It’s important to be cautious when analyzing a situation in flux. But this situation appears to be moving in the right direction. Last I wrote, I was indignant, no, even more so, deeply distressed, that Jared Kushner – after having paid a shiva call on Wednesday to the family of …

I struggled to find the right title for this posting – one that would properly reflect my revulsion with what is presently transpiring in the name of “advancing peace.” That’s what we’ve got folks: a “revolting development.” Except our development is absolutely devoid of humor. I finally selected “revolting” because …

I was planning to focus on a matter of concessions our government is apparently planning to make. But that has been relegated now to a position below. For a terror attack that takes Jewish life must be the first focus of attention. On Friday, there was a multi-prong terrorist attack …

Intentions may be good, but it’s not always smooth going. ~~~~~~~~~~ Take this situation, for example: Israel has been supplying a solid percentage (over 50%) of the electricity that was being used by the people of Gaza. Some additional electrical power was secured via one generator located in Gaza. And …

In my last posting I shared several ways in which Israel’s shifting relationships with other nations are yielding positive results. We return to that theme here, to look at other ways in which Israel has developed more self-confident, self-assertive policies. Previously, my focus was on Africa, but Asia also deserves …

It’s a “normal” situation for us. We win some, we lose some. Yet, somehow, these last few days, that roller coaster ride seems to have more curves than usual. ~~~~~~~~~~ Take the UN Secretary General, António Guterres. He’d been great lately: he made a statement against the PA youth center …

June 5th marks fifty years on the secular calendar since the beginning of the Six Day War—a war in which Israel achieved a stunning military victory over multiple Arab enemies, and acquired considerable areas of land in the process: eastern Jerusalem, the Golan Heights, Judea and Samaria, and the Sinai. …

In my last posting, I said I thought President Trump’s optimistic statements during his visit about Abbas wanting peace were just PR. I cited Trump’s pointed statement to Mahmoud Abbas at their joint press conference, following their private meeting in Bethlehem, that “Peace cannot take root in an environment in …

How fraught with energy this past week was, with one event running into another.  Moving backwards… Yom Yerushalayim was celebrated on Tuesday night and Wednesday.  Yes, I already focused on this in my last posting.  But that was before the fact; now there is additional sharing to do. Below you …

Yerushalayim (Jerusalem) comes first! If you can tolerate a painful pun: it trumps news about Trump (who is in Israel as I write).  I will in due course write about the president’s visit – here and in Saudi Arabia, but now I am inspired by Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day.  …

The Hebrew word “balagan” means confusion or muddle. “Ezeh balagan”: what a mess. It is a most appropriate term, I think, for describing the news as it is coming to us these days. ~~~~~~~~~~ The most recent, and potentially serious, flap has to do with what is presumed to be …

“Say It Proud!” It’s about time! Actually, past time. MK Avi Dichter (Likud), chair of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, has been promoting a version of this bill for years now. But the situation has shifted, making success not only possible now but very likely. The bill – …

Sometimes even if we track the news carefully (or maybe especially if we track the news carefully) we find it very difficult to determine what’s really coming down the road. And this has particularly been the case these last days. ~~~~~~~~~~ A case in point has been the issue of …

It’s a given that the political scene is rarely static.  But the present – both here and in the US – seems particularly fraught with shifts and unpredictability.  The trick is to identify what’s real and what currents flow unseen beneath the surface. Today I want to take a look …

A parody is an imitation of something – a speech, song, etc. – done for comic effect in order to ridicule. And so, what I’m going to present here is not a parody in the strict sense of the term.  It is a self-parody.  No need to imitate words spoken …

Every year I write about this, and every year it astounds me yet again: The transition within a moment in time from mourning to joy, from Yom Hazikaron – Memorial Day, when we remember those who died for our country, to Yom Ha’atzmaut – Independence Day, when we rejoice for …

Tonight we began Yom Hazikaron, Memorial Day, here in Israel: a day of national mourning. At 8 PM, the siren sounded, calling everyone to stop in respectful silence. Tomorrow the siren will sound yet again. Visitors will flock to the military cemeteries of the country, to honor the memory of …

When I was a kid (a million years ago), I loved to ride the waves.  I would move out to meet an incoming wave and coast up on its front surface to its foaming crest, an exhilarating experience.  I would then drop down its back surface as the wave broke …

I know of no more appropriate word to describe the strength, resilience and courage of survivors of the Holocaust – the Shoah. Today is Yom Hashoah here in Israel, more properly known as “Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day.” ~~~~~~~~~~ As I do annually, last night I watched the teches, the …

We are back to routine after the Pesach week – and a splendid week it was in many ways. I wanted to say we are “back to normal,” but it is unclear to me precisely what constitutes “normal.” The balagan (confusion) of daily life, with its good and bad, is …