Protest, Colonization, and the Ukrainian Nation

A statue is of George Washington covered with a Palestinian flag and a keffiyeh by protestors at The George Washington University in Washington, D.C., April 25, 2024. Photo credit: Bryan Olin Dozier via Reuters Connect.

Many observers of the pro-Gaza/Hamas demonstrations at college campuses throughout the U.S. have been taken aback by the rhetoric and behavior of the protestors and their advocates. Masked faces and widespread refusals to self-identify display the protestors’ reluctance to face real consequences for their actions. What is most troubling, however, is the contention that Israeli […]

No End to National Security Surprises

Photo credit: REUTERS/Larry Downing.

The surprise was total and horrific—Israeli men, women and children brutally killed or taken hostage by Hamas on October 7, 2023. Israel’s vaunted intelligence services failed to provide adequate warning, its military—the Israeli Defense Forces—failed to provide adequate security, and Israeli political leadership remained cocooned in their comfortable assumptions about risks to Israeli security posed by Palestinians in […]

Assuring Deterrence in the Mediterranean

Navy ships from NATO member nations in sail. Photo credit: ZUMAPRESS.com via Reuters Connect.

It is springtime in the Mediterranean, as cruise ships busily make their way from port to port in some of the popular tourist destinations like Lisbon, Naples, the Adriatic Coast, and the Greek Isles. The Med looks peaceful to the people in the lounge chairs of those ships. However, such tranquility is only guaranteed by […]

Video Interview with Fania Oz-Salzberger

Fania Oz-Salzberger

JST columnist Ksenia Svetlova interviews Israeli writer and historian Fania Oz-Salzberger about the position of the center-left in Israel today. Oz-Salzberger co-authored the book, Jews and Words, with her late father, the novelist Amos Oz.  Read the full transcript below. Note: This transcript is lightly edited. Ksenia Svetlova: I follow you on Twitter and read your […]

Gaza-lighting: <br>How Israel’s Weakest Foe Became its Worst Enemy

Photo credit: REUTERS/Nir Elias.

Israel’s version of the Pentagon is a twin-towered office complex in HaKirya, the Compound, bordering what used to be the eastern outskirts of Tel Aviv, until 1948 when the city started expanding and flourishing. On the 14th floor of the complex is a corridor connecting the office suites of the two highest ranking officials. These […]

How the War in Gaza Plays Out in Chile’s Domestic Politics

Chile's President Gabriel Boric greets members of the Palestinian community in Chile at a ceremony called 'From Belen (Bethlehem) to Chile' during the Christmas season, December 20, 2023. Photo credit: REUTERS/Ivan Alvarado.

Several left-leaning Latin American governments have criticized Israel for its response to the October 7 attack, including Mexico, Colombia, and Brazi. But Chile’s young president, Gabriel Boric, stands out for consistent harshness, which extends to his view of Chile’s Jewish community. Ethnic Politics in Chile Chile hosts Latin America’s largest Palestinian community, an estimated 400,000 […]

The Day After Tomorrow: <br>Dark Clouds Loom over the Middle East

Israeli Air Force F-15 Eagle following interception mission of Iran attack, April 14, 2024. Photo credit: Israel Defense Forces/Handout via REUTERS.

In one of his last interviews on German television, before passing at the age of 100, Henry Kissinger opined that the slaughter of Israelis by Hamas on October 7 could end up bringing the rest of the Arab world into the fighting. Based on recent events, his remarks were prophetic. Unless cooler heads prevail, we […]

Israel’s Next Steps: Build on Victory

Iranian ballistic missile parts that the IDF retrieved from the Dead Sea, April 16, 2024. REUTERS/Amir Cohen.

In the face of the dramatic large-scale Iranian assault on Israel April 14, Israel has a fateful choice, usually presented as whether or not to conduct a retaliatory attack on Iran. But the real choice is how Israel, as a state with its existence at stake, can exploit the current military and diplomatic situation to […]

Iran’s Attack Requires a Broad Response

Israel's Arrow 3 interceptors operate against long-range Iranian missiles over the city of Ashkelon, Israel in the early morning hours of April 14, 2024. Photo credit: REUTERS/Amir Cohen

Iran’s attack on Israel, with more than 170 drones and 120 ballistic missiles, was the largest that Tehran has ever launched against the Hebrew state.  Previously, Iran used proxy forces, including Hamas in Gaza, Hezbollah in Lebanon, and Houthi rebels in Yemen, to rain down rockets on Israeli homes and ships. Now, Iran is attacking directly and striking at well […]

The Houthis’ Asymmetrical Maritime Warfare

US destroyer shoots down Houthi missiles and drones. Photo credit: ABACA via Reuters Connect / Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Michael J. Lieberknecht.

The war launched by Hamas on October 7, 2023 caught Israel and its defense establishment by surprise, but the same cannot be said of the missile attacks on Red Sea shipping by the Houthi rebel regime in Yemen.  Ever since the Houthis took control of Yemen’s capital San’a in 2014, Israeli analysts have warned that […]