Julie Bishop’s stance on the legality of Israeli settlements might be right

http://www.canberratimes.com.au/comment/julie-bishops-stance-on-the-legality-of-israeli-settlements-might-be-right-20140202-31v2j.html Julie Bishop had some sensible things to say in Jerusalem, as she broke ranks from a cosy, normally unexamined international consensus: the idea that, by permitting Jewish residence in the West Bank, Israel is...

No Time to Spare: Talking about Israel’s Legal Grounds

http://www.frontpagemag.com/2014/arlene-kushner/no-time-to-spare-talking-about-israels-legal-grounds/ If the Israeli building in Judea and Samaria destroys the peace process, then, Lars Faaborg-Andersen, the EU ambassador to Israel, declared just days ago, “Naturally, the blame will be put squarely on Israel’s doorstep.” Naturally:...

Saudi Arabia, Iran, and the “Clash within a Civilization”

http://csis.org/publication/saudi-arabia-iran-and-clash-within-civilization No one has ever been able to travel to the Gulf without discovering just how different the perspectives and values of the West and the Middle East can be. During the last two...

Israel mustn’t give up its security valley

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4482912,00.html The security border for the defense of the State of Israel will be set in the Jordan Valley , in the broadest meaning of that term." This statement was made by late Prime Minister Yitzhak...

Chemical Weapons Fiasco Highlights Washington’s Lack of Options in Syria

http://www.the-american-interest.com/blog/2014/01/31/chemical-weapons-fiasco-highlights-washingtons-lack-of-options-in-syria/ “American diplomacy, backed by the threat of force,” President Obama claimed to scattered applause during the State of the Union address on Tuesday, “is why Syria’s chemical weapons are being eliminated.” This month, two...

Palestine’s Peace Bomb

http://www.foreignpolicy.com/articles/2014/01/31/palestine_israel_peace_bomb_demographics One of the key arguments of Israel's "peace camp" is that, without a two-state solution, the state faces a "demographic time-bomb." The contention is that perpetuating Israeli control over the growing Arab population of...

Sodastream is a factory, not a settlement

http://yaacovlozowick.blogspot.co.il/2014/01/sodastream-is-factory-not-settlement.html I had an e-mail exchange this week with a fellow who really really doesn't like us. On the topic of that Sodastream factory in Mishor Adumim, he informed me that the Palestinian workers there...

Palestinian workers back Scarlett Johansson’s opposition to SodaStream boycott (+video)

http://www.csmonitor.com/World/Security-Watch/2014/0130/Palestinian-workers-back-Scarlett-Johansson-s-opposition-to-SodaStream-boycott-video The Jewish actress's promotion of the company in a Superbowl ad has propelled an international campaign to boycott the home sodamaker and today forced the actress to step down as a global ambassador for...

Palestinians denounce ‘financial blackmail’

http://www.aljazeera.com/indepth/features/2014/01/palestinians-denounce-financial-blackmail-2014129131614744621.html ? Hebron, Occupied West Bank - Palestinian leaders have reacted angrily to what they see as a veiled threat by the European Union over the dispersal of financial aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA)...

Mabrouk to Abbas on Tenth Year of His Four Year Term!

http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4141/abbas-term-of-office Kerry does not seem to care whether Abbas is a "rightful" president or not. He is so desperate for a diplomatic achievement that he is prepared to ignore fundamental facts. How exactly does Abbas...