Arab/Palestinian – ME

If surrendering US primacy in the region to Russia was the result of US passivity and inaction, the intrusion of Iran into Syria can very definitely be attributed to ill-conceived, active American policy.  So rather than offer false promises…we have to take a long view of the terrorist threat, and …

“Poor Palestinians”.  Yes, some Arab Palestinians and Gazans are poor, but many are mega wealthy. In 2012 the estimated the number of ‘Gaza millionaires’ was said to be 800.  As of July 2014 there were some 1,700.  See ‘Luxury in the world’s largest prison !‘ Front Page Magazine says:  Fatah, …

“The history of the Palestinian people goes back as far as”… This is where Arab “historians” disagree. Some say the “Palestinian people” have a proud 4000-year history; others say 10,000 years, 30,000 years, and even –don’t laugh- 200,000 years, which makes the Neanderthals pretty young people compared to the “mysterious …

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is having a tough time grappling with reality in recent weeks. Ever since President Donald Trump declared Jerusalem as Israel’s capital last month, Abbas continues to lash out and reveal his true colors. In a series of public statements since Trump’s Jerusalem announcement, Abbas has propagated …

The entire issue of “Palestinian national identity” is a giant hoax, intended to be no more than a temporary ruse, until the Jewish hold on sovereignty in the Holy Land — any part of the Holy Land — is prised loose. We do not have a “dispute,” but a war—and …

Fault-finders of Edward Horgan‘s ‘Standing up for Palestine’ in this week’s Ireland’s Sunday Independent newspaper (print, digital online) and Irish Examiner’s reader’s blog with slight changes in all three expect to be hit by the standard ‘Criticism of Israel isn’t antisemitism’ cliché. Well here’s a message.  Lies aren’t criticism. Here’s …

The image of the invariably smiling Iranian Foreign Minister Javad Zarif purring at the side of world leaders, together with the election of the so-called “reformist” president Hasan Rowhani in 2013, have cultivated an image of the Iranian regime as modern, civilised, reasonable and a welcome antidote to the inhuman …

This is one of the signs at the museum of ancient Sebastia, which today is in the heart of the Palestinian Authority.   1) The information fails to mention that Sebastia actually served as the capital of the Biblical Kingdom of Israel under the name of Shomron, (aka Samaria) in …

Grassroots organizations and many well-meaning individuals tell us that regular people, Israeli Jews and Palestinian Arabs, have to dialogue with each other in order to break through the walls of hate and make bridges that can lead to peace. . . that we regular people can do what our own …

We say to him [Netanyahu], when he claims that they [Jews] have a historical right dating back to 3000 years B.C.E.—we say that the nation of Palestine upon the land of Canaan had a 7,000-year history B.C.E. This is the truth, which must be understood, and we have to note …

There is precious little reason to believe that any Palestinian state established in areas evacuated by Israel would not swiftly degenerate into a mega-Gaza overlooking greater Tel Aviv. The nightmare stories of the Likud are well known. After all, they promised rockets from Gaza as well. For a year, Gaza …

A Jordanian comes along and tells Israelis that Jordan is Palestine and that all our problems will be solved when the whole world recognizes that fact. Everyone will finally get off Israel’s back, bringing to life the Garden of Eden in the New Middle East. The “only” problem is that …

Ironically, the case of Sinai, once held up as the crowning vindication of the land-for-peace principle is likely to turn out to be its one of its most tragic and traumatic failures.  Militants detonated a bomb inside a crowded mosque in the Sinai Peninsula on Friday and then sprayed gunfire …

Only by resisting territorial concessions on the Golan, Israel prevented deployment of the Iranian Revolutionary Guards on the fringes of the Galilee; only by resisting territorial concessions in the “West Bank” can Israel prevent them from deploying on the fringes of Greater Tel Aviv.  Israel has a strategic interest in …

The western-left is befuddled and disgusted by pro-Israel diaspora Jewry despite the fact that pro-Israel diaspora Jewry supports the western-left. These are nine of their fundamental misunderstandings: Number One:  Anti-Zionism is not equivalent to criticism of Israel.  Well-meaning western-leftists tend to confuse anti-Zionism with mere criticism of the Jewish homeland. …

More Fauxtography This is how minor accidents are recycled into anti Israel propaganda. Decide for yourself whether this is lazy journalism or straight out deception. Take a quick look at this photograph. I have emphasised the medic in Magen David Adom (Israel’s Red Cross) uniform and the Israeli license and …

A conference is a great way to meet people interested in what you are interested in, to hear speakers talk about what you are interested in and to have the opportunity to ask questions of those who know more than you do. There are people who come to conferences knowing …

This is Part II of a three-part series on the Jordan Is Palestine Conference that took place on 17 October 2017 and reports on things Mudar Zahran said at the conference and later, in telephone interviews with me. Mudar was at the heart of much controversy in the weeks leading …

Hamas is deepening its ties with Iran and its radical Shi’ite axis. Iranian cash is once again expected to fund Gaza’s war preparations and arms build-up program. Before the 2011 outbreak of the war in Syria, Sunni Hamas and Shi’ite Iran were united by their goal to destroy Israel. Iran …

Great line-up, lots of controversy. I anticipated that it would be an interesting event! Here is my story about the Jordan Is Palestine Conference that took place in Jerusalem on 17 October 2017. I am going to cover this topic in three separate but connected posts, divided up as follows: …