“We know that we’ll never be able to wipe out hatred from every single mind. We won’t entirely erase the scourge of anti-Semitism. But like the Righteous, we must do everything we can. All of us have a responsibility. President Barack Obama
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ISIS the Peacemaker
Posted December 18th, 2015 at 11:33 am (UTC-4)
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A lot of priorities are being reordered in the Middle East and North Africa now, thanks to the new threats that have emerged over the past year. This could, unexpectedly, lead to some ongoing problems being resolved
Israel: The West’s Strategic Asset
Posted December 4th, 2015 at 3:06 pm (UTC-4)
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Israel’s primary goal in taking military action is always to protect itself. But in protecting itself, it often ends up protecting the West, and in failing to protect itself, it often puts the rest of the West at risk.
Whither Peace 20 Years After Rabin’s Assassination?
Posted November 4th, 2015 at 4:03 pm (UTC-4)
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A deal between Israelis and Palestinians now seems impossible. The current narrative is whether or not they are sliding towards a third intifada. Today it seems clear that the late Israeli Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin was committed to making some kind of deal with the Palestinians beyond what was agreed to in 1993. Rabin, who helped engineer victory for Israel in the 1967 Six-Day War, was a believer in military might before negotiations. And maybe that was what was so threatening about him. Rabin had fought for Israel’s existence. And then, he shook the hand of his enemy, Yasser Arafat. Whatever it might have looked like in reality, peace was very possibly at hand when he was shot and killed in Tel Aviv 20 years ago today.
5 Inconvenient Truths for John Kerry
Posted October 23rd, 2015 at 4:16 pm (UTC-4)
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Kerry will confront a peace process not yet ready for prime time, leaders unwilling or able to make key decisions — and a U.S. president who lacks the capacity and will to persuade them to do so.
Boiling Point: Is a Third Palestinian Intifada About to Break Out?
Posted October 19th, 2015 at 4:00 pm (UTC-4)
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U.S. Throws Hail Mary Pass for Israel-Palestinian Peace
Posted October 19th, 2015 at 2:58 pm (UTC-4)
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It seems nearly every U.S. administration in recent history makes one last pitch for peace after failing to secure a lasting deal for Israelis and Palestinians. Bill Clinton held the Camp David Summit in 2000, his final year in office. George W. Bush’s “Roadmap to Peace” ended in 2008 with no final agreement. The Obama administration ended its latest serious flurry of diplomatic activity aimed at a deal last year, essentially admitting defeat. But the recent uptick in violence, characterized by gruesome stabbings, has Secretary of State John Kerry swinging back into action, holding separate meetings this week with the key players. Chances for anything other than a return to the status quo appear slim. The intractable Israeli-Palestinian conundrum may be one that the parties must solve among themselves.
Israel’s Cycle of Violence
Posted October 16th, 2015 at 1:40 pm (UTC-4)
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There’s no excuse for recent attacks. But it shouldn’t shock anyone that Israel’s harsh occupation and abuse provokes Palestinians.
What’s Obama’s Next Move on Israel?
Posted October 14th, 2015 at 10:30 am (UTC-4)
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The question for the White House now is how to seize back the initiative on the world stage in a manner better suited to President Obama’s sensibilities. The recent surge of Palestinian terror attacks on Israelis may provide the answer.
Obama, Netanyahu and the Future of the Jewish State
Posted September 14th, 2015 at 9:05 am (UTC-4)
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We are now in the 48th year of the Israeli occupation of the West Bank. Hope for a two-state solution dims by the day. Right now, there are influential figures on the center-left, in America and in Europe, and certainly in the developing world, who believe that Israel is becoming an apartheid state
Israel’s Unprecedented Geopolitical Strength
It may seem counterintuitive, or even downright strange, but Israel’s geopolitical position is probably stronger now than at any time in the country’s history. This is likely to continue at least in the short-to-medium term, but looming long-term challenges should give some pause to Israel’s current leaders.