Abdullah Attacks Abraham Accords
Jordan seeks to influence the Biden administration to ice the Abraham Accords in favor of the Palestinians. That would be a mistake. Expansion of the accords can only improve, rather than impede, prospects for an Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement. The accords need not “sideline” the Palestinians if the Palestinians don’t sideline themselves.
Celebrating Cynthia Ozick at 95
The illustrious Jewish-American novelist is a penetrating and courageous critic of contemporary society and its attitudes to Jews and Israel.
Only 38% in U.S. Say Patriotism is Important
This is what national suicide looks like.
Give Saudi Peace a Chance
Chances for a deal are high, the risks manageable, and the value overwhelming. The doubters and naysayers, as well as those who actively are trying to sabotage such an agreement, are wrong.
Dicey Diplomacy with Israel’s Gulf Allies
I told interlocutors in the Arabian Gulf last weekend that Israel firmly will assert its sovereignty and governance in the face of Israeli Arab and Palestinian lawlessness. That is what most Israelis expect of their new government! At the same time, I assured Israel’s Emirati and Bahraini allies that Israel will do so without racist incitement and delegitimizing rhetoric, and without crude demonstrations of its power, but rather with finely calibrated tools and from an approach of maximum willingness to dialogue. (I hope that I am right….)
Putting Israel’s Economy and Society on Emergency Footing
It is time to raid the high schools, university campuses, and senior citizen homes for manpower; to press the entire Israeli public, young and old of all hues and stripes, into industrial and emergency service.
JCPOA 2.0.: Coming Any Day Now
More Bugs; No New Features
Zionist Strategy for Israel
I do not believe that the Saudi-Iran agreement closes the door on Saudi-Israeli entente, nor on a renewed pro-Western regional alliance involving Israel and the Saudis
Israel: A Tale of 2 Parallel Universes
Israel seems to exist in two parallel, contradictory worlds. One is a false, hackneyed, out-of-date, and threatening universe where recalcitrant and violent Palestinian leaders are venerated, and admirable Israeli leaders are criminalized. The other universe is real, promising, forward looking, and stabilizing, and is marked by a peace dynamic that runs from Jerusalem to Dubai, Manama, Rabat, Cairo and Amman; and from Jerusalem to the most important leaders in the world.
Where is King Abdullah’s Moderation on the Temple Mount?
One would think that Jordan’s “special role” means it has a responsibility to maintain the site as a place of prayer, brotherhood and tolerance.
The ‘Refusal-to-Serve’ Festival
Lost in the anti-Netanyahu netherworld are manifold affirmations of commitment to IDF service despite the judicial reform juggernaut.
Protecting the Eternal
Israel must act to halt Palestinian destruction of Jewish archaeological sites in Judea & Samaria.
Save the Bennett Government!
The Bennett-Lapid government answered the desire of many Israelis for leadership that is neither radical left nor radical right. And it has real achievements.
The Big Chill–Again
Israel must resist America’s fantasy framework for a swift, dangerously indecisive, end to the Gaza war.
Israel at 75: The Sun is Shining
On the 75th Yom Haatzmaut, focus on the brilliance bursting forth from the nation of Israel in realms galore.
Ascending the Temple Mount for the First Time
My first “aliyah” this week to “Har HaBayit” was scary, emotional, fascinating, and infuriating. And necessary.
Radicals with “Ben-Gvir-Phobia” Committed to Crashing Israel’s Diplomatic Relations
I'm less concerned about the direction of the emerging direction of the new government than I am about the hysterical reactions to it from foreign governments and hard-left observers.
Beware Turkish Wolves in Sheep’s Clothing
Erdogan needs to be handled cautiously and, yes, respectfully. He also needs to be cut down to size.
The Ultra-Orthodox “Vacation Draft” Plan
Everybody knows that the rapidly growing and politically muscular Ultra-Orthodox Jewish community in Israel can no longer altogether avoid military and/or national service. But haredi leaders will not relinquish their rigid communal structure of full-time and lifetime-long Torah study. And nobody can draft haredi Israeli Jews against their will – no matter what the Supreme Court rules or the Knesset legislates. So here is my national service plan for haredi men during “bein hazmanim,” their long semester breaks.
Honoring Henry Kissinger at 100
Dr. Kissinger is most consequential figure in US foreign policy of the past century. His record regarding Jews and Israel remains controversial, but I think that on balance Kissinger deserves respect.
A Civility Elegy
What better moment than the eve of Tisha Be’Av – ten months distance from Israel’s contemporary national catastrophe of Tisha Be’Av magnitude – to remind oneself of the Biblical warnings against the politics of defamation?
Nobody to Vote For?
Consider one of the lesser-known parties running for election to Knesset. They serve as an antidote to widespread cynicism about Israel’s political system.
Rosh Hashanah 5784: Prophesies and Prayers
Take this Rosh Hashanah political-security quiz and prognosticate on the future for the Jewish new year. (My predictions are recorded at the bottom of the article.)
Trump Will Win and Biden Will Bash Israel
In its dying days the Biden-Harris administration will be chomping at the bit to act on its most “progressive” impulses: To clobber insolent Israel and to reset US Mideast policy away from Israel.
Butt OUT!
Washington and Brussels have no business second-guessing Israel’s security operations.
Beware: Future Israeli Arab Riots
WHAT WE REALLY NEED, MUCH MORE THAN A COMPTROLLER’S REPORT ON POLICE FECKLESSNESS, IS A NATIONAL PLAN TO ROOT OUT THE SOURCES THAT ARE FUELING EXTREMISM AND VIOLENCE IN PARTS OF THE ISRAELI ARAB COMMUNITY.
Brave and Brazen EU 20
On Europe’s insolence towards Israel and its willfully blind reverence for the Palestinians.
9 Landfills for Lapid
Which policies will Yair Lapid choose to adopt during his time as PM? Here are my nine “landfills” — policy suggestions for the period in which Lapid fills-in for Bennett.
Arab Israelis: Opportunity or Threat?
Two new studies warn of radicalization among Arab Israelis and urge robust government action.
Multiple Political Choices for 5783: A Quiz
Which of the following political, security, and domestic events can be expected in Israel, the Mideast, and around the world this coming year? Take this quiz and calculate the 5783 political future you need to be prepared for. (My answers are at the bottom of the article.)
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