Today the Prime Minister of Israel did something heads of state don’t normally do. He roared at an ambassador in his office. He told American Ambassador Dan Shapiro that “time has run out.” Specifically the time to talk Iran out of making enough weapons-grade uranium for one or more bombs is now past.
Tag Archives: Israel
Israel, Iran, Egypt: A Complex Problem
The leaders of Israel must soon make a judgment. The survival of the country, and the lives of its people, are on the line. But they have no obvious choice, if they ever had. The strategic problem is more complex by far than the tactical problem.
Middle East regional war more likely
The Middle East could soon see a repeat of the Six-Day War of 1967. Egypt seems to want a rematch. Syria might like a rematch, but their civil war preoccupies them—for now. Iran now threatens anyone and everyone. Israel is getting ready to protect its people, and to fight.
Israel readies civilians for war
Will Israel attack Iran before the US 2012 election? The people of Israel do not agree on whether they should. But they seem to think that war will come, and they’re getting ready for it.
Strait of Hormuz to close?
Officials from Iran threatened the world with another oil shock over the weekend. A ranking general said that he had plans in place to close the Strait of Hormuz. The Majlis, or parliament, is debating a bill to do just that. But the Arab countries in the Persian Gulf region are looking for ways to bypass the Strait of Hormuz. And the US Navy has its own plans to keep the Strait open.
Levy Report helps settlements in Israel
This week saw the first report about the Levy Report on settlements in Judea and Samaria, a/k/a “The West Bank.” The Levy Report made clear: Jewish settlements in that region are perfectly legal and do not break either international or Israeli law. American officials don’t want the government of Israel to accept that report, much less act on it. They have no more chance of stopping them than King Canute had of stopping the tide.
Netanyahu forms coalition government
Yesterday, Benjamin Netanyahu formed a coalition government. This lets him avoid early elections, remove nettlesome distractions, and prepare for war.
Israel, Iran, energy, and war fever
Israel is now getting ready, not only to act against Iran, but also to fend off Iran’s friends. History, especially of the Holocaust, drives them more than anything else. But the Egyptians might have brought matters to a head without thinking, when they canceled an energy deal with Israel.
Resurrection Sunday
Today we celebrate the greatest gift that humankind has ever received: the Resurrection of Jesus Christ. To understand that is to recognize the high stakes of man’s relationship with God.
Settlements in Israel: legal or not?
Are settlements in Judea and Samaria (“West Bank”) legal or illegal? What do the Geneva Conventions say? And does it matter, and to whom? As ever, those who press the point most vociferously have forgotten, if they ever knew, the history of the region. And some critics are in fact throwing off on Israel, regarding something they did themselves.
