Op-Eds

Smart Israelis know that former PM Ehud Olmert and PA leader Abbas' gambit won't leave its mark or history, as neither has a place in Israel's future

If Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu fails to apply Israeli sovereignty to the Judea and Samaria communities before the election, not only will he almost certainly lose the elections, his defeat will bury Trump’s peace plan and harm Trump’s re-election chances.

While opponents of Trump’s peace plan have accused Israel’s premier of making a diplomatic blunder with the U.S. and failing to deliver on annexation, the two administrations have never been closer and delaying annexation until after Israel’s elections may actually play to Netanyahu’s advantage.

"Other stateless people can only dream of being offered independence and $50bn by the US president.... If only the Yazidis or Baluchis or Kurds or Rohingya Muslims were so lucky." – Tom Gross, January 29, 2020.

I look at Yeshiva Hillel and his friends, in their civilian clothing and put them side by side with Soldier Hillel and his friends, in their army clothing and the two images look like different species. One rough, big, strong fierce and brave. Larger than life. The other normal, smaller not in statute but mere size, kind, benevolent and sweet.

Most of the talk about the ravages of last month’s floods in Israel’s coastal cities concerns the responsibility of state authorities that failed to invest sufficiently in infrastructure development. But that is only part of the story. The main problem, which is repressed to the point of denial, stems from a planning failure at the macro level. This is not just a matter of flawed local planning for local drainage systems. This is a greater conceptual failure that results from ignoring the basic geographic conditions of the Land of Israel.

Even a cursory perusal of the official platforms of the alliance reflects a stark rejection of Israel as the nation-state of the Jewish people.

How can you make a country out of patches of lands connected by bridges and tunnels, one of which is 20 miles long?

Antisemitism has fragmented into many subcategories in the postmodern era, which has made it ever more confusing and opaque. One concept that can shed new light on contemporary antisemitism is confirmation bias: the idea that people are often receptive to information, even if dubious, that confirms their existing opinions.

If Bernie Sanders becomes the nominee, then 2020 will no longer be about a clash between the establishment and the anti-establishment, whose final battle is being fought with impeachment. Instead, 2020 will be a referendum, not on the establishment, but on the future of America.

{Originally posted to the JNS website} Leave aside, for the moment, the deepening rows about U.S. President Donald Trump’s “vision” for ending the Middle East...

Where exactly is the line between Modern Orthodox and Conservative? While we stand equal in G-d's eyes, there has always been a clear distinction between observant and non-observant, To deny these distinctions is to deny Judaism at its core.

Leaders from around the world recently visited Israel to commemorate the 75th anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz. Concurrently with that visit, another important historical visit took place: for the first time, a delegation of leading Arabs visited the Nazi extermination camp.

‎I'm not here to argue that you ought to support Democrats over Republicans. You can vote for any candidate you desire in the general election; your party registration does not affect that. But we need to ensure that the more moderate Democrats have support within their party and are not driven out by the radicals. Do not delay. The fact is: Your community needs you now more than ever! I strongly urge my fellow New Yorkers to immediately register as Democrats.

I once knew a very great rabbi, a warrior for his people who had just the right formula. His name was Rabbi Meir Kahane, and his solution was a win-win one for the Jewish nation.

The blanket rejection by US Democratic candidates for president reflects non-zero sum conceptions in which there can be no winners or losers in the conflict, and reveals an instrumental view of Palestinians as stalking horses for other causes.

The U.S. peace plan means Israel is being asked to take unprecedented risks by living next to a sovereign Palestinian state in a Middle East plagued by radical regimes and failed states. That is why defensible borders are critical to guarantee Israel’s security.

Our rights to our land should not and will not be contingent in any way shape or form as to whether we agree to the creation of another enemy state which could definitely be an existential threat to the continued existence of the state of Israel.

I prefer calling Likud centrist, since this is the common lingo. There are real right-wing parties, and individuals in Israel. Come election day, all those who love Eretz Yisrael should vote for them.

The problem with the “two-state solution”—the creation of a sovereign independent Palestinian state west of the Jordan River—is that a Palestinian state already exists east of the Jordan River. It’s called Jordan. Its population is predominantly Palestinian, and it is located in the eastern part of what was once called Palestine. Demographically and geographically, Jordan is a Palestinian state.

We shouldn’t seek permission from anyone in determining our own future and we shouldn’t be happy with scraps of land that is ours anyway. The ‘Palestinians’ will reject the deal and we all know that. But we should already draw the line before and say with confidence and pride and the weight of thousands of years of history.

It is also highly unlikely that any potential Democrat administration would come up with a more Palestinian-friendly plan that could also be accepted by Israel. And... there is little chance that the Palestinian cause will return to the center of the international agenda and find new allies, except on European and American university campuses.

President Trump's peace plan helps rid the Palestinian leadership of its irredentist hopes

U.S President Donald Trump is telling them to suck it up or lose because the Israelis are going to get what they need to survive.

The Plan recognizes Israel’s historical connection to the entire region; affirms that no Jew should be forcefully evacuated from their home and the commencement of the application of Israeli sovereignty in those territories.

The Trump plan repeats the old, failed approach of promising the Palestinians benefits.

The worldwide lack of support for those who advocate peace or the reform of Islam has brought about exactly what the extremists want: a fear of speaking up. Many of us Muslims do not want to be viewed as traitors, labelled "enemies of the nation"... and have our lives put under threat...

Israel should act to implement the Trump Plan and reap its early rewards, because it transforms the Mideast peace paradigm; recognizes a permanent eastern border for Israel; breathes new life into all 150 Israeli towns in Judea and Samaria; endorses permanent Israeli security control of the entire West Bank envelope; enshrines Jerusalem as the undivided and united capital of the State of Israel; unleashes a regional dynamic whereby Arab states can move towards open partnership with Israel; it treats Palestinians as responsible adults, with no free pass regarding the type of state they might establish; and it might nudge Palestinians towards replacement of their rejectionist leadership with men and women who seek peace and prosperity for their people, in partnership with Israel. Most importantly, the plan reflects, and can serve as a platform for, Israeli consensus on the Palestinian issue.

It might be easier to support WHD if it encouraged women to wear what they like, and men to mind their own business.

Contrary to the bad advice they’re getting from the Democrats and J Street, Palestinians need to accept that the U.S. plan is their best chance for statehood.