Tag Archives: Israel

It would seem futile to conduct yet another indecisive round of fighting, only to return to yet another tense and sporadically violent interbellum for several years—until the next major flare-up of fighting…  Military assessment warns of high risk of war with Gaza – The Times of Israel, Feb. 13. 2019. …

My Facebook feed is full of Ori’s photo. She looks different in the different images but in each, her radiant smile is the same. Ori, “my light” in Hebrew, was obviously a fitting name for this sunny girl. The more we hear about Ori from friends, family and the people …

Benny Gantz’s election campaign videos are being used by Electronic Intifada to tar and feather Israel. When this is your starting point: . . . Gantz, like Netanyahu, is accurately reflecting the desires and fantasies of an Israeli public that views the willingness to shed the blood of defenseless Palestinians …

“But why does he have to make provocations with these declarations of his?!” I was shocked to hear this sentence come out of the mouths of my Jewish American relatives. Yes, they were referring to Trump (who they hate) and to the Jerusalem Declaration. I love my relatives but they …

Zionist Federation of New Zealand working with the community to sustain Jewish identity, reinforcing relationships with Israel, and to foster a positive understanding of Israel and Zionism. 30 January 2019 Media Statement. It is with great disappointment that a mere two days after the world commemorated the International Holocaust Remembrance …

It is election season in Israel with all the attendant empty promises, scandals, and political jockeying. Bayit Yehudi head and Education Minister Naftali Bennett took his deputy, Justice Minister Ayelet Shaked, and left the party, forming a new party simply called “The New Right”. I have not been able to …

Zionist Federation of Australia Response to Australian Labor Party National Conference. For Immediate Release The Zionist Federation of Australia (ZFA) believes that unilateral recognition of a Palestinian state is counterproductive to bringing about a two state solution and peaceful resolution to the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Therefore, the adopted resolution at the …

Shira and Amichai Ish-ran are a beautiful young couple.  Twenty-one years old, they got married this year. Looking at them, most people would see radiant youth, loving eyes and warm smiles. How many would realize that these are people made from steel? On the last day of Chanukah, Amichai and …

Last I wrote, I began with good news, which set an optimistic tone, and then followed with a catalogue of worrisome issues. The good news is real, and there is yet more of it. But the bad news?  It is ominous and weighs heavily on the soul: Antisemitism is up …

Given the emerging realities in Israel’s political landscape, the danger to Right-wing incumbency entailed in early elections might well be considerably less than those entailed in postponing them.  The best-laid plans of mice and men often go awry – Robert Burns (1759 – 1796). The “received wisdom”, as reflected in …

Indigenous solidarity reached a crescendo in Northland over the weekend as the Northland Ngapuhi hosted Israeli Ambassador, HE Dr Itzhak Gerberg, for a powerful Powhiri and Hakari Banquet. Held at the Kohewhata Marae (a) in Kaikohe, Northland, the “Heart to Heart Powhiri” held in Māori tradition included a ceremony, songs …

Election fever raged briefly in Israel as a result of the resignation of Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman earlier this month, taking his party with him and leaving the current coalition with just a razor slim majority of 61 seats in a 120 seat parliament. The trigger for Lieberman’s resignation threw …

Ryan Ashley is like a long cold drink on a hot summer day.  Cool, confident and extraordinarily talented, she made history as the first woman to win Ink Master after eight seasons of the tattooing reality TV show competition.  That led to her participation in the spin-off show Ink Master: Angels …

Our government’s premature willingness to stop the attack on Hamas yesterday was distressing and infuriating. Several people confessed to me that they found it nauseating. And I understood. Over the course of many months, we have tolerated too much aggression emanating from Gaza: the fires started in the south, in …

How many times in the last weeks have I written that war with Hamas in Gaza was inevitable and surely coming? And how many times did that expectation fizzle, in spite of what was happening at the fence? On Sunday night, events turned in a blink. An elite IDF special …

“They” refers collectively to Prime Minister Netanyahu, the Security Cabinet, the IDF, and perhaps other persons in leadership roles making decisions on Gaza right now. For the life of me, I am unable to wrap my head around these decisions, or to feel remotely easy about them. ~~~~~~~~~~ Of course, …

The policy of trying to placate Hamas with enhanced humanitarian aid is sadly no less farcical than trying to convert a man-eating tiger into a cuddly bunny-rabbit by offering it a diet of premium carrots Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman ordered…[the] reopen[ing of] the Kerem Shalom and Erez border crossings in …

There are some people who don’t hear when others speak the word, “impossible.”  Instead, they hear, “it’s possible” or “I am possible.”  Their minds begin to race in search for solutions and when there is no logical reason to succeed, faith moves them forward. Who could look at the barren …

This will be a “catch-up” posting to keep my readers in the loop during a process with regard to Hamas that is still unfolding. During the night on Wednesday, two rockets were launched from Gaza. Hamas later said their people did not launch them. But the IDF rejected this out …

Any lingering thought that the Palestine Liberation Organisation (PLO) would have any role to play in President Trump’s soon to-be-released peace plan has vanished – after Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced that $165 million had been deducted from funding to the PLO because of its continuing “pay for slay” …