Middle East

As Yom Kippur ends, social protest and peace with Palestinians return to fore

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — The New Year has begun and Yom Kippur is behind us. Two prominent issues  wait for treatment: peace with the Palestinians and a response to domestic  social protest. The Prime Minister says that he is working hard to achieve both  goals. Optimists are asking themselves if they can expect decisive […]

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Turkey is not just Israel’s problem; it’s the West’s

WASHINGTON, D.C. (JINSA)–Bellicose threats directed at  Israel by the Turkish government delivered over the past two months are  extremely disturbing and demand an American response. Never before in the  history of the alliance has a NATO member used such strident and threatening  language at a fellow democratic country. This is in addition to nine years

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Middle East

West should not pressure Israelis, Palestinians on peace agreement

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For some time now, Israeli news has been leading off with the latest comments from international worthies about the need for Israel and Palestinians to agree on two states etc etc. This morning an American friend sent me a link to a Time article about the distancing of young American

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Media underestimates Erdogan’s many problems in bid for Mideast leadership

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM– The New York Times deserves its place as one of the best newspapers of the world. Like the actions of some of American presidents, however, its commentary on the Middle East seems to reflect more ideology than cogent analysis. Thomas Friedman and Roger Cohen have been blathering on for years about

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Arab Spring could turn into an Islamic winter

By Yaakov Lappin WASHINGTON, D.C. _ A fierce debate is gripping Israel’s defense and intelligence community over fateful questions that have arisen from the recent period of Middle Eastern turmoil. The first, most basic question concerning defense officials is: Can stable states eventually emerge around Israel from the chaos and uncertainty that has replaced the

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Middle East

What are the stakes of a Palestinian UDI vote?

By Shoshana Bryen WASHINGTON, D.C. — The Palestinian Unilateral Declaration of Independence is a cynical ploy that bypasses the necessary requirement for direct negotiations between the Palestinian leadership and the Government of Israel. Despite a last minute scramble by the White House intending to delay this action, it is all too likely that a vote

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Middle East, Shoshana Bryen

Obama may have won back some Jews with his U.N. speech

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM–Barack Obama demonstrated once again that he knows how to speak. In the process, he may have regained some of the Jewish money and votes that he lost by his earlier tilts toward Palestinians, and demanding an end to construction in Jewish neighborhoods of Jerusalem. Israeli commentators called it the warmest speech

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

And the winners of the disingenuousness and naivete awards are…

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — This is an auspicious time and place, appropriate for the awarding of two commendations. To employ the language of Genesis, this is first day (יום ראשון). It begins a week that will have the natural wonder of the autumn equinox, and the political wonder of the United Nations General Assembly.

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East

Domestic protesters and U.N. Palestinian supporters worry Israelis, but not overly

By Ira Sharkansky JERUSALEM — For anyone inclined to think of the Jews as inordinately concerned about their past and future, Israel is currently providing all the reinforcement necessary. It’s not quite the case that the country is in full panic. There are two items–quite different from one another–that are taking large shares of media 

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Ira Sharkansky, Middle East