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MainOpEds  The suffering of Gaza's populationVery little has been written about the reign of terror Hamas has inflicted on the people of Gaza. The Gaza imbroglioFor every reason given to eliminate the Hamas-run government in Gaza, there is a reason that shows it is not such a good idea. "Deal of the century" or a plan doomed to failure?The Americans are working on a "peace plan" based on the way Americans, not Middle Eastern people, think. And Iranian Minister Zarif's resignation may be a sign of coming Iranian collapse. Saudi acceptance of the "Other" - a change?Islam could have created an alternative to tribal culture, but instead, added another barrier to relations with the rest of the world. Has insular Saudi Arabia opened up to the Vatican - and Israel? The latest Palestinian lie – "We are all Mary"The Palestinian Arabs have appropriated the symbol of Mary, mother of Jesus, for their own anti-Israel ends. The US-Taliban peace agreementObama\s advisors' refusal to try to understand why Afghanistan remained dysfunctional after years of US efforts, is the reason the US is now signing an agreement with the reborn Taliban it destroyed 17 years ago. The Palestinian Civil WarAn article on a pro-Hamas site by a Mr. Ra'afat Mara is brought in translation. Mara expresses in print what Hamas members think of Abbas and the Palestinian Authority he chairs. The Turks are coming – to SyriaArab hatred of Turkey is so extreme that the last thing the Arab states wish to see is the return of the Ottoman Empire whose police tortured and killed them without mercy. This can and should lead to strange alliances. The American Exodus from SyriaIsrael would, of course, much prefer that the American forces remain in Syria, but their pullout is far from a tragedy and even provides a window of opportunity. Islamist migrantsIslamist thinkers see emigration as an opportunity to conquer the places in which they choose to live and turn them into Islamic states. The mole inside the Hezbollah tunnelHow did Israel gain the intelligence information it needed to discover and booby-trap Hezbollah's tunnel and what does that mean for the future? Khashoggi's revengeKhashoggi's death may have set the wheels in motion for a major upheaval in the House of Saud. War, deterrence and capitulating to terrorIsraeli military doctrine considers deterrence preferable to war, but the state has not attained the necessary conditions for it to work, and has capitulated to terror instead. Guardian of the GulfFor the Gulf States and the Saudis, a common threat means that Israel is becoming part of the solution instead of playing its old role as the core of the problem. A rude awakening for the Palestinian dreamThe invented national ethos of the Palestinian Authority is about to collapse, now that the PA has cancelled the two agreements that allow its tottering government to survive. Peace with Jordan – stop panickingSince the publication of the King’s decision not to renew leases renting Jordanian property to Israel, utter hysteria has overcome the Israeli media and the voices of both broadcasters and those they interview are laced with panic. The PLO-Hamas divorce is finalGaza's culture is Bedouin, while that of Arabs in Judea and Samaria is that of farmers and city dwellers. That is only one of the reasons the two areas don't mesh. The American government confronts the PA house of cardsIt seems that the proverbial penny has dropped in Washington and the US government has begun behaving rationally with regard to the delusionary Palestinian State. There's a war going on out thereThree wars, at the very least, are raging in the Middle East, and Israel will get fallout from all of them. Fatah and Hamas: Reconciliation or divorce?There are manifold reasons that make it so difficult to effect a compromise between the two movements and they involve every aspect of Palestinian Arab life. They do agree on Israel. Are Turkey and the USA on a collision course? Not necessarilyWhere are we headed? The Brunson crisis has gone on for several weeks – does Erdogan really think Trump will concede? Scenarios for a US-Iran detenteThere are two possible scenarios for what is going to transpire between the US and the Ayatollahs, one positive and the other disastrous. The Iranian crown prince's speech- part IICrown Prince Reza Pahlevi II is trying hard to retake his father's throne. The Iranian crown prince's speechSomething is rotten in the land of Iran and maybe, just maybe, it is beginning to reach the point where people are wiling to sacrifice to replace the current theocracy with secularism. For these I weepThe oft-quoted verse from Lamentations 1:16, read on eve of the 9th of Av fast, is as apt today as it was when the Prophet Jeremiah said it while mourning the destroyed first Holy Temple. The end of the democratic dreamAn Arab online newspaper asked its readers: "Do you believe equitable democracy can exist in Arab states?" An overwhelming said no. Israeli Arabs: Aspirations vs. realityThe situation prevailing among the Arab citizens of Israel is as complex and complicated as their affiliations are. Why are the Gazans setting Israel on fire?Why do the Gazans want to burn down the Jewish State? Why are they investing their money in destruction instead of construction? Between Kim and Qom: Iran and North KoreaThe Trump-Kim summit raises more questions than it has yet been able to answer. And the Iranians await those answers with bated breath because a very short rope connects Tehran to North Korea. Mired in delusionsStill trying to achieve impossible unity and swayed by Islamic interpretations of reality, the Arab world has made little progress since 1967.Iranian blood money, Palestinian bloodWhy is Gaza erupting now, aiming rockets far from the area where it tried to kidnap soldiers and break through the fence? Hamas fears the Emirate Plan is becoming a realityA Hamas website article attempts to predict the future of the Palestinian Arabs after Abbas and warns of the growing possibility of the Emirate Plan coming to pass. Hamas: Fight to the last GazanHamas has betrayed the residents of Gaza. Instead of an Islamic regime, it has built one based on fear. Instead of hope, it has brought despair. Is Jordan about to fall apart?Is Jordan the next destination for the "Arab Spring?" Demonstrations against the king have reached new levels.Are there Arabs who like Israel? The answer is a resounding yesSome are willing to talk in public, most are afraid to be identified, but a growing number of Arabs and Muslims see Israel as a country to be admired. Israel's egregious security policiesIt is absolutely crucial that Israel change the message it is sending out to its foes in the three arenas endangering the Jewish State. The Prime Minister's SpeechAmong those listening carefully to Netanyahu, were not a few Arab media personalities. What interested them and the way they saw the historic speech are not at all the same as the rest of the audience's reactions. Why do the Arabs hate the Palestinians so?The Arab world, for many reasons, is not at all interested in giving the Palestinian Arabs a state. The Palestinian Arabs don't really want one either, because why kill the "refugee" goose that lays the golden eggs? Hamas: Full steam ahead to nowhereHamas, an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, was supposed to create an alternative religious nationalist ethos in contrast to the secular nationalism led by various Arab organizations. It failed abysmally to do so. The solution to the Iranian problem lies in setting a brush fireThe drone over Israel was the harbinger of more to come and there is only one way out of it. Religion and politics in the feud between Saudi Arabia and QatarAre the strained relations between Qatar, Iran and Turkey on one side and the Saudis, Bahrain, the Emirates and Egypt on the other leading to head-on war? Middle East regressionTurkey and Egypt are reversing direction, one trying to bring back the Ottoman Empire and the other solidifying a despotic dictatorship. The speech in which Abbas dug his own graveWhile wishing the POTUS' "house be destroyed" in traditional Arab fashion, Abbas may have destroyed his own house, the Palestinian Arab one built of cards. The Obama RiotsObama bears the real responsibility for bringing Iranians out into the streets, but where is iran heading? Analysis. The life and death of an organizationOrganizational theory sheds light on the Middle East, its nations and the various pro and anti-Israel forces it is home to. Opinion. Tsunami in the Arab worldOne interview in which I told the truth to Arab viewers in their own language has caused a veritable tsunami on the Arab street. Trump, Jerusalem, Arabs, MuslimsIs Trump aware of the Arafat-inspired mantra that calls for "a million shaheeds to march on Jerusalem"? 20 reasons why every foreign embassy should move to JerusalemTelling the world what it should have realized a long time ago. Hell on earthHow does one explain Muslim apathy evinced towards mass murder in the Middle East, whether it is perpetrated by the followers of Islam or by world powers? The Ten Commandments for Israeli negotiations with Saudi ArabiaA guide to the immutable principles upon which Israel must base its negotiating strategy vis-à-vis the Saudis and any other Arab nations who wish to live in peace with the Jewish State. The Arab Sunni world: Complete and utter chaosThe only conclusion Israel must reach from the sad state of affairs in the Arab Sunni world is as clear as the sunshine in an arid desert. Is the Arab world beginning to see reason?The United Arab Emirates consider fighting the terror organizations spawned by the Muslim Brotherhood as a crucial mission. Depressing conclusions to be drawn from the sad story of the KurdsWhat happened to Kurdish dreams of independence is a warning signal of what could happen to an Israel which relies on the world. What next, once ISIS falls?What is coming next, after the imminent defeat of ISIS? Another Jordanian knife in Israel's backPeace with Jordan? More like the quiet before the storm. Tension over KurdistanThe referendum is highly important for both sides, those for and those against. |
