InDepth

The Hamas bluster about having bested Israel in Operation Pillar of Defense should not be dismissed as typical Arab hyperbole.

.

Ehud Barak may or may not be out of Israeli politics for good, but his recent resignation announcement reminded the Monitor of just how much the man had been willing to give up to Yasir Arafat at the tail end of Bill Clinton’s presidency.

Hannah and her seven sons; Judith and the Greek commander she beheaded; the outnumbered but fearless Maccabees; the Jews who refused to give in to the decrees of the wicked Antiochus – Chanukah is a time for recounting historic deeds of self-sacrifice in the name of the God of Israel. The most recent one occurred in Israel on Dec. 1, a Shabbat.

It is striking to see that within the EU there is but one country courageous enough to stand with Israel: the Czech Republic.

Whatever the state of world affairs or shift in political winds, one thing remains a constant in our lives: the quest for shidduchim. There is no family or individual among us who does not know at any given time of someone in search of his or her destined life partner; yet too often the hunt is fraught with complexities and accompanied by sleepless nights and a furrowed brow.

Israel has become the paradise of Arab intelligence analysts.

At least we can probably count on the Muslims Brotherhood to refrain from making bunny-snuff videos.

The genie will be let out according to the strategic needs of Sunni Islam.

The constitution, as important as it may be, is not a cure for the genetic illnesses of the states of the Middle East.

Ideologues are dictators on steroids who don't moderate upon reaching power but dig themselves in.

The Salafi political victories, militia victories and terror attacks are all part of the same phenomenon, and it is about time that we confronted it for what it is.

She concluded her starvation protest after the Iranian dictatorship acceded to her main demand

Living well, as the saying goes, is the best revenge, even if it comes at the cost of international criticism.

Rice was part of Bill Clinton’s National Security Team whom in 1994 refused any intervention whatsoever in the Rwanda genocide that left 800,000 dead.

Chanukah highlights the moral-high-ground of Jews in their ancestral land.

One of the key lessons from a career in Naval Intelligence is that if you can imagine it, someone is trying to do it.

Middle East expert, Barry Rubin discussed the region, prospects for peace and revolutionary Islamism.

Chanukah commemorates the physical and spiritual resistance that is required of us sooner or later in all times.

Missile tests popping up all over Asia should be seen in this light. Everyone’s arming up, starting with Russia

Dealing with the material needs of the Egyptian people is not high on Morsi's agenda.

Americans weren't ready for a reversal after four years. Will Egyptians be ready to cast down Morsi after a much shorter period?

Satire but Very Close to Actual Experience.

It should take just one visit to the Middle East to understand what America is all about.

Steadily, Israel is strengthening its plans for ballistic missile defense, most visibly on the Arrow system and also on Iron Dome, a lower-altitude interceptor that is designed to guard against shorter-range rocket attacks from Lebanon and Gaza.

The UN General Assembly’s resolution granting nonmember-state observer status to “Palestine” – a document drafted by the Palestinian Authority – and the worldwide negative response to Israel’s reaction to it is reminiscent of Lewis Carroll’s classic 1871 poem “Jabberwocky,” which depicts a world filled with illogic and nonsensical speech.

.

As one Hamas official put it, "In the next war with Israel, Israelis will be forced to flee not only their homes, but the whole country."

Jonathan Pollard’s long incarceration has taken its toll and he is now seriously ill. While he is not the first inmate to suffer in this manner, most are given consideration for compassionate early release. It in no way diminishes the severity of his crimes to suggest he should be sent home. His sentence was Draconian, as attested to by a growing number of former senior federal officials, including several from Congress and the intelligence community.

The strength and numbers of Orthodox Jews in America have never been greater, and yet those of us concerned with Judaism’s future must admit we confront a future no less frightening than the future that was evident to Hannah’s noble sons in Modi’in all those centuries ago.