Michel Gurfinkiel

The Arabs before Islam

The rise of Islam should perhaps be read "in reverse"—not as a movement from the religious to the geopolitical, but rather from the geopolitical to the religious. Op-ed.

A century of chaos in Syria

From the Sykes-Picot Agreement to Abu Mohamed al-Julani’s Lightning Revolution. Op-ed.

The strange story of the Palestinian flag

Every flag has a history. And the story of the Palestinian Arab flag holds some surprises which just might make its bearers think twice. Op-ed.

From Sodom to Nineveh

It would be a terrible mistake to confuse compassion for the Gazans with mercy for Hamas and its ilk. True compassion dictates the eradication of the latter in order to salvage the former. Op-ed.

Israel is doing what needs to be done in Gaza

October 7 was criminal endeavor of such magnitude that only the complete dismantlement of Hamas is conceivable, whatever the cost.Op-ed.

Zemmour, Right or Left

Will Valérie Pécresse, the moderate conservative, challenge Macron in 2022? Will Eric Zemmour, the hardliner, endure? Opinion.

Bennett’s double gambit

Naftali Bennett destroyed Benjamin Netanyahu, or thinks he did. But he must destroy Lapid as well, in order to merely survive. Op-ed.

Israel, the longer view

In electoral terms, Israel is now emerging as the most conservative nation in the democratic world. Op-ed.