Tag Archives: Saudi Arabia

I have been sending out some very heavy material, sending it because it is important to let my readers know what’s going on, straight-on, no-frills.  Sometimes there is so much to report that I struggle with what to write about first. Today is no different. I begin with news about …

Before I return to the convoluted saga of the Gulf States and what may be coming down the road, a bit of good news that is part of the story of shifting dynamics: Last month, Israel and Kosovo formally established diplomatic relations via video conference. At that time; at that …

The expression “the best defense is a good offense” is most often applied in the military and sporting competitions. It is now being used regarding antisemitism with greater frequency. The World Conference Against Racism met from August 31 to September 7, 2001 in Durban, South Africa with a stated noble …

The US election is less than a week away, and, as I track the news, I have a growing conviction that Donald Trump will be in the White House for four more years.  As Caroline Glick tweeted: “Spit three times, then say, ‘No evil eye, things look hopeful, things look …

I am speaking at a national level here in Israel, not a personal level.  Nevertheless, before Yom Kippur is absolutely the right time to ask the question. We have been watching the unfolding of a new international dynamic with several nations in turn – predominantly Arab/Muslim nations – agreeing/or giving …

Rosh Hashanah begins on Friday night, and will be celebrated here from within a lockdown. None the less, we always look to better times.  And so I begin this posting with a heartfelt prayer that this coming year, 5781, will be one that is rich in blessings:  A year of …

After Israel defeated the attacking Jordanian army in June 1967, it allowed the Jordanian Islamic Waqf to have administrative control of the Jewish Temple Mount in the Old City of Jerusalem while Israel controlled the security of the area. In 1980, Israel officially applied sovereignty and reunited the city of …

How quickly things can change. Last week, after President Trump unveiled his “Deal of the Century,” there was euphoria, both here in Israel and abroad, expressed by those committed to Israel’s legitimate rights to the Land. It was considered a “Wow!’ moment:  For the first time, an American president had …

“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 …

We begin with more information regarding the lead story in my last posting, about Deputy Minister Tzipi Hotovely, who was uninvited at Hillel House in Princeton. It was Rabbi Eitan Webb, director of the Princeton Chabad House, who had stepped in. He greeted the overflow audience with these words: “We …

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 …

Where is the hue and cry against the news that  Saudi Arabia has built a 600-Mile (965 klms) ‘Great Wall’ to Shield Itself From ISIS?  Not a peep. Where are the Greens, where are these do-gooders and ‘Palestinian’ supporters ? Israel built a barrier to separate Herself from murderers, Jihadists …

A shocking video has surfaced containing excerpts of a number of Auckland sermons and lectures given by Shaykh Dr Mohammad Anwar Sahib between April 2014 and November 2016 in which he repeatedly uses appalling antisemitic slanders and libels and denigrates women. In one sermon, he calmly calls Jews “the enemy of Muslims” …

What it is necessary to understand is that the movement known as Zionism which, beginning in the nineteenth century, climaxed in the setting up of the state of Israel in 1947, was a response to this long history of persecution. The so-called Holocaust came as the horrific confirmation of the …

So much, so much to write about.  I suggested as much toward the end of my last posting on Friday.  But we will not by-pass the good news first: An Israeli hi-tech agricultural start up has developed an Internet of Things technology for crops.  (Internet of Things: IoT, a network …

However painfully overcast the current situation is, we should not see it as totally dark. Those “rays of light” must be sought, and nurtured, even as we see what is going on with clear eyes and face it with stiff spines. Turning back to the Iran situation and Congress, which …

No other way for us to be:  Heads up, eyes on what matters, resolve undiminished. But oh, is it tough these days. ~~~~~~~~~~ I want to return to Obama’s talk of last week, to consider a couple of additional matters. He does not simply provide a position, he attacks. And …

  Sometimes looking at relationships in the Middle East is like watching Game of Thrones (without the gratuitous nudity). One needs a guide. This isn’t it. There are enough dubious facts and Israel obsessions in Owen Bennett-Jones’ Middle East map carved up by caliphates, enclaves and fiefdoms for this to be the ‘official’ …

Summary: When it comes to reporting on the death of civilians, it is interesting to review how and when some media outlets choose to simply report facts, rather than delve into critical reporting. Here is a comparison of the New York Times discussion of cluster bombs being used by Syria and …

Summary: According to Muslims, the Temple Mount is held in “trusteeship” by the Islamic Waqf, which assures its use and access as a mosque. The role of the Waqf has nothing to do with sovereignty of the land on which it resides. The most sensitive issue of the Israel-Arab conflict …