Israelis no longer seem particularly excited by the prospect of normalization with their Arab neighbors. After all, relations with Egypt and Jordan remain cold after years of peace. Indeed, as we now mark the 15th anniversary of the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace agreement, relations between the two countries are probably at their coldest ever.Read More
Justice Richard Goldstone and the three other members of a panel commissioned by the United Nations Human Rights Council want Israel to investigate all the war crimes they attribute to its military operation in Gaza last winter. Otherwise, Goldstone threatens, a global court that tries such cases should judge Israel for war crimes and possible crimes against humanity. Goldstone acknowledges that the Israeli military has been looking at a number of allegations of war crimes by its personnel in Gaza. But he belittles these proceedings as grossly inadequate because the Israeli armed forces are not incriminating themselves in accordance with his standards.Read More
As the Obama administration leads America out of Iraq, mayhem may be galloping in. The American public, however, does not seem perturbed: Afghanistan is now the controversial conflict du jour.Read More
Some key players have been saying that an Israeli-Palestinian peace accord is achievable in the near future. Our columnist Yossi Alpher begs to differ. “Ratcheting up expectations with no basis in on-the-ground realities could quickly generate not hope but anger, frustration and violence,” he writes.Read More
As the Obama administration contemplates what is required to end the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it had best take into account that reaching an agreement between the parties may not turn out to be the most difficult part. Indeed, it will almost certainly be easier for an Israeli government — any government, left or right — to negotiate a two-state agreement with the Palestinians than it will be to physically remove the 80,000 or so settlers who would have to be relocated in order to implement any agreement.Read More