MIDDLE EAST
ANOTHER MIDEAST MUDDLE
With Syria’s Bashar al-Assad and the 53-year-old Assad family rule overthrown, an old adage arises in the Middle East: Be careful what you wish for. But wish we must, then take care following up. The Middle East has been a highly unstable region not just in recent decades but throughout history. For centuries, competing caliphs…
Read MoreAFTER SINWAR, WHAT?
IDF troops killed Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’ architect of October 7, prompting me to ask, where do we go from here? I wish the shop had repaired my crystal ball, but a text broke the bad news. No more peeks into the future for me. That’s typical for someone at age 80, who learns that the…
Read MoreTHE STEEL THREAD
An economist at Tel Aviv University and an ancient king reveal much about the outcome of the war Israel is waging against Iran’s proxies, and so Iran itself. On Monday, Tom Friedman in The New York Times (“What I’m Thinking About on the First Anniversary of the War”) cited the economist Dan Ben-David of Tel…
Read MoreFUNNY GIRL, UNFUNNY PROBLEM
A Broadway road show and a Jerusalem Post opinion piece shed light on why the left maintains its antagonism towards Israel and Diaspora Jews—and the hatred coming from the Israeli right. “Funny Girl” at San Francisco’s Orpheum Theater entails the rise of Jewish comedienne Fanny Brice (born Fania Borach) a century ago. Brice overcame the…
Read MoreGAZA AND MAGICAL THINKING
Perhaps quantum physics aside, two identical objects cannot occupy the same space at the same time. Witness Gaza. Hamas wants a Palestinian state from the river (Jordan) to the sea (Mediterranean). The Israeli far-right wants a Greater Israel in that same space. Both engage in magical thinking guaranteed to continue violence. College campuses also produce…
Read MoreISRAEL’S OTHER NEXT STEPS
Israel’s attack on an Iranian military base outside Shiraz necessitated a new approach to today’s post I completed yesterday. Then again, it didn’t. Regarding Israel’s response to Iran’s missile attack, I cited the 19th-century French novelist Eugène Sue writing in Memoirs of Matilda: “Revenge is a dish best served cold.” I also referred to New York Times columnist Tom…
Read MoreMILLIONS OF MOVING PARTS
I’ve written that the only logical conclusion to the Israel-Hamas war is moving towards a two-state solution. Now, let me clarify that. “Moving towards” does not mean Israel acknowledging Palestinian statehood now. Canada considered recognizing a Palestinian state but decided against. Reality intruded. The subject also has been broached by several European leaders. But Gaza is run…
Read MoreA TRULY PIVOTAL 2024
Every New Year brings hopes and fears but 2024 will play a particularly pivotal role in history. Take November’s election. Donald Trump likely will secure the Republican nomination unless his legal woes and outrageous statements bring some Republicans to their senses—or he’s banned from enough state ballots. The Atlantic’s January/February 2024 issue posits what might happen…
Read MoreCHANUKAH AND HAMAS
Sundown tonight marks the end of the eight-day Festival of Lights—Chanukah. However, the story we’ve again told usually remains incomplete because we ignore the related law of unintended consequences. Israel should take note. And Hamas. Around 164 BCE, traditional Jews defeated their Seleucid Greek overlords and also Jewish Hellenizers. The winners cleaned and rededicated (the…
Read MoreGENOCIDE AND CONTEXT
Today’s first day of Chanukah, the Festival of Lights, arrives during a period of more than seasonal darkness. Israel continues to face the threat of Hamas (and Hezbollah) violence, a war rages in Gaza, and Jews across the globe, including the United States, contend with rising antisemitism. Of note, Jewish college students who support Israel…
Read MoreTHE 2.5-STATE SOLUTION
The end of the Israel-Hamas war will come. The ending depends on Israel and the Palestinians looking forward, not backward. Given the October 7 slaughter, Israeli anger is understandable. Israel will destroy Hamas’s infrastructure and fighting capabilities, if not its hatred. Afterwards? Prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu approached the slippery slope last Monday when he said…
Read MoreNIAGARA FALLS AND HAMAS
I didn’t expect to write a post today, since I returned home from a trip two days ago. But I must say something after Hamas’ inhumane attack on Israel last Saturday. Carolyn’s and my trip began with a two-night stay in Niagara Falls on the Ontario (Canadian) side. Our hotel offered fabulous views of both…
Read MoreAFTER COLLEYVILLE, WHAT?
A British Muslim, Malik Faisal Akram, took four hostages at gunpoint—including Rabbi Charlie Cytron-Walker—last Saturday at Congregation Beth Israel in Colleyville, Texas. The hostages escaped. Akram was killed. Why do antisemitic acts still take place? When have they not? In 2017, white supremacists marched in Charlottesville chanting “Jews will not replace us.” In 2018, a…
Read MoreGAZA’S EXISTENCE ON FILM
The July 14 New York Times online presented a film, “So They Know We Existed,” about the recent Israel-Hamas mini-war. Gaza residents shot it using their phones. The film is touching. It’s also misleading. First, highlights: An opening title states, “Palestinians in Gaza captured the conflict as it unfolded.” They did, and the film is filled with real images…
Read MoreGENOCIDE? WORDS MATTER
The ceasefire holds between Israel and Hamas. Peace in Israel, Gaza and the West Bank? A long way off. Both observers and supporters of the Palestinians could help nudge the parties along by not abusing words blindly targeting Israel. Proportionality. Hamas sent towards Israel 4,000 unguided missiles. Some landed in Gaza. Many were destroyed. Others struck Israeli civilians.…
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