Faced with the decision whether to support Washington’s new policy toward Ukraine, Israel must choose between our identity and our security. (Photo: Wikimedia Commons) For the first time last week, before President Trump’s televised altercation with President Zelensky in the White House, the United States sided with Russia in opposing a UN resolution condemning Moscow…
This article reminds us, agonizingly, how little has changed in Israel’s struggle with Hamas and its Iranian enablers. Present circumstances nevertheless offer us the opportunity to fundamentally change this brutal reality. While working tirelessly to return every last of our hostages from Gaza, Israel must thoroughly eradicate Hamas as a military and political force and…
Following the Japanese surprise attack on Pearl Harbor and the killing of 2,400 Americans, President Franklin Roosevelt addressed Congress and, via radio, the nation. “December 7, 1941, a date which will live in infamy,” he began and immediately declared war on the aggressors. But then, FDR halted, and his voice dropped. “The enemy has not…
A diplomatic coup de main or more Trumpian madness? A strategic move like Trump’s threatened tariffs for Canada and Mexico—or a sincere proposal to take over a strip in the Middle East? Depending on who you ask, President Trump’s pronouncements on the Middle East, made in the presence of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu, could be described…
After the Casablanca Conference in 1943, the Allies—the United States, Britain, and the Soviet Union—committed to the “unconditional surrender” of Nazi Germany and Japan. That goal never changed. By contrast, the American policy toward this war has changed repeatedly. Initially supportive of Israel’s goal of destroying Hamas, it quickly morphed into “October 7 can never…
Critics of Israel’s conduct of the war, both left-wing and right, have pointed out its many failures. After nearly a year and a half of intense combat, Hamas continues to control significant parts of Gaza, Hezbollah is far from defeated, and pro-Iranian militias in Syria, Iraq, and Yemen remain unbowed. Iran, moreover, the widely-crowned head…
Outgoing President Joe Biden has described the hostage deal as a great diplomatic achievement. President-elect Donald Trump has called the deal “epic.” Iran is hailing it as a historic victory over the evil Zionists. In Gaza, Hamas terrorists and their supporters are triumphantly parading and firing their guns in the air. Ironically, the only people…
Israel is on the brink of striking a deal with Hamas. After more than a year of on-and-off negotiations, hours ago came the news that Hamas’s military leader, Mohammed Sinwar, had approved the agreement. The deal is complicated and is structured in three phases over a 42-day period. In the first phase, which can begin…
Among many other time-tested attributes, the Jewish people have a long memory. Aid us in the manner of the ancient Persian King Cyrus, and we will remember you forever fondly. Cross us as Seleucid King Antiochus IV did, and we will curse you every Hanukkah. Our talent for remembering is particularly salient today after the…
Though many of the most famous Christmas songs—”White Christmas,” “Silver Bells,” and “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” to name just a few—were written by Jews, Yuletide was never a very bright time for Jews. In contrast to my college roommate who decorated his Christmas trees with dreidels, the vast majority of Jews regard December 25 with…
