The importance of Netanyahu’s silence must not be underestimated. He has shown, as have other Israeli leaders, that the safety and security of Jews outside of Israel is less important than what he perceives as Israeli, or even simply his own, political interests. The next time he scowls at a room full of United Nations Ambassadors, or invokes anti-Semitism to protect settlement products from being labeled truthfully, or claims that supporters of Palestinian rights (let alone Palestinians themselves) are motivated not by ethical concerns or a desire to end suffering but by antipathy towards Jews, we’d all do well to remember just how sincere his, and also more moderate Israeli leaders’, opposition to anti-Semitism really is.Continue Reading

Trump’s Iran policy is a serious threat to the entire Middle East, to the people of Iran and the Persian Gulf, and to US and Israeli security. A military confrontation with Iran is likely to be far costlier in terms of life and limb as well as economically than the invasion of Iraq was. But because of the hideous behavior of the US President in so many ways, the headlines about this story are relegated away from the proverbial front page. That needs to change immediately. Continue Reading

It is crucial that Trump be made aware that US citizens do not support that kind of brazen attack on the country’s credibility. One would hope that if this issue gets more publicity, that not only congressional Democrats, but some of the saner Republicans make it clear that Trump must abide by the agreements the United States has made.Continue Reading

Will the Saudi offensive work? If it does, it will re-entrench the Arab dictatorship model that thrived for so long in the region. That may or not be the model that someone like Mahmoud Abbas prefers, but it is now the only wagon to which he can hitch his hopes. Trump has created the opportunity to see if that tactic will work. If it does, hopes for democracy will have suffered a serious defeat. If it fails, the recent revival of Iranian regime change in US policy circles shows we are not learning from defeats and mistakes.Continue Reading