Israel

The real humanitarian solution to the plight of Gaza lies not in its reconstruction, but in its deconstruction …the prospective Palestinian state is bound to be a failed and repressive entity, and a permanent danger to its Israeli and Jordanian neighbors.   Elliott Abrams, in a briefing to the Middle …

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 …

In-depth 2013 study: “Israeli academics have been free to engage in ‘nazification’ of Israel”  Had such professional misconduct occurred in the natural or physical sciences there would have doubtless been serious consequences: e.g. the collapse of a bridge following phony engineering calculations…Yet it would seem that when it comes to …

Some events of note have happened in Gaza in the last week or so, not necessarily related, but they make up a part of a bigger problem, one that is not being sufficiently aired and dealt with in the public domain. I will move chronologically. The first event was the …

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 …

Vastly outnumbered, outgunned, besieged on every front and overwhelmed by the wealth and diplomatic influence of the Arab States, Israel faced its hour of maximum danger 50 years ago. It did so alone: 100,000 Egyptian troops, armour and artillery had amassed on Israel’s southern border; the UN peace-keeping force along …

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 …

Sequel to the dispelling of  doubts regarding the feasibility – and morality – of largescale, financially incentivized emigration as the only non-kinetic approach for resolution of the Israel-Palestinian impasse.  The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. – widely attributed to Winston Churchill …

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. …

Those who regard Israel as occupying the West Bank (Judea & Samaria) should reconsider the issue in view of the way they regard legally binding contracts. All countries have legal ages of majority, the age at which an individual can sign a legally binding contract. In the USA, for example, …

Poor Muslims. Poor downtrodden sensitive Muslims. Everyone has to walk on eggshells so as not to even inadvertently insult one of them, or all of them collectively. Their delicate egos cannot take it. Such a demand for consideration must be behind the following declaration issued in the Palestinian Authority (PA): …

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 …

Dispelling doubts as to the feasibility (and morality) of large scale, financially incentivized emigration as the only non-kinetic approach to resolve the Israel-Palestinian impasse.  Consideration should be given even to the heroic remedy of transfer of populations…the hardship of moving is great, but it is less than the constant suffering …

LOVE IS IN THE AIR (with apologies to John Paul Young) Love is in the air everywhere I look around Love is in the air every sight and every sound And I don’t know if I’m being foolish Don’t know if I’m being wise……. So things are getting a little …

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 …

Watching Trump’s first trip abroad from my home in Israel was a nail biting experience. As an American, I was shocked to see him elected POTUS. As an Israeli, I was glad it was him and not her. We’d seen the results of the Clinton-Obama policies regarding the Middle East …

On Monday afternoon, the President of the United States, Donald Trump touched down in Israel after a visit to Saudi Arabia. The flight from Riyadh, Saudi Arabia to Tel Aviv, Israel was an historic one given it was the first direct flight between the two countries, which have no official diplomatic relations. Prime …

Thank you, Prime Minister Netanyahu. I want to thank you and Sara for hosting us for what has been an unforgettable visit to this very special land. I also want to thank Chairman Yitzchak Molcho, Acting Director Ayelet Shiloh-Tamir, and Chief Operating Officer Dalia Lazar, for hosting us today in …

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.  …