Welcome! This is an unapologetic, agenda-free zone. Just commentaries on current events that’ll move you to think, laugh, rage, and even cry.
Election Day in Israel yesterday was full of surprises; none more so than the desperate declarations and exhortations Bibi Netanyahu made to get his supporters to the polls. For he not only declared that there will never be a Palestinian state as long as he’s prime minister, he also exhorted right-wing Jews to help him… Read more.
Despite my seasoned cynicism, the chutzpah of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu never ceases to amaze me. (“Netanyahu, Obama’s Iago; Iran, His Desdemona,” The iPINIONS Journal, October 2, 2013) Netanyahu has demonstrated throughout his career that there’s no event too solemn, or too farcical, for him to exploit for political gain. This exploitation invariably has… Read more.
Jeffrey Goldberg is the critically acclaimed correspondent for The Atlantic, America’s top news and ideas magazine. His October 28 report, “The Crisis in U.S.-Israel Relationship Is Officially Here,” set political and media tongues a wagging from Washington to Jerusalem and all points in between. And nothing in his report caused more wagging than Goldberg quoting… Read more.
Iran struck an historic agreement today with the United States and five other major nuclear powers: namely, China, France, Germany, Russia, and the UK – all represented by their respective foreign ministers. It calls for Iran to temporarily suspend developing its nuclear program in exchange for these powers (specifically the United States) temporarily suspending (only… Read more.
I have become so cynical about politics that I’m not the least bit surprised that Republicans forced the (partial) shutdown of the U.S. government yesterday merely to appease their hopelessly misguided, Obama-hating constituents; the welfare of the country be damned. I am not even surprised that a congenital mix of political ignorance and racial prejudice… Read more.
Israel has become [as sacred a cow in American politics as Mom, apple pie … and guns] because, on the one hand, evangelical Christians consider its security key to their salvation; and on the other hand, politicians of every stripe consider pandering about its security key to their election. (“Americans More Jewish than Jews in… Read more.
If Livni succeeds (and I predict she will despite Israel’s notoriously fractious politics), she will become the second female prime minister in the country’s short 60-year history. It’s anybody’s guess, however, what her election would portend for Israel’s two most-pressing national issues, namely its looming war with Iran and elusive peace with Palestine. But, given… Read more.
There is no shortage of candidates lying in wait to replace Olmert when his Kadima Party holds leadership elections in September. But the one most likely to do so is Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni. [Israeli PM Olmert resigns…, The iPINIONS Journal, July 31, 2008] As expected, Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni defeated her chief rival yesterday… Read more.
