Ira Sharkansky

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Hardly anything is more agreed among both Israelis and Palestinians than the condemnation of the Oslo Accords. They did not bring peace, or continue with the steps included in the agreements that were meant to bring the parties closer to peace. The criticism is valid, but invites a large HOWEVER.

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Several overseas friends have urged me to read and write about Ari Shavit’s My Promised Land. Shavit is a well known columnist for Ha’aretz, but the book is not the left of center all out screech that might be expected from the paper’s turn in recent years. According to the unusually long,

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Some years ago I began flogging the idea that policymakers and activists must be aware of problems that have no solutions. Israel had something to do with it. This is a country with more than its share of problems, bothering  nervous Jews here and elsewhere, as well as others who want

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –Balance is essential for political success. The concept has several meanings, each of which sounds more simple than it is. Avoiding extremism Having a balance of adversaries and supporters Avoiding being too balanced, or wishy washy, on a matter of importance. We are hearing once again the prospect of an American

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — One cannot help but be impressed with the focus of the Obama administration with the Middle East, despite expectations that the region would be left to its own miserable self. Both U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry and President Barack Obama have spent time with the Saban Forum, trying again

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Several headlines of recent days bring to the fore the persistent question of whether Israel is a strong state or a lazy state. The noisiest commotion has to do with the Bedouin. There have been demonstrations involving thousands, with non-lethal violence in several locations, protesting a government plan to deal

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The United Nations General Assembly has declared 2014 as the year of solidarity with the Palestinian people. Is this just another bit of UN blather, one of 21 resolutions passed so far against Israel this year, while only 4 resolutions condemned activities in all the other countries of the world?

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–There are lots of tantalizing questions, that in their nature leave us without answers. Chief among those bothering Israelis concern our status. The existential question–asked time and again In various formulations–amounts to •    How much power do we really have? •    What can we get away with? •    To what extent are

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The best feature of the Iran deal–and maybe its only good feature–is that there is a deal, showing that the Iranians are willing to deal. The weakest points from an Israeli perspective are the Iranians, the US administration, and the UN agency charged with inspection, none of which are particularly trustworthy. Some

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is not the time for anything close to a complete assessment of the agreement with Iran. Commentators can find points where Israel’s insistence might have shaped the final deal, but so far the tendency of Israeli officials and party leaders–not all of them right of center–is to complain that

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Change may occur, but as mother used to say when I wanted something beyond the possible, “Don’t hold your breath.” Prominent in what does not appear to be changing are the gaps between Iran, Israel, and the more powerful of western countries. On the eve of meetings in Geneva that