Israel

Yoni Ben-Menachem, a Middle East analyst with the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, has advanced a highly plausible take on the situation surrounding the Bahrain economic workshop. The current situation, says Ben-Menachem, represents a significant lowering of US expectations. Originally, the plan had been to invite Israeli officials, and, indeed, …

It was supposed to be just a quiet getaway. For our anniversary, my wife and I decided to spend Shabbat at the Ein Gedi guesthouse, a place we have visited many times before.  Waiting for Kabbalat Shabbat services to begin, I struck up a conversation with a retired French industrialist …

I can tell you, dear readers, that it is not annexation.  Before you panic, allow me to explain. My reasoning is quite positive: Last week, in an interview in the NYTimes, US Ambassador to Israel David Friedman said: “Under certain circumstances, I think Israel has the right to retain some, …

I am, of course, aware that I used this exact same excerpt in commencing my recent column, Cracks in the Dome?, in which I warned of the disturbing defects of adopting an essentially defensive doctrine in facing the escalating threat from Gaza. However, I make little apology for its re-use, …

Our many challenges, that is.  It is so easy to ignore them, or minimize them.  But we do not have the luxury of doing this.  We must confront our problems head on, to ensure that we come out ahead. Among our serious challenges are the internal ones:  So much energy …

This is not so much a review of the book “The Rage Less Traveled: A Memoir of Surviving a Machete Attack,” it’s more a summary of my experience reading it and why I believe this is a must read for everyone, including those not specifically interested in Israel.  Choosing to …

Press release – Two hundred and forty Israeli and Jewish Academics Urge German Government To Reject “BDS is antisemitism” Law   Two hundred and forty Israeli and Jewish academics sent a letter to the German government urging them to reject its recently passed “BDS is antisemitism” law. In an open …

I wrote in my last posting about the passing of First Lady Nechama Rivlin, z”l. But I return to this subject briefly now because the mourning of her loss has been so real, so unusual, that it has been a balm to the sore soul of our nation. I didn’t …

How did that happen? Notwithstanding the individual party count from the April 9thelections, the single outstanding overall result was that fully 65 members of the Knesset (out of 120), recommended to President Rivlin that Netanyahu be invited to form a government. With only 45 recommending Gantz. This in itself signalled …

It’s the way of the world.  There are always complexities and provisos and competing perspectives. But first matters first:  Sometimes the way of the world encompasses death.  Nechama Rivlin, Israel’s First Lady, wife of Israel’s president Ruby Rivlin, has passed away, one day before her 74th birthday.  She underwent a lung …

Yesterday was Yom Yerushalayim – Jerusalem Day, marking the re-unification of Jerusalem in 1967. Never, ever, will our city be divided again. Jerusalem is not only the capital of Israel, it is Israel’s very heart, its historical essence. We are strengthened when we remember this. Please, take the time to …

Since I’m in celebratory mood after the birth of our grandson this week, my first item is very relevant. Recently Israeli scientists got to partying with 5,000 year old beer! (That’s some aging!): The pottery used to produce beer in antiquity served as the basis for the new research, led …

And a source of sadness, as well. I refer, of course, to the current political situation in Israel. For days, I held off posting because I was waiting for resolution with regard to formation of a coalition. Now the time to write has come. ~~~~~~~~~~ I want to begin by …

Israel turned into the Middle Eastern version of Italy tonight as Binyamin Netanyahu failed to form a coalition, and the Knesset voted to dissolve itself – a mere 7 weeks or so after the last elections. As far as I understand (and I may be wrong in which case please …

In the US today, “white people” are being shamed into feeling that somehow they, and all their forebears, are directly responsible for the persecution of whoever makes it onto the accepted list of the “oppressed.” Israel does not relate to that. The recent Conservatism Conference in Jerusalem, sponsored by the …

The huge investments made in defensive systems are slowly emerging as an exorbitant and costly failure—or at best a very partial and temporary success. The time has come to rethink Israel’s strategic paradigm. Earlier this week (5/21/2019), both Israel and Hamas denied reports that they had reached an agreement on …

Magic only in this sense: Now you see it, now you don’t. Sort of like the rabbit. Except that it’s not nearly as much fun as the rabbit. ~~~~~~~~~~ Last night (Monday), news sources announced that Israel and Hamas, with Egypt and the UN mediating, had agreed to a six …

It’s a difficult time for pollsters. Whether it be in the USA, Israel or Australia, it seems that the common denominator is that they are not an accurate indicator of too much at all. Moreover, exit polling which was usually regarded as being more exact, also proved to not be …

It is not because it is unimportant that I have not written about President Trump’s challenge to Iranian threats.  It is of critical importance. I have simply been focused in a variety of other directions. On Friday, however, Ruthie Blum wrote an excellent column, “Bringing Iran to its knees,” in the …

Even with the UGH! there are always good things to report in Israel.  And so, today I had hoped to begin with a deeply moving story, to establish a balance in tone before I moved forward. As matters are playing out, however, I thought it best to focus first on …