By Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — The officials are warning not to expect too much of the announced visit to Israel, the Palestinian Authority and Jordan by President Barack Obama, probably next month. In view of the failures of his predecessors, notably Bill Clinton, to push Israelis and Palestinians into making peace, it’s a reasonable […]
Would release of Marwan Barghouti further Mideast peace? Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — I went to bed after a limited time with the news focused on the ceremonial swearing in of Knesset Members, and what seemed like the circular going-nowhere blather about what kind of coalition Benyamin Netanyahu can assemble. Already well known are the problems. Yair Lapid and his second-largest party (There
Speculation intense about Obama’s forthcoming visit to Israel Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy James Colbert WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, the Israeli Air Force reportedly attacked two different targets in Syria. One is said to have been a convoy ferrying advanced anti-aircraft missiles to the Shiite terrorist organization Hezbollah, the other, a large compound reported to contain training camps and research facilities housing Russian technicians as well
Need for U.S.-Israel cooperation increases amid Syria chaos Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — As much as I try to tell myself that Israel and the United States will make sure that Syria’s arsenal of chemical weapons won’t reach Hezbollah or any other terrorist organization and thus threaten Israel, nevertheless last Sunday I went to pick up our gas masks from the
Thoughts upon taking home a gas mask Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –We hear from the anti-Israel rabble, as well as some highly placed politicians and professors that a pro-Israeli lobby is much too powerful and may even dictate things in Washington concerned with the Middle East. It ain’t that simple. No doubt that AIPAC is one of the most prominent
Does anti-Hagel lobbying hurt Israel? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM — References to peace with the Palestinians have returned to the rhetoric of Binyamin Netanyahu. During the election campaign he tended to talk about the threat from Iran and its stooges, not about opportunities for peace. But in his acceptance speech in response to the request by President Peres that
Netanyahu amps up the peace rhetoric Read More »
Middle EastBy Evelyn Gordon SAN DIEGO — It was an election whose results stunned pundits both in Israel and abroad, a “wide and deep repudiation” of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, as some hastened to claim. And elections, as we know, have consequences. So are major changes expected in Israel’s foreign and defense policy? In a
Israel’s election a vote for continuity Read More »
Middle EastBy Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — Israeli jets struck something Tuesday night; Wednesday’s guessing game was, “What was it?” First reports from Western news services said the Israeli Air Force hit a convoy of weapons moving west from Syria toward, or even in Lebanon. A Lebanese army source said nothing was hit there and a
Is Iran trying to shift the focus of Syria’s war? Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The Crusades that we read about in the books had, as their declared aim, liberation of the Holy Land, and especially the holy places in and near Jerusalem. The Jews had a part as victims. Christian hordes massacred them, most notably the communities along the Rhine, on their way to dealing with
It’s not PC to say so, but it’s a ‘crusade’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy David P. Goldman Synopsis: While it is relatively easy to find the right rhetoric for disengagement from Egypt, the fact of the matter is that the Obama administration has put all of its eggs in Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi’s basket. If the authority of the Morsi government were to fail, American planners
Egypt’s economy crumbles, population wants bread Read More »
Middle EastBy Rabbi Dow Marmur JERUSALEM –I suspect that one reason why Israel is so preoccupied with Yair Lapid is because he seems to be the only real winner in last week’s elections. A few others did hold their own, but many more lost heavily. Here’s a list. Binyamin Netanyahu, though still the likely prime minister,
The losers in Israel’s elections Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–For some time the pundits have been predicting the downfall of the Assad regime. In what may be a significant addition, is one from the Prime Minister of Russia. till now one of Assad’s principal sources of support. Dmitry Medvedev has said that Assad’s support is weakening daily. That is not
Syrian regime continues to weaken Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Shlomo Cesana and Daniel Siryoti/JNS.org Israel is continuing to warn the world of the potentially devastating outcome if Syria’s chemical arsenal falls into the hands of rebels, or worse, Hezbollah, as Lebanese media outlets reported that the Lebanese terror group had already obtained some chemical weapons and long-range missiles. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu,
Report: Hezbollah helping Assad protect chemical weapon supply Read More »
Middle EastBy Alan Eisner WASHINGTON, D.C. – When I was 16, I fell in love – not with a girl but with Israel. That summer, my family and I visited for the first time, a three-week trip that left me entranced. On the last day, August 29, 1970, I wrote in my diary: “As soon as I
A disillusionment with Israel today Read More »
Middle East