Tag Archives: Netanyahu

There is quite a hullabaloo ongoing with regard to the inclusion of the Otzma Yisraelit faction on the Bayit Yehudi-National Union list (in a technical merger, which means they go their separate ways after the election). In an effort to move past the hysteria and the accusations, I want to …

Not I.  In all of the many years during which I have tracked Israeli pre-election campaigns, I have never encountered a campaign season like this one. I’ve been writing about the multiplicity of new parties, and perhaps that was a clue that I missed: an overt sign of divisiveness.  And …

The purported electoral appeal of the Blue & White line-up is that it includes 3 former IDF Chiefs-of-Staff, yet virtually invariably when top military figures have departed from their field of expertise (security) & ventured into one where they have none (politics), they have been disastrously wrong.  The greatest tragedy …

9 News Australia’s Amelia Adams parachutes in. We wonder if Nine News Australia will have the grace to admit that the Israel’s New Generation review of the upcoming Israeli elections by their UK correspondent was way off-beam?

As has undoubtedly been obvious to many of my readers, even though Israel is in the throes of an election campaign (or the first stage of a campaign), I have studiously avoided writing about it. There has been ample reason for this:  The process has been so convoluted that reporting …

“Thunderbolt!” Of a political nature. I referred in my last posting to the campaign circus that was about to begin.  Turns out it is likely to be even more of a circus than I had anticipated.  There is a feeling in many quarters that we could really do without that …

It’s been tough going on the political scene these past few days. By yesterday, stories were changing almost hourly as tensions built. Conflicting reports emerged simultaneously from various media sources. After (former) Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman submitted his resignation last Wednesday, because of his frustration with Israel’s failure to stand …

“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, …

This past Shabbat, we read the Torah portion Lech Lecha in synagogue.  In Chapter 17:7-8, the Almighty tells Avraham (emphasis added): “I will ratify My covenant between Me and you, and between your offspring after you, throughout the generations, as an everlasting covenant…I will give to you and your offspring after …

Don’t underestimate Trump’s deal-making ability to end what he himself has called “the war that never ends” Creating another Palestinian Arab state – in addition to Jordan – has been seemingly consigned to the garbage bin of history following Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s CNN interview on 28 September. President …

Yom Kippur, in all its weight and power, has passed. We have heard the last blasts of the shofar for this year. Hopefully it has awakened in us a stronger sense of who we are and where we need to go. ~~~~~~~~~~ The outpouring of grief over the terrorist murder …

I would like to provide my readers with clear information on what’s happening in this part of the world. I would like a bit of certainty as we move forward. I would like to be able to report on an Israeli government stance that is reassuring. I would like a …

The status quo with Hamas is intolerable and dangerous.  That is the given. But we continue to operate on the cusp of war without reaching that war. Solutions are not simple and clear-cut (even as some assume they are): The way is strewn with complexities.   What is required of …

Once again, it is quite surreal being in Israel. And on many levels. But why should this trip be any different? In Jerusalem and Tel Aviv the biggest challenge is finding a seat in overcrowded cafés or restaurants, whilst the residents of the south are still dealing with those “peaceful …

The attempt to justify the 2015 deal with Iran, as being the only viable alternative to allowing it to develop nuclear weapons, is both infuriating and disingenuous. The prime minister of Israel is deeply opposed to it, I think he’s made that very clear. I have repeatedly asked, what is …

Ani Ode Chai! The English translation—I am still alive!—doesn’t quite have the same impact. It is Yom HaShoah here in Israel today: The Holocaust Martyrs and Heroes Remembrance Day. Last night, the official ceremony was held at Yad VaShem. Every year I write about this ceremony, and the stories of …

Israel has been in for vicious criticism recently over its response to the violent Arab March of Return.   Hamas sent about 30,000 soldiers, and families of soldiers, to challenge the integrity of the fence between Israel and Gaza. They have also burned thousands of tires near that fence creating a …

The conversation has changed. Almost counter-intuitively, barring an actual indictment or some unexpected event, Prime Minister Netanyahu is so dominant in terms of personality and policy that no other Israeli leader or politician is all that relevant on almost any matter. In some ways Netanyahu has never been stronger and …

It’s pretty hard to beat walking around the streets of Jerusalem with crowds everywhere, restaurants full and a clear mixing once again of Jews and Arabs in places like the Mamilla Mall and other common seam lines as positive signs of the political temperature cooling, if not the hot summer …

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 …