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.
Plenty to Give Thanks For–Dayenu!
In grand perspective, see how many benefits and blessings the Heavens have showered upon Israel! It enjoys a strong economy, coronavirus and political stability (at least for the past year), diplomatic and security heft, renewed Aliyah, national resilience that stems from faith, and global Jewish support.
Reawakening to the Iranian Threat
A comprehensive picture of Iranian belligerence and its tectonic threat to Mideast and global stability.
Hippocratic Israel Magnifies Kevod Shamayim in a Hypocritical World
The world knows only how to criticize and demonize Israel. What a shame. But at least Jews should know and appreciate Israel’s humanity. On Yom Haatzmaut, we can all add this to our calculations of kevod shamayim and kiddush Hashem (the glorification of G-d’s name in the world) that has been wrought by the State of Israel.
Reflections for Tisha Be’Av 5782
Tisha Be’Av, the mournful commemoration of Jewish national destruction and self-destruction which falls this weekend, hasn’t quite reached the status of Yom Kippur as a day of reflection and repentance. But it should.
Imagine: Israel-The Role Model for Arab Countries
On their second anniversary, it can be said that the Abraham Accords constitute an ideological breakthrough of Biblical magnitude.
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.
Sacks, Carlebach, and Kahane
Remembering 3 Remarkable and Relevant Rabbis
Vote your Conscience
FORGET THE “THRESHOLD! BE STRATEGIC AND PRINCIPLED, NOT TACTICAL AND CYNICAL,
Israel’s Supreme Court Needs Democratic Checks on its Power
Restoring the pre-Aharon Barak juridical culture of restraint is a necessary process.
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.
Just who is Pogroming Whom?
Compared to the ongoing Palestinian terrorist mega-pogrom against Israeli Jews, the Huwara rampage must rank as one the weakest pogroms in the ugly history of pogroms. So where is the anguish over Israeli Jews continuously murdered by Palestinian terrorists?
Arab Israelis: Opportunity or Threat?
Two new studies warn of radicalization among Arab Israelis and urge robust government action.
Embrace the Abraham Accords Already!
Western progressives are dissing rather than embracing the Abraham Accords. This is a tragedy
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.
Erase Jordan’s False Claims in Jerusalem
Israel has good reason to fear that Abdullah and Biden are cooking-up an attempt to impose new pro-Arab “arrangements” on the Temple Mount, with Biden coming to Israel in late June to ride herd on this issue. Note: King Abdullah has no claim to “custodianship” over Muslim and Christian holy sites in Jerusalem.
JCPOA 2.0.: Coming Any Day Now
More Bugs; No New Features
The Nasty Sport of Second-Guessing Israel
In Washington and other capitals, an ungenerous spirit has set in.
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….)
Butt OUT!
Washington and Brussels have no business second-guessing Israel’s security operations.
Good Morning, President Biden
Wakey, wakey! Time for a course reversal. Consider the grand drama of Israel reborn, and don’t go weak-kneed on Iran.
Cool it!
Beware the doomsday discourse about irreparable depredations in Israel’s democratic moorings. The poison it pumps into Israel’s soul and standing is far worse than its proximate cause.
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.
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.
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.)
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.
Israel’s Democratic and Jewish Soul is NOT at Risk
Beware false election narratives from both the left and right. Do not let radical electioneering disfigure a noble reality. Israel continues to be a free, enlightened, creative and exciting place.
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.
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
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.