Israel

As the experience of 2003 shows, Iran will only abandon its nuclear program if confronted by what it perceives to be a tangible military threat  In a large country with multiple facilities and ample experience in nuclear concealment, violations will be inherently difficult to detect. Devising theoretical models of inspection …

This is a tough world, at best, and sometimes scary and downright insane. We are reassured when there is determination and strength exhibited by our leaders and those who stand with us. And I think every now and then – perversely – we can also be reassured by the way …

President Trump continues to surprise his critics when it comes to the Middle East. He behaves in a more measured way, carrying out most of his administration’s activities behind the scenes and by maintaining different levels of pressure upon parties on all sides. And it should be noted – not …

I had written recently that a unity government between Fatah and Hamas was exceedingly unlikely to happen. I don’t think it has happened, even though a preliminary “reconciliation” agreement between the two parties is now being “celebrated.” There is a good likelihood that this will fall apart, for what was …

Trump: Giving Peace ‘A Shot’ The President of the United States could have worded his failure only just a little worse. He could have ‘taken a stab’ at peace negotiations before not moving the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem. If I forget thee, O Jerusalem, let my right hand forget her …

Last Wednesday night began the week-long holiday of Sukkot, which is referred to as Z’man Simchatenu – the season of our rejoicing. It is a holiday of many delights, rich in mystic symbolism. A couple of days earlier, I had begun work on a pre-Sukkot posting focused on the joys …

If Rabin had a crystal ball that allowed him to foresee the terrible trauma and tragedy the Oslo Agreements would cause, there is little doubt that he would have never agreed to its signature.  We have come to try and put an end to the hostilities, so that our children, …

As we leave the Jewish calendar year of 5777 behind it is worth remembering that the three large external issues facing Israel remain unchanged and their resolution no clearer than they were at the beginning of 2017. Moreover, to greater and lesser degrees, these depend on President Trump’s positive sentiments, …

Solomon Gavriyah, of Be’er Yaacov, was a Staff Sergeant with the Border Police. Last year, he was wounded in a knife attack but insisted that he wanted to return to duty. Now he is dead, shot Tuesday morning by a terrorist. He was 20 years old. At his funeral, Police …

On the second day of Rosh Hashana, the Haftora (prophetic reading following the Torah reading) is from Jeremiah 31. So said Hashem…’I have loved you with an eternal love, therefore have I extended kindness to you. I shall yet rebuild you and you will be rebuilt…You will yet plant vineyards …

The Hebrew year 5778 is almost upon us now. It’s natural, I think, to want to know what lies ahead. But our tradition tells us that this knowledge lies in Heaven. We pray that that the Almighty will keep us. We pray for strength, and for the wisdom to hold …

It is not a certainty that I will post again before Rosh Hashana, which begins on the eve of next Wednesday, September 20th. And so today I want to send out my wishes to all for a year of blessings – blessings of health, and parnassa, personal fulfillment and love. …

Several flaws in MK Smotrich’s otherwise bold proposal will prevent it from achieving its long-term strategic goal: Sustainable Jewish sovereignty over the entire Land of Israel    … I am not talking here about cruel expulsion or the flooding of countries with penniless refugees. The emigration we are talking about …

There are certain heated and convoluted subjects I prefer to stay away from in my postings because writing about them seems to me not productive, especially when there is so much else to deal with. But I am now witnessing a multi-pronged phenomenon that I have decided I must address, …

Over and over I keep hearing the word “narrative”. Most often it is spoken by people who insist on the importance of understanding and respecting the “Palestinian narrative.” How many people have actually paused to consider what “narrative” means? More importantly, how should we respond to a narrative that is …

Some readers and media analysts must have become really touchy lately — to the point that Times of Israel (TOI) changed the title to their article about a teacher who posted leftist materials on her Facebook timeline. The supposedly misleading nature of many titles news sites affix to published articles …

While Israel has been “managing the conflict”, its non-state adversaries have been enhancing  their capabilities so dramatically that they now a grave strategic threat.  …to remain at peace when you should be going to war may be often very dangerous. .. –Thucydides, The History of the Peloponnesian War, 431 BCE …

Theodor Herzl is well known for his observation that, “If you will it, it is no dream…” (im tirtzu ein zo agada). It was 120 years ago, from August 29 to August 31, 1897, that Herzl convened the First Zionist Congress, in Basel, Switzerland.  That Congress – which established the …

The Palestinian population is not some hapless victim of the terror groups, but the very crucible from which they emerged Congress is finally considering legislation to stop the Palestinian Authority from incentivizing violence…This has to stop, and the Taylor Force Act…attempts to do that. As it currently stands, the act …

These are hardly quiet times, and there is much to attend to. The trick is to focus on those issues that have genuine import, and to pass over the shtuyote (the nonsense) that masquerades as news. Otherwise we drown in a barrage of “events,” and run the risk of paying …