Newly minted Israeli Ambassador to the United States Michael Oren lays out in the new issue of Commentary just what is meant by an “existential” threat, and than details the seven such threats which face the state of Israel: Rarely in modern history have nations faced genuine existential threats. Wars are waged to change...
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From the always sharp Charles Krauthammer comes a piece , eviscerating the New York Times’ interview with Hamas’ Khaled Meshal (h/t Sarah): “Apart from the time restriction (a truce that lapses after 10 years) and the refusal to accept Israel’s existence, Mr. Meshal’s terms approximate the Arab League peace plan . . .” –...
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From the New Republic (H/T Elder of Ziyon) comes a story about just how many of those reported “dead civilians” in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead were actually dead terrorists: If the IDF’s alternate numbers are accurate, they paint a very different picture in terms of the toll on civilian life. How is there...
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Geopolitics, like nature, abhors a vacuum: But in its campaign for regional hegemony, Tehran expects Lebanon as its first prize. Iran is spending massive amounts of cash on June’s general election. It supports a coalition led by Hezbollah, and including the Christian ex-general Michel Aoun. Lebanon, now in the column of pro-U.S. countries, would...
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This week, Israel has celebrated its 61st birthday. The miracle of its existence, let alone its robust emotional, ethical and economic health and its unparalleled contributions to the disciplines of medicine, of science and of the humanities is simply astounding. This, despite the seven brutal wars, the intifada, the economic boycotts, the systematized anti-Semitism...
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(h/t Sarah Stern): Sarah pointed me to this article in the Wall Street Journal regarding Iran’s targeting of Egypt: Tehran sees Egypt as its greatest rival in the region, and the most formidable Arab bulwark opposing its influence. It is in this context that Hezbollah actions in Egypt should be assessed. Acting as a...
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An excellent piece from Palestinian Media Watch’s Barbara Crook on the prevalance of hate-mongering in the Muslim world: The world reacted with outrage at the speech by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad at the Durban Review Conference on Racism in Geneva. European countries stormed out of his talk and released an array of statements condemning...
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From the Jerusalem Post: An Iranian vessel loaded with weapons to transfer to Hamas via Sudan was recently sunk in the Red Sea by an unidentified missile ship believed to be Israeli, according to Arab media. The vessel was attacked by either an Israeli or American ship and destroyed, according to a report Sunday...
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From the Chicago Tribune on Sunday comes the scary, but perhaps predictable story, of Obama administration officials lobbying congress to loosen terror finances rules for Hamas if that Islamist terror group joins a unity government with the Palestinian Authority. (h/t Daily Alert): The Obama administration, already on treacherous domestic political ground with its outreach...
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(h/t Sarah Stern): Sarah sent me this piece by Bret Stephens in the Wall Street Journal, which examines the differences in which the world treats the Russian-Chechen and the Israeli-Palestinian conflicts. While most supporters of Israel have long recognized the double standard to which the Jewish state is held, Stephens runs the numbers and...
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