Dear Clarity Reader, Normally I share written analysis with you here on Clarity. But with the latest developments around the peace deal—and after a comprehensive conversation I recently had on MSNBC’s Morning Joe—I thought it would be valuable to share the interview directly with you. You can watch the full video or, if you prefer,…

Wars are usually won on the battlefield, not around the negotiating table. But that is precisely what is likely to happen this week in talks between the US, Israel, and Hamas. Seldom does the outcome of a war depend on a few days of diplomacy. Wars are usually won on the battlefield, not around the…

What the Book of Jonah can teach us about grappling with this moment. Cities around the world have mascots. London and Jerusalem have a lion and Berlin has a bear. Baltimore’s mascot is an oriole or raven, depending on which team you’re rooting for. I am grateful to live in the State of Israel, and…

What the Witkoff Trump and the Huckabee Trump tell us about the President’s view on Israel. I’m often asked in Israeli news interviews about President Donald Trump’s worldview, interests, and plans. Unfortunately, the president does not call me daily to share his intentions. Nevertheless, even without that phone call, it is possible to understand the…

After two years of bitter war in Gaza we can look back at the words of Moshe Dayan from 1956 not as merely prescient, but indeed as prophetic. Portentously, less than a month before October 7th Clarity published its first article–about Moshe Dayan’s 1956 eulogy for Roi Rotberg and Israel’s perennial war with Gaza. The…

The connection between the horrific events of 9/11 and our own trauma of October 7. Last year, I published an article in the Israeli news site YNET on the anniversary of the 9/11 attacks. I stressed the connection between that horrific event and our own trauma of October 7. My thoughts, I believe, bear repeating—albeit…

We must not repeat past mistakes. The next three years offer historic opportunities to reinforce Israel’s security. Many milestones, painful and triumphant, mark the 700th day of this war. Among the more disconcerting, though, were the recent calls by U.S. Democratic leaders for the suspension of American military aid to Israel. Those backing the boycott included former…

The single issue that unites most of Israeli society and will influence the next Israeli election. Amid the rising number of our soldiers who have fallen, the unbearable suffering of the hostages and their families, the endless international condemnations, and bitter divisions within Israeli society, it’s difficult to find positive aspects of almost 700 days of war.…

My ani ma’amin—about the connection between creativity and limitations, between freedom and law I am committed, as always, to bringing you the most up-to-date and clear-eyed insights into the fateful issues facing Israel and the Jewish people today. Occasionally, though, I’d like to invite you to step outside our current challenges and join me in…

There is no cost-free way to bring this war to an end. In English, one says that a leader or a government has “climbed up a ladder” while in Israel the expression is “climbs up a tree.” Either way—a ladder or a tree—Israel’s government and its leader have ascended very high. Ever since Prime Minister…