Advertisements The ceasefire in Gaza and Israel is holding, albeit tenuously, right now. Meanwhile, it is hardly a time of peace, as Israel has already stormed the al-Aqsa Mosque compound twice, has clamped down on Sheikh Jarrah again, and is arresting waves of its own Palestinian citizens. That’s what theContinue Reading
Advertisements Mike Pompeo’s decision to air a remarkably dull speech from Jerusalem to the Republican National Convention stirred great controversy. But that controversy overshadowed what was a dismal failure of a Middle East trip for the Secretary of State. Indeed, it only served to highlight this administration’s inability to capitalizeContinue Reading
Defeating Trump is not hard. Any honestly nominated Democrat (except maybe Biden, who’s just too horrible a campaigner, as I’ve pointed out in the past), conservative or progressive, could beat him. But by giving people a choice between Trump and a thoroughly dishonest party machine (and let’s recall, Republicans have not done similar things. They don’t have to because they don’t give their voters any options outside of oligarchs and kleptocrats), combined with their sheer incompetence, Democrats will re-elect Trump.Continue Reading
If settlement growth continues with even less restraint than there is now, the consequences for existing Palestinian towns, villages, and cities will be devastating, as the settlements will choke off travel, commerce, and water and other resources even more than they already do. It won’t lead to a single state, or any other stable future, even an oppressive one. It cannot lead to anything but violence.Continue Reading
With Bolton gone and no specific support from Trump for his campaign promises, Netanyahu must look elsewhere for the electoral splash he needs. Polls in Israel have been remarkably consistent for months, reflecting that neither Netanyahu’s Likud nor the Blue-White coalition of Benny Gantz and Yair Lapid will have enough support to form a governing majority. For Netanyahu, that means that, just like in April, his former defense minister, Avigdor Liberman, will be able to deny Likud a majority unless someone other than Netanyahu assumes the prime minister’s office.Continue Reading
