it exists.” –Isaac Asimov By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — Go read Melanie Phillips in her analysis of what’s going on in the world. While she focuses on the demonization of Israel and the bizarre distortion of Middle East realities in the West, her […]
Did 1984 arrive 27 years later? Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (Press Release)—U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security (DHS) Janet Napolitano on Tuesday met bilaterally with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as well as Israeli Finance Minister Dr. Yuval Steinitz, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Public Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovich, to discuss the ongoing partnership between the United States and Israel, threats from terrorism that both countries face,
U.S., Israel discuss restricting chemicals needed to make I.E.D.’s Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Remember Muhammad al-Durrah? He was the boy in an iconic Palestinian video claiming that his father had not succeeded in sheltering him from the fire directed at him by Israeli soldiers in late September, 2000. Subsequent inquiries established that the video was edited in a way to hide the possibility that the
Palestinians cook up another phony Israeli atrocity story Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — A strike by civil servants is unusual enough, but work stoppage by employees of a country’s ministry for foreign affairs is particularly so. Yet that’s what’s happening at present in Israel. Being, as usual, ignorant of the facts I allow myself to guess that there’s more to it than
Foreign affairs ministry strikers may be seeking to derail Lieberman Read More »
Middle EastJERUSALEM (Press Release)—U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Janet Napolitano on Monday traveled to Israel, meeting with Israeli President Shimon Peres, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Intelligence and Atomic Energy Dan Meridor, and Minister of Transport Yisrael Katz to discuss threats from terrorism and the ongoing security partnership between the United States and Israel. “Protecting against
Napolitano discusses anti-terrorism defenses with top officials in Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The Israel-Palestinian conflict is at least a century old, although it was not described clearly in its present terms before 1948, or perhaps 1967. It has had periods of sporadic violence, organized mayhem, and most recently a campaign of Palestinians and their friends to achieve politically what they could
Prospects for Palestinian state recede–thanks to Palestinians Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM– If before we came to Jerusalem last month I harboured notions about the possibility of a comprehensive and early peace between Israel and the Palestinians, I abandoned them once I tried to follow events here, this time not from afar but at least geographically closer to the action. All the official
Middle East fictions often invented to appease U.S. policy makers Read More »
Middle East, Travel and FoodBy Barry Rubin JERUSALEM–Israelis are known for being gloomy about the political situation. In fact, they generally enjoy criticizing things (themselves above all). As a result, Israel’s enemies often make the mistake of underestimating the country’s ability to endure, struggle, and prevail. A typical example came in a recent Arab newspaper article that claims the
Ha’aretz finds the gray lining in every silvery cloud Read More »
Barry Shaw, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — While I do not claim expertise in the history or politics of Great Britain, my impression is that the Munich Agreement of 1938, involving Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain and Hitler (” . . . peace with honour. I believe it is peace for our time.”) is an icon of shame
In advising Israel, ‘Economist’ learned nothing about dangers of appeasement Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –Since I have written about how easily fooled Western politicians, officials, journalists, and academics are by Middle Eastern radicals, I’m going to try to provide examples in a regular feature called Dopes of the Day. This is a good starting point. (Be sure to read this article to the end
Lebanon’s Al Akhbar pulls the wool over New York Times’ eyes Read More »
Middle East, USABy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Should we focus on a president who is a convicted rapist, or the capacity of the judiciary to try him in isolation from a hyped media and produce what appears to be a thoroughly argued decision? It took more than an hour for the head judge to read it. The procedure has
By Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — I normally don’t watch television at 9 a.m. but I made an exception this Thursday morning, because all TV and radio stations in Israel had live broadcasts of the reading of the verdict in the case of Moshe Katzav, Israel’s immediate past president. The judge found him guilty on all
Shonda file: Ex-President Katzav convicted of rape Read More »
Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — The Egyptian government so arranged the parliamentary elections that the share of seats held by the opposition declined from 20 percent for Muslim Brotherhood supporters alone to only 3 percent for all of the half-dozen opposition parties put together. In other words, the regime didn’t just steal the election–which it
Can Egypt withstand growing extremism of Islamist movements? Read More »
Middle East
By Dorothea Shefer-Vanson MEVASSERET ZION, Israel — I never know whether to laugh or cry when I read those perennial complaints that things are getting worse, the country (no matter which) is going to the dogs and ‘fings ain’t wot they used to be.’ The trouble is that change happens, it is inevitable, we are
Jewish critics of Israel need to accept the facts of life Read More »
Dorothea Shefer-Vanson, Middle East