By Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –Muhammad al-Mursi, the Muslim Brotherhood candidate, has become president of Egypt. But what does it mean to be president of Egypt? That’s the current question. Let me divide the discussion into two parts: What does this tell about “us” and what does this tell about Egypt and its future? First, […]
Al Mursi’s anti-Westernism ignored by lockstep left-wingers in U.S. Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansksy JERUSALEM — The blaze that spread through the forest on Mt Carmel in December, 2010 was distinctive among the fires that occur frequently in the dry brush and forests of Israel after the long hot summer. It spread into several villages and destroyed homes, and caused 44 deaths. Most were prison guard
Finger-pointing after the Carmel Fire’s 44 deaths Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East
By Rabbi Yeruchem Eilfort CARLSBAD, California — In the late 1970’s I sat in my classroom in the local Jewish day school watching as Menachem Begin and Anwar Sadat warmly shook hands with President Jimmy Carter smiling broadly behind them. I was overjoyed. Peace was at hand, finally! When I noticed the long faces around
Arabs don’t want peace; land bribes won’t change that Read More »
Middle East, Yeruchem Eilfort-RabbiBy Michael Goldblatt and Daniel Mandel NEW YORK — When Barack Obama entered the White House, he promised to make Israeli/Palestinian peace-making his priority from “day one.” And, indeed, in his own way he did. He pressured Israel into freezing Jewish construction in the West Bank for 10 months in a bid to entice Palestinians
P.A.’s real agenda is elimination of Israel, not peace Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM –The slaughter of innocents in Syria bothers Israelis no less than it bothers others. Perhaps it bothers Israelis more, insofar as it is happening next door. Syria’s capital is less than 200 miles from Israel’s capital, and less than 50 miles from the Israeli border. What happens there has spilled over
Israel is ambivalent about the best outcome in Syria Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Illegal immigrants from Africa remain on Israel’s front burner. Minister of Interior Eli Yishai has made a high profile effort to arrest several hundred from South Sudan, and send them on free flights home, each with 1,000 Euros to get started in their old/new country. 123 have already left. Weekly
Israel arrests, repatriates some Africans Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C. — Recent developments on Israel’s southern borders have illustrated the direct relationship between the changes sweeping Arab lands and mounting threats to Israel’s national security. This past weekend, as Egyptians went to the polls, terrorists operating in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula fired two Grad rockets into southern Israel. The projectiles
Islamists stir the pot in Sinai Read More »
Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel –Awell-organized, well-equipped group of terrorists has attacked Israel from Egyptian territory Monday morning, possibly the second such Egyptian-assisted assault in a week. An armed squad of two men—said to be Hamas, though this is not confirmed—crossed the border after travelling 30 miles from the Gaza Strip through Egyptian territory. They
Terror incident near Israel-Egypt border Read More »
Middle EastBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — Israeli media has put on one of its circuses of prolonged discussions following the publication of the State Comptroller’s Report on the incident invovling the Turkish ship Marmara carrying protesters toward Gaza in May, 2010. The essence of this report is that Prime Minister Netanyahu did not carry out all of
Comptroller’s report reignites Marmura debate Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle EastBy Barry Rubin HERZLIYA, Israel — The Egyptian Supreme Constitutional Court has just invalidated the parliamentary election there. The parliament, 75 percent of whose members were Islamists, is being dissolved. The military junta has taken over total authority. The presidential election is still scheduled to proceed. In short, everything is confused and everything is a
A military coup in Egypt Read More »
Middle EastBy Evelyn Gordon WASHINGTON, D.C. — On May 10, the official Israel Defense Forces blog posted an article titled “The 2012 Terror Attacks Against Israel You Never Heard About.” The title is somewhat misleading, since in fact, none of these attacks actually took place: They were thwarted by the IDF’s unsung but daily
Still plenty of terror threats coming from PA territory Read More »
Middle East
By Rabbi Ben Kamin SAN DIEGO — This past week marked the 45th anniversary of the reunification of Jerusalem, June 7, 1967—an event not planned by Israel, but sparked by Jordanian shelling into the western side of the city during the Six Day War. I was there within weeks: a 14 year-old Israeli-American visitor, welcomed
Jerusalem, a city of contrasts, transcends the arguments about it Read More »
Middle East
By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. –Amid the Arab upheaval of past 18 months, a question has crept among the speeches, demonstrations, riots, elections, battles and massacres – Is Israel better off, or worse off, for the revolution among its neighbors? Certainly Wael Ghonim of Google, and the positive nature of the short-lived “Arab Spring” raised
The bitter fruits of the Arab Spring Read More »
Middle East, Shoshana BryenBy Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The New York Times has discovered racism in Israel. An Israeli response to such a revelation is “Mazal tov. You’ve discovered America.” The meaning does not deal with racism in America, which has been there since Columbus. In modern Hebrew, “You’ve discovered America” means you have said the obvious. What we
Perspectives on Israeli immigration Read More »
Ira Sharkansky, Middle East