By Corinne Sauer JERUSALEM– Israel’s modern history is defined by its ability to overcome existential challenges. Today Israel’s very identity faces precisely one such defining moment of tremendous historical import. The ongoing battle over drafting the ultra-Orthodox into the IDF is approaching a crescendo (along with the less publicized efforts to also induct Israeli Arabs). […]
Should the IDF be volunteer only? Read More »
Middle EastBy Rhonda Spivak WINNIPEG, Canada — The biggest piece of news that emerged from Israel this month (July 3) is one you may have heard nothing about–but it is a game changer in terms of elevating Israel’s economic/strategic position in the Middle East. For decades, Egypt has been able to potentially isolate Israeli and strangle trade
High-speed train will enable Israel shipping to bypass Suez Canal Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Opportunism and politics go together. Some call it dirty. Some say that it is the essence of civilization. One way to decide on important issues is the way they are doing it in Syria. On the other side of the border (wherever it is) is the way we do it
Israeli politicians maneuver domestically and internationally Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Barry Rubin HERZLILYA, Israel — The tide seems to be turning in Syria. While the civil war is far from over, the regime is clearly weakening; the rebels are expanding their operations and effectiveness. There have also been more high-level defections. What does this mean and why is this happening? There are three main
Some Syrian scenarios for after the fall of Assad Read More »
Middle East
By Danny Bloom CHIAYI CITY, Taiwan — While almost all earlier news reports of the tragic terrorist bus bombing in Bulgaria that killed Israeli tourists last week noted that the suicide bomber whose image was allegedly caught on security cameras at the airport was sporting ”long hair, a t-shirt and Bermuda shorts,” few if
Did Bulgaria bus bomber wear a ‘Star of David’ t-shirt? Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Coming only a day apart, the tragedies of Burgas and Aurora point to the different vulnerabilities of Israel and the United States. With all its goods and not-so-goods, one feature of the United States that keeps it from full membership among civilized countries is the rampant freedom of acquiring weapons. The
Burgas and Aurora: Different causes but similar results Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–The first news about the bombing of a tourist bus in Burgas, a resort in Bulgaria, came at about 7:15 PM on Wednesday. From then on we returned to the routine of the intifada. Piece by piece bits of information about a bus full of young Israelis who arrived on a recent flight.
Burgas bus bombing brings back Intifada nightmares Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Robert Cherry, PhD BROOKLYN, N.Y — The issue of Israeli Arabs and alternative service has been covered prominently recently in the U.S., both as a front page July 11 New York Times story and on the widely-viewed Yahoo! main page. Both stories emphasized those Israeli Arabs who are strongly against participation. The title of a Yahoo!
NY Times ignores Arabs favoring national service in Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C — Like blurred windows into another world, cell phone video footage and hastily written messages seep through the Internet from Syria, giving outsiders a glimpse of the civil war raging in multiple locations. The defense establishment in Israel has long ago concluded that there can be only one eventual
Into whose hands will Syria’s chemical weapons fall? Read More »
Middle East
By James Colbert WASHINGTON, D.C — When it comes to compelling Tehran to end its nuclear weapons program, sanctions – as employed by the U.S. government and our European partners – amount to little more than a time-consuming exercise with scant possibility of success. Moreover, the latest round of negotiations, which went nowhere, is just
U.S. needs a tougher policy towards Iran Read More »
Middle EastEditor’s Note: Thích Quảng Đức was the Buddhist monk who set himself afire on June 11, 1963 at a Saigon intersection to draw the world’s attention to the abuses of South Vietnam’s President Ngô Đình Diệm. Self-immolations thereafter became a regular form of protest in South Vietnam. By Ira Sharkansksy JERUSALEM–We are seeing the reality
Is Moshe Silman the Thích Quảng Đức of Israel? Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — In one of the lesser-reported stories from the Middle East, Palestinians are out in the streets ostensibly to protest the Palestinian Authority’s plan to meet with Israeli Minister Shaul Mofaz. However, Palestinian complaints are primarily focused on the PA’s increasingly authoritarian crackdown on internal Palestinian dissent, specifically on the internet and
Protests against Abbas regime mounting Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana Bryen
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO– It was reported in the international media that a huge, luxury Cineplex is being constructed in the suburban Israeli community of Kfar-Saba. I have some sensibilities regarding this matter. It’s not that I’m opposed to the admirable development that is a trademark of this miracle nation-state, its edgy high-tech
This is not my grandma’s Israel Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The “West Bank” is a tricky place legally, politically, and semantically. There is one semantic conception that it is everything on the west bank of the Jordan River, all the way to the Mediterranean. More limited and conventional is the notion that it is the area between the Jordan River and
Levy Report seeks to legalize ‘West Bank settlements’ Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East