Islamic World
Peace Treaty TroublesTuesday, September 6, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
With Turkish-Israel relations at a nadir, ties with Jordan practically on life support, the push for UN recognition of a Palestinian state, and the security threats stemming from Iran and its proxies, it's no wonder that Jerusalem has been considering taking exceptional steps to preserve its cold peace with Cairo.
Libya and the JewsWednesday, August 31, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
There are reasons for Jews to view the fall of Muammar Qaddafi with satisfaction: A bizarre and dangerous enemy of the West and Israel is on the verge of defeat, and the Libyan people may be on the threshold of freedom. But, as in Egypt, the second Arab Spring in Libya looks like a mixed blessing.
Who Speaks for Israeli Arabs?Wednesday, August 24, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Historians writing about Israel's 1948 fight for independence generally place heavy responsibility for the Palestinian Arab refugee problem on the Arab leaders who urged their people to flee Palestine temporarily until the Zionists were driven into the sea.
Israel and the AntipodesMonday, August 15, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
During the February 2011 earthquake in Christchurch, New Zealand, a boulder smashed into a car, killing 23-year-old Israeli Ofer Mizrahi. The death toll from that earthquake was 181, including two Israelis besides Mizrahi.
The New SinaiWednesday, August 10, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The Sinai Peninsula is known for its aura of stillness. But amid the timeless mountains and endless dunes, the great crossroad between Africa and Asia is more active today, and potentially more explosive, than at any time in history.
The Palestinian Mandela?Tuesday, August 9, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
To his Israeli backers, Fatah leader Marwan Barghouti is the "Palestinian [Nelson] Mandela." That image—of a principled, graying freedom fighter with the courage to move his people toward reconciliation—is promoted by political and cultural figures on the Israeli Left.
Hizballah in AmericaThursday, August 4, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Hizballah is a Shiite Muslim movement, Iranian-created and -funded, which strongarms Lebanon through threats and violence, assaults Israel with rockets obtained through Syria in contravention of UN resolutions, and is funded through massive criminal enterprises. And it has arrived in the Americas.
Minorities in the IDFWednesday, July 27, 2011 by Aryeh Tepper | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Recently, while driving by the Israeli settlement of Nokdim (where Avigdor Lieberman lives), I picked up a hitchhiking soldier. We started chatting, and I asked the soldier his name. "Mustafa," he said. "You're a Muslim?" I asked. "Yes," he answered, "from Haifa."
The State of the Arab StateTuesday, July 26, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
From the Mashriq to the Maghreb, one end of the Arab world to the other, people are contemplating where the six-month-long upheavals that began with the Arab Spring are fated to deliver them. Those with longer memories may recall an earlier experiment at reshaping the political contours of Arab governance.
The New Biblical ArcheologyMonday, July 25, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Every summer, the Israel Antiquities Authority holds a reception for foreign archeological teams excavating in Israel. This year's reception was attended by over 200 archeologists, who are investigating sites ranging in age from the Paleolithic through Islamic periods.
Editors' Picks
Translate Thy Enemy Jeremy Sharon, Jerusalem Post. A translation of the Talmud into Arabic seems motivated less by historical interest than by a desire to understand what is considered to be "the main source of Jewish iniquity."
Together We Stand Bernard-Henri Lévy, Haaretz. In the wake of the murders in Toulouse, all of France must stand united against anti-Semitism, which is an attack on the republican ideals which all of France holds dear.
French Al-Qaeda MEMRI. Muhammad Merah, who has confessed to perpetrating the murders in Toulouse, appears to be a member of Fursan al-'Izza, the French branch of Al-Qaeda, profiled here.
Europe's Rising Tide Anti-Defamation League. Classical anti-Semitic attitudes are not only widespread across Europe but have risen significantly since 2009 in traditionally more tolerant countries, such as Britain and France.
Nowruz Peres? Shimon Peres, YouTube. On the Iranian new year, Israel's president appealed to the Iranian people to oppose the bellicose ambitions of their government, and warned them of the consequences if they do not. (Video)
Proxy War Jonathan Schanzer, Foreign Policy. Although Israelis have come to expect rocket attacks from Gaza, this time the perpetrators are not Hamas agents but Iranian proxies. And however the conflict develops, Tehran will come out on top.
Hester Panim? Daniel Pipes, DanielPipes.org. Jerusalem in the Qur'an is a 142-page text—but Jerusalem is nowhere to be found in the Koran.
In Fayyad's Hands Alexander Joffe, Asaf Romirowsky, National Post. Salam Fayyad is both the primary vehicle for a future Palestinian state and its most effective symbol.
Chaos Theory Aymenn Jawad Al-Tamimi, Haaretz. Despite Israeli fears, the Arab Spring will not translate into hostile Islamic theocracies across the Middle East. Instead, the region's popular revolts will divide Israel's enemies.
Analyzing Iran's Attacks Anshel Pfeffer, Haaretz. This week's attacks by Iran's proxies on Israeli diplomats in India, Georgia, and Thailand have been strategically located in countries with which Israel is building diplomatic and military ties.