A new report claims that Special Envoy George Mitchell delivered to the Palestinian Authority the U.S. peace plan, which includes a deal that would swap Israeli land for the large Jewish settlement blocs in the West Bank. The plan resembles policy advocated by Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who urges the annexation of Arab land in northern Israel […]
Not about Lebanon, but regionally relevant and interesting: From Stratfor By George Friedman June 8, 2009 Amid the rhetoric of U.S. President Barack Obama’s speech June 4 in Cairo, there was one substantial indication of change, not in the U.S. relationship to the Islamic world but in the U.S. relationship to Israel. This shift actually […]
Two days have passed since Lebanon’s parliamentary elections, and everything is still all quiet on the Middle Eastern front. The Western-backed March 14 coalition retained a majority in Lebanon’s 128 seat parliament. Both Hizballah and its Shia ally Amal had strong showings in their districts, but it was not enough to put its March 8 […]
Former Israeli Ambassador to the U.N. Dore Gold’s latest piece for the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs explores historical legislation governing settlements and questions whether settlement growth, including natural, really remains the crux of disagreements between the United States and Israel. He asserts that due to the small amount of land occupied by settlements, the […]
A new INSS report from Avner Cohen discusses the need for the Knesset to enact legislation admitting to an Israeli nuclear program that resulted in nuclear weapons capabilities. Even though the international community largely accepts that Israel already developed nuclear weapons, Israel refuses to confirm nor deny the claim. Instead, the country prefers a policy […]
The Washington Post President Barack Obama to permit “natural growth” in settlements, the generally left-wing newspaper wrote in an editorial today. The Obama administration recently called for an end to all settlement activity, but Israeli Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu insists on maintaining natural growth in existing settlements. The newspaper asserts that Obama can accept the […]
See a post from FPA Global Films blogger Sean Patrick Murphy on a 2004 movie regarding the Gaza Strip. The footage was taken prior to the Hamas coup on the Gaza Strip following the IDF pullout and seems to show how Hamas handily won the 2006 elections while maintaining support in the Strip. From the […]
In the wake of President Barack Obama’s “groundbrealking” speech in Cairo about a new U.S. posture towards the Middle East, pundits, activists, and politicians alike provided mixed reviews either heralding the speech as a “home run” or condemning it for bias. The Palestinian leadership lauded the speech as a “good start”; the Israeli government released […]
An independent authority should govern Jerusalem in a two-state solution peace plan, according to a panel of analysts at the Center for American Progress yesterday. The Jerusalem Old City Initiative, created over the past few years at the University of Windsor and previously pitched to various government officials and experts, would ensure that both Israel […]
The State of Israel is the fourth most non-peaceful country, dropping one rank from last year due to Operation Cast Lead in Gaza, according to the 2009 Global Peace Index. The new study makes Israel more dangerous than Pakistan, Lebanon, and even Sudan. The only countries ranking lower on the peace index are Iraq, Afghanistan, […]
Middle East Progress, a division of the left-leaning think tank Center for American Progress founded by staffers from the Clinton White, hosts a forum on the future of Jerusalem tomorrow from 1pm-230pm. Watch the live webcast here that’s sure to be informative as the news cycle remains dominated by the potential rift between the Obama […]
President Barack Obama expressed the need for the United States to “follow through” on any mandates it imposes on Israel, he said in an interview with National Public Radio. Even though Obama remained vague, the current administration repeatedly expressed opposition to the expansion of settlements of any kind as the Israeli government attempts to find […]
The Israeli government will continue assessing its response to an attack on the entire country tomorrow at 11AM, with sirens blasting and local officials assessing the effectiveness of plans. The air-raid sirens mark the middle of a 5-day exercise that simulates an assault on Israel from all sides. On Sunday, the ministers participated in a […]
Israel remains plagued by the global economic crisis even though the Israeli Shekel continues to strengthen against the U.S. Dollar. In April, unemployment rose 3-percent to make the unemployment rate 7.6-percent of the workforce. The total number of Israelis declaring unemployment reached 235,600, although holidays in April probably stymied the loss which will likely skyrocket […]
Hizballah has reportedly been meeting with IMF officials before the June 7 polls to make sure that Lebanon will continue receive IMF support in the event of a Hizballah win. IMF officials have confirmed the report. The Hizballah-led opposition (to the Western-backed March 14 coalition) is considered by many to be favored in their effort […]