Analysis & Commentary
9/11 and Arab Democracy
Beyond catastrophe and mourning, September 11th had unforeseen consequences in the Arab world, especially in my home country of Egypt. The attacks of that day, by citizens of America’s key Arab allies, made officials in Washington rethink their relations with Arab dictators, and begin supporting democracy in the Middle East.
A Russian Ruse
On March 3, Hamas envoys will arrive in Moscow. Their Russian hosts have prepared a banquet fit for a sultan. Gifts will be abundant. Russia's foreign minister Sergei Lavrov has offered to provide Hamas with foreign aid. There may even be shipments of everything from guns to helicopters. Moscow's position undercuts the strategy of U.S., European, and Israeli officials who had hoped that isolation would encourage moderation.
A Star Rises in Bethlehem
This past Thursday, Orthodox Christians in the Holy Land, following the Julian calendar, celebrated the feast of the Epiphany, which commemorates the manifestation of Jesus to the nations and brings Bethlehem’s month-long Christmas festivities to an end. The pious are inspired by the second chapter of the Gospel of Matthew, which recounts how wise men came from the East following a star that rose over Bethlehem. Two thousand years later, in Beit Lechem, the City of David, a different star is rising–one that portends Rachel’s “lamentation, weeping, and great mourning” rather than the Magi’s “exceeding great joy.”
A Widening War
What must Hamas leaders have been thinking? Last month they sent guerrillas through a secret tunnel from Gaza into Israel where they launched an attack, killing two Israeli soldiers and kidnapping a third, 19-year-old Cpl. Gilad Shalit. Since no civilians were targeted, this was not an act of terrorism. It was an act of war.
Abbas’ Victory: Until Jihad comes back?
As of mid Sunday, Western media networks were in awe as of the results of the Palestinian presidential election. Anchors and newswires projected a landslide result in favor of Mahmoud Abbas, the winner of the first post Arafat popular election within the Palestinian territories. Some outlets described the results –with 66 to 70% of the ballots won- as a “clear and overwhelming mandate from the Palestinian voters” to Abu Mazen.
Abu Khaled Toameh: Palestinians in Disarray Dimming Peace Push by Obama
This looks like the fulfillment of what Jonathan Schanzer of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies in Washington, DC has argued expressly would be a likely outcome both in his book, Hamas versus Fatah: the Struggle for Palestine and in his recent commentaries.
Annals of the Arab Spring: Al-Qaeda Launches from Egypt to Attack Israel
Tension is mounting as Israel comes to grips with the new reality of Islamist Egypt. On Thursday, a team of 15 to 20 armed al-Qaeda terrorists (members of the Palestinian Popular Committees, an al-Qaeda affiliate) snaked through tunnels from Gaza to Sinai. From there, they hiked 200 kilometers over land, either ignored or facilitated by Egyptian army forces.
Arabs vs. Iranians
Americans like to think big in foreign policy, so they yearn to settle the Israeli-Palestinian confrontation.
Are Two States a Solution?
Speaking to the annual conference of the American Israel Public Affairs Committee the other day, Vice President Joe Biden said: "Israel has to work toward a two-state solution."
Attitude Correction
Writing for Foreign Policy's Middle East Channel, Jonathan Guyer recently panned "P@lestinian Pulse: What Policymakers Can Learn from Palestinian Social Media," a study I co-authored with Mark Dubowitz of the Foundation for the Defense of Democracies. Guyer's review is wrong on several critical points, and necessitates corrections.
Bashing Israel
Visit Israel, listen to speakers who have served or are now serving in top positions in the Israeli Defense Force, and you quickly learn that Israelis are doing their best to cope with Palestinian terrorists while preserving their own decency, their own sense of humanity.
Beyond Bigotry
Israel is at war and were Israel to be defeated much of the world would not shed wet tears. What would happen after such a defeat? No one can seriously doubt that Hamas has genocidal intentions. Abdallah Jarbu, Hamas' Deputy Minister of Religion, recently asserted that Jews "want to present themselves to the world as if they have rights, but, in fact, they are foreign bacteria -- a microbe unparalleled in the world." Jarbu then offered this prayer: "May He annihilate this filthy people who have neither religion nor conscience."
Blind Support’ For What?
Michael Lerner and Cornel West claim they "dare" to question "America's almost blind support for Ariel Sharon's government." But that's a false premise -- from which they leap to an erroneous conclusion.
Blinded by Hate, Israel’s Enemies Will Never Relent
I've been reporting on the Arab-Israeli conflict for more than 42 years and I've just come to a horrifying but unavoidable conclusion: Nothing has changed - and probably nothing can change - Israel's enemies' fanatic refusal to accept her right to exist. It is simply too deeply ingrained in the psychology of the region.
Break It Off?
Forget about long-term perspective — most of the elite media is either blatantly dishonest or simply incapable of even short-term memory. At least that's the impression given by the coverage last Friday of ongoing Israeli Defense Force operations in Gaza to rescue kidnapped Corporal Gilad Shalit and stop the shelling of Israeli civilians by Qassam rockets (14 of which were fired that day, 13 falling on Israeli territory, including one in a schoolyard). The New York Times had Israeli troops “securing positions in northern Gaza”; the Washington Post described IDF tanks “push[ing] into populated areas”; the Los Angeles Times echoed, “Israel Presses Into Populated Gaza Areas”; the BBC World Service headline screamed “Israel tightens its grip on Gaza”…
Briefing: EU Funding of PA Terrorism
There have been persistent reports that the Palestinians have used foreign aid, in particular from the European Union (EU), to finance terrorism. The EU has provided the Palestinian Authority (PA) with €2 billion ($2.5 billion) since 1993 and it is the largest single contributor of direct budgetary assistance, giving €112 million ($142 million) between January 2003 and June 2004.
Building Palestinian Prosperity
The Palestinian cause has never been more marginalized than it is today. That was the message conveyed by Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in a recent meeting in Ramallah.
CAIR’s Well-Deserved Expulsion
A week ago, the FBI officially announced that it has cut ties with the Council on American-Islamic Relations.
Can We Give To Gaza Without Giving To Hamas?
If stuffing billions worth of aid into the Palestinian territories could end Islamist terrorism out of Gaza, it might be worth the money.
Careful Vetting’?
How could the U.S. government be funding Hamas’s university in Gaza? It’s the question that has been asked often since my front-page story in this paper earlier this month, from Capitol Hill to the State Department’s daily press briefing.
