The status quo with Hamas is intolerable and dangerous.  That is the given. But we continue to operate on the cusp of war without reaching that war. Solutions are not simple and clear-cut (even as some assume they are): The way is strewn with complexities.   What is required of …

We should ask ourselves, again, and again, how we got into the situation in which we have found ourselves. The question is of key importance, because the situation is intolerable. After months of enduring violence at the fence and ever greater numbers of incendiary devices launched from Gaza, after the …

After all of the hullabaloo, all of the analyses about deals that might take place between Hamas and Israel, and between Hamas and Fatah, it appears that we are left in the end with not much of anything. ~~~~~~~~~~ Quite simply, it’s a playing out of the parameters I’ve been …

My friends, I had held off posting right before and again right after Shabbat because the situation here has been enormously lacking in clarity, and in tremendous flux, with many contradictory statements being advanced. Now, while there is still lack of clarity, and while matters may shift at any moment, …

Most of you are familiar with the saying, “The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” This is broadly attributed to Albert Einstein. While I find no verification of this, it really does not matter, for the point is well taken. Following …

Today we consider the enormous unrest in the north. What I present here is an overview of a vastly complex scenario – encompassing several players — that is shifting almost daily. Liat Collins on Friday cited an IDF intelligence officer who “mourned the passing of an age when he could …

On July 19, the Knesset passed Basic Law: Israel as the Nation State of the Jewish People. The furor that has ensued since then has been unreal.  As I have been focused on security issues, I come to this only now.  But a refutation of the charges leveled against this …

When last I posted, I spoke about the murder by a Hamas terrorist of Aviv Levi, an IDF soldier who was at the Gaza fence when he was shot in the chest by a sniper. I said then that the weapon used was an Iranian copy of the metal-piercing Austrian …

Today is Tisha B’Av, the saddest day of the Jewish year. A day on which we mourn for the destruction of our Temples, and for the many calamities that have befallen us. One speaker I heard this morning spoke about the fact that this is not our history – it …

Two news items as I begin today’s discussion: 1) On Sunday, the Al-Nirab airbase, in northern Syria outside of Aleppo, was attacked. This is a base utilized by Iranians. Israel has not acknowledged responsibility for this attack but Israeli involvement is broadly acknowledged. Latest reports indicate that 22 people were …

It’s enough when our enemies are difficult to deal with. But deal with them we can, if we are resolute and clear-eyed. If we understand our rights and are not afraid to use our strength wisely. But when the above is not the case? Intolerable. ~~~~~~~~~~ It is difficult to …

There were multiple reports over the last couple of days regarding the direction of Trump’s “peace plan.” The first report I saw said (emphasis added): “The Trump administration is reportedly focusing on improving humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip, while putting its as-yet unveiled peace plan on a back burner …

Daniel Pipes, president of the Middle East Forum, was in town this week for a conference on his Israel Victory program. I will simply say here that the idea is that Israel cannot achieve what is necessary with regard to real peace until the Palestinian Arabs – who do not …

There are shifts that seem to be taking place in the dynamics of the Mid-East. Is genuine change being forged? Or are we being fed words that will lead nowhere, as we slip back to previous holding patterns? ~~~~~~~~~~ The improving the humanitarian situation in Gaza will NOT reduce terrorism …

When I got up on Thursday morning, I thought it very likely there would be news of a war in Gaza.  But there was not. Nor is there today, as I write. ~~~~~~~~~~ The IDF has been shooting near those terrorists who launch incendiary devices as a “warning,” but is …

Yesterday I began my posting with a discussion of what the Trump “peace team” of Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt might be seeking during their scheduled visits to several Middle East countries this week. The focus, according to administration statements, was on seeking the optimal timing for releasing that “peace …

As my readers know, I have been pondering for weeks exactly what is going on with the Trump administration’s peace team, Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt. They have persisted in working on that “plan”: shaping it and refining it so that, we have been told, what is going to be …

It’s not your imagination, or mine: The world is shifting at a dizzying rate. We try to wrap our heads around it all. We try, but it sure isn’t easy. ~~~~~~~~~~ I want to start with the Trump-Kim Summit, which delighted me and many others, wrought with the potential for …

The situation at the Gaza fence does tend to make one feel weary, but in fact great vigilance is still needed. What is going on is not an existential threat for the nation. But this does not mean we should shrug our shoulders and treat it lightly. Regional Cooperation Minister …

Before I write about other matters, there are issues regarding what is happening in the south that I feel compelled to address. It’s on everyone’s mind: The question of the wisest way for us to handle the situation. Here I offer my own opinion, seriously considered: a perspective. ~~~~~~~~~~ We …