יום שישי, כ״ה תמוז תשפ״וFriday, July 10, 2026
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Recently, on this stage we have dealt with the increasing tension between the Sunnis and the Shi'ites in the Middle East. The coalitions, which are hostile to each other, reflect this inter-ethnic tension: on one side is the Shi'ite coalition that comprises Iran, Iraq and Hizb'Allah, which support the bloody, Shi'a-aligned Alawite regime, and on the other side is the Sunni coalition whose members are Turkey, Saudi Arabia and Qatar, as well as a few other countries who offer background support, principally Jordan and Egypt. The war of Gog the Shi'ite against Magog the Sunni has been in progress since March 2011 on the soil of Assyria, modern Syria. Today we will focus on the Turkish-Kurdish-Egyptian triangle.
By Harold Rhode
The Alawites are a small, historically oppressed people, whose political future will determine whether Syria remains united in some form or disintegrates into even smaller ethnic and religious entities. As they will play such an important role, America, Israel, and other forces interested in the future of Syria might do well to get to know them, their concerns, and how others can best come to terms with them.
By JTA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu agreed in principle in 2010 to give back the Golan Heights to Syria, the Israeli daily Yediot Achronot reported. The paper quotes unnamed American sources as saying that in 2010 “Netanyahu agreed to a full withdrawal from the Golan, to the shores of Lake Kinneret, in exchange for a peace […]
Relations between Russia and Turkey have been strained by the forced landing of a Syrian passenger plane which Turkey said it need to inspect for smuggled military equipment.
Hizbullah Chief Hassan Nasrallah will discuss rumors of a Lebanese drone over Israel in a televised appearance on Thursday, according to Lebanese daily Naharnet.
As Israel's military watches Syrian sovereignty crumble and scores of militant groups form in the resulting vacuum, it is on alert for jihadi terrorist attacks from Syria. The working assumption in Israeli defense circles is that sooner or later, Assad will fall, and Israel will have to deal with whatever will replace him. The working assumption in Israeli defense circles is that sooner or later, Assad will fall, and Israel will have to deal with whatever will replace him.
By JTA
He smuggled goods to Syria in the midst of its civil war and to Iran in the face of international sanctions, but Rabbi A.H. is no arms dealer or James Bond. He’s just a guy selling lulavs.
This same Mr Erdogan, who reserves to himself the right to defend his citizens and his borders and warns malefactors that they should not even dream of testing his country's determination, has expressed himself quite differently when it was Israel that took defensive measures in the face of lethal terrorist behavior that goes on and on.
A group of visitors to Mount Hermon in Israel’s north were evacuated on Wednesday when a group of armed Syrians approached the border.
Lebanese and Syrian opposition sources describe Nasif as occupying a central role in Hezbollah, which explains his role as the organization's task force commander in Syria, responsible for coordinating Hezbollah operations in Syria with his counterparts at Syria's military and security forces. Nasif's assignment included supporting Assad's forces in their suppression of the popular uprising in the country and in fighting against the rebel army.
Once again, the nonsense that a child is wiping up blood in Gaza as a picture is used again. This time, it is claimed by Syrian rebels to be a child there. In defending the Syrian rebels, Linda Juniper attempts to set the story straight...and misses completely.
In the past hour, mortar fire erupted on Israel's northern border, causing explosions in what appear, for now, to be open fields. No injuries, but some property damage that's not yet detailed in the news here. It's reported that the fire is a kind of spillover from the barbarism unfolding over the past year inside Syria: the source is believed to be forces of the Syrian army "engaged" - as the journalists like to put it - with rebel forces near Syria's border with Israel.
By Barry Rubin
The Obama Administration is backing (Islamist) Turkey as the distributor of weapons supplied by (opportunistically pro-Islamist) Qatar.
JERUSALEM – Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is reportedly considering a preemptive military strike against several Syrian chemical weapons storage depots and Scud missile sites. The goal is to prevent embattled Syrian President Bashar Assad from transferring the unconventional arsenal to Hizbullah or the Iranian Revolutionary Guards if Assad appears on the verge of being toppled from power by opposition forces.
Assad is really in trouble now: At least 10 Palestinian refugees were killed Wednesday in the Yarmouk refugee camp in Damascus, activists posting to a Facebook account for the camp reported. According to media from the camp, 15-year-old Jalal Yousif Salih was shot dead by a Syrian government sniper near the Palestine Hospital in the camp. […]
A report by the Turkish Military Prosecutor's Office has concluded that a Turkish warplane shot down in international air space in June was hit by a Syrian missile, according to the Turkish daily newspaper Hürriyet on Thursday.
Many of the problems of the Middle Eastern states can be traced to the mistakes of the European state charged with developing them between the World Wars. The fierceness with which the Alawite minority - led by Bashir al Assad - will fight to retain control can be explained by their fear of Sunni Muslims. Way back in 1936, Assad's grandfather, Suleiman Assad warned France, which was then the power in charge of Syria, of the dangers of a Sunni Muslim takeover of Syria in 1936. He also spoke warmly about Jewish accomplishments in then Palestine and the injustice of Arab-Muslim violence towards Zionism.
Bushra al-Assad, sister of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad, has fled Syria with her children, an informed source told Al Arabiya English on Tuesday. Her husband, Assef Shawqat, who was the deputy chief of staff of the Syrian military, was assassinated in July. According to the opposition website All4Syria.info, Bushra left Syria to Dubai. Apparently she […]
There are no bloodless victories, but we can choose whether to bleed our enemy or to bleed our hearts. And when our hearts bleed for the enemy, than the blood sooner or later stops being a metaphor and becomes a sticky dark red liquid on the boots of the brave Afghan people, the brave Iraqi people, the brave Libyan people or the brave Syrian people and all the other brave peoples we will set out to save from the hells they make for themselves.
The Shi'a ethnic-religious tradition of pretending to be Sunni in order to avoid violent attack, even death, has resulted in a culture of deception which continues today, especially in Iran. This is reflected in Iran's dealings with the International Atomic Energy Agency and the West regarding its nuclear program and more recently when it hosted the Non-Aligned Movement conference in its capital. At the conference, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi - a Sunni - attacked Iran's ally Bashir al-Assad and his regime for slaughtering its own citizens in Syria as well as Assad’s unnamed supporters, i.e. Iran. Iran purposefully mistranslated the speech in Farsi to make it seem that Morsi was talking about Bahrain, not Syria.
Syrian female refugees aged 14 and 15 who fled their country to Jordan and Iraq are being forced into "pleasure marriages" [Nikah al-Mut'ah] -- a pre-Islamic custom allowing men to marry for a limited period, which can last as little as 30 minutes. More disturbing is that Muslim scholars and preachers have given the green light to their followers to exploit the plight of the poor and helpless Syrian girls.
By Adnan Oktar
NATO is right to want to see the end of communist regimes, but their methods are all wrong. Surely, Turkey will support NATO’s efforts to make Syria a democratic country. However, Turkey will not do anything that will push it into a war with Syria. First of all, Syrian lands are old Ottoman lands and that makes Syrians our very own brothers and sisters. Turkey will never do something that could hurt Muslims and will never allow something like that to happen, either.
A more important and stronger phenomenon than Islamization is the escape of the factional genie from the bottle in which it was confined while dictators controlled the region.recognized the "factional genie" well , whether in the Shi'ite version or the Sunni version. The dictators took every means at their disposal, principally torture chambers, in order to deal with the factional jihadism which has no boundaries of law or ethics. Today, dictators are taken down one by one, and jihadism is flourishing.
Extremist Sunnis could eventually ruin what began as a peaceful movement for reform and change in Assad's Syria. It would be even more tragic if they did the same thing in Lebanon after the Beirut Spring showed so much promise.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the Non-Aligned Movement summit in Iran a “disgrace” to humanity, during a meeting with the Prime Minister of Lower Saxony, Germany, David McAllister.
We would have three minutes if an attack came from Lebanon. Three minutes to get to shelter - and worry about where everyone else is and if they got to shelter in time. That's if the missiles come from Lebanon. I don't know how much time we'd have if the attack came from Syria or Iran...more, less, who knows.
By Barry Rubin
A friend of mine listened to the sermon given at the Ramadan evening prayer in a village near the north Syria town of Idleeb August 7. The closer one gets to ground level in the Middle East the crazier things become. Sure, by the time the Western-educated, suit and tie wearing leader sits down with the Western reporter everything sounds calm and cool. But the earth is boiling.
By Barry Rubin
I want to discuss three articles that I basically agree with to point out how they miss the key issue and thus are somewhat misleading. I’m glad to see these three articles being published but it’s a case of -to quote Lenin- two steps forward, one step back.
It appears that the Russians, the Turks and the Saudis will keep Syria at a low boil, making it difficult for either side to fully impose its will on the other, and impossible for a Sunni Islamist regime to emerge. What is remarkable, though, is the success of Russian diplomacy: despite all of the Obama administration's courtship, the Erdogan government has decided to signal its dependence on Moscow in the most visible -and, for Washington- humiliating way possible.
The situation in Syria is deteriorating quickly, and the state is literally disintegrating. The cracks in the government are widening; ambassadors, generals and soldiers are deserting, some branches of the Ba'ath party are announcing their secession from the regime, the Russian advisers are fleeing for their lives and the feeling that the end is near is taking hold more and more. Not the end of Asad, but of Syria. Not the regime, but the system.
Palestinians who fled the fighting in Syria this week said that the some suburbs of Damascus were full of Al-Qaeda militiamen from a number of Arab countries. Others said that many fighters belonged to radical Salafi groups.
12:30 AM (Sunday) Syrian tanks shelling the town of Juvta Al-Chashav, 2 kilometers from the Israeli border. 11:50 PM Rebels looted and then burned 30 Turkish trucks at a border crossing. 11:45 PM Al-Arabiya reports that the Rebels have taken over the city of A-Ruchiyana near Ramat HaGolan. 11:30 PM Arab sources are reporting over 100 […]
Heavy fighting is being reported in Halab, Syria. Meanwhile, there are unconfirmed rumors of a massacre in Hama, Syria. The death count for the past day is now up to at least 99, while the Syrian opposition has placed the number as high as 310 people.
Many IDF soldiers up in the Golan found their weekend furloughs canceled in light of the unrest in Syria and potential problems along the Syrian border. Sounds of shooting and fighting in Syria can be heard on the Golan. Some 90 Syrians have been killed in the past day. 20 Syrian soldiers went AWOL.
Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak on Thursday toured the Northern Command and the Golan Heights along with commanders stationed in the region and addressed recent occurrences in Syria. He said that the targeting of top security officials of Bashar al-Assad's regime by oppositions forces in Damascus "will greatly expedite the fall of the Assad family." Barak told reporters that the IDF is preparing for the possibility that waves of refugees will escape from Syria to the Golan Heights. "If required to stop waves of refugees, we will do so," he stated.
During Russian President Vladimir Putin’s recent visit to Israel, his Israeli counterpart, Shimon Peres, emitted the following pearl of wisdom: “The peace treaty with Egypt saved the lives of hundreds of thousands of soldiers from both sides.”
By Barry Rubin
The tide seems to be turning in Syria. While the civil war is far from over, the regime is clearly weakening; the rebels are expanding their operations and effectiveness. There have also been more high-level defections. What does this mean and why is this happening? There are three main factors that are making a rebel victory seem more likely.
Syria's defense minister and several other government officials were killed or hurt by a suicide bomber in Damascus Wednesday, a day after Israel's Director of Military Intelligence Maj.-Gen. Aviv Kochavi had said that President Bashar al-Assad's days were numbered. Also killed in Wednesday's blast was Assad's brother-in-law, who was Syria's deputy defense minister. The bomber, who struck during a meeting of government and security heads, reportedly was a bodyguard.
The world has become used to hearing and watching stories about massacres against civilians in Syria. But until recently, almost all the victims were Syrian citizens.
The past decade has shown that the al-Qaeda network thrives in failed states, setting down roots in areas where central governments no longer exercise a clear monopoly of arms or jurisdiction. From Pakistan to Iraq to Mali, adherents of the global jihadi movement are seeking a safe haven to set up training camps, plot terror attacks, and spread their fundamentalist ideology.
By Barry Rubin
Israel’s has had dramatic success in terms of economic progress. The country has become a world leader in high-technology, medicine, science, computers, and other fields. It has opened up new links to Asia. The discovery of natural gas and oilfields promise a massive influx of funds in the coming years. And the idea that Israel is menaced by the failure to get official peace with the Palestinians is a staple of Western blather but has no big impact in reality.
By Aaron Klein
Thousands Of Radicals Poised To Fight Assad At least 5,000 global jihadists are positioned near Syria’s borders with Turkey and Lebanon attempting to infiltrate Syria to aid the opposition fighting Bashar Assad’s regime, a senior Syrian government official told to this column. The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the Syrian military hopes to […]
By J. E. Dyer
The Tumultus Post-Americanus is now well underway. There is no initiative on our collective part – we have done nothing but react in the last three years – and possibly even less appreciation of how the world is changing. The forms of international discourse – the processes of the UN, the G-8 and G-20, the IMF – are being adhered to now because they are a convenience, not because they produce anything useful.
Brown Lloyd James, according to its website, "is managed by an elite group of distinguished former news executives, top-level White House and Downing Street political advisors, high-profile entertainment industry executives and experts in international affairs. Our staff have been at the right hand of presidents, prime ministers, media barons – and yes, even The Beatles."
The UN Security Council has not managed to have a discussion about Syria since April, but President Obama has finally figured out how to have the Council "briefed" on the subject by Navi Pillai – a renowned Israel-basher: give up Israel for Syria. As a veto-wielding member, the U.S. could have nixed the program, but instead insisted only that the Syrian meeting be held in the morning and the Israel-bashing in the afternoon; Ms. Pillai will have time in between for lunch.
Human rights group claims that Jordan is discriminating against 140,000 Syrian refugees by forcing the return of new arrivals and threatening others with deportation. The New York-based Human Rights Watch found that since April, Jordanian authorities have detained Palestinians for months with no possibility of release. Others said that they or relatives had been deported […]
Two pilots, whose jet was shot down by Syria, have been found in the eastern Mediterranean sea bed. The plane was shot down on June 22, and the bodies were just found on Wednesday after a US deep-sea exploration. The F-4 jet was said to be shot down in international airspace, while Syria claims it […]
By Barry Rubin
That’s right! The powers have agreed to a transition to a new government which will go into effect as soon as the current dictatorship agrees to be overthrown and its rulers flee for their lives and watch their supporters probably be massacred.
By Barry Rubin
An Egyptian friend visited China a few years ago and asked a counterpart, “China has been the victim of so much oppression and imperialism. How do you deal with that?” The response was, “We got over it.” My friend was astonished, but he realized that his own society would be far better off if it eschewed the politics of revenge and bitter hatred. In contrast, Israel and China share a focuses on positive national construction, raising living standards, and seeking peace.
Hamas official Izzat Al-Rishiq announced on his Facebook page on Wednesday announced that one of its senior members, Kamal Hussein Ranaja, was assassinated at his home outside Damascus. The perpetrators? Israel’s Mossad.
By Aryeh Savir, Tazpit News Agency
Dr. Yehuda Balanga from Bar Ilan University: Egypt is going through extensive changes which may have a drastic effect on its peace accords with Israel. An all-out war with Israel is out of the question, though, as Egypt does not have the financial backing to finance such a costly war. What we can expect to see is a demand for a renegotiation of the accords and a change of some of the parameters.
By Moshe Herman
Managing Editor of Jewish Press Online, Yishai Fleisher, is joined by friend and colleage Baruch Widen. Together they discuss the relationship between the religious and non-religious world in Israel along with the current situation in Syria.
U.S. officials are saying Bashar al-Assad’s closest supporters are secretly making plans to defect to the other side in case the Syrian dictator succumbs to attacks by the rebellion. And a Syrian activist group reported Friday that four senior officers announced they are defecting and joining the ranks of the opposition.
I call on the President of the United States to employ his considerable mastery of words to take up the mantle of Martin Luther King and be a drum major for justice, a beacon for freedom. Sound the clarion call for liberty, Mr. President. Get off the damn fence and stand up for Arab life and liberty. Stop the slaughter in Syria.
IDF Spokesperson Brig. Gen. Yoav (Poly) Mordechai said that the understanding that the Bashar Assad regime in Syria has “reached its end” is now permeating among Assad’s allies Iran and Hezbollah. Meanwhile, a Russian military source said that Russia may send warships and troops to Syria to protect its logistics base in Tartous, Syria.
After all of these crimes carried out by the regime that you head, life in Syria will never return to the way it was in the past. It cannot be that the storms of emotion will be calmed as if nothing ever happened. Mr. President, the time has come for you to understand the bitter truth, and so you must pack your suitcases.
Russian Independence Day celebration at Tel Aviv’s Hilton Hotel were dampered by the arrival of a group of demonstrators protesting Russian military support for Syrian President Bashar Assad’s harsh crackdown on civilians and armed opposition.
JERUSALEM – Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak has ordered IDF Chief of Staff Benny Gantz to draw up plans for a possible series of preemptive strikes against various Scud missile installations and suspected WMD (weapons of mass destruction) sites across Syria, as the rebellion against President Bashar al-Assad’s dictatorship appears to be entering a dangerous phase.
By JTA
"We have confronted the Russians about stopping their continued arms shipments to Syria," Clinton said Tuesday. "We are concerned about the latest information we have that there are attack helicopters on the way from Russia to Syria."
IDF Deputy Chief of Staff Maj. Gen. Yair Naveh said Monday night that “Syria has the world’s largest arsenal of chemical weapons, along with rockets and missiles that can reach all of Israel." But Palestinian officials criticized the amplified Israeli criticism on Sunday as a tactic to deflect attention from Israel's treatment of the Palestinians and the "moribund peace process."
By JTA
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran and Hezbollah of being involved in the slaughter of civilians in Syria. "We [see] what is happening in Syria where civilians are simply being slaughtered," Netanyahu said during Sunday's regular Cabinet meeting. "We see the horrifying pictures of children and the elderly. This is a slaughter that is […]
Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz, is calling Syrian President Bashar Assad’s war against opposition a “genocide”, and said Israeli support is behind efforts to overthrow him.
IDF Col. Shmulik Olensky: “A flare-up in Lebanon can occur at any time. Therefore we are preparing as much as possible, with unique plans, improved models, and joint training.”
JERUSALEM – In a meeting with a visiting U.S. delegation fresh off nuclear talks in Baghdad, Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak and National Security Adviser Yaakov Amidror expressed their government’s growing concerns over America’s diplomatic negotiations with Iran.
"Iran is here," said Northern Command Chief Maj. Gen. Yair Golan, "its negative influence is significant in the Gaza Strip, in Lebanon and in Syria." He also warned, "al-Qaeda might attack Israel in time." Meanwhile, an Iranian official threatens that a Syrian war would "engulf" Israel.
According to a report in the semi-official Fars News Agency, Iran's foreign ministry has blamed Israel for the recent massacre of Syrian civilians in Houla, claiming that “we palpably feel the Zionist regime's hand in Syria's internal developments."
By Barry Rubin
Obama's policy shows three characteristics that have wider implications for the president’s strategies: It favors Islamist enemies; it “leads from behind” by giving the initiative to those who wish America no good; and it shows no interest in helping genuinely pro-American moderates who are fighting for their lives.
The escalating atrocities in Syria may trigger a U.S. military intervention, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Gen. Martin Dempsey told Fox News on Monday. He spoke in the wake of the Hula massacre that left more than 100 dead. Dempsey said that military options are currently in development. "Of course – there is […]
Barak took the opportunity to reiterate that "All options remain firmly on the table."
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of the Shurat HaDin Israel Law Center, received an award Tuesday night for her role in fighting terrorism through international courts and defending the civil rights of Israeli terror victims. Having dealt a heavy blow to Syria, now she's after the Bank of China.
By Moshe Herman
Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, director of Israel Law Center Shurat HaDin, and a winner of the 2012 Moskowitz Prize for Zionism, join Yishai Fleisher to discuss stopping funds to terrorists, defending families of victims of terror attacks, and educating the public about terrorism.
By Barry Rubin
Why would a leading figure in Turkey's ruling Islamist party identify the era of rising Islamism as a “great shame…[in which the Middle East ] fell prey to the thirst of barbarian bloodshed”?
From the tragedy of Tripoli and Lebanon we can draw several conclusions: in the Middle East it is not possible to establish a state with an Arab society and Western political characteristics; Iranian involvement - even the economic and cultural – will ultimately undermine Western cultural and political influence in the Middle East; and whoever legitimizes jihad against Israel receives terror in his own streets in return.
The US Senate will consider a new sanctions package against Iran on Thursday, in which oil and economic embargos will be considered in order to force Iran to abandon its nuclear development program. In the meantime, the US and Israel prepare for the possibility of a military strike on Iran.
According to Reuters, a confidential report on Iran sanctions-busting says Syria continues to receive Iranian arms shipments that violate a U.N. Security Council ban on weapons exports by Iran. The new report, by a panel of experts on monitoring sanctions, submitted to the Security Council's Iran sanctions committee, also details Iranians' efforts to circumvent sanctions […]
The family of Daniel Wultz, 16, a Florida resident who was killed in a Palestinian suicide bomb attack in Tel Aviv won a $323 million judgment in a U.S. court against Iran and Syria. Attorney Darshan-Leitner said the Syrian government's aircraft, ships and corporations can be impounded to force Syria to comply with the court's ruling.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has congratulated Russian President Vladimir Putin on his victory in the presidential election, the Kremlin said in a statement on Saturday. “During a telephone conversation, the two leaders outlined the prospects for future contacts,” the statement read. According to the Kremlin, Putin and Ahmadinejad expressed readiness to help enhance cooperation between […]
By Barry Rubin
The Obama Administration's policy toward Syria is turning into a scandal on both strategic and humanitarian grounds.
The failure of Mid-East Muslim regimes to adhere to intra-Muslim agreements attests to the provisional and fragile nature of agreements signed with “infidel” entities, such as the Jewish State. The critical issue then, is when and how – not whether – agreements will be shattered.
Whoever wants to bring Iran down must support those rebelling against Asad. The leaders in Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and Jordan understand this, and their support for the rebels may save them and the Gulf from the Iranian octopus. The question is how much time will it take for the sleeping Europeans and the dreamers in the White House to understand the complicated Middle East reality, and when will they begin to take action in order to bring Iran down?
By Barry Rubin
It is astonishing to note how much the Obama Administration, supposedly so sensitive to the views of Arabs and Muslims, has ignored the concerns of America’s own Arab allies.
More than 1,000 Palestinians who fled the violence in Syria and were hoping to find temporary shelter in Jordan, have been stranded along the border between Syria and Jordan for the past few weeks. The Jordanian authorities have thus far refused to allow them into the kingdom.
Prospects for a cease-fire in Syria appear low, as Syria's conflict has been spilling over into Turkey and Lebanon, with government forces continuing to battle rebel fighters. According to reports, on Monday another 160 people were killed in Syria, as President Bashar Assad's military continued to shell buildings and to shoot at civilians in "rebellious" […]
Saudi Arabia is, to use a term the royals would, “greatly displeased” with the United States. Displeased with U.S. foreign policy regarding Iran and equally displeased with the decisions the White House is making about Syria.
Turkey has closed its embassy in Syria because of what it says is a worsening security situation, as President Bashar al-Assad continue to bombard the city of Homs. Turkey informed its citizens last week that it was suspending all activities at its embassy in Damascus and called on them to return to Turkey. Turkey, a onetime ally […]
If Syria and Egypt have nothing to fear from the President of the United States, what will Iran fear?
A heavy firefight has broken out in a main district of the Syrian capital Damascus, between Free Syrian Army rebels and forces loyal to President Bashar al-Assad. On Monday the sound of heavy machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades echoed throughout the night from the most heavily guarded neighborhood of the capital, which is home to a number of security facilities.
By Jason Maoz
A little research – on the Internet or at a good public library – will yield a rich harvest of facts and quotes buttressing Israel’s case and highlighting Palestinian dishonesty and double talk.
By J. E. Dyer
A solution in which the Syrian people are empowered to operate more freely in a true multi-party government, under the aegis of multinational protection against both Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood, would be the most desirable, achievable outcome. It is not possible to broker this outcome while ignoring Russia.
Apartheid in Israel does not exist, however gender apartheid, apartheid against gays, as well as slavery and racism against blacks, Palestinians and non-Muslims are all commonplace in the Muslim world.
AFP reports that Chinese Foreign Ministry Spokesman Liu Weimin told reporters at a regular briefing that "China is concerned about the escalation of the situation in Gaza." "We call upon the Israeli side to stop air raids against Gaza. We hope the parties concerned can stop firing immediately in order to avoid casualties of innocent […]
By Rafi Harkham
The Obama administration has begun "serious discussions" about directly arming the opposition, deploying troops to secure a humanitarian corridor, or establishing a no-fly zone in Syria.
Israeli military magazine Israel Defense has reported that Russian military experts recently upgraded Syria’s long-range radar capabilities to provide Iran with a more cohesive early-detection system in the event of a strike on its nuclear facilities. The report said that the experts brought new equipment and software modifications with them, and focused on a radar facility "south of […]
The Senator's position is in stark contrast to the current policy of the Obama administration, which seeks to solve the year-old crisis through diplomatic isolation and a sanctions regime intended to prod Assad into stepping down.
Whether or not Israel builds another porch in Jerusalem or for that matter entire new communities beyond the Green Line has no impact on the resolution of the problems in Egypt, Syria and the rest of the states on the neighborhood.
Burhan Ghalioun, head of the Syrian National Council indicated that - despite the blood of over 7000 Syrian citizens on the hands of Hizbollah's patron Assad - political expedience alone will dictate its policy: "There are no permanent enmities in politics as there are no permanent friendships. Alliances are built on goals. We want to achieve our goals."
Any real and workable solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict must be based upon this sociological fact: tribalism and loyalty to traditional religious and sectarian frameworks are the prevailing cultural and political framework of the Middle East.
The Syrian military continues to pound opposition strongholds as voting stations opened around the country to decide on a new constitution.
By Ted Belman
The Obama administration needs to lead the world in providing direct aid to the Syrian people to stop the genocide in Syria
The Syrian army's assault on Homs enters its 20th day and resulted in the deaths of 80 people on Wednesday, including 3 journalists...A UN report accuses "officials at the highest level of government" of committing "crimes against humanity and other gross human right violations"...Egypt recalls its ambassador...Saudi Arabia blasts Syria and Russia...Free Syrian Army is turning away jihadists...Republican presidential hopefuls join growing chorus of voices that support arming the opposition.
July 3, 2026 
