Congratulations to Hamas
The visit of the Emir of Qatar to the Gaza Strip is certainly an important landmark on the course that the Hamas movement has been advancing since it took over the Strip in June of 2007. Hamas is trying its utmost to establish the independence of the Gaza Strip, vis à vis the PLO, the Palestinian Authority, Israel, Egypt, the Arab world and everyplace else as well.
The Saudis are Trembling – Quietly
If chemical weapons had not been used, Damascus would have been overcome by the rebels.
The End of Oslo and a Glimmer of Hope
The actual problem is the failure of the Palestinian project to establish one unique "Palestinian people," with a shared national identity, on the basis of which civil systems can be established, like an economy and legitimate self-administration.
Mordechai Kedar: What Drives Turkey?
Turkey, no doubt, is an important regional power, and Israel must weigh its steps carefully when dealing with it, because of the changes that are occurring in the region and in light of the unsolved difficulties with Turkey – the flotilla two years ago and the gas in the future.
The Diplomacy of Rabbis (in Turkey and Beyond)
Dr. Mordechai Kedar on the visit of a recent Israeli delegation to Turkey and why Israelis faithful to their religion and not the disciples of Left may be Israel's best chance at improving relations with its neighbors.
The Speech of his Life and Ours
Netanyahu's Bar Ilan Speech was not an attempt to emulate Obama by spreading false hope of an agreement with the Iranians.
Survival Skills 101 for Israel
Israel has not really convinced the world that Iran is a danger.
2011: The Year of the Arab Winter
This year six Arab countries experienced severe shocks that brought about the fall of some rulers or serious threat to their rule. The process began at the end of 2010, and continues until today.
Who by the Sword, Who by Wild Beasts, Who by Hunger, Who by the...
This past month several dozens of jihad organizations operating in Syria came to the conclusion that the disagreements among them harm their fighting cause and strengthen Asad.
Mordechai Kedar: The Division of Syria
What will Syria look like the day after Bashar al-Assad's downfall?
Egypt’s Systemic Collapse
The crisis in Port Said has exposed deep problems in Egypt's political system.
Mordechai Kedar: The Brothers and the Muslims
The slogan of the Muslim Brotherhood is "God is our objective, the Qur'an is our law, the prophet is our leader, jihad is our way and death in the name of Allah is our supreme aspiration." Their symbol expresses this ideology well: the color green represents Paradise, two swords in the center express the two avowals of Islam - there is no god but Allah, and Muhammad is his messenger - and one word, which appears in the Qur'an just once: "Wa-aidu" - "and prepare."
Assad’s Grandfather’s 1936 Letter Predicts Muslim Slaughter of Minorities, Praises Zionists
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.
The Islamic Winter Blows into Jerusalem
Democracy does not have to allow jihad to be waged against it, even if this jihad uses means that appear to be legal.
Mordechai Kedar: The Frustrated Intellectual – Tariq Hagi
Egyptian intellectual Tariq Hagi speaks frankly and openly about the many deep flaws that exist in Arab cultures. His message is different from that of most Arab spokesmen, because most Arab spokesmen strive to cover up the flaws in their societies, to conceal them and repress them - mainly because of the shame and the feeling of inferiority that these flaws arouse in them.
Mordechai Kedar: What’s Next for Saudi Arabia?
In light of the situation in which the kingdom must stand up to external challenges - principally an Iranian threat to the territorial integrity of Saudi Arabia - it is not clear whether the population of the kingdom will indeed lend strong support to the leadership of the ruling family.
Constitutional Confusion and Contusions in Egypt
The constitution, as important as it may be, is not a cure for the genetic illnesses of the states of the Middle East.
A Future of Only More Radicalization and Escalation – Get Used to It
General al-Sisi and is not about to give in to American pressure regarding the Muslim Brotherhood.
US Losing Middle East Coalition
Lately, the pro-Western coalition has begun to crumble, and two key countries - Saudi Arabia and Egypt - are searching for a new political crutch.
On Academia, Politics and Survival in the Middle East
All of the universities in Israel are political, and moreover, all of the colleges, yeshivas, hospitals, prisons, factories, homes, roads, trees - everything that we have established, built, and planted in Israel - everything, but everything, is political. The whole Zionist enterprise is a political project because it is the political and nationalistic manifestation of the desire of the Jewish people to return to its land and to renew within it its national life, its independence and its sovereignty.
Mordechai Kedar: Syria, Iraq, the Gulf, and the Iranian Octopus
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?
Mordechai Kedar: Jordan and Radical Islam
Jordan has managed until now to remain untouched by these problems, and King Abdullah II knew how to navigate matters of the kingdom in a way that the waves of the revolution washing over the rest of the Arab world did not yet wash over his kingdom. But in the past few weeks - mainly since the victory of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt, Tunisia, and Morocco - a different sort of problem is now becoming apparent: the problem of radical political Islam.
Mordechai Kedar: The Syrian Crisis Spills Over into Lebanon
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.
Mordechai Kedar: The Arab World on the Precipice
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.
The Arabs Fear a ‘More Jewish’ State of Israel
An Israel that has a strong character and is confident of itself and the justice of its cause, might stop behaving like a dishrag.
Two Years Later, Arab Spring’s Success Dubious
Two years after the beginning of the upheaval in the Arab world, the picture does not arouse too much optimism.
Iran – The Failed Islamic Revolution
The Islamic Revolution in Iran has failed to achieve its goals, whether in the domestic, regional or global sphere. Their last chance for salvation is the nuclear project, which still wins support from China and Russia.
The Noose Tightens on Syria
The coalition that Iran built, whose center is Syria, is currently undergoing a tremendous jolt. The fall of the Syrian regime - which the Arab world is stabbing in the back - is only a matter of time estimated at a few weeks.
Judgement Day in Africa
In Washington there are deep differences of opinion as to how to address the growing jihadi influence in Africa.
The Collapsing Crescent
When the borders of a state are breached, its existence as a state is undermined.
