Threatening Regional Storm Clouds Notwithstanding the exuberance of Israelis at the jubilant 70th Independence Day celebrations, justified in light of Israel’s extraordinary achievements and progress on both the diplomatic and defense fronts, the Jewish state will be facing major...
Dysfunctional politics and disgraceful behavior The criminal charges recommended by the Israel Police against Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the politicians’ and media’s reactions amount to perhaps the most scandalous political imbroglio in Israel’s history. This is not to say that...
Seeking the perfect national leader We expect national leaders to behave in an exemplary manner and act as role models to be emulated. What most of us seek is a “perfect” leader. But that is mission impossible. Such a person has never existed. Some of the greatest American leaders...
Fatah-Hamas reconciliation: A fusion of evils World leaders – including some of our American friends – are apparently still unwilling to face reality and continue to delude themselves that Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority can be induced to making a peace settlement if Israel...
The prisoner exchange imbroglio It has been reported that Israel is once again engaged in negotiations with Hamas on the issue of prisoner exchanges. There is no certainty whether the three Israelis—Ethiopian born Avera Mengistu and the Bedouin captives Hisham al-Sayed and Jumaa...
The never-ending peace process farce Unless the U.S. is willing to bite the bullet and finally confront Mahmoud Abbas and the Palestinian Authority, the forthcoming mission to the region by U.S. representatives Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt to “restart the peace process” on...
Postmortem of a disastrous month The dramatic setbacks of the past month have been somewhat destabilizing in contrast to the almost euphoric atmosphere which prevailed. It is an awesome burden of responsibility to serve as a leader, obliged to make decisions that affect the future...
Israel must now be proactive The fervent hope shared by most Israelis — despite the frustration of some American Jews — is that U.S. President Donald Trump will overcome his domestic political problems and strengthen the U.S.-Israel alliance. Trump’s visit to the Middle...
After Trump visit, the onus rests on us Overall, U.S. President Donald Trump has delivered. He will not have satisfied the delusional aspirations of Israel’s radical right but, despite some missteps before he arrived, highlighted by hostile and misleading press reports, the Trump visit...
Lauder promoting Abbas as respectable moderate fraught with danger Last week, World Jewish Congress President Ronald Lauder released a series of statements confirming that he had encouraged U.S. President Donald Trump to recognize that peace between Israelis and Palestinians was now attainable. He also stressed...
