Israel & the Near East
The Osirak PrecedentThursday, June 23, 2011 by Aryeh Tepper | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In May 1981, eight Israeli fighter jets were on the runway waiting for the go-ahead to execute the most daring operation ever undertaken by the Israeli air force: flying more than 1,000 miles east over enemy territory to destroy Osirak, Iraq's nuclear reactor.
Is Israel’s Labor Party Finished?Tuesday, June 21, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
What has become of Israel's left-wing Labor Party some five months after its leader, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, abruptly defected to establish his breakaway Atzmaut (Independence) Knesset faction?
The Tourist’s DilemmaMonday, June 20, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
On the southwest coast of Albania on the Ionian Sea, opposite the Greek island of Corfu, beneath the modern town of Saranda, lies the ancient city of Onchesmos. That ancient city had a synagogue.
No Ford in Israel’s Future?Thursday, June 16, 2011 by Elliot Jager | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
With little fanfare, the Ford Foundation has initiated a phased withdrawal from its long, largely behind-the-scenes campaign to influence Israeli politics.
To Ransom or Not to Ransom?Friday, June 10, 2011 by Aryeh Tepper | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The PLO's first attack on Israel came when Mahmoud Hijazi and five other terrorists attempted to bomb a water-pump station in southern Israel. Once captured, Hijazi received the second death sentence ever handed down in Israel. Though his sentence was later overturned, the story was far from over.
The Forgotten FestivalMonday, June 6, 2011 by Michael Carasik | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
The holiday of Shavuot, which begins this year on Tuesday evening, is the orphan among Jewish holidays; it is the forgotten festival. Let me count the ways.
We Were the FutureThursday, June 2, 2011 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Few uniquely Israeli institutions have ever held the world's imagination like the kibbutz: a radical Jewish experiment in communal living, social justice, economic egalitarianism, and the reorganization of family life. Indeed, perhaps the most radical innovation of all was the "children's house" (beit y'ladim).
The Russian WaveThursday, May 26, 2011 by Yehudah Mirsky | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Since the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, some one million Jews have come to Israel from the former Soviet Union (FSU), enlarging the country's population by 25 percent and forming the largest concentration in the world of Russian Jews. They have left their mark in almost every walk of life. And yet, as a group, they are still something of a mystery.
No Springtime for Palestinians?Wednesday, May 25, 2011 by Sol Stern | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
In his May 19 speech celebrating the Arab Spring, President Obama expressed enthusiasm for the "movements for change" that have been unseating tyrants previously supported or tolerated by the United States. In language echoing that of his despised rival George W. Bush, he adopted as his own the idea of promoting democracy in the Middle East.
From the Four CornersTuesday, May 24, 2011 by Alex Joffe | Jewish Ideas Daily » Daily Features
Are most Jews white? The impression that this is so is partially the result of the calamitous and decimating events of the 20th century, in which the great centers of Europe were lost to Nazi genocide while those of the Middle East and North Africa were lost to Islam.
Editors' Picks
A Delicate Balance Oded Haklai, Jerusalem Post. Israel's Arabs are regarded as victims by the Left and a fifth column by the Right. In fact they play the system like any other group, and the state must allow them to do so.
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.
America, Israel, and the Future of Liberal Democracy Leon Wieseltier, Yuval Levin, Tikvah Fund. Israel has a very different political tradition from the United States, yet both countries' systems are showing signs of strain. Does liberal democracy have a future? (Video)
An Invitation to Progressives Toby Greene, Alan Johnson, New Statesman. Beyond the frankly boring "debate," there is a better and more interesting conversation about Israel to be had: about the conditions, forms, and above all, futures of Israel's young democracy.
Who's Surrendering to Whom? Amir Taheri, New York Post. Israel sees the Hamas-Fatah unity accord as a surrender to a movement dedicated to Israel's destruction. Iran sees the accord as a surrender to a group which recognizes Israel's right to exist. What's going on?
Inside Batsheva Deborah Friedes Galili, Dance Magazine. His dancers are known for fiercely expressive, electrifying performances. But what's it really like to be a part of Ohad Naharin's choreographic alchemy?
Warming to Israel Moshe Arens, Haaretz. With the advent of the Arab Spring, the press predicted that Israel would be alone on the world stage. But burgeoning relationships with the Netherlands, Canada, and the Obama administration suggest otherwise.
Allies in Azerbaijan Tim Judah, Jewish Chronicle. Sharing intelligence and trading defense hardware for oil, Israel has quietly built a strategic alliance with Azerbaijan, and thus joined Europe, Russia, Turkey, and Iran in the competition for the Caucasus.
On the Hatred of Haredim Gil Troy, New Republic. Contrary to media hype, Israel is not becoming an ultra-Orthodox theocracy. Rather, the recent violence is a reaction to increasing integration, and a symptom of the Haredi leadership losing its grip.
Extending an Olive Branch Benny Morris, National Interest. Wary of Turkey's increasing radicalism, Israel and Greek Cyprus are forging a new military alliance to protect their offshore gas fields, and to defend against the growing threat of militant Islam.