December 1, 2016

Understanding the Israeli-Balkans Strategic Partnership

As U.S. president-elect Donald Trump begins to formulate his Middle East foreign policy, he will be wise to assess what areas of the world have become strategically important to America’s ally, Israel. One of those areas is the Balkans region. ...

September 30, 2016

The last of Israel’s founding fathers laid to rest

Thousands of dignitaries made their way to Mount Herzl cemetery this morning to honor the late Shimon Peres at his funeral.  From 70 countries, more than 90 delegations of world leaders came to pay their respects to one of Israel’s greates...

September 18, 2016

Russia as the New Power Broker in the Mideast

The massive ten-year U.S. military aid package successfully negotiated between the White House and Israel, proves America’s continued commitment to Israel’s security. It ensures Israel’s QME (Qualitative Military Edge) over its enem...

June 18, 2016

Israel's Emerging Mideast Foreign Policy

The 16th annual Herzliya Conference a prestigious gathering that attracts senior Israeli and international leaders in government, economics, and academia, has just wrapped up in Israel. Strategic assessments are given by politicians, diplom...

May 21, 2016

Sisi and Mideast Peace

Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s speech on Tuesday, May 18, set ripples through Israel’s political establishment. Speaking in the southern city of Assiut, Sisi signaled to the Arab world, the Palestinians, and Israel that it is ti...

May 12, 2016

Israelis Remember Their Fallen

The siren sounded at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, May 11, calling Israelis to stand in silence and remember. This Remembrance Day for Fallen Soldiers and Victims of Terrorism, Yom HaZikaron, is a time when Jewish citizens mourn for their loved ones acros...

October 18, 2015

Israeli Knesset Recognizes Anusim

Monday, October 13, 2015, marked a historic meeting in the Israeli Knesset. For the first time ever, an inaugural session of a new Knesset caucus was launched to deal with the reconnection of the descendants of Spanish and Portuguese Jewry. Rendering...

July 15, 2015

Paving the way for a nuclear Iran

The agreement reached Tuesday, July 14, 2015 between Iran and the P 5+1 nations, reportedly, slows Iran down but does not prevent it from reaching nuclear capability. The deal is weak, dangerous, undermines American security, and poses a credible thr...

May 5, 2015

Albania's History of Saving Jews

International leaders have been marking 70 years since the liberation of Jews and others from Nazi concentration camps throughout Europe. Recent camps that have been highlighted have been Auschwitz-Birkenau, Bergen-Belsen, and Dachau. Little has been...

January 15, 2015

The Proliferation of Online Anti-Semitism

The four French Jews who were recently killed in the kosher supermarket attack in Paris were buried in Jerusalem’s Har Hamenuchot Cemetery on January 13. In his eulogy, Israeli President Reuven Rivlin commented on the murders. “This is...

September 24, 2014

An Israeli Eye on the Islamic State and Iran

The U.S. expanded its war against the Islamic State (IS) on Tuesday, September 23, with an impressive coalition of five Arab states partnering in air strikes against the radical terror group’s presence in Syria.  This follows U.S. air stri...

July 27, 2014

Regional Players Fail to Resolve the Israeli-Hamas War

On Friday, July 25, Israel’s cabinet unanimously rejected an initial ceasefire proposed by U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry.  Earlier in the day, Kerry and U.N. Secretary-General Ban Ki Moon met with Egypt’s Foreign Minister Sameh ...

June 28, 2014

Israel Finds Allies in the Balkans

Recently, Albania received good news that it will soon begin succession talks towards EU integration. Albania is a close friend of the U.S. and has always been a good friend to the Jewish People. It is now establishing friendship ties with Israe...

June 15, 2014

Are Israel and the U.S. on a Collision Course?

While the U.S. Obama Administration was quick to condemn the recent Gaza missile attack against Israel, it was not willing to put the blame on PA President Mahmoud Abbas. Since the forming of the new Fatah-Hamas unity government, Israeli Prime Minist...

May 19, 2014

Israel's Global Reach to Nations in Crisis

Israel often gets a bad rap in the global media and among diplomats, but rarely does the Jewish State get credit for being a “first responder” to countries in need. Facing devastating floods, Serbia and Bosnia recently asked the intern...

April 13, 2014

Passover, the Temple Mount, and Jewish Sovereignty

Now that the current U.S.-brokered Israeli-Palestinian peace negotiations are in trouble, Israelis can expect violent disturbances on the Temple Mount, initiated by angry Palestinians who are not willing to wait for peace with Israel. Palestinian lea...

January 23, 2014

Israel's Most Reliable Ally

"Through fire and water, Canada will stand with you," were the closing remarks of Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper at the Israeli Knesset on Monday, January 20, 2014. This was the first time a Canadian Prime Minister addressed the Knesset; and,...

January 8, 2014

Will Israel Risk Giving Up Control Of The Jordan Valley?

One of the main issues of dispute in current peace negotiations between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is whether a newly created Palestinian state will have an army that can defend its borders. Abba...

October 1, 2013

How a Weakened America Affects Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently flew to America to meet with U.S. President Barack Obama in Washington, and then to deliver a speech at the United Nations General Assembly on October 1. After Netanyahu's White House meeting with ...

July 25, 2013

Are Peace Talks Moving Forward?

The United States and Israel continue to confirm that the peace process will move forward in the coming weeks, and Israeli and Palestinian delegations will meet in Washington to hammer out the details. U.S. Secretary John Kerry issued a statement fro...

May 30, 2013

Political Islam's Fight for Control and Failed U.S. Policy in the Middle East

The battle in Syria has evolved from political demonstrations by the Syrian people against their own government into civil war into what is now a clash between Sunnis and Shiites for control of the Syrian state.  Failed American policy in the Mi...

May 1, 2013

Game Changers, Red Lines, and a Green Light for War

The U.S. Obama administration is preoccupied with forming a war coalition of Western and Arab Gulf states in preparation for Middle East regional turmoil. America has committed billions of U.S. dollars to maintaining a qualitative military edge (QME...

January 14, 2013

Unnatural Partners

Iranian leaders are trying to form a new alliance with Egypt, holding diplomatic talks with the goal of bringing the Persian State out of international isolation. On February 7, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadenijad will attend a summit of the Organi...

October 6, 2012

On the Inevitability of a Nuclear-Armed Iran

U.S. Congressman Trent Franks (R-AZ) says that if U.S. President Barack Obama is re-elected for a second term in the White House, Iran will probably, without an Israeli intervention, obtain nuclear weapons.  If that happens, terrorists the world...

September 17, 2012

A Surprising Proposal from Israel

As Jerusalem leaders watch developments in the Middle East and on Palestinian streets, one high ranking Israeli Knesset member has signaled to Egypt that Cairo leaders could renew their mediation efforts between Israel and Hamas. This comes as a surp...

August 27, 2012

Iran's Latest Scheme to Bolster International Support

Iran's regime has an opportunity this week to divert international attention away from its nuclear ambitions.  Its intransigence in the face of a recent IAEA report concerning its increase in uranium enrichment, along with its unwillingness to a...

July 23, 2012

Obama Administration Draws Closer to Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood

The cozy relationship between the United States government and the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood should be cause for concern both to Americans and to Israelis.  U.S. lawmakers are calling for an investigation into President Barack Obama's administ...

June 24, 2012

A Long Hot Summer on Israel's Southern Border

An announcement by Egypt's election commission, concerning who won the most votes in the recent presidential election, has been delayed.  A recent deterioration in the health of ousted former President Hosni Mubarak, along with political moves b...

April 28, 2012

Israel at 64

Israel celebrates 64 years as an independent sovereign homeland for the Jewish people.  Retaining that sovereignty and living in peace remain the primary goals of the struggling state.  While Israel finds new ways to defend itself, both dip...

February 5, 2012

Strategic Attrition Still the Goal of Israel's Enemies

Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz, chief of staff of Israel's Defense Forces, spoke at the 12th annual Herzliya Conference of the threats and challenges Israel will face this year.  This prestigious security and policy gathering, which took place this week i...

November 4, 2011

U.S. Missile Defense Is Problematic for Israel's Vulnerable Skies

Rumors are flying around the Middle East as reporters anticipate an imminent strike on Iran's nuclear facilities by a U.S.-led coalition or by Israeli forces going it alone. Several factors have led the way towards this media frenzy, including a rece...

September 20, 2011

The Palestinian Bid for Statehood: Dire Implications for the U.S.

Since the 1970s, America has been the main peace broker in the Arab-Israeli conflict.  For the most part, a succession of U.S. administrations decided to take a step-by-step approach -- acting as the third party at the peace table, using a gentl...

May 17, 2011

Politics and Violence - Undermining Israel's Efforts to Make Peace

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March 31, 2011

Confusion In The Ranks - U.S. Foreign Policy in the Middle East

U.S. President Barack Obama's national address to the American people Monday was supposed to be a clarification of why his administration decided to declare war on Muammar Gaddafi. Obama talked about protecting civilians, stopping an advancing army, ...

February 8, 2011

Egypt and Israel's Changing Defense Strategy

For 30 years now, Israel's peace treaty with Egypt has afforded the IDF (Israel's Defense Forces) the ability to build-up its forces, with little consideration of developments on its southwest border. Since the "cold peace" between both cou...

January 17, 2011

Helping Israel Stop Islamic Dominance in the Middle East

Israel's foreign policy now is focused primarily on the growing threat of Iran's nuclear ambitions, with the need to convince Western powers that a military option must be in place in case diplomacy fails.  Israel's desire for a viable peace par...

November 5, 2010

The New Republican House and Israel

While Congress has long been bipartisan when it comes to support for Israel, the Republican sweep of the House of Representatives on November 2 is expected to help strengthen that support. Several pro-Israel Republicans in Congress will now have cont...

August 8, 2010

Should The U.S. Continue Military Support to Lebanon?

When former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert signed a ceasefire agreement on August 14, 2006, after the Second Lebanon War, U.N. Security Resolution 1701 was adopted. Most Israelis were skeptical, because they did not believe that Lebanon's terror ...

July 20, 2010

When Fall Arrives, Israel's New Challenge Begins

The meeting in early July between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and U.S. President Barack Obama was a short reprieve in the hostile exchanges that have taken place between the two governments since both men took office. It was considered ...

June 19, 2010

Israel's Crisis At Sea -- Another Storm Coming

Israel is expecting the arrival soon of another flotilla of ships, this time Iranian-sponsored. This follows on the heels of the Turkish IHH- and Free Gaza-sponsored flotilla that was stopped by Israeli naval commanders on May 31, 2010 when atte...

May 19, 2010

Talks of Peace -- Threats of War

Behind all the optimism that is being expressed in regard to the new Israeli-Palestinian proximity talks, there is great concern of a looming war in the Middle East. While reports have focused on the possibility of a direct confrontation between Isra...

March 15, 2010

International Condemnation of Israel -- So What's New?

The Israeli government is bracing itself for more condemnation from the international community this week at an upcoming meeting of the Quartet scheduled for March 19. It's expected that the gathering will become another diplomatic opportunity for in...

February 24, 2010

The Marriage of Terrorism and Nuclear Capability

When you think of a nuclear Iran, you probably think of atomic bombs or nuclear-tipped missiles. But few people think about the implications of an Iranian nuclear umbrella providing a cover for terrorism and subversion. At Israel's recent Jerusa...

January 24, 2010

A Two-Faced Peace Puzzle

Israeli and Palestinian leaders have been issuing statements for general public consumption that raise the ante of what it will take to resume peace talks. What is happening publicly is part of a complicated puzzle that involves other players in the ...

July 16, 2009

Changing Winds at the White House

A small group of American Jewish leaders met with U.S. President Barack Obama in the White House on July 14th as Obama tried to shore up their support for his Middle East policies.  Most of those invited were groups that had been snubbed by the ...

February 20, 2009

Deal Making In Israel and the Middle East

Israel's Security Cabinet met Wednesday, February 18, 2009 to debate on an imminent deal with Hamas which includes the freeing of Israeli P.O.W. Corporal Gilad Shalit.  Since the Gaza war ended on January 17, 2009, when Israeli Prime Minister Eh...

February 13, 2009

Israel's Red Lines

The February 10, 2009 election results in Israel, while complicated and unresolved, are also revealing.  Those citizens who usually vote with left wing parties shifted their vote to the center. Those who normally vote with centrist parties shift...

January 12, 2009

Ending the Gaza War

JERUSALEM, January 11, 2009    As of this writing, the IDF (Israel's Defense Force) in Gaza is waiting on political approval to advance to the third stage of Israel's military battle against Hamas. The first stage, which began on Saturday, ...

November 9, 2008

U.S. Foreign Policy Objectives and Israel's Security

There are three key issues that are important to clarify in terms of U.S.-Israel relations even before American President-Elect Barack Obama takes over the White House in January 2009.The first involves an assumption, broadcast by some media outlets,...

July 21, 2006

Iran's Destabilization of the Middle East

Iran would like to see a new world order, controlling the entire Middle East region with its nuclear potential influencing moderate Arab countries and Israel alike. That's according to Dr. Guy Bechor, a leading military analyst in Israel, who has stu...

January 6, 2006

Post-Sharon Politics - The End of an Era in Israel

JERUSALEM — It's Friday in Israel, and because the stores close early in preparation for the Jewish Sabbath, many shoppers are out buying last minute groceries. It's also the day when Israelis sit in cafes, drinking coffee with their friends an...

January 5, 2006

Escalating Violence Faces Israel

Israel and the prospects for peace in the Middle East face grave difficulties in the face of Prime Minister Sharon's massive stroke. Even prior to his hospiltalization, violence against Israel was escalating. 'Israel can only have a peace partner i...