Amb. (ret.) Yoram Ettinger

US policy on Iran: Realpolitik or alternatepolitik?

Western policy makers must focus on Iran’s pursuit of nuclear power, but also keep in mind that Iran’s conventional and ballistic power is a chief catalyst of global wars and terrorism. Opinion.

The Ayatollah Regime – a clear and present threat to the US

All you have to do is read the assessment by the Homeland Security Department, echoed by the FBI and the March 2025 Annual Threat Assessment by the Director of National Intelligence. Op-ed.

Did you know...?

Little known facts about Passover

Passover, the "holiday of freedom", is also the "holiday of Spring" in the Torah - and is "the Spring of the entire world" in the words of Rav Avraham Yitschak HaCohen Hook, Israel's first chief rabbi and founder of Merkaz HaRav Yeshiva in Jerusalem.

2025 artificially inflated Palestinian demography

Jewish births were 76% of births in Israel in 2024, as opposed to 69% in 1995, this despite a decrease in haredi births, meaning that it is due to the rest of the Jewish population. That is something you rarely, if ever, hear.

President Trump, beware of Middle East reality

Ending wars and terrorism is a noble aspiration but is up against intra-Arab violence, needed regime change in Iran, fanatic religious beliefs and the difference between the Arab talk and the Arab walk. Opinion.

Beware the Muslim Brotherhood

Syria's al-Jolani is a Muslim Brotherhood follower. And the West has not internalized the chasm yawning in front of it. Opinion.

President Trump – Beware of HTS and the Moslem Brotherhood

Contrary to some Western policy makers, journalists and academics, the pro-US Arab leaders do not take HTS’ moderate statements at face value. They know who they are dealing with. Opinion.

Thanksgiving reaffirms the unique US-Israel kinship

Governor Bradford announced the celebration of Thanksgiving – proclaiming appreciation for the first harvest in “the New Israel” – by citing Psalm 107.

Israel’s war on Hezbollah enhances US homeland security

US foreign aid to Israel is a two-way street, with Israel providing the US with a wide range of security benefits it can obtain nowhere else - US aid to Israel is a secure investment yielding high returns. Opinion.

Israel-Hamas misperceptions

The West simply does not understand the Middle East, as the points below show. Opinion.

Iran’s Ayatollahs bully the US

The are doing that by destabilizing Saudi Arabia which is already frustrated by the US State Department's attitude towards Iran. Opinion.

Israel and the November 2024 Congressional election

The impact of the November 2024 Congressional election will be measured by the resulting clout of the "Progressive Democrats," who currently number 96 – out of 212 Democrats - in the House of Representatives and 1 – out of 51 Democrats - in the Senate. Op-ed.

Iran and Hezbollah plan to assault the US mainland

Iran’s Ayatollahs and their Hezbollah proxy consider Latin America as the soft underbelly of "The Great American Satan" and have made political, technological and military alliances in Bolivia, Cuba, Nicaragua and Venezuela.. Op-ed.

Palestinian Arab vs. Saudi education - ignored by Foggy Bottom

Both the UAE and the Saudis have toned down their educational messages about Israel, while the PA has only made them worse. The State Dept doesn't seem to care. Op-ed.

Can Israel afford NOT to defy State Department pressure?

There are many examples of ill-advised State Department pressure on Israel in the past. US pressure during this war is just as bad. Opinion.

Western conventional wisdom repudiated by Middle East reality

The biggest error: WCW assumes that “money talks,” ignoring the supremacy of Islamic ideologies over financial inducements. And there is more. Op-ed

US-Israel vs. Iran: acumen

The State Department aims to impose on Israel its own alternate reality, ignoring the volcanic, violently unpredictable Middle East reality. Op-ed.

The Abolitionist Movement inspired by Passover

The legacy of Moses and the Exodus in the Abolitionist anti-slavery movement. Followed by Passover Guide for the Perplexed.

FBI Director Chris Wray predicts Iranian terrorism on US soil

There is a direct connection between the US homeland security, on the one hand, and Iran’s Ayatollahs’ anti-US fanatic and imperialistic ideology, as can be seen in the multiple ways described below. Op-ed.

2024 demographic reality sets the record straight

Demographic reality contradicts conventional wisdom and unaudited fitures..In 2024, in contrast to conventional demographic wisdom, Israel’s Jewish majority in the combined areas of Judea and Samaria (the 'West Bank') and the pre-1967 Israel is not threatened by a potential “Arab demographic time bomb.” Op-ed.

Hezbollah is trying to plant seeds in the USA

FBI Director Wray, who knows Middle East reality, is well aware of the Ayatollahs’ and Hezbollahs’ growing entrenchment in Mexico, along the US-Mexico border and throughout Latin America. And that's not all. Opinion.

Conventional Western wisdom vs. Middle East reality

The attempt to subordinate Middle East reality to Western conventional wisdom, was compared by Prof. Elie Kedourie – a leading historian of the Middle East – to trying to make water run uphill. Op-ed.

Middle East reality defies US Middle East policies

The State Department has downplayed the Palestinian Arab track record and ideology, egregiously basing its policy on subjective and speculative future scenarios and diplomatic Palestinian Arab statements. Op-ed.

A vote of confidence in Israel’s economy despite war

Intel, the semiconductor giant, confirmed a $25 billion investment in Israel, leveraging Israel’s brain power, which has enhanced Intel’s competitiveness in the global market. And that's for starters. Op-ed.

Israel-Hamas war: a US wake up call!

Islamists consider Israel a US geo-strategic beachhead in the Middle East that must be uprooted as they defeat the Western “infidel.” Op-ed.

Demographic optimism IN, demographic pessimism OUT

The growth of Jewish fertility reflects a high level of patriotism, optimism, attachment to roots and more. Op-ed.

Sukkot (Tabernacles) Guide for the Perplexed,

A primer for understanding the hoiday that begins Friday night this year and ends a week later.

President Biden meets/pressures Prime Minister Netanyahu

Principle-driven defiance of US pressure is critical to Israel’s posture of deterrence. It is easy to find examples of that truth. Op-ed.

The 1993 Oslo Accord dismissed the writing on the wall

The Oslo Accord assessed the Palestinian Arab issue via Western lenses, sacrificing Mid-East reality on the altar of wishful thinking.Op-ed.

Israel is a mega-billion-dollar laboratory for the US

The annual $3.8bn extended to Israel (to purchase US military systems) does not constitute “foreign aid.” It is a US investment. Op-ed.

An Israeli-Saudi accord requires US realism

The tenuous nature of rulers is attested to by “the Arab Tsunami” (not “the Arab Spring”), which has traumatized Arabs since 2010, Op-ed.

Israel’s economic growth in defiance of grave odds

The volume and density of innovation has made Israel a mandatory destination for all leading investors. Op--ed.

Iran’s Ayatollahs poke the US in the eye

The threat posed to the US by Iran’s Ayatollahs extends to Latin America up to the US-Mexico border. Not only Israel is endangered. Op-ed.

Op-ed:

US-Israel relations: deterioration or enhancement?

Contrary to conventional wisdom, the US does not extend foreign aid to Israel, but makes an annual profitable investment in Israel. Op-ed.

Prime Minister Shamir’s principle driven leadership

Shamir was guided by principles, values and history-steered vision/ideology, not by pollsters and public opinion consultants. Op-ed.

Shavuot (Pentecost) guide for the perplexed, 2023

Learn the significance of the holiday and its names, about the number 7 in Judaism as well as the number 50 and more.

Op-Ed

Is Pres. Biden familiar with Israel's proposed judicial reform?

Presdent Biden seems to be using the reform to intensify pressure on Israel, irrespective of its content. Op-ed.

2023 demographic update: no Arab demographic time bomb

Protestors take note. Israel’s thriving demography provides for bolstered security, economy, technology and a confident foreign policy.Op-ed

US-sponsored anti-Israel UN Security Council statement acumen

The anti-Israel State Dept.'s worldview is center stage again, but it not only undermines Israel, it does so to the US as well. Op-ed.

Israel's 2023 key national security challenge

This may apply to other Western democracies. Op-ed.

Israel-Saudi Arabia and the Palestinian issue

The Saudis have much to gain from peace with Israel and nothing to gain from championing the Palestinian Arabs Will logic win out? Op-ed.

Western conventional wisdom vs. Middle East reality

Western conventional wisdom pressures Israel to sacrifice Middle East reality on the altar of wishful-thinking and oversimplification.Op-ed.

Pre-Hanukkah Guide to the Perplexed

"We have not occupied a foreign land…. We have liberated the land of our forefathers from foreign occupation (Book of Maccabees A: 15:33)."

Thanksgiving reaffirms the 400-year-old US-Israel nexus

William Bradford, leader of the "Mayflower", interacted with the Jewish community in England and saw his voyage as another Exodus. Op-ed.

Op-ed:

The State Department's systematic failure in the Middle East

State Department policy has fueled Middle East violence, generating tailwinds to rogue entities and headwinds to the US and its Arab allies.

US guarantees of the Israel-Lebanon accord: lasting or a mirage?

All US guarantees ensure the interests of the guarantor. not the guaranteed Israel is repeating past mistakes. Op-ed.

Israel-Lebanon maritime accord vs. Israel-Arab peace treaties

Western conventional wisdom trumped Middle East reality, sacrificing long-term security on the altar of short-term gratification. Op-ed.

Iran's school curriculum exposes diplomatic option failure

The school curriculum of Iran's Ayatollahs provides a roadmap for an apocalyptic commitment to a global, anti-US Islamic revolution. Op-ed.

President Biden's July Middle East visit – nuts and bolts

Biden may attempt to impose upon Israel a quid-pro-quo, consistent with the State Dept's "Palestine Firsters," of Israeli concessions.Op-ed.

Iran's Constitution exposes the Ayatollahs' threats

Iran's apocalyptic regime –since seizing power in 1979 –is driven by a fanatic, megalomaniacal vision. Israelis and Americans, beware.Op-ed

Iran's Ayatollahs in the US' own backyard

The 40 year entrenchment of Iran in Latin America brought Shite terrorism, drugs and ballistic technology close to the US mainland. Op-ed.

2022: A vastly inflated Palestinian demography

Don’t believe the hype, the numbers are on the Jews’ side. Report.

Palestinian Arab school curriculum - peaceful coexistence?

Since 1993, the Palestinian Arab school curriculum is the most effective production line of Palestinian Arab terrorists. See below. Op-ed.

Purim Guide for the Perplexed 2022

Facts and anecdotes about the Purim festival this week. Although joyous, Purim also reminds Jews of their vulnerability-and G-d's salvation.

The Russian invasion: a wake-up call for Israel and the West

Irrespective of the final outcome, the Russian invasion of Ukraine serves as a wake-up call for Israeli and Western policy-makers. Op-ed.

Expose: Iran's anti-US operations in Africa

Africa – the second largest continent with over 1.2 billion people - has become a major global epicenter of anti-US Islamic terrorism.Op-ed.

HIstorical milestones shape Ayatollahs' attitude to coexistence

1400 years of violent history are part of school curriculae in Iran, so getting our hopes up is not a good idea. Op-ed.

Iran's Ayatollahs – the epicenter of global anti-US terrorism

US citizens are unaware of the Ayatollahs' anti-US strategy. Assuming they are good-faith negotiators is a self-destruct oxymoron.Op-ed

Learning from mistakes on Iran? Not the US

Is US policy on Iran repeating or avoiding past errors? US neogtiators seem trapped in the failed policy that let Khoneini take over. Op-ed.

Iran's Ayatollahs' war on women

In Iran, thousands of women are prosecuted for having a 'loose' hijab. A woman’s testimony is one-half that of a man’s as is her life.Op-ed.